October viewing...

I keep a list of spooky, autumnal films I love to watch in October. As a Halloween baby, this is my favorite time of year. To mark the season, here's a list of 13 favorites:

The Exorcist (1973)...

It's scary, and disturbing, and even sad, but there are also beautifully shot scenes of Autumn in New York and DC.

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)...

This movie has one of my favorite trick-or-treating scenes of all time. Margaret O'Brien trying to be the 'most horrible' feels the way Halloween did for me when I was very little.

Over the Garden Wall (2013)...

Like most of my favorite Halloween things, Over the Garden Wall is spooky, beautiful, and a little bit heartbreaking. It has its roots in classics of early animation, as well as 19th century folk music.


The Trouble With Harry (1955)...

It's not spooky, or even scary, but Hitchcock's comedy about burying a body is dark and twisty in its own way, with gorgeous views of Vermont in the fall.

Crimson Peak (2015)...

Guillermo del Toro's Gothic horror romance is visually stunning and emotionally satisfying... and it passes the Bechdel Test.

Frankenweenie (1984)...

Tim Burton takes on James Whale in this black and white classic. As a puppet nerd I enjoyed his stop-motion remake, but for me this will always be the one true Frankenweenie. Also, I want that mug.

E.T. (1982)...

One of the best children's movies ever made, as long as you're not watching the dreadful 2002 digital retread. The Halloween scene is a classic.

The Uninvited (1944)...

An old-fashioned but effective ghost story, written by Dodie Smith, author of The Hundred and One Dalmatians and I Capture the Castle.

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)...

Ray Bradbury understood October, and he understood the uncanny. Something Wicked captures a particular period in time, a particular place in childhood, and a very particular time of year. Bradbury's book is well worth a read!

House/Hausu (1977)...

Criterion describes this surreal, silly Japanese horror as "a psychedelic ghost tale.. a stream-of-consciousness bedtime story.. an episode of Scooby-Doo as directed by Mario Bava." Yes.

The Witch (2015)...

The Witch uses a mix of stark realism and fairytale imagery to explore several types of horror: the hardship of life in 17th century New England, fear of the supernatural, and the anxiety surrounding burgeoning female sexuality. Highly recommended.

Suspiria (1977)...

Suspiria is horror master Dario Argento's dreamlike, gory fairy tale about sinister, supernatural goings-on at a German dance academy. It features surreal visuals and an atmospheric score by Italian prog rock band Goblin.

The Company of Wolves (1984)...

Last but not least, Neil Jordan's take on Angela Carter's feminist fairy tales is one of my favorite films. It's a nesting-box of stories, all related in some way to the tale of Little Red Riding Hood.

Happy watching, and happy Halloween!