10 . Best

After having just seen the first excellent horror film I've seen in some time -- and being such a horror movie fan -- I thought I'd come up with a list of the 10 Best Horror Films ever (according to Moi, anyway) -- and some fashionable outfits to go with them! (You still have to look nice when you go out to the movies, after all!)

10. The Blair Witch Project. This was the first horror film in some time that proved that great scares didn't have to come from a big budget. This film loses a lot when you watch it at home, but when it was first released, there was a kind of cool hysteria surrounding it. And it was terrifying in the theatre.

9. Saw. People won't agree, but this has to be included. This movie had clever dialogue, was ridiculously suspenseful, and was violent without being over-the-top. It also spawned an entire new horror sub-genre. (It also, unfortunately, spawned four sequels, which are some of the worst movies of all time).

8. The Devil's Backbone. This is one of Guillermo del Toro's earliest films and perhaps my favorite of his. He's a director who was gifted with an eye for cinematography and a real understanding of how to tell a story. Ghosts were never as well done as in this film.

7. A Tale of Two Sisters. This Korean horror film has two of the scariest moments ever put on film; I felt nervous stepping off of the sofa or the bed for weeks. Do not watch the American remake of this film - The Uninvited - blah.




6. Psycho. This one is on everyone's top horror flicks list and there's a reason for it. Hitchcock to this day stands as the master of suspense, terror, and tension. And all without a lick of gore. Genius.




5. The Ring. Perhaps the only successful remake of an Asian horror film, this movie still freaks me out, and I've seen it about 10 times. The creepy lighting, the isolation in a big city, the disturbing imagery -- I get shivers just thinking about it! Another film that proves you can have great horror without buckets of blood and guts.




4. The Last House on the Left (2009). As mentioned in an earlier post, I just saw this and loved.loved it. This one is on the violent side (though I've seen worse on some HBO shows), and it has all the trappings of an excellent horror film: terror, suspense, good characters, good actors, good story. And it's the only horror film I have ever been tempted to see twice in the theatre.

3. Audition. If you haven't seen this Japanese horror film, you must, though you need a strong stomach. The first hour or so actually seems kind of bland, and you might be tempted to think it's not really a horror film at all. But the last 30 minutes are the most intense, terrifying, cringe-inducing ever. Highly recommended.

2. Halloween (1978). Sure, Rob Zombie's remake is good, but it doesn't hold a candle to the original. Every time I see this I tuck my feet up and find myself yelling at the characters: "Don't go in there!!" This is also quite arguably John Carpenter's best film.

1. Night of the Living Dead. George Romero is the king of zombie films, and this one takes the crown. There's nothing flashy about this film -- it's simple and straightforward. It's well-shot and well-acted. The film terrifies because of the claustrophobic feel it creates: there's nowhere to escape to, anywhere, and forever. Perfection.




I know I've missed some -- and there are some great ones that I still haven't seen! What do you recommend?

Happy . Sunday . (Spring!) . Morning

It's a bit on the cloudy side here this morning, though just a quick peek at this picture makes everything feel a lot more like spring!

P.S. I went to see The Last House on the Left and I highly recommend it! It was perfectly suspenseful and had really well-crafted characters filled out by some excellent acting -- both of which are rare for horror films. It was violent (don't take the kiddies) but not nearly as violent as everyone was going on about.

Overall rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)

Pic from Canelle Vanille

Let . the . Right . One . In

I'm a smidge on the obsessive side when it comes to vampire movies/tv shows. I recently watched the first season of Moonlight -- ugh. This show suffered from copycatting others (Angel, Forever Knight), bad acting, and bad writing.

So I was thrilled this week when the Swedish vampire film, Let the Right One In was released. I've been waiting to see this film since last fall, but it never came to a theatre around here, though it was certainly worth waiting for.

The film had stunning cinematography, great acting (two 12 year old kids way outshined most other adult actors whom I can think of), and it was haunting for the implications that were conveyed through great storytelling -- it didn't rely on gimmicks like so many Hollywood films.

I also loved that Eli - the little girl vampire - wandered around in fabulous combinations of vintage lace pants and baggy sweaters:





Of course, she didn't need to wear shoes (being a vampire and all), but these looks would look great with flat booties or sandals also!

Maria . Bonita . Extra

While the name seemed familiar, I was relatively unfamiliar with Maria Bonita Extra. Thanks to a recent post from Oh Joy!, I went to check out the designer's SS 09 collection, and swoon, I love.love it!

The collection seems inspired by Marguerite Duras' The Lover...



...full of floaty silk dresses and menswear straw hats: