Feature: Andy’s Top 5 Halloween Films

Here we are.  The final weekday before Halloween.  It is the last chance to carve that pumpkin, pick up the candy for the kiddies and make a last ditch effort to try to pick out a costume for the weekend of parties.  Before you leave us this week, I wanted to say thanks for reading these top 5 lists.  I’m sure it has been a blast for my writers to share some of their favorite Halloween flicks and relive some nostalgia.  Today, I give you my list (me being Andy Triefenbach).

These films are not in any particular order.

Lady in White

I remember catching this on HBO, just like Michael did, during October in the early 90’s.  My mother, who has been an influence on my horror upbringing, told me that she caught this late one night and suggested I watch it.  Lady in White is so soaked in Halloween atmosphere for it’s first act that the film really makes you believe you have been transported to 1962, which is when the story takes place.  It is a film I feel like I could watch at any time of the year and feel cool autumn breezes on the back of my neck.

Halloween (1978)

I don’t really care if it is cliche to have this on a list, it IS a film of the holiday.  While it was shot in California during a summer month, the blue lighting and warm, amber daytime glow always reminds me of October.  It also doesn’t hurt that it is a film that is shown around Halloween time on a few channels.  Halloween is my favorite film of all time, so of course, it must be included.

Murder Party

Three years ago, I blind bought this film because it had to deal with the holiday and I heard it was a lot of fun.  Little did I know that it would capture the essenence of being in your 20’s and missing out on Trick or Treating.  When the main character, Chris, comes home on Halloween night after work and has some candy corn and a couple of cheesy VHS tapes to tide him over for the night, it seemed like a true reflection of my life.  Obviously, I couldn’t go out and relive my childhood memories of cold late night trick or treating and I was somewhat anti-social in my early 20’s, so I usually celebrated by myself.  Murder Party has been viewed in my home every October since 2007 and I wouldn’t miss a year.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

It’s a classic.  I vividly remember going out trick or treating, sweating under my latex Batman Returns mask and getting home to unload my candy and sit down in front of the tv.  The local PBS station was showing George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead.  It was a film that I still have not watched in it’s entirety.  While the station did have commercial breaks, they were used as breaks of relief.  I was so caught up in the movie that I felt like I needed to board up my house just in case.

Trick ‘r Treat

Yep.  I know.  A film from last year?  Christmas has It’s A Wonderful Life. To me, Halloween will have Trick ‘r Treat. It is such a love letter to the holiday by not only just having is set on the night but actually embellishing on the myths and legends of Halloween.  It really is a great movie that I hope becomes as popular to watch on Halloween as John Carpenter’s title film.

I hope you enjoyed the Top 5’s over the week.  Have a safe and awesome Halloween!