I don’t hide from my opinions when it comes to liking or not liking a movie, but every once in a while, when I actually finish watching a movie that has left me longing for so much more, I lose sleep over it. In chatting with a couple of my horror movie loving friends after ranting about The Shallows, I see that they had the same opinion as I did. I always try to look for the good in a low budget movie, since they don’t have the funds for the greatest special effects and actors, but when a decent budget is laid down for a horror flick, I do demand results. With an estimated budget of seventeen million dollars (per IMDB), I would think that there would have been something that I could take away from this movie, but instead it left a hole in my heart and robbed me of ninety minutes of my life that I will never get back. So, wanting to be helpful to the studio, here are the changes that I would make to the movie to make it more enjoyable for horror fans round the world.

Since very little of the script is based on fact, like a once-a-day tide, a seagull that is not eaten, a gushing wound that does not affect how fast Nancy can swim, why not have a little fun with it. I would keep some of the same aspects of the movie that it focused on, like the whale, the high rock in the cove and the GoPro camera, along with the helmet, but also add in some driftwood and a menacing shark.

I was fine with the opening of the movie, Nancy running away from her life to try and find herself on the beach that her mother loved, that is all well and good. The surfing was pretty cool, so I would keep that as well. But where I would add a change, is I would have had the other surfers notice the birds flying around the dead whale and think that something was up at that point, as it was far from a fresh kill and then they could tell the 'Gringa' to make sure and steer clear of the area. Then when catching the last wave of the day, I would have had the shark come straight out of the water and bite Nancy’s leg clean off.  It’s okay, she is a med student and knows what to do to stop the bleeding.

When getting on top of the whale for safety from the killer shark, I would have had it used like a massive paddle board so the one-legged Nancy would be able to get to shore, or to the rock in the water, since there is no tide. While paddling along, the shark would be chomping down on the dead whale and while the paddle whale is getting smaller by the minute, Nancy has no other option than to lay up on the rock. With a piece of driftwood floating around the rock, Nancy would pick it up and at first think about making it a weapon to fend off the Great White, but then come to her senses that since she only has one leg, she would need to make herself another one, so she could swim to shore when the time was right.

Being able to eat a little bit of the whale during the night, Nancy sees her drunken friend on the shore and tries to get her attention. As her friend and new boyfriend are messing around, they finally spot the stranded surfer and try to call on their phones for help, but there is no signal. Thinking about how to get out to Nancy, they spot the surfboard floating in the water and the boyfriend swims out frantically to get the board, while Nancy is yelling at him that there is a shark in the water. I am pretty sure there would be a Stork joke in there at some point as well since the two love birds are drunk. When arriving to the board, the Great White attacks from right under the boyfriend, exposing its teeth and leaving a large blood streak. Nancy’s friend is now in shambles and tries to swim out to save her boyfriend and gets bitten in half with only her lower body making it back to the shore.  

Now a mess, Nancy lies down and waits for her deadly fate to come as the shark continues to circle her and the small piece of whale that she has left. When morning breaks, her two surfer buddies come back and see her stranded on the rock and try to head out to save her. The Great White swims up behind them and picks them off one at a time, which is kind of what happened in the movie already. Seeing that the Great White is determined to eat her, Nancy comes up with a plan to make it back to shore. Attaching the driftwood to her former slender leg, she dives in and makes it only a few feet as the undertow is pulling her in the wrong direction. With the shark starting to close in as the tide is rising, Nancy sees the surfer’s helmet that has the GoPro attached and reaches down to pick it up and finds that the surfer's head and spine are still attached. Keeping the remains of her former surfer friend, a new idea comes into play.

With her driftwood leg and some pointy bones from her friend’s spine, she has a weapon and a way to beat the undertow. Getting up her momentum up, Nancy jumps onto her remaining piece of whale and kicks frantically heading towards the shore. While the Great White is quickly on her tail, her peg leg is bitten off, but the shark is not willing to leave it at that. Coming back for a second shot at the surfer, Nancy rolls off of the whale into the water while avoiding the massive bite. Under the water, Nancy lines up the spine and shoves it straight through the gills of the Great White. The shark whips and slashes its head around, trying to get the spine to dislodge and with the shark occupied, Nancy is able to make it to shore. 

Passed out on the beach from blood loss and dehydration, Nancy is found by the locals (which is what happened in the movie) and receives the proper medical care that she needs. Six months later on her local beach, you see Nancy with her new prostatic limb and her sister getting ready to go and catch some waves. As she has survived hell, there is nothing new that can phase her and while watching her little sister running to the water, Nancy sees a familiar fin making its way towards the beach. Yelling out to her sister that there is shark, Nancy sees her sister being taken into the great beyond by a shark with a spine and head hanging out of its gills.

Boom, there you go, that is what I would do to make this movie much better than it originally was.  When in reality, all that needs to be done is show the stinking shark and show the shark eating the people that invaded its space. And then have Nancy lose the leg as well, because there is no way her make do stitches would have held, much less be able to do anything when she loses more blood than the human body can hold. I added a lot more action to this to keep butts in the seats and while my changes may make the movie a little hokier, at least it has something going on while Nancy is trying to get her life in order.  Maybe this could be the 'true to life' sequel for The Shallows. I can see it in lights now, The Shallows 2: The Real Story. Until next time, Stay Scared.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 1518 of ‘Supernatural’.
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Moving at what seems like hundreds of miles on the “Road So Far” from one episode to the next, ‘Despair’ feels painstakingly distant from my recap of the previous week’s 'Unity'… and not just by definition. There’s no getting around the fact that the end is coming, but the emotions brought on by ‘Despair’ have me scarcely knowing where to begin. Though there were some important tidbits thrown in along with the demise of one foe, I’m sure every fan is still reeling from the last act in more ways than one. Throwing in some much needed familiar faces, warm as they were, couldn’t stop the heartache to come, am I right? Therefore – a departure from my often comedic intro – with a heavy heart, I’ll simply say… let’s begin.
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Picking up at The Bunker, Jack (Alexander Calvert), a ticking time bomb, has the entire group in distress. The intense scene is made soft and sad by Jack’s glowing eyes begging them to get away as he manages to say, “Don’t let me hurt you,” between agonizing gasps. **SIGH** As I said in my previous recap: “Someone or something has to intervene, right??” Death (Lisa Berry) appears and stops the implosion by vanquishing Jack to The Empty (Rachel Miner). Wait… what?? Dammit!! That’s not what I meant. Jack voluntarily going out to end Chuck (Rob Benedict) and Amara (Emily Swallow) is one thing, But this?? Roll title card. WOW! Plus, Billie blaming the Winchesters’ because her backstabbing plan didn’t work was absolutely infuriating. Let’s not forget her quid pro quo – God’s Death Book for help, freeing Jack from The Empty. The Empty SHE sent him to! GRRR!! Although, she was right that not much else in the Supernaturalverse could’ve absorbed the “Cosmic TNT” that was Jack. LOL. But still, am I right??

Being the only one that can read Chuck’s Death Book, Billie sees an out in the now modified ending. With a smirk she brings Jack back to The Bunker. Just in time too, as The Empty, post-implosion, is pissed (LOL!) and lays her hands on Jack. WHEW!! The relief is short lived since Billie intends to keep Jack for future use. Hmm… just what did she see in the new ending? DEAN FOR THE WIN uses Death’s own weapon against her, striking her shoulder. HECK YA!! Wounded, Billie disappears… leaving behind Chuck’s Death Book, her scythe AND Jack. NICE! Finding out later that her wound is fatal, is quite literally cold and beautiful at the same time. Makes sense as Dean once used this iconic scythe to end the original Death (Julian Richings) way back in 10.23: 'Brother's Keeper'. Subsequently taking over, Berry’s performance overall has been magnificent and I hate to see her go. You? And her end game to take Dean with her is absolutely epic!! But before we discuss what’s likely to be one of the most devastating AND shocking endings of the entire series, let us first discuss the B-side along with a couple other tidbits.

You’d think all the initial drama with Death would be enough to carry an entire episode, but writer Robert Berens has much more in store. SO MUCH MORE!! Additionally, with this being Richard Speight Jr’s (AKA: The Trickster/Gabriel) 11th and final time in the director's chair for the series, the episode takes on a considerably darker tone than we’ve previously seen with our favorite Trickster. Jack is now powerless. OR… is he?? Because killing that plant in the silo seemed as much of a surprise to him as it was to me, no? And Billie, hell bent on revenge, continues with a part of her original plan to “Restore order,” by making hunters vanish into thin air! Or so we think!!! It’s here that we get to see some of our all-time favorite characters return – Charlie (Felicia Day) and Bobby (Jim Beaver). YES!! Albeit brief and in the form of Apocalypse World/Alternate Universe Charlie and Bobby, it was still great to see them.

Sandwiched between the immeasurable storylines are tender moments that made me smile as well as tear up in pain, Dean apologizing to Sam was much needed closure considering he held Sam at gunpoint in the previous episode. Additionally, Cas’ fatherly heart-to-heart with Jack wasn’t just for Jack. WE NEEDED IT TOO!! Plus, observing Charlie in a cute and happy moment with her girlfriend Stevie (Tori Katongo) was awesome!! Conversely, witnessing Sam’s texts with Eileen (Shoshanna Stern) drop off as she too disappears was absolutely heartbreaking. Not to mention, watching an entire group of hunters, including their children, prepare, only to see them fade away was gut wrenching, am I right?? I mean… Donna (Briana Buckmaster)! NOT DONNA!!! All this still says nothing for the final scenes!
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If confronting Death on her own turf AND with her own blade seems like a hail mary strategy, that’s because it is!! Turns out, Billie’s not the one making people vanish. Lest we forget, Chuck is still the TRUE Big Bad of this story. HIS story!! As for Billie? Well, having Dean and Cas attack her in her own library inspires her to seek one last wish before dying – TO KILL DEAN!! They run back to The Bunker, but it’s too late. Death appears!! Her speech is MAGNIFICENT as she starts to crush Dean’s heart from within. NO!!! “It’s you Dean. It’s always been you. Death defying. Rule breaking. You are everything I lived to set right. To put down. To tame. You are human disorder incarnate” HOLY COW!! Cas supports Dean as they race through The Bunker halls. Billie calmly follows them and chillingly slides the end of her scythe along the tile walls. YIKES!! Everything is hurried and still at the same time. You know… the way it feels when the serial killer peacefully pursues their frantic prey! “Don’t you think it’s finally time? Time for the sweet release of Death?” Billie calmly says. I scream: “Absolutely NOT!!” Cas ushers Dean into an archival room and immediately grabs Dean’s knife from his back pocket. Carving into his own hand, Cas uses his blood to make a sigil on the door. As it lights up, the magic takes hold and Death’s grip on Dean’s heart ceases. WHEW!!! Death begins a slow, steady pound on the door, releasing her own magic with every impact. Now what??

Dean begins to “Despair” and blames himself for leading them into yet another trap. Cas looks on with sadness as the background sigil lights up with every pound of Billie’s fist. Again, I start to think: “Someone or something has to intervene, right??” Knowing it was Chuck all along, Dean says: “Everybody’s gonna die Cas. Everybody!” My all too familiar phrase, “DAMMIT CHUCK!!”, escapes my lips… LOL! As Dean says he’s sorry, Cas’ furrowed brow begins to change. He explains there’s one thing Billie’s afraid of. Wait!! What is he talking about?? As he tells how he traded his life for Jack’s, it dawns on me. THE EMPTY!!! OMC! NOOOO!! I can’t hear this. I won’t!! Cas continues and it becomes all too clear that… that… he’s going to die! But wait… he has to be truly happy for The Empty to come. How is Berens going to make this moment, of true despair, happy? I didn’t realize that up until this moment, Dean didn’t even know about Cas’ deal with The Empty. Not surprising, but definitely interesting, no? Cas, with watery eyes continues. His tears grow stronger with every word. So do mine! He tells Dean how he’s changed because of him. How his love for everything and everyone changed. Before his final good-bye, he confesses to a now teary eyed Dean too, “I love you.” And just like that, going off the meta charts, the story changes to include the longtime fanfiction shipping better known as #Destiel. I mean. MIND OFFICIALLY BLOWN!!! Castiel’s true happiness, something he’s been trying to understand and figure out since long before making the deal (us too, I might add!!), is now crystal clear. WOW!! Castiel knows who he is now and it’s beautiful! The black gooey portal to The Empty begins to open. At the same time, Billie’s pounding has broken through the warding as the archival door flies open. Dean begs him not to do this. Same, Dean! SAME!! Cas grabs Dean’s shoulder, for what I’m sure Destiel fans hoped would be a kiss, and hoists Dean across the room. As Dean grabs his wits, a visible blood soaked handprint is seen on the part of his shoulder where Cas tossed him. This mimics the scar left when Cas originally raised Dean from hell way back in 4.01: 'Lazarus Rising'. NO WAY!!! Billie approaches from behind while we get another throwback from 4.01 – the moment Castiel first revealed his Angelic nature!! The Empty swallows a calm and visibly happy Cas (AWWW!!), as the pitch black branches create somewhat of a parallel unfurling of Cas’ wings from all those years ago. NICE!! In one fell swoop, The Empty takes both Cas and Billie. WOW!!! Castiel is gone! **SIGH** By the end, Sam and Jack are left wondering what’s happening while we, the viewers, see that average people, not just hunters, have disappeared as well. WHOA!! Finally, Dean, distraught over Cas, is unable to answer Sam’s call - fade to black.

HOLY COW what an episode!! We have no answers as to how or if ANY of these characters will be saved. Especially if The Empty has anything to say about it. Not to mention humans in general. With only two episodes left, the end is truly nigh! Tell me… what did you think about this episode? Do you agree with the writers making Destiel, Canon? And what’s up with Jack’s powers? Let me know in the comments below or reach out to me @obi_juanita on Twitter. Until next time… GO TEAM FREE WILL!!

​Getting knocked off of her board, Nancy finds herself in a life and death match with the giant predator that has been able to get a sampling off of her thigh. Finding an island offshore to call her safe haven from the shark, Nancy needs to bandage herself up, along with try and find a way out of her situation. With the Great White circling her sanctuary, swimming to safety is not an option, but maybe there will be help coming when the sun comes back up.  Being woken up by a friendly injured seagull in the middle of the night, Nancy sees a drunk on the beach and is able to get his attention, but the drunk only wants what she has got and tries to retrieve Nancy’s surfboard, before finding out that the danger in the water does not only apply to her. Seeing her surfer buddies arrive in the morning, Nancy tries to warn them about the creature in the deep, but alas they both also fall victim to the hungry Great White. Time is not on her side since the tide is rising and her mini island paradise is about to be covered by water so she is left with no choice but to make her way for the buoy that has been toying with her ever since she arrived, yet the Great White is not ready to end his reign of terror on the surfer and is just biding his time to attack once again.

I wanted so much to like this movie, as so many people were like, 'you got to go see The Shallows, it’s a sweet shark movie!' I don’t know what they watched, but it was not the movie that I just finished, most of the time I forgot there was a shark and when he appeared, he looked like a poor man’s rip-off of a Jaws movie that made me afraid to take a bath. I really hate going after a horror/thriller movie, but honestly, this movie would have been better as a comedy, since in reality, it tells you everything that you should not do to avoid being stranded or eaten by a shark. Granted, Blake Lively turned in a decent performance, she had to since she was the only one on screen and she is very easy on the eyes, but when you sell me a shark movie and actually have people being killed in it, for the love of all that is holy, show the kills!
 
I guess that CGI has gone up in price since the 2000’s, because when you have a budget over ten million dollars with no cast, the sky should be the limit. I really wish there was more to this and since reality really did not exist in this movie, maybe adding flying sharks or a dolphin battle could have at least added something fun to the story. So if you want to see a dead whale (star of the show), CGI seagulls, (cute, but could have gotten real ones with a bag of French fries), a CGI Shark (that you only get to see eat one person), a lot of Blake Lively in a bikini (that was not as bad as the rest) and an alternate reality where one woman cannot die, no matter the circumstances, this is the movie for you. If not, go watch an Asylum Pictures shark movie like Sharknado, that is much more believable. Stay Scared.

There is a prevailing belief that November and December are truly dedicated to the wonder of the holidays, and nothing more, and there is a lot of merit to that particular line of thinking. After all, all the Halloween decorations come down once November 1st arrives, and we are taught to immediately forget about any notions revolving around ghosties and ghoulies, because the Holiday Season is now upon us. Which means our minds should be focused upon unity and gift giving and family because that is the point of this time of year and the new decorations revolving around a feast to come and presents untold, reinforces this push to leave spooky thoughts behind.

But the fact of the matter is, true horror fans understand that horror films and spooky thoughts should be celebrated year-round. Because there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a horror move or nine in the middle of the winter season, nor is it wrong to discuss whether or not Ash Williams could beat Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees in an all-out fight whilst shopping for gifts. Partly because horror is just plain awesome. But also because, the holidays can be a stressful time and we need our favorite vices to get us through the stress of knowing, that we will have to deal with our weird uncle at holiday dinner. You know, the one that always says something offensive shortly after he gets his ham. But thankfully, creative minds are beginning to recognize the importance that horror plays in regard to our mental health during stressful times and for proof… well then look no further than today’s glorious announcement from Shudder. 

For earlier today, this horror streaming service informed the world that it is giving horror fans everywhere the quite the holiday escape, by way of A Creepshow Holiday Special. Yes, that’s right, kiddies, hot on the heels of the phenomenal Halloween Animated Special; Shudder is offering up another surprise episode of this critically acclaimed series. One that offers up a holiday themed hour-long episode, filled with total terror, and Shudder was courteous enough to provide us with all the details on what you can expect from this brand new Creepshow special. Per Shudder:

In the holiday themed, hour-long episode, “Shapeshifters Anonymous,” fearing he is a murderer, an anxious man searches for answers for his "unique condition" from an unusual support group. Starring Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect) and Adam Pally (The Mindy Project), the special is written and directed by Creepshow showrunner Greg Nicotero, based on a short story by J.A. Konrath (Last Call).
 
“The Spirit of Christmas is alive and well in true Creepshow fashion,” said Nicotero. “Reimagining how we look at the holidays and Santa Claus with an outrageous ensemble cast, a myriad of creepy crawlies and a few thrills and chills shouldn't be missed.”
 
“This year has been Shudder’s biggest and best yet, and we wanted to thank our million-plus members with one last surprise. Greg Nicotero gift-wrapped the perfect present, an irreverent Christmas-themed Creepshow packed with humor, heart and gore galore,” said Craig Engler, Shudder’s General Manager. 
 
Creepshow, Shudder’s record-breaking anthology series based on George A. Romero’s iconic 1982 movie, is set to return for a second season in 2021.
 
So, as you can see. We are all in for quite the holiday horror treat. One that looks as though it is going to offer up all kinds of intrigue and surprise and of course… the patented splatter and scares that are found only within the framework of this magnificent series. And if this hour long special resembles the Animated Special in the slightest, then we are going to be in for one uncomfortable sleigh ride, one that will motivate everyone to have another glass of grandpa’s special egg nog to help calm their nerves. And at this point, it is outright safe to say that every horror fan out there is going to rush out and get their hands on a haunting advent calendar. So we can all properly count down the days to December 18, when A Creepshow Holiday Special makes its debut on Shudder.  ​

I have always wondered what would happen if there were more of me in the world. Like having so many clones that were exactly like me, I don’t know what could go wrong. Well actually I do as there is no way that they could ever remain exactly the same, the places and lives that they live would change them and they would be forced to adapt to their current situation. While I don’t think that they would do anything too bad to hurt people, the thought of pissing more than one of them off at the same time would be bad for anyone that is involved.
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Entering the Brut Woods to try and track down some ghosts, Chris and Ricky have a plan in mind for this investigation. Having set up an interview with the ancestors of one of the most horrific killings in the area, they are going to find out if all of the stories that they have been hearing are true. But tracking through the woods is not an easy task and Ricky continues to catch things out of the corner of his eye, making him think that they are not alone entirely. With strange things happening all around them, the two finally see the house and are ready to make their entrance into the online history books.

But there is no one home and while the two search around the property to try and find someone, Ricky starts to get tormented by Chris from a distance. Getting a strange phone call from him and then thinking that Chris is throwing his voice, Ricky sees someone running away from the house and tries to find out what is going on. With nobody else around, the two start back into the woods and find what appears to be an abandoned silo in front of them and needing some sort of footage to show their online viewers, Chris decides to head in first. Ricky follows shortly after, but when he is not able to find his friend in the massive underground structure, he starts to follow the arrows on the walls that could hopefully lead him some place he wants to go. But Chris has just been hiding from his friend and when the two are finally ready to leave, strange things start happening in the shadows and they are driven into a room that seems to have a working computer and when they hook up their cameras to download the footage, all hell breaks loose.

Waking up where they started their adventure, the two have no idea what has happened and try to head back to the silo to do some daytime investigating, but for some reason it is sealed off from them.  Thinking that is strange, they hear something in the distance and wind up seeing themselves starting the investigation from the previous day. Chris being a little prankster, starts to target his alternate self and the two are ready to go down a dangerous road of being caught by their alternate selves. But there is no problem when they start to pull the pranks that they have already witnessed and excused all of their previously shot haunting footage, since it was them doing it to themselves. Yet with every stop of the camera, another set of Chris and Ricky seem to appear and there may only be one way to stop it, as killing quickly comes to mind.

Interesting story, one I did not see coming, but after watching the movie, I understand what the film is trying to say. Finding yourself during a ghost hunt is usually a little more in depth than just seeing another version of yourself, it is unlocking your inner self. That is what slightly took me for a loop, before the storyline turned dark when the two are ready to end this nightmare that they are locked into. It is different, that is really all I can say, it kept me glued to the screen when trying to figure out what the cause of the multiples was and while I did not catch the reason for it, I did see the characters grow up pretty quickly as they were fighting themselves. There may be a good time and place to hunt ghosts, but maybe not in the woods, ever again and if an abandoned building is found that nobody knows about, it might be better to steer clear for the time being.  Stay Scared.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Six of ‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond’.

When we set out into the world as adults, we often do so with a rosy perspective. For we genuinely believe that the world is a wonderful place, one filled with majesty and opportunity and like-minded individuals that are ready to seize the day in the same aggressive manner as ourselves. Which is why we approach every single situation that we encounter when we bid farewell to home, with a fearless gusto and outright bravery. Because we firmly believe that we are going to take on the world and outright change it, because that is the expectation that our parents instilled in the core of our souls and nothing is going to stop us from achieving our goal. 
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But unfortunately, it doesn’t take long for us to learn… that such goals are incredibly difficult to achieve. Because soon we come to realize that the world is a harsh and unyielding place at times, and its citizens aren’t keen on having their status quo interrupted in the slightest. Plus, we also get a crash course in the fact, that like-minded individuals are difficult to find in the real world. Because people often have their own agendas and ideas about what they want out of life and they are willing to ignore what others have to say so they can pursue their respective goals. And of course, we also learn the harshest lesson of all when we set out on our own, in that… there are some rotten folks out there, the kind that are willing to screw others over and how we respond to these lessons, determines how our future is going to go. 

Because they can quickly teach us to give up and lose ourselves within the status quo, or motivate us to fight harder to find what we wanted in the first place and it just so happens that these particular lessons came into play in the next episode of The Walking Dead: World Beyond. Because ‘Shadow Puppets’ gave our group their first real taste of the harshness of the real world and what humanity has become at the end of the world, in that… a great deal of people have abandoned notions of society and cooperation, and this particular lesson came about by way of the mystery man that our friends met at the end of the last episode. For they quickly confronted this intruder and came to learn that his name was Percy, and that he was in quite the unfortunate pickle. 

For he explained to the group that some bad folks took the time to straight up rob him of something quite valuable; a car. Which is indeed a rarity in these troubled times and Percy was willing to offer the group a ride toward their destination, if they were willing to help him steal his car back. Something that Iris was happy to agree to, in part to get to her dad as quickly as possible, but also because… this was a chance to do good in a world gone mad. Because she firmly believed that the noble mission that she and her friends were undertaking could inspire others to pay good deeds forward and make a devastated world a better place. But while Iris’ heart was indeed in the right place, the prospect of getting east faster in a car, was indeed too good to pass up and that alone prompted the group to help out. 

But alas, it turns out that this entire rescue operation, was nothing more than a ruse. For Percy and his Uncle, a man named Tony, were nothing more than a pair of grifters. Who were keen to use the good nature of people as the catalyst to rob them, which ended up being quite the shock for the group. Since they really weren’t expecting to deal with cruelty and deceit in a world where humanity was an endangered species. But that is sadly, the harsh reality of this world, but thankfully not all hope was lost in this particular situation. Simply because a little bit of worry on Iris’ part, when the grift was in motion, prompted Percy to show them mercy and save them when the dead came calling.
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An act that served to remind us to stay true to our ideals when the world teaches us some hard lessons, simply because staying the course will eventually reward us. But before we dive too deeply into the wonder of this lesson and what it could mean going forward, we do need to discuss the interesting surprises that the end of this particular tale sent our way. Because it is supremely fascinating that Tony and Percy were able to get their hands on a CRM truck. And while there is precedent for the CRM losing their supplies, thanks to Fear the Walking Dead, Al was more or less handed those supplies by her love, Isabelle. So, it is a tad strange that these guys just managed to get their hands on it with minimal fuss and that they can sneak in and sneak out and get refueled when necessary. 

But what truly makes them so suspicious, is the post credits sequence in this tale. Because once again, we spent a little time with that mysterious and icy doctor in the CRM’s New York research facility. And she was quick to speak with our favorite Lieutenant Colonel and imply that everything that’s happened thus far, is all by design. Which means that there is a possibility that Tony and Percy are working with the CRM and working to gain some trust in order to complete whatever mission Kublek has outlined for them. One that clearly involves revealing the location of a major CRM complex. Why exactly, well we will have to wait to find out. But it is truly incredible to know that Kublek has assembled some kind of master plan for the group, and hopefully it involves salvation and kindness, since we have seen the Lieutenant Colonel’s softer side. 

But in the here and the now, it’s best we take a moment to celebrate one fascinating and dynamic tale. One that really did do a fine job of teaching the group a solid lesson about the cruelty of the world and how it isn’t what we expect it to be. Because now they have learned to take a little time to learn more about the people they encounter, and that should help them deal with the genuinely evil ones when they eventually run into them, and in the end, this episode served as a wonderful reminder that we are indeed building toward something big in this story. Because lessons such as these, and hints like the ones we received at the end, are all part of a grand storytelling plan. One that will fundamentally change our characters by its end. Whether they change for better or worse, time will tell of course. But for now, we can continue to enjoy this thoughtful and fascinating ride as genuine good and a unique kind of evil continue along on an unsettling collision course. Until next time.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 605 of ‘Fear the Walking Dead’.

​Something that each and every one of us can agree upon, is the sheer fact that sometimes changing who we are and what we've become, is a necessity in life. Because sometimes we get lost in this world and end up drifting about aimlessly. Or we place ourselves in uncomfortable and unhealthy situations, or we begin to indulge in toxic and unfortunate behaviors and when any of those situations arise, the only way to escape them is to make some serious changes to our lives. The kind that remove us from those issues and help us to feel better about ourselves and our future, and while it is wonderful to celebrate being free of darker times, after taking the time to reinvent ourselves, one unfortunate aspect about change... is that it is quite easy to all the undo all the work we've done.

For there are times when we immediately revert to old habits that we thought we left behind when the circumstances seemingly call for it. Or we see friends and loved ones suddenly take a step back from the progress they made in altering their lives, and having that happen in any capacity, gives us great pause and fills us with doubt. Simply because it makes us wonder if change is possible in the slightest, or if we are always going to be stuck within a version of ourselves that we desperately don't want around, and it is the doubt that surrounds the notion of change that served as the focal point of this week’s episode of Fear the Walking Dead. For Dwight and his beloved Sherry were forced to confront whether or not sustainable change is possible within people and that made ‘Honey’ quite the powerful tale when all said and done.

Simply because, we saw Dwight and Sherry revert to the more primal versions of themselves that we first saw them residing within when we first met them in The Walking Dead. But not right away. For initially, this episode celebrated their reunited love before introducing us to a group of outcasts from Ginny’s world. For it turns out that from time to time, she will cast people out of her communities when they challenge or disappoint her, and their fear of being discovered or infiltrated by Ginny's forces put Dwight and Al (since they snatched her up too) in grave danger if only for a moment. For it turns out that the man that Dwight gave a second chance to last season, was in this place as well. All because he took Dwight’s kindness and words to heart, and he was quick to grant Al and Dwight a second chance. Making it seem as though this episode was going to transform into a story of redemption. 

Because this group also had plans to stick it to Ginny, and their grand plan to make that happen was to get their hands on the MRAP that she swiped from Al. And thanks to her grand knowledge of the assault van, they were able to seize that sucker without any trouble. Giving this group a powerful weapon in the fight against Ginny and that’s when the story started to examine the nature of change and whether or not we are genuinely capable of it. Because there was a hostage involved with this capture plan, one that came into the group’s possession, by way of an assist from Morgan and as the group began to plan their assault on Lawton and Ginny’s end; Morgan was quick to play the voice of reason. For he knew that any attack on Ginny would result in the loss of innocents as an attempt to save her own hide, and that the assault should wait until the right people were out of harm’s way. 

A notion that Dwight and Sherry, quickly threw to the side. For the both of them wanted Ginny to pay and the more they pondered upon bringing her down, the faster they transformed before our eyes. Because suddenly, Dwight was the man we met in ‘Something to Fear’ and ‘All Out War’ since he was eager to cause harm to the hostage in the hopes of getting information regarding Ginny’s whereabouts, and this sudden reversion to the man that Negan once revered as his top Lieutenant; scared the hell out of Sherry. For this was not the man she ever wanted him to be and when an opportunity arose to take out Ginny on their own terms, she was quick to sideline Dwight and Morgan and Al, in the hopes of handling this mess herself and to save Dwight from returning to the broken man she left behind. 
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Something that allowed for Dwight to realize that neither of them had really changed since they left the Sanctuary all those years ago, and that they were still filled with old habits and a desire for revenge against despots that reminded them of Negan. Which helped Dwight to realize that Morgan was right and that an all-out assault would cause nothing but great harm and that in turn motivated him to try and reach Sherry and help her realize that there was in fact, a better way to handle this. And while he did get her to stop in that moment, it wasn’t enough to keep her out of the fight, and for now, these two star-crossed lovers are once again apart. Simply because they are both worried that their love will forever remind of them darker times and bring out the worst in them because they believe they are incapable of change, which seems like a bleak way to end this tale. 

But in reality, that’s actually quite the positive way to bring this exploration of change, and whether or not we are capable of it, to a close. For in essence, this entire episode makes it clear that we are in fact capable of altering our course and improving our lives in the process. But only when we are genuinely ready to put in the long and sustained work that goes into truly leaving that other version of us, behind. Because up until this moment, Dwight wasn’t ready one hundred percent ready to embrace change, and it wasn’t until he saw the fact that he was capable of becoming that which he fears the most, that he was ready to let it into his heart and move forward. And while the same cannot be said of Sherry in this tale, Dwight at least offered her inspiration to change and the freedom for her to explore what it will take to make that happen and hopefully she will embrace it as well, sooner rather than later.

If anything, this is perhaps, the most positive and inspirational episode of season six to date. For up until now, everything we’ve explored has been bleak and conflicting and genuinely sorrowful at times. Which isn’t a knock on what this season is offering in the slightest. For this is indeed the group’s darkest hour and ugly examinations are expected. But it is nice to see that moment by moment, the characters are learning from this experience and are starting to grow for the better and this really was an episode that offered up incredible progress for a genuinely broken character, and took the time to show us a genuine path toward sustainable change and that just made for one delightful episode when all is said and done. One that reminds us that The Walking Dead Universe truly shines when it works to inspire us and it should be interesting to see if we will encounter more uplifting stories in this manner, as season six continues along. Until next time.     

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 205 of ‘Eli Roth’s History of Horror’.
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It has often been said, that the children are our future, and that phrase holds a lot of truth. For they are the only biological way that mankind survives, and that alone makes them supremely important to all of us. But that phrase goes beyond a mere biological push to procreate so that humanity thrives. Because those words are also a fine reminder that children are the only way that our society can become a better place. Something that can only be accomplished by setting them on the right path from the day they are born, so they can become fine people that will change the world. Which is quite the daunting task, and that is why a lot of parents experience plenty of anxiety and fears over raising a child right. The kind that definitely keep them up at night since there is no proper place to vent them or explore them, outside of fiction that is. And it just so happens, that the horror genre is the perfect place to properly examine such worries.

For scary movies are always the perfect place to let our fears grow and be conquered in a safe manner and it just so happens that horror films involving our fears when it comes to children have their own rich history, the kind that served as the focal point of this week’s episode of Eli Roth’s History of Horror. Since ‘Chilling Children’ took the time to examine what specific fears are often put on display in this sub-genre, such as how parents worry about whether or not their child will be born in a healthy and traditional manner. A notion that served as the centerpiece of the Larry Cohen film, It’s Alive, since that motion picture provided the audience with a worst-case scenario to some. For the baby in that motion picture was born as a grotesque monster, one full of deformity and an evil bloodlust of course.

But while there are parents who worry about their baby coming out just right on the day of its birth, a fear that preys upon mankind’s proclivity for perfection and uniformity, there are other fascinating fears to explore in this sub-genre. For we believe that children are born innocent and full of joy and wonder, and the thought that a child is born evil and incapable of being influenced by the powers of good, is a terrifying notion indeed. One that films like The Bad Seed, Children of the Corn or Village of the Damned do a fine job of exploring. For they feature plucky children that are consumed by evil and are hopeless when it comes to redemption, and the thought that these innocent minds could be born with evil and malice in their hearts sends shivers down an audience’s spines and oddly enough, these types of films serve as the perfect segue to our greatest fears when it comes to children.

Because every parent hopes that their child will retain their purity when they encounter the evils of the world and that they’ve done enough to set them on the right path, and the thought of them going to the proverbial dark side and embracing evil regardless of quality guidance, is something that definitely keeps parents up at night, and these are fears that are absolutely realized in Carrie and We Need to Talk About Kevin. Since we see Carrie White succumb to the madness of the world once its cruelty is revealed to her, allowing for her to embrace it and use it to her advantage when she can take no more of it. And of course, there’s something horrifying about watching Kevin become a monster before our eyes in the aforementioned latter film, not because he is capable of it, but because it appears as though his mother’s inability to properly commit to parenthood and give it her all in making him a good man has led to this kind of horrific failure. And these moments are relatable and horrifying in our minds, simply because our thoughts immediately turn to the parents when we see these kinds of incidents on the six o’clock news. Since we wonder what mom and dad did to fail these kids and if we as parents, have done enough to keep our kids from making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

If anything, this particular episode of this dynamic series, makes it clear that horror films that involve children and their corruption or dedication to evil, truly strike a primal chord in our souls. Partly because the subject matter is indeed unsettling, since it removes the air of purity and gentleness that we associate with children. But also because, these particular films offer a minimal escape from the everyday world. For a lot of them really do tie into the real world more often than not and are rife with topics that few like to discuss. Which means that mankind and its cruelty are put on full display in these tales and since that is the worst monster of all, these stories definitely rattle us and the show deserves serious kudos for pointing this out. Since you simply don't expect a horror documentary to mirror its subject matter and try and offer up something so poignant to its audience. But this is a series unlike any other and it is nice to know that Eli Roth's History of Horror is starting to evolve into something so much more. Until next time.

​One thing has to be said about small towns, they have got it right. When one of their neighbors is down on their luck, the town tries to help make it right again by giving up whatever they can. You just don’t see this in large communities, where a buck a month can turn into ten thousand dollars very quickly. I would hope that most people would try to do the right thing when someone is in need and while many of us choose a great charity to sponsor or a trusted GoFundMe page to contribute to, just sitting back and doing nothing to help can always make you wonder what if and leave your conscience unsettled. 

Moving away from the church for several years now, Katherine has made a name for herself in debunking miracles around the world. Of the forty-eight investigations that she has been called in on, she has used science to disprove every last one of them. Losing her faith years back, she is wide eyed to see what is happening to people and wants to help them understand that God may not be behind everything that happens on earth. Landing a great teaching job at the University, Katherine shares her findings and experiences with the youth of the school and makes sure they understand that everything has a reasonable explanation behind it.

Seeing an unfamiliar face in class, the stranger in question has a problem in his home town of Haven that would be right up Katherine’s alley. With the river turning red for no reason, he believes that the teacher would be able to help his neighbors understand that God is not coming to punish them, as the town believes this may be the start of the ten plagues. With research assistant Ben by her side, Katherine is ready to pull out the big guns and when trying to sample the river water, the two get a result that they have never seen before. Needing to send their samples back to the university to be tested a little more thoroughly, the two can only do so much while waiting and Katherine wants to do something to disprove the mumblings around town that a young girl is behind what is happening.

As the plagues start to add up with frogs dropping from the sky, flies appearing out of nowhere and livestock dying off, Katherine finds herself in a hurry to find out what is really happening around the small town. As Ben runs some of the tests that he can on site, Katherine heads into the back woods to find a little girl named Loren McConnell, who is supposedly behind all of the madness. As the little girl does not talk, her mother is ready to give up her daughter’s life for the greater good, but Katherine is not ready to take that step just yet. Not heeding a warning from her former priest, Father Costigan, about new signs pointing to her, Katherine finds out that there is more to the town of Haven than she could have ever expected and must challenge her own faith to find the strength to defeat the evil that has been laid out before her.

As far as a ten plagues movie goes, this is a pretty good one and with only one person controlling them, well, it makes you open your eyes to what is happening all around a small town. I must admit that I love the reaction shots in this movie best of all, since everyone is so serious with their work and not looking too happy, but when someone lets out a joke, it is magical. I liked how the ten plagues of Egypt were brought into modern times when everyone is looking for an explanation that does not have to do with a higher power. The journey that Katherine is forced to go on should have broken her and while it seems like she could have been defeated from the first scene of the movie, she has a fire in her that no one can put out. With a river of blood, frogs dropping out to the sky, some locusts and fire raining down on a small town, it is joyous ride into what can and should be done, whether or not you have faith. Stay Scared.

There is no feeling more refreshing than to know that you do your job well and people notice it. When you are asked to pass on your expertise to others however, there are two ways to look at it, one, that you are going to be replaced, or two, that you can make things better in whatever field that you work in. While so many people are worried about losing their jobs to the younger generation and have a huge problem with passing on their knowledge, I am a firm believer that if you do a good job and bring up the next generation of workers with the best practices, you will be rewarded and not replaced. With all of the competition out there, it is better to show that you only want to make your co-workers the best in your industry and hopefully they will continue to pay it forward when you decide to move on.

Getting sent to a new location where hauntings have just started within the past six months, the team of Jerry Mackay, Anna Gilmour and Ian Calder are ready to make a ghost hunting training video. The dos and don'ts of investigating a haunted location are very important, especially with everyone trying to get involved in it. But there is a new member to the team as Mark Vega has joined in and is shooting video and Jerry is very suspicious of why he has been included on a standard haunting. Keeping to himself, Mark does not want to disclose very much information about why he has been included on the hunt by the institute, much less talk about what happened to him on his last hunt, he just wants to make sure to do his job right and move on with his life.

With everything set up in the town hall, the team is ready to proceed with their video, but there seems to be a big problem as Anna is not able to feel any signs of anything. Not knowing the history of what happened in the location is hindering the investigation and Jerry is starting to get very upset that his group may have been set up to fail. Checking all of their equipment, Ian is positive that everything is working properly and is first to see a black veil being laid down just outside of the hall window. With complete blackness covering everything outside, Jerry is ready to step into action and give it a look, but when he can see nothing of the outside world, and when he discovers the door that they entered through has disappeared, he knows that they are in for a wild ride. 

Not being able to communicate with the outside world, much less get out of the room, the group starts to wonder what happened inside of the hall that could be causing this. But with no answers from the information that they were given, they are trapped inside of the hall until the haunting allows them to leave. With a new door showing itself, Jerry takes the first steps in finding out what is hidden in the walls, reaching in and bringing his blood soaked arm out, he sees that this is more than a normal haunting, it is a beast that has been awakened. Now that the hall has come to life in a manner of speaking, the evil spirits inside want something that the group is not willing to give and when they see that there is no escaping it, they lay down their standard protections to keep them safe. But when one of the primary ghosts on the premises shows himself Jerry and the group come to realize that they are in for one difficult investigation, one that they may not all return from, protections or not.

I always am on the lookout for a good ghost movie, one where the spirits are pissed and want to make themselves heard and this one did it for me. Even though you have some really silly scenes, there are some nasty ones as well and it was a pleasure to see. With the members of the ghost team being taken out one by one, Jerry wants nothing more than to get them back but when he finds out that the beast, the worst type of haunting that there is, is hungry, anyone that is able to escape will be lucky to be alive. The realization that Jerry and Mark have during their hunt is great, but I must also admit that a meat grinder and a pool of blood really piqued my interest into knowing what was really happening in the hall and how or what was behind it. Stay Scared.