Scariest Halloween movie: Halloween vs Scream
HALLOWEEN–IT’S LITERALLY IN THE NAME
Halloween. It’s one of those cult classics—a movie most teenagers brush off as living room couch make-out fodder to play soundlessly in the background. It’s a bit dated, but I’d argue it’s the single best and scariest Halloween movie out there. “Bold claim,” you might venture to say, and yes, dear reader, I’d agree with you. However, out of dozens and dozens of spooky, scary, and downright terrifying Halloween-themed movies, I think Halloween by John Carpenter is the best for three reasons.
Reason number one is the thrill factor–there is nothing more bone-chilling than being followed by a guy in a creepy face mask. Especially one who refuses to die, even after being shot six times and falling off a second-story balcony. Michael Myers, the antagonist, is a crazed killer, who hunts down teens in a remote town in Illinois. Nothing screams “Halloween thriller” quite like a vengeful murderer killing teens.
“I watched that movie as a kid, and it was terrifying,” said Aleena Schadler, 12. “But I’m not really sure if it’d be that scary anymore just because I already know what’s gonna happen.” If this matches your opinion on scary movies, try finding new films or even rewatching old ones (like Halloween) in the pitch black of your basement. Trust me, it definitely ups the scare factor.
For reason two, we must turn to the box office. Halloween, during the first week of its release in 1978, garnered a staggering $1.27 million–compared to its budget of $300,000, and with its lack of a major studio, this is an impressive feat. But the first weeks earning pale in comparison to the total earnings: $47 million. This puts Halloween in the top rankings for most successful independent films of all time.
Finally, the most obvious of reasons: it’s literally called Halloween. October is spooky season, and October’s most popular holiday shares a name with this incredible movie; not through coincidence, but by association.
Regardless of the multitude of spooky movies out there, Halloween (and its franchise) takes home the trophy for best and scariest Halloween movie. It combines a strong thrill-factor with high-grossing box office numbers and an iconic name. What’s not to love?
by Aeryn Hart
Scream for Scream
Scream. A classic stalker horror movie, it’ll leave you on edge of your seat, keep you looking behind your shoulder. This spooky, chilling movie makes you wonder what’s coming next. You may be thinking, “Out of all horror movies, you pick Scream?” Yes. I’ll elaborate some reasons why.
To start, what is more scary than a grim stalker chasing you around with a scythe? To answer the question, nothing. Imagine sitting in your room, home alone, and getting a phone call from a spam number saying they’re looking at you. Yes, you might be thinking, “Simple-I will just ask them what I’m wearing and prove them wrong.” While, you can use that to try and catch a prank, it’s all fun and games until the “spammer” details everything you’re wearing.
To which I get to my next point: the scare factor. So say, you are an upperclassman in a small town somewhere in California, and you get stalked, chased, and killed by a mysterious ghost-faced stalker. You may be thinking this is an overdramatized, dated movie that only was scary when everyone else thought it was scary. I can agree—to an extent.
Rewatching this movie at 15, I find it even more intriguing and mysterious. Scream went from a chiller movie that made you look over your shoulder for a few days to realizing that our society places stalking as an unfortunate norm.
The celebrity-filled horror comedy will make you laugh and put your head under the blanket all at the same time. Pretending the movie isn’t scary is like looking a killer in the face and smiling. Chilling. Scream and the series behind the original 1996 movie is the scariest, most popcorn-grabbing movie. Lastly, if you don’t believe me, ask the box office and the six million people that left the theater on the verge of screaming.
by Hailey Drew