Whether Halloween is 4 days away or 10 months away, these 4 movies will get you into the spirit of Halloween.
1. ParaNorman
Norman is a little boy who can see dead people. Now with his ability, he must save the town from a centuries old curse. The claymation style is beautiful and very rare in this modern day of 3D animation. It has a very clean and easy storyline to follow. If the first thought that come to your mind about Halloween, besides candy, is ghosts and witches then this movie is the perfect thing to get you into the spirit.
2. Coraline
Have you ever heard ‘the grass is greener on the other side’? Well, Coraline absolutely believed this thought because it seems as though her family didn’t care about her at all. Eventually while exploring her home, she stumbled into an alternate universe that seemed like a perfect dream. Too perfect to be true. The story is simply beautiful as well as mesmerizing. Both kids and parents can enjoy it. Its has good morals and isn’t too scary. The claymation style blended in well with the story.
3. Corpse Bride
I have a special attachment to this movie because it’s the first Tim Burton movie and the first stop motion video, that wasn’t Christmas related, that I’ve seen. Two families have arranged a wedding for the nervous couple. The groom-to-be begins practicing his lines, only to end up going to the underworld and marrying a corpse. It’s not as creepy as I made it out to be. The story as well as the lessons are admirable. The claymation style seems to work really well for Halloween related movies. It features dark elements in a way that children can understand. It’s a very great movie to go back to year after year. I’d also recommend looking at Tim Burton’s other films if you enjoy this one.
4. Monster House
At first, I was gonna save the father of all of the claymation Halloween films for last. But since The Nightmare before Christmas could count as a Halloween and Christmas movie, I decided to use Monster House instead. It’s not a bad movie at all, but it gets overpowered by all the Tim Burton Movies and the new claymation movies that come out every 3-5 years.
This is a story of 3 kids who suspect an old man’s house is alive. Turns out they were right after all, now they have to find a way to stop the living house before it attacks the young trick or treaters at its door step. The voice acting is great and you really get to connect with the old man/house. The claymation in this movie is as beautiful as it is in all of these films. The jokes are great for both kids and adults to laugh and bond over. And I’ll admit it, this use to be a fear of mine when I was younger, going trick or treating at a big old house.
Depending on who you are, as soon as September or October hits, the first thing in your mind is Halloween. Before you drink or eat your pumpkin spice related food and run out to find the latest costume, watch a Halloween related movie to boost the special Halloween feeling.