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Halloween Day by Day: "The Panic Room: House of Secrets" (2016/Steam)

  Horror is usually most satisfying when it's intense and pulse poundingly fast.  Sometimes, though- taking your time can be just as fun... A mysterious person calling himself, "The Puppeteer" has kidnapped you, and imprisoned you in an old mansion.  The only way you and his other 'puppets' can escape is to play his game, win access to more of the house until you're finally free. " The Panic Room: House of Secrets " is a hidden object game, where you look for objects hidden in each room of the house.  Completing each list earns you rewards- and 'Freedom Points", which level you up so you can gain access to other rooms. While the mechanics are pretty simple, there are some nice variations that bring a nice amount of replayability to each room.  There are different modes that pose different challenges- such as "night mode" where your view is limited by the light of your flashlight, and "silhouette mode", where the list is i...
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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 " ...

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  Susan has withdrawn from the world  after her divorce from her abusive husband.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 ...

"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, ...