Top 5 Halloween movies reviewed
By Christopher Smith
Happy Halloween from the Back Row.
The night is finally here when we go our of our way to be frightened out of our wits, a time when we want to be afraid of shadows and things that go bump in the night.
Fear takes us back to our childhood and reminds us of things like the monster that lived under our beds, the tree limb in the window that looked the hand of Death himself, the belief that when the lights were turned out, the Bogeyman would come out of the closet and take us into the darkness where we would never be seen or heard from again.
To aid you in your quest to be scared senseless, here is my list of the five greatest movies to watch Halloween night. These movies are guaranteed to make you close your eyes and grab the person next to you.
5. The Thing (1982)- In John Carpenters remake of the classic from 1951, Kurt Russell leads an all-star cast (for that time) in an effort to weed out an alien who is among them. The original, which is hailed as the better movie, is also a good choice for watching. The 1951 version is much more suspenseful and is actually more entertaining, while the Carpenter version is more gory and disgusting. The version you watch will depend on your taste, but as for me its old school time.
4. The Exorcist- Like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this movie has a basis in reality. The movie is based on the last Catholic exorcism in the United States. The movie, which becomes more horrific as it goes, is one of the most disturbing movies you will ever see. The basis is the possession of a young girl by the Devil, and the struggle of two priests to free her. With terrific direction by William Friedken, this movie is one of the most terrifying you could watch.
3. Psycho- This is Alfred Hitchcocks masterpiece about a young woman on the run, and a kindly motel manager who lives with his mother. This movie also has basis in reality as it is based on the life of Ed Gein, a Wisconsin serial killer. The killer in this movie, however, is a not a masked, knife welding maniac but an average boy next door. Recognized as one of the ten greatest movies ever made, this is a classic anytime.
2. Alien- Ridley Scott directed this haunted house/slasher pic right into immortality. The movie, which uses the premise "and then there was one," pits the crew aboard a cargo ship against an alien that can adapt to any environment. The killing off of the crew, one by one, and the gratuitous underwear scene of Sigourney Weaver makes this a space age classic. With plot twits that never seem to end, this movie is one for the ages.
1. Halloween- How could it not be this one? The movie is named after Halloween. John Carpenters 1978 movie that spawned many more is one great movie. All the things needed for a great movie are here: a heroine that is a girl scout and never does anything wrong, a doctor who has come to stop the great evil, the super villain Michael Myers aka the Shape. Although it is not the bloodiest movie ever made, Halloween is certainly one of the scariest. The movie only chalked up four casualties, but the suspense carries it all the way. The ending is one of the best in the business, and for a horror movie it does not have a lot of holes.
There you have them, the greatest movies to watch Halloween night. Until next time, trick or treat.
10/29/98 the Apache