If there is a single word to describe the first half of season four of The Walking Dead, it is deception.  It seemed that life was slowing down in the prison.  It seemed their greatest enemy was defeated and that perhaps at last, the show would be about starting over.  

Turns out we were all played for suckers.  A strain of flu nearly destroyed all life in the prison, and the Governor returned to exact revenge in a horrific fashion that left the prison uninhabitable. 

Now the survivors are back on the road, in a world filled with the living dead, and there will be no surprises coming, the next eight episodes will be ugly and brutal. But before we return to the land of the dead, let's catch up on the first half of Season 4. 

Episode One: "30 Days Without an Accident"

Life has changed for Rick Grimes and the survivors in the West Georgia Correctional Facility.  Rick has stepped away from leadership, letting a committee of his friends and survivors from Woodbury decide the fate of the prison while he instead tends to a farm.  

In fact, life has become completely peaceful in the prison, or so it seems.  Rick finds a near feral woman with a secret in the woods surrounding the prison and a supply run goes horribly wrong when walkers literally fall from the sky.  

To make matters worse, the prison itself has become a liability, for a sick pig in Rick's farm is a harbinger of doom.  A new and frightening illness is already beginning to spread through the prison, and with this illness comes death...and reanimation. 

Episode Two: "Infected"

Walkers have appeared in the prison following the death and reanimation of one of the Woodbury survivors.  Many survivors are lost before the situation is brought under control, leading to the discovery of this new virus.  Two of the people who helped clear the walkers are beginning to show signs of this fact acting flu leading to their isolation.  

But when a sudden surge of walkers at the fences keeps everyone busy defending the safety of the prison, a heinous act occurs that is not discovered until later by Tyreese.  Someone has murdered Karen and David, the two that showed signs of infection, and burned the bodies.  

Episode Three: "Isolation"

Rick is on the case to discover who murdered Karen and David, but his investigation will be done on the fly, for the infection has now spread to more people in the prison, including Glenn, forcing them into quarantine in a different cell block.  The threat of being wiped out forces a group to head toward a veterinary college in the hopes of finding antibiotics to save everyone in the prison.  

But this "milk run", led by Daryl goes awry when they find a large herd of walkers near the college, forcing them to head toward the college on foot.  As they struggle to survive, Rick resumes his investigation and discovers a potential suspect...Carol.  And when he confronts her as to whether or not she killed Karen and David, Carol gives him the answer he hoped not to hear...yes.  

Episode Four: "Indifference"

In desperate need of supplies, Rick and Carol set out into a nearby neighborhood to scavenge for what they need. While there they discover other survivors who wish to join the prison group. Rick and Carol put them to the test, asking them to help in gathering goods, giving Rick time to confront Carol about her decision to kill David and Karen.  

As they gather and talk, Daryl and his group arrive at the college, finally getting the supplies they desperately need by the skin of their teeth.  As they head back toward the prison, Rick and Carol discover their new friends have not fared so well. One has been torn apart by walkers and the other is missing and Rick informs Carol of an earth shattering decision...she is not to return to the prison for the crime she has committed.  But before he sends her off into the desolate world, Rick is kind enough to give Carol supplies and vehicle before saying goodbye.  

Episode Five: "Internment" 

Rick returns from the prison and quickly informs Hershel and the others of his decision and his discovery regarding Carol before turning his attention to fortifying the prison fences as the walkers continue to weaken them.  

As he does, Hershel, who has isolated himself in the cell block filled with infected people to care for them is racing against time to keep the sick from dying and turning into walkers.  But it is a fight he is losing, and Rick is also losing the fight against the living dead as they finally breach the fences.  
As Rick and Carl battle walking death, Hershel does as well, as the survivors fall one by one.  Glenn however, survives and by dawn, there is hope again.  The walkers at the fences are dead.  Hershel has saved as many lives as he can, and Daryl and his group are back with much needed medication.  

It seems like these people have survived the worst, but unbeknownst to them...there is something far worse than the living dead hiding in the shadows...The Governor is outside the prison walls, watching and waiting.  

Episode Six: "Live Bait"

The Battle of Woodbury and the Battle of the Prison has taken its tolll on Philip "The Governor" Blake.  After slaughtering his own army for their cowardice, he is abandoned on the road by his lieutenants.  He drifts, waiting for death's embrace until he stumbles upon a few survivors, trying desperately to get by. 

He stays with them briefly with the intent to move on, but the situation and a chance to reinvent himself compels him to stay and protect what could be his new family.  Until circumstance puts him face to face with his old lieutenant...Martinez.

Episode Seven: "Dead Weight"

Reunited with his old partner in crime, Philip joins the small community Martinez is now in charge of.  He helps out as best he can, still doing his best to shed the ugly monster that he used to be.   But a scorpion always stings and when the opportunity arrives for The Governor to rise to power once again, he takes it and never hesitates to shed blood to gain it.  

Once more he is in charge, and is doing his best to protect his new surrogate family, until he discovers more old friends at the West Georgia Correctional Facility...

Episode Eight: "Too Far Gone"

Opportunity is finally before the Governor. A chance at revenge and a chance at safety awaits him as he convinces his new community to head to the prison, and take it by force.   

His arrival forces Rick back into a leadership role again, but in the most terrifying of fashion.  For the Governor has brought with him bargaining chips...Hershel and Michonne.  Rick does his best to finally make peace with the Governor, even going as far to invite him and his new group into the prison, but Philip wants blood and brutally murders Hershel before opening fire on the prison.  In a bloody and brutal battle Rick's group is forced to evacuate in panicked fashion and Rick himself is beaten to a pulp before Michonne finally gets her blade into the Governor's tender flesh.   

The wake of battle leaves the prison burning, the living dead everywhere and the group scattered to the wind and out in the world of the dead once again.  

Watching a horror film for the first time is a truly magical experience.  The scares stay with you, the gruesome images haunt your mind and let's be honest, that which terrifies us leaves us craving for more.  

It draws us back to the experience, and we are more than happy to settle in to enjoy the ride.  But there is one sad draw back, we already know the scares, we already know where the splatter is at, and now it's simply about the enjoyment of a memory and not the chills we experienced before.  

That is, at least for me, until the advent of blu ray and the wonders of Scream Factory came along.  I've reviewed a few blu ray releases from this awesome company and it is time to talk about another one, their Collector's Edition of Lifeforce.

I have to say, this particular re release of Tobe Hooper's SciFi/Horror epic is nothing short of incredible.  First and foremost, I've never seen the picture of this film look so good.  Mister Hooper approved this new high definition transfer and it pops on the screen.  The colors look amazing, the vampires look amazing, everything just flat out looks amazing.  Add into that a rich and immersive 5.1 Surround Track and well...this is like watching Lifeforce for the first time all over again.  I was honestly getting chills I haven't had in years watching this movie.  I also had no idea how gruesome the vampire/zombie hybrids were until this disc came along.

But it doesn't end there, this edition is loaded to the brim with extras.  Plenty of behind the scenes interviews with the cast, some awesome old school featurettes and perhaps the best surprise of all...both cuts of the film.  The theatrical cut from so long ago and the Director's Cut can be found on this disc.  

It's worth every penny and truly a must have in every horror fan's collection.  Go out, get this one as soon as you can, you won't be disappointed. 

Once upon a time, there were two brothers. One said something stupid and made everyone angry because he's stupid, and the other was awesome and caring and just did things out of love for his baby brother. Seriously Sam! How could you!? Some things you can't take back once you've said them!

Anyway, focus on the episode…This week, Sam and Dean investigate the strange murder of a 300Ib competitive eater! At first, it looks like it may be due to a curse by a Gypsy, but that idea gets squashed when they find out that the Gypsy and the Competitive eater were having an affair. A second murder sends them to a 'Wellness Spa', where people go to lose weight. A strange suction mark on the back, however, leaves brothers confused.

So, what could be killing people by sucking out their fat? Enter, covert mode. Sam gets a job as the new Yoga instructor while Dean gets stuck in the cafeteria! The spa, by all counts, seems normal. Isn't that how it always goes? When Dean tries the pudding and quickly passes out from it, however, the normal, just got wrong. Someone's putting roofies in the pudding and it's not cool. Thankfully Sam finds him and they figure out who is behind the strange marks and the fat sucking. Maritza, the owner of the spa, happens to be a Pishtaco, or, a Peruvian Parasite monster! more like a giant leech. 

Only Maritza isn't the one killing people. Sure, she's sucking the fat out of them, but she does not kill. Her bother Alonzo, on the other hand, has no problem killing. He even kills Maritza's husband! Alonzo almost kills Sam too, but Dean intervenes and kills the little Pishtaco just in time! (Because Dean is awesome and always saving Sam's ungrateful a--) By the end of it, Maritza is being sent back to Peru and the brothers are back to being awkward around one another. And then Sam goes and says one of the most unforgivable things that has ever come out of his mouth.


Shame on you Sam Winchester!