Tag: Horror

Abruptio Takes Viewers Away From the Everyday to the Eerie

Evan Marlow has a terrific movie that uses puppets in all its forms to reveal all that’s Abruptio!

Abruptio Movie Poster 2023Playing at Fantaspoa Film Festival
April 30, 3:30 PM BST

The hyperrealism put behind the puppet horror film Abruptio is perhaps why this movie is called that. Here, we’re looking at a very relatable story—Les Hackel (James Marsters) has nowhere to go in life. He’s in a dead-end job, lives with his parents and recently got dumped by his girlfriend. What takes him out of the everyday humdrum is that he finds a bomb implanted in his neck, and he’s not the only one.

Pretty soon, he’s tasked to carry out tasks if he wants to keep his head, and the jobs differ from what the Suicide Squad does. This film exists somewhere between what defines a thriller and a character study. The look on the human condition is what makes this work become an instant cult-classic!

Continue reading “Abruptio Takes Viewers Away From the Everyday to the Eerie”

The Phantoms are Everywhere in Ghostware: Arena of the Dead, Early Access Impressions

A few weeks into playing Ghostware: Arena of the Dead shows there’s still bugs to iron out and features to be added, but once when the adventure elements are put in, this game looks promising!

Ghostware Arena of the Dead ArtworkOnly skilled gamers who love first person shooters and platform style games can get requisitioned to play Ghostware: Arena of the Dead. This retro style game by Daev Team and published by HyperStrange has a great story to like, but if you can’t make it past the trainer mode and the first challenge, then this game is frustrating. That’s because where you respawn after dying again matters!

Here, you’re playing a videogame character and like in the movie TRON, where you’re transported to a dead world in the digital matrix. Here, you meet The Wizard and are forced to fight in old style games–like Capture the Flag and Deathmatch–to find the truth to what’s going on. Although I didn’t make it far in the early access release, I’ll keep trying again. Not many games will hook you into its concept, but here, I’m itching to get to the slower parts where what’s offered is marketed as an adventure game.

Continue reading “The Phantoms are Everywhere in Ghostware: Arena of the Dead, Early Access Impressions”

Where Worlds Collide and The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou

What’s amazing about The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou is that it is not a full-blown tale of terror. It’s more of a gentle thriller.

The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou TIFF Poster
Available to preorder on Amazon USA

Available on VOD
Coming to DVD on April 25, 2023

Just what Elsa (Lou Lampros) transforms into in The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou may have many viewers believing she’s a Loup-Garou, but truth be told, what changes inside can be much worse! This French-made film offers a great mystery.

Ultimately, this tale is focused on Jacky (Thomas Parigi) and the relationship with his grandmother Gisèle (Edwige Blondiau), who is a local healer. She uses folk medicine and her gift of altering one’s electrical meridians through the laying of hands (she calls it magnetic therapy) to cure the sick. She hopes to pass on her talent to him, but not everyone in the village is convinced he has that magic, too. Sadly, when she passes, the villagers will have no one else to turn to. 

Continue reading “Where Worlds Collide and The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou”

Decarnation. After Watching This Scary Video Game Trailer, All That’s Left is….

Decarnation also takes inspiration from cult hits like Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue and David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive.

Decarnation Video Game CardComing to Steam (PC) and Nintendo Switch May 2023.

The terror is real in Decarnation, a video game from developer Atelier QDB and publisher Shiro Unlimited. This horror adventure blends a bit of that old school pixel style animation to a modern tale of horror, where each choice only furthers an exploration into Gloria’s psyche. What this entertainer must face can easily change her perceptions of the real world, or cause her to sink into further insanity.

“Decarnation’s grave story, lovecraftian world, and evocative messages are about to unfold,” teased Quentin De Beukelaer, founder of Atelier QDB. “[Here, you have to] get ready to explore levels that blur the ever-thinning lines between fantasy and reality, and experience the truth of humanity when facing some of the darkest creatures and circumstances imaginable!”

Continue reading “Decarnation. After Watching This Scary Video Game Trailer, All That’s Left is….”

Hellsing is Getting Updated on a Dark Horse

With supernatural horrors haunting the streets and preying upon humanity, the shadowy Hellsing Organization fights back against hell’s minions.

Hellsing (Second Edition) Book CoverDark Horse Comics

The legions of the damned again threaten to cover the earth in darkness in new paperback editions of Hellsing. Featuring revised translations available previously only in the deluxe hardcover editions, Kohta Hirano’s epic action/horror manga is now even closer to the author’s terrifying vision that spawned the international hit anime series. Hellsing blends gothic horror, violent action, and dark humor in a bloody brew that has fired the imagination of otaku everywhere. These updated and redesigned editions are perfect for Hellsing devotees and a great jumping-on point for new readers.

With supernatural horrors haunting the streets and preying upon humanity, the shadowy Hellsing Organization fights back against hell’s minions. Hellsing’s secret weapon? Alucard, a vampire lord of immense power, specially trained and equipped to destroy the undead. But vast evil forces are on the march, and even the agents of Hellsing may not be able to stem the black tide that threatens to engulf England—and all humanity!

Hellsing Volume 1 2nd edition will arrive in bookstores November 7, 2023 and in comic shops November 8, 2023. It is available for pre-order now on Amazon  and at your local comic book shop and bookstore and will retail for $14.99.

%d bloggers like this: