Haunting of the Bell House, Part Two

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A few days later, as you casually drift in the living room watching Bradley and Eve cuddle together on the couch, watching some movie about ghosts in Connecticut, you watch as William enters the room with a very familiar object under his arm. Smiling wickedly, you glide around through the air, allowing your vaporous essence that trails behind you to pass over the lad, sending chills up his spine. Moving a hand into the television, you smile as it begins to warp and crackle, the DVD skipping scenes while the volume goes out of control. The three eventually just settle on turning the TV off manually, as their remote doesn’t work while you’re in contact with the screen.

On a Clear Summer Night

     On a clear summer night, when the moon is full and the stars were just right, a gathering of men could be found deep in the swamp. Mulattoes and blacks, junkies and the mad, all are represented in these twisted congregations for lost souls. Through dark marshes and pitiless mires one must traverse, if one can, to find the secret hiding spot of the worshipers of  He-Who-Whispers-In-Darkness. 

Possession in the United States Film Industry

     Possession, the supernatural event where an invading spirit takes control of a person or thing, is a rather common trope in modern horror here in America, from the obvious exorcist movies (Exorcist, The Last Exorcism, the Rite, Possession to name a few) to the ghost movies that use possession as a tool for the oppressive spirit to act (Paranormal Activity, Haunting in Connecticut, Oculus, Evil Dead to name a few more). The very idea of an invading spirit has pervaded numerous cultures across the world, across time. So why do we find it frightening?

Post Mortem: Oculus, Scary to Some?

     Written and directed by Mike Flanagan, the man who brought us the horror flick Absentia in 2012, this movie is a failure from the very start of the film, with only a few snap-shot scares that can be taken away from all of this. The trailer actually contains ninety percent of the scary moments in the actual movie. Check it out:

     Yeah, most of the big scares are in the trailer for certain. There are a few lead-in plot devices, like a hallucination of chains coming out of a wall.

Netflix Movies Worth Watching, Again!

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     Been a while since I spoke of what movies lurk beneath the surface of Netflix that are worthy of watching. I imagine some of you have even begun to look into other genres for entertainment, perhaps even stumbling into the dreaded Comedy section. But have fear, I say, for I am here once again to highlight some of the darker stories Netflix has for you to watch. 

Evolution of Modern American Horror

     When I think of horror, of what truly makes a good scary movie, the only thing that comes to mind is the Disney classic Fantasia, specifically the Night on Bald Mountain. The monstrous demon that emerged from that mountaintop was, bar none, the most terrifying creature I had ever seen in my life at the time. As I’ve grown older, and seen more things, I still remember that evil figure and the terror he instilled in me that, to this day, I strive to feel once again. What can compare to this literal archetypal figure, modeled after centuries of contrived thoughts of how demons could behave?

Prologue: Doll's Eyes

A single candle burned bright against the swallowing darkness, illuminating an old sunken tomb that had been liberated by an old woman, swathed in black. She moved with ethereal grace as she pulled a stool up to a large stone coffin, wiping away the dust with a dirty rag, before laying out a partially built doll on the clammy stone surface.

Of Angelic Dreams

Christopher watched on with cold disdain as the serum was injected into the twelfth soldier, their name and rank taken down by a short man in a lab coat. The glass separating them allowed Christopher a chance to look over the nervous looking cadets, who had all been told this was to prevent an outbreak of Spanish Flu from spreading through the Nazi ranks. He gave a half smile as a shirtless shoulder smacked one of his comrades on the shoulder, pulling himself up to a top bunk where he laid himself out.

Haunting of the Bell House, Chapter One

Eve danced up and down like a maniac, screaming at the top of her lungs as she clutched the letter and envelope in her hand to her chest. With her clunky Doc Martens and black tights, topped off by a pleated skirt and corset, she made for one interesting sight by the time William and Bradley came up to see what the fuss was about.

Guillermo Del Toro: A True Horror Artist

Guillermo Del Toro is a rare crafter of horror and fantasy that has touched upon multiple forms of media, from cinema to novels, and just this year to television. Well known for his work on the fantasy film Pan’s Labyrinth, he was also instrumental in the Hellboy movie series, as well as the recent science fiction film Pacific Rim which grossed some $410 million in the box offices worldwide. Quoted as having said his latest film to be his most immodest work and that it was just him “being a big kid,” one can only wonder what his upcoming work will be like, when compared to his earlier career in horror.