October is always a month for watching scary movies. Studios are often releasing their biggest horror movies of the year, while people everywhere are re-watching classics or catching up on any of the newest slashers or thrillers they recently missed in theaters. Whether it be classics like The Shining and Nightmare on Elm Street, or newer films like Pearl, Barbarian and Nope, there are plenty of options when it comes to celebrating the scariest time of the year. 2022 has been an especially great year for horror, and there are several solid choices of horror films playing in theaters right now. One of the best options, however, was released earlier in the year and might be a less obvious choice.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Matt Reeves’ The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, was released way back in March, and it is still widely considered to be one of the best films of the year. With as many Batman films as there have been over the years, The Batman manages to stand above the rest as one of the best on-screen depictions of the caped crusader yet. The film is much more than a traditional superhero flick, though, in fact, it barely feels like one at all. As a much moodier, darker and more disturbing take on the world of Batman and Gotham City, The Batman fits in very well among the best horror films to celebrate Halloween in 2022. Here’s how:
It’s Literally Set on Halloween
Warner Bros. Pictures
Firstly, and most obviously, The Batman takes place during the Halloween season. The opening of the film takes place on the holiday itself and the rest of the plot unfolds in the following few days. The film opens with a point-of-view shot from the perspective of Paul Dano’s Edward Nashton, otherwise known as The Riddler. He watches from afar as the mayor of Gotham City, Don Mitchell Jr., plays with his son, who is getting ready to go out Trick-or-Treating. It then cuts to later in the evening as the Mayor is arguing with someone on the phone about his re-election campaign, while The Riddler hides in the shadows behind him. After the Mayor finishes his call, The Riddler emerges, brutally murders him, and then leaves a card addressed to the Batman, thus kicking off the events of the entire film.
The ties between Batman and Halloween is nothing new. There have been numerous occasions in the comics in which the caped crusader and his infamous rogues gallery have had major altercations or interactions around the holiday. Most notably, the holiday factors into Batman: The Long Halloween, one of the comic series that most directly inspired the story of Reeves’ The Batman. While that story takes place over the course of over a year, with many different holidays factoring into the plot, the most apparent is Halloween. Aside from being in the title of the comic, several of the most important events in the story happen on Halloween. Reeves clearly made the decision to condense some of the plot from The Long Halloween down to fit into a shorter time span, and by doing so he kept the entirety of his film firmly within the scary holiday season.
It Fits the Spooky Season Vibes
While the fact that the story of The Batman is set on Halloween doesn’t directly impact the plot in many meaningful ways, it is a contributor to the overall vibe and atmosphere of the film. While Halloween is a key aspect of the film’s setting, it is through many of the film’s different creative avenues that the mood is built. Reeves’ direction, Greig Fraser’s cinematography, and Michael Giacchino’s musical score are able to establish a mood in The Batman that thoroughly embraces the more harrowing approach to Batman that is on display. With the addition of its darker and more sophisticated storytelling, the mood and world of The Batman reflect many of the classic horror and thriller films that inspired it.
It’s no secret that Fraser is an incredible cinematographer, especially after his work on Rogue One and Dune. The visuals he provides in The Batman are some of the best of his career. Tonally, it’s a very dark film, and Fraser reflects that in his visual presentation. Many of the scenes are very dimly lit, but, unlike Game of Thrones, there’s enough contrast that the audience can still actively tell what is happening. Whether it be something as simple as Batman emerging from the shadows or the Riddler standing behind the Mayor, or something more complex like the intense Batmobile chase sequence, the imagery that Fraser crafts for the film is relentless, evocative and haunting.
The cinematography pairs well with Giacchino’s score, which brings an additional layer of dread and bleakness to the ambiance. The slowed and discomforting use of Ave Maria in the soundscape, both on its own and echoed within the theme for The Riddler, is one of the best examples of just how grave and brooding The Batman feels. Meanwhile, the harsh strings and grand brass of the rest of Giacchino’s music flesh out the rest of the characters and atmosphere with precision and skill. It’s the kind of soundtrack that stands well on its own, and it genuinely could make for a great atmospheric addition to any haunted house.
A Story About Monsters
In addition to the setting and overall atmosphere of The Batman, the story told within the film also makes the film a solid option for a celebratory Halloween viewing. While the film might not feature any supernatural elements such as demons, ghosts or monsters, it still evokes much of the same feelings that come with such forces. Many of the characters within the story of The Batman are the real monsters of the story, and they are just as disturbing as many a classic horror movie villain. This is true of both the protagonists and antagonists of the story, as this iteration of Batman is almost as monstrous as the criminals he fights against.
The most bone-chilling character in The Batman is undoubtedly The Riddler. The depiction of the classic Batman villain in this movie is a considerable change from the Jim Carry spandex-wearing version most people will know. Reeves crafted this Riddler to appear more like a genuine serial killer, instead of a colorfully clad maniac. He’s twisted, unstable and willing to do whatever he believes he needs to in order to achieve his goals. Dano delivers a stellar performance in the role, and the character’s design takes inspiration from the likes of the Zodiac Killer. The character and his actions are immensely unnerving, and it’s largely because of the violence of the Riddler that The Batman is definitely not a film for children or families.
Reeves also depicts Batman himself as nearly as much a monster as the Riddler. As he stalks the streets of Gotham at night, he feels like a predator looking to devour any criminals or ill-doers that find themselves in his path. In that sense, as Batman fights against The Riddler, the film is a depiction of these two different monsters fighting over their territory. As the film progresses, Batman is forced to confront the fact that it was his reign of violence that has inspired The Riddler and other extremists like him. Bruce Wayne/Batman’s major arc in the film is him coming to that realization, and then struggling to not be a monster anymore and instead to fight against those that are terrorizing Gotham.
