CategoryReviews
Honest horror reviews of films, series, games and books — no hype, no spoilers, just whether it is worth your time and your nerves.
3,431 stories
ForeignIndieMoviesReviews
Our fiendish friends over at Severin Films have gathered up four Italian gothic horror films, slapped them in a (beautifully embellished) box, and unleashed them on our arcane asses under the title of the Danza Macabre collection. Let’s feast our putrid peepers on what this set has to offer one by fright-filled one! Disc One brings us 1964’s The Monster of the Opera: This flick opens with a banger of a scene in which a vampire chases a young woman in a nightgown before trapping her behind an invisible wall and trying to dispatch her with a pitchfork! Flash forward and dynamic theater director Sandro (Marco Mariani) has moved his troupe of actors, dancers, and mimes into an abandoned theater despite being warned explicitly not to do so by the caretaker of the joltin’ joint, Achille (Alberto Archetti) by name, who witnessed the ghoulish goings-on mentioned up yonder! As the arsty and fartsy goes on, it becomes ever more obvious
Continue reading →
GamingParanormalProductReviews
Blazing Bit Games’ retro FPS Nightmare Reaper had a successful launch on Steam and now has found itself on console thanks to Feardemic! So what made this “Boomer Shooter” (as some of you so-called 90’s kids are calling it) great on PC? We’ll have to take a look! I want to thank both Blazing Bit Games and Feardemic for sending over a copy! The game follows a patient who is locked away in a sanitarium for unknown reasons to the player. The patient goes to sleep and is in a nightmarish world where she fights monsters. Now onto the game itself. Nightmare Reaper‘s controls will have to take some time to get used to for controllers as some of the buttons you are used to using for traditional uses like jumping and interacting are mapped out differently with these controls, so time to get used to them is required! The sound of Nightmare Reaper is pretty good and the soundtrack
Continue reading →
BooksGamingProductReviews
Thanks to popular shows like Stranger Things, tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons are becoming more popular with newer players and reigniting the passionate flame within old fans who were once made to give it up. But like a good RPG story, the adventure has to start somewhere. With many sites and stores dedicated to tabletop gaming supplies, where should a new adventurer go? This is where Misty Mountain Gaming comes in! I want to give a big thank you to Sophii and the rest of the awesome folks over at Misty Mountain for helping to make this review possible! Misty Mountain sent over the Mystery Sling Bag Bundle, the price may be shocking but it’s worth it if you want to start off your new gaming life or you want to improve it and wow your friends at the next session! you get a total of 35 dice that are randomly selected, three sets of acrylic dice, an all-metal
Continue reading →
MoviesReviewsSci-Fi
Junior astronomer Davey MacLean (Jimmy Hunt looking between 9 and 39 depending on the angle) is awakened one night by a thunderstorm only to witness a glowing green flying saucer land behind a large hill next to his house where it promptly sinks deep within the earth. The next morning David’s father, George (Leif Erickson in a performance that goes from lovable goof to violent, moody, secretive monster with shocking ease) heads out to investigate the hill, but comes back as a complete prickus, and soon David’s mother Mary (Hillary Brooke), his neighbor, the local constables, and more fall victim to the cosmic evil buried deep in the sand. Thankfully Dave has two erstwhile allies, Dr. Pat Blake (Helena Carter) and Dr. Stuart Kelston (Arthur Franz… who insists on pronouncing “mutants” as “mewt-ants”), and these cats manage to call in the military (thanks to the magic of stock footage) which leads to a full-scale operation being launched against those menacing
Continue reading →
GamingHalloweenIndieProductReviews
I’m not alone when I say I’m not looking forward to summer’s approach and would rather have autumn again and enjoy the wonder and fun of Halloween. Saona Studios is here to scratch that Halloween itch with Death or Treat where you must save Halloween (or at least Hallowtown). Death or Treat follows a little ghost named Scary who runs a mobile candy shop called Ghost Mart. Business should be good in Hallowtown but larger corporations are stealing customers, forcing Scary to take a stand. Now onto the game itself! The controls for Death or Treat are pretty simple as this is a hack-and-slash kind of game with platforming so it’s pretty basic. The soundtrack is pretty good and fits the tone of the game as well as its art. Speaking of art, I really like the animation of the game’s cutscenes and gameplay, definitely can tell it’s hand-drawn, or at least colored in by hand, it flows quite smoothly
Continue reading →
GamingIndieProductReviews
Souls games are known for being tough, gritty, and dark. 505 Games and Point Blank Games have challenged the Souls game genre with Stray Blade, how does it stack up with some other Souls games? Stray Blade follows an adventurer named Farren who while on an adventure has now found themselves in an unfamiliar world he must explore with his otherworldly companion Boji while fighting off enemies that are pursuing them on their adventure. Now onto the game itself! The controls for Stray Blade are a touch confusing at first I’ll admit but having access to review the control scheme and having a tutorial helps. I don’t know if I just suck at my timing but I feel that the parry button is broken, no matter how much I time it I can’t parry but thankfully the dodge button works! Stray Blade‘s sound design will need some tweaking when you first play depending on where you have the sound coming
Continue reading →
GamingIndieProductReviews
Cococucumber is an indie game studio that’s been making a splash in the ocean of game development with its interesting titles. I’ve been lucky enough to get the opportunity to experience their latest title, Ravenlok. I would like to thank Cococucumber for letting me take a trip through the looking glass with this one. Ravenlok is a Voxel art-style game in the third person where players take on the role of a girl who is brought into a magical world where a prophecy foretold her intervention and bringing peace back to the dark lands that are becoming corrupted by an evil queen. Now onto the game itself. The controls for Ravenlok are surprisingly minimal but satisfyingly simple. The game responds well to a controller (which is suggested for use for PC players, I know, clutch the pearls PC folks.). The game’s soundtrack actually has quite a chill vibe to it, I love how the level song changes its intensity depending
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
MINORE In director Konstantinos Koutsoliotas’ Minore (Greece, 2023), sailor William (Davide Tucci) comes to a small Greek coastal town while on shore leave, searching for someone who has been missing from his life. He befriends tavern server Aliki (Daphne Alexander), and soon the pair must join forces with the rest of the townspeople to battle against strange creatures coming from the sea. This is a winning horror comedy with a strong Lovecraftian vibe. It boasts a sizable cast whose members all give fine performances, and the characters — the screenplay is by Koutsoliotas and Elizabeth E. Schuch (The Book of Birdie) — are written so well and in such an endearing manner that viewers will want all of them to survive the invasion. That’s a rarity in horror and horror comedies recently, with so many unlikable characters in many movies of late with no one to really root for. The creatures look pretty cool and get plenty of screen time
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsTrailers
Before we dive into the movie review, I think it is important that I tell you about the legend of El Demonio Negro, The Black Demon. It has been said that the massive beast, which has a black top half, is between 30 and 50 feet long, leaving some convinced that it is, in reality, a surviving Megladon. There have been many reports and sightings of the beast throughout the Sea of Cortez near Mexico for decades. The film takes inspiration from the Black Demon’s legend and supersizes it. Warning Spoilers ahead. Josh Lucus stars as a father on a work/vacation with his family. He’s tasked with the job of inspecting an oil rig. But he and his family find themselves trapped on the rusty rig by a massive shark with the Rig’s two remaining employees. They must fight to survive and find a way to escape. Throughout the movie, details emerge about just how big of an asshole Lucus’
Continue reading →
GamingProductReviews
Everything is fine till the Vampires move in. That’s what happens in Arkane Studios and Bethesda’s Redfall. Players have been teased with the game for a while with some fearing it would end up in production hell as a result but here we are and Arkane and Bethesda reached out and gave me the chance to go to Redfall to fight some vampires to which I’m very grateful for the opportunity! Redfall is about an island in Massachusetts that has become overrun with vampires and cultists that allied themselves with them. After the island is sealed off from the mainland and the sun is eclipsed, four survivors teamed up to face the horrors ahead. Now onto the game itself! Redfall‘s controls are basic for an FPS game, so veterans of these kinds of games will have a leg up on the bloodsuckers. Headphones are a must, I know I say that a lot, but in this game there are secrets
Continue reading →
More from Reviews
ForeignIndieMoviesReviews
Our fiendish friends over at Severin Films have gathered up four Italian gothic horror films, slapped them in a (beautifully embellished) box, and unleashed them on our arcane asses under the title of the Danza Macabre collection. Let’s feast our putrid peepers on what this set has to offer one by fright-filled one! Disc One brings us 1964’s The Monster of the Opera: This flick opens with a banger of a scene in which a vampire chases a young woman in a nightgown before trapping her behind an invisible wall and trying to dispatch her with a pitchfork! Flash forward and dynamic theater director Sandro (Marco Mariani) has moved his troupe of actors, dancers, and mimes into an abandoned theater despite being warned explicitly not to do so by the caretaker of the joltin’ joint, Achille (Alberto Archetti) by name, who witnessed the ghoulish goings-on mentioned up yonder! As the arsty and fartsy goes on, it becomes ever more obvious
Continue reading →
GamingParanormalProductReviews
Blazing Bit Games’ retro FPS Nightmare Reaper had a successful launch on Steam and now has found itself on console thanks to Feardemic! So what made this “Boomer Shooter” (as some of you so-called 90’s kids are calling it) great on PC? We’ll have to take a look! I want to thank both Blazing Bit Games and Feardemic for sending over a copy! The game follows a patient who is locked away in a sanitarium for unknown reasons to the player. The patient goes to sleep and is in a nightmarish world where she fights monsters. Now onto the game itself. Nightmare Reaper‘s controls will have to take some time to get used to for controllers as some of the buttons you are used to using for traditional uses like jumping and interacting are mapped out differently with these controls, so time to get used to them is required! The sound of Nightmare Reaper is pretty good and the soundtrack
Continue reading →
BooksGamingProductReviews
Thanks to popular shows like Stranger Things, tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons are becoming more popular with newer players and reigniting the passionate flame within old fans who were once made to give it up. But like a good RPG story, the adventure has to start somewhere. With many sites and stores dedicated to tabletop gaming supplies, where should a new adventurer go? This is where Misty Mountain Gaming comes in! I want to give a big thank you to Sophii and the rest of the awesome folks over at Misty Mountain for helping to make this review possible! Misty Mountain sent over the Mystery Sling Bag Bundle, the price may be shocking but it’s worth it if you want to start off your new gaming life or you want to improve it and wow your friends at the next session! you get a total of 35 dice that are randomly selected, three sets of acrylic dice, an all-metal
Continue reading →
MoviesReviewsSci-Fi
Junior astronomer Davey MacLean (Jimmy Hunt looking between 9 and 39 depending on the angle) is awakened one night by a thunderstorm only to witness a glowing green flying saucer land behind a large hill next to his house where it promptly sinks deep within the earth. The next morning David’s father, George (Leif Erickson in a performance that goes from lovable goof to violent, moody, secretive monster with shocking ease) heads out to investigate the hill, but comes back as a complete prickus, and soon David’s mother Mary (Hillary Brooke), his neighbor, the local constables, and more fall victim to the cosmic evil buried deep in the sand. Thankfully Dave has two erstwhile allies, Dr. Pat Blake (Helena Carter) and Dr. Stuart Kelston (Arthur Franz… who insists on pronouncing “mutants” as “mewt-ants”), and these cats manage to call in the military (thanks to the magic of stock footage) which leads to a full-scale operation being launched against those menacing
Continue reading →
GamingHalloweenIndieProductReviews
I’m not alone when I say I’m not looking forward to summer’s approach and would rather have autumn again and enjoy the wonder and fun of Halloween. Saona Studios is here to scratch that Halloween itch with Death or Treat where you must save Halloween (or at least Hallowtown). Death or Treat follows a little ghost named Scary who runs a mobile candy shop called Ghost Mart. Business should be good in Hallowtown but larger corporations are stealing customers, forcing Scary to take a stand. Now onto the game itself! The controls for Death or Treat are pretty simple as this is a hack-and-slash kind of game with platforming so it’s pretty basic. The soundtrack is pretty good and fits the tone of the game as well as its art. Speaking of art, I really like the animation of the game’s cutscenes and gameplay, definitely can tell it’s hand-drawn, or at least colored in by hand, it flows quite smoothly
Continue reading →
GamingIndieProductReviews
Souls games are known for being tough, gritty, and dark. 505 Games and Point Blank Games have challenged the Souls game genre with Stray Blade, how does it stack up with some other Souls games? Stray Blade follows an adventurer named Farren who while on an adventure has now found themselves in an unfamiliar world he must explore with his otherworldly companion Boji while fighting off enemies that are pursuing them on their adventure. Now onto the game itself! The controls for Stray Blade are a touch confusing at first I’ll admit but having access to review the control scheme and having a tutorial helps. I don’t know if I just suck at my timing but I feel that the parry button is broken, no matter how much I time it I can’t parry but thankfully the dodge button works! Stray Blade‘s sound design will need some tweaking when you first play depending on where you have the sound coming
Continue reading →
GamingIndieProductReviews
Cococucumber is an indie game studio that’s been making a splash in the ocean of game development with its interesting titles. I’ve been lucky enough to get the opportunity to experience their latest title, Ravenlok. I would like to thank Cococucumber for letting me take a trip through the looking glass with this one. Ravenlok is a Voxel art-style game in the third person where players take on the role of a girl who is brought into a magical world where a prophecy foretold her intervention and bringing peace back to the dark lands that are becoming corrupted by an evil queen. Now onto the game itself. The controls for Ravenlok are surprisingly minimal but satisfyingly simple. The game responds well to a controller (which is suggested for use for PC players, I know, clutch the pearls PC folks.). The game’s soundtrack actually has quite a chill vibe to it, I love how the level song changes its intensity depending
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
MINORE In director Konstantinos Koutsoliotas’ Minore (Greece, 2023), sailor William (Davide Tucci) comes to a small Greek coastal town while on shore leave, searching for someone who has been missing from his life. He befriends tavern server Aliki (Daphne Alexander), and soon the pair must join forces with the rest of the townspeople to battle against strange creatures coming from the sea. This is a winning horror comedy with a strong Lovecraftian vibe. It boasts a sizable cast whose members all give fine performances, and the characters — the screenplay is by Koutsoliotas and Elizabeth E. Schuch (The Book of Birdie) — are written so well and in such an endearing manner that viewers will want all of them to survive the invasion. That’s a rarity in horror and horror comedies recently, with so many unlikable characters in many movies of late with no one to really root for. The creatures look pretty cool and get plenty of screen time
Continue reading →
MoviesNewsReviewsTrailers
Before we dive into the movie review, I think it is important that I tell you about the legend of El Demonio Negro, The Black Demon. It has been said that the massive beast, which has a black top half, is between 30 and 50 feet long, leaving some convinced that it is, in reality, a surviving Megladon. There have been many reports and sightings of the beast throughout the Sea of Cortez near Mexico for decades. The film takes inspiration from the Black Demon’s legend and supersizes it. Warning Spoilers ahead. Josh Lucus stars as a father on a work/vacation with his family. He’s tasked with the job of inspecting an oil rig. But he and his family find themselves trapped on the rusty rig by a massive shark with the Rig’s two remaining employees. They must fight to survive and find a way to escape. Throughout the movie, details emerge about just how big of an asshole Lucus’
Continue reading →
GamingProductReviews
Everything is fine till the Vampires move in. That’s what happens in Arkane Studios and Bethesda’s Redfall. Players have been teased with the game for a while with some fearing it would end up in production hell as a result but here we are and Arkane and Bethesda reached out and gave me the chance to go to Redfall to fight some vampires to which I’m very grateful for the opportunity! Redfall is about an island in Massachusetts that has become overrun with vampires and cultists that allied themselves with them. After the island is sealed off from the mainland and the sun is eclipsed, four survivors teamed up to face the horrors ahead. Now onto the game itself! Redfall‘s controls are basic for an FPS game, so veterans of these kinds of games will have a leg up on the bloodsuckers. Headphones are a must, I know I say that a lot, but in this game there are secrets
Continue reading →
