HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

[Pumpkin_Head]

I'm in Streator Illinois, so for me that would be a road trip in deed. I wouldn't want to chance driving my old car down there. I would take the Amtrak to Nashville then rent a car, but that's in the future when I'm a little caught up on moving and medical expenses. I probably can swing a trip up to Green Lake Wisconsin, though. I really do want to go see those Bell Witch Caves, though. It's on the old 'bucket' list.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

In Oct they have some kind of drama in Adams, TN, about the Bell Witch. Ideally, a person would see both the cave and the play.

There was a movie some years back with Sissy Spacek and Donald Sutherland. An American Haunting? I think. It was well made, but I disliked the way they tried to explain the witch as a poltergeist triggered by father-daughter incest. I mean, there are descendants of that family today, and no one knows what really happened. I felt they maligned the dead for the sake of giving an explanation, even though it is still a mystery.

Speaking of plays, my daughter and I saw a good production of MacBeth last night from the Nashville Shakespeare Festival. It was really spooky, because they kept the witches on the stage most of the time. They created a real sense of evil and foreboding.

[Pumpkin_Head]

I felt the same way about the reboot of "The Haunting." Even though it was not based on a real person or place, the story was more centered around Hough Krane who was a serial killer who victimized children who worked in his textile factory, and that made the story more depressing then spooky. I still much prefer the original 1962 version as that's more of a classic, scary 'haunted house' flick.

I read the Upton Sinclair classic "The Jungle," which told a depressing, gut-wrenching but very real story about immigrant families and what they faced when they worked at the Chicago Stock Yards, and "The Haunting" reboot was more a reminder of that then it was a horror story IMHO.

As for plays, there are still stage plays of "Dracula" that are presented at various local theatres from time to time, and I do like to attend them when I have a few extra bucks and am up for a little pre-Halloween fun.


Mike

[Andybev01]

Apparently there's a reboot of the Innocents. Based on the the turn of the screw.

I can tell just by looking at the previews and commercial that I'm not going to go see it.

[Pumpkin_Head]

Sounds like a good one. I'll check around. We have a local theatre in this town that might have it. I saw "The Joker" there a few months ago.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

I would like to know if the new Turn of the Screw is any good. I like the novella.

I love the early '60s version of The Haunting.

I saw The Joker on DVD recently and thought it was excellent.

[Pumpkin_Head]

I found "The Legend of Hill House" the tv series at Walmart yesterday. I screened the first disc so far, and find it excellent. Nothing, however, can compare to the original 1962 version. "The Joker" was okay, but it was more a 'pop corn' flick. I actually might have liked that one better if I had brought it home on DVD and watched it on my screen instead. I had the Dan Curtis version of "Turn of the Screw," and I thought it was pretty good, but I do want to see the new reboot.

I also found a Blue Ray of a Halloween story titled "Trick." It looks to be pretty creepy, so I am going to screen it on Friday March 13th, over a box of Crunch & Munch.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

We enjoyed that Haunting of Hill House TV series. It has some "Easter eggs" (I think that's what they're called) for fans of the novella and the old movie.

[Pumpkin_Head]

I noticed that, too. There were also some quotes from the original movie as well which I thought were pretty awesome. Mrs. Duddley was also more a person then her original movie counter-part who only kept repeating the same speech about 'at night when it's dark' over and over again. I did feel bad for the kittens, though. But all in all, it just goes to show you that the story of "The Haunting of Hill House" has been around for over half a century, and may stand for half a century more.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

I see what you did there! Lol

[Pumpkin_Head]

Hey, I'm fond of Easter Eggs, too. I like to color them all orange or black. Maybe color one or two yellow ones for good measure. ( he he ) On a serious note, though, I do think "The Haunting of Hill House" is a story that will stand the proverbial test of time.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

Yes, that novella is one of the scariest reads ever!

[Pumpkin_Head]

I probably should read the novella. I don't have a copy, but I've often found that the book is always better then the movie based on that book. "The Oman" and "Damien Omen II" are prime examples. I read both books first, and was a little disappointed when I saw the movies.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

You would enjoy the book, which you could probably find at the library. The original movie is very faithful to it.

I have a theory that, if the book is really good, the movie will disappoint. But if the book has some problems, the movie sometimes improves on it. Case in point: Ship of Fools by Katherine Ann Porter. The movie is wonderful, but the book is overlong and beats you over the head with its theme. I love Porter's short stories, but that book is unreadable.

In the case of The Haunting of Hill House, both the book and the first movie are excellent. Maybe that's because the book is so short, about the length of Christmas Carol. They didn't have to leave anything out.

[Pumpkin_Head]

I do remember reading "A Christmas Carol," and I found it comparable in quality to a lot of the movies I've seen that were based on it. The movies, especially the new Disney version did a great job with the spfx and brought the story to life. I'm not familiar with "Ship of Fools, but I think I'll see of "The Haunting of Hill House" is at the library or online.

There were two fabulous books I read back when I was younger. "Lucifer's Hammer" and "Sunstrike." I can't for the life of me remember who wrote them, and neither was ever made into a movie, but I read them both and always thought that they would have been great Sci Fi movies.

Mike