As leaves change colors and fall and smoke rises from their burnt piles In the air there is a hint of missing or maybe that’s just whatever your next door neighbor is doing. Regardless, fall and all Hallows’ Eve is a time for, well, a horror-ifically good time. Bad puns aside here is a mix of movies you can watch to get in the spirit. Viewer beware…. you might be in for some real scares.
Barbarian
We all grew up knowing not to talk to strangers, look both ways before crossing the street, never leave your drink alone and never go down into a dark and scary basement. And we all know not to say ” I’ll be right back,” after dark. Or go somewhere, especially down stairs alone, when the lights suddenly go off even if you’re not in a horror movie. That being said,
I went into Barbarian thinking it was the usual horror movie. It starts off with a supposed error in booking that results in Tess (Gorgina Campbell, Krypton) sharing an Airbnb with Keith, (Bill Skarsgård, It ). To be honest she did everything, well almost everything, most people including myself, would do in the same situation. Campbell had said in response to a question of mine, “I feel like when you’re watching it hopefully there are many moments you can kind of relate to, like you’re almost in that Air B&B with her.” And trust me it does. But then
I found that movie has more twists and turns than the Pacific Coast Highway- just when you think you know where it’s headed you don’t. This movie constantly had me going “Wait what?” And leads the audiences through so many emotional moments where you feel at ease only for the story to take another turn.
But to be fair when I had asked star Justin Long (He’s Just Not That Into You) who plays AJ, what should audiences be prepared for he said “Elizabeth, well they should be prepared for having their expectations completely blown and just being wonderfully, frightfully surprised.”
It is currently in theaters.
Terrifier 2
I haven’t seen this movie personally but I personally know directors who have sung its praises more than once about the immense horror that is in Terrifier 2 as well as the horror of Art the clown. If that wasn’t enough to include it in this piece it has landed on Steven King’s radar! It is now in theaters.
Halloween Ends
This article would be remiss if I failed to mention Halloween Ends. Jamie Lee Curtis, whose esteemed career has far exceeded final girl and scream queen status, has returned to finish what her character, Laurie Strode, started in the 80s for what is claimed to be the final chapter of Michael Myers. This is a promise we’ve seen before. However, due to it’s predecessor last year- Halloween Kills, which is avaliable on HBO Max, it seems Michael’s sister will (hopefully) have the last- well lets’ just hope Michael stays down for good.
It is now in theaters.
Werewolf By Night
If you are a fan of Supernatural then this might intrigue you. It is about who will own the Bloodstone, a stone that helps “hunters” kill monsters. But that’s more or less where the comparisons end. This Marvel feature will have you second guessing who is hunting whom and it will also probably make you go ‘huh- so there are people with more dysfunctional families than my own.’ This special is more of a mix of suspense than horror teetering with comical and heartft moments despite bloodshed occurring. Furthermore, there is no need to leave your house! You can stream it on Disney+.
Hocus Pocus 2
We all grew up on Hocus Pocus and their Spells but there might be some new witches in town. Aside from the Sanderson Sisters and a brief homage to sibling Directors Gary and Penny Marshall none of the original cast returns. It takes on a similar direction as the original, however in this new one someone actually wants the witches back. So they use someone else to light the blackflame candle. Disney+ not only has Hocus Pocus 2 but the original Hocus Pocus as well as the the 25th Anniversary Halloween Bash from 2018. All of the above makes for a great Halloween movie marathon. You can stream them all on Disney+.
Whether you’re looking for some terrifying scares or a little bit of Hocus Pocus there is a movie for you this Halloween! Did you see these? Did we miss a favorite? Let us know! But be careful it may be a bunch of Hocus Pocus movie magic and some of these can leave you with some nightmares and some with laughs.