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31 Days of October, Day 19

10/19/2016

2 Comments

 
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Today, I'm going to list some more serious Horror films. Ghost stories are my favorite. Monsters are fun and aliens too but a good ghost story tops them all. (Of course, werewolves are a close second.) And here (in my opinion) is where Guillermo Del Toro excels. My first recommendation is a foreign film, and yes, you'll have to watch it with subtitles. Personally, I've never let that hold me back. You shouldn't either. You absolutely won't be sorry.
I've watched that film multiple times and each viewing brings with it another insight. I absolutely adore it. Bonus points for a literary reference supremely executed. The next one isn't quite as good in my opinion, but then, I'm a sucker for everything the first did...so, my opinion can be discounted. ;) The next up is The Devil's Backbone.
This film combines history and Horror. Set in the Spanish Civil War (1939 for those who don't know)--the film centers around a boy (Carlos) whose father is a dead war hero (on the side of the Republicans.) The war is winding down, and Franco's Right-Wing Nationalists are winning. Carlos is abandoned at an orphanage in the middle of nowhere by his tutor. There, Carlos discovers the place is haunted by more than a ghost. The ghost pushes him to solve the mystery before the others are killed. The visuals in this film are stunning.

And now, because I can...Crimson Peak.
Crimson Peak is the best Hammer Horror film ever...even if it isn't a Hammer Horror film. (For the record, I enjoy Hammer Horror too--as long as it doesn't get too sexist. The films featured pretty big in my formative years.) I've had a fondness for Gothic Horror stories since I was a wee sprout and reading the likes of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Phylis A. Whitney. To this day, I totally dig giant spooky houses with dark secrets and over-stuffed Victorian furniture. It's a thing. Anyway, the esthetics of this film are spot on for the era it portrays. The actress could've stepped out of a Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood painting. Good stuff. Don't look for anything deep in the story. The women in it don't always make sense. Enjoy it for the bit of decadent Halloween candy fluff that it is. And it's a gorgeous work of gothic art.
2 Comments
Mihai (Dark Wolf) link
10/19/2016 10:52:54 am

I love Guillermo del Toro's movies, especially those with subtitles (although all of them come in my part of the world with subtitles, so I mean the movies for the English speaking countries ;) ). And although he only produced The Orphanage this movie it's still is one of the best I've seen in the last several years. But I have to admit my favorite Guillermo del Toro's movie remains Pan's Labyrinth. Not exactly full horror, but it has its elements of it, Pan's Labyrinth is a gem from my point of view.

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stina
10/19/2016 11:44:07 am

I love Pan's Labyrinth too, but I was talking Horror not Dark Fantasy. (Although, it definitely has Horror elements.) The line is fuzzy. And to be frank, I did debate whether or not to add it to today's post.

I much prefer his Spanish language films to the ones he's been doing for American studios.

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    Stina Leicht

    is a Science Fiction and Fantasy author living in Texas.

    This blog is updated infrequently. Follow me on Twitter for announcements of new posts over on Patreon. Thanks for reading!

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