Hocus Pocus - Caitlin Rawlings
Cue the 90s nostalgia by pulling out your old VHS copy of this Halloween cult classic. Hocus Pocus hit cinema screens in 1993 and starred Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker as the Sanderson witches. This iconic trio are summoned from the dead by Max Dennison and proceed to wreak havoc upon Salem Massachusetts 300 years after their deaths in 1693. This is the ideal film to feel spooky rather than
Image: IMDB
scared this October 31st. The exaggerated acting style, the appearance of a talking cat and the epic rendition of I Put a Spell on You makes it the perfect film to get you feeling festive. To claim any other Halloween film is better is just a bunch of Hocus Pocus.
Coraline - Iona May Todd
To conject to a ‘children’s horror film’ makes me sound a little oxymoronic, but in summation, 2009’s claymation, Coraline, submits the spooky, without so much of the stuff.
Consider an animation, recalling motifs of buttons, sand, imaginary worlds. Director Henry Selick creates a juxtaposition between semantics of the typically childish, shifting it to a spin of the typically chilling. Coraline may pose as architype for your family to enjoy; you, your mother, your father, but your Other Mother and Other Father? Well, you’d just have to watch and find out.
Halloween Town - Emma Atkinson
If you’re looking for a wholesome throwback Halloween film, then Halloween Town is the perfect destination for your trip down memory lane.
The film franchise based upon monsters being not all that different from humans is charming and cheerful, transporting you back to your own childhood with bright warm colours and gimmicky special effects. A highlight of the film being the late Debbie Reynold's strong yet nurturing and endearing portrayal of the grandmother.
Whilst the film may not ultimately be anything more than another children’s Halloween film from the outside, it has a special place in the hearts of those who grew up with it.
Beetlejuice - Elisabetta Pulcini
With incredible talent, visionary direction and a perfect amount of unexpected musical numbers, Beetlejuice stands the test of time as a necessary Halloween movie.
Through creative costumes and thrilling use of stop-motion, this movie carefully crafts a world that draws the viewer into a strangely familiar atmosphere, populated by with incapable ghosts and overloaded caseworkers.
Image: IMDB
Due to memorable performances, particularly from Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara, Beetlejuice is filled with entertainingly quirky character. At the centre of the story, Michael Keaton shines in the titular role, with a menacingly hilarious performance as the sleazy “bio-exorcist”.
Without a doubt one of the best projects by Tim Burton, Beetlejuice is perfect for anyone looking for a fun, yet bizarre Halloween.
