Years ago, I posted about one of my favorite genres: the supernatural thriller. As many of you know, I have had two thrillers air on Lifetime TV: Stolen from the Womb and My Mother's Killer Boyfriend (original title The Narcissist), neither of which were supernatural. I thought that with my latest novel, a thriller entitled Girl Obsessed (also not supernatural), about to be released at the end of the month, it was time I re-posted the following article, which details the supernatural thriller. Though I have, until now, always written straightforward thrillers or mysteries, I'd like to try my hand at including a supernatural element in a story at some point.
THE SUPERNATURAL THRILLER
Like most of us who enjoy being frightened by things that go bump
in the night, I appreciate a good ghost story. When I was young, my Uncle Hank used
to bring my cousins and me together while he told us 'scary stories.' I don't
recall much about the stories themselves other than that they served their
purpose and probably scared us half to death.
Do kids still enjoy
being frightened in that way? I think so. Books like R.L. Stine's Goosebumps
are popular for good reason. Adults often forget that there is a magic to be
found in reading these stories and having someone read them to you.
I used to bring a book of scary stories into
my son's fifth-grade classroom on Friday afternoons. I'd turn out the lights,
and accompanied by a lit candle, proceed to read spooky stories. Years later, a
young man approached me and told me that he was in that class and that those
stories encouraged him to read. (Some suggestions of which spooky books kids enjoy? I'd
offer up any of the collection of 'true ghost stories' or a classic like Ray
Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes." On Halloween,
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is always a favorite.)
It stands to reason
then that one of my favorite movie genres is the supernatural thriller. I'm not
speaking now of the ones that fall into the category of horror films, such as The Omen, but rather those in which the
supernatural elements are often tied to a mystery and, frequently, a
murder.
Listed below are some of my all-time favorite supernatural
thrillers, in no particular order of preference:
1. THE UNINVITED (1944)
Starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, and Gail Russell, this is about a
good a ghost story as you're going to get. A composer and his sister purchase
an old house dirt cheap along the English coast. The reason it's such a
bargain, of course, is that it's haunted. What makes this movie so unique is
that it was the first film to treat the subject of ghosts in a non-comical way
and it does not have a copout ending.
2. GHOST (1990) This film
had so many elements going for it. A good, suspenseful story, a love so strong,
it survived death (Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore portraying Sam and Molly), a
brilliant comic performance by Whoopy Goldberg, all backed by the haunting
song, Unchained Melody.
3. THE GIFT (2000) Not only was this a quiet gem for this genre, it boasts an
incredibly talented ensemble: Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Keanu Reeves,
Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear, Hilary Swank, Michael Jeter, and Gary Cole. Well
worth getting a hold of.
4. WHAT LIES BENEATH (2000) The wife (Michele Pfeiffer) of a
university professor (Harrison Ford) thinks that she is either going insane or
that her Vermont
home is haunted. Something sinister is definitely going on – and she doesn't
know the half of it!
5. THE SIXTH SENSE (1999) Famous line to come out of this
movie, "I see dead people."
A movie many viewers went to see twice, though saying why would spoil it for
those who haven't seen it. I don't think M. Night Shyamalan's subsequent movies
ever came close to this one.
6. GHOST STORY (1981) Based on Peter Straub's novel, Ghost Story tells the tale of the ramifications of having covered up
a 50-year-old murder.
7. SHUTTER ISLAND (2010) This Martin Scorsese film starring Leonardo DiCaprio
was set in 1954. Solid story with, I think, a good twist ending though some
found it to be confusing.
8. THE DEAD ZONE (1983) Based on the Stephen King novel, The Dead Zone stars Christopher
Walkin and Brooke Adams. Like all Stephen King stories, the plot is carefully developed.
An especially creepy performance by Martin Sheen as a corrupt politician.
9. STIR OF ECHOES (1999) Written by master storyteller, Richard
Matheson, Stir of Echoes tells the
story of Tom Witzke
(Kevin Bacon) a man who, having been hypnotized, begins to get disturbing flashes of an
unsolved murder).
10. FALLEN (1998) Starring Denzel Washington and John Goodman
and directed by Gregory Hoblit (I knew Greg back
in the days when he worked on Hill Street
Blues). A terrific
story about the transference of evil and a very effective and
eerie use of the Rolling Stones' "Time is on My Side."
11. FREQUENCY (2000) Another film directed by Greg Hoblit, Frequency, starring Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel, is often described as a sci-fi thriller. I suppose this is because it involves time travel. I feel that this in itself and that fact that it incorporates a murder, qualifies it as a supernatural thriller.
Thanks for joining me on Rhodes Less
Traveled, and I invite you to pick up a copy of Girl Obsessed when it is
released. (Amazon January 2022) In the mean time you might want to check out ---
Holiday Spirits (short story: The Greatest Christmas Gift of All)
https://www.amazon.com/Holiday-Spirits-Anthology-Stories-International/dp/B09M552G78/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2KXXCSHEOT30M&keywords=holiday+spirits+book&qid=1639626212&sprefix=holiday+spirits+boo%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-6
If You Should Read This, Mother
https://www.amazon.com/You-Should-Read-This-Mother-ebook/dp/B07214BLW5/ref=sr_1_1?crid=11TUORMOC9LO9&dchild=1&keywords=if+you+should+read+this+mother+rhodes&qid=1635989428&qsid=147-6474256-
