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Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

  In every franchise, there are installments that don't quite work at continuing the story... and others that not only perfectly conclude one part of it, but open up a new chapter of possibility... Callie Spengler and her children have been evicted from their home, and forced to move to her estranged father's "dirt farm".  As she struggles with her memories of his abandonment, her daughter Phoebe discovers a ghost trap that had been hidden by her deceased grandfather.  Soon, Phoebe, her brother Trevor, and new friend Podcast uncover a supernatural threat and the return of an old enemy of The Ghostbusters... After the less than stellar performance and reception of " Ghostbusters: Answer the Call " (2016), fans of the franchise were cautiously optimistic about the announcement that there was to be a direct sequel to " Ghostbusters II " (1989).  Fortunately, this sequel proved to be everything they needed, and wanted from a " Ghostbusters "
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Demon Seed (Dean Koontz)

  Susan has withdrawn from the world  after her divorce from her abusive husband.  Her mansion contains state of the art household automation.  She is secure from the dangers of modern Life.  She is safe from an unsafe world... Too bad her mansion had other ideas... The idea of a Alexa/Siri controlled house going haywire may sound like something written within the past decade, but you might be surprised that Dean Koontz actually wrote this book back in 1973. That's right.  Just five years after " 2001: A Space Odyssey " hit theatres, Koontz wrote this book brining HAL to a more personal level, while predicting the advent of programs like Alexa and Siri. This book is actually a pretty quick read at 301 pages.  The story progresses and builds at a steady and fast pace.  The writing is smooth and seamless as the tension and events unfold before you.  I lost track of time as I turned page after page.  I loved that this book was written from the perspective of the errant AI. 

"Re-Animator" Herbert West Figure (Reel Toys)

 Horror fans enjoy surrounding themselves with items connected to their passion.  It can be Halloween masks, movie posters, prop replicas or collectible figures. This week, I'm going to show you one of the collectible figures I've recently acquired- Reel Toys' " Re-Animator " Herbert West! The "bubble box" for the figure is pretty simple, but effective.  I like the balance between the figure and the illustration on the front.  The packaging also gives you a clear look at all the bibs and bobs that come with the figure. The illustration is great in my opinion.  It stretches across the whole of the packaging- providing a nice background for the figure.  The art style is nicely atmospheric and moody without going over the top. In fact, the backing card illustration is suitable for collecting on its own.  The artist- Justin Osbourn, did a great job with it. The reverse of the backing card is also pretty good.  There's a nice harmony between the font, tex

Let Me In (2010)

  One phenomena of the North American film industry is the practice of taking successful and popular European and Asian horror films, and Americanizing them.  Some are as successful as their original source materials, others not as much... and some leave you wondering if the process was necessary... Owen is a young boy growing up in a broken household.  Isolated, and neglected, he faces brutal bullying at school that further pushes him towards a breakdown and violence... Then Abby moves in.  Abby makes him smile.  Abby makes him feel special.  Abby make him feel wanted. Abby needs blood... 2010's " Let Me In " is an Americanized version of the Swedish film " Let the Right One In "- which is based on a novel of the same name.  The story is fairly simple to follow, yet deep enough to keep you mentally and emotionally engaged.  There are no wasted moments in the story- every scene helps to support every other story element.  This is lean, smooth story telling at it