The Descent (2005): Halloween

This movie is FANTASTIC. I could watch it every day and not get sick of it. The film follows a group of female friends who enjoy spelunking (cave exploration). They are reuniting a year after one of the women lost her daughter and husband in a car accident. As they explore the caves, they begin to realize that they are not alone and the begin to be stalked and attacked by subterranean creatures. Their friendships are tested and they begin to deal with tensions and issues between themselves. The creatures in this film are so creepy, and the whole idea of being trapped underground where help can’t get to you is terrifying enough. The whole film has an urgent, claustrophobic feel that will raise your blood pressure and scare your pants off. I definitely recommend watching this film for a unique halloween scare.

Netflix available? No

Hulu available? No

Xfinity available? Yes

Holiday rating: 6 pumpkins

The Conjuring (2013): Halloween

A modern classic, The Conjuring was released in 2013 and has since created an onslaught of mediocre spin offs and sequels. The original itself however, is very good. The film is inspired by true events, the paranormal investigations of Ed and Lorraine Warren. It follows a family that moves into a new home and begins to experience a violent haunting. They bring in the Warrens to help them, and begin to find that getting rid of the evil in their home will not be easy. The film has a dreary autumnal atmosphere which provides a creepy setting. The acting in the film is well done, especially considering the presence of child actors. The whole film is spooky and absolutely perfect for Halloween. I definitely recommend checking out this film to get yourself scared for Halloween. It doesn’t have all that much actual Halloween imagery, but the atmosphere and scares alone will make it perfect for a haunted October night.

Netflix available? Yes

Hulu available? No

Xfinity available? Yes

Holiday rating: 7 pumpkins

 

Satan’s Little Helper (2004): Halloween

This movie is hilariously wonderful. It’s an insanely low budget horror film filled with dark comedy and Halloween imagery galore. A little boy, obsessed with a video game where he plays as Satan’s little helper, helping him kill people. When he encounters a real serial killer dressed as Satan from the video game, he inadvertently aids him in committing a spree of murders. The film is a hilarious concept and despite some bad acting it’s really funny and enjoyable. It is also set in New England with some beautiful autumnal foliage, Halloween costumes and decorations, and cozy sweaters. It definitely feels spooky and perfect for fall. If you’re a fan of halloween and hilariously campy horror films, I definitely recommend checking out this underrated little number.

Netflix available? No

Hulu available? No

Xfinity available? Yes

Holiday rating: 10 pumpkins

 

They Live (1988): Halloween

Time for the scariest thing of all time… consuuuuuumerism. This John Carpenter film follows a drifter whose eyes are opened to the fact that aliens are infiltrating society and pushing people to consume and not open their eyes to the fact that they are being controlled. He and his friend join an anti-alien alliance and try to fight their way out. This movie is amazingly entertaining. Obviously its message is incredibly 80’s in its “they’re controlling your mind through the television and just want you to buy things and be sheeple” but it was certainly a necessary message at the time. Apart from its sociological message, this film is a wonderful body snatcher sci-fi film and stars American treasure, Keith David. I highly recommend checking this film out if you are in the mood for some 80’s alien fun this Halloween. While this film doesn’t have much in the way of holiday imagery, its bug eyed aliens are enough to give you the chills.

Netflix available? No

Hulu available? No

Xfinity available? Yes

Holiday rating: 7 pumpkins

Scream 4 (2011): Halloween

Sidney Prescott is back, and being the angel of death more than ever. Sidney comes back to Woodsboro for a book tour, meeting her younger cousin, Jill, and her aunt. Soon, the teens of Woodsboro are in danger and their murders are being filmed. Sydney, Gale and Dewey to figure out who the copy cat is. So this movie is part of my favorite horror franchise, debuting 11 years after the final trilogy installment. It’s definitely superior to the third film, which was so convoluted and just a total mess. It’s not that original, but it has some modern updates that are enjoyable. However, it definitely wasn’t trying to push the envelope the way the original was. If you’re going to watch the franchise this is definitely one you have to check out. This film is great for Halloween, there’s some fun new twists, as well as some old favorite tropes. While there isn’t any halloween imagery it’s a horror movie so it’s an obvious choice. Give it a watch to get yourself into to the mood for the spookiest night of the year.

Netflix available? Yes

Hulu available? No

Xfinity available? Yes

Holiday rating: 7 pumpkins

My Bloody Valentine (2009): Valentine’s Day

So this is a reboot of the 1981 movie, that I happen to love very much despite it being not so good. And this is… kind of the same. This definitely isn’t a remake, it’s more in the vein of what was coming out in the late 2000’s. Teens experience a traumatic event, so many years later they’re reliving their trauma. It was also the height of the 3D craze so there’s lots of special effects that have not aged well. The general plot of this movie is that a group of teens are almost murdered by a pickaxe-wielding-miner-maniac. Ten years later on the anniversary the murders are beginning again and they have to figure out who the killer is. I like that they didn’t try to exactly follow the plot of the original because I just don’t think it would’ve held up too well. Like a miner with a vendetta against a school dance may have been passable in the 80’s but not in the 00’s. So yeah, this movie isn’t anything special, but it’s fun, mildly original and I think it’s pretty entertaining. Also it’s pretty gory, so if you’re into that, you’ll love this. Maybe it’s not the most romantic Valentine’s Day flick, but it’s definitely a staple in my lineup every year. I’m also going to tag this as Halloween, because even though it’s set around Valentine’s Day, it’s a horror movie, so it can definitely be enjoyed during the spookiest time of the year.

Netflix available? No

Hulu available? Yes

Xfinity available? No

Holiday rating: 6 candy hearts

Black Christmas (2006): Christmas

So… this movie makes me angry. I LOVE the original 1974 film, so for this to have the same name is honestly a travesty. I’m going to try to keep my rage out of my review (to a point). But holy god is this movie terrible. The movie centers around a group of sorority girls whose house was previously the site of horrible child abuse and gruesome murders.  They begin getting threatening phone calls and quickly realize that they are being stalked by the murderer. The murderer in this movie is Billy, a boy who was locked in the attic and physically and sexually abused by his mother. He fathers his sister/daughter and then murders his mother and stepfather, claiming that his sister/daughter is his now. Also for some reason he eats eyeballs. So the girls are being picked off one by one and have to fight to survive. The film is full of Christmas lights and decorations and music and that’s about the only positive I can give this movie. The sad thing is, it has some really good actresses in it. I think it’s just poorly written and shot and directed and edited… The reason this really grinds my gears is that in the original movie, the killer has no back story. He’s just targeting them for some unknown reason, which is so much scarier to me. And I’m not saying every remake has to be, or should be exact, but you can’t show every hand you have and expect the movie to work. It’s so stupid. This movie is stupid. The only reason to watch it is to make fun of it or if you want to see a lot of Christmas lights, which you can see in tons of other movies anyway.

Netflix available? No

Hulu available? No

Xfinity available? Yes

Holiday rating: 7 Christmas trees

Krampus (2015): Christmas

So for the longest time Black Christmas was my favorite Christmas horror film, and I still really love it but I think Krampus has stolen the title. This is a horror comedy set at Chistmas time and explores the myth of Krampus, a demon who comes to punish people who lose the Christmas spirit. Max is a little boy whose family doesn’t get into Christmas the way they used to. He reaches out to Santa in a letter to help bring back the Christmas spirit. But after his cousins make fun of him he throws it away, thus invoking the wrath of Krampus. A horrible blizzard comes out of nowhere and traps the family in the house. One by one they are picked off by Christmas demons, which are just amazing. Like there’s demonic gingerbread men and evil toys, it’s great. And unlike most Christmas movies, this ending is more… dark and ambiguous? This movie is so much fun, it’s dripping in Christmas imagery and has some really fun campy horror elements. I think all horror fans should check this out at Christmas time.

Netflix available? No

Hulu available? No

Xfinity available? Yes

Holiday rating: 9 Christmas trees

Scream 3 (2001): Halloween

So if you’ve read my other reviews you know how much I love this franchise and how much the original influenced me as a person and how I think the second one is pretty good too. This one, I like well enough, but it really is kind of a mess. I love this franchise and I find this to be pretty enjoyable to watch, but I can definitely recognize its flaws. I won’t ruin it, but who the killer is is like so crazy and convoluted and isn’t really all that believable. It’s also really trying to satirize itself which was fresh in the original, but it’s getting a little tired in this one. Still, the cast is great and it’s fun to watch, even though it’s a little far fetched. I still think it’s a great film to watch for halloween. It’s a very fun slasher and if you’re a fan of the franchise then you really can’t go wrong. If you aren’t that into the franchise, this might not be the one for you, there’s lots of call backs to previous movies, but if that doesn’t bother you have at it!

Netflix available? No

Hulu available? No

Xfinity available? Yes

Holiday rating: 8 pumpkins

Scream 2 (1997): Halloween

So if you read my review of Scream, you know how influential that movie was in my life and how much it helped shape me as a person (I’m completely serious). I love the entire franchise, but even a fan like me can admit a decline in overall quality. But I think the sequel is still good in comparison to other movies that exist out there. This movie finds Sidney at college, attempting to recover from the trauma of the Woodsboro murders and live a normal life. Unfortunately, a copycat seems to have followed her and she and her friends are now fighting for survival… again. I still really love this movie, despite being a little pissed about the death of my favorite character of the entire franchise. This movie is great for a Halloween frightfest, especially if you decide to have a marathon of the entire franchise. It’s still got some great scares and a semi believable storyline (unlike the third, but I’ll get to that). I definitely recommend putting this movie on your Halloween watchlist this year.

Netflix available? No

Hulu available? No

Xfinity available? Yes

Holiday rating: 8 pumpkins