WORDS BY FLORA MACDONALD JOHNSTON AND REBECCA RHYS-EVANS 

Pumpkin spiced lattes, TikTok dancers dressed as Marvel superheroes, and masked children roaming the streets, it must be the season of the witch! Most likely, you’ve completed the cult South Korean Netflix hit Squid Games and have already ordered the infamous green tracksuit from Amazon. So, that’s your outfit sorted, but now you’re wondering about what spooky cinematic film to watch. We have you covered and have chosen our favourite horror movies that give you both the chills and the fashion thrills. Danger: these are highly unsuitable for when you’re cursing your Halloween hangover, so read below at your own peril...

THE LOVE WITCH

This satirical feminist B-movie was written, directed and edited by Anna Biller, known for exploring cinema through the female gaze. The movie follows a fabulously dressed Elaine Parks, a young witch who is a hopeless romantic. She casts spells and conjures up potions to help her seduce men, but obviously, as you may expect, it all goes horribly wrong. Set in San Francisco, there’s gothic Victorian-style interiors, a red Mustang, the California coastline and perfectly winged eyeliner complete with blue shadow - a beauty addict's dream. 

THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA

The sixth installment of The Conjuring franchise, horror affacienadoes won’t hesitate to tell you that this movie is actually terrifying. The film is loosely based on the Latin American folklore La Llorona, where an evil female spirit roams the waters searching for her murdered children. If we give anymore away, we will ruin the surprise...prepare to be spooked so hard your popcorn will fly across the room (no broomstick needed). 

ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE

For the fainter hearts among you, this film is the ideal All Hallows’ Eve watch. Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston star as two loved-up, sexed-up, blood-sucking, guitar-playing vampires. It’s erotic, funny (but in a dark comedy kind of way) and perfect for those that don’t really enjoy the usual films of gore, tragic deaths and high pitched screaming.

AMERICAN PSYCHO

The clue’s in the title, this film is a psychotic thriller. Based on Bret Easton Ellis’ gruesome book of the same name, Christian Bale plays the crazed Wall Street investment banker with a creepy OCD beauty regimen, a razor-sharp suit fetish, a fixation with Donald Trump, oh, and enjoys murdering friends and colleagues. 

GET OUT

Jordan Peele’s 2017 Oscar winning box office hit is considered one of the best films of the 21st Century for its representation of racial tensions in the USA. It follows Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), an African American who visits his white girlfriend’s family, only to discover a dark secret.

CARRIE 

Based on the 1974 novel by Stephen King, Carrie is one of the ultimate horror classics. You’ve likely seen many annual reincarnations of her white silk prom dress doused in ruby red blood. The movie stars Sissy Spacek as the shy and bullied 16-year-old Carrie White and a very young (and dishy) John Travolta. Carrie is a revenge tale, with telekinetic powers on prom night she wreaks bloody havoc.  

HOCUS POCUS

American darlings Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker star as the Salem sisters. Resurrected after 300 years, they’re hell bent on revenge. The outfits are delightfully witchy with stripey tights, velvet brocade jackets – and in the case of SJP – some serious bustier action. 

BEETLEJUICE

Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice is top of our 80s cult comedy movie list. The scares within the movie are like those you get on a fairground ghost train. They’re a little cheap, one dimensional but entertaining and funny nonetheless. The costumes have all the hallmarks of a Halloween classic. There’s prison stripe suits, ripped trouser hems, bad wedding dresses, and for Winona Ryder’s teen misfit character, 80s punky all-black outfits.