Movie Spotlight: IT

IT is a 2017 movie starring Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Nicholas Hamilton. It's based on the 1986 Stephen King novel, which was adapted into a miniseries in 1990 (you can find my review here: Horror Movie Month: Stephen King's It). Derry, Maine, has been haunted for centuries by a supernatural entity known as Pennywise the dancing clown (Bill Skarsgard), and seven kids decide it's up to them to stop IT. This monster can take the form of their worst nightmares, so the members of The Losers Club are in for the fight of their lives.

I usually try to avoid clowns, but I love Stephen King, so I make an exception for his clowns. From the opening scene, in which Pennywise bites off Georgie Denborough's arm (dick move, Pennywise), it's clear that this clown is a force to be reckoned with. I liked the 1990 miniseries, but this version is much creepier and Skarsgard's Pennywise is scary as hell. The performances were incredible, as was everything else about this amazing movie. I had high hopes for this movie, and I wasn't disappointed. I can't wait to see Chapter 2 even though now I hate clowns even more than I did before. ; )


My rating: 9/10

Ghosts of the Stanley Hotel

If you're a fan of Stephen King, you probably know about the Stanley Hotel...it's the hotel that inspired The Shining, and the 1997 miniseries (starring Steven Weber and Rebecca De Mornay) was filmed there. The Stanley Hotel is in Estes Park, Colorado, and on April 8th-11th, they're hosting Ghosts of the Stanley Hotel (presented by Strange Escapes), which will feature lectures, meet and greets with celebrity guests, and a paranormal investigation of the hotel. It's sold out, but you can get on the waitlist here:

http://www.strange-escapes.com/events/stanley-hotel-april-8th-11th-2016/

If you go and would like to write a guest post about it, please email me at crystalsmithconnelly@yahoo.com and let me know. : )

Horror Movie Month: Stephen King's It

Stephen King's It (based on the 1986 novel) is a 1990 movie directed by Tommy Lee Wallace and starring Harry Anderson, Dennis Christopher, Richard Masur, Annette O'Toole, Tim Reid, John Ritter, Richard Thomas, and Tim Curry. Thirty years after seven kids fought back against an evil force that could take the form of a person's worst fear (though most often appeared in the form of Pennywise the clown), the group must reunite to battle it again.

Stephen King's It is a great made-for-TV movie and basically ruined clowns for everyone; I didn't think clowns were particularly funny as a child, but I didn't think they were scary until I saw Tim Curry as Pennywise. These days, it seems like most people think clowns are creepy, and scary clowns are a common sight in Halloween stores (I love decorating for Halloween, but my house is staying clown-free). Though It is longer than the movies I generally like to watch, I still enjoyed it because it's creepy and has great characters who are easy to care about.

My rating: 7.5/10

Horror Movie Month: The Mist

The Mist is a 2007 movie written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher, and Toby Jones. The movie is based on a novella by Stephen King, and it's my favorite movie based on his work. When a strange mist envelops a small Maine town after a bad storm, the townspeople must fight for survival against the monsters the mist brought with it.

I really like The Mist and thought all of the performances were great...especially Marcia Gay Harden as religious fanatic Mrs. Carmody. (I think I would've taken my chance with the monsters rather than stay trapped in a grocery store with this insufferable woman.) The movie's ending is heartbreaking, and it's one that pissed a lot of people off, but it's an ending I've never forgotten and probably never will. The monsters are pretty scary and realistic (they look like giant insects, and the big ones can rip a man in half), but if you really hate spiders, you might want to skip this one. ; )

My rating: 8/10

Review: Carrie the Musical at City Stage Co.

My husband and I went to Wilmington, NC to celebrate our third anniversary last week, and the highlight of our trip was seeing City Stage Co.'s production of Carrie the Musical (directed by Nick Gray).  I was pretty sure I'd like it since I'm a fan of the Stephen King novel and movie about a telekinetic teenager and the worst prom ever, but the musical was even better than I expected.  I loved every minute, from the first note to the tragic finale, which managed to break my heart even though I knew it was coming.  The casting was perfect, and every actor did an amazing job.  I loved the songs and got chills every time the cast sang together.  Hannah Elizabeth Smith shone as Carrie White, and the moment that Carrie stops being afraid of her mother was simply incredible and put such a smile on my face.  Katherine Vernon was terrifying as out-of-her-mind Jesus freak Margaret White.  I've always thought that Margaret was much scarier than any horror movie monster or killer, and I'm sure that anyone who has read my plays wouldn't be surprised to learn that the super religious scare the shit out me. ; )  Hannah Laham and Annie Tracy Marsh were wonderful as lone survivor Sue Snell and class bitch Chris Hargensen, and I could listen to those two sing all day.  I was also impressed by Chandler Davis as gym teacher Lynn Gardner, Patrick Basquill as Chris' partner-in-crime Billy Nolan, and Brad Mercier as nice guy Tommy Ross, and Mercier's Tommy was so likable that I was hoping the character would have a different fate in the musical than he did in the book and movie.

I'm so happy that I got to see City Stage Co's production of Carrie the Musical, and I feel bad for anyone who doesn't get to see it.  I can't recommend it enough, can't stop thinking about it, and wish I could see it again. : )

My rating: 10/10

Here's all the info if you want to experience this phenomenal musical for yourself:

http://paranormalcrystal.blogspot.com/2014/10/carrie-musical.html

Murray contemplating whether this Carrie action figure is something he can eat

Carrie the Musical

My husband and I are taking a trip to Wilmington, NC for our anniversary in a few weeks, and we're going to see Carrie the musical while we're there!  Carrie the musical is based on the Stephen King novel about a telekinetic teenager, and it's being performed by City Stage Co. October 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 24th, 25th, 26th, and 31st and November 1st and 2nd.  If you live in or near Wilmington, and this sounds like something you'd like to see, email your name, phone number, date you'd like to attend, number of tickets, and which seats you'd like (you can find the seating chart here: http://www.citystageco.com/come-see-show/) to CityStageCoReservations@gmail.com or call 910-342-0272 to make your reservation.  Tickets cost $20-$25 or $18 for students, teachers, and military, and the theatre is located at 21 N. Front St. #501. I love musicals, and I also love Stephen King, so I'm really excited to see Carrie the musical. : )

http://www.citystageco.com/city-stage-co-shows/carrie-2014/

The Paranormal Works of Stephen King

Since it's finally October, I thought I'd do a blog post about the world's most popular horror author: Stephen King.  I've read almost everything he's written, and many of his novels have a paranormal/ supernatural element, so I've compiled a list of his paranormal works and included a link to each novel's Amazon listing.

1. Carrie (1974)



2. Salem's Lot (1975)



3. The Shining (1977)



4. The Dead Zone (1979)



5. Firestarter (1980)



6. Christine (1983)



7. Pet Sematary (1983)



8. Cycle of the Werewolf (1983)



9. It (1986)



10. The Tommyknockers (1987)



11. The Green Mile (1996)



12. Storm of the Century (1999)



13. Dreamcatcher (2001)



14. From a Buick 8 (2002)



15. Under the Dome (2009)



16. Doctor Sleep (2013)

Movie Spotlight: Carrie (2013)

Carrie is a 2013 movie based on Stephen King's novel about a teenage girl who has telekinesis and a religious nutjob mother.  The movie stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, Judy Greer, Portia Doubleday, Gabriella Wilde, Alex Russell, and Ansel Elgort, and since most people have seen the 1976 version, I'm going to include spoilers (so stop reading if you don't want to know what happens).  I know most people don't agree, but I liked this version of Carrie as much as the 1976 version...I like that they cast an actual teenager in this one and that they made the bullying more up-to-date by having Chris Hargensen (Portia Doubleday) film Carrie's humiliating locker room incident and put it on YouTube.  Chloë Grace Moretz did a great job as Carrie (I was impressed with  her when I saw her in Kick-Ass, which she filmed when she was 11 years old, and she keeps getting better), and so did Julianne Moore as Margaret White, who I still hated even though she was a little more likable than Margaret in the 1976 version.  Someone should've called child services on Carrie's mother a long time ago: she hits Carrie in the face with a Bible, locks her in a "prayer closet" for hours with creepy Jesus paraphernalia, and never teaches her about puberty, so the poor girl thinks she's dying when she has her first period in the locker room at school.

When Carrie gets upset or angry, strange things happen, like mirrors breaking and water dispensers exploding, so she does some research and concludes that she has telekinesis; she checks a few books out from the library and makes them float around her bedroom as her bed levitates.  When Tommy Ross (Ansel Elgort) invites her to the prom at the request of his guilt-ridden girlfriend Sue Snell (Gabriella Wilde), Margaret forbids her to go, so Carrie makes her levitate, and the night of the prom, she locks Margaret in the prayer closet using only her mind.  At the prom, Carrie finally begins to feel like she's not a total outcast, but then evil Chris (angry that gym teacher Miss Desjardin (Judy Greer) has banned her from attending the prom after she refused to take the punishment she was dealt for her part in the locker room incident) dumps pig's blood on her, and all hell breaks loose.  When the bucket hits Tommy in the head and kills him, Carrie loses it, and her telekinesis causes fires to break out, killing many of her fellow prom attendees.  Chris and her boyfriend Billy Nolan (Alex Russell) leave the prom before this happens, but Carrie catches up with them and causes their car to crash, so they get what's coming to them (karma's a bitch, and so is-I mean, was-Chris).  Carrie runs home and seeks comfort from Margaret, who stabs her, so Carrie uses her powers to crucify her psycho mother, pinning her to the wall with knives and scissors.  Upset by what she has done, Carrie causes rocks to fall from the sky, eventually causing the house to collapse on top of them.

I really enjoyed Carrie and thought that certain aspects were better than the original movie.  If people want bullying to stop being such a problem, maybe every high school student should be forced to watch Carrie...would you bully someone after watching this movie?

My rating: 8/10