Laugh and scream with Niagara Falls Public Library

Well, it’s officially September. That means that in a month, it will be October and all things scary will descend upon us. Personally, I can’t wait. However, sometimes I like to ease myself into the spooky season with some fun, dark-humoured horror/comedy flicks. Here’s a list of great films to watch to prepare yourself for the real scary movies next month.

Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult star in this side-splitting (quite literally, sometimes) comedy as Dracula and Renfield, respectively. Renfield, Dracula’s familiar and slave, attends to his master’s every horrific need, while secretly attending group therapy sessions to gain the courage to end his co-dependent relationship. When he accidentally gets involved with the police and an organized crime syndicate, Renfield is given a chance to sever his association with the Prince of Darkness once and for all. Assuming Dracula doesn’t sever his head from the rest of him first. Borrow the film.

Ever wondered what "Freaky Friday" would be like as a film if the teenager swapped bodies with a deranged serial killer instead of her mother? Well, “Freaky” answers that age-old question. Vince Vaughn stars as a teenage girl trapped in a murderer’s body who must find a way to reverse the curse before she’s permanently stuck as a middle-aged man and/or murdered by the killer in her body. Borrow the film.

Before the TV show came the film of the same name, directed by and starring Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. This mockumentary follows a group of four vampire roommates as they live (and dine) in modern-day New Zealand. Really, they’re similar to you and me: they date, they go out, they argue … However, they also have to deal with vampire hunters, stinky werewolves and the problem of having to get dressed for a night on the town without being able to look in a mirror. Borrow the film.

For director Higurashi, nothing with his low-budget zombie film seems to be going right. Namely, his actors can’t act and he has no money. For most people, real-life zombies don’t make anything easier, but for Higurashi, they’re a godsend. “One Cut of the Dead” is a tongue-in-cheek (and teeth-in-flesh) zombie flick with great characters, an original plot and lots of laugh/gore. Borrow the film.