2025 Halloween Viewer's Guide

HALLOWEEN VIEWER’S GUIDE

So my favorite season - spooky season -  is upon us!! And that means people may need to know what to watch over the Halloween weekend.

I am not what you’d call a horror afficionado, but I do enjoy the genre and every October I gorge myself on all things scary…so I have some thoughts on the subject.

There are all kinds of horror films within the genre…for example there are slasher movies, and monster movies, and zombie movies and supernatural movies and on and on. I will try and touch upon different sub-genres to mix things up.

I tend to watch movies in bunches…so I’ll watch a series of zombie movies back-to-back-to-back…things like that…if that isn’t your thing you can just ignore those recommendations.

Alright gang, let’s buckle up and dive head first into the Halloween Viewer’s Guide!!

SLASHER MOVIES

Slasher films were a staple back when I was growing up. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre kicked off the era of my childhood and led into a series of stellar films in this genre.

Opinions may vary with some loving Freddy Kruger and the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, others dig Jason in the Friday the 13th films…me? I’m definitely a Michael Myers guy…so sign me up for…

Halloween (1978) – John Carpenter is a really great moviemaker and his greatest may be Halloween. Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasance are the leads in this movie…but slasher icon Michael Myers is the star. A can’t miss Halloween movie!! Available on multiple weird streaming services I’ve never heard.

In a Violent Nature (2024) – For something more modern, check out In a Violent Nature…a weirdly meditative slasher movie that is essentially shot from the killer’s perspective. Some of the kills in it are astonishing – if you’re into that sort of thing. Available on HULU.

CLASSICS

So every October I watch a bunch of classic Universal Monster movies. I get how people think they aren’t scary now…and some of it can be dated…but goddamn I really love these movies and love the craft and skill that went into making them.

Dracula (1931) – Dracula kicked off the big run of Universal monster movies in 1931. Bela Lugosi is great and it is a moody masterpiece that runs just over an hour. Available on Prime.

Frankenstein (1931) – Frankenstein came out nine months after Dracula and it is a decidedly creepy monster movie. The finale…which is filled with harrowing wails from the monster…is truly unnerving. Boris Karloff is amazing in the lead role. It too runs just over an hour long. Available on Prime.

Nosferatu (1922) – A phenomenal non-Universal 1922 silent movie from German master F.W. Murnau. Max Schreck as the vampire is one of the more alarming screen presences in history. There are different versions of the film available…all of them run between an hour and an hour and a half. Available on Prime.

NEWER SCARES

Late Night with the Devil (2024) – A very clever horror film that uses a late night 70’s tv show as its vehicle to supernatural scares. A terrific lead performance by David Dastmalchian, and deft direction make this a terrific choice for scary viewing. Available on HULU.

TI WEST TRILOGY – X, Pearl, MaXXXine: Ti West’s fun homage to 70’s and 80’s horror starts strong with X, and keeps going with Pearl, but then stumbles with MaXXine, but it never fails to be entertaining. A twisted and sexy Mia Goth is the perfect scream queen companion for this Halloween. Available on HBO Max.

ZOMBIES!!

Here is a really great grouping of zombie movies to watch together.

Start with…

Night of the Living Dead (1968) – George Romero’s classic is an exquisite piece of horror movie making and it never fails to be very affecting. Available on MGM+

Then go to…

28 Days Later (2002) – In this Danny Boyle update to the genre, zombies have evolved and humans are devolving. A truly unique play on Romero’s masterpiece. Available on Netflix.

Finish with…

World War Z (2013) – This Brad Pitt movie is flawed but it is a natural extension of 28 Days Later…and it has some pretty creepy moments and well-executed action too. Available on Paramount+

GENUINELY HORRIFYING

These are the movies that genuinely frighten me…so much so that I actually try not to watch them…and when I do it is during the daytime!!

The Exorcist (1973) – Not just a great horror movie…but a great movie. This film literally keeps me up at night which is a testament to its mastery. I even hesitate to write about it because it scares me so much. Available on HBO Max.

The Shining (1980) – Kubrick’s moody and menacing take on the Stephen King novel is brilliant and bizarre. A twisted nightmare of a movie that unsettles from start to finish. Anchored by a gloriously gonzo performance from Jack Nicholson. For a Shining double feature - Doctor Sleep: Director’s Cut (2019) – Dr. Sleep is a distant sequel to The Shining…and while it isn’t anywhere near the movie The Shining is…it is actually really good. Rebecca Ferguson gives a fantastic performance in the film that features one of the most disturbing scenes in recent memory. Be sure to watch the Director’s Cut only…the theatrical version is weak sauce. Both Available on HBO Max

TECHNICALLY NOT HORROR BUT TRULY HORRIFYING

Zodiac (2007) – David Fincher’s masterpiece…and yes, it is a masterpiece…is an unnerving and moody meditation on the darkness deep under the surface of the American psyche. The scene at Lake Berryessa is one of the most both brutal and horrifying ever made.

If you really want to dive in watch Zodiac and then watch Fincher’s Netflix series about serial killers – Mindhunter. Great and very scary stuff… and what makes both Zodiac and Mindhunter so scary…is that it’s real. Available on MGM+

Jaws (1975) – I saw Jaws as a kid and am still scared to get into the water…and I’m not just talking about getting into the ocean. I’m scared to go into a lake, a pond, a pool, a kiddie pool and even a bathtub. Great and very scary movie. By the way…if you want to see where Spielberg got some of his shot ideas for Jaws…go watch the Universal Classic Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). And if you listen close enough you can even hear the iconic riff that John Williams uses to such great effect in Jaws – no lie. Available on Netflix

Alien (1979) – The tagline for Ridley Scott’s Alien was “In space no one can hear you scream”…unfortunately for my neighbors  I don’t live in space because I scream my ass off when I watch this movie. A truly original film that is expertly made by the master Ridley Scott and features a terrific lead performance from Sigourney Weaver. Available on to rent or buy.

ARI ASTER

One of the great modern masters of the horror genre is Ari Aster. Aster is a terrific filmmaker – as evidenced by he’s recent work of genius Eddington. But his first two films are fascinating examples of elevated horror.

Hereditary (2018) – A genuinely creepy movie that keeps pushing viewers to the limit. A great lead performance from Toni Collette makes this movie a must see. Available on HBO Max

Midsommar (2019) – This bizarre and maniacal meditation subtly sucks you in then unleashes a world of madness upon you. Florence Pugh is brilliant as the self-centered sad sack who goes to Sweden for a much-needed vacation and ends up a diabolical Norse goddess. Available on HBO Max

ROBERT EGGERS

The other great master of the elevated horror genre is Robert Eggers.

THE WITCH (2015) – A meticulous exploration of witchery in the early Massachusetts colonies is a gripping tale that features a mesmerizing performance from Anya Taylor-Joy. A must see. Available on HBO Max.

NOSFERATU (2024) – Eggers’ take on the horror classic features a spectacular performance from Lily Rose-Depp and some of Eggers’ usual cinematic mastery. A beautiful film to look at and a wondrous addition to the vampire genre. Available on Prime.

Alright gang, those are my recommendations for this Halloween weekend. I hope you all have a great holiday and that you keep the ghosts and goblins at bay and the candies close at hand!!

©2025

Barbarian: A Review

****THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW!! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS ZERO SPOILERS!!****

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

My Recommendation: SEE IT. A flawed but smart and original horror movie that keeps you on your toes. If you like horror, you’ll love this.

I must confess that I don’t consider myself to be much of a horror movie afficionado. That’s not to say that I dislike horror movies, just that a horror movie has to be very good movie for me to enjoy it. I know people who just adore the genre and watch every horror movie and love it just because it’s a horror movie, but that’s not me.

My taste in horror is pretty specific, I love supernatural horror movies like The Shining, The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby, and I also like classic horror films. For example, this year on the week of Halloween I watched George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead as well as the Universal Monster Movie classics Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man and The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and thoroughly enjoyed them all for their originality, craftsmanship and artistry.

In contrast, I didn’t watch the most recent and allegedly last movie in the seemingly endless Halloween franchise, Halloween Ends. I loved the original Halloween (and most John Carpenter films) but I just don’t see the need to ever watch another Halloween movie.

In the wake of Halloween, the holiday not the movie, I did sit down and watch a new horror movie that has generated some buzz recently and which is now streaming on HBO Max. That movie is Barbarian, which is written and directed by Zach Cregger, and stars Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgaard and Justin Long.

Barbarian was released in theatres in September and despite having the most minimal of marketing budgets, it generated an impressive box office of $43.5 million against a $4.5 million budget.

I knew nothing about Barbarian prior to seeing it and the HBO description simply says that it tells the story of a woman who gets stuck sharing an AirBnB with a strange guy. Red flags immediately went up for me when I read that description as I assumed the movie was going to be just another flaccid #MeToo-men-are-monsters movie. As a devout kidnapping enthusiast who over the years has kept a multitude of women captive in my incredibly creepy basement, the last thing I want to watch is another scolding “men are awful” movie, thank you very much.

Fortunately, Barbarian masterfully plays with that expectation, and while it most certainly is a meta-textual meditation on #MeToo and the menace of men, which at times gets a bit too heavy-handed, it’s also a sophisticated sub-textual criticism and fascinating deconstruction of the #MeToo archetype.

I will not even begin to delve into the plot of Barbarian in order to avoid any semblance of spoilers, but will only say that, thankfully, the movie is so deftly directed and written by Zach Cregger that it’s never what you expect it to be. In fact, the film uses viewer’s preconceived notions, assumptions and cultural conditioning against them to always keep them off-balance. The film keeps its audience on its toes and is always one step ahead.

The film is structured in three acts with each successive act luring viewers deeper and deeper into the disorienting maze that is Barbarian.

The first act, starring Campbell and Skarsgaard, is so well-done as to be astonishing. Cregger plants various notions into the audience’s mind as to what type of film this is going to be…a Detroit-based Amityville Horror? A mixed-race The Sixth Sense or a mixed gender Single White Female? A straight-forward rip-off of Saw? Or is it an homage to all of the above and more?

Just when you think you know what’s going on in Barbarian, Cregger nudges you in a different direction and leads you by your nose down into a very dark and disorienting path.

Act two features the criminally under-appreciated Justin Long in a fantastically Long-ian role that spotlights his likeability and immense talent. Once again, I will not get into specifics of plot, but the jump from act one to act two is so jarring as to be cinematically glorious.

I admit that act three is the weakest of the three, and I found it to be considerably less engaging, intelligent and challenging, but, once again without giving anything away, I think that has to do with the type of horror movie that act three is paying homage to…which is my least favorite type of horror.

The thing I enjoyed the most about Barbarian is that while it’s certainly a #MeToo movie, it never panders and or signals its socio-political virtue too much. It tackles that complex topic with a nuance and complexity that is shocking for a low budget horror film.

Also tantalizing is how Cregger turns the film into a profound statement not just on the predatory nature of men but also on the apocalyptic results of Reaganism on America and the dehumanizing nature of poverty.

While there were certainly some flaws in Zach Cregger’s directing, most notably in a scene shot in dim light that fumbles perspective (to avoid spoilers I won’t say anything more than that) and act three’s many mis-steps, he’s obviously a filmmaker with some interesting ideas. One can only hope that Barbarian is a stepping stone for Cregger to make even better things.

The bottom-line regarding Barbarian is that if you are a horror afficionado you’ll love this movie as it operates from a deeply well-informed position in the genre. If you are, like me, a rather fair-weather horror fan, or are less-inclined to enjoy the genre, Barbarian is good enough to be worthwhile even though it sort of loses its way in act three.

The reality is that 2022 has thus far been an utterly abysmal year for cinema, so Barbarian, despite its glaring act three flaws, stands out because it’s a well-crafted, original piece of work, and that is reason enough for me to recommend it.  

©2022