TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) -- Madness may have close ties to March, but there is plenty left for Halloween! This week, we're asking you to vote on your favorite Halloween movies based on the bracket. The movies range from horror to family-friendly flicks, and all of them get us in the spirit for the spooky season. Here are the movies that will take part in Halloween Madness.
1) Hocus Pocus: After 300 years, the witches of Salem resurrect to stir the pot on Halloween night. It's up to two teenagers, a zombie and a cat to stop them from harming the town and to prevent them from having eternal youth. The role of Max Dennison was almost played by Leonardo DiCaprio, but he turned it down in hopes of landing a lead role in "What’s Eating Gilbert Grape."
2) Creature of the Black Lagoon: A group of scientists discover a half man, half reptile along the Amazon River. After capturing the Gill Man, it escapes from its cage and doesn’t allow them to leave the island. Crewmen are stalked by the Gill Man, who ends up abducting the only female crew member. This 1954 sci-fi horror film was originally formatted as a 3-D movie.
3) Halloween: Six-year-old Michael Myers is sent to a sanitarium for murdering his older sister, but escapes after 15 years. Michael begins to stalk and kill the people of Haddonfield, Illinois, while his doctor tries to stop him before it goes too far. Originally titled “The Babysitter Murders,” the film was released in 1978, and there are now ten movies that make up the Halloween franchise.
4) Casper The Friendly Ghost: A greedy heiress hires a paranormal expert to get rid of the ghosts in the rundown house her father left her. Kat Harvey and her father move into the house as he tries to remove the ghosts, while Kat develops a special bond with the friendliest of the ghosts, Casper. This is the first film in which a computer generated image was used for a lead character.
5) The Great Pumpkin: Each year, Linus van Pelt waits, hoping that the Great Pumpkin will appear, despite the doubts from everyone else in the Peanut gang. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown is thrilled he's invited to a costume party, and Snoopy gets in a battle with the Red Baron while dressed as a flying ace. Since Charlie Brown got rocks while trick-or- treating, many people mailed candy in boxes and addressed it to Charlie Brown after the film’s debut.
6) Nightmare Before Christmas: Jack Skellington decides to bring Christmas to Halloween Town. By kidnapping Santa Clause, he jeopardizes Christmas for the good boys and girls everywhere. The film was based on a poem written by Tim Burton during his time as a Disney animator.
7) The Exorcist: A mother begins to notice changes in her 12-year-old daughter Regan, realizing that the young girl may be possessed by demons. By bringing in priests to perform an exorcism, she hopes to release her daughter from the evil that has taken over. The film is based on the real-life exorcism of a young boy back in 1949.
8) Young Frankenstein: The grandson of Victor Frankenstein comes across his grandfather’s journal, and decides to replicate one of his experiments. With the help of a hunchback Igor, and lab assistant Inga, the creature comes to life, escapes and brings mayhem to the town. The song “Walk this Way” by Aerosmith was inspired by the film when the band saw the movie and heard Igor say these words to Doctor Frankenstein.
Start by voting for your favorite, and each day the bracket will be updated based on results. On Friday morning during Sunrise, the winning movie will be announced -- so keep voting throughout the week to make sure your favorite makes it to the end!
