By Brianna Tong, Staff Writer
Horror movies are a classic Halloween tradition, and the spooky season is creeping up right around the corner. If you’re ready for a frightful night, scare yourself with these horror classics.
“Psycho” (R)
Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” which made its debut in 1960, spotlights Marion Crane as she abruptly flees her hometown after stealing $40,000 from a client, hoping to pay off debts.
Its psychological twist, alongside the iconic high-pitched music composed by Bernard Herrmann, makes this film exceptionally distinctive and engaging to watch.
The chilling facial expressions that the actors exhibit further solidifies the characters’ peculiar personality, adding on to the eeriness of the film. The iconic scenes, exceeding the cinematography of its time built on to the eminence of this film, making it one of the greatest movies introduced to the horror genre. “Psycho” is best fit for older audiences due to its various mysterious and alarming scenes.
“Scream” (R)
This 1996 slasher classic follows the life of high schooler Sidney Prescott, who witnesses students in her community being viciously murdered by a mysterious masked killer. The trials and tribulations that Prescott undertakes to prevent herself from her encounter with the ghost-faced killer is frighteningly entertaining.
The investigative aspects of who may be beneath the mask is stimulating and suspenseful, which is what makes the movie so intriguing to watch. In addition, director Wes Craven brilliantly implements comedy into this movie with sarcastic diction, aiding to ease tension that the audience may have.
This rated R picture suits mature audiences because of its intense gore and gruesome deaths.
“Coraline” (PG)
This stop motion animation highlights the life of a young girl named Coraline Jones. Consumed in a world of gloom and dejection in her new secluded neighborhood, Jones is soon enticed into a parallel universe– utopia compared to her reality.
The emotional conditions that Jones faces empathizes with many teens. Neglected by her work-consumed parents, Jones is constantly ignored and left with nothing but isolation, a common hardship that teens also experience. However, teens can learn to overcome challenges by mirroring Coraline’s drive to pull herself out of confinement.
The features and movements of the characters along with the settings evoke a creepy atmosphere. The character’s unusual appearances, such as buttoned eyes and extended joints paint their sinister personas, while the isolated, dark settings build suspense of jumpscares.
Children and adults of all ages will find entertainment in the film’s startling scenes and eerie animations.