spiderwort
Junior Member
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star_yellow.png) ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star_yellow.png)
@spiderwort
Posts: 2,074
Likes: 9,354
|
Post by spiderwort on Dec 21, 2018 1:22:43 GMT
Not sure if this has been done, but it's a rich topic, as ghost stories have been a standard of the film medium almost since its inception. Generally, it's not my favorite genre, but I do have three films that I really love:
THE INNOCENTS (1961) - directed by Jack Clayton and starring Deborah Kerr and a young Pamela Franklin. Based upon the novel, "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James, it packs a wallop and is exquisitely done.
THE HAUNTING (1963) - directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Russ Tamblyn, and Richard Johnson. Based upon the novel, "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson, it's a brilliant exploration of the subject by Wise, who doubtless drew upon his early experiences directing films like THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE (1944) and THE BODY SNATCHER (1945).
THE OTHER (1973) - directed by Robert Mulligan from actor Tom Tryon's best selling first novel. I found it to be utterly terrifying. I don't know how to describe it without spoiling it. You have to see this from the beginning!
Actually, all of these should be seen from the beginning, in a quiet, dark room, straight through without stopping. Otherwise the heart-thumping experiences will surely be dulled.
I think paranormal films, as well as true ghost stories, would also be appropriate for this topic. Your thoughts, suggestions?
|
|
|
Post by jervistetch on Dec 21, 2018 3:26:48 GMT
spiderwortWe are simpatico. These are three of my four personal scariest movies ever, THE INNOCENTS taking top honor. My fourth is, like THE OTHER, not a ghost story but more of a paranormal tale. It's DON'T LOOK NOW, based on the short story by Daphne du Maurier. The film's opening tragedy, the blind sister and the person in the red raincoat have haunted me for almost 50 years. ![](https://www.moviesteve.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Dont-Look-Now-donald-sutherland.jpg) ![](https://gbhbl.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/blind-woman.jpg) ![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/59a747a06f4ca3ff9e4f0038/59ab504d03596e9ba057f7fb/59ab517f8fd4d2874809336b/1504400495343/dlndwarf.png?format=1500w)
|
|
spiderwort
Junior Member
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star_yellow.png) ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star_yellow.png)
@spiderwort
Posts: 2,074
Likes: 9,354
|
Post by spiderwort on Dec 21, 2018 3:53:22 GMT
Oh, so glad to hear that, jervis. And I agree with you about Don't Look Now. Very scary indeed. For whatever reason, it's the red raincoat motif that has haunted me through the years. A spooky, disturbing film, and a sad one in the end.
|
|
|
Post by mikef6 on Dec 21, 2018 5:14:06 GMT
Carnival of Souls (1962) ![](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/565b150ce4b0060cdb6ec184/t/57bfbe672994ca9ae9ebe8c8/1472183918379/) House on Haunted Hill (1959) ![](https://1428elm.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/304/files/2018/08/large_house_on_haunted_hill_x02_blu-ray_.jpg) Field of Dreams (1989) ![](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Sports/espnapi_mlb_a_playerscorn_576x324_wmain.jpg) Blythe Spirit (1945) ![](https://filmblitz.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/blithe-spirit-678x381.jpg) Personal Shopper (2017) ![](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61YgG9fIB0L._SY450_.jpg)
|
|
|
Post by Rufus-T on Dec 21, 2018 5:37:47 GMT
The Changeling (1980) ![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4d/Changeling_ver1.jpg/220px-Changeling_ver1.jpg) The Uninvited (1944) ![](https://ayearinthereelworld.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/uninvited1.jpg) Kwaidan (1964) ![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTcSV8yduyLqagNazrLqAOQho3zlXbOxpFi3BwrHA0G5MavW7cT-g) The Exorcist (1973) ![](https://crypticrock.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ex-slide.jpg) The Sixth Sense (1999) ![](https://www.unilad.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/the-sixth-sense-1.jpg) Suspiria (1977) ![](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5411df7ee4b01dce1367679d/t/59bad862be42d63928c33e56/1505417317724/) The Gift (1999) ![](https://psychiccarlabaron.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/the-gift-3.jpg?w=640) The Others (2001) ![](https://images.mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/width-constrained-728/public/562103-miramax3.jpg)
|
|
|
Post by timshelboy on Dec 21, 2018 6:18:42 GMT
Some terrific choices A couple of more obscure ones A QUIET PLACE IN THE COUNTRY - arty European ghosts, with Franco Nero and Vanessa Redgrave (a must for anyone who has ever wanted to see Vanessa in her smalls!) ![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ba/d1/73/bad17378098dd62b0ac84f74df6133ca.jpg) and SESSION 9, an absolutely terrifying slow burner about a group of workmen stripping a former asylum of asbestos that become affected by the ghosts of former inmates - Brian Cox, Josh Lucas and David Caruso star. ![](http://www.weirdwildrealm.com/filmimages/session9.jpg) Awesome twist ending.
|
|
|
Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Dec 21, 2018 7:46:51 GMT
The Frighteners (1996). ![](http://i.imgur.com/jrP18PH.jpg) This is one of my favourite movies, though sadly I missed seeing it at the theatre and first watched it on TV. I’ve loved it ever since.
Just from the opening alone, it grabbed my attention (as to the question of Partricia being chased around by her boyfriend’s ghost – I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that they’d had this ‘game’ of sorts between them when he was alive and would do that with her. I guess it was just part of their being ‘crazy’. I’m not sure if it was a deleted scene or not, but I remember reading about it and accepting that as the answer).
After that great opening, the music/atmosphere when the opening credits began really set the mood. I liked that we were hearing via voice-over the town's backstory (which would be important) whilst seeing other stuff going on as the opening titles were displayed. It served several purposes all at once.
I really enjoyed Michael J. Fox as Frank, and despite how he made a living, I still liked the guy. I also liked Lucy, thanks mostly to Trini Alvarado making her so likeable (at least to me). She was really nice to Frank and therefore made it easy for me to want her and him together and for her husband to be out of the picture (due to his personality). I also liked that she stood up to Frank in the latter half of the movie and called him on his b.s. She was no ‘pushover’.
Despite what I said about Ray, I did grow to like him slightly after he sought out Frank’s help (though I loved Frank earlier crushing Ray’s beloved gnome – gnomes are evil!). He then reverted to being a jerk again, but more or less ‘redeemed’ himself later on by putting Lucy’s safety first at the house...and getting his face sliced off for his trouble.
I enjoyed Frank’s three ghost friends – enough that I felt bad for each of them, and for Frank, when they got ‘killed’ (the aspect I always pondered was how these ghosts could get ‘killed’ when they were already dead, but I think Frank gave some kind of explanation of what they were, and I just figured any of the ‘ghostly weapons’ the ghosts could hold – be it scythes, guns, etc – could do damage to them, but naturally couldn’t do damage to the living, and vice versa). I never let these sorts of questions distract me, as I was enjoying the movie too much.
I wasn’t really aware of Jeffrey Combs before seeing him in this, but his portrayal of Milton Dammers is one I’ll always remember him for. Not only did he give Dammers all these weird ticks and little intricacies, but even the way he’d deliver lines – there was just so much ‘oomph’ behind them. He packed every piece of dialogue with so much ‘character’, I thought. He was certainly an a-hole, though, and his fate was quite satisfying.
I could go on and on about my love for this underappreciated (in my opinion) movie, but I'll just finish by saying I LOVED the use of 'Don't Fear the Reaper' at the end of the movie/over the credits. While I don't think anything can ever equal the original by Blue Oyster Cult...this comes pretty close.
The film's score is also suitably moody and perfect for the film. Just an awesome movie overall. And thumbs up for the mention of The Others (2001). Very effectively creepy, plus it looks great. Probably my favourite movie starring Nicole Kidman. ![](https://i.imgur.com/9ibQx3s.gif)
|
|
|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on Dec 21, 2018 10:24:53 GMT
The Orphanage (2007) (El orfanato) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0464141/reference2008 Review > Wonderfully crafted ghost story.
Laura returns with her family to the orphanage she grew up in as a child, she reopens it for handicapped children and all is going to plan until her son starts communicating with an invisible friend...
Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona & produced by Guillermo del Toro, this Spanish picture is a delightful antidote to the ream of gore for gore sake movies flooding the market on a seemingly daily basis. This is not a horror movie as such, this is one of those pictures that oozes old fashioned values as regards telling a grand old ghost story with mysterious undertones. The setting is perfect, the orphanage of the piece is a ghostly monolithic structure that has all those perfectly shadowy rooms that are hiding secrets, expansive gardens perfectly framed in aura by Bayona's willingness to let the setting be an integral part of the story. The story is a creepy one, and there is always an added air of unease when children are the focal point of the piece in question, and sure enough this central concept of troubled children and troubled childhoods gets the maximum amount of emotion from the viewing public.
It's hard to write anymore than I have without delving deeper into the story and it's significant turn of events, suffice to say I feel this is a wonderful creepy, and at times beautiful, film that prospective viewers would be better off going into devoid of any prior knowledge. Belén Rueda plays Laura and it's a marvellous performance from her, full of emotion and guts, she carries the film with skillful ease. Bayona directs carefully, and it's evident that he is benefiting from the guiding hands of his gifted producer, but his marker is here and I'll be keeping an eye out for future efforts from the young Spaniard.
A smashingly engaging film that is in the vein of Robert Wise's The Haunting & Alejandro Amenábar's The Others, so if you like real well told ghost stories that unhinge rather than shock you, get in the queue because El Orfanato is a real pleasure. 9/10
|
|
|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on Dec 21, 2018 10:29:40 GMT
Some terrific choices A couple of more obscure ones A QUIET PLACE IN THE COUNTRY - arty European ghosts, with Franco Nero and Vanessa Redgrave (a must for anyone who has ever wanted to see Vanessa in her smalls!) ![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ba/d1/73/bad17378098dd62b0ac84f74df6133ca.jpg) and SESSION 9, an absolutely terrifying slow burner about a group of workmen stripping a former asylum of asbestos that become affected by the ghosts of former inmates - Brian Cox, Josh Lucas and David Caruso star. ![](http://www.weirdwildrealm.com/filmimages/session9.jpg) Awesome twist ending. I think you may be getting the brilliant Brian Cox mixed up with the brilliant Peter Mullan :-) Session 9 is an outstanding film for the so inclined of slow burn psychological chills. Madness is just overactive curiosity.
Session 9 is directed by Brad Anderson who also co-writes the screenplay with Stephen Gevedon. It stars Peter Mullan, David Caruso, Josh Lucas, Brendan Sexton III and Stephen Gevedon. Music is scored by Climax Golden Twins and cinematography is by Uta Briesewitz.
Danvers State Hospital (AKA: State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers, The Danvers Lunatic Asylum, and The Danvers State Insane Asylum), Massachusetts. Built in 1874, opened in 1878 and closed in 1992. The home to misery, madness, tragedies and troubling treatments. Five men from an asbestos removal company, each with issues or points to prove, enter the vast bat shaped structure under the promise of a big pay off to get the job done in one week. But over the course of the week money will be the last thing on their minds.
Psychological horror at its finest, Session 9, in the hands of Brad Anderson, pretty much gets everything right in this most skin itching of sub-genres. Like the ghost story splinter of horror, setting is absolutely everything, and few, if any? Horror settings are as imposing or eerie as the one time Danvers State Hospital. Sadly demolished in 2006/7 to make way for an apartment complex (bastard property developers have no respect outside of the purse), the place positively oozes unease throughout the movie. With Anderson choosing to shoot his film on videotape, this further aids the sense of realism and palpable dread, and although it isn't a stretch of the mind to think about some of the misery that played out in reality at Danvers, Anderson and his photographer Briesewitz ensure that it never leaves our conscious. Tone is set from the off as being slow burn, this is perfect as it allows us to get a grasp of the characters, their psychological make ups and narrative worth.
With the Danvers facility proving to be the extra character, all things come together seamlessly to gnaw away at the viewers. It's a devilishly odd thing to say, but as the story and characters are given room to breath, the audience who have immersed themselves in the picture will start to feel claustrophobic, and then for the night time sequences, even achluophobic. It's pitch perfect pacing by Anderson, who prior to unleashing the unnerving finale, has pulled us (and his excellent cast) slowly through a labyrinth of dank corridors, wards, treatment rooms, caged stairwells and a morgue. Even on the outside during daylight hours everything feels bleak, either with characters loomed over by the building, or on a roof chatting while Gothic turrets watch over them menacingly, the ghosts and bitterness of Danvers Hospital exist fully in Anderson's movie.
Story links a tape recording found by Mike (Gevedon) with that of the workers' unfolding plight. The tape tells of 9 sessions with a troubled patient named Mary Hobbes, to say anymore would be spoilerish, but for the record in this writers eyes it's the creepiest tape recording in horrorville. Add in the odd hospital prop such as a lone wheelchair, a hydrotherapy bath or an orbitoclast! Well you get the picture I'm sure. Climax Golden Twins provide a suitably jarring score, where disjointed noises and elongated tonal strains further enhance the pervading disquiet. Picture only falls down slightly with silly plot error involving a furnace, and for some folk the ending will inevitably be met with dissatisfaction. I liked it plenty but I also feel they could have gone another way with it. But it does work well and isn't a cop out, and certainly it's better than the alternate ending available in the extras section of home disc formats.
It's a horror film aimed at a certain horror fan, the one who has the patience to enjoy slow burn psychological pin prickery. All played out expertly by cast and film makers at a naturally unsettling location. 9/10
|
|
|
Post by timshelboy on Dec 21, 2018 11:28:44 GMT
Some terrific choices A couple of more obscure ones A QUIET PLACE IN THE COUNTRY - arty European ghosts, with Franco Nero and Vanessa Redgrave (a must for anyone who has ever wanted to see Vanessa in her smalls!) ![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ba/d1/73/bad17378098dd62b0ac84f74df6133ca.jpg) and SESSION 9, an absolutely terrifying slow burner about a group of workmen stripping a former asylum of asbestos that become affected by the ghosts of former inmates - Brian Cox, Josh Lucas and David Caruso star. ![](http://www.weirdwildrealm.com/filmimages/session9.jpg) Awesome twist ending. I think you may be getting the brilliant Brian Cox mixed up with the brilliant Peter Mullan :-) Session 9 is an outstanding film for the so inclined of slow burn psychological chills. Madness is just overactive curiosity.
Session 9 is directed by Brad Anderson who also co-writes the screenplay with Stephen Gevedon. It stars Peter Mullan, David Caruso, Josh Lucas, Brendan Sexton III and Stephen Gevedon. Music is scored by Climax Golden Twins and cinematography is by Uta Briesewitz.
Danvers State Hospital (AKA: State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers, The Danvers Lunatic Asylum, and The Danvers State Insane Asylum), Massachusetts. Built in 1874, opened in 1878 and closed in 1992. The home to misery, madness, tragedies and troubling treatments. Five men from an asbestos removal company, each with issues or points to prove, enter the vast bat shaped structure under the promise of a big pay off to get the job done in one week. But over the course of the week money will be the last thing on their minds.
Psychological horror at its finest, Session 9, in the hands of Brad Anderson, pretty much gets everything right in this most skin itching of sub-genres. Like the ghost story splinter of horror, setting is absolutely everything, and few, if any? Horror settings are as imposing or eerie as the one time Danvers State Hospital. Sadly demolished in 2006/7 to make way for an apartment complex (bastard property developers have no respect outside of the purse), the place positively oozes unease throughout the movie. With Anderson choosing to shoot his film on videotape, this further aids the sense of realism and palpable dread, and although it isn't a stretch of the mind to think about some of the misery that played out in reality at Danvers, Anderson and his photographer Briesewitz ensure that it never leaves our conscious. Tone is set from the off as being slow burn, this is perfect as it allows us to get a grasp of the characters, their psychological make ups and narrative worth.
With the Danvers facility proving to be the extra character, all things come together seamlessly to gnaw away at the viewers. It's a devilishly odd thing to say, but as the story and characters are given room to breath, the audience who have immersed themselves in the picture will start to feel claustrophobic, and then for the night time sequences, even achluophobic. It's pitch perfect pacing by Anderson, who prior to unleashing the unnerving finale, has pulled us (and his excellent cast) slowly through a labyrinth of dank corridors, wards, treatment rooms, caged stairwells and a morgue. Even on the outside during daylight hours everything feels bleak, either with characters loomed over by the building, or on a roof chatting while Gothic turrets watch over them menacingly, the ghosts and bitterness of Danvers Hospital exist fully in Anderson's movie.
Story links a tape recording found by Mike (Gevedon) with that of the workers' unfolding plight. The tape tells of 9 sessions with a troubled patient named Mary Hobbes, to say anymore would be spoilerish, but for the record in this writers eyes it's the creepiest tape recording in horrorville. Add in the odd hospital prop such as a lone wheelchair, a hydrotherapy bath or an orbitoclast! Well you get the picture I'm sure. Climax Golden Twins provide a suitably jarring score, where disjointed noises and elongated tonal strains further enhance the pervading disquiet. Picture only falls down slightly with silly plot error involving a furnace, and for some folk the ending will inevitably be met with dissatisfaction. I liked it plenty but I also feel they could have gone another way with it. But it does work well and isn't a cop out, and certainly it's better than the alternate ending available in the extras section of home disc formats.
It's a horror film aimed at a certain horror fan, the one who has the patience to enjoy slow burn psychological pin prickery. All played out expertly by cast and film makers at a naturally unsettling location. 9/10Gulty as charged re Mullan/Cox. My big. Great review though - had no idea there was an alt ending so will dig out my dvd for festive rewatch. ![](https://s26.postimg.cc/s8tffwvq1/cheers.gif) ![](https://s26.postimg.cc/s8tffwvq1/cheers.gif) As for best ever tape recording in horror the one in HOUSE OF THE LAUGHING WINDOWS comes pretty close
|
|
|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on Dec 21, 2018 13:37:06 GMT
The Changeling (1980) ![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4d/Changeling_ver1.jpg/220px-Changeling_ver1.jpg) The Uninvited (1944) ![](https://ayearinthereelworld.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/uninvited1.jpg) Kwaidan (1964) ![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTcSV8yduyLqagNazrLqAOQho3zlXbOxpFi3BwrHA0G5MavW7cT-g) The Exorcist (1973) ![](https://crypticrock.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ex-slide.jpg) The Sixth Sense (1999) ![](https://www.unilad.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/the-sixth-sense-1.jpg) Suspiria (1977) ![](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5411df7ee4b01dce1367679d/t/59bad862be42d63928c33e56/1505417317724/) The Gift (1999) ![](https://psychiccarlabaron.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/the-gift-3.jpg?w=640) The Others (2001) ![](https://images.mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/width-constrained-728/public/562103-miramax3.jpg) I will gladly trumpet the quality of The Changeling How did you die, Joseph?
The Changeling is directed by Peter Medak and co-written by Russell Hunter, William Gray and Diana Maddox. It stars George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Melvyn Douglas, John Colicos and Jean Marsh. Plot finds Scott as John Russell, a music composer whose life is shattered when an accident kills both his wife and young daughter. Relocating to Seattle, Russell rents a large Gothic style mansion from which to bury himself in his work. But he soon discovers he is not alone in the house, there is a ghost here and it desperately wants his help with something...
Not a teenager or a scantily clad bad actress in sight here, for this is a traditional haunted house spooker for the adults, one that has a distressing mystery at its core that's just aching to be solved. Chief writer Russell Hunter has based much of the film on an incidents that happened to him in real life when he moved into a house in Denver. If you believe him or not is not really the point, because it does not take away from just how well executed The Changeling is, both as a scary movie and a well thought out drama. There's limited characters in the narrative, thus keeping the film free from filler and the clumsy character set-ups that mar so many horror films these days. It's also worth noting that it doesn't suffer from dating either, as Nicole Kidman starrer The Others proved 21 years later, a haunted house tale can be effective in any decade if the writing and direction is spot on. The Changeling has both, plus a towering and believable performance from Scott leading the way.
Medak clearly knows that an imposing house is a key element. Utilising the big spaces to emphasise Russell's loneliness, he sweeps his camera around the sets (this is not a real house, it's a brilliant mock-up creation by the designers) to give the feeling of a spirit observing proceedings. The house is always a main character and acts as the perfect backdrop to some ghostly goings on (excellent work from the sound department too). The chills are genuine, the attic room is creepy personified, a rubber ball, a wheelchair, a bath sequence, an old water well and even the gentle tinkling from a music box, all induce the hairs on the back of the neck to stand to attention. And there's a séance! Oh yes indeed, a séance that's tape recorded, more chills down the spine on the way there as well. All played out to some lush unholy musical arrangements from Ken Wannberg (the music box theme composed by Howard Blake).
Setting it apart from conventional haunted house movies is that it has a most intriguing story to tell. One of murder, greed, deception and grief. The latter part is often forgotten when talk of The Changeling arises. John Russell is absolutely stricken with grief, this stops him from being one of those characters who you shake your head at because they refuse to leave a clearly troubled house. His grief process, which makes him the ideal host for what this spirit wants, means he has no fear, some unhappy ghost can't hurt him anymore than he is hurting anyway. It's a neat and seamless meditation on grief that's threaded into the story. The last quarter of the film slips into action territory, which is a little jarring given the smooth pacing Medak has favoured up to that point. But although the scares have gone, the intelligent story has come full circle and the film closes down triumphantly without copping out or having resorted to unimaginative formula.
An essential viewing for those who like haunted house movies; especially if you like slow build and genuine mystery as well. 9/10
|
|
|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on Dec 21, 2018 13:44:05 GMT
Carnival of Souls (1962) ![](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/565b150ce4b0060cdb6ec184/t/57bfbe672994ca9ae9ebe8c8/1472183918379/) House on Haunted Hill (1959) ![](https://1428elm.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/304/files/2018/08/large_house_on_haunted_hill_x02_blu-ray_.jpg) Field of Dreams (1989) ![](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Sports/espnapi_mlb_a_playerscorn_576x324_wmain.jpg) Blythe Spirit (1945) ![](https://filmblitz.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/blithe-spirit-678x381.jpg) Personal Shopper (2017) ![](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61YgG9fIB0L._SY450_.jpg) I find that talking to the casual horror film fan away from internet forums that Carnival of Souls surprises folk as regards its influence. It really is up there as an influence of note. We open with a car crash...
Mary and her two friends leave the road and fly off a bridge during a friendly dragster race. She is the only survivor and after her recovery she takes up a job as the church organist in a new town, but she is constantly blighted by a ghostly like visitor and periods of time when nobody seems to know she exists.
A hinted spoiler follows.
Carnival Of Souls has thankfully found a whole new audience in the new millennium, the advent of cheap triple pack DVDs and a lush Criterion release have brought it firmly to the attention of Horror/Ghost fans who were not aware that the film even existed. That said, there is no doubting that many big name directors were fully aware of it, tho, for Carnival Of Souls has influenced such luminary genre masters from Romero to Carpenter, and from Hooper to Shyamalan, be it the low budget DIY ethic, or its now genre staple twist ending, it's a film (along with it's director Herk Harvey) that is referenced as much as it is copied.
The tag often used for the film is that it's an elongated Twilight Zone episode, and sure enough I think that is a perfect fit. Its whole structure feels like a part of that wonderful and amazing Rod Serling show, and for sure this story owes a doff of the cap to An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge (an Ambrose Bierce short that was reworked and used on Serling's show), but to merely suggest a retread of a previously used idea would be very unfair. Carnival Of Souls is full of eerie sequences that are dream like in quality yet goose pimply in effect. Scored at frequent intervals by a jangling organ shrill, the ghostly phantoms that plague poor Mary actually bring a shiver to the spine; while a surrealistic dance of the carnival is a stunning eerie highlight. It's a wonderfully brought together story that has one pondering uneasily from the get go, managing to jolt your senses adroitly with a very special ending.
With a small budget of only $30,000 and a cast of friends, Herk Harvey crafted one of the best independent horror sub-genre films ever made. Don't believe me? Then go ask Romero, Raimi or Hooper. 8/10Field of Dreams is to me one of the most beautiful films of the 80s and a pic I visit every year to put me back on track when I'm angry with life. Capra meets Serling for 1980's joyously multi genre hankie wetter.
Coming back to Field Of Dreams over 20 years after its release finds this particular viewer beaming with happiness that the warmth I felt way back when still washes over me in the same way. Director Phil Alden Robinson (All of Me/Fletch) manages to turn W.P. Kinsella's novel, Shoeless Joe, into a multi genre film with deep emotional heart for both sexes to latch on to. It has a beautiful mix of mythology and family values that come together to realise a dream that ultimately rewards those viewers who are prepared to open themselves up to pure fantasy with a deep emotional core.
It was nominated for best picture in 1989 because it struck a cord with so many people, it's not just the thematic heart of the film that delivers, it's also the actors on show who perfectly realise this delightful tale. Kevin Costner is surrounded by great workers in Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones, Amy Madigan and Burt Lancaster, and he wisely lets these actors dominate the scenes that he shares with them, it's something that is an often forgotten good point of Costner's performances; that he is comfortable to let his co-stars dominate important narrative snatches. However, he is the glue that binds the whole film together, it's quite a naturally engaging performance that rightly gave him the star status he would achieve post release of the film.
As a born and bred Englishman I don't profess to appreciate just how much a way of life Baseball is to Americans, but I do have my own sports in England that I'm happy to dream the dream with in equal measure, and with that I understand all the themes in Field Of Dreams big time. Most of all, though, I can involve myself with its family values, the dream of dreams, and because it's undeniably pure escapist cinema for those who aren't afraid to let their respective guards down for a wee short while, the rewards are many. With a lush James Horner score evocatively layered over the top of it and John Lindley's photography almost ethereal at times, production is suitably in the fantasy realm.
Never twee or over sweet, Field of Dreams is a magical movie in more ways than one. A film that manages to have its cake and eat it and then closes down with one of the most beautiful endings of the 80's. Field of Dreams, still hitting Home Runs after all these years. 9/10
|
|
|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on Dec 21, 2018 14:19:45 GMT
spiderwort We are simpatico. These are three of my four personal scariest movies ever, THE INNOCENTS taking top honor. My fourth is, like THE OTHER, not a ghost story but more of a paranormal tale. It's DON'T LOOK NOW, based on the short story by Daphne du Maurier. The film's opening tragedy, the blind sister and the person in the red raincoat have haunted me for almost 50 years. ![](https://www.moviesteve.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Dont-Look-Now-donald-sutherland.jpg) ![](https://gbhbl.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/blind-woman.jpg) ![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/59a747a06f4ca3ff9e4f0038/59ab504d03596e9ba057f7fb/59ab517f8fd4d2874809336b/1504400495343/dlndwarf.png?format=1500w) Don't Look Now has always been tricky to recommend to folk who are into horror but who are not quite looking for what this has to offer! (hope that makes sense?). It's enigmatic to the point where I personally understand how some reviewers can rate it at basement level, but if one gets what they are looking for, to give in completely to its deep characterisations, then it's top draw film making. Hauntingly brilliant.
After the tragic death of their daughter, John and Laura Baxter take a trip to Venice in the hope of being able to move on from the tragedy. Once there they meet a strange couple of elderly sisters, one whom is blind claims to have psychic ability and that she can see their deceased daughter amongst them. In the days that follow, John starts glimpsing a small figure in a red raincoat, similar to the one their daughter was wearing at the time of the accident, as a serial killer runs amok, the Baxters are heading toward the day of revelation.
Don't Look Now is based on a short story written by Daphne du Maurier, director Nicolas Roeg adapting it to create an eerie picture that fuses mysterious supernatural strands with meditations on fallible human emotions. From the opening quarter where we witness the death of the Baxters daughter {stunningly filmed by Anthony Richmond} Don't Look Now continues to amaze both technically {the Venice locale is poetically creepy} and more crucially with its "nothing is what it seems" aura. So many scenes linger long in the mind, be it striking images in the aftermath of a serial killers victim or the shuddering haunting climax as the plots intricacies come crashing together, all played out to Pino Donaaggio's poignantly perfect score.
Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie play our bereaved parents quite magnificently, the chemistry is positively electric. The way they portray the parents in this mournful state as they try to move on is highly impressive and firmly has the audience feeling their struggle. Much has been made of their love making scene in the picture, such is it's intensity and the brilliant way it's filmed, it has begged the question on if they really did make love on this occasion!, what isn't in doubt is that there is no titillation to be had here, it's one of the most beautiful filmed sex scenes to have ever been made, Roeg inter cutting it with the couple preparing to go out after the act of love making has finished.
Don't Look Now is slowly paced, but that is its chief triumph, it begs you to pay attention and take in everything that is going on, from the slightest little detail to the jolting shock moments, all is relevant to make this a film that firmly rewards those patient enough to be lost in this creepy and enigmatic classic. 9/10
|
|
|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on Dec 21, 2018 15:06:15 GMT
The Frighteners (1996). ![](http://i.imgur.com/jrP18PH.jpg) This is one of my favourite movies, though sadly I missed seeing it at the theatre and first watched it on TV. I’ve loved it ever since.
Just from the opening alone, it grabbed my attention (as to the question of Partricia being chased around by her boyfriend’s ghost – I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that they’d had this ‘game’ of sorts between them when he was alive and would do that with her. I guess it was just part of their being ‘crazy’. I’m not sure if it was a deleted scene or not, but I remember reading about it and accepting that as the answer).
After that great opening, the music/atmosphere when the opening credits began really set the mood. I liked that we were hearing via voice-over the town's backstory (which would be important) whilst seeing other stuff going on as the opening titles were displayed. It served several purposes all at once.
I really enjoyed Michael J. Fox as Frank, and despite how he made a living, I still liked the guy. I also liked Lucy, thanks mostly to Trini Alvarado making her so likeable (at least to me). She was really nice to Frank and therefore made it easy for me to want her and him together and for her husband to be out of the picture (due to his personality). I also liked that she stood up to Frank in the latter half of the movie and called him on his b.s. She was no ‘pushover’.
Despite what I said about Ray, I did grow to like him slightly after he sought out Frank’s help (though I loved Frank earlier crushing Ray’s beloved gnome – gnomes are evil!). He then reverted to being a jerk again, but more or less ‘redeemed’ himself later on by putting Lucy’s safety first at the house...and getting his face sliced off for his trouble.
I enjoyed Frank’s three ghost friends – enough that I felt bad for each of them, and for Frank, when they got ‘killed’ (the aspect I always pondered was how these ghosts could get ‘killed’ when they were already dead, but I think Frank gave some kind of explanation of what they were, and I just figured any of the ‘ghostly weapons’ the ghosts could hold – be it scythes, guns, etc – could do damage to them, but naturally couldn’t do damage to the living, and vice versa). I never let these sorts of questions distract me, as I was enjoying the movie too much.
I wasn’t really aware of Jeffrey Combs before seeing him in this, but his portrayal of Milton Dammers is one I’ll always remember him for. Not only did he give Dammers all these weird ticks and little intricacies, but even the way he’d deliver lines – there was just so much ‘oomph’ behind them. He packed every piece of dialogue with so much ‘character’, I thought. He was certainly an a-hole, though, and his fate was quite satisfying.
I could go on and on about my love for this underappreciated (in my opinion) movie, but I'll just finish by saying I LOVED the use of 'Don't Fear the Reaper' at the end of the movie/over the credits. While I don't think anything can ever equal the original by Blue Oyster Cult...this comes pretty close.
The film's score is also suitably moody and perfect for the film. Just an awesome movie overall. And thumbs up for the mention of The Others (2001). Very effectively creepy, plus it looks great. Probably my favourite movie starring Nicole Kidman. ![](https://i.imgur.com/9ibQx3s.gif) The Frighteners. When it was released to theatres here in the UK I was living with a lady who adored M.J. Fox, so we trundled off to see it and I loved it. It's quite inventive and in among the frivolity it's rather dark, so it rewards on revisits. I sought out the Dutch 4 Disc Special Edition so I could get all the relevant content available - the main sell being the Director's Cut which is 12 minutes longer. I believe it's worth a few quid now! And now since it has cropped up and I haven't reviewed it yet I think it's perfect for a viewing over the holidays. Thanks ![](https://s26.postimg.cc/s8tffwvq1/cheers.gif)
|
|
spiderwort
Junior Member
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star_yellow.png) ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star_yellow.png)
@spiderwort
Posts: 2,074
Likes: 9,354
|
Post by spiderwort on Dec 21, 2018 15:31:30 GMT
The Uninvited (1944) ![](https://ayearinthereelworld.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/uninvited1.jpg) The Exorcist (1973) ![](https://crypticrock.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ex-slide.jpg) The Sixth Sense (1999) ![](https://www.unilad.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/the-sixth-sense-1.jpg) Rufus, as I said in the beginning, this really isn't my genre. But these three are among my other favorites. I admire them all for many reasons. And, for me, THE SIXTH SENSE was truly terrifying. Thanks for the reminders. Oh, and I haven't seen THE OTHERS, but it sounds a lot like the 1961 film in my OP. I wonder if it's a re-do or a different version of the Henry James novel, "The Turn of the Screw?" Probably one I should see.
And to everyone: thanks for all the wonderful titles. There are many I haven't seen, but I appreciate learning about them, and look forward to seeing some of them when I have a chance.
|
|
|
Post by bravomailer on Dec 21, 2018 15:39:12 GMT
It's not a genre I care for either but there are a few standouts, most of which have already been mentioned. I'll add The Shining and an oldie from the same director as The Passion of Joan of Arc – Vampyr:
|
|
|
Post by hitchcockthelegend on Dec 21, 2018 15:40:46 GMT
I think you may be getting the brilliant Brian Cox mixed up with the brilliant Peter Mullan :-) Session 9 is an outstanding film for the so inclined of slow burn psychological chills. Madness is just overactive curiosity.
Session 9 is directed by Brad Anderson who also co-writes the screenplay with Stephen Gevedon. It stars Peter Mullan, David Caruso, Josh Lucas, Brendan Sexton III and Stephen Gevedon. Music is scored by Climax Golden Twins and cinematography is by Uta Briesewitz.
Danvers State Hospital (AKA: State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers, The Danvers Lunatic Asylum, and The Danvers State Insane Asylum), Massachusetts. Built in 1874, opened in 1878 and closed in 1992. The home to misery, madness, tragedies and troubling treatments. Five men from an asbestos removal company, each with issues or points to prove, enter the vast bat shaped structure under the promise of a big pay off to get the job done in one week. But over the course of the week money will be the last thing on their minds.
Psychological horror at its finest, Session 9, in the hands of Brad Anderson, pretty much gets everything right in this most skin itching of sub-genres. Like the ghost story splinter of horror, setting is absolutely everything, and few, if any? Horror settings are as imposing or eerie as the one time Danvers State Hospital. Sadly demolished in 2006/7 to make way for an apartment complex (bastard property developers have no respect outside of the purse), the place positively oozes unease throughout the movie. With Anderson choosing to shoot his film on videotape, this further aids the sense of realism and palpable dread, and although it isn't a stretch of the mind to think about some of the misery that played out in reality at Danvers, Anderson and his photographer Briesewitz ensure that it never leaves our conscious. Tone is set from the off as being slow burn, this is perfect as it allows us to get a grasp of the characters, their psychological make ups and narrative worth.
With the Danvers facility proving to be the extra character, all things come together seamlessly to gnaw away at the viewers. It's a devilishly odd thing to say, but as the story and characters are given room to breath, the audience who have immersed themselves in the picture will start to feel claustrophobic, and then for the night time sequences, even achluophobic. It's pitch perfect pacing by Anderson, who prior to unleashing the unnerving finale, has pulled us (and his excellent cast) slowly through a labyrinth of dank corridors, wards, treatment rooms, caged stairwells and a morgue. Even on the outside during daylight hours everything feels bleak, either with characters loomed over by the building, or on a roof chatting while Gothic turrets watch over them menacingly, the ghosts and bitterness of Danvers Hospital exist fully in Anderson's movie.
Story links a tape recording found by Mike (Gevedon) with that of the workers' unfolding plight. The tape tells of 9 sessions with a troubled patient named Mary Hobbes, to say anymore would be spoilerish, but for the record in this writers eyes it's the creepiest tape recording in horrorville. Add in the odd hospital prop such as a lone wheelchair, a hydrotherapy bath or an orbitoclast! Well you get the picture I'm sure. Climax Golden Twins provide a suitably jarring score, where disjointed noises and elongated tonal strains further enhance the pervading disquiet. Picture only falls down slightly with silly plot error involving a furnace, and for some folk the ending will inevitably be met with dissatisfaction. I liked it plenty but I also feel they could have gone another way with it. But it does work well and isn't a cop out, and certainly it's better than the alternate ending available in the extras section of home disc formats.
It's a horror film aimed at a certain horror fan, the one who has the patience to enjoy slow burn psychological pin prickery. All played out expertly by cast and film makers at a naturally unsettling location. 9/10Gulty as charged re Mullan/Cox. My big. Great review though - had no idea there was an alt ending so will dig out my dvd for festive rewatch. ![](https://s26.postimg.cc/s8tffwvq1/cheers.gif) ![](https://s26.postimg.cc/s8tffwvq1/cheers.gif) As for best ever tape recording in horror the one in HOUSE OF THE LAUGHING WINDOWS comes pretty close shelboy you git ![](https://s26.postimg.cc/nk8u6zh5l/blah.gif) Never seen HOUSE OF THE LAUGHING WINDOWS, in fact my Giallo intake is only modest. So rest assured I have stuck it on my list to be digested in the New year. ![](https://s26.postimg.cc/s8tffwvq1/cheers.gif)
|
|
spiderwort
Junior Member
![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star_yellow.png) ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star_yellow.png)
@spiderwort
Posts: 2,074
Likes: 9,354
|
Post by spiderwort on Dec 21, 2018 15:47:16 GMT
It's not a genre I care for either but there are a few standouts, most of which have already been mentioned. I'll add The Shining and an oldie from the same director as The Passion of Joan of Arc – Vampyr: Oh, yes, VAMPYR is one of the great early classics. Love it. Dreyer was a genius. Thanks for the reminder. (I guess I've seen a few more than I remember - though THE SHINING is regrettably not one of them.)
|
|
|
Post by bravomailer on Dec 21, 2018 15:58:39 GMT
The Canterville Ghost (1944) with Charles Laughton, Robert Young, and Margaret O'Brien is great fun. Haven't seen the remake.
|
|
|
Post by teleadm on Dec 21, 2018 17:08:51 GMT
Great subject, and very timely considering A Christmas Carol. ![](http://moviefreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Ghost_Story_Still_1.jpg) The one that is simpy called Ghost Story 1981. Dead of Night 1945 anthology movie, some ghosts and some maybe paranormal stories The Devil's Backbone ( El espinazo del diablo) 2001, another Spanish ghost story. Scrooge 1970, one of many versions of the Dickens' story The Ghost and Mrs. Muir 1947, all ghosts are not dangerous
|
|