It’s not easy to create a horror movie that doesn’t rely solely on sudden loud noises or gore to shock viewers — which is perhaps why so few films in the horror genre rise above mediocre. A movie like
Carrie has some wonderful scenes, but the overall mood is ruined by shifts in tone as if it can’t make up its mind what kind of movie to be.
Hellraiser has its share of frightening scenes, but the overabundance of gore makes it difficult to watch. And movies like
Portergeist suffer from being too absurd, concocting elaborate explanations for the supernatural. What I admire are movies that create a sense of horror with more subtlety and artistry. While the following movies are not all completely in the “horror” genre, they all thematically deal with horror. In alphabetical order, here are my top 13 picks to put you in the Halloween spirit.
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Tags: movies by Jon O
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The storyline of the 2008 independent film “The Visitor” uses music to signify transformation. Widowed economics professor Walter Vale (played by Richard Jenkins) has been simply going through the motions for far too long. In his Connecticut home, he takes piano lessons, perhaps trying to reconnect with life through the instrument his late wife played, but his fifth piano teacher finally tells him that it is difficult to learn an instrument in mid-life, especially when one “has no natural ability.” [Read more →]
There are plenty of films about music or musicians (the 
I confess, Halloween is my favorite holiday. But most horror music disappoints when it comes to setting a truly creepy mood. Pop hits, cheesy maniacal laughter and backbeats just don’t cut it. So I’ve scoured the web to find the best music to give you goosebumps. 
