Reel Corner - October 2026
Brooms Up!
October 2026 Issue
Reel Corner by Donne Paine
Brooms Up!
Your Witchy October Watchlist
There’s a distinct cinematic scent to October (even in South Carolina): damp leaves, long shadows, the steady crunch of footsteps on sidewalks and gusty winds before a storm. Some films wear this season like a costume.
For your October watchlist, here are several films that don’t just happen to be set in autumn, they are October in motion, and most can be streamed on Prime, Netflix or YouTube.
Practical Magic 2
Currently in cinemas, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return to a world steeped in moonlit mischief and powerful ancestral magic, as the Owen sisters must confront a dark curse that threatens to unravel their family once and for all in this fun magic mayhem.
Practical Magic (1998)
Not every October witch needs to be scary. Practical Magic brings witchcraft and sisterhood to a cozy, cinnamon-scented table. The film is fall’s friendlier face—broomsticks traded for baking and spells simmered with romance. If you want something warm between chills, this one’s a cinematic sweater.
Halloween (1978)
John Carpenter’s original isn’t just a slasher; it’s a weather system. The film’s small-town streets, the eerie quiet, and that unforgettable score together recreate the anxious electric hum of an October evening. It’s abundant number of scares and creepy stalkings make it the archetypal house-on-the-hill watch for trick-or-treat night—best with the lights dimmed and a bowl of candy nearby.
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Tim Burton’s take on Washington Irving is eerie and fog-drenched, a Halloween spectacle dripping with gothic orange and brown tones. Sleepy Hollow turns autumnal aesthetics up to eleven—pumpkins, misty cemeteries, and period costumes—while still delivering a solid mystery. It’s ideal for viewers who want seasonal atmosphere with a touch of dark whimsy.
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
In this classic dark comedy, three single women who live in Eastwick, Rhode Island, bond together over the fact they’ve all lost their husbands. But it isn’t until a new mysterious man arrives in town that the women realize they have more in common than just their unfortunate pasts.
Hocus Pocus (1993)
After moving to Salem, Massachusetts, teenager Max and his little sister accidentally awake a coven of witches. The trio of witches have their hearts set on reclaiming their town, but first they must outsmart this group of teenagers before their dream of being immortal vanishes.
Maleficent (2014)
A vengeful fairy is driven to curse an infant princess, only to discover that the child could be the one person who can restore peace to their troubled land.
These are just a few films to make your October a little more spooky, witchy and fun. You may have your own favorites from TV’s “Bewitched” to the unsettling Rosemary’s Baby, or classics like Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Bell Book and Candle. Many of these stories portray witches or hints of witchery as terrifying, delightfully magical or somewhere in-between. Whatever you prefer, October is the perfect month to celebrate the magic! Happy Fall.
References wwww. .com; www.rottentomatoes.com
Donne Paine is a film enthusiast, nurse, mother, grandmother, and author whose love of movies began years ago when she lived near the Orson Welles Cinema in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has attended local and national film festivals, including Sundance, Toronto, and Tribeca, and she strongly believes in seeing films in theaters and supporting local movie houses. To help sustain her passion for movies, she works as a nurse consultant and instructor, and she is the author of Beyond the Basics: A Guide to Compassionate Caring, available on Amazon.