This is my Halloween weekend movie suggestion list. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My current movie interests, broken into categories.
Atmospheric
Carnival of Souls (1962) – An atmospheric movie about a young woman who has a terrible accident, and then finds herself drawn to an abandoned carnival. There’s not a lot of plot, I love the world that the movie creates.
Frankenstein (1931) – This movie has some problems (are they in modern-day 1930, or some quaint past? Why is the lead actress so awful?), but it’s so damn good that the problems don’t matter. The sets and lighting are fantastic, and the Creature’s make-up is perfect (and iconic, obviously). I highly recommend the restored blu-ray because it gives clarity to the visuals and sound that make the movie much easier to appreciate.
Disturbing
The Innocents (1961) – Two young children get a new governess who thinks their house is haunted. I won’t give too much away, but this is a great psychological drama with an ambiguous sense of evil. The children are very creepy, and Deborah Kerr (as the governess) considers this to be her own finest work. It’s definitely a classic. The Innocents is based on a play that is based on The Turn Of The Screw, by Henry James.
Antichrist (2009) – After a couple’s child dies they go to their cabin to fix their marital problems and have gross sex. If you watch this based on my suggestion, I’m sorry for RUINING YOUR LIFE. This was one of the most upsetting movies that I’ve ever finished. It is gory, it is disturbing, and it stayed with me for a few days after I watched it. It’s also very polarizing – you might dismiss it as disgusting trash. It’s by Lars Von Trier, who is obviously a lunatic.
Animated
Monster House (2006) – Three kids fight a Monster House and its crazy-old-man owner (voiced by Steve Buscemi, who I love). This movie has a good story with because it’s familiar with a few twists, and I think it gives satisfying and interesting payoff. Little kids might find this scary, but I like how nostalgic it feels. Community creator Dan Harmon wrote the script.
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) – Classic Disney animation. The Ichabod cartoon is an adaptation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. A yellow-bellied colonial Ichabod is tormented a headless horseman. Bonus! You get to watch Mr. Toad afterward to lighten the mood. Poop-poop! (I know, it’s the wrong Mr. Toad, but this one’s my favorite)
Scary as fuck
The Entity (1982) – scared the crap out of me. A woman is tormented, emotionally and sexually, by an invisible demon. If the idea of being tormented by something you can’t see is scary, then you’ll understand that I just freaked the fuck out when one of my Halloween decorations was set off for no reason just now. I’m going to die. I’d better finish this list.
The Exorcist III (1990) – An investigator thinks that a series of satanic murders is related to a serial killer from 15 years ago. I think the overall plot could use some work, but the scares are good. If you think hospitals and old people can be creepy, then this is a good one to watch.
Halloween-themed
Trick ‘r Treat (2007)- this is one of my favorite Halloween night movies. It’s an anthology movie with several different stories that all have a connection. My favorite stories are the beautiful women going to a Halloween party, and the mean kids who play a prank on an outcast girl. It doesn’t have a lot of scares, but it’s fun to watch.
Gorier than gory
Dead Alive (1992) – After a lot of plot and set-up, a small town in New Zealand becomes overrun with zombies. If you like long, meandering Peter Jackson movies (like I do) you should just watch this. If you need to de-sensitize yourself to movie gore, this is a good place to start since it is considered one of the goriest movies of all time. How many ways can you kill zombies? Watch this to find out.
Foreign-language
The Host (2006) – An ancient-looking monster comes from a river and starts attacking people; one victim’s family seeks revenge. I love monster movies so much - this is a good one from Korea. There’s a lot of comedy and sarcasm, but it can be scary at times, and the monster is great.
I Saw The Devil (2010) – A man seeks revenge against the serial killer who brutally murdered his pregnant fiancée. Korean movies are always the most disturbing, and this one is no different. It is gory, but I feel the gore is effective. Both men become increasingly more desperate to get at each other, and there’s a lot of moral gray area. Bonus: the lead actor is Super Hot.
Fun and stupid
The Midnight Hour (1985) – “teenagers” (played by 28-year-olds) accidentally raise the dead, and hijinks ensue on Halloween night. Geordie La Forge (aka Levar Burton) is in this, and there’s a random dance sequence starring Shari Belafonte. It’s a silly made-for-TV movie.
My husband’s current favorite
Insidious (2010) – He likes possession movies and psychological horrors; I like Patrick Wilson. A couple’s son falls into a coma, and the family is menaced by demons. The supernatural events get more severe and complex as the movie progresses. I think it’s a pretty good example of the current style of horror movies, but it’s not “torture porn”, which is really popular with the kids these days.
My all-time favorites
Them! (1954) – A classic 1950s monster movie – ATOMIC TESTING has gone awry and the whole world is threatened by giant ants. One of the things I like the most about 1950s horror movies is the Save The World feeling that they offer. The ‘70s movies are all about psychopaths and are scary on an individual level - atomic monsters threaten us all. Them! has a brave lady scientist, which is pretty cool for 1954. Fess Parker makes a brief appearance!
The Blob (1958) – Steve McQueen tries to save a small town from a blobby alien lifeform. Steve McQueen is attractive and drives a cool car. I like teenager culture from the ‘50s, and monsters, so naturally I like this movie.
Worth watching if only for the opening song (by Burt Bacharach!)
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