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Someone Like Me
6.3
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Book
SHE LOOKS LIKE ME. SHE SOUNDS LIKE ME. NOW SHE'S TRYING TO TAKE MY PLACE. Liz Kendall wouldn't...
Mystery horror thriller
Awix (3310 KP) rated Mother! (2017) in Movies
Feb 10, 2018 (Updated Feb 10, 2018)
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Palpably insane fantasy psycho-horror from Darren Aronofsky that seems intentionally designed to alienate and repel mainstream audiences. The presence of Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem seems calculated to lure in innocent passersby for this unhinged tale of... of...
Well, look, Lawrence and Bardem live in a lovely house in the countryside; he is a noted poet, she is his wife, and to begin with all is well. Then mysterious strangers start appearing and dark events threaten to disrupt their idyll. Things get extreme. At points they get extremely extreme.
If this movie was your pet it would attack your furniture and howl at the moon, then fetch you your slippers with a 'who, me?' look on its face. If you're a stickler for things like naturalism and coherence, then it is probably not for you; but Aronofsky creates the fractured sense of living through an unfolding nightmare, with all the non-logic that suggests, rather well, and the stars are all on full power. It's still very nearly the proverbial movie with something to offend everyone, but you can't fault the technical expertise with which it has been made, or the director's success in realising his (highly peculiar) vision for the film.
Well, look, Lawrence and Bardem live in a lovely house in the countryside; he is a noted poet, she is his wife, and to begin with all is well. Then mysterious strangers start appearing and dark events threaten to disrupt their idyll. Things get extreme. At points they get extremely extreme.
If this movie was your pet it would attack your furniture and howl at the moon, then fetch you your slippers with a 'who, me?' look on its face. If you're a stickler for things like naturalism and coherence, then it is probably not for you; but Aronofsky creates the fractured sense of living through an unfolding nightmare, with all the non-logic that suggests, rather well, and the stars are all on full power. It's still very nearly the proverbial movie with something to offend everyone, but you can't fault the technical expertise with which it has been made, or the director's success in realising his (highly peculiar) vision for the film.
Book Divas (227 KP) rated The Forlorned in Books
Dec 12, 2017
I received a free copy of this book via Clean Teen Publishing Elite Reviewers which I am a member of. I made no guarantee of a favorable review.
If you are looking to read a book that will creep you out then look no further because this one will do just that. There's even a scene in the story that had me quickly getting out of the bathtub and I LOVED it!!!
This is horror and supernatural at its extreme best. The author's unique and creative story telling ensnares you from the very beginning and the heart pounding scares will keep you glued to the book until the outstanding end. I hope the movie version does this book justice. I can't wait to read more books written by this extremely talented writer.
If you are looking to read a book that will creep you out then look no further because this one will do just that. There's even a scene in the story that had me quickly getting out of the bathtub and I LOVED it!!!
This is horror and supernatural at its extreme best. The author's unique and creative story telling ensnares you from the very beginning and the heart pounding scares will keep you glued to the book until the outstanding end. I hope the movie version does this book justice. I can't wait to read more books written by this extremely talented writer.
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated Teratologist in Books
May 15, 2018
Like a Buddy Cop movie directed by Satan
THE TERATOLOGIST--a researcher of physical abnormalities--is both a disgusting and fun (short) horror novel. Something like a Buddy Cop movie, a writer and photographer go to the mansion of a young billionaire who collects people with birth defects for a single nefarious purpose: to see God.
If you've read Edward Lee's Infernal Series, you may notice the similarities in theme. It isn't just good vs evil, it's Good vs Evil. It has the same dash of irreverent humor and more than enough depravity to make it a fun read for readers with iron stomachs.
That said, this is absolutely not for the faint of heart. If you're easily offended, why are you looking at a book by Edward Lee and Wrath James White to begin with? Both are masters of the splatterpunk genre, which has given birth to the "extreme horror" subgenre. This book will gross you out. Even seasoned readers might cringe at some of the acts depicted in THE TERATOLOGIST. They disgust on a moral and visceral level, but isn't that the point?
If you've read Edward Lee's Infernal Series, you may notice the similarities in theme. It isn't just good vs evil, it's Good vs Evil. It has the same dash of irreverent humor and more than enough depravity to make it a fun read for readers with iron stomachs.
That said, this is absolutely not for the faint of heart. If you're easily offended, why are you looking at a book by Edward Lee and Wrath James White to begin with? Both are masters of the splatterpunk genre, which has given birth to the "extreme horror" subgenre. This book will gross you out. Even seasoned readers might cringe at some of the acts depicted in THE TERATOLOGIST. They disgust on a moral and visceral level, but isn't that the point?
Blood Drive
6.9
Rate It
TV Show
It's the near future in Los Angeles, and climate change keeps temperatures soaring, and water is as...
grindhouse horror gore syfy
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated The Descent (2005) in Movies
Nov 23, 2019 (Updated Nov 23, 2019)
I remember first watching The Descent not long after it came out. I was in my late teens and it was smack bang in the middle of a weird time for horror, where there was just a lot of dross being fired out every other week.
The Descent was a breath of fresh air in that respect. The set up hooks you in almost immediately, with an familiar yet effective tragedy strikes Sarah, one of our heroines. A while later, a group of friends manage convince Sarah to join them on a vacation in North Carolina, where they plan to explore an underground cave system.
You know how these things go by now - everything goes wrong and before long, the group are fighting to survive.
The thing is, it takes a while for the Descent to show it's true hand when it comes to anything other worldly. It's effectively scary before any monsters show up, using extreme claustrophobia, and low visibility to throw the viewer into the tense unknown.
The first time you see a monster made me jump out of my seat, and jump scares don't get me very often. From there in out, the movie shifts from subtle horror, to all out terror and panic. It's all pretty thrilling.
The all female cast are great. They feel real and relatable, and sell the situation perfectly.
It's Neil Marshall showing that he does know what he's doing in his otherwise mixed bag of a back catalogue.
Some of the effects used are looking pretty dated by this point, but it's not enough to detract from an otherwise positive horror experience, and of course, that ending... (I believe it was changed for US audiences). It's bleak and ballsy and adds a cherry on top. Definitely worth seeking out the unchanged version if you like horror!
The Descent was a breath of fresh air in that respect. The set up hooks you in almost immediately, with an familiar yet effective tragedy strikes Sarah, one of our heroines. A while later, a group of friends manage convince Sarah to join them on a vacation in North Carolina, where they plan to explore an underground cave system.
You know how these things go by now - everything goes wrong and before long, the group are fighting to survive.
The thing is, it takes a while for the Descent to show it's true hand when it comes to anything other worldly. It's effectively scary before any monsters show up, using extreme claustrophobia, and low visibility to throw the viewer into the tense unknown.
The first time you see a monster made me jump out of my seat, and jump scares don't get me very often. From there in out, the movie shifts from subtle horror, to all out terror and panic. It's all pretty thrilling.
The all female cast are great. They feel real and relatable, and sell the situation perfectly.
It's Neil Marshall showing that he does know what he's doing in his otherwise mixed bag of a back catalogue.
Some of the effects used are looking pretty dated by this point, but it's not enough to detract from an otherwise positive horror experience, and of course, that ending... (I believe it was changed for US audiences). It's bleak and ballsy and adds a cherry on top. Definitely worth seeking out the unchanged version if you like horror!
Scott Tostik (389 KP) rated Haunt (2019) in Movies
Sep 29, 2019
Over the past few years, found footage films about Extreme Halloween Haunts have kind of damaged the product a little. The Houses October Built being the best of the worst in my opinion.
Last year we had HellFest and another one that I forgot...
So I went in to Haunt with no idea what was going to happen... Nor did I really care.
Until the mayhem begun. The absolute carnage that follows these folks around is both refreshing and disturbing all the same.
These people, hidden beneath the masks of the holiday.... Yeah, fuck off. Halloween in my Christmas.... Are equally disturbing masks of self expression and self loathing.
Overall this movie shocked me into a 9 rating. It was nice to see a horror film full of "teens" who's first thought was "How do we get out?". Instead of "Hey that big scary man is pointing towards a dark room with a machete... Lets go fuck in that room,"
Smart characters are so refreshing.
Thanks modern day horror for ending the drought of dumbasses... For now.
While it wasn't a new idea.Haunt is in fact quite Haunting... Oh boy...
And it does leave the viewer... This viewer... Satisfied with 90 minutes well spent.
Last year we had HellFest and another one that I forgot...
So I went in to Haunt with no idea what was going to happen... Nor did I really care.
Until the mayhem begun. The absolute carnage that follows these folks around is both refreshing and disturbing all the same.
These people, hidden beneath the masks of the holiday.... Yeah, fuck off. Halloween in my Christmas.... Are equally disturbing masks of self expression and self loathing.
Overall this movie shocked me into a 9 rating. It was nice to see a horror film full of "teens" who's first thought was "How do we get out?". Instead of "Hey that big scary man is pointing towards a dark room with a machete... Lets go fuck in that room,"
Smart characters are so refreshing.
Thanks modern day horror for ending the drought of dumbasses... For now.
While it wasn't a new idea.Haunt is in fact quite Haunting... Oh boy...
And it does leave the viewer... This viewer... Satisfied with 90 minutes well spent.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Possessor (2020) in Movies
Dec 4, 2020
From the mind of Brandon Cronenberg comes his second feature length, Possessor, and the best way I could sum it up is that it's a subtle assault on the senses. Although it occasionally throws unsettling imagery at the screen now and again, these moments are seldom and fleeting. The main assault comes from the constant sense of dread that is present from it's visually striking and bloody opening, straight through to it's pretty insane climax. I just felt on edge consistently, thanks to the minimal but forboding score, top notch editing on display, and some quite brilliant performances.
Andrea Riseborough is great, as she was in Mandy, and her presence in modern horror is a welcome one. Her character is the overarching glue that holds all the emotional strains of the plot together with a cold core.
Christopher Abbott is wonderful, as he essentially plays two seperate characters, and sells his descent into madness perfectly.
The supporting cast include the likes of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tuppence Middleton, and Sean Bean, and it's honestly just a pretty solid cast all around.
The plot is intriguing in a dystopian sci-fi kind of way, and has enough horror elements to really get under the skin. The scene that the already recognisable poster image is taken from is one of the most recoil inducing and uncomfortable scenes I've seen in a while. This premise played out with a decent screenplay, accompanied by sudden bursts of extreme violence, give Possessor an identity of it's own, and make it a modern horror entry that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the big boys.
One of the films of the year for me!
Andrea Riseborough is great, as she was in Mandy, and her presence in modern horror is a welcome one. Her character is the overarching glue that holds all the emotional strains of the plot together with a cold core.
Christopher Abbott is wonderful, as he essentially plays two seperate characters, and sells his descent into madness perfectly.
The supporting cast include the likes of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tuppence Middleton, and Sean Bean, and it's honestly just a pretty solid cast all around.
The plot is intriguing in a dystopian sci-fi kind of way, and has enough horror elements to really get under the skin. The scene that the already recognisable poster image is taken from is one of the most recoil inducing and uncomfortable scenes I've seen in a while. This premise played out with a decent screenplay, accompanied by sudden bursts of extreme violence, give Possessor an identity of it's own, and make it a modern horror entry that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the big boys.
One of the films of the year for me!
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated Grandfather's House in Books
May 15, 2018
Like VC Andrews with a flamethrower
I enjoyed this book. Although it was a quick read, it was a disturbing one. Like THE ABUSE OF ASHLEY COLLINS, GRANDFATHER'S HOUSE deals with subject of child abuse. The focus, though, is on character rather than out and out violence, and it's a better novel because of it. It felt much more realistic, which gives it a stronger impact.
Our protagonist isn't especially likeable at the beginning of the story, but he's a teenager. Teenagers aren't likeable in the first place. But his grandparents are so disturbing right off the bat that you're immediately behind him. Athan takes the stereotype of the sweet grandparent and flips it on its head. There's a good amount of tension throughout the book from beginning to end--and while this is definitely horrific, I wouldn't classify it as extreme horror because more attention was paid to characterization than ripping people apart. GRANDFATHER'S HOUSE was like a V.C. Andrews book on speed.
Our protagonist isn't especially likeable at the beginning of the story, but he's a teenager. Teenagers aren't likeable in the first place. But his grandparents are so disturbing right off the bat that you're immediately behind him. Athan takes the stereotype of the sweet grandparent and flips it on its head. There's a good amount of tension throughout the book from beginning to end--and while this is definitely horrific, I wouldn't classify it as extreme horror because more attention was paid to characterization than ripping people apart. GRANDFATHER'S HOUSE was like a V.C. Andrews book on speed.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Suspiria (2018) in Movies
Feb 25, 2019
Not the Suspiria you were looking for.
"Reimagined" would be the only word to describe this new vision of the original cult horror Argento classic from director Luca Guadagnino. It reminded me of a lot of other 70s and 80s horror including the original Hellraiser, The Wicker Man, or some early David Cronenberg body horror films.
The same basic story of American dancer Susie Banion coming to join a famous European dance company only to discover its leaders are a coven of witches is still there, but with much more complexity. As with the original, the coven does not take kindly when girls try and leave the group and usually meet with some sort of gruesome outcome.
Things get intense slowly over the 2 1/2 hour runtime with the last 20 minutes being some of the most explicit freak show, sadistic, torturous bloodbath I have ever seen. Not sure how this would play with a mainstream audience. I think some would be bored with the beginning and then get up and leave during the extreme climax scene.
Since I watch a ton of movies, I seek out the strange and unusual at this point and this one did not disappoint. It is interesting to see another director's take on the story and going in a completely opposite direction. Argento was always known, especially in this film, for his use of wild colors and patterns and this new version stands as a stark contrast opting for more neutral tones and white and black.
If you have a strong stomach and crave an interesting challenge, I highly recommend. Then let me know so we can discuss.
The same basic story of American dancer Susie Banion coming to join a famous European dance company only to discover its leaders are a coven of witches is still there, but with much more complexity. As with the original, the coven does not take kindly when girls try and leave the group and usually meet with some sort of gruesome outcome.
Things get intense slowly over the 2 1/2 hour runtime with the last 20 minutes being some of the most explicit freak show, sadistic, torturous bloodbath I have ever seen. Not sure how this would play with a mainstream audience. I think some would be bored with the beginning and then get up and leave during the extreme climax scene.
Since I watch a ton of movies, I seek out the strange and unusual at this point and this one did not disappoint. It is interesting to see another director's take on the story and going in a completely opposite direction. Argento was always known, especially in this film, for his use of wild colors and patterns and this new version stands as a stark contrast opting for more neutral tones and white and black.
If you have a strong stomach and crave an interesting challenge, I highly recommend. Then let me know so we can discuss.
Joe Julians (221 KP) Feb 11, 2018
Andy K (10821 KP) Feb 11, 2018