October 31st is quickly approaching so here are four Phoenix-reviewed Halloween movies that are perfect for gearing up for the spooky season!
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Coraline: All 1 hour and 55 minutes of Coraline was finished in 2009 after four years of filming. The director, Tim Burton, is known for his dark fantasy and typically PG-rated works so Coraline is no different.
Coraline Jones is a young girl who moved to a new neighborhood with her mom and dad, who tend to ignore her. While looking around her new house, Coraline finds a mysterious door hidden beneath the wall paper. Curiously, she unlocks this secret door in her new house that leads to a world very similar to hers, except her parents are…nice? Coraline loves this place, but will soon find out there is more to it than meets the eye.
Beware, after watching this movie, kids may never see buttons the same way again. Coraline is a beautifully animated movie that follows a young girl who learns how to love the world she lives in. She comes out of the “Other World” with a better outlook on life and that is what makes this movie special.
Symbolism is all over in Coraline, but the bugs stand out the most. Bugs can be found scurrying around Coraline’s new house and her parents drive a Volkswagen Beetle. These foreshadow the Other Mother’s true form at the end of the movie. This world is full of seemingly good illusions that quickly morph into nothing but disgusting lies.
Overall, Coraline is absolutely perfect for getting into the fall vibe whether watching with family or alone.
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Poltergeist: This supernatural thriller has had audiences scared of their closets since 1982. Poltergeist is 2 hours long and frightening, yet still rated PG.
The Freeling family lives in a typical, quiet neighborhood and are living in what some would call The American Dream. However, strange and inexplicable things were happening in their house one night. The television static appears to speak to their youngest daughter until suddenly one night, little Carol-Anne is gone. The family must find her before it is too late.
Poltergeist is one of the few scary movies from the 80s that successfully holds up under modern movie standards. It is just the right amount of scare without giving viewers nightmares for weeks after.
The scariest part of Poltergeist is the fact that this movie is based on real events. Of course, certain scenes and plot points were made up for Hollywood because they need their drama, (profit) but several main parts actually happened. The whole idea of a house being built on a burial ground is really common in the United States and this is the reason for the main conflict in Poltergeist. Throughout the 1900s, several cases of supernatural phenomena were reported by several families. All situations involved furniture moving on its own and other paranormal events.
Poltergeist is a great movie for not only Halloween, but any time of the year. It is not too scary but still gives creepy vibes perfect for All Hallows Eve.
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Nosferatu: Nosferatu is the shortest movie on this list at 1 hour and 22 minutes. It was released in 1922, making it over one hundred years old. On today’s rating scale, it is rated TV-14 and can be considered a folklore drama.
Nosferatu begins in a fictional German town and features the main character, Hutter, and his wife, Ellen. Hutter is sent by his boss to talk to a mysterious figure who goes by the name Count Orlock. Upon arrival, Hutter begins to believe that something is not quite right with the Count, but he does not realize what he truly is until too late. Count Orlock, otherwise known as Nosferatu, is a blood-sucking vampire; and Hutter and his wife are the next victims.
It is hard to review Nosferatu as its own movie because it is essentially just Dracula. In order to avoid blatant copyright issues, the creators renamed characters and towns, but they were still met with a lawsuit. The writer of Dracula’s wife sued the Nosferatu directors and the court issued all copies of the movie. Unfortunately, some of these copies had already been sent to the U.S. and survived the Nosferatu purge.
Unlike Poltergeist, Nosferatu does not hold up to modern movie standards. This movie might just be the worst to watch not only during Halloween, but any time of the year. With the other thousands of movie options available, the 1922 Nosferatu should not even be near such a list.
Nosferatu is a silent, colorless film that is over a century old. To most, the words “silent” and “colorless” do not sound like words to describe a riveting or even remotely interesting movie. This assumption is absolutely correct when made about Nosferatu. A viewer will spend half of the movie laughing at just how ridiculous it is and the other half trying to figure out what is going on.
Why waste a precious 1 hour and 22 minutes on a less than mediocre movie? For those craving a bite of a vampire film, Dracula is a much better option to consider.
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Hocus Pocus: The 1993 movie Hocus Pocus is a great adventure comedy. It is rated PG and runs for 1 hour and 36 minutes.
Hocus Pocus follows three kids in 1993 who accidentally summon three infamous witches from 1693, the Sanderson Sisters. The sisters’ goal is to find children to replenish their souls; but if they do not do this by midnight, they die. The aforementioned kids are the only ones who realize what the witches are trying to do. They must put it all on the line to stop a total town takeover.
Hocus Pocus is the perfect Halloween movie for all ages and has established itself as a household staple for the season. It has a great ratio of humor to action, making it highly entertaining.
As a certified spooky classic, Hocus Pocus is an awesome pick for any day in October to really get the whole family into the Halloween spirit.
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These four movies are only a small fraction of what is available on screens this fall, but they are guaranteed to get your skin crawling and your heart racing.
