My Top 5 Horror Movies for Halloween.

Free image courtesy Eleni Petrounakou on Unsplash.

A few months ago, I revisited the movie Sleepy Hollow, which is good viewing for this time of year. As Halloween is only a few short days away, I thought I’d share with you a couple more movies that have stuck with me over the years (one way or the other), that is sure to get you into the spirit of the season.

Aliens (1986)

With a strong, kick-ass heroine in Ripley, great supporting cast, good lines, and wonderfully creepy Aliens, what’s not to love? Together with the theme of motherhood, this is my all-time favourite horror movie.

Halloween (1979)

It’s just not Halloween without a visit from Michael Myers, and I’m talking the original here. The quiet streets of suburbia hides a silent killer lurking in the shadows of darkness. He could be anywhere, and the creepy music helps heighten the suspense. Totally!

The Exorcist (1973)

The ultimate story of good versus evil, this movie is terrifying as a malevolent entity possesses a young child, the very symbol of innocence. You can literally feel the chill in every bedroom scene. What’s even more frightening is the movie is based on a true story. (If you want to find out more, you can listen to the podcast Inside the Exorcist).

Wolf Creek (2005)

The Australian outback can be a lonely, desolate place, and is the perfect location for a serial killer. You can feel the vulnerability and fear of the backpackers, and after all my years of watching horror movies, there is one scene that even had me horrified. John Jarrett’s performance is both terrific and creepy, but he’s a nice guy really.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

I’ve put this one on the list because Halloween is supposed to be fun, and there are plenty of laughs in this one. I’ve always appreciated British humour and I love the characters Shaun and Ed, probably because they’re gamers, like both my kids and my husband. The best zombie movie I’ve seen.

What will you be watching this Halloween?

Revisiting ‘Sleepy Hollow’

Halloween is rapidly approaching, so I’ve decided to get in a bit early on watching movies for the season. Recently, I re-watched Sleepy Hollow (1999), and with scary pumpkin heads (amongst other things), makes this a good Halloween movie.

Johnny Depp plays Ichabod Crane, a young police constable sent to the village of Sleepy Hollow to investigate some gruesome murders.

Classified as a Gothic supernatural horror film, there is a suitable amount of gore without overwhelming the audience. Beheadings, digging up graves, and dissecting corpses is balanced with the arrival of impending doom of the headless horseman.

Despite the horror, the film has some lighter moments, mainly through Johnny Depp’s character, who at first comes across as awkward, weak and a bit eccentric. It is his unconventional approach to the investigation that helps him to solve the case, as well as become a stronger person.

There is a good cast alongside Johnny Depp, including Michael Gambon and Richard Griffiths (both of Harry Potter fame), Jeffrey Jones (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), Miranda Richardson (Harry Potter, Blackadder), and of-course the legendary Christopher Lee (always a winner in my book 😉 ).

Boo! I love the gloomy atmosphere of this film.

My favourite moments throughout the film would have to be the headless horseman and the outdoor scenes.

The combination of set design and visual effects helps make this film one of the best in terms of gloomy atmosphere. The village is a perpetual dark and eerie place, and the nearby forest is surrounded in a thick fog. The appropriately named ‘Tree of the Dead’ is old and gnarled, with a bloodied past.

The headless horseman, played by Christopher Walken, has a facial appearance every bit as horrific as the rest of him, with wild hair and eyes, and sharp, pointed teeth.

With such a menacing presence, the film comes to a satisfying, but frightening conclusion.

What films do you have planned to watch this Halloween?

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Author Interview – Halloween Edition.

Free image courtesy QuinceCreative on Pixabay

Hi everyone! I’ve had another author interview, this time with a Halloween theme.

This week I speak to fellow RWA member, and author/blogger Davina Stone. It’s a short, fun interview, with myself and two other authors of paranormal romance. I talk about my inspiration, my upcoming release, and a Halloween party guest of honour. Many thanks to Davina for letting me be a guest on her blog!

You can read the full interview at Davina’s website Spellbound! Fall in love with Spooky Romance this Halloween. Oh, and I also dress up for the occasion! 😉

And for those who celebrate it, Happy Halloween!

This cracks me up every time!