More Upcoming Horror Movies in the Fall

More upcoming horror films to look forward to!

* The Nun - September 6



The Nun takes place in the 50's and focuses on a Vatican investigation into a nun's suicide. I am not a fan of The Conjuring movies or any of its offshoots. This one seems no different. The main crux of the trailer is the creepy look of the nun, who actually looks more like Marilyn Manson in a nun habit, and the jump scare at the end. The only interesting thing about the jump scare is the misdirection of it. I expect most of the scares to be similar, but I might be surprised. The one bright spot of this trailer is Taissa Farmiga.

* The Little Stranger - August 31



The Little Stranger has a lot of potential. It could be similar to The Others or The Innocents. Of course I could be wrong. The actors are all amazing and the look of the film is remarkable. Just the contrast of the house from the vibrant colors of the past to the monochrome of the present. I have no idea what's going on this movie, whether it's ghosts or something more conventional, but I'm excited to find out.

* The Predator - September 14



In the 6th Predator film, a new type of predator emerges, bigger and stronger, to kill its smaller brethren. Military people try to figure out how to beat it. The problem with this new predator is that people barely beat the regular ones, let alone something even tougher and stronger. Plus it messes up the lore built about the aliens. Perhaps the regular predators and humans will team up? I'll probably watch this and I expect it to be better than the Alien vs. Predator movies.

More to come!

Frightday

I've started writing on a different site called Frightday, which focuses on the more artistic and indie side of horror. I started with writing blurbs on trailers and now I'm reviewing some films and weekly reviews of the shows Penny Dreadful and Preacher. They like to have reviews with 666 characters or words, so I'm enjoying the challenge of condensing my thoughts and feelings to such a short format. Here's what I've reviewed so far:

review of Sacrifice

review of The Curse of Sleeping Beauty

Penny Dreadful episode 1: The Day Tennyson Died 

Penny Dreadful episode 2: Predators Far and Near

Penny Dreadful episode 3: Good and Evil Braided Be 

Penny Dreadful episode 4: Blades of Grass

The entire site is well written and interesting, so I encourage you to check out other reviews as well and especially their podcast that covers half conspiracies and half horror films. Of course I will keep writing on here. My goal for this summer is at least one post every couple of days in addition to my Frightday stuff. Wish me luck!

Guest Post: Home is Where the Horror Is: The Best "Home Invasion" Movies

The concept of home invokes a sense of security and safety from the dangers of the outside world. Invasion movies violate this deeply entrenched human need. The idea that someone could breach this most fundamental barrier strikes a chord of horror, making us wonder how we would react in such a situation. The following movies answer that question in very different ways, but they all tap into the same fear in memorable ways.

Black Christmas (2004)

This holiday classic has someone breaking into the house right from the outset. In a horrifying opening scene, viewers become complicit with the intruder himself and see through his eyes. Revisiting this angle periodically keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, envisioning the horror around the corner. More disturbingly for the characters in the movie, the intruder calls from inside the house and doesn’t have very pleasant things to say. As the bodies pile up, the sorority house itself seems to take on a sinister air. This Canadian thriller really laid the foundation for many of the horror tropes we know today. Interesting tidbit: the film was directed by Bob Clark, who is responsible for another Christmas classic. Guess which one...

The Panic Room (2002)

The Panic Room provides exactly what its title suggests: a film full of panicked characters running from their worst fears which have suddenly materialized. Jodie Foster plays a somewhat wounded divorcee who is trying to start a new life. The new house she moves into with her daughter comes equipped with an impenetrable panic room in case of intrusions. Before too long, some men come by in search of loot, and the panic room becomes a necessity. Unfortunately for the main characters, the panic room itself contains what the intruders have come looking for.

Funny Games (1997)

Director Michael Haneke decided he had to torment as many audiences with this film as possible. So he made this one in Germany in ‘97, and then he remade the film entirely in English ten years later. The “games” depicted in this movie have nothing to do with fun, except for the perpetrators and any seriously sadistic viewers. In this tale of torture and pain, a family vacation getaway turns into several rounds of violence when a few psychopaths come into the picture. Naomi Watts plays the mother of a well-to-do family that runs into a pair of polite and well-mannered killers. Each family member gets a certain amount of time to live and then has to undergo a series of physical and psychological horrors. Holiday activities at the cabin have rarely taken such a dark turn.

Halloween (1978)

Director John Carpenter’s classic horror film changed the genre for good and set off a chain reaction that still reverberates today. The movie opens with a non-intruder, Michael, who commits the first violent deed. Years later, Michael proceeds to maim and kill as many of the people in his old neighborhood as possible. At the heart of the story, though, are a few babysitters who unexpectedly walk into jobs that will change their lives. A quiet night at home would never seem as innocent and peaceful after this film’s release. It’s one of the most successful independent films of all time, and is still shown regularly throughout the United States: the original was redistributed theatrically all over the world. It’s so big, that it’s a popular viewing option even outside of the continental U.S., with many fans catching it through Satellite TV Providers in Hawaii or at Halloween carnivals in Alaska.

Wait Until Dark (1967)

Audrey Hepburn stars a young woman named Susy who has recently become blind ends up facing three intruders. After a series of mishaps and poor decisions at the beginning of the movie, Susy’s husband Sam ends up bringing a doll full of heroin to the house. This brings the miscreants sniffing around for it. Since Susy is blind, the criminals try to find the doll full of drugs without letting her in on it by weaving a series of stories to explain their presence. Their tales begin to wear thin as the clock keeps ticking. The film was praised heartily by Roger Ebert.

When a Stranger Calls (1979)

This classic home invasion movie tunes into the fear of interacting with a stranger who can track your every move. At the outset, the home represents an alien environment, as Jill Johnson is babysitting in another home. Already out of place, she receives another jolt of fear when someone calls the home asking about the children. A seemingly innocuous prank at first glance, the calls continue and Jill becomes increasingly concerned. When she finally gets the attention of the authorities, they have some even more terrifying news for her. The caller has already entered the house and is placing calls from inside it.
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Beth Kelly is a blogger based in Chicago, IL. A horror fan since day one, she also has a degree in Communications and Media from DePaul, University. In her free time you can find her training for a triathlon or watching awesomely-bad monster movies.

My Top 3 Cabin Horror Films

I went on a trip to a cabin in the mountains with my friends this weekend and we had the awesome idea to watch cabin horror films while we were there. Here are my favorite 3 cabin horror films:

1) The Cabin in the Woods

Cabin in the Woods is the best horror movie to come out of 2012 and great meta fun. Joss Whedon deconstructs the basic formula of horror films and creates a unique meta film that both pokes fun at the genre and improves it by breaking those formulas. It shows how real people are complex and don't fit into the archetypes of the genre unless they're being plied with chemicals and manipulated by some outside force. It also provides a reason why these stereotypes and this formulaic genre exists. Mix all this up with incredibly quotable dialog and a gory, surprising finish and you have Cabin in the Woods.

2) Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

I stumbled upon this one on Netflix (where it is still streaming. Go watch it!) and I wasn't exactly sure what it was except a horror comedy. I could not stop laughing. This movie is so unexpected and fun. It tells the story of a couple of rednecks, who would normally be murderous and possibly cannibals in such a horror film, who buy an ominous vacation house in the middle of a forest. They just want to fix up their home when they run into some college students that happen to be partying near their new house. Misunderstanding after misunderstanding leads to an injured college girl being nursed to health in their house and all of her friends thinking they are murderous hillbilly psycho killers. It's another movie that turns the genre on its head with delightful and gory results.

3) Wrong Turn

For the longest time, I thought Wrong Turn looked like one of the crappiest horror films ever. I finally watched it on cable one night and was surprised to see many actors I actually liked: Eliza Dushku, Jeremy Sisto, and Desmond Harrington. I was surprised to find it was a well constructed and acted film with frightening mutant hillbillies and a huge amount of suspense. I was on the edge of my seat for much of the film, especially in the scenes where the main characters hide in the cannibalistic hillbillies' house and try to stay quiet while their friends are being slaughtered. Wrong Turn falls into a more typical horror film that follows the formulas of the genre, but it's done well. It's definitely worth a watch.

Please share your own favorite cabin films below!

Horror Villains Who Adore Classical Music

Continuing in the classical music in horror films vein, I noticed a great many villains of horror love classical music.

1) Lestat de Lioncourt from Interview with the Vampire

Lestat de Lioncourt is a vampire who can read minds. Although not strictly a villain as seen in later books, whiny Louis doesn't like that Lestat kills humans. Lestat is the best character in the film with wit and dark humor, not to mention his love of classical music. He makes Claudia take piano lessons even when she eats her teachers occasionally. When he returns from the near death, he accompanies his dramatic appearance with Joseph Haydn's Piano Sonata in Eb major.



2) Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs

Hannibal Lecter, although a cannibal killer, is nothing if not a man of class, sophistication, and distinction. One of his murders that landed him in jail was his reaction to a bad trombone player in the symphony. His unblinking, intense stare and enigmatic nature are what made The Silence of the Lambs so interesting, even though he didn't have a lot of screen time. His musical scene comes when he asks for an extra dinner, exploiting his privileges for helping Clarice Starling with her investigation. His musical selection is the Aria from the Goldberg Variations by Johann Sebastian Bach.The serene look on his bloodsplattered face while he loses himself in the music is an amazing end to the scene, but also very chilling.



3) Annie Wilkes from Misery

At first, Annie Wilkes seems like a sweet, maternal, lonely nurse who loves romance novels. She was nice enough to nurse Paul Sheldon, her favorite author, back to health in her home because it's too dangerous to take him to the hospital. She shows her true colors after she discovers he killed her favorite romance character, Misery, forcing Paul to write a new novel bringing her back to life. Her favorite artist is Liberace and she plays his versions of classical works throughout the film. The following scene, backed by Liberace playing Ludwig van Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata is one of the most iconic and frightening scenes.



4) Ernessa from The Moth Diaries

Ernessa is a cultured, British girl new the all girl's boarding school that Rebecca attends. Rebecca grows more and more jealous and suspicious of Ernessa due to her friend stealing ways and odd habits, like pacing outside at night. The real question is whether Ernessa is a vampire or not arises after Rebecca's best friend Lucie gets more and more sick after spending time with her. One clue towards this suspicion is her ability to play pieces by Frederic Chopin flawlessly and memorized. The specific piece is Nocturne op. 9 no. 1 in Bb minor. The Chopin-esque score also gives a great mood to this atmospheric, feminine film.



Did I miss your favorite classical music-loving villain? Please share below!