I had to watch this trailer a few times to take it in because the first time I was just freaking out over the fact that two masters of horror, Robert Englund & Lin Shaye are in another movie together (I know they're both in 2001 Maniacs, if you know of any others please let me know, they're two of my favourite actors).
I think the movie has a lot of potential and it certainly looks scary, I like the mix of the typical horror movie teenagers with the older Lin Shaye & Robert Englund as I wonder if life experience will make a huge difference in how they react or if fear is fear.
The only concern I have at this stage is that the movie looks very dark, I mean literally not in terms of content. I get that most scary things happen at night in horror movies but I can't stand feeling like I'm squinting to see the action so I hope it's a letter better lit than the trailer makes it seem, although it will probably be better on a big screen anyway and this is definitely a cinema watch!
It's not a dig at this movie because it looks brilliantly made but the main thing that baffles me about movies like this is how readily the characters jump into ghost games. Now don't get me wrong I've been on ghost hunts but a) I think you're primed on them so most of what you see/hear is a sort of group hysteria and b) I think in general ghosts are just leftover energy playing itself out & I wouldn't risk it if I thought there was a chance of negative effects. If you ever say to me 'let's play a game where if your candle goes out & isn't re-lit within 10 seconds or you break the salt circle then the Midnight Man will find you and make you live out your worst fear' and I say yes then run like the wind because I've already been possessed by something!
Thursday, 18 January 2018
Tuesday, 12 December 2017
Happy Anniversary Twisted Twins Productions
I'm a day late with this post (it's just who I am as a person!) and it's going to be a gushy one but yesterday marked the 9th anniversary of the Soska's production company Twisted Twins Productions.
I've talked about my love of Jen & Sylvia Soska's work before. American Mary has a massive cult following for a reason, See No Evil 2 managed the rare achievement of being better than the original in my opinion, and next year they will get their first wide cinematic release with their remake of Rabid.
They're very hard-working (they seem to always have about ten plates in the air) but they're also really approachable online, and the photos from happy fans at cons prove they are in real life too. Their WiH month Massive Blood Drive in February each year pushes the worthy clause of blood donation, and their American Mary swede competition earlier this year gave amateur film-makers like me a wide audience for our own work. They've given me another opportunity this year which I don't think I can talk about just yet but I love them for it. They're eager to give back because they started out in low-budget horror themselves, and look where they are now what an inspirational pair!
I bet there's some really special stuff to look out for in their tenth year and I wish them every success. And finally if you would like any Soska swag then here's a link to their online store including hand-made items: http://www.twistedtwinsstore.com/
I've talked about my love of Jen & Sylvia Soska's work before. American Mary has a massive cult following for a reason, See No Evil 2 managed the rare achievement of being better than the original in my opinion, and next year they will get their first wide cinematic release with their remake of Rabid.
They're very hard-working (they seem to always have about ten plates in the air) but they're also really approachable online, and the photos from happy fans at cons prove they are in real life too. Their WiH month Massive Blood Drive in February each year pushes the worthy clause of blood donation, and their American Mary swede competition earlier this year gave amateur film-makers like me a wide audience for our own work. They've given me another opportunity this year which I don't think I can talk about just yet but I love them for it. They're eager to give back because they started out in low-budget horror themselves, and look where they are now what an inspirational pair!
I bet there's some really special stuff to look out for in their tenth year and I wish them every success. And finally if you would like any Soska swag then here's a link to their online store including hand-made items: http://www.twistedtwinsstore.com/
Thursday, 16 November 2017
100 Horror Movies Challenge Final Update
I'm about two weeks late with this final update but that shouldn't be a surprise really because I'm never very organised!
Day 26:
- Blair Witch (2016, Directed by Adam Wingard, Horror/Thriller)
- Meh. I'm not a fan of this franchise as a whole really and this one was a bit all over the place with a very tentative link to the original.
Day 27:
- 2 episodes of Stranger Thing Series Two, equivalent to one movie (Drama/Fantasy/Horror)
- It's back! I love this show and there's not really anything quite like it.
Day 28:
- 7 episodes of Stranger Things Series Two (equivalent to 3 movies)
- Poor health days can suck but it worked well for this challenge!
Day 29:
- None.
Day 30:
- None again, so good at this!
Day 31:
- Jigsaw (2017, Directed by Michael Spierig & Peter Spierig, Crime/Horror/Mystery)
- It was good fun but even for a Saw movie this one had a lot of plot holes!
Final total: 47 movies in 31 days. Beat last year's score and almost hit halfway so happy with that.
Day 26:
- Blair Witch (2016, Directed by Adam Wingard, Horror/Thriller)
- Meh. I'm not a fan of this franchise as a whole really and this one was a bit all over the place with a very tentative link to the original.
Day 27:
- 2 episodes of Stranger Thing Series Two, equivalent to one movie (Drama/Fantasy/Horror)
- It's back! I love this show and there's not really anything quite like it.
Day 28:
- 7 episodes of Stranger Things Series Two (equivalent to 3 movies)
- Poor health days can suck but it worked well for this challenge!
Day 29:
- None.
Day 30:
- None again, so good at this!
Day 31:
- Jigsaw (2017, Directed by Michael Spierig & Peter Spierig, Crime/Horror/Mystery)
- It was good fun but even for a Saw movie this one had a lot of plot holes!
Final total: 47 movies in 31 days. Beat last year's score and almost hit halfway so happy with that.
Thursday, 26 October 2017
100 Horror Films Challenge Update Three
Day 18:
- The Babysitter (2017, Directed by McG, Comedy/Horror)
- This one was a blast! I've now seen Samara Weaving in this & Mayhem and she really seems funny. Massively OTT on the gore and just hilarious.
- 2 episodes of Lore (Horror, equivalent to 1 movie)
- I haven't listened to the original podcast but I love the mix of live-action, animation & narration and it really held my attention. Really creepy subject matter though, I couldn't watch too many at once!
Day 19:
- None, oops.
Day 20:
- None!
Day 21:
- Happy Death Day (2017, Directed by Christopher Landon, Horror/Mystery/Thriller)
- This one definitely lived up to its trailer (which I reviewed on here). It's not anything massively different but it's a lot of fun and the lead actress, Jessica Rothe, was phenomenal.
- Get Out (2017, Directed by Jordan Peele, Horror/Mystery/Thriller)
- I'll rave about this film endlessly because the actors just kill it & it creeps me out although I've had plenty of arguments lately about whether or not it's a horror movie, I vote yes but I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Day 22:
- Happy Death (2017, Directed by Christopher Landon, Horror/Mystery/Thriller)
- It's definitely cheating to count the same film twice but I'm doing it anyway, definitely still fun the second time round too!
- The Bad Batch (2016, Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, Drama/Horror/Romance)
- If I'm being honest this one was a bit of an effort to get through. I felt like I needed a bit of setup before a certain thing happened, the characters largely irritated me & why this has 'romance' listed as a genre is beyond me.
- 2 episodes of Lore (equivalent to 1 movie).
Day 23:
- 1922 (2017, Directed by Zak Hilditch, Crime/Drama/Horror)
- Netflix are just pulling out all the stops with their Stephen King right now aren't they? The gore in this made my toes curl a bit & the acting was so good.
Day 24:
- None.
Day 25:
-Uh-oh, none again.
Current total: 41 movies in 25 days, still some time left and I've already beaten last year's total by 5.
- The Babysitter (2017, Directed by McG, Comedy/Horror)
- This one was a blast! I've now seen Samara Weaving in this & Mayhem and she really seems funny. Massively OTT on the gore and just hilarious.
- 2 episodes of Lore (Horror, equivalent to 1 movie)
- I haven't listened to the original podcast but I love the mix of live-action, animation & narration and it really held my attention. Really creepy subject matter though, I couldn't watch too many at once!
Day 19:
- None, oops.
Day 20:
- None!
Day 21:
- Happy Death Day (2017, Directed by Christopher Landon, Horror/Mystery/Thriller)
- This one definitely lived up to its trailer (which I reviewed on here). It's not anything massively different but it's a lot of fun and the lead actress, Jessica Rothe, was phenomenal.
- Get Out (2017, Directed by Jordan Peele, Horror/Mystery/Thriller)
- I'll rave about this film endlessly because the actors just kill it & it creeps me out although I've had plenty of arguments lately about whether or not it's a horror movie, I vote yes but I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Day 22:
- Happy Death (2017, Directed by Christopher Landon, Horror/Mystery/Thriller)
- It's definitely cheating to count the same film twice but I'm doing it anyway, definitely still fun the second time round too!
- The Bad Batch (2016, Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, Drama/Horror/Romance)
- If I'm being honest this one was a bit of an effort to get through. I felt like I needed a bit of setup before a certain thing happened, the characters largely irritated me & why this has 'romance' listed as a genre is beyond me.
- 2 episodes of Lore (equivalent to 1 movie).
Day 23:
- 1922 (2017, Directed by Zak Hilditch, Crime/Drama/Horror)
- Netflix are just pulling out all the stops with their Stephen King right now aren't they? The gore in this made my toes curl a bit & the acting was so good.
Day 24:
- None.
Day 25:
-Uh-oh, none again.
Current total: 41 movies in 25 days, still some time left and I've already beaten last year's total by 5.
Sins of the Gods Anthology Cover Reveal
I have news readers.
If you like reading me prattle on in these posts then you can read a creepy short story I wrote based around a god which is being released a few days from today on Halloween. I'm really pleased with it and there's some other excellent submissions so I can't wait for it to be out in the world.
Stay tuned for a blog post about an anthology that I've put together too but for now here's the details on Sins of the Gods from the horse's mouth:
'October 31st 2014 we released our first Sins of Time collection titled Sins of the Past. A year later we released our second titled Sins of the Future. This year we’re releasing Sins of the Gods. Sixteen tales of Gods and the mayhem that follows them. Each author takes you on a journey with a different God as you dive into an unknown world of chaos.
If you like reading me prattle on in these posts then you can read a creepy short story I wrote based around a god which is being released a few days from today on Halloween. I'm really pleased with it and there's some other excellent submissions so I can't wait for it to be out in the world.
Stay tuned for a blog post about an anthology that I've put together too but for now here's the details on Sins of the Gods from the horse's mouth:
'October 31st 2014 we released our first Sins of Time collection titled Sins of the Past. A year later we released our second titled Sins of the Future. This year we’re releasing Sins of the Gods. Sixteen tales of Gods and the mayhem that follows them. Each author takes you on a journey with a different God as you dive into an unknown world of chaos.
When the paths of gods and men cross, then the skeins of fate twist. And none more twisted than the sixteen stories of mayhem, horror and the plain weird in these pages.
Sins of the Gods features:
Heart Eater, Mirren Hogan
Black Dog, Misha Burnett
Coils, Valery Riddle
To See Her, Ana Marija Mesh Ova
Gorgon's Daughter, Stephanie Barr
Dikē, Ian Richardson
Raising Hel, Chasity Nicole
Roleplay, Don Miskel
Minos' Sin, Kerry E.B. Black
Once I Was a God, Fiona Skye
Diana, Louise Sorensen
Midas, Rae Lyn Bardon
Shades of Black, Debbie Manber Kupfer
The Dream, R C Larlham
House at the End of Eternity, Jen Ponce
The Watcher, Angela Nolan
Now that you know about our collection, it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for- the cover.'
I love the cover it's subtly creepy, hope you enjoy it if you pick up a copy.
Tuesday, 17 October 2017
100 Horror Films Challenge Update Two
Day 6:
- None, fail!
Day 7:
- 2 episodes of AHS Coven (equivalent to 1 movie)
Day 8:
- 4 episodes of AHS Coven (equivalent to 2 movies)
- Hahaha why is Stevie Nicks in this?!
Day 9:
- 2 episodes of AHS Freakshow (equivalent to 1 movie)
Day 10:
- 4 episodes of AHS Freakshow (equivalent to 2 movies)
- I don't think I'll watch any more of this one now to be honest as now Twisty's gone I've lost interest!
Day 11:
- None again!
Day 12 (Mayhem Film Festival Day One):
- Double Date (2017, Directed by Benjamin Barfoot, Comedy/Horror)
- M.F.A (2017, Directed by Natalia Leite, Thriller) WILD CARD ONE
Day 13 (Mayhem Film Festival Day Two):
- Bitch (2017, Directed by Marianna Palka, Comedy/Drama/Family) WILD CARD TWO
- 68 Kill (2017, Directed by Trent Haaga, Comedy/Crime/Romance) WILD CARD THREE
- Habit (2017, Directed by Simeon Halligan, Horror)
- Friday the 13th Part III 3D (1982, Directed by Steve Miner, Horror Thriller)
Day 14 (Mayhem Film Festival Day Three):
- Tag (2015, Directed by Sion Sono, Action/Fantasy/Horror)
- A Day (2017, Directed by Sun-ho Cho, Drama/Mystery/Thriller) WILD CARD FOUR
- Most Beautiful Island (2017, Directed by Ana Asensio, Drama/Thriller) WILD CARD FIVE
- Prey (2016, Directed by Dick Maas, Comedy/Horror/Thriller)
- Suspiria (1977, Directed by Dario Argento, Horror)
Day 15 (Mayhem Film Festival Day Four):
- Rift (2017, Directed by Erlingur Thoroddsen, Drama/Horror/Mystery)
- Mayhem (2017, Directed by Joe Lynch, Action/Horror)
- Dead Shack (2017, Directed by Peter Ricq, Horror)
Day 16:
- None, I was a bit filmed out after an awesome but full-on weekend.
Day 17:
- None, I'm so good at this!
Current total is 33 films in 17 days which I'm really happy with. I'm working on a review of Mayhem, including a couple of other films which I can't count on here because I've run out of wild cards.
- None, fail!
Day 7:
- 2 episodes of AHS Coven (equivalent to 1 movie)
Day 8:
- 4 episodes of AHS Coven (equivalent to 2 movies)
- Hahaha why is Stevie Nicks in this?!
Day 9:
- 2 episodes of AHS Freakshow (equivalent to 1 movie)
Day 10:
- 4 episodes of AHS Freakshow (equivalent to 2 movies)
- I don't think I'll watch any more of this one now to be honest as now Twisty's gone I've lost interest!
Day 11:
- None again!
Day 12 (Mayhem Film Festival Day One):
- Double Date (2017, Directed by Benjamin Barfoot, Comedy/Horror)
- M.F.A (2017, Directed by Natalia Leite, Thriller) WILD CARD ONE
Day 13 (Mayhem Film Festival Day Two):
- Bitch (2017, Directed by Marianna Palka, Comedy/Drama/Family) WILD CARD TWO
- 68 Kill (2017, Directed by Trent Haaga, Comedy/Crime/Romance) WILD CARD THREE
- Habit (2017, Directed by Simeon Halligan, Horror)
- Friday the 13th Part III 3D (1982, Directed by Steve Miner, Horror Thriller)
Day 14 (Mayhem Film Festival Day Three):
- Tag (2015, Directed by Sion Sono, Action/Fantasy/Horror)
- A Day (2017, Directed by Sun-ho Cho, Drama/Mystery/Thriller) WILD CARD FOUR
- Most Beautiful Island (2017, Directed by Ana Asensio, Drama/Thriller) WILD CARD FIVE
- Prey (2016, Directed by Dick Maas, Comedy/Horror/Thriller)
- Suspiria (1977, Directed by Dario Argento, Horror)
Day 15 (Mayhem Film Festival Day Four):
- Rift (2017, Directed by Erlingur Thoroddsen, Drama/Horror/Mystery)
- Mayhem (2017, Directed by Joe Lynch, Action/Horror)
- Dead Shack (2017, Directed by Peter Ricq, Horror)
Day 16:
- None, I was a bit filmed out after an awesome but full-on weekend.
Day 17:
- None, I'm so good at this!
Current total is 33 films in 17 days which I'm really happy with. I'm working on a review of Mayhem, including a couple of other films which I can't count on here because I've run out of wild cards.
Thursday, 5 October 2017
100 Horror Films in October Challenge
It's that time of year again everybody!
You may remember I wrote about this challenge last year but here's a quick recap of the rules:
- 100 films in 31 days.
- The film must have 'horror' as a genre on IMDb.
- Films must be at least 60 minutes to count.
- 5 wild cards can be used for non-genre films.
- I always end up cheating in some way & I just got into American Horror Story again with my Mum so I'm just going to say now that I'm going to count two episodes of any longer horror TV show as a film because it's still horror & it's the same length.
So here's what I've watched so far:
Day 1:
- Gerald's Game (2017, Directed by Mike Flanagan, Horror/Thriller)
- This one made me feel extremely uncomfortable and I loved the ending. I think Mike Flanagan is a huge talent on the horror scene at the moment & this is one of his best yet. It's on UK Netflix now, you should watch it.
- Two episodes of AHS: Murder House (All AHS is Drama/Horror/Thriller), 6 episodes of AHS: Asylum (equivalent to 4 movies)
Day 2:
- 7 episodes of AHS: Asylum, 1 episode of AHS: Coven (equivalent to 4 movies)
- I loved Murder House, Asylum was a bit heavy & tried to be too many things so it's bottom of my list of the series I've seen so far.
Day 3:
- Nothing
Day 4:
- Flatliners (2017, Directed by Neils Arden Oplev, Drama/Horror/Sci-Fi)
- I only recently watched the original Flatliners & I really enjoyed both. I'll be doing a full review of this one so watch out for that.
Day 5:
- 6 episodes of AHS: Coven (equivalent to 3 movies)
- Coven is a re-watch for me but I've forgotten enough to make it worth it, I love the unique powers the witches have. I may not always like AHS but at least I can say it definitely treads its own path!
Current total: 13 movies in 5 days. Thanks to a couple of binge days of AHS I'm actually fairly on track & with Mayhem film festival still to come I'm confident I'll beat last year's score of 36.
You may remember I wrote about this challenge last year but here's a quick recap of the rules:
- 100 films in 31 days.
- The film must have 'horror' as a genre on IMDb.
- Films must be at least 60 minutes to count.
- 5 wild cards can be used for non-genre films.
- I always end up cheating in some way & I just got into American Horror Story again with my Mum so I'm just going to say now that I'm going to count two episodes of any longer horror TV show as a film because it's still horror & it's the same length.
So here's what I've watched so far:
Day 1:
- Gerald's Game (2017, Directed by Mike Flanagan, Horror/Thriller)
- This one made me feel extremely uncomfortable and I loved the ending. I think Mike Flanagan is a huge talent on the horror scene at the moment & this is one of his best yet. It's on UK Netflix now, you should watch it.
- Two episodes of AHS: Murder House (All AHS is Drama/Horror/Thriller), 6 episodes of AHS: Asylum (equivalent to 4 movies)
Day 2:
- 7 episodes of AHS: Asylum, 1 episode of AHS: Coven (equivalent to 4 movies)
- I loved Murder House, Asylum was a bit heavy & tried to be too many things so it's bottom of my list of the series I've seen so far.
Day 3:
- Nothing
Day 4:
- Flatliners (2017, Directed by Neils Arden Oplev, Drama/Horror/Sci-Fi)
- I only recently watched the original Flatliners & I really enjoyed both. I'll be doing a full review of this one so watch out for that.
Day 5:
- 6 episodes of AHS: Coven (equivalent to 3 movies)
- Coven is a re-watch for me but I've forgotten enough to make it worth it, I love the unique powers the witches have. I may not always like AHS but at least I can say it definitely treads its own path!
Current total: 13 movies in 5 days. Thanks to a couple of binge days of AHS I'm actually fairly on track & with Mayhem film festival still to come I'm confident I'll beat last year's score of 36.
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