As a child who was raised on the Brothers Grimm, Tim Burton and Roald Dahl, though, there are a few films I just can't resist watching when October rolls around!
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
I watched this film religiously when I was younger, and with characters created by Tim Burton and direction from the glorious Henry Selick it's really no surprise. The great thing about this film is that it's as much a Christmas film as a Halloween film, which is perfect for someone like me who loves Christmas an extortionate amount, and it's so much fun. It has a lot of heart, too, and Jack Skellington remains probably Tim Burton's most famous creation. If you've never seen this film, what are you waiting for?
The Witches (1990)
And now for a film that scarred many of my childhood friends for life - I'm sorry to any of you who I invited home after school to watch this, because I remember it made one of my friends cry. Oops. I must have been a lot less of a wuss when I was younger than I am now because the witches in this film didn't bother me at all, though I did really hate the story of the girl who was trapped in the painting and aged and died there. This is another fun one, based on Roald Dahl's book, but unlike The Nightmare Before Christmas I wouldn't recommend watching this with any little children - they'll pee their pants.
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Another film with witches, and another film I watched religiously; I can remember watching this with my sisters, which is funny considering there are three of us. Dun dun duuuuun... I'm so excited to watch Hocus Pocus this year because it's been quite a while since I last watched it, and I love it. It's funny and entertaining and such a perfect Halloween film. If you haven't watched it you're missing out on a fantastic performance from Bette Midler!
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
More Tim Burton, this time one of his many films with Johnny Depp. What would my formative years have been without these two? I would describe Sleepy Hollow as more of a gothic film than a horror film, but it's still the one film on this list I wouldn't recommend you watching with children unless said children are completely unfazed by spooky stories. It's not gratuitous in any way, but a lot of heads get lopped off throughout this film and there are a few jump scares, so younger children should probably stay away from this. I love Ichabod Crane in this movie, and Christina Ricci is a lovely Katrina van Tassel. This is a very fun film to watch with friends while you share some leftover Halloween sweets!
Coraline (2009)
Another book adaptation, and a pretty fantastic one at that! I'll be talking more about this film in a Book vs. Adaptation post this month, so look out for that. I love Coraline; it's another one of Henry Selick's films, so perhaps I was bound to love it, and the guy certainly knows how to make a good stop motion film. I'm hoping one day he might somehow realise my desire for a stop motion adaptation of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. This is another film that can be watched with children, but one that might creep some children out - the Other Mother is not a pleasant character!
I'll definitely be watching some of these this month! Which films do you like to watch as Halloween approaches?
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