My favourite Halloween films to watch...

Pick of your Pumpkin...

"Tis now the very witching time of night, when churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out contagion to this world." - Shakespeare. All right, hello everyone and welcome to this Halloween special Blog Post that I am about to do. So basically, if you're a vivid reader of my Blog Posts, you'll obviously know that the general Posts that I put out on occasion heavily relate to me reviewing films or in other cases, at least talking about any particular aspect of film. Since it is Halloween today, I thought what better way to 'celebrate' Halloween, then to talk about and go through the films that I either normally watch around Halloween time, or at least films that scare the living soul out of me. What would be even better do than just listing my films, is to hear from YOU and what films you like or scare you the most. It honestly can be any film that you can think of; it doesn't necessarily have to be a film strictly related to Halloween and all that sha-bang. I'm not going to mention it in this list, but a good example would be for me some of the Disney films that I grew up watching in the 90's. I know what you're thinking, 'Disney? Really?'. But yeah, go and watch either the original Fantasia, Sleeping Beauty, Black Cauldron or The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr.Toad, and you'll know what I mean. Anyway, without further delay, lets get on with the list which isn't ranked in any order or way, it's just simply a list of films...

1. Alien - (1979, Ridley Scott)

Now starting off my list we have Ridley Scott's Science-fiction Horror Alien which arguably goes on the list as being one of the scariest Sci-Fi Horror films in history. Now I could have easily chosen Aliens since many critics and theorists believe that the sequel is better than the original, but I think for being truly scary that adds tension at the right moments, Alien I believe fits the bill rather than the second film. What I think makes this film unbelievably tense and disgusting in it's own right way, is the overall design of the setting and the Alien and how the second half of the film consists of tense sequences which involves the crew members of the Nostromo getting picked off one-by-one. The reason why I get so engrossed into this film and it's sequel, is it's archaic and machine-esque design that artist H.R. Giger conjures up as it has this surreal blend of biology and machine mixed together. Rightly so, Alien definitely hall-marks back to this 'monster-syndrome' that is also evident in a film like Jaws; how the 'monster' gradually picks off the cast of characters one by one in a rather gruesome fashion. If you haven't ever seen Alien, then I recommend to watch this and Aliens. Just don't go and watch Alien 3, you'll regret it...

2. 28 Days Later... (2002, Danny Boyle)

Moving from one Sci-Fi Horror to a slightly different one, next we have Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later which is one of my personal favourites to watch now and again. Written by Alex Garland, this post-apocalyptic tale goes to extraordinary lengths in creating a story that visually looks realistic. The great efforts that I am indeed talking about, is how Boyle managed to close off some of the roads of London for minutes and the M1 Motorway at a time which were done in the early mornings. While those efforts significantly contribute to Boyle's realistic vision, another contribution that Boyle decided to make was the use of the digital video camera which allowed him to get such guerilla-esque shots to depict a derelict post-apocalyptic London which a normal filming camera couldn't possibly do. DV cameras are much smaller and more manoeuvrable than traditional film cameras you see, so shouting on traditional film would have been useless, especially since they had a strict time period when filming on location. Mixed in with these guerilla film tactics, the film, well, is all-in-all scary with the occasional rapid cuts of the infected frantically running and has a story concept that even today, people can get attached to...

3. Perfect Blue (1997, Satoshi Kon)

Now I know what some people are thinking, 'how can an anime film be scary?' Well, you would be surprised, especially since most of the critically well-known anime's feature scenes that are rather horrific, I mean go and watch Akira first and then tell me you aren't scarred for life. Besides that, one animated psychological thriller-horror that I actually recommend you to watch is Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue, a film that tells a visually-imaginative tale story about a character called Mima Kirigoe, who becomes a vitim of stalking after she decides to leave a J-pop idol group known as "CHAM!". What I've always appreciated about anime in general, is the way it can conjure up visual stories from simply old fashioned drawing tactics that don't rely too much on computer-generated-imagery. In the case of Perfect Blue which inadvertently hall-marks back to the story-concepts of Alfred Hitchcock, uses it's animation style to really delve into dark-matters of everyday living such as stalking and attempts of rape. The surreal camera movements of the camera and the overall design of this film, does without doubt, make Perfect Blue an important Japanese-animated film that highlights these horrific social ideas/problems in a surrealistic yet disturbing/under-your-skin manner...

4. Shaun of the Dead (2004, Edgar Wright)

Switching to something that is mostly light-hearted now and has it's fair share of comedic-moments, we have Edgar Wrights first film of the Cornetto trilogy, Shaun of the Dead. Heavily referencing George A. Romero's Dead films, Shaun of the Dead revolves around Shaun (Simon Pegg) who has no direction in his life and while he's trying to manage his life in attempting to seeing his girlfriend and dealing with his situation with his mother and stepfather, at the same time, he has to cope with an apocalyptic zombie uprising. Arguably the best in Wright's Cornetto trilogy, the main reason why Shaun of the Dead is adored by film-goers all around, is simply because of the fact that it manages to mock a genre that is normally taken seriously and manages to find that perfect blend of original witty-banter with the little story arc surrounding the character of Shaun. Even though there are plenty of other funny moments in the film that I could chose from, the sequence that symbolises what Shaun of the Dead is all about, is the scene in which Shaun and his friend Ed throw old records at the zombies and delegate afterwards about what they should do in terms of Shaun's mum and girlfriend. Seriously, if you haven't watched this film, then just drop anything, and watch it!!...

5. The Others (2001, Alejandro Amenabar)

Right, this next film I guess fits more in tune with the Horror genre as we choose/delve into Alejandro Amenabr's starring Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan and local born actor from Salford, Christopher Eccleston. On a personal point of view, I think I'm right in saying this maybe one of the first Horror generic films I watched and yeah... I don't think I can hide the fact that I was truly scared of this film. To this day, I think The Others is one of the those films that you just don't watch on your own; especially if you're watching the film for the first time. There are numerous moments that scared me such as the little girl in thw white dress and the ending sequence with the medium. Having watched the film just last year, the thing that scares me more now than ever and relates to something that actually happened is when Nicole Kidman's character finds the "book of the dead" which features an album of mourning portrait photo's of deceased family members. In it's own unique way and without spoiling much of the plot, The Others is a very good ghost story; it has it's fair share of thriller intwerps which makes you question what's really going on and has truly scary visuals which puts the jump-scare tactics into shame...

6. The Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick)

Even though this is a film that over the years has been mocked and parodied, most notably in one The Simpsons Halloween specials from way back and parody trailers on YouTube, it does have to be said that The Shining is a film that truly terrifying, especially if you're watching it for the first time. For me, there are two things that make this film scary. Firstly for it's very innovative camera movement which for it's time, was something that was revolutionary and did amplify the scope of the fear in this film, especially when the little boy is riding on his little toy bike and stumbles across the twin girls which freak me out. The other aspect that can be appreciated in what Kubrick did and is synonymous in doing in some of his films, is his knack of telling a very linear tale that on occasion, has it's surreal moments thrown into mess the audience up and this works rather well in The Shining, more so near towards the end of the film. 

7. The Babadook (2014, Jennifer Kent)

I think it's fair to say that in recent years, most horror films typically either fall into that boat of being predictable with the over-reliance of using 'jump-scare' cinematic methods or simply that they have a colluded story that makes the film a bore to watch. However in the case of watching The Babadook (which you can watch on Netflix now), I found that for once, there is originality in the Horror genre in these modern times. It's the visuals that truly makes The Babodook a frightening film to witness; especially when the Babadook reveals itself in the most surreal yet shadowy fashion. What can be applauded as well is it's patience and structure when telling a story that at times, can potentially tug at your heart-strings with the mother and son relationship. Credit I think also must go towards the Director of Jennifer Kent as well since it is her directorial debut and can potentially be seen as an inspiration for other women who want to direct a film. I genuinely hope she decides to do another horror film in the same ilk as The Babadook because most certainly, that would be interesting to witness...

8. Sleepy Hollow (1999, Tim Burton)

Arguably talking about one of my favourite films to watch over the Halloween period, we have Tim Burton's re-imagination of Sleepy Hollow. The plot follows Ichabod Crane, played by Jonny Depp, who is sent from New York City to investigate a series of murders in the village of Sleepy Hollow by a mysterious Headless Horseman. Sleepy Hollow for my own personal point of view is up their with Tim Burton's best works since it's everything you expect from Burton in that you have this very detailed production design and gothic-esque visuals which not only add this idea of Burton creating this kind of theatre aspect in terms of the locations used, but it offers up this creepy atmosphere which is what Sleepy Hollow is all about. Jonny Depp is a character actor that expectingly disappears into the roles that he's given; his performances are considerably believable and again, does contribute to the tone of the film. It's one of these Burton films that you physically want to step into the screen and be a part of since it also has a well constructed story-line that never feels con-jointed. Overall, it's a Burton film that has it's over-expressionate,  darkness, but has a twinkle in it's eye that on occasion, makes you want to watch on a yearly basis...

9. Se7en (1995, David Fincher)

Even though it isn't again a piece of work that is strictly a Horror generic film, Fincher's psychological thriller film of SE7EN certainly is an inciting filming experience as it offers up an ambitious yet creepy murder case that leaves you tense throughout and emotionally heart-broken and dejected near towards the end. What I can appreciate that Fincher does in his own film, is how he establishes this subtle contradiction between the main characters that we see. While you have a-near-retiring Detective who is played by Moran Freeman, he is partnered up a young-rookie Detective portrayed by Brad Pitt who is a character that arguably has everything set in motion for his life. Yet the opposite to him, is found in the psychotic murderer John Doe, played by Kevin Spacey, who is envious of the status that Brad Pitt's character has and really does make up to be a good antagonists and one of the best roles that Spacey has played due to the magnitude of the character in terms of what he is and does. Besides this theme of subtle contradictions between the characters, SE7EN is one of those thriller films that is a must watch as it offers up the generic thriller conventions whilst at times, being legitimately creepy and heart-wrenching. 

10. Shutter Island (2006, Martin Scorsese)

So the last film to end this Halloween special-list-thing, is Scorsese's neo-noir psychological horror, Shutter Island. Based on Dennis Lehane's novel of the same name, Shutter Island stars Leonardo DiCaprio as U.S Marshal Edward "Teddy" Daniels who is investigating a psychiatric facility on Shutter Island due to the disappearance of  patient Rachel Solando, incarcerated for drowning her three children. It may not rank on Scorsese's best works by acclaimed film critics and theorists, but Shutter Island's silver lining definitely comes in the form in the atmosphere that it creates consistently throughout; making question and doubt the main character you see before you. For me, the segments in which we the character of Teddy thinking and imagining about his dead wife add to atmosphere considerably since they offer surrealist moments of visual imagery and delves really well into the character of Teddy. The cast as well with DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo who plays Teddy's partner and Ben Kingsley who plays as one of the leasing doctors of this asylum really add to the story; even more so when the ending sequences commence as everything is revealed in shocking but artistic way...

Righty then, here is the end of this special Halloween Blog Post and me going through a short-list of films that I enjoy watching in this time of year. Before any of you Halloween fanatics come at me with their pitch-forks and broomsticks and start saying to me "WHY DIDN'T YOU PICK THAT FILM" etc. First of all I didn't want to make this list of films too long as it would probably take me forever, listing the multiple scary/Halloween films there are. 2nd, I didn't want to simply list the obvious films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Nightmare of Elm Street or even Halloween and Friday the 13th, I wanted to pick films that although they do have these scary traits like the ones I have mentioned, I wanted to also pick films that were slightly different from the well-mentioned Halloween films and I feel as though I have done that with Perfect Blue, being the staple example. Besides all that however, like usual, thank you for everyone reading my Halloween special and I hope you like the films that I've chosen in my short list. If I'm up to it, I may do a similar thing for Christmas films that I normally watch and enjoy. Please let me know if you would like to see that. To end, I hope you all have a good Halloween and be sure to stay safe if you're going out trick or treating etc. Other than that, have a good day and I'll hopefully see you all next week. Take care!! :)

Alex Rabbitte