Frank & Stein’s 31 Days of Halloween Movies
A mix of classic and obscure movie titles to refer to as our favorite holiday draws near.
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Screenplay: James V. Hart Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves
This is Francis Ford Coppola’s adaption of Bram Stoker’s Dracula with a $40 million budget and a cast and crew that received awards in writing, directing, acting, makeup, sound design, and costume design, plus a Saturn Award for best horror film. The movie follows the original story with Dracula traveling to England and his pursuit by Van Helsing (with some very adultish scenes added to the script).
Why it’s good: While it does follow the well-known, often-told (over-told) version of Dracula, you don’t really think ahead to the ending because there is so much eye candy on screen that you’re completely caught up in the moment. In addition, Gary Oldman’s performance is so intense that he scared Winona Ryder bad enough that they could barely work together.
Color/127 Mins/Rated R
The 'Burbs (1989)
Writer: Dana Olsen Director: Joe Dante
Starring: Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, Rick Ducommon, Corey Feldman, Gale Gordon, Bruce Dern, Wendy Schaal, Brother Theodore, Henry Gibson, Courtney Gains
Ray (Tom Hanks) is about to take a week off from work to sit around the house and relax with his stunning wife Carol (Carrie Fisher). What he doesn’t know yet is that he’ll spend that week spying on his new neighbors - the ones in the eerie old house that makes strange noises and smells like dead bodies. Life in the suburbs (‘burbs) needs a little excitement once in a while.
Why it’s good: This is a character-driven comedy all the way. Tom Hanks is the star, but the ensemble cast of quirky neighbors keeps this story entertaining. The scenes are all polished and the closed neighborhood gives the movie a quaint feel. Tom Hanks never leaves his street and the story never cuts away from him, meaning the entire movie happens within 100 yards of his front door.
Color/102 Mins/Rated PG
Dracula (1931)
Screenplay: Garrett Fort Director: Tod Browning
Starring: Bela Lugosi, David Manners, Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan
Count Dracula sails from Transylvania to England to take up residence in his new estate. Soon after he arrives, a young woman (Mina) is bitten by a bat and her health rapidly declines. A vampire hunter (Van Helsing) is called to investigate and he quickly determines that the Count is the creature of the night responsible for her wounds. Van Helsing and his men prepare to battle Dracula for her soul.
Why it’s good: It’s a classic - what can you say? The story is so well known that most DVD cases don’t even summarize the story on the back of the box. They just talk about it being a “classic” (like what I’m doing right now). It’s so synonymous with Halloween that you have to watch it or else you’ll find yourself noting, “We forgot to watch Dracula this year. No wonder it didn’t feel like Halloween.”
B&W/75 Mins/Not Rated
Ed Wood (1994)
Writers: Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, Bill Murray
Johnny Depp plays Edward D. Wood, Jr., widely hailed as the worst director in cinema history. Ed and his crew of misfit filmmakers shoot one low-budget flop after another, but that doesn’t stop Ed from committing a host of crimes (trespassing, breaking and entering, theft) to make more. He befriends Bela Lugosi and casts him in what will become Ed’s best-loved film, Plan 9 From Outer Space (1957).
Why it’s good: Since this is a character-driven movie, it really comes down to the cast and some incredible performances (Landau won the Best Supporting Actor award from every major film organization). The friendship between Bela and Ed is half the movie and Landau and Depp create sparks in every scene together. Includes an unusual (and highly effective) score by Howard Shore.
B&W/127 Mins/Rated R
Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)
Screenplay: Charlie Gale and Coke Sams Director: John Cherry
Starring: Jim Varney, Eartha Kitt
Ernest P. Worrell (Varney) is the Briarville City trashman. Generations ago, trolls plagued the town and his ancestors banished them to an earthly prison. The only way they could be released is if another Worrell recites the magic words to break the spell, but what Worrell would be dumb enough to do that? Trolls invade Briarville, and it’s up to Ernest to put things back the way they were before.
Why it’s good: One bad recommendation can ruin your credibility as a reviewer, and I’ll just warn you that this movie is not for everyone (I could say that about every movie on this list). It was probably written for eight year olds, yet it appears on many adult favorites lists. It just has that Halloween spark that even some traditional Halloween movies don’t have.
Color/91 Mins/Rated PG
Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)
Screenplay: Gerard Brach and Roman Polanski Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Jack MacGowran, Sharon Tate, Alfie Bass, Ferdy Mayne, Roman Polanski
Professor Abronsius (MacGowran) and his assistant Alfred (Polanski) stop at a Transylvanian inn on an expedition in search of vampires. When the innkeeper’s daughter is captured by Count von Krolock (Mayne) and whisked away to his castle, the professor and Alfred attempt to rescue her. Unfortunately, this is the night of the great vampire ball and the castle is full of vampires. They may end up wishing they’d left her there!
Why it's good: It’s a nail-biting comedy with outrageous characters and gothic settings. Features Ronald Lacey (Toht from Raiders of the Lost Ark) as the Village Idiot.
Color/108 Mins/Not Rated
Frankenstein (1931)
Screenplay: Garrett Fort and Francis Edwards Faragoh Director: James Whale
Starring: Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Dwight Frye, Edward van Sloan, Frederick Kerr
Dr. Frankenstein and his assistant assemble a man with parts from human corpses and bring it to life. But the doctor has made a monster instead of a man and his uncontrollable creation runs amok. The story itself is so raw - resurrecting the dead. Was Frankenstein’s monster the victim of a disturbed mind, or a broken soul that knew what it had become?
Why it's good: Based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, this Universal Pictures adaption was so iconic that Universal was able to copyright the monster’s appearance and certain new elements of the story that redefined the character for modern-day audiences. Plus, at 71 minutes long, that’s as long as it needs to be. The great thing about the short classic movies is that you can binge watch several in an evening.
B&W/71 Mins/Not Rated
Fright Night (1985)
Writer/Director: Tom Holland
Starring: Chris Sarandon, Willliam Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Stephen Geoffreys, Roddy McDowall
When strangers move in next door, 17-year-old Charley Brewster (Ragsdale) begins to suspect that his new neighbor (Sarandon) is a vampire. It turns out he’s right! Who can help when the police don’t believe him? He turns to a local actor (McDowall) who plays the vampire hunting host on a weekly TV show. But this vampire isn’t just hungry… he’s furious, and nothing will stop him from coming for Charley.
Why it's good: Have you ever seen an angry vampire? We’ve all seen some hangry vampires in film, but this one is genuinely mad and wants revenge. And he’ll never give up (literally, because he’s going to live forever). Plus, McDowall plays a fresh, new character that you might consider the true hook of this film even though he’s not the main character.
Color/108 Mins/Rated R
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)
Writer: Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum Director: Alan Rafkin
Starring: Don Knotts, Joan Staley, Liam Redmond, Sandra Gould, Dick Sargent, Skip Homeier
Luther Heggs (Don Knotts) dreams of becoming a reporter for the Rachel Courier Express, but for now he’s a lowly typesetter working in their basement. But when strange things start happening at the old haunted Simmons mansion, Luther gets drawn into his first writing assignment - to spend the night in the old house where Mr. and Mrs. Simmons were murdered twenty years ago.
Why it's good: Don Knotts was one of a kind. The movie was written for him, but the house is definitely his co-star. The soundtrack (with memorable organ piece) was done by Vic Mizzy, who wrote the theme for The Addams Family TV series. Overall, it’s a good family movie (unrated, but probably PG due to simulated blood and murder subject) that’s clever and funny and has a spooky mood that’s perfect for Halloween.
Color/90 Mins/Not Rated
Ghostbusters (1984)
Writers: Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts
Aykroyd, Murray, and Ramis are parapsychologists conducting research at a New York university. After getting defunded and canned, the three set up a paranormal removal business to capitalize on the growing number of ghostly encounters in the city. But business just keeps getting better, and that’s not good news for New York. Something ominous is building an army of the dead to destroy the world.
Why it's good: The theme song alone makes this a Halloween classic. The cast includes the top comedy stars of the time and the movie created several cultural icons that are still alive and recognized almost 40 years after the movie’s release.
Color/107 Mins/Rated PG
Ghostbusters 2 (1989)
Writers: Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Signourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts
Five years after eliminating the ghosts in New York City, the Ghostbusters are out of business. Plagued by lawsuits and ridiculed by critics (and no ghosts to catch), the team works various jobs to earn a living. But now they’ve discovered a river of ectoplasm running beneath the city and that means a new foe is trying to break through to our world. All he needs is a body.
Why it's good: Any time you make a sequel, people will like one movie better than the other. Ghostbusters II was not as well received at the time (perhaps because the original was a phenomenon that was now five years old with four separate cartoon series running between movies), but they are similarly entertaining. The sequel has the same cast and same feel as the original and we get twice the fun.
Color/108 Mins/Rated PG
Interview With the Vampire (1994)
Screenplay: Anne Rice Director: Neil Jordan
Starring: Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Stephen Rea, Antonio Banderas, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Slater
Based on Anne Rice’s gothic vampire novel, Lestat (Cruise) and Louie (Pitt) were made long ago. Lestat’s maker was killed before he could mentor the new vampire and now that he’s created Louie, he has no answers for him, either. They search the world and the centuries for others of their kind while killing to survive. Then they meet a figure in a dark Parisian alley and discover that there are real monsters.
Why it's good: Most people have probably imagined what it’s like being a vampire, but never in detail like Anne Rice described. She didn’t just write a vampire tale. She created an entire world of characters that generations of readers would die to be. This movie would make a great recruiting video for vampires. If only they were real…
Color/122 Mins/Rated R
The Invisible Man (1933)
Screenplay: R.C. Sherriff Director: James Whale
Starring: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan, Dudley Digges, Una O'Connor, Henry Travers, Forrester Harvey
Based on the H.G. Wells novel, Claude Rains portrays Dr. Jack Griffin, a man who has created a serum that turns him invisible. He’s hidden away in a small tavern in the English countryside trying to find a cure so he can return home and marry his fiance, Flora Cranley (Gloria Stuart). But the serum is driving him insane and he’s using his invisibility to terrorize the village. Now the search is on for the Invisible Man!
Why it's good: The special effects are still amazing 90 years later. Rains isn’t Dracula or Frankenstein (both released two years earlier), but he is a monster from his ghastly visage, to his gruff voice seething with anger. Maybe the most fascinating part about watching The Invisible Man is questioning whether we’d do the same things he does if we were invisible even though we’re the ones calling him the monster.
B&W/71 Mins/Not Rated
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
Writer: Charles M. Schulz Director: Bill Melendez
Starring: The Peanuts Gang
The Peanuts gang goes trick or treating on Halloween night while Linus and Sally decide to skip the fun and wait for the Great Pumpkin to show up in the pumpkin patch.
Why it's good: No doubt, this is one of the most popular Halloween shows of all time. The Peanuts characters are well known and well loved and it’s so old at this point that just about everyone saw it as a kid and we all share the same sense of nostalgia from it.
Color/25 Mins/Not Rated
Jack the Ripper (1988)
Writers: Derek Marlowe and David Wickes Director: David Wickes
Starring: Michael Caine, Armand Assante, Jane Seymour, Susan George, Lysette Anthony
Michael Caine plays Scotland Yard detective Frederick Abberline as he tracks Jack the Ripper during his reign of terror in East London in 1888. There have been dozens of Ripper suspects and theories in the last 135+ years, and when this came out in 1988 it made new claims about the killer’s identity and motives.
Why it's good: If you’re a Michael Caine fan then you’ll probably enjoy it just for him. However, the rest of the cast is excellent as well, and includes Jane Seymour, Armand Assante, and Lysette Anthony. The sets, buildings and costumes were done well and you feel like you’re really there when the murders happen. And, of course, this version claims to answer the question, “Who did it?”
Color/188 Mins/Not Rated
The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972)
Writer: Earl E. Smith Director: Charles E. Pierce
Starring: Vern Stierman, Chuck Pierce, William Stumpp, Willie E. Smith. Lloyd Bowen
In the late 1960s, multiple witnesses claimed they saw a 7-foot creature roaming the backwoods and swamps of Fouke, Arkansas. Several people claimed they even had encounters with it, including one terrified family whose home was attacked during the night by one or more of the hairy creatures. This was a classic drive-in movie from the early ‘70s that retold the story using some of the people who actually lived it.
Why it’s good: The movie was shot on 16mm film, which gives it an unsettling home movie feel. Don't let the G-rating fool you. When that thing sticks its arm through the window and lets out that ungodly howl, you will wet yourself faster than a five year old. The most terrifying thing about the movie is that Bigfoot is real. This could really happen to you.
Color/90 Mins/Rated G
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1949)
Based on the book by Washington Irving
Starring the voice of: Bing Crosby
The classic tale of Ichabod Crane from Disney Studios during their heyday. Ichabod is in love with Katrina Van Tassel, but Brom Bones had his eye on her first and he’s not going to let some gangly little school master steal her away from him. So he tells a tale about the Headless Horseman to frighten poor Ichabod away. And wouldn’t you know it, Ichabod just happens to bump into the Horseman that very night.
Why it's good: Bing Crosby narrates and sings the story with that smooth voice. The film is full of memorable gags, written by the best gag men of the day. Ichabod is a likeable fellow, and the Horseman is genuinely terrifying in his actions and appearance, and the way he laughs maniacally as he chases Ichabod on his raging steed. The episode is full of ghostly spooks and incorporates Halloween effects well.
Color/32 Mins/Rated G
The Lost Boys (1987)
Writers: Janice Fischer & James Jereimias and Jeffrey Boam Director: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest, Edward Herrmann, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, Barnard Hughes, Billy Wirth, Alex Winter
A newly divorced mother (Dianne Wiest) and her teenage sons Michael and Sam (Jason Patric and Corey Haim) move in with her eccentric father in the Santa Carla hills. Michael is seduced by a woman at a carnival and joins a pack of vampires led by Kiefer Sutherland. Sam meets a pair of vampire-hunting brothers (Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander) and the trio teams up to save Michael.
Why it’s good: Undoubtedly one of the coolest vampire movies ever made with an original soundtrack to match. Perfect casting from top to bottom. The film debuted at #2 at the box office and is widely considered a cult classic today. The ‘80s camp will have you laughing till the end as the movie fades out on one of the greatest closing lines in cinema history.
Color/97 Mins/Rated R
Mad Moster Party (1967)
Screenplay: Len Korobkin, Harvey Kurtzman, Forrest J. Ackerman Director: Jules Bass
Starring the voices of: Boris Karloff, Phyllis Diller, Ethel Ennis, Gale Garnett
Baron Von Frankenstein (voiced by Boris Karloff) invites The Worldwide Organization of Monsters to his secluded island hideaway to announce his retirement and succession by nerdy nephew Felix. The whole gang shows up, including Dracula, the Wolfman, the Mummy, and more. But the Baron unveils a secret invention that he’s cooked up especially for them… and it will change the organization forever.
Why it's good: There’s just something magical about animated holiday specials. This classic 1967 stop-motion movie by Rankin-Bass (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town) is full of crazy characters and wild action that would never have the same effect filmed in live-action. Includes the voices of Boris Karloff and Phyllis Diller.
Color/95 Mins/Not Rated
The Monster Squad (1987)
Writers: Shane Black & Fred Dekker Director: Fred Dekker
Starring: Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Stephen Macht, Duncan Regehr, Stan Shaw, Tom Noonan
The Monster Squad is a club of kids that love the Universal Monsters. One of the kids discovers that Dr. Abraham Van Helsing lives in town. He’s there to protect a hidden amulet that would allow Dracula and his monsters to take over the world. The Monster Squad moves into action to save the amulet (with a little help from their own monster).
Why it's good: Monster Squad features most of the Universal Monsters along with Van Helsing (Van Helsing in a Frankenstein movie?) and it takes place on Halloween night, which is about as Halloweenish as a movie can get. The cast includes Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolfman, making this movie a literal “monster mash-up.”
Color/82 Mins/Rated PG-13
Near Dark (1987)
Writers: Eric Red, Kathryn Bigelow Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henricksen, Bill Paxton, Jeanette Goldstein, Joshua Miller, Tim Thomerson
Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) is turned by a seductive young stranger to town (Jenny Wright) and abducted by a “family” of outlaw vampires played by Lance Henricksen, Bill Paxton, and Jeanette Goldstein. If Caleb wants to survive, he must prove that he’s one of them. But more importantly, he must learn to feed! Caleb’s father (Tim Thomerson) is hot on their trail as he races to save his son from an eternal nightmare.
Why it’s good: A refreshing new take on vampire lore (no pointy teeth or ears). Just a band of immortal, blood-drinking killers traveling desolate backroads in stolen vehicles and “living off the land” on the outskirts of civilization. Henricksen, Paxton, and Goldstein are both fascinating and terrfying. If you’ve already seen Near Dark, the only thing this review needs to say is… the bar scene.
Color/94 Mins/Rated R
The Night Stalker (1972)
Writer: Richard Matheson Director: John Llewellyn Moxey
Starring: Darren McGavin, Carol Lynley, Simon Oakland, Ralph Meeker, Claude Akins, Charles McGraw, Barry Atwater
Newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) is always chasing the next big story. This time he’s chasing a murderer on a killing spree in Las Vegas. But this killer drains his victims of blood and exhibits superhuman abilities when cornered by police. Kolchak suspects the killer is a vampire. When the police won’t listen to him, and the bodies continue to pile up, he takes matters into his own hands.
Why it's good: Kolchak fans agree, this is the greatest vampire movie ever made and Barry Atwater is the greatest vampire ever filmed. With nothing more than a set of fangs and a little face powder, Atwater becomes a monster. He’s so convincing that you might believe they hired a vampire to play a vampire. And McGavin might be the only actor to play the lead against this ultimate evil and not be overshadowed.
Color/74 Mins/Not Rated
The Night Strangler (1973)
Writer: Richard Matheson Director: Dan Curtis
Starring: Darren McGavin, Wally Cox, Jo Ann Pflug, Simon Oakland, Richard Anderson, Margaret Hamilton, John Carradine, Al Lewis
After surviving a vampire attack in Las Vegas, reporter Carl Kolchak (McGavin) gets run out of town. He finds a new job in Seattle, but as soon as he arrives, another set of murders begin. This time the victims are being drained of their spinal fluid instead of their blood. Kolchak discovers that the murders run in 21-year cycles and his prime suspect is dead. The best place to hide when you’re dead is underground.
Why it's good: People like The Night Strangler because they like The Night Stalker and they want more. It might not be as good as the original, but it deserved to be made. It’s fun, it’s creepy, and fans still love it 50 years later. Margaret Hamilton and Al Lewis join the cast for this installment. And you could argue that it’s worth it just to watch Kolchak and his editor Tony Vincenzo (Simon Oakland) battle it out.
Color/90 Mins/Not Rated
Nosferatu (1922)
Writer: Henrik Galeen Director: F.W. Murnau
Starring: Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schroder, Alexander Granach, Ruth Landshoff, Wolfgang Heinz
Bram Stoker’s widow filed a copyright suit against the filmmakers and won, so that should tell you what the movie is about. Producer Albin Grau wanted to adapt Dracula, but the Stoker estate refused to grant permission and he wrote Nosferatu with changes that he hoped would prevent comparison. It did not work, but his adaption created lore that defined the “new” traditional vampire.
Why it's good: When it comes to horror movies, the older it is, the weirder it is. Max Schreck is surely the most ghastly vision ever seen on film, which is why people are still watching this movie over 100 years later. Numerous cuts exist and the original soundtrack by Hans Erdmann has been lost and replaced with countless new scores. Unless you own a copy, you’ll probably never watch the same version twice.
B&W/Time varies by cut/Not Rated
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Screenplay: Jim Sharman and Richard O'Brien Director: Jim Sharman
Starring: Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Meatloaf, Richard O’Brien, Charles Gray
Newlyweds Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon seek shelter from a storm inside a mansion in the woods - and things get weird fast. This is the site of a strange party with characters like Riff Raff (RIchard O’Brien), Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), an ex-delivery boy (Meatloaf), and Rocky Horror himself. You’ll have to see for yourself what’s in the lab!
Why it's good: This is the movie (originally a play) that gave us the Halloween favorite “The Time Warp.” Some people prefer to think of it as a musical rather than a horror flick, but It has aliens, a mad scientist, a hunchback, cannibalism, costumes, and a spooky mansion in the woods. It doesn’t really matter where the story goes, just enjoy the insanity.
Color/100 Mins/Rated R
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Screenwriter: Andrew Kevin Walker Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Christopher Walken, Michael Gambon, Casper Van Dien, Jeffrey Jones, Ray Parks
Based on Washington Irving’s novel, this movie is an expanded version with new characters, new storylines, and additional background on the Horseman, all in the Tim Burton style of filmmaking.
Why it's good: Any version of Sleepy Hollow pretty much makes a great Halloween movie. This version includes a fleshed-out story that makes it unique to all others. The imagery is enchanting and the action is brutal. This might be the only Sleepy Hollow movie that reveals the Horseman’s face - when he had one.
Color/105 Mins/Rated R
Spider Baby (1967)
Writer and director: Jack Hill
Starring: Lon Chaney, Jr., Carol Ohmart, Quinn Redeker, Beverly Washburn, Jill Banner, Sid Haig, Mary Mitchel, Karl Schanzer, Mantan Moreland
Bruno (Chaney) is the caretaker for a family suffering from a disease that causes them to revert to pre-human cannibals as they age. The last of the family’s teenage children (Washburn, Banner, Haig) are going downhill fast. Once their father dies, strangers show up to tear the family apart. Bruno tries to protect the kids from these outsiders, but the outsiders may need protection from the kids instead!
Why it's good: Best described as a demented episode of The Addams Family, it’s a largely unknown movie with a small, rabid fanbase. The film stars Lon Chaney, Jr. and a young Sid Haig, who both have their own cult followings. Chaney also narrates the wonderful title song by Ronald Stein, which deserves to be included on any Halloween compilation album.
B&W/84 Mins/Not Rated
The Thing (1982)
Screenplay: Bill Lancaster Director: John Carpenter
Starring: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David, Richard Masur, T.K. Carter, David Clennon, Richard Dysart, Charles Hallahan, Peter Maloney, Donald Moffat, Joel Polis, Thomas Waites
A research team at a remote Antarctic station discovers an alien ship buried in the ice for 100,000 years. They’ve thawed out the pilot and now it’s alive! The thing moves silently through the station, devouring men and replacing them with its own cells. Nobody knows who to trust. The men turn on each other, but soon realize there’s something more important than survival: they cannot let this thing reach civilization.
Why it's good: Fans have been dissecting the script for over 40 years and director John Carpenter has done us a favor by not explaining the ending. The tension is constant thanks to a sufficiently creepy score that keeps your heart pounding. It’s a great Halloween movie, but it’s a movie worth watching anytime. The entire cast is outstanding, and the ground-breaking special effects still give audiences nightmares.
Color/109 Mins/Rated R
Transylvania 6-5000 (1985)
Writer and director: Rudy DeLuca
Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Ed Bagley, Jr.., Carol Kane, Jeffrey Jones, John Byner, Geena Davis, Michael Richards, Donald Gibb, Norman Fell, Teresa Ganzel
When tabloid reporters Jeff Goldblum and Ed Bagley, Jr. receive a video tape of a monster attack, they’re sent to Transylvania to get the story - or else! Once they arrive, they discover a whole town full of monsters. But the people in town might be stranger than the monsters themselves. In the end, there has to be a rational explanation, right?
Why it's good: We all have our guilty pleasures. Let’s just call it a family comedy with something for dad (Geena Davis).
Color/94 Mins/Rated PG
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Screenplay: Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks Director: Mel Brooks
Starring: Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Kenneth Mars, Madeline Kahn
Gene Wilder plays young Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced “Frankenstein”), grandson of the original mad scientist who created the monster. After receiving his great-grandfather’s estate in a will, he travels to Transylvania to claim his inheritance. With the help of his assistant, Igor (pronounced “Igor”) he attempts to recreate his grandfather’s experiments and reanimate the dead!
Why it's good: Mel Brooks directs this Gene Wilder script to perfection. Every actor is on. Every character is iconic. Watching Young Frankenstein is a Halloween tradition for thousands of fans. It’s a party movie even if you watch it alone.
B&W/102 Mins/Rated PG
Zombieland (2009)
Writers: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick Director: Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Bill Murray
After surviving a zombie apocalypse, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) meets up with gun-totting Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) on his way home to find his parents. They meet two grifters (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin) and that’s when the trouble really begins. But once these strangers team up, no zombie is safe!
Why it's good: One of the greatest “pizza night” movies ever made. This film elevates zombie killing to an art. When the movie is over, you’ll be praying for an apocalypse. It’s going to be a blast!
Color/88 Mins/Rated R
