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Editors’ Picks: Halloween Watchlist

(Photo courtesy of IMDB) “Ready or Not is one of our selected films to watch this Halloween.”

Aaron Preziosi
Connector Editor

Halloween is but a few days away, and with the season of haunted houses, sugary candy and costume parties upon us, there’s no better time to talk about scary movies. Some of the editors here at The Connector have selected favorite Halloween movies that are sure to terrify and delight.

Starting strong with Max Valin’s pick, our editor in chief’s favorite scary movie to watch around Halloween is “The Conjuring”, praising it as “the perfect modern retelling of the classic haunted house story.” Released in 2013 to great critical acclaim, “The Conjuring” dramatized real-life reports from popular paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren to create a truly chilling story. Its remarkable success went on to create an entire franchise of horror films which now span a decade. “The Conjuring” is also Max’s favorite because “It’s so rewatchable because of how timeless it is and takes care to implement characters and relationships that makes the audience care about the stakes within the scares and thrills.” It establishes compelling characters and relationships, and when those two elements are strained by tension, thrills, and scares, it’s captivating and terrifying. “The Conjuring” is available to watch on most streaming platforms, including Netflix, YouTube, and HBO Max.

Moving along, our copyeditor Jesse Nguyen chose the 2019 film “Ready or Not”, which not only serves as a legitimate homage to the genre of slasher horror but satirizes it as well. Jesse explains that he loves “how realistic and unrealistic the film is. Many situations will be absurd to the point of comedy, but all the characters’ reactions and acting are realistic enough and fit with the story perfectly.” The film revolves around Grace, a young bride played by actress Samara Weaving, who Jesse loves, saying “she kills it in the role, with blood curdling screams and the determination of a true ‘final girl,’” which is a genre-defining trope of slasher films. By the end of the film, having survived an increasingly violent game of hide-and-seek with her family-in-law, Grace is the sole survivor. When questioned about what happened to her, she makes a quip about in-laws, adding to the film’s comedic trappings. “Ready or Not” is also available to watch on most streaming platforms in all its campy and absurd yet thrilling glory.

Finally, the film I watch every Halloween is Laika’s 2009 stop motion film “Coraline”. Toted as a lighthearted adventure film, “Coraline” follows 11-year-old Coraline Jones as she wanders her boring new house and discovers an idyllic parallel world tucked behind an old door. Feeling neglected by her parents and lost in her new town, she wants to stay in the fantasy. However, her “other mother” is intent on taking something very dear from her. When Coraline wants to get away, she finds that her other mother has no intention of letting her get away easily. The film uses the medium of stop motion with outstanding finesse and delivers fantastically dark imagery that was terrifying to children and entertaining to adults. When the stakes get high and the fantasy endangers Coraline’s real world friends and family, there is a real sense of tension and dread conveyed through outstanding voice performances, lighting, and immaculate character sculptures. My favorite part would have to be how the fantasy characters warp and distort as they become more threatening, squashing and stretching with no particular care for the laws of physics. Like the other movies before it, “Coraline” is available on most streaming platforms.

Remember to have fun and stay safe this Halloween, and perhaps think of these recommendations when the time comes to watch your scary movies.

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