The big day is here- Halloween!  And what better way for me to wrap up this year's month long celebration of all that's spooky, creepy, and scary than with a review of the latest offering in the " Halloween " franchise? It's been 40 years since Michael Myers went on his infamous killing spree in Haddenfield.  While being transferred to a new facility, he escapes... and heads straight for Haddenfield. Laurie Strode has been waiting in terror for the day that Michael would come home.  News of his escape sends her on a dangerous quest to protect those she loves... and leads her to a final showdown with the Boogeyman of her past... 2018's " Halloween " is what I would consider the perfect reboot of this franchise.  While the others in the series were fun, I found that the story threads tying them all together started to get silly and rather convoluted.  This installment goes back to the core concept of what Michael Myers is, and keeps it s

Did you honestly think I'd let this year's " Halloween Day by Day " go by without covering THIS particular theme? Shame on you, ye of little faith! John Carpenter's musical theme to his first movie is just a masterpiece of horror movie music.  It's a pulse quickening, uneasy melody that matches your racing heart and panicked thoughts.  It always sounds as if it's coming from the shadows behind you- just like the stealthy stalking of Michael Myers himself.  The different layers of tones and melodies keeps changing sides, and makes you look over your shoulder at any little sound in your empty house. This theme is the sound of slow, inevitable fear and death coming for the unwary- relentless in it's approach, unyielding in it's mission, uncompromising in it's plans for you. It is the sound of " Halloween ", the night death came home. My words can't do this piece of music justice, really.  Just listen to it bel

Ever have one of those nights where you just wanted to tell your neighbours to shut the fuck up...? You're trying to sleep one night when a nearby party wakes you up.  It's been going on every night... and you've had enough.  Donning a mask, and grabbing your kitchen knife, you go to work... bringing sweet silence to the streets you stalk. .. " Party Hard " by Pinoki Games is a simple, fun game to play.  The mechanics are easy:  kill people where you won't be seen, sabotage items for accidents.  While it's a simple game to play, it's not an "easy" game to play in that you HAVE to think and strategize about how and when you're going to strike.  The levels also get progressively harder and more challenging as well. I like the story that's played out between the levels as well.  It's not complicated or overly deep, but still adds to the game in a nice way. The graphics are sprite based, and are a great throw back t

2003 saw a TV series hit the air that tried to answer the eternal question:  Who IS the Grim Reaper...? A faulty toilet falling from the Space Station accidentally hits teenaged Georgia- killing her.  What she couldn't possibly have expected is that her soul would be tapped by the administrative system of the afterlife... as a Grim Reaper... " Dead Like Me " is a charming and fun comedy series that treats death with humour, and sincerity at the same time.  The world is well crafted, and pretty coherent from episode to episode. The characters are unique, interesting, and emotionally engaging.  They are believable people, who you come to care about, and even relate to as they deal with the baggage left from their past Life, and their current Death. I really enjoyed the performances from the actors.  They all brought a nice solidity and reality to their roles.  Ellen Muth as Georgia was especially wonderful to watch.  She brought a nice dry sense of humou

If you're a collector, then you're all aware of what Funko Pops are- "cute" little figures based on all sorts of movie, television, and comic book characters.  Well, I've compiled a list of the Top Five Horror Funko Pops I Want... Alien Face Hugger-  Let's start with one from one of my favorite franchises: "Aliens".  The Face Hugger is an iconic alien terror that brings tremors of fear to pretty much anyone that thinks about what it does to you. But hey, it's also giving you free hugs, so it's not ALL bad... right? I don't think a collector of "Aliens" merch would wish to NOT have this one in their inventory. And let's face it... it's kinda cute... in a creepy sort of way, right? Right Ash-  Seriously, given my love of horror and comedy, you all had to expect that Ash from the "Evil Dead" franchise would be on this list. This one just looks really cool, with Ash bearing his tr

As October nears its end, we offer up one more seasonal beer for you to possibly check out:  Red Collar Brewing's Squash Gourdon... To say that the label is shit simple would be an understatement.  It's orange.  With a squash on it, and the name of the brew.  So simple, a squash could figure out what it's all about. Compared to the other two brews I've reviewed this month, I must confess that this label is probably my least favorite.  It's just a little bland for my visual tastes.  The rather rough look of the squash, and the odd nature of the font makes it feel a little amateurish and possibly a little rushed to me. If Red Collar Brewing had been located in Kamloops, I'm afraid this label would've made me pass it by. However, I am glad I didn't just move by it while perusing the liquor store. It's got a nice deep amber colour, and holds a decent head of foam as well.  The first sip certainly lets you know that

Superhero movies have become a huge part of the movie industry over the past eleven years.  Horror has also gained a bit more "respectability" within the movie industry as well.  It was only natural- and a matter of time before someone put the two together... An alien spacecraft crash lands on a small farm.  The Beyers find within it a survivor... a baby.  As the boy reaches his teen years, he starts to exhibit strange powers, and the Beyers begin to wonder: Will this child from the stars become Earth's savior...? I can't say enough positive things about 2019's " Brightburn " by James Gunn, Kenneth Huang, and David Yarovesky.  The idea of a "dark" Superman story has been done often enough before by DC Comics in their Elseworlds comics, but this movie takes it to a new level, and makes it much more visceral and fascinating to watch.  The progression of the story is natural and quite believable- pulling you along willingly.  The

One of my favorite Stephen King novels (next to " The Shining " of course), is " The Dead Zone ".  I'm also a huge fan of the movie version starring Christopher Walken. I mean- It's CHRISTOPHER WALKEN! *coughs and calms down from his fanboy fever* Anyway, back in 2002, when I heard that they were going to produce a " The Dead Zone " TV series, I was stoked. Since I don't watch TV, I waited until the first season was on DVD, and binged it.  I binged it hard.  Like two teens hiding the bushes at the local make-out spot hard. I loved it.  The first season follows the novel for the most part:  Johnny Smith is in a car accident that puts him in a coma for six years.  When he comes out of it, he discovers that he has psychic abilities to give him visions upon touching someone.  After rubbing shoulders with congressional candidate, Johnny is then sent on a path to prevent a possible nuclear apocalypse from occurring. Since t

Horror movies are the stuff of nightmares.  Sometimes, the nightmare IS the horror movie.  Sometimes, horror movie music makes that nightmare all the more real... 1984 saw the start of the " A Nightmare on Elm Street " franchise- and in doing so, gave the horror world a truly classic horror icon in the shape of Freddy Krueger... and an equally iconic theme. This piece of music is both dreamlike, and nightmarish at the same time.  It walks the line between the two realms with etheral wind sounds, and low pulsing beats of the heart.  The combination of wind instruments, guitar, and synth sounds add up to a really mysterious and otherworldly song.  The ever changing melody and rhythm create an slow building of unease as you sense the creature in the shadowy depths of your bedroom slowly creeps up to whisper in your ear. The layers of sounds, rhythms, and tunes lay on each other, adding a heaviness of mood that reflects the overall tone of the movie.  It almost s

Many games are a time for friends and family to get together, share some laughs, and enjoy each others company... And sometimes, it's a time to stalk your prey through the shadows of the night... and kill them... Ultimate Werewolf   by Bezier Games is a pretty simple, but fun game to play.  Each player draws a card with a role attached to it- either a "Villager" role, or a "Werewolf" role.  Each role has a unique ability and win condition.  The goal is simple:  Werewolves need to kill enough Villagers to gain numerical superiority, while the Villagers need to kill the Werewolf. Play is broken up into two phases:  Night and Day (duh!).  At night, those with night related abilities get to use them during their turn- and the Werewolves get to kill a Villager.  During the day, everyone tries to figure out and vote on who the Werewolf is... before killing them. This is a fun game that tests how well you know the quirks of the other players, and how

During this years, 24 hour horror movie tweet along, I tweeted along to a British horror film called " Angst ", and I felt it deserved a few words... Helen can't have sex... because her talking vagina devours men. Dennis can't follow through on his love for Helen... because he's wanted for the murder of a conjoined twin. What fate awaits these two... and all those that get involved in their lives? 2003's " Angst " (also called " Penetration Angst "), by director Wolfgan Buld, was a painful experience for me. The story was just a rambling mess of nonsensical gibberish: talking vaginas, conjoined twins, a bank robbing stripper, a panty sniffing cop, and a rapist in a gimp mask who's crippled by a stuffed bunny on the stairs. Oh.. and the fakest mustache in history: A horror all its own... The characters were all just fucked right up- ALL of them.  The cop fiance is a panty sniffer, the gyno is a rapist,

We all know that several horror movie killers are based on real life serials (with Ed Gein being the most prolific template), right?  Well, I've found five lesser known American serial killers that I think would serve as a great basis for horror movies. So, here are my Top Five Lesser Known Serial Killers to Make a Movie About! H.H. Holmes-  In 1887, Holmes started construction on a hotel... but it wasn't an ordinary hotel.  The hotel was designed so that he could move about unnoticed, select his victims, then kill them before sending them down chutes to the basement. There, Holmes would dissect the corpses- the skeletons and organs of which he would then sell to medical schools in the area.  During this time period, few medical schools asked questions about where such things came from. To learn more, check out his   Wikipedia Page ! The Postcard Killer:  J. Frank Hickey committed his first murder at the age of 18.  From there, he would wander the co