We here at Yell! Magazine watch horror movies throughout the year, but if there is any time of the year that everybody should watch a blood-curdling, stomach-churning, nightmare-inducing film, it’s on Halloween. Even if you aren’t a horror fan, you have no damn excuse. The great thing about horror movies on Halloween is that they’re just as perfect for those who are in alone as they are for those at a party, in which case they can be watched as a group or just kinda on in the background.
We’ve taken it upon ourselves to make a collective list of our staff’s favorite movies to watch on Halloween. Sit back, reminisce with us, enjoy, maybe learn something, and, above all, get scared.
Yell! Magazine’s Halloween Movie Staff Picks
Jamie Lee’s Picks
The Ring (2002)
It’s very rare that I actually enjoy the American remake of a Japanese remake… well, at all — but let alone like I do The Ring.
The Ring is one of the most fresh “recent” horror films that I’ve seen. Everything about this movie is pure win. Dare I say, pure genius? I didn’t watch this at a Halloween party, but I did watch it at my 18th birthday party with a group of burly young men that were twice my size. At least one of them started shaking during it. The rest of them kept denying being scared. Methinks the men protested too much.
The Ring is a wonderful film that leaves you anxious for more, but so dread-filled that you’re glad it’s over at the same time. This movie is full of sinister yet subtle scares that prey upon your mind. This is an almost threatening movie in the sense that it will make you seriously paranoid. There are few things less frightening than creepy children, specifically when those creepy children are as nasty and spiteful as Samara Morgan. The words “seven days” have been known to still cause a few shudders even nine years after the film’s release. Now that’s an accomplishment in the world of horror.
Show this movie to a friend of yours who claims not to scare easily; I guarantee it’s worth your while.
The Ring (2002) Trailer
Hellraiser (1987)
I’m supposed to sum up how much I love Hellraiser and why it’s a great movie for Halloween, in less than 300 words. I’m a huge Clive Barker fan and this is really his seminal work, movie or literature-wise. You would never expect to be able to bring a story like The Hellbound Heart to screen, but it’s done here rather admirably. Even the master of horror himself, Stephen King said, “I have seen the future of horror and his name is Clive Barker.” Barker’s evil genius is made all the more tantalizing on celluloid.
The Cenobites are as gruesome and bone-chilling as you’d expect them to be, and people fucking love it. This movie is best viewed with a drinking game. Like, every time Pinhead scares the shit out of you? Take a shot. (Yell! Magazine does not take any responsibility for any deaths by alcohol poisoning.) Or everytime there’s a boatload of mindbending gore? Take a shot. Yeah, you’ll be trashed by the time that the movie is over, but it’ll make for a memorable night. Make sure to invite squeamish friends to a special viewing of this movie. That’ll make it a night you’ll really never forget, especially when you see the puke stains in your carpet.
Hellraiser (1987) Trailer
Check out Evil Argento’s picks after the jump…
