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. […]
haunting
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 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 […]
Review: Nightmare House
Nightmare House was a pleasant surprise. Pleasurable, one might even say charming, because it’s an old-fashioned gothic ghost story filled with many elements I know and love—family secrets, hidden rooms, eerie apparitions, and hints of occult influence—all delivered in a smooth, accessible narrative. Surprising because this is the first novel in The Haunted reading list […]
Review: Paranormal Activity – Smart, Simple, Scary Filmmaking
What is there to say about the original 2007 Paranormal Activity movie that hasn’t already been said? Let’s start here. I love this movie. It scared the bejesus out of me in 2007 and it still gives me the creeps today. But let’s be very clear. This is not a ghost story or a haunted house […]
Review: Hell House? Hell No
This feels like blasphemy. First, because I love Richard Matheson’s other work. Bid Time Return (and his screen adaptation, Somewhere In Time) will always hold a cherished place in my heart while What Dreams May Come is beloved in my household. Matheson’s Twilight Zone episodes are among my favorites, especially Night Call. After watching Will […]
Review: The Haunting of Hill House – A Fresh Look at an Old Friend
This is the haunted house story I thought I knew. Four strangers converge on a notorious and isolated estate in order to witness, investigate, and analyze purported supernatural phenomena. The house itself, built at odd angles and witness to generations of tragedy, is a brooding and enigmatic fifth character. Strange occurrences happen. Things go bump […]