By Megan Ruge, Co-Editor in Chief
It’s Halloweekend movie enthusiasts, and if we are being honest, 2017 has been all about the nostalgia. This year, I have decided that our list of Halloween flicks will be throwbacks from the kinder years. Whether you have filled your weekend with costumes and endless parties or have decided to stay in, the flicks will be perfect throw- backs to revisit, or even great to play on the big screen as a Halloween party backdrop.
If you are perusing Netflix, they have made it easy for you to find all of the best Halloween worthy movies on their site by opening a whole new category titled “Halloween Favorites.” In this menu, you will be able to further filter the films to find exactly what you’re looking for.
The first film that Netflix has available for your nostalgic viewing pleasure is “The Addams Family.” This film will bring you back to the “dark ages” of childhood where a young girl and her fat brother were the most frightening thing around and a dismembered hand roamed the halls of a creepy gothic mansion. In the film, you will meet the famous Addams family and experience all of their ghoulish antics, experience for yourself what family means for the Addams’.
The film follows the story of the family as a stranger ascends upon them. This stranger claims to be a family member, but the Addams family is unsure as they have never heard of him. If you have never seen the film, you will have to watch to find out whether the Addams’ em- brace him with open arms or if he is part of some evil plot.
The next Netflix film is an all around classic. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is an exception to the “stay in your own holiday” rule. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is easily both a Halloween and Christmas movie. Really, this film is for any time of the year, but it fits well here because it encompasses both holidays.
In the film, Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween Town, finds himself in Christmas Town. A new discovery for him, Skellington decides that he wants to claim dominance over this town as well as his own, expanding his power and influence over two holidays instead of just one, which is kind of what the film itself does. Skellington takes over Christmas and in the end, realizes that handling something he isn’t well versed in is much harder than he thought. Christmas under Jack is not a success and he is forced to reevaluate.
Our final Netflix film is “Gremlins.” We remember this film fondly for giving us nightmares about what happens when you feed the little
monsters, referred to as gremlins, at night. I’m sure you re- member thinking it happened with every pet and refused to feed your hamster after dark. After seeing “Gremlins” for the first time, I couldn’t sleep for a week. I felt like if I closed my eyes, my animals would attack me in my sleep, surface from under the bed and everything would go haywire.
The film, though meant to be a lighthearted scare, really was a lesson about responsibility. It taught us that following the rules, especially with living things, was important. It would also be hilarious to look back and laugh at what used to scare the living daylights out of us.
Our final film can be found, not on Netflix, but on the Freeform app. “Hocus Pocus,” a time honored Halloween tradition, is a movie I cannot start Halloween without. ‘Tis the season for scaring small children, so why not show a film about stealing their remaining lives to grow younger.
In the film, “Hocus Pocus” follows the story of three witches known as the Sanderson Sisters who look for ways to remain young in Salem during the witch trials. Hung for witchcraft, they vow to return and finish their business on earth. One fateful Halloween night in “present day,” the witches return, fulfilling their prophecy and once again looking for their youth.