Beyond the Page
I’ll start my entry by saying that this Friday (the 27th) was officially five years since I moved to Ireland. Sometimes, it’s still hard to believe I’ve made this my life when I spent the better half of my early years wishing about living in an English-speaking country.
That’s all.
We return to our regular broadcast now, which is the upcoming holiday very dear to me.
Why I Love Halloween
Someone might think Halloween is not a big deal, but I’ve always favoured the more pagan view of the meaning rather than the costume part of it. You see, in Croatia, we observe All Saint’s Day on November 1st, when we honour the loved ones that are in the beyond (or whatever you believe in, is your choice). We visit graveyards and have family dinners because of this. Halloween can often be frowned upon as an “American” holiday and has to do with the devil and so on, especially if you ask some “groups” in Croatia (let’s leave it at that).
Growing up, though, I learned about All Hallow’s Eve, when the veil between the physical and spiritual world is the thinnest. Since arriving in Ireland, I also learned it’s known as Samhain, when the spirits (the AoS Si, or fairies) can cross between realms and enter our worlds.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, you’ll find it easier to see why some of my favourite movies are Witch-related, and if the last few months have shown you, I’m very particular to Wiccan stories, both in Star Wars and otherwise. There are, of course, some others I love as well.
The List
- Practical Magic (1998)
- The Addams Family (1991) & Addams Family Values (1993)
- Beetlejuice (1988)
- Hocus Pocus (1993)
- The Craft (1996)
- Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
- Orphan (2009)
- Ghostbusters (1984)
- Death Becomes Her (1992)
- Ready or Not (2019)
My Love For Witch Stories
I warned you, there are a good few Witchy stories mixed into that. Remember, Morticia studied conjuring hexes and spells, and Isabella Rossellini’s character in Death Becomes Her is never confirmed or denied to be a Witch or a Sorceress. I’m just saying, a lot of witchy storylines.
At different parts of my life, I’ve been obsessed with the Owens sisters from Practical Magic; Morticia has always been a goal, and I’ve religiously watched Beetlejuice any time of the year.
Other favourites include the likes of Hocus Pocus (and I was incredibly excited for the sequel, though let’s be fair… it’s rare for the sequel to beat the original, though it was nice to see them come back). The Craft was brilliant, but I have to watch the sequel so that it may pop onto that list for next year.
Vampire Obsession
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is my love for vampires, which I’ve always had. Since the pilot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired in Croatia, I’ve been in love with the show and its characters. Dracula 2000, though it didn’t make it to the list, was certainly high enough to mention, and was the first time I had seen Gerard Butler in a movie, and whose career I’ve since followed. But the 1992 film ranks above most vampire movies for me.
Ghostbusters have always been a fun choice. While I’ve never sought to re-watch this movie as some of the ones mentioned above, I enjoy letting it play when it airs on TV and have seen it many times. Of the newer ones, Orphan’s been on the list of scarier movies for a while. If you haven’t seen the original, you want to; it’s brilliant. The recent release of the Prequal was terrific, too.
Movies I Won’t Watch
You’ll notice there aren’t many horrors on that list.
The truth is, there are horror movies I wouldn’t watch. Take Conjuring, never have and don’t plan to. The same could be said about most Saw movies or Paranormal Activity. It’s not my cup of tea, and it probably has to do a lot with my beliefs about the after world. But I’m okay not knowing.
It was recently, though, when I watched Ready or Not (2019), and frankly, there aren’t too many modern movies intended to be scary (there is a supernatural element to it), but this one was pretty mind-blowing. The suspense was just brilliant, and the main heroine was badass.
And there you have it, the list of my favourite Halloween movies honouring the upcoming holiday.
Let me tell you straight away…. HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ONE AND ALL!
In the next blog post for Wednesday Creativity segment, I’ll tell you about my Just One villain (or one of them), so stay tuned for that.
What Are Your Favourites?
In the meantime, tell me about your favourite Halloween movies. Do you enjoy Witch, supernatural or Horror? Why do you like it? Have you seen Orphan (2009) and Ready or Not (2019)? What about the Orphan: First Kill sequel? Brilliant.
Don’t forget to tell me who’s your favourite Halloween character. Two of mine are Morticia and Lydia Deetz (and I’m looking forward to the upcoming Beetlejuice sequel and Wednesday season 2).
Finally, tell me you’re excited about Halloween.
As usual, like, share, subscribe. Make sure you comment and tell me about your favourites. I’ll wait; this is one of the best discussions, right after my favourite movies.
Until next time…
~ Love, L.V.
L.V. Luca 
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