1145 – ParaNorman (2012)

timespace coordinates: 1710s – 2012 small town of Blithe Hollow, Massachusetts

ParaNorman is a 2012 American stop-motion animated dark fantasy comedy horror film, produced by Laika and distributed by Focus Features. Directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, from a screenplay by Butler, it stars the voices of Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, Bernard Hill, Jodelle Ferland, Tempestt Bledsoe, Alex Borstein and John Goodman.

It is the first stop-motion film to use a 3D color printer to create character faces, and only the second to be shot in 3D. In the film, Norman, a young boy who can communicate with ghosts, is given the task of ending a 300 year-old witch’s curse on his Massachusetts town, despite being grounded by his father. (wiki)

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1098 – Ladyhawke (1985)

timespace coordinates: 13th century  Southern Italy

“Are you flesh, or are you spirit? / I am sorrow.”

Ladyhawke is a 1985 American adventure | comedy | medieval fantasy film directed and produced by Richard Donner and starring Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, and Michelle Pfeiffer.

The story is about a young thief who unwillingly gets involved with a warrior and his lady that are hunted by the Bishop of Aquila. As he comes to know about the couple’s past and secret, he finds himself determined to help them overcome the Bishop’s oppressions, both in arms and in the form of a demonic curse. (wiki)

imdb

0986 – Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

 timespace coordinates: 1927 Paris / London / New York City

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is a 2018 fantasy film directed by David Yates and written by J. K. Rowling. A joint British and American production, it is the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016). It is the second instalment in the Fantastic Beasts film series, and the tenth overall in the Wizarding World franchise, which began with the Harry Potter film series.

The film features an ensemble cast that includes Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, Claudia Kim, William Nadylam, Kevin Guthrie, Jude Law, and Johnny Depp. The plot follows Newt Scamander and Albus Dumbledore as they attempt to take down the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, while facing new threats in a more divided wizarding world.

Hogwarts exteriors, like some interiors, were shot in the historic Lacock Abbey, dating from 1229. This abbey, located in Wiltshire, England, had already been used for the same purpose for the first films of the Harry Potter saga .

As with the first film, animal making required months of graphic, pattern, and animation testing to determine the appearance, behavior, movements, attitude, and personality of each creature. J.K. Rowling was inspired, for many of them, by legendary creatures from different cultures, such as the Chinese Zouwu, the Scottish Kelpie and the French Matagot.

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The Art of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

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The interior of the basement where Newt Scamander keeps his beasts is stylized according to the lithograph “Relativity” by Maurits Cornelis Escher.

0984 – The Golem (2018)

timespace coordinates: 1673 Lithuanian village

“In 1915, the first of a trilogy of silent films was produced. The Golem, based on Gustav Meyrink’s 1914 novel mixed with general European folklore, is the first in a trilogy all written and directed by Paul Wegner (along with others, specific to each film). The first movie is partially lost, though it is possible to watch the clips that do remain for free online. Its first sequel is lost, again, save for a few pieces. The third film, commonly referred to as The Golem as well, released in 1920, is a prequel and is the most well known, in part because the whole thing is intact. It also happens to be my favorite German Expressionist horror film from that timeframe. Aside from that notable early movie, the magically-created creature has been mainly out of the popular culture sphere. It has shown up on occasion in a random horror movie here, an X-Files episode there, or in a book every once in a while, but compared to its other terror-inducing brethren, it is not as well known or iconic. Now, thanks to horror imprint Dread (formerly Dread Central Presents) a new horror movie based around the ancient Jewish monster is being released.” Bobby LePire (read more)

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The Golem is a 2018 Israeli/American supernatural horror feature film directed by Doron and Yoav Paz (JeruZalem). The movie stars Hani Furstenberg, Ishai Golan and Alex Tritenko. It was produced by Shalom Eisenbach in conjunction with Shaked Berenson and Patrick Ewald of Epic Pictures Group. (horrorpedia)

imdb   /   rottentomatoes

0958 – Suspiria (2018)

timespace coordinates: 1977, Berlin during the height of the German Autum

(!extreme violence!)

Suspiria (Latin pronunciation: [sʊsˈpɪria]) is a 2018 supernatural psychological horror film directed by Luca Guadagnino with a screenplay by David Kajganich, inspired by the 1977 Italian film of the same title directed by Dario Argento. Guadagnino’s film, which is set in 1977, stars Dakota Johnson as an American woman who enrolls at a prestigious dance academy in Berlin run by a coven of witches. Tilda Swinton co-stars in three roles, including as the company’s lead choreographer and as a male psychotherapist involved in the academy. Mia Goth and Chloë Grace Moretz appear in supporting roles as students, while Angela Winkler, Renée Soutendijk, Ingrid Caven, and Sylvie Testud portray some of the academy’s matrons. The star of the original film, Jessica Harper, has a cameo appearance.

An “homage” to the original rather than a straightforward remake, the movie explores themes of generational guilt in Germany during the Cold War. The film also focuses on themes of motherhood, evil, and the dynamics of matriarchies.

Unlike the original film, which used exaggerated colors, Guadagnino conceived Suspiria as visually “winterish” and bleak, absent of primary colors. The film incorporates stylized dance sequences choreographed by Damien Jalet, which form part of its representation of witchcraft. The musical score was composed by Radiohead singer Thom Yorke, who took inspiration from krautrock. (wiki)

Analysis and themes

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imdb /  body horror

910 – The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)

timespace coordinates: 1955 New Jersey

The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a 2018 American Amblin classics fantasy film directed by Eli Roth (Hostel), based on the 1973 novel of the same name by John Bellairs. The film stars Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, and Owen Vaccaro, and follows a young boy who is sent to live with his uncle in a creaky old house. He soon learns it was previously inhabited by a nefarious entity. (wiki)

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0897 – Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (2017 video game)

timespace coordinates: late 8th century at the border of Helheim

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a dark fantasy action-adventure game developed and published by the British video game development studio Ninja Theory. Self-described as an “independent AAA game“, it was created by a team of approximately twenty developers led by writer and director Tameem Antoniades.

Inspired by Norse mythology and Celtic culture, Hellblade follows Senua, a Pict warrior who must make her way to Helheim by defeating otherworldly entities and facing their challenges, in order to rescue the soul of her dead lover from the goddess Hela. In parallel, the game acts as a metaphor for the character’s struggle with psychosis, as Senua, who suffers from the condition but believes it to be a curse, is haunted by an entity known as the “Darkness”, voices in her head known as “Furies”, and memories from her past. To properly represent psychosis, developers worked closely with neuroscientists, mental health specialists, and people suffering from the condition.

The game blends several genres, including hack and slash, puzzle solving, and psychological horror. Voice acting is an integral part of the game, while its cutscenes combine motion capture by Melina Juergens, and live action performances by other actors. (wiki)

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS MINIMUM: OS: Windows 7, 8, 10 / Processor: Intel i5 3570K / AMD FX-8350 / Memory: 8 GB RAM / Graphics: GTX 770 with 2GB VRAM / Radeon R9 280X 3GB / DirectX: Version 11 / Storage: 30 GB available space / Additional Notes: Minimum spec screen resolution: 1280×720

steam / death mechanic  / fiction_with_unreliable_narrators