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.

Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)

Okay, so I am cheating a little tonight as I am going to review one of my all-time favorites. To be honest, I probably watch this one twice a year, and that date came last night as I was working on a couple project ideas. That movie is the 1987 classic Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn.

Plot/ The lone survivor of an onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits holes up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack.

The Evil Dead series is one of my all-time favorites and amazingly are just as entertaining today than they were when they came out. That is especially the case with this entry, which in many ways help energize the genre with its cult status. This low budget story is in no way a sequel, it is a different perspective on the classic source material. While it did lack the serious tone of the original, it makes up for that with a perfect blend of comedy, gore, and horror that takes the series to a completely new plane. Yes, it has all of the action, possessions, and of course, Bruce Campbell, but it is the combination of solid performances, outstanding storyline, and crazy characters that truly brings this one to life. In the end, if you are a horror fan and have not watched this one, shame on you. The may be one of the best horror films on the 1980s and is one that will surely continue to stand the test of time. Find it and watch it!

Wisdom From Beyond - A Lovecraft Themed Transmedia Journey

Uncle, what did you do? Did you accidently summon Nyarlathotep, the faithful servant of Azathoth, who rose to power during the reign of the evil pharaoh Nephren-Ka? In my research into this mysterious stone, that is the only thing that would make sense when comparing the information to your somewhat incoherent ramblings in your journals. Yes, you had to have awakened the Crawling Chaos, but how?

This is an opening paragraph on one of the blog posts from Wisdom From Beyond. Wisdom From Beyond was an extremely detailed transmedia project that my group built for class and has created a tremendous journey into the world of H.P. Lovecraft. This immersive, interactive, transmedia story based on H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Haunter of the Dark,” was designed and produced by students of Full Sail University's Creative Writing for Entertainment BFA program and I am proud to say that I was the project manager for this story.

If you are unfamiliar with transmedia writing, that is OK. It is a rather new literary form that sets out to create Alternative Reality Games (ARGs), using multiple storytelling techniques and platforms. In our case, we used Blogger, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter, Google+, and Gmail to accomplish our goal. In the end, I feel that we created something that is creative, entertaining, modern, and most importantly, stays true to the source mythos. Honestly, if you are a fan of Lovecraft, you should enjoy it.

I would love to hear your feedback on the project, especially the content. I honestly have fallen in love with this type of storytelling and am considering venturing into my own project. If you want to get started follow this link to the first YouTube video and follow the prompts left inside the videos, descriptions, and blog.

Cthulhu Surge, et libera nos,

Since this is National Poetry Writing Month and there was a mention of a cult today, I ask, is there any more famous literature cult than the mythos created by H.P. Lovecraft and Cthulhu? Personally, I think not. While I may never reach a point of anywhere near the creative genius of Lovecraft, it is sometimes fun to try.

Cthulhu Surge, et libera nos,

The murky depths surround me

The sea of life poisoned by the uninitiated

Virtuous beliefs, now forbidden

The ancient temple crumbles

Darkness and despair abound

The cult leader rises in front of the mass

His followers prostrate to the false idol

Mocking the godliness of the Great Old One

Defiling ageless texts

Alas, the Necronomicon burns

The echoes stir the seas

Earthquakes touch the mountains; shake Innsmouth

Voices join the chorus of thunder

Lightning dances

Vocate ad Vetus Ones

ut resurgat

Da nobis absolutio

nos tibi cthulhu

R'lyeh calls, oh great and righteous one

Rise again and walk among us

The dying embers of life call to you

Your golden sanctuary tainted by the malefactors

I may not be as pious as thou art

My sins sentencing me to an eternity in exile

Yet, my faith in thy greatness never wavers

Protect me from the unrepentant

Free me from the despair
Cthulhu, I call to thee

Army of Darkness (1992)

Tonight as I have been finishing up my Friday article for Steelers 101, I decided to throw something on that I have not watched in some time. Of course, with boxes of DVDs here at the house, I have a ton of choices. In the end, I decided on something with some comedy sprinkled in (that can match the Steelers performances). I decided to watch the 1992 classic Army of Darkness.

Plot/ A man is accidentally transported to 1300 A.D., where he must battle an army of the dead and retrieve the Necronomicon so he can return home.

The Evil Dead franchise is one of my favorites. Thee is so much depth ad variety in play throughout the series that it has a life all its own. In Evil Dead Parts One and Two, the gore is there and the dark comedy is developing, yet with Army of Darkness the series turned a direction that cemented its cult status. This flick is hilarious, with great dialogue, perfect performances and a true classic B-Movie creature feature feel. Sure, there are some cheesy moments, but those definitely seemed intentional to create the campy atmosphere (watch the skeleton armies close if you do not know what I mean). In the end, this is a great movie, which is both disturbing and fun. If you have not seen it, check it out, you will not be disappointed unless you are looking for a gorefest.

Happy Birthday H.P. Lovecraft

Today was an interesting day. While my class was going over some practice solder boards prior to building their fiber optic voice link, I was reminded that it was H.P. Lovecraft’s birthday. Next to Edgar Allan Poe, Lovecraft is one of my biggest influences in my creative process and is a literary genius. While some of the adaptations of his movies have not been great, his influence can be seen all over horror cinema.

During the viewing of The Thing (2011) for my last review, I was reminded of that influence, as many of the creatures depicted in that film had many Lovecraftian traits. Honestly, I would prefer the aliens in this world being more Reptilian than Lovecraftian, as we would have a chance against the Reptilians.

Of course, the realm of Cthulhu is one of many different paths, and the ancients of the mythos are some of the most interesting ever created. But, were they created, or did they come from some lost part of history? Could Cthulhu be the ancients legends talk about from Planet X? Yes, that may be a stretch, but the fact that the Necronomicon made its first modern appearance in the works of Lovecraft, may be an insight to some other power and understanding at work.

Sure, I am speculating with this thought, but there is truly so much that we do not understand with history and science, that links are sometimes ignored that should be seen differently.

Now I can move onto one other topic that came up in class, a recent UFO sighting near Pittsburgh. One of my students captured an interesting red glowing orb moving erratically in the sky on Sunday night and captured a couple of images. While there is not a ton of detail, the fact that these sightings are on a semi-regular basis, does add some evidential proof. Couple that with the fact that this is a student at an aviation school, and the notion of a mistaken craft identity can be somewhat dismissed as well.

While the idea of UFOs and H.P. Lovecraft may be somewhat unrelated to most observers, to me, both have origins that lie at the heart of what is most likely Forbidden History.   

Evil Dead (2013)

As usual, I am playing catch up. After Friday night at the drive-in and a Saturday filled with creating some Halloween Decorations for the County Fair, I wanted to get back to a movie I watched last week. That flick may not be as scary as The Conjuring, but it was decent. That flick was the 2013 remake of Evil Dead.

Plot/ Five friends head to a remote cabin, where the discovery of a Book of the Dead leads them to unwittingly summon up demons living in the nearby woods. The evil presence possesses them until only one is left to fight for survival.

I am really not a fan of the remakes and re-interpretations of classic horror flicks that has populated the Hollywood landscape in recent years. Yes, there are times where these new efforts are not terrible (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), but usually they are terrible (Friday the 13th). When I saw they were remaking Evil Dead, I cringed, but after some thought, I was excited. Evil Dead is truly the picture of a perfect remake, after all, that is how it was born. In this case, there was mixed emotions after watching it. The gore, the pacing, and some of the effects were perfect. Even some of the storyline and characterization changes worked. There were some down times as some of the acting seemed flat and some of the props laughable (the updated Necronomicon), but those were smaller issues. Of course, if you are looking for this to be Bruce Campbellesque and mirror the original you may be disappointed. In the end, I found this truly entertaining and a decent horror flick and one that should be watched.

The Theatre Bizarre (2011)

After taking a week or so off, it was time to get back into the swing of things. Of course, there were some good points to being away from the blog. I got to hang-out with my younger brother and enjoy an awesome show headlined by Flogging Molly. Then, I got to watch one of the daughters score their first goal in soccer as her team prepares for the playoffs next weekend. Not to mention, hanging out and enjoying Mother’s Day with Brenda, my mother and my grandmother... Yet, it was time to get back at it with an interesting flick, one Brenda picked out, The Theatre Bizarre from 2011.

Plot/ Down a seedy city street in her neighborhood, young Enola Penny is obsessed with what appears to be a long abandoned theatre. One night, she sees that the front door is slightly ajar and impulsively decides to sneak inside. Little did she know that in the dark, decrepit auditorium, a show unlike any other would unfold before her eyes.

I am a huge fan of anthologies, especially ones that are a bit strange and non-linear. This flick, much like Little Deaths definitely, walks to its own vision. Yes, there are some issues, which keep it from being one of the best as it lacks some coherent scripting, natural flow, characterization and as usual, some pieces are much better than others are. Fortunately, there is something in each one that delivers some entertainment (some mare warped than most), and in the end keeps it entertaining. Yes, this flick is not for everyone, and people who do not like gore, blood, darkness or madness should stay far away, but if you do, check it out! It is an entertaining way to spend a couple hours.

The Dunwich Horror (1970)

After last nights movie, Finale, I decided to dive into the mind of H.P. Lovecraft and watch the 1970 version of The Dunwich Horror from 1970. Starring Sandra Dee (the original Gidget) this Roger Corman production is one of my favorite Lovecraft adaptations.

Plot/ Wilbur Whateley pops over to the Arkham Miskatonic University to borrow the legendary Necronomicon. But little does anyone know, Whateley isn't quite human.

Being one of the first movies based H.P. Lovecraft's works, it was definitely a tricky endeavor (as that is still a challenge today). While the flick boasts the title, there are many changes to the story that appears to be attended to attach a modern occult feel inside the confines of the original work. Yes, at times it keeps a lot of the mood of Lovecraft's tale, but in the end it is a completely different take. While a bit slow and choppy, there are some creepy moments that definitely help create a eerie and heavy atmosphere throughout the film. The acting like the pacing is a bit choppy and uneven at times and the ending seems a bit forced, but overall it is far from terrible. In all, this is an interesting take and a film that is definitely worth watching.