Seven Great Halloween Movies and One Crappy One

While there are a huge number of movies I love to watch around October, but here are a few that really get me into the creepy mood.

1. Hocus Pocus
While this movie was aimed at kids, I still enjoy enjoy and will watch it whenever it comes on tv. The story begins with a family new to town. Big brother is quick to try to impress a resident "hottie" and inadvertently releases the spirits of three cursed witches who eat children. He, the hottie, his little sis, and the ghost of a boy imprisoned in a cat must figure how to send these ladies back to their graves. It's silly fun and the witches (played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker) are so much fun, you actually root for them in the end.

2. The Amityville Horror (1979 Edition)
While the remake had it's share of good scares, it's the original that does it for me. It follows the book more closely and includes more of the original scares rather than resorting to cheap blood and gore tactics. (The scene in the basement in the remake? Silly) The supposedly true story follows the Lutz family as they move into their dream home. The problem? It's haunted and these spooks are pissed. From flies to the time 3:15, they only end of staying 28 days, but what a 28 days....



3. Poltergeist
A classic of the genre, this movie is another case of a house being haunted. In this case though, the spooks are more than happy to perform parlor tricks for the first part of the movie and the movie has a rather lighthearted tone. That is, until, the family's youngest gets sucked into some parallel dimension through her closet. The movie kind of falls apart toward the end, but it doesn't disappoint.



4. The Decent
This movie scares me every single time I watch it. Perhaps it's the thought of being stuck in a series of caves with no obvious way out. Or maybe it's the blind, flesh hungry creatures hunting those stuck in the caves. Either way, this story of a group of women who want an adventure is filled with creepy moments and has an ending that packs a major punch.



5. The Nightmare Before Christmas
Claymation and singing- it just doesn't get much better than this Disney offering. The story has a classic plot- Our hero wonders if there isn't more to life. The catch is that he's the king of Halloween, so when he gets a taste of Christmas, he can't resist. It's light on scares, but if you look hard you can catch quite a few creepy nuances in there. It is a Tim Burton film after all.

6. Shawn of the Dead
My favorite zombie movie hands down. I typically don't do zombies. They aren't especially scary and they aren't smart villains. Shawn, however, takes the zombie flick to the next level. Silly, silly fun. Our main character, Shawn, finds himself dumped by his girlfriend. To win her back, he must prove to her that he sees more in his future than nights at the pub. Unfortunately, a zombie infestation interrupts his plans.

7. The Exorcist
They don't come much creepier than this. I have yet to find a movie that rivals this is terms of long term scares. Other movies may be creepier during the film or for the next ten minutes after you watch it, but The Exorcist will stay with you forever. From the raised letters on the girl's stomach to head spinning madness, this story of possession is captivating and very, very real. So real that you'll be sleeping with the lights on.....just in case.


Crappy. The Shining
You disagree? Yeah, so does the rest of the population. I just can't get into The Shining. Maybe it's the fact that Shelly Duvall is so annoying. Or the fact that they got the terrifying room number WRONG. Perhaps if I had seen the movie before reading the book, I might have been spared my unpopular opinion, but I didn't. The Shining as a book is amazing, but as a movie, just fell flat. I will redeem myself slightly though- I love Jack Nicholson in anything and I do think he does a stellar job in this. If only everything else could have measured up....

Agree? Disagree? Hate my opinion? Tell me about it.

Louski

ANTM Cycle 9 Recap Episode

So I hate the recap episodes and yet, feel compelled to watch them. The previews always show something that somewhat intriguing so I watch and of course it's not interesting. Tonights recap was no exception. Highlights for me:

- More Sarah, including a possible love interest in Jenah. Did anyone else catch Jenah's "Sarah's cute" comment? Innocent or something more? Whatever it may be, I like Sarah and was happy to see more of her. Especially since she is probably not going to be around much longer.

- Bianca's teeny tiny redemption arc. We all saw the bitch and then we all saw the absence of the bitch. Here they showed us a little more about it.

- Bianca/Chantal showdown. Chantal is one lucky girl to have gotten off so easy. Maybe her thighs don't even deserve looking at in the mirror.

Lowlights:

- Lots of Ebony shots that Tyra clearly threw in there to shove it in our face that she quit. We GET it Tyra. You hate quitters. Move on with life. Let her go.

- Toilet plunging. Don't need that.

- Any time they showed Mila. I thought I got rid of her like a month ago.

Next week:

Tyra tries the video shoot again. Let's hope she's not singing this time. Also, someone gets dizzy and falls down. My bet is that it is ten times less interesting than I want it to be.