‘Tis the season for giant 12-foot-tall skeletons in the yard, plenty of pumpkins, and endless debate. But not the presidential kind. In the “Halloween Best” genre, you finally learn how all your family and friends really feel about things that seem innocent enough at first—like candy corn or Reese’s pumpkins, or whether the house has scary decorations or cute ones decorate. You just don’t think people are going to get mad about their Halloween preferences, but when someone asked me my opinion on the best Halloween movies, I said, “This is Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!“I was quickly reminded.
So, let me go ahead and clarify for you: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is 100% truly the best Halloween movie.
I grew up with trick And watch year-round. You don’t have to sell me Jack Skellington and Sally either when I hear the subject halloween townmy heart skipped a few beats. But nothing can compare to its absolute magic and nostalgia This is the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
Of course, growing up with this movie (it only aired once on cable TV in October) makes me a little biased. (But not everyone chooses their favorite anything A little biased? ) This movie was created in 1966, which means its cuteness has been passed down to many generations, and I’m sure that’s 50% of the reason why I love it so much. It’s like a little time capsule!
Honestly, I was really excited when I was a little boy watching this with my dad and my grandparents, and then just young parents trying to figure out their own holiday traditions as well, and my grandma still What an honor it is to share with me here what it was like watching this movie with her own children some 60 years ago? This film is a family tradition for many, and that staying power is admirable.
But like my love for candy corn, my love for this Charlie Brown classic has been mostly derided. But listen – it has everything a Halloween movie should (and does) have, such as a serious lack of parental involvement. If you scoffed at this classic movie because Linus fell asleep in a pumpkin patch at 4am and was freezing and his sister Lucy had to pick him up, then I guess you never noticed that trickchildren were running around Salem like orphans.
Do you find it scary that most kids are mean to Charlie Brown? The plot is about 50% Casper His uncle – his own uncle – was a terrible bully to the little ghost.
Worried that Linus’ belief in the Great Pumpkin means your kids will also be expecting some kind of mysterious Halloween character to leave gifts for them? Of course you have to skip it too The nightmare before christmas Because you’re worried your kids will think the real Oogie Boogie lives somewhere in the world.
Sure, I’ll tell you that Snoopy’s little pseudo-dream sequence about being a World War I flying ace is psychedelic, but that’s not the bulk of the movie. Before you know it, you’re back at Violet’s Halloween party, where the kids are fighting over apples and, of course, making fun of Charlie Brown.
My eldest daughter is now 10 years old It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown When she was about three years old, this became one of her many obsessions. Her sisters, ages 5 and 2, are now equally obsessed, and this particular holiday movie has stuck with me throughout my journey into motherhood.
Plus, all of my girls can recite Sally’s rant about Linus and often yell, “You owe me restitution!” which is a great thing for little girls.
It is also worth mentioning that the film It feels special because it’s so hard to find. We’ve been able to watch it over and over again because we purchased it from Prime Video a few years ago when my oldest started asking to watch it in August, knowing it wouldn’t be on TV yet. Today, you can find it on Apple+, but until recently, it was one of those movies you could only watch on certain networks at certain times of the year. Like the Christmas claymation movies we all cherish so much, there’s something about It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown This will take you back to a simpler, sweeter time.
Even if someone throws a rock in your snack bag.
