Can you believe it? We are just over a week away from Halloween already. This month has been flying by and I'm sure all of you have been watching plenty of horror to get yourself in the holiday spirit. Hopefully you have been following my '31 Days of Halloween' series but if not, you can find the last three posts here. This week I bring you the fourth block, and final weeks worth of movies before Halloween weekend with a special three day post coming for the final days of the month and the holiday itself. Since we are moving so close to the 31st many of the movies on the remainder of this list may seem like the "obvious" choices, but that's just because they truly are essential viewing for the month of October. As always, if there is anything on here you haven't seen then I highly suggest checking them out this week, otherwise just enjoy yourself and watch some of the greatest horror movies ever made.
October 22:
Drag Me to Hell (2009)
Horror, Comedy, Thriller
Directed By: Sam Raimi
Clearly not the only Raimi movie that will make this list but I had to show some Halloween love to his last venture into horror Drag Me to Hell. Working with a PG-13 rating this film still manages to embody everything we love about Sam Raimi's work without making sacrifices for the lower rating. When a young loan officer causes an old lady to be evicted from the home she has lived in her entire life she is given an ancient supernatural curse as punishment. Not long after she begins experiencing strange occurrences in her home and daily life. When she realizes she is being haunted by a demon she does whatever it takes to rid herself of this horrible curse. Alison Lohman and Justin Long star in this twisted horror comedy that is filled with blood, laughs, creepy old ladies, and terrifying demons making it a perfect watch this October.
October 23:
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Horror, Comedy
Directed By: John Landis
It isn't Halloween without a little werewolf action and in that respect there is no better film than John Landis classic An American Werewolf in London. One of the first movies to truly lend itself as much to comedy as it does horror, this film is a landmark in the genre for both structure and special effects. Featuring what is still one of, if not the best transformation scene in the history of cinema this movie still holds up today as one of the best horror comedies of all-time. The film centers on a pair of American backpackers working their way through the northern U.K. when they are attacked by a mysterious creature, leaving one of them dead and the other with a horrible curse. Now the surviving friend must learn what his curse is and how to save himself and the people around him. If for some reason you have never seen this film, change that immediately.
October 24:
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Horror, COmedy, Mystery
Directed By: Drew Goddard
It isn't officially the Halloween season until you have watched one of the greatest modern horror films of all-time. Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard's 2012 bonkers horror film was a breathe of fresh air upon its release due to the films totally original story. Playing on the classic and well overused 'cabin in the woods' storyline this movie turns it completely on its head. When a group of kids go out for a weekend of camping in the woods they uncover a conspiracy much larger than anything they could have ever imagined existed. I won't say anymore for the few who haven't seen this movie yet as the twists and turns are the best part of this movie. With all of the blood, crazy creatures, and super inventive story this film is a perfect watch this Halloween season
October 25:
The Fly (1986)
Horror, Sci-Fi
Directed By: David Cronenberg
What's Halloween without a little body horror? David Cronenberg's remake of The Fly is still to this day one of the best displays of body horror in film and the special effects are still amazing to this day. When a brilliant scientist thinks he has finally cracked the secret to teleportation he uses himself as the first human subject. Things go far worse than he could have imagined when his DNA ends up being spliced with a common fly. Now he is slowly transforming into a horrible creature and he only has so much time to figure out how to reverse it before the effects are irreversible. Jeff Goldblum is at his most "goldblum-y" in this movie and it's worth watching just for his performance. Proving remakes aren't always a bad thing, this film is a must watch every October.
October 26:
The Descent (2005)
Horror
Directed By: Neil Marshall
I often talk about how horror fans often look for a specific kind of horror movie come this time of year but even so, sometimes we just want to be scared, really scared and for this there is no better movie than Neil Marshall's The Descent. Not only one of the best horror movies of the modern century, this is also one of the most terrifying especially if you are claustrophobic like myself. The film follows a group of friends who just happen to be adrenaline junkies and their most recent venture into the extreme is spelunking into a system of underground caves and caverns. Tragedy strikes in the caves and it isn't long until it is revealed that they are actually in an undiscovered cave and no one knows they are down there. Now they must keep going deeper and deeper in hopes of finding a way out. Things become even more difficult when they discover that they may not be alone in these caves. This movie is absolutely horrifying and to make it even better the cast is entirely female making this one of my personal favorite horror films ever.
October 27:
Double Feature!
The Evil Dead (1981) & Evil Dead II (1987)
Horror, Comedy
Directed By: Sam Raimi
Like I said, this list was sure to feature more Raimi and of course I couldn't pick just one of these movies. Standing as two of the most revolutionary horror films of all-time you still see their influence heavily in anything released today. The first is a truly scary straight up 'cabin in the woods' horror flick that pits a small group of friends against members of the undead. It's truly scary and the effects are incredible. The second can be seen as almost a remake of the first with a new twist, this time it's comedic. Bruce Campbell's Ash became one of the most iconic horror heroes of all-time for a reason and within the frames of these two movies you see exactly why. The films boast incredible practical effects done by the legendary Tom Savini and the guys of KNB Effects mixed with Raimi's special style of horror to create two of the most influential horror films in history.
October 28:
The Exorcist (1973)
Horror
Directed By: William Friedkin
I don't think I need to say too much about this film as it is still one of the most unnerving and fear inducing movies ever made. Even almost fifty years later this film hasn't aged a day, what William Friedkin created in 1973 is still scaring audiences around the world. When a teenage girl is possessed by an evil spirit the girl's mother looks to two priests to try and save her. What comes because of it is still to this day the more terrifying display of supernatural horror ever to hit the big screen. If you want to know true fear this October then look no further than the most talked about horror movie ever made, The Exorcist.
That'll do it for the fourth and final full week of films in my '31 Days of Horror' but look back this time next week for a special post with suggestions for Halloween weekend. I have some great double features lined up to get you through the holiday weekend without ever wondering what you should watch. As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, small ya later!
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