It's Thursday which means movie pick time! Wandering Through The Shelves has created a blog hop where a topic is picked each week and you pick 3 films that work with that topic. It can be movies, you love, hate or just feel a big rousing "meh." This week it is Ghost movies and there is a plethora (love that word) of them out there. Here are my 3...
1. REBECCA-1940
You may not think it is a ghost story and it isn't in the typical way but that doesn't mean the 2 main characters are not haunted by the now dead Rebecca. A very rich, attractive man whisks poor, innocent(hah! It's Joan Fontaine who is anything but) young lass into marriage and to his mansion with huge fireplaces, that I would love, and the head housekeeper who would freak out Nurse Ratched. Everywhere one looks, one is reminded of Rebecca, his first wife and Ms. Danvers, The creepy head housekeeper, will make sure no one ever forgets her. Creepy and suspenseful and, yes, A Hitchcock film.
2. THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR-1947
Yes I must mention this great film again because I love it. It is pure Gothic in its approach from the very beginning of the film. The main heroine, played by the beautiful Gene Tierney (no man will ever want her overbite to go away), is a strong character who moves to a home with her young daughter and housemaid to start over once her husband dies. The home is not all that it appears to be. It has great comedic moments, a great romance and a sadness that gently permeates throughout the film. It is rich and makes you long for more.
3. THE SPIRIT IS WILLING-1967
I could have picked "The Haunting" which is one of my favourite films (not the dreck of a remake but the original), but I have to give some love to this comedy that probably very few have seen and that I love. It has the Spirit(nyuck, nyuck) of Disney but with a little sass and some sex innuendo. Nothing R rated and perfectly fun. Sid Caesar and Vera Miles play the parents of a teenage son who can see ghosts (parents can't). Of course hijinks ensues because nobody believes the teen when he says there are 3 ghosts-2 of whom have the hots for one another. Loved John Astin in his small role. I want to try to get this on DVD.
Now which ghost films do you like?
I have included a couple of cards as well.
Animal Friends-Halloween
Eclectic Ellapu-Purple Team-Halloween/Dark/Horror
I LOVE Al Hirschfeld. I find him a fantastic artist who drew thousands of caricatures of many famous people. I knew he had to have done one of good Ole Hitchcock so I looked it up on the internet and then free hand drew it. I did not photocopy:) What's fun also is when his daughter, Nina, was born he always placed her name somewhere in the drawing (It was in Hitchcock's hair). I tried some watercolour with distress ink to make it look like blood, stamped some spiders around to frame it, added sticker borders and edged the side in red. Boogedy-boogedy.
Dream Valley Challenges-Use some blue
Craft Your Passion-Anything Goes
This card was inspired by the Battle of the Bands post. I love listening to the battles and deciding which one I like better... even when they are heavy metal, blast my ears off, music (music??) -heehee. I am learning a great deal and decided to create a card inspired by one of the songs a blogger has chosen for the challenge. Over at Angel's Bark (I love the title because all dogs are angels in my book), her Battle was on the song, "California Dreamin." (is it "on the song"...doesn't sound right but it's late so forgive me). I stamped the trees in black and embossed them in silver pearl for that grey November blah look. I also stamped clouds because clouds can look dreary on a November day. I sponged on some faded blue die ink. I stamped the sun and embossed it in Gold pearl and then used yellow, orange and red die inks to create a California feel (you know, without the earthquakes, drought, fires, oh the list goes on). I stamped the saying in yellow and blue, added some border stickers and adhered the card to Grey cardstock. Hope you like my inspiration.
Sorry for the lengthy post...well, not really but some can skip the first part and other can skip the 2nd part:)
Again, I haven't seen any of your picks. I need to step up my classic film game. Those cards are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI have to see more modern films that you have seen:) Thanks regarding my cards:)
DeleteRebecca is one of my favorite movies and books. Love that card!
ReplyDeleteIt is a great movie and the book is excellent
DeleteHaven't seen any of these, the first two have been on my radar for a while. Never heard of that last one, though. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThanks:) Hope you see them and I knew not many people have seen The Spirit is willing
Deletehaha the first card sure is a fun one. Never watched any of those 3 or even heard about the last one. A fun ghost one is usually good for a watch though. Main ghost one I can think of, not so much Halloween, is Heart Condition.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of Heart Condition. So you picked one I have not seen
DeleteReally like that first card!
ReplyDeleteDon't think I've seen any of the movies though.
Nope those films are older and thanks about my Hitchcock card
DeleteOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Love your picks! Rebecca is a nice off the wall choice, it's not my favorite Hitchcock by a mile but effectively made with a great atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteWhat a charmer Ghost and Mrs. Muir is with it's gentle essence and subdued but palpable sexual spark between Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison with the added bonus of a very young Natalie Wood and an appealing but still caddish George Sanders too.
The Spirit is Willing!! What a daffy film that is, Disney had a small corner on the ghost market there for a while what with this, Blackbeard's Ghost, The Ghosts of Buxley Hall etc. This one is no masterwork and a little Sid Caesar goes a long way but it's fun and has one of those dream supporting casts what with Mary Wickes, Jesse White, John McGiver and so forth plus I love Vera Miles.
There are so many films that fit this theme and I ended up with a huge list that I could only parse down to six so I'm double dipping this week!
The Woman in Black (2012)-A young lawyer, Daniel Radcliffe, still grieving over the loss of his wife is sent to a remote village by his firm to tie up the affairs of a recently deceased client. Upon his arrival he discovers that the manor is haunted by the specter of a woman dressed entirely in black. Good old fashioned spooky thriller.
Undertow (2009)-In a poor Peruvian village Miguel, a married fisherman is living a double life. His wife is due to give birth any day while he conducts a secret affair with Santiago, a male artist who is considered an outsider within the close knit community. One day the artist disappears then reappears as an apparition only Miguel can see. Finally able to interact with Santiago free of the moral codes of the village he comes to terms with his true nature. Beautifully acted with an award level performance from Cristian Mercado in the lead.
The Uninvited (1944)-Touring the Cornish coast on vacation a brother and sister buy an old seaside house finding the price too cheap to resist. Hearing unexplained sounds during the night it becomes obvious that there is a haunting afoot. The key to the mystery lies in the house’s unhappy history and with the previous owner’s daughter, living on her grandfather’s adjoining estate. Well-acted and effectively directed with moody cinematography giving the picture an ethereal haze. A huge hit upon release it made a star of leading lady Gail Russell until an alcoholic downward spiral resulted in her literally drinking herself to death at 36.
Glad you like my picks:) I knew you would know The Spirit is Willing-it is a fun romp. I just saw The Woman in Black and it is eerie. I have not seen the 2nd film you picked but it sounds excellent. I almost picked The Uninvited! It is so well done and eerie with the house right on the edge of the ocean cliff. Poor Gail Russell, not sure if she should have ever been in films because she was so fragile and booze got her in the end...what a waste
DeleteThat second card is really pretty :) I agree with what Brittani said in her comment; haven't seen these 3 movies and I too need to step up my classic film game. I have to laugh but when I thought of ghost movies, I thought of the Casper one that was out back in 1995 (I looked it up to get the right year) with Christina Ricci. It was kind of a cute kid movie. The kids had a babysitter at the time that loved the boy at the end that was Casper (I think the boy is only on for a total of a minute or less, but he was cute). When we moved, we gave her the movie :)
ReplyDeletebetty
A couple of people picked Casper and I have seen that film-it is a sweet film.
DeleteBetween Two Worlds (1944)-During the London Blitz a down on his luck pianist and his wife make a suicide pact. Suddenly they find themselves on a fog shrouded ship headed to an unknown destination. Soon the wife recognizes the ship’s other passengers, having seen them killed earlier during an air raid, and realizes they’re journeying to their final judgements. Morality tale has supernatural underpinnings with an evocative score and stars a veritable who’s who of Warner’s stock company in the 40’s including Eleanor Parker, John Garfield, Sydney Greenstreet and Edmund Gwenn.
ReplyDeleteA Christmas Carol (1984)-On Christmas Eve penny pinching miser Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three spirits offering him a chance at his reclamation. Classic Dickens tale gets one of its best interpretations with George C. Scott a perfect Scrooge surrounded by a near perfect cast. Presented as a TV event in the States this was released theatrically overseas and it is feature film quality in every detail.
The Time of Their Lives (1946)-The most unique of Abbott & Costello’s films. During the Revolutionary War tinker Lou Costello and aristocrat Marjorie Reynolds are mistakenly branded traitors, killed and cursed to roam her estate until proven innocent. Jump ahead 170 years when the new owner, his fiancée, her wisecracking aunt, the delightful Binnie Barnes, and his shrink played by Bud Abbott, show up to spend the weekend at the mansion now overseen by Gale Sondergaard, doing a fun riff on Rebecca’s Mrs. Danvers. Realizing the joint is haunted they perform a séance calling forth the ghosts and setting out to retrieve a letter from George Washington that would prove their innocence. Complications ensue. The pair share hardly any screen time due to the demands of the script and apparently behind the scenes tensions. It all works to the film's advantage since it gives a freshness to their material.
OMG! I LOVE Between Two Worlds and almost picked it but thought they are not haunting anyone. It was so well thought out and it is on my top list to get in DVD. So many love the George C Scott rendition and it is good but I have a soft spot for Alastair Sim. That Abbott & Costello film is my favourite of all their films! I knew the 2 didn't get along later(more about Bud Abbott I think) but didn't know the reason for them filming their scenes apart in this film because of their anger towards one another(ok too long of a sentence). I have to see this film again because it is so much fun. I love how the 2 keep being pulled towards the seance.-Great choices!!
DeleteForgot to say that the cards are very cool, especially the Hitchcock one. You can drive yourself crazy looking for Nina in his various drawings. Have you ever seen the documentary about him called The Line King?
ReplyDeleteI have driven myself crazy looking for Nina or Ninas:) I think I have seen this documentary and it was excellent. I have to double check if this is the same documentary that I did see. I have 3 books of his and need more...note I say need not want:)
DeleteI picked The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, too! One of my favorite films. Rex Harrison can only play one role, but damn is he good at it. And dear lord but I love that house. I would absolutely live there with the Captain's ghost since it's so lovely. Rebecca is an inspired choice, as the title character haunts the entire story from the very first. I haven't seen your last, but it sounds like a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteYou are right about Sexy Rexy:) He was the best in this film and Blithe Spirit. I would love to live in that house or Manderley. The last film is just fun-nothing deep by any means but just fun.
DeleteMy favourite film of all time....Rebecca....I watch it when I feel the need to snuggle up in a blanket on the sofa,eat chocolate and leave the world behind.
ReplyDeleteLove your cards Birgit....the Hitchock one made me smile xxxxx
I always wanted to live in a home like that-I would probably get lost in it. Thank you about my card-I had to do a Hitchcock card
DeleteA friend of mine sent me a box of favorite movies for me to watch and return. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir was one of them. It was very good.
ReplyDeleteOf course, there is the Demi Moore/Patrick Swayze movie Ghost, which I love. If I'd thought of it before now it might be on my Top 25 list.
Oh, that's a good movie. Very sexy.
DeleteGlad you saw that film:) It is excellent. You are right...Ghost! I am surprised no one picked that film because I can re-watch it. I have no care about Demi Moore but Whoopi is great and so is Patrick Swayze and all the other characters (like the subway guy)
DeleteGreat card love the design. Thanks for playing with us at Dream Valley Challenges!
ReplyDeleteNeva DT
Thank you-glad you like it
DeleteThat Hitch card is LOVE!!!
ReplyDeleteI love that you went with Rebecca...because it is and it isn't and that is the beauty of it. Her presence haunts, even if SHE isn't haunting...and when I first saw it I totally expected her to appear by the film's end.
Thank you about my card:) I thought the same thing about Rebecca-I was thinking she was going to appear and was sad when Manderley went up in smoke
DeleteI like your California Dreaming card, Birgit. Very cool! So is your Hitchcock card. Cute and funny. You ought to do freehand more.
ReplyDeleteGhost & Mrs. Muir is one of my favorite ghost movies. Caspar, too. And, the movie with Charles Laughton as a ghost in chains who can be seen young Margaret O'Brien. The ghost may have been Henry VIII. The title is almost on the tip of my tongue.
The Canterbury Ghost! Someone else picked it and I have to see it-never did:) Casper is a cute movie and glad you like The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Thank you about my cards-I don't do much drawing like I used to when I was a kid
DeleteAw The Ghost and Mrs Muir, I haven't seen it in years. Great film though. I haven't heard of The Spirit is Willing - should check it out.
ReplyDeleteThe Spirit is Willing is a fun flick-nothing earth shattering but lots of fun
DeleteI love the cards. I haven't seen the third movie. I love Rebecca, but the book is even better. I'm trying to think of any other movies with ghosts. I know when Ghostbusters first came out we thought it was funny. I don't know what I'd think it I saw it now. I like The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Gene Tierney was beautiful. She was so good in Laura. She had problems with mental illness. Before we moved to Topeka, Kansas, she was a patient at the Menninger Foundation. When she became an outpatient, she worked in a dress shop that probably doesn't exist anymore. A lot of my mother's friends remembered when she worked there, but they didn't have much to say about her. It seemed as if she didn't make much of an impression on them, which I find odd. Or maybe they tried to protect her privacy.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Oh, I know. The Sixth Sense! I see dead people. I think that movie is great! I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but I did not get what was really happening with Bruce Willis's character until the end of the movie. I didn't suspect a thing.
DeleteI love the book, Rebecca and agree with you even though the film was directed by Hitchcock. I still laugh at Ghostbusters. That is interesting about Gene Tierney and she did suffer from mental illness. Sometimes people with mental illness can be distant which is part of their disease. I wrote about her in my A to Z. When she was pregnant, she participated at the Hollywood Canteen and after, contracted the German measles. Her daughter was born with severe mental retardation as we used to say. A few years later, a lady came up to her and was excited to meet her and told her she was sick with the German measles but had to leave her bed when she found out that her favourite actress was going to be at the Hollywood canteen. Can you imagine? The Sixth Sense is a great movie and I didn't know anything either
DeleteI always get a lump in my throat at the conclusion of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, one of the most romantic movies ever.
ReplyDeleteIt is very romantic and I really wanted them to kiss
DeleteI've read Rebecca several times and had a different opinion on each occasion! I've only seen the film once - funnily enough, I missed a screening tonight because Id already agreed to go to something else. No doubt it'll come round on TV again soon, but I'd love to have seen it in a crowd.
ReplyDeleteAnabel's Travel Blog
Ooh I love to see old films on the big screen. There is always next time
DeleteI remember the Ghost and Mrs. Muir but haven't seen it in years! I'm not familiar with the other two movies but most definitely want to check them out. Birgit, your card is beautiful! Love the trees and the sun. Looks like a lot of work and love went into it. And I'm thrilled that you were inspired by my Battle of the Bands post! That's very cool! Thanks for the mention. :)
ReplyDeleteMichele at Angels Bark
You are very welcome and glad you like the card:)
DeleteI think that's so cool you were inspired by Battle of the Bands for one of your cards!
ReplyDeleteRebecca....A CLASSIC.
Rebecca is a classic and so is The Ghost & Mrs. Muir. Thank you about my card:)
DeleteCalifornia is cool. Be nice...
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I've seen the original Rebecca. I saw a PBS remake and read the book, though. I have seen The Ghost and Mrs Muir. Not the third one, although that sounds like it'd be right up my alley.
California dreamin in a winter's day.... I love the original Rebecca. The 3rd film is a lot of fun and just puts a smile on my face
DeleteLOVE Rebecca. One of the few films that is as good as the book!
ReplyDeleteThe book and movie are both great
DeleteBirgit, your card is stunning! A great blend of color and shine! Thanks for always leaving such sweet comments on my blog. <3 This last one made me laugh out loud!!
ReplyDeleteps. I love the movie The Ghost And Mrs. Muir!!!
Thank you so very much-Glad you like my cards and that I made you laugh:)
DeleteLove love love Rebecca. As you say, not your typical ghoulish fare but it's up there on the creep-scale. And you made the perfect card for it ... AWESOME drawing, Birgit. The second card is stunning. You have sponged the bg so well, and beautifully blended too. Here's to a crafty CREEPY weekend!
ReplyDeletehugs, Asha
Glad you like my cards:) Rebecca is a great film
DeleteOf your movie mentions I've only seen Rebecca which now I don't recall much of. Though Ghost and Mrs. Muir is frequently shown on TCM, I have yet to watch it. It always makes me think of the old TV show by the same name which I never cared much for. Actually I don't know if I ever watched an entire episode of the TV show either--I don't know what it was that turned me off about it, but it just didn't draw me in.
ReplyDeleteOne day I'll have to watch that movie.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Don't go by the TV Show-that was dummied down. The film is the highlight and I consider it separate from the TV show
DeleteLoving everything about this! Excellent choices on the movies.
ReplyDeleteThank you-Glad you like them
DeleteWhat?
ReplyDeleteNo "Ghostbusters?"
I was scared I would get slimed
DeleteLove the first 2 movie choices, not seen #3. If it's spooky, I don't care for spooky! Enjoy a rewatch of each of the first two, from time to time! Loved your card too...brilliant idea to stamp those trees in black and emboss with silver pearl. It did create a very foggy morning look and the distress coloring is so pretty with the sky clouds and golden sunrays. Beautiful design. TFS & happy wkend.
ReplyDeleteThe 3rd movie is Disney spooky which means it is not creepy at all-It's fun:) Glad you like my cards and I wanted the grey to evoke the song
DeleteWonderful Halloween card.
ReplyDeleteThank you for joining us at the Animal Friends.
LG
Kuni
Glad you like it:)
DeleteI really like The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. A rather unusual story.
ReplyDeleteIt is and one I find unique
DeleteAll new movies to me! Always great to learn about new movies I should have seen. :)
ReplyDeleteThe cards are fabulous. The one inspired by Battle of the Bands is gorgeous! :) Thanks for sharing.
~Jess
Did you ever read the book, Rebecca? Thank you about my cards and glad you like the one that was inspired by the BOTB
DeleteThe moment I saw "Ghost Movies" I thought, I hope The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is on there. Still one of my all time favorites.
ReplyDeleteAlso, that Hitchcock card is so well done and very, well, Hitchcock.
Belated Happy Halloween, Birgit. Hope it was fun.
ReplyDeleteI love the Ghost and Mrs. Muir. It's a great story. I also like the Hitchcock card.
ReplyDeleteR
Thank you for all your sweet supportive comments on my blog, they truly are very much appreciated. Have been out of town and therefore not doing many blog visits. trying to do a bit of catch up, plus have been overly involved in several local campaigns that has taken far more time then I truly thought it would when I volunteered. Thank goodness tomorrow is election day...it's been fun, interesting, and educational; but really consuming. The Hitchcock card is awesome. I'm not much of movie watcher, so only knew 1 of the movies you mentioned;but sounds like a fun blog hop idea.
ReplyDeleteSandy at Bridge and Beyond
Rebecca - obviously I HAD to watch that because it's my namesake. ;) haha. LOVE your cards - that Hitchcock image is brilliant and I just adore the gorgeous watercolored scene you created with that treescape.
ReplyDeleteI love it that you make these wonderful cards and then describe the process. So enjoy them!
ReplyDeleteThe Sixth Sense was a favorite movie of mine. Is it a ghost movie? I'm not sure.
Birgit, I haven't heard of any of these ghost movies.The Spirit is Willing sounds like a fun one and I would like to see it. I'll see if I can find it on Netflix or Amazon Prime. One of my favorite newer ghost movies is What Lies Beneath with Harrison Ford and Michel Pheiffer. It has just enough spook in it to make you jump. Your handstamped cards are fabulous! I, especially love the embossed trees ~ gorgeous job! Thanks for stopping by, sharing your mother's story, and voting, my friend. Have a tunetastic week!
ReplyDeleteHi, BB! Sorry I'm so late. The ghost movie that I am recalling at this moment is a movie that I saw in a theater at the age of ten, the 1960 spooker 13 Ghosts directed by William Castle. The late Marty Milner was in it along with Margaret Hamilton who gained fame as The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. William Castle used a gimmick called Illusion-O which required members of the audience to wear special colored cellophane viewers to see the ghosts. It was low budget and low tech but lots of campy fun.
ReplyDeleteI love the Hitchcock card and the blue, gold and red color and artwork on the second card!
The only ghost movie I know is "Ghost" starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. Your ghost picks look like fun epics to watch Birgit but then ghosts are a bit like knights on a chessboard. Once they make their play theres no turning back - thats if you see them coming, haha.
ReplyDeleteI love "Rebecca"! "The Ghost and Mrs, Muir" was good too. My favourite classic ghost movie is "Topper" and favourite contemporary one is "Ghost". Those are cool cards, especially Alfred Hitchcock. ☺
ReplyDeleteSuper card, thanks for playing along with our Feeling Blue Challenge @ Dream Valley this week. Good Luck
ReplyDeleteHappy Crafting
Carole xXx