Tag Archives: horror

30-day writing challenge: Day 14

15 Monday Jun 2015

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Day 14: Post your favorite movies that you never get tired of watching

I love movies.

I don’t have a favorite movie but I do have a list of movies I could watch over and over and never get tired of so thankfully today’s challenge was kind enough to let me list more than one. In order to keep things sane, I kept it to ten.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
This is probably me playing into the Goth stereotype but frankly I don’t care. Tim Burton, as will be mentioned many times in this post, is basically like a spirit animal to me and his movies have been like an escape for a good portion of my life. I love this movie, know the words to the songs and have an ever-growing collection of Jack Skellington things (including the onesie pajamas from a previous post).

This Is Where I Leave You (2014)
This is a recent favorite that constantly makes me laugh. My mother suggested I watch after seeing a portion of it but, joke’s on her, she didn’t have to convince me because the trailer looked hilarious and I had wanted to see it while still in theaters. While my parents were away on vacation, I was able to watch from the beginning and it didn’t disappoint. Adam Driver, whose character in Girls is one of my favorites, along with Tina Fey, Jason Bateman and Jane Fonda made this movie truly amazing.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
I can’t help but randomly quote this movie and want to chase down people who have cheated their vegan diets and scream “no vegan diet, no vegan powers!” This film mixes comics, video games and music to make a quotable and lovable movie.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
How can you not love this movie? It’s basically the number one cult classic on anyone’s list and can never be remade. I don’t care if they attempt to do it; it will never be as good as the original. You kind of just want to get up and do the Time Warp while wearing a drag-esque face and fishnets.

Edward Scissorhands (1990)
The ultimate misfit movie and it comes in the form of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton teaming up for the first time. I think I always identified with Edward in the sense that he was a dark stranger in a pastel cookie cutter community. Anytime I see an Avon catalogue, I think of Kim knocking on everyone’s door, “Avon calling!” I may or may not have an Edward action figure on my bookshelf.

Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Oh look, it’s Tim Burton and Johnny Depp again (hint, it’s not the last time either). This one scared the daylights out of me as a kid because of the opening scene in the corn fields and the horseman. Now? I love it. I think Depp brings the quirkiness needed to Ichabod Crane and Burton brings the eeriness needed to the town of Sleepy Hollow.

Queen of the Damned

Queen of the Damned

Queen of the Damned (2002)
This is the movie that started it all for me. I’ve stated many times I’m a Goth and it all goes back to this movie. Is it a good adaptation of the book? Not exactly seeing as they combined “The Vampire Lestat” with “Queen of the Damned.”  Anne Rice fans hated this movie but for a young girl who was terrified of horror movies and scared to watch this movie with her mom, the soundtrack drew me in and I have loved it ever since. Stuart Townsend’s Lestat is my great vampire love.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
My favorite horror movie and it’s not because it’s a traditional horror film. Filmed and set in the mid 60s, the tale of a woman who finally becomes pregnant with the baby she’s always wanted only to find out her elderly neighbors are “witches” who want her baby for their rituals. That’s not exactly what’s going on but I love the thriller rather than the gore and this movie has always been a tense favorite.

Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
I remember seeing this movie in the theater (I still have the ticket stub) and laughing while watching my brother squirm as Sweeney slit the throats of their victims. I’m not a psychopath, I just though it was funny he was so freaked out at the obviously fake blood. Turns out he has a things with necks like I do with Achilles tendons. The songs are catchy and you can’t help but want to sing along with the demon barber and his helplessly devoted landlady.

Dark Shadows (2012)
I love vampires and have more books about vampires than I do textbooks, which is saying something after four years of college, and I’ve seen a countless amount of vampire movies. Vampires plus Tim Burton plus Johnny Depp and I’m sold not to mention Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer and Christopher Lee. This movie not only hooked me because of its quirkiness but also because it made my dad and I bond over our love of Johnny Depp.

Penny Dreadful: demons, creatures and werewolves, oh my!

29 Friday May 2015

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posterAttention: Spoilers Ahead

As a lover of all things gothic and deeply rooted in literature, I was drawn to Showtime’s “Penny Dreadful” for a few reasons.

The first was the creepiness within the trailer. You see someone looking as if they are possessed, what appears to be vampires and things that go bump in the night. I’ve always been attracted to horror but more along the lines of thriller than gore. This show seemed to have mystery and thriller walking hand-in-hand.

A vampire in Penny Dreadful.

A vampire in Penny Dreadful.

The second was the time period. The stereotypical goth within me noticed the Victorian era within the previews and was squealing on the inside. I love the fashion, art and architecture of the time.

The third and final prominent reason the show appealed to me was the characters behind the story; a Dracula type figure complete with Mina from Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” Dr. Frankenstein and his creature from Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” Dorian Gray of Oscar Wilde’s “A Picture of Dorian Gray” and a werewolf.

How could I not be excited?

As part of my cable package, I do not have access to Showtime. Unfortunate, I know. I instead resorted to waiting for Netflix to pick it up after the first season ended. Unlike HBO programs, Showtime shows usually end up on Netflix and I have enjoyed a few of them since acquiring a Netflix subscription.

I couldn’t wait anymore.

My mother, knowing the type that I am, recommended it after watching an episode or two on a flight. With the remaining iTunes credit I had from previous gift cards from various holidays, I bought the first season and began watching immediately.

I wasn’t disappointed.

Let’s get the one critique out of the way now. I don’t do spiders. I basically feel them crawling on me if I see them on my screen and let’s just say there are some questionable scenes in “Penny Dreadful” with hoards of them.

What was really great about “Penny Dreadful” was the way each of the characters, who were from different literary works written by different authors, were so well entwined. It didn’t seem far-fetched or forced but more smooth and casual. For the most part, each character was true to form as well with the vain and never-been-rejected Gray, curious Frankenstein and hiding in a dark corner vampire.

Reeve Carney as Dorian Gray.

Reeve Carney as Dorian Gray.

The biggest shock for me was the lack of exploration of Josh Harnett’s sharpshooting werewolf Ethan Chandler. You basically know it’s him after his intense head-trip, which leads to him sleeping with Gray, but you don’t see his inner beast until the last minutes of the final episode. The season starts with the carnage caused by a monster (blamed on Jack the Ripper returning) and you feel the eerie close-ups of Harnett are meant to make you think it’s him when really the culprit is standing just out of frame. I know the second season has already hit Showtime and I will have to catch up when I’m able but I have high hopes we’ll get to see more of his hidden beast.

Another character I would love to see more on and his back story is the mysterious Sembene, Sir Malcolm Murray’s man servant played by Danny Sapani. He is a strong force present everywhere Murray goes and he always seems to be the one killing off the highest number of vampires with his hidden daggers (they could be considered swords but I am not privy to the language of weaponry). Not much has been revealed about Sembene other than a short conversation between himself and Chandler where he says he has no story.

I’m most excited to find out what happens with Billie Piper’s Bona Croft, the Northern Irish prostitute who served as Chandler’s love interest but dies of consumption. We are left with the image of Dr. Frankenstein beginning the process of bringing her back to life like his creatures before her. Throughout the season we know the Creature, played by Rory Kinnear, is demanding Frankenstein give him a wife. Will this happen? Based on the season two trailer, it looks like Brona “lives” but the Creature is with someone else. Maybe Brona has no interest or maybe Dr. Frankenstein is too taken with her to give her up. No one tell me, I’ll have to wait and see.

“Penny Dreadful” was a great cocktail of literature’s great gothic novels and a spooky way to end the week. New episodes can be viewed Sundays at 10pm on Showtime.penny

The 10 most influential books I’ve read

14 Tuesday Apr 2015

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This came to me by means of a challenge from my high school librarian and book club leader. She tagged me in a post with hers and passed it on to me because I was one of the more active students in the book club all those years ago. We’ve kept in touch via Facebook and this wasn’t the first time she’s tagged me in something relating to reading or books.

I would like to note these are my most influential books at the moment. A huge part of living your life is evolving and as I evolve I am sure this list will alter.200px-hsbhill

1: Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. It’s my favorite book but I love rock stars, music and ghosts and this little gem combines all three.

2: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Do I really need to explain?

3: Richard III by William Shakespeare. No, not a book but I read it in a book. It’s all about the loopholes. As an admitted Shakespeare nerd, I think Richard III is my favorite mostly because of the opening soliloquy and Richard’s ability to be a silver-tongued master manipulator.

4: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. A classic and starts with one of my all-time favorite hooks, “It was a pleasure to burn.” I know own a copy printed in the sixties as part of my antique book collection.interview-with-the-vampire

5: Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. My love of vampires is border line obsessive and they way I turned out is mostly because of Anne Rice’s works. This one is the first really “adult” (by that I mean a huge book with small print and lots of big words for an 11 year-old) I read.

6: Wake by Lisa McMann. In a time when supernatural storylines were beginning to cross into the territory of annoying, Wake became one of those books you remember because it was just different and refreshing.

7: The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling. I can’t choose just one book. This series truly defined my generation and as a self-proclaimed Potterhead I was no exception. These books got me back reading and heighted my love for magic.harry-potter-series

8: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson. I’ve never read such an intricate and detailed mystery that catches you off guard more than once and leaves you running for the next book in the series. And I’ve always been able to identify with the leading lady, Lisbeth, because of how different she is.

9: Mightier than the Sword: How the News Media Have Shaped American History by Roger Streitmatter. This was supposed to be a boring “textbook” for one of Jack Lessenberry’s classes but it turned into one of the best books I’ve had to read for any class I’ve ever had.agoodmanishardtofind_book-botfoj

10: Born on the Fourth of July by Ron Kovic. I had to read this one for one of my freshmen history classes. It was an honest portrayal of a boy growing up with stars in his eyes only for them to burst and fade when he was pushed into the reality of war.

 

 

*Images obtained via Google Images