We've officially crawled our way into October, which means we now have 31 days full of ghosts, goblins and wild things to look forward to. Not all the movies opening this month are of the scary variety, though, and you may even stumble across a potential Oscar candidate or two. But since there's so much content to wade through, we're here to single out five films you definitely must see before November rolls around. Check it:

Zombieland (10/2/09)
What's It About: Not since Shaun of the Dead have audiences been having this much fun with a zombie comedy. Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Jesse Eisenberg star in this original zombie flick about a group of misfits who beat, bust and blow their way through a world littered with zombies while traveling to an amusement park where they think they'll be safe.
What's the Buzz: Currently running at fresh rating of 88% over on Rotten Tomatoes, the film comes from a first-time director and features some surprising (and hilarious) cameos. Christy Lemire of the Associated Press says, "Zombieland mostly finds that tricky balance of the laugh-out-loud funny and the make-you-jump scary, of deadpan laughs and intense energy."

What's It About: Four dysfunctional couples travel to a gorgeous tropical island resort for a relaxing vacation, but instead find themselves swept into the resort's unique (and mandatory) therapy sessions.
What's the Buzz: It's always a blast when Swingers vets Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau re-team on the big screen, but it's an added bonus when they star alongside funny folks like Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis, Faizon Love and Malin Akerman. Oh, and did we mention that the film features the directorial debut of Peter Billingsley (who played Ralphie in A Christmas Story)!?
 
Where the Wild Things Are (10/16/09)
What's It About: Based on Maurice Sendak's classic tale, this updated-for-the-screen version stars newcomer Max Records as a 9-year-old boy who, upset with the non-attention he's getting at home, runs away and discovers a mysterious island full of giant, moody creatures desperately seeking some form of leadership.
What's the Buzz: Innovative writer-director Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) has spent years pouring every ounce of his soul into this film, which is less family friendly and more family therapy session. Beautiful visuals, a great voice cast and one of the year's best soundtracks make this a film you better not miss.
 
Amelia (10/23/09)
What's It About: From acclaimed director Mira Nair comes this film about the life of famed female pilot Amelia Earhart (played here by Hilary Swank), who in 1937 disappeared somewhere over the Pacific Ocean while attempting a history-making flight around the world.
What's the Buzz: Ever since this project was announced, Swank's name appeared on an Oscar Watch list – mainly because it's these types of roles that usually award her a spot as a best actress nominee. Here, she's joined by Richard Gere and Ewan McGregor, though all eyes will be on Swank to see if she can once again bring home Oscar gold.
 
Michael Jackson's This Is It (10/28/09)
What's It About: Carefully pieced together from hours of rehearsal footage, This Is It will show us what it would've been like to watch Michael Jackson's farewell concert tour had the iconic entertainer not passed away suddenly over the summer.
What's the Buzz: It's being billed as the concert movie to end all concert movies – a big-screen spectacular! Not only that, but advanced tickets being sold on Fandango are already outpacing Hanna Montana 3D. This is gonna be huge!
 
Other October films you might want to keep on your radar: A Serious Man (10/2), An Education (10/9), Law Abiding Citizen (10/16) and Astro Boy (10/23)