Happy Halloween! It’s too early to say it? Halloween is rapidly approaching. Many kids will be walking around town dressed up in their favorite costume and knocking at every door. “Trick or treat. Get me something good to eat,” says the girl dressed up in her favorite Princess Elisa costume. As for the adults, many will be walking with children to the houses while others are dressing up and heading to parties. As always, there will be ladies dressed up as Wonder Woman and Catwoman, and Harley Quinn, of course, will be added to the latest favorites. With the new Wonder Woman movie coming out in June 2017, be expected to see more Wonder Woman Costumes for the next two Halloweens. Please do not dress up as a clown.

Halloween is the time people love to have fun, but this year is not the time to be clowning around. There are people are really terrified of the clowns. Unlike the majority of my classmates and the rest of the world, I did not get the chance to dress up for Halloween or go trick-or-treating as a child. My mom had her reasons for forbidding my sisters and me. Since leaving my mother’s nest in 2012, I have dressed up and went to Halloween parties every year. A vampire was my first costume. One year, I went as Ghost Face at the ULM Halloween Ball. Last year, I decided to become a Pirate from the Caribbean. The costume for this year is still being debated. Dressing up, getting candy, and going to the parties are not the attractions that get me excited for Halloween. Yes, you can either thank or blame my mom.

Watching the scary movie marathons is my favorite part of Halloween. Instead of trick-or-treating, my sisters and I stayed up late and watched all the horror movies. Can you imagine an eight-year-old boy being fascinated as he hears the Michael Meyers’ theme song in the background? I have a great appreciation for horror films. Here are the top five horror movie franchises:

1. The "Nightmare on Elm Street" Franchise

“One, two, Freddy's coming for you. Three, four, Better lock your door. Five, six, Grab a crucifix. Seven, eight, Gonna stay up late. Nine, ten, Never sleep again.”

After watching multiple “Nightmare on Elm Street” movies and seeing Freddy Krueger’s claws going through so many bodies, you may be afraid to go to sleep for a while. Remember in the first movie when Glenn (played by Johnny Depp) thought it was a good idea to watch TV in his bed? Glenn, who was supposed to stay awake to help Nancy capture Freddy, fell asleep. Being the heartless person that he is known for being, Freddy pulls Glenn through his bed, causing a gargantuan puddle of blood to gush out towards the ceiling. Nancy is across the street witnessing her boyfriend’s death. Six movies, one crossover, and one remake later, the “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise sets the bar high for today’s horror films. “Nightmare on Elm Street” is number one because of Freddy Krueger’s story and characteristics. I love finding out the reason behind Krueger’s revenge and was thrilled to see his daughter come into the picture. Krueger, unlike the majority of horror movies villians, talks and makes you laugh. He holds conversations with his victims as he is killing them in the most brutal way. I would love to thank Wes Craven for having the brilliant mind that created one of the best horror icons. It is a great thing that Freddy Krueger does not exist in our world because we love to go to sleep and can’t until our next nap time.

2. The "Halloween" Franchise

With 10 movies in the franchise, two of which are reboots, “Halloween” is perfect for Halloween. “Halloween” is about a man on a journey to kill off his family members. In the first film, we learn that a young Michael Meyers kills his first victim (his sister), Judith Meyers, on Halloween. The original film does not go into to the details of Michael and Judith’s relationship, but the reboot gives a backstory to the relationship by showing Judith being verbally abusive. In each film, Meyers returns on Halloween to kill more family members. As the franchise goes on, the story gets deeper and deeper as Meyers becomes undesirably successful. “Halloween” was the first franchise my sisters and I began for our Halloween ritual. Every year, we look forward to AMC’s showing of the movies.

3. The "Friday the 13th" Franchise

Jason Voorhees puts a twist on wearing a hockey mask. The director and writers did an amazing job telling the backstory of Jason in the first “Friday the 13^th” film. Mrs. Voorhees is getting revenge for the death of her son, Jason, who drowned in the lake at Camp Crystal Lake. Mrs. Voorhees dies in the first film, but Jason Voorhees resurrects to avenge his mother’s death in “Friday the 13^th Part 2”. In all the other films, Jason travels back to Crystal Lake to kill off anyone who desires to occupy the campy grounds. The “Friday the 13^th” franchise is third on the list because of its consistent storyline and development of Jason. Jason Voorhees shows his lethal aggression and inability to stay dead throughout his 12 films. The events of “Freddy vs Jason” show Freddy resurrecting Jason to create fear on Elm Street, which would lead to Freddy’s resurrection. Like a dream come true, Freddy and Jason go to war at Camp Crystal Lake. The movie’s ending shows its viewers that Jason is still alive and is near Camp Crystal Lake. I will be expecting a new Friday the 13^th film in the future.

4. The "Saw" Franchise

The “Saw” franchise takes horror and suspense to another level in its seven films. “Saw” is about the Jigsaw putting his victims through physically torturing “tests” that could lead to death if the test is not passed. I love the franchise because it warns its viewers to be aware of their actions and the consequences. Jigsaw’s wife lost their unborn child because of a drug addict not being aware of his actions. Jigsaw despises people who take life for granted. His tests are designed to teach his victims about taking life for granted. The uniqueness of the “Saw” franchise is visible as characters continue to go through tests after Jigsaw dies. Jigsaw’s legacy lives on throughout the movies. The franchise creators have been consistent with blessing their fans with a new movie every year from 2004-2010, but the franchise has been on a hiatus since “Saw: 3D.” I am anxious for “Saw: Legacy”, which is coming out in October 2017.

5. The "Child’s Play" Franchise

The “Child’s Play” franchise makes you think twice about playing with a doll or buying a doll for a child. The films take a toy that everyone enjoys having and turns it into something that everyone wants to get rid of. In the first film, the origin of Chucky is explained, and the views see a man's soul being transferred into a “Good Guy” doll. The “Good Guy” dolls are child-sized and are the big must-have toy in the movie. The plot twist is that one unlucky child will receive a “Good Guy” doll that is not a “good guy.” Chucky is a master of evilness. Unlike other horror villians, Chucky is able to masquerade as a sweet, innocent doll. Chucky would use the programmed words that the dolls are programmed to say when he is around strangers. Who would think a doll could come to life, hold real conversations, and kill people? Who would think a doll could hold a child as hostage and attempt to steal his body? Like Freddy Krueger, Chucky is one of the select few horror villians that communicates with the victims. Similar to Krueger, Chucky takes pride and joy in toying with his victims and being comical as he is about to kill them. If you love Chucky as much as I do, you are probably looking forward to the possible seventh film coming out next year.

Honorable Mentions:

My top five may be different from your top five, but we can all agree on the greatness of the films. What are your top five favorite horror movie franchises? There are other franchises that are well-loved by horror fans, so they have made the honorable mention list:

The “Scream” Franchise is another one of Wes Craven’s genius works, and its villain, Ghost Face, has the ability to scare its victims and viewers at any moment. Ghost Face is a unique villain because anyone can be the killer. It may turn out to be your boyfriend or brother.

The “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” franchise is the only franchise that I have not seen any of its movies. However, I have always been told about its greatness. One day, I will see all of them. There is talk about an upcoming movie, "Leatherface” being added to its collection, and it will discuss the origins of Leatherface.