Top 10 Movies for Halloween
Halloween, a time for candy and fun, where it comes hard to choose what movies to watch, do we watch Hocus Pocus or Nightmare Before Christmas for some light-hearted fun, or do you try and stomach some terrifying, slasher horror? Sit back and get ready for a list of 10 great movies to watch this Halloween, whether they are lighthearted fun, scary, or maybe even a mix of both.
10. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Tim Burton’s magnum opus is an amazing mix of beautiful, but often eerie, visuals with gorgeous music. It defied animation of the time by demanding to be different, but yet still somehow crept its way into the hearts of hundreds to become one of the most revered works of all time. The music is especially wonderful, as Jack Skellington sings of personal insecurities you are transfixed with Danny Elfman’s beautiful vocals. A great way to begin Halloween, as its opening song introduces you to the holiday itself, “This is Halloween, this is Halloween, pumpkins scream in the dead of night!”
9. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
“Meta” refers to a work of art that is self-referential, the story it tells is somewhat parodic and makes fun of the genre of film that it is connected to. That’s what makes Cabin in the Woods so much fun. From the crazed minds of Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon comes the film that makes fun of the horror genre, but is still an honest homage to the genre as a whole. This film is a mix of humor, gore, awesome scenery, and really clever performances that is parodic without descending into the depths of being gratuitous or insulting. It is a love poem to horror that is not only often quite scary, but will give you some genuine laughs.
8. It Follows (2015)
The best horror takes a situation that normally wouldn’t be frightening at all and makes it absolutely terrifying. What if some malicious presence started following you and never left you alone, but it simply walked slowly towards you, constantly pursuing you and the only thing you could do to get rid of it would be to pass the curse onto another person? That’s the brilliance of It Follows and it works. The film is very frightening and probably the best horror film of 2015. Right when you think the protagonist is safe the curse is there, never letting up and constantly following, never stopping and never faltering. Prepare to feel uneasy for a few hours after watching this film, it will make you suspicious of everyone and everything.
7. What We Do in the Shadows (2015)
What do vampires do for fun, how do they spend their nights in these modern times, how do they find their victims, and how do they handle their roommates that don’t clean their “bloody” dishes? What We Do in the Shadows is a hilarious mockumentary handling these types of questions from the people behind the creation of The Flight of the Concords. It’s a great watch if you enjoy vampire mythology and the subsequent parody of vampire fiction. When it comes to horror-humor What We Do in the Shadows is a fine choice.
6. Halloween (1978)
It would be quite odd to have movies for Halloween and not include the film Halloween, after all it was a great pioneer of the slasher genre, and its main character has influenced some of the most memorable movie villains in history. It is a little antiquated now, and it definitely is not the scariest movie, and Michael Myers is not as well remembered as his more contemporary horror brethren such as Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees, but it's still a fun watch. This movie should be viewed for its historical significance and for the fact that it delivers some genuinely good scares.
5. The Exorcist (1973)
This film was one of the first demonic possession movies in movie history and the genre is so popular it is even used in horror films to this day! While the conventional murderer/slasher flick has died out, demons, ghosts, and other supernatural creatures remain to haunt us. William Friedkin’s movie is filmed with imagery so popular that it is still parodied and praised to this day, and the movie is over 40 years old. Several critics and directors have titled it the best horror movie ever made, a classic, and still terrifying as it was when it debuted. Pazuzu’s voice echoing from Regan’s deformed and disgusting visage is a terrifying image, and one that will haunt you for a long time. I have chills just thinking about it.
4. The Babadook (2014)
The director of The Exorcist that I just mentioned, William Friedkin, stated that he thinks the Australian film The Babadook is the scariest film he has ever seen. It’s hard to argue with him, because The Babadook is not only a brilliant film exploring the psychological effects of parenthood and the power of grief over a person, but it is also one of the scariest movies I have ever seen. Amelia’s relationship with her son is terrifying and haunting and everything about this film is brilliant. Watch it with friend, because by yourself you won’t get through it. This is a movie I will never soon forget, “If it’s in a word or in a look, you can’t get rid of the Babadook.”
3. Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock’s library is vast and filled with so many tremendous films that some would consider it an insult to pick out his best. The master of suspense has created such thriller masterpieces as Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest and of course Psycho. Out of all of these the latter exudes a sense of dread, terror, and suspense that the others come close to, but never end up reaching. A cultural touch stone, and a piece of art and it is still quite frightening despite being 55 years old. Hitchcock was not only a master of suspense, but an artist, and a film pioneer. If you want to experience movie history, and get some good scares I highly recommend Psycho.
3. Alien (1979)
A claustrophobe's nightmare and the reason the phrase “In space no one can hear you scream” still sends chills down my spine. Alien is an amazing film that has one of the most memorable movie characters of all time, one of the scariest monsters in film history, and some of the best visual effects in a movie I’ve ever seen. Even to this day the effects in this film are convincing. Sci-fi is one of my favorite genres, and there is something about Alien that is impossible to improve on. Its sequel Aliens is also great, but doesn’t quite meet the standards of the horror that Ellen’s ordeal on the Nostromo had. Most of the frightening elements of this film is credit to the brilliant mind of H. R. Giger, who passed away just last year, he created the costume for the eponymous monster and its terrifying visage is instantly memorable and incredibly convincing.
1. The Shining (1980)
Stanley Kubrick has always been a master of visuals, and his psychological-horror film The Shining is no different. Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the deeply disturbed Jack Torrance is one of his greatest performances, and has been immortalized as one of the greatest villains in cinema history. The film is also filled with brilliant visual clues that have spawned many theories about what message the film is trying to convey, and Kubrick never uttered a single word as to what theory is correct or what his intended message actually is. The Shining wasn’t made simply for the purpose of being really efficient and enjoyable horror, it was made to be studied and puzzled over. If examining movies for their cultural commentary is not your idea of the best time ever, than at the very least watch this movie for its genuine thrills, and brilliant storytelling. It’s also turning 35 this year, so if you haven’t seen it now is the perfect time. The Shining is one of those movies you can never forget, because it is history, it is art, and it is frightening.
There you have it, a variety of great films, scary, suspenseful, satirical, or shocking there is plenty to choose from. If you want some more humor you can always try Young Frankenstein (1974), Rocky Horror Picture Shows (1975), Hocus Pocus (1993), or Beetlejuice (1988). If you’re looking for some classic horror movies you can always try Dracula (1931) or The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). So grab the candy and the popcorn, turn the lights down low, and get ready for a fright! Happy Halloween!