Halloween is almost here! Be sure to take a look at the GrassBurr staff’s favorite spooky movies and TV series!
Coraline By Kenzie Allen and Julian Lott
The director of the movie Coraline has stated that the movie is suitable for “brave” children of any age. That’s putting it mildly. No matter how brave a kid is, under a certain age, this movie can be a nightmare-starter. Although kids are exposed to all sorts of horror films via video, Coraline is disturbing not for gory images but for the story it tells. That’s rare in itself: Lots of movies are good at depicting something gory, but few are good at telling tales that can grab us and pull us down inside where it’s dark and scary.
Even rarer is that Coraline Jones is not a nice little girl. She’s unpleasant, complains, has an attitude and makes friends against her will. Contrary to mainstream children’s shows, she doesn’t meet colorful and happy new pals in her adventure– which involves the substitution of her parents by eerie doubles with buttons sewn over their eyes. She is threatened with being trapped in their alternate world, which is reached by an alarming tunnel behind a painted-over doorway.
Coraline is a 2009 Fantasy/Thriller directed by Henry Selick, the master behind The Nightmare Before Christmas, in which instead of selling your soul to the devil for great power, you sell your eyes to an alternate version of your mom for some attention. Coraline was a movie that defined my childhood if I wanted creepy, I watched it. I mean, what isn’t creepier than alternate versions of your parents wanting to take your eyes? But the one thing I remember most from Coraline is how stunning it looks. I’m a sucker for stop motion and Selick pulls it off beautifully. I can’t help but be captivated by just everything in this movie, from the colorful, animated scenes full of life, to the dark and boring ones that just hold so much emotion. Coraline is a movie that everybody needs to watch, even if it doesn’t creep you out, the message is still heartwarming, and if you have watched it before, rewatch it, it’s worth your time.
ParaNorman By Stephanie Antonio
ParaNorman is a brilliantly crafted thriller that follows the life of a young boy named Norman, an outcast at school who has the rare ability of talking to the dead. Ridiculed by his peers and family for what they believe is a fake ability, he is contacted by his recently deceased uncle who warns him of a dangerous curse that has been placed on their town centuries ago but still poses an enormous threat to them today. Taking its viewers back to the gruesome Salem Witch Trials that took place in colonial America, ParaNorman creates an interesting mix of history, horror, and comedy that will certainly not disappoint.
Halloweentown By Calli Gunnells
Halloweentown was released in 1998 on Disney Channel Original Movies, It’s a fantasy and adventure series that brings creepy and spooky to the next level. It’s about a mom and her kids who follow their grandma back to her hometown, aka. Halloweentown. This town is a place full of ghostly supernatural beings and the kids learn that they come from a family of witches! I recommend this movie if you are looking for a kid-friendly eerie movie to enjoy with your family and friends. It’s a wholesome movie that warms your heart and brings back many childhood. If you wanna know what happens to the kids’ new founded abilities, find out by watching Halloweentown today!
Beetlejuice By Alli Williams
A movie that makes the living seem like villains and the recently deceased heroes, Beetlejuice is about a pair of ghosts who want to scare away the family that moved into their house after their death. Another Tim Burton masterpiece, it has best-of-career performances from an A-list cast that includes Michael Keaton, Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, and Winona Ryder.
Stranger Things By E’Myah Jones
The show Stranger Things has taken our generation by storm, from it’s charming nostalgic feel to its hair-raising storyline. The show has received a phenomenal amount of praise, breaking Netflix records, and even becoming the most-watched film series within the first four days of its season 3 release. Coupled with being nominated for 7 Emmys, it’s pretty clear that the show has hype for a reason. The story is set in the 80s in Hawkins, Indiana and follows the lives of 6 meddlesome kids, one possessing extremely powerful telekinetic abilities, in which we find out our world is in serious danger of monstrous forces that can wipe out humanity as we know it. Season 3 focuses on the gang’s personal lives more than any season beforehand, showing how they’re growing up and don’t care for much of the childish antics they used to commit constantly. When the new Starcourt Mall opens, it becomes an instant hit with the youth. Everything seems normal until we find out a sinister Russian base rests below, plotting a diabolical scheme that could ruin Hawkins and our world. If any show screams Halloween, it’s this one. Although the plot sounds menacing, the show’s perfect balance of light-heartedness and likable characters while also following their internal conflicts, create an undoubtedly enjoyable time. I highly recommend this series for those who scare easily, for it’s not anything that’s overwhelmingly creepy, however, the show is suitable for any audience that’s young at heart and down for a good binge.
Hotel Transylvania By Madison Metzger
Hotel Transylvania is one of the most underrated Halloween movies but it’s also the cutest and most heartfelt in my opinion. There are three Hotel Transylvania movies but the first one came out in 2012 and is the best of the three. The film centers around the forbidden love of a human and a vampire and takes place in a hotel for monsters. The human somehow end ups in the hotel and the two just can’t help but fall in love and become each others’ “zing.” This PG movie is the perfect family movie with all of the spooky aspects of Halloween.
Monster House By Lia Ordones
My movie recommendation would be Monster house. This movie is a classic, there’s an old man who is known to be angry and every kid is scared of him, if he finds your toys he’ll keep them. These kids try to go get their toy back but it turns out the house is fighting back, trying to make them leave. They then find out it’s his dead wife’s soul possessing it and find the wives and it makes the house nice again and makes the old man a nice guy.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch By Miguel Patino
The trending Netflix series is a spin-off from the popular 1996 show Sabrina the Teenage Witch. The show consists of a half-mortal, half-witch, that battles finding what she wants. Throughout the season it’s clear that she wants a normal life with her boyfriend Harvey and her best friends, but she also wants to pursue a career in the academy of the unseen arts where her dad used to teach before he passed away. In the second season, she not only finds new friends in the academy but she also finds a new love interest. The show is very unique from the rest of the Archie comics and it’s filled with cliff hanging scenes you don’t want to miss!
The Addams Family By Alex Ramirez
A really good movie for Halloween (aside from any of the Halloween films with Michael Myers) would be the 1991 film adaptation of The Addams Family. With its creepy, kooky, mysterious, and all-together spooky atmosphere, it’s one of the best films to get one into the Halloween spirit. The plot centers around the titular family as they try to help Fester gain back his memories after suffering from amnesia, all while their sleazy lawyer tries to steal their wealth from under their noses. The film stars Christopher Lloyd as Fester, the late Raul Julia as Gomez, Anjelica Houston as Morticia, Dan Hedaya as Tully Alford, and Christina Ricci as Wednesday. Overall, The Addams Family (1991) is one of the best Halloween films there is, even if its sequels don’t follow the theme of Halloween.