Culture Pick: The Culture Desk’s Halloween Movie Picks
October 26, 2022
With the leaves falling from the trees and an unshakable chill in the air, students everywhere are eager to get into the Halloween spirit. The Crimson White Culture Desk’s eclectic selection of Halloween movies are perfect for the most veteran horror movie lovers as well as those who prefer to dabble in candy-corn nostalgia with children’s classics.
Made for just $300,000 and filmed over a period of 17 days, the original “Halloween” movie became an instant classic upon release in 1978. Not only does “Halloween” boast a chilling soundtrack composed by John Carpenter, but it also created one of the most iconic horror villains of all time, serial killer Michael Myers. Additionally, this movie spawned thirteen arguably awful sequels, creating a franchise that will continue as long as Myers refuses to die.
The first movie in a series of four, Disney’s “Halloweentown” presents the hokey coming of age story of a young witch named Marnie Piper, played by Kimberly J. Brown. Starring renowned actress Debbie Reynolds as the famous witch Aggie Cromwell, Halloweentown is the perfect family-friendly movie to ring in this spooky season with a touch of nostalgia and giggles.
Fear Street Part Two: 1978 (2021)
“Fear Street: Part Two — 1978,” is a fantastic, yet chilling, adaptation of one of R.L. Stine’s trio of novels. Starring Sadie Sink and Emily Rudd, this film takes you deeper into the three-part “Fear Street” cinematic universe, allowing viewers to gain a deeper understanding of the town of Shadyside. The second movie is an homage to ‘70s summer camp slashers and takes place at Camp Nightwing, an ordinarily boring summer camp with a multitude of secrets lurking below the surface.
Godfather to the Folk Horror genre, this cult classic proves that a film does not need jump scares to strike fear in the hearts of an audience. While not technically set during October, there are just enough masks in “The Wicker Man” to make it the perfect Halloween pick. As you’ll come to find, there are few things more seasonal than a story about confronting a modern Christian ethic with the paganism of millennia past.
Pixar’s “Coco” is an excellent movie to watch for those looking for a family-friendly pick while also celebrating the intricacies of Día de los Muertos, a holiday mainly celebrated by people of Mexican heritage to welcome back deceased relatives from the afterlife. Follow the journey of a young boy and his pet as he struggles to get back home after accidentally stranding himself in the afterlife. “Coco” is an instant Disney classic and a great alternative for those who want to watch a movie with autumnal aesthetics without all the horror.
The Christmas-Halloween intersectional genre is itself rich with selection, with “Krampus” typically not at the forefront. The film represents a fix of the dichotomy, with no Tim Burton or stop-motion to speak of. The novelty of witnessing the traditional joys and whimsy of the holiday season subverted by cheesy, ghoulish horrors is enough to take the audience through to the end, perhaps leaving them a bit uneasy.
The House That Jack Built (2018)
“The House That Jack Built” is a 2018 psychological and body horror film written and directed by Lars von Trier. Famously starring legendary actors Matt Dillon and Uma Thurman, this twisted film chronicles the grisly killings of “Mr. Sophistication” over a twelve-year period. Jack, the killer, uses his background in architecture to meticulously plan and execute an array of murders with no seemingly visible endgame until his special art project is revealed at the very end.
The original installment of “Scream” in 1996 will forever go down in cinematic history as one of the best opening scenes of all time, where Drew Barrymore’s character, Casey, plays a terrifying game of chase over the phone with a masked killer while cowering in her kitchen. Since then, this slasher has set the gold standard for what a murder mystery should look like. With a twist ending that will shock any horror veteran, the original “Scream” is a must-watch for any Halloween movie binge.
“Creep” is an indie found footage film that follows a struggling videographer who takes an odd job for an odd man in order to get a little extra cash. What he finds upon arriving at the location of filming, however, is much more unsettling and disturbing. With a cast of only three characters and little to no score playing in the background, “Creep” is an instant cult classic for anyone who can appreciate a script that has mastered the art of suspense.
Stanley Kubrick, a notoriously eccentric director, translates the most horrifying cinematic elements of Stephen King’s masterpiece into a giant of filmmaking. The camerawork toys with space and dimensions in subtle ways, with The Overlook Hotel being geographically impossible in terms of its layout. The performances are brilliant, and the tone perfectly toes the line between delirium and feverish terror. It’s the most cliched thing one can say in film criticism, but watching this is an unrivaled experience.
