by Emma Valenza
It’s that time of the year again, where all coffee shops advertise their“Pumpkin Spice” flavored everything, and the trees start the iconic ritual of shedding their now orange, red and yellow leaves. It’s also that time of year when Buffalo starts to become that frigid place we all know and love, marking the end of the warm weather that we won’t see again until April of next year. The biggest part of the month of October however, is Halloween. The 31st is a day that both children and adults alike look forward to each year, from the candy and costumes, to the Halloween parties and decorations, most everyone can find something to love about Halloween. Some of the best parts about Halloween are the movies that stem from the holiday, most being horror and gore filled. Though mostly entertaining, horror movies can get old after a while, so it’s always nice to sit back and watch a movie where someone isn’t running somewhere they shouldn’t be every two seconds. For those of us horror fans who need a break, and for those who run in fear when even the word “horror” is mentioned, here is a list of ten not-so-scary Halloween movies to get you in the mood for this spooky and fun filled holiday.
Corpse Bride (2005)
The Corpse Bride follows the story of Victor, a young man in a nineteenth century European village who is to be wed to a girl he has never met until the day they go to practice the wedding ceremony. Upon meeting each other, they instantly fall in love, but due to Victor’s shy nature, he ends up messing up his vows and running out of the house and into the forest in embarrassment. Once in the forest, he practices his vows in front of a tree and puts his soon-to-be-wife’s ring on a gnarled branch sticking out of the ground, which turns out to be a dead woman’s finger. The woman rises from the grave and assumes that they are now married, whisking him away to the land of the dead. The Corpse Bride is a creepy, heartwarming tale full of music, fun, and almost everything in between to get you ready for Halloween.
Casper (1995)
Casper has always struggled with being lonely in his house, having no one except his three other mean ghost uncles for company. When a paranormal expert and his daughter are hired to exercise the house, and move into the home to do so, Casper befriends the girl and tries to bring himself back to life in order to be with her. Filled with laughs, ghosts and a cute love story, this film should be a must watch every Halloween.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Dreamed up by Tim Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a story about Jack Skellington, known as The Pumpkin King to the citizens of Halloween Town, and his quest to break from the same routine he does year after year. After he leads the celebration of another successful Halloween, Jack wanders into the woods and stumbles upon a series of portals to different holidays, accidentally falling into the Christmas portal which causes disaster to ensue. Filled with wonderful characters and catchy tunes, The Nightmare Before Christmas is sure to get you into the spirit of Halloween.
The Haunted Mansion (2003)
This iconic movie follows the story of Jim Evers, his wife and business partner Sara, and their two kids who are summoned to the Gracey manor when they find out that Mr. Gracey is looking to sell his mansion. When Mr. Gracey meets Sara he is immediately smitten with her due to the fact that she looks like his girlfriend Elizabeth, who was believed to have committed suicide. When he tries to claim her for his own, however, Jim and his children must save his wife from Mr. Gracey and his faithful butler Ramsley. Modeled after the well-known ride in Disney World, the creepiness of the manor and the humor which the actors bring to the table, as well as the interesting plot make this an excellent movie for Halloween.
Frakenweenie (2012)
After Victor’s dog Sparky unexpectedly dies, Victor harnesses the power of lightning in order to bring his animal friend back to life. When the town finds out, they’re whipped into a frenzy, causing Victor to face unintended and monstrous consequences. Frakenweenie’s cast of interesting and creepy characters should be enough to spark your love of Halloween!
The Addams Family (1991)
Gomez Addams laments everyday about the disappearance of his brother Fester, who disappeared after the two had a falling out. His lawyer finds out that his brother has been missing and notices that her son looks a lot like him, so she proposes he pose as the long lost Fester in order to infiltrate their vault and steal the family’s riches in order to pay off her own debts. The strange and creepy family welcomes Fester into their household, but soon grows suspicious that he doesn’t seem to remember anything from his past with his brother Gomez. The dark humor and creepiness of all the characters makes this film perfect for Halloween.
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
In a castle on top of a hill lives Edward, an inventor’s greatest creation. He’s nearly complete, except for one thing, he has scissors for hands because the inventor died before he could finish him. When a woman finds him and welcomes him into her home, the town welcomes him at first and he falls in love with a girl named Kim. As time goes on however, things begin to take a turn for the worse. The quiet mannerism of Edward and the humor that fills this movie is sure to make this one of your go to Halloween movies.
Monster House (2006)
Teenager DJ lives across the street from his mean neighbor Nebbercracker, who destroys the bikes and tricycles of anyone who trespasses on his lawn. One day when he and his friend Chowder are playing basketball and the ball lands in Nebbercracker’s yard, they soon find out that the house is a living and breathing monster and it’s up to them to find out how to destroy it. The beautiful animation, coupled with the amazing plot is what makes this movie special and a favorite for Halloween.
Coraline (2005)
Coraline follows the story of a young girl who is unhappy about moving to a new house with her busy and dismissive parents. The adventurous and often ignored girl finds a door to another world in her new home after she finds a small doll that looks exactly like her. In the new world, she finds alternate versions of her parents and neighbors, who have all flipped drastically in personality and mannerisms compared to their real-world selves. They all look almost exactly the same as their real-world models except for one thing: they all have button eyes. This story is not for the faint of heart, and though it’s on this list, it still has its pretty creepy moments that will have you hiding under your safety blanket. Nevertheless, its colorful animation and storyline, as well as its fun yet sometimes deceiving characters make it a must watch for Halloween!
Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Count Dracula, who operates a hotel and high-end resort for monsters in his castle far away from the human world, goes into bat-crazy mode when a human named Jonathan stumbles upon his hotel and develops a huge crush on his daughter, Mavis. He does not, however, tell Mavis or anyone else that he’s a human in order to keep all of the monsters in the hotel from freaking out, making him come off as unnecessarily mean as he tries to get the boy to leave. Its cast of funny monsters and colorful animation make it a gem of a movie, and something perfect to watch for Halloween.
