Thoughts & Things

Scary Movies

October is much beloved by many as an unofficial scary movie month. As the leaves begin to fall, the weather begins to cool, and we all prepare for Halloween, it just feels natural to toss on a little something spooky.

I mean, not all of us enjoy scary things. My mother hates horror flicks, and I pre-screen anything potentially scary to tell her whether or not she is "allowed" to watch it. We quite literally take her to children's movies for her birthday. She says it's because Children of the Corn traumatised her as a child. I love that woman, but she cannot handle a scare. Our Halloween movies are Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, and Beetlejuice, and my whole family will enjoy these forever.

Besides those that aren't able to watch scary movies or simply don't enjoy scary movies, the rest of us see October as the time of year to get good and scared. I think that means something different for everyone, but generally presents itself in the same vein.

I almost always go for a couple of classics throughout the month. I have all of the original Frankenstein, Dracula, and Wolf Man films on DVD, as well as a number of others from that time period as well. This year I saw The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) for the first time ever, and was very impressed. I have also lined up some Hitchcock films I haven't gotten to yet. I also enjoy tossing on the more modern classics, like Carrie, Poltergeist, or Nightmare on Elm Street. I don't really have anything planned from this category. I'll probably watch something I haven't seen as a spur of the moment thing.

I'm actually hoping to re-watch a couple I know I enjoyed a lot as a kid, like Silent Hill and The Others, to see how they measure up now that I'm an adult. I have no idea how I'll feel about them, but I figure they will have a bit of nostalgia going for them. I also always enjoy seeing what comes out new during October, as well as what my friends end up watching or recommending. It's always great to see different tastes getting represented.

I love this time of year, for so many reasons, and it's always great to have an excuse to binge spooky movies, old and new. I just wish the month was a bit longer so there'd be time for more.