Halloween is a celebration of everything that is frightening. From ghosts to gargoyles to going to a party where you don’t know anybody, Halloween preys on everybody’s fears. Many people turn to movie marathons to fully honour this spooky holiday. Horror classics like Night of the Living Dead and Scream are usually mainstays. But what about the people who are in it for the treats and not the tricks? There is no reason to be ashamed of wanting to sleep at night (Halloween this year is on a Sunday, after all). This list is for people wanting to “dip their toes” into the pool of horror but not fully submerge themselves.
Coraline
My first recommendation is Coraline. It’s the first creepy movie from the stop motion company LAIKA set in Oregon. The second is ParaNorman, which is also amazing and worth a watch.
When Coraline has to move from Michigan to Oregon, she loses all of her friends, and her parents become too busy to spend time with her. All of this time alone leads her to become fascinated with the strange door in the apartment she lives in. She soon discovers it leads to the Otherworld, a world that is a mirror of her own. At first it seems wondrous and full of amazing surprises, but soon the delights the Otherworld offers turn to danger. Coraline carefully walks the tightrope between horror and fantasy and is a twisted dark fairy tale. The movie is visually stunning. Every character has their own personality and quirks that make them unique and unquestionably memorable, from Coraline’s parents being gardening bloggers who hate gardening to her neighbor Mr. Bobinsky, who trains mice for a circus. It also boasts one of the best opening credits scenes I have seen in any movie. Like the Otherworld does for Coraline, this film will suck you into a world you never want to leave.
Happy Death Day
Happy Death Day is a joy to watch. Its premise is simple and works brilliantly: what if Groundhog Day was remade as a slasher film? The main character, Tree, is having a horrible day. She wakes up in the bed of someone she doesn’t know, her lunch is ruined when she has chocolate milk spilled on her and she’s stabbed on the way to a party by a person wearing a baby mask. To make matters worse, she’s stuck in a time loop! To escape, Tree has to figure out how to stop her own murder and the find the identity of the person behind it. Happy Death Day rings true to the fact it’s a popcorn flick, and has fun with its premise while creating sympathetic, likeable characters. Jessica Roth’s Tree is a great scream queen who you honestly root for. This is also due in part to Roth’s committed performance. The film is light on gore and jump-scares, so it’s perfect for someone who is looking to build up their scare tolerance. I would also recommend some of director Christopher Landon’s other films, like Freaky.
Little Shop of Horrors
It’s a classic tale of boy, girl and plant. Seymour only wants two things in the world: to get out of skid row, and the affection of his coworker Audrey. He discovers that the solution to his problems is a strange and unusual plant he names Audrey II. The plant soon gains popularity, but with that popularity comes a hunger for human flesh. Little Shop of Horrors is not only a horror-comedy, but also a musical. It 100% delivers on every one of those elements without feeling like it tries too hard. The horror elements are not scary, but they have impressive practical effects, like the construction and operation of Audrey II. The movie’s offbeat humor is unique and explosively funny, ranging from Steve Martin’s masochistic dentist’s big musical number to Bill Murray’s cameo. Its music was composed by Alan Menken and Harold Ashman, the driving forces behind the “Disney Renaissance”, which includes iconic films like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. This film has heaps of heart and charm. It’s almost impossible to leave the film without feeling connected to its two idiosyncratic leads Audrey and Seymour. This film also has (literally) pitch-perfect casting, including Ellen Greene who was the original Audrey in the off-Broadway production and Rick Moranis, who brings a great vulnerable quality to Seymour.
Halloweentown
Halloweentown is a wonderful, whimsical movie. It captures the spirit of Halloween through a younger child’s eyes. Aggie and her siblings are not allowed to celebrate Halloween. When their grandmother visits, they are introduced to a whole new world they knew nothing about: Halloweentown. They quickly become attached to the weird, yet magnificent new setting, but soon learn that it’s threatened by dark forces. Halloweentown is one of the better Disney Channel original movies. Debbie Reynolds embodies Aggie, the grandmother of the Cromwell children, perfectly. The movie celebrates all Halloween monsters without making them scary and humanizes them by putting them in the domestic setting of Halloweentown. I personally have a soft spot for the trope of taking an element from the fantasy, sci-fi, or horror genre and putting it into a realistic setting. If you decide to watch Halloweentown, I would recommend making this a double feature and watching the sequel Halloweentown II.
I hope you enjoy the suggestions. Have a great Halloween, and remember, as Ron Burgundy says: “Stay classy San Diego”!
Image source: Creative Commons
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