If you’re looking to amp yourself up for the big night by sitting screen-side with a few chums and your body weight in popcorn, why not try a few of these flicks on for size? There are a myriad of options out there that’ll help you get your scare on.
Feeling nostalgic? Pop Hocus Pocus, The Addams Family, Casper or Beetlejuice in the ol’ VCR. If you’re looking for a vintage scare, look into something along the lines of Blair Witch or The Exorcist – that crab-walk down the stairs and the crazy crucifix sexing will still creep you out, we promise. Another classic is The Witches, though based on a children’s book and still quite kiddie-friendly. Anjelica Huston as a bald, square-footed witch is still a creepy sight to behold. And, let’s not forget anything Tim Burton: there’s nothing to get you into the Halloween spirit like watching The Nightmare Before Christmas, carving a pumpkin and singing along to every song.
As far as true-blue-evil-exists Hallowe’en scares, look into recently-extradited-Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby or Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula. For your slasher fix, grab a copy of Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho or Saw. The original Friday the 13th is also entirely scary, but make sure you get the one from 1980. Mm, outdated fashions.
For the zombie fans, rewatch Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. If you haven’t seen Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, first of all, don’t admit it to anyone and quietly rent it before the week is through. Then you can sit down and discuss with your roommates how you guys would survive in case of zombie attack – a conversation every household should have at this time of year.
Finally, for the truly fearless horror movie watchers looking for the scariest flicks out there, definitely rent Session 9: this low-budget movie set in an abandoned mental hospital will have you whimpering like a little girl. And for those who only want to watch the most disturbing of cinema, check out the Wolf Creek, it’s about a murderous Australian bushman and will scare you straight out of backpacking.
Make sure you add a good helping of candy corn, mini chocolate bars, decorative gourds and other seasonal treats to any Halloween movie night. Whatever you rent/purchase/borrow, challenge yourself to something a little more horrifying than last year – scaredy cats begone!