Yeah I know, Halloween has come and gone, but I had been watching a few "horror" films just to get into the mood of the holiday. Here are some that I've seen which I thought of.


The Omen--No I'm not talking about the remake or the sequels, but the original one as shot by Richard Donner. This superbly scary story about a couple who unknowingly adopts a child from hell (literally) is amplified by Jerry Goldsmith's haunting score. Some of my favorite scenes include the moment where the dog is after Thorn (Gregory Peck) and the last few minutes. Those moments really strike me out as memorable.

Poltergeist--This Steven Spielberg produced family horror starts out seemingly innocently, but then turns into something likely to scare the bejeesus even out of my own mother. The idea of a supposed monster inhabiting a house is nothing new, but it's executed very well, thanks to the special effects. Incidentally, Jerry Goldsmith also scores this film, although his work here is more of a deceivingly lighthearted nature before the scares begin.

The Amityville Horror (Original)--This is disappointingly weak. The concept of a family moving into a house haunted by a mysterious murder is an interesting one, but the film takes WAAAAAAAAAAAAY too long to get going, and by the time a climax comes into forefront, it decides to stop, ending the movie all but coldly. Not one that I recommend visiting again.

Bram Stoker's Dracula--This Francis Ford Coppola production of the famous horror story is more like a tragic romance than a truly frightening fest (although it DOES have its moments of true scares--notably the warewolf scenes and the vampire brides attempting to take control of Mina). It's still worth watching, though, because the movie as a whole is well executed--a better title for this movie, however, should be "Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula", because it comes off more like a director's interpretation of the tale.

The Nightmare Before Christmas--I don't think this really counts as a Halloween movie, since it's about both Halloween AND Christmas. Nonetheless, it earns its place on the list due to its stunning stop-motion animation and the overall macabre, creepy atmosphere Tim Burton conveys. Danny Elfman's songs are a plus, too.

Beetlejuice--An earlier Tim Burton production, this one involves Michael Keaton as a ghostly creature who poses problems for a recently deceased couple. Outrageously creepy and funny.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street--Another Tim Burton movie? Sure, why not? This one happens to be an adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's famous musical thriller (which I incidentally participated in as a High School production as one of Sweeney's customers). Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter do surprisingly fantastic jobs singing and acting their roles, and the dimly lit cinematography really suits this grim tale.

That's all I can think of right now. Anyone else have any scary Halloween movies they'd like to share?

I only know a few that I watched this Halloween that I love very dear to me.

Gremlins- Nobody really knows what to consider this movie. Even I don't know what to call it. But the one thing I love about it is that it starts off as a typical family film but then all of a sudden it takes an unexpected turn and becomes a horror/comedy film. Yeah, it follows all of the cliches of the films before it. But it still makes an incredibly entertaining movie.

Possibly my favorite scene is when the Gremlins meet in the theater and start singing along to "Heigh-Ho" XD

Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn- I love the Evil Dead series. But this one is easily one of my favorites. It's hilarious seeing how much they exaggerate the bloodshed in this movie. Not to mention you get a few good scares out of this one too. While it is a lot lighter compared to the first Evil Dead, I still enjoy this one a lot.

A Nightmare On Elm Street- The original will always be the best. There's no denying it. Though while I enjoyed Part 3 & 4 in the series, the first film will always be the one that scared me the most. It has a great concept, a lot of great scares, and it scares you on a subconscious level too. The movie constantly shifts between reality and fantasy and you never know whether the person is dreaming or if it's actually happening.

Twilight Zone: The Movie- Now to me, this is a pretty mediocre movie in comparison with the original TV show. So why did I put it on my list? I put on the list because there's only one segment that scared the hell out of me when I was kid and it still scares me even to this day. I'm talking about Joe Dante's take on "It's A Wonderful Life"

Good god was that segment scary. People who's mouths have been taken away, crazy and demented cartoon characters that appear out of the television, an incredibly freaky rabbit that appears out of a top hat. All these images scarred me for life after I watched it.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space- You'd think that a movie based on clowns from outer space wanting to kill people would be scary. But it turns out that this might be the most ridiculous movie I've ever seen. It's the essential "So bad it's good" movie. Those type of movies where it's supposed to be terrible. But seeing the fact that I'm terrified of clowns, It's gotta go on my list. It's a hilarious movie for anyone who's desperate for a laugh. It might have even got rid of my fear of clowns.

Well I haven't been watching much horror films, but the horror icon that got trapped in my mind this Halloween was Godzilla. The original film was the movie I had been watching the most for it's innovative-for-it's-day special effects and it's somber and serious tone that's present in the Japanese version. And that's surprising that a Godzilla movie would get you scared cause the later movies would have Godzilla fight other monsters, do bodyslams and dropkicks, and even, for only one time, achieves flight.

Brief note: Expect to see Godzilla, Angurius, Gigan, and King Ghidorah in "Rabbit Finds a Mountain of Crap"...