The Blue & White

by Izabela Waniek

Halloween recently passed. Because of COVID-19, we weren’t really allowed to go trick-or-treating or go to any parties, so most of us stayed home and watched Halloween movies. Some Halloween movies are considered to be some of the best movies of all time, while others can be corny and difficult to watch. Here are my 10 Halloween movies ranked from worst to best:

10. Blair Witch (2016) Watch it on: Netflix, Amazon Video, YouTube Blair Witch is about a young man and his friends venturing into the Black Hills Forest in Maryland to find out more about his sister’s disappearance. They believe that her disappearance could be connected to the legend of the Blair Witch. But as the group spends more time in the forest, a menacing presence makes them realize that the legend is real. This movie had some good jump scares and you never knew what was going to happen next. However, it was not filmed like a regular movie. Instead, they made it so it looked like the actors were recording on a regular filming camera. So, you could never see anything clearly because of the unsteady camera movements. Also, we never really got to know the characters, they were just plain and shallow. The ending of the movie was also disappointing. I had no idea what happened and had to search up what happened in the end.

9. Hubie Halloween (2020) Watch it on: Netflix Hubie Halloween is about Hubie Dubois, the town’s good-natured community volunteer who wants to make Halloween safe and fun. However, Hubie is the town’s victim of bullying and pranks. But, as Halloween night goes on, Hubie finds himself in a real investigation of a real murderer. Many people had high expectations for this movie because it featured many beloved actors from childhood shows such as Noah Schnapp, Peyton List, Paris Berelc, Karan Brar, and many more. It also featured Adam Sandler as Hubie. However, the actors that everyone was excited for were only in the movie for a few seconds, and some didn’t even have any lines.

The movie was very confusing at first and here were many different side stories for other characters and it was very difficult to understand. But, everything tied together at one point in the movie. Overall, Hubie Halloween was pretty corny and not super entertaining. Adam Sandler did a great job portraying Hubie Dubois, but the movie seemed to be making fun of 90s- Halloween movies, and didn’t do the best job.

8. Alien (1979) Watch it on: Hulu, Amazon Video, Video Alien is about a crew of astronauts woken up halfway through their sleep on their way back home to investigate a call from an alien vessel. One of the crew members encounters eggs inside the alien ship and an organism jumps out of one of the eggs, attaches itself to him, and puts him in a coma. Alien was not an extremely scary movie, but it was very unexpected and had a good plot. I wish we got to see more of the alien and I wish there were more jump scares. The lighting in this movie was also just very dark and gloomy which was somewhat fitting for the story, but made it hard to see what was going on. This movie was pretty average so that is why it is not the best on this list.

7. Halloweentown (1998) Disney+, Amazon Video, YouTube Halloweentown is about Marnie and her kids following their grandma to Halloweentown and they find out that they are a family of witches. They also find out that their family is involved in a battle with evil that is trying to take over the world. Halloweentown is a classic Disney Channel movie and is a good one if you want to watch a throwback. But, the special effects were not realistic and the acting from the children was less-than-stellar. But, if you grew up in the Disney Channel era, then this movie is a good one for you. The ending was also pretty unexpected.

6. Twitches (2005) Watch it on: Disney+, Amazon Video, YouTube Twitches is about two twin sisters, Camryn and Alex, who were separated at birth. They reunite on their 21st birthday and find out that they are royalty in a magical realm named Coventry. They then find out that their birth mother is still alive and needs to be saved from the Darkness that once separated them. Twitches is another classic Disney Channel movie that is great if you want a throwback. The plot is corny in the best way possible. They characters are also all very lovable and we get to know most of them pretty well. The movie was full of typical 2000’s cliches and was very predictable but is still very entertaining to watch.

5. The Shining (1980) Watch it on: YouTube, Amazon Video The Shining is about Jack Torrence, a writer who agrees to take care of the Overlook Hotel in Colorado during the winter. He moves in with his wife and son. The hotel caretaker tells Jack that other winter caretakers have gone psycho because of the hotel, but Jack doesn’t take it too seriously. His son, Danny, starts to have demonic visions and Jack starts to become a homicidal maniac who is hell-bent on terrorizing his family.

The Shining is an iconic horror movie that has phenomenal acting and Jack Nicholson did an amazing job portraying the creepy role of Jack Torrence. However, the movie does not make it higher on the list because it does get dragged on for a little while. The Shining is 4 hours and 33 minutes long, and could easily be cut down to at most 3 hours and 30 minutes. It got boring to watch because there were unnecessary scenes. The ending was also confusing and I had to look up what it meant, but when I figured out what it was, the whole movie made more sense and it felt complete.

4. Us (2019) Watch it on: Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Video Us is about Adelaine Wilson returning to her childhood home for summer vacation accompanied by her husband, son, and daughter. She starts to remember the traumatic events that happened to her when she lived there. Her fears become a reality when four masked strangers invade their home, but when the masks come off, Adelaine and her family realize that the strangers look just like them. These strangers put their family in a fight for survival and horror. Us was a very entertaining movie to watch. The acting was amazing and the setting and lighting made the movie seem more realistic. However, the movie was hard to understand at times. They never really explained how the “Tethered”, or strangers, came to be. There were many details in the movie that symbolized things but you wouldn’t know unless you looked up what they meant.

But once you understand what the whole movie’s message and point is, it makes it that much better. The ending of Us is probably one of the best endings I’ve watched, but again, was confusing. Once I looked up what actually happened, I understood the movie better as well.

3. It (2017) Watch it on: Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Video It is about Bill Denbrough and his friends. They are trying to find Bill’s little brother, Georgie, who mysteriously disappeared when he went outside in the rain to play with a paper boat. Bill and his outcast friends must come together and find him. Little do they know that a shape-shifting demon, known as Pennywise, has come out after 27 years of hiding. The children have to battle their worst fears in order to defeat Pennywise, who isn’t so easy to defeat.

It was another great movie with amazing acting and a great portrayal of Pennywise, which must have been such a difficult role to play. The movie was easy to understand and incorporated humor, horror, and drama. They way that the teenagers acted was spot on, and that’s what made it more entertaining. There were some jump scared and creepy scenes, and even Pennywise was funny and creepy at the same time. The only negative thing I have to say about this movie is I wish Pennywise had more screen time.

2. Hocus Pocus (1993) Watch it on: Disney+, Amazon Video, YouTube Hocus Pocus is about Max Dennison, who recently moved to Salem, Massachusetts from Los Angeles, California. When his sister and their new friend, Allison, go to explore the Sanderson Sisters’ house, Max lights the black-flame candle, a candle that is rumored to bring the three witches back from the dead. The rumor turns out to be true, and Max, Allison, and his sister, have to stop the Sanderson Sisters from becoming immortal.

Hocus Pocus is a classic Disney movie that is great for families, but isn’t too childish. The acting was amazing and it had many funny moments in it as well. The movie was not scary, but more of an entertaining movie. It was easy to understand and everything was explained well. The characters are all so lovable and you really get to know them by the end of the movie. Although it’s not scary, it is a great movie to watch on Halloween, it is definitely one of my favorites.

Annabelle (2014) Watch it on: YouTube, Amazon Video Annabelle is about Mia and John Form, who are expecting a baby. John thinks he found the perfect gift for Mia, a porcelain doll, which she likes to collect. But when two devil worshippers invade their home, they take the doll and put a demon inside it. Now that the demon is in the doll, Mia and John do everything they can to get rid of it, but it keeps coming back. Once Mia has the child, and the demon does everything it can to get rid of the baby.

Annabelle is one of my favorite horror movies. Dolls are just so creepy to begin with, and the way Annabelle was designed is just very scary. This movie had jump scares, was entertaining, unexpected, and had amazing acting. The prequel makes the movie that much better as well. This movie incorporates murder as well as demonic things, which are both two big aspects of horror. That fact that Annabelle is based on a true story makes the movie that much more scary. Annabelle is definitely a must-watch movie for Halloween. It left me scared for a few nights as well.