The wasteland rebuilds one settlement at a time. This August, let’s make sure these two come back better.

As a huge fan of the Fallout series, I love that Fallout 76 is set in Appalachia and embraces the real-life cryptids and mysterious happenings that fueled my interest in the unexplained. Now, after devastating flooding in the heart of the region, the area needs all of our help to rebuild, and I am using this platform to help spread the word on an amazing event in one of the hardest-hit areas: Weston, WV. 

After reading the following press release, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out. 

[VAULT-TEC PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT]

PRIORITY: SETTLEMENT RECOVERY

Location: Appalachia Sector – Weston & Buckhannon

Date: August 22, 2026. Attention, wastelanders. The July 21 deluge turned quiet West Virginia towns into a temporary Capital Wasteland of mud, debris, and submerged vehicles. Record rainfall (up to 7+ inches in hours) overwhelmed creeks and rivers. Homes, businesses, and roads took heavy hits. Two lives were lost in Upshur County. Hundreds of water rescues pulled people (and pets) from the rising tide.

The waters have receded. The real fight—rebuilding—continues this August.

Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It: Donate caps (real currency works better) to verified local and state relief funds, the Red Cross, or community recovery efforts supporting Lewis and Upshur counties.  

Supply drop: Non-perishable food, cleaning supplies, hygiene kits, and tools still help as families clear mud and rebuild.  

Volunteer: Join cleanup crews or support centers if you’re in the region.  

Spread the signal: Share accurate needs and official donation channels. Rumor control keeps the wasteland efficient.

Brotherhood of Steel (and local responders) note:

Communities are strong. Neighbors pulled neighbors out of attics. Fire departments, National Guard, and mutual-aid teams worked through the night. Now it’s time for the rest of us to pitch in so these settlements rise stronger. Remember the Vault-Tec motto (slightly modified for flood season):

“Prepare for the future… by helping your neighbors today. ”Stay hydrated (preferably with purified water, not irradiated runoff).

And keep an eye on the Pip-Boy (or these pages) for the next community update.

#WastelandStrong for Weston & Buckhannon.

If you need official donation links or current recovery status, search local WV emergency management, county pages, or major relief organizations for “Lewis County / Upshur County flood recovery 2026.”

House on Eden (2025)

It's NFL training camp season, and because I cover the Tennessee Titans, I have been quite busy. But that doesn't stop me from mixing in some horror movies with the constant stream of The X-Files I have on while working. The latest film I stumbled on was the 2025 indie horror flick, House on Eden. 

Plot: Setting out to film their next paranormal investigation, Kris, Celina, and Jay encounter a malevolent, ancient spirit that resides in an abandoned house deep in the woods.

As a found footage movie, this already falls into a love/hate area of cinema, and it ultimately is plagued by many of the same elements that are found in the genre. The storyline is a bit thin, and it created an uneven feel throughout, although the movie does pick up as it goes on. The performances are decent, although the characters are flat and rigid, and the scares are light, but there are a couple that hit home. To me, the biggest letdown was the ending, which felt a bit rushed. In the end, this was an average found footage film made on a lower budget, and another in the YouTuber trend, and I do find that refreshing. For me, I won't be putting this one into high rotation, but I may revisit it in the future when I'm not swamped with work and can fully lock in. 

Shelby Oaks (2024)

I will admit that I have become addicted to true crime documentaries and YouTube over recent weeks since the whole Bricks & Minifigs / Reckless Ben - Salem Brick Trial has gone down. I know it's not horror, Sci-Fi, or some unexplained documentary, but man, it could be. The corruption being uncovered by the researchers has been incredible, and it is quickly developing into a "what not to do" expose. Seriously, Bricks & Minifigs, you suck! 

That being said, I decided I wanted to revisit a movie I watched a few months ago and enjoyed more than some people did when it was first released. The 2024 entry, Shelby Oaks. 

Plot: A woman's obsessive search for her missing sister leads her into a terrifying mystery at the hands of an unknown evil.

This movie definitely feels like one people will love or hate. After rewatching it, I am somewhere in the middle. Yes, some of it felt disjointed, and the ending didn't truly hit home, but there were some positives with the atmosphere, the storyline, and some of the investigation angles. The performances were solid, and the idea was interesting. Unfortunately, besides the ending, the pacing was off, and the depth of the story appeared to lose its way the longer the movie went on, and this definitely held it back. Yes, it's not in any way groundbreaking, but it is entertaining and a fun watch with some creepy moments.

Evil Dead Burn (2026)

2026 has been a good year for horror, and there has been an interesting mix of new movies, and even some solid sequels added into the mix. One of those, Evil Dead Burn, was even a lot better than I expected, and was one that made me want to see the next entry in the series. 

Plot: After the loss of her husband, a woman seeks solace with her in-laws. As one by one they transform into deadites, she comes to discover that the vows she took in life - survive even in death.

While I did really enjoy this one, I have to admit that I didn't like the last segment and felt like the drug it out a bit too much and could have ended it about 10 minutes earlier. While I understand why they did it, to securely close the door on this chapter, it really wasn't needed. It's everything else before that point that had me wanting more. The story was interesting, and added some new stuff to the mythos. It was bloody, brutal, and everything that I loved in the originals growing up in the 1980s. Was it great, probably not, but it was a fun ride into the darkness and one that fans of the Evil Dead should watch.

Faces of Death (2026)

It has been a while since I reviewed a horror movie for this page, but tonight I felt it was the perfect time to get back on track. While I have watched quite a few since my last review, I decided that the 2026 reinterpretation of Faces of Death was the way to go. 

Plot: Margot Romero, a content moderator haunted by a viral tragedy, must track down a sadistic filmmaker who recreates legendary snuff cinema to silence the internet's obsession with her own past trauma.

Going into this one, I had no idea what to expect. Having grown up in the 1980s and watched the original entries in this legendary series, I honestly rolled my eyes when I first heard about the release. With all that being said, I was surprised by this entry and enjoyed the way the storyline sprinkled in the source material and created some lore. Although the film had uneven performances and lacked atmosphere, it was an easy watch with some good moments (even if the first kill was trash). While it does not compare to some of the other horror films of the year, it is a decent entry and a fun watch. I'm just glad I waited to watch it when it was streaming.