Hey folks, lookin’ to get super AND spooky this Halloween? A little while ago I put together a watchlist for DC Animated stuff that fits that frightening mood, so I figured I’d share it with some people who can really appreciate it!
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Batman: The Long Halloween Part 1 (Runtime: 1:25)
-The bookends of this marathon are the Long Halloween movies. I figure I don’t need to explain why. -
DC Showcase: The Spectre (Runtime: 0:12)
-Once you’ve set the dark mood with Batman, now it’s time to get into the REAL spooky stuff with monsters and ghouls! And no haunt of DC is more ghoulish than the Spectre. This short is a cool police throwback in LA that gradually builds to a creepy climax. -
The Batman vs. Dracula (Runtime: 1:25)
-I know the Kids WB show The Batman has a lot of mixed opinions but this movie spinning off from it is one of my Halloween must-watches. Surprisingly creepy and not afraid to really put the fear of vampires into you. The scene where Batman fights a vampirized Joker in a bloodbank is the absolute standout in terms of horror imagery, and I consider it one of the stand-out horror moments of the entire Batman franchise. -
DC Showcase: Sergeant Rock (Runtime: 0:12)
-Not content to be a normal war short, the Creature Commandos get in on the goodness as Rock has to lead a mission to stop some mad science in a spooky castle. -
Constantine: City of Demons (Runtime: 1:30)
-A real choice Hellblazer movie. Blood, demons, Johnny C running cons on supernatural beings and hurting his friends, everything you could want from the bastard Brit. -
DC Showcase: The Phantom Stranger (Runtime: 0:15)
-A good classic horror story, one in which the Phantom Stranger is a little more involved than his classic comics, but still a solid watch. -
Justice League Dark (Runtime: 1:15)
-Zatanna, Deadman, Constantine, Etrigan, Swamp Thing, and so much more! A magical tour de force with a bunch of DC’s horror A-players. Ya gotta love it. -
DC Showcase: Death (Runtime: 0:15)
-If you want something that really feels like Vertigo, this is it. If I didn’t know better and you told me that Neil Gaiman himself wrote this, I’d believe you, but the script actually comes to us courtesy of J.M. DeMatteis (actually, a lot of stuff on this list does, that guy is the best). It’s quiet, contemplative, dark, emotional, and moving. Probably the best short film I’ve ever seen, no exaggeration. -
Batman: The Long Halloween Part 2 (Runtime: 1:27)
-We close with the second half of what we opened with, making our Long Halloween feel really long by taking eight hours and two minutes to finish this movie.
So what do you think? Got some stuff you wanna add to the list, make your Halloween even longer? Maybe you wanna include some choice episodes of DC TV cartoons, like Young Justice or something from the DCAU. Maybe you wanna throw in some lighter fare so the kids can watch like Scooby-Doo and Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and get progressively darker as the marathon goes on after the kids have gone to bed. And you know, there’s live action DC stuff that’d be good to watch on Halloween too. This season of Doom Patrol had a very fun zombie episode, for example.
