My Favorite Movies for Halloween

Happy Halloween week everyone! Though my childhood days of Trick-or-treating are long behind me, I still like to get into the spirit of Halloween and watch some of my favorite scary and Halloween themed movies. Since I'll be having a movie night of my own this Thursday, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite Halloween movie choices with you. Whether you're looking for a fun film to watch with the whole family or a horror movie to watch with your friends in the dark, here are my top recommendations for a Halloween movie night.

The Woman in Black - A newer to addition to my favorite ghost story movies. Daniel Radcliffe plays Arthur Kipp's, a young widowed lawyer who's struggling to prove his worth at the office where he works. When he's assigned to travel to a remote village to settle estate and organize the affairs of a deceased woman. Upon his arrival, Arthur is keen to pick up on the mysterious aura the town and he's instantly met with residents who will do whatever they can to stop him from going to the estate where he must work. Arthur soon discovers the tragic and horrid history of the town as he finds that the woman still haunts the house and the town - searching for what she lost. "The Woman in Black" is really a solid film and one I thoroughly enjoyed. It provides scenes of fright and suspense and it just may make your own mind play tricks on you in the dark.

Halloween - This cult classic still gives me the chills today. The mask alone of Michael Meyers was enough to give me nightmares but the additive of John Carpenter's chilling theme really pushed it over the top. The story revolves around a psychotic killer named Michael Meyer's who has been locked away in a mental hospital since he was a child and killed his sister on Halloween night. Now on the loose, he returns to his home town who has no idea of the danger that's come home as he stalks a young girl named Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis). Shot in three weeks time and with a very small budget, Carpenter and the crew of Halloween provide the perfect example that blood, gore, and special effects are not what make a film horrifying. 

Young Frankenstein - Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder's classic comedy is perfect if you wish to laugh and not scream this Halloween. Gene Wilder plays Dr. Frankenstein, the Grandson of Dr. Victor Von Frankenstein, and he has just inherited his grandfathers castle. Upon his arrival he meets Igor and Inga and while Frankenstein is a skeptic of his grandfather's work, he discovers a book where his grandfather wrote down the details of his work and Young Dr. Frankenstein begins to change his tune. In true Mel Brooks fashion, this is a laugh out loud comedy with memorable performances by Wilder, Terri Garr, Peter Boyle, and the rest of the cast.

Brahm Stroker's Dracula - Long before vampires became on obsession of teenage girls, there was the horrifying story from Brahm Stroker's classic novel Dracula. Gary Oldman plays the undead Count Dracula who brings his reign of evil and horror over the city of London in search of the lost soul of his once beloved bride. Oldman, as he so often does, becomes his character and his haunting performance as Dracula is reason alone to watch this film adaptation of arguably the most well known horror stories in the world.

Hocus Pocus -For my generation this is a Disney classic and will remain my favorite Halloween themed movie for all time. Hocus Pocus is a classic 1993 Disney movie starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson Sisters - three witches who are looking to steal the youth from the children of Salem. 300 years ago the, the sisters were hanged after sucking the life from a young resident of Salem. Now in the modern day, three teenagers will mistakenly bring the witches back to life. With the aide of cursed talking cat named Binks, They’ll have to find a way to stop Winnie, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson before they succeed in their evil plans 300 years in waiting. Hocus Pocus will put a spell on you that you wont be able to break.