5 Fandom Friday: Favorite Halloween Flicks
Halloween is next week! In order to get ready for it, today’s installment of 5 Fandom Friday are my top 5 favorite Halloween movies, or movies on my “must-see” list for the spooky holiday. I’m not a fan of scary movies with suspense and gore, and all that super-duper macabre fanfare that is associated with Halloween. I mean, I like my fair share of macabre, but my wee heart can only take so much. This is the girl who finds Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs incredibly terrifying if that is any indication on how easily I scare.
1. Shaun of the Dead
I remember being very hesitant about watching Shaun of the Dead because… well, ZOMBIES. But I was told that it was absolutely hilarious and not scary, so I gave it a go and now it’s one of my favorite movies EVER. It’s so brilliantly funny with the right amount of gore. It’s about a deadbeat named Shaun who just gets dumped by his girlfriend, and after a night of drinking his sorrows away, the town he lives in has suddenly undergone a zombie apocalypse. While battling a hangover, he tries to win the girl back, reconcile with his mother (who is married to a man he can’t stand, but is actually quite nice), all the while trying to save them and his best friend from getting infected. Good times!
2. Hocus Pocus
This one is an absolute no-brainer, am I right?! It’s been a good while since I’ve seen this movie (total blasphemy, I know), but it’s a classic from my childhood. It also taught all kids another term for boobs: yahbos. Thanks, Thora Birch! Plus who doesn’t love a movie about witches coming back to life because a virgin lit a candle and then all hell breaks loose? Oh, and there’s a talking black cat AND a living dead guy. And singing!
3. ParaNorman
I’ve only seen ParaNorman once, but I feel that it deserves a spot on my list because it seems so under appreciated. It was nominated for Best Animated film at the Academy Awards, but lost to Brave (which I love), but think it could’ve definitely gone to ParaNorman or Wreck it Ralph instead. Anyway, ParaNorman is about a kid who can see and communicate with the dead, and no one believes him. He feels extremely isolated from his family and peers as any young prepubescent boy with super natural abilities would. But his odd ability goes up a notch when he sees a vision of his town’s past and being pursued as witch by the townspeople. I do believe that it’s on Netflix, so if you haven’t seen it you should watch it!
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas
No Halloween movie list is complete without The Nightmare Before Christmas – or any Christmas movie list for that matter because it doubles for both holidays! I just love it. The songs, the characters (Oogie Boogie is sassy as f*ck) — just the overall look and feel of the movie! I remember I was in first grade when it came out and I thought I wasn’t going to like it because it looked “weird.” Now I’m all about weird.
5. The Craft
This is the only movie on my list that’s rated R. Ooooh! I don’t know why, but I loved this movie as a kid. I feel like I watched it ALL. THE. TIME. And I really had no business watching it because I was 10 when it came out, but I thought witches were cool. The Craft is basically like Clueless with witches. The movie poster even says, “It’s Carrie meets Clueless!”
Honorable Mentions:
- Coraline
- The Addams Family Values
- The Witches
- Donnie Darko
What are your favorite movies to watch around Halloween, my little ponies?
Cheers,
Nina
