Goosebumps (rated PG) - Pravalika
Zach Cooper, portrayed by Dylan Minnette, is a young teenager who moved to a small town with his widowed mother Gale (Amy Ryan.) Soon after he moves in, Zach meets his pretty next-door neighbor, Hannah (Odeya Rush.) He learns that Hannah’s mysterious father R.L. Stein, (Jack Black) is the author of the famous book series “Goosebumps.” Later, Zach accidentally unleashes the monsters from the story and must return the monsters into the book, with the help of Hannah and Stine. This action, comedy, and monster-themed movie is great if you want to watch something funny and less scary during Halloween.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (rated PG) - Pravalika
The film follows Jack Skellington (Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon), Halloweentown’s pumpkin king, who becomes bored with the town’s routine of scaring people in the “real world.” Jack accidentally discovers Christmastown, a cheery, bright-colored place with warm spirits, and enjoys the town. He decides to control Christmas by kidnapping Santa Claus (Edward Ivory) and taking over Santa Claus’s position. But will his plan be easy to follow through? “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is an animated Disney movie with fantasy, “dark fun” and a unique story that many might enjoy. The addition of the “creepy” characters in a somewhat Christmas related movie is what makes this movie so unique. This movie can be enjoyed on all hallows eve or Christmas if you like the unique “creepy” and “dark fun” plot and characters.
Anabelle Comes Home (rated R) - Pravalika
Hoping to keep the evil Annabelle doll (Samara Lee) from causing chaos, paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren bring the Annabella doll home. But the doll, which was locked in a room full of old artifacts, awakens evil spirits and causes a night of terror to the couple’s young daughter Judy (Mackenna Grace), Judy’s friends, and Judy’s babysitter Mary Elle (Madison Iseman.) How will they defeat the doll and its’ evil plans? “Annabella Comes Home” is a film that is sure to keep you awake at night. With a creepy doll that makes you jump, “Annabella Comes Home” is great for those who want to stay true to Halloween by watching the most frightening movies.
A Quiet Place (rated R) - Bela
The Abbott family live in a post-apocalyptic world where most of the population was wiped out by creatures that kill anything that makes a sound. While the family starts to adjust to this new way of life they stumble upon a new challenge when the mother Evelyn, portrayed by Emily Blunt, falls into her final stages of pregnancy.
Coraline (rated PG) - Bela
A child named Coraline (Dakota Fanning) moves into a house with her mom (Teri Hatcher) and her dad (John Hodgman.) One day Coraline discovers a doorway that ends up leading her to another dimension where everything seems the same except for the fact that everything is perfect and everyone has buttons for eyes. Eventually, Coraline realizes that the woman claiming to be her mother in the other dimension, also voiced by Teri Hatcher, trapped her there and intends to steal her soul, so now she must find a way to escape.
Ready or Not (rated R) - Bela
After getting married into the wealthy Le Domas family, Grace, portrayed by Samara Weaving, must follow their tradition that requires whoever is getting married into the family must play a game that is chosen from a puzzle box if it was any other game it would be played normally, however, Grace drew hide and seek which means that the Le Domas has until sunrise to hunt and kill Grace for the sake of an unknown superstition
Edward Scissorhands (rated PG-13) - Kat
This 1990 movie illustrates a man named Edward Scissorhands, portrayed by Johnny Depp, who had been artificially constructed with scissors for hands. As he lives as an outcast in this abandoned home hovering over a small, suburban town, a mother named Peg (Dianne Wiest) takes him in as her own. From there, he falls in love with her teenage daughter named Kim, portrayed by Winona Ryder. Edward’s inability to join the “normalcy” in society mixed with the cult fantasy vibe provides a great family movie to watch during Halloween or even Christmas.
Us (rated R) - Kat
Adelaide Wilson, portrayed by Lupita Nyong’o, returns to a beach house with her family (portrayed by Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, and Evan Alex) that dates back to her early childhood. Before her return, Adelaide experienced a traumatic state that left her uneasy about going back after all these years. Once they arrive everything seems normal and great for the family until they become forced to fight for their survival against a family who looks exactly like them. This thriller/horror film directed by Jordan Peele is not only for entertainment, but Peele consistently foreshadows and utilizes metaphors in moving the plot forward. If you like finding clues and guessing the story ending, this is a great movie for that.
The Devil All the Time (rated R) - Kat
“The Devil All the Time” is more of a psychological thriller than a regular thriller/horror film. This movie stars actors and actresses such as Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgard, Eliza Scanlen, Robert Pattinson, Harry Melling, Sebastian Stan, Riley Keough, and many more. In a small rural town set in the period of World War II, many stories are described. The narrator starts with a war veteran named Willard Russell (Bill Skarsgard) after witnessing a disturbing event in the war. The storyline then proceeds through the lives of Willard’s mother, his uncle, and especially his son, Arvin (Tom Holland.) It can start very confusing, but as you dive deeper into the plot it will become more clear what the story means. Beginning as a novel written by Donald Ray Pollock, this motion picture film came out just recently and has been highly praised in terms of executing the thriller aspect in which the movie revolves around the idea of beliefs and religion.
The Mummy (PG) - Ursula
Old horror movies are often some of the funniest movies I have watched due to their sheer awkwardness. In this regard, 1959’s rendition of The Mummy- one of the four fabled pillars of Universal Horror- doesn’t disappoint. If you are looking for something to cackle at this Halloween, this is one you cannot go wrong with. Archaeologists John Banning (played by Peter Cushing, who contemporary audiences may recognize as “Star Wars”’s Grand Moff Tarkin) and his family members (Felix Aylmer and Raymond Huntley) are searching for the tomb of a long-dead Egyptian princess (Yvonne Furneaux), ignoring supposedly religious warnings against tomb desecrators. (You may notice this is not accurate. To expect accuracy out of this movie is like expecting a mouse to lift weights.) The perceived religious slight leads to Kharis (Christopher Lee), the promised mummy in the title, to give chase, resulting in (what is supposed to be) terrifying results. This movie is hilarious, and- even better- completely lacking in any kind of understandable plot. It’s as stilted and mindless as its undead title character, and all the better for it.
(NOTE: This movie is from 1959, and is not politically correct by modern standards. While this may result in unintended comedy, it is important to note that it aged like milk and thus may not appeal to some viewers.)
Rigoletto (unrated) - Ursula
Yes, I know that recommending an opera is kind of weird. No, I do not care. I love opera. I cannot describe how or why, but there is something about it that just clicks to me. Operas can constitute any genre, from comedy to tragedy, and Rigoletto is a perfect blend of creepiness and genuine tragedy, especially through French opera director Jean Pierre-Ponnelle’s 1982 film adaptation. Rigoletto (Ingvar Wixell) is the beleaguered and put-upon court jester of the vile Duke of Mantua (the famed Luciano Pavarotti) and his cronies. Rigoletto is constantly mocked by them for his spinal deformity, leaving him embittered with the world. The only light in his life is his young daughter, Gilda (Edita Gruberova), but when she falls into the Duke’s hands, it’s up to Rigoletto to plot revenge, aided by a pair of sibling assassins, Sparafucile (one of my personal favorites, Ferruccio Furlanetto) and Maddalena (Victoria Vergara.)But even the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and, in this take on ableism and classism that dangles between the grotesque and the heartrending, they most certainly will… The music is surprisingly catchy (I say ‘surprisingly’ only because opera is not often thought of as catchy) and the plot is more gripping than one would think. If you’re looking for something completely different, give it a chance.
Watership Down (rated PG) - Ursula
It may not be a Halloween movie, but in terms of disturbing animated films, you cannot go wrong with this one. This xenofiction classic opens in the familiar hills of the Sandleford Warren, where a rabbit seer named Fiver (Richard Briers) has a horrific vision of blood and destruction covering the once-peaceful area. His brother, Hazel (John Hurt) leads a group of rabbits out of the warren to find a new home in the titular Watership Down, consisting of such characters as the bellicose Bigwig (Michael Graham Cox), the intellectual Blackberry (Simon Cadell), and the gifted storyteller Dandelion (Richard O’Callaghan). As rabbits, however, all the world is their enemy. If anything catches them, it will kill them- but first, of course, it must kill them. While the story is infamous for its violence and gore despite its leporine protagonists, there is a genuine heart to the story, and it has some of the best worldbuilding I have ever seen. Somewhere between the line of dark fantasy and childhood dream lies “Watership Down,” and its atmosphere will suck you in too.
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