Ah, Halloween.
It’s a time for costumes, trick or treating, and classic Halloween films. Whether you like horror, comedy or something in between, there’s something for everyone. And why not enjoy a great film while you’re answering the door for kids looking for treats and fending off those looking to perpetrate some classic tricks. It’s as great time for a great movie, or at least a passable movie.
Here are the movies I recommend watching with friends this Halloween.
Event Horizon – Rarely do I get freaked out by a movie in theatres but Event Horizon got me. A missing starship pops up after seven years and a rescue ship headed up by Laurence Fishburne is dispatched to investigate. They find that the crew has been brutally tortured to death after apparently discovering a gateway to what can best be described as Hell. Event Horizon is a disturbingly effective combination of science fiction and horror, which is a polite way of saying it scared the living crap out of me.
Freddy vs. Jason – When you think horror icons you think Freddy Kreuger and Jason Voorhees. Psychotic killers of the highest repute, they are the anchors of two of the biggest horror franchises to come out of the 1980s. It should come as no surprise that they eventually faced off 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason. It’s certainly not scary and it’s definitely not good but it is a heck of a lot of fun to watch on a dark Halloween night.
Young Frankenstein – The quintessential Mel Brooks film, Young Frankenstein is not your traditional Halloween fare but it’s a nice midpoint between comedy and horror. And why can’t you enjoy a good laugh on Halloween? This Brooks update to the classic story is interesting, engaging and hilarious thanks to brilliant performances from the likes of Gene Wilder, Gene Hackman, Teri Garr, Peter Boyle and the incomparable Madeline Kahn.
Leprechaun – This is definably one of the worst horror films ever made, combining bad comedy, bad horror and bad acting. And this isn’t the “so bad it’s awesome” kind of bad. This story of people being terrorized by a nefarious leprechaun is just bad. But it’s also a right of passage for horror fans that must be watched at least once. Plus, this was Jennifer Aniston’s feature film role.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for what’s out there on Netflix. And we can’t forget one of the greatest films of all time, a film I recommended last year for Halloween; Ghostbusters. While this is a great time of year to watch the movie, it’s never really a bad time to watch it. Ghostbusters is one of those movies that you truly enjoy watching over and over again. I’ve seen it at least 50 times and I still love it.
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Whatever you decide to do this Halloween, finish it up with a great flick and raiding the kids’ stash of candy.
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Ian Goodwillie is a columnist for the Spectator Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @ThePrairieGeek and on Tumblr at iangoodwillie.tumblr.com.