The 5 best Halloween movies to improve your English

Boo! Are you a fan of Halloween? It’s that scary time of year again when the creepy creatures come out to play, and there’s an excellent resource to help you learn English: Netflix!

Netflix has an extensive selection of Halloween movies to choose from – perfect to get in the spooky mood as we approach the scariest night of the year.

Join us as we show you the best Halloween movies to improve your English, as well as some activities to help you make the most of the experience.

How to improve your English with movies

Take advantage of translation

One of the most useful things about Netflix is that you can change the audio to suit your preferences – as well as rewinding as much as you want! So, why don’t you try our translation challenge?

Listen carefully – how close were you? Was there anything you didn’t expect? Take notes of anything important!

Focus on phrases

While you’re watching, listen for any interesting phrases to write down and create a list from the movie. We recommend adding notes like which character said the phrase and what was happening at the time, as this extra information will help you remember the meaning and context!

Spend time on subtitles

Subtitles are a fantastic way to find new words, and they’re also really easy to use on Netflix. When you see a word you don’t recognise, look up the meaning in a dictionary like linguee.com. As we mentioned before, you could also add extra notes from the movie to help you remember. Then, write your own sentences to check you completely understand it and have plenty of examples.

Get creative and predict the story

Next, try our creative challenge by predicting the movie plot with a friend!

Did you get it right? What differences were there? This is a great way to practise the future simple (e.g. I think they will run…) and also vary your vocabulary by chatting about places, people and actions from different movies!

Practise pronunciation on-demand

Netflix movies are ideal for pronunciation practice, as you can listen and repeat as many times as you want. Try a variety of things, from the sounds of individual words, to the correct intonation of a longer sentence. If you’re watching with a friend, you could even act as the characters and practise conversations from the movie together. This is a fun way to both speak and listen, while helping to correct each other’s pronunciation.

Our top scary picks to watch this Halloween

Now that you’ve got your activities ready, let’s take a look at the best Halloween movies to improve your English on Netflix!

1. The Curse of Bridge Hollow

This family comedy is out on Netflix in mid-October 2022 and it’s about Halloween coming to life – literally! A father and his teenage daughter (Stranger Things actress Priah Ferguson) have to save their town when an ancient spirit makes the scary decorations come alive.

2. There’s Someone Inside Your House

Did you enjoy Stranger Things? If so, this movie is perfect for you as it’s from the same producers! It’s a high-school thriller with secrets, masks and murders. Get ready to be scared!

3. Wendell & Wild

If you’re a fan of animated movies, you’ll like Netflix’s new Halloween movie from the creators of Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline. It’s about a teenage girl called Kat who has to face Wendell & Wild, the demons of her past.

4. Hubie Halloween

This movie is a Netflix original starring Adam Sandler. It’s a comedy-horror movie following the character Hubie Dubois, an eccentric citizen of the town of Salem who finds himself in the middle of a Halloween murder investigation.

5. The Conjuring 2

If you’re looking for a scary movie, try this sequel to The Conjuring (which is also on Netflix). It includes British and American English, so it’s perfect for practising with both accents! The story is about American paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren who travel to London to expel an evil spirit from a house.

So what do you think, does watching movies improve your English? Let us know if you try the activities and watch the movies – we hope our tips and recommendations were helpful! If you’d like to learn more about Halloween, check out our blog post on its history and traditions.

If you enjoyed our movie list and are already thinking about what to watch at Christmas, we’ve got the perfect blog post to help you get ready here!

Glossary for Language Learners

Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn’t know.

Creepy (adj): strange or unnatural and making you feel frightened.

Approach (v): to come nearer.

Make the most of (exp): to use or enjoy something as much as possible.

Rewind (v): to make a recording go back towards the beginning.

Dubbed (adj): having the soundtrack changed to a different language.

Plot (n): some information that is new and surprising.

Murder (exp): the crime of intentionally killing a person

Key

adj = adjective

exp = expression

n = noun

v = verb

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