Eerie…..

 

Boo! Of course I will  talk about some eerie films. They are not shock scary movies or gory which is not my bag anyway, but they are eerie. They bring a tension that evokes fear and so many questions and here are my 3..

1. VAMPYR-1932

This is about the eeriest film I have ever seen. It’s from the great Danish director, Carl Dreyer, who creates an unsettling, dream-like atmosphere with shadows and soft-focus lighting to enhance the eerie quality. There is very little dialogue and that works because it brings more tension and dark, fairytale quality to this film. A man wanders into an inn at the edge of a small town. In the middle of the night he is visited by an old man who brings him a box and leaves. The man follows the old man out and sees an old woman who seems to have control over other people who appear as if they are not part of their own bodies. This man ends up at a home, meets the old man and his 2 daughters one that is bedridden. The old man is killed and the police and doctor come. Soon, this man, who is a student of the occult, realizes there is more than just illness but as if something holds the town hostage. This film was not a success when it came out but, now, it is considered one of the best films ever made.

2. CARNIVAL OF SOULS-1962

This is a B movie made on a shoestring budget. Long forgotten, it is now considered a gem in the horror film franchise. We see girls in one car, boys in another and they decide to drag race and whoever makes it across the bridge first, wins. Unfortunately, the girls’ car ends up in the river below. From the river comes one survivor, who is, understandably, confused and muddy. She is an organist and gets a job at a nearby town as a church organist. Since, surviving the accident, she feels odd and keeps seeing this freakish man with a white face and menacing look. At times, she hears nothing and the silence freaks her out. She speaks to a psychiatrist about all these events and he is concerned for her. While playing music in the church, her playing deviates to a macabre number that sounds the opposite of holy. She is also drawn to this old palace by the seaside where she sees a bunch of people dancing but they all look like that man who keeps following her. This is one creepy, but excellent film.

3. HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER-1973

This is a Western film starring Clint Eastwood, who also directed the film, who comes into this sad looking town with all the townsfolk staring at him wondering who is this guy? He comes into mean, dusty and horny taking the town slut into the barn and, essentially, raping her but she doesn’t mind. He ventures to the barbershop for a bath and shave and, while in the bathtub, the slut shoots multiple times into the bathtub. Clint is unhurt and she is subdued. Oh yeah, he kills all the members of this gang and then takes his bath. This happens in the first 10 minutes of the film! From there, he takes over the town with the local midget, played so well by Billy Curtis, as his right-hand man. The townsfolk don’t like him and send word to convicts who are coming to this town. Clint just seethes with menace even though he has nightmares of the former sheriff whipped to death by these convicts as the town just watches. Clint prepares the town for these convicts by forcing the townsfolk to paint the town red and calling it Hell. This was a film I always wanted to see but never had a chance until 20 years ago and was floored when the film ended. It left me questioning, “What the Hell!?” It’s dirty, grimy and you dislike most of the people in the town save the midget and the wife of the hotel owner, who knows who this man with no name is. I think Billy Curtis should have been Oscar nominated for best supporting actor, but that’s just me.

What films do you find eerie?