It’s no secret horror is not my genre of choice, but that doesn’t mean I don’t harbor a fondness or affection for it and that’s why I decided to embrace “Spooktober.”  Spooktober is my way of meshing together two of my passions: movies and Halloween.  I’m a Halloween nut.  It is my favorite holiday of the year during my favorite season of the year.  Scary movies are a big part of embracing the mythos.  Each day this October I have chosen a Halloween or horror inspired type of film.  Many are first viewings, but a lot were revisits from more than a decade of dust gathering.  Here is my list.  Please share some of your favorite movies for “Spooktober”.

Spooktober Day #1 

“Poltergeist”

Please enjoy my favorite horror movie of all time.  Nothing touches Poltergeist.  It scared me to pieces as a child, as an adult and it only makes me love it more.  It holds up perfectly and a remake was completely unnecessary. They’re heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere.

Spooktober Day #2

“I Spit On Your Grave” (2010)

“I Spit On Your Grave” falls into the torture porn/slasher genre of horror. It’s not my cup of tea, but I went in with the hopes of enjoying the payback because this is a story of vengeance and empowerment. Rah rah-rah.

Spooktober Day #3

“Insidious”

This and “The Conjuring” are my favorite recent haunting/possession type horror movies, both featuring Patrick Wilson.  Excellent, creepy, and of course haunting.

Day #4 of Spooktober

 “It” 2017

Today I turned on “It” and was not let down. This was a spectacular horror film. All of the things I loved about the book and even the original film were captured here. Yet, it still managed to tell its own story with the benefit of updated special effects and terrifying make-up.

Spooktober Day #5

“The Cell”

I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it as much, but I hadn’t seen it in 19 years and I think I like it even more now.   I don’t understand how it’s confusing to people either. It’s abstract, but it’s not mind boggling.

Spooktober Day 6

“May”

I have always loved this movie and it was one of the first that popped in my head when I was thinking of what to watch this month.

Spooktober Day #7

“The Chernobyl Diaries”

It was a little silly, but it was fun. Plus, I’m a sucker for Chernobyl stuff.

Spooktober Day #8

“The Cabin In The Woods”

This gets better with each viewing. It has all the cliches of a typical horror movie while simultaneously rebelling against them. Mad love to Drew Goddard and JW.

Spooktober Day #9

“Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil”

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. The re-watch-ability quality is endless. Whenever I’m describing a rough day, I describe it as a “doozy of a day”. Watched this one last night. More goodies coming.

“Oh hidy-ho officer, we’ve had a doozy of a day. There we were minding our own business, just doing chores around the house when kids started killing themselves all over my property.”

Spooktober Day #10

“Trick R’ Treat”

I remember a bunch of my friends at the “After Dark” film festival in Toronto freaking out about how amazing this was. When it was released and since then I have only heard similar accounts from all interested parties. I finally watched it this morning. Absolutely delightful. Was not even remotely let down even with the high expectations.

Spooktober Day #11

“In The Tall Grass”

This just dropped on Netflix and it’s not bad. I was entertained and interested throughout, but I think with time I’ll entirely forget about it. I had lost interest by the second half.  On a positive, it was based on a Stephen King and Joe Hill gig, and you could feel that inspiration.

Spooktober Day #12

“Ernest Scared Stupid”

Family movie night. It’s been a very long time, but my favorite Ernest movie.

Hey Vern, this has legit scary moments.

Spooktober Day #13

“The Omen”

Easily one of my favorite scary movies of all time. The glass scene is still brutal.

Spooktober Day #14

“The Witches”

This is honestly something I will watch any day of the year at any time. The makeup and prosthetic work still look incredible. Angelica Huston is everything. She’s both beautiful and terrifying. The film is timeless and the book is wonderful as well.

Spooktober Day #15

“I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House”

This was written and directed by Osgood Perkins (son of Anthony Perkins) and if you enjoy a very quiet and creepy sense of horror where you let stillness feed your fear, this might be your cup of tea. To explain how well it delivered…I could SMELL the house.

Spooktober Day #16

“The Descent”

This movie is insane and even more brutal than I remembered. The first half is terrifying in a completely non-violent horror film kind of way, and the second act switches up into what Neil Marshall does so well….blood, gore, monsters, and violence. You’ve only escaped one horror to find something far worse. It’s outstanding.

I love what Neil Marshall does, even when he fails. I have one more of his films to re-watch before Spooktober is over, but The Descent is quality!

Spooktober Day #17

“The Ritual”

This was a Netflix original that’s trailer caught my interest. It was an interesting mix of survival and horror that initially works on some Blair Witch style antics and plays at your emotions. It’s a quiet terror and evokes its fear by sound and nuanced movement. Most noteworthy was the monster reveal towards the end. It didn’t disappoint.

Spooktober Day #18

“Dog Soldiers”

This is the second Neil Marshall movie I have on here for the month and this is my favorite Werewolf movie tied with “Silver Bullet”. It is pure awesome, and the creature makeup, transformation, and visuals are absolutely wicked. This is a FUN and maybe even a scary movie. Totally dig it.

Spooktober Day #19

“The Blair Witch”

I don’t care what anyone says. I love this movie. It’s fantastic.

Spooktober Day #20

“Shadow Of The Vampire”

If you haven’t seen this yet, do yourself a favor and sit down and watch it, especially if you’re a fan of the genre or Dafoe or Malkovich because they are extraordinary. I almost forgot how much I adored this movie.

Spooktober Day #21

“Scream”

Arguably one of the best horror film franchises out there. The original hit all the 90’s nostalgia points, was clever, funny, scary, and still to this day boasts probably one of the most badass intros to a movie scary or otherwise. And if you can’t laugh at “Ghostface” constantly getting his ass kicked then our senses of humor can’t get along.

Spooktober Day #22

“It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”

I started reading Peanuts along with Garfield in my weekend newspaper when I was very little. At some point my parents got us a book full of “Peanuts Classics” and I read them till the binder thread began to fall apart, staying awake reading them with my alarm clock light. The holiday bits were always my favorite. It’s not Halloween without Charlie Brown and the gang.

Spooktober Day #23

“The Strangers”

The first time I saw this I went in with a less than excited attitude. I’m not a huge fan of Liv Tyler or Scott Speedman and the concept seemed pretty run of the mill, but I was wrong. It was SCARY and watching it again years later it still has an impact.

Spooktober Day #24

“Cube”

Sci-fi Horror? Yesem. This movie is bonkers and I still love it, plus extra bonus points for David Hewlett magic.

Spooktober Day #25

“Raw”

Raw received some pretty extreme responses to what was advertised as extra grotesque business. This left me expecting shock and very little in the plot or character development department. I was delightfully ill-informed. I perversely embraced it as a darkly humorous coming of age allegory. I think I enjoyed it, even more, this time around.

Spooktober Day #26

“The Others”

This is not a jump out and scares you movie. It’s a very slow burn that I thought would only have a real impact on first viewing (I saw it in the theatre and I screamed – unprecedented), but it’s still a very clever story and works on its creep factor. Nicole Kidman carries it like a boss.

Spooktober Day #27

“Silver Bullet”

This may have been the first werewolf movie I ever saw and it scared the sparkles out of me, but like Poltergeist that didn’t sway my affection for it. I haven’t watched it in over a decade and it is not a perfect movie by any means, but the comedy and story is on point with an epic 80’s cast. Megan Follows is in it! And Gary Busey.  

Spooktober Day #28

“Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark”

This just became available for streaming and while my hubby is NOT a fan of the spooky, scary or horror genre we both LOVED the book series as children and this was it realized on film.

Spooktober Day #29

“Cloverfield”

I. LOVE. THIS. MOVIE.  I saw it in the theatre and the experience was intense, but I’ve watched it multiple times over the years and it is exactly what I love about great monster movies.  It has throwbacks to other horror/monster films and while I hate all of the main characters there is some payoff for that.  It is an exceptional piece to the monster genre.

Spooktober Day #30

“Dawn of the Dead” 2004

Zack Snyder’s “Dawn of the Dead” may be my favorite zombie movie and I couldn’t get through Spooktober without visiting at least one zombie flick.  I was pregnant when I watched this and for those that have seen it amidst the humor and gore you might imagine why it gave me horrific nightmares.  Like Scream, the first scene is probably one of the best scenes not just in horror but in cinema.  It is exactly how my zombie nightmare begins.  It is funny, it is terrifying, and pays homage to the social commentary of zombie lore.  This flick hits all the marks.  Hard.  And the B5 Easter Egg at the end is magnificent.

Spooktober Day #31

“Hocus Pocus”

Each Halloween we have the tradition of watching Hocus Pocus after trick or treating and this year was (or will be) not different. It is the most “Halloweeny” of all Halloween themed films. The music is delightful and Bette, Sarah, and Kathy are just magnanimous. It is a WONDERFUL and fun family movie to watch. We love it. It is easily the best way to end “Spooktober”.