Supernatural Friday: Binging on Horror: 13 Scary Films, Plus One More

I know there are many more good horror films, but here are thirteen, plus one more to get you started on binging for Halloween, beginning in September.

1. The Haunting (1963). Based on the novel, The Haunting of Hill House. Don’t rent the 90s stinkero remake. Get this one. But with Netflix to have The Haunting of Hill House as a TV series to binge watch beginning October 12, 2018, I think going back to watching the black and white film is perfect now. Premise: Dr. Markway, doing research to prove the existence of ghosts, investigates Hill House, a large, eerie mansion with a lurid history of violent death and insanity. With him are the skeptical young Luke, who stands to inherit the house, the mysterious and clairvoyant Theodora and the insecure Eleanor, whose psychic abilities make her feel somehow attuned to whatever spirits inhabit the old mansion. As time goes by it becomes obvious that they have gotten more than they bargained for as the ghostly presence in the house manifests itself in horrific and deadly ways. The film doesn’t need special effects to scare you. So grab this film, turn off the lights, huddle on the couch or your favorite chair, and be prepared to be frightened.

2. Dog Soldiers (2002). No this is not a military film, though there are English soldiers in it. Plus a pack of werewolves they end up battling for their lives. And all set in the Scottish wilderness. Intense, this is one of the best werewolf horror films I have seen in a while. 

3.  An American Werewolf in London (1981). A horror film with werewolves that will make you think twice about traveling to English and hiking through it with your buddy at night and during a full moon.

4. Cabin the Woods (2011): The premise sounds old hat in horror films: “Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin in the woods, where they get more than they bargained for. Together, they must discover the truth behind the cabin in the woods.” But honestly, it takes a surprising about-face, added with a dash of Lovecraft. I loved it. 

5.  30 Days of Night (2007). This is a vampire film that is intense from beginning to end. If you are looking for those breaks in humor, forget it, this movie won’t give it to you. If you’re looking for vampires that sparkle, forget it. These vamps are vicious and out for one thing you can give them, and it is not to love, but blood.

6.   Psycho (1960). Premise: a young woman steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and subsequently encounters a young motel proprietor too long under the domination of his mother. Though black and white, this Alfred Hitchcock film will scare you as only Hitchcock can. Famous for the shower scene.

7.  Evil Dead and Evil Dead II (1981 and 1987–both by Sam Raimi). First one is more grade-B horror, while the second one, a kind of remake has humor in it. The second one is the movie that made Bruce Campbell a B-movie icon and won Sam Raimi a whole lot more directing gigs. This film has equal parts humor and gore, but when the scares happen, they happen on a grand scale. Ever wondered what it would be like to fight your own hand? You won't have to wonder anymore after watching this movie. But still, I thought I point out the first one, too.

8.  28 Days Later (2002). Undead, or zombies as they are calling the ghouls of these films these days, this is a good one. Many movies have tried to recreate what a major city could look like after an apocalypse, but not many do it as hauntingly well as Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later." The terrifyingly fast zombie-like creatures roaming the landscape proved to be so effectively scary that the movie spawned a wave of movies featuring fast-paced zombies. And the zombies don’t have to die to change and are logical in why they act the way they do.

9.   The Descent (2005). This movie will terrify you if:  1) You’re claustrophobic. 2) You’re scared of the dark. 3) You have a fear of being trapped under the earth.  4) You have a fear of being trapped under the earth with vampire-like creatures that can see you but you can’t see them. netflix has the sequel that you can watch too.

10. Trick 'r Treat (2007): Now it's after Labor Day, we can go full blown Halloween crazy. Premise: Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pulls a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband. Perfect Halloween horror tales that will make you nervous about answering the door to trick-or-treaters.

11.  Alien (1979): “No one can hear you scream,” as the crew is stuck on a mining spaceship nowhere near Earth, where they run across something on a planet, what remains of a giant alien and what appears to be eggs or weirdly shaped rocks. One of the objects opens and something leaps from it to clasp onto the helmet of the crewmembers. Nostromo battle something that proves ET is not so friendly.  

12. John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982): This science fiction body horror movie is based on the short story, “Who Goes There” by John W. Campbell that I had read back in college in an anthology, and John Carpenter's version is a more faithful adaptation than the 50s version with James Arness. It will make you question if your friend is really your friend or something that may want to take over the Earth.

13. A Quiet Place (2018):  Another science fiction horror movie with monstrous killing aliens. Premise: On a devastated Earth overrun by lethal and ever-hearing predators of a possible extraterrestrial origin, the Abbotts and their children struggles to survive in a desolate world in a new era of utter silence. As this new type of invader is attracted to noise, even the slightest of sounds can be deadly; however, it's been already twelve months since the powerful monsters' first sightings, and this resilient family still stands strong. To learn the rules of survival in this muted dystopia is essential; nevertheless, an otherwise joyous event is threatening an already frail stability. Now, more than ever, don't make a sound.

I am adding a 14th movie: Halloween (1978): with the new film by John Carpenter that says all but the first film never happened, where Jaime Lee Curtis returns and ready to battle Michael,  and releasing close to Halloween this October, this is a good time to watch the original film. Premise: This American slasher film directed and scored by John Carpenter, starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut. The film tells the story of Michael Myers, who was committed to a sanitarium as a child for the murder of his older sister Judith Myers but escapes back the house he grew up in on Halloween.

Supernatural Friday: Haunted House Movies To Watch on Halloween

Today is all about haunted house horror films and maybe even the books they are based off of. The one that comes to mine for me as the definitive scary one is "The Haunting "(1963), based off Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. Yes, there was a remake in 1999, with Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones, but that was not well done. No the original closely patterns the book, which is the only book to still scare me during the daytime, in a schoolroom full of people when I was in junior high school in El Cajon, California. As says in the beginning of the summary on IMDB, "Dr. Markway, doing research to prove the existence of ghosts, investigates Hill House, a large, eerie mansion with a lurid history of violent death and insanity. With him are the skeptical young Luke, who stands to inherit the house, the mysterious and clairvoyant Theodora and the insecure Eleanor, whose psychic abilities make her feel somehow attuned to whatever spirits inhabit the old mansion." 

Of course, the nephew of the owner of Hill House joins them in this scary adventure.
The dark energies of the house zeros in on Eleanor Vance. A woman in her thirties, she is lonely and living with her sister and brother-in-law after her mother died.  No matter of the frightening things happening in the house,  Eleanor feels  a sense of belonging and happiness in the house. The book makes it hard for anyone to determine is it the house and the ghosts in the place, or Eleanor herself that causes what happens there. Not unlike my short story, "Bottled Spirits." Is it madness or real ghosts that are affecting my character, Jessica. Those are always the best kind of scary movies or books, they make you wonder which is it.

Another  'haunted house' horror film, is "Legend of Hell House," based off Richard Matheson's book of the same name.  In this film from 1973, a physicist, his wife, a young female psychic and the only survivor of the previous visit (a psychic too) come to the notorious Hell House to prove/disprove survival after death. Previous visitors have either been killed or gone mad, and it is up to the team to survive a full week in isolation. Though the book was set in New England, they changed the setting to England, because of the British actors used. Like "The Haunting," it is a good, scary movie. I enjoyed the book too, when I read it while in college, though the novel had more intense sexual scenes and more graphic violence. The movie screenplay was toned down to a more 'brooding' atmosphere. The ghostly owner of Hell house is actually based off loosely of Aleister Crowley.

The Conjuring (2103), based off a real incident in the 70s, where a paranormal investigation and eventually an exorcism was preformed. Though centered more on the demonic spirit, this is also centered around the farmhouse the spirit lived in life and where the modern residents are tormented by the entity. There is a website for the real Perron family and real Bathsheba Witch that you can fread about at http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/conjuring.php   The movie was not based off the trilogy House of Darkness House of Light by Andrea Perron, but off  the case files of Ed & Lorraine Warren. I am looking forward to buying the Blu Ray edition of the film on Tuesday, October 22, 2013.

House on Haunted Hill was first shown in theaters in 1959 and there is also a remake, released in 1999. The first one starred Vincent Price (my fave classic horror actors), and the remake had Geoffrey Rush who kind of looked like Vincent and was the character, Stephen H, Price, as the owner. In the original, Vincent as Frederick Loren offers ten thousand dollars to five people to be locked in a spook house with him and his wife.  In the remake, Rush's characters pays some people $1,000,000 (inflation?) to spend the night in a haunted house with a horrifying past.  I would suggest both to watch. I actually enjoyed the remake this time around.

The Amityville Horror ( 1979) and the remake (2005)--the first one is the best. The remake, so-so. Though originally about a  family tormented by demonic spirits and the husband possessed, it was found  all faked. Still, some scary stuff.. whether you believe it or not.

Paranormal Activity (2007) is the first movie in a series that keeps spitting out sequels around Halloween. Strange things happen in the night and a couple decide to try and capture it on video. What ensues is a gradual building of suspense and terror, and how with "Ghost Hunters" and "Ghost Adventurers" on TV influencing regular people who will try to prove or disprove a haunting with a camcorder.

Monster House (2006) is because the kids need a scary movie to watch and I enjoyed it. Made with computerized animation, this film has three teens discover that their neighbor's house is really a living, breathing, scary monster.

Other 'haunted house' films to check out (some are super, others, not so):
The Changling (1980) --one great scene makes this one of the scariest films: George C. Scott tosses his dead daughter's ball into the river, then comes back home, and sees it fall down the stairs.
Poltergeist (1982)--famous word: "They're here!" 
The Shining ( 1980)--there is a TV remake that Stephen King was more like his book. Watch both.
House (1986)-- There is a second, House II.
The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)
Thirteen Ghosts (2001)--This is a remake of the film of the same name from the Forties.
Return to Haunted Hill (2007)
The Woman in Black (2012)--actor, Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame in first grown up role. I enjoyed this movie in the theater and own it on DVD.
The Orphanage (2007)
The Others (2001)
Burnt Offerings (1976)--haunted house chiller from Dan Curtis has Oliver Reed and Karen Black as summer caretakers moving into gothic house with their young son.
Ju-On: The Grudge ( 2002)
Rose Red (2002) --mini series. This is so obviously The Haunting of Hill House redone.
The House on Skull Mountain (1974)

There are haunted hotels and haunted apartment movies, but I focused on the home versions.   Whatever you feel about these films as you view them--what Halloween is about begins with the phantoms and ghosts haunting one's home that goes back to the primal fear of the caveman in his cave, doing all he can to prevent monsters and the dead from terrorizing him in his own place of safety.

Supernatural Friday: Eleven Scary Horror Films

October will be here in a couple of days and at the end of October is Halloween. At this time of year there are those who will read scary fiction or nonfiction ghost books, or watch scary movies. Personally, I watch the movies all year round or read the books the same. But today, on this last Supernatural Friday of September, I will start with what I think are eleven films to rent or buy on DVD, and watch.(Yeah-right, only I could make it an uneven number. . . )

1. Cabin the Woods (2011). This film just came out on DVD last week and I have watched it twice already. With Joss Whelon’s name as producer (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Serenity and The Avengers) attached to this film, I knew I had to have it, even though I didn’t catch it in the theaters this past spring. I heard it was worth the price of admission. And I will say, that is so true. Definitely a Whelon trademark, with some familiar faces too. The premise sounds old hat in horror films: “Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin in the woods, where they get more than they bargained for. Together, they must discover the truth behind the cabin in the woods.” But honestly, there is a surprisingly difference. I loved it. Watch the trailer here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1259521/

2. The Haunting (1963). Don’t rent the 90s stinkero remake. Get this one.  It is based on the novel, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Premise: Dr. Markway, doing research to prove the existence of ghosts, investigates Hill House, a large, eerie mansion with a lurid history of violent death and insanity. With him are the skeptical young Luke, who stands to inherit the house, the mysterious and clairvoyant Theodora and the insecure Eleanor, whose psychic abilities make her feel somehow attuned to whatever spirits inhabit the old mansion. As time goes by it becomes obvious that they have gotten more than they bargained for as the ghostly presence in the house manifests itself in horrific and deadly ways. The film doesn’t need special effects to scare you. So grab this film, turn off the lights, huddle on the couch or your favorite chair, and be prepared to be frightened.

3.  Dog Soldiers (2002). No this is not a military film, though there are English soldiers in it. Plus a pack of werewolves they end up battling for their lives. And all set in the Scottish wilderness. Intense, this is one of the best werewolf horror films I have seen in a while. 

4.  An American Werewolf in London (1981). A horror film with werewolves that will make you think twice about traveling to English and hiking through it with your buddy at night and during a full moon.

5.  30 Days of Night (2007). This is a vampire film that is intense from beginning to end. If you are looking for those breaks in humor, forget it, this movie won’t give it to you. If you’re looking for vampires that sparkle, forget it. These vamps are vicious and out for one thing you can give them, and it’s not love!

6.   Psycho (1960). Premise: a young woman steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and subsequently encounters a young motel proprietor too long under the domination of his mother. Though black and white, this Alfred Hitchcock film will scare you as only Hitchcock can. Famous for the shower scene.

7.  The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II (1981 and 1987–both by Sam Raimi). First one is more grade-B horror, while the second one, a kind of remake has humor in it. The second one is the movie that made Bruce Campbell a B-movie icon and won Sam Raimi a whole lot more directing gigs. This films has equal parts humor and gore, but when the frights happen, they happen on a grand scale. Ever wondered what it would be like to fight your own hand? You won't have to wonder anymore after watching this movie. But still I thought I point out the first one, too.

8.  28 Days Later (2002). Undead, or zombies as they are calling the ghouls of these films these days, this is a good one. Many movies have tried to recreate what a major city could look like after an apocalypse, but not many do it as hauntingly well as Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later." The terrifyingly fast zombie-like creatures roaming the landscape proved to be so effectively scary that the movie spawned a wave of movies featuring fast-paced zombies. And the zombies don’t have to die to change and are logical in why they act the way they do.

9.   The Descent (2005). This movie will terrify you if:  1) You’re claustrophobic. 2) You’re scared of the dark. 3) You have a fear of being trapped under the earth.  4) You have a fear of being trapped under the earth with vampire-like creatures that can see you but you can’t see them.

10. Trick 'r Treat (2007). Premise: Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband. Perfect Halloween horror tales that will make you nervous about answering the door to trick-or-treaters.

11.  Alien (1979) and John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982). Since both are about creepy, monstrous aliens, then I think both should share equal billing, don’t you? In Alien, “no one can hear you scream,” as stuck on a spaceship not near Earth, the crew of the mining spacecraft, Nostromo battle something that proves ET is not so friendly. Same for The Thing, based on the short story, “Who Goes There” by John W. Campbell that I had read back in college, it is a more faithful adaptation than the 50s version with James Arness. It will make you question if your friends are really your friend, or something that may want to take over the Earth. You can even download the short story here: http://www.whogoesthere.info/download.php

There are many more films I loved, but could only put down ten. Other scary films included Poltergeist (1982), Night of the Living Dead (1968), Dracula (1931-with Bela Lugosi), The Wolfman (1941-Lon Chaney Jr.), The Grudge (2004), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), The House on Haunted Hill (1999), The Woman in Black (2012), The House of Wax (1953—with Vincent Price), Salem’s Lot (1979 and 2004), Rosemary’s Baby, so many more. What are your favorites?