As Halloween approaches, horror movies will be everywhere you look. Skip the cinema this year and host your own thrill-fest. To set the mood, bake up one or two pumpkin recipes, set out some tasty Halloween treats, and invite over your bravest friends to join you as the credits (and heads) start to roll.
For Thrill Seekers
Start the night off with Halloween (and not just because it’s named after the holiday). Stacie Ponder, a columnist on AMC’s Horror Hacker blog, highly recommends director John Carpenter’s tale about an escaped masked murderer creeping around the fictional town of Haddonfield. Anxiety-inducing without being gory, the movie “relies more on atmosphere than graphic horror,” she says.
To buy: $15, amazon.com.
For Families
From Linus’ unflagging belief in the Great Pumpkin to Charlie Brown’s disappointing rock-filled trick-or-treat bag, the heartfelt animated classic It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is full of good friends, faith, and fun.
To buy: $20, amazon.com.
For Old-Movie Fans
To buy: $15, amazon.com.
For the Squeamish
Take a classic novel, add Gene Wilder and an offcamera horse whinny, and you’ve got director Mel Brooks’ masterfully funny Young Frankenstein. This spoof of Mary Shelley’s famed story about a mechanical monster trades in ghouls for giggles.
To buy: $15, amazon.com.
For the Not-So-Squeamish
In Drag Me to Hell, a loan officer turns down an aging gypsy’s application only to face down a dark curse that threatens to steal her soul. There are plenty of jump-out-of-your-seat moments, lots of gore, and a surprising amount of laughs. “Scary movies are rarely this fun,” says Ponder.
To buy: $15, amazon.com.
For the Adventurous
Reminiscent of the daring Goonies before them, the kids of The Monster Squad attempt to retrieve a magical amulet, fighting off a domination-seeking Dracula and his frightening minions. Great special effects and witty writing have made this flick a cult favorite.
To buy: $15, amazon.com.
For Horror-Movie Buffs
“Some people like their vampires all handsome and sparkly,” says Ponder. “Me, I like ‘em monstrous and truly frightening.” Well, frightening is what you get with Nosferatu, a chilling silent picture from the 1920s adapted from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, about the eerie Count Orlock, who relentlessly preys on victims bite by bite.
To buy: $15, amazon.com.
For Zombie Fanatics
To buy: $15, amazon.com.
For Cheesy Movie Lovers
Yes, Halloween III is missing the infamous Michael Myers character, but it’s still worth watching. With a silly plotline involving a small, California town run by a Celtic joke tycoon, business suit-wearing robots, and killer masks (literally), the movie “has all the hallmarks of creepy corniness,” says Ponder.
To buy: $10, amazon.com.
For People Who Hate Scary Movies
Written by Stephen King, the five short films in Creepshow are inspired by E.C. Comics from the 1950s and use comic-book conventions such as story panels and exaggerated lighting to dramatize tales of peril. Soaking wet zombies, plant mutations, and a cockroach infestation are “guaranteed to make you laugh as much as they’ll make your skin crawl,” says Ponder.
To buy: $6, amazon.com.
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