MOVIES
Bitten (2010) **1/2
A EMT rescues a vampire, nurses her back to health, and falls in love with her. A decent B-movie horror comedy.
Stagefright (1987) **1/2
A lunatic, who happens to be a former actor, escapes the mental ward and heads back to the theater. Deaths occur. Nothing special here.
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Being Human, Season 2 (2010) ******
In many ways, the second season is better than the first as trio of housemates (a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost) battle human forces who want them destroyed. Ina side story, the clan of vampires ween themselves off blood.
Graveyard Alive (2003) **1/2
A zombie tale told from the female perspective. Interesting movie that's worth a watch.
Paperhouse (1988) ***
More of a fantasy that has a couple of horror moments. A young girl finds one of her drawings allows her to escape into the picture she's created, where she finds a lonely boy living there.
Santa Sangre (1989) **1/2
A kid watches his father cut off his mother's arm and then commit suicide. The young man then becomes his mother's arm. Bizarre stuff as always from Alejendro Jodoworosky.
Blood Beach (1980) *1/2
A monster is living on the beach, attacking people. Cheesy doesn't begin to explain.
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Kolchak: The Night Stalker (197 )
This series from the early 70's is a precursor to much of the serialized horror shows today. A report finds himself always investigating the macabre. The show only lasted one season, but made a great impact and has a cult following.
A Perfect Getaway (2009) ***
Three couples hiking a trail in Hawaii. One of the couples may be murderers. An excellent first 2/3 of the movie which keeps you guessing. But the final act falls a bit short of the build.
Sorority Row (2009) *1/2
Piece of crap doesn't begin to describe this remake built on a very predictable premise. I'm not sure why I even watched this.
Hanger (2010) **
The usual fair from director Ryan Nichols. Gore and great special effects, lots of graphic nudity and language, and an over the top plot. Classic B-movie material, but this time the effort falls a tad short.
The Asphyx (1973) **1/2
An interesting premise that doesn't really have the big payoff. A man photographs the harbinger of death at the moment a person dies and attempts to be immortal by capturing his.
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Fact or Faked, Season 1 (2010) ***
This SyFy show has a team of investigators trying to debunk unexplainable videos found on the internet by going to the location and attempting to find causes behind the phenomenon and duplicate the video. Fairly interesting show, especially when the group replicates the video in question. But a lot of the team interaction feels forced and rehearsed.
BOOKS
Wolfen by Whitley Strieber ****
One of most unique werewolf stories ever written. Police discover a pack of undiscovered, super intelligent wolves who have lived in the shadow of man for centuries.
The Walking Dead (volume 1): Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman *****
I've been wanting to read this graphic novel series for awhile and with the upcoming TV show thought I might as well get started. The first issue is amazing. It sets up what is basically human drama in world over ran by zombies. Gritty and nihilistic. This is going to be a fun ride.
The Walking Dead, vol. 2: Miles Behind Us *****
The story keeps on rolling with more bleak and despair as the group of survivors attempt to find safety from the zombie uprising.
The Walking Dead, vol. 3: Safety Behind Bars *****
Once again this story leads us to the fact that even in the middle of a horrific zombie attacks, humans are still the most feared monsters.
The Walking Dead, volume 4: The Heart's Desire *****
The series just keeps getting better as the books come along.
