I have never seen a film so truly harrowing and nightmarish; honestly, watching this movie was a traumatic experience. Nonetheless, I loved every minute of it.

A Brief Synopsis

Oozing with hidden messages and secret symbols Us, directed, written and produced by the legendary Jordan Peele, depicts the Wilson family and the mysterious events that take place during their vacation in Santa Cruz, California.

Official Movie Poster

Flashing back to the year 1986, a young girl is depicted wandering off on her own. As the thunderclouds roll in, she walks into the sand, and views an empty, open beach.

Finding an attraction just past the main pier, she decides to walk inside. As she moves through the labyrinth of mirrors, she discovers something so deeply terrifying. Her doppelgänger, a dead ringer, is staring back into her eyes.

The next scene shifts to present day, where the young girl is all grown up, mom to children Zora and Jason, and wife to Gabe. The Wilson family is headed to their vacation home, the same place where Adelaide saw her evil self many years ago. Apprehensive about returning to this godforsaken place, Adelaide’s husband Gabe attempts to assuage her fears.

Gabe believes that his wife’s reaction is overblown, for he just wants to enjoy a peaceful day at the beach with old family friends, the Tylers. However, their time was cut short, as several strange coincidences gave the families cues that it was time to call it quits for the day.

Seeking refuge in the comfort of their vacation home, the Wilson family seemed to believe they were safe. Until, Adelaide’s fears came to fruition when a set of doppelgängers lined up across the driveway; finally, Gabe came to the realization that he should’ve taken his wife’s warnings more seriously.

The Wilson Doppelgängers

At this point in the film, the audience is bewildered. It was confusing in the very beginning as to why/how Adelaide’s evil twin even existed, let alone a family of four evil people standing opposite the actual family members.

The two groups of people are opposites in every way; Adelaide and Gabe are seen as doting parents to two loving children, whereas their doppelgängers lead lives of misery and torment, their appearance purely grotesque.

As the four demon twins terrorize their counterparts, the real Wilson family discovers that in each person on the planet exists a shadow self, having the sole purpose of murdering their equal. They are not alone, but their current situation just got a lot more grave.

The Real Wilsons

In the end, the audience learns that when the two young girls met in the labyrinth of mirrors on the beach so long ago, they switched places. The one from the “Underground”, attacked and kidnapped the girl from the above, attempting to escape the enslavement of her life down below.

And so, the conclusion of the film may confuse the audience even more, for it is now difficult to say who the imposter and who is the victim; which, might’ve been Peele’s whole point.

Connections Established

Interestingly enough, director Jordan Peele paid homage to The Shining at several points throughout his film. As the Wilson family was driving through hilly forests to their vacation home in Santa Cruz, the scene is shot overhead, as in the viewpoint of a drone’s camera. A very similar scene is depicted in The Shining when the Torrance family makes their way to the Overlook Hotel.

Also, at one point in Peele’s film, Adelaide’s demon twin charges the camera with her weapon of choice, just as Jack Torrance did in The Shining with his ax.

Overall Theme

Jordan Peele wanted to spark conversation with the production of this film. Us is a depiction of the vicious cycle of oppression that citizens of this country who are considered “different” have long endured. The revelation of the film is that those who come from the Underground are just as capable of living normal lives, but the only thing separating “us” from “them” is society’s countless marginalized communities: chance and privilege.

Peele wants his audience to think about the themes and messages long after the final credits have rolled off of the screen, and in my opinion, he has definitely achieved his goals.

Original Film Poster

A beautiful family, a newly purchased dilapidated farmhouse, and a Labrador retriever. What could go wrong?

A Brief Synopsis

1971: Harrisville, Rhode Island. The Conjuring is inspired by real-life events. Carolyn and Roger Perron are ready to begin a fresh start with their five daughters Andrea, Nancy, Christine, Cindy and April. However, their dog refuses to come inside their new home, as the audience is left to wonder why the animal refuses to stop barking. It is indicative that the Perron’s pet has a keen sense of danger when Nancy discovers a boarded entrance to a cellar inside the home.

As days go by, various paranormal activities begin to occur, as the dog is found dead in their front yard. And so, investigators specializing in demonic possession, Ed and Lorraine Warren, are summoned to the Perron’s home to eradicate the dark presence.

Carolyn and Roger Perron 

Initially, they conclude that the house may require an exorcism, but cannot be sure until further investigation is conducted. In their discovery, they find that the house was once inhabited by a woman named Bathsheba, an accused witch who hanged herself following a curse she placed on all who would take her land.

In addition, numerous murders and suicides have been reported in houses that have been built upon the same property in which the Perron’s now reside. Returning to the cursed home the following evening, Ed and Lorraine stood vigil to ensure the dark presence could be kept at bay. Until, one of the daughters sleepwalks into her sister’s room, revealing a hidden passage behind a wardrobe.

The demonic being seems to take shape within Carolyn Perron’s body, as she wakes up each morning with bruises she doesn’t remember getting. Whilst her daughter is sleepwalking, Carolyn falls through the floorboards, as she enters the hidden passage, and is witness to the spirits of people whom Bathsheba has possessed, as the scene forebodes that Carolyn is her next victim.

Because Ed and Lorraine cannot perform an exorcism without the authorization of the Catholic Church, they take their evidence of the haunting of the Perron’s home to a local priest. However, things turn even more sinister as the Perron family takes refuge in a nearby hotel to escape the evils that now inhabit their home.

Ed and Lorraine Warren

Bathsheba’s spirit seems to have other plans in mind, though, when a possessed Carolyn drives Christine and April back to her house. Ed and Lorraine arrive just in time, as they discover Carolyn just before stabbing her daughter in the heart. Deciding to perform the exorcism himself, a first-time occurrence for Ed, he subdues Carolyn by pinning her arms down with a tightly bound rope, until she escapes and attempts to murder her other daughter.

Lorraine, possessing unique psychic abilities, is able to free Carolyn from the demon by sharing a memory of her and her family happily enjoying a day at the beach. Earlier in the movie, Lorraine took notice to the photo taken on that beach day, as each family member looked incandescently happy. By reviving her memory of this trip, Lorraine was able to free Carolyn, for Bathsheba was banished as Ed was able to complete the exorcism.

The End of the Beginning

As the Perron family joins one another, hand-in-hand, they step outside of the cursed home, and into the sunlight. Finally, Carolyn’s bruises disappear, as she and her family are free from the demonic hold that Bathsheba placed upon them. Ed and Lorraine are proud of what they accomplished, and celebrate another demon banished.

My Thoughts

The Conjuring is the first of a series of three movies, and in my opinion, they get better and better as each film progresses. Although the plot is not very deep, the film is creepy and fun as its fast pace keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. I recommend The Conjuring to anyone who wants to be scared just enough, forming the ideal movie for a Halloween party or get-together.

Possession, demons and jump scares, oh my! Winchester is the perfect mix of creepy and fun. The rush of fear that was initiated by gruesome ghouls and monster maniacs is what made this film so enjoyable. Set in 1906, in San Jose, California, this story follows the so-called curse of the Winchester family and the haunting of their home. The best part you ask? There are several instances of the movie that are based upon real occurrences.

A Haunting

A Real Winchester Rifle

The beginning of the film introduces psychiatrist Dr. Eric Price who is brought to life by actor Jason Clarke. Sent to conduct an investigation into the sanity of Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester rifle fortune, and played by the iconic Dame Hellen Mirren, he soon realizes his own inner demons may hinder his ability to evaluate someone else’s.

Dr. Price’s wife, Ruby, was mentally deranged. Before shooting herself, she accidentally shot Eric, leaving him clinically dead for three minutes until being brought back to life. He blames himself for Ruby’s death, and so, Eric carries a bullet engraved with the words, “Together Forever.” A token of his undying love for his wife or just plain odd? Perhaps a bit of both.

Living in the Winchester mansion with the heiress are Marion Marriott (Sarah Snook), Sarah’s niece, and Marion’s son Henry (Finn Scicluna-O’Prey). When Dr. Price arrives at the home, he inquires as to why continuous construction is being conducted every day and night.

Why would a mansion containing hundreds of rooms and built seven stories tall need additional spaces of living? It is Sarah that orders the construction workers to keep hammering, as they are instructed to build cages, sealed with thirteen nails to keep the demons from escaping. In this case, thirteen is Sarah Winchester’s lucky number.

The Curse

As a man that only believes what he can see with his own two eyes, Dr. Price is reluctant to accept that Sarah Winchester and her family have been cursed, and are still being haunted by said evil spirits. She explains that those who have perished from the bullet of a Winchester rifle return to the house, seeking revenge on the family’s members.

Mysteriously, Sarah’s husband and daughter died, leaving her in complete and total grief. Rationally, one could say her misery is what haunts her, not the souls of the loved ones she’s lost or the others that have departed from this life.

However, until Eric resolves his own guilt, relating to the death of his wife, he will not be able to truly believe Sarah’s words…or so he thought. At night, he wanders out of his room and sees young Henry walking to the edge of an open precipice, a hole in the builders’ design.

Sarah Winchester and Dr. Eric Price

It is at this point that Dr. Price realizes something is terribly wrong; he enlists the aid of a servant of the mansion, named Benjamin Block. But, when they turn a corner whilst walking through the mansion’s labyrinth of hallways, Block transforms before Eric’s eyes as a demonic spirit.

When Dr. Price shows Sarah a picture of the tormented man, the heiress explains he was a confederate soldier who, along with his two brothers, were killed by union officers carrying Winchester firearms.

Having the room in which he died recreated inside the mansion, Sarah believes this will be the place where she and Dr. Price can put an end to his suffering, and to help him find peace.

The ‘exorcism’ doesn’t go completely according to plan, though, for the spirit of Benjamin Block attacks Sarah and slams her against her mansion’s walls. Dr. Price is equipped with the weapon he needs to kill the demonic presence terrorizing he and Sarah, but it requires a vision of his dead wife to allow him to see the truth.

Ruby tells her husband to be absolved of his guilt, and in doing so, Block’s figure becomes clear. He loads the Winchester firearm with the very bullet he had engraved in his wife’s honor, aiming a perfect shot, and releasing Benjamin into a realm of peace.

The End…Maybe

Young Henry is no longer possessed by the evil spirits and the audience is filled with rejoice as these poor people may no longer be terrorized by these unearthly beings.

The Dame and Heiress Herself

After Sarah and Dr. Eric Price metaphorically walk hand-in-hand towards the sunset, a thirteenth nail used to seal one of the demons inside of their caged rooms becomes unhinged, landing with a clatter upon the floor.

With this scene, the film’s credits appear, as the audience is left to wonder what will come next.

The mere existence of the Winchester mansion provokes conspiracy as this film was not the first to portray the hauntings of this historical building. To this day, visitors claim to sense an eerie presence, almost as if the demonic spirits never left. Maybe Sarah Winchester still walks the grounds of her home, eager to protect the company she built? The world may never know.

Have you ever seen a movie that so profoundly disturbed you, but in the best way? This pretty much sums up my first experience watching The Shining, a film so horrifically delicious it could give anyone the heebie-jeebies. It is deemed a psychological horror for a reason! Written by literary mastermind, Stephen King, The Shining is a timeless horror classic, as the film leaves a mark on the psyche of viewers’ minds. The cast is star-studded with actors like Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, and Scatman Crothers who all possess talent that allow the film to truly come to life, through experiencing death.

The Thrill of the Chill

Set in Colorado in the 1970s, The Shining follows the lives of the Torrance family: husband Jack, wife Wendy, and their five-year-old son Danny who possesses a very unique quality. The opening scene depicts Jack Torrance being interviewed for a job as caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, agreeing to a winter in solitude as snow is coming just as fast as the family’s impending doom.

Jack Breaks Down the Door and Yells, “Here’s Johnny!”

However, even when Jack’s employer warned of the unfortunate events that had befallen the former caretaker, Grady, and his family, Jack was not dissuaded. He simply stated that his wife is a horror addict and would enjoy the thrill of staying in a place where more than one ghastly murder recently occurred. Desperate times call for desperate measures, I suppose.

The next scene flashes onto the screen as eerie music plays and depicts a single car driving through a snowy mountain range, void of any other vehicles. The viewer is able to feel the chill of the Colorado air that is exhaled by the heavens during wintertime. As the family finally approaches the hotel, they are greeted by the chef, Dick Hallorann, who gives them a tour.

Interestingly enough, before Dick parts ways with the three, he pulls Danny aside and warns him to steer clear of Room 237, as they posses a similar gift he calls, the “shining”. The psychic presence lets them know where violence has taken place and they have the ability to see past and future events through reading other’s minds. Tony, Danny’s imaginary friend who “lives in his mouth”, acts as a way for Danny to channel the psychic images he receives.

Everyday routine begins when the camera portrays Jack fiddling away at a typewriter in the great hall, while Wendy and Danny do rudimentary mother-son activities that do not add to the “loving family” ambience in the film. Jack is a recovering alcoholic and former child abuser, but his urges begin to swell when he descends into madness through what he experiences within the hotel.

Insanity in an Image

At first, he envisions he is sharing a drink with an imaginary bartender, his mind triggering his desire to have a drink after five months sober. He emerges in a fit of rage as Wendy is terrified of her crazed husband and attempts to protect Danny. The boy sees the visions that are controlling his father, but Danny isn’t equipped to tame them as the three become collectively deranged.

It is in this scene that Jack sees a black and white image of himself, grinning, hanging near the bartender’s assortment of bottles. There are framed photos of the hotel’s history covering the walls, which normally wouldn’t be creepy, except for one disturbing little detail: they are all identical. Because Jack is pictured amongst other hotel guests of the past, it symbolizes that he is indeed a reincarnation of a past guest, having the sole purpose of continuing the cycle of violence. He and Grady are kindred spirits, in the worst way.

As Jack chases his wife and child around the hotel room, Wendy cowers in the tile bathroom, trying to bolt the wooden door shut with all her might. As Jack’s weapon of choice is an ax, the same tool used by the former murderous caretaker Grady, he splinters the framework of the door.

Without the viewer’s knowledge, Jack yells the iconic line: “Here’s Johnny!” Unsure of why he does so, the phrase nonetheless ads to the sinister tone of the film, for he is hunting his wife like an animal but still remains smiling. Wendy escapes her husband’s grip of death as she and Danny trudge through the snow in Dick’s Snowcat.

Attempting to track down his family using the footprints of his son, Jack gets lost and becomes tired. As he sits down to rest, he freezes to death, ending his reign of terror.

The events that led up to Jack’s death slowly begin to make some sense as viewers remember the Overlook Hotel was built upon Native American’s sacred land, slaughtered by white expansion. As long as blood continues to spill, havoc will always be wreaked on that forbidden place. But, because Wendy and Danny escaped death, will the cycle be broken? Viewers can only hope for the best.

My Feelings

The Shining is one of those classic movies that will never grow old, no matter how outdated the scenery or dialogue becomes, it will always be able to provoke a chill that travels up the viewer’s spine. For this reason, it will forever be one of my favorites.

Original Movie Poster

When I was young, I used to get nightmares from watching Scooby-Doo cartoons. I understood that the monsters unmasked by the Mystery Gang at the end of each episode were really just regular people disguised as the spooky villain, but I couldn’t seem to rationalize with my own brain. I would awake in a cold sweat, truly believing that The Ghost Clown was peering inside my room, pushing the door open ever-so-slightly as the hinges creaked. This went on for years, and I couldn’t seem to grasp why my older brother could watch the episodes without a trickle of fear, as I was left terrified. And so, I decided to stay away from the Scooby-Doo cartoons, as I was a severely sleep deprived eight year old who swore she saw ghosts in the middle of the night.

Until one day, at the ripe age of fourteen, one of my friends invited me to go see a movie at our local theatre: the definition of what two middle schoolers did for fun on a Friday night. We hadn’t chosen the movie before arriving at Regal Cinemas because we thought it could be a fun surprise. Entering the ticket booth, we scanned the vast array of options given to us. Comedy or romance? Action or science fiction? As I was unamused by the list, my friend began to squeal with excitement. I followed her eyes to the title she was centered upon and in big, uppercase letters read: Ouija: Origin of Evil.

As the fears of my eight-year-old self flashed before my eyes, I was hesitant to even consider the idea, but I knew how much my friend loved the thrill of watching a scary movie. Embarrassed to say I was afraid, I reluctantly agreed, as we paired our tickets with popcorn and a slushy.

The trailers seemed to last an eternity, as I wondered if the moments leading up to the movie would be scarier than the actual film itself. I convinced myself that it would be okay, how bad can a PG-13 movie be anyway, right? I stopped my knee from bouncing up and down, and tried to enjoy the cinematic experience that cost a small fortune to a middle schooler’s pocket money.

A Synopsis

The movie is set in 1967, where the opening scene portrays a woman using a Ouija board. Alice Zander claims she’s a medium, having contact with the spirits of the dead, able to transcribe their words to the souls of the living. However, her home is rigged with gadgets to trick her customers into believing their loved ones are actually speaking to them from the great beyond. Enlisting the help of her two younger daughters, Doris and Lina, she justifies taking grief-stricken people’s money by promoting “healing and comfort“.

Doris, the Possessed Daughter

The movie takes a sinister turn when Doris, Alice’s youngest daughter, plays the Ouija board alone, an act that all who know of the terrifying game warn against. Of course, she becomes possessed by a very evil entity. And so, the principal of Doris’ school, Father Tom, becomes the “exorcist” that must save the soul of poor Doris.

Things spin wildly out of control when Lina defeats her possessed younger sister by sewing her mouth shut, in an attempt to send her demons back to where they came from. Unfortunately, Doris dies in the process and Lina becomes possessed by the same spirit, all hope left in returning to normalcy gone.

The final scene portrays the newly possessed Lina murdering both her sister and mother, as the scene flashes forward to a mental institution where Lina is forced to live the rest of her days in solitary confinement. An uplifting end, to say the least.

As the credits began to appear, and the eerie music surged through the theater, I was filled with a strange feeling and I questioned whether I enjoyed the movie or not. I soon realized that I loved it, and started to become obsessed. I researched how the directors and cameramen filmed the scenes and the special effects that were used to accomplish the frightening jump scares. I became acquainted with the film’s actors through the screen of my iPod and just like that, I was hooked.

I’ll never know what happened to the nightmares I once had, or why instead of being afraid of getting scared, horror movies now make me happy. I guess I could say the rest is history, and my journey of attempting to watch every horror movie I could get my hands on began.