Those that read this blog on a regular basis will know that I love a good ghost story.  They will also know that I think that they are also one of the hardest things to transpose to the big screen... Guy and Jeanne have moved to a small town with their two daughters in order to be close to each other while Guy works on getting approval for and construct a wind farm in Princeton.  Soon, Jeanne starts to investigate the origins of a strange voice and apparition that appears in the wood nearby.  Her investigations set off a chain of events that echo back to the disappearance of little Lucy Keyes back in the 1700's ... " The Legend of Lucy Keyes " starts off with a bang with the family being terrorized by a vengeful spirit- setting you up with certain expectations.  For me, this movie met some of these expectations, and fell just a little short of others. The story is based on the real life mystery surrounding the disappearance of a girl named Lucy Keyes back in the 1

In celebration of Vincent Price's birthday yesterday, I sat down and watched, " The Last Man on Earth "... Dr. Robert Morgan lives in a world of the undead.  By day, he goes around to the various vampiric safe houses, and destroys the foul creatures.  By night, he searches for a cure to the plague that has turned humanity into the blood sucking monsters.  Soon however, Morgan learns who the real monster is... This is one of those films that is considered to be one of Vincent Price's classics.  It's not a bad movie- but it's not a great one either.  I enjoyed it, but not enough that I would re-watch it unless it was a Vampire Movie Night. The story is based on Richard Matheson's novel, " I Am Legend ."  Even though he acknowledged it as following his story quite closely (and he helped write the sceenplay), he was dissatisfied with the end result. It's a bit of a mixed bag.  The story is interesting, as are the characters.  There is

In my travels through the realm of horror movies old and new, foreign and domestic, I come across one that really engages my interest, and manages to entertain me from the first shot to the last.  Such was the case during this week's " What Movie Wednesday " feature... Albert Kovac has been sent by his boss to the Hauff villa to discuss the owner's will with him.  Upon his arrival, the owner's beautiful wife reveals that he's been dead for a year.  Soon, Kovac and the owner's daughter, Corinne, are trapped in a net of horror as forces from the grave seek their vengence ... " Terror Creatures From the Grave " is a really interesting Italian horror film- originally titled, " 5 Tombe Per Un Medium ", and was inspired by the writings of Edgar Allan Poe.  Once production was completed, Director Massimo Pupillo was dissatisfied, and decided that Producer Ralph Zucker should take credit... even though Zucker did no directing whatsoever i

There are some horror short films out there that show that age is NOT a factor when it comes to skill and creativity... Nicole is your average High School girl.  She goes to class, hangs out with her best friend, and misses her Dad when he's gone on business.  Today, she's going to find that her life is no longer... average ... Darien Davis produced this ten minute short zombie film with Sam Toller in a span of two days.  They covered a total of 220 shots, with Toller coordinating and directing the movement of 27 extras, five make-up artists, spread over six different locations. And Toller did it all at the age of 16 years of age.  And he did it well. When I was approached by Davis to watch and review this short film, I was VERY interested to see what someone of Toller's age would- and could, do with the project.  I have to say I was impressed. Visually, " We Are What We Eat " displays some very impressive skill at using the medium to visually tell a

Sometimes, you can tell exactly what a movie is like from the title.  Such was the case with this week's " What Movie Wednesday " winner, " Monstroid "... A small Colombian town has experienced a strange series of disappearances around a lake the accepts the drain off from a plant nearby.  The plant's company send out a trouble shooter to find out what the problem is and fix it... but finds that the answer is something more deadly than just pollution. .. This is going to be a short review this week, since there really isn't that much to say about this film. It's a bad film.  Seriously.  Bad.  Just bad.  Seriously bad.  Just seriously bad. The premise isn't bad, but everything surrounding it is bad.  The subplot of the woman accused of being a witch, the one of the eco-terrorist, and the subplot of the pant employee's relationship with the Mayor's daughter are just kinda thrown into the movie, with no real impact on the story.

What do you think of when you hear that someone is a blogger... especially a HORROR blogger? Do you envision a gloomy room lit by light filtering through the blinds as dust motes dance lazily in the dry breeze of an old fan?  Do images of a room consisting of shelves of horror DVD's, books, and collectibles come to mind?  How about a slightly disheveled shape hunched over in utter darkness tap tap tapping at a keyboard- their face lit by the cold blue glow of a computer monitor... empty pizza boxes and Twinkie wrappers scattered around their feet? Or do you imagine an average sort of person that you'd meet on the street, and think, " Hey, he's just like me ,"?  Well, that's the thing about horror bloggers- they can be ANYONE. ANYONE... even your Grandma could be one. Some people get a funny look on their face when I say that I write a blog about horror books and movies... a sort of, " You don't look like a gothic, Crow wannabe ," look.

You've all heard me hinting that I've been working on some T-Shirt designs, in addition to coffee mugs, etc, right? Right. Well, I'm still in the process of getting a few things in place to begin production and distribution- but I figured it was about time that I gave all of you a taste of what I've got in mind. What you see here is one of the T-Shirt designs I've done.   Pretty cool, eh? Darn straight it is! I hope to have about a total of five finished designs ready for when the store is finalized online.  If you're in the Kamloops, BC area, I'll be letting you know which outlets have them for sale as well. I've also got what I call the "Special Edition" Zip Hoodie.  These will be used a promotional items for interview guests- and for contests that I have in the works.  To keep you in suspense, I'm going to keep the design a secret until the first contest starts! I know... I'm evil. Hehehe... Please f

I enjoy immersive story-based horror games that offer something new to the genre. Having received a letter from your deceased father, you begin a journey to find out exactly what happened to him.  What you discover may be something far worse than you imagined... " Penumbra: Overture " is a First Person Adventure Game.  You are placed in an abandoned mine trying to unravel the story behind what happened to your father, and trying to avoid the same fate. This game has some decent stuff to offer a gamer.  The graphics are great in my opinion, as is the audio.  Both combined to create an excellent setting and atmosphere that builds suspense and unease.  The storyline itself is pretty good too, and interesting. One of the best things about this game is the physics.  You use the movement of your mouse to perform various actions such as opening a drawer, door, or swing whatever is in your hand to bash barrels and enemies.  You can pick up small items (like a can of food) a

  Ever since science became a common place practice, the idea of mad scientists have existed- always there to serve as a warning about playing God.  And ever since movies became common place, there have been bad movies- to serve as a warning about directors playing director... and also to make us reviewers suffer at the hands of our readers... Dr. Cortner is a very successful surgeon whit a beautiful fiancee named Jan.  While driving, and accident leads to Jan's death... and Dr. Cortner is determined to find a body for her severed head... With a total of 13 votes, " The Brain That Wouldn't Die " was declared this week's, " What Movie Wednesday " winner.  Now the question is: did I win? Well, let's just say that I found this movie amusing because of it's B-grade quality. The story is rather silly, and the execution is as well.  I also found the characters to be rather amusing as well because of the acting used to portray them.

Not too long ago, I watched and reviewed " The Timeslip "- a short film by the indie film group, Chance Encounters.  Jonathan chance of the Chance Brothers was kind enough to agree to answer some questions" as part of my new regular feature- " Grave Questions ".  TCoT :   What inspired you to become a film maker in the first place ? John :   First and foremost - original ideas of our own to make!  Since we were little, we were into horror and SCI-FI.  Growing up in the 80's, full of movie icon's it was an inspiring time like no other. Around 10 and 14 we saw heroes like Peter Jackson, John Carpenter, etc show what a person could accomplish with a camera and some friends. That was inspiring.  Anyone can do it nowadays - so with strong competition you have to make yours stand out.   Among the crowd I definitely feel we have something to offer.  With every film, we want to make an exciting entry.  To give that feeling you have as a kid - when you&#

Sometimes, reality can be much more creepier and macabre than anything you find in a horror novel or movie... " Necropolis: London and Its Dead ," by Catharine Arnold is a wonderful examination of how the City of London has dealt with the question of burying its dead.  From prehistory, through Roman times, up through the Plague years, to the more recent Victorian era, the way London has dealt with the remains of its dead citizens has evolved... sometimes with a morbid twist. I had a hard time putting this book down once I started reading it.  The style is easy to follow, and flows smoothly from one subject to another- almost like a conversation at times.  She covers such things as Daniel Dafoe's observations of the Plague Pits, and what was done with Plague victims when they died, the emergence of the body snatchers who supplied medical schools with cadavers (few questions asked), and the beginnings of the funeral industry.  Arnold meshes all of these things, and mo

I'm back today with another short horror film.  This one is produced by Zach Green, and directed by Richard Powell.  I really want to thank Zach for asking me to review this stunning piece of horror work. It's often been said that "familiarity breeds contempt."  It can take the form of a sneer whenever you see someone, or constant snide comments designed to make them feel small and insignificant.  For some it takes the form of physical violence.  John Dodd, is about to find out exactly what form his contempt takes ... I'm going to cut to the quick on this one: I loved it! This is one of those short films that smoothly leads you along, ratcheting up the " OMG factor " until you're left stunned and wanting more.  At 23 minutes, I felt like I'd sat through at least an hour of tension and concentration.  My attention was rivited by the unfolding of the story on the screen. The story is simple at first- a man is unhappy in his life, but grow

Most readers are probably (hopefully) already familiar with one of the regular features of this blog- "What Movie Wednesday."  Right?  Right. Well, since the response to that feature has been good, it's about time that I add another regular feature- "Grave Questions".  In this feature, I'll be asking various horror related people questions... and they answer.  Or at least I hope they answer- as not doing so would make the articles really short. What sort of horror related people will I interview?  Well, I hope to talk to people who produce and direct horror films, people that star in horror films, people that write horror stories, host horror websites, host horror related podcasts, etc. I plan on doing this feature once a month if possible, so stay tuned for more! Some people will have noticed that the title banner at the top of the site has changed.  It's the first of some of the organization changes I'm going to be implementing over the c

One of the nice things about being a reviewer of films and books is that people approach you to have a look at what they have to offer the world of cinema.  Sometimes, the offerings take you to places that you didn't expect to go... Imagine you're walking through busy downtown London, when suddenly, you're rolling down a green, grassy bank into a forest that seems to close in around you.  That's exactly what happens to a "modern man" one day as he discovers that being "technologically advanced" doesn't necessarily improve your chances of survival ... Jonathan Chance - of The Chance Brothers, approached me on Twitter to see if I would like to review their short film, " The Timeslip ".  This movie has been making the film festival rounds, and racking up some impressive awards: Best Sci-Fi (Geek Independent Film Fest- 2011); Official Selection (Angeleno Film Fest); Official Selection (Underground Horror Fest); Official Selectio

Often, I find that the supernatural films are the ones with the most interesting ones withing the horror genre...but sometimes- as is the case with this week's " What Movie Wednesday " winner, and interesting idea doesn't mean a captivating movie... Paul wakes up one day, and starts to experience strange phenomena- seeing people that aren't there, and hearing things that aren't said.  This would be bad enough, but after discovering that he's dead, Paul is in a race across reality to save his daughter from his boss who is looking for the money Paul stole from him. .. " The Dead Sleep " is, at it's core an interesting supernatural thriller- rather than an outright horror movie.  This would be a good thing, if you weren't confused for most of the film.  As much as I enjoy films that make you think, this one bounced around a bit too much, and seemed to rely on plot devices to make it all mesh at the end.  Two characters in particular a

There comes a point in a writer's life (even if their writing consists mostly of babbling about horror movies), when they ponder whether or not their writing has an impact on anything or anyone. Well, Google helped me resolve that own sort of issue in my life. In addition to this blog, I submit my reviews to another great site- Horror-Movies.ca .  My username on that site is "TerrorCorner"... just like my Twitter name .  Well, I decided to Google, "TerrorCorner," and noticed something that helped to make me feel better about whether or not this blog is having an impact on things. Because apparently, it has. I have been finding that many of my reviews are appearing on sites OTHER than Horror-Movies.ca .  Even though most of those copies link back to Horror-Movies.ca , rather than my blog, there's a sense of satisfaction that comes from seeing my words spreading across the internet. Some of the sites I've found so far with my reviews