Movie ideas to pair with your 2024 Halloween

Seattle Now spoke with Scarecrow Video's Matt Lynch to get a few ideas for Halloween movies, ranging from horror to not-so-scary at all. KUOW's Dyer Oxley has added a few recommendations of his own.

One reason Matt Lynch decided to move to Seattle in 2003 was that he saw a movie — "The Ring," a horror film set in the city.

"It has this very Seattle dreary, gray-blue vibe, but that is very cozy to me," Lynch told KUOW's Patricia Murphy on Seattle Now. "I moved here in part for the gloom."

RELATED: This horror genre is scary as folk – and perfect October viewing

Fast forward, and today, Lynch is Scarecrow Video's marketing coordinator, making him an ideal person to ask for scary movie recommendations amid the Halloween season (or any time of year, really). He has some pretty solid picks for just about every level of interest — from "I don't like horror movies" to "come on, scare me!" Check them out below.

"Horror movies allow you to confront anything that is bothering you, down deep inside, your anxieties about anything, because the fear of some impending doom is very palpable to all of us," he said. "We all know what it feels like to anticipate that something bad is happening. I think horror movies give you a way out of that ... they offer you this vicarious catharsis. If you can get through this scary movie, then maybe everything is going to be OK."

And the great thing about a place like Scarecrow Video, with one of the largest collection of films on physical media, is that there is always something new to you. Hear Lynch's full conversation with Seattle Now below.

RELATED: 'Love Hurts': Former Seahawk Marshawn Lynch steps further onto the big screen

As KUOW's resident nerd, and a former video store clerk, I'm going to throw in a few of my own recommendations for a spooky good time. (Sorry KUOW. If you don't want me randomly geeking out about movies, then you shouldn't have given me the keys to the website.)

Horror movies for people who don't like horror movies

Lynch recommends watching old, classic films that predate heavy gore, such as "The Haunting" (1963) or "The Seventh Victim" (1943).

Something different

Lynch: "Boxer's Omen" is a 1983 film out of Hong Kong. It's by the Shaw Brothers, a company responsible for most kung fu movies you've ever seen. This film is about a boxer in Thailand avenging his brother's death while dealing with evil wizards and black magic.

Dyer: Lynch said the Northwest has a "rich tradition of low-budget Big Foot movies." With that in mind, I'd recommend "The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot." This stars the amazing Sam Elliott in the lead role. To be fair, this film isn't so much a horror movie as it is a blend of many genres — drama, historical fantasy, action, and then more drama.

Pacific Northwest

Lynch notes that "The Ring" (2002) is a favorite for many. Based in Seattle, a journalist gets to the bottom of bizarre deaths around town — all the victims died seven days after watching a specific video tape. Be prepared to explain to younger viewers what a video tape is, and how it works.

Also, "The Changeling" (1980): A professor moves into a haunted mansion in Seattle.

Dyer: "M3GAN." If you combined "Terminator 2" and "Chucky", you'd get this film which will give you a whole new level of fear around AI. At the very least, you'll understand what all those memes and TikTok videos have been about.

Brand new horror films

Lynch points to "Cuckoo," about a young girl moving to Germany with family, working at remote hotel, and confronting a strange monster.

Also, "Longlegs." A lot of buzz resulted from Nicolas Cage's role in this film that is a bit of a crime thriller with a lot of sudden violin strikes to make you jump.

Dyer: I'm going to cheat a little bit and recommend "Alien: Romulus." This sci-fi / horror film blends the original "Alien" and "Aliens," and understands what made those films so great.

Halloween films that aren't scary

Dyer: "Practical Magic" (1998) doesn't provide much horror, but it does present a lot of great scenes around Whidbey Island's Coupeville and San Juan Island, where it was filmed.

Also, "Kiki‘s Delivery Service" (1989) is an animated film (Studio Ghibli) that offers a non-scary take on witches.

Also, "Clue" (1985) is spooky-ish and definitely funny. I love this movie so much, that, just ... flames, flames on the side of my face!