​Sometimes the normal things that you do to relax are not enough and you need to look for something else to do. Going to an amusement park is something that lots of people like to do because they have rides that will make you scream your head off, but if you are looking for something else that can do that, look for a carnival. Even though it has been ages since I have been to one of these traveling shows, I do remember seeing the multi-headed animals more than once and just being fascinated by them. While the rides all have different names as the shows are all different, they all have scares and clowns inside, which is frightening to me. Carnivals are just for a different breed of people, but if you are willing to give it a shot when one comes to town, you will not be disappointed. 
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Lying to her parents about her plans for the night, Amy is going to go to the carnival with her new boyfriend Buzz who has finally asked her out. Stopping to pick up their friends Liz and Richie, the group is heading out for a night that they will never forget. Staying away from the adult orientated attractions, the group is having a great time, but have no idea that Amy’s little brother has snuck out to keep an eye on them and experience the carnival for himself as well. 

Taking notice of everyone at the show, the group takes a long look at one of the ride operators and sees that he must be a little slow. Wearing a Frankenstein mask to protect his face from the outside world, he must have a story to tell, but the kids want nothing to do with it. Checking out most of the show, the night is starting to close in, and the group must come up with a plan of what to do next. Richie has a great idea for the night, to sneak off during the funhouse ride and stay there overnight. With no objections and Amy looking to go all the way with Buzz, it seems like the right thing for them to do.

​With the show being shut down for the night, Amy and Buzz, along with Liz and Richie are making out when they hear a startling slam in the distance. Trying to find out what it is, they see that they are directly over an office area that lights up when the Frankenstein operator enters. Seeing a familiar face with him as the psychic Madame Zena enters, they are about to be privy to see something not many people have witnessed. As the mask wearing individual puts his money down for the older woman to service him, it is apparent that he is too excited and pops off very quickly. Not willing to give him the money back, Madame Zena witnesses the wrath that he has inside of him as he chokes the life out of her. 
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Seeing a murder firsthand, the group wants to get out of the funhouse as quickly as possible. But there is a major problem in doing so, as all of the doors to the ride are locked up for the night. Trying to stay one step ahead of the killer and now the manager who is trying to cover up the murder, they are discovered and told to come on down. Knowing that they will meet the same fate as the psychic if they do, they try to find any other way to escape, but the bad news is that they are out matched by the two carnies that call the ride their home. As traps are set and used throughout the ride, the killing can be handled remotely, as they have control of everything that the trespassers will see and hear. Picking off the kids one by one, it will be a long night for anyone that is able to survive.

As far as a carnival slasher film goes, this one is pretty darn good, and I can say that about most of the horror movies that came out in the eighties. There is something about this genre that just sits well with me and that has not changed over the years as I guess it would be fun to stay in a carnival overnight without anyone knowing. I guess I was supposed to feel bad for the kids while they were trapped in the ride, but they broke the rules, so I do not see a reason not to punish them, especially since they badmouthed the mask wearing kid. I liked the reveal of the mask wearing kid and instead of making him out to be a sob story, he was made to be a monster, which was pretty cool and something that the director has been known to do with his characters. With plenty of blood, side show oddities, young lovers, a kid that goes catatonic and a monster that will stop at nothing to please his father, it is just a good ride overall. I have never seen the inside workings of a carnival ride before, but if it is anything like what was shown here, I never want to and will just stay away from it altogether. Stay Scared.

It is difficult to reconnect with someone that you leave in the hands of others, none more so than a parent trying to gain the love and respect back from a child they let go of. Being raised by someone else because their parent is unfit is a story that is becoming more relevant these days. With so many people knowing that they cannot take care of their children, it is a wonder that they continue to have them. While giving up the custody of their child to make sure they can live a safe and healthy life can be considered noble, it is next to impossible to explain that to the youngsters when they are able to form their own opinions.
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After seeing her mother for a few minutes, Chloe needs some time to clear her head and going out with her good friend Danny is just the ticket. Talking about life and watching as some kids play ding dong ditch, Danny wants to recreate the good times they had when they were younger. Heading to the old run-down house of Mary Aminov where they used to play this game, they give the door two knocks to see if the urban legend about the house is true. Knocking on the door and finding nothing, Danny finds out quickly that old Mary exists after all and wants him for something much more sinister. Not being able to connect with her best friend and being harassed by a demon, Chloe is forced to head back to her mother’s house for some sort of safety.

Jess and Ben are more than happy to have Chloe under the same roof as them and have a room all set up for their estranged teen. Seeing the relationship between Ben and Jess is making Chloe question everything in their relationship, especially because the only memories she has of her mother was of Jess being high all of the time. Trying to make it not look like the money that Ben brings in is the sole reason for their love, Chloe hears that her mother paid for half of their massive house and takes plenty of responsibility for her life choices. But when trying to eat dinner, Chloe sees something disturbing in her curry and leaves the room in a huff thinking that they are messing with her.

After being left alone with her daughter, Jess has a vivid dream and sees an old woman kill herself for no reason. Being woken up by Chloe and telling her about what she had seen, the two are able to bond a little bit over the vision, but neither of them know what is coming for them. After meeting with one of her models and hearing that her daughter is marked, Jess tries everything in her power to make sure that Chloe does not take anything personal. While trying to bond at her art studio, Chloe is attacked and is forced to come clean about her childhood past that may be coming back to haunt her. Thinking that this is all silly, Jess starts to notice some strange things happening around the house and knows that only her love and strength will be able to help her daughter through the battle with a demon who is looking to feast on her soul.

While this movie is tagged as horror, it is really a mystery as well, one that the viewer needs to pay attention to, in order to figure out what is happening on the screen. I left out the storyline about Jess’ model, because while it is a big part of the story, it also leaves us with the most questions after the credits roll. I must admit that I was captivated by both Jess and Chloe throughout the movie, both actresses did a fantastic job bringing their characters to life. I really liked that when the finale started, and you are left with conflicting opinions about what is going on by the characters, the story did follow through with the one that they choose, as it could have gone so many other ways. With a vengeful ghost, a demon, knocks on the door, electrical issues, no way to separate yourself from fate and a storyline that comes through full circle, this is a pretty good movie that will keep you guessing who is on the straight and narrow and who is looking to fulfill their destiny. Stay Scared.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season two premiere of ‘Locke & Key’.
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One particular aspect of our world that brings about great concern, is the evil that men do. Because we simply don’t understand its origins well enough to stop it at the source, and we seemingly… cannot defeat it. For time and time again, we see it return long after we thought it was conquered. Creating an imbalance in our world that everyone wants to go away, and this constant cycle of triumph and resurgence leaves us wondering exactly how we can conquer evil at last and really, its persistence and what it might take to genuinely achieve that goal is top of mind today, simply because those concepts served as the focal themes of the season two premiere of Locke & Key on Netflix.
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Which made ‘The Premiere’ quite the fascinating tale, one that immediately explored how evil persists after it loses, by quickly pointing out… that we are too quick to believe that it can be easily defeated. For when we catch up with the Locke family here, they have basically forgotten Dodge and their battle in the caves and what it stood for, allowing for everyone to return to their normal lives. Well, as normal as life can get when you live in a house with magic keys that allow for people to lose themselves within their minds or obtain super strength, and well… while it was nice to see the family enjoy a little peace and quiet for a change, their arrogance in believing they utterly defeated Dodge, gave her incredible strength.

For she was able to work behind the scenes and collect more of what she needs for the future. Since she was quick to grab hold of iron pellets from failed possessions down in the caves, and she was also quick to kill a man and usurp his home so that she could that iron, to begin to build keys of her own to fight the Locke magic in an epic manner and well, that made for some frightening moments for certain. Since it really did make it clear that our desire for comfort and peace will always allow for evil to persist, because it thrives on ignorance and hope and that the only way to truly defeat it… is to remain vigilant and observant to its machinations and of course… we must be equally as ruthless in defeating it as it is in attempting to conquer us and well, that is no easy task since we have lives to lead and a conscience that guides all of us.

In fact, this story took the time to inject those elements into the story as well, since we spent a lot of time watching the Locke family just live and face new challenges in life. Such as how Kinsey and Scot continued their little song and dance when it comes to their feelings, since it is inherently obvious, they are madly in love with one another and are denying those feelings at every turn. And of course, the harsh reality that Tyler is inching closer to forgetting about magic hung heavy over this tale. Creating a priority for the family to do something special with their keys before he begins to lose sight of their wonder and well, this aspect of the story not only helped to balance out the central themes present here, but it also did a wonderful job of reintroducing us to this universe and what these characters stand for, as did the other sequence of note in this tale.

Because seeing the Savini Squad’s finished product on the big screen just plunged us back into this world once again. One that is part love letter to the genre and part original ride, which is clearly taking a deeper turn this year. Since pondering upon the nature of evil and how hard it is to kill it because we are beings that prefer to bathe ourselves in light, is quite the heavy direction to take this show in. For that’s a harsh truth we don’t talk about all that often, and that just goes to show that the stakes and the concepts are going to be bigger in season two and that’s a wonderful thing. Because growth is important and pushing the envelope makes for better storytelling and it will be quite incredible to see how the family will respond to the moral challenges that await them and the sheer horror that evil is going to send their way, when it is ready to remerge. Until next time.