Spooky… This is Halloween!

            It’s a spooky season! Technically, it’s almost Halloween, we are one day away. As a kid I never really did the “trick or treat” and as an adult, I am never prepared with candies for kids. Guess some things never truly change, eh? 

Halloween was confusing. All my life my parents said, 'Never take candy from strangers.’ And then they dressed me up and said, “Go beg for it.”

            The ironic thing is that I really don’t watch scary movies. Spooky, yes. Scary? No. For me, movies are mainly an escape from my problems, a gateway to safe space for a special place where my mind can rest. Yet, from time to time, when I am fully rested and in a good place, I like a good spook. 

So, I decided to treat you with a special list of “Best spooky movies to watch not only on Halloween”. One thing I know for a fact – this list could go on and on, as my pub quiz friends are proving every year with their Halloween movie marathon. 

I’m not that dedicated to this day, but I always salute such a devotion to tradition. I for one, am always and forever dedicated to the Star Wars marathon before and during Christmas. Best films to watch while baking my gingerbread cookies. 

We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones.

            October drained me. Even though it is my birthday month, and for the first time in ages it was simply wonderful, work drained me. I am energetically exhausted, but I have to power through for the next few weeks. 

Then my vitamin D will go up, my hemoglobin will go up and I will be happy, rested and glowing. Expect a lot of smiley content, Lot! Until then though, I have cooked up this spooky list for you. Enjoy and… Happy Halloween!

1. Twin Peaks: Fire walk with me (1992), dir. David Lynch – I had to! It’s my ultimate favorite movie to watch on Halloween, because every year I keep forgetting how spooky it is. Plus that David Bowie “cameo”? Priceless. 
2. The Sixth Sense (1999), dir. M. Night Shyamalan – a.k.a. one of the best movies in general. The now and then “infamous” plot twist is still stirring the waters in the cinema world. But I love it. It’s frustrating, but brilliant.
3. Sleepy Hollow (1999), dir. Tim Burton – I remember that this was Movie Club’s People’s Choice Film for Halloween a while back. It was a proper spook, but in a good way – I didn’t have to cover my eyes, haha. 
4. Get out (2017), dir. Jordan Peele – Mr. Peele is becoming a spook/scare master in the modern cinema. And to be honest, he and Daniel Kaluuya are the only reasons I am able to “suffer through” these movies. Get out was scary as hell. I think Peele changed the horror genre for good and raised the bar sooo high. 
5. Se7en (1995), dir. David Fincher – what a fantastic film. Gosh, and to believe I watched it for the first time like 3 years ago? Spooky, scary, edgy – the whole package.
6. American Psycho (2000), dir. Mary Harron – iconic and classic for a reason. And so damn disturbing! Gosh, it’s so hard to watch Christian Bale going around and hurting people. 
7. Midsommar (2019), dir. Ari Aster – took me a bloody minute to watch it but damn, I was glad I did it during daylight. I don’t know, I sometimes think that good old fashioned spooky-scary jumps out of nowhere are better, because they are predictable. The psychological spook is so much worse. But this movie is fantastic and Florence Pugh is simply phenomenal.
8. Hocus Pocus (1993), dir. Kenny Ortega – it’s kind of funny to think that I loved this movie as a kid, considering it was a bit spooky. Now I watch it with a small dose of sentiment, because… Why not? A guilty pleasure, if you will.
9. The Addams Family (1991) & Addams Family Values (1993), dir. Barry Sonnenfeld – if you are looking for a definition of spook, here you have it. One of my favorite series of all time! There is so much to love – amazing jokes, campiness and their style? Wow. 
10. Labyrinth (1986), dir. Jim Henson – Bowie is the obvious reason I love this movie, but the story itself is quite nice. The visual effects are terrible but it’s pure 80s, so I don’t mind. 
11. Beetlejuice (1988), dir. Tim Burton – is Tim the ultimate champion of spooky mood? There is something about him and that eerie atmosphere. One of my all-time favorites to watch during Halloween. 
12. Practical Magic (1998), dir. Griffin Dunne – spooky Halloween rom-com? COUNT. ME. IN. Yet another “adult” movie I watched as a kid, can’t remember why. I loved Sandy, though. Witches, curses… What more do we need?
13. Frankenweenie (2012), dir. Tim Burton – ahh, that’s it, I am calling it: Tim Burton IS the Pumpkin King! 😉 One of the most unorthodox animations in terms of plot. And gosh, it hits the spot. 

There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.

      For some people the spooky season will last till December, when we will slowly morph into jolly Christmas elves. Maybe that is not such a bad idea, what do you think? Maybe all I need to survive these 3 weeks is some spooky time…

What would be on your list? Let me know in the comments and… Happy Halloween!