Originally Posted by
Vakanai
Toughie - most of my favorite Halloween and "horror" movies I don't find the least bit scary. The classic Universal Monster films, a bunch of the Hammer Horror line up, most Dracula films in general (no, Bram Stoker's Dracula with Gary Oldman is not scary, but is hella good), several kids movies like Ernest Scared Stupid or Hocus Pocus or any of the Scooby Doo's, action horrors like the Underworld franchise or the Resident Evil movies, just a lot of fun Halloween stuff that doesn't scare me. Even my favorite Evil Dead movie is the non-scary Army of Darkness (so freaking cool). So let's see, my favorites of what I consider to be genuinely scary movies?
1. Jurassic Park - Despite what the franchise has kind of become, the first film had legitimate scares for a small kid. That first T-Rex scene and the Raptors in the kitchen scene are real edge of your seat moments. Maybe not a straight scary movie so much as a movie with scary moments, but still good enough for a favorites list.
2. Aliens - One of the best monster movies ever. When a freaking space military unit are screwed you know the monsters are deadly.
3. American Werewolf in London - Probably the best werewolf movie ever made, and that transformation scene is slow but brutal, and that werewolf design is pretty great (probably the second best werewolf design right after The Wolfman's).
4. It: Chapter One - Holy crap this movie. Going to watch the sequel in theaters this Sunday, that's probably going to go on this list too.
5. Little Shop of Horrors - The Rick Moranis version. Bit of a cheat because it's not actually a favorite movie of mine, but it kind of deserves an honorable mention on any list of scary movies for me just because of the effect seeing that plant gulping a whole body down had on me as a kid. I'm not joking here either, as dumb as it is that freaking scarred little pre-k kid me to the point I wouldn't watch this movie again until I was a nearly adult teenager. And I still hate that plant!
Keep in mind this is just the list of movies I at one time or another found legit "scary". If you want a list of my favorite movies for Halloween it'll look very different. How different? Let's find out!
(in no particular order)
1. Dracula movies - just Dracula movies, I'll list them down below*.
2. Universal Monster movies - Particularly the original Phantom of the Opera, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman, and Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein (my favorites).
3. Ernest Scared Stupid - Practically a Halloween tradition with me since I was in Kindergarten I think.
4. Elvira, Mistress of Darkness - Saw this for the first time last year, immediately became a favorite. Apparently I like camp and fun, so sue me.
5. Hocus Pocus - Just a fun Halloween movie.
6. Army of Darkness - This film had more of an impact on my childhood imaginings than is probably healthy. I quoted this movie a lot. This is my BOOMSTICK!
7. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown - Almost doesn't feel like Halloween without this.
There's probably more, but that's all I can think of at this moment.
*Dracula movies, listed chronologically
1. Nosferatu - Count Orlock, Dracula, whatever, a silent classic and a stylish film.
2. Dracula - Bela Lugosi is still my favorite Dracula. He's the guy I try an mimic when practicing my Dracula voice (and yes, I practice my Dracula voice).
3. Dracula (Spanish speaking version) - Filmed at the same time as the Lugosi one, and in many ways a superior film, except that Dracula is no Lugosi.
4. Horror of Dracula - The first Hammer Dracula film, and my favorite of the Hammer Dracula movies. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are great.
5. Dracula (Frank Langella) - A very underrated, very good looking movie. And some interesting scenes to boot.
6. Bram Stoker's Dracula - I have qualms with the name "Bram Stoker's" Dracula (the novel's Count was not so romantic nor sympathetic) but this is a great, stylish film.
7. Dracula 2000 - Probably the last good Dracula film. I really like how they kind of adapted "Dracula" in the (then) present.
That should cover all my bases...