Social Theory and The Haunted House

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HauntedHouseSociologyOnce upon a time, I graduated college with a degree in sociology. But they weren’t hiring at the sociology factory, so I decided to write about Haunted Houses instead. But this is okay, because a haunted house writer earns about as a much a manufacturer of social thought  – zilch!   But hey – at least I found a similarity between the two “fields” – gotta give me credit for that!  And I have more of that “credit” coming, because I have discovered ways that I can draw on my knowledge of sociology to help me in my study of haunted house films and literature.  It would be selfish to keep this enlightening information to myself, so I am going to share it with you. Get ready while I reconstruct social theory so that it applies to the organization of the haunted house!

Haunted-houseSOC

When it comes to haunted house lore, I have always been interested in the houses that serve a higher purpose than to act as a meeting place for a collection of ghosts. I like it when the house itself has a conscious.  This occurs when somewhere within the walls there exists a force with a will of its own.  The source of this “will” is often vague and mysterious, which leaves readers and viewers to attribute this will to the house itself.  I also like it when, for one reason or another, the house is imbued with the ability to act as conductor of supernatural energy.  Under these circumstances, a house can create the ghosts, or at least hold the ghosts at bay due to its magnetic properties.   Or how about a house with a personality?  A house that’s mean; vindictive – a house that wants to kill you!

There are other haunted house stories that focus mostly on the ghosts that haunt the house. The house is but their stage; a platform that enables these specters to show off their ghostly antics.  This “stage” can provide the prefect atmosphere for their performance if the lighting is gloomy enough, if the props and furnishings give the surroundings the right touch of “haunt”.  But in the end, all this is background for the ghostly performers. If the house is to be a character, it is a supporting character at best; supporting the shining stars of ethereal light.

Now, doesn’t this comparison remind you the various theories regarding the structure of society? You are saying “no.” Oh.  Well then, maybe I should explain this matter a little bit better.

DurkheimEmile Durkheim is considered to be the “father of sociology”. His contributions to this field are huge.  He developed the concept of “social facts”.   Simplistically speaking, these are forces within a society with a scope that is beyond that of the individual.   These social facts, according to Durkheim, are the best predictors and/or facilitators  of other social facts, or social phenomena.   The rituals of a family (i.e. prayers/no prayers at the dinner table) influence the children’s religiosity or lack thereof.   Poverty might be an indicator of crime.  You get the idea.

What’s relevant here is that the role of the individual is downplayed. This is not to say that Durkheim thought of people as mindless automatons enslaved to tradition. He acknowledged that people influence culture and society with their beliefs and behaviors, but when this happens, something else is happening as well.  Here’s a quote from The Internet Encyclopedia on Philosophy  that better illustrates these ideas:

Chief among his claims is that society is a sui generis reality, or a reality unique to itself and irreducible to its composing parts. It is created when individual consciences interact and fuse together to create a synthetic reality that is completely new and greater than the sum of its parts. This reality can only be understood in sociological terms, and cannot be reduced to biological or psychological explanations

Thus, according to Durkheim, society  is an entity in and of itself.

Not all social philosophers thought like Durkheim. There are those that believed that society only comes into being on account of the competing interests of the multitudes of individuals. Society arises as a result of the need for people to get along, to establish rules and laws that allow people to maximize their self-interest without trampling on the rights of others.  From this point of view, society comes second and does not exist independently of the individuals.  This perspective is associated with Utilitarianism

JohnStuartMillHere is what Social Theorist John Stuart Mill has to say about this:

The laws of the phenomena of society are, and can be, nothing but the laws of the actions and passions of human beings united together in the social state. Men, however, in a state of society are still men; their actions and passions are obedient to the laws of individual human nature. Men are not, when brought together, converted into another kind of substance. (System of Logic – Book VI, chap. VII, sect. 1)

For Mill, Individual consciences do not, as Durkheim postulates, fuse together. By nature, individuals are individuals and nothing more.

HauntedHouseSoc2

Now, back to haunted houses, applying the theories of Durkheim. Sort of.  Any professional sociologists reading this are probably laughing their asses off at me for this sophomoric comparison. Ah but what the hell – here I go.  I like haunted houses that exist as an entity, that are greater than the sum of its ghosts.  Or maybe, the ghosts “fuse together to a create a (haunting) reality that is completely new.”  A house of this kind is not haunted because it has ghosts. Rather, this type of house is haunted because it harbors memories that can produce ghosts. It is haunted because it creates energy that leads to supernatural phenomena.  It his haunted because of its very nature.  It’s not a house haunted by ghosts – it’s a haunted house!  See the difference?

Stephen King’s “The Shining” is a prime example of such a house. Okay, it’s a hotel not a house, but the example is still a good one. The Overlook Hotel is haunted because is “shines.”   In the movie by Stanley Kubrick, Dick Hallorann explains to little Danny about “the shining; ” – an extra sensory perception that allows one to read minds, witness residual spirits, etc.  Houses too, he tells him, can have “the shining.”  According to the book, The Overlook Hotel has a goal: to utilize the psychic energy of Danny so that it may trap him and his family inside its conscious forever.  Throughout the book The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, there are hints that “Hill House” is sentient.  It attempts to possess one Eleanor Vance.   There are loud pounding noises and other haunting disturbances,  but these occurrences are not really attributed to ghosts. They are only attributed to the house itself.   Then there’s the house in Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco.  The huge but old and decrepit house in this story rejuvenates when it steals the life force of its occupants.

Okay, now what of the haunted houses of John Stuart Mill? Maybe the house in William Castle’s film Thirteen Ghosts qualifies. The ghosts have been captured and stored in this house. They didn’t even originate there. Sure they materialize now and then to scare the family that lives with them, but it isn’t the house that is causing the haunting. It’s the spirits.  Then there’s the film Paranormal Activity.  Their apartment is haunted by a demon.  This demon latches on to others and travels to their homes, at least according to the sequels. It is not housebound. In the film Evil Dead 2, demons haunt a cabin. They are there on account of a spell read from a book.  They sure have a fun time with the cabin.  Besides possessing the occupants, they inhabit the furniture as well.  They cause a mounted deer head to laugh.  The house (or cabin) is a giant toy box for the demons.  In all these cases, the primary units of the haunting are the ghosts and demons. The house is an afterthought.

Don’t get me wrong. These are good films.  Just because I like the “house as an entity” concept doesn’t mean that the “house as a background” theme lacks quality.  This is just a style preference.

Then there is the book Hell House by Richard Matheson and its corresponding film The Legend of Hell House.  They way I see it the house in this story utilizes both themes.  Hell House is said to store supernatural energy, acting as “a battery” if you will that can charge up some ghostly phenomena. At the same time, “surviving personalities” haunt the house and communicate extensively with some the house’s visitors.

There are other haunted houses that I’m not sure how to categorize. For example, there’s the Amityville House.  In the film Amityville Horror, there’s the line in the beginning of the film uttered by George Lutz about how “houses don’t have memories.”  Of course this is foreshadowing because horrific things had happened at the house and they will again.  However, even though the house is personified, it’s mostly demons that cause the terror. Then again, the house is said to have been built on cursed land.  Hmm…which is it?

Perhaps there are hybrid stories out there. If so, maybe there can be some kind of scale to measure how much a particular story is “haunted house” tale and how much of it is a tale of “ghosts/demons inside a house.”

For instance:

  • Hell House – 50% house, 50% ghosts
  • Amityville House = 70 % house, 30% ghosts/demons
  • Poltergeist = 80% ghosts, 20% house.
  • The Fall of the House of Usher = 100% house
  • Evil Dead = 100% demons.

Of course, these percentages are just made up math from my mind. But maybe,  just maybe, I have developed a quantitative way to analyze haunted house fiction.  Maybe my method will be developed further and be in literary textbooks!  Maybe this sociology major and haunted house connoisseur has finally found a way to use his training for betterment of humanity.

Maybe….I should come out of my cloud. Yeah I should do that.  Sorry!  And a special sorry to two guys, my old pals  Durkheim and Mill. I have summonsed your ghosts and thrown them into my haunted house analysis.  (I think they are pissed about this.)    By haunting the essay with their ghosts, was I invoking the ideas of Durkheim or Mill?  Maybe Mill, because the essay didn’t produce the ghosts; I went and stole them.  Or maybe it’s Durkheim;  because the subject of this essay is haunted houses. As such, the essay in and of itself is bound to conjure up some ghosts.  I’ll let the readers decide.

Revisiting Hell House (and “The Legend” thereof)

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hellhouseBookIt was several months ago that I looked around inside Hell House  through the eyes of director John Hough’s cameramen. I watched The Legend of Hell House and I found the experience engrossingly chilling.  But there was much left to be desired. I decided to go deeper.  I bought and read the novel: Hell House  by Richard Matheson.  The book was like a descending staircase; each page was a stair. Step by step, I went down into the depths of the plot and unearthed the complexity of the characters. I arrived at a place the movie couldn’t or wouldn’t take me.   Upon finishing the novel, I watched the film again.  Did I enjoy it more, less or the same? Let’s find out.  But first, an overview of the plot as per the novel.

A rich, old, dying man is willing to pay big money to a team of scientists and psychics if they could prove, once and for all, if there is life after death – or not. I don’t know how one can prove a negative, but let’s not worry about this logical flaw. They have one week to conduct their study. Their “laboratory” is to be “Hell House”, which is described as “The Mt. Everest of Haunted Houses” (This line is from the movie. Is it also in the book? Gosh, I don’t remember!)

The team includes Dr. Lionel Barret, a physicist who dabbles in parapsychology, his wife/assistant Edith, psychic and “mental” medium Florence Tanner, and Ben Fischer, “physical” medium and sole survivor of a “Hell House” expedition that took place years ago. I’ll explain more about the “mental” vs. “physical” mediums later.

HellHouse4

 

 

The history Hell House is one of drunkenness, orgies, murder, and on and on – you get the idea. At the helm of all this debauchery was Emeric Belasco. When the years of partying finally came to a close, all of the inhabitants of Hell House were dead. However, the body of Emeric was never found.

 

The four-person investigative team – all of them have experienced supernatural phenomena in the past. So when the house starts to act up, none are surprised or overwhelmed with great fright. Not at first anyway. But there is no disagreement – the house is definitely haunted.  However, as to the question concerning the source of this haunting, there is bitter debate.

 

Dr Barret is a man of science. He theorizes that the human body emits EMR – electromagnetic radiation. This is “psychic” energy – energy created by thoughts and emotions. Due to the rather extreme nature of the house’s former inhabitants, a powerful energy field has remained in the house. Certain people that are sensitive to psychic phenomenon can then tap this energy. These would mediums such Florence Tanner and Ben Fischer.

 

Here’s a quote from the book. Dr. Lionel Barret is speaking:

 

Is it any wonder, then, that Hell House is the way it is? Consider the years of violently emotional, destructive – evil, if you will – radiations which have impregnated its interior. Consider the veritable storehouse of noxious power this house became.

 

Hell House is, in essence, a giant battery, the toxic power of which must, inevitably, be tapped by those who enter it, either intentionally or involuntarily.

 

While at Hell House, the team experiences many disturbances, including phenomena that is usually attributed to a poltergeist (tables are upturned, dishes go flying, etc.) Barret insists this is on account of Florence Tanner. She is projecting, perhaps unwittingly, her psychic abilities onto the environment. He does not believe in what he terms “surviving personalities”.  In other words, there are no such things as ghosts. So he thinks.

 

Florence vehemently disagrees and is offended that the doctor is blaming her for the disturbances. Not only does she believe that spirits haunt the house, but she is also convinced that one spirit in particular is trying to communicate with her -Daniel Belasco; the son of the evil and manipulative Emeric.

Is the house really haunted by spirits or is there only one field of energy through which all of the supernatural events occur? Are they both correct or are they both wrong?

 

I won’t answer these questions but I would like to use this opportunity to point out how this book touches on a certain theme within haunted house lore that really fascinates me, and does so extremely well. It has to due with the nature of haunted houses.

 

There exists this dichotomy

 

  • A house is haunted because it has ghosts; the spiritual remains of the deceased. Since the ghosts exist, they have to be someplace, so they might as well shack up at a house. But they could be anywhere – a forest, a bus, etc. But when they’re in a house, the house is haunted. Remove them, and the house is no longer haunted. Case closed.

 

 

  •  A house is haunted in and of itself. The haunting is inherent. There may or may not be ghosts. The house itself is in some way causing the paranormal phenomenon.

 

Some haunted house novels are all about the first scenario while others delve more into the second setup. Hell House presents both and lures its readers on a mysterious journey as they wonder which situation best describes the haunting of Hell House.

*********************

HellHouse3

 

So what of the film?

 

I’d say maybe I enjoyed it a bit more the second time around, but this is because I had a better understanding of the story, thanks to the book. Whereas I did see the ideological conflict between Dr. Barret and Florence Tanner on first viewing, it was less obvious and more confusing. While I knew Dr. Barret was a believer in the paranormal (he witnessed the formation of ectoplasm for Christ’s sake!), I didn’t understand his specific viewpoints as they related to the field of science until the near end of the movie.  Also, the book cleared up the differences between a “mental” and “physical” medium. (See readers, I told you I’d get around to explaining this. You thought I’d forgotten!)  Florence Tanner is a mental medium. She can feel the presence of evil. She can understand the thoughts and emotions of spirits (or maybe the thoughts and emotions that were left behind). However, she is surprised when physical objects move after her sittings (when she goes into a spiritual trance).  This shouldn’t happen because that kind of disturbance should only occur with “physical” mediums.

The film fails at explaining the finer points of the plot. And the ending is very abrupt and awkward. The book does a much better job of summarizing the final events and solving the mystery of Hell House. In order to enjoy the film, just forget about nitty-gritty details of the story and just absorb the haunted house atmosphere. Look at it from a more simplistic point of view and think of it only as a story about four people who are trying to survive a stay at a haunted house and leave it at that.  From a visual perspective, including all the props, decorations, furnishings, the film succeeded in creating an eerie, gothic-style haunting.

Now about my original review of the movie –

I wasted too much time comparing The Legend of Hell House to The Haunting.  Admittedly, they are similar in some ways but they each have their own identity. I like The Haunting better than The Legend of Hell House but this should be a “never mind.” I saw both films early on in my Haunted House project, viewing The Haunting before The Legend of Hell House.  Perhaps I was too attached to The Haunting. I treated it as my “first love” and would compare my next relationships to my first haunting embrace.  That is a “no-no” in the world of dating and love, so I guess it should be off limits for enjoying haunted house films as well.

 

What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review of House on the Borderland

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House on the Borderland Graphic NovelAre you ready for some “cosmic horror?” Get ready to confront the insignificance of humanity when compared to the mysteries of the infinite cosmos. Get ready to encounter horrendous creatures with great power and strength to match their unworldly ugliness.   Get ready to confront any fears that you might have of things that originate from the great unknown!

H.P. Lovecraft is said to have coined the term “cosmic horror”  and defined themes that were mentioned in the previous paragraph. Those aforementioned attributes describe Lovecraft’s work to the tee. However, Lovecraft originally used “cosmic horror” to describe the work of an earlier author.  This author is William Hope Hodgson. The novel is House on the Borderland. 

It goes without saying that Hodgson and The House on the Borderland influenced Lovecraft a great deal. In fact, Hodgson’s influence went beyond one man’s fancy to inspire a new movement in horror literature.

From Wikipedia:

“The book was a milestone that signalled a radical departure from the typical Gothic fiction of the late 19th century. Hodgson created a newer more realistic/scientific cosmic horror that left a marked impression on those who would become the great writers of the weird tales of the middle of the 20th century, particularly Clark Ashton Smith, and H. P. Lovecraft.[3]”

 

Okay readers, remember when I wrote about the haunted houses of Lovecraft? You don’t?  Well – here are the links for ya!

I am referring back to these posts because what I have written in those articles ties into this one. The key take away is that though Lovecraft wrote of haunted houses, he did not fill them with your average gothic ghosts. Likewise with Hodgson – Lovecraft’s mentor.

Yet, many tropes of the gothic tradition can be found in House on the Borderland. For instance, there is a gigantic castle-like house with multiple floors, a cellar with a mysterious trap door, a man who lives alone in the house with the exception of his elder sister and his dog; a man who is a recluse and likes to occupy his time reading in the study. However, the house is not haunted by the spirits. For the most part, there are no ghosts, with one possible exception. The narrator meets his former lover on a couple occasions. Presumably she had passed away. But yet, their meeting does not occur within the house on a dark and stormy night.  Her spirit does not traipse the hallways or frighten him out of his sleep with groans and moans.  Their meeting occurs when the narrator crosses over into another dimension,  a dimension which he calls “The Sea of Sleep”.  She hovers over the waters as the two struggle to communicate.  Otherworldly dimensions are a common theme in this book.  This story is as much an exploration of fantasy and science fiction as it is horror, maybe even more so.  However, the fantastic and horrific events are centered inside a house.

The book begins with two men who take a trip to the countryside of Ireland for some camping and fishing. While on their leisurely expedition, they stumble onto a large house that sits on the edge of a cliff.  They venture inside to find the place abandoned, save for a manuscript.  The manuscript gives the account of a recluse, the aforementioned narrator. A bizarre account it is! Makes me wonder if this narrator had tabs of LSD sprinkled inside his shrooms.

 

The narrator writes in the first person, describing how a gigantic pit HOuse on the borderland swinesuddenly develops in front of his house. The pit produces swine-like creatures that attack the house, forcing the narrator to barricade the doors and windows.  From the top of a tower, with his shotgun, he picks them off one by one.  Later on, while in his study, he gazes out his window only to have a rather strange session in stargazing.  The speed at which the celestial bodies traverse across the sky increases with each rotation. Day and night are soon seconds away from each. In a matter of hours he experiences eons. He witnessed the destruction of the sun.  But he is introduced to a green sun; a fiery jade that perhaps is the sun of all suns; the sun at the center of all universes.

House_on_the_Borderland black sun

Not your average haunted house story, eh? It’s quite a read, although the overuse of commas is burdensome.  Maybe it’s the times; perhaps I am just not used to so many of these phrase separators. Maybe commas are sparse in today’s literature because the limited resources of such punctuation marks were unnecessarily drained back in 1908 when the book was first published. A hypothetical example, of such overuse, just so you might understand, could be, in fact, this very sentence that you are reading, at present time.  Punctuation style notwithstanding, it is a very intriguing book.

 

So what kind of metaphor would best describe the difference between gothic and cosmic horror? Maybe it’s like the difference between classical and jazz music, where gothic = classical and jazz = cosmic.  Hmmm…..nah!  Jazz is an exercise in testing the limits of a given structure and I don’t think that is what cosmic horror is attempting to do.  How about prog rock vs. punk rock? (gothic = prog/cosmic = punk). Again, nah! Punk is an exercise  in simplicity and getting back to the basics. The cosmic genre is not that either.

I know – how bout I stop with this literature vs. music comparison? How about I cease this fruitless delineation altogether?  Even better!  Goth is goth and cosmic is cosmic.  And that is that.

   

Review of The Others

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The Others

If I were to make a list of my ten favorite haunted house films, I would say that The Others would make the top five.  I first fell in love with the film a decade ago. I re-watched it the other night to see if the sentiments were the same. On second viewing, I liked it even more.

It is a period piece, set during World War 2 on British island off the coast of France. The film takes place at a creepy manor that sits within acres of fog-filled foliage.  It utilizes gothic themes artfully. Thankfully, the film substitutes shock and gore for suspense and mystery. The story itself is absorbing from beginning to end.

The film brilliantly sets up a haunting environment when the lady of the house Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman)  introduces three new servants to her home.  She has a peculiar set of instructions. The house has many rooms, all of which have lockable doors. No door must ever be left open! When entering a room, the door must immediately be shut and locked. That way, the light of one room will not escape into the other. Why is this an issue?  Grace’s two children are photosensitive; allergic to light. Therefore, all the windows are covered with drapes to prevent any invading sunlight.  The servants are shown a grand piano and they are told that never must the children play with it. Grace suffers from migraines and so noise is kept to a minimum. There are no phones, no radios. In fact, the house had no electricity.

the-others-nicole-kidman-scaredSo – you have a large, isolated house on a remote section of an island that is surrounded by gardens and fog; a house that is kept gloomily dark and eerily silent without any devices to connect its occupants with the outside world.  What else could there be to make the situation anymore creepier?  How about a religious zealot of a mother that tells her children stories about little boys and girls that go to Limbo after they die, which is at the center of the earth where there is fire, and they live there in pain forever and ever – all because they told lies.

But wait, there’s more.  Remember earlier how I said that doors inside the house must remain shut and that the windows must stay covered and that the piano must not be played?  Well, these things never remain closed, covered and unused.  Who is opening door, uncovering the windows and playing the piano, ghosts?  Perhaps. One of the servants has an explanation for this:

Sometimes the world of the living gets mixed up with the world of the dead.

 

A mighty strange trio these servants are!

the-others - Servants

 

There’s Mrs. Mills the nanny,  Mr. Tuttle the gardener and Lydia the mute maid.  They know things that others do not.

 

This film brilliantly adds its own unique twists to the scenarios it borrows from the gothic tradition. To explain how it does this would be giving too much away. I won’t do this. This is one of those films gets better and better as the mystery unravels.   However, I will point out one scene in particular that perhaps is forgotten after the film is over but ought not to be (The scene stuck with me only after the second viewing).  At one point, Grace is convinced there are intruders hiding in the house, disturbing the dark and quiet environment. She has the children hide away from the the-others-Windowslight while she and the three servants search the house. They open all the curtains to bring the dark corners to light.  The sunlight beams through the windows one by one.  Different shots of the house’s interior literally “come to light”;  a long hallway, a room with a clothed table sporting an oil lamp, a den with a fireplace, walls with tapestries and murals. All of these things are common décor in haunted house movies, but in The Others, it is the light that brings out the creepiness within them, not the dark.

What more is there to say? It’s a great film. It’s refreshing that a film of such classical scares was made on this side of millennium, just squeaking in at year 2001.  Makes a guy hopeful for the future!

 

Review of A God of Hungry Walls

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GodOfHungryWallsIf you’re looking for a haunted house novel that strays from tropes and formula, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re looking for a unique style, settle on in, author Garrett Cook’s A God of Hungry Walls will see your quest for distinctive writing and raise you twenty!

But – If you’re looking for a quaint tale of chilling yet delightful specters, go away. These walls don’t want you and you will not want to read about what goes on inside of them. If you are easily offended; if graphic depictions of sexual acts disturb you, if you find vulgar language upsetting, then run like hell. Likewise, if you are unable to digest descriptive accounts of torture, stay away – stay far away. Do not enter the confines where there is a God of Hungry Walls. You will not like this god.

The story is told in the first person – the almighty capital “I”! Who is behind this “I”? Well let me say that the narrative is from the viewpoint of whatever it is that does the haunting. Perhaps it’s the house itself. Its power is great; it exceeds the limited scope of your average ghost or demon. It is the master of all that goes on within its walls. Often It refers to its occupants as ‘toys from the toy box’.

Four college-age students share the house – two young men and two young women. It manipulates them, locks them together in sexual intimacy; often times perverted with a touch of sadism. Okay, there’s more than a touch, more like a hard slap! Then, we see that the house is messing around with other occupants; such as a serial killer doctor and a tortured girl who lived in a cage like a dog. Where do these occupants suddenly come from? They were there since the day they died within the walls of the house (long before the college kids acquired the place). They belong to the house and It can toss them into being whenever it wants.

Admittedly, I didn’t always know where the story was going. At certain parts I was left thinking “what is the author getting at there?” But maybe I wasn’t meant to understand it all. After all, I am following the lead of a mad, mad force. The “mad” have no rhyme or reason. They are insatiable, always “hungry”, hence “The God of Hungry Walls.

A lot of the book is subject to interpretation. Certain names/concepts come up, such as “Closetsong.” What is that? In the end, I think I figured it out. But maybe my understanding will be different than yours, or the authors, or even The God of Hungry Walls.

For those that can pass the tests that I have outlined in the first two paragraphs of this review, I recommend giving this book a read. It certainly won’t be boring, that’s for sure.

 

Review of Burnt Offerings

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Burnt offerings Hearse DriverI remember seeing Burnt Offerings on television when I was about ten years old. Certain images from the movie stayed with me all these years. One such image is the movie’s prominent haunting figure – a creepy looking hearse driver. His clothes, cap and even his glasses, are black; the appropriate color for a funeral. However, he dons an inappropriate smile, as if death is something delightful. Was he a ghost? Was he death itself? I couldn’t remember. Then there is the long row of photographs in the attic. Some sepia toned, some in modern color. Who were these people in the photos?

Burnt Offerings Photos

There are also certain scenes that replayed in mind from time to time. Our old friend the hearse driver bangs at the chamber door, frightening a dying old lady. He barges through the door with a coffin and his signature creepy smile.

Burnt offerings Betty

 

I also remembered layers of bricks breaking away from the house; the house shedding them the way a snake sheds its skin.

 

Yes sir, I thought it was quite the movie back in 1981. But would I feel the same way about this film as an adult? I wanted to find out. So I watched this on amazon.com last Sunday night. I was not disappointed. It was a good film when I was ten years old and it remains a good film at the ripe, young age of forty-four!

What I like most about the film is the overall theme. My favorite type of haunted house movie involves a house with a mind of its own; a house that acts independently of or in equal collusion with any spirits that may haunt it. Burnt Offerings “offers” viewers such a house. In return it asks for only one simple thing – the life force of the current occupants. Of course, we who sit safely in our homes cry out “it’s a deal!” Because we love such things! And the house benefits as well – it rejuvenates.

Oh don’t get all sour cause I’m treading into spoiler land! Any astute viewer should figure this out within the first thirty minutes of the film.

Ben and Marian Rolf (Oliver Reed and Karen Black), along with their twelve year burnt_offeringsold son David (Lee Montgomery – hey, did you know this kid played in a movie about a boy who befriends a pack of killer rats? Well now you do – The movie is Ben) and Ben’s elderly aunt (Bette Davis!) lease a house for the duration of the summer. The rent was just too cheap to pass up. But on the first day, the elderly brother and sister that own the house (played by Eileen Heckart and Burgess Meredith) explain the main catch – they will have to care for their elderly mother that lives in the attic. Oh but she’s not a bother, they say. She never comes out of her room and all that she would need is tray with a meal placed beside her door at the appropriate meal times.

This is one of those films that have many moments that are subject to interpretation. I still don’t know the identity or composition of that scary hearse driver dude. And there is something about that brother and sister, The Allardyces, that will have viewers wondering. Oh and the ending, what did it mean when he opened #$% $*$* and saw &*^^ as the *^ !@#$% and then ended up being &*&*# &  out  the *#%$@# ??   (Yeah, I’m not going to totally spoil this film for ya, so ya have to bear with the font symbols.)

Speaking of the Allardyces, Burgess Meredith has a brief but commanding role. He is awesome!

This film is based on the 1973 novel of the same name, written by Robert Morasco. I haven’t read it, but I’m betting the book is mighty darn good as well. I will read it, but for now, I will just live with the experience of this movie. It’s a pretty good experience after all!

 

 

 

Back to the Summer of 1985 – Retro Movies

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back-to-the-future-2Everything is a buzz with Back to the Future  these days. Go to backtothefuture.com and you will see the words “The Future is now!”  Back in 1985, time travelers Marty McFly and Doctor Emmett Brown traveled to the seemingly “far away future” of 2015.  This was after several misadventures in the year 1955 where Marty almost fucked the future up by nearly erasing himself and his siblings out of existence. But they straightened all that out, and at the end of the movie….WHEEEE! They took their time traveling DeLorean to the real future – 2015.  They had gone thirty years back and then thirty years forward. What a deal!

Back to the Future was the best movie of the summer of 85 in my opinion. I admit that, before seeing it, I was skeptical. Yeah yeah, “that guy” is good at playing Alex P Keaton on Family Ties (I’m not even sure I knew the name Michael J Fox yet!), but does he deserve his own movie?  It turns out, he did. He was great. I believe I sat through several viewings of BTTF at the Norridge Theater, a suburb of the northwest side of Chicago. So many memories that summer!  And now that far away future that was depicted in the movie is here. How time flies!  “Literally” flies, according to the movie. The DeLorean lifted into the air as Doc Brown gave his famous line, “where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”

The Internet is filled with jokes about how the year 2015 was depicted in the Back to the Future series.  Flying cars taking precedent over road bound vehicles, hover boards replacing skate board, teenagers wearing silly silver hats and other gaudy costumes. Yeah we didn’t achieve any of that (thank god we missed out on that dress style) But remember, back in 1985, we didn’t know about any of that either. This “future” was not presented to moviegoers until 1989 – the year Back to the Future II  came out.  So it’s sort of a misplaced association to unite those scenes with the thirty-year movie anniversary. But I digress.

Summer of 1985 – it was one of my favorites.  Fresh out of the 8th grade, the exciting future of high school was a couple months away and in between was some kind of magical moratorium that remains forever in my memories.  First dates, first buzzes, first…well, a lot of firsts.  Anyway, a big part of that summer was going to the movies. We would pay a cheap price for the first movie of the day, see it, and then cross over the ropes into other theaters.  One day I was at the theater complex for twelve hours, from 11:00 AM to 11:00PM.

I just want to give a run down of some of the other films I saw that summer.  They might not have had the same appeal as Back to the Future, nor did they point to this wonderful current year of 2015, but they deserve an honorable mention. Okay, some of the films I am going to mention are downright silly, but oh well!  They served me well for that innocent time of my life and so I am thankful for their existence.

Secret Admirer

Yeah so, I remember very little about this movie.  In fact, I remember nothing about it.  I only remember that I saw it and then stayed around for the next movie that was to come on after this was finished.

But lookie! It’s free on YouTube.  I wasted $2.50 on this movie when I could have waited thirty years to see it free on you tube!

Perfect

This is the movie they were showing after “The Secret Admirer.”  Again, I remember very little.  It had John Travolta as a reporter for Rolling Stone magaizne and Jamie Lee Curtis as an aerobic instructor at a health club.  They did stuff.

Volunteers

Once again, I remember very little about this movie. I just remember Chevy Chase being in another country and declaring out loud to a crowd “We’re Americans!”  I think he was then tied to post, set on fire, or something.

And wouldn’t ya know it – it’s free on Youtube! Another two dollars and fifty cents I wasted thirty years ago.

Return of the Living Dead

This movie I remember.  I remember loving it! Went out and bought the soundtrack too!  Who could forget this song:

The Heavenly Kid

Here’s the third movie I could have seen for free had I waited thirty years! I do remember this. I do remember liking it. Why did I like it? I was young.

And look why I just discovered.  The mother who had The Heavenly Kid’s son?  She would go on to be the mother of Malcolm in the Middle!

Teen Wolf

Two Michael J Fox films in one summer!  I thought this was the shit! When he said to the liquor store man “Give me..a keg..of beer!”  Fantabulous!  Every fourteen year old kid wanted to be able to say that to a liquor store guy!  Well, put it this way, every fourteen year old kid that hung out with me wanted the power to intimidate a grown up into selling them beer!

Weird Science

I remember this and I still love it. I own it and rewatch it every few years.  Actually, I don’t think I’ve put this on for quite a while.  It’s time to schedule it in.

 

Summer Rental

John Candy got a bad case of sunburn.  He and his family settled in to the wrong cabin/cottage.  That’s about all I remember of this flick.

Review of The David Morgan Ghost Series

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FR 5 Ghost storiesHouses in need of love and renovation – historical tales surrounding such houses and the ghosts that come with them. This is what readers encounter in Frank Robert’s anthology: Ghost Stories: 5-Volume Set (The David Morgan Ghost Series)

David Morgan has a love for old buildings; churches, stores, theaters, houses, inns, etc. He sees the beauty that lies hidden underneath the savagery of time. Being a skilled carpenter and all around handy man, he embarks upon projects to restore these buildings to their original state, preserving the historical value, quirks and all.  Now you can’t go through the process of demolishing and reconstructing such historical buildings without churning out few ghosts! Exhuming spirits is all part of the job; it comes with the territory. And there is no better man for the job than David Morgan.  Ghosts have been visiting him ever since he was a little boy.

I can tell you one thing: Author Frank Roberts had fun writing these stories. I have never met the man and no, I can’t read his mind. But I can (and did) read his work and it is clear that he is at home in these tales. He loves the building restoration business and all that comes with it – the blueprints, the multiple parties that are FMorganinvolved in the planning, the camaraderie of the workers while on the worksite.   Likewise, he enjoys learning about local history. His invented accounts of community life from eras long gone are quite intriguing; readers learn what gave these fictional buildings life.  Finally, he loves a good ghost story, as do I.  And there are plenty of interesting ghosts floating about in his stories.

Sprinkled throughout the pages are themes of Americana. These include customs and traditions, such as Memorial Day parades and Fourth of July picnics.  But when hosting such events, watch out!  You never know if a ghost of a soldier might show up to give salute, or if a ghostly brass band starts to perform deep into the nights preceding the celebration. Then there are accounts of early colonial life and the struggle to forge out an existence in the harsh elements. Harsh times can produce some violent characters, and don’t be surprised is these characters reappear a century or two later.  In one story, David is called upon to restore an old-time theater that, when completed, will be running the classics, such as Laurel and Hardy films. All will go well so long as his restoration efforts are not upstaged by a deceased actor from the days of yore!

As previously mentioned, the ghosts in these stories are alive and colorful! (Well, maybe not “alive” but you know what I mean.) There is a ghost of a little girl that resides in a tree. There are spirits trapped inside mirrors. There are vengeful ghosts that seek to harm the living.  And let’s not forget the spirit of a dog and the ghostly antics of a deceased monkey!

As intriguing as the spirits in these stories are, it is the spirit OF these tales the captures the reader’s interest.  This “spirit” is made up of everything I have written above – local histories, Americana, and a deep seeded love for the material.

There are some drawbacks to this series. It would benefit from another round of editing in all areas: grammar, style and content. In numerous places throughout these tales, the plot derails.  This is especially true when the stories come to completion; some of these stories “end” but do not “conclude.”  Readers are left with loose ends, and in one case in particular my sole reaction was along the line of “WTF??” Too often, the narrative gets bogged down in the nitty-gritty details of building reconstruction.  What is written is fine for readers who are fans of the home remodeling show “This Old House”, but for lay people with little knowledge of carpentry, the narrative can get a bit daunting.  Finally there are frequent instances of typos and awkwardly constructed sentences.

Now get this; I choose not to take off too many points for the grammar errors and occasional dents in the story structure. Being an indie author myself, I know how difficult it is to have a book edited.  I have heard that one should NEVER edit their own work. However, sometimes “one’s own self” is all that a struggling writer can afford when it comes to editing. Hell, I’ll bet those reading this blog entry have stumbled across some typos that I have made.

So I ask prospective readers to give these stories a chance in spite of the imperfections.  They come from the author’s heart and soul, and these are two wonderful places for any story to originate.

These five stories are published both as separate books and as a collection. I have already posted the link for the collection in the first paragraph.  Below are links for each individual story.

The Haunted Hardware Store: Growing Up Haunted (The David Morgan Series Book 1)

FR Hardware

The Sleepy Little Village Called Foggybottom (The David Morgan Series Book 2)

FR Foggybottom

The Lost River Town: Fiona’s Tree (The David Morgan Series Book 3)

FR Rivertown

The Haunting of Old Liberty: Where Not All Performances are Live (The David Morgan Series Book 4)

FR Liberty

The Brick House: The Curse of Hope Island (The David Morgan Series Book 5)

FR Brick House

 

 

Frank Roberts frequently visits and posts at my Haunted House Facebook page. Stop by and say “Hi” to Frank!  (And like my page if you haven’t don so already.)

FacebookHauntedHouse2

 

 

 

Voices: The Chorus – An Anthology of my “Voices” stories – available electronically AND in print!

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Voices Collection CoverI am proud to finally have a book available in print.  It is a collection of the three stories I have published so far, PLUS one additional tale!

Here is the buy link:

http://www.amazon.com/Voices-Chorus-Daniel-W-Cheely/dp/1518622720

Would an ebook be more to your liking? Have no fear, another link in here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017MBV7RY

Review of Lovely Molly

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Of all the haunted house movies I have reviewed, Lovely Molly is by far the most disturbing. There is madness. Rape. Murder. Sounds like a standard horror movie so far, eh? Um, not quite. There are films that deal with these same horrific themes, but by the movie’s end, any disquieting feelings on the part of viewers are left behind in the theaters or concealed within the DVD box.   However, there is this raw quality about Lovely Molly that allows it to hammer those brutal themes deep into the psyche like nails into the coffin.

With your average slasher film, murder is part of the “game” and the remains of victims are often sprawled about in a way that is mimicked by Halloween yard decorations. Lovely Molly shows close ups of a murdered victim – body bloated, draping arms of a purplish hue, sightless eyes wide open…still open…not going to close.. ever. Insanity has become comical with the likes of Jack Nicholson in movies such as The Shining (Heeeeeere’s Johnny!). There is nothing humorous about poor Molly’s plight into madness. There are the non-erotic nude scenes with Molly in near LovelyMolly2fetal position; vulnerable, beyond help. When it came to certain scenes where she acted out violently, I had to turn away from the screen. Then there’s rape, never a subject to be taken lightly. While there are no scenes of forced penetration, the implications of such brutal acts are there and they are just as unsettling, perhaps even more so.

All this said, this is well made film. Admittedly, it’s difficult to watch. It is NOT for the timid or easily frazzled viewer. I’ll be honest; I was not in the right emotional state when I began watching this movie. I had to turn it off. I continued it the next day.

It is directed and partially written by Eduardo Sanchez,   the same guy at the helm of The Blair Witch Project.  So yes, a good part of the film is shown through the eyes of a video camera operated by one of the movie’s main characters. Ah but relax all you Blair Witch Project haters, the camera doesn’t shake! Not one bit.

On the surface, the story is simple. Newlyweds Molly and Tim move into Molly’s childhood house. It is haunted. But by what? This is where the story gets more complex. It is Molly that is on the receiving end of the terror. Her husband and sister cannot figure out what is troubling her. Is she haunted by hallucinations? A tormented past? Ghosts? Demons? Or all of the above? The film leaves this vague, appropriately so. An unknown assailant is one of the scariest of all tormentors. Isn’t that what fear is all about anyway, the apprehension of the unknown?

Another terrorizing agent of equal stature is one’s own mind. For me, the manifestation of fear is most traumatizing when the object of such fear originates from your own head. It is terrifying when reality is deemed untrustworthy. One’s own traumatic confusion about the “objective” world is far more frightening than a ghost that is visible to all.

However, I don’t mean to imply that ghosts and/or demons are absent from this film. All I’m saying is that maybe they’re there and maybe they’re not. Or maybe they are present in a figurative sense. It’s up to you to decide.

LovelyMollyEverything I have written so far is based exclusively on the film. The DVD comes with extra features. There are four short segments. I recommend skipping these. They are tempting to watch on account of the film being vague. To alleviate confusion, I went for the bonus material. Bad mistake! The bonus material removes all of the mystery from the film. How does it do that? I’m not gonna tell ya, cause then it will be me that ruins the mystery. I am not, nor have I ever been a “ruiner.”   Trust me, just skip it.

Since this is a brutal and disconcerting film, it’s difficult to call it ‘enjoyable.’ None of it was “encased in ‘joy.’”   But it is a decent film and I recommend it for those who can withstand it. It’s not a film for everyone.

**** Here’s an interesting side note. The soundtrack for the film is composed by Tortoise. This is a Chicago based indie/post punk band. My friend is really into them but I confess that I am not that familiar with them. After seeing this movie, I am still unfamiliar with them because for the life of me, I can’t remember any music in the film. And, there appears not to be a soundtrack that is for sale. So I don’t know how I can ever hear what Tortoise did for this film. Boo hoo! I guess I’ll just explore their standard studio albums.