Feature: Michael’s Top 5 Halloween Films

Only 3 more days until Halloween!  Aren’t you excited?  I know I am.  We are close to wrapping up this week where each writer has a day to list their top five films that get them in the Halloween spirit.  Some of the films might be familiar, some might not, but all should be seen for this is the holiday we love, HALLOWEEN! 

Today, we give you the picks of writer Michael Haffner. 

Lady in White

This is one of the first horror films I distinctly remember watching as a kid on HBO during the Halloween season.  This mostly forgotten 1988 film centers on a young boy who gets trapped in his school’s coat closet on Halloween night.  When darkness falls, the boy is visited by the ghost of a girl who was murdered by the town’s child serial killer.  Though tame by today’s horror standards, this film excels in creating a creepy atmosphere that continues until the film’s final revelation. 

Donnie Darko

I know many of you will be confused by this pick.  Let me explain.  Besides the fact that I have an unflinching love for this film, the climax of the film takes place on Halloween night.  The whole film counts down to this great Halloween party sequence that is permeated with this underlying threat that something is about to happen.  Say what you will about Richard Kelly’s later films, but I feel this film showcases Kelly’s admiration for the haunted holiday. Plus, as a bonus, we even get a scene of Donnie watching Evil Dead in a movie theater. 

Suspiria

This film showed me that horror films can be viewed as art. I know that sounds cheesy, but the opening sequence is breath-taking.  All of the crazy colors Dario Argento uses remind me of both the fun and creepy side of Halloween.  With Halloween, you always have bright and goofy costumes (giant hot-dog costumes anyone) and dark and scary costumes.  Did you ever think seeing a bunch of fun and bright colored lights shining on a girl’s face would be creepy? Argento explores this dynamic in Suspiria. 

House on Haunted Hill

What would Halloween be without haunted houses.  We have all visited them at one point in our life, but none of them are as scary as the ones we see in the movies.  The original haunted house film that started it all was William Castle’s 1959 classic House on Haunted Hill.  Though I actually liked the remake, it is the original that does such a great job creating some creepy scenes using such simple gimmicks as dramatic lighting.  The film has it all: Severed heads, creepy old ladies, a grisly hanging, and  . . .Vincent Price. 

Return of The Living Dead

Because I am such a Halloween fan, the first thing I think of is celebrating the amazing holiday the right way – WITH A PARTY! For me, this zombie comedy is just that.  It is one non-stop, blood-drenched, self-aware horror party.  You watch this film and you can tell the people who made it have such a love for horror.  It is this same love and excitement that I have as well for horror films and the Halloween season.  With that, I ask you to hold up a can of your favorite beer with your favorite horror geeks and toast to the holiday that was made for us horror fans: Halloween!