Art by Rachael Sanford

The leaves stick on your shoe at every step as you stroll on the wet concrete and through small puddles. Pumpkins grin from door steps and small groups of kids run around outside in their costumes. This Halloween, you decide to leave a bucket of candy outside and stay home to do a Halloween movie marathon, but what movies are you watching? 

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) takes on aspects of both Halloween and Christmas. It’s a stop motion movie, which gives it spooky Halloween vibes. The main character, Jack, goes into a forest and stumbles upon seven doors engraved with symbols. As his curiosity takes the best of him, he enters into one, and a whole new world is shown. 

The original Scream movie (1996) is set in a small town where there isn’t that much going on. But one day, you find out that one of your classmates got murdered. The whole town is now suspecting who the murderer could be. You aren’t bothered by it and go to a party the next day. It’s all going good, but when you go down to the basement for a drink, there you see it: the person with the scream mask.

Coraline (2009) is another animated Halloween classic. You move into a new apartment and you’re already hating it. Your neighbors are weird, and it’s always muddy. With your parents always working, you decide to explore the apartment a bit more; while exploring, you come across a small door in the wall. You ask your mom to see if she has the key; she says no, but you annoy her a bit more. She finally gives you the key, and you run to the door, only to find nothing there. Then, one night, you see mice, so out of curiosity you follow them. Where do they lead you? 

Halloween (1978) may be pushing its 50th birthday, but it’s still a fall favorite. In the town you live in, a killer escapes while being transferred between courts. Due to this event, you and your friends don’t know what to do. Then one night, there he is…. 

As you slowly come to your senses, you realize  you fell asleep during one of the movies. While grabbing the remote, you feel something touch your hand. Quickly, you stand up and look around. There’s nothing. Just you, standing on the Tualatin High School seal.