UNT Dallas College of Law - Library Blog

Flicks that will get you in the Halloween spirit

September sucks. it is objectively the worst month. No, I don’t care that your birthday is in September — it is boring, and there is nothing special going on. National Cheeseburger Day or whatever doesn’t count either. Those are just holidays made up by social media marketing departments so they’ll have something “special” to post. October, on the other hand, is the best month. It is officially Fall, and you can fully lean into pumpkin spice cakes, lattes, stouts, or whatever floats your boat. It also means that you can watch horror movies every single day without fear of judgment. And that, my friends, is beautiful. Now, I realize that most of you probably don’t want to watch upwards of 30 scary movies over the course of October, and that is fine. However, you do need to watch one a week. Yes, that is a law. No, don’t look it up.

For all you observant readers out there, you may notice that this is the second month in a row that I’m writing about horror movies. I acknowledge that, and I don’t really have an excuse other than I like them and they are the only things keeping me sane currently. Just think of how many recommendations you’ll have by the time you’re done reading this. Now, without further ado, here are four flicks that will surely get you in the Halloween spirit.

Trick ‘r Treat

Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat is a modern classic. It is an anthology film in which each story takes place on, you guessed it, Halloween. They are all tied together by a strange masked child(?) and all take place in the same town. The film perfectly blends solid scares with a near-perfect Halloween atmosphere. While there is some heavy bloodshed at times, I wouldn’t call it gratuitous. Overall, if you’re looking for something fun and spooky, rather than intense and scary, Trick ‘r Treat is a great choice.

Phantasm

The best way to describe Don Coscarelli’s phantasm is “dream-like.” Perhaps “nightmare-like” is more appropriate. While the plot is mostly linear, you never really know if what’s happening is real or not. I’m not entirely sure if this is intentional, but it works very well. The film follows two brothers as they try to figure out what the ominous Tall Man is really doing at the mortuary he runs. The movie starts spooky and ominous and descends into full-on sci-fi mania by the time the credits roll. This is a great movie to watch with friends; they’ll surely squirm at the ample amounts of yellow blood.

Cabin in The Woods

Cabin in the Woods is best if you go in knowing as little as possible about the film. It is extremely fun, funny, and smart. This movie hits the hardest if you’re already familiar with horror movie tropes. That said, Drew Goddard’s film will still be enjoyable for genre newcomers. If you do want to do a little preparation prior to checking it out, I recommend watching The Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Cabin Fever.

Halloween

John Carpenter’s Halloween is an incredibly obvious choice — just look at the movie’s title! In addition to its name, it is a classic. Most would argue that it is the first slasher movie and many say that it is still the best. The film’s autumnal atmosphere is chilling and nostalgic, while the soundtrack is a masterpiece. If you’ve never seen Halloween before, now is the perfect time to watch. If you have, then you know you’re probably due for a rewatch.

Gefen Kusin-Kline, MS-LS Candidate 2021