As the Halloween season approaches, people of all ages are craving a spooky spectacular. Challenge yourself to watch these friendly or frightful films with friends, family or even by yourself.
“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”
First premiering in 1966, this film is centered around Charlie as he and his friends go trick-or-treating. Charlie later joins Linus in the wait for the Great Pumpkin, causing other children to make fun of them for doing so.
This film is a great classic for children and teenagers alike, because the comedic factors and animation make the film more funny than frightening.
“Halloweentown”
This Disney Halloween classic brings the monsters of childhood fantasy to film. In this film, protagonist Marnie Piper is joined by her mother, grandmother, brother and younger sister as they rush to save Halloweentown from an evil man named Kalabar.
This is a perfect example of a family-friendly film to watch during Halloween. The special effects, such as the Halloweentown Pumpkin, make the film more lively than normal cartoons.
The film overall is not as scary as you think but may cause mild nightmares because of the monsters shown.
“Supernatural” (U.S. Series)
Although not a film, this television series follows demon hunters Sam and Dean Winchester as they fight supernatural monsters and save the human world.
The plot also centers around religion, as demonstrated through the appearances of angels, demons, God and Lucifer.
This show contains exciting cliffhangers and vivid special effects, such as jump scares, monster abilities and stunts that are guaranteed to keep one at the edge of their seat.
Personally, I have had some sleepless nights due to the intensity of the plot, but it diminishes the next day.
“The Grudge”
This Japanese to English adapted film is centered around a woman named Kayako Saeki who is reborn as an onryō (a Japanese vengeful spirit) after her husband murders her. Kayako starts killing anyone that stands in her way.
The film focuses on protagonist Karen Davis, who navigates through Kayako’s curse. In the end, the film ends in a cliffhanger, letting the viewer assume that Kayako is not done with her killing spree.
This film is exciting to watch because the viewer is mostly kept in the dark. The cinematographic elements are very gory and should not be shown to children.
Personally, this film was the cause of my week long nightmare, so I recommend watching it with other people.
“The Conjuring 1, 2”
The first Conjuring film follows protagonists Roger and Carolyn Perron as well as exorcists Ed and Lorraine Warren as they attempt to end Bathsheba’s (the spirit of a witch) hold over the Perron family.
The second film is similar to the first, but instead of a witch, the antagonist takes the form of a demonic nun. “The Conjuring 2” also features jump scares as well as references to Christianity and the Bible.
The “Conjuring 1 and 2” pulled me in because of the jump-scares, possessions and mystic qualities of demons. These two films left me sitting at night and not wanting to sleep due to fear of a demon coming after me.