Saturday, June 5, 2010

GHOSTS AND THE OCCULT

Ghost and occult horror films have been around since the dawn of cinema but gained popularity in the '70s when major studios started financing more because of hugely successful predecessors, like Roman Polanski’s 'Rosemary’s Baby' (1968) and William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973) which featured head-twisting special effects, sophisticated make-up and excellent sound techniques.

This genre contain themes including gods or goddesses, ghosts, apparitions, spirits, miracles, and other similar ideas or depictions of extraordinary phenomena. They also share common elements to other genres and are often blended with science fiction, fantasy and horror.

Filmmakers around the world shared the appeal of supernatural horror and vastly expanded the genre. In France for example, Jean Rollin produced his erotic vampire series of films. In Italy, Mario Bava's legacy inspired director's like Dario Argento to make his supernatural masterpiece thriller Suspiria. Argento went on to help Lamberto Bava (Mario's son) with the Demons series, Michele Soavi with The Sect (The Devil's Daughter) and many more.

If you enjoy the freaky, the uneasy, the unexplainable, or the straight up demonic, you are sure to find a few rare tales amongst this collection to watch with the lights out and the candles on