Tis the season for some scary movies and books!
Poltergeist
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Poltergeist
The Freeling family is a typical middle class family living in the peaceful Cuesta Verde Estates. Steve, his wife Diane, 16-year-old daughter Dana, 8-year-old Robbie, and 5-year-old Carol Ann live in a tract house. Soon strange things begin to happen around the house; the pet canary dies, mysterious storms occur, and Carol Ann is summoned to the TV set, where a strange shaft of green light hits her and causes the room to shake. As the curious events continue, Carol Ann is repeatedly drawn to the television, where she begins to talk to "the TV people." Soon Carol Ann is sucked into a closet, disappearing from this reality plane. Unable to find his daughter, Steve consults Dr. Lesh, a para-psychologist from a nearby college. Lesh finds that the paranormal phenomenon is so strong in the Freelong household she is unable to deal with it and sends for clairvoyant and professional exorcist Tangina to examine the house in hopes of finding Carol Ann. Tangina makes a horrifying discovery: Carol Ann is alive and in the house, but is being held on another spectral plane.
Paranormal activity
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Paranormal
Katie and Micah are a young middle class couple who are engaged to be married. After moving into a suburban 'starter' house in San Diego, California, they begin hearing noises while trying to sleep. Not knowing if the presence is demonic or not, they attempt tp communicate through a Ouija board, which angers the spirit further. Now they may never sleep again, or they may never wake up!
This movie and the sequel always creep me out. I love the fake found footage stuff mixed with the unseen.
- Mykle
The Blair Witch project
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Blair
Three student filmmakers set out into the forest to film a documentary on a legend known as The Blair Witch. As they become lost in the woods, an unseen evil begins to stalk and harass them. They soon realize that what they are filming is not a legend, but their own descent into a horrifying encounter with the supernatural.
This is a great movie to watch before a night time stroll through the woods or while camping. The "found footage" is really shaky at points so skip this if that bothers you.
- Mykle
Pet sematary
King, Stephen, 1947-
FICTION King, Stephen
One of my favorite scary stories from Stephen King. This one showed me that even the written word could scare me.
- Mykle
Scary stories to tell in the dark
Schwartz, Alvin, 1927-
j398.25 Schwartz
Stories of ghosts and witches, "jump" stories, scary songs, and modern-day scary stories.
This series is located in the children's section but it is still great for adults. The stories are creepy and the illustrations are perfect.
- Mykle
An American werewolf in London
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR American
It's a rainy night on the Welsh moors. Two American students on a walking tour of Europe trudge on to the next town, when suddenly the air is pierced by an unearthly howl ... Three weeks later, one is dead and the other is in the hospital.
The horror, psychological thrills, and trauma make this one very interesting.
- Mykle
Army of darkness
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Army
The one and only Bruce Campbell stars as Ash, a hapless housewares clerk time-warped back to the Dark Ages by the demonic power of the Necronomicon.
This is the comedic sequel to The Evil Dead. There are certainly zombies but the comedy hits hard. If you like Bruce Campbell but want something scarier, try The Evil Dead or The Evil Dead 2.
- Mykle
The Addams family
DVD MOVIE COMEDY Addams
When long-lost Uncle Fester reappears after twenty-five years in the Bermuda Triangle, the other members of the off-beat Addams clan plan a great celebration, only to begin to suspect that he may not be who he claims to be.
Dark, witty, and still full of love. A near perfect movie from a stellar cast.
- Mykle
Metamorphosis and other stories
Kafka, Franz, 1883-1924.
FICTION Kafka Franz
Stories by Franz Kafka. Specifically, Metamorphosis where our main character wakes up one morning to find that he has changed into a large insect.
Equal parts interesting, horrifying, and sad, especially from a psychological view.
- Mykle
Friday the 13th
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Friday
Camp Crystal Lake has been closed for over twenty years due to several vicious and unsolved murders. New owners reopen the camp, only to have each counselor stalked by a violent killer. This 24-hour nightmare of blood unfolds into a film which is widely acclaimed for its horrifying and creative murder sequences.
This is the original film 1980. Jason snatching up teens at Crystal Lake is classic horror at its best.
- Mykle
The number 23
DVD MOVIE DRAMA Number
Walter Sparrow receives a book for his birthday from his wife, Agatha. The first words he reads change his once placid existence into a whirlpool of psychological torture and mayhem. The book is a chilling murder mystery that seems to mirror Walter's life in dark and uncontrollable ways. The book's main character is a brooding detective named Fingerling who seems to copy Walter's own history. As the book comes to life, Walter becomes fascinated by the most frightening part of it - Fingerling's dark obsession with the number 23. Walter soon starts to see the number everywhere in his own life and becomes haunted by the fact that he is damned to commit the same horrific crime as Fingerling. Now Walter is on a dangerous quest to understand the mysteries of the book. If he can unlock the dark power of the number 23, he may just be able to change his future.
Jim Carrey does a really good job starring in this creepy and dark psychological thriller.
- Mykle
Halloween
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Halloween
On October 31, 1963, six-year-old Michael Myers brutally stabs his sister Judith to death with a kitchen knife at their home in Haddonfield, Illinois. He is sent to Smith's Grove-Warren County Sanitarium and placed under the care of psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance). Loomis suspects that there is more to Myers than meets the eye and plans to have him committed indefinitely, despite the fact that Michael seems docile and does not speak a word. At the age of 21, Myers escapes from Smith's Grove while being transferred, and returns to Haddonfield with Loomis in pursuit. While Loomis tries to convince authorities of the boy's evil nature, Meyers goes on a murderous rampage while he stalks and terrorizes a young woman who caught his attention.
This movie is great for viewing on Oct 31. Nothing scarier than being chased by an unstoppable killer.
- Mykle
A nightmare on Elm Street
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Nightmare
When her best friend Tina is brutally murdered, teenager Nancy suspects the killer isn't Tina's boyfriend but rather a much more horrifying figure from her dreams. Convinced that this vicious murderer is stalking her friends and killing them as they sleep, Nancy enters a desperate race against time to bring him out of her dream world and stop the bloodbath ... before she falls asleep and becomes his next victim.
This is the original 1984 film. This was one of my favorite scary films. Dying in your dreams has to be a universal horror.
- Mykle
Red dragon
Harris, Thomas, 1940- author.
FICTION Harris Thomas
FBI agent Will Graham once risked his sanity to capture Hannibal Lecter, an ingenious killer like no other. Now, he's following the bloodstained pattern of the Tooth Fairy, a madman who's already wiped out two families.
The villain in this book is super creepy. There's kind of a "Satanic Panic" element to this story as well but Harris really nails psychological thriller stories.
- Mykle
I love this movie. It messed me up when I was a kid. As an adult, it hits just right.
- Mykle