Halloween is upon us, so what better time to curl up on the sofa with a spine-chilling movie and a seasonal pumpkin-spiced latte from your coffee house of choice?
This year, The National picks the good, the bad and the ugly from the horror genre.
The good features family-friendly, yet lightly spooky, films that are unlikely to send any family members to bed with nightmares.
The bad features some of the most terrifying film offerings, which should definitely be watched after the children have gone to bed. And the ugly is a place for ground-breaking and unusual offerings from the horror genre.
The good – family-friendly spooky films
Gremlins (1984)
There are few creatures in cinema history as cute and loveable as Gremlins’ star Gizmo. Just don’t feed him after midnight. Oh, and be careful with sunlight and water, too. The film was considered so borderline scary for 1980s kids that executive producer Steven Spielberg successfully lobbied for an all-new censor rating that we now know as PG-13.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Were space and variety not an issue, any list of family-friendly Halloween fare would probably feature Tim Burton films in roughly 19 of the top 20 spots. This tale, of a wholesome family seeking help from an obnoxious ghost, was Burton’s first attempt at transplanting his loveable goth-next-door vision onto the big screen. It was also his first collaboration with long-term muse Winona Ryder (who joined the likes of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Eva Green as his go-to lead stars).
Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
What should fundamentally be a silly Scooby-Doo-like film turns into a brilliant tongue-in-cheek pastiche of classic British horror, and specifically Hammer horror films from the '50s and '60s. It's made by Nick Park and the Aardman Animation team, who were also behind Chicken Run and Sean the Sheep. You could be forgiven for thinking, particularly with the aforementioned Bonham Carter voicing the film’s female lead, that Park had simply jumped on the Burton bandwagon of creepy Halloween animation, but the film holds its own as an eccentric adventure featuring the lovable animated duo Wallace and Gromit.
The bad – a genre firmly for adults
The Exorcist (1973)
You’ve probably noticed there’s a reboot of The Exorcist haunting cinemas as Halloween approaches. The film critic's choice, however, would be revisiting recently deceased William Friedkin’s 1973 original. It might be 50 years old now, but Friedkin's tale of a possessed young girl and her family’s attempts to cure her remains the yardstick for horror, and having rewatched it for this article on the basis of “research", it is safe to say it remains as terrifying as it was 50 years ago.
It Follows (2014)
David Robert Mitchell’s underrated 2014 spine-tingler gives us cause for hope, in a genre littered with remakes and sequels for Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. The film takes all the best bits of classic 1970s horror – not least its John Carpenter-by-numbers soundtrack – mixes them up with a decidedly 21st-century viral monster straight out of Japanese classic The Ring, and quite simply scares its audience silly.
The ugly – horror's more experimental movies
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
It’s easy to forget how ground-breaking The Blair Witch Project was in a world where Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity have happened, and where we all spend hours every day on the internet. But that wasn’t the case in 1999. Through a viral marketing and news campaign, before viral marketing campaigns were the norm, and using cheap home camera footage that had no place in a respectable cinema, this film redefined horror for the social media age.
Videodrome (1983)
Speaking of the social media age, David Cronenberg’s 1983 masterpiece of body horror successfully predicted a world in which real life was replaced by screen interactions. He even pre-empted the age of "happy slapping" with his dystopian vision of a world, in which shadowy actors control the minds of the masses through a constant stream of torture and violence on screen. The film stars Debbie Harry and James Woods.
Saw (2004)
Yes, there have been far too many sequels delivering the very epitome of diminishing returns, but James Wan’s initial 2004 film was an exhilarating new addition to the genre. Two strangers wake up locked in an unknown room with no recollection of how they got there. To make matters worse, they're chained in and a mysterious killer tasks them with escaping before the time runs out – or they die. The horror is real, but entirely self-inflicted, making it all the more terrifying.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The results of the first round are as follows:
Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent
Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent
Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent
Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent
Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20National%20selections
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The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Fast%20X
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Louis%20Leterrier%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Vin%20Diesel%2C%20Michelle%20Rodriguez%2C%20Jason%20Statham%2C%20Tyrese%20Gibson%2C%20Ludacris%2C%20Jason%20Momoa%2C%20John%20Cena%2C%20Jordana%20Brewster%2C%20Nathalie%20Emmanuel%2C%20Sung%20Kang%2C%20Brie%20Larson%2C%20Helen%20Mirren%20and%20Charlize%20Theron%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Results
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: RB Kings Bay, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: AF Ensito, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: AF Sourouh, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
8.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Baaher, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
9pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Mootahady, Antonio Fresu, Eric Lemartinel
9.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Dubai Canal, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
10pm: Al Ain Cup – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Harrab, Bernardo Pinheiro, Majed Al Jahouri
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo
Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua
Based: Dubai, UAE
Number of employees: 28
Sector: Financial services
Investment: $9.5m
Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
Europa League group stage draw
Group A: Villarreal, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Astana, Slavia Prague.
Group B: Dynamo Kiev, Young Boys, Partizan Belgrade, Skenderbeu.
Group C: Sporting Braga, Ludogorets, Hoffenheim, Istanbul Basaksehir.
Group D: AC Milan, Austria Vienna , Rijeka, AEK Athens.
Group E: Lyon, Everton, Atalanta, Apollon Limassol.
Group F: FC Copenhagen, Lokomotiv Moscow, Sheriff Tiraspol, FC Zlin.
Group G: Vitoria Plzen, Steaua Bucarest, Hapoel Beer-Sheva, FC Lugano.
Group H: Arsenal, BATE Borisov, Cologne, Red Star Belgrade.
Group I: Salzburg, Marseille, Vitoria Guimaraes, Konyaspor.
Group J: Athletic Bilbao, Hertha Berlin, Zorya Luhansk, Ostersund.
Group K: Lazio, Nice, Zulte Waregem, Vitesse Arnhem.
Group L: Zenit St Petersburg, Real Sociedad, Rosenborg, Vardar
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.