Don’t Be Tormented with Film Master’s latest Release

Although Tormented is very much a product of the times, a budget B-movie, there’s something to appreciate about this home video release as it looks into why Bert I. Gordon should be remembered.

Tormented Film Masters Display Packaging Design
Available to purchase on Amazon USA

The next hailed master of cult cinema the Film Masters are looking at is Bert I. Gordon, and to decide on which movie of his to remaster must have been tough. What’s examined is Tormented, a fairly standard ghost story. Although this filmmaker is best known for The Food of the Gods and other giant monster movies, which is better examined in this home video release’s bonus material, I thought what’s offered here is fitting enough to introduce newcomers to who this person is, and why he’s important.

This film was released back when ghost stories were making a comeback to cinema, and Robert Wise’s The Haunting helped motivate him, I suspect he read a certain story, namely the Tell Tale Heart, to help him know how to direct this work.

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Hopes and Dreams for the Future of Legendary Picture’s Monsterverse

It’s safe to say that not everyone wants more of Kong with Godzilla should the Monsterverse continue. Now that the film is leaving theatres, we offer some thoughts:

Godzilla King of the Monsters Movie PosterIf we’re supposed to believe all the Monsterverse films share the same DNA, then the slow reveal about an ancient civilization as Earth’s true guardians must hint at a greater plot. Now that the latest film Godzilla X King Kong is leaving theatres, I can offer some thoughts after repeated views. I’m willing to support this film franchise for so long, and hope it can be steered back to what it was.

When Gareth Edwards made his 2014 film, all he wanted to do was to make a movie that is a love letter to TOHO. His take had Yoshimitsu Banno‘s blessing and I’m sure the later instalments did not. This Japanese studio sent this director (best known for Godzilla vs Hedorah) to look at how Japan’s most iconic antihero, would be remade for American sensitivities. Back then, what he saw excited him. The idea of creating a shared universe didn’t happen right away and this film was considered a modest success before the King Kong movie revealed a greater concept. Michael Dougherty and Adam Wingard‘s take is decent enough where it made enough callbacks to the ol’ classic style, but it’s not as well thought out as Edward’s vision.

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From the Tabletop to Comic Book. Arkham Horror: The Terror at the End of Time

The Elder Gods are preparing to descend upon Arkham Horror: The Terror at the End of Time in this adaptation of the board game.

ARKHAM HORROR THE TERROR AT THE END OF TIME Comic Book Cover
Available for preorder at your local comic book store.

Release Date: August 7, 2024

Fans of the board game Arkham Horror can take delight in an adaptation that’s expanding the universe! Asmodee Entertainment and Dark Horse Comics have teamed up to present Arkham Horror: The Terror at the End of Time. It’s the first comic-based addition to Fantasy Flight Games product, and no previous knowledge is really required. If you’re a fan of H.P. Lovecraft, that’s all you need to recognise.

Two versions of the game exist. In the tabletop edition, players have to work together to stop multi-dimensional entities from arriving on Earth. There’s been three editions, and each are different in a bizarre way which mostly concerns the rules. The setting remains the same and as for the card game, that’s where the confusion begins! Some say it’s the same thing but in a trading card game format, but others argue there’s enough differences where it’s not. All they can agree on is that the end goal is the same. If all you want is the story, then the latter has a lot more expansion material. And to bring it all together, Eisner Award-nominated master of horror, Cullen Bunn (Harrow CountyThe Sixth Gun), will write the four-issue miniseries.

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In Fallout, It’s Wild and Wooly. A Review from a Non-Gamer’s Perspective.

Amazon Prime’s Fallout fits very well into the weird west genre when considering how it overlaps with all that’s beloved from The X-Files and Nightbreed.

Fallout Amazon Prime PosterStreaming on Amazon Prime

Fans of post-apocalyptic narratives don’t really need a primer to enjoy Fallout. Everything gets explained during the course of eight episodes and folks can either binge or pace it out for the next two months. After its explosive debut last week, I’m hooked and love the undead cowboy who must have read a lot of Jonah Hex comic books. At first, I thought it was set during the 50s or later, like 1977 when this antihero’s exploits was in print. Instead, it’s 2077 when the world blew up.

Had the introduction not shown Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) signing a piece of paper showing the date of March 17, 2299, I would’ve thought the vintage set design existed for another reason. With all the era appropriate decor, the only thing out of place is the television. It looked like it was from a future time similiar to The Jetsons. And with what’s broadcasted in black and white, I thought Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the start of the next World War!

After the nuclear destruction of Los Angeles, the details fall into place. Those who caught sight of the clouds raced to shelters (called Vaults) and those who didn’t are dead or heavily mutated. Some turn into Ghouls and live long lives, and others aren’t even trying to rebuild. After 200 years, a very feudal society defines the surface world.

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When The First Omen is not the Last Omen for a Restart of an Old Franchise Favourite

The First Omen is very good at fitting into what’s already known. But sadly, it’s missing some of that spiritual gravitas that defined the trilogy.

The First Omen Movie PosterThere’s more than one terror afoot in The First Omen and nobody should be surprised that something new is added to continue this franchise. Back when it all started, writer David Seltzer and director Richard Donner may have had only two ideas in mind: Satanism was on the rise and cults existed at places few communities least expected. This film arrived before the book Michelle Remembers was published. These days, new revelations debunk this publication, but in what this latest offers, what’s getting mapped into the canon gets sinister.

When I first saw the movie that started it all, that parting image of Damien delivering a fourth wall breaking smile was spine-tingling. Anyone who knows that film well understands the spirit locked within has a plan. And when he becomes an adult, that vessel can do nasty things. I was a fan of Patrick Troughton (Doctor Who) and the character he played knew a lot about what’s going on. Unfortunately, time on screen to prevent the unholy from gaining a foothold got cut short.

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