Fall is my favorite season, so here are my recommendations for movies with a cozy Autumn atmosphere.
Have some fun today!
Watch on YouTube. Video by @cobwebschannel:9 Atmospheric AUTUMN Movies to Watch This Fall
September is nearly upon us, so I'm in the mood to crack a window open, let a chilly breeze come through, and watch some autumnal movies with vibrant trees, crunchy leaves, sweaters, pumpkins, and a hot cup of apple cider. There are plenty of obvious Halloween movies to watch once October arrives, but sometimes I want something that simply feels like fall. It does not always have to be about Halloween or even horror. Sometimes it's the atmosphere that makes a movie perfect for this time of year.
So, here are some lesser-discussed recommendations that fit that autumn atmosphere, including a few Halloween horror movies and some completely different genres.
Alone in the Dark (1982)
One of the first movies that comes to mind is Alone in the Dark from 1982, a criminally underrated horror movie with a very Stephen King flavored setup. A young doctor moves into a small New England town with his family to work at the local psychiatric hospital, under Donald Pleasence. Because if it's a fall horror movie and there's a psychiatrist, it should probably be Donald Pleasence.
What I love about this is that it's an '80s slasher that fully delivers as a slasher, but it's also a legitimately well-made film. You don't have to sit around waiting for the kills because the story remains interesting throughout. It mostly follows adult, more mature characters, while still giving us some classic slasher situations.
Eventually, several murderous psychopaths escape from the hospital and track the doctor down. The movie turns into a siege as the family has to fight them off inside their house. Jack Palance and Martin Landau are both hamming it up, while another killer wears a hockey mask that gives you a Jason Voorhees kind of look.
The atmosphere is what really makes it work for fall. It takes place in a small New England town, clearly during autumn. Anytime you get scenes outside, there are vibrant trees and leaves all over the ground. It is a lovely autumnal film with plenty of kills and good old-fashioned '80s horror fun.
The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (1978)
The Dark Secret of Harvest Home is another perfect autumn title. This made-for-TV miniseries follows a New York couple and their daughter after they move to a very small New England village. The community has an old-fashioned, almost Amish-like quality, and the family slowly becomes mixed up in a ritualistic, cult-like society full of secrets.
The miniseries is almost four hours long, but I think it works best if you approach it like a TV show that you are going to binge rather than a movie. I found myself invested in the characters and the strange society around them.
The story begins during spring and the planting season, then moves through summer and into fall, ending with Harvest Home, the big harvest festival. There are festivals throughout the story, including a corn husking festival that looks remarkably like the second episode of "Over the Garden Wall". There is so much about this old-fashioned farming community and its pagan traditions that I would just love to live in during the fall.
It's not always super crazy horror, but by the end it goes much further into the folklore, cult, and pagan ritual material than I expected. It doesn't seem censored for TV at all. Like this thing really goes for it.
Mermaids (1990)
But next, let's go into the first non horror movie on the list, Mermaids from 1990 is a charming comedy with terrific autumn atmosphere. The story follows a 15-year-old girl and her eccentric single mother, who moves the family whenever things become complicated. This time, they settle in a small town in Massachusetts.
The first three movies on this list all take place in small New England towns, which is exactly where I want to be in the fall. Mermaids is lush with beautiful colors, leaves covering the ground, autumn wardrobes, and decorations in almost every house or store. There are even Halloween decorations everywhere.
The movie takes place over the whole holiday season, including Halloween, Christmas, and New Year's, although it never really snows. It always looks like fall outside.
Winona Ryder is hilarious in the lead, with narration and an internal monologue that is sharply and darkly written. Cher is fantastic as her wild free-spirit mother, while a young Christina Ricci plays the youngest daughter. Bob Hoskins nearly steals the movie as Cher's charming love interest. Along with the comedy, there is some good drama, but it never takes its eye off the ball when it comes to being fun and light-hearted.
The '50s and '60s soundtrack is phenomenal, too. I really enjoyed this movie that's for some reason called Mermaids. Cher just dresses up like a mermaid for a costume party scene, but the movie is great.
The Clovehitch Killer (2018)
Now let's get into something much, much darker, The Clovehitch Killer. A picture-perfect family is torn apart after Tyler discovers a collection of disturbing photographs in his father's possession.
What makes this movie especially effective is its setting. It takes place in a small Midwestern town around a very average middle-class family. The movie has a familiar, almost nostalgic quality, but there is something deeply wrong underneath it.
Tyler begins investigating a series of killings with an outcast girl from town. As he gets deeper into the mystery, more and more evidence seems to point toward his own father. The movie keeps throwing twists at you, making you wonder whether he really could be the killer.
It very clearly takes place in the fall, but it's a less beautiful and vibrant version of autumn than some of the other movies here. Instead, the leaves, bare trees, and muted surroundings create a feeling of death and decay. That is another great way to use fall atmosphere.
Night of the Scarecrow (1995)
But now, let's cut loose and talk about Night of the Scarecrow, a wild and crazy '90s horror movie about a group of drunk teenagers who accidentally unleash the spirit of a warlock, which possesses a walking scarecrow.
You get plenty of cornfields, and while the movie does not always look completely autumnal, there is a theater marquee showing dates in October and November. Yes, I am crazy enough to look for stuff like that. It was filmed in California, which explains why it does not have the classic fall look, but it's still a killer scarecrow movie. How can you not love that in the fall?
The characters are thinly drawn, but the movie is an absolute blast. The scarecrow has supernatural powers and delivers some wildly entertaining and creative kills. This actually reminded me of Killer Klowns From Outer Space where that movie uses so many clown themed creative kills, this one does that for scarecrows. My favorite kill was the girl in the van. That one was wild. It feels like a '90s direct-to-video movie in the best possible way.
Far From Heaven (2002)
By far, the best autumnal atmosphere on this entire list belongs to Far From Heaven. Todd Haynes made this beautiful drama as a tribute to the Douglas Sirk melodramas of the 1950s.
The atmosphere is astounding. Everything is made to look as beautiful, picturesque, and vibrant as possible. The 1950s setting gives it that perfect Norman Rockwell quality, with colorful trees, beautiful homes, classic clothing, and a picture-perfect small-town world.
Julianne Moore gives a powerhouse performance, with Dennis Haysbert, yes, the Allstate guy as everybody knows him, playing the charming Rock Hudson kind of role, while Dennis Quaid is heartbreaking as her husband. The movie captures what was good about the 1950s, including the aesthetics, beauty, and hope for the future, while also dealing with the darker side of the era and the arbitrary rules people created for themselves.
It's a wonderful film, and one of the best examples of autumn atmosphere you could ask for.
Boogeyman (2005)
Boogeyman is probably the guilty pleasure pick of the group. I can make a very good case for why it's not a great movie, but I enjoyed it, mostly because of the atmosphere. It is fantastic.
There is hardly a single outdoor shot without leaves blowing in the wind. Most of the movie takes place around a farmhouse, surrounded by farmland, autumn leaves, dead trees, and hay bales. There is even a great funeral scene in a graveyard.
The horrible CGI looks very much like 2005-era CGI, but I find there’s something charming about it in a bad horror movie sort of way. If you enjoy trashy early-2000s supernatural horror, you might have a good time with it, just like I did.
Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost (1999)
If you have a family, like I do, one of the best things you can throw on is Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost. Maybe Over the Garden Wall too, but definitely Scooby-Doo, which I have always enjoyed watching since I was a kid. How can you not? The Mystery Gang travels to Oak Haven, Massachusetts, where they become involved with a famous horror novelist (voiced by Tim Curry) and his ancestor, who is rumored to have been a witch.
Once again, it's New England in the fall. The animation captures beautiful trees and a picturesque small town perfectly. The setting feels very Salem-like, with its interest in witch-hunting history, spooky legends, and Halloween atmosphere. Although there are an astounding amount of misinformation about Wicca.
Of course, you also get the classic Scooby-Doo characters and the Hex Girls, the fun spooky witchy band. It's one of those childhood favorites that remains fun to watch as an adult.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
Finally, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves may seem like an unconventional fall movie, but hear me out. This is a rare, cozy blockbuster with great autumn vibes.
A huge portion of the movie takes place in Sherwood Forest. You don't get a lot of bright fall colors, but there are crunchy leaves on the ground and a chilly, earthy, rustic quality that evokes fall for me.
I especially love movies set in the British countryside during this season. Even better when they have medieval castles, villages, muddy roads, candlelit rooms, overcast skies, and wind blowing everywhere.
And as a movie, I love this one an insane amount. Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and especially the over-the-top scene stealing performance of Alan Rickman make it a wonderfully entertaining adventure. There are swords, bows and arrows, romance, castles, occult themes, and plenty of old-fashioned good versus evil storytelling.
September's basically knocking on the door — time to queue these up.
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