Category: Horror

“The Mad Ghoul” (1943) / Z-View

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The Mad Ghoul (1943)

Director:  James P. Hogan

Screenplay: Brenda Weisberg, Paul Gangelin, Hanns Kräly

Stars: David Bruce, Evelyn Ankers, George Zucco, Robert Armstrong, Turhan Bey, Charles McGraw and Milburn Stone.

Tagline: A NEW SENSATION IN HORROR!

The Plot…

Dr. Morris (Zucco) has had success in experimenting with an ancient Mayan gas that makes those exposed to it, obedient and without a will of their own.  When Dr. Morris learns that his lab assistant’s girlfriend, Isabel (Ankers) loves another man, Morris believes it to be him.  Then Morris learns Isabel loves the handsome, Eric Iverson (Bey).

Dr. Morris decides to use the gas on his lab assistant.  Morris will then compel his assistant to kill Iverson.  Then Morris will have Isabel to himself.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

One of the rare times that the wisecracking reporter who breaks the case gets murdered.

The Mad Ghoul (1943) earns 2 of 5 stars.

“The Lair” (2022) / Z-View

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The Lair (2022)

Director:  Neil Marshall

Screenplay: Neil Marshall, Charlotte Kirk

Stars: Charlotte Kirk, Jonathan Howard and Neil Marshall.

Tagline: Unlocked. Unleashed.

The Plot…

Shot down in Afghanistan, Royal Air Force pilot Captain Kate Sinclair (Kirk) is attacked by enemy forces.  Gunfire forces Sinclair to break into an abandoned underground bunker.  Sinclair’s battle with the enemy awakens deadly creatures that begin attacking.  She survives and is picked up by a unit stationed near the bunker.

Sinclair is unable to convince the soldiers that the monsters exist.  That’s about to change since the creatures have tracked her to the camp.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Director Neil Marshall is hit or miss for me.  Hits include Dog Soldiers and The Descent.  Doomsday and Hellboy fall into the latter category.  Unfortunately so does The Lair.

The Lair starts off well enough.  It has an interesting plot.  There’s action galore.  The acting is okay.  It goes off the rails when the creatures begin shooting tentacles out of their eyes and mouths.  If you’re looking for a way to spend a mindless hour and 37 minutes, then The Lair may fit the bill.

The Lair (2022) earns 2 of 5 stars.

“Master of Dark Shadows” (2019) / Z-View

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Master of Dark Shadows (2019)

Director:  David Gregory

Stars: Dan Curtis, Nancy Barrett, Ben Cross, Roger Davis, Jonathan Frid, Ian McShane, William F. Nolan, Lara Parker, David Selby, Barbara Steele and Whoopi Goldberg.

Tagline:  The Gothic World of Dan Curtis

The Plot…

Dan Curtis’ soap opera, Dark Shadows, was scheduled for cancellation in six weeks.  When Curtis was told this, he decided to take his traditional daytime melodrama in a new direction,  He added a vampire!  Surprisingly the show soared to the top of the ratings.  Kids and young adults made it must-see tv and the show was saved.  Dark Shadows ended up running for six seasons.  Spin-offs included two feature films, comic books, trading cards, board games and more.

Although Dan Curtis became best known for films in the horror genre he wanted to break out into other genres.  Master of Dark Shadows is his story.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Dan Curtis produced and directed the two Dark Shadows feature films.  He also wrote the second.  Then when the series ended, Dan Curtis was considered the go-to guy for horror.  He produced The Night Stalker. It became the highest rated tv movie of its time.  Curtis followed that up by producing and directing The Night Strangler, The Norliss Tapes, Scream of the Wolf, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Turn of the Screw, Trilogy of Terror, Burnt Offerings, Dead of Night and Curse of the Black Widow.  Although Dan Curtis did produce and direct other films, he was still best known for horror.

That all changed when Curtis produced and directed the television adaptation of Herman Wouk’s Winds of War.  The seven episode mini-series became the highest rated television event of its time.  The series was nominated for eleven Emmy Awards, winning three (Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or a Special; Outstanding Individual Achievement – Costumers; Outstanding Individual Achievement – Special Visual Effects).

Dan Curtis followed with War and Remembrance, a continuation of Winds of War. War and Remembrance received 15 Emmy Award nominations.  It won for best miniseries, special effects, and single-camera production editing.

I’m happy that Dan Curtis was able to break out from the horror genre and make big budget, award winning projects.  But the truth of the matter is, I will always remember the thrill of running home from school to catch the latest adventures of Barnabus and Quentin Collins.  Five days a week on Dark Shadows we got vampires, werewolves, and a taste of horror.  I read the novelizations, comic books, collected the cards and saw the feature films.  The excitement we had as kids talking about Dark Shadows is a highlight of this kid’s elementary years.

If you’re of the right age, Master of Shadows will take you back to that time.  If you’re too young, then you’ll get a taste of something that will never be replicated.

Master of Dark Shadows (2019) earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Leave the World Behind” (2023) starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la and Kevin Bacon / Z-View

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Leave the World Behind (2023)

Director:  Sam Esmail

Screenplay: Sam Esmail based on the novel LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND by Rumaan Alam

Stars: Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la and Kevin Bacon.

Tagline:  There’s No Going Back to Normal

The Plot…

Amanda (Roberts) and Clay Sanford (Hawke) rent a modern isolated house away from the city for a spur of the moment vacation with their two children.  As the weekend progresses strange things happen.  They lose internet access.  Several deer wander onto the property and just stand still.  At the beach an oil tanker loses control and runs ashore as beachgoers scramble for safety.  That evening the wifi is still out and television channels are off the air.

Later that night, Amanda and Clay are awakened by two well dressed strangers.  The man claims to be George H. Scott (Ali).  He says that the young woman with him is his daughter, Ruth (Myha’la).  George says that the house is his and a blackout in the city is the reason for their return home.  Ruth immediately distrusts them.  George cannot prove who he is. He claims to have lost his wallet.  His wife, Ruth’s mother is due back from a business trip later that day.  George is not asking Amanda and her family to leave. He just wants to stay with Ruth in his own home.  Despite reservations, the two families agree to share the house.

The next day, they learn that the United States is under some sort of attack.  Planes are crashing.  GPS and electronics no longer work.  The emergency alert system warns that the US is at war.  Their worst fears have become reality.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Leave the World Behind reminded me of a M. Night Shyamalan movie written by Rod Serling.  In other words, I loved it. It was well written, well directed and well acted.  Sam Esmail who adapted the screenplay and directed made interesting choices that helped build tension as strange things began happening.  Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la and Kevin Bacon are excellent.  I think this may be the first movie where I didn’t care for a Julia Roberts character.

I like movies that make me think, “What would I do”. Once Leave the World Behind kicks in, I did that a lot.  There were no easy answers since no one was sure what was going on.  I’ve seen a few bad reviews and they’re unanimously because the movie doesn’t wrap things up with a definitive answer.  That’s one of the things I enjoyed about it.  So, as always, but with this one a little more, your mileage could vary.

Leave the World Behind (2023) earns 5 of 5 stars.

SYFY’s 2023/2024 Twilight Zone New Year’s Eve Marathon Schedule is Up!

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SYFY’s 2023/2024 Twilight Zone New Year’s Eve Marathon schedule is up!  The Twilight Zone Marathon has been one of our family traditions for decades.  Sometimes we binge watch. Other times we just check in on favorite episodes. Before you click over to check it out, let me suggest some favorite Twilight Zone episodes…

December 30, 2023
8:30am – Time Enough at Last
10:30am – What You Need
11:30am – Third from the Sun
12:00pm – I Shot an Arrow into the Air
2:30pm – The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
11:00pm – The Howling Man

December 31, 2023
12:00am – Nick of Time
4:00am – The Invaders
8:30am – Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?
9:00am – The Obsolete Man
10:20am – The Grave
10:45am – It’s a Good Life
11:35am – The Midnight Sun
1:40pm – The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank

January 1, 2024
3:25am – The Shelter
8:00pm – To Serve Man
9:30pm – Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

January 2, 2024
3:25am – The Shelter

The Twilight Zone and quite a few other folks will be live-Tweeting during the marathon.   If you watch, please join in!

YOU LIKE IT DARKER by Stephen King

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Stephen King has a new book of short stories, YOU LIKE IT DARKER coming out May 21, 2024.  Before we get to the synopsis, how about that cover?  That’s a clever design.  Is it land that looks like an alligator, or an alligator that looks like land?

From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.

“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in YOU LIKE IT DARKER, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.

“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to CUJO, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.

King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.

THE ABRUM FILES: A BISHOP RIDER BOOK by Beau Johnson

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THE ABRUM FILES: A BISHOP RIDER BOOK by Beau Johnson

First sentence…

I tell him I was a child when my father is ripped apart.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Marcel Abrum was the worst kid of predator, a human trafficker.  Rich and powerful, he thought that made him safe. But when Marcel Abrum brutally murdered Bishop Rider’s wife and sister, he discovered the truth,  Bishop Rider extracted a payback on Abrum equal to the horrors Abram had inflicted on so many women and children,

Then Bishop Rider made it his mission to hunt human traffickers and end their lives in ways that would make his name whispered in fear by those who targeted the weak.  Along the way others joined Rider’s cause. But nothing prepared Bishop Rider for the day when Jeramiah Abrum, the son of Marcel Abrum became a part of Rider’s group.  It took time for Rider to fully trust Jeramiah.  But the fire for vengeance that burned in Rider also blazed in Jeramiah.  For years they worked together brutally wiping out pedophiles and human traffickers.  The mission looked to be over when Rider’s cancer finally finished him.

But it wasn’t.

Jeramiah Abrum decided the operation would continue.  He and other like-minded individuals would carry on Bishop Rider’s work.  They would hunt down and brutally murder those that preyed on the weakest members of society.

THE ABRUM FILES: A BISHOP RIDER BOOK by Beau Johnson is a series of short stories detailing the work of Jeramiah Abrum.  It’s violent, brutal and bloody.  One reviewer called it “chainsaw noir”.  I like that description.

Every review speaks of the book’s violence.  It permeates each story.  Thankfully, Johnson adds just the right amount of humor to take the edge off. He also has his main character, Jeramiah Abrum, realize that he’s not a good guy.  He’s wanted by the police.  The ways he kills are terrible.  But Jeramiah is doing these things to perverts and criminals who do much worse to their victims.  It’s old school, medieval, old testament justice.  And I like it.

The stories are self-contained.  When all are read the bigger picture forms.  Johnson has a unique format that usually takes us right to the start of the criminal’s certain demise.  It’s amazing how many unique ways Johnson comes up with for Rider to get justice.  The book is a fast read.  Because of the brutality and violence readers may want to pace themselves.

This was my first book by Beau Johnson.  It won’t be my last.

Rating:

Rare “Son of Frankenstein” Make-Up Test Video with Boris Karloff & Jack Pierce!

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During a 1939 Son of Frankenstein color test, Boris Karloff clowns in full monster gear, strangling legendary makeup artist Jack Pierce.

According to the documentary Universal Horror (1998), Son of Frankenstein was intended to be shot in color and some Technicolor test footage was filmed, but for artistic or budgetary reasons the plan was abandoned.

No color test footage is known to survive, but this rare clip from a Kodachrome color home movie filmed at the studio shows Boris Karloff in the green monster makeup, clowning around with makeup artist Jack Pierce (Janus Piccoula).

Bird Box: Barcelona (2023) written & directed by Álex Pastor & David Pastor / Z-View

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Bird Box: Barcelona (2023)

Director: Álex Pastor, David Pastor

Screenplay by: Álex Pastor, David Pastor based on BIRD BOX  by Josh Malerman

Starring: Mario Casas, Georgina Campbell.

Tagline: Fear the ones who see.

The Story:

An unexplained, unknown entity has wiped out the majority of the world’s population.  Most people who see it are compelled to quickly commit suicide, often by brutal means.  A few who look upon it, react differently.  Instead of killing themselves, these “seers” look to harm others.

The people who have survived have done so by covering their eyes when outside.  Although that method isn’t always effective, it provides the best chance to live.  Dangers are everywhere.  Not only from the entities, but also from the seers and normal people just fighting to survive.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers) 

I almost quit Bird Box: Barcelona early on.  A character did some things that seemed so out of character and stupid that I was ready to bail.  I’m glad I didn’t.  The actions were part of a twist that I didn’t see coming.  That twist (which I won’t give away) made Bird Box: Barcelona a nice advancement to the Bird Box universe.

If you liked Bird Box, you should enjoy Bird Box: Barcelona.

“Monster on the Campus” (1958) / Z-View

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Monster on the Campus (1958)

Director: Jack Arnold

Screenplay by: David Duncan

Starring: Arthur Franz, Joanna Moore, Joanna Moore, Troy Donahue, Phil Harvey, Helen Westcott, Helen Westcott, Whit Bissell, Ross Elliott, and Eddie Parker.

Tagline: Co-ed beauty captive of man-monster! Campus terror! Students victims of terror-beast!

The Story:

Professor Donald Blake (Franz) accidently cuts himself on the teeth of a well-preserved million-year-old fish fossil. Right after, while putting the fossil away, his injured hand dips into the water holding the specimen.  Later Blake learns the fossil had been preserved using gamma rays.

That evening a woman is savagely attacked.  Her corpse is found hanging from a tree.  Professor Blake is found barely conscious on the ground nearby.  He has no memory of what happened.  When the police find a huge deformed handprint they believe it to be the killer’s.  While the police begin a hunt for the monster, Professor Blake worries that he is devolving into a creature from the past.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

At the start of the movie on a shelf in Professor Blake’s lab is a series of molds showing the evolution of man’s face.  The very first mold looks a lot like The Creature from the Black Lagoon.  Jack Arnold, who directed Monster On the Campus, also helmed The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Jack Arnold was the go-to director for horror/sci-fi movies in the 1950s.  He helmed It Came from Outer Space; The Creature from the Black Lagoon; Revenge of the Creature; This Island Earth; Tarantula; The Incredible Shrinking Man; The Space Children and Monster on the Campus.

Monster on the Campus was Troy Donahue’s last film for Universal.  The following year he signed a contract at Warner Bros. and soon became a top name star.

“GyeongSeong Creature” – The Poster and Two Trailers are Here!

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I wasn’t aware of GyeongSeong Creature until just now when I saw the poster and two trailers.  Sounds and looks like it could be a winner.  Since GyeongSeong Creature is going to be on Netflix, checking it out will be a no-brainer.  Deal me in.

Spring of 1945
All suspicions led to a hospital in Gyeongseong where there were humans and creatures.
Gyeongseong Creature Part 1 | December 22, only on Netflix


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