If you are looking for a low-key Halloween, why don’t you call up some friends, pop some popcorn, dim the lights and watch some horror movies. I’m not talking about one of the 100 Saw sequels or a PG-13 rated MTV film. The following macabre movie suggestions, in no particular order, should make any fan of fright enjoy their Halloween night.
Halloween
John Carpenter’s masterpiece set the standard for the slasher-flick. What the Halloween franchise has that others lack is substance. Halloween set the standard for pacing, tone and suspense making for one of greatest horror movies ever.
Halloween 2
Takes place directly after Halloween ends and ups the ante in kills from the first film. Michael Myers follows Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) to the hospital where he continues to wreak havoc on Haddonfield, Illinois.
Ginger Snaps
The film is a modern-day cult classic about two teenage sisters who only have each other. The birds and the bees, boys, puberty and lycanthropy soon damage the bond between the sisters. Ginger’s transformation from girl to werewolf tests the bond of sisterhood, proving blood isn’t always thicker than water.
Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight
The Crypt Keeper took his HBO hit to the big screen with an original story that followed the show’s formula of horror, sexiness and dark humor. Billy Zane and William Sadler square off as two men defending the respective sides of good versus evil. Zane plays "The Collector," a demon sent from hell to obtain the lost key to return the earth to darkness.
Stephen King’s IT
Childhood friends are now adults and are being haunted by the same monster they fought as kids. The monster, played by Tim Curry, takes the form as a menacing clown. If you are afraid of clowns, this is why.
Night of the Living Dead
George Romero’s definitive undead film serves as a benchmark for zombie greatness. Romero proved you didn’t need a big budget to make a landmark movie.
Frankenstein
This black-and-white classic beautifully adapts Mary Shelly’s classic novel. Horror-icon Boris Karloff plays Frankenstein’s monster better than anyone ever will. When you hear the term "horror classic," this immediately comes to mind.
30 Days of Night
A horde of bloodthirsty vampires decides to feast on the small town of Barrow, Alaska. Thirty days of consecutive darkness and bitter cold set the stage for a tale of survival horror with the remaining inhabitants of the town defending against a vicious breed of evil.
The Monster Squad
Picture The Sandlot mixed with Stand By Me and throw in some 1950s horror icons and you have The Monster Squad. Dracula has awakened from darkness and has enlisted the mummy, the werewolf, the Frankenstein monster and the creature from the black lagoon as his army to take over the world. Mankind’s only hope is in the hands of an adolescent club of horror movie dorks.
The Hills Have Eyes
This 2006 remake of the 1977 Wes Craven classic serves as more than just a worthy adaption. A family is tortured by a group of post-nuclear fallout mutants. The gore is gruesome, the images are disturbing and the story evokes emotions out of the viewer. What more can you ask for?
