All things dark and wondeful: Movies that I love this fall!

Over the years, some of my favorite movies have been dark movies for children.  Long before I had children, movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride made me giddy with dark delight.  They featured ghosts, ghouls, and all things dark and wonderful.  That is why this year's movie selection has made me particularly ecstatic.  Here are the three films that have made going to the movies one of my favorite activities this Halloween season.

Paranorman...... I loved this movie.  It is the simple tale of a boy who sees dead people.  Although that plot may not be original, its presentation is utterly original.  The boy uses this gift to save some zombies and defeat a witch.  This movie is fabulous and funny.  I would watch it again and again.

Hotel Transylvania.... I haven't seen this one yet, but I can't wait until it is released.  This is the tender story of a vampire daughter and her overprotective father.  It looks silly, funny, and filled with all the haunting things that make fall fabulous.

Frankenweenie..... This one I think will be my favorite.  Of course, I can't be sure.  But this cute story of a little boy who brings his dog back from the dead sounds like just the right mix of touching and twisted to make my holiday season a more than joyful occasion.

Of course,  all this makes me particularly happy since my middle grade book, The Monster Hunter's Manual, is coming out soon and it seems to capture this growing market of my favorite things.  I hope this trend lasts, for more reasons than I can count.