Spectacular Cinema: From the Classics and Into the Beyond

Day 27: 31 Days of Horror: The Exorcist

2012-02-02T23:12:00.000-06:00

Yes, I included The Exorcist (1973) in last year's 31 Days of Horror, but I still think it's the scariest film that I've ever watched. Being the horror genre addict that I am, I decided that I was mature enough to handle William Blatty's novel, which the film is based on. I was right, but that doesn't mean that I wasn't freaked out by it. I may have had the light on during the nighttime a little bit longer than usual because I, of course, thought a demon might jump out from a corner of my room if it wasn't on. I survived reading the entire book and it was gloriously terrifying and well written. I recommend reading it, if you think you can handle it.

The Exorcist psychologically terrifies me so much that I am not able to watch it on my own anymore. I tried to during this Halloween season and I came close to finishing it, but the viewing ended in disaster because it led me to Google more information regarding Pazuzu. Pazuzu is the name of the demon that possesses the young girl, Regan. This ended up being a huge mistake! I partially blame my Catholic upbringing for making me so freaked out by the thought of demon possession. Never ever Google more information about Pazuzu, I guarantee that it will give you terrible nightmares and you will not be able to sleep if it ever feels suspiciously cooler in your room.

I am able to enjoy The Exorcist whenever I watch it with someone else. For some reason, I feel it's safer to watch this film when I watch it with someone. It allows me to watch the film and be consumed by it without freaking out too much before it gets really good. I especially enjoy Father Karras' dream about his mother and the exorcism scene. Everything about these two scenes is right, the acting, the editing, the screenwriting, the lighting, everything. When I watch these scenes, I feel like I'm actually there, witnessing the horror up close. It's amazing. Just thinking about it is making me want to try to watch the film on my own again. Should I dare?

Happy Birthday: Clark Gable

2012-02-01T22:12:00.000-06:00

Clark Gable was a fabulous actor. Sadly, he passed away when he was only 59 years old, but he left behind some magnificent classic films for all of us to enjoy. The Misfits (1961) was Clark's last film and it displays one of his best performances. Out of all the films of his that I have watched, I like The Misfits and It Happened One Night (1934). I also enjoy Mogambo (1953) and Gone With the Wind (1939). So, if you're just getting into watching some films with the dreamy Clark Gable, that's where I recommend starting. Happy Birthday, Mr. Gable!

Young Frankenstein

2012-01-30T22:58:00.000-06:00

I had the strangest dream last night that involved Young Frankenstein. I was sitting in a classroom and nothing out the ordinary was happening. I was chatting with my fellow students and we didn't know one student's name that was in the class. All of a sudden he shouts, "I am Frederick Fronk-en-STEEN!" I don't know why I was dreaming about it, but it was hilarious the way he said it, just like Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein. Sadly, no one claimed to be 'EYE gor.'

Young Frankenstein should be watched by everyone who has watched Frankenstein (1931). Frankenstein is a fantastic horror film. The problem is, it has been spoofed a lot over the years, so the joke is pretty old nowadays, which lessens its scare factor quality within the majority of today's society.

Young Frankenstein, however, is not just another overdone spoof on the classic monster movie. It is a parody that is so well done that it should be watched simply because the comedic genius of it is sublime, as are the performances by the actors. I truly do not know how someone could watch this film and not laugh throughout the majority of it. It's so witty and ridiculous, that's it's practically impossible not to enjoy it. Unless, of course, you do not have a sense of humor. In that case, you will never understand this film. If you like to laugh, then please watch this film! You will love it!

The Horrific Cold & Surprise Thunderstorms

2012-01-23T19:42:00.000-06:00

Winter is my least favorite season of them all. Every year, I sit here and wonder why I'm still living in the Midwest. I only really question this when it's the wintertime because I enjoy the other seasons, especially fall and summer. I have a love/hate relationship with the spring. The winter just doesn't do it for me, mainly because the snow in the city isn't snow, it's grey slush.

The weather has been so spastic lately, some days have actually been pretty nice, last night there was a thunderstorm, but the bad days have been awful. The winter is much more fun when you're able to enjoy it by going skiing, sledding, ice skating, and making snow caves and snowmen. Those activities cannot be enjoyed when the temperature is in the teens and below. The freezing dreary days make me want to do watch one movie in particular: The Shining. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, I'm going to go with good because I love The Shining.

The Shining is the perfect horror movie to watch during the winter! Particularly because it focuses on a man, Jack Torrence, going mad due to being cooped up in a hotel during a freezing cold, snowy winter. Ok, so maybe he didn't exactly go crazy because it was a blizzard outside, the hotel itself was what was infecting his mind, but that cold weather couldn't have helped matters. All that work and no play didn't help him out much either...

Happy Birthday: Cary Grant

2012-01-18T18:18:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to Cary Grant! Thankfully, TCM decided to remember him on his birthday as well. It always annoys me when they decide to not dedicate the day, or at least part of the day of a favorite classic star's birthday, to that star's film work. If not the birthday, then the star's death-day would suffice.

My favorite film with Cary Grant is still Notorious. I just love his chemistry with Ingrid Bergman in that film. The two were perfect together. The kissing scenes! Gosh, they are so sexy! I may have to watch this film later on tonight, it's been a while.

Six Feet Under

2012-01-17T22:26:00.000-06:00

Six Feet Under is hands down one of the best shows I missed out on watching when it was still on TV. This is mainly due to the fact that I was in middle school around the time it was released. It's not the sort of show that a middle schooler should be exposed to. Mainly because it contains quite a bit of sex, drugs, and swearing, and also because it's a show that follows the lives of a bunch of dysfunctional people, mostly focusing on the crazy lives of a family that runs a morgue. I have a feeling that the fake dead bodies would have freaked me out then...

I'm happy that I'm able to watch and enjoy it now due to the ingenious HBO GO. The show is brilliant, the writing, the acting, everything! The quirky characters and the stellar amount of dark humor involved in their dialogue and everyday situations is what makes the show so entertaining to watch. It surprises me that the show ended in 2006. I haven't watched all of the seasons yet, but I can't imagine it got cancelled due to it suddenly becoming crappy. I refuse to believe it! I guess I'll have to continue watching it to find out!

Dragon Tattoo: Swedish and U.S.

2012-01-15T21:50:00.000-06:00

You know, I really don't understand why the U.S. cinema has to remake films that have already been made in different countries. Maybe it has something to do with money or maybe someone really wants to give another artistic twist to something that is already great? I'm really not sure. However, I must admit that I really enjoyed both the Swedish and U.S. versions of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It also seemed like the U.S. wasn't trying to do something the Swedish didn't do. The story is just so awesome that everyone wants to add their artistic spin to it. I have yet to read the book version, which is odd because I usually read the book version before watching the film version. The book starts off very slow, but judging from both film versions, the plot must really take off once it gets to a certain point. I will read these books!

Dragon Tattoo is full of chilling suspense and mystery, following the thorough investigation of the disappearance of an uncle's favorite niece, Harriet Vanger, and the gradual exposure of a dark family secret. Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist-Swedish and Daniel Craig-U.S.), a recently disgraced journalist, and Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace-Swedish and Rooney Mara-U.S.), an extremely intelligent and skilled computer hacker, are both hired to investigate the case. The two are a power team, both with different strengths and very different lifestyles, their differences are what allow them to collaborate so well.

Although Mikael seems to occupy the majority of the screen time, Lisbeth is the most important and interesting character. This should evident given the title of the film and the trilogy, of course, but that doesn't mean that Mikael isn't important to the story as well. Lisbeth has had a very difficult life, which is why she appears to be odd and off-putting to some people. Given how she has been treated by others, especially her father, past psychiatrist, and current "caretaker," it's not very surprising that she doesn't generally warm up to people right away. Not because she fears the people, she just has to decide how to take care of them if they happen to treat her badly. Lisbeth is one tough girl, she has no problem bending the rules when need be, nor is she afraid to stick up for herself. She's a spectacular character.

Everyone gives their all to their performance in both versions of Dragon Tattoo. I'll admit that sometimes I have problems sitting comfortably throughout an entire film, but I found that I was able to sit and watch these films without losing my interest at any point throughout either of them. That's really saying something because both are over 2.5 hours long. The story is engaging, the cinematography is beautiful, and the score is awesome. As a warning to some of you, there are some very brutal scenes in both versions of this film, which could easily upset you, a man next to me actually got up and left because of one of these scenes in particular. I'll admit, it's difficult to watch these scenes, but it's not like the film mainly consists of scenes that are too horrible to watch. Overall, Dragon Tattoo is awesome and should not be missed.

I LOVE the opening title sequence! It looks cool and the music is sweet.

The Help

2012-01-14T22:03:00.000-06:00

I love reading books that turn into movies before I watch the actual movie. By doing this, my expectations for the film version tend to be extremely high. So, it's pretty exciting when a film follows a book so well that it exceeds my high expectations. The Help is one of these films.

It's no surprise to me that The Help is up for so many awards. The story is great, it's full of emotional scenes, wit, and humor. It's set in Mississippi in the 1960s during the civil rights movement. The story focuses on a young woman Skeeter (Emma Stone) and her aspiration to become an author. Once she returns from college, she ends up landing a job writing a small cleaning column in her town's local newspaper. Since she knows basically nothing about cleaning, due to her family maid Constantine being solely responsible for all the cleaning. She'd love to ask Constantine to help her, but she is no longer working for Skeeter's family for reasons unbeknownst to Skeeter. Therefore, she decides to ask her close friend, Elizabeth, if she may interview her maid, Aibileen, for the column. She agrees to allow Skeeter to interview Aibileen and this ends up sparking the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Aibileen and Skeeter, as well as a collaborative writing endeavor between Skeeter and other maids in town who want to share their story about what it is really like to work for a white family. It also ends up shaking up Skeeter's long-term friendships with the other girls in town, due to them being awful people, especially the despicable ringleader of them all, Hilly Holbrook.

Emma never seems to fail at giving her all to a role that she is in, which is fantastic because it means that all of her movies are likely to be awesome. Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer steal the show though, as Aibileen and Minny. They both play these characters exactly how I imagined them to act. Aibileen is super sweet and Minny is hilarious and definitely not afraid to stick up for herself. I also thought that Jessica Chastain (Celia Foote) and Bryce Howard (Hilly Holbrook) gave commendable performances. Celia is an interesting character, very nice and sweet, but a bit clueless at first about how mean women can be to each other. Hilly is one of the cruelest and most vile characters ever, I cannot stand her, in fact, I doubt that anyone would like her. I'm sure Bryce is nothing like Hilly in real life, which is why I find her performance impressive, especially since it's not overdone. Sissy Spacek has a small role in the film, but like always, she gives her all to it. If you are looking for a film to watch at home this weekend, then look no further than The Help. It will definitely be worth it if you are in the mood for a meaningful drama. Oh, it might make you cry, so keep some tissues nearby.

Yesterday: My Week With Marilyn

2012-01-08T01:17:00.000-06:00

Well, yesterday was a fun and interesting day for me. I've desperately have been wanting to go see My Week With Marilyn since its release date. I'm happy that I finally got to go see it! It was so good! Even though some of the viewing experience got interrupted for a bit, due to two people, an older woman and a man in his late 20s that didn't know each other, who ended up having a loud and verbally abusive argument.

What the hell could people possibly argue about during a movie showing, you ask? Cell phone use, apparently. The man kept opening his cell phone and the woman kept asking him to shut it because it was distracting her from viewing the film. It is pretty annoying when someone continually looks at their cell during a film. He shut it the first time she asked him, but then went back to opening it again about 15 minutes into the film! She kept quietly asking him to shut it and wouldn't leave him alone until he did so. Well, this annoyed him, especially when she kept leaning on his chair. He starts screaming, "Get away from me! Get away!" She wouldn't get away, so then he starts spitting off a bunch of rude insults and profanity. Someone else started to yell at the guy because he was being so disruptive and all of us just wanted to enjoy the movie! However, the guy would not stop and his last insult to the woman was so disgusting and impolite that the lady packed up her purse and told him she was going to report him. The guy ended up following the woman out, continuing to yell insults at her during their walk to the theater manager. The woman eventually returned, but the man never did, which wasn't very surprising.

Michelle Williams is incredible as Marilyn Monroe and I think she is the main reason that the film is worth seeing. She had her mannerisms down so well that sometimes it seemed like I was watching the real Marilyn. It was odd because Michelle really doesn't resemble Marilyn much in her physical appearance, except maybe when she was in the Prince and the Showgirl makeup/outfit. However, I think this works better because Michelle isn't acting like a caricature of Marilyn, which would have been irritating to watch. Marilyn was much more than a ditzy blonde and I feel like if they casted someone just based on their physical resemblance to Marilyn, then it would have been awful to watch. The mannerisms Michelle displayed are what made the character of Marilyn come to life again. Michelle definitely deserves all the praise she has been getting regarding her performance as Marilyn. I'd love to see them make a full life biopic about Marilyn someday with Michelle casted as Marilyn again. I wonder if they will ever do that?

I also thought that Eddie Redmayne (Colin Clark), Kenneth Branagh (Sir Laurence Olivier), and Judi Dench (Dame Sybil Thorndike) all gave commendable performances as well. Honestly, when doesn't Judi Dench give an awesome performance? I've never seen Eddie in anything else, but I hope to see more of him. Kenneth Branagh basically IS Laurence Olivier, so if you like Laurence, I think you'll like Kenneth's portrayal of him. Dominic Cooper (Milton Greene) was also pretty great in the film, which kind of impressed me. If you want to see a spectacular film, then please go see My Week With Marilyn! I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T22:28:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to all of you out there who celebrate it! If you don't, then I hope that you have been enjoying the holiday that you celebrate. I have been able to watch a few great Christmas films over the past few days. Nothing puts me in the Christmas spirit more than It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, and Home Alone. I hope that all of you have been able to spend some quality time with your families or friends who are like your family. Be sure to be kind to others and to be thankful for what you have!

Day 25: 31 Days of Horror: Child's Play (1988)

2011-11-20T15:14:00.000-06:00

Child's Play should never ever be shown to a child! To say that this movie scared me when I was a kid is an understatement. It petrified me! I think it has also led to my weariness around anyone who's hair is of the same coloring as Chucky's. I'm not even kidding. That's why I can't watch Reba, Kathy Griffin, or Carrot Top. I'm sure they're very nice people and possibly funny, but their hair color frightens me. It's silly, I know, but I can't get over it! I also have a hard time sleeping in a room that has a doll in it. Mainly because many dolls do not have eyes that close and they are ALWAYS smiling. It's creepy!

Chucky is a doll that has been possessed by the soul of a serial killer, Charles Lee Ray. Charles performed some dark magic in order to transfer his soul into the doll before his human body was killed. Soon after, the Chucky doll containing Charles' evil soul is purchased and given to a young boy, Andy Barclay. Andy loves the doll at first and is always talking to him. However, it soon becomes apparent to Andy that Chucky isn't very nice and is responsible for many evil things. Will others believe little Andy that the doll is evil or will they think he's playing some sort of childish game? Watch to find out.

Child's Play is by no means the perfect horror movie. It's far from it, actually. It is decent though and it is full of jumpy and scary scenes.

Natalie Wood: Case Reopened

2011-11-19T23:09:00.000-06:00

I couldn't believe my eyes a couple of days ago, when I was reading over some of the news. Natalie Wood's case has been reopened due to new information regarding her mysterious drowning back on November 29, 1981. If you read about the case, her death does seem a bit odd. I find it doubtful that she decided to board a dinghy in the middle of the night. I don't care if she was drunk or not, someone with a phobia of dark water wouldn't willingly go out and board a dinghy. In fact, I think she'd be even more terrified of dark water at that point.

I think that Natalie's death was most likely an accident, even though the details about her death sound strange and like something is being left out. Maybe she really decided to try to board a dinghy and fell off of it and drowned because she didn't know how to swim. Or maybe she was accidentally pushed overboard by someone and they panicked because they were unable to find her. Even if there was an argument going on, that doesn't mean Robert Wagner would purposely shove her off a boat to murder her.

The captain of the ship that awful night, however, is claiming that Wagner was definitely responsible for Natalie's death. Why would he wait this long to come forth with information? It seems a bit like he's trying to get some money off of the 30 year anniversary of Natalie's death. If something happened then, then he should have come forth with the information at that point in time or at least much sooner than 30 years after the incident occurred! Now, it's probably going to be too difficult to find usable evidence against someone, even if the person is in fact guilty. No one can claim someone is guilty and not provide any evidence to prove it, that's just how it works in this country. It will be interesting to see what comes of this.

Happy Birthday: Grace Kelly

2011-11-12T21:50:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm going to catch up on 31 Days of Horror eventually. I'm sorry I didn't finish it up in time for Halloween. I've been extremely busy with other things in life. I've also been sick for the past week with an upper respiratory infection, the fever is down, the voice is coming back, and I am no longer requiring 15 hours of sleep a night, finally. I was sounding a bit like a mix of Marge Simpson and Regan for the Exorcist, how is that for a day of horror?

Today would have been Grace Kelly's 82nd birthday. I've been celebrating it by watching To Catch a Thief and Rear Window. I'll probably watch some more of her movies, but I have decided which ones yet. I made sure to watch the ones with the best wardrobe though.

Day 24: 31 Days of Horror: The Birds (1963)

2011-10-31T19:38:00.000-05:00

Living in the city, I've noticed that people are really creeped out by birds. Mainly pigeons because they like to swoop low towards people's heads and then eat food off the ground. This proves to scare people to the point that they scream and run away. Due to these extremely dramatic reactions, I'm assuming that the majority of these people must have watched Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds at some point in their lives.

Something hasn't been right with the birds of Bodega Bay since Melanie Daniels has come to town. They've become monsters! Intent on harming anyone who gets in their range of sight. No child or adult is safe from their murderous beaks!

This film makes me laugh throughout the majority of it. Mainly because I can remember my professor showing us his own video that he made while visiting Bodega Bay. He decided to reenact the scene where the kids are running from the school. It was brilliant! I wish I could watch it again right now! However, I do find it scary when the birds won't stop attacking Melanie while she's locked in that upstairs room. Those birds were so vicious!!

Day 23: 31 Days of Horror: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

2011-10-30T19:16:00.001-05:00

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) is my favorite Freddy Krueger horror film, the others lack a certain something that the first one had. However, I'll admit that I did enjoy Dream Warriors, but mainly because of the setting and that it kind of continues on from where the first one began.

Dream Warriors takes place in a psychiatric hospital. A group of teenagers, who are all surviving victims of Freddy's, go here in order to learn how to take control of their dreams. Nancy Thompson, Freddy's main victim and nemesis in the first Nightmare movie, has grown up now and is a psychiatrist at the hospital who specializes in dream therapy. She tries to help the teens cope with their fear of Freddy and to teach them how to overcome him. However, this proves to be a very difficult task, especially when Freddy ends up capturing one of the teens. Will Nancy and the others be able to work together to save their friend and end the nightmare for good? Only way to find out is to watch the film!

Freddy is a lot more menacing in this film than he is with the others. He's also a bit more creative in his kills than he was in the beginning. I think it was smart to bring Nancy back into the film, since she played such a huge role in the first. This film is entertaining and definitely worth watching, but only after you've watched the first. Great slasher film and sequel.

Day 22: 31 Days of Horror: The Poltergeist (1982)

2011-10-30T18:28:00.000-05:00

Indian burial grounds will forever scare the hell out of me, thanks to The Poltergeist. I remember watching this film back in the fifth grade. My dad and my best friend's dad decided to rent The Poltergeist for us to watch, since it was rated PG and therefore they thought it was suitable. Let me tell you, that PG rating did not mean that this film was not scary! It made me afraid of a certain tree in the backyard and I had nightmares for about 3 weeks from this movie!

The Poltergeist is a haunted house film. It's not like The Changeling (1980), which, in my opinion is the ultimate haunted house film, but it is certainly creepy and being haunted by more than just one human ghost. The house is being haunted by poltergeists, which are malevolent spirits who enjoy terrorizing the living. At first, the family is intrigued by the poltergeists because they appear to be friendly and amusing. However, all of that changes when they 'kidnap' the youngest child in the family and bring her into a different spectrum and they don't know how to save her from it.

The scene with the creepy clown doll is scary! I hate that damn clown! It scares me about as much as Pennywise the clown and clowns don't freak me out if I see them elsewhere, like in a haunted house or just making balloon animals. I also hate that scary tree when it attempts to kill the little boy! Or how about the scene when the man is in the bathroom and he starts pulling off the skin on his face! Oh, and I can't forget to mention the scene with the pool when the skeletons attempt to drown that woman! Terrifying! Fantastic movie!

Day 21: 31 Days of Horror: Shaun of the Dead

2011-10-29T02:16:00.000-05:00

Oh, how I love dark humor! Shaun of the Dead is a fantastically funny horror movie. It takes from different zombie horror films and mixes it with hilarious situations and ridiculousness. The violence and gore in this film isn't too bad to watch because the characters look silly defending themselves against the undead.

Shaun doesn't have much going for him in his life lately. He goes around behaving more like a zombie than anything, playing video games, working a crap job, and missing his ex. All he really wants is to have his girlfriend back, so he decides that he will do anything to win her over again. However, he ends up deciding to win her back when life is a bit more...chaotic than usual. Will he succeed? Only way to find out is to watch the movie!

This movie had me laughing throughout the majority of it. I loved the jokes, especially when Shaun's best friend, Ed, said to Shaun's mother, "We're coming to get you Barbara!" Great use of a line from Night of the Living Dead by saying "we're" instead of "they're." Zombieland is kind of like this film. If you're a fan of that movie, and haven't yet watched Shaun of the Dead, please do yourself a favor and watch Shaun! You don't know what you're missing until you watch it!

Day 20: 31 Days of Horror: Beetlejuice

2011-10-25T23:01:00.000-05:00

I love wacky movies. Beetlejuice definitely falls under my "Best Wacky Movies" list. The theme song is the best part of it. Danny Elfman truly outdid himself with brilliance by creating such a stellar song.

Beetlejuice is the story of a married couple, Adam Maitland and Barbara Maitland, who end up dead after their car swerves off a bridge, due to a little dog being in the middle of the bridge. At first, the two do not realize that they are dead, but the quickly realize it when a series of strange events begin to occur. One in particular, that their fingertips are now able to catch on fire without causing them any pain. Obviously, something isn't right when that happens!

Afterlife gets even stranger for Adam and Barbara when they realize that their house has been taken over by some new owners with a very bizarre taste in decorating. The two desperately want to get rid of the new owners, the Deetz family, but don't know the first thing about how to properly haunt a house. During their desperation, the two decide to dress up as pathetic looking ghosts, with only sheets draped over them. No one seems to notice them at all, except for the odd girl, Lydia, who is obsessed with the strange and unusual.

Although the ghosts like the girl, they still want her parents to get the hell out of their house. Since they are unable to do so and aren't getting much guidance from their death advisor, Juno, they end up doing something that proves to be insane and stupid. They decide to summon the foul bio-exorcist, Beetlejuice, who can only be summoned by saying his name three times in a row. Juno warned them against Beetlejuice, but they didn't listen because they were getting no where.

Beetlejuice proves to be a nightmare. Although he successfully scares the family by turning into a snake, he ends up causing the Deetz to try to exorcise Adam and Barbara into a new dimension of death. However, Lydia comes to their rescue, putting herself in danger with Beetlejuice and his cunning ways.

Great movie! Definitely worth watching this film on more than one occasion. I love Adam and Barbara's relationship and how clueless they are about being remotely scary. It's so cute and funny! Lydia is an awesome character too. She's smart and overly intrigued by death, which makes her pretty interesting and cool. I like how she socializes with the ghosts and they become a little family.

Day 19: 31 Days of Horror: Halloweentown

2011-10-21T00:32:00.001-05:00

Want to guess what my favorite Debbie Reynolds movie is? If you didn't guess Halloweentown, then you obviously haven't seen this movie or don't like silly Halloween movies that Disney made. I happen to love the majority of them, except for the one about a Mummy, that one was boring! Debbie Reynolds played one of the coolest witches ever, Aggie Cromwell!

Halloweentown begins with the soon to be 13 year old Marnie Cromwell arguing with her mother, Gwen, about going to a Halloween party. For her entire life, as well as her siblings' lives, none have been allowed to participate in ANY Halloween festivities. No dressing up, no trick-r-treating, absolutely nothing. They are the only house on their block that doesn't handout candy. Marnie doesn't understand why this is, but her mom still refuses to let her go to a party and refuses to tell her why. Dylan, Marnie's nerdy younger brother doesn't understand why she is so obsessed with going to the party anyway. Dylan is a complete suck-up to their mom, so Marnie starts arguing with him, too.

However, Marnie's argument with her mother and Dylan is cut short once a visitor shows up at their door. The visitor happens to be their grandmother, Aggie, who is Marnie's favorite! Her brother and little sister, Sophie, are just as excited as she is to see their grandma as Marnie is. Gwen is displeased to see her mom, despite not seeing her for a while, because her mom is a bit more eccentric than she thinks is necessary. Aggie ignores her daughter and continues to have a nice time with her grandchildren, bringing a bunch of candy, decorations, and costumes for them. She then asks if she can read the kids a bedtime story before she has to leave again. Although reluctant at first, Gwen allows her to, but is furious when she realizes that her mom is telling the children about a place called Halloweentown.

Confused and curious, Marnie sneaks downstairs and overhears her grandma and mom talking about something very strange, Marnie's training to be a witch! Perplexed by what she's hearing, Marnie listens some more and learns that something evil has been invading Halloweentown. Aggie asks Gwen if she would be willing to come back with her and help find out and defeat whatever it in order to save the residents of Halloween. Gwen refuses to come and help, so Aggie does some magic to annoy her and then leaves. Marnie rushes upstairs to change her clothes and tell her brother what she just saw. She tells him that she's going to go after grandma and follow her, in order to go help her fight the bad thing. Dylan isn't sure how to respond, but despite his doubts, he decides to go with Marnie to follow their grandmother back to wherever she's going. As they follow their grandma, they are shocked to see as a bus magically appears before their eyes. The two board the bus from the back of it, careful to not approach their grandma at first in case she ends up taking them back home right then and there. However, they become a bit freaked out when the bus suddenly takes off and seems to be transporting them to a different spectrum in the world, which is exactly what it is doing because they land in Halloweentown.

Once they are off the bus, they end up losing their grandma in a crowd, but end up finding that their little sister followed them onto the bus. Together, the three kids end up finding their way to their grandma's house with a little help from the friendly town mayor and taxi driver. However, shortly after their arrival, their mom shows up and is enraged, convinced that her mom took them there behind her back. Gwen quickly makes her children come with her and leave their grandma behind, so that they can go back home. Unfortunately for Gwen, the bus isn't running back any time soon, so she decides to go to the mayor for help, but is sidetracked when Marnie takes off after her grandma again due to her belief that her grandma is in danger. Marnie's instincts end up being right and watches as both her grandma and mom are attacked by the evil cloaked man in the local movie theater. It's up to Marnie, Dylan, and Sophie to do whatever they can in order to collect the ingredients to activate Merlin's talisman to defeat the evil wizard and save both their grandma and mom.

I love this movie! I have to watch it every single October in order to celebrate Halloween time properly. It's got a cool story-line that it follows. Yes, it's a bit corny, but that's just part of the fun of watching it. Awesome movie!

Day 18: 31 Days of Horror: Gaslight (1944)

2011-10-19T23:54:00.000-05:00

Being tricked into believing that you are losing your mind is a pretty messed up concept. It's even more messed up if the one trying to make you lose your mind is someone who you trust and love. What kind of man would want to make his spouse believe that she is losing her mind when, in fact, she is completely healthy? An evil bastard, obviously!

Gaslight is about a woman, Paula, who found the body of her murdered aunt when she was younger. The police fail to find the murderer and Paula is sent away to live somewhere else. A decade later, Paula returns to live in the home where the killing took place. She returns with her husband, the charming Gregory Anton, who she fell in love with while taking her music lessons. She feels that she is ready to live in the home again because Gregory will be there to protect her from everything bad in the world.

Sadly, this is not the case. Once the two start living in the home, Gregory seems to change. He goes away every night to some unknown place to work. He constantly accuses Paula of misplacing items, losing items, and being mentally unstable. Poor Paula doesn't think she's doing any of these things, but Gregory keeps insisting that she just doesn't realize it because she's unhealthy and tries to keep her isolated from meeting anyone in the neighborhood.

However, there are a couple of neighbors that she has met and are interested in getting to know her better. One is a nosy, old woman, Miss. Thwaites who she met on a train ride and again on the street outside of her home the day she moved back in. The other is a man, the kind and handsome Brian Cameron, who was a great admirer of her aunt when he was a young boy. Brian is especially interested in learning more about Paula because she reminds him so much of her aunt. Will he be able to help her? Why is Gregory so intent on making Paula believe that she is insane? What is wrong with this guy?

I love this movie. The acting is fantastic by everyone involved. Sure, it's not the scariest film of all time and it's definitely not difficult to see where the plot is going, but it's still awesome. It's got horrific elements in it, which is why it should be watched during the season of horror!

Day 17: 31 Days of Horror: Suspiria (1977)

2011-10-18T22:47:00.000-05:00

How weird can a movie about ballet get? Pretty freaking weird apparently, if you've ever seen Black Swan (2010), The Red Shoes (1948), or Suspiria, then you know what I'm talking about. I haven't met very many ballet dancers in my life, but I'm starting to wonder if a lot of them are deeply disturbed...

Suspiria is creepy right from the beginning. It begins with an American dancer arriving in Europe in order to attend a prestigious ballet school. As she is arriving, the camera strays away from her and follows another young woman who seems to be sprinting away from the school in fear. She ends up returning to her apartment, clearly still extremely freaked out by something. Then, when learn that it is some sort of monster because the monster comes and murders her!

The story then moves back onto the American dancer. She seems to quickly realizes that something isn't right with the school after her first ballet lesson there. She ends up passing out during it, given a strange concoction that is supposedly meant to heal her. However, all it seems to do is make her extremely drowsy. She begins experiencing and witnessing very bizarre events, such as strange sounds, a maggot infestation in the whole school, and more. Why are these things happening? What is in the school? It looks like the dancer has some snooping she has to do in order to find out what is going on, but will she be safe if she eventually finds out? Watch the movie to find out.

The best thing about Suspiria is the music. The Goblins are very successful at making some deliciously creepy tunes. I also like how colorful the film is. The sets look amazing because of the beautiful colors and lighting used.

Day 16: 31 Days of Horror: The Good Son (1993)

2011-10-17T22:11:00.000-05:00

Little kids who enjoy murdering are beyond creepy! If they're already monsters at this age, think of how dangerous they'll be when they're older. It's a very unsettling thought. The Good Son focuses on the freakiness of a child who seems completely innocent, but in reality, the child is pure evil.

The Good Son is very similar to the 1956 horror movie, The Bad Seed. In both films, both Rhonda and Henry seem to be very sweet and cute children. However, this behavior is fake and used in order to manipulate people into believing that they are anything but what they truly are. Both of these children are murderous raving lunatics. They both enjoy killing. Rhonda enjoyed murdering her classmate because she felt that he deserved it because he defeated her in winning a medal that she felt she rightfully deserved. Henry murdered his baby brother because he didn't like all the attention that he was getting from his parents. Their desire to stop murdering doesn't end here though, which is why they are so frightening. What is wrong with these children?

I really like The Good Son. I think Macaulay and Elijah are great in the film together. Macaulay was the perfect choice for Henry, he's great at acting like a psycho and he knows how to act like a master manipulator. My only major complaint is the casting of Macaulay's sister Quinn as his on-screen sister Connie. She just didn't have the same acting skills as her brother. Still, this movie is worth checking out.

Day 15: 31 Days of Horror: Santa Sangre (1989)

2011-10-17T21:24:00.000-05:00

I watched Santa Sangre for the first time earlier this year. While I was watching the film, I wasn't scared from what I was watching. I was more sitting there thinking, "Well, this is kind of weird and disturbing, yet I can't stop watching it." But then later on, after I had finished the film and was still thinking about what all happened in it, I was completely freaked out! It was awful! I kept having to put the light back on after I had turned it off because I kept thinking I was going to be attacked by a scary circus performer once I was sitting there in the dark. I can't even exactly pinpoint what it was that successfully scared the hell out of me, but something about what I watched in this movie clearly traumatized me!

Santa Sangre is about a young man, Fenix, who is in a mental hospital. The film follows his life, beginning with his childhood, to explain how he ended up in the mental institution in the first place. Through flashbacks, you learn how incredibly strange his life has been. He grew up in the circus as a young magician, performing alongside his close friend and crush, a deaf, mute girl named Alma. His father, Orgo, was a knife thrower and his mother, Concha, was a trapeze artist who was the leader of an extremely religious cult.

All goes downhill for everyone once Orgo starts having an affair with Alma's abusive, trashy mother, the tattoo lady of the show. Once Concha realizes that Orgo is cheating on her, it sets her into a crazy rage. She follows the two and throws acid on Orgo's manhood. Orgo doesn't react very well to this, so he cuts off Concha's arms, then commits suicide by slitting his own throat. Poor Fenix is left petrified by what he has witnessed, then watches in horror as his love is driven away from him. Life after this becomes very strange for Fenix, but you'll have to watch the movie to learn more about that because I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

This movie is great. Weird and disturbing, definitely. It's not meant for everyone, but that can be said about every movie out there, right?

Day 14: 31 Days of Horror: Wizard of Oz (1939)

2011-10-16T20:56:00.000-05:00

The Shining with Tin Man

I am a bit behind on my 31 Days of Horror and I apologize for that. I've been extremely busy, traveling to and from different states, attending my first college football game (MSU vs. U of M), meeting up with a close friend that I haven't seen in a year, and preparing for my first day at a new job. Busy, but with a bunch of great things!

The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite movies of all time. I've loved it since I was a little kid. It seems that I tend to associate horror movies with my childhood, but that's because I was scared by a bunch of movies back then! It takes a lot more to scare me now, but I appreciate the old scares too!

Four things freaked me out in the Wizard of Oz: (1) the Wizard, (2) the flying monkeys, (3) the evil apple trees, and (4) the witch! These didn't scare me to the point where I ever refused to watch the movie. In fact, I think I enjoyed being scared because I watched this movie practically every day when I was a kid. The Wizard freaked me out when he talked through the projection thing on the wall because he was super loud! All that fire, smoke and other loud sounds scared me too!

The flying monkeys freaked me out because they were monkeys that could fly... That's just not right! Monkeys should not have the ability to fly! The monkeys look very strange and evil, even if you were to remove the wings! They have blue fur and freakish faces. It actually still frightens me to watch the part where the flying monkeys come and beat up the Scarecrow and take off with Dorothy and poor Toto. Leave sweet little Toto alone, you bullying flying monkeys!

I hate the apple trees that Dorothy and Scarecrow stumble upon during their walk on the yellow brick road. Apple trees should not have the ability to talk! They definitely shouldn't have the ability to attack, either!

The Wicked Witch of the West is severely deranged. Her constant messed up attitude towards everything is ridiculous. I could kind of understand why she disliked Dorothy, I mean with Dorothy's house accidently landing on and murdering her sister and then Dorothy ends up getting her sister's shoes, that must have been upsetting to witness. It's not like Dorothy did any of this intentionally though! Oh well, what more can you expect from a wicked witch other than insanity and wickedness?

Day 13: 31 Days of Horror: Misery (1990)

2011-10-13T21:13:00.001-05:00

Having a number one fan can be pretty exciting! Someone really looks up to you and thinks you're amazing! On the other hand, it can be petrifying, due to the number fan acting more like a number one stalker. Stalkers are not cool, they are terrifying. You never know when they're going to show up or where they might be watching you from. Imagine having this person keep you hostage and you have no ability to escape or defend yourself! Scary, right?

Misery is about a famous author, Paul Sheldon, who, one day after driving on the icy roads of Colorado after finishing another novel, ends up crashing his car. Paul is severely injured from the crash, but is rescued by a woman, Annie Wilkes, who happens to be a former nurse and his "number one fan."

Annie is an extremely strange woman, very secluded from society and overly sensitive about certain words. She decides to take Paul back to her home in the middle of no where, without telling anyone. At first, she seems intent on helping Paul make a full recovery, but all of that changes after she reads the most recent novel Paul's written about her favorite heroine, Misery, killing her off. This causes Annie to go berserk and torture Paul, while also forcing him to write a novel bringing Misery back to life. Will Paul ever escape her or will he be forced to be her prisoner for the rest of his life?

Misery is a fantastic book and horror movie. The movie is great because of the acting in it. James Caan is hilarious and perfect for the role of Paul Sheldon. However, Kathy Bates is the one who really steals the show. No one, and I mean no one, could have portrayed Annie Wilkes better than Kathy Bates. Kathy gave the performance of a lifetime when she played Annie. She was utterly psychotic and completely believable. She's talked about how that people have actually been afraid of her because of Annie. That's pretty impressive, if you ask me.