Feature: Chris’ Top 5 Halloween Films

Unlike other sites that list their lists of what they think are the scariest films to date, we decided that we would list films we always seem to watch around Halloween, films that capture the spirit of the holiday or both.  All week long, each writer from DESTROY THE BRAIN will get a day to spill their pumpkin guts on their Top 5 films they always seem to watch around this time year.  Today, we start it off with writer Chris Sandrin.

The Exorcist

If you want a film that is guaranteed to scare the piss out of you, this is the one to see.  I had the pleasure of seeing this film for the first time in theaters during the 2000 theatrical re release and that was the perfect way to experience it for the first time.  Sitting in the theater, I couldn’t go get a drink or turn on the lights in order to cut the tension and some of the images in that film have stuck with me to this day.  A perfect horror film to watch this Halloween season.

Halloween 4: Return of Michael Myers

Halloween is hands down my favorite horror flick of all time but the 4th Halloween film is a close second for my favorite in the franchise.  It was hard to pick which film I would feature on this list, as all of them are perfect for Halloween viewing.  I feel this entry best exemplifies the Halloween spirit and the tone is even throughout.  Plus, how often do horror franchises get successfully re launched by the time they reach their 4^th entry? (Which begs the question as to how they fucked up the 5^th one so bad)

Nosferatu

No other monster better exemplifies this holiday than the vampire, so I figured it would be a downright travesty if I didn’t include at least one blood sucker on my list.  Max Schreck’s  portrayal as Nosferatu scared the living hell out of me and F.W. Marnau’s use of shadows was a feast for the eyes.  This film has aged wonderfully, as it still scares audiences nearly 100 years later.  The best way to see this is on the big screen and if you ever get a chance, I highly recommend going to see The Devil’s Music Ensemble performing an accompanying soundtrack.  The band doesn’t make it to the Midwest very often but when they do, get your ass to the theater!!

Ernest Scared Stupid

I can honestly say that this will be the only time Ernest will be featured on Destroy the Brain.  Probably the earliest film to scare the living bat shit out of me, it was always a favorite at sleepovers growing up.  Despite the Jim Varney cheese ball humor, the film is a great time and provides some chilling moments.  The bed scene still gets me every time and I shit you not, one of my friends found this film so scary that he had to go through years of therapy and actually slept with milk for a period of time (true story!!).  So if your up for some Halloween humor, you won’t pass this up, ya know what I mean Vern?

Trick ‘r Treat

I can’t remember the last time I saw a recent film that truly captured the essence of Halloween.  I could watch this film on the 4^th of July and get excited about Halloween.  The arching story lines all contain elements of the Holiday and it is a damn shame that this film never saw a proper theatrical release.  I know this is a fairly recent film but it has already made its way into my rotation of must see Halloween films.