Halloween Film Picks
The Thing (1982)
Carpenter had a knack for effects and tension that still hold up to modern standard, nearly forty (!) years later. I’ve seen “The Thing” a dozen times and I’m still caught off-guard by its pervasive sense of dread — which character is next to explode in a mess of flailing tentacles and teeth? Following in the footsteps of the groundbreaking sci-fi horror Alien, Carpenter similarly solved the “why don’t they just leave the haunted house” — with Antarctic tundra, and the worst winter storm of the year. Fun fact: the scientists still stationed in Antarctica gather to watch this every winter! –Elliot Alpern
It Follows (2014)
The effectiveness of this movie comes from the setting and shooting location, Southeast Michigan, where I’m from. All the horror movies shot and set in Southern California necessarily play out in a landscape only a small percent of the audience will remember from childhood—It Follows’s Detroit suburb bungalows, wide green lawns and towering hardwood trees are the backdrop for every memory I made when I was small, still afraid of the dark in a mortal way. Mileage will vary on this film, I think—but everyone deserves to have a horror movie made in the part of the world they grew up in. –Nathaniel Berry
Misery (1990)
It’s not Halloween season if someone doesn’t mention Stephen King, now is it? But let’s get away from The Shining and It for a moment and put our focus on Misery: a 1990 film based on a novel by the same name, directed by the lovely Rob Reiner. People have said Misery is either the best or secondary best (to Kubrick’s adaptation of course) of King’s horror portfolio. An acclaimed writer is injured after a car accident and his savior happens to be his “No. 1” fan who is very eager to take him under her care and restore him back to health. Starring Kathy Bates and Paul Caan, you’ll wish you could watch this movie in a cozy, winter-ridden cabin. –Giulia Di Stravola
A Ghost Story (2017)
This Rob Lowry film gives you more than you could ask of a ghost story: the tragic death of a musician; ghosts vanishing from under sheets; Rooney Mara eating an entire pie against the kitchen counter; a hipster explaining the premise of the film to Kesha; and, of course—an immense, gliding sense of loss. —Gauraa Shekhar
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
I saw the film version of the legendary theatre show for the first time in high school and was absolutely obsessed with the music, the costumes, the everything. Although there is no way to attend an actual performance this year and shout along with the performers, sitting down with the film is the next best thing. Let's do the time warp again. –Rachel A. G. Gilman
Split (2016)
Ok, ok – I know it’s not a traditional Halloween movie, but! It’s an important reminder that sometimes nothing is scarier than an unhinged human brain. Similarly, it demonstrates how often the most haunting of realities are the ones of true pain; how experiences of suffering have the potential to forever haunt one’s days. –Madeline Garfinkle
The Night Eats the World (2018)
Man goes to an apartment party to pick up something he left behind; man takes a nap and sleeps the whole night; man wakes up to a world of zombies. I love the reality of this situation- you wonder, if the apocalypse strikes, how you’ll fare living in an apartment building. They won’t just collapse. So how do you make the most of it? Bonus: it’s set in Paris, and yet, Paris sits outside, perpetually unseen. –Elliot Alpern
Heathers (1989)
I didn’t watch Heathers on Broadway, or HBO’s 2018 adaptation of it, and, frankly, I stand by my decision: The Michael Lehmann original is perfect as it stands. Fresh-faced Christian Slater and young Winona Ryder are Westerburg High School’s most damning power couple. They have zero tolerance for tyranny and don’t give a damn about those lunch polls. Heathers is a perfect reminder that nothing is more very than teen angst bullshit, and may it live forever amen. —Gauraa Shekhar
Kuroneko “The Black Cat" (1968)
This movie is simply fantastic, though I'm a little biased since it incorporates many elements of Japanese culture that I am fascinated by. Set in a Japanese village during the Warring States period, an evil spirit seduces and commits gruesome murder upon traveling samurais. Not to mention, the murders are executed in a way that emulates a cat's method of attack, ripping of throats, etc. A military hero is then sent to absolve the spirit(s) and end the haunting, but he finds himself confronting his own inner demons while combating this unseen evil. Shot in 1968, this movie redefined cinematic effects and atmospheric elements in Japanese horror filmmaking, and you will love the feminist angle this movie takes on. –Giulia Di Stravola
Mandy (2018)
I can’t remember if someone already said it’s what a heavy metal t-shirt would be if a heavy metal t-shirt was a movie, but it’s that—a complete fulfillment of the daydreams of that guy next to you in biology class, the one you’re a little worried about who’s drawing gore in the margins of his spiral bound notes. –Nathaniel Berry
1408 (2007)
Based on the Stephen King story of the same name, this movie is about an author trapped in a New York City room, where he experiences “bizarre” events. Let that sit with you for a moment.—Gauraa Shekhar
It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (1966)
My fifth-grade teacher made us watch every single Charlie Brown special in class each holiday. The droll aesthetic of it sort of went over my head as a child but I deeply identify with Charlie in adulthood. Our metaphorical 2020 candy bags might have been filled with a ton of rocks thus far, but at least there's a little bald guy in a yellow shirt who gets the disappointment, too. —Rachel A. G. Gilman
