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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) created a post

Mar 30, 2020 (Updated Apr 1, 2020)  
Update:

My reviews for this week

Today: The Last Man on Earth and The Comedy of Terrors

Tomorrow: The Bat (1959) and Diary of a Madman

Wednesday: Night of the Living Dead (oringal) and Day of the Dead (oringal).

Than from April 2nd-April 7th taken a little break. This might change, but mostly will happen.

-Matthew.
     
Show all 3 comments.
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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) Mar 30, 2020

Thank @Sarah, just need a break from soical media for a bit, with everything going on. Depress times and stress. My break will be relaxing hopefully.

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Sarah (7798 KP) Mar 30, 2020

Completely understandable, I know how you feel. Make sure you take it easy.

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Jenn C (340 KP) rated They (2002) in Movies

Aug 19, 2018  
They (2002)
They (2002)
2002 | Action, Drama, Horror
1
5.6 (5 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Sucky film
Contains spoilers, click to show
And we have a winner for one of the worst horror films I have ever seen. It was a creepy premise - kids with night terrors grow up and the monsters who stalked them as children come back to get them. But it wasn't. It was dull and depressing. I hate movies that break the very rules they set up. Oh and if you have a boyfriend who is OK with drugging you? Break up with him.
  
Alien (1979)
Alien (1979)
1979 | Horror, Sci-Fi
Ah Alien, you’ve turned me into a snivelling wreck on many occasions. The sole reason I began having night terrors, Alien found its way into my life in 2011 when I watched it for the very first time.

It’s my partner’s all-time favourite film and when that’s the case, you kind of have to watch it. Especially considering we have watched the entire Jurassic Park series upwards of 50 times – and don’t get him started on Desperate Housewives. Seriously, don’t.

There’s no denying Alien is an absolutely astonishing film and it is without a doubt one of the best horror films I have ever seen, but those face-huggers have been the cause of many sleepless nights in the Brannon household, trust me.

https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/07/08/films-that-influenced-me-adam-brannon-2/
  
TB
The Bell Chime
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
207 of 235
Kindle
The Bell Chime
By Mona Kabbani
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Can you hear the bell chime?"

A girl suffering from paralyzing night terrors finds a missing poster hanging from the door of her apartment building. On that poster is a photograph of a frighteningly familiar face.

It’s her.

Only, she’s never seen this photo before and something about its grin scares her. How its eyes seem to follow her no matter where she finds herself in the room.

Over a series of strange events to follow—events that will make her question whether her sanity is still there or fleeting—she must discover:

What is real and what is the nightmare?


This was eerily sad in so many ways. As someone who deals with psychosis and depression it struck home so hard! The question in the the foreword is thought provoking what exactly would you give up for peace of mind or happiness? Really well written.
  
NM
Nightmare Man
Alan Ryker | 2013
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b><i>Like usual, I feel the nightmare man before I see him, before he pulls himself through.</i></b>

This was a superb and creepy short horror story! At only 70, or so, pages, this was a really well thought out novel that rounded itself up perfectly at the end.

I didn’t like to read this before I went to sleep because the imagery of the Nightmare Man was so vivid and terrifying that I was worried I was going to start experiencing a creature pulling itself out of a shadowy hole in the corner of my room. Ryker was really good at the nightmarish imagery in this novel, there were certainly some really creepy moments.

This story starts out as a scary story about a man with night terrors but it progresses to be much more meaningful than just that. This novel teaches us that we can’t blame others for failures in our lives, that could easily be rectified and that there is an enemy inside us all that we should try to overcome, to become the best person that we can possibly be.
  
AT
All the fiends of hell
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
27 of 220
Book
all the fiends of hell
By Adam L.G. Nevill
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The red night of bells heralds global catastrophe. Annihilation on a biblical scale.

Seeing the morning is no blessing. The handful of scattered survivors are confronted by blood-red skies and an infestation of predatory horrors that never originated on earth. An occupying force intent on erasing the remnants of animal life from the planet.

Across the deserted landscapes of England, bereft of infrastructure and society, the overlooked can either hide or try to outrun the infernal hunting terrors. Until a rumour emerges claiming that the sea may offer an escape.

Ordinary, unexceptional, directionless Karl, is one of the few who made it through the first night. In the company of two orphans, he flees south. But only into horrifying revelations and greater peril, where a transformed world and expanding race of ravening creatures await. Driven to the end of the country and himself, he must overcome alien and human malevolence and act in ways that were unthinkable mere days before.

I did not put this down! Another brilliant novel from the mind of Adam Nevill. I was on edge the whole time completely invested in the story and the characters. This brought about one of those situations I think we have all thought about and how we would survive. Your heart is fully pumping constantly at the thought of these creatures. Absolutely brilliant!!! I’ll certainly be concerned next time I see the sky red!
  
The Forever Purge (2021)
The Forever Purge (2021)
2021 | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
6
6.0 (12 Ratings)
Movie Rating
In what is being billed as the final Purge movie; “The Forever Purge” has arrived and like elements of the prior films; gains traction from current events which have only made elements of the film more chilling seeing how the film was originally planned for July of 2020.

Following the abolition of the Purge at the end of the “Purge Election Year”; the Holiday where all crime is legal for twelve hours is restored due to radical elements fueling fears of illegal immigration and the increase in crime immigrants will bring to the largely crime-free country.

It is not made clear what happened with the new President who was a staunch critic of the Purge and only that it has been restored so citizens prepare for its return by arming up, barricading themselves, or paying for armed security in a fortified locale.

It is against this backdrop that Adela (Ana de Reguera) has come to America fleeing the violence in her country as she enters illegally and finds work. Dylan Tucker (Josh Lucas) is a wealthy Rancher who along with his family hires friends and family of Adela though having some disdain for them and what they stand for.

The Purge comes and goes with the main cast unaffected and as they prepare to resume their lives; roving bands of armed gangs have continued to Purge in violation of the law similar to those who took to the street in protest of the election and plans to eliminate the Purge years prior.

This new group is well organized and has no issues taking on law enforcement and the military forcing Dylan, Adela, and their family and friends to flee for their lives. As the terror spreads, their only safety is to try to make it to Mexico who along with Canada has agreed to a six hour window to allow people to cross to escape the violence.

As the danger mounts, the severity of the movement is known as the authorities seem powerless to control and stop what is called The Forever Purge.

The film uses a slightly different formula than the prior films which focused mainly on a group of people trying to survive the night and the terrors that come with Purge Night. There is a greater emphasis on racism and Xenophobia this time around directed more towards foreigners than minorities and poverty-stricken individuals but the underlying message is the same.

This time around we are given a longer timeframe of terror and more social commentary as there are elements from the film which seem eerily inspired by headlines past and present which makes the film even more chilling.

While the story is rather bare and the characters do not get much development; the movie should give fans of the series what they look forward to although it lacks the dramatic tension of the previous films.

In the end “The Forever Purge” is an interesting new chapter in the series but not one of the stronger entries and serves as an effective finale to the series should this turn out to be the final film.

3 stars out of 5
  
Us (2019)
Us (2019)
2019 | Horror, Thriller
We’ve all heard that somewhere out in the world there is a true Doppelganger for each and every one of us. An almost exact copy which may not behave the same but would otherwise be indistinguishable from the other. In a common instance a Doppelganger might be a set of identical twins who share the same DNA, or in pop culture references we might look to the definition of a Doppelganger in Dungeons and Dragons, defined as a monstrous humanoid able to change the shape and read the minds of their intended target to mimic them completely. Somewhere in the middle is where Jordan Peele’s latest masterpiece takes us.

The film begins in the mid 80’s, when Michael Jackson’s Thriller is topping the charts and Hands Across America was a very real idea (worth looking up for younger readers who may not even know what I’m talking about). A young Adelaide Wilson is exploring the boardwalk on a beach in Santa Cruz with her parents. When her father is distracted by a game of Whack a’ Mole something draws Adelaide down to the beach where she passes a man holding a sign referencing Jeremiah 11:11, one of the first messages that foreshadows what is to come. On the beach she encounters an empty and sinister looking hall of mirrors attraction. Wandering through the hall of mirrors a young Adelaide encounters a girl in the mirror, an exact duplicate of herself whose encounter is so traumatic that it leaves her unable to speak.

The film transitions to present day where the now adult Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o) is traveling with her husband Gabriel (Winston Duke) and her two children Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and youngest son Jason (Evan Alex) to her parents’ home near the beach in Santa Cruz. Adelaide has resisted going back to the very same boardwalk where she had encountered her doppelganger as a young child. With her husband and children pressing her to go to the beach, she reluctantly agrees as long as they promise to be home before dark. The day at the beach is relatively uneventful until it is nearing time to go home and the family has lost sight of young Jason. Adelaide in a panic frantically searches for him, finally finding him returning from the bathroom.

The incident, while minor, convinces Adelaide that they should never have come back and wants to leave immediately. Various subtle “coincidences” occur that leave her feeling as though a black cloud hangs over her and a sense of dread that something terrible is about to happen. Before the family turns in for the evening, Jason sees “A family” at the edge of their driveway. Gabriel attempts to get to the bottom of who these mysterious visitors are, only for a night of unimaginable terror to ensue.

Us takes queues from several other movie types, The Strangers, Night of the Living Dead and Invasion of the Body Snatchers mashing them together to weave its frightening (and often funny) tale. It takes a little time to gain momentum, but once it does It never once lets off the gas. While at first it seems nothing more than a home invasion from characters who look exactly like the Wilson family, it quickly grows into something substantially more terrifying. The backdrop varies between a somewhat isolated house in the woods, to the bustling beach, giving a sense of isolation even at the most crowded of places. The boardwalk is a place that is both wonderous and terrifying at the same time, reminiscent of the early scenes in the 80’s classic The Lost Boys. While lacking in both clowns or vampires, it holds its own secrets (and terrors).

Us is a movie that is unlike any other and is refreshing when stacked against similar fright films that have been released recently. If you are a fan of Jordan Peele’s Get Out, you will find a lot to like here as well. It maintains its dark humor without ever going over board and has plenty of thrills and scares to keep you on your toes at all times. It’s not a movie that will keep you up all night hiding under your covers, but it may cause you to rethink your next vacation to the beach or the boardwalk. In the end, I feel this is another film that is sure to become a cult classic, enjoyable for fans of the genre.
  
Dreamfall
Dreamfall
Amy Plum | 2017 | Horror, Young Adult (YA)
4
4.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great potential, poor follow-through
Dreamfall ticked me off, because it felt like the author ended the book on a massive cliff-hanger. I didn’t feel like I was given enough of the story to even faintly satisfy me. Look, I wasn’t expecting it to be a complete stand-alone, because I knew that there were more books in the series. A good series should have each book able to effectively function as a stand-alone. The author should be able to leave some threads dangling, but successfully resolve the story arc of the book while advancing the series story arc as a whole. If I had paid for this book instead of borrowing it from the library, I would be pissed. Maybe I’m being unfair. I’m willing to admit that’s a possibility, but this was just not a satisfying read. At all!

I had high hopes for Dreamfall, but the ending wasn’t the only way it disappointed me. The first couple chapters made it seem like it was going to be super creepy. Insomnia, sleep paralysis, promises of monsters, etc, are an awesome combination especially if you have experienced insomnia, sleep paralysis, and night terrors. You’re able to put yourself right there in the book with the characters. Except that, although the beginning promised great things, the fact that this is a YA book soon asserted itself. Horror-lite, except in the hands of a truly talented horror story-teller, waters down to a handful of creepy scenes and some mild tension on occasion. That’s what happened here in Dreamfall. The only stand-out scenes involved a coffin and a cave. (Though, to be fair, if you find lots of things scary, you might find more to be creeped out by in it.)

And the drama. Oh, the unnecessary drama. Now, to her credit, for once I’m not talking about a love triangle. Instead, it’s a case of the author simply trying way too hard to stretch out the drama. For non-spoiling, I’ll simply say that some of the dialogue made zero sense, and apparently no one besides Jaime ever apparently thinks to check the cameras.

The characters were okay, mostly. I’m out of the YA age range, so the chances I was going to connect with any of them were fairly small. However, I had kind of hoped that I would care about a few of them. I did mildly care about one and that was purely a circumstance of name and time of year more than anything else. Anyways, that one poofed, and thus ended my affection for any of the characters. (Though there was one twist associated with that particular character that made me grin.)

But, because I’m aware that I’ve ranted a good bit about the book, I need to balance this out a bit. Dreamfall has a very interesting plot idea. The pacing of the book is nice and quick. The dialogue between the characters is mostly believable, even if some of the ‘real’ situations are not. Even though the book swiftly lost pretty much all chance of scaring me, up until the end, I was interested – if not thrilled – by what I was reading. My main pick with this book really comes down to the fact that it feels like it was forced to be two (or more?) books instead of one. As fantastic as this plot idea is, it really is a ONE book idea. Oh, I liked the cover, too.

So disappointed because I had my hopes up, and they got thoroughly dashed.
  
Some Will Not Sleep: Selected Horrors
Some Will Not Sleep: Selected Horrors
Adam Nevill | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
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!