With only one more week left before Halloween, I am writing my last "scary movies" post. If you have read my previous posts, you know I have covered classic "terror tales", comedies and suspense.
More modern day horror flicks seem to be more about gore than anything but I think I have found a few with a happy medium between blood and fear. Of course no Halloween would be complete without John Carpenter's 1978 Halloween starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasance and P.J. Soles. (I have not seen the remake). Michael Myers has broken free from an institution he has been in since childhood, when he killed his older sister. Now he wants the younger sister (Curtis) he never knew. Of course he mindlessly kills her friends while he's at it. Full of jumps, slashing and a creepy piano tune that constantly plays throughout the film, this is a must see!
The most recent movie I have seen pertaining to the Halloween season is Trick or Treat (2007) starring Anna Paquin, Dylan Baker and Lauren Lee Smith. The movie weaves four stories that occur on Halloween: "An everyday high school principal has a secret life; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband." Oh and a creepy little guy keeps showing up!
The Orphanage (El orfanato) 2007 is filmed in Spain. A former orphan Laura (Belen Rueda) raises her adopted son Simón with her husband Carlos(Fernando Cayo) in an old house and former orphanage where she was raised. Simón tells Laura that he has five invisible friends, and she believes they are fruit of his imagination. Laura decides to reopen an orphanage for handicapped children in the location and during the opening party, the busy Laura does not give much attention to her son; then she sees a mysterious masked boy and Simón vanishes. This movie has great twists and turns. I highly recommend it! In Spanish with English subtitles.
These three movies will make for a great movie marathon come Halloween night! Enjoy and as always, I would love your recommendations!