Depending on the kind of popular cinema you consume, you’ll have a vastly different idea of what Halloween is supposed to be. While on one hand, there are thousands who see Halloween as the perfect excuse to don a skimpy nurse’s outfit or bunny ears and head to the nearest booze-fest, yet others consider it to be sacred – a continuation of the ancient Gaelic festival, Samhain which marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the “darker half” of the year i.e. winter.

Samhain was widely celebrated in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man and was seen as that time of the year when the veil separating the living and otherworldly creatures like the Irish supernatural race called the Aos Sí, spirits of the dead, and fairies was at its thinnest.

According to many historians, the Church shifted the date of their All Saints’ Day to November 1 (Samhain was traditionally celebrated between October 31 and November 1), and eventually, All Saints’ Day and Samhain merged to become Halloween. This was totally on-brand for the Church which had a penchant for appropriating dates and deities belonging to pagan religions.

But, you didn’t come here for history, did you? You came for movie recommendations. Here you go.

Raat (1992)

Ek Thi Daayan (2013)

13 B (2009)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eWl5M-jqxs

Ragini MMS (2011)

Raaz (2002)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtgNHHjZ8Mo