Ah yes! Halloween week is upon us, which means that it’s time for the ultimate scary movie marathon to celebrate our favorite spooky night. So grab the popcorn, munch on some candy and settle in. Without further ado, here is my ultimate Halloween scary movie marathon (in order).
8:00 p.m.: “Scream”
To start with a bang, go with 1996’s “Scream.” Directed by Wes Craven, “Scream” is a classic slasher movie that also undermines much of the slasher genre. With plenty of scares and fun to be had, “Scream” is the perfect way to start your Halloween movie marathon. It’s also a great entry into a strong movie franchise, as the film has spawned five sequels with another on the way. Overall, “Scream” will make you scream and laugh in equal measure.
10:00 p.m.: “The Shining”
And now for my personal favorite horror movie of all time. If you’re like me, at 10:00pm you’re starting to get a bit tired and will probably be delirious when the movie ends at 12:30, especially after sitting through a full film already. But that delirium will put you into the mindset of Jack Torrance, the iconic antagonist of this Stanley Kubrick film based on Stephen King’s novel. While King may not like this film, “The Shining” is a must-watch film for me every Halloween. The film is quite possibly the scariest horror movie I’ve ever seen, yet there are little to no jump scares. Instead, Kubrick uses atmosphere and cinematography to evoke dread into every scene, which is perfect as the clock strikes midnight.
1:00 a.m.: “Coraline”
*Note: “The Shining” is not three hours long, I’m just accounting for bathroom breaks and stoppage time between each movie.*
Let’s be honest, after “The Shining” you’re probably in need of a palate cleanser. But even though this is technically a children’s movie, “Coraline” is still the movie that terrified us all when we saw it as children. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve envisioned the Other Mother and gotten chills down my spine. If you’re looking for a movie with gorgeous animation and plenty of fun scares to be had, then “Coraline” should be on your Halloween movie watchlist.
3:00 a.m.: “Alien”
Now that the children’s movie is out of the way, you probably want to get back to the stuff of nightmares. In space, no one can hear you scream, but people will hear you scream plenty when you watch Ridley Scott’s “Alien.”
I’ve only seen “Alien” in full once, as a child, and it was so terrifying I haven’t gone back to it since (although I’ve wanted to). This sci-fi/horror film truly uses its space setting to create an unwavering isolation that lasts the entire film. The special effects and creature design are also a big part of why the film works; if the Xenomorph didn’t look frightening, then the whole film would be campy. As is, the film is brilliant, which is why “Alien,” the first horror film I ever saw, deserves a spot on this list.
5:00 a.m.: “Jennifer’s Body”
If you’re like me, you lay awake at 5 a.m. most nights wanting to watch an excellent, homoerotic horror film about a teenage girl who’s sacrificed by an indie rock boy band. If so, don’t fret: “Jennifer’s Body” is here to save you.
I can’t emphasize enough how good “Jennifer’s Body” is. The film came out in 2009 and was a critical and commercial failure due to poor marketing. Perhaps a future article could be about the mistreatment of “Jennifer’s Body” by studio execs. It’s quite possible that “Jennifer’s Body” was so good that the studio had no idea how to market a film that expertly blended horror, comedy and social commentary. Yet, “Jennifer’s Body” blended all of those elements effortlessly.
7:00am: “Halloween.”
Widely regarded as the best Halloween movie, John Carpenter’s “Halloween” is a classic that deserves to be watched every year. While “Halloween” is not my favorite film on this list, it should be on everyone’s Halloween watchlist. Watching “Halloween” on Halloween is a rite of passage and you’ve done yourself a disservice if you have not done so.
Honorable mentions:
“The Nightmare Before Christmas”
“The Haunted Mansion”
“Beetlejuice”
“Ghostbusters”
“Doctor Sleep”
“The Conjuring”
“Hereditary”
“Get Out”/”Us”/”Nope”
“Nightmare on Elm Street”
“Poltergeist”
There is so much great horror to enjoy, so I hope that all of you have found something spooky to do this month. It’s been such fun giving these recommendations to you all, and I hope you have gotten some good scares out of them. Until then, it’s goodbye until November and I’ll see you “through the trees.”
