By: Cody Olsen
With Halloween nearing, many people watch the same old movies they do every year. If you’re like me then you might want to get into the spirit of the holiday in any way you can. One such way is with movies. Not everyone is a big fan of direct horror and that’s ok. There are so many fall films that are overshadowed by slashers and ghost stories. Here are five Halloween movies that you could watch that won’t leave you checking under your bed at night.
- “Frankenweenie”
Directed by Tim Burton, Frankenweenie is a stop-motion film shot entirely in black and white about a boy named Victor. In the film, Victor loses his dog after it gets hit by a car Victor gets inspiration from his science teacher to bring his pet back to life. It also has a smaller tale to tell about the fear of innovation that is represented in the form of one of the movie’s antagonists Mr. Burgermeister. There are a whole load of references in the film to older media, including Godzilla, Dracula, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and of course Frankenstein. Its characters are a highlight as everyone is a bit odd in their way which leads to every character being unique. It’s a fun film with great humor and just enough of Tim Burton’s unsettling energy to keep you on the edge of your seat.
2. “Hocus Pocus”
Directed by Kenny Ortega, Hocus Pocus is a Disney classic about two children who accidentally free a group of three witches while exploring an abandoned house in Salem Massachusetts. Now the two have to steal a spellbook from the witches with the assistance of a magical cat to stop the witches from gaining immortality by stealing their book of spells. Hocus Pocus is a fantastic movie to watch as a family and is sure to get you into the Halloween mindset.
3. “Halloween Town”
Directed by Duwayne Dunham, HalloweenTown is about a young girl, who on her 13th birthday, is told by her grandmother that she is a witch. She and her two siblings decide to follow their grandmother and find themselves in a whole other world full of ghouls and beasts that are just as nice, or maybe even more so than the people from their world. Not long into their stay at HalloweenTown, the kids end up involved in stopping an evil figure that has plots to take over the world. HalloweenTown is a great movie that stresses the importance of family and is full of fantastical practical effects.
4. “ParaNorman”
Directed by Chris Butler and Sam Fell, ParaNorman is a comedic film about a young misunderstood boy, Norman, who has the strange ability to communicate with the dead. He is given the task of keeping a witch that had cursed the town at bay. However, when he fails to do so, he is forced to figure out how to fix everything while being chased by the living corpses of former townspeople. It is a great movie to watch with the younger children in the family while still having enough for the more mature viewers to stay entertained.
5. Coraline
Directed by Henry Selick, the film follows Coraline Jones. After moving into a new home called The Pink Palace, Coraline gets pushed aside by her parents, leaving her in her boredom. She later discovers a secret door that leads into an alternate world filled with everything that she wants from her life. Slowly throughout her time in the alternate world, the reality of it starts to show itself and what was once the perfect life becomes a trap that requires Coraline to successfully break the illusion or never be allowed to return to her real life. Coraline is amazing for all ages in the family and still has a surprising amount of suspense and slight horror.
