The Mythical South
I intend to watch The Gift again this weekend. It's one of my favorite movies. Directed by Sam Raimi and written by Billy Boy Thornton and Tom Epperson, this superb thriller, set in the Deep South, stars Cate Blanchett (brilliant), Giovanni Ribisi, Keanu Reeves, Greg Kinnear and Hillary Swank. What a cast!For those of you who haven’t seen it, here is the IMDB synopsis: When a local woman disappears and the police can't seem to find any leads, her father turns to a local widow with psychic powers. Slowly she starts having visions of the missing woman chained and in a pond. Her visions lead to the body and the arrest of an abusive husband, but did he really do it?
The first time I saw The Gift, it was like a light bulb had gone off in my head. I turned to my husband and said, "That's what I want to write." A creepy, southern thriller. Macabre, moody and atmospheric. And in writing The Dollmaker, I could picture no one but Cate Blanchett in the Annie Wilson role as my protagonist, Claire Doucett (that name was chosen for a reason!).
Lately I’ve been thinking in terms of a ‘chiller’—the blending of reality with just a touch of the supernatural. Dark suspense that stays within the realm of believability. There was a hint of that in The Devil's Footprints, and it's an element that lends itself well to books set in the mythical South.
Labels: Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett, Sam Raimi, The Gift, Tom Epperson
posted by Amanda at 8:08 AM
11 Comments:
I haven't seen The Gift in a long time, but I think I need to add it to my DVD collection. It was good! Neat that it started you on your path to writing THE DOLLMAKER.
Another southern (Southern?) themed good movie, Eve's Bayou. Whoosh! Love the soundtrack, too.
Just watched the youtube and WOW! I'd forgotten how good the cast is! I remember being especially amazed with Keanu Reeves portrayal. He went beyond his usual 'Whoa' school of acting.
Keanu Reeves was so good in that movie. I was really impressed with him. I'm pretty familiar with the southern redneck and he nailed it.
Eve's Bayou is one of my favorites, too but of course, Tom Epperson's "gift" is amazing.
I loved Eve's Bayou, also. Another movie that maybe isn't so great in the execution department but terrific in atmosphere is "The Skeleton Key." I love that spooky old house and all that dripping spanish moss.
Now I am going to have to look for The Skeleton Key.
I'm going to have to do a blog about my favorite southern movies!
How great to be reminded of all these spooky Southern chillers!
We have EXACTLY the same tastes, Amanda. I can't get enough of all this and now must read both your books right away.
Alex
I loved The Gift, and I particularly like the soundtrack. I write to it obsessively (along with 12 Monkeys and The Exorcism of Emily Rose).
Thanks for dropping by, Alex. I do love the creepy. I already have The Harrowing with that fabulous cover and now I can't wait to get The Price so that I can read them back to back.
Laura, I agree, the soundtrack is wonderful. I always thought it was so cool that Danny Elfman played the fiddler. That whole dream sequence was just beautiful and creepy and amazing.
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