Caution: This article contains minor spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Know Fear’.
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It is definitely safe to say, that the possession sub-genre of horror films, has grown a tad stale and incredibly predictable over the past few years. Simply because there are a bevy of films out there that feel quite similar to one another. For they all feature a fairly baseline plot. One where an innocent child or teenager or adult, finds themselves confronted with the fact that some kind of evil has locked onto their purity and wishes to corrupt it, and does so by entering their body to take control of it. Which in turn leads to a grand fight, one that is both external and internal as our innocent person does their best to escape the evil with the aid of someone who knows how to purge it. 
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Which is a structure that does indeed allow for some terrifying moments to take place, since it is always unsettling to watch a good human being transform into something incredibly evil, but that really is a safe way to tell these stories for certain. But while it may bore some, it pleases a great deal of others, which is why this formula persists, to keep folks happy and it likely won’t be going anywhere, anytime soon. But thankfully, once in a while you run into a possession film that is eager to shake the genre up and tell a different kind of tale, one that is indeed unconventional and norm shattering, and it just so happens that a possession horror movie that meets that particular criteria recently hit in the market in Know Fear.

Now in this particular film, we are introduced to a loving couple named Donald and Wendy that are eager to start the next chapter of their life together in a lovely new home. One that sadly, has some secrets. Because well before Donald and Wendy moved in, dark deaths happened in this place, something that they are completely and utterly unaware of and that does them a great disservice. For those deaths were part of a failed attempt to contain a powerful evil, one that has noticed new tenants in its domain, and it is eager to take control of Wendy and use her to find its way back into our world. An act that leaves Donald beside himself when Wendy begins to exhibit strange and twisted behavior, since he knows not how to save her. But thankfully a strange book within the house may hold the key to his wife’s salvation, provided of course… he and his extended family can figure out how to use it. 

So, at first glance, that particular plot sounds akin to everything predictable that we just lamented a little while ago and truth be told, early on this movie really does feel like the standard fare. After all, Wendy has a good heart, and does good things for others, which clearly is one of the key reasons she became a teacher. And of course, the evil wants to corrupt that purity and takes control of her soul quickly, leaving one to wonder if Donald will seek out an expert in these matters, in order save his wife and the world. But that’s where this movie manages to differentiate itself from the rest of the pack. Because there is no expert waiting in the wings, nor is there is some holy miracle cure within the pages of the book.
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No instead, there is only Wendy’s niece, Jami and her brother Charlie, and Wendy’s teaching assistant Darcy, waiting in the wings to save the day and the only person that seems to have any understanding of what it is going on is Jami. For she is a part time paranormal investigator and is eager to solve this mystery using her knowledge of the spirit world and that leads to a supremely refreshing second half of the film. One where the characters are genuinely on their own and have to figure out how to defeat this evil on the fly and their trials and errors absolutely engross the viewer. Since you find that you are eager to see if they will be successful in their quest to save Wendy and perhaps the world from a great evil that wants nothing more to take over and well, whether or not that happens… we won’t spoil here. 

Simply because there are surprises to be found in the finale of this film, the kind that would be a great disservice to reveal since they need to be experienced firsthand. Which means that in the end, this is a horror film that this reviewer absolutely recommends you see. For not only does it feature a unique and engrossing story, but it also harbors some creepy scares as well. The kind that quite frankly, make this motion picture a throwback horror film in a way. Since it really does do a wonderful job of using shadows and misdirection to bring about the scares, something that has become a lost art form in the modern era. So, if you’re looking for a solid scary story that actually manages to breathe new life into a slightly tired horror sub-genre, then give this one a look.

Following through on promises is something that people need to do more of. I will admit that I am guilty of going back on my word a time or two, but I try my hardest to honor my commitments and do it with a smile on my face. It is so easy to just not do something that you do not want to, but like someone once said, ‘you are only as good as your word’ and once you go back on it, nobody really needs to believe you will follow through with anything. It is a huge life changer for many people when they can no longer trust someone and I hope that more people take note that they are not only hurting themselves when they do this, but the people that they are not helping as well. The more follow through, the better you will feel about yourself and bit by bit the world will become a better place.
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With her life being turned upside down, Kate Ryan has moved into her new home off of Lake Eerie.  With a promise being made to her late husband John that they would retire there; Kate has decided to make the move to help honor his memory. With the house being well under market value and being fully furnished, the deal was too good to pass up. Moving away from the memories, Kate can start her life over again, but she has no idea what secrets have been hidden within the walls of her new home.

Getting a visit from one of her neighbors, Eliza, Kate finds out all kinds of things about the previous owner of the house, an archeologist named Harrison Lloyd. Being a looker back in his day, Harrison fell into a coma at the ripe age of twenty-nine without any explanation. With all of the artifacts and his personal effects still in the house, it is like he never left, and Eliza is beside herself seeing that Kate will also try to respect his wishes of keeping them all there. But Eliza has a favor to ask of her new neighbor, as her niece is a huge Harrison fan and would love to try and study what has been left behind for her own research. Agreeing to this, Kate has no idea what she is opening herself up to, but that is not the only thing she needs to worry about as the house is old and a fuse blows on the first night.

Only being able to arm herself with candles against the dark, Kate sees a figure in her house, but when it gets close enough, it disappears. Not knowing what she saw, Kate is also having vivid dreams of her widow that seem like real life. As the nights move on, the dreams get more powerful, and she is thinking that it is just her mind playing tricks on her. Finding one of the old diaries from Harrison Lloyd in a locked shelf, Kate tries to get a feeling for who the man really was. Passing on what little information she has found, young Autumn who is obsessed with the archeologist is impressed and is also wondering what else is hidden in the house. Wanting to find an ancient locket of light, Kate and Autumn begin their search around the house since it has powers that have never been seen before, but Kate finds out that her search may need to go faster as since there are beings not from this world that are looking to kill her.

What a dark little movie that has everything that you want in a horror movie. I was impressed by how the story played out and really liked seeing an alternate realm that the other side is looking to open up.  Autumn really stole the show, as she knows plenty about the house and its previous owner and the look she gets in her eyes when talking about Harrison is just silly. Kate thinks that what she is going through in the house is just her mind playing tricks on her, since her mental state has not been that good since the passing of her husband. The surprise is Harrison making an appearance in any way that he can to help keep Kate from being harmed by those who have been hunting him for so many years, that was actually the fun stroke to the story that I did not see coming. With dark figures, ancient Egyptian artifacts, a freaky house and a mystery that needs to be solved, once the story stars moving, you don’t want to look away since it does not stop until the final credits roll. Stay Scared.

For the most part, movies that revolve around the power of grief, tend to play it safe and understandably so. For grief is quite the powerful experience, one that rattles a human being like never before, and rather than potentially trigger audience members that have dealt with that kind of pain or make audience members that have yet to experience grief’s power, uncomfortable, it is a safer bet to tell an inspirational story that shows characters recovering from it in a speedy and happy manner. But while that does make for some uplifting stories for certain, the kind that allow for people to believe that they will be able to handle grief when it arrives no problem, the fact of the matter is… playing it safe in regard to grief does the story and the viewer a great disservice.
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Simply because it marginalizes grief and its power over a person and it only helps to add to the stigma surrounding it. But thankfully, as time marches on and we continue to have healthy conversations about what mental health looks like in our modern world, stories are beginning to explore the true power of grief and what it actually does to a person when it is unresolved and oddly enough, the horror genre is leading the way in these explorations. For this particular genre understands human emotion better than dramas and it knows how to address our concerns and our fears in a safe and unique environment and it just so happens that the horror streaming service Shudder, is about to provide us with a fascinating horror story that explores the power and the nature of grief in, Koko-di Koko-da.

Now in this particular film, we are introduced to a loving couple named Tobias and Elin who seemingly have it all. For they are true partners in a healthy and dynamic relationship, and they even have a wonderful daughter named Maja who is their everything. But one simple day, when the family is out celebrating Maja’s birthday, disaster strikes. For the family comes to learn that a seafood allergy has developed in Elin, one that puts her in the hospital and unfortunately, while she sleeps and heals with her family in the hospital, that same allergy takes hold in her daughter and takes her life. Leaving both Tobias and Elin besides themselves for years, to the point where their perfect relationship is but a memory. But as if that wasn’t enough trouble to deal with, an even bigger test awaits them when they opt to get away from it all and go camping. For their first morning in the woods is met with terror… when a strange group of people greets them with weapons and fury and the expectation to bend to their whims or die.

So, it’s best we get this out of the way right now and point out the fact that this is an incredibly different horror film. One that toys around with the traditional storytelling structure found within the genre and that’s important to note, because the fascinating manner in which the story is told, has the potential to outright confuse the viewer. But while the unconventional nature of this tale is indeed jarring, this is a story that you simply need to stick with. For there is a rhyme and reason to everything that happens in this film, and the payoff is definitely worth the wait, especially when it becomes apparent that everything strange and unique that happens in this story… is all part of a grand exploration of grief and how it negatively impacts our souls and our relationships when we let it take control and once that becomes clear, the story takes on a bold new life.  
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For it truly holds nothing back in showing us how people are apt to do some unhealthy things when grief takes hold. Such as do everything they can to run from it and avoid having to deal with it. Even going so far as to keep family members and loved ones at arm’s length in order to keep the pain from even remotely settling in. Plus, it is also keen to show us how easy it is to use grief as a weapon, as evidenced by how Tobias and Elin treat one another, since they consistently project their pain upon each other, making their relationship toxic at times. But while those are some bleak and realistic elements to explore in this particular motion picture, what truly makes this harrowing adventure worth the audience’s while, is the sheer fact that it does offer up answers as to how we overcome grief, and it does so in an honest and frank and digestible manner.

As to how exactly it pulls that off, well we won’t be spoiling that here. Simply because you need to experience that particular feat and everything else that this motion picture has to offer, firsthand. Simply because this is hands down the most original and unique horror film of the year. Thanks largely to the fact that it makes grief the true monster of the story and doing so allows for one raw and visceral experience to take place, one that gives the viewer great pause. Since this is the kind of story that stays with you long after it has come to an end and thankfully… you won’t have to wait long to experience this fascinating and downright terrifying story, since Koko-di Koko-da is set to make its debut on Shudder, come this Thursday, March 18, 2021. 

​If you are like so many of my friends, you love home restoration shows, mainly because they make it look so easy to flip a house and make a hefty profit. I can confirm that putting a new coat of paint on the walls is easy and some of the woodworking can be done easily, but that is about it. When it comes down to it, if you buy a cheap house that has major problems, you will find yourself getting in deeper and deeper every day. Even if you are not trying to flip the house, the wiring and plumbing in an old fixer upper can be enough to make you want to start over, and of course it can be far more difficult to live in that house, if you discover that it has quite the history.
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With his next episode of Mastering Disaster getting ready to film, Darryl Masters and his daughter Rebecca have moved to war torn Detroit. With a beautiful house on their agenda, Darryl sees that there is plenty of work to do on his first walk through, but he is not too worried, since this will make for a great episode. While shooting the first reactions of the crew, a door slamming out of the blue startles the crew, but chalking it up to a draft, they continue to move on. With a full body mirror on the wall, the craftsmanship of the house seems to be great, but seeing a door on the wall that leads to nowhere, Darryl is starting to wonder what the heck the previous owner was thinking.

As the first day goes off without a hitch, the second day of shooting is terrible for the crew. With a fire breaking out for no reason and one of his crew stepping on a nail, there seems to be some bad juju in the house that nobody is willing to admit. But when trying to get some external shots of cleaning up, Darryl’s workers take off, leaving only him, his daughter and the film crew to continue on. Needing a new group of workers, Darryl’s producer Jo is able to get some locals to come in and while Darryl is not too happy about the situation, he has enough to make the show work and hopefully continue on.

With work starting on the house and the door to nowhere on the first level being removed, Darryl is happy with the results and is ready to move on. But after throwing a pizza party for his crew and coming back to the house in the morning, everyone is in for a surprise. Seeing that the house has been vandalized during the night with spray paint all around, Darryl believes that kids are to blame, but his new house is just starting to reveal its secrets. Finding that a Satanic Altar has been set up in the house, new worker Buddha wants the house to be blessed to put his crew at ease, but when the monks he calls in leave quickly and don’t bless the house at all, he believes that nobody should stay in the house. But needing the ratings to keep his show afloat, Darryl plans to shoot a Halloween episode where he stays in the house overnight. Nobody knows the true secret of 8989 Redstone, but they will soon uncover the truth about every last one of them.

Just a fun story that takes us behind the scenes of a reality show and it goes into much more than just fixing up a house, since you have a love story, a haunted girl and a struggling star that needs ratings, so what could go wrong? I think that is why I liked it, because everything goes wrong, and it is glorious. I also liked how they added a little bit of backstory to the house and its previous owner who could accomplish anything that he ever wanted. With all of the warnings being thrown their way, nobody really wants to leave the house until the job is done, which gives you a small sense of realism, because most people would not be able to do walk away when they have all of their money funneled into a massive project. With a door that leads to nowhere, a haunted girl, an overbearing father, strange sounds and a house that does not want to be touched, you’ve got a pretty good, haunted house movie that keeps you wondering what is really happening inside of the walls of 8989 Redstone. Stay Scared.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 1019 of ‘The Walking Dead’.
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If there is one important notion that each and everyone us believe in, it would have to be that ‘keeping the faith’ is paramount to surviving hard times. For we sadly come to learn through our travels, that the world can be a cruel and chaotic and stressful place, one that will bring us to our knees and leave us wondering if giving up is a better option than going forward. But hanging tight to the belief that tomorrow is another chance a fresh start and that things will get better in time, helps us to steer clear of the quitter’s mentality, just long enough for us to get through our rough patch so we can enjoy the better days we dreamed of, during those long and worrisome nights.
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But while it is clear that this is one of those rare notions that is as good as advertised, keeping that faith when the world keeps hammering us, is no easy task. Because when tough times seemingly have no end in sight, and leave us emotionally rattled, holding our heads high and reminding ourselves that this is only temporary, seems ridiculous in its own right and this is a critical moment in our attempts to forge a path ahead. Because if we do indeed lose the faith, we could slip into quite the dark place. If anything, all of this is important to talk about today, simply because the power of faith, and how we maintain it during dark times, and what we become when we lose hold of it, served as the focal themes of this week’s episode of The Walking Dead. 

For ‘One More’ saw Aaron and Father Gabriel, have their faith tested like never before. Because when we catch up with them here, they’re on quite the special mission, one that involves finding food for everyone back home since the damage from the war left their food supply and crops in tatters and well… they’re not having a whole lot of luck in finding supplies on this run. In fact, they’re failing miserably and cannot find a single morsel, even after being provided with a map of potential resupply sites by Maggie. And to complicate matters further, all they find in the wild is walking death and devastation, which only further fuels their frustration and stings them emotionally… since such sights helped to remind of everything they recently lost. 

But they do their best to keep their heads held high, despite the odds being against them in the moment and thankfully, they’re rewarded with quite the lucky break after a storm. For they manage to find shelter and food and even a little booze to take the edge off of their stressful situation, and that is precisely when the story opted to begin its exploration on the nature of faith and what causes us to potentially want to surrender it. For we came to learn in this segment of the story that Father Gabriel has slid into quite the dark place mentally. Because the events of All Out War, combined with the heavy losses they suffered after facing Alpha, left Gabriel wondering if there was any good left in this world.

For not only was it populated by living death, but Gabriel’s and everyone else’s interactions with other survivors (outside of the network of communities that Alexandria managed to cobble together) were quite horrifying in nature. And hearing Father Gabriel speak to his disdain for the world and his worries for the future, made it clear to Aaron, and the viewer, that this man of the cloth was losing faith in just about everything. Which motivated Aaron to not only remind Father Gabriel that he was likely wrong in his assessment of the world and that he absolutely needed to believe in more, but also that perhaps the time had come to resurrect Alexandra’s as a beacon of hope for lost souls, so that good could find a foothold in this world. 
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A notion that Gabriel only briefly considered, thanks to a surprise the morning after their little chat. For both men came face to face with an angry and abusive stranger named Mays, who was hiding in the building all along and heard their conversation from the night before. Which motivated him to show these men that they were wrong for believing in anything greater and that the world was nothing more than a rotten and dead and hopeless place. To the point where we even tried to get them to take part in a variation of Russian Roulette to hammer his point home. But that didn’t stop this dynamic duo from doing their best to try and talk Mays down off his emotional ledge. In order to see that there was still hope and good in this world. 

But despite reaching him and getting him to stand down with an offer to start fresh in Alexandria, Gabriel was still quick to kill the man. Simply because he believed there was no hope for his future, a decision that Gabriel would subtly come to regret when the duo discovered that Mays kept his twin brother alive over a food dispute, and the horrors that poor man had to witness… motivated him to take his own life when given the chance and well, seeing this whole mess come to an end in such a brutal and dismal manner, seemingly taught Gabriel quite the important lesson in regard to faith. In that, letting go of it can bring about nothing but trouble and strife and trying to supply even of a sliver of it to others, can produce wonders and hopefully this incident was everything that Gabriel needed, in order to begin to believe in a better tomorrow once again.

In the end however, this really was quite the brilliant episode. Simply because it offered no easy answers on faith. No instead, it opted to point out how hard it is to maintain it and how the world will indeed do its best to try and rob us from it and it really does deserve some serious credit for presenting such matters in the raw and for once again providing the audience with authentic fallout to a harrowing moment. Something that was helped along by way of some quality performances. For Seth Gilliam did a fine job of selling Gabriel’s struggles and Ross Marquand knew exactly how to play off of that and of course, we would be remiss to not point out that Robert Patrick utterly steals the show here as Mays, since he sold the fury and the pain of a broken man and now that this particular journey has come to a close, all we can hope for now, is that Gabriel will indeed do his best to help others again. Since clearly faith is exactly what this broken world needs, and who better to supply it than a priest who almost let it slip through his fingertips. Until next time.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season two finale of ‘A Discovery of Witches’.

If there is one particular fact that each and every one of us can agree upon, it would have to be that life is sometimes incredibly overwhelming. In fact, it can be so stressful and so overpowering, that the only smart to do thing to do when it starts to genuinely burden us, is to get away from everything for a little while. Just so that we have an opportunity to breath and to process everything that’s going on, so that we can figure out a proper plan of attack to bring order to chaos. But sometimes, life gets so out of hand, that escaping and staying away from our problems indefinitely seems infinitely better than dealing with the matter at hand and well, that’s an incorrect and irresponsible line of thinking for certain, since our problems never quite go away. 

But when we are in that particular mindset, and decide it is the way to go, coming back to reality is seemingly an impossible task, and that’s why it is important to have people in our lives that are willing to point out that we need to get our heads out of the clouds and get back down to business, so that what is stressing us out, doesn’t spiral out of control and really, this is relevant to our discussion today… simply because this particular quirk to handling stress, served as the focal point of the season two finale of A Discovery of Witches. For when we catch up with Diana and Matthew in this particular tale, they’re not really making all that much progress on their goals. Instead, they’re continuing to live it up in 1591 England, since being here offers them everything they ever wanted in life, without ever having to deal with the chaos they know awaits them back home and well, for a time it seemed as though they were going to be lost in their own little slice of dream-like heaven forever.

Thankfully though, the arrival of another Timewalker changed all of that for them. Because an encounter on the street, revealed that the voyager from time was in fact, Diana’s father and the shock of seeing him… combined with some harsh words from him about their desire to hide within the confines of the past, slowly woke up them from their fog. Allowing for them to realize that they did indeed need to finish their business here and get back to present day. For there were people depending on them in 2021 and the problems they left behind would only get worse and once that sunk in, they got right to work on preparing for their departure. Which allowed for Diana to finally tie the Ninth Knot and to offer her father a proper goodbye before he returned to his own time and well, when we leave this star-crossed couple in this tale, they’re moments away from returning home… and not a moment too soon.

Because while the newlyweds were coming to realize they’d hidden from their responsibilities long enough, everyone back home was dealing with some serious danger. For Peter Knox decided the time had come to go to Sept-Tours and handle the matter with the hybrid child (after having Gerbert bruise his massive ego of course), and well… that led to disaster. Because he used magic to bring Emily out into the open, in the hopes of getting her to reveal the location of the Witch page from the Book of Life, and while she did indeed do that… she was quick to hide it from Knox. An act that led to grave injury for both her and Marcus for that matter as well. Since he had no problem standing up to Knox for even thinking about coming close to Sept-Tours and well, despite his bravery, the damage was done and Knox was off into the night, leaving us with quite the cliffhanger once again.

For Peter’s actions will undoubtedly cause all kinds of trouble and make all kinds of waves, the kind that Matthew and Diana will have to handle quickly, along with other crises. But while we wait for their return and the resolution of their journey, we can bask in one brilliant finale. One that once again offered up a lovely life lesson to the audience, by way of quality character growth and that really is the perfect way to end this season. Since growth was its overall theme and now that Matthew and Diana have found themselves and one another and discovered what they want, it is safe to say that season three will focus heavily on their new abilities and internal strength as they fight an incredible fight to save all of creature kind, and that means we will all be counting down the minutes until the show’s return in 2022, so we can see how this incredible journey comes to a close. Until next season.
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‘A Discovery of Witches’ is streaming now on Sundance Now and Shudder.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 209 of ‘Servant’.
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When it comes to the AppleTV+ series, Servant, we’ve spent a great deal of time examining how this show does an incredible job of presenting the audience with all the negative and unhealthy behaviors that people shouldn’t embrace when trying to recover from grief and loss and trauma, and with good reason. Because time and time again, this show continues to find new ways to put such matters on display. In order to hammer home the tough fact that not everyone recovers from dark moments. Which in turn, poses the possibility that the Turners may never recover from the loss of Jericho thanks to how much they embrace the darkness that can come about from losing someone we love and really, this is relevant to our discussion today, simply because the next episode in this phenomenal series… once again made this particularly sour part of the human condition the focus of its storytelling.

For ‘Goose’ saw Dorothy and Julian opt to embrace some genuinely unhealthy behaviors, such as doing everything within one’s power to try and suppress any semblance of healing so one can stew in powerful negative emotions that have become habit, and that was handled by way of Julian’s journey. Because his open and intimate evening with Leanne really impacted him in a manner he could not reconcile, since it forced all kinds of painful memories to the surface of his mind. Which should have been his clue to finally deal with them and resolve them. But instead, Julian was snorting coke and drinking heavily at the Christmas Eve family dinner that took place in this tale, to repress his feelings. But they were so powerful and so overwhelming that he used more cocaine and booze, in an effort to accomplish his numbing goals... and slid into cardiac arrest.

Which more or less made it seem as though tragedy was once again going fill the halls of this haunted home. But Leanne was quick to act in this matter and use her incredible powers to bring Julian back from the beyond, something that clearly left Julian rattled and with good reason. For he more or less confirmed that an afterlife exists, by mentioning the fact that he saw Jericho in whatever place awaits us when we die, and that the little guy was doing just fine back there and well, it is definitely safe to say that we desperately want to know more about what exactly Julian saw and what kind of lasting impact such sights will have upon him. But that will have to wait for another time. For he was hauled off to the hospital to get proper medical treatment and there was still one more sour story to explore within the confines of the Turner home, one that involved dear Dorothy.

For her journey in this tale, revolved around a painful and tense wait. One that should have brought her baby Jericho. But as the day wore on, it became clear that she wasn’t going to be reunited with her little one in the slightest and well, how she would handle that was a concern of Sean’s and he was justified in worrying about such matters. For Dorothy embodied the worst-case scenario in this tale, since sometimes people that lose loved ones truly believe that there is nothing left in this world for them with that person gone, and that their only alternative to handle the pain… is to end everything. And sadly, the noose she set up in the basement, made it clear how ready Dorothy was to fulfill that grim destiny. But believe it or not, there was a bright spot in this tale in regard to Jericho. Since another stranger appeared at the end of this tale to offer her help in bringing the baby back into the fold and that’s where this particular story ends, with the possibility of Jericho's return, hanging over the Turner family once again.

If anything, it is definitely safe to say that this was the darkest episode of this series to date and that’s saying something, since we’ve seen it go to some incredibly dark places before. But seeing the self-destructive behaviors and suicidal tendencies that can potentially accompany grief on full display in this tale, really does make this a sobering and unsettling affair. One that really gives us an idea of how far Dorothy has fallen without her baby in her arms and really, her journey leaves some incredibly ugly questions hanging over this tale. Because despite the hope present at the end of this episode, Leanne’s cohorts have used Jericho as nothing more than a bargaining chip, and for that matter… Leanne isn’t keen on bringing him back, either. Leaving us to wonder if by chance the season two finale of this series is going to end in heartbreak and devastation and death and well, that is going to make the wait for next week’s finale a painful one for certain. As we wait to see if Dorothy Turner can ever be redeemed or ever heal from that fateful day... when her life changed for the worse. Until next time.

Finding something that has been lost for generations is something a lot of people would like to do. But there is one major drawback in doing this, it is called research. Wanting to know everything now and not wanting to put in the time seems to be a mantra that many people like to live their lives by, and it will always leave them short. When you are able to find out a little bit of history, decipher what has been written and understand what was being said, you will find that your treasure hunt will be more successful, or at least lead you to more clues to help you achieve your final goal.
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With an old diary in hand, Thomas believes that he has finally located the Nazi’s lost gold that has been evading treasure hunters since the end of the Second World War. Getting his friend Markus involved in the hunt, Thomas has everything that he needs to find the entrance to the hidden riches. Markus is ready to go and with all of Thomas’ equipment, he should be able to make the greatest find in history and become filthy rich. The only problem is getting into the U.S. Military Base where the bunker is hidden, but being an Army brat, Thomas knows he can at least get them past the gate.

Getting through the first gate, Thomas finds the second gate that should lead to the dam where the secret base should be located. Markus jumps out of the car and with all of the tech gear, is able to listen to his friend and get directions on which way to go. With the lack of guards at the gate, Markus takes it easy, but finds that the area is being patrolled as well. As bullets fly by him, Markus is forced to run for his life and somehow manages to locate the old dam without being hit too badly. But he does not see the soldier waiting on the banks of the river who puts the young man in the water.

Losing his friend for a little bit, Thomas sees Markus come back up on his camera and he has found the underground entrance to the base. With a little bit of swimming, Markus has ventured into a structure that has not been active in over seventy years. Making his way through the complex, Markus finds out that he is in the right place when he sees dead Nazi soldiers on the floor. Hearing strange noises throughout the complex, Markus stumbles upon an old nurse who is very much alive and wants to eat him. Trying to escape her clutches, Markus finds out that the old facility is not vacant, it is full of zombies looking for their next meal. But Markus can only think about the gold that is supposed to be hidden in the depths of this place and does not want to leave until he is able to find it… or until something catastrophic happens.

This movie gave me more of video game playing vibe when watching it, and it actually was kind of refreshing. With zombies waking up and trying to feed on Markus, he is able to take care of himself with some sort of ease and seemed to be enjoying himself. I liked how the story went through its process as the movie played, with the normal twists and turns you would expect, and some strange things happened in the complex that were only guesses when it comes to what the government thought the Nazis were working on. With a couple special guests that come out their ‘dead’ home, you get to see how easy fighting off a horde of Nazi Zombies really is, or isn’t, in the case of the military. With plenty of blood, jokes, history on the run, shooting, bodies dropping and the bare minimum of facial hair to be called an adult, this movie will keep you watching to see what will happen next, since nobody really knows what all the Third Reich was working on, but I would assume this is a pretty good guess. Stay Scared.

Families all have their little secrets that they want to keep away from the world. Either it is something that happened in the past with a distant relative, or a current skeleton in the closet that could ruin the family name. You never know what some families are hiding from the world until you are lucky enough to join them and hold that as one of your secrets as well. Even if it seems silly to you, when you are trusted with this fact, you need to keep it a secret as the family wishes, or you might find yourself on the outside looking in very quickly.
 
Fighting another asthma attack, young Timothy has no idea what is happening outside of his door, but his extended family does. Keeping their kin close, Jonas and his clan know the importance of the little boy and what he can do to change the world. But Timothy’s mother Rachel is ready to leave the house, as since she has been leaning on her dead husband’s family for too long and wants to stand on her own two feet with her son. As a full moon is only a couple days away, it is also a blood moon, and that is heating up the blood of the Skinwalkers all around the world, especially with the prophecy that may actually be taking place this year.

Jonas’s family keeps an eye out for anyone new in town and when they see a familiar face in Varek making his way towards their boy, the family opens fire. As the town gets leveled and Timothy and his family flee to safety, Jonas is forced to open up about his nephew’s importance, but Rachel does not want to believe him. Locking the single mother in the back of the van while Jonas and his family change into werewolves, she slowly starts to understand that her son might have a little bit of the same attributes as her husband’s side of the family. As the blood moon continues to grow fuller every night, on the day of his thirteenth birthday, somehow Timothy will be able to put an end to the curse for all werewolves, but there are some that do not want that to happen, hence their running from Varek and his clan. 

Running during the day and being locked down at night, Jonas has to find a way to keep his family a few steps ahead of Varek, but when things start to get personal with his reborn brother, changes will have to be made. Trying to convince Rachel that her husband died twelve years ago when he first sampled blood as a werewolf, Rachel has seen him fang to face and wants to bring her family back together. But that may not be an option as Varek is Timothy’s father and the lead of the pack that wants to send the boy to the great beyond. As the final blood moon approaches, time is running out for both sides of the fight and only one young man can put a stop to it, but will Timothy know what to do when he is finally old enough to face the challenge?

An interesting take on the werewolf genre, with two sides fighting over something that could make their worlds disappear. With more of a focus on family and how much it means for each side, when the bomb is dropped that Varek is really part of Jonas’ family, I mean wow, that was something else. I am not really sure why Rachel is not accepting of her extended family’s attribute, or why she seems to fear them after they’ve taken care of her and little Timothy for such a long time, but I guess trust has to be re-earned when a secret is told after a very long time. With plenty of action, family affairs, blood lust, blood moons, a full moon and lots of hairy individuals running around, it is a fun movie that will keep you wanting to see what the prophecy will bring for the werewolves of the world. Stay Scared.

​It is hard to imagine what people would do for their ultimate payday, especially when it has to do with putting people at risk. But nobody is above it, when their chips are down and there is money to be made, if you don’t collect, someone else will. With funding being cut for all non-essential programs across the world, they must find some way to survive. Being able to run your own business is hard enough, but when your backers are out of the game, it puts a new strain on your shoulders to bring in your own customers to keep your business afloat. 
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Working with her interns at the aquarium, Doctor Angie Yo is showing firsthand how the pollution in the waters is killing off all of the sea life. Getting a visit from the local police force, Angie is pulled away from her teaching and asked if it is at all possible that there could be a multi headed shark in the waters. Laughing at the idea, even with visual evidence, Thaddeus Marshall who runs the aquarium sends the officers on their way, but Angie is curious about what was really in the picture she just saw. 

With no idea what they could be up against, Thaddeus puts himself in the driver’s seat to find and capture the shark, if not for anything else, the money that it would bring in. Heading out on the water with the interns and his good doctor, the group spots a giant four headed shark that is quick to claim one of their own. Knowing that they have bitten off more than they can chew with this expedition, Angie turns to an old friend who has been able to catch a shark or two in his day. Red is more than happy to go on a fishing expedition with his ex, but when he hears what Thaddeus really wants to do, his eyes light up. 

​With the promise of double the initial payment for bringing the multi headed beast in alive, Red takes the dwindling group out on a fishing trip. Being able to track down the shark who is always looking to feed, another of the interns is lost to a couple of the heads, but a spear to the heart should kill the shark off without an issue. Returning to the aquarium and delivering the good news to the police, the beaches are reopened with no worries of any other shark attacks, but little do they know that the super predator is still on the loose and looking to wreak havoc in the Puerto Rico waters until there is nothing left to eat.

Hearing the news that the shark is alive and well, Red and his new crew take back to the waters with a new plan in place, to kill the four-headed shark that has developed a new head on its tail, making it a five-headed shark.  Knowing that sharks do not have a natural predator in the water, the team takes a different route in finding something that they do not like. With plenty of dolphin audio to play to corral the super beast, the focus has turned to blowing it to hell. Yet, there are still plenty of obstacles that Red, Angie, Cait, Ram and Thaddeus will have to face, since the shark has five times the thinking power of a normal shark, it starts to show that it can catch on faster than the normal wrath of the sea.

When it comes to outrageous shark movies, Asylum Productions and the SyFy Network always deliver.  With plenty of craziness that occurs above and below the water, this is the way a shark movie should be made because this was entertaining as hell. I loved the aquarium group and watching as emotion started to overtake them as they started becoming the shark’s primary source of food. If there had to be someone that you wanted to see become the five-headed shark’s next meal, it was Thaddeus since his only focus was on the revenue that the shark could provide, and he could care less about his employees. The relationship between Red and Angie was fun, as you could tell there was something there before the story took place and why not, the little bit of flirting by the Captain helped to lighten the mood when people were being torn limb from limb. With plenty of beach bodies, lots of limbs, four (no FIVE) hungry shark heads, a shot at redemption, minimal propeller props, a sea of blood and a hidden romance, this is just a wonderful shark-themed film. The beaches of Puerto Rico may never recover from the multi headed shark invasion, but I have a feeling that they will be okay once they understand that nobody is safe once the sharks start moving in. Stay Scared.