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The Twisted Twenties – Horror Films of the 1920s

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1920s – The Twisted Twenties

The age of silent film!. These are often mocked by those only accustomed to modern films. What’s with those wild, staring eyes on all the actors?  It’s true. Staring into the void without blinking as if mesmerized by something unseen, it’s sometimes difficult to tell if they are expressing love and wonder or if they have turned into zombies. (After all, we’re talking horror films, are we not?). When a character is in contemplating mode, s/he can take on the appearance of someone strung out on heroin.

There’s a reason for this. German Expressionism was a popular artistic movement of the time. This movement values expressivism over naturalism. Scenery is purposely exaggerated or contorted. One might even say it’s twisted! (Hey, that explains the title of this article!)  Not all the films on this list fall into the German Expressionism camp, but its influence was far reaching. 

Putting aside the characteristics of this movement, over emphasizing facial expressions was necessary since there was no sound. The first “talkie” was The Jazz Singer, which premiered in the last months of 1927 and the first film on this list is from 1920. 

My advice for watching these is to think not of them as movies as defined by modern day culture but as visual art with photography in motion. Absorb the overall mood and tone and let the expressive nature run its course. By doing this, the genius within these classic works unravel.  Especially in horror, tone is important. As is the use of shadows, which are often missing in today’s horror films.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – 1920 

This film is the epitome of German Expressionism. Various stage sets of bizarrely angled roads with buildings and windows displaying arcane geometry bring the uncanny town in this story to life. It’s a story of a somnambulist (sleepwalker) who is kept in a box by Dr. Caligari. Under the hypnotic influence of this doctor, he murders people. 

An eerie movie with a twist at the end.

The part of the Somnambulist is played by Conrad Veidt, who will show up two more times on this list of 1920’s horror films. 

 Nosferatu 1922

    This is the very first film adaption of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The vampire in this film is Count Orlock. The name change is due to this being an unauthorized retelling of Stoker’s story. It’s a German Expressionist film, and there is something very creepy about a bald, white-faced vampire with pointy ears coming to life in this artistic style.  The way he hides his face and peeks out from behind his long collar.  The sight of his carriage coming and going.  A very monumental film.

Haxan – 1922

Let’s leave Germany for a moment and see what’s happening in Sweden.  What’s happening is a pseudo documentary on the history of witches.  Created in 1922, this film wasn’t released in the United States until 1968.  This is a bold film, controversial by even today’s standards. From the somber and cruel  scenes depicting the persecution of innocent women accused of witchcraft to the freakish depictions of the content of their forced confessions, this is the stuff of WTF?  We see Satanic rites in the woods, Satan himself (with a hairy chest, lol), and wraith-like witches flying on broomsticks.  Whatta film!

  The Hands of Orlacc – 1924

According to wikipedia, there is some debate as to whether or not this film qualifies as a German Expressionism film. It was made in Germany and certainly bears the earmarks of the movement, so it’s good enough for me.  Conrad Veidt joins us again as a professional piano player who has his hands damaged in a train accident.  Maybe if some doctor removes those hands and reattaches the hands from the corpse of a murderer, he will be able to play his instrument again. Is it successful? Fat chance!  Not only is he still unable to perform at his profession, but his hands seem inclined to commit murder.

  There are many ghoulish scenes of the poor guy staring at his long, sinuous fingers. His face expresses the horror of what he has begun. And yet, it is the psychology of his situation that plagues him the most. 

 

Phantom of the Opera – 1925

Five cellars underground, beneath the Paris Opera House  lurks the opera ghost and his pipe organ. Through channels of water via a gondola, he surfaces now and then. Always in the shadows, he haunts the opera. An exquisite filming of the dark passages below combined with a flamboyant display of performances on stage above make for an excellent film.  A Universal film starring Lon Chaney Sr. as The Phantom of the Opera.  His son, Lon Chaney Jr. is an icon of horror, playing all four of Universal’s fab four monsters.

 

 

The Man Who Laughs

In one source this is listed as a horror film. In another, it is not, rightfully declared a romantic drama. By my usage of the world “rightfully” in the last sentence, I hope you can deduce that I agree it is not horror.  So why am I placing it here?  Well, it’s sort of horrifying in a couple of ways. 1) The smile of the main character has been surgically constructed on his face since he was a young boy.  2) This smile is what inspired the appearance of Batman’s Joker. 

Here we have Conrad Veidt once again. First he was a somnambulist kept in a box. Then he was a man with surgically implanted hands that he couldn’t seem to control. Now he’s cursed with an all day long creepy smile.  Poor dude.   Below is the trailer

 

Hidden Gem

The Phantom Carriage – 1921

This Swedish film deserves a lot more attention than it gets. Oh heck, maybe the right people already know of it (right people = people who would appreciate it). It is nothing short of a masterpiece.   

Like any masterpiece, it cannot be limited to one specific genre. Horror applies, as a phantom carriage rider is tasked with collecting all the dearly departed souls over the course of a year. His ghostly image scoops the soul right out of the body (the film shows this happening, effectively done considering it was the early 1920s) and deposits it into his carriage. Who is this phantom driver?  He is the last person to have passed away at the end of the year, right at the stroke of midnight.  Now this is pretty horrifying, wouldn’t you say?

The film is also about sorrow and redemption. It’s about looking back with regrets. Imagine It’s a Wonderful Life as a horror movie. This film also brings to mind the movie Filth, a 2013 film which depicts the life of a despicable man. The Shining even copied one of the scenes.

Trust me, this film is worth viewing. Very much so!  

(Sorry, only a trailer – if it’s still there)

 

One Hundred and Five Years of Horror Films

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Greetings ghosties!  Halloween season is here. If you haven’t already, it’s time to get the spookies on! Visit some haunts, read a scary novel, dress up in a ghoulish costume, carve some jack-o-lanterns.  Most of all, enjoy some horror movies.  Which ones, you ask?  If this is a question you are pondering, you have come to the right place.  I’ll hook you up. I got ya!  Let’s mine the classics. We’ll dig deep.  We’ll plunge through the years. How many years? Oh, I don’t know, let’s say, one hundred years plus a few more! 

Decade by decade, we will explore some of the most significant horror movies. By doing so, we will traipse through various subgenres. These include silent films, mysteries, creature-features, sci-fi, ghost stories, comedies, slashers, splatter, arthouse, body horror and much much more. Some are critically acclaimed. Others are universally panned.  Either way, the movies on this list made an impact, large or small, for better or for worse.  Not all of them are great movies. But most have gained the public’s attention at one time or another.

Now that you’re all stoked in your g-spots (ghost spots; those areas of your brain that store all those horror-mones that make you giddy for ghosts), here comes a disclaimer.  Not every horror movie that screamed its way on to the screen will be mentioned in this article. Chances are, some major ones will be excluded. Sorry folks, this is not meant to be a comprehensive list. I’m not an encyclopedia, after all, although I did make my choices by referencing Wikipedia’s list of horror movies decade by decade. So, what criteria did I use to determine which movies make the list? Not all of these are my favorites. Some of them I hadn’t seen but wanted to, so see them I did in preparation for this project and, hooray, here they are! I stand by what I wrote earlier about mentioning the popular, impactful, even the notorious.  But I’m sure I have neglected many that meet this criteria.  In the end, the answer is “these are just what I chose”, risking biases and succumbing to that evil, demonic thing named “subjectivity.” I feel so guilty about this but I am choosing to live with this.  If I can carry on, so can you!

Now for the good news!  I am including hidden gems in this list. These are not films well known but deserving of attention and praise.  Not every decade will feature this. This doesn’t mean in real life there are none to be found in the corresponding decade. They are there. You can find them. I believe in you. 

At times, I will link to YouTube or other media sites.  Please remember, these might not be available at the time this article is accessed. Just note they were all there on the date of posting.  If they are dead links, think of what remains as ghosts.  Very topical; dead things, ghosts. 

In the next post, it will begin.  Be ready.

Review of Apartment 16

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“1-Adam 12 to  Apartment 16!“  “1-Adam 12 to Apartment 16!”

Are you in the mood for a crossover between a late 60s/early 70s police show and a 2010 horror novel?  You’re saying “no.”  Oh.  Well don’t worry, I’ll lay Adam 12 to rest and just focus on Apartment 16. 

Apartment 16, where were you when I was working on my haunted apartment series? Your presence would have been a most worthy inclusion! 

(Apartment 16: “I was there. You said yourself that my book was published in 2010.  You wrote your article in 2018.  So let me reverse your question – where were you?”

Me: “Shucks. You got me there, Apartment 16!”)

There is something very fishy (not to mention downright eerie) going on at a high-end apartment complex in London, England. It should be no surprise when Apryl is a bit freaked out. After all, she has the new home jitters, having only recently inherited her aunt’s apartment within this complex. She’s not only new to the building and all its idiosyncratic noises, but being an American, she’s brand-spanking new to the city and country as well. We can forgive her for being on edge. But what’s Seth the overnight porter’s excuse? He works there, he shouldn’t be afraid of the clunky lift, the long, tiresome stairways and the shadows that appear on the accompanying walls.  He should just do his job , but at the same time, he should pay no mind to the noises coming from Apartment 16.  It’s an abandoned apartment, so yes, the fact that noises are coming from that location is at best weird. Let weird be weird!  But, no.  You have to get involved, don’t you?  This will be your undoing.

Apryl is morally obligated to get involved. There are mysteries surrounding her late aunt’s mental decline and eventual death.  Some of the clues to the mystery are right there in the apartment complex or in her aunt’s storage room in the basement.

Psst, Apryl!  There are neighbors who might know what’s up.  But these snooty old people don’t want to talk to you.  Same with you, Seth. You know how uptight these rich hermits are. You’ll find ways to piss them off. Or just ways to off them.

Apartment 13 is a story of the occult. Or dream people and the bizarre characters these dreams produce; creepy weirdos that won’t stay confined to dreams. It’s a story of obsession and vengeance from beyond the grave.

This is the second book by Adam Nevill that I have read. The first for me was The Ritual. The reviews for The Ritual fare slightly better than Apartment 13, but I think I like Apartment 13 more.  There is something about Nevill’s writing style that I like and dislike at the same time. He is very detailed.  Sometimes this detail brings me smack dab into the moment of the story. Other times it makes my mind wander.  A “for instance” concerning my wandering mind : A character in Apartment 13 will be approaching a threshold. He or she is thinking things, the description of the hall finds its way into several sentences. Meanwhile the character is still thinking and when finally s/he crosses the threshold, it’s five pages later and I had assumed the character made it into the room several paragraphs back. Things like this seem to happen to me more often in The Ritual, a book about four guys being lost in the woods.  Maybe woodsy environments in general cause more mind wandering than apartment halls or something, I don’t know.

Nevertheless, both are good books. Neville is all about style. His style.  You love it or hate it.  Then there’s me, who likes and/or tolerates his style but loves his overall stories. Except for his endings.  In both books, the story just sort of drifts away at the end, leaving the poor reader behind.  So I am ambivalent about his style, love his stories, hate his endings.  Oh but I love his characters.  Let me repeat –

Ambivalent about style

Love the stories

Love the characters (some withvery unique with interesting peculiarities)

Hate the endings

 

As for bad endings, I’m guessing you hate the way this article is ending. All these clarifications and repeats. Fine, let’s start over –  “1-Adam 12 to  Apartment 16!“  “1-Adam 12 2 Apartment 16!”

 

Special Features

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Ain’t that a groovy picture up there?  This is the Special Features section of my blog.  Here there are special series of posts or themed articles that took a wee but of time to write.  They’ve been here at my blog, but I’ve organized them a bit and put them all in one place.

Go to the Special Features and you will see links that look something like this:

There are several ways to get there.   At the top of the screen at the front page of my blog, you can use the menu bar to pull down and see a list of the articles, OR, you can just click the SPECIAL FEATURES button to arrive at the page

 One more “or!”  Or, you can click on the link that looks like this:

To celebrate, here is a link to my latest article, just published minutes ago! (Hint: It’s a “Special Feature”)

Inside the Haunted House – Internal Components as Symbols for the Elements of Story Structure

Enjoy the article,  and while you’re at it, you might want to buy a  Voices, a collection of stories that are on sale for 99 cents!  

Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

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Hello all!  Let this post be an intro to a new section at my blog entitled “Lists”.  In the Lists section, you can see all the groovy lists I made

 Back in 2020, day by day throughout October, I posted a horror book/movie comparison. Each day you had to come back to see what book/movie I was comparing. Now, four years later, you can see them all in one place!

 

 

October 1 – Dracula – Book Vs. Film -Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

I am comparing Bram Stoker’s epic novel to my favorite Dracula movie, which is Tod Browning’s 1931 Universal classic starring the great Bela Lugosi.  I saw Hammer Film’s Productions 1958 Dracula film starring Christopher Lee (it was good), sort of remembered enjoying the Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 version of the infamous Count, and yes, I appreciated the great silent classic Nosferatu. In the end, it’s the Bela classic that does it for me!  However, the novel “does me more!”

The adventurous carriage ride through the Transylvania forests, the description of the breathtaking views of Dracula’s Castle even from far away. The imprisonment of one Jonathan Harker inside this castle. And of course, the initial account of the ancient and mysterious Count Dracula as he dwells in his domain; all this was captivating on a level that none of the films could reach.

Winner: BOOK

October 2 – Frankenstein – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

Fans of classic literature will hate me for this. Inspiring feminists will want be dead. How can I go with the movie on this one? Mary Shelley’s novel was so original and vastly different from film. All that lightning and laboratory stuff – that was sooo Hollywood!  Maybe so.  In the book, the details concerning the creation of the monster is purposely kept vague, as is the monsters’ appearance, allowing the imagination of the reader to get some exercise. And, I appreciate this. Shelley’s novel is a great piece, no doubt about it.

It’s James Whale’s fault. He be the director of the 1931 Frankenstein film and if he wasn’t such a damn good filmmaker then Shelley would win. I have come to appreciate his style; his use of shadows, his props and settings that bring an eerie life to his films. All this and more helped make the film a masterpiece.

Winner: MOVIE

October 3 – The Invisible Man – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

I first read this H.G. Well’s classic novella in the 8th grade as a reading assignment. I thought it was sort of good, you know, the stuff of homework that wasn’t so bad.  I was in my twenties the first time I paid attention to James Whale’s 1933 film The Invisible Man and I thought it was the stupidest thing ever! Years later, I watched it again and I loved it. It isn’t stupid, it’s just that some parts are intentionally funny.

Likewise, I revisited the novella in my later years. I enjoyed it more than I did as a pubescent young lad, but still, it doesn’t compare to the enjoyment of watching a pair of pants skip down the road while a disembodied voice sings “Here we go gathering nuts in May!”

I have not yet seen the highly recommended recent Invisible Man film.  I am looking forward to watching that one soon.

Winner: MOVIE

October 4 – The Island of Dr. Moreau – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

H G Wells makes this list again with his novella The Island of Dr. Moreau.  The doc in question is creating beast-folk on his island via vivisection surgery on animals.  There were several film adaptions of this work, including a 1996 film starring Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer. But the only film version of this book that I saw is Island of Lost Souls from 1932. It is this old black and white film for which I draw the comparison.

I don’t know, the movie was okay. Nothing extraordinary.  But in the book, there are things that stand out, like the inhuman shrieks of pain that are heard throughout the jungle whenever the mean ol’ doc is doing surgery on his subject. There are many more interesting beast-folk in the book than the movie, so the book wins.

Winner: BOOK

October 5 – The Legend of Sleepy Hallow – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

It was sold out. The movie theater, I mean, when I first attempted to see Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hallow. I was so disappointed. I ended up waiting until it came out on video to finally watch it. And once I did, I was disappointed again. Sure the graphics were great; the headless ghost on his black mare rising out of the tree – creepy. Ah but the premise of the story sucked. Ichabod Crane, an investigator played by the handsome Johnny Depp?  No Mr. Burton, Ichabod is a homely looking school teacher.

What’s missing is the charm of the original. The picturesque description of Sleepy Hollow that Washington Irving conveys. Irving captures the spirit of autumn and sets it loose on the page.

I guess there are several film versions. I remember a made-for-TV film and that was better than the Burton bomb. As was a cartoon. But none of these compare to the original tale.

Winner: BOOK

October 6 – The Phantom of the Opera – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

Let’s see, I think I’ve seen two Phantom of the Opera films. I saw the silent film of the 1920s starring Lon Chaney Sr. and then I watched a version by Hammer Film Productions. The silent film is the better of the two.

Oh but the book! By Gaston Leroux! I read a large chunk of this book while I was in Paris, where I visited the famous Palais Garnier – The Paris Opera House, which of course is the site of the events in the story. To read the words and then take in the sites. Here is a quote from me from an article I wrote:

“There’s the grand staircase of white marble with breathtaking views over the balcony balustrade.  There are towering pillars with ornate carvings. There are corridors that seem to stretch beyond infinity. Life-like statues haunt their corners.  Thankfully, there is an author who succeeds in matching these wonders of the eye with the marvels of storytelling.  His name is Gaston Leroux.  His novel – The Phantom of the Opera.” 

Horrornovelreviews.com

I was so intrigued by the story of “the Opera ghost” that haunts the singers and stagehands, only to learn he is not a ghost at all. He’s a disfigured musician who lives in the sewers of Paris and rises up once in a while inside the Opera House he once performed at.  None of the films were able to capture the essence of the story as well as the book in my opinion.

Winner: BOOK

October 7 – The Turn of the Screw – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

The Henry James classic ghost story, analyzed by many over the years, praised by nearly all. Including me. Do I dare put a film of this on equal ground? I dare. And the film, from 1961, is The Innocents.

It’s the story of a Governess for two children. She is convinced that ghosts are haunting poor little Miles and Flora. Is this really happening or is all in her mind, making her an unreliable narrator?

James, of course, deserves praise for his work. But his writing is a little challenging. The film tells the same story and it flows perfectly. So – a tie. For a more detailed comparison, read my review: Turn of the Screw/The Innocents

Also be on the lookout for the Netflix series The Haunting of Bly Manor, which is inspired by The Turn of the Screw. It premieres soon. In days.

Winner: IT’S A TIE

October 8 – The Haunting of Hill House – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

Shirley Jackson uses her words brilliantly, poetically, to create this terrifyingly, to create this terrifying story that set the standards for a good haunted house read. Likewise, Robert Wise brings the same terror to life on the screen. Impressive visuals, great camera work, and who can forget the phantom pounding. BOOM BOOM BOOM!

So once again, I refuse to declare which is the better. And remember, the film I am referring to is the 1963 movie titled The Haunting. Forget that terrible remake in 1999. Forget it I tell you! For a more detailed comparison, read this review – The Haunting of Hill House/The Haunting

Also, the Haunting of Hill House inspired Season 1 of Michael Flannagan’s Netflix series which is also titled The Haunting of Hill House. Season 2 is this year and it is The Haunting of Bly Manor, which I told you about in the last entry on this list.

Winner: IT’S A TIE

October 9 – The Fall of the House of Usher – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

A long-standing mansion torn apart by the widening of a central fissure.  A family of long-linage down to two sole surviving members, pitted against each other in a death match.  And finally, the splitting of the psyche; madness and mental decay. All this one short story from Edgar Allen Poe. Themes of totality, dualism and a whole bunch of other “isms” for literary analysts to study for years and years. This has been a favorite of mine since I was a young reader. I’ve seen one or two movie portrayal over the years. Just the other night I rented what I hoped would be the best cinematic portrayal of this extensively themed story.  It was. Directed by Roger Corman , screenplay by Richard Matheson (this guy will appear on this list two more times) and starring  Vincent Price, how could it go wrong? It didn’t.  Unlike the story’s pitting of one thing against the other, I will not but the two mediums at odds in this case.

Winner: IT’S A TIE

October 10 – Hell House (The Legend of Hell House) – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

I saw the 1973 film  The Legend of Hell House before I read Richard Matheson’s book. I liked it. It was spooky fun, a good haunted house film. But some of the finer plot points just didn’t make sense to me. It took the book (“took the book”, that rhymes!) to fill in the gaps. When a medium doesn’t do the job of making me understand the story, it obviously must take second place to the medium that does. And so, the book is better.

I enjoyed the film better after reading the book (watched it a second time), but that is only a testament to the novel’s superiority.

For a more in-depth comparison, read my review of the two (“review of the two”, rhymes again!) Hell House/Legend of Hell House

Winner: BOOK

October 11- Rosemary’s Baby – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

For years I didn’t know that there even was a book. I thought Roman Polanski’s 1968 film was the one-stop-shop for this tale of a woman who is about to give birth to Satan’s baby. Little did I know that the book came first. Little did I know that Iva Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby is one of three books credited for spawning the horror paperback novel trend (Along with William Peter Blatty’s novel The Exorcist and Thomas Tryon’s book The Other).

The book is more mysterious and suspenseful than the film. However, the film’s cast is excellent. Ruth Gordon is great. And who can forget that other old lady shouting “Hail Satan!” 

I suppose if someone put a gun to my head and demanded that I state a preference, I might then go with the book. But there is no gun to my head, so I don’t have to do that.

Winner: IT’S A TIE

October 12 – The Exorcist – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

Last year I read William Peter Blatty’s novel for the first time. As one might expect, there is more detail in the book than the movie.  I liked seeing things through the priest/psychiatrist’s perspective. He’s a much more interesting character in the book. What’s interesting is that even up to the very end, the priest allows for a perspective that maybe, just maybe, Satan has nothing to do with the girl’s psychosis and her condition is triggered by some kind of mental illness. Mind you, it is an illness that grants supernatural powers; super strength, telekinesis, etc., but an illness never the less.

The book is great. And yet, here I go favoring the film. It’s hard to compete with the visual of Regan’s head spinning around. Her monstrous face, her demonic voice! The fact that it freaked-out audiences when this film premiered.

But the book is good. No, It’s great. It’s just, well, I like the movie. And that is all.

Winner: FILM

October 13 – Ghost Story – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

One- two.  (Um, what?)  That’s how I introduced myself to both the book and movie, one right after another, hence “one-two”. Only it wasn’t quite like that, cause the book, which I took in  first, is a behemoth thing, so it was more like onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnne then two.  A lot is happening in Peter Straub’s meaty novel. Perhaps the title should be called “Ghost Stories” since there are several ghostly happenings varying across time and place.  The film sticks to one of these stories – a female ghost returns to haunt four old men who harmed her when they were young. It was wise of the film to stick with one perspective. Film is a restrictive medium when compared to a story that is meant for a long novel, so I commend the filmmakers for not biting off more than they can chew. The plot of the book strayed several times, and because of this, I initially favored the film over the movie. You can read all about it here Ghost Story

However, as time marches on, I find myself remembering less and less of the film.  But there is something about the book that is sticking with me. I’m not sure what it is. It’s sort of a vague feeling, as if part of me is still inside this snowy town when most of the hauntings take place. For this reason, I am doing a 180. I prefer the book.

Winner: BOOK

October 14 – Burnt Offerings – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

I first saw this film on television as a kid. A doomed family rents a summer home which turns out to be a vampire house – the house itself feeds off of the life force of its occupants and regenerates as its victims die.  There is this phantom hearse driver with dark sunglasses and a creepy smile that shows up whenever someone is about to die. Scary stuff.

Great movie. It is based Robert Morasco’s book by the same name. The book is better. It’s a rather obscure work and yet it is very influential. Like its predecessor The Haunting of Hill House, Burnt Offerings continues the trend of “a house as an entity” theme. The book gives a very detailed account of the house’s slow-building but inevitable power it has on the occupants. The film does its best with this but the book does it better.

Winner: BOOK

October 15 – The Amityville Horror – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

Some say this is a true story. Others say it’s a bunch of bullshit. I favor the second perspective but never mind, it’s an entertaining story.

The tragedy that sparked the story is true – A young man kills his family in the Amityville house. Included in the slaying are his parents and siblings. Years later the Lutz family purchases the house. They said it was haunted, not by your average house ghost but by demonic forces. The book, written in a diary format, covers more ground than the movie does. There are so many more paranormal occurrences in the book and I wonder why the film omitted so much. Anyway, the book is better and if you want to read a more detailed comparison between the book and movie, read this article here: Amityville Horror Book and Movie

Winner: BOOK

October 16 – Jaws – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

Believe it or not, I was never a super-duper, die-hard fan of this great white shark. I saw Jaws 2 and Jaws 3D, both in the theater, long before I watched the original on TV and then via streaming.  Sure, it’s entertaining. I like that the music, the “dun-dun, dun-dun, dun-dun, dun-dun” that seems to summons the shark, which throughout most of the film displays only its fin, piercing out of the ocean as its hidden body makes its way towards its victim.

The book, which came first, was a best seller. Many people forget that the book was as popular and noteworthy as the film. Some have read it and dismissed it. Too much concentration of the sheriff and his marriage, town politics, person-to-person rivalry, they say. But it is for these reasons that I prefer the book. Also, the book offers theories as to the shark’s origins that aren’t found in the film. So the book wins.

Winner: BOOK

October 17 – The Sentinel – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

I’m guessing that many have not heard of this book or its corresponding film. It’s definitely a slice of horror that remains under the radar. It’s an interesting story. An apartment complex in New York serves as a portal to Hell. A sentinel must guard the gates at all time. Who is this sentinel and how does one get this job? Ah but that is the key to the story.

The cast of this 1977 film is great. It features Burgess Meredith, Ava Gardner, John Carradine, Sylvia Miles, Beverly D’Angelo, Eli Wallach, and bit roles for such unknowns as Jeff Goldblum and Christopher Walken. This is only the supporting cast and they save the film because the main two actors kind of suck if you ask me. Some of the plot is convoluted and will only make sense if one refers to the book.

Jeffery Konitz’s novel The Sentinel is far superior to the film. Thick in plot and mystery, it puts forth a suspenseful page-turner. The movie just can’t compete. For a detailed comparison, read my article The Sentinel Book and Movie

Winner: BOOK

October 18 – Interview With the Vampire – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

It’s the first book in author Anne Rice’s vampire series, and it’s not my favorite. I’m not sure how many vampire books Rice has written, by I have read many. It’s a good book, don’t get me wrong, with the focus being on a Louis, a melancholy vampire from the 17th century, and his counterpart, the little girl vampire named Claudia who is damned to a child’s body for decades. It’s just that Rice’s vampire tales that focus on The Vampire Lestat are more interesting. 

The movie has an excellent cast. Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and a young Kristen Dunst are surprisingly impressive in their roles. So when all is said and done, I consider this contest to be a draw,

Winner: IT’S A TIE

October 19 – The Queen of the Damned – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

This is the third book in author Anne Rice’s vampire series. It’s one of my favorites. She introduces many interesting vampire characters in this book. And, she traces the origin of vampires to its source – The Queen of the Damned.

The movie combines plot points from Rice’s second vampire book (The Vampire Lestat) and the third. It does so poorly, brushing hectically though important plot points. It’s not a good movie. So the book wins.

Winner: BOOK

October 20 – Beloved – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

If I ever make a list of my top ten favorite novels, Beloved would be on it.  I’m not alone in my praise. It is, after all, a Pulitzer prize winning novel, written by the renowned Toni Morrison, may she rest in peace.  It’s a story of a haunting, with some of the stuff of the supernatural on the surface. Deep down, the true horror is slavery and its aftermath.

How is the movie? It received mixed reviews, much to Oprah Winfrey’s disappointment. She is the lead character alongside Danny Glover. I thought they did well.  For me the movie is good, not a masterpiece, but better than alright.  It is the book that is the masterpiece.

Winner: BOOK

October 21 – Carrie – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

Stephen King’s first novel. Brian De Palma’s award-winning film. The story of “Carrie”, a troubled teenager tormented by her peers. After she has her first period, she develops telekinetic powers, although in the book she was perhaps born a “sensitive”, for as a child, stones from the sky fell on her house while she was in a traumatized state of emotion. Powers went latent until the onset of puberty. By the story’s end, she will use these powers to extract revenge on her peers in a most climatic way.

 Carrie is one of my favorite horror movies, if not my most favorite. It is chilling, atmospheric, sad, and heartbreaking. It leaves a viewer with a sense of unease while allowing the same viewer to appreciate the film’s style.  Did King have the same effect on me with his novel. Sadly no.  There are several reasons for this.

In between the regular narrative there are reports and memoirs, written after the events of the story, by a paranormal committee and one of the survivors of the “Carrie” story. For me, these interludes only distract from the narrative. Also, King ends his story with Carrie running amok, not only burning down the school with her classmates trapped inside, but destroying half the town as well. In the film, Carrie only burns the school in a sort of fit of temporary insanity. One can sympathize with her situation. It is more difficult to sympathize with the Carrie of the book, who, I do believe, even sports a malicious grin during her rampage on the town.

King might have invented the story but screen writer Lawrence D Cohen and director Brian De Palma make it so much better with the film. And you know what? I do believe King agrees.

Winner: FILM

October 22 – The Shining – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

The debate will continue until the end of time. What are we to make of Stanley Kubrick’s film version of Stephen King’s The Shining? I’m going out on a limb here, but I think it breaks down like this. Those that saw the film but have never read the book loooove the movie. Those that have read the book really don’t think much of the film. King himself didn’t like the movie although his opinion has evolved a bit and he has recently noticed the things that worked very well with the film. Still the criticism exist.  In brief, the film flattens out the characters, or turns them into caricatures. Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson, is pretty much a loose cannon throughout the whole film. This is not the case of the character in the book. 

I, of course, have seen both the film and read the book. I’ve seen the film several times. I read the book twice. My verdict? I really, really love the film. It comes close to being just as good as the book for its visuals and brilliant camera work and use of space. But the book is better. So I guess not everyone fits into the dichotomy I described in the above paragraph.

The Shining is my favorite book by Stephen King. It is in my list of top ten books. It is my favorite haunted house novel. Yes, I like it even better than The Haunting of Hill House.

For a more thorough comparison, read my article: The Shining Book – Movie- Miniseries

Winner: BOOK

October 23 – Salem’s Lot – Book Vs. Movie – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

I wish I could remember the finer details of this story. How long has it been since I read this Stephen King classic? Too long. It deserves a second read, even though, despite how others feel, it is not a King favorite of mine. Don’t get me wrong, I like it. It’s probably in his top ten. But not top five.

A vampire takes up resident at Salem’s Lot’s “haunted house”. Soon, the populace of this small town will be infected by vampirism. One by one they become the walking undead.

If you were a kid in the 1970’s, then you probably remember stumbling upon some TV vampire movie and watch young boy vampires floating in the air before a bedroom window, scratching their fingernails the window, wanting in. Pretty scary stuff. This was the Made-For-TV miniseries of Salem’s Lot, directed by Tobe Hooper. Pretty damn good for a TV movie. I watched it for the first time as an adult the other night.

When all is said and done, I favor the book for its thick yet rich plot and interesting characters. The movie attempts a thickness of the plot (over three hours long but meant to be watched over the course of two nights) but it is a bit overbearing at times. Again I must revisit the book.

Winner: BOOK

October 24 – Children of the Corn – Book Vs. Movie – Which Medium Wins (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

Would you like to know when I first began reading Stephen King’s Children of the Corn?  (To tell you the truth, Cheely, I really don’t care…) Great! I will tell you. It was two weeks ago. I read for a few minutes and then suddenly my eReader is telling me that I’m already 25% finished with the story. Read a bit more the next day and discover that I am over 80% done. So, I reread, trying to keep the experience going for as long as I can. Okay, done rereading, I’ll just progress a little further…Congratulations! I’m all done. Boo! I want more!

Okay, I went in knowing it was a short story. But this was like, really short. It was much darker and more wretched than the movie though. The two adult characters, husband and wife, that find themselves in the middle of nowhere in a small abandoned town surrounded by cornfields and killer children are obnoxiously sugar coated in the movie. The young childless couple, hero and heroine, are destined to overcome the supernatural force of “he who walks behind the rows,” escape the evil and thwart the plot of the meanie kids. They are awarded with two adorable children that they rescue from the kid cult. In the book they are flawed individuals struggling to save their rocky marriage. More relatable if you ask me.

Oh but the movie gives us memorable evil children like Malachi, the killer with long red hair and the younger Isaac with the unnerving squeaky voice who leads the pack!  They are simply mentioned in the book. It takes a screen and a longer story to bring them to life.

So which do I prefer? Tough choice. I’ll go with the book (short story) for its commitment to dark storytelling. Maybe later I will flip a coin and let fate decide my preference. But not now.

Winner: BOOK

October 25 – The Funhouse – Book Vs. Movie – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

Remember this movie? It’s somewhat obscure, I guess. Came out in 1981. Directed by Tobe Hooper; he’s not so obscure! (Salem’s Lot director). My Daddy took me to see this in the theater at his suggestion. It was the first time I saw teenagers hacked to death on the big screen.

It’s the story of a shady carnival. Four teenagers spend the night in The Funhouse. They witness a carnival barker’s deformed son kill the carnival’s fortune teller. As witnesses to this crime they must be destroyed. Let the “fun” of “funhouse” begin!

The book is a bit different. It’s the novelization of the film, based on the screenplay. It was written by Owen West, but that’s not the author’s real name. His real name is Dean Koontz. You might have heard of him. Anyway, the entirety of the “trapped inside the funhouse” plot of the film is just one mere chapter in the book – the final chapter. Most of the book is backstory concerning the Conrad the Carnival Barker, his deformed son, and a different story regarding the teenagers. In the book, one of the teenager’s is a daughter or an ex-wife of Conrad and he purposely lures her and her friends into the funhouse so that he may kill them, extracting revenge on his ex-wife for something he did.

The book really does have an interesting backstory. But the film is more thrilling and interesting. It focuses solely on the carnival and funhouse, but details very well the depravity and overall freakiness of this traveling band of misfits. The animatronic attractions in the funhouse are pretty awesome.

Winner: FILM

October 26 – Friday the 13th Part 3 (in 3D) – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

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Yes I actually read the novelization of this film. I remember reading and then exclaiming “Wow, this character, his head got “severe + d.””  That’s how I pronounced it; severe with a “d”.  My sister didn’t know what “severe + d’ meant, so she looked at he word. “Danny, that’s severed!” she said.  (But it was a severe act, you have to admit.)

What do you think I thought of this book? Well, I got some Jason backstory I didn’t get elsewhere. But overall, it’s more fun to see teenagers get sliced to death than to read about such a phenomenon. Plus, the words didn’t jump out at me in 3D like the eyeballs did in the movie theater. Jason put some guy’s head in a vice (or was it a vice-like grip with his own two hands? I can’t remember), all that pressure and boing! His eyeball shot out and almost landed in my box of popcorn.  That’s better than the book, doncha’ think?

Winner: FILM

October 27 – The Ruins – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

By Author Scott Smith who also wrote The Simple Plan, later made into a movie starring Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, and Bridget Fonda. Oh and directed by Sam Raimi – The Evid Dead dude. I both read and saw the film The Simple Plan.  Oops I’m supposed to be writing about The Ruins. Let me redirect.

Anyway, with The Ruins, Smith writes a suspenseful, gory book about young American tourists trapped on the ruins of a Mayan temple in Mexico.  Local Mayas will shoot them dead if they try to leave, and eventually, the vines that grow all along the pyramid-like structure will kill them. They are nasty things, these vines. They pry into the skin, strangle the neck, and their flowers are like mouths and they mimic the screams of its victims and replay personal conversations to pit the survivors against each other.

The book and the film (directed by Carter Smith) pretty much tell the same story with some variations. What happens to certain characters in the book happens instead to other characters in the movie, etc. The endings are different. The book goes for a hopeless conclusion while the film has an inkling of hope.

Book or movie? Hmm. When working out my decision, I kept alternating between “a tie” or “the book as the winner”.  But since I reserved one option for the book as the sole winner and no option for the film as a standalone victor, then I have to go for the book.

Winner: BOOK

October 28 – Pet Sematary – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

The film I am referring to is the 1989 version, not the most recent adaption of Stephen King’s novel, which came out I believe in 2019. I didn’t see the newest version and after I read the reviews I didn’t bother to try. The movie from the 80’s didn’t fare much better. Not having read King’s book, I rented it back in the VCR days and I didn’t care too much for it either. I remember Herman Munster was in it without his Frankenstein’s monster makeup.  Honestly, I don’t remember what faults I had with the film, other than I wanted the makeup back on Herman.

I was reluctant to read King’s book on account of my disliking of the movie. Eventually I did and it turned out to be one of my favorites of his. (In his top 10 somewhere). The “sematary” was creepier, and the hike to the “sematary” was creepier as well. In the film I don’t even remember that there was a woodsy trek to the graveyard. On the trek in the book, there were a lot of spooky noises.

Winner: BOOK

October 29 – Stir of Echoes – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

A 1999 horror movie starring Kevin Bacon.  A 1958 sci-fi horror novel written by Richard Matheson (the third time that author makes this list.)  I really liked the film. Did I love it. Um…no. But it was an interesting ghost story. Mr. Bacon gets hypnotized and suddenly a wall in his psyche breaks down and he now has certain psychic abilities. The ability the film focus’s in on the most involves the ghost of a girl who communicates with him in fragmented visions. The scope of his abilities is wider in the book and it details them more carefully.  Therefore, I favor the book.

For a more detailed comparison, read my article:

Stir of Echoes Vs. A Stir of Echoes

Winner: BOOK

October 30 – The Woman in Black – Book Vs. Film – Which Film Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

 

“Modern Gothic at its Best.” This was my tagline for the article I wrote about Susan Hill’s novel The Woman in Black.  Written in 1983 yet capturing the writing style of a piece that might have been written one hundred years prior, Hill’s novel is a such a treat in an era that had seemed to have long forsaken the literary “ways of the Goth”.  Sadly, the 2012 movie starring Daniel Radcliffe strays considerably from the tone that Hill gifted us readers. Yes, the film has the old mansion surrounded by marshes, a staple of Gothic horror. It is a visually stimulating film.  But Mr. Soundman is too eager and he can’t resist sliding the volume lever on the music whenever the film is going for something suspenseful. Funny, because it’s the sounds as described in the book that chill the reader. These would be the sounds of an unseen horse and carriage that struggles in the foggy marshes, not some hyped up musical score. The film barely touches on this. What the film does show, over and over, are one second flashes of a woman in black. Jumps scares. Meh. And the film’s story is considerable different than the book, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but the story as conveyed by Hill is much better. Read my review of the book:  The Woman in Black – Modern Gothic at its Best

Winner: BOOK

October 31- Doctor Sleep – Book Vs. Film – Which Medium Wins? (Thirty-One Days of Halloween)

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Stephen King’s long-awaited novel – the sequel to The Shining. In a twist, the movie is not a sequel to the book. It is a sequel to the movie “The Shining”.  See, the book and the movie (The Shining) have different endings. The book ends in a way that the Overlook Hotel cannot be a part of the sequel. The movie does not have this limitation, thus the Overlook returns!

I’m sorry Mr. King, but I thought your book was a bit hokey. A travelling band of senior-citizen psychic vampires in Winnebago’s with straw hats and tanks of “psychic energy” drained from victims resembling oxygen tanks?  In the film, the tanks are there, but at least the roaming band of psychic vampires appear more threatening. They almost resemble a motorcycle gang in appearance.  And in the film, we get to visit The Overlook Hotel again and watch in suspense as all of its ghosts reawaken.  It was cool! For a more detailed comparison, read my article:

Doctor Sleep

Oh and the film is done by that Michael Flanagan guy, the guy behind the Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor.

Winner: FILM

Free Short Stories!

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I’ve been updating this blog, changing the layout, adding things here and there.   For instance, on the title bar, I added a section “Free Short Stories!”

 

The stories were there, but I put them in one place.  When you click on it, you will see this cool featured image:

Below that,  you will see this:

Pick a story, and read, read, read!

But if you are feeling like a big spender and you have a wad of cash on you burning in your pocket, you can buy a longer story for only 99 cents! (this week only).   Click the pic and go wild with your wallet!

October is Here! (So, What’s Going to Happen “Here” – At Your Blog?)

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Every horror fan’s favorite month is upon us.

The time has come.  It’s October one.   Let’s have fun.

Every year, I do something here at this blog to celebrate. Some years, I crank out the boos like a ghost  on steroids.  And yes, there are years the ghost writer in me barely whimpers a sigh.  This year I’ll put myself somewhere in the middle.  But hey, I’ll have something, and “something is something” (Just call me Yogi “Scare-uh!” )

First, I’m tinkering with the layout of this blog. I’ve already made some minor changes, but you’ll notice it when I do more. And more is what you will get this month!

Second, some of my e-books will be on sale.  Two of my books will be offered at a ridiculously low price! One week one will be on sale and the next week another will drop to an insanely low price.

Third, I’m working on piece that examines various tropes related to haunted houses. In past posts, I explored some architecture of haunted houses. I’ve covered the grounds and goings-on outside of haunted houses. Don’t you think it’s about time to go inside the haunted house?  I will do that in an article that examines staircases, corridors, secret passages and other lovely haunted house staples.

So friends, throughout this month, check back here often!  I’ll be here to welcome you. It’s like Motel 6, except we’ll leave the light off for you!