Top Ten Best Kid-Friendly Halloween Films

Now that I’m a father I’ve been thinking of what kind of films I’m going to watch on this spooky holiday that my son is going to be able to watch (when he’s older of course). Here is a list of films but I can assume more will be made by the time my son starts watching.

10. The Witches – Roald Dahl’s book comes to life with Anjelica Huston as an evil witch.

9. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown – It’s a classic. Maybe not a full-length movie but for a kid it’s a must-see

8. Monster Squad – The classic ‘80s adventure film about a group of kids who must save the neighborhood from the original monsters, Dracula, the Mummy, the Wolf man and Frankenstein. Goodness all around.

7. The Corpse Bride – This is a wonderful after-life love story from the mind of Tim Burton.

6. Beetlejuice – It’s just dark enough to be scary but ultimately a hilarious story of a recently deceased couple trying to scare the new owners from their house. Eventually they turn to a crazy ghost to do the job for them. Of course he goes rogue on them. Michael Keaton is awesome.

5. Spirited Away – While one might not think of this Miyazaki marvel as a Halloween story but it’s pretty eerie. I mean at the beginning Chihiro’s parents become pigs. Plus there are some wonderfully strange spirits to inspire any child.

4. Frankenweenie – Wait, Tim Burton again? A boy brings his pet dog back to life. Maybe watch the original ’31 Frankenstein first but do let them see this wonderful twist on the tale.

3. Coraline – A spooky story of a girl who goes to another world to spend time with her other Mother and other Father. Based on Neil Gaiman’s book and made byHenry Selick. When I saw this I knew I was watching an instant classic.

2. The Nightmare Before Christmas – This is the perfect warm up to prepare for the upcoming holidays.

1. Wallace and Gromit and the Curse of the Were-Rabbit – I love this monster-themed comedy and it’s great for kids. Maybe they’ll eat their vegetables instead of their trick or treat candy afterward.

The Taking of Debora Logan (2014)

There’s a moment in this horror film that really got to me. This is a splendid found footage scare fest, where a documentary crew follows a woman who is suffering from Alzheimer's. Or is she? Like an onion, the story continues to expand into one of occults, snakes and kidnapping. Sure sometimes the technique of found footage gets a bit tedious and you can predict the jumps-scares they’re going to force on you, but I loved how this story unfolded even if it was a tad long. A great Halloween night film for sure. Grade: B+

The Walking Dead (Season 4)

After three seasons of this zombie drama, you might expect things to slow down. Not so. The first episode is actually the only weak part with every episode getting better. Some of the episodes of this season are the best of the series so far. As a whole the producers finally upped their game and gave us something more in line with the first season when Frank Darabont ran the show. Andrew Lincoln has never been better. What I liked about his character here was that he seemed to be more focused and less insane- not that he’s emotionally balanced.  All the characters go through a journey of some kind that brings depth to their interactions and explains their actions. The return of the Governor is so rewarding, the entire span of his rise back on top with another group of survivors could make an entire season but it’s actually the jumping off point that sends the characters we love on a lonely and unknown road to a place called Terminus. The best episode of the season is “The Grove”, a painful and horrifically sad episode from Carol’s point of view that will never leave my mind. “Too Far Gone” is the next best one, the point of change that the series needed if it was going to ever get better. Now I can’t wait for the next season to see what’s going to happen, who is going to live and for those who die, how. It’s not a very forgiving show but it certainly is one of the most entertaining right now on TV. Grade: A-

The Stoker (2013)

Park Chan-wook directs his English debut. Mia Wasikowska stars as India, a strange detached teenager whose father died in a car accident, leaving a mentally unbalanced wife, played by Nicole Kidman. At her father’s funeral her Unclie Charlie arrives and this sends her into a maddening journey of sexual awakening and curious destruction. It’s an eerie story with a main character that is so odd that at times I couldn’t figure out what she wanted, which was great. I wouldn’t say this is Chan-wook’s best work and it could have used some more clarity but it’s a decent little film. Mia is wonderful and the best part of the show. She’s proof she’s an up-and-coming talent. Grade: B

Carrie (2014)

This remake of the 1976 Brian Del Palma film is really kind of ho-hum. I’m a big Chloë Grace Moretz fan but she just can’t make this character work for her. I don’t ever believe that she’s as shy and detached from the world as Carrie White is. At times I feel like her performance, especially at the beginning, is forced. Her work opposite Julianne Moore is better and Moore is a terrific choice as the religious obsessed crazy mom but again there’s nothing new about their relationship. Sure they updated the story for our times with social networking and cell phones but it never can rise up to the standard that the first film brought to the table. I wish instead of using Del Palma’s film as their source they would have just adapted the book in a new a refreshing way. While some of the special effects at the end are pretty cool (the car scene) and Portia Doubleday’s over the top performance is screen stealing, this is one even horror fans should skip. Trust me, here’s an example where the remake is so forgettable it’s almost not worth mentioning. Grade: C

A Winter Haunting by Dan Simmons (Novel)

I love Dan Simmons and while I thought this was a good book, it’s not his best. Strange enough it’s a sequel to Summer of Night with the main character Dale Stewart returning to try and write a book about what happened while he was a kid. I’ve read Summer of Night but I didn’t recall any of it. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had but it was some twenty odd years since I read that last book. There is a great feeling of disquiet about the book that is pretty spooky. I also love how damaged he is, he makes for a compelling character. In the end the writing is solid and I liked how the story flows but it didn’t leave me completely satisfied. Grade: B

Resolution (2013)

What starts out as a young man locating his drug addict friend living in an abandon house in the mountains and forcing him to go through withdrawal quickly turns into a mysterious supernatural story of unexplainable tauntings.  It’s a spooky film with many eerie and mind bending twists. The ending is a bit of a letdown but not in a really bad way. I’d say check it out if you want to see a Twin Peaks meets Paranormal Activity. Grade: B

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan (Novel)

The vampire as an outbreak story has been done before but not through the mind of Guillermo del Toro.  Dr. Ephraim "Eph" Goodweather, a CDC advisor, inspects an airline jet that arrived at John F. Kennedy International airport with almost everyone dead.  But as he starts to uncover the truth, an old vampire is coming to take New York, it maybe too late. Chuck Hogan co-writes what is really a fun and exciting vampire horror novel. And that’s what I really like about this book: it’s actually kind of intense and scary. It has a tragic feeling about it too, as civilization unknowingly begins its collapse. It’s the first part of a trilogy and I’m looking forward to reading the next book. In the meantime, a television series is airing based on it and you can sense the Toro-inspired creature designs will be gruesome. Grade: B+

Opera (1987)

I like Dario Argento but this is not one of his better films. The story is all over the place.  It centers around a young opera singer named Betty and a psycho who kills all of those around her as they close in on her. It’s not the Phantom of the Opera and I kind of wish he had just followed that story than do this weird out of sync version. There are Argento’s typical camera games and gore but none of it works.  Disappointing, I'm almost done watching all of his work and I had high hopes this would be a good one. Grade: C

Kiss of the Damned (2013)

Xan Cassavetes makes a vampire love story that is actually sexy. Move over Twilight, this is how you do it. It’s haunting and beautiful and when Djuna’s sister Mimi shows up it gets a little scary. The plot is thin for sure but the story unfolds with a moody atmospheric energy that pulls you in and doesn’t let go. Milo Ventimiglia gives his best performance to date as the writer who falls in love with Djuna a vampiress and becomes a vampire in the process. When the film ends I was very satisfied. This is the kind of unpredictable vampire story I like and recommend it for those interested in these kinds of out-of-the-box kind of fables. Grade: B+

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King (Novel)

What I love about this book is that it’s very different than its predecessor; if you’re going to continue on a story here’s how to do it without repeating yourself while at the same time following similar themes and crafting something new and deserving of existence. What I didn’t love about it was how at the end it loses any real sense of danger for the main characters. Unlike the Shinning, it becomes clear it’s all going to work out although there are many chapters left to read. Still I have to give King a big thumbs-up here: taking one of his classics and making a sequel that is this fun to read as well as a nice ending for the character of Danny Torrance. It also feels like a genuine peek into the mind of a recovering alcoholic. King knows what it’s like to go to AA meetings and the demons of alcohol. It’s the core reason why Jack Torrance snaps in the Shining and here it’s the very thing that pushes Danny to find himself and ultimately save his family.

Spoilers: The villains in this story are really great. The True Knot and Rose the Hat are dangerous and evil and yet they are family and you can almost sympathize with their wish to live forever. That said, for how formidable they were at the beginning, they bumble about and never seem like they’re going to be a match to Abra Stone. After the True knot fails to kidnap Abra all suspense melts away and you’re left reading because you want to see if there are any surprises, and there really aren’t any. Still it’s a good book.

Gone Girl (2014)

David Fincher picks great books to adapt that’s for sure. Unlike The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I didn’t read the book by Gillian Flynn and with her writing the screenplay I have a feeling it’s a solid adaptation (which I can’t say about TGWDT). What a fantastic film. Ben Affleck stars as the husband of a woman gone missing and soon becomes the primary suspect. Rosamund Pike plays his wife who maybe not be as perfect as we’re first led to believe. It’s a mystery, it’s a love story, and more importantly it’s a film about sensationalism in the media and how the public eating it all up is just as obsessive as the villain in this demented tale. I heard someone comment after watching this film that it doesn’t really make you want to get married (which is a bit dumb thing to say) but I get the point. Be careful who you fall in love with and make sure you know who you are just as well as them. Grade: A

Spoilers: What a performance from Rosamund Pike, she is a sensation! It’s a testament to her talents that at the end of this film I loved her and at the same time was terrified by her. I mean, sure it’s morbid that she says she loves Ben after all that she did, but in some ways she does. Ben can know that she fell in love with him and while he might not feel the same, something tells me he’s not just staying around because of the kid. I don’t care what anyone says, there’s a part of him that wants her just as always. He was a con artist when they met and now he’s going to continue to be con artist to keep her sane. Is it a depressing ending or a happy one? You be the judge but I had a devil’s smile plastered on my face.

Oculus (2014)

Mirrors are perfect objects to set up a horror film and here Mike Flanagan succeeds at using one to make a horror film that is remarkably clever in its execution and in its creepiness. The story flips back and forth from the present to the past and it’s an enjoyable gimmick that works for so many reasons. Add on top of that the wonderful performances fromKaren Gillan as the sister trying to destroy a mirror for destroying her family and Brenton Thwaites as the brother trying to figure out if what happened when he was a kid was real or a delusion, this is a must see for lovers of the modern horror film. It’s not perfect; Rory Cochrane who plays the father is totally miscast and his channeling of Jack Nicholson from The Shinning almost spoils the film. He’s a good actor but the film makers should have cast someone else. His acting also seems to hold back Katee Sackhoff (who I love) from doing anything memorable here. Certainly some better character development for some of the lesser characters could have helped as well. Still this is a good one, a dreadful tale of a mirror that eats souls and never lets up. Grade: B+

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

This was Krueger’s last stand and the end to the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Sure, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare came out later but that one’s more of a meta-trip than a real continuation. Here Krueger has succeeded in killing every child in Springwood except one. How’s that for depressing? The one survivor is allowed to escape in order to bring someone back from Krueger’s past. I’ll avoid the spoiler though it’s kind of obvious. The first half of this film is pretty bad. It’s a typical ‘80s horror trash, cash grab (yes, I know it was made in the '90s but it's still stuck in the last decade). Find a bunch of young bad actors that you don’t have to pay a lot. Use a lot of visual effects as your centerpiece and let your star (Robert Englund) ham it up. Yet something weird happens halfway through, it starts to get good. I can’t explain it but once you know the back story and they set up the confrontation between Freddy and the counselor, Maggie Burroughs, I was interested again. Our heroes rise to put an end to Krueger’s terror saves this film from being a complete dud. It’s interesting to note (at least for me) that this was Rachel Talalay’s directorial debut. She came up with the story as well. I have to say I actually think she did a good job considering what she had to work with. I wonder why New Line decided to kill one of their more lucrative characters. I can only assume Englund wanted out so he could do other things. After completing this sixth film I can say as a whole this franchise is pretty weak. It’s mostly a nostalgia flashback. It’s worth celebrating if you like cheesy, tongue-in-cheek horror films but if you wish to avoid that kind of style just stick with the first three. Grade: B-

You’re Next (2011)

I can’t quite explain why I liked this home invasion horror flick. Maybe it’s because the hero is a woman, the one smart enough and strong enough to stay alive. Maybe it’s because of the twist, that I saw coming but still felt was satisfying in its storytelling. Maybe it’s fun to watch a bunch of rich people make mistakes that cost their lives. I’m just not sure; I just liked this thrilling tale of men in wolf masks, for apparently no reason, assaulting a wealthy family arrived to their vacation mansion for a get together. Sharni Vinson does a fine job as the anchor, the hero with the survivor skills to make the hunters the hunted. She’s basically the John McClane of the story. Director Adam Wingard has created something worth checking out and I’ll certainly keep on the lookout for future projects he’s involved with. Grade: B+

We Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (Novel)

This is a true classic, a psychological horror novel that gets into the mind of a demented teenager and the cruel town she lives in. It’s the story of sisters, Katherine andConstance, and how their dependent relationship evolves into one of isolation. It’s the story of the infamous Blackwoods, poisoned by their own children, and how because of their wealth and villainy become pariahs in their community. It’s Jackson at the heights of her powers crafting a memorable and complex character study that delves into jealousy both from a teenage girl wanting to protect her sister and a town from wanting to punish those they deem deserving of torment. There’s a lot to love about this book and while it’s not scary it’s dark and nasty in its psychological workings. When I finished the book I kept thinking of the documentary Grey Gardens. Except here there’s a darkness that’s truly tragic and beautiful and twisted. Grade: A

The Returned (2013)

A wonderful twist on the zombie story, here a cure has been found and those who are infected can live a normal life as long as they keep taking their medication, a drug that is becoming difficult to make because it’s made using infected blood. Emily Hampshire plays the doctor involved with caring for patients and making a synthetic version of the drug. Her husband played by Kris Holden-Ried is one of the infected. To save him they decide to go on the run, taking a stash of the drug that should last them for a good while. This is more of a thriller than horror film but it’s a good one, even if made by a small budget. Just when you thought everything could be conceived in the zombie genre this Canadian production directed by Manuel Carballo gives us a fresh spin. If you like zombie films certainly check this one out. Grade: B+

The Shinning by Stephen King [Revisited]

Before reading the sequel to this beloved classic from Mr. King, I decided to revisit the original with a re-read. I mean it’s been twenty-five years since I last read the book. I remembered a lot but there were some details I had forgotten as expected. All I know is having experienced the story again I can say it’s easily one of the greatest horror novels ever written. It’s easily one of King’s top five best. An evil hotel coercing an alcoholic to sacrifice his “gifted” son could be kind of cheesy, but here the tale is told by a master of the genre who knows how to develop characters to embrace and care about. Why is this story so frightening? For one the struggle to be a good father while at the same time fighting ones’ own demons of inadequacy is so relatable. Then there’s the mysterious and spooky gift (or curse) Danny has that gives me goose bumps even now. Add the seductive power of the hotel (like the drink Jack thinks he can avoid) and you have the makings of an emotional supernatural tragedy. Why is reading the destruction of a family so rewarding? I don’t’ know, maybe because in the end while evil wins from time to time, the power of love and hope beats it back again. If you haven’t read this book and only know the story from the watered down version from Kubrick then do yourself a favor and read this book. Grade: A

And with this blog entry begins my annal Month of Horror.  Let the celebration of the macabre continue . . .