Horror Flicks!

General life has been keeping me from posting as much as I would like lately and in the near future. Nothing too serious or life threatening, but as silly as this may sound, I like to think myself in “pre-production” for the next stage of my life I am attempting to make, or in other words “production.”

As I start to feel ill, and with Halloween in a day away, I did want to take a little bit of time and share some of my favourite horror films. I enjoy, or I should say I think horror is more effective when they mess with your mind rather than rely on body count.  I admit that I haven’t watched some of the big classics in the horror genre, but out of the ones I have seen, these are the films that still have the power to freak me out.

The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973) 

I remember the first time I saw this film. It was at a friend’s birthday party in grade 7 and we were all sleeping over and huddled into her basement late at night. She whipped out a VHS (yup, VHS!) and popped it into the player.

I wanted to be brave and act as if this film would not scare me, but I ended up watching the film through the spaces in-between my fingers that were suppose to block my view and protect me.

Not so much.

The premise, the music, the desperate mother wanting to save her child, the voice coming from the innocent looking little girl, the images of what she or it was doing was unlike anything I've seen before. It did more than just scare me and give me a sleepless night. It unsettled me. 

To this day, even constantly reminding myself “it’s only a film, it’s only a film...” pea soup and all, it still unsettles me.

The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)

Maybe my control issues are at the heart of choosing these films as ones that scare me the most. Although The Shining isn't some gory, slasher type horror film, the idea of an individual losing control and being possessed by some force is scary to me.

Add a father played by Jack Nicholson who is possessed by these forces and trying to kill his family in an old haunted hotel, with Stanley Kubrick directing an adaptation of a Stephen King novel, and well...do I have explain more? 

"All work and no play..."

Along with losing control, another pattern I see is evil children. Add The Omen (1976) and Rosemary’s Baby (1968) as other films that freak me out.

I should look into this. 

I also want to give honourable mention to Rope (1948) by Alfred Hitchcock. Something about just being plain cold and callous without remorse or care that affects me and freaks me out.  Anything like that unsettles me actually. 

This trailer doesn't do justice to how awesome this film actually is, it's almost comedic in tone compared to today's standards. To me, this is one of Hitchcock's most under appreciated films. 

Happy Halloween!