Grace Robbins ‘22, Photo Editor
With October ending, Halloween is creeping up on us. It’s a holiday that’s filled with so many classic movies that are scary, funny, and light-hearted. Halloween is the perfect holiday for film buffs. With so many great films, it is hard to pick a favorite, but let’s find out what Halloween movies South Lyon High School (SLHS) students love most.
At number five: Halloween. On Halloween night, when he was only seven years old, Michael Myers kills his older sister and is sentenced to 15 years. After multiple years in prison he has to transfer for a court date and escapes. He goes back to his hometown looking for new victims. Twelve percent of students said this was their favorite movie to watch during Halloween time because it is a true jump scare.
Number four is The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton. Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king, is bored doing the same thing every year: scaring people from the “real world.” He accidentally goes to Christmastown. Jack sees the bright colors and wants to take control of Christmastown. Thirteen percent of students said this was their favorite Halloween movie. Senior Molly Younkin said, “[I] love watching The Nightmare Before Christmas because the filmmakers made the characters out of clay and it took them so long to film.”
The third most popular spooky film is Halloweentown. Fourteen percent of students at SLHS voted Halloweentown as their favorite movie to watch during Halloween since it is a Disney classic. Marnie and her two siblings get a visit from their grandma on Halloween. The three kids decide to follow their grandma to Halloweentown when she goes home. After arriving, they learn secrets about their grandma and family history.
Coming in at number two is the classic Hocus Pocus. Main character, Max, decides to explore an abandoned house with Dani, his sister, and their new friend Allison. Allison tells the two a scary story about the witches from Salem. Max and Dani say it is only a superstition, but then Max accidentally lets out the three witches, and the group then has to stop the witches from becoming immortal. Sophomore Eden Donnelley said, “[I] love watching Hocus Pocus because [I] have always had a crush on Max.” Sixteen percent of students voted this as their favorite Halloween movie because it’s a Halloween cult classic that’s funny and quirky.
Finally, at number one: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Even though It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is only 25 minutes long, 35 percent of students said that it was their favorite Halloween movie. This film came out in 1966 and is considered to be a classic. Linus, who is Charlie Brown’s friend Lucy’s little brother, wished to see the Great Pumpkin on Halloween night. He believes that the Great Pumpkin will come out of the pumpkin patch and give presents to all the children in a similar way to Santa Claus. Charlie Brown, the main character, also gets invited to a Halloween party he has wanted to go to with his friends. They all go trick-or-treating, and Charlie Brown keeps getting the same thing: rocks. Freshman Shayna Price said, “[My] favorite part is when Charlie Brown gets rocks instead of candy. It’s so funny.”
One of the best treats of Halloween is the wide variety of films, some that are truly terrifying, some cult classics, and some that are cheesy. Despite these rankings, all these movies remain classics. Ten percent of other students voted for movies such as Huby Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street. Although these films did not receive a sizable amount of attention from students, they deserve to be mentioned.
Lyon Life 