MAX PATERSON
<Arts & Culture Editor>
It’s that time of year again, the time we dust off those “sexy” [fill in anything here] costumes, call up all of our ‘non-law’ friends, and go out for one last big night before the realities of assignments, papers and pre-exam note compiling begins. For those of you who are going to ‘rage’ on Halloween, I wish you the best and hope you find comfort in the arms of someone dressed as a superhero. For everyone else, if you are looking to spend the spookiest night of the year in the comfort of your own home, below is a collection of films that can keep you company while you sit by the door and hand out caramels to teenagers who want free candy.
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
I have actually never watched this Halloween special, but if ABC has run it consistently every Halloween for the past 40 years, then it should at least be mentioned.
Idle Hands (1999)
Fueled by an all-star cast (Devon Sawa, Seth Green, Jessica Alba), this movie is a delight from beginning to end. The basic plot follows a high school stoner whose hand becomes possessed and starts killing people around town. The first part of the movie is pretty simple, but once you throw in a couple of zombies and Vivica A. Fox as a demon-hunter, this film turns into a Halloween classic.
Hocus Pocus (1993)
This movie follows three witch sisters who terrorize a town after being dormant for 300 years. It’s basically like a female Three Stooges set during Halloween. It features an over-sexed Sarah Jessica Parker, and a really cool scene where the witches revive a corpse in a cemetery. Next to the First Wives Club and Big Business, it’s the only Bette Midler movie I watch.
The Scream Series (1996 – 2011)
If you are looking for an actual scare this Halloween, allow me to suggest the classic film series, Scream. These four movies feature tons of suspense, twists, turns, scary masks, and divorced celebrity powerhouse couple Courtney Cox and David Arquette. If you really want to pass the time this Halloween, have a Scream marathon and eat gummy worms and candy corns until you puke rainbows.
Blair Witch Project (1999)
I wonder if this movie still holds up?
Army of Darkness (1992)
After an employee of ‘S-Mart’ gets transported back to the 1300’s he has to find his way home with only his shotgun and Oldsmobile Delta Royale to aid him. This movie is very silly and very entertaining. If you find yourself downing fuzzy peaches and Swedish berries by the handful, then this movie is the right choice to take you through the sugar rush.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, Winona Ryder, and Michael Keaton, what else do you need? An impromptu dinner table dance routine?! Well, this movie has that too!
Casper (1995)
Bill Pullman and a young Christina Ricci move into a haunted house and attempt to get rid of the ghostly squatters. With one of the ghosts being friendly (Casper) and three of the ghosts being mischievous (Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso), you can imagine the hijinks that ensue. Also, if you don’t shed a tear during the final dance scene, then it’s possible you have no soul.
Frasier: “Halloween” Episode (1997)
During an amazing Halloween soiree hosted by Niles, Ros gets a pregnancy scare, which turns out to be a grand mixup of only Frasier-esque proportions. Many big words are used in this episode so be sure to watch it with a dictionary close at hand.
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
A true Halloween classic! Nothing celebrates this ghoulish holiday like watching Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon dance and sing in their underwear. I’d attempt to describe the plot, but this movie is so outrageous that it would be better if you just saw it. If you want the real Rocky Horror experience, check out one of the live shadow casts happening at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema.
Any Episode of: Are You Afraid of the Dark (1991 – 1996) or Goosebumps (1995 – 1998)
As I did research for this article I was flooded by dark memories of the phone police and the shiny red bicycle. If you really want to be terrified, check out any episode from these two series. If you really really want to scare yourself, then hold your own meeting of the Midnight Society around a campfire and tell your own ghost stories.
ULTIMATE HALLOWEEN MOVIE: Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)
Widely considered as one of the worst Ernest movies, this film follows Ernest as he tries to save the world from a Troll who turns kids into wooden dolls. Basically, Ernest messes everything up and says “Yah-know-what-I-mean” a lot. It’s a masterpiece!