Horror

Those of you who know me would know how much I am fond of horror movies.  I don’t know when this inclination towards the horror movies started but there are few things why I prefer horror movies.  It gives me a thrill to know what horror the movie has in store for me.  I ask myself questions like would I be scared by the events in the movie, can the filmmaker scare or shock me, how much blood filled gory scenes would be in the movie, what disgusting ways can the director have in the movie to create the horror and so on.  And as always, I watch horror movies all alone by myself in my bedroom; with the only light coming from the screen and with earphones plugged into my ears.  Ideally I did not want any light or sound to distract me.  Of the movies I have watched so far, very few have indeed tried to scare me.  To state a few horror movies that entertained me are The Descent, REC, Paranormal Activity, Saw series, The Hills Have Eyes, Wrong Turn, Hostel, and Resident Evil series and so on.

A recent Google search led me to realize when my fondness towards horror movies started.  When I look back, I believe that it should have started when I watched the first horror movie in my life during my early teenage.  The movie was The Evil Dead released in the year 1981.  One of my dad’s friends gave us the VHS tape of the movie and we watched the movie at night.  I don’t know if you have watched the movie in your teenage because I could remember how frightened I was after watching the movie.  I remember I was scared to leave even the windows open during the night, fearing the ghost would enter our home through breeze, because that’s how the ghost would travel in that movie.  Most of the times, there would be dead silence in the movie and suddenly a sound would be heard.  When the character goes towards the place from where the sound had originated, it would either be a branch striking the window or a cat passing by.  When they sigh and get relaxed, a horrible face would show up when they least expected them.  The high-pitched female scream along with the discordant background music would add more shock to the viewer.

This retrospection did not happen because of any horror movies I watched recently but because of a director.  Few weeks back, I watched the movie For Love of the Game.  This movie is a drama sports film and has nothing to do with horror.  I really liked the movie primarily because I liked Kevin Costner (liked him from Mr. Brooks movie) and the screenplay.   I googled to find who the director of this movie was so that I could check out his other works, it was then I realized that it the same director who did this movie was the one who directed The Evil Dead.  His name is Sam Raimi.

Yes, Sam Raimi is the one who directed the Evil Dead series.  He is also the producer of The Evil Dead movie.  It was surprising for me to know that Sam Raimi also directed the Darkman series.  Darkman series were yet another teenage adoration for me and Liam Neeson, the principal character Darkman series, was already becoming my favorite actor (also I liked Liam in Pilgrim’s Progress movie) by then.  To add more surprise, Sam Raimi is also the director of the blockbuster Spider-Man films.  And again he is the director for The Simple Plan, another acclaimed crime thriller.  All these movies, I enjoyed to the core.  Unknowingly, I have liked all of Sam Raimi’s works so far and I was really blown out of water when I came to know this.  So, Sam Raimi has become one of the directors whom I look forward to his upcoming movies.  Apart from directing, he has also produced horror movies which were not in his direction: The Grudge series, Boogeyman series and 30 Daysof Night to name a few.   I am yet to watch his supernatural horror Drag Me to Hell and I will not be surprised if I liked this movie too.  I am also looking forward to his movie, The Possession, directed by Ole Borndeal, after watching its trailer.

And for the final surprise, Sam Raimi has confirmed that a remake of The Evil Dead would be made in the year 2013 but will be directed by Fede Alvarez.  And to quote the voice from the recorder in the Evil Dead movie: “I have seen the dark shadows moving in the woods and I have no doubt that whatever I have resurrected through this book is sure to come crawling... for me” is an apt reflection of my expectation for Sam Raimi and his works.