Thursday, October 29, 2015

Thursday Movie Picks: Ghost Movies


There was that one time when I came home and was the only person there. A rare occasion, to be sure. I dropped my keys on the dining room table on the way into the kitchen. I put a few groceries away, grabbed something to drink and walked back past the table fully intent on retrieving my keys to put them in their normal resting spot in a dresser drawer. The problem was they weren't there. They had vanished. Just like that. The only possible explanation was that there was a ghost in the house. Some supernatural spirit trapped within our realm snatched my keys, probably in hope that they would unlock the gates of Heaven. After fifteen minutes of vigorous looking and fearing for my life, since this obviously dangerous entity was out to get me, I found them. In my back pocket. Clearly, the menacing ghost was playing games with me by taking my keys and planting them there. Right?

If you haven't been able to figure it out, the point of that little intro was to clue us all in on the fact that not only is it time for another edition of Thursday Movie Picks, but that the topic is "Ghost Movies." It's a genre closely related to Haunted House Movies, which we covered last October. On that note, I'll try to steer clear of those ghosts who hang around one particular house. As usual, click the link if you're interested in joining this weekly party hosted by Wanderer at Wandering Through the Shelves. Now, here are my picks...


Ghostbusters
(1984)
Duh. I'm not going to bother wasting any energy typing out any sort of synopsis for this. I mean, it's Ghostbusters. See this before the remake comes out. Hell, see the second one while you're at it.


Candyman
(1992)
Oh, you didn't realize Candyman was a ghost. Well, he is. Don't feel like I need to say a whole lot about this one, but I'll give you something. Our titular ghost usually hangs around Chicago's Cabrini Green Housing Projects, but is most certainly mobile. He'll show up and kill anyone who is brave enough to look in a mirror and say his name five times. When a journalist investigating urban legends decides to do just that, all hell breaks loose. I went and saw this in a theater back in '92. Of course, the first thing my dumb ass did when I got home was go into the bathroom, stare at my own face in the mirror and say "Candyman" five times. To this day, I've no clue what the hell I would've done had he shown up.



Silent Hill
(2006)
Ok, so fewer of you might be familiar with this one. Rose is concerned about her daughter Sharon, for good reason. Sharon has been sleepwalking to dangerous places while repeating the name of the town Silent Hill. Rather than going to therapy or something safe, like that, Rose decides to throw Sharon in the car and take a ride to this place. She gets there after a very unconventional trip and while being pursued by a police officer. Rose gets knocked out after being involved in a wreck. When she wakes up, Sharon is gone. Rose and, reluctantly, the police officer, try to find the little girl. Just about everything they see is beyond weird including lots of ghosts and goblins. Now, this might not be saying much, but for my money, this is arguably the best ever movie based on a video game.


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26 comments:

  1. Ghostbusters.... can't go wrong with that. I also like Candyman.

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  2. I'm kicking myself for not remembering Candyman as a Ghost, because that movie really rattled me when I was a kid. I love it now. I love all three of these.

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    1. Candyman rattled lots of folks. Eventually, I'm going to do a post on how it bothered my son. Glad you still appreciate it.

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  3. Terrific story, I've gone on hunts like that only to have a similar result. My grandmother always said it was gremlins roaming about, not exactly the most comforting thing for a young kid to hear!

    Okay I'm sure I'm alone in this but I hated Ghostbusters (and that damn theme song and video were torture for months on end!!). I fell asleep in the theatre the first time I saw it and since everyone kept telling me how great it was I gave it another chance. I stayed awake that time, I just wish I hadn't! It's a perfect pick for the theme though.

    Candyman and Silent Hill are both titles I'm familiar with though I didn't realize either dealt with ghosts. Both the pictures you illustrated them with make me think they're not for me though.

    It turned out that once started on this weeks theme I came up with a bunch of titles that I couldn't decide between so I'm double dipping!

    The Woman in Black (2012)-A young lawyer, Daniel Radcliffe, still grieving over the loss of his wife is sent to a remote village by his firm to tie up the affairs of a recently deceased client. Upon his arrival he discovers that the manor is haunted by the specter of a woman dressed entirely in black. Good old fashioned spooky thriller.

    Undertow (2009)-In a poor Peruvian village Miguel, a married fisherman is living a double life. His wife is due to give birth any day while he conducts a secret affair with Santiago, a male artist who is considered an outsider within the close knit community. One day the artist disappears then reappears as an apparition only Miguel can see. Finally able to interact with Santiago free of the moral codes of the village he comes to terms with his true nature. Beautifully acted with an award level performance from Cristian Mercado in the lead.

    The Uninvited (1944)-Touring the Cornish coast on vacation a brother and sister buy an old seaside house finding the price too cheap to resist. Hearing unexplained sounds during the night it becomes obvious that there is a haunting afoot. The key to the mystery lies in the house’s unhappy history and with the previous owner’s daughter, living on her grandfather’s adjoining estate. Well-acted and effectively directed with moody cinematography giving the picture an ethereal haze. A huge hit upon release it made a star of leading lady Gail Russell until an alcoholic downward spiral resulted in her literally drinking herself to death at 36.

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  4. Dell you actually inspired my first choice here with one of your picks from last week.

    The Time of Their Lives (1946)-The most unique of Abbott & Costello’s films. During the Revolutionary War tinker Lou Costello and aristocrat Marjorie Reynolds are mistakenly branded traitors, killed and cursed to roam her estate until proven innocent. Jump ahead 170 years when the new owner, his fiancée, her wisecracking aunt, the delightful Binnie Barnes, and his shrink played by Bud Abbott, show up to spend the weekend at the mansion now overseen by Gale Sondergaard, doing a fun riff on Rebecca’s Mrs. Danvers. Realizing the joint is haunted they perform a séance calling forth the ghosts and setting out to retrieve a letter from George Washington that would prove their innocence. Complications ensue. The pair share hardly any screen time due to the demands of the script and apparently behind the scenes tensions. It all works to the film's advantage since it gives a freshness to their material.

    Between Two Worlds (1944)-During the London Blitz a down on his luck pianist and his wife make a suicide pact. Suddenly they find themselves on a fog shrouded ship headed to an unknown destination. Soon the wife recognizes the ship’s other passengers, having seen them killed earlier during an air raid, and realizes they’re journeying to their final judgements. Morality tale has supernatural underpinnings with an evocative score and stars a veritable who’s who of Warner’s stock company in the 40’s including Eleanor Parker, John Garfield, Sydney Greenstreet and Edmund Gwenn.

    A Christmas Carol (1984)-On Christmas Eve penny pinching miser Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three spirits offering him a chance at his reclamation. Classic Dickens tale gets one of its best interpretations with George C. Scott a perfect Scrooge surrounded by a near perfect cast. Presented as a TV event in the States this was released theatrically overseas and it is feature film quality in every detail.

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    1. No love for Ghostbusters or Ray Parker Jr? Say it ain't so, Joel.

      On that note, I hated Woman in Black. Couldn't get into it at all.

      I'm pretty sure I've seen the Abbott and Costello flick, but can't say for sure. When I was a kid their movies used to play every Sunday morning and I watched religiously. Just don't remember the details you laid out.

      I do love the '84 version of A Christmas Carol. George C. Scott was magnificent. Sidenote: in the days leading up to it airing on CBS, my English class did a read through of the script. I got to play Scrooge. Crushed it. At least by my recollection.

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    2. Yes every Sunday morning it was a cavalcade of Abbott & Costello, Blondie and of course Shirley Temple theatre!! Watched them all, loved them all at the time, now some of them still work for me others...not so much.

      That's so cool about Christmas Carol. Kudos to your teacher for using the tie in. I think I've seen all the version of the story and this one is by far my favorite. No one is a better Scrooge than George C. Scott and even though her part was small I thought Susannah York was a wonderfully thorny Mrs. Cratchit.

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  5. Ghostbusters truly needs no introduction. Love it and its sequel. I've never seen Candyman, but Tony Todd just has the best creepy voice this side of Vincent Price, doesn't he? The imagery of Silent Hill is kind of amazing - it's a wonder to look at and Radha Mitchell is great in the lead, plus Alice Krige (The Borg!) as the main antagonist. But I'm not entirely sure the story hangs together. Parts of it feel a lot like Tarsem's The Cell - striking to look at but either empty or stupid. I can't decide whether or not I actually like it.

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    1. Valid points about Silent Hill. It's visually marvelous, but narratively lacking. The Cell is a great comparison.

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  6. Love Ghostbusters! I still recall how much i laughed when i saw the Staypuff marshmellow man. I have not seen the other 2 and probably won't just from the pictures you show here

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    1. Yay! More love for Ghostbusters! Understand not wanting to see the others.

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  7. Candyman is so underrated. This is a film that I wish more people knew--the imagery from it is great and of course Tony Todd is the essence of terrifying. As for Ghostbusters, there's nothing I can say that hasn't already been said. It might be the perfect '80s movie.

    My favorite ghost movie? The Devil's Backbone, hands down. It has everything I want in a spook story. The Orphange comes in just behind it.

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    1. Haven't seen The Devil's Backbone, but I love The Orphanage. Yes to everything you said about Candyman and Ghostbusters.

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  8. LOL, Silent Hill is so...creepy...and those sets are great.

    It's still a pretty awful movie though :-P

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    1. Silent Hill is definitely creepy. Sure, the story sucks, those visuals. Yes.

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  9. YES GHOSTBUSTERS! Love it. I haven't seen Candy Man or Silent Hill - too much of a scaredy-cat.

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    1. Who ya gonna call? On that note, there are a lot of strange things in the Silent Hill neighborhood.

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  10. These are all solid picks. Did you know that Silent Hill is based on a real town in PA (near where I live)? It's a wild story, even if there's zero ghostiness about it.

    I tried the Candy man thing in a school bathroom. What a dumbass.

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    1. Had no idea about Silent Hill. That is very cool, if not ghostly.

      Yeah, I think we all tried the Candyman thing. It's amazing we all didn't get a hook through the back.

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  11. I'd say great picks but I haven't seen any of these (ghost movies are really not my thing), but I think I'll give Ghostbusters a try, everyone says it's great.

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    1. Yes, please see Ghostbusters. It's definitely a comedy, not a horror, if that helps.

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  12. Silent Hill is an interesting pick. It was far better than I thought it would be; a really great atmosphere throughout that film. The others are true classics - I love them both, particularly Ghostbusters which was a childhood favourite.

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    1. SH is all about atmosphere. Glad to see more love for that one.

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  13. I've seen all your picks this week; which is rare.
    Candyman. There were sequels too wasn't there? I might have seen them too. I don't remember much, was a kid when I saw it, just that it was scary.
    Silent Hill is so creepy. I haven't played the video game, I think it might just be too scary for me.

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