Tag: Paranormal

When A Late Night With the Devil Leads to Disastrous Consequences…

The problem with Late Night with the Devil is that it left me bored. I was able to go to sleep afterwards, dreaming of communicating with the unholy and asking if they can do me a favour….

Late Night with the Devil Movie PosterSpoiler Alert

The difference between Late Night with the Devil and Ghostwatch is that the former film hides Jack Delroy’s (David Dastmalchia) past from viewers to later be shocked by. Although both concerns live coverage about why a young teenage girl is haunted, and as for who controls whom, that depends on who is her keeper. Also, the question of broadcasting this look into what goes bump in the night may cause more harm than good. What’s being played out is like That’s Incredible! I had that reality TV show and Johnny Carson in the back of my mind while watching this film.

While this latest effort is firmly rooted into recreating the look of the 70s, it rarely delved into why this era was ripe for events to happen like the Satanic panic. There are quick references to certain trends–namely the influence of The Exorcist and The Omen–and without that added gravitas, this film doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. Without these particular references, I thought Cameron and Colin Cairnes‘ movie didn’t fully hit its mark. I’d give this film a low grade more than anything else. The British film really does it better, because it keeps you invested through various characters, especially Craig Charles!

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Exhuma. Lest We Forget, or Forgive. Can The Spirit of Korea Recover?

Before Korea was divided into two nations, there was a time when everyone fought for the same thing and what Exhuma examines is a mix of horror and history.

Exhuma Movie Poster (Korean)Well GO USA
Now playing at theatres new you

Exhuma (파묘) is one of those rare gems which mixes in folk horror with history, and what’s exhumed for audiences to worry about concerns a terror that must be put back in its place, lest more innocent souls get destroyed. In this film’s case, there’s also a sense of unearthing tensions its citizens had when concerning their relation with the Japanese.

Some ancient spirit hates the Ji-young family, and Park (Kim Jae-cheol) hopes to end the curse once and for all. He hires a locally renowned occultist Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun) and Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun) to basically do some ghostbusting. Unlike other works which are steeped in made up lore, this one is steeped in animism and folklore. It gives this film an air of credibility where even I felt at ease. Although the later act gets fanciful, the nuances still make me think twice when disturbing a grave a night!

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At Campton Manor, The Race is On to Find Whodunit

Technically, this movie has no relation to the folk tune about being at the races. Instead Campton Manor deals with something else that the hero has to find before time runs out!

Campton Manor Movie PosterAvailable on VOD (YouTube, Google Play & Apple)

A mystery is afoot at Campton Manor! It’s rare to feature a detective who admits he sees dead people. And when Cat Hostick‘s film is about such a hero, I was curious. What’s delivered is fairly engaging as the film switches back and forth from what he sees to how others watch him at work. The excellent lighting design lets viewers know when the tale is taking place.

Here, Teddy (Shawn Roberts) is a detective who also moonlights as a writer of cheap fiction. While I question his work ethics of taking inspiration from the cases he’s done, apparently the income is good. Unlike Murder She Wrote, what’s done here shows how nobody’s the wiser. He changes the names in the stories. As for how close he’s gotten to solving the crimes before writing it down depends on who you ask.

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The Ghost Writer Redefines What Plagiarizing Means in this Murder Mystery

There’s more than family dysfunction going on here that makes The Ghost Writer more than just another murder mystery.

The Ghost Writer Movie PosterThe Ghost Writer felt awfully familiar at times, and that’s because Paul Wilkins film is more about dealing with a very authorative father who may well be figuratively lurking in the shadows. He’s passed on some years ago, and although Gilliger (Luke Mably) thinks he can deal with those imagined spirits, there’s more going on in this film which may have some viewers curious.

Here, this once successful author can’t even come up with an original idea. He was once on the list of top selling mysteries, but lately, this individual can’t even get recognition on the streets. He thinks moving back to the old family home can fix things, but when there are many skeletons lurking in those closets, it’ll be rough! But when he finds his pops discarded a story that he thinks he can fix up, something gets stirred up in the homestead and that’s when the fun begins!

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When DreamWorks Fright Krewe Evokes that Feeling From Rockwell’s Somebody’s Watching Me

Everything you want to know about Vodon’s best heroes but were afraid to ask is answered in Eli Roth’s take on Seint Seiya with Fright Krewe!

Fright Krewe Promotional PosterComing Soon to YTV (Canada) and available to stream on Hulu

In addition to that music video, I can’t help but be reminded of Richard A. Hamilton’s graphic novel Fearbook Club after rewatching DreamWorks Fright Krewe for the umteenth time. That’s mostly because the image of kids tackling nasty urban legends around New Orleans is a concept I really dig. And when the lore is done right, I’m returning to it often just to see what else I can pick up on when considering the Vodun religion is quite rich in its imagery and number of loas said to exist!

Creators Eli Roth and James Frey pitched a solid idea which includes explaining the legends and lore which exist around this city. But what’s more important is in how the teens, this series main protagonists, should learn to get along. When there’s loup garous, vampires, ghosts, and other sordid creatures prowling about, these kids better get their act together! While we don’t see much about their supernatural war with humanity, and that’s because peace was established long ago. But as for their pact with certain individuals from this mortal world, it’s tumultuous at best.

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What’s Believable about The UnBelievable With Dan Aykroyd is That Some Segments are Verifiable Truths!

Thankfully the later episodes of The UnBelievable With Dan Aykroyd are better and are based on lesser known aspects dating back to things the military or science would rather people forget.

The UnBelievable With Dan AykroydAvailable on History Channel,
Amazon Prime and YouTube

As much as I love a certain paranormal enthusiast, I think he’s pining for the fjords by agreeing to be the host of The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd. This latest History Channel offering is produced by Six West Media and Wonderland West is simply copying from William Shatner’s The UnXplained, and when we’re dealing with some rather semi inspired titles to entice folks to watch, I was still curious.

Thankfully, what this on screen and off-screen Ghostbuster shows is in just how passionate he is about the subject. He acknowledges his family’s lifelong interest in the spiritual world (I.e. ghosts) in the first episode, “Strange Locations,” that’s dedicated to all things spooky. From a book to being at the forefront of the spiritualist movement in Canada, the gambit is well covered. Besides introducing a few familiar locales that are cursed, there are others not as often talked about.

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