Halloween is my favorite time of the year. I can pretend that spending my time watching strange horror movies on Netflix is normal and healthy. The season is the reason, and all that. And, now I’ve got something more to look forward to every October.

I started Netflix Dumpster Dive in 2016 on a whim, and while it’s a fairly small endeavor, it’s been something I’ve been proud to keep running for this long. And now, on my favorite holiday, it has lasted two years. I’ve been through a lot of changes in life and in the format of this series, and I’m looking forward to another year of scouring Netflix for the best (and the occasional worst). For now, though, we have big business to attend to.

I do horror movies far too often for me to just find one and call it a “Halloween Special.” Last year, I went about compiling a categorized buffet of different movies for people to pick from. I was a fan of that, but, I wanted to approach things a little differently this time around. I think in the spirit of anniversary, it’s best to revisit Halloween and horror classics and try to flip them around.

What I want to do this Halloween is find movies that can match the style or themes of the staple films. There are movies we’ve all watched so many times on Halloween, that we want to watch again because they’re classics. But, it can get tiring going back to things we’ve already seen. So, this time around, I’m going to try and achieve the feelings that some of the classics give us, but are newer, so that we get to experience Halloween as we want, with a fresh face.

Some of these get pretty close to the originals. Others, not so much. Some I’ve made the connection primarily on concept alone. But I think all of these films are worth watching this Halloween for their own reasons. So, raise a glass of blood-colored punch with me, for the second anniversary, and Halloween special of Netflix Dumpster Dive.

 

Night of the Living Dead – Ravenous

I’m not going to give the “I love zombies” spiel again, because I’ve done it so often. What I will say, however, is that Night of the Living Dead is one of my favorite Halloween movies. Not quite as much as Nightmare Before Christmas, but it’s up there. And, naturally, being the first zombie movie to rocket the genre into the mainstream, it’s an All Hallow’s must-have.

Ravenous invokes a similar idea to Night of the Living Dead. We get a clear idea of what’s going down, and it’s heavy, and then move right into our characters and bringing them together. The early movie only has moderate glimpses of the zombies, but we get just enough to know they’re creepy and dangerous. I’m not the biggest on the running zombie trend, but, I do actually love the behavior of the zombies here. They’ve got that Romero zombie vibe of “muscle memory,” doing somewhat human things here and there, but when they’re ready to bite, they bite. Not to mention their sound. They don’t moan like old school zombies, and they don’t demonically hiss like newer zombies. They just yell. Loud, humanlike, rabid yelling. It’s somehow haunting in spite of how normal it is.

There are few times you can go wrong with a zombie movie, especially on Halloween, so Ravenous is a movie I definitely recommend throwing on. Fair warning for English speakers though: if you can’t deal with subtitles, then you’re not going to like this movie, as it is not available in English.

Coraline – Seven in Heaven

Those who have seen Seven in Heaven are now scratching their heads, and possibly considering reporting my site for offense against the masterpiece that is Coraline. Hear me out, though.

Yes, I would be lying if I said I enjoyed Seven in Heaven as much as I do Coraline overall. But, Seven in Heaven was a shockingly fun movie. Now, it’s not all that similar to Coraline as far as content or style goes. It couldn’t be much further. But, the idea of a broken-mirror universe, where everything is off, is the kicking-off point for both movies.

Coraline is horror that slowly builds over time. Seven in Heaven is less subtle and the horror comes from the suspense of the escape. And yet, I couldn’t help but feel the underlying Coraline vibes while I watched. It’s a very different take on the alternate universe, but it’s also weirdly familiar.

You won’t find any catchy songs or button eyes in Seven in Heaven. But, you will enjoy it, alone or with a group of friends. There’s tons of chemistry going on with the actors as well, so even if you don’t have the same vibes I do, the movie itself is great, and a worthy Halloween pick.

IT (Old and New) – Bedeviled

Disclaimer, before I dig myself further into a hole. This is an instance where the fun comes from how silly the movie is, but also, the fact that it does have almost the exact premise of IT and tweaks it.

A supernatural being that knows people’s fears and shapeshifts into them. It can control many people and events, but seems to have a vendetta against a very particular group of friends. I could be talking about Pennywise, or I could be talking about Mr. Bedevil, because the villain of Bedeviled is nearly the same as the titular character of IT. The main difference between the two is that Mr. Bedevil is limited to using his tether (a mobile app) to stalk and kill his victims. Hell, the IT remake practically has one of the same jumpscares from this movie (which actually came first), down to the clown and red balloon.

I love IT, especially the 2017 version, and again, I’d be lying if I said that Bedeviled hits the same level of enjoyment. However, I like Bedeviled a lot, for different reasons. It’s silly. Ridiculous. And not all that scary. But it was fun. It watches like an IT parody, and I think it’d be a great movie for a group of friends this Halloween.

“Slashers” – Terrifier

Slasher movies have so many fans that hold them to high regard. For that reason, I decided not to equate this to any single slasher in particular. I think that there’s something to be said for loving a good slasher movie, but Halloween’s about the fun of it all, so I’m choosing something that checks all the boxes, even if it doesn’t quite have the significance that people assign to the classics.

Terrifier is disgusting. It’s painfully upsetting. The gore is over-the-top and unrealistic, but what makes it uncomfortable are the ways the killer causes the gore. While killer clowns are a little tired by now, Art the Clown was a great villain. He isn’t humanized, he’s not given a sad backstory, he’s just a maniac (or is he?), and the way he moves and emotes is creepy and amazing. David Howard Thornton, the man behind Art, is way too good at playing his character, and really makes this movie stand out.

The way Terrifier is shot cries of vintage, down to the practical effects. While slashers aren’t my preferred cup of tea, I did enjoy the movie for what it was. While Art the Clown already appears in other films by the same director (including a short film also titled Terrifier), I think there’s untapped potential for a franchise, especially if Thornton reprises his role. Just, no more of that sawing scene. Please.

If you’re the slasher type, I don’t see any way you could dislike Terrifier. It’s worth the watch to see all practical effects return to horror, and a new murderer take the stage.

The Blair Witch Project – The Ritual

I’ve talked about The Blair Witch Project more times than I can count in this series, but I can’t help it. It’s a cultural phenomenon for a number of reasons, and another movie that Halloween lends itself to a watch of. However, there’s been more and more movies I’ve been finding that can go toe-to-toe with the titan that this film is. And, since I started this little list with a Netflix Original, I think it’s only best to cap it off with one.

The Ritual is incredible. The cast has undeniable, powerful chemistry, and the suspense of the movie is amazing. It accomplishes so much of what The Blair Witch Project did while still being its own, gripping movie. It’s definitely my overall favorite of this list (though Seven in Heaven really gave it a run for its money), and it’s worth watching without a second thought, especially if you’re a Blair Witch fan.

And there we have it. There’s a lot to choose from in this list, lots of ups and downs and different styles of movie, but all of these have similarities to the classics that make Halloween a great movie-watching holiday. If you’re trying to emulate the old school with a fresh face, any of these is a great pick. Ravenous and Terrifier will supply you with that familiar zombie horror and slasher gore that their equivalents did. Seven in Heaven is quirky and funny while also being a thrilling twist on the dimension-crossing idea. Bedeviled is hilariously ridiculous and reeks of B-horror, while still giving off IT vibes. And, The Ritual is well crafted and acted, and can take you into the woods with a group of amazing characters to experience being lost with a monster in a new light.

Take your pick. There’s a lot to offer. And stick around, because we’ve got another year of Netflix Dumpster Dive on the way. Happy Halloween.

 

Thank you for reading! If you want to be notified of when the next Netflix Dumpster Dive comes out, feel free to follow the site, and you can also follow me on Twitter. I published my new fantasy book in July, and it’d mean the world if you’d check it out, and if it’s not your cup of tea, share it with someone who might like it. Thanks again, and I hope to see you here next time.

-Vincent

 

© 2018 Vincent C. Russo. All Rights Reserved. This post is intended for review and constitutes fair use. These films and any images used belong to their respective owners.