John Carpenter and Debra Hill crafted a perennial holiday banger back in 1978, a movie that you can pull out every year during spooky season—it’s called Halloween, and it’s set on Halloween, so there’s really no confusion. Even if it weren’t such a great movie, it would be rewatchable just for so clearly stating its intentions. If that’s not quite enough, there are twelve others, all set on the night itself or during the holiday run-up.
It’s certainly not the only one: Lots and lots (and lots) of horror movies are set on and around Halloween; it’s just a convenient date for for spookiness. There are plenty of less obvious movies, though, set around the holiday—some of them spooky-adjacent, others a bit more surprising. These movies all have connections to the season: They’re either set on Halloween, or have pivotal scenes involving seasonal festivities.