Movie magic for the fall season

From childhood nostalgia to witchy magic, these films capture the quintessential moods of the season

By IQRA AHMAD — arts@theaggie.org 

Here it goes: the leaves begin their change into hues of orange and red, and there’s a slight breeze wistfully reminiscent of a season that many have been waiting for all year. Fall is finally here, and what better way to ring in the whimsical season than with movies? 

There’s something about fall that practically begs for a movie night, and certain movies just feel like fall. They don’t all have pumpkins or Halloween costumes, but each captures some part of the season, from cozy small towns and changing leaves to magic, mystery and nostalgia. 

Whether you’re looking for witches, murder mysteries or a reason to romanticize the school year, here are a few movies to add to your fall movie watch list. 

“The Princess Bride” (1987)

“The Princess Bride” might not immediately come to mind when thinking of fall, but it's exactly the kind of fantastical adventure suited for an evening spent indoors while the weather cools outside. 

The film begins with a grandfather reading a story to his ill grandson, transporting both him and the audience into the story of Westley and Buttercup. When Westley goes off to sea and Buttercup catches the eye of a prince, there are sword fights, revenge, daring rescues, evil villains and, naturally, true love. 

Unlike traditional autumnal movies on this list, “The Princess Bride” earns its place through the feelings it evokes. At its heart, the movie is a bedtime story brought to life. It’s funny, sincere and romantic while carrying the nostalgic comfort of returning to a favorite story known by heart. Maybe fall doesn’t always need witches and pumpkins; sometimes it just needs a story that feels like someone pulled an old book off the shelf. 

“Dead Poets Society” (1989)

Fall is the season of a new academic beginning, with new notebooks and pens, wandering through Shields Library and becoming suddenly invested in poetry. 

“Dead Poets Society” is set in 1959 at Welton Academy. The film follows a group of students whose new English teacher, John Keating (played by Robin Williams), encourages them to question convention and approach life with a greater sense of curiosity and purpose. His lessons introduce the students to poetry as something that can guide or assist them in understanding the world around them. 

With its ivy-covered campus, vintage-looking uniforms, literary discussions and New England scenery, the movie embodies the smart, academic side of fall. Yet, beneath that picturesque atmosphere, there is a much heavier and more practical story about expectation, conformity, friendship and the pressure to decide what kind of life is truly worth living. 

While this may be a heavier film compared to others on this list, perhaps there’s no better season to contemplate poetry and purpose than fall. 

“Practical Magic” (1998)

Nothing feels more like fall than a charming old house, a small New England town and a family of witches. 

“Practical Magic” follows sisters Sally Owens (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Nicole Kidman), who come from a long line of witches burdened by a family curse that condemns any man an Owens woman truly loves to death. The sisters refrain from practicing magic until Gillian’s boyfriend dies, and the sisters must use magic to prevent her from being imprisoned. 

And then there’s Sally Owen’s love spell, an attempt to protect herself from ever falling in love by wishing for a man she believes couldn’t possibly exist. What can she do when a man comes along who can hear her call from a mile away, whistle her favorite song, ride a pony backwards, flip pancakes in the air, be marvelously kind and, against all odds, have one blue eye and one green? 

What ensues is an unusual medley of sisterhood, romance and a bit of the supernatural. But the plot is only part of the movie's autumnal, warm appeal. There’s an undeniable coziness to the Owens family home with its glass cabinets and apothecary jars sprawled around the shelves, the seaside town and the classic “midnight margaritas” scene. “Practical Magic” captures the slightly mysterious and magical, sentimental feeling of fall. 

“Hocus Pocus” (1993) 

For those who consider the entire season of fall to be merely the opening act for Halloween, there’s “Hocus Pocus”. 

The Disney classic follows Max Dennison, a teenager who moves to Salem, Massachusetts, and accidentally resurrects the infamous Sanderson sisters, who were once three witches executed centuries earlier. With the help of his younger sister, Dani, his classmate, Allison and an immortal talking cat, Binx, Max has less than a day to stop the witches from carrying out their evil plan. 

Few movies embrace Halloween as enthusiastically as “Hocus Pocus” — full of jack-o-lanterns, candles, costumes, three witches flying over Salem while singing “I Put a Spell on You” and an elaborate musical number that has become nearly as recognizable as the movie itself. 

Endlessly quotable and full of personality, “Hocus Pocus” remains a cult classic for everything Halloween and fall. 

“Goosebumps” (2015) 

Childhood autumns, for many, consisted of Scholastic book fairs featuring R.L. Stine paperbacks, including “Goosebumps,” which offered a healthy dose of that fall ambiance. 

Inspired by Stine’s beloved children’s horror series, the movie of the same name follows teenager Zach Cooper after he moves to a small town and discovers that his mysterious neighbor is none other than R.L. Stine himself. There’s just one problem: the monsters from Stine’s stories are real and trapped inside of his manuscripts. When they are accidentally released, everything from the Abominable Snowman to Slappy the Dummy descends on the town of Madison, Delaware. 

“Goosebumps” captures a very particular fall feeling; the kind where scary stories are thrilling. It has monsters, an eerie small-town setting and plenty of Halloween energy surrounded by adventure. 

For anyone who grew up wondering what might happen if the creatures on the covers of their favorite “Goosebumps” book suddenly came to life, this one is an easy addition to a fall movie marathon. 

This season carries a certain nostalgia, and maybe that’s what makes these movies so fitting for fall. The return to familiar traditions, pulling old sweaters from the back of closets and watching the world transform are all part of the fall festivities. Some movies give the audience witches and pumpkins, but others provide poetry, mysteries or fairy tales. 

So, as the leaves change colors and the evenings grow colder, consider this an excuse to stay in, grab a blanket and press play on a classic. 

Written by: Iqra Ahmad — arts@theaggie.org