Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Skinwalker’.
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Even though we live in an age of information, where science has debunked a great deal of the myths and legends of yesteryear, people still hold to them tightly and it makes sense as to why. Because there is a part of our brains, where curiosity and imagination take root together, and in that place, they firmly believe that perhaps science will in fact, stumble upon a legendary creature and prove that our world is filled to the brim with being and worlds we never knew, or thought could exist. And that hope is further exacerbated and fed by the fact that we keep finding all kinds of wild new species on Earth on a consistent basis.

But while we wait with bated breath to see if our hopes will be proven true, stories are always there to satiate our imagination and our curiosity, and they often ask the fascinating questions that help to feed our wilder beliefs. Such as… what if there is a possibility that we already know about these creatures? And they remain a secret because of the danger they pose? Which could explain why science hasn’t ‘uncovered’ these beings after all this time and it just so happens, that a newly released horror film takes the time to toy with those questions by bringing an ancient legend to life in a manner that would undoubtedly force a cover up and a push to keep people out if its domain in… Skinwalker.

Now in this particular film, we are transported back to the wild west, wherein a bevy of people are going through quite the busy day. For a marshal and his deputy have gotten their hands on a nasty criminal and are eager to hand her over, and they are being hunted by her husband and his gang. And elsewhere, a humble man and his wives are living their best life and unfortunately for all of them… their average day is about to become quite deadly. For in the woods, an ancient and deadly legend has awakened thanks to an overzealous grave robber, and the Skinwalker will stop at nothing to claim the lives of the souls that have violated its territory and now it will take some incredible unity and harmony with the indigenous people that call this place home, to quell this evil.

Which is a plot that quite frankly takes the viewer off guard. Since a vast majority of myth-based horror films these days, like to pit an ancient monster against people in our modern world. But instead, we are in the heart of the old west here and doing so allows for a couple of fascinating things to come into play. For instance, it allows this movie to be a bit of an homage to the classic westerns of the 1970s by immersing us in a chaotic world where it is every man and woman for themselves. But more importantly, going back this far… really does create quite the mythos in regard to the themes and questions we discussed earlier. Since it quickly becomes apparent that the evil on this mountain is about as powerful as it gets, and it would make sense that this bloodbath encounter would motivate people to restrict it and move people away from it… allowing for the legend to grow with time.
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But while that is a fun little game of ‘what if?’, where this movie truly shines… is in its commentary. Because believe it or not, this is a movie that also poses quite the unique question. In that… is it possible that evil exists in this world because we refuse to be better beings? For a great deal of the characters in this movie are a touch sour and ‘sinful’ if you will, and it is also established that the Skinwalker resides within darkness. Which in turn adds a sense of biblical reckoning to this story since the wicked are in essence punished by a never-ending evil and it really does leave one to wonder… if somehow our energies and our deeds have given life to the very monsters that pique our curiosity and haunt our dreams in the middle of the witching hour. 

But all philosophy and world-building aside, the million-dollar question still hangs over this review. In that, this is a decent horror film or not and well, the answer to that question is a resounding yes. Because this one is a lot of fun, since it is filled with colorful and dynamic characters… that have to deal with one wild evil and that’s really where the fun comes into play. For the Skinwalker is an insatiable monster, one that truly transforms its host into a bloodthirsty nightmare and that brings about all kinds of delicious gore and eerie moments, and that definitely makes this a worthwhile watch. Because you can never go wrong with a scary story that tickles one’s imagination and leaves the viewer with deeper concepts to ponder upon… whilst also offering up buckets upon buckets of gore.   

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 204 of ‘Motherland: Fort Salem’.

​There was a time in American warfare when combat was quite black and white. In that, there was our army and the enemy, and both were easily identified by way of distinctive uniforms and tactics and war machinery that displayed the flag of either side. But as the years have rolled along and great armies have faded from the landscape, warfare and the appearance of our enemies have evolved. For now, they do their best to blend in and fight with guile and deceit. Simply because they are eager to bring our soldiers down and believe that sneakier tactics might rattle the morale of an army that appears to be invincible, thanks to its incredible resources, and  they also believe... that such tactics might just defeat us.

If anything, that strange evolution to warfare is relevant to our discussion today, largely due to the fact that the writers’ room of Motherland: Fort Salem, is going to explore this notion in greater detail in season two of this series. Because the Camarilla are eager to use those kinds of tactics to gain an upper hand in the war against their ancient enemy, as evidenced by last night’s episode of this series. For ‘Not Our Daughters’ saw General Alder work to open the new testing centers to uncover more witches and keep them safe and well, she genuinely thought that the might of the Witch Army would keep the enemy at bay and allow for a peaceful and smooth opening to what she thought the public would embrace. 

But unfortunately for the general, with anti-witch sentiment at an all-time high, the protests outside the testing centers gave the Camarilla the perfect cover to operate with guerilla warfare tactics, despite having Anacostia and Scylla watching from afar. Which allowed for them to set up quite the trap for the big opening since they placed unique weapons around the perimeter and they also took the time to prepare quite the surprise for Abigail, since they knew Alder was predictable and would bring her and her friends to the opening and well… when the time was right, they struck hard and brought forth utter disaster at this grand event. Leaving the Witch Army embarrassed and Abigail in a tough place since she barely escaped the attempt on her life and all of this made for one fascinating and unique tale.

Because it really does present the Witch Army with a real-world problem that our Armed Forces had to deal with, since it took years for our military to adjust tactics to fight this kind of problem and well, it will be interesting to see how the Witch Army adapts to their enemy. For when magic is involved, there is no door to door searching and clearing as there was in the Iraq campaign, nor were we dealing with this on our home turf and well… that could mean that dark days are ahead for this intrepid army. Because General Alder is beside herself at this point and unsure how to proceed with an enemy that continues to make a mockery of her and that’s bad news for certain. For this army needs guidance and quick and it will be difficult to say if Alder is up to the task since she is so set in her ways and so attached to deception.

In the end however, this was simply an incredible episode. Not only because it took the time to parallel our world once again, but also because it continued to do some incredible world-building. Since we now know that the Camarilla are focused closely on Abigail and the Bellweather family line and that they are far more formidable than anyone has given them credit and now that this story is featuring warfare on American soil… who knows where it will go. Because all bets are off now and the Camarilla are clearly ready to bring the whole thing down if it means defeating their enemies and more big strikes will undoubtedly weaken trust in the army and that means a true leader, one that is ready to fight back in a creative manner, needs to assert themselves sooner rather than later. Until next time.

It is difficult to move on from any situation when you have a lack of closure. Not being able to air your feelings about it, or say goodbye, or flat out not know what happened has kept many of us awake at night. There are instances where people go missing and you can see it in their family’s eyes that they are dying to know what has happened to their loved one. Keeping faith that their loved ones are okay, even after years have passed, if there is nothing to point the other way, then in their minds their loved one is still out there, somewhere, waiting to be found.
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A year has passed since Lisa has last seen her boyfriend and baby’s father, Kurt, and she is still not willing to give up on him. But her life is slowly starting to fall apart as the state is trying to make sure that she is a fit parent to the child. Not wanting to give in to the requests being piled upon her, the social worker finds that Lisa is still following missing persons reports like they are going out of style and takes baby Kim away from Lisa. Upset, Lisa is forced to rely on her brother for support, since he is the only family she has left, that is until a rushed phone call inspires her to find something new.

A year into retirement, former sheriff Jim is still on the case. Taking case files about missing people from his adjoining town, Jim is trying to find the connection and one has come into his sight, the lack of radio and cell signals in the area where the folks have gone missing. Passing this information on to Lisa and Karl, Jim is shocked to hear that there was more information on the cases that he was never aware of. Finding a memory card from the adventure that Kurt and his friends took into the mountains, Jim has new locations to check out and is chomping at the bit to help Lisa find a little bit of closure over what happened.

With his theories not sitting well with Karl, Jim tries to make sure that being supportive of his sister is the only thing that matters, because if she does not get closure from somewhere, she may be driven to leave her daughter without any parents. Karl comes onboard for one day and the group heads up into the mountains to investigate a spot where Kurt’s group stopped, but things start to get interesting when they stop by a house where the group laid up and find that it is no longer in existence. Needing more information on what is happening to them, Jim returns home to see that it has been ransacked by someone looking for the information that he is hiding. But that only confirms that they are getting closer to the truth, the truth that nobody wants them to find.

Talk about a story that is really focusing on what the government does not want you to know, with conspiracy theories about why the missing people were never investigated, to an alien abduction where even the survivors have no chance of making it out alive, the story really sticks with you after you watch it, and while I really wanted to know what happened to get Lisa in trouble and need to have a social worker checking up on her, the overall movie did not suffer by not answering those questions. Wanting nothing more than to find out the truth of what happened to her boyfriend Kurt, Lisa finally gets to put what she knows from his found footage to work while she travels to the mountains to see things through her own eyes. With a friendly camping trip gone wrong, two obsessed people looking for the truth, a black car following them every step of the way, a cover-up of massive proportions and not knowing who you can trust, this is a fun movie that integrates found footage with a fresh story very cleanly. It does make you wonder what we are not being told when it comes to strange invaders and such, but you might want to ask yourself this first, do you really want to know the truth? Stay Scared.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Son’.
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One of the most difficult things that we will ever have go through in life, is watching our loved ones suffer from a severe illness. Because we are in essence, helpless when they come down with their affliction. For we are used to doing anything and everything for those we love, and we are more than happy to lift them up when they are in need. So, to watch them suffer and languish from afar is excruciating and cruel and it is an act that the universe knows how to exacerbate in the worst way possible, believe it or not. Because sometimes, this difficult moment is bestowed upon innocent children and the horror that comes from that is downright immeasurable.
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For all a parent can do is watch and worry as to whether or not their baby will recover from this awful turn of events and live a full and wonderful life or if this is the moment when they are robbed of a future and that more or less motivates a parent… to do whatever it takes to save their child. To the point where cost is no longer of concern because this is their flesh and blood, and they deserve every chance to grow, and they will fight for their survival until there is no hope left and they forced to say goodbye. But even then, there are a great deal of parents that will seek out further and more radical treatments, rather than mentally cross a finish line in regard to their children and these are the parents that we worry about during this particular time of strife. For their desire to see a child survive outweighs everything and could lead to more heartbreak and suffering if they don’t get what they want and it is that darker side to doing anything for the survival of a child that is central to our discussion today, since it serves as the focal theme of the new Shudder feature, Son.

Now in this particular tale, we are introduced to a mother named Laura who is suddenly dealing with that worst case scenario. For after a strange night at home, her eight-year-old son David has come down with a horrible illness, one that appears to be threatening his life. But a temporary recovery, one that leads to an unsettling discovery about that illness, puts Laura in a stunning position. Because now she knows exactly what it will take to cure her ailing son and in order to keep him healthy and going… she will have to make quite the powerful and devastating choice. In that, she can continue to find the unique food that her son craves to keep his bleeding at bay, or she can abandon her baby and let his evil secret consume him through and through and well… a mother’s endless love for her first and only son, will make this decision about as difficult as it gets. 

Which is a plot that at first glance, makes it seem as though this story is going to focus heavily on the horrors of life. Specifically, what it means to watch a child’s health deteriorate and the helplessness that accompanies that, with a supernatural twist of course. But what it quickly transforms into, is a grand character study on the horrors of the choices that a parent has to make when their child is sick and that is quite the fresh and original twist. Because horror films in this vein, where the child is seized by evil, often focus on the cure and the priest or the hero that is meant to cast this evil out. So, to see Laura take matters into her own hands and make the hard calls and opt to feed her baby the horrible food he needs, really does make for some breathtaking and horrific moments on an intimate level.

Because having to go this route, rattles Laura to no end. For she is at her core a good person trying to do the right thing for her only son. But at the same time, she understands the cruelty involved in her decision and how it is impacting lives beyond her son’s and that truly serves as a powerful allegory. One that speaks to the fact that sometimes the best intentions can backfire and trying to do more when there is nothing left to do can cause more harm than good. But while that does lead to some poignant and powerful moments, make no mistake about it… this is a horror film through and through. One that features some downright disturbing feeding sequences and incredible gore to accompany them and as an added bonus, the sub plot revolving around a cult that Laura once belonged to adds depth and mythos to an already rich story.

All of which makes this one solid horror film in the end. For this one really has something for everyone from a fear standpoint. Since it is able to tap into our vast fears of the unknown, the kind that resonate on a primal level and it features plenty of real-world terror as well. Because it also puts forth the worst-case scenario for parents and reminds those of us who don’t have kids, how much we fear getting the call that someone in our family is in the hospital and might not wake up and well, that allows for this story to stay with you for some time after it has come to an end. So, if you’re looking for a refreshing horror film, one that finds a way to get under your skin in a non-traditional manner, then swing by Shudder this weekend when you have a little time and give this nightmarish masterpiece a look.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Seven of ‘Lisey’s Story’.
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Stories that revolve around the power of loss and grief usually shift gears and move themselves into supremely inspiring territory when the main character is ready to begin their long road to recovery, and it makes sense why. After all, the audience has just been through utter hell watching the character struggle with the pain of losing a loved one, so to see them stick to a plan of recovery and do everything to stand tall and conquer their pain is something of a reward for the viewer. A reward that can send one's spirit soaring and also serve to remind anyone watching that they can conquer this kind of pain if they keep their head held high and never let the moment take hold of them again—and honestly, this is really something of a disservice to the audience because in reality, the road back from grieving is not a perky or plucky one in the slightest. This path is often filled with tough days where the sorrow finds a way to wash over us, and it requires some serious self-work and reflection to finally keep it at bay—which makes most stories about grief nothing more than escapist fantasy that do little to prepare anyone for anything.

This is why stories that offer a raw look at the recovery process deserve our awe and respect, because they are offering a proverbial service to those in need, which is why the next episode of Lisey's Story on AppleTV+ is of note. The episode, ‘No Light, No Spark’ is a story that takes time to remind us of how difficult it is to see the recovery process through and the giant challenges that we face in trying to overcome grief. 'No Light, No Spark' accomplished this feat by having Lisey Landon succeed with something that everyone struggling with grieving process dreads: Acceptance.
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To overcome this part of grieving, we have to be honest with ourselves and accept the fact that our beloved is gone forever. The best way to do that is to dig deep within our shattered and rattled memory banks and relive the difficult day that we said goodbye. If we reflect honestly, we can finally let acceptance wash over us, which, in turn, lets the healing begin. And because Lisey had a little downtime before another important event in her life took place (which we'll get to in a moment), she did just that and reflected on the night that Scott Landon died. Obviously, this was a terrible night for Lisey, one where her love struggled mightily with a strange and nasty cough that had overtaken him. An illness so violent that he felt the need to make an impromptu trip to Boo'ya Moon to try and heal it before going on stage to greet his adoring fans at a book event.

Alas, that trip was waste of time on Scott's part. It turns out that the Long Boy robbed Scott of any hope of healing his ailing body because he blocked every path to Boo'ya Moon's healing waters. This discovery motivated Scott to power through his poor health, and eventually, in front of his fans, break down and succumb to years of injury and illness that Boo'ya Moon's waters once healed. Knowing that his time was near, Scott called to his wife and saw her one last time before moving into whatever adventure awaited his soul next. By finally taking the time to confront and acknowledge that Scott's death was permanent and real and painful and ugly and everything in between, Lisey Landon was finally able to reach the acceptance phase and make peace with the reality of her situation before moving on to far more… unpleasant business.
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Jim Dooley was still out there and he still had his unfinished business with Lisey. And for Lisey, a failure to defeat him and remove him from her life would mean that she would never enjoy the peace that she just rediscovered, which led to the most harrowing sequence of this tale. Lisey, Darla, and Amanda worked hard to subdue Jim Dooley, with minimal success. Jim quickly made it clear that he was strong and determined to not lose this fight, which, in turn, led to some ugly and frightening moments. These moments saw Darla and Amanda fall to his strength, and of course, Lisey bore the worst part of his fury—her bruises formed quick, and bones appeared to be broken. But just when it seemed that Jim had the upper hand and was going to end Lisey's life, she executed the last part of her plan: Dragging Jim Dooley with her to Boo'ya Moon. And, by nature of the cliffhanger, that's where this episode leaves us: Lisey and her tormentor far away from the prying eyes of the world so their final showdown can take place on equal ground.

This was a powerful way to end an equally powerful tale. This episode was filled to the brim with moving and emotional moments—the kind that genuinely display one of the most difficult aspects of the grieving process. ‘No Light, No Spark’  held nothing back in teaching us that confronting the dark moment that brings us so much pain is no easy task, but it must be done if we ever want to enjoy life once again. Now that Lisey has done just that, the only question that remains is whether or not Lisey will get to enjoy what comes next. Jim Dooley is about as dangerous as they come, and equal footing or not, it's going to take one heck of a surprise and more than a little luck for Lisey to put her tormentor to rest for good. Until next time, Dear Reader.

​I have always been fascinated by volcanos, even as a child. The Ring of Fire has always had a special place in my heart as I have done numerous reports on it, and when a volcano on it starts to erupt, you get to see activity with the other ones. I have also been curious about the curses that are said to be surrounding some of these volcanos, especially Pele’s Curse. While it is not the kind of ancient curse that kicks in if you take volcanic rocks or sand away from the volcanos, it is instead said that you will experience bad luck if you take them off of the island. Even if it is just something to keep tourists from taking the rocks home with them, there might be something to it and I was much too afraid to try it when my adventures took me to Hawaii, so I took a shirt instead.
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While noticing activity on Devil’s Peak, Doctor Stevens and his assistant Eve Jones see that the old dormant volcano is getting ready to erupt. Notifying the authorities, they are able to get a warning in place to evacuate the town right up against the mountain and with plenty of time before the eruption, there is little panic. While on his rounds, Sheriff Denton has a special stop that he needs to make and gets to see his old crush Mindy Roberts for a few minutes. Helping her get packed up, he has only one request to make of her at this time and that is to have her talk to her father, Old Ben, who is not willing to pack up and leave his home.

Not talking to her father for over ten years, Mindy is reluctant to make the trip, but her daughter Nicole is willing to do anything to help her grandfather. Getting to the cabin further up the mountain, Nicole is greeted by Ben with open arms, while Mindy is left outside with Nicole’s boyfriend Ryan who is along for the ride. While they all believe that there is still plenty of time to talk things through, the mountain starts to shake and the light smoke coming from Devil’s Peak has turned black, indicating that the eruption timetable is off by over a week. Getting in their car and heading down the mountain should be an easy feat, but there is something evil lying dormant inside the volcano, and it is something that not even science can explain.

The spirits of the undead are showered all over the mountain and they are not looking to make friends as Devil’s Peak erupts, they are looking for fresh meat. With the shady history of the mountain dating back to the 1800’s, a group of cannibals were taken by the last eruption and now everyone that was taken in that blast is looking for a warm meal. Working their way through the wooded areas, none of the living have any idea what they are up against as the former residents drool lava onto their unsuspecting victims. Needing to escape the wrath of the mountain, along with saving any of the living along the way, Sheriff Denton has his work cut out for him in getting Mindy and her family to safety and now with the living dead following behind them, the fear of being taken by the volcano has taken a backseat.

Lava filled zombies is all I had to read on the description to know that I wanted to watch this movie.  Starting off as a legend that elder Night Wolf is telling teens to give them a little scare about what is hiding inside of the mountain, it becomes real enough to everyone that was involved. I must admit that I liked the family dynamic that was shown between Mindy, her daughter Nicole and Old Ben, even when things did not seem to be on the up and up, they were more than willing to do anything to protect the family. I also enjoyed the feeling of being alone in the situation, because when communications went down around the mountain, the news was not filtered down to the town about what had changed. With plenty of blood, some zombie headshots, lava filled zombies, a way to freeze zombies in place and a family that will do anything to save each other, it is just a fun movie. Even though I would have loved to have seen more lava coming out of the zombies, especially when they were taken down, just getting a burn from one of these undead was enough to get the point across that they were on the mountain to take care of business and business was good. Stay Scared.

Another week, another reveal from AMC in regard to the upcoming final season of The Walking Dead and truly… these reveals continue to impress. Because they give us all kinds of quality insight into the forthcoming final tales from this juggernaut of a franchise and today’s reveals are no exceptions to that particular rule. For earlier today, AMC offered up new character bios for the upcoming season and new teasers and images and well, without further ado… here are all of those goodies for all of you to enjoy. So, soak up everything that today’s reveal has to offer, and we will see you next week to spotlight the next round!
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DARYL – Norman Reedus  
A man of few words, Daryl is forthright, weary, guarded, and most of all, strategic. His nomadic nature allows him to navigate the familiar and unfamiliar. The divide with Carol is an issue they must address, but food and supplies take precedence. A word to the wise – never mess with his dog.

CAROL – Melissa McBride    
Carol is steadfast in her priorities to help rebuild Alexandria and keep all within its walls protected and fed, but others see the means to survival differently. The strain between her and Daryl is on her mind as she continues to operate independently. She will always go to greater lengths to protect herself, her family, and her community.

EUGENE – Josh McDermitt    
A risk taker in his own unique way, Eugene carries a great amount of guilt. He is aware of the consequences of every decision he has ever made, or will make in the future. In this constant emotional state, is his mind capable of trusting what he says and what he sees?

EZEKIEL – Khary Payton                                
A zookeeper who became King. A man with cancer who has undying optimism. Ezekiel has always helped those around him and himself to live better and be better. Still captured by the troopers, Ezekiel feels he has made a grave mistake.

JERRY – Cooper Andrews
Jerry is vigilant. His confidence and leadership are without question. His effervescence, at times, is the only light in this dark world. But do not mistake his levity for weakness.

YUMIKO – Eleanor Matsuura 
Yumiko's strength is her intellect and it serves her well. Captured, she has little tolerance for the questioning by the troopers. She is unlike anyone they have questioned before, allowing her to look at the situation in a different light, while shedding light on the inner-workings of her new surroundings.

JUDITH – Cailey Fleming
A child of the apocalypse, Judith is stronger than her years would indicate. She continues to hold her head high and fight with might for all to live. She feels the pressure of possibly being the only one left in her immediate family. This is a heavy load to carry at any age.

PRINCESS – Paola Lázaro     
No matter how dire the situation, Princess believes things will work out for the best. Her head may be in the clouds, but her coping skills are dialed-in to how life really works in the apocalypse. If she were to listen to her inner-dialogue, she might realize her instincts and observations could be the key to solving most of their problems.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 203 of ‘Motherland: Fort Salem’.
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Thus far, our journey through the Freeform series, Motherland: Fort Salem, has provided us with a fascinating representation of what life like might look in America if witches ruled the world with magic and what’s made it so fascinating… is the sheer fact that life doesn’t seem all that different under witch rule after all. Because technological advances still occurred, people are still going about their lives and a democracy still exists. The only real visible difference is that the United States Armed Forces are run through and through by powerful witches that use magic to win wars and keep the world in balance and that is really is quite the unexpected twist for certain. Because one would think that a world where magic is real, would have changed the course of modern man in ways we never thought possible.

But it would seem that creating a parallel course for humanity with magic in the mix was all part of a grand plan in the writers’ room. One that would help us to understand that magic wouldn’t put mankind on a more noble course, and that it could instead… enhance some of our darker traits. For as the old saying goes, ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’, and that was never more apparent than during last night’s episode of the show. For ‘A Tiffany’ took the time to explore how magic could in fact… take the American desire to perpetrate war to a whole new level. A feat that this story accomplished by showing us just how far General Alder is willing to go to preserve the sanctity of the Witch Army and that made for some terrifying moments for certain.

Because as it turns out, Alder will stop at nothing to get what she wants if it means the Camarilla threat will come to an end, as evidenced by the fact that she was quick to once again take control of the President of the United States to get what she wants for testing centers and by how she treated Raelle in this story. For she pushed Cadet Collar to new heights in this tale, and not to make Raelle feel welcomed to the army or to make her feel special. No instead, she pushed hard because she knew Raelle and her connection to the Mycelia gave the United States Witch Army an edge at last, one where great devastation could take place and well… that push to weaponize Raelle’s ability, alongside Tally’s realization that bad things happened with the missing soldier back in the day… hammered home the point of this episode.

For Alder is quickly becoming unhinged and eager to win and knowing that she has four hundred years of combat experience and magic to keep her going for four hundred more… has her drunk with power and motivated to wage endless war. Which is a twist that is undoubtedly a touch of commentary on the current state of the American war machine and what’s wild is that the brilliance of this episode didn’t end with a grand examination on how power corrupts. For Scylla and Anacostia came to learn that the threat the Camarilla pose is far greater than expected, since they are running their own tests behind the scenes and finding witches before they can be recruited into the army and that’s scary to say the least. Since it means they are making strides in silence and that speaks volumes to the fact that Alder has made quite the miscalculation.

For her desire to prepare the war machine with an endless supply of soldiers and super weapons, has taken her focus off of the real threat brewing underneath her nose and it will be interesting to see if her arrogance and desire to focus on bigger concepts instead of the root cause will come back to haunt her. But while we wait to see where this revelation takes us, we can bask in the wonder of one quality tale, one that had a lot of say about the problem with absolute power and even offered up a little commentary on women’s reproductive rights, thanks to the plot line involving the Matriarch and her push to get young cadets to breed new witches quickly and well, all of this is simply a turning point for this series. One that signals the fact that this show is evolving and moving past the world building into something quite thoughtful and that definitely leaves one eager to continue to the journey… to see what wonders await us as season two rolls along. Until next time.

While nobody really knows what happens after you pass on, we all have our ideas and there is nothing wrong with any of them. While it can be frightening to think of leaving the mortal world, it should not keep you from living your life to the fullest. Fear can drive you insane and while some people choose to live this way, it can keep you from enjoying a better life. It is important to listen to what you believe and follow those rules, since you might find out that they were given to you to prepare you for the great beyond.
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Needing money to keep her daughters from living on the streets, Alice Zander has cooked up a little séance business that is helping to keep the family afloat. After the passing of her husband, money has been very tight and putting on a good show is something that she is good at. With help from her girls, Lina and Doris, she is able to put grieving families at ease that their loved ones are in a better place. But there is something missing from her act and little does she know that there is actually a way for her to talk to those whom have crossed over, but she will give anything a try.

Picking up Lina from a friend’s house after playing with a Ouija board, Alice decides that this will be the nail in the coffin for her performance. Rigging the board along with all of the other tricks she has attached to the table, she decides to give it a shot. Asking questions, she does not know that the answers are coming from her daughter Doris who seems to be possessed by someone not of this realm.  Not getting the real ghostly response that she expected, Alice goes to bed, but Doris is ready to play with her spirit friends who are more than willing to talk to her.

Showing her mother and sister that spirits really do exist, Doris sits down at the Ouija board and allows all questions to be asked. With an answer to every one, it is obvious to Alice that her daughter does have the gift to contact those on the other side, but little does she know what is really happening. Becoming obsessed with talking to her deceased husband, Alice keeps Doris out of school to find out more things, along with how to save the house. But Lina is detecting a problem when it comes to talking to the dead, as she was told it was fake and knows her sister is able to do so. Asking her teacher Father Tom what can be done about her sister seeming to be possessed, the good father is able to sit down and be read by the little girl and quickly finds out that there is something more sinister at play. With information of his own about who could be in the house with them, the father is too late to help the ailing family when true evil is strong enough to show itself.

If you know anything about movies that I like and movies that I don’t like, you know that I hate when a prequel comes out after the first movie. With this not being a direct prequel to Ouija, it is meant to give you a little more of a taste of how dangerous the board can be. With that being the case, I am all right with it, since very little tied together the two stories. I like how the out-of-control daughter Lina is the most down to earth person in the house, while her mother becomes obsessed with the board and her daughter who is obviously not herself. The being blinded by the spirits aspect really played out well in this film and when they are ready to come out and play, well, you just have to watch the ending to see what happens. With creepy shadow people, a Ouija board, chatty spirits, a great backstory, a possessed little girl and an overprotective sister, it is an overall good time for a PG-13 horror movie. I do guarantee that you will never find me playing with one of those boards, mainly because I don’t want to know if anyone has all the answers and I suck at saying goodbye. Stay Scared.

When moving into a new house, do you ever wonder what happened behind the doors before you got there? The house might be new to you, but there could have been numerous families living there before you even set foot in the front door. It can be hard to imagine that a simple building could hold on to memories, but in some instances a piece of the previous owner never leaves. When searching through the attic or the basement, you may stumble upon something that was left behind, but it is up to you to discover if it was an accident or intentional. 

Laine Morris and Debbie Galardi have been friends ever since they can remember. But Debbie’s attitude is starting to change, and Laine wants to know what is going on. Passing on going to her school’s basketball game with her best friend, Debbie is trying to get away from someone or something and thinking that burning the Ouija board in her possession would take care of her problem, she finds out that she is dead wrong. Seeing something through the hole in the middle of the planchette, Debbie gathers up some of the Christmas lights around the house and throws herself over the banister with them tied around her neck.

Laine and her boyfriend Trevor are having coffee when Laine’s father demands she gets home right away.  Finding out that her best friend in the world has died, Laine is beyond sad but will do anything for the family. When Mrs. Galardi decides to leave town for some time, Laine will watch over the house until she returns. Knowing that the house is empty, Laine attends to the common tasks that have been asked of her, but she starts to hear some strange noises coming from upstairs. Investigating, Laine finds an old Ouija board in Debbie’s room and knowing that there is only one way to communicate with the dead, she decides to have her friends come along and try to reach Debbie, for no other reason to say goodbye.

When the board comes to life, it says ‘Hi Friend’ so everyone is at ease that they are talking with Debbie, but when they leave, they all receive the same message in different places. Thinking that Debbie is trying to tell them something, they all join together again with the board and start asking more difficult questions and what they find changes their outlook on what the board is trying to tell them. As Laine holds up the planchette and gazes through the hole, she sees her friend sitting next to her with her mouth sewed shut. Needing to find out what is happening to Debbie and why her friends are being killed off, Laine pairs up with Pete to investigate what happened in the house before Debbie moved in. Finding out that a young girl was killed by her mother in the house, the young girl’s sister is still alive and Laine needs to talk with her before she possibly becomes the next victim of whatever has come from the darkness.

After reading reviews of this when it first came out, I was not looking forward to watching it, but I am a firm believer to give every movie a fair chance. The storyline is good, taking several twists and turns and still winding up where you think it will. I expected a little more scares in it and the movie used the normal jump scare devices that we are used to, but as the movie gets closer to the end, you will be treated with some different ones that may make you jump a little. I like the sister dynamic that was shown in the film, even though you don’t get the full story about what happened to their mother, and the friendships that are challenged when they find out that the board is not a game was kind of fun. The highlight of the movie came from the telling of what happened in the house, not to give anything away, but a crazy mother trying to conjure spirits is freaky enough and using her daughter to be the gateway is just bad parenting in my opinion. Not a bad movie at all I hope that the cast does more of these types of movies, I see some talent that might just become the future of the genre. Stay Scared.