The 3 Most Underrated And 3 Most Overrated Spooky Season Movies

While there are probably hundreds of great unseen and unpopular, we’ve compiled a list of three of the most underrated and three of the most overrated spooky season movies.

In preparation for the spookiest holiday of the year, many of us love a good movie marathon. And there are plenty of films that have become synonymous with Halloween from Nightmare Before Christmas to Halloween itself. But sometimes, the films that come around every year can get tiring, making those movies completely overrated.

On the flip side, however, that means there are so many underrated films many of us likely haven’t seen yet. While there are probably hundreds of great unseen and unpopular, we’ve compiled a list of three of the most underrated and three of the most overrated spooky season movies.

Overrated: The Sixth Sense (1999)

In its time, The Sixth Sense was everything we thought a good horror movie needed. An early M. Night Shyamalan film, it coined the repeatable, whispered quote, “I see dead people.” But once you know the twist and watch it back to see how every detail matches up with the reveal, there’s very little left to make it a bingeable Halloween watch. The tension is lackluster and the underlying story alongside the “horror” are just not enough to justify its continued popularity.

Underrated: Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

Despite its very Halloween-inspired name and theme, many have written it off as a lower quality horror flick. However, with household names like Brian Cox and Anna Paquin and a Halloween-centric plot, it’s actually the perfect spooky season film. It follows a trick-or-treating demon, playing on the fear of a creepy child. Not only that, but it weaves together four separate stories, giving a little something for everyone.

Overrated: The Blair Witch Project (1999)

1999 was not the best year for horror movies, even though many of those that came out were iconic at the time. The Blair Witch Project broke ground with its lo-fi found-footage style, but 25 years later, its initial charm has worn off. With a lot of running around, lack of a clear plot, and the film’s inability to endear us to any one character make it one of the most overrated films of its time.

Underrated: The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020)

Perhaps one of the least-watched and underhyped Netflix horror films, The Babysitter is a masterclass in how to make a film that’s equal parts terrifying and hilarious. And its sequel is even better. Directed and produced by Charlie’s Angels director McG, the film follows Cole two years after his babysitter tried to kill him. But when no one believes him, he goes to a lake party with some friends and learns a dark secret. The jokes and gore make it worth a re-watch every year along with the original.

Overrated: Saw (2004)

Saw seemed ahead of its time when it became the first in a franchise of “torture films.” But as many of us have learned in the years since with multiple sequels, gruesome body horror can only go so far when many of us are craving a little more substance and a little less nausea. The film follows the Jigsaw Killer as he forces his victims to harm themselves and others rather than doing all the work himself. Although it’ll have you screaming and wincing in pain on a first watch, every subsequent watch is a reminder that it’s nowhere near deserving of the hype.

Underrated: The Monster Squad (1987)

The Monster Squad has been nearly forgotten, but its cult following has managed to keep it alive for the past four decades. The film has everything a good spooky season movie needs — a hunt for a magical amulet, quick jokes, iconic monsters, and a group of pre-teens solving mysteries in the 1980s (hello Stranger Things). It incorporates tons of Halloween horror lore, including versions of the monsters we know and fear, such as Count Dracula, The Mummy, the Gill-man, the Wolf Man, and of course, Frankenstein’s monster. Between the comedy and horror elements along with The Monster Squad’s vintage aesthetic, it can easily be classified as one of the most underrated spooky season movies.

For more spooky movie recommendations, check out our horror site, Creepy Catalog.