What a wonderful surprise, on a Sunday night when nothing else is on, to find Equilibrium (2002) on TV. Hooray for the Space channel!
If you haven’t seen this movie yet, I seriously recommend it.
Based on Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932), and starring Christian Bale – which should tell you right there that it’s good – Equilibrium is about a futuristic “ideal” society where it’s illegal for people to feel, or even own anything that could incite human emotion, such as art and music.
The whole idea is that human emotion is the cause of all war, so by eliminating emotion, they can end war forever...only hunting down and killing people who feel is just a new kind of war.
Kind of reminds me of that famous but very wrong phrase all the way from WWI. You know, how it was supposed to be “The war to end all wars”?
If you've ever thought about writing a supernatural novel, whether it's about vampires, demons, ghosts, werewolves, zombies, or aliens, now is the time to do it.
With the huge success of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series, publishers and (especially teen) readers are getting sucked in to the genre.
Personally, I love vampire stories; for some reason they've always fascinated me. But my criticism of most (mainstream) vampire books and movies is that they're not scary; they're love stories, or at least strories about seduction.
As much as I didn't like 30 Days of Night, I think they had the scariest vampires yet, not only because of their black hollow eyes and pointy blood-stained teeth, but because of their unconventional anti-Prince Charming behaviour.
Do we really need another version of The Perfect Guy to compare to the not-so-perfect guys out there? (No offense to all the guys, but seriously, no one's that perfect.)
Some of these are strange, some are creepy, and some are downright freaky. Of course, I haven’t seen every movie out there, but from what I have, I’d say this is a pretty good countdown of boundary-pushing, possibility-exploring, fear-evoking movies on the ghostly, demonic, supernatural, and extra-terrestrial. Phew! Maybe you’ll agree; maybe not. Maybe you’ll think I’m a big scaredy-cat. No, wait…I am.
Enjoy!
10) Donnie Darko (2001) After a jet engine crashes through his roof, a disturbed teenager (Donnie Darko) comes under the influence of a giant bunny rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days. Frank convinces him to perform a series of crimes, while all along Donnie is becoming more and more captivated by the notion of time travel. This isn’t your typical scary movie, but for some reason it always gives me the chills. Maybe because it’s so dark; and that rabbit doesn’t help much either.
9) Frailty (2001) Fenton Meiks enters an FBI agent’s office late at night to confess his knowledge of the “God’s Hand” killer. His knowledge is centred on two young brothers – one of who is telling the story – whose father claims to have been given a list of “demons” (real people) to vanquish (kill) in the name of God. There’s always the question of whether God is actually speaking to his father, or if he’s just crazy. It’s the not-knowing that keeps you watching until the superb (and freaky) twist at the end.
8) The Mist (2007) A group of citizens are stranded in a supermarket when an eerie mist rolls into town. Hiding in the fog are giant carnivorous insect-like creatures that may or may not be supernatural. While the creatures themselves put on a good show, the scariest aspect of the movie is how people react to life-threatening situations, and how quickly they can turn against each other.
7) Village of the Damned (1995) In a small town, ten women mysteriously become pregnant and give birth at the exact same time. Weird, right? Creepier is that when the children grow older, they all have white hair and glowing eyes, can read people’s thoughts, and make them do things against their will. Need I say more? (Even looking at that movie cover terrifies me.)
6) Stir of Echoes (1999) When Tom Whitzky is hypnotized at a party he begins to see the ghost of a young girl in his house, leading him to embark on a search for the horrifying truth of what happened to her. What makes this movie creepy is the originality and believability of Tom’s supernatural experiences, and the bizarre change of character he undergoes to find some answers. The ghost is pretty freaky-looking too.
5) The Shining (1980) What could be scarier than being stranded at a haunted hotel when your own family is trying to kill you? Or running into twin little-girl-ghosts (the worst kind of ghosts) while you’re innocently roaming the halls on your tricycle? Or seeing a tidal wave of blood hurling towards you? Aside from these hair-raising scenarios, this movie has so many memorable lines that it couldn’t not be in this list. “All scare and no help makes The Shining a creepy movie.” I tried.
4) The Sixth Sense (1999) This Oscar-winner is about a kid who can see and communicate with dead people, and a child psychologist who devotes all his energy to help the poor boy. There were quite a few scenes that made me jump the first time I saw this, and the entire movie just made me feel all tense. But rather than being just an average ghost movie that uses predictable scare tactics, The Sixth Sense was nominated for six Academy Awards (coincidence?), made nearly $673 million worldwide, and had one of the best twist endings ever.
3) The Ring (2002) Remember VHS? Remember how annoying it was to have to rewind your rentals before returning them to the store? Well, a video tape that kills you a week after you watch it is even worse. After a journalist and her creepy son watch the tape, they have one week to discover how it was made and why it’s killing people in order to stop their own demise. I think The Ring is one of those movies that sticks with you; I still get freaked out if the TV goes fuzzy.
2) Event Horizon (1997) In 2047 a rescue team is sent to investigate the reappearance of a spaceship that has been missing for seven years. One the ship they discover a supernatural evil that uses their own fears and torments against them. This movie is certainly NOT for the squeamish or the easily-scared; it will traumatize you.
1) The Exorcist (1973) When 12-year-old Regan begins conversing with “Captain Howdy” via Ouija board, a demonic spirit takes over her body. Unlike most movies that were made before special effects could barely be called mediocre effects, The Exorcist is still super-freaky. Who could forget the part when the possessed 12-year-old crawls backwards down the stairs, or the entire exorcism scene? And I thought pea soup couldn’t get any more disgusting.
Isn’t it so typical of Hollywood to take real-life disasters, saturate them with fancy special effects, and make hundreds of millions off our love of a cheap thrill at the movies?
Guess what? They’re doing it again! But unlike Apollo 13, Titanic, World Trade Center, and Hotel Rwanda, the disasters in Roland Emmerich’s 2012 haven’t even happened…yet.
The hype-filled movie, which is scheduled to be released later this year, is based on none other than the Mayan prophecy of 2012. According to the ancient Mayan calendar, December 21, 2012 is the EXACT day the world is going to end!
Actually, some believe the date will bring with it a new age of enlightenment.
Some claim extra-terrestrials will come.
Others – and by others, I mean scientists and astronomers – predict 12/21/2012 is also the first time the sun will align with the Milky Way in 26,000 years.
If you're not a scientist, you might be wondering, "What the hell does that mean?" Well, I'll tell you (but I can't be held responsible for any panic that might ensue).
This once in a lifetime event (oh boy, lucky us!) may cause the Earth to undergo a polar shift and begin spinning in the opposite direction. This in turn would result in countless natural disasters all around the world, which you’re sure to witness in 2012.
While the movie, the trailer, and the release date are being kept very hush-hush for now, I imagine 2012 will be a mix of The Day After Tomorrow, Deep Impact, Daylight, Dante’s Peak, Twister, and maybe even War of the Worlds with a hint of Independence Day – if they decide to throw aliens in there too.
All this and John Cusack? I can’t wait! I just hope that when December 21 rolls around three years from now, we’ll still be able to say Emmerich's 2012 was "only a movie.”
What a wonderful surprise, on a Sunday night when nothing else is on, to find Equilibrium (2002) on TV. Hooray for the Space channel! 
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