I kept hearing a lot about "The Changeling," namely that it was one of the scariest horror films out there yet it never spilled one drop of blood.
The film definitely falls into the same category as "The Others"; both are haunted house spook stories that focus on a huge reveal that is the turning point of the story. In "The Changeling," composer John Russell takes his family on a vacation to a snow-laden woods, where they're killed in a freak accident. In order to recover from the loss of his wife and child, Russell rents out a huge Victorian manor in Seattle. He tries to focus on lectures and composing new pieces, but a strange banging at 6 a.m. every morning along with the sense of a strange presence in the house leaves him feeling that he is not alone.
Slowly he pieces together the desires behind the strange entity that lives in the house, finding secrets buried in all the nooks and crannies. Despite being over thirty years old, this film definitely still holds up. A lot of eighties horror films edge on either campiness or cheesiness, but the actors here were great.
George C. Scott was outstanding as the main character, giving us a grieving husband and father who's pitted against this supernatural problem. His character came off very real -- these were real people presented with a problem that truly seemed like it could happen in the every day. It's Amityville style, where the ghosts are playing with your head and your perceptions instead of being full-bodied apparitions for no discernible reason.
The special effects are few and far between, but they're used to their fullest potential. Loud banging at precisely 6 a.m. that has no apparent source, moving furniture, EVP voices all show trace amounts of the supernatural that could exist in the real world. It's slowly coming back into vogue with things like Paranormal Activity and Blair Witch, and it's definitely something I would like to see more of.
In the end, I was definitely satisfied with the recommendation. It just seems that it's really difficult to go wrong with a haunted house movie -- taking our homes and turning them against us, making the one thing that is supposed to be our refuge and safe place work against us is possibly the most terrifying idea ever. Home is an integral part of the self, so making it a person in itself with wants and desires creates an other in us that is uncontrollable and confronts some of our deepest desires. This film is very much a must-see.
Loom is a short film that tells the story of a successful catch. It's very metaphorical and abstract, leaving the viewer to piece together what exactly it might mean.
Potentially a reboot of the classic Vincent Price/Roger Corman film, or else a modern day adaptation of the Poe story, House of Usher doesn't really do a whole lot outside of its pretty cinematography to entice the viewer into watching.
If you're familiar with the story, you'll essentially know what's going on. Jillian, a massage therapist, drops everything when she hears that her best friend, Madeleine Usher, has passed away from a mysterious illness. She drives to the Usher family estate for the funeral, and ends up reconnecting with Madeleine's brother, Roderick (given the shorter, sportier nickname Rick), who is her ex. So, yeah, a few changes to the short story, and that's only a few.
But the majority of the film encompasses Jill and Rick debating their hot and cold relationship (usually in soft whispering voices that almost make it seem like the actors weren't really sure how to approach the material), Jill whining about Rick keeping secrets, and, well, more slow dialogue. Jill does get fleeting glimpses of Maddie throughout the house, but that's all they ever measure up to be as the maid (played by Beth Grant, who's characters are usually a little kookier and more fun than the tight-lipped, sour faced woman she's called upon to be here) is ever present to stop her from lingering too far.
You can tell something weird is up when Rick spends most of his time either a) writing an atrocious sounding novel that I'm sure is supposed to be reflective of Poe himself but sounds a bit more like bad 8th grade poetry or b) sexing Jill up under the pretense of "needing comfort" after his sister's death. I guess sex is the only thing guys can think about after all? Once Jill ends up pregnant (apparently Rick's endgame), all the family skeletons come out of the closet and the dastardly truth of calling Jill to the homestead comes to light.
Overall, I'd skip this film and watch the Vincent Price version where the characters are brought to life much more vividly and the back story in it isn't as slimy. Certain additions to the film really turned me off to it, including Jill's pregnancy and other facts that I won't disclose here if you still feel inclined to check this thing out. I'm usually down for anything Poe related, but this was a real bummer.
What would you do if you woke up in a pine box buried in the ground? That's the situation presented in Buried; a contractor working overseas in Iraq wakes to find himself buried, with only a flashlight, a lighter, a cell phone and a few other items to help get himself unburied.
Since the entire film takes place within a six by two foot box, you'd think that it would be difficult to keep the audience's attention -- but honestly, Ryan Reynolds does a bang up job of riveting your eyes to the screen. You can really feel the frustration as he does whatever he can to make his limited battery life count. Government numbers, his wife's number, his company's phone number all come to his memory's forefront, and each gives up a different consequence, rounding out a short but sweet story that has a very shocking ending.
It starts off simple enough -- Reynolds' character is a contract truck driver working in Iraq, during the recent "conflict". He's not a solider, and neither he nor any of his coworkers have any sort of protection, defensive or offensive, against insurgents. So when their truck gets hit, there's nothing they can do. Slowly the story is pieced together; not just a story of one many trying to get himself out of an impossible situation, but also of how a larger entity, such as a government or country, treats a singular person. After all, what's one person when their life is stacked against several thousands, nay, millions?
It's really amazing how absolutely frustrating -- and honestly, thats the word to describe this film, at least when you put yourself in the character's point of view -- it is to watch this character make phone calls and how easily people write him off. At one instance, one woman even tells him to "not be so rude." Is this something that a lot of people prank phone call about? HELP I'M BURIED IN A BOX IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH OXYGEN- Sorry, sir, please hold. He is continuously shuffled from person to person, and in the end there's really only one man who gives a shit.
The best part of it, I think, was how one caller interweaves the reassuring story of how he found one man to whom this similar situation had happened. He was kidnapped but rescued, and was back home safe and sound with his family. It's pretty amazing on what you can do with such a small scope and a very talented actor. The film really doesn't waste any of its 95 minutes, moving constantly from one obstacle to the next as time is ticking for the man in the box.
Today's horror short isn't necessarily horrific -- it's actually pretty cute and funny -- but it's got a lot of horror elements in it. Le Taxidermiste is an adorable twist on a woman saying good by to her taxidermist husband after he passes away. Check it out!
I'm not entirely sure where to start with Repo! When I first heard of it, way back when, I was absolutely baffled by it. I knew the concept of a horror musical -- I'd seen Little Shop of Horrors both on stage and on DVD -- but this just seemed...incredibly strange. It didn't really click for me until I heard the first sound byte of Graverobber screaming "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVEEESS", but by then I knew I was hopelessly hooked.
Repo! The Genetic opera is a complete mishmash of things. You have the coming of age story of young Shilo Wallace, who's been kept locked up in her room by her surgeon father (who harbors a dark secret of his own) for fear that a blood disease will kill her. Then there's Rotti Largo and his three bratty kids -- Rotti is the owner of GeneCo, the world's largest provider of medical services and plastic surgery.
You see, organ failures have escalated all over the planet. GeneCo, and other companies like it, provide a service for a price. The insurance rates are high, but the company promises that you'll love your new organs -- and why not a touch up to your face, your boobs or your butt while you're at it? The numbers start to stack up and when people can't pay, that's when GeneCo sends out the RepoMen. These are specially assigned killers who excel in the cleanest of surgeries, and they will track you down until they repossess the organ that belongs to GeneCo, even if that means killing you in the process.
Now, Repo! is not for everyone. It's heavily saturated with gore, the songs are definitely an acquired taste, and the acting is over the top. It was compared to Rocky Horror, and described as being such for a new generation. I honestly couldn't think of a better description, because Repo! is, at heart, a cult film. You're either going to love the hell out of it or raise your brows at everyone who even mentions the film. With a wide cast of stars -- ranging from Bill Moseley and Nivek Ogre to Anthony Stewart Head and Paris Hilton -- and a varying vocal range, this film is a strange concoction that will either work for you or it won't.
The story twists and turns, taking separate plots and weaving them into one gigantic tale of sorrow and loss, mixed in with a heavy dose of comedy and heavy riffs. Repo! makes no apologies for what it is, kind of like the hooker on the corner by the liquor store. It's grungy and gross, it takes a huge social topic and cuts it open while you watch squirming. Really, I wish it was actually longer -- several scenes were cut, eventually making their way online, but there's just so much available here that the film could have easily been twice its length. But sadly, producers will always have their say.
Four years after its making, it's already got a large following who perform weekly shadowcasts, and the original creators (Terrance Zdunich and Darren Lynn Bousman) are looking to take the movie around for another spin, pairing it with their new "The Devil's Carnival" (another post for another time). Sadly, all attempts at a sequel were stunted due to Repo!'s poor returns, and due to Hollywood red tape, the rights are no longer in the creator's hands. But we still have the original, the one, the only Repo! You'll laugh! You'll cry! You'll sing!
When a mousy librarian inherits her father's beloved old theater, she does her best to bring it back into the limelight -- at whatever the cost. Utilizing her love for horror and a legion of gorehound fans, she quickly amasses fame creating seemingly fake shorts that she plays before classic horror films; but what her fans don't know is that the shorts are all too real!
All About Evil is nothing but camp from beginning to end; from over the top acting to ridiculous deaths, the film pays homage to many directors and films of the genres and has fun while it does it.
The film actually seemed older to me in the beginning, what with the low budget appearance, but once you get into the meat of the film, all of that falls away under the absolutely charming characters and ridiculous story. It took an obvious reference for me to catch Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) because I'm so not used to seeing her play a straight character, but she does it well!
Thomas Dekker was easy to recognize, but played the teenage hero pretty much perfectly. However, all the awards go to Natasha Lyonne's "DebORah," the main character who goes from inhibited shut-in to classy psycho.
This is honestly a film for horror and indie fans -- the gore might be a little over the top for regular folks, and the campiness is something you'll either find hilarious or utterly irritating. For me, I was laughing every five minutes because of Noah Segan's digusting homeless killer character and I loved the addition of the Wednesday Addams-esque twins in Nikita and Jade Ramsey.
Watching this whole thing unfold is a treat, especially since there are just not enough good horror comedies out there. I fully endorse checking this film out, and if you have, well, it's time for a rewatch!
Today's Saturday Horror Short is an homage to the classic Japanese horror film. It's all about the creep factor, which it has in spades! Grab some snacks and enjoy OverTime.
What it's about: A 26-chapter anthology that showcases death in all its vicious wonder and brutal beauty.
Review: I'd heard about this film here or there, but never fully looked into it until after my initial viewing. But I guess to keep everyone informed of the intention, a quick explanation plays before the film -- 26 directors were each given one letter of the alphabet, a budget, and five minutes to make a short film that showcased death in some aspect.
It sounds very ambitious. At first, I thought the fun might be in trying to figure out what word the director had chosen -- and some of them are very easy to figure out -- but after awhile some of the films got so bizarre that I just had to sit back and watch it all unfold.
Yeah, this doesn't even scratch the surface of how weird this film gets.
For those who read this blog, it's pretty obvious that I have a deep and abiding love for anything Frankenstein. But that doesn't mean that I ignore the other well-known horror characters that resound throughout our culture. Who am I talking about here? Well, Dracula, of course, probably the most popular and well known creature of them all. There have been countless spin-offs, reworkings, refurbishments and allusions to this classic work, but it's often difficult to find something that is wholly original and really takes the old story to a different level. Such was the case with Renfield: Slave of Dracula by Barbara Hambley. Focusing on a key but lesser regarded character is definitely something that caught my eye, especially when it came to this particular lunatic who's set the standard for many a vampire's lackey.
Renfield is mainly known for being Jonathan Harker's predecessor and for being a lunatic after returning from a trip to visit with Dracula. In film adaptations, his role is sometimes expanded beyond that to doing more for the Count, but beyond that very little is known of him -- he's often not even given a first name. But in Renfield: Slave of Dracula we're introduced not only a name but to a backstory of a family, and a man tortured by the demons in his mind. His wife came from an upstanding family that was skeptical of her marriage to a merchant class man, but it's evident that the two hold a deep love for one another. From this union came a daughter, Victoria, affectionately called Vixie. Renfield writes countless letters to them both, showing that he is a man filled with emotion.
But he also has demons to contend with. Many times we are shown a hallucination that Renfield names Wotan, though it's Dracula. This thing taunts him by showing him images of past kills and tortures him with the impending doom of Lucy and Mina, in whom Renfield sees reflected his own daughter. The book shows journal entries, logs, bits of narrative to flesh the whole thing out, and it's really quite the spellbinding story when compared to Stoker's original novel (you know that thing reads like sandpaper). And the story doesn't end with Renfield's death, as is often shown at the hands of the Count while still entombed in the lunatic asylum. Instead, he's taken in by two other vampires who seek the Count's demise, and give Renfield a second chance in order to make right what he has done wrong.
Overall, I thought this was one of the better Dracula sequels I've read, especially considering the small amount of material that Hambly would have had to work off of. Her writing is superb, easily bringing the story to life for the reader's pleasure.
What it's about: Blaming her advancing age for a failed romance with a younger man, 16th-century Hungarian countess Erzebet Báthory begins murdering virgin girls and bathing in their blood, believing that the grim ritual will restore her youthful beauty.
Review: There's a lot of speculation and rumor surrounding the allegedly infamous Countess Erezbet Bathory. Did she have epilepsy or some other disease that drove her to these acts? Was she the victim of a vicious conspiracy so that the king could get out of repaying the debt that he owed her and her husband? No one will probably ever know, and the best we can do is guess at the circumstances surrounding her trial and eventual house arrest. The Countess attempts to take a wild stab at explaining Erzebet and her legend, encircling it around a failed romance.
Lucky number 13! Today's horror short is all about mental disorders -- namely, multiple personality disorders. This is a subject that's often touched on in many horror films, but I don't think it's ever been done as succinctly as INSiDE. Turn down the lights, grab some popcorn and enjoy!
What it's about: In this eighth installment of Clive Barker's film franchise, a group of Internet enthusiasts get sucked into a video game and soon score an invite to an exclusive and mysterious gathering, where the lines between cyberlife and reality are blurred. But when the soiree starts, the computer whizzes realize their host is none other than the maniacal Pinhead (Doug Bradley). And unfortunately for them, he knows how to throw a killer party.
Review: The description of this film is pretty misleading -- yes, Doug Bradley/Pinhead does make an appearance, along with an entourage of cenobites, but there is nothing else that would tie this film to the Hellraiser franchise. In essence H: Hellworld is more of a typical slasher with your typical cast of characters, all being picked off one by one for some heinous action in the past. So, it's like someone tried to paste Hellraiser over I Know What You Did Last Summer. Overall it makes for a film that is semi-interesting, but ultimately falls flat.
Vampire the Masquerade is something that's known to weird kids and tabletop players. It's a pen and paper game that was spawned from White Wolf's "World of Darkness" series. From its storylines came many novels, graphic novels, two video games, and even a television series.
Kindred: The Embraced followed the trials and tribulations of Ventrue Julian Luna, Prince of San Francisco. But see, right there is where you can get tripped up pretty easily -- just because he's a Prince doesn't mean he's royalty. This was one of the trickier parts of the first episode, and potentially an obstacle for the whole series if it had continued past the seven episodes originally aired. VtM has several clans that all fall into three main groups: Camarilla, Sabbat, and non-aligned. Thankfully, the show stuck to mainly Camarilla clans to keep things a little more simple, but they did alter a few other aspects (like letting vampires who had recently fed walk in the sunlight).
Daedalus looks to sink a little fang.
Though kind of cheesy and with hokey make-up (looking at you, Nosferatu), the show honestly had some real promise. Mark Funkel, the actor who played Julian, was a sympathetic character as we go through the loss of his maker with him, the romance with a human reporter and the desire to protect his niece, both before and after she becomes a vampire. The show was also populated with other fun characters, like Cash, the sullen and withdrawn leader of the Gangrel and who was also Julian's enforcer, and the arrogant and Frustrating Eddie Fiori, leader of the obnoxious Brujah clan.
Sascha and Cash, the star-crossed lovers; a necessity for any show.
Overall, the show is best compared to a mafia movie, which isn't a bad comparison for the game in itself. The clans aren't necessarily families, but blood is thicker than water and if you slight someone's maker, you're bound to end up on the wrong side of a stake. I would have loved to see this show flower a little more, especially if it ended up including my favorite children of Malkav, but there's a strong possibility that that could have gone very fishmalk as well.
What it’s about: Rebecca is suspicious of Ernessa, the new arrival at her boarding
school. But is Rebecca just jealous of Ernessa's bond with Lucie, or does the
new girl truly possess a dark secret? Review: The Moth Diaries is pretty
easily comparable to Sheridan La Fanu’s “Carmilla,” in the idea of a
supernatural female entity preying on a younger female. It’s an adaptation of a
book of the same name – I haven’t read the book so I can’t compare the two, but
the film intrigued me for its comparisons to the Fanu story. “Carmilla” is a
classic in vampire literature and I was interested to see how it might be spun
into this new story. Unfortunately, the film falls pretty low on the scale of,
well, anything. Maybe only Twilight is worse.
Tumblr is a pretty great place to find really odd things, and that's where I discovered this delightful little short about one of my favorite rides at Disneyland. Missing in the Mansion is about a marriage proposal that goes horribly wrong. To tell you anything further would spoil the fun!
The Vampire Tapestry is an interesting and unconventional
vampire story. It unfolds over three acts, and only in the last do we actually
hear from the vampire himself.
In the first third of the book, things are told through an
old woman’s eyes. Katje de Groot is the widow of a staff member at the same
college that Dr. Edward Leyland works at. For the most part, the vampire
(Leyland) at this part of the novel is nothing more than a tick and the main
reason why why obviously don’t see things from his point of view is because
there wouldn’t be a whole lot to talk about. Leyland is basically a cold
reptile, so self-assured that nothing can touch him that Katje gets entirely inside
his guard. She’s not just any old woman – she and her husband are from “the
dark continent,” and she knows how to handle a gun. Her shooting of Leyland
actually springboards us into the second act, and shows us how Leyland survives
from one generation to the next.
Unlike most conventional vampires, who are typically created
with a bite and some blood, Leyland claims that he was biologically grown
alongside humans and is therefore their natural predator. The way that he even
ingests blood is unique – rather than biting his victim with two razor-sharp
teeth, there is a needle that grows out from under his tongue and creates a
gentle hole in the neck for him to suckle from. When not being used, it neatly
tucks back under his tongue where it remains unnoticed and, quite frankly,
makes far more sense in terms of evolution rather than two large, overbearing
and pretty much useless fangs that would probably end up losing more blood than
anything.
The second act of the book is broken up between two people –
the first is a young boy, the brother of the man who takes Leyland hostage, and
the other is a psychologist that Leyland tries to use to reestablish himself as
a credible professor. The more interesting of the two is the psychologist,
simply because we get a nice, good look into Leyland’s head in terms of how he
views his food. The thing about The Vampire Tapestry is that rather than
starting out with a sympathetic vampire who is conflicted about who he bits, we
see how the monster operates without a conscience. Slowly, though, he grows one
as he interacts more and more with his “food,” eventually forcing himself into
the role of the romantic blood sucker that we’re all so familiar with.
Overall the deconstruction of the villain into something of
an anti-hero is the fun part about this book, even though it can take a little
while to get there. In the end, The Vampire Tapestry is really a must read on
any horrorophile’s list.
What it’s about: It's young Lucy's first day
as a trainee in-house caregiver. She visits Mrs. Jessel, an old woman who lies
in cerebral coma, by herself, in her large desolate house. Learning by accident
that Mrs. Jessel, a former dance teacher of repute, supposedly possesses a
treasure somewhere in the house, Lucy and friends William and Ben decide to
search the house in the hope of finding it. At night, they get into the house,
which reveals itself to be increasingly peculiar. Their hunt for Mrs. Jessel's
treasure leads them into a horrifying supernatural series of events that will
change Lucy forever...
Review: The
creators of Livid also made another film called Inside. Inside was a tight,
focused film centering around two female characters that fight over an unborn
fetus. It’s an intensely graphic, gory film that quite honestly had me on the edge
of my seat. Livid is pretty much the opposite of Inside; it takes its time to
develop, and its far more about the imagery than it is about the story (which
is just as convoluted as the interior of the house that this film is mainly set
in). Basically, when you get down to brass tacks, this film is about
bloodsucking vampire ballerinas, and if that doesn’t pique your interest I don’t
know what will.
This is what I get for staying up until 3 a.m. on Saturday (and then pretty much doing nothing all of Sunday, hah). No post! So instead I present to you another filler post, one full of awesome music that I've been listening to lately. Feel free to add anything you've been listening to as well!
Today's horror short is an animated film; overall it's pretty simple, but it's incredibly well done. A little boy afraid of the monsters in his closet must confront the real monster in his home. Check it out!
Now that Briarcliff has closed its doors for good, I thought I would comment on the entirety of the season rather than doing a blow-by-blow (as I was doing over on my friend's site, which I am sorely behind on). Overall, this season impressed me far more than the first did. Season one felt like it still had some kinks to work out, or maybe some of the actors just didn't fit. The second season was not without its flaws, but it descended to a depth that was both shocking and, well, rather timely for the current situation we're living in (at least those of us in America).
Let's start with the bad. THE CONS
OK I don't know whose baby ralphed on Ryan Murphy, but can we stop with the potentially-demonic/potentially-christlike children? I get it, Rosemary's Baby, pregnancy is scary, hormones and bodily changes that you have no control over. It was more than well addressed in the first season with Michael; the three babies that came to life in this season were overkill. Not that I don't love Thomas, Julia, and Johnny all in their respective ways, but honestly, if there absolutely had to have been a baby the only one super pertinent to the story line was Johnny. The aliens could have easily been doing something else to people -- I mean, they gave Pepper intelligence and the ability to convey that intelligence. They brought Grace back to life. So why the breeding experiment? That wasn't explained very well, other than hey we can do it, so why not?
If I see another baby next season, I am turning the TV off.
If the kids are this old, they might get a pass. MAYBE.
I want to list this as a pro as well, but did it not seem that Jessica Lange and Evan Peters were essentially redoing Constance and Tate? Jude was not too far off from Constance to begin with, though obviously far less greedy; Kit on the other hand was certainly no serial killer/active shooter. But the wrap up between them seemed like closure for the first season when we see Constance grappling for some kind of foothold in her children's lives, even as that drives them toward their destruction. I know it's difficult to get away entirely from these characters and relationships when you're dealing with the same actors, but... Eh. It's not a huge con, but something that stuck out to me.
Oh, and the accents. They really could have lost them; Lange was losing hers and then finding it again every five minutes. Peters seemed to have a better hold on his, but I've never really heard a Jersey accent in person so I can't really be a judge there. But they were really the only two trying accents on for size, so I don't think it would have been remiss for the entire cast to go without.
The aliens. Perhaps not necessarily as a con, but as iterated above, their story line didn't make a whole lot of sense. But perhaps that was the point -- that there are things beyond our grasp, things we may never understand, which quite well underlines the tone of the entire season.
I know, Grace, I know. Trying to make sense of it all just makes my head hurt as well.
THE PROS
Oh man, where do I even start? Well, I'd love to start with the two leading ladies who seriously stole the show from Lange, despite her best efforts to fight back. I'm talking about Sarah Paulson and Lily Rabe.
Paulson, as Lana Winters, was just flat out amazing. I am so glad that they gave her something to really chew on this season, because her character in the first season was incredibly superfluous to explaining why Violet could see the ghosts. That whole aspect felt so shoehorned in. But Lana was a completely different character, and watching her evolution from a perky, wide-eyed little girl of a reporter into a hard hitting sleuth who's survived the worst of conditions really made the show for me. Murphy described the relationship between Paulson and Zachary Quinto as that of incredibly close friends, which allowed them to do such horrible scenes because they were so comfortable with one another.
One really tough cookie, especially when it came to that finale!
And Rabe, who also got a larger role and one completely opposite her first season character. In fact, one could even count Sister Mary as two separate characters, both pre- and post-demonic. But her delicious torturing and bedlam-inducing actions inside of Briarcliff were a real treat to watch. Seeing poor little Mary go from a sweet and clumsy do-gooder into this powerhouse of evil was fantastic. And the relationship between Mary and Arden (James Cromwell) was especially touching since it was removed from the usual 'star-crossed romance'. It was idealism and chivalry in its most base form, and the fact that it was between a Nazi and a nun just made it all the more strange and, well, unique.
Remember, when you look into the face of evil, evil will look right back. Don't blink.
I think the most interesting thing about this season, though, aside from the fantastic cast and the great script, is its timeliness. Mental health is becoming a huge issue in America, following several mass shootings. We've had 5 in 2013 alone, and we're not even out of January yet. Jails are becoming holding centers for people with severe mental illnesses because there's no where else for them to go. Very few know how to treat them, and those with the illnesses don't really know that they need treatment because our society stigmatizes these things while at the same time throwing products at you that will make your skin the right tone or your hair the right color. You can look at the images Lana Winters takes of Briarcliff in order to get it shut down are certainly not made up -- similar footage of such events took place in places like Willowbrook State School, which was only shut down in 1987. The jails in nearly every state in America are overflowing with inmates, many there because of mental issues, and still posing a threat to officers who work at those jails. Treatment for them is virtually nil, so then they are released back into the public because no one knows what to do with them.
Will people take this as a wake up call, though? Or is this just entertaining television? It's hard to say. Most people will probably just look at this season and think "it's 2012, that sort of thing doesn't happen anymore." Please get your head out of the sand and realize that horror in the media is just a reflection of horror in reality.
OK, getting off my soap box now. Overall, this season was a tremendous success in my opinion and I can't wait for the next. Hints are already flooding in that it's going to be something in the Salem Witch Trials, but my hopes are on New Orleans voodoo/hoodoo. Right now, three actors are slated to return -- Jessica Lange (of course), Evan Peters, and Taissa Farmiga. Who knows who else will sign up for another season of horror? Can we get Ian McShane back? Let me know what you thought of the show!
Sometimes when I pick a book, it’s not always because of a
review or an author’s name or even a recommendation. It can just be because of
the cover art. I’ve been guilty of this pretty often, though more often for
videos when video rental stores were still around. So Anna Dressed in Blood
came to my attention not because it’s got a good recommendation from Stephen
King, and nor because it’s a female voice in the horror genre (though that gets
it big stars in my book). The outside cover is dressed up in this very (ok,
yes, it’s pretty stereotypical) foreboding picture of a girl facing a house.
She’s dressed up in this pretty, lacy white dress with a pink sash. Her hair is
being swept up an away from her by a harsh wind that’s blowing through the portrait,
and the edge of her dress is coated in a deeper color than its sash. Frankly it
looks not unlike many a j-horror icon with long black hair curling as though it
were an entity with its own free will. Staring at the cover long enough makes
you hope that the girl never turns around.
The innards of the book do not quite live up to the cover –
there’s a very generic love story between a boy and a girl, but one that’s
twisted enough to keep your attention. The main character is Cas, a ghost
hunter who’s been looking for the spirit responsible for his father’s death
many years prior. He has a special blade that he uses to dispatch ghosts into what
he believes is a better plane of existence for them; he and his mother move
from place to place quite often, seeking out the most bizarre and terrifying
urban legends so that he might one day find the thing that ate his father. This
is how we learn of Anna Dressed in Blood, the titular character. For me, the
best parts of the book were descriptions of Anna – she’s a ghost who is forced
to kill anyone who enters her home. When we are initially introduced to her,
her story is a simple one: a girl on the way to a party all on her lonesome has
her throat slashed unceremoniously in an alley way where she’s found the next
morning. It certainly leaves the reader wondering how she came to be back in
her house, haunting it and killing anyone who sets foot inside.
The majority of the story revolves around Cas and Anna’s
relationship, and Cas’ obsession with freeing Anna from her curse. There are a
few other interesting characters – Thomas, a psychic, and Carmel, a sort of
Buffy stand-in – but the main two are the ghost and the ghost hunter. It’s your
typical Romeo and Juliet love story, only one’s already dead. The other
downsides to the book are that there aren’t any real rules for the ghosts;
their behaviors and abilities vary, especially Anna. She’s able to float
through walls and other objects, but she’s also able to grip a man and tear him
in two. It doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense, but when facing a
supernatural subject, little rarely ever does. There’s also the issue of the
villain of the piece, who ends up being a black character who is a
voodoo/hoodoo practitioner. There was a lot left to be desired when it came to
him, to be perfectly honest, but he did serve his purpose as the antagonist very
well.
The best part of this book, however, is the descriptions.
Kendare Blake wastes no words in describing the state of Anna’s victims, who
are plentiful throughout the novel, or in helping her reader visualize the
villain, who is quite bone-chilling to read about. When it comes to gore and
horrifying passages, Anna Dressed in Blood definitely has it, and it seems
incredibly surprising for something found in the Young Adult section that is
quickly taking over any and all book stores.
And then there came the sequel. After enjoying the first so
much, anticipating Girl of Nightmares was no easy feat – I was ready to dive
back into the realm of Anna and Cas, especially following the ending of Anna
Dressed in Blood. The second book gives more detail as to where the ghosts Cas
slays are going – and it’s not a pretty sight. Girl of Nightmares follows a
similar pattern to Anna Dressed in Blood in that Cas is struggling to rescue
Anna again, but Anna is left out of the majority of the book. I found this odd
and disconcerting, since she is, again, the titular character and essentially
the main selling point of the novel. She was one of my favorite characters, and
in the second novel she was reduced to little more than a damsel in distress
waiting for a knight in shining armor to come and save the day.
The second novel also suffered from a lot of other issues –
the story covers a wider geographic area, sending our heroes to England to find
a cult who may be the source of Cas’ knife, but there is little that really goes on in the first half of the book. By the
time we get to anything interesting (such as Cas and a competitor all but
committing suicide to pass over to the ghosts’ plane), it’s closer to the end
of the book, comprising maybe a quarter of it or less. There are very few what
you might describe as horror scenes in the book (with the exception of Cas' dreams of Anna, which he interprets as cries for help), instead choosing to focus more
on action and some deduction work that becomes incredibly tedious. There is one
interesting scene of the characters being forced to travel through a suicide
forest, but again with no specific rules on the ghosts, sometimes it seems a
bit jumbled. I would think that a second novel would be tighter than the first,
a better concept that was polished to completion, but it feels more like there
was a rush to get it out for public consumption.
Overall, I definitely recommend the first book. Maybe get
the second from a library, if you feel that you absolutely must read it to get
some closure from Anna Dressed in Blood.
Today's SHS comes to us already a winner at the San Diego Comic Convention, and it's easy to see why. While "The Insane" comes off as a generic Resident Evil knock off or spoof, the twist is where it'll get you. So sit back, enjoy some popcorn, and watch the show!
What it’s
about: After discovering an urban legend of a demented serial killer, who has
nothing but a carved 'smiley' on his face, a mentally fragile teen must decide
whether she is going insane - or will be the next victim.
Review: Smiley is, for all intents and purposes, a generic
slasher flick. But is it a successful slasher flick? Well, this is where people
might be divided. Me, I know exactly where I fall in the spectrum of people who
will consume this film, but first lets go over the finer points of it before we
get to a conclusion. Smiley, the titular character, is an urban legend that
grew out of the internet’s backwater forums not unlike 4chan, creepypasta, etc.
And he’s only got one thing inside his smiley little head. Or rather, big head…
It looks kind of like a growth, doesn’t it?
Kenneth Oppel returned with a sequel to This Dark Endeavor with Such
Wicked Intent. This book follows the same basic formula as the first:
following Konrad’s death, Victor swears off of alchemy and burns the Dark
Library, vowing to himself that he will abstain from all that he believes resulted
in his twin’s demise. This includes leaving Elizabeth, Konrad’s betrothed,
alone. Of course, we can’t have these things stay like this for forever, and
all too soon Victor is presented with a doorway into the spirit world, where he
finds his brother still trapped in an alternate version of their home.
Once again, Victor, Elizabeth, and Henry are working against
the clock to save Konrad. This time though, it’s from a far larger threat which
stems from their past – their ancestor’s past, that is. There’s no fan service
with a pop in from another historical face like there was with Dr. Polidori in
the first book, but instead the story this time focuses more on the idea of
bringing someone back to life. Much like the first book, it riffs off of the
original Frankenstein mythos, but takes it in a new direction. Rather than
being obsessed with dead flesh and the re-ignition of life, Victor and company
are introduced to a more Promethean kind of creation: clay.
The group finds a strange underground passage beneath the
family dwelling, one that’s full of catacombs and primitive drawings on the
walls. Further exploration reveals a kind of burial ground, where one large and
obviously revered grave is set. In the mortal plane, everything looks normal
and somewhat dull, but in the otherworldly setting, the grave pulses and gives
off a sort of life. It also sprouts out black butterflies, the reasoning for
which I won’t explain here since it will give away part of the ending. However,
the description of all of this is basically the best part of the book – once
again the subject matter is brought to life with tight and elegant prose,
something I absolutely love Oppel for.
Still, things are not as simple as they seem and the process
of creation, which seemed straight-forward, turns out to be working against
them for there’s another presence in the otherworldly house. Deep within the
house itself lies another dormant soul, one that’s looking to get out, and
plans to use what Victor and his friends are using to save his brother. All in
all, it quite veers away from what we all know as Frankenstein; while it still
deals within the realm of alchemy and the occult, I was surprised to see this
kind of…I don’t know, spiritualism come into play? But I had to keep reminding
myself that this was not the Frankenstein
mythos but a retelling or reconjuring of it.
Many other reviewers have called this sequel much darker
than its predecessor, and that’s not without truth. Victor, Elizabeth and Henry
are really dabbling with life and death in this book, and it even goes so far
as to change one of their personalities. Other, darker topics are touched upon.
The way the book flows had me believing that it would end in one fashion, but
then I was surprised to see that it was not. Rather, it was left open for
another sequel, which left me feeling a little miffed. I thought it would be a
natural course of events for the book to take a closer leaning toward the
mythos by introducing the Creature, but it does not (or rather it seems to for
a moment, but then dashes those hopes).
The ending of the book hints more at the Victor we all know,
which left me asking why this book was made at all – it seems like a detour on
the way to a larger story. Hopefully Oppel can clear up the reasoning behind
this bit, but all in all it’s still an enjoyable read.
I’m going to start this off by saying the creators of The
Walking Dead game are bad people and they should feel bad. This is, of course,
not to say that the game itself is bad – in fact, it’s fantastic. It’s
incredibly moving and every turn will present you with another hard hitting
question or decision that pushes you, as a survivor of the zombie apocalypse,
to your very limits.
The Walking Dead game is a point and click game (with a few
quick time events sprinkled throughout) developed by Telltale, the people who
brought us Tales of Monkey Island. It tells the story of Lee, a man convicted
of murder, and Clementine, an eight-year-old girl, as they try to survive
through the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. The two are brought together by
chance when the patrol car Lee is being transported in gets into an accident
with a walker and Lee must fight to survive. He finds Clementine along the way –
she’s hiding in her house, where she had been babysat while her parents were
away in Savannah.
The entire game hinges on the decisions you, as the player,
will make. Will you tell strangers about your past? Who's going to live and who's going to die? How are you going to keep everyone around you calm as more and more walkers continue to appear, hungering after your living flesh? Any and
all actions have intense repercussions, and often in ways that you could never
expect. The story itself is intensely gripping. Each character has their own
story and will react in their own way to the decisions you make.
Thus, every time you play and make a decision differently,
you alter the course of the game. Where one character might have died in your
first play through, they could live in your second. Outcomes, punishments and
justifications will all change as you move through the game in various ways.
And, man, the storylines in the game do not pull any punches. Some characters that
I at first hated I came to like, while others lost my respect due to different
reactions. Sometimes it didn’t quite make sense, or I imagined something I had
Lee say coming off in a different context, but I suppose that can be chalked up
to the stress that everyone would be under in an apocalypse.
The entire game is presented in a comic-book style, where
you can see lines and brush strokes coming off of the characters. This cartoony
representation in no way diminishes the gore – in fact, it makes it almost
worse. All of the characters are extremely expressive, with mobile faces and
large eyes. What’s also neat is that there are a variety of body shapes – no stick-figure
women and buff men are to be found here. Each character, even the walkers,
seems separately molded to fit into a world of varied people. The walkers tend
to look a little odd after a while, with skulls for faces, but in truth they’re
only a small part of the game. But yes, varied people of different shapes and sizes! Varied races! The main character is not a know-it-all white guy!
I don’t want to spoil any of the chapters, because honestly
they’re far more hard-hitting as you play through and discover the story along
the way. Some things will be painfully obvious, hinted at with an unsubtle
hand, but it’s all in the reveal. To offer you some kind of a measuring stick,
the show doesn’t have anything on this game in terms of storytelling. The only
thing I wished they’d done differently was make the puzzles harder. This game
is pretty easy to get through with a lot of basic observation and exploring
every nook and cranny. I suppose, then, the meat of the game is the story and
its characters, and it in no way disappoints.
I just hope you get a better initial ending than I did.
