Six degrees of spooky separation

Spooky season is upon us and unfortunately it is looking likely that our usual traditions of fancy dress parties and trick or treating won’t be able to happen this year. But fear not, as there’s plenty of Halloween movies perfect for a family night in, and that’s what this post is all about!

In this article I’m going to suggest a few Halloween treats for your viewing pleasure, but to make it a little trickier for myself I’ll be doing it in a sort of ‘six degrees of separation’ style. For those unaware with this concept, six degrees of separation is the idea that any two people can be connected in as little as 6 connections, and in the movie world ‘six degrees of Kevin Bacon’ is the concept that any 2 actors can be connected in as little as 6 films. So for example say you wanted to connect hit and miss movie star Adam Sandler to acting great Marlon Brando; I’d tell you that you’d surprisingly only need one connection as Adam Sandler stars in Jack and Jill with Al Pacino who stars alongside Marlon Brando in The Godfather. But this article will be a little different! Rather than try to connect two actors or two films I will be giving you some Halloween viewing suggestions, with each suggestion featuring an actor who appears in the previous suggestion. And hopefully through reading you might be surprised to realise some acting connections, but more importantly find a few films to stick on during spooky season!

1) Hocus Pocus (Sarah Jessica Parker)

So let’s kick things off with undoubtedly my favourite Halloween movie, the 1993 classic, Hocus Pocus. For those who don’t know, Hocus Pocus is a family film about a teenage boy who’s family relocates to Salem where he accidentally awakens a trio of witches. The film stars a young Sarah Jessica Parker as one of the Sanderson sisters, which leads us onto the next film!

2) Mars Attacks! (Sarah Jessica Parker and Michael J Fox)

Perhaps not a quintessential Halloween flick but great October viewing nevertheless, my second suggestion is Mars Attacks! Sarah Jessica Parker stars in an ensemble cast featuring some of Hollywood’s finest actors including an early role for Jack Black (who could have led us into Halloween family favourite Goosebumps) and veteran Jack Nicholson (who could have led us into horror classic The Shining). Directed by Tim Burton, who will no doubt feature multiple times in these suggestions, Mars Attacks is a comedy about Martians invading Earth. The cast is so good that the actor who links us to our next film doesn’t even make the poster: 80s superstar Michael J Fox.

3) The Frighteners (Michael J Fox and Jake Busey)

I’ve written about this film before, and if you’ve still not given it a watch then Halloween season is the perfect time to do so. Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners stars Michael J Fox as Frank Bannister - a man who uses his psychic abilities to stop a demonic spirit hellbent on breaking a killing record from beyond the grave. The film perfectly combines the black comedy and thriller genres to create an original and enjoyable cinema experience. The film stars Jake Busey as the films antagonist - a relatively unknown actor who connects us to another gripping thriller.

4) Identity (Jake Busey and Ray Liotta) Identity is the ultimate Agatha Christie-esque premise. Stranded at a desolate Nevada motel during a nasty rain-storm, ten strangers become acquainted with each other when they realize that they're being killed off one by one. Suspenseful from the offset this film is perfect Halloween viewing. The film stars one of my favourite actors John Cusack (and we could have gone down the 1408 route) but it is his co-star Ray Liotta who leads us to the next film.

5) Hubie Halloween (Ray Liotta and Adam Sandler) Now this is actually the only film on the list I haven’t seen. And the reason for that is it isn’t actually out yet, but it is one that I cannot wait to watch it when it’s released on Netflix on October 7th! Hubie Halloween is the latest Adam Sandler film in his six film Netflix deal and it’s one that is a must see for avid Halloween fans. Sandler plays Hubie Dubois, a misfit and mockery of Salem who becomes the unlikely hero to save Halloween. Now I know Adam Sandler films can be extremely hit or miss, and my usual rule is that there is a correlation between how silly the voice Adam Sandler puts on relates to how bad the film will be. And if the sillier the voice does mean the worse the film, then that means this film could be awful but I’m hoping that this is an exception that breaks the rule and Hubie Halloween can become an unlikely Halloween classic!

6) Little Nicky (Adam Sandler and Henry Winkler) And into another film that somewhat breaks the rule, Little Nicky. After two of the devil's three sons escape Hell to wreak havoc on Earth, the devil must send his third son, the mild-mannered Nicky, to bring them back before it's too late. I could have gone a few ways from here as the film has a surprisingly impressive cast. Harvey Keitel plays the devil, Reese Witherspoon an angel and Quentin Tarantino (of all people) stars as a blind preacher, but it’s a Henry Winkler cameo that leads us perfectly into one of my favourite horror films.

7) Scream (Henry Winkler and Drew Barrymore)

In 1996 Wes Craven delivered a coming of age slasher flick that had audiences guessing the identity of Ghostface throughout. Originally titled Scary Movie, Scream is a horror classic that not only delivers a fresh take on the slasher genre but also pokes fun at its predecessors. Henry Winkler stars as the unsuspecting school principal, in this film about a teenage girl who is terrorised by a masked killer. The attachment of Drew Barrymore pushed the film into production, and it’s Barrymore who leads us to another Halloween favourite of mine.

8) Donnie Darko (Drew Barrymore and Seth Rogen) A film that takes place in the run up to a high school Halloween party, Donnie Darko is the story of a teenage boy who, after narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes. Donnie Darko is clever and intricate, and proved to be an incredible breakout role for Jake Gyllenhaal but it’s another actor who debuted in this that takes us to our next film, Seth Rogen.

9) This is the End (Seth Rogen and Christopher Mintz-Plasse) I like Seth Rogen and the acting buddies he regularly stars alongside, and This is the End is definitely a film made for fans of that group of actors. All playing themselves, the film is about six Los Angeles celebrities who are stuck in James Franco's house whilst the apocalypse takes place. The film doesn’t take itself too seriously, and features an array of clever cameos, one of which is Christopher Mintz-Plasse who leads us to a superhero movie.

10) Kick-Ass (Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Chloe Grace Moretz)

I tend to disassociate superhero movies from Halloween movies, but as I’m sure we’ve all been to a Halloween fancy dress party and seen someone in a superhero costume, I will allow one superhero film into this list, and to be fair, it’s a cracker. Kick-Ass is about an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a superhero, even though he has no powers or fighting ability. Much like Scream, the film does a perfect job of being in its genre whilst poking fun at the genre. The film stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson (who you may have seen more recently in Tenet), as well as Nicholas Cage (who will star in anything for the right price) but it’s Chloe Grace Moretz who will take us into a run of Tim Burton classics.

11) Dark Shadows (Chloe Grace Moretz and Johnny Depp) 12) Corpse Bride (Johnny Depp and Danny Elfman) 13) A Nightmare Before Christmas (Danny Elfman and Catherine O'Hara) 14) Beetlejuice (Catherine O'Hara and Winona Ryder) 15) Edward Scissorhand (Winona Ryder and Dianne West)

Much like a Rocky montage, in this paragraph I’ll run you through some classic Tim Burton films. Chloe Grace Moretz stars in the comedy Dark Shadows about a vampire who awakens after a couple of centuries and moves in with his descendants. The film stars Johnny Depp who features regularly in Tim Burton films. Amongst them is The Corpse Bride, a film about a shy groom who inadvertently weds a deceased woman. The film has a rare acting role for acclaimed composer Danny Elfman who also has an acting credit in A Nightmare before Christmas. A king of Halloweentown grows bored of Halloween’s repetitiveness, and stumbles into Christmas town where he decides to kidnap Santa to spark life back into Halloween. Catherine O’Hara stars as Sally, and leads us to another Tim Burton Halloween classic, Beetlejuice. The spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by an unbearable family that has moved into their home, and hire a malicious spirit to drive them out. The film stars Winona Ryder who two years later teams up with Burton again for Edward Scissorhands. Much like A Nightmare before a Christmas, you could be inclined to say it’s more of a Christmas film than a Halloween film. The film is about an incomplete artificial man who is introduced to suburban life by a friendly Avon rep. The inventor is played by acting legend Vincent Price who has appeared in several classic horror films including the original versions of The Fly, House of Wax and House on Haunted Hill. He also stars as the evil Rattigan in my all-time favourite Disney movie The Great Mouse Detective. But it is actress Dianne West, who plays Peg the Avon lady in Edward Scissorhands, who leads us to our next Halloween film.

16) Lost Boys (Dianne West and Corey Feldman)

Dianne West plays the mother in the vampire classic Lost Boys. After moving to the small coastal town of Santa Carla, two brothers discover that the area is a haven for vampires. I’m a sucker for a good Vampire film whether it’s Fright Night, From Dusk til Dawn or even Mom’s got a date with a Vampire, but it’s Kiefer Sutherland’s performance as teen vampire David that is the most memorable for me. This was the film that sparked the two Coreys fandom and it’s Corey Feldman who takes us to a family favourite that‘s the ideal film if you’re searching for a fun film for children.

17) The Goonies (Corey Feldman and Mary Ellen Trainor)

The Goonies is a film about a group of young misfits from the Goons, who discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find One Eyed Willy’s long-lost treasure. A Stephen Spielberg story written by Christopher Columbus probably explains why this film is so timeless and an enjoyable watch. And whilst The Goonies isn't a Halloween movie, it's got it's fair share of jumps, scares and monsterous characters, the perfect watch for young children perhaps not after anything too scary! The film stars a young Josh Brolin and Sean Astin, but it’s a relatively unknown actress who will take us to our penultimate film.

18) Freaky Friday (Mary Ellen Trainor and Jamie Lee Curtis)

Mary Ellen Trainor, despite not being a relatively well known actress, has a more than impressive filmography. As well as the Goonies, she starred in 80s classics Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Scrooged as well as the sequels to Back to the Future and Ghostbusters! But it’s a small role in the 2003 Disney film Freaky Friday that is next on the list. An overworked mother and her daughter do not get along. When they switch bodies, each is forced to adapt to the other's life. The film stars Lindsay Lohan in the height of her stardom. Perhaps not the spookiest of viewings, the body switch premise of the film is being rehashed for a new horror comedy starring Vince Vaughn aptly titled Freaky, so audiences wont have to wait long for a scarier body switch flick. Freaky Friday also stars an actress whose nickname is the queen of screams (amongst other nicknames) and leads us perfectly to the final film in these spooky separation suggestions.

19) Halloween (Jamie Lee Curtis)

Halloween was the debut film role for Jamie Lee Curtis, daughter of acting legends Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis. Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again. It’s a Halloween classic that has sparked several sequels and the original is still perfect Halloween night slasher for any horror movie fan.

And there you have 19 movie gems for you to sink your fangs into whilst you’re sat on the sofa in the Dracula costume you bought in the sales last year! Maybe just me. But if you are watching some films this spooky season, let me know some of your suggestions, and if you can connect them with actors, even better! Thanks for reading and have a spooky Halloween! 🎃