Frankengiraffewolf by Jeffrey Jeschke

Frankengiraffewolf was an entirely new kind of monster. It had the fangs of a vicious wolf. It partially had the head of Frankenstein. It also had the body of a very huge giraffe. This 2700-word short story introduces a whole new kind of monster. It terrorized Africa with a ruthlessness that was unheard of.

"Once upon a time a mad doctor roamed the heart of Africa searching for the perfect experiment. He was truly insane, but he was also an absolute medical genius. His name was Doctor Von Giraffenstein. He absolutely loved to experiment on cadavers and electricity. He was absolutely infatuated with the local wildlife of Africa. He especially loved giraffes. He liked how tall they were and how big they were. He also loved wolves, but he also liked human cadavers. He loved how sharp the fangs were inside of a wolf’s mouth. One night the mad genius had a very strange and mysterious dream. In that dream the mad man dream't that he created a vicious beast that was part, giraffe, and part man, along with some wolf in it. After that strange dream he was absolutely infatuated with creating such a beast. He was so infatuated he could never sleep, until he figured out a way to make his dream come true. Some say he took insanity to a whole new level."

This was and is a crazy book and fun to read. The premise is silly, but, like the author told me once, "Nothing like creating a new kind of a monster."


AudioBook Data
Written by: Jeffrey Jeschke
Narrated by: Robert Barbere
Length: 16 mins 
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:09-30-16
Publisher: Jeffrey Dale Jeschke


Here are the obligatory purchase links, the book goes for less than $4.00 USD

To purchase from Amazon http://amzn.to/2jMItJT

To purchase from Audible  http://adbl.co/2jMJn9e

                        Robert Barbere Audible Page

Another Vampire Story: A New Audio Book

IIn film and television there is an overabundance of vampire stories. Many have degenerated into films about a virus or a plague where the victims show symptoms of vampirism. A few, like "Dracula Untold,"  keep the supernatural flair going.  However, "Another Vampire Story," is a short story (34 minutes) by a writer by the name of Patrick Finerd. 

However, the story is short and simple but, shows another view of the life of a vampire. I liked the story enough to want to narrate it. Here is a short clip to let you know about the story.

"The sky grew darker than normal as I made my way home from school. The wind was whipping and howling; scattering dead leaves in all directions. The branches on the naked trees waving as the brisk cool air swirled around me. A loud boom of thunder can be heard in the near distant, followed by a steady mist of rain bouncing off all surfaces."

Although set in present day, the mood is set quickly with a sense of Gothic sensibility. 

Here are the obligatory purchase links, the book goes for less than $4.00 USD

To purchase from Amazon http://bit.ly/vampstory

To purchase from Audible  http://bit.ly/vmpstory
To purchase from ITunes: http://bit.ly/AnVampStory

Robert Barbere Audible Page

Dracula Untold: A Story That Should Have Remained Untold

F or the uninitiated, "Dracula," for many is a vampire who wears a black tuxedo and sometimes turns into a bat after he seduces women with his hypnotic stare. He speaks with a Romanian accent and says silly things like, "I want to drink your blood," He is a monster that preys on women, and in a venereal sense, is a creature of lust. However, "Dracula Untold" attempts to tell the story behind the legend and bring to light the historical figure that Bram Stoker hinted at in his 1897 Gothic Horror novel. Luke Evans ("The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," "Immortals") plays the semi-historical Prince Vlad of Transylvania. Sarah Gadon ("The Amazing Spider-Man 2") plays his wife Mirena, and Art Parkinson, little Rickon Stark from the HBO series "Game of Thrones" is Ingeras his son. Although freshmen director Gary Shore and writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless attempt to fill in the details behind the mystery of who Dracula is, they fall short in the history department while trying to make up for it in effort, special effects and action. 

This is the second origins blockbuster film for 2014. The first, "Hercules" staring Dwayne Johnson did a decent job bringing a version of the demigod to the big screen that is a more human and perhaps a more honest view at how we see ancient legends. Bram Stoker gave only a few hints in his novel of who he was basing his dark count on. For instance during one of Jonathon Harker's conversations with the Count, Dracula mentions that his family comes from the proud Székelys, and Boyars who fought Ottoman Turks in defense of his people and their lands. This narrows the field down to Prince Vlad III of Walachia, situated next to the region of Transylvania. Although Stoker displaces Vlad III to the Transylvanian Carpathian Mountains, there was no person other than the reviled Vlad Țepeș, the Impaler. Even more specific is the name Dracula, as Vlad III was a Christian Knight in the Order of the Dragon, or Dracul, or Dragkwlya. As the reputation as the bloodthirsty Prince spread, 400 years later, Irish playwright and theater manager, Bram Stoker, created a vampire story around that legend. Others say that Stoker had his story pretty much outlined when he was looking for a name for his vampire and came upon the bloody prince.

"Dracula Untold" attempts to bring back Stoker's Count by providing the audience with a few morsels of truth about the infamous man behind the legend, as well as plenty of Hollywood myth making tossed in for good measure. In this version, a narrator recounts how Vlad and his brother Radu “The Handsome” were given as political hostages as a children and were educated by the Turks. He learned the Quran, Turkish, literature, logic, and the Art of War. Instead, Sharpless and Sazama turn the atrocious Vlad into a sympathetic anti-hero. Yes, Vlad the Impaler was a Christian Crusader who took up the cross during Pope Pius II's Crusade against the Ottomans, but he did so with such gusto that both friend and foe alike reviled him.  "Untold" presents us with a man born into a cruel world and tries to soften the edges and humanize him. As the narrator tells us, after leaving the captivity of the Turks, and returning to his own lands to reign, he renounces violence, and like Rock’s character in “Hercules,” intends to settle down and become a stay at home prince to his wife and a good and loving father to his son. 

After encountering evidence that the Ottoman Turks are on his lands, he and a small band of his men track the Turks to a bat infested mountain cave. Within the cave, they find the bones of humans who have lain there for centuries, along with the recently dispatched Turkish scouts. So many so, that Vlad realizes that something darker abides there. In a decent scene of horror (for a PG-13 movie), Vlad finds a creature who is so strong, but also so monstrous that he files that information for later. Returning to his home, we find that he has a beautiful wife (Gadon) and a well-bred, and unspoiled son (Parkinson) waiting for him to return. Shore allows us to see for ourselves perhaps the reason why Vlad hates the Turks so much as he removes his shirt to reveal horrible scars on his back from the whippings he endured when he was their prisoner.

While he and his family are in the midst of celebrating Easter in his grand hall with both servants and people of his court, Shore  depicts Vlad as a noble and generous prince. The Turks march in and interrupt the feast demanding their tax and levies for their Janissary corps. Janissarys are male children between the ages of 8 and 15 that serve in an elite corps of the Turkish Army. This sets the stage for rest of the film. Vlad is a good person only trying to save his family and his people. He has almost no army, and as he begs Mehmed II to leave his son out this deal, his hate returns with the memories of abuse at Mehmed's father's hands. Dominic Cooper ("Need for Speed," "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter") plays the Sultan Mehmed II who serves not only as the villain, but also as the catalyst that forces Vlad's hand in deciding to turn to the dark side. Returning to the bat cave mentioned earlier, he encounters a very old and ancient evil that may supply him with an answer to his dark prayers. "Game of Thrones" Charles Dance plays the very old Master Vampire. A dark Yoda of sorts, he cautions the young prince on the pitfalls of immortality and the need to feed. Yes, he will become a hero, but many will hate him. Unlike Louis and Lestat in "An Interview with a Vampire," Prince Vlad is given time to decide if he has buyer's remorse. He has three days to defeat the Sultan, however, the need to feed on human blood will become unbearable, but he cannot drink blood in that time. If he does, his change will become permanent. 

What would you do? Would you accept the dark side in order to save your loved ones? Or, would you stay the course and give in to the Sultan and wait until you have built your army? What the film does mention that is more or less historically accurate is that Radu, Vlad's brother, sided with Mehmed during the upcoming battles. From here on out, the "Dracula Untold" becomes a formula action film with somewhat melodramatic bitter sweet doomed romance, and plenty of CGI shenanigans which include Vlad morphing into not just one bat, but into an entire colony of them. The blood and gore is kept to a 21-century minimum, and the horror and thrill are more at an action level rather than going for the paranormal suspense and fear. 

The battle scenes are shot close up in the "Jason Bourne" style of dizzy and frenetic camera work, more of a blur if you will. Luke Evans' acting is stiff at times but conveys the charm of a prince and the brooding weight of responsibility for others. Dominic Cooper's Mehmet isn't around enough to like or dislike the character nor is Cooper's acting is of anything to note. Charles Dance as the creepy and demonic Master Vampire is probably the only real scary part in the whole film. Vlad's son Igneras is just another kid whom the audience are supposed to feel concern over his fate. Unfortunately I didn't. If anything i felt the film was lacking in passion (except for Luke Evans) for the whole film seems to me to be on the same level as Johnathon Harker played by Keanu Reeves, in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” The special effects in “Untold,” in some ways overshadow the story, and not in a good way. Watch if you are looking for an average action film  with just a tad bit of history, stay away if you are looking for that special film that you will remember as an important part of the Dracula cannon. If anything I give the director and writer some points for effort. 

"Dracula Untold" opened in theaters on October 10, 2014 and on DVD and Blu-ray on February 3, 2015.

Related

The Literary and Cinematic Origins of Dracula

Movie Data

Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, War 
Year: 2014
Staring: Luke Evans, Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper, Art Parkinson, Charles Dance
Director: Gary Shore
Producer(s) Michael De Luca
Writer: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Bram Stoker (characters)
Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 92 minutes

Release Date: 10/10/2012

The Taking of Deborah Logan: A Paranormal Murder Mystery

I don't usually care much for found footage films, but there are exceptions. "The Taking of Deborah Logan" is one of them. With a strong cast, excellent direction and a unique look at the paranormal horror genre, director and co-writer Adam Robitel brings a different perspective to the genre. A documentary crew intent on following a woman diagnosed with the Alzheimer's. As the film crew gets deeper into the ravages of the disease, it becomes apparent that there is more going on than what we believe. In my book, a horror film isn't worth its salt if it isn't rated R and this one is. Produced by Bryan Singer's "Bad Hat Harry Productions," this film went directly to Netflix and so far, is getting above average user reviews and here’s why.

Similar in tone of "The Blair Witch Project," Mia (Michelle Ang), the female leader of the documentary crew is working on this project for her medical PhD thesis and focusing specifically on the effects on the caregivers of Alzheimer's patients. She brings along Gavin (Brett Gentile) as editor, and Luis (Jeremy DeCarlos),as the rarely seen but essential cameraman. We meet the crew as they drive up to the Logan's property just outside of the town of Exuma. Set in the historic woods of Virginia, steeped in old legend of the Indians that lived there before the white man's arrival. The Logan's property is out in the woods and secluded. We are greeted jubilantly by Sarah Logan played by Anne Ramsay ("Dexter"), her mother Deborah (Jill Larson) is in the initial stages of Alzheimer’s and due to financial reasons, Deborah is seeking a portion of the film crew's grant money in exchange for the interview and allowing them to document her mother's disease, for science. Deborah, who lives in Richmond with her female life partner, has come home to help with her mother. 

As Sarah brings the group around back to meet her mother, she tells the crew that, her mom is so excited and that she has been cleaning and dusting the house as if "the president" was coming. Sarah also says that her mom comes off as, "a little salty, but it's just an act." She also tells the crew to say, "Please and thank you; kiss her ass." We find Deborah out in the back woody area with Harris (Ryan Cutrona), an old friend of the family. Almost immediately, as Deborah and Mia meet, Deborah's attitude changes and she decides she doesn't want to do the interview after all. The crew continues to film as Sarah and Deborah argue from inside the house. It is needless to say that the persistent group gets their way and a week later Deborah is welcoming and the weirdness begins. What helps in making this film believable is the interaction between Deborah and Sarah. As Deborah's mental condition gets worse, Sarah's concern and helplessness grows. Although the viewer knows that this is a film about demonic possession, you can't help but feel empathy for Sarah and the toll her mom is taking on her.

Stupidly Simple Technique To Make Men Obsess Over You

Co-writers Adam Robitel and Gavin Heffernan play off some of the conventional paranormal horror tropes. Which include American - Indian folklore ("The Amityville Horror," "Poltergeist"), the use of planted cameras ("Paranormal Activity"), security camera footage ("The Bay"), the disbelief in the paranormal ("The Last Exorcism"), creepy drawings that children usually draw of the ghosts or demons that they see ("Sinister," "Mama"), and the creepy shot with a character's back to the camera from the ending of "The Blair Witch Project." Also included is a dark secret that was once buried returns to life to haunt the living like in “Nightmare on Elm Street.” However, as a director, Robitel changes up some of these tropes and creates a new archetype utilizing instead, an older woman who has a mental illness. In Shamanistic societies, the mentally ill were regarded as sacred and speak words that come from the spirit realm. Heffernan and Robitel work into their story Monacan religion, a serial killer from the 1970's and a blood oath made by conspirators. Add to that the strong acting by both Larson and Ramsay, we watch as the scenes turn wi as each moment goes by. The film is intercut with Mia's medical school animations showing an Alzheimer's patient's brain, and interviews with Dir. Nazir (Anne Bedian) at the hospital up the level of realism a degree or two. 

As the film progresses,  Ang's character Mia, becomes more determined to get to the bottom of the strange events than actually completing her thesis. Brett Gentile as Gavin does an excellent job of developing the sense of the paranormal as he brings out EVP voices interspersed in Deborah's demonic voices. Usually in films like this, the cameraman, gets the short end of the deal but not in this case. My other issue with found footage films is that the ending is abrupt and doesn't bring the viewer to a conclusion or some sort of catharsis. For example, "The Devil Inside," clocking in at around only 83 minutes leaves the audience unfulfilled and feeling that they paid for more than what they got. However, Robitel does a fine job of wrapping this one up.

In spite of the usual bad photography and shaky-cam in places where the characters are running around, the characters, strong acting, and the a different kind of story transcend the level of mediocrity that most horror films of this type fall into. For Halloween this year, or any year, I would heartily recommend “The Taking of Deborah Logan” for your paranormal thrill fix available now on Netflix.

Movie Data

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Year:  2014

Staring: Jill Larson, Anne Ramsay, Michelle Ang, Brett Gentile, Jeremy DeCarlos, Ryan Cutrona, Anne Bedian 

Director: Adam Robitel

Producer(s): Jeff Rice, Bryan Singer

Writer: Adam Robitel, Gavin Heffernan 

Rating: R

Running Time: 89 minutes

Release Date: 10/21/2014

Ouija: A Fatal Fable of Foolish Friends

As a kid, my parents told me never to play with an Ouija board. You can buy one down at a toy store or on line at Amazon for about $20. Hasbro makes and sells this "game" for ages 8 to adult. Now Michael Bay, Jason Blum and Hasbro have teamed up once again to give audiences a cheap thrill by promoting a favorite child's toy as a film as they did with "Battleship." Olivia Cooke ("The Signal," "The Quiet Ones," "Bates Motel") stars as the best friend of an apparent suicide victim who just can't leave well enough alone. Director and co-writer Stiles White whose horror credits include writing, along with his wife Juliet Snowden, “The Boogie man," "Knowing," and "The Possession," work to tell a PG-13 story that appeal to the teen - aged moviegoer. The film starts out with two young girls of about seven or eight, in their pajamas playing with a cheap Ouija board and a plastic planchette. But first, the young blonde girl (Claire Beale) must tell the brunette girl the "rules" of the game. The first rule is, "never play alone," "never play in a graveyard," and finally, "always say goodbye." 

About ten years later, the two girls are seniors in high - school looking forward to college. Debbie, the blonde, now played by Shelly Henning ("The Secret Circle," "Teen Wolf") is alone in the typical old creepy multi - storied house -- with a past. The now grown brunette, Laine (Cooke), comes by to invite her recently and strangely reclusive best friend to go to a school game with her. The melancholy Debbie says she's not in the mood, but will see Laine tomorrow. After a few jump scares, the familiar low rumble of impending doom, Debbie inexplicably hangs herself off the second story balcony. With a dead friend now as a motivation, Laine gathers her boyfriend, Trevor (Darren Kagasoff), Debbie's boyfriend Pete (Douglas Smith), and Isabel (Blanca A. Santos), to hold a séance in the old house. In the hopes fo finding answers to Debbie's sudden and unforeseen suicide. Conveniently, because of the trauma of their daughter’s death, Debbie’s parents leave town to mourn. Laine's father, coincidentally, also leaves town for business putting Laine in charge of her younger but wild sister Sara (Ana Coto) who she brings along to the séance.

Stiles and Snowden walk the audience through every paranormal horror trope in the book: a house with a past, found footage, jump scares, and stupid kids summoning up the dead to a less than satisfying end. The best part of "Ouija" is Lin Shaye from "Insidious," "Insidious: Chapter 2," and more recently the indie Sci-Fi flick "The Signal" which also starred Olivia Cooke as well, as an insane survivor of a cruel spiritualist. The first problem I have with "Ouija" is the PG-13 rating. I don't think that a decent horror film should ever tone down the blood, gore, or tension, to keep from getting the audience limiting R rating. Secondly, White fails in trying to build character, primal fear, or hair raising tension, that develop a story and reworks the typical and tired horror tropes than just replay them. Finally, I am still having a problem getting used older actors playing much younger roles. Olivia Cooke is 20 years old (which I'm cool with) while the other members of the cast range from 24 (Isabella), to 27 (Trevor) and 29 (Pete). Other than Olivia, I had a hard time buying into these kids are in high - school. 

The idea that the living can contact and speak to the dead has been around since civilization started burying their dead. The emotional toll the loss of a loved one takes on the human psyche is beyond stating. Since ancient China, the use of a planchette as a way divining what the dead have to say. These planchettes were more of a way of holding a writing instrument that would aid the living write out the dead’s words. In the early 19th century, spiritualism was in vogue and séances featuring automatic writing with the use of a planchette. As the 19th century drew to a close, lawyer and inventor Elijah Bond had the idea of selling the planchette with a board that had the words “yes,” “no,” ‘goodbye,” the English alphabet, and the numerals 0 through 9. Some boards are elaborately adorned with mystical symbols to further the mythology of the ritual. Science believes that for the most part that it is just the persons involved subconscious moving the planchette. Either way, Ouija boards figure prominently in paranormal horror films. Perhaps the most famous and cinematically the most important film that features the Ouija board as portal to the dead and demonic is the “The Exorcist.” An unwitting Regan (Linda Blair) opens herself up to possession by the demon “Pazuzu.”

As the story progressed, I was reminded of the many  paranormal horror films that I've seen before, but without that emotional high. As the telltale inscription, "hi friend,” began showing up in the film, I had a bad sense of Deja vu. I was hoping that the filmmakers would do more to unravel the mystery of the mysterious spirit board itself, rather than remake the familiar ghost/slasher film that wallows in mediocrity. Olivia Cooke does a decent job and does her best to hold up a weak script. The special effects seemed rushed or in some cases hokey. A few of the important death scenes are either rushed, or only alluded to. At best, I would classify “Ouija” as slightly entertaining but like eating a salad for dinner, you’re still hungry and unsatisfied. Watch "Ouija" at the theater at your own risk, or you can do one of several things. You could wait until the powers that be release the film on DVD, which is my vote, or you can go out, get your own witch board, and scare up some of your own real frights.

Related

Ouija - Keep Telling Yourself It's Just A Game Trailer

Movie Data

Genre: Horror

Year:  2014

Staring: Olivia Cooke, Ana Coto, Daren Kagasoff, Bianca A. Santos, Douglas Smith, Lin Shaye

Director: Stiles White

Producer(s): Michael Bay, Jason Blum, Andrew Form, Bradley Fuller, Brian Goldner, Bennett Schneir

Writer: Stiles White, Juliet Snowden

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 89 minutes

Release Date: 10/24/2014

As Above So Below: The Alchemist's Quest

I am not sure why any sane person would want to descend into the bowels of the earth for any reason.  Written by director John Erick Dowdle ("Quarantine," "Devil") and his brother Drew, "As Above, So Below," follows a group of adventurers into the catacombs of Paris in search of the mythical Philosopher's Stone. Perdita Weeks stars as Scarlett, a young academic who is obsessed with finding the illusive stone. Ben Feldman ("Mad Men") plays George, Scarlett’s language translator and partner in crime. Edwin Hodge ("The Purge") is Benji who is filming this documentary for prosperity. "As Above, So Below" contains plenty of scares as the group ventures deep into the unknown.  

This is a B-horror film in the style of Found Footage, and therefore falls into many of the traps and tropes of this horror sub-genre, such as shaky camera, bad lighting, and plot issues that don't seem to resolve. The film starts as our Laura Croft-like hero films herself as she rides a bus while trying to sneak into Iran. Her goal, is to find ancient writings in Iran's underground, that will eventually help her to decode, a secret message that the legendary European alchemist, Nicolas Flamel left as a pointer to where the great secret of the ages lies hidden. The legendary Philosopher's Stone, lapis philosophorum, is said to turn base metals such as lead into gold (chrysopoeia) or silver. The stone is also allegedly able to heal the sick, a lofty goal to be sure if used to help humanity. 

Scarlett (Weeks), like Jones and Croft, is well schooled, adventurous, sometimes impetuous, and like Laura Croft, very lovely to look at.  Like the two cinematic adventure heroes, Scarlett's father was also an archaeologist and he too was obsessive about finding some ultimate alchemist truth. Smart and pretty, Scarlett also has PhDs in Chemistry, History, and Symbology. Apparently, she also has a bit of a Robert Langston in her DNA as well. George (Feldman) is Scarlett's reluctant companion, and an interpreter of languages, including dead ones. 

Riddles and Rhymes

Along with camera operator Benji (Hodge), the couple deciphers clues found from stone carvings that Scarlett scanned in Iran. They trace the clues to Flamel's monument stone in a Paris museum.  Decoding the symbols, she reads a nifty set of Hermetic riddles and rhymes, which are clues that Flammel hid the magic stone somewhere below the streets of Paris. Luckily, for them, Paris is built above 6 million dead bodies, buried in the crypts below the streets. In 2007, the rock singer Pink starred in a film about some friends who enter the catacombs to take part in the illegal Techno raves that are held there. The film, aptly titled "Catacombs" was mildly interesting, and already gave horror fans a first glimpse of life below the surface. 

What do I look like, a tour guide? 

Joining Benji, Ben and Scarlett, are Parisians, Papillion (François Civil) and his crew, Souxie (Marion Lambert) and Zed (Ali Marhyar). Unlike the "Catacombs" which turned into a slasher film, "As Above, So Below" keeps with the paranormal theme. For example, while making their initial journey into the catacombs via a side entrance through a railroad tunnel, the six of them pass a cavern lit by many candles and with many people, chanting in what could be a satanic ceremony. Creepy. The setting of the catacombs allows the each member of the group to experience their own personal terror. For one member, he keeps seeing his dead brother, for Scarlett, she sees visions of her dead father. Also, the audience along with the adventurers we feel the passages getting narrower, and the claustrophobia sets in. The group gets lost, and it seems like they, as well as the story, are going in circles. 

What troubles "As Above, So Below" is the found footage concept. The point of the found footage is to create a sense of realism, but in this case, the camera movements are migraine inducing. The Dowdle brothers begin with an exciting concept, but unlike Indiana Jones films, the "realism" gets in the way of telling a compelling narrative that the audience can understand and enjoy. Although the brothers spend the first third of the film establishing Scarlett's character and her relationship to George, Benji, the group’s photographer, like all cameramen in most found footage films, is almost a non-entity. The rest of the characters, are two-dimensional and for the most part, expendable. One thing that I thought was important to note, is Weeks portrayal of Scarlett is of a smart lady, who uses her mind to lead, but uses her heart to drive her. 

"As Above, So Below" promises an Indiana Jones adventure, however, it’s found footage style encumbers the visual narrative. With all the buildup of creepy ghosts, trap doors, traps, and the gateway to hell, "As Above, So Below," if anything is similar some ways to "Event Horizon's" ghost story plot of characters haunted by their own guilt. In the story's last act, the characters fall back on religious concepts of redemption and seeking absolution in order for them to find their way back to the surface. Ultimately, the story fails in providing the viewer with any profound truths in the end. 

Movie Data

Genre: Horror, Thriller 

Year:  2014

Staring:  Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge, François Civil, Marion Lambert, Ali Marhya

Director: John Erick Dowdle

Producer(s): Patrick Aiello, Drew Dowdle

Writer: John Erick Dowdle, Drew Dowdle

Rating: R

Running Time: 93 minutes 

Release Date: 8/29/2014
All images are property of Legendary Pictures

Annabelle: A Gift From Hell

Warner Bros. just released a new trailer for their "The Conjuring" spin off "Annabelle."  You remember, that horrid doll that would give any kid or adult nightmare. In fact, I think even Chucky would be frightened.  

Here is a synopsis of the film:

She terrified you in “The Conjuring,” but this is where it all began for Annabelle.
New Line Cinema’s supernatural thriller “Annabelle” begins before the evil was unleashed.
John Form has found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia—a beautiful, rare vintage doll in a pure white wedding dress. But Mia’s delight with Annabelle doesn’t last long. 
On one horrific night, their home is invaded by members of a satanic cult, who violently attack the couple. Spilled blood and terror are not all they leave behind. The cultists have conjured an entity so malevolent that nothing they did will compare to the sinister conduit to the damned that is now...Annabelle.

Capable of unspeakable evil, the actual doll exists locked up in an occult museum in Connecticut—visited only by a priest who blesses her twice a month.

James Wan of "Saw" & "Insidious" fame will produce "Annabelle" while John R. Leonetti ("Mortal Kombat: Annihilation," "The Butterfly Effect 2") directs this one. The story is by "Swamp Devil" script writer Gary Dauberman.

"Annabelle" is due to hit theaters in time for Halloween.  The theatrical release date is set for 10/3/2014

Related

The Conjuring's Annabelle Stars In Her Own Film ~ Trailer
The Conjuring ~ Summoning Up the Supernatural
The Conjuring ~ Right Behind You Trailer
The Conjuring ~ Arranging the Pieces

Movie Data

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Year:  2014

Staring:  Annabelle Wallis, Alfre Woodard, Ward Horton, Tony Amendola, Eric Ladin, Brian Howe 

Director: John Leonetti

Producer(s): Peter Safran, Joan Mao, James Wan

Writer: Gary Dauberman

Rating: R

Running Time: 90 minutes

Release Date: 10/3/2014

The Possession of Michael King: A Guide To Demon Possession

W riter and director David Jung brings together in one film practically all the ways that one can open the door and invite a demonic being home for supper.  Shane Johnson stars as the unbeliever Michael King, a documentary filmmaker whose worldview has suddenly taken a dark turn.  Little Ella Anderson stars as his daughter Ellie and Cara Pifko plays the unfortunate Samantha.  Blood and gore fans will appreciate this R rated thrilwrler.  “The Possession of Michael King” runs just short of an hour and a half.

I am not a fan of found footage films, with a few exceptions, so let me start there.  Jung's film starts innocently, but we all know that nothing in this film is going to turn out well.  The family enjoys a picnic in an L.A. park.  Michael, who is behind the camera, focuses on his "perfect" family, Sam, his wife, Ellie his 8-year-old daughter, and, oh yes, and the family dog, Fishbone.  After some terrible accident off screen, that leaves him a widower, and a single father, Michael becomes determined to debunk mediums as charlatans, the occult as fake, and religion as a house of greed.  To do this, he sets out to film his excursion into the realms of sexual magick, using drugs (LSD), and hypnosis to help open the doors to the other worlds.  

I think the time for found footage films needs to end.  The point of found footage is to give the audience a heightened sense of realism and to cover the lack of budget and production values. Sometimes the utilization of the found footage gimmick dampens the actual horrors taking place.  Although Jung does a decent job, I think to remove some aspects of found footage and allow the camera to peer into the ghastliness that a fallen or shaky camera doesn't allow.

CBecome A Professional Ghost Hunter/a>e A Professional Ghost Hunter

**Minor Spoiler alert**  

Shane Johnson does an excellent job portraying a man whose life is turned upside down.  Taking on Necromancers, and other occultists with a sense of righteous cynicism and allowing himself to be the guinea pig on one hand is commendable, but ultimately foolhardy considering that he eventually puts not only his sister Beth's (Julie McNiven) life in jeopardy, but his own daughter's as well.  Using a variety of jump scares, sudden booming audio scares, plenty of blood and gore, and dead birds Jung raises the hairs on the back of your neck.  For example, Michael carves, and then sews up a pentagram on his chest.  Unfortunately, Fishbone dies a horrible bloody death (this is a warning for the PETA folks).

Don't answer the voices!

What I liked about this film is that Jung takes several well known and clichéd ways of summoning a demonic entity into his life, which keeps the pacing of the film moving along quickly.  There is no need for the requisite exorcisms and chanting just plain weirdness.  Although the daughter is put in peril as the film develops and as Michael's possession progresses, the refreshing concept was that Ellie or any child is not the demon's host as in "The Exorcist," "Evil Dead," "The Ring," "The Possession," “The Last Exorcism”  or as in "Insidious."  What kept me glued to the screen was wondering how in the hell did King’s wife die.  

A somewhat above average horror film, ultimately, "The Possession of Michael King" makes no significant contribution to the Horror genre in general, and to the paranormal sub-genre, or to the found footage sub-sub-genre.  One could see evidence of influence from "The Exorcist," especially the ending, and the dead wife syndrome from "White Noise."  King goes through all the stages of possession or madness (which could have been played up a bit more) including insomnia, voices in his head, seeing things that are not there.  As possession films go, this one doesn't really have any new surprises but besides the self-mutilation and the apparent murder of the family dog, "The Possession of Michael King" is pretty tame.

Movie Data

Genre: Horror

Year:  2014

Staring: Shane Johnson, Ella Anderson, Cara Pifko, Julie McNiven

Director: David Jung

Producer(s): Paul Brooks

Writer: David Jung, Tedi Sarafian

Rating: R

Running Time: 83 minutes

Release Date: 8/22/2014

Horns: Daniel Radcliffe Grows A Pair

In 2010, author Joe Hill wrote a book called "Horns."  It was Hill's second novel and he filled wit with Gothic horror,  love, lies, murder,  theology, and a touch of comedy and  magical realism. 

Daniel Radcliffe ("Harry Potter" franchise) stars as Ig Perrish. One year after the murder and rape of his girlfriend, Merrin Williams (Juno Temple), Ig begins to sprout a pair of horns. Although there was not enough evidence to try or convict him, he is now the town pariah.  As the horns begin to form and grow, Ig finds that he has some uncanny powers with the town's people. He uses this power to figure out who the real murderer of his girlfriend.

"Horns" is directed by Alexandre Aja. Aja is both a producer and a writer as well as a director. His directorial credits include 2006's "The Hills Have Eyes," "Mirrors" in 2008, and "Piranha 3D" in 2010. Aja also co-wrote the screenplays for those films as well.

In the trailer below, Ig promises Merrin  to love her forever.  Then Ig's world turns upside down when she is murdered.  The town accuses him but he goes free.  As his horns begin to grow, the people of the town tend to tell him their darkest secrets, whether he wants to hear them or not.  At one point, reporters want an exclusive story from him and Ig promises them that if they fight it out amongst themselves, he will give the winner the story.  The strange part is that the people don't out-right string him up or burn him as a demon.

Just over two hours long, "Horns" premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year and is making its US debut on Halloween, 2014.  

Movie Data

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller

Year:  2014

Staring:  Daniel Radcliffe, Juno Temple, Max Minghella, Kelli Garner, Joe Anderson

Director: Alexandre Aja

Producer(s): Alexandre Aja, Riza Aziz, Joey McFarland, Cathy Schulman

Writer: Keith Bunin, Joe Hill (novel)

Rating: Not Rated Yet

Running Time: 123 minutes

Release Date: 10/31/2014