From Nightmare on Elm Street to Home Alone, the movies we watch vary in an instant. The second October starts, the most popular films are horror, thriller, or Halloween parodies, containing magic, mystery, vampires, werewolves, witches, and zombies. As soon as November 1st falls, though, the only remnant of the Halloween fandom is feeling tired after a night of sugar and fun. The pumpkin decorations go away, the spider webs and tombstones go back in the shed, and the holiday decorations come out. In a moment, the entire atmosphere changes from scary, spooky autumn, to comfy, cozy winter (even though all of November is in the fall). Inflatable turkeys start to pop up, along with Christmas trees and snowflake winter lights.

On November 1st, it seems as though fall was eons ago. This marks the beginning of the joyful holiday season. One major change besides the decorations is what we watch, and these films are heavily marketed. If you go on Disney +, there is an entire section dedicated to classic Halloween movies such as Hocus Pocus, Nightmare Before Christmas, The Haunted Mansion, Freaky Friday, The Black Cauldron, and countless more. On November 1st, the entire platform changes, advertising holiday movies such as Noelle, Home Alone, The Nutcracker, and a plethora of other choices. 

This immediate switch is not exclusive to Disney +; every streaming service and TV channel is following suit. These services want you to click on their channel, or open their app more often, for more profit. By having a section of only seasonal films, it attracts more customers. For example, Netflix is known for its cheesy, yet rewatchable, Christmas movies that are only marketed during the holiday season. Movies such as The Princess Switch, A Christmas Prince, and The Holiday Calendar are some of the most beloved ones. 

Following these trends of watching horror movies in October and holiday movies in November and December, is not only easy but encouraged by the streaming companies. It makes life easier when you want to snuggle under a blanket and watch a good movie. It adds to the atmosphere of the season and can be considered a special part of the holidays.

This year, Netflix is once again expanding its holiday catalog of shows. Currently, there are many Halloween movies such as Beetlejuice, Run, and Fear Street Part 1 featured. But once again, they want to bring back their iconic holiday films, coming in full, this November. Several of the Halloween films previously mentioned are going to leave Netflix in the coming weeks and will be replaced for the holiday season. If you are a holiday movie fan, then this will be celebrated – they are coming out with another Princess Switch movie, a new movie called Blown Away: Christmas, and several other Netflix originals.

These seasonal movies not only attract our attention and money to the companies who show them, but they are a great source of entertainment and are an example of how people can adapt to change; considering one day, you are staying up until midnight eating candy and watching movies, and the next day, the snow decorations and holiday decorations pop up. There is a cultural shift from October to November, and the movies that come out are truly a fundamental part of the Halloween and holiday atmosphere.