Tag: Horror

With Big Horns and a Wail, Krampus is Coming to Town! A Movie Review

You better watch out, You better not cry, Better not pout, I’m telling you why: Krampus is comin’ to town.

Krampus Movie PosterWhether you celebrate Christmas or not, Michael Dougherty’s Krampus is a cautionary tale which tries to leave a mark. This writer/director wants audiences to leave with an understanding of what the holiday is about and most viewers will get it. In what may not get recognized by everyone is this film’s historical and cultural identity.

This movie started playing at theatres the night before December 6th to coincide with the established Germanic folklore of when this supernatural beast appears to reward or torment children. On the morning of the next day, kids go to look at the shoe or boot they left outdoors contains a present (to reward good behaviour) or a rod (for bad). In this old country — which includes Austria, Hungary, Slovenia and the Czech Republic — celebrations take place to remind people of all ages to play nice year-round. Variations of this legend includes this entity leaving the good alone whilst Saint Nicholas would place sweets in the footwear.

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When Reading A Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is Important, A Movie Review

When Ben and Carter are questioning why they are still scouts, that one moment of indecision creates a plot where they feel conflicted over abandoning Augie on the night the Zombie apocalypse.

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse Advance Teaser PosterTrying to convince me watch a zombie movie these days require the plot to either be wildly original or absurdly funny. Either does not have to be perfect. When the guffaws come from the gut, that’s a good sign in what I enjoyed from Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. Sure, it’s immature and sophomoric in its approach, but it’s Halloween! People get silly around this time just so they can unleash some inhibitions. I suspect this movie will do better once it hits video than persist on the big screen.

This film is simple popcorn entertainment. It blends the best of what camaraderie represents in The Goonies to the wildness of the situation from Zombieland. With character-driven elements taken from Superbad, this combination works to drive home a character drama.

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13 Halloween Movies That One Should Never Forget

Sometimes, the best Halloween Movies are those which can withstand the test of time than to follow the trends.

Halloween Movies - Haxan. Witchcraft through the AgesSome horror flicks come and go as part of the must watch tradition when All Hallow’s Eve approaches. Others are just plain forgotten over the years, if not in the passing of a century. If there’s ever a list that need to bring the ‘classics’ back, the hope is to bring the movies from the yesteryear back to the fore. These Halloween movies are the ones I loved watching while growing up. Whether it’s themed for the season or not, I feel certain films should never get discarded in favour for new ones. A couple of comedic films are added just so some folks will not come out scarred after a marathon view of these movies.

Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1929)

If this classic silent film is viewed along with The Wicker Man, then just maybe the third Halloween film can be better appreciated. Although very dated in its special effects technology and very primeval, this movie is just as effective now for its haunting terror. I love this film because it is very atmospheric. It blends a documentary and fiction together as the history of witchcraft is explored. While the Wiccans of today proclaim that they are not witches, there are similarities that must be studied.

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[Victoria, BC] In Saanich for Evil Acres — Take 2015

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

1607035_386482928176879_630313543971803379_nfrom 7 to 11pm daily
continues to Oct 31st
10375 Wilson Rd.
North Saanich, B.C.

In the month of October, some residents of Victoria, BC make a ritual out of going to Evil Acres, a haunted attraction located near Victoria Airport. Part of the joy is in entering the Slaughter House. This spooky abode has changed from what I remember last year. There’s a room that is truly dark, and you have to feel around to find the way out. There’s no joy in going through this home alone (although you’ll get the best experience out of the ‘solitude’ of the situation; some of the best horror stories involve divide and conquer) and I had to wait until two buddies of mine had time so we can go to this spookfest together.

I’m rarely disappointed, even though my stoicness is tough to break. When my writing partner James Shaw is tough to entertain in a concert, I’m harder to freak out when it comes to these walk-through tours. Yes, I can be startled but to get that creeped out feeling, it better be 100% real. That’s just one of the many reasons why I became a paranormal investigator. Although I know most ghosts can not harm you, the feelings you get when something happens and your logical mind can’t figure out, the spine-chilling feeling will just not go away!

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Thoughts on Crimson Peak’s Paranormal Heritage, A Movie Review

crimson-peak-movie-poster-largeBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Crimson Peak is hardly melancholy as most Gothic pieces of literature flow. The tale here moves in Jane Eyre fashion, focussing on a romance, with bits of The Turn of the Screw and Fall of the House of Usher mixed in. When Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is introduced as a confident young woman wanting to become a writer in the same vein as Mary Shelley, just what’s odd is her sudden conversion naivety as she’s swept away by the loving charm of Thomas Sharpe (charmingly played by Tom Hiddleston), a gentleman inventor from England. He’s arrived in Old Boston, circa 1890, to convince a board of rich businessman to invest in his operation.

There’s this rich red clay on his land that can be a boon to the construction industry. These bricks can be tough as nails when properly mixed, but it’s also symbolic to a detail that ties this film together. The deep crimson quality suggests something else. Writer and director Guillermo del Toro makes sure all the symbolic interpretations of this colour are examined. From warning, love, courage and hate, just what exactly this brick like tone represents depends on the individual and culture. For Edith, if only she understood the signs. She should have. As a writer, she has to know that the world can be explained with allegory and metaphors. There’s the potential for anything she sees or experiences to contain a deeper meaning. She’s smart for one-act and is dumb in the remainder. Perhaps that’s because of the poison that’s working through her system to numb her senses. A lot of thought is required to process the story that del Toro has penned with Matthew Robbins. Not every detail is properly explained for some people to understand. Some of them might be mistaken for plot holes.

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Brinke Stevens is still a Scream Queen and More! An Interview

This interview with Brinke Stevens shows just how beloved she still is. There’s much more to this talent than meets the eye.

brinke-stevens-02

Brinke Stevens is certainly one classy Dame. In the movie world, she’d be one to kill for; as one of the few Scream Queens from the years of my youth (and is still working today) she’s certainly shown that she has the chops to last in an industry that typically favours youthful fervour. As each decade tends to introduce new talent and types of horror for fans to get fast and furiously rabid about, I’m not always going to fawn over what’s the latest. I’d rather stick to what was impressed upon me at an early age. When video movie rentals became widely accessible, that’s when Stevens work caught my eye. Perhaps moreso in magazine spreads than anything else, but I was like every other horror enthusiast at that time, consuming everything I could find.

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