Whether you’re a horror fiend or a big old wuss (guilty), this movie selection has you covered for October 31.
There’s a great scene in Mean Girls that sums up the two sides of Halloween. Lindsay Lohan’s character Cady gets invited to a Halloween party and shows up dressed as a ghoulish dead bride (“an ex-wife”), only to find she missed the costume memo. Everyone else at the party is looking sexy, silly or like a slice of pop culture – definitely not the spooky Halloween of classic horror films.
And that’s the thing – Halloween doesn’t have to be all creepy-crawly. You can wear superman capes or dress up as Chappell Roan or whatever you like. But if you’re popping on a Halloween-worthy movie this year, we think it needs to at least be a little supernatural. That’s where we draw the line, okay?
With that in mind, we have our own All Hallows-worthy watchlist, complete with side snacks, ideal settings and some killer drink pairings (relax, it’s just a figure of speech). We’ve also included a range of films, from serious spookers to the casually creepy, so there should be something for all horror tolerances. Boo!
Click image to shop
1. The Conjuring with a Colossal Brewing IPA
The haunted house flick has been done so many times that you’d be forgiven for thinking the trope might have lost its fear factor, but nope – still scary. Even still, The Conjuring is one of the best in the genre, following two paranormal investigators (played by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) as they head to a Rhode Island farmhouse that’s full of unwelcome spookies.
The Conjuring is as Halloween-worthy as they come and, if you’re up for a fright night, we reckon it’s worth going all-in. Setting-wise, this is a movie that begs to be watched in a dark lounge room, lit only by the terrifying on-screen action (ideally with some blankets to pull over your head when it all gets a bit much). Keep the jump-scares to a minimum with some silent snacks like chocolate or a classic party mix of lollies, and put some good drinks on ice. For us, it’s the scary-sounding Colossal Brewing Mind Harvest, a hazy IPA with a distracting amount of fruity flavour, in case the mind needs to wander to safety for a second.
2. Freaky Friday with Espolon Sparkling Paloma
If The Conjuring is a terrifying account of a house haunted by dark entities, we reckon that’s still about 100 times less scary than waking up one morning as your mum. Take your pick on which version you want but, if we didn’t make it clear in the intro, this is a Lindsay Lohan house.
As poor Lindsay lives out a day looking like her mum (played by Jamie Lee Curtis, who, in turn, must navigate the world as her teenaged daughter), we have a few choices to make. First, it’s the drink, which we reckon should be the Espolon Sparkling Paloma. Sure, the skeleton riding a rooster on the can is freaky but, as the movie makes clear (no major spoilers), it’s what’s on the inside that counts, which, in this case, is a zesty blend of grapefruit and tequila.
Plate up some corn chips, salsa and guac to complement those Mexican Paloma flavours and, if you can, find a friend with a projector and a big room because Freaky Friday is a proper crowd-pleaser.
Click image to shop
Click image to shop
3. Practical Magic with Bone Dry Rosé
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman? Doing magic? Oh yeah, that’s ticking some boxes. Practical Magic, for the uninitiated, is a ’90s cult classic that tells the story of two witchy sisters (played by Bullock and our Nic) who resurrect a dead lover and contend with a love-related curse. It’s fun, magical and a little silly – perfect for a Halloween screening without the fright factor.
As far as Halloween choices go, Practical Magic is very much on the chiller end of the spectrum, so we’d be watching this in a sunny spot in the afternoon with some good company and a glass of something crisp and cold. We’re big fans of Bone Dry Rosé, and not just because there’s something vaguely supernatural-sounding about dry bones. The rosé is clean, light and satisfyingly dry, and it should make a practically magic pairing with a plate of good cheese, crackers and all the trimmings.
4. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with a Side Eye cocktail
Word of advice: when having people around for a Halloween horror movie session, don’t invite Beetlejuice. With his signature black and white stripes, and wicked grin, Michael Keeton’s pestering poltergeist seems like the life of the party. But as Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis found out in the 1988 original, he’s a bloody menace. Fast forward to 2024, and he’s back with more of the same in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, partnering with Winona Ryder to get her daughter back from the underworld.
Alongside Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, we’d be mixing up a Side Eye. The cocktail is a fruity blend of Suntory Haku vodka, port, orange curaçao (we’re using Baitz), lime and passion fruit, but it’s the ‘eyeballs’ on top (made from lychees stuffed with blackberries) that sells this as a Halloween winner. And yes, we’re serving a Side Eye because it’s delicious, but we’ll also be keeping a close watch on anyone who toys with the idea of saying ‘Beetlejuice’ three times in a row. We don’t need that guy causing havoc at our movie night.
Serve this cocktail and comedy horror combo with your favourite black and white snacks (Oreos, goats cheese in ash, a bowl of macadamias and dark chocolate bits – whatever you like) and watch it in your family home, loud enough to annoy your parents. It’s what Beetlejuice would have wanted.
Click image to shop
Click image to shop
5. Get Out with a Rusty Nail cocktail
Jordan Peele really pulled one out of nowhere when he pivoted from the silly, satirical sketches of Key and Peele to start making genuine horror films. In Get Out, star Daniel Kaluuya accompanies his white girlfriend to her parents’ house where things quickly get weird – especially for the town’s black residents. The film is a truly unique horror that might well change the way you hear a spoon stirring a teacup.
If you really want to lean into the uncomfortable, uncanny vibes of Get Out, we’d be heading to an unfamiliar town on a getaway with friends. After watching the movie, you’ll be looking at the locals through fresh eyes, that’s for sure. Wherever you watch it, pair it with some very traditional, very proper pastries (eclairs, croissants – you know the drill) and a cocktail called the Rusty Nail. Like Get Out, there are two distinct sides to a Rusty Nail – the herbal sweetness of whisky liqueur Drambuie, and the potent punch of a Scotch like Tamdu 12 Year Old. Oh yeah, that’ll take you to the sunken place.
6. Scream (franchise) with Kirin Hyoketsu Mandarin
If you want a no-fooling Halloween movie, Scream is your go. Like its neverending franchise buddies Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween, there are plenty of movies in the Scream series to keep you busy – six as of 2025, with a seventh on the way. All of them deal with creepy murders perpetrated by various killers dressed up in the iconic Ghostface mask.
Honestly, there are two ways to do this. The first is to put on the original slasher (starring Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courtney Cox) as a bit of background at a genuine Halloween do, but with so many sequels to choose from, we reckon a Scream marathon could also be in order. Clear that schedule, gather your horror-loving friends (Scream is not for the squeamish) and grab some of our favourite zesty cans – Kirin Hyoketsu Mandarin. These pack flavour intense enough to match the on-screen action, and we’d say keep that theme going (and match the drink’s Japanese origins) with a big bowl of wasabi peas.
Click image to shop
