Hi, I’m James, and if like me, you’re a bit of a horror geek and are seeking inspiration to help choose which movies to watch this Halloween, you’ve come to the right place! I’m here to help you with a personal pick of frightening features, most of which will shock you out of your skin. It’s not all about the scares though, as horror can also have one hell of a funny side, like in Piranha 3D when an angry little fishy has a crack at one of Jerry O’Connell’s most intimate appendages, or the moment in Freddy Vs. Jason when Kelly Rowland decides that enough is enough and insults Mr. Krueger’s choice of sweater. Here then is my personal pick of movies for a magnificent, malevolent All Hallows Eve.
With so many remakes, reboots and reimaginings out these days, it was nice to see a straightforward sequel to what in my eyes is one of the best horror franchises of all time. Original trilogy veterans Sidney, Dewey & Gale return alongside a fresh batch of teens, all of whom are of course up for the chopping block. These include Sidney’s cousin Jill (Emma Roberts) and her friends Kirby (Hayden Panettiere) and Charlie (Rory Culkin). Also look out for the great cameos at the beginning! Everything in Scream 4 is taken to the next level, full of suspense, great kills and the ever-comical David Arquette. This one gets the top spot on the list.
I’m a big fan of the Hammer films. I have fond memories of watching Peter Cushing’s Van Helsing take on Christopher Lee’s Dracula on Sunday afternoons with the family. Having said this, however good those films were, they are rather dated now and it was time for some new blood, no pun intended. The Woman In Black came along and was almost perfect in every way, maybe a little slow to get going but that only added to the mood and feel of dread you’ll definitely have while watching this flick. One of the best things about this movie is that it completely reinvented Daniel Radcliffe as a serious actor, and we all thought life after Potter was going to be hard for the little guy.
I’ll try not to sound like too much of a Wes Craven fan boy here, but this is a return to form for him after the likes of Red Eye. Don’t get me wrong. Red Eye was OK, but just didn’t have the elemental Craven feel to it like Cursed or A Nightmare On Elm Street. I like this for 3 reasons. 1) The story was original, unlike anything we’ve seen before. 2) The casting was perfect; you’ve got a bunch of fresh new actors and actresses with no preconception on how their character is going to act because of other parts they have played. 3) They weren’t afraid to mix things up and mess with the way these movies usually pan out, something as simple as changing the order in which you expect the characters to die in was a nice experience. If you haven’t seen this one it’s a must watch.
This movie along with I Know What You Did Last Summer, Seven and The Blair Witch Project kept me sleeping with the lights on all through the Nineties, and every time I saw someone wearing a duffel coat with the hood up I would get that scared uneasy feeling I had while watching the movie all over again. The idea for the movie is simple yet effective, an unknown asailant kills people using stories or ‘urban legends’ as a way to strike that extra bit of fear in to the hearts of his victims. All in all a great slasher film with elements of comedy throughout. If I learned one lesson from this film, it’s that if there’s a killer on the loose using urban legends to knock off their victims, and you have a dog, get rid of your microwave pronto!
5. Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers (1995)
Alright, this was bound to happen sooner or later. Yes I am a big fan of the Halloween movies (hence the blog), and yes I do like all of them. I know they get a little silly as the franchise goes on but that’s OK with me. I’d say Part 6 is my favourite however. Don’t get me wrong, the original Halloween is a classic and one of the best horror movies ever but there is only so many times you can watch the original without it getting old. Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers is one in the franchise that rarely gets watched, it centres around the baby of long surviving heroine Jamie Lloyd being rescued by Tommy Doyle (Paul Rudd) and keeping the new residents of the Myers house alive! The reason I like this one so much is the level of brutality Michael Myers brings to the screen, in past Halloween movies he’s always been reserved but this time it’s all out bloodshed.
This isn’t that well known but is one of the freakiest movies you’ll ever watch is you frequent the London Underground. Filmed at Charing Cross station in London, a place which provides an abundance of atmosphere Creep offers a truly terrifying experience. The story revolves around Kate (Franka Potente) who while on her way to a party to meet George Clooney gets involved in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a hideously deformed cannibalistic creature. The best part for me with this film was the reveal of the creature. At first I didn’t realise I was looking at it but all of a sudden my brain snapped in to gear and I jumped off my sofa. Again a very original story and a must see for London-bound horror fans.
One movie which has a great balance between horror and comedy, every element of this movie is both horrific and funny at the same time. The entire film in an homage to the classic slasher movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday The 13th Part 7 and The Hills Have Eyes. What’s great about this movie is the lack of CGI effects; they use 100% prosthetics and latex which gives it that Eighties feel which I love. Playing the vicious Victor Crowley is a true legend in the horror industry, Kane Hodder, a man who has played many movie maniacs over the years but is most notable for Jason Voorhees. This flick also has its fair share of horror veteran cameos including Robert Englund and Tony Todd!
8. Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil (2010)
Whoever came up with the idea for this movie should have won an Oscar, or at least the horror equivalent. Not your typical horror movie, more a spoof of most of the other movies mentioned on this list but done to perfection, this is the story of two lovable hillbillies who have just bought their dream vacation home, a dirty, rusty, beaten up old shack in the middle of a swamp, and a group of well-to-do teenagers vacationing at the nearby lake. When the two groups inevitably cross paths, Tucker and Dale after a series of wild misunderstandings get labelled psycho killers. They always blame the hillbillies!
This is by far the worst movie in this top ten and by worst I don’t mean a bad movie, I mean this is the one that scared me the most. I’m not sure why as there’s no unstoppable psycho killer, spine chilling poltergeist or genetically mutated monster, just a bunch of kids out for blood. One possible reason this movie affected me so much was the level of reality it brought to the table, this movie could and most likely will happen one day. An early outing for Michael Fassbender, this flick centres on Steve and Jenny having a peaceful vacation until of bunch of horrific hoodies show up, after thinking they put the troublesome teens in their place, things take a turn for the worse for the couple.
10. Final Destination 5 (2011)
After four previous movies how do you keep a franchise fresh these days? You give the survivors a change to gain their years back. I went in to this movie thinking that it would be the same as all the other, I was dead wrong! Introducing the idea that if you kill someone, they take your place and you get their years was a good way to spice things up to keep us entertained. As in the previous movies every death in this film is incredibly well designed, creative and imaginative as ever. One thing that’s really interesting is how the story comes full circle; see if you cotton on how the movie ends if you haven’t already seen it, those of you who have will know what I mean.
Well there you have it, my top ten movies to watch this Halloween, of course I’m not expecting everyone to agree with me (it would be amazing if you did though), If however you think you have a better list please feel free to let us know, we always love to hear about what movies you like to watch! On that note we all here at Blockbuster hope you have a fantastic Halloween! Oh and watch out for the freaky guy with the William Shatner mask and butcher knife, he has a habit of turning up on Halloween!
