Different than pure scare movies and not fully into the horror genre Halloween party movies are a hybrid of fun scary movies that are often overlooked as a group. These movies have a certain level of camp, generally appeal to a young crowd, and often are faster paced than the traditional psychologically scary movie. But if you are looking to juice up your Halloween party and add an air of fun with some background feature films these are a few that should be on your list.
1. Halloween (1978)
Babysitting teenagers who get picked off by an escaped psychotic mental patient named Michael Meyers. The body count and camp in the first film aren’t high but it is far better than the films that came after. Plus it introduces the queen of scream Jamie Lee Curtis. If you want a good quality slasher flick with the frisky teenagers who meet their end, this is the one.
2. Scream (1996)
A slasher flick for the jaded Gen-X crowd. This film’s characters know the slasher genre and all of the films that went before thus the film can be clever in playing with the rules of the genre. The teens know better than to wander off for drinks or sex when a mass murderer is on the lose, but they do it anyway. The gore factor in this one is high as is the fun.
3. The Lost Boys (1987)
This flick from the Cory and Cory era is a scream. About a group of suburban teens whose neighborhood is infested with vampires these kids run around trying to find the lead vampire and kill him. An 80s blast from the past with Jason Patrick in the pre-Speed 2 era and Jami Getz living the teen dream of partying all the time and never getting old.
4. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
A new entry and one not available on video yet this one will no doubt become a classic Halloween party movie. Shaun is a twenty-something in a rut whose greatest joy in life is hanging out at the local pub with his best buddy. Of course a zombie invasion spoils his do-nothing life, but it leads to some hilarious consequences as he gathers his friends and heads to the pub to wait out armageddon. Until then watch Dawn of the Dead about some survivors holed up in a shopping mall.
5. The Evil Dead (1981)
This entry should also include Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness the Sam Raimi/ Bruce Campbell trilogy of Ash’s fight against evil. Though these are creepy movies and contain a lot of images of violence against women, they are also campy, and gory, and fun. Watching the stoic Bruce Campbell do anything would be fun, but even more so is watching him fight his own hand and chop up the dead.
6. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
The best of the Wes Craven slasher films is guaranteed to keep guests from falling asleep. A story of Freddy Krueger the man with the razor fingers who kills children in their dreams. Nightmare is fun and frightful though the series devolved rapidly.
7. The Frighteners (1996)
From Peter Jackson before he got into all things Hobbit this story starring the charismatic Michael J Fox centers around a man who can talk to the dead and someone in a small town who is trying to make sure he has lots of people to converse with. Well written and with nice effects this underappreciated film is highly watchable.
8. The Birds (1963)
Alfred Hitchcock’s story of a flock of birds that terrorize a small town. Yep, that’s it. Though the film is really frightening in parts, for the most part the film is campy and hysterical as people in the small town run screaming from groups of mostly normal and harmless looking birds.
9. Gremlins (1984)
More 80s memorabilia, remember when everyone loved Gizmo and the dolls were selling out all over the place. If not you might want to check out the film that caused all of the fuss and see where the fuzz ball began. Remember the rules, no bright lights, don’t get them wet, and never, ever feed them after midnight.
10. Child’s Play (1988)
The debut of Chucky, the homicidal maniac doll. Need I say more?
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