It’s hard to believe that Halloween is finally here. It seems like just yesterday places like Walmart and Target were switching out aisles of school supplies with goulish decorations and superhero costumes. Now the haunted houses have been set up, the pumpkins carved, the candy purchased, and the late-night parties planned. Everyone’s gearing up for a spooktacular night. To keep the spirit of the season alive and well, each of us takes part in our own little Halloween traditions. For me personally, I like to look back on five specific films and television shows that helped get me excited.
1. Early 2000s Disney Channel Specials
First I’ll start with something light and fluffy. As a devoted fan of the Disney Channel, some of the best episodes to look forward to were the holiday episodes. I loved seeing Miley Stewart fight her evil cousin in "Hannah Montana", and when the employees of the Tipton Hotel investigated a haunted hotel suite in "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody". It was awesome to see Raven Baxter and Chelsea Daniels turned into cows in "That So Raven", and witness the charming, mysterious environments in the "Halloweentown" movie series. These specials not only managed to teach us lessons about the holiday in particular, but they maintained the kinetic energy and sense of fun that got us excited for the season.
2. "Bravos's 100 Scariest Movie Moments"
In October 2004, Bravo released a miniseries that documented the scariest moments in film history. The series includes interviews with actors, directors, FX professionals and TV personalities of the time. What I love about the series is that it incorporates all the staples of Halloween: zombies, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, monsters, psycho killers and alien invasions. The show itself is also pretty creepy, with the editing and sound design making it feel like you’re actually watching a horror movie. It’s something I like to revisit every year, and preferring to do so late at night with the lights turned off.
3. "Ghost Adventures" (2004 documentary)
The main reason why people were terrified of "The Blair Witch Project" was because they thought it was real, myself included. But we quickly realized it was only a movie and the horrifying mystery behind it wore off. But "Ghost Adventures" is a different story. In 2004, three amateur paranormal investigators explored two haunted buildings in Nevada, one being an old club and other being an abandoned hotel in the middle of nowhere. This is by far one of the most unsettling documentaries I’ve ever seen. I saw it on the Travel Channel when I was nine years old, and it is directly responsible for infusing my fear of the dark and the unknown. If you think this sort of stuff is totally fake, then imagine it’s just a found footage movie in the same vein as "Blair Witch". Either way, you’ll get a great scare out of it.
4. "The Tell-Tale Heart and Vincent"
Nothing says gothic atmosphere than Edgar Allen Poe. I saw this short film in my eighth grade English class, and it’s stuck with me ever since. Made in 1953, the film was directed by Ted Parmelee and based on Edgar Allen Poe’s 1843 short story of the same name. The coupling suspense, animation, eery narration and use of shadows perfectly brings Poe’s disturbing vision to life. Poe’s work is also mentioned in "Vincent," a 1982 stop-motion short film written, designed, and directed by Tim Burton. The short revolves around a young boy who’s obsessed with Vincent Price. It’s cute, it’s gorgeous and perfectly emulates Burton’s warped imagination.
5. "Tales from the Crypt"
Long before “streaming” was a thing, my mom and I often rented Netflix dvds through the mail. "Tales from the Crypt" was one of the shows that she and I watched, and has since become a favorite of mine. The show was an HBO horror anthology series which ran close to ten years, from 1989 to 1996. Not every episode was great, and some were scarier than others, and the acting can be too over-the-top. But overall, the show had interesting stories to tell. My personal favorites include Christopher Reeves serving human steaks; a magician who thinks he has nine lives; a hot-headed TV show host who investigates a haunted house; an arrogant rock star whose tattoo reflects real life a little too well; and the origin story of the show’s host, the Crypt-Keeper. Supposedly, director M. Night Shyamalan is involved in a reboot of the series, but until, I suggesting keeping with the original.
