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A weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves |
As we welcome October, we also welcome the Halloween Edition of Wandering Through the Shelves’s Thursday Movie Picks. For this first week, we are asked to pick films with scary houses, or at least that’s what think. Without further ado, here are my picks.
The Cabin in the Woods (2010) - Review
The story follows five college kids, Dana (Kristen Connolly), Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Jules (Anna Hutchison), Holden (Jesse Williams), and Marty (Fran Kranz), as they head off to a cabin in the woods for the weekend, and along the way they come across a creepy man who warns them about the danger. Of course, they ignore him and isolate themselves in the cabin anyway. This is one of the few horrors that held up on a second viewing as it’s got a good plot and it nicely makes fun of horror cliches.
The Conjuring (2013) - Review
Based on true events, it tells the story of the Perron family who shortly after moving into their "new" dilapidated farmhouse in Rhode Island begins to experience paranormal events. Fearful, they ask for the help of Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga), two paranormal investigators that soon discover there's a witch haunting the house and the area surrounding it. I will never thank Margaret over Cinematic Corner enough for making me watch this film as it is one of the best paranormal horrors I’ve seen. While the plot doesn’t have anything new, the characters are compelling and the atmosphere is so creepy and haunting it’s terrifying.
Crimson Peak (2015) - Review
It follows Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska), a young woman who strives to be more than just of marriageable age, who falls in love with a mysterious English entrepreneur, Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston). They eventually get married and as Thomas's sister, Lucille (Jessica Chastain), moves in, Edith soon comes to realise that not everything is as it appears as ghosts of the past start haunting her. Although as a whole del Toro's film is a bit disappointing as the story is quite predictable, it's visually outstanding and the acting is superb.
I started watching Cabin In The Woods but never did finish it. Maybe I should fix that this month! Great list!
ReplyDeleteYou really should! I was surprised to still like it so much.
DeleteWe share a pick with Crimson Peak which is right now one of my all-time favorite films. I also love The Cabin in the Woods.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see some love for The Cabin in the Woods.
DeleteGreat list! I really need to watch Cabin in the Woods and the Conjuring soon!
ReplyDeleteThank you! And you really should because they are both great. Check out The Conjuring 2 too if you can.
DeleteBig fan of your first two picks. Didn't like Crimson Peak much at all. I agree it was pretty to look at, though.
ReplyDeleteI totally get you. Crimson Peak was such a disappointment for those of us who loved Del Toro's previous films.
DeleteI haven't seen any of these but Crimson Peak certainly is popular today. I'm not crazy about the lead girl but Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain are performers I like so I'll probably track it down. The same with The Conjuring because of the lead pair but The Cabin in the Woods just isn't my thing.
ReplyDeleteHorror isn't my bag so this month will probably prove challenging but poking around and reaching back I managed to find three old dark house movies that I enjoyed.
The Haunting (1963)-Dr. John Markway (Richard Johnson) is doing research into psychic phenomena. In the service of that study he invites two women-lonely, eccentric Eleanor (Julie Harris) who has experienced supernatural events previously and brash Theodora (Claire Bloom) who is gifted with ESP. On arrival they are joined by the mansion's heir, cynical Luke (Russ Tamblyn) and are immediately overwhelmed by strange sounds and events. Soon Eleanor comes to believe the house is alive and speaking directly to her. Loaded with atmosphere and extremely well-acted.
You’ll Find Out (1940)-Debutante Janis Bellacrest (Helen Parrish) books Kay Kyser and his big band, the Kollege of Musical Knowledge including singer Ginny Simms and cornet playing sidekick Ish Kabibble to play at her 21st birthday party at a remote spooky mansion. Between performances, Kay finds Janis’s guests-quirky Aunt Margo (Alma Kruger), pretentious professor Fenniger (Peter Lorre), creepy Prince Soliano (Bela Lugosi) and irritable Judge Mainwaring (Boris Karloff) on the bizarre side and begins to suspect that Janis is in danger. When a powerful storm blows in and strands everyone overnight events both scary and wacky transpire. Goofy musical comic/thriller is the only onscreen pairing of Lorre, Karloff and Lugosi.
Seven Footprints of Satan (1929)-When mayhem breaks out at her father’s party Eve (Thelma Todd) and her fiancée Jim (Creighton Hale) jump into a limousine and think they are safely away from danger. Shortly afterwards though they find themselves at the house of “Satan” who may or may not be a criminal mastermind, a supernatural fiend, the devil himself, or some combination of all those things. As they make their way through odd rooms they encounter an imp, a dwarf, an ape-like man, a gorilla, Satan’s Mistress and “the Spider”. Finally they are tested with the Seven Footprints which could lead to fabulous wealth and freedom or servitude to Satan…and maybe Death! Originally released in both silent and partial sound versions only the silent one (long thought lost as well) survives.
I haven't seen any of your picks but it's not the first time I see The Haunting mentioned this week, and I'm interested in seeing this adaptation of the novel.
DeleteCrimson Peak started out so good but I feel it derailed at the end but Jessica Chastain just chewed up the scenery with her acting chops. I didn’t know they made a remake of the Conjuring but I might see it. I still haven’t seen Cabin In The Woods but keep hearing it is good.
ReplyDeleteI didn't not The Conjuring was a remake. Anyway, yes, The Cabin in the Woods is so, so good.
DeleteHave seen your two bottom pick. Generally not a fan of possession movies, so The Conjuring wasn't for me, didn't find it scary either.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of the genre either but The Conjuring movies really worked for me. They scared me so much.
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