Tennies top horror picks for Halloween 2016

Since moving to the US, fall has become my favourite season. And its not because of all the pumpkin spiced food and drink. You noticeably see the season change and the rawness in the colours which line the streets with its amber and yellow fall leaves. In Australia we never really celebrated Halloween with much of a bang (well our close friends did with parties sometimes) but here, they really make a BIG deal about it and EVERYONE gets involved including kids and parents!

It makes the week in the lead up to where our mortal world and the spirit world is it's thinnest exciting! TV celebrates with horror and thriller movie specials on every evening. Syfy network show a different classic horror film each night and Netflix has recently launched the "Scream" series based on the classic 90's movie. So without further adieu, here are my top 5 picks to warm up to the spookiest eve on earth:

5. The Cabin in the Woods - 2012

It's a given that any film written and produced by Joss Whedon is going to be of quality scare. He was the master of classic series like Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly (which sadly only survived one season but my husband still rates that as one of his all time top favourite series). So with undertones of the morbid scattered through some of his works, it was no surprise to see him direct this excellent film.

Cabin in the Woods

A group of teens visit one of the groups cousin's abandoned cabin in a forest to have a wild weekend. Little do they know that the scares they will encounter are being manipulated by a psych facility who are keen to spook the teens with various monsters and ghouls. What the teens don't account for is the already lingering dark past of the cabin itself. You find yourself questioning the actual reality of the monsters whether they are part of the test or for real. There is an awesome twist at the end of this film which will get you on the edge of the couch, and I still to this day, I rate it in my top 5 of all time scare flicks for it's originality and surprise.

4. 30 Days of Night - 2002

Vampire crew - 30 Days of Night

Forget all your run of the mill vampire movies, this chilling (and I mean literally chilling as it's set in a wild part of northern Alaska) film will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The town of Burrow experience 30 days of night and when the night falls, a group of vampires use this time to lay carnage on the towns folk by having a month long feeding frenzy. The new town sheriff is keen to put the carnage to rest and sets upon devising a plan to try and kill the head vampire. I spent most of this movie huddled up against my partner because of my epic fear of teeth. The stylisation of the vampires are that of Nosferatu (the original depiction of vampires) and for me, teeth has always been an element which freaks me out. The sheer violence and audacity of the vampires in this film set a new precedent making True Blood seem like a childrens vampire series (lol). Don't watch this one alone!

3. Paranormal Activity - Film series (1 - 5) 2007-2015

Apparently you are meant to be less scared when modern technology can film odd occurrences and paranormal sightings in the family home, because at least you have proof that you aren't god damn crazy right?

Scene from Paranormal Activity 3

The series of films is based on the story of a young lady named Katy who believes she has a demon attached to her, which is causing chaos in her life and her home. The series then goes on to elaborate on this evil demonic possession which makes it's way into Katy's extended family and their neighbourhood. Hailed for it's real life scares and anticipation in some horrific scenes, this is another series of films you won't want to watch alone. I recommend watching during the day time!

2. The Blair Witch Project - 1999

The Blair Witch Project

Hearing stories of the Blair Witch, 3 film students go off in search of more information and to try to uncover more about the myth of the witch in the Black hills near Burkittsville in Maryland. The film is shot in a documentary style, making their journey more realistic for the viewer. The students decide to take their search to the woods one night to disprove what the locals have told them, and of course...everything takes a turn for the worse. Armed with nothing but their camera's, every horrifying encounter with the unknown is shown before the viewers eyes, making this high up on the list of top scares for the last 20 years.
When I watched this as a 20yr old, I went off searching for more fan theories long after viewing this film and seeing the ending as it left me with so many questions and open ends to the plot.

1. The Shining - 1980

Originally written by Stephen King, the master of 80's scare, and directed by legendary Stanley Kubrick, this film will stay with your thoughts long after you've watched it. Jack and Wendy Torrance with their young son Danny, take on the care taking role for the winter (October- March) at a large hotel (originally filmed in northern Oregon). The hotel becomes snowed in for the winter and the Torrances aren't aware of the hotel's sordid history, as the main hotel building has been built over an Indian burial ground. There are stories of the last care taker and his family being murdered because he went mad but they refuse to believe the folk lore until things start going crazy.

"Here's Johnny!" Horrifying scene from The Shining

I only watched this film around 5 or 6 years ago for the first time, but since then, it has always stayed with me. The beautiful pop culture of the cinematography has been used over and over time and time again for music film clips, meme's and other such media. Jack Nicholson's most famous crazy line "here's Johnny!" is truly hysterical the first time you watch this. One of the scariest films of ALL time!

Goofball island. Population you.

Now for a more light hearted entry after that very sombre "end of the world" tone from my last blog post! When Disney's Inside Out quotes Riley as having a "goofball island" I'd like to think we all have a bit of goofball in us. Some of us lose part of it as adults, but for most of us, that silly spark remains with us at heart :) I'd like to dedicate this post to some of my favourite goofball TV shows and movies that I recommend to anyone wanting a giggle and a laugh, guaranteed to pick you up out of your blues, make you cringe and in general just give you a good giggle. The 80's was a particular favourite of mine with the likes of Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, John Candy and Dan Akroyd.

National Lampoons Vacation - 1983 (Warner Bros)

The cast of National Lampoons

Clark Griswold and the family set off on a cross country adventure from Chicago to California to experience "Wally World" (America's favourite theme park) and along the way everything that could possibly go wrong does. Yappy loud teenager kids Rusty and Audrey, pouty wife Ellen and their trusty wagon almost don't survive the epic adventure their goofball father sets out for them, with a stop at their hillbilly cousins house half way, their crazy aunt adds to the already cringe worthy family mix. True 80's style, the naff fashions and mishaps will have you covering your eyes and shaking your head. Chevy Chase is at his most supreme dork and sadly I think this was the peak of Beverly DeAngelo's career. Anthony Michael Hall goes on from this role to star in other 80's teen flicks which will make the "teenage heart throb" blog post list. Add this one to the list for your cheesy movie night... it's a classic!

Coming to America - 1988 (Paramount Pictures)

Happy endings - Coming to America

Dubbed a "romantic classic" of the 80's, this one also in my opinion falls under best goofball movie of the 80's too. Murphy who plays Akeem - the prince of an African dynasty Zamunda, goes on a quest to find his Queen after being presented with total flops by his parents (King of Zamunda played by James Earl Jones). He decides that America's glory will present him with a fine selection of bride material and he and Semmi (Arseno Hall) take to America but to hide his wealth, Akeem goes under cover as a poor guy (much to Semmi's disgrace) living in Queens NYC. He meets Lisa McDowell (Shari Headly) when he applies to work in her fathers rip off McDonalds restaurant "McDowells" in Queens. This is one of my all time favourite goofball movies because Eddie plays the eloquent goofball so well. There are a list of one liners which you'll keep in your heart forever. "Sexual Chocolate!" comes to mind (in the 80's Murphy had a knack of dressing as alternate characters) such in this film where he actually plays all the different gents in the barber shop - from the barber himself to all the clients, and then the lead singer of the band playing at a fundraiser...it's a hilarious part of his breakthrough movie comedy niche which was largely unique too. 

Revenge of the Nerds - 1984 (20th Century Fox)

The Nerds in action

No goofball comedy night is complete without a viewing of the movie which put nerds on the map. I think any modern day nerd could watch this film and instantly relate to it. When 4 buddies enrol in college to study computer science, they are faced with the fraternity onslaught and college woes to fit in. Main star is Robert Carradine and by the looks of his extensive movie role list, he stuck to the goofball genre quite heavily through out his career. Just like National Lampoons, this film will get your cringe factor going and perhaps take you way back to your college days. Thank god for these guys though social media and the internet as we know it wasn't around during all the embarrassment.

Ghostbusters - 1984 (Columbia Films)

Who ya gonna call? 

Hailed as one of the best comedy cult flicks of the last 30 years, Ghostbusters has an all star cast with king of the goofballs Bill Murray, there to serve the classic one liners. Along side him Dan Akroyd and Rick Moranis. Sigourney Weaver plays a very more seductive role (worlds apart from her Alien character!) and the only one liners you will ever need to remember for the rest of your life will be "Are you a god?" No. "Then diiiiiie!" and "You are the key master and I am the gate keeper". Along with your awesome 80's computer generated gouls ghosts and such, this is one of my all time favourite movies...one which I could happily watch on repeat or...as a kid, I think I actually did! 

They put the "e" back in humane

There have been a small handful of shows and movies in my time which I've watched that have left a profound mark in my heart. I'm going to dedicate this blog post to 2 stand out TV series and a movie which really put into perspective our humanity, mortality and which make you ponder what a tiny speck we all are in this huge universe that is our existence.

The Leftovers (HBO)

The Leftovers - Season 2 

I had a friend back home recommend The Leftovers to me in the lull of waiting for a few of our other favourites to re-appear after their season and mid-season breaks, I thought I'd give it a whirl. The first episode sets the precedent for the rest of the series and really plants that eternal question which remains the mystery of all 2 (and soon 3) seasons - how did the 140 million people "depart" our planet earth (or as those effected in the show call it - Sudden Departure). Justin Theroux leads the cast as Kevin Garvey, a small town sheriff who is directly effected by the occurrence and its after shocks, yet is one of the lucky ones whose family is left untouched. Sadly his wife (Amy Brenneman) Louise, walks out on him to join the even more mysterious cult: The Guilty Remnant, which forms shortly after the departure who hold a hefty part of the main story line as the cult members ensure they place themselves in the way of the every day town folk to never let them "forget" where their loved ones disappeared to and what happened on the day the departed left the planet. Kevin's emo daughter Jill is left in his care while his son Tommy drops out of college and takes refuge with a departed guru called Holy Wayne. Liv Tyler is introduced as Meagan, a married woman who decides to leave her husband and join The Guilt Remnant but for much of the first season struggles to understand the cult's purpose. It's later in season 2 where you will see Liv's character come to fruition as one of the main villains.

I could write on and on about just the first season of this show as the plot and sub plots are so intricate OR I could just recommend you watch it for yourself as I truly believe it is one of those thought provoking shows that needs to be seen with ones own eyes to draw ones own conclusions. It may not be for everyone as some of the themes can be quite confronting (such as the scene where Nora re-lives the day her husband and children departed) and I enjoyed the sub stories where you learn more about each character prior to the Sudden Departure too. It gives a well rounded history into the character development to understand where their heads are at, in the present. When season 1 finishes, it paves a whole new direction and chapter for the remaining characters (trying not to post spoilers!) along with a host of new characters in season 2. With the commencement of the second season, the setting changes to a little town called Jarden in texas, otherwise known as 'Miracle' where none of the population were taken on the day of the Sudden Departure. Meagan (Liv Tyler) develops into a very sinister character and immerses herself into the cult, which is in fact a takeover from the previous cult "leader" Patti of whose demise you witness in season 1.

This show for me personally made me question everything I know as mortality. How long do we actually have left on our beautiful planet? How do we know that something so similar could effect any one of us (ok...maybe by not being sucked off the face of the planet by an unknown force) but natural disasters come to mind. Will this actually happen? It also forces the viewer to think of moments such as...what would be the last thing you'd want to say to your husband or kiddies or ones you love, if a day such as the Sudden Departure ever occurred? The Leftovers taps into a forbidden emotional and spiritual place, questioning faith and beliefs. It's perplexing, but also leaves us thinking about our very existence and beyond, long after we've watched the show. I'm very much looking forward to Season 3. It will air on HBO later in the year.

Six Feet Under (HBO)

I regard this drama series as one of my all time favourites. I didn't begin watching it until around 2005 when it was in it's last season but it soon became a staple which I would happily re-visit again. Based around the Fishers, a family who own and operate an independant funeral home, each episode begins with a death, and each death is unique in it's own way, which sets the tone and theme for that particular episode and it's characters. 

As dysfunctional as a family the Fishers were, myself as a viewer could somehow relate to what drama was happening to the characters in their storylines, whether it be feuding with siblings or being deceived by parents or lovers, the loss of family or offspring, this series happened to touch so many in different ways whilst tying in those under tones of the afterlife and life's meaning and purpose. The stand out performance for me was from Rachel Griffiths playing the role of Brenda Chenowith. She plays Nate's love interest in the show and all 5 seasons span the web of love, life and death with the Fishers, Chenowith's and Sibleys. It's been a while since viewing it so I am certainly going to give it another go before the end of the year is through. After 3 Golden Globe awards, I can surely see why this is one of the best drama series of the last 20 years. 

The Road (Dimension films)

Based on the 2006 novel of the same title by Cormac McCarthy, Australian director Alan Hillcoat adapted the book in 2009 to translate into what I regard as one of the most thrilling apocalyptic movies of our time. For those who know me, I am really not into "end of the world" scenarios as the very thought really scares me, maybe because I feel threatened when faced with the very realisation that our very extinction is unknown. After reading a bit about the release of this film, I was disappointed it didn't receive the coverage or notoriety which was deserved of it. With a 25 million dollar budget, it sadly only took in 1.5 million in it's opening weekend. Perhaps the story of the world ending so darkly didn't sit well with viewers at the time. I certainly know it took a lot of courage for me to watch this film.

The Road (2009)

The main story is about a father and his son, survivors of the apocalypse in America, who begin their journey on the long road to the coast to try and find food water and refuge with safe groups of people. All wild life, animals and plant matter has been completley destroyed (of which you actually never find out how or why which adds more mystery to the current state) and this paves the story for the physical and emotional hardships this father and son face on their journey. The screen play, backdrops, grittiness and intensity of their situation really plays a huge part in placing you there in that moment with them. The under tones of what humanity is actually doing or in the film's case, had done to the earth us a stark reminder of where we are headed if we don't take life on this planet seriously enough to protect and nourish it. The plot moves through father and son discovering other humans, kept as food for cannibals in a houses basement and they move to rescue them. In the scenes where you see the cannibals, it really shows man's desperation to remain alive, where all sense of normality is lost and where mankind returns to its grass roots as one of the animals hunting the hunted. The sheer desperation of the father wanting his son to survive is enough to make any parents hairs on the back of their neck stand on end through out the film.

I came across this article on why every school should have a read of this book. One of the interesting points made is McCarthy's writing style where the characters are simply named and at any one given time you aren't sure who is actually narrating. I can see why this article suggests this, as being a novel written in the millennium about a real threat to our very existence would make for an interesting and in-depth analysis into the human psyche in times of sheer survival and desperation, a topic that surely does need to be addressed with future generations about our planet's longevity. For most, this film will stay with you for days and weeks after you watch it. I still think about it now and even though it makes me sad, it gives me hope to teach our children the true value in life, the environment and their self worth.

Hands up who loves TV?

Since as far back as I can remember, I was brought up with a TV in the house and parents who from a young age gave me free reign to watch whatever movies and TV shows I liked in my spare time (well...back in the 80's it was Astro Boy, Sesame Street and hit movies like The Goonies btw: all time favourite movie EVER, Honey I shrunk the Kids, The Karate Kid, Never ending Story...then in the 90's it was Alf, The X-Files, Twin Peaks...just to name a few).

It's no wonder now as an adult, I still have that same appreciation for movies and TV shows. The last few years have seemed like a "golden era" in top quality TV shows with the likes of HBO, AMC, Netflix and other huge TV networks assisting in funding these series. I can't recall a time before then where serious TV drama touched on so many different genre's. Maybe I was too young to remember. Aside from raising our daughter and recently relocating to the land of the free.... (yep America) in the quiet evenings when Stella goes to bed, my husband and I do spend a lot of time catching up on all the TV series we have on the go. And then it dawned on me! What better way to I guess "record" or notate or for a better word, transcript, my thoughts, opinions and reviews on some of the stand out movies and TV series I have watched over the last 4-5 years. It may actually also give me an excuse to re-watch a few favourites too. So hands up to loves TV? (am I seeing many hands? I hope so hehe)

Many of my friends seem to be in the same boat. They have young children, the kids hit bedtime early and the parents then sit for a bit to relax and catch up on their favourite TV shows or watch a movie. So with this short introduction to why I have created this blog, I hope I have some followers who can read my thoughts, can then add to the discussion or tell me a bit about what they thought of that show or movie too.

I'll also aim to add a few links to the sites we use to preview movie ratings and scores of flicks we haven't yet watched. It's always handy to have a read and see what the consensus is from the general public. I've found this handy when starting a new TV series or wanting to download a movie.
Thanks for reading!