It’s time for some movie fun. It’s a new concept that’s based on the idea of “Dessert Island” and a “Top Ten Films List” combined. Some of my friends from the Twitterverse have been kind enough to take on the challenge of telling us about 5 movies that they would want with them if they were in a Cabin in the Woods under different scenarios. Someone is snowed in while another is confined to the cabin as a toxic gas is leaked around them. Would you want to scare the people you are with or maybe get comfy with your better half with your choice of films?
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This week we have Emil whose name always makes me suspicious if he moonlights as a superhero in his native Sweden. I gave him the following scenario and just like a superhero, his choices were quite brave...
"You and two of yours friends take on a challenge to stay over the weekend in a supposedly haunted Cabin in the Woods. What five films would you take with yourself to pass the time with yourself?" __________________________________________________________
This is an interesting scenario as there are many ways one could go with it. Do I pick funny movies to ease the creepiness of the whole thing? Or do I go the obvious route with scary films to try to spook everyone? The problem with this latter horror approach is that knowing the friends I'd bring along, odds are I'd be more creeped out than they would. But then again, I find that horror films often lose their edge when watched alongside others. Perhaps things would be different in a setting such as this, though. In the end, here are the films I would bring.
Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)
This is the only movie I'd bring that I haven't seen yet myself. However, based on the trailer, this seems like an effective pick to start out with, as it seems hell-bent on disarming a stereotypical frightening scenario with comedy. It's also a film I've wanted to see for some time now, and I've heard good things about it, so hopefully it'll be a solid pick. Assuming this weekend is a Friday evening to Sunday morning kind of thing, this would make for a good first film for Friday's double feature.
High Tension (2003)
I only discovered this French horror film the other month myself, and I was very impressed with it. I suppose if the cabin we were in really was haunted, we'd have bigger things to worry about than the serial killer scenario in this one, so this will be a welcome break from reality in this regard. High Tension is suspenseful, gory, and captivating. The film's only real flaw is its stupid ending, but even that could work to its advantage here if we watch it to cap off Friday. If we're still mulling over how dumb it was rather than thinking of the scariness, we should still be able to get a good night's sleep between Friday and Saturday.
The Shining (1980)
This would be for sometime in the middle of Saturday. Everyone has seen it, but it's still a film worth revisiting for the creepy haunted house factor, as well as for sheer entertainment with Jack Nicholson going bat-shit crazy. Plus, it has enough directorial flourishes to satisfy my cinephile side as well.
Repulsion (1965)
Not only would this be a good way for me to introduce my friends to a kind of horror film they might not normally see, it's also one of the creepiest films I've ever seen. Catherine Deneuve getting more and more paranoid and delusional while holed up in her apartment should be fitting for our little group. There is a chance that this one won't go over too well with the others, so just in case they end up hating it, let's schedule this one second-to-last on Saturday.
The Others (2001)
While it's tempting to try to think of the scariest movie ever and put it here in the main event slot for Saturday night, I don't think that would be wise for the reasons I stated in the opening. It might fall flat due to the the group viewing factor, or, if it does work, I'd be at least as freaked out as everyone else. So I'm picking The Others. It's not heavy on the frights as such, but goes for a lot of low-key tension and lets the darkness play a big part - appropriate for its time-slot. In the end, it's just a damn fine movie, and it fits into the haunted house theme.
Emil is a Swede who only got into movies in a big way a few years ago. As such, he's still constantly trying to catch up with a century of films - to varying degrees of success. He thinks Bill Murray is pretty much the coolest man in the world. When he's not busy with movies, Emil enjoys playing video games and reading books. He may be addicted to ice tea in the summer and regular tea in the winter.
His movie blog is called A Swede Talks Movies, and is exactly what the title suggests. It features reviews, top 10 lists, assorted discussion pieces, and a very low rate of new posts. It can be found here: http://aswedetalksmovies.com/
If you would like to participate and would like me to send you a unique scenario, simply Email Me
