Ambiguity

Lately, writing about horror films has been difficult. I haven't seen one in the past six months that I even remotely liked. I've been searching for what makes me scared and to me, what defines a scary movie.


My answer is...ambiguity. I don't want to blatantly know what's going on or who the killer is. I want to be guessing the whole time, biting my fingernails in anticipation. I don't watch scary movies just to watch terrible acting accompanied by even worse visual effects. Things like "Devil Clowns that Eat Your Soul" (made that up) or something equally as campy don't entertain me. They waste my time and my money. I want to be legitimately scared, not bored.


What made The Blair Witch Project popular? Besides kick ass PR, it was the fact you never really saw anything happen, until the end and even that was vague. Paranormal Activity was the next found footage film that impacted people. The actors were unknown, the FX were amazing and it was again, uncertainty that made that film a success. Insidious and The Conjuring were terrifying because they both are unsettling.  Children seeing things the adult eye cannot, forces beyond this world and closets made these films unique in their styling.

The things we cannot see and defend ourselves against are the most terrifying. Whether it's the monsters inside the human brain or demonic forces beyond our reach, less is more in the horror genre and I wish more people would adopt that philosophy.

Short Story: The Chair

The room is small and damp. In the center there is an old metal bed with a flat and dirty mattress on it. The woman said it was the only availble room in the house and you were tired so here you are.

The floor creaks as you look around at the room. An old vanity with a streaked mirror faces the bed. Laying upon the vanity are brushes and little jars full of liquids. You open the red one marked Sophie. It smells like lavender mixed with vanilla.

As night falls you get ready for bed, taking care to open a window for air. You look into the vanity mirror and again open the bottle when you drop it. It smells like rust and blood. Suddenly you're looking through the vanity glass at yourself smelling the bottle. You notice something you didn't see before.... someone under the bed. It's looking at you in the same glass. You try to scream to yourself to turn around but before you can ,you see blood start to come out of your mouth. You turn around and the room is suddenly dark, there is no bed and no vanity. Only a chair. A chair for you to watch your death over and over again.

Mother May I?

Hello and Happy Mother's Day!

Yes, I'm back and I mean it this time!  To kick off the first post of the year,in honor of the holiday, I'd like to talk about some of my favorite movies involving a loving mothers...

Carrie(1976)- "They're all gonna laugh at you!" Margaret White is one of the craziest, bible wielding mothers in cinematic history. Piper Laurie, who originated the role, knock it out of the park with her quite reversed crazy, something that Julianne Moore failed to do in the remake.


Psycho(1960)- Mother Bates knows best! Norman Bates is such a great son and he obeys his mothers every wish. No questions asked! The fact that Mother Bates never actually speaks makes this film much more disturbing that anything else. Fun Fact: The screenwriter, Joseph Stefano was actually going through therapy to deal with his own relationship with his mother. So that's therapeutic, I suppose.


Mama(2013)-Nothing says eternal like a mothers love. Mama is a touching story about a mother who would do anything for her children....or others peoples children.

Well that's all for today but I do have news! Every Saturday and Sunday, I'll be posting suspenseful/scary original short stories!

Keep Watching and Get Scared

Short Story Sunday: Run

Hey Guys,


I thought I'd post some short scary stories on here to add to our scary movies. Enjoy!

Run

By

E.Garrison

You open your eyes. You're standing in the woods before a door, white and tall, glancing down you see there is no handle. Mist starts gathering around your bare feet, your heart starts to beat fast, painfully fast. You hear the maniacal cackle behind you as you whip around to see where it came from. You know He is getting closer. Your palms are sweating as you try to open the white door. You close your eyes.“Open”, your mind voice says. It remains closed “You really shouldn't have tried to escape.”, He says. Your eyes fly open and start to water. You are helpless. The air around you suddenly becomes thick and suffocating, you claw at your neck as you hear that laugh again. That sinister giggle that grows as you lose oxygen. He is getting closer. You have a choice: open the door and continue the game or die a thousand horrible deaths. Once more, your mind voice screams “PLEASE OPEN!”

The air swirls and suddenly everything stops. You can't move as a single tear runs down your cheek. The door creaks open and you are met with darkness. You can feel Him looking for you. You run through the doorway and as it slams shut behind you, you see a light ahead. You begin to run towards it but stop upon seeing a small girl. You slowly walk towards her, hearing her cry softly. “Are you alright?” you ask her. Silence. “It's going to be okay.” you tell her. She slowly begins to rise. You look down, noticing she cradles a small foot in her bloody palms. She turns to face you,smiling. You scream as loud as you can.....

And in the distance, a laugh can be heard.

Thanks for reading! Keep Watching and Get Scared!!

Wolfman's Got Nards!

Hello Friends


I am thoroughly sadden by the fact it is October and I haven't posted yet! Well here I am, with a 1987 classic: The Monster Squad!


One of my favorite movies growing up not only because I thought Frankenstein was nice and funny but Duncan Regehr's portrayal of Dracula was especially frightening.  This film is the perfect mix of The Goonies and all the classic horror films into one.

A group of monster loving kids stumble upon a journal written by Van Helsing detailing that come the following night, Dracula, Frankenstien, The Mummy, The Wolfman and The Creature from The Black Lagoon are going to take over the world! Now its up to The Monster Squad to stop them before it's too late! 

Scary German Guy is one of my favorite characters in the movie because he added such a safe presence during most of the turmoil. Another great moment is when Eugune says that the Creature "took his Twinkie". The children performed remarkably and I have such a soft spot for funny child-parent relationships. Particularly when Eugene wakes up his dad because he gets scared as The Mummy is in his closet.

Yes some d the dialogue is forced and cheesy but hey it's the '80's. What else do you expect?! The song at the end of the credits is also great in a Parents Just Don't Understand mixed with Hangin Tough kind of way. 

The only complaint I truly have is that the benevolent Hollywood Gods are remaking it. This film was only good because it was made in the '80's! I can only imagine how they are going to try and modernize it. 

Some things should be left in the past where they belong. 

Keep Watching and Get Scared! 

p.s. keep a look out for an Actor Highlight later this week :) 

Prisoners....That Sounds About Right

Hey Friends,

Prisoners centers around two families in their frantic search for the man responsible for kidnapping their daughters. As the police follow several red herrings, Keller Dover (played by Hugh Jackman) becomes obsessive in finding the truth.

Hugh Jackman is many things; a great singer,decent actor, Wolverine but, was he the right actor for the film? No, he wasn't. While his character is supposed to be this concerned father, Jackman comes across as someone who watch too many American soap operas. His performance felt forced and melodramtic which cheapened the story. However, it wasn't entirely his fault and he wasn't the only one who suffered.. He and Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays Detective Loki, were both subjected to some poor dialogue. Gyllenhaal however, was able to overcome the dialogue for the most part by playing the character indifferent at times which helped scale back the melodrama.

Paul Dano who plays Alex Jones, a suspect in the case, shines with his timid yet cryptic portrayal of the trouble young man. His quiet reservedness is chilling as he becomes a victim himself in more ways than one. Surprisingly Melissa Leo, in very convincing old age makeup, plays the protective aunt of Alex Jones and while she does a pretty good job, her character arch is visible from 50 miles away.

Truth be told, I felt like a prisoner having to watch an almost three hour film. The ending was obvious within the first thirty minutes, so for the next two hours and twenty minutes I sat there wishing someone would let me escape. The film easily could have been cut down to two and half hours but lingering shots of trees got the better of the film. If you want to sit in a dark theatre and pull out your hair, be my guest but for those of you who want to not be stressed out save this one for Netflix.

See you guys next week and keep watching!

He's Got Your Baby.....INSIDIOUS: Chapter 2 Review

I'm back in full force with one of the most anticipated horror films this year! Insidious:Chapter 2 is releasing today! Friday the 13th folks!

However, before I go into the film and such, I want to congratulate the marketing team on this one. By showing a "double feature" of Insidious and Insidious: Chapter 2, movie goers are taken back to the old days of a "Friday night double feature" and I encourage all of you to attend one. 

James Wan has already done well this year with The Conjuring and continues with the Insidious saga! His style of modernized throwback horror has paved the way for his success. Through intense music and interesting visuals, he creates terrifying situations and horrific nightmares. 

 
Now I will say, going into this I was very skeptical because with *SPOILER ALERT*dead characters coming back and the plot seeming the same yet the main characters acknowledging that previous events from Insidious, I was confused how they were going to, frankly, keep the audience entertained... they did NOT fail.

Flashbacks and intertwining plots keep this film entertaining and unique, however predictable it seemed. With an interesting twist on the "bad guy" to the warm welcome of Elise the audience is taken for a ride. Now yes, the jokes were predictable, with the exception of the scene involving a safe word , and yes some of the plot was just plain weird and unexplained but as a whole this film delights on all levels.

I don't want to divulge too much but some of the scares worked really well and some were reminiscent of either the prequel or The Conjuring ( we can all agree that wardrobes are terrible and children's toys are always possessed). If you're looking to have fun and get scared; I recommend this film.

And if you have high expectations for this movie then here is my advice: Don't. Don't expect anything for horror films. If you go in with an open mind and let yourself go just enough...... you might have fun.

Although....don't let yourself go too far, for you never know who will come back with you....

Keep Watching and Get Scared!!!