We’re baaaaaaack! It’s every Sinner’s favorite time of year. So grab your pumpkin spice goodies and curl up on the couch for thirty-one of our favorite horror films. October just got a little creepier.
Follow Sin on Instagram all month long as she works her way down the list.
Sin Dee NYC’S
31 Halloween Horror Flicks
Sequels:
- In preparation for the November 8th release of Doctor Sleep, revisit the Stephen King classic and everyone’s favorite twins in The Shining
- Refresh your zombie brains and re-watch Devil’s Rejects. Rob Zombie decided to resurrect his devilish trio in this year’s sequel …
- If you’re lucky enough to catch a screening (or bootleg), pay homage to the great Sid Haig in the grand finale of the Firefly family in 3 From Hell
- If you’re missing Sid Haig a little too much, see a baby-faced Sid in the 1968 Spider Baby.
- Sid isn’t the only Reject familiar to the horror scene. Before Zombie’s films, Bill Moseley was better known as Chop Top in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
- The Exorcist III is hands down a more terrifying yet slightly less plot-related sequel to The Exorcist.
Simply Scary:
- Children of the Corn
- May
- V/H/S (2012)
- Zombie
- Suspiria
- The Wicker Man, Halloween but make it Burning Man. Get it?
- Let the Right One In is a 2008 Swedish romantic horror film based on the 2004 novel (which I also highly recommend).
Sinners Recommend:
- Love Witch
Recommended by resident Sin Dee NYC music reviewer, Andres Schiffino. “Specializing in alternative subcultures, underground art and film and the fringes of pop culture”, he’s my go-to for unique cult-style film recommendations.
Witches are a classic Halloween staple, but they don’t have to be ugly and covered in warts. The enchantress in The Love Witch is a curvaceous beauty who beguiles men through sorcery. Unfortunately, for her men, the spells prove deadly. Feminist filmmaker Anna Biller specializes in films seen through the female gaze and The Love Witch deals with the way men fear feminine power. A loving homage to horror films of the sixties, The Love Witch was shot in a wonderful campy style with gorgeous set pieces, lush color and actors purposefully hamming it up. The Love Witch is delightfully sexy horror film to watch in the dark with the object of your desire.
- Dawn of the Dead
Ralph Reyes is the voice behind the mask of NYHC band Mad Diesel. Lately he’s taken to social media to share the creepy and twisted shit he’s been watching. I asked him to recommend his favorite Halloween horror flick:
The dead have risen with a hunger for human flesh. Society’s structure has crumbled and anarchy runs rampant. In the midst of the chaos two S.W.A.T. team members, an air Traffic reporter, and his wife escape the city and seek shelter in an isolated mall. All seems well at first as every commodity one may need is available to them, but the ever growing population of the hungry dead and other humans trying to survive seek to encroach upon their refuge. What can be said that hasn’t been said about Dawn of Dead already? This is George A. Romero’s masterpiece and one of the greatest influential horror movies ever made. Brutal and graphic violence, a sense of impending doom, social satire and characters you actually care about are all found in this movie along with a soundtrack provided by Goblin. You can’t go wrong with this one.
- The Witch
A coworker who knows I’m a spooky kid, recommended I check out the new camp-craze VVitch on Netflix. I fell for the spell, so now I’m recommending it to my Sinners.
“Witch with two Vs” I was reminded by friends and work associates. One night in a moment of too-much-but-nothing-to-watch, I turned on what would quickly become an all time favorite. Witches, psychological breakdowns, and an adorable evil goat named Black Phillip. (Yes, I bought the Funko Pop). Try it for yourself and don’t let the historical garb fool you. There’s plenty of blood in this one.
For the little demons:
- Frankenweenie is Tim Burton’s adorbz pup before Zero.
- Monster House
- ParaNorman
- Practical Magic
- Young Frankenstein
- My Boyfriend’s Back
- Little Monsters. If you’re around my age you’ll remember checking under your bed for cool rockin’ monsters.
Really weird shit (18+):
- Ed Wood by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp – enough said.
- The Devil and Father Amorth. Good ol’ real exorcism at its finest! “In Rome, Exorcist director William Friedkin follows a 91-year-old priest who performs a real demonic exorcism on a woman from a small Italian town.”
- The Crimson Ghost is the inspiration behind the Misfits iconic skull faced logo. The 1946 film is to thank for all that fabulous merch.
- Serial Mom is one of my Mom’s favorite Halloween films. I wonder why?….
- Battle Royale has killer Japanese school kids… yes, please!
- Splatter is one of those things you just hate to love, and love to hate. Corey Feldman stars as the undead lead singer of a glam metal band who is out to get revenge on the greedy crew that drove him to suicide. It’s campy in all the right (and wrong) ways.
The Killer Finale:
- Poltergeist (1982) referenced in the intro above. An eighties classic by Stephen King and Tobe Hooper stars an adorable little girl, Carol Anne who befriends and is ultimately kidnapped by her family home’s poltergeist. Remember those nightmares of being trapped in a TV? Now you will. You’re welcome.
- Split is described as “a 2016 American psychological horror thriller film and the second installment in the Unbreakable trilogy written, directed, and produced by M. Night Shyamalan.” Having seen Unbreakable and hearing of Glass, I figured this would be more along the lines of a Sixth Sense thriller, but based on comics. I’m not the biggest comic fan and much prefer gore over being mind-fucked. However, after reading the rave reviews about the Kevin Wendell Crumb character I was intrigued… and quickly fell in love. Split is creepy, makes you laugh, and makes you uncomfortable. Sometimes you feel sorry for Kevin, er Dennis, I mean Patricia… it’s all delightfully confusing.
Featured image by Richard Scalzo, featuring Gin Black and Sin Dee
Sin Dee NYC, LLC 
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