The Secret Sauce

Since the beginning of time, humankind has been mystified about our existence. We seek to understand our origin, our journey and our end. Our mind seeks answers to questions we will never really have the answers to and this can be a slippery slope beyond wondering about magic elixirs and the fountain of youth. How do we, and can we prolong our time and experiences here? Is there a chance to live on in the Ether or Afterworld?

Universally, we gravitate to some of the same ideas and concepts. On occasion, there is story so captivating as the mystery unfold, we eagerly feel the fear of the unknown, haunted and yet connected to the resonance of the story and the experience we call life.

Mary Shelly, had the secret sauce and mixed all of the emotions, questions and ideas into in one of the deepest dishes that stirs a haunting, loving, beyond boundaries, captivating story we all know as a forever favorite, Frankenstein.

Many have translated this story in their own ideas ranging from comedy, horror, Sci-Fi and even romance. If you love Frankenstein, then I invite you to explore deeper into mind bending, comforting, romantic, haunting and scary movies touching on the element of “What if?” What if we can live on? What if we can reanimate? What if about all of this that we call life?

1. Cocoon - The word cocoon brings a deep sense of comfort and warmth. The story, as I interpret it, translates into we are just light. We can live on, there is a fountain of youth but light and spirit must be contained in a vessel or shall it drain away. Much like water. Un-kept, it is absorbed by all around it and eventually becomes everything and nothing.

2. Flatliners - Curiosity definitely got the best of the cat in this twisted tale of what if we died just enough to see what is on the other side and come back to tell the tale. This is a story of warning. There are some places we should never go, and science can walk the line between right and wrong, and there may not be an area of grey but only black and white.

3. What Dreams May Come - Loss of a loved one is torment to the souls still living on the earth. But what does happen to the Soul? Can a soul live on? Can it easily go to light, will it fall into the darkness, or will it stay in the grey, the place that is neither here or there, where it doesn’t belong and is caught in-between? What we would do to know about this, and to see our loved one just one more time? Beauty and sadness dance in the worlds of here and there in this movie. A beautiful story of love, life and death artfully crafted on a canvas.

4. Subject 2 - The scary, haunting surreal concept of neither here no there and life bleeds out into death, but life can back with a serum. This raises the question, is it life? This movie will twist your mind and make you think, this is all wrong. There are some things we just should never do.

5. The Skin I Live In - A story of passion and science turned morbidly wrong. The skin, our largest organ and vessel of beauty and elegance. When it is ruined it leaves deep impressions and even trauma to us. But what if the skin becomes something of its own, and truly a suit of the forbidden? I believe the intent of this movie was certainly to raise "the what if" and to make your skin crawl.

6.The Lazarus Effect- I finish with this movie as all the others are a prelude of the burning question. "What if?" This movie seems to bring the ominous message of: when life is gone and something is dead, the vital energy life force goes with it. Don’t wake the dead, leave them to peace, control the affairs of your beating heart, because re-animation may not be the light. Some things are best left alone and that is the greatest mystery of them all, Life.

With that, find comfort in the secret sauce, not a serum or an elixir. Forever and ever living on in our hearts will our beloved Frankenstein.

1. Cocoon - A 1985 film by Ron Howard, Production company: Zanuck/Brown Company

2. Flatliners - A 2017 film, Directed by Niels Arden Oplev

3. What Dreams May Come - A 1998 film Directed by: Vincent Ward. Story by: Richard Matheson

4. Subject 2 - A 2006 movie, Directed by: Philip Chidel

5. The Skin I Live In - A 2011, movie, Directed by: Pedro Almodovar

6. The Lazarus Effect - A 2015 movie, Directed by: David Gelb