Creepy Kids and other stories... (Horror)

Member Name: Whitehorse

Product:	Horror
Date:	01/06/02 (484 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fascinating genre

Disadvantages: Not for the easily spooked

My Dad has always loved the horror genre, both books and film and this interest filtered down to me at an early age. As a teenager when the wonders of the video recorder finally hit our house (as well as the confusion on how to work the damn thing), Sunday afternoons became filled with the blood-curding screams of women in peril, salivating monsters and all manners of evil personified.
I think in some ways I became used to it all - no longer was I shocked by bloodthirsty slasher movies and low budget vampires but then there were a few films that really got to me. The sleepless nights, the rising fear, the sense that somehow the world wasn’t perhaps a nice place afterall. I may have discarded many horror movies from my mind but when I reflect back I think that the ones that scared me did have a profound impact.
The impact comes from the fact that I probably have had enough real life up close and personal experiences to write my own horror movie (well I might as well put them to some use!). The horror films that tormented my sleep tormented me because they echoed things that I sensed around me, touched upon realities that I knew I would experience. I’ve been the girl on the stairs frozen with fear at the shadow moving towards me, I’ve been the one who’s dreams slip into the waking world.

Good horror to me isn’t about the bloodthirsty and the gory. I’ve seen Cannibal XXX - it made me a little sick but it didn’t frighten me. I also saw the Exorcist when I was 15 and though it was well put together, something in it seemed a little too far fetched to really scare me.
I guess I do enjoy having my nerves jangled on occasion but I tend not to watch or read horror now because some of it is too closely related to the world I live in - i.e. dealing with dreams and other spiritual matters. If I am doing a reading or healing I don’t really want my spider senses tingling because I’ve seen some 8ft hairy dem
on manifest during such a session in a movie. I don’t really want those thoughts intruding - I have a vivid imagination that can take a simple thought or memory and make it like a cinema screen in my head!
That said I think horror as a genre is incredible and important. I have huge respect for those writers and directors who can take a situation and twist it into the horrific. I love a writer who can reach into my mind and tap into the absolute primal fear. To me it is an art. Fear is the great leveller amongst us and I believe that there are times when we need to be confronted with our fears - if only through film.

So here is my homage to the horror movies that made me think, made my skin crawl, made me lay awake at night and keep every light on in the house.

THE SHINING
I’ve seen this film about 4 times. Now I can’t even watch the trailers for it because it freaks me out so much. Rarely do I move faster than when I am reaching for the remote as soon as I hear the wonderful Jack Nicolson utter those words ‘HEeeerrrrre’s Johnny!’
Written and directed by Stanley Kubrik, The Shining is based on Stephen Kings novel. Apparently Stephen King hated the adaptation. Usually I much prefer the book to the film but this is one of the rare exceptions to the rule. The story centres around writer Jack Torrance, his wife and son as they become over-winter caretakers to an isolated hotel. Little Danny is psychic (he ‘shines’) and soon the hotels history makes itself known...
Jack Nicholson is one of my favourite actors and his portrayal of the slow decline into madness in The Shining is exquisite. The story as a whole tunes into our darkest fears that the one we love we eventually harm us. Probably all of us have been on the receiving end of a relationship that has gone wrong - where suddenly our friend or lover no longer seems to be the one we know. The hardened eyes, cold heart and cruel words canno
t possibly be coming from the person we loved...This is the theme played upon in the film but played to an extreme as Johnny succumbs to the madness of writers block and to the dark malevolent spirits of the manner in which they are staying. The whole movie exudes tension - the isolation is oppressive.
But the thing that gets me reaching for the remote are those creepy children! If you’ve seen the film you’ll know exactly what I mean - if you haven’t, well I leave it for you to discover. Lets just say I’ll never see horseracing and twins in the same light! The idea of children and evil really frightens me. Not wanting to offend all you parents out there but children can be extremely unnerving at the best of times and sometimes downright spooky. I’ve had lots of nightmares about evil children haunting my home, demonised babies and coupled with a friends experience which left her refusing to babysit ever again after the children simply sat and stared at her for 2 hours... *shudder* Um...no I don’t plan on breeding!

AUDREY ROSE
Okay so there’s a bit of a theme going on here I know - I told you children make me jumpy!
Can you imagine what you would do if a stranger walked up to you and tried to convince you that your child is in fact the reincarnation of someone their daughter? The stranger is Elliot Hoover the child in question Ivy Templeton. Elliots daughter was called Audrey Rose. Elliot is played by the fabulous Anthony Hopkins - I will watch anything he’s in! Little Susan Swift who played Ivy was only 13 at the time and she is terrific little actress. There are some genuinely creepy moments in this film but the overriding emotion is frustration. Hopkins is like a bomb ready to go off at any minute and all the way through I feel great sympathy for him whilst at the same time sensing the Mother’s distrust of him. This is a wonderful original story concerning reincarnation full of tension from
the outset. I won’t give away the ending but each time I see the feel I still feel traumatised by it. The shocks pull no punches.

PAPER HOUSE
I know a lot of people don’t think much of this film but I absolutely love it. Perhaps because it again calls upon a child’s eye view of the world and how they deal with nightmares. The story centres around a little girl and the dreamworld she discovers and creates whilst sick in hospital. What I love about the film is the way the writer has such insight into the world of dreams and dreaming and the deeply symbolic nature of the film is very appealing. There are a couple of unsettling moments and a lot of disturbing imagery that I find quite hypnotic. The film works on several levels - subplots and themes abound but are neat and tidy and don’t get in the way. This is a film that works from dark to light, from horror to understanding but I still find the denouement upsetting. Some stunning cinematography and nice acting from youngsters make this good viewing.

ROSEMARY’S BABY
There’s something about this film even though it is perhaps a little dated. Director Roman Polanski creates an eerie tension in a film that has been hailed as one of the best of its genre. Mia Farrow’s portrayal of main character Rosemary is captivating. Initially the viewer is on the outside of Rosemary’s world but gradually we are drawn into her mind. The tension of the film lies in her internal conflict - ’ Is she just being paranoid or are the over friendly neighbours Minnie and Roman really poisoning her? Just how did her husband ’suddenly’ land his best role in a film? What are the strange noises coming from next door? What are the terrible nightmares all about?
Polanski creates a very normal environment which in itself becomes unnerving when it contrasts against the fear of what might really be going on. I love the way he constantly makes us question Ros
emary’s sanity. I have never found the film shocking as some have suggested - just quietly unsettling and brilliantly written.

STIGMATA
Well my friend only had to mention that Gabrielle Byrne was in this film and I had to watch it!
Stigmata is the story of what happens when an ordinary woman named Frankie(Patricia Arquette) begins to experience stigmata (the wounds of Christ). This has long been a subject I am fascinated by and the film examines the reaction of the Catholic Church. Gabrielle Byrne plays the priest sent to investigate ‘miracles’. There is of course love interest between him and Frankie giving the film that extra spark. Stigmata makes many pointed comments about the Church - namely it’s political undertones and desperate need to keep control of the Divine. Throughout the story the issue is raised over the Church's suppression of the Gospel of St. Thomas. Hardly surprising since if they took it to heart the Church was it is would not be able to continue - bang goes the priests salary.
There are many spooky moment and good special effects but those pale in significance for me - it was the story itself that kept me hooked. The film subtly and overtly criticises the Church - ramming home the paradox‘s, conflicts and hypocrisies it exudes. A breath of fresh air and a fabulous movie.

URBAN GHOST STORY
A few months ago my mate invited me round for a movie evening. Urban Ghost Story was one of the films on the agenda. At first when I read the blurb I wasn’t particularly impressed. I noted that Jason Connery was in it (who of course could NEVER take the place of the lovely Michael Praed!) and sighed. Oh well I thought - it’ll pass an evening.
Boy were my initial thoughts wrong.
Urban Ghost story is probably the only low budget horror movie I have ever seen that actually succeeds in being scary - downright scary! The film is set on a rough council estate in Scotland - cert
ainly a far cry from haunted gothic manors and lush Hollywood boulevards. Somehow the setting really brings the creepiness of this film right home.
Lizzie Fisher (played brilliantly by young Heather Ann Foster) knows that there is something in the house. She’s a troubled teenager who’s mother looks after her and her brother on her own. The film reeks of poverty and anxiety throughout and succeeds in raising issues concerning social problems of those ‘at the bottom of the pile’.
Jason Connery plays John Fox - a local journalist who begins to investigate the haunting that seems to focus on and around Lizzie. I thought he suited the part and made the character very believable. Weaved into the story is a deeper theme of madness and self-acceptance. Lizzie’s world is frightening - her inner world more so.
It’s difficult to say much more about the film without giving it away. All I will say is just watch for the moment Lizzie’s mother realises there IS something spooky going on - I jumped a mile!

DUEL
This is one of director Spielberg's earliest films and oh I just love it! I have no idea about budget but it strikes me as a reasonably low budget movie. It’s brilliance is the simplest of storylines weaved into a tense ball of a film. Main character David Mann (played by Dennis Weaver) is your typical business man - married, stressed out and seriously needing to get to a meeting. When he overtakes a frustratingly slow and smoky truck on the the backroads all hell breaks lose...
The beauty of this film is the simplicity - little dialogue, a handful of actors, an isolated back road. Spielburg plays on one of our greatest human fears - the unknown. Spielberg makes the audience do all the work for him by keeping us guessing throughout the film. There are no explanations as to why the truck driver declares war on David - we never know if the driver is even human. All the viewer is given is the reac
tions and internal responses of Mann - his growing panic seeps out of the screen. Not perhaps a horror movie in the typical sense but certainly an horrific concept if you imagine what if this were real? What would you do?

ALIEN
I could have all 4 of the alien films in my top ten - I think every single one is brilliant. The third film tends to be the one that most people think didn’t quite hit the mark but I enjoyed it even if Sigourney Weaver did have a terrible time filming it.
The original film though is just that - original. Yes there have been many films over the years that have concentrated on ‘mankind meets the evil alien monster from hell’ scenario but Alien just seemed to take the whole thing one step further. With the beast itself designed by HR Giger this alien could not fail to fill the viewer with absolute horror. Director Ridley Scott manages to squeeze out fear from every pore of the cast. The excellent special effects are striking and horrific.
The premise is again simple - you’re stuck on a planet with the deadliest of aliens and these things have no interest in channelling great messages of love from the sky Goddess.
Sigourney Weaver plays main character Ripley with sheer brilliance - hard and uncompromising, Ripley represents the basic instinct in all of us - to survive. .
It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen it, whenever I watch I still experience the same dramatic build up of tension. My spine still tingles when I look into the face of the alien.

SALEM’S LOT
Based on yet another of Stephen Kings novels, Salems Lot has that genuine creepy factor despite being a made for television movie. I have noticed in many of Kings novels the theme ‘facing your childhood fears’ comes up a lot. This story is no exception. When writer Ben Mears (David Soul) moves back to his childhood town he is haunted by the memories of what happened in the Marsden House. I
n a bid to break writer’s block he decides to write about the house and his experiences. His research unearths a terrifying problem.
This is in many ways a typical story of vampires taking over the town but Kings twists and turns and atmospheric filming keep the viewer involved and on the edge of their seat. Once again we have ’creepy child factor’ that keeps me away from watching this again - tap, tap, tap on the bedroom window *shudder*

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
I just had to include this - the 1960 version with the greatest of horror actors Vincent Price. I am a huge fan of both him and Edgar Allen Poe. I just love the dark gothic tales. Tales of madness and murder, women bricked up alive behind walls, family curses, creepy manors - these are the original horror stories that have become tongue in cheek nowadays but they deserves a mention.
Occasionally the film is spooky but I love it more because of Price’s hilariously over-the-top performance. He goes all out with the startled eyes, exquisite robes, velvet queens-English and eccentricity. This is in no way a criticism - it is part of the charm of this and all of the following series of Poe films that came after (The Masque of the Red death, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Raven - to name a few).
Price is brilliant in his portrayal of the Roderick Usher; the man ravaged by the family curse that makes the senses so acute the sufferer will succumb to madness and death. His desperate attempts to keep safe his sister Madeleine are thwarted by Madeleine's fiancé who’s having none of the creepy goings on. This is the downfall of the House of Usher...
Symbolism is overt and exaggerated both in Poe’s literature and within the films. Whilst not being a carbon copy of the original story, director Roger Corman makes a fine adaptation. Even if horror has never been your thing I would absolutely recommend this film.

These are my top ten horror
movies - well for now anyway.
Jacobs Ladder is one that should be on the list and isn’t - simply because I’ve already written an opinion of this film
The Wicker Man isn’t on the list because I think it is so utterly fantastic it deserves an opinion all of it’s own and will write one soon.
Other films I have thoroughly ‘enjoyed’ (or been scared silly by) in this genre are

Don’t Look Now
Psycho 2
Gothic (1986)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Amityville
Carrie
Company of Wolves
Bram stokers Dracula
Interview with a Vampire
The Omen

Sweet dreams everyone...

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