Cuddle up after the fireworks have died down
There’s nothing better than spending the fifth of November outside in the cold then coming in and cuddling up to watch Bonfire night horror movies. And if you’re not in the UK don’t worry, you can watch the movies anyway – it does, after all, fall on a Saturday night this year.
Bonfire Night
Is the most energetic, explosive, sparkly, and cold, remembrance day in the UK. We don’t just save the fireworks for New Years -oh no, we have a special night set aside for shooting firey rockets into the sky, building huge bonfires (which you gotta remember to check for hedgehogs). And writing our name in the air with sparklers. All whilst trying not to set anything that isn’t supposed to be on fire on fire.
We wrap up warm, gather together, and go watch fire and carefully coordinated explosions in the sky. Then fight the crowds, grumble about the traffic, and head home with sleepy children in the back seat. Of course, that also means baked potatoes, hot dogs, hot drinks, a few sparklers in the back yard and peering at the sky for the neighbour’s garden firework display that will probably result in long wooden sticks hitting your car.
Remember, Remember, the Fifth of November
It’s meant to be a night of remembering the gunpowder plot where a group of individuals, including Guy Fawkes, tried to blow up the houses of parliament. As the story goes they were found before they could light it. Well that’s one story anyway, another suggests the gunpowder, being underground and near the Thames, had absorbed a bit of water and was too damp to do anything much more than fizzle. And yet another version says it was all one giant conspiracy to get the people on side for the release of the Kings new book – The King James Bible.
But whatever the reason, it’s gone on too long to stop now. It’s tradition. It’s good fun. It’s bloody dangerous. Those whizzes and pops, bangs and whistles, are often accompanied by the sound of sirens. Every year they try to convince the population to go to an organised event and not buy massive rockets to set off in tiny gardens. Just search for Fireworks Gone Wrong and you’re bound to find countless videos about where not to shove a firework and light it. Everyone has a story.
Bonfire Night Horror Movies to Watch Instead
The Wicker Man
Staring Nicolas Cage, The Wicker Man is about a man searching for a daughter. Finding himself on an island largely populated by women who tend bees, he begins to discover the truth. Whilst there are no fireworks there is a large wicker man. Built to worships the gods and often filled with a sacrifice, and then set ablaze.
Final Destination 3
Not bonfire night but definitely a wicked scene with the fireworks. If you’re a fan of the final destination movies, the chances are you know exactly which scene I’m talking about. And if you haven’t, well, like most of the other films it’s filled with a large selection of unusual ways to die. This isn’t a movie to watch with family if they’re a squeamish bunch. But maybe if you’re on a date night….
Attack the Block
Aliens invading a council estate in South London sounds like a really bad idea. I haven’t seen this one yet, but I will be watching it tomorrow night. It sounds hilarious, as if our pretty little fireworks could make Aliens crash land.
V for Vendetta
It was bound to be on here wasn’t it? I enjoyed this movie the first time I saw it, and I was pretty sure I had it on DVD. But maybe it was VHS which means it’s in the loft somewhere with the Video player that ate Harry Potter. Set in the future rather than the past this movie is about a fascist government and a plot to take them down. Less a Bonfire night horror movie than a dramatic thriller playing on the history of the gunpowder, treason, and plot.
Bonfire Night Horror Movies Night – one more excuse 🙂
So curl up with your loved one. Hot chocolate in hand, baked potato in the oven, and let them squeal and squirm into your shoulder during the unpleasant bits. I’ll be wrapped in a blanket watching the skies. Just in case a passing alien should get hit by an Aerial Shell. And writing my name with sparklers. Before cuddling up on the sofa with the cat and watching a few bonfire night horror movies of my own.
Horror and Fantasy Author – Also writing as K.T. McQueen. Love Western Horror, cowboy boots, my cactus Collin, & my Demon Cat.
Moths – I hate moths, the way they flutter at your face!
