What's on for Halloween

There aren’t a lot of new films to see this weekend, because people don’t much go to the movies on Halloween, so the big studios are holding out.  The only splashy opening is This Is It, the documentary based on footage from Michael Jackson’s final concert rehearsals.  The film drew middling reviews and middling crowds when it opened Tuesday night.  Critics complained that it was neither a good documentary nor a good concert film.  But there were fans, many of whom found the film as intriguing as the man, which is to say if you find Michael Jackson intriguing, you will probably enjoy the film. If you want to honor the holiday by scaring yourself silly, go see Paranormal Activity.  If you’ve done that already, look for a small film called House of the Devil, which is creating a stir among horror fans – sort of a Satanic eighties cult thing, with Rosemary’s Baby thrown in.  If you’re in the mood for the occult but you don’t want to be scared, try Zombieland.  This cheerful little post apocalyptic buddy road movie is a lot of fun if you can manage the Zombie gore stuff.

Struck at home, answering the door?  Think about renting a classic: maybe some Hitchcock, like Dial M for Murder, or The Shining.  Carrie is also a fun film, particularly if you have older teenage girls around.  For an elegant but creepy take on vampires look for Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola.  Won a lot of awards when it came out in 1992.  And, if vampires are your thing, a little Swedish film called Let the Right One In is creepy and intriguing and not at all Hollywood.  Try to see the original before the remake comes out next year.  An American Werewolf in London just got a big re-release on Blue Ray and HD and all that, if you’ve never seen it it’s a good horror film; scary and dark, but well acted and funny.  John Landis directed. These are mostly R rated: if you want something tamer, and you’ve missed the Zeitgeist, you could try Twilight, a vampire love story with hardly any fangs.  If you have a lot of trick or treaters while you’re watching this, it won’t make any difference.