Normally, as we near the end of a particular horror story, how the villain is going to be defeated starts to reveal itself to our main characters. For everything evil in this genre has some kind of glaring weakness that can send it back to the hell from whence it came, and much of the finale is dedicated to uncovering said weakness so that good and evil can indulge in an epic, by the numbers, final showdown. Unless of course that story just so happens to be The Terror: Infamy. For this particular horror tale has done everything within its power to defy the norms present within the framework of the genre, including everything we’ve just discussed.
 
Because at no point has it ever been clear how Chester is going to defeat his mother or figure out how to get her spirit to rest. For her evil has been unstoppable from the get-go. But, with the final episode upon us, there simply had to be a way to end her reign of terror and the quest to uncover that answer, is one of the big reasons as to why ‘Into the Afterlife’ turned out to be quite the fascinating season two finale. Because this particular tale saw Chester and his father working on the fly to figure out how on earth to save Chester’s newborn baby from a horrendous fate and how to keep Yuko from ever attacking the family again, and well, despite their best efforts, they continually came up short when it comes to the answers they were so desperately seeking.
 
But while said search didn’t offer up anything new, it did bring them face to face with Yuko and the baby, and in a bloody and angry confrontation with the spirit, one that cost Henry his life, a stalemate in the fighting finally gave Chester quite the wild idea. Because clearly his mother’s lost soul was searching for some semblance of happiness and peace, meaning that perhaps the very ritual that allowed for Yuko to find Jirou’s soul could potentially be used to give her a genuine taste of joy, and the prompted Chester to travel with his mother to a day long ago. Wherein Yuko felt nothing but hope and wonder for the future and that was a place she actually wished to stay and bask within for all eternity and just like that, the nightmare was over, she had found peace and Chester and his new family were safe, but at quite the price. 

Yet while that was a unique and powerful way to dispatch an evil spirit, one that I cannot say I’ve ever seen accomplished in horror before, this finale had far more to offer than a satisfying conclusion to the fight between mother and son. For the magnificent commentary that was present early on in this story made a triumphant comeback, and it had a lot to say in this particular tale. For example, the show was able to remind us that there really isn’t anything to celebrate when it comes to war. Because while there is nothing but celebration on the victor’s side, the losing side still has to pick up the pieces, and some are fully aware of the fact that innocent lives were lost in the process, something that was hammered home by Yomato’s moment of reflection when he came to learn that Hiroshima had been wiped off the map by an atomic bomb.
 
But what truly impressed me about this part of the story, is what it had to say about the future and what allows for history to repeat itself. For the closing moments of this tale saw Chester and his family and friends enjoy full lives and forge new memories and the lesson here was pretty simply since it reminded us that time heals all wounds and that life does indeed go on. And by injecting a more simplistic message into the finale, a stronger one took hold in that; while it is important to move forward in life, one can never forget about the events and places that bring us to where we are today. Because to do so, allows for important stories and lessons to be lost, and that’s a notion that has some serious weight in 2019.
 
Because in many ways, we have forgotten some important lessons as Americans, specifically in regard to what’s happening on the Mexico/U.S. Border right now. For these camps are an unfortunate case of history repeating itself and we need to remember why these were such a poor idea in the first place. Which is a powerful way to end a horror story for certain, since in a different way, evil still prevailed and that is sobering and brilliant all at once. But that’s what good horror does, it makes you think and that’s why I fully enjoyed the second season of this series, because it made one ponder while it entertained and honestly, it’s a shame this journey came to an end so quickly. Because this season was powerful and moving and eerie and truly, I cannot wait to see what other parts of our history this saga will explore in the future because this was terrifying art through and through and the world needs more scary stories that feature this level of depth and intelligent. Until next year.

Dreams can be a very powerful thing. If you are able to retain any memory of what happened in them, you can discover much more about your subconscious and put it to work in your benefit. Some writers are able to put their dreams down on paper to sell to the masses, while other people find out that they have strange fears that they were completely unaware of. It just depends on what you are able to remember and take away from the experience that can help you change your life.

Samantha Walker has been plagued with nightmares for the past ten years. Without her family to fall back on for help, she has turned to a therapist to try to keep herself sane. Her therapist has recommended that she draw what she sees in these dreams and bring them to their sessions so hopefully they can uncover what is really going through the young woman’s mind. During their latest session, the doctor is able to discover that the drawings of buildings that his young patent has brought in are real structures in Germany; a monastery in fact. 

Not knowing what this means, the doctor urges Sam to take the next step in her therapy and visit this location so she can hopefully figure out what she is scared of. Arriving at the monastery, now a museum, Samantha is greeted by several men that are willing to discuss the stories of the old abbey, but each one gets cut off when they are about to speak about the reason why it was shut down. Taking a tour of the old building, she sees a mask and mace that were used by a man called the Sin Reaper, that killed in the name of God. This was back during the crusades and Sam takes little notice of them, for they are not the items that are plaguing her dreams.

Meeting a young man at the monastery that is taken with her, Sam is able to convince him to break into the old building to try to find out why it is haunting her dreams. The young man’s friends follow the couple and the group starts to investigate the abbey, looking for anything that looks out of the ordinary. Sam keeps to her search and nothing else, finding a journal in an old room that was in her dreams, she has found a clue to her past and why the building has been ruining her life. At the same time, the Sin Reaper is back and killing everyone in the building who has sinned on this night.

Sin Reaper follows Samantha Walker as she tries to find answers to her dreams and her past. As she pairs up with a group of new friends, she is worried that nothing will help during her search. Meeting resistance from the locals and the owners of the monastery who are planning their own fraudulent heist, the Sin Reaper comes into the picture and protects the abbey. Only knowing the presence of these possible thieves, the Reaper serves God by punishing them for the sin of trespass. Seeing young Samantha face to face, the Reaper puts his mace aside to take note of who she really is. 

This is a different type of movie that will have you shaking your head to all of the things that are carried out in God’s name. Samantha does not seem to be drawn into this belief as she is only worried about her and her friend’s survival, but when all of the doors are locked, they have little chance of surviving. When the Reaper reveals his true intentions and what his plans are for Samantha, she is left with a difficult decision that will affect her life forever. Stay Scared.

Over the course of its ten-year run, The Walking Dead has accomplished a great many things storytelling wise, and one of its greatest accomplishments in my eyes, is how this saga always provides depth to its villains. Because so many horror stories give their audiences one-dimensional baddies that do what they do for the sake of moving the plot along and nothing more. But on this series, we learn what makes these bad people tick, and we understand what motivates them to do horrible things to people or what makes them hungry to seize and maintain power and it’s just wonderful to meet a new bad guy or gal on this series, since we know the writer’s room will flesh them out and give them genuine purpose within the framework of the story. 
 
But while we’ve always enjoyed that wonderful fold to this magnificent saga, it would seem that as time goes on, the show wants to dive deeper into the psyche of bad people. Because ‘We Are the End of the World’ did something I’ve never seen on this series before, since it took the time to truly explore how a group as twisted and wild as the Whisperers can even remotely exist. And it accomplished such a fascinating feat by taking us back in time to the earlier days of the apocalypse, wherein we caught up with Alpha and Lydia as they worked to survive a collapsed society, and during their danger-filled travels they stumbled onto a mental health facility and met a mysterious man that we knew immediately to be the enigmatic and towering Beta and this simple set up, is what led to the genesis of the Whisperers.
 
Because clearly her time on the road allowed for Alpha to view the world in new light, and somewhere along the line she came to believe that the end of the world was a purifying moment for mankind, one that was designed to unleash our more primal nature and that only those who abandoned their emotions and ties to yesterday would survive this madness. And by running into Beta she was able to express these views to him and her words were definitely heard, since it was something new for this mysterious man to ponder upon, and being able to hunt together and indulge in fury allowed for these two to bond in the strongest of fashion, and while Beta resisted her initial attempts to get them to join forces, a powerful moment brought forth quite the change for both of their lives.
 
For we came to learn that someone important to Beta lived within the confines of this facility, and of course they had turned and were under Beta’s gentle care and it took the permanent loss of that loved one to finally give Alpha the opportunity to properly manipulate this man. Because she used his fear and his pain and to convince him to abandon everything that he once held dear, and that walking with her amongst the dead would give him a new perspective on life and a second chance that was devoid of pain and suffering. He could simply become one with the world and be as powerful as its new masters and just like that, this mysterious group was born, and it was fascinating to see someone accept these ideas without question and clearly, her idea spread far and wide. 

But while it was quite intriguing to learn how Alpha found a way to convince so many to do something this wild and inhuman, there was a powerful twist injected into the next segment of the story in that, some of her flock were beginning to wonder if they were on the right path. For a few of them had a reminder of what life used to be like before the fall, since so many of them saw the Hilltop and everything that it had to offer and their chatter and second guessing reminded us of the fact that we cannot escape what makes us, us. But while that alone was a perfect twist in its own right, since it demonstrated our how difficult it is to abandon our feelings, the show took this examination one step further since we came to learn that Alpha, and the young woman who abandoned her baby at Hilltop at her master’s request, were struggling to keep emotion out of their daily lives.
 
For the young woman was grieving over the loss of her child as was Alpha for that matter, and it was incredible to see them break the edict that this group put forth, and it was equally as powerful to see Beta try to keep his master and the flock in line and well, for a brief moment there it seemed as though that the point of this was to give us hope for the Whisperers after all, since humanity was returning to the pack. But a poor choice by the young woman and a tense confrontation between Alpha and Beta brought the chaos home storytelling wise. For it became clear that the underlying theme to this segment of the story was that; since we cannot remove emotions from our daily lives, bad people can and will take full advantage of that, and will work to maintain control by encouraging and nurturing negativity and bad ideas, and this was hammered home by the fact that Beta was able to refocus his master on the mission and her view of the world, and because of that war is coming, and it’s the commentary here, that allows for this episode to haunt the audience a day after.
 
Because in many ways, this particular tale served as a powerful parable to some of the ugly things we see in the world today, especially when it comes to cults and radicalization. Because men and women like Alpha prey upon the weak and the lost, those who believe the world and what it stands for has failed them, and the direction they receive makes them loyal in ways we simply don’t understand and this commentary on the modern world was frightening in its own right. For there are people doing this hour by hour, in every corner of the world, building their army by feeding them lies. But for the sake of the story, what’s terrifying here, is that the dedication that the Whisperers have to their master is seemingly as undying as the dead that walk the earth and that means the fight to come is going to be bloody and costly as they do everything to preserve their way of life.
 
Which means that the question that Aaron posed in the season premiere, revolving around whether or not they are the good guys will be explored further as he and his friends are put to the test like never before and well, that makes this one supremely dark episode when all is said and done. But all ominous foreshadowing aside, we do need to take a moment and celebrate the quality of this particular story. Because it was powerful and heartbreaking and foreign in a unique way, since it’s strange to feel sympathy for people who are trying to abandon their humanity. But there is still humanity present within the Whisperers despite their attempts to shed it and I do hope that comes into play in the weeks to come, because that may be the only way to save both sides from devastating losses since both factions are clearly itching for one hell of a fight. Until next time. 

There are many ways to pay tribute to someone that is no longer with us. Some people choose to write, others may draw, some may mourn, some may celebrate the life and others may get a tattoo. While everyone has their own way that works for them, there is no wrong way as long as you are able to accept the loss. It is a difficult thing to do and while they say that time heals all wounds, there can be other things that help as well, so keep that in mind when dealing with a loss.

After leaving a tattoo parlor in a huff, Rosie is stopped by an employee that wants to try and help her out. Not being able to do the tattoo that Rosie wants in the parlor, Kayla offers to do it at her personal residence to keep from getting into trouble. Agreeing to this, Rosie has her photo in hand of what she wants the tattoo to look like and Kayla is shocked to see that it is a fetal photo of what would have been Rosie’s son. With the template in hand, Kayla can help give Rosie what she wants, to have her baby boy back where he belongs after her miscarriage.

With a tattoo of her baby boy on her stomach, Rosie feels like her boy is with her once again. Hearing the baby’s heartbeat and getting the feeling that she is pregnant; Rosie no longer has to deal with her previous loss. With a smile on her face and a skip back in her step, Rosie crosses paths with her baby’s daddy, who wants nothing to do with the woman any longer. Seeing the new tattoo, Dylan knows that Rosie has lost her marbles and tries to make that clear to the grieving woman, but she is not willing to accept it. Running him down, Rosie now has to worry about what will happen to her next, since she will not go to prison and leave her baby for the state to take care of. Taking it to the next level, Rosie pulls out a knife and does the only thing that she can think of to keep her baby safe, with the only person she is willing to trust, but will that keep her from getting even more unhinged in the future?

Interesting short horror story, as I have many friends that have paid homage to the ones they have lost over the years in the way of a tattoo. I once asked them if it really helps in the long run and the answer was always, ‘yes’, it puts a piece of their loved one’s in and on them and whenever they feel the need for comfort, all they have to do is give the tattoo a quick look to know that they will be okay. This is what Rosie tries in this story and while it seems to work that way for her, it goes to an entire new level with the tattoo taking on a life of its own, at least in Rosie’s eyes. Watching as she feels comforted by the tattoo and maddened by the rest of the world really shows that she is not ready to move on, at least not until she takes care of her unfinished business. With a distraught former mother to be, a new lease on life, a friendly tattoo artist, a fuzzy couch, a new tattoo, some strange emotions, the hatred of an ex, an auto accident and the fear of losing one’s baby for crimes committed, this horror short takes you what seems to be Hell and back without pulling any punches, because dealing with a personal loss is much harder when you are alone and don’t have a shoulder to cry on. Stay Scared.

See ‘Skin Baby’ on Amazon Prime Video.

Love can be a strange thing. Some people fall in love on a moment’s notice, while for others it can take a lifetime to find. Finding that one person you can truly connect with can be one of the hardest things for anyone to do, but once it happens, it will be forever. While most people are able to do this without any extra ordinary circumstances, others have been drawn to it with life altering situations.

While driving with all of their worldly possessions, a happy but fighting couple are on their way out of town to find a place to start their new life. Being holed up in a little town for the night, the couple are pestered by a roaming band of thieves that just botched their last heist. Sitting and enjoying their dinner, they have become marked by the group thanks to their trailer full of valuables parked outside of the diner. Without showing any fear, the man with no name is ready to attack, but is held back by his young companion. 

On the drive back to their hotel, the couple is knocked off of the road and kidnapped for all of their financial information. The young companion, Betty, cannot put up with the supposed lie she has been living while staying with the man and with a knife to her throat, she takes her own life before he can come to her aid. Losing his young lover, the man with no name takes out his attacker and needs to find his trailer and car again for what he has in them are worth more than what the thieves can fathom. Disposing of his attacker, the man with no name comes up with a way to be brought to the home where his possessions are being held that is both inventive and disturbing at the same time.

When the thieves open up the trunk of the couple’s car, they find a surprise that will change their lives forever. Emma Ward is pulled from the car, being kidnapped by the man with no name, she is trying to persuade the group to leave before her stalker can find her again. But the group is more focused on the potential reward that finding the young woman could bring and find themselves becoming the target of someone much more vengeful than they have ever seen before. With his prize on the line, the man with no name is drawn into the house and starts taking out each one of the group as he tries to locate and rescue his only love.

No One Lives takes you into the mind of a psychopathic killer that only has one thing on his mind and will let nothing get in his way to retrieve it. Having killed many people to be with Emma, the man with no name is well trained and does not offer anything to his victims as he is able to kill anyone at will. With the band of thieves looking for a payday when finding Emma, they do not believe that one man can cause much of a threat to them as they are fully loaded and ready to protect their new income source. Emma is threatened by the group, but once she sees the nameless man eyeing the house from the woods, she knows that the group does not stand a chance, but she may be able to escape while everyone is being killed.

A callback to the classic splatter fest movies. Blood flows across the screen while the nameless man takes the protection of Emma into his own hands. I love how disturbing the main character is in this movie and how open he is about what he really is, a psychopath. Looking to protect his love is the only thing on his mind and he stops at nothing to accomplish his goal. While Emma is drawn between the group and her hunter, she shows enough strength to do what she believes is right. Having been the victim of this man more than once, she has been hardened to the all of the situations that come her way thanks to the nameless man. She uses it and is not scared of the little things anymore and wants to take him on, once and for all. Stay Scared.

​It’s always a wonderful thing when a television series finds a way to surprise you with something that has in essence, been hiding within plain sight. Because that means the series in question is doing such a fine job of grabbing your attention that you’re completely and utterly immersed within the experience and you are in essence oblivious to what the show is trying to accomplish, making the moment when it finally dawns upon you, a special one to the least. And that’s precisely why I was so impressed with this week’s episode of the phenomenal new horror series from Shudder, Creepshow.
 
Because I came to properly realize, that this is a show that is working to explore and revitalize every single facet of the horror genre, and oddly enough, that’s something I briefly mentioned in my recap of last week’s episode of the show. And the fact that I glossed over it, lends credence to everything I made mention of a moment ago. But now that I am fully aware of what this series is trying to accomplish, I find myself enjoying it more and really, what allowed for this particular epiphany to sink in, was this week’s edition of the series. For the two tales present in this episode here actually managed to share a particularly fascinating thematic concept, since both of them dove deep into the power of karma.
 
In fact, the first story featured in this episode is perhaps the most direct example of this, since ‘All Hallows Eve’ introduced us to a group of kids who were causing nothing trouble on Halloween, making it seem as though we were about to be treated to a parable about bad people getting their just desserts for their dirty deeds. But as this series is wont to do, there was quite the twist ending present in this one, in that, our Halloween miscreants were actually victims of a horrible accident involving bullying and all they wanted on this Halloween night was to close the circle and make the last man that hurt them pay for his crimes. And really, I love the twist here and the inherent lesson that one way or another, karma will make you pay for your darkest deeds somehow and in some way.
 
As for the second tale in this episode, ‘The Man in the Suitcase’, well it decided to look at how karma can reward us when we do something right, but it too played a little game of misdirection. For this particular tale introduced us to a young man named Justin who was in quite the precarious place financially, that is until he discovered a strange man stuffed into his suitcase who could also spit out gold coins when he found himself in pain. Which prompted Justin to take advantage of this little gift, with a little help from his girlfriend and his roommate, and they tortured the poor man night and day, an act that eventually didn’t sit right with Justin. Because it was wrong and twisted and while he suffered some injuries for his epiphany since he threatened to call the cops on his buddies, his good deed was indeed rewarded. For the mystery man revealed himself to be an evil genie who claimed the souls of those who are wicked of heart, allowing for Justin to live a full life while his crappy pals suffered a fate worse than death.
 
Plus, I love the fact that the second vignette also injected a little lesson on the dangers of greed since my goodness did those kids get a lot of coins out of the genie, and it really was nice to see those two punks get their just desserts from a genie who collects souls from a-holes. But in the end however, this was just another brilliant entry from this incredible series, and I love that this week’s episodes were more philosophical in nature and that leads me to wonder what themes await us in the future. For we’ve covered old school horror, and camp and black humor and now higher concept horror, and while I haven’t a clue what corner of the genre awaits us next, the unknown is what makes this series so exciting. Because you just don’t know where it’s going to take you when you settle in to watch and my excitement for this series remains at an all-time high and once again, I’ll be quietly counting down the minutes until we’re able to reunite with the Creep once more. Until next time, kiddies. 

Putting the blame on people for things that they cannot control is something that we do on a daily basis. Which is unfortunate since some things are out of our control and regardless what we do to prevent them, they can still happen. Lashing out at others is just a nasty way to handle fate, one that hopefully we as a people can get away from, but for one reason or another, having someone to blame makes us feel better and we will continue to find someone to target our frustrations upon.

Jack and Stephanie Singleton are on their way to visit a new marriage counselor when they have car problems. When two tires are blown out, Jack knows that there is no way for them to get back on the road during a heavy rainstorm and heads out to find a place to stay and call for help. Stephanie will not stay alone in the car and decides to accompany her husband and the couple ends up at an adorable Inn a couple of miles down the road. Looking for whomever runs the Inn, the couple meets two other people that have encountered the same problem.

Getting the introductions out of the way, Leslie and Randy are stranded with the same automotive issues and looking for help as well. As the two couples come to terms that they will be stranded in the old Inn for the evening, they are greeted by the owners, Betty, Stewart and their son, Pete. Pete has taken a fancy to Leslie and is not ashamed to let the entire group know so. As the group and the Inn keepers sit down to dinner, the two couples come to a conclusion that there is something strange going on with their hosts. Flashbacks of their lives come into play as Stephanie has a fear of ice stemming from how her daughter died years ago, but Betty keeps icing down her tea.

​All of the guests of the Inn encounter the same types of inner horrors, but keep them to themselves as the night presses on. All of a sudden, when Stephanie tries to leave the Inn, she encounters a man with a shotgun standing on the doorsteps. Knowing what is in store for their guests, Betty and Stewart are ready to regulate the terms of the ‘Tin Man’ who will dictate the nightly events ahead. With the Inn on lockdown, a tin can comes down the chimney that gives the guest an option, one dead body before dawn, or everybody dies. The hosts know what needs to be done and try to take care of their guests, but when the two couples reject their fate, they try to find their own way out of the farm house and find something waiting for them that is far more dangerous than they ever could have imagined.

House focuses on two couples, Jack and Stephanie who have just lost their daughter in a skating accident, along with Leslie and Randy who are not married but seem to have something brewing in the background. Randy has been tortured with the memories of his father telling him his is not good enough to survive life… with a gun. Leslie had a father that loved her too much and only wants her to be obedient and ‘happy’. Jack and Stephanie have just lost their daughter and the blame has been put on Stephanie as she was watching Melissa during her daily skate on the lake. Being trapped in the basement of the Inn, Jack finds a stranded soul, Susan that appears to know the way out of the house and how to defeat the ‘Tin Man’ at his own game. Can the group stay together and not succumb to the rules laid out for them, or will they give the ‘Tin Man’ what he wants with one of their deaths?

One of the few novels that has come to life in its entirety. The movie House has done something that few movies based off of novels has been able to do for many years. Encompassing the main story elements along with the characters, this movie is nothing but aces in my book. Not deviating from the story and keeping with what the novel did is nothing but fantastic. With only a couple of scenes that I would have liked to see included being left out, House does something that not many movies are able to do and that is to change the story to fit what the film industry demands. Keeping the sex, drugs and unnecessary violence is what gives this story and the film its charm. Reading a novel and then seeing it come to the big screen is something that tends to give readers a grave regret, but this one does the exact opposite. Knowing the characters and the story line goes far with the faithful, but keeping the story intact is something that will keep the fans extremely happy and keep them watching. With a new favorite in my collection, Stay Scared.

Have you ever been pressured into doing something you did not want to do by your friends? Sure, we all have. Your friends are friends for a reason, they have earned your trust and you know that they would never do anything to hurt you. Even if you think that what you are doing is wrong, they are there to reassure to you that it is okay. Sometimes having fun outweighs the consequences that could come your way, and if your friends are there, they will help you with whatever you require.

Penny Abbot is working as a tour guide at the famous Whaley House. Known for being the most haunted house in the nation, people are always walking around and trying to get a glimpse of a ghost or see something out of the ordinary. Although Penny has not yet witnessed anything supernatural, she has to answer all of the questions about what supposedly happens when the lights go out at night. Only being able to tell people what she has heard from her co-worker; Penny answers the questions but still does not believe in ghosts.

Whaley House has the special ability to open up to specific people. On several tours of the haunted location, women get violently ill for no reason and require medical assistance. Bethany, the current head of the tours does not have a reason for why this happens, but knows that the days it does, it is best to shut down operations for the day. When talking to Penny about the random sicknesses, Bethany discloses three facts about the house that the new tour guide should take to heart. One, don’t call out the ghosts, it never turns out well for the people who have done that. Two, don’t cause any damage to the house or anything inside of it. The Whaley’s were proud owners and do what they need to, in order to protect their belongings. Three, don’t go into the house at night, which is the ghosts’ time to do whatever they need to do. 

Although Penny heeds the warnings handed her way, her friends are looking for something fun to do on Friday night and persuade her to open up the house to a little ghost hunting adventure. Calling on one of their friends that is really into the supernatural, the group is introduced to a psychic that will be the first to investigate the house in many years. Not knowing what to expect, the group conducts a couple of tests to confirm that the house is indeed haunted by asking questions and getting responses from some unknown entity, but when the ghosts are able to get more physical, the night turns from fun to horrifying. 

The Haunting of Whaley House follows a group of young adults as they try to prove the existence of ghosts inhabiting the old house. When they are able to capture some compelling evidence, the house turns it up a notch. Without knowing who they are really talking to, the ghosts play little tricks and are able to get stronger when blood is spilt on the property. Having their alone time tampered with, the ghosts are not happy, and a demon is awakened and takes out its revenge on the living. With the house and ghosts only being focused on Penny, the group tries everything within their power to make peace with the spirits. But when the ghosts are called out by an individual along with some things being broken by mistake, the spirits are upset and will take revenge on their new guests.

A good old-time spooky ghost story is what The Haunting of Whaley House brings to the table. Filled with the quick scares that will have you looking around the corners to see what will come out next. Showing that the house and its inhabitants do not like to be messed around with is my favorite part of this film as a teenage kid breaks a window in the opening scene and is disposed of. It sets the mood early and hoping that at least one of the members of the ghost hunting group makes it out alive will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you are a fan of ghost movies, it is definitely a good one to check out. Stay Scared.  

It has often been said that modern society is only a couple meals away from anarchy and that’s a thought that most of us don’t want to subscribe to. Because mankind has done a lot of work to build a world free from fear and chaos, and while it hasn’t quite been one-hundred percent successful at that, we’ve come pretty darn close. For a lot of people live relatively safe and simple lives, full of food and comfort and the thought that we could potentially de-evolve into barbarians over something as simple as food seems distant and silly. But the fact of the matter is, we still have a long way to go as a species, and we are quick to give into our baser instincts, when the opportunity presents itself.
 
However, while we don’t like to acknowledge that particular fact, we see it happen time and time again on the news before wondering aloud what exactly is wrong with people. If anything, seeing those primal acts happen from afar gives us a strange sense of comfort since it seems like such things only happen in places foreign to us, and that thought helps us to believe that such madness could never find its way to our hometown. But one has to wonder, how we would react If that kind of ugliness came to our doorstep, and it presented us with an unwinnable scenario, the kind where it was us or them. Would we hang onto our civility? Or do what must be done in order to see another day? And it just so happens that Stephen King explored those questions in his 1999 miniseries, Storm of the Century.
 
Now for those unfamiliar with this particular tale, in it we are introduced to the good people of Little Tall Island, a small, tight-knit community where everyone knows everyone and everyone gets along with one another so well, that Norman Rockwell would have been proud to paint and immortalize this community. But with everyone living on such a tiny island, from time to time they are faced with some ugly challenges from the natural world and this winter they’re staring down a powerful blizzard, one that brings something unexpected with it. For a mysterious man named Andre Linoge has appeared on the island, and he presents the good people that live here with quite the devastating choice, one that will transform the lives of everyone on this island, forever. 

So, the first real item of note that is worth discussing, is the sheer fact that this is an original King idea, one that is specifically written for the small screen and dang it, it’s really good. Because over the course of three episodes, King does an incredible job of building this small and colorful world and I love the fact that the story takes place in a perfectly isolated environment, allowing for us to properly explore what people would do when presented with the choice that Linoge gives them. Because one might think that handing over a child is an unthinkable sin, but when the alternate option is to see their lives end in horrific fashion, well it doesn’t take long for the good people of Little Tall Island to discuss their options and that’s where the story shines.
 
Because it quickly becomes an exploration of fear and what it does to people when it doesn’t let up and the end results are fascinating to watch on screen. For suddenly these fine Americans, the kind that would seemingly give their neighbor the shirt off their back and a bowl of hot soup if it would help them out, engage in legitimate discussions of sacrificing a child to save their own hide. And it is chilling to watch fear infect just about everyone in this small town and see them transform into a mob that is able to rationalize the ‘pros’ of surrendering a child to ancient being that will likely take an innocent life and corrupt it with evil, and that truly speaks to fear’s far reaching power and it’s a sequence of events that gives the audience pause as they quietly wonder how they would handle this situation.
 
If anything, all of those elements make this story supremely bleak when all is said and done. But much like an accident on the highway, you’re compelled to see this through to the end and that’s thanks in large part to the fine acting present here since Colm Feore does an amazing job as the twisted yet charismatic Linoge, and Tim Daly’s performance as Constable Mike Anderson is the perfect foil to Andre’s evil, since he’s the only man who doesn’t give into the fear permeating this island. In fact, he is perhaps the only redeeming character in this tale since he’s the voice of reason and his actions serve to remind us of the most important lesson that this saga has to offer in that; we simply cannot give into fear and must fight it with every fiber of our being. Either way, this was quite the cool miniseries when it hit the airwaves in 1999, and if you get a chance to see it, please do so, because it really is a fascinating ride.

If a zombie apocalypse takes place, would you be ready for it? Would you board up your windows to keep the flesh eaters out? Would you be able to find enough food to survive until it finally blew over? Would you be able to find a way to keep yourself occupied while you are held up in a safe location? Or would you be out on the streets fighting the outbreak head on? Knowing what you are able to force yourself to do during a crisis is essential to surviving, along with staying with your strengths that have kept you alive to that point.

Stan and Stellie are surviving on the second floor of their apartment building waiting for things to clear up. Stan acts as the provider in this relationship, out trying to scrounge up some food so they can continue to live without any major interruption caused by the outbreak. On his latest return back to the apartment, Stellie is hammering him about what he was able to get on his latest run, since she is so very hungry. He left it in the truck because there were too many zombies outside, and he could not risk losing his precious cargo. Getting up with the sun, Stan brings in his latest catch, a young woman named Natalie. Stan and Stellie will live comfortably for as long as they can make the young woman last.

Dean and Dana are holed up in their first level floor apartment. Their landlord has been great during this outbreak, killing any zombies that enter the grounds and keeping a generator running so everyone will have power. But after the landlord meets his end, everything starts to go downhill. Dean is working on finishing a story on his computer and needs power to keep his creative juices flowing. Dana is just trying to stay safe but is contemplating leaving whenever the coast is clear. The two are newly divorced due to the fact that Dean focuses more on his stories and computer than he ever spent with her. Trying to keep herself from going crazy, Dana starts going through the mail, again, and this time calls out something that Dean had been waiting for. A special processor that would make his aging computer state of the art by just installing it. But what he doesn’t know, is that this processor has to be powered at all times and will search for a power source at all costs.

​Heather is outside, trying to find supplies when she comes across a mother and son being attacked. Heather has become very efficient in her disposal of the undead and springs into action saving the two and bringing them back to her apartment. The mother is very concerned about her son’s well-being and sends Heather on an errand to fetch his medication, for the boy is very sick. Heather does as she is asked and runs into a group of disgruntled priests that are looking for a boy that they say is the Anti-Christ. Thinking that the men are out of their minds, Heather is able to escape and returns home where she finds that the young boy is much more than she ever could imagined.

Edges of Darkness takes a look of how three different groups are trying to handle the apocalypse that is happening right outside of their window. Stan and Stellie, a pair of vampires, are trying as hard as possible to stay alive on the blood being given to them by young Natalie but know there is something strange about the woman when the blood she gives does not taste right. Dana yells at Dean often for continuing to ignore her as she is just looking for someone to talk to, to keep her feeling human while the world outside is dying every minute. Finding solace in talking to her ‘window zombie’, she fails to realize that the new processor Dean has installed is gathering power from every living thing in the apartment. While Heather is trying to keep herself strong during the outbreak and trying to keep others safe. Bu when the young boy in her apartment reveals his true self, she does not know if death is the correct option, especially when she learns what his survival could mean.

My attitude of this movie has changed from minute to minute while reviewing it. The story is original, and I like the ideas of Vampires being stuck in a zombie apocalypse and just trying to survive as a normal human would is different. Also, featuring an Anti-Christ that may end up being the savior for humanity is a catchy idea when he puts all of his cards on the table. Is this a great movie, no, but it is an original idea and for that, the writer and director get mad props for me. It is hard coming up with new ideas these days and taking a chance on a new spin when it comes to a story revolving around the survivors during a zombie outbreak is just gutsy. This could be a good movie to watch when the real zombie apocalypse takes place, if you still have power. Stay Scared.