It’s that time of year again when the kids dress up as spooky little critters to ask for sweets at your door and the occasional prank to be played, but what is there to put on when you decide to take the night off in front of your TV?
There are loads of scary movies that you could blast out in the dark to give yourself the Goosebumps when going to sleep this Halloween and here are 5 classics that may still give you nightmares,or perhaps make you chuckle.
Dir. Wes Craven (1984)
Like all good serial killers and freaky looking individuals, most people when they think of a creepy costume will no doubt think Freddy Kruger. This release from way back in the mid 80’s was a critically acclaimed movie after reaping the rewards of nearly $25 million at the box office, whilst working to a budget of just over $1 million. It stars some pretty impressive actors including Robert Englund as Freddy Kruger, a psycho with a penchant for attacking teenagers. “Blades for hands” is not the only thing this film shares with Edward Scissor Hands. Johnny Depp also plays a part in this movie too. It contains a lot of gore, a lot of screams and of course some chilling nursery rhymes from the main girl’s past… “One, two, Freddy’s coming for you….”
Dir. Tim Burton (1993)
One of the all time greats when it comes to an animation movie, with a light hearted twist. Scored by well known orchestral leader Danny Elfman and featuring Chris Sarandon as Jack Skellington, the man in charge of a town which only knows how to scare and enjoy the festivities of Halloween. After stumbling across a town called Christmas he falls helplessly in love with the concept and tries to get his own town to embrace the idea with open arms. Unfortunately when you live with a bunch of goblins and creepy critters it doesn’t always go to plan. Light hearted entertainment that’s fun for both grownups and kids alike.
Dir. John Carpenter (1982)
Not quite related to Halloween per say, but still a phenomenal classic horror movie to get you heart racing and your scare factor up to 11. An arctic research team take in a dog that is being attacked, but after many bizarre occurrences chaos and carnage spread. Resourceful pilot R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell) takes the situation by the reigns and tries to find out a way to decipher who is infected and who is safe, or not. The scene where he tests the team’s blood samples is still to this day one of the most horrific and terrifying moments caught on camera. The graphics may seem a bit dated, but it still remains a firm favourite for a scare!
Dir. Sam Raimi (1981)
A beauty of a horror movie in every sense of the word. After 4 friends go to stay in an old cabin in the woods they discover that an evil spirit is able to take control of their bodies…. the catch of course is that they don’t really mind whether the person is living or DEAD! Sam Raimi brings to life the heroic adventures of Ashley “Ash” Williams (Bruce Campbell), in a movie that has spawned many sequels and even a remake from 2013. The original is still as blood curdling now as it was back then and should be advised that anyone with a weak stomach should probably give this one a miss… Expect gore, gruesome scenes of zombie like creatures launching themselves at the living and of course all the screams and terror in between. Also worth looking at is the sequel Evil Dead 2 and army of Darkness.
Dir. Sean S Cunningham (1980)
Bring on the greatest mass murderer of movie history… if you count the number of people he kills, the amount of sequels he manages to wriggle his way into and of course the general destruction and disarray caused by Mr Jason Voorhees. After escaping from the police while being transferred for murdering his sister, Jason travels back to his home town to slaughter some more innocent victims with his enormous machete. Expect a LOT of blood in this movie, so again the squeamish are not advised to watch this. If you get on with Mr Voorhee’s antics then you can also wrap up for the night and jump straight into number 2, 3, 4 and even one where he is re-animated in outer space!
Of course I can’t mention every movie under the sun here that may give you the “heeby jeebies” this Halloween but these guys are also worth a watch:
House of 1000 Corpses – Rob Zombie produces this extremely violent and chilling film about a bunch of crazy psycho’s who enjoy all manner of bad things. One scene still to this day gives me chills, so caution advised!
Halloween – The other original scare movie, but one that had a bit of a hit and miss fandom. The tale of another killer, Michael Myers, on the trail to cause some carnage after escaping from a mental hospital.
Casper – Well he’s the friendly ghost isn’t he? A fun filled family favourite full of happiness, love and…gas…
The Witches – The ultimate Roald Dahl classic from 1990 that gives my better half the shivers to this day. A young girl discovers at a hotel that a group of witches have moved in to try and unleash a terrible plan…
Dracula – Christopher Lee is Dracula. No more needs to be said except that this is a true horror classic.
Author – Andrew, Weybridge store
