KB's Halloween Picks

Happy Halloween! Here are a few ideas for movies to celebrate the holiday!

Happy Halloween!!

While I’m neither a super fan of Halloween or horror movies I still enjoy the festivities. The spirit of the season, the costumes, the joy of my kids rummaging candy from the neighborhood, and mostly the sweet, yummy chocolate… what’s not to enjoy!

Here are a fun few Halloween things about me!

Favorite Candy: Snickers and Reese’s, especially the holiday Reese’s!

Movies: I am not much of a cinephile for horror films. I have a huge appreciation for horror films from the production and business side of things. However, I do have a soft spot for a few classics like the original Texas Chainsaw, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th, but I usually don’t delve deep into this genre. I love the innovative styles, the usage of film budgets, the depth that can be found in horror films, so I call myself an appreciator more than a fan. 

However, I have listed a few below that fall into the horror/thriller realm I enjoy!

The Thing

John Carpenter's brilliant 80s action horror is about a shape-shifting alien hunting a research team in an Antarctic base. With an incredible cast including Kurt Russell, Keith David, and Wilford Brimley, Carpenter’s directing is masterful while amping up the tension. Add in a killer Ennio Morricone score and you have one of the best horror films!

The Thing will scare, thrill, and leaving you guessing until the very end!

The Hitcher

C. Thomas Howell, famed for films like the 80s Red Dawn and The Outsiders, stars as Jim Halsey as he attempts to escape the clutches of a murderous hitchhiker. Played by the brilliant Rutger Hauer, in his best role only second to Roy Batty in Blade Runner, is not only murderous but displays a level of cunning deception to entrap the young Jim.

What Lies Beneath

Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer star in this chilling supernatural thriller directed by Robert Zemeckis. Ford plays a respected university professor while Pfeiffer plays his wife who is teetering back and forth between losing her mind or understanding if their Vermont house is haunted. 

This is a slick thriller that puts Pfeiffer and Ford into a mystery with thrills that will wide eyed and itching to see the ending!

Saw

Before the film series plunged into grotesque, bloody slop, the first film is the epitome of what I love in psychological thriller/horror. Jigsaw, a serial killer who doesn’t explicitly kill his victims, manages to entrap several victims in the ultimate game of life or death while playing his own vicious game of cat and mouse with an obsessed police detective. 

James Wan at the helm team with writer Leigh Whannel, who also co-stars in the film, found the perfect amount to show versus tell, unlike the sequels. Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, and Tobin Bell also shine in the film.

If you can stomach the sequels, they always managed a shocking twist ending, but nothing will ever beat the original! This can be a one-off for you… watch the first Saw and call it good!

The Collector

Desperate to repay his debt to his ex-wife, Arkin an ex-con, plots a heist at his new employer's country home. However he is unaware that a second criminal has also targeted the property who has and rigged it with a series of deadly traps. 

Arkin is played by Josh Stewart, he has to use his wits to survive the evening and escape The Collector. This is another horror film that amps up the psychological terror and leaves you looking over your shoulder!

What are you favorite horror films? Comment below!

Coming up in the next Substack Newsletter…

• Upcoming November Book Releases Not to be Missed!

• Spy Entertainment News

• What is KB Reading?

• “If you like this, then read/watch this…”