The Ringmaster's Realm

Something strange is harrowing to me.  Ever since going through regression hypnosis I have found myself struggling with motivation.  I almost feel like I'm at some type of crossroads, but indie what that is.  With that,  I have found some time for some movies and relaxation. Unfortunately,  most new horror is so cookie cutter,  so once in a while I did into some documentaries,  like this one Alien Abduction: Travis Walton. Plot : In 1975, six men in Arizona witnessed their crewmate's abduction by UFO. The Travis Walton story became an international sensation and ripped apart a small town. Four decades later, shocking new evidence reveals the true story behind Fire in the Sky. From the first time I heard this story,  I have Brynn fascinated.  Not to mention,  Fire in the Sky was a tremendous movie and extremely eye opening.  This documentary was more of the same.  A combibation of reenactments, interviews, and details, this explore the reality of this events through the eyes of

There is nothing more that I like then when multiple interests intersect inside a movie.  Especially,  when this happens by surprise.  Of course,  this does impact my overall view on things,  having a soft spot for certain topics. Too often, certain subjects become blown off by society when they appear inside horror or Sci-Fi movies and for me this is a great example of the unfortunate conditioning that mainstream media has perpetrated on society.  So many people have no clue what is really happening and that entertainment is used to lift the veil on reality via soft disclosure of information.  Something that was definitely in this 2023 entry,  The Breach. Plot : When a mangled body with strange wounds washes up on the shores of the Porcupine River, John Hawkins is compelled to investigate one more case before retiring as the chief of police in the small town of Lone Crow. From the described premise,  I expected a typical horror thriller story a touch of mystery thrown in.  Never would

  I decided that I needed a break from the world of Fallout 76 yesterday afternoon and decide to watch a few movies.  One I have watched before and this 2023 entry Dark Harvest. Plot : Teens confront a legendary supernatural spectre that emerges from the cornfields of a small Midwestern town every fall. At first glance,  I figured this was going to be another Slasher/Teenage based horror flick.  Fortunately,  I was wrong and this was quite entertaining and somewhat original campared to a majority of the movies coming out today. Although, the premise was a touch outlandish, there were some interesting elements within the storyline.  The performances were OK, the scripting decent,  the scenery and era fit,  and the effects were pretty good.  My biggest peeve was that I was able to figure out the twist about mid way through and spent the majority of the movie trying to figure out what was going to happen to rectify it. I did like the ending and the way it turned out.  But,  I'm sure s

Yesterday was an interesting day across the nation,  with many walking to a strange cell phone outage that seemed random yet specific in the locations.  On top of that,  it appears that there was an outage that impacted the capabilities of many pharmacies across the US. All in all,  it was strange,  but, it didn't totally surprise me.  After all,  I did watch the 2023 movie,  Leave the World Behind, which in true predictive programming theory failed a massive cell phone outage.  Plot : A family vacation on Long Island is interrupted by two strangers bearing news of a blackout. As the threat grows, both families must decide how best to survive the potential crisis, all while grappling with their own place in this collapsing world. While initial reports yesterday indicated that multiple carriers were seeing outages, as of this afternoon only AT&T had come out and talked about their issues, blaming the incident on an error in coding, No real details, but they claim it wasn't a

On my recent trip to Point Pleasant, I was able to score some classic Fate Magazine's. Fate has always been one of my favorites,  covering all of the reasons of high strangeness and the unexplained while featuring some of the most prominent researchers of the day. In fact,  when I had an article picked up and published by them in the mid 2000s, I was so humbled. I still view that as one of my greatest accomplishments as a researcher of writer.   With that,  in the October 1988 issue, I came across a story about a UFO Flap that occurred in April  1975. With it being somewhat close to my homestead,  I decided to try to do a deep dive on it.  After all, this was a large event,  with multiple sightings over a 3 or 4 day period.  What I found (or didn't find) online was quite surprising. At first, I found almost nothing.  This was surprising because the story in Fate was detailed and actually contained some valuable information.  Mostly, I found links to a book,  The Lumberton repor

It's not often that I look forward to watching a slasher film.  Don't get me wrong,  I absolutely love them.  Unfortunately,  most modern entries are nothing compared to the ones I grew up with.  But that was different,  A son as I saw that 2023s Thanksgiving was streaming, I had to watch it.   Plot : An axe-wielding maniac terrorises residents of Plymouth, Massachusetts, after a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy. Picking off victims one by one, the seemingly random revenge killings soon become part of a larger, sinister plan. Wow, this one was se much fun to watch.  While I'm sure that it will fall into the love it or hate it arena,  I hope more love it.  This one has everything you need to take a modern journey into the world of the classic slasher genre with an entertaining story,  over-the- top kills, and some really good effects.  Did,  since of it was headscratching, there were some holes in the story,  and I found it sonewhat predictable, but that did nothing to take

While I didn't post yesterday on my birthday,  I was busy in documentary world. I love documentaries, especially ones that cover interesting subjects. Yesterday was the Missing 411 series, as it seems to be popping up on my social media feed quite a bit.  The first one I'm reviewing is Missing 411: The Hunted.  Plot : Hunters have disappeared from wildlands without a trace for hundreds of years. David Paulides presents the haunting true stories of hunters experiencing the unexplainable in the woods of North America. This is a great series and the research that David Paulides has done is tremendous. Not only are these cases fascinating,  there definitely seems to be something odd taking place.  This becomes even clearer when you do mass map comparisons with cave systems and other supernatural sightings.  The combination of interviews and research brings this series of events into a clear light and the cases are extremely interesting.  It is definitely a series that is worth watc

While I have been spending some time on the subject of shadow people and the hat man,  there are times when I need to take a break.  When I do,  I love to jump back in time to some of the horror films that made me love the genre.  This 1985 Dario Argento film is one of those,  Phenomena (AKA Creepers) Plot : A young girl who has an amazing ability to communicate with insects is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders. This has always been a polarizing work,  much like a lot of Argento's works. For me,  it was one of the first movies I encountered by him and helped me fall in love with his imaginative and stylistic approach to horror.  The cast is alright and the performances are uneven,  but this do little to bring diem things interesting story filed with the concepts, visuals,  and details that always cry out in an Argento film.  Yes,  the storyline does have some plot holes and there are side technical i

The weather yesterday was miserable again.  Fortunately,  the sun came out first and I was more motivated. After packaging a couple trading cards,  I kicked back and decided on something rather tame and atmospheric, 2020's Shirley. Plot : Renowned horror writer Shirley Jackson is on the precipice of writing her masterpiece when the arrival.  This movie was a bit odd. A fictional biopic based on famed writer Shirley Jackson crafting one of her best selling novels. While it was an interesting premise, which featured some tremendous performances, decent atmosphere, and what could have been a truly entertaining film.  Unfortunately, the scripting is uneven and the mood while atmospheric jumps around all over the place.  In the end,  this could have been an even more interesting fictional biopic, it was just average.  Check it out if you want,  but be warned.  

I took a few days away as I have been busy around the shop.  Between that and the weather, I haven't wanted to watch anything or really do anything, but I figured that I would get back to some movies today I was the best skies continued above us.  My selection was a 1970s witchcraft flick Blood Sabbath.  Plot : A coven of witches captures a young man travelling through the woods. He gets involved in a power struggle between a beautiful witch and the evil queen who heads the coven. Ok,  this one is exactly what you would expect from the early 70s. Surely made for the drive-in era,  this is a strange one.  Not really a horror movie,  but from the beginning of the Satanic Panic, it was clearly playing on the fears of the population with the nudity and the Occult and witchcraft overtones. The storyline makes little sense and had me scratching my head on multiple occasions, the pacing is slow,  and performances are in no way convincing. I'm sure this was a low budget entry,  but sti

After a stretch of modern movie with mixed results, I was in the mood for some classic Sci-Fi  schlock. While searching,  I found it with this 70s Alien Invasion film tradition none other than Sir Christopher Lee. It is the 1977 entry,  Starship Invasions.  Plot : An advance team from a dying, far-off civilization seeks a new world to conquer and inhabit -- Earth. With a cast featuring Christopher Lee and Robert Vaugh, how could this one go so wrong? Sure, it's not terrible,  but it's not really good either.  In fact,  it's perfect mindless 70s aliens themed schlock. The concept is interesting and there are some good visuals and effects (along with some bad ones). However,  this low budget film suffers mightily from low energy.  Other than Lee and Vaugh, the unrecognizable cat is just blah,  and that almost dooms this from the start. Truly,  the performances drag down what could have potentionally been somewhat memorable. Instead,  what is left is a late-night horror Host s

I took a couple days away as I continue to battle this cold.  Plus,  I've been caught up trying to finish a few quests in Fallout 76, last night being one with the Cult of Mothman, so that's been fun.  But,  today I decided to dive back into some horror with 2023s Freddy's Friday's.  Plot : A detective begins to investigate a series of mysterious murders that are connected to a demonic book that brings dolls to life. As the body count begins to rise, the detective soon learns the curse of the demonic Friday and must find a way to stop. If you thought this was gong to be a ripoff of Five Nights at Freddy's from looking at the cover, you would be so off base. That is what I thought as well,  until I started watching it.  Instead,  I found an erratic and strange low budget summoned demon slasher influenced film that had some masked, almost animatronic, looking killer's. While there was potential here, the casting, performances, effects, and execution was lacking th

I am usually not a big one for going to see the latest hype movies in the theater, but sometimes when the opportunity comes to watch a surprise with AMC Screen Unseen, I jump at it. There what happened last night when I got an early surprise with the 2024 entry,  Lisa Frankenstein. Plot : A misunderstood teenager and a reanimated corpse embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness and a few missing body parts. I have to start by early I loved this movie.  It was the right niche of comedy, darkness, lightheartedness, and nostalgia, that it should appeal to everyone.  For me,  the brooding 80s soundtrack was the icing on top.  The cast is outstanding and their performances really work to make this one extremely entertaining. Sure, the storyline is outlandish and a bit unpredictable,  but that works in this quirky film.  The writing is solid and the character development was spot on.  Truly everything within this one worked to continue building throughout,  especially with the co

It's been a long week and I seem to have come down with a small cold.  Hopefully,  the preemptive strike with medicine helps keep it at bay.  While trying to keep myself from overdoing it yesterday,  I decided to kick back and watch some horror.  That's when I stumbled upon the 2021 short,  Scream of the Blind Dead. Plot: Virginia wanders a deserted, haunted landscape and wakes up the ghost of an ancient and bloodthirsty blind female knight. As the wraith relentlessly pursues her prey, the truth about Virginia's dark past is revealed. Growing up I loved the Blind Dead series.  It was fun to watch and always interesting.  This short that paid homage to that classic series was also fun to watch.  Taking a surrealistic approach to the storyline, this one uses tremendous visuals,  a haunting score,  and a heavy atmosphere to create something different and entertaining.  Yes,  the lack of dialog will turn some viewers off, but it shouldn't. This was a fun flick and one that

After a few duds over the past few days,  I decided it was time to reach into the past for something I haven't watched in years. My selection was the fun horror film from 1994, Brainscan. Plot : A teenager is part of an interactive video game where he kills innocent victims. Later, the murders become real. This is a fun movie and one that screams 1990s. The cast is decent and there are some great performances, especially that of the Trickster. Sure some of it feels dated today, the storyline, while fun, is outlandish, and the early special effects are hit and miss, but after that,  there is a lot to like. The atmosphere sittings,  the pacing is great,  and the overall feel really works. I am so glad that I decided to revisit it.  In the end,  this one may be leaving Tubi soon,  and that's a shame. If you are looking for a great throwback,  give this one a shot,  you would likely enjoy it.  

Time does seem to fly by.  It seems like yesterday, I was walking through Point Pleasant searching for the Mothman. Today,  I'm just hanging out and watching some movies.  The first one I caught this month is the 2020 thriller,  The Postcard Killings. Plot : A New York City detective investigates the death of his daughter, who was murdered on her honeymoon in London, and discovers the existence of a serial killer. As a huge fan of procedural crime movies and shows,  this one seemed like a nice change of pace from what I have been watching.  Unfortunately,  there was something missing.  I'm not in any way saying this is a bad movie,  in fact, it has some great scenery, a solid cast with decent performances, and an interesting storyline.  However,  the movie never truly achieved anything to make it stand out.  It was actually quite pedestrian and bland; never capitalizing on its full potential to become something extremely memorable. So, in the end, this will help you pass some t

Last night I had a chance to catch one of the AMC Screen Unseen events at our local theater. To me,  this was awesome,  especially being a horror film. I mean,  there is no better way to see things then before they are widely released. While this film was made in 2022, it was only released in Europe and went have its wide US release until February 9th. That movie in Out of Darkness. Plot : About 45,000 years ago, a desperate band of early humans finds a new land to settle in. As they start to realize that something monstrous is hunting them down, they must confront a horrifying danger that they never could have imagined. Not knowing anything about the movie I was about to watch,  I wasn't really prepared for this at the start.  While I do love watching foreign films,  I tend to skip subtitles unless I'm at home.  However,  as the movie progressed, the use of subtitles with this foriegn language film didn't bother me in the least, in fact,  I think it added to the atmosphere

Having stopped by Point Pleasant,  WV for a day of exploring the myth of the Mothman, I was extremely excited. Not only do I love the story of the Mothman, this makes the first time since my transplant that I was able to venture out into the wild.  Sure,  I didn't go crazy. Hell, I didn't even make it a night expedition, but I did get va shall hike in and go check out one of the famous sighting locations: the TNT Area. Now part of the McClintic Wildlife Management Area, the TNT bunkers may be run down, but I will say they still hold a creepy energy.  It did send chills down my spine. Of course,  whatever small animal that was stalking me from the treeline helped with that.  But oh well.   If you aren't familiar with Mothman or the sightings in and around Point Pleasant,  this is a great rabbit hole and a tremendous amount of lore. This area,  known then as the West Virginian Ordnance Works, was reported to be the home of this game red-eyed cryptid from late 1966 until early

After spending the day out and about exploring the trail of the Mothman in Point Pleasant, it was nice to come back to the AirBnB and relax. Luckily,  there were plenty of things to choose from for entertainment,  although this selection was,  well... The 2023 notification flick,  Creepypasta. Plot : Trapped in an abandoned house, a nameless man desperately searches for clues to how he got there. The answer is hidden within a series of disturbing viral videos - each of which begins to infect his mind. As a writer and a fan of the Creepypasta genre, I had hoped this would fit into that mold and possibly give me some inspiration. Unfortunately, this hopes we're quickly dashed and I feel into the two of a title sucking me into nothingness.  This low budget entry doesn't do anything to suck you in,  in fact,  it is hard to decide on what the main storyline is.  The cinematography may be the highlight,  and honestly nothing about that stood out.  The performances were uneven,  the s

I decided to take a break from cryptids today and did into another interesting topic, Witchcraft.  After did quick searching,  I decided on the made for Television Wes Craven entry Summer of Fear. (AKA Stranger in Our House) Plot : A teenage girl's life is turned upside down after her cousin moves into her house, and as time goes by she begins to suspect that she may be a practitioner of witchcraft. For this looking for a precursor to Freddy and a Nightmare on Elm Street, this one will likely disappoint. Origins this third horror entry for Wes Craven was a made for television movie,  thus,  it lacks the impact of typical theatrical releases. However,  the cast and performances are actually pretty good.  Yes,  the setting, costuming, and some of the technical aspects feel and appear dated, but for a movie from the late 70s, most of it holds up quite well.  The storyline is interesting (although a bit predictable) and it did keep me interested to see how it was going to end (did they

I just found out yet I'll be heading off to Point Pleasant, WV at the end of the week for a quick birthday trip and I can't wait.  If you have ready my blog from the outset,  you will already know about my fascination with Mothman and most of the world of cryptids. I can't wait to explore the birthplace of a legendary cryptid.  To help prepare,  I searched out a documentary that I hadn't watched yet and found this 2023 entry,  Mothman: Beyond the Legend.  Plot : Global sightings challenge the notion that the Mothman is a figment of imagination, but rather an omen of change—or simply beyond our understanding. This was an interesting documentary on the Mothman that prevents information in a straightforward manner.  While it does lack some of the flair of many of the higher budgeted entries in the topic,  this one definitely takes on quite a bit of material and methodically produces it in a way that flows together quite well. Not only do they discuss the besieging of Point

As I stated yesterday,  I didn't the day inside a Mountain Devil marathon.  Actually being a bit jealous,  as I know and have didn't time in the field with some of the researchers featured in the series.  Oh well,  that's what I get for moving away from the area a few years ago.  With they being said,  here is Mountain Devil 3: The Bigfoot Invasion from 2021. Plot : This mockumentary explores the sightings of Aliens and Alien Spacecraft in Pennsylvania in the 1970's. While at the same time, sightings of a large hairy creature many know as Bigfoot were sighted at the same time. I really liked the source material in this one.  Being from the area,  I am familiar with many of these cases and absolutely loved the content.  However,  while the interviews and stories were good,  the execution of the reenactments were hit and miss.  The performances by the cat were uneven to say the least.  Since of them were just bad. While txt did take away of the effectiveness of the source

The cold is starting to frustrate me a little,  although it is so much warmer here in Virginia Beach than it was when I was at home in Pennsylvania last week.  While I was there I didn't time thinking about my days in the cryptid and paranormal community.  When I got back yesterday I decided to continue that with a Mountain Devil marathon. Next up is 2022s Mountain Devil 2.  Plot: In 1976 a book was published titled "The Creature" that swept over Bigfoot enthusiasts and researchers all over the state of Pennsylvania. Since then, it has been the most quoted work on the subject of Bigfoot. But, who was the author and was there any truth in the story? To me,  movies like this are more about the information and story than the overall quality and technical aspects. This low budget investigative docudrama has an interesting story and drives into a unique piece of Pennsylvanian lore. While less about Bigfoot itself and more of an investigation into the origin and Prentiss truth

It was definitely nice being back home in Virginia Beach, although I will say I miss the quiet that came with being in Pennsylvania. Now at home,  I wanted to do what I do every year on this day,  celebrate the birth of the great Edgar Allan Poe. This year I chose the underrated 1972 loose adaptation of the Black Cat, Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key. Plot : Oliviero is a drunk, burned-out writer who amuses himself by hosting orgies and humiliating his wife. When a number of women are murdered in grisly fashion, Oliviero becomes a prime suspect. This is dungeon one in a long line of "loose" adaptations of Poe's work.  Yet,  this stylized giallo is rather entertaining. This one did drag a bit and seemed longer than it needed to be,  but to me this is offset by the solid performances,  gore, outstanding soundscape, nudity, and cinematography. Plus,  it did actually have interesting dialog and eventually did venture into some of Pos's tale,  which was t

This will be my last day in Pennsylvania on this trip and Timothy's I'll be back in a more favorable climate. Waking to 4 inches of snow and single digit temperatures are really not my cup of tea.  I did stay in most of the day and decided to watch this 2021 flick, Willy's Wonderland. Plot : When his car breaks down, a quiet loner agrees to clean an abandoned family fun center in exchange for repairs. He soon finds himself waging war against possessed animatronic mascots while trapped inside Willy's Wonderland. What else could horror and B-Movie fans ask for but a crazy almost unhinged performance by Nicolas Cage? Not much,  right.  This is that movie.  Cage plays the character perfectly,  and the performance makes the movie.  While there is no real scare factor,  the fight scenes with the possessed animatronics are B-Movie gold. The storyline is fun,  the characters are OK,  and the effects are pretty good.  Yes,  this one is mindless and lacks any type of scare,  but

As the snow started to fall in this frigid weather,  I had to find something to watch.  While I internally debate on whether to continue having down the giallo path,  I couldn't bring myself to search for another one.  Instead I turned to something more modern,  2015s Demonic. Plot : A psychologist and a police officer investigate the deaths of five people, who were killed while trying to summon ghosts. If the plot sounds familiar,  it is.  Like many movies in the genre this one suffers from the lack of originality that seems to plague horror from time to time.  However,  that's not saying this is a bad film.  In the contrary it was rather emtertaing featuring a solid cast,  decent performances,  and some nice direction and cinematography.  In fact,  the main issue is the story,  which is both predictable and rather vanilla. Everything else works if you can deal with that. In the end,  there is nothing groundbreaking here,  but it isn't a total waste of time.  Something I f

Wow, it was a cold one here in Pennsylvania today.  It was definitely a far cry from what I am used to at the beach.  Oh well,  what can you do? After picking up a few things for the toy store,  I decided to stay warm by watching a movie,  my choice was the 1970 Italian horror, Five Dolls for an August Moon.  Plot : When an inventor takes a group of investors for an island vacation, an unseen murderer kills them one by one. While there are many elements in this one that screams Bava, there is definitely something lacking in this one.  Artistically this one features some solid work with with the direction and cinematography, but it definitely does not match the quality of did of his other works. The storyline and scripting are lacking, leading to what eventually spirals into a mess. Fortunately, Bava does enough to keep the movie from being boring and it isn't a total waste.  In the end,  this is far from his best work, but he still manages to create an entertaining and watchable fi

Having traveled from Virginia Beach to Pennsylvania, it was like entering the tundra.  When I left it was in the 60s, now 20s with snow.  What fun. So, as I chill at the house,  I decided to revisit a 80s slasher as I transport myself back to my youth with the 1984 entry The Mutilator (AKA Fall Break) Plot : Years after the accidental death of his wife, a deranged man starts to slice and dice his son's friends at a beachfront condominium. Talk about a mindless slasher.  This is another VHS flashback that knew its place in the heart of the slasher craze. With a weird almost meaningless storyline,  this one navigate from kill to kill effortlessly with some interesting (yet predictable) kills,  a solid pace,  and gore. The performances are not bad and the movie is definitely entertaining.  Yes,  most of it feels dated today and the effects are not great,  but if you are searching for something to help you pass a winter day away,  this one should work. Not for everyone,  but if you lov

Last night I wanted something mindless and cheesy,  so I searched for something from the 80s. I remember walking to the video store to see what new horror flick would appear on the shelves,  who knows,  this may have been one I picked up back then.  It definitely fits with the late 80s VHS craze. This is the 1988 entry,  the Brain. Plot : With the help of an alien organism, a man brainwashes audiences through television. A troubled high school student is determined to stop them. I don't know where to even begin with this one.  Terrible? No,  in many ways it was unbelievably entertaining, although entirely unbelievable and full of low budget schlock.  The performances were OK,  the pacing was actually good,  and there were a few parts that had me on the floor laughing. However,  the storyline,  the characters,  and the overall feel was definitely something you would find in a straight to VHS entry.  And then there were the special effects, which were special. The creature (the brain

I was searching for something different and was getting frustrated.  That was when someone recommended the 2021 flick Malignant. Plot : Paralyzed by fear from shocking visions, a woman's torment worsens as she discovers her waking dreams are terrifying realities. This one was so much better than I thought it would be. I mean,  I can't count the number of times I passed this one by.  But, shame on me.  This movie has everything that a horror fan could like,  an interesting story,  a crazy killer,  and some solid kills and effects. Yes,  the movie may have run a tad long and there were a few elements the made little sense,  but,  overall this was a well thought out and enjoyable watch with since amazing imagery. It's not perfect, but it is a great choice if you're searching for something on Netflix.

It has been a busy day today as I did some work around the house.  Climbing on ladders still may not be the best idea, but oh well.  After that,  it was kicking back and really watching a movie I saw earlier in 2023, Nefarious.  Plot : On the day of his scheduled execution, a convicted serial killer tells a psychiatrist that he's a demon who can possess his body. As the evaluation ends, he also tells the doctor that he will soon commit three murders of his own. After watching this a second time, it validated everything I thought when I saw it in the drive-in, this is one of the best movies of 2023. While I know that some will look at it strictly from a religious perspective,  which is understandable in some ways,  but it is some much more. The performances were top notch,  the cast amazing,  and the tension in the dialog was outstanding. It's amazing what can be done with a minimal cast and this one series how to pack a punch. Yes,  the soundtrack may have been lacking and the

After another day of miserable weather and just sitting around the house,  I decided to venture back into some classic Italian horror.  My selection was the 1977 giallo,  Watch Me When I Kill.  Plot : When a pharmacist is murdered and a woman happens to see the culprit leave the scene, she soon finds herself being stalked by the killer. Her boyfriend tries to identify the murdered and stop him, but discovers there is more to the murder. This giallo definitely pays homage to easily Dario Argento with many elements feeling like they are right from his classic Deep Red. While not a rip off,  the elements are noticeable. However,  this is an entertaining movie to watch featuring some good kills,  an interesting story,  and a fun soundtrack that takes you back into the 70s and classic Italian horror.  Technically,  there are some flaws with the audio flow and the language dubbing, and the effects are somewhat minimalistic, but those flaws are really covered by the storyline and performances

After watching some Argento, I decided on a mindless afternoon of domesticated Creature Features. Yes,  there are a ton,  especially from the classic straight to VHS era. My first choice was the 1988 entry Uninvited. Plot : A cat infected with a genetically engineered virus escapes from a lab and goes on a killing spree, finding its way onboard a shady businessman's yacht loaded with young guests. Where do I begin? Growing up in this era, I do admit I have a soft spot for the films that came out during this time.  They did help shape my love for horror and always made for an interesting trip to video store and that is exactly what this movie would be.  Not only did it come across extremely dated,  there weren't many moments for it to hang its hat on.  The effects (especially the mutant cat) were laughable, the performance ranges from bagd to cardboard,  and the storyline was, well, beyond a stretch. I mean everything that could be wrong with it,  was, and it came across as more

I sat down to find something to watch earlier after deciding to end my Hellraiser marathon and decided to give Tubi a try and I have to say,  I'm hooked.  After searching through their titles,  I decided on the finale of Dario Argento's Three Mothers Trilogy, 2007s Mother of Tears. Plot : Grisly deaths await Italian citizens after an archaeology student (Asia Argento) accidentally releases a demonic witch from her ancient prison. Let me start with the typical this one isn't for everyone, especially those looking for an Argento classic or something remotely close to the groundbreaking horror that put him on the map.  This definitely isn't they.  Although,  there are some good elements that can remind you of that era. The stylistic colors,  the soundtrack,  and even some of the pacing definitely have that feel. Even the gore is over the top,  like many of the Italian horror classics. What this one lacks is a solid script and is a bit disjointed with uneven performances. 

Having just received my Lament Configuration Puzzle Box in the mail, I was hopeful that I could reach out to the underworld and call upon the Cenobites to help me deal with these posts in the neighborhood.  Unfortunately,  nothing happened.  But,  to try to get some tips,  I decided to revisit the Hellraiser series with the 1996 entry,  Hellraiser: Bloodline.  Plot : In the 22nd century, a scientist attempts to right the wrong his ancestor created: the puzzle box that opens the gates of Hell and unleashes Pinhead and his Cenobite legions. This was the first time back to this one in some time and honestly it was better than I had remembered.  Although it seemed outlandish from the outset, this one was actually a lot better than it originally appeared. The storyline was interesting and layered, the dialog was really good, and the atmosphere was held throughout.  Yes,  some of the effects felt dated and there were some pacing issues, but those are only minor flaws.  In the end,  I feel th

As 2023 came to an end,  it was quite refreshing to look m back m and see that I have finally gone back and started working on here again.  Having recovered from my transplant and still attempting to break out of this writers block,  I see it as a step in the right direction. The first movie for 2024 was quite a surprise,  the 2023 alien invasion flick No One Will Save You.  Plot - Brynn finds solace within the walls of the home where she grew up until she's awakened one night by strange noises from unearthly intruders. Who knew a movie with next to no dialog would be so interesting and entertaining? Have seen the cover on Hulu, i decided to take the chance and what i found was something i didn't expect,  a unique approach to a Sci-fi/horror thriller. Yes,  it did have did have some flaws,  but overall it was gripping entry. Kaitlyn Dever was amazing and plays the character perfectly aided by only actions and emotions.  The atmosphere is good,  cinematography works,  and the f