As the year progresses and excitement from the start of the year fades, students and teachers alike begin to prepare for Halloween and the rest of the holiday season. Nothing gets someone prepared for Halloween better than a scary movie, so the Bark reviewed four movies that will get you in the mood for whatever your Halloween holds in store.

Halloween (2007): 4 Stars

“Halloween” is a remake of the 1978 film of the same title, part of a 10-film franchise. The movie begins with very disturbed 10-year-old Michael Myers, who kills three people on Halloween night. Seventeen

years later, he escapes from the mental asylum to which he was committed and begins to search for his younger sister. The people he comes across during his quest for her are in grave danger. This film excites viewers for the upcoming holiday, as his killing spree and search for his sister both begin on Halloween. However, this movie may have too many scares for some viewers. The most frightening aspects are that Myers does not speak, he only wears masks and he displays a ruthless penchant for killing.

Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): 3 stars

This movie is about a mysterious murderer who exhibits inhuman characteristics: long knife-like fingers and a bloody face. He kills his victims through nightmares they have while they are asleep. Multiple sequels followed the release of “Nightmare on Elm Street,” including a remake by the same name. While this movie has fantastic special effects considering it was produced in 1984, the gore and stunts come across as almost comedic to the modern eye. Without realistic visual effects, the movie loses most of its scare factor, as the plot is also quite unrealistic. However, the movie does not fail to put you in a spirited mood, as the theatrics are well performed and the spooky tone of the movie is shared with the holiday’s atmosphere.

Scream (1996): 5 stars

Scream, released in 1996, is now a Halloween and scary movie classic, spawning three sequels, a television

series by the same name and now the popular show “Scream Queens.”  The movie opens with Casey Becker watching scary movies and eating popcorn at home alone. But by the end of the first scene, she and her high school boyfriend have been viciously murdered by an unknown culprit wearing a white, Grim Reaper-like mask. Throughout the movie, other deaths ensue, all of which have relations to main character Sidney Prescott. The suspense gets one’s heart racing without too much blood and gore. The plot line is well written, with character making jokes about how things would turn out in a “typical” scary movie and how Scream is not like that. Because the movie is almost 20 years old, the special effects are not as realistic as modern movies, but the plot and acting are still both frightening and engaging.

Sorority Row (2009): 2 stars

After a prank gone wrong leads to the death of sorority sister Megan, her sisters and those involved in her bloody death hide her body and vow not to tell a soul what happened. But eight months later, on the night of their graduation, an unknown killer seeks revenge by going after anyone from Megan’s old sorority house. The movie lacks a complex plotline and relies on an attractive cast and party scenes to keep interest. I find this technique to make the overall story boring and much less successful than other movies. Sudden noises and decent special effects make a good a jump scare factor. But the gore and surprises do not keep the audience’s interest, as the plot line is weak and slow moving. The acting is also very sub-par, with no notable actors in the cast.