As calendars flip over to October, the thoughts of horror houses and colorful costumes come to mind. It’s a great time to venture to the movies, where dreadfully scary films are being released each weekend before the scariest day of the year, Halloween. Some movies, old and new, seem perfect to get into the spirit of Halloween.

Halloweentown (1998)
Run Time: 84 minutes
Family Friendly

One of the heights of our generations’ childhood was the anticipation of several movies that would play only in October. One of those was the fun series Halloweentown, which aired on the Disney Channel during their Hauntober Fest. Though this movie may seem cheesy compared to the gore and fear thrown at us by modern movies, it’s still fun to revisit and reminisce at the excitement of Halloween as a child.

The movie follows the Cromwell family, with children Marnie, Dylan and Sophie and their mother, Gwen. When Gwen’s mother Aggie, a witch, comes for her annual Halloween visit, she comes with news that people have been disappearing. Marnie, hears and follows Aggie on her bus ride home, along with her siblings. But they don’t end up in a familiar place. This bus is the magical bus that takes them to Halloweentown. There, the family meets monsters and strange creatures, and fight a fierce battle with Kalabar, who turns out to be more than just a mayor.

The movie is family friendly and contributes to the season with demons, monsters, goblins and jack-o-lanterns. It adds elements of the whole Halloween feeling into one collaboration of fun, adventures and memories. After a long night of trick-or-treating with your younger siblings, it might be a good way to relax and eat some well-deserved candy.

Silent Hill: Revelations (2012)
Run Time: 94 minutes
Not for the faint at heart

Silent Hill has always been a series of brooding, twisted stories centered around the strange town Silent Hill, a town of shifting dimensions. This movie follows Sharon and her adoptive father Christopher who go from town to town escaping from the police. In the past he had committed a self defense murder, causing them to go on the run from the police. Sharon soon realizes she is actually being protected from a cult called the Order from Silent Hill.

Sharon meets a haunted student Vincent, who was sent to kidnap her, however he has a secret that keeps him from fulfilling the task. With him she realizes who she is and where she is from, and she ventures into the alternate dimension of Silent Hill to figure out what was really going on.

This was a well put together movie with a compelling storyline and it leaves you eager for what happens next. It takes many twists and turns and you can never expect what will happen next. If you love thrills, then this is a movie for you.

As Above, So Below (2014)
Run Time: 93 minutes
Keeps you up at night

In the genre of found footage, similar to Blair Witch Project,  this movie appears to have been recorded by Scarlett Marlowe, a young student studying alchemy. She is accompanied by a crew of friends who follow her into the catacombs of Paris as she tries to find the Philosopher’s stone. This magical stone was created by an ancient alchemist and believed to grant immortality to humans. As she goes deeper into the catacombs, strange things happen that force them deeper and deeper into the depths of underground Paris.

I saw the movie twice and both times it had me on the edge of my seat. What really grips the viewer is the craziness of the whole situation and how things keep fitting together. As the movie progresses you learn more about each character and that they have haunting pasts that are used against them. It ties together in the end with a twist you would have not expected. This thriller is one to see.

Annabelle (2014)
run time: 98 minutes
Downright horrifying

A prequel to the supernatural horror film The Conjuring, Annabelle tells the story behind the strange doll in the shadowbox of Ed and Lorraine Warren. It starts with the same opening scene as it’s sequel, where some young nurses who owned the doll tell their story about their experiences with it. based in 1969, the movie revolves around Mia and John Gordon, who are expecting their first daughter. John gets his wife a strange doll as a present, which adds to her collection. However, this odd doll is surrounded by strange happenings, starting with members of a satanic cult who kill the Gordon’s neighbors and then go after them. When the police arrive and shoot the cultists, the woman is holding the doll like a baby. Despite Mia trying to throw it away, the doll comes back time and time again to release evil on the new family.

Based on a true story about a rag doll called Annabelle, this horror film is sure to leave you with goosebumps. With demons, dolls and murder, it’s sure to hold a little bit of everyone’s personal fears. Of course, the original does not look as frightening, but that just adds to the effect. There were no lacking moments and only kept momentum with plot twists and scenes that will leave you yelling at the screen. Make sure you buy the big bucket of popcorn to hide behind in case of terrifying scenes.