Books, magazines, movies, what are your best & worsdt memoriers relating to horror?

I'll seed this by listing some women in horror:

Ellen Datlow (Editor), Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Pinborough, Susie Moloney, Elizabeth Massie, Tananarive Due, Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire), Anne Rice, Shirley Jackson, Dee Wallace (The Howling and Cujo), Lisa Morton, Susan Hill, Neve Campbell (Scream), Gemma Files, Nancy Kilpatrick, Sephera Giron, Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog), Tamara Thorne, Chantal Noordeloos, Jennifer Kent (Director of The Babadook), Elizabeth Hand, Lucy Taylor, Fay Wray (the original King Kong film), Gabrielle Faust, Julie Ann Dawson, Lisa Mannetti, Max Da Silva Willis (Artist), Kathe Koja, Yvonne Navarro, Reyna Gillette Young (Last Doorway Productions), Cherie Priest, Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps), Mary Shelley, Priya Sharma, Lori Michelle, Kathy Ptacek, Alison Littlewood, Dawn G. Harris, Lupita Nyong'o (Jordan PeeleÆs Us), Michelle Garza, Deborah LeBlanc, Thana Niveau, Marie OÆRegan, Kitty Kane, Linda Blair, Lisa Tuttle, Linda D. Addison, Tanith Lee, Karen Black (Trilogy of Terror), Ashley Davis, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Nancy Holder, Bari Wood, Elvira (Cassandra Peterson), Kaaron Warren, Tippi Hedren (The Birds), Abigail Larson (Artist), Lauren Beukes, Fran Rubel Kuzui, Naomi Watts (The Ring), Rena Mason, E.A. Black (Trish Wilson), Sarah Langan, Heather OÆRourke (Poltergeist), Melanie Tem, Candace Hilligoss (Carnival of Souls), P.D. Cacek, Ingrid Pitt, Paula Guran, Catt Dahman, Sigourney Weaver, Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy and The Grudge), Lynne Hansen (Artist), Alma Katsu, Nancy A. Collins, S.P. Miskowski, Darcy Coates, Anne Rivers Siddons, and so many more.

(List is from thehorrorzine.com for Women In Horror Month)

My earliesrt introductino to horror was a scifi story in a scifi anthnology of short stories I rea when I was 8 -- it was, essentially, the seed for "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" -- I wasn't affected by it -- was an interesting read & I think a real ironic ending that I was especially impressed by (not enough to remember with detail 47 years later, though)

Fastr forward to age 11 or 12, & I had a little portabloe 12" black & white TV.

One night, whebn my dad was overnight shift at work, I had it under my covers, watching late (past 1 or 2), with the brightness dimmed & the volume low enough I had to be nearly nose to screen to hear the dialogue. The late night movie I was watching was "Carrie" (Stephen King's first movie)

Nothing remarkable throughout -- the prom scene -- got that, as I was a victim of bullying, too. Yeah, it was horrid, but when her powers kicked up into overdrive -- whee-whoooo! interesting. . .

I was blithely watyching/listening until tyhe very end [spoiler alert]

when the camera slowly, ever so s l o w l y moves in on the gravestone, to show sdue was dead & buried, & then BOOM! (jump scare), her obviously dead arm shot up from the grave right into my face (thank goodness it wasn't 3D else I'd've likely had some bed linens to change before sleeping!)

On t hat -- I think it sucks that there's no true horror in movies any more -- they substitute gore & jump-scares for actual suspense & eerieness.

I happily got into Stephen King's novels as a teen -- his stuff was all psychological, with enough "this might actually happen here one day" to bump the heart rate up a bit)

I later moved on to Dean Koontz, whom I refer to as "Stephen King for adultsd" as I found King getting lazy & going with graphically gratuitous gore in his later novels & a clear misogynistic tone, IMO.

Try Koontz' "Frankenstein" trilogy -- it centres on Dr. Frankenstein's original monster, who still lives, & has, with the doctor,. been experimenting in creating super humans, of which he was the first (2 hearts, regeneration, perfect knowledge & recall, & more)

His job was to grow h.sapiens II in tanks, giving inn vitro education to them, & to seed the population of their ground zero, with dopplegangers who were of the new species & taking over, first by killing the person in charge they replaced, then by eventually leading the citzens to be harvested & replaced/discarded.

Not so much old school horror -- more new style (descriptive rather than emotive), but a fun read. . .

I'm more into scifi & mystery these days, but not averse to a good horror novel or anthology when I come across them. . .




--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-5
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

CP wrote ---

I'll seed this by listing some women in horror:

The only ones I know of are: Curtis, Wray (who did a lot more work than
just King Kong which is only film usually talked a-boot, a little Canadian lingo for ya) Campbell, Jackson, Black, Elvira (who's a hoot), Candace Hilligoss who seemed be sleepwalking in
I noticed not on the list was Evelyn Ankers who was in a several
Universal horror films in the '40s.
Another was Mary Philbin in the original Phantom of the opera in 1925,
who made other films in the '20s as well.

-snip--

On t hat -- I think it sucks that there's no true horror in movies any more -- they substitute gore & jump-scares for actual suspense & eerieness.

I totally agree.
I don't care for the bloody gore and all in today's films.
Give me a good plot, a good story and I'm happy.
To really enjoy a movie, to me, it has to be believable, it could happen, etc. Those are creepier than something like Frankenstein, a Michael Meyers-type character, some monster from space, etc.
Of course a lot of those films were allegories. The monster in the film representing the evil red menace in the disguise of average red blooded American, et.
Joe

--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
* Origin: Fidonet Since 1991 www.doccyber.org bbs.docsplace.org (1:135/392)

CP wrote ---

I'll seed this by listing some women in horror:

The only ones I know of are: Curtis, Wray (who did a lot more work than
just King Kong which is only film usually talked a-boot, a little Canadian lingo for ya)

We don'/t actually say oot & aboot, but to n ear uised to "owwwt & abowwwt" it might seesm that way -- we pronouce "ou" correctly, is all. (more than oo, less than ow)

I don't care for the bloody gore and all in today's films.
Give me a good plot, a good story and I'm happy.

Yup -- kids want the CGI graphics & THX sound -- I prefer subtleties. They're the same for video games -- I just want to skip the splash screens & get to the game itself, to see if it has any plot or challenges for my mind..

I no longer even try these DVD games -- if you require that much dayta -- it's not my kind of game, which fit well on a floppy diskette, including user data!

To really enjoy a movie, to me, it has to be believable, it could happen, etc. Those are creepier than something like Frankenstein, a Michael Meyers-type character, some monster from space, etc.

Well, the slasher, serial killer films are based on reality to a point, with typical Hollywood lampoon-like exaggeration, of course.

Not my style -- they focus more on the abuse & denuding of teen girls than on trying to scare me. . .
--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-5
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

The only ones I know of are: Curtis, Wray (who did a lot more work than just King Kong which is only film usually talked a-boot, a little Canadian lingo for ya)

Fay Wray got labeled a "scream queen" for her work in Dr. X (her first
onscreen scream), The Most Dangerous Game (which was filmed at the same
time as King Kong and used some of the same set work), and Mystery at the
Wax Museum (which, along with Dr X, was a rare -- for the time -- color
film which was later remade as a Vincent Price movie called House of Wax),
in addition to King Kong.

Dr. X and Mystery at the Wax Museum also both starred Lionel Atwill and
were directed by Michael Curtiz, who was not usually known for directing horror.

I am a fan of all four movies, if you cannot tell. :)

Mike
--- SBBSecho 3.12-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

CP wrote ---

Well, the slasher, serial killer films are based on reality to a point, with typical Hollywood lampoon-like exaggeration, of course.

Not my style -- they focus more on the abuse & denuding of teen girls than on trying to scare me. . .

Agreed.
A film with implied sex or violence is far better than the in-your-face films today.
When you have a couple in an embrace, or someone with with a big knife
up to no good and a fade out is far better than the other way.
Joe
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
* Origin: Fidonet Since 1991 www.doccyber.org bbs.docsplace.org (1:135/392)

Mike wrote --

and Mystery at the Wax Museum (which, along with Dr X, was a rare -- for the time -- color film which was later remade as a Vincent Price movie called House of Wax)

I think House of Wax was one of the better 3D movies made.
No lots of hokey 3D effects (items being thrown at the audience, etc).
It was merely a film in 3D not 90 minutes of special effects.
Colour films were first made in the 20s, usually shorts.
(In the early 1900s there were hand tinted colour films.)
And some early talkies were not only all talking films but in colour as
well. But colour was very expensive and seldom used.
I actually prefer b/w films over colour. Different shading of scenes, sharper images, etc.
Joe
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
* Origin: Fidonet Since 1991 www.doccyber.org bbs.docsplace.org (1:135/392)

I think House of Wax was one of the better 3D movies made.
No lots of hokey 3D effects (items being thrown at the audience, etc).
It was merely a film in 3D not 90 minutes of special effects.

I have actually never seen it in 3D. Only on the small screen a handful of times.

I actually prefer b/w films over colour. Different shading of scenes, sharper images, etc.

Me also.

Mike
--- SBBSecho 3.12-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

A film with implied sex or violence is far better than the in-your-face films today.
When you have a couple in an embrace, or someone with with a big knife
up to no good and

and an off-screen scream (don't forget that!) and...

a fade out is far better than the other way.

Yes. That left so much up to the imagination. I think we lost a lot when filmmakers decided to start pushing the envelope and seeing what they could
get away with. What they think up is usually worse than, and also less satisfying than, whatever could be imagined.

Mike


* SLMR 2.1a * A restless eye across a weary room...
--- SBBSecho 3.12-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

Not my style -- they focus more on the abuse & denuding of teen girls than on

trying to scare me. . .
Agreed.
A film with implied sex or violence is far better than the in-your-face
films today.
When you have a couple in an embrace, or someone with with a big knife
up to no good and a fade out is far better than the other way.

& your descrtiption was Hollywood for many years, with many 3 or jhigher stasr films coming out, & most were relevan to the viewers' real life contexts, including sex, passion, viulence, etc. but it was all subtle & off-screen -- making it far more effective in the imagery it was trying to evoke in the viewrers, as we'd know what's what & just follow our own ideas of it for thwe mental imagery.

If you don't get it, you've put yourself out of the appropriate age range to watch it.

Most reso9nsible adults (parents, bug brothers, etc) would reply to "What happened there? Why the fireworks?" with "You'll understand when you're older."
& full stop right there.

My folks replied thusly on movie parts they forgot might not be suitable for myu age (yoiu didn't think of the movie as "smutty" just for a simple love/passion conection somewhere in it, in context to the scene/characters/plot.

& reviewerrs would shy away from mentioning such in their newspaper columns, as they'd be looked down upon for even implying what was already inherent.

Self censorship was a wonderful thing, back when most people lived by basic common moral codes.

I love the old Merrie Melodies & the other sets of mini cartoons -- they were used to support these values, not pick away at them.

One of my fave memories of such is Bugs Bunny being hornswaggled into taking a baby penguin home to Antarctica.

He promised(n.b.) to get the baby home safely, & omn the way he discovered how far away Antarctica was & began getting serously hungry, to where he was halllucinating the roasted penguin on a bed of potatoes, & he drools out, "Pen- gu-ijns are just like chickens."

He jhas a moment where he tried to attack the pengi8n, to eat him, but his promise prevailed & he overcam,e this momenmtsry lapse to once again focusd on the mission he hasd undertaken.

Moral value: Let your word be your bond, even should it get more difficult than you expected to keep it.

So importabnt to have again todaym ut today's media for kids is much the oposite; iu watched as my young son watched PBS etc & I saw how even the beloved book/etc characters of my own childhood were now emblems of rebelling against parental authority & focusing more on instant self gratification rather than the interests of others. *sniff*

*sigh* Memories of a far better time, before corporations took over everything & started working on social editing to get us to be more profitable to them.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-5
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

CP wrote --

If you don't get it, you've put yourself out of the appropriate age range to watch it.

I still tend to overlook the "mushy" parts of movies as I did when a kid. That was the time to go out to the lobby (or kitchen) and get a snack. :)

Self censorship was a wonderful thing, back when most people lived by basic common moral codes.

And people in real life don't censor themselves any longer.
At one time the "F" word meant something, MF even more so.
Today, its a noun, not a verb or adjective tossed about like rice at a wedding.
Joe
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
* Origin: Fidonet Since 1991 www.doccyber.org bbs.docsplace.org (1:135/392)

George,

I love the old Merrie Melodies & the other sets of mini cartoons --
they were used to support these values, not pick away at them.

Now, they're subjecting these to the "cancel culture crap". The first
example that came to mind is that Elmer Fudd would no longer have a gun.

One of my fave memories of such is Bugs Bunny being hornswaggled into taking a baby penguin home to Antarctica.

A winter day was also 6 months long (night time). At the end of that
cartoon, he told the penguin that "I always wanted a nice long formal vacation". <G>

instant self gratification rather than the interests of others. *sniff*

Instant gratification takes too long. :P

*sigh* Memories of a far better time, before corporations took over everything & started working on social editing to get us to be more profitable to them.

Everyone is in such a hurry to do everything.

Daryl

... Don't throw tomatoes at me if you hate my puns. I want them on a BLT.
=== MultiMail/Win v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (1:2320/33)

CP wrote --

If you don't get it, you've put yourself out of the appropriate age range to

watch it.
I still tend to overlook the "mushy" parts of movies as I did when a kid. That was the time to go out to the lobby (or kitchen) and get a snack. :)

I never cared if it was on or not -- I'd continue as I was -- relaxing & watching, or looking up movie facts & secrets on my phone. . .

I don't look for that stuff -- you'll not see me watching the Hallmark Channel (pretty much all Harlequin movies)

But the normal expected amount in a good rom-com, I'm fine with, if the story & acting is good, of course.

Self censorship was a wonderful thing, back when most people lived by basic

common moral codes.
And people in real life don't censor themselves any longer.
At one time the "F" word meant something, MF even more so.
Today, its a noun, not a verb or adjective tossed about like rice at a wedding.

True enough.

I prefer to reserve those types of high calibre vulgarities for when they are explictly required over lesser words.

My default now, for the 'gratuitive intensive' use (a new part of speech I've coined) is "fleeping" or I substitute plain silliness, like "Go scratch an earthworm's jock itch" instead of foxtrot-oscar.

Or the old, "Make like a bird and. . ." (they're supposed to fill it in their inds with "flock off"; if they don't know the expression or ask me to finish the phrase, I say "and fly away"leaving them to wonder. . . *L*)

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-5
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

George,

I love the old Merrie Melodies & the other sets of mini cartoons --
they were used to support these values, not pick away at them.

Now, they're subjecting these to the "cancel culture crap". The first
example that came to mind is that Elmer Fudd would no longer have a gun.

*sigh* NM that he never hurt anything in that set of toons over 40+ years?

instant self gratification rather than the interests of others. *sniff*

Instant gratification takes too long. :P

There you go. . .

*sigh* Memories of a far better time, before corporations took over
everything & started working on social editing to get us to be more
profitable to them.

Everyone is in such a hurry to do everything.

Not me -- I'm in no hurry, usually -- I leave early for appointments & have a book or 6 to read on my phone if too early & they won't, as often done, let me in early.

Well, the one time I'm in a hurry, is when bladder threatens to bust through the Hoover Dam & unleash a flood of speeding hot liquid like nobody wants. . .

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-5
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

George,

*sigh* NM that he never hurt anything in that set of toons over 40+
years?

Nowadays, so many can't distinguish fantasy from reality.

Well, the one time I'm in a hurry, is when bladder threatens to bust through the Hoover Dam & unleash a flood of speeding hot liquid like nobody wants. . .

Never mind the colon...that's a crappy outcome. :P

Daryl

... I talk to myself when I need expert advice.
=== MultiMail/Win v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (1:2320/33)

George,

*sigh* NM that he never hurt anything in that set of toons over 40+
years?

Nowadays, so many can't distinguish fantasy from reality.

Well, the one time I'm in a hurry, is when bladder threatens to bust
through the Hoover Dam & unleash a flood of speeding hot liquid like
nobody wants. . .

Never mind the colon...that's a crappy outcome. :P

I'm grateful ithat has[t been a propblem for me since leaving the hospital & there they were prepared to deal with it. Only was an issue briefly, while my body retrainesd muscles to take over the key holding-it-in roles.

Now it's the opposite issue -- I go once or twice a week, & feel full most of the time. I'vecut back on the real pain killers (Percocets) but I have this as an ongoing body issue, not just in response to opium. Whgen I have to take one, I take 3 of the stool softenersat the same time -- helps balance out the bindert effects! (only somewhat,. but I'll take any help I can get); I eat lots of fibre, too.

I avoid laxatives, as they can really harm your inner digestive exit processes.

Sorry, all, for the crappy turn of a thread. . .

Or. let's make it topical: do you remember your crappiest medical issue relating to controlled or not disposing of digestive wastes?


--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-5
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)