We were recently chatting with someone about how, the second the weather gets colder in New York, we find ourselves immediately wanting to stay in and watch more movies. With the arrival of autumn, we’ve noticed lists of “fall films” popping up everywhere, as people try to find movies that capture the feeling of the season. While we’ll skip the usual Halloweentown and When Harry Met Sally, here’s a round-up of our own recommendations for films to watch this fall, from Halloween to Thanksgiving.
Halloween
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
A movie we always love to watch around Halloween is The Silence of the Lambs. It’s a classic.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
This is the synopsis for Bram Stoker’s Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola on IMDb: “The centuries-old vampire Count Dracula comes to England to seduce his barrister Jonathan Harker’s fiancée Mina Murray and inflict havoc in the foreign land.” We also love the casting, which includes Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night by Ana Lily Amirpour is a 2014 Persian-language vampire black-and-white film, promoted as “The first Iranian vampire Western.”
Cat People (1942)
“An American man marries a Serbian immigrant who fears that she will turn into the cat person of her homeland’s fables if they are intimate together.” Cat People is a supernatural fantasy thriller.
Scream (1996)
We all know the Scream franchise, especially with all the recent releases. Our favorite is the original, which is a Halloween staple.
Donnie Darko (2001)
“During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days. When Donnie returns home, he finds that a jet engine has crashed into his bedroom. Is Donnie living in a parallel universe, is he suffering from mental illness – or will the world really end?” We remember when we first watched this in high school and found it revolutionary. While it didn’t have the same coming-of-age impact on our adult rewatch, it’s still a cult favorite.
Zodiac (2007)
This is one of our favorite movies, regardless of the season. When looking for something to watch, we often find ourselves saying, “I want to watch something like Zodiac.” Jake Gyllenhaal plays an amateur detective obsessed with finding the Zodiac Killer — a serial killer on a killing spree in Northern California.
House (1997)
House by Nobuhiko Obayashi is a Japanese experimental horror comedy that is truly bizarre. We think it’s best to go in without knowing too much and just be along for the ride; it’s campy, with laughable special effects, strange editing choices and a dream-like quality.
Nostalgic
Good Will Hunting (1997)
It’s an obvious choice, but we can’t not include it: “Will Hunting, a janitor at MIT, has a gift for mathematics but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.” Gus Van Sant’s Good Will Hunting is one of the quintessential movies people think of when they think of fall films, starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Robin Williams. For two other Boston movies that lean more into the crime/mystery vein, we recommend Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone.
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Mulholland Drive by David Lynch is another timeless choice. “After a car wreck on Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a Hollywood hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.”
Grey Gardens (1975)
Grey Gardens is considered by some to be one of the best documentaries ever made. Relatives of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Edie Bouvier Beale and her mother, Edith, are the sole inhabitants of a Long Island estate in East Hampton. The eccentric mother-daughter duo rarely leave their home (which is in decay and disarray), making this a fitting watch as it gets colder and we anticipate being more house-bound.
Girl, Interrupted (1999)
“A directionless teenager, Susanna, is rushed to Claymoore, a mental institution, after a supposed suicide attempt. There, she befriends a group of troubled women who deeply influence her life.” This movie is based on the true story of Susanna Kaysen, starring Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie and Brittany Murphy. You could do a double feature and watch this alongside the Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides.
The Last Days of Disco (1998)
While you might feel a sense of longing with summer gone, watch The Last Days of Disco — a look back at the end of an era, featuring Chloë Sevigny and Kate Beckinsale as the leads. For a more direct reflection on warmer days, you could do Éric Rohmer’s A Summer’s Tale or The Green Ray.
Thanksgiving
Best In Show (2000)
This is our #1 family-friendly Thanksgiving movie pick. It’s a mockumentary about the world of dog shows, through the lens of the dog owners.
Paddington (2014)
For another wholesome pick, Paddington is always a safe option. You could also do Paddington 2, which many say is better. It’s hard not to have a soft spot for this funny little Peruvian bear lost in London.
On Our Fall Watchlist
Cold Water (1994)
Olivier Assayas is one of our favorite directors and we’ve been meaning to watch Cold Water for a while now. It’s a teen love story that takes place on the outskirts of Paris in the early 1970s.
Santa Sangre (1989)
We appreciate Alejandro Jodorowsky’s distinctly stylized approach to filmmaking, so Santa Sangre is a must-watch for us — described as haunting.
