In preparation for Halloween, many people have taken to watching their favorite Halloween films. These movies range from lighthearted comedies to darker slashers, but still capture the feeling of the Halloween season.
According to senior Shane Raab, for a film to be considered a Halloween movie it needs to capture “the spirit of the spooks.”
Senior Ashley Caputo believes that there are two types of Halloween films; movies based around “vibes, aesthetics,” and the overall feeling of Halloween, or scary movies to fit the darker aspects of the holiday.
“You want the kooky, spooky, kind of Tim Burton-esque type things where it’s sort of dark and a little bit morbid,” Caputo said.
Raab has a similar idea. “The overall theme has to be one of spooks and scares,” Raab said, “but it can go down either the avenue of taking itself very lightly, maybe even being a little funny, or taking it potentially serious and having a horror movie.”
Junior Emma FitzGerald thinks that Halloween movies have to be somewhat similar to the classic Halloween films such as Halloween or Nightmare on Elm Street to fit under the Halloween movie umbrella.
“They have to be something that’s always going to be scary and well known,” FitzGerald said.
FitzGerald also believes that the movie has to be unique to be a good Halloween film. “It can’t be something that a lot of people have done before,” FitzGerald said.
English teacher Krysten Momsen feels that Halloween movies have to have a certain humor, “even with some of the bloodiest slasher films.” According to Momsen, this style of humor makes for some of the best Halloween films.
“There’s a tongue in cheek to it that I think really brings out the mood of the holiday,” Momsen said. “I think that’s something that most of the really good Halloween movies have in common.”
Momsen says some of the most popular Halloween movies likely have their reputations due to the fact that they created many of the motifs and clichés still used today.
“People borrow scenes or they borrow archetypes or motifs from those originals,” Momsen said. “Now we might watch them and think they’re kind of hokey, or kind of predictable, but they were the basis for those clichés.”
Some of Caputo’s favorite Halloween movies are the original “Halloween” and “Halloweentown,” as well as “Beetlejuice”.
Raab agrees that “Beetlejuice” is a good Halloween movie, despite it not taking
place on the holiday.
Some of Momsen’s favorite Halloween movies include less well-known films, such as “The Halloween Tree” and “Ernest Scared Stupid”.
Momsen believes that too many clichés can hurt a Halloween movie.
“If you can anticipate and expect the next scene and you know exactly how it’s going to go down or how it’s going to happen, I think those are the cringy ones,” Momsen said.