Almost all of us have seen the movie; almost everyone knows the famous quote. It’s no wonder Scream turned out to be Oakmont’s ‘favorite scary movie.’

Although, Scream isn’t the first scary movie to ever hit the big screen. According to nyfa.edu the first horror movie ever was what started the craze.  At the end of the 19th century, “Le Manoir du Diable” was produced, and on Christmas Eve, 1896, it premiered. The film, otherwise known as The House of the Devil, was just three minutes long. It wasn’t originally intended to be labeled as a “scary movie,” but it was the first of its kind, setting the bar for the movies that followed. We’ve come a long way since then, and Oakmont has a few opinions when it comes to what films to watch around this time of year.

Just think about it for a second, someone asks you to name a horror movie, what comes to your mind? I’m willing to bet right after your all time favorite, one of our top three will pop up. The students here at Oakmont have voted, and the results are in.

Scream, Halloween, and It were favored by our peers.

It’s not a surprise. Scream is very well known; during its time it was one of the first slasher films to have notable actors, and, according to collider.com, “single-handedly saved the horror genre.” When it premiered people flocked to see it, having it bring in over $100 million just in the United States. 

Let’s not forget about our runner up. Halloween shares a similar story to the first place Scream. The movie, in a way, started the love for slasher films that people have today. Along with being so popular, Halloween also has a very recognizable score, or a piece of music specifically created for a film. Everytime you hear that theme you know something is about to happen.

It is more of an odd choice. The book the film is based on definitely adds to some of its fame. But I really don’t see why so many people chose it for their favorite horror movie. I can’t speak too much to the movie because I haven’t seen it, even so, I have a pretty good sense of the plot.

Moving on to movie genres, unsurprisingly, horror was the overall winner. With Halloween coming up, more and more people are transitioning into watching those scary movies. Whether it’s for the rush of adrenaline that they give you, or just as a way to escape and live another life, the holiday brings out that desire in people.

Our second most popular genre ended up being comedy — quite the contrast from the dark side we just came from. People tend to watch comedy to boost their mood or relieve stress. The numerous jokes are bound to make you laugh, not cower in fear. 

Fall Movie Snacks

But it’s time to talk about the important part. What people eat while watching the movie.

Honestly, most people were pretty boring; they ended up voting popcorn as the overall favorite. Out of all the other fall themed options our peers leaned towards the obvious — anything related to pumpkin spice.

Oakmont Faculty and Horror DO NOT Mix

Now if we really want to talk about who’s boring, our faculty is the best place to start. Almost half that responded mentioned that they don’t even watch horror at all. Although, Mr Billings did want to include that he prefers horror video games. It’s good to know not all our staff are afraid of a little scary movie. Their top three ended up being The Sixth Sense, Halloween, and The Exorcist. Almost a polar opposite from the students, with Halloween being the only exception.

History of Halloween

Halloween, believe it or not, wasn’t an original idea. It evolved from a Celtic festival that was meant to welcome the harvest at the end of summer. People would light bonfires and dress up in costume to ward off ghosts. Eventually, November 1 was designated as a day to honor saints, known as All Saints Day. The night before was labeled All Hallows Eve, which became the Halloween we all know and love.

Overall, we got a good impression of how Oakmont spends their time during the spooky season. And now we know what our school thinks are the top three horror movies to watch around Halloween. Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey, your input helped make this article possible.