I watched a really good movie a few weeks ago on Netflix called
Crooked House. I loved it. It is the story of a man who finds an old door knocker in the backyard of his recently purchased townhouse. He takes it to the local historical society to find out its history. The curator tells him several tales, each one creepier than the one before. This movie had everything I look for in a ghost story; the skeptical protagonist, an old house, a stranger and a mysterious and/or tragic back-story. Also, what it DIDN'T have is just as important: not a lot of blood and not a lot of sex...nothing gratuitous. And to me, the mark of a truly well-developed horror story does not have to rely on blood, gore and sex to make it interesting. After watching Crooked House, I wanted more like it so I took to the internet in search of similar titles. What came up was James Herbert's book,
Secret of Crickley Hall
. This story centers around a family touched by tragedy who move to an old manor and discover that the ghostly events plaguing them are connected to the time when the manor was used as an orphanage during World War 2. I read it, loved it and discovered that it, too was a movie that will be released in the U.S. on dvd in October. I cannot wait! I guess you can say that I re-discovered the author, James Herbert. Many years ago I watched a movie called
Haunted starring Aidan Quinn, a very young and often topless Kate Beckinsale and Anthony Andrews. At the time I thought it was an OK movie. It had a decent story line; which includes a pretty creepy plot. Fast forward a few years and I came across a book called
Haunted
by James Herbert. I discovered that the movie was based on the book and because I liked the movie well enough, I decided to read the book. The book was better. Of course. This story is about a paranormal researcher summoned to the home of three adult siblings who are concerned for the well-being of their former nanny who insists that she is being tormented by ghosts. SPOILER-ALERT...she is!! So there you have it, my recommendations for good, old fashioned ghost stories...part 1. What are yours?
