Want to watch something scary for Halloween but not sure what to put in the DVD? Guest blogger, Dave Smith, has a few suggestions for you!
Scary Halloween Movies – What to Watch on Halloween Night
How do I like to spend my Halloween night? I have a personal tradition of watching a scary movie. Sometimes I’ll watch scary movies on the nights leading up to the big night, but I always try to watch one on Halloween night. For me, being a little scared is part of the spirit of Halloween. And Halloween in the real world isn’t scary any more.
When I was a kid Halloween was scary. I still vividly remember trick or treating one night, there was this house decorated with spooky lights, mist and cobwebs. The man who lived there stood outside the house, dressed head to toe in an ominous looking skeleton costume. He was holding a huge, vicious-looking axe. I’ll admit it – I was too scared to go into his yard. I doubt he handed out much candy that night.
Times have changed, and since I’m a parent now I’m not complaining. I’m glad nobody is scaring my little girl when we go out trick or treating. But I still need my “scare fix”. So after my daughter is asleep I watch a scary movie.
If you’d like to make this a personal tradition, you’ll need some scary movies. Although you can watch anything that frightens you, here are five Halloween-themed scary movies to get you started.
Halloween
This John Carpenter film is a classic, and is the first starring role for Jamie Lee Curtis. She is Laurie Strode, the babysitter who is being pursued by an escaped mental patient named Michael Myers, who will stop at nothing to kill her.
Halloween 2
This is a continuation of the story. Michael is still after Laurie, although now we know why. The plot involves some strange stories of pagan ceremonies and Druids, plus a higher body count than the original.
Night of the Demons
On Halloween night, a group of teenagers break into an abandoned funeral home. Why? To have a party, of course! And just for fun, they gather around a big mirror and hold a seance. Yeah, nothing bad could possibly come from that.
Sleepy Hollow
Almost everyone knows the story of the headless horseman. Sleepy Hollow is the modern retelling of Washington Irving’s spooky tale. Directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, this is a great film that’s both scary and funny.
Trick ‘r Treat
This is an interesting movie, with 4 separate stories that end up coming together at the end of the movie. All 4 stories take place on Halloween night. This movie has a comic book feel but still has a few scares in it.
Enjoy this tradition, and make this Halloween a scary one – at least for yourself.
About Dave
Dave Smith runs a website that helps people find great gifts for men. Want to see a big list of scary movies? See this list of scariest movies of all time.
I love Halloween movies – but I like ones without serial killers!
Favorites – Bram Stoker's Dracula, the Addams Family movies, The Shining , etc. New favorite scary movie is Insidious.
I looove "Sleepy Hollow"!
@Aine: I haven't watched Insidious yet. I'll check it out. You might like "Let Me In". It's based on a Swedish film called "Let the Right One In". The plot involves a vampire, but that's all I'll tell you.
@Wendy: Sleepy Hollow is great. It's hard to find a bad Johnny Depp movie, right?
I haven't seen any of these movies! I'm such a horror film wimp!!
Dave, you are SO right – Johnny Depp enhances any and everything that he's in!! Have seen "Sleepy Hollow" and would see it again. That would definitely be a good Halloween tradition movie – not TOOOOOOO scary, though the story by Washington Irving which the movie is derived from is indeed a chiller. My introduction to it was in a childhood book that paired "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" with illustrations by master illustrator Arthur Rackham. His depiction of the Headless Horseman is even *now* one of the most frightening things I've seen in my life – no joke!!!
Truth be told, however, I'm leaning towards "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (love that movie!! Lyn, if you haven't seen it, you would like it – not scary, and lots of innocent fun and cool style by Tim Burton!) – and Vincent Price!!! ANYTHING by Price, but I prefer his older movies, the ones set in the Middle Ages or at least pre-20th century. (Though his *"Laura"* is one of the BEST. FILMS. EVER! Truly!) I attended a talk given by Price eons ago…he was charming, amusing, highly cultured, and very intelligent.
It's not Halloween-related, but "The Craft" would no doubt make a very good flick to watch on or around October 31st! And it IS scary!
Will try "Trick 'r Treat", "Insidious", and "Let Me In".
Hi Charla,
Your Sleepy Hollow book sounds very cool. It's hard to believe that story is over 200 years old.
I saw The Nightmare Before Christmas many years ago. I liked it, but not as much as some of the other Tim Burton movies like Edward Scissorhands (again with Johnny Depp). I liked The Craft, too. It was pretty spooky.
Lyn, I'm happy to post another list of movies about witches and magic if you like. Let me know if you're interested.
Anything by John Carpenter is my preferred Hallow's Eve viewing! The Fog is a particular favourite.
Ali