Curl up on the couch for a Halloween at home and watch a movie from this list. Perfect for date night and some intense cuddling.
Halloween at Home
“Don’t tell Mom…” My older sister’s stern instruction as I persuaded her to let me watch my first scary movie. I peeked from beneath the cozy blanket, shouting warnings to Mia Farrow as her seemingly loving husband empregnated her with the devil.
It could happen!
At least, that’s what the best thrillers have us believing. Something about watching Rosemary’s Baby at home made it even scarier. Snuggled under our frayed quilts and eating popcorn out of the familiar, pink, Tupperware bowl-we were willing victims.
This Halloween, my husband and I are planning a night in. Little superheroes and obnoxious teens will interrupt us by ringing our doorbell. After sweaty, little hands grab the last bite-sized Snickers bar, we’ll start our lineup of frightening shows.
Best Scary Movies
In my opinion, the scariest movies aren’t slasher films. If I want that kind of entertainment I can watch reality television. No, the best movies for Halloween at home transform ordinary objects into something sinister. Their genious lies, not in the buzz of a chainsaw, buckets of fake blood, or a dismembered body.
The films on this list excel at making the commonplace take on gravity. They make a suggestion and our minds fill in the rest. Just for Halloween fun, can you match these common items with their movie?
- flock of birds
- motel
- flying bats
- hedge trimmers
- chocolate bar
- Mount Rushmore
- pottery wheel
- shower curtain
- a small town in Italy
Alfred Hitchcock Classics
“The Master of Suspense”, Alfred Hitchcock directed over 50 movies during his 60 year film career. Born in England, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood in the heyday of his fame.
The “Hitchcockian” style includes the use of camera movement to mimic a person’s gaze, thereby turning viewers into voyeurs, and framing shots to maximise anxiety and fear.
Wikipedia
Tim Burton’s Weird and Wonderful Flicks
This famous Baby Boomer has perfected the art of injecting familiar tales with a twist of the bizarre. After humble beginnings as a Disney apprentice animator, Burton sought greater creative freedom by striking out on his own.
He never really took to suburbia, where he was raised, and instead of joining little league or selling lemonade spent his time drawing, watching old horror movies, and reading the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Tim Burton biography, Rotten Tomatoes
His collaboration with Johnny Dep began with Edward Scissorhands and continued for 20+ years. Burton was a rising Hollywood star when he paired with Depp. Johnny was eager to do away with his “pretty boy” image from 21 Jump Street and gladly took on the edgy role.
- Edward Scissorhands
- Sleepy Hollow
- Batman
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Oldies and Goodies
Reportedly, Demi Moore’s ability to cry on command, (from either eye!) won her the breakout role in Ghost, starring Patrick Swazey and Whoopi Goldberg.
And I thought, ‘Wow, this is really a recipe for disaster.’ It’s either going to be something really special, really amazing, or really an absolute bust.
Demi Moore’s opinion of the Ghost script
Bruce Willis turned down the lead role in Ghost. Ironically, Willis felt the movie would flop because the character was a dead man. Lucky for us, Bruce changed his mind in time to make The Sixth Sense.
- Zombieland
- The Sixth Sense
- Ghost
- Carrie (original version)
- Rosemarie’s Baby
- Ghostbusters
Don’t be shy, share your scary favorites with us!
That first horror film I watched at home with my sister formed a memory we laugh about to this day. She warned me to keep the show from our mom, but forget to tell me not to share our secret with our dad. Needless to say, he was horrified. Almost as much as I was when I watched unsuspecting Mia give birth to a monster.
No matter what you do this Halloween, I hope you spend it making happy memories with someone you love.
