At some point we have all taken a moment to ponder the past when it comes to a new home, apartment or hotel.  Rarely does it become our top of mind, but there is always that little voice that goes to a dark place in our imagination, taking that single moment to wonder if something terrible happened in the room we now sleep in.  Thankfully our imagination will rarely take us beyond that point, and with good reason, the odds are against such possibilities.  But that's the beauty of horror, it gives us the chance to see the awful answer to "what if?" and that's the focus of The Perfect House.

Set in Anytown, U.S.A. The Perfect House picks up as we meet a young couple in the market to buy a new home.  The home they have chosen, despite the fact that it clearly fits all their needs, has a horrible past.  That's the basics to the film as this flick brings us an anthology style terror tale in the vein of Creepshow or Tales from the Crypt by giving us three tales of terror from the house's dark past while using the prospective buyers as the wraparound story.   

The film itself is pretty standard fare, with plenty of splatter to please, but we felt the need to review it for one particular reason, the second story in the film revolving around a killer named John Doesy.  In this tale, we are trapped in the basement of the house with a young lady who is being groomed for her death by Doesy, played by Jonathan Tiersten.  It is this story that is the absolute highlight of the film, all because of Mister Tiersten's performance.  His portrayal of this madman is utterly terrifying.  John Doesy is without remorse and without emotion, until the moment of the kill.  Once the opportunity arises to open up another human being do we see a twinkle in the eye of this sick little man and at no point can you look away.  

In fact Jonathan has won multiple awards for his performance in this film and he deserves it, only because every second he is on screen you are left uncomfortable.  See it as soon as you can, simply for this outstanding performance.  It will haunt you, and it will disturb you enough to let that part of your imagination linger a little longer on what might have happened in our homes before any of us set foot in them.  

The dust has settled.  Woodbury is empty.  The Governor is on the run and the prison is safe, for now.  Season Three of The Walking Dead came to a close Sunday night with the controversial and polarizing "Welcome to the Tombs" and the either "loved it or hated it" mentality seems to apply to all of this season.  This was a season that took plenty of chances and in the process completely engaged us, at times enraged us and even left us in tears.  So let's take a moment to reflect on all the good and the bad from our first year at the West Georgia Correctional Facility and reminisce about a little town named Woodbury.  

The Good:  I said it before in my midseason review, and I will definitely say it again now that we have seen the season end, the character development this year was pretty damn close to outstanding.  In fact the two top story arcs were Rick Grimes' journey from Ricktator to broken man to hero once again and  Philip "The Governor" Blake's journey from scumbag who tries to do good to a man possessed by revenge to complete and utter madman and they were both beautifully handled. David Morrissey was clearly the right choice for the job as Philip, and I give the show incredible kudos for taking the time to take us through the complete genesis of a villain.  To watch the Governor evolve the way he did was an absolute treat.

We also need to take a moment to discuss the fact that this year provided us with by far the best episode in the series' short life in "Clear".  The phenomenal acting from Lennie James as Morgan and how that episode played out clearly shows that Scott Gimple will be a great show runner as he takes over duties from Glen Mazzarra and that he gets the concept of the damage the end of the world would do to every day people. 

Credit is also due to the show this year for producing an incredible amount of tension week in and week out.  I honestly cannot think of an episode where I was sitting comfortably in my chair because of the incredible sense of danger that hung over every episode.  This felt like a sprawling horror movie and I hope they continue this next season.  

The Bad:  To me there is one glaring issue of Season Three that needs to be addressed...Andrea.  It almost seems like through three years of this show no one has had a clue what to do with her.  Her suicidial tendencies made sense in the first season but were quickly resolved in the finale.  Season Two revolved around her trying to find her place in the new world and she seemed to be on pace to a be strong character at last until Season Three came along.  In fact her story this year was a mess and it overshadowed her death completely.  I get that she wanted to save lives and it is quite a nobel cause but none of us really had a clue that was her endgame until those final moments when she explained it.  

It's truly unfortunate because Laurie Holden is an incredible actress and her presence will be missed on the show and we can now add Andrea to a long list of characters who needed more focus on the show.  It's something I've talked about numerous times and I am hoping that since Scott Gimple's strength is characterization it will improve next year.  

The Verdict:  This really was one amazing season.  Which means that next year will have to be just as amazing as this year to keep our attention.  My hope is that Season Four will top this one and one reason it may do just that is the sheer fact that the Governor is still out there and most certainly hungry for revenge.  But until then, The Walking Dead on blu ray will have to tide me over.  See you all in the fall!  

After sitting down to watch last night's sublime season finale of The Walking Dead I must say I was quite taken aback by one particular element that I did not expect.  The fact that in a show about the living dead and the end of the world, season three ended happy.  It's quite a departure for this show since the last two years we have seen our intrepid group of survivors on the road with the odds squarely against them.  

Yet this stunner of an ending is not without its merit.  This season has been trying to accomplish something all along and the culmination of that subtle message finally arrived right before our eyes. This was a season about the future.  If we go back to last year and the year before that, so much was spent on the characters and who they were the minutes before the first corpse opened its eyes. 
There were constant reflections from the characters on their former lives and the farm itself stood as a refusal to let yesterday slip away.

But this year was so different.  This year it seemed who these people were yesterday no longer mattered.  There were hard choices in front of them, devastating losses and it forced everyone to embrace the now.  Yet there was one final tie to those gentle days gone by and like the rest of the world did off screen in the series premiere, it disappeared just like that.  Woodbury was without a doubt that last bastion of the planet everyone once knew.  With its community cookouts, and Norman Rockwell appearance it is easy to see why so many believed in it and its enigmatic leader in the Governor.  Yet Woodbury's end now signals a new direction for the show, for as it and the old world become a distant memory the show can now explore new territory in the genre.  I cannot think of one story about the living dead that has ever shown us the rebuilding of our species, and the concept of this incredible second chance given to everyone has me fascinated where we go from here.  

Yet this newfound freedom is not without its darker side.  Out there, somewhere, is Philip Blake.  He has crossed every line he can this season and with no one out there to arrest him or convict him, he is truly unleashed.  It almost makes the happy ending of the show become bittersweet for while there is finally a chance for Rick Grimes and his group to rest, there is a monster that is not a walker lurking in the shadows and it is fueled with rage and a desire for revenge.  We most certainly have not seen the last of the Governor.  

But with our host gone indefinitely and the times a changing, it is time to say goodbye to Woodbury. We most certainly did not enjoy our stay.