My Personal Halloween Film Festival

I was tagged by my friend Matt in a meme on Facebook about our favorite films to watch around Halloween. The movies that still produce in you the same giddy, scared feeling you got as a kid around the holiday. He narrowed his list down to five, but I just couldn't limit myself that much, so I doubled his number.

The Lineup:


1. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
When I watched this movie for the first time at home, alone in my bedroom, I paused it at one point to use the bathroom. As I walked across the hall, I caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye; a reflection in the mirror, a weird shadow, I dunno. All I know is that I yelped, jumped about a foot in the air, and sprinted to the bathroom. It wasn't until I had slammed the door shut behind me that I stopped, thought about what I had just done, and laughed at myself. No movie had ever had that effect on me before. That's pretty much the moment I fell in love.
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2. Halloween (1978)
It may be cliche to include this in a list of favorite Halloween films, but the season just wouldn't be complete for me without the indelible strains of that theme music.
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3. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
For years when I was young, my dad tried to make me watch this movie the entire way through, but I could never make it further than the dream sequence where a Nazi-esque monster massacres the hero's family. I eventually did make it through the whole film, and it's now a favorite. Funny, scary, and gory, it also contains the gold standard of werewolf transformation scenes.
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4. Scream (1996)
Single-handedly revived the slasher genre. I possibly like it's sequel even more, but the original will always have a special place in my heart. And there's no denying that the opening sequence with Drew Barrymore is just plain brilliant.
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5. Bride of Chucky (1998)
This movie is just pure goofy fun. It obviously doesn't take itself too seriously, has some inventive kills (love that honeymoon suite scene), some hilarious dialogue, and pretty great special effects.
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6. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
This film has endured a major backlash over the years, but to me it perfectly encapsulates the fact that one's imagination is infinitely scarier than any special effect a filmmaker can come up with. Watching the trailer again, I realized that I still get chills when I hear the line "Tell me where you are, Josh!"
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7. May (2002)
After Matt and I watched this film for the first time, we sat in stunned silence when it ended. I think that just about says it all. Unlike anything I had ever seen before, it goes to some very dark, twisted places. And that ending; in the hands of just about any other filmmaker it would have been laughable, but here... it just works.
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8. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Funny, witty, and oh so British. Is there anyone who doesn't like this movie?
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9. Hellbent (2004)
A throwback to the low-budget slasher movies of yore. It doesn't stray from the standard formula too much, with one exception: instead of a randy bunch of teenagers, it focuses on a group of hunky gay men on their way to a Halloween party in West Hollywood. But even without that twist to distinguish itself from the pack, the film holds it's own as a surprisingly solid little horror flick, with characters slightly more sympathetic than is typical for the genre.
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10. Trick r' Treat (2008)
An update on the horror anthology film that contains anything you could ever want in a Halloween movie; laughs, thrills, chills, and a few surprises. I don't think any viewing experience could top watching this for the first time with an audience of hundreds at Comic-Con.
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HONORABLE MENTIONS:
The Ring (2002)
The Descent (2005)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)