No Halloween is complete without blood-red candied apples and
horror movies. Some horror flicks are so good they stick in the mind for
a lifetime. This list is sure to induce spine-chilling, spooky fun this
Halloween.
"Psycho"
A no-brainer for a Halloween movie list
is the classic 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film "Psycho." Starring Anthony
Perkins as Norman Bates and Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, the film is
praised by critics as a work of art in cinematography. Marion Crane is a
secretary who embezzles a large sum of money from her boss. She goes on
the run, taking refuge on a stormy night at the remote Bates Motel. The
lodging is deserted due to a detour from the main highway. The motel is
owned by a shaky young man named Norman Bates and his domineering and
mentally ill mother. "Psycho" is a twisted and murderous tale one might
think could only be concocted in a mind such as that of Hitchcock.
Unfortunately, Hitchcock got his inspiration from the true story of Ed
Gein. A truly perverse man, Gein enjoyed digging up human remains to
fashion into tools. He wore the skin of corpses like clothes. The movie
"Ed Gein," released in 2000, is also a great Halloween movie.
"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"
Ed
Gein inspired another classic thriller that's perfect for Halloween,
the 1974 film "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Marilyn Burns plays Sally
Hardesty and Paul A. Partain plays Sally's brother, Franklin. On a trip
to their family homestead, the siblings and their three friends become
stranded without gas. They stop at a house to find help but instead find
a chainsaw murderer and his cannibalistic family. "The Texas Chainsaw
Massacre" was remade in 2003.
"The Shining"
It would be
inappropriate to mention twisted stories without crediting Stephen King
for his tales of suspense and horror. Of the many King plots from which
to choose, "The Shining" and its creepy cast is the best choice for a
spooky Halloween movie night. The 1980 film, based on King's 1977 novel,
stars Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance and Shelley Duvall as Jack's
wife, Wendy. Jack accepts a job as the off-season caretaker of the
Outlook Hotel. Jack, Wendy, and their son are to take care of the hotel
during the winter months when the snows are so deep no one can reach the
place. This also means the Torrance family can't leave. As it happens,
the lodging is built on a Native American burial site, and the previous
caretaker, overcome with cabin fever, slaughtered his family before
committing suicide in the grand hotel.
"The Exorcist"
Based
on William Peter Blatty's 1971 novel, "The Exorcist" stars Linda Blair
as teenager Regan McNeil, Ellen Burstyn as Regan's mother, Chris, and
Max von Sydow as Father Lankester Merrin. The movie begins with a scene
of an archeological dig where Father Lankester Merrin finds a statue of
Pazuzu, an ancient demon. The movie then switches to Washington, DC, and
the McNeils. Young Regan begins acting strangely, and after no doctors
can help her, Chris finds a priest to perform a much-needed exorcism.
"A Nightmare on Elm Street"
The
1984 movie "A Nightmare on Elm Street," which was remade in 2010, was
written and directed by Wes Craven. It stars Johnny Depp, Heather
Langenkamp, Ronee Blakley, John Saxon, Jsu Garcia, Robert Englund, and
Amanda Wyss. A group of teenagers is stalked by a horrifically burned
man named Freddy Krueger. The teens only see Krueger in their dreams
while they sleep, and Krueger has a murderous vendetta. The kids'
parents may know something about Freddy Krueger's motive to kill the
children, one by one.
"The Blair Witch Project"
Written and
directed by Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick, the 1999 movie "The Blair
Witch Project" stars Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael C.
Williams. The film defined a new format for horror movies in which the
story unfolds through the characters' video and sound equipment. The
three main characters are student filmmakers who set out to document the
Blair Witch legend in the Black Hills in Maryland. The movie is filmed
so that it appears the students are real people rather than movie
characters, and that they vanished in the woods while making the
documentary. The audience sees and hears what the students experienced
through the filming equipment that was found by police a year after the
filmmakers disappeared. The same method of moviemaking was later used in
the movie, " Paranormal Activity."
It is effectively unsettling, making "The Blair Witch Project" a
must-see picture at Halloween time. For a truly terror-filled holiday,
turn down the lights and enjoy these movies. They are horror classics
for good reason. Watching these films could cause a person to never
shower, sleep, or go for a stroll in the woods again.
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