Movie Mag | Special Issue | 31 Nights of Halloween 2023 #1

MOVIE MAG SPECIAL ISSUE | HALLOWEEN #1 OCTOBER 2023

THE EXORCIST | WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Table of Contents Introduction!

31 Nights of Halloween Schedule!

31 Nights of Halloween 1-10!

31 Nights of Halloween Ranked!

2

31 Nights of Halloween!

Welcome to this special issue of Movie Mag where we begin our countdown to Halloween and do a watch a day in honor of Spooky Season!

This issue highlights the first ten days of our 31 Nights of Halloween marathon which included Poltergeist, American Psycho, The Exorcist, Crimson Peak, Ginger Snaps, The Addams Family, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Suspiria, The House That Jack Built, and The Shining!

Read quick recaps of what we thought of each movie as we watch them!

At the end we keep our running rankings of the entire marathon and how it changes each and every week!

We hope you enjoy this special issue for Spooky Season 2023 and we look forward to bringing you more movie content every month!

“they’re here.”

Poltergiest (1982)

31 Nights of Halloween 10/1 10/2 10/3 10/4 10/5 10/6 10/7 10/8 10/9 10/10 10/11 10/12 10/13 10/14 10/15 10/16 10/17 10/18 10/19 10/20 10/21 10/22 10/23 10/24 10/25 10/26 10/27 10/28 10/29 10/30 10/31

poltergeist american psycho the exorcist crimson peak ginger snaps the addams family a nightmare on elm street suspiria the house that jack built the shining the blair witch project sleepy hollow friday the 13th the burning rosemary’s baby zodiac the nightmare before christmas casper hocus pocus beetlejuice scream the wolfman se7en evil dead rise the amityville horror trick ‘r treat it’s the great pumpkin, charlie brown psycho the silence of the lambs a clockwork orange halloween

Poltergeist Release Date | June 4, 1982 Director | Tobe Hooper Distributor | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Budget | $11 Million

POLTERGEIST | METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER

A Solid Start to 31 Nights of Halloween By: Wil Brienza Poltergeist has been on my watchlist for a while now. My whole life anyone who mentioned this film talked about it highly, and it is considered a horror classic. This was my first watch, and during this watch, I did recognize a few scenes which means I probably caught a glimpse or two when I was younger and one of my parents had it on. I was a little underwhelmed, but it was still a solid movie. I really enjoyed the use of television light as the main source of lighting for many scenes. My favorite scene in Poltergeist is when we finally see the clown come to life, which is anticipated throughout the entire movie. This is probably the scariest part of the movie when the clown drags Robbie under the bed, meanwhile, Diane is in her room being dragged across the ceiling. This scene is complete chaos and easily the best in the movie.

A Pretty Okay Start to 31 Nights of Halloween By: Kory King Watching Poltergeist for the first time as an adult man who’s been around the block a few times certainly didn’t give this film any special feelings for me. Watching in a cold dark studio-room in my house at 12:00 AM made for quite the slog of an experience. Being the first day of the 31-day watch and the first day of October, I don’t know if my heart was fully in this one to begin with. Hopefully later I can circle back around to this one considering I tend to love anything Spielberg touches. I recognized a lot of this film, and I began to wonder if I had actually seen it and just not realized it.

After a bit of thought I realized that I was drawing all my flashes of recognition from the parody hit film, Scary Movie 2.

Glad I watched this film so I can move onto some better films in this marathon. I enjoyed this experience enough to walk away with a more positive feeling about Poltergeist.

Wil | 7/10

POLTERGEIST | METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER

Kory | 6/10

American Psycho Release Date | April 14, 2000 Director | Mary Harron Distributor | Lionsgate Films Budget | $7 Million

AMERICAN PSYCHO | LIONSGATE FILMS

An All-Time Performance and an All-Time Favorite By: Wil Brienza American Psycho is one of my all-time favorites. Christian Bale delivers an awesome performance, which he usually does, but this is my favorite of his. It is very hard to find a flaw in this movie. The first time I watched it back in college, I remember thinking this movie is insane, and sometimes doesn’t make sense, but I love it. I am now close to probably ten total watches of American Psycho, and still can’t find a thing to hate about this movie. The soundtrack is top tier and the music commentary that Patrick Bateman provides is incredible. During this last watch, I thought to myself, this movie is just truly wonderful. My favorite scene in American Psycho is a basic pick, but the Paul Allen murder scene. Do you like Huey Lewis and the News? Everything about this scene screams iconic. From the song to Bale’s line delivery and the little dance he does before swinging the axe. It is truly hard not to pick this scene.

American Psycho Gets Better With Every Watch By: Kory King I watched American Psycho for the first time when I was 15 and only just getting into watching critically acclaimed films that invoked thought. But my first watch was very underwhelming, and I ended up swearing off ever seeing it again. Halloween of 2022, I watched it again with some friends at a party and found myself thinking it was okay. Coming back to it again in October of 2023 I actually liked the movie a lot. The mystery of Patrick Bateman’s true identity engaged me through the entire runtime even though I already know the end result is left open for interpretation.

There’s so much to like and appreciate about this film. This movie doesn’t come with as many “Halloween vibes” as some of the other movies on this list, but an October night is the correct way to experience this word. This film will grow on you more and more, and I can’t wait to see if my opinion will grow even more in the future.

Wil | 10/10

AMERICAN PSYCHO | LIONSGATE FILMS

Kory | 8/10

The Exorcist Release Date | December 26, 1973 Director | William Friedkin Distributor | Warner Bros. Pictures Budget | $11 Million

THE EXORCIST | WARNER BROS. PICTURES

First Watch Leads to New Annual Fall Watch By: Wil Brienza I finally did it, I watched The Exorcist. This movie is obviously a classic and has been pushed off by me for years, for honestly no reason. I knew I’d love it based on hearing the main theme my entire life. I will say I did not expect the first ten or so minutes, but once I heard Tubular Bells for the first time, I settled in. This movie surely did not disappoint, being more of an unsettling horror than scary, but it still left me uncomfortable, which is all I was looking for. Linda Blair did an amazing job as Regan and the screenplay from William Friedkin and William Peter Blatty was absolutely insane. The ending was unexpected, but man did I love it. My favorite scene from The Exorcist is when the devil is forcing Regan to do unholy things with the cross which leads to the ultimate slap to her mother. This scene is very unsettling and truly makes you cringe, which was probably the goal when writing this film. It is also interesting and sad when you know that the reaction from Ellen Burstyn hitting the wall/ground after the slap was authentic due to her suffering an injury when filming that shot, which still impacts her today. I am glad I finally got to this movie, but upset it took me this long.

The Exorcist Surprised Me By: Kory King The Exorcist is a movie I have had on my list for a long time but as usual, I haven’t had the time to move on to watching it. Thanks to this marathon we’re doing here at Movie Mag, I got my chance. The film is much darker, and modern in ways that I was totally surprised by. The first half had its slow moments but that was expected considering it’s a film from the 70’s. There’s a lot of sorrow and mourning in the film, and I didn’t expect the film to make such strong decisions in its runtime. The score had a couple moments to shine which I appreciated. My first watch was in the basement/living room of my brother’s basement while house sitting for him and his wife who just had their first baby, and the rainy/stormy October night made for a well-worthy watching experience. Can’t wait to circle back around to this film again in the future.

Wil | 9/10

THE EXORCIST | WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Kory | 7/10

Crimson Peak Release Date | October 16, 2015 Director | Guillermo del Toro Distributor | Universal Pictures Budget | $55 Million

CRIMSON PEAK | UNIVERSAL PICTURES

A Slow Start That Twists and Turns into a Great Third Act By: Wil Brienza This was another first watch for me, and this one was a recommendation from my good friend Mo. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, you know it’s at least going to be decent, and the beginning was a little slow, but once it picked up the pace, I loved this movie. Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, and Jessica Chastain played the three main characters and were all incredible. The way the movie was shot leaves you with an eerie feeling throughout, and the design of the ghosts is terrifying. The third act is insane and closes the movie in a very strong way. My favorite scene from Crimson Peak is actually towards the beginning and that is the murder of Carter Cushing. This scene was very unexpected and disturbing, and it was really the scene that got the ball rolling. Thank you, Mo.

Crimson Peak is Such a Strange Film By: Kory King I watched Crimson Peak in its entirety completely shrouded in mystery and ignorance. This movie actually stuck with me due to the fact that it has such a different premise and a visual style that is unmistakably Guillermo del Toro.

Unfortunately, I didn’t realize it until the end but only Guillermo del Toro uses cold, dark, and blue stone, mixed with grimy bronze metals and Victorian architecture. Wil thought the movie was slow through the first hour, but I didn’t feel that at all. I was completely wrapped up in this tale and charmed by the actors and all their charisma. The cast is smaller than most big budget films, but the rest of the budget is well dedicated to a beautiful set design. I rarely found myself bored with the film, and I’m ashamed it took me this long to get to know this film. I may not be the biggest Guillermo del Toro fan, but this film is an absolute win to me.

Wil | 8/10 Kory | 7/10 CRIMSON PEAK | UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Ginger Snaps Release Date | May 4, 2001 Director | John Fawcett Distributor | Lionsgate Films Budget | $5 Million

GINGER SNAPS | LIONSGATE FILMS

Spooky Season Fun from Start to Finish By: Wil Brienza I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this movie, but to my surprise I enjoyed it. Sure, the acting isn’t anything to write home about, but the story is captivating, and the practical effects are incredible. I thought the opening scene was insane, and it was a great way to hook the audience and the story honestly never slowed down which made for a fun watch. My favorite scene from Ginger Snaps was the first chase scene that led to Ginger’s transition. The shots were great, the music accompanying the scene was perfect, and it left you on the edge of your seat till the van came in and saved the day. This might be a new staple for spooky season marathons.

My God Ginger Snaps Was Not For Me By: Kory King When I started Ginger Snaps, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t having the best day. But I was looking forward to watching this movie blindly and not knowing anything about it. Within the first 15 minutes I knew it wasn’t going to be for me. It took me 3 hours to get through the first 30 minutes of this early 2000’s edge-lord emo fest. With every minute the movie did slightly begin to grow on me. Here and there that process would be interrupted with really cringy filmmaking and dialogue. It might be in the top 30 worst movies I have ever seen. I severely unenjoyed my experience by the end of it. I would’ve liked the film much more with somebody watching with me so I can at least laugh my way through it. The reality was me putting my head in my hands and forcing myself to finish this film that I EASILY would not have finished if not for this magazine.

Wil | 7/10 Kory | 3/10 GINGER SNAPS | LIONSGATE FILMS

The Addams Family Release Date | November 22, 1991 Director | Barry Sonnenfeld Distributor | Paramount Pictures Budget | $30 Million

THE ADDAMS FAMILY | PARAMOUNT PICTURES

An Underwhelming Adaptation of an Iconic Family By: Wil Brienza I thought I would like The Addams Family more than I did, but it was honestly kind of boring at moments. I remember watching The Addams Family Values as a kid, and remember liking it a lot. This just fell short for me. I now know this was my first time watching it because I did not remember any of that movie. The acting was great, and obviously, it’s the fun characters we all know and love, it just seemed slow, and the story was not all that exciting at moments. My favorite scene from The Addams Family was when Wednesday and Pugsley put on quite a performance in their play.

The fake blood created the most interesting scene in this movie. I will say this movie wasn’t bad, but it was decent at best.

The Addams Family Rewatch Was Slightly Fun, Slightly Disappointing By: Kory King I had seen both of The Addams Family movies before when I was a kid. I didn’t realize it until the end though when I said to myself “when’s the part where Wednesday goes to camp?” A little research helped me discover that was a sequel film, and I had always mushed the two movies together. It’s the same problem I had when rewatching all the Halloween films last year, and I had always thought Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers were the same film. I had to split the movie up into two days due to being busy, but it didn’t hurt my watch experience. I was hoping this movie would be like Coraline where I think it’s an okay Halloween film and walk away actually loving the fun mystical vibe of the movie. It wasn’t even nearly as fun but still there is a lot of fun to be had in this movie. I can at least say I plan to watch the second movie before the Halloween season comes to an end.

Wil | 6/10 Kory | 6/10 THE ADDAMS FAMILY | PARAMOUNT PICTURES

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Release Date | November 16, 1984 Director | Wes Craven Distributor | New Line Cinema Budget | $1 Million

A NIGHTAMRE ON ELM STREET | NEW LINE CINEMA

The Most Creative Horror Icon By: Wil Brienza Boy, this never gets old. I absolutely love this movie the same as I did the first time I watched it. Wes Craven is a wizard.

The concept alone is wicked and so creative, that you must respect this movie on that alone. For me though, flaws are hard to find in this one as well. Every dream sequence is scary and has you biting your nails. The practical effects are awesome, and Robert Englund as Freddy is as iconic as a casting choice gets. I also love how it makes you feel like Tina is going to be the main character, then boom, she gone. Nancy is one of the greatest final girls of all time, like I said, hard to find flaws. My favorite scene from A Nightmare on Elm Street is the death of Glen who is played by a young Johnny Depp. He decides to take a little nap with his TV in his lap when he and all around him gets sucked into a hole in his bed, and all that follows is an open fire hydrant of blood spewing from the hole he was sucked into. This was one of the first on-screen deaths that made me want to see more horror, especially from Wes Craven. This is an annual watch if not more than once a year.

Of Course A Nightmare on Elm Street is a Yearly Event By: Kory King Robert Englund is a gem. Anytime someone wants to have A Nightmare on Elm Street rewatch, I’m always ecstatic to see this film again. My first time watching this movie in its entirety was at the end of 2022 when I was looking for a new classic slasher series to work through after my Halloween rewatches. It doesn’t even hold a candle to that franchise, but I still love every entry in this series. I had to watch this film during the day when I had time because I missed my chance to watch it on the 7th so it got a double feature with Suspiria. Still any time and any day works for this film because I already have given it the proper time of day and am firm on my love this movie. This movie coupled with A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors will forever make the cut in my Halloween movie rewatches.

Wil | 10/10

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET | NEW LINE CINEMA

Kory | 8/10

Suspiria Release Date | August 12, 1977 Director | Dario Argento Distributor | Seda Spettacoli Budget | N/A

SUSPIRIA | SEDA SPETTACOLI

Phenomenal use of Color and Score to Make the Watch Worthwhile By: Wil Brienza I’ll be honest, this movie was super hyped up to me, and it wasn’t bad, but it was a little underwhelming in the plot itself. The story is decent, but what makes this movie worth watching is the incredible use of vibrant colors and a toptier score from Goblin. When it comes to making a horror score, I think Goblin needs a little more recognition. The scores from both Suspiria and Tenebre are incredible and both from Goblin. The use of vibrant blues and reds also makes this movie captivating to the eyes. My favorite scene from Suspiria is the opening scene where we see two early on-screen murders, but the use of suspense, color, and music in this scene alone captivates the best parts of what this movie has to offer.

Suspiria is a Clutch Experience to Have By: Kory King I sat down to watch Suspiria after finishing A Nightmare on Elm Street that very day. Unfortunately, Sunday the 8th was the busiest day I could’ve asked for so again, I had to split the movie in two due to traveling for work the next day.

An unfortunate mishap of timing ended up making the watch experience of a lifetime. Eight O’clock on a dark and stormy afternoon in lower West Virginia and I had just finished setting up some media players at my last store of the night. I pre-booked my hotel using my credit card and arrived to the news that the room I bought had already been sold. Therefore, I was upgraded to the King-Suite in the Holiday Inn I was staying at and hooked up my device to the TV in my temporary living room. Wind, rain, and the dead of night while blasting the movie in my Airpods shot this movie all the way to the top of my marathon watchlist. What a color palette, what a score, what a film.

Wil | 7/10 Kory | 9/10 SUSPIRIA | SEDA SPETTACOLI

The House That Jack Built

Release Date | October 17, 2018 Director | Lars von Trier Distributor | Les Films du Losange Budget | $9 Million

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT | LES FILMS DU LOSANGE

Fantastic Trip of a Film with a Confusing Ending By: Wil Brienza This movie is balls-to-the-wall insanity. Broken up into five incidents, they get right into it with the first incident featuring a short-lived cameo from Uma Thurman. This was my first watch, and Matt Dillon delivered an all-time performance as Jack, a serial killer psychopath with obsessive-compulsive disorder. That sentence alone is a task for any great actor, and Dillon absolutely crushed it. Lars von Trier did not hold back in this one, letting it all loose. The pacing is on and off and the ending is incredibly confusing, but it wasn’t to tarnish this movie too bad. I would consider this a must-watch for any fans of psychological thrillers. My favorite scene from The House That Jack Built is the third incident. This scene is incredibly disturbing, but it is perfect when showing how much of a maniac Jack really is. He takes his girlfriend and two sons on a hunting trip where he proceeds to kill both kids and forces his girlfriend to have a picnic with their corpses before killing her. This scene has your jaw on the floor from start to finish.

A Casualty of Fun During the Crunch By: Kory King Due to my work schedule, I was also forced to split this movie in half. Half of it after Suspiria, and the other half I had to loosely watch/listen while I was working in grocery stores. It sounds awful but this is sometimes how I complete my watch-throughs on a crunch. Especially films I’ve seen before like A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Shining. This is the first casualty of being a young and busy 22 year old with nothing holding him down except work, and friends. This movie is very auditorial thanks to Jack’s narration/confessions, but I still missed the flare of the small, animated sections of storytelling. The ending was less desirable, and I paused the movie more times than I can count, but all in all I enjoyed this experience a lot. I’ll have to experience the movie as intended some day when it’s time to revisit a lot of the films on this list.

Wil | 8/10 Kory | 7/10 THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT | LES FILMS DU LOSANGE

The Shining Release Date | May 23, 1980 Director | Stanley Kubrick Distributor | Warner Bros. Pictures Budget | $19 Million

THE SHINING | WARNER BROS. PICTURES

You Can’t Get Much Better Than This By: Wil Brienza This movie truly is a masterpiece. Between the direction from Stanley Kubrick and a phenomenal performance from Jack Nicholson and the rest of the supporting cast, this movie is as good as it gets. Another story based on a Stephen King novel; it is a staple for every spooky movie marathon. It still blows my mind that this film did not receive a single nomination for an Academy Award. This movie also includes one of my favorite intros to a movie, and it isn’t scary, it’s just beautiful scenery around a car on a winding road with the iconic Main Theme playing and it just gets you buckled up and ready for the entire 144-minute runtime. My favorite scene from The Shining is the stair scene where Jack is walking his wife Wendy backward up the stairs while she is swinging a baseball bat. In this scene right here, Nicholson showcases what going insane would look like perfectly, and it is truly scary because of that. You then couple that with the directing choices of Kubrick, who did many takes, and it feels super authentic which is even scarier. If you haven’t seen The Shining, what are you waiting for?

The Shining Shines Brighter on a Second Watch By: Kory King The Shining is a movie that I have admittedly seen only once before. Directly after I got fired from the job, I was most passionate about. I sat in my parent’s basement (as most due my age after losing a career) and tried to distance myself from my family. I didn’t want them to see how tore up I was inside, and I most-definitely didn’t want their sympathy’s, help, or advice for depression. I was more lost than ever, and I decided to just take all the time I had now and use it to my advantage. I went movie after movie catching up on films I had never got to see, and I gave The Shining my undivided attention in a dark basement. This go around was less desirable being half on my phone while I work and finished in a hotel. But I can confidently say that this movie just seems to get better with every watch. It didn’t need my cinephile/movie critic brain, so I got to just experience how fun the movie is, this time around.

Wil | 10/10 Kory | 9/10 THE SHINING | WARNER BROS. PICTURES

l i W #1

Marathon American Psycho

#2 A Nightmare on Elm Street #3 The Shining #4 The Exorcist #5 The House That Jack Built #6 Crimson Peak #7 Ginger Snaps #8 Suspiria #9 Poltergeist #10 The Addams Family

Rankings! #1

Ko

Suspiria

#2 The Shining #3 A Nightmare on Elm Street #4 American Psycho #5 Crimson Peak #6 The House That Jack Built #7 The Exorcist #8 The Addams Family #9 Poltergeist #10 Ginger Snaps

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AMERICAN PSYCHO | LIONSGATE FILMS