Once the candy is stashed away, it can be fun to watch a movie on Halloween night. The ever-popular slasher format is not the only choice for a follow-up movie. There are many subtle ghost stories and dark fantasy films that fit well on All Hallows Eve.
Disney's The Watcher in the Woods is a Perfect Halloween Movie
For Disney, usually noted for its sugary creations, The Watcher in the Woods is truly dark. Centered around an American family who come to live in an old English house, the girls are soon haunted by images of a blindfolded girl. A dark secret slowly reveals itself as the girls try to put right something that happened decades before they were born.
The Watcher in the Woods is tense, with many sharp "boo" moments. While the acting at times seems a little dated and stilted, this movie is still a great "ghost" tale. (Rating: PG.)
The Dark Crystal has Scary Monsters and a Disturbing Landscape
Jim Henson and Frank Oz's lavish puppet movie is not a horror movie as such, but a dark fantasy well worth seeing as a Halloween movie. The benign but dull Ur-ru and the evil, rat-like Skeksis are two halves of a unified being that were separated when three suns conjoined. A prophesy indicated that two will be reunited by a Gelfling; the Skeksis responded by committing Gelfling genocide – or so they thought. The Ur-ru had been looking after Jen, a boy Gelfling, and the diminutive Pod People hid a girl, Kira.
With a variety of disturbing monstrous creatures that bear witness to the power of imagination, this tale of loneliness and loss is a more than fitting movie for a dark Halloween night. It is a far cry from The Muppets.(Rating: PG.)
Paperhouse is a Dark Tale of Childhood Obsession
An understated British movie released in 1988, Paperhouse is the story of a troubled pre-teen, Anna, who draws a house and populates it with a disabled boy, Marc. She finds herself drawn into an alternate world in which the boy turns out to be real. They form an uneasy alliance against a monster that Anna has inadvertently drawn.
The lines between reality and nightmare blur as Anna tries to draw ways to rescue Marc, potentially putting her own life in danger. This dark fantasy has rich imagery and a nightmarish, tense quality. (Rating: PG-13.)
Spirited Away is an Anime Movie for Halloween
The 2001 anime movie Spirited Away is about Chihiro, a girl whose parents greedily tuck into a magical feast – and are turned into swine. She is forced into a dark and frightening fantasy world filled with monsters and spirits who need to take a bath, all with the goal of rescuing her parents.
With beautiful animation and disturbing, nasty creatures, this animated movie simultaneously dark and a feast for the eyes. (Rating: PG.)
Edward Scissorhands is Populated by Goths and Shallow People
Tim Burton's 1990 movie, Edward Scissorhands is about a boy created by a benign but presumably rather insane inventor. The boy has scissors for hands and the creator dies before he can give Edward real hands. Edward is discovered by the Avon lady, and taken down to suburbia, with predictable results.
While there is some wild humor born of Edward's affliction, mostly this is a tragic, moody Halloween love story with some damning commentary on the shallowness of life in the suburbs. Johnny Depp and his wild hair don't hurt, either. (Rating: PG-13.)
Those looking for alternatives to Halloween slasher movies may be interested in Silly Movies to Watch at Halloween.
Linda Gentile - Linda Gentile is a professional freelance writer. A full-time RVer and biker (ravensroads.com), she runs the history site, ...
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