My Favorite (Not So Scary) Fall Movie List (Fall Movies To Watch)

My Favorite (Not So Scary) Fall Movie List (Fall Movies To Watch)

Fall is that time of year when you want to cuddle up by the fire, hot apple cider in hand, and watch a movie….  This list of fall movies to watch will totally come in handy for those moments. 🙂

My hubby and I have a list of movies for Fall and Winter (see my list of favorite Christmas movies in this blog post) that we watch every year.

 

My Favorite (Not So Scary) Fall Movie List Angela lanter hello gorgeous

 

Since we’ve been traveling the past +8 days, we missed out on some of our normal seasonal movie time, so now we’re playing catch up. 

We try to watch one of our favorite films every night in October leading up to Halloween. 

It’s become a yearly tradition that we look forward to each year.

 

My Favorite (Not So Scary) Fall Movie List Angela lanter hello gorgeous

 

It’s no secret that I’m a classic film lover. 

My love for the golden era of cinema has rubbed off on Matt and it’s become a hobby that we now enjoy together. 

As you can see by my list below, there are quite a few classic films, maybe even a few that you’ve never heard of before.

 

My Favorite (Not So Scary) Fall Movie List Angela lanter hello gorgeous

 
 

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I'm wearing Dreamers by Debut Cable Knit Sweater, Madewell Maternity Skinny Jeans, Steve Madden Norri Boots, Louis Vuitton,ThirdLove T-Shirt Bra, MAC Nude Lipstick. Angela Lanter, Fashion Blogger, pregnancy outfit. Fall outfit, fall fashion trends.
I'm wearing Dreamers by Debut Cable Knit Sweater, Madewell Maternity Skinny Jeans, Steve Madden Norri Boots, Louis Vuitton,ThirdLove T-Shirt Bra, MAC Nude Lipstick. Angela Lanter, Fashion Blogger, pregnancy outfit. Fall outfit, fall fashion trends.
I'm wearing Dreamers by Debut Cable Knit Sweater, Madewell Maternity Skinny Jeans, Steve Madden Norri Boots, Louis Vuitton,ThirdLove T-Shirt Bra, MAC Nude Lipstick. Angela Lanter, Fashion Blogger, pregnancy outfit. Fall outfit, fall fashion trends.
I'm wearing Dreamers by Debut Cable Knit Sweater, Madewell Maternity Skinny Jeans, Steve Madden Norri Boots, Louis Vuitton,ThirdLove T-Shirt Bra, MAC Nude Lipstick. Angela Lanter, Fashion Blogger, pregnancy outfit. Fall outfit, fall fashion trends.
I'm wearing Dreamers by Debut Cable Knit Sweater, Madewell Maternity Skinny Jeans, Steve Madden Norri Boots, Louis Vuitton,ThirdLove T-Shirt Bra, MAC Nude Lipstick. Angela Lanter, Fashion Blogger, pregnancy outfit. Fall outfit, fall fashion trends.

 


I’m not a fan of horror films. 

I’ve been known to get nightmares from movies like Jumanji and even certain episodes of Game of Thrones…  I know, I’m a chicken. 

I just don’t find it enjoyable to get scared.  So if you’re a scaredy-cat like me, then rest assured that this list is Angela-approved… 

Not one of these movies gave me nightmares lol!

 

My Favorite (Not So Scary) Fall Movie List Angela lanter hello gorgeous

 

 

Fall Movies To Watch:

As you can see, the majority of these Fall movies to watch are Halloween related, so I’m going to separate them out for you below by category.

 

Halloween Movies for the Classic Film Lover (Not Scary):

 

  • Arsenic and Old Lace.  I’m a big Cary Grant fan.  In my opinion, he’s the definition of a gentleman.  I love this film because we get to see a silly side of him not often shown in his work.  This movie begins with a Halloween introduction, but it’s not your typical horror flick.  It’s fun and goofy; it makes you laugh at the characters wild antics all the way through.  Matt and I already watched this last week and loved it all over again.
  • Two on a Guillotine.  This lesser-known 1964 thriller is definitely more on the serious side compared to “Arsenic and Old Lace” but it still doesn’t classify as scary in my book.  It’s a fun movie about a magician’s house that is booby-trapped with all sorts of creepy fun traps.  Honestly, the scariest part is the background music.
  • Young Frankenstein.  Another goofy one, but such a classic!  This one has adult humor at moments, but it’s really the Monty Python of Halloween films.  I found myself laughing pretty hard in a couple of scenes.  Gene Wilder is brilliant in this movie.
  • The House on Haunted Hill.  A 1950’s classic that is meant to be scary, but the effects are pretty bad, so you won’t be scared at all.  The story is creepy and fun, it’s the perfect black and white Halloween flick.  It’s the first movie we watched this season; it actually streams for free on YouTube.
  • Escape to Witch Mountain.  A Disney movie from 1975 that isn’t scary in the least.  This movie made Kim Richards of RHOBH a child star.  This is just a fun one to watch.  I’ve yet to see the sequel, but maybe this week we’ll get a chance to catch it.
  • Meet Me in St. Louis.  I’ll take any chance I can get to watch a Judy Garland movie.  This movie is also on my Christmas list, but it has a really fun Halloween scene that depicts how the holiday was celebrated in the early 1900’s.  It’s the perfect film to watch during Fall to help gear you up for both Halloween and Christmas.
  • Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.  Bette Davis and Joan Crawford starring in the same movie, need I say more?  I think Bette Davis’ performance is incredible in this film.  My guess is you’ve probably already seen this one, but if not, then you’ve definitely heard of it.  The “scary” moments also have such bad effects (compared to our movie standards nowadays) so you probably won’t find yourself frightened.  It’s still a fun, creepy one to watch if you enjoy psychological thrillers.
  • Stand By Me.  Probably the most popular movie on this list.  This flick from the 1980’s is not really meant for Halloween, but the creepy-ish moments make it worth adding.

Fall Movies and Film Noirs:

  • To Kill a Mockingbird.  Surprised that this one made the list?  Well, if it’s been awhile since you’ve seen it, then think back to the Halloween scene.  It’s October in the 1930’s in a sleepy Alabama town.  I love the deeper message of this film and think it shows Gregory Peck’s finest work.
  • Legends of the Fall.  This is my favorite Brad Pitt movie, with “Meet Joe Black” being a close second.  It embodies Autumn in every way.  It’s heartbreaking and raw, so get your tissues ready…  But it’s a great seasonal flick.  Matt has never seen this before so we’re planning to watch it as soon as Halloween is over.
  • Double Indemnity.  One of Matt’s all-time favorites.  Double Indemnity is the reason he loves Barbara Stanwyck.  It’s such a smart, snappy film and Barbara Stankwyck shines in it.  Her character is strong, independent and downright sneaky.
  • The Rope.  My favorite piece of Hitchcock’s work.  This psychologic thriller meets film noir is so smart.  It feels like the entire movie is just one continuous scene.  It’s not scary, but it is very smart and you’re guessing the entire time how the plot is going to play out.
  • Laura.  My mom was named after this movie!  It’s a classic noir and it’s the reason why I now love Gene Tierney.  It’s another smart script that leaves you guessing till the very end.
  • Nobody’s Fool.  We’re big Paul Newman fans at the Lanter house.  This is one of our favorite pieces of his work.  It’s gritty and shows a side of Paul Newman that you wouldn’t necessarily expect, unless you’ve also seen “Hud.”
  • Harry Potter.  Matt and I rewatch all of the Potter films each year between October 1st and Christmas.  We love the magic of Hogwarts.  So far, we’ve only watched the first movie this year, so we have some catching up to do.

 

Not-so-Scary Halloween Movies:

 

  • Hocus Pocus.  My favorite!  It’s not Halloween until we see the Sanderson Sisters.
  • Addams Family.  Another must-see each October.
  • Hotel Transylvania.  This animated film is sweet, lighthearted and funny.  We really enjoyed this one.
  • Nightmare Before Christmas.  Another one we make sure to watch between October 1st and Christmas.
  • Corpse Bride.  I think this animated movie is totally underrated.  Perfect for just a little bit of spooky, family night in.
  • Casper.  Two words: Devon Sawa.  He was the only reason I wanted to see Casper (holy huge crush!) but I ended up really loving this movie as a kid.
  • Death Becomes Her.  This is another one of Matt’s favorites.  Not truly a Halloween movie per-say, but still fun for this time of year.  I love any movie with Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep is an added bonus!  One of my favorite things about this movie is the Old Hollywood tie-in…  It also stars Isabella Rossellini, who is Ingrid Bergman’s daughter.  Yep, I’m that big of a classic cinema nerd lol!

 

Fall TV Shows to Binge Watch:

 

  • Gilmore Girls.  Where my GG fans at?!  You already saw this one coming, didn’t you?  You know how much my heart loves Lorelai and Rory.  We’re planning to watch Season 1 because it’s the perfect show to gear you up for the holidays.
  • Stranger Things.  To say that we’re excited for Season 2 would be the understatement of the year.  This show is creepier than I would like, but the 1980’s nostalgia sucks me right in.  So good!
  • The Adams Family (series).  Because they’re creepy and they’re kooky.  Duh.
  • The Munsters.  I grew up on Munsters reruns on TV Land.  Just a lighthearted and fun tv show.
  • Bewitched.  My mom loved this show as a kid and then turned me onto the reruns as a little girl.

 

What are your favorite Fall movies and tv shows to watch each year? 

Are any of your favorites on my Fall movie list?

Do you think I left a must-see off this list? 

Leave a comment below and let me know!

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54 Comments
  • Stephanie

    The Ghost and Mr. Chicken with Don Knotts is a classic and the only movie my family and I have to watch on Halloween! Not scary at all. 🙂

    • Angela Lanter

      That one is on our watch list FOR SURE! Matt is the biggest Andy Griffith fan you’ll ever meet!!

  • Katrina Groves

    Glad I’m not the only scaredy cat! Great list, my niece and I try to make time to watchHocus Pocus every year!

    • Angela Lanter

      Girl, you’re not alone! I can’t handle horror films lol!

  • Michelle Peterson

    I love your list! Hocus Pocus is my all time favorite. The Sanderson Sisters just make that movie so great. I would love to see some of the older movies on your list. I am going to save the email with the link to this blog post for future reference. I am also a GG fan too! I binge watch when I am feeling nostalgic for the Rory and Lorelai. I actually thought about naming my daughter Lorelai but I got out voted by my husband lol.

    • Angela Lanter

      Thank you! Hocus Pocus is the best! We watched it last night. 🙂
      Matt hasn’t seen most of season 1 of Gilmore Girls, so we’re going to watch it soon!

  • Michelle Johnson

    Love your list! Definitely a huge fan of Hocus Pocus–a must on my list for Halloween. I am dying to dress up like one of them for Halloween one year! The Addams Family movies are great and I thought Hotel Transylvania was so cute! I am however, one of those people that loves really scary movies–I must get it from my mom because she loves them too! So I will have to say Halloween is one of my faves–the original from 1978 with Jaime Lee Curtis.

    • Angela Lanter

      Thank you! I can handle the original Halloween, the older films don’t scare me like the new ones do!

  • Yay! I knew harry potter would make the list lol my favorite! I’ve read each book 4 times. And Escape to witch mountain is one of my favorites! I used to watch it all the time as a kid. Great List!

    • Angela Lanter

      Of course!! Can you believe I haven’t read the books? Matt bought me the whole set but I’ve never gotten around to actually reading them!

  • Love this list! My husband and I just watched Hocus Pocus on Sunday, always a classic Halloween/Fall movie!! I’m such a scaredy cat too! I always remember you saying that you make Matt skype with you all night when he’s gone, and I think that is just awesome. I’ve mentioned it to my husband, so he knows I’m not the only one that gets scared at home alone 🙂

    • Angela Lanter

      Thank you! We watched Hocus Pocus last night. 🙂
      The all-night Facetimes help me sleep better for sure!

  • Samantha

    How has Matt never seen Legends of the Fall??? Best movie ever!

    • Angela Lanter

      RIGHT?!? That’s going to be remedied real soon lol!

  • Lori Leung

    Love your list of movies and TV shows. I have read all the Harry Potter books. I started reading the books to my oldest son when he was 5 and we both enjoyed them. We have watched all the Harry Potter movies multiple times. Love Abbott and Costello movies like Meet the Mummy, Invisible man, Meet Frankenstein, so many good ones. I just watched High Spirits last week and every time I watch it I always laugh.

    • Angela Lanter

      Thank you! Can you believe that I’ve never seen any Abbott and Costello movies?!

  • Lots of movies on this list that I definitely need to watch! Already a HP fan but this has definitely put me in the mood to rewatch the series 🙂

    http://skylish.co.uk

  • We love Arsenic and Old Lace (my mom and I loveeeee the old Hollywood movies and this is a favorite of ours!). I think I saw House on a Haunted Hill on accident when I was younger and always wondered what it was. So i’ll have to look that up! We also always have to watch It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. We love the Charlie Brown cartoons growing up so we still watch. I personally love to watch the original House of Wax. It’s vintage enough that it’s not scary but you still kind of get the creep factor a little bit. Definitely excited for Stranger Things!

    Also, just want to say that this semester of college, I’ve been listening to y’alls podcast on my 40 minute commute to school and it makes the time fly so fast! I’m a little behind but I love love love listening to it in the car! Love y’all!

    Absolutely Ariana
    http://absolutelyariana.com/

    • Angela Lanter

      Charlie Brown is a must at Halloween and Christmas! I’ve never heard of House of Wax, I need to look that one up.
      Yay!! I’m so happy to hear that you’re enjoying Hello Bump! If you have a moment, please rate and review us on iTunes, it helps us so much. 🙂

      • I don’t have iTunes are the new episodes uploaded elsewhere?

        • Angela Lanter

          They are also uploaded to Stitcher and here on my blog as well. 🙂

  • Leah McCormick

    My Dad always loved Beetlejuice! That ended up being a family favorite around Halloween… wasn’t too scary and had the Tim Burton weirdness we all need a little bit of lol Nightmare before Christmas is another goodie!

    • Angela Lanter

      I remember watching the Beetlejuice cartoon as a kid! 🙂

  • Heather Kinnaird

    what a great list! i love love love hocus pocus and escape to witch mountain has always been a favorite of mine

    • Angela Lanter

      Thank you, Heather! Both are Halloween classics! 🙂

  • Brittany Blackburn

    I love Hocus Pocus (my favorite Halloween movie), Bewitched, Gilmore Girls & The Munsters. My best friend’s family & I usually have a Halloween movie night every Friday in October, non-scary with their kids & horror with the adults, but we’ve yet to do it this year due to crazy schedules. The kids love Scooby-Doo Halloween, and I don’t have a favorite horror flick.

    • Angela Lanter

      Matt is a big Scoopy-Doo fan! He can’t wait to watch it with baby girl when she’s old enough! 🙂

  • Brittany Blackburn

    I forgot to mention Sabrina the Teenage Witch, one of my favorite TV shows! ?

  • Jane Davidson | Typically Jane

    First off, LOVE your outfit! It’s so perfect for fall with the cozy sweater. And, then those boots! Love! And, you are having me SO ready to have a fall movie marathon!

    • Angela Lanter

      Thank you, Jane! It’s the perfect time for a movie marathon!!

  • Corey | The Nostalgia Diaries

    Someone was just telling me I needed to watch Hocus Pocus, so it’s on my list! (Also, I just love that sweater!!)

    • Angela Lanter

      It’s on repeat on Freeform this week! Perfect time to catch it on your DVR!

  • I’m not a scary movie person either. I LOVE your recommendation of Arsenic and Old Lace. What a classic!

  • I LOVE Hocus Pocus! It’s a Halloween classic! And Young Frankenstein is hilarious. Can’t go wrong with Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks 🙂

    A- simplylovely90.com

  • LOVE this outfit on you! Also, yes to all of those fall movies. Love Hocus Pocus.

    • Angela Lanter

      Thank you, Jenny! Hocus Pocus is the best! 🙂

  • Annette Dattilo

    Love this! What a great extensive list. So many goodies as well as some new ones. I too do not find joy in watching scary movies so this is a great list for me to refer too. Death Becomes Her was my hubby and I’s first movie date back in the day. lol Such a silly movie, but has a special place in my heart. 🙂 Cant wait for Stranger Things Season 2 this weekend!!

    • Angela Lanter

      Thank you, Annette! I love that Death Becomes Her was your first date!!

  • ” I’m a big Cary Grant fan. In my opinion, he’s the definition of a gentleman.” Yes! He is my standard for a gentleman as well. The only one I think has come even remotely close is George Clooney who can walk that fine line of debonair and comical.

    I am a huge classic film lover. When I lived at home our cable television was free because my dad worked for the cable company. So many times I’d be late for school and then work because it was some star’s birthday and TCM were running all their movies or they were playing movies of a certain genre all night.

    I now love love my TCM app. I suggest Lady Killers, Strangers on a Train (Farley Granger from Rope) and Suspicion (more Cary Grant). Funny how you said What Ever Happened to Baby Jane didn’t scare you. Years ago my best friend and I stayed at my grandmother’s house and started watching it at night and had to resume it in the morning. ?

    • Angela Lanter

      “Strangers on a Train” is such a great film! My mom was always freaked out by Baby Jane too!!

  • If you ever are looking for a new movie to add, and since you like the old Hollywood era, you may also like the Halloween movie Tower of Terror (Disney movie based off the ride. It’s stars Steve Guttenburg and Kirsten Dunst).

    • Angela Lanter

      I can’t believe I’ve never seen that one before!

  • Leah (@leahhaf)

    Ooo this gives me some new movies to watch!
    I’m such a tv and movie junkie haha how have I not seen some of these!! Definitely love all your content on EVERY platform – how similar our style (girl after my own heart with never too much leopard print) and humour is the same (you have me smiling every day with your stories and funnies) – I’m sure these will become fast favourites as well!

    (PS sorry for the Aussie/British spelling lol – I should remove the u’s :p)

  • I have seen most of the movies on your list. I also like Monster House and all the Abbot and Costello movies ( Meet the Mummy and Meet Frankenstein).

  • Hocus pocus!!!!! Gotta watch it every year!!!
    Nightmare before Christmas, Harry Potter, Scooby Doo (which added bonus Matt was in some episodes of Scooby Doo lol) Sabrina the teenage witch, stranger things, Brooklyn nine nine (the Halloween episodes are the best) and I’m new but yes Gilmore girls already watched it once can’t wait to re watch it all over again

  • Ooo definitely a few I haven’t seen. Oh and I almost forgot about The Munsters. I need to watch that again.

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