Choosing horror movies and comics for the Halloween season is like pairing wine with the right dish. You won’t provide a good service Pinot Grigio Bagel with bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, would you? This would be a disservice to bagels. The same thing happens with horror and Halloween. Certain things become better if you know how and when to enjoy them.
Here are some recommended comics and movie options to enjoy Halloween with the enthusiasm of a witch adding bat wings and fresh eyeballs to a boiling potion pot.
- horror night (Table of contents. Tom Holland1985)
Classic monsters feel familiar. They don’t need much explanation before they start killing because the audience already accepts the rules that govern them. classic vampire movies horror night Embrace that, but then it flips the formula and makes us really think about what happens when these rules become a reality. If you suspected a vampire just moved in next door, how would you prove it? Take Charlie Brewster for example (William Ragsdale) and his friends, the answer lies in the vampire movies they watch on television.
horror night It’s a horror fan’s dream. It celebrates and indulges our knowledge of vampires, then creates tension with it by injecting a sense of plausibility into calling its vampire Jerry Dandridge (The Jerry Dandridge Show) Chris Sarandon), transform into a monster that can freely break into your home with just a simple invitation. Practical effects abound and are terrifying, with the vampire creatures looking desperately hungry and eager for violence.
Roddy McDowell (of planet of the apes fame) also stars a fading movie star turned television host named Peter Vincent, best known for his role as Van Helsing throughout his career. When faced with the prospect of hunting down a real vampire, he must choose whether to run away or face the monster he’s fake-killed in countless movies before. His addition makes this one of the three best vampire movies ever made.
- Upper: Complete Collection (Elaine Lee and william simpson1994-95)
Female vampire biker. That alone will get you far, but what really sets them apart is how these characters approach the mythology surrounding their state of being. vamp is a ruthlessly feminist story that focuses on five vampires (hence the title) who escape the shackles of their vampire masters and depicts a life free from a male figure who just wants them to serve as his servant brides . This separation is accompanied by a very violent statement of intent, in the form of horrific dismemberment that carves a straight path to the open road for them.
Elaine Lee and William Simpson take a page from another vampire classic, close to darkness (Table of contents. Kathleen Bigelow1987), which is also the story of a group of outlaw vampires who do whatever they want. That is, where close to darkness Abandoning the constraints of moral considerations and focusing instead on the darkness that living by your own rules can bring, vamp Think about your options more often. Interestingly, the choices they make are not put under a microscope for us to judge. It’s more about a legitimate sense of rebellion and how far that can go in a world that treats women as sex objects with little agency.
vamp This is a great example of how far a formula can touch on different ideas while still keeping many classic elements intact. You’ll get a great vampire story, that’s for sure. But you’ll also experience different styles of violence along the way, making it a good choice for those who want a Halloween vampire offering that’s off the beaten path.
- Fearful (Table of contents. Peter Jackson1996)
Michael J. Fox Play a ghost slayer in this underrated Peter Jackson film, one of the best Grim Reaper movies ever made. It’s a strange film that succeeds by embracing a dark silliness that adds warmth and genuine horror to the story. Frank Bannister (played by Foxx) is essentially a con man who can talk to ghosts after a tragic accident killed his fiancé. As he continues his day job, a series of mysterious deaths puts him and his ghostly friends on the path of the Grim Reaper, who has a terrifying identity.
Jackson approached his haunts with a CGI-heavy mentality that applied to every new trick in the book at the time. Some of the effects feel dated, but they never interfere with the story to the point of having a negative impact. What really enhances the experience is the focus on how the memory of a violent death affects not just our psyches, but the psyche of an entire town. The presence of the Reapers brings a different kind of haunting that prevents people from moving on. The ghost characters build on this to show their frustration with the living not accepting the ending of death.
Practical Effects Wizard Rick Baker Contributed to the ghost designs, all of which combined CGI with makeup work. One of the highlights was the judge (by John Astinthe original Gómez from the 1960s addams family show), a pile of rotting skin and exposed bones is always a treat to see on screen. Fearful It’s an interesting journey, both funny and disturbing, from the pain of losing a loved one to dealing with the memory of a mass murderer. Halloween feels like home.
- Did you hear what Eddie Gein did? (Eric Powell and Harold Schechter)
Norman Bates, Leatherface, Buffalo Bill silence of the lambsall fictional serial killers were inspired by Ed Gein, the Plainfield Butcher. His fame does not necessarily come from his two proven murders. It comes from the household appliances he made from human bones and skin (which is featured in ” tobe hooper1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacreanother great Halloween watch). douchebag Creator Eric Powell and true crime writer Harold Schechter decided to give Gein the nonfiction comic treatment Did you hear what Eddie Gein did?a book that chronicles the titular killer’s tumultuous childhood and his relationship with his abusive mother (retconned by the writer) Robert Bloch and later alfred hitchcock for mentally ill) led to a fascination with death and what people could do with human corpses.
Powell and Schechter tell the story freely, explaining what makes a killer like Gein, while also raising the idea that some people are inherently evil (although the book ultimately does a good job of showing how they were made of). Powell is particularly unafraid to employ highly interpretive and metaphorical imagery to represent the monsters that Gein inhabits and torments. He paints a portrait of horrific tragedy and incredible violence, and he doesn’t indulge in tip-offs when it comes to Guyon’s heinous crimes and horrific actions.
Did you hear what Eddie Gein did? is a non-fiction masterpiece in comic form. As it turns out, getting a peek behind some of our favorite movie monsters is a harrowing experience that shows reality is darker and deadlier than fiction.
For more spooks, scares, and Halloween excitement, be sure to check out our other Horror Beats articles.
