The World’s End had unwieldy expectations when it was released in 2013 (which, if you don’t have a calculator on hand, makes this year its tenth anniversary). Not only did it have the unfortunate dilemma of coming out the same summer as another apocalyptic comedy with a similar name – so much so that if you bring it up in conversation, most people will ask if you’re talking about the one with Seth Rogen – but it also had the monumental task of having to be a worthy follow-up to Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. These are both universally regarded as objectively perfect movies (It’s true, there was a vote to decide it, and everyone knows about it except you).

The third entry in a trilogy is often the worst, and the reason why has baffled scientists for decades. While the first two entries in The Cornetto Trilogy are widely regarded as great movies, The World’s End often falls by the wayside by fans of the series, though the response is often still positive. They’ll say they like it, but there’s always that asterisk that it’s their least favorite of the three films (not so much that they dislike it the most, more so that they like it the least).

Not-So-Scary Movies for Halloween
Focus Features/Universal Pictures

People are always watching spooky movies this time of year, but there are always those stagnant few that aren’t horror films but still feel in line with the Halloween season. You have films like Hocus Pocus, The Monster Squad, The Halloween Tree, and even the great and powerful Jeremy Jahns recently cited Joe Dante’s cult classic, The ‘Burbs, as a solid October viewing (and rightfully so). And while Shaun of the Dead is a quintessential Halloween film for many, The World’s End never gets recognized as another quality film to watch in the autumn season in preparation for Samhain (pronounced SAH-win, despite what Dr. Loomis says).

Speaking of autumn, The World’s End is an autumn movie. There are certain movies that you can only watch at specific times of the year. If you’ve ever watched The Shining on a sunny day in the summer or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in the winter, you’ll know there’s something off about the experience.

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The World’s End doesn’t have that intense of a seasonal prejudice for viewing, but it’s best when watched while the leaves are falling. There’s a line of dialogue by Oliver (Martin Freeman) that clarifies the film takes place in October, and it’s very apparent. There are autumn colors in the trees, leaves on the ground, everyone’s wearing layers (but not bundled up), and when it turns to night, it gets cold enough to see everyone’s breath. The film has that breezy quality that feels in line with something like Halloween (1978), and the small-town setting gives it more of a “back in your hometown” vibe. And speaking of towns and vibes…

The Vibe of the Town

The town of Newton Haven, where most of the film takes place, is dripping with atmosphere. What makes the movies in the Cornetto Trilogy fun is that the characters are goofy, and there’s a silliness to the tone, but the threats of the film are always taken seriously (within reason). The zombies in Shaun of the Dead will still violently eat you, the N.W.A (not that one, the other one) in Hot Fuzz are practically serial killers from a slasher film, and the robots (who aren’t robots) in The World’s End are essentially the body snatchers from that one film with the body snatchers (you know, The Faculty).

It’s almost a cliché to say a movie’s environment is a character, and Newton Haven isn’t necessarily one, but its population as a unit is. The town has a fishbowl quality, similar to Santa Mira in Halloween III: Season of the Witch, where it feels like no matter where the characters go, they’re always being watched. There are a lot of insert shots of blanks (the nickname for robots) that look over whenever someone says something out of turn or potentially too loud, and it’s always multiple blanks at once and always in this bizarre unified movement.

Even when it’s not an insert shot, you’ll see random people sitting or standing in the background and looking at the gang, or slowly walking towards them in the darkness like Michael Myers, or even drinking beers at the pub in a synchronized fashion (according to Edgar Wright on the commentary track). They give off this impression that they’re all a part of a singular hive mind, and they’re waiting for the opportune moment to absorb the lead characters into their collective.

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Potentially, the scene that gives the film an authentic Halloween aesthetic is the montage of the crew walking between pubs (from The Cross Hands to The Good Companion to The Three-headed Dog). There’s minimal dialogue, and the five of them walk in perfect unison (along with the rest of Newton Haven walking in the opposite direction) to the beat of Alabama Song by The Doors. With its carnival music-inspired rhythm, the song gives the sequence a sense of playfulness and uneasiness. And maybe it’s the visual of people walking around at night, but it feels reminiscent of going trick-or-treating (except instead of walking by people in costumes, they’re surrounded by pod-people).

The World’s End often gets overlooked, but it really is an underrated film to watch around Halloween. Besides being hilarious and having dozens of easter eggs and visual gags that warrant multiple rewatches (this is an Edgar Wright movie, after all), it has the ambiance of the fall season, a fun, creepy atmosphere with the feeling of impending doom – similar to an early John Carpenter movie, especially Prince of Darkness – and a lot of subtle shoutouts to older horror films; like the bright lights emitted from the faces of the blanks and the image of the teenage blank’s disembodied head on the bathroom floor being direct references to the posters of The Thing and The Stepford Wives, respectively. Alien robots aren’t the usual monsters in the movies to watch around Halloween, but this entry in The Cornetto Trilogy absolutely warrants more love from fanatics of the season.