Our movie picks for Halloween.
Halloween is still a few weeks off, which reminds me, I’ve got to get my costume together. Every year I try to plan something weeks ahead of time, but in the end, I’m generally rushing to the party stores and piecing something together hours before whichever annual Halloween gathering I’m headed out to.
One thing I have started doing this month is watching scary movies to “get in the mood.” So far I started with my annual tradition, Nightmare on Elm Street, delving a little deeper into New Line’s great new Inifinifilm DVD release of the film from earlier in the year. If you’re a fan, check it out, there’s some great material for all you Freddy fans. Next up were a few recent releases I missed, Vacancy and Wolf Creek. Vacancy was decent and effectively creepy, but Wolf Creek was a total letdown. Didn’t this one get good reviews when it came out? Well, it put me to sleep.
Last night I checked out 30 Days of Night, which I was actually quite impressed by. Good vampire flick with some original twists on the overplayed genre. Tom and I concurred on our opinion of the film, and you can check out his full review right here.
Last week I brought you a list of our Favorite Movie Whack Jobs and this week I’m back to recommend some favorite movies for the Halloween season.
This is not intended as a complete list by any means. It’s just my personal faves, so feel free to drop us a line with your thoughts and we’ll be sure to include the suggestions in our next Mailbag Feature. Enjoy!
10. Evil Dead 2
Essentially a remake of the first film, Raimi and his cohorts made their mark with this one. Fun-spirited while still managing to deliver on the thrills and chills, how can you not love Bruce Campbell after watching this movie?
Scariest Moment:
Most of the scares are played for laughs rather than jumps in the Evil Dead series, but still, that killer hand is still pretty unsettling. Oh well, Farewell to Arms, right?
9. Suspiria
Still a little-known cult fave to this day, I implore all ye fans of the horror/slasher film genre to give this one a rent. The music alone should be enough to creep you out. Admittedly, Argento’s output has been spotty since, but this is his finest hour, featuring some exceptional visuals and great scares despite the occasional corny dialogue.
Scariest Moment:
The glass ceiling death sequence is not just horrifying to watch, but also somewhat visually beautiful at the same time.
8. Frankenstein
A classic monster movie that still holds up more than three-quarters of a century since its original release. The sequel, Bride of Frankenstein is almost on-par.
Scariest Moment:
Watching the gigantic monster interact with an innocent little girl is admittedly unsettling. You get the feeling it isn’t going to end well and, depending on which release of the film you’ve seen, it doesn’t.
7. The Exorcist
Few would argue this choice as a perennial October favorite. From iconic moments like the spinning head, the pea soup vomit to those improper things done with a cross, The Exorcist remains one of the most frightening movies ever made.
Scariest Moment:
You'd probably start to wonder a bit if your daughter is still in there after watching her pull off the neck twist 360. Made my neck hurt just watching.
6. Alien
While this one might not immediately come to mind when you think horror movies, I’d argue that, were it not for the space scenario, Alien is more horror than sci-fi. But I digress. The members of the Nostromo are picked off one-by-one leaving Ripley alone to score one for the female empowerment movement. Even in a t-shirt and ill-fitting undies, she’s still pretty badass.
Scariest Moment:
Standing still to try to avoid detection, Ripley comes face to face with the mother Alien. And whew, that is some case of odoriffic bad breath!
5. A Nightmare on Elm Street
Being a generally vivid dreamer, this series has always resonated with me, perhaps more for its ideas rather than its execution. Still, the first is a legit classic of the genre and the sequels all have their bits of momentary genius (except for part 6, which is worthless).
Scariest Moment:
I’m going to have to go with Tina’s death sequence. At the point, you know very little about Freddy. He’s just kind of scary, but he makes his true presence known with a vengeance in a horrifying upside down room slasher sequence that ranks with the best of them.
4. Psycho
Not just a great scary movie, but a great movie. Period. Hitchcock was the master and this is arguably his most chilling work. Anthony Perkins set the standard for psychos on screen (and topped our recent movie whack job list).
Scariest Moment:
Shower scene, hands down. Yes, I know, obvious choice. But come on, how many people haven’t stood in their shower since and thought they saw a shadow outside and peeked out just to check? Or am I the only paranoid schizo here? Crap.
3. The Silence of the Lambs
Anthony Hopkins creates a movie maniac whose mere whispers sent shudders down the spines of audiences. Pair that with a manhunt for a killer who likes to decorate his apartment with human skin and you’ve got a terrific thriller with plenty of great “jump” moments.
Scariest Moment:
Ironically, the scene that put me on edge the most didn’t have Hannibal Lector in it at all. It’s the end sequence, when poor Clarice must navigate the pitch black room of Buffalo Bill, who is watching her through some Paris Hilton special night vision goggles. What a scene!
2. Halloween
The movie that gave birth to 1,000 imitators and all of their painful (to watch) sequels, that doesn’t make Halloween any less a masterpiece. John Carpenter’s best film, Halloween is thrilling, scary and filled with chilling death scenes.
Scariest Moment:
As Michael Myers hunts down his big sis, a closet probably wasn’t the greatest hiding place in retrospect. Luckily for Laurie, even the un-killable Michael Myers can be slowed a bit by a hanger to the retina.
1. The Shining
As a kid, I remember hosting Halloween movie nights where we would pour through the latest Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Chucky, Hellraiser and the like, but the movie that finally brought a room full of sugar-riddled pubescent boys to a hush was The Shining.
Scariest Moment:
So many great ones to pick from, it’s hard to choose just one. For me, the scariest scene probably comes from a single look by Jack when he finds that the wife has discovered his magnum opus of writing tentatively entitled “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”