Costume? Check. Decorations? Check. Ridiculous amount of candy for you and your friends to chow down on? Triple-check. But what about the movie?
No Halloween night is complete without feeling at least a tiny bit spooked by the end of it, and watching a good old-fashioned scary movie is a perfect way to end the festivities. If you’re looking for something to watch next Friday but don’t know where to start, here are a few suggestions that never fail to supply screams, gasps and sometimes laughter:
“Oculus” (2014, dir. Mike Flanagan)
Let it be known that I’m not a fan of most of the horror movies that pop up these days, as most of them are just poorly done remakes, sequels and found-footage flicks about the Devil possessing someone or something.
However, this recent outing, which is about a mirror that’s possessed by a demonic spirit (See what I mean?), is worth a watch. It features a variety of popular TV stars – Karen Gillan (“Doctor Who”), Katee Sackhoff (“Battlestar Galactica”) and James Lafferty (“One Tree Hill”) – and a story that manages to effectively intrigue and scare despite its odd premise. Be warned: viewing “Oculus” may cause you to become highly suspicious of mirrors afterwards.
“The Fly” (1986, dir. David Cronenberg)
Did you know that the phrase “Be afraid, be very afraid” comes from this remake of a ‘50s classic? If you didn’t, maybe that will serve as another reason to check out this gory, goopy and downright disgusting sci-fi/horror masterpiece.
Jeff Goldblum is at his quirky best as a scientist whose DNA is accidentally spliced with the DNA of a housefly while testing a teleportation device he created. The result is probably one of the nastiest sequences of body mutation I’ve ever seen on film. Try looking up the scene where he develops his “vomit drop” in order to eat. It’ll ruin your entire day. Along with the awesome special effects, the acting is great, the suspense is top-notch, and the drama is surprisingly compelling for a movie about a guy slowly turning into a fly.
“Child’s Play” (1988, dir. Tom Holland)
I hate Chucky. I really do. He’s just a creepy, ugly little doll with a terrifying laugh who scared me so much as a kid, I refused to play with my toys for months out of fear they’d try to kill me. Oddly enough, my hatred for Chucky is actually a defining reason for why I believe the first movie he appeared in is a pretty great scary movie.
The movie contains jump scares for days and a high number of frightening images, such as a charbroiled Chucky attacking Andy and his mom or a scene where he fried a man’s brain like an egg using a shock therapy machine.
While the other “Chucky” movies became campier and more self-deprecating as time went on, the original remains a solid entry within the library of modern horror films.
“Scream” (1996, dir. Wes Craven)
If I ever received a call from a raspy-voiced dude asking me what my favorite scary movie was, I’d definitely tell him “Scream” before running for my dear life. The thing I love about this one is how incredibly meta it is.
The characters (or at least a couple of them) seem to be aware that they’re in a slasher movie the whole time, and it introduces a set of rules about the mechanics of a scary movie that are still accurate to this day. Plus, it remains the only movie that features Jamie Kennedy that doesn’t make me want to punch my TV in the face. Well, maybe not.
“Planet Terror” (2007, dir. Robert Rodriguez)
Simply put, “Planet Terror” is loud, silly, bloody, dirty and explosive, all of which are things that make it awesome. It stays true to Rodriguez’s style of high-octane, over-the-top violence, this time involving gnarly humans who had been infected by a government chemical. It also adds a few scenes of classic “grindhouse” horror, which are unabashedly gory. I’d recommend watching this one with the special “audience reaction track” audio feature playing so you feel comfort in knowing hundreds of other people were just as grossed-out as you were.
Honorable mention: “The Crazies” (2010, dir. Breck Eisner)
“The Crazies” is pretty similar to “Planet Terror” in premise, as it also deals with a group of survivors taking on a number of infected townspeople. However, the two movies differ when it comes to style and tone.
“Planet Terror” is purposely campy and heavily stylized, while “The Crazies” is more natural and realistic as it can be, relying more on atmospherically scary scenarios than ones that simply make you jump. Plus, Timothy Olyphant is a treat as he pretty much plays Raylan Givens from “Justified” in a scary movie, which makes me curious if that’s just how he is in real life.
Happy early Halloween, and remember: saying “Candyman” three times to a mirror is all fun and games until he actually shows up, so be sure to celebrate the day wisely.
