Happy Halloween you lovely people!
I had intended on making a Halloween series, but as luck would have it, I got sick and couldn't/didn't want to do anything. So we're going have to make it a quick celebration!
This movie makes me feel like a teenager again haha. I'm pretty sure this was the first 18 film I ever watched, and I still remember watching it for the first time. It was glorious! Also, Skeet Ulrich is totally a doppelgänger for Johnny Depp, but that's off topic. This film was written as a kind of antidote for the slasher films that we're being churned out. Kevin Williamson, who wrote the film, intended to give back some bite and wit back to a film-type that was now taking itself so seriously. And it is fabulous. My favourite character is Randy, I feel as fellow film nerds we share a bond. His explanation of the scary movie rules wonderfully shows the stale form that slasher movies fell into. Also, he's adorable.
What sucks most about being sick at Halloween, is that it ruins one of my favourite time of the year. Getting to watch countless scary films and forcing everyone else to watch as well is one of my favourite hobbies, and at Halloween, that's almost socially acceptable! My poor boyfriend has been absolutely tortured and he is the biggest wimp I know. The Shining was a hard pass for him though.
So! Onto the list. I've rounded up 10 of my favourite films to watch at Halloween. Horror is my favourite genre and I love scary films, be they good or bad. I love nothing more than watching a terrible 'scary' film. American remakes of classics (Prom Night, Black Christmas, Nightmare on Elm Street etc.) make me happy because they are so terrible. It's weird, I know. This was a hard list to whittle down, so essentially I've picked the classics that I come back to every year and made a short list because 10 is such a nice number. Let's start!
Scream
Nightmare on Elm Street
And this was the second 18 film that I saw! I really like to remember the momentous occasions. Freddie Kreuger is absolutely one of my favourite horror movie icons, and one of the greatest film icons of all time. He is awesome. This film is gloriously bloody, it revels in it, if that's not your thing then you may want to avoid. Having said that, there have to be very few people who haven't seen this film. The death scenes in this are fairly iconic (blood spouting bed, body dragged over ceiling) but even more importantly, this is Johnny Depp's first film! Horror icon and movie icon, fabulous. I'm not a massive fan of the sequels, they get a little (a lot) insane and sort of lose the inherent terror Freddie represented. The idea of being attacked when you're at your most vulnerable kept me awake for a while...
Halloween
This is a bloody great film. Michael Myers,
Hocus Pocus
Ohhhhh this film makes me so happy! Watching this film immediately sends me back to childhood and running around with my sisters pretending to be witches ( I was a good witch OBVIOUSLY). Whilst the film itself is not perfect, the sheer nostalgia and joy more than makes up for it. Also, the super awesome sing along helps. I might go watch this now...
Rosemary's Baby
This was a film I was actually not allowed to watch until I was older. I'd like to think it's because my Mum knew I'd probably cry and rock myself to sleep in the corner after watching. This film scarred me, but in a good way. Because it really is a great film. The peaceful atmosphere and the newly wed joy soon give way to an almost unbearable tension and a slow burn terror. As Rosemary starts to fear for her sanity, we as viewers start to question who and what can be trusted.
The Exorcist
The Nightmare Before Christmas
This film gets whipped out on a bi-annual basis--Christmas and Halloween. It is such a beautifully made movie, the detailing and craft in the stop-motion characters is just astounding. Each one minute of movement took a month to film. A MONTH. The painstaking skill and dedication is obvious. And the songs just make me so happy. Also, Jack shares my love of Halloween and Christmas! My kind of guy.
REC
This is an underrated treasure, which is a damn shame because it is a bloody brilliant film. Working with found footage, you might be tempted to ignore given how overdone that gimmick can be done now with horror films, but you really shouldn't. It is one of the best modern scary films I've seen. A news reporter and her crew following a firefighting team around go into a building that's had a complaint and all hell breaks loose. Think a hybrid of 28 Days Later and The Exorcist. And those two films are certainly nothing to be sniffed at. It is in Spanish, and I know some people put off by subtitles (madness) but it really is worth the effort. Or you could watch the distinctly average US remake, Quarantine.
The Omen
This was one of the first DVD's I bought, because I obviously had issues as a child. This flm convinced me that young children, especially boys, we're probably the spawn of Satan. Apologies for that. It does a fantastic job of creating an intense feeling of foreboding, and the breakdown of a family unit. Gregory Peck does a great job of being the everyday man forced into a situation so out of his comfort or belief zone. And there's a scene that lingers in your mind long after it's over. "IT'S ALL FOR YOU DAMIEN!" Shudder.
The Shining
This might be one of my favourite films of all time. It is remarkable, in terms of writing, directing, just wonderful. Whilst Shelley Duvall can fall into grating territory, it's kind of understandable given the shit going down. Jack Nicholson is awesome though. Like, properly menacing. The charisma that he normally exudes is subverted and twisted into a guy losing his mind. The story might still be a little baffling and is hotly debated, there's no denying the terror this film evokes.
So there we are, some of my most-watched Halloween films! Next year I'll be more on the ball/less ill and do a more in-depth thing. Drop me a comment and let me know any of your most-watched Halloween films :). Have a great Halloween :). And as a Halloween treat, have a song!
Peace Out.
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