by Justin Query

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One sometimes has to always save the best for last, so whether a classic representation of a familiar monster or an updated take on a genre film that came decades before it, some horror films are simply meant to serve as the sinister Santa Claus that waves to the crowd as this treacherous Thanksgiving parade comes to an end.

We’re mixing our holidays a bit, but what cannot mince words here are the final films of this month’s long viewing guide, complete with a Halloween night screening that warned you that the end was always near.

Happy Halloween, kiddies.

Front Center Seat will see you again next year …

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10.26 … Fright Night (1985)

High school horror junkie Charlie Brewster (William Ragsdale) wants to both make good grades & make out with his girlfriend (Amanda Bearse), but when he suspects that his new neighbor (Chris Sarandon) is the vampire responsible for a recent surge in local deaths, he’ll need to enlist the help of midnight monster movie host Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) in order to save his family & friends in this horror comedy directed by Tom Holland.
Available on Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Max.

10.27 … An American Werewolf in London (1981)

John Landis directs (what he has called, on record) a Univeral Pictures comedic horror movie about two backpacking friends attacked by a wolf in Europe. But when David (David Naughton) survives and is visited by his dead, decomposing friend Jack (Griffin Dunne), David is told that he will transform into a werewolf and destroy many lives, including the nurse (Jenny Agutter) who brought him back to health.
Available on Amazon Prime.

10.28 … Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Consummate loser Shaun (Simon Pegg) can barely keep the vital signs of his life – including his friendships, his job, and his romances – active in this horror comedy directed by Edgar Wright. Now, the Universal Pictures’ unlikely hero will be charged with saving his family & his friends & perhaps the rest of the world from a zombie apocalypse seemingly isolated to the United Kingdom in this undead satirical motion picture.
Available on Peacock.

10.29 … The Exorcist (1973)

They’re called “classics” for a reason, and this controversial picture – directed by William Friedkin – earns that praise. Allegedly said to have inspired faintings & heart attacks when screened in theaters, the Warner Bros. film tells the story of a young girl (Linda Blair) apparently possessed by the devil and targeted by two priests (Jason Miller & Max Von Sydow) determined to save her soul from the demon.
Available on Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Max.

10.30 … Halloween (1978)

All roads lead to Haddonfield when it comes to Halloween, and in director John Carpenter’s hands, the story of a seemingly unconscious serial killer – tenaciously terrorizing one of genre films’ leading scream queens (Jamie Lee Curtis) – remains absolute nightmare fuel and one of the best ways to embrace the spooky season.

Available on Amazon Prime.

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Classic Terrors Midnight Feature
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

Written & directed by pop culture lunatic icon Rob Zombie, this bloody food blender of MTV-infused stylishness and Texas Chain Saw Massacre tonalities from Lionsgate Films finds some road-tripping friends discovering a sideshow horror museum-slash-fried chicken shack that won’t appear to let them hit the road. Try as they might this Halloween night, they’ll be introduced & reintroduced to the sinister family that lives nearby. And if their luck doesn’t imrove, they may become fixtures in the museum itself forever.
Available on Amazon Prime, AMC+, and more.

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And now … your Halloween night feature of fright!

10.31 … Trick ‘R Treat (2007)

Nowhere else is there a greater horror film that demonstrates the wonder of Halloween: one part fear, one part fun. In this anthology film written & directed by Michael Dougherty, viewers will spend an evening in a small town celebrating the spooky season, where some will see the morning daylight and where some will die.

Meanwhile, everyone watching will have a wonderful time …

Happy Halloween, reader!

Until next fear — er, year!

Front Center Seat will keep the candles lit for you …