Halloween is right around the corner and movies are among the best ways to celebrate the season. I love watching horror and Halloween movies year-round, but as it gets closer to October, I love watching my favorites with my family. When ranking my top 3 Halloween movies, my criteria was based on the plot, the rewatchability, how much it relates to Halloween and the acting or animation, depending on whether it’s live-action or animated. At the end of each review, I rate it on a scale of 5 pumpkins.
3 on the list is “Ernest Scared Stupid’ directed by John R. Cherry III. A comedic movie about Ernest Worrell saving Halloween from a troll who turns his victims into wooden dolls. This is an amazing movie, but sometimes when you try to watch it again the jokes can get a little old, so watching this movie every year can wear it out. While at some points it honestly makes me a little sad, Ernest comes back with some added comedic relief which makes the jokes hit even more. And while the acting is a little cheesy, it makes it just perfect with the way the humor and acting lines up. This movie is absolutely one to watch with anyone since it has an interesting storyline with suspenseful moments, but also some cheesy jokes for those who prefer comedy. This movie is 3.5/5 pumpkins because even though I love it so much, it’s the jokes that can get old that can sometimes kill it.
While it is a children’s story, “Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest” directed by Andrei Svislotski, Jeff McGrath and Scott Heming is second on my list during Halloween. This is a Halloween movie special sprouting off of the “Curious George” TV series where the Man in the Yellow Hat introduces George to his first Halloween in the countryside. There are many festivities in the country that the whole town takes part in, including the myth of No Noggin, carving pumpkins and the annual Boo Fest where they have Halloween competitions, aquariums, haunted houses, games and even a competition for the biggest pumpkin. Even if it is slightly childish, I watch this movie every year and I still enjoy it. The nostalgia and fall vibes coming from this movie are something I can never get enough of. Plus, it has a catchy soundtrack that will get stuck in my head even if it’s been months since I’ve last watched it and there’s nothing better than a movie that I will think about year-round. I absolutely give this movie 4/5 pumpkins. This movie perfectly captures the way fall felt for me when I was a little kid.
My top movie would have to be “Monster House” directed by Gil Kenan. This movie follows a young boy, DJ, who was left home alone the night before Halloween. He’s convinced there’s something suspicious going on with the house across the street and the man who lives there, so DJ and his two friends have to figure out a way to bring an end to the mysterious forces before innocent trick-or-treaters get tricked. This movie is special due to the animation, they used a certain technique called rotoscoping where they have real-life actors act out the moves and then animate over it. This causes the animation to look more realistic and gives it more life-like effects, which I love so much. I watch it every year for Halloween, and sometimes I even watch it during other times of the year because it’s so interesting. The movie is only 91 minutes long and is a very light, easy watch. People of any ages would like this movie because it is innocent enough for it to be a children’s movie, but the main characters are teens, so it could be relatable to any teenager that’s watching. Plus, adults can also enjoy it because of a storyline that will keep them interested. Overall, I would give this movie a 4.5/5 pumpkins, with half of a docked point only because there are some plot holes, but not significant ones that make the movie super unrealistic.
However, within all of my favorite Halloween movies, there is one that everyone loves that I can’t get behind. “Casper” directed by Brad Silberling. This movie takes place around Halloween and even has good acting, especially for the time it was released, but there’s something about this movie that I just don’t like. Maybe it’s because Casper has a sad backstory. He died as a young boy from pneumonia and now has to deal with his tiresome uncles who always give him a hard time for the rest of his afterlife. Or maybe it’s just because the movie is one of the more serious ones, with a side story of romance. Either way, whenever it comes around to fall and my family starts watching Halloween movies, I just can’t help but slightly dread watching this one. However, I would still give it a 2.5/5 pumpkins since it does give me the fall aesthetics that I’m looking for, just not the story that I’m craving.
