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5 Movies That Capture the Halloween Spirit

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We’re only a week and a half away from Halloween, the spookiest, scariest holiday of the year! For many people (read: not us horror fans), this is the time when they decide to do a horror marathon, one where they watch movies that they usually avoid during the rest of the year. For us, it’s an excuse to revisit movies that we adore, ones that put a huge smile on our face every time we see them.

Since Halloween is just around the corner, I figured I’d put together a list of a few movies that really embody the spirit of the holiday, at least in my mind. These are movies that feature monsters, ghost stories, candy, costumes, and pretty much everything else that one could want. I also tried to go for a range of styles. That way, you can choose to laugh, scream, or watch something with your kids. Halloween is meant to be shared!

Check them out below and let us know in the comments what you think and which movies YOU can’t go a Halloween without watching!


Trick ‘r Treat

Let’s just go ahead and get this one up there first. After all, I honestly can’t think of another movie that so perfectly embodies everything that Halloween has to offer than Mike Dougherty’s 2007 anthology flick.

The point of this movie is that people should respect holidays and honor their traditions. If you don’t, you never know what might happen. That’s why you need to keep those jack-o’-lanterns lit, keep handing out that candy, stay in costume, and simply have a good time!

If you only watch one horror movie this Halloween, give Trick ‘r Treat that honor. It deserves it.


Halloween 3: Season of the Witch

Perhaps the cruelest Halloween movie I can think of, this entry in the franchise created by John Carpenter was reviled upon release due to its lack of Michael Myers. However, as time has gone on, the horror community has largely come around and realized that the film is actually rather incredible.

When you think about it, the current incarnation of Halloween as a holiday is meant largely for kids. It allows them to become whatever their imagination desires, rewarding them with treats and candies. It’s a night of wonder and excitement, which makes it all the more tragic when Season of the Witch mercilessly slaughters (potentially) millions of children across the country.

In terms of stakes, no Halloween movie has them as high as Halloween 3: Season of the Witch.


The Nightmare Before Christmas

After Halloween, the big holiday that every store starts promoting isn’t Thanksgiving, it’s Christmas. Since we know it’s coming, why not embrace it and mix our love of two holidays (well, for me it’s Hanukkah but that’s beside the point) into one wickedly entertaining and exciting movie?

What makes this movie wonderful for the holiday is that Halloween is meant for both adults and children. I know that many of you have children of your own, so what better way to show them that monsters aren’t all evil than by showing them The Nightmare Before Christmas? Adults get to enjoy spooky imagery and an incredible production while children get to sing along and fall in love with charming and delightful characters.

I call this a win-win for anyone with kids or those on babysitter duty that night.


Night of the Demons

First of all, can we talk about the amazing animated opening credits sequence? If nothing else, those few minutes alone would be enough for me to add this film to the list. But when you’ve got a bunch of teens partying in a possessed house and doing séances that ultimately releases demonic creatures that come after them, you bet your ass I’m happy to toss this film up here!

Night of the Demons is that 80’s cheesefest that is so popular this time of the year. It’s that movie with bad acting, a ridiculous plot, and a complete lack of care about either because it’s too busy having a damn good time! And if you don’t like that, well… “Eat a bowl of fuck! Cuz I’m here to PARTY!


Tales of Halloween

Another anthology horror flick, this one features shorts directed by and starring some of horror’s most recognized and prolific names. With tales about the Devil, violent trick-or-treaters, deformed creatures, witches, aliens, and more, you simply can’t go wrong with a movie like this!

Sure, some of the shorts aren’t exactly the best but that just makes the good ones all the more special and effective. I’ll leave it to you to see which ones you like more than others!

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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