Film Favourites | Halloween

I don't think I'd call myself a massive fan of the horror genre. I don't really like gore, for instance, and I find it difficult to watch anything too dark. However, I do really love a genuine scare and any film that's able to provide that without too much death or destruction along the way is a winner in my books! So, with Halloween fast approaching, I've decided to compile a list of some of my favourite scary movies that hopefully even the most sensitive souls can enjoy...  

The Others (2001)

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Set in the immediate aftermath of WWII, Grace is raising her two young children, Nicholas and Anne alone in a large and secluded Victorian mansion on the Isle of Jersey as the three await the return of Grace's husband from war. When three new servants arrive to replace a series of  staff who have recently disappeared, strange occurrences in the house begin to make Grace question the safety of her home and her family.

This was the first proper "scary film" I'd ever seen. I was probably about 10, and I've loved it ever since, despite the fact it may have given me quite a few nightmares! The film is directed by Spaniard, Alejandro Amenábar and if there's one thing I know for sure, the Spanish definitely know how to do horror and suspense right (see: 'El Orfanato' and 'Pans Labyrinth').  Scare factor: 4/5.

The Babadook (2014)

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Amelia has been left a single mother following the violent death of her husband six year prior, and has been  finding her situation increasingly challenging as her six-year-old son, Samuel becomes more and more difficult to control. Samuel experiences nightmares in which he is a haunted by a dark figure, the same figure, it appears, that is featured in a storybook which mysteriously appears at their home. 

I watched this film around this time last year and I really enjoyed it, even as just a film in itself. It features some excellent performances and has a really strong and engaging plot. Scare factor: 3.5/5.

The Awakening (2011)

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Florence Cathcart is a publish author who makes a living out of exposing supernatural hoaxes. When she is asked by a professor at an all-boys boarding school to investigate the appearance of a ghostly apparition which has been terrorising the boys at the school, a series of unexplainable events leads her to believe that perhaps there are some phenomena which science can't explain.

I watched this film for the first time last night and just had to include it. I was initially attracted by the fact that is stars Rebecca Hall (Vicky Christina Barcelona, Dorian Gray) because she's so talented, as well as the fact that it seemed to combine my love for period drama with supernatural horror, and it definitely didn't disappoint. It reminded me a bit of 'The Turn of the Screw', which is no bad thing. Scare factor: 3/5

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

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From the confines of his Gothic mansion, an eccentric inventor gives life to a young man, Edward, he has created synthetically from human body parts, all except for his hands which are made up of scissors, a temporary measure. However, the inventor dies before he can give Edward hands and he is left completely on his own. That is until he is discovered by Avon saleswoman, Pegg Boggs who, taking pity on him, brings him home to stay with her family. 

A Tim Burton classic which was actually the director's first collaboration with Johnny Depp as well as the film which was the beginning of Johnny and Winona. It's a great choice for Halloween for those looking for something a little eerie but not too scary. Scare factor: 1/5.

The Woman in Black (2012)

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Still grieving the death of his wife several years before, young lawyer, Arthur Kipps is called to complete the paperwork of a recently deceased woman who lived in a remote mansion in a marsh on the outskirts of a rural town. On arrival at the town he finds the townspeople to be incredibly hostile towards him and his plans visits the house, which is believed to be cursed. Undeterred by the warnings of the locals, however, he continues to make visits to the house where the presence of an angry and malevolent spirit begins to make itself known.

This is another film I just love as a film in itself. l actually wish there were more films like it! I love classic ghost stories, especially ones from the superstitious Victorian era, with its obsession for all things ghostly and ghoulish. When I saw this in the cinema it scared the absolute crap out of me, and I've seen it quite a few times since to similar effect. Scare factor: 5/5

What are your favourite Halloween films?

10 Reasons Why October is a Superior Month

1. Sparklers // one childhood pleasure you never grew out of.

2. Getting all your jumpers out and feeling good about it // even though if you live in Britain you've likely been wearing them all summer anyway.

3. Ghost stories // all the more chilling around this time of year, don't you think? Which leads me on to...

4. Halloween // as a fan of anything spooky, there are a lot of things I appreciate about this holiday.

5. Cold and crispy air // not always great, especially if you haven't got your layers on, but when you're wrapped up nice and warm there's something very satisfying about stepping outside to a blast of cold air.

6. Autumnal colours // I love seeing all the streaks of red, orange and yellow through the green.

7. Stepping on crunchy leaves // a simple and necessary pleasure.

8. The smell of peat // in Ireland, particularly in rural areas, October is when you first start to smell turf fires burning-  my all-time favourite smell.

9. Conkers // I still get a bit of a thrill when I see them start to appear.

10. Candy apples // amazing, exclusive to October and one of your five-a-day.

What are your favourite things about October?

A Lake District Photo Diary | Windermere & Grasmere

Apparently I've taken a bit of another unintentional blogging break- whoooops. It only just occurred to me today that it's now the middle of October and I still haven't posted anything this month; not ideal! However, I'm back now with lots of (hopefully consistent) updates to share over the coming weeks. I might even try that thing they call "scheduling posts", that would be a first.

I've been getting the year abroad blues pretty badly recently. It may be something I'll go into more detail about at a later stage but at the moment it just sucks being so far away from everything I know. I never would have called myself a homebird before, but these last few months in Spain have been a very real challenge for me for all sorts of reasons. I miss absolutely everything about the UK: the people, of course, but also the food, the landscape, and just its general familiarity. 

A couple of weeks ago the yearning for home got a bit too much for me and I ended up booking some cheap flights and jetting back to Lancaster for a bit of a refuel. It was a brief visit, but a completely blissful one. It's crazy how much you appreciate the banalities of your normal everyday after you've been away from it for a while.

While I was in Bilbao I had been dreaming of a weekend in the Lake District, so Carlo and I planned a little trip there during my visit. We turned out to have great weather, even at the end of September/beginning of October, and it really was just exactly what I needed.

We set off for the Lakes early, though not quite early enough since we missed the bus we were supposed to get; but as is life. We just ended up getting the train instead and arrived in Windermere around midday. We hadn't really planned our trip too much apart from having booked a guesthouse in Ambleside for the night, so we decided to stay in Windermere for a little while and have some lunch. According to Trip Advisor one of the best places to eat was a place called Brambles Tea Rooms so we gave it a go and I definitely think it deserves a mention here because the staff were really lovely and the food was delicious! I'll surely be back again next time I'm in the area.

After our quick pit stop in Windermere we caught the 555 bus to Grasmere. The 555 service runs from Lancaster all the way to Keswick and stops at Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside, Rydal and Grasmere. You can get a day pass for around £10 or just over which allows you to hop on and off anywhere on that route. It's a really scenic journey and a really good deal if you don't have a car to get around the Lakes with.

Grasmere is my absolute favourite Lake District village out of the ones I know well enough. It's so beautiful and quaint and is full of lots of lovely shops and cafes as well as quite a few places of historical interest. The poet, William Wordsworth lived in the town for fourteen years and is buried there in the churchyard of St. Oswald's church. Grasmere is also home to the famous Grasmere Gingerbread Shop which sells gingerbread baked according to a special recipe invented by Sarah Nelson who began selling the gingerbread from her cottage home in 1854, where the shop is still located today.

Outside the Gingerbread Shop there's a spoon garden. It's a bit random, but definitely not in a bad way, in fact it really brightens up the shop's front. Visitors are invited to send the shop a wooden spoon they have decorated to be put in the garden, and each month a winner is chosen out of the newly planted spoons to receive a gingerbread mini hamper! It's a quirky idea but one I very much appreciate.

The Wordsworth graves, those of William himself, his wife, their children, and his sister are right beside the Gingerbread Shop and I always visit when I'm in Grasmere, out of fascination as much as the fact that they're set in such a peaceful location.

The graves look onto Grasmere's Daffodil Garden which sits over the river Rothay and was planted in ode to the poet. It's meant to be a visual representation of his poem 'Daffodils' ('I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud') and in springtime hundreds of daffodils bloom here. Unfortunately it was the wrong time of year for us this time!

While the garden was being constructed visitors were able to buy a paving slab with their name and home town or region inscribed on it to be placed in the garden. Carlo and I spent a while looking through them to see if we recognised any of the places. I found quite a few from Northern Ireland!

At the garden's edge there's a stone slab bearing the poem's final verse:

"For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils."

We spent the rest of our time in Grasmere wandering around the shops, including a bookshop where I went a bit overboard on purchases. In fairness, it was the first English bookshop I'd been in for a long time!

After Grasmere we headed on to Rydal, though this post has gotten a bit on the long side so I think I'm going to have to post a second instalment later this week.

Have you ever been to the Lake District? What's your favourite place there?