Saturday is Horror Day #216 - A Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia

 A Haunting in Connecticut 2

Lisa and Andy Wyrick (Abigail Spencer and Chad Michael Murray) and their daughter Heidi (Emily Alyn Lind) move into an historic house in Georgia.  From the beginning, something feels off about the house... as if someone else is there. Heidi talks about her new friend, Mr. Gordy, who is apparently an older man. Lisa is alarmed until she realizes that Mr. Gordy is an imaginary friend. Lisa's free-spirited siter Joyce (Katee Sackhoff) joins them, living in a trailer that sits next to the house. From the beginning, she believes there are ghosts in the house, restless spirits who are trying to contact them. Lisa thinks that is so much nonsense. But when strange things start to happen, she begins to question her own sanity, and wonders if her sister may be right/

While this sounds like it's a sequel to A Haunting in Connecticut, it isn't. The title was thrown on to capitalize on the first film. Seriously, a movie that takes place in Georgia as a sequel to one that took place in Connecticut with no connection whatsoever?  I'm afraid it goes downhill from there - I know, low bar. The film is based on a true story of the Wyrick family, who claim the women in the family are all natural mediums. While I think there is an interesting story here, involving ghosts and the sins of the past,, I think the writers and the producers failed to capture it. The story was confusing and disjointed, in my opinion, and asks the viewer to suspend an awful lot of disbelief. It also relies a lot on jump scares, which is a rather cheap trick.

The acting is so-so, and the most memorable character, in my opinion, is Mr. Gordy, the so-called imaginary friend. To be honest, I almost turned it off somewhere in the beginning, but decided to finish it anyway. The ending was.... well, just see for yourself if you are really interested. If you pass on it, you won't have missed anything. I'll give this film 1.5 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #200 - The Others

 The Others

WWII has just ended, and Grace (Nicole Kidman) and her two children, Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley) are living in an isolated old family mansion in the Channel Islands. Grace's husband Charles (Christopher Eccleston) is a soldier. Although he hasn't returned from the war, Grace expects him to arrive any day now. She and the children love and miss him very much.

But an unexpected knock at her door turns out to be the servants she has sent for -  Mrs. Mills (Fionnula Flanagan), Lydia (Elaine Cassidy) and Mr. Tuttle (Eric Sykes). From the beginning of their employment, Grace shows herself to be strict and expects nothing less than complete obedience from them, especially when it comes to following her rules. For example one cannot open a door to a room until the door they've just come through is closed and locked - no exceptions. Also they must be mindful to keep the curtains drawn whenever the children are around as they are extremely photosensitive and the sunlight can cause serious damage to them.

Perhaps because of the house's isolation, Grace becomes convinced that it is haunted. It doesn't help that Anne claims there are people there inside the house, and that she has been in contact with a little boy named Victor. Grace grows more and more sharp-tempered with her children and the servants, as her nerves reach a breaking point. The unexpected appearance of her husband temporarily calms her but even that doesn't last. She knows she's heard people in her house and she is prepared to fight them to protect her children!

I originally watched this movie a long time ago, but as I couldn't remember it very well, decided to give it another watch. This movie has a lot of atmosphere. The direction and cinematography are both excellent, not to mention stellar performances from all involved. Nicole Kidman won an Oscar for her performance and Fionnula Flanagan won one for Best Supporting Actress. Also, this was before I even knew who Chris Eccleston was, so pre 9th Doctor.  I highly recommend watching this film. I give this film 4.5 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #193 - Thir13en Ghosts

 Thir13en Ghosts

Arthur (Tony Shalhoub) has a wonderful life, with loving wife Jean (Kathryn Anderson), and their two kids, Kathy (Shannon Elizabeth) and Bobby (Alex Roberts). But Fate has other ideas, and an unexpected fire takes Jean's life. Now Arthur's own life is in chaos as he tries to provide for the kids and their nanny Maggie (Rah Digga). They are crammed together in a small apartment, have financial problems,  and nothing is going right... until Arthur receives a visit from a lawyer (Ben Moss) who brings him news of the demise of his Uncle Cyrus, a man he barely knows (F Murray Abraham), and tells him that Arthur has now inherited from him an actual house. Seems like divine providence, right?

Maybe not.

The lawyer offers to take them to the house, which lies a couple of hours away, in the middle of nowhere. The house turns out to be much more than they ever dreamed of. Plus it is very unique, being entirely made of glass. As Kathy says, "I hope the bathroom's in the basement."

On their arrival, they find an inspector for the electric company (Matthew Lillard) who insists on coming in with them and then asks for directions to the basement. What they don't know is that he is not what he seems to be, his real name is Rafkin, and he was an associate of Uncle Cyrus. Not only that, he knows what Cyrus spent his life collecting, as he helped him do it. Namely, ghosts. And this house is simply an elaborate containment system for twelve ghosts. But more than that, they serve a very sinister purpose. Funny thing, the lawyer knows all this too. As if he is in on some secret. But what is contained can get out, you know? And a house might not necessarily be a good home.

This movie is a reboot of the original 1960 Thirteen Ghosts made by director William Castle. The first film was black and white and 3D, whereas the newer one is color. During the intervening years between the first and second film, computer graphics came a long way, resulting in more sophisticated special effects, which the movie utilizes well, the most astounding being the house itself.

I love Tony Shalhoub and he doesn't disappoint as the almost bewildered widower who can't seem to cope with the death of his beloved wife, but loves his children more than anything and will do whatever he can to protect them. F Murray Abraham as Uncle Cyrus is deliciously vile and evil, urbanity aside, and Matthew Lillard as the poor dupe with psychic abilities is wonderful. I'd say he shines in the role.

If you can, watch the special features that go with this film. My mind was blown when I saw the "reality" of the house, because I kept wondering where they built this house. Spoiler alert - they didn't. All special effects and interior sets. I like that they chose to use their own story instead of simply remaking the original. Is it scary? Not really. Is it interesting?  I think it is. I've seen it multiple times, in fact. The ghosts themselves are quite unique, and each has a backstory you can watch in the special features. I found it very enjoyable and will no doubt watch it again some day. I'll give this film 4 Stars.

Book Review: Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

 

Heart-Shaped Box     

Author: Joe Hill

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

American release date:  January 1, 2009

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Ghost Fiction/400 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

Jude Coyne, at the age of fifty-four, isn’t exactly in his prime. Not so much as the number of his years but the way he’s spent them. Jude is, or was, a hard-living death-metal rocker who likes to live life on the edge.  But he hasn’t made any new music for a while, not since most of his band have died. Doesn’t mean he’s changed his ways. He’s living in a farmhouse with a young girl thirty years his junior, who he calls Georgia. Not because that’s her name but because that’s where she’s from. He’s always called his girls by their states of origin, rather than bothering to learn their real names.  That’s just how Jude is.

Jude has a taste for the macabre, and possesses rather an esoteric collection of strange items, including a cookbook for cannibals, a used hangman’s noose, and a snuff film. So when he receives an invitation to purchase something strange and unusual, he decides to give the item a look. Imagine his surprise to discover a ghost for sale on a wannabe ebay site? How can he resist? He doesn’t, and makes a snap judgment to buy it now, so no one else can purchase it. The ghost arrives in the form of a suit, packed in a heart-shaped box. And now the fun begins.

When Jude receives the suit, his life changes forever. He will have to deal with his past in order to survive the present… or he may have no future.

This is not my first Joe Hill rodeo. He’s a really good writer, reminiscent of Stephen King. Not surprising, considering that’s his father. But that isn’t to say he’s an imitation of his father, because he isn’t. Far from it. Joe Hill knows how to tell a good story, and he tells it well. He can even take an outwardly unlikeable character like Jude Coyne and layer him in such a way that by the end of the book, you like him and are rooting for him. He draws on a vast knowledge of humankind and creates some memorable characters, including the ghost. He doesn’t sugarcoat his characters, and shows them with all their blemishes and flaws.

This book is a real page-turner, as you just can’t imagine what is going to happen, or what’s waiting up ahead on the road, and you’re really excited to find out what’s there. If you like ghost stories, you’ll love this one. Going to find more of his books and read them.

Serial Killers to Die For and Ghosts with the Most

Good morning and welcome to day two of the Howloween Blog Hop! Yesterday, I delved a bit into the world of Vampires and Werewolves. Today I'm going to talk about ghosts and serial killers and witches.

To my knowledge, I've never seen a ghost, but I find the subject fascinating. You find ghosts in the lore of many nations, many cultures. They can't all be wrong, right? I've been told by at least three people that they've seen the ghost of my first husband in my home. Who knows, maybe they did? They say people who meet violent ends sometimes linger, unable to rest, and he was murdered, so I guess it's possible. My daughter says she's also seen the ghost of a chef. Which brings up an early ghost film that I've seen (and which has been remade, too) - Thirteen Ghosts. The original William Castle film might seem a little hokey by today's standards, but I still like it. I also watch the remake on occasion, which has better special effects, but that isn't everything.

Another ghost story which was remade was House on Haunted Hill. The original featured St. Louis's own beloved Vincent Price as the host with the most, while the remake starred Geoffrey Rush, whom I adore. Once again, the older effects are primitive by today's standards, but hey, it's worth watching for sure.

Of course, there are ghost stories that are as romantic as they are scary, and the first one that comes to mind is an older film, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, starring Rex Harrison and Gene Tierney. It was later made into a TV show, with Edward Mulhare and Hope Lange. It concerns a sea captain, and the widow who can see him, and their unusual relationship. All I can say is this dead sea captain can haunt me any time!

On the other hand, this ghost is one whose visit I could do without. And if someone tells you they have a video they want you to watch - run!

Serial killers. Who doesn't love a good serial killer? I know I do. One that instantly springs to mind at this time of year is - who else? Michael Meyers, star of the Halloween series. You know what they say,  you can't keep a good man down. Well, he proved that, coming back from the so-called dead for several films. Is he dead now? I wouldn't even hazard a guess.

While Michael is someone you wouldn't want to mess with, my favorite serial killer is not only handsome and intelligent, but oh so charming. He only kills rude people. Free range rude, as he refers to them. Who wasn't happy to know that he was going to dine on the obnoxious Dr. Chilton at the end of The Silence of the Lambs? And his relationship with FBI agent in training, later agent, Clarice Starling... well, it's complex. Be sure to read the books, particularly Hannibal, because I prefer the book ending to the movie without a doubt.

In Silence you actually get two serial killers, the other one being Ted Levine in his brilliant portrayal of Jame Gumb. Red Dragon precedes Silence chronologically, and has two versions. The first, Manhunter, starred Brian Cox as Dr. Lecter, and I find that as much as I like Brian (particularly in Sharpe), Anthony has ruined me for any other portrayal and I cannot enjoy Manhunter. Ralph Fiennes played Francis Dolarhyde in Red Dragon, and very well. On a side note, I thought it was really cool that he worked in St. Louis and lived in St. Charles, and the route he described going home was one I used to take every day when I worked in St. Charles, including Hwy 94.

 In the third film, Hannibal, my long time crush Gary Oldman plays the twisted, deformed billionaire Mason Verger who is intent on gaining revenge on Dr. Lecter. Read the book and you'll see that he died a different death there, including a character that was cut from the films, Mason's abused sister Margot. The relationship between Hannibal and Clarice really intensifies in this film.

My favorite witch is not really scary at all. I grew up watching Bewitched (I haven't seen the movie with Nicole Kidman but I've heard bad things about it, so I'm not rushing out to watch it). Elizabeth Montomery played Samantha Stevens, a witch married to a mortal, Darren Stevens (first played by Dick York, then by Dick Sargent). Life with a witch is hard enough, but then throw in her crazy relatives, and wow... lots to deal with. Her mother, Endora, played by Agnes Moorehead, could never get Darren's name right and would often call him Durwood. Uncle Arthur (Paul Lynde) was a trip, a real practical jokester. Elizabeth had an identical cousin with dark hair (played by Montgomery) who was good for causing trouble. And the doctor to the supernatural, Dr. Bombay (Bernard Fox) was always fun to see. I always wanted to be like Samantha, get what I wanted by twitching my nose. Alas, I still haven't figured out how to do it.

Well, that's it for now. Yes, there are plenty more, but you have lots of people to see, so Happy Halloween blogging, and don't forget, if you want to be part of my contest, leave a comment and leave your email address. Three winners will receive their choice from my backlist, and one will get a $10 Amazon gc!

Until later, take care!

♥ Julie