Scorpio Season is a time for scares, seduction, and sorrow. This year, the sun shifts from Libra to Scorpio late at night on October 22 and stays there until November 21. As the zodiac sign that rules over Halloween, it’s only right to watch a few horror films during Scorpio’s reign. Although with the majority of the season taking place in November, I’ve ordered the list to get gradually less spooky. Happy watching and happy hauntings!
Seconds (1966)
Paranoia, transformation, hallucinations, identity crises—welcome to Scorpio Season. You’ll find all of this and more in the singular ‘60s psychological horror that is John Frankenheimer’s Seconds. Offered a second chance at life, a middle-aged banker undergoes an experimental procedure that turns him into a young artist, played by the iconic Scorpio actor Rock Hudson.
This is the sign of transformation, which isn’t always necessarily a good thing, as Seconds showcases. The film embodies the growing unrest between generations—the culture clash between the well-off middle class and the struggling artists and hippies of the 1960s. The film creates a sense of uneasiness and distortion with warped angles, fish-eye lenses, and psychedelic sequences—like the iconic sex-fueled grape-stomping ceremony, which sounds like a Scorpio on a random Tuesday night.
The Substance (2024)
No one in the film world missed the recent body horror The Substance—unless on purpose, which is valid, given how gory it gets by the end. However, the film warrants a rewatch during Scorpio Season for several reasons. First, it’s one of the best explorations of identity in cinema in recent years. It asks questions like: Where does our sense of identity come from? Our body or our mind? As women age, how can they cope with the unfair expiration date society stamps on their bodies?
Second, Scorpio is extremely concerned with the act of transforming oneself, making The Substance a natural fit. After turning 50, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) is pushed out of her onscreen career as a fitness instructor. After she turns to an experimental substance that spawns a younger version of her, dubbed Sue (Margaret Qualley), the two struggle to respect the balance of their shared identity.
Finally, and most notably, the stars of The Substance, Moore and Qualley, are both Scorpios. The signature energy of this star sign elevated their performances and created a natural harmony in this titillating tale of transformation.
Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Only a Scorpio could be convicted of murder, do their time, then assume a new identity and become a national bestseller of crime fiction. But that’s getting ahead of ourselves. First, if you aren’t aware of Scorpio director Peter Jackson’s filmography before Hobbits and Elves, let me introduce you to his 1994 biographical thriller Heavenly Creatures. In true Scorpio fashion, Jackson had a predilection for horror, which is the genre of his first three feature films. His fourth film, however, tapped into true crime as Jackson chose to depict the infamous Parker–Hulme murder case, in which two young teenage girls plotted to kill one of their mothers in New Zealand in the 1950s.
Pauline Parker (Melanie Lynskey) and Juliet Hulme (Kate Winslet) were entangled in a complex, codependent relationship, which the movie examines. It’s a gripping story in its own right with exceptional turns by two talented young actresses in their feature debuts. However, what’s equally fascinating is what came about after the film’s release. In 1994, it was revealed that bestselling crime author Anne Perry was actually Juliet Hulme, the young girl convicted of murder in 1954—she’s also a Scorpio.
The Seventh Seal (1957)
In the mood for a healthy dose of dread or a thoughtful meditation on mortality? From October 22 to November 21, you just might be. Scorpio is the sign that rules death, and in this movie, Death itself even makes an appearance! A friendly game of chess ensues in one of the most iconic personifications of Death.
Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal is the story of a man dodging his demise during the Black Plague. It ponders ideas of mortality and existentialism—common themes that run through a Scorpio’s mind. The film embodies the sign’s obsession with dying and the importance of accepting its inevitability. With two Scorpios in the cast (Bibi Andersson and Gunnar Björnstrand), it’s an ideal Bergman for this time of year. Plus, it could be a great inspiration for an easy cinematic Halloween costume—black robe and a chessboard, and you’re golden.
Bell, Book and Candle (1958)
Scorpio Season is undoubtedly the season of the witch. In Bell, Book and Candle, a modern-day witch, Gillian (Kim Novak), falls in love with her new Greenwich Village neighbor, Shep (Jimmy Stewart). The problem: he’s engaged. Nothing a spell or two can’t fix! With the help of her familiar, a cat named Pyewacket, Gillian casts a love spell on Shep, angering his fiancée and her own kin, which includes a delightful Jack Lemmon as Gillian’s brother, Nicky, the warlock.
With New York City as its background, the film has a dark, brooding vibe yet a light, charming story. It’s a great example of a Halloween movie without all the horror, excessive gore, or jump scares. Just witches, vibes, romance, and a couple of trips to the coolest fictional nightclub in all of cinema, The Zodiac Club.
James and the Giant Peach (1996)
Journey with James as he escapes the throes of his wicked aunts and boards a giant, edible peach with a group of anthropomorphic insects. Symbolized by an arachnid (the scorpion), a Scorpio can relate to the desire to burrow themselves into a cozy little cocoon or web, hiding from reality, and escaping to a fantasy world. With just the right amount of creepiness, James and the Giant Peach will tickle that trick-or-treat itch while still being a family-friendly flick for a movie night during chilly weather.
I Married a Witch (1942)
A movie directed by a Scorpio (René Clair), starring a Scorpio (Veronica Lake), and has “witch” in the title has to go on this list—like, legally. Seductive Scorpio star Lake stuns as Jennifer, the titular enchantress in I Married a Witch. Lake lures you in with her iconic peekaboo hair, flaunts her fabulous costumes from legendary designer Edith Head (a third Scorpio!), and steals every scene. A comedy at heart, the film brings a lightheartedness to the occult in this screwball romance.
It’s the tale of a witch and her warlock father who return to the mortal world to continue haunting the descendants of the ancestors who burned them at the stake in colonial Salem. That sounds heavy, but it’s presented with cutesy title cards and campy panache. It’s a great film for those who don’t like horror movies but want to celebrate the season.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
November is a weird month. Tensions may rise as families prepare for the holidays and marital issues are covered up by booze and wrapping paper. One of the greatest portrayals of a marriage on the rocks is the play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee. George and Martha engage in a mental battle of wits, deceit, manipulation, and lots of alcohol, as their dinner party guests watch in shock.
Mike Nichols, a sassy Scorpio well known in the theater world, decided to make the jump from stage to screen with his 1966 film adaptation. Perhaps one of the best directorial debuts, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? captures the spirit of the play with even greater truth thanks to its fabulous leads, the real-life on-again, off-again couple Elizabeth Taylor (Martha) and Richard Burton (George).
As the zodiac sign that rules committed partnerships, Scorpios are no strangers to a passionate fight. The Season has even been known to deliver an extra dose or two. Instead of duking it out at home yourself, live cathartically through Martha and George in this searing examination of a marriage turned sour.
Adaptation (2002)
Scorpios are the most paranoid sign of the zodiac—and that energy can creep into anyone this time of year. Whether it’s checking for monsters in the closet or a looming sense of dread and loneliness, now’s the time to pick up a movie from one of your favorite quirky sad boy duos: Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman. Adaptation is a surreal meta-narrative where Kaufman, a tried-and-true Scorpio, turns inward to reflect on his insecurities as a writer.
Another word that is often associated with Scorpios is “obsessive.” Their minds easily fixate on something to the point of delusion. In this case, both Kaufman the writer and Kaufman the character (played by Nicolas Cage in the film) are obsessed with their insecurities. After a failed attempt to adapt The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean (also a Scorpio), Kaufman decided to write a film about that adaptation process.
With an invented twin brother character, Donald Kaufman (also Nicolas Cage), Adaptation becomes an entangled web of self-reflexive ideas. The film is elevated by superb performances, featuring heavy hitters like Meryl Streep as Orlean and the Scorpio actress Tilda Swinton. It’s a movie that will sit with you, maybe even linger under your skin, just like the duo’s previous film, Being John Malkovich, the making of which is also portrayed in Adaptation—and the meta references don’t stop there.
Rear Window (1954)
Scorpios like to watch. They can be stalker-ish to a degree. Usually, it’s just out of a natural curiosity. In Rear Window, a recently injured photographer, confined in his apartment to heal, takes to his rear window for entertainment. As he spies on his neighbors, he believes he witnesses a murder. It’s one of Hitchcock’s most popular works, and Scorpio Season begs for a murder mystery— Rear Window will scratch that itch. Plus, it features the inimitable Grace Kelly, AKA the Scorpio actress. She’s so Scorpio, she once threw a birthday party where only Scorpios were invited.
Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)
As a Scorpio myself, I’d be remiss not to at least recommend my favorite movie of all time, Cléo from 5 to 7. In Agnès Varda’s second feature film, we follow Cléo, a famous singer, around the streets of Paris while she awaits test results that will confirm whether or not she has cancer. The film opens with an ominous tarot card reading—the only scene in color throughout the whole black-and-white film. This eloquently sets the tone for the film. Cléo draws the Death card. Each zodiac sign is represented by one tarot card. Scorpio’s? Death, of course.
This preoccupation with death is something that lingers around many Scorpios—and in the air in general during this time of year. It’s captured beautifully in Cléo from 5 to 7 as we watch a character who likely never thought about death seriously go from terrified to accepting. It’s kind of what Scorpio is all about. Not just death and dying, but the journey of acceptance and an understanding of how, without the end, there would be no beginning.
Petite Maman (2021)
A film that beautifully captures an acceptance of death is Petite Maman, a film where a young girl mourns the loss of her maternal grandmother. Her mom, also grieving, tries to comfort her. When the young girl goes out into the woods, she ends up meeting another girl who looks just like her. This second young girl is her mom as a child. As the two girls bond, they learn about each other and the woman they both loved so much.
The film is directed by Céline Sciamma, the Scorpio who broke everyone’s hearts in 2019 with Portrait of a Lady on Fire, only to put them back together two years later with Petite Maman. I watched this movie after my own maternal grandmother passed away. Death is hard, no matter your sign. To honor Scorpio Season—the season of death—it’s nice to end things on as positive a note as possible. This film brought me comfort while grieving my loss. It’s a reminder that although death is inevitable, people live on through memories and connection with those who are still here. It reminded me to go call my mom.
List Courtesy of Kasey Dunifer
Feature Image Designed by Kasey Dunifer