Day 330: The Changeling

The Changeling

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Haunted house movies usually fall into one of two categories: evil spirit and spirit looking for help. Personally, I prefer the evil spirit because they create a true sense of fear and urgency among the inhabitants of the house to get rid of it. Maybe I'm just too jaded, but I feel that if I was in a haunted house and the ghost needed me to do something, I'd just move out rather than trouble myself. You're on your own, ghosty. Many movies see the problem and force the characters to help out (or in the case of American Horror Story, they're just really, really, unbelievably stupid). Whatever the case may be, haunted house movies need to create a wider story than other horror genres because escape is too easy. Sometimes the results are good and other times you're left bored and disappointed.

The Changeling is a 1980 horror movie starring George C. Scott (Dr. Strangelove, Patton) as composer Dr. John Russell. During a vacation in upstate New York, Russell's wife and daughter are killed in a tragic accident. Devastated by the loss, Russell moves across the country to Seattle to teach at a university. With the help of a young woman named Claire Norman (Trish Van Devere, Going Ape, The Hearse), Russell rents a large and slightly eerie Victorian-era mansion. As he slowly puts the pieces of his life together, Russell begins to hear and see strange things in the house. He hears a deafening banging every morning for about thirty seconds that abruptly stops. Doors open and shut for no reason and when Russell tosses his daughter's old ball into the river, he finds it back inside the house. During a seance, it is revealed that the ghost of a young boy named Joseph Carmichael from in the early 1900s. While doing research, Russell discovers that Joseph was a sickly boy and as per the terms of his inheritance, if he died before his 21st birthday, the money would go to his mother's side of the family. Rather than risk losing the money, his father drowned him in a bathtub. Supposedly, Mr. Carmichael replaced his now deceased son with an orphan in order to gain the inheritance. Using more clues, Russell is able to find Joseph's bones in an old well that belonged to the Carmichael family. He tries to reach out to wealthy United States Senator also named Joseph Carmichael about what he has discovered. Scared that the truth will come out, the Senator sends a policeman after Russell, but he dies under mysterious and possibly supernatural causes. Will Russell be able to reveal the truth about Joseph Carmichael and free the spirit from his home?

Oh, balls

The Changeling put me in the interesting position of really liking the horror part of the movie and really disliking the rest of it. The movie pops up on a lot of "Best horror movie" lists and director Martin Scorsese has it on his list of scariest movies of all time. The haunting is quite good with some legitimately scary moments. While a lot of haunting/ghost movies like to bait-and-switch or start off with horror and then sputter out, The Changeling is very up front with it's scary intentions. The fear starts out like a trickle with strange noises and soon becomes a waterfall leading to an intense and slightly bizarre ending. The movie doesn't really rely on any film-making tricks, relying on good old-fashioned storytelling and spooks to get the audience riled up. The house in the film is actually a set which is surprising considering how great it looks. It really adds a Gothic touch to the entire story.

I didn't particularly care for the rest rest of the story though. Most haunting movies involve a family and I found it odd that the story surrounded a single, older man. I think including a family would have allowed the film to be scarier, putting children in danger and such. I also thought it was strange that the police officer sent after Russell was supposedly killed by the ghost while driving. If the ghost is that powerful, why not just go after Senator Carmichael? The back story with the Senator is slightly interesting, though it wasn't enough for me to continue enjoying the story. The movie came out in 1980, but looks more like 1970. Something about the clothes and the quality of the film made it look much older than it really was. The acting is fine, but I wasn't blown away by any particular performance.

  Here's your problem right here.

The Changeling is a good haunted house story, but only a so-so overall story. I wouldn't say it's bad, it just becomes rather boring once the haunting is over. Perhaps the longer-than-usual run time of the film had something to do with it. The movie has some good scares and a nice, creepy feel to it. The sets look very good and help create an appropriate atmosphere. I can see why the movie finds it's way onto a lot of horror lists simply based off it's scares. Beyond that, though, I wasn't particularly impressed with the movie overall. The horror is good, but I wasn't thrilled with back story and felt it hurt the movie overall.

6.5/10

Day 320: The Woman In Black

The Woman In Black

Back in black

It's rare that I watch a movie having absolutely zero knowledge of what is going to happen. Contrary to the belief that someone who has watched one horror movie a day for over three hundred days, I don't sit online watching trailers and researching everything horror. I like the genre, but I just don't hang out on horror forums and websites. Still, I usually have a general knowledge of what movie I am about to watch. I was almost completely in the dark for today's movie. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing doesn't matter, but it put me in an interesting spot as I had no idea what to expect.Today's review is a request by Rob. If you'd like to request a movie for me to review, send me an email at 365daysofhorror@gmail.com.

The Woman In Black is a 1989 British television horror movie based on the novel of the same name by Susan Hill. The movie stars Adrian Rawlins (multiple Harry Potter films) as Arthur Kidd. Arthur is a solicitor in London who is sent to the small coastal town on the east coast of England to attend the funeral of a widower named Alice Drablow. On the train to the town, Arthur meets Sam Toovey, a wealthy landowner who appears to be unsettled at the news of Arthur dealing with Mrs. Drablow's belongings. Arthur attends the funeral with a local solicitor when he notices a lone woman in black at the back of the church. After the ceremony, Arthur once again sees the mysterious woman among the gravestones. He travels to Mrs. Drablow's isolated home, Eel Marsh House, near the coast. As he walks around the home's graveyard, he sees the woman in black. She begins to walk toward him and Arthur flees to the house in terror. He inspects the house, coming across the death certificates of two people and pictures of a woman who looks suspiciously like the woman in black. He also listens to disturbing wax cylinders recorded by the late Mrs. Drablow. While walking on the path outside the home, Arthur hears the horrendous screams and crashing sounds, but cannot find any accident. After visiting Mr. Toovey in town, Arthur returns to the home with Mr. Toovey's dog, Spider. The strange occurrences continue, including strange sounds from upstairs in a room with a locked door. Arthur gets an ax to break it down, but discovers that the door is now open. The room was an old nursery and Arthur begins to hear the voice of a child. After doing some research, Arthur learns that Mrs. Drablow had a sister named Jennet who had a child. The boy was adopted by Mrs. Drablow and her husband, but Jennet took her son and both were killed in an accident on the trail outside the house. Is Jennet the woman in black and what does she want with Arthur?

Stop! She can't see you if you stand perfectly still.

As I said before, I had no idea what to expect from The Woman In Black. The story itself plays out like a mixture of Poe and Lovecraft's non-science fiction work. It's a slow-boil ghost story that trickles out clues throughout the entire film. The big factor that separates this movie from others is that it was created for British television and not for a wider audience. Being on television obviously cut down on the potential for violence and truly horrific scares, but the movie does have a few good jolts. They are old-school horror scares with strange sounds and phenomena. The woman in black is supremely unsettling to look at as she stands very still in the background, watching and waiting. The disembodied screams are also unpleasant, especially considering how loud they are. Be careful watching this at home because a neighbor may call the police on you.

As a boorish Yankee watching this, I did find it occasionally difficult to understand some of the regional words and phrases being used. A lot of the characters had the “stiff upper lip” attitude, which wore on me after a while. Again, boorish Yankee here. The movie is a tad long, especially considering the movie's slow pace and minimal action. The acting is very good as Adrian Rawlins manages to convey a true sense of terror even when he is alone in a scene. The end of the film may be controversial for some. I am still on the fence about it. On the one hand, it was a genuine surprise, but on the other it was too definite in it's scope. I think a little bit of ambiguity could have been scarier.

The forehead in pale

Sometimes it's good not knowing what to expect from a movie. I had no preconceived notions and allowed the movie to progress naturally. The Woman In Black has a good, traditional horror story that many literary fans will enjoy. If you're looking for lots of action and blood, this isn't for you. The movie does have a few genuine scares and plenty of unsettling moments. It's a little long and dry at certain points which slows down the overall horror. The acting is good and the atmosphere is appropriate. The movie is handicapped a bit by being made-for-television, but not to the point where the quality is cut off. While not a perfect horror story, The Woman In Black is still enjoyable.

7.5/10

Day 216: The Others

The Others

What, the lamp doesn't get top billing?

Can a movie still be entertaining when you know the surprise ending? People are connected now more than ever thanks to smartphones, lightning-fast internet, and social media. Nowadays, it's almost impossible not to have at least parts of movies spoiled for you by a status warning free of spoiler alerts or references in other media. I love going to the theater to watch a movie, but I hate going to the theater because of the people. For whatever reason, there are tons of people who think they're at home because they don't shut up. I have specific examples, like when I saw Gran Torino in the theater and the old bat behind me felt the need to croak “Larry had diarrhea last night!” right before the lights went down. When I saw the Star Trek remake, the woman in front of me kept laughing at inappropriate moments. Because going to theaters is so painful, I wait a few weeks to catch a movie, hoping the crowds have thinned. This wait is dangerous because a movie can be spoiled in that time. If a movie is good enough, does it matter if you know the ending?

The Others is 2001 horror movie starring Nicole Kidman (Far And Away, Cold Mountain) as Grace Stewart. Grace lives with her two small children, Anne and Nicholas, in a large, but remote country house island of Jersey in the 1940's. Three servants arrive at the house, Mrs. Bertha Mills (Fionnula Flanagan, Brotherhood, Lost), Mr. Tuttle (Edmund Sykes, Theatre of Blood, The Big Freeze), and a young mute girl named Lydia (Elaine Cassidy). Mrs. Mills is tasked with taking care of the children who suffer from photosensitivity and must remain in darkness at all times. Grace instructs Mrs. Mills and Lydia to close and lock all doors when leaving a room. After their arrival, strange events occur in the house such as bizarre noises and locked doors opening. Anne says it is the ghost of a boy named Victor and after scaring Nicholas, Grace forces Anne to read the Bible for three days. Anne draws a picture of a man, woman, Victor and an old woman, all of whom she claims to have seen in the house. Grace tries to hunt down the intruders, but finds no one. Convinced that something unholy is in the house, Grace asks Mr. Tuttle to search for a cemetery that may be on the grounds. When she leaves, Mr. Tuttle covers up a headstone with leaves. Grace goes to get the priest but on her way, she discovers her husband Charles (Christopher Eccleston, Gone in 60 Seconds, 28 Days Later) has returned from the war. He is distant and in shock from the war. The next day when Grace is preparing Anne's communion dress, she finds her daughter has been replaced by an old woman. She violently shakes and hits the old woman, only to discover that she has been hitting her daughter. Charles leaves soon after, apparently unable to acclimate to the life he once lived. Mrs. Mills, Mr. Tuttle, and Lydia have cryptic conversations about Grace, making ominous comments about the living and the dead. Who are the intruders and what do the servants want from Grace and her children?

Haunt this!

I'm not sure exactly when or where I heard about the surprise ending, but it has been years and I decided to watch the movie anyway. It's no longer a surprise thanks to countless parodies. Even the DVD box touts the surprise ending. Despite knowing how things were going to turn out, the movie is still very enjoyable. Writer/director Alejandro Amenabar crafts an atmosphere throughout the movie that is both scary and sad. There are some jolts and general scares, but the fear in the movie comes from the anticipation of the unknown. We know something is going to happen, it is just a matter of where, when, and how. The sets look great along with the style of clothing for the time period. The story itself is good with proper pacing. There are hints of foreshadow, but not as much as you'd expect for a movie with a big surprise ending. I give credit to Amenabar for being able to hold off on giving too many hints. Of course, that does put in to question his storytelling ability. Occasionally, the movie does put more emphasis on style than substance, wandering away from the meat of the story.

What makes the movie work is the performances of the actors. Nicole Kidman is great as Grace with her ability to be both strong and fragile. We believe that she is a normal mother trying to keep her family together and her faith intact. Fionnula Flanagan is very good as well. She is motherly and calm with the children, but in other scenes she portrays herself as having a hidden agenda. A certain look from her or the tone of her voice works wonders for setting the mood of the entire movie. The children are thankfully not unbearably annoying. Horror movies love to make kids either incredibly annoying or incredibly stupid. The Others managed to avoid this trap and just make the children “normal”. The movie is a bit slow in parts, taking it's time getting to the point. There are a few scenes of excitement, but to call them “action” wouldn't be correct. There is not blood or real violence to speak of as this movie is geared towards a much wider audience than what the hardcore horror fan is used to seeing.

This is her happy face. Or sad face. It's hard to tell.

Despite knowing the end of the movie, I still enjoyed The Others. The Others is a creative psychological horror movie with good direction and great acting. Nicole Kidman and Fionnula Flanagan make the movie work and Alejandro Amenabar creates a dark atmosphere. The story is good, but sometimes goes off course to favor film making over storytelling. There are a few creepy scenes, but there isn't much action to speak of. It is clever and creative with a good twist that is not ruined by earlier events in the movie. If you like psychological horror, you'll enjoy The Others.

7.5/10

Day 202: The Orphanage (El Orfanato)

The Orphanage (El Orfanato)

Get that orphanage some color, fast!

Orphanages don't really exist anymore at least not in the traditional sense. When we hear orphanage, we think of a Dickensian-era building, filled with dirty children just hoping to be adopted by a wealthy family. Nowadays, there are group homes, foster parents, and other ways of adopting children. Movies and television, though, still like to portray orphanages in the a more traditional way. This works in favor of horror movies because it has been ingrained in our minds that orphanages are scary places. It's also a good excuse to have scary children.

The Orphanage (also known as El Orfanato) is a Spanish horror movie starring Belen Rueda as Laura. Produced by Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth), the movie was written by Sergio G. Sanchez and directed by J.A. Bayona. Laura moves into the orphanage she grew up in along with her husband Carlos and adopted son Simon in hopes of helping out special needs children. While walking along the beach with his mother, Simon runs off into a cave and is seen speaking to someone who isn't there. He claims he is speaking to a boy named Tomas, but his mother dismisses this as just an imaginary friend. A social worker named Beninga Escobeda (Montserrat Carulla) arrives at the orphanage along with Simon's adoption file which says that Simon is HIV-positive. Angered at her intrusion, Laura kicks her out of the house. That night, Laura hears a sound outside, and finds Beninga in her shed, carrying a shovel. She escapes before Laura can stop her. The next day, Simon takes his mother on a scavenger hunt, supposedly done by his invisible friends. At the end of the game, he finds his adoption file and reveals to Laura that he knows he is adopted and and is going to die. During a children's party at the orphanage, Laura and Simon argue, causing Simon to hide. While searching for him, Laura is trapped in the bathroom by a boy in a mask with “Tomas” written on his clothes. She is freed by Carlos, but they are unable to find Simon. Six months go by with no clues as to Simon's whereabouts. Laura suddenly sees Beninga crossing the street. As she gets out to confront her, Beninga is hit and killed by a truck. It is revealed that Beninga used to work at the orphanage and has a deformed son named Tomas that she kept hidden beneath a sack mask. He was accidentally killed by the children when they stole his mask. Laura hears strange banging sounds in the house and other strange occurrences and contacts a medium to have a séance. The medium sees sick children in the house, but does not see Simon. Laura begins searching the orphanage, finding clues, leading to her shed where she discovers the bodies of the children who used to live at the orphanage. Laura recreates the original orphanage and hopes to contact the ghosts of the children so they can help her find Simon. Will it work or has Laura gone insane?

Gah! Kill it with fire!

The Orphanage was definitely not the movie I thought I was going to watch. I expected a movie somewhere along the lines of The Others or A Haunting In Connecticut. I thought this was going to be a scary ghost story where the orphanage was haunted by the souls of tortured children looking for revenge. That's not how the movie played out, but it was for the best. More emphasis is put on storytelling, character development, and solid acting than your typical ghost movie and it's hard to complain about something like that. The movie forgoes the usual scares and tricks which make it a better movie, but does make it less of a horror movie. There are scenes of general eeriness and the movie does leave the audience feeling uneasy, but it's due more towards the content of the story than any special effect or sound swell. This uneasiness reaches it's zenith with the movies incredibly depressing, but sort of happy ending. I liked it, but it was quite a bummer. There are plans to adapt this movie for an American audience and I don't expect that version to contain the same ending.

The movie is strong thanks to the great acting. Belen Rueda brings genuine emotion to her role as Laura causing the audience the share sympathy with her. The supporting cast compliments her well, but she is the true star. J.A. Bayona does a fine job directing with some good shots and an overall horror-style atmosphere that lead to some tense moments. The movie relies more on old-school atmospheric scares, which is a nice change of pace, but there should have been more. The story is good, but it had a few plot points that kind of bothered me. Unfortunately, I can't go into them or else I'd ruin the movie, but there were a few basic things that, in real life, would probably end the mystery a lot faster. Despite being a foreign movie, I never felt lost in any cultural differences, but did not feel catered to as an American viewer. That's far better than a foreign movie trying to be an American horror movie.

Knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door

The Orphanage is a good movie built around a good cast and film making. The story is decent, but did have a few flaws that stuck with me after the credits rolled. The movie lacked scares making it feel less like a traditional horror movie, but the focus is always more on the story than terrifying the audience. The sets look great and the scenery fits in well with the overall feel of the movie. You won't be terrified by The Orphanage, but you will be entertained.

7/10

Day 145: House On Haunted Hill

House on Haunted Hill

 

It's more of a slope than a hill

(Blogger's note: Ms. Meghan was kind enough to fill in for me today. I have seen both the original House on Haunted Hill and the remake. The original is infinitely better. This should be on everyone's must-see list if you're any type of horror fan.)

Hi everyone, it's Ms. Meghan here! Jordan asked me to write a post for him, and since I am a nice person, I agreed. So I decided to go OLD SCHOOL on you all and watch the original House on Haunted Hill starring Vincent Price.

 

"I love it when you threaten to kill me darling." 

The premise of the movie begins, like the best of movies, with an eccentric millionaire, Frederick Loren (Price) and his vivacious (4th) wife Annabelle (Carol Ohmart). Loren throws a party in a giant decrepit old house that may or may not be haunted by ghost of previous inhabitants that were gruesomely murdered. The attendees of the party have been promised $10,000 (which would be ~$78,000 by today's standards) if they stay the night and survive. The attendees are Lance Shroeder (Richard Long) a pilot, Dr. David Trent (Alan Marshal) a psychiatrist studying hysteria, Nora Manning (Carolyn Craig) a secretary for one of Mr. Loren's companies, Watson Pritchard (Elisha Cook Jr.) the owner of the house whose brother and sister-in-law were murdered in the house, and Ruth Bridgers (Julie Mitchum) a columnist. All of the attendees (with the exception of the Lorens) are strangers to each other, even Nora, who works for Mr. Loren's company but has never met him.

 

They just found out Chris Katan starred in the remake. 

The story gets tense as the night goes on, the partgoers are locked into the house by the elderly caretakers, with no electricity or way to get out until 8 am the next morning. The partygoers have all been spooked by a large chandelier falling and nearly killing Nora and later in the evening Lance disappearing and reappearing with a strange bump on his head and no memory of how it got there. Morbid Mr. Pritchard is definitely not helping, because he won't stop talking about the ghosts, and how they're going to claim one of the partygoers before the night is through. And poor Nora keeps getting spooked, but has no evidence to prove it, driving her more and more "hysterical". She seems primed to be "the one" the ghosts will claim, but it could be anyone!

 

"Enough with this ghost nonsense and get me a drink!" 

The effects are minimal and there's certainly no gore as this is 1959, however the scares are genuine, if few and far between. There's a scene with Nora that even impresses the legendary Tom Savini with its spookiness. This film was also best know for an effect the director used called "Emergo", where a skeleton was swung over the audience at the appropriate time*. I think this is kind of excellent and would love to watch this in a movie theater and have this effect used. 

 

Here's some Vincent Price, just because. 

I think this film does feel dated at times, but it definitely stands the test of time, I do wish I could have seen more of the Lorens bickering and being a ridiculous married couple, those scenes are especially good. I think this film is also appealing if you aren't really into modern horror that is constantly trying to outdo itself with gore and general awfulness. This film is definitely a classic and well worth checking out.

7/10

 *Thanks to the IMDB Trivia Page on the film for this info.

Day 109: Masters of Horror: Right To Die

Masters of Horror: Right To Die

Not a mummy movie

Creating stories “ripped from the headlines” seems like a pretty popular idea these days. CSI, Law and Order, and the million other crime and court shows love to do this. It gets people interested and, if we're being honest, it's easier than coming up with an original story. Creating a horror movie based off a real life events is a bit trickier, especially when the events are politically charged and divisive in nature. Could it at least be entertaining?

Masters of Horror: Right To Die stars Martin Donovan (Weeds, Saved!) as dentist Cliff Addison and Julia Benson as his wife Abby. On a deserted road, Cliff gets into a car accident and Abby is badly burned. In the hospital, Cliff is told that there is a procedure that will allow her to live, but she would not be able to take care of herself. He consults with his attorney, Ira, (Corbin Bernsen, Major League, L.A. Law) about her condition and is convinced to end her life. Cliff reveals that he had an affair with his dental assistant Trish and that Abby knew about it. Cliff hallucinates that he is having sex with Abby who then turns into her current burned form. Meanwhile, Abby briefly died in real life and Cliff appeared to have a strange burn mark on his skin. Abby's mother arrives at Cliff's house and tells him that she will not let him end Abby's life and that he will never get her money. While a public fight breaks out over the right to life and right to death, Cliff continues to have strange hallucinations involving Abby. Cliff eventually wins the decision to let Abby die within 48 hours. Ira goes to the hospital and thanks Abby for allowing him to win lots of money off her death. He walks into an MRI room and a mysterious force turns the machine on. The metal on his body starts to pull him apart when Abby's spirit appears and sets him on fire. Cliff puts out the fire and then publicly offers the money from the settlement to anyone who can provide skin for Abby's transplant. Will that be enough to save Abby and more importantly, save Cliff from Abby's spirit?

Snap into a Slim Jim

If it wasn't obvious, Right To Die relies heavily on the right to die case of Terri Schiavo. That heavily politicized incident still has ramifications today. If you type “Terri” into Google, her name is the first to come up. Does something so personal and political make for a fun horror movie? No, not really. It's one thing to have your horror movie “based on actual events” like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which is very loosely based on Ed Gein, it's another to have your movie literally based on actual events. It's kind of like having a horror movie based on the Trayvon Martin killing. Too soon, too political, and it's something that we do not to continuously relive. As for the actual movie, the way the story is told is a bit stunted as we only find out more of the story at the very end, thus negating most of our conceptions of the previous 50 minutes.

Another problem is that they make Cliff too likable. He cheated on his wife, got her into an accident, and can't decide if he wants to take her off life support. All of this and they still manage to not make him come off as a terrible person. This is supposed to be some sort of supernatural revenge movie and the audience is conflicted with cheering for Abby and cheering for him. The acting is decent enough throughout, with Corbin Bernsen putting in his typical Corbin Bernsen performance. If you've seen Major League or really anything else he's done, you know what I'm talking about. There are some decent horror scenes, violence, and nudity, so you'll have plenty to look at. The makeup on Abby is pretty realistic and the team involved should be commended for making her look so gross and beef jerky-like.

"I should have stayed with the Cleveland Indians!"

Making a horror movie out of a sad and divisive news story makes me feel all types of uncomfortable. Add that to a pretty boring story and you're not in for a good time. There's some action and horror, but nothing spectacular. The acting and directing are fine and there's enough nudity and sex to make you think twice before seeing this with young people. Overall, Right To Die is not a must-watch.

4/10