Halloween Marathon 2019 - Week 2
Welcome to week 2 of our Halloween Marathon! If you missed out on week 1 you can read it here, and you can check out week 3 here!
Picks By Zach
Paranorman
Often overlooked in favor of other spooky stop motion films, Laika Studio’s (the same studio that gave us Coraline and Kubo: and the Two Strings) second film Paranorman is definitely a fitting choice for this list. It’s very well animated and looks great, in addition to having an enjoyable story, memorable characters, as many scares as there are laughs, and a truly amazing climax. The plot follows a young boy named Norman who can talk to ghosts. He’s a character that many horror fans and most geeks will easily relate to, his odd behavior and unique abilities have lead him to be something of an outcast among the kids at his school, he likes scary movies and ends up butting heads a lot with his family because they just don’t really “get” him. Norman lives in a small Massachusetts (yay!) town with a history of hunting witches, and learns that it’s part of his family’s legacy to perform a ritual every year to keep the spirit of a 300 year old witch at bay. Naturally he screws it up and chaos ensues involving ghosts, magic, zombies, and the witch herself. Now it’s up to him and his friends and family to fix it! Did I mention the voice cast for this movie is loaded with talent? It has a great mix of stars, from movie and TV actors like Anna Kendrick, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and John Goodman, to voice acting favorites like Cam Clarke and Jeremy Shada. If you’re a fan of Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, The Corpse Bride (which Laika also produced), and Frankenweenie be sure not to overlook this one and give it the recognition it deserves… seriously I’m sick of only having a handful of people to talk about this one with!
Freddy Vs Jason
I’ve been softballing my picks so far, so how about something a bit more bloody and violent. I recently ranked all of the Jason movies from worst to best, and while this one only made the middle of the pack there, it’s the only one making my recommendations this year. The reason? Nobody here put Freddy or Jason anywhere in their recommendations for the year, and this is a great way to get yourself a dose of both! It just wouldn’t be Halloween without those two, for me at least. Sure there’s a bit too much plot and not quite enough action in this one. Sure the scariest thing about it is the acting, except for the always excellent Robert Englund, and sure they downplayed the threat Jason represents in favor of Freddy (classic New Line move), but this was still a clash of horror icons the likes of which we hadn’t seen since 1943’s Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man. Not to mention this film is a perfect time capsule of the early 2000s, it even has an knock off version Jay from Jay and Silent Bob. Despite its faults it has plenty of great gore, one of the more intimidating looking incarnations of Jason, and pretty of great action sequences. It’s genuinely entertaining to watch… even if some of the performances might make you groan from time to time.
Picks By Team Up
Idle Hands
What do Jessica alba, Seth Green, Elden Henson and the kid who played Casper the friendly ghost, yes I know his name is Devin Sawa, all have in common? They are all stars in my favorite stoner horror comedy Idle Hands!! Talk about a who’s-who of young actors in the late 90’s. While this move was a MAJOR box office bomb when it was released in April of 1999, it only made $4 million on a budget of $25 million, and was hated by critics at the time, this movie has gone on to have a cult following for sure. This is a flick I try to watch every year come Halloween season. As someone who isn’t big on horror movies but loves horror comedy this film is right up my ally in terms of content, but still has that love of gore and jump scares to keep most horror fans engaged throughout. I mean really, what could be better than a movie about a lazy stoner who’s hand becomes possessed and goes on a killing spree while Vivica A. Fox tries to kill him? The fact that the Offspring are playing the school dance and the lead singer, Dexter, gets scalped mid Ramones cover, that’s what. So mix together that oregano and nutmeg, sit back, relax, and enjoy this goofy Halloween offering.
South Park: Sons a Witches (S21E6)
Picks By Optimus_Grime814
Hey Arnold!: Arnold's Halloween (S2E7)
After being told by Arnold's grandfather that they couldn't help with the Halloween party because they are too young, Arnold and Gerald try to prove they can scare the adults by faking an alien invasion broadcast during the party at the board house. An official at UFO Tonite accidentally picks up the story from Arnold and Gerald’s broadcast and reports it to Douglas Cain, the host of the tv show. Cain then airs the broadcast on television. A group of Arnold's friends, dressed as aliens, gets accused of being the invaders and are chased by the neighborhood while trying to remove makeup that will not come off. This is a nod to Orson Welles: War of the World broadcast on Halloween in 1938 which allegedly caused panic among its listeners. I recommend this episode purely because of its nod to Halloween history.
Beetlejuice (1988)
A married couple, Barbara and Adam Maitland played by Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, die in a tragic car accident and find themselves in need of guidance in the afterlife to rid their house of it's new inhabitants the Deetz's. After consulting with their afterlife caseworker Juno (played by Sylvia Sydney), reading the handbook for the recently deceased and many failed attempts to rid the family themselves they decide to bring the exorcist Beetlejuice into the picture even though they were warned against it. Beetlejuice takes his duty a little further than the Maitlands had expected so they try to banish him but he doesn't go quietly. Out of all the Tim Burton films, this one for me is on top (right above Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns and Nightmare Before Christmas). Between the character designs and the colors, it's very visually appealing. My favorite characters include the dead football players, the receptionist, the sand worms and of course Beetlejuice. This isn't really a Halloween movie, but it deserves a spot in everyone's October movie playlist.
Picks By Derek
Mickey Mouse: The Scariest Story Ever
As far as I’m concerned, this is a new Halloween classic. I know the OG Disney characters don’t get treated so well these days in the animation department, but I promise you that this one is different. I myself am not a big fan of this new art style they’ve gone with in recent years for Mickey & co, but the stories and jokes in this Halloween special are so good that it’s transcended the expectations of everyone that I’ve introduced The Scariest Story Ever to.
We’re treated to a classic anthology format here, with three tales & a wraparound story. It’s Halloween night and we find ourselves with Mickey, Donald and their nephews, as well as Goofy. The three adults attempt to serve up classically spooky stories with their own twists added in for good measure. We see them touch on Frankenstein which gets remixed with a roller-skating disco dance number (yes, really) and the tale of Van Helsing (or, Van Mousing in this case), but the stand out piece here is the last story. The last story is a mix between Hansel & Gretel, and A Clockwork Orange, and it’s absolutely bonkers. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I’m including a screenshot below to give you an idea of how creepy this gets, especially for its target audience. Check this one out, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Halloween 4, or as I like to call it - “The Best One” - sees the return of Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis in a glorious fashion. Sadly we don’t get Jamie Lee Curtis back, but we do get a young Danielle Harris playing her character’s daughter, Jamie Lloyd. Quite frankly, Harris is so good in her role that you don’t even really end up missing the now deceased Laurie Strode at all. I don’t want to go too deep into this movie now, as we’ll be releasing a ranking of all the Halloween movies later in the month. But I will say that this movie deserves to be on your Halloween Marathon lists for the sole fact of the Halloween/Autumn imagery alone. While we have quite a few films now that finally do the Fall season justice, this was one of the first in my opinion to really get that late October look right. The opening credits alone could be played on a loop in the background of your Halloween party and every one of your guests would love you for it.
