Thursday Movie Picks: Halloween Edition: Horrors Based on True Stories

A weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves

Welcome to another Halloween themed Thursday Movie Picks. This week we are venturing into the scariest kind of horror films, those based on real-life events. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen many that fit and I’ve already used one last week so not all my picks are good this week. 

The Conjuring 2 (2016) - Review

It follows husband and wife Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) as they travel to North London to help a single mother (Frances O’Connor) raising 4 children alone in a house plagued by a supernatural spirit. While the plot is still as a chaotic mess as its predecessor’s, the characters are still well written, the cast gives great performances and Wan yet again delivers a tension-filled film. 

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

It follows a lawyer (Laura Linney) as she takes on a homicide case involving a priest (Tom Wilkinson) who killed 19-year-old Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter) while performing an exorcism. It’s been so many years since I saw the movie I barely remember a thing. It really freaked me out though, even more so when I learnt it was based on a true story. I’ll try to rewatch it. 

The Rite (2011)

It follows a young American seminary student with a strong lack of faith (Colin O’Donaghue) as he travels to Italy to take an exorcism course in the Vatican. It’s been almost ten years since I saw this so I remember nothing about it. I do remember it being mediocre to say the least and I’m not the least interested in rewatching it. 

9 comments :

  1. I've only seen Emily Rose and used it too! I liked it well enough when I saw it in the theatre but have to admit I went strictly because Laura Linney and Campbell Scott were the stars.

    The Conjuring and its sequel are all over the place today. I'm not adverse to seeing the first just never really had the opportunity.

    My first two thoughts were The Exorcist and Psycho but I'd used both before so I had to turn to the slim pickins of what I've watched in this genre to come up with mine.

    The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)-Plot: An attorney (Laura Linney) defends a priest (Tom Wilkinson) accused of negligent homicide after an exorcism.

    Basis: Anneliese Michel died after being subjected to an exorcism. She was found to have been malnourished and dehydrated. Her parents and the responsible priests were charged with negligent homicide and sentenced to three years' probation. Her epilepsy was likely the real culprit.

    The Mothman Prophecies (2002)-Plot: A man (Richard Gere) investigates the Mothman, a strange red-eyed creature that appears to signify impending disasters.

    Basis: Journalist John Keel wrote The Mothman Prophecies after investigating hundreds of reports of sightings and other strange phenomena in Point Pleasant, West Virginia during the late 1960s.

    The Entity (1982)-Plot: A woman (Barbara Hershey) is tormented and sexually molested by an invisible demon.

    Basis: In 1974 Doris Bither claimed to have been repeatedly sexually assaulted by an invisible entity leading to her being observed by doctoral students at the University of California, Los Angeles.

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  2. We have a match! I also went with The Conjuring 2. Been a long time since I've seen The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Don't remember much about it. Haven't seen your other pick at all.

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    1. I barely remember a thing of Emily Rose myself but it really freaked me out.

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  3. I haven’t seen any of these and your first 2 are very popular this week. I would like to watch it even though I know it will freak me out.

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    1. They will. They scared the shite out of me.

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  4. Vera and Patrick really make those movies work, there was just too much stuff in that sequel

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  5. I've only seen your first one and am not a fan of it.
    The Exorcism of Emily Rose is quite a popular pick this theme. I sorta remember it being quite a popular horror movie the year it came out as well.

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