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These are not my favorite movies and some of them aren't even horror movies, but they get a mention because they have all have one exceptionally creepy character:
The Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
Barnaby Barnacle from Babes in Toyland (1986)- Yes, I know it's only Harry from Empty Nest, but still!
Reverend Henry Kane in Poltergeist II (1986)
This is something I've been wanting to post about for a long time. I have a serious weakness for horror films, and I can really watch any scary movie (even stupid Hollywood crap) and be entertained, but I have a very strict formula for the perfect horror movie:
1. Must be a ghost story. Zombies, vampires, werewolves, mummies, etc. do not scare me. Could also be something witchy or Satan-y but has to be really well-done in order to pass.
2. Ghost story must be sad (for example, the death of a child) and inspire sympathy for the ghost
3. Heavy on creepy, light on gore
4. Extra points for hidden rooms, secret doors and passageways. etc.
5. Beautiful cinematography
(More rules to come, as I think of them. I know there are more!)
This will be an on-going list. I will keep adding movies as I think of them. Here's the list so far (in chronological order):
1. Faust (1926)
2. The Innocents (1961)
3. The Exorcist (1973)
4. Burnt Offerings (1976)
5. The Changeling (1980)*
6. Ghost Story (1981)
7. The Devil's Backbone (2001)
8. The Orphanage (2007)
There are more that I can't think of right now and I have to consult with Dave on some- for example, did we like Don't Look Now (1973)? All I remember is that there was a long naked love scene between Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie that I did not appreciate. I also can't remember if it was the orginal version of The Haunting (1963) or the original House on Haunted Hill (1959) that I really liked, or both.
I was going to include The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and Nosferatu (1922) because they are classics, but they don't really fit the criteria and don't really scare me. However, I did include Faust because the hat-tipping scene really creeps me out.
*Even though I always imagine George C. Scott as General "Buck" Turgidson no matter what he's in.
Alright, I can't do a horror movie post without a picture of Grinny McGrinnerson:
(shudder)
You Grow Girl by Gayla Trail has been on my list of books to read for a while now, but I finally got around to reading it yesterday. I finished the book, but couldn't get enough of it, so now I'm exploring the forums on the You Grow Girl website. I found a really great list of themes for themed gardens here and a link to another list here. I was already exciting about shopping for things to plant in the fall, but now I'm trying to think of a theme that will revolve around the snowdrops that I'm ordering tonight.
I was thinking of a theme sort of inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen" (or maybe The White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia?). Lots of white, early-blooming flowers peeking up through the snow.
In my fantasy world where I have several acres of land, there would be a path leading through a forest to a small clearing, and that's where my snow garden would be. Of course, there would be elaborate Edward Scissorhands-style ice sculptures, vintage crystal cake stands used as bird feeders, an icy pond, glass bell jars/cloches, antique chandelier crystals hanging on the trees, garlands of glass icicles.
But since all of that is kind of impossible and would probably look really strange in my backyard, I'll have to think of more realistic ideas!
More to come...I'm really having fun looking through all these seed catalogs online!
