halloween movie line-up

The Halloweenie movie season is upon us! So for the ease of my avid readers I've composed a list of must-see movies for this fantastic time of year!

A group of oddball characters assmeble at an old Victorian mansion to play a game of "whodunit." If you like the board game Clue, or murder mysteries, or comedy (or in my case, all three) then you will absolutely love the movie Clue. The characters are fantastically diverse and each play an important role. Madeline Kahn has me rolling on the floor ever single time she opens her mouth.

Alfred Hitchcock may have been the best director who ever lived. It's a bold statement, to be sure. Universally lauded by critics, PSYCHO has been so popular with the public that it is scarsely necessary to mention that it tells the tale of a boy and his mother. Anthony Perkins is unforgettable as Norman Bates. He's a reclusive mamma's boy. He runs the Bates Motel -- ominously overlooked by a delapidated, old house. Mother's house. Vivian Leigh plays a would-be embezzler, who makes an unfortunate lay-over at the Bates Motel. Worse yet, she takes a shower.

Ooooh man! I know this movie is so 80's and has a lot of corny parts, but it just isn't Halloween without watching this hilarious flick. I think we've all had neighbors that we've suspected of being similar to the Klopex family. I just love it!

The Sanderson sisters, played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, are absolutely hilarious! The three outlandishly wild witches return from 17th century Salem to cast a spell on the town and reclaim their youth. You're in for tricks and treats in Disney's hysterically funny "Hocus Pocus." 

Inspector Winship (Knotts) and Dr. Tart (Conway) are a pair of Scotland Yard investigators who are called on to look into the mysterious murders of Lord and Lady Morley. At the possibly haunted Morley mansion the bumbling duo have to deal with a bizarre household staff, a wealthy heiress, and more in this hilarious spoof of Sherlock Holmes and other mystery stories. One of the best pairings for Knotts and Conway, with plenty of inspired slapstick and wackiness.  Absolutely fantastic!

This is one of my all-time favorites! Tim Burton is brilliant. Despite having recently presided over a very successful Halloween, Jack Skellington, aka the Pumpkin King, is bored with his job and feels that life in Halloweentown lacks meaning. Then he stumbles upon Christmastown and promptly decides to make the Yuletide his own. 

At first glance this late nineteenth century village seems picture perfect. However, this close-knit community lives with the frightening knowledge that a race of creatures resides in the woods around them. The villagers share the fear of the evil and foreboding force that lurks outside. So frightening that one dare not venture beyond "The Village" and into the woods. 

8-year-old Cole Sear is haunted by a dark secret: he is visited by ghosts. A reluctant channel, Cole is frightened by visitations from those with unresolved problems who appear from the shadows. Confused by his paranormal powers, Cole is too young to understand his purpose and too afraid to tell anyone aout his anguish, except child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe. As Dr. Crowe tries to uncover the ominous truth about Cole's supernatural abilities, the consequences for client and therapist are a jolt that awakens them both to something harrowing--and unexplainable. Next stop, creepville.

Gabriel Van Helsing is a man cursed with a past he cannot recall and driven by a mission he cannot deny. Charged by a secret organization to seek out and defeat evil the world over, his efforts to rid the world of its nightmareish creatures have been rewarded with the title that now follows him: murderer. Van Helsing roams the globe an outcast, a fugitive, a loner, himself hunted by those who don't understand the true nature of his calling. If your into myth and monsters then this is the movie for you.

Set in a 19th century European village, young Victor is whisked away to the underworld and wed to a mysterious Corpse Bride, while his real bride, Victoria, waits bereft in the land of the living. Though life in the Land of the Dead proves to be a lot more colorful than his strict Victorian upbringing, Victor learns that there is nothing in this world, or the next, that can keep him away from his one true love. Another Tim Burton masterpiece.

Fired from their university research jobs, Drs. Venkman, Stantz, and Spengler promptly set up shop as parapsychologists specializing in psychic phenomena and soon they're ridding Manhattan of bizarre apparitions. But the talents of these spirit exterminators--Ghostbusters--are severely tested when beautiful Dana Barrett and her nerdy neighbor become possessed by demons living in their building. Possibly one of the funniest movies ever! "Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together- mass hysteria." -Peter Venkman.

A perfect mix of suspense and thrill. Nicole Kidman delivers a spectacular performance in this chilling tale. And to all of you who claim that you "guessed" the ending, I call shananigans.

Steve Guttenberg. Need I Say more. And yes, this movie is based after Disney's ride in California Adventure.

 

Without a doubt, this is probably the least favorite of the Harry Potter movies according to most fans. And though I think it could've been better, I still enjoyed it. I'm not too hard to please when it comes to movies. I picked this Harry Potter flick because it is definitely the most Halloweenie.

All of the Peanuts gang dress up for the enchanting night of Halloween. All, that is, except for Linus, who firmly believes that this year the Great Pumpkin will finally visit his humble pumpkin patch. A childhood fave!

The Brewster sisters are spinster pillars of Brooklyn society, except for their secret penchant for poisoning old male callers with their homemade elderberry wine, to end the men's loneliness. I love Cary Grant (I'm even a card carrying member of the Cary Grant Swooning Society aka CGSS), he is brilliant on so many levels. This movie is a fantastic display of black humor (without being too black). This is a must see if you like a good laugh. Cary really proved himself a top notch comedian.

The "Addams family" are, shall I say a "unique" family. They live in a rundown, old house which might remind you of the house in Psycho, maybe a little more comical. The head of the household is Gomez, his wife, whom he loves passionately, is Morticia. Their children, who love to torture each other (literally), are Wednesday and Pugsley. Living with them are "Granny" (Judith Malina), the family butler Lurch and the disembodied hand known as Thing. Just an all-around great (cheesy, but great) Halloween flick.

A dead couple attempts to scare a modern family out of there house with the help of a "bio-exorcist." Michael Keaton is so brilliantly disgusting as Beetlejuice. If you watch this and find yourself thinking, "This is a bit corny." Just remember it's from the 80's and then everything should be fine.

A great remake of Hitchcock's Rear Window. Shia LaBeouf does a tremendous job as Kale, a withdrawn and troubled teen who is sentenced to house arrest. As the walls of his house begin to close in on Kale, he becomes a voyeur as his interests turn outside the windows of his suburban home towards those of his neighbors, one of which Kale begins to suspect is a serial killer. Great suspense thriller.

Do you have a favorite Halloween flick?