Halloween is one of the great holidays. It’s spooky, fun and, if we’re being honest, really weird. When else do you get to throw gallons of blood on your person and wander the streets donning a Michael Myers mask? Hint: it’s definitely not Easter.
Yet, for all its wild flavor, Halloween also presents a conundrum each and every year: what films should a reasonably sane person watch in order to celebrate this festive outing? Sure, there are thousands of “scary” movies about serial killers and monsters stalking young, attractive teens, and plenty of Hollywood fare centered around demons and whatnot, but to be quite honest, most of these options — outside the occasional Scream or 1978’s Halloween — suck or are outrageously overrated.
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As such, for those looking for something a little more unique to spice up All Hallows Eve, here’s a list of vastly underrated Halloween movies to check out this weekend.
Trick ‘r Treat
Trick ‘r Treat tells four interweaving tales that each culminates with some sort of Halloween message forged by the burlap sack-wearing character Sam. And while much of the pic is of the pitch-black dark humor variety, there is still an abundance of scares and creepy moments for genre fans to savor.
In my humble opinion, Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat should stand as the go-to movie every Halloween season, and a yearly tradition honored/cherished by the world entire. Instead, the horror-comedy remains grossly disregarded, which is a shame considering the creative prowess on display.
Over the years, the film has emerged as something of a cult hit, but it’s time to spread the word people: Trick ‘r Treat is a Halloween classic and deserves recognition as one of the finer examples of horror filmmaking in recent memory.
ParaNorman
To this day, I have yet to meet a single person who saw ParaNorman, the creepy, but fun stop-motion animated film about a young boy who can see dead people and must use his power to stop an evil witch from destroying his town. Boasting a stellar voice cast, including Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Jeff Garlin, the film was released in 2012 to stellar reviews (89% on RottenTomatoes) but managed just $107.1M at the box office against a $60M budget.
Too bad, because this movie works on so many levels and remains a surprisingly edgy PG-rated family pic that offers the perfect blend of thrills, chills, and comedy.
Drag Me to Hell
Oh boy, I love a good Sam Raimi horror flick and 2009’s Drag Me to Hell is no exception. Starring Alison Lohman, Justin Long, and Dileep Rao (aka that guy who randomly appeared in enormous hits Inception and Avatar before vanishing completely), Raimi’s film follows a young woman who is cursed by an evil gypsy for — of all things — not extending her mortgage.
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What follows is a slap-sticky descent into Hell that owes just as much to Looney Tunes as it does Evil Dead. Sure, some of the effects are a little wonky, but where else are you gonna see an anvil drop onto and splatter an old woman’s head like a melon?
Ready or Not
I’m not typically one who usually enjoys watching films that show people die in atrocious ways, but for whatever reason, I dug 2019’s Ready or Not. The film, starring an excellent Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien, Henry Czerny, and Andie MacDowell, follows a young woman who, on the eve of her wedding, must survive a violent game of hide-and-seek as part of some strange family ritual.
Like Drag Me to Hell, the film works as a dark comedy, but also features plenty of supernatural intrigue and should entertain those looking for an entertaining, though slightly predictable, bit of horror.
Monster House
Monster House remains one of the more perplexing cinematic failures, largely because, well, it’s so much fun! Directed by Gil Kenan, the film follows a trio of kids who battle an evil house that may or may not be possessed by their ornery old deceased neighbor.
At turns funny, scary, dark, and smart, Monster House boasts gorgeous animation, a clever story, and a strong script that leans into the blissful ignorance of youth. And yet, the pic is consistently ranked much lower than the likes of Hocus Pocus and Sleepy Hollow on most “Best of Halloween” lists, which is nearly malpractice, if you ask me.
Cabin in the Woods
Drew Goddard unleashed the wildly entertaining Cabin in the Woods in 2012 and the pic grossed a decent $66.5M against a $30M budget, but never really found the success it should have — the April release date didn’t help.
Yet, here we have a wildly entertaining horror pic/meta-commentary on horror pics featuring enough wild left turns to make your head spin.
Plus, get a look at pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth, whose deadpan delivery of the line, “And you have no pants,” remains a fixture in the Ames household.
