October is the season for horror movies.
When Halloween-lovers aren’t getting spooked at parties, haunted houses or trick-or-treat outings, they are catching up on their favorite horror flicks and new releases.
This year, cinema fans have a pretty big selection for consideration. Already released to check out are “Honeymoon,” “Tusk,” “The Purge: Anarchy,” “As Above, So Below” and “Deliver Us from Evil.” And within the next three weeks a new batch be available.
Ending up at No. 2 at the box-office last weekend, Warner Bros’ “Annabelle” goes the route of the old-fashioned demon doll trope in horror along the likes of Chucky from the “Child’s Play” franchise. For those who aren’t sick of vampires yet, there’s a new Dracula film on the origins of the infamous character called “Dracula: Untold” with Luke Evans. From the looks of the new feature, fans of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 “Dracula” are probably more inclined to enjoy “Untold” than say fans of the Tod Browning 1931 classic.
The late 1990s saw a trend of horror flicks centered around teenagers – “Scream,” “Urban Legend” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer” among them. This month a new set of teens are tormented by an infamous board game in a film called “Ouija.” Much like the previous scary movies, “Ouija” will most likely be viewed by those who are near the same age as the characters or fans of subgenre in general.
And for a traditional slasher flick, the indie produced “The Town That Dreaded Sundown” next week seems to be along the lines of “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th” for horror fanatics.
For the creepy and freaky, but not completely frightening, Jake Gyllenhaal and Daniel Radcliffe lead Halloween night with “Nightcrawler” and “Horns.” The films, popular features at the festival circuits of 2013 and ’14, are finally going to be available for audiences.
“Nightcrawler,” not to be confused with the comic book hero, stars Gyllenhaal as a mentally unstable freelance reporter obsessed with night crime and underground journalism. “Horns,” based on Joe Hill’s book, has Radcliffe in the lead as a man who discovers he has horns after his girlfriend is murdered.
For families or younger viewers not intending to go to bed with nightmares, “The Boxtrolls” and “The Book of Life” might be the best options. October is a month for partiers and also for movie-lovers. Have a spooky time.
mbianco@durangoherald.com. Megan Bianco is a movie reviewer and also contributes other entertainment related features and articles.
