HOST (2020)

So good

NOTE: This is a spoiler free review. Do yourself a favor and view this film WITHOUT WATCHING THE TRAILER FIRST! You will be glad you did. A two minute trailer for a 56 minute film can give a lot away! 

Last Monday I heard about this new "computer screen" horror film called HOST. I saw the screenshot and tried not to roll my eyes. 

"Ok...another UNFRIENDED thing. Cool...I liked that one." 

Then I saw what people were saying about it and took a bit more notice. During the course of the day, reviews kept popping up all over the internet raving about the film. Now, this wasn't studio hyperbole, this was coming from horror folks I knew and respected. I zoomed :::grin::: over to Shudder to view it....but found that I was a few days early and had to wait. 

Last night...the waiting was over. 

I started watching the film on my television and stopped a few minutes in after seeing the format. 

"No...no, this needs to be seen on my computer." 

I raced to my iMac and started the film up again and I was glad that I did! It's PERFECT for late night viewing in the dark via computer. Especially in this era of covid ZOOM meetings and the Cult of Quarantine.

Host tells the tale of six people having an online seance through....ZOOM, the online meeting app. (If you are like me, you are very...VERY familiar with ZOOM right now) With their medium Seylan at the helm, they dive into the mysterious astral plane. :::::DRINK:::::  ;)

My spoiler free mini-video review can be seen here....    It's silly, but I was inspired. 

I'm not sure how they did it, to tell you the truth. I mean, the general "horror over online meeting" concept has been done for sure. The aforementioned UNFRIENDED did a really good job of bringing the paranormal and computer tech worlds together and was very entertaining. But HOST brings something new into the mix - several new things, really. 

Thanks do the wonders of SHUDDER, they didn't have to try and pad out the story to meet the requirements of a theater run film. This allowed them to keep the film down to a wondrous 56 minutes or so. They packed that time with tons of great content and a strong story.

They used small ZOOM meeting knowns to their advantage all over the place which added a lot to the production. People waiting to get into the space, putting themselves on mute, messages popping up saying the meeting was going to end soon, and microphones being turned up to max so people could hear things better all had me grinning from ear to ear. There are more things in this particular bucket that I will let viewers discover for themselves. 

Making use of the new, virtual environment created with the use of six or seven separate locations joined together via cameras and microphones added tension in very interesting ways - again, spoiler free. 

I'd love to see another film on the making of this film, to be honest. Gemma Hurley, Rob Savage, and Jed Shepherd wrote a stellar script and Savage's direction was amazing. Picture staring at a large painting of a town, then zooming into a few of the town's locations and back out again as you stared at it. That's what HOST managed to feel like. You see all six folks, then from time to time you explore one of their apartments or homes. It was incredibly dynamic and engaging. It really brings a lot of NEW to a sub-genre that I thought was tapped out. 

But...more than anything else mentioned here...the acting. 

Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb, Radina Drandova, Caroline Ward, Seylan Baxter, and Edward Linard sold the film 100%. Subtle, nuanced, and BELIEVABLE performances all around brought a much needed feeling that these were all real people. They seemed like they all knew each other and that they had a history with each other. Subtle changes in the way they interacted felt very real to the point where I actually forgot that they were actors for a moment. So, when the shite hit the fan and things started to go south, I was concerned for their well being. 

AND....they didn't look like they were "acting scared", they looked like they were truly freaked out. 

I'm going to stop there before I say too much. 

HOST brings a ton of fun to the table and is WELL worth a viddy. I'll be watching it again this weekend...on my computer....in the dark....

After you watch you can check out the interview with Rob Savage here:
https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/movies-tv/behind-the-scenes-of-host-a-british-horror-film-shot-on-zoom

The Witch in the Window

Well well well....
Every once in a while you get a little film that ticks all the boxes without having major cash behind it. THE WITCH IN THE WINDOW manages to tell a great story, showcase some solid performances, and hums along at a wonderful pace. It's like a good book. The gothic tale spins out at one our and seventeen minutes and is now on my WIN list for small, atmospheric films like I AM A GHOST, THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN, I AM THE PRETTY THING THAT LIVES IN THE HOUSE, THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF ROSALIND LEIGH, and THE MOOSE HEAD OVER THE MANTEL .

The tale is small and simple. A man and his son move into an old house to fix it up. The Father hopes that it may mend things between him and his wife. A place to rekindle their love and their lives. But, as usual, there is something in the house that might ruin all of those hopes and dreams.

The direction and cast are so solid here. The acting is rock solid and the turns the story takes are fantastic. Like a warm blanket, the film wraps itself around you and snuggles you in tight as you feel warm and cold all at once. The scares are pretty good and there are some moments that sent a chill up my spine.

Andy Mitton wrote and directed the film and I was really happy to see him behind the wheel. I loved WE GO ON and YELLOWBRICKROAD and was eager to check this offering out. And, BOOM - loved it. He writes characters that feel real. Interactions and events feel really. And, with the acting of people like Alex Draper (also from YELLOWBRICK) and the young man Charlie Tacker ( who really nailed it, thank the heavens ) Mitton was able to get a very solid spooky offering into the mix on the SHUDDER lineup. Seeing Tacker in this made me get a little excited about the LADY IN WHITE remake, too.

If you want a slow burn ghost story to watch one chilly night this fall, give THE WITCH IN THE WINDOW a look...and stay.  :)

Interview with Mitton from the FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL can be found here.

Marilyn Manson - Tattooed In Reverse (Music Video)

More Marilyn Manson goodness here with Tattooed In Reverse. A nice find passed along from Agent Krista B.


Some cool, freaky visuals that we here at the HORROR SHOW just love. This time, Mr. MM picked Courtney Love to be his guest star and she tears it up as a wicked nurse in the video. Nice to see that they decided to kiss...or kill...and make up. :) It would have been nice to see her a bit more, like Mr Depp in pervious videos. But, beggars can't be choosers. heh

NSFW!  Well, depending on where you work.

Who is this beauty? None of the articles seem to say - overshadowed by C. Love, sadly

"Twins of Evil - The Second Coming" tour dates:

Jul. 11 - Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Center 
Jul. 14 - St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheater 
Jul. 15 - Chicago, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheater 
Jul. 17 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
Jul. 18 - Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Center 
Jul. 20 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Veteran’s United 
Jul. 21 - Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live 
Jul. 24 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Pavilion 
Jul. 25 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Keybank Pavilion 
Jul. 26 - Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage 
Jul. 29 - Bangor, ME @ Waterfront Darling's Pavilion 
Aug. 07 - Wantagh, NY @ Jones Beach 
Aug. 08 - Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center 
Aug. 09 - Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion 
Aug. 11 - Hartford, CT @ The Xfinity Theatre 
Aug. 12 - Darien lake, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater 
Aug. 14 - Atlanta, GA @ Cellairis Amp at Lakewood 
Aug. 16 - Dallas, TX @ Starplex Pavilion
Aug. 17 - Austin, TX @ Austin 360 
Aug. 18 - Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 
Aug. 20 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center 
Aug. 22 - Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheater 
Aug. 24 - Chula Vista, CA @ Mattress Firm Amphitheater
Aug. 25 - Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena 
Aug. 26 - Phoenix, AZ @ AK Chin Pavilion 
Aug. 28 - Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion
Aug. 29 - Irvine, CA @ Fivepoint Amphitheater 

Grave Encounters

Yup, Grave Encounters is found footage. Yup - night vision scenes. Yup - people loose it and yell at each other. Cameras shake. Ghost mouths open super wide with computer graphics. But, it's all highly entertaining.

Colin Minihan and Stuart Ortiz (as The Vicious Brothers) really know how to keep a film buzzing along. The concept is ultra conventional and simple - a paranormal investigator show's footage is found after they all go missing or are dead. Standard. However, I just watched another found footage film that I won't name here ("If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all.") and that thing was a total and complete hipster bore! To echo R. Ebert, it was a 12 minute short crammed into 101 minutes. However, GRAVE ENCOUNTERS keeps shaking things up and adding little nuggets to keep things interesting and new.

We have the usual setup where they are going to be locked in until someone lets them out. They did the same in 21 Days in 2014. They look around and don't really find anything. Things start to get a little slow, then we - the audience - starts to see things on the cameras they have set up. When that gets old, the crew starts to experience things themselves. Then, things continue to fly off the rails for them in horrid ways.

It's a fun watch and it has a lot of cool little set pieces. It was made in 2011 and I believe it was at the forefront of the computer graphics HUGE OPEN MOUTH gimmick that numerous movies drove into the ground. I want to say that these folks did it first.

It's odd. I thought THE VICIOUS BROTHERS had more under their belts. I'm only seeing GRAVE ENCOUNTERS 1 and 2,  EXTRATERRESTRIAL, and IT STAINS THE SANDS RED (2017)  in their credits.  I definitely want to check out SANDS - I've heard some good buzz about it. 

At any rate, if you want some fun, amusement park haunted house-like scares for a dark night, this will provide many a good BOO! for your amusement.

Demons (2017)

From the press kit:
"A psychological thriller that marries elements of The Exorcist, The Shining and The Big Chill, Demons tells of a celebrated fiction writer and former priest (Doleac, “American Horror Story”, The Hollow) who, along with his wife, are tormented by the ghost of her late sister, as the details of her grisly death are slowly uncovered."


I had no idea what I was getting into here. I just dove in cold. I have to admit that I was a little lost at the beginning. The film was playing with two different time periods and I wasn't sure which characters were which or if they were the same folks at all. However, it seemed like someone else might have pointed this out as well because they did a very handy little recap and it all fell into place. After that, I was set.


DEMONS leans more towards a heady drama rather than a strictly horror based film. There are major horror elements for sure, but I think the film goes more into interesting storytelling rather than thrills and chills. And the storytelling is very good, indeed.

We bounce back and forth between events of the past and how those events changed the characters in the present. Those events are dark and sad and it's left our leads in a bit of a state. I found the "Big Chill" style interactions to be fun. Be warned - there are many interesting conversations about spirituality, faith, and personal interactions and they may scare off a few gore hounds for sure, but the film is never preachy or heavy handed. I'm not a spiritual person, but I found the conversations to be very engaging and intriguing.

One interesting thing here is that I actually wanted it to just be a straight drama after a time. It totally could have played that way for sure. The characters and story were rolling along so well and I was so invested in their fates that I didn't find the more supernatural side of things to be as much of a draw.

The cast and story are super solid. It's like they've gone and done a search for "interesting actors with amazing voices" and cast a bunch here. Andrew Divoff's booming WISHMASTER voice and demeanor were perfect for the father, Gary Grubbs and his southern twang-rific voice as a priest was fun, and Kristina Emerson's voice was so...smooooooth. And...was that John Schneider?! :) But, I was riveted by Miles Doleac's performance as our male lead here.  The changes he undergoes within the film's runtime were part of my confusion. He really did become two separate people after the events of the past and that change was reflected in his performance. And, he wrote and directed the film as well. A busy guy!

I was half way through the film when I realized that I had been staring at the screen slack jawed and engrossed for over 55 minutes. No email checking. No texting. No side scrolling. I was completely hooked by the story and the characters on the screen. The film is shot beautifully thanks to Ben McBurnett's cinematography and it has a great color and lighting scheme that gives it a rich feeling.

I'd say that this would be a grand film for someone who wants some thrills, but really wants to care about the characters and the plot.

 An interesting watch. Give it a viddy!  IN THEATERS 10/6/2017

Andrew Divoff (Wishmaster), John Schneider (‘’Smallville’’), Lindsay Anne Willams (The Hollow), Steven Brand (Hellraiser : Revelations), Kristina Emerson (“NCIS : New Orleans”), and Gary Grubbs (Free State of Jones) co-star star in a powerful goosebump-stirring new spookfest from Historia Films, the makers of The Hollow and The Historian. 

Last Shift

 LAST SHIFT was one of those NETFLIX suggestions I back burnered for some moment when I really wasn't going to be watching a lot of what was on - model making, file organization,  or something where some background noise was needed, but where I wasn't going to be doing a lot of looking at the screen. I tossed it on, but didn't have high hopes. Man, was I pleasantly surprised!

The film is like a lifeboat or bottle episode of something - one location with a very limited cast. The lion's share of the actor heavy lifting is done by the rather talented Juliana Harkavy who plays an officer assigned to hang out...alone...in the old precinct waiting for a hazmat crew to come in and take the last of the hazardous crime scene materials away before the place is shut down. All the other officers are at the new place blocks away, so she's there...alone...and waiting.




Then shit gets strange.

I'm not going to say much about this film - again, keeping things short and sweet. But....wow...this film has a lot of good stuff in it! It's a new fave for sure.

Anthony DiBlasi's (Dread) direction is super tight and there's nothing in here that's forced or yawn worthy. Once the ride starts, you're strapped in and you just need to hold on. DiBlasi does some fantastic tricks in here and there are many, "Wait....WHAT the HELL was THAT?!" moments to keep you're eyes open for.

The rest of the cast take their roles and really make them stick. They may not have a lot of screen time, but when they are on, Joshua Mikel, J. LaRose, Natalie Victoria, Sarah Sculco, Kathryn Kilger, Matt Doman and Mary Lankford really take things and run with them in a great way. 

If you dig creepy....ghosly....and hallucinogenic horror, give LAST SHIFT a go for sure! 

Exeter

Another quickie review.

I remember seeing the trailer for this and saying, "Hmmm...that looks interesting. I'll have to keep an eye out for it." Well, as these things go, it came and went and I missed it. I eventually forgot it.

Then, :::POP:::  ....my friend NETFLIX suggests it. Almost like it KNEW I'd like it. hehehehee  And, I did!

EXETER is a fun, formula film with a few well written twists. Here we are in the asylum-like, empty, abandoned old wreck of a building. (Yup...again.) Here we're having a wild party. (Check.) Everyone goes leaving a select few. (Uh huh....again. Go on.) Here we are performing a ritual we should NOT be performing. (Nope...you shouldn't even be in there. You'll get tetanus!) 

But then, it swerves a bit. I mean, even the standard formulas were well executed. No one was too cartoonish or blank. Good acting. Well shot. It already brought a bit more to the table. But then it starts to get interesting and fun in a bit of a new way. It adds a bit more to the possession tale, tossing in some well written intrigue as it plays out - something many of the cranked out possessed films miss completely these days.

Solid story and acting make this film a real hoot. I was riveted and actually gave a shit about the characters. This was no mere "Set 'em Up and Knock 'em Down" cast list. These people were actually developed and engaging.

Interesting. The Director took on the FRIDAY THE 13TH remake, the TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE remake and the CONAN the BARBARIAN remake.  Those are tough arse rows to hoe!

"Yeah...these are classic cult films with a HUGE and RAVENOUS fan base that will literally EAT YOU ALIVE if you fuck it up. Give it a go...THREE TIMES." 

Not really fair odds for Mr. Marcus Nispel. I'm glad he was able to direct something without the sort of past those other films had. He also wrote the screenplay along with Kristen McCallion - who had written TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D. hehehe  Wow.

And, you like gore? It's got it including a scene where I literally said, "Whoa...I haven't seen THAT before!" And, I've seen A LOT.

Definitely check out Exeter!  It's a fun and thrilling ride. 

WE ARE STILL HERE

Thank you, Ted Geoghegan. Thank you for taking me back in time to where movies were more simple and driven by story rather than kill counts. :)

Again, I'm keeping this little review short and sweet.

WE ARE STILL HERE is a tight and tidy little film. People have been referencing Lucio Fulci lot when it comes to this film. I can see that - THE BEYOND or maybe HOUSE BY THE CEMETARY. Sure.  But I see it being more along the lines of Gary Sherman's work  - DEAD AND BURIED in particular. Also, the pace is very Ti West - slow and deliberate.  It has this dreamy, otherworldly quality to it that I love. The plot is simple - the time is the late 70s and a couple moves into a home after the death of their son. There seems to be some haunting going on. 'Nuff said for this.





There are some genre favorites in the film as well. Barbara Crampton, Andrew Sensenig,  Monte Markham, Larry Fessenden and Lisa Marie and turn in fab performances and really sell the whole of the storyline.






And at the helm, Ted Geoghegan proves that he really knows his stuff when it comes to delivering scares. This is only his second Director credit, but I can not wait to see what else he comes out with based on how WE ARE STILL HERE turned out. Like the aforementioned Ti West, he's not scared to take time to sell the story and environment. There are scenes of stillness and quiet that craft and eerie landscape where creepy things can happen. Stark and cold, you can feel the tension at all times.

And when something does happen, it packs a punch.

A funny side note - I'm a popcorn hound. I love the stuff and usually make my own (...which people tend to rave about. :) )  Well, I wanted to take things "Old School" when watching this film and had to get an old favorite - Jiffy Pop - when I saw it in the store. I felt this would complete the experience nicely, taking me back to when I was a kid watching CREATURE FEATURES and eating JIFFY POP. Well, not only do I find out that the film takes place in the same time period as my Creature Feature watching time, but that Jiffy Pop figures into one of the opening scenes of the film. Rather creepy in a way - I have not had Jiffy Pop in almost a year....maybe longer. Geoghegan told me via Twitter that they had a hard time finding Jiffy Pop there, so they ended up just crafting it for the film! heheheh

This film isn't INSIDIOUS or films of that style. It's not going to run you through a roller coaster of shocks and scares and toss you around in a heart-racing way. This film stalks up behind you....slowly and quietly...then leaps out at you from the darkness that it live in, rattles you, then bolts back into the shadows again. You don't know when it's going to strike next....


Check out WE ARE STILL HERE - lights off and ready for some great, creepy story!  

HAUNT (2014)

 



                      WOW!    :)







I was rather shocked that HAUNT (currently on Netflix streaming at the time of this posting) was actually really, really good. I've taken to tossing these really bad movies on while working - having them play on the lap-dog to the side while I work on my "real" computer for actual work. Most of the time, the film goes on and I don't think much of it until something spooky starts, then I glance over, watch the scare, then go back to work. Helps me get through the day.

Well, it turns out that HAUNT was one of the films I put on that I actually had to stop and watch at a later time when I can actually watch what's going on because it's too good to side-watch. hehehe

Writer Andrew Barrer took a simple concept and added just enough to make it move along at an interesting pace with characters that you actually care about and a plot that holds your attention. The script was well executed by Director Mac Carter in his feature film debut.  When topped with some good acting and fun effects work, the film turns what could have been another yawning bore into something I really enjoyed.

I don't want to say too much - there is an element of mystery involved here. It's basically a new family moves into a haunted home and the young boy of the family meets the cute girl next door. They start digging into who is haunting the home and - you guessed it - things don't go well. At all.


This was a fun and fresh horror film I really enjoyed. Jump to it - I think you'll enjoy it!

TWIXT

I wanted to see more films the general public didn't like to see if my new found love of these films was going to hold true and steady. I liked Dario Argento's Dracula, so I thought I might like TWIXT as well - another film people wanted to drown at birth. Go figure - I really liked it as well.


There are some "Wait, what?!" moments in it for sure. It tells the tale of a "bargain basement Stephen King" who is on a floundering book signing tour. He's in dire straights, needing cash quickly before his wife sells a rare book on him and fighting a losing battle against drinking too much. The strange town he rolls into as a next stop may be the key to his next story...or the death of him.





The film has a strange look. It's dreaming and odd. At first I thought it looked a little cheap, but as I settled in, it took on the same quality some of my more vivid dreams take on. Super real and super unreal all at the same time. Things take place in this dream state of author Hall Baltimore (Val Kilmer) and we watch them unfold in that fun, dream logic way and it totally made sense to me.

 Elle Fanning and Bruce Dern act around the voluminous Kilmer and everything works really well. I almost think that the whole thing might have been more widely accepted if Francis Ford Coppola wasn't associated with it. People wanted Dracula or The Godfather and they got....well...not that. But, the man is still behind this and I think he can make the hell out of a film and that shows here. While the plot and pace and visuals are very experimental in some ways, the film is solid, interesting and well worth a viewing if you like to see someone trying something new. I appreciated it whole hardheartedly and I was very happy I ignored the murmurers and sat down to watch. 

This film spoke to me in many ways. I'm going to follow up with some additional research on just how and why Coppola made the film. I find myself thinking back on it often. And, I find myself wanting to re-watch another fave of mine DEMENTIA 13 - another Coppola work I love.

 More on TWIXT

I took some time to glance at some of the articles ripping this film to bits. Some of them are so horrible that I found myself wondering if the reviewer was going through something traumatic in their lives. This one just seems...mean.

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/motion-captured/posts/review-francis-ford-coppola-firebombs-toronto-with-awful-witless-twixt

However, if you do some looking, you can find some reviews that seem a little less venomous. This reviewer gave it a 7 - http://www.popmatters.com/review/172748-twixt-a-story-of-artistic-reinvention/ - and had this to say as a wrap up:

"Some directors mellow in their late careers while others amp up their eccentricities; somehow, Coppola seems to have done both. Twixt is a bizarre assemblage of techniques that’s at once amateurish and brilliant, lackadaisical and carefully controlled. It feels like a work of great promise from an up-and coming director, and the knowledge that Coppola already has a massive body of work under his belt makes for a fascinating cognitive dissonance that plays out within the film’s own blurry story of artistic reinvention. It’s uneven, frustrating, and every once in a while, exhilarating, and you probably don’t have to worry about looking stupid at a cocktail party if you choose to pass this one by. But man, this Coppola guy is one to watch."

Cute and honest, I think this is a fair assessment. Like my statement above that speaks to Coppola name being somewhat detrimental to this film, I believe that it would have been on the "Check it out" list if it had some from someone with less history behind him.

The most interesting piece of this is the interview with the man himself. It renders everything else far less interesting. Nothing better than hearing what was going on and driving a films creation from the creator himself. https://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/francis-ford-coppola-talks-twixt-competing-former-self-185226581.html

"A lot of people talk about, “Oh, where can the cinema go? What’s the next act?” When they were saying it was 3D, I said, “Are you kidding me?" Cinema is more magical and more powerful and more interesting than just that it will be 3D.

Cinema can have the same revolution that the novel had in the last 200 years. The way we approach the story and tell a story can find new means. And certainly, the advent of the cinema as what is essentially a digital medium implies that it doesn’t have to be as canned as it always was in the past. It doesn’t have to be a lot of pieces of celluloid glued together. It’s a bunch of digital files that can express themselves in millions of ways. I mean, there’s a lot of exciting stuff in the future for cinema and I just would like to taste a little of it before I’m out of the story, all together."

The Night Walker (1964)

I recently took a walk down memory lane and re-watched the William Castle film THE NIGHT WALKER. It was a favorite of mine from way back in the day and I remember catching it on TV from time to time and loving the heck out of it. The music, the strange plot and the cinematography were just a lot of fun. I have to say I was happy with the re-watch.

The Night Walker stars Babara Stanwyck as the wife of a blind....scientist? played by Hayden Rorke of I Dream of Jeanie fame. It seems old Mr. Trent thinks that his wife Irene has a lover that she's messing about with behind his back. He's sure that her night dream talking is a product of their romance and brings in his lawyer Barry Morland (Robert Taylor) to help him sort it out. Is he there to help or does he, in fact, have eyes for Irene? All very black and white drama goodness...until Howard Trent is blown up in his lab.

Irene is sad for her loss, but happy not to face the daily pressures and watchful, cold dead eyes her husband had put on her 24 hours a day. But, will he stay gone? Is that tap...tap...tap of his cane merely a nightmare...or has he returned?

Oh, great old stuff. :::grin:::

The music was composed by the great Vic Mizzy who worked on other classic themes like THE ADDAMS FAMILY, THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN and THE RELUCTANT ASTRONAUT.  It has that hook filled goodness I love about his work. You find yourself whistling and humming the tune as you're walking around. 

Now, this is rather dated, mind you. The story is very 60s and the acting follows suit - a very 60s feel to the whole of it. But, it has a charm to it and an innocence that I love. It's a Castle film, but it doesn't have the same "SIZZLE" as some of this other films had. The poster sure does, however. Needless to say, NONE of what is seen there is in the film save the small picture of Stanwyck and Taylor in the bottom left! LOL!

The core of the film is a mystery and not really horror, but there are some horrifying scenes in it for sure. This one is ideal for younger viewers who may like a little scare, but don't want to see too much gore or violence.

And this one tops the list of films I'd love to see properly remade. I kinda wish Dark Castle Entertainment picked this up and did something with it like they managed with 13 GHOSTS and HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL - I thought they were a lot of fun. Though, I'd like to see it played in a very serious way - maybe in a period style (though cost would stop that) or updated properly with the likes of someone like James Wan directing.

If you're looking for a slow burn story with some thrills tossed in, give THE NIGHT WALKER a shot if you can find it!   (...at the bottom of the page!  ENJOY!)

TRAILER!

Ghostwatch (1992)

For the longest time, GHOSTWATCH was this sort of ghost itself - appearing and being mentioned here and there by various people on blogs, in magazine articles and in interviews. I had not seen it, but it was supposed to be this brilliant work that true horror lovers really needed to see. A few years ago I finally tracked it down and...wow...yes, it's fantastic.

Ghostwatch was a television event that quickly dropped into WAR OF THE WORLDS style, real world fear and anger. Even though it was clearly marked as a drama in various places and did have a front section that called it out as entertainment, some people missed it and completely lost it when the events shown unfolded before them.

The program was planned wondrously. It used many of the usual items that people in the UK were used to seeing in similar programs on at the time including the host and technical people that viewers had seen time and time again in "real" shows previously. So, seeing the same people involved in this ghost show really sold the whole of it and helped to break down the wall between reality and fiction.

Ghostwatch is also a perfect "ghosty", with chilling audio and visual items within it that still hold up to this day. It pre-dates THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT by seven years and you can see elements within it that were to be used in BLAIR WITCH years later. It really is one of the originators of the modern day, cinema verité style ghosty we're seeing A LOT of today and it blows many of them away as far as the thrills and chills go.

Do yourself a favor and check out Ghostwatch - preferably late at night with the lights off. If you enjoy the film, make sure you check out the HYPNOBOBS PODCAST listed below. He does an amazing overview of Ghostwatch covering the events leading up to the creation of the show and the subsequent fallout from the show's airing as well as some personal accounts. It's a grand overview that needs to be heard if you love GHOSTWATCH as much as I did.


GHOSTWATCH: PART ONE

Ghost Watch pt 1 from Encounters with Spirit on Vimeo.

GHOSTWATCH: PART TWO

Ghost Watch pt 2 from Encounters with Spirit on Vimeo.

GHOSTWATCH: PART THREE

Ghost Watch pt3 from Encounters with Spirit on Vimeo.



HYPNOBOBS PODCAST #53   "GHOSTWATCH" 
This is a GREAT overview of GHOSTWATCH. The Hypnobobs podcast is fantastic. He does his research for sure and his production value is grand. This is a must listen podcast and not just about Ghostwatch. All of the podcasts are entertaining, interesting and packed with information.

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Secret Dungeon

Oh wow.


You move into a place only to find a door in the floor...that leads to a secret dungeon?!?!?!?!  Ok, who's writing the treatment? James Wan, right? :)

So....question. What would you do? Embrace the creepy underworld you are now living over - inviting friends over for whiskey and cigar gatherings or movie nights down below? Or, would you nail the door shut and hope that whatever is down there...under the bricks.....or in the walls...doesn't have enough strength to push the door open for a visit. That is, if it needs to use doors at all....



Moved into new apartment. [Warning: Secret Dungeon]
http://imgur.com/a/vRp3R#zB7s9zc

"Yesterday I moved into my studio apartment. It's in an old English monastery conversion, dates back to the 19th century I reckon, and now has about 30 apartments. I have a tiny room on the ground floor. Got a great deal on the rent, and didn't realise how much value I got until I moved in and found an area worthy of any movie-grade exploration."

The door....in the floor.

"The builders have been down here when the place was being renovated a few years ago, but it seems completely uninhabited since. No mention in the lease. This appears to be the only staircase to the dungeon. I'm debating my next move. More exploration needs to be done, but it's very scary living above it alone."