The joyous time of sugar is upon us; where us adults can wander about dressed as pirates and monsters and illicit not even a sideways glance, all before stuffing ourselves with enough sweets to send an elephant into diabetic shock. It’s the beginning of Halloween, people! Now, I can hear you say to yourself, “But Halloween isn’t till the end of the month!” I’ll grant you that that is in fact true, but people start talking about Christmas in August so I think it’s fair that you give us our early start for our annual October celebrations.
Now that we got that out of the way, I figured we’d start with a little list; some movies to get you warming up to the idea. Don’t get that worried look on your faces just yet. I know, I know, it’s still a bit too early for the serious horrors and I am aware that the horror season isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. So I’m here to warm things up gently with some seasonal movies that are more fun than fright.
So grab yourself a nice hot chocolate and a hot water bottle on this most wintry October Sunday – The Arcade has you covered.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Is it a Christmas movie? Is it a Halloween Movie? Does anyone know or care? The Nightmare Before Christmas is essential Halloween viewing. Straight from the glorious corners of Tim Burton‘ brain is this tale of love and sorrow and finding yourself. That, and sticking it to Santa. Did I mention I’m not a Christmas person?
Follow Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, as he embarks on a Christmas adventure the likes of which are sure to leave their ghastly mark on Christmas Town for many years to come.
Hocus Pocus
Bette Midler may like to think that we remember her for Beaches but we totally don’t. Join us for a Halloween movie where one of the main characters is a talking cat out for revenge. Bette Midler hams it up in truly glorious ways as the head of a trio of Salem witches out to steal the life-force of children so they’ll stay young for just a while longer. There’s no shortage of laughs and hexes in this movie. No Halloween is complete without it.
What We Do In The Shadows
A new addition to my seasonal viewing but definitely worth a watch if you haven’t seen. Join the house-share with a difference as we watch the documentary style daily comings and goings of a house of somewhat dysfunctional vampires. They hail from different parts of the world, and from different time periods and truly, vampires have never been so hilarious. Hilarious, awkward and just so fiendishly normal. Sink your teeth into this one and savour.
Little Shop Of Horrors
Who among us can resist the grim, musical delight that is Little Shop of Horrors? Only if you’re a monster. What’s a person to do when the talking plant they’ve raised starts needing something a little larger than a steak. You grab an axe of course. And sure, well, there’s sure no shortage of walking dinners for Audrey II in this little comedy horror. Join Rick Moranis for the movie that had us all trying to take a quick peak into the back room of the florists, just in case.
Just you try to watch it without singing along, I double dare you. This is one Halloween movie sure to have a song or two stuck in your head till well past Christmas and long into the New Year.
Shaun of The Dead
Not simply one of favourite horrors but one of my all time favourite movies. Join Shaun, Ed and Liz as they deal with the undead apocalypse in a way that any regular person would; with synchronized zombie bashing, the musical stylings of Queen, crisps, pints and lashings of tea.
Where would you go if it was the end of the world? The pub really is as good a place as any.
