Frightening Film Friday

Day 141

As we get closer to Halloween here are some more of my favorite frightening films:

The Picture Of Dorian Gray (1945)

Here’s another “older”, black & white film that some might not consider very frightening by today’s standards, but in my opinion it still manages to be quite chilling and eerie. This film is based on Oscar Wilde’s memorable, creepy story about the very handsome and consequently very vain Dorian Gray. He is so vain, in fact, that he grows obsessively attached to a portrait that is painted of him. One day Dorian wishes aloud that he would remain young and handsome and that his portrait would grow old instead, even going so far as to offer his soul in exchange. Dorian’s request is magically granted, but at the cost of his soul, turning Dorian into a very wicked, dangerous man, who will resort to murder to protect his “secret.”

Wait Until Dark (1967)

The first time I saw this movie was at a Halloween party in the Singles Ward in Greeley, Colorado. Everyone was gathered together at the house shared by several young women in the ward and we watched this movie. I knew I would love it because it starred one of my favorite actresses, Audrey Hepburn, but I had no idea how thrilling, how frightening it would be. I remember that there were two specific points in the movie that had everyone in the room jumping up in fear (and a few people screamed too!) Audrey Hepburn is excellent as a blind woman who is terrorized by three men, looking for a doll that has been misplaced in her apartment; the doll actually contains smuggled heroin, and these three men (led by a very disturbing psychotic killer, played by Alan Arkin) will stop at nothing to retrieve the doll.

The Others (2001)

I really enjoy a good “ghost” movie, and this is one of my favorites. Nicole Kidman gives a terrific performance as Grace, a woman living alone with her two children in a large, secluded English house at the end of WWII, waiting for her husband to return. Grace hires three new servants (to replace the servants that suddenly disappeared) and then begins to witness strange, supernatural occurrences in the house; her children insist there are ghosts, but Grace is deeply religious and refuses to believe her children. It is only a matter of time when she begins to change her mind and finds a connection between the frequent paranormal activities and the new servants. Note: This movie has a great, surprise twist ending!