Hallowe'en movie night!

Boo! I've always loved the spooky traditions of Halloween: carving Jack-o-Lanterns to look like the Death Star, scaring the bejeezus out of small children, buying cobwebs in a bag and then sticking them in the corners of your windows probably just after cleaning out actual cobwebs--these are all things I can get behind. However, my absolute favorite festive thing to do on All Hallow's Eve is to stay up late, watch horror films and eat junk food!

Last year a friend and I watched Halloween and the hilariously bad Gingerdead Man (based on this recommendation), starring the voice talent of Gary Busey as a possessed gingerbread cookie out for blood. It was fun! We just ate a bunch of candy and occasionally gave some of that candy to trick-or-treaters. This year I was thinking I would do the same thing, and while trying to figure out what watch, I came up with four different themed nights featuring some of my favorite horror-shows (and snack suggestions!) just for you!

From 1977 to 1987: Suspiria & Near Dark

"Howdy. I'm gonna separate your head from your shoulders. Hope you don't mind none." 

Suspiria: A newcomer to a fancy ballet academy gradually comes to realize that the staff of the school are actually a coven of witches bent on chaos and destruction. It has a gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous technicolor palette and a wonderfully creepy score!

Near Dark: A young man in a small midwestern town becomes involved with a family of nomadic vampires after he unwittingly gets bitten. Adrian Pasdar is super adorable in his farm-boy-turned-reluctant-vampire role, and Bill Paxton is perfect as the deranged leather jacket wearing Severen. Also, it was directed by Kathryn 'first lady to win a best director Oscar' Bigelow.

What to eat: Suspiria is obsessed with the color red, so why not run with that? Shirley Temples (you can totally do something with alcohol instead, I just really like Shirley Temples) and Red Velvet cake, Red Vines, or candy apples. Or you could get inspired by the midwestern setting of Near Dark, which lends itself well to ice cream cones and soda pop, or bar foods & beer to go along with the eponymous bar-in-the-middle-of-nowhere scene. "Finger-lickin' good!"

B movie Fun: Evil Dead & Cemetery Man

"Hell, at a certain point in life, you realize you know more dead people than living."

The Evil Dead: Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons. Directed by Sam Raimi, who has since given us the Spider-Man trilogy, it doesn't get campier or more homemade (in the best, most hilarious way) than this.

Cemetery Man: A cemetery man must kill the dead a second time when they become zombies. One of my favorite films ever, it stars Rupert Everett and is one of the smartest and funniest and strangest horror films I've seen!

What to eat: Why not imagine you're in the Italian countryside alongside Rupert Everett's Francesco, surrounded by a load of flesh-eating zombies...and then set yourself up with a delicious plate of pasta and a glass of red wine? For dessert, have a couple s'mores just like Ash probably wanted to before accidentally releasing all those pesky evil spirits.

Cronenberg's Psychological Horror: Dead Ringers & Videodrome

"You'll forgive me if I don't stay around to watch. I just can't cope with the freaky stuff."

Dead Ringers: Twin gynecologists (both played by Jeremy Irons) take full advantage of the fact that nobody can tell them apart, until their relationship begins to deteriorate over a woman. Subtly disturbing, and Jeremy Irons is a god.

Videodrome: A sleazy cable-TV programmer begins to see his life and the future of media spin out of control in a very unusual fashion when he acquires a new kind of programming for his station. It's been a while since I saw this one, but I definitely remember certain scenes as clear as day, and they still creep me out.

What to Eat: Orange soda and Birthday Cake. No plates or forks aloud.

I don't like Horror movie movies: Hocus Pocus & Casper

"It's a full moon tonight. That's when all the weirdos are out."

Hocus Pocus: After 300 years, three sister witches are resurrected in Salem Massachusetts on Halloween night, and it us up to two teenagers, a young girl, and an immortal cat to put an end to the witches reign of terror once and for all. Best. Ever. Is anyone else in love with Omri Katz as much as I am? (He was also on Eerie, Indiana! Which incidentally, would also be perfect to watch on Hallowe'en!)

Casper: A paranormal expert and his daughter bunk in an abandoned house populated by three mischievous ghosts and one friendly one. Sawa. That is all.

What to Eat: A handful of mini candies--the type you'd hand out to trick-or-treaters--to start things off, and then a load of salty foods to keep the witches away. (Recommended: margaritas with salt on the rim, pretzels, peanuts, chips, pumpkin seeds, popcorn.) When Casper starts don't eat or drink anything out of respect for Casper's ghostly inability to digest food.

There you have it. Four perfect Halloween nights. Or you could just watch The Gingerdead Man. It's your call.

Does anyone have any favorite horror films to recommend me? (I still haven't decided what I'm going to watch yet...)

Happy Hallowe'en!