Hooray, It's October!

Including: NOT A NATURAL BLONDE's Top 25 Halloween Movie List

Well friends, it’s that time again—when we’re all loading up on fun-size candy to hand out to the little urchins in a few more weeks. If you’re like me, you’ll have to buy two batches of candy; because you ate the first one before handing any out (I never keep anything like that in the house, so consequently I find it nearly impossible to resist it when it is here). If you are fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to have the night to yourself, you’re probably making plans to either (1) turn out all the lights and pretend you’re not at home; (2) dress your kids in their costumes and take them out as soon as it’s dark, and then pretend you’re not at home when you return while going over the kids’ haul; or (3) decorate and put together the best and scariest costume ever, complete with low lights, weird music, and ground fog for when kids turn up at your door. You may even be planning a party.

For many years I honestly believed my favorite holiday was Christmas (and in some ways it still is), but I have to admit that I’ve always regarded Halloween as loads more fun. Ever since I was a little kid, I loved dressing up and pretending to be someone or something else every year—even more than the prospect of all that candy. No stuffed shirts are allowed on Halloween, except the real ones, of course: scarecrows filled with straw, for example. You can let your imagination literally run wild and be absolutely outrageous. Please don’t misunderstand me, however. I DO NOT advocate any kind of malicious violence or destruction of property! There aren’t many outhouses to overturn any more, but egging cars is a NO NO, as is spray painting stuff. TP-ing houses, or writing on things with soap bars, etc. is okay, because that’s annoying without causing any permanent destruction or defacement of property. You get the idea.

Most years I've had to work on Halloween, which totally takes all the fun out of it, since I work in the Emergency Department of a major medical center. Believe me, the crazies do come out, and some of them are not very nice people. That’s aside from the ones who choose to indulge in excessive amounts of drugs or alcohol—those folks are never any fun, and we see them every day of the week anyway. It seems as though nearly every year some sicko feels compelled to find a new way to hurt little kids, such as putting pins or glass in their candy. For a number of years we always got a few phone calls from parents wanting to know if we were x-raying candy for foreign objects, though I don’t think we got any of those calls last year. Most parents solved this problem by never letting their kids trick-or-treat strangers or by having their own Halloween parties (AKA supervision)—both excellent solutions, and it also assures that your kids aren't off doing anything you'll be liable for.

This year I’ve taken some vacation over Halloween. I had wanted to have a party, but that prospect is waning, since many of my friends and co-workers have little kids or grandkids to take out or other commitments to attend. Actually, I don’t care, because I know I’ll get plenty of trick-or-treaters from the surrounding neighborhood, so I’m going to enjoy myself anyway! I plan on decorating the walk and entry to the house and having a scary costume for handing out treats. Doesn’t everybody? I haven’t decided on what it will be yet, though. Last year I thought it would be great fun to be a pirate, but I don’t want to be one this year. Pirates are now passe. As a kid, my favorite costume was gypsy fortune teller, partly because it was relatively easy to come up with some likely looking clothes and then dab on lipstick and rouge. I’ve liked Cleopatra and Morticia (from The Addams Family TV series) in years past, too. My first impulse this year was Cat Woman, from the Batman movies, but I have to admit that I’m a bit too chunky to be a credible Cat Woman. Maybe next year. Maybe I’ll just be a witch this year—they don’t have to be skinny.

Another tradition, which I began last year, is my list of Top 20 or 25 Halloween movies. I was sure I had saved my previous list, but try as I might, I couldn’t find it in my computer anywhere. That meant I had to start over, but that’s all right. I made a point of watching most of the movies on my list from last year—since I was recommending them, and seeing some of them again made me wonder why I had ever thought they were good in the first place! So, starting fresh and making a new list was probably for the best.

I should explain that my list does not include many of the obvious choices, because they do not have anything to do with Halloween. This means many science-fiction, monster, slasher, and plain old horror movies will not make this list at all. That’s because (gasp) either they’re not any good; or, they belong to another genre. Sorry, but guts and gore alone will not get a movie on this list. If it did, Carnosaur would be here. No, Godzilla, Alien, Hostel, Saw I, II, III, or IV, Amityville Horror, or Night of the Living Dead will not be on this list—sorry, but that’s just how it is: My rules rule. I require that the movie be about Halloween itself, the supernatural, magic or witchcraft, or the perversion of the laws of God and/or nature. That’s why Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Mummy made it, but Godzilla and Alien did not, though a case could be made for the presence of Alien Resurrection. I must explain, too, that I am partial to the old classics. It’s also VERY hard to limit the list to only 25. One criticism of last year’s list was that most of the movies were made before 1950, so I tried to include some newer ones for those of you who don’t watch anything that was made before you were born. I understand also, that many of you consciously avoid horror films in general—well, me too! Most of the current crop of what I call horrendous movies involve little more than vulgar gobs of carnage and gratuitous violence. Definitely not what I like to subject myself to, so I have attempted to compile a list of entertaining and reasonably tasteful movies for you to enjoy watching this month—with me if you like. Hey, if you think I left a deserving movie out, be sure and let me know! My rankings are purely subjective, and in some cases I couldn’t make up my mind, so I put them in the best order I could. I also regret that I had to leave out a few features I might have otherwise included, if I’d made a longer list.

Not a Natural Blonde’s Top Twenty-Five Halloween Flicks:

1. The Ninth Gate (1999) starring Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, and Lena Olin; directed by Roman Polanski. This movie had me on the edge of my seat till the end, and it’s one I have to own.
2. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, and Keanu Reeves; directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Won three Oscars: Best Costume Design, Best Effects, and Best Make-up. First rate all the way.
3. Rosemary’s Baby (1968 ) starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavettes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer; directed by Roman Polanski. Ruth Gordon won an Oscar in this movie for Best Actress in a Supporting Role; Roman Polanski was nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay Based on Materials from Another Medium.
4. The Omen (1976) (this movie and its sequel Damien, Omen II {1978}, are not bad, but III is really boring—unfortunately, by then you’re roped into watching it to see the conclusion) starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Stephens, Billie Whitelaw, and Patrick Troughton; directed by Richard Donner. David Selzer wrote the script as well as the novel on which the movie is based. Someone just made The Omen IV, which I have not seen.
5. The Exorcist (the original was scary enough for me, but you can watch the un-cut version now that includes deleted scenes if you must); (1973) starring Jason Miller, Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, and Linda Blair; directed by William Friedkin. Won two Oscars: Best Sound, and Best Writing: Screenplay from Another Medium.
6. Nosferatu: The Vampyre/Phantom Der Nacht (1979), starring (and directed by) Werner Herzog, and Klaus Kinski. English subtitles, but worth it.
7. Young Frankenstein (1974) starring Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Chloris Leachman, Terri Garr, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman, Gene Hackman; directed by Mel Brooks. Nominated for Oscars in Best Sound and Best Screenplay Adapted from Another Medium. One of the funniest movies ever made.
8. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick; directed by Jim Sharman. This is the ultimate Halloween cult classic.
9. The Witches of Eastwick (1987) starring Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer; directed by George Miller. Based on a novel by John Updike.
10. Frankenstein (1931) starring Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, and Boris Karloff; directed by James Whale. Based on the novel by Mary Shelley and the play by Peggy Webling.
11. Wolfen (1981) starring Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Edward James Olmos, Gregory Hines directed by Michael Wadleigh. Suffers from poor editing, but the movie has enough suspense to make up for it, and Finney is great as always. 12. The Witches (1990) starring Angelica Huston and Mai Zetterling; directed by Nicolas Roeg; based on a book by Roald Dahl.
13. Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugos, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan, and Frances Dade; directed by Tod Browning. Based on Bram Stoker’s novel and the play by Hamilton Dean.
14. The Mummy (1932) starring Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Arthur Byron, Edward Van Sloan; directed by Karl Freund. The original and the best—forget the sequels! The new Mummy movies, starring Brendan Fraser, are also good.
15. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) starring Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson, Ernest Thesiger, and Angela Lansbury; directed by James Whale.
16. Cat People (1942) starring Simone Simon, Kent Smith, and Tom Conway; directed by Jacques Tourneur. Another great film that doesn’t get the respect it deserves, being lauded by Martin Scorsese and influencing such films as The Blair Witch Project.
17. Interview with the Vampire (1994) starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt; directed by Neil Jordan. Nominated for Oscars in Best Art Direction/Set Decoration and Best Music/Original Score. Based on Anne Rice’s novel.
18. Poltergeist (the original, none of the sequels—actually, I haven’t seen any of those, so I can’t rate them), (1982) starring Jeff Bannister and Helen Baron; directed by Tobe Hooper. Nominated for Oscars in Best Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound Effects.
19. Ghostbusters (1984) starring Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis; directed by Ivan Reitman. Nominated for two Oscars: Best Effects, Visual Effects, Best Music, Best Original Song. One of Murray's and Ackroyd's best.
20. The Devil’s Advocate (1997) starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, Charlize Theron; directed by Taylor Hackford.
21. Army of Darkness (1981) starring Bruce Campbell and Embeth Davidtz; directed by Sam Raimi. This is part three in Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead series and was Bruce Campbell’s one big starring role. It has a tremendous cult movie following, and should have boosted Bruce into instant mega stardom, but Universal Studios unceremoniously dumped him because they had lawsuits to deal with (unrelated to Bruce or this movie) and probably didn’t know how to market it. One of the very few zombie movies I like. Most recently he was in Spiderman 3.
22. An American Werewolf in London (1981) starring Jenny Agutter and Griffin Dunne; directed by John Landis. Won an Oscar for Best Make-up. Great transformations.
23. Practical Magic (1998) starring Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, and Stockard Channing; directed by Griffin Dunne. *See note below!
24. The Craft (1996) starring Robin Tunney, Fairuz Balk, Neve Campbell, Rachel True; directed by Andrew Fleming.
25. The Blair Witch Project (1999) starring Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, Michael C. Williams; directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez.

I hope you will watch a few of these in the spirit of the season (pun intended). It’s all about having fun, after all, isn't it?

Postscript: Thank you to those of you kind enought to email me your comments or post them here. I DO appreciate your comments, and they are always welcome!

*Note: Actually, the only movie on this list I had not previously seen, but taken somebody else's word on it's value as a Halloween movie, is Practical Magic, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Aaugh!!! It's a chick flick! Don't waste your time on this one--unless, of course you are a big chick flick fan. This movie is not in the least bit scary and it's not a parody or satire, so it does not belong here. There are a number of deserving movies I could put in its place, but one that immediately comes to mind is Wolf (1994), starring Jack Nickolson and Michelle Pfeiffer; directed by Mike Nichols. Won an ASCAP award for best writing. I believe I had included it on my list last year.