Matt O’Connell
El Baron del Terror: Also dubbed into English as The Brainiac, this Mexican cult favorite is a story of love and revenge that echo through the ages that is far too ambitious for its meager budget. Come for the discount Universal Horror vibes, stay for the frequent brain eating.
Hot Fuzz: I feel like I’m the only person on Earth who likes Hot Fuzz better than Shaun of the Dead, and probably also the only person who considers it a genuine horror film, but hey, fuck you. Just because it parodies buddy cop movies doesn’t mean it doesn’t also parody British rural horror, and there’s just as much Wicker Man here as there is Bad Boys.
Curse of the Demon: A wonderfully paranoid psychological horror film in the finest Val Lewton tradition, directed by frequent Lewton collaborator Jacques Tourneur. Square-jawed skeptic Dana Andrews faces off against an affably evil cult leader played by Niall MacGinnis across several atmospheric set pieces.
Yokai Monsters – Spook Warfare: A truly wild tokusatsu bauble in which a coalition of creatures from Japanese folklore form a united front against a body-hopping spirit unearthed from an ancient Mesopotamian tomb. It’s like The Thing, set in feudal Japan, and made by the same guys who gave us Gamera.
Häxan: Ostensibly a documentary about witchcraft through the ages, this Swedish silent film also casually includes some of the most evocative images of Hell ever committed to film. Absolutely do, or absolutely do not, watch while high.
The Raven: Probably the best of Roger Corman’s Poe cycle. It’s a black comedy about feuding wizards with an absurdly stacked cast: Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, and Jack Nicholson (!). If you don’t want to watch Boris Karloff and Vincent Price have a sassy wizard duel without getting out of their chairs, you are reading the wrong fucking website.
Nicole Moore
The Witches of Eastwick: Do I just love every movie Cher is in? Maybe! But combine her with Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Jack Nicholson, and I am sat the fuck down. Add in witchcraft, cellos, feathers, candle wax, Satan, and a truly disgusting scene involving cherries (warning if you are emetophobic), and you have an excellent Halloween movie.
Young Frankenstein: This is a perfect film. The cast is incredible; the performances are perfect; the jokes are top-notch. If you’ve never seen it, watch it immediately. If you have seen it, watch it again, also immediately. My only wish for it would be that Madeline Kahn had even more screen time, because she is the comedic GOAT. See also: Clue, one of my other all-time favorite movies that’s perfect for this time of year (and every time of year).
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Cliche? Maybe. Perfect in its weirdness? Yes. I watch it every Halloween night and I have since I was a teenager. I wrote my master’s thesis on it. I will spare you my academic critiques here; give yourself over to absolute pleasure and watch it.
Once Bitten: I’m going to do a proper writeup about this movie for later this month, but this not-well-remembered 1980s vampire flick is a classic in my household. Don’t get me wrong: It’s not good, but it’s Jim Carrey’s first movie, and Lauren Hutton is in it as the Countess (the vampire trying to turn Jim Carrey) and she is sex on legs, so I will watch it every year anyway.
RA Pickup
The Exorcist: Most of my spooky-season viewing comes down to a vibes-only decision on what “feels like Halloween” at any given moment, but I don’t let a year go by without watching The Exorcist. I’ll never forgive Hollywood for giving up practical effects, and Friedkin’s use of the practical in this film stands as a true testament to their power. You’ve heard the stories of people fainting, screaming, getting up, and walking out of the film back in 1973? People mistakenly believe it is because the storyline is just so goddamn terrifying, but the reality is, the film doesn’t quite capture the terror of the book. No, people lost their ever-loving shit over the medical examinations the protagonist, Regan, underwent in the early part of the film. Friedkin made sure every moment was so realistic that people were experiencing sympathetic white coat syndrome. Friedkin used camera techniques, temperature controls, and insanely detailed methods to ensure that what you saw was what actually happened on screen. He was also a huge dick to Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn, and we don’t need to forgive him for that. But fate decided that while he and William Peter Blatty thought they were making pro-Catholic propaganda, they actually made one of the most beloved horror films of all time.
Valentina Daae
V/H/S/Halloween: If, like me, you loved the first installment of the V/H/S found footage series but have not enjoyed the subsequent entries, I am confident you will be pleasantly surprised by this latest release. Seriously, it feels like a return to the quality of the first. All of the shorts are immensely memorable, which is how I tend to judge movies. If I remember it, it was good. Otherwise, into the void bin you go! A few of the tales are over-the-top silly (positive), which is great because the non-goofy ones are terribly disturbing! Perhaps the highest awesome-meter factor was the intentional spiritual connection to Halloween III interlaced within some of the stories. Extra points for so many wonderful physical effects. Without giving away too many spoilers, here are some key phrases I’ll tease you with: stylish ectoplasm, adult baby final fantasy house, oh nononono not my eyeballs, chocolate wang, Pavi Largo-maxxing, and when it comes to setting up a haunted house in your home: “Let’s never be creative again.” Check it out!
Halloween III: Season of the Witch: This is a required watch for my household every single year on Halloween day. It has little connection with the other films in the series, featuring neither slasher elements nor Mr. Myers himself. However, it could be argued that this feature is the progenitor of the later “Cult of Thorn” storyline, a theme which lowkey begins in Halloween 4/5 but is mainly launched in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. Rationale: Halloween III is brimming with “scary Celtic ritual” themes. Summoning all folk horror adorers! You follow an annoying sexpest doctor who meets and becomes the opp of an absolute chad Irishman named Conal Cochran. Cochran owns a coastal American company town wherein he is carrying out all sorts of norty, norty machinations. Perv doc (who is out on an unnecessary side quest whilst cheating on his hot wife and ignoring his kids btw) discovers some of these plans, which include witchcraft and diabolical technological advancements. When he’s not trying to mohunch every woman he meets, he’s out bothering Cochran’s employees and products, attempting to stop the Irish mogul’s plan to right the wrongs of the world via a global ritual. The ritual Cochran has planned is, shall we say, a little unpalatable to general audiences, but hear him out! Watch this movie to see who succeeds in this stylish battle of Samhain wills.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors: Let’s do a purely funny one. This flick has everyone from Zsa Zsa Gabor to Lawrence Fishburne (who was an adorable baby going by LARRY at the time). The music is done by the same guy who scored Twin Peaks. In Dream Warriors, Freddy terrorizes a group of troubled teens on a “youth with sleep disorders” psych ward. Much to Frightsome Frederick’s dismay, his olde nemesis appears to save the kids. That’s right: Somehow, Nancy Returned. And she has been to COLLEGE. Despite still carrying on with the affect of a traumatized 15 year old, Nancy is hired as an intern at the hospital, though it’s unclear if she is a psychiatrist or a therapist—movies back then mixed the two extremely different career paths mercilessly. She splits her time between trying to get the patients on experimental medication and navigating administrative drama. We learn a little bit about Freddy’s conception (very not great, but also employs a funny idea of human biology). Her doctor boss is a little too friendly. Some of the staff are also a little too friendly, but with the patients. What was going on in the 1980s? Anyways, this is the installment featuring the classic Freddy line: “WELCOME TO PRIME TIME, BITCH!”
Lifeforce: I wouldn’t say this one has strong Halloween vibes, but you get some good gothic imagery near the end. You mainly need to watch this because it’s Vampires from Space, and there’s not another film like it. If the story is too strange for you, there are a lot of space vampire boobs to make up for it.
Elvira’s Haunted Hills: Good flick to put on during your Halloween party. Wholesome and fun, like all Cassandra Peterson productions. I pulled up the Wikipedia article for this one while watching it for the first time recently and learned that she and her husband (at the time) had to mortgage their house and commercial property to fund the film. They were riskin’ it all for the love of the game. Recommended for all fans of the lighthearted spooky parody genre.
