Classic fright night flicks for Halloween

Halloween quickly approaches, which means it's time to curl up with a nice bowl of newt's eyes and watch something ghoulish. The Advocate can help you get your creep on with a quick review of some classic picks from horror films of the past.

Now, the majority of the films on our list will require a trip to the video store. (Or perhaps just to the mailbox, if you subscribe to one of those Internet movie services.) As wonderful as DVDs are, they just can't compete with the big screen experience - the smell of freshly popped popcorn, the comfort of plush stadium seats, the drama of images blown up to glorious proportions. Advocate readers will be pleased to know that one of their favorites is back at the multiplex. It's a pick from an auteur you know and love, a man with strange grooming habits but an intoxicating grasp of animation…the one, the only, the master - Tim Burton. (Please, hold your applause until you reach the theater.)

The Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993, directed by Henry Selick

For sheer artistic flair, it's impossible to top Tim Burton. His surreal and quirky animated creatures are an incredible visual treat. The only thing better than watching his 1993 Halloween classic, The Nightmare Before Christmas, is watching the newly reissued version in Disney Digital 3-D.

The film opened in select theaters nationwide this past Friday, Oct. 20; but several lucky viewers were treated to an advance screening on Thursday at the United Artists Colorado Mills Stadium 16 in Lakewood. The 9 p.m. viewing resembled something out of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, with many of the attendees dressed in Halloween costumes or their best goth attire.

If you haven't seen the original, or even if you have, you're in for quite a show. The Nightmare Before Christmas is a charming musical fantasy and a stunning achievement of stop-motion animation. Burton populates the dark netherworld of the film's setting, Halloween Town, with a motley assortment of delightfully demented characters. Residents include Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King; Mayor, a triangle-shaped public servant with two faces (how entirely job-appropriate); and the winsome Sally, an updated Frankengirl who has been assembled from various spare parts by the disturbingly duck-like Dr. Finkelstein.

The denizens of Halloween Town are, not surprisingly, completely obsessed with Halloween. The narrative revolves around Jack's decision to turn his back on Halloween and celebrate Christmas instead, a move that baffles the townsfolk and sets off a disastrous chain of events. The plot is thin at best; but the storyline is not the main attraction of a Burton film. The story is almost an afterthought; the focus here is on Burton's brilliant execution of the visuals, which is as it should be. Add the glory of 3-D to the mix and you have a surefire spookfest that will captivate your entire crew.

The 3-D technology is a collaboration between Disney Studios, Real D Cinema, Industrial Light and Magic and Dolby Laboratories. The film is only available in select theaters, but it's worth seeking out. After the customary previews (all of them touting upcoming 3-D films, of course), an on-screen message invites viewers to don their 3-D glasses. (The glasses are much improved over the old paper variety, by the way, and you get to take them home!) A short 3-D film by Pixar, Knick Knack, plays, wherein a snowman trapped in a snow globe attempts to break free in order to be with a bodacious beach babe. Viewers will feel as if they're trapped in the snow globe as well; the special effects are that convincing. Following the short film, a three-second countdown to the movie begins, with spectral digits coming toward the viewer and appearing to float just inches away. The best part comes immediately afterwards, when…well, we can't tell you what happens next. You'll have to see the movie for that; but trust us, it's delightfully creepy.

The only drawback is that the movie itself is a bit anticlimactic after such a dazzling opening. Audiences seem to clearly prefer the "in your face" style of 3-D effects, and you won't get much of that with this reissue. The magic of 3-D is best experienced with movies that have been specifically designed for the medium, and Nightmare is somewhat limited by its 2-D origins. Don't let that stop you, though. The movie is still quite stunning, and should be on your short list of films to see this holiday season.

The Exorcist, 1973, Directed by William Friedkin.

This is the granddaddy of horror films, a movie that had the same sort of wide-ranging cultural impact as Jaws. It's impossible to hear the creepy soundtrack without having the hair stand up on the back of your neck. The plot is simple: Two priests battle dark spirits for the soul of a 12-year-old girl. The lynchpin of its success is the innocence of Linda Blair's character - how could such a sweet child, with the face of a cherub, be possessed by demons? The special effects may be a little dated, but watching Linda rotate her head 360 degrees or vomit pea soup like some sort of fiendish salad shooter will still make an indelible impression. The movie can get quite graphic, so reserve it for an adults-only viewing. Don't watch this alone, either, and be sure you have a nightlight - you'll need it. Other movies of this type include The Omen and Rosemary's Baby.

Pumpkinhead, 1989, Directed by Stan Winston

This is a rarity of the genre - a horror movie with an actual storyline and believable characters. Lance Henriksen portrays a man who has lost his son. In his pain, he somehow calls forth a demonic creature with a pumpkin for a head and retribution in its heart. Lance's desire for vengeance plays out in unexpected ways, and the viewer is sure to end up pondering the nature of karma and self-fulfilling prophecies. Go figure, a horror film with an actual message and a moral center. The film is far better than it sounds, and is definitely worthy of your attention. It manages to make all of its characters, even the clueless teens, sympathetic and interesting. This is an intelligent horror flick, but there's still plenty of cheese to please the masses. And did we mention there's a demon with a giant pumpkin for a noggin?