Top 10 Horror Movies Of All Time

So, it's officially the Halloween season! So what better reason for me to write about horror movies, which is my favorite movie genre at given day! I was thinking to write about horror movies from a long time now. In fact, I was supposed to write this for a friend's website but somehow couldn't manage time. The list was also prepared more than a year back!


According to me, you either can love or hate horror movies. There is no mid-way. 


So, here comes my list of top 10 horror movies of all time:


10. Paranormal Activity


Paranormal Activity is a 2007 American found footage supernatural horror film. It is the first movie of the Paranormal Activity franchise. The film is about a young couple, Katie and Micah, who are haunted by a supernatural presence in their home. It is presented in the "found footage" style. Throughout the film, cameras are set up by them in an attempt to document what is haunting them.

 This film happens to be  the most profitable film ever made, based on return on investment

9. Grave Encounters

Grave Encounters is a 2011 Canadian supernatural horror film which is again shot in "found footage" style. The footage follows the crew of a paranormal reality television program who lock themselves in a haunted psychiatric hospital for evidence of paranormal activity inside the hospital, which now lay in ruins.No one gets out alive, except one.

Even after receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film has a cult following.

8. The Conjuring

The Conjuring is a 2013 American supernatural horror film.Ed and Lorraine Warren are paranormal investigators and authors who are associated with prominent cases of haunting. The Warren couple come to the assist the Perron family who are experiencing disturbing events in their farmhouse which is located Rhode Island in the year, 1971.

The Conjuring  happens to be one of the highest-grossing horror films of all time. 

7. Insidious

Insidious is a 2011 American supernatural horror film which happens to be the first installment of the Insidious film franchise. The story revolves around a couple whose son enters a comatose state and becomes a vessel for ghosts in order to live once again. 

Due to the film's success it became the basis for a maze for 2013's annual Halloween Horror Nights. 

6. The Exorcism of Emily Rose

The Exorcism of Emily Rose is a 2005 American courtroom drama horror film.The film is loosely based on the real life story of Anneliese Michel. The film is about a self-proclaimed agnostic who acts as defense counsel representing a parish priest who is accused by the state of negligent homicide after he performed an exorcism. 

The film largely takes place in a courtroom, shows the events leading up to and including the exorcism through flashbacks, which is again one of a kind.

5. Mirrors

Mirrors is a 2008 supernatural horror film. The film was originally scripted to be a remake of the 2003 South Korean horror film Into the Mirror but the director decided to retain the original film's basic idea involving mirrors and incorporated a few of its scenes. Otherwise the film has a new story line.

The story is about a suspended police detective who begins his first day as a night security guard at a luxury department store that was gutted by a fire, five years ago.

4. The Unborn

The Unborn is a 2009 American horror film which is about a young woman tormented by a dybbuk and seeks help from a rabbi. The dybbuk seeks to use her death as a gateway to physical existence. 

Although this film received a lot of negative reviews, however the film's concept was very new and still remains a personal favorite.

3.Shutter

Shutter is a 2008 American supernatural horror film which is a remake of the 2004, Thai horror film of the same name. The film is about a newly married couple who stays in Japan and the supernatural events that follow them.

Shutter is unique because it's the first western remake of an Asian horror film which is not Japanese, instead a remake of a Thai horror film. 

2. The Ring

The Ring is a 2002 American supernatural psychological horror film.  It is a remake of the 1998 Japanese horror film Ring, The Ring is known to be the first American remake of a Japanese horror movie. This movie paved the way for many J-Horror remakes.

The films is about a cursed videotape that kills the viewer 7 days after watching it. 

1.The Grudge

The Grudge is a 2004 American Supernatural horror film which is again a remake of the Japanese film Ju-On: The Grudge. The plot reveals itself is in a non-linear sequence of events and includes several subplots.The film is about a curse that is born when someone dies in the grip of a powerful rage or extreme sorrow. Those who encounter this evil supernatural force die and the curse is reborn.passed from victim to victim in an endless chain of horror.

The film spawned two sequels: The Grudge 2 and The Grudge 3

Have a scary Halloween!

(P.S. All the images have been googled. The copyrights are that of the individual owners.The blurbs have also been sourced from the internet.)

Eat.Pray.Love.

Durga Puja, being the biggest and the brightest festival brings along  a lot of hope, happiness, love and good times for us, the Bengalis. In fact, over the years, it has truly become a cosmopolitan festival where in people from different communities participate. Well. that's the true meaning of a festival, isn't it?

Durga Puja brings in a lot of memories of both childhood and adulthood. Going out for pandal-hopping at midnight with friends and family. Junk food and not healthy food was our staple for those 5 days. Regular life came to a halt during the festival. Studies were a strict no-no too. 

People might ask what is so special about this festival for which Bengalis all over the world wait for the entire year with bated breath. Well, we have no proper answer. But we do wait for those 5 days. We wait for it as  a farmer waits for the monsoons. We wait for it as it's the most important work that we need to do.


When we talk about Durga Puja, there is also something that is worth mentioning here, Kolkata, the City of Joy. Before and during the festival, the entire city comes alive. The shopping frenzy before the festival and the crowded pandals during the festival makes it look like a newly-wed bride adorned with the brightest of  hues. 

There are lot of withdrawal symptoms associated when Durga Puja gets over. Although people exchange greetings and say "Subho Bijaya", in their mind they sulk and crib because they have to wait for another year.

Although this year, I was working during the festival, but no one could take away the excitement and the fervor away from me. Between working and sleeping for only 4 hours, I could manage a lot. Well that is the whole point because it's that time of the year, isn't it? 

Subho Bijaya!

Lakme Absolute Lip Tint Matte (Tangerine Touch) - Product Review

Lakme lipsticks have become my favorite over the past few years. They have really improved a lot with the products be it the textures of the lipsticks or the colors. I wanted to write something something about Lakme lipsticks because they are currently my favorite. Not only that my favorite actress (Read: Kareena Kapoor) is their brand ambassador. I don't think I needed more reasons to write something about this product.

I have used Lip Crayons before, I guess it was a Chambor product. There were a lot of advertisements here and there when this product was launched. I got curious and wanted to try it out. The colors were also catchy. So when I went out to buy a lipstick for myself for the upcoming festivities, I decided that this will be the lipstick that I am going to buy. 

Lakmé Absolute Lip Pout is a chubby lip color pencil that gives your lips a beautiful and luscious tint with an awesome matte finish. The product is available in 6 classic matte colors, Lakme Absolute Lip Pouts will invariably brighten your face and will give you a playful look.

The features of Lakmé Absolute Lip Pouts include, an excellent matte finish without drying your lips excessively, quick and easy application and retractable pencil that doesn't need sharpening. 

The lip pouts are priced at Rs 650 fro 3.5 g and the shelf life is 24 months. I have always used lipsticks for more than 2 years and I am doing pretty fine. I have absolutely no clue what harm will a lipstick do if I wear it after 24 months. The packaging of Lakmé Absolute Lip Pouts is very similar to Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm and nowadays almost all the brands have the same packaging for matte or tinted balms. The color of the tube represents the true shade of the lip color. It's covered with a silver cap.The shade name is mentioned at the bottom of the tube.

The only problem with this lipstick is the pigmentation. You need to swipe at least 3-4 times to build the

actual color. It's a little disappointing because it's Lakme and I am a big fan of the 9-5 range of Lakme. The lipstick stays on your lips for 3- 4 hours with moderate snacking but it also has a tendency to become too dry. So, if you have chapped lips, use a lip balm before applying it. The color fades away very unevenly, to be specific when the color fades it left an orange stain on my lips which looks very odd. Although when applied, it has a very beautiful orange tint.

As far as I am concerned, I think this lipstick can be only be purchased if you like hoarding lipsticks like me. Otherwise, the 9-5 range of Lakme is cheaper and is excellent in pigmentation.  Try it at least once but apart from the few of the cons, there is nothing much to regret about this product. 

A Walk To Remember!

I have been thinking of making a photo-blog on Kumortuli for a long time now. So here I am. With the onset of festivities, this was the perfect time of posting it. My blog makes me do so many things. Going out on a Sunday afternoon and clicking pictures is otherwise impossible for me but here I am with the photographs.

 
Hope you'll like it!

Chicken Wrap

This is primarily my sister, Susmita's recipe. I just substituted capsicums with Oregano and added a little bit of mayonnaise for extra taste, You can definitely skip this step! Sometimes I wonder that whether my Blog is becoming a food blog or not. That was primarily never the objective. But I am always at ease when it comes to cooking and posting a recipe on my Blog. I just can't seem to do anything about it.

This recipe is a healthy one which doesn't use any oil. You can either have it with bread or as it is.


Here comes the recipe:


Ingredients:


Chicken - 500 gms (minced).
Onions - 100 gms, finely chopped.
Garlic - 50gms, finely chopped.
Oregano - 1 teaspoon.
Black pepper powder - A pinch.
Mayonnaise - 2 teaspoons.
Cheese - 2-3 cubes, finely grated.
Salt to taste.




Procedure:

Wash the chicken.

Mix all the ingredients.

Put the mixture in an aluminium foil. 

Roll it like it's done in the picture below.

Bring water to a boil in a wok. 

Add the chicken. 

Boil it for at least 10 mins.

It's done.

Enjoy the way you want to.

Chicken Liver Curry

I love eating chicken liver. Although majority of the people prefer mutton liver to chicken liver, I am a little biased to Chicken, as always. I hate that displeasing smell that comes free of cost with mutton liver. I know the health benefits of eating mutton liver, but I just can't eat them. 

Cooking a chicken liver curry is one of the easiest dishes that can be prepared by almost anyone. The reason behind it is the less time taken by the chicken liver to get boiled. It saves a lot of time. I always like quick recipes. Another point that's worth mentioning here is the use of Garam Masala in the preparation. I don't the taste of this masala at all. I don't use it as as well. But you have to use it in this recipe because for that extra zing. It tastes really good. I realize that I hate it for practically no reason at all.

Here comes the recipe:

Ingredients:

Chicken Liver - 300 gms.

Potatoes - 2-3 (medium-sized), diced into small cubes.

Onions (finely chopped) - 100 gms.

Ginger-Garlic paste - 50 gms.

Bay leaves - 2.

Dry red chillies - 2.

Turmeric powder - One teaspoon.

Red chilli powder - One teaspoon.

Garam Masala powder - One teaspoon.

Salt to taste.

Oil-  3 tablespoons.

Procedure:

Wash the chicken liver well. Make sure you drain all the water. Keep aside.

In a wok, add oil. Add the bay leaves, add the red chillies.

Add the onions and potatoes. Fry it till translucent.

Add the ginger - garlic paste. Fry it for some time. 

Add the salt, turmeric, red chilli and garam masala powder.

Cook it for a while. Add a little bit of water. 

Add the chicken liver. Cook it for another 10 mins on medium flame. Check whether the potatoes are boiled or not. If not, cook for another 5 mins.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Lotus Herbals Ecostay Lipstick - Product Review

I have been planning to write a review of this product for a long time now. After my sister read the other beauty product reviews on my Blog, she insisted that I review this product too. But writing beauty product reviews are a little bit tedious for me. I am lazy!

I have mentioned it previously as well that I am fond of all kinds of lipsticks. There are some shades which I am more fond of, some a little less. In the last few years, an Orange lipstick has become increasingly popular among women. I love wearing them too. This shade of lipstick can brighten up your face in a jiffy!

Before I start with the product review, as always I want to talk about something about the brand. Lotus Herbals is a pretty old name in the cosmetics industry. It has been around in the market for the last 20 years, but their entry in the makeup products arena is quite a recent thing. The brand has established it's name in the cosmetics industry. The makeup products are popular too. The products are herbal and therefore, a little expensive too. 

Lotus Herbals has renamed their Purestay lipstick range to ‘Ecostay’, so the product is not new. The Purestay lipstick range has been in the market for quite some time now. I remember using one of them and forgetting about it completely afterwards. It was actually not that impressive. But when I wore one of the lipsticks from the ‘Ecostay’ range, all I can say is that Lotus Herbals has improvised on the product a lot. The company has come up with with 9 new lipstick shades. The lipsticks are priced at Rs. 545 for 4.2g, moderately expensive, I should say. Today, I will be reviewing the shade Orange Dream.

The lipstick is a preservative free, natural, long lasting and hydrating lip color. SPF 20 gives UV protection too. I mean that's what is written on the cover box. When I wore it, it gave a smooth, matte finish. The color is rich too. It stays on your lips for at least 4 hours with moderate snacking. 

Lotus Herbals Ecostay Long Lasting Lip Colour comes in a pink cardboard packaging. It claims to be preservative free and 100% vegetarian but there is no ingredient list mentioned on the outer packaging. The outer box reveals the lipstick that comes in a satin pink covering and then the lipstick comes in a metallic pink packaging with a long cap that closes with just a click. The overall packaging looks a little bit different from its counterparts.

Orange Dream is a luscious orange lip color with reddish undertones with no shimmer or glossy finish. The reddish undertone makes it look rich and classy. The texture of the lipstick is creamy. The color settles to a matte finish within a few minutes.The lipstick has a bright color. This is a good shade to wear at work, all you have to do is tone it down a little bit. You can wear it at after work parties too. This shade has the capability of beautifying your face in just one go.

So to conclude, Lotus Herbals Ecostay Long Lasting Lipcolour in Orange Dream is a gorgeous orange lipstick with reddish undertone to it. It is definitely a lot better than the previous Purestay range that I have tried. Trying out this new range of lipsticks is highly recommended, especially this shade because the new range has come with a  lot of improvisations.