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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Hellraiser: Inferno (2000) in Movies
Mar 29, 2022
The 5th entry in the Hellraiser series is certainly a mixed bag. It's has a script and narrative that clearly threw in Hellraiser elements as an afterthought, really scales back on the cenobite stuff, and has some truly dodgy effects work.
With all that being said, everything about Inferno that's surrounds those points is pretty positive. The corrupt cop who cheats on his wife/snorts coke/is a general asshole whilst trying to solve a huge case trope has been done a million times, but it lends itself well to the conditions of the lament configuration. The films whole vibe screams David Lynch, and there's some genuinely creepy imagery delivered with ambition by a feature-debuting Scott Derrickson, clearly showing off some stylistic choices that he would go on to hone in his future successful career.
Throw in some decent gore and a pretty solid cast, and we're left with a Hellraiser film that would 100% be seen in a more favourable light if it had been afforded a bigger budget.
With all that being said, everything about Inferno that's surrounds those points is pretty positive. The corrupt cop who cheats on his wife/snorts coke/is a general asshole whilst trying to solve a huge case trope has been done a million times, but it lends itself well to the conditions of the lament configuration. The films whole vibe screams David Lynch, and there's some genuinely creepy imagery delivered with ambition by a feature-debuting Scott Derrickson, clearly showing off some stylistic choices that he would go on to hone in his future successful career.
Throw in some decent gore and a pretty solid cast, and we're left with a Hellraiser film that would 100% be seen in a more favourable light if it had been afforded a bigger budget.
ClareR (5916 KP) rated A Haunting in the Arctic in Books
Jan 23, 2024
I loved this dark tale. It’s a tough read at times, and comes with a host of trigger warnings (rape, eating disorders, violence). Its really creepy though, a great companion for a dark evening!
Nicky is on a ship in 1901 with a crew of men who all expect her “services”, even though she isn’t prepared to give them what they want of her own free will.
In the modern day, Dominique, an explorer and instagrammer, decides to travel to Iceland and document the destruction of the beached ship, the Ormen.
The atmosphere was perfect for a ghost story, full of menace and threat, and just when I thought I knew what was going on, something would happen that would make me have to reassess completely! The present day storyline was perfect for this.
This is a story where your heart will be in your mouth from start to finish, and it fed my fascination for the frozen places of the world perfectly (and I have to admit that my fascination is based on what I consider to be a healthy fear!).
Nicky is on a ship in 1901 with a crew of men who all expect her “services”, even though she isn’t prepared to give them what they want of her own free will.
In the modern day, Dominique, an explorer and instagrammer, decides to travel to Iceland and document the destruction of the beached ship, the Ormen.
The atmosphere was perfect for a ghost story, full of menace and threat, and just when I thought I knew what was going on, something would happen that would make me have to reassess completely! The present day storyline was perfect for this.
This is a story where your heart will be in your mouth from start to finish, and it fed my fascination for the frozen places of the world perfectly (and I have to admit that my fascination is based on what I consider to be a healthy fear!).
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Visitors in Books
Jan 10, 2018
Creepy character study into very disturbed siblings
Marion Zetland and her brother John live in a decrepit old home near a seaside resort town. They inherited the house from their now deceased parents and neither sibling works, having to worry little about money thanks to their inheritance. Marion--in her 50s--still sleeps with stuffed animals and relies on her mercurial older brother for everything. As for John, he spends a great deal of his days down in the house's cellar--a place Marion never sets foot--tending to his "visitors," who arrive at their home, but then never come out of the cellar again. Marion spends her time puttering about the house and studiously ignoring John's visitors, even while she sees him preparing them meals and when she does their laundry on Mondays. But one day, John winds up in the hospital, and Marion is forced to confront everything she has been avoiding for years.
I was really excited when this book showed up as "read now" on Netgalley, as I'd heard so much about it. It was a really quick read--yet a slow burner, if that makes any sense. The description touts about Marion going into the cellar after John's heart attack, but that doesn't happen until over 75% way in... I kept waiting, waiting, and waiting for that major plot to occur. It seemed like a lot of build up for that event and then a rush of events after. I guess I had expected more creepiness and not as much messed up characters - this novel is far more of a character study than I had expected.
That's not to say it's not good, because it is; it's just not what I was expecting, and it's definitely a slow read that focuses far more on its character development than action. The novel is basically told entirely from Marion's point of view (with just a few snippets of emails from John's visitors). As such, we get an in-depth look at how Marion's childhood formed the person she is--and how it influenced John, as well. We learn about their terrible and neglectful parents. We see how John vacillates between kindness and torture toward his sister. We see how Marion is stuck in some sort of childlike, helpless state thanks to all of this. But, you also can't help but wonder, how truthful is Marion being with us?
All of this information about Marion and John's life and information about the neighbors was great and definitely gave us excellent insight into their character and actions. I still couldn't help but want to know more about the visitors actually living in the basement of this horrible, creepy house and I kept hoping and waiting for more to actually happen. There's a few great "aha" moments, but still.
Overall, as a creepy character study into a very disturbed brother and sister, this book exceeds admirably. I would have hoped for a slightly quicker pace, but oh well. I'd be curious to see what comes next from Catherine Burns. 3.5 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review.
I was really excited when this book showed up as "read now" on Netgalley, as I'd heard so much about it. It was a really quick read--yet a slow burner, if that makes any sense. The description touts about Marion going into the cellar after John's heart attack, but that doesn't happen until over 75% way in... I kept waiting, waiting, and waiting for that major plot to occur. It seemed like a lot of build up for that event and then a rush of events after. I guess I had expected more creepiness and not as much messed up characters - this novel is far more of a character study than I had expected.
That's not to say it's not good, because it is; it's just not what I was expecting, and it's definitely a slow read that focuses far more on its character development than action. The novel is basically told entirely from Marion's point of view (with just a few snippets of emails from John's visitors). As such, we get an in-depth look at how Marion's childhood formed the person she is--and how it influenced John, as well. We learn about their terrible and neglectful parents. We see how John vacillates between kindness and torture toward his sister. We see how Marion is stuck in some sort of childlike, helpless state thanks to all of this. But, you also can't help but wonder, how truthful is Marion being with us?
All of this information about Marion and John's life and information about the neighbors was great and definitely gave us excellent insight into their character and actions. I still couldn't help but want to know more about the visitors actually living in the basement of this horrible, creepy house and I kept hoping and waiting for more to actually happen. There's a few great "aha" moments, but still.
Overall, as a creepy character study into a very disturbed brother and sister, this book exceeds admirably. I would have hoped for a slightly quicker pace, but oh well. I'd be curious to see what comes next from Catherine Burns. 3.5 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Marriage Pact in Books
Jan 21, 2018
Bizarre & unbelievable premise/moments (1 more)
Not compelling
Newlyweds Alice and Jake don't think much of it when a client from Alice's law firm invites himself to their wedding and then gives them a mysterious wedding gift. But they soon discover the gift is offering them membership in a exclusive group called The Pact, whose main goal is to keep couples married. The Pact comes with a series of strict rules detailed in the group's Manual. Jake, a psychologist, is interested in the institution of marriage and excited to find an organization that he thinks will keep his beloved wife, Alice, a former rock singer turned lawyer, interested and focused on their union. Things change quickly for the couple, though, when The Pact thinks that Alice is breaking the rules. Suddenly, Alice and Jake find themselves stuck in The Pact, whose members seem to go to any lengths to enforce their rules--and to keep their members within the group.
The set up to the book is certainly interesting: joining an exclusive group focused on marriage. It's a secretive society of sorts with a series of rules focused on a single goal: keeping your marriage intact. And if you don't follow those rules: there are consequences, often extreme ones.
I can't deny that this book is very creepy at times. It also causes you to question the sanity of this couple. Why on earth would they sign these documents and join the Pact? Jake, okay, perhaps: he supposedly is desperate to keep Alice. But Alice, for pete's sake, is a lawyer: she has to know that signing anything, even if you think it's a joke (and this is not presented as a joke) could have serious consequences. Instead, she blindly signs because she wants to go to a party?! Perhaps they deserved what they get! (And maybe I'm a little bitter.) The book often reminded me of The Girl Before: another novel where you have to completely suspend disbelief that people would even entertain living life by a series of ridiculous rules to somewhat enjoy the book.
That's not to say I didn't sometimes feel sorry for Alice, or even Jake. I was drawn a bit more to Alice and often wished I could have heard her perspective on things sometimes, instead of just her husband's. Rather, things just seemed so drawn out: so much of Jake ruminating about Alice, their marriage, marriage in general, life, etc. It was a little much for me.
Still, as I mentioned the book definitely has its creepy moments. Even with those, it took me forever to read it. I never felt compelled to pick it up (so much talking and thinking from Jake) and probably finished at least two other books over the 10-day (!) span it took me to read this. I was more intrigued and interested in the last fourth or so of the book and then pretty much let down by the end, so there you have it. There's one good twist in there, and I'm going with a three-star rating, but I'm definitely not in the camp raving about this one. However, lots of people loved this book, so you may enjoy it a lot more than me.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review.
The set up to the book is certainly interesting: joining an exclusive group focused on marriage. It's a secretive society of sorts with a series of rules focused on a single goal: keeping your marriage intact. And if you don't follow those rules: there are consequences, often extreme ones.
I can't deny that this book is very creepy at times. It also causes you to question the sanity of this couple. Why on earth would they sign these documents and join the Pact? Jake, okay, perhaps: he supposedly is desperate to keep Alice. But Alice, for pete's sake, is a lawyer: she has to know that signing anything, even if you think it's a joke (and this is not presented as a joke) could have serious consequences. Instead, she blindly signs because she wants to go to a party?! Perhaps they deserved what they get! (And maybe I'm a little bitter.) The book often reminded me of The Girl Before: another novel where you have to completely suspend disbelief that people would even entertain living life by a series of ridiculous rules to somewhat enjoy the book.
That's not to say I didn't sometimes feel sorry for Alice, or even Jake. I was drawn a bit more to Alice and often wished I could have heard her perspective on things sometimes, instead of just her husband's. Rather, things just seemed so drawn out: so much of Jake ruminating about Alice, their marriage, marriage in general, life, etc. It was a little much for me.
Still, as I mentioned the book definitely has its creepy moments. Even with those, it took me forever to read it. I never felt compelled to pick it up (so much talking and thinking from Jake) and probably finished at least two other books over the 10-day (!) span it took me to read this. I was more intrigued and interested in the last fourth or so of the book and then pretty much let down by the end, so there you have it. There's one good twist in there, and I'm going with a three-star rating, but I'm definitely not in the camp raving about this one. However, lots of people loved this book, so you may enjoy it a lot more than me.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review.
Dana (24 KP) rated This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity, #1) in Books
Mar 23, 2018
This is my first book in the 10 Books in 10 Days Challenge presented by Epic Reads.
This book has such an interesting concept in the way it takes the standard Good vs Evil and blurs the lines completely. There are the standard "monsters" and "humans" but it gets hard to tell who is actually at fault in the war that is brewing in the book.
I loved the characters in this book. If I were to rate the book on characters alone, I would have given it a five star review, but alas, I did not. I really enjoyed how August and Kate were both trying to be something they weren't in order to impress their families, but then when they met each other, they weren't as pressured to do that. They rescued each other from their own self destruction.
There were a few really subtle moments of romance, but it wasn't the main focus of the novel, which is something I appreciated a lot. Too often in these dystopian fantasy novels, the girl needs a male romantic lead to make her feel whole and give her some amount of power. Not here!! Kate is already strong as hell!
It was cool to see them anchoring each other through talking. When either one of them was going to break, they told each other to tell them something, anything, and that was just one of those moments that were so emotional. They start repeating each other and caring for one another, something that I don't think either of them had really had before.
I loved all of August's quotes about humanity and what makes a person human. They were very well written!!
I can honestly keep going on the characters and do a character study on these two, but I am not going to do that. (At least not right now.)
I want Ilsa to be my best friend (even though she's kinda creepy at times) and Allegro to cuddle with. It was so freaking cute how the cat was brought in to further humanize August and Ilsa. It reminded me of my cat too.
The monsters were creepy as hell. It actually made me a little nervous in the dark for a bit while I was reading it. (To be honest, I don't get scared of the dark, so that just amps the creepy factor of this book.)
I loved all of the descriptions of sound, music and silence. Because they are all so important and ingrained into the story itself, it was cool whenever Victoria Schwab would bring attention to them in more artistic and melodic ways was just beautiful. I also loved all of the star imagery (but that's just because I am obsessed with the stars.)
I really want to explore the rest of the world and see what else is in store for these characters.
Overall, very well written novel. There were a few moments where it felt a little slow to me, but those were pretty few and far between.
Plot/joke spoilers in the rest of the review.
WTF happened in the freaking Elegy? Did a new Sunai/Malaki just emerge looking like Kate's mom?!?!?!? That is just bananas!!
Also, Leo, wtf dude? You're such a prick. Why would you do that?
Sunai's favorite food = SOUL FOOD (This line was freaking brilliant.)
This book has such an interesting concept in the way it takes the standard Good vs Evil and blurs the lines completely. There are the standard "monsters" and "humans" but it gets hard to tell who is actually at fault in the war that is brewing in the book.
I loved the characters in this book. If I were to rate the book on characters alone, I would have given it a five star review, but alas, I did not. I really enjoyed how August and Kate were both trying to be something they weren't in order to impress their families, but then when they met each other, they weren't as pressured to do that. They rescued each other from their own self destruction.
There were a few really subtle moments of romance, but it wasn't the main focus of the novel, which is something I appreciated a lot. Too often in these dystopian fantasy novels, the girl needs a male romantic lead to make her feel whole and give her some amount of power. Not here!! Kate is already strong as hell!
It was cool to see them anchoring each other through talking. When either one of them was going to break, they told each other to tell them something, anything, and that was just one of those moments that were so emotional. They start repeating each other and caring for one another, something that I don't think either of them had really had before.
I loved all of August's quotes about humanity and what makes a person human. They were very well written!!
I can honestly keep going on the characters and do a character study on these two, but I am not going to do that. (At least not right now.)
I want Ilsa to be my best friend (even though she's kinda creepy at times) and Allegro to cuddle with. It was so freaking cute how the cat was brought in to further humanize August and Ilsa. It reminded me of my cat too.
The monsters were creepy as hell. It actually made me a little nervous in the dark for a bit while I was reading it. (To be honest, I don't get scared of the dark, so that just amps the creepy factor of this book.)
I loved all of the descriptions of sound, music and silence. Because they are all so important and ingrained into the story itself, it was cool whenever Victoria Schwab would bring attention to them in more artistic and melodic ways was just beautiful. I also loved all of the star imagery (but that's just because I am obsessed with the stars.)
I really want to explore the rest of the world and see what else is in store for these characters.
Overall, very well written novel. There were a few moments where it felt a little slow to me, but those were pretty few and far between.
Plot/joke spoilers in the rest of the review.
WTF happened in the freaking Elegy? Did a new Sunai/Malaki just emerge looking like Kate's mom?!?!?!? That is just bananas!!
Also, Leo, wtf dude? You're such a prick. Why would you do that?
Sunai's favorite food = SOUL FOOD (This line was freaking brilliant.)
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Some Will Not Sleep: Selected Horrors in Books
Jun 22, 2021
90 of 250
Kindle
Some Will Not Sleep: selected horrors
By Adam Nevill
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
A bestial face appears at windows in the night.
In the big white house on the hill angels are said to appear.
A forgotten tenant in an isolated building becomes addicted to milk.
A strange goddess is worshipped by a home-invading disciple.
The least remembered gods still haunt the oldest forests.
Cannibalism occurs in high society at the end of the world.
The sainted undead follow their prophet to the Great Dead Sea.
A confused and vengeful presence occupies the home of a first-time buyer.
In ghastly harmony with the nightmarish visions of the award-winning writer's novels, these stories blend a lifelong appreciation of horror culture with the grotesque fascinations and childlike terrors that are the author's own.
So I wrote a few notes on each story that I enjoyed!
They are just little rambling I’m far from a in depth critic!
1. Where Angels come in
I’ve read this before and it it’s stuck with me for some reason. We all had that one house as kids that spooked us, only luckily mine was never full of creepy things.
2. The Original Occupant
A man determined to spend time in a Swedish forest finds himself disturbing a sacred ritual only to disappear after writing a frantic letter to his friends. After a search of the house and forest he’s never seen again! Really good and quite creepy never mess with someone’s sacred alter!
3. Mother’s Milk
Well that’s just made my stomach turn! A man thinks he’s found lodgings and a job finds himself turned into a milk fiend the source of the milk is definitely an interesting one.
4. Yellow Teeth
An old friend comes to visit and never leaves. This was creepy I’d just hate having someone around me that filthy and smelly.
5. Pig Thing
A strange little piggy tale after a family move to New Zealand
6. What God have Wrought
This follows a soldier searching across desert for the creature that holds his sister! For some reason this didn’t grab me.
7. Doll Hands
This is what will happen when the world comes to an end the over privileged using the poor souls as meat! Quite chilling!
8. To Forget and be Forgotten
I loved this! It reminded me of his Apartment 16 which is a book I fell totally in love with and the first book I read of Adams and this was in that style. A lot of the paragraphs struck home with me especially at the start! Solitude is something we all seek at some point and being around people can be taxing.
9. The Ancestors
This is the second time I’ve read this and it still creeps me out! A little girl makes friends with a ghost and some toys that have dark intentions and definitely dislike parents!
10.!The Age of Entitlement
11. Florrie
Another brilliant short! I think a good cleansing of all newly brought houses is in order to prevent this!
Overall I absolutely love his writing style each story even ones I didn’t quite click with transports you to that scene you’re reading. I’m building a steady collection of Adams books I highly recommend anyone of them!
Kindle
Some Will Not Sleep: selected horrors
By Adam Nevill
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
A bestial face appears at windows in the night.
In the big white house on the hill angels are said to appear.
A forgotten tenant in an isolated building becomes addicted to milk.
A strange goddess is worshipped by a home-invading disciple.
The least remembered gods still haunt the oldest forests.
Cannibalism occurs in high society at the end of the world.
The sainted undead follow their prophet to the Great Dead Sea.
A confused and vengeful presence occupies the home of a first-time buyer.
In ghastly harmony with the nightmarish visions of the award-winning writer's novels, these stories blend a lifelong appreciation of horror culture with the grotesque fascinations and childlike terrors that are the author's own.
So I wrote a few notes on each story that I enjoyed!
They are just little rambling I’m far from a in depth critic!
1. Where Angels come in
I’ve read this before and it it’s stuck with me for some reason. We all had that one house as kids that spooked us, only luckily mine was never full of creepy things.
2. The Original Occupant
A man determined to spend time in a Swedish forest finds himself disturbing a sacred ritual only to disappear after writing a frantic letter to his friends. After a search of the house and forest he’s never seen again! Really good and quite creepy never mess with someone’s sacred alter!
3. Mother’s Milk
Well that’s just made my stomach turn! A man thinks he’s found lodgings and a job finds himself turned into a milk fiend the source of the milk is definitely an interesting one.
4. Yellow Teeth
An old friend comes to visit and never leaves. This was creepy I’d just hate having someone around me that filthy and smelly.
5. Pig Thing
A strange little piggy tale after a family move to New Zealand
6. What God have Wrought
This follows a soldier searching across desert for the creature that holds his sister! For some reason this didn’t grab me.
7. Doll Hands
This is what will happen when the world comes to an end the over privileged using the poor souls as meat! Quite chilling!
8. To Forget and be Forgotten
I loved this! It reminded me of his Apartment 16 which is a book I fell totally in love with and the first book I read of Adams and this was in that style. A lot of the paragraphs struck home with me especially at the start! Solitude is something we all seek at some point and being around people can be taxing.
9. The Ancestors
This is the second time I’ve read this and it still creeps me out! A little girl makes friends with a ghost and some toys that have dark intentions and definitely dislike parents!
10.!The Age of Entitlement
11. Florrie
Another brilliant short! I think a good cleansing of all newly brought houses is in order to prevent this!
Overall I absolutely love his writing style each story even ones I didn’t quite click with transports you to that scene you’re reading. I’m building a steady collection of Adams books I highly recommend anyone of them!
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Overlord (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
You say zombie and I'm sold. No matter how serious they are they're still pretty funny, usually unintentionally. I'm not sure what it says about me when I laugh at someone fighting a zombie to the death/re-death but I can't help it... it's too daft not to!
I thought the trailer for Overlord was very good. Specifically the point where Boyce looks into that hole in the wall. We all knew there was something freaky in there and yet they didn't try and scare us with it. It certainly left me intrigued, but my main hope for this was that it would be better than Red-Con 1.
I enjoyed the retro feel opening sequence with the voice over. It really did go a long way to making the time period of the movie come across. But my joy was short lived because of the sheer volume of what came next. I could feel it in my stomach. Technically it was quite effective as I imagine it resembles the feeling of being in the plane quite well, but my god did it make me feel queasy. What then developed in this scene was incredibly difficult to watch, again, on point for what was happening but not ideal for the viewer. Almost everything happening on screen was rendered obsolete by the chaos.
This is then followed by a mid-air sequence that basically feels like audience participation. Boyce is in freefall. It's strange and fake... yes, I know it IS fake, but I've seen enough films do that sort of airborn story line to know it can produce great results.
Despite those issues his eventual arrival on solid ground rounds out the beginning of the film nicely.
Overlord does show one of my favourite movie character faux pas. Never have dreams. Bad things will happen to you. If you're in a life threatening situation give up on every hope you have for your future and just focus on making it through the next 2 hours of your life.
The supernatural side of the film presents you with two very different types of zombies. Chloe's aunt is a classic wheezing zombie, mooching around just being a little creepy, and the ones we encounter in the bunker are much more rage filled. Being that they are mostly born of experiments it makes me wonder if calling this a zombie movie is entirely accurate.
There is what I would call a classic take from a B-movie hidden within the German bunker. Part of me hopes that somewhere within the magic of movie timelines that this is actually the pre-cursor to Fiend Without A Face. But to be making any suggestions that this itself is a B-movie would be entirely misplaced.
The effects are generally well done. We see a transformation brought about by the German's serum which is the first time the characters have witnessed it. The only thing that let the scene down for me was the change of the character's actual character. That felt more unnatural than what happened to them.
Where there's good, there's also bad. The effect's are tainted by Two-Face. He makes a very creepy inclusion but because of the extent of the damage it looks a tad ridiculous in the action sequences. There were ways around it, they could have given him a different injury or a mask, but the latter would have possibly taken you into Captain America and Wonder Woman territory.
One thing I seriously think about this film is that they should make a second one. Not a sequel. Make this a second film. Keep Overlord as it is but also make a war film. Everything up until the creepy bits was a really solid start. It would only need a few tweaks to the bunker scenes to make them less sci-fi and the whole thing would make a great 15 certificate production.
What you should do
It's not a bad watch, probably more of a lad's night out sort of thing. (I'm not trying to be sexist there, it was literally me and 14 blokes watching it.) It certainly doesn't feel like you completely wasted your time seeing it, so give it a go sometime.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
When it comes to zombies I'd much rather have Ed from Shaun Of The Dead than any of these ones, so if it's possible to get that serum concoction for super strength without the creepy side effects then I'll go for that please.
I thought the trailer for Overlord was very good. Specifically the point where Boyce looks into that hole in the wall. We all knew there was something freaky in there and yet they didn't try and scare us with it. It certainly left me intrigued, but my main hope for this was that it would be better than Red-Con 1.
I enjoyed the retro feel opening sequence with the voice over. It really did go a long way to making the time period of the movie come across. But my joy was short lived because of the sheer volume of what came next. I could feel it in my stomach. Technically it was quite effective as I imagine it resembles the feeling of being in the plane quite well, but my god did it make me feel queasy. What then developed in this scene was incredibly difficult to watch, again, on point for what was happening but not ideal for the viewer. Almost everything happening on screen was rendered obsolete by the chaos.
This is then followed by a mid-air sequence that basically feels like audience participation. Boyce is in freefall. It's strange and fake... yes, I know it IS fake, but I've seen enough films do that sort of airborn story line to know it can produce great results.
Despite those issues his eventual arrival on solid ground rounds out the beginning of the film nicely.
Overlord does show one of my favourite movie character faux pas. Never have dreams. Bad things will happen to you. If you're in a life threatening situation give up on every hope you have for your future and just focus on making it through the next 2 hours of your life.
The supernatural side of the film presents you with two very different types of zombies. Chloe's aunt is a classic wheezing zombie, mooching around just being a little creepy, and the ones we encounter in the bunker are much more rage filled. Being that they are mostly born of experiments it makes me wonder if calling this a zombie movie is entirely accurate.
There is what I would call a classic take from a B-movie hidden within the German bunker. Part of me hopes that somewhere within the magic of movie timelines that this is actually the pre-cursor to Fiend Without A Face. But to be making any suggestions that this itself is a B-movie would be entirely misplaced.
The effects are generally well done. We see a transformation brought about by the German's serum which is the first time the characters have witnessed it. The only thing that let the scene down for me was the change of the character's actual character. That felt more unnatural than what happened to them.
Where there's good, there's also bad. The effect's are tainted by Two-Face. He makes a very creepy inclusion but because of the extent of the damage it looks a tad ridiculous in the action sequences. There were ways around it, they could have given him a different injury or a mask, but the latter would have possibly taken you into Captain America and Wonder Woman territory.
One thing I seriously think about this film is that they should make a second one. Not a sequel. Make this a second film. Keep Overlord as it is but also make a war film. Everything up until the creepy bits was a really solid start. It would only need a few tweaks to the bunker scenes to make them less sci-fi and the whole thing would make a great 15 certificate production.
What you should do
It's not a bad watch, probably more of a lad's night out sort of thing. (I'm not trying to be sexist there, it was literally me and 14 blokes watching it.) It certainly doesn't feel like you completely wasted your time seeing it, so give it a go sometime.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
When it comes to zombies I'd much rather have Ed from Shaun Of The Dead than any of these ones, so if it's possible to get that serum concoction for super strength without the creepy side effects then I'll go for that please.
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Annabelle: Creation (2017) in Movies
May 12, 2018
I’ve been waiting for quite some time to get the opportunity to watch Annabelle: Creation and thanks to my boyfriend, that chance finally arrived. My interest in the Conjuring universe as a whole began with the introduction of the Warrens in The Conuring. Having been a devout fan of anything paranormal, I knew their names and history long before I watched the fictionalized film. That said, I was definitely curious as to the story behind the doll, Annabelle. (I watched that film shortly after it came out, naturally.)
The plot of Annabelle: Creation is pretty self-explanatory. It delves into the origin of the possessed doll, providing viewers with the history of how it came to be. A la dead girl, Faustian deals, and things going, you guessed it, wrong. This is a bit cliché in the world of hauntings, but I feel Annabelle: Creation pulls it off well enough. Perhaps this is because the film doesn’t rely entirely on creepy sounds and eardrum-bursting music to accentuate creepy occurrences. (Yes, the film does have plenty of those, but that doesn’t mark every eerie happening.)
Keeping to the feel of being part of the Conjuring universe, there is a reference to the upcoming film, The Nun. I liked this, and am, naturally, looking forward to that film.
Of course, rarely do any of my reviews come without a complaint and in this instance, it has to do with character development. One of the things I love most about horror movies is the building need for certain characters to stay alive. In Annabelle: Creation none of the characters felt overly dynamic except for Janice. It’s like all the work went into making her the sort of gal you feel sorry for while nothing else is left for the others – especially Mr. Mullins.
Overall, I really enjoyed watching this film and would likely watch it again. While it wasn’t extremely original in its design, it did manage to catch me a few times and as a result, my heart rate elevated (and I felt some anxiety with at least one of the scenes). For me, this is a good thing. Couple that with the fact that the movie ends precisely where Annabelle begins, and it’s a pretty solid 4/5 for me.
The plot of Annabelle: Creation is pretty self-explanatory. It delves into the origin of the possessed doll, providing viewers with the history of how it came to be. A la dead girl, Faustian deals, and things going, you guessed it, wrong. This is a bit cliché in the world of hauntings, but I feel Annabelle: Creation pulls it off well enough. Perhaps this is because the film doesn’t rely entirely on creepy sounds and eardrum-bursting music to accentuate creepy occurrences. (Yes, the film does have plenty of those, but that doesn’t mark every eerie happening.)
Keeping to the feel of being part of the Conjuring universe, there is a reference to the upcoming film, The Nun. I liked this, and am, naturally, looking forward to that film.
Of course, rarely do any of my reviews come without a complaint and in this instance, it has to do with character development. One of the things I love most about horror movies is the building need for certain characters to stay alive. In Annabelle: Creation none of the characters felt overly dynamic except for Janice. It’s like all the work went into making her the sort of gal you feel sorry for while nothing else is left for the others – especially Mr. Mullins.
Overall, I really enjoyed watching this film and would likely watch it again. While it wasn’t extremely original in its design, it did manage to catch me a few times and as a result, my heart rate elevated (and I felt some anxiety with at least one of the scenes). For me, this is a good thing. Couple that with the fact that the movie ends precisely where Annabelle begins, and it’s a pretty solid 4/5 for me.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Beloveds in Books
Apr 9, 2018
Slow-moving thriller with a despicable main character
Betty adores only one thing in her life: her childhood home, called Pipits, and desires nothing else than to live in it. Alone. So when her mother passes away and wills the home to her younger sister Gloria and her husband, Henry, Betty is beyond angry and ruined. She puts Henry and Gloria in a class called the Beloveds; people she deems loved and admired and lucky in love and everything they do. Betty, of course, is on the outside looking in on these Beloved sort. She vows she will do whatever it takes to get Pipits back, at any cost.
This novel features Betty talking to us directly in a conversational style, which I liked. However, sadly, the rest of this one didn't work too well for me. For one thing, it's just maddeningly slow. There is so much talk from Betty and she is so mean, crazy, and cruel. Halfway through the novel, I felt as if nothing had happened, other than her rantings. Beyond her being mentally ill, the whole book is built on her obsession for this house, and it became a bit much for me. I understand that it should be creepy, but it just didn't work for me.
For much of the novel, Betty isn't really even that good at being evil, she's just mean-spirited and a ranting drunk. I kept reading out of a morbid curiosity, but I really wasn't all that interested or engaged or drawn to anyone in the novel. In fact, I just despised Betty completely and couldn't even find myself liking her as a "bad guy." She was just mean. Also, again, I felt somewhat bad despising someone who was so clearly mentally ill, but she was so hateful, and her obsession with this house was just all-consuming and hard to empathize with.
Overall, this one didn't work for me. It was so slow, with such a despicable main character with odd motivations. However, I've read a lot of reviews where others really enjoyed its creepy nature, so it may work for you.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!); more at https://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/.
This novel features Betty talking to us directly in a conversational style, which I liked. However, sadly, the rest of this one didn't work too well for me. For one thing, it's just maddeningly slow. There is so much talk from Betty and she is so mean, crazy, and cruel. Halfway through the novel, I felt as if nothing had happened, other than her rantings. Beyond her being mentally ill, the whole book is built on her obsession for this house, and it became a bit much for me. I understand that it should be creepy, but it just didn't work for me.
For much of the novel, Betty isn't really even that good at being evil, she's just mean-spirited and a ranting drunk. I kept reading out of a morbid curiosity, but I really wasn't all that interested or engaged or drawn to anyone in the novel. In fact, I just despised Betty completely and couldn't even find myself liking her as a "bad guy." She was just mean. Also, again, I felt somewhat bad despising someone who was so clearly mentally ill, but she was so hateful, and her obsession with this house was just all-consuming and hard to empathize with.
Overall, this one didn't work for me. It was so slow, with such a despicable main character with odd motivations. However, I've read a lot of reviews where others really enjoyed its creepy nature, so it may work for you.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!); more at https://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/.
Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated The Lodge (2008) in Movies
Jul 22, 2018
Good acting (2 more)
Creepy moments
The sadistic daughter
Shooting felt amateur (3 more)
85% of it was slow and boring
No shocks or twists
Didn't feel R rated
A cliche "horror" that lacks so much
First off I just want to say you can't spoil this movie. Whatever you think is going to happen, it will happen. There are no shocks or twists to the story.
They waste no time showing how creepy the caretaker is. Because of this you hoped that it was all a misdirection but sadly not. You even hoped it would possibly go into a ghost story instead but it just turned around and went right back into predictability.
The shooting of the movie felt very amateur. Every scene was out of focus and it's sad it's something you get used to.
The first half was extremely slow with drawn out scenes and about halfway through it did start to pick up some pace but sadly this ended up dragging on too long and felt too anticlimatic. It did feel like a homage to Texas chainsaw massacre which was nice but did nothing.
It was clear that this was very low budget with only 4 members of cast so there was no place to hide with the acting and I have to say it was good. They did a decent job with what was written and the characters often showed good logic which is rare in movies. For example they had reasons for alarms clocks going off randomly in the night, weird noises etc they were likable too which is a big thing for me.
The sadistic daughter was a great addition. She felt sinister but it is never explained why she is so dirty or why she is the way she is.
Sadly there is nothing new here. It felts like plenty of other movies you have already seen. For a R rated movie, it felt very tame. Like every movie they get caught but nothing terrible happens to them. You expect more violence or gore but this barely had anything and I found myself bored and excited for it to end.
I did go into this expected the worst movie ever so I was surprised that there were parts I liked but ultimately I wasn't impressed. It could have been so much more but lack too many things.
They waste no time showing how creepy the caretaker is. Because of this you hoped that it was all a misdirection but sadly not. You even hoped it would possibly go into a ghost story instead but it just turned around and went right back into predictability.
The shooting of the movie felt very amateur. Every scene was out of focus and it's sad it's something you get used to.
The first half was extremely slow with drawn out scenes and about halfway through it did start to pick up some pace but sadly this ended up dragging on too long and felt too anticlimatic. It did feel like a homage to Texas chainsaw massacre which was nice but did nothing.
It was clear that this was very low budget with only 4 members of cast so there was no place to hide with the acting and I have to say it was good. They did a decent job with what was written and the characters often showed good logic which is rare in movies. For example they had reasons for alarms clocks going off randomly in the night, weird noises etc they were likable too which is a big thing for me.
The sadistic daughter was a great addition. She felt sinister but it is never explained why she is so dirty or why she is the way she is.
Sadly there is nothing new here. It felts like plenty of other movies you have already seen. For a R rated movie, it felt very tame. Like every movie they get caught but nothing terrible happens to them. You expect more violence or gore but this barely had anything and I found myself bored and excited for it to end.
I did go into this expected the worst movie ever so I was surprised that there were parts I liked but ultimately I wasn't impressed. It could have been so much more but lack too many things.