Huey, Dewey, and Louie explain Halloween to postwar America in Trick or Treat (1952).

Halloween has been an expanding industry ever since, growing exponentially every decade, and is now a multibillion-dollar annual cash machine—the largest retail holiday after Christmas. In recent decades, Halloween has also become more cinematic than ever, with the latest scary movies competing for October release dates, and established entertainment franchises like The Walking Dead showcased in major theme park attractions, as in Universal Studios’ long-running Hollywood Horror Nights. Beyond cold economic considerations, it’s also an especially beloved celebration, with warmly treasured personal meaning and nostalgic memories for people of all ages, backgrounds, and interests. Therefore, this book is not intended as a comprehensive history of spooky films—indeed, scary movies now comprise such a multitude of genres and subgenres that such an undertaking would fill an encyclopedia set. Instead, Fright Favorites is a diverse sampler of chilling, thrilling, and often laugh-provoking classic movies especially well suited to mark the thirty-one days of October (or, considering the year-round interest in all things Halloweenish, maybe we should make that the 365 days of October?). Some readers will be familiar with the films included here, but I hope you enjoy some fascinating new anecdotes and rarely seen images. Others of you will be discovering these gems for the first time. If that’s the case, get ready for a holiday treat calculated to last the whole year through.

Halloween kicks up its heels: Disney’s The Skeleton Dance (1929).