Every August the Halloween stuff starts to materialize in the craft stores. I was in Michael's today and saw signs of October 31 looming in a middle aisle.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
More Conjuring
I found this film trailer for the Conjuring that includes the real Perrons. It could have been a cheesy mess, but it's actually nicely done. . .
Monday, July 29, 2013
House of Darkness, House of Light
I just stumbled across this little gem on Youtube. It's a mini documentary in which the Perron family addresses their battle with "Bathsheba" in the farmhouse that inspired The Conjuring. It was interesting to see the family now and then. Andrea Perron, who was eleven years old when her family moved into the house, wrote the book House of Darkness, House of Light on which the movie was based.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Conjuring up the Blog Again
I'm back to this blog earlier than I have been in previous years. There's just something in the air that beckons that Halloween spirit. I'm like those crafters who start making vampire jewelry in July (actually I am).
Perhaps I'm inspired because I just saw The Conjuring - the film that documents a chilling case investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren. I was particularly interested in the film because I was lucky enough to attend a few of the Warren's lectures before Ed passed away. Some friends and I were even lucky enough to spend the day with them on a ghost hunting tour, poking around haunted areas of Connecticut.
Anyway, the movie centers on the Perron family who bought an old farmhouse in Rhode Island. Not longer after they moved in, things started to go wrong. Very wrong. As in disembodied hands clapping in an old wardrobe and clocks stopping at 3:07 a.m. wrong. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson do a fantastic job of personifying the Warrens. Vera's eyes are so pretty and she is fragile yet strong like Lorraine. I was incredibly impressed with how well Patrick Wilson mirrored Ed's Connecticut accent. Spot on! Lily Taylor was perfect as terrified mom Carolyn Perron and Ron Livingston was gorgeous as dad Roger. Yeah, he's easy on the eyes. Oh, and his acting was good up until the climactic scene where he seemed a little bored by something trying to yank his wife's soul into hell.
The cinematography was splendid. The early 70s came to life on screen and made me nostalgic for the days when we played simple games like "hide and clap" rather than video games on smart phones.
I won't give any plot points away, but I will say there was lots of chilling use of white sheets. And the climactic scene near the end will stay in my head forever. It's a classic haunted house story, albeit one that is beautiful, lush, and spooky as hell. Director James Wan has alluded to making more movies based on the Warren's cases. Something tells me it's going to involve their famous haunted doll, Annabelle.
Perhaps I'm inspired because I just saw The Conjuring - the film that documents a chilling case investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren. I was particularly interested in the film because I was lucky enough to attend a few of the Warren's lectures before Ed passed away. Some friends and I were even lucky enough to spend the day with them on a ghost hunting tour, poking around haunted areas of Connecticut.
Anyway, the movie centers on the Perron family who bought an old farmhouse in Rhode Island. Not longer after they moved in, things started to go wrong. Very wrong. As in disembodied hands clapping in an old wardrobe and clocks stopping at 3:07 a.m. wrong. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson do a fantastic job of personifying the Warrens. Vera's eyes are so pretty and she is fragile yet strong like Lorraine. I was incredibly impressed with how well Patrick Wilson mirrored Ed's Connecticut accent. Spot on! Lily Taylor was perfect as terrified mom Carolyn Perron and Ron Livingston was gorgeous as dad Roger. Yeah, he's easy on the eyes. Oh, and his acting was good up until the climactic scene where he seemed a little bored by something trying to yank his wife's soul into hell.
The cinematography was splendid. The early 70s came to life on screen and made me nostalgic for the days when we played simple games like "hide and clap" rather than video games on smart phones.
I won't give any plot points away, but I will say there was lots of chilling use of white sheets. And the climactic scene near the end will stay in my head forever. It's a classic haunted house story, albeit one that is beautiful, lush, and spooky as hell. Director James Wan has alluded to making more movies based on the Warren's cases. Something tells me it's going to involve their famous haunted doll, Annabelle.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Shoulda Coulda Woulda
Wow, I've done a really crappy job of keeping up with this blog this year. It's been a busy few months and Halloween is already tomorrow! I haven't even had time to catch up on Ghost Adventures! Next year, I vow to be more on top of things.
Here's a picture of my friend and I after having seen Paranormal Activity 4 today. Apparently I was so scared I lost my eyebrows.
Here's a picture of my friend and I after having seen Paranormal Activity 4 today. Apparently I was so scared I lost my eyebrows.
Friday, October 19, 2012
American Horror Story Kicks Off Second Season with a Hot Bang
The first episode of American Horror Story Asylum was a brilliant, campy, and creepy kickoff to the season Wednesday night. We got to see Adam Levine mutilated by some sort of creature that lives in the death chutes of Briarcliff Asylum - the institution that the second season revolves around. We also got to see the delightful Evan Peters return to AHS as another lovable and troubled character, this time named Kit Walker.
The star of the show, of course, is Jessica Lange, this time playing Sister Jude. She's a hardboiled nun with a Boston accent whose vulnerability lies in the lustful heart hiding beneath her righteous exterior. Speaking of which, the sex is still alive and blazing this season. We got to see Sister Jude literally let her hair down and climb in a priest's lap, also Evan Peters's naked butt in the first episode.
In addition, there's a creepy doctor named Dr. Arden who runs Briarcliff and is feeding inmates to some sort of creature that lives in the death chutes; a budding reporter who gets trapped in Briarcliff; and a serial killer named "Bloody Face" who wears a mask made out of his victims' skin.
Since the show is just getting started, looks like Halloween will last a little longer than October 31 this year. . .
The star of the show, of course, is Jessica Lange, this time playing Sister Jude. She's a hardboiled nun with a Boston accent whose vulnerability lies in the lustful heart hiding beneath her righteous exterior. Speaking of which, the sex is still alive and blazing this season. We got to see Sister Jude literally let her hair down and climb in a priest's lap, also Evan Peters's naked butt in the first episode.
In addition, there's a creepy doctor named Dr. Arden who runs Briarcliff and is feeding inmates to some sort of creature that lives in the death chutes; a budding reporter who gets trapped in Briarcliff; and a serial killer named "Bloody Face" who wears a mask made out of his victims' skin.
Since the show is just getting started, looks like Halloween will last a little longer than October 31 this year. . .
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Based on the Novel
I happened upon this great list while looking for ideas on what to write for my latest column, which concerns books made into movies. In honor of Halloween, I'd like to write something based on a horror novel. In years past, I've written about Dracula, Poltergeist, The Amityville Horror, and the Possession of Joel Delaney. I'm thinking The Exorcist this year.
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