Greetings from the Great Bend Public Library and Happy Halloween! It’s the spookiest day of the year and we are serving up some scary fun. Dress up as your favorite book character and join us for some spooky treats and activities throughout the day for all ages with All Hallows’ Read. We are offering themed crafts and activities, a popcorn bar with some tasty treats, and the chance to win some spooktacular door prizes. And while you’re here, why not grab a movie or book to enjoy on Halloween night?
Since Halloween is today, I thought it would be fun to give some recommendations for a few movies that will get you in the Halloween spirit. I know I typically do book recommendations, but I think movies will be a fun change considering the occasion. So grab the popcorn and get ready for a spine-tingling, fearfully fun Halloween.
My first recommendation is a personal favorite of mine. “The Conjuring” or either of its two sequels are all movies that I think are great for Halloween or, as is the running joke with my husband, Valentine’s Day. They are genuinely pretty scary and don’t rely too much on jump scares or gore. Instead, they build a great atmosphere and tension, leaving you on edge for most of the movie. The movie follows the very sweet real-life couple Ed and Loraine Warren, who were professional paranormal researchers, as they try to help a family haunted by a terrifying entity wreaking havoc after they move into a new home. In “Conjuring 2,” Ed and Lorraine travel to London to help a single mother and her children after her youngest daughter starts to show signs of demonic possession. Extra tension ensues after Lorraine explains she had a vision of Ed’s death. The third Conjuring movie is the scariest in the franchise, in my opinion. Based on a real case, a cop stumbles upon a dazed and bloodied young man walking down the road. He is later accused of murder when his landlord is found dead. The suspect claims demonic possession as his defense, leading to the Warrens being brought on to prove the boy’s innocence.
The two things I love about all the Conjuring films are how genuinely scary they can be with how well they build tension and atmosphere and the Warrens themselves. The actors have amazing chemistry, and the films take time to show you their relationship and their genuine love and care for each other, not only as a couple but as partners who mutually respect each other. Their relationship and love for each other is genuinely such a big part of the movie, hence my joke that it is a great Valentine’s Day movie franchise.
The Conjuring movies may be a bit too scary for the whole family to enjoy after a night of trick-or-treating, so for my next recommendation a family-friendly favorite of mine is “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.” If you or your kids aren’t familiar with the Wallace and Gromit franchise, it’s a stop-motion British series about a cheese-obsessed inventor named Wallace and his clever knitting dog Gromit. Because of Wallace’s crazy inventions, the pair are always finding themselves on all kinds of adventures. This time the pair set out to discover the mystery behind a garden saboteur that plagues the village and threatens to ruin the annual giant vegetable growing contest!
Pick up one or all of these movies at the Great Bend Public Library today or anytime for a spooky fun time, and have a safe and happy All Hallows’ Eve.
Hannah Grippin - outreach manager at the Great Bend Public Library. To see what else we’re up to at the library, visit our Facebook page and our website, greatbendpl.info. You can also message us on Facebook, email us at gbcirc@gmail.com, or give us a call at 620-792-2409 for any questions about our programming or services.
