By Shelbie Nelson, Editor
5. Beetlejuice
Directed by Tim Burton, Beetlejuice is about a deceased couple who returns from the dead to haunt the new tenants of their former home. When the home is sold to a new family following the couple’s death, it appears that the couple is invisible to the new tenants with the exception of Lydia, the daughter of the new tenants. Lydia befriends the couple and they contact Betelgeuse in attempts to scare away the home’s new tenants. Beetlejuice is the perfect blend of comedy and horror. While it is a bit cheesy, Beetlejuice is a cult classic and a must-watch for the Halloween season. “Beetlejuice is an imaginative spirit that brought a new light into the film industry as a whole. It is the horror film without the horror,” says Monica Flores (11).
4. “Coraline”
Moving away from her friends and school, Coraline finds herself in a boring new town with a boring home and school. Coraline’s wild curiosity and need for adventure leads her to discover a tiny door in her new home. While during the day the door opens to reveal only a brick wall, at night it opens to a parallel world where everything seems perfect. Soon Coraline finds out the world behind the door isn’t what she thought. While Coraline is technically a children’s movie, it’s definitely spooky enough to give you a good scare, “I first watched Coraline when I was eight and I haven’t finished it since because I’m that terrified of it,” says Guinivere Kimber (12).
3. “Hocus Pocus”
In hopes to be granted with immortality and eternal youth, witches Winifred, Sarah, and Mary attempt to prepare a potion, but are captured and executed for practicing witchcraft. Before their execution, the witches promised each other to return to Salem in 300 on Halloween. After learning of the witches’ legacy in his class, Max decides to explore the ruins of the witches and lights the Candle of Black Flame. The lighting of the candle brought the witches back and they began to wreak havoc on the town. Max, his sister, and his girlfriend takes the witches’ spell-book and the witches chase them until daylight. Something Hocus Pocus has that no other Halloween movie has is musical scenes. Charles Sands (12) says, “Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker really outdid themselves in that film and make it worth watching.”
2. “Halloween Town”
Before her 13th birthday, Marnie’s grandmother, Aggie, comes to visit with important news. Aggie tells Marnie that she must begin her witch training before her birthday in order to keep her powers. After learning she’s a witch, Marnie uses her newfound powers to save the town full of spooky creatures. Marnie and her siblings, Dylan and Sophie, take on this adventure as their first of many. Often when early 2000s kids think of the beginning of the Halloween season, they remember watching Halloweentown on Disney Channel. According to Maggie Roemer (10), “Halloweentown, the best movie I’ve ever seen. It totally shaped my childhood. 10/10 recommend.”
1. “The Nightmare Before Christmas”
The Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, Jack Skellington, has a growing curiosity when he lands in the forest of holidays. As he peers around at the trees, he notices that each tree has a door with a symbol representing each holiday. The one that catches his eye though is the door with a Christmas tree that takes him to Christmas Town. Amazed by Christmas Town, Jack decides his town, Halloween Town, should be more like Christmas Town. However, after trying to become Santa Clause and make his own version of Christmas, Jack realizes that he prefers Halloween Town. “It’s very well done in terms of claymation. It also gives a new perspective on Halloween and shows how people rush into Christmas too quickly,” says Alyssa Kraft (11).