Search
BackToTheMovies (56 KP) rated Annabelle Comes Home (2019) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019
The third instalment of the Annabelle franchise as Annabelle Comes Home delivers where the previous two did not.
Demonologists Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson) and his wife Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) return back to their home with the cursed Annabelle doll. Safely locked away in their occult museum of the paranormal they leave for another case and leave their babysitter Mary (Madison Iseman) and her best friend Daniela (Katie Sarife) in charge of looking after their daughter Judy (McKenna Grace). One curious friend breaks into the paranormal museum situated in the Warren’s basement and all hell breaks loose.
Annabelle Comes Home is a well-rounded horror. It has a completely different feel than the films previous to it. It has a very goosebumps style goofiness about it with a more sinister tone. The Annabelle doll acts as a beacon for spirits. So when she is unleashed within the museum the other entities contained within that room escape. It really is a Goosebumps style injection of horror as various creatures and entities roam the house.
Whilst these horror movies have cut and paste jump scares and quite predictable outcomes Annabelle Comes Home just about keeps it somewhat fresh. The film is heavily held up high from strong performances by our three lead girls. The film has a lovely dark tone and the detail within the museum is incredible. If you’re a paranormal/haunted object junkie like me just seeing the attention to detail in the set dressing was impressive indeed.
Director Gary Dauberman takes Annabelle out of the one trick pony setting and allows this freedom of entities to run amok without convoluting the plot in any way shape or form. Each item is linked to a spirit and they’re carefully injected at spaced intervals through the story.
There’s nothing really new on display here. Horror movies just aren’t scary anymore. They rely on jump scares to provide a ‘scare’ which is actually a fabricated effect. A jump scare will never make a movie scary. I wish filmmakers wouldn’t over-saturated jumps every 10 minutes to make something ‘scary’. This movie isn’t bad whatsoever but my god is the horror genre becoming a little repetitive and boring in some aspects. It’s time to spice things up without pushing agendas! Yes, I’m talking to you Jordan Peele.
Demonologists Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson) and his wife Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) return back to their home with the cursed Annabelle doll. Safely locked away in their occult museum of the paranormal they leave for another case and leave their babysitter Mary (Madison Iseman) and her best friend Daniela (Katie Sarife) in charge of looking after their daughter Judy (McKenna Grace). One curious friend breaks into the paranormal museum situated in the Warren’s basement and all hell breaks loose.
Annabelle Comes Home is a well-rounded horror. It has a completely different feel than the films previous to it. It has a very goosebumps style goofiness about it with a more sinister tone. The Annabelle doll acts as a beacon for spirits. So when she is unleashed within the museum the other entities contained within that room escape. It really is a Goosebumps style injection of horror as various creatures and entities roam the house.
Whilst these horror movies have cut and paste jump scares and quite predictable outcomes Annabelle Comes Home just about keeps it somewhat fresh. The film is heavily held up high from strong performances by our three lead girls. The film has a lovely dark tone and the detail within the museum is incredible. If you’re a paranormal/haunted object junkie like me just seeing the attention to detail in the set dressing was impressive indeed.
Director Gary Dauberman takes Annabelle out of the one trick pony setting and allows this freedom of entities to run amok without convoluting the plot in any way shape or form. Each item is linked to a spirit and they’re carefully injected at spaced intervals through the story.
There’s nothing really new on display here. Horror movies just aren’t scary anymore. They rely on jump scares to provide a ‘scare’ which is actually a fabricated effect. A jump scare will never make a movie scary. I wish filmmakers wouldn’t over-saturated jumps every 10 minutes to make something ‘scary’. This movie isn’t bad whatsoever but my god is the horror genre becoming a little repetitive and boring in some aspects. It’s time to spice things up without pushing agendas! Yes, I’m talking to you Jordan Peele.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated American Horror Story - Season 6 in TV
Jan 16, 2020
Season 6 of AHS, subtitled Roanoke, may very well be my favourite season to date, if not it comes a very close second to Asylum.
The thing that really stands out for me is the pacing. It's pretty much perfect. The first half of Roanoke takes place in the form of a documentary, called My Roanoke Nightmare, where a young couple who moved into a run down house, recount their horrific experience of the spirits that haunted the ground, and endangered their lives. The documentary has a dramatisation of the events alongside the interviews, which effectively has the same AHS characters being played by two different people.
The build up is slow burning and hugely entertaining, as we know that these characters survive the ordeal, as they are involved in the documentary, so we can enjoy the ride without worrying about their fates.
In true AHS style though, the second half of the season takes place a few years after the documentary, and Roanoke truly kicks off in an epic fashion.
It's hard to properly describe the narrative, and it's really best experienced yourself. It's clever television.
The style of Roanoke is quite subtle, and gives the season a sort of old fashioned sense. It also experiments here and there with 'found footage', lending AHS a Blair Witch-esque edge.
All of the cast are once again great. Kathy Bates is a highlight, both her roles during the documentary, and after. Series regulars like Evan Peters, Angela Bassett and Lily Rabe are present and enjoyable, and it's awesome to see Cuba Gooding Jr. involved as well.
However this time around, AHS belongs to Sarah Paulson, who I thought really excelled during Roanoke, and Adina Porter, who gave the season it's more emotional moments. I think she's a fantastic actress, and was also a standout in her limited screentime during True Blood.
The gore and violence in Roanoke is probably at it's most visceral as far as AHS goes. There are some effectively gruesome moments littered throughout, and it's all looked like practical effects to me, which is how it should be! There are some really creepy shots as well, especially at the tail end of the season.
Roanoke is damn good. I'll be pleasantly surprised if AHS ever surpasses it.
The thing that really stands out for me is the pacing. It's pretty much perfect. The first half of Roanoke takes place in the form of a documentary, called My Roanoke Nightmare, where a young couple who moved into a run down house, recount their horrific experience of the spirits that haunted the ground, and endangered their lives. The documentary has a dramatisation of the events alongside the interviews, which effectively has the same AHS characters being played by two different people.
The build up is slow burning and hugely entertaining, as we know that these characters survive the ordeal, as they are involved in the documentary, so we can enjoy the ride without worrying about their fates.
In true AHS style though, the second half of the season takes place a few years after the documentary, and Roanoke truly kicks off in an epic fashion.
It's hard to properly describe the narrative, and it's really best experienced yourself. It's clever television.
The style of Roanoke is quite subtle, and gives the season a sort of old fashioned sense. It also experiments here and there with 'found footage', lending AHS a Blair Witch-esque edge.
All of the cast are once again great. Kathy Bates is a highlight, both her roles during the documentary, and after. Series regulars like Evan Peters, Angela Bassett and Lily Rabe are present and enjoyable, and it's awesome to see Cuba Gooding Jr. involved as well.
However this time around, AHS belongs to Sarah Paulson, who I thought really excelled during Roanoke, and Adina Porter, who gave the season it's more emotional moments. I think she's a fantastic actress, and was also a standout in her limited screentime during True Blood.
The gore and violence in Roanoke is probably at it's most visceral as far as AHS goes. There are some effectively gruesome moments littered throughout, and it's all looked like practical effects to me, which is how it should be! There are some really creepy shots as well, especially at the tail end of the season.
Roanoke is damn good. I'll be pleasantly surprised if AHS ever surpasses it.
Universal Harvester
6.3
Rate It
Book
Life in a small town takes a dark turn when mysterious footage begins appearing on VHS cassettes at...
Horror Stories: A Memoir by Liz Phair
5.0
Rate It
Book
From the two-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter behind the groundbreaking album Exile in...
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated You Should Have Left in Books
Jun 5, 2019
by author Daniel Kehlmann is imaginatively written in such a way that you’re reading a scriptwriter’s notes from his notebook, as he is writing them. The main character bares his soul about his life, his thoughts and dreams. Much of it is mundane everyday stuff, until you realise that what is being said actually has a very different meaning. Darker and more horrific than it at first may seem.
Writing his screenplay, and lying to his boss about his progress, the screenwriter takes his family, wife Susanna, and four-year old Esther to what he wants to be a writer’s retreat. Yeah, it does sound rather like The Shining. But even though there’s less of it, there’s even more to it… Stick with me. I’ll explain.
Things are not going as planned, for this unnamed writer. His marriage is on the rocks and his screenplay is failing. On top of that there are a lot of strange goings on he cannot explain. Odd things are happening in the house he’s renting via Airbnb. Maybe it’s haunted, or just tricks of light are playing with his mind giving him that illusion. Either way, it’s a slow descent into darkness that the author of the notebook does not seem to notice himself. Not straight away.
But as the reader I get to see that every now and then there’s things hidden in the text the writer seems not to be aware of. He’s spiralling downhill I’m wondering about his mental state, or if the house itself, or something in it — something supernatural — is playing with his mind.
How long can he hold it together? He’s got responsibilities to look after his kid, but he can hardly look after himself. He’s already forgetting which lies he’s told and mixing his dreams (and nightmares) with reality. Even he doesn’t know how it will end, and starts to think about leaving his notebook behind in order for it to be found… and it has been, I’m reading it now…
Several of the notes in his book get to the end of the page and are never finished, which to my mind, is in keeping with the distracted, confused voice of this note taker and adds to the setting’s dark, oppressive atmosphere.
Clever, surreal, with a kind of rhythmic writing, akin to memories of sitting in the back of the car and being rocked to sleep. The only difference would be the rude awakening. The slamming of the brakes. When the harshness of reality jolts you awake.
Yep, this unsettling, nightmarish journey, had me glued to the pages, even though at first I was not entirely sure I understood what I’d read… It’s a short novella sized book, and I must admit I had to read it again to fully appreciate this awesome piece of writing. It’s not your average horror, I can tell you! Nope, there’s nothing average about this at all. Incidentally, it’s translated from German and that fact may be why I thought it worked even better. No words are wasted. There’s a certain style to this book that makes me feel like he’s got something bigger, and maybe even better to come. I can see, however, it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. I personally wish I’d got to this one sooner.
Stark, sparse, and totally different to anything I’ve read in a long time. I loved it. An alternative read without a doubt. A very short read, in fact. What’s more, this review took longer to write about it, than it did to read. Twice.
Writing his screenplay, and lying to his boss about his progress, the screenwriter takes his family, wife Susanna, and four-year old Esther to what he wants to be a writer’s retreat. Yeah, it does sound rather like The Shining. But even though there’s less of it, there’s even more to it… Stick with me. I’ll explain.
Things are not going as planned, for this unnamed writer. His marriage is on the rocks and his screenplay is failing. On top of that there are a lot of strange goings on he cannot explain. Odd things are happening in the house he’s renting via Airbnb. Maybe it’s haunted, or just tricks of light are playing with his mind giving him that illusion. Either way, it’s a slow descent into darkness that the author of the notebook does not seem to notice himself. Not straight away.
But as the reader I get to see that every now and then there’s things hidden in the text the writer seems not to be aware of. He’s spiralling downhill I’m wondering about his mental state, or if the house itself, or something in it — something supernatural — is playing with his mind.
How long can he hold it together? He’s got responsibilities to look after his kid, but he can hardly look after himself. He’s already forgetting which lies he’s told and mixing his dreams (and nightmares) with reality. Even he doesn’t know how it will end, and starts to think about leaving his notebook behind in order for it to be found… and it has been, I’m reading it now…
Several of the notes in his book get to the end of the page and are never finished, which to my mind, is in keeping with the distracted, confused voice of this note taker and adds to the setting’s dark, oppressive atmosphere.
Clever, surreal, with a kind of rhythmic writing, akin to memories of sitting in the back of the car and being rocked to sleep. The only difference would be the rude awakening. The slamming of the brakes. When the harshness of reality jolts you awake.
Yep, this unsettling, nightmarish journey, had me glued to the pages, even though at first I was not entirely sure I understood what I’d read… It’s a short novella sized book, and I must admit I had to read it again to fully appreciate this awesome piece of writing. It’s not your average horror, I can tell you! Nope, there’s nothing average about this at all. Incidentally, it’s translated from German and that fact may be why I thought it worked even better. No words are wasted. There’s a certain style to this book that makes me feel like he’s got something bigger, and maybe even better to come. I can see, however, it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. I personally wish I’d got to this one sooner.
Stark, sparse, and totally different to anything I’ve read in a long time. I loved it. An alternative read without a doubt. A very short read, in fact. What’s more, this review took longer to write about it, than it did to read. Twice.
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Hole in the Ground (2019) in Movies
Dec 1, 2019
Verdict: Suspenseful
Story: The Hole in the Ground starts as Sarah (Kerslake) and her son Chris (Markey) are getting used to their new home in the Irish countryside, they learn they have a disturbed neighbour Noreen Brady (Outinen) and a giant hole in the middle of a woodland area surrounding the house.
After losing her son in the woods one night, Sarah is trying to be more protective, but the disturbed neighbour Noreen, doesn’t believe that is her son anymore, similar to what she experienced herself, years before.
Thoughts on The Hole in the Ground
Characters – Sarah is the single mother who has moved away from her previous life, which does have hints of abuse, she has started a simpler life in a small village with her son and soon starts to learn about something strange that has happened to her son, with her needing to figure out the truth before it is too late. Chris is the son who isn’t happy trying to make new friends, he is terrified of spiders and after he goes missing one night, when he returns something has changed in him. Noreen Brady went through a similar experience to Sarah, which has seen her branded crazy by the locals, she can sense more being wrong, though it has haunted her whole life.
Performances – Seana Kerslake in the leading role adds so much to this film, her performance shows the pain her character has been through, despite showing the strength she is carrying on with. James Quinn Markey is great for a young actor, showing the innocent side to his character and the change he has been through. The supporting cast don’t get many scenes but do a good job when called up.
Story – The story here follows a single mother who starts to see a strange change in her son and must decide what has caused this and what she is going to do about it. The story does dive into one of the most famous horror myths, which is clear to see early on, though never directly uses the name, we won’t say just to stop any spoilers. We have the themes of an abuse victim trying to rebuild their own life, while remaining strong for her child. We only focus on the two characters, with any others only offer hints to what is happening. What the story offers, would be the slowly building moments that Sarah is going through, where she is torn about the truth, we focus on dread feeling over any shock value.
Horror – The horror in this film does give us a clear look at dread and gloom, instead of playing of the jump scares, it so easily could have turned too.
Settings – The film takes us to a small Irish countryside village, the house is outside the village surrounded by woodland, which only adds to the unknown coming from inside the woods.
Special Effects – The effects being used in the film are kept to a minimum, which does help when we need to see them happening.
Scene of the Movie – What is Chris up to.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We only get the hints of the former life they lived.
Final Thoughts – This is a dread filled horror that will keep us wondering what is happening, with strong performances from the lead actors.
Overall: Dread Filled Horror.
Story: The Hole in the Ground starts as Sarah (Kerslake) and her son Chris (Markey) are getting used to their new home in the Irish countryside, they learn they have a disturbed neighbour Noreen Brady (Outinen) and a giant hole in the middle of a woodland area surrounding the house.
After losing her son in the woods one night, Sarah is trying to be more protective, but the disturbed neighbour Noreen, doesn’t believe that is her son anymore, similar to what she experienced herself, years before.
Thoughts on The Hole in the Ground
Characters – Sarah is the single mother who has moved away from her previous life, which does have hints of abuse, she has started a simpler life in a small village with her son and soon starts to learn about something strange that has happened to her son, with her needing to figure out the truth before it is too late. Chris is the son who isn’t happy trying to make new friends, he is terrified of spiders and after he goes missing one night, when he returns something has changed in him. Noreen Brady went through a similar experience to Sarah, which has seen her branded crazy by the locals, she can sense more being wrong, though it has haunted her whole life.
Performances – Seana Kerslake in the leading role adds so much to this film, her performance shows the pain her character has been through, despite showing the strength she is carrying on with. James Quinn Markey is great for a young actor, showing the innocent side to his character and the change he has been through. The supporting cast don’t get many scenes but do a good job when called up.
Story – The story here follows a single mother who starts to see a strange change in her son and must decide what has caused this and what she is going to do about it. The story does dive into one of the most famous horror myths, which is clear to see early on, though never directly uses the name, we won’t say just to stop any spoilers. We have the themes of an abuse victim trying to rebuild their own life, while remaining strong for her child. We only focus on the two characters, with any others only offer hints to what is happening. What the story offers, would be the slowly building moments that Sarah is going through, where she is torn about the truth, we focus on dread feeling over any shock value.
Horror – The horror in this film does give us a clear look at dread and gloom, instead of playing of the jump scares, it so easily could have turned too.
Settings – The film takes us to a small Irish countryside village, the house is outside the village surrounded by woodland, which only adds to the unknown coming from inside the woods.
Special Effects – The effects being used in the film are kept to a minimum, which does help when we need to see them happening.
Scene of the Movie – What is Chris up to.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We only get the hints of the former life they lived.
Final Thoughts – This is a dread filled horror that will keep us wondering what is happening, with strong performances from the lead actors.
Overall: Dread Filled Horror.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) in Movies
Aug 21, 2019
Obviously I'm not familiar with the Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark books that this movie is based on - a series of three books containing short horror stories for children and drawing heavily on urban legend and folklore for it's subject matter, first published in 1981. Apparently, the series is listed by the American Library Association as being the most challenged series of books from the 1990s, with complaints relating to the violence and disturbing subject matter portrayed within them not being suitable for the children it was aimed at. The illustrations within the book also drew criticism, vividly portraying the nightmare creatures and scenes contained within the stories. Perfect material for a movie version!
That movie version comes from Troll Hunter director André Øvredal and producer/co-writer Guillermo del Toro and attempts a Goosebumps style movie, taking some of the better known stories from the 80+ contained within the books and weaving them into a larger narrative, set in Mill Valley Pennsylvania during the fall of 1968.
It's Halloween and a group of teens are preparing to go out for an evening of trick or treating - applying makeup, getting into their costumes, fishing in the toilet for turds in preparation for a Halloween trick. They head out on their bikes but it's not long before they run into some idiot jocks from their local school, and that turd trick suddenly comes in handy! We've already been introduced to the jocks earlier in the movie, out in a cornfield where they were hitting a creepy looking scarecrow about the head with a baseball bat. Yep, they're certainly going to regret that a little bit later on!
The teens manage to escape the jocks, working their way into a drive through movie that's showing "Night of the Living Dead" and into the car of another teen called Ramón. The group strike up a bond with Ramón after he helps them out and they all decide to go and break into an abandoned local house which is reportedly haunted. They find their way into the basement where legend has it that Sarah Bellows, the daughter of a prominent local family, was locked away in the late 1800s. Horror nerd Stella comes across a book containing short scary stories that were written in blood by Sarah, and she decides to take it with them. As Stella opens the book’s pages, she sees that Sarah’s stories are literally beginning to write themselves - stories that put her friends in some pretty unpleasant situations, stories which immediately become reality the moment they're written. As Stella later puts it, "You don't read the book, the book reads you".
The setup and the scenarios within each story are enjoyable enough and are certainly creepy, however the execution doesn't always work so well and the payoffs aren't quite as scary as I would have liked. The movie also suffers from some slightly dodgy CGI at times too, which doesn't help. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the final story, and the return to the house in order to try and stop Sarah Bellows worked really well for me. It all ends with a definite opportunity for a sequel and with plenty more scary stories to choose from within the source material, I'm sure we'll be seeing another one soon. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark taps nicely into the "It" and "Stranger Thing" vibe, with it's group of teens rising up together against evil, and despite it's faults I did have a lot of fun with it. I'm definitely interested in seeing more.
That movie version comes from Troll Hunter director André Øvredal and producer/co-writer Guillermo del Toro and attempts a Goosebumps style movie, taking some of the better known stories from the 80+ contained within the books and weaving them into a larger narrative, set in Mill Valley Pennsylvania during the fall of 1968.
It's Halloween and a group of teens are preparing to go out for an evening of trick or treating - applying makeup, getting into their costumes, fishing in the toilet for turds in preparation for a Halloween trick. They head out on their bikes but it's not long before they run into some idiot jocks from their local school, and that turd trick suddenly comes in handy! We've already been introduced to the jocks earlier in the movie, out in a cornfield where they were hitting a creepy looking scarecrow about the head with a baseball bat. Yep, they're certainly going to regret that a little bit later on!
The teens manage to escape the jocks, working their way into a drive through movie that's showing "Night of the Living Dead" and into the car of another teen called Ramón. The group strike up a bond with Ramón after he helps them out and they all decide to go and break into an abandoned local house which is reportedly haunted. They find their way into the basement where legend has it that Sarah Bellows, the daughter of a prominent local family, was locked away in the late 1800s. Horror nerd Stella comes across a book containing short scary stories that were written in blood by Sarah, and she decides to take it with them. As Stella opens the book’s pages, she sees that Sarah’s stories are literally beginning to write themselves - stories that put her friends in some pretty unpleasant situations, stories which immediately become reality the moment they're written. As Stella later puts it, "You don't read the book, the book reads you".
The setup and the scenarios within each story are enjoyable enough and are certainly creepy, however the execution doesn't always work so well and the payoffs aren't quite as scary as I would have liked. The movie also suffers from some slightly dodgy CGI at times too, which doesn't help. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the final story, and the return to the house in order to try and stop Sarah Bellows worked really well for me. It all ends with a definite opportunity for a sequel and with plenty more scary stories to choose from within the source material, I'm sure we'll be seeing another one soon. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark taps nicely into the "It" and "Stranger Thing" vibe, with it's group of teens rising up together against evil, and despite it's faults I did have a lot of fun with it. I'm definitely interested in seeing more.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Haunt (2019) in Movies
Feb 15, 2020
Not Thought-Provoking But Fun!
In Haunt, a group of friends experience terror like no other when they go to a haunted house expecting a scare. For a movie that wasn’t done by a major studio, I have to say it ain’t half bad.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 3
If it wasn’t for such a slow start, I would definitely have put Haunt on the great level. Things don’t get moving nearly as fast as you like making me wonder if the rest of the movie was going to be like this. Fortunately things do pick up and, once things get rolling, the movie is good to go.
Characters: 7
The antagonists in this movie are super creepy, creepy enough to keep you entertained the whole movie. Meanwhile, the friends that are stalked can be pretty cardboard and plain, although I did appreciate how character development was worked in with a select few. It ultimately kept the story interesting.
Cinematography/Visuals: 8
Conflict: 10
The creepiness level is on 1,000 here as there is danger around every turn. The movie definitely keeps you guessing, building on intensity scene after scene like a true-to-form horror movie. I loved that I was scared when I didn’t need to be. I also appreciated that, once the movie kicks into gear, no shot is wasted from that point on. Conflict abounds consistently throughout.
Entertainment Value: 7
Memorability: 8
The movie succeeds by providing a lot of different setpieces that remain etched in your memory. The kills aren’t half bad either. Sure, it’s not the most thought-provoking film, but not bad as slashers go.
Pace: 10
Plot: 5
Resolution: 10
This movie ramps up the intensity right up to its thrilling conclusion where probably one of the most awesome kills in the film happens. I always gripe about the payoff in scary movies and how they can sometimes end abruptly so as to preserve a sequel. Haunt avoids that pitfall and goes all in with its ending that’s both engaging and fun.
Overall: 78
I would say this isn’t a bad movie to watch if it’s October and you’re tired of the same old Krueger and Jason song and dance. Had the characters been a twinge more interesting and the beginning hit with a little more boom, I would be leaning more towards the side of great horror to watch anytime. I love when independent horror and sci-fi hit the mark.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 3
If it wasn’t for such a slow start, I would definitely have put Haunt on the great level. Things don’t get moving nearly as fast as you like making me wonder if the rest of the movie was going to be like this. Fortunately things do pick up and, once things get rolling, the movie is good to go.
Characters: 7
The antagonists in this movie are super creepy, creepy enough to keep you entertained the whole movie. Meanwhile, the friends that are stalked can be pretty cardboard and plain, although I did appreciate how character development was worked in with a select few. It ultimately kept the story interesting.
Cinematography/Visuals: 8
Conflict: 10
The creepiness level is on 1,000 here as there is danger around every turn. The movie definitely keeps you guessing, building on intensity scene after scene like a true-to-form horror movie. I loved that I was scared when I didn’t need to be. I also appreciated that, once the movie kicks into gear, no shot is wasted from that point on. Conflict abounds consistently throughout.
Entertainment Value: 7
Memorability: 8
The movie succeeds by providing a lot of different setpieces that remain etched in your memory. The kills aren’t half bad either. Sure, it’s not the most thought-provoking film, but not bad as slashers go.
Pace: 10
Plot: 5
Resolution: 10
This movie ramps up the intensity right up to its thrilling conclusion where probably one of the most awesome kills in the film happens. I always gripe about the payoff in scary movies and how they can sometimes end abruptly so as to preserve a sequel. Haunt avoids that pitfall and goes all in with its ending that’s both engaging and fun.
Overall: 78
I would say this isn’t a bad movie to watch if it’s October and you’re tired of the same old Krueger and Jason song and dance. Had the characters been a twinge more interesting and the beginning hit with a little more boom, I would be leaning more towards the side of great horror to watch anytime. I love when independent horror and sci-fi hit the mark.
Halloween Supermarket Store
Games and Entertainment
App
Hey Kids! Are you crazy about Costume Parties, haunted house, trick-or-treat, or some other...
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated Until the Dawn (Until the Dawn, #1) in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Mystery surrounds the great estate of Dierenpark. Will science be able to explain the strange happenings? Or is there a supernatural power at work?
Quentin Vandermark is of the belief that if you can't see it or touch it, then it doesn't exist. This includes God and the supernatural power his grandfather, Nickolaas Vandermark, believes is cursing Dierenpark. A tragedy occured 60 years ago and the Vandermark's left Dierenpark abandoned ever since. The family returns without notice, only to see it destroyed. Nickolaas is determined to tear down Dierenpark in hopes of demolishing the "curse" that seems to have haunted the family for centuries. Widowed and injured, Quentin brings his son Pieter with him to Dierenpark to tear down the beautiful home. He is just doing his grandfather's bidding when his life is drastically changed. At Dierenpark he meets Sophie van Riijn, Sophie is a volunteer for the newly established Weather Bureau. For the last nine years she has used the roof of Dierenpark for her weather station, without the permission of the owners. Pieter immediately takes to Sophie, not having a mother of his own, he craves a motherly figure. While Quentin is all cynicism, doubt, gloom and depression. Sophie exudes life, hope, joy and faith in every ounce of her being. The past is finally brought to light, but is it in time to save Dierenpark and Quentin? Will science be able to prove the strange goings on? Will Quentin open himself up to love? Or will he brood in his misery until his last breath?
"Above all else, love one another."
The progressive era is a fascinating time period to read. So many scientific advances and discoveries take place in this era. I am currently watching Murdoch Mysteries (Netflix). It is set in the same time as this book and the scientific progress that is witnessed is incredible! Until the Dawn is a story of good and evil, life and death, hope and despair. With our main characters so completely different it is very clear to see how our beliefs affect every aspect of our lives. The main theme throughout this story is love. Through the good times and difficulties, God has called us to love one another. I have heard that this story has been compared to Jane Eyre and I do see similarities. Quentin is a horrid, miserable man and Sophie longs to see him saved. I won't expand anymore because of spoilers, but if you are a fan of Jane Eyre, I believe you will enjoy this recent publication by Elizabeth Camden.
I received a free digital copy of Until the Dawn from Bethany House Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Quentin Vandermark is of the belief that if you can't see it or touch it, then it doesn't exist. This includes God and the supernatural power his grandfather, Nickolaas Vandermark, believes is cursing Dierenpark. A tragedy occured 60 years ago and the Vandermark's left Dierenpark abandoned ever since. The family returns without notice, only to see it destroyed. Nickolaas is determined to tear down Dierenpark in hopes of demolishing the "curse" that seems to have haunted the family for centuries. Widowed and injured, Quentin brings his son Pieter with him to Dierenpark to tear down the beautiful home. He is just doing his grandfather's bidding when his life is drastically changed. At Dierenpark he meets Sophie van Riijn, Sophie is a volunteer for the newly established Weather Bureau. For the last nine years she has used the roof of Dierenpark for her weather station, without the permission of the owners. Pieter immediately takes to Sophie, not having a mother of his own, he craves a motherly figure. While Quentin is all cynicism, doubt, gloom and depression. Sophie exudes life, hope, joy and faith in every ounce of her being. The past is finally brought to light, but is it in time to save Dierenpark and Quentin? Will science be able to prove the strange goings on? Will Quentin open himself up to love? Or will he brood in his misery until his last breath?
"Above all else, love one another."
The progressive era is a fascinating time period to read. So many scientific advances and discoveries take place in this era. I am currently watching Murdoch Mysteries (Netflix). It is set in the same time as this book and the scientific progress that is witnessed is incredible! Until the Dawn is a story of good and evil, life and death, hope and despair. With our main characters so completely different it is very clear to see how our beliefs affect every aspect of our lives. The main theme throughout this story is love. Through the good times and difficulties, God has called us to love one another. I have heard that this story has been compared to Jane Eyre and I do see similarities. Quentin is a horrid, miserable man and Sophie longs to see him saved. I won't expand anymore because of spoilers, but if you are a fan of Jane Eyre, I believe you will enjoy this recent publication by Elizabeth Camden.
I received a free digital copy of Until the Dawn from Bethany House Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.