Search
Search results
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Out of the Shadows (2017) in Movies
Oct 8, 2017
Lots of jumping out of your seat
So the story is flimsy and it seems like a seriously low budget production, plus the documentary style horror has been done to death (excuse the pun) - so expect a lot of cheap thrills.
The premise of this film begins with a ghost hunter who was haunted by his mistake of leaving his friend inside of an asylum after being chased by ghosts. He is then approached again some years later to return to the scene of the crime to find out what happened there.
No doubt, I did keep having to distract myself with my phone in order to avoid keep jumping out of my seat. The main poltergeist /demon in question is more than slightly creepy but there was too much of a mish mash of horror stories. From Blair Witch, The Grudge to The Quiet Ones, all of which did a lot better with the genre. So if you want to see a life-changing film, this isn't it.
The premise of this film begins with a ghost hunter who was haunted by his mistake of leaving his friend inside of an asylum after being chased by ghosts. He is then approached again some years later to return to the scene of the crime to find out what happened there.
No doubt, I did keep having to distract myself with my phone in order to avoid keep jumping out of my seat. The main poltergeist /demon in question is more than slightly creepy but there was too much of a mish mash of horror stories. From Blair Witch, The Grudge to The Quiet Ones, all of which did a lot better with the genre. So if you want to see a life-changing film, this isn't it.
Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated The Bird Eater in Books
Mar 15, 2018
I honestly wasn't looking to pick up another horror novel so soon after the last one, but seeing the glowing write-up on Amazon I couldn't resist. I have to agree with their editor and say it was pretty damn scary. The novel uses many familiar horror tropes in a story about a man returning to his possibly haunted childhood home after having had a rather traumatic experience. Is he seeing ghosts or is his grief making him insane? Not exactly a new idea, but it is executed very well, with engaging characters and frequently suspenseful scenarios. What sells the whole thing the most for me is the genuinely frightening "ghost". I can honestly say that for 2 consecutive nights, when I got out of bed to use the restroom, I was suddenly filled with trepidation about venturing into the dark hallway for fear it might be lurking in the shadows. And if that's not the sign of a successful horror story, then I don't know what is.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Trick or Deceit (Celebration Bay, #4) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Trick or Deceit by Shelley Freydont (Celebration Bay #4) – 5
The first annual haunted house contest in Celebration Bay ends in tragedy when the winning house is vandalized and a dead body is found in with the fake body parts. Is the jealous runner up to blame? Who else might have wanted to kill the victim?
This is my fourth trip to Celebration Bay in the last year, and I’ve enjoyed each of them. Once again, the book provides some unique clues and red herrings that I found lots of fun. It was great to visit the core characters again, although I wish we would see a bit more character growth in a few of them. The new characters are just as charming. This is a great stop for your Halloween (or any time of the year) reading list.
NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/09/book-review-trick-or-deceit-by-shelley.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The first annual haunted house contest in Celebration Bay ends in tragedy when the winning house is vandalized and a dead body is found in with the fake body parts. Is the jealous runner up to blame? Who else might have wanted to kill the victim?
This is my fourth trip to Celebration Bay in the last year, and I’ve enjoyed each of them. Once again, the book provides some unique clues and red herrings that I found lots of fun. It was great to visit the core characters again, although I wish we would see a bit more character growth in a few of them. The new characters are just as charming. This is a great stop for your Halloween (or any time of the year) reading list.
NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/09/book-review-trick-or-deceit-by-shelley.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Let Me In (2010) in Movies
Jul 3, 2019
Let Her in
Contains spoilers, click to show
Let me in- is a remake of the 2008 swedish film called - let the right one in.
The story is about- Bullied at school, neglected at home and incredibly lonely, 12-year-old Owen spends his days plotting revenge on his tormentors and spends his nights spying on other residents of the apartment complex. His sole friend is Abby, a strange girl who comes out only at nighttime. Both outcasts, the two form a strong bond. When Abby's caretaker disappears amid a series of gruesome murders, Owen begins to suspect that she is hiding a terrible secret.
The cast was really good, chloe grace mortz, kodi smit-mcphee, richard jenkins and dylan minnette were all really great.
Matt reeves who directed "cloverfield", 2 years before directed this film. He went on to direct "dawn and war of the planet of the apes" and hes going to direct the upcoming "the batman" film in 2021.
Overall "let me in", is scary, haunted, sad, romantic and overall very good.
The story is about- Bullied at school, neglected at home and incredibly lonely, 12-year-old Owen spends his days plotting revenge on his tormentors and spends his nights spying on other residents of the apartment complex. His sole friend is Abby, a strange girl who comes out only at nighttime. Both outcasts, the two form a strong bond. When Abby's caretaker disappears amid a series of gruesome murders, Owen begins to suspect that she is hiding a terrible secret.
The cast was really good, chloe grace mortz, kodi smit-mcphee, richard jenkins and dylan minnette were all really great.
Matt reeves who directed "cloverfield", 2 years before directed this film. He went on to direct "dawn and war of the planet of the apes" and hes going to direct the upcoming "the batman" film in 2021.
Overall "let me in", is scary, haunted, sad, romantic and overall very good.
EmersonRose (320 KP) rated Betrayal at House on the Hill in Tabletop Games
Nov 13, 2019
This game is a lot of fun! The idea is that you pick from a set of characters with different attributes to form your party and then together you built the haunted house. You take turns drawing tiles that have different rooms on them, creating a multi-story, very spooky house. There are a few ways to do so but eventually, you start the haunt. At this point, depending on how the haunt started, you pull out a guide that tells you what is haunting the house. Sometimes its the party against the game and sometimes one of the players is turned and they get a special set of rules to try and help the game beat the party. There are a lot of different haunting options, so the game feels fresh and exciting even after you have played it several times. The game is complex but after you play once you get the idea and it is easier upon replays. Definitely a great choice for board game lovers!
Rebecca Billcliff (2409 KP) rated the PC version of The Sims 3 in Video Games
Jan 25, 2020
The "motherload" of games
Like many people, I have lost countless hours to this game. Spending my time living the lives of made up people instead of living my own. And yet, how I miss it!
Ruby Stone, explorer of tombs, rider of horses, collector of crap. High fitness level, but bust, but a bit of a loner.
Just how much time I wasted waiting for Egypt to load so I could cram in as much tomb raiding before the vacation need, it is impossible to tell. But what I do know, is if I had the time these days, I would do it all again.
Why?
Because reality sucks!
Soothing my anger with the creation of a haunted mansion, by killing all the residents in a house fire by putting them all in a room with several open fireplaces, rugs everywhere, and removing all the doors and windows. Or getting someone into the pool and taking away the ladder.
Ahhh, the cheapest therapy there is.
Ruby Stone, explorer of tombs, rider of horses, collector of crap. High fitness level, but bust, but a bit of a loner.
Just how much time I wasted waiting for Egypt to load so I could cram in as much tomb raiding before the vacation need, it is impossible to tell. But what I do know, is if I had the time these days, I would do it all again.
Why?
Because reality sucks!
Soothing my anger with the creation of a haunted mansion, by killing all the residents in a house fire by putting them all in a room with several open fireplaces, rugs everywhere, and removing all the doors and windows. Or getting someone into the pool and taking away the ladder.
Ahhh, the cheapest therapy there is.
Zach Smith (62 KP) rated Doctor Sleep (2019) in Movies
Jan 27, 2020
Interesting spin
Contains spoilers, click to show
The movie takes place several decades after "The Shining", Danny is still haunted by the events from the hotel and is even hunted by the evil that was there. He has found a way to trap the "evil spirits". He makes use of his "shining" and it becomes a great story, however the main protagonist is a group of people that have the same special power as Danny and even more, but they've also learned how to suck the power from young children and this results in what I don't think needs to be in cinema. This world is evil enough as it is and to watch a child be cut and stabbed to death slowly while a group kneels over him inhaling his essence is revolting, I almost left the theater over it.
0/10 snore factor, cant sleep through this one!
0/10 snore factor, cant sleep through this one!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Break of Dark in Books
Aug 2, 2019
I must have been 12 or 13 when I first read this, and back then part of the fun came from the sense that these actually felt like adult stories, for all the book is advertised as being basically YA fiction: quite apart from the substantial quantities of profanity and sex, many the characters aren't typical YA identification figures: middle-aged seaside policemen, earnest young vicars, suburban couples, and so on. These are still hugely readable and satisfying stories even now many decades later.
But what are they about? Well, there are two stories of ghosts (a haunted Wellington bomber during the second world war, and a rather stranger tale of an unwitting medium), two of very atypical alien visitations (a cautionary tale of a young hitch-hiker, and a blackly comic one concerning a spate of peculiar crimes in a small resort town), and one of an inner-city vicar who stumbles onto something very creepy in the crypt of his church. All of them are engagingly and skilfully written, and immaculately paced. Good reads for all ages.
But what are they about? Well, there are two stories of ghosts (a haunted Wellington bomber during the second world war, and a rather stranger tale of an unwitting medium), two of very atypical alien visitations (a cautionary tale of a young hitch-hiker, and a blackly comic one concerning a spate of peculiar crimes in a small resort town), and one of an inner-city vicar who stumbles onto something very creepy in the crypt of his church. All of them are engagingly and skilfully written, and immaculately paced. Good reads for all ages.
Gareth von Kallenbach (977 KP) rated Hercules (2014) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Dwayne “no longer the Rock” Johnson shares his acting skills with the world again.
Action star, sure; drama star, not so much.
In this graphic novel adaptation Hercules is made out to be a questionable
demi-god. With a spectacular retelling of his legendary labors, the story begins
showing Hercules as a sword-for-hire. His band of mercenaries helps him use the fame
to intimidate enemies and garner business.
Haunted by his past, the loss of Alcmene and 3 children, Hercules is offered his
weight in gold to save a kingdom from a tyrant.
Hercules sets off on his quest, hoping soon to be done with it all and retire on a
remote island to live out his days.
This star studded cast lends some great acting skill, Johnson withstanding, to the
big screen. The action will entertain, and the humor will grant a chuckle.
I found the story compelling, but I also feel like humor and the main actor were
Worth seeing but probably better suited for an at-home viewing.
Action star, sure; drama star, not so much.
In this graphic novel adaptation Hercules is made out to be a questionable
demi-god. With a spectacular retelling of his legendary labors, the story begins
showing Hercules as a sword-for-hire. His band of mercenaries helps him use the fame
to intimidate enemies and garner business.
Haunted by his past, the loss of Alcmene and 3 children, Hercules is offered his
weight in gold to save a kingdom from a tyrant.
Hercules sets off on his quest, hoping soon to be done with it all and retire on a
remote island to live out his days.
This star studded cast lends some great acting skill, Johnson withstanding, to the
big screen. The action will entertain, and the humor will grant a chuckle.
I found the story compelling, but I also feel like humor and the main actor were
Worth seeing but probably better suited for an at-home viewing.
It's Not All About the Old Firm: Defying the Odds in Scottish Football
Book
It's Not All About The Old Firm tells the inside stories of some of the Scottish game's greatest...