Halloween Movie Suggestions

I refuse to let October be a month of nothingness!  In saying that and with it being the last day of October, I thought I would talk about something Halloween-y.  I thought I could suggest some horror movies, both new and old, for you to enjoy on your Halloween, especially considering that this year it's on a Sunday, so some people might want to stay in.

First, let's start with the newer movies.  Metacritic recently wrote an article about the "Best Horror Movies Since 2000."  Now, while I don't entirely agree with some of the movies on the list (such as Sweeney Todd, Shaun of the Dead, and Zombie Land; not that these aren't good movies, but I think they're more of a horror hybrid than a true horror movie), overall, the list has some strong movies, some of which I have seen and others that I've been meaning to.  At the top of the list is "Drag Me to Hell" (2009) which received surprisingly high reviews for a horror movie, averaging an overall score of 83.  I actually had the opportunity to watch this last night and found it interesting to say the least.  The back story is stronger than most horror movies and it really manages to surpass your typical scary movie that just pops things out at you accompanied by loud noise. Some parts of the movie are gimmicky, but it's hard to tell whether or not that's because its cheesy or because some parts of the movie are seemingly so disgusting that you trick yourself into laughing at them (just imagine an old woman gnawing on your face with her gums all while spewing phlegm on you).  While the ending may be predictable to some, it's quite the interesting twist and should please audiences of the genre.

Another movie I would strongly suggest seeing that is still in theaters is "Let Me In" (2010).  This movie, starring, Chloe Moretz, an up and coming child actress from movies such as "(500) Days of Summer" and "Kick Ass!," is a remake of the already popular Swedish film "Let the Right One In" made in 2008.  Why I suggest this is not because it has been receiving rave reviews (averaging an overall score of 79 from critics and an 83 from viewers), but because it seems as though it's a true vampire movie.  In the past few years, the Vampire phenomenon has been bogged down by Twilight, which sparked a frenzy of other cheesy vampire movies and books, where vampires would rather make you swoon and kiss you than suck your blood and kill you.  While I haven't seen this film yet, it's definitely at the top of my list of movies to see.

Now, onto the older movies.  Since I was young, I have always been a fan of horror movies, in particular the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise.  The fascination began when I saw a showing of "Leprechaun" (1993) on basic cable at my dad's house when I was about eight.  After that I decided I loved horror movies and Freddy Kreuger was my go to guy for a good scare.  With that being said, I would recommend watching the original "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984) (although the movie poster is atrocious).  Along with the time frame, while in my opinion not as good as "A Nightmare on Elm Street," some other classics that came out around this time are "Halloween" (1978) and "Friday the 13th" (1980).  I still have to watch "Halloween," but having watched "Friday the 13th," while some of the death scenes are laughable, the overall story is a classic, the ending is incredible, and is a horror movie everyone should watch at some point in time.  On another, yet similar, note each of these movies has been re-made recently.  "Halloween" was remade by Rob Zombie in 2007, "A Nightmare on Elm Street" was remade this year (2010), and "Friday the 13th" was remade in 2009.  Why I mention this is because each of these remakes, as can be expected, has received lower reviews than the originals.  Another fun part to these movies is that they have some big name actors who got their start from doing 80's horror movies.  "Friday the 13th" was only Kevin Bacon's fifth film and both "Halloween" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" were the debut films for Jamie Lee Curtis and Johnny Depp respectively.  While the originals may be a bit out of date in terms of cinematography and special effects, they're drop dead classics and can surely be appreciated not only by film buffs, but casual viewers as well.

If you're looking for a new age scare, I would check out "Drag Me to Hell" for a more in depth, yet comical scare and check out "Let Me In" for a darker, true vampire horror film.  If you want to do a throwback, check out "A Nightmare on Elm Street," "Halloween," and "Friday the 13th."  All of these movies may not scare you, but they're sure to entertain you and will definitely make your Halloween more enjoyable on this Sunday night.  Here's to having a Happy Halloween, and posting in the month of October!