NOT WALKING WITH A GHOST

Novemeber begins, and so comes a new issue of Comic Foundry and a lengthy, in-depth interview with yours truly. Conducted by Chris Tamarri, this is one to check out. It was done over a couple of weeks and I daresay Chris' questioning is on par with the massive Comics Journals interviews that are the gold standard for this kind of thing. Go here and read it and find out if I'm adverse to happy endings.

(Note: There are some formatting bugs that are being worked out, but it is readable as is if you're not picky about italics and things; fixed version on its way.)

I didn't end up going out at all last night. My plans were cancelled, and so the little paper circles stayed in their bag. With this shift in thinking, and spurred on by an excellent post by the excellent Eno Girl, I stayed home and watched that DVD of Robert Wise's The Haunting I'd been hording since buying it last year in a post-Halloween sale.

Once again, Wise impresses. I was expecting something far more conventional, with a group of kids slowly being killed off or something; instead, I got a four person movie that's more psychological than we get from our horror these days. While there are many "boo" moments, the story is more about how the otherworldly phenomena in the house gets inside the heads of the four investigators and then, in turn, how they get into each other's heads. With this trick, Wise moves into his audience's skulls and thoroughly wraps you up in the experience. I jumped several times, though Wise had help from a well-timed text message causing my phone to chime unexpectedly and a light coming on in a window across my courtyard in tandem with some movement on the screen.

The black-and-white photography was gorgeous. The ornate interiors of Hill House reminded me some of The Innocents. A good setting makes a big difference in a horror movie, and by making the house creepy even without the ghosts, the deck is definitely stacked. Why does everything have to be slasher remakes these days? Can we get some stories that are just smart and spooky?

Current Soundtrack: Marie Antoinette soundtrack

Current Mood: recumbent

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[to leave comments, click on the time-stamp below, then scroll down on the new page] – All text (c) 2006 Jamie S. Rich