Halloween Horror Movie Marathon: Do you dare watch them all?
Halloween isn’t just for Oct. 31 for anymore.
Some people like to start celebrating the occasion in September, while others see it as a year-round excuse to watch scary movies, down mass quantities of candy and cosplay with gusto.
But we’re going to take a more moderate approach to the holiday here, choosing to limit the celebration to just the month of October.
Of course, we dig candy — especially Peanut M&M’s — and have no issues with cosplay. Yet, our favorite thing about Halloween is binging on horror movies.
And we’re inviting you to join us.
We’ve come up with a daily viewing guide to some of our favorite horror movies, beginning on Oct. 1 and running all the way through Halloween night.
The movies range from truly frightening affairs to horror-comedies to so-bad-they’re-good offerings — and everything in between. All of our picks are available through various streaming/on-demand services.
For the most part, we’ve tried to steer clear from the usual suspects and focus more on ones that we suspect many of you haven’t seen. Although, there are a handful of well-known picks in the bunch.
We hope you’ll join us on this ghastly movie marathon and make this a Halloween season to remember.
Note: Many of these films contain frightening scenes, disturbing imagery and other elements which some will find objectionable. We have noted the ratings, which hopefully will help you to make more informed choices on what to watch – and what not to watch.
Oct. 1: “Idle Hands” (1999, R)
Kick off the marathon with one of the best horror comedies of the last 25 years, which pits a TV-loving stoner against his own possessed right hand. The superb cast features Seth Green, Elden Henson, Jessica Alba, Vivica A. Fox and one of our all-time favorites — Devon Sawa – who also starred in the equally great “Final Destination” (as well as in the Eminem video “Stan”).
Oct. 2: “Manos: The Hands of Fate” (1966, Not rated)
Staying on theme, we next offer up this Harold P. Warren B-movie masterpiece that is widely regarded among the worst films ever made. The thing we like best about the movie is the title, which — given that Manos is Spanish for Hands — literally translates to “Hands: The Hands of Fate.”
Oct. 3: “Pelts” (2006, Not rated)
It’s raccoon revenge time in this twisted tale starring Meat Loaf — yes, that Meat Loaf — and directed by the legendary “Master of Thrill” Dario Argento, who helmed such landmark films as “Deep Red” and “Opera.”
Oct. 4: “Critters” (1986, PG-13)
Dee Wallace is best known as the mom in “E.T.” but she’s also a first-tier “scream queen” who has appeared in “The Hills Have Eyes,” “Cujo” and this mind-blowing sci-fi/horror mash-up. “Critters” is actually pretty intense, so don’t think of it in the same family-fare realm as “Gremlins.”
Oct. 5: “Train to Busan” (2016, TV-MA)
This tense, scary and heart-filled South Korean thriller is the best zombie film since 2002’s “28 Days Later.”
Oct. 6: “Return to Horror High” (1987, R)
The film brings a few twists — as well as a breath of fresh air — to the standard ‘80s slasher template. Horror historians will likely applaud the … wait a second, is that really George Clooney in the film?
Oct. 7: “Cursed” (2005, PG-13)
This slick werewolf flick, starring Christina Ricci, Jesse Eisenberg, Joshua Jackson and – yes! – Scott Baio, is really an underrated gem in director Wes Craven’s catalog. OK, maybe “gem” is stretching it a little.
Oct. 8, “Under the Shadow” (2016, PG-13)
This Persian-language film unfolds like a horror story within a horror story, telling the harrowing tale of a woman and her daughter battling an evil presence in the midst of war-torn Tehran.
Oct. 9: “Triangle” (2009, R)
Major kudos to those who are able to figure out this thriller before it reaches its conclusion. We never came close. This brainy, engrossing film, offers more twists and turns than Lombard Street.
Oct. 10: “Man’s Best Friend” (1993, R)
Forget “Cujo” – this is the dog-gone-wrong film that you need to see this Halloween season. Only this canine’s best friend is not a “Man” but Ally Sheedy, who has also been one of our best friends (at least in our own minds) ever since we saw her in “The Breakfast Club.” And, wow, isn’t Lance Henriksen great?
Oct. 11: “Pumpkinhead” (1988, R)
Yes, Lance Henriksen is great. So great, in fact, that we’re suggesting a Lance Henriksen double feature — moving from “Man’s Best Friend” to “Pumpkinhead,” the kickoff to one of the more-underrated horror franchises.
Oct. 12: “The People Under the Stairs” (1991, R)
We’re talking about the disturbing Wes Craven film, not the fine L.A. hip-hop duo of the same name. But feel free to listen to latter after watching the former.
Oct. 13: “Tusk” (2014, R)
This film disturbs on so many different levels, yet we just can’t stop watching this weird walrus tale from the very same man who brought us “Clerks” — director Kevin Smith.
Oct. 14: Suspiria (1977, R)
You got a taste for Dario Argento with his later-era “Pelts,” but to truly understand why he was nicknamed “The Italian Hitchcock,” one must watch one of his ‘70s/’80s classics — and there might be none finer than this bloody ballerina tale.
Oct. 15: “Goodnight Mommy” (2014, R)
It’s a stunningly effective psychological thriller, which keeps you guessing — and, most likely, guessing incorrectly — from start to finish. It was also Austria’s entry in the best foreign language film category at the 2016 Oscars (although, sadly, it didn’t earn an actual nomination).
Oct. 16: “Rodentz” (2001, R)
Also known as “Altered Species,” this B-movie is one of our favorites from the bountiful rats-gone-wrong horror subgenre. The hilarious battle at the end of the film — where a giant rat is seen driving a VW van — is worth the price of admission alone.
Oct. 17: “Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil” (2010, R)
Clueless city slickers square off against backwoods bumblers and the result is one of the funniest horror comedies of all time. One unnecessary wrong move keeps leading to another in this fast-paced film, resulting in both gags and casualties falling like dominos.
Oct. 18: “Dog Soldiers” (2002, R)
It’s an intense, edge-of-your-seat drama about some British soldiers who head off on a training mission in rural Scotland, only to find themselves being hunted by a relentless pack of werewolves.
Oct. 19: “Curse of Chucky” (2013, R)
Since the original model came out in 1988, “Child’s Play” has been the most consistently entertaining franchise in horror — far surpassing the likes of “Friday the 13th” or “Nightmare on Elm Street.” “Curse” is the most suspenseful and best written of the more recent “Chucky” offerings.
Oct. 20: “The Girl with All the Gifts” (2016, R)
It delivers a much-needed twist to the regular zombie apocalypse storyline, telling the story of hybrid children — who hunger for human flesh, but can still use reasoning — believed to the world’s best chance of surviving the nightmare.
Oct. 21: “Ready or Not” (2019, R)
Grace Le Domas (Samara Weaving) has major in-law problems. Notably, the new bride has to spend her wedding night ducking and hiding from the groom’s side of the family, who are out to kill her in order to complete a long-standing marriage ritual.
Oct. 22: “The Babysitter” (2017, TV-MA)
Let’s make it a Samara Weaving doubleheader and roll right into this teen horror-comedy offering, which should give parents pause the next time they want to take an overnight trip without the kids.
Oct. 23: “The Faculty” (1998, R)
Herrington High isn’t like other schools. Notably, its teachers and administrators are, um, a bit harder on the students. The movie, however, is a fun ride featuring a star-studded cast (Usher, Elijah Woods, Salma Hayek, Jon Stewart, more) and brought to us by the dynamic duo of screenwriter Kevin Williamson and director Robert Rodriguez.
Oct. 24: “I Know What You Did Last Summer” (1997, R)
Forming our last thematic doubleheader of the run, we’ll go with another sturdy Williamson outing with plenty of (then) megawatt celebrity power — Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. The film is a bit cliché, but in all the right ways.
Oct. 25: “Mega Python vs. Gatoroid” (2014, TV-14)
Two true titans face off in this B-movie fave. Yes, we’re talking about former teen pop stars Tiffany and Debbie Gibson. Who did you think we meant? (Oh, great, now we have “Only In My Dreams” and “I Think We’re Alone Now” competing for space in our heads.)
Oct. 26: “Versus” (2000, R)
If you like your blood and violence with a big side of blood of violence then this way-over-the-top Japanese horror/action film may just be for you. Even the zombies have guns in “Versus.”
Oct. 27: “Trollhunter” (2010, PG-13)
It’s one of the best found-footage “mockumentary”-style features, which somehow manages to balance the fantastical with the plausible. Plus, we just love that the filmmakers sew in a government conspiracy to frame bears for all the wrongdoing. Yes, bears.
Oct. 28: “Happy Death Day” (2017, PG-13)
Jessica Rothe is terrific as a self-absorbed, hard-partying college student stuck in her own bloody version of “Groundhog Day,” destined to relive the day that she dies over and over again until she can catch her killer.
Oct. 29: “Trick ‘r Treat” (2007, R)
Kids probably won’t be going door-to-door for candy this year due to the pandemic, yet you can still watch this chilling anthology of stories that take place on Halloween night. But definitely don’t watch it with the kids.
Oct. 30: “Halloween” (2007, R)
This title has been made three times, with, of course, John Carpenter’s original model being the ultimate classic. Yet, we also dig the two that follow, especially this brutal remake from the great Rob Zombie, greatly expanding upon the Michael Myers storyline. Also make time to watch the 2018 reboot with Jamie Curtis back onboard.
Oct. 31: “Black Christmas” (1974, R)
From one holiday to another, we’ll close our month-long horror movie marathon with this Bob Clark-directed masterpiece, which stands shoulder to shoulder with Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” and George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” among the genre’s greatest and most influential films.
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