Today’s Top 10 is a good one for the people who love Halloween but don’t like being scared as much as they like the costumes and fun of it all. Brian Reeves from Kansas City contributed this good-humored list of funny horror films. If you have a Top 10 list you’d like to contribute, email me at eric@scene-stealers.com. Here’s Brian:

Another Halloween is upon us, which means it’s time for costume parties, trick-or-treating with the kids, and scary movies. Well, not always “scary” movies. I consider myself a big horror movie buff. I’m the guy in college who watched every horror movie I could get my hands on. Good ones, bad ones I didn’t care, if it falls in the horror section, chances are I’ve seen it. But I figure there are going to be a lot of articles this week talking about scary movies you should watch for Halloween, so I’m going to take this one in a little different direction. I was originally going to write a list of the Top 10 reasons “Paranormal Activity” was a sucky movie, but I decided there was only so many creative ways to call a movie boring and uneventful. (Really, a slightly moving door and people standing in the dark is scary? Really?) Instead, I decided to have some fun with this list. After all, isn’t Halloween really about having fun? Dressing up as crazy things, getting together with your friends or family, and having a good time is what it’s all about. With that in mind, my thoughts immediately turned to one of my favorite films of the year, “Zombieland.” It’s a perfect combination of a few scares and good laughs–a perfect movie for this time of year. So with out further ado, here are my Top 10 fun movies to enjoy on Halloween.

10. Transylvania 6-5000 (1985)

Okay, there’s more comedy here then horror to start off, but this one is safe for the whole family. A movie financed by the Dow chemical company in order to spend “frozen” finances that the company had in Yugoslavia, this 80’s comedy takes us straight to the heart of classic monster country. Frankenstein has reappeared in Transylvania and an American tabloid wants in on the story. They dispatch two reporters, Jack Harrison (Jeff Goldblum) and Gil Turner (Ed Begley Jr.) to investigate. With Carol Kane, Geena Davis, Jeffery Jones, and Michael Richards all making appearances in the film, it’s like a name-that-actor trivia challenge for the adults in the room. The presence of the Wolfman, two hunchback lab assistants, and even a mummy makes sure all of the classic Transylvania monsters are present to get in on the fun. Campy, Cheesy, Perfect.

Gil Turner: Do you smell perfume?
Jack Harrison: Yes. I know what was in this room.
Gil Turner: What?
Jack Harrison: The Creature from Estee Lauder.

9. Mars Attacks! (1996)

I had a hard time deciding if this movie even belonged on the list since it’s really more sci-fi than horror. But then I decided, “Screw it. It’s my list anyway, who cares!” The first film from director Tim Burton to appear on this list, “Mars Attacks!” is a campy send-up of 1950s alien invasion movies. The premise here is simple: The aliens are invading, they do not come in peace, and what the hell are we going to do about it? It’s the little things here that keep this one so near and dear to my heart. From the rayguns that take their sound from “War of the Worlds” to the subtle background taken straight from “Plan 9 From Outer Space” when the aliens first address earth, this film really shows it’s love for old-style matinee B-movies. “Mars Attacks!” also features yet another cast that reads as a who’s who of Hollywood, with Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Danny DeVito, Michael J. Fox and many, many more recognizable faces (including one of the early roles for Jack Black) all come together to make this easily the most impressive cast on this list.

President Dale: I want the people to know that they still have two out of three branches of the government working for them, and that ain’t bad.

8. The Frighteners (1996)

Looks like 1996 was a pretty good year. Long before he was spinning tales about hobbits and rings, Peter Jackson was making some amazingly twisted horror movies. And while I love “Bad Taste” and “Dead Alive,” the Michael J. Fox vehicle “The Frighteners” is his film that makes the most sense for this list. Fox plays Frank Bannister, a psychic who can see and talk to ghosts. He uses this skill to open his own ghostbusting business.I don’t want to give too much away with this one, just know that this movie is a rollercoaster thrill ride and here things are never quite what the seem. Featuring great supporting performances from Jake Busey and R. Lee Ermey, “The Frighteners” is sure put you on the edge of your seat and tickle your funny bone at the same time.

Frank Bannister: Why is it that flies stick to you guys like shit to a blanket?
Cyrus: Ha ha, very funny. You’re a funny guy, Frank. You know, all you think about is
yourself. I could complain, too, you know. I would like some new clothes. You get to dress
nice. Here I am still looking like Linc from The Mod Squad.
Frank Bannister: You died in the 70’s. It’s a bummer.

7. Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)

Elvis and JFK, both alive and in a nursing home, fight for the souls of their fellow residents as they battle an ancient Egyptian mummy. Yes, you read that correctly. All that needs to be known about this movie can be summed up in four words: Bruce Campbell as Elvis. Well, what are you waiting for, go watch it! I mean like, right now!

Elvis: Ask not what your rest home can do for you. Ask what you can do for your rest home.
JFK: Hey, you’re copying my best lines!
Elvis: Then let me paraphrase one of my own. Let’s take care of business.
JFK: Just what are you getting at, Elvis?
Elvis: I think you know what I’m gettin’ at Mr. President. We’re gonna kill us a mummy.

6. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Welcome back. A little more serious than the movies on this list so far, this Quentin Tarantino-written, Robert Rodriguez-directed journey into a lair of Mexican vampires is a little hard to classify. It starts out as a Tarantino-like crime movie about two brother bank robbers on the run. They take a family hostage to cross into Mexico, and then abruptly it turns into a B-movie horror splatterfest. While some point to the film’s unevenness as a flaw, I think it just adds to the fun. It certainly keeps it from getting boring. George Clooney and Harvey Keitel both help the movie keep its serious side, while never undermining the B-movie late night fun this film is obviously intended to be. Danny Trejo and Tom Savini (the man behind the effects in the original “Friday the 13th” and “Dawn of the Dead”) appear in supporting roles.

Kate: Are you okay?
Seth: Peachy, Kate. The world’s my oyster, except for the fact that I just rammed a wooden
stake in my brother’s heart because he turned into a vampire, even though I don’t believe in
vampires. Aside from that unfortunate business, everything’s hunky-dory.

5. Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995)

Ah yes, “Tales from the Crypt.” The HBO series that started in 1989 was always a favorite of mine. With this film, the premium cable series made its first and best transition to the big screen. The plot is fairly simple: A man carrying something very important holes up in a roadside motel while being chased by the forces of Hell itself. From there it becomes a simple survival tale. Who lives, who dies, who cares? Much like the television series, this film doesn’t take itself too seriously. And much like “From Dusk Till Dawn,” eventually this film becomes about the demon body count. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, Billy Zane, William Sadler, and Thomas Haden Church takes us through what the Crypt Keeper affectionately calls a “deadtime story.” This movie also has a killer soundtrack for any metalheads out there featuring music from Pantera, Machine Head, Biohazard, Minstry, Melvins and Sepultura.

Crypt Keeper: Fasten your drool cups, and ready your vomit bags! We’re going to the movies!
Frights, camera, action!

4. Planet Terror (2007)

Two words: Machine-gun leg! Robert Rodriguez makes his second showing on my list. The first half of the under-appreciated double feature “Grindhouse,” “Planet Terror” is an almost perfect homage to 70s B-level horror. A bio-virus is released on a small town and zombie style hi-jinks begin as El Wrey (Freddy Rodriguez), a man with a secret past, tries to save the town and the woman he loves. Rodriguez is able to again strike a nice balance between the horror and comedy. Purposely bad dialogue and plot holes galore (including a missing reel) are a great nod to the large number of terrible low-budget horror films that are released every year. But this movie never falls into the tedium that comes with most of the films “Planet Terror” parodies. Josh Brolin, Michael Biehn, Bruce Willis, and the smoking-hot Rose McGowan combine to give us yet another example of how Rodriguez can do big budget terror with a sly smile and Halloween fun sensibilities.

El Wray: I need someone to drive my truck.
Sheriff Hague: I’ll do it.
El Wray: You’re bleeding like a stuck pig. Your vision is probably blurred, and you’re on
your last leg…
Sheriff Hague: [sarcastic] Anything else?
El Wray: Don’t wreck it.

3. Beetlejuice (1988)

He’s the ghost with the most. Another Tim Burton film comes in at number three. It’s hard to imagine there’s anyone out there who hasn’t seen this Michael Keaton classic. In a role that was originally intended for Sammy Davis Jr., Keaton put on one of the iconic performances of his career as Beetlejuice. A recently deceased couple who’s stuck living in their own house for the afterlife wants to get rid of the new living family that’s moved in. They enlist the services of Beetlejuice to exorcise the living from their home. A wacky movie with ghosts, laughs, and island music numbers. This film is one of a kind. You know you love it, so go watch it again this Halloween.

Adam: What are your qualifications?
Betelgeuse: Ah. Well… I attended Juilliard… I’m a graduate of the Harvard business
school. I travel quite extensively. I lived through the Black Plague and had a pretty good
time during that. I’ve seen the EXORCIST ABOUT A HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN TIMES, AND IT
KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME I SEE IT… NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT YOU’RE TALKING TO A DEAD GUY… NOW WHAT DO YOU THINK? You think I’m qualified?

2. Army of Darkness (1992)

The third film in Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” series, “Army of Darkness” takes the camp of the first two to an entirely different level. Ash (Bruce Campbell again) has been sucked through a vortex and ends up in medieval times. He then must begin his quest to find the Necromonicon. Raimi’s trademark style and Campbell’s one-liners make this about a much fun as you can have battling an army of the dead. I don’t know what else to say about this one except if you haven’t seen it, I don’t think we can be friends anymore. There are simply too many great lines from this movie to pick just one, but I suppose I’ll have to try.

Ash: Alright you Primitive Screwheads, listen up! You see this? This… is my boomstick! The twelve-gauge double-barreled Remington. S-Mart’s top of the line. You can find this in the sporting goods department. That’s right, this sweet baby was made in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Retails for about a hundred and nine, ninety five. It’s got a walnut stock, cobalt blue steel, and a hair trigger. That’s right. Shop smart. Shop S-Mart. You got that?

1. Ghostbusters (1984)

If I have to tell you why this is number one then you haven’t seen “Zombieland” yet and that, my friends, is a true shame. Go see it and then re-live this Ivan Reitman-directed classic. It still makes me laugh out loud every time I watch it. Happy Halloween, everybody!

Dr. Peter Venkman: Alice, I’m going to ask you a couple of standard questions, okay? Have you or any of your family been diagnosed schizophrenic? Mentally incompetent?
Librarian Alice: My uncle thought he was Saint Jerome.
Dr. Peter Venkman: I’d call that a big yes.

Tags: 10, best, films, fun, funny, halloween, horror, lighthearted, movies, ten, top, Top 10 Fun Movies for Halloween, Top Ten Fun Movies for Halloween

A couple of years ago, I wrote a list of Top 10 Overlooked Scary Movies that got spread around the Web quite a bit. Best of all, the comment section became a great place for people to recommend other horror flicks that may not have received the attention they deserve. Today’s new list is kind of a companion piece to that one. If you are tired of renting the same stupid remakes and played-out franchises every Halloween, try some of these suggestions on for size. Some are scary (even though they may not be traditional horror movies) and some are campy, but each one of the films below has something special about it. You should seriously consider renting any of the following that you haven’t seen this Halloween.

If you have your own idea for a Top 10 list, email me at eric@scene-stealers.com.

10. Opera (1987)

This certainly isn’t the most solid movie of Italian giallo master Dario Argento’s career, but it contains two of his most visually impressive set pieces. Not known for concise (or even rational) plotting, some of Argento’s movies work better as rough frameworks that only exist to showcase a couple of inspired scenes of murder and mayhem. In this case, the central premise is based on something Argento used to joke about doing to audiences that wanted to turn away from the intense gore in his films: taping needles to their eyelids to force them to stay open. A killer stalks the movie’s heroine and does just that, forcing her to watch as he kills her friends. This movie really is all about the spectator and the eye itself. Set piece one: A flashy crane shot follows crows as they fly over the audience during an opera and descend upon a killer’s eyes. Number two: A slo-mo close-up of a bullet as its fired through a peephole in a door and–you guessed it–into someone’s eye! Yikes.

9. Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Loosely based on Washington Irving’s classic “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” this dark and funny Tim Burton movie finds the director and his favorite star (Johnny Depp, of course) having a ball upending conventions. Depp plays Ichabod Crane not as a standard hero but as an outsider–a nerdy, frightened man of science who can’t quite fathom the fact that the decapitations he’s come from New York City to investigate seem to be supernatural in nature. Christopher Walken portrays the Headless Horseman (when his head is visible), and the Oscar-winning art direction creates a spooky, mist-filled tangle of trees and forced perspectives. It may not be Depp’s funniest Burton role (that distinction belongs to “Ed Wood”), but the star’s quirky take on Crane make it loads of fun. In addition, “Sleepy Hollow” is a surprisingly violent and gorgeous movie to look at.

8. Near Dark (1987)

Unless you already knew going in, you’d likely never guess that the same woman who directed this year’s Iraq bomb-squad drama “The Hurt Locker” also helmed this twisted little vampire family story back in the late 80s. Kathryn Bigelow has always been interested in characters who crave danger (see “Point Break”), but Bill Paxton’s performance as psychopathic vampire Severen is so over-the-top cruel that he’s as funny as he is threatening. When a young cowboy in Oklahoma (Adrian Pasdar) gets turned into a vampire by a sexy young drifter (Jenny Wright), he is forced to “meet the parents,” so to speak, and enters the dangerous world of a group of vamps who live in a camper. The ending is kind of a cop-out, but Bigelow’s combination of the Western and the vampire movie has as many memorable landscape shots as it does moments of genuine tension and funny dialogue.

7. Magic (1978)

Speaking of people who you wouldn’t think would be working in the horror genre, this movie is full of prestige Hollywood personalities. Anthony Hopkins plays a creepy magician-turned-ventriloquist named Corky who spends almost as much time killing people as he does talking to his dummy Fats. Adapted by William Goldman (”Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “All The President’s Men,” “The Princess Bride”) from his novel and directed by Richard Attenborough (”Gandhi”), “Magic” is a true oddity. It starts off as a low-key (but still off-kilter) psychological examination of a person with multiple personality disorder. As Corky’s madness progresses, however, so does his temper. The scenes between Hopkins and Ann-Margret (who is the object of Corky’s unhealthy obsession) are a weird mix of tenderness and nail-biting restlessness. Burgess Meredith is also on hand to play Corky’s slimy but effective manager.

6. Slither (2006)

Sexual frustration manifests itself in the form of slimy little slugs that come from outer space in this sly and campy horror film from director James Gunn. Like a mash-up of David Cronenberg (”Dead Ringers”) and the Troma studio (”The Toxic Avenger”), “Slither” combines the desires of the flesh and the absurdity of campy horror into an inspired concoction. Nathan Fillion is the small town sheriff who must make sense of it all while still pining for his high school sweetheart (Elizabeth Banks). She’s unfortunately married to Grant Grant (Michael Rooker), the richest man in town, whose sudden ravenous desires lead to the disappearances of local pets and some strange physical deformities. “Slither” successfully combines fast-moving CGI elements that true B-movies can’t afford with the more traditional lumbering (and often hilarious) creature effects that can make them so fun to laugh at. The whole thing is  put together with a smart and silly sense of humor.

5. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Director Philip Kaufman (”The Right Stuff”) directed this sci-fi/horror remake, which is unique because it’s one of the rare remakes that’s actually better than the original (Don Seigel’s 1956 film of the same name). Replacing Seigel’s Cold War metaphor with a satire of the “me” decade and all of its excesses, Kaufman peppers his movie with hippies, poets, and an evil pop psychiatrist played by Leonard Nimoy. As Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams try to uncover the truth about an alien race that’s replacing humans with unfeeling duplicates, Kaufman lays on the paranoia as thick as the parody. The result is a movie that is by turns genuinely creepy and clever.

4. An American Werewolf in London (1981)

John Landis pulls off the same feat here. Besides the Oscar-winning werewolf transformation scene by legendary make-up artist Rick Baker, this movie has a lot of other shocking and sometimes very scary moments. But it also features some of the funniest bits in any horror movie ever, as a graphically decomposing Griffin Dunne continues to haunt his old pal David Naughton (who is turning into a werewolf now) and annoy the living crap out of him. Landis mixes up fantasy/nightmare sequences to catch the audience off guard, and the gory scenes are few and far between, but this also heightens their effect.

3. Videodrome (1983)

Universal is set to remake this unsettling David Cronenberg movie (Why oh why?) that features James Woods as a public-access TV channel owner who programs a mysterious show that mesmerizes viewers by showing scenes of torture and murder. He has higher aspirations than using the snuff film for cheap entertainment, however. Cronenberg was way ahead of the curve in predicting the huge volume of TV screens that would be available and the enormous influence they would have in the future. He may not have predicted that we’d be watching tiny screens on our cell phones, but his perverted take on media had video physically melding with people’s bodies, resulting in the cult movie’s catch phrase “Long live the new flesh!” A remake that updates the technology won’t have the time-specific cultural references and may just miss the point altogether. See the original soon.

2. Eyes Without a Face, or Les yeux sans visage (1960)

Even though this disturbing French flick is widely considered a classic now (it’s available on Criterion DVD after all), I talk to people all the time who have never seen it. Georges Franju went from documentaries to directing this controversial horror film about a doctor who kidnaps young women and surgically removes their faces in an attempt to graft them onto his daughter’s, after hers was mutilated in a car accident. The psychological complexity of the three lead characters is rare for a horror movie, as is the beautiful black-and-white cinematography and the matter-of-fact handling of the plot’s more sordid details. Besides retaining much of its original shock value almost 50 years later, “Eyes Without a Face” also burns its haunting images into your brain forever. The young daughter’s white, expressionless mask was the inspiration for John Carpenter to similarly hide Michael Myers’ face in the orginal “Halloween.”

1. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

It may not be considered a strict horror movie, but it’s certainly the most terrifying film on this list. Especially when viewed in the same faux-documentary light as “Paranormal Activity,” “Henry” renders the act of murder in a far more banal and realistic manner. John McNaughton loosely based this harrowing no-budget film on real-life killer Henry Lee Lucas. Although it isn’t designed to make you think it’s a documentary, the dispassionate acting and lack of a budget make it sometimes feels like one. Michael Rooker portrays Henry as an aimless, soulless man whose existence is so dulled that he finds a purpose in life only after he begins to murder others and videotape it. The movie was considered so gruesome that it sat on a shelf for three years gathering dust before Oscar-winning documentarian Errol Morris dusted it off to sponsor a showing at the Telluride Film Festival. Since then, the unrated movie been the subject of much debate due to its startlingly violent palette and authentic style. Warning: Do not watch this one alone.

Tags: 10, best, dvd, films, halloween, horror, movies, rentals, scariest, scary, ten, top, Top 10 Horror Movies You Should Rent, Top Ten Horror Movies You Should Rent

There are times when being both a movie critic and a musician come together, and this is one of those times.

My love for the Greg Mottola’s “Adventureland” (bound for my Top Movies of 2008 list for sure) has manifested itself in a Halloween night rock show. As a tribute to the movie and its awesome soundtrack, The Dead Girls (under the name ADVENTUREBAND) will be performing 13 songs from the movie on Saturday, Oct. 31 at the Replay Lounge in Lawrence.

We’ll be dressed like characters from the movie (I’m more of a “rides” guy myself), and we’ve hand-picked 13 of our favorite 80s tunes (and a couple from the 70s) from the 21 songs that were used in the movie.

And because this is a Scene-Stealers event, we wanna give you cool free stuff!

We will also have a DVD of the movie, some mini-posters, postcards, and CD soundtracks (which were made only as promo items and never sold in stores) to give away during the night.

Here is the Facebook event page.

It’s going to be kind of an insane 80s tribute night since we’ll also be playing with Daryl Hall & John Oates tribute act Haulin’ Oats (which is coincidentally the punchline to one of my favorite Neil Hamburger jokes).

So break out those leg warmers and headbands (or just wear jeans and a flannel like I did then) and head down to the Replay Lounge on Halloween for ADVENTUREBAND, a one-night-only 80s rock extravaganza!

Tags: 1980s, 2009, adventureband, adventureland, halloween, live, soundtrack

Just got this in my inbox about 10 minutes ago. I hope he does something different with it this time because his “Halloween” remake was about half good.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK (December 16, 2008) — Dimension Films - the successful genre and specialty arm of The Weinstein Company - is pleased to announce that the company will make “H2,” the sequel to Rob Zombie’s 2007 reinvention of the horror classic “Halloween.”  Once again, Rob Zombie has been tapped to write and direct.  Malek Akkad of Trancas International Films, who also produced 2007’s Halloween with Dimension, will produce the sequel, along with Andy Gould of Spectacle Entertainment Group, Zombie’s long time manager and producing partner.  The announcement was made today by Bob Weinstein, Co-Chairman of The Weinstein Company.

Dimension’s “Halloween” scored the highest Labor Day weekend opening ever with a record-breaking $30.6 million in its first four days of release and went on to gross nearly $60 million at the domestic box office in 2007.

Zombie’s “H2” will pick up at the exact moment the first movie stopped and follow the aftermath of Michael Myers murderous rampage through the eyes of heroine Laurie Strode.

“H2” will be Zombie’s fifth written and directed feature.  Prior to the success of Halloween, Zombie released the critically-acclaimed film “The Devil’s Rejects” (2005), the follow-up to his cult classic “House of 1000 Corpses” (2004).  Zombie just wrapped production on his animated feature film “The Haunted World of El Superbeasto” due to be released in 2009.  Zombie, also an accomplished recording artist, has sold over fifteen million albums worldwide, making him one of Geffen Records’ top selling and longest running artists.

Bob Weinstein stated: “Following the success of 2007’s ‘Halloween,’ we are thrilled to be back in business with Rob Zombie, bringing a sequel to theatres.  The fans have made it clear – and we agree - that they feel the franchise is in great hands with Rob Zombie.”

Rob Zombie said, ”I am very excited to be working with Bob Weinstein again and returning to the world of ‘Halloween.’ The remake laid the groundwork, now it’s time to really take Michael Myers to the next level. I believe we’ve just barely scratched the surface of where we can take this series.“

John Carpenter’s “Halloween” launched the Halloween franchise in 1978 and Moustapha Akkad, founder of Trancas International Films, executive produced the original classic. Akkad’s son Malek has continued with the franchise, producing “Halloween” (2007), “Halloween H20: 20 Years Later” (1998) and now, “H2.”

“I am thrilled to be making ‘H2’ at Dimension, the home of the ‘Halloween’ franchise for the last 15 years,” commented Malek Akkad.  “I look forward to working again with Bob Weinstein, as well as a filmmaker of Rob Zombie’s talent and stature.”

Tags: 2007, direct, H2, halloween, Rob, sequel, to, will, zombie

Last week I asked readers to send in their picks to help me create the perfect Halloween rock playlist. I had lots of picks of my own to start with, but I wanted to see what you all could come up with. Not only were there a lot of cool songs I had never heard before, but there were a lot of suggestions that I should have remembered and just plain forgot. This list is my reflection of all those contributions from you, the Scene-Stealers. Thanks for all the great comments. I’ve spent many late nights listening to all these cool tunes. Now I offer you my commentary on 10 songs that you suggested and I felt somehow compelled to write about. (If you want to contribute your own Top 10 for a future Tuesday, email me at eric@scene-stealers.com at anytime with your idea!)

10. The Kinks- “Wicked Annabella”

Many of the songs on this list have a creepy element in their music and not merely a Halloween-themed lyric. This is one of those songs. Suggested by Randall, it’s a song that I often overlook because of its short length and simplicity—even though it’s on one of my favorite Kinks records, 1968’s “The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society.” It is based around a dark, sinister riff from Kinks songwriter Ray Davies, and features lyrics about a wicked woman who lives in a dark, twisted house. She waits for sleeping children to open their eyes at midnight so she can enslave the “little demons.” The guitar sounds like its slinking along in the forest, and I get visions of the Big Bad Wolf stalking poor Red every time I listen, reminding me of a time when I was young and fairy tales were actually pretty damn scary.

9. The Sonics- “The Witch”

Rich Yarges, a badass songwriter in his own right, suggested this badass piece of 1964 garage fuzz rock from Tacoma, Washington’s The Sonics. “The Witch” is a crazed slab of wax that sounds like its literally trying to explode out of the speakers. Listen to singer Gerry Roslie’s blood-curdling scream accompanied by drummer Bob Bennett’s sped-up machine-gun snare fills. “The Witch,” released on a local indie label, went on to become the biggest-selling local single in the history of the Pacific Northwest, even though its radio airplay was restricted because of its “possibly misogynistic” subject matter. This is where The Stooges and MC5 got everything from, and you can trace that lineage right through to garage rock loyalists like the Hives. Are they the first punk rock band? Maybe.

8. Dokken- “Dream Warriors”

Easily the worst song on this list, I put it on here only for nostalgia’s sake and because both Dana and Tony Sams picked it. Why anyone ever thought it was a good idea to get the wimpiest singer in hair metal (Don Dokken) to sing the 1987 theme song from the third installment of the quickly fading “Nightmare on Elm Street” series, I’ll never have a clue. Yet, here it is. Proof that some awful ideas simply cannot be stopped. I have nothing to say about this song other than I never liked it, and I (true confession time!) used to be a Dokken fan for a while. But I’m not going down alone on this one. Don Dokken was so desperate to be considered “heavy,” that on a later solo tour, opening for Poison in Manhattan, KS, in 1990, my friend Bill McShane told me this infamous quote that has stood the test of time: “I’m Don Dokken and you need to buy my new album.” Dramatic pause. (grabs crotch vigorously) “It’s got plenty of this!”

7. Meat Puppets/Nirvana- “Lake of Fire”

Scene-Stealers user Chickencha was right on the money in suggesting the most unlikely radio song ever, “Lake of Fire,” by the Meat Puppets. The imagery in this off-key little ditty, of bad folks frying in a lake of fire in a desert, is terrifying. Originally on “Meat Puppets II” from 1983, it is the song that has come to define the acid-fried Arizona rockers, thanks to a cover version that was recorded one night in New York City by Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. Getting an assist from Puppets brothers Cris and Curt Kirkwood, “Lake of Fire” was one of three Meat Puppets songs the group covered for their MTV Unplugged taping. Since Cobain’s death, the song has grown in stature and despite—or maybe because of—his gravelly, impassioned delivery and the song’s chilling lyrics, As weird as it may seem, “Lake of Fire” is a staple on modern rock radio these days.

6. NAHPI- “Do They Know It’s Hallowe’en?”

Everybody should trust the dust. I do. That’s why he’s my cameraman and editor. Trustthedust is better known as Dustin Schirer, and the fact that he knew about this very cool Halloween benefit song from three years ago proves that he is infinitely cooler than I am. “Do They Know It’s Hallowe’en?” is a satire of the Band-Aid song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” in which Bono, Boy George, and Bob Geldof sang about starving kids in Africa. While that song raised money for hunger relief, this one donated all proceeds to UNICEF. The artist is listed as the North American Hallowe’en Prevention Initiative (NAHPI), but is really members of the Arcade Fire, Sonic Youth, Sloan, Rilo Kiley, Les Savy Fav, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beck, Feist, and David Cross(?). for what (on paper) may seem like the biggest inside joke ever, it’s actually a great song—lots of fun—and it has an inventive music video.

5. Crispin Glover- “Ben”

If you’ve ever read any of his comments on this site, you would know that Chris Knudsen is somewhat of a freak. So it’s no surprise to discover that one of his Halloween playlist submissions is a song by cult-favorite actor/weirdo Crispin Glover. He is most known for his oddball performance as George McFly (Marty’s Dad) in “Back to the Future,” but he also recorded some really strange music, tried to kick David Letterman, and starred in “Willard,” a remake of a low-budget 1971 horror flick about a disturbed young man who has feels strange magnetism towards rats. Here he covers the title track from that movie’s 1972 sequel, “Ben.” 14-year-old Michael Jackson took this song to number one—probably the only love song to a rat ever to reach that position—and here, Glover turns the ode into a surreal short film. The song alone is not nearly as creepy or effective, so make sure you watch the whole video!

4. Motley Crue- “Shout at the Devil”

Michael Jackson had Vincent Price do spoken-word spookiness on 1982’s “Thriller.” Iron Maiden couldn’t afford Price so they hired some guy to speak like Price on “Number of the Beast.” Well, nobody ever said Motley Crue was original. Tony Sams suggested this classic bit of heavy-metal nonsense from 1983, which, aside from featuring lots of high-pitched notes that singer Vince Neil can’t even get near anymore, also contains—you guessed it—another spooky oratory. This one is some sort of alternate Biblical “In the Beginning” bullshit about good always overpowering the evil of all man’s sins, spoken by a metallic robo-voice that could have been Mr. Roboto. It may not have made a lick of sense, but it served its purpose as a menacing introduction to an album that featured a shiny black pentagram on the cover and featured four guys wearing more make up and lipstick than your mother. I believe that in reality, the lyrics are some kind of anti-Satan rallying cry to stand strong against the Devil, but I prefer to extend my index and pinky finger and let my rock fist fly high!

3. Jason Segel- “Dracula’s Theme” from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”

A very astute pick from Randall, Segel wrote this song and performed it in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” one of the best comedies of this year. This song was the first hint that Segel (one of those prodigiously talented Judd Apatow “Freaks and Geeks” alums) had a Muppet fetish. His character in the movie is a frustrated slacker musician who writes spooky incidental music for his girlfriend’s hit TV cop show that sounds like a monkey could play it (as long as he stepped on the right two keys on the synthesizer). His dream project is a puppet musical about Dracula that he takes deadly seriously, but soon realizes everybody else thinks is a joke. At a bar one night, his new flame springs a trap to get him onstage at a club to play it. I couldn’t find the version from the end of the movie, performed with Bill Hader and a full cast of puppet masters, but this one—an out-of-costume trial run—will do just fine thank you. Segel is currently writing a reboot of the Muppet movie franchise. Perfect!

2. Electric Light Orchestra- “Fire on High”

Scene-Stealers sitegoer Aaron picked this ELO song as a scary one, and for the first minute or so, he is right on the money. By the time the band kicks in, “Fire on High,” from the group’s 1975 “Face the Music” record, goes into full-on sports theme mode, but until then, it’s a backwards-masking nirvana. Hell, ELO maestro Jeff Lynne and company didn’t even try to disguise the fact that there were backwards vocals on the song. Preachers and teachers all over the world were threatened by the menace of “Satanic rock n’ roll” in the 1970s and 80s, listening over and over for traces of a message in songs that never had any in them in the first place. Judas Priest was even brought to trial for hiding backwards messages in their songs that subliminally told kids to commit suicide! (They were acquitted.) Play the beginning of this song backwards and it’s a shock to find out it was spoken that way on purpose—the drummer says “The music is reversible but time is not. Turn back. Turn back. Turn back. Turn back.” In other words, stop wasting your time, playing records backwards when they are supposed to be enjoyed the other way, dumbass.

1. The Who- “Boris the Spider”

Bassist John Entwistle wrote and sang this creepy, crawly little number from The Who’s 1966 “A Quick One” album, which was another suggestion from Rich Yarges. I’m a little embarrassed I left this one off in the first place. Besides a wicked descending bass line, and a lower-than-low vocal delivery, Entwistle delivers a funny parable about one spider’s life and ultimately, his “sticky end.” It may not have any specific Halloween theme, but the music itself is bizarre enough to not feel out of place in an episode of “The Addams Family.” Entwhistle was a bass virtuoso and all-around weird dude, one of two total freaks that made this British Invasion band so unique in the beginning. Now I’m afraid, many young people know The Who from their “CSI” theme songs and the Broadway musical “Tommy”—a far cry from the madness that surrounded the band in their early days.

List of other “notable” contributions…
AC/DC - Highway To Hell
Alice Cooper - Feed My Frankenstein
Alice Cooper - I Love The Dead
Alice in Chains - Them Bones
Aphex Twin - Come To Daddy
Arcade Fire - Vampire/Forest Fire
Arctic Monkeys - Perhaps Vampires is a Bit Strong But…
Audioslave - The Curse
Band of Horses - Is There A Ghost
Bauhaus- “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”
Beck - Scarecrow
Ben Gibbard – Thriller
Black Sabbath - Hand of Doom
Black Sabbath- “Black Sabbath”
Blue Oyster Cult-”Don’t Fear The Reaper”
Bob Dylan - Tombstone Blues
Bobby “Boris” Pickett - Monster Mash
Burn the Witch - Queens of the Stone Age
Cat Power - Werewolf
CCR - Bad Moon Rising
Classics IV - Spooky
Coil - First Five Minutes After Death
Current 93 - Dogun (calling for forgotten faces)
Daniel Johnston- “Haunted House”
Danny and the Nightmares (Daniel Johnston) - Haunted House
David Bowie-“Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)”
Dead Kennedys - Halloween
Dokken - Dream Warriors
Donovan- “Season of the Witch”
Echo and the Bunnymen - People are Strange
Edgar Winter Group- “Frankenstein”
ELO - Fire On High
Elvis Costello - Spooky Girlfriend
Evangelicals - The Ghost of Abner E. Norman (The Halloween Song)
Evil Boy - Stiv Bators
Fastway - Trick or Treat
Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff - A Nightmare On My Street
Gerard McMann - Cry Little Sister
Geto Boys - Mind’s Playin Tricks On Me:
Golden Earring - Twilight Zone
Helloween - Anything!
Iggy Pop - Candy
Iron Maiden- “The Number of the Beast”
J.J. Cale - After Midnightt
Johnny Cash - (Ghost) Riders in the Sky
Killbot2000 - Murder By Death
KISS- “God of Thunder”
Led Zeppelin - Gallows Pole
Leon Redbone - Witch Queen of New Orleans
Lou Reed - Halloween Parade
Love Spit Love - How Soon is Now
Matt Pond PA - Halloween
MC Hammer - Adams Family Groove
Metallica - The Thing That Should Not Be
Michael Jackson- “Thriller”
Ministry - Everyday is Halloween
Ministry - Scarecrow
Misfits – Halloween II
Misfits- “Halloween”
Modest Mouse - The Devil’s Workday
Mudhoney - Halloween
Murder by Death- “Killbot 2000″
Neil Young - Vampire Blues
New York Dolls- “Frankenstein”
Nurse with Wound - I’ve Plummed Through This Neighborhood
Oingo Boingo - No One Lives Forever
Oingo Boingo- “Dead Man’s Party”
People in Planes - Vampire
Public Enemy - Night of the Living Baseheads
Queens of the Stone Age - Burn the Witch
Radiohead - Bodysnatchers
Ramones - I Don’t Wanna Go Down To The Basement
Ramones - Psycho Therapy
Ramones- “Pet Sematary”
Ray Parker Jr – “Ghostbusters”
RJD2 - The Horror
Rob Zombie - Dragula
Robert Johnson - Me and the Devil Blues:
Rockwell - Somebody’s Watchin’ Me
Roky Erickson - I Walked with a Zombie
Rush - Witch Hunt
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins- I Put A Spell On You
Siouxsie and the Banshees- “Halloween”
Sleepy Jackson - Vampire Racehorse
Sonic Youth- “Halloween”
Squirrel Nut Zippers-“Hell”
STP - Dead and Bloated
Suicide - Ghost Rider
Superdrag - Do The Vampire
Talking Heads- “Psycho Killer”
The (International) Noise Conspiracy - Imposter Costume
The Arcade Fire- “Vampire/Forest Fire”
The Cramps- I Was a Teenage Werewolf
The Flaming Lips - Halloween on the Barbary Coast
The Gruesomes - Way Down Below
The Gun Club - Walking With The Beasts
The Lawrence Arms - Ghost Stores
The Melvins - Blood Witch
The Misfits - 20 Eyes
The Stations - The Gutter Twins
The White Stripes - Walking With A Ghost
This is Halloween -from “The Nightmare before Christmas” soundtrack
Urge Overkill - Stitches
Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London
Wilson Pickett - In the Midnight Hour
Wolf Eyes - Stabbed in the Face
Wolfmother - Joker & the Thief
Wolfmother - Witchcraft

Tags: 10, creepy, halloween, mix, party, playlist, prefect, rock, scary, scene, songs, spooky, stealers, submitted, ten, top, tunes, user

Alright, Scene Stealers: If you love making mix compilations as much as I do, you’ll help me out with this one. I’m creating the ultimate spooky, scary rock playlist of all time. In no particular order, these are the songs I’ve got so far. Add your own in the comments below, and if I like ‘em, I’ll add ‘em to the list. (Yes, anything by The New Kids on the Block is truly scary, but that kind of thing won’t make the cut, funnyman!)

Added 10/24: Wow. A lot of great suggestions, everybody. Keep ‘em coming, I’ll try to keep up! This post will be a great resource in the future for anyone wanting to make a spooky rock playlist!

Screamin’ Jay Hawkins- “I Put A Spell On You”

Bauhaus- “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”

Blue Oyster Cult-”Don’t Fear The Reaper”

“This is Halloween” -from “The Nightmare before Christmas” soundtrack

Iron Maiden- “The Number of the Beast”

KISS- “God of Thunder”

Misfits- “Halloween”

Ramones- “Pet Sematary”

Ray Parker Jr – “Ghostbusters”

Michael Jackson- “Thriller”

AC/DC- “Highway to Hell”

Sonic Youth- “Halloween”

Talking Heads- “Psycho Killer”

Black Sabbath- “Black Sabbath”

Squirrel Nut Zippers-“Hell”

David Bowie-“Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)”

Oingo Boingo- “Dead Man’s Party”

Edgar Winter Group- “Frankenstein”

The Cramps- “I Was a Teenage Werewolf”(suggested by Tony Sams)

Queens of the Stone Age- “Burn the Witch” (suggested by chickencha and Dan)

The Arcade Fire- “Vampire/Forest Fire” (suggested by Reed)

Radiohead- “Bodysnatchers” (suggested by chickencha)

Fastway- “Trick or Treat” (suggested by Tony Sams) see this song Wed. night!

Arcade Fire’s Win & Regine + Redd Kross’ Steve McDonald + Beck + R.E.M. + Rilo Kiley’s Jenny & Black + David Cross + Roky Erickson + Devendra Banhart + Sloan’s Chris Murphy + Elvira, Mistress of the Dark + Feist + Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore + Malcolm Mclaren + Postal Service’s Jimmy Tamborello + Wolf Parade’s Dan & Spencer + Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O +  too many more - “Do They Know It’s Halloween?”  (suggested by trustthedust)

Rockwell- “Somebody’s Watching Me” (suggested by Reed)

Murder by Death- “Killbot 2000″ (suggested by Dan)

Siouxsie and the Banshees- “Halloween” (suggested by Tony Sams)

Johnny Cash- “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” (suggested by Reed)

Motley Crue- “Shout at the Devil” (suggested by Tony Sams)

Jason Segel- “Dracula’s Theme” from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (suggested by Randall)

Donovan- “Season of the Witch” (suggested by Reed)

The Who- “Boris the Spider” (suggested by Rich Yarges)

Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff- “A Nightmare On My Street” (suggetsed by Aaron)

Daniel Johnston- “Haunted House” (suggested by Chris Knudsen)

Dokken- “Dream Warriors (Theme from Nightmare on Elm Street 3)” (suggested by Tony Sams and Dana)

New York Dolls- “Frankenstein” (suggested by Reed)

The Kinks- “Wicked Annabella” (suggested by Randall)

The White Stripes- “Walking With a Ghost” (suggested by Rich Yarges)

Robert Johnson- “Me and the Devil Blues” (suggested by Tony Sams)

Electric Light Orchestra- “Fire On High” This one is so evil, it has overt backwards messages! (suggested by Aaron)

more to add as I get time…thanks!

Tags: create, halloween, mix, playlist, rock, scary, songs, spooky, ultimate

The score to a horror movie can be the most essential thing sometimes. It sets the mood, the pace, everything. A great score can even make a bad horror movie seem semi-decent if the music is scary enough. Try putting these themes on a Halloween mix for trick-or-treaters this year if you want to keep all your candy. Next week, we’ll do another user-submitted Top 10 (email me your idea at info@scene-stealers.com if you got one!), but for now, enjoy my list of the Top 10 Scariest Movie Themes. Links to related lists: Top 10 Overlooked Scary Movies, Top 10 Movie-Inspired Halloween Costumes, Top 10 Slapstick Horror Movies, Top 10 Giant Monster Attacks! Movies, Top 10 Movie Monsters

10. Rosemary’s Baby (1968), composed by Krzysztof Komeda

Director Roman Polanski hit the zietgeist with this psychological horror classic, in which Mia farrow gives birth to the spawn of Satan. Polanski may have hit a nerve with parents who couldn’t understand what had happened to their sweet children in the late 60s, but it was Polish jazz pianist and composer Krzysztof Komeda who set the mood with his creepy theme music, using a lilting lullaby voice and a string-led waltz to suggest both child-like wonder and sinister goings-on at the same time.

9. Friday the 13th (1980), composed by Harry Manfredini

Do the whispered sounds of “ki-ki … ha-ha-ha-ha” count as a musical score? When they are as memorable as this one they do. Listen below to the original theme song from the very first “Friday the 13th” movie (Part 200 is due out next Spring, in a reboot produced by Michael Bay): the familiar refrain is jammed in between tons of driving “Psycho”-like strings and sound effects that are reminiscent of a steel blade being unsheathed. Chicago-born composer Harry Manfredini has contninued to work steadily on the “Friday the 13th” series and other B-movies such as “Zombie Island Massacre” and “Wishmaster.” Somehow, he also found time to write and bring to Broadway a country/western musical titled “Play Me a Country Song” that opened and closed after one performance in 1982.

8. Suspiria (1977), composed by Goblin

The only Italian prog-rock band on this list, Goblin made a name for themselves scoring director Dario Argento’s horror hits “Deep Red” and “Suspiria.” For a band that looked up to mentors Yes, King Crimson, and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, it’s a bit ironic that their sole claim to fame comes from performing galloping, spooky little numbers to watch young women be murdered by. These days, Goblin’s “Suspiria” theme certainly sounds a little dated and cheesy, but that’s also part of what makes it sound so cool. Supposedly, the soundtrack was written before the film was completed; allowing Argento to blast the score at his actors—full volume—to get better, more terrifying performances out of them.

7. “The Shining” (1980), composed by Krzysztof Penderecki

The theme to director Stanley Kubrick’s Steven King adaptation is by Wendy Carlos (who, before sexual reassignmen—and billed as Walter Carlos—played synthesised Beethoven all over Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange”), and it’s a fine piece of work. But most of the disturbing and truly memorable music in the movie comes from Polish modern classical composer Krzysztof Penderecki. The insane dissonance of pieces like “Utrenja Kanon Paschy” and “Polymorphia” (part of which was also used briefly in “The Exorcist”) serve to unsettle Shelley Duvall as she tries to deal with the fact that her husband, played by Jack Nicholson, is losing his grip on reality and breaking down the bathroom door with a very large axe. Start about two minutes in and listen to the unsettling string noise.

6. The Exorcist (1973) “Tubular Bells,” composed by Mike Oldfield

First released as a two-song LP (Part One on side one, Part Two on side two), Mike Oldfield’s album “Tubular Bells” was quickly seized by director William Friedkin to become the theme song to his demon-possession tale “The Exorcist.” As a direct result, the album—a progression of that familiar theme that lasts for almost 49 minutes total—became a sensation, selling more than 17 million copies worldwide and spawning a series of album “sequels.” Ironically, it took Oldfield almost twenty years of disappointing record sales to finally, inevitably return to the well with the creatively named “Tubular Bells II” (1992), “Tubular Bells III” (1998), and finally—to cash in on the impending Y2K doom—“Millennium Bell” (1999). In 2003, Oldfield said goodbye to all credibility and actually re-recorded the entire album, calling it—wait for it—“Tubular Bells 2003.” Regardless, the four-minute-something version that was appropriated as “The Exorcist” theme still retains its inherent spookiness.

5. The Omen (1976), composed by Jerry Goldsmith

The bombastic choral explosion of “Ave Satani!,” from the third devil-child movie on this list, features a chant of the song’s Latin title, which translates to “Hail, Satan!” Jerry Goldsmith won the only Oscar of his long career for this miasmatic Gothic score, which pummels you with screaming highs every time the bad stuff is about to go down. Without Goldsmith’s music, Damien—the little antchrist tiny tot—might not have seemed so scary. Of course, chants of “Sanguis bibimus, corpus edimus, tolle corpus Satani” (”drink the blood, eat the flesh, raise the body of Satan”), also help out.

4. Taxi Driver (1976), composed by Bernard Herrmann

This may not technically fall into the category of a horror film, but I challenge you to listen to this theme, used in the opening and closing moments of Martin Scorsese’s chilling urban saga “Taxi Driver” and not feel the chill. The rising, sinister orchestral tones remind me of the slo-mo above shot of aliented vet Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro)’s carnage, and the jazzy interlude is the perfect soundtrack to the scummy streets of New York City, infested as they were with the lowlife scum of the Earth that Bickle so fiercely despised. Sadly, this was last score Bernard Herrmann (“Citizen Kane,” “Vertigo”) would ever work on, since the legendary film composer died shortly after its completion.

3. Halloween (1978), composed by John Carpenter

In order to cut costs on his low-budget slasher pic “Halloween,” director John Carpenter just decided to do the music himself. What resulted is one of the most iconic movie themes around, horror movie or not. The creepy, simple piano run gets lodged in your head after multiple refrains and all I can think of is a masked killer stalking the suburbs with a big butcher knife, looking in all the windows for some fresh meat. Just as the endless amount of slasher movie imitators have caused the film to lose some of its original charm, the music loses a little edge in its production, too. Yet while it may be dated, there is nothing quite like it for immediate shorthand. You put this on, and people know something bad is about to happen.

2. “Psycho (1960) composed by Bernard Herrmann

Using only the string section of an orchestra (the instruments usually used to play a sweeping romantic melody), Bernard Herrmann put together a jarring and terrifying score that sounds like someone jabbing a knife over and over again. Director Alfred Hitchcock originally was going to leave the music out of the infamous shower-murder scene, and it’s a good thing he didn’t stick with that decision. The liner notes of the soundtrack explain: “Several musicians and informed cinemagoers have referred to ‘bird-shrieks’ and ‘distorted, screaming bird cries’ in this connection. There are none. All we hear when Marion is killed are the shrill, stabbing thrusts of the strings in their topmost registers. Herrmann was once asked what thought was uppermost in his mind when creating this unique and hair-raising cue. He replied in one word: “terror.”

1. Jaws (1975), composed by John Williams

“Da-da .. da-da,” it starts out slow. “Da-da ..da-da ..da-da,” speeding up now! “Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da” really fast, “Da-da-da-da,” it’s right on top of us! That two-note motif from John Williams’ masterful score to Steven Spielberg’s scream-inducing shark tale, is the key to the entire film. Without the foreboding theme to illustrate that something wicked this way comes, Spielberg has got nothing but an animatronic shark that keeps breaking down on set. With the theme’s rhythmic buildup, Williams made us all feel like there was terror lurking just below the surface of the water, where our legs were kicking back and forth, completely open to attack from a giant shark. Forget that I’m swimming in a swimming pool. The moment I hear those notes, I know what’s coming.

Tags: 10, film, halloween, horror, movie, music, scariest, scary, scores, ten, themes, top, Top 10 Lists, top ten

Alright Scene-Stealers gang, before you get all twitchy, this is a favorites list - not a “best of” anything. This is a fluff list designed entirely to get our readers out there in internet land to fire back with your personal allhallows-eve movie costume faves or just the best idea for a costume yet unrealized. So friends, don’t be shy, tell us all about it. Links to related lists: Top 10 Scariest Movie Themes, Top 10 Overlooked Scary Movies, Top 10 Slapstick Horror Movies, Top 10 Giant Monster Attacks! Movies, Top 10 Movie Monsters

1. Costume: Members of Spinal Tap from “This is Spinal Tap” (1984)

A tried and true costume stand-by, the boys in the Tap are a Halloween goldmine. More times than not, bad English accents and all, a Spinal Tap costume is a hit - albeit potentially annoying. As you’ll see from the rest of my list, I’m a big proponent of ensemble Halloween costumes. This is a slippery slope, but you can’t go wrong rolling up to your local proper rock club talking about the “fine line between clever and stupid.”

Nigel Tufnel: This is my exact inner structure, done in a tee shirt. Exactly medically accurate. See?
Marty DiBergi: So in other words if we were to take all your flesh and blood…
Nigel Tufnel: Take them off. This is what you’d see.
Marty DiBergi: It wouldn’t be green though.

2. Costume: Members of Kiss from “Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park” (1978)

The ultimate costume, period, is Kiss. Tribute bands live or die as much on the make-up and costumes as the classic tunes. Now of course I’m fudging things a little here, this is a terrible film, but who cares - it’s an excuse to get Kiss onto a Top 10 list. Sadly, I couldn’t find any sweet pics of the hard plastic Kiss masks of the late seventies, early eighties, but I think most people can appreciate a well done Kiss get-up when they see one. Turns out Ace may be a bit of a wanker in real life, but I’m always prepared to give extra props for rockin’ the Space Ace on Halloween.

Star Child: What do you compute, Space Ace?
Space Ace: Insufficient data at the moment, Star Child!

3. Costume: The Tennenbaums from “The Royal Tennenbaums” (2001)

Some unnamed friends of mine pulled this off so well at a Halloween party a few years back, I’m prepared to call it my favorite ensemble Halloween costume that I’ve ever seen. When Royal, Ritchie and Margot of the iconic Tenenbaums walked through he door everybody knew who was taking home the evening’s bragging rights. For you movie dads out there at a loss for inspiration, if you have two kids and three matching track suits, there’s some bragging rights to be had this for you this October. You just have to want it “Chas.”

Royal: I thought I’d start by taking you out to visit your grandmother.
Richie: God, I haven’t been out there in years.
Margot: I’ve never been at all. I was never invited.
Royal: Well she wasn’t your real grandmother, and I didn’t know how much interest you had. But you’re invited now!

4. Costume: A Shower from “Karate Kid” (1984)

Billy Zabka a.k.a. sweep the leg “Johnny” and the rest of his Cobra Kai hooligans rocked the skeleton hoodies in the original “Karate Kid,” but the truly innovative costume was Daniel-san’s identity-shielding shower guise. This requires a trip to the hardware store and a few extra bucks for the soap and towels.

Daniel: Oh, great, that solves everything for me. I’ll just go down to the school and straighten it out with the teacher, no problem.
Miyagi: Now use head for something other than target.
Daniel: Hey, I was just kidding about that.
Miyagi: Why kidding?
Daniel: Because I’d get killed if I go down there.
Miyagi: Get killed anyway.

5. Costume: V / Guy Fawkes from “V for Vendetta” (2005)

“V for Vendetta” is still one of my favorite films of the last five years, with its equal parts style and substance. The Guy Fawkes look is sufficiently creepy on its own, but add in some sweet moves and a cape and you have yourself a winner.

Evey Hammond: Remember, remember, the Fifth of November, the Gunpowder Treason and Plot. I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot… But what of the man? I know his name was Guy Fawkes and I know, in 1605, he attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament. But who was he really? What was he like? We are told to remember the idea, not the man, because a man can fail. He can be caught, he can be killed and forgotten, but 400 years later, an idea can still change the world.

6. Bob and Doug McKenzie from “The Adventures of Bob and Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew” (1983)

One of two Canadian options on my list for Halloween get-ups. The McKenzie Brothers isn’t an act that’s easy to keep up for an entire evening, but there is a sweet spot somewhere between the first Labatt’s and the “soakers” on down the line, aay!

Bob McKenzie: Fleshy-headed mutant. Are you friendly?
Doug McKenzie: No way, eh? Ra-… radiation has made… me an enemy of civilization.
Bob McKenzie: Alpha Base. This is Bob McKenzie. I have a fleshy-headed mutant in the Forbidden Zone.
Doug McKenzie: Ahhh! Take off, you hoser.

7. Costume: Lloyd Dobler from “Say Anything” (1989)

All you need is a trench-coat, some sweet sneakers and a vintage boom-box with Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” on repeat. Cameron Crowe’s brilliant “Say Anything” isn’t just one of John Cusack’s finer moments it’s also the template for a low-budget, high-impact crowd pleaser on the Halloween party circuit.

Lloyd Dobler: She’s gone. She gave me a pen. I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen.

Lloyd Dobler: “Maybe I didn’t really know you. Maybe you were just a mirage. Maybe the world is full of food and sex and spectacle and we’re all just hurling towards an apocalypse, in which case it’s not your fault. I’m been thinking about all these things and… you’re probably standing there monitoring. And one more thing - about the letter. Nuke it. Flame it. Destroy it. - It hurts me to know it’s out there. Later.”

8. Costume: Luke Skywalker from “Empire Strikes Back” (1980)

For a kid growing up in the 80’s, “Star Wars” was a full-time obsession from breakfast to sundown. In elementary school the guys all fought over who got to be Han Solo, but if you couldn’t be Han, then Luke would do just fine. This is the only costume on the list I’ve actually attempted to pull off post-adolescence . I can’t say it went all that well, but “Empire” Luke Skywalker hammered at a party is rather amusing, and I did get a nice blaster out of the deal, so either way I win! Bonus costume: For all the bald dudes looking for a home run this Halloween, go Lobot dude.

Han Solo: How are you feeling kid? You don’t look so bad to me. You look strong enough to pull the ears off a gundark.
Luke: Thanks to you.
Han Solo: That’s two you owe me kid.

9. Costume: The Hanson Brothers from “Slap Shot” (1977)

I would rather sit through a James Woods marathon than watch a hockey game, but for better or worse, 1977’s “Slap Shot” is a sports movie classic. The Hanson Brothers costume has a few simple requirements: 3 guys with unnecessarily large sports jerseys, longish hair, fake blood, thick glasses and you’re done. Oh, and at least one other person in the room who gets the reference.

Ned Braden: What are you doing?
Jeff Hanson: Puttin’ on the foil!
Steve Hanson: Every game!
Jack Hanson: Want some?

10. Costume: Melanie Daniels from “The Birds” (1963)

I recall being very impressed when someone told me about this creative movie-inspired costume before I saw it myself. An overcoat, some 60’s apparel, fake blood and a flurry of well placed homicidal birds, and your set for a Hitchcock Halloween. Of course, you could go for Hitchcock himself. You could make a cameo at every costume party in town.

Sebastian Sholes, fisherman in diner: Hell, maybe we’re all getting a little carried away with this. Admittedly a few birds did act strange, but that’s no reason to…
Melanie Daniels: I keep telling you, this isn’t ‘a few birds’! These are gulls, crows, swifts…!
Mrs. Bundy, elderly ornithologist: I have never known birds of different species to flock together. The very concept is unimaginable. Why, if that happened, we wouldn’t stand a chance! How could we possibly hope to fight them?

There you have it. Now it’s your turn. Tell us about your favorite movie-inspired Halloween costumes. With your help, Scene-Stealers could become the world’s leading supplier of Halloween costume ideas that simultaneously don’t suck, and can prove your movie prowess all at the same time.

Tags: characters, cool, cool halloween costumes, costume ideas, costumes, funny, halloween, movie, movies