Thinking of watching some Tim Burton Halloween movies? Tim Burton is one of the most well-known directors in contemporary cinema, mainly because all of his films share a signature aesthetic.
It’s challenging to name a modern director whose distinctive visual style has gained such widespread, instant recognition.
His preference for exaggerated caricatures and illustrations influenced by various pop art styles suggests that he channels certain sensibilities into his work.
If you’re looking for the perfect Halloween movies to watch this season, you should check out Halloween movies by one of America’s favorite filmmakers, Tim Burton.
1. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker, Vincent Price, Alan Arkin.
- Rating: 7.9/10
It is perhaps one of the best and most loved Tim Burton Halloween movies. Edward Scissorhands is a supernatural romance that stars Johnny Depp as the eponymous character, a conscious, animated human being brought to life by a good-natured scientist.
Unfortunately, the scientist dies before he can finish assembling Edward, leaving him with scissors for his hands and unable to fend for himself.
A kind-hearted suburban saleswoman, Peg Boggs, discovers him and takes him to her family, where he meets and falls in love with her daughter, Kim.
However, despite his skills and general good nature, Edward finds himself an outcast; thanks to his freakish appearance, he has to fight against judgment from a outsiders.
2. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jayne Wisener.
- Rating: 7.3/10
Sweeney Todd is among the topnotch Tim Burton Halloween movies starring Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd is a perfect fit for Halloween, with its gore, macabre, and a couple of jump scares.
It tells the story of Sweeney Todd, a barber formerly known as Benjamin Barker who works hand in hand with baker Nellie Lovett to commit hideous acts.
Fifteen years before the movie’s setting, Benjamin had been wrongfully accused by the evil Judge Turpin, who was lusting after his wife, and transported to Australia.
Returning after fifteen years, Benjamin – now Sweeney Todd – vows revenge and sets about killing all his customers and sending them down to Nellie Lovett’s shop, where she uses them for her meat pies. However, Todd won’t rest until his blade rests on Turpin’s throat.
3. Sleepy Hollow (1999)
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Casper Van Dien, Jeffrey Jones, Christopher Lee.
- Rating: 7.3/10
Johnny Depp stars – yes, again – in another one of Tim Burton Halloween movies based on Washington Irving’s classic Halloween tale, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
The film combines elements of horror, fantasy, and romance – perfect for a Halloween watch. It tells the story of Ichabod Crane, a queasy but dogged New York-based police constable who is dispatched to the quaint town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of decapitations taking place.
Ichabod finds himself caught in the middle of paranormal activities; the town is haunted by the Headless Horseman, a ghost whose head was stolen from his grave, causing him to come back and collect the heads of the residents until his own is returned.
Ichabod must solve the mystery of who has the head before it is too late, at the same time falling in love with the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel.
4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Freddy Highmore, David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Noah Taylor, Missi Pyle, James Fox, Christopher Lee, Deep Roy.
- Rating: 6.7/10
Another one of the best Tim Burton Halloween movies, this one is based on Roald Dahl’s novel of the same name.
Though a bit more haunting, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tells the story of Charlie Bucket, a kind and loving boy who lives near the prestigious Wonka factory in poverty with his family.
Luck falls upon him; he wins a contest with four other kids and is led by the eccentric Willy Wonka on a magical factory tour.
It turns out that Willy Wonka has a hidden agenda for the tour, one that will only be revealed when the children show their true colors. The film incorporated different themes like tragedy, comedy, and even reconciliation.
5. Big Fish (2003)
- Cast: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter, Alison Lohman, Robert Guillaume, Marion Cotillard, Steve Buscemi, Danny DeVito.
- Rating: 8/10
William Bloom is an investigative journalist who has a strained relationship with his father, Edward Bloom because the latter always tells exaggerated and unbelievable stories about his life.
When Edward falls ill, William journeys to be with him, and even on his deathbed, the former still tells fantastical anecdotes.
William sets out on a journey to retrace his father’s steps and investigate the truth behind the stories. On the trip, Will understands his father and his fantastical imagination.
6. Mars Attacks! (1996)
- Cast: Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Pam Grier, Annette Benning, Danny DeVito, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Martin Short, Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Tom Jones, Lukas Haas, Natalie Portman, Jim Brown, Lisa Marie, Sylvia Sidney, Jack Black.
- Rating: 6.4/10
I think at some point in our lives, we’ve all imagined the possibility of an alien invasion. “Mars Attacks!” is a comic sci-fi that brings this imagination to reality.
It is one of the best among Tim Burton Halloween movies. It follows different groups of humans trying to survive a Martian attack on Earth.
When the US government spots a series of flying saucers approaching the earth, the officials are assured by President Dale’s scientific advisor that the extraterrestrials come in peace, and they decide to welcome them with open arms.
That decision turns out to be a big mistake as the Martians begin annihilating humans. The film follows the different people trying to survive the cruelty of the aliens’ attacks.
7. Dark Shadows (2012)
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Greene, Jackie Earle Haley, Johnny Lee Miller, Chloë Grace Moretz, Bella Heathcote.
- Rating: 6.2/10
Although Dark Shadows didn’t perform well upon its release and is said to be the worst among Tim Burton Halloween movies, the theme, storyline, and general setting of the film make it suitable for a Halloween watch.
It is Tim Burton’s remake of the ’70s soap opera of the same name. A long-time friend and collaborator of Tim Burton, Johnny Depp once again stars in the film as the protagonist, Barnabas Collins.
Barnabas is cursed to be a vampire at the film’s beginning by a witch whose attention he’d spurned and buried alive.
He awakens two centuries later and finds the world as he knew it has changed; his grand estate has fallen into ruin. The remnants of his family are very dysfunctional, leading to a vampiric family drama.
8. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
- Cast: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens, Ken Page, Ed Ivory.
- Rating: 7.9/10
Although not directed by Tim Burton, he had the idea for the story for the film and was heavily involved in the production.
It tells the story of Jack Skellington, the king of Halloweentown. He becomes bored with the same annual celebration of the same holiday and desires something new, accidentally stumbling on Christmas Town and becoming obsessed with celebrating the holiday.
However, neither he nor his subjects genuinely understand what makes the holiday unique, and on his quest to understand this, he discovers that the answer to what’s been missing in his life may be closer than he thought.
A family-friendly movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas is the perfect combo and bridge between Halloween and Christmas.
9. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
- Cast: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Chris O’Dowd, Allison Janney, Rupert Everett, Terence Stamp, Ella Purnell, Judi Dench, Samuel L. Jackson.
- Rating: 6.7/10
Based on the novel of the same name by Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children follows a young boy named Jake who sets out to find the truth about the mysterious circumstances surrounding his grandfather, Abe’s death.
Despite the assumptions of other family members that it is a natural death, Jake remembers the stories And used to tell him as a boy about a school for children with unique abilities called Peculiars and journeys to Wales to find the truth.
He discovers a mystery that spans different worlds and times, and as the mystery deepens, he befriends the children at the school, learning about their powers and foes.
Ultimately, it is Jake’s special gift that can help save his new friends and the world he’s come to love. Great plot and one of the best Tim Burton Halloween movies.
10. Beetlejuice (1988)
- Cast: Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffery Jones, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton.
- Rating: 7.5/10
Beetlejuice is a dark horror/comedy film and one of the best Tim Burton Halloween movies; it’s full of the Staples – clown make-up, surreal visuals, you know it. It makes the living beings seem like the bad guys, and the recently deceased (ghosts) seem like the heroes.
After Adam and Barbara Maitland perish in a fatal car accident, they are stuck haunting their country home, unable to leave the house.
After a new couple, Charles and Deila Deetz, and their teen daughter, Leila, move in, the Maitlands attempt to scare them away.
When they aren’t met with success, they summon the miscreant Betelgeuse (pronounced Beetlejuice), who proceeds to wreak havoc on both families to achieve his own goal.
