The Best Fall Movies To Watch During The Autumn Season
“What are the best Autumn Movies?” We looked at 121 of the top Autumn films, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!
The top 30 films, all appearing on 3 or more “Best Autumn” movie lists, are ranked below by how many times they appear. The remaining 75+ movies, as well as the sources we used, are in alphabetical order on the bottom of the page.
Happy Scrolling!
Top 30 Best Autumn Movies Ever Made
30 .) All That Heaven Allows (1955) directed by Douglas Sirk
Lists It Appears On:
- BFI
- IMDB
- List Challenges
Two different social classes collide when Cary Scott, a wealthy upper-class widow, falls in love with her much younger and down-to-earth gardener, prompting disapproval and criticism from her children and country club friends.
29 .) An Autumn Afternoon (1962) directed by Yasujirô Ozu
Lists It Appears On:
- BFI
- IMDB
- List Challenges
Shuhei Hirayama is a widower with a 24-year-old daughter. Gradually, he comes to realize that she should not be obliged to look after him for the rest of his life, so he arranges a marriage for her.
28 .) Autumn Sonata (1978) directed by Ingmar Bergman
Lists It Appears On:
- BFI
- IMDB
- List Challenges
After a seven-year absence, Charlotte Andergast travels to Sweden to reunite with her daughter Eva. The pair have a troubled relationship: Charlotte sacrificed the responsibilities of motherhood for a career as a classical pianist. Over an emotional night, the pair reopen the wounds of the past. Charlotte gets another shock when she finds out that her mentally impaired daughter, Helena, is out of the asylum and living with Eva.
27 .) Days of Heaven (1978) directed by Terrence Malick
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Time Out
In 1910, a Chicago steel worker accidentally kills his supervisor and flees to the Texas panhandle with his girlfriend and little sister to work harvesting wheat in the fields of a stoic farmer. A love triangle, a swarm of locusts, a hellish fire—Malick captures it all with dreamlike authenticity, creating at once a timeless American idyll and a gritty evocation of turn-of-the-century labor.
26 .) Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) directed by John Hughes
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Paste Magazine
A high school slacker pretends to be sick to skip school and have an exciting day off alongside his girlfriend and his best buddy through Chicago, while trying to outwit his obsessive school principal and his unconformited sister along the way.
25 .) Garden State (2004) directed by Zach Braff
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Paste Magazine
Andrew returns to his hometown for the funeral of his mother, a journey that reconnects him with past friends. The trip coincides with his decision to stop taking his powerful antidepressants. A chance meeting with Sam – a girl also suffering from various maladies – opens up the possibility of rekindling emotional attachments, confronting his psychologist father, and perhaps beginning a new life.
24 .) Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) directed by Woody Allen
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Paste Magazine
Between two Thanksgivings, Hannah’s husband falls in love with her sister Lee, while her hypochondriac ex-husband rekindles his relationship with her sister Holly.
23 .) Harold and Maude (1971) directed by Hal Ashby
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Paste Magazine
The young Harold lives in his own world of suicide-attempts and funeral visits to avoid the misery of his current family and home environment. Harold meets an 80-year-old woman named Maude who also lives in her own world yet one in which she is having the time of her life. When the two opposites meet they realize that their differences don’t matter and they become best friends and love each other.
22 .) Hocus Pocus (1993) directed by Kenny Ortega
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Southern Living
- The Odyssey Online
After 300 years of slumber, three sister witches are accidentally resurrected in Salem on Halloween night, and it is up to three kids and their newfound feline friend to put an end to the witches’ reign of terror once and for all.
21 .) October Sky (1999) directed by Joe Johnston
Lists It Appears On:
- Cheat Sheet
- IMDB
- List Challenges
Based on the true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner’s son who was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to take up rocketry against his father’s wishes, and eventually became a NASA scientist.
20 .) Practical Magic (1998) directed by Griffin Dunne
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Cheat Sheet
- IMDB
Sally and Gillian Owens, born into a magical family, have mostly avoided witchcraft themselves. But when Gillian’s vicious boyfriend, Jimmy Angelov, dies unexpectedly, the Owens sisters give themselves a crash course in hard magic. With policeman Gary Hallet growing suspicious, the girls struggle to resurrect Angelov – and unwittingly inject his corpse with an evil spirit that threatens to end their family line.
19 .) Rudy (1993) directed by David Anspaugh
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- IMDB
- Paste Magazine
Rudy grew up in a steel mill town where most people ended up working, but wanted to play football at Notre Dame instead. There were only a couple of problems. His grades were a little low, his athletic skills were poor, and he was only half the size of the other players. But he had the drive and the spirit of 5 people and has set his sights upon joining the team.
18 .) Sleepy Hollow (1999) directed by Tim Burton
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- IMDB
- List Challenges
New York detective Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of mysterious deaths in which the victims are found beheaded. But the locals believe the culprit to be none other than the ghost of the legendary Headless Horseman.
17 .) The Straight Story (1999) directed by David Lynch
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Time Out
A retired farmer and widower in his 70s, Alvin Straight learns one day that his distant brother Lyle has suffered a stroke and may not recover. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in Wisconsin, while Alvin is stuck in Iowa with no car and no driver’s license. Then he hits on the idea of making the trip on his old lawnmower, thus beginning a picturesque and at times deeply spiritual odyssey.
16 .) The Stranger (1946) directed by Orson Welles
Lists It Appears On:
- BFI
- IMDB
- List Challenges
Wilson of the War Crimes Commission is seeking Franz Kindler, mastermind of the Holocaust, who has effectively erased his identity. Wilson releases Kindler’s former comrade Meinike and follows him to Harper, Connecticut, where he is killed before he can identify Kindler. Now Wilson’s only clue is Kindler’s fascination with antique clocks; but, though Kindler seems secure in his new identity, he feels his past closing in.
5 .) The Trouble with Harry (1955) directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Lists It Appears On:
- BFI
- IMDB
- List Challenges
Trouble erupts in a small, quiet New England town when a man’s body is found in the woods. The problem is that almost everyone in town thinks that they had something to do with his death.
14 .) The Village (2004) directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- IMDB
- List Challenges
When a willful young man tries to venture beyond his sequestered Pennsylvania hamlet, his actions set off a chain of chilling incidents that will alter the community forever.
13 .) Election (1999) directed by Alexander Payne
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Paste Magazine
- Time Out
A high school teacher’s personal life becomes complicated as he works with students during the school elections.
12 .) Halloween (1978) directed by John Carpenter
Lists It Appears On:
- BFI
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Paste Magazine
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween Night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
11 .) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- The Film Magazine
- The Odyssey Online
- Time Out
Harry, Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts for another magic-filled year. Harry comes face to face with danger yet again, this time in the form of escaped convict, Sirius Black—and turns to sympathetic Professor Lupin for help.
10 .) Remember the Titans (2000) directed by Boaz Yakin
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Cheat Sheet
- IMDB
- The Odyssey Online
After leading his football team to 15 winning seasons, coach Bill Yoast is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone – tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. The two men learn to overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions.
9 .) St. Elmo’s Fire (1985) directed by Joel Schumacher
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- The Film Magazine
Seven friends – Alec, Billy, Jules, Kevin, Kirby, Leslie and Wendy – are trying to navigate through life and their friendships following college graduation. Alec, who aspires to political life, has just shown his true colors by changing his allegiance from Democrat to Republican, which freaks out girlfriend Leslie, who he wants to marry. Budding architect Leslie, on the other hand, has an independent streak. She believes she has to make a name for herself to find out who she is before she can truly commit to another person in marriage. But Leslie and Alec have decided to live together. Because Leslie refuses to marry Alec, he believes that justifies certain behavior. Kirby, who wants to become a lawyer and who pays for his schooling by working as a waiter at their local hangout called St. Elmo’s Bar, and struggling writer Kevin are currently roommates. They are on opposite extremes of the romance spectrum. ×
8 .) Autumn in New York (2000) directed by Joan Chen
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Cheat Sheet
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- The Film Magazine
Autumn in New York follows the sexual exploits of Will Keane – New York restaurateur, infamous verging-on-50 playboy, master of the no-commitment seduction – until he runs into an unexpected dead end when he meets Charlotte Fielding. Charlotte is half Will’s age and twice his match, a 21 year-old free spirit yearning to get out and taste the excitement of adult life.
7 .) Stepmom (1998) directed by Chris Columbus
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Cheat Sheet
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- USA Today
Jackie is a divorced mother of two. Isabel is the career minded girlfriend of Jackie’s ex-husband Luke, forced into the role of unwelcome stepmother to their children. But when Jackie discovers she is ill, both women realise they must put aside their differences to find a common ground and celebrate life to the fullest, while they have the chance.
6 .) Far from Heaven (2002) directed by Todd Haynes
Lists It Appears On:
- BFI
- Buzzfeed
- Cheat Sheet
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Time Out
In 1950s Connecticut, a housewife faces a marital crisis and mounting racial tensions in the outside world.
5 .) Good Will Hunting (1997) directed by Gus Van Sant
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Cheat Sheet
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Paste Magazine
- The Film Magazine
Will Hunting has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he solves a difficult graduate-level math problem, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau, who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he will get treatment from therapist Sean Maguire.
4 .) Rushmore (1998) directed by Wes Anderson
Lists It Appears On:
- BFI
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Paste Magazine
- The Film Magazine
- Time Out
When a beautiful first-grade teacher arrives at a prep school, she soon attracts the attention of an ambitious teenager named Max, who quickly falls in love with her. Max turns to the father of two of his schoolmates for advice on how to woo the teacher. However, the situation soon gets complicated when Max’s new friend becomes involved with her, setting the two pals against one another in a war for her attention.
3 .) Dead Poets Society (1989) directed by Peter Weir
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Cheat Sheet
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Paste Magazine
- The Film Magazine
- USA Today
At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.
2 .) You’ve Got Mail (1998) directed by Nora Ephron
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Cheat Sheet
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Paste Magazine
- Time Out
- USA Today
Book superstore magnate, Joe Fox and independent book shop owner, Kathleen Kelly fall in love in the anonymity of the Internet—both blissfully unaware that he’s trying to put her out of business.
1 .) When Harry Met Sally (1989) directed by Rob Reiner
Lists It Appears On:
- Buzzfeed
- Cheat Sheet
- IMDB
- List Challenges
- Paste Magazine
- Southern Living
- The Film Magazine
- Time Out
During their travel from Chicago to New York, Harry and Sally debate whether or not sex ruins a friendship between a man and a woman. Eleven years later, and they’re still no closer to finding the answer.
The 75+ Additional Best Autumn Films
| # | Movies | Directors | Lists |
| 31 | (500) Days of Summer | The Odyssey Online | |
| – | – | – | Time Out |
| 32 | A League of Their Own (1992) | Southern Living | |
| – | – | – | Southern Living |
| 33 | Another Woman (1988) | Woody Allen | IMDB |
| – | – | – | List Challenges |
| 34 | Autumn Leaves (1956) | Robert Aldrich | IMDB |
| – | – | – | List Challenges |
| 35 | Autumn Tale (1998) | Éric Rohmer | IMDB |
| – | – | – | List Challenges |
| 36 | Dan in Real Life (2007) | Peter Hedges | Buzzfeed |
| – | – | – | IMDB |
| 37 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) | Southern Living | |
| – | – | – | Southern Living |
| 38 | Fantastic Mr Fox (2009) | The Film Magazine | |
| – | – | – | Time Out |
| 39 | Fly Away Home (1996) | Carroll Ballard | Cheat Sheet |
| – | – | – | IMDB |
| 40 | Forrest Gump (1994) | Southern Living | |
| – | – | – | Southern Living |
| 41 | Halloweentown | Buzzfeed | |
| – | – | – | The Odyssey Online |
| 42 | Helen (2008) | Joe Lawlor | BFI |
| – | – | – | IMDB |
| 43 | Late Autumn (1960) | Yasujirô Ozu | IMDB |
| – | – | – | List Challenges |
| 44 | Love Story (1970) | Arthur Hiller | IMDB |
| – | – | – | List Challenges |
| 45 | Matilda (1996) | Southern Living | |
| – | – | – | Southern Living |
| 46 | On Golden Pond (1981) | Mark Rydell | IMDB |
| – | – | – | List Challenges |
| 47 | Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) | John Hughes | IMDB |
| – | – | – | Paste Magazine |
| 48 | September (1987) | Woody Allen | IMDB |
| – | – | – | List Challenges |
| 49 | The Craft | Buzzfeed | |
| – | – | – | Cheat Sheet |
| 50 | The Goonies (1985) | Southern Living | |
| – | – | – | Southern Living |
| 51 | The Lake House (2006) | Alejandro Agresti | IMDB |
| – | – | – | List Challenges |
| 52 | The Last Waltz (1978) | Martin Scorsese | IMDB |
| – | – | – | Paste Magazine |
| 53 | The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) | Tony Richardson | IMDB |
| – | – | – | List Challenges |
| 54 | The Nightmare Before Christmas | Buzzfeed | |
| – | – | – | Cheat Sheet |
| 55 | The Others (2001) | Alejandro Amenábar | IMDB |
| – | – | – | List Challenges |
| 56 | The Princess Bride (1987) | Southern Living | |
| – | – | – | Southern Living |
| 57 | The Sixth Sense (1999) | M. Night Shyamalan | IMDB |
| – | – | – | List Challenges |
| 58 | The Sting (1973) | Southern Living | |
| – | – | – | Southern Living |
| 59 | The Wizard of Oz (1939) | Southern Living | |
| – | – | – | Southern Living |
| 60 | To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) | Robert Mulligan | IMDB |
| – | – | – | List Challenges |
| 61 | Where the Wild Things Are (2009) | Spike Jonze | IMDB |
| – | – | – | The Film Magazine |
| 62 | After Autumn (2007) | Jamal Hill | IMDB |
| 63 | Amelie (2001) | The Film Magazine | |
| 64 | American Beauty (1999) | Sam Mendes | IMDB |
| 65 | An Autumn Tale (1998) | BFI | |
| 66 | Autumn (2004) | Ra’up McGee | IMDB |
| 67 | Autumn (2008) | Özcan Alper | IMDB |
| 68 | Autumn Moon (1992) | Clara Law | IMDB |
| 69 | Autumn Sun (1996) | Eduardo Mignogna | IMDB |
| 70 | Can’t Buy Me Love | The Odyssey Online | |
| 71 | Casper Meets Wendy | The Odyssey Online | |
| 72 | City Girl (1930) | F.W. Murnau | IMDB |
| 73 | Double, Double Toil and Trouble | Buzzfeed | |
| 74 | Earth (1930) | Aleksandr Dovzhenko | IMDB |
| 75 | Finding Neverland (2004) | The Film Magazine | |
| 76 | Friday Night Lights | USA Today | |
| 77 | Harvest Moon (2007) | Brent Nowak | IMDB |
| 78 | Heathers (1988) | The Film Magazine | |
| 79 | Hook (1991) | Southern Living | |
| 80 | Isle of Dogs (2018) | The Film Magazine | |
| 81 | James and the Giant Peach (1996) | The Film Magazine | |
| 82 | Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) | The Film Magazine | |
| 83 | Lady Bird (2017) | The Film Magazine | |
| 84 | Lady in White (1988) | List Challenges | |
| 85 | Legends of the Fall | Cheat Sheet | |
| 86 | Lincoln (2012) | Steven Spielberg | IMDB |
| 87 | Little Women | Buzzfeed | |
| 88 | Lost in Translation (2003) | Sofia Coppola | IMDB |
| 89 | Luther (2003) | Eric Till | IMDB |
| 90 | Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) | Vincente Minnelli | IMDB |
| 91 | Mermaids | Buzzfeed | |
| 92 | Mystic Pizza | Cheat Sheet | |
| 93 | Nine Dead | The Odyssey Online | |
| 94 | One Fine Day | USA Today | |
| 95 | One True Thing (1998) | Carl Franklin | IMDB |
| 96 | Persuasion (2007) | List Challenges | |
| 97 | Pieces of April | Buzzfeed | |
| 98 | Restless (2011) | The Film Magazine | |
| 99 | Scent of a Woman (1992) | List Challenges | |
| 100 | Scream | Paste Magazine | |
| 101 | Screen Two (1985–2002) Episode: Persuasion (1995) | Roger Michell | IMDB |
| 102 | Sleepless in Seattle | Buzzfeed | |
| 103 | Sweet Home Alabama (2002) | Andy Tennant | IMDB |
| 104 | Tess (1979) | Roman Polanski | IMDB |
| 105 | The Autumn Heart (1999) | Steven Maler | IMDB |
| 106 | The Blind Side | Buzzfeed | |
| 107 | The Crucible (1996) | Nicholas Hytner | IMDB |
| 108 | The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (1978– ) | Bette Davis | IMDB |
| 109 | The Emperors New Groove | The Odyssey Online | |
| 110 | The Fox and the Hound | Buzzfeed | |
| 111 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) | The Film Magazine | |
| 112 | The Lord of the Rings trilogy | Buzzfeed | |
| 113 |
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
|
The Film Magazine | |
| 114 | The Purge | The Odyssey Online | |
| 115 | The Shining | The Odyssey Online | |
| 116 | The Sterile Cuckoo (1969) | Alan J. Pakula | IMDB |
| 117 | The Taking of Deborah Logan | Buzzfeed | |
| 118 | The Uninvited | The Odyssey Online | |
| 119 | Tower of Terror | The Odyssey Online | |
| 120 | What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993) | The Film Magazine | |
| 121 | You’re Next | The Odyssey Online |
11 Best Autumn Film Sources/Lists
| Source | Article |
| BFI | 10 great films set during the autumn |
| Buzzfeed | 28 Movies That Will Totally Give You Warm And Fuzzy Feelings Ready |
| Cheat Sheet | 15 Classic Fall Movies You Should Dive Into This Autumn |
| IMDB | Movies set in Autumn/Fall |
| List Challenges | Best Autumn-Themed Movies |
| Paste Magazine | 15 Classic Fall Movies |
| Southern Living | Feel-Good Classic Movies to Watch in Fall |
| The Film Magazine | 20 Best Movies To Watch In Autumn |
| The Odyssey Online | The 26 Best Fall Movies |
| Time Out | The ten best autumn films |
| USA Today | Fall movies: The 5 best films to binge-watch in autumn |
