For the 40th week of 2019 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We begin the annual Halloween edition with period drama horror as horror films sometimes don’t take place in modern times but also in the past. Here are my three picks:
1. Vampyr
Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1932 film that explores an occult student’s fascination with vampires as he goes to a village where vampire supposedly lurk. It’s a strange silent film of sorts with sound effects from Dreyer who explore this young man’s obsession with the occult and vampires as he falls for a mad doctor’s daughter whose sister is believed to be bitten by a vampire. It’s got some amazing visuals that play into a man thinking about vampires and what it would be like to become a vampire.
2. Kwaidan
Masaki Kobayashi’s horror anthology based on the folk tales of Lafcadio Hearn are set into different periods of Japan through four different stories. It all play into the world of ghosts as it involves a samurai warrior leaving his wife for a governor’s daughter in one story. Other stories include a woodcutter’s apprentice making a deal with a ghost, a blind musician singing songs to ghosts much to the dismay of a monastery, and the fourth and final story is a fragmented one about a writer trying to a write a story about a battle between a samurai and a ghost.
3. Crimson Peak
Guillermo del Toro’s gothic horror drama set in the early 20th Century is probably one of the finest films of the 2010s so far as it revolves around a young writer marrying a mysterious man as he takes her to his home that he’s trying to rebuild with his sister yet the house is haunted with ghosts. It’s really one of the most beautiful-looking horror films that I’ve seen yet it offers so much more in terms of its look but also a story of loss and longing as it features a terrifying and intense performance from Jessica Chastain who I feel gives a career-defining performance in that film.
© thevoid99 2019
Vampyr is one I've meant to see for a while. I should put it on a future Blind Spot list.
ReplyDeleteOoohhh, I love Vampyr! What a great choice and it is one of the eeriest films I have ever seen. I haven’t seen your second choice but it sounds good and we match with t(e 3rd. I thought it was vis7ally stunning but the writing suffered and I really like Jessica Chastain but felt she overacted in the end.
ReplyDeleteI still need to check out Vampyr but I saw Nosferatu at the cinema with live music only last year and loved it. So I'm sure Vampyr will also be a win for me.
ReplyDeleteWe share a pick with Crimson Peak! I hadn't expected that many people to go with it, but it's a super popular pick this week.
It's been a while since I've seen Vampyr but I liked it as I did the other Dreyer films I've seen-Day of Wrath & Gertrud.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen the other two though I've heard of both. Crimson Peak is the title of the week!
Not a big horror fan but I do like period films so that eased the way a bit.
The Others (2001)-On the English coast during WWII Grace (Nicole Kidman), a young mother with strong religious beliefs lives mostly in darkness with her two children who suffer from a rare photosensitivity disease hoping to hear word of her husband who is missing in action. A sense of dread permeates the house as the daughter claims to see ghosts and ominous events continue to transpire. I’m not a fan of Kidman but she’s good in this solid creeper.
Interview with the Vampire (1994)-In a San Francisco mansion 200 year old vampire, Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt) tells the story of his transformation at the hands of the seductive Lestat de Lioncourt (Tom Cruise) to reporter Daniel Molloy (Christian Slater). He spins a tale of bloodlust, domination and his attempts to break free only to be further enslaved by Lestat’s conversion of Claudia (Kirsten Dunst) a girl Louis holds dear. Cruise is miscast but not a bad adaptation of the book.
The Haunted Palace (1963)-In the 1760’s condemned warlock Joseph Curwen (Vincent Price) curses a New England village just before being burned alive. Jump forward a century and the kindly Charles Ward (also Price), Curwen's great-great grandson and his wife Ann (Debra Paget) arrive in town to take up residence in Curwen's old mansion assisted by caretaker Simon Orne (Lon Chaney Jr.). But before long the ancient curse overcomes Charles who is driven to evil deeds. Roger Corman directed pastiche of a Poe poem and H. P. Lovecraft novella is a boilerplate 60’s AIP release with Price chewing the scenery most enjoyably.
Great that your picked Kwaidan which not enough people know about. Beautiful film and each anthology story makes you think. My favorite was the tale in the snow.
ReplyDeleteI always find there is something atmospheric about setting a horror movie in the past. It adds a certain Gothic nature to things.
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