Board 8 > Post topics and I'll give you my top 5

(+) Yeah! (+)

Snake5555555555 posted...

For the song, I guess I should've said remember hearing.

Still couldn't tell you. Could tell you that my first "favorite" song was this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmeeWgn6P3A" data-time="

Yeah, it's country, but so what? That's what kid me liked. (sorry, just took a trip down memory lane)

I can't get help from my parents, so I'd need to make do by myself. Unfortunately, that means I'm trapped in a job for the time being, since it's ROUGH to get yourself out there as a writer on the Internet these days. There's way too much competition.

Top 5 writing jobs you've had
---

Mediums of art in general
---

Snake5555555555 posted...

jcgamer107 posted...
Top 5s you want to see from me

1. Horror movies with no deaths
2. 2000s albums
3. Songs from genres you don't usually like
4. Horror locations you would live in
5. Reasons The Ring is the best movie ever

OK (lol sorry I'm kinda hijacking your topic by doing this, gonna try to fit it all in one post)

Horror Movies With No Deaths
For the purposes of this list I'm going to still include films where a death is implied or referenced in a character's backstory, as long as it's not depicted (1408, Signs), otherwise that reduces my already limited options. Movies in which a death occurs within the story but is not shown are excluded. Also not counting movies where previously depicted deaths are revealed to have been imagined (American Psycho and Identity).

1. The Others (barely fits the parameters as I believe the film begins immediately after the mother murder/suicides the kids, but no one actually dies between the start and end of the film)
2. Freaks
3. The Skeleton Key
4. The Blair Witch Project (also barely fits for the opposite reason - it's implied someone(s) is(are) about to die right as the film ends, but no deaths are confirmed or shown)
5. Eraserhead

2000s Albums

1. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
2. Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill
3. Crash Kings - Crash Kings
4. Ben Folds - Way to Normal
5. The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree

Songs from genres I don't usually like

1. Childish Gambino - Redbone - kind of a fusion of hip-hop and soul, 2 genres I don't dislike but I'm not super into

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp7eSUU9oy8" data-time="
2. The Gourds - Gin and Juice - a cover, but maybe the only country-sounding song I'll go out of my way to listen to

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4hGSR5njZE" data-time="
3. ABBA - Dancing Queen - I'm certainly no female-led disco aficionado, but this song kind of bangs hard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ij_pUtJJrw" data-time="
4. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance - similarly I'm not especially into female pop stars, but Lady Gaga has such a powerful and unique voice, and adds a bit of fun weirdness to her music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WNYIA1N4NU" data-time="
5. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes - Home - I usually can't stand that Lumineers/Of Monsters and Men "HEy, HO" hipster bullshit, but this song was kind of ahead of the curve and told a story with a catchy back-and-forth melody and cool brass breakdown. (I honestly highly suspect Of Monsters and Men knowingly ripped off this song in "Little Talks")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzPPAw5tnqs" data-time="

Horror locations I would live in
1. Silent Hill / Centralia, PA - ever since I found out the look of Silent Hill was based on a real place I became somewhat fascinated with it and thought it'd be kinda cool to go there (sidenote: I heard the fog was created because of the graphical limitations of the PS1 to allow for shorter draw distance, which is a genius way to work around hardware constraints if true)
2. Alien - minus the whole alien-bursting-out-of-your-chest thing, being in space would be pretty dang cool
3. Sleepy Hollow - again, I'd prefer to keep my head attached to my body, but an eerie fog over a late-18th century town just looks amazing
4. Nilbog - it's GOBLIN spelled BACKWARDS! What's not to like???
5. The Babadook, cuz I've never been to Australia and would like to visit :)

....ok I wanted to finish tonight but fanboying over The Ring is gonna take several hours so it'll have to wait :P

---

These lists were interesting! I knew the horror movies with no deaths would be a tough one, but those were pretty good choices. I'm glad you didn't count things like American Psycho.

To clarify, only the movie version of Silent Hill was specifically based on Centralia. I want to visit a lot too, you would definitely have to be prepared though. Apparently the town is so toxic you need a gas mask otherwise you would die from lack of air. And there's supposedly a lot of sinkholes that can randomly open up too.

And yes, the graphical limitations thing is true!

---

Snake5555555555 posted...

To clarify, only the movie version of Silent Hill was specifically based on Centralia.

ah - did not know that

Snake5555555555 posted...

I want to visit a lot too, you would definitely have to be prepared though. Apparently the town is so toxic you need a gas mask otherwise you would die from lack of air.

oh yikes, didn't know that either! good to know if I ever visit lol. I'm not *too* far away (Michigan) but maybe seeing people's YouTube videos of it is good enough for me :P

---

I might be too deep into my Midsommar obsession to talk about The Ring lul

---

Snake5555555555 posted...

5. Reasons Midsommar is the best movie ever

oh wow thanks for changing that, Snake

*ahem* (SPOILERS)

1. The opening

I can't quite recall a film's opening sending my jaw straight to the floor the way this one did. Not only does the story's catalyzing tragedy take place much earlier than in Hereditary, it's also even more impactful, in my opinion, despite the audience knowing very little about the characters involved. This is a credit to Ari Aster's visual storytelling (boy does he know how to move a camera through a set piece), and Florence Pugh's immense acting chops.

2. Florence Pugh

I had never heard of this actress before seeing this movie, but she is a powerhouse. She is so committed to the character and to the work, in what has to be one of the most emotionally-demanding roles ever. I know the Academy Awards tend to disregard horror but frankly she deserves a nomination at a minimum.

3. Music

One of my biggest planned talking points about The Ring was Hans Zimmer's haunting yet melancholy score, which, like many of my favorite horror soundtracks (Midsommar, Psycho), relies heavily on the string section. While Zimmer gives The Ring an incredible auditory texture which gives the film more emotional depth than Ringu, Midsommar's score by Bobby Krlic has both an ethereal beauty and an intensity to it that is unlike anything I've heard in a horror soundtrack. Even the brief opening fanfare sounds like it's preparing you for the fairy tale from Hell:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL9ywrlzvf8" data-time="

The track that plays as the film's opening tragedy is being revealed is initially foreboding and haunting, before building into frenzied tribal drums and violin work as we exit the scene into the opening credits, letting the viewer know they'd better buckle the fuck up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-90ecIORelY" data-time="

"The House that Harga Built", which plays as the main characters explore their very art-clad housing, is almost profoundly serene and beautiful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2l62EhOtNo" data-time="

Finally, "Fire Temple" is simply one of the most impactful horror tracks I've ever heard, and perfectly sews together both the horror and the beauty of what is happening. The weight lifted off Dani in these moments as she drifts away into both emotional freedom and insanity is overwhelming, and it's the climax of this track which really makes it hit home:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd014sIrTgM" data-time="

4. Cinematography

To me this film already cements Ari Aster as a visual genius. The camera work, the locations, the lighting, the symbolism - this movie is a treat just to look at. Ya know, aside from when it's extremely disturbing and horrific...

5. The Writing's on the Walls

I love that the movie just keeps telling you exactly what's gonna happen, as long as you pay close enough attention to the wall decor and art seen in Harga. The opening tapestry alone lays out the whole story right in front of you, giving you both a sense of scale and of fate, that these events are preordained (that track that plays is even called "Prophesy"). It's like the opening art of a Disney movie or classical stage production, it's fantastic:



The most mind-blowing subtle visual trick to me, though, is Dani's sister's face being in the trees while Dani is being carried on the pedestal by the cult members after becoming May Queen. I think very few people noticed this upon first viewing, but once you can see it, it's actually *quite* large and imposing. It's a great visual metaphor to show you that while Dani's grief is still looming over her, it may be starting to fade away....

https://twitter.com/danieIgayIewis/status/1175782170763366402

Thank you for reading my PhD thesis on why Midsommar rulez

---