Time for another round of Halloween related Thursday Movie Picks! I feel like this weeks theme could go a number of ways. There are tons of movies out there that claim to be based on a true story, but really just take something and twist it and mold it into something that barely resembles the actual events. Looking at you “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” I’m very curious to see how the lists go this week!
1. The Conjuring 2
This film in the franchise is based on the case of the Enfield poltergeist. The events took place between 1977 and 1979 in London. You can learn more about it here. I have to say, The Crooked Man in this film freaked me out. I have a thing with monsters/spooks that walk in weird ways. My brain just hates it and can’t handle it. I was a little late to The Conjuring franchise and I think this might have been the first one I saw in theaters. I really enjoyed it and recommend checking it out if you’re looking for something spooky this October.
2. The Exorcism of Emily Rose
I remember trying to watch this in bed one night and just being 100% freaked out. It’s a bit of a slow burn and a mix of supernatural and court room drama. Jennifer Carpenter plays Emily Rose and just killed the role. She was even able to contort her body for the role. The real life story is about a girl named Anneliese Michel who was forced to deal with 67 various exorcisms, which ended up causing her death. Michel’s parents and the two priests were found guilty of negligent homicide and were sentenced to six months in jail but their sentence was reduced to three years of probation. They were also issued a fine.
3. Zodiac
I feel like this one might lean more thriller but it does carry a certain feeling of dread. The movie is based on the book of the same title by Robert Graysmith. It has such a star studded cast including Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Jake Gyllenhaal, and John Carroll Lynch. It’s not an action packed film and I think that’s what makes it stand out. Plus the case was never actually solved. It just has a natural cliffhanger which I enjoy. They didn’t try and change it and force a fake ending. I know I’ve seen people complain about the fact that it just ends but that’s real life bro. I’m very much into true crime and this movie is one of my favorites.
That’s it for this week. I thought about doing a 4th movie but again, don’t want to end up needing a certain movie for other lists! Thanks in advance for any comments!
I considered Zodiac, it’s not what you’d think of as horror I guess but it is a depiction of horrifying events. I have vague memories of when the actual Zodiac killer was being hunted and just the feeling of it was one of dread. The movie was very well made and acted but I’ll never watch it again. It was a tough sit the first time!
I’ve never seen any of the Conjuring movies but then horror and fright flicks aren’t my thing usually. But we do have a match with Emily Rose! What pulled me in was Laura Linney and the rest of the cast but I thought it was a decent one time watch, I saw it in the theatre which always adds a bit of a boost to this type of movie.
Aside from our match I had to do quite a bit of searching to come up with two others since the first two that came to mind-The Exorcist & Psycho-I’d used before.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)-Plot: An attorney (Laura Linney) defends a priest (Tom Wilkinson) accused of negligent homicide after an exorcism.
Basis: Anneliese Michel died after being subjected to an exorcism. She was found to have been malnourished and dehydrated. Her parents and the responsible priests were charged with negligent homicide and sentenced to three years’ probation. Her epilepsy was likely the real culprit.
The Mothman Prophecies (2002)-Plot: A man (Richard Gere) investigates the Mothman, a strange red-eyed creature that appears to signify impending disasters.
Basis: Journalist John Keel wrote The Mothman Prophecies after investigating hundreds of reports of sightings and other strange phenomena in Point Pleasant, West Virginia during the late 1960s.
The Entity (1982)-Plot: A woman (Barbara Hershey) is tormented and sexually molested by an invisible demon.
Basis: In 1974 Doris Bither claimed to have been repeatedly sexually assaulted by an invisible entity leading to her being observed by doctoral students at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The Mothman Prophecies is a great pick! They have a Mothman festival in West Virginia that I hope to make it to one day!
Great picks! I didn’t consider Zodiac and i should have. That movie is great.
I haven’t seen your first 2 picks but I can see myself jump and get freaked out. Zodiac is horrific in what happens to these people who were killed. Any serial killer belongs in horror.
The only one I’ve seen is The Conjuring 2 though I am not a fan of it. I think I may own the Zodiac dvd, but it’s still one I’ve yet to watch.