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

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

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

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

I first read this H.G. Well’s classic novella in the 8^th 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

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

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

It is about that time for me to announce the upcoming Halloween Happenings.  What will “yours truly” (Hey, that’s me!) be offering to help celebrate this year’s spookies?

Well I’ll tell ya! Perhaps I’ll decorate the yard with my jack-o-lantern on a stake as I did the last two previous years. Maybe the weather will be warm enough to project horror films outside. Then again, maybe it won’t (aww!) I’ll probably have a couple of gatherings in October. Beer, fire outside, my Halloween playlist on iTunes. That’s it! I can search for more Halloween theme music. I have Siouxsie and the Banshees, Ministry, The Cramps, Bauhaus and so much more but I can get so much more as well and…

OHHHHH! You don’t give a shit about any of that! You want to know what might be happening here at the blog? OHHHHHHH! Well why didn’t you just say so? Here is a little list of things to come soon:

1) Book Vs. Movie Briefs

Thirty-one of them for the Thirty-One Days of Halloween! You’ve seen the greatest of the greats when it comes to horror movies, but how many of you have read the books that have preceded them?  Likewise, have you read any novelizations of your favorite horror films?

Every day throughout October, I will present a Book Vs. Movie brief. Now remember, books aren’t always the better of the two. Sometimes I will favor the book, sometimes the movie and sometimes it will be a tie. Follow along as I delve into both the classic and modern stories that have entertained us over the years.

2) A book review, maybe, of James J Cudney’s “Haunted House Ghost: Death At The Fall Festival

This here blogging guy (Hey that’s me!) loves stories about haunted houses and he loves the Halloween Spirit. So what’s more appropriate the review a book that both takes place around Halloween AND features a haunted house?  This is also a mystery, a classic “Who dunnit” novel.

I am only beginning the book now so I hope to have a review before Oct 31^st. Wish me luck!

3) Something to say about Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor.

I loved, loved, loved, loved Mike Flanagan’s Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House, which is very loosely based on Shirley Jackson’s novel of the same name. Now I’m looking forward to its continuation. This time it’s The Haunting of Bly Manor, which is based (again very loosely I assume) on Henry James’s classic The Turn of the Screw. It premiers October 9^th.

I’m sure I’ll want to say something about this series, but I won’t know what I’ll say or how much I’ll say until I start watching some episodes. So stay tuned for this as well.

Well that’s all I’ll have for ya! Sorry, no candies, no pictures of me dressed up in some flamboyant, sexy costume. That last one would just be punishment for you anyway. Oh and Happy Halloween!

Poor little Annie! Last Sunday night she was knocked out cold. While she was unconscious, the doors of Rose Red opened. When she came to her senses, the doors locked once again, trapping the team inside.

What does this mean? It means, it was Annie and her psychokinetic powers that was keeping them sealed inside. But don’t blame Annie; it was the house, Rose Red, that put a spell on her, forcing her to do its bidding. If you want to blame someone, blame Dr. Joyce Reardon. That evil witch figured out that this was Annie’s doing and she encouraged her to keep them sealed in. Joyce had gone mad. She was determined to witness Rose Red at its most malevolent.

Members of the surviving team ended up reaching Annie through psychic means. They got into her brain, beyond the barrier created by Rose Red, and convinced her to open the doors. And so she did. And so they escaped. But not Joyce! No, she willingly stayed behind. And several of the ghosts of those that perished at Rose Red surrounded her, claimed her, and the house swallowed her up!

Well, that’s it! Look for a review and analysis of the series as a whole! Coming soon. Bye now!

 

Things got real last night at Rose Red! While the team was gathered together for a backstory telling session, the house threw a fit. There were electrical explosions all over the place and a glowing ghost or two.  This went on for a minute or so, everyone was freaked out (except Professor Reardon who was morbidly fascinated with all this), then it stopped and what was to the group to do next? Go to bed, that’s what they did. Different rooms. Sleep tight. Nightie night! And then the real fun began!

Some team members were plagued by nightmares. But it’s the stuff on the outside –  the stuff of the haunted and horrific reality that is truly frightening. Something was crawling under the carpets, under the bed covers, and the woman that was in the bed was quite unnerved by this. Throughout the night, some saw ghosts. Throughout the night, a team member lost her life.

Things didn’t get better in the morning. Professor Miller and Emory’s mother (Emory is a one of the team members, an annoying guy he is) arrived at the scene. They get lost on the house grounds; struggling though trails of overgrown shrubbery, weeds. Eventually,  Rose Red will claim them.

Out there on the grounds there are ponds with lily pads, and creepy statues. Some team members find there way outside to these unsettling grounds. Another will die out there.  Those who die or disappear at Rose Red become “zombified” ghosts that do the house’s bidding.  Remember that photo journalist that disappeared in the greenhouse in Part 2 – Kevin Bollinger? He shows up now and then as a ghoulish ghost to scare the shit out of whoever he encounters.

Things aren’t good. The surviving team is on edge. But dear ol’ Professor Reardon just wants to continue on.  It was suggested earlier that Joyce Reardon wouldn’t stop this study even if people died. That suggestion proved true.

To top it all off, some kind of force was sealing all the doors and windows.  No matter how they tried they could not break free (and the worms ate into his brain? Never mind, that’s a Pink Floyd lyric).  And poor Annie, young Annie, the most potent psychic of them all, fell and injured her head,

What’s next?  We’ll find out next Sunday for the final part of Rose Red.

Enjoy the watch parties at the Facebook Page Haunted Houses of Film and Literature