There’s an entire genre of film and TV that I avoid — mostly — if at all possible. The older I get and the more that real-world fears are presented (and exploited) for entertainment, the more I stick my Halloweenie head in the sand when it comes to horror and even some action-thrillers (usually the kind involving children or dogs being hurt).
I’ve tried to love being scared, but the truth is, for me, Halloween is just that day where you spend a lot of time waiting to take off your hot, itchy, ill-fitting costume and dive into the bowl of candy. And as an adult, I tend to skip straight to the candy part. I’m not trying out for the Grinch Who Stole Halloween — I really get what’s fun about costumes and parties and candy (have I mentioned candy?). But I’ve never really understood what’s so great about being scared on purpose. It’s like hitting yourself in the toe with a hammer on purpose and feeling great when you stop.
You have my confession, and now I’d like to present my top 5 “Halloweenie” TV treats. Because they’re just scary enough. All are guaranteed to go well with a bowl of candy.
1. It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: If you don’t feel for Linus as he awaits the Great Pumpkin on Halloween, alone in the pumpkin patch, you have watched too many scary movies and are desensitized. Safe for kids? Definitely.
2. The Witches: Film adaptations of Roald Dahl’s stories are hit and miss, often because they fail to bring along the slightly wicked tone of his original tales. The special effects in this one are definitely low-rent but the tale is wickedly intact. Safe for kids? I’d go ages 6 & up. Some scary witch stuff.
3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: yes, the MOVIE. Not the epic Sarah Michelle Gellar TV show. They are completely different experiences and both very fun in their own way. Bonus: the movie has Luke Perry at the height of his Perry-ness. Safe for kids? pre-teen & up.
4. The Monster Squad: No one believes the kids of the small town when movie monsters come to life and start coming after them. Safe for kids? Ages 7 & up. Some actual scary moments with the Wolfman, plus an ending that still makes this big kid cry. Just a sniffle!
5. Psycho: (Original 1960 film) When the scariest thing you could do was imagine what horror lay ahead. Safe for kids? No. Good to screen with your teens — you can tell them it’s a credit in film study.
I can’t be the only Halloweenie out there — what are your favourite semi-scary movies to curl up with while you raid the leftover candy?
These last-minute Halloween treats would also go nicely with your movie.
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