Halloween Month Movie Roundup - SPOILER ALERT

At the beginning of October, I listed 23 movies I'd like to watch in the spirit of Halloween. I did not borrow any movies from the library. I watched what was on t.v. or streaming at no extra charge. I had a lot of options and I was able to watch most of the movies on my list, plus a few more. Instead of writing reviews for all of them, I will list them here by category and tell you which movies were my favorite and least favorite in each category. 

Horror/Thriller

"Bram Stoker's Dracula"

"Get Out"

"Horror Express"

"Interview with the Vampire"

"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"

"Sleepy Hollow"

"The Birds"

"The Little Shop of Horrors"

"The Shining"

"What We Do in the Shadows" 

Wow! Before looking at this list, I hadn't realized I watched so many movies that fall into this category! I guarantee you, you will not find me watching these movies any other time of the year and I probably won't watch them next October either. I've always (always being since last year) said that I'd watch movies in ANY category, as long as it has an interesting plot and not too much gore. Most of these movies did have what I would consider an interesting plot and not too much gore. So they were tolerable. I didn't find any of them truly scary. It's tough to pick my single least favorite in this category. It would be a tossup between "Horror Express" (though a good movie for being low budget), "Interview with the Vampire" (way too much "lipstick" in this movie and a plot that almost made me fall asleep), and "The Shining" (a very disturbing film).

 

"The Birds" was my first, and probably last, Hitchcock movie that I've seen. It was an okay movie, but I was hoping for some answers at the end. Ambiguous endings can also be satisfying, but this one just left me feeling empty. "Little Shop of Horrors" was cute and funny...and not horrifying at all. It was not on my original list, but when I realized it was on, I decided to watch it since I had heard about it before. I'm glad I watched it once. "Get Out" has a strong message that, sadly, is still relevant to our times and it also had a thought-provoking mystery. I got some answers at the end, which left me feeling somewhat satisfied. I just didn't find the movie enjoyable, which it wasn't meant to be.

So, that leaves "Bram Stoker's Dracula", "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies", "Sleepy Hollow", and "What We Do in the Shadows". The latter was not on my original list. I only read about it later and decided I just had to watch it. All of these were at the top of my list in this genre, with "Bram Stoker's Dracula" being at the very top. This was my favorite in this category. It has a captivating plot that is filled with strong emotion. The cinematography is also amazing. I was very excited to watch my very first Dracula movie ever and I'm glad I started with this one. 

 

"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" was fun, mostly because I had just finished watching the "Pride and Prejudice" movie and mini series. "What We Do in the Shadows" is a hilarious mockumentary about vampires. I like movies that make me laugh, but it has too much gore to say it's my absolute favorite. There's a series based on the movie that is streaming on Hulu. I watched the pilot episode and it's even better than the movie. At some point I will probably binge watch that series. It will soon be entering its third season. I will have to make "Sleepy Hollow" a priority next October. I was very...ummm...sleepy when I watched it. It does seem like a good movie, though. In fact, I think I may have seen it before, but I don't remember much about it. "Sleepy Hollow" is the only one in this category that I'm planning to watch again. For the others, my curiosity has been satisfied, thank you very much.

Family (animated)

"Coco"

"Hotel Transylvania 1"

"Hotel Transylvania 2"

"Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation"

"Monsters, Inc."

"Nightmare Before Christmas"

"Tim Burton's Corpse Bride"

My least favorite in this category is easy to identify - "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation". I was very disappointed in this movie. When I watched the first two last year, I loved them. So I was really looking forward to the third one. After watching the first two again this year, I didn't like them as much as I did last year. "Hotel Transylvania 1" is good, but it goes downhill from there, as sequels often do.

My favorite in this category is also easy to identify - "Coco". This movie has it all - humor, quirky animation, and an interesting plot. Just when I thought I knew how the story would go, there were more twists and turns. I really love movies that leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling at the end, and Coco did just that. It was sad and I cried. But it also made me feel immensely grateful for my family and all of the people in my life who are like family. I loved this movie so much that I watched it twice this month and I can definitely see myself watching it again for years to come.

I had already seen "Monsters, Inc.", "Nightmare Before Christmas", and "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" before this year, but they are movies I enjoy, so I watched them again. I enjoyed them all equally as much as I have in the past and, like Coco, I can definitely see myself watching them again for years to come. This is especially true for "Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" (in addition to "Coco"). The animation is quirky and fun, and the plot in each of them is heart-warming (contrary to what the titles suggest). 

Family (not animated)

"Addams Family Values"

"Beetlejuice"

"Casper"

"Halloweentown"

"Hocus Pocus"

"Jumanji"

"The Addams Family"

 

When I say that these movies are not animated, I mean most of each movie is not animated. Some of them have some animation in them. 

Overall, this was my favorite genre. I need to remember to include more in this genre next year. These don't necessarily have the most complex or surprising plots, but sometimes simplicity is best. They gave me a feeling of comfort and childlike happiness. 

 

My least favorites in this genre were "Addams Family Values" and "The Addams Family". It's funny how my taste changes over time. I saw both of these movies last year and I really liked them. They were not on my original list, but I made a last minute decision to watch them again this year. And now I remember why I didn't put them on my list. They were okay, just not as good as I remember them to be. If you're a fan of the t.v. series, then you'll probably enjoy these two movies.

"Beetlejuice" is bizarre in sometimes the most hilarious ways and other times in the most annoying ways. I am not sure if I'll watch this again next year. There were moments when I laughed A LOT and I may just decide to watch it again for that reason. "Casper"lived up to its "friendly" expectations. However, for me, it was not much more than that. This will probably not be on my list next year. 

As for "Jumanji", I wrote a separate review since I had already written one for "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle".

I enjoyed "Halloweentown" very much and I will probably watch it again next year. It's just a fun movie to watch. I especially love seeing how happy and carefree everyone in the town are. There is conflict in the movie, but I still felt at ease watching it.

 

My favorite in this genre was "Hocus Pocus". Overall, this movie received terrible reviews by critics, but much better reviews from the general public. I respectfully disagree with the critics. I don't know that I'd classify this as "family", but the movie is great fun (I found myself smiling through most of the movie) with a tearjerker ending. I could identify with the little girl who had to let go of something that was very special to her. I felt her pain and shed some tears. One of my favorite aspects of the movie is that the cat is portrayed as intelligent and loving, but only to those who care for him. Cue purring. I have seen very few, if any, movies where cats are portrayed in a positive light. I can definitely see myself watching this movie again while cuddling with my sweet Qandi. I watched this movie earlier in the month, but this was also the one I chose to watch one more time - on Halloween. It was the perfect way to conclude the month.