To officially kick off Spooky Season, we asked our contributors (in alphabetical order)…
What movies/ books/ music/ etc. do you celebrate the season with?
Jon Abrams
For me, Spooky Season is all year round. That’s just what it’s like between these years. But October is good, because that’s when the rest of the world starts to look a little more like the way I see things. I don’t honestly have too many genuine traditions, because I’m always excited about exploring something new to me. But there are a few areas I tend to gravitate towards.
When it comes to movies, I do love to revisit the Universal Horror films, primarily the ones I’ve written about for the site:
DRACULA (1931)
FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
THE MUMMY (1932)
THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933)
BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
THE WOLF MAN (1941) [why is this the only one I’ve never written about?]
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954)
I also love to revisit non-Universal titles like ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1933), INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956), and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968).
With books…
My holy bible is I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. So I’m always carrying a copy of that somewhere, year-round. Around Halloween, I have a newer tradition of Norman Partridge’s Dark Harvest, which is about to be a feature film, out October 13th (next week!) I first found a copy somewhere in Montreal back in 2013 and I’ve picked it up to read again, every Halloween since then. I can only hope the movie does it any justice.
With comics…
My favorite comic of all time, as I’ve said here and elsewhere a hundred times, is Marvel’s Tomb Of Dracula. But I’ll also grab anything Dan Brereton does. I love Mike Mignola as much as anybody, but Dan Brereton needs that same level of love, especially around October.
And for music, I could go on all day, but let me just leave you with one album and two names:
Urban Gothic by Xander Harris, an alter ego for the musician Justin Sweatt. If you like John Carpenter, you will like this. Go take a listen and come right back to this post!
Alexis den Boggende
For movies, I revisit spooky childhood classics to get in the spirit. For movies, it’s CASPER (1995), HOCUS POCUS (1993), CORPSE BRIDE (2005), and THE HAUNTED MANSION (2003). For television, Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990) and Goosebumps (1995). A lot of those episodes still have a major creep factor, notably R.L. Stine’s The Haunted Mask.
When it comes to adult horror, I try to watch as many new films as possible, but my favorite rewatches are John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN and THE FOG, THE EXORCIST: THE VERSION YOU’VE NEVER SEEN, SINISTER, and THE BLACK PHONE.I really admire Scott Derrickson and his approach to atmospheric horror.
Also on the must-watch list are TRICK ‘R TREAT, the V/H/S movies, SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK, and anything from THE CONJURING universe (with emphasis on ANNABELLE COMES HOME — while it’s certainly not the strongest in the franchise, I have a soft spot for it and think it’s a nice, wholesome, autumnal watch). THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (1979) is also a favorite. Something about the crispness of 1970s horror really gets me in the mood for this time of year, so THE EXORCIST and AMITYVILLE are normally repeatedly watched in my house throughout October.
For books, I love Adam Cesare and am currently reading Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives. I also pick up The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty again, because damn, that man could write a poignant horror story. Creepy childhood classics by Alvin Schwartz also get a reread this time of year. And, naturally, Stephen King and Clive Barker — Books of Blood by Barker is an all-time favorite read.
For music, I have a Halloween playlist that gets played on a loop on my Spotify. It has classic staples like “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett, “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell, “Dead Man’s Party” by Oingo Boingo, and “The Killing Moon” by Echo & The Bunnymen. It’s loaded with tracks by Ghost, who are not only great for Halloween, but year-round — their songs “Danse Macabre (Carpenter Brut Remix),” “Kiss the Go-Goat,” “Hunter’s Moon,” and “Square Hammer“ — are played a lot in addition to Ashnikko’s HALLOWEENIE tracks.
Oh, and film scores get a lot of plays — John Carpenter’s soundtrack for THE FOG (the scoring for the end credits is so hauntingly beautiful), Charlie Clouser’s SAW soundtracks (his latest soundtrack for X is phenomenal), James Horner’s CASPER soundtrack, Bullet Shields’ “The Leatherface Theme,” and “Tubular Bells.”
I could go on and on, but October really has the best movies, books, and music.
Bee Delores
I know every horror fiend says this, but spooky season really does hold a special place in my heart. It’s the one time of year when being weird is celebrated, and you get to eat as much Halloween candy as you want! Score! Growing up, my dad went ALL OUT when it came to decorating our front lawn – sometimes with gravestones, other times stalks of corn. I distinctly remember one year when he turned our front porch into a bloody, vampiric den with spiders galore. That’s just who he was. My mom got in on the tricking and treating, too, and often dressed up with me. As you’ll see below, we went as vampires when I was five years old; I was Dracula, of course. Oh, those were the days! Now, as an adult, Halloween means even more to me. It represents the passing of time and how death is really all around us. When I’m watching my favorite movies, I’m not only reminded of my own mortality but what it means to be alive. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of feeling your heart clattering behind your ribcage or that bead of sweat forming along your brow. Below, I’ve collected the movies and music that I frequently go to this time of year to celebrate and feel alive.
Movies
TALES OF HALLOWEEN (2015)
FADE TO BLACK (1980)
HALLOWEENTOWN (1998)
HELL FEST (2018)
NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (1988)
HALLOWEEN H20 (1998)
TRICK R’ TREAT (2007)
HELLBENT (2008)
COBWEB (2023)
THE CURSE OF BRIDGE HOLLOW (2022)
TERRIFIER 2 (2023)
Music
Kim Petras, Turn Off the Light (album)
LVCRFT (entire catalog)
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (soundtrack)
Graveyardguy, Here Lies Graveyardguy (album)
Blake English, Spiders Make Great Poets EP
Ellise, Can You Keep a Secret? EP
Brett Gallman
Like any self-respecting horror hound, I consider October to be the most hallowed 31 days on the calendar. Not any old horror movie will do as we approach All Hallows Eve: it’s a time for indulging old favorites, like the HALLOWEEN franchise, which I wind up watching in random order because Carpenter’s original, immortal classic doesn’t hit just right until 31st, leaving me to scatter the various sequels and reboots throughout the month. It’s a time for vintage horror, especially the Universal Monsters and their Hammer brethren. It’s a time for 50s creepy-crawly creature features and alien invasion movies. Some movies just feel like Halloween, and I know it when I see them.
However, in recent years, thanks to the advent of streaming, which has made it easier than ever to access old TV shows, I’ve also become fond of revisiting special Halloween episodes of sitcoms. THE SIMPSONS TREEHOUSE OF HORROR is an obvious headliner here, offering up a staggering 36 entries to date (though let’s be honest: only the first ten or so are really that vital). But there’s also so much more — who can forget about The Conners’ annual Halloween bashes on ROSEANNE? Or Tim “The Toolman” Taylor’s frightful exploits on HOME IMPROVEMENT? Even Steve Urkel got in the spirit, introducing his infamous “Stevil” doppelganger in a pair of FAMILY MATTERS episodes. Even if I wasn’t an avid watcher of every single one of these shows during their heyday, their Halloween episodes — with their kitschy decorations and cornball antics — draw me in each year. Here are some of my favorites presented in their broadcast order, and, in the interest of fairness, I’ve limited myself to one episode per show. Otherwise, you’d be seeing a whole bunch of Roseanne here.
“Boo,” ROSEANNE
“Whose Kid is it Anyway,” FAMILY MATTERS
“Take My Wife, Please,” MARRIED WITH CHILDREN
“Who’s Afraid of Cory Wolf?” BOY MEETS WORLD*
“Treehouse of Horror V,” THE SIMPSONS
“I Was a Teenage Taylor,” HOME IMPROVEMENT
“Boo’s in the House,” MARTIN
“Hilloween,” KING OF THE HILL
“Halloween,” THAT 70s SHOW
“Epidemiology,” COMMUNITY
*I know what you’re thinking: what about “And Then There Was Shawn,” the classic slasher spoof episode? It’s actually not a Halloween episode — instead, it aired in February because we used to be a proper country with sitcoms that would air random horror episodes apropos of nothing.
Honorable mention: “Mr. Knifey-Hands,” THE GOLDBERGS (This is the only episode of this show I’ve ever seen, simply because it features what is likely to be Robert Englund’s final appearance as Freddy Krueger.)
Vito Nusret
Just popping in to contribute to my family’s traditions. In late September or early October we go apple picking to signify the start of the Halloween season. After the apples have been plucked, that means we can put up Halloween decorations. As far as movies you’ve got to watch THE CROW on Devil’s Night and HALLOWEEN and/or ARSENIC & OLD LACE on Halloween night!
Katelyn Nelson
I didn’t want to miss the chance to contribute to spreading some holiday cheer! Here are some of my favorite Halloween month rituals:
- [THE BIG QUESTION] WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FEMALE ENSEMBLE IN MOVIES? - July 22, 2016
- [IN THEATERS NOW] THE BOY (2016) - January 24, 2016
- Cult Movie Mania Releases Lucio Fulci Limited Edition VHS Sets - January 5, 2016
Tags: Columns, halloween, Horror, Horror Movies, Movies, The Big Question
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