horror

My Favorite Black and White “Spooky” Movies

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Horror movies have evolved over time as technology and we as a society have evolve, thus allowing more realistic and gory elements in cinematic horror. I don’t care for today’s horror movies; too violent and bloody, and I have never liked the element of human hurting human as well. I don’t have an issue with nature vs. man or science fiction. However, there are a few black and white horror classics that are worth mentioning. If you have an opportunity, you might want to check them out. Although some might be considered cheesy by today’s standards, there is a je ne sais quoi appeal to these old movies. Here is my list of black and white favorites. Many of the black and white movies have several remakes and have been colorized as well.

The Crawling Eye – 1958

The Blob – 1958

The Birds – 1963

Invasion of the Body Snatchers – 1956

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir – 1947 (mystery mixed with a bit of humor and romance)

More recent in-color films that are worth mentioning due to their classic mystery appeal are:

The Fog – 2005 (there is an older version, but I like this one)

Silver Bullet – 1985

Storm of the Century – 1999

Although I don’t consider these spooky, I admit that I have a taste for cheesy sci-fi movies that are more modern such as Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus (2010), Mega Pirahna (2010), and others alike, even with the bad acting. I have no shame in admitting that. I also love shark and crocodile movies. Jaws (1975) remains a favorite movie that I watch every summer; it is a tradition. Alligator (1980) is a favorite as well.

I hope you get to watch and appreciate some of these, especially the black and white jewels.

Of Vampires, Sex and Fear

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Vampyr ill artlibre jnl

Image via Wikipedia

This morning, while reading the news, one piece caught my attention – a teenager that was arrested for breaking in and trying to assault a woman he did not know.  What was odd about this was that he pretended to be a vampire and was hissing and growling while trying to suck the woman’s blood.

Vampires used to be scary, freaky, and plain ugly.  Todays vampires are sexy, good-looking, and they even have feelings.  They still scare viewers but in a sexy way.  Fear and sexy or fear and sex have found common ground in today’s vampires.  The old-time Dracula or Nosferatu was hardly a hottie; he was meant to be repulsive and scary-looking, the total opposite of today’s vampire.  Today’s vampire is a dangerous potion to attract its victim – good looks, money, and mystery.

The evolution of the vampire has been a slow one, but one that was necessary to revive the creature’s appeal.  At one point, vampires were almost passe.  Thanks to some good writers they have been brought back in a different light; however, there is a constant in this evolution – if yesterday’s vamp was dangerous, today’s vamp is more so.  Nosferatu made you run away; Edward Cullen or Stephan Salvatore doesn’t necessarily do so.  Some fans may actually find themselves running towards them.  And that my friends, is the beauty of writing!

Have we become a better race?

/ inkspeare

Are we doomed to destruction or have we become a better race?  What do movie genres have to do with it?  Read on.

When we think of science fiction, we think of the future and all kinds of things that can become possible.  The sci-fi world fascinates us, as it stretches our imagination as far as the times go.  The present time determines the type of science fiction that we experience.  Today’s sci-fi is more challenging that it was 20-40 years ago.  Old school fiction has become today’s reality.  If you ask a teenager to view an episode of old school Star-Trek, he/she might not be as impressed as many teens were many years ago.  This is because a lot of these gadgets resemble many that we currently use.  So what is there to fascinate him/her?

Our minds have learned to evolve as our future becomes more technological, and our responses to a particular movie genre, have too.  I doubt if a person taken from the 1930-50’s would be able to handle viewing today’s horror movies.  Will this person be prepared to handle the quick scene movements, the explicit bloody scenes, strong language and all that stuff we love to be scare by, these days?  I don’t think that mentally, emotionally, and physically this person was ready.  He/she could possibly end up at the emergency room with a series of physical symptoms, close to a heart attack, and possibly, emotionally marked forever.  In a sense, technology in the movies has made us strong, maybe even detached.  Does that mean that we are less sensitive to violence?  Maybe, or maybe not.  We just don’t scare that easy anymore.  But we still seem to condemn violence in our society.

Today, some old movies seem too slow in scene movement.  We have become used to handle fast speed in action, sci-fi and horror movies.  Our lives move at high speed as our technology does, too.  We have become like cyborgs, in that sense.  We process huge amounts of information (our brains have acclimated) and handle visual stimulation faster.  Just think of what a game of Atari looks like today – slow motion.  The dexterity that today’s teens demonstrate while playing video games and playing with techno equipment is impressive.  There’s no doubt that we have evolve as a species.  Some might argue that our values have not, but if you go back to study the atrocities of centuries ago, then the argument remains open.

Many believe that the human race is doomed to destruction as a result of its own chaos.  I see a race that has evolved from barbaric to sensitive, diplomatic, and strong.  Every era has its challenges, and leaves its mark on our evolution.  So for better or for worst, we remain, stronger than ever.