As Halloween quickly approaches, many people find themselves craving a spooky holiday watch. Whether it’s on in the background as you carefully craft your costume, or the main attraction at movie night, one of the following films could be just the thing you’re looking for.
FAMILY FRIENDLY: “Clue” (1985)
PG – 73% Tomatometer
Chances are that you’ve sat down with your family or friends to play the classic board game “Clue” before, but did you know that there’s a cult classic movie adaptation to go along with it?
The film follows a group of strangers who get invited to their blackmailer’s isolated mansion, only for the blackmailer to be murdered during a power outage. All seemingly guilty, the group of characters must discover who did it all while chaos ensues, dark secrets come to light and more people get killed.
While having an original and witty narrative, the cast still consists of iconic characters such as Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mrs. Peacock, Mr. Green, Professor Plum and Miss Scarlet, as well as including all the original in-game weapons and locations. This pre-established intellectual property makes for an exciting playing ground for the director (Jonathan Lynn), crew and cast.
Beyond the great narrative, one technical aspect in which this movie shines is the overall look. The cinematography in particular has some great moments, especially in darker scenes where light, shadow, and silhouette can be played around with. The mansion set, where most of the movie takes place in, also looks great, with authentic antique pieces from the 18th and 19th century being featured prominently. This set ended up being the perfect playground for the cast to do their magic in.
The clear standout of this movie is legendary actor Tim Curry, who plays Wadsworth, the butler. While the entire ensemble consists of seasoned comedic actors and actresses, Curry is completely in his element, making what could have been a boring character captivating and hilarious. He especially shines in the third act, pulling off all three potential movie endings with ease.
One of the great things about “Clue” is its accessibility to all ages. There isn’t much violence, making it good for kids, but it also has mature narratives and comedy to satisfy adult viewers. In addition to that, it has a similar vibe to other movies such as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Knives Out” which you might want to watch but aren’t suitable for all ages. These elements are all tied up in a spooky setting and story, making it suitable for a campy October viewing.
AWARD WINNING: “Get Out” (2019)
PG – 90% Tomatometer
In the mid-to-late 2010s there was a dramatic shift in the movie industry: the horror genre gained respect. Thanks to movies such as “Hereditary”, “Midsommar”, and “The Lighthouse” critics were seeing scary movies less as gimmicky crowd pleasers and more as a boundary-pushing medium to tell taboo stories. At the forefront of this movement was “Get Out”, Jordan Peele’s directorial debut.
“Get Out” is about a man named Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) going on a weekend trip with his girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) to meet her parents. What starts as an awkward family gathering due to the interracial nature of the couple quickly becomes a bizarre, bone-chilling, nightmare.
Peele is no stranger to the entertainment industry, having a famous career in comedy, and it shows. Something that makes “Get Out” stand out is how constant absurdism leads to an intentionally uncomfortable, comedic undertone. Peele’s experience also comes in handy with timing. The movie’s pacing is impeccable; you’re never left bored and the only pauses are there for the purpose of making the viewer restless.
Above all else, the best and most notable aspect of “Get Out” is how it’s politically charged and, at its core, about racial oppression and the real life horrors of white supremacy. It uses the classic horror device of stripping away a character’s autonomy and mixes it with the Black experience, resulting in a creative and horrifying portrayal of objectification and colonization. While it is a heavy and exceptionally intellectual film, it still remains captivating for viewers who are looking forward to a typical horror movie.
This concept of tackling the monumental struggle of marginalized communities through horror has forever changed the film industry, cementing “Get Out” as an important film in history. That fact alone, combined with how entertaining and spooky the movie is, warrants a watch.
SCI-FI: “The Thing” (1982)
R – 85% Tomatometer
In 1982 when “The Thing” was released, the movie was met with critical box office failure and disapproval from audiences and critics alike. However, as time has gone on, “The Thing” has cemented itself as one of the most highly regarded horror films of all time, and there’s no mystery why.
Based on a 1938 short story titled “Who Goes There?”, “The Thing” follows an isolated research team in Antarctica when they unknowingly let a barbaric and inexplicable alien who can assume the form of anything it encounters into their group. Over the course of the duration of the film, viewers watch as the group of men fully descend into madness and mercilessly fight to stay alive.
The alien and its unique abilities is easily one of the most powerful and daunting horror villains of all time. Since it’s always shifting into different people you only really get to see it during transformations, which are extremely violent and gory in ways that were way too grotesque for ’80s audiences and still leave viewers queasy. All this is thanks to the groundbreaking special effects, which were entirely done by Rob Bottin.
The effects were achieved with life-sized animatronics, latex creatures, puppets, stop motion and an absurd amount of fake blood. The movie used absolutely zero CGI, making it not only a technological triumph but still highly impressive to this day. Although the stunning practical effects are flashy and memorable, what sets this film apart are the themes of nihilism, paranoia and isolation.
“The Thing” is disturbingly accurate in its portrayal of how ordinary men would react in a life or death crisis. Rather than fully banding together to destroy the titular “Thing”, the characters fight for self preservation, only acting as a group to save themselves. Not only this, but rather than having the type of main protagonist that horror fans are accustomed to who believes in the good of humanity, “The Thing” features a main protagonist (Kurt Russell) who excels above the rest in his movie because of his lack of empathy, contributing to the movie’s bleak themes.
The hostility and physical solitude in the film feeds so far into itself that it manifests internally within both the characters and viewers. This aspect is what produces the feeling of dread when watching, even more so than the violence. As a society, the feeling of paranoia and isolation has historically proven to hit close to home, clearly reflected in events such as the AIDS epidemic and COVID-19 quarantines. Because of this story’s timelessness, public appreciation of “The Thing” is only growing over the decades, and it will remain culturally relevant for as long as mankind lives.
DISCLAIMER: The horror genre is all about shock, discomfort and irreverence; but because of this, there is some content that may not be suitable for all viewers. Please thoroughly look over movie contents before watching. Stay safe, Knights!
