A ghostly tribute

It's Halloween, my favorite day. If I was in US I'll be glued in front of the tv switching through channels, devouring whatever horror prgrams they're showing. Some of the channels would even have a Halloween marathon for 24 hours. Ahh.... a horror fan heaven...

Anyway, since this is the first Halloween that I have a blog, I would like to pay tribute to my favourite horror movies...

Night of the Living Dead (1968)
I saw this movie as part of a film course I took in US. I believe this is the first movie with the central plot of a group of people trapped with monsters or zombies or fog or birds or whatever it is that's threatening them gathered outside. They need to survive at least until the sun comes up. It's not enough that they have to face dangers outside their confinement, there's always a struggle within those protective walls. A very nice black and white horror film that started a whole new genre.


The Sixth Sense
I remember watching this movie alone because I was so bored and I haven't been to the movies for the longest time. The first half of the movie I was pretty bored and my mind even wandered off a little. But the story finally pulled me back in. The part that really got to me was when Cole peeked under the bed. Well, it was pretty obvious that he's going to see something there, but the girl looked creepy and sad. And that mixed display is something I cannot forget. I also love the part when Cole got locked inside the small hole by the stairs at the party. It wasn't as much as what happened to Cole inside that was scary but the fact that the mother outside couldn't do anything to protect him. Isn't that one of our worst fears, knowing that a loved one is suffering and there's nothing we can do about it.

Hellraiser
I love this one for its gore factor. It's a mystery how a man that looks like this

can create gruesome creatures like these...

Pinhead and Butterball

The Others
I liked this one because I didn't expect it will end like that. I liked it even more that they decided to stay and do whatever it is they were meant to do even though they were shocked with the nature of their existence.

Shadow of the Vampire
The story behind the filming of Nosferatu, the oldest vampire movie ever. Max Schreck the man who played Nosferatu was believed to be a real vampire and Willem Defoe played him perfectly. John Malkovich was also perfect as the eccentric director, Frank Murnau. My favorite part is when Max hang out with some of the crew one night and explained the sad existence of Dracula.

Dracula hasn't had servants in 400 years and then a man comes to his ancestral home, and he must convince him that he... that he is like the man. He has to feed him, when he himself hasn't eaten food in centuries. Can he even remember how to buy bread? How to select cheese and wine? And then he remembers the rest of it. How to prepare a meal, how to make a bed. He remembers his first glory, his armies, his retainers, and what he is reduced to. The loneliest part of the book comes... when the man accidentally sees Dracula setting his table.

And then he grabbed a bat out of the air and sucked its blood dry. Nice...

Amityville Horror
The ultimate haunted house movie. A classic.

Nightmare on Elm Street
Who wouldn't love good ole Freddy Kruger. Heck, even my mother knows who Freddy Kruger is. Being in a nightmare that never ends is pretty horrific to experience.

Poltergeist
A girl inside a tv, a sweet talking psychic, using the strong bond of family love to defeat evil, young actors die in untimely deaths. What more can I say.

Bram Stoker's Dracula
I like this movie more on the art rather than its horror factor. I love the book and I love movies that uses bright colors, and this one is a feast for the eyes. It has some great shots like the way Dracula's red amour contrasted very strongly with his wife's green dress in the flashback scene. In addition to its beautiful and lavish costumes, this movie is quite stunning indeed. I must admit that Keanu Reeves was particularly very bad that even I couldn't back him up this time. But fortunately Gary Oldman was there to level it out.


Ju-On
I've watched a lot of horror movies but nothing compared to this. I might be terrified by Freddy, forrified by Hellraiser and stupefied by The Sixth Sense but nothing compared to this. One simple reason, I couldn't sleep after watching this movie. I kept hearing the sound and seeing her face. I like to sleep under the covers and this movie covered that area as well. I considered chucking the blanket. But I'd rather have the blanket than leave my feet uncovered, so I kept the blanket and made sure that I don't peak under it.

It's 1:06 now and I don't even dare look for some stills for this movie.

So that's it. That's my list of movies that thrilled, chilled and scared the desire to sleep out of me, for a while. I'm not afraid to go to sleep now so goodbye and goodnight. I wish everyone a Happy Deepavali.