I was so excited to rewatch the original Ghostbusters and also to finally see the new version released a few years ago. It’s old-school boys club versus modern girlpower. What a fun, light-hearted, and thoroughly enjoyable way to finish my semester of study into haunted horror. Or so I thought. First, let me go down […]
Review: The Exorcist – An Existential Surprise
Here we go again. Another classic horror novel I would never choose to read if left to my own devices. When I signed up for The Haunted course, I expected to read books like The Haunting of Hill House, Ghost Story, and The Shining. I expected to watch movies like Paranormal Activity and The Others. […]
Review: The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) – It’s Like Law & Order with Demons
I love, love, LOVE this movie. And yet, demons are not my thing. Exorcism is not my thing. Defending the Catholic church is definitely NOT my thing. (Hello, SPOTLIGHT.) However, it comes down to this … belief IS my thing. I believe in belief. I respect the power and momentum of belief. Belief = Faith, […]
Review: The Shining – Yep, The Book Is Better Than The Movie
I wonder what it was like to read The Shining before Stanley Kubrick’s movie came out. Back when Wendy was still a fresh, flaxen-haired beauty (not Olive Oyl from Popeye) and Jack Torrance could be anyone other than JACK. King notoriously hates Kubrick’s movie with vociferous spite that lives on even after the director’s death. […]
Review: Poltergeist (1982) – No More Clown Dolls
Scenes and dialogue from the original Poltergeist movie are so iconic, so embedded in the Gen X cultural zeitgeist, that I was tempted to “cheat” this week and skip rewatching the movie before writing my review. That would have been a mistake. Even though I saw the movie (in parts or the entire thing) at least […]
Review: Grave’s End – An Unembellished Truth
Despite owning a bookshelf filled with true ghost stories, this was my first encounter with Grave’s End by Elaine Mercado. It was a delightful surprise to read an honest, straightforward, clear-eyed account of living in a real haunted house. This book was a refreshing “palate cleanser” after the overcrowded, cloying mess from last week. The opening […]
Review: The Amityville Horror – Curse or Con?
The first order of business before anyone can discuss this book like adults is to address the elephant in the room. (Or, in this case, the giant pig in the room.) This book was originally published in September of 1977 as “A True Story.” In case you haven’t heard, it most definitely is NOT a […]
Review: The Others – Sublime Supernatural Suspense
Now children, are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin. “ The Others is one of those haunting movies people either love or hate. I’ve never met anyone who expressed a lukewarm opinion. I’m firmly in the LOVE camp. It’s one of my top 10 all-time favorite movies. I try to rewatch it every few years, usually […]