Atmosphere plays a crucial role in Gothic horror. Beyond that, a few key characteristics define the genre—themes of death or good versus evil play a prominent role in the narrative. The setting, often an imposing house full of dark passages, cobwebs, and hidden secrets, is a character in and of itself. That setting tends to fall into disarray, or it begins in a dilapidated state. It matches the protagonists’ state of mind, as their emotions or sanity unravel the more that they’re thrust into the driving mystery. Sexual repression, fraught romances or love triangles, and damsels in distress also make for common traits. Expect ghosts and skeletons in the closet, too.
Gothic horror is as beautiful to look at as it is dark and macabre.
This week’s streaming picks traverse crumbling mansions to haunted New Orleans and feature death and disturbing romances. Here’s where you can watch them this week.
Crimson Peak – Netflix
Marketing may have billed this as a straightforward haunted horror movie, but Guillermo del Toro’s directorial efforts never deliver pure horror. Instead, the lover and champion of monsters provides his take on the Gothic romance. Del Toro subverts many tropes by making the lead the heroine of her own story and twisting the love triangle. Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) accompanies her new husband to his derelict mansion and finds herself in grave danger. Look for Javier Botet and Doug Jones as some of the mansion’s ghostly residents, but here they’re the benign sort that serve as warnings.
The Whip and the Body – Kanopy, Shudder
So much of Mario Bava’s genre output could qualify here and most are highly recommended. Instead of the more well-known films, like Black Sunday, this week’s pick goes to one of his lesser discussed efforts. It’s easy to see why it’s not as prominent; its S&M take on romance can get uncomfortable as it seems to skirt the line with consent. As for the plot, a sadistic nobleman (Christopher Lee) seems to return from the grave to rekindle a love affair with his former lover. Ghosts, dark castles and chambers, and repressed sexuality check off all the boxes of Gothic romance. In Bava’s hands, it’s gorgeous, stylized, and extremely steamy.
Interview with the Vampire – Tubi
If any movie monster is synonymous with gothic horror, it’s the vampire. Universal Classic Horror and Hammer introduced a brooding, regal take on the bloodsucker, and Anne Rice carried on that tradition with her novel series The Vampire Chronicles. Directed by The Company of Wolves‘ Neil Jordan and adapted for the screen by Rice, Interview with the Vampire follows the vampire Louis (Brad Pitt) as he tells his life story to a reporter. Turned by Lestat (Tom Cruise), Lestat comes to regret his choice as he finds love, loss, and betrayal. Full of epic gothic set pieces from New Orleans to Paris, this one features plenty of bloodletting, death, emotional downward spirals, and romance.
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) – Tubi
What’s a Gothic horror list without at least one Hammer horror film? While their output offers no shortage of great Gothic takes on classic monsters, this adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1902 novel makes for another slightly lesser-seen option. This gothic mystery sees Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cushing) and his pal Watson investigating the murder of his friend, believed to have died of fright from seeing a ghost hound. A moody mystery full of danger and shadowed menace, all set within and around a grand manor, makes this another great gothic Hammer gem. And Cushing makes for a fantastic Sherlock Holmes.
The Changeling – AMC+, Plex, Shudder
If period horror isn’t for you, no matter how hard you’ve tried, this non-period selection probably will be. George C. Scott stars as a composer that relocates to a historical mansion after the tragic loss of his wife and child. Of course, it turns out that he’s not alone in his new house; its ghostly tenant draws him into a decades-old mystery. A dark mansion with an equally dark history, dusty attics, deadly secrets, and a protagonist stuck in an emotionally fragile state all make for a more modern yet chilling take on gothic horror. It’s a classic.
source https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3660680/stay-home-watch-horror-5-gothic-horror-movies-stream-week/
No comments:
Post a Comment