Halloween classics sure to scare this season

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Andrew Isaacs '23, Staff Writer

With All Hallow’s Eve just around the corner, we can finally celebrate the great cinematic successes that the spooky season has brought over time. Kenny Ortega’s “Hocus Pocus” and John Carpenter’s “Halloween“, are well-known Halloween classics, and today they are beloved pieces of cinema. Today, like Michael Myers, I’ll be ripping these beloved classics apart.

When you think of quintessential Halloween movies, “Hocus Pocus” would come to mind in a short amount of time, and it makes sense. The elements that Ortega works into the film are fantastic. For example, I couldn’t notice a single thing wrong with the music, or the “sets” or where they filmed, where superb. This 1993 film has become a cult classic for many fans. Very popular among the “younger” generations of today, with all of the silly Halloween stuff and the typical “witches turning human to cat” gimmick.

The story follows 3 curious children of the notorious Salem, Mass, along with the feline version of Thackery Binx (Sean Murray), who was turned to a cat by the 3 Sanderson Sisters, the witches that plagued the 17th century for the residents of Salem. The children venture to the old Sanderson residence when the witches are brought back to life, and they have to prevent the witches from enchanting the townsfolk. The Halloween hijinks begin all around the quaint town on October 31st. This wild goose chase brings entertaining antics and enjoyable scenes of fright and fun. The film had a great way of making you feel like you were there, in the spookiest city in America, as some of the filming actually took place in Massachusetts. Hocus Pocus will definitely bring you on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. When you watch it, it surely will not disappoint.

There aren’t many movies that you can say revolutionized a genre, but John Carpenter’s magnum opus “Halloween” will be one of the first to come to mind. This frightening thriller exposed many movie-goers to a burgeoning new genre that consisted of many frightful moments and suspenseful scenes. “Halloween” also inspired Hollywood’s movie makers to bring more suspenseful elements to the common horror genre, creating the “slasher” subgenre.

The movie begins with a young Michael Myers killing his sister with a knife. He is sent to a psych ward but escapes 15 years later as a young adult. The local authorities are in pursuit of him when some good old highschool drama takes center stage. Michael Myers begins to stalk the young students and the inappropriate scenes begin. With shocking scenes of killing, death, and awkward scenes of teenage intercourse, it brings a lot of awe to the table. Myers begins to wreak havoc around the small Illinois town. When he is finally captured after terrorizing the young population, he magically escapes from authorities, setting up the plot for the sequels. This movie’s elements are definitely some to note because they entirely revolutionized the film industry. The suspense they were able to factor in work perfectly while you are absorbed into their impressive story. While this flick might not be for a child, it will certainly make you scream like one.

It is a better time than ever to stay inside for the Halloween season. Just hang out and watch these fantastic movies and really feel the spirit of the fall season once again in these unforeseen times. Now that you know that there are certainly some good movies to celebrate this time of year, I hope that you all are eager for the scary season.