It’s that time of year – Halloween is here!
It is that time of year again. The nights draw in, the leaves turn orange and the spooks and ghouls come out to play.
If you have chosen to stay in where it is nice and warm to be scared out of your wits with an old classic or cuddling up with your young children, here are some Halloween themed movies to shivers down your spine this Halloween!
Halloween (1978)
Of course Halloween has to be the top of the list. It is 1968 and a young child puts on a mask and a clown costume and kills his sister; this child is Michael Myers and this is just the start of many years of murders to come. When Halloween was released in the 1970’s it set the standards for which horror films today look up to; it has become the slasher film of its time. With creepy music, point of view shots and such violence in the murders it still sends shivers through most avid horror movie buffs as it has become a cult classic. What started out as one movie soon got turned into a franchise and this year sees the 40 year anniversary of Myers first on screen kill and it certainly will not be his last with a new installment, a direct follow on from the original, released this Halloween.
Trick R Treat (2007)
Taking place in the fictional town of Warren Valley Ohio, Trick’R’Treat tells several interlinking stories with one main theme, a childlike trick or treater in orange Pj’s and a sack over its head, his name is Sam (think Samhain). This character pops up when Halloween traditions are not respected. There is a woman who pulls down Halloween decorations before the nights end; a murderous school principle who uses candy to poison children; a group of mean kids who get their comeuppance after a cruel trick; werewolves and a grumpy old man who is obviously not in the Halloween spirit. The way in which the non-linear narrative plays out does have you contemplating which story, or should that be murder, comes first but as the end approaches, things do get round up neatly. If you have yet to see Trick’R’Treat this is the perfect film for a Halloween themed evening.
Boo (2005)
If you a teen what better way to spend Halloween evening than being scared out of your wits in an old abandoned “haunted” hospital right? Wrong. When one by one the individuals are being separated from the group and returning just a little bit different, it becomes apparent to one girl with visions that the ghost of a former mental patient inhabits the bodies of her friends in order to escape his life long prison. This one is a little creepy like all asylum/hospital based horror flicks and slowly builds on the story to an unexpected end.
Idle Hands (1999)
If it is something with a little more comedy you are looking for, then Idle Hands is something to keep you entertained. Based on the idea that “idle hands are the devils playthings” the movie revolves around lazy stoner teenager Anton Tobais (Devon Sawa) whose hand becomes possessed and makes him do evil things, including killing his parents and best friends. The answer – chop it off of course! Unfortunately, this just gives the hand the opportunity to go on its own killing spree. Between the hand stabbing, scalping and trying to take a human soul to the afterlife, there will certainly be moments to make you laugh and keep you amused this Halloween Night.
Don’t forget that Halloween is a scare fest for children just as much as for adults so here are a few spooky tales aimed for youngsters (and young adults at heart).
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Whether you call it a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie one thing for sure is that it is enjoyable to watch all year round. Set in the town of Halloween (there are realms for different special days), Jack Skeleton becomes tired of this year round scare fest and stumbles upon Christmas Land and decides it is time for a change so Christmas gets a spooky makeover. For children of a very young age this one may be a little too on the frightening side with some rather fearsome severed heads and a boogie man full of insects. However, it has everything that you want growing up that classifies as a good Halloween night movie.
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Growing up Hocus Pocus was THE Halloween movie to watch and to be honest, it still is if you are not into the scary stuff. It revolves around the return of the Sanderson Sisters, three sister witches that were burned many years ago due to their desire to suck the life out of children to stay young. It is up to three youngsters to stop them; along with a boy trapped in a cat’s body. Although it may not be scare it is one of the most enjoyable Halloween movies you will ever watch.
Spooky Buddies (2011)
In relation with the Air Bud and Air Buddies movie franchise, this installment called Spooky Buddies is Halloween themed with the pups adventures taking them to the haunted Warwick’s manor, where they are trying to escape the clutches of an evil warlock and the Halloween Hound. This is the perfect Halloween night movie for young children, with just the right amount of scares.
