Tomorrow is Halloween and I hope you’re as excited for it as I am. Of course, being an adult, I can buy all the candy I want and don’t have to beg for it, I don’t really give two shits about dressing up, and I can watch a scary movie any day of the year if I want to. But, you know, that’s besides the point: Halloween is my favorite holiday and it’s almost upon us. Instead of recommending my favorite horror movies to watch, I threw together a list of scare flicks to check out that happen on or around Halloween–and thus are perfect to check out Halloween night after the trick or treating is over and the kiddos are in bed suffering from candy overload.
HALLOWEEN & HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH
Technically, you can watch any of the HALLOWEEN movies and you’d be in good shape (get it? Shape??), but the original is still the best of the bunch and should be apart of your annual Halloween viewing ritual. John Carpenter is a filmmaking genius and pulled off making a small California town in the summer pass off as a small Illinois town in the fall. And because it’s the best of the series that focuses on the holiday of Halloween, you should also check out HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH. Go into it knowing this isn’t a movie about Michael Myers and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Plus, Tom Atkins is a pimp and the Halloween jingle will be stuck in your head for weeks.
TRICK ‘R TREAT
An anthology flick featuring stories in and around a single town on Halloween night (the most Halloween happy town since Haddonfield) is pure genius and made by those who obviously love the holiday. Cool little stories, a new killer to root for, and even a brief history is given on Halloween, Jack-O-Lanterns, and why we celebrate October 31st each and every year. You’ll have such a good time watching this gem that it’ll be part of your annual Halloween tradition in no time.
NIGHT OF THE DEMONS & HELL NIGHT
A couple of cheesy 80s “haunted” house flicks about teens who think it’s a good idea to party on Halloween night in a haunted house. Both are ridiculous, both are fun, both feature gratuitous boobies, and both rock serious 80s hair and style. Did I mention one set of boobies belong to Linda Blair? Yep. HELL NIGHT takes itself a little more serious than NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (which doesn’t take itself serious at all), but you really can’t take either seriously. View these after a few Pumpkin Ales, or throw them on in the background of your Halloween party. You don’t need to pay much attention to each to have a good time.
SILVER BULLET
An underrated werewolf flick staring Garey “Substance a” Busey, Corey Haim and John Locke (Terry O’Quinn) is such a joy to watch that it’s a bonus the grand finale just happens to take place during a full moon on Halloween night. Written by Stephen King (novel and screenplay), SILVER BULLET features one of the creepiest scenes ever to involve a church full of werewolves rockin’ out to hymns and shit. And, of course, Busey plays a raging alcoholic–and if that doesn’t sound like a good time, I don’t know what does.
ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD CRANE & SLEEPY HOLLOW
I love Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” as it seems to encompass the atmosphere of fall and Halloween more than any other story out there. Plus, there’s a f*ckin’ Headless Horseman running around scaring the bejesus out of people. Disney’s Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (the Ichabod Crane segment) is the best adaptation of Irving’s original story. Classic Disney animation and narrated completely by Bing Crosby, this has always been a staple of Halloween since I was a kid… and it remains to be a spooky good time for everyone. Tim Burton’s big screen effort SLEEPY HOLLOW is nothing like the original story, but it still screams Halloween and New England Fall, there’s plenty of Jack-O-Lanterns to set the mood, Danny Elfman provides the music, and it’s Tim Burton doing what he does best. Plus, Christopher Walken as the Headless Horsemen? And no shortage of decapitations makes this one perfect for Halloween night.
PARANORMAN & MONSTER HOUSE & IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN
The aforementioned ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD CRANE also falls into this category: perfect Halloween flicks for the whole family. PARANORMAN is absolutely fantastic… and while it may not take place on Halloween, it might as well, as it features ghosts, zombies, and witches, animated in a way that is absolutely gorgeous to behold. Plus, it’s just a great movie–from the story to the music to the animated effects, this is one of my favorite animated movies of all time… and it’s perfect for Halloween. MONSTER HOUSE is set on Halloween and is also a riot–about a haunted house where the house is actually a monster. Love it. And, of course, what Halloween would be complete without a viewing of IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN? I got a rock.
Happy Halloween!
