Halloween is a time for those obsessed with all things gutsy and gory to indulge themselves in eccentric decoration and stomach-churning costumes, but it’s just as equally a time of warm pumpkin beverages and cozy sweaters. For some it’s ghosts and goblins, but for others it’s a time to release their innermost child through nostalgic movies and fun creative costumes. With each varying viewpoint of the holiday, we can all agree that the movies are a critical part of halloween culture. But that begs the question, what is a Halloween movie?
Camp cozy believes that a Halloween movie includes fuzzy classics they watched as kids. These celebrants want to sip on a warm cup of cider as they indulge in their favorites, wrapped in a blanket, on a fall day.
“I think that it needs to have that cozy feeling like you wanna wrap up, and drink some tea with it,” said Marshfield High School science teacher Jennifer Viksnehill about Halloween movies. “I think it should be a little bit exciting/ scary and a little bit cozy.”
Camp scary, on the other hand, is full of the thrill-chasers. These are the individuals who are always chasing that exciting and nerve-wracking adrenaline high. It’s their favorite season to sit down and watch a slasher or a thriller, gripping anxiously to their popcorn buckets and swearing they aren’t scared, even if they visibly jump whenever a frightening ghost or goblin pops up on screen.
“There has to be some fright, some suspense, there has to be something somewhere,” said MHS teacher Anthony Johnson with certainty, who is team scare all the way.
Regardless of the type of Halloween anyone wants, a good Halloween movie is supposed to bring viewers back to the nostalgia of the season–and back to being a child. Halloween movies are designed to give you that sort of feeling again, be it from the thrilling suspense of a good slasher or the comfy warm setting of a nice fall classic. From Hocus Pocus to Nightmare on Elm Street to Dracula, no one agrees on the most iconic Halloween movie–but that’s the glory of the season. No one has to agree. It’s a time for both camps to exist together.
There are, however, a few elements that all Halloween movies have in common. For starters, most of them are set during the time of year when the weather changes and night takes over the long summer days. Shadows emerge, casting darkness on everyday settings. In addition, whether spooky or nostalgic, Halloween movies usually play on everyday curiosities and cast doubts on real scenarios. And the more outlandish or bigger, the better, when it comes to Halloween.
“It has to be set in the fall,” said Johnson about Halloween movies.
For those who prefer to keep themselves up at night after watching a bone-chilling movie, there are classic flicks like “Friday the 13th,” “Halloween,” or “Nightmare on Elm Street.” There are also series such as “American Horror Story,” or “Stranger Things.” Any of these will keep the viewer gripping their seat with an adrenaline rush.
Those eager for that fuzzy sense of fall nostalgia with soft blankets will want to stick to films such as “Hocus Pocus,” “Practical Magic,” or “Beetlejuice.” These can provide the best background while decorating for fall, lighting candles, and listening to the rain on the window panes.
Halloween is really just an excuse to, if only for a night, be a kid again. Whether it’s to stay up late eating an entire body weight in candy, or to scare every trick-or-treater, every person has their own unique ways of just once, letting themselves be young. So that’s where a fall movie comes into play–it is whatever excites that thrill, joy, or feeling of nostalgia. These movies withstand time and space to still be relevant twenty years from today. Thirty. But even so, that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t broaden their horizons to new and refreshed story lines.
Like MHS teacher Mrs.Viksnehill said “Expand your horizons to new Halloween movies,” said Viksnehill. “The whole point, like one of the best things about Halloween, is its imagination. You can take it whichever way you want.”