With tons of geeky movies and tons of Halloween movies, so it stands to reason that of course there are geeky Halloween movies. Right? If you’re looking a movie that’s in line with your traditional slasher flick and your geeky sensibilities, here are some movies that you’re going to want to watch (with the light on) this Halloweekend.
The Cabin in the Woods
Of course anything by Joss Whedon ends up on our list! Cabin in the Woods takes everything you would expect from a teen horror movie and flips it on its head. If you haven’t seen it, I won’t spoil the plot for you, but you should go watch it now before anyone spoils one of the film’s many twists. Your favorite actors are in the film – Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams, Amy Acker, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Tom Lenk – and it’s the perfect combination of humor and horror that we’ve come to expect from Joss Whedon.
Alien
Who says sci-fi doesn’t count as horror? This is the film that started a franchise with a central, horror movie question – what if you’re not really alone? Geeks everywhere latched onto to Sigourney Weaver as the premiere action heroine, and while she’s become a geek icon – the movie Alien (and it’s awesome final fight scene) helped her profile a lot. You can’t help but focus on Weaver when you think of Alien.
Chronicle
Yes, this is a superhero movie more than a traditional horror film, but the found-footage style is a great method for telling this story and the dark turn of Andrew (Dane DeHaan) definitely plays like a psychological thriller. The movie discusses the pros and cons of superpowers, and how a super-powered person can quickly evolve into an apex predator in the wrong environment. It’s a fun movie, but the horrific ending definitely qualifies it for a Halloween viewing.
The Witches
Don’t be fooled by the fact this movie is based on a Roald Dahl book – there are some definitely scary parts in this movie. The main plot is, after all, focused on the witches of England creating a scheme that will turn all children into mice. Whether you’re a kid seeing this movie for the first time or watching it for nostalgia’s sake, you’ll never think about killing mice the same way again.
Shaun of the Dead
The first of the Cornetto Trilogy, Simon Pegg’s zombie apocalypse movie is one for the history books. It combines everyday family drama with supernatural horrors and you’d be surprised at how much they intertwine. It’s a reminder that a movie can be both scary and poignant, and it opened the door to Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s unique sense of storytelling. Any film geek considers this film a classic Halloween movie, if not a personal favorite.
Hocus Pocus
Because of course. Internet, you’re welcome.
