Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Dark Harvest (2023)

 


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 some will watch and be turned off by both the end and the story itself.  In the end,  this was a fun movie and one I thought was a lot better than I expected.  I'm sure it will be polarizing, but if your look for some fun horror,  give it a shot. 

Friday, February 23, 2024

Leave the World Behind (2023) - Part 4 - Cyber Attack

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 cyber attack. But, this explanation only goes so far too dispel the talk of a cyber attack. Why wasn't it the whole network,  why ain't it all devises,  still many questions.  But,  this also doesn't talk about the pharmacies. 

Before I get into that,  some speculated they it could have been the result of the massive solar flair that the Earth was hit by yesterday.  However,  this would not be totally possible,  as the cell systems sit way above the MF/HF frequency range that would take the brunt of the impact of the solar flair. Plus,  the timing was off according to researchers because the outage did not coincide with when the impact should have been felt, 

Now the pharmacies.  According b to United Health, they are indeed being hit with a cyber attack,  crippling multiple pharmacy chains and hospitals throughout the US. Cyber attacks happen every day,  so while this is not totally surprising,  falling in line with the cell phone outage makes it a coincidence that is hard to ignore, especially when you think back to the devastation outlined in the movie.  

From the outset of the making of Leave the World Behind, executive producer former Preseident Obama has started he wanted to add his Eskridge and knowledge gained during his term to the authenticity and message of the film.  Considering his ties to the global elite,  I'm sure that the meaning of dire consequences from the movie are a hint of what they have planned. 

Incredibly, we may have been warned about these events.  In a now since deleted tweet just prior to the outage, Elon Musk sent a cryptic message,  "this is a test." Was that directed at the cell phone? Pharmacies? Or something completely different? We may never know.  But,  I do know, something isn't right with the world,  and this movie continues to some a light on things to come. 

Agree? Disagree? Let me know what you think. 


Thursday, February 22, 2024

April 1975 Lumberton, NC - UFO Flap

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 report : UFO activity in southern North Carolina, April 3-9, 1975. Yes,  thethis was published by an aide to famed researcher J. Allen Hynek, who was involved in the investigation.  

Even on pages that feature unexplained stories,  three results are scarce. North Carolina can claim no monopoly on UFO sightings. From the Fayetteville Observer (March 31, 2013) it is encapsulated by a major 3 of 4 sentences.

     "A particularly large sighting, however, took place in Lumberton in early April 1975. Over the course of a few days, eight separate sightings were reported in the Robeson County town, leading some to refer to it as an  alien attack. In this attack, however, no one was hurt. Or even probed."

This again struck me odd, this was one of first widely held sightings with multiple triangle UFOs. I did find a few tweets on the anniversary and a public Facebook post,  but nothing else.  

So why is this strange? Because according to the article in Fate by the author of the above mentioned book, Jennie Zeldman (Boomerang UFOs), there were 57 recorder incidents during this flap and at last 50 were witnessed by law enforcement.  That's an insane amount.  Plus, there was a myriad of different descriptions.  

According to the article there were: 23 V-shaped crafts, 9 spotlights,  11 sightings at or below treetops, 22 silent craft, 10 hovering objects, and 4 sightings with lights and no shape.  This is a take trove of information and information that should be more publicized.  After all,  according to the author of the article,  some of the detailed information was used as inspiration for the classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

For me,  something doesn't make sense with the lack of information online with this story and I plan on doing more research, especially when you consider Fort Bragg is only hop, skip, and a jump away.  

Stay tuned for more information as I receive it. 

Thanksgiving (2023)

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 away from the overall feel and experience. In the end,  this was a great watch and I'm actually hoping there is a sequel.  It is a holiday classic that with his become part of our Thanksgiving traditions. 


Monday, February 19, 2024

Missing 411: The Hunted (2019)

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 watching,  especially if you are interested in unsolved mysteries. 

Friday, February 16, 2024

Phenomena (1985)

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 issues,  but this one is one of the better Argento films and one that everyone should see.  

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Shirley [(2020)

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.  

Monday, February 12, 2024

Blood Sabbath (1972)

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 still,  there aren't many things to make it worthwhile.  Fortunately,  it was streaming on Tubi, so I didn't have to spend anything to take up 90 or so minutes.  Stay away.  

Friday, February 9, 2024

Starship Invasions (1977)

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 special that isn't really worth watching unless you are looking for a mindless alien themed flick for background fodder.

Thursday, February 8, 2024

Freddy's Friday's (2023)

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 throughout. It was really a hard watch. Yes,  I did find it interesting,  but not enough to recommend it to anyone. Stay away.

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Lisa Frankenstein (2024)


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 costuming and make-up effects that added so much to the overall feel. In the end,  I am so glad that AMC gave me the opportunity to see this one early,  it was well worth it,  and I may actually go see it again. 


Sunday, February 4, 2024

Scream of the Blind Dead (2021)


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 should be seen. Check it out. 

Friday, February 2, 2024

Brainscan (1994)


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.  

Thursday, February 1, 2024

The Postcard Killings (2020)


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 time, but it is nothing special and should be viewed as a middle of the road crime thriller.