What to watch this Halloween weekend

Even though our Halloween plans are a little different this year with no trick or treating or parties to attend,, we are happy to be curling up on the sofa watching all things spooky.

As we head into a Halloween season unlike any other, here are some of our recommendations on what to watch this Halloween weekend. 

The Witches

The long-anticipated remake of the classic Roald Dahl’s book ‘The Witches’ is finally out just in time for Halloween. The Witches have returned to stun a whole new generation with director Robert Zemeckis putting a fresh spin on the tale.

The new adaptation was originally intended for a cinema release but due to the pandemic, The Witches is now available to watch from the comfort of your own home – just in time for the spookiest night of the year.  So, get your popcorn ready!

It’s been 20 years since the original movie and the witches are BACK to cast a powerful, family-friendly spell on you.

The film is available to purchase on a range of platforms in the UK, at a price of £15.99. The Witches is available to rent from Sky Store, Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, Microsoft Store and the Google Play store.

Hubie Halloween

If you are not a fan of horror movies and want to spend your Halloween weekend laughing instead of hiding behind your pillow, then this new Adam Sandler film will be perfect for you to watch this Halloween.

The comedic legend stars as Hubie Dubois, a resident of Salem who spends every Halloween trying to make sure his fellow citizens celebrate the spooky holiday safely. But just like the whole of 2020, things get complicated when an escaped criminal and a mysterious new neighbour put him on high alert and Adam Sandler’s character finds himself at the heart of a real murder investigation.

Available to stream now on Netflix.

Hocus Pocus

We cannot put together a Halloween watch list and not include this absolute classic. Everyone’s favourite family-friendly Halloween flick.

Disney’s 1993 cult classic is a must- watch this time of year. Starring Sex and the City’s Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy who play witches Winifred, Sarah and Mary Sanderson aka the Sanderson sisters.

Set in spooky Salem, watch the trio of witches cause havoc on the town after being awoken from 300 years of sleep by a group of children, who must now find a way to stop them from causing too much mischief.

Good news for you Hocus Pocus fans out there – the film has become so popular that a sequel has been greenlit, with the follow-up set to appear on Disney + at some point in the future. How exciting!

Watch now on Disney +.

Stranger Things

There is nothing wrong with watching reruns of your favourite series, right? One thing that we will definitely be watching over the Halloween weekend is Strangers Things.

We are still patiently waiting for a season 4 release date so in the meantime, we thought we would prepare for that day by starting the science fiction horror tv series from the very beginning.

All 3 seasons are available on Netflix.

Rebecca

Based on the classic 1938 Gothic novel, Rebecca is a new romantic thriller with Gothic undertones starring Mamma Mia Here We Go Again! Star Lily James.

The plot: Rebecca follows a young middle-class heroine who arrives on the French Rivera to work as a personal assistant to Mrs. Van Hopper.  Whilst staying at a luxurious hotel, she meets Maxim De Winter who she embarks on an unlikely but passionate romance with.

As the new couple return to England to Maxim’s grand home, the new Mrs de Winter finds her romance and existence haunted by the presence of Maxim’s dead wife, Rebecca.

The memory of the late Rebecca is also being kept alive by the scheming and unsettling housekeeper, Mrs Danvers.

Available to stream now on Netflix.

Addams Family Values (1993)

A typical American family with siblings that will stop at nothing to get rid of their new baby brother. Sounds normal right?

Well except for the homicidal kids, the killer nanny and the ghoulish parents!

The American fantasy comedy classic is now available to watch on Netflix.

Casper (1995)

Who remembers the friendly ghost that everybody loved?

The plot: A doctor who specialised in ghosts is hired by an heiress to rid a mansion of spirits, but his daughter befriends a friendly ghost that live there.

We wanted to throw a little bit of nostalgia into the mix because here at Vanilla Underground, we used to love watching Casper when we were younger and wanted our very own Casper the friendly ghost!

Available to watch on Sky Store, and Amazon Prime.

It (2017)

And finally, we had to throw some horror in there because it is spooky season after all.

In the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids get together to destroy a shape-shifting monster which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of the small New England town.

Based on the popular Stephen King novel starring Bill Skarsgard as IT.

Friday 30^th October – ITV2 9pm