Hello, hello, welcome back to another one of my posts.  

Let me start off by saying: if you get my title reference, I love you and comment if you did. 

As we all know Spooky Season is approaching and this is the time of the year when almost everyone summons their inner child and gets accompanied with the tricks and treats. There are other ways for us to celebrate the Fall weather that has the scent of pumpkin spice and background noise of Scary Halloween audio playlists; whether it’s going to haunted houses, or reading horror books (my personal favorite), or just cuddling up with your favorite snacks during this time; we do it our own ways.   Well, one of my ways to spend this time is by rewatching scary childhood movies. 

Yes!  The movies my ten-year-old self would cry while watching it in the morning daylight and with all my family in the house with me (I couldn’t help it; it was too scary.)  It’s better now though because I can watch these in a thunderstorm with all the power out, alone like a breeze (I don’t know why I’m lying to myself) and I enjoy it.                                                                        With that being said, for this post I’m going to rate my top three scary movies from my childhood that I think you should watch.  

# 3   Tim Burton’s, The Corpse Bride 

 

 I was about a 6 -7-year-old child when I cried watching the ending of this movie at my grandma’s house.  It was so sad which was kind of a relief to me then because it was really scary. The movie itself though was deep and now that I’m older I realize, the man had to make some sacrifices.  Now, for those who hasn’t watched the movie here’s the rundown: 

The movie is a stop-animated film that’s romance and fantasy (also horror to people like me) starring Johnny Depp playing the main male lead; Victor Van Dort and Helena Bonham Carter playing the female lead; Emily a.k.a. The Corpse Bride, in the Victorian Gothic era. Victor Van Dort is a man whose parents have betrothed him to Victoria Everglot because the Everglots need the money from the Van Dorts and the Van Dorts want their entry into high society. 

Personally, I really loved Victoria. She was so sweet, Victor also loved her, he just didn’t love the situation.  Since Victor didn’t like the idea of being married for influence, he got cold feet during wedding rehearsals and decided to leave to practice for his wedding vows (thinking about what he truly wants).  He didn’t know where he was running to, he just kept running until he had gotten to the forest.  Which was all blue and gray and looked whimsical but scary in a good way.                                                                                                                                                  While he’s practicing his wedding vows there’s a strange presence there, like someone is listening to him, Victor still practicing what he’s going to say to Victoria he puts her wedding ring on a “branch.”   He plans to continue his own personal wedding rehearsal when the tree wakes up and the scene with Victor getting scared happens.  Once all of that has passed it is revealed that the tree was actually a dead woman’s corpse, and she claims that she’s now married to Victor.  Sadly, Victor has to decide if he wants to stay married to her for eternity.                                                                                                                                         There are more details, like the fact that Emily is cursed because she was wrongly killed, and she won’t rest until she either gets married or finds peace.  Another thing is that a rich snotty dude is trying to marry Victoria while Victor starts falling for Emily and can’t decide which bride he truly wants.    Does he want Emily, the dead bride who vowed to be set free by her true love, or does he want Victoria, the one he’s supposed to marry?    Love and sacrifice are the theme of this movie, especially if it’s worth someone whose heart doesn’t even beat.  I loved this movie so much as a child, I don’t really watch it anymore because of personal reasons.                                                                                                    For the people who do love gothic animation films and are huge fans of Tim Burton I think you should go and watch it.   The graphics in the movie were cry worthy.  It brought the aesthetic it needed to the table.   Also, it has potential to be a classic.  I rate it a 7/10. 

                                                                 

                        

# 2 Monster House 

                                                             

I have a question for those who haven’t watched this?   What did you do in your childhood?   Like genuinely, okay, okay kidding. I’m only kidding, I’m just wondering who hasn’t gotten the time to watch this.  This is the literal movie that I played day in and day out during the Fall season.  Even after Halloween and Netflix made a mistake by adding it on there because I would ride the bus to school in the morning watching this.  Go to sleep with this playing in the background, I had two DVDs of this during quarantine and this is what I would watch back-to-back.   I know it sounds obsessive but it’s a part of the tradition once you watch it at your very first sleepover.                                                              Also, it’s okay if you don’t get my reasoning for the love of this movie if you never watched this, I’m going to tell you what’s it all about. 

There are three main characters:  a young boy, who is about 12-13 named DJ, his best friend an adorable boy named Chowder, and DJ’s crush and everyone’s favorite character, a girl named Jenny.                                                                               The movie introduces us to DJ’s life.   DJ is a boy who really loves all things science fiction and supernatural which at his age is understandable, but DJ just doesn’t want to be seen as a little kid who enjoys sci-fi, he wants to be a grown teenager.    He aims for being seen as an adult, but his parents get him a babysitter as they travel away on Halloween’s eve.                                                     Later in the movie we get introduced to Chowder, he’s DJ’s best friend.  Chowder wants to go play basketball and discuss plans for Halloween.  They go to play basketball in DJ’s yard when the ball falls in Nebbercracker’s yard. NebberCracker is an old house where this sad old man lives.  He hates when children or anyone steps onto his yard.  The reason why; well, his house is alive, and the boys find that out when the house eats their ball.                                         The boys are scared to go after that, but they really need their ball back.  The retreat of the ball is the piece that pushes all of the dominoes.                 Nebbercrakcer sees them and has a heart attack while screaming at DJ to get off the yard.  DJ starts to feel guilty thinking he killed a man.  The boys stay in the house scared with the evil babysitter Vee.    They meet Jenny when she’s trying to sell at the Nebbercracker house, and the boys decide they need to save her before the house eats her too.   They run to get her right as the house is going to take her in.  After the experience of what they all saw the boys and the girl become a trio.   Then we see the plot and the endgame of the movie; to disclose the secret of the Haunted House and put an end to the Nebbercracker curse. 

I am so obsessed with the ending of this movie.  It is literally a 9/10 (one point away because of the sad storyline of Mrs. Nebbercracker ).    All of the characters are funny and love how the house has the parts of a human.   Just really enjoyed how each secret played out and how the characters fought at the end.  I know most of us watched it so please go rewatch it to start off your spooky season. 

         

# 1   ParaNorman 

       

I’m being so real when I say this movie is ELITE (to me it is, you are welcome to disagree).                                                                                                                                         This movie is the movie I’m still sometimes scared to watch alone.   I mean there are a lot of scenes that make my skin crawl (the old cottage scene for sure with the dude that has the book) and make me cover my eyes because I would panic if I was in that situation.   This is the movie that my older sister picked out for herself and fell asleep on, leaving me wide awake to watch the horrors.  The animation on this movie is so life-like that the water they drank made me thirsty and it was fake.   Just know, this movie is nostalgic for me. 

The 2012   stop-motion animated comedy horror film centers its story in the town Blithe Hollow where 11-year-old Norman Babock lives.   Norman Babock is perceived to be a normal boy who just does his daily routine of talking to his grandmother, you know even though she’s dead.                                                          Yes, Norman can speak to the dead, no one believes him though.  No one except for his best-friend Neil.                                                                                                           Norman doesn’t seem to mind that no one believes him (he actually kind of understands) the only thing he doesn’t understand is why he has the ability.  He’s not special or anything, or so he thinks. 

Norman wants this to be a regular day when he just rehearses for his school play that’s based on the Salem trials, but no,  he has to have his dead ghost uncle show up and tell him he has a special ritual to do or the whole town will feel the fury of a curse cast by a witch who was wronged by Blithe Hollow way back in time.  Norman thinks this is crazy, but he also realizes this could be his purpose in this world, so he agrees to do it.                                                              Norman and unlikely companions go through obstacles fighting the undead and going through what seems like the end of the world to break the curse.  In the midst of it all Norman discovers the horrid truth behind the curse which also helps him find a piece of himself.                                                                                         Now the only thing standing between the town, and which is the decision of what Norman believes is the right thing to do.   

I love this movie so much; I rate it a 11/10.  The animation was beautiful and the lesson the story tells is so unique and something everyone should learn.  Also, it’s a fun movie for the kids and the parents, there’s a good number of jokes in there for everyone.  

                                                   

Thank you for reading my rant on more horror topics and have a good day 🙂