31 Days of Halloween: October 1-7

That magical time of the year is here! thats right, it is officially October and that means the road to Halloween has officially begun. To help celebrate the best time of the year I am going to be running a weekly column called the '31 Days of Halloween'. What it is is quite simple, this is my list of the 31 essential horror films to watch this October to get you into the mood for the season. Now, I will be posting plenty of other reviews and Netflix posts and many other things as well centering on great Halloween time movies however, these 31 are the films I believe should be top priority this year. Rather than just plop three dozen films on you right now though I have decided to break it up week by week to make your decision making a little easier. I have put together a variety of movies spanning multiple decades and featuring all different kind of horror and genre films all that I believe fit the feeling of this wonderful time of year. So grab your Reese's Pumpkins, crack a pumpkin brew and turn of the lights because it's officially October you sons of bitches! 

(I am ordering these by date, though you can watch in any order you please)

October 1: 

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Directed By: Tim Burton

What better way to kick off the Halloween season than to go back to a classic tale of horror and tragedy. Tim Burton's 1999 adaptation of the short story by Washington Irving takes us back to pre-Civil War America to tell the legend of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. Ichabod is a police constable in New York City circa 1799 who is sent to the small town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of murders where the victims have been decapitated. When he arrives in the small town he gets way more than he bargained for as he finds himself face to face with pure evil. To save the townsfolk he must fight the Headless Horseman and finally lay him to rest.

This movie is the perfect kickoff to the Halloween season, what Tim Burton did with the material is incredible and makes for one of his best movies to date. From the costume design to the use of vibrant red blood, much like classic italian horror, he has created a film that embodies everything we love about this season. Falling leaves, gruesome murders, and a viciously terrifying monster played by the amazing Christopher Walken make for a wonderful modern telling of a classic, centuries old tale. 

October 2: 

Night of the Living Dead (1968) 

Directed By: George A. Romero 

I don't think I need to say much about this quintessential film, if you don't already know it then you don't love movies. George Romero's 1968 masterpiece literally changed cinema for the better. Not only did it introduce the world to a whole new level of horror storytelling but it made huge leaps for the industry as whole. Featuring a black male in the lead role who interacts with a whole group of white folk the entire movie without ever making light of the situation was maybe the first time this had ever been done in a feature film. This was the first time audiences ever saw "zombies" as we see them every day now. Romero created a monster all his own that had never been seen before in traditional storytelling. Riffing off the classic voodoo style zombie he made a heightened form of the undead that feeds on human flesh. Nothing captures the essence of Halloween more than revisiting a classic black and white flick that still scares the hell out of you. Over fifty years later and this film stands as strong as it did the day it was released. 

October 3: 

Horns (2014) 

Directed By: Alexandre Aja

I believe I have wrote about this flick before in one of my streaming posts, but it cannot be overlooked this October. Just released last year this movie became an instant seasonal watch for me. Daniel Radcliffe gives a complete departure from anything he's done before to create a character so fantastic you just have to see it. After his girlfriend is brutally murdered he finds himself as the main suspect in the case and the only way to prove his innocence is to find the real killer. His task is made easier when he awakes one morning with a pair of sadistic horns protruding from his forehead, horns that give him a certain sort of privilege over people. The movie is funny, emotional, a bit creepy and all around a good time. The style of the movie makes it a perfect fit for the season and to make to make it even better, it is currently streaming on Netflix. 

October 4: 

The Stuff (1985) 

Directed By: Larry Cohen

If you have never seen Larry Cohen's The Stuff before than you are missing out on some seriously magical eighties cult horror. This movie has everything you could want from a crazy eighties genre flick, from a super silly sci-fi plot to ridiculous characters and practical effects this movie is an absolute blast from start to finish. In true eighties fashion the movie wastes no time before getting into the meat of the story. When a mysterious new dessert arrives in supermarkets only one boy in a small town recognizes it true form. What people take as a delicious and fluffy dessert is actually something far more terrifying. If that small synopsis doesn't hook you immediately than you're probably crazy. Seek this one out this October, you'll be happy you did. 

October 5: 

Friday the 13th (1980)

Directed By: Sean S. Cunningham

We all know the Friday the 13th franchise like the back of our hand but it surprising how many people have actually never seen the original and best of the series. One of the most iconic and influential slasher movies, this first installment introduced us to the mythology of the man known as Jason Voorhees. Even though this movie doesn't actually featured the masked killer at all, it is actually his mother, the film succeeds more than anything other at capturing that true slasher magic. With a killer soundtrack and some great death scenes this is another must watch for the Halloween season. 

October 6: 

[REC] (2007)

Directed By: Juame Belaguero & Paco Plaza

Most casual horror fans know of the 2008 film Quarantine, the found-footage style movie that see's a reported get trapped in a quarantined building. Surprisingly though, most don't know it is actually the American remake of a Spanish film that is actually one of the best horror movies of the last decade. It uses the same storyline as the remake, a reporter and her crew get trapped in an apartment building containing an unknown virus. What they think should be a quick and easy quarantine turns into a fight for their lives when they realize the virus is changing people in terrible ways. The film is scary as all hell and a true testament to the found-footage style of filmmaking. 

October 7: 

V/H/S/2 (2013)

Horror Anthology

I decided to go with the second film in the V/H/S series but really, any of them would be a great watch. I picked the second because of the cast of directors and overall quality of each and every short film. Featuring shorts from well known horror and genre directors like Simon Barrett (You're Next), Jason Eisener (Hobo With a Shotgun), Gareth Evans (The Raid), Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project), and Adam Wingard (The Guest) there isn't a bad segment in the entire film. Spanning all different kinds of sub genres they make up a perfectly rounded anthology horror film, and what's better for the Halloween season than some good old anthology horror? To make it even better this and the other two installments in the franchise are currently streaming on Netflix.

That'll do it for the first week's worth of films, there is some fantastic stuff on here so if there is anything you haven't seen I suggest getting on top of that. As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies and look back this time next week for the next batch of film. Happy Halloween!