Spooktacular movies
By Kris King, contributing writer
Posted on October 30, 2006

Every Oct. 31, the maniacs and creatures of the night claw their way from our nightmares and scratch at our windows while we sleep. They prey on the innocent and reap souls for a great shadow harvest to honor their dark lord who will rule over the world of men with a bloodied fist, only to be driven away just in time by the rise of the early November sun.  Well, if only. Life just isn’t that cool.

In reality, life isn’t nearly as dark as it should be on this most sinister of holidays, so we must turn to film to fill the void. Below is a list of some of the scariest, goriest and/or most fun horror movies to watch on All Hallow’s Eve. So grab a jack-o’-lantern and an oversized bowl of candy and enjoy the splatter-fest, but be sure to check under your bed before you sleep *insert lighting crash and maniacal laughter.*

An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Directed by John Landis
Starring: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffen Dunne

One of the best examples of a funny horror movie, “An American Werewolf in London” has everything you could want out of a movie about werewolves: superstitious Englishmen, sex, a soundtrack filled with songs that feature the word “moon,” stark gore and the absolute most awesome transformation sequence ever put to film.  Don’t confuse this with the late 1990s sequel “An American Werewolf in Paris,” however, because it should have never been made.

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
Directed by Tom McLoughlin
Starring:  Thom Mathews, Jennifer Cooke, C.J. Graham

Okay, though the last few “Friday the 13th” movies have been either too goofy or simply too horrible to watch, that doesn’t mean the entire series should be written off. “Jason Lives” marks the first time that Jason comes back from the grave as a hulking zombie who wants to kill everyone. This installment also offers the best balance between the cornball latter half of the series and the trying-too-hard-to-be-legit first half. That and seeing Ron Palillo (Horshack from “Welcome Back, Kotter”) get punched through the chest in the opening scene makes it well worth the time.

“Halloweenie” — The Adventures of Pete and Pete Season 2 (1994)
Directed by Peter Lauer
Starring Michael C. Maronna, Danny Tamberelli, Rick Gomez

“The Adventures of Pete and Pete” goes beyond simple “Hey, I watched this when I was 9” nostalgia because when watching it as an adult, you see that the show is actually exceptionally witty, wistful, and, above all, smart. The episode “Halloweenie” captures what it is to be a kid on Halloween. It features everything: the pranks, the decorations, the excitement, the bullies, the costumes, and the ambition to get as much candy as humanly possible. Use this as a buffer between gore fests, it guarantees to conjure a smile.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Directed by Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Nick Frost

Zombies and English people. “Shaun of the Dead” is the ultimate horror movie for people who hate horror movies. While extraordinarily funny, the film does not slack in terms of suspense and gore, especially near the end when there is a rather stark turn toward the dark. Regardless, the film has zombies being killed by flying, meticulously picked records, cricket bats and pool cues while listening to Queen. Hands down, it’s the best horror satire ever made.

Suspiria (1977)
Directed by Dario Argento
Starring: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci

One wouldn’t think that a movie that takes place in a ballet school would feature one of the most brutal and gruesome murder scenes ever put to film within the first 10 minutes. While the actual number of people killed in the movie is fairly low, when it does happen, the movie punches the viewer in the face with truly horrid images. Couple that with a bizarre haunted-house-like soundtrack and you have a great reason to mistrust every Italian ballet instructor you come across.

Zombie (Zombi 2) (1979)
Directed by Lucio Fulci
Starring: Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson

This film contains the single greatest moment in film history which answers the age-old question: who would win in an underwater fight between a topless scuba diving woman, a zombie and a shark? Besides that cinematic gem, the film supplies a healthy amount of zombie gore and also has a disturbing scene involving a woman’s eye and a large, jagged piece of wood. This one isn’t for the weak stomached.