Fright Night: A comprehensive list of must-see scary movies

Island Packet
Fright Night: A comprehensive list of must-see scary movies
Zombies and witches and Ghostbusters, oh my! Get into the spirit of ”‰Halloween ”‰with a scary (or not-so-scary) movie night
From staff reports
Published Friday, October 30, 2009

If the gobs of candy, the array of costumes and the jack-o’-lanterns haven’t sufficiently put you in the mood for Halloween, turn to your DVD player. There’s nothing like a spooky movie night to lift your dark spirits.

Of course, movies starring blood and serial killers aren’t everyone’s cup of cider. But there’s a Halloween-ish movie to suit even the wimpiest of watchers. Not into “Night of the Living Dead?” Maybe “Shaun of the Dead” is your zombie movie of choice. Can’t stomach “The Blair Witch Project?” “Hocus Pocus” is bewitching, too.

We’ve put together some suggestions for a killer Halloween movie fest, no matter how frightening. Grab a blanket (to hide under) and watch a few of these flicks — they’re to die for. Mwahahaha!

HORROR CLASSICS

“The Shining” (1980)

If you think haunted houses are scary, then this flick about a haunted hotel will make you never want to stay in a Holiday Inn again. The Stanley Kubrick-helmed pants-wetter has Jack Nicholson doing a great job acting like Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall looking like her usual creepy self, and Scatman Crothers giving new meaning to the phrase “bury the hatchet.” Oh, and the twins … those horrible twins!

“Carrie” (1976)

Every high school has a student like Carrie — quiet and shy with a tendency to get picked on. But this ain’t your ordinary sweet naif — she has telekinetic powers and she’s not afraid to use them. So when a prom prank leaves Carrie (portrayed with perfect awkwardness by Sissy Spacek) covered in pig’s blood, all hell breaks loose. Possibly even scarier than Carrie is her psychotic zealot of a mother. And you thought your ”‰mom was a nag.

Other classics:

“Psycho” (1960), “Night of the Living Dead” (1968), “The Exorcist” (1973), “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974), “Halloween” (1978), “Friday the 13th” (1980), “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)

NEW HORROR CLASSICS

“Scream” (1996)

Thanks to umpteen lame “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th” sequels, the horror genre was languishing in the mid-’90s. Then the cleverly self-aware “Scream” slashed its way onto the scene, making scary movies cool again. The film is writer Kevin Williamson’s popcorn-tossing homage to all sorts of horror cliches, so die-hards will get a kick out of it. And the show starts with a bang — or more of a series of stabs, really — as Drew Barrymore’s character makes an early and bloody exit.

“The Blair Witch Project” (1999)

If you’re following the buzz surrounding the movie “Paranormal Activity,” you’ll want to make sure you’re familiar with the movie it’s often compared to. This filmed-on-a-camcorder style pseudo-documentary follows a group of student filmmakers trudging around the Maryland wilderness on a desperate quest to find the elusive Blair Witch — and eventually their own sanity.

Other new classics:

“I Know What You Did Last Summer” (1997), “The Sixth Sense” (1999), “Final Destination” (2000), “28 Days Later” (2002), “The Ring” (2002), “Saw” (2004)

HALLOWEEN COMEDIES

“Ghostbusters” (1984)

Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters, obviously! It’s always fun to watch this one, especially if you haven’t seen it for awhile. The jokes are as funny as they were back in ’84, plus you get to make fun of the now-laughable technology employed to depict the portal and the gods and all of that. The star-studded cast includes Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis and Annie Potts. And, seriously, is there a better theme song?

“Shaun of the Dead” (2004)

Zombies have never been so hilarious, or British. Simon Pegg delivers an original horror comedy/bromance about Shaun, a hopeless loser fighting to win back his ex and keep his friends and family alive during a zombie apocalypse. The R-rated comedy contains plenty of blood and guts, and four-letter words, too.

Other comedies:

“Young Frankenstein” (1974), “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975), “Little Shop of Horrors” (1986), “Idle Hands” (1999), “Scary Movie” (2000), “The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror” collection

NOW IN THEATERS

“Zombieland”

Beaufort native and Battery Creek High School graduate Timmy O’Brien, who continues working as art director of the TV series “The Vampire Diaries,” was assistant art director and did some set design on “Zombieland,” a horror comedy starring Woody Harrelson.

“Paranormal Activity”

Shot with a handheld video camera and a budget of just $15,000, “Paranormal Activity” has been hailed as the new “Blair Witch Project.” It’s the story of a suburban couple who try to capture ghostly activity on home-security cameras.

Other Halloween-ish movies now in theaters: “Saw VI,” “The Stepfather,” “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant”

FAMILY

“Hocus Pocus” (1993)

It’s Halloween 1993 in Salem, Mass., where tales of witches and high-top sneakers run rampant. Trick-or-treating gets less than sweet when the Sanderson sisters, a trio of witches from 1693, return to Salem and set out to suck the life from its children. Sarah Jessica Parker (pre-Carrie Bradshaw), a buck-toothed Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy portray the goofy hags. And, of course, Midler steals a scene with her pipes, singing a rendition of “I Put a Spell on You.”

“Casper” (1995)

A ghost therapist (Bill Pullman) is hired to get rid of some unwanted spirits at Whipstaff Manor, a creepy old house inherited by a creepy old lady. The paranormal expert, who got in the biz to find his deceased wife (um, desperate much?), and his pouty, outcast daughter (Christina Ricci) move into the house and meet Casper, a friendly ghost, and his three unfriendly (and disgusting) uncles. Turns out Casper was oh-so-dreamy in his breathing days, as we discover when teen heartthrob Devon Sawa shows up for the last five minutes. Who knew Casper was a total babe?

Other Halloween movies for the family:

“It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” (1966); “Beetlejuice” (1988), “The Addams Family” (1991); “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993); “The Corpse Bride” (2005); “Monster House” (2006)