A Spooky Rehash...

I'm about to do something I've never done before. Excited? Then brace yourselves. But first up, let me give you the context...

I'm away in a few days for a jaunt. Get me! The thing is, there's so much to do before I go. Obviously packing. That's a given. There there're the personal grooming procedures I personally desire before a holiday - eradicated roots, freshly shaven legs, and topped up lashes. And don't forget work deadlines. I plan to finish to the end of Chapter 6 before I leave. That's keeping me busy between all the shaving and packing. 

Not so much round my gaff.

But there's another demand on my time this week. We've almost arrived at Halloween. And as everyone with a pulse in the UK can attest, this is now a thing. When I was growing up, it was a semi-thing. Everyone knew 31st October was a date for the diary. Everyone knew it was a time for spooky fun. But beyond a few local children knocking on the door, that was about it. A girl in my primary school class had a Halloween party once. That year I dressed up with a pointy hat and a black bin liner cloak. But it was only once. Other years, there might be an art activity in school where we'd draw ghosts and goblins, and we'd have the annual duck apple fun at home, but that'd be the extent of the shenanigans. It was all quite low key. As is often the case, I question whether I had a full grasp on the sitch. Was Halloween really low key in 1980s UK, or was it just the 'we're not spending money on that sort of nonsense' vibes of my family? I'm never entirely sure. 

Just doing my bit.

Now, as a fully grown childfree adult, with very few child-age neighbours, I continue to downplay the seasonal highjacks. Except... except... except I get excited about all the spooky film fun. Scary films for the win! Not proper horror, you understand. No actual peril. Just the tingly thrill of a jump scare, in a thriller or mystery. And now for the thing I've never done before. Ready? Well, I'm about to rehash a previous blog. Handle it! And before you say it, this is not a sign of me running out of ideas, or not being appropriately arsed to write afresh. Not at all. It's merely that the spooky films I've signposted you towards in the past, remain my must watches for this time of year. If you want the blog post of yesteryear in full, click here. Otherwise, consider the rest of this post - the Long Read for October 2024 - a tribute to previously-expressed, yet still brilliant thoughts. Right, on you go, and happy Halloween.

Scream

My absolute favourite. A high school setting, a killer on the loose, satire, sass, a small town, a cast of suspects, meta references and smart dialogue. This will always be my favourite scary movie. And once you've watched the first one, you've got Scream 2, Scream 3, Scream 4, Scream 5, and Scream 6 to keep you going. All excellent riffs on a theme.

Clue

The epitome of daft, camp, fun. Based on the boardgames Cluedo (Clue in the US) this involves a country mansion, a collection of dinner guests, a dead body, and utter farce. If you watch it today, the film offers three alternate endings. When it came out in the cinema, different screenings had different final scenes. Can you imagine? There's some casual bigotry that doesn't hold up so well but the concept remains strong. 

Twilight

Not intentionally funny, this high school vampire lark still manages to cause me amusement with its intense earnestness. And high school romances are a favourite trope of mine. Who says vampires can't find love over their science projects?

Fright Night

There's an original that I saw once but I prefer the remake. Young teen, Charley, becomes convinced his next door neighbour is a vampire. And whaddaya know? He is! I love how it shows the isolation of Las Vegas living, away from the strip. And David Tennant's cameo as a Vegas vampire-hunter showman, is glorious. 

Bodies Bodies Bodies

Another house full of people to be killed/be suspected of killing. This one is a recent release and satirises Gen Z as the story unfolds. Quite gruesome in parts, with some actual peril for the characters but the edge is taken off by the humour. 

The Lost Boys

There's something cosy about this amidst all the creep. A move to their Grandad's small town means brothers Michael and Sam run into the local gang. Except there's something a bit undead about them. Cracking music and pure 80s vibes, this is one of my faves.

Ghostbusters

I only saw the original Ghostbuster quite late in the day - I was 38! - so the 2016 remake was a big win for me. Filled with funny woman, special effects, and Chris Helmsworth being ridiculous, it's a big screen shebang with lots of kapow.

Hercule Poirot - Halloween Party

If you're wanting more of a small screen scare, this is one of my favourite David Suchet Poirot episodes. With a screenplay by Mark Gatiss, it offers enough spooky fun to fit the season whilst keeping within the format of the show. It's also what Kenneth Branagh's recent cinema release, A Haunting in Venice, was based on. I'd say, very loosely based, is more accurate. 

Dawson's Creek

Let's end with another small screen offering. Dawson's Creek's screenwriter - Kevin Williamson - also wrote Scream. Smart teens dealing with horror? He's got this. Series 1, Episode 11 takes place on Friday 13th, with Dawson trying to scare his friends whilst a real serial killer is on the loose. Then in Series 3, Episode 7, the gang find themselves trapped on Witch Island overnight. It's a rip off/homage to the Blair Witch Project and is as spooky as it sounds. Everyone's fine in the end and the characters live to see a few more series. It's a lovely spooky blip in the midst of relationship angst. No real harm done.

So there you go. What do you reckon? Are you already full of the joy of Halloween films or has this whetted your appetite? There are some obvious omissions of course. If you Google 'Halloween Movies' the one that comes up over and over is Hocus Pocus. I saw it once and I liked it. Or Death Become Her? Or Halloween? Or... I could go on. Like, forever. There's loads of them out there. But it's time to wrap this up. However you spend Tuesday* evening, may it be as spooky or non-spooky as your heart desires. 

Have a lovely week, folks.

*Obvs this year it's Thursday. For your records.