Watching “The Conjuring” or “The Nightmare Before Christmas” this Halloween? Popcorn always elevates the movie watching experience. The Daily Texan taste tested and ranked the most popular buttery popcorn brands to help capture that magic Halloween movie feeling. 

Pop Secret Movie Theater Butter 

Fresh out of the microwave, butter drips off of the popcorn bag. An alluring aroma fills the air. Butter coats every piece of these big fluffy kernels, providing an enjoyable experience with every bite. The absolutely best element of Pop Secret? No unpopped kernels left at the bottom of the bag. A superior pick for avid movie watchers, Pop Secret compares to the satisfaction of real movie theater popcorn. 

Orville Redenbacher’s Movie Theater Butter 

A solid option for movie watching, with big crunchy kernels and a nice airy texture, Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn comes in second place. Redenbacher misses the balance of butter and salt that Pop Secret perfects. While this brand provides strong flavor competition, it ultimately falls average in comparison to Pop Secret. 

Boom Chicka Pop Real Butter Popcorn 

Prepopped in a big blue bag, this popcorn tastes salty but lacks a strong buttery flavor. Unlike Pop Secret and Redenbacher’s, Boom Chicka Pop provides an incredibly enjoyable low-calorie option. Prepackaged, the snack simply can’t provide the same hot fresh movie theater vibe. To make matters worse, while the bag appears pretty big the popcorn only fills half of the package. Despite its faults, Boom Chicka Pop still satisfies buttery popcorn cravings. 

SkinnyPop Butter 

SkinnyPop delivers satisfaction with big, fluffy pieces of popcorn, but falls short in comparison to Boom Chicka Pop. While more buttery than Boom Chicka Pop, SkinnyPop has a less salty, blander flavor. Some pieces come smothered in buttery goodness, others have neither enough salt nor enough butter. The inconsistency keeps SkinnyPop from reaching the top of the list. This popcorn brand conveniently offers both a pre-popped and microwavable option to suit customers’ preferences. SkinnyPop gives a hot option for those trying to stay healthy during this candy packed spooky season. 

Act II Butter Lovers

The large portion of butter and salt do not disguise this snack’s underlying burnt taste. To its detriment, the popcorn does not cook evenly in the bag leaving some pieces overcooked, some undercooked and few in between. Though this popcorn excels in providing flavor, it misses the mark in comparison to the other brands.