Halloween weekend this year is an extended event. One thing I feel certain about is that there will be plenty of kid and adult parties.

 The other thing I am certain of is that some people will be hosting a huge horror film fest.

 Let me be honest – this is my least favorite genre. I get nightmares easily and these scary movies do me in every time. When 28 Days Later came out, I had to do some intense romantic comedy movie watching to get the images out of my head before bedtime.

 But that doesn’t mean I have thrown out the whole genre with the bath water. There are some excellent movies that have a horror/psychological thrill to them. What I am going to do is make ten (10) suggestions that range the ages for those people who want to watch scary – although not necessarily gory – movies.

 Let’s start for little, little kids. I am talking pre-school through third grade. These kids want to be like their older siblings but they cannot handle the more extreme scary movies. To allow a small child to watch the intense PG-13 or R rated horror/scary movies is child abuse in my book and it means a little work on the parent’s part to find the right type of scare for the various age groups.

 My fallback plan for pre-school to third grade ages is always anything (1) Scooby Doo. The stories focus on a monster, there are a couple of scary chase scenes and the capture of the villain. The newer animated movies and series have a ‘real’ spirit at times but it is never more than kids in this age group can handle.

 Another cute movie for this age group is (2) The Little Vampire starring Jonathon Lipnicki, that cute little boy from Jerry McGuire. The story is about a lonely little boy who discovers a vampire family has moved into his neighborhood. Soon, he is helping them find a way to end the curse that made them vampires. It is scary at bits but appropriate for the younger kids.

 When it comes to the pre-teens, they are thinking scary on the level of what you see on the Disney Channel. The scares here are a little more intense and in settings that are more likely to happen. This age group might like (3) Monster House which stars a young Mitchel Musso as the best friend to our protagonist. In this beautifully animated movie, a tweener boy realizes that the spooky house across the street might be something more. There are some great scary scenes, especially when the house ‘eats’ the rotten boyfriend.

 Another series I like is the (4) Goosebumps movies. I find they always focus on something that is very close to real life but the resolution comes quickly as well. Gotcha moments galore happen here but our lead characters tend to be relatable and likable.

 If you want to edge a tweener child into horror films start with the classics of (5) Count Dracula, 1931; Frankenstein, 1931; and The Wolf Man, 1941. These movies have some scary imagery without the big scares or the gore factor. They are fun and campy with a slight edge.

Now once kids get to those teenage years, you can take off the gloves. They know what they can and cannot watch if they do not want nightmares. Parents who came up during the 70s and 80s may want to share their love of the ’slasher’ movies with their kids. (6) Halloween, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street are good, solid movies at their core. They have interesting premises with plenty of gotcha moments and interesting death scenes.

 A sub section of the horror genre that has become quite popular in recent years is the zombie movie. The classic series is (7) the Living Dead movies directed by George Romero. The dead have risen and are looking for something to eat – preferably your brains.

 But these are not the ones I love the best. Recent zombie movies have been fabulous for either being completely action packed or a humorous take on the genre or BOTH. I love 28 Days Later is one of the best zombie movies for the action and the reasoning for the virus in the first place. Shaun of the Dead has Simon Pegg trying to lead his friends to safety during a zombie invasion. It takes some well deserved jabs at the genre while still packing a few good scares.

 My latest favorite is Zombieland starring Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson as they travel across the country looking for other survivors and killing zombies. There are funny bits and serious bits mixed together with moments that are just wonderful. Maybe not as action packed as Resident Evil but what a movie.

 It is the monster that matters in some movies and one of the best is (8) Alien. Who can forget that big John Hurt’s moment or how Sigourney Weaver battles this thing? Sure, the movie has been made fun of over the years. But watch it again and let the terror wash over you.

 Another very satisfying monster is (9) Hannibal Lector. Anthony Hopkins made this cannibal appealing so that the audience actually likes him but he is a devastating killer. Smart, crafty with a polished air, Lector can fool you into a sense of well being. But every moment when you are not the hunter, you are the prey.  

 There is only one movie I consider the best of all scary movies and that is (10) Psycho from 1960, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The blood is chocolate syrup and the villain is who we least suspect. It is filled with drama, tense moments and a shuddering death. The music of that scene will forever remain as one of sharp, piecing noise.

 The best way to watch this movie is completely in the dark on the biggest TV screen you or a friend owns, and no one in the room is making a sound. The scariest part of this movie? Hearing the knife rip into flesh through the shower curtain.

 What are some of your favorite scary movies?

On Sunday, I plan to be dressed in a hip outfit while sitting in my living room watching the Oscars™.

I am leaving the evening gown at the resale shop but hopefully my maroon tunic with my black leggings will be all that fashion can ask from a mom with four kids and no money.

While my son is slaving away in the kitchen making pizza, I plan to have my scorecard out and white sangria in a glass. Will I call it right this year? Will Avatar blow everyone away? And what is Helen Mirren going to wear this year?

Let’s start with the Animated Feature nominees. All of the nominees – Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Princess and the Frog, The Secret of Kells, and Up – are good solid movies. Four of them were in mainstream markets. Talk I hear on the chat boards is that The Secret of Kells is the best of the lot. I predict that the winner will be Up, directed by Pete Doctor and produced by the Pixar group. Up has also gotten a Best Picture nomination but this will be the consolation prize.

The Supporting Actress category is up for grabs. Mo’Nique has put in a powerhouse performance in Precious. But Maggie Gyllenhaal has been putting out the goods ever since her big break in Secretary (2002). Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick are good in Up In The Air, Penelope Cruz looks great in her leotards. However, I am willing to bet that Gyllenhaal will walk away with a statue on her first nomination.

All I have to say for Supporting Actor is Christoph Waltz from Inglourious Basterds. It was a powerhouse performance that had me riveted every time this man was on the screen. As much as I love Stanley Tucci and Woody Harrelson, Waltz was phenomenal.

As I look at the Best Actress category, I am already taking out Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep. I think the nomination is the award for both, although for different reasons. Gaborurey Sidibe has done an impressive performance for a first time actor in Precious, which leaves Helen Mirren and Carey Mulligan. Mirren is a past winner for The Queen, Mulligan won the British Oscars, BAFTA, for An Education. My best guess here might be Mulligan or all the votes could be split leaving Streep a chance to win for a movie that is more fluff than substance.

Now for Best Actor that has no clear defined winner because each of these guys are superb. How does one pick when Jeff Bridges was great as a country singer working through his demons, George Clooney as the uber business traveler, Colin Firth as a gay widower forced to rethink his life, Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, and Jeremy Runner fighting in Iraq. Personally, I think it could go to Renner or Bridges. In the end, if I have to pick one it will be Bridges because the talk about his performance has been high.

Best Director might be even harder to pick. It has been said no one directs a better action sequence than James Cameron (Avatar) EXCEPT for Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker). No one combines action and great dialogue better than Quentin Tarantino. And if you want black comedy, the best at it right now is Jason Reitman. History could be made if Lee Daniels wins (Precious). All are powerful and I have no clue which could win. The biggest clue is that Kathryn Bigelow won for The Hurt Lock from the Director’s Guild and that is almost always a sure sign of who will win Oscar.

Now let’s talk about Best Picture. The category has been expanded to include 10 films this year. Avatar and The Blind Side were box office power houses. Precious and Inglourious Basterds deal with the unfairness of life. Then there is A Serious Man, Up In The Air, and An Education, which are all slices of life movies. District 9 and The Hurt Locker are action flicks with deeper themes. Up is one of the best animated flicks this year.

We can discuss the number of nominees, whether it is wrong or right. I wonder if it is so the number of movies nominated match the number of screenplays – adapted and original- that are nominated. For discussion sake, let’s assume that the nomination is the award for The Blind Side, District 9, Up, Precious, and A Serious Man. That leaves Avatar, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, and Up In The Air.

Which would I bet on to win?

All are good movies. All have interesting themes. Two or three might be great movies. In the end, I think the technical advancements of Avatar might trump everything. The only other movie I see making headway towards the statue is The Hurt Locker. It has been called the defining war movie of the era that stays away from politics and philosophy. The other movies are good but in the end I feel The Hurt Locker will walk away with the statue.

Do you agree or disagree?

Karyn Bowman lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children. Become friends with Karyn on Facebook or send an e-mail to momgoestothemovies@sbcglobal.net.