My Favorite First-Time Watches of October 2024
Read if you dare...find out my favorite movies from this year's Spooktober Marathon!
Welcome back to another Spooky edition to Long Story Short! I hope you all enjoyed my Spooky Shorts list and discovered a new Halloween favorite. Though I love my short films, today’s picks are all feature-length, as I spent much of this month watching all sorts of scary movies. Not all of them were great, and I even dropped a rare half-star rating on Letterboxd for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Kenan, 2024), easily my choice for the worst movie of the year thus far. However, I’d consider this month a success as I gained a deeper appreciation for the horror genre. This October was my most stacked Horror Movie Marathon yet, as I finally remedied some of my most embarrassing blind spots. Though they’re not always my favorite, horror movies often provide some of the most iconic cinematic moments of all time, and I saw that in full force this Spooktober. Without further ado…here are my favorite watches of October 2024!
Scream (Craven, 1996)
At the beginning of the month, I asked my close friends to tell me their favorite horror/Halloween movies. Scream was the most popular answer (shout-out to Maria and Faith for having good taste 🖤). This movie is a blast from start to finish and a rare example of satire done right. I often scoff at cheeky, ironic humor because it communicates a sense of contempt for the very thing it’s satirizing. Scream is the opposite. It is evident that Wes Craven loves horror movies, and while he playfully mocks the tropes, he also knows how to make a damn good one. The opening of this film is masterful with terrific camerawork, a fantastic performance from Drew Barrymore, and delightfully sinister voice work from Roger L. Jackson as the iconic Ghostface. The rest of the film is equally captivating, with Neve Campbell playing a compelling lead character and Marco Beltrami providing an invigorating score. Scream is frequently terrifying yet simultaneously humorous: a delicate high-wire act it somehow nails. It’s funny hearing all the horror movie references in the film, knowing now that Scream has deservedly taken its place among the very best of them.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Hooper, 1974)
This one recently topped Variety's list of best horror films of all time, so it had a big reputation to uphold. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a terrifying horror film with some of the most gruesome imagery I’ve ever witnessed. The goriness and loudness are so relentless that it’s almost too much to bear by the end, but I can’t say it isn’t effective. However, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is more than just a mere slasher. Despite its vile contents, Tobe Hooper’s film is a beautifully crafted piece of art. While often disgusting, the cinematography is beautifully composed, especially the opening shot, which makes stunning use of the sunlight. The production design is also immaculate as the dilapidated houses make the perfect setting for a truly nightmarish tale. It’s an inspiring demonstration of how to make the most of a minuscule budget. While the film’s slow pace might be a turn-off for some, I admire the film’s calculated approach to building tension. Even in the midst of Leatherface’s ear-piercing chainsaw or Sally’s blood-curdling screams, the film’s most unnerving moments are often in the calm before the storm.
Corpse Bride (Burton & Johnson, 2005)
I still need to catch up on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Burton, 2024), but I did finally watch one of the esteemed director’s older Halloween staples. Corpse Bride is an absolute delight and represents the best qualities of Tim Burton. This film has the most gorgeous animation with a beautiful gothic aesthetic and dazzling character designs. The introduction to the Land of the Dead is particularly exciting with a rollicking musical number taking inspiration from The Skeleton Dance (Disney, 1929). This month has made me realize that dancing skeletons are one of my favorite cinematic inventions! Corpse Bride may not have the most compelling narrative, but it has a big heart and loads of charm. It’s up there with The Nightmare Before Christmas (Selick, 1993) and Coraline (Selick, 2009) as one of the best stop-motion films for the Halloween season, and I can’t believe it took me so long to give it a chance.
Carrie (De Palma, 1976)
Thank you Alison for recommending this one for my marathon because this watch was long overdue. I must admit that I wasn’t quite sold on Carrie for much of the runtime. Though he is an undeniably talented director, Brian De Palma’s misogynistic gaze is hard to ignore during the first part of the film. I also found the segments with John Travolta and Nancy Allen rather uncompelling. So, how did Carrie make the cut? The last third of the film is truly exceptional: equally terrifying and heartbreaking. The prom sequence is possibly one of the best-directed scenes I’ve ever seen, and it’s not hard to understand why it’s one of horror’s most legendary moments. It’s a scene that loses none of its power from spoilers, as its inevitability makes it so devastating. Even though I knew it was coming, it shook me to the core. That’s the mark of a great story. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the work of Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie, whose performances elevate this film into a timeless classic. Of everything I watched in October, Carrie is the one that stuck with me the most.
Special Mention - Heartstopper: Season 3
I usually focus on movies here at Long Story Short, but I also wanted to give a shout-out to the TV shows that brightened my mood this month, especially in the midst of all the horror. Since its debut in April 2022, Heartstopper has captured my heart like very few pieces of media ever do, and this latest season made me fall in love all over again. Season 3 strikes a darker tone than the previous two with Charlie undergoing severe mental health struggles from his eating disorder and body dysmorphia. The series gracefully handles this subject matter while also tackling a variety of other issues. Even as it treads more serious waters, the show is still as romantic and uplifting as ever with a beautiful depiction of intimacy. Alice Oseman continues to beautifully adapt her graphic novel from page to screen, faithfully portraying Nick and Charlie’s love story while also fleshing out the supporting cast. As a fan of the books, it was simply magical to see Nick and Charlie’s first “I Love You” come to life. Also, between this and Agatha All Along, October was truly the month of Joe Locke, and I hope his star skyrockets because he is a one-of-a-kind talent. Heartstopper continues to be a shining beacon of LGBT representation, and it’s easily one of my favorite TV shows. Of course, I hope we get a Season 4, but if this is the end of the show’s life on Netflix, it will have concluded on a lovely note.
Special Mention - Only Murders in the Building: Seasons 1-3
It’s tough to find a show that the whole family will enjoy in my household, but Only Murders in the Building is a certified hit! My parents, brother, and I spent many nights over the past month binging this series, and it’s safe to say we’re hooked. This show is so much fun with delightful humor and spellbinding mysteries. Most of the credit belongs to the central trio, whose dynamic is endlessly enjoyable to watch. Martin Short steals the show as the eccentric theater director Oliver Putnam, but Steve Martin’s lovably awkward Charles Hayden-Savage is also a treasure. While she made a decent enough pop star, I’m thrilled to see Selena Gomez focusing on her acting career since she’s always had such a charismatic screen presence, which is on full display here. She keeps up with these comedic titans with ease. That’s to say nothing of the irresistibly catchy theme song, which has been stuck in my head for weeks. We still haven’t gotten through Season 4, so there are still plenty of mysteries left to solve. Here’s to more Only Murders in the Building nights in November at the Marcopulos household!
Other Favorites from October 2024
The Thing (Carpenter, 1982), Hair-Raising Hare (Jones, 1946), The Tell-Tale Heart (Parmelee, 1953), It Follows (Mitchell, 2014), The Wild Robot (Sanders, 2024), A Nightmare on Elm Street (Craven, 1984)
Favorite Rewatches of October 2024
The Skeleton Dance (Disney, 1929), It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Melendez, 1966), Zone (Ito, 1995), Swing You Sinners! (Fleischer, 1930), The Big Shave (Scorsese, 1967)
Thank you for reading, and I hope you’ll check out these movies and shows! I must admit that my Halloween spirit didn’t extend much further beyond my watchlist, so there’s not much of a costume to showcase. Instead of a Halloween party, my family had an early celebration of my dad’s birthday where we dressed up like characters from one of his favorite movies, The Sting (Hill, 1973). I also went to a lovely wedding (Congrats Makenna and Justin!) and celebrated with some line-dancing to Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”! Most excitingly, I met one of my celebrity idols, Nia Vardalos, at the Saint Sophia Cathedral Greek Festival in Los Angeles! Safe to say, it was a month I won’t soon forget!
