It is that time of year again. As Halloween approaches once more, people are inextricably drawn to horror movies. Seeing as how it is psychologically healthy to watch movies that shock, terrorize and desensitize us, I have come up with my own list of movies to watch this Halloween.

“Dracula”

The original movie staring Bela Lugosi is truly terrifying. I especially like how every time Dracula is about to grab someone’s neck with his teeth the movie fades to black and does not show the actual act! Give it up for horror movies made during the end of the Victorian era! Want to be really scared? Know that this movie probably offended people when it was made.

“Van Helsing”

Given the increasingly short attention spans of American audiences, Universal Studio executives decided to make a movie with not just one or two monsters, but as many as they could fit in. I am sure this decision had nothing to do with the re-release of those classic Universal monster movies such as “The Wolfman,” “Dracula” and “Frankenstein.” “Van Helsing” goes above and beyond with both its rich character development and realistic special effects. Seriously.

“Underworld 1 and 2”

Question: How can you improve upon a movie about vampires at war with werewolves?Answer: By adding Kate Beckinsale and lots of political intrigue.

The low budget original was followed by a bigger sequel with more violence and a pretty good “final death” sequence for the lead bad guy.

“Alien”

Some people call this movie the scariest of all time Having seen it a number of times I think it is safe to say it is pretty tame by today’s standards. However, given the fact that every other science fiction or horror movie shamelessly rips off what it originally did, maybe there is something to that title.

The “Saw” Movies

Ah yes, the slasher movies. Seriously who would not want to watch a movie about a sick character that goes around kidnapping people and forcing them to dismember themselves? There is even a new one coming out on October 26. However, you may just want to wait until the unrated version comes out on DVD.

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Welcome to the first installment of of the five part series that will let you, the Warrior’s readership decide the greatest sports movie ever. We kick the festivities off in the Comedy Regional which features classics like “Rudy,” “Caddyshack,” “For the Love of the Game” and “Dodgeball.” You the readers will help your favorites advance by going to www.thewarrior.organd voting in the two first round matchups from October 10th through October 15th. Then on October 16th we will unveil the first round winners on our website and you will have a chance to help your choice win the Comedy Regional and advance to the Final Four of the Bracket by voting again this time from October 16th until October 21st. #1

“Rudy” vs. #4 “Dodgeball”

This match up is a truly compelling one; perhaps two of the greatest underdog stories ever square off in a battle that will be sure to feature significant star power. “Rudy” is probably one of the most familiar movies in the bracket, but it faces a more defined opposition group than any other movie in the bracket. For anyone unfamiliar with the movie, this 1993 flick stars Sean Astin as the title character, Daniel “Rudy” Ruettinger. In a nutshell Rudy walks on to the Notre Dame football team in the mid-1970s when Joe Montana was there. Along the way, Rudy faces a lot of the typical underdog hardships, he is too small, too unathletic and is not there on a scholarship. In the end Rudy t r i u m p h s and gets into a game a g a i n s t G e o r g i a Tech, records a sack and is carried from the field by his teammates. “Rudy” represents one of the most compelling stories of an u n d e r d o g ever, and it certainly is a staple in any collection of sports movies, but will the anti-domer sentiment be enough to sink it in the first round?

“Dodgeball” is the epic tale of a band of misfits from Average Joe’s Gym who defeat a team from the monolithic Globo Gym, the Purple Cobras, in a game of dodgeball. Average Joe’s owner is Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn) while Globo Gym’s owner is White Goodman (Ben Stiller). Along the way a cheerleader is caught doping in a qualifying tournament and Lance A r m s t r o n g , arguably the greatest athlete of our times, makes a cameo appearance that is inspiring in its own right. The commentary on the “Dodgeball” itself provided via ESPN the Ocho is also superb and adds a flavor to the movie that is u n a t t a i n a b l e in your typical sports flick. It is also worth noting that the complete title of the movie is “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.”

#2 “Caddyshack” vs. #3 “For the Love of the Game”

Caddyshack was filmed in 1980 and contains star power that any other movie in this bracket would be hard pressed to compete with. Among its cast are Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield and Bill Murray. Carl Spackler’s (Murray) battle with the gopher is what this film is remembered for, but it offers much more in its many plots including caddy Danny Noonan’s (Michael O’Keefe) relationship with Ty Webb (Chase) and the climactic high stakes match play that takes place at the end of the film.

“For the Love of the Game” is the most recent baseball film featuring Kevin Costner. In this one Costner plays Billy Chapel, a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, who is on the mound on the last day of the season at Yankee Stadium. Chapel is in the midst of a perfect game that is accompanied by flashbacks of his girlfriend of the past four years who is leaving for a job in London. Chapel is also aware that the new owner of the Tigers is preparing to trade him, which at age forty leaves open the possibility of retirement in pursuit of love. As Chapel retires batters, the momentum of the film and the sense of the moment crescendos, beautifully marking a remarkable combination of life and sports in an all around outstanding film.

Next issue will feature the cumulative results of both rounds in the Comedy Regional as well as a preview of the Misfit Regional featuring childhood favorites like “The Sandlot,” “A League of Their Own” and “Remember the Titans” as well as the classic “Breaking Away.” So be sure to go online to www.thewarrior. org to vote for your favorite movies, or even against the movies you hate.

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