Taylor Richards – Copy Editor
Since transitioning into fall, students are preparing for the Halloween season not only by getting their costumes ready, but by watching classic and non classic horror and Halloween movies. Various students weigh in on a range of movies they enjoy for this time of year.
Junior Erin Kelly likes scary movies that feel realistic to her. She said that if the movie is not relatable, then it will not actually scare her.
“My favorite horror movie is ‘The Shining,’” said Kelly. “Stephen King is awesome. The main character goes crazy and kills his family. I also like it because the cinematography is insane.”
“The Shining” is a classic horror film by Stanley Kubrick starring Jack Nicholson. The movie premiered in 1980, but is still so successful that small theatres today screen the film during the Halloween season. On Thursday, Oct. 29, Prospector Theater in Ridgefield will be screening the movie.
Kelly also enjoys “The Nightmare Before Christmas” during this time of year because it is a classic that she has been watching since her childhood. She likes how it is a Halloween and Christmas movie, so she “doesn’t feel bad” about watching it for two more months until Christmas.
Freshman Kaleigh Santopietro and Emily Earnshaw both said that the “Saw” movie franchise is their favorite to watch during this time of year.
According to IMDb, there are seven movies in the franchise that span over six years, starting with the original in 2004, and ending with “Saw 3D” in 2010. The franchise revolves around the “Jigsaw killer,” who creates games to test his victims’ will to live through various forms of psychological and physical torture.
“I love how complicated each ‘Saw’ movie is, that’s why I’ve watched one every year. I don’t know how they come up with the plotline or the torture scenes. It’s gory but I still like them,” said Earnshaw.
Earnshaw also said she likes the new and old “Halloween” movies, but the original 1978 version is her favorite.
“Halloween” was the debut feature film for “Scream Queens” actress, Jamie Lee Curtis, which lead to her success in other horror movies over the next five years, according to IMDb. Curtis’s “authentic” character is why Earnshaw said she likes the movie so much.
Junior Mark Severino said that he likes comedies the best, especially for Halloween-themed films. His favorite is “Little Nicky” (2000) starring Adam Sandler. Sandler plays Nicky, one of the devil’s mild-mannered sons who is sent to Earth to prevent his brothers from taking over the world.
Senior Anthony Perrotti’s favorite “eerie” movie is “Sleepy Hollow” (1999) starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci, directed by Tim Burton. The film is about a police constable investigating a series of murders in Sleepy Hollow, New York by a headless horseman. The film is a loose adaptation of the 1820 short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. Perrotti said that he has read and enjoyed the original short story as well. “Sleepy Hollow” recently was released on Netflix.
For the 2015 Halloween season, horror film “The Visit” is still in theaters and was #1 in the box office for several weeks from September to October. “The Visit” is about a mother’s life going wrong after sending her children to their grandparents’ house. Also in theaters is “Goosebumps,” a film adaptation of the popular children’s book series of the same name by R.L. Stine, starring Jack Black.
Photo Credit: Adam Polselli
