David Pierdomenico
Much to the joy of horror fans, October is a month where the entire world embraces what they love year round. It’s a month filled with horror marathons and things like The History of Horror on AMC. It’s a time of year where the demonic and creepy can be found in decorations all over front lawns and in stores. Yet despite all this, there are surprisingly few classic or famous horror films that really embrace the holiday itself. So these films listed aren’t necessary the best horror films ever made, rather they are the ones the merely embody and emanate the spirit of the Halloween season!
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
It may seem like blasphemy to include this film over the original Halloween, but there’s a strong argument to be made here. Season of the Witch is an underrated classic that doesn’t deserve the hate it gets. Initially, John Carpenter wanted the series to be an anthology, where each film is a completely different story, having something do with Halloween itself. But fans were upset that this wasn’t more of the same Michael Myers killing people, so there was a huge backlash. But between this film’s overall atmosphere, and plot involving Halloween masks, it screams Halloween, more than the original film ever could. The night that Michael Myers came home may be set on October 31st, but at the end of the day, it’s just a slasher. This film, on the other hand, gets the audience in the mood for celebrating this wonderful holiday.
Night of the Demons (1988)
Between its overall awesome 80’s cheesiness, and the many staples of Halloween it contains, this is the perfect film to watch that night with friends. This film is very relatable since it deals with a group of teenage characters who are just trying to have a good time on Halloween night. They’re all dressed up and go to an abandoned, supposedly haunted building just for the fun of it really. It’s an intriguing and fun film because it feels like this group of people could just as easily be us with our friends. In addition, the film knows what it’s talking about, as it portrays the signs of demonic activity very accurately, according to traditional demonology.
Trick R’ Treat (2007)
It’s been called the Pulp Fiction of horror, and for good reason. Its interwoven stories spin a larger tale that represents everything that makes Halloween important. It has children trick r’ treating and investigating an old ghost story, a murdering principal, and a coven of werewolves. What more could audiences ask for? It also portrays Halloween as one giant festival that the entire city celebrates en masse. For horror fans, this holiday is sacred, and for Wiccans, it truly as they celebrate it as Samhain. And it’s very refreshing to see an entertaining horror film that treats the holiday this importantly. Plus, it has the one of the most interesting takes on Halloween with the character of Sam (short for Samhain), the very embodiment of Halloween. He goes around that night and kills anyone who does not observe properly, something that no true horror fan would have to fear for.
The Funhouse Massacre (2015)
This is a fun, underrated gem that most general audiences probably never heard of. It features fan favorite Robert Englund in an extended cameo and deals with the fun of haunted houses, something that people excitedly flock to every October. But it takes the idea of these attractions and inserts real serial killers into the mix. It’s incredibly over the top, and not at all meant to be taken seriously, but that’s the point. It’s a fun film reminds us of the real terror that is behind the many scares of Halloween.
Tales of Halloween (2015)
In a much similar style of Trick R’ Treat, this film deals with 10 different “stories”. All take place on Halloween night, but their connections with each other are very minimal. It’s more of an anthology film done by 10 different directors, each contributing an 8-12 minute short about something on Halloween night. Because there are so many, there’s quite a variety that you get from it. Some of the stories are more entertaining than others, but the entire point is that Halloween isn’t about any one of them, it’s about all of them! In many ways, it’s representative of the many subgenres of horror, and pays tribute to each, making it clear to fans that horror and Halloween is meant to be collectively for all of us.
Hell Fest (2018)
The most recent entry here, this film is still playing in some theaters at the time of this article publishing. There’s not too much more to say that hasn’t already been covered in our review of it. Whereas The Funhouse Massacre took the concept of real killers in a haunted house attraction, this film does something similar, but it’s not as over the top and feels more grounded in reality. We feel like we are among the group of friends there. And the strongest feeling this film elicits is a strong wish that Hell Fest were real and that we could go there. The design is so detailed as it screams and celebrates all things Halloween!
As previously mentioned, there are many other horror films far better in quality than the ones on this list. But these are the ones that remind us most about that beloved holiday where our creepy obsessions and passions become normal for just one month. Horror is meant to be enjoyed year round, but watching these films in October really helps to spread the joy of the most wonderful time of the year. They say that there’s a Christmas spirit, so why can’t there be a Halloween spirit as well?!
