October Blogging Challenge #5: My Favourite Movies

Being that I studied Film and Television at University, you would think that I could reel off my top five films with ease. However I actually find it really difficult to pin down specific films that I love, because there are just so many. To help myself out I thought I would narrow it down a little, and seeing as it's October, it is the perfect opportunity for me to talk about some of my favourite Horror films (in no particular order).

The original Halloween was the film that really got me interested in watching horror's. It's an absolute classic Slasher movie featuring Jamie Lee Curtis. This movie isn't actually scary, although I'm sure it was when it was first released... The most unsettling part of this film is by far the music in it, I'm sure you've heard it even if you haven't seen the film, but it makes my skin crawl. This film was also remade by Rob Zombie, and to be honest I am a fan of the remake, I think it brings a new and interesting light to the story of Michael Myers. If you like slasher films then both are a must watch.

This is an altogether different kind of Slasher film, and it's certainly not your average clichéd teen horror movie. I don't want to give too much away about the storyline, because I really think you should go into it with a completely fresh mind. All I will say is the story is based around body modification, and there are some pretty interesting procedures involved. I first watched American Mary at a horror film festival, and I'm glad I did. Anyone who is even remotely interested in horror films needs to cast their peepers over this one!

The Evil Dead is a classic 1980's video nasty movie, and was pretty scary. It features some interesting visual effects including some stop motion gore which makes for interesting viewing. However I must say that the recent remake of this film was ridiculously creepy. I wouldn't say scary, more gorey and unsettling than scary. Either way teenagers trapped in a cabin in the woods and being hunted by evil demons and spirits is a classic recipe for a good horror.

Saw is a prominent franchise of our generation and I'm sure that all of you reading this have seen at least part of one of the films. I remember staying over at my uncles once and he showed me the first Saw film, and from then I was hooked. I think it's the perfect balance of mystery and gore that kept me hypnotised. I'll agree that the franchise got a little too drawn out, and certainly could have ended at the third or even fourth film, but that didn't stop me from watching every single one. I don't know about you, but I'm still absolutely terrified of that dummy...

If any of you know me, or have ever spoken to me about horror films, then you may have heard me 'bang on' about this next one. I saw Grave Encounters at the first horror film festival that I ever attended whilst at University, and I swear to God, I didn't sleep right for almost a month after watching it. Ten minutes in, you are sitting there thinking, 'this is just another rubbish ghost film and it's not going to go anywhere'. Then something changes, and the atmosphere shifts... This film has bucket loads of atmosphere. My boyfriend at the time came to see this with me and we squeezed each other's hands so hard that they were white when we left. All in all I've probably seen this film 6 or 7 times now, and I still have to hide behind a cushion every time I do watch it. If you like being scared then this is easily the best film for the job.

So there you have it, a list of horror films that I love. These are by no means the only horror films that are my favourites, as I said before I just have too many favourites to mention...

31 Day Blogging Challenge! Day 7! My Dream Job!

If you read this blog often then you will know that I am about to graduate University and I'm kind of in Limbo about what exactly it is I want to do. In an ideal world I want to work in the media, particularly in TV or film. Either Horror films or television dramas. So here are a couple of my 'Dream' jobs that I'd love to have, if I could just click my fingers and make them happen.

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1. Work on the set of Doctor Who. Now this one is kind of vague, because there is no specific role that I'd like. I would be happy just being the skivvy who fetches the tea if I'm honest. I'm just DYING to work on this set. (Maybe one day when I am mega famous... HA)
2. Be a writer for Eastenders. I LOVE Eastenders. I've grown up watching the characters, and the amazingly unpredictable and wild story lines. If I were ever to work on this show, I would HAVE to be a writer. Just so that I could make sure that they were treating my favourite characters well!
3. Be a horror film director! I am obsessed with horror films. I think I would be the happiest girl in the world if I got to go into work and be covered in fake blood and guts! I just think that making horror films must be so much fun! 

So there you go. There are my top 3 'dream jobs'. It's highly unlikely that I'll ever get even a tiny but close to any of these jobs. A girl can dream right? Let me know in the comments what your dream jobs are!

Check out the rest of the challenge days below:

• Day 1 - Self Portrait and 5 random facts

• Day 2 - Favourite Quotes

• Day 3 - What makes you happy?

• Day 4 - Best Childhood Memories

• Day 5 - Movies I never get sick of.

• Day 6 - My Last Random Act of Kindness.

Film Thoughts: Horror Films

Today I'm going to be talking about a subject that is close to my heart, Horror films. I can't remember when I first fell in love with horror films, but I remember the moment that I realised I liked them above most other kinds of films. It was in Sixthform, during 'A' level Media Studies. We had to make a Promotional Pack for a fictional horror film. So for research we had to look at lots of horror trailers etc. I watched so many horror films that year, and that's when I realised I loved them. I think my love of horror was always apparent when I was younger though...

My first memory of a horror film is watch Nightmare on Elm Street when I was younger. My family used to have a takeaway and film night every week, I think on a Sunday. One week the film that my dad and uncle chose was Nightmare on Elm Street. Originally my mum didn't want me to watch it, but I protested. I can't remember what age I was but I remember being fascinated with that film. I'm sure I sat and watched it a good 5 times before it had to be returned to Blockbuster. I also remember mum renting Sleepy Hollow, and I watched that over and over until it had to be returned.

The first horror film I remember being terrified of was Darkness Falls. Short story, it's a film about a tooth fairy. The thing that scared me most about this film was that she could only get you in the dark. I was terrified of the dark anyway like most 7/8 year olds, but this made me paranoid. In fact I'm sure this is the film that started my stupid 'running and jumping into bed' thing that I used to do because I was terrified that a monster would grab me from under my bed. I re-watched this film today with my friend Ellie, who was also scared of this in her childhood. It wasn't as scary as either of us remembered, but there were still a few good jump scares in it that got me. It was watching this that made me realise how much I love horror films, and it's because they shock, scare, and gross me out that I love them. I've spoken about this before on my old blog, but there is something about a film that can make me feel scared that I just like. I don't know why, I just do.

In the last few years I've attended Abertoir Horror Festival which is held in the town I go to University at. This has just grown my love for the genre and helped me to get together with a group of like minded people. It always still shocks me though, how little other people think of horror films. Just because they don't understand them, or they won't give them a chance. One big example of this was the release of 'The Human Centipede 2'. They screened it at Abertoir the first year I ever attended, and I loved it. Don't get me wrong, it's sick, very gruesome, and in places downright wrong. It's the fact that it doesn't take itself too seriously that makes it a brilliant film. It received a shocking reception from my fellow film students, some of whom slated it and refused to watch it. They all had opinions on it without even sitting down to it. Now I understand if you don't like gruesome films, you don't have to watch them. But that doesn't mean that you can go and slate a film with gore in it, just because you don't like gore. Over half the people commenting on the discussion slating the film hadn't even seen it, and that wound me up so much.

The thing I love most about horror films is that they push boundaries. I want to be shocked! I'm waiting for a day when a film shocks me so much that I have to walk out, and on that day I won't be slating the film for being too much for me. I will applaud it for pushing it that far!

I seem to have gone slightly off-tangent there, but my point is, I love horror films. They've been in my life for a long time, and I hope they stay in my life!

Do you have any childhood memories of watching horror films?