5 movies to see in theaters on Halloween
Happy Halloween, Aggies! It’s that time of the year to put on a scary mask, dress up as your favorite superhero and eat all the candy you want without anyone there to judge you or count your calories.
Unfortunately, Halloween is on Tuesday this year, which means you probably spent your weekend either at the Howl, or maybe some other Halloween party because you’re too cool/old to watch freshmen grind up on one another dressed up as Moana and Hercules. For those of you who still want to go out for Halloween but want to be in bed by a reasonable hour, there are a number of horror movies playing in theaters for you to go and watch. As always, I’m here to break them down for you.
Jigsaw:
It’s hard to believe that the “Saw” franchise first graced our screens 13 years ago and therefore launched one of the most popular and successful horror franchises to ever come out of Hollywood. For six consecutive years, a new “Saw” movie was released every Halloween until the franchise came to an end in 2010.
Seven years later, the infamous Jigsaw returns to take back Halloween and put a whole new group of people through unimaginable terror. At the time of writing this, I’ve yet to see the film so I can’t offer much on if it’s worth your time and money, but I can tell you that it’s no secret the “Saw” franchise went downhill after the second film. “Jigsaw” is supposed to serve as the movie to breathe new life back into the franchise. Judging by the beautifully-made trailer, I have hopes that it might achieve its goal.
These movies have always had a hard R rating, so this movie won’t be for the faint of heart. This franchise is famous for having some of the most graphic and gory death scenes to ever appear on film.
Happy Death Day:
For those of you who can’t handle truly scary movies and are looking for something fun to watch, look no further than this film.
On the day of her birthday, Tree Gelbman wakes up to find herself in the bedroom of a guy whose name she can’t even remember. As the day goes on, she starts to get the feeling that she’s experienced the events of this day before. When a masked killer murders her on her way to her party, she once again wakes up inside the bedroom she started her day in unharmed. She soon realizes that she is forced to relive the same day over and over until she figures out who murdered her.
This movie was a lot of fun and one of the more enjoyable theater experiences I’ve had all year. The jokes are funny, the deaths are clever, and Jessica Rothe gives a bubbly, perfect performance as the film’s main hero. I laughed from beginning to end and walked out with a smile on my face. The films simply wants to entertain you and it does its job perfectly. There’s hardly any blood in it and not very many “jump scares,” so it’s easily the best choice for those who are a little too scared for a full-on horror movie.
IT:
In the summer of 1989 in the town of Derry, Maine, children everywhere are starting to go missing without any explanation. After Georgie becomes one of them, his brother Bill Denbrough and his six friends start to make the connection that every missing child is connected to one thing: a monster that appears to them in the form of a clown. Realizing that no one is going to do anything about it, Bill and his friends decide to ban together and kill the clown, known as Pennywise, before it kills them.
This movie has been out for a while, so if you haven’t seen it by now, what is your problem? “IT” was easily the best horror movie of the year and is on my list of top 5 movies of 2017 in general. It’s cute, touching, funny and yes…scary. And not just, “oh I jumped,” it’s more like, “holy crap I’m not sleeping for the next week without a light on” scary. I can happily admit I’ve seen this movie 6 times in theaters and every time I’ve gone the entire theater I’m sitting in is filled with laughter and screaming until the movie finally ends. It’s a great movie to see with a crowd. For those of you who are looking for a truly good and genuine scary movie, “IT” is the movie for you.
Halloween:
“Halloween” has always been and will always be my favorite horror movie. Made in 1979, it’s often considered the movie that started the slasher genre. At the time of its release, it was one of the scariest films ever made, but I’d be honestly surprised if anyone watched this movie today and got scared from it. That aside, it’s still a well-made film and is one movie I think everyone needs to see before they die. This Halloween, Stadium 8 is showing the movie on the big screen and I can’t wait. If you want to view one of the most beloved and respected films ever made, I highly suggest going to see this one. Plus, it’s pretty neat to see young Jamie Lee Curtis; this is the first movie she ever starred in.
—keithariaz1@gmail.com
@ariaz_keith