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LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Dark Shadows (2012) in Movies
Sep 20, 2020
If not for the last 15/20 minutes (sans the atrocious ending, and even then they're only mildly watchable at best) I'd very comfortably call this one of the worst movies I've ever seen - and still will. Not even distracting, and intentionally as non-fun as possible. How exciting, we get to see nearly two LONG hours of nonentities played by actors who clearly couldn't give less of a shit about being there (except for the sole good scenery-chewing of Eva Green) tepidly talk about... like, fishing and shit? Sometimes even to each other! Where's the camp? Where's the (pun not intended) spirit? Doesn't go for jokes, doesn't go for drama, doesn't go for romance, doesn't go for anything - complete and utter apathy all around. It doesn't even look good, dear God some color could have at least made this pop but no of course it's color-coded like ash and jizz. This wakes up a bit when it has a spooky haunted house vibe to it but too bad that's only like a collective (and generous) few minutes of the whole thing. What the actual hell were they thinking, how can a director possibly stoop *noticeably* lower than đđ¶đźđŁđ° (2019)?
The Whispering Skull: Lockwood & Co. #2
10.0
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Book
In the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in...
supernatural mystery horror
The Late Breakfasters and Other Strange Stories
Book
An omnibus collection featuring some of the finest works of a master of weird fiction One of the...
Horror
The Dependents
4.0
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Book
A wise and lyrical debut novel about a new widower confronting the truth about his long marriage. ...
The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow
Book
Conceived in love and possibility, Bonaventure Arrow didnât make a peep when he was born, and the...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Undercurrent in Books
Dec 25, 2021
211 of 250
Kindle
Undercurrent
By J.A. Baker
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Phoebe and her disabled husband, Martyn, move into a new house in a village on the edge of County Durham. They plan to lead a quiet existence, a set up that suits them both.
Then Anna, who lives over the road and is bored of spending her days alone, seeks friendship with Phoebe and events take a dark turn.
Phoebe has secrets and is haunted by her past and Anna's arrival in her life may prove to be the catalyst for her undoing.
What is Phoebe hiding and why are she and her husband so reclusive?
When Anna gets caught in a storm and is rescued by Phoebe the truth becomes apparent and Anna is thrown into danger.
Is there a difference between madness and evil?
Some friendships can be murder.
Brilliant! I loved it from start to finish! So well written and kept you interested from the first word to the last. This has to be one of my favourite books that Iâve read in 2021! The story follows a woman with a dark past moving to a small village things soon start going wrong.
Kindle
Undercurrent
By J.A. Baker
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Phoebe and her disabled husband, Martyn, move into a new house in a village on the edge of County Durham. They plan to lead a quiet existence, a set up that suits them both.
Then Anna, who lives over the road and is bored of spending her days alone, seeks friendship with Phoebe and events take a dark turn.
Phoebe has secrets and is haunted by her past and Anna's arrival in her life may prove to be the catalyst for her undoing.
What is Phoebe hiding and why are she and her husband so reclusive?
When Anna gets caught in a storm and is rescued by Phoebe the truth becomes apparent and Anna is thrown into danger.
Is there a difference between madness and evil?
Some friendships can be murder.
Brilliant! I loved it from start to finish! So well written and kept you interested from the first word to the last. This has to be one of my favourite books that Iâve read in 2021! The story follows a woman with a dark past moving to a small village things soon start going wrong.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The House at Phantom Park in Books
Oct 9, 2022
I think I can safely say that I am a fan of Mr Masterton's work and have been for many, many years and whilst, for me, some of his books have been hit or miss, this one is definitely a hit and one I thoroughly enjoyed.
Mr Masterton has taken the haunted property/ghost theme and added a new dimension to it. The ghosts were something a bit different which I thought was great; even after all these years, I can still be surprised by the way good authors can bring unique and different ways to kill their characters off and give their readers the chills and Mr Masterton does it with skill here.
I didn't particularly like the majority of the characters very much and admit that the main character of Lilian annoyed me a tad, however in this instance, I don't actually think it matters whether you like the characters or not and it certainly didn't detract from my reading pleasure.
Although a little slow to get going, I would recommend this to people who enjoy a horror story which is a bit different and my thanks must go to Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The House at Phantom Park.
Mr Masterton has taken the haunted property/ghost theme and added a new dimension to it. The ghosts were something a bit different which I thought was great; even after all these years, I can still be surprised by the way good authors can bring unique and different ways to kill their characters off and give their readers the chills and Mr Masterton does it with skill here.
I didn't particularly like the majority of the characters very much and admit that the main character of Lilian annoyed me a tad, however in this instance, I don't actually think it matters whether you like the characters or not and it certainly didn't detract from my reading pleasure.
Although a little slow to get going, I would recommend this to people who enjoy a horror story which is a bit different and my thanks must go to Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The House at Phantom Park.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated As Above So Below (2014) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
The film âAs above so belowâ is part horror, part treasure adventure, and
all shaky cam. This found-footage film could also be more aptly titled as
âLara Croft goes to hell.â The story centers around an excitable young
adventurer with a British accent named Scarlett on a search for the
mythological Philosopherâs Stone. A self-professed scholar of alchemy, she
hopes proving that the stone exists will fulfill her fatherâs legacy and
prove to the world that he wasnât crazy. This search leads her and her
partners through the secret areas of the haunted catacombs of Pairs, France
into what could be hell itself. The movie starts with her traveling to Iran
for clues on the location of the Philosopherâs Stone.
The action opens without introductions which I enjoyed, as it gets right
into the action and sets the a good pace for the rest of the film. After
retrieving clues to the location of the stone and narrowly avoiding
security and a cave-in in Iran, our heroine sets off to Paris, France to
gather the rest of the crew for her adventure (the rest of our films
characters). These characters include her old friend Benji, a translator, a
group of French miscreants: Papillion (the leader), Zed and Souxie (the
Banshee, no kidding) all of whom are experts on the secret underground
catacombs. Her loyal documentarian George rounds out the crew who has
followed her around since the filmâs opening shot.
Up until this point, the horror element of this film is non-existent. Once
the crew journey into the secret catacombs is when things begin to get
eerie. Plot and circumstance is good and all, but itâs a horror movie, is
it scary? Well, I wasnât scared at all, neither was my wife whom I saw the
movie with. Iâd call it more of a psychological thriller, a slight one at
that. Lots of supernatural happenings occur in the caverns akin to what
youâd find in a haunted house movie. Things like phoneâs ringing
inexplicably in an area devoid of electricity and hundreds of feet below
the ground, spooky ghost like figures chanting occult hymns, and dead
drowned children. There isnât much gore in this film, the little found is
reserved for the last 3rd of the movie. Some fear and wince inducing
moments are supplied via claustrophobia as the group squeezes themselves
through tight corridors and underwater channels. They did a pretty good job
of getting your heart racing. These scenes were reminiscent of a greater
horror entry âThe Descent.â If youâve seen that film, then you know what to
expect when it comes to the 1st person moments of claustrophobia.
Once in the catacombs what follows is a maze of twists and turns and
strange occurrences as the crew tries to solve the mystery of the hidden
Philosopherâs Stone as one by one the crew members get killed off in their
attempt to escape the demonic maze of underground tunnels. As for the
ending? Well prepare to be underwhelmed. The definitive worst part of the
film is its ending. It is so mundane and handled extremely poorly as to
come to an abrupt and seemingly rushed finish without any sense of
accomplishment or endearment to any of the characters or what they have
been through. Although they donât all make it out alive (naturally this is
a horror film) those that do give off the impression of a group that has
just passed out of the end of a haunted house maze similar to those at the
upcoming Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios.
all shaky cam. This found-footage film could also be more aptly titled as
âLara Croft goes to hell.â The story centers around an excitable young
adventurer with a British accent named Scarlett on a search for the
mythological Philosopherâs Stone. A self-professed scholar of alchemy, she
hopes proving that the stone exists will fulfill her fatherâs legacy and
prove to the world that he wasnât crazy. This search leads her and her
partners through the secret areas of the haunted catacombs of Pairs, France
into what could be hell itself. The movie starts with her traveling to Iran
for clues on the location of the Philosopherâs Stone.
The action opens without introductions which I enjoyed, as it gets right
into the action and sets the a good pace for the rest of the film. After
retrieving clues to the location of the stone and narrowly avoiding
security and a cave-in in Iran, our heroine sets off to Paris, France to
gather the rest of the crew for her adventure (the rest of our films
characters). These characters include her old friend Benji, a translator, a
group of French miscreants: Papillion (the leader), Zed and Souxie (the
Banshee, no kidding) all of whom are experts on the secret underground
catacombs. Her loyal documentarian George rounds out the crew who has
followed her around since the filmâs opening shot.
Up until this point, the horror element of this film is non-existent. Once
the crew journey into the secret catacombs is when things begin to get
eerie. Plot and circumstance is good and all, but itâs a horror movie, is
it scary? Well, I wasnât scared at all, neither was my wife whom I saw the
movie with. Iâd call it more of a psychological thriller, a slight one at
that. Lots of supernatural happenings occur in the caverns akin to what
youâd find in a haunted house movie. Things like phoneâs ringing
inexplicably in an area devoid of electricity and hundreds of feet below
the ground, spooky ghost like figures chanting occult hymns, and dead
drowned children. There isnât much gore in this film, the little found is
reserved for the last 3rd of the movie. Some fear and wince inducing
moments are supplied via claustrophobia as the group squeezes themselves
through tight corridors and underwater channels. They did a pretty good job
of getting your heart racing. These scenes were reminiscent of a greater
horror entry âThe Descent.â If youâve seen that film, then you know what to
expect when it comes to the 1st person moments of claustrophobia.
Once in the catacombs what follows is a maze of twists and turns and
strange occurrences as the crew tries to solve the mystery of the hidden
Philosopherâs Stone as one by one the crew members get killed off in their
attempt to escape the demonic maze of underground tunnels. As for the
ending? Well prepare to be underwhelmed. The definitive worst part of the
film is its ending. It is so mundane and handled extremely poorly as to
come to an abrupt and seemingly rushed finish without any sense of
accomplishment or endearment to any of the characters or what they have
been through. Although they donât all make it out alive (naturally this is
a horror film) those that do give off the impression of a group that has
just passed out of the end of a haunted house maze similar to those at the
upcoming Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios.