Halloween Movies (part 1): My Favorite Yearly Re-Watches

During the month of October, I watch as many Halloween movies as I can. Here are six of my favorite movies that I love to rewatch.

Category: Zombies

28 Days Later... (2002)
imdb.com

28 Days Later (2002)

A modern classic, 28 Days Later is about Jim (Cillian Murphy) waking up in the hospital only to discover the UK in a full apocalypse-like state after a virus outbreak. I consider this movie a modern classic for a number of reasons but the main two are the acting and the cinematography. I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves a good zombie film.

Category: Witches

The VVitch: A New-England Folktale (2015)
imdb.com

The Witch (2015)

What a thriller, this movie gets down into the bloody, gritty works of witches in the great era of settling protestants hundreds of years ago. The synopsis: A young girl finds herself under the inevitable sway of evil forces after her family moves to a desolate area near the edge of a creepy forest. I love this movie because I felt like it took those strange stories about witchcraft and the devil from this time in history and made them a literal “what if?” scenario. Yeah, what if the devil does take the shape of a black goat and recruits young girls into witchcraft? what if there were actual witches who that stole babies? A great scary movie and it will keep you on your toes. The only recommendation that I can think of that has a similar witchy vein would be The Witches (1990) but this one is actually kid-friendly…kinda.

Category: Psycho Killers

Halloween (1978)
imdb.com

Halloween (1978)

The beginning of one of the most iconic classic horror movies, the first Halloween is a treat worthy of having over and over again. It’s a great family film that gets into the disturbing relationship between Michael and his sister. The story continues still to this day (40 years later) Halloween 2018 and I am stoked! I recommend this movie to those that love a good slasher flick, nothing’s scarier than a psychopath on a killing frenzy.

Category: Psychological Suspense/Thriller

James McAvoy in Split (2016)
imdb.com

Split (2016)

I was initially surprised by this movie because it was actually good. I kept waiting for the cheesiness to creep in and take over the film but it didn’t happen (for me). I think this has to do with the A+ acting of James McAvoy who plays a man with multiple personalities (9 in total). The synopsis: A young girl and her friends are abducted by a stranger who is more terrifying than he actually seems. I thought this movie was a great ‘scary’ movie because it remained suspenseful throughout and kept my attention the entire time. If you like the classic Psyscho (1960) you should love this.

Category: Sci-fi

Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tuva Novotny, Gina Rodriguez, and Tessa Thompson in Annihilation (2018)
imdb.com

Annihilation (2018)

A great freaky sci-fi movie that is definitely disturbing enough to watch as a Halloween flick. The synopsis: Lena, played by Natalie Portman, signs up for a suicide mission after her husband returns strangely messed up after a secret mission he disappeared on. The ways in which reality is torn apart and mushed back together again is truly unsettling. I would recommend this film to anyone that loves a gory sci-fi movie. Note: I felt like Annihilation was the exact opposite of Arrival (2016) but with a similar feel.

Category: Vampires

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
imdb.com

Nosferatu (1922)

This is an oldie but in my opinion, it really could never be replaced. The gist of it, Nosferatu is a German retelling of Dracula. It is actually scary, compared to the 1931 American version, and contains the most disturbing vampire I have ever encountered in cinema to this day. Count Orlok has pointy ears, two huge fangs instead of buck teeth, and fingers than taper off into six-inch-ish looking talons. Same as Dracula, Count Orlok decides to move and leaves a path of destruction and death on his journey. Truly disturbing, I doubt anyone could forget the imagery from this movie even if they tried. I recommend this movie to anyone who loves the type of vampires along the lines of 30 Days of Night (2007).

 

Thanks for reading! If you like this list or think it’s lacking or have a suggestion please feel free to leave a comment below!

Coming up next: Halloween Movies (part 2): The Classics

A Brief History of Halloween (Samhain)

Image result for vintage halloween
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I’m three days late but here is my first post about Halloween! For me, the entire month of October consists of celebrating Halloween (Samhain) whether by building an altar, watching scary movies or carving pumpkins. This is a great time of year to celebrate the changing of seasons and have a bit of fun!

Halloween, All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints Day, Samhain, October 31st and November 1st mark a turn in the seasons, a time of year for harvest and awareness for the thinning of the veil between this world and the next. Ghosts, ghouls, goblins, everyone comes out to celebrate this special time of year.

Image result for vintage halloween
flickr

A little bit of history about Halloween,

Halloween originally comes from The Celts annual celebration of Samhain, a time of harvest as well as the start of winter. The Celts lived in Europe around two millennia ago. The Celts, druids, would have bonfires and sacrifice animals to the gods.

With the spread of Christianity, the ancient druid religious practices were absorbed and ultimately synthesized with Christian practices. This synthesis includes All Saints Day, which historically changed dates until finally settling on November 1st. This holiday is one of respect and worship towards the Saints and Martyrs of the past.

Finally, for Americans (U.S.), Halloween didn’t fully take off until after Irish Immigrants fled Ireland due to the Potato Famine (a.k.a Great Famine) that happened in the mid-1800’s. This famine was responsible for an estimated one million deaths and the incredible decline in Irelands population (Britannica.com).

Halloween, Vintage, Kids, Card, Happy, Holiday, Girl
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Halloween really became more of a “community” celebration in the 1800’s that included costumes and neighborhood parties (history.com). Celebrating Samhain, then All Hallow’s Eve toned down the ancient traditions of sacrifice and bonfires into a more family-friendly holiday. By the 1900’s Halloween became a more established “mainstream” holiday that became increasingly geared towards youths. Finally around the 1940’s the “Trick or Treat” phrase would be born (deliriumsrealm.com).

Thank you for reading!

Coming up next:

My Halloween (Movie/Tv Shows) Recommendations In Progress

Halloween Favorites : ‘Kid’ Movies

Here are a few more of my favorite Halloween movies! These ones are considered more appropriate for younger audiences.

The Little Vampire 

 

The Little Vampire Poster
photo source: imdb.com

 

The Little Vampire (2000) is a fun one for kids about a boy and his parents that move into a very old mansion in another country that is infested with vampires. These vampires are more along the classical Dracula line, only given a little more human characteristics (manners, children vampires that want to play, vampire parents etc.) making them seem just like a ‘strange’ neighbor family. The story revolves around the boy making friends with a kid vampire whose family is being hunted by a vampire killer. It is a fun family comedy with just enough spooky darkness to be a Halloween favorite.

Hocus Pocus

 

Hocus Pocus Poster
imdb.com

This is classic that is still extremely popular today. Hocus Pocus (1993) centers around a family that moves to Salem, Massachusettes the hometown of the Sanderson sisters (fictional) who were witches hanged a few hundred years prior. On Halloween night the sisters are resurrected accidentally and then continue to wreak havoc on the Salem, chasing the kids who want to stop them. This movie is amazing in detail, effects, and humor! The comedy is to die for with plenty of laughs for parents and kids.

 

The Nightmare Before Christmas

 

The Nightmare Before Christmas Poster
imdb.com

A classic Tim Burton film The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) has redefined the genre of Halloween films since its release. This film is about Jack Skellington and his discovery of Christmas and the horror that ensues after. It is a very dark Halloween movie and might frighten some kids. The characters are vivid, disturbing, and often horrifying but endearingly so. Tim Burton is known for his unique style and the gothic impressions of his film, The Nightmare Before Christmas could arguably be considered the best (if not most popular) of his work.

 

 

Why I love these movies in particular,

The Little Vampire is fascinating for its interpretation of vampires and vampire children while exploring familial issues. The costumes are very detailed and beautiful while the storyline is remarkably complex for a children’s movie. Hocus Pocus is a hilarious story of three witch sisters who are adults but act like bickering children making them terrifyingly funny. Again, the costumes and details within the sets and characters (‘Billy’ the zombie and Binx ‘the talking cat’) are amazing. The Nightmare Before Christmas was created through clay figurines and stop motion! I personally love how dark this movie is and how scary and sweet the characters are.

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read my writing! I hope that you will return in the future! 

-Alina


Album Review: Chelsea Wolfe’s “Hiss Spun”

Chelsea Wolfe’s latest album “Hiss Spun” was released on September 22nd of this year. “Hiss Spun” is her fifth album and features a synthesis of her trademark gloom-folk rock * that echoes with her uniquely haunting voice. The complexities within each song on the album are to be admired; mixing heavy guitar and pulsing drums that bring a feel of the darkly ritualistic. Notable tracks on this album (that stand out to me) include 16 Psyche, Vex, and Offering.

Chelsea Wolfe’s music offers (no pun intended on track ‘Offering’) an essence of the dark spirit that resides within us all. Her voice feels as if it echoes from a dimension within our minds and the human experience that is primal and yearning. To embrace her music is to expand your mind to the possibilities of the spirit and at the same time acknowledge your own quiet inner voice that echoes with Chelsea’s.

This is a short review and is more of a personal opinion than a complete deconstruction of the elements within this album. My goal is to queue the interest of readers so that they may want to listen to her music and see what they think for themselves.

Thank you!

-Alina


* Chelsea Wolfe, Spotify page ‘about’ describes her music as “doom-drenched electric folk”

Featured Image photo source: www.instagram.com/cchelseawwolfe

 

A Few Favorites: Halloween Movies…

Here are a few of my favorite Halloween movies that I love!

Trick 'r Treat Poster
source: imdb.com

Trick ‘r Treat is a classic! Released in 2007 and featuring an array of actors that many will be able to recognize since they have gained popularity. The movie is made up of a few stories that connect to each other by Halloween, murder, monsters, and children. The tone of the film fluctuates from classic horror elements to cause fear-induced goosebumps and humor for the over-the-top gore, silliness (sometimes), and style of each story. I have a great love for the amazing werewolf (wolves) scene and the origin story behind the bus of kids. I would recommend this movie to anyone that wants to get their full Halloween kicks in one package.

Drag Me to Hell Poster
source: imdb.com

Drag Me To Hell is a Raimi brothers movie. The Sam Raimi is responsible for the classic ‘Evil Dead‘ movies that reshaped and influence horror in the 1980’s. ‘Drag Me To Hell’ is a darkly humored horror film about a woman cursed by a gypsy. The acting is superb by the lead actress Alison Loham. There is darkness, mystery, and scares for every scene that are disgusting and halarious. This movie is for those with a bold taste for scary and grotesque humor when it comes to Horror films making it a perfect go-to for Halloween.

Jeepers Creepers Poster
source: imdb.com

Jeepers Creepers (the first one) came out in 2001. It can be considered a cheesy-horror film but honestly I think it is amazing. A brother and sister find themselves the prey of a creature that is pretty ‘creepy’. I’ve always seen Jeepers Creepers (the creature) as a mix between the Mothman and Jersey Devil urban legends. This movie has a trademark theme and ending which I believe contributed to the massive amount of sequels that were made after (like Final Destination). A good film for those ready to be really ‘creeped’ out and fear the open night sky.


 

Thank you for reading my writing and reflections!

I plan on posting another list of my favorite Halloween movies soon!

-Alina