Most of them have stood the test of time because they pick at a nagging anxiety, be it something small (like creepy dolls) or something larger (the looming dread that, no matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to keep your family totally safe). When the mood strikes, these are the best Halloween movies of all time.

We want that oddly comforting feeling of walking around a darkened, spooky house, knowing that something is going to jump out at us at any minute. We reach for those familiar directors, from old greats like James Whale or Stanley Kubrick to newer faves like Jordan Peele or James Wan. We want to spend time with our villains, be they Dracula, Michael Myers, Chucky or Freddy Krueger. And while there are so many great scary movies out there, when this time of year rolls around, we reach for the familiar. For Halloween, that means scaring ourselves to death with a classic horror movie. Holidays are a time of traditions, and in that spirit, we love to do the same things year after year.

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