Thread: Need Some Opinions on a Halloween Movie Night

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My husband and I host monthly themed movie nights with our friends, and I want to have some real fun for the Halloween one! Trouble is, we're having a problem deciding on a theme.

I feel a little silly asking our friends THIS early for their opinions on it, so I thought I'd bring my query to people who appreciate Halloween year-round.

The last Halloween movie night we had was successful, but the general horror genre was way too broad, and a lot of time was wasted debating on which movie to watch next. (Considering that we have well over 300 horror films in our collection...) So now I'm breaking them down into sub-genres. Here's what I've got so far:

Vampires. This is by far my biggest collection. I've got everything from the Dracula Legacy Collection to Blade. I've even got some fun ones like Fright Night and Once Bitten (with Jim Carrey). Oh, and don't worry - no Twilight.

Werewolves. This tends to be my personal favorite. I've got the original Wolf Man with Lon Chaney, Jr. and the remake with Benicio del Toro. I have classics like The Howling and American Werewolf in London, and not-so-classic ones like Teen Wolf.

Ghosts. Poltergeist is usually the first on this list, and a favorite of our crowd. We also have The Changeling (with George C. Scott), The Shining (also a favorite), Ghostbusters, The Haunting (original) and Sleepy Hollow, to name a few.

Creature Features. This would include all the monsters that aren't either vampires or werewolves, such as Frankenstein, The Mummy (both the Boris Karloff version and the Brendan Fraser one), The Creature From The Black Lagoon, and The Mothman Prophecies.

The Devil. (I include lesser demons in with this one!) The Omen (original and remake), Rosemary's Baby and The Ninth Gate tend to top this list. We actually do NOT own The Exorcist, nor does it ever get offered. We've had bad experiences with that one.

Witches. Probably my smallest collection, and the most varied. I've got genuinely spooky ones like The Craft, rom-coms like Practical Magic and kids' movies like The Worst Witch. This will probably be the least popular with our friends, sadly.

Slashers. Just the classics - Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Psycho.

And that's pretty much it. Obviously I've only named a few titles in our collection; we'll have more to choose form than just those in this list.

I'm not including an Alien genre because we just recently did an Alien Night (with much success, though I came to the conclusion that I'll never sit through another James Cameron movie ever again, because they're just too damn long).

I'm also not including a Zombie genre because, in the first place, they are my absolute least favorite. I hate zombie movies and can't bear to sit through them. Secondly, we only own two, if you can believe it - Shaun of the Dead and Michael Jackson's Thriller (it counts!). Wouldn't be much of a party with just those.

Anyway, which sub-genre would you have the most fun with at a movie party with your own friends? Which would be your top pick? Please give me some feedback! Thanks!

I would say Werewolves/Vampires. The other genres you need to pay to much attention to the story line & the scares are some times to subtle. Werewolves/Vampires are a lot of action & fun. The Howling, Wolfman, Van Helsing. Your guest can come & go from the room without missing much. Hope it helps

Oh my giddy aunt! I thought I was the only person who remembered Once Bitten with Jim Carrey, and you actually have a copy! Go with Vampires just to expose as many helpless souls as you can to that movie.

My vote is for the "Ghosts" section where you named "Sleepy Hollow," etc. I was thinking it would be fun to decorate in this theme. Besides movies you could incoporate a ghost story time, turn off the lights and make it spooky! I seem to be burned out from vamps this year.

Werewolves............do you have Silver Bullet?

or ghosts, loved The Changeling..............

I do have Silver Bullet! My husband and I actually just watched it the other night while it was storming. What a great schlocky monster movie!

I always found the "woman in white" to be super creepy - its by steven king and it is set in the 50s - so you could go with the whole "vintage halloween" - complete with a 50's menu.

That is such a great idea, how many people do you usually have that show up each month for your movie night? I love the slasher movies- they always seem to make people jump and get into the movie!

I don't know about particular themes, but I would go with some which might be considered "superior thrillers." LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE and CURSE OF THE DEMON are two of the best, with excellent plots. The original PUMPKINHEAD is pretty creepy. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS works for some animated fun. How about some cold war horror? THEM is a brilliant film. You also have THE DEADLY MANTIS. Thought provoking horror and sci-fi would include 5 MILLION YEARS TO EARTH. Modern horror with emphasis on terror as opposed to slash -- THE RING. That will freak people out. THE BLAIR WITCH is one of my favorites, although people either seem to love or hate the camera/reality. Along that lines you have CLOVERFIELD, which would be a great party flick. If you're looking for a family appealing romp down memory lane, the best is DISNEY'S HALLOWEEN TREAT. Can't forget the original HALLOWEEN movie. HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL is great with Vincent Price -- not necessarily scary but suspenseful. THE HAUNTING is another classic. A film that is very overlooked but not cheesy is THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN. Highly recommended. For pure weirdness you can try PHANTASM, THE DEVIL'S RAIN with Ernest Borgnine, EQUINOX, or GALAXY OF TERROR. A great werewolf movie is WOLFEN. For some toxic fun try C.H.U.D. Another suggestion...how about episodes of THE NIGHT GALLERY, OUTER LIMITS, TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE, or THE TWILIGHT ZONE. If you dig on E-bay, you might find some cool anthologies like MONSTERMANIA, BRIDE OF MONSTERMANIA, or ATTACK OF THE SIXTY FOOT MONSTERMANIA. Hallmark also put out a similar one years ago called HORROR CLASSICS or something like that.

Hope that helps. I could go on, of course.

Paul.

Originally Posted by scottfamily5

That is such a great idea, how many people do you usually have that show up each month for your movie night?

We usually have 6-10 people, including ourselves. It just depends on who's able to make it. I'll usually make something like chili or mac & cheese or BBQ meatballs, and popcorn, and our friends will bring chips and drinks and stuff. It's always a lot of fun. We've had a lot of great themes, too, like Pirates, 80's, Superheroes... Even "Favorite Bad Movies," which included such classics as Army of Darkness, Monster Squad and Surf Ninjas.

Thanks for the input, everyone! I've got a better idea now of what will be a more popular theme.