Halloween is finally here, after what seems like months of build-up. I personally love checking out my Facebook news feed to see what all the little kids are wearing these days, for class parties and trick-or-treating. Although I’m well known for my failure to decorate my house for the holidays, Halloween was always a fun time around here with D and J. They always came up with great costume ideas, and for years they participated in the Cub Scout Halloween Cake Bake, an event where the boys were tasked with creating a Halloween-themed cake completely on their own, from mixing and baking to decorating.
Now that the boys are grown (23 and 20! Yikes!), they make their own Halloween plans. Sometimes I help out, like that time with Ryan Gosling’s jacket. Sometimes I just get pictures, like last year when D went to a party as Tom Cruise in “Risky Business”. I’d share it here but when he sent me the picture I promised cross-my-heart-pinky-swear that I wouldn’t post it on social media. What I WILL say is that his imitation, right down to his open-mouthed, toothy grin, was SPOT-ON.
Anyway, this year Jim and I will just be doing our routine evening of handing out candy to the adorable neighborhood children until Jim gets to the point where he’s sick of the dog barking and sick of one of us having to get up and open the door. At that point, after a few rounds of giving out triple-the-normal-amount of candy to each kid to decrease our supply, he makes a huge statement about how HALLOWEEN IS OVER and then closes the front door and turns off the lights. That’s when we’ll grab a handful of whatever candy is left and head to the family room where we just might watch a movie on Netflix.
But no scary Halloween movies! We’re not about that.
Luckily, there are LOTS of other types of movies streaming on Netflix that we can watch without having a mini-heart attack on the couch, and without creating nightmares for the foreseeable future. Stuff we’ve watched recently that might be on the encore list?
Moonrise Kingdom: This quirky drama follows the frantic search that ensues in a small New England town when two twelve-year-olds fall in love and run away together.
Dave Attell: Road Work: A veteran NYC comic performs in venues from New Orleans to Philadelphia, as unique special cuts from shows provide a unique look at his tour.
Silver Linings Playbook: After a stint in a mental hospital, Pat moves in with his parents and tries to win back his wife, until he meets a woman who is as unstable as he is.
Okay, okay…I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you about what Netflix has to offer for you fans of all that is intense and scary. They have A LOT. In fact, you can browse genres and find a category right now called “Halloween Favorites”. It includes everything from wet-your-pants scary to kid-friendly cartoons. TV fans can find episodes of “The Walking Dead”, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “American Horror Story”, and “Supernatural”. Movie fans can stream things like “Silence of the Lambs”, “The Sixth Sense”, “Children of the Corn” (Shudder!), “Rosemary’s Baby”, and “The Awakening”. Have fun with those, horror fans!
While you’re checking those out, I’m going to rinse out my brain with a repeat viewing of “Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day”.