Halloween: spooky, scary entertainments we love
What spooky, scary movies or TV shows get you in the mood for All Hallows Even? What do you turn on when the doorbell has rung for the last time, and the candle has burned down in your jack-o’-lantern? It’s so hard to choose for a great scary movie night. We’ll start.
Adam Anik, photographer: FX series “The Strain.” Also, when we saw John Carpenter's “The Thing” we had to stop at the nearest bar to get a couple of margaritas after we left the theater.
Andrew Garda, sports reporter: “The Thing,” directed by John Carpenter.
While the FX don't hold up well and may have your kids rolling their eyes, few movies convey a creeping sense of paranoia the way this story of a shapeshifting alien on a base on Antarctica does.
Also: “Shaun of the Dead”: this combo of scares, laughs and romance during a zombie apocalypse is a mainstay in my house.
TV series: “The Haunting of Hill House.” (Netflix) 1963’s “The Haunting” is also based on Shirley Jackson's 1959 novel “The Haunting of Hill House.” This web series about the story of a family carrying pain from one night decades ago combines horror and psychological chills. Watch for creepy visuals that are not the focus of a scene or the camera. Keep an eye on the statues in the upstairs hallway!
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Daphne Hansell, high school reporter: My favorite Halloween media is “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” episode 6 of season 2 called “Halloween.” A spell is cast turning all the characters into their costumes, and shenanigans ensue.
Elizabeth Oguss, listings editor: I don't go for Halloween themes, but Jerry Seinfeld's standup bit about Halloween remains a favorite memory. I saw it many years ago with my younger son, who was about 10 at the time. We laughed so hard we got scared. My son gasped "Mom, I can't breathe!" but I couldn't answer him because I couldn't breathe either. I just found it on YouTube. Still so true, so funny. <wipes tears> tinyurl.com/mnz3noh
Gwen Orel, features editor: “Carnival of Souls” (1962), in which a young woman survives a car accident, but then sometimes cannot hear people talking, is so scary it literally gives me nightmares. And I’ll take any opportunity to rave about the original “Bedazzled” (1967) featuring Peter Cook as the devil, and a short-order cook of a Faust played by Dudley Moore.
Erin Roll, education and news reporter: We used to watch “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” when I was a kid In the NCIS episode “Chimera” the crew ends up on a seemingly haunted, abandoned cruiser. Oh, and “Young Frankenstein.” I think, between the four of us, my immediate family and I can quote the entire movie from memory.
Deborah Ann Tripoldi, editorial assistant: “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” It’s a tradition.