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Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated Hellraiser (1987) in Movies
Sep 14, 2018
A wonderfully imaginative and creepy Mythos (1 more)
Doug Bradley becomes a horror icon
The Special Effects are a little dated (1 more)
Sometimes seems confused about what sort of film it is...
We have such Cenobites to show you...
Hellraiser is arguably the finest in the series, creating horror icons in Pinhead, Kirsty, Frank and Julia, whilst giving the viewer some of the most extreme horror scenes ever seen.
The mythos of Clive Barker's Hellraiser series is fascinating, and hints at underworlds, other dimensions, hell and all sorts of demonic entities, and although this first entry is mostly set in an indistinct U.S town, the feeling that hell is just under the surface haunts the movie.
What follows is a tale of morality, lust, love and judgement as our characters seek to fulfill their heart's desires, all whilst trying to make sense of the dark forces that seek to envelope their new home.
Our Heroine, Kirtsy, is played by Ashley Laurence, who has more than a dash of Ripley about her at times, as she snarls and fights the forces of evil, showing more courage than most of us watching the film I am sure.
Pinhead (as he was dubbed by fans) is a fairly minor role in the film, and yet Doug Bradley's ominous delivery lingers long on the memory, giving us lines that echo long after the film has finished.
All in all, Hellraiser is a flawed, but imaginative horror tale, that threatens the viewer with a fantastically demonic realm filled with violence, gore and underdogs, and a plot that is easy to follow, but still feels new.
Sadly, like the Cenobites, the following movies would often fall prey to their mantra of pain & pleasure, but certainly this and the immediate sequel should be considered must-see for fans of physical effects and slow burning horror.
The mythos of Clive Barker's Hellraiser series is fascinating, and hints at underworlds, other dimensions, hell and all sorts of demonic entities, and although this first entry is mostly set in an indistinct U.S town, the feeling that hell is just under the surface haunts the movie.
What follows is a tale of morality, lust, love and judgement as our characters seek to fulfill their heart's desires, all whilst trying to make sense of the dark forces that seek to envelope their new home.
Our Heroine, Kirtsy, is played by Ashley Laurence, who has more than a dash of Ripley about her at times, as she snarls and fights the forces of evil, showing more courage than most of us watching the film I am sure.
Pinhead (as he was dubbed by fans) is a fairly minor role in the film, and yet Doug Bradley's ominous delivery lingers long on the memory, giving us lines that echo long after the film has finished.
All in all, Hellraiser is a flawed, but imaginative horror tale, that threatens the viewer with a fantastically demonic realm filled with violence, gore and underdogs, and a plot that is easy to follow, but still feels new.
Sadly, like the Cenobites, the following movies would often fall prey to their mantra of pain & pleasure, but certainly this and the immediate sequel should be considered must-see for fans of physical effects and slow burning horror.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Thing: Zero Day in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
The Thing: Zero Day </i>is a short science fiction, horror story by Lee McGeorge. Inspired by John Carpenter’s film <i>The Thing</i> and the story <i>Who Goes There? </i>by John W. Campbell, McGeorge has created a creepy, fast paced thriller for readers to enjoy.
It is 1982 and a group of twelve Norwegian climatologists witness the crash landing of an unidentified flying object. Curiosity getting the better of them, they try to salvage what they can of the craft and discover an alien in a block of ice. What at first seems like a magnificent discovery turns frightening after all but three of the climate scientists begin behaving strangely, becoming impassive as if something has a psychological hold over them. The story becomes more horrific as it goes on with gruesome descriptions of the things that happen to the men.
The book is short enough to be read in one sitting, however it ends, annoyingly, without a definite conclusion, leaving the reader to imagine what happens next. <i>The Thing: Zero Day</i> is not a novel but a piece of fan fiction for the film <i>The Thing</i>. Although I have not seen the film I am led to believe that this book is a sort of prologue to the main story line.
Being short, the narrative is gripping from start to finish, jumping straight into the story. Readers are sucked into the tale and will most likely read it from beginning to end without putting it down. <i>The Thing: Zero Day</i> is obviously recommended for lovers of the film, however people who have not had the opportunity to view it, yet enjoy horror and science fiction, will also enjoy this book.
The Thing: Zero Day </i>is a short science fiction, horror story by Lee McGeorge. Inspired by John Carpenter’s film <i>The Thing</i> and the story <i>Who Goes There? </i>by John W. Campbell, McGeorge has created a creepy, fast paced thriller for readers to enjoy.
It is 1982 and a group of twelve Norwegian climatologists witness the crash landing of an unidentified flying object. Curiosity getting the better of them, they try to salvage what they can of the craft and discover an alien in a block of ice. What at first seems like a magnificent discovery turns frightening after all but three of the climate scientists begin behaving strangely, becoming impassive as if something has a psychological hold over them. The story becomes more horrific as it goes on with gruesome descriptions of the things that happen to the men.
The book is short enough to be read in one sitting, however it ends, annoyingly, without a definite conclusion, leaving the reader to imagine what happens next. <i>The Thing: Zero Day</i> is not a novel but a piece of fan fiction for the film <i>The Thing</i>. Although I have not seen the film I am led to believe that this book is a sort of prologue to the main story line.
Being short, the narrative is gripping from start to finish, jumping straight into the story. Readers are sucked into the tale and will most likely read it from beginning to end without putting it down. <i>The Thing: Zero Day</i> is obviously recommended for lovers of the film, however people who have not had the opportunity to view it, yet enjoy horror and science fiction, will also enjoy this book.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Resident Evil 7 biohazard in Video Games
Oct 25, 2019 (Updated Oct 25, 2019)
Back To Horror
Contains spoilers, click to show
This game is so scary, its terrorfying, horrorfying, spooky, creepy and so much more. Plus its back to the old resident evil games. Unlike 5 and 6 which toke the action rote. So it was so good to see it back home where it belongs. Its twisted, psychological, nightmareful and so much more. Lets talk about the plot/story.
The Plot/Story: player controls Ethan Winters as he searches for his wife in a derelict plantation occupied by a cannibal family, solving puzzles and fighting enemies. It is the first main series game to use a first-person view.
Ethan must choose to cure either Mia or Zoe. Choosing Zoe leaves Mia heartbroken, despite Ethan's promise to send help. As he and Zoe flee on a boat, Zoe reveals that the Bakers were infected after Mia arrived with a young girl named Eveline when the wreck of a tanker ship washed ashore. Eveline stops their escape by calcifying Zoe, killing her, and Ethan is knocked from the boat by a creature. If Ethan chooses Mia, Zoe gives a bitter farewell to him and Mia.
I like thie because you have to choose to decide on who gets the cure and who doesnt.
If Ethan cured Mia, she resists Eveline's control long enough to seal Ethan out of the ship; if he cured Zoe, Mia succumbs to Eveline's control and attacks Ethan, forcing him to kill her.
Chris Redfield does apper in the game, at the end through. The helicopter that Chris comes in on is branded with the Umbrella Corporation logo.
Their is alot of extra contant/DLC for this game.
If you haven't played this game, than i would highly reccordmend playing this game.
The Plot/Story: player controls Ethan Winters as he searches for his wife in a derelict plantation occupied by a cannibal family, solving puzzles and fighting enemies. It is the first main series game to use a first-person view.
Ethan must choose to cure either Mia or Zoe. Choosing Zoe leaves Mia heartbroken, despite Ethan's promise to send help. As he and Zoe flee on a boat, Zoe reveals that the Bakers were infected after Mia arrived with a young girl named Eveline when the wreck of a tanker ship washed ashore. Eveline stops their escape by calcifying Zoe, killing her, and Ethan is knocked from the boat by a creature. If Ethan chooses Mia, Zoe gives a bitter farewell to him and Mia.
I like thie because you have to choose to decide on who gets the cure and who doesnt.
If Ethan cured Mia, she resists Eveline's control long enough to seal Ethan out of the ship; if he cured Zoe, Mia succumbs to Eveline's control and attacks Ethan, forcing him to kill her.
Chris Redfield does apper in the game, at the end through. The helicopter that Chris comes in on is branded with the Umbrella Corporation logo.
Their is alot of extra contant/DLC for this game.
If you haven't played this game, than i would highly reccordmend playing this game.
Enjoyable thriller
This is a page turner of a thriller. It takes a little to get to grips with the time jumping but it helps that it uses rewind, pause and fast forward as chapters to give you some baring and once you get it it’s fine and kinda fun in a novel way. This book lends itself to being a great easy read with enough going on to keep you engaged but without being too taxing on the old noggin - perfect for holiday reading.
Natalie is a social media influencer and I did find the beginning of the book was throwing a bit too much jargon about this area at us; along with describing click bait journalist Audery’s world it felt like a real push to be “with it”. It is however a great area to explore as opening yourself up to the world like that gives a whole huge potential for weirdo exposure. When Natalie visits the remote Irish village of Shanamore she gets to meet even more odd characters in the form of holiday cottage manager Andrew with a real Norman Bates feel to him and other locals. There is definitely an air of creepy, in a skin crawling fashion, about them.
I didn’t find there to be much mystery in this book with it all being too evident who was responsible as soon as they began to appear. The multitude of POVs and the moving around in time did hamper any real development of feeling invested in the characters. All in all an enjoyable quick thriller read without too much thought required.
My thanks to the author, publisher Atlantic Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Natalie is a social media influencer and I did find the beginning of the book was throwing a bit too much jargon about this area at us; along with describing click bait journalist Audery’s world it felt like a real push to be “with it”. It is however a great area to explore as opening yourself up to the world like that gives a whole huge potential for weirdo exposure. When Natalie visits the remote Irish village of Shanamore she gets to meet even more odd characters in the form of holiday cottage manager Andrew with a real Norman Bates feel to him and other locals. There is definitely an air of creepy, in a skin crawling fashion, about them.
I didn’t find there to be much mystery in this book with it all being too evident who was responsible as soon as they began to appear. The multitude of POVs and the moving around in time did hamper any real development of feeling invested in the characters. All in all an enjoyable quick thriller read without too much thought required.
My thanks to the author, publisher Atlantic Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Fourth Kind (2009) in Movies
Aug 9, 2019
Based on true events, “The Fourth Kind” is a thriller/semi-documentary covering the seemingly unexplained true events that occurred to psychologist Abigail Turner, portrayed in the film by Milla Jovovich. “The Fourth Kind” presents Abby’s story merging dramatic renditions with actual video and audio footage of the strange occurrences.
It is a creepy film filled with close up shots of spooky owls and the hauntingly foggy skies of Nome, Alaska. All this imagery creates a mystical scene but it left me wondering whether is it the films content or an extremely good knowledge of camera angles that created the lingering possibility of truth?
Furthering my dislike of the film are the unnecessary plot deviations, such as the start and conclusion by Jovovich, and the slow and disjointed family sequences which make the characters hard to relate to. Moreover, it seems as if much of the film’s content could be removed and possibly presented as a stronger case for an encounter of the fourth kind as short film or even television episode.
But the most glaring objection to the film’s premise is that it is built on a very small amount of evidence. Sure, the evidence that is presented is disturbing but the limited actual video and audio clips utilized make the film feel gimmicky. Dr. Turner’s story is intriguing but it does not support a satisfying a full-length film, especially for audiences hoping to see something that will force them to reexamine their stance on alien life forms.
In the end what you probably want to know is if this movie significantly change my views on the possibility of alien life forms or if it scared me to my core. The simple answer is no, but it did make me less enthusiastic about visiting to Nome, Alaska.
It is a creepy film filled with close up shots of spooky owls and the hauntingly foggy skies of Nome, Alaska. All this imagery creates a mystical scene but it left me wondering whether is it the films content or an extremely good knowledge of camera angles that created the lingering possibility of truth?
Furthering my dislike of the film are the unnecessary plot deviations, such as the start and conclusion by Jovovich, and the slow and disjointed family sequences which make the characters hard to relate to. Moreover, it seems as if much of the film’s content could be removed and possibly presented as a stronger case for an encounter of the fourth kind as short film or even television episode.
But the most glaring objection to the film’s premise is that it is built on a very small amount of evidence. Sure, the evidence that is presented is disturbing but the limited actual video and audio clips utilized make the film feel gimmicky. Dr. Turner’s story is intriguing but it does not support a satisfying a full-length film, especially for audiences hoping to see something that will force them to reexamine their stance on alien life forms.
In the end what you probably want to know is if this movie significantly change my views on the possibility of alien life forms or if it scared me to my core. The simple answer is no, but it did make me less enthusiastic about visiting to Nome, Alaska.
Merissa (13100 KP) rated Breaking the Mold (The Gray Eyes Series Book, #2) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
Breaking the Mold is the second book in the Grey Eyes series and is set in a different town, with different characters (mainly). This book is darker than the first, with a creepy, psychotic powerlifter who thinks he can have what - and who - he wants as just one of the 'bad guys'. Olivia has always been a Daddy's Girl, but things are changing and she can no longer adhere to his rulings completely. Luckily for Olivia, her mother is on her side, and helps her every which way she can. Alex is the gentle but strong hero, who wants nothing more than to reconnect with Olivia after 10 years apart. Will she be the same girl his memories show him, or not. Will she even remember him?
This book is exceptionally well written, with a storyline that drags you in and won't let go. Violence is a part of the story, and it wouldn't be the same without it. It is there by design and is not gratuitous. With mystery and suspense, this book will keep you on your toes. It is pretty obvious just who the other 'bad guys' are, but the how and whys remain unknown until you read further along.
With a similar cliff-hanger ending, this book is a complete story in itself, whilst whetting your appetite for the next book. Although I thoroughly enjoyed Crossing the Barrier and loved Malakai and Lily as characters; there was something about this book, that indefinable 'something' that just pips it to the post for me. A well deserved 5-stars and a need for the next book along. Highly recommended by me.
* I received this book from YA Reads in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This book is exceptionally well written, with a storyline that drags you in and won't let go. Violence is a part of the story, and it wouldn't be the same without it. It is there by design and is not gratuitous. With mystery and suspense, this book will keep you on your toes. It is pretty obvious just who the other 'bad guys' are, but the how and whys remain unknown until you read further along.
With a similar cliff-hanger ending, this book is a complete story in itself, whilst whetting your appetite for the next book. Although I thoroughly enjoyed Crossing the Barrier and loved Malakai and Lily as characters; there was something about this book, that indefinable 'something' that just pips it to the post for me. A well deserved 5-stars and a need for the next book along. Highly recommended by me.
* I received this book from YA Reads in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dakotah Salazar (12 KP) rated Child's Play (2019) in Movies
Jul 1, 2019
Good Kills (1 more)
Good Doll Design
Slasher Cliches (1 more)
Predictable
A.I. Chucky reborn in a tech savvy world.
As Chucky embarks into a new century, the filmmakers realize that it was time to make Chucky into artificial intelligence. In previous films, there was always a sense of witchcraft going on where it made Chucky come to life. This makes more sense of making Chucky as a Amazon Alexa type of technology. A Buddi of sorts.
They cleverly weave that into the depth of where Chucky's madness is taking over him. In how it started was a little far fetched. A guy decided to break the rules at his job because of poor working conditions and a over the top douche of a boss. It was mishandled how it happened.
I think that Aubrey Plaza, Gabriel Bateman, and Brian Tyree Howard are amazing in this movie. They really sell the world that was created for them, especially Bateman who is tortured by Chucky's antics.
As for the doll design, I think it looked really good. There are moments where rendering in the CGI was needed, but overall, it looked amazing in some scenes. I specifically remember the moment where Bateman is walking Chucky into his room and the way his facial expressions are used makes him weirdly human, and that increases the creepy factor within Chucky.
As for the negatives, it follows the typical ground plan of every slasher, especially Child's Play movies. Mom's boyfriend is a douche. Mom doesn't believe her son. Friends believe Andy. Nice cop who lives with mother may be the knight in shining armor. We can see where this is going, and it also takes a while for Chucky to actually kill something. It panders too much and I think they could've had more potential with the horror.
They cleverly weave that into the depth of where Chucky's madness is taking over him. In how it started was a little far fetched. A guy decided to break the rules at his job because of poor working conditions and a over the top douche of a boss. It was mishandled how it happened.
I think that Aubrey Plaza, Gabriel Bateman, and Brian Tyree Howard are amazing in this movie. They really sell the world that was created for them, especially Bateman who is tortured by Chucky's antics.
As for the doll design, I think it looked really good. There are moments where rendering in the CGI was needed, but overall, it looked amazing in some scenes. I specifically remember the moment where Bateman is walking Chucky into his room and the way his facial expressions are used makes him weirdly human, and that increases the creepy factor within Chucky.
As for the negatives, it follows the typical ground plan of every slasher, especially Child's Play movies. Mom's boyfriend is a douche. Mom doesn't believe her son. Friends believe Andy. Nice cop who lives with mother may be the knight in shining armor. We can see where this is going, and it also takes a while for Chucky to actually kill something. It panders too much and I think they could've had more potential with the horror.
James Koppert (2698 KP) rated The Possession (The Anomaly Files #2) in Books
Nov 3, 2019
Great follow on from the previous book (1 more)
Don't have to have read the previous book
For the fans of Coast to Coast AM etc
When I reviewed Michael Rutger's previous novel; The Anomaly I said that this was a novel for those of us who love the strange paranormal, supernatural woo woo of things like Fortean Times magazine, Coast to Coast AM, Astonishing Legends and Lore and I am going to say the same thing for The Possession. The title lets it down a little. This isn't some girl gets possessed by a daemon and gets exorcised run of the mill story, Rutger is far more interesting than that.
The story centres round the Berkeley Mystery Walls, strange walls in California that are ancient and don't seem to be marking territory and whom no one knows who built them and what their purpose is, and the disappearance of a girl. Nolan Moore and his Anomaly Files crew turn up to investigate and things start getting more and more strange, creepy and out of this world as they go along.
Do you have to have read the previous book to get any of this? Not at all, you can jump straight into this as a separate story although after reading the Anomaly I was really keen to get The Possession and I wasn't disappointed. It is a tense thrilling hell ride from start to finish with no simple answers and solutions, just the great characters from the first book back bumbling through as best they can to try and save the world. Its great fun, full of well researched strange events and massive adventure. Its refreshing to have a voice in horror that throws away the cliches and instead makes a modern story entirely of their own. Lets hope there are many more novels to come.
The story centres round the Berkeley Mystery Walls, strange walls in California that are ancient and don't seem to be marking territory and whom no one knows who built them and what their purpose is, and the disappearance of a girl. Nolan Moore and his Anomaly Files crew turn up to investigate and things start getting more and more strange, creepy and out of this world as they go along.
Do you have to have read the previous book to get any of this? Not at all, you can jump straight into this as a separate story although after reading the Anomaly I was really keen to get The Possession and I wasn't disappointed. It is a tense thrilling hell ride from start to finish with no simple answers and solutions, just the great characters from the first book back bumbling through as best they can to try and save the world. Its great fun, full of well researched strange events and massive adventure. Its refreshing to have a voice in horror that throws away the cliches and instead makes a modern story entirely of their own. Lets hope there are many more novels to come.
Leigh J (71 KP) rated The Chill Factor (1973) in Movies
Nov 9, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
A group of friends are out Snowmobile racing when one has a critical accident. Out in the middle of nowhere in freezing conditions, 2 of the friends go to find help and stumble across a Cabin. The Cabin looks like it was once a Religious Camp but seems abandoned; it has an upside down cross of the mantle and is just very creepy in general. They ignore this and move their friend into the Cabin. Whilst looking around the Cabin they find a picture of some kids in the 1950's who attended when the place was a Camp. Below their picture there is a scroll that says "keep the beast in the field", which one of the friends alludes to the fact that "the beast" often references the Devil. They also discover a "Devil's Eye" board, similar to a Ouija Board and decide to use it. During this, one of the friends that went out for help is killed, one has a seizure and one woman is convinced they've let something evil in; further strengthened by the fact that one of friends finds an article about a Satanic Killer murdering people around that area. Soon enough the friends are getting picked off one by one by supernatural forces, yet the critically injured man is thriving. Could the Killer have returned to the Cabin? Or could this be the work of the Devil's Eye Board?
Chill Factor is one of those typically terrible 80's Horrors (made in 1989). It's slow burning and not in a good way, it feels more like a cheesy TV drama and the murders are substandard and really nothing at all that us Horror fans haven't seen a million times over. Also, it ends in a ridiculous Snowmobile race between Woman and evil... ludicrous.
Chill Factor is one of those typically terrible 80's Horrors (made in 1989). It's slow burning and not in a good way, it feels more like a cheesy TV drama and the murders are substandard and really nothing at all that us Horror fans haven't seen a million times over. Also, it ends in a ridiculous Snowmobile race between Woman and evil... ludicrous.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Layers of Fear in Video Games
Nov 19, 2019 (Updated Nov 19, 2019)
On the surface, Layers of Fear seems like a game that was designed purely for YouTubers to play and scream at, and I think that's a fair enough assumption based on the sheer amount of jumpscares throughout (some are cheap, some are effective).
But look a little deeper and you will be rewarded with more that you might expect.
You play as a Victorian era painter, trying to paint his magnum opus, unlocking more to your painting as you dive ever deeper into his fractured psyche.
It's one of those games that leaves a lot up to you to interpret, only finding more concrete plot pointers if you care enough to explore and find clues.
Visually, Layers of Fear is great. It captures the feeling of spiralling madness perfectly, with some decent graphics to go with it.
The constant presence of subtly morphing paintings scattered along the walls is suitably creepy, and creates a general feeling of unease as you navigate through dimly lit hallways.
The classic first person perspective adds to this unease as you constantly feel little to no control over what you're seeing, as the house shifts around you regularly.
The further you venture into the artists mind, the darker the narrative insinuations become, as the visions turn increasingly twisted.
Layers of Fear can be finished in a couple of hours, and isn't particularly challenging, but the addition of multiple endings will keep you coming back, just out of shear intrigue.
The jump scares feel a little excessive after a while but if you are a fan of the recent wave of first person horror exploration games (in the wake of P.T.) then Layers of Fear is worth seeking out.
But look a little deeper and you will be rewarded with more that you might expect.
You play as a Victorian era painter, trying to paint his magnum opus, unlocking more to your painting as you dive ever deeper into his fractured psyche.
It's one of those games that leaves a lot up to you to interpret, only finding more concrete plot pointers if you care enough to explore and find clues.
Visually, Layers of Fear is great. It captures the feeling of spiralling madness perfectly, with some decent graphics to go with it.
The constant presence of subtly morphing paintings scattered along the walls is suitably creepy, and creates a general feeling of unease as you navigate through dimly lit hallways.
The classic first person perspective adds to this unease as you constantly feel little to no control over what you're seeing, as the house shifts around you regularly.
The further you venture into the artists mind, the darker the narrative insinuations become, as the visions turn increasingly twisted.
Layers of Fear can be finished in a couple of hours, and isn't particularly challenging, but the addition of multiple endings will keep you coming back, just out of shear intrigue.
The jump scares feel a little excessive after a while but if you are a fan of the recent wave of first person horror exploration games (in the wake of P.T.) then Layers of Fear is worth seeking out.