10/08/2024
While it's a blast to dress up as the King of the Monsters on Halloween, choosing the perfect Godzilla movie to watch during the spooky season may seem overwhelming – after all, its kaiju canon is categorically filled with iconic monsters. So while it's true that you simply cannot go wrong with a single Godzilla movie around October 31st, fans can find some distinct Halloween flavor in select films. Read on for five of the best Godzilla movies to watch around Halloween.
Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
While it's not technically a slasher movie, Gigan's bladed arms are a mega menace in the monster's debut appearance. Not only is Gigan able to draw blood from Godzilla's monstrous hide like a slasher villain, the armored alien cyborg is tough to keep down. Even after the monster is forced to flee Earth alongside King Ghidorah, it returns to battle the King of the Monsters and Jet Jaguar in 1973's Godzilla vs. Megalon. If that's not enough, Godzilla Final Wars saw a new version of Gigan return in 2014 with a sadistic upgrade: dual double chainsaw arms! Truly, Gigan can make certain other chainsaw-wielding baddies blush four times over.
Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)
Hedorah is one heck of a Halloween-tinged monster, isn't it? As an unsettling shapeshifting alien mutant made of toxic waste with blood capable of dissolving the flesh off of Godzilla's hand, Hedorah has earned its place as a fan favorite kaiju. Over the course of one of the decidedly moodier films in the King of the Monsters's history, Hedorah wreaks serious havoc on a Tokyo troubled by industrial blight as well as a pop culture driven by darkness. Plus, no matter what time of year you might watch Godzilla vs. Hedorah or the monster's appearance in Final Wars, any fan can understand the aesthetic appeal of a Hedorah Halloween mask. Just keep it away from giant electrodes if you want to trick or treat all night.
Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
Mad science? A chimera-like monster gone wrong? Killer bacteria? A (kind of) ghost? Biollante has an compositely unsettling aura fit for the scariest night of the year. So many horror movies play on primal human fears by turning something mundane or even innocent into lethal menace that, no matter how you feel about the iconography of roses or their thorns, Godzilla vs. Biollante hits hard across all of its enemy monster evolutions. If you've got friends or family who love Little Shop of Horrors, Godzilla vs. Biollante is an easy – if much less musical – recommendation during the Halloween season.
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)
If Dracula were a mutated dinosaur dude, he might act something like Destoroyah. This prehistoric microbe-turned crustacean-y aggregate kaiju-turned perfect bipedal bat-winged beast has a diabolical aesthetic to match its devilish savagery. After tearing up Tokyo and laying waste to Godzilla Junior, this nigh-invulnerable monster comes off like a stomach beam-equipped Vlad the Impaler that wears its skeleton on the outside and roars with fangs to beat a Predator. Across its forms, Destroyah demonstrates nothing but malice, and can only be rivaled by an infernally "burning" Godzilla destined for doom and aglow in seasonally-appropriate orange. In total, this film's imagery is so compatible with Halloween that it should probably be carved into 70 year's worth of jack 'o lanterns.
Godzilla (1954)
You knew this was coming, and face it – you're glad to see it. The original Godzilla is a horror masterpiece fit for any occasion, and Halloween is no different. 70 years since it first captivated audiences in Japan, Godzilla is as enthralling today as it was in the era that explicitly shaped its creation. On a modern day Halloween its presentation can be enjoyed without subtly, as a horrifying monster emerges at night to mirror humankind's own darkness in haunting black and white. Whether you sit down to enjoy the story or play it in the background at a party for ambiance, the King of the Monsters is at home in your home on October 31. Of course, to keep the black and white vibes going into 2016 and 2023, fans can follow up the original Godzilla with Shin Godzilla: ORTHOchromatic and Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color.