Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (4729)

Content

The Republic for Which It Stands: The United States during Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, 1865-1896

Richard White

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

The Oxford History of the United States is the most respected multivolume history of the American...

History Politics

Supreme City

Donald L. Miller

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Supreme City" captures a vanished Gotham in all its bustle, gristle, and glory" ("Vanity Fair"). In...

Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Belief: The Possession of Janet Moses (2015) in Movies

Oct 25, 2017 (Updated Oct 25, 2017)

How mass hysteria and inverted cultural beliefs become fatal

Once more, Netflix has showcased another harrowing documentary, this time set in New Zealand.

In the heart of Maori culture, lies the belief of Makatu, a curse or demon, that can allegedly be 'exorcised'. A poor young mother, Janet Moses, who either had mental health issues or was seemingly depressed, was confronted by her large family attempting to help her. Unfortunately their misguided deeply held beliefs included holding her down and plying water into her for days on end in a bid to rid her of a demon. And while they believed they they were assisting her, she eventually died after five days.

And of course a court case ensued about culpability. A truly terrible instance of dogmatic beliefs, cabin fever, and hysteria.

Kudos

Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Headmaster's Wager in Books

Jan 15, 2018

I won this book awhile back on goodreads. I finally got around to reading it & have to say that I wasn't overly impressed. The book got off to a slow start. It got more interesting but not until I was into the second half of the novel.
The characters are very well written. I had a hard time connecting with Percival the Manu character however. The setting alternated between China & Vietnam in the time period of the Cultural Revolution & the Vietnam War. The story didn't really flow until Percival's son was arrested by the silent police for staging a "protest" in an attempt to impress his father who was headmaster of an American school in Cholon.
The book was well written, don't get me wrong! I just couldn't get into the story itself.

Kudos

Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Other Side of the Door (2016) in Movies

Sep 3, 2017

The Other Side of the Door (2016)

2016 | Horror, Mystery

5.8

(5 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Love the South Asian-west mix of horror, but not particularly scary

An interesting concept, mixing some deep cultural traditions from India with western horror. After a mother loses her son in an accident, she brings him back by attempting to communicate with the dead. But what comes back is another being altogether. It's been done a million times, even in the form of Stephen King's Pet Sematary, but I like the Indian twist, especially for those who know that these kind of beliefs still exist. Shiva shamans, who are known to dabble in black magic, begin to stalk the family in an attempt to rid the house of spirits as well as other ghoulish entities. Great for those who understand the superstitions of India, but not for horror fans.