My Favorites

For this week I wanted to talk about some of my all time favorite horror films. These movies are the reason I own a nightlight at the age of 22 but I continue to watch them because they are SO good. This was really hard to do but I have come up with my top 5 favorite horror films in order…

5. Sinister is creepy and terrifying and everything that makes makes a great horror movie. Some horror movies are slow in the beginning and rush all the good stuff into the last 20 minutes. Sinister is scary from beginning to end. A true crime novel writer moves into a house with his family and soon finds footage of the murders of the previous owners. The father keeps this information to himself until his family starts to experience paranormal activity in the home. The films he finds are easily the creepiest part of this movie which is saying a lot. I would not recommend watching this alone or before bed but if you like scary movies it’s one of my favorites.

4. The Silence of the Lambs definitely isn’t your typical horror movie but that doesn’t make it any less disturbing. I love this movie because it doesn’t just use terrifying images to scare you. You actually have to pay attention to understand what is going on and why it’s so scary. Throughout the movie the get into the head of one psychopath in order to catch another one. Meanwhile, the first psychopath, Hannibal Lecter tries to escape and it actually works. Definitely worth seeing at least once.

3. The Conjuring is the newest movie on the list and claims to be based on a true story. Just like many other horror films, The Conjuring begins as a large family is moving into a new home and starts to experience paranormal activity. The family soon realizes that it is not the house that is being targeted but the family itself. The story behind the haunted house is the most frightening part of the movie and sets the stage for a truly chilling story.

2. Paranormal Activity 3 is the 3rd film in a series of 5 that are filmed using handheld camcorders, security cameras and phone cameras. I usually don’t like sequels of movies and very rarely like the 3rd movie but this is definitely an exception. Paranormal Activity 3 takes place before the first two and in my opinion has the most terrifying paranormal incidents. Maybe because it’s more simple or maybe because it explains the first two but it is my favorite by far. Just writing this is making me want to watch this movie again… I guess I won’t be sleeping tonight.

1. The Shining: I know I’ve written about this one before and I complained about it the entire time but it’s still my all time favorite. Yes the book is even better but it’s still a great movie. I already said a lot about this movie so I’ll keep it short. A classic is a classic and there’s a reason this movie is as popular as it is, even after 35 years.

American Horror Story

This week I FINALLY finished the third season of American Horror Story! A few years ago I watched the first season when it was new and absolutely loved it. I loved the paranormal story lines and all of the characters. One of my favorite parts about the show was that a lot of the events were based on a true story but still fit into the plot of the show. I was SO excited for the second season until I heard it was going to be all new characters and a completely different story line. I tried watching the first few episodes that took place in an asylum but it was too gruesome and graphic for me to even get through. I knew the third season took place in present day and was about witches so there was no way it could be as bad as season 2. I ended up loving season 3! Still not as good as season 1 but definitely worth watching. I was starting to lose hope in the show but season 3 or American Horror Story: Coven, completely restored my faith. I am waiting for season 4 which is a circus theme to be available on netflix but I am even more excited for season 5! The upcoming season will be American Horror Story: Hotel which has endless possibilities. It’s safe to say I am back on the American Horror Story bandwagon and cant wait to see seasons 4 and 5 but in the meantime I may have to go back and watch my favorite season, American Horror Story: Murder House 🙂

Interstellar

This past week I watched Interstellar which isn’t a horror movie but it was actually pretty creepy. I would definitely recommend it to everyone. It’s a very long movie which I would normally hate but it was definitely worth it. I’m not usually a Matthew McConaughey fan either, but he played a very different character. Interstellar had so many twists and turns that kept me interested. I would love to watch it again and see what else I get from the movie!

“Based on a true story”

I always love finding new horror movies, especially movies based on a true story. I recently found an article about 7 horror films that will be coming out soon that are based on true stories. Knowing that the events actually took place is terrifying but makes the movie much more interesting.

The 7 films are

1. Amityville: The Awakening
2. The Forest
3. Unfriended
4. The Disappointments Room
5. The Krampus
6. Poltergeist
7. The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist

I am especially excited to see Amityville, Poltergeist and The Conjuring 2. The Conjuring came out in 2013 and is now one of my favorite movies. The Conjuring 2 was originally scheduled to be released in October 2015 but the release date has been pushed back to mid 2016 and there is very little information available about the plot. Amityville and Poltergeist are both well known classic horror films that are being remade. I hope to see every movie on this list because they all look so scary!

For more information about each individual movie and release dates you can check out the link below!

http://whatculture.com/film/7-upcoming-horror-movies-inspired-by-real-life-stories.php

The Sixth Sense

This week I watched The Sixth Sense and it was SO good. I haven’t seen this movie in a very long time but it was even better than I remember. Unfortunately, someone told me Bruce Willis was dead the whole time before I got the chance to watch it but it’s still such a good movie. The last time I saw this movie I was much younger and remember being very scared, especially when he starts to see people. This time I wasn’t scared just so sad. Turns out it wasn’t a great option for a horror movie but I would still recommend this movie to everyone. Even if you have already seen it you should definitely watch it again because it is that good.

Final 24

A few weeks ago I started watching crime documentaries and loved them immediately. Earlier this week I was looking for something to turn on while I was doing homework and found a show called Final 24. I ended up turning it off because I was so intrigued and wasn’t getting any homework done but as soon as I finished I ended up watching 5 episodes in a row and am currently watching one as I type this. It’s a serious of hour long crime documentaries about celebrities such as Nicole Brown Simpson, Marvin Gaye and Sid Vicious. The show counts down the final 24 hours of their life and what led them to that point. You actually learn things about the celebrities that you never knew and see inside interviews from the police officers and family members/ friends that were there. It’s like a CSI episode but it’s true and about celebrities that you’ve heard about before. Very interesting if you’re into that kind of show.

Is it spring break yet?!?

This week I’m a little disappointed in myself since I didn’t get to watch a movie to write about with all the work I have going on. Not only did I have a test in four of my classes this week but the weather at home has caused my flight to be delayed/ cancelled four times now! Even though the wait times are awful and I don’t always get the answer I want, its the fact that I’ll have less time to spend with my family that is really getting to me. Really hoping I’m able to get on a flight soon even if it is 4 degrees at home!

Crime Documentaries

Before starting this blog, I used to love scary movies. Now that I’m trying to watch one every week and write about it I am struggling to pay attention or sit through an entire scary movie. I tried to watch the Omen this week but just couldn’t focus for more than five minutes. Instead, I have been very interested in true crime documentaries. Even though there aren’t any crazy special effects and you don’t get to see the actual events, it is extremely creepy knowing that it actually happened. The facts behind it and stories retold by the people that were involved are more intriguing and terrifying than any scary movie I have seen. Some of the most intense and insane crime documentaries I’ve seen on Netflix are Cropsey, Tabloid, Who Killed Lindenbergh’s Baby, The Jeffrey Dahmer Files and my favorite/ least favorite Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father.

If you are looking to be confused and angry while crying hysterically then watch Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father. I wont say too much about it because it is so surprising but I would definitely suggest checking this one out. 10/10 I could watch it over and over.

The Shinning

This week I watched The Shinning, a film from 1980 by Stanley Kubrick based on Stephen King’s book. I strayed from the list but I love this movie and it’s the first time I’ve seen it since reading the book. I hate to be one of those people that constantly complains about how much better the book was but… the book was so much better. First of all, I’ve seen The Shinning about twenty times and I have more questions every time. I can’t say that the book answered all of my questions but it did make a lot of things more clear. The movie almost seemed rushed after reading the book, like it could have been two hours longer. I know a four hour movie isn’t really possible since the movie is already over two hours but it still felt rushed. As I watched the movie, I realized I still loved it but I wished it had included more specific parts from the book.

After watching The Shinning, I decided to watch Room 237, which is about the possibility of a secret meaning behind the Kubrick’s film. If you are a fan of The Shinning then you need to see Room 237. I thought it would just answer a few questions but instead I was left with even more questions and theories. Even if you don’t believe any or most of the theories (like myself) it is still interesting to see what people can pull from the movie and reference to historical events. This movie includes theories that range from The Shinning being about the Native American genocide and the Holocaust to Greek mythology and Apollo 11 moon landing. Not only are there theories that the moon landing was faked but some believe Kubrick took part in filming the fake landing.

If you’ve seen The Shinning or just enjoy having no clue what’s going on then I would suggest reading the book, watching the movie and then watching Room 237. Keep the remote close though because I found myself constantly rewinding it because I was so shocked.

The Blair Witch Project

Last night I decided to watch The Blair Witch Project during the storm, hoping it would add an element of fear. Unfortunately, both the storm and the movie fell short of my expectations. While the thunderstorm turned into light rain, I quickly lost interest in The Blair Witch Project. I have heard many times that the film is hard to watch because of the hand held camera but that was far from my biggest problem with the movie. I actually enjoyed the beginning when they were interviewing people from town about the stories they had heard regarding the witch in the woods. As soon as they got to the woods, it got kind of boring actually. It was so dark throughout most of the movie that I couldn’t see what was happening and all I could hear was screaming. After that, I know one of the characters went missing but other than that, I was extremely confused. They found a piece of his shirt tied to stick at one point but was that supposed to mean he died? If so, I missed that completely.

At the end, they find an abandoned house (I think it was a house…), the screaming continues and eventually the camera hits the ground and it ends. I re-watched the last 10 minutes three times before turning it off. I was so confused I decided to search for other reviews of the film online hoping that I had missed something. I found review after review claiming that The Blair Witch Project is one of the best horror films of all time but nothing that convinced me to change my opinion.

When I was about to give up I FINALLY found a review titled “15 years beyond the hype and hatred of The Blair Witch Project” by Mike D’Angelo on The Dissolve. D’Angelo explains that the film was first shown at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. Through word of mouth, its popularity skyrocketed and made close to $350 million. He also points out that America hated the film (I’m not alone!) Apparently, people felt that they had been tricked and The Blair Witch Project fell very short of their expectations. This caused anger, confusion and annoyance among viewers.

What D’Angelo also points out is that although the film may not be the best horror film, it does show how friends become desperate and turn on each other as they are tormented by the idea of a witch hunting them. If you watch the film and keep in mind that they have been missing for 5 years, it might be more likely to spook you whereas I was waiting for something to pop out of the woods the entire film. Although at times the screaming and arguing was annoying, I did like the acting. Even if I could physically see why they were scared, I believed that they were. The seemed terrified, vulnerable and desperate which is probably exactly how I would feel trapped in the woods with a witch on the loose. Therefore, after giving it some thought and doing a little research I give The Blair Witch Project a 7 out of 10. Not exactly my favorite, but it is original and I do like the story behind it.