Top Ten Movies to
Watch on Halloween
Happy Halloween!
In past years on Creepy Cinema, I’ve ended the month with a
review for a movie that I think might appeal to a wide audience, but this year,
I’m doing something different. If you plan on staying in this Hallows Eve and
watching some scary movies, but aren’t sure what to watch, you’re in luck,
because I have a variety of recommendations.
Chances are, you have a personal favourite to watch on
Halloween, like Hocus Pocus or It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
(both of which are essentials for the season) but, if you also want something a
little different, here we go. This is by no means a definitive top ten list. I
have a few honourable mentions.
The Cabin in the Woods: a great horror/comedy conglomerate that
spoofs the genre with clever twists and subversions of many clichés. You get
lots of bang for your buck with this one, and it works for long-time horror
fans and non-fans.
The 2013 Evil Dead remake: if you want a super gory, modern, fast-paced
flick to watch with your friends, this would be a very good choice.
Creepshow: it’s an anthology film, with five segments that
deliver a mix of humour and horror, from Stephen King and the late-great George
Romero.
Hellraiser: it’s not
as widely popular as some other 80’s horror films, but this is one of the best
and most original of the decade, with memorable monsters and truly scary
content.
Ginger Snaps: a Halloween-set
werewolf story that’s well written, well-acted, and has scares and laughs.
These five would make great alternates if you’ve seen any or
all of the movies on this list. But, the following ten are what I consider essential for Halloween viewing,
especially if you’ve never seen them before.
10. Alien (1979)/Aliens (1986)
I know, I’m cheating right off the bat by picking two movies,
but here’s why. I’m thinking in terms of viewers who may never have seen Alien or Aliens before, or maybe haven’t seen one or the other in a long
time. Alien on its own may seem too
slow and dull by modern standards for some younger viewers—that may sound like
blasphemy, but I’m trying to think realistically here—so by pairing it with Aliens, it makes for the perfect
Halloween experience.
Alien is the
primer, the slow-burn introduction to the creature and our heroine, Ellen
Ripley, then you kick in to high gear with Aliens
immediately after and get some fast-paced horror, ending with the apex of that
blending of the action and horror genres. It will satisfy the sci-fi craving,
cover the body horror sub-genre, and even works as a haunted house film, in a
sense.
9. Piranha (2010)
The Piranha remake
is definitely not for everyone. If you want a sophisticated horror film, you
won’t find it here. This is as exploitative as modern mainstream horror gets.
It will satisfy the fans of killer animal movies, the fans of massive amounts
of extreme gore, and anyone who wants a whole lot of T&A. Piranha is jam-packed with entertainment
from beginning to end. The runtime is only 90 minutes, which leaves plenty of
time to watch other movies—and if blood and guts and gore are your thing, you might also want to consider the next movie on my list…
8. Braindead (A.K.A Dead Alive) (1992)
I’ve brought up Braindead
more than once this month, and for good reason. It doesn’t go for subtle horror,
but it REALLY satisfies in the gore department (or repulses, depending on how
you look at it). It definitely ranks as one of the goriest movies ever made.
There are zombies getting ripped apart limb by limb, gallons of blood, and dozens
of ingenious gags. It’s also, weirdly enough, really funny, because it’s so over-the-top, which makes it a great
choice to watch with a bunch of enthusiastic friends. It’s the kind of
movie that’ll have you yelling and pointing at the screen many times throughout.
7. Seven (1995)
Honestly, I didn’t even mean to put Seven at #7 as a joke, it was a coincidence. If you don’t want to
go too deep into the genre stuff, or see anything with monsters and massive
amounts of gore, Seven works to fill
the psychological thriller niche—it’s scary, but not too scary, though is certainly one of the scariest psychological
thrillers out there (it’s debatable whether it’s a thriller or a
straight-up horror movie). Two other substitutes of similarly horrific thriller
nature could be Silence of the Lambs (more
explicit) or Misery
(less explicit), even though in terms of content, there’s no
common ground between the three.
6. Frankenstein (1931)
I have to include one of the classic Universal monster
movies on here. Though they will probably be considered too slow and boring for
younger viewers, if you want something really old school and gothic, Frankenstein is my personal pick, but
any of them will suffice (The Mummy, Dracula, The Wolf Man, Creature From the Black Lagoon, or The Invisible Man). It’s really short, at around 70 minutes, it has a
chilling atmosphere, and is full of classic scary movie moments—but isn’t too
intense, and will work for those not wanting gallons of blood or terrifying
beasts. Any of the sequels—Bride of
Frankenstein, Son of Frankenstein,
or Ghost of Frankenstein—are just as
worthy of viewing, too.
5. Ghostbusters (1984)
This is for anyone who does
not like to get scared or grossed out at all, but still wants to enjoy the
whole ghosts and ghouls aspect of Halloween, just in a safe, fun way. Ghostbusters (the original, obviously) is perfect for family viewing, and will
no doubt evoke nostalgia for older viewers, as well as inspire younger viewers.
It’s spooky and funny and classic, and covers lots of horror elements (ghosts,
possession, giant monsters, slime) in a way that isn’t going to give you
nightmares. Hopefully. Unless you have a fear of snack food mascots. In that
case, no promises.
4. Grindhouse (2007): Planet Terror & Death
Proof
Switching back to the gory, scary stuff, Grindhouse is technically another cheat
because it’s a double feature: Robert Rodriguez’ zombie apocalypse Planet Terror and Quentin Tarantino’s
serial killer with a car Death Proof.
Between the two, you get some action, some funny stuff, scary stuff, zombies,
old school filmmaking sensibilities, violence, gore, entertaining characters
(with some actors popping up in both films), and overall, it’s a really good
time. Personally, I think you only have to go with the first film, Planet Terror, but if you want to go
full-tilt, you better include Death Proof,
as well. And don’t skip the faux trailers, either, all of it adds to the
experience.
3. The Exorcist (1973)
Alright, enough screwing around. You don’t care about fluffy
family movies like Ghostbusters or
silly blood-filled massacres like Braindead?
You want a real scare? Then strap yourself
in for The Exorcist. If you want an
honest to God fright (no pun intended), look no further. Don’t be fooled by its
notorious reputation or the fact that it’s so old, like I originally
was, and think it’s probably an overrated, over-hyped snooze fest. This movie
might not make you jump in your seat as you’re watching it, but it will get
under your skin, dig into your psyche, and haunt your nightmares long afterwards. I
only recommend it to the most confident horror movie watchers.
2. Halloween (1978)/ (2007)
While I would recommend the original for horror aficionados
and the remake for younger viewers not as into old school slasher movies, all
of the Halloween films are mainstays
of the season. Though I enjoy both, personally I side with the original over
the remake. The music, the iconic villain Michael Myers, the scream queen Jamie
Less Curtis, it’s all there. Slasher movies are always fun to watch in groups,
but no other slasher is more appropriate for October 31st than this
(even if the movie doesn’t really have a lot to do with Halloween outside of
taking place on the date).
1. Trick r’ Treat (2007)
For a long time, Halloween
was considered the prime Halloween horror movie, but not anymore. Trick r’ Treat is the ultimate Hallows
Eve celebratory film. It has everything you could ask for all in one place,
thanks to its anthology format (it’s also one of the most consistent anthology
horror films ever made). Psychologically deranged people? Check. Werewolves?
Check. Trick r’ Treating? Check. Pumpkin carving? Check. Creepy monster kid wearing a
burlap mask? Check. I could keep going. It’s a prime Halloween viewing
experience, whether you’re with friends or family or just by yourself. I saw it
for the first time last Halloween, and now I know why so many horror
aficionados have made it their go-to for Halloween night.
That’s it for Clayton’s Creepy Cinema 2017! Thanks for reading,
have a safe and happy Halloween, and hopefully you’ll enjoy watching some of
the movies I’ve recommended!
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