M is for Movies (In Alphabetical Order)

Wow! This was hard selecting the Top Ten supernatural and paranormal movies. Ask me again tomorrow and I might have a whole new list. 

1408: Adapted from Stephen King’s short story, a man (John Cusack) who specializes in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after settling in, he confronts genuine terror. 

This is a must see for all horror/supernatural/paranormal buffs!

Fun Fact: In its standard edition, the DVD runtime is exactly 104 min and 8 sec, referring directly to the movie title. This also makes the DVD stop playing at precisely 1:44:08, again referring to the title. 

American Horror Story: Coven: Coven (Jessica Lange, Emma Roberts) is the third season of the FX horror anthology television series American Horror Story and follows a Coven of Salem witches as they fight for survival in New Orleans. 

Fun Fact: Kathy Bates plays historical personage Madame LaLurie, a real life Louisiana-born socialite and serial killer who kept slaves bound in her home. Bates' great grandfather was the personal physician to Andrew Jackson, who lived next door to LaLurie. How freaky is that???

Ghostbusters: Three odd-ball scientists get kicked out of their cushy positions at a university in New York City where they studied the occult. They decide to set up shop in an old firehouse and become Ghostbusters, trapping pesky ghosts, spirits, haunts, and poltergeists for money. 

Fun Fact: Dan Akroyd received much of the inspiration for this movie from a haunted house he lived in. 

Harry Potter: All Eight Movies. Need I say more? 

  

Fun Fact: Only Alan Rickman, the actor who played Professor Snape, knew his character’s fate before the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” because Rowling told him. 

Inception: Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief with the rare ability to enter people's dreams and steal their secrets from their subconscious. His skill has made him a hot commodity in the world of corporate espionage but has also cost him everything he loves. Cobb gets a chance at redemption when he is offered a seemingly impossible task: Plant an idea in someone's mind. If he succeeds, it will be the perfect crime, but a dangerous enemy anticipates Cobb's every move. 

Fun Fact: The creator of Inception, Chris Nolan, had long wanted to make this movie based on his own experiences of lucid dreams. 

Poltergeist: A young family are visited by ghosts in their home. At first the ghosts appear friendly, moving objects around the house to the amusement of everyone, then they turn nasty and start to terrorize the family before they "kidnap" the youngest daughter.

Fun Fact: This movie is being remade and released May 22nd. The original is a hard act to follow as Poltergeist is a cult classic. 

Ringu (Japanese Version of The Ring): A reporter must investigate a mysterious video tape which seems to cause the death of anyone watching it within a week.  

Fun Fact: In total there have been nine official films (6 Japanese and 3 remakes/spinoffs) 2 television series, 2 video games, and one short film in the Ringu series.

The Conjuring: Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. 

Fun Fact: The Conjuring was based on the true case files of a real-life couple, Ed and Lorraine (played in the film by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson), who were American paranormal investigators that founded the New England Society for Psychic Research in 1952. 

The Orphanage: A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend. 

Fun Fact: Although uncredited, the exec producer Guillermo del Toro plays the doctor at the Emergency Ward who tends to Laura after she injures her leg. 

The Shining: Jack Torrance becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer's block. He settles in with his wife and son, Danny, who is plagued by psychic premonitions. As Jack's writing goes nowhere and his sons visions become more disturbing, Jack discovers the hotel's dark secrets and begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac hell-bent on terrorizing his family.

Fun Fact: Stephen King was originally unhappy about the way Jack Nicholson portrayed the main character. 

Editor's Cut: Pet Sematary (yes, I spelled that correctly), Insidious, The Woman in Black, The Sixth Sense, and Salem’s Daughters (Okay, I’m biased as this is my latest and greatest). 

The Exorcist: It didn’t scare me. And that’s the reason why I went to the movie. Cheesy and boring. Yawn.

Honorable Mention: Mythology, Metaphysics, Magic, and Mediums. 

Tomorrow: Numerology. You won't want to miss this one!  

Question: Have you seen any of these movies? Did I miss some real good ones? What are some of your favorite supernatural or paranormal movies?

Who Am I? My name is Stephen Tremp, and I'm a Speculative Fiction Writer. My theme for the 2015 Blogging A to Z Challenge is The Supernatural and Paranormal. My latest work, Salem’s Daughters, is due for release Labor Day Weekend 2015.