With Halloween just around the corner, everyone is heading to the movie theaters to see what Hollywood has in store for this year.  Fans of horror movies are excited for new releases such as Halloween Ends, Smile, and many others.

Halloween Ends is the thirteenth and final installment of the Halloween movie series.  The film is available to view in theaters and on streaming service Peacock.  The story follows a teenage boy, Corey, who is wrongfully accused of manslaughter, but ends up joining well-known serial killer Michael Myers as they terrorize the town of Haddonsfeild, Illinois.  Since it is a sequel to a long-standing series, the Halloween franchise has an extremely large fanbase.  However, it seems that critics were expecting more out of this final film.  Many fans were disappointed with the “pretentious and unnecessary” feel of the film, and the movie obtained only a 39% score on Rotten Tomatoes, well below the average score 

“It is easily the worst film in the trilogy… with its meandering story and plot holes the size of craters,” said Michael Compton for Rotten Tomatoes Reviews.

The Halloween trilogy isn’t not the only revival of a classic this season.  Disney Plus brought back a Halloween classic for everyone to enjoy this October.  The release of Hocus Pocus 2 is an exciting and nostalgic sequel to the original Hocus Pocus, which was released back in 1993.  Almost 30 years later Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy return in their old, spooky costumes to play the three silly and child-hungry witches for a second time.  Hocus Pocus 2 follows the story of three young women living in the infamous small town of Salem, who unintentionally summon the three witches for a second time, bringing chaos and disorder to the community.  Released on Sept. 30,  Hocus Pocus 2 is a movie designed to get people into the Halloween spirit. 

“I loved Hocus Pocus when I was little, I used to watch it every Halloween with my family.  When I heard they were making a second one, I was excited, and couldn’t wait to see how they brought back some of my favorite characters,” said senior Sydney Flisser. 

However, original Halloween movies are not in short supply this October.  Netflix did not disappoint viewers when releasing its new Halloween film, Wendel & Wild.  This movie is a creepy animation about two mischievous and rowdy demon brothers named Wendel and Wild, who must confront their enemy with the unlikely help of a nun named Sister Helly.  The film is written by Jordan Peele, who is the mastermind behind award-winning thriller movies such as Us and Get Out.

“Get Out is one of my favorite horror movies, and I can’t wait to see what Jordan Peele will do with Wendel & Wild,” said sophomore Athena Dristas.

Wendel & Wild is sure to be a new approach to Peele’s spooky movies, as he adds a bit of comedy to the movie, along with the element of animated characters.  With a rating of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, Wendel & Wild is a new movie this season that you simply cannot miss. 

In addition to Wendel & Wild, another new film this fall is Smile.  Written and directed by Parker Finn, the film follows a therapist named Laura after she witnesses the suicide of one of her patients.  She later believes that she is being followed by a demon, who shows itself when people smile at her.  The horror film is based on the book Laura Hasn’t Slept, also by Parker Finn.  Since its release date on Sept. 30, the movie has grossed 73.1 million dollars in US box offices alone, and has obtained a 79% Rotten Tomatoes score. 

“Although I don’t normally watch horror movies, this film was really interesting and compelling to watch.  I liked how there were only a few jump scares, but more psychological, thriller-type scares,” said sophomore Sydney Forman.

This Halloween season has been eventful in the movie scene, especially since people are finally going back to theaters after almost three years of streaming movies.  This may be a primary reason why movies such as Smile have grossed so much money already.  These films have been great additions to the Halloween genre, and there will be many more thrillers to come.