Written by Erin Lobner. Media by Alli Haug.
It’s that time of the year. For most Greenville students, the middle of October means midterms, midterms, midterms. But mid-October also marks the approaching Halloween festivities. One great way to get pumped up is by watching spooky movies. Alli Haug interviewed Greenville students about their favorite Halloween movies and here are some of their responses!
When Barbara and Adam Maitland die in a car accident, their spirits are stuck haunting their old house. Unfortunately, a horrible new family, the Deetzes, move in and the Maitlands try to get them to leave. They call upon the ghostly Beetlejuice, who decides to help them chase off the family. But his crazy methods end up being a little too dangerous for the Maitlands and the Deetzes’ teenage daughter, Lydia.
On Halloween night in 1963, a young Michael Myers murdered his older sister. Almost exactly 15 years later, on his way to a court date, Myers escapes, steals a car, and hightails it back to his hometown. Dr. Loomis, Myers’ psychiatrist since he was first imprisoned, says,“I realized that what was living behind that boy’s eyes was purely and simply… evil.” As he hunts the town’s babysitters, Myers unfortunately proves the doctor right.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Full of dazzling twists and turns, this film encourages the audience to join in on all the strange adventures. The movie begins with Janet accepting her boyfriend Brad’s marriage proposal. Shortly after, they get stuck in a rainstorm with a flat tire. They seek shelter at Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s mansion. From this point, Brad and Janet meet a host of strange guests, including Frank-N-Furter’s latest creation, a man named Rocky. After a series of songs and dances, the explosive end to this bizarre movie is sure to shock.
Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktacular (2003)
This TV movie is based off the Jill Thompson’s comics and children’s books, the “Scary Godmother” series. In the movie, young Hannah Marie is excited to go trick-or-treating with the big kids, but her cousin Jimmy ditches her in the dark basement of a spooky old house. Hannah is rescued by the Scary Godmother, who takes her to an amazing Halloween party. She meets many interesting creatures, tries strange pizza, and, best of all, comes up with a plan of revenge against Jimmy.
Directed by The Master of Suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller “The Birds” has haunted viewers since its release. In the film, Melanie Daniels follows home Mitch Brenner with a pair of lovebirds in tow, and the two strike up a romance. Later, birds start attacking Brenner’s sister’s party. The rest of the movie is notorious for the unprovoked but terrifying bird attacks. While there is a slow build to the action, Hitchcock’s classic film still leaves viewers in a state of shock.
Based on Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” Tim Burton brought to life a dreamy mystery romance. The film takes place in Sleepy Hollow when Ichabod Crane is sent to investigate three suspicious decapitations. He has to chase the legendary Headless Horseman to find out just what is occurring in the town.
Another chilling book adaptation, “The Shining” is based off the Stephen King’s novel by the same name. Hoping to overcome his writer’s block, Jack Torrence takes a job as the winter caretaker of the secluded Overlook Hotel in Colorado. His wife, Wendy, and son, Danny, join him. Danny experiences psychic premonitions, which worsen the longer he stays at the hotel. Jack’s writing doesn’t improve, and instead he “discovers the hotel’s dark secrets and begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac hell-bent on terrorizing his family.”
These are some of the movies that have thrilled and haunted people on campus. Make sure to leave a comment about what movies you would include in the list. And be sure to check out “Ouija: Origin of Evil” starting October 21 for (hopefully) a new Halloween movie to add to your favorites.
We would also like to say a special thanks to everyone who took time out their busy schedules to be interviewed. Thank you so much to Deloy Cole, Andrew Johnson, Jake Amundson, Lisa Sharpe, Tawnie Kozora, and Elsie Heckel.
