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Showing posts from 2013

The Corner of Terror... Back From the Dead!

Greetings, everyone.  You may have been wondering where I've been, and what I've been doing since about March 2013... and why this blog went dead. Well, Life has a way of taking you out of the game for a while- and such is what happened to me.  A combination of a new job and moving resulted in my having to put my reviews in Limbo for awhile. Now, however... I am rising from the grave to bring you more reviews of horror movies, books and games! There will be some changes occurring over the next couple of months.  Some of those changes are: "What Movie Wednesday"- Due to the way my work schedule is set-up, I don't have every Wednesday off- so I won't be able to do my weekly voting and tweet-along.  To make up for this, I will be creating a page here that will show a schedule of tweet-along dates, 24 hour tweet-along dates, review postings, and any other special events that I might be able to conduct. Navigation-  I'd like to make things a little

Why Vampires Shouldn't Sparkle

Now, before everyone starts screaming that this joke is old and tired, let me just say that there is a reason why the title is as it is. Because it's not just "Twilight" that's guilty of a sin against horror.  It's any book, movie, or game that tries to humanize monsters. Vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc are monsters for a reason.  They are cursed creatures- meant to symbolize the darkest parts of our Society and ourselves. Vampires symbolize the parasitic, greedy, lustful, cold hearted parts of Society.  They are predators that prey on the innocent in order to survive.  They lust for the life blood of those around them, seeing mortals as nothing more than cattle- contemptuous because the living have souls, while they are souless, empty shells greedily trying to fill themselves up with life. Kinda like a large corporation or government when you think about it. Vampires are supposed to have no soul (part of being cursed and undead), they're miss

Dark Fall: Lights Out (2002)

In the world of movies and books, sequels are seldom as original or enjoyable as the first installment.  The same can be said of video games ... You are a cartographer in 1912 sent to map out a piece of dangerous coastline.  Finding a lighthouse nearby, you become wrapped up in an investigation to find out why lighthouse keepers have been disappearing over the years... and you must find the answer before you become the next one to vanish after the lights go out ... This is the second game in the " Dark Fall " series- with " Dark Fall: The Journal " being the first.  You can't really call this game a sequel, since there is no real connection to " The Journal ".  The only connection is that the female paranormal investigator that went missing in " The Journal " makes an appearance. There is a vast difference between the graphics in this game, and the original.  In " The Journal ," the artwork is more drawn and moody, while

Demonic (2006)

In most horror films, you can be guaranteed of three "B's"- Boobs, Butts, and Blood.  Some of them, rely on just those three things to draw an audience... A group of friends are travelling when they become lost in the middle of a forest.  An accident strands them in the woods, where people have gone missing... and flesh eating creatures roam the shadowy trees ... " Demonic " (also known as " Forest of the Damned " won as this week's, " What Movie Wednesday " selection, and offered up plenty of the three "B's" mentioned above.  Unfortunately, that was all that was appealing about this film. I liked the premise- angels that lusted after man and fell to earth in disgraceg the woods eating people.  Too bad the only real indications of the creatures' angelic origins was a biblical quote at the start, and a couple of crazed rants by two people.  The concept could've added a lot more depth to the story, and adding m

The Prospector's Curse (2013)

We've got a quick review of the short film " The Prospector's Curse " today for you. Two fugitives come across a dying prospector who asks them for a proper Christian burial . Stealing his gold, the two ignore his request. That night however, they find that keeping a promise is a good policy to have ... " The Prospector's Curse " was written and directed by Josh Heisie, and stars Robert Nolan, David Roberts, and Johnny Quinn . Heisie has stated that this is actually just the first of a series of shorts that will focus on various horror themes- thrillers, creature features, and slasher films . If they're as fun to watch as this one was, I'm looking forward to a chance to watch the others. The premise is simple and effective- it could've supported a feature length storyline, actually. I also liked the characters of "Tubby" and Smith. They were unique and interesting. I enjoyed the way these two characters interacted

Take a "Chance" on "Something Like a Phenomenon"

  Last year, around this time, I reviewed a short film by the name of " The Timeslip " by Jonathan and Richard Chance.  I was quite impressed with this award winning short, and made it quite clear that I would love to see what they could do with a feature length film .  I was also pleased to have John answer some of my " Grave Questions " Several months ago, John let it slip that he was working on a feature length project called, " Somthing Like a Phenomenon "- based on the events that took place in the famous Borley Rectory .  The story centers around the renown paranormal investigator , Harry Price , and the year he spent investigating the rectory with fifty volunteers. The script made it to the semi-finals of the 2012 Shriekfes t competition, and has begun production.  John was kind enough to send us a poster for the movie! I love the look of this poster.  It not only echoes the visual style of posters from the late 1930's, but also h

Room 33 (2009)

Abandoned facilities such as mental institutions are an often used location in horror films .  It wasn't much different with the recent " What Movie Wednesday " winner, " Room 33 ". When their vehicle runs out of gas, a female roller derby team, and the couple they offered a ride to are forced to take shelter for the night in an abandoned mental institution .  They soon meet Roxy - a scared teenager with a mysterious connection to the facility... and the killer that is now stalking them from the shadows ... The premise, while not what one could call "original" these days is still one that promises potential.  The actual story used, however is pretty shallow and amounts to tedious repetition of characters being scared, concerned for Roxy, being bitchy and being killed.  There is very little in the way of emotionally engaging moments... or scares even.  The opportunities to explore the reasons for what was happening were wasted- rather than clear t

The Werewolf vs Vampire Women (1971)

Two of the creatures of the night that seem to be pitted against each other in horror movies are werewolves and vampires.  This was no different back in the 1970's than it is now... Elvira and Genevieve are searching for the grave of a medieval murderess and alleged vampiress when they are stuck in the middle of nowhere.  Fortunately, Count Daninsky lives nearby in a secluded castle.  He offers to help them search for the tomb... but only because within it may lay the key to curing of his curse.  It seems the Count is an immortal werewolf ... " The Werewolf vs Vampire Women " (original title, " La Noche de Walpurgis ") is a Spanish horror film that helped to create a horror movie boom in Spain . The premise is actually one that kinda makes me shake my head.  Not because it's stupid or anything- but rather because such pairings tend to lead to a rather silly movie.  And when one stops and examines this movie, it is rather silly... or course, tha

The Tell-Tale Heart (1960)

One of the perennial favorites when it comes to horror in general is Edgar Allan Poe.  His tales of the macabre and the unusual provide fertile soil for directors and actors when it comes to cultivating the heebie jeebies in people... Edgar is a quiet, retiring sort of person- much too shy of a person to ask his beautiful neighbour out for a date.  On the advice of his friend Carl , Edgar asks Betty out... only to find out later that the two have started an affair behind his back.  Taking matters into his own hands, he soon discovers that the heartbeat of guilt is a difficult one to stop... This " What Movie Wednesday " winner (part of last Wednesday's double feature), is a loose adaptation of Poe's famouse short story .  While there are several major differences between this movie and the source material, the spirit and core premise is still there.  For such a simple movie, the story is strong and solid.  Normally, the ending (similar to that of " Point