My Halloween Movie Picks!

Boo to You! My wonderful readers. It's the day before Halloween and I thought it'd be fun to talk a little bit about some of those favorite Halloween movies that make us scream, cry, and maybe even laugh a little. Halloween is perfect time to watch a variety of movies because unlike other holidays which are centered around one type of emotional bond (love, family, joy, freedom, etc.), Halloween brings out the creepiest and strangest sides of movie watchers. It also provides the most variety when choosing genres to view during this time of year ranging from murder to mystery, horror to fantasy, sci-fi to thriller, need I say more? I guess my point is that unlike other holiday movies that are really only good for certain times of the year, the scary or thriller type of movies can last all-year round- Halloween just happens to be the best time to let these movies shine! So in picking from a wide array of genres and factors, I'm going to list some of my Halloween movie picks and discuss what makes them so good for this spooky celebration.

1. Musicals- "Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975)

Ok, so to start I'm voting "Rocky Horror Picture Show" as a Halloween-must see. Is it Scary? Not at all. Does it have a Creepy factor? Nope. Are there any Psychological nut-jobs? Well, you could say that. I put "Rocky Horror" on this list because it's a ton of fun to watch, that is if you decide to interact with the movie. Throughout the film, there are tons of messages that direct you to do silly things to yourself while watching the scenes: throw popcorn, put a newspaper on your head, yell things, etc. Trust me if you follow along with the instructions you'll enjoy it much more, but if you watch it like a straight up film then it will probably be the worst 2 hours of your life. If you'd like the interactive instructions CLICK HERE for more details. Moving on though the story starts out with two very stereotypical movie characters, Brad and Janet. In a stereotypical movie plot they get stuck in the rain with a flat tire and come across this creepy house which they enter to get help. When they enter the house they meet several unusual dancing and singing characters, one of them being the famous Tim Curry who plays Dr. Frank N. Furter. The movie gets stranger and more fun as the story progress and by the end of the film you are left wondering WTF?!?!?! That's all I can say plot-wise without ruining the sacred spectacle of the film. What makes this film so great is that it's actually a parody of the typical sci-fi and horror flicks. Playing off the typical characters, story plots, and awkward moments of these genres, "Rocky Horror Picture Show" is an instant classic. I guess it goes up there with Monty Python, Napeleon Dynamite, Scary Movie, it is so stupid and awkward it's funny. Plus even if you don't like the movie chances are you'll at least enjoy the music. Just about everyone is familiar with "Time Warp" and "Sweet Transvestite", but some of the other casts' numbers are pretty good and Meat Loaf's "Hot Pootie" song is pretty kickin' too. Overall, "Rocky Horror Picture Show" is an entertaining Halloween movie to get people singing, dancing, and thinking about how you've spent 2 hours watching this.

2. Comedy- "Hocus Pocus" (1993)

How could I not mention this movie for Halloween? It's ridiculously funny! But to be honest, "Hocus Pocus" tends to have a love-hate relationship with people. Most people love watching Bette Midler dress at witch terrorizing children, but hate the story-plot and/or the other characters. It starts out with the three Witch Sanderson sisters, Winifred (Bettle Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker), and Mary ( Kathy Najimy). The witches plan to steal the lives of the children of Salem, Massachuttes to keep them young forever. When their plan fails in the late 1600s they vow to return when a virgin, yes a Virgin (where's Madonna when you need her?), will summon them back. Naturally, an idiot non-believer in the year 1993 named Max Dennsion, conjures up the witches on Halloween night. They have one that one night to steal the lives of children before they become dust. They constantly chase Max, his little sister Danny, Max's girlfriend Allison, and a talking cat Binx (who was the last victim of the witches' power in the 1600s) to get their vengeance and succeed in their plot. All of this because of VIRGINS! Wow, Disney thanks for bringing this to light. I digress, so "Hocus Pocus" makes a great Halloween movie because it's funny, has a lot of good character moments, and of course there's this song:

My goodness, Bette Midler is just an amazing talent! She's a delightful actress and a terrific singer- of course if you've seen her in other films or TV appearances then you know that she just sparkles in creative talent. Now the downside to Hocus Pocus is that it isn't really doesn't have a strong conflict. Unlike most horror films where the antagonist shows several cases of horror, power, and terror these characters more less just want to have fun. The witches don't really scare anyone, all they're interested in is eating children (Perhaps these are the cousins of Pennywise the clown?). It's definitely a kid, family friendly type of movie. Still though, it's a great Halloween movie.

3. Drama- "IT" (1990)

Speaking of Pennywise, here's a movie/miniseries that gets everybody's blood pumping, Stephen King's "IT". Originally a book turned into TV miniseries to now available as a full movie, "IT" is the primary reason for people being terrified of clowns. In the first scene of "IT" we see a little girl riding a bike who sees a clown hiding behind a laundry line at her house. At first the clown seems happy and harmless but quickly turns into a monster and kills the little girl. As it turns out the clown as killed before, 30 years prior to this, and one man in the town of Derry, Maine calls his childhood friends to tell them the clown they thought they killed has come back. In the first part of "IT" you are shown the childhood memories of each of the friends and how they came together to defeat Pennywise the clown. In the second part they all reunite back in Derry and argue about how they are "too old" to be chasing monsters. After getting their act together the adults manage to find Pennywise and put an end to him for good. So let's start with the obvious, for this being made in 1990 it's actually pretty scary. Tim Curry does a magnificent job in the role of Pennywise and creeps the heck out of you throughout the film. You don't know if he's gonna kill you, or if he's just being playful to mess with your mind. Other characters in the series bring some terror as well. Henry Bowers (played by Jared Blancard and Michael Cole) is a major punk and bully who even tries to kill some of the main characters- he's one guy you don't want to mess with. Another is the father of Beverly Marsh, one of the children who destroys Pennywise. Beverly's Dad is a drunk and abusive man who is far from winning "Father of the Year". IT definitely has it's scary and intense moments but there's also some cheesy moments too. The big one being in Part 2 when Pennywise turns out to be this giant spider-like creature.

The creature approaches them in the cave and you can tell it's poor photoshop editing- not the greatest idea. Otherwise, "IT" is definitely a great film for Halloween- it's got a good storyline, great casting, and is pretty nicely produced given the time it was filmed.

4. Suspense- "Orphan" (2009)

Out of pure honesty, this is the one film I can say it kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. "Orphan" is definitely not what I had expected, but in a good way. If you had seen the trailers or previews for this movie in the past then you know it has something to do with this child and her creepy experiences living with a new adopted family. Well, without giving too much away I just have to say that I was shocked with the twist that comes out towards the middle-end of this movie. The little girl, Esther is adopted by Kate and John Coleman who already have 2 of their own children, a boy and a deaf girl. At first everything seems fine with Esther but as the move continues she gets more crazy and does erratic things that no 9 year old should be doing. What I liked about "Orphan" is that keeps that dark and mysterious feeling without turning into an actual horror film. "Orphan" falls more into the psychological thriller category but it does have some pretty intense moments such as killing a nun and stoning a bird to death (yeah, no lie!). This movie is definitely perfect for the viewers enjoy the thriller and somewhat disturbing motives in a film. I pick "Orphan" as a great Halloween movie because it's plot-driven and has a wicked twist that will shock audiences.

5. Horror- "The Amityville Horror" (1979/2005)

For the last category of my Halloween picks "horror", I really struggled to pick a good film for this last selection. I debated between "Carrie", "Rosemary's Baby", "The Omen", and doing a blind review of "The Exorcist" (because I haven't seen it). The more I got to thinking about how many horror movies I've seen one stood out to me above the other, "The Amityville Horror". Maybe it's because there's some form of truth to this film, I don't know, but it is for sure one movie that gives me the creeps. I haven't had the pleasure of seeing the original, but I have watched the newer version and was really shaken up from it afterwards. It is based around the Lutz family who moves into this scary looking house which is where the murders of the DeFeo family took place. Now just to clarify because there is a lot of controversy surrounding "Amityville", the DeFeo family murders actually happened, why? don't know. So that alone I think contributes to the horrors in the telling of this story. The experiences of the real Lutz family, now that's part of the debate. Regardless, the movie demonstrates the accounts of what the Lutz family was experiencing within the DeFeo home- ranging from spirits, to poltergeist, and strange attitude changes "The Amityville Horror" surely delivers the scare, thrill, and gruesome factors that make up the perfect horror story which is even more perfect for Halloween!

Now, I know I may have left out many other good Halloween picks, trust me I know there's plenty out there. These are just some of my suggestions and these movies are ones that I personally think deserve a lot of credit for skill, production, entertainment, and directing. If you have some halloween movies you'd like to share with The Creative Cabana make sure you leave a comment here and/or all social media sites! Stay tuned tomorrow for more Halloween epic fun and the reveal of my halloween costume!

*All movies mentionned in this blog post belong to their respective owners, writers, and production companies. The views in this post are entirely my own and are not the views of cast or crew members. Images used were gained through Google Images. Videos are found on YouTube from respective members with no copyright intended. No profit is being gained for The Creative Cabana from any of the movies or actors listed. No Copyright Infringement Intended.