The last few weeks we've been getting our holiday entertainment on! And now, Halloween is less than two weeks away! So to continue our theme, these are my favorite movies that take place over Halloween (though, you'll note one isn't really a Halloween movie). It is always fun to watch a movie about Halloween as the holiday is coming up. And these are by far my favorite movies that feature the holiday.
Hocus Pocus
How could this not be No. 1 on the list! I mean, this is probably the greatest Halloween movie ever! No matter how many times I watch it, I still love it! It is the perfect 90s movie. Everyone is super 90s moody and the outfits are amazing! If you somehow have no clue what this movie is about, shame on you. Hocus Pocus tells the story of the Sanderson sisters, witches from the 1600s responsible for disappearances of children (yeah, they're totally sucking the soul out of kids!). One day, little Emily goes missing and her brother Thackery Binx chases her into the woods, only to find that the Sanderson sisters have killed her. The sisters turn Binx into a cat just before the adults find and hang them ... though the sisters get one one last bit of magic, with the promise that they would return. Three centuries later, Max, his sister Dani and their parents move to Salem. Max is trick or treating with his sister Dani where he runs in to Allison, who Max of course has a crush on. Allison tells him the story of the Sanderson sisters, and the trio sneak into the museum, where Max lights the Black Flame Candle, bringing the witches back to life. The movie is full of amazing lines, magic and one of the best movie cats ever! It's fun to see the sisters baulk at all of the new things, like concretes, buses and the nature of what Halloween has become (a night to run amuck, amuck, amuck!).
Practical Magic
This is another of my favorites! Staring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sisters Sally and Gillian, the girls have always known they were different. After their parents died (their dad mysteriously, their mom of a broken heart), the sisters were raised by their aunts, who fed them chocolate cake for breakfast and taught them how to use magic. But being a member of the family carries a curse ... the men they love all experience an untimely death. As adults, the two girls couldn't be more different. Sally falls in love and builds a family, while Gillian is more free and uncommitted. But when a supernatural force starts effecting the family, the sisters and aunts come together. There are so many great things about this movie, from the acting to the story to late night margaritas! It's a great movie about family, love and is a great mix of fun and creepy. There are some legit scares, but the idea of sisterhood and friends is perfection. Oh, and the music is pretty spot on, too!
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Best combo movie ever! While people are divided over whether this is a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie, I say why can't it be both! And let's add Thanksgiving to boot! One of the greatest animated films, Jack Skellington is the king of Halloween Town, and he does an amazing job! But one night, he falls asleep while walking and ends up taking a trip to Christmas Town. Amazed by everything new and different he sees, he decides to take over the holiday, but for some reason things just can't seem to go right. A nice, dark animated film, you know what makes it great. All with great sing-along music! I love the excitement Jack gets over trying to make Christmas, and all of the challenges the Halloween Town people have to make it right. And Jack is probably the skinniest Santa we'll ever see! There is something for everyone! The hardest decision about this movie is picking your favorite song.
A Cinderella Story
You wouldn't think of this as a Halloween movie, but the big dance is a Halloween dance. An updated version of the classic, this movie stars Hillary Duff as Sam, whose dad marries a not so pleasant woman. When dad dies in an earthquake, Sam essentially becomes the family maid ... she works in her dad's diner and is forced to give most of her earrings to her stepmom (now themed to fit her stepmom's style instead of her dad's), brings stepmom salmon whenever she requests it and even does homework for her dopey stepsisters. And school isn't much better ... the popular girl calls her "diner girl." But she has her friend Carter and dreams of going to Princeton. The one thing that makes her smile, her pen-pal, Nomad, who also dreams of going to Princeton. The two decide to meet at the school's Halloween dance, but Sam's stepmom interferes and requires her to work at the diner. With the help of Carter and her friend and co-worker Fiona, they get Sam dressed up and sneak her away to the ball. When she gets to the dance, she finds out that Nomad is actually Austin, star football player and most popular of the popular guys (his costume just isn't as good as hiding his identity as her borrowed wedding gown). Thy have a beautiful time together, but right before Sam can reveal her identity, her phone alarm goes and she rushes back to the diner ... after dropping her phone, which Austin of course uses to find her (instead of the shoe). This is definitely a modern, teen retelling of the popular story, but it's a fun adaptation for modern time. There is of course a happy ending. I'm not saying it's perfect, but it's fun.
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
The squeaky little "You won't take me alive!" from the tiny gummy bear is probably one of the greatest one-liners! I was shocked at how fun I thought this movie was! I enjoyed the first Jack Black Goosebumps movie, but this one, while less popular and probably not as well received, is a great kid popcorn film. This version follows two boys — Sonny and Sam — who are trying to start a cleaning business to make some money. They are cleaning out this creepy old house when they find a locked manuscript and ventriloquist dummy ... but not any dummy, it's Slappy. When they utter the magic words from the manuscript, they unknowingly bring Slappy to life and accidentally release the Goosebumps monsters in their town after opening an unpublished manuscript titled Haunted Halloween, causing a wave of destruction on Halloween night. They enlist the help of Sonny's sister, Sarah (who is appropriately enough trying to write a college admission essay about fear) to help them get everything back to normal. While not big on scares, it's pretty funny, and a definite Halloween movie. And just remember, cute gummy bears!
Finally, as we close in on Halloween, our final themed blog will be on our favorite holiday TV episodes.