When it comes to celebrating Halloween, most people just go with the obvious, whether it be trick-or-treating with their children or going to see the latest scary movies.

Watching movies on Halloween is not a bad idea, but why do what everyone else does? Why watch the same things over and over again? Granted the movie “Halloween” is a cult classic, which also contains cult-like scenes in it, but I think going for independent horror films for Halloween should be considered.

Independent horror films have a smaller appealed audience, but what they bring to the table is creativity and passion for scaring the living daylights out of people.

Independent horror films also succeed more with a cult-like following of smaller audiences rather than a large crowd of people who bandwagon onto a film after seeing it for the first time, because there lies the real fans of horror.

One film I recommend in particular is made as part of the After Dark Horrorfest’s 8 Films to Die For called “The Final.” Released in 2010 by Lions Gate Films and After Dark Films, “The Final” is about a group of outcast students led by Dane, an awkward student with a deadly vendetta against the popular crowd of Hohn High School.

What stuck to me with this film is the classic tale of introverts vs. extroverts, and the ability to make that kind of classic rivalry a gory film.

The film has two memorable scenes in it that stick with me.

The first scene was when the popular kids first wake up after having their drinks spiked by the character Dane and his band of outcasts. Having realized the script was flipped on them, Dane says the line, “Get up sleepyheads” and they realize they were all chained and shackled while in a drugged state, and the night of terror begins from there.

This scene sticks out because the outcasts are getting retribution against their tormentors, even though critic’s would say they went too far, even for cinematic limitations, but horror is horror. As long as you make someone scream and put chills in the minds of the audience, then by all means, do whatever it takes.

The other scene that I can recall is when Emily is sitting over Ravi’s dead body and she is thinking to herself what would give her, Dane, Jack and Andy the right to torture people far worse then what they were put through.

To me, the scene portrays the changing of the guard, because Emily starts to feel a bit remorseful for her actions up to that point.

This film to me is something to watch out for on Halloween because to me, it provides a sense of shock and awe, as well as moments that make it memorable as a film itself.

Jose Gonzalez can be reached at 581-7944 or [email protected].