Related:
they don't make 'em like this anymore — poltergeist
poltergeist
Showing posts with label ghosts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ghosts. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 03, 2018
favorite movie #62 - halloween edition: poltergeist
Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #62 - Poltergeist (1982) - I've written about this movie at great length before (see below). It captures a time, but it is still as fresh and as scary today as it was when it first premiered. I ignore the sequels and most definitely ignore the crappy attempt at a remake. Accept no substitutes.
Related:
they don't make 'em like this anymore — poltergeist
poltergeist
Related:
they don't make 'em like this anymore — poltergeist
poltergeist
Monday, November 03, 2014
the innocents
Perfect for the Halloween season, The Criterion Collection has released a gorgeous DVD version of the classic ghost film, The Innocents
, starring Deborah Kerr. Based on Henry James's novella The Turn of the Screw, The Innocents is part ghost/horror film, part psychological drama.
James's story concerns a naive, inexperienced young governess who is hired to care for two precocious children, sister and brother Flora and Miles (Pamela Franklin and Martin Stephens). Their uncle (Michael Redgrave), seemingly uninterested in anything about his charges except that they are provided for, sends Miss Giddens to his country estate, Bly, with the strict instruction of not bothering him with anything - ever. He also asks her if she has an imagination, which may seem like a strange question at first, but will become more and more important as the story progresses. Both Miss Giddens and the audience must decipher if what they are seeing is truly occurring.
Director Jack Clayton never really answers some of the questions posed by the film, either: Are the ghosts real, or just imagined by Miss Giddens (Kerr)? Leaving the mystery open to interpretation helps involve the audience more deeply in the story. Are we seeing what is really happening, or what is in Miss Giddens's mind? Deborah Kerr gives perhaps the best performance of her career as a woman who is determined to do the right thing, but whose actions, spurred on by her religious and sheltered upbringing, may bring disaster to everyone.
It is interesting that the two orphaned children's parents are never mentioned. They are surrounded by surrogate parents - seen and unseen - and with an uncle who is uninvolved in their lives and a governess who is overly preoccupied with their welfare. The only other (living) adult on the scene is the housekeeper Mrs. Grose (Megs Jenkins), who at first seems to respect and agree with Miss Giddens and her assessment of the situation, but, who, gradually, like the audience, begins to wonder what exactly Miss Giddens believes she is seeing.
The new transfer, a 4K digital restoration, is immaculate, with rich blacks and grays. The film is in widescreen format, with an aspect ration of 2.35:1, and looks great on a large screen, high-definition television. The sound quality is excellent, too, with the score and dialogue sharp and clear. There are some wonderful extras on the disc, including an introduction by cultural historian Christopher Frayling (who also does the audio commentary); an interview with cinematographer John Bailey; a "making of" featurette, with interviews with director of photography Freddie Francis, editor John Clark, and script supervisor Pamela Mann Francis. The DVD also includes an attractive pull-out with cast, credits, a film still, and an essay by critic Maitland McDonagh.
The gothic horror of The Innocents is not graphic, but it is scary and creepy in the extreme. Full of shadows and dark desires, one will need to watch and decide for oneself what exactly is or isn't happening. It's a wonderful addition to the Criterion Collection and any horror film aficionado's list of must-see movies.
Original published on Blogcritics
, starring Deborah Kerr. Based on Henry James's novella The Turn of the Screw, The Innocents is part ghost/horror film, part psychological drama. James's story concerns a naive, inexperienced young governess who is hired to care for two precocious children, sister and brother Flora and Miles (Pamela Franklin and Martin Stephens). Their uncle (Michael Redgrave), seemingly uninterested in anything about his charges except that they are provided for, sends Miss Giddens to his country estate, Bly, with the strict instruction of not bothering him with anything - ever. He also asks her if she has an imagination, which may seem like a strange question at first, but will become more and more important as the story progresses. Both Miss Giddens and the audience must decipher if what they are seeing is truly occurring.
 |
| What (or who) does Miss Giddens see? |
Director Jack Clayton never really answers some of the questions posed by the film, either: Are the ghosts real, or just imagined by Miss Giddens (Kerr)? Leaving the mystery open to interpretation helps involve the audience more deeply in the story. Are we seeing what is really happening, or what is in Miss Giddens's mind? Deborah Kerr gives perhaps the best performance of her career as a woman who is determined to do the right thing, but whose actions, spurred on by her religious and sheltered upbringing, may bring disaster to everyone.
Miss Giddens, "But above anything else, I love the children."
It is interesting that the two orphaned children's parents are never mentioned. They are surrounded by surrogate parents - seen and unseen - and with an uncle who is uninvolved in their lives and a governess who is overly preoccupied with their welfare. The only other (living) adult on the scene is the housekeeper Mrs. Grose (Megs Jenkins), who at first seems to respect and agree with Miss Giddens and her assessment of the situation, but, who, gradually, like the audience, begins to wonder what exactly Miss Giddens believes she is seeing.
The new transfer, a 4K digital restoration, is immaculate, with rich blacks and grays. The film is in widescreen format, with an aspect ration of 2.35:1, and looks great on a large screen, high-definition television. The sound quality is excellent, too, with the score and dialogue sharp and clear. There are some wonderful extras on the disc, including an introduction by cultural historian Christopher Frayling (who also does the audio commentary); an interview with cinematographer John Bailey; a "making of" featurette, with interviews with director of photography Freddie Francis, editor John Clark, and script supervisor Pamela Mann Francis. The DVD also includes an attractive pull-out with cast, credits, a film still, and an essay by critic Maitland McDonagh.
The gothic horror of The Innocents is not graphic, but it is scary and creepy in the extreme. Full of shadows and dark desires, one will need to watch and decide for oneself what exactly is or isn't happening. It's a wonderful addition to the Criterion Collection and any horror film aficionado's list of must-see movies.
Original published on Blogcritics
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
the woman in black
Article first published as Book Review: The Woman in Black by Susan Hill on Blogcritics.
The Woman in Black
is a good old-fashioned ghost story by Susan Hill, first published in 1983. It's a "vintage" ghost story, written in the period and style of classic ghost stories by Wilkie Collins and M.R. James. This new paperback is a tie-in to the upcoming film adaptation (February 2012) starring Daniel Radcliffe as the protagonist and narrator, Arthur Kipps. The book had been adapted before into a made-for television movie, radio versions, as well as a stage play.
Arthur Kipps is a young solicitor with prospects — a promising career and a young fiancee. His boss, Mr. Bentley, tasks him with representing the firm in the estate of an old woman, Alice Drablow, who lived as a recluse in a remote part of England. Kipps is eager to please his boss and also to see a bit of the world and get away from London. He travels to the small village of Crythin Gifford to attend Mrs Drablow's funeral.
Almost as soon as he begins his journey everyone he encounters clams up the moment he mentions his reasons for visiting their corner of the world. Mrs. Drablow was well-known in the area, but no one wants to speak of her. But Kipps is an unsuspicious sort of fellow, and at 23, naive enough to believe that his own strength and force of will can carry any day.
While at the funeral, which is bereft of mourners, Kipps sees a figure in the rear of the church, a woman "with a pale and wasted face," dressed in black. He is curious who she might be, as no one else in Crythin Gifford wanted to pay their respects, but she disappears before he can speak to her. He needs to focus on his business and prepare for the next day, when he will visit the client's house and start to go through her papers to see what might be of use to his firm.
Mrs. Drablow lived in Eel Marsh House, which is situated far beyond the town. Similar to Normandy's Mont Saint-Michel, the house can only be reached at low tide, by crossing a long causeway. Kipps is taken there by a local in his pony trap, Keckwick, who promises to return for him when the tide recedes. He is later joined by a delightful dog named Spider, who truly proves to be man's best friend.
Eel Marsh House and its creepy, marshy environs are portrayed with great detail and care in The Woman in Black. Hill creates a truly eerie atmosphere — there is a feeling of dread that surrounds Kipps from the very start of the novel. Strange sounds in the house, and a terrifying cry of a child in peril out in the marsh, are just the beginning of unsettling occurrences that Kipps encounters.
It's an absorbing and entertaining read. The only criticism I might have is that The Woman in Black is a straight ghost story. There is nothing wrong in that, but if Kipps's mental state had been in question, along the lines of the governess in Henry James's The Turn of the Screw, that would have added another layer of subtlety to the story. But we never for a moment can doubt that what Kipps is dealing with is ghostly in nature.
Kipps and the reader are in for some genuinely scary moments, and like all good ghost stories, The Woman in Black leaves one with a feeling of unease, with questions unanswered. Could some of the happenings been avoided? It will be interesting to see how the film diverges from Hill's story. It's a perfect read for this spooky Halloween season.
Wood engravings by Andy English from Susan Hill's website
The Woman in Black
is a good old-fashioned ghost story by Susan Hill, first published in 1983. It's a "vintage" ghost story, written in the period and style of classic ghost stories by Wilkie Collins and M.R. James. This new paperback is a tie-in to the upcoming film adaptation (February 2012) starring Daniel Radcliffe as the protagonist and narrator, Arthur Kipps. The book had been adapted before into a made-for television movie, radio versions, as well as a stage play.Arthur Kipps is a young solicitor with prospects — a promising career and a young fiancee. His boss, Mr. Bentley, tasks him with representing the firm in the estate of an old woman, Alice Drablow, who lived as a recluse in a remote part of England. Kipps is eager to please his boss and also to see a bit of the world and get away from London. He travels to the small village of Crythin Gifford to attend Mrs Drablow's funeral.
Almost as soon as he begins his journey everyone he encounters clams up the moment he mentions his reasons for visiting their corner of the world. Mrs. Drablow was well-known in the area, but no one wants to speak of her. But Kipps is an unsuspicious sort of fellow, and at 23, naive enough to believe that his own strength and force of will can carry any day.
While at the funeral, which is bereft of mourners, Kipps sees a figure in the rear of the church, a woman "with a pale and wasted face," dressed in black. He is curious who she might be, as no one else in Crythin Gifford wanted to pay their respects, but she disappears before he can speak to her. He needs to focus on his business and prepare for the next day, when he will visit the client's house and start to go through her papers to see what might be of use to his firm.
Mrs. Drablow lived in Eel Marsh House, which is situated far beyond the town. Similar to Normandy's Mont Saint-Michel, the house can only be reached at low tide, by crossing a long causeway. Kipps is taken there by a local in his pony trap, Keckwick, who promises to return for him when the tide recedes. He is later joined by a delightful dog named Spider, who truly proves to be man's best friend.
Eel Marsh House and its creepy, marshy environs are portrayed with great detail and care in The Woman in Black. Hill creates a truly eerie atmosphere — there is a feeling of dread that surrounds Kipps from the very start of the novel. Strange sounds in the house, and a terrifying cry of a child in peril out in the marsh, are just the beginning of unsettling occurrences that Kipps encounters.
It's an absorbing and entertaining read. The only criticism I might have is that The Woman in Black is a straight ghost story. There is nothing wrong in that, but if Kipps's mental state had been in question, along the lines of the governess in Henry James's The Turn of the Screw, that would have added another layer of subtlety to the story. But we never for a moment can doubt that what Kipps is dealing with is ghostly in nature.
Kipps and the reader are in for some genuinely scary moments, and like all good ghost stories, The Woman in Black leaves one with a feeling of unease, with questions unanswered. Could some of the happenings been avoided? It will be interesting to see how the film diverges from Hill's story. It's a perfect read for this spooky Halloween season.
Wood engravings by Andy English from Susan Hill's website
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