A variety of Halloween aesthetics abound this spooky season on TikTok, whether they’re based on personal favorite Halloween decor, favorite color schemes, or even zodiac signs. Each TikTokker professing their favorite aesthetic has plenty of photo references and an apt name that conveys the type of Halloween style that resonates with them on a personal level.
One of the best parts of Halloween time is snuggling up with a cup of apple cider, a blanket, and a good Halloween movie. Naturally, one’s personal aesthetic will affect what kind of films one likes to watch, so choosing a Halloween movie based on the different Halloween aesthetics found on TikTok is a perfect twist on this trend.
10 Vintage Halloween – It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
For lovers of vintage Halloween artwork, costumes of the 1920s through ’50s, and old-timey Halloween hits like, “This House Is Haunted” by Roy Fox or “The Skeleton Rag” by the American Quartet, this is the perfect Halloween flick.
The Great Pumpkin has memorable moments centered around all of the cute old-school Halloween themes: pumpkin patches, sheet ghost costumes, and cozy, ambient music. It’s not the scariest Halloween movie, but this aesthetic is more concerned with vintage vibes than scares. It’s the perfect background movie for while you are hand-sewing your costume.
9 Witchy Vibes – Practical Magic (1998)
Those who like to boil cinnamon, cloves, orange slices, and star anise on the stovetop to welcome in the fall season and cleanse their home are the same people who might have a garden of herbs and a steaming cup of herbal tea when one of their friends gets the sniffles from the autumn air. If you love the image of red and brown leaves on cobblestone roads and brick buildings with vines crawling up the sides in a small northeast town, this is the aesthetic for you.
Practical Magic, which has had a resurgence in popularity over the past year, is all about real-life mystical energy (and really amazing outfits) and is the perfect Halloween pick for everyone’s resident witchy or warlocky friend. The film also has some perfectly spooky quotes to use for an Insta pic featuring colorful fall flora or a well-decorated witchy kitchen.
8 The Haunted House – The Haunted Mansion (2003)
If fixing up a dilapidated Victorian home and making friends with the resident ghosts sounds appealing instead of scary, then this aesthetic may be the right fit. A creak in the night, walking down a hallway in a flowing night robe armed with a candlestick, maybe you’re not quite sure if that portrait moved or not. Ornate decor with detailed woodwork, velvet, and lace — not to mention cobwebs, are all over this vibe.
Watching The Haunted Mansion is a wonderful pick for those who love old architecture and a good romantic ghost story. The 2003 Disney movie based on the fan-favorite attraction has eerie music, and a sorrowful ghostly host mourning the death of his beloved. There are also, of course, a few good laughs on the part of lead actor Eddie Murphy, and the comical ghostly employees of the mansion.
7 Pumpkin Patch & Farmer’s Market – Halloweentown (1998)
This aesthetic is all about small-town life during the Halloween season. There are storefront decorations, fall-time produce, an array of pumpkins to go home and carve, and an orchard for apple picking. Walking around in the crisp air trick or treating around the neighborhood and getting to wear costumes to school are the best parts of the holiday for those who love this aesthetic.
Fans of Halloweentown may not know that they can visit real-life Halloweentown in St. Helens, Oregon, as the city celebrates the movie’s aesthetic for the entire October month every year! Additionally, Aggie’s home in the film is an operating bed and breakfast in St. Helens, if people want to really get immersed in the world.
6 The “Halloween Party” Aesthetic – Beetlejuice (1988)
Some say the best part of Halloween is a really good costume party, complete with multi-colored lights and decorations, witch’s brew punch, “The Monster Mash” and “Thriller.” If putting together a Halloween-themed snack tray and creating the perfect spooky and fun playlist fuels excitement for the season, then this aesthetic will resonate with you.
Beetlejuice is the OG Halloween life of the party — with nonstop shenanigans, bright colors, and a million cool and underrated Tim Burton characters to inspire outfits for a costume contest. It also has that classic ’80s movie energy that’s perfect for a house party with a few friends — or a few hundred!
5 Vampires & Gothic Horror – Crimson Peak (2015)
Castles, blood-red accents, an air of gothic mystery, and a love of bats and vampire-chic outfits are the trademarks of this aesthetic. This is often paired with a love of gothic horror novels like Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” and Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” A Halloween spent traipsing around the castles of Transylvania would be a dream vacation for people who identify with this aesthetic.
Crimson Peak is a beautifully dressed and shot gothic horror film that takes place in a gigantic family home complete with a haunting piano in the mountain peaks and snow that turns crimson when it’s walked on. It tells a traditional gothic ghost story, where the ghosts aren’t ghosts at all, but people with secrets that haunt them.
4 Bonfire Ghost Stories & Ghost Hunting – The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Real-life horror is the bread and butter of this aesthetic. Chilly wind whistles through the trees as friends surround a fire and trade their ghost experiences — each trying to scare everyone more than the last story. Lovers of this aesthetic have definitely downloaded a ghost hunting app on their phones before, and they know the location of every haunted place within a 100-mile radius of them.
The Blair Witch Project truly frightened audiences into thinking it was real when it was released — partially due to the film’s marketing. The promo for the 1999 found-footage movie included missing posters for the cast, adding an extra layer of anxiety and fear for moviegoers. This, of course, wasn’t true and the cast was perfectly fine — but it does make for a good aesthetic.
3 Pumpkin Spice Lattes & Cozy Sweaters – Twitches (2005)
A solid Halloween DCOM with cuddling up underneath a fuzzy blanket, some twinkling orange lights, and autumn plaid decorative pillows is a perfect fall night for those who love this aesthetic. Naturally, there’s a stop at Starbucks along the way to pick up some PSLs and an autumnal baked good.
A not-so-scary Disney Halloween movie is the go-to here. Fans of this aesthetic want a good laugh or two, some cute witchy outfits, and a good soundtrack. Twitches tell the story of twin witches with colorful and adorable early 2000s looks who discover their powers and combine their strengths to defeat their bad guy: The Darkness.
2 A Night At The Drive-In – Psycho (1960) & The Shining (1980)
For this aesthetic, October is about evening drives to look at the changing colors of the leaves, flannel layers under denim jackets, and hot apple cider while enjoying a movie with family or on a date. A black and white flick at a late-night double feature is exactly what the doctor ordered for people who enjoy this aesthetic.
Psycho and The Shining lend themselves perfectly to double-feature pairing. The eerie natures and slow burn of the motel and hotel duo are what make them true iconic classic horror movies. Don’t forget to stock up on snacks in the car beforehand — or sneak them in under the blanket.
1 The Costume Shop – The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
The smell of rubber masks is in the air and the anticipated arrival of Halloween costume shops popping up in empty storefronts is eagerly anticipated by fans of this aesthetic. Patrons of this aesthetic have designated inspiration boards on their Pinterest pages for all of their costuming ideas. They learned how to sew before they were born, and they would never limit themselves to one costume each Halloween season.
For those with this eclectic and avant-garde taste, not just any Halloween movie will do. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a hard-to-find cult classic about a couple who happens upon aliens from Transexual, Transylvania, calls to fans’ intense love of group and couples costumes and extravagant attention to detail. With the many outfit changes throughout the offbeat musical horror, the lavish and edgy aesthetic created during the film provides more than enough inspiration for a DIY or five.
