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Capt McNeely

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Horror Fuel

Bates Motel: Episode 1 Season 4 review

A Danger to Himself and Others: (spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen episode 1 of season 4 yet but you really should have by now) The episode starts with Romero sinking the boat that Bob Paris’s dead body is on while Norman is found talking to his “mother” in a field. Dylan goes to the hospital to be there when Emma wakes up from surgery. Emma has made it through the surgery so far. We finally see Emma’s mother before her father chases her away. He doesn’t think she should upset Emma after being gone for so long. She then stays at the Bates Motel. (Really, I don’t think this is a good idea.) Norman ends up in a mental ward (it’s about time). Norma does everything she can to get him out. Unfortunately he is 18 so he has to stay for a 48 hour monitoring period. When he is released Norma gets strict orders from the hospital staff

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Mar 8, 2016
Horror Fuel

Bates Motel Season 3 Recap

Season 4 of Bates Motel on A&E will premier Monday March 7th at 9 p.m. ET. Before the first episode airs we take a look back at some important things that happened last season. There are no easy days for the citizens of White Pine Bay. Norman has been having hallucinations of Blair Watson. His mother decides to home school him for his final year of high school and Emma decides to home school with him at the motel. Norman’s brother Caleb visits after their mother’s death causing Norma to have a meltdown. Norman decides to ask Emma to date him. He says it’s the right time. Emma has feelings for Norman but you can’t tell Norman’s reasoning since it’s really unclear what he’s feeling. Norman has been spending more and more time in the basement with his taxidermy. Gunner is helping Dylan at the cabin. Dylan then starts hiding Caleb after Gunner is found hanging out with him by

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Mar 6, 2016
Horror Fuel

10 Ways to Support Women in Horror Year Round

As Women in Horror Month draws to a close, so will the frequency of support for women in the genre, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The following are 10 ways you can continue supporting women in horror beyond the month of February. 1.) Actively seek out work by female, and female-identifying, horror creators, especially work from those who are new to you. Familiarizing yourself with more women in horror introduces you to a range of voices. If you don’t like one artist, you may like another. How will you know if you don’t observe them all? 2.) Support those creators by sharing their work with others. Chances are that if you haven’t heard of someone, other people might not have either. Share the love! Spread links to their work and invite friends to screenings or other events! 3.) Inspire and empower other women to work within the genre. The only way for the genre to continue growing

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Feb 27, 2016
Horror Fuel

Witch Is It?

Once Again, What Is Cynema? Cynema is not about film reviews. I woke up to this HitFix article on the release of the anticipated horror, The Witch. An interviewer recently asked me what my thoughts were on the state of horror. What I think doesn’t matter. This morning’s article by Chris Eggertsen made me rethink my response. Is The Witch a horror movie? It reinforced my belief that The Shining isn’t a horror movie. I don’t think torture porn films are horror either. They are two ends of a spectrum, maybe an apples and oranges kinda thing. I caught shit a year ago for this article on the zombie film: https://leglesscorpse.us/made-zombie-movie-open-letter-filmmaker-harrison-smith/ I argued that zombie films are simple and for the most part, that’s the reason for their popularity. Indie filmmakers love making them because they are cheap to make and simple to write. The plot for almost every zombie film is: survival. I feel they attract a base audience

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Feb 24, 2016
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Horror Fuel

Get a Quick Scare with Home

Home, created by Benjamin Rivers and released in 2012, is touted as a unique horror adventure game by the developer. Everything that happens is entirely subjective, which is not commonly seen in games. The art is in a pixel style, making the game feel retro, especially when combined with the story taking place in text. It is a very simple game as controls only go forward, backward, raise your lamp, and select highlighted objects, which makes it perfect for mobile gaming. Going through the first time will only take an hour and it is best to play the game straight through. However, it requires multiple passes to achieve each of the different endings. The game is engaging for the first time, but it becomes very tedious and repetitive if you make attempts at each of the endings and achievements. The game is heavily story-driven and you wake up in an unknown house. As you explore, you uncover many dark secrets

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 30, 2016
Horror Fuel

X-Files Season 7-9 Breakdown Part 3

First, thank you to those fellow fans who have taken the time to read my recap and listen to some of my theories. We are ONE day away from the start of the X-Files Revival on FOX which means it is time to cover season 7 – 9 and well as the last film, “I Want To Believe.” If you need a refresher here are parts 1 and 2: PART 1 Season 1-3 PART 2 Season 4-6 _____________________________ Season 6 ends with “Biogenesis,” which brings new aspects to the series overarching mythology. The episode begins with a biology professor, Merkmallen, in West Africa placing two metallic objects together. When the two objects meet they hover in the air and fly across the room landing in a bible. This man takes the objects to a professor in the United States named Sandoz, who has a similar piece. An alien bounty hunter disguises himself as Sandoz and kills Merkmallen. The real Sandoz

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 23, 2016
Horror Fuel

Scratches: Ten-Years-Old, but Still Scars

Scratches is a point and click horror/mystery game that was originally released on PC in 2006. In the game, you play as Michael Arthate, a writer who acquired a Victorian mansion after his first novel reached some success. He hopes to finish his next novel in the bedroom overlooking the beautiful landscape, but upon arriving he is too distracted by digging through the previous owner’s belongings to get any work done. The previous owner, James T. Blackwood, was a collector of African tribal pieces and a prominent figure in the town of Rothbury. Arthate discovers that the Blackwood family had a dark secret involving several deaths, murder, and possibly madness, a case that still feels relatively unfinished and unsatisfying to Arthate, despite the finality of it with local authorities. The game is very atmospheric and plays with the elements of gothic horror with a big, dark house, creepy books on African tribes, and letters to peruse that contain information about

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 23, 2016
Horror Fuel

Making a Killing

…with “other things being equal, simpler explanations are generally better than more complex ones.” — Occam’s Razor Read the above statement on Occam’s Razor. This post is about the “docuseries” Making a Murderer, the Netflix “docuseries” that has a second season coming. This post is not about whether Steven Avery is guilty or innocent. It is not about whether there are injustices in our legal system. We know there are. This piece is about the cynicism behind making a piece of entertainment disguised as social crusading. I was inspired to write this after trying to make my point in a series of online tweets. There was backlash from people who made it about a social cause, and that I was ignoring the issues in our criminal justice system. My point was simple: Making a Murderer is not about the correction of our legal system or justice for a man wrongly accused. The series is about entertainment. Manipulation Set aside your

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 19, 2016
Horror Fuel

X Files Season 4 – 6 Breakdown Part 2

Last week I left off just before the end of season 3, the reason I did this was because there was a lot of new information to cover and I did not want to confuse fans (old and newcomers alike) halfway through the breakdown. If you missed last weeks and need to catch up, it can easily be found here: SEASONS 1 – 3 Now back to the breakdown: ___________________________________________ At the end of season 3, we learn of a magic healer named Jeremiah Smith who has the ability to heal anyone with the simple touch of his hand. Agents Scully and Mulder are sent to investigate this miracle as the man has disappeared. Meanwhile, The Smoking Man, meets with Mulder’s mother and the two argue as someone photographs of them are taken from a distance. That evening Mulder is informed his mother has had a stroke and while in the hospital, she writes the word “Palm” on a piece

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 16, 2016

More from Capt McNeely

Horror Fuel

Bates Motel: Episode 1 Season 4 review

A Danger to Himself and Others: (spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen episode 1 of season 4 yet but you really should have by now) The episode starts with Romero sinking the boat that Bob Paris’s dead body is on while Norman is found talking to his “mother” in a field. Dylan goes to the hospital to be there when Emma wakes up from surgery. Emma has made it through the surgery so far. We finally see Emma’s mother before her father chases her away. He doesn’t think she should upset Emma after being gone for so long. She then stays at the Bates Motel. (Really, I don’t think this is a good idea.) Norman ends up in a mental ward (it’s about time). Norma does everything she can to get him out. Unfortunately he is 18 so he has to stay for a 48 hour monitoring period. When he is released Norma gets strict orders from the hospital staff

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Mar 8, 2016
Horror Fuel

Bates Motel Season 3 Recap

Season 4 of Bates Motel on A&E will premier Monday March 7th at 9 p.m. ET. Before the first episode airs we take a look back at some important things that happened last season. There are no easy days for the citizens of White Pine Bay. Norman has been having hallucinations of Blair Watson. His mother decides to home school him for his final year of high school and Emma decides to home school with him at the motel. Norman’s brother Caleb visits after their mother’s death causing Norma to have a meltdown. Norman decides to ask Emma to date him. He says it’s the right time. Emma has feelings for Norman but you can’t tell Norman’s reasoning since it’s really unclear what he’s feeling. Norman has been spending more and more time in the basement with his taxidermy. Gunner is helping Dylan at the cabin. Dylan then starts hiding Caleb after Gunner is found hanging out with him by

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Mar 6, 2016
Horror Fuel

10 Ways to Support Women in Horror Year Round

As Women in Horror Month draws to a close, so will the frequency of support for women in the genre, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The following are 10 ways you can continue supporting women in horror beyond the month of February. 1.) Actively seek out work by female, and female-identifying, horror creators, especially work from those who are new to you. Familiarizing yourself with more women in horror introduces you to a range of voices. If you don’t like one artist, you may like another. How will you know if you don’t observe them all? 2.) Support those creators by sharing their work with others. Chances are that if you haven’t heard of someone, other people might not have either. Share the love! Spread links to their work and invite friends to screenings or other events! 3.) Inspire and empower other women to work within the genre. The only way for the genre to continue growing

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Feb 27, 2016
Horror Fuel

Witch Is It?

Once Again, What Is Cynema? Cynema is not about film reviews. I woke up to this HitFix article on the release of the anticipated horror, The Witch. An interviewer recently asked me what my thoughts were on the state of horror. What I think doesn’t matter. This morning’s article by Chris Eggertsen made me rethink my response. Is The Witch a horror movie? It reinforced my belief that The Shining isn’t a horror movie. I don’t think torture porn films are horror either. They are two ends of a spectrum, maybe an apples and oranges kinda thing. I caught shit a year ago for this article on the zombie film: https://leglesscorpse.us/made-zombie-movie-open-letter-filmmaker-harrison-smith/ I argued that zombie films are simple and for the most part, that’s the reason for their popularity. Indie filmmakers love making them because they are cheap to make and simple to write. The plot for almost every zombie film is: survival. I feel they attract a base audience

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Feb 24, 2016
Horror Fuel

Get a Quick Scare with Home

Home, created by Benjamin Rivers and released in 2012, is touted as a unique horror adventure game by the developer. Everything that happens is entirely subjective, which is not commonly seen in games. The art is in a pixel style, making the game feel retro, especially when combined with the story taking place in text. It is a very simple game as controls only go forward, backward, raise your lamp, and select highlighted objects, which makes it perfect for mobile gaming. Going through the first time will only take an hour and it is best to play the game straight through. However, it requires multiple passes to achieve each of the different endings. The game is engaging for the first time, but it becomes very tedious and repetitive if you make attempts at each of the endings and achievements. The game is heavily story-driven and you wake up in an unknown house. As you explore, you uncover many dark secrets

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 30, 2016
Horror Fuel

X-Files Season 7-9 Breakdown Part 3

First, thank you to those fellow fans who have taken the time to read my recap and listen to some of my theories. We are ONE day away from the start of the X-Files Revival on FOX which means it is time to cover season 7 – 9 and well as the last film, “I Want To Believe.” If you need a refresher here are parts 1 and 2: PART 1 Season 1-3 PART 2 Season 4-6 _____________________________ Season 6 ends with “Biogenesis,” which brings new aspects to the series overarching mythology. The episode begins with a biology professor, Merkmallen, in West Africa placing two metallic objects together. When the two objects meet they hover in the air and fly across the room landing in a bible. This man takes the objects to a professor in the United States named Sandoz, who has a similar piece. An alien bounty hunter disguises himself as Sandoz and kills Merkmallen. The real Sandoz

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 23, 2016
Horror Fuel

Scratches: Ten-Years-Old, but Still Scars

Scratches is a point and click horror/mystery game that was originally released on PC in 2006. In the game, you play as Michael Arthate, a writer who acquired a Victorian mansion after his first novel reached some success. He hopes to finish his next novel in the bedroom overlooking the beautiful landscape, but upon arriving he is too distracted by digging through the previous owner’s belongings to get any work done. The previous owner, James T. Blackwood, was a collector of African tribal pieces and a prominent figure in the town of Rothbury. Arthate discovers that the Blackwood family had a dark secret involving several deaths, murder, and possibly madness, a case that still feels relatively unfinished and unsatisfying to Arthate, despite the finality of it with local authorities. The game is very atmospheric and plays with the elements of gothic horror with a big, dark house, creepy books on African tribes, and letters to peruse that contain information about

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 23, 2016
Horror Fuel

Making a Killing

…with “other things being equal, simpler explanations are generally better than more complex ones.” — Occam’s Razor Read the above statement on Occam’s Razor. This post is about the “docuseries” Making a Murderer, the Netflix “docuseries” that has a second season coming. This post is not about whether Steven Avery is guilty or innocent. It is not about whether there are injustices in our legal system. We know there are. This piece is about the cynicism behind making a piece of entertainment disguised as social crusading. I was inspired to write this after trying to make my point in a series of online tweets. There was backlash from people who made it about a social cause, and that I was ignoring the issues in our criminal justice system. My point was simple: Making a Murderer is not about the correction of our legal system or justice for a man wrongly accused. The series is about entertainment. Manipulation Set aside your

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 19, 2016
Horror Fuel

X Files Season 4 – 6 Breakdown Part 2

Last week I left off just before the end of season 3, the reason I did this was because there was a lot of new information to cover and I did not want to confuse fans (old and newcomers alike) halfway through the breakdown. If you missed last weeks and need to catch up, it can easily be found here: SEASONS 1 – 3 Now back to the breakdown: ___________________________________________ At the end of season 3, we learn of a magic healer named Jeremiah Smith who has the ability to heal anyone with the simple touch of his hand. Agents Scully and Mulder are sent to investigate this miracle as the man has disappeared. Meanwhile, The Smoking Man, meets with Mulder’s mother and the two argue as someone photographs of them are taken from a distance. That evening Mulder is informed his mother has had a stroke and while in the hospital, she writes the word “Palm” on a piece

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 16, 2016
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