I can’t believe October is already over (but I’m kind of thankful Halloween is). I get why people love Halloween; it’s a great holiday to be creative, however, I think it’s the most exhausting holiday of the year. It’s pretty low on my list of holidays, but that’s a topic for another time.

Be that as it may, let’s talk about October’s movie selections. Again, this year I did not have a predefined list, however, I did have a couple planned out in my head.

Quid Pro Quo, Doctor

I wanted to go back and watch the Hannibal Lecter movies again. I know two of them weren’t as good as the original but few things are. Also, The Silence of the Lambs is one of only three movies to win the “Big Five Academy Awards“. It’s incredibly difficult to repeat that kind of accomplishment, especially with a sequel and a prequel; so I give them the benefit of the doubt.

Anthony Hopkins has had hundreds of roles and an extraordinary career but many will always remember him as Dr. Hannibal Lecter. If you have not watched The Silence of the Lambs, it’s a must-see!

Pumpkin Kings and Vampires

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween requirement. Since I did not watch it last year, I made sure that it was on the list this year.

It has been quite a while since I have watched Van Helsing and Queen of the Damned. These are not great movies. In my opinion, they are probably 3-star films. I like Hugh Jackman as Van Helsing, the legendary vampire hunter along with Kate Beckinsale and Richard Roxburgh as Dracula.

Queen of the Damned is supposed to be a loose sequel to Interview with a Vampire. However, it’s not nearly as good a movie as the latter. Aaliyah is the film’s only redeeming quality. Sadly, this is also her last film before she was killed in a plane crash before the film’s release.

Bonus Movies ..err Series

There are no bonus movies this year, however, there were a couple of series. I started the month watching Stephen King’s Rose Red, which is a 2002 miniseries starring Nancy Travis. The story draws inspiration from “The Winchester Mystery House“, a place I visited on my honeymoon.

I was planning to watch Gremlins and Beetlejuice, as I consider them Halloween staples but everyone was talking about The Fall of the House of Usher. I did not realize that was Mike Flanagan’s latest series and since I really enjoyed The Haunting of Hill House I changed course and binge-watched it to finish the month. If you have not checked out that series, it is fantastic. It’s an extraordinary retelling of some of Edgar Allen Poe’s greatest short stories and poems and I highly recommend it.

And that’s it. What are some of your favorite thrillers and scary movies you like to watch for Halloween?

film real

“The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.” 
– Stanley Kubrick