Thursday, October 1, 2020

Thursday Movie Picks #325: Halloween Edition - Horror Movie Houses



Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Halloween Edition - Horror Movie Houses

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Hey it's October again and it's time for the Halloween Edition. Take a look at what's in store for the rest of the month.

October 1 - Halloween Edition: Horror Movie Houses
October 8 - Halloween Edition: Based on a True Story
October 15 - Halloween Edition: Snow / Winter Horror
October 22 - Halloween Edition: Holiday Horror
October 29 - Halloween/Television Edition: Horror
 


I find large old empty houses scary and they of course make great settings for horror movies. Here are some of the houses I remember.
   
The Haunting (1999)
I rewatched this again recently. I wasn't a fan of it then and still not now and it really just pales in comparison to the great TV series The Haunting of Hill House. But the house in the movie was memorable. It was this large empty mansion with a lot of very heavy ornamental decor...even after all these years I still remember the cherubic angel (or was it cupid) carvings (on the mantel?) which would suddenly move.  

Crimson Peak (2015) 
I didn't love this as much Guillermo del Toro's other period horror movies but I still thought it was an ok movie. And the house was memorable (it's this big dilapidated gothic mansion with a giant hole in the roof) as well as the imagery of the exterior of the house later in the snow with the red clay.
 
The Little Stranger (2018) 
Like Crimson Peak this one too features a crumbling mansion though it still has its roof and looks less gothic and more of a country home. The house is creepy in part because the family's fortunes have greatly reduced after WWII and with only one servant left to serve the family of three, the house is very empty and has that sad depressive atmosphere, which makes every weird thing that happens more creepy.
 
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15 comments:

  1. I've only seen the first and yes it was crap. Track down the original which is my first pick it is infinitely better in every way.

    I've heard of Crimson Peak but not the other. I'm not really much of a horror guy though I usually will sample a bit more in October than I usually do so if I run across either I might give them a look.

    Aside from our sort of match I went with a comic take on the old dark house with music and a silent that was believed lost for many years until a print was discovered in Italy.

    The Haunting (1963)-Dr. John Markway (Richard Johnson) is doing research into psychic phenomena. In the service of that study he invites two women-lonely, eccentric Eleanor (Julie Harris) who has experienced supernatural events previously and brash Theodora (Claire Bloom) who is gifted with ESP. On arrival they are joined by the mansion's heir, cynical Luke (Russ Tamblyn) and are immediately overwhelmed by strange sounds and events. Soon Eleanor comes to believe the house is alive and speaking directly to her. Loaded with atmosphere and extremely well-acted.

    You’ll Find Out (1940)-Debutante Janis Bellacrest (Helen Parrish) books Kay Kyser and his big band, the Kollege of Musical Knowledge including singer Ginny Simms and cornet playing sidekick Ish Kabibble to play at her 21st birthday party at a remote spooky mansion. Between performances, Kay finds Janis’s guests-quirky Aunt Margo (Alma Kruger), pretentious professor Fenniger (Peter Lorre), creepy Prince Soliano (Bela Lugosi) and irritable Judge Mainwaring (Boris Karloff) on the bizarre side and begins to suspect that Janis is in danger. When a powerful storm blows in and strands everyone overnight events both scary and wacky transpire. Goofy musical comic/thriller is the only onscreen pairing of Lorre, Karloff and Lugosi.

    Seven Footprints of Satan (1929)-When mayhem breaks out at her father’s party Eve (Thelma Todd) and her fiancĂ©e Jim (Creighton Hale) jump into a limousine and think they are safely away from danger. Shortly afterwards though they find themselves at the house of “Satan” who may or may not be a criminal mastermind, a supernatural fiend, the devil himself, or some combination of all those things. As they make their way through odd rooms they encounter an imp, a dwarf, an ape-like man, a gorilla, Satan’s Mistress and “the Spider”. Finally they are tested with the Seven Footprints which could lead to fabulous wealth and freedom or servitude to Satan…and maybe Death! Originally released in both silent and partial sound versions only the silent one (long thought lost as well) survives.

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    1. I am curious about the 1963 The Haunting because it is rated better the 1999 one, so I do want to see it.

      Haven't seen nor heard of your other picks.

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  2. We kind of match with the first but I chose the far, far superior original even though I liked the beginning showing these cherubs. I did see Crimson Peak which is good but could have been so much better but it got away from the director and writers. I haven’t see the 3 pick and it sounds good.

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  3. I still haven't seen Crimson Peak - I was so intrigued but then I heard a lot of negativity and it put me off.

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    1. Crimson Peak isn't that bad really, I'd say just go watch it, it's an easy watch.

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  4. We match with The Haunting! I'm sure it doesn't hold up well. I haven't seen it in years, but I went for a nostalgia pick. Crimson Peak is a good one too. I haven't seen Little Strangers.

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    1. I saw it recently again, and while I'm not a fan of the movie, I found that the special effects, all the CGI actually still held up relatively well after all these years.

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  5. I never did get around to seeing Crimson Peak. The Little Stranger sounds interesting!

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  6. I felt exactly the same about Crimson Peak. Not a bad film but not as good as Del Toro's previous films.

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    1. Definitely! His other period horror movies, are two of my favorite movies.

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  7. Great picks!
    I can't for the life of me remember whether or not I've seen The Haunting.

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    1. I suppose if your were old enough in 1999/2000 period you'd probably have seen it. I remember it being heavily marketed, like it was a big horror movie then.

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  8. Crimson Peak was blah but that house is super cool indeed! Haven't seen the other ones..

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    1. It was wasn't it. And I think they actually even build the house, I suppose for the exterior shots. I feel like the interior shots were probably shot in a studio.

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