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PAGE 6 | WWW.OBUSIGNAL.COM Frightful films: Ten must-see movies for spooky Halloween watch parties
BY WYATT ASHLOCK
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Staff Writer
Halloween has finally arrived and one of the best ways to celebrate safely is to put on a movie to watch with a few of your friends. These are my top 10 selections for the best Halloween films, which are guaranteed to get you into the Halloween mood.
10. “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” (1966)
It’s time to go back to Minnesota to see the whole Peanuts gang. Charlie Brown goes trick or treating while Linus has convinced Charlie Brown’s sister Sally to stay up all night with him waiting for the Great Pumpkin to arrive.
9. “Unbreakable” (2000)
David Dunn (Bruce Willis) is the lone survivor of a train wreck that killed 132 people. Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) offers answers that Dunn is seeking as to how he survived without a scratch, and these answers will change Dunn forever.
8. “Disturbia” (2007)
This modern day “Rear Window,” starring Shia LaBeouf, is about a teenage guy on house arrest. Cabin fever begins to set in and he thinks that his next door neighbor might be a serial killer. When no one believes him, he must get proof before someone else dies, all without leaving his house.
7. “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” (2019)
On Halloween night in 1968 in the small town of Hill Valley, a group of teens sneak into a house that is supposedly haunted. All they find is a book full of stories, but this film shows what happens when the scary stories we tell around the campfire come true.
6. “Split” (2016)
M. Night Shyamalan’s sequel
to “Unbreakable” focuses on a man whose 23 personalities have kidnapped three girls. These girls must escape before a 24th personality, who is supposedly worse than the others, threatens them. This sequel is a must-watch thriller for Halloween fans.
5. “Poltergeist” (1982)
The Freelings are an average California family until ghosts communicate with them through their television one night. At first the ghosts seem friendly, but they turn menacing when they take the Freelings’ 5-year-old daughter.The family’s only hope to get her back is to turn to a parapsychologist and eventually an exorcist to help save their daughter. This classic horror film created by Stephen Speilberg is a great spooky watch.
4. “The Sixth Sense” (1999)
Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is an average kid except for one thing: he can talk to ghosts. The only one who can help him is child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis). While Dr. Crowe tries to uncover the truth behind Sear’s abilities, an awakening happens to both of them. This classic film by M. Night Shyamalan is one of the most thrilling movies to watch on Halloween.
3. “A Quiet Place” (2018)
In a post-apocalyptic world, everyone must live in silence to avoid creatures that hunt by sound. Even the slightest noise can bring death, so Evelynn (Emily Blunt) and Lee (John Krasinski) will do whatever it takes to keep their children safe. Written and directed by Kransinski, this is an exceptional film that tells a story without using words.
2. “Ghostbusters” (1984)
After a team of scientists lose their jobs at a university in New York City, they must use their skills to save their town from ghosts. While ghost hunting, they find a doorway to another dimension that will destroy the world. These ghostbusters have to save the world from total destruction.
1. “Hocus Pocus” (1993)
After moving to Salem, Max Dennison (Omri Katz) accidentally frees the Sanderson Sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) from exile. He must capture them once again before the three witches put a spell on the whole town. This film is a cult classic that continues to grow in popularity throughout the years.
All of these films are excellent Halloween watches and many are available on streaming services.
Age-old tradition meets supernatural holiday
BY ASHLYN SEIBERT
Staff Writter
Halloween is a favorite holiday among many young Americans, but the history of the holiday is not quite as common knowledge as you might expect.
Many Western holidays, such as Easter, Christmas and even Halloween, result from blending pagan traditions and Christian ideologies. While Easter and Christmas are recognized as primarily Christian holidays, Halloween is seen as more secular.
Many of the Halloween traditions that we are familiar with originated from the Celtic festival Samhain, which was celebrated to commemorate the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter. However, the date became associated with Christianity when Pope Gregory III moved the celebration of All Saints’ Day from May to October.
Trick-or-treating is a prime example of a Halloween tradition that demonstrates the holiday’s syncretic origins. Trick-or-treating seems to have a combination of influences from Christian traditions as well as pagan Celtic traditions.
The Christian influence is in the practice of sharing soul cakes, or souling, which dates back to 16th century Britain. The tradition consisted of groups of people (or soulers) going around a village asking for soul cakes, which is very similar to today’s trick-or-treating.
Partaking in similar activities while in costume was known as “guising,” which was likely tied to the belief of spirits being active during the night. Wearing a mask or costume was a way to ward off evil spirits and it eventually developed into the activity we know today.
In the past, children would have to perform some sort of “trick,” like singing a song or telling a joke, before receiving anything in return. This practice eventually developed into the saying “trickor-treat.”
The tradition of carving jacko’-lanterns originated with the Irish tradition of carving faces on vegetables, traditionally turnips, scooping out the insides so they could be used as lanterns. This was also supposed to help frighten off evil spirits, which were believed to be most active around the time that Halloween is celebrated.
The jack-o’-lantern got its name from folklore, after the mischievous bog light spirits of the same name, also known as Will o’ the Wisps. There is also a story that is tied to the name about a drunkard named Jack who has multiple encounters with the devil. Each time, Jack tricks the devil. When Jack finally dies, he is not allowed to enter heaven because of his evildoing. However, the devil refuses to accept him into hell because of their history with each other. As a result, Jack is forced to roam the earth with a turnip lit by a coal from hell to guide him.
Treats and spirits aside, Halloween is a very popular holiday. From required tricks to an unfortunate drunkard, Halloween is as spooky and haunted as ever.
