Every year I watch something new for Fall. I get it, there are so many amazing new things coming out. But there’s something so comforting about watching your favorites again. The fall movies and shows that bring all the vibes of the season back to life.

Fall Movies and Shows That Are Worth a Rewatch

So today we are going to get into the 12 fall shows and movies that I’ve rewatched more times than I can count and that always set the mood right for the season. This is not a survey of the best fall movies, they are my personal favorites that capture the essence of different moods that I consider required for fall, no matter where you live. I say that as someone who grew up in Panama and we didn’t have fall.

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Witchy fall movies

This is probably my favorite category on this list because you can’t have fall without witches, so it was difficult to keep this one manageable and pick the ones to highlight.

The Craft

This is about four girls starting their witchy coven and sometimes things go south. It fits the 90s witch aesthetic to a tee but also has that darker elder millennial witch vibe. Black eyeliner, seances, the good and the bad witch. Iconic characters that stay with you. If this is your first time, welcome to the dark side. And if you did, rewatch is in order.

Practical Magic

I’m talking about the original movie here, of course. Where The Craft is all about the teenage angst and the emo witch aesthetic, Practical Magic is more kitchen witch, Stevie Nicks aesthetic and it literally will make you want to move into their house. One, for the house because hello perfection. But two, because you want to be one of the Owens sisters. With the second movie out this year, it’s the perfect time for a binge!

If you want the book version of the feeling, my witch romance book recommendations will help you with that.

A cult classic Fall movie must watch

This one is more about the movie but the vibe and the cult around it. You can make it a whole experience and honestly, you may want to do that at least once in your life.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Yes, an experience. If you are not familiar with The Rocky Horror Picture Show, it was a 1975 movie that became a cult classic. We have a couple that has car troubles and ends up stranded and having to go ask for a phone at the nearest house and they find way more than they bargained for.

You can watch it from the comfort of your home or you can attend a live screening. People dress up as the characters, shouts lines back at the screen, they throw things at the correct moments in the film. You sit in the middle of it slightly overwhelmed but completely delighted.

This is also a film that mattered, and still matters, for reasons bigger than the fun. It was ground breaking for its time for the LGBTQ+ community to feature a character like Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Can it come across problematic today? Yes. But, we have to think of the context of the time and how revolutionary it was to see this on the screen. I recently watched a great video on this if you want to take a deeper dive.

I watched this for the first time in 2001 and the year after I knew I wanted to go find a midnight screening. It made the whole thing come alive.

90s Horror Movies

This is my jam right here. I admit I’ve gotten soft in my old age and I don’t watch as many new horror films. But back in the day, horror was my go to and I consumed every single one of the big 90s horror movies. It was a great time for the genre. This is another one I struggled to keep to 2!

Scream

We’re gonna talk about the original here, because this is a whole franchise and some are definitely better than others. But there’s nothing quite like the OG that makes you want to rewatch. Everything that came after in the late 90s is downstream from this. We are also introduced to Ghostface who still gets a spot in our daily lives today. And for some of us, it even sparked some masked men romance fantasies. It’s campy and sometimes doesn’t take itself too seriously, but that was the whole appeal of it.

Urban Legend

Now, listen. This is a comfort watch for me. It’s not as good and I do not care. Here’s the thing. When this came out I was deep in my obsession with Dawson’s Creek and particularly with Joshua Jackson. So when I saw he would be in a movie, I immediately went to see it opening day. And then I went again. And again. I can’t even count the number of times I went to watch this while it was in theaters. I love the dark academia vibes, the mixing of legends and folklore with the methods the killer uses. Fascinating. And this might’ve been the movie that made me fall for Jared Leto. What a bad decision that was (and rectified later).

Gothic and vampire fall movies

This is THE biggest group on the list, which tells you where my favorites are. But I had to give you a wider range of flavors. And listen, they are mostly campy, you’re not watching for the perfect plot. But they are a great time.

Twilight

This movie, bad as it was, it was a vibe. But at the time, I loved every second of it. Yes, you can love something and still understand it’s not so great. However, think how iconic it was that it was able to set a whole standard for a season. From the blue-grey color grading, the constant rain, the forest, the fact that nobody in it is ever warm. This movie is a visual experience and mood that we are still copying twenty years later. The rewatch for me is always about the nostalgia.

Sleepy Hollow

Way more gothic and a bit farther back in time we have this atmospheric movie about the headless horseman. Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci, who at the time was the IT girl for 90s movies and one of my faves, really sell this movie for me. If you want the vibes, watch this. Bare trees, fog, a covered bridge, piles of dead leaves. This one embodies that gothic fall aesthetic.

Queen of the Damned

As a fan of the reinvention of Interview with the Vampire for new audiences with the TV show, I can’t help but always go back to one of the classics for me. Queen of the Damned, Stuart Townsend and Aaliyah. Iconic in ways that I cannot explain. Aaliyah brings a more sexualized version of Akasha than what we see in the TV show so far. That doesn’t make it better or worse, but she certainly made an impact with the role. As did Stuart Townsend playing Lestat. It feels a bit scary to say I prefer the actors playing both in the TV show now, but the originals will always have a place in my heart. And for fans of all things vampires that want things a little dark. This is a must watch.

If you haven’t read Anne Rice’s universe, check out my Vampire Chronicles reading guide for all the details

Sinners

This is the only option on this list that is recent and for a reason. It embodies a lot of the things I love: southern gothic, vampires and horror. The acting is top notch, the setting is fabulous and the plot is definitely plotting. You’ll want to be immersed into this story, believe me. I mean, not actually being there, but you know what I mean. It’s a fresh take on the vampires and I was pleasantly surprised.

The fall romcom

I know this is a vibe, Gilmore Girls exist and cozy, aesthetic romance is a perfectly valid thing. For me, personally, this takes a back seat because I’m more into the supernatural. But I certainly appreciate a cozy moment as well.

When Harry Met Sally

So when it comes to capturing that vibe, I immediately think of When Harry Met Sally. Iconic, and the visuals themselves make a great case for the season. The Central Park walk with the trees and the leaves, plus a lot of New York in October moments that make me miss living there sometimes. Sally’s wardrobe I think is also the perfect sweater weather aesthetic with oversized knits and turtlenecks. I still think that is a relevant fashion style that has never gone away.

This film spans twelve years and it keeps coming back to fall being an important time. They meet, they lose each other, they find each other again, each time both of them different people. If you want something that captures that essence of time passing, seasons changing, this is the perfect movie to make you feel that.

The fall TV shows you should binge

When the weather starts changing it’s also a great time for binge watching. You still have time before the crazy holidays are upon us, but you are wanting to spend some more time indoors. So turn on your TV and turn back time because that’s where the good shows are. There are obviously more shows to share here, but we are keeping this list tight instead of making it 500 things to overwhelm you.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Campy, revolutionary, ground breaking for its time, and iconic in all the ways that matter. Going back to Sunnydale (or visiting for the first time if you’ve never watched it) means doing the season right. Besides the nostalgia, and the fact that you could see how creative they had to get to put these monsters on the screen without having the technology cheat codes we have today, it’s a perfect exploration of connection, found family, sacrifice, good vs evil and more. I did a Buffy season 1 rewatch a while back, so you can see my thoughts on that if you want to do it yourself and follow along.

Charmed

There are so many shows to choose from but adding a witch one is a must. Charmed was one of the shows I watched religiously as a teenager and it still feels like comfort television whenever I watch an episode. The romance, the spells, the cheesy danger, the not so great acting sometimes. You can put this one on while you’re doing something else and feel like you’re hanging out with family (if they had special magical powers).

So what makes the perfect fall movie or tv show?

Here’s what I look for that makes a piece of media perfect for fall versus just something that can be watched during fall but also anytime (and mind you this whole list can be watched anytime too).

• The weather is moody. Rain, fog, wind, visuals of bare branches. Like in Twilight, it’s permanently damp, Sleepy Hollow is all about that fog and When Harry Met Sally has those leaves on the ground.
• You want to move in, but you’re also a bit creeped out. The Owens house and Sunnydale library are perfect examples of that. They’re standaout locations that still give you pause for one reason or another.
• The atmosphere and allure of the dark. Besides just weather, the more atmospheric and gothic you can make something, the more it fits Fall. It should leave you a bit unsettled and unstable, where you don’t know what’s coming next but there’s an alluring charm about it you can’t look away from.
• There’s a group, and you want to be in it. Whether it’s found family or a team of vampires trying to take down their ruling class, you don’t want to be left out.

Use those to make your own perfect list of fall movies and tv shows to watch over and over, and let me know in the comments what those are. If you want a reading list, then I’ve put together a fall personal curriculum for romance readers to get you started that gives variety, not just monsters.

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