There are no two things that go better together than movies and Halloween, some of the greatest genre defining movies to have come into the modern canon have gone on to make huge footprints in pop culture memory. Every year, around the spooky season when the weather gets colder, just before cabin fever locks us in for the winter, these iconic films come back around to get us back into the Halloween spirit.
On this list will be everything from gory slashers, classic thrillers and movies for the whole family, so take a look through and see which ones might be on your next movie night list.
Addams Family (1991)
“The Addams Family” movie directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, has been a fan favorite for years. The movie follows a strange and creepy family and their reunification with the patriarch Gomez Addams’ long lost brother Fester. The movie has everything a viewer could want: wacky hijinks, dark humor and a goofy but sweet story about finding where you truly belong. The fabulous sets and eccentric acting add to the fanatical tone of the movie making it fun for parents and kids alike. The story of the Addams family started with the original cartoon written by Charles Addams in 1965 and has had many adaptations over the years up until the newest Netflix show “Wednesday.” “The Addams Family” is a movie that has something for everyone. If you're looking for a movie for the whole family or playing off nostalgia, give this one a rewatch; it hits every time.
Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Next up is another iconic children's film, “Nightmare Before Christmas.” The movie, conceptualized by Tim Burton, has certainly made a name for itself as one of his best. This film, directed by Henry Selick (the director of “Coraline”) was made in an eclectic clay-mation style, with a creepy, unnerving but also wildly amusing cast of characters. The plot follows Jack Skellington — the Pumpkin King and leader of Halloween Town.Jack falls into a sullen mood after the realization that Halloween — the holiday that has been his only purpose in life — no longer brings him the same joy it used to. Jack goes on a quest to find something to reinspire him and stumbles upon Christmas town. He subsequently decides to take over Christmas, which doesn’t go as planned. On his journey to rediscover himself, he realizes the importance of staying true to himself and appreciating what he already has. The movie boasts an amazing soundtrack, a vastly unique art style and is a perfect re-run movie given that it’s on theme for two different holiday seasons.
Halloween (1978)
What better movie to start with than one with the same name as the holiday it was released on, seems a little obvious right? The original “Halloween” besides being one of the most iconic slasher films in recent film history it also holds up a great story that has inspired a popular franchise all the way up to the most recent iteration “Halloween” (2018). The movie follows the story of high school student Laurie Strode as she comes face to face with the escaped psychopath Michael Myers, and her harrowing journey to save herself and her town from his violent murder spree. The film, although not technically very complex, still gives its audience a spine chilling experience with just a hint of humor with its campy e 70s special effects and gore. The movie created the template for so many subsequent slasher films and has left quite the mark on American movie Culture.
“It doesn’t need excessive gore or multiple sadistic killings in order to cause terror in the audience. All the film does is tell a sufficiently interesting story centred on a relatable young protagonist, and turn its main antagonist into a chilling force of nature,” as the review by Loud and Clear puts it. If you’re in the mood to be scared s**tless and have a few laughs at the same time, this is the movie to put on.
Psycho (1960)
You can’t talk horror movies or Halloween without bringing up Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film “Psycho”; if “Halloween” is one of the greats then “Psycho” is the masterclass of even greater. This truly genre-defining movie follows the protagonist Marion Crane as she runs from the law with her boyfriend after embezzling money from her work. Marion's escape however, takes a horrific turn however after she checks into the isolated and all to uncanny Bates motel, where she meets her bitter hand at the hand of one of the most twisted movie villains ever portrayed.
Part of what makes “Psycho” such a psychologically terrorizing movie is the fact that its antagonist Norman Bates bares an unnerving resemblance to a real life killer Ed Gein. While many believed that “Psycho” was based off of Gein himself, the movie was adapted from the novel which ironically was written around the same time that Gein’s crimes took place, but was not directly based on him, as an article from Esquire explains.
“When Ed Gein was arrested in 1957, horror writer Robert Bloch was living 35 minutes away in Weyauwega, Wisconsin. On his own accord, Bloch was inspired by his small town to imagine a story where the unassuming person living next door possessed tremendous capacity for evil. He was nearly finished with his draft of “Psycho” when the Ed Gein case made headlines. This prompted him to add a reference to Gein… It was only years later that Bloch learned more about Ed Gein and how much of a striking resemblance he bore to Bloch's creation Norman Bates.”
If you need a movie to keep you up for three days straight questioning yourself and your neighbors, this is certainly the movie for you. Even if existentialism isn’t your vibe for Halloween, “Psycho” is a phenomenal movie and should definitely make the list another day.
Marina Noack the senior arts editor can be reached at marina.noack@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
