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”Practical Magic” :: Two sisters raised in a family of witches navigate love, a generational curse, and the power of sisterhood. I think this is a cult classic for every girl in the ‘90s—and 30 years later, there is a sequel!
”Obsession” :: A man wishes for his longtime crush to love him and gets an answer far more frightening than rejection. Truly the scariest film I’ve ever seen. At one point I actually screamed.
”Twilight” :: Teenage Bella falls in love with a vampire (oops) in a small Pacific Northwest town. The atmosphere, the soundtrack, the characters are quintessentially fall.
**”Only Lovers Left Alive”** :: Two centuries-old vampires reunite, carrying the accumulated art, music, and fatigue of a very long life. Think Adam and Eve-level archetypal love story, plus an exquisite soundtrack from Jozef van Wissem. (Also: I think Tilda Swinton was born to be a vampire.)
”Tucker & Dale vs. Evil” :: Two kindhearted friends on a cabin vacation are mistaken for killers by a group of panicked college students, with increasingly disastrous results. I did not expect to enjoy this comedy horror movie, but Tucker and Dale’s chemistry is so hilarious (and endearing), it was just too fun to go along for the ride.
**”The Joker”** :: An isolated, struggling clown descends into violence amid a city’s indifference. The back story, the origin story, the source of the derangement: it’s like a car accident you can’t look away from, and a character who sticks with you.
”Donnie Darko” :: A cult classic for a reason. Another one that stuck with me for years. Part sci-fi fantasy, part high school Halloween in an analog world.
**”The Prestige”** :: Two rival magicians pursue an impossible illusion until obsession costs them their identities, their families, and any clear line between trickery and the uncanny. Plus: Christian Bale.
**”Rosemary’s Baby”** :: In this 1968 classic, a young woman’s pregnancy becomes a point of dread, and the strangeness quickly escalates. The film aesthetic is very pleasing as well.
”Interview with the Vampire” :: A vampire tells the story of his making and his centuries wandering Earth as a vampire while experiencing the full range of human emotions: desire, guilt, grief. Worth the 2-hour runtime.
”The Witch” :: Banished to the edge of a New England forest, a Puritan family turns on itself when a baby disappears. Religious fear, suspicion, and the dark woods press in.
”Beetlejuice” :: The living and the dead make terrible housemates in Tim Burton’s gleefully strange afterlife. The sequel returns to the Deetz family and its unruly ghosts and is just as fun as the original.
”Lost Boys” :: Two brothers arrive in a California beach town where a gang of teenage vampires has turned eternal youth into a nighttime thrill ride in this 1987 cult classic (more funny, less scary). Bonus: “Cry, Little Sister.” (The making of the song that made the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEIsK3XZQag)
”Nosferatu” :: For an old classic, watch the original (1922) film—and because it’s all set to a score, feel free to add your own lines.
”The Seventh Seal” :: Black-and-white, 1957 Swedish film wherein a knight plays chess with Death. It’s spoken, though its imagery can feel like a silent film.
”Harry Potter” :: Another wonderful world to enter again each fall to follow the magical adventures of a boy who went to wizard school.
”It’s What’s Inside” :: A friend reunion goes sideways when a guest brings a device that lets the friends swap bodies.
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”X Files” :: Alien encounters, the Mandela Effect, creatures hiding in plain sight … this classic series has stood the test of time, most probably because of FBI agents Mulder and Scully.
7 TAKEAWAYS FROM WATCHING ‘THE X FILES’ IN ITS ENTIRETY
”What We Do in the Shadows” :: Centuries-old vampire roommates try to manage modern life on Staten Island while being interviewed (reality-TV-style). (Of note: Colin Robinson is an energy vampire.)
The Vampires Take Over Channel 8 News - Scene | What We Do in the Shadows | FX
”Stranger Things” :: A boy’s disappearance exposes a small town to secret experiments that go deeper and darker as the series progresses. Every season just gets better and better.
Stranger Things Rewatch | Clip: Eleven Saves Mike | Netflix
”Behind Her Eyes” :: A woman becomes entangled with her new boss and his wife, whose marriage seems to conceal something far stranger than an affair. It’s an out-of-body experience.
Behind Her Eyes | Official Trailer | Netflix
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