As the leaves begin to turn and the air gets a little more brisk, we begin to feel the spooky aura all around as October creeps in. With October comes fall favorites like the Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks, the comfort of wearing sweaters 24/7, and of course, the best of all, Halloween. Now if you’re like me and consider yourself a “Halloweenie”, then you totally understand the obsession and love for the amazing holiday. How could someone not love the monsters, candy, insane yard decorations, and most of all, the movies?
Every holiday has it’s movies (well, maybe not Thanksgiving), but not even Christmas movies can touch the greatness of Halloween movies. There’s a Halloween movie for everyone- scary movies like the Michael Myers Halloween movies, fun, family friendly movies like Halloweentown or Twitches, or even spoof horror comedies like Shaun of the Dead.
An all-time Halloween go-to movie that is constantly reliable for a good time is It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. If you aren’t familiar with the Peanuts cartoon and comic strips, it might be time to have a chat with your parents or just pick up a Sunday paper. This Charlie Brown movie is a must see for young and old alike. Teaming with good, sarcastic humor made for kids, but written by adults, this movie uses the charming fuzzy animation, fresh from the mid-sixties to capture the hearts of the viewers. This timeless classic features Charlie Brown, his sister Sally, the sassy and much loved Lucy, and the rest of the famed Charlie Brown cast. It is filled with childlike mystery and fun the whole family will enjoy, (or an adult looking for a nostalgic moment).
If you’re not one for a sweet family movie, then there are plenty of other types of Halloween movies up your dark and scary alley. One of my favorite not-so-scary Halloween flicks is the horror comedy Shaun of the Dead, a revved up spin off of Dawn of the Dead (yet another classic), full of crude British humor and lots and lots of zombies. Even if zombies aren’t your thing, you can still enjoy this movie because of all the jokes eloquently strung throughout the film, keeping audiences in stitches.
Even with all of the Halloween masterpieces out there, there are still some films that blemish the face of Halloween entertainment, and are not worth your time this season. Films that never seem end like the Chucky series, the Nightmare on Elm Street flicks, and every last one of the Saw movies are just a few of the money-sucking horror movie franchises that have zero depth or quality to them whatsoever. If you’re looking for a real, genuine scare this Halloween, the diamonds in the ruff are the way to go.
Independent horror movies are probably my favorite type of horror movies, because if you finish the film terrified, there’s never a sequel to keep your terror running. Indie horror films like Cabin in the Woods and Night of the Living Dead are two great examples of movies to get you get you spooked enough to lose sleep on Halloween, or any other late night binge.
So after trick-or-treating or even after eating your weight in candy that was intended for trick-or-treaters, you can find a spot and enough movies to sit on the couch and get spooked all Halloween night. But you may want to watch your back, because you never know what lurks in the darkness on Halloween night.
