BEAST OF BURDEN
(http://alexchris617.deviantart.com/art/Beast-of-Burden-284598631)
“…the path has come to its untimely finish. Beneath the cliff face lies a horrible abyss, but I do not dare to save myself.
Similarly, she - Catherine, that is to say - witnessed the atrocity. With it far too much to bear, she committed herself to facial evisceration. Cauterizing the eyes, and wrenching her jaw so that her screams may echo forever.
When life has seen the lifeless end
One may fall too great to mend.”
Attached was a post-script:
“P.S. heed my words if spreading fear.
Judging times are drawing near.”
And so concludes the letter from a dear friend Charles.
(http://alexchris617.deviantart.com/art/Catherine-Wife-of-Charles-281467523)
continuing his letter, my dear friend Charles wrote to me:
“In time, I come to understand my repugnant spawn; a heartless exploiter of fame and wealth. He stands before me, at the side of the winding path. William is the name of the man, but the son in my home is not mine. And so, before I display my decrepit image, I shall make an example of him.
His head becomes twisted as his thoughts. His heart becomes full of the holes it bears. And much similar to my own, hollow becomes his skull.
When pleasure exceeds the will to share
Violent means become burden to bear.”
A dear friend Charles who has written to me:
It reads,
“I come to the other side of this long winding pass; only to see my own shocked expression on the mirror. My mouth is infinitely open, as my head is empty and dull. Noting my eyes shall never focus, I carve myself into this image.
But perhaps, on another day, some fellow may come to me and find what I represent.
A hollow mind when speaking bold does not do one well.
A violent crime of violent words sends man into his hell.”
(http://alexchris617.deviantart.com/art/Dear-Friend-Charles-255885791)
Horror
I’m going to confess something: Gore Verbinski’s remake of The Ring is the one and only film that has managed to scare the living shit out of me.
Nobody, and I repeat, nobody has ever been able to give me something that has been able to top that. The only others that have come close are The Exorcist and The Strangers (in terms of atmosphere, but not actual scares). There was another (The Poughkeepsie Tapes) that was relatively scary. I think the matter is the realism.
Hollywood has this uncanny knack of churning out horror shit. I don’t consider a movie to be a good horror film unless it manages to scare me - or at the very least, provide a very unsettling atmosphere.
And it’s really strange. You can’t rely too much on the critics for this kind of movie, and you can’t really rely on the mainstream audience. Critics point you towards movies like Psycho and The Exorcist because they’re classics. Mainstream audiences give you shit like Saw and Paranormal Activity.
I like series like Saw. Not for the scare value, though. Just for a fun watch. Not when I’m actually wanting something scary. Gore does not mean scary. No filmmaker seems to understand this. I can give Paranormal Activity a bit of credit here for being the least gory horror film that has actually had some potential behind it (was it actually scary? No. Not really. Unsettling at the most).
Also, jump scares do not count as scary. Just because something pops out with a loud noise doesn’t mean that it’s worth watching.
Is there any film that has a certain level of mystery, shock, disturbing imagery and overall production value, or am I being too hopeful?
Legit Scary Horror Movies
Oh why are there so few?
But honestly, if you can give me a movie that legitimately scares the living shit out of me, you win five internets.
Also: inb4 The Ring, The Exorcist, Insidious, Poughkeepsie Tapes, The Grudge… oh, and the Grifter.
So, thoughts?
