Fall Films to Cozy up with this Season

Like so many others, fall is my favorite time of year! Okay, maybe second favorite, but lets not get real technical here. Fall offers up cooler weather, FOOTBALL, yummy crock pot soups and pumpkin patches. It also offers some beautiful and fun movies to watch while you’re enjoying time with family and friends. Although I could list strictly “classic” films, or ones specifically during the Golden Age of Hollywood, I would be leaving out too many family staples, and personal favorites. So here are my top fall movies, with bonus musical albums that always feel like fall.

Practical Magic- 1998

Practical Magic, is the late 90’s movie based on the magical series by Alice Hoffman. It’s the first in the series, and the only one to be made into a movie. This is the ultimate fall/spooky season movie for you to watch with your sisters, girlfriends, or teenage/adult daughters.

The movie follows the Owens sisters, played by Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. There are flashbacks to their childhood, but the majority of the movie they’re adults. They’ve been raised by their eccentric aunts, and it’s obvious, they’re all different. That’s because they’re all witches. Now, grown up and living separate lives, the women have to navigate adulthood as witches, and the family curse: any man they fall in love with will die an untimely death. There’s magic, sisterhood, a murder. The perfect movie to grab some friends, pizza, and a margarita with! Catch it on HULU, or rent from Prime or Apple tv. The DVD is everywhere this time of year.

Remember the Titans- 2000

Nothing makes me feel more happy than watching Remember the Titans. It gets better every year I break my DVD out to watch it (it’s on Disney+ too). I’m a football girl, it’s one of the things everyone knows about me, and this is my go-to football movie. It’s family friendly, so you can watch it with your kids. The messages of unity, race, teamwork, and choosing love over hate, are as important today as the time the movie is set. I still cry at the same scenes, laugh at the same jokes, dance to the same songs. I like that about it, the comfort of a good movie you know by heart. You will absolutely not find a better soundtrack than this one. Don’t bother trying. The Hollies, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, CCR, and The Temptations are just some of the classic acts to be included.

Set in 1971, Remember the Titans is based on actual events of the integration of T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia. The movie portrays mostly real people, and shows their journey integrating as a football team, and going to the state championship. Relationships are built and fall apart during this tense racial time and true teamwork is on full display throughout. Starring Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Ryan Hurst, Wood Harris, Ryan Gosling, Donald Faison and a slew of others who went on to have amazing acting careers.

Scooby-Doo and the Witches Ghost-1999

Just hear me out guys. The Scooby-Doo movie revival of the late 90’s and early 2000’s is classic. They pivoted from the classic Scooby formula to something new: the monsters are real. And golly, is it fun! I’m 35, but these are still favorites to watch with my kids, especially around this time of year.

The Witch’s Ghost is the ultimate fall treat. Set in Oakhaven, Massachusetts, the Mystery Gang is trying to help their new friend, novelist Ben Ravencroft figure out the strange happenings in town that may be linked to Ben’s ancestor who is rumored to be a witch. The fall colors and foliage are on full, beautiful display during the Autumn Harvest Festival going on during the mystery. You can catch this on the Boomerang app, or buy a copy from ebay or amazon.

Little Women-1949

Little Women from any era, is a good idea. So really, if you’ve got a favorite, watch it! All the versions are perfect to cozy up with this time of year (or any other time of the year). I grew up watching this sweet version though. Originally made in 1918, it was remade again in 1933, 1949, 1994, and 2019, for the big screen. Many other small screen adaptations have been made too. But, if you’ve never seen the 1949 version directed by Mervyn LeRoy, look for it on Prime, TCM or Watch TCM.

This version is jam packed full of stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Jo is played by June Allyson, Meg by Janet Leigh, Amy by Elizabeth Taylor, Beth by Margaret O’Brien, Laurie by Peter Lawford, Marmee by Mary Astor, Professor Bhaer by Rossano Brazzi, Mr. Laurence by C. Aubrey Smith, and Aunt March by Lucile Watson. Did I just blow your mind with all the star power? The core of this story is family, and the fight each has with finding happiness. Set in New England, many scenes show the beautiful fall foliage New England is famous for. You’ll fall in love with each character, and feel the warm and coziness of fall while watching. Catch this on TCM or the Watch TCM app, rent from Prime, VUDU or Apple TV, or buy the DVD.

The Uninvited-1942

I watch this all year long, it’s just a great movie. But, every September, when Halloween is creeping around the corner, I get the itch to watch this one over and over. The perfect ghost story, it’s in black & white so it doesn’t “look” like fall, but it’s spooky and perfect for this time of year.

Set on the coast in England, The Uninvited stars Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey as brother and sister who stumble upon a beautiful, gothic seaside mansion, and know they have to buy it. But Commander Beech, the owner, forewarns them about strange happenings inside the house. Roderick and Pamela still want the mansion, because who believes in ghosts right? Soon though, the happenings cause the siblings to investigate what is going on, and who this ghostly spirit is. And what it is they want. You can only see this one on TCM, or purchase the gorgeous Criterion DVD or Blu Ray.

It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown-1966

No other movie on my list is a bigger family favorite than this one. My kids ask to watch The Great Pumpkin 100 times all through the fall season. This classic Peanuts animated short’s run time is right at 25 minutes, so it’ll hold even the smallest of attention spans. The Peanuts gang are celebrating Halloween with trick-or-treating, parties, and awaiting the Great Pumpkin’s arrival to the pumpkin patch, where he’ll bestow toys to the good boys and girls who believe in him. It’s such a charming classic, great for the whole family. You won’t forget Vince Guaraldi’s beautiful little score, or the iconic Charlie Brown line “I got a rock”. You can only catch Charlie Brown & the gang on Apple tv with a subscription, or buy the DVD basically anywhere.

The Trouble with Harry-1955

The ultimate autumn treat is Hitchcock’s classic dark comedy, The Trouble with Harry. The location filming took place in the perfect fall location of Craftsbury, Vermont, with many scenes being recreated in a high school gym because of heavy rainfall during shooting. On top of the gorgeous fall colors and backdrop it has one of the most enchanting scores of any movie. Produced by the great Bernard Herrmann, it glides along with the movie to perfection, and always feels like fall when I hear it. This is Shirley MacLaine’s first feature film, and helped cement her in Hollywood for life.

The movie takes place in one day, in a small Vermont town. Harry is dead, and while all the characters stumble upon him at one point, nobody knows what to do with him, or care about him really. But they all feel responsible, feeling like they’re the ones who killed him. Things get complicated, and funny as this dark comedy unfolds. You can rent this one from Prime, Vudu, Apple tv, or buy the DVD.

Bonus: Fall Albums

As an added bonus, I wanted to include some albums that just feel like fall to me. First, the Frank Sinatra album Where Are You? It includes songs like “Autumn Leaves”, “Laura”, and more songs in the same vein. Where Are You? is slower paced, has darker sounds, and is completely reminiscent of fall. I always have my vinyl on repeat on the melancholy days of fall.

Second, I want to include two Taylor Swift albums, evermore, and Red. Nothing screams fall to me like these two albums. Even the album covers give all the fall vibes. From songs like “Red”, “All too Well”, “willow”, and “cowboy like me”, these 2 albums have songs perfect for fall days that are dreary, cold, and have you needing a cup of hot chocolate. You don’t have to be a Swiftie to like these albums. They lean into folk and country, which also seems so fall to me.

I hope you find time to slow down and watch some of these movies with friends or family. Make some soup in your crock pot, pop some popcorn, and have a fall movie night =)

Slow down and enjoy a Tuesday Matinee.