The Plant Recommends Halloween Movies!
The Plant recommends Halloween movies!
To complete a cozy rainy day, pop a Charlie Brown film in your DVD player and sit back as beautifully drawn, lovable characters fill the yawning gap adulthood left in your heart. These slow tempo, simply animated cartoons may seem elementary at first, but they will draw out your inner child, squeeze them tight and remind them that life’s absurdities are to be cherished. “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” is the iconic feel-good Halloween movie. Sit around the television with a bowl of popcorn or leave it on in the background while you hand out candy; Vince Guaraldi’s soundtrack will charm scheming witches while Snoopy’s howls ease the creaking bones of your closet’s friendly skeleton. For the perfect autumnal vibe, look no further than Shultz’s art brought to life... much like the zombie in your backyard.
Mia Kennedy
Managing Editor
Are you in the mood for something truly horrific this Halloween? Try watching Ruggero Deodato’s controversial 1980 film Cannibal Holocaust, a film so gruesome it was banned in 50 countries upon its release. To put this into perspective, all animals killed on screen were legitimately sacrificed in the name of Deodato’s deranged “artistic vision”. I challenge you to watch this in its entirety without shutting your eyes. Its beautiful orchestral soundtrack, combined with heavily realistic scenes of cannibalism, sexual abuse, arson, and impalement, renders Cannibal Holocaust an underground must-see for those of you with a morbid taste for gratuitous violence.
Isabella Blu Ptito-Echeverria
Voices Editor
Not a fan of horror movies but still want to watch something “Halloween-themed”? Try Mean Girls, a 2004 America-teen comedy about high school cliques, bullying, and of course, a dramatic and costume-filled Halloween party!
Jacqueline Lisbona
News Editor
For the best halloween movie, look no further than Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s a stop-motion masterpiece that includes everything from nasty bugs to a heartwarming unrequited-love-turns-requited story. Warning: this movie does include Christmas themes and is thus to be watched with caution.
Creative Writing Editor
Mayan Godmaire
If you're not into horror but are hoping for an adults-only Halloween movie night, I recommend The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The musical follows a newly engaged couple who, stranded by a flat tire, seek refuge at a pansexual, crossdressing madman's castle. The adventure includes adultery, the creation of the perfect man in a lab, a few murders, an orgy and aliens. The film streams on Disney+, but if you're looking for a sexy night on the town, the Imperial theatre holds a yearly projection of the now lgbtq+ cult movie.
Copy Editor
Emily McQueen
Are you a fan of surprising horror? Things that work more on a psychological level? Coraline is the film for you. The animation does not indicate the truly terrifying storyline and psychological torture you will be put through, but I promise--it is much more than a children’s movie
Laury Charland
Curiosities Editor
Do you enjoy B-rated gore films? Then the 1977 cult classic “The Hills Have Eyes” directed by Wes Craven is the perfect campy but low production cost movie for you. The Carter family becomes prey to the cannibals hidden in the valleys after having been stranded in the desert. This film WILL kill your appetite.
Kim Dubuc
Graphic Designer
It’s time for classics. The Shining, based on Stephen King’s book and directed by legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick in 1980, will leave you on the edge of your seat for its whole duration. You’ll have nightmares of the sound of Dany’s Big Wheel alternating between carpet and hardwood. Can’t stand gore and violence? This movie has crawled its way in my heart because it has very little gore. If you’re looking for a genius psychological thriller, listen to The Shining. And you know what? Treat yourself to its sequel Doctor Sleep. Truly lives up to the expectations. (Photo via IMDB)
Alice Martin
Staff Writer
Nobody knows how to create a masterpiece that is equal parts enchanting and deranged like Tim Burton does. He understands the assignment, every single time. The animation is impeccable, and if you’re looking for a romance that isn’t really a romance because the love interest is a zombie and also not really the love interest by choice (#girlboss, #gatekeep, #gaslight), then this movie is perfect for you. Also the scene where the skeletons make music with their bones and switch heads? A cinematic masterpiece.
Of the six men that keep me bisexual, Victor Van Dort is definitely top three.
(Photo via IMDB)
Pipa Jones
Editor-in-Chief
Another classic. This movie has the best of both worlds: New York City and ghosts (and, of course, Chinese food). What’s not to like? Equally funny and spooky, it’s the perfect Halloween movie, especially if you’re not into hard-core gore (same). While you’re at it, why not follow it up with the 2016 remake?
Robin Steedman-Braun
Science and Environment editor
Hmm, well it’s VERY hard to pick one, so here are three: “The Exorcist”, “Trick r Treat” and “Drag Me to Hell” ! The Exorcist is one of my favourite films of all time. The cold & dark mood of the movie has everything you need to feel during the Halloween season, so chilling. Trick r Treat is such a fun Halloween anthology that has a great balance of the funny and the spooky. Very memorable. I also recommend Drag Me To Hell because it has a perfect balance of genuinely scary moments and absolutely goofy moments. We do be lovin horror movies that give us spooky fun times! Logos via fanart.tv
Matteo Di Giovanni
Arts & Culture Editor
I don’t know if it’s just me, but Spooky Season always seems to have a certain air of nostalgia to it. Handing out candy to kids, you may also reminisce about the time when it was you wearing a hand-made costume, holding up a bag and saying “ trick or treat” all night long. To match this nostalgic vibe, watch a 90s Goosebumps classic: Night of the Living Dummy! ( it’s season 1, episode 10). This episode gave me frightening nightmares as a kid but now it just makes me look back fondly on my childhood, and also laugh because the dummy is genuinely hilarious. If you opt for Goosebumps this Halloween, you’ll also get to hear the show’s iconic theme song, which I think we can all agree goes hard.
Noe Yasko
Staff Writer
¨Vous avez raté votre vie, réussissez votre mort...¨ The suicide shop is based on a black comedy book by Jean Teulé. It is an animated film for adults that tells the story of the Tuvache family who lives in a world on the verge of dying due to climate change, and virtually everyone is depressed. The Tuvaches own a shop where one may found everything to end their own life. But how can they keep up with their successful suicide business when there's a new baby in the family that makes everyone around happy?
Daria Bocicova
Sports Editor