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Lilyn G - Sci-Fi & Scary (91 KP) rated The Ghost Studies: New Perspectives on the Origins of Paranormal Experiences in Books

Feb 1, 2018

Interesting and thought provoking.

The Ghost Studies was an interesting read. One that I definitely scribbled in, ear-marked pages, and all that stuff you do when you want to cross-reference and remember things. The author makes a lot of salient points, and a lot of times I found myself sitting back and just reconsidering things I had previously brushed off.

It was also, truth be told, a difficult book for me to read. Not because it was bad, but because it oftentimes required more concentration than I was capable of. This is not a book you want to skim. You want to sit down with it when you have the time to truly pay attention to it, and the ability to concentrate on what the author is saying.

I think my favorite topic was that of quantum entanglement. I hadn't heard of it before I started this book, and, funnily enough, right before I got to the section in The Ghost Studies, I read a book involving it for the first time. (I read multiple books at once, if that sentence confused anyone.) The section on EMF was very interesting as well.

Now, I won't say that this has influenced my belief (or lack thereof) in ghosts one way or another, but I definitely enjoyed the way it made me think. I do wish the author had spent a little bit more time on the Not Everything is Paranormal section, though. I felt like that one skimmed a bit.

Overall, a good read but not a quick one. Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, I think you'll find something interesting about paranormal experiences in The Ghost Studies.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration.

Kudos

Ross (3282 KP) rated The Haunting of Hill House in TV

Nov 16, 2018

Fantastic thoughtul and moving horror

The much-hyped horror series, telling the story of the Craine family who lived in "Hill House" during an ill-advised renovation project until the mother died in mysterious circumstances. The story moves between the present day, when the 5 Craine children are all grown up, and the past when they lived in Hill House.
The bulk of each episode is more focused on the drama of the family, and less focused on the horror aspects. But in each episode there are moments of utter, heart-stopping terror - either through true unexpected jump scares (there are few of these, but when they come, they are effective) or just complete bone-chilling creepiness.
As is so often the case, the viewers reaction to the ghostly interactions relies heavily on it happening to a child, really hitting hard at times.
I'm not a fan of horror films going all metaphysical and time-travelly (Paranormal Activity for one) but it is reasonably well handled here and isn't a forced point.
The cast is decent, if not outstanding, especially the younger child actors who are fantastic. And there's still something about Carla Gugino that makes me feel all funny.
I got a little distracted looking for the hidden ghosts throughout the series (there are over 40 of them, some are pretty much impossible to spot, others catch your eye after a few seconds and totally creep you out).
The series is somewhat toned down horror, there is virtually no gore and the jump-scares are few but effective, with much more focus on the drama. For me this was a refreshing twist on the genre and made it a much more enjoyable series than if it were all-out horror. A nice alternative to American Horror Story.

Kudos

JT (287 KP) rated The Ward (2010) in Movies

Mar 16, 2020

The Ward (2010)

2010 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

5.5

(16 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Occasional good use of camera angles (0 more)

Poor acting (2 more)

Laughable twist

Not scary

Carpenter must have been having an off day

his is a massive disappointment and there is no place to hide here for John Carpenter who making a return to directing since 2001′s Ghosts of Mars has delivered us a real ‘dog’ of a film.

I’m a big fan of his work, but that is his early work with the likes of Halloween and The Thing as my personal favourites, but here Carpenter’s trademark suspense is all but lost in a story that is as predictable as it is stupid.

After setting fire to a barn Kristen (Amber Heard) is sent to a mental hospital, where she is terrorised by a ghost, a hidden past his reflected upon but never fully delved into. There is of course more to it than that, and Heard spends a vast majority of the time either locked in her room or trying to escape while at the same time piecing the puzzle together with the help of some of her fellow inmates.

Carpenter’s use of the wide camera angle is effective in places, and the long cold corridors of the ward are enough to give anyone the chills. However, it is not built on in any way and all the suspense is somewhat lost by the poor acting and monotonous build-up to the next potential terrifying scene. When the ghost is revealed it is, to be honest laughable and not in the least bit frightening which is probably one of the main downfalls of the film.

The twist ending is anything but predictable and you could have spotted it a mile off, it’s a poor effort this perhaps not helped in the writing department, but Carpenter is one of the masters of horror but here he hasn’t even bothered to turn up.