Have you ever sat down on the couch, and spent hours flicking through Netflix or Apple TV, film after film, just never finding that one you really want to watch? I bet you have! And I’m sure you don’t want to go through that again, especially during Halloween. So, lucky for you, this article will give you 2 of the best horror films of all time, so that you can sit down – with all your candy – on the 30th of October and enjoy.

First on this list is one of the scariest movies ever made! ‘The Conjuring’! When a family moves into a lake house wanting to live a peaceful new life, things go sideways. Firstly, the family starts to notice small things, like a sound or a bad feeling, but then larger things occur like falling portraits, slamming doors, and unwanted terrifying spirits haunting – the once peaceful – life of these poor folks. So, these frightened individuals look for help. Ed and Lorraine are famous paranormal investigators, so when they hear what is happening to this family, they know exactly what to do. After investigating the terrifying house, and being present in horrifying moments for a week, the couple performs a violent exorcism to try and get rid of the spirits, but does it work?

Second on our list, is another spine-chilling novel, made during the 1980s. You guessed it, ‘The shining’! This frightening story happens in Colorado when a couple and their kid, a small boy, take over a massive hotel during the cold winter. At first, despite the chilling setting, everything is fine, but when the father of the youngster goes crazy, things go seriously wrong. The unwell man suddenly tries to murder his entire family, and with no help whatsoever in the enormous hotel, the little boy and his mom must find ways to survive. Not only is the film already hair-rising with the lunatic man, but the man’s supernatural mental connection with his son takes things to another level. Even though this film might be older, it’s a classic! So, I highly recommend it.

To sum up everything, I hope you enjoy your Halloween and fall in love with these excellent,  terrifying, 'hiding under the blanket' movies just like I have!

​Dear diary,
 
If someone is reading this, well, I’d say call help, but I guess it’s too late now. Something happened today. Something I never imagined was possible. Just after school ended, under the intense July sun, I was strolling through the ruins of Watsmith street -an abandoned thoroughfare that had become my swiftest route. One foot in front of the other and singing the same tune as always, I started my journey home, when I noticed something rather disturbing. My shadow was not mirroring my calm steps, but twisting and turning, as if it were trying to stretch itself. I watched in horror, with utmost certainty this was not, in fact, usual.
 
 The shadow seemed to walk away from me, and being as curious as I am, I followed it; unknowingly making the biggest mistake of my life. As I got closer and closer to reaching it, the shadow sped up its pace, to the point where it was running, and I was running after it. The movement was surprisingly not random at all, as if the once-normal shadow was trying to get somewhere. By this point, I was completely lost, my eyes were held captive by this extraordinary situation before me.
 
Suddenly, the shadow came to a complete stop, and I realized I was at the end of an alley, completely isolated from any human activity. The shadow turned around to face me, and grinned. I had no idea that shadows could grin, but this one could. The grin was evil and full of hatred. This time, I was the one to start running, but the shadow was fast. Once the shadow caught up to me, it penetrated my soul, pushing me out of it.
 
It was over, the shadow now had my body, and I am now the shadow glued to the floor. Therefore, for safety reasons, please remain in well-lit areas at all times.
 

​Yet again, the season of Halloween comes and goes, and every year, pumpkins are lit. Children and families cut pumpkins and light them up, decorating their houses full of Halloween spirit. But why are we carving pumpkins anyway?
 
The pumpkin carving tradition goes back many years, and it derives from an Irish myth of a man called “Stingy Jack”. In this myth, Jack tricks the devil for money. When Jack died, God wouldn’t let Jack into heaven and the devil wouldn’t let him into hell, because he fooled the devil and did bad to the world therefore not being accepted into any of the afterlife worlds, condemning Jack to wander the earth for the rest of eternity.
 
In Ireland, people would carve faces into turnips to scare away the spirit of “Stingy Jack”, and when people from Ireland started to immigrate to the U.S., they started using the native alternative, pumpkins. But how did this tradition become a staple for Halloween?
 
An ancient British and Irish festival called the Celtic Festival Samhain is where Halloween came from. It announced the end of Summer and the beginning of the new year on November 1st. During this festival, it was believed that spirits that died the past year would come back to their homes in the overworld, consequently maintaining the tradition of carving pumpkins to scare away the spirits.
 
Halloween is now celebrated on October 31st and the pumpkin carving tradition remains a strong staple for this holiday together with many others that were created along the way for example apple bobbing and trick or treating.
 

1. Witches: Firstly, get a black plain dress, and secondly get some pieces of dark clothing or EVA and cut it into small pieces and add them onto the dress, how is up to you, but I recommend sewing or gluing. Thirdly buy a pointy hat and using EVA add some patches to decorate it. Lastly, get an old broom to carry around just to go the extra mile. 
2. For a cute Disney costume for a couple, Wreck-it Ralph is the movie for you. For a Ralph costume get a brown overall and a pinkish shirt. Then for Vanellope get a green hoodie, a black skirt, and q green coloured socks.  Assemble it all and you have a great couple costume. (Ideally, the person using the Ralph costume would be taller.) 
3. Last but not least is a costume for a big group of girls. It's M&M´s! First, separate a pair of clothing items that match the color of the M&M you choose to dress as. Then using white EVA (or any suitable material) cut an “M” in the same format as the actual chocolate. Do that for every color. Each friend uses one colour and then you will look like a packet of very cute M&M´s. 

Earwig and the Witch, from Studio Ghibli, based on a book of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones, was released on October 18th, 2020. It was the first Studio Ghibli film to be fully 3D-animated. Its director was Gorō Miyazaki, he said he was very confident about his film. But was it really good?
 
The book (which the film was based on) has many positive reviews. The majority of them point out that Earwig deals with a bad situation by getting the better out of it. A review in Common Sense Media about this book says: ‘When Earwig's position in life changes from good (living in an orphanage where everyone does what she wants) to bad (being adopted by a witch and a demon and having to do whatever they tell her to do), she doesn't complain. Instead, she looks at her new situation as a challenge, and she likes challenges. The book is supposedly good, but what are the critics in relation to the movie?
 
The film talks about the story of an orphan who suffers from some mental disabilities and doesn’t want to be adopted, causing much trouble, and burdening her friend ‘Pudding’ with them. But one day, her period of glory ends when she gets adopted by a strange woman and her strange husband. Turns out, they are a witch and a devil! How will Earwig deal with the situation when the witch obligates her to do tons of disgusting chores and not disturb her devil husband?

Earwig in the film doesn’t have a character development. Neither does the film have a development. All the things that happen are supposed to connect to each other clarifying its backstory and its purpose, but it fails to do so. It seems like jigsaw pieces in a table, that don’t form a complete image. Why? Because it wastes time in scenes such as Erica’s obnoxious chores and then doesn’t have time to show her development with her later-called family. By its lack of time to show development, Erica seems spoiled and manipulative, so it fails to show Erica’s full charm and bravery as a powerful and insightful character grows. This was one of the main reasons this film is considered unsatisfactory.

Studio Ghibli is mainly known for bringing the best out of simple things we usually don’t notice in our lives. Ponyo, and example, is enthusiastic about eating lamen, and it becomes a magical moment for a very simple thing. But Earwig and the Witch doesn’t show that magic. A few suggestions which could turn this good film into a great one is: If Erica turned her chores into fun games, or if she won over her adoptive parents by using her charms.  
 
Earwig and the Witch had much potential that some may argue wasn’t achieved. Time, in this movie, was not by its side, and it lacked the ability to develop the characters and the plot further. As a Studio Ghibli fan from my heart, I really wish to have seen more out of this movie. The movie might have caused people to perceive the book in a bad way, turning away possible new audiences as well. However, because of the critics maybe one day the movie will be re-done, and other opinions will formulate. But until then there are plenty of amazing Halloween-related movies to watch.