Revisit episode 15.02, ‘Raising Hell’, right here.

Over the many years of Supernatural (CW), we’ve seen Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester form alliances with demons and other creatures as a means to an end. Often times this ends in disaster. The biggest example being Ruby (Genevieve Padalecki) in seasons 2-4. Now, as Team Winchester faces yet another apocalypse, this fan has been skeptical from the get that our beloved heroes will yet again reach disaster before grace. So let’s dive in shall we…

In this week’s fight against the Big Bad, ‘The Rupture’, named for the tear in the earth that opened all the doors of Hell, focuses on trying to close this rift for good. For now, the barrier containing the escaped souls is still intact, but weakens with every passing moment. A few Hunters’ under Sam’s command are watching the boundaries while the souls within constantly beat at the perimeters. Simultaneously, Sam, Dean, Castiel (Misha Collins), Belphegor (Alexander Calvert) and Rowena (Ruth Connell) head to where it all begin, the cemetery.

Rowena confidently has a spell in mind to try and reinforce the barrier to buy some time. As they approach, we see souls still randomly escaping the tear which I thought was a nice touch as it makes perfect sense that a few souls here and there would lag behind. Setting up shop in the mausoleum, Rowena is free to cast her spell. However, she has terrible visions of the ghosts and senses strong evil and the spell ceases to work. Dean, always the fighter, wants her to make more soul catchers, but Rowena insists stating, “I’m telling you, it’s over!” Belphegor, having stayed in the background through the majority of this, says Rowena failed. He eventually hastily leaves the crypt making his way to the rupture. Castiel follows. Back in the crypt, Dean is furiously loading ammo and preparing for the worst as he says, “I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let some glorified fanboy get the last word!” Hahaha, God… a fanboy! I love it!! At this point, things seems rather grim. I’m sad for Rowena as she sits on the steps in worry. But wait, she is looking at a specific page in the Book of the Damned. Sam asks if there’s anything useful, but she closes the book and replies, “not a thing.” Hmmm, this can’t be good!

Returning from the ruptures edge, Belphegor has a plan – to retrieve Lilith’s Crook. Wait, what!? Lilith!! Damn, she’s gotta be on the list of the most mentioned demons over the course of the whole series, right?? Apparently, this Crook works similar to any other in tending a flock and its horn will call Hell’s lost creatures back home. Cas says exactly what I’m thinking… ”And why haven’t we heard of this before?” Belphegor explains that demons feared Lilith. The Crook was a failsafe, but her fear kept them in line so she never needed to use it. Now this, I totally believe!! Sealed in Lilith’s chamber, Belphegor proposes retrieving the Crook. Then, as Rowena says, she can perform a healing spell to seal the rupture shut. A spell of her own devising I might add. No Book of the Damned needed. Interesting!! With Sam needed to assist Rowena and Dean the unprotected carrier of the magical delivery device, Belphegor pipes up and says he needs help getting to Lilith’s chamber. Dean volunteers Cas. Huh?? Okay, seriously, Belphegor is up to something!! Plus, this tension between Castiel and Dean is palpable, right??

In a different setting, we see Ketch (David Haydn-Jones) waking up. Yay, he’s okay! A nurse tries to detour him, but he’s determined to leave and help the group. Nice! Suddenly, the doctor who appears in the doorway snaps the nurse’s neck. It’s Ardat (Sharon Taylor)!!! They fight and she tries to force Ketch to give up the group’s location. Then, in a turn I didn’t see coming, she rips Ketch’s heart out. Whaaaaat!! As he falls to the floor, I’m trying to remember exactly when it was I started to like Ketch since he really was a dick in the beginning. With Ketch lying on the floor, Ardat uses his cell phone to text Dean. WTF!! Ketch deserved a better death than this. Especially since all Ardat needed to find the group was Ketch’s phone, not his heart!! Plus, now there’s no chance for a reunion with Rowena! **Sigh**

Back at the rupture, as Belphegor pokes at Castiel’s emotions, Cas pushes him in to shut him up. I giggle as Cas jumps in behind him. Once in Hell, seeing that it’s empty, Cas questions the need for the “protection” that Belphegor claimed he needed. Belphegor, continuing to add salt to Cas’s emotional wounds with his friends, admits that he specifically wanted Castiel’s company. Again, I wonder… this kid is up to something!!! When they reach Lilith’s chamber a demon friend of Belphegor’s, Malfayan (Nevin Burkholder), is pillaging the chamber. Some chummy conversation between the two reveal that Malfayan has the Haxon ring. A rather unique looking thing, I start to wonder if we’ve seen it sometime before. Castiel interrupts by violently killing the demon with his Angel blade. With no memory of this ring, I determine that showing and mentioning it, by name no less, is on purpose and we’re likely see it again before this series is said and done.

Castiel wonders if the Crook has been pillaged as well. However, Belphegor knows exactly where it is. Of course he does!! As it turns out, the box it’s in is warded with Enochian writing. Belphegor explains that Lilith knew no one in Hell could read it and says, “Good thing I brought you.” Ahh, now it makes sense!! Belphegor needs Cas to open the box. It’s obvious to me now that he truly wants the Crook for himself, but for what I wonder! And to add a bit of humor, just reading the incantation doesn’t work – it must be sung! LOL!! Dean waits topside at the rupture wondering where Ketch is. Aww, dammit!! Sam and Rowena are preparing, but a reluctant Sam feels he should be “out there” fighting. Rowena reminds him that magic is fighting and they all must do their parts. I remember that at some point, per Death, Sam is slated to kill Rowena. “Not yet,” I say. 

With the “voice of an Angel” (LOL), the box opens and just as Castiel is about to hand Belphegor the Crook, Ardat appears sending Castiel flying across the room, knocking him unconscious. He wakes in time to save Belphegor, but not before Ardat tells him that Belphegor wants to rule Hell. She says she’s been watching him for centuries – “bowing and scraping to Lilith and Crowley, all of them, just waiting for his chance.” Whoa!!! Just as she’s about to reveal what Belphegor really is… YES!!... he kills her with the Angel blade. NOOOOOO!!! Cas questions Belphegor. He tells Cas he should go and with force, flings Castiel out of the Chamber. OMChuck, what is happening??? And just like that, as any typical bad guy does, Belphegor reveals his plans. It isn’t just Hell he wants. It’s everything! As in, earth, Heaven and Hell. A God of sorts, as he states, “great timing, right? Because I heard there was a vacancy.” WOW!!! He reveals that the horn is also a siphon that will draw the power of every evil soul in Hell INTO himself. Holy crap!!! Castiel rationalizes and says that Belphegor’s been playing them all along and with a glimmer in his eye and a snide smile on his lips, Belphegor says, “I couldn’ta done it withoutcha.” I KNEW IT!!! I knew he was playing them, but writer Robert Berens still surprises me with the overall true plan. NICE!!
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Belphegor blows the horn and the souls began to fly towards Hell. Things start to happen rather fast now. Topside knows the time is near. Dean braces himself as Rowena and Sam begin the spell. Castiel fights towards the force of the souls flying into Belphegor. He eventually makes it and takes Belphegor down. He begins beating him profusely. YES! Belphegor pretends to be the real Jack, but Cas doesn’t fall for it. He smites Belphegor harder than I’ve ever seen before as his body shrivels to a skeleton and dust. The Crook is apparently rendered useless in the process. In the meantime, the spell topside has made the magic weapon live. Dean throws it in, but as the earth starts to crumble around the rupture, Rowena knows something is wrong, and so do I!! NOOOO. Not yet!!! NOT YET!!! Sam and Dean share a call, something isn’t right! Rowena takes a knife and digs into her shoulder. What is she doing?? IT HAS TO BE SAM, RIGHT?!? She pulls out her last resurrection sachet. “Won’t need that where I’m going,” she says. My eyes are welling up!! Telling Sam that magic can do and contain anything, Rowena has one last spell… HER! Ahhh, the spell from The Book of Damned from earlier! Only two ingredients – her blood and final breath. I can’t!!! I just can’t! Sam, in just as much denial as I am, fights what’s happening. Shifting between scenes, we see Dean and Cas argue about what happened in Hell while Rowena and Sam debate the inevitable. As my mind starts to catch up with what my eyes are seeing, I’m full of emotion… fear, sadness, confusion and pain. A close embrace, Sam still coming to terms, fights it. For a moment it almost seems as if he’s going to pull back. Suddenly, with tears in both their eyes, he says no then hugs her as he plunges the knife in her belly. I’m speechless!! Before twisting the knife in deeper herself, Rowena lifts Sam’s chin and says, “That’s my boy.” **SIGH**

Outside, as Rowena walks towards the rift sacrificing herself, the souls rush into her. I knew self-sacrifice might happen but still, I cannot believe what I’m watching. I don’t want her to die. My heart is pounding!!! She says “good-bye boys” and falls in. The rupture closes and my heart breaks. Everyone’s hearts break!!
 
Back at the bunker, Dean comes to Sam’s room and asks how he’s holding up. As he and I both wipe a tear, they discuss the townspeople, Ketch, and how they beat an apocalypse once again. Dean tells Sam that he had no choice and even though he knows that, and I know it too, it still hurts!!

The final scene shows Castiel and Dean. They argue. I’m still sad from the previous scenes and seeing these two fight is even more heartbreaking. Castiel admits his powers are failing and that trying to talk to Dean over and over has been fruitless because Dean still blames him for Mary’s death. “Yep,” I say in sad agreeance. As he turns to leave, Dean asks where he’s going. Cas looks back and says, “Jack’s dead. Chuck’s gone. You and Sam have each other. I think it’s time for me to move on.” With that, he quietly leaves. Dean doesn’t say a word… fade out!! Okay, I’m crying all over again.

The end was truly near and Team Winchester, still not having learned from previous flubs, and really having no other choice, decided to put their faith in Belphegor… a demon! The outcome, though basically achieved, cost two lives and splintered Dean and Castiel’s relationship even more than it already was. I wonder, was it worth it? To save the entire planet from being ravaged by angry, blood thirsty souls from Hell, sadly, the only answer I have, is the same as Rowena’s when Sam tries to deny that she must die – Unequivocally, yes!!

What’s your take on The Rupture? How about Ketch and Rowena’s deaths? Or Dean and Castiel’s relationship, or lack thereof? Let me know in the comments below or reach out to me @Obi_juanita on Twitter. Until next time… Go Team Free Will!! 

​If there was one major complaint that I consistently remember seeing on social media, when it comes to season one of Castle Rock, it would have to be that the series took too long to answer our questions. And to a lesser extent, took too long to advance the plot, which are both fair arguments. Because it did take a while to reveal the true identity of the Kid and where Henry Deaver went for a few days. But while I had no problem with the pacing of season one and how it revealed its big secrets, clearly the folks behind the scenes saw those complaints and wanted to do their part in addressing them in season two, since last night’s episode of the series took the time to answer an important question and progress a mysterious plot point along leaps and bounds.
 
Which made ‘Restore Hope’ quite the enthralling ride when all is said and done, because I really wasn’t expecting to learn this early on what Pop Merrill’s big secret was, but this series wasted no time into diving into it, in the most unique way possible. Because Pop’s cancer wasn’t subsiding, and Nadia wanted nothing more than to save him. So, she opted to enroll him into a cancer trial with the VA and in order to complete that process she needed some important paperwork from him. Which led her to seek out his military records and unfortunately for Nadia, her quest to offer Pop salvation instead revealed the secret in question. And as it turns out, there’s a reason that Pop was so vested and interested in bringing her and her brother to America, because Pop was the man who made them orphans in the first place since he shot and killed their mother on one fateful night and now that she knows the truth, it seems their relationship will never be the same.
 
As for the plot point that was pushed along, well that involved Ace. Because he made a point to try and fit and blend in with his surroundings and the good people of Castle Rock, in what seemed to be a desperate attempt to shake the impression that something was wrong with him. And it was downright creepy to try and see him assimilate Ace’s memories and speech patterns. As it turns out though, this was all part of a master plan, because blending in was a necessity for Ace, so that no one would be the wiser when he finally revealed his true intentions. For we came to learn that he’s no vampire, he’s instead some kind of evil being, one that has returned from the great beyond by way of ancient rituals that few understand, outside of the long gone Satanist settlers of Jerusalem’s Lot and he is indeed building an army, one that is going to include his brother and one that is starting to be populated by folks from the Rock.
 
In regard to what exactly that army is up to, we don’t know quite yet and that’s okay, because clearly the series is going to move this plot point along as a brisk pace since we were able to get a solid understanding of how many people now belong to this unsettling club in this episode. Yet while it was nice to see everything chug along, this wouldn’t be Castle Rock without a mystery to solve and there is still one brewing when it comes to Annie Wilkes. Because now that Joy was free of her mother’s grasp and hiding out at Nadia’s house, she took full advantage of her freedom and her friendship with Chance to try and finally uncover what her mother is hiding. Which means she was able to get her hands on the mysterious lockbox that Annie keeps around and unfortunately for Joy, the only things that were inside of it were license plates, a gun and a disc that contains a strangely written romance novel, one that leaves us wondering exactly what those words are trying to tell us.
 
In the end however, this episode deserves some serious kudos. For this was in essence, a filler story, one designed to lightly setup more of the terror that will await us this season and while those are normally boring and slow, this one wasn’t. Because at no point did it feel as though what was happening was drawn out and that’s thanks in large part to what the story addressed. Because the whole reveal of Pop’s secret was huge, and I am quite impressed with how the little mess from the Lot is beginning to blossom into something more, and I also get the funny feeling that Annie’s ‘romance’ novel is some kind of twisted confession and judging from the trailer for next week, it looks like we may discover the true nature of its contents sooner, rather than later and well, I’m here for it. Because season two of this series continues to be a delight and I cannot wait to see what other horrors are going to unfold in the weeks to come. Until next time. 

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season one finale of ‘Creepshow’.
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I’m always in awe of television shows that more or less bring their audience flawless stories week in and week out. Because it isn’t easy to put together an entire season of stories that blow an audience away, but there are shows that accomplish that feat and actually manage to get better as the season rolls on. Granted they’re rare, but when they do appear, it really is something spectacular and special and thankfully, 2019 has gifted us with one such series that fits that particular vein since Shudder’s Creepshow has found a way to captivate us and wow us with every single story that it’s brought to the table over the past six weeks.
 
It’s accomplished such a feat by offering up a gauntlet of horror storytelling, the kind that has celebrated the best parts of the genre, and after seeing this cornucopia of terror play out before my eyes, I have to admit that I was quite curious as to what the season one finale of this magnificent series was going to dive into next. Because in essence, all the major sub-genres and themes were addressed in prior episodes, meaning that something special had to be waiting in the wings for said finale. But what the series presented to us this week; I was woefully unprepared for. Because these dual tales of terror, served as a celebration of everything that made this season so great, since it provided us with a pair of stories that brought together just about everything that Creepshow has taken the time to explore this year.
 
For example, ‘Skinwalkers’ was a tale that celebrated the gore in magnificent fashion, all while offering up some serious social commentary on vanity. And it accomplished that by introducing us to a man named Henry Quayle who was desperate to lose weight and enjoy a beautiful exterior, prompting him to explore a miracle cure involving flesh eating leeches, something that seemed too good to be true, and something that Henry’s instincts were correct about. But what matters more here, was the commentary I made mention of a moment ago since this story dug deep into the power of vanity and how we let body image serve as the definition of who we are, alongside how that’s wrong and that obsessing over said image is dangerous and this was a brilliant way to reintroduce the notion of the darkness that resides within all of us, and the blood and guts at the end was a lovely homage to splatter-y horror flicks of yesteryear such as Re-Animator and Dead Alive and kudos need to go to writers Paul Dini and Stephen Langford for assembling such a smart script.
 
If anything, this was quite the intense story when all said and done, one that was counterbalanced nicely by the second vignette in this episode. For ‘By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain’ offered up a far more intimate tale, one that introduced us to a broken family, one shattered by their late father’s obsession with a supposed monster that lives in the water of a nearby lake, and sadly, without their father present in their lives, they’ve fallen upon hard times. The kind where dear old mom has taken in an abusive lover in order to make ends meet. And the miserable life they live drives young Rose to try and prove her father’s theories right, in part to clear his name, but also to bring joy to her life and well… what she discovers in the end is downright incredible. And what I loved about this story, was that it takes the time to remind us that the greatest monster of all is man and it was also wonderful to see this story push the series back into the fantastical by way of Champy, the monster that populates the lake, and all of these elements made this vignette, one based off of a Joe Hill story, an utterly brilliant delight.
 
In the end however, this was just a wonderful way to wrap up season one of this incredible series. Because in essence, they saved the best for last since these stories were polished and brisk and enthralling through and through and once again, they featured phenomenal acting and directing, and speaking of that, Tom Savini deserves a special shout out. For his work behind the camera in the second segment allowed for the audience to be drawn into a perfectly fleshed out world, to the point where you straight up get lost in the story. Yet, while I want to be sad over the fact that season one of this saga has come to a close, I only feel joy instead. Because this is one of the finest inaugural seasons, I’ve ever seen for a horror series, thanks in large part to all the brilliant cast and crew members involved, but I’m also filled with happiness simply because this is the opening chapter in what appears to be a grand journey. For Creepshow has been renewed for a second season by Shudder, which means it won’t be long until we are back in the Creep’s realm to enjoy more tales of jolting terror, and I’ll patiently waiting for him to crack open The Crate, once again. Until next year, kiddies. 

Having an out of body experience is something that many people say they have gone through when facing their own mortality. Being able to see themselves from above when their body lays motionless on the table and seeing everyone that is trying to help them. This may be something that their minds catch while being unconscious or it could be something that really happens as when these people wake up, they are able to recall all of the events that took place.

The Lambert family has moved into their new home as Josh and Renai Lambert are trying to reconcile their marriage. With three kids in their lives, they are trying their hardest to make things work. Sons Dalton and Foster along with their little sister Cali are not happy with the move but don’t really understand what their parents are going through. Dalton is afraid of the house and asks his parents if they can go back home, but his parents do not understand what is scaring the boy.

One day Dalton does not wake up in the morning and his parents fear for the worst. Taking the boy to the Emergency Room, they find out that their son is fine medically speaking and there is no reason for his comatose state. Being a stay at home mother, Renai keeps track of all of her children when a strange sound comes across the baby monitor in Cali’s room. Thinking she is hearing a voice, Renai runs to check on her daughter as a scream comes out of the baby’s room. 

​Not fully understanding what is happing in the house, Renai tells her husband what she has seen and heard, but Josh is not willing to accept that she is being plagued by ghosts. As the visions get closer to her, Renai turns to a priest to try and find guidance on the situation, but he is unable to provide comfort and turns the young mother to a group of ghost hunters that may be able to help solve the issue. Tucker and Specs investigate the house and come to a quick conclusion that there is something paranormal happening and turn to their leader Elise Rainier. Elise is a powerful psychic and discovers that all of the ghosts around the house are focused on their son Dalton and are trying to infest his lifeless body in order to re-inhabit the world of the living. 

Insidious follows the Lambert family as they have moved their lives to get away from their past. When their son Dalton does not wake up one morning and his mother Renai starts seeing and hearing strange things around the house, she fears that they are being plagued by ghosts. Calling in help from a ghost hunting team, the Lambert’s find out that Dalton is able to travel outside of his body while asleep and has been lost in the Further, the world of the dead. Josh is his son's only hope as he possesses the same power but needs to remember his past with the help of Elise. In a race against time and facing the dead on their own turf, Josh has to battle his own demons along with the ones that are plaguing his son.

If you're looking for a good scare, Insidious does deliver. Having one of the more disturbing soundtracks of recent horror movies, this film focuses more on the plot line than trying the classic camera turns to scare the crowd. With strong performances from the cast members, along with a strong story line being based around young Dalton and his father Josh, this movie shows how the father/son bond develops over the years. I will admit that I was a little hesitant in viewing Insidious, but after getting past that block I was pleasantly impressed with what it brought to the screen. A haunting, possessions, attacks along with the dead all wanting to live again make this a good movie to sit back and get your scare on. Stay Scared.

Taking a daytrip while staying at a resort, five strangers are piled into a van and are being taken to a great destination. Adam and Issac are two brothers that are trying to reconnect after their mother's death has left them with just each other. Bill McCormick and his wife Brooklyn are trying to reinvigorate their marriage and Dr. Lipski is just trying to get away. Along the drive, Adam is startled to see a woman standing outside along the side of the road wearing a white dress with a blood stain on her chest. With no one else seeing this, he thinks he is dreaming and the van comes to a stop at a local gas station.

Courtney is working the counter at the gas station and has no time for the two brothers that are trying to put the moves on her, but finds solace in Bill as he gives her his number while his wife is still sitting in the van. When the group gets their supplies for the long ride ahead, the driver sees the same woman in her white dress standing the middle of the road and swerves to miss her and slams into a tree head on. A gentleman passing by sees the group in trouble and pulls them all of out of the van. With minimal injuries to the passengers except for Bill, who has a concussion, and the driver who is dead, the stranger offers to take the group to his home as a storm is brewing on the horizon.

The group accepts the stranger's help as they do not have an alternative but find out that he may have an alternate motive. With no phone to call for help, Adam takes it upon himself to get back to the gas station to try to get help for Bill who seems to be getting worse from his head injury. Running into Courtney on the side of the road and offering to give her a ride before the storm hits, Adam finds that the road back into town has been blocked off in anticipation of the storm. With another new arrival to his house, the stranger, Jack, is happy to help in any way possible to make the group feel at home. Getting everyone dry and comfortable, strange voices start to surround Bill while he is resting up and he knows what is coming for him and the group, death.

Bill is found dead on the bed and the group is trying to figure out what is happening around the old house. Strange voices and images infest members of the group and with very little information from the owner, they have to find their own means of survival. Entering a small room in the basement, Adam finds some photos of a family with Jack standing in the background. The pictures are very old but the face of Jack has not changed and Adam finds out a deep dark secret about the house that needs to be shared with the rest of the group before they all wind up dead as well.

7 Below follows a group of six people as they accept the help of a stranger and stay in his house while a storm blows over town. When Bill winds up dead, the group starts to panic, and they try to find a way back into town before something else bad happens. Without knowing what the house is hiding, Adam and Courtney search the estate and find a little room in the basement that may hold a secret to their survival. Being caught by Jack, Adam is let in on the secret of the house and the murders that occurred there a hundred years ago. Jack is happy to give the rest of the group the same rundown on what happened in his house so many years ago, but fails to tell them why they have been chosen to stay the night. 

One of my favorite horror formulas is highlighted in this film and they do not deviate from the rules. It is a dark and stormy night; strangers have to depend on each other, and a spooky house is highlighted. This is very enjoyable film as you have to decide with the group who you should and should not trust. Not being able to leave anywhere at any time should be scary enough but having a house that is centered around a dark past along with dead bodies being piled up, just adds to the horror joy. With the question of who you were in a past life being raised as well, you would be disappointed if you step away from this one before the final credits roll. Stay Scared.

Determining what is real and what is fake can be a fine line between being sane and insane. Being able to distinguish between the two is something that we as children are taught by our parents, but what if they were not so forthcoming about what is real? What if they never knew what was really behind our closet doors, under our beds or the truth about the invisible friends that we played with all the time? We were told that if we were the only one that can see or interact with what we believed was there, that it was not real, but there is always a chance that our parents were wrong and there was something there, that was beyond their understanding.

Florence Cathcart has become a well-known haunting debunker in England after World War I. For she has written books on the subjects of ghosts since her love was killed in the war and she’s also gone to gatherings to prove what the groups are doing is bogus and not providing benefits for anyone. Not believing and wanting to prove the rest of the world wrong, Florence will stand up to anyone at any time to show that there is no way to bring back a loved one, much less the chance of a ghost existing anywhere. Being called upon by a boarding school that was formally a home that has had reports of ghost sightings that have resulted in a student’s death, Florence packs her bags and prepares to prove the world wrong once again.

Being shown some convincing pictures of a boy that appeared in every school portrait since 1902 that was never enlisted, Florence tries to convince herself that it came from a double exposure, but nobody at the school is willing to accept that until she visits. Being greeted by Maud Hill, the school’s matron, Florence is shown around and introduced to all of the students. She finds that some of the older boys at the school have been playing tricks on the younger ones, but that will not explain the feeling of fear that several of the boys take home with them. Trying her hardest not to get too involved with the school’s troubles, Florence sets up her paranormal equipment around the premises to find out what is really happening. 

​On her first night of investigating the boarding school, Florence believes that she has found the young man that has been terrorizing the other students. When finding that all of the boys are asleep and accounted for, her theories start to develop holes in them. Locating a dollhouse of the building that depicts what is happening at the current moment of time, Florence has to start to believe that there is something else afoot around the old building. When the boys go home for spring break, one is left and Florence buddies up with him saying that she will be his friend no matter what, but young Tom starts to become something more of a burden than a blessing as he becomes more demanding of her time and training.

The Awakening follows Florence Cathcart as she is on her next debunking mission at an English boarding school after having heard the reports of a ghost roaming the halls that has caused the death of a student. Proving to herself and to the people running the school; that these strange occurrences were caused by people, not ghosts, Florence is haunted by an image from her past that delays her exit for the time being. With all of the boys being sent home for the spring, she is left with the remaining adults in the school and one boy named Tom. Buddying up with Tom as the boy needs a friend, Florence starts to hear things around the building that make her remember bits and pieces from her forgotten youth. As more of her memories come back, she finds out that what she has been preaching may have been a lie.

If you are in need of a classical ghost story, The Awakening is for you. With the classic camera turns for shock value, along with more focus being on the story than the scares, you are not left feeling cheated of your time. Without knowing the full story behind Florence Cathcart, you are able to watch as she grows into a believer of something, she has taken a lifetime to disprove. With strange voices in the background, a mini specter roaming the halls and a boarding school that has more history attached to it than previously known, there are plenty of ways for the story to progress in each character’s eyes and there are definitely some quality scares for you to enjoy along the way. Stay Scared.

As we get older, we tend to let our imagination fade since most of the time, we are not required to use it. While most jobs do not require that sort of independent thinking, I believe it is one of the best parts of our minds to keep working on a consistent basis. When you tap into your imagination for some common work tasks, you can make them go a little easier, and when you get a more dynamic task, you get to think outside of the box for the best way to complete it and it comes to mind much faster. To each their own when it comes to using their minds in different ways but shutting down your imagination should never be something that you turn to, since it can give you so much more enjoyment just to get lost in your thoughts.
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While putting some of her unpacked clothes into the closet, a woman finds a little basket hidden behind some items in the base. Pulling it out and giving it a quick look, she has no idea what it is doing there, but is not too afraid by its ominous presence. Opening up the basket, she finds an old necklace with a green gem hanging from it. With no idea what this strange artifact may be, the woman takes her new piece of jewelry and places it on a side table and dives into one of her favorite Stephen King novels.

As the woman is in depth into the book, she hears something in the other room and does not know what it could be. Investigating what the sound could have been, the woman is shocked to see a figure materializing out of thin air on her floor. Looking like a monster of some sort, the woman tries to sneak by, but winds up slipping, alerting the creature to her presence. Running to her room and getting her gun, the woman unloads on the creature with little effect, but shortly after, the moon light gets blocked by the clouds and the creature vanishes. Checking all of the other rooms in the house, the woman believes that she is safe from the creature from her mind, but quickly finds out that it was created by the mind of the author, as her book displays the same beast that has been chasing her. As the clouds move back out exposing the moon’s light, the woman sees the creature once again and must find a way to destroy the beast before she becomes its next victim.

This is a good action horror short with some very fun CGI that is not overused. I have said it in the past, but just in case you need to hear it again, too much CGI can be a bad thing, no matter the story, but it is utilized just enough in this story to keep it entertaining. I really liked the creature coming from the power of the moon light hitting the amulet, since nobody really thinks that the moon has the power to do anything, and the woman’s response to the beast is great and the look of confusion when she is able to find out where it really came from was priceless. With an old basket, a strange yet beautiful necklace, a cloudy night, a Stephen King novel, some gun shots, plenty of moon light, and a conclusion that will leave you wondering what would come to life if you had the amulet, this is a very entertaining story that keeps you waiting to see what will happen next. Stay Scared.

See ‘The Amulet of Fear’ on Amazon Prime Video. 

We as a people, try quite hard to focus upon the more wonderful things that are present in our world. It’s why we celebrate the majesty of a sunrise or a sunset or relish in the magic of seeing a young couple in love or take a moment to appreciate the serenity of a fresh snowfall or the calming effect of a gentle summer wind. Because all of those things help us to feel alive and they allow for us to live in the moment and soak up the beauty of the world we call home. But you will notice that I said that we work hard to celebrate those things and there’s a reason I put that in print, simply because we tend to take a lot of these things for granted and when the going gets tough, people quickly lose sight of the good and focus squarely on the bad.
 
Which makes sense, because negative emotions are raw and powerful and they consume us quickly, and that’s why we sleep in and miss the beginning of a new day or forget to notice the wonderful little things happening around us as we stress about money, life, or our jobs. But of the many emotions out there that take hold of us in negative fashion, none is more powerful than fear. Because that particular one plays tricks with our minds, allowing for us to believe things that simply aren’t true, and it motivates us to do strange things that we normally wouldn’t do if we were keeping our wits about us, and it just so happens that last night’s episode of The Walking Dead took the time to dive deep into the power of fear and what it can do it us, and that made ‘Silence the Whisperers’, one powerful story that oddly felt relevant to modern times.
 
But before we examine that particular commentary, let’s first take a look at Ezekiel’s journey in this tale. For fear took hold of him and put him in a dark place, thanks to another surprise attack from the Whisperers, one that badly damaged the security wall that surrounds the Hilltop. And seeing this wall take damage from a fallen tree, is what started Ezekiel down a dark and unsettling path. Because he was afraid that he would once again fail good people that relied upon him to keep them safe, and that prompted him to run and hide and ponder upon the nature and the future of his own life, which was a scary place to see him reside within. For it seemed that for a moment there, Ezekiel was ready to stop fighting and living altogether. But thankfully Michonne was there to lift him up and it was quite powerful to see how fear can shatter a man’s soul and bring him to his knees.
 
Yet while Ezekiel’s journey was stunning in its own right, it is what happened in Alexandria that brought forth the commentary I made mention of a moment ago. Because fear was gripping everyone in this tiny little berg, and this part of the story explored how it transforms us to do things we normally would not, all in the name of safety and security. For with the threat of the Whisperers hanging heavy over this community, some believed that Lydia was to blame for their troubles and their woes, and those same people felt that it was best to make her pay for her mother’s actions and that led to one disturbing sequence of events. Wherein a small group of Alexandrians, ones who saw their friend die by way of Alpha’s ‘message’, beat the ever-living hell out of Lydia and the only thing that kept her from joining Henry in the afterlife, was an unexpected hero; Negan.

​Yes, you read that right. The man who once murdered Glenn and Abraham in cold blood to send a message, stepped in to save a life, with unfortunate results. Because in the midst of the chaos and the shouting, the woman that Negan tossed to the side cracked her skull on the concrete nearby, resulting in her death and allowing for the fear in the community to shift to their former enemy. For now, everyone believed that Negan was dangerous once again, and might go on a new killing spree with impunity and it took some serious work from Daryl and Siddiq to try and calm everyone down and convince them that putting Negan to death, for doing the right thing, was wrong. But alas, this debate was a moot point when all is said and done, since Negan managed to escape in the dead of the night, leaving his future with Alexandria up in the air.
 
However, I made mention of how this particular storyline had a familiar ring to it and that’s simply because this kind of stuff is happening right now in our modern world. For there are people who are attacking others without giving it a second thought because they’re afraid of different cultures and they believe that someone of a different creed or color might harm them thanks to the rhetoric that spreads around our world daily and that’s quite the sobering parallel/commentary to find in this series. Because normally it looks at higher concepts that relate to humanity, not current events. But doing so was brilliant in its own right since we all knew these actions to be wrong, and seeing such acts served as a fine reminder that we need to do what Aaron and others did not in this story, and say or do something to stop it before it begins.
 
But while there were plenty of powerful moments to chew upon in this story, we do need to celebrate the horror elements present here as well. Because everything that happened at Hilltop was a terrifying delight for certain. For the dead were constantly working to get through the compromised section of the wall that the falling tree damaged and hearing them slam upon the steel was chilling for certain and it was nice to see the dead create a sense of dread once again. Plus, there were also some cheer worthy moments present in this story since everything between Judith and Michonne was outright magic, especially when Judith pointed out the Whisperers’ strategy to her mother, and the pride that dear old mom beamed with, when her baby girl took down walkers with minimal effort, was simply wonderful to see on screen.
 
If anything, I suppose the word ‘frustrating’ is the finest word to describe this episode. Because despite the wondrous and classic moments present in this story, it was aggravating to see the people of Alexandria submit to their darker side in this manner. Because they are better than this, and in turn so are we and there was no need to revert to that kind of savagery, not after how far they’ve come and especially not after everything they’ve fought for. In the end however, the negative actions present here just speak to how well Alpha’s plan is working at this point, and sadly, something is going to have to give soon and I have to admit, that I’m quiet nervous that someone is going to make a mistake at a critical moment and give Alpha and her people a crippling victory over our heroes. For they’re buying into the power of fear and letting it control them, and that always leads to disaster. Until next time. 

Escaping from the big city or the suburbs is much needed once in a while. With so much going on, it is easy to lose sight of how beautiful nature really is. If you are lucky enough to have an additional property out in the forest, it is much easier to get away than not. But when you are not privy to one of life’s great privileges, you can try to lean on your friends to use one of theirs. The wilderness has so much to offer, something we seem to forget about when we get older, so it is always important not to lose sight of what it means to become one with nature once again, at least for a short time.
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Making sure that his friend Reece is ready for him at his cabin, Anthony makes sure to give him a courtesy call to make sure everything is set up. Reece is ready to have his friend in the cabin for a few days and upon Anthony’s arrival, he is greeted with open arms. Being given a choice of any room in the cabin to call his own for a few days, Anthony chooses one and picks up a book and lays his head back for a little nap. Dreaming about heading down to the lake, Anthony is shocked when he sees a featureless faced attacker coming at him. Waking up before anything bad happens, Anthony has no idea what the dream meant, much less what it could mean for the coming weekend.

Ready to head down to the lake, Anthony is a little upset when Reece decides not to head down with him. With the excuse of taking a hike being thrown around, Reece has something else in mind for the weekend as he pulls down one of his wildlife books, a set of butchering knives and some rope. Not knowing what his friend is up to, Anthony is shocked to see that the figure from his dreams has come to life and starts chasing him through the woods. Being able to escape and make it back to the cabin, Anthony believes that his nightmare has come to an end and goes to sleep in his room. But little does Anthony know that his pursuer knows his way around the cabin and has an incredibly dark reason for being in the woods.

I must admit that I did not want to see the ending coming, but I did, and while it was predictable, it does not take away from the great forest footage that this short brings to the screen. Nothing really over the top acting wise, just some running through the woods and a ‘wooo’ when all was said and done. With a faceless pursuer, some fishing, some knives, some rope, some blood and a creepy nightmare that will give you chills, this movie is a good one to watch before accepting in invite up to your friend’s cabin.  You may never know what the real motive of a visit will be, that is, until it is too late. Stay Scared.

Watch ‘Strange Times’ on Amazon Prime Video.

​The more I ponder upon season two of Hulu’s Castle Rock, the more excited I am to watch whatever episodes are available to me. Because this year’s storyline is already shaping up to be a love letter to everything that Stephen King does right when he assembles a novel. After all, we’ve got rich characters filled to the brim with dynamic personalities and quirks and deep backstories, the ambiance is as creepy as it gets and this is a story that is also filled with surprises at every single turn and for proof, look no further than the third episode of this season.
 
For ‘Ties That Bind’ took the time to answer an important question I posed in the last recap of this series, as to whether or not people can potentially change, and it would seem that, yes, we can. Because Pop did everything, he could to keep Abdi from being harmed by Ace’s dog, indicating that all of his anger and bluster was for show and that he didn’t want to hurt someone that close to him. And ironically enough, Abdi also made a point to keep Pop in a fine place since he didn’t hurt the dog and he got Pop to the hospital and it was just stunning to see two crime lords doing high class things for one another and the surprises here didn’t end with acts of kindness.
 
Because we came to learn that Ace was indeed alive and well and not what we expected him to be. I mean come on, a dude surviving the creepy cultist basement of the Marsten estate should mean that he can fly toward his destination, one that likely involves sucking blood. But instead he was able to walk about in the daylight and interact in creepy fashion with his father and others and well, while at first glance it appeared that Ace meant no one any harm, it turns out he is up to something quite nefarious. What exactly we don’t know, just yet. But it is clear that he’s building some kind of army and converting others into whatever he’s become, since we saw others immersed in the goo that transformed him and no good can come of this.
 
But the true surprise of the night involved one Annie Wilkes. Who believed that her medicine was failing her, because she sincerely believed that Ace was a figment of her imagination and that prompted her to stop taking those all-important pills and confess to her darling Joy that she killed a man and that, prompted Joy to give Annie a glimpse into the future. For she tied her mother to the bed after sedating her and demanded that dear old mom take her pills and offer up answers in regard to the past and this was, an unmitigated disaster. For Annie did everything to stay off her meds and even went so far as to badly hurt herself to be free of her binds and well, seeing her mother like this was more than Joy could bear and this one ends with a family shattered, a dark promise and an evil growing in the night.
 
Which makes this episode brilliant when all is said and done. Because nothing went by the book in this tale and every character enjoyed a unique journey. Especially Joy, since she finally had the chance to enjoy some freedom with her friends, and well, everything that happened here just makes this journey all the more exciting since we really haven’t a clue where it is headed in the slightest. But while Ace’s machinations have our imaginations hopping, we would be foolish to not talk about the incredible twist of seeing Annie get a taste of her own medicine, because that was perfect in its own right and it just speaks to the care that goes into these scripts and I guess my only complaint at this point, is that I have to wait for more. For I’ve burned through the three episodes that are available to watch on Hulu, which means I’ll be counting down the minutes to next Wednesday to see what surprises await every last cocka-doodie one of us when we return to Castle Rock. Until next time.