Yes, I'm more than a week overdue on my wrap-up for the R.I.P. Challenge AND I haven't even written the reviews yet...I am SO behind on everything, but that's a story for another time!
I read:
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Dracula in Love by Karen Essex
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The Wedding Gift by Kathleen McKenna
A book of short stories:
Echoes from the Macabre by Daphne Du Maurier
I watched many scary movies, but I will list the most memorable here:
Devil...this is the M. Night Shyamalan produced film about five people trapped in an elevator being menaced by God knows what. It was a pretty entertaining film with some definite disturbing parts, but ultimately it was too short and the ending was kind of anti-climactic.
Let Me In...a smart remake of the brilliant original, the Swedish film
Let the Right One In based on the even more brilliant novel by
John Ajvide Lindqvist (alternately titled
Let Me In or
Let the Right One In, depending on translation). When I first heard that they were making an American version, I was very skeptical, but this turned out to be a very smart remake and might have been a bit more scary than the original. Both films are definitely worth a look and the book gets top billing, in my opinion. One of THE BEST horror novels I've ever read.
House of the Devil...what can I say about this movie? Scary, scary, scary! If you're not fond of a big build up to a frightening conclusion, then you may not like this one. But let me tell you...I first watched this alone...in the dark! I was so scared, I had to turn the light on! I've since watched it two more times and it still has not lost it's allure. Creepy does not even describe the effect of this movie.
Stay tuned for reviews or mini-reviews of all the books I read for the challenge.