The Shining
"Here's Johnny!!" There goes that infamous line from one of Stephen King's novels. The book was already chilling by itself and the movie version made the plot jump out at you, making it even more vivid (as if the images the book procured wasn't spine-tingling enough)."The Shining"
revolves around the Torrance family and began when Jack Torrance (the father played by Jack Nicholson) took the job as a caretaker of a breathtaking and popular hotel in Colorado, the Overlook. What seemed like their ticket to solving their financial and problems soon turned out to be the exact opposite. "This inhuman place makes inhuman monsters." With the Overlook's grim and haunting history, the Torrances soon found themselves in the middle of terror and evil that seems to be coming from the presence of the hotel itself. Danny Torrance, their five year-old son, has "the shining." That is to say that he has the sixth sense, and the Overlook wants every piece of him. The story spins into a knot of horror and macabre as Jack, Wendy (the mother) and Danny try to fight the evil that is the Overlook.The ending of "The Shining" is something you need to see. Even right at the very end, the horror was still there. How so? That's for you to find out
.Battle Royale
This. This is the Japanese film that gave me three nightmares. I wouldn't have discovered it (nor watched it, if you want the whole truth) if not for my Film class. There are no ghosts in this film, just some high school students. What's so scary about this film, then? Just picture this: Your class gets picked to be exiled in a remote island. The government does this once a year and if having an all-expense paid trip seems like such fun, then this film might just change your mind. Because guess what? Your class was actually sent there to kill each other."Battle Royale"
is all about the brutality, paranoia and fear of the game of survival. Each student is given a bag (a kit, if you'd like to call it that) that contains some food, drink and a weapon. And an instruction to kill each other because there can only be one left. Apparently, this is done yearly to cut down the population. Weapons inside the bag varies, from arrows to guns to pots and pans. Oh, and don't forget that device the students wore around their neck. If one so much as attempts to take it off or leave the island, it will explode immediately. Good bye, you. You're not fit to survive.How did the story end?
That's something you have to see for yourself. "Battle Royale" is really a film that can strike a chord within you.The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Here is yet another film that made a scaredy cat out of me (and I'm not scared that easily). Sure, some of those who have watched it might say it's boring and predictable. However, this is what I'm going to say about it: This movie, even with its serious court scenes, is horrifying. Why? Because it's real. It can happen without any warning. And, most of all, it doesn't deal with ghosts and such. This movie deals with the devil (I try not to shudder as I said that). Think "The Exorcist", only that this one is based on a true story."The Exorcism of Emily Rose"
is thought-provoking and it really tests your faith. I think that its solid link to reality is what makes this film haunting and scary. Oh yeah, you need to watch it because I think that its chapel scene, by far, the creepiest.Ju-on
If you think that the Hollywood version of this film ("The Grudge" which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar) is already scary, then you ain't seen nothing yet. Try popping its original version, "Ju-on." It's basically the same thing with "The Grudge" EXCEPT that the Hollywood version decided to chuck out scenes that contributed to the wholeness, the spine-tingling factor, of the film.In "Ju-on", it isn't shy about telling the tales of each of the person who had the misfortune of stepping inside the house. There's that scene at the house itself, where a group of high school girls decided to hang out. And guess who came out of the hiding, dragging itself towards the group of girls in its horrifyingly awkward fashion?
Really, the Hollywood version did no justice to the original Japanese "Ju-on." Why not watch it yourself
and then tell me what you think?Phone
If there is anything I've learned, Asians have this great talent at coming up with horror films. They have this hushed, creeping way of telling a story. And then before you know it... BAM! The scenes that unfold before you are a flurry of horrifying events. And "Phone" is no exception.It seems harmless. At first. There's the seemingly perfect middle class family: mom, dad and daughter (who could be no more than five). They live in a posh home and everything seems bright, shiny and happy. Until you discover the real deal about the daughter. Until you find out the father's secret. Until you find out the whole family's secret, which is in connection with the married couple's good friend. What's so creepy about "Phone"
is the way the daughter was used as the means of menace and brutality. There is nothing more haunting and horrifying than seeing a little girl screaming on top of the staircase "Who among you wants to die for me?" while beating her chest with her small fist, her eyes blazing and reeking with nothing but evil intent. And don't even get me started about her grin. *shudder*"Phone" is definitely a must
if you're into horror films like me, that much I can say.
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