Here's a little horror movie fun fact to kick off your week: Did you know that John Carpenter composed the music to many of own films? It's amazing. The high-pitched synths and wailing guitars in Halloween, They Live, The Fog, Escape from New York, and many more Carpenter classics all come from the mind of the horror director himself. So, I couldn't have been more excited to see Carpenter in a haunted New York City warehouse venue called the Knockdown Center this past weekend, where the 77-year-old put on a concert to celebrate some of his iconic scores.
At the end of the night, the director joked that we should all drive home safely because he heard that Christine—the killer car from his 1983 Stephen King adaptation—was roaming the streets. After all these years, Carpenter hasn't lost an inch of cool.
If you're thinking about watching something thrilling this Halloween, Carpenter's films are an amazing place to start. I'm sure you'll still see a fair share of Michael Myers masks this holiday season—if people even trick or treat anymore—and I haven't even mentioned The Thing, Prince of Darkness, or In the Mouth of Madness yet. All hits! We're also coming up on the release of two back-to-back Frankenstein movies: Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein with Jacob Elordi (in select theaters this weekend) and Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride! with Christian Bale (early 2026). I'm excited for both, as well as the upcoming It: Welcome to Derry spin-off series (premiering on HBO on October 26).
Now, I'm a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to horror movies. So, when I list out some personal recommendations to add to your Halloween watchlist below, you won't find any Hereditary's or Conjuring's among them. (Both good films!) For true horror junkies, we have a separate list of the 100 scariest movies of all time. The handful of recommendations below are for those who just want a little scare this Halloween season, as well as a primer on what to watch so that you're fully read up on what's coming out this fall. Enjoy, and don't blame me when you need to sleep with the light on.
Halloween (1978) - It's in the name, but I rewatched this one after the John Carpenter show and it still holds up! The '70s slasher was one of the director's earliest films, starring Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and introducing the deranged Michael Myers as a knife-wielding sociopath. Carpenter's films just have this amazing campy and practical quality to them. No jump scare is ever so terrifying that you'll never fall asleep again, and every rising moment of tension holds that classic popcorn blockbuster feeling. You know what I mean.
Frankenstein (1931) – Before Frankenstein movies are absolutely everywhere, I recommend turning back the clock to 1931 and revisiting Jame Whale's original black-and-white classic. Following Mary Shelley's groundbreaking horror novel, it was the Boris Karloff-starring film that became the blueprint for one of the most famous Hollywood monsters of all time. Although I'm excited to watch what del Toro and Gyllenhaal have in store, it's going to be difficult to best the original excitement of Colin Clive's Dr. Frankenstein screaming, "It's Alive!"
It (2017) – If not solely for Bill Skarsgård's absolutely unhinged performance as Pennywise the Clown, this modern Stephen King remake joins the list as another scary film that had a lot of fun with practical effects. I didn't catch this one for quite some time after it released, and I was pleasantly surprised that the Andy Muschietti-directed film didn't rely so heavily on CGI as many other recent horror films have. The famous town with the creepy clown is also set to receive a spin-off series later this month on HBO.
Signs (2002) – Signs is a personal favorite. Not just because M. Night Shyamalan filmed this horror movie in the town where I grew up—Bucks County, PA—but because it's one of the best films ever made about an alien invasion. If you're enjoying Task, I'd recommend putting this crop circle thriller on your TV this Halloween. There's a surprising amount of depth to Signs's mystery that covers faith, destiny, and the ol' Pennsylvania charm.
Scream (1996) – Almost more of a comedy than a horror film, Wes Craven's Scream is a satirical slasher that remixes many of the genre's cliches established in Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Psycho. It's one of the most inventive and hilarious commentaries on horror tropes, tackling everything from heavy breathing over the phone to outlining "the rules" characters need to follow if they want to stay alive. Much like the entertaining Final Destination series, the Scream franchise's first three films are perfect movies to watch with friends this Halloween.
No comments:
Post a Comment