Halloween Weekend Movie Suggestions

For Halloween movie goodness everyone often turns to the horror section of their video store. When I was nine I saw POLTERGEIST and that pretty much kept me away from the horror genre for the next...oh...24 years (and counting). So, may I recommend some of my favorite films to pop in the ol' DVD player come trick or treat time...

When you mix Ernest P. Worrell and any holiday only good things will happen. Everyone knows Ernest saved Christmas, but when you might not know is that Ernest also had a hand in saving Halloween as documented in the 1991 big screen adventure ERNEST SCARED STUPID. The fourth of the nine Ernest films finds the commercial pitchman up against an evil troll who is accidentally unleashed on a small New England town on Halloween night. Big-Time comedy ensue as Ernest must learn how to defeat the troll with the help of an old witch (played by Eartha Kitt.) As I've said before, and I'll say again at Christmas, you just can't go wrong with an Ernest flick.

One of the only times you'll find me recommending a Bette Midler film, HOCUS POCUS is a really fun Halloween movie. Three kids match wits with a family of 300 year old witches who are accidentally unleashed on a small New England town on Halloween night. Midler plays one of witches along with Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimny. Bette Midler sings but not "Winds Beneath My Wings". See, it's not that scary!

Here's the setup for SPACED INVADERS, a ship full of aliens hears a rebroadcast of Orson Wells' WAR OF THE WORLDS radio show and mistaken it for the real thing. They head to Earth to join in the alien invasion where they are accidentally unleashed on a small New England town on Halloween night. One of the little aliens wears sunglasses and talks like Jack Nicholson...how funny is that!?

This one doesn't take place on Halloween, but since Elvira only works in the month of October it's fitting to watch her debut movie ELVIRA MISTRESS OF THE DARK at Halloween time. Elvira travels to Massachusetts to attend the reading of her Aunt's will. Along the way there are plenty of puns and bad one liners. After some comic mischief, Elvria's boobs are accidentally unleashed on the small New England town on what might as well be Halloween night. It's a good time, and I'm proud to say I saw this gem in the movie theatre 18 years ago.

Got any Halloween favorites you'd like to share with us?