Halloween Film Recommendations
The following movies are...highly recommended!
Halloween is making its way towards us and we need films to get into the mood for it. Nothing sets a better mood than the screaming, slashing, and spooking of a Halloween movie playing with a group of friends or in the background as you go about your day. From the goriest horror movie to family-friendly flicks, here are my recommendations for a day of Halloween viewing.
For the person who loves sequels, trilogies, and binge-watching:
Halloween is an obviously perfect choice for a film franchise to have playing all Halloween long as you decorate and get dressed up in costume. These films follow one of our various heroines as the battle to stay alive against the masked-and-jumpsuit killer Michael Myers. After killing his family in a brutal massacre, Michael was committed to an insane asylum where he was looked after by Dr. Sam Loomis. When Michael escapes from the insane asylum, he heads back to his house to kill off anyone who dares enter his house (especially if these intruders are having sex, taking drugs, or drinking). If you're someone with a taste for cheesy plot, mid-level violence, and men in jumpsuits and masks, this is the Halloween film(s) for you.
Honorable Mentions:
Friday the 13th
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Paranormal Activity
The Conjuring
Insidious
For the person who loves a feeling of dread and terror:
Halloween is making its way towards us and we need films to get into the mood for it. Nothing sets a better mood than the screaming, slashing, and spooking of a Halloween movie playing with a group of friends or in the background as you go about your day. From the goriest horror movie to family-friendly flicks, here are my recommendations for a day of Halloween viewing.
For the person who loves sequels, trilogies, and binge-watching:
Halloween is an obviously perfect choice for a film franchise to have playing all Halloween long as you decorate and get dressed up in costume. These films follow one of our various heroines as the battle to stay alive against the masked-and-jumpsuit killer Michael Myers. After killing his family in a brutal massacre, Michael was committed to an insane asylum where he was looked after by Dr. Sam Loomis. When Michael escapes from the insane asylum, he heads back to his house to kill off anyone who dares enter his house (especially if these intruders are having sex, taking drugs, or drinking). If you're someone with a taste for cheesy plot, mid-level violence, and men in jumpsuits and masks, this is the Halloween film(s) for you.
Honorable Mentions:
Friday the 13th
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Paranormal Activity
The Conjuring
Insidious
For the person who loves a feeling of dread and terror:
An atmospheric film can really get you in the spooky mood for Halloween, and The Blair Witch Project will do exactly that. The film follows filmmakers Heather, Mike, and Josh as they travel to Burkittsville, Maryland to film a documentary on the Blair Witch (a local legend about a woman who lived in the forest whose feet never touched the ground). As the filmmaker enter the forest where this legend takes place, they find odd formations created in the woods as well as getting the feeling that they are being watched. They get lost in the woods while trying to find the shack the witch lived in and become increasingly paranoid as they are stalked by an unknown force at night. One night is particularly terrifying which leads the filmmakers to run off into the night from the unknown terror that has been following them. What happens next will leave you scared to ever go camping or hiking again. If you love to be scared and movies that are too real for comfort, this is the perfect film for you.
Fun fact: The filming for the movie "...finished on Halloween Night."
Honorable Mentions:
Sinister
The Houses October Built
The Witch
Pet Semetary
The Babadook
For people who want a family-friendly throwback:
Fun fact: The filming for the movie "...finished on Halloween Night."
Honorable Mentions:
Sinister
The Houses October Built
The Witch
Pet Semetary
The Babadook
For people who want a family-friendly throwback:
Scooby-Doo is a classic for so many different generations; most people have some fond memory with Scooby-Doo whether they're 8 or 58. Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School was a made-for-TV movie that follows Shaggy, Scooby-Doo, and Scobby's nephew Scrabby-Doo going to an all-girl's school to be the new gym teachers; "Shaggy is reluctant about his decision because of the eerie weather and location." However, when they finally reach the girl's school, they realize the students aren't just girls, they're ghouls. While initially against staying at a school filled with ghosts, mummies, and monsters, Shaggy and Scooby agree to stay and continue being teachers. While they get used to the school, an evil witch is concocting a plot to kidnap the girls and make them her evil slaves. Scooby, Shaggy, and Scrappy have to work together to save the girls and get them back to the school before the girls' fathers find out that something has happened to them. This movie is a silly, fun time to share with your family or to have a throwback to the good days of kicking back and watching some classic Scooby-Doo.
Honorable Mentions:
Halloween is one of my favorite times of year and I love getting into the creepy mood as soon as October hits. Halloween is a time for scaring and blood, but it's also a great time for hanging out with family and friends and basking in the glow of Halloween fun. Film is now seen as a solitary activity to indulge in, but don't forget that it brings people together to laugh, cry, and (of course) be scared.
Grab a friend, your witch's hat, and some candy corn, the show is about to start.
I think the only film on this list I could watch is Scooby Doo, as I’m freaked out by just horror movie posters and don’t particularly enjoy feeling dread and terror. I liked what you said about films as an activity to bring people together rather than a solitary activity. I used to watch movies like Halloween Town or Twitches every year with my sisters, and because these movies became a Halloween tradition we still reminisce about them. I agree movies like Scooby Doo can span the generations, as older people remember them fondly and younger children enjoy them as well. It reminds me of when Beauty and the Beast came out last year, as the theaters were a mix of six-year-olds seeing Beauty and Beast for the first time and adults who grew up watching the original animated version. As well, some of my favorite animated films like Aladdin and Mulan are still watched by kids today. I like that with movies and movie remakes we can share excitement over them across generations.
ReplyDeleteI love films that allow different generations to come together and enjoy stories together. Scooby-Doo has that effect in that it has a little spooky elements but enough cheesy jokes and simple plot to entertain both children and adults alike. Beauty and the Beast and even the Charlie Brown movie both had a similar effect where a piece of media has become so popular and passed down as a tradition that you have different generations joining together to watch in theaters to share these mutual feelings about the piece.
DeleteI am not one for movies full of dread or terror, especially if they seem to be possible in the real world. There is something about outlandish horror that makes it less scary for me. I believe in ghosts and spirits, so those still frighten me.
ReplyDeleteI've been hesitant to watch The Blair Witch Project because it seems too real for me to be able to handle. I especially think that I would be freaked out because of the hand-held camera aspect of that. I found a blog that talks about The Blair Witch Project being in a genre of movies outside of horror: the found-footage genre. I think with found-footage, you can make a movie more terrorizing to the audience. It is more personable. With some movies, I feel as if I am sitting alongside the director, which is not what I want. I want to be so immersed in the movie that I forget that it is a movie. I put the link to the blog below.
https://film.avclub.com/beyond-blair-witch-why-found-footage-horror-deserves-y-1798286059
Found footage films are definitely terrifying if they're done correctly. I'm a big fan of found footage horror films and like to watch them whenever available, but there is a way in making them genuinely scary. One is to not add other music on top of the footage; this takes the viewer completely out of the story. Any added sounds should fit with the environment and additional care should be made to make sure the sounds and visuals sync up perfectly. Another thing is to make sure the director isn't falling into "easy" jumpscare tactics because this will obviously make the film seem fake. No quick turnarounds or waiting on one spot in silence for something to appear; it screams amateur and it's an easy tactic to use to get a cheap scare with no buildup whatsoever.
DeleteScooby Doo is much more my level when it comes to horror films. Fun Fact: I watching 1 (one) episode of the TV show as a kid and said never again... even Scooby Doo was too scary for baby-Jordan! I have always loved funny movies (or action, suspense, thriller, mystery, fantasy, rom-com, drama, etc.) more than scary movies, so I am not a fan of many Halloween movies. However, and see you listed Halloween Town as an honorable mention. I grew up on Halloween Town and its sequels! My best friend from childhood (so is actually becoming my neighbor next month) and I used to watch all the movies in the franchise each Halloween. In fact, I remember sitting at my grandparents' house one October day with the phone on speaker: Kylee was on the other end, watching the movies at her house while I watched at my grandparents'. I think it is interesting that I have such fond memories tied to a Halloween movie considering how much I dislike nearly ever other one.
ReplyDelete(Also, I just watched Hocus Pocus for the first time last year.)
I like how positive experiences can change our perspectives on media we enjoy. I definitely get Halloween not being a holiday you enjoy; many people don't like the gloom and scary atmosphere around it. I'm really happy to hear that there was such a good memory attached to Halloween Town when you would watch it with your friend. Positive associations like that make it easier to watch something you might not enjoy otherwise. Maybe attempt watching one of the older horror movies with a friend and make a game of making fun of the cheesy filming of them to make a more positive memory around them. It's worth a shot!
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