CategoryReviews
Honest horror reviews of films, series, games and books — no hype, no spoilers, just whether it is worth your time and your nerves.
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HuluMoviesNewsReviewsStreaming TVTrailers
May is approaching which means it’s almost time for the next episode of Hulu’s “Into the Dark”. May’s episode, titled “All That We Destroy”, is a tale about the lengths a mother will go to to protect her son. Warning: spoilers ahead The episode opens with a young man dressing a woman as she sleeps. Instantly, there’s a sinister feel. As Ashley (Aurora Perrineau), the young woman, comes around Spence (Israel Broussard) quickly loses his temper and attacks her, strangling her before he bashes her head on the floor. This is where we learn that the mother is a scientist and the girl is a clone that she keeps creating to fulfill her sons need to kill. As Ashley is reborn again and again she begins to remember her original death at the hands of Spence. That’s where things get tricky. This episode is very different from the previous ones we’ve seen from “Into the Dark”. It’s more muted, more
Continue reading →
ParanormalProductReviews
In recent years, there’s still a lot of talk about the “Ghostbusters” franchise, may it be about the anticipation of the long-awaited third installment, or the controversy still plaguing the 2016 reboot. The reboot has caused such a flare-up of toxic masculinity/femininity that it’s one of those films no one really wants to talk about or get into. Well, I don’t really have an opinion on the reboot because…I’ve never seen it, so I wanted to change that. I decided to do a “Ghostbusters” marathon and watch all three films in a row and give an honest opinion on them. WARNING: Potential Spoilers Ahead To keep it fair, I watched the theatrical versions of all three. I can’t really say a whole lot about the first (original) film Ghostbusters because out of the three it was the best. The problems seem to start with Ghostbusters 2. The problem right away in the 1989 sequel is there seems to be a
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
A group of friends gather in a cabin in the woods on Halloween. While you may think these gaggle of goofs would be fodder for some masked lunatic, they are instead stalked n’ slayed by a skin stealing monster that can steal their identities. David Axe (who penned The Theta Girl, which I reviewed right here) brings us a tale that is both grindhouse and social commentary with Shed. While on the surface this is a creature feature that contains a healthy dollop of what many of us love the most…namely buckets of blood and naked flesh, all wrapped up in with “cabin in the woods/slasher” tropes…this picture has a bit more on it’s mind. The aforementioned monster is female, but isn’t afraid to take on the persona of men and could be a veiled allegory to the experiences of trans people and male or female gender roles being fluid, and that’s a statement I can get behind. As a
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesParanormalReviews
When I first heard of Ragmork, I wasn’t sure just what kind of picture it would be…the title conjured images of a fantasy epic in my mind (though that may just be how my fevered imagination fires)…but images released certainly didn’t indicate that would be the case. So just what is Ragmork about? Viktor Graves (Tim Novotny), a fucked up kid, from a fucked up family, who has grown up into a fucked up adult (as is often the way), walks out of his cubicle-hell of a job and rolls back into the town where he grew up in rural Ohio. Now devoid of the dysfunctional family Viktor begins searching for answers in his life, drifting from one encounter to another before being attacked by a feral man named Ragmork (John Bradley Hambrick), whom our hero gets a bit stabby with. That’s when things get really bizarre (which is saying something considering the waking nightmare tone the flick possessed before)
Continue reading →
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IndieMoviesReviewsThriller
Widow Joyce (Lin Shaye) was left high and dry with her ass in the air after her husband died and left her with nothing except the house they lived in…a house she gets the bright idea to turn into a bed and breakfast joint. This plan seems solid, but Joyce’s personality and quirks manage to piss off each and every guest of her establishment. Enter Bob (Oliver Rayon) a mysterious drifter (do they ever come in any other flavors?), who Joyce quickly becomes absolutely obsessed with…like the psycho-stalker style of obsessed, which goes about as off the rails as you would imagine, especially when a comely ex-guest Joyce has befriended makes the scene… Directed by Tommy Stovall from a screenplay by Stuart Flack, Room For Rent comes off like one of those thrillers you’d find on Lifetime…but is that a bad thing? Kind of. Devoid of mystery and suspense (we know who’s responsible for all of the menace right from
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsTrailers
Before I begin this review I would like to clear something up. Like many, when I saw the trailer for Netflix’s The Silence I assumed that it was a rip off of A Quiet Place. But here’s the thing, The Silence is based on Tom Lebbon’s novel by the same name, the same book The Quiet Place was inspired by. That means that they are adaptations of the same book. Netflix actually began work on The Silence before A Quiet Place even began filming. Even though there are similarities, the two films are pretty different when it comes to the story. What I’m saying is, The Silence is NOT a ripoff. What are the similarities between The Silence and The Quiet Place? First, they both feature creatures that attack when they hear a noise, but the creatures are very different. Both films to feature deaf characters and a family on the run. There are also two children in each movie.
Continue reading →
DocumentariesMoviesReviews
Before I begin discussing Life After Flash, I feel it appropriate to share some thoughts on Flash Gordon. If you aren’t interested in such things…or having your’s cruelly uncharacteristically lay his soul bare, just skip down to the next paragraph. Anyway, back in December of 1980, my desire to see Flash Gordon was at an almost unbelievable level…and my parents blew my mind and agreed to drive me, and the prettiest girl in the second grade who agreed to be my date, many towns over (yes, I grew up in the literal middle of nowhere) to see the film…but mother nature had other plans; and a nor’easter (to those not in the know; Upstate New York has about 14 months of winter per year…at least it did back then) kept us in town, and Altman’s Popeye was what it had to be (and for the record, that is a charming film and a ton of fun…but it sure as hell
Continue reading →
DocumentariesGamingIndieMoviesReviews
Dungeon & Dragons; you can bet your arcane asses that a young Dan XIII spent many a lonely, female-less…I mean fun-packed afternoon consuming mass quantities of junk and battling all manner of monsters and maniacs with my erstwhile companions, and even though it’s been decades since I tossed the ol’ dice, I still have an infinity for the game and it’s associated imagery. Speaking of that imagery, you can bet demons to donuts that it was breathtaking, and sparked the imagination of player’s world wide (and let’s be honest, a Dungeonmaster’s job is a titch easier with visual aids)…and Eye of the Beholder explores it’s creation and history in impressive detail! Through ninety minutes we journey from the genesis of the game itself, through it’s earliest utilization of pen and ink illustrations, on to TSR’s (the company that published the game for those of you not in the know) creation of a full-time art department. We witness the growth of
Continue reading →
MoviesReviews
The Hellboy films by Guillermo del Toro sought out to humanize monsters. His character portrayals were softer and relatable. Hellboy by director Neil Marshall and writer Andrew Cosby instead created a genuinely fun, weird adventure. Hellboy’s filled with blood, gore, bad jokes, and killer visuals. The film aspired to blaze its own trail from the beginning. Telling the Hellboy story differently was the goal. I sought out a different experience as well and saw the film in 4DX. 4DX is a motion picture technology which adds environmental effects. Seat motion, wind, rain, scents, and lights accompany a standard audio and visual movie. The technology debuted in 2009 in Seoul, South Korea. The tech hit the U.S. in 2014, and this would be my first experience with it. The movie takes the obligation to share origin stories seriously. It does what it can to make a new place in the minds of the audience. The opening scene sets the stage for
Continue reading →
BooksGamingProductReviews
A slow rainy day is made better with a good sit-down with a book. Luckily for me, Brett Weiss and Schiffer Publishing sent me a copy of Weiss’s latest coffee table read, The SNES Omnibus: The Super Nintendo and Its Games, Vol. 2 (N–Z). I previously reviewed volume one and my feelings towards this volume are no different. The book is laid out in the same format as the previous one where the games are listed alphabetically and include lots of pictures showing gameplay, box art, and for some of them, even the ads for the games. I’ll admit there are some kooky box arts… Just like volume 1, this is a treasure-trove of childhood flashbacks of games I remember being advertised and even movies that came out around that time…they made any movie into a video game back then! As much as I like this book (well both of them actually) I did some digging around and realized that
Continue reading →
More from Reviews
HuluMoviesNewsReviewsStreaming TVTrailers
May is approaching which means it’s almost time for the next episode of Hulu’s “Into the Dark”. May’s episode, titled “All That We Destroy”, is a tale about the lengths a mother will go to to protect her son. Warning: spoilers ahead The episode opens with a young man dressing a woman as she sleeps. Instantly, there’s a sinister feel. As Ashley (Aurora Perrineau), the young woman, comes around Spence (Israel Broussard) quickly loses his temper and attacks her, strangling her before he bashes her head on the floor. This is where we learn that the mother is a scientist and the girl is a clone that she keeps creating to fulfill her sons need to kill. As Ashley is reborn again and again she begins to remember her original death at the hands of Spence. That’s where things get tricky. This episode is very different from the previous ones we’ve seen from “Into the Dark”. It’s more muted, more
Continue reading →
ParanormalProductReviews
In recent years, there’s still a lot of talk about the “Ghostbusters” franchise, may it be about the anticipation of the long-awaited third installment, or the controversy still plaguing the 2016 reboot. The reboot has caused such a flare-up of toxic masculinity/femininity that it’s one of those films no one really wants to talk about or get into. Well, I don’t really have an opinion on the reboot because…I’ve never seen it, so I wanted to change that. I decided to do a “Ghostbusters” marathon and watch all three films in a row and give an honest opinion on them. WARNING: Potential Spoilers Ahead To keep it fair, I watched the theatrical versions of all three. I can’t really say a whole lot about the first (original) film Ghostbusters because out of the three it was the best. The problems seem to start with Ghostbusters 2. The problem right away in the 1989 sequel is there seems to be a
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
A group of friends gather in a cabin in the woods on Halloween. While you may think these gaggle of goofs would be fodder for some masked lunatic, they are instead stalked n’ slayed by a skin stealing monster that can steal their identities. David Axe (who penned The Theta Girl, which I reviewed right here) brings us a tale that is both grindhouse and social commentary with Shed. While on the surface this is a creature feature that contains a healthy dollop of what many of us love the most…namely buckets of blood and naked flesh, all wrapped up in with “cabin in the woods/slasher” tropes…this picture has a bit more on it’s mind. The aforementioned monster is female, but isn’t afraid to take on the persona of men and could be a veiled allegory to the experiences of trans people and male or female gender roles being fluid, and that’s a statement I can get behind. As a
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesParanormalReviews
When I first heard of Ragmork, I wasn’t sure just what kind of picture it would be…the title conjured images of a fantasy epic in my mind (though that may just be how my fevered imagination fires)…but images released certainly didn’t indicate that would be the case. So just what is Ragmork about? Viktor Graves (Tim Novotny), a fucked up kid, from a fucked up family, who has grown up into a fucked up adult (as is often the way), walks out of his cubicle-hell of a job and rolls back into the town where he grew up in rural Ohio. Now devoid of the dysfunctional family Viktor begins searching for answers in his life, drifting from one encounter to another before being attacked by a feral man named Ragmork (John Bradley Hambrick), whom our hero gets a bit stabby with. That’s when things get really bizarre (which is saying something considering the waking nightmare tone the flick possessed before)
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviewsThriller
Widow Joyce (Lin Shaye) was left high and dry with her ass in the air after her husband died and left her with nothing except the house they lived in…a house she gets the bright idea to turn into a bed and breakfast joint. This plan seems solid, but Joyce’s personality and quirks manage to piss off each and every guest of her establishment. Enter Bob (Oliver Rayon) a mysterious drifter (do they ever come in any other flavors?), who Joyce quickly becomes absolutely obsessed with…like the psycho-stalker style of obsessed, which goes about as off the rails as you would imagine, especially when a comely ex-guest Joyce has befriended makes the scene… Directed by Tommy Stovall from a screenplay by Stuart Flack, Room For Rent comes off like one of those thrillers you’d find on Lifetime…but is that a bad thing? Kind of. Devoid of mystery and suspense (we know who’s responsible for all of the menace right from
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsTrailers
Before I begin this review I would like to clear something up. Like many, when I saw the trailer for Netflix’s The Silence I assumed that it was a rip off of A Quiet Place. But here’s the thing, The Silence is based on Tom Lebbon’s novel by the same name, the same book The Quiet Place was inspired by. That means that they are adaptations of the same book. Netflix actually began work on The Silence before A Quiet Place even began filming. Even though there are similarities, the two films are pretty different when it comes to the story. What I’m saying is, The Silence is NOT a ripoff. What are the similarities between The Silence and The Quiet Place? First, they both feature creatures that attack when they hear a noise, but the creatures are very different. Both films to feature deaf characters and a family on the run. There are also two children in each movie.
Continue reading →
DocumentariesMoviesReviews
Before I begin discussing Life After Flash, I feel it appropriate to share some thoughts on Flash Gordon. If you aren’t interested in such things…or having your’s cruelly uncharacteristically lay his soul bare, just skip down to the next paragraph. Anyway, back in December of 1980, my desire to see Flash Gordon was at an almost unbelievable level…and my parents blew my mind and agreed to drive me, and the prettiest girl in the second grade who agreed to be my date, many towns over (yes, I grew up in the literal middle of nowhere) to see the film…but mother nature had other plans; and a nor’easter (to those not in the know; Upstate New York has about 14 months of winter per year…at least it did back then) kept us in town, and Altman’s Popeye was what it had to be (and for the record, that is a charming film and a ton of fun…but it sure as hell
Continue reading →
DocumentariesGamingIndieMoviesReviews
Dungeon & Dragons; you can bet your arcane asses that a young Dan XIII spent many a lonely, female-less…I mean fun-packed afternoon consuming mass quantities of junk and battling all manner of monsters and maniacs with my erstwhile companions, and even though it’s been decades since I tossed the ol’ dice, I still have an infinity for the game and it’s associated imagery. Speaking of that imagery, you can bet demons to donuts that it was breathtaking, and sparked the imagination of player’s world wide (and let’s be honest, a Dungeonmaster’s job is a titch easier with visual aids)…and Eye of the Beholder explores it’s creation and history in impressive detail! Through ninety minutes we journey from the genesis of the game itself, through it’s earliest utilization of pen and ink illustrations, on to TSR’s (the company that published the game for those of you not in the know) creation of a full-time art department. We witness the growth of
Continue reading →
MoviesReviews
The Hellboy films by Guillermo del Toro sought out to humanize monsters. His character portrayals were softer and relatable. Hellboy by director Neil Marshall and writer Andrew Cosby instead created a genuinely fun, weird adventure. Hellboy’s filled with blood, gore, bad jokes, and killer visuals. The film aspired to blaze its own trail from the beginning. Telling the Hellboy story differently was the goal. I sought out a different experience as well and saw the film in 4DX. 4DX is a motion picture technology which adds environmental effects. Seat motion, wind, rain, scents, and lights accompany a standard audio and visual movie. The technology debuted in 2009 in Seoul, South Korea. The tech hit the U.S. in 2014, and this would be my first experience with it. The movie takes the obligation to share origin stories seriously. It does what it can to make a new place in the minds of the audience. The opening scene sets the stage for
Continue reading →
BooksGamingProductReviews
A slow rainy day is made better with a good sit-down with a book. Luckily for me, Brett Weiss and Schiffer Publishing sent me a copy of Weiss’s latest coffee table read, The SNES Omnibus: The Super Nintendo and Its Games, Vol. 2 (N–Z). I previously reviewed volume one and my feelings towards this volume are no different. The book is laid out in the same format as the previous one where the games are listed alphabetically and include lots of pictures showing gameplay, box art, and for some of them, even the ads for the games. I’ll admit there are some kooky box arts… Just like volume 1, this is a treasure-trove of childhood flashbacks of games I remember being advertised and even movies that came out around that time…they made any movie into a video game back then! As much as I like this book (well both of them actually) I did some digging around and realized that
Continue reading →
