HORROR MOVIES 101

iAyudame! (that means "help!" in Spanish!)

Hey, everyone! I'm wondering if any of you folks would be willing to help me out with a presentation I'm doing for my Spanish class. I'm trying to compare Spanish horror films and American horror films with respect to ghosts, or general creepy thrills. For my Spanish film, I'm watching "The Devil's Backbone." I'm not sure about the American film, but I'm thinking "Poltergeist," because I'd like to stick with movies that have similar subject matter (in this case, ghosts). So far my thinking is that Spanish horror films, particularly "haunting" movies, like Del Toro's film, or "The Orphanage" have more to do with the scarier aspects human nature than American horror films, which seem to deal chiefly with special effects and scaring the bejeezus out of you. Am I on the right track? Are there other aspects I should be examining? A different American ghost/haunting-related film I should be checking out?

Sorry this post is so long...but I don't think there was any way I could make it short. Like I said, any help would be greatly appreciated!

iGracias!

Re:iAyudame! (that means "help!" in Spanish!)

   There are better American ghost stories.   How about  The Amityville Horror  or  The Shining  or  Ghost Story ...

   But if you want to explore other good ghost stories you might want to look at some British films like  The Haunting  and  The Legend of Hell House ...

                                                                                         < GOR >

Re:iAyudame! (that means "help!" in Spanish!)

Ditto on all Dr_Gor's suggestions (with the potential exception of The Amityville Horror, which I didn't care for).  Another good American ghost story is The Changeling.  Definitely worth checking out and on par if not better than Ghost Story.

Re:iAyudame! (that means "help!" in Spanish!)

Hey Abby, I think you hit the nail on the head with your comparison.  Poltergeist is a great film to compare BUT it seems like the circumstances in that film happened to the ghosts AFTER they were dead or became ghosts, in most of the Spanish films, the circumstances happened to the people BEFORE they became ghosts.  The Changeling might be a really good comparison (not the new Angelina movie) but the 1980 version.  Or like Gor said, Ghost Story would be a good one too.

It sounds like a really interesting project, I hope you can share some of your findings with us. 

June

indieabby88:

Hey, everyone! I'm wondering if any of you folks would be willing to help me out with a presentation I'm doing for my Spanish class. I'm trying to compare Spanish horror films and American horror films with respect to ghosts, or general creepy thrills. For my Spanish film, I'm watching "The Devil's Backbone." I'm not sure about the American film, but I'm thinking "Poltergeist," because I'd like to stick with movies that have similar subject matter (in this case, ghosts). So far my thinking is that Spanish horror films, particularly "haunting" movies, like Del Toro's film, or "The Orphanage" have more to do with the scarier aspects human nature than American horror films, which seem to deal chiefly with special effects and scaring the bejeezus out of you. Am I on the right track? Are there other aspects I should be examining? A different American ghost/haunting-related film I should be checking out?

Sorry this post is so long...but I don't think there was any way I could make it short. Like I said, any help would be greatly appreciated!

iGracias!

Re:iAyudame! (that means "help!" in Spanish!)

mciocco:

Ditto on all Dr_Gor's suggestions (with the potential exception of The Amityville Horror, which I didn't care for).  Another good American ghost story is The Changeling.  Definitely worth checking out and on par if not better than Ghost Story.

  I have actually seen  "The Changleing"  but it has been SO many years ago that I can't really remember anything about it!   I think it stared George C. Scott, yes?  One of my favorite actors...

Re:iAyudame! (that means "help!" in Spanish!)

Dr_Gor:

  I have actually seen  "The Changleing"  but it has been SO many years ago that I can't really remember anything about it!   I think it stared George C. Scott, yes?  One of my favorite actors...

  Some of my favorite George C. Scott movies..

    Patton ...

   They Might Be Giants ...

   Dr. Strangelove...

   Rage ...

  Firestarter ...

  not sure if that was the right link for that last one....  Anyhow, I think you get the point.,..

Re:iAyudame! (that means "help!" in Spanish!)

Dr_Gor:

  They Might Be Giants ...

The name of this movie was taken for the name of my favorite musical group.

But I've never seen the film.  I was thinking about reading some more Sherlock Holmes and maybe even Don Quixote too before seeing this.  My impression is that they both factor into this film.  Am I correct??

Re:iAyudame! (that means "help!" in Spanish!)

Risselada:

The name of this movie was taken for the name of my favorite musical group.

But I've never seen the film.  I was thinking about reading some more Sherlock Holmes and maybe even Don Quixote too before seeing this.  My impression is that they both factor into this film.  Am I correct??

   It has been many, many years since I last saw this one.   I first saw  They Might Be Giants  at the theatre during it's initial release.   I would have been about 11 years old...   This movie made quite an impression on me for George C. Scott's masterful portrayal of a certified "paranoid-schizophrenic" in "modern day" (at the time) New York who actually thinks he is Sherlock Holmes.   (AND, for some reason that I can't remember he is still allowed to run loose...)    When "Holmes" is introduced to a new psychiatrist (Dr. Watson, played by Joanne Woodward) and she becomes rather fascinated with his case and begins following him all over New York in search of "clues" ...   "Come along, Watson!   The Game is afoot!" ...

   At the time of my first viewing of this movie (11 years old) I was already a huge Shelock Holmes fan having seen most of the movies and having read most of the books...   This movie made quite an impression on me.

   And you are correct.   Scott is a VERY Quixote-esque in his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes.   You really should watch this one at your earliest possible convenience...

                                                                              < GOR >

Re:iAyudame! (that means "help!" in Spanish!)

Dr_Gor:

Risselada:

The name of this movie was taken for the name of my favorite musical group.

But I've never seen the film.  I was thinking about reading some more Sherlock Holmes and maybe even Don Quixote too before seeing this.  My impression is that they both factor into this film.  Am I correct??

   It has been many, many years since I last saw this one.   I first saw  They Might Be Giants  at the theatre during it's initial release.   I would have been about 11 years old...   This movie made quite an impression on me for George C. Scott's masterful portrayal of a certified "paranoid-schizophrenic" in "modern day" (at the time) New York who actually thinks he is Sherlock Holmes.   (AND, for some reason that I can't remember he is still allowed to run loose...)    When "Holmes" is introduced to a new psychiatrist (Dr. Watson, played by Joanne Woodward) and she becomes rather fascinated with his case and begins following him all over New York in search of "clues" ...   "Come along, Watson!   The Game is afoot!" ...

   At the time of my first viewing of this movie (11 years old) I was already a huge Shelock Holmes fan having seen most of the movies and having read most of the books...   This movie made quite an impression on me.

   And you are correct.   Scott is a VERY Quixote-esque in his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes.   You really should watch this one at your earliest possible convenience...

                                                                              < GOR >

Thanks Gor!  Actually it sounds like one to save until a day when I know I need to watch a really great one!  You know what I mean?

Do you ever hold off on watching a movie you know will be fantastic because you want the timing to be just right?

Re:iAyudame! (that means "help!" in Spanish!)

Risselada:

Do you ever hold off on watching a movie you know will be fantastic because you want the timing to be just right?

   Actually, I have been holding off on watching several movies I would like to see because my goddamn DVD player broke about a month ago...   But now I have the money to replace it and I am planning on remedying this situation tomorrow...

   When I was a very young kid and first started watching television, there was a local TV station that would show a triple feature of  King Kong ,  Son of Kong  and  The Mighty Joe Young  every single Thanksgiving for several years!   I have more than a couple excellent copies of all three of these movies on VHS and I have been (more or less) carrying on the tradition over the years...   Don't ask me what the connection is...   I am planning to watch those three movies this Thanksgiving...   Perhaps the "colorized" versions...   I don't know yet...

   I think that is something like what you were talking about ...   I have certain "feel-good" movies that I can watch anytime and they will cheer me right up!   Movies like  Zombie (Fulci) and  Night of the Living Dead  and  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre  and  JAWS  and  The Exorcist  always make me feel better when I am down...

                                                                             < GOR >