I'm on a roll here. I think that I can go the rest of the week for Halloween. Halloween is the kids holiday. Sure, teenagers and adults dress up even more slutty than they do that night than any other night (and have an excuse to do it) but it is/was a big kids holiday when I was growing up. The trick-or-treaters got fewer and fewer every year. The kids started going out earlier and it got to a point where people would get angry if you're still out at 8 or 9 at night. That's how it was in my neighborhood. But when I was a kid? It really was candy heaven.
Halloween's coming up and I pretty much have an essential childhood list of movies that I watch during this time every year. Maybe that's why I'm regressing. It's the upcoming holiday. I used to love it. I guess I still do. I don't exactly have a reason to hate it. So, let's make that list of Halloween features I watch every year with pictures and maybe some youtube material.
1. Eerie, Indiana: I was the kind of kid who read every book in the RL Stein catalog. I loved Goosebumps, I loved his more "adult" novels, and I especially loved anything from the Fear Street Series. I love horror and stories that are just creepy. Eerie had all of those elements. Even though it was a kids show, there was definitely a very, very dark/realistic elements to their stories. Here are my top five Eerie, Indiana episodes. Thanks youtube!
- The Dead Letter: Starring future Spiderman, Tobey Macguire, was particularly heartbreaking. Tobey's a ghost and all he wants is to deliver a letter to his true love.
- Foreverware: Would you really like to live forever in a Tupperware box? Yeah, these people did.
- Who's Who: Girl who lives in an abusive family can make her drawings come to life! Oh man. I wanted this one to be real. Can you imagine altering your reality just by signing your name at the bottom of a sketch?
- Heart On A Chain: A kid dies, he's an organ donor, and gives his heart to a girl who needs it. The girl is Marshall's first real crush and the boy who died also had a crush on her! Bad times ensue.
The Lost Hour: What happens when you ignore DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME?? THIS happens. Watch it.
2. Disney Channel? It used to be awesome. This was a long, long, long time ago before they started exploiting Miley, Hilary, Lindsay, and others. Disney had a lot of really great original programming designed for kids that really showed kids how to be kids and not to grow up too fast. Sigh. Nostalgia. Anyway! They had a block of movies on every Friday called "Triple Feature Friday" and I still have a tape of one in particular that featured: Canon Movie Tales - Hansel and Gretel, The Worst Witch (with Fairuza Balk and Tim Curry), and of course the ever present Hocus Pocus.
3. Okay I cheated in #2 since there were three movies in there but all highly recommended! Disney Channel also made a great mix of their scariest/fun themed Halloween stories called Disney's Halloween Treat. You can watch the whole thing here. I mean, I'd like to find somebody that WASN'T freaked out by Night on Bald Mountain from Fantasia. I mean ... terrifying as a child and even now I don't want to watch it at night. That's for sure.
4. Halloween makes me think of fairy tales. Everyone gets dressed up in costumes like Snow White and Cinderella and I know that that's likely because of the Disney versions of those characters but I don't think about Disney. I think about Faerie Tale Theater.
- Rumpelstiltskin: I don't know how I could pick just a few favorite stories but I'm going to try. This is the very first episode of the series and it stars Shelley Duvall as the Princess who spins gold. It's just fun watching her spin it and then struggle to think of the name Rumpelstiltskin. But, she's a clever one.
- Rapunzel: This is my favorite for one reason only --- radishes. You'll see why. This one stars Shelley Duvall again and a gorgeous Jeff Bridges.
- Cinderella: Jennifer Beals is Cinderella, Eve Arden is the step-mother, and Matthew Broderick is Ferris the Prince. Absolutely gorgeous outfits in this one.
- Snow White: No one plays crazy as well as Vanessa Redgrave and then you get to stare at the gorgeous Elizabeth McGovern as Snow White. This is one of my favorite versions of Snow White. It feels really delicate and Elizabeth plays a wonderful Snow White.
- The Little Mermaid: Sure. I love the Disney version. But this is the most memorable Little Mermaid that I've ever seen. It's just a sad, sad story and that's what I like about it. This one stars Pam Dawber and a handsome and young Treat Williams.
- Hansel and Gretel: I love pretty much all versions of this story but this one and the Canon one are my favorite. Joan Collins plays a bitch of a step-mother/witch and little Ricky Schroder is Hansel. The batter looks so good in this version.
5. What is Halloween without Are You Afraid of the Dark? These still creep me out. I'll admit it. I just like the originals though. It stretched a little out into 1996 but that's where it stops for me. The stories became different, the cast changed, and it was no longer the same show. It was solely Canadian and wasn't aired for an American audience.
- The Tale of the Dream Girl: This one has always been my favorite episode. I loved the brother/sister relationship that the two had in the story. They were friends as well as siblings. The story itself is original and sad but romantic in its way. So, I totally fell in love with the guy in the episode at a young age. Imagine my surprise when that guy popped up on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Queer as Folk! Hi Fab. Pretty much the longest television crush I've ever had on anyone, ever. Oh and yes. It was the inspiration for a movie that had the same theme in it. Released in 1996. Starred Bruce Willis. You know.
- The Tale of the Frozen Ghost: There are two things that I hate with a fiery passion when it comes to horror stories. Dead ghost kids and their dead ghostly whispers. It will never fail to freak me out and run crying to Mommy. That said, this episode will always scare me and I don't think that I've watched it since the mid-90s. It guest stars Clarissa Explains It All star Melissa Joan Hart!
- The Tale of the Lonely Ghost: DEAD. SILENT. KID. PLEH. *shudders*
- The Tale of the Prom Queen: I love this story. LOVED. LOVED. LOVED IT. I think it's because I'd describe it the way that I'd describe The Tale of the Dream Girl. This story is sad, original, but also romantic.
- The Tale of the Vacant Lot: Shy girl stumbles upon a tent that sells everything she needs to make her popular. She has no money so the shopkeep takes something else instead. Who didn't want to be the shy girl turned popular girl? But it comes with a price.
I could seriously do this all day or night as it is. Like I said, Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. As a kid I used to do the trick-or-treating thing, come home, and enjoy all of the above. I did discover one more show that evoked the spirit of the shows and movies that I've listed. Dead Like Me, particularly the last episode of the series, had everything that I wanted in a Halloween special. There are kids, a reflection on childhood, candy, and death. You can watch that here. Hope you enjoyed this one!
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}