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David McK (3587 KP) rated Love and Monsters (2021) in Movies
Apr 25, 2021
Well, that was a bit of a strange movie.
A mixture of comedy and adventure, this is set after the 'monsterpocalypse' when the chemicals used to send rockets up to explode an asteroid heading to earth instead resulted in the mutation of cold-blooded animals.
So, giant man-eating frogs.
Giant man-eating ants/earthworms.
Giant spiders.
etc etc.
Think that bit on Perter Jackson's 'King Kong' where they are on the island, and all the giant creepy-crawlies ...
(Although, this, I have to say, is more PG-rated than that particular scene).
With the survivors in separate enclaves around the country, 20-something year old Joel decides to leave his underground bunker and travel across the surface to his girlfriends community just 80 miles away.
The result is an easy enough watch, that never really caught my attention all that much, despite the best efforts of the dog 'Boy'!
A mixture of comedy and adventure, this is set after the 'monsterpocalypse' when the chemicals used to send rockets up to explode an asteroid heading to earth instead resulted in the mutation of cold-blooded animals.
So, giant man-eating frogs.
Giant man-eating ants/earthworms.
Giant spiders.
etc etc.
Think that bit on Perter Jackson's 'King Kong' where they are on the island, and all the giant creepy-crawlies ...
(Although, this, I have to say, is more PG-rated than that particular scene).
With the survivors in separate enclaves around the country, 20-something year old Joel decides to leave his underground bunker and travel across the surface to his girlfriends community just 80 miles away.
The result is an easy enough watch, that never really caught my attention all that much, despite the best efforts of the dog 'Boy'!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Saint Maud (2020) in Movies
Oct 16, 2020
Outstanding British psycho-horror movie; if you want to experience an approximation of what it's like to be in the head of someone in the process of going utterly nuts, this is the movie for you. A devout nurse with a troubled past starts a job caring for an abrasive, dying ex-dancer; she believes God has sent her to this place, but when events suggest otherwise, she finds it impossible to accept...
Initially seems like another of those post-horror movies we keep hearing about: lots of ominous atmosphere and creepy intensity, but not much that's explicitly scary to start with (this changes). Powered along by an extraordinary performance from Morfydd Clark, who plays one of the most unsettling movie loons in recent years, but extremely well scripted and directed too. Genuinely gripping and unsettling, with an ending that hits like a hammer. This is one hell of a movie.
Initially seems like another of those post-horror movies we keep hearing about: lots of ominous atmosphere and creepy intensity, but not much that's explicitly scary to start with (this changes). Powered along by an extraordinary performance from Morfydd Clark, who plays one of the most unsettling movie loons in recent years, but extremely well scripted and directed too. Genuinely gripping and unsettling, with an ending that hits like a hammer. This is one hell of a movie.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Dark Light (Dark Light, #1) in Books
Jan 11, 2021
DNF@22%
So several things;
One: I've had this on my kindle for about 5 years and is one of the earliest books i downloaded as a freebie--back when i hoped i could get some good books for free.
Two: My tastes have changed in that time. Maybe it's my having read books 5-12 of Kim Harrisons The Hollows back to back, and currently reading book 13 but this just didnt interest me in the slightest.
Three: The kinda creepy Dorian character. The way he's described in this at the earlier points is some sort of sinister but very sexy looking guy. His name just makes me think vampire, and the initial description made me think weirdo so the fact that she's basically salivating over him..? Not working for me.
So all of the above combined? Yeah, the book is most definitely not for me.
So several things;
One: I've had this on my kindle for about 5 years and is one of the earliest books i downloaded as a freebie--back when i hoped i could get some good books for free.
Two: My tastes have changed in that time. Maybe it's my having read books 5-12 of Kim Harrisons The Hollows back to back, and currently reading book 13 but this just didnt interest me in the slightest.
Three: The kinda creepy Dorian character. The way he's described in this at the earlier points is some sort of sinister but very sexy looking guy. His name just makes me think vampire, and the initial description made me think weirdo so the fact that she's basically salivating over him..? Not working for me.
So all of the above combined? Yeah, the book is most definitely not for me.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Space: 1999 in TV
Oct 10, 2019 (Updated Oct 10, 2019)
It's easy to mock Space: 1999, so let's get started. But which Space 1999? The nobly-intentioned, philosophical science-fiction drama of the first series, which somehow still ends up resembling a rip-off of 2001: A Space Odyssey made by lemurs? Or the second series, with laser-gun runarounds and rubber monsters turning up on a weekly basis?
Neither of them is honestly what you could call much good (the usual outstanding Anderson model effects excepted), but at least the first series tries hard and does have the odd pretty decent episode (Earthbound, guest starring Christopher Lee in a very strange wig, has a memorably creepy ending), even if it is mostly po-faced and turgid. The second series is brighter, more colourful, and seems to have eaten too much sugar; it's mostly just daft. All still highly enjoyable, though, even if not in quite the way the makers intended.
Neither of them is honestly what you could call much good (the usual outstanding Anderson model effects excepted), but at least the first series tries hard and does have the odd pretty decent episode (Earthbound, guest starring Christopher Lee in a very strange wig, has a memorably creepy ending), even if it is mostly po-faced and turgid. The second series is brighter, more colourful, and seems to have eaten too much sugar; it's mostly just daft. All still highly enjoyable, though, even if not in quite the way the makers intended.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated His and Hers in Books
Aug 11, 2020
Dark Thriller
An exhilarating thriller that switched from the perspective of News Correspondent Anna and her ex a DCI. They are both covering / investigating a death that strikes a little too close to their past.
The other voice of the murder is pretty disturbingly portrayed in the audiobook but once you get used to it its an exciting and twisty tale with a lot of disturbing moments. I lost my download of the audiobook somehow halfway through but luckily had an ebook copy I jumped straight int to finish and the memory of the creepy voice followed me.....
I kept thinking I knew what was going on but the strong and twisty writing of Alice Feeney kept me on my toes and left me satisfied all the way. This has everything I want from a dark thriller, disturbing but gripping.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy.
The other voice of the murder is pretty disturbingly portrayed in the audiobook but once you get used to it its an exciting and twisty tale with a lot of disturbing moments. I lost my download of the audiobook somehow halfway through but luckily had an ebook copy I jumped straight int to finish and the memory of the creepy voice followed me.....
I kept thinking I knew what was going on but the strong and twisty writing of Alice Feeney kept me on my toes and left me satisfied all the way. This has everything I want from a dark thriller, disturbing but gripping.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy.
The Mighty Captain Marvel Vol. 3: Dark Origins
6.5
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As Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers has traveled to almost every inch of the planet - and beyond! Now...
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The Merciless
6.0
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Sofia is still processing the horrific truth of what happened when she and three friends performed...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated When the lights go out in Books
Mar 11, 2019
Creepy & befuddling but diminished by its ending
Jessie Sloane's mom has passed away, but before doing so, she encouraged Jessie to find herself. Jessie decides to apply to college, but the college flags her social security number. Apparently it belongs to someone who is deceased. As Jessie attempts to unravel the bureaucracy behind her application, she becomes more and more convinced that something is up with her past. Even worse, her thoughts are jumbled by the fact that she hasn't slept well since her mother's death. She's no longer able to tell what's truly happening around her. What's the story with her identity? And is she crazy or is something sinister going on in her life?
"Find yourself, Mom told me. One of two wishes she had for me before she died. Maybe she didn't mean for me to apply to college. Maybe it was far less esoteric than that. Maybe it was quite literal. Find yourself, she said, because Jessie Sloane isn't you."
Well, I'm not so sure about this one. The novel goes back in forth in time between present-day Jessie and her story and a woman named Eden, whose story mainly takes place in the 1990s. Eden's timeline varies a bit though, which makes it hard to keep track of. (At least for me.) A lot of Eden's storyline revolves around infertility, which I thought was handled very well. As someone who has struggled with that, I identified with her and probably liked the book a bit more just because of that.
As for Jessie and her tale, it was definitely creepy at times, which is something Mary Kubica can do very well. With her sleep deprivation, Jessie is the ultimate unreliable narrator, and it's very hard to tell if she's crazy or what on earth is happening. At times, it seems as if the book is leading you down a particular path, but you're never exactly sure who or what to trust.
And then, of course, there's that twist. I'd heard a lot about it, so I was expecting something, but with Kubica, it's hard to know what. I'll admit, it wasn't this. I had sort of figured out where things were leading, but it didn't diminish how cheated I felt by the ending. I've seen a lot of reviews where folks loved it and others where they didn't--I just felt letdown. I won't go further so as to avoid spoilers, but know that it did diminish my overall enjoyment of the book. And while I wasn't loving it entirely--it's sort of a jumble of confusion and weird characters--the ending deflates what I did enjoy.
Overall, this is a creepy book in many ways, with a story that befuddles but intrigues you. It's compelling but the ending diminishes a lot of the early drama and excitement.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley/Edelweiss in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
"Find yourself, Mom told me. One of two wishes she had for me before she died. Maybe she didn't mean for me to apply to college. Maybe it was far less esoteric than that. Maybe it was quite literal. Find yourself, she said, because Jessie Sloane isn't you."
Well, I'm not so sure about this one. The novel goes back in forth in time between present-day Jessie and her story and a woman named Eden, whose story mainly takes place in the 1990s. Eden's timeline varies a bit though, which makes it hard to keep track of. (At least for me.) A lot of Eden's storyline revolves around infertility, which I thought was handled very well. As someone who has struggled with that, I identified with her and probably liked the book a bit more just because of that.
As for Jessie and her tale, it was definitely creepy at times, which is something Mary Kubica can do very well. With her sleep deprivation, Jessie is the ultimate unreliable narrator, and it's very hard to tell if she's crazy or what on earth is happening. At times, it seems as if the book is leading you down a particular path, but you're never exactly sure who or what to trust.
And then, of course, there's that twist. I'd heard a lot about it, so I was expecting something, but with Kubica, it's hard to know what. I'll admit, it wasn't this. I had sort of figured out where things were leading, but it didn't diminish how cheated I felt by the ending. I've seen a lot of reviews where folks loved it and others where they didn't--I just felt letdown. I won't go further so as to avoid spoilers, but know that it did diminish my overall enjoyment of the book. And while I wasn't loving it entirely--it's sort of a jumble of confusion and weird characters--the ending deflates what I did enjoy.
Overall, this is a creepy book in many ways, with a story that befuddles but intrigues you. It's compelling but the ending diminishes a lot of the early drama and excitement.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley/Edelweiss in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
Lee (2222 KP) rated The Nun (2018) in Movies
Sep 6, 2018 (Updated Sep 7, 2018)
Disappointing
I'm a big fan of The Conjuring movies. The original is one of my favourite scary movies, and while I enjoyed the sequel, for me it just didn't live up to the very high bar set by the first. Creepy doll Annabelle from the first movie landed her own disappointing outing, followed by a surprisingly enjoyable sequel/prequel in Annabelle: Creation. Now, next up in The Conjuring Universe is the turn of The Nun. After a brief, but very effective appearance in The Conjuring 2, The Nun movie looks to expand the universe even further, providing us with an insight into how the demon nun came to be.
We're in Romania, 1952. A large, remote, creepy looking convent is having trouble trying to contain something dark and evil, resulting in one of the nuns hanging herself. The body is discovered by Frenchie, a local farmer bringing supplies from the nearby village. When word gets back to the Vatican, priest Father Burke (Demián Bichir) is sent, along with Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) to investigate.
They learn that the convent was built in the middle ages by the Duke of St Carta who, while being possessed, also created a gateway from hell somewhere within its basement. Religious figures were able to seal the gateway using the blood of Christ, but during the second world war bombings resulted in the seal being broken, releasing the demon Valak. Since then, the nuns have engaged in constant prayer in an attempt to keep evil at bay.
As you'd expect, the whole tone of this movie is very dark, and very gloomy. It takes a while to get going, and there is nothing of interest to keep you hooked. Aside from Sister Irene, the characters are dull, and occasional attempts at humour fall flat. The tense expectation of chills and scares soon fizzles out when you're realise that there really aren't any. Just plenty of prolonged periods of quietness, followed by LOUD NOISE!! Which may work for some people, but I just found it annoying.
The characters wander around dark corridors, playing on the whole creepy castle vibe, and shadowy nuns are everywhere. Valak himself occasionally appears, but it's nothing more than an attempt at a jump scare. The whole thing just seems like such a wasted opportunity and I found myself looking at my watch even during the climactic scenes where they're trying to seal the gateway once more. Not good for a movie that's only 96 minutes long.
The one thing I did like is how they managed to link everything back to The Conjuring movies, in particular the opening scenes of the original movie where the Warrens are giving their lecture, and the consequences that brings for the rest of the movies. Aside from that I just found the whole thing disappointing.
We're in Romania, 1952. A large, remote, creepy looking convent is having trouble trying to contain something dark and evil, resulting in one of the nuns hanging herself. The body is discovered by Frenchie, a local farmer bringing supplies from the nearby village. When word gets back to the Vatican, priest Father Burke (Demián Bichir) is sent, along with Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) to investigate.
They learn that the convent was built in the middle ages by the Duke of St Carta who, while being possessed, also created a gateway from hell somewhere within its basement. Religious figures were able to seal the gateway using the blood of Christ, but during the second world war bombings resulted in the seal being broken, releasing the demon Valak. Since then, the nuns have engaged in constant prayer in an attempt to keep evil at bay.
As you'd expect, the whole tone of this movie is very dark, and very gloomy. It takes a while to get going, and there is nothing of interest to keep you hooked. Aside from Sister Irene, the characters are dull, and occasional attempts at humour fall flat. The tense expectation of chills and scares soon fizzles out when you're realise that there really aren't any. Just plenty of prolonged periods of quietness, followed by LOUD NOISE!! Which may work for some people, but I just found it annoying.
The characters wander around dark corridors, playing on the whole creepy castle vibe, and shadowy nuns are everywhere. Valak himself occasionally appears, but it's nothing more than an attempt at a jump scare. The whole thing just seems like such a wasted opportunity and I found myself looking at my watch even during the climactic scenes where they're trying to seal the gateway once more. Not good for a movie that's only 96 minutes long.
The one thing I did like is how they managed to link everything back to The Conjuring movies, in particular the opening scenes of the original movie where the Warrens are giving their lecture, and the consequences that brings for the rest of the movies. Aside from that I just found the whole thing disappointing.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Smoke and Key in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
<h2><b>Kelsey Sutton sucked me right into <em>Smoke and Key</em>.</b></h2>
I thought <em>Smoke and Key</em> would be a fascinating murder mystery set underground with the dead. But as I got in the story, I discovered I was so <em>so</em> wrong. From early in the novel, Sutton sucks me into the world of Under. Key wakes up dead with no memories other than a key around her neck. Others who live in Under are the same as well, and like Key each of them has an item they came with they identify themselves with.
<h2><strong>Mysterious and creepy.</strong></h2>
<em>Smoke and Key</em> is everything I thought a world of dead people would be - mysterious and creepy. When Key awakens in Under, she has a feeling everyone around her is in the world for a reason - she just can't remember why. As she sets out to discover who she is, some of the residents are murdered brutally with no return. Key hopes that as she discovers the reason why everyone is there, she'll solve the cause as well before she is murdered.
Sutton creates an atmospheric world while building a mystery that kept me turning the pages. There were moments where I thought I would know how the story will play out in the end, but I would turn out to be entirely wrong. Sutton continues to do this until near the end when everything circles together.
<h2><strong>A little romance underneath.</strong></h2>
Sutton includes a good amount of romance in her latest novel developing throughout that I enjoyed. Despite the romance being a trope I normally have a dislike for, Sutton turns the tables and handles it nicely. There is also a good balance between the romance and everything else in the story, so it doesn't overshadow the plot despite ultimately being a love story.
<h2><strong>Superb character development.</strong></h2>
I adored all of the characters who made up the world of Under. Each of them has individual contributions to the society that is developed. What's neat about <em>Smoke and Key</em> is the story is in two timelines that come together in the end. One timeline is in the present in Under while the other as Key discovers her past that led them all to this world. Having the two timelines allows readers to see how the relationships have developed.
<h2><em><strong>Smoke and Key</strong></em><strong> is a beautifully written novel with magic and romance built with mysterious and creepy vibes.</strong></h2>
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/smoke-and-key-by-kelsey-sutton/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<h2><b>Kelsey Sutton sucked me right into <em>Smoke and Key</em>.</b></h2>
I thought <em>Smoke and Key</em> would be a fascinating murder mystery set underground with the dead. But as I got in the story, I discovered I was so <em>so</em> wrong. From early in the novel, Sutton sucks me into the world of Under. Key wakes up dead with no memories other than a key around her neck. Others who live in Under are the same as well, and like Key each of them has an item they came with they identify themselves with.
<h2><strong>Mysterious and creepy.</strong></h2>
<em>Smoke and Key</em> is everything I thought a world of dead people would be - mysterious and creepy. When Key awakens in Under, she has a feeling everyone around her is in the world for a reason - she just can't remember why. As she sets out to discover who she is, some of the residents are murdered brutally with no return. Key hopes that as she discovers the reason why everyone is there, she'll solve the cause as well before she is murdered.
Sutton creates an atmospheric world while building a mystery that kept me turning the pages. There were moments where I thought I would know how the story will play out in the end, but I would turn out to be entirely wrong. Sutton continues to do this until near the end when everything circles together.
<h2><strong>A little romance underneath.</strong></h2>
Sutton includes a good amount of romance in her latest novel developing throughout that I enjoyed. Despite the romance being a trope I normally have a dislike for, Sutton turns the tables and handles it nicely. There is also a good balance between the romance and everything else in the story, so it doesn't overshadow the plot despite ultimately being a love story.
<h2><strong>Superb character development.</strong></h2>
I adored all of the characters who made up the world of Under. Each of them has individual contributions to the society that is developed. What's neat about <em>Smoke and Key</em> is the story is in two timelines that come together in the end. One timeline is in the present in Under while the other as Key discovers her past that led them all to this world. Having the two timelines allows readers to see how the relationships have developed.
<h2><em><strong>Smoke and Key</strong></em><strong> is a beautifully written novel with magic and romance built with mysterious and creepy vibes.</strong></h2>
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/smoke-and-key-by-kelsey-sutton/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>