Alfred Hitchcock, Master Thriller. |
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So, a couple of our friends decide we need to get together on Saturday night and have dinner and a movie. And since it's so near Halloween, it must be a scary movie! There was nothing really worth watching in the theatres, so we trek on over to the video store in search of a Good Scary Flick.
This proves a little difficult. None of us are into the horror genre. We just don't think blood and guts constitutes actual fear--no matter what the music sounds like. (We all agree, however, on loving the SCREAM trilogy for making fun of the genre!)
We all seem to be more into the thriller/suspense films--the psychological movies that make you question everything. Sometimes, they can "thrill you more than any ghost would dare to try," as Michael Jackson sang.
This is where a master like Alfred Hitchcock got it so right. He knew exactly how to evoke fear in his audience, and he didn't need special effects or a lot of gore to do it. He somehow managed to get inside our heads and make us wonder about our "ordinary" thoughts. For instance, before you banter with STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, think twice: they may not have that grip on 
When the walls start breathing, you know it's time to run! |
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reality that most of us do. Or a conscience.
There's a little bit of a voyeur in each of us, and Hitchcock understood that. Why else would movies like REAR WINDOW, VERTIGO, and PSYCHO be so popular, and so uncomfortably frightening?
His movies are what I imagine Edgar Allan Poe would make, were he a writer/director. A hundred years later.
By the way, if you want to see one of Hitchcock's greatest films, check out THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS(1935). This is the first of his movies featuring an innocent man on the run.
I'd love to go on and on about Hitchcock films, but I need to give the spotlight to a few others. Speaking of others...how about THE OTHERS? This movie is one of the more scary ghost stories out there. One that truly does keep you on the edge of your seat. And you gotta love a movie with a good twist in it! Other good ghost stories I happen to like: THE HAUNTING (1963), POLTERGEIST, and THE SIXTH SENSE.
As for straight up thriller? Pop in MEMENTO... SE7EN... THE SHINING... RINGU...or one of the best modern thrillers: THE 
Let's have a friend for dinner! |
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SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. But if you do, be sure to have it with some fava beans and a nice bottle of chianti. (God bless you, Anthony Hopkins, for your perfect delivery!)
I have to admit, though, I loves me a good zombie flick. And by "good", I mean "crappy." HARD ROCK ZOMBIES, ZOMBIES ON BROADWAY, and just about any other zombie movie out there are ones I simply can't resist. And though technically not a zombie movie, 28 DAYS LATER is one of the very good ones. And by "good", I mean "great."
I guess to sum it all up, if you really want to be scared, don't put in horror. What's so scary about that? Pick a film that gets into your head-- always a scary place to be.
And in case you wanted to know:
Things That Scare the Bejeezus Out of Me:
5. Not realizing my dreams.
4. Accidentally traveling through time and not having some sort of lip balm available.
3. Math tests.
2. Roaches and spiders.
And my number one fear?
1. Aliens. Any kind, any shape, any form. And yes, that includes E.T.
P.S. Do you still have Michael Jackson's "Thriller" stuck in your head? You're welcome.
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| Cannon Fodder |
Every other Thursday
Stream-of-conscious ruminations on whatever pops into Christa's head.
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| Christa Cannon |
Christa would prefer to live in a world where everyone breaks out into song and dance. Um, and also one in which she is rich and very famous.
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