In October, this month I decided to watch as many Halloween-related movies and to make a list about them, after doing an LGBT list on Twitter (now 𝕏) in June I thought it was a good idea to make one for the Spooky season.
The movies that I counted for this month had to be watched between October 1st and 31st (with one exception) and to belong to these genres:
- Horror
- Thriller
- Halloween-related (Nightmare Before Christmas)
Halloween 2023 List
The Exorcist —William Friedkin— 1973
Even though I watched this movie on September 31st it was the start of this list, I’ve seen The Exorcist 4 times since I first watched it last year. This movie haunts me, especially because I’ve also been dueling with my beliefs, faith, and whether the world is worth saving or is already filled with evil people.Watching Experience.
I had the privilege to watch it in a theater, it is the 50th anniversary of the movie and it got a brand new 4K restoration and remaster. I will say the picture quality is good, the colors are vibrant and the grain is better managed than the previous master, except for the Exorcism scene, which looked to be DNR’d and has weird colors.
The theater was nice, the crowd for the most part quiet but sadly a row of teenagers ruined my immersion in the movie by using their phones and leaving and entering the room many times.
Más Negro que la Noche —Carlos Enrique Taboada — 1975
I wanted to watch Mexican movies this season, I know there are many horror movies made in Mexico but I’ve never given them a chance, this film reminded me so much of House, even if it’s just the situation (a haunted house where a group of young women die) I couldn't take that imagery from my head.Most people say this is the scariest Mexican movie they've watched but I wasn’t really scared, just interested in the story and the house-killing mystery.
Watching Experience.
I bought the Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray which includes other Mexican movies from the director Carlos Enrique Taboada, this new restoration in 4K made me enjoy this movie a lot, I used to have the DVD and only watched a couple of minutes but it was in rough shape, this one is better and I highly recommend this set.
The Silence of the Lambs — Jonathan Demme— 1991
PERFECT, perhaps my favorite horror movie (Yes, I consider it to be horror) it is exceptionally directed and well acted, the action is tight and fast, and Hanibal Lecter has become a part of the Movie Monster Universe and beloved by many.I love every single aspect of this movie, I have seen it 3 times already and I plan to watch it again in December.
Note: I believe Zootopia is The Silence of the Lambs for kids, it does have some plot points that are similar to it and I will never get tired of saying that.
Watching Experience.
I bought the Kino Lorber 4K, I’ve previously watched it on Amazon Prime on an old master but this new one looks AMAZING, the grain detail, subtle colors, and audio commentary are excellent, and it may be one of their top-notch releases. KL 4K’s are the best on the market.
Friday the 13th — Sean S. Cunningham — 1980
This is my first time watching this movie, I’ve heard many times this movie is bad, that nothing happens, etc. but now that I’ve seen it I enjoyed it. The commentary on promiscuity is cringe but fits the story. The gore and scares are super nice, I did get surprised by the ending scene and who the killer was (I am not into Friday the 13th lore).I was hesitant to watch it, many times I put the movie on and then took it off because “I wasn’t in the right mood,” glad I managed to see it.
Watching Experience.
Used the 4K Blu-ray released by Paramount, and the grain is healthy and stable, I think the intro has a problem, when compared to other releases it lacks a flash before the titles appear. It is dark, perhaps a bit too dark but with the correct setup it’s enjoyable and improves the “vibes.”
Get Out —Jordan Peele — 2017
The first time I watched this movie was back in High School, with a group of friends, we watched it in Spanish and it was very weird (To be fair I barely paid attention LOL) but this year I gave it another chance, there is a lot of themes and nuance in this movie. Interracial Dating, liberals trying so hard to be seen as “non-racist,” racism, spiritual topics, etc.I am happy that this movie got nominated for Best Picture and won Best Original Screenplay.
Watching Experience.
4K from Universal, this is the best way to watch this movie, the subtle shadows can only be resolved by the higher bitrate. Same with every Jordan Peele movie.
Rapiña — Carlos Enrique Taboada — 1975
Rapiña shows us the corruption of people by greed, similar to a movie that is on this list (Howling Village) the characters here come across a plane crash, and their desire to be more “civilized” or more modern and stop being poor makes them to steal objects from the site, they do not alert the authorities to get as many objects as possible and they kill two people who wanted to be a part of it.We see many stories like this, people doing everything they can just to “be richer” but they are also quickly corrupted and will kill anyone and anything that gets in their way.
Watching Experience.
Saw it in the same set where Mas Negro Que La Noche is included, this is the one that looks the roughest, perhaps due to the source.
Interview with the Vampire —Neil Jordan — 1994
This is perhaps the movie I enjoyed the least, I felt it was too long and boring, and even when it presented cool concepts and scenes they felt empty.I do enjoy the homoerotic acting of Cruise and Pitt, but beyond that, I couldn't care less.
Watching Experience.
Watched it on Amazon Prime, and the transfer looks old, it needs a new remaster, maybe when that happens I will rewatch it.
Misterios de Ultratumba — Fernando Méndez— 1959
Misterios de Ultratumba is part of a set with B horror Mexican movies, this is the best from the set, the story revolves around three stories that unite at the end, and it has impressionistic shots.It is hard for me to explain what happens without me struggling with the writing.
Watching Experience.
This movie is part of a box set where 4 movies made by Alameda Productions are presented in high definition and with new restorations in 4K and 2K, it looks amazing and each movie comes with an audio commentary.
Carrie — Brian De Palma — 1976
Carrie is a story that deals with bullying and religious trauma, what Carrie White goes through in her school and his house is horrible, I wanted to go there and help her, to make her happy. It is also a story about sexual assault and how that changes our perspective on intimacy, her mother is traumatized by what she experienced and she does horrible things to (in her mind) protect Carrie.Loved this movie, it left me shocked, the ending spooked me a little, it was amazing. I also want to add that I found similarities between this movie and Disney’s Tangled, perhaps they took inspiration from the mother-daughter dynamic.
Watching Experience.
Amazon Prime has this movie on streaming, it does not look very good, has very low bitrates, and old transfer, it was okay for a first watch but I will attempt to get the 4K for next October.
Ghost — Jerry Zucker — 1990
Even though I know it is called Ghost I wasn’t expecting this movie to be about one, I thought it was just a romantic movie but I was wrong.At its core, it is a movie about a dude trying to redeem himself and protect the person he loves, but it adds this layer of comedy through the interactions between Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg. This was a fun watch and I recommend it to watch it with someone you love or even with your mom.
Hopefully one day I get the chance to watch it on the big screen.
Watching Experience.
Bought the iTunes version, it is in 4K, and saw it with the Spanish dub (my mom wanted to watch it), there is no 4K Blu-ray available right now but when it comes out I will get it, I did enjoy this one.
The Wolf Man — George Waggner — 1941
This is my first “werewolf” movie, I’ve never seen another where they are the main protagonist, it’s always a secondary character like in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.It showed me a bit more of the lore and its pagan influences. This film is presented in a way that is easy for everyone to understand, and for people who do not like old movies to enjoy.
I got Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde vibes, especially by not controlling the animalistic urges to kill. One of the best movies from the classic Universal Monsters.
Watching Experience.
Beautiful 4K remaster in the Universal Monsters Volume 1, it has two Spanish dubs, I went back and forth between the OG English language and the Spanish dub.
El Espejo de la Bruja — Chano Ureta — 1962
Such an amazing movie, to show someone take vengeance against a woman killer is great, from the 4 movies in this set, this is the one that feels the most spooky.I’ve never seen Mexican movies go this dark before, especially in the 60s, the fact that the doctor, pieces together a new face for his wife who was hurt by fire is dark.
Watching Experience.
Same box-set than Misterios de Ultratumba.
La Maldición de La Llorona — Rafael Baledón — 1961
Another adaptation of La Llorona, in this case, a curse, passed by women who carry her blood makes them become part of that cult, trying to revive her body after hundreds of years have passed, it is great, the entire movie happens in one location (an old house) but it has an atmosphere which makes it a great Halloween watch.Watching Experience.
Same box-set than Misterios de Ultratumba.
The Nightmare Before Christmas — Herry Selick — 1993
I have problems deciding if this or Fantastic Mr. Fox is my favorite stop-motion movie, they are so different, not only in style but also in story and themes so I am tempted to give both the number one.Not much to add to this one, I assume everyone has seen it, and if you haven’t watched it, it is your obligation as a citizen of Earth. It was always on Disney XD during Halloween and Christmas. It is the perfect seasonal movie and it complements those two holidays perfectly, perhaps the start of these “dark Christmas” stories I see popping up every year.
Watching Experience.
Disney+ has the new 4K restoration, in comparison with the previous master it isn’t a big improvement but it does remove the DNR and some colors pop a bit more.
The Thing — John Carpenter — 1982
Among Us?Incredible piece of art, I haven't seen the 1950s version or even the prequel but this is all I need, the perfect way to show the desperation of people in a remote area, the best prosthetics I have ever seen on film, and the animatronics, my god, I have no idea how nobody does stuff like this anymore.
I first watched it with a Digital copy a friend gave me but after hearing it was a friend’s favorite movie I bought it on 4K.
Watching Experience.
It took me so long to get the new 4K but I finally bought it this year, pristine, and rarely did any damage appear on the screen. As far as I know, this is better than the old 4K Blu-ray from Shout Factory.
Bones and All — Luca Guadagnino — 2022
Luca Guadagnino is a master when it comes to creating intimacy and connection between characters, I’ve seen Call Me By Your Name and I loved it, it was good but not as good as CMBYN.I couldn’t discern what this movie was trying to say besides we sometimes are born with our demons, sins, trauma, and history and we can’t run away from them, we need to embrace them and find a way to live with them and keep moving on.
Love Timothée and Taylor Russel in this movie, they are both hot, they care for each other, and try to make things right at the end even if that leads them to their demise.
Watching Experience.
Amazon Prime has the 4K version, wish there was a 4K Blu-ray but there is only a regular one, the night scenes look bad at times (low bitrates) but the day scenes look pristine.
The Fly — Kurt Neumann — 1958
Many times I attempted to watch this movie, but after some minutes I was bored, this time was different. The movie flew by.I didn’t know the story was told as a flashback. The fly-man is one of the best monsters ever. Great movie and a mystery to resolve, with an ending that warns us about taking the proper measurements when doing scientific research.
Watching Experience.
Used a Fox Blu-ray, it has few extras and the quality is not the best, the Cinemascope film makes it look soft and out of focus, I suppose it is part of the original materials so there’s nothing we can do.
El Barón del Terror — Chano Ureta — 1962
This was the weakest movie in the Alameda box set, even when happens to present something different from ghosts and spirits it lacks the energy the other movies had.One aspect I found unique is that when someone says “I will be back” after they were killed by a religious group is always in the form of a spirit that haunts the descendants of the people who made the killing possible, but in this case, the entity comes from a comet, as if it was an alien. Wild!
Overall, a weak entry but I can accept it since the other three are amazing and it presents something very unique.
Watching Experience.
Same box set as Misterios de Ultratumba, this was the roughest and it was in 16:9.
Arachnophobia — Frank Marshall — 1990
Comedy? I have no idea why it is categorized as a comedy but I didn’t feel it was that way. To me it was serious but lighthearted, me and my brother hate spiders, so we watched this movie together to face our fears.It is incredible how this movie is set up. There are many instances of objects looking like spiders throughout the movie and it becomes a guessing game. The final scene and the house filled with big venomous spiders triggered something in me, it is maybe my worst nightmare.
Watching Experience.
Old Disney Blu-ray, with great picture quality and audio, nothing to complain about except it sometimes is oversharpened.
House — Nobuhiko Obayashi — 1977
One of the wildest movies I have ever seen, this time with my mom and brother, they hated it. This is so out there, utilizing many digital and practical techniques that is hard to take it as a movie but more as an experimental piece of art (which it is.)The story does feel as if a child was the one telling it, makes sense, the story was given by the director’s little sister. Things are happening and feel like they have nothing tying them up, amplifying the chaos we are seeing and being so unpredictable that it makes for a great laugh and a nice evening.
Watching Experience.
Criterion edition! We need a new restoration so bad and a new commentary.
I Confess — Alfred Hitchcock — 1953
A thriller and suspense movie. The main theme of this movie trying to uphold our values even under terrible pressure. This is something you don’t see in movies or even with real people, everyone tries to do what’s best for themselves and be opportunistic. Which we all are guilty of doing.Sure, Father Michael is a character from the era and very idealistic, but you can feel and sense this is what he has to do.
Watching Experience.
Warner Archive 4 film collection, is a compilation of 4 Hitchcock movies, they are old Warner Bros. Home entertainment discs so they even have Spanish dubs and subtitles.
Cloverfield — Matt Reeves — 2008
Can we say this is to America what Godzilla is to Japan? A direct representation and a way to cope with the 9/11 attacks. I watch it every year, it is truly amazing.The action is fast and never redundant. The characters react realistically and sometimes they make mistakes. The creature designs are so wild but I buy them as creatures affected by radiation or mutations.
Perhaps the beginning could have been shorter but in all honesty, I have no idea what I would cut, it all feels well put together, maybe it is the devil inside me that wants to see the creature early.
Watching Experience.
I will say the 4K does make everything sharp and vibrant but perhaps it does diminish the found footage intention from Matt Reeves, like I don’t believe an HD camcorder from the 2000s look this good.
Return to Oz — Walter Murch — 1985
Recommended by: Pepe el Pez
It has been a while since I wanted to watch this movie, I saw YouTube videos saying this was “the scariest Disney movie ever” so it always was in the back of my mind, what it made me feel was the opposite, I was cozy, it reminded me of my childhood, sitting at 9 AM with my mother and grandma watching old Halloween movies on the CRT while the weather was cold.Once I talked to my mom about this movie we concluded that it was never advertised or even transmitted on Mexican TV but I have heard it is common to watch it on US cable so maybe that’s where the popularity of this movie stayed.
One of the key aspects of this movie was the character designs and the artistry creating this world. At first, I was confused by the designs but after checking some sources I realized they are closer to the book drawings than the 1930s musical version.
I enjoyed the architecture in Emerald City, so contemporaneous, Art Deco, and modern, it is way better than the classical representation of the old movie.
Watching Experience.
The Disney+ has an HD version of this movie, and it looks good, I have no idea when this master was made but probably around 2008, it has a gray filter (or so I feel) but weirdly it complements the movie, perhaps is the softness of the film.
Corpse Bride — Tim Burton and Mike Johnson — 2005
Recommended by: Tejana WeebNot my favorite stop-motion movie, I haven’t seen many but I remembered this being better than what I watched. Found it boring, and long, and even when the animation was good sometimes they had some sort of lag in their clothes.
This was Laika’s first contractual movie before focusing on stop-motion completely. I think the designs look great and the setting gives the feeling of dirty and old.
Perhaps watching it in Spanish may help the slow pace of the voice actors, but I shouldn't consider that for this review. Overall I understand why people like it but is not my thing.
Watching Experience.
Watched it on HBO MAX (It hasn’t been rebranded to MAX in Mexico), and I can’t stand these old masters, you can sense there is a gray filter and oversharpening (just like Coraline)
Sleepy Hollow — Tim Burton — 1999
Sleepy Hollow left a scar in my mind that I don’t think I will ever manage to remove, I have memories of watching this movie in my grandmother’s house, in her old CRT TV and noisy cable.During this season I managed to watch it again, this time with my family, and it was glorious. I will say I barely remember the plot before watching it, when I was a kid I only saw certain scenes and I was scared by it.
I’ve noticed that many of these movies have some sort of criticism for the rich and discrimination of marginalized people, in this case, a poor woman who was sent to live in poverty. Using witchcraft to get revenge and to correct a historical wrong is very common and perhaps that’s where it originated.
It remains spooky, mysterious, and interesting, I wasn’t expecting this movie to revolve around a conspiracy theory, let alone who the culprit was.
Watching Experience.
Bought the 4K version on iTunes, great colors, and great detail, still not the ideal way to watch this film but Dolby Vision makes the blood vibrant and the shadows and muted color palette have a nice range. I will get the 4K Blu-ray once it drops in price.
Midsommar —Ari Aster — 2019
Recommended by: PettankochuuI was told by the person who recommended this movie that it was a terrible movie to recommend because of its content. I’ve watched The Lighthouse and I wanted to slowly start watching movies from the director Ari Aster so I added this one to the movies I needed to see before October 31st.
I watched it with my sister and prepared some popcorn (the only movie I ate popcorn from on this list) and needless to say I enjoyed it very much. I found the gore not that disturbing, even when it is very realistic and graphic. The story can be summed up as a woman trying to be free, the character of Dani is in a toxic relationship, her boyfriend couldn't care less about her and it is only with her because “it is the right thing to do.”
I’ve heard people say this movie was anti-men but I didn't feel that was the case, it is anti-assholes, most men who are not from the cult are driven by greed and their agendas, and there is no sense of community between them, in contrast, ignoring the gruesome ending of the people in the community, you can feel everyone supports each other in many ways, there’s a sense of stability and enlightenment that Dani is capable of reaching and improve.
I wish to have seen it in theaters because it is something that needs to be experienced at least once.
Watching Experience.
Uhhhh I can’t comment on how I watched this movie so make that what you will. I want the 4K A24 version but I don’t think I will get it any time soon.
Halloween — John Carpenter — 1978
I know it is a classic and I think it is very good, but I do not want to watch it every year. It is another movie I’ve watched before but at that time I saw it on Netflix.One of the best things from this movie (and most John Carpenter movies) is the soundtrack, it is so iconic, so electric, I may buy the CD if there is one.
Watching Experience.
I got the 4K one day before watching it, this Shout Factory release is incredible, it has a ton of extras, vibrant colors, and even the original color from the Lionsgate 4K and the TV version in SD.
犬鳴村 (Howling Village) — Takashi Shimizu — 2019
Recommended by: DesuExMachinaNot a fan of J-Horror, I either think they are too scary and spooky or they are trash, this movie is one of the best I’ve ever seen, when watching it I immediately got hooked on the story, and when the revelation of ghosts trying to get vengeance and kill the people who were responsible for their demise I got reminded of two movies:
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- La Llorona
One tackles people who are evil and corrupted by greed and who will kill people of all ages and genders for their financial gains and the other is about a spirit who haunts a family responsible for the death of many indigenous people in Guatemala.
This is not the typical J-horror movie and with its political and social commentary, it is highly recommended by me.
Watching Experience.
I watched it on HBO MAX, with the original Japanese and English subs, the quality, even for a streaming service is good, and although there are many instances of black crush and digital errors I attribute that to the Streaming rather than the movie.
Over The Garden Wall —Nate Cash — 2014
Since last year I decided to rewatch this show every Halloween season, to me it is one of the best-animated series ever made, not only because of its incredible animation (inspired by classic Americana, old children’s books, 1930s, and 1940s cartoons) but also the story, the characters, and the music.Just one of the best pieces of media created by Cartoon Network; if you were wondering which are my top animated series, these are:
- Over the Garden Wall
- Jonny Quest
- Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake
Watching Experience.
I watched it on HBO MAX and with the Spanish dubbing to watch it with my family. I enjoyed the Spanish dub but I am used to the original. I wish there were subtitles on the app and I also wish for a cut where they put everything together as if it was a movie.
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown — Bill Melendez — 1966
To finish, another piece of content I‘ve also decided to watch every year is the TV special of Charlie Brown, it is my second favorite of the seasonal specials (with A Charlie Brown Christmas being my favorite), I do get nostalgic when watching these shorts, they are perfect.The story is simple, going trick or treating, going to a party, and waiting for the Great Pumpkin to give you presents, you know, the typical Halloween.
Watching Experience.
The 4K remaster of this short looks amazing, the colors are a bit too saturated but it looks good, I do wish they were uncut, they all present different edits. I also wish there were other audio options than the English audio and subtitles.
This is the end of the list, I plan to do this next year (hopefully with other movies I’ve never seen) and to do one for the Christmas season.
I love doing these challenges because I can watch multiple movies I have in my rotation, the ones I bought but haven’t seen, and get recommended many I have never heard of before.
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