Directed by the legendary William Castle. Written by Robb White (who often worked with Castle on some of his best stuff). Starring Margaret Hamilton (who we all know better as The Wicked Witch of the West).
Plot: a family moves into a haunted house they inherited from their uncle
The remake was enjoyable for what it was, but we prefer the original in this particular case and definitely recommend it as a Halloween watch. The story is better than a lot of haunted house features we’ve seen. It’s got some emotion to it. And DJ, who does not typically enjoy mysteries, loved that aspect of the plot as well.
The story followed it’s rules, there was fantastic innovation (Castle really pushed boundaries), an incredible script acted beautifully by the cast and they were even a likable bunch of people. Even the non-family members, like the French guy, were awesome. The way he said “seance” made me laugh each and every time he said, which was quite a bit.
We can’t give you a description of each and every ghost because it would take too long and give too much away. However, I will say The Wailing Woman freaked DJ the most, the reaper with the large hands and the hanging body turned my stomach, the Italian chef was delightful and the lion tamer was just sad, especially since his lion was haunting with him.
Sprinkle in some spectacular Freddy Claws (love the little boy!), a nice opening and a superb and just ending, there’s no reason for us not to have given it an 88/100. We loved it!!
“He killed his wife, his mother-in-law and his sister-in-law with a meat cleaver. Whack! Whack! Whack!” – Buck Zorba
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
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