Frightful Friday: The Ultimate Halloweekend Watchlist
With Halloween officially arriving tomorrow, I devised the “greatest hits” from a few different movie categories to enjoy on Halloween night and the rest of the weekend. While the films might not be objectively the “best” of their categories, they will still offer a great viewing experience! Here is a breakdown of the categories:
- Bloody Good Time – Classic and essential horror/slasher films
- New Blood – Newer horror entries that are still good in their own right
- So Bad They’re Good – Self-explanatory category
- Lighthearted Frights – Movies for a less scary viewing experience.
Links to each film’s most easily accessible streaming version will also be included with their respective titles. Please note that streaming availability can vary over time.
Without further ado, here are my choices for each category:
Bloody Good Time
- Halloween (1978) – A groundbreaking film for the slasher genre and a staple of the Halloween season. An essential Halloween watch.
- Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) – A gritty and intense experience often imitated but never replicated. The original TCSM is another essential Halloween viewing experience for many.
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – Introduced one of the most iconic 80s horror villains, as well as the talents of director Wes Craven. The visual effects work still holds up, even surpassing the 2009 remake’s lackluster CGI.
- Scream (1996) – The original “meta-slasher” that completely redefined horror for its time. Even if you already know who Ghostface is, the original Scream is an extremely rewatchable film.
New Blood
- Smile and Smile 2 – An impressively solid duology, making for a great double feature. I especially enjoyed Naomi Scott’s strong performance in the sequel as Skye Riley, as well as the ending’s implications for Smile 3.
- Weapons – Zach Cregger certainly impressed audiences with his dark, disturbing, and downright weird tale about missing children. If you enjoy Weapons, I highly recommend Cregger’s other two recent horror releases (Barbarian and Resident Evil).
- Obsession – If you somehow haven’t already seen Obsession, its recent streaming release provides the perfect opportunity to understand the hype. Considering the film’s success, it seems likely that we will see more from director Curry Barker in the near future.
So Bad They’re Good
- Any Film From The Leprechaun Franchise – As I discussed in an article from earlier this month, the Leprechaun series is truly one of a kind for the horror genre. As long as you’re (willingly) watching one of the films with a group, it can definitely be a fun time!
- Manos: The Hands of Fate – Truthfully, I’m not entirely sure what this movie is. I was intrigued by its 1.7-star IMDb average and its absolutely bizarre “trailer.” Considering the movie was prominently featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000, it seems like a great fit for the list.
- Troll 2 – This film offers a unique watching experience that words cannot describe. Watch it on YouTube (especially with a group) to understand what I mean.
Lighthearted Frights
- Ghostbusters (1984) – Despite spawning countless sequels, nothing truly beats the original Ghostbusters. A perfect blend of comedy, sci-fi, and impressive visual effects, the film is an instant crowd-pleaser.
- Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas – While this film could easily also be added to a Christmas watchlist, Nightmare Before Christmas is an iconic film for both seasons, mixing Tim Burton’s unique style with incredible stop-motion work.
- Monster House – An often overlooked Halloween film (even though it played constantly on Cartoon Network in the 2010s), Monster House is a solid comedy flick with a genuinely spooky atmosphere for all ages. Its animation style is also very unique, mixing motion capture with traditional rendering software.
That concludes my list for this year. What do you think of my choices? Were there any films I missed? Let me know in the comments!
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