[Nerdspresso] Fill Your Halloween Movie Treat Bucket

Halloween just wasn’t my jam growing up. I was a squeamish and fussy kid so I didn’t enjoy being scared or dressing up for trick or treating. Keep in mind that I was a child in the ‘70s so our costumes were those plastic outfits. They felt like a cross between cling wrap and a hazmat suit. The mask was always hot and made it hard to see. The rest made you feel like you were walking around in a body bag. 

Yes, the candy was worth it, but I associated Halloween with poor peripheral vision and a lot of perspiration. And the occasional container of dental floss (Thanks, Mrs. Lutefisk!). While many other kids couldn’t wait to dress up with fangs and fake blood, those getups gave me the willies. I was usually a cowboy for Halloween. Being scary wasn’t my thing. Mine was more the “Oh, Stanley, he’s so adorable. Get the camera” kind of costume than the “Son, we think we should talk to your parents” deal. 

My favorite childhood Halloween was in 1977 when I went as Luke Skywalker. They didn’t have pre-made Star Wars costumes yet (or my mom didn’t want to buy one or maybe I freaked out over wearing that plastic torture suit) so I was a DIY Jedi. I used one of my Dad’s long-sleeved white shirts, beige corduroys, and wrapped my cowboy boots in masking tape. I carried an old flashlight for my lightsaber, which was also useful for better night vision, and had my big orange pumpkin pail. It was a good night. Besides the candy haul, I had a Princess Leia on each arm. The Force was strong with me. 

As I got older, Halloween became more of a social holiday. I went to parties because I was too skittish for haunted houses. When my wife and I were dating, we did the couple’s costume thing, which was fun. I think we peaked as Mike and Heather from The Blair Witch Project. They were easy costumes: flannel shirts, jeans, stocking caps, and we walked around with a video camera screaming “JOSH!” at everyone we met. 

Once we settled into domestic bliss, we started a new Halloween tradition. We’d make a nice dinner, give out Halloween candy, and then watch scary movies. Marriage is all about compromise and my wife is a big horror movie fan so she dragged me kicking and screaming into the world of spooky cinema. I’d grill up “Hell Steak,” we’d dine, toss a few baby Snickers at the neighborhood kids, and then settle in for a screening of John Carpenter’s Halloween. 

What is “Hell Steak?” It’s the perfect entree for refined adults this time of year. It’s a skirt steak, marinated in habanero sauce and then grilled. It comes out a little orange and it’s so spicy that you cry a little while eating it, but the flavors work for All Hallow’s Eve. We developed the recipe when I was supposed to use Tabasco sauce in the marinade and dumped in a whole bottle of the wicked hot stuff by accident. Too proud to accept defeat, we suffered through it and a Halloween staple was born.

When our kid came around, our traditions evolved to include the laps around the neighborhood so he could collect his sweet booty and then we all retreated to the house for pizza and a movie. My kid really digs Halloween so the scary stuff doesn’t faze him, but like me, he eschews the traditional spooky garb. He’s trick or treated as Napoleon Bonaparte, a pharaoh, and the solar system. I think this year he’s going as the Electoral College. But we still always wrap up the holiday by watching some scary movies. 

As wimpy as I am when it comes to fright films, I’ve grown to appreciate horror movies. When they’re done well, they take you on a wild ride for a brief and exhilarating nightmare tour. When they’re bad, they can be a laugh riot with all the terrible acting and cheesy effects. No matter what, they’re always entertaining even if I watched them through my fingers. Plus most of them are over in 90 minutes so you’re not up too late. You know, the freaks come out at night.

I’ve curated a list below of my top movies to watch on Halloween. These are by no means the best horror movies, or even the scariest, but they’re the ones that push my buttons this time of year. I think they bring on the spooky pretty well, but I’d love to know what flicks are your frightful faves. Share your recommendations in the comments sections and I’ll check them out. In the meantime, I hope that you enjoy these selections. I can assure you that they pair well with Hell Steak, red wine, and Almond Joy.  

What’s on Your HBO (Home Boo Office)?

The Exorcist (1973)

The movie that turned a nation off pea soup, The Exorcist scares the hell out of me. It’s not super graphic by today’s standards, but it’s a master class in how sound effects, editing, music, and acting intertwine to fully immerse you in director William Friedkin’s tale of demonic possession in upscale Georgetown. Many feel that this flick has mellowed with age and doesn’t have the same impact that jarred audiences 50 years ago, but I still believe. Little Linda Blair spewing green puke and spouting vulgarities in Mercedes McCambridge’s wrecked voice is pure nightmare fuel for me. 

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

From John Larroquette’s haunting opening narration to the chilling final shot, this flick stays with you. Tobe Hooper’s sweaty southern gothic will make you leery of Texas, chainsaws, and grandpas. Hooper has created the archetypal horror movie and it’s amazing what he achieved on such a flimsy budget. A must for your cinematic education. This flick gave birth to a series of sequels, a remake, a reboot, and more sequels, but stick with the original. Leatherface is the reason I don’t use power tools.

Halloween (1978)

Freaky Michael Myers in his inside-out Captain Kirk mask stalks babysitter Jamie Lee Curtis (in her first major role) in this OG slasher flick, directed by maestro John Carpenter. It has spawned so many imitators that you almost can’t watch it now without thinking the movie is one big cliche. But imagine you’re seeing it in 1978 before everything became a horror movie trope. Halloween is a lean, mean bedtime story about the boogeyman. It’s a simple tale well told, backed by a relentless score and a committed cast (especially PJ Soles). In our house, watching this flick is as much a part of the holiday as binging on fun-size candy bars.  

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Writer/director John Landis delivers the best werewolf movie in modern cinema, maybe ever. Two American dudes backpacking across rural England ignore the local warnings to stay off the moors and get attacked by a mysterious creature. One dies and the other is sent to London to recover. He is haunted by disturbing visions, including visits from his undead pal, and then things really get hairy. The script pulsates with dark humor, which wonderfully balances the horrific elements. The iconic transformation scenes helped this flick win the first-ever Oscar for makeup effects. Witness how horror movies were made in the days before CGI. It still holds up. 

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Presented as a collection of found footage shot by students who go missing in the Maryland woods, this movie leans heavily into the illusion that these events actually happened. Boosted by buzz thanks to a cool website and the fledgling internet, it affects you just like a scary story told by the campfire. You get spooked by everything you don’t see. The movie creates some wonderfully creepy moments displayed only through a viewfinder’s POV and your imagination does the rest. Kudos to the creative team of Robin Cowie, Michael Monello, Dan Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez, and Ben Rock (all alums of the University of Central Florida film program. O-Town represent!). They scared the bejeebus out of us with just a bunch of sticks. 

Barbarian (2022)

This flick will make you think twice before renting an Airbnb. Our hero shows up late to her rental on a dark and stormy night, surprised to find that it’s already occupied. Deciding to just stick it out, you think the story is going one way, but it takes you down a long set of stairs into the unknown. I can truly say that I was not prepared for what came next. It’s been a while since a movie surprised me like this one. This flick is just flat-out bonkers.

Ring in the Season(s) With This Classic

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Master storytellers Tim Burton and Henry Selick deliver this musical stop-motion classic that pays tribute to two holidays at once. Is it a kitschy paean to the spooky season or a quirky yuletide love letter? I say it’s both so stream it now and again in December. Get lost in the world of Jack the Pumpkin King as he explores what’s beyond Halloweentown and becomes captivated by all things Christmas. The songs are endearing, the animation is magical and its heartwarming message still resonates. Enjoy this satisfying palate cleanser after the carnage you’ve endured from my earlier recommendations. 

This is Halloween! This is Halloween!

You should be able to find most if not all of these movies on the streamers, plus a ton more to create your ultimate spooky movie marathon. I’ve also noticed that Paramount+, Max, Hulu, and Disney+ have all curated their own collections to get you in the Halloween mood. You should have an overabundance of choices to get your fright on so enjoy. I offer some advice before you turn out the lights and settle in with your candy bucket and favorite scary movies. Please pace yourself. Watching too many flicks on Halloween can be like downing all that candy at once. It could lead to a tummy ache and nightmares. You have been warned.