Top 10 Movie & TV Halloween Parties We Wish We Could Attend

#10: Chris Eisel’s Halloween Party

“Mean Girls” (2004)

When we were growing up, movies may have given us somewhat unrealistic expectations of house parties. Unlike the modest, fairly low-key versions most of us experienced in high school, Chris Eisel’s annual Halloween gets half the school packed into his house, and everyone is dressed to kill. Personally, we have to agree with Aaron that Cady’s ghoulishly punny get-up is a stand out. While the night doesn’t end well for Cady, this gathering gives us FOMO for the kinds of parties we could only dream of as teenagers. And 2024’s musical remake upped the ante with a costumed and perfectly coordinated dance break the likes of which we’re still hoping to experience some day.

#9: Miss Cackle’s Academy Halloween Celebration

“The Worst Witch” (1986)

Miss Cackle’s Academy walked so Hogwarts could run. Naturally, this school for witches does it up right for Halloween. From the decorations, to the fits, to the coordinated flying display, everything is top notch. It has to be with Grand Wizard Egbert Hellibore as their guest of honor. Tim Curry became an icon portraying the corseted and be-gartered mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Frank-N-Furter’s weird and wacky castle party would definitely be worth a stop on any Halloween circuit. We do love a Time Warp, after all. But it was Curry and his tambourine that convinced us that Miss Cackle’s was the place to be come All-Hallow’s Eve.

#8: Halloween in Halloween Town

“The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993)

Where better to spend this holiday than the place where it was created? In Halloween Town every season is spooky season, but when their namesake event rolls around each year they really go all out. Being side by side with the locals might be unnerving at first, but only because they’re so dedicated to their craft. The enthusiasm and town camaraderie will tingle your spine and then warm your heart. And if anything else needs warming, Jack Skellington is here with some impressive pyrotechnics. We could visit every haunted house on the planet and not get the kind of immersive experience offered in Halloween Town. The only downside would be finding anything to live up to the memory afterwards.

#7: The Ghost Train Party

“Pretty Little Liars” (2010-17)

So this party didn’t go perfectly. And yeah, we admit there are some downsides to being in such a confined space with someone like the villainous A running around. But assuming you don’t have a crazed stalker after you, this concept is a pretty cool one. Trains have kind of an old-school mystique about them already. We fully support leaning into that with a retro costume dress code, like the characters on the show. It could all be a really fun set up for a Halloween murder mystery theme, a la “Murder on the Orient Express.” But no one has to actually die. Again. One killer we can get behind, though? Adam Lambert, of course. The pop star absolutely slays in his surprise train car concert, and we would love to be front row for all that BVE. Big Vampire Energy.

#6: The Marshwood Junior High Halloween Dance

“Casper” (1995)

We love to see school spirit, especially when it’s …well, the spirited kind. North Valley High’s Halloween Homecoming in “A Cinderella Story” is exactly the energy we love to see. But when “Casper”’s Marshwood Junior High unexpectedly loses the use of their gym just before the big Halloween Dance, new-comer Ka’s house becomes the perfect solution. The neglected whimsigothic vibes of Whipstaff do indeed make for the perfect setting for a Halloween party. That alone could make this event a success. But it’s the residents that really take it up a notch. How many people can say they partied with actual ghosts? Kat’s classmates may not fully appreciate the opportunity, but no one can say it wasn’t a memorable night.

#5: The Hollywood Ghost Club

“Julie and the Phantoms” (2020)

It might be a little hard to leave this party in the end. But we have to give it to ghostly host Caleb Covington, his club makes it tempting not to care. This place isn’t just art deco for the aesthetics. The phantom entertainers at the Hollywood Ghost Club have seemingly been partying straight through from the roaring twenties to the present. Of course their moves are sharp, their notes are sweet, and their energy just doesn’t stop. Add in the bottomless buffet, and we’re searching for a reason why we’d want to leave. One amazing night stretching on and on into an eternity of jazz-age revelry? There are worse things in life. Or the afterlife, as the case may be.

#4: The Addams Family Gathering

“The Addams Family” (1991)

For the creepy, kooky Addams family, Halloween is less a holiday than it is a lifestyle. It’s no wonder they’re ready to throw a big family gathering at a moment’s notice. Unsurprisingly, Gomez and Morticia manage to throw a party that’s as classy as it is spooky. From the elaborate ensembles to the dazzling floor show, there’s no shortage of bewitching and bewildering sights to behold. This bunch is as welcoming as they are unusual, and they go out of their way to treat everyone like a family, so there will be no chance of getting stuck as the wallflower here. In fact, they’re as likely as not to just adopt anyone they take to. If these are the kinds of reunions we can expect, that idea gets two big snapping thumbs up from us.

#3: The Zombietown Mash

“Zombies” (2018)

You’d think that zombie parties would be a little stiff, but Zed and his friends go all out to show us how undead wrong we are there. We do worry a bit that we would get eaten alive here. Not literally, of course, just on the dance floor. These zombies move like nothing you’ve ever seen. Backed by soundsystems that would make celebrity DJs weep with envy, they just keep raising the bar with more and more brain blowing displays of skill. We’d probably struggle to keep up, but they seem like they’d be nice about us trying. Which is good, because with jams like this, it would be hard to stay seated. Not to be outdone, the werewolves in the sequel know how to party too. They go just as hard, and maybe even a little more wild.

#2: The Rave’N

“Wednesday” (2022-)

Nevermore Academy's annual student ball is noteworthy for its outcast attendees, with their assorted supernatural abilities, and for its changing yearly theme. While Gomez and Morticia attended the more on the nose “Goth and Glamour,” iteration as students, Wednesday and her friends put on their best for an even more chilling affair themed around an icy extinction event. But as ominous as the theme is, the dance couldn’t look more inviting. Even Wednesday herself is ironically thawed out by the cool ambiance and cooler music. We don’t see another Rave’N in season two, but we do get a lavish Venetian Masquerade gala instead. With top tier costumes, and another memorable dance number, it seems Nevermore could teach everyone a thing or two about hosting.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

The Deetz Dinner Party, “Beetljuice” (1988)

Who Doesn’t Love a Good Sing-Along, Intentional or Otherwise?

The Hogwarts Halloween Feast, The “Harry Potter” Franchise (2001-)

The Food, the Ambiance...The Possibility of an Abrupt End to the Evening Seems Like a Small Price to Pay

The Budapest Vampire Ball, “Van Helsing” (2004)

“Dying to Attend” May Be Taken Literally Here, but These Vamps Know How to Throw a Seriously Sumptuous Affair

The Hollywood Tower Hotel Halloween Extravaganza, “Tower of Terror” (1997)

If You Can Make It Past the Elevator It Looks Like a Swinging Good Time

The TRIC Masquerade, “One Tree Hill” (2003-12)

Command Performance From Pop-Punk Kings, “Fall Out Boy?” Say Less, We’re There

#1: The Salem Town Hall Bash

“Hocus Pocus” (1993)

Ah, the ‘90s. When kids got a Halloween of unsupervised candy hoarding, while the older crowd got to go to cut loose. Maybe it’s living year round in a place with a haunting reputation, but the Salemites know how to get into the spirit of the season. Honestly, by the time the Sanderson Sisters show up, their work is halfway done. With everyone already having a blast, it feels like it didn’t take much enchanted persuasion to inspire them to keep dancing. In a world where we’re all so concerned about being judged, we love the idea of just being able to put on a crazy elaborate costume, and get lost in the vibes. Let someone else worry about that “dance ‘til you die,” thing. When the moon is full and the music’s good, we all deserve to have some fun.

Which of these festivities looks like a frighteningly good time to you? Give us a scream in the comments sections.