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Showing posts from October, 2018

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

Just as it wouldn't be Christmas without watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas", it wouldn't be Halloween without watching, " It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown "... so I did. It's Halloween, and the Peanuts gang is trick or treating... except for Linus. He's waiting... waiting for the mysterious Great Pumpkin to rise, and bringing Halloween goodness to the world. I'm probably going to sound biased since I've been a fan of Charlie Brown since I was a kid, but that's because I am biased. LOL This is one of those cartoons that is just a relaxing, charming tradition for me.  There's an innocence to it that is charming, and allows you to forget the sort of things that are part of our modern world.  There's no moral to the story- you're not being preached to about this thing or that thing.  It's simply meant to make you smile and forget your cares for a bit. Yes, the animation is dated- but in my opinion, that

Ouija (2014)

I suspect that everyone, at one point or another, has either played- or thought of playing with a Ouija board. After her friend dies, Laine Morris and her friends use a Ouija board to contact her... Too bad, they reached the wrong person... The idea isn't a bad one.  It could support some decent scares and story- as demonstrated by the fact that there's a page dedicated to listing movies with Ouija boards .  This 2014 offering however, falls short of what it could've been. The story itself isn't bad.  It's just not executed well.  There's no real suspense.  Most of the scares are variations of the jump scare that seems to becoming a huge part of the genre lately.  The writing felt lazy and... well, meh. Ditto for the characters.  They're not developed very well, and it was hard to feel anything beyond apathy for most of them.  Once again, meh. I'm just going to say that the acting was meh as well.  Just, meh. I was just left feeling, meh

Friday the 13th: The Game (2017)

It is inevitable that movies eventually get turned into a game, including horror movies.  " Friday the 13th " is no exceptional. This is mainly an online multi-player game, though it does have a limited offline single player mode.  I wouldn't mind seeing a sort of campaign mode added at some point to give it more options for playability. I don't have much to complain about this game, actually.  You, and up to seven other players are in a match.  One of you plays Jason, while the others are all "camp counsellors".  Jason's aim is to kill the counsellors (naturally), while the counsellors try to either survive to the end of the time- or escape. As a counsellor, you move around the map from one cabin to another collecting items to aid your survival.  Along the way, you can also find parts of the escape car or boat- or you can find the parts to repair the phone, and call the cops.  In addition, there's a way to contact Tommy Jarvis, and resurrec

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Main Theme

Halloween is made for nightmares.  And horror movies are all about making nightmares real.  One of the best ones is "A Nightmare on Elm Street" from 1984.  Today, I take a quick look at the main theme. The notes that open up this piece are dreamlike and misty before taking a turn into the dark realm of nightmares.  The whole piece feels like that ever encroaching shadow in the corner of the eye- the one that shifts and fades when you try to look at it... only for it to gently caress your cheek with it's razor sharp claw from behind you. The music pulses and thumps rhythmically like the heartbeat of a person in the throes of a horrific vision flashing upon their closed eyelids- a vision they can't wake up from.  You feel the dread as shapeless, nameless horrors flit about in the crevices and hollows of your sleeping mind.  The music stalks you without remorse. I love this particular piece.  It is so unique and fits in with the franchise, and Freddy Krueger so

The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

I'm heading out for vacation today (don't worry I've got a bunch of stuff scheduled to auto-publish as part of #HalloweenDayByDay!), so I figured I would watch and review the 2012 film, " The Cabin in the Woods". A group of college friends go to an isolated cabin for the weekend.  But it's not your garden variety cabin.  There's something sinister under it.  Something sinister that is the only thing standing between them... and a greater threat. I was actually a little hesitant to watch this film for awhile, as I suspected it would be a mere copy of " The Evil Dead ", or " Cabin Fever ".  But in the end, I'm glad I did- and I was pleasantly surprised. The concept- on the surface, is pretty simple and basic... but it's the parallel story going on that takes this concept, and makes it unique.  The way the two stories thread together and combine make you wonder what's going on- keeping you actively engaged and wanting

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2011)

Comics have come a long way in regards to being an acceptable form of entertainment- as has horror.  Which is why I was glad to find a horror comic movie... and Italian one no less. Dylan Dog is a private investigator... one who used to be the investigator of choice for the undead. Until an incident turned him into a pariah in the undead community. But now... a long dormant evil is waking up... and Dylan's in the thick of things again... The concept of a Private Investigator who's client were the undead really caught my attention.  The fact that it was based on an Italian comic really made me take notice.  It's a cool idea that I had to check out. The story itself was quite well done.  It was well paced, and developed the world in such a way that drew you into it, and moved you along with little bumpiness.  It had a nice modern sort of detective noir tone and feel to it that I quite liked. The characters were great as well.  Dylan Dog, Marcus, Elizabeth, Wolf

Five Legendary Monster I Want to See in a Movie

Monsters are a staple in the horror genre.  They predate written history.  They serve as warnings about the dangers in the world around us- and the dangers inside us.  They scare us, and they fascinate us.  They are the first true horrors of the genre. So, with that in mind, I present a list of five legendary monsters I'd like to see in a movie: 1.  Sea Bishop:  A sea creature claimed to have been captured in the 16th Century, and presented to King of Poland and some Bishops.  It was half fish, and half human.  Upon being released into the sea again, it made the sign of the cross and disappeared 2.  Gorgon:  Any of the Gorgon Sisters.  Women that had been cursed with a face that turned people to stone, and a head of writhing, hissing, venomous snakes for hair. 3.  Jinn:  Arabian spirits that can either be demonic, or angelic.  The basis of the spirit called a genie. 4.  Minotaur:  A man with a bull's head that lives at the centre of a labyrinth that required a sacr

Cloverfield (2008)

Is it just me, or is New York becoming the new Tokyo of monster movies? A group of friends have a going away part interrupted by something very loud... and large, destroying New York. This is their footage.  This is their story... I have to admit that I wasn't really all that interested in seeing this movie because of the found footage aspect of it... but I figured I'd give it a shot. The story:  Big Monster attacks city.  Army is fighting monster.  Non-army main characters are trying to save a friend while avoiding the monster. There were some decent moments during this film- but nothing that really made me go, "cool", or "that's new and interesting".  To be honest, this movie is actually pretty standard for the genre.  Not bad, but not exactly outstanding in my opinion. I had a hard time engaging with most of the characters- possibly because the acting was fairly... meh. There are some great visuals, though when you see the monster in

Weird War Tales: Issue 107 (Jan 1982)

Growing up, I loved comics.  I especially loved the creepy ones... the odd ones... the weird ones.  DC Comics had one that mixed two of my favorite comic genres: war, and horror. From 1971 to 1983, this comic presented short stories of supernatural war stories.  I rather miss this series, and would love to have it return to publication. Today, I'll be examining Issue 107.  I like the cover art- which was done by the comic legend Joe Kubert.  His art was always so interesting and atmospheric.  The details he put into his panels, the way he used shadows and perspective was just genius. Story One : " Seize the Time !"  In this short story, time travellers from 1989 travel back to the past to prevent the take over of their homeland. This is certainly an interesting concept, and the execution was fairly good considering they only had five pages to tell it.  To be honest, this story could easily be extended to a fairly decent sized graphic novel in it's own right

7 Days to Die (2013)

When it comes to computer games, one of the biggest genres in recent years is the "Survival" genre.  One of the most prominent ones has been " 7 Days to Die ". The end of the world has occurred.  All that's left is you... and the hungry undead. Scavenge supplies.  Craft weapons.  Build your safe place.  Survive the Blood Moon. Survive... if you can... The Fun Pimps created a zombie survival game that is commonly described as, "Minecraft if it was a survival horror movie".  And it's a fairly apt description.  You have to find resources in order to craft and upgrade weapons, armour, and structures- all while surviving an unending stream of zombie stalkers. The concept is a great one, and is actually one that's really well suited to the horror genre.  This concept is aided in how it's executed. The mechanics are pretty simple to grasp, and fairly intuitive in that you don't have to waste time trying to figure out where every

Top Ten Stephen King Adaptations

I can easily be described as a pretty serious- almost hardcore Stephen King fan.  I just absolutely love his books.  I also really enjoy seeing what film makers do with his books as well. So, without much further blather from me, here is a list of my favorite adaptations of Stephen King horror books (in chronological order): "Carrie" (1976); "Cujo" (1983); "The Dead Zone" (1983); "Christine" (1983); "Pet Semetary" (1989); "Misery" (1990); "Secret Window" (2004); "The Mist" (2007); "Carrie" (2013); "IT: Chapter One" (2017). There you have it.  What are some of your favorite Stephen King adaptations?

Psycho (1960) Main Theme

I don't think that a discussion about horror movie themes would be complete without visiting one of the true classics- the main theme for the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film, "Psycho", which was composed by Bernard Hermann. This piece is not as simple in appearance as the ones for "Halloween" or "Friday the 13th".  It is very orchestral in nature.  There are layers of string instruments, percussions, and wood wind instruments.  Each layer is like a personality unto itself, with each dancing around each other, vying for dominance over the main... much like the conflict between Norman Bates and "Mother". The music flows from a calm, idyllic, though wary "Norman" type of personality to a more discordant, jealous, vengeful "Mother" type of sound.  The "Norman" parts are a great contrast with the "Mother" parts.  Really expresses the emotional conflict between the two halves of the Norman Bates. The stri

It: Chapter One (2017)

One of the most talked about horror movies in 2017 was the most recent adaptation of Stephen King's " IT ". Well, it's 2018, and I'm going to be talking about it. What?  Too soon? The small town of Derry, Maine has been plagued for centuries by strange disappearances of children.  Unknown to the residents, something sleeps beneath them, waiting until it's time to feed again. But it's waking up now... and only a group of teenagers called "The Losers" can save them... The book it self is long.  Really long.  Which is why it had been done as a mini-series back in 1990, and has been split up into two movies- with this one being " Chapter One ".  The two movie breakdown is actually quite appropriate since the book is pretty much two stories.  The first one is from the teenage perspective, while the second is from an adult perspective. The characters in this chapter were really well done, and likeable.  You come to sympathize w

Five Actresses I'd Like to See in a Horror Movie

One of the key parts of the horror movie genre is that of the "Scream Queen"- those women that make a living, and a name for themselves by starring in predominantly horror movies.  Without them, the genre wouldn't be what it is. But what about actresses that haven't been in a horror movie?  What sort of roles would they play?  Would they perfect for a slasher movie, a psychological thriller, or an old school ghost story? Well, what follows is a list of five actresses I personally would love to see in a horror movie: 1.  Julie Andrews:  I can say without a doubt that she tops my list, because it would be such a departure from the family friendly roles she's known for (ie- "Mary Poppins", "The Sound of Music", "The Princess Diaries", etc).  I could see her in the role of the traumatized, and guilt ridden matriarch in a remake of Coppola's 1963 "Dementia 13". 2.  Dame Margaret Smith:  Better known as "Maggie

The Children (2008)

Halloween and children go together like peanut butter and jam.  Murder and children... not so much, right?  You might be surprised... Two families come together to share the holidays together, and ring in the New Year. Unfortunately, their children start to fall ill, and act irrationally. The New Year's going to be rung in with murderous intent this year... The story's concept brings to mind the classic " The Children of the Corn ", in that it too has kids killing adults.  That is where the similarities end though.  While the other film gives a fairly cohesive reason as to WHY the kids have turned against adults, " The Children " does not.  It's simply waved off as a virus.  There's no clue given as to why the virus does this... and given the reveal later, there's no mention of something similar happening elsewhere on the news or anything.  It's an interesting concept that unfortunately has the holiness of a soup strainer when exam

Unfriended (2014)

Social Media is a huge part of our lives.  It keeps us connected to friends and family, and news.  It allows us to share our lives with a multitude of people. But, it has a dark side as well. Blaire Lily and her friends are talking on Skype, when a mysterious seventh person logs in.  Soon, they learn that they are the target of a vengeful killer determined to expose their roles in the suicide of a fellow classmate... even if it means killing them one by one... This is going to be a fairly short review. Why? Because this movie isn't very good.  Period. The concept is interesting, but is also heavily influenced by movies like " I Know What You Did Last Summer ".  Interesting, but overused. The characters aren't very sympathetic from the start- except for maybe Blaire.  They're all just callous, self-centered shits.  Their "secrets", ultimately aren't very shocking because you're already convinced that they would do such mean-spirite

Friday the 13th (1980) Main Theme

I'm back with a quick look at another iconic horror movie theme.  This time it's the one for "Friday the 13th". Just like the theme for "Halloween", this one is deceptively simple.  There isn't a huge diversity of notes or rythms in this piece, but they are still effective at giving us that feeling that something is in the woods watching us... waiting for us... getting nearer and near with each breath we take. The music is the sound of inevitable Death, and lets us know that we can run- but we can not hide. The notes and chords are discordant- reflecting the insanity flowing through the killer's veins- the rampaging thoughts driving them to murder... the chaos of trying to avoid our Fates. One of the most iconic parts is the "Ki ki ki… ma ma ma" whispered through out.  It is like a religious chant... a mantra of destruction... the obsessive single note ringing in the ears of the psychopath. This piece is truly one of the genre&

Salem's Lot (1979)

Vampires.  Stephen King.  Halloween Day By Day.  The Corner of Terror. A match made in heaven, right? Writer Ben Mears returns to his home town of Salem's Lot to write about the local "haunted house"- the Marsten House.  His arrival seems to herald a plague: children disappearing... locals feeling tired and run down... and growing fear and suspicion. Did Ben bring death to Salem's Lot... or did Straker, another mysterious stranger. And who exactly is the never seen Kurt Barlow? 1979 saw Stephen King's novel " Salem's Lot " adapted for television.  This novel is one of King's more iconic works, and a great modern take on the classic, " Dracula ".  I'll save a review of the book for another time.  Today, we're going to discuss the mini-series. The story is essentially based on Bram Stoker's classic.  It is however nicely updated for a more modern audience, and set in a more grounded population.  It progressed ni

Five Horror Novels I'd Love to See as Movies

I love movies.  And I love books.  So it's only natural that I'd love movies based on books, right? Right. So, without too much ado, here are five horror novels I'd love to see as a movie: 1.  "Bag of Bones" (Stephen King)- Widow Mike Noonan returns to his summer house after his wife passed away.  Soon, he is drawn into a ghostly mystery of what the local millionaire, Max Devore wants with three year old Kyra... and how it's connected to an old curse that was put upon the town by blues singer Sara Tidwell... 2.  "The Servants of Twilight" (Dean Koontz)-  After Christine Scavello and her son, Joey are accosted in a mall parking lot by a crazed lady they find themselves being stalked by a mysterious cult.  Hiring detective Charlie Harrison, they hope to discover what the cult wants with her son, and stop them.  What they discover leads them down a rabbit hole of religious fervor as they learn the cultist are willing to die... and kill in ord

Happy Death Day (2018)

Birthdays are great.  Dying on them, not so great.  Having to repeat your birthday over and over again?  Hilarious... It's Theresa's birthday today.  After going to a party, a masked person kills her in a dark tunnel. It's Theresa's birthday today.  After going to a party, she goes straight home... but a masked person kills her in her bedroom. It's Theresa's birthday today.  It will always be Theresa's birthday unless she can identify and stop the masked person from kill her again... and again... and again . " Happy Death Day " is essentially " Groundhog Day " meets " Scream ".  A great concept, that is executed extremely well.  The story is surprisingly well developed and engaging, while utilizing the same framework of events over and over again. The characters to, are well crafted and rounded.  All of them get some depth and growth as the story progresses.  You come to like both Theresa and Carter- the boy whose d

Five Canadian Hauntings I'd Like to See on the Big Screen

Every country has their famous ghosts and hauntings- Canada included.  Often, famous hauntings will be turned into movies (a la "The Conjuring").  Well, today I'd like to present my list of five Canadian hauntings I'd love to see turned into movies. 1.  The Great Amherst Mystery- During the 1870's in the small Nova Scotia town of Amherst, the cottage of Esther Cox and her family was plagued by poltergeist activity.  Some of the activity experienced were small fires, moving objects, Esther's limbs swelling to abnormal size, and the words "Esther Cox, you are mine to kill." appearing on the wall. I have always been fascinated by this case, and would love to see it on the big screen. 2.  The Old Hag of Newfoundland-  Many Newfoundlanders believed that a certain type of sleep disorder was caused by "The Old Hag", who would lie on people's chest, giving them sleep paralysis.  Those that did not wake from their dreams would die. 3.

Rosewood Lane (2011)

As much as I love slasher horror movies, I still find time to enjoy the more subtle suspenseful psychological horror movies.  I recently took a visit to " Rosewood Lane "... Dr. Sonny Blake returns to her childhood home in Rosewood Lane after her alcoholic father dies.  Her arrival attracts the attention of the local newspaper deliverer, who offers her a free subscription. Her refusal begins a dark game of cat and mouse that can only end with one of them dead ... There are some things I liked about this movie, and some I didn't. The main storyline was a little choppy and to be honest, kinda weak.  Nothing about it really hooked me.  And the big reveal left me more "Meh," than "OMG!". While there are some great, tense, and eerie scenes, the non-scary ones were rather tepid emotionally. I found it hard to feel invested.  This could be due to the characters in general, since we're not really given much of a reason to actually like- and ca

Halloween (1978) Main Theme

One of the must important elements of a horror movie is the music- especially when it's subtle enough to go unnoticed, but still creep into your soul and chill your blood.  Most horror movie themes are rather ordinary sounding, but some... some transcend the ordinary, and become iconic and set the bar high for those that come after... John Carpenter's main theme for his 1978 feature, "Halloween" is one those iconic songs. At first listen, it's not a very complex piece, but as you listen further... it turns out to be comprised layers of dark, sinister intent stalking you from the theatrical shadows of the movie screen.  It is slow and rhythmical, like a heartbeat- your heartbeat as you check behind the couch, in the closet, under the bed for The Shape that lurks out sight... picking up speed as your realize that it's right behind you. This music is an ominous blanket of shadows falling over a quiet, idyllic neighbourhood, as Death flits from hedgerow t

Prince of Darkness (1987)

As most people who know me are aware, I have a fondness for the older horror movies, so it's no surprise that I would be willing to pop back to 1987 to find an interesting one to review. That interesting one just happens to be John Carpenter's " Prince of Darkness "... A small church in Los Angeles is hiding a secret... a secret that has been guarded for thousands of year. A secret that has existed since before time began. A secret that is finally waking up ... The story concept is fascinating as far as I'm concerned.  The idea, and the basic story was able to carry me along, even though I could unfortunately predict many of the events to occur.  This is probably due to fact that, while the idea was unique, and interesting- the actually telling of it was done in the fairly standard format of the time for such movies. I liked the characters- especially the Priest (Donald Pleasance), Professor Birack (Victor Wong), and Catherine Danforth (Lisa Blount)

Poltergeist (James Kahn)

If you're a horror fan- or a fan of Steven Spielberg, you're aware of the movie " Poltergeist ", right?  Well, what you may not be so aware of is the fact that there was a novel done based on the movie. Though, it's not too far-fetched, since pretty much every movie in the 1980's had a novel done for it... The Freelings are a happy family: A loving father and mother, two daughters and a son, and a lovable dog.  They are a happy family living in a cozy little community called Cueste Verde.  They have a comfortable home, and a comfortable life. Soon, however, things take a turn for the worst when their daughter, Carol Anne disappears... only for her voice to start transmitting through the family television... The only thing I'm going to say about the movie this book is based on is that I loved it when it came out.  I'll save the rest of my thoughts for a proper review at some point. This, however, is about the book. The book is actually p

Halloween Day by Day in The Corner!

Greetings, everyone.   Welcome to October... a month of chilly breaths seen on the air, and shadowy phantom shapes seen flitting through the corners of our eyes.   The month of Halloween!   To celebrate this, our favorite month of the year, "The Corner of Terror" and " We Came From the Basement "   are teaming up to bring you 31 days of horror goodness.   That's right- 31 days of horror!   Every single day this month, both sites will be posting reviews, articles, and news about the horror genre we love.  We'll be offering fresh movies upon the altar of the damned, and possibly digging up some old classics for a stroll through the cinematic graveyard. So, won't you take a sip from our bubbling, smoking cauldron, and see what terrible and horrific visions overtake us at this time of the year? We won't judge you for howling at the moon... though we suggest not biting off more than you can chew...   HALLOWEEN DAY BY DAY