31 Days of Halloween: October 8-14

Well, somehow we have already burned through a week of this glorious month and with it comes another installment of my '31 Days of Halloween' where I bring you 31 great movies to help you enjoy the season. Hopefully you have already checked out last week's post and have started your October viewing with some of the great films on there. When picking the movies for these posts I try to find the films that I think best get you in the mood of the season. It would be easy to name thirty one of the "best" horror movies of all-time and fill it with a lot of the obvious choices but what would be the point? Instead I try to find the films, some iconic and some obscure, that will really get you into the Halloween spirit. The leaves are changing and the air is crisp and there is a certain kind of horror flick that fits this time of year perfect. Every film on this chunk of the list, I feel, are not only amazing genre films but are films that will have you ready October 31 in no time. So grab some candy corn (because it doesn't suck!) and turn out the lights, you have movies to watch.

October 8:

The Lost Boys (1987)

Directed By: Joel Schumacker

Joel Schumacher's 1987 vampire masterpiece The Lost Boys is my favorite "vampire" movie of all-time, but that's not the only reason it is on this list. The movie has a certain style and atmosphere to it that perfectly suits this time of year. Not to mention vampires are always appropriate for Halloween and the comedic tone of the film makes it a great casual watch. The film follows two brothers, Sam (Corey Haim) and Mikey (Jason Patric), who have just moved to a new town. The younger of the two (Sam) makes friends with two boys at a local comic shop who claim to be vampire hunters. He realizes they might be telling the truth when he suspects his brother Mikey has been turned into one of the creatures of the night. The movie feels like a blend of The Goonies and Fright Night and is a great movie to watch with a group of friends.


October 9:

House of the Devil (2009)

Directed By: Ti West

This landmark film from Ti West is proof that you can, quite literally, still make movies like they used to. Paying homage to the classic 70's and 80's genre films he used older technology and film techniques to make a movie that not only captures the atmosphere of those movies but that literally looks like them. West accomplished an amazing task with this film and because of his dedication to the process created one of the most unique horror films of the modern age. The plot is simple: a college girl takes a babysitting job with a mysterious family that she quickly finds out was a bad idea. Playing as blend of the classic haunted house and slasher movies he clearly grew up loving, House of the Devil is a must watch this Halloween.

October 10:

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Directed By: William Castle

It's not officially Halloween until you have watched some Vincent Price and there may be no better October viewing than his film House on Haunted Hill. This classic haunted house story is everything you need out of a genre film come this time of the year. It's creepy, a bit cheesy, macabre, and as an added bonus the black and white really gets you feeling spooky. A millionaire offers ten thousand dollars to anyone of the people he has selected that can last an entire night in a house with he and his wife, they forgot the mention the house was haunted however. The film is directed by the amazing William Castle and if you have never seen it before I suggest going out of your way to track a copy down this October, you won't regret it.

October 11:

The Monster Squad (1987)

Directed By: Fred Dekker

Sometimes, when you're a genre nut and you watch horror movies year round you find yourself looking for something less scary and more fun during this time of the year. For that time there is no better film than Fred Dekker's The Monster Squad. Centering on a group of "monster enthusiasts", this film follows these kids as they encounter every classic monster from horror cinema. Dracula has raised his undead friends to try and take over the world and it is now up to these kids to try and stop them. The movie is wildly fun and an absolute treat for genre fans and is even streaming currently on Netflix.  

October 12:

Re-Animator (1985)

Directed By: Stuart Gordon

What better way to celebrate the season than with some good old Lovecratftian horror, and there is no better film adaptation of his work than Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator. One of the quintessential eighties horror flicks, this movie explores the idea of the reanimation of dead bodies. Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) is a brilliant young scientists with some very controversial ideas. He has been developing a reanimating agent for humans but when he finally perfects the serum things go horribly wrong. The people he breathes life back into come back as crazed psychopaths and before long they are fighting their way out of the college and for their lives. The movie is super gory, wickedly twisted and an all around good time for horror fans. If you have never seen this film then there is no better time than now, you won't soon forget this movie.

October 13:

It Follows (2015)/The Guest (2014) Double Feature

Directed By (It Follows): David Robert Mitchell

Directed By (The Guest): Adam Wingard

I decided to cheat a little bit here, but considering the 13th is my birthday i can do what I want. I have written full reviews for both It Follows and The Guest so I won't go into detail about the movies themselves too much but rather write about why I think they pair so well together and why they fit this list so well. Aside from the fact that both films star the stunningly beautiful Maika Monroe the two shares numerous qualities, all of which make them great October movies. For starters both films feature incredible original scores that really create an atmosphere around. Both scores are heavily influenced by classic horror scores and soundtracks like those of John Carpenter and they both play enormous roles in shaping their films.

Both of these films pull fear and intimidation from you by creating a story that invades your personal space and take you out of your comfort zone. The Guest actually takes place right around Halloween and the final sequence makes it a must watch for the season and It Follows takes place in the early stages of autumn as the leaves begin to fall. The two films are a testament to the state of genre filmmaking currently and I think you will find watching them back to back that they compliment each other wonderfully.

October 14: 

Phantasm (1979)

Directed By: Don Coscarelli

Rounding out the list is Don Coscarelli's 1979 horror classic Phantasm, I film I absolutely adore. Blending fantasy and horror this film crosses through worlds to create a film so unique in nature that it hasn't been recreated by anyone since. The film follows a young boy, his brother and his friend who have stumbled upon a horrible secret at their local funeral home. I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it so I will only say it gets otherworldly and the deadly devices used in this film are totally original. The film also features one of the creepiest of all the horror bad guys, The Tall Man played by Angus Scrimm whose face will likely haunt your nightmares.

That brings us to a close for this week's chunk of the '31 Days of Halloween' and hopefully you have found some great movies to go and check out. Look back this time next week for the third block of movies and until then, Happy Halloween! As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!