Editorials
5 Movies That Capture the Halloween Spirit
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
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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