FILMS & TV TO WATCH THIS HALLOWEEN!
Spooky Season is FINALLY here Boils + Ghouls! Now we know a lot of you, just like the team here at Superfreak HQ, love to cram as many horror films into the month of Spook-Tober as physically possible. So with that in mind we thought we’d kick things off with some of our favourite Horror Films & TV Shows to check out. All in the hopes we can inspire your very own spooky-season viewing!
Halloween (1978)
Obviously Halloween was going to make our Top 3, it’s a firm favourite amongst the team! It’s packed full of suspense, gruesome kills, moments that make you jump and not to mention that killer soundtrack. Of course Halloween then spawned a whole bunch of sequels, some that are good, some that are not so good, but that doesn’t take away at all from the Original. There is a reason you see homages to Halloween or Michael Myers in so many of it’s imitators. So whether you’re watching it for the first time or the hundredth time this Halloween, we dare you not to love this film!
Scream (1996)
The film that truly elevated Wes Craven into God tier of Horror Filmmakers, actually scratch that, Filmmakers full stop. After making us never want to sleep again with Nightmare on Elm Street, Wes decided it was time to take all of the ingredients of the slasher sub-genre and create a satirical whodunit with one of the best killer reveals ever. Hats off to you Mr Craven! You won’t get any spoilers from us here (if you haven’t already watched it), but we would say that Scream is enjoyable to watch over and over again. Even after you know who the killer is because you then get to go back and play detective spotting all the clues along the way. We are also REALLY excited to see what Scream (5) has instore for us when that gets released, although sadly it won’t have Wes at the helm, we have very high hopes!
Hocus Pocus (1993)
If you’d like a little insight into life on a Superfreak set…you’ll almost definitely hear some quotes from Hocus Pocus being thrown about! Ok, so this might not fall into the same category as the previously mentioned films, however we couldn’t not include our favourite witches, the Sanderson Sisters! This film is camp, it’s spooky, it’s funny, it’s got Bette Midler in and you can watch it with the smaller spooky people in your life! So if you are looking for something that a little less bloody and slashy, Hocus Pocus is the perfect film for you!!
So we’ve covered our Top 3 Horror Movies to watch this Spooky Season so naturally we also need to talk TV when it comes time to ‘Netflix and Kill’ this October.
American Horror Story (2010 – PRESENT)
The unique thing about this series is that you can really get into it with any series and still have a good time. Although it can be a bit hit and miss depending on series, AHS: 1984 we are looking at you, you’re bound to have a good time being scared with this show! We highly recommend Series 2 ‘Asylum.’ From the fabulous to the frightening this show has it all. It is no wonder Ryan Murphy has milked an entire 10 seasons (so far) out of the anthology concept, alongside the American Horror Stories Spin-off Show (the less said about that series the better), he’d be a fool not too. This latest season entitled ‘Double Feature’ is 10 episodes long, featuring 2 stories that split the season up. The first part running for 6 episodes was labelled ‘Red Tide’ a vampiric twisted tale set in Province Town USA. I absolutely loved this first part, although the concluding episode was unfortunately a little rushed. The latter part of the series named ‘Death Valley’ brings the camp with a nostalgic twist on the mythos surrounding the infamous ‘Area 51 Conspiracies’. Production values are high and we can’t get enough of Sarah Paulson in anything she does! HELP ME! THE KILLER IS ESCAPING! HELP ME!
Creepshow - SHUDDER SERIES (2019 – PRESENT)
So how AHScan be a bit hit and miss depending on the season, unfortunately the same can be said for the odd episode of this Shudder Series. But do not let that put you off. Spear-headed by the incredible make-up maestro Greg Nicotero the show unfolds in a similar fashion to the original 1982 film of the same title. Each episode tells 2 stories, usually from different directors & writers, bringing in a new cast of ‘somewhat’ familiar faces. This is sometimes where the problems lie but when it’s good, boy is this show good. Practical makeup effects, campy-creatures and gorgeous dramatic lighting are aplenty on this show. If you enjoy reading Horror Comics or have a soft spot for the original movie we definitely suggest checking out this show for a bit of Spooky Fun. Series 3 is currently streaming on Shudder now. A highlight for us was the Animated Holiday Special Episode from last year, bringing in some killer voice talent to tell some damn right terrifying stories.
Stranger Things (2016 – PRESENT)
Like I was going to write this Blog and not include this series. Series 2 is set all around Halloween for gods-sake! What can I say? I don’t think there is any aspect of this show that I don’t absolutely bloody love. Recently I had a blast re-watching all 3 seasons that have been released so far whilst waiting feverishly for the 4th instalment in the saga. We have so many questions! 80’s nostalgia, government conspiracies, Winona Ryder shouting ‘Will’ every 5 seconds! What is not to love?! This show really has it all and I can’t wait to see what is next for the gang of characters we have grown to love so much over the past few years. One of the scariest things is probably seeing how much these kids have grown up since the show started, however you’ve grown to love each and every one of them! If you haven’t already seen this show, what are you playing at?! Also #justiceforbarb.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
There are so many tricks and treats that didn’t fully make it on the list but I wanted to end this post with some honourable mentions. Firstly if you want some all out nostalgic feels with your scares this month, check out the OG ‘Goosebumps Series’from the 90s. If you are/were a fan of the books you’ll love getting to see some of R.L Stine’s creations come to life. Similarly the Nickelodeon Series ‘Are you Afraid of the Dark?’ is an absolute treat. I am not ashamed to say this show definitely gave me nightmares as a kid. More recently the ‘Afraid of the Dark: Curse of Shadows’ Series was pretty spectacular. Yes I am definitely a grown man, watching a show for kids – get over it! Both ‘Lovecraft Country’from HBO and ‘Them!’from Amazon Studios, have also been some personal favourites over the last year or so. Although decidedly horrific they provide a social/racial commentary that only a genre series can do right. ‘Brand New Cherry Flavor’ was quite a fun watch, bringing some witchy vibes to 90’s LA and the world of ‘Holly-Weird’. If you fancy learning a bit more about the Classics of Horror or the different pockets of the genre I highly recommend looking at ‘Eli Roths: History of Horror’ on AMC, the Halloween/Horror Specials of ‘The Movies that Made Us’ on Netflix now and the ‘Cursed Films’ series over on Shudder for some real-life horrors behind the scenes.
So there you have it! We tried to cover some of the classics on this list all in the hopes you have plenty to watch until the big day. It’s almost time kids! Do you agree with my picks? Was there something I missed off the list? Let us know in the comments below!
Until next time, stay safe and…
