Halloween Movie NIghts

In this month of terror, it’s only appropriate to spend most of it watching horror films. Unfortunately, watching them on TV strips them of their greatness (blood and boobs) and adds commercial breaks. So, in light of this and the fun of watching lots of movies with friends, I’ve created a variety of movie nights for you to enjoy. Obviously, you can pick and choose what you want, but I tried to feature some kind of theme with most of them. Also, I left off some more obvious things (Ghostbusters, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, etc) because you’re going to watch them anyway. No need for me to tell you to watch them. There’s a lot of fantastic movies missing from the following lists, so don’t forget to whimsically rent anything that looks scary. You may discover a secret classic (but stay away from Devil Times Five. I just watched it and the movie doesn’t live up to its concept and cover). Sadly, my knowledge of horror from the 30s to 60s is lacking, but getting better, so most of the movies are from the past 30 years.

An Evening of Terror

The Fog (1980)//The Mist

The link between these films is clear: a bizarre cloud creeps over the town and strange horrors lurk within. The handle the material in vastly different ways, but each is well worth watching. John Carpenter directs the former and the latter based on a Stephen King story, and while adaptations of his stuff are shaky, the one guy who consistently gets it right, Frank Darabont, directs it. We’re in the hands of horror greatness.

Evil Dead II//Bubba Ho-Tep//Drag Me To Hell

See Bruce Campbell in his greatest role, Ash. Then see him in his second greatest role, Elvis! This night is about celebrating the greatness of The Chin and Sam Raimi. Raimi directed the Evil Dead trilogy and finally made his triumphant return to horror with Drag Me to Hell. As for Bubba Ho-Tep… who doesn’t want to see an elderly Elvis and JFK dyed black fight an evil mummy in a Texas old folks home? I rest my case.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)//The Return of the Living Dead//Shaun of the Dead

A night of zombies! Instead of focusing on the scares, this collection is designed for laughs, as well. With Dawn, you get George Romero at the top of his game (plus Tom Savini supplies the gore). Return gives you the classic brain-craving and talking zombie. Finally, Shaun brings it all home with loving references to zombie history and a love story. Something for everyone.

Christine//The Hitcher (1986)//Joy Ride

Automobile madness! Christine is a love story between a boy and his murderous car, but damn if that car isn’t beautiful. Carpenter adapts King’s novel and it’s surprisingly enjoyable. The Hitcher teaches you a lesson you already knew; never pick up Rutger Hauer on the side of the road. Roger Ebert hated this movie, but he doesn’t know anything about genre movies. This is one of the great movies of the 80s. Bonus: C. Thomas Howell! Finally, Joy Ride is mindless fun co-written by J.J. Abrams. Think Duel, but even crazier.

A Marathon of Terror

Halloween (1978)//Friday the 13^th (1980)//A Nightmare on Elm Street// Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

The slasher’s are taking back the night. It makes me sad that all of these iconic movies have been or are getting remade, but that’s the way Hollywood works these days. Watch all of the classics then check out Behind the Mask for a meta look at what it takes to be a slasher villain. It’s fun to see how each film builds on the previous one (Friday the 13^th is essentially Halloween plus gore) and even more fun to see all the crazy ways people die.

The Haunting (1963)//Poltergeist//The Frighteners//A Tale of Two Sisters

Beware of any sudden drops in temperature, because ghosts are taking over. These pretty much run the gamut in terms of rating, from G to R, but none sacrifice the scares. The Frighteners breaks up the tension adding some much needed humor before the sheer suspense of the Korean A Tale of Two Sisters (subtitled, but mesmerizing).

The Howling//An American Werewolf in London/Silver Bullet//Dog Soldiers//Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Beware the moon. Some classic movies in here and some cheese-tastic (in more than one way) movies. Lot’s of laughs and lots of awesome special effects. Plus, Corey Haim and Gary Busey IN THE SAME MOVIE! One of the most all-out enjoyable nights of horror on the list.

Evil Dead//The Shining//The Thing//The Descent//Sunshine

A pretty unrelenting collection of films. Sure, there are laughs to be had in (and at) The Evil Dead and The Shining, but those are tempered with some really disturbing images. The theme with these films is isolation. Each features a small group of people who only have each other. Outside help is impossible (or in the case of The Shining, useless). Watch these with people who scare easily to get your maximum entertainment out of them.

The Monster Squad//Suspiria//The Orphanage//House//Creepshow//28 Days Later

This marathon is modeled after Boston’s Coolidge Corner Theater’s annual horror-thon. This is the only list that is not listed by release year and that doesn’t have a theme. The movies are funny, terrifying, balls-out weird, emotional, and just damn entertaining and the order is designed to take you on an emotional ride. Be prepared for some subtitles, but there’s a great time to be had here.

I hope this inspires someone to have a horror marathon, even if it’s not one I designed. There’s nothing better than a good scare, especially when there are others to drink and laugh with. Tis the season, after all.