Halloween Festival of Lists: October 29: TWENTY-NINE Characters I'd Trade Places With

 Pretty self-explanatory post, don't you think?

Stevie Wayne (Adrienne Barbeau)  ~ The Fog
Who wouldn't want to be Stevie, really? With her sexy voice and her sassy attitude, along with the fact that she gets to spin cool jazz from inside a lighthouse?  Jealous here.

Jessie (Eliza Dushku)  ~  Wrong Turn
Maybe it's her take charge attitude combined with her vulnerability of emotion.
Maybe it's just her body I covet.

Baby Firefly (Sheri Moon Zombie) ~ The Devil's Rejects
Not just because she's beautiful, but because she's deadly.  A lethal combo.
Utterly intolerable in House of 1000 Corpses, a much improved baby is scads more interesting here.

Frederick Abberline (Johnny Depp)  ~  From Hell
The Ripper case has always intrigued me, so being a detective on the case who shares his downtime with a bottle of Absinthe and a hot bath?  Count me in. 

Selene (Kate Beckinsale)  ~  Underworld (series)
If I looked like this my husband would never let me leave the house.  And of course the fact that she is a kick-ass vampire doesn't hurt things much. 

Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill)  ~  Jurassic Park
I've loved dinosaurs since I was a kid, so I'd love to be Dr. Grant, if even for a day.
Matter of fact, a day is probably all I'd need.  That T-Rex is pretty intimidating.

Ana (Sarah Polley)  ~  Dawn of the Dead 2004
Simple nurse turned into billy-bad zombie killer.  Yeah, I'd like that.

Lila Crane-Loomis  (Vera Miles)  ~  Psycho
Though Marion got all the attention, Lila was the brains of the operation.
One, she didn't steal 40k. Two, she didn't meet her end naked. And three, we find out in Psycho II that she ended up with the luscious Sam in the end.  Good call.

Mike (Stephen Gevedon)  ~  Session 9
I can't help my insane curiosity either.  I would so be down in that basement listening to those tapes too.  Plus it got him out of stripping the poisonous asbestos.  Only thing is:  no way I'd be there after dark, alone, or both.

Sarah (Robin Tunney)  ~  The Craft
I was obsessed with this movie for a while, and while Nancy was the more charismatic one, Sarah was the true witch.  This makes her my new best friend.  Hair color change in the blink of an eye?  Make someone fall in love with you?  Use the powers of the elements to do your bidding?  Yes please.

Dorian Gray (Ben Barnes)  ~  Dorian Gray
While I realize it didn't end well for Dorian, he was having a helluva good time as long as he could.  Philandering all over the place, getting high on opium, and basically just leading a hedonistic lifestyle makes him someone anyone would want to be, at least for a time. 

R.J. MacRready (Kurt Russell)  ~  The Thing
Everybody loves Kurt Russell.  Do I really need to say anything more than I'd love to BE him?

Ginny (Amy Steel)  ~  Friday the 13th, Part 2
Ginny is my favorite F13 character, so it's no doubt I'd change places with her.  Even if it meant I had to put on that highly offensive old blue sweater!  I'd also have to find myself a new man.  Paul is rather a dolt.

Neville Flynn  (Samuel L. Jackson)  ~  Snakes on a Plane
Why?  Because it's Samuel L. Jackson, you fool!

Satánico Pandemónium (Salma Hayek)  ~  From Dusk Till Dawn
Why? Because it's Salma Hayek, you fool!

Gina (Kiele Sanchez)  ~  A Perfect Getaway
Oh how I love grit and determination in a woman.  Combine that with great looks, a cheeky southern accent, and Timothy Olyphant as a significant other?  Wow.

Chuck (Mark Ruffalo)  ~  Shutter Island
Even when we are all aware that he is Leo's shrink, it doesn't make him any less empathetic to Leo's case.
I took Psychology in college.  Now it just seems to be psycho-ology.

Jesse Reeves (Marguerite Moreau)  ~  Queen of the Damned
In all honesty, she is probably most who I'd want to be.  I love the way she looks, all goth'd out.  I love that she works as a paranormal researcher.  I love that she chases Lestat down, pursues him, and finally becomes his. 
Yep, I want to be Jesse.

Willow (Britt Ekland)  ~  The Wicker Man
Yes, I want to writhe around naked and attempt to seduce a Scottish police officer.  That kind of mirrors my life anyway.  Well, except the naked dancing and the police officer.

Armand (Antonio Banderas)  ~  Interview with the Vampire
Even though Lestat was the more dynamic vampire and Louis the soulful one, I've always been more fond of Armand, with his enigmatic nature and seductive manner.  If I had to be one of them, he'd be my choice.

Lucy Seward (Kate Nelligan)  ~  Dracula 1979
Though characters are interchanged and mixed in this version,  deviating from the book, I have a fondness for Lucy.  She's easily bewitched by the Count's gaze, yet holds her own and remains fiercely loyal.

Katrina Van Tassel (Christina Ricci)  ~  Sleepy Hollow
She gets to ride a white horse, wear a corset, and woo Johnny Depp.  Oh, and whip up some protection spells from her grimoire of magic tricks.  My kind of gal.

Asa Vajda (Barbara Steele)  ~  Black Sunday
If I could get a chance to be a vampire-witch combo, wear a black flowing get-up, and live in a castle, I'd have to say yes.  Of course her cruel death wouldn't be my cup of tea, but we all have our crosses to bear.  (no pun intended)

Michael Emerson (Jason Patric)  ~  The Lost Boys
Perhaps I just want to be a good looking guy for a change.  And if that looker can also be a vampire (for awhile) and get the girl, all the better.  Actually I think it's just my forever crush on Jason Patric.

Anita "Needy" Lesniki  (Amanda Seyfried)  ~  Jennifer's Body
While most people would choose the character of Jennifer, I disliked her thoroughly.  I empathized with the character of Needy, and let's face it - she was the strong one in the end. 

Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster)  ~  The Silence of the Lambs
I've always been fascinated with the FBI, and the fact that a woman in the biz was portrayed in such a positive light was a real turn-on.  Starling's character was a bad-ass in disguise, with brains and wit to match.

Muffy (Buffy) St. John (Deborah Foreman)  ~  April Fool's Day
I'd love to have a guest house on an isolated private island that I could turn into a bed and breakfast with a mystery-murder theme.  In fact, I'd love to just have the money to be able to do it. 

Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman)  ~  The Others
Grace is a toughie, especially with her whiny children.  She's been alone for quite awhile since her hubby was listed MIA from the war.  And even when she hears things and begins to wonder about her own sanity she holds it together for the sake of her family.  Admirable.

Marsha Quist (Elisabeth Brooks)  ~  The Howling
While normally I am not a fan of the big furry monsters, I'd have to make an exception in the case of Marsha Quist.  She's so mysterious and full of life (or should I say full of raw meat?)  Maybe it would be fun, for a change.  (Pun intended)

Halloween Festival of Lists: October 28: TWENTY-EIGHT Of My Favorite Horror Soundtracks

Soundtracks are my life. 

Okay, that's over-stating it a bit. But it's no lie that most of the music on my iPod is horror movie scores.  You could say I have a serious obsession.  I've got waaay too many downloaded scores from off the internet, many are even legal! 

Of course I like most of the same scores as the majority of other horror fans, the ever-popular Halloween, Jaws and The Omen...but I also have a lot of more obscure ones.  I recall my serious fixation with getting my hands on the score for Psycho II (which most regular readers here will not be surprised to hear).  It was listed on eBay, sure...for about $150.00! That was certainly out of the question.  Finally found it for around $25.00 - it was on cassette and was in Nebraska.  Guess what? I bought it.  A few years later I found it online - for free! Of course I won't tell where, but suffice it to say I was elated and probably made about four or five copies.  I even have a copy in my fire safe with my marriage certificate and insurance policies. Now that's commitment! It remains one of my favorite scores.

Anyway, I've listed twenty-eight of my favorite scores.  I thought about trying to find samples for every one of them, but some of them would be hard to find and I'm not savvy enough to know how to upload them here.
*You'll note The Exorcist isn't here, and that's only because I chose not to base my picks on one tune, and Tubular Bells is actually Mike Oldfield's composition and wasn't written specifically for the movie.  That does not however, make it any less affecting.

Off to the races....

One of the best. Carpenter is a multi-talented son-of-a-bitch.  Besides the main theme, my two favorite tracks are 'The Haunted House' and 'Halloween 1978'.  Sometimes, simple is just more effective!

No denying Bernard Herrmann's fantastic score here, with the shrieking strings depicting the murder in the shower it is one of the most (if not THE most) famous segments in music.  But I enjoy the entire score, in particular 'Marion and Sam', the music playing over their hotel rendezvous.

Probably not well known, this score by Brett Rosenberg struck me so quickly that the first time I heard it I literally paused the film and got on the internet looking for it.  Thankfully, iTunes made my day.  The music here is as gorgeous as the sweeping Welsh countryside, especially the last song on the disc, 'The Girl in the Storm'.

Christopher Young is certainly a prolific composer, and one that has done his fair share of horror.  In this score the music evokes the moody and frightening tone of the film, with the main theme being the most recognizable.  There are no track titles, just simply a list of "parts". 

Ah, Goblin.  They are Dario Argento's go-to band, and horror fans have a deep regard for their work.  While Suspiria may be their most famous score, Phenomena has some truly spooky tracks, with not quite as much in the way of drumming, banging, and wailing.  Great stuff.

It is actually surprising to be able to purchase a score from a documentary, so I was pleasantly stunned to see it available.  It's an amazing compliment to the top notch film, with just as much atmosphere.

Easily as dark and eerie as the title suggests, this score is perfect for the morbid subject matter at hand.
My favorite track is 'Ebril'.

Everyone knows the "da-dum, da-dum" main theme, but this score is an absolute masterpiece.  From the 'Montage' which backs up folks coming to the shoreline to vacation, to 'Father and Son' - where you'll remember Brody and his son having a moment at the kitchen table, to 'Three Barrels Under', which is one of several "chase" tunes that make up this one of a kind gem.  To me, the best score in horror, hands down.

Dark, dark, dark.  I love Trevor Jones, and he is at his grim best here.  When you're dealing with such horrific subject matter, it's best to have subtlety when scoring a film.  Too loud can be too much, and even though there are murders throughout, the film still stays at an evil keel.  So melancholy it hurts.

Another movie that I had to have the score for immediately after watching the film....way back in the 80's. However, I didn't actually get to purchase it (after much looking around) until the 90's.  The ghostly haunting voice at the end of the 'Finale' is simply sublime.

Must have been a real coup to get Hans Zimmer to score (or at least oversee) this project. 
It's a great score, with 'The Well' being the most familiar (and generally though of as the main title), but my favorite remains 'Shelter Mountain', which perfectly matches the eerie cabin at the remote resort.

The most spectacular thing about this score is the fact that it has been remastered and re-released as of this fall!  To my knowledge it is only available on iTunes, but I could be wrong.  A superb score by a true master, Ennio Morricone.

Badalamenti, who scores David Lynch films and also the television counterpart for TP, is a master of weird.  His distinctive tracks like the fabulous 'The Pink Room'  and the utterly bizarre 'The Black Dog Runs At Night' are only a few of the treats in store.  My favorite remains the melancholy main title - jazz never sounded so good in a horror flick.

Speaking of jazz, Trevor Jones strikes a melancholy mood here that has me wanting to hang out in a jazzy dive bar.
By far one of my favorite scores for a rainy day.

A simply gorgeous score, which you wouldn't necessarily expect for a film about a blood-thirsty vampire. 
But it is so adept at inducing feelings of wistfulness and sorrow.  Its American counterpart for the Let Me In film is quite good as well, but darker and without the layers of feeling that this one has.

I've said before that Dario Marianelli is one of my favorite composers.  I've also indicated that this score could possibly be why I like this movie so much, as I realize it isn't that great.  But this score is on my iPod at all times, and it is generally the music I fall asleep to at night. 

And here's more JC.  The man is a force of nature.  Something else I like here besides just the music is the Prologue, in which we get to hear John Houseman tell his little tale of woe regarding the doomed Elizabeth Dane.  Musically, the 'Main Title' is a great piece of work, but again, I like the more subtle tracks, in particular 'Walk to the Lighthouse'.

Those crazy voodoo folks!  Edward Shearmur sets a scene with his music, dropping us deep into the bayou to experience the thick-laced atmosphere lurking about.  This disc also has some tunes from the film, including Barefoot Dancing by Blackbud, and Iko Iko - which must have something to do with all this dark magic, right?  Just kidding.

You certainly have to be in the right mood for this disc, the largely organ-based score takes you right back to the deserted carnival where the ghoul awaits to take you deep into no-man's land.  Very creepy.

This score is what I could only call unearthly.  Using an instrument called the theremin, it sounds like something out of an outer space movie.  Hard to describe, other than saying it is incredibly spooky and feels like if you close your eyes you could be watching The Day The Earth Stood Still.  But you're not. 

Another score by Dario Marianelli, Jane Eyre is an impressive score, with a downbeat main theme that remains throughout but is distinctive enough that you never get bored with it.  My current favorite.

And here it is, the score I searched everywhere for.   No matter what, it was worth it.  Imagine the difficulty in trying to emulate the work of the great Bernard Herrman.  Who could possibly even manage to try?  Jerry Goldsmith, that's who. 
Makes perfect sense.  Really good stuff.

Generally not the type of director that would score a horror film, what I heard was that the American composer didn't realize it was for a horror movie when he took the job on.  I mean, this is a man who writes symphonies. 
But lucky for us, he scored this gem and we're the better for it!

I am also a big fan of Wojciech Kilar's The Ninth Gate score, so it goes without saying I'd like this one.
The entire thing is full-bodied and at times, sweeping.  Each track can stand alone, but my favorites are 'The Brides' and the knockout, Love Remembered, obviously meant to be the love theme.  If I were getting married again tomorrow, I'd use it to walk down the aisle.

From the theme playing in the opening scene in which Jack is traveling up the Sidewinder to the final strains of 'Midnight, the Stars and You', this soundtrack is a varied smorgasbord of unnerving musical vignettes.  The copy I have has some spoken cues from the movie, such as "Wendy....Darling....Light of my life...."  Well, you know the rest.

Here's a surprise.  I've never seen this movie.  Yet.  Apparently it's a Finnish film about strange happenings at a boy's school.  All I know is I happened upon it on iTunes and the rest is history.  You can check out a sample there.

I love me some Danny Elfman.  I enjoy most of his scores, but this one in particular really grabbed me.  Not as wonderful as his work in Black Beauty (which remains my favorite of his), it still is a stellar backdrop to the fully atmospheric movie. The first two tracks, aptly entitled "Introduction" and "Main Titles"....sublimely dark and gothic.

And no, I couldn't leave off Goblin's Suspiria.  The whole thing is simply a work of art, with the titular opening track being one of the most familiar in horror.  Talk about conjuring a mood!  They really tap into the feel of the film, the desperate confusion and the harsh reality of what really lies at that German dance school.  Top shelf work.

*A few honorable mentions:  Cannibal Holocaust, The Beyond, The Omen (an Oscar winner!), Hellraiser, Alien....I could go on and on!