Never is a season more apt than this for walking hand in hand with the dead. As evening draws close and dying light plays upon withered leaf and branch, we are able, for but a breath, to peer into the realms after and see there those that are looking back.
Those of you that are not feeling too ‘drained’ from the previous post might like to lay your eyes to rest upon some of the spine-chilling films below.
Actually, some of these are not all that chilling. They are good ghost films, though. Personally, I like a lot of the black and white ghost flicks just because of the atmosphere they convey. I’ve included a couple of ghost films from Asia for the same reason. I know some people feel subtitles ruin the atmosphere, but if the story is done well I don’t think it matters.
As I said before, the following list is not looking for the very best of the best, but I’m sure some on here would get a mention. Pretty much everyone has heard of “Ringu” and “Ju-on” even if it is just their Hollywood makeovers. I don’t personally rate their ghostly remakes, so that’s why they’re not on this list. I should add that I didn’t include “Ringu” simply because it is one of the most well-known films out there. I thought it was great, but it’s not something I come back to often.
I was going to add “The Orphanage” (El orfanato) to this list in place of “Candyman”. It is a great movie that I liked, but it is borderline whether you can consider it ‘horror’. It is more of a ‘haunting drama’. Still, it’s well worth a look.
There is no “Insidious” or “Paranormal Activity” for very obvious reasons. I did toy with “Amityville” and associated films like “The Conjuring”, but some of these films entities are just demons masquerading as ghosts. I’m not interested in pale imitations… they can take their sheets elsewhere!
Also, #9 is not a movie. It’s the original Danish TV series by Lars von Trier. There are two series, but although the trailer suggests both it is only a trailer for series one. For those of you that have seen Stephen King’s remake… this is better. Watch it and see.
Again, these are not in order of preference, and it would be hard for me to choose between some of them. These are flicks that have influenced me over the years and that I come back to whenever I’m with like-minded friends.
So… sit back, grab a spirit of your choice, and… huh? You’ve stopped reading, haven’t you? Admit it. You don’t want the soulless humour…
Alright… I’m going!
The Others
“Don’t trouble yourself, ma’am. Tuberculosis finished us off, more than half a century ago.”
The Uninvited
“They call them the haunted shores, these stretches of Devonshire and Cornwall and Ireland which rear up against the westward ocean. Mists gather here… and sea fog… and eerie stories…”
The Haunting
“Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there… walked alone.”
The Shining
“Redrum. Redrum. Redrum!”
Poltergeist
“I got beat up once by three kids. They took my lunch money. Maybe they got hit by a truck, and they’re upstairs right now.”
Tale of Two Sisters (장화, 홍련)
“Do know what’s really scary? You want to forget something. Totally wipe it off your mind. But you never can. It can’t go away, you see. And… and it follows you around like a ghost.”
Ju-on (呪怨)
“Ju-on: the curse of one who dies in the grip of powerful rage. It gathers and takes effect in the places that person was alive. Those who encounter it die, and a new curse is born.”
Flatliners
“Everything matters, everything we do matters.”
The Kingdom (Riget)
“No living persons know it yet, but the gateway to the Kingdom is opening once again.”
The Sixth Sense
“You ever feel the prickly things on the back of your neck?”
Candyman
“Your death will be a tale to frighten children, to make lovers cling closer in their rapture. Come with me, and be immortal.”
The Woman in Black
“I believe the most rational mind can play tricks in the dark.”
Wishing Stairs (여고괴담3)
“Fox, fox, please, grant my wish… Let us be together… Always.”
