10 Nights of Halloween: Watchlists from Ash & Stacey-Beth

(with a special list by Adam!)

"Only 10 nights of Halloween?!" Yes, only 10.  We got a bit of a late start on the list-making and figured since there are several other awesome websites doing their own "31 days of Halloween" watchlists, we'd keep it easy and give you our 10 picks each for this Halloween season.

Ash's 10 Picks:

"This year I am going for the classics."

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920)

A traveling hypnotist controls a sleepwalker to commit murders. The visual style is something I haven’t seen before. It’s a mix of surrealism and a graphic novel look that makes it visually interesting.

Häxan (1922) 

Part historical documentary, part dramatization. This 1920s film documented and dramatized the classic folklore involving witchcraft. At 2 hours long (lengthy for that time), this makes a perfect movie to play in the background at a Halloween party.

Phantom of the Opera (1925) 

Lon Chaney Sr classic. I am a big fan of the musical made many years later by Andrew Lloyd Webber (I should have my "Man Card" taken away), but this is the one that made me fall in love with the character.

Drácula (1931)

While no one can replace Bela Lugosi as Dracula, you can’t watch the Spanish version of Dracula and not see that it is the vastly superior movie. Filmed in tandem with the American version using the same sets at night after the American crew left, the Spanish crew was able to watch dailies of the American footage and used it to perfect their shots. Better lighting, better camera moves and the like really separates it from the American version.

White Zombie (1932)

Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy wants girl to love him but she is engaged, so what does the boy do? Oh, of course, go to the local evil voodoo master Murder Legendre (played by Bela Lugosi) to make a potion for him that will make her love him. This is considered one of the first feature length zombie movies, mind you these are voodoo zombies, not of the undead persuasion.

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

One of the movies I point out to people who say sequels are never better than the original. This one really shows that the monster is the sad victim in the story. A creature who is unique and thus alone in his cursed existence, who just wants someone like him who will love him instead of fearing him.

The Giant Claw (1957)

I mentioned this one in the past as part of my top killer animals in movies. It’s a giant vulture who is going to take over the world… what more can I say?

Curse of the Demon (1958)

A supernatural story about a psychologist who is investigating the death of a colleague which is linked to a satanic cult. Much like The Haunting this movie originally was going be more suspenseful, making the audience only imagine the supernatural forces at play behind the events of the story. It was only in post production that the producer ordered to put the Demon in the movie, much to the chagrin of the director.

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)

The Ed Wood classic about aliens bringing the dead back to life. Starring Vampira, Tor Johnson and a fake Bella Lugosi, what more can you ask for? Between the laughable script, the ham-fisted acting and the dodgy sets this movie is one of those "so bad, it's good" flicks that I can’t go any Halloween without watching.

The Haunting (1963) 

One of the best haunted house movies of all time. A scientist and a group of people investigate a house that is reported to be haunted. The premise is nothing new but it’s in the execution that sets this movie apart from its counterparts. The use of black and white, the odd camera angles, and lack of special effects gives the movie a more grounded and psychological suspenseful feel.

Stacey-Beth's 10 Picks:

Demons (1985)

This movie did not fuck around.  A group of people at a movie screening get trapped in the theater and start turning into scary ass demonic zombies.  All set to an 80's rock soundtrack with the likes of Motley Crue, Billy Idol, and Rick Springfield.  Hands down, one of my favorites.

Creepshow (1982)

One of the best anthology horror films out there, Creepshow has always held a special, little nostalgic place in my heart.  Plus, George Romero and Stephen King, is there anything else more wonderful?

Lake Mungo (2008)

A ghost movie that deals with grief, this one is such an unassuming movie. It scared the shit out of me on a deeper level than any other ghost film has in a long while.  There's a particular scene involving cell phone footage that genuinely scared me.  Best viewed with all the lights off.

The Collector/The Collection (2009/2012)

The two are on my very short list of movies that I can watch over and over and never get tired of.  The Collector is brutal and tense, and The Collection is just that but on a grander scale, and a great example of a sequel done right.

See The Sea (1997)

A young British woman and her baby live in a cottage on the beach when a strange woman shows up at their door and turns their whole world upside down.

This French flick is definitely a thriller, but so disturbing that it shouldn't be slept on, especially this Halloween season.  It is a slow burn and has a gradual build-up, but the payoff in the final few scenes left me totally shocked and shaken.

Alice, Sweet Alice (1976)

After a young girl is murdered at her first Communion, her sister becomes the main suspect.  I first saw this one several months ago (I know, I'm late in the game), but it had such a dark feel to it that's on the same level as the classic Don't Look Now.  There's a brutal child murder and a villain in a creepy mask; this one feels like something we shouldn't be watching.

Session 9 (2001)

An asbestos crew is sent to clean up an old, abandoned mental hospital. 

Relatively unknown to most outside of the horror community, this flick deserves to be watched by anyone and everyone.  It's slow, but so unsettling and never really lets you put your guard down even up until the very end.  "I live in the weak and the wounded, Doc" is a line that will forever stick with me and send chills down my spine.

Orphan (2009)

An adopted 9 year old girl is not who she seems.

I feel like this movie is so vastly underrated, it's unfair, and deserves to be watched with as little knowledge about it as possible.

The Devil's Backbone (2001)

12 yr old Carlos arrives at an orphanage during the Spanish Civil War that's supposedly haunted.  I'm a fan of Guillermo Del Toro's work and TDB is probably my favorite of his.  While still a horror film, it maintains this fantasy feel that he has mastered so wonderfully.  This one always hits me in the feels.

As Above, So Below (2014)

As the newest one on my list, I'm sure you all already are familiar with the plot.  I absolutely love this one.  It's such a fun mixture of horror, fantasy, and history.  Much like 2005's The Descent, this flick takes your claustrophobia levels up to an 11.

Adam's 6 Picks:

As the resident music-man for To Avoid Fainting, my list is on my six favorite horror soundtracks.  Don’t get me wrong, our house is filled with vinyls of popular (and some extremely unpopular) soundtracks that we love to put on while we cook or when we want to freak out the neighbors, but these are just the six i’m really loving to crank up on the turntable this year.

6. Tourist Trap—If you’ve read some of the older posts on To Avoid Fainting, you’ll know my love for this movie, and included in it is this soundtrack.  A score done by Pino Donaggio (Carrie, The Howling), musically he gives this mannequin/slasher a very 50s Disney animated movie feel, and I mean that all in the best and most fun ways.

5. Last House On The Left—It’s pure 70s songwriter in all it’s glory, David Hess not only starring as Krug but doing all the music for Wes Craven’s first feature (with Stephen Chapin doing all the incidental music).  The counterbalance of upbeat tunes against horrific scenes sets the tone perfectly for the film, and David’s songs get stuck in your head long after you've finished watching it.

4. Candyman—Philip Glass gives us one of the most memorable and creepy “Music Box” themes in all of horror.  7 notes in and you swear the room is getting darker and suddenly looking in the mirror can make your heart jump.

3. The Exorcist—“Tubular Bells,” do I need to say anymore?  

2. Friday the 13th—I’m going to say Harry Manfredini created the second most memorable theme to all of horror, taking a score you’d think was in an Alfred Hitchcock film and adding two different consonants hitting a delay, “ki-ki-ki-ki-, ma-ma-ma-ma-.”  Toss into the great score “Banjo Travelin’” (which sounds like something Jerry Reed would have written) and ending it all with “Sail Away Tiny Sparrow,” you’ve got yourself in my opinion the second best horror movie score of all time.  Almost winning, except…..

1. Halloween—Perfection.  Pure perfection.  I bet you don’t even have to listen to it to know what I’m talking about.  It’s playing in your head as you read this.  Now go listen to the entire soundtrack.  This is what happens when a writer/director is also a musical genius and knows how he wants the score to follow the film.  Don’t even try to fight me on this.  You’ll lose.

I couldn’t find them all, but here are some of the soundtracks on Spotify.  At least some good background music for your Halloween party this year!

https://open.spotify.com/user/adamjodor/playlist/0G0uBMIiVTNbjSzShM2THQ