Supernatural
That which cannot be explained by science - psychic powers, other-worldly phenomena, things that go bump in the night and hide under the bed. Filmmakers have been tapping people's fascination for the supernatural since they first started cranking out celluloid. And who doesn't love a good ghost story? Below are Alice's films that touch on the paranormal, some in a nice way ('What Dreams May Come', 'Phenomenon'), some in a not-so-nice way, ('The Exorcist', 'The Grudge'). A little something for everyone...
The Haunted Strangler (1957)
6.3/10
Director: Robert Day
Starring: Boris Karloff, Jean Kent, Elizabeth Allan, Anthony Dawson
Aka 'Grip of the Strangler'. Set against the backdrop of Victorian society in London, this atmospheric horror features Boris Karloff as a novelist inv... Read more
Ugetsu (1953)
8.2/10
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Starring: Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyo, Kinuyo Tanaka
Aka "Ugetsu Monogatari". Quite simply one of the greatest of filmmakers, said Jean-Luc Godard of Kenji Mizoguchi. And "Ugetsu", a ghost story like n... Read more
Blithe Spirit (1945)
7.2/10
Director: David Lean
Starring: Constance Cummings, Kay Hammond, Rex Harrison, Margaret Rutherford
David Lean adapts Noel Coward once again ('This Happy Breed', 'Brief Encounter') with excellent results. Rex Harrison is an author writing a book on... Read more
Heaven Can Wait (1943)
7.5/10
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Starring: Gene Tierney, Don Ameche, Charles Coburn, Marjorie Main
Delightful classic fantasy/comedy from Ernst Lubitsch that despite its title opens in the 'other place' where deceased womanizer Don Ameche renews his... Read more
The Ghost Breakers (1940)
7.3/10
Director: George Marshall
Starring: Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard, Richard Carlson, Paul Lukas, Anthony Quinn
Ghosts and gags collide, with Bob Hope as a Manhattan radio commentator who finds himself on the run from the mob and marooned on a haunted island, al... Read more
Vampyr (1932)
7.6/10
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Starring: Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel
With 'Vampyr', Danish filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer's brilliance at achieving mesmerizing atmosphere and austere, profoundly unsettling imagery ('The... Read more