Since it’s Halloween, I figured it would be fun to take a look at some of the moments that have scared, frightened and unnerved me, either in a book or a movie. We’ll be looking at two short stories, two novels, and some movies. Let’s get started.

“BEST NEW HORROR”

I’ll start with this one since I’ve mentioned this short story by Joe Hill once or twice already, and I’ll try not to repeat myself too much here. ”Best New Horror” is the story of a jaded horror editor who receives a terrifying short story submission that renews his faith in horror stories. The editor’s interest in the story leads him to seek out the author, a meeting that fans of horror will see coming a mile away, followed by a twist they won’t.

What interests me with “Best New Horror” is the horror story within the horror story, where Hill is careful to turn up the meta. Now, the casual writer would be smart enough not to tell the story that the editor gets so excited about and leave it up to the readers’ imagination; however, Hill is confident enough reveal the entire story from beginning to end with successful results. It’s a harrowing story, one that is strangely heartbreaking as well. It’s also a story that could easily stand on its own, which is probably why the editor’s framing story works too.

If you appreciate an interesting take on why people are attracted to horror fiction, then this is the story for you. Though, if you have issues with pins and eyelids…this might not be your thing.

HOUSE OF LEAVES

I’m going to brief about this as I’ve been working on a long piece regarding Mark Z. Danielewski’s 1999 novel for a few months now. Hell, my Master’s project was about House of Leaves. It is, I feel, one of the most important books published in the last 20 years. But this is something I recognize now, having spent years absorbing the book. Back when I first bought it, it was simply this new horror book I kept hearing about. I had read a review about it in USA Today when I was visiting Houston, and when my plane landed in Buffalo a few days later, the first thing I did after checking into my hotel room was go to the bookstore to buy this book. It completely fucked up my week. And a lot of it had to do with the fact that I ended up reading it three times in a row. The only book I’ve ever done that with.

To put it simply, House of Leaves tells the story of Will Navidson, a famous photographer, who moves into an undisclosed house with his partner Karen Green and their two children. It is discovered that the house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, with doors appearing where there were none before, revealing unlit hallways and passageways that appear to go on forever. With the help of his brother and colleagues, Navidson decides to explore the newly discovered interior of the house. And then it all goes to hell.

If you pick up a copy of the book and flip through its pages, you’re going to understand fairly quickly that the aforementioned description doesn’t do the book justice. It really is a book that needs to be seen to be believed, and what you’ll see in those pages will either turn you off completely or have you reaching for your wallet.

Now, over the years I’ve bought copies of House of Leaves as gifts for friends and family. What I’ve always loved about their reactions to the book is that nearly everyone has been spooked by it, and even better, I’ve yet to hear of people being afraid of the same thing.  

Here are two things that have always frightened me when reading House of Leaves: 

1) The game of “always”.

 2) Ftaires! We have found ftaires!

If you’ve read the book, then you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, I think it’s time you went exploring.

 “THE JAUNT”

Published in Stephen King’s 1985 short story collection Skeleton Crew, “The Jaunt” isn’t one of King’s best by any means, especially when put alongside other stories in the collection such “The Mist”, “Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut” and “Survivor Type”. With that said, it’s funny how when I have a discussion about Skeleton Crew, people’s eyes widen when they recall “The Jaunt”.

Most of the “The Jaunt” is the history of teleportation, or jaunting, as told by a father to his curious children as they wait to jaunt to Mars. Mostly, the material is playful, and it’s clear King is enjoying the small world building that comes with the premise. But this is King, after all. The history of jaunting has its dark moments, as it’s discovered that humans can only jaunt when they’re unconscious; those who jaunted awake died instantly or turned insane. As for the story being scary, it comes down to its ending. Once the father’s story is told, it is time for the family to undergo the sleeping gas for their jaunt. When the father wakes on Mars, he discovers to his horror that his son had held his breath when given the sleeping gas. What follows next, though brief in execution, is haunting, and stays with you long after the story is over.        

SONG OF KALI

Dan Simmons’ novel was a great experience for me, mostly because I didn’t expect much from the book. I hadn’t read the critiques or cared much for the awards it won; all I cared about was the pull quote on the cover about it being the scariest book ever written. And, if you are someone like me, who must buy or rent any book or movie that had such a quote on the cover only to inevitably be disappointed later…well, you stop getting your hopes up.

Luckily for me, Song of Kali is scary. The story follows an American poet who travels to Calcutta with his wife and baby to secure a poem by a poet who was believed to be dead. From there, the story enters some pretty dark territory, made easier by Simmons’ gift of making Calcutta a character in itself. If I have any reservations about traveling to Calcutta, it’s all because of this book. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if tourism there has dropped significantly since the publication of this book.

Anyway, there are two major scenes in the book to look out for. The first involves the protagonist being put into a large dark room to discover that he isn’t alone. When he finally lights a match, what he sees is chilling. And it sounds awful when I describe it like that in my attempt to avoid spoilers, but in Simmons’ hands, this scene will have you leaving a light on when you go to sleep for a night or two. And the second scene is in an airport, a scene that is as heartbreaking as it is terrifying.

To say anything more would be a disservice to the story. This book is the real deal.

THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT

I’m always amazed at how quickly the hate for this movie started after it was released. A lot of it had to do with the crazy hype. I remember being in Washington D.C. when it had limited screenings and the amount of people trying to get a ticket was amazing. Needless to say, I didn’t see it in D.C. Instead, I saw it alone in a theater in New Jersey, and it devestated me. Not right away. In fact, it’s safe to say I was one of the many people who stared at the screen when the lights came on and wondered if that was indeed it. But when I got home and really considered the ending…well, it wasn’t the best night to be home alone.

When it comes to the movie, it’s really all about the ending, and it’s amazing that writer-directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez had enough faith in the audience to connect the dots on their own. Because the true terror of The Blair Witch Project rests on your ability to choreograph the information obtained in the previous 90 minutes and fill in what the camera didn’t show you.

And fortunately for us, what they didn’t show us was pretty damn scary.

Ending of The Blair Witch Project

MULHOLLAND DRIVE/LOST HIGHWAY

I won’t pretend to understand David Lynch’s work as a whole. You certainly have to accept the dream-logic that permeates his movies and the ambiguity of his plots tend to leave a lot desired at times, so I can understand how his work isn’t for everyone. What has always struck me about Lynch’s movies, even when I was at a loss to what was going on, was how scary his work can be. I honestly believe that if Lynch were ever to make a full-on horror movie, most working horror filmmakers would just give up. Take for instance, Fire Walk With Me, when Bob enters Laura Palmer’s bedroom from her window, a scene so simple in execution that the uneasiness I feel when watching it is embarrassing. Or Robert Blake’s scene in Lost Highway:

Lost Highway Scene

Out of all of Lynch’s frightening moments, however, it is the diner scene in Mulholland Drive that really does it for me. Again, the premise is so simple it’s amazing it works at all, especially when you consider that the scene is shot in the day. It’s Lynch’s grasp of pacing that makes the scene’s suspense work. But there is also something strangely familiar about it as well, as if Lynch had removed a nightmare template from our collective consciousness and brought it to life. The scene is so effective that the pop-up scare at the end feels unnecessary. We’ve all been here before, and we all know what’s waiting for us at the end. 

Mulholland Drive Scene

CABIN OF TERROR

From what I can read online, Cabin of Terror was written by Dave Bertrand and shot over the course of 48 hours. Now, I’m writing this from memory, as the short is, sadly, no longer available to watch online. I watched it twice about a year ago, spaced apart by a week to make sure that the film’s ability upset me wasn’t a fluke. I think it’s safe to say that it bothered me more the second time. This is how the film is described online:

“In the style of the early nineties video board game “Nightmare”, our host, the Gatekeeper, leads the viewer through his twisted “Cabin of Terror”. You, the game player, must bet on the fates of three not-so-lucky female contestants, while obeying the Gatekeeper’s every command on this VHS dubbed in Hell.”

It sounds cheesy, I know. But I’d argue that watching this film gives you a brief taste of what it’s like to go insane. There is something decidedly unnatural about the short, whether it’s in its bizarre edits that work like acid flashbacks or in the way the material is so unrelenting. In many ways, this film sets out to do what Rob Zombie wanted to achieve with House of 1,000 Corpses and countless other sadistic horror movies in the last eight years, and succeeded where they couldn’t. And a large part of that is due to its length, at less than 10 minutes long, the movie doesn’t give you a single second to breathe, and when it’s over, you’re relieved instead of exhausted.

This is TOO SOON.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 8:22 pm and is filed under Movies, Too Soon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.