Five "not so scary" Halloween films to check out
Odhrán Johnson
With Halloween fast approaching what better way to get into the spooky spirit than to indulge in some spooktacular horror films. Right? Well, if you’re anything like me the mere thought of sitting down to watch a horror film already sends shivers down your spine so I’ve compiled a list of five “horror-lite” films that can be enjoyed by anyone no matter your tolerance to the odd jumpscare!
The NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
If you haven’t seen this film at least once already well then, I’m sorry to inform you but you’ve been robbed of your childhood but fear not! It just means you get to experience this masterpiece for the first time and what’s not to love? Created and produced by Tim Burton The Nightmare Before Christmas follows the story of Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween Town who rather randomly stumbles across Christmas Town and becomes obsessed with the holiday. After kidnapping Santa and taking over the holiday Jack turns what is normally a joyous time of year into one filled with skeletal reindeer and a fantastically spooky musical extravaganza.
SHAUN OF THE DEAD
The first of three films from beloved director Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy Shaun of the Dead takes the frightening idea of the undead and blends it with hilarious humour and chemistry of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost to create a truly all-around fun time with sprinkles of gory zombie killing action.
GHOSTBUSTERS
I mean you can’t have a “not so scary” Halloween movie list and not include Ghostbusters, right? Whether you saw this classic back in 1984 or if we’re honest, like most of us, saw it for the first time in the late 2000s Ghostbusters is still a great time. Following the story of three parapsychologists played by Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, Ghostbusters sees our three main leads set up their own “ghost-catching business” in New York and their business quickly picks up customers from all across the city looking to rid their homes and businesses of everything and anything paranormal. With Ghostbusters: Afterlife set to hit screens on November 18, there’s no better time to revisit this classic!
ZOMBIELAND
In a similar vein to Shaun of the Dead only swapping out the Crouch End, London for the vast landscape of the US, Zombieland is the story of former college student Columbus played by Jesse Eisenberg who has set out from his college dorm in Austin, Texas to make his way to Columbus, Ohio in the hopes of finding his parents alive in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. Don’t worry though, it’s not as doom and gloom as it sounds! With the amazing supporting cast including the likes of Woody Harrelson and Emma Stone, Zombieland is full of laughs, gore and all sorts of zombie goodness.
CORALINE
OK, this one might actually be genuinely terrifying or at least that’s how I remember it being as I cowered behind the sitting room couch when I first saw Coraline back in 2010. Needless to say, though it’s still a fantastic film and it’s not so much scary as it is creepy. Coraline, directed and written by Henry Selick combines the paranormal with parallel. Neglected by her two workaholic parents Coraline Jones finds herself whisked away to a parallel world occupied by what seems at first to be much more loving and exciting versions of her parents. Filled with amazing music and a creepy atmosphere that would make the hairs on the back of your neck stand Coraline is a fantastically spooky film to conclude this list.
So, what do you think? Are there any “not so scary” Halloween movies I’ve missed that you think would be better? Why not let me know over on Twitter @OdhranJohnson
Odhrán Johnson is the Broadcast Editor of The Scoop and is studying Media and Broadcast Production at Queen’s University Belfast.