22 Best Fall Movies To Enjoy This Autumn 2023

Summer is well and truly over. Shorts and t-shirts are being replaced with pants and sweaters as the temperatures begin to drop and trees start to shed their leaves. As the cooler temperatures begin to drive people inside, there’s no better time to spend the night on the couch watching the best fall movies this Autumn.

Fall movies cover a wide range of genres, from Halloween-themed horrors and back-to-school flicks to romantic comedies and murder mysteries. Some of the best include When Harry Met Sally…, Knives Out, Halloween, and The Goonies. While many of the movies we have selected are set during the fall months, others are just fantastic movies worth snuggling up on the couch with your significant other and watching during the colder months. 

22 Best Fall Movies To Enjoy This Autumn

1. Halloween (1978)

Let’s start off with a horror classic that just so happens to be set during fall and on Halloween. John Carpenter’s Halloween laid the foundation for slasher films and turned Jamie Lee Curtis into a scream queen.

There had never been a killer like Michael Myers, a ruthless monster with only one desire: to kill. If you only watch one Halloween movie, make it the original. 

2. Knives Out (2019)

Taking inspiration from Agatha Christie’s murder mystery movies, Rain Johnson surprised everyone with Knives Out. A mystery thriller of the highest order, the movie features an incredible ensemble cast (Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, and Emmett Till) who are all suspects in the murder of the Thrombey patriarch (Christopher Plumber).

Daniel Craig, putting on a southern accent as detective Benoit Blanc, deserves a special mention for his outstanding performance. 

3. Dead Poets Society (1989)

Watching Dead Poets Society makes you wish Peter Weir still made films. This cult classic stars Robin Williams as an English teacher who inspires his students with poetry at an elite all-boys school in the 50s.

The movie won a stack of awards, turned Ethan Hawke into a star, and demonstrated Williams’ dramatic chops, all while confirming Weir as one of the great directors of the 20th century. 

4. Edge of Seventeen (2016)

This coming-of-age story centers on a teenage girl trapped in the shadow of her popular brother. Hailee Steinfeld is great as the teen girl who slowly starts to discover herself and grows more confident in who she is as the film reaches its expected climax.

Special note must be made of Woody Harrelson, who is awesome as Steinfeld’s exasperated teacher. 

5. Last Night in Soho (2021)

Despite failing at the box office, Last Night in Soho is a more than solid psychological horror starring girl of the moment Anya Taylor Joy. Current-day London merges with the swinging 60s as something dark from another world attempts to enter the life of Thomasin McKenzie’s fashion student.

Both McKenzie and Taylor Joy are fantastic while the appearance of Terrance Stamp is a welcome addition to the cast. 

6. When Harry Met Sally… (1989)

Best known for that hilarious orgasm scene in the dinner, When Harry Met Sally… is actually a much more serious look at modern relationships and whether men and women can be just friends.

Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are fantastic as two friends who sporadically run into each other over the course of 12 years and find themselves wondering if they are meant for each other. This is a fantastic movie that stands the test of time and still rings true over 30 years later. 

7. Good Will Hunting (1997)

The movie that turned Matt Damon and Ben Affleck into stars is a wonderfully emotional flick about the relationship between a gifted Boston street kid (Damon) and the therapist (Robin Williams) tasked with helping him find his true self.

Good Will Hunting is another showcase of Williams’ dramatic acting skills, and the scenes between him and Damon are some of the best work from either actor. Get the tissues ready for this one. 

8. The Village (2004)

You know what you are going to get with an M. Night Shyamalan movie; a complex plot, great acting, and a surprise ending you won’t see coming. The Village has all that in spades.

An Amish-like community lives in fear of creatures that inhabit the woods surrounding their village. When a young boy gets sick, a blind woman is forced to venture into the forest for help, where she discovers more than she bargained for.  

9. The Goonies (1985)

Is there a more fun 80s kid’s flick than The Goonies? Featuring a cast of young actors who would grow up to be superstars (Josh Brolin, Sean Astin, Corey Feldman), the movie revolves around a group of kids in search of an ancient pirate treasure and the local crime family hot on their trail.

Fun, silly, and full of great lines, The Goonies is the ideal Saturday night flick to watch at home on the couch with some popcorn.

10. Practical Magic (1998)

It’s the spooky season so why not give this underrated romantic comedy about witches a watch? Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock are sisters who must use their powers to fight off evil while searching for love.

Falling somewhere between a fantasy romance and a horror comedy, Practical Magic has a great ensemble cast, an even better soundtrack, and plenty of funny moments to keep you entertained throughout its 104-minute run time. 

11. Remember the Titans (2000)

If you need some inspiration in life then give this feel-good sports flick a go. Remember the Titans is based on the true story of the integration of a white football team with a black one. Denzel Washington is in top form as coach Herman Boone, the man responsible for bringing the boys together and creating a winning football team.

The cast is great (props to a young Ryan Gosling) with a well-written script that doesn’t take too many creative liberties. 

12. Hocus Pocus (1993)

Halloween-themed fantasy comedy Hocus Pocus stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as a trio of evil witches who are resurrected by a young boy. The boy must team up with his friends and a talking cat to stop the witches from carrying out their wicked deeds. 

A box office failure, Hocus Pocus was critically panned too but found a new life on VHS, where it became a cult classic. So much so that a sequel was recently released on Disney+.

13. Autumn in New York (2000)

You can’t not include a film that has Autumn in the title. Autumn in New York is a romantic drama starring Richard Gere as a middle-aged playboy who falls for a terminally ill woman played by Winona Ryder. It’s pretty sappy, with lots of sad moments and an inevitable ending that isn’t any less impacting.

While it might not have done well with critics, Autumn in New York was a success at the box office, thanks to its two leads, who are both wonderful in this movie. 

14. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

This movie hasn’t got much to do with fall, but it is one of the better crime capers of the 21st century. A remake of Ocean’s 11, which starred the Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop), this version is directed by Steven Soderbergh and features an all-star cast that includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, and many more Hollywood greats. 

Danny Ocean (Clooney) and pal Rusty Ryan (Pitt) plot to steal $160 million from the husband of Ocean’s former wife (played by Roberts). Ocean’s Eleven is a fun flick with a good mix of action, comedy, and drama. 

15. Fantastic Mr Fox

Wes Anderson has an interesting filmography, including this stop-motion animated movie based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name. Anderson enlists a great voice-over cast (George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Jason Schwartzman, and more) to tell the tale of a career criminal fox who causes trouble for his family and community when three farmers attempt to hunt him down. 

Fantastic Mr Fox didn’t perform well at the box office but was critically acclaimed and makes a great double bill with The BFG.

16. School of Rock (2003)

Jack Black pretends to be a music teacher so he can enter a “Battle of the Bands” competition and fulfill his rock dreams. Yes, the plot is ludicrous but Shcool of Rock is an enjoyable comedy with a great cast of young kids who even outshine Black at points. The soundtrack is stellar and the final performance ends the movie on a high. 

17. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM-awZ3zq2c

Charlie Brown and co got their own Halloween special in the form of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The short special about the Great Pumpkin and Linus’ quest to meet it is full of funny jokes, great animation, and all your favorite Peanuts characters. A great family movie that everyone will enjoy. 

18. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)

John Hughes couldn’t put a foot wrong in the 80s. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is the ultimate Thanksgiving film starring Steve Martin and John Candy as total opposites who team up to make the trip from New York City to Chicago before Thanksgiving.

Full of laughs, this movie is a great showcase of Martin and Candy’s comic timing, and although marketed as a comedy, has Hughes’ trademark emotional core that hits hard during the final scenes. 

19. Beautiful Boy (2018)

If you’re after something light and breezy, this isn’t the movie for you. Beautiful Boy is based on the memoirs of New York Times writer David Sheff and his son Nic Sheff, a former drug addict.

The movie chronicles the journey the two men go through, with David (George Clooney) striving to be a good father while wondering what he did wrong as Nic (Timothée Chalamet) struggles to stay clean for his parents. A heartbreaking tale about addiction, family, and forgiveness that will have you weeping. 

20. E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial

Finally, a Halloween movie that isn’t a horror. E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial is Steven Spielberg delivering on all four cylinders. When an alien is left on earth accidentally, he enlists the aid of local kid Elliott to help him contact his family to come rescue him as the authorities close in. They want to capture E.T. and experiment on him, with Elliot promising his alien friend this won’t happen.  

While generally good fun, at times E.T. gets dark, with the final third a thrilling climax to an 80s classic. 

21. Ice Storm (1997)

Gather your family around and realize things aren’t that bad as you watch two dysfunctional families implode in Ang Lee’s Ice Storm. This award-winning movie has an incredible cast (Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Tobey Maguire, Joan Allen, Elijah Woods, Christina Ricci, and Katie Holmes) and deals with themes of adultery, escapism, alcohol addiction, and the family unit. 

22. Little Women (2019)

Greta Gerwig’s take on Louisa May Alcott’s classic tale is arguably the best. Featuring a great cast of newcomers (Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, and Timothée Chalamet) and veterans (Meryl Streep, Laura Dern, and Chris Cooper), Gerwig’s Little Woman is a faithful adaptation aimed at modern audiences. 

23. Sleepy Hollow  (1999)

Tim Burton takes a decent stab at adapting the 1820s short horror story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in this big-budget production.

Burton’s muse, Johnny Deep, is a New York City police constable sent to investigate a series of murders said to have been committed by a headless horseman. Part mystery, part horror, this has something for everyone, even a little romance. 

24. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

Let’s be honest, it doesn’t matter what month it is, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is always an acceptable movie to watch. If you need to know what this one is about, you probably shouldn’t be reading this article. A great introduction to Harry and his wizard pals with plenty of thrills and spills. 

24. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Francis Ford Coppola’s take on Count Dracula is a seductive retelling of the Dracula legend that stars an over-the-top Gary Oldman as the titular character. Keanu Reeves is as wooden as ever as Jonathan Harker, but his performance is watchable thanks to everyone else in the cast being so good. 

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is an unusual feature in Coppola’s filmography but serves as a reminder of the filmmaker’s greatness. It also helped influence vampire lore and a slew of new vampire movies. 

Categories: Entertainment
Source: Tekmonk Famous Biography