Halloween is a time for costumes, candy and parties, but more importantly, it’s time to turn up the fright factor. Whether it’s gory zombies, supernatural beings or deadly monsters, Halloween is a season to appreciate the darker side of things. What better way to get in the spooky spirit than some in-theater and classic scary movies?
In Theaters:
Box-Office Monster “Paranormal Activity 4”- The fourth installment of the spooky movie series is No. 1 at the box office, having grossed more than $29 million to date. The film features the same home-surveillance camera angles and nighttime terrors as its predecessors, so movie-goers may expect more of the same.
Rotten Tomatoes rating = 28 percent, rotten.
Frightfully Fun “Hotel Transylvania”- This kids animation comedy is set in a hotel that exclusively welcomes monsters, including famous figures like Frankenstein and Dracula. A human stumbles upon the hotel and haunted high jinks ensue. Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg and Selena Gomez, among others, lend their voices to this movie.
Rotten Tomatoes rating = 43 percent, rotten.
Spooky Thriller “Sinister”- Ethan Hawke stars in this suspenseful horror flick. Hawke plays a novelist who discovers footage that sets him on a perilous path to discover how and why a family was killed in the house his family now inhabits. The film is packed with white-knuckle suspense and creepy twists that may affect movie-goers’ subsequent sleeping patterns.
Rotten Tomatoes rating = 61 percent, fresh.
Halloween Classics:
1968- “Night of the Living Dead”- George Romero’s black-and-white classic laid the foundation for countless zombie thrillers to follow. The plot finds seven people as they become trapped in a rural farmhouse that’s attacked by the living dead. The movie’s massive success inspired five subsequent “Living Dead” films and pioneered the way for increased gore in cinema.
Rotten Tomatoes rating = 96 percent, fresh.
1984- “Nightmare on Elm Street”- Eponymous Halloween villain Freddy Krueger made his silver screen debut in this slasher film. Marred by burns and wielding fingerlike knives, Freddy haunts the dreams of teenagers, killing them in their sleep and in real life. Wes Craven cemented his status as one of this generation’s leading scary movie directors.
Rotten Tomatoes rating = 95 percent, fresh.
1993- “Addams Family Values”- This comedy, based on the cartoon series, is the second “Addams Family” film and good for a ghoulish chuckle. The dark plot line involves the two Addams children, Wednesday and Pugsley, unsuccessfully attempting to kill their new-born sibling. The movie derives success from its talented cast. Anjelica Huston is spot on as mother Morticia while Christina Ricci nails the daughter character, Wednesday Addams, with her unflinching deadpans.
Rotten Tomatoes rating = 76 percent, fresh.
