Just realized I don't have an actual Halloween icon

[maplemood]

...but I do have a Lydia Deetz icon, which is pretty much the same thing!

October weather has...very much not been a thing so far (even though we're only two days into the month, so I shouldn't complain, but also I should and will complain, because ninety-degree weather past September is ridiculous); I'll have to jury-rig myself some October/Halloween spirit.

I did rewatch Coraline the other night, and even though I'll always think the book is scarier (not by much, to be fair), the movie is also incredibly creepy in a way that gets under my skin. The intro sequence with the mechanical spider hands and the doll! The landlady's long-lost twin sister who disappeared in the same house! The Other Father, who actually loves Coraline in his own way (and how he eventually transforms when the Other Mother doesn't need him anymore always breaks my heart, in both the book and the movie). The mice-rats! The buttons!

The buttons. 

I've been putting together a (short) list of other horror and horror-ish movies to hopefully watch in the lead-up to Halloween. Not promising myself that I'll get to them all in time, but here are the ones I've been thinking of:

Beetlejuice (see above)
The Witch
Little Shop of Horrors
Midsommar
The Suspiria remake

Beetlejuice and The Witch I've seen before, and all the rest are movies I've been meaning to watch for ages--I love horror in theory, but in practice I haven't seen a whole bunch of it. With any luck, I'll try to write up at least a couple thoughts on each movie, too. 

Comments

[sholio]

Ooh, I want to rewatch Beetlejuice too! That's such a fun movie and I haven't seen it in ages.

[maplemood]

It's SO fun, and I love it so much! Actually, I'll have to see if I can dig up this great article that I read a while ago, that basically argues that one of the things that makes it so great is that by the end Lydia has her own found family--Barbara and Adam, who are basically the attentive and sweet dream parents any kid (even a broody goth one) would want, and her dad and stepmom, who might have their issues but are understanding in the end.

[sholio]

They're not wrong! :D I love how well this movie holds up to rewatches, between Lydia being encouraged to be her own true self and not put through a makeover, and the sweetness of her friendship with the ghosts -- and as you point out here, even her actual parents aren't awful people and come around eventually. It's such a feel-good movie, which is a hilarious thing to say about a movie that starts off with the protagonists dying ... but it is, though!

[maplemood]

Yeah, for a movie where the protagonists die and the villain is a gross demon who tries to marry a teenager, it's INCREDIBLY heartwarming, and so optimistic about people in general.

[fiachairecht]

Ooh super looking forward to your Midsommar thoughts!

[skye_writer]

Little Shop of Horrors is a DELIGHT. I’ve listened to the soundtrack to the Broadway revival a bunch, but the movie wins points for having the best Oscar Bait song ever, “Mean Green Mother from Outer Space”.

Also yeah, Coraline is creepy in different ways in its two iterations. I need to rewatch and reread it at some point soon.

[acequeenking]

Oh man, I am all up in here for your Beetlejuice and Suspiria thoughts, but what a great list overall. And thank you for reminding me I need to watch Coraline.

Did you ever listen to/see the Beetlejuice musical that's on broadway now? Nowhere near as good as Hadestown (What is?) but I thought it was cute!

[maplemood]

Literally almost everybody I know has been telling me how good it is, and I really need to just sit down and watch it! Aside from everything else, I'm always down for a horror movie with a good aesthetic.

[maplemood]

Good to know. :) It's been on my to-watch list for a while.

I feel like the movie has more backstory and a little more development when it comes to the background characters (and obviously they added Wybie, who's wonderful), and the book just cuts right down to the point in a really bare-bones, creepy way. They're both SO good, though.

[maplemood]

I haven't had a chance to sit down and listen to the entire soundtrack yet, but I have heard a couple songs, and they're great! Also, my sister's listened to the entire thing and assured me it's awesome, and the performance during the Tonys was super fun.

Oh, you should totally watch Coraline! And then let me know what you think. :)

[elperian]

Happy start of Halloween! :D We've had ridiculously warm weather here too which makes it hard to get in the spirit of things - I even took down Halloween decorations I had put up in September because it was SO HOT.

[maplemood]

We had our FIRST chilly day of the season only yesterday. And it's supposed to get hot again by the end of the week. But even a little bit is better than nothing, I guess!