This post first appeared on Wise & Shine a few years back when I was part of their writing team. That post was called Halloween Hall of Fame, but I figured I could get one more H-word in the title this time around. They still write good stuff over there at Wise & Shine– I recommend taking a look. But first….

Halloween is the most under-rated holiday. Christmas seems to get all the glory, but without Halloween on the calendar, stores would probably put their Christmas stuff out in September- which would be really irritating.

So not only do I want to publicly thank Halloween for preventing that mess, I’d also like to share some of my favorite Halloween-related things in hopes of helping this holiday get the respect it deserves.

This is my Halloween Hall Of Honor

Best Movie:  The Nightmare Before Christmas 

Jack, The Pumpkin King tries to improve Halloween by kidnapping Santa Claus and taking over. A Tim Burton masterpiece!

Honorable Mention: Disney’s The Haunted Mansion

Real Estate agent Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) and his work obsession lead his family into an old mansion run by the ghostly butler, Ramsey, who plans to coerce Evers’ wife into marrying the deceased Lord of the Manor, Edward Gracey.

Best Book:  Coraline

Written by Neil Gaiman, this thing is super creepy but so cool!! No details given here- you have to read it yourself!

Honorable Mention: The Graveyard Book, also by Gaiman.

Just a really fun book to read, with just the right amount of weirdness.

Best Short Film:  Thriller

Decades later, Michael Jackson’s MTV dominating mini movie is still fun to watch. And the dance scenes are still imitated constantly. Watch it here.

Honorable Mention: It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

This used to be a staple of the Halloween season but I’m not sure if it still is- but it should be! You can watch it on Apple TV or Prime Video.

Best Smell: A carving pumpkin right after you cut the top open. 

It’s weird but unique. Try it!

Honorable Mention: Fallen leaves

I know that’s not technically a Halloween smell, but you can smell it on Halloween (at least where I live) so that’s good enough for me.

Best Music: Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saens

In this story-like orchestral masterpiece, Death enters the cemetery, tunes up his violin and leads a festive, all-night dance party. Listen to the whole piece at this link. Here’s a blog I wrote on the piece if you want more details.

Honorable Mention: A Night On Bald Mountain

Listening to this piece is an outstanding experience, but watching how Disney combined it with animation is even better! It’s part of the 1940 feature, Fantasia. Watch it here!

I voted all of these things into the Halloween Hall myself, without consulting anybody. Would your list look different? Let me know in the comments!

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