Halloween is a time for spooky and scary movies, but it is also a time for fun and excitement, although with a ghoulish subtext. While there are many movies to scare you, there are also a great number that just make you smile and help you remember Halloween is also a holiday meant for fun. Here are some movies to kick-start your Halloween parties and are sure to liven up any festive celebration.
“Ghostbusters”
2011 presented fans with a revival of the classic “Ghostbusters” movie. The film was re-mastered and re-rereleased into theaters and, while dated in some areas, holds up just as well today as it did almost three decades ago. “Saturday Night Live” alumni Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray star alongside Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis in this 1984 comedy horror movie. While many remember the movie as a fun, lighthearted horror spoof with a giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man as the bad guy, the movie actually has some solid scares and works well as a scary horror flick for a new generation of kids.
The plot stars Aykroyd, Murray, and Ramis as three men who start up their own Ghostbusters business and soon discover there really are ghosts haunting areas of New York. They end up in over their heads when one client turns out to be the gateway portal for an evil monster set to invade our world with the intentions of conquering it. It all ends with a battle against a giant, smiling marshmallow creature.
“Zombieland”
More recently, Bill Murray paid homage to his “Ghostbusters” days with a fun cameo in “Zombieland,” a comedy set in the world of a post-apocalyptic zombie invasion. Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg star as two men who meet up after the zombie outbreak and head out to find other survivors. They find two girls with plans of their own and eventually meet up with Murray, playing himself in his lush Hollywood mansion. It is here that fans get to see Murray relive some of his old “Ghostbusters” fun. Now, if he can only be convinced to return for a third movie in that franchise.
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”
While “Ghostbusters” is a lot of fun to pull out at Halloween, there is no bigger Halloween party movie than “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The movie plays year-round in many locations, selling out midnight showings weekly, but it hits worldwide every Halloween.
The film stars Tim Curry, who plays the demented Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a scientist who creates his own Frankenstein’s monster in the blonde Rocky Horror. The movie also features two stranded motorists, one played by Susan Sarandon, and a creepy handyman named Riff Raff, portrayed with excellence by Richard O. Brien. There are cult movies and then there is this, the king of all cult horror movies.
Heading to the movies? Get an instant mobile coupon to use at select theaters for free popcorn!