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Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Top 5 Psychological Movies

 Well, alright, maybe not so twisted -- but, then again....


In delving into horror and splatterpunk on this site, yes, the idea is to bring focus to books. However, I feel we'd be leaving out a ton of fun if we skipped over some of the best movies. As you know, many books are turned into movies (how many mini series' and movies have come from Stephen King books?).

Anyway, when I think of psychological movies that are "horror-ish* -- the one that had an ending that stumped me or just was twisted enough that I still say "Damn, that was a great movie" -- only a small number come to mind.

Yes, there are spoilers below. How else would I explain why I thought they were great? So, if you don't want the movie ending spoiled -- just read the title, ignore the other words and move down to the next number.

What are they? Read on. Here are my top 5

5) -- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

Yes, I know. It's really old. But, some of my favorite writers are long deceased (Edgar Allen Poe -- Fyodor Dostoevsky, etc), so why can't I enjoy an occasional really old movie?

Plot Summary from IMDb
Francis, a young man, recalls in his memory the horrible experiences he and his fiancĂ©e Jane recently went through. It is the annual fair in Holstenwall. Francis and his friend Alan visit The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, an exhibit where the mysterious doctor shows the somnambulist Cesare, and awakens him for some moments from his death-like sleep. When Alan asks Cesare about his future, Cesare answers that he will die before dawn. The next morning Alan is found dead. Francis suspects Cesare of being the murderer, and starts spying on him and Dr. Caligari. The following night Cesare is going to stab Jane in her bed, but softens when he sees the beautiful woman, and instead of committing another murder, he abducts her. Jane's father awakens because of the noise, and he and some servants follow the fleeing Cesare. When Cesare cannot outrun his pursuers anymore, he gently places Jane down on the ground, and runs away. Francis and the police investigate the caravan of Dr. Caligari, but the doctor succeeds in slipping away. Francis pursues the fleeing Dr. Caligari, and sees him disappear into a madhouse. Francis enters the madhouse, where he is sure he will find the truth behind all these mysterious events.  

SPOILER - Why it's on my list:
(blurb below from IMDb)
The twist ending reveals that all of the flashback is actually Francis delusion, symbolized in the film by the distorted buildings and landscapes. Francis, Jane and Cesare are all inmates of the insane asylum, and the man he calls Caligari is the asylum director. The director, after this revelation of the sources of his patient's delusion, says that now he should be able to cure Francis. 

So, this whole movie, I'm trying to decide the who. Who is doing this stuff? This movie tricked me pretty well, especially for an old movie -- who'd have thought it had it in it? This makes a lot of the newer psychological horror type movies seem pathetic...to think, this was done without all of today's knowledge and technology. Brilliant.

4) -- High Tension (2005)
Summary from IMDb 
Two college friends, Marie and Alexa, encounter loads of trouble (and blood) while on vacation at Alexa's parents' country home when a mysterious killer invades their quiet getaway. 

SPOILER - Why it's on my list: 
So, we're watching these people meet death...some man has gone "Killer." Well, not really. You see, the main character happens to be a little bit crazy.The killer we see is actually Marie's imagination. In the end, we find out that she's the one that's been slicing everyone to bits.

3) -- Fallen (1998)


Summary from IMDb
 
Homicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese's style. 

SPOILER - Why it's on my list: 

At the start of this movie, you hear Denzel's character explain that he almost died. So, as I watched the movie, I'm figuring, he survives and the day is saved and you have your happily ever after survivor at the end of the movie. However, at the start of the movie, our "hero" had already been possessed by a killer. What he's referring to is being able to escape Denzel's body before he died. This left Denzel dead and our killer floating off to reek havoc another day.



2) -- Seven (1995)


Summary from IMDb
 
Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi. 


SPOILER - Why it's on my list: 
The sixth and seventh sins, while not completely unpredictable, are brilliantly played out. You see, Mr. Killer drops off Mill's wife's head in a box. He explains that he's jealous of his family life. Well, and what do you know? There we have the sixth sin--envy. Of course, after all the twists and turns in the movie, you know, there's only so much any one man can take. I'd say getting your wife's head delivered in a box is a deal breaker on control. So, he shoots Mr. Killer in the head. And that completes our seventh sin -- wrath.





1) -- Saw (2004)


Summary from IMDb
 
With a dead body laying between them, two men wake up in the secure lair of a serial killer who's been nicknamed "Jigsaw". The men must follow various rules and objectives if they wish to survive and win the deadly game set for them. 

SPOILER - Why it's on my list: 
This was absolutely brilliant. They psycholigical aspect of seeing how far someone would go to stay alive. Will you help another? Will you simply try to run and save your own life? Will you saw off your own foot? Even more brilliant is that after Adam finally cuts his foot off, the dead body that's been in the room forever, gets up and proclaims that the game is over. What? Really? You've laid their faking death this whole time and watched everything unfold? No way! I still say no way. I never saw it coming.



So, what's your favorite and why?

I hope you'll stop in again next week when I have another movie-ish post for everyone.

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

#Review For Us #BookReviewers Wanted #WritingCommunity #amreading

 


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