MOVIES
1/2 - In a Dark Place (2006) **
Interesting premise since it was based on the novel Turn of the Screw, but failed to but it all together. After Leelee Sobieski shrieked out "...the children" for about the hundredth time I started hitting the fast forward button.
1/3 - The Portal (2006) **1/2
This movie threw a bunch of strange shit at you, but basically a tribe of Satan worshipers are breeding women to bore the offspring of the Devil. I liked the atmosphere and the characters were decent.
1/4 - The Ghoul (1934) **1/2
An average flick with the great Boris Karloff who wants revenge on those who stole a talisman from him.
1/5 - The Forsaken (2001) **1/2
Suprisingly I never watched this entire flick before, only caught parts of it. Mildly enjoyable with a slightly different take on vampire lore. There are worse ways to veg out for 1.5 hours. Why a sequel was never made, I have no idea. Seems like it should have been. Probably would've been crap.
1/6 - Left Bank (2008) ***
The first part of this movie plays out like a slow moving drama, the second part gets weird and interesting, and the final part is all out head scratcher and mind warp.
1/7 - Sick Girl (2007) *1/2
Torture flick with a girl who is very messed up in the head. Heard a lot of promising things about the movie but ultimately I was just disappointed.
1/8 - New York Ripper (1982) **1/2
Some awesome gore from the great Lucio Fulci, but not even close to his best work. The quacky voice annoyed the hell out of me.
1/9 - Hellraiser VII: Deader (2004) **
Cool concept that basically falls flat. Needed more Cenobites.
1/10 - Albino Farm (2009) **
Yet another movie where city kids mess around with mutated mountain folk. Nothing too original. I dug Chirs Jericho as weird ass hillbilly though.
1/11 - Butterfly Effect: Revelations (2008) **1/2
Not a bad installment of the series and much better than the second. The ending however, I saw coming in the first act of the film.
1/12 - Vampire Killers (2009) ***
This remake of the Jess Franco horror-erotica film is similar in name and concept only. This one relays heavily on comedy and for the most part worked for me. Better than most remakes and is decent, brain dead fun.
1/13 - From Dusk Til Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1998) **
My biggest complaint with the movie is that the setting goes from night to seemingly mid-day and then the longest eclipse in history happens. WTF? That ridiculous shit knocked it down almost a star alone. And way too many vampires in bat form.
1/14 - From Duk Til Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (1998) **1/2
This one dwelves more into the history of Pandomia. A decent watch.
1/20 - Dead Set (2008) **1/2
A nice idea with the characters of Big Brother type show in lock down mode after an unexplained zombie uprising. But there is nothing orignal here. In fact some scenes are straight up ripped from classic zombie movies. The acting saved the movie and made it watchable.
1/25 - Before the Fall (2008) ***
This movie from Spain deal with how a family deals with the fact a metor will crash into the Earth in the next 72 hours. More drama than anything, but the real horror here comes from what people do to each other in this situation.
1/26 - The Devil's Chair (2006) **1/2
A group of people in an abandoned asylum which holds a gateway for a demon...or is it all in their head instead? An alright flick.
1/28 - Wild Country (2005) *1/2
Teen girl has baby. Gives baby up for adaption. Goes on a hiking retreat with friends. They find a baby in a cave. Group gets hunted by a werewolf. Nothing worked for me in the movie.
1/29 - Spectre aka Regreso a Moira (2006) ***
An old man seems to be haunted by the ghost of a supposed witch he knew as a boy. A nice tale that slowly folds out onto the screen.
BOOKS
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin ***
The basic premise of the story is still intriguing but the novel has aged a bit since it was written in early 70's. About 1/3 of the way through it, I put it behind me and read as a master unfolded his tale.
Devil In the White City by Erik Larson
This historical novel reads like a fiction book. The storylines about how Chicago won the 1893 World's Fair was interesting, but how it crossed over with serial killer A.A. Holmes storyline is what kept me rivited. History or true crime buffs will really dig this book as would many horror fans.
Odd Hours by Dean Koontz ***
The fourth installment of the Od Thomas series seemed a bit of let down (again) as this time our hero must stop nukes from being delivered to US soil. I guess there's nothing really wrong with the book. But for me the series has gotten a little less interesting with each novel. Yet I am still fascinated by the main character. Not sure that I'll continue reading the series or not.
Cabal by Clive Barker ***
This short novel is the basis for the Nightbreed movie. Another fine outing from a master of horror.
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