The Best Of Halloween On Film

[AwallaceUNC]

What are your favorite Halloween movies? I suppose these can be movies that are about Halloween, just horror movies, or those that fall between... the eery-feeling flicks that aren't horror or Halloween (i.e. Witch Mountain movies). Disney has quite a few to contribute to the list, and there are boocoos of others.

I love The Canterville Ghost. There are so many versions. I have one of them on VHS, I really wish they'd all be released on DVD. Also, there's Hocus Pocus, which is probably my #1 favorite. All of the Casper movies are good. Maybe I'll just list some of my most loved (in addition to the aforementioned):

Halloweentown (1&2... and probably soon to be 3)
Don't Look Under The Bed
My Mom's Date With A Vampire (or something like that)
The Boogedy movies (but it's been so long since I've seen them )
The Witch Mountain movies
Harry Potters 1-3
Michael Jackson's Thriller video
anything Scooby Doo
The Haunted Mansion
Ichabod & Mr. Toad... or anything Sleepy Hollow (though I haven't seen the Depp version and really want to)

Horror movies:
Scream trilogy
I Know What You Did Last Summer (and Still)
Urban Legends 1&2
House on Haunted Hill
Scary Movie 1-3 (ok, so it's not horror...)
From Hell
Silence Of The Lambs (and prequel/sequel)

....That's all I can think of off the top of my head, though I know there are many more. All the Disney shorts are must-sees, too. And I remember some musical thing about a Banshee that my music teacher did for us in middle school that we loved.

Now if only the scary episode of Boy Meets World was on DVD in time for this Halloween.

-Aaron

[Disney Guru]

Halloween Movies bring back such fond memories. I have tried to find and buy all of my favorites and I have succeeded.

Here is my list

Canterville Ghost (1941 Version)
Ghost And Mr. Chicken
Escape To/Return From Witch Mountain
Watcher In The Woods
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Blackbeard's Ghost
Child Of Glass
Boogedy Movies (My tapes broke 4 years ago)

And that is a bout it.

[AwallaceUNC]

Yeah, DG, Ghost and Mr. Chicken is a good one that I left out! I've only seen it once but I really liked it. I'm asking for that Don Knotts collection for Christmas.

Also, I remembered Little Shop Of Horrors. I've been playing that soundtrack a lot lately. It's great, as is the movie. I have a copy taped off of TV from years back, but I need to get that DVD as well.

-Aaron

[Luke]

Ichabod and Mr. Toad
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

That's my short list!

I suppose you could include E.T. too.

[I am the Doctor]

Well, I'm not the biggest fan of horror movies-too many hack and slash pictures with no plot-but here's my list:

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (too funny!)
Dracula (the Bela Lugosi version)
Bram Stoker's Dracula (the Gary Oldman version)
Interview With a Vampire
Jaws (just the first-not the awful sequels)
Alien and Aliens (trying to forget Alien3 and Alien Resurrection)
The Sixth Sense (Love that twist ending!)
Young Frankenstein (Frau Blucher! Whinny! A true classic!)
Leprechaun (a young Jennifer Aniston is terrorized by Ewok Warwick Davis! Actually, the humor in this and the other Leprechaun movies is pretty good)
Disney's Haunted Mansion (actually get better with repeated viewings. Not really very scary though)
Disney's Tower of Terror (not too bad for a TV Movie)
Poltergeist (the only movie that actually scared the you know what out of me when I was a kid)
The Nightmare Before Christmas
and finally
The Rocky Horror Picture Show! (Let's Do the Time Warp Again!)

[AwallaceUNC]

I am the Doctor, you mentioned some very good ones that I can't believe I forgot.

The Nightmare Before Christmas- duh! I always debate between watching this at Halloween or Christmas. This year, I think I'll do both.

Young Frankenstein, Haunted Honeymoon, The Sixth Sense, and any Alfred Hitchcock should all have been on there, too.

-Aaron

[2099net]

anything Scooby Doo

Apart from... The "live-action" movies;any rubbish DTV or TV movie with Scrappy in it; any rubbish DTV or TV movie with Shaggy in a red shirt; any of the New Scooby Doo mystery TV movies with inappropriate guest stars (Batman, Sonny and Cher, Davey Jones etc).

So in summary, only the new Scooby Doo DTVs which started with Scooby Doo on Zombie Island.

[snowbot]

the shining
the bride of frankenstein
the texas chainsaw massacre (the original)
halloween
sleepy hollow
the house on haunted hill
the blair witch project
psycho

[Escapay]

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Mom's Got A Date with a Vampire (that's what it's called, Aaron. At least I think it is...)
Halloweentown 1, 2, 3
Disney's Tower of Terror
Witch Mountain series
Watcher in the Woods (I've only seen the first 20 minutes though, even though I've had the DVD for about a month now)
Something Wicked This Way Comes
House of Dark Shadows
Night of Dark Shadows (not really good, but then again probably an hour was cut from it)
Final Destination

Question: What are the "Boogedy" movies?

I still haven't seen Nightmare Before Christmas. Gonna have to rent it one of these days.

[Celtic]

You can't go wrong with The Halloween Box Set at Halloween really. The first film was definitely the scariest and still scares the life out of me. But I can't help but watch it.

For a night of no sleep......The Omen. I hate that sick little kid! I watched it with my Dad when I was about 12 thinking I was being really brave. Man was that a bad idea! I can't even listen to the music now without the hairs on the back of my neck standing on edge. 18yrs later!!!!

[Disneykid]

Horror/Suspense Movies:
Rear Window
Psycho
The Birds
The Exorcist
Carrie
The Silence of the Lambs
Scream
The Sixth Sense
Signs
The Ring

Halloween Related:
The Wizard of Oz
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Escape From Witch Mountain
It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!
Young Frankenstein
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
Boo to You, Too, Winnie the Pooh!
The Witches
Casper
The Harry Potter Series
Both Scary Godmother Specials

[Jack]

The best Halloween-related movie I've seen is by far The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad.

For horror movies or spooky stories, I'd say the best are: Psycho, Jaws, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man.

Just thought I'd mention: I recently saw the ever-popular Nightmare Before Christmas, and I was pretty underwhelmed by it. The animation style is definately cool, the movie itself is kind of over-rated. Definately not one of my favs.

[Evil Genie Jafar]

Well, I can consider myself an expert of horror movies. I like them as much as animated movies. And I love all kind of spooky stuff.

But since this is an animeted movie forum for the most part, I'll name a few that work in this category.

Scooby Doo On Zombie Island: this was the first release of a Scooby movie after so many years. It works in many levels. It picks up after the series ended. And it was the first time the monsters were real. This movie is really good; there are others that were release later that work as well but not as good as this one.

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust: An extremely well made movie. It's anime. But even if you don't like it. You're going to make an exception for this one. The movie is about vampires.


Now let's divide horror in 2 categories:

Spooky/Scary

The Exorcist (of course)
The Exorcist 3 (also very good, altough a little slow)
The Omen Trilogy
The Changeling
The Prophecy Trilogy (altough the first one is the best one. About a war of angels against demons. It also works as a thriller since you don't know the real characters up until the end).
The Ring
The Blair Witch Project

Gore/Bloody

Cabin Fever
Hellraiser (all of them)
Hannibal
The Nightmare On Elm St. series
Friday the 13th series (avoid Jason X)
Wishmaster (good until the second part)

Let's add a new category as a PS;

Nice try (movies that had potential but in the end don't work. But still have something that make them watchable)

Th13teen Ghosts
Ghost Ship
Darkness Falls
Willard
Deep Blue Sea
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2


Those are my recomendations. Hope you can have a spooky October.

[Isidour]

Hi:

The nightmare before christmas
the shining
dawn of the death
Bram Stoker´s dracula
Dracula: death and living ot
scary movie
Hannibal
silence of the lambs
red dragon
the 13th ghost

[AwallaceUNC]

Ohhh yeah, how could I forget The Halloween Tree?

-Aaron

[GrapeGirl]

here's my short list-

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
The nightmare before christmas
sleepy hollow
Interview With a Vampire
Frankenstein
Dracula
Boo to you too winnie the pooh


um think that's all for now

[deathie mouse]

GrapeGirl, which versions of Dracula and Frankenstein? The Universal 1931 ones? (For example, I have Draculas from '22, '31, '57, '70, '73, '78 and '79) (and they are continually being expanded )

Most of my favorite Halloween movies/animations have already been listed so i wont post a mile long list

Other cool films to see on dark stormy magical lights out Halloween nights are some of the great Willis O'Brien and Ray Harryhousen animations (like King Kong!). Or the Phantom of the Paradise (made by the same director of Carrye so I sometimes watch them togueter as my own personal amor fou love homage ). The Return of Court Yorga scared the hell out of me (and my best friend who saw it too w/o me) when we were kids (i loooooooove vampires ) I also have fond memories of the Charlie Brown Halloween and its Great Pumpkin legend (but has been a while since i've watch'd )

To me Halloween night will be forever marked by the night when i was very litlle 2 years ago when i went trick'o treating and one much older kid (probably 18 or so) let us go upstairs to see his collection and he had all the room covered with Famous Monsters of Filmland magazines! (Also Halloween night was the night the Witch returned but that's another story ) Today the same guy would prbobably have the room covered with DVDs! so to me the quntessential Halloween films are the classic Universal Monsters ones

Like this one, Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman

_________________
UD goooood!

[CampbellzSoup]

Non-Disney I need some people!

I got Ernest Scared Stupid, Charlie Brown's Pumkin, Witches

any other good ones?

[Barbossa]

The Witches
Corpse Bride
The Monster Squad
Maybe the Mummy movies and Van Helsing?

[Cordy_Biddle]

I know it's kind of silly, but "Double, Double Toil & Trouble" with the Olsen Twins is a personal favourite. Cloris Leachman's a complete riot.