It’s October, everyone, and you know what that means. Time again for the pumpkins and candies, for both happy kids and dentists alike. Who will you be this Halloween? Will you be out there trick-or-treating, or handing out chocolates to costumed children? Since October 31 is on a Thursday, my plans would be to kick back with some classic horror films the weekend following Halloween. And thus I would like to share with you a list of my favorite films for the season.
1) The Addams Family Values. Based on the 1960s television series, The Addams Family, this film retains the same satirical humor and elements of macabre. The Addams family is indeed an eccentric one, but each member is quirky in his/her own special way. My favourite character from this film is Wednesday Addams, whose deadpan, grim demeanor contributes to the the absurd humor that surrounds her. This film is perfect for a Halloween night and great for the whole family.
2) Psycho. The epitome of classical horror, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is one of the most iconic films in cinematic history. Who hadn’t heard of Norman Bates, or his famous motel? My favorite aspect of this film is in its independence from both jump scares and musical based suspense, and relies solely on plot to introduce to its audience the true insidious nature of our schizophrenic motel manager. I feel that many modern horror films rely too heavily on gore and jump scares, and completely misses the idea that the fear a film inflicts on its viewers should be story based. Psycho, however, perfectly captures and applies this concept, and had always been one of my favorites.
4) The Shining. Stephen King is widely known for writing horror, suspense, and science fiction novels. And so, when one of his most accomplished books was transformed onto the big screen (by Stanley Kubrick, no less), it was really no surprise that the movie was a huge hit. This film is a masterpiece on all three levels: acting, directing, and writing. Jack Nicholson plays a struggling writer who suffers hallucinations due to cabin fever when him and his family takes up a job to manage a hotel during winter.
5) The Blair Witch Project. Someone once said that the most terrifying horror film is one where the killer is never shown, I feel that whoever said that was referring to this movie. The Blair Witch Project is incredibly realistic in its unique style of filming. The entire movie is seen through the lenses of a camcorder that is held by one of the main characters. We see everything as they see, sometimes, even less, making the film even more suspenseful. We follow Michael, Joshua, and Heather on the search for an ancient legend gone awry.
6) Hide and Seek. The first time I watched this film, it kept me paranoid for two whole days. The psychological components injected into this story keeps the film suspenseful, and frightening, the whole way through. The plot surrounds a concerned father, attempting to bring his psychologically damaged daughter back to the norm after she witnessed her own mother’s suicide. They move to the country side is hopes that a new environment would urge her to come out of her shell, all the while being haunted by an old friend.
