Angie's Horror Recs: The Best of the Best (Ghost Stories)
It's finally October! Halloween is fast approaching, and you know what that means: TONS OF SCARY MOVIES, and the perfect atmosphere to watch them in! From now until Halloween I'll be giving you the skinny on Angie B's Favourite Horror Films™, divided into easy categories for your convenience. Remember: I wouldn't recommend them if they weren't amazing.
TODAY'S SUB-GENRE:
GHOST STORIES.
THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE | EL ESPINAZO DEL DIABLO
(2001)
Starring: Eduardo Noriega, Frederico Luppi, Marisa Paredes, Fernando Tielve.
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro.
Rated: R.
If you didn't know, I'm a huge del Toro fan: I think the man has one of the most beautiful, dark, and creative imaginations out there, and I've enjoyed every single one of his films. But if you want to see his best work, the movies where his dark vision truly shines through, then you have to look at his Spanish-language films. The Devil's Backbone is my favourite del Toro film AND my favourite ghost story for several reasons.
The setting is a derelict orphanage in 1939 Spain. The three years of bloody civil war have devestated the area, and most of the boys at the orphanage lost their parents in the conflict. Young Carlos (Tielve) arrives amidst very dark happenings: the other boys have been seeing a ghost prowling the halls, and they believe it's the spirit of a boy who went missing the night a bomb fell from the sky -- Santi, the One Who Sighs. At the same time Jacinto (Noriega), a young man who grew up at the orphanage and now works there as a handyman, is convinced that the woman who owns the place, Carmen (Paredes), is hiding Republican gold. What unfolds is a dark tale of greed, revenge, and a boy's coming of age during a turbulent and violent time.
This is an utterly breathtaking film. Carlos and Jacinto's intertwining stories are full of blood, fear, and longing. The acting is stellar, especially from the younger actors who quite frankly blew me away. The writing and dialogue is sharp and visceral, the setting and cinematography atmospheric and evocative, and there are quite a lot of heavy themes at play amidst the horror and violence.
Santi, the One Who Sighs.
But I think what makes this a truly stand-out film in my eyes is the way the ghost is handled. Santi is terrifying to behold: this may be the most original and unique take on a ghost that I've ever seen. There's a dark beauty to the horror of Santi, and his story is one of the most poignant in the film. And while he evokes fear amongst his former orphans, in the end del Toro shows that it isn't the dead we should truly fear -- but those who are dead inside. The tagline of the film is "Que es un fantasma?/What is a ghost?", and the answer by the end is a surprising one.
THE ORPHANAGE | EL ORFANATO
(2007)
Starring: Belen Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Princep, Mabel Rivera.
Directed by: Juan Antonio Bayona.
Rated: R.
The next on the list is The Orphanage, another Spanish film that's set at a spooky orphanage. But that's where the similarities between The Orphanage and The Devil's Backbone ends. This isn't a boy's coming of age story -- this is a sorrowful tale of a woman struggling to come to terms with her past and prove that she's a good mother.
Laura (Rueda) and her husband Carlos (Cayo) have just bought an old house that was once an orphange; the very orphanage Laura lived in as a small girl, in fact. They bring with them their adopted son Simon (Princep), who is HIV positive and needs constant care and supervision. Laura intends to turn the orphanage into a home for other similarly disabled or ill children, as a place where they can feel loved and find help before being adopted to good homes.
Unfortunately for Laura, her dreams begin to fall apart when, on the day of her open house, Simon disappears and her past begins to creep back into her life in the forms of the strange and ominous Pilar (Rivera) -- an old woman who once worked at the orphanage and begins to linger around the house at inappropriate times -- and a masked boy named Tomas who can't possibly be alive.
Laura finds herself locked in the bathroom, and only Tomas has the key.
THIS FILM WILL STICK WITH YOU FOREVER. If you want a haunting, beautiful, and horrifying film, The Orphanage is something you must see. At times incredibly gorgeous (the cinematography and lush nature shots of the nearby ocean and forest are breathtaking), at times so terrifying and bizarre you have to look away, the film also manages to maintain a deeply moving and emotional tone as Laura begins to lose her grip on sanity. How far will a mother go to regain her child? Just what sort of sacrifices must be made to atone for a horrible crime that has gone unpunished for a lifetime?
NOTE: I am not an easy person to truly scare. And this film? It gave me nightmares and I kept seeing Tomas out of the corner of my eye for days. If you're fainthearted and squeamish, either steer clear of The Orphanage or watch it on a very brightly lit day with several friends.
The trailer is slightly misleading, giving a Sixth Sense-vibe that's not really highlighted in the film.
THE SIXTH SENSE
(1999)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette.
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan.
Rated: PG-13.
Don't get me wrong: I am firmly in the anti-Shyamalan camp after the atrocity that was The Last Airbender. But his douchebaggery and unfaithfulness to material aside, very few can deny that his debut film remains an evocative and atmospheric film driven by solid acting and great storytelling.
Most everyone knows the plot by now, but just in case you've managed to avoid this gem entirely: Cole Sear (Osment) is a very troubled little boy. His mother (Collette) is worried that he's being bullied or struggling with depression. Enter Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Willis), one of the nation's foremost child psychologists. As Crowe gets closer to Cole, the truth behind the boy's anxieties and injuries comes out: Cole can see ghosts, and sometimes they're not too happy about it. The boy lives in a constant state of fear, followed and even attacked by the spirits only he can see; not even his own bedroom is safe.
If you haven't seen the film, I really hope you've miraculously remained unspoiled for the ending, because it's a really incredible one and very well done. Though people have come to expect "twists" from Shyamalan since, that doesn't detract from how amazing this one was the first time anyone saw it. I mean, how many predicted that ending during the first screening?
In Shyamalan's world, red is a very significant colour.
While I refuse to support Shyamalan's future endeavors, I can still appreciate The Sixth Sense, which is full of tension, amazing cinematography, great acting (especially on the parts of Osment and Collette) and really well done ghosts/horror (and with a minimum of gore and special effects, which is also impressive). If you haven't seen this one in a while, give it another shot this Halloween -- there are still a few scenes that give even me chills.
STIR OF ECHOES
(1999)
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Zachary David Cope, Jennifer Morrison.
Directed by: David Koepp.
Rated: R.
Stir of Echoes had the unfortunate luck of debuting in theatres a scant month after The Sixth Sense, which is absolutely a factor in its low box office take and lack of critical acclaim. But in my opinion, this is a solid horror film that deserves quite a bit of praise in its own right.
Tom (Bacon) is an average blue collar guy who works on utility lines and attends neighborhood cookouts with his wife Maggie (Erbe) and young son Jake (Cope). He's a bit dissatisfied with life, since the arrival of Jake meant he had to give up dreams of being a rock star, get married, and settle into an often disappointing life full of mundane drudgery. This all changes when Maggie's sister hypnotizes him at a party as a joke -- and the next morning Tom wakes up able to see, hear, and sense disturbing things in his house and peaceful neighborhood.
It quickly becomes apparent that a local girl who went missing over a year ago was in fact murdered in his house. Her spirit tries desperately to communicate with Tom, seeking vengeance against her attackers, but as Tom begins to pry into the mystery he realizes that not only do his neighbors know something, they also want to make sure those secrets never come out.
Will helping Samantha cost Tom everything?
While this isn't perhaps the best ghost story ever, it's still a very solid film that's absolutely worth watching. Bacon plays the dissatisfied husband slowly becoming unraveled with a passionate gusto, Erbe is solid in her role of the concerned wife and worried mother, and the young Cope manages to be unsettling without straying too far into the cliches of a spooky kid in a horror film. The imagery and special effects surrounding the ghost, Samantha (Morrison), are creepy and inventive -- Tom begins to see things through her eyes, which is very scary. And there's enough threads to the mystery that the conclusion is suitably satisfying as they're all tied off.
Stir of Echoes is more atmospheric than downright terrifying, and a good film for a group of friends. There are enough hints of more going on beyond the immediate story, tantalizing glimpses of the supernatural that barely touch upon Tom's life, that give the film a nice depth you don't often find in these outings.
NOTE: The book by Richard Matheson on which the movie is "based" has very little in common with the movie. This is definitely one of those loose adaptations, which isn't necessarily a bad thing in this situation. Also, STEER CLEAR OF THE CRAPPY SEQUELS.
To anyone looking for some good movies this Halloween, I hope this small list helped! And stay tuned for the next post: HORROR COMEDIES. :D
TODAY'S SUB-GENRE:
GHOST STORIES.
THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE | EL ESPINAZO DEL DIABLO
(2001)
Starring: Eduardo Noriega, Frederico Luppi, Marisa Paredes, Fernando Tielve.
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro.
Rated: R.
If you didn't know, I'm a huge del Toro fan: I think the man has one of the most beautiful, dark, and creative imaginations out there, and I've enjoyed every single one of his films. But if you want to see his best work, the movies where his dark vision truly shines through, then you have to look at his Spanish-language films. The Devil's Backbone is my favourite del Toro film AND my favourite ghost story for several reasons.
The setting is a derelict orphanage in 1939 Spain. The three years of bloody civil war have devestated the area, and most of the boys at the orphanage lost their parents in the conflict. Young Carlos (Tielve) arrives amidst very dark happenings: the other boys have been seeing a ghost prowling the halls, and they believe it's the spirit of a boy who went missing the night a bomb fell from the sky -- Santi, the One Who Sighs. At the same time Jacinto (Noriega), a young man who grew up at the orphanage and now works there as a handyman, is convinced that the woman who owns the place, Carmen (Paredes), is hiding Republican gold. What unfolds is a dark tale of greed, revenge, and a boy's coming of age during a turbulent and violent time.
This is an utterly breathtaking film. Carlos and Jacinto's intertwining stories are full of blood, fear, and longing. The acting is stellar, especially from the younger actors who quite frankly blew me away. The writing and dialogue is sharp and visceral, the setting and cinematography atmospheric and evocative, and there are quite a lot of heavy themes at play amidst the horror and violence.
Santi, the One Who Sighs.
But I think what makes this a truly stand-out film in my eyes is the way the ghost is handled. Santi is terrifying to behold: this may be the most original and unique take on a ghost that I've ever seen. There's a dark beauty to the horror of Santi, and his story is one of the most poignant in the film. And while he evokes fear amongst his former orphans, in the end del Toro shows that it isn't the dead we should truly fear -- but those who are dead inside. The tagline of the film is "Que es un fantasma?/What is a ghost?", and the answer by the end is a surprising one.
Click to view THE ORPHANAGE | EL ORFANATO
(2007)
Starring: Belen Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Princep, Mabel Rivera.
Directed by: Juan Antonio Bayona.
Rated: R.
The next on the list is The Orphanage, another Spanish film that's set at a spooky orphanage. But that's where the similarities between The Orphanage and The Devil's Backbone ends. This isn't a boy's coming of age story -- this is a sorrowful tale of a woman struggling to come to terms with her past and prove that she's a good mother.
Laura (Rueda) and her husband Carlos (Cayo) have just bought an old house that was once an orphange; the very orphanage Laura lived in as a small girl, in fact. They bring with them their adopted son Simon (Princep), who is HIV positive and needs constant care and supervision. Laura intends to turn the orphanage into a home for other similarly disabled or ill children, as a place where they can feel loved and find help before being adopted to good homes.
Unfortunately for Laura, her dreams begin to fall apart when, on the day of her open house, Simon disappears and her past begins to creep back into her life in the forms of the strange and ominous Pilar (Rivera) -- an old woman who once worked at the orphanage and begins to linger around the house at inappropriate times -- and a masked boy named Tomas who can't possibly be alive.
Laura finds herself locked in the bathroom, and only Tomas has the key.
THIS FILM WILL STICK WITH YOU FOREVER. If you want a haunting, beautiful, and horrifying film, The Orphanage is something you must see. At times incredibly gorgeous (the cinematography and lush nature shots of the nearby ocean and forest are breathtaking), at times so terrifying and bizarre you have to look away, the film also manages to maintain a deeply moving and emotional tone as Laura begins to lose her grip on sanity. How far will a mother go to regain her child? Just what sort of sacrifices must be made to atone for a horrible crime that has gone unpunished for a lifetime?
NOTE: I am not an easy person to truly scare. And this film? It gave me nightmares and I kept seeing Tomas out of the corner of my eye for days. If you're fainthearted and squeamish, either steer clear of The Orphanage or watch it on a very brightly lit day with several friends.
The trailer is slightly misleading, giving a Sixth Sense-vibe that's not really highlighted in the film.
THE SIXTH SENSE
(1999)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette.
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan.
Rated: PG-13.
Don't get me wrong: I am firmly in the anti-Shyamalan camp after the atrocity that was The Last Airbender. But his douchebaggery and unfaithfulness to material aside, very few can deny that his debut film remains an evocative and atmospheric film driven by solid acting and great storytelling.
Most everyone knows the plot by now, but just in case you've managed to avoid this gem entirely: Cole Sear (Osment) is a very troubled little boy. His mother (Collette) is worried that he's being bullied or struggling with depression. Enter Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Willis), one of the nation's foremost child psychologists. As Crowe gets closer to Cole, the truth behind the boy's anxieties and injuries comes out: Cole can see ghosts, and sometimes they're not too happy about it. The boy lives in a constant state of fear, followed and even attacked by the spirits only he can see; not even his own bedroom is safe.
If you haven't seen the film, I really hope you've miraculously remained unspoiled for the ending, because it's a really incredible one and very well done. Though people have come to expect "twists" from Shyamalan since, that doesn't detract from how amazing this one was the first time anyone saw it. I mean, how many predicted that ending during the first screening?
In Shyamalan's world, red is a very significant colour.
While I refuse to support Shyamalan's future endeavors, I can still appreciate The Sixth Sense, which is full of tension, amazing cinematography, great acting (especially on the parts of Osment and Collette) and really well done ghosts/horror (and with a minimum of gore and special effects, which is also impressive). If you haven't seen this one in a while, give it another shot this Halloween -- there are still a few scenes that give even me chills.
STIR OF ECHOES
(1999)
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Zachary David Cope, Jennifer Morrison.
Directed by: David Koepp.
Rated: R.
Stir of Echoes had the unfortunate luck of debuting in theatres a scant month after The Sixth Sense, which is absolutely a factor in its low box office take and lack of critical acclaim. But in my opinion, this is a solid horror film that deserves quite a bit of praise in its own right.
Tom (Bacon) is an average blue collar guy who works on utility lines and attends neighborhood cookouts with his wife Maggie (Erbe) and young son Jake (Cope). He's a bit dissatisfied with life, since the arrival of Jake meant he had to give up dreams of being a rock star, get married, and settle into an often disappointing life full of mundane drudgery. This all changes when Maggie's sister hypnotizes him at a party as a joke -- and the next morning Tom wakes up able to see, hear, and sense disturbing things in his house and peaceful neighborhood.
It quickly becomes apparent that a local girl who went missing over a year ago was in fact murdered in his house. Her spirit tries desperately to communicate with Tom, seeking vengeance against her attackers, but as Tom begins to pry into the mystery he realizes that not only do his neighbors know something, they also want to make sure those secrets never come out.
Will helping Samantha cost Tom everything?
While this isn't perhaps the best ghost story ever, it's still a very solid film that's absolutely worth watching. Bacon plays the dissatisfied husband slowly becoming unraveled with a passionate gusto, Erbe is solid in her role of the concerned wife and worried mother, and the young Cope manages to be unsettling without straying too far into the cliches of a spooky kid in a horror film. The imagery and special effects surrounding the ghost, Samantha (Morrison), are creepy and inventive -- Tom begins to see things through her eyes, which is very scary. And there's enough threads to the mystery that the conclusion is suitably satisfying as they're all tied off.
Stir of Echoes is more atmospheric than downright terrifying, and a good film for a group of friends. There are enough hints of more going on beyond the immediate story, tantalizing glimpses of the supernatural that barely touch upon Tom's life, that give the film a nice depth you don't often find in these outings.
NOTE: The book by Richard Matheson on which the movie is "based" has very little in common with the movie. This is definitely one of those loose adaptations, which isn't necessarily a bad thing in this situation. Also, STEER CLEAR OF THE CRAPPY SEQUELS.
To anyone looking for some good movies this Halloween, I hope this small list helped! And stay tuned for the next post: HORROR COMEDIES. :D