Well, October is officially here. The favourite month of most horror and supernatural lovers. Halloween is coming up fast, so I thought it would be fun to just compare a list of my favourite Halloween movies. Every October, I always have a list of those I feel like watching. Some I watch every year, while others seem to rotate on a three or four-year basis.
What are you watching to get in the Halloween spirit?
Here are five that make it into my October watchlist every year:
1. Nightmare Before Christmas
Okay, this one, I must admit, gets turned on at least twice a year. My boys know that they are going to see it on the TV at least once in October, followed by a re-run in December. Who doesn’t love a good Tim Burton movie? I have always loved Nightmare Before Christmas. I have the show memorized, but I still love it every time I watch it. Someday, I plan to have a Christmas tree in the house dedicated to the show…
2. Hocus Pocus
I remember seeing this for the first time while in elementary school. I remember loving Sarah’s character and pretending to be like her. Now, as I have children of my own and realize the chaos and noise they can bring, I relate a little more to Winifred! Ha.
3. Underworld
Of course, a movie marathon for Halloween wouldn’t be complete without a vampire and werewolf movie. The Underworld series is definitely one of my favourites that I watch every year, but that could be because I love Kate Beckinsale. In fact, it’s not uncommon that more than one Underworld movie shows up in the fall for me.
4. Beetle Juice
I don’t remember when I first saw Beetle Juice, but I remember loving the cartoon as a kid. Do you remember the cartoon? I remember loving it and wanting to be like Lydia. Maybe that’s where my love of things supernatural came from? Who knows, but of course Tim Burton shows up on the list again.
5. Ghostbusters
Of course, you can’t get away without watching the Stay Puft Marshmallow man. Ghostbusters is such a classic show that both my husband and I will sit down to watch together every October.
The next five are movies that have made it into my list this year, but don’t always make it in every year. More may get added as I get closer to Halloween. For some reason, I tend to leave the scarier ones to watch closer to October 31st. As you can see in the list above, the earlier movies that I watch every year tend to be less scary and friendlier to children running around.
Okay, let’s get into the last five:
6. Dark Shadows
Yes, Tim Burton is back for the third time! I don’t usually watch Dark Shadows, as it isn’t my favourite. For some reason, however, this year I felt like turning it on.
7. Constantine
Another one of my favourite actors is Keanu Reeves, so this one has been added to my list this year. A plus to this one is that my husband will actually watch it with me. He doesn’t like horror movies, so it’s rare to get him to sit down and watch something with a supernatural thriller/horror twist.
8. Chapelwaite
I realize this isn’t a movie, but it’s going on my list. I love Stephen King, so I want to check out the series this month. I also want to try Lisey’s Story, as I remember loving the book, but I will start with just one for now. Chapelwaite looks creepy and I can’t wait to start it, although I’m fairly certain it will be alone and potentially on my laptop since my husband is too chicken and my kids are too young.
9. Dracula Untold
It just wouldn’t be Halloween without a Dracula movie. I have never seen this one, so I put it on my list this year out of curiosity. It didn’t disappoint, although it wasn’t anything I had expected!
10. Zombieland Double Tap
Another movie I just haven’t seen yet. I find it so hard to find time for movies unless I do movie marathons like I do in October, so it’s hard for me to catch up. My husband, although a chicken when it comes to ghosts and supernatural beings, loves zombie movies, so this last one will be for him.
What are you watching this month?
I’m sure there will be other movies and shows that I will watch throughout the month, but these are the ones on my list so far. There are so many remakes of the old movies I used to watch coming out as well, so I may need to check some out.
K. D. Kulpa 