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Top 5 scary movies
I really like scary movies, or horror movies if you prefer. I do not like the word 'horror' though,
because it is often associated with movies about flying body parts. Anyway, below is a list of my
favourite 'scary' movies and they all have one thing in common: the supernatural element is very
prominent. It is the thing between the lines, the thing that lives inside you, the thing you cannot
define.
This is best described in a poem by Edward Gorey, The doubtful guest:
When they answered the bell on that wild winter night,
There was no one expected -- and no one in sight
Then they saw something standing on top of an urn,
Whose peculiar appearance gave them quite a turn.
All at once it leapt down and ran into the hall,
Where it chose to remain with its nose to the wall.
It was seemingly deaf to whatever they said,
So at last they stopped screaming, and went off to bed.
It joined them at breakfast and presently ate
All the syrup and toast and a part of a plate.
It wrenched off the horn from the new gramophone,
And could not be persuaded to leave it alone.
It betrayed a great liking for peering up flues,
And for peeling the soles of its white canvas shoes.
At times it would tear out whole chapters from books,
Or put roomfuls of pictures askew on their hooks.
Every Sunday it brooded and lay on the floor,
Inconveniently close to the drawing-room door.
Now and then it would vanish for hours from the scene,
But alas, be discovered inside a tureen.
It was subject to fits of bewildering wrath,
During which it would hide all the towels from the bath.
In the night through the house it would aimlessly creep,
In spite of the fact of its being asleep.
It would carry off objects of which it grew fond,
And protect them by dropping them into the pond.
It came seventeen years ago -- and to this day
It has shown no intention of going away.
Edward Gorey - The doubtful guest
Printed without permission
Pretty scary, huh?
A tale of two sisters (director: Ji-woon Kim)
This is a beautiful movie, the cinematographic quality is astounding and so are the performances of the actors, especially Moon Geun-young who plays the stepmother. What is really scary about this movie is the way truth is perceived after a traumatic experience. Two sisters that love each other so much, a love that transcends reality. Schizophrenia is the keyword here. Very scary, emotional, beautiful all at the same time. Watch this movie with an open mind and be amazed.Turning Asian horror movies into Hollywood flicks is normal nowadays (The Ring, The Eye, Dark Water, The Grudge) and maybe that will happen to this movie also. Most of those Hollywood adaptations are not that bad, to be honest. The only problem is that they try to explain too much and that sometimes ruins the story. The beauty of most Asian horror movies is the slow pace, which works very well for traditional Asian tales that are often the basis of those movies.
The others (director: Alejandro Amenabar)
Do you like ghost stories? Go see this one, it is my favourite all time ghost story. The main character in this movie is played by Nicole Kidman and man, she is such a wonderful, beautiful actress. Like other movies presented on this web page, this movie is all about the perception of truth. There is a terrible secret that has been forgotten, and once you remember it, all things fall into place but at the same time fall apart.The shining (director: Stanley Kubrick)
This movie was based on a book by Stephen King, and directed by Stanley Kubrick. And there you have it, one of the greatest novelist and one of the greatest directors together. One thing that is not as clear in this film as it is in the book, is that alcoholism is the main theme here. What amazes me most is how well the music is blends in with the movie. Especially the music by Bartok sounds even better than it already is. Jack Nicholson's performance here is legendary. One might add however that in contrary to the book, he is a nutcase from the beginning of the film (watch his eyes!). In the book however, he is a pretty decent guy who slowly turns into a insane, dangerous madman who is haunted by memories of guilt.Some years ago they turned King's book into a miniseries. Although it is pretty fun to watch for King fans, it does not even come close to Kubrick's masterpiece.
And, the trailer for this movie (see below) is without any doubt the best I've ever seen. Most trailers suck, this one is amazing and (still) very original.
Abre los ojos (director: Alejandro Amenabar)
There is a Hollywood remake of this movie (starring Tom Cruise) called Vanilla Sky and although it is pretty good, I think it is not as good as the original (though most seem to disagree with me). This is another example of twisted reality and it works very well in this movie. The end of this film is pure beauty.The brood (director: David Cronenberg)
This film is the third(?) small, independent movie by my favourite director, David Cronenberg. The man that gave birth to The dead zone, The fly, Naked lunch, eXistenZ, Dead ringers, Scanners, Videodrome, Eastern promises, etc. The brood is not a nice movie to watch (as most Cronenberg movies still are, but this one is particularly raw), it is truly unsettling and it deals with a lot of twisted psychological themes. The violence in this movie is in the face, both physical (in the Kindergarten) and psychological (the opening scene). Definitely not a movie for lovers of romantic Hollywood comedies. But hey, romantic Hollywood comedies... now that is real horror!Other movies you might want see after reading this:
- Eraserhead, David Lynch
- Dark Water, Hideo Nakata
- The Eye, Pang brothers
- Hellraiser I , Clive Barker (II is cool too, forget the rest)
- PI, Darren Aronofsky
- Donnie Darko, Richard Kelly
- Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo Del Toro
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