Halloween Movie Guide: Part 2

Since I've put this off too long and it is now Halloween, and I don't feel very verbose today, this will be mercifully brief.

Haunted House Movies:

13 Ghosts - I thought this movie was ok the first time I watched it, but seem to like it more and more with each additional viewing. Plus the bonus features on the DVD are pretty good.

House on Haunted Hill - Not great by any stretch of the imagination, but watchable.

The Haunting - Same as above.

Amityville Horror - Very unrealistic for a movie that claims to be based on a true story, but still kind of creepy. Watch the original version, not the terrible remake from a couple years ago.

The Shining - A true classic and probably the best known haunted house movie of all time. Jack Nicholson is fantastic, plus it led to one of the best Simpson's parodies of all time - Treehouse of Horror V. I can't believe it hasn't been on tv this year.

The Haunted Mansion - I had high hopes for this movie after the success of Pirates of the Caribbean, but despite top notch special effects, first rate set design, and great ambiance, this still fell short. The story was not very cohesive, and it just seemed kind of aimless. And I'm not sure Eddie Murphy was a good choice.

Frankenstein movies:

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is really the only version of this story that I thought was any good. Robert DeNiro turned in a great performance. I had initially thought he was an odd choice, but was pleasantly surprised.

Mummy movies:

The Mummy starring Boris Karloff was very good. I've found that a lot of the old monster movies are a bit boring and corny, but this one turned out great.

The Mummy starring Brendan Fraser is a little on the goofy side but is still good fun.

Bubba Ho-Tep - Completely different from any other movie you'll ever see. Bruce Campbell is great as Elvis, and Ossie Davis pulls off a quality JFK. More comedy than horror, this one is a must see.

Werewolf movies:

Underworld - this one could also have gone in the vampire category, but the werewolf category is a lot thinner. Underworld and Underworld Evolution are both good movies about the ongoing battle between vampires and werewolves.

Harry Potter and the Werewolf - I can't remember which movie had the werewolf in it, but it was pretty good.

Wolf - a little slow, but gets good at the end.

Miscellaneous movies:

These movies don't really fit in any other category.

Army of Darkness - I don't have enough superlatives for this movie. One of my all time favorite movies of any genre, I absolutely love it. Bruce Campbell reprises his role as Ash from Evil Dead 1 and 2 and in this one is transported to the middle ages by an evil force where he must battle the 'deadites' - an army of the undead - for the possession of the necronomicon - the book of the dead. Hands down the best B movie ever made, go out and watch it right now.

Frailty - Bill Paxton is visited by an angel who tells him he has to slay demons disguised as humans with an axe named Otis. Naturally, this is somewhat disruptive to the life of his 2 young boys. This one also comes highly recommended by me.

Sleepy Hollow - Tim Burton is one of the best directors for creating ambiance, and this is some of the best cinematography I've ever seen. Johnny Depp also turns in a great performance as does Ray Park who played the headless horseman - at least while he doesn't have a head. Better know for being Darth Maul, he is better with weapons than any other actor in history. Except maybe Bruce Lee.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - the Disney cartoon narrated by Bing Crosby has always been one of my favorites. Perhaps it's just nostalgia.

From Hell - Not really a Halloween movie, but still scary. This movie about Jack the Ripper is outstanding. One warning though - I haven't met a woman who liked this movie, I assume because of the subject matter.

The Sixth Sense - more psychological thriller than horror movie, I love this movie.

Red Dragon - again, technically not a horror movie, in my opinion this is the scariest movie ever made. I find serial killer movies scarier than monster movies. Red Dragon has it all, a great story, incredible acting all around although I'm particularly fond of Harvey Keitel's performance as special agent Crawford, suspense, and of course Hannibal Lecter.

and finally...

Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Wererabbit - just good fun.