Christine Feehan's Blog - Posts Tagged "kim-jones"
Favorite Scary Movies #Horrorweek
Have you ever noticed how the music of a scary or suspenseful movie affects you? The music can tip you off that something bad is about to happen and you feel your heart begin to race. If you watch scary movies, which I don’t normally like to, ‘cause I’m not particularly fond of being scared out of my wits, you know there are rules to scary movies, right?
• If the music becomes ominous, something bad is about to happen.
• If the couple have sex, they are most likely to become victims.
• If it gets too quiet for too long, we’re about to get a good scare.
I’m sure there are tons more rules, but those come to mind right away.
I thought it would be fun for us to share our favorite scary movies. I always wonder who else has my faves on their list.
Mine are-
Jaws. I live near the ocean, so of course this makes my list! And, talk about music, this is one I think most people recognize when they hear it.
Dracula. Perhaps not scary to everyone, this movie has a way of marrying scary and sexy together that has made this classic an undying favorite (lol see what I did there?). I have two movies that are favorites and they are both based off of Dracula.
First is Bram’s Stoker’s Dracula starring Gary Oldman. The movie shows Dracula as a beast and you realize he is something evil. But, we see him as this romantic character, driven by the death of his beloved wife. This is one of the most romantic of the Dracula tales and for that, in spite of having scary scenes, it is one of my favorites.
The other is Dracula Untold. This Dracula was scary before he became a vampire. A hero to his people he was also a loving father and husband. So, when his family and his people are threatened, he is willing to make a deal with the devil (or a sinister vampire) in order to have the power to protect them.
I asked some other authors to share what their favorite movies are and I’d love to hear what yours are!
Douglas Clegg
I love a lot of scary movies, and often the ones with obvious scares do nothing for me. I prefer the movies that portray on the outside of the skin what is psychologically going on underneath. And still, with the supernatural involved. I don’t want absolute reality in my horror movies, I want a bit of fun and magic. Ghosts if possible, witches are desirable, and that feeling of being around a flickering hearth fire on an October night, telling tells while the shadows grow.
The Innocents - screenplay by Truman Capote, starring Deborah Kerr, based on Henry James’ genre-defining short novel, The Turn of the Screw. This, in my opinion, is the best of all adaptation of the Henry James story. The Turn of the Screw is one of the most constantly-adapted stories, and much modern ghost story fiction owes a debt to this one. Just watched it for the umpteenth time the other evening and it still gives me the right chills and disturbances.
Children as subjects of horror has a grand tradition, and it’s not coincidental that most of the movies of horror I love deal with children one way or another because I think we all become children in the face of what’s terrifying.
The Witch - A recent movie, full of a nameless dread that finds name soon enough. A Puritan family is expelled from the safety of the colony and must live on the edge of a vast and mysterious wilderness. The story is mostly the coming of age of a teenaged girl within this family – and it is the most unusual coming of age story I’ve ever seen portrayed on the screen. Its imagery suggests absolute horror, yet it is a quiet unfolding of a nightmare that leads to an inevitable and unexpectedly beautiful (if horrific) end.
And yes, I’d love to live deliciously. Also, there’s a cool and malingering goat in this one.
The Others - Nicole Kidman strikes me as a unique film actor of her generation because she can portray cruelty and vulnerability at the exact same instant and elicit empathy from an audience. In this one, Alejandro Amenabar does a reversal in upside-downsville of The Turn of the Screw and creates a slow burn build to a traumatic climax that turns into a kind of peaceful nightmare.
Kim Jones
I do not have a "favorite" scary movie. All scary movies scare me. I hate them. I've only watched a handful. So, I'm gonna have to stray from topic a little and give you the "scariest" of the scary instead of the favorite.
#3 Silent Hill
Like a fool, I thought this movie was more of a mystery, less of a horror. I was wrong. So, I'm sitting in my very safe house, watching this woman run into the fog searching for her little girl who should've been wearing a monkey backpack. I could handle everything up to the point that the cop was burned alive. Now, every time I see an open flame, I think of that cop's skin turning to ash. And how she tried so hard not to scream. But she screamed. They always do.
#2 Strangers
My husband loves this movie. Every time it's on T.V., he watches it. And I have to leave the room. It doesn't take long before he's knocking on the door, asking me, "Is Tamra home?" That movie still freaks me out. I mean, they were just a sweet couple, enjoying a romantic evening, in a very safe house, and here comes these people. Asking, "Is Tamra home?" Then they breaking in, tying folks up, murdering one in front of the other... Nope. Never again. Tamra is most definitely not home.
#1 Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The scariest of the scary. Why, because this shit could actually happen. I've been to small, butthole Texas towns like the one from that movie. They really do exist. From the farm house to the homely girl feeding the baby beans, it was all terrifying to me. But the absolute worst was when that friend was caught while running through the sheets hanging on the line. Leather face cuts his leg off with the chainsaw, carries him down to the cellar, hangs him on a hook and literally puts salt in his wound. That sound bad? It gets worse. The girl comes downstairs to find her friend hanging from this hook. He's alive. And she tries to help him, but his toes are on a piano and they making too much noise and she's too weak to lift him off the hook... Bad shit, right? Wrong. Still gets worse. He asks her to kill him. Begs her. So she takes a random butcher knife that's just lying around, and sticks it in his chest. Kills him dead. And all I could think was, if that was my friend, would I kill them? Or leave them to suffer in hopes someone might save him? I hate that movie. It screwed with my head. They all did.
You wanna give me some ghosts? Goblins? Vampires or children with creepy eyes and a horn in their head? Fine. But real life scenarios that could actually happen? Nope. I'm done. I'm chicken and I'm okay that.
Sheila English
I was never one for traditional slasher-movie horror, but there have been a few that got to me. I love monsters in my movies as rule.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in almost any traditional version. There's something horrifying in knowing what evil lurks within ourselves. When we become the monster, losing control of our humanity, we are terrifying.
The Thing with Kurt Russell from 1982. It's a particular favorite of mine. And again, you see these horrific creatures, which I love. This time, the alien finds a way to get inside us and take over and it often morphs into these horrific things. It is a scary movie for so many reasons. They are isolated with no help. The alien can look like anyone. And if it escapes, the world is doomed. Who wouldn't love that movie? LOL
I, Frankenstein with Aaron Eckhart. Actually, I love most Frankenstein movies because I love the story of Frankenstein. This one is set in modern time and I saw it just after writing my story about Frankenstein and I really connected with it. There are creatures in addition to the Frankenstein creature. But, it also looks at what defines evil and it gave the creature depth and the ability to be a hero.
#1 Jaws! Growing up in Miami Florida, the beach and ocean seemed like my backyard and Jaws came along and the question of what might be lurking beneath the surface has never left my mind since.
#2 Jagged Edge. This movie gave me nightmares for months!
#3 Seven. Will never forget the head in the box!
____________________________________
Are any of these movies new to you? Any of them that you wouldn’t watch because they might scare you? Have you ever passed on a movie because the idea of it scared you? Tell me some of your favorites! Even if they’re funny (think Ghostbusters)!
• If the music becomes ominous, something bad is about to happen.
• If the couple have sex, they are most likely to become victims.
• If it gets too quiet for too long, we’re about to get a good scare.
I’m sure there are tons more rules, but those come to mind right away.
I thought it would be fun for us to share our favorite scary movies. I always wonder who else has my faves on their list.
Mine are-
Jaws. I live near the ocean, so of course this makes my list! And, talk about music, this is one I think most people recognize when they hear it.
Dracula. Perhaps not scary to everyone, this movie has a way of marrying scary and sexy together that has made this classic an undying favorite (lol see what I did there?). I have two movies that are favorites and they are both based off of Dracula.
First is Bram’s Stoker’s Dracula starring Gary Oldman. The movie shows Dracula as a beast and you realize he is something evil. But, we see him as this romantic character, driven by the death of his beloved wife. This is one of the most romantic of the Dracula tales and for that, in spite of having scary scenes, it is one of my favorites.
The other is Dracula Untold. This Dracula was scary before he became a vampire. A hero to his people he was also a loving father and husband. So, when his family and his people are threatened, he is willing to make a deal with the devil (or a sinister vampire) in order to have the power to protect them.
I asked some other authors to share what their favorite movies are and I’d love to hear what yours are!
Douglas Clegg
I love a lot of scary movies, and often the ones with obvious scares do nothing for me. I prefer the movies that portray on the outside of the skin what is psychologically going on underneath. And still, with the supernatural involved. I don’t want absolute reality in my horror movies, I want a bit of fun and magic. Ghosts if possible, witches are desirable, and that feeling of being around a flickering hearth fire on an October night, telling tells while the shadows grow.
The Innocents - screenplay by Truman Capote, starring Deborah Kerr, based on Henry James’ genre-defining short novel, The Turn of the Screw. This, in my opinion, is the best of all adaptation of the Henry James story. The Turn of the Screw is one of the most constantly-adapted stories, and much modern ghost story fiction owes a debt to this one. Just watched it for the umpteenth time the other evening and it still gives me the right chills and disturbances.
Children as subjects of horror has a grand tradition, and it’s not coincidental that most of the movies of horror I love deal with children one way or another because I think we all become children in the face of what’s terrifying.
The Witch - A recent movie, full of a nameless dread that finds name soon enough. A Puritan family is expelled from the safety of the colony and must live on the edge of a vast and mysterious wilderness. The story is mostly the coming of age of a teenaged girl within this family – and it is the most unusual coming of age story I’ve ever seen portrayed on the screen. Its imagery suggests absolute horror, yet it is a quiet unfolding of a nightmare that leads to an inevitable and unexpectedly beautiful (if horrific) end.
And yes, I’d love to live deliciously. Also, there’s a cool and malingering goat in this one.
The Others - Nicole Kidman strikes me as a unique film actor of her generation because she can portray cruelty and vulnerability at the exact same instant and elicit empathy from an audience. In this one, Alejandro Amenabar does a reversal in upside-downsville of The Turn of the Screw and creates a slow burn build to a traumatic climax that turns into a kind of peaceful nightmare.
Kim Jones
I do not have a "favorite" scary movie. All scary movies scare me. I hate them. I've only watched a handful. So, I'm gonna have to stray from topic a little and give you the "scariest" of the scary instead of the favorite.
#3 Silent Hill
Like a fool, I thought this movie was more of a mystery, less of a horror. I was wrong. So, I'm sitting in my very safe house, watching this woman run into the fog searching for her little girl who should've been wearing a monkey backpack. I could handle everything up to the point that the cop was burned alive. Now, every time I see an open flame, I think of that cop's skin turning to ash. And how she tried so hard not to scream. But she screamed. They always do.
#2 Strangers
My husband loves this movie. Every time it's on T.V., he watches it. And I have to leave the room. It doesn't take long before he's knocking on the door, asking me, "Is Tamra home?" That movie still freaks me out. I mean, they were just a sweet couple, enjoying a romantic evening, in a very safe house, and here comes these people. Asking, "Is Tamra home?" Then they breaking in, tying folks up, murdering one in front of the other... Nope. Never again. Tamra is most definitely not home.
#1 Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The scariest of the scary. Why, because this shit could actually happen. I've been to small, butthole Texas towns like the one from that movie. They really do exist. From the farm house to the homely girl feeding the baby beans, it was all terrifying to me. But the absolute worst was when that friend was caught while running through the sheets hanging on the line. Leather face cuts his leg off with the chainsaw, carries him down to the cellar, hangs him on a hook and literally puts salt in his wound. That sound bad? It gets worse. The girl comes downstairs to find her friend hanging from this hook. He's alive. And she tries to help him, but his toes are on a piano and they making too much noise and she's too weak to lift him off the hook... Bad shit, right? Wrong. Still gets worse. He asks her to kill him. Begs her. So she takes a random butcher knife that's just lying around, and sticks it in his chest. Kills him dead. And all I could think was, if that was my friend, would I kill them? Or leave them to suffer in hopes someone might save him? I hate that movie. It screwed with my head. They all did.
You wanna give me some ghosts? Goblins? Vampires or children with creepy eyes and a horn in their head? Fine. But real life scenarios that could actually happen? Nope. I'm done. I'm chicken and I'm okay that.
Sheila English
I was never one for traditional slasher-movie horror, but there have been a few that got to me. I love monsters in my movies as rule.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in almost any traditional version. There's something horrifying in knowing what evil lurks within ourselves. When we become the monster, losing control of our humanity, we are terrifying.
The Thing with Kurt Russell from 1982. It's a particular favorite of mine. And again, you see these horrific creatures, which I love. This time, the alien finds a way to get inside us and take over and it often morphs into these horrific things. It is a scary movie for so many reasons. They are isolated with no help. The alien can look like anyone. And if it escapes, the world is doomed. Who wouldn't love that movie? LOL
I, Frankenstein with Aaron Eckhart. Actually, I love most Frankenstein movies because I love the story of Frankenstein. This one is set in modern time and I saw it just after writing my story about Frankenstein and I really connected with it. There are creatures in addition to the Frankenstein creature. But, it also looks at what defines evil and it gave the creature depth and the ability to be a hero.
#1 Jaws! Growing up in Miami Florida, the beach and ocean seemed like my backyard and Jaws came along and the question of what might be lurking beneath the surface has never left my mind since.
#2 Jagged Edge. This movie gave me nightmares for months!
#3 Seven. Will never forget the head in the box!
____________________________________
Are any of these movies new to you? Any of them that you wouldn’t watch because they might scare you? Have you ever passed on a movie because the idea of it scared you? Tell me some of your favorites! Even if they’re funny (think Ghostbusters)!
Fun With Favorite Scary Books #Horrorweek
As a rule, I don’t watch or read books that are truly scary. I’m not a slasher movie fan either, even though my books are in the movie Happy Death Day, which came out this weekend. But, I like suspense and I like scary movies that are silly. I think those should count as Halloween reads, right?
My three favorite “scary reads” include –
Dracula by Bram Stoker. This classic horror story just never goes out of date. And though you may have seen the movie (my favorites of those include Dracula Untold and the Dracula movie with Gary Oldman) I suggest reading the book.
Boy’s Life by Robert R. McCammon, which has won some prestigious awards including the Bram Stoker award. This is from the cover copy-
One frosty winter morning, he and his father watch a car jump the curb and sail into the fathomless town lake. His father dives into the icy water to rescue the driver, and finds a naked corpse handcuffed to the wheel. This chilling sight is only the start of the strangest period of Cory’s life, when the magic of his town will transform him into a man.
The Wolf’s Hour also by Robert R. McCammon. Very interesting look at the werewolf myth and one of my all-time favorite books by this author. I love his writing style. This is from the cover copy-
Now, as shifting as the shadows on the dangerous streets of Paris, a master spy is on the scent of unimaginable evil. But with the Normandy landings only hours away, it’s going to be a race against time. For Gallatin, caught in the dark heart of the Third Reich’s twisted death machine, there is only one way to succeed. He must unleash his own internal demons and redefine the meaning of the horror of war.
I thought it would be fun to have some other authors tell us what their favorite scary books are. If you put any of these on your shelf, let me know!
Douglas Clegg
My favorite scary books are too vast in number to mention. And I could just jump up and down and say Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe over and over again because the first poem my mother read to me as a child was by Poe (Annabelle Lee, which I still know by heart) and because I continually re-read his stories and poetry.
But here are the ones that in one way or another changed my life in terms of how they hit me. Plus these three books mostly set up the horror genre’s literary boom that came soon after:
The Other by Thomas Tryon. This was a huge bestseller of my early teen years, beautifully written and loads of fun. When I first read it I was struck by two things: first that it felt supernaturally-tinged but in fact it may not have been as a story. In this one there’s a good and evil twin story set in Connecticut during the Depression and for a relatively quiet horror novel it goes to some very dark places. Many stories since have borrowed or played with these story twists that Tryon did here. The book was that influential on the genre.
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin. A perfect novel in sentence style and story. The most fun for me, with one of the first bestsellers around the idea of the most lapsed Catholic young woman in the world, is re-reading this and watching a master craftsman at work. It is still creepy, though never quite as scary as the first time you read it without knowing where it’s heading. For any writers, if you read this first page you may detect where Rosemary makes the first unknowing misstep into the dark.
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty: A solidly commercial bestseller by design and a rip-roaring page-turner about a single working mother who returns home one day to find that her only child is cussing up a storm. Well it’s terrifying on first read, and after that, it’s a marvel of shocks and creeps, with an underpinning of religious dogma mingled with psychological fears that your home may be the least safe place on Earth. Oh, and the Devil. Plus, I grew up in and around Washington D.C., and anyone who’s lived there has always loved that famous stairway in Georgetown.
Jennifer St. Giles
#1 Mindhunter by John Douglas, reading about real monsters never fails to prey upon my calm.
#2 The Shining by Stephen King I read this book when stuck in the nursing dorm over Thanksgiving Holiday. I was the only person there and believe me I heard every creak that long weekend.
#3 Take Down by Brad Thor The scenario of terrorists isolating Manhattan rang really true.
Kim Jones
Scary books? I read a few Goosebumps in school. But reading is more of a reality than television to me. I visualize every tiny detail. My imagination would scare the absolute shit out of me if I tried to read a scary book. Can't do it. Again, (raises hand) chicken here.
Sheila English
Books are always scarier to me because those monsters, killers, and the scary music all live inside the private theater of my mind...where I tend to always go "worst case scenario" with everything. With movies you get hints that something is coming, at least as a rule. With books, your mind is trying to put you inside the story, not just watch it, which can be very frightening.
IT by Stephen King. Why? Why does he have to do scary stuff with little kids? Oh the anxiety! And clowns? Oh no! I read this book when I was 12 or 13 and it scared the crap out of me. It still does to this day. The remake of the movie is pretty darn scary too!
Innocence by Dean Koontz. It's not really scary in a horror way, though the main character frightens people to look at him. It's a sort of Beauty and the Beast story with a twist and Koontz's writing is so beautiful and haunting.
Neverland by Douglas Clegg. It goes back to the thing with kids, only this time you're a little scared of the kids. Things lurk in the darkness, calling to the kids "Let me out" is kind of the theme here.
And I'd like to give an honorable mention to Graham Masterton's The Manitou. This book changed my life. I was 9 years old when I read it. Way too young for something like this, but it made me want to read all the time, which I did. Great author!
__________________________________
There’s are a lot of great suggestions and as Halloween approaches perhaps you’ll spend time in the moonlight, with the wind howling outside your door as creaking of the house raises the hairs on the back of your neck to treat yourself with a scary read.
My three favorite “scary reads” include –
Dracula by Bram Stoker. This classic horror story just never goes out of date. And though you may have seen the movie (my favorites of those include Dracula Untold and the Dracula movie with Gary Oldman) I suggest reading the book.
Boy’s Life by Robert R. McCammon, which has won some prestigious awards including the Bram Stoker award. This is from the cover copy-
One frosty winter morning, he and his father watch a car jump the curb and sail into the fathomless town lake. His father dives into the icy water to rescue the driver, and finds a naked corpse handcuffed to the wheel. This chilling sight is only the start of the strangest period of Cory’s life, when the magic of his town will transform him into a man.
The Wolf’s Hour also by Robert R. McCammon. Very interesting look at the werewolf myth and one of my all-time favorite books by this author. I love his writing style. This is from the cover copy-
Now, as shifting as the shadows on the dangerous streets of Paris, a master spy is on the scent of unimaginable evil. But with the Normandy landings only hours away, it’s going to be a race against time. For Gallatin, caught in the dark heart of the Third Reich’s twisted death machine, there is only one way to succeed. He must unleash his own internal demons and redefine the meaning of the horror of war.
I thought it would be fun to have some other authors tell us what their favorite scary books are. If you put any of these on your shelf, let me know!
Douglas Clegg
My favorite scary books are too vast in number to mention. And I could just jump up and down and say Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe over and over again because the first poem my mother read to me as a child was by Poe (Annabelle Lee, which I still know by heart) and because I continually re-read his stories and poetry.
But here are the ones that in one way or another changed my life in terms of how they hit me. Plus these three books mostly set up the horror genre’s literary boom that came soon after:
The Other by Thomas Tryon. This was a huge bestseller of my early teen years, beautifully written and loads of fun. When I first read it I was struck by two things: first that it felt supernaturally-tinged but in fact it may not have been as a story. In this one there’s a good and evil twin story set in Connecticut during the Depression and for a relatively quiet horror novel it goes to some very dark places. Many stories since have borrowed or played with these story twists that Tryon did here. The book was that influential on the genre.
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin. A perfect novel in sentence style and story. The most fun for me, with one of the first bestsellers around the idea of the most lapsed Catholic young woman in the world, is re-reading this and watching a master craftsman at work. It is still creepy, though never quite as scary as the first time you read it without knowing where it’s heading. For any writers, if you read this first page you may detect where Rosemary makes the first unknowing misstep into the dark.
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty: A solidly commercial bestseller by design and a rip-roaring page-turner about a single working mother who returns home one day to find that her only child is cussing up a storm. Well it’s terrifying on first read, and after that, it’s a marvel of shocks and creeps, with an underpinning of religious dogma mingled with psychological fears that your home may be the least safe place on Earth. Oh, and the Devil. Plus, I grew up in and around Washington D.C., and anyone who’s lived there has always loved that famous stairway in Georgetown.
Jennifer St. Giles
#1 Mindhunter by John Douglas, reading about real monsters never fails to prey upon my calm.
#2 The Shining by Stephen King I read this book when stuck in the nursing dorm over Thanksgiving Holiday. I was the only person there and believe me I heard every creak that long weekend.
#3 Take Down by Brad Thor The scenario of terrorists isolating Manhattan rang really true.
Kim Jones
Scary books? I read a few Goosebumps in school. But reading is more of a reality than television to me. I visualize every tiny detail. My imagination would scare the absolute shit out of me if I tried to read a scary book. Can't do it. Again, (raises hand) chicken here.
Sheila English
Books are always scarier to me because those monsters, killers, and the scary music all live inside the private theater of my mind...where I tend to always go "worst case scenario" with everything. With movies you get hints that something is coming, at least as a rule. With books, your mind is trying to put you inside the story, not just watch it, which can be very frightening.
IT by Stephen King. Why? Why does he have to do scary stuff with little kids? Oh the anxiety! And clowns? Oh no! I read this book when I was 12 or 13 and it scared the crap out of me. It still does to this day. The remake of the movie is pretty darn scary too!
Innocence by Dean Koontz. It's not really scary in a horror way, though the main character frightens people to look at him. It's a sort of Beauty and the Beast story with a twist and Koontz's writing is so beautiful and haunting.
Neverland by Douglas Clegg. It goes back to the thing with kids, only this time you're a little scared of the kids. Things lurk in the darkness, calling to the kids "Let me out" is kind of the theme here.
And I'd like to give an honorable mention to Graham Masterton's The Manitou. This book changed my life. I was 9 years old when I read it. Way too young for something like this, but it made me want to read all the time, which I did. Great author!
__________________________________
There’s are a lot of great suggestions and as Halloween approaches perhaps you’ll spend time in the moonlight, with the wind howling outside your door as creaking of the house raises the hairs on the back of your neck to treat yourself with a scary read.
