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Mansions of Madness (Second Edition)
9.0
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Tabletop Game
Mansions of Madness: Second Edition is a fully cooperative, app-driven board game of Lovecraftian...
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Trollenberg Terror (1958) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Jun 22, 2019)
Independent sci-fi movie has the inevitable hokeyness of films of its period but shows flashes of intelligence, until the climax at least. Vaguely Lovecraftian alien creatures take up residence atop a Swiss mountain, rip the heads off passing mountaineers, turn other people into zombies to eliminate nosey psychics, and so on. Fearing the world supply of cuckoo clocks, cheese with holes in it, and multi-purpose knives may be in peril, a group of assorted boffins attempt to sort things out.
Well, at least it's original, if not always in the best of ways. Things proceed in a relatively effective way until the aliens decide to come down the mountain and attack in person, at which point they are revealed to be tentacled monocular blobs entirely beyond the budget of the film to convincingly realise. The same could be said of many alien invasion and monster movies of the 50s and 60s and this is neither the best nor the worst example of the genre from that period.
Well, at least it's original, if not always in the best of ways. Things proceed in a relatively effective way until the aliens decide to come down the mountain and attack in person, at which point they are revealed to be tentacled monocular blobs entirely beyond the budget of the film to convincingly realise. The same could be said of many alien invasion and monster movies of the 50s and 60s and this is neither the best nor the worst example of the genre from that period.
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated The Endless (2018) in Movies
Jul 20, 2018
I saw Benson and Moorhead’s Resolution (2012) back when it was released, so I was excited when I saw they would be teaming up again for The Endless. Especially when it was marketed as Lovecraftian with a cult theme. Maybe I built it up too much in my mind, because I was really disappointed.
Two brothers have escaped from a UFO Doomsday cult and participate in deproframming while eking out a meager existence. Until they receive a cassette with a message from one of the cult members. They decide to return to “Camp Arcadia” to “get it out of their system.”
The Endless is a slow burn that ultimately fizzles. It involves time travel and something vast and infinite in the woods. Normally I’d be right on board, but this movie was really...boring. I’ve never seen a bunch of white guys that looked so similar, and the setting gets monotonous after a too-long run time of 112 minutes. There are callbacks to Resolution that answer questions for that film, but raise more for the one you’re watching. The effects (when utilized) were meh. I expected cosmic horror and got—well, nothing, really.
Two brothers have escaped from a UFO Doomsday cult and participate in deproframming while eking out a meager existence. Until they receive a cassette with a message from one of the cult members. They decide to return to “Camp Arcadia” to “get it out of their system.”
The Endless is a slow burn that ultimately fizzles. It involves time travel and something vast and infinite in the woods. Normally I’d be right on board, but this movie was really...boring. I’ve never seen a bunch of white guys that looked so similar, and the setting gets monotonous after a too-long run time of 112 minutes. There are callbacks to Resolution that answer questions for that film, but raise more for the one you’re watching. The effects (when utilized) were meh. I expected cosmic horror and got—well, nothing, really.
Josh Burns (166 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of The Brookhaven Experiment in Video Games
Jun 21, 2019
Lovecraftian horror VR waveshooter
This another wave shooter (for more on the psvr wave shooter overload/competition see my Wraith review) and uses either the Move controllers or Aim controller. Move controllers are for small guns and knives, Aim is for bigger guns. The world has gone to hell and is overrun by creepy mutants that have a Lovecraft vibe sometimes. You're out trying to find a solution. The sound design works great to track where enemies are coming from. There are a ton of different enemies, some are huge! The campaign is fun, atmospheric and gets very challenging. You buy upgrades and ammo between levels and there are hidden power ups that you can shoot to collect. There is also a survival mode that has an added map that is based on the mansion in Resident Evil. You can even see a red herb and a green herb flanking the stairs, but you can't use them. Theres a wide variety of environments from sewers, to labs, to city streets and more. It's a lot of fun, but difficult and combining that difficulty with creepiness can make it hard to want to revisit if your stuck on a level because they compliment each other.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Cats (2019) in Movies
Dec 24, 2019
Here's where I wrinkle my nose up at the Smashbomb scoring system - Cats isn't so much 'shoddy' as - well, it's such a particularly strange film that it's actually quite hard to tell whether it's any good or not. My instinct is to say not: a selection of character actors, comedians and musical theatre stars are CGI'd into human-animal hybrids like something out of The Island of Dr Moreau and hoof and yowl their way through a selection of TS Eliot's comic poems set to music. The plot does a good impression of being absolute gibberish, as the singing cat-people compete to get sent off to the bit of the sky that radio waves bounce off where they will receive a new life, while Idris Elba schemes to rig the contest. It's just weird.
Alternatively, this is a quasi-Lovecraftian surreal Arabesque which, fatally, fails to consider the difference between presentational and representational performance modes inherent in the transference of a narrative between theatrical and cinematic contexts. (i.e., people dressed as singing cats in a theatre can be beautiful and moving; people CGI'd into singing cats in a big-budget movie is more disturbing than anything else.) Jennifer Hudson's maximum-Streep, maximum-volume onslaught on 'Memory' made me want to hide under my seat.
Alternatively, this is a quasi-Lovecraftian surreal Arabesque which, fatally, fails to consider the difference between presentational and representational performance modes inherent in the transference of a narrative between theatrical and cinematic contexts. (i.e., people dressed as singing cats in a theatre can be beautiful and moving; people CGI'd into singing cats in a big-budget movie is more disturbing than anything else.) Jennifer Hudson's maximum-Streep, maximum-volume onslaught on 'Memory' made me want to hide under my seat.
Madbatdan82 (341 KP) rated Stranger Things - Season 3 in TV
Jul 6, 2019
Getting better with age
I've loved all 3 seasons of ST so far but this is the best so far. It's just just sublime. All the characters get depth and development whilst introducing a few new ones. The nostalgia shown in this is superb and unapologetic. At one point Mike and Lucas are having a convo about coka cola classic vs new coke and (very post modern tongue firmly in cheek) Lucas says 'classic is good but the remake is better'. Terminator, evil dead, back 2 the future, day of the dead, invasion of the body snatchers and many more are lovingly referenced with possibly the greatest and funniest being a brilliant neverending story shout out. The gore and horror is there in spades with more a focus on body horror and some very 'Lovecraftian' scenes which are equally awesome & disgusting. Steve & Dustin are the stars and continue their great team up from season 2 and honestly I think a spin off where they have a detective agency would be an amazing show that needs to be made!! It'll make u laugh, it'll make u cry but you will love it...PS keep watching for a post credits scene in last episode! Season 4 I cant wait!!!
Jonathan Baker (2 KP) rated Cthulhu Wars in Tabletop Games
Apr 5, 2018
Well balanced (2 more)
Fantastic models
Interesting mechanics
Takes a while to get going (1 more)
Not to be taken lightly
Risk, but with outer planer beings and more death
So,
This game is pretty epic to play.
A basic knowledge of Lovecraftian lore definitely helps, however not essential.
You need a bit a patience whilst setting up and the first few rounds. You also really need to read a good chunk of the instruction book.
HOWEVER.
There has been a lot of tweeking with this game before putting it out, as I've played a few games now and found that anything odd or "broken" is easily explained in the FAQ's that you don't need to read on set up.
The models and artwork are pure horrifying beauty. Probably the best artwork I have seen in a table top game.
The game is easy to set up, but a working brain does help when playing, as you have to keep an eye on EVERYTHING.
All of the factions have been balanced wonderfully, some have raw strength but is countered by intelligent play.
If you like anything Lovecraft, this game is definitely for your.
War/strategy game fans. It's great with an interesting twist on the traditional war games.
Model lovers... great models. My DM has used them in some D&D/ Pathfinder sessions.
This game is pretty epic to play.
A basic knowledge of Lovecraftian lore definitely helps, however not essential.
You need a bit a patience whilst setting up and the first few rounds. You also really need to read a good chunk of the instruction book.
HOWEVER.
There has been a lot of tweeking with this game before putting it out, as I've played a few games now and found that anything odd or "broken" is easily explained in the FAQ's that you don't need to read on set up.
The models and artwork are pure horrifying beauty. Probably the best artwork I have seen in a table top game.
The game is easy to set up, but a working brain does help when playing, as you have to keep an eye on EVERYTHING.
All of the factions have been balanced wonderfully, some have raw strength but is countered by intelligent play.
If you like anything Lovecraft, this game is definitely for your.
War/strategy game fans. It's great with an interesting twist on the traditional war games.
Model lovers... great models. My DM has used them in some D&D/ Pathfinder sessions.
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Behind the Door in Books
Jan 31, 2019
After seeing Behind the Door on NetGalley and noticing it was written by a female author I’d never read, I absolutely had to have it, and so I requested it. Horror is a largely male community, especially when it comes to those that write. A little background research showed me I’ve really been missing out with SanGiovanni so when my request was approved, I was joyous. Needless to say, Behind the Door is probably one of my favorite reads so far this year.
The characters in Behind the Door are dynamic, with varying flaws, backgrounds, and intricately interwoven stories–some of which are heartbreaking, others which are revolting. SanGiovanni has talent when it comes to fleshing out a wide array of individuals and even those I shouldn’t have felt sympathy for, I did. Rarely do I connect emotionally with characters in a book, so this was a welcome surprise.
Additionally, the plot flies along at a breakneck pace, making for a quick and easy read. It only took me a few sessions (despite my reading slump) to finish this suspense-ridden book. I loved the Lovecraftian theme of old gods and locked away horrors.
I really have nothing negative to say about this book. Everything was wrapped up nicely and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it–in fact, I look forward to the opportunity to read more of SanGiovanni’s work.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
The characters in Behind the Door are dynamic, with varying flaws, backgrounds, and intricately interwoven stories–some of which are heartbreaking, others which are revolting. SanGiovanni has talent when it comes to fleshing out a wide array of individuals and even those I shouldn’t have felt sympathy for, I did. Rarely do I connect emotionally with characters in a book, so this was a welcome surprise.
Additionally, the plot flies along at a breakneck pace, making for a quick and easy read. It only took me a few sessions (despite my reading slump) to finish this suspense-ridden book. I loved the Lovecraftian theme of old gods and locked away horrors.
I really have nothing negative to say about this book. Everything was wrapped up nicely and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it–in fact, I look forward to the opportunity to read more of SanGiovanni’s work.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated The Void (2016) in Movies
Aug 10, 2020
I watched The Void with absolutely no prior knowledge of what it was, and what it is, is certainly...something.
The Void felt to me like a series of homages to other horror classics. The overall plot seems like an obvious nod to Prince of Darkness. The creature designs are reminiscent of The Thing, albeit with a sprinkling of Guillermo Del Toro. The climax reminded me sometimes of Hellraiser. One of the villains gave me Re-Animator vibes. All the while, there's a distinct Lovecraftian undercurrent from start to finish.
All of this is a good thing though. The Void never feels like it's ripping off any of these movies, but rather wearing it's heart on it's sleeve.
As mentioned above, the creature designs reminded me of The Thing. This is further bolstered by their nightmarish aesthetic, and the fantastic use of practical effects. In fact, there's very minimal use of CGI at all, something you don't see too often these days.
My only criticisms are aimed at the plot. It's starts off well enough, and evokes a feeling of tension and uncertainty, well realised by a decent cast. Before long however, it's clear that a lot is left open to audience interpretation. The fever dream approach to the filming style leaves you questioning what is real and what's not, a plot technique that I'm usually all for, although The Void is a film that I feel could have benefited from a little more explanation and resolve.
Overall though, it's a gory, entertaining horror creature-feature, that I would recommend watching, even if it's just the once.
The Void felt to me like a series of homages to other horror classics. The overall plot seems like an obvious nod to Prince of Darkness. The creature designs are reminiscent of The Thing, albeit with a sprinkling of Guillermo Del Toro. The climax reminded me sometimes of Hellraiser. One of the villains gave me Re-Animator vibes. All the while, there's a distinct Lovecraftian undercurrent from start to finish.
All of this is a good thing though. The Void never feels like it's ripping off any of these movies, but rather wearing it's heart on it's sleeve.
As mentioned above, the creature designs reminded me of The Thing. This is further bolstered by their nightmarish aesthetic, and the fantastic use of practical effects. In fact, there's very minimal use of CGI at all, something you don't see too often these days.
My only criticisms are aimed at the plot. It's starts off well enough, and evokes a feeling of tension and uncertainty, well realised by a decent cast. Before long however, it's clear that a lot is left open to audience interpretation. The fever dream approach to the filming style leaves you questioning what is real and what's not, a plot technique that I'm usually all for, although The Void is a film that I feel could have benefited from a little more explanation and resolve.
Overall though, it's a gory, entertaining horror creature-feature, that I would recommend watching, even if it's just the once.
I Am Providence
9.0
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Book
An author's murder during an H. P. Lovecraft fan convention reveals dark secrets beneath the printed...
Horror crime