Tag Archives: horror

Poetry- Poe’s Lament

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I have a second poem in as many weeks. This time, it is with my seventh grade class and I asked them if I should wrote a poem, too. They said yes, fairly excitedly. One student said I should do that author. She was referring to Edgar Allan Poe and I jumped at that chance. Much more of a fan of Poe than I was of four-wheelers.

I took a bunch of Poe’s works and made them a part of the story. I based it on the Raven, as you may know.

Here is the poem. It has the rhyme scheme of AABCCB

======================================================================

Poe’s Lament

1

Once upon a night so dreary

Edgar Allan Poe was weary

Sitting in his chamber all alone.

Dreaming of his lost Lenore

Or the lovely Annabel Lee some more

Spritzing the air with their favorite cologne.

2

Breaking the melancholic music of the score.

A gentle rapping, tapping came to the chamber door.

“What’s this?!” exclaimed Poe, flabbergasted.

“There’s something familiar about this,” he said.

As his broken heart was filled with dread.

Across the years of loss and fears, the gloomy feelings lasted.

3

Standing up from his writing desk, Poe cries, “By all that’s holy

If this be that blasted bird, I’ll kill it real slowly!”

Anger swelled within his breast as the irksome tap resumed.

Impatiently, the poet stormed across his chamber floor

Flinging open the door, Poe presumed a raven speaking ‘nevermore.’

No bird fueled Poe’s confusion of which he was consumed.

4

Nervous- very, very dreadfully nervous Poe became

The beating of his hideous heart was partially to blame

Poe was not calmed by the feathery fiend’s truancy.

“That tapping, the gentle rapping was coming from somewhere.”

Thought Poe, glancing around the hallway unaware.

Another creature had stalked past him with great fluency.

5

Cleaning its ebony fur upon the bust of Pallas

A slick black cat glared with eyes full of malice.

Poe covered his eyes and said, “What now?”

As the night was disrupted by the ringing of the bells, bells, bells

Poe screamed, “What do you want, creature of hell?”

And the black cat responded, “Meow.”

6

“Is that the best you’ve got, cat, one cliched word?

At least ‘nevermore’ was unexpected from the cursed bird!”

The black cat disregarded Poe’s raving, refusing to kowtow.

Poe poured himself a glass of amontillado wine.

“Why are you here?” said Poe. “You sent a chill down my spine.”

And the black cat responded, “Meow.”

7

“Creature! Are you a demon or is this but a dream within a dream.”

Poe’s words came out less like a question and more like a scream.

And o’er his heart a shadow fell as he found now

The feline sat on the bust stoically like the Red Death

“Will you lead to the fall of the house of Poe,” said he with a single breath

And the black cat responded, “Meow.”

8

Slumping back into his desk chair, Poe prayed for an end

From the torment and tempest of the works that he had penned.

“I would rather die at the hands of a raging orangutan, POW

Than suffer the indignities of your singular phrase.”

You fancy me mad, he thought, Madmen know nothing- just craze.

And the black cat responded, “Meow.”

9

Dark and brooding images throughout his mind did sprawl

Like disposal of this failure by burying it in the wall

Or tying it to a slab as a pendulum swings in this city.

At the peak of Poe’s macabre mind, in a dark blur.

The black cat leapt down, hopped on to Poe’s lap, and began to purr.

Taken aback, Poe slowly stroked the shiny fur. “Good kitty.”

10

Loss and grief can cause suffering and undo pain

And can lead to a darkness across your brain.

Loneliness can ravage your heart, here and now.

But Edgar Allan Poe and the black cat have each other.

Poe said, “Thank you for filling the hole in my soul left by another.”

And the black cat responded, “Meow.”

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This is the works by Edgar Allan Poe that I either used lines from or took homage of:

Poems: The Raven, Annabel Lee, Eldorado, The Bells, A Dream Within a Dream

Short stories: The Tell-Tale Heart, The Black Cat, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Cask of Amontillado, The Masque of the Red Death, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Afraid

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I came across Afraid on Vudu/Fandango this week and it was a movie that I had missed while it was in the theaters. I had intended to go see it, but things just never worked out, so I was somewhat excited to see it show up on streaming.

However, this was a disappointment of a film with an ending that was wholly unsatisfying.

According to IMDB, “The Curtis’ family is selected to test a new home device: a digital assistant called AIA. AIA learns the family’s behaviors and begins to anticipate their needs. And she can make sure nothing – and no one – gets in her family’s way.”

We have seen this type of movie before. It is very much similar to the M3GAN film from a few years ago which was also produced by Blumhouse. Honestly, it was predictable and lacked any originality, although the switch up at the third act was different. Problem is that that same switch up was also really dumb.

I do like John Cho as an actor, even though he is really not given that much to do in this movie. He was considerably better in 2018’s Searching, which deals with an online search to find his missing daughter. This is a considerable step down from that much more intelligent and engaging script.

Even still, the first part of the film was decent enough, but it went off the rails very quickly. AIA became crazy very quickly and became dangerously unbalanced not too much longer after that.

I was not the only person who missed this in the theater (by looking at its box office), but I would not say that anyone needs to find this on streaming. Perhaps it is worth a view when it comes up for free on Netflix or one of the other streamers, because it is short and gets over in a hurry. of course, it does not do much along the way either.

2.45 stars

The X-Files S6 E21, E22

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Spoilers

“Field Trip”

“Biogenesis”

The sixth season of The X-Files, one that had some absolute highs and absolute lows, wraps up with these final two episodes.

One of them was a really bad trip (though a wild and bizarre episode).

‘Shrooms cause trouble for the agents in “Filed Trip” which found both Mulder and Scully trapped underground being devoured by a plant as they hallucinated different ‘realities’ about what was happening.

The episode felt like one of those Russian dolls. When you thought we had come to a crossroads, there was another story inside.

It was fun seeing the different hallucinations that Mulder and Scully had and how their POVs played into each of them.

The season finale for season six was “Biogenesis” and it led to Mulder being in a mental institution and Scully in Africa chasing after an artifact that could prove that aliens put the human race on earth at the beginning of the planet.

It feels as if the X-Files reignited its mythology with a slightly different focus, though we have appearances by Smoking Man, Krychek, Diana Fowley, and Albert Hosteen, characters all involved in previous X-Files stories. Skinner also took a step back with his involvement in the conspiracy/mythology of the show.

As all season finales of the X-Files seem to go, the show will be a to be continued until the beginning of the following season. Season 7 is one where the show goes through significant upheaval with new characters and exits by major figures. I’m not sure where things will go as I was not a fan of what happened during this time frame so I guess we’ll see how I react to it now.

The Deliverance

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I was surprised to see the name Lee Daniels attached to this Netflix horror movie. Daniels has directed such films as The Butler, United States vs. Billie Holiday and The Paperboy, none of which moved into the genre of horror. With a great deal of curiosity I went ahead and pulled this up on Netflix.

It started out listed as based on true events.

According to IMDB, “An Indiana family discovers strange, demonic occurrences that convince them and their community that the house is a portal to hell..“

The Deliverance hooked me right away, with its depiction of this black family from Indiana. Ebony (Andra Day) was rough and troubled, dealing with her issues through alcohol and anger. The fact that there was little redeeming qualities about Ebony made the character and the film more intriguing. Her three children struggled to try and find their own way through the difficulties presented to them by their mother. Ebony’s mother Alberta (Glen Close) moved in with them to try and help them with their troubles while dealing with her own health issues. Each character was angry and expressed it in a variety of manners.

Andra Day and Glen Close were both great with their performances. They brought the deep-seeded frustration and regret to the forefront. Caleb McLaughlin (from Stranger Things) also does a very strong job with his role of one of Ebony’s suffering children, Nate.

After about an hour, I was fully invested. The problem was that, when the film started to transition from the familial problems into the haunted house ones, the film lost a lot of steam and became just another haunted house movie. The final act of this movie was tremendously bad and spent every ounce of good tidings that it spent the first part of the film building up.

I really wish this film had taken a different path because it started with a very compelling group of characters with problematic family issues and slipped into a cliche-ridden, disappointing haunted house film.

2.5 stars

Bates Motel S3 E10

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Spoilers

“Unconscious”

Season three finale of Bates Motel continues Norman Bates’ decent into madness as he finished off yet another young woman, the believed-to-be-dead Bradley in a frighteningly violent scene. Admittedly, it was Vera Farmiga who acted out the actual murder, Norman has slipped back into the multiple personality that has caused him to be such a dangerous young man.

I do find it fascinating that Bates Motel has been able to create two couples that are some of my personal favorite couples of all time on their little show depicting how Norman became a murderer.

First up this episode, we see the pairing of Dylan and Emma take a big step forward as they shared a kiss after Dylan was trying to get her to accept the lung transplant. Her reasons to be afraid of the transplant are understandable and relatable. She just wanted to live and was afraid that the transplant was too big of a risk. Dylan was understanding and sweet as he softly convinced her to take a risk.

And you can see the beginnings of what is one of my absolutely most favorite couples of all time with Norma and Alex Romero. I remember loving this couple when they got together and you can see how these two are being built.

However, on this rewatch, it is hard for me to consider Romero a hero. My memory from the first time through was that he was a good guy, but he clearly is not as he murdered Bob. Now, he did it to protect Norma and Bob was a really bad guy, but Romero outright murdered him. And it was not the first time that he had done this. It might have been for the greater good, but still…

Norma definitely needs to work on her knot tying as Norman got out of those binds in seconds.

Bring on season four!

The X-Files S6 E10

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Spoilers

“Tithonus”

I enjoyed this episode of the X-Files for all the ways it turned the typical formula on its head.

First, Scully was out in the field, assigned to a case with a different partner, and she would call back to FBI headquarters to talk to Mulder and he would do the background stuff. Lots of time, this was flipped, with Scully doing info searches or autopsies. Poor Mulder was like a sad puppy the whole time too.

This also felt like an opposite of “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” as we had an older man who could see death. This episode, the man himself could not die and he was determined to take a picture of death with the hope of being able to do what everybody else would do. This episode was played much more serious than “Clyde” was, which had some of the funnier moments in the early days of the X-Files.

The old man, Alfred Fellig, was played by character actor Geoffrey Lewis and he does a great job playing against Gillian Anderson.

At the very end of the episode, after Fellig had taken Scully’s place and had died from the gunshot wound, Scully was in the hospital from the same gunshot wound. Scully said “You know Mulder I don’t even know why I entertained the thought. People don’t live forever.” I think that was a reference, in Scully’s mind, back to Bruckman who had told her that she would never die. This brush with nearly dying herself from the gunshot wound made her question her own mortality in a very different way. At least, that is how I took it.

EYG Upcoming Comics Preview Issue 2

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July 31, 2024

It was Previews day at Comic World today so I am back with some of the upcoming books that spoke to me. As a trendsetter, I want to be able to share with you some of the books I found as I scoured the pages of Previews. There was a series of books that felt Halloween specific.

I did not include any Marvel books last issue so I wanted to make sure I made up for that this time. One of my personal favorite X-Men character is getting her own series. Storm #1 features Ororo Munroe in her major new role as an Avenger. I love Storm and it makes me happy to see her in her own ongoing series.

An Image Comic series debuts with Hyde Street #1. Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis are the creative team behind this new title from the Ghost Machine imprint. Labeled as character-centered-horror, Hyde Street sounds like a street that you could find yourself on from any city or town. I do like a good horror comic and I am intrigued by what this book will be.

Dynamite has not been a company that I have purchased many books, but Space Ghost may be changing that idea as we get a new book based on the movie The Terminator. Declan Shalvey is the writer of The Terminator #1 and Luke Sparrow is doing the art. The iconic character could have a lot of great fun with this idea.

There is a one-shot from Zenescope Entertainment that I was so excited for. It was a one-shot featuring the Bunnyman, from Man Goat and the Bunnyman, one of my favorite duos. This book is titled The Bunnyman’s Furry Nightmare, and you can give me as much Bunnyman as possible!

There is another one-shot advertised in this Previews that was really interesting for me. Archie Comics released a book written by Cullen Bunn called The Nine Lives of Salem. Salem is a familiar for a family of witches. Books featuring cats and other animals are fairly hot right now and this looks to be a great.

Dark Horse has several interesting books this issue. There is a futuristic book called FML that i am not sure I am going to buy. It is one of those apocalyptic tales that I am not a huge fan of typically. I have considered looking at #1 of this issue to see what I thin of it. But the other ones available are Living Hell #1, the story of a demon named Jerome Jameel who escaped Hell and began a new life with his daughter (A family tale of Hell? I’m in) and You Never Heard of Me #1, showing a character with the power to touch someone and see the best and worst moment of that person’s life.

DSTLRY is a company to keep an eye on because there are some really great books coming out from them (although I do believe that they may be struggling with releasing things on time). This Previews had two books from DSTLRY that stood out: Come and Find Me: An Autumnal Offering #1, a one-shot horror anthology for Halloween, and Through Red Windows #1, from creators Ram and Joelle Jones.

When I first went through the Previews, I did not think that there was much new worth mentioning, but as I was writing down the lists, I realized that there were many more than I thought, as there were some on my list that I did not write about here. The fact that I want to let you know what books you should keep an eye out for. The one-shots seemed to be a plenty here.

The X-Files S6 E6

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Spoilers

“How the Ghosts Stole Christmas”

A little spooky Christmas cheer with the X-Files in July.

This episode mashed-up a Christmas trope with a haunted house trope giving us something original between the two styles.

The show contained only four actors, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, of course, as well as Edward Asner and Lilly Tomlin, as the ghosts in the house.

Asner and Tomlin, two all-timers in the world of TV, brought a wonderfully different feel t the episode and their interactions with Mulder and Scully was the strength of the show.

There were plenty of fun ‘tricks’ played on out FBI agents by the two ghosts including showing Mulder and Scully their own dead corpses buried beneath the floorboard, and trying to manipulate them into offing each other. There was also a moving brick wall blocking the exit of several rooms in the haunted house.

The ghosts used this opportunity to share some dime store psychological tidbits on Mulder and Scully which hit pretty close to home. While it was intended to drive them mad, there was enough truth sprinkled in the dialogue to give the audience more insight into Mulder and Scully.

It was a fun, stand-alone episode of the X-Files which seems to be the overall theme of season six so far.

The X-Files S6 E4, E5

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Spoilers

“Dreamland, Part 1 and Part 2”

I recently spoke about the X-Files having episodes that are taking premises from movies such as “The Thing,” or “Speed” to fit them into the X-Files. This two-part episode takes the “Freaky Friday” premise and made it into the X-Files world.

Body swap films and shows were big at the time and it is understandable that the X-Files would go ahead and put their own stamp on it.

I love Michael McKeon. I have loved him as far back as Lenny from Laverne and Shirley, and then as David St. Hubbins from This is Spinal Tap. Seeing him as Man in Black, Morris Fletcher, was great and McKeon was awesome through the whole two episodes playing the new version of Mulder.

Seeing both Morris and Mulder in situations they were unfamiliar with brought some really good comedic moments. I enjoyed the Duck Soup-type mirror bit with Mulder and his reflection of Morris.

I saw some negative responses to these episodes and I did not agree with it. I found this to be a fun look at the idea of body swap and a new way to look at the Men in Black. Seeing how Morris responded to being Mulder was interesting, and Scully’s confusion was fun. I can understand that some may have wanted the main overall aliens story to continue instead of another funny episode. I love the funny episodes of the X-Files, as many of them are my absolutely favorite ones from the show.

I do think this could have probably been one episode instead of two as part of the second episode did feel stretched out. And some of the resolution of the story felt off. Even if the end of the episode with Mulder opening his apartment door to see of it was because of the furniture that Morris had bought. I guess this did not snap back in time as other things seemed to. That end plot hole was a little messy.

Otherwise, I enjoyed Dreamland.

The X-Files S6 E3

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Spoilers

“Triangle”

This was an absolutely wonderful episode of the X-Files. It was the combination of an old Twilight Zone episode and the Wizard of Oz, creating a exceptional tale of time warps and World War II escapades all inside the Bermuda Triangle.

Mulder finds himself in the Bermuda Triangle because a satellite found the Queen Anne, a British passenger ship that was rumored to have been sunk by Nazis in the war. On the ship, Mulder is in 1939 and confused about what was going on. Recognizable faces from Mulder’s life started showing up in the 1939 timeline, including Scully, Skinner, Smoking Man, and Spender, in differing roles than what Mulder was used to.

There was a scene in this episode that, in my humble opinion, may be the greatest scene ever shot for the X-Files. It is designed to look like a “Oner” a continuous shot that follows the characters as they move through the story in real time. It is something that a lot of movies and programs try to use these days, but such a shot was not used as much during the time of The X-Files.

It was not a single shot as I could find several “hidden” cuts as you would say, but it really worked well. The scene I am referring to as the greatest ever is the scene where the Lone Gunmen come to see Scully at FBI Headquarters and Scully sets off to try and find information about where in the Bermuda Triangle Mulder was. Following Scully around FBI HQ, going to Skinner, Kirsch, Spender etc. was brilliantly conceived. Scully running into Smoking Man was ominous and her interaction with Spender was hilarious. The scene ending with Scully jumping in the Lone Gunmen’s van and speeding away was utterly perfect.

There was another amazing moment in this episode that has to be considered groundbreaking. With a split screen, Mulder and 1939 Scully were coming down one of the aisles of the Queen Anne while regular day Scully was moving down another one. The two Scullys crossed paths and paused for a moment as if they could feel them passing by each other. This was such a clever use of the format that it stood out among a really exceptionally filmed episode.

The episode was clearly an homage to The Wizard of Oz. There are several Oz allusions though the episode and it ended with Mulder in a bed, much like Dorothy is at the end of the Wizard of Oz.

It is epic when a long running series takes a risk in the manner in which it is presented. Triangle was a massive hit for the show and I loved it more this time than my memory of it from before. This was exceptional TV.

Longlegs

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This was a film that I really did not know much about. I knew it was a horror film. I knew it had been receiving decent reviews and that it had Nicolas Cage in a role. Outside of that, I did not know anything about Longlegs.

Coming out of Longlegs, I felt fairly disturbed and unsettled because the tone and mood of the film intended for me to feel that way. It did its job well.

According to IMDB, “FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monrow) is a gifted new recruit assigned to the unsolved case of an elusive serial killer. As the case takes complex turns, unearthing evidence of the occult, Harker discovers a personal connection to the merciless killer and must race against time to stop him before he claims the lives of another innocent family.“

This film allowed Nicolas Cage to go full, crazy Cage, and he is wonderful. Some may believe that he took it too far and went too over the top, but I did not feel that way. The look of Cage in this film was so distinctive that his wild monologues worked in synch. It is amazing that Cage has such a wide swath of roles to play in his career.

The tone of this film is absolutely trying to keep you off balanced, and uncomfortable. It uses the music of the scene, the performances of the actors, the imagery of the film to do this effectively.

There is a feel of Silence of the Lambs here as there are many points that could be connected, but I don’t think that is a bad thing necessarily. I have heard claims from some online that this is the best horror movie of 2024, and, while that feels hyperbolic, there is no doubt that this is very stylish and should be in the conversation when discussing the best of the recent genre.

I would recommend that you go into the film with as little knowledge as you can. My own lack of knowledge helped my viewing experience.

3.75 stars

The X-Files S6 E1

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Spoilers

“The Beginning”

The opening “previously on The X-Files” showed that this season six takes place directly after the movie, The X-Files: Fight the Future, the feature length film that had been released in theaters, and the story told in that movie is included in this season premiere.

However, it is only part of the story as the episode also included details that were introduced in the fifth season finale, “The End.” Specifically, the use of the little boy who could read minds, Gibson, as well as agents Jeffrey Spender and Diana Fowley. These two agents were assigned to take over the work of Mulder and Scully, who were reassigned within the FBI with explicit instructions to not work on the X-Files again.

Fowley is one of my least favorite X-Files characters because she is such a sell out and feels as if she exists only to put a stress on the connection of Mulder and Scully. You can see that stress in this episode and Scully argued with Mulder and at one point asks him to trust her. I seem to remember a time when Mulder said that Scully was “the only one he trusts.” That seems to have been chipped away as the new Mulder only wants to hear from Scully if she agrees with him.

Diana Fowley becomes a major character over the next few seasons and it is part of the slipping of The X-Files.

The horrors that the show has put the character of Gibson through is shocking and terrifying, and not in a good way. The treatment of this kid has been very distasteful by everyone and I do like how he just calls the adults out because he knows what they were thinking.

Spender, of course, is a horrendous person too, because he is taking direction from Smoking Man, who continues to be the one character that has to have a bullet in his head. I am consistently stating how much I hate this character, which should go to show what an amazing job William B. Davis had done with this role.

However, the opening scene of the episode featuring a carpool, had some of the worst dialogue that I ever remember in an X-Files episode. It was shockingly bad and did not start the episode off well. Thankfully, an alien ripped out of someone’s chest and made things a lot better.

My memory is that The X-Files becomes difficult to watch over the next few seasons, so we will see how this rewatch progresses.

The X-Files S5 E19, E20

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Spoilers

“Folie à Deux”

“The End”

The were the final to episodes of season five of The X-Files. The first one was a monster-of-the-week story and the second one returned to the mythology episode seeing the comeback of Cigarette-Smoking Man, who does not seem to have missed a beat with his manipulations and evilness.

Starting with Folie à Deux, this was a very solid episode with a scary bug antagonist. It sounded as if they were unhappy with the look of the costume they were using and had visual effects make the monster harder to see. It is a logical step that a monster that is hidden is scarier than one you can see fully.

The introduction of Diana Fowley did not work well for me. She felt as just a conflict tossed into the relationship of Mulder and Scully. This triangle that was introduced just fell flat for me. I did not mind another agent accepting Mulder’s theories, but the romantic aspect just lacked any substance.

The introduction of mind reading child Gibson was much better though and gave me some of the flavor of “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” but with a little boy instead of an old man. I found there to be less comedy in this episode than in Clyde too.

Smoking Man is back and I want him dead yet! Honestly, this villain is just so effective that I want the character to pay for all of his crimes. He told Agent Spengler that he was his father, and he continued to manipulate the entire situation, as Spengler is being set up as an antagonist for Mulder.

The image of Mulder standing before the charred remains of the X-Files was shocking and powerful. Damn that Smoking Man.

Season six is next to come.

Maxxxine

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I would not define Maxxxine as a horror movie. The third film in Ti West’s trilogy featuring actor Mia Goth is more of a crime story set in the world of Hollywood of the 1980s.

According to IMDB, “In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past..“

Mia Goth is great. She is a star and she shines brightly in this role. Maxine Minx is such an original character that has gone through a lot of problems in her life that we saw in the film X.

The first two thirds of this movie was fantastic. It was tense and you were never sure what was going to happen. I love how when Maxine needed to step up, she did so. She had such confidence and strength that she was an inspiration.

The last act of the film, the final set piece, felt very much out of place among this movie and took a weird turn that slowed the progress the film had made. It threatened to derail the film for me, but thankfully, the corny final scene did not last too long.

By the way, Kevin Bacon was awesome in this film. I forgot to mention that but he was epic and brought some great moments to the beginning part of the movie.

Maxxxine was a solid film with a weak ending. Mia Goth carried the film on her back and she made this a success. I would have liked a better ending, but I did like where the character of Maxine Minx ended up. This was a good conclusion to the trilogy.

3.5 stars

Bates Motel S2 E9

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“The Box”

The penultimate episode of season two of Bates Motel was full of major events and shocking moments.

As he was being tossed into the box, I remembered how Norman was held captive in this box out in the woods. I remembered how horrible that was and how it affected his mental state, which was fairly unbalanced as was. I can’t imagine such a torturous situation as what Nick put Norman through.

I guess Nick paid for that as it looked as if Dylan killed him with that fireplace poker.

Romero wants to give Norman a lie detector test to see if he killed Miss Watson. But when he found out that Nick had grabbed Norman, Romero told Norma he would take care of it.

And we find out for sure, or at least as sure as we could, that Norman did indeed kill Miss Watson after he had sex with her. I said last episode that all the bad things on Bates Motel happen after sex. Here was another example.

Season two has one more episode.