Monthly Archives: March 2024

Saturday is Horror Day #159 – Saw X

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Saw X

John Kramer’s (Tobin Bell) cancer isn’t getting any better. He attends a support group made up of fellow cancer patients. A few months later, he runs into one of them, Henry (Michael Beach) who tells him a miraculous story – he is in remission. And he owes it all to a doctor he found on the internet, Cecilia Pederson (Synnove Macody Lund) whose father is a world-renowned surgeon. John begins to see hope where none existed before and contacts Cecilia. Shortly after, he is on his way to Mexico City.

If something seems too good to be true, it probably is, and this is no exception, as John discovers to his horror. But these people made a serious mistake when they decided to scam John Kramer.

The latest installment in the Saw franchise takes place some years before, when John is still alive. I was glad to see him actually back in the picture. Once I realized he’d been duped, I knew he would get revenge as only John can. And justice.

The devices are just as complicated and gory as ever. So many people were involved in this plot, but John is fair. If someone passes his test, they go free, as we’ve witnessed in the past. He gets Amanda  (Shawnee Smith) to help him, but I confess to being distracted by her strange haircut. We get to see and hear Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) but only briefly.

This was everything I’d hoped for and more. I was really impressed by the writing and character development. The next Saw is coming out in September and takes place right after this one. I’m looking forward to seeing that. I’ll give this film 4.5 Stars

Wednesday Briefs: March 27, 2024

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Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.

Dracula #9 (3.1) by J L Hayes

Gunther fell silent. Tendrils of anxiety wrapped about Avram’s heart.  Why was it beating so fast? Something was wrong. and whatever it was it was about to get worse. Someone dropped a glass, which shattered, and he visibly flinched at the explosion.

This was no time to panic, and no time to borrow trouble. He forced himself to take deep breaths. Maybe he should step outside for a moment. He needed to think, but without all the noise. He glanced across the room. Bogdan was still there. One less worry.

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Book Review: Spy x Family, Vol 11 by Tatsuya Endo

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Spy x Family, Vol 11       

Author: Tatsuya Endo

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: March 19, 2024

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Comedy manga/208 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Loid Forger, aka Twilight, has a cover as a psychiatrist at a local hospital where he is loved by patients and staff alike. But there is one man who does not care for Loid at all – Chief Medical Director, Gerald Gorey.  Fiona, aka Nightfall, points out that Gorey is not only envious of Loid, but he has also been grumbling about him. This could be bad. Loid has to do his best to make the director look more competent than he himself is, which will be no easy task!

Yor Forger, aka Thorn Princess, comes up against an opponent who calls himself Steel-Gut Gullickson! She takes him down but hurts her hands in the process! She gives her family a cover story about a fire door. With unfortunate timing, Yuri Briar unexpectedly has the day off and comes to spend it with his sister. Alarmed at her injuries, he berates Loid that he has to help her (although he always does).  Yuri is determined to hold a competition – him against Loid – to prove which of them is more useful to Yor.

The Red Circus is an extremist group who have largely disbanded. But rumors have arisen that the leader is back in the country. What could they be up to? Meanwhile, some of the classes at Eden Academy are taking a field trip to the Berlint Museum, including Anya’s class. Having read Loid’s mind regarding his relationship with his Chief Medical Director, Anya determines to apply those techniques to Damien Desmond, aka Sy-on Boy.  But these plans go awry when terrorists board the bus and take it over!  Loid is out of town on assignment, and Anya has no way of contacting Yor. The terrorists know exactly who they’ve kidnapped, and they plan to make use of who these kids’ parents are! Things don’t look good for Anya and Sy-on Boy and the other kids!

I just love this series so much! In the first story, poor Loid has to mask his usual brilliance in order to keep the peace, no easy task! The second story made me laugh, with Yuri competing with Loid to help Yor (and he is just no competition for him). The last story is the best, with Anya using her abilities as an empath to her advantage so she can remain calm in a crisis, which the others mistake for her having nerves of steel. Whatever works, right? If you like the manga, you’ll like the anime. I just ordered Season 1 on Blu Ray.  I have pre-ordered the next volume and hope there will be more after that. At some point, I expect all the secrets to come out. At that point, they can create a whole new crime-fighting Forger family, not to mention I believe the Forgers will become a real family and not just a pretend one.

Saturday is Horror Day #158 – The Other Side of the Door

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

The Other Side of the Door

Sarah’s (Sarah Wayne Callies) world collapses when her young son Oliver (Logan Creran) dies in an accident. She’s having a difficult time accepting what happened, despite the best efforts of her loving husband Michael (Jeremy Sisto) and her daughter Lucy (Sofia Rosinsky). They live in India, having fallen in love with the country while searching for antiques for their business and relocated there. Sarah’s housekeeper Piki (Suchitra Pillai), knowing how devastated Maria is, tells her that there is a way in which she can communicate with Oliver one last time, in order to get closure. But she warns Maria that there are strict rules that have to be follow. Whatever happens, she tells her, do not open the door.

Despite the warnings, Maria can’t help herself, and she opens the door. Has Oliver really returned? And what will the consequences of her actions be?

This wasn’t a bad film, and I think it could have been better, having a different twist on horror. But it

wasn’t great either. I think one of the problems is that the underutilized Jeremy Sisto (whom I really like) overshadows the main actress. I think this movie might resonate more with parents, who can identify with the grief of losing a child and wanting to see that child so badly you’d disobey the rules to do so. I admit I didn’t see the ending coming either. I’ll give this movie E for effort and 3 Stars

Wednesday Briefs: March 20, 2024

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Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.

Dracula #8 (2.4) by Julie Lynn Hayes

Despite his light-hearted words, Avram knew his friend was troubled by the defection of so many of his parishioners, but he never betrayed those feelings, either by word or manner, when he encountered those people as he went about the village. He treated them as he always had—with kindness and patience—and was always ready and willing to lend a helping hand to someone in need. If they felt guilty or disloyal in any way, that was a matter for their conscience, not his. Still, fewer church members meant fewer tithes, which made maintaining the church difficult. Avram (with the consent of Dracula) helped when he could, but when times were lean, such as they were now, money was difficult to find. Yet another reason to curb Dracula’s spending, although that was easier said than done. And attempting to explain economics to the man was well-nigh impossible.

“I have your bread, Father.”

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Saturday is Horror Day #157 – The Barrens, May

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

The Barrens

Richard Vineyard (Stephen Moyer) is trying to bring his family closer together. He has a daughter Sadie (Allie MacDonald) by his late first wife. He’s married to Cynthia (Mia Kirshner) now and they have a six-year-old son Danny (Peter DaCunha). Sadie doesn’t respect Cynthia and finds Danny annoying. He decides to take them on a camping trip to a place called The Barrens, in New Jersey, where his late father used to take him. The trip will also serve to scatter his dad’s ashes in this place where they once bonded. Danny doesn’t want to go because his dog Oscar is missing, but he is persuaded to go.

Along the way, they pass a sign advertising the Jersey Devil. Richard assures Danny that it’s just a story, nothing to worry about. They arrive and check in to the camping area, then head to a site to set up. To their dismay, a number of people are there, not quite the idyll he had anticipated. That night, there is a campfire and ghost stories, and a young man scares Danny, which angers Richard and he overreacts. The same young man makes friends with Sadie, which doesn’t sit well with him either.

The family ends up leaving the the next day for another site. But so far this trip hasn’t helped in any

way, and Richard is acting more and more oddly, favoring his arm. But he won’t let his wife look at it. And he is not only overprotective of his daughter and paranoid about his wife. Things go from bad to worse when they run across an abandoned camp with a couple of dead bodies. Richard becomes convinced it’s the work of the Jersey Devil, and he’s been after him ever since he was a child.

I’ll be honest, I was primarily drawn to watch this because of Stephen Moyer, but I really liked this movie. It kept me guessing the whole time as to what was going on, whether Richard was imagining things because he was ill or was there really a monster known as the Jersey Devil? The acting was good, it felt like watching a family disintegrating in so many ways, but it’s also about the love that ultimately keeps them together. Plenty of suspense and scary moments. This was written and directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, who also brought us Repo the Genetic Opera and a couple of Saw films, including Spiral, which I plan to rewatch soon. This was a good film. I’ll give it 4 Stars.

May

As a child, May (Angela Bettis) had few friends because of her lazy eye. Her mother gives her a strange doll in a glass case, warning her not to remove it from the case, and she becomes May’s only friend. May grows up socially awkward and lonely and becomes a veterinary assistant at an office where she works with Polly (Anna Faris). May is still shy, but Polly is always nice to her, and May is good with the animals. One day she spies a good-looking young mechanic named Adam (Jeremy Sisto). she develops a crush on him, especially his hands, and goes out of her way to insert herself into his life. She is ecstatic to become his girlfriend, but things don’t work out. Then May and Polly get together, and once again, things don’t work out. So May decides to take the best parts of the people who have wronged her and make herself a friend.

May is a quirky and unusual film, not your run of the mill horror story. I found it hard to actually root

for May, because she is not very tightly wrapped, when you get down to it.  You gotta worry about someone who takes advice from a doll, and holds conversations with it. And though Adam was good to look at, he wasn’t necessarily nice inside. Polly really cared about May but she wasn’t serious enough to settle down. It is an interesting film, but sometimes I found my mind wandering, so it didn’t completely catch my attention. It is worth watching, though, even if not exactly my cup of tea. Worth it to see Jeremy Sisto.  I’ll give this film 3.5 Stars.

Book Review: In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula and Vampires by Radu Florescu and Raymond T McNally

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In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula and Vampires (revised)    

Author: Radu Florescu and Raymond T McNally

Publisher: Mariner Books

American release date: October 31, 1994

Format/Genre/Length: Hardback/History/320 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Everyone has heard of the infamous vampire Count Dracula, immortalized by Bram Stoker in his novel Dracula, first published in 1896. But not everyone knows that there was a real Dracula, Vlad Dracula, aka Vlad Tepes, a Wallachian prince who lived in the 15th century, a powerful ruler who was both feared and admired by people of his time. (And yes, Transylvania is a real place!)

Dracula experts Radu Florescu and Raymond McNally have taken their original book, first published in 1972, and completely revised and updated it. The real Dracula’s story is a fascinating one, filled with violence and intrigue. The authors explore his life and the circumstances that molded his character. The things he did were often cruel, but at the same time he was a product of his times, a violent era filled with wars and shifting political and religious allegiances. It’s hard to know who to trust when even your own family conspires against you, and survival depends on caution and knowing when to act. There is no doubt he did some terrible things, especially impaling many people, innocent women and children among them. But even to this day, he is revered as a hero by people in his own country.

This book delves into his life, as well as the life of author Bram Stoker, who brought the Romanian prince back to life, so to speak, in the form of his vampire count.  Did you know that Stoker was gay? Besides being an author, he was a long-time manager of the famous actor Henry Irving, whom he also had a crush on. In the section on Stoker, the authors talk about the research that went into the writing of Stoker’s novel. They also discuss the vampire on stage, in fiction, and on film.  The appendixes include stories about Dracula told by people of various nationalities. For example, there are the Turkish ambassadors who appeared before him, wearing turbans. When Dracula requested they remove the turbans, the men said they could not for national reasons. So Dracula assisted them in their desire to keep them on by driving nails through the turbans into their heads and sent them back to their sultan. (Keep in mind, Dracula had good reason not to like the sultan, and had been held hostage by him for five years as a boy).

This book was very fascinating, and is a must-have for anyone who enjoys history and Dracula, whether the real one or the fictional one.  These authors are foremost in their field for a reason.

Wednesday Briefs: March 13, 2024

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Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.

Dracula #7 (2.3) by J L Hayes

Avram shook his head as he pushed open the heavy wooden door of the alehouse after leaving his horse stabled nearby. An uneasy feeling had taken up residence in the pit of his stomach. He wished Dracula wouldn’t take such risks just for sexual gratification, particularly this close to home. And a married woman at that. What if the husband found out? While he was sure the vampire could more than handle himself in a fight, the ramifications of being outed would be detrimental to both of them. Dracula may be on the immortal side, but he was neither invincible nor invulnerable—given the right circumstances, he could be killed. At least Avram didn’t have to worry that he was using this woman for her blood. That would be disastrous indeed.

Sometimes I think the man is just meshuggeneh.

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Saturday is Horror Day #156 – Silent Night (2021), Lake Mungo

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Silent Night (2021)

The apocalypse is happening… and everyone knows when. Nothing can be done to stop it. In preparation for the event, the government has provided citizens with Exit Pills, to avoid suffering when it does occur. Nell (Keira Knightley) and Simon (Matthew Goode) have a happy marriage and three sons. They decide they don’t want to face this alone, so they invite their group of long-time friends to join them at a house in the countryside to have one last hurrah and see each other one last time before they accept the end by taking their pills. Everyone seems to be in relatively high spirits, and much drinking ensures. But not surprisingly, loose tongues reveal long-kept secrets, straining even the best of relationships as this group of friends waits for the apocalypse to occur. And one of Nell and Simon’s sons, Art (Roman Griffin Davis) questions what the adults are doing.

I found this a very thought-provoking film, and one that it isn’t impossible to envision. If not this

particular scenario, then something similar. Like Art, I had so many questions about what was going on and how the adults were responding. This is the perfect what-would-I-do movie as you imagine yourself in their shows and think about how you would react to what is going on. Yes, there are some secrets revealed that might have/should have been kept to the grave, but some people just can’t hold their liquor. It’s also about love and shared history and togetherness. It’s well acted, especially Knightley and Goode. I am a huge fan of Goode, which is how I became interested in watching this when I accidentally ran across it while looking up the other series, the Silent Night, Deadly Night series. Similar name, totally different. Also, you might remember seeing the boy who plays Art in JoJo Rabbit, which is a very interesting film.

My only real complaint, and a minor one at that, is something I found their accents difficult to understand, but if anyone is concerned about that, you can always turn on close captioning. I didn’t, and I was fine with it. Like I said, this film gives you a lot to think about, and unlike a lot of horror films, it is a believable scenario. I’ll give this film 4.5 Stars.

Lake Mungo

Alice Palmer (Talia Zucker) is only 16 when she drowns. Her parents, June (Rosie Traynor) and Russell (David Pledger) are grief-stricken, wanting to know why this happened, as is her brother Matthew (Martin Sharpe). But after her death, strange things start to happen, and the figure of the late girl begins appearing in new photographs.

The search for understanding what happened leads to the discovery of things about Alice her family didn’t realize, that she led a secret double life.

To be honest, this film didn’t do it for me, although I’ve seen a number of good reviews for it. They talk about grief and how to deal with it, but that wasn’t the kind of ghost story I was expecting, so maybe that’s why I wasn’t impressed. I kind of lost interest early on but kept going anyway. If this sort of thing interests, give it a try, just wasn’t for me. I’ll give this film 2 Stars.

Book Review: Assassination Classroom, Vol 13 Review

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Assassination Classroom, Vol 13       

Author: Yusei Matsui

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: December 6, 2016

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Action Adventure Manga//200 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Still holding the students of Class 3E hostage, the Grim Reaper watches as Karasuma comes to the rescue, seemingly undeterred by the traps the Reaper has laid. So then he unleashes what he believes to be his ultimate weapon – Irina! But she is also being used as bait, and he explodes the ceiling on both of them. Irina is pinned under the rubble, but Karasuma fails to be ensnared. Still in contact with Koro Sensei and the students, he explains what happened and intends to move on, but they plead for him to help Irina, explaining how she is still young herself and the product of her upbringing. He should be understanding and forgive her.

The Grim Reaper turns his attention back to his hostages and is shocked and dismayed to find they’ve escaped!  But how? Frustrated, he detonates the collars around their necks. Turnabout being fair play, now Irina is being used as bait… for the Grim Reaper. When he takes it, Karasuma is ready, and now the two of them are going to face off! Will it be to the death?

Koro Sensei decides to play career counselor to his students, asking them what they plan to do for a vocation – assuming they assassinate him, of course. If they don’t, then no one has a future, do they? The students make some surprising choices, including Nagisa, who feels he should become a professional assassin!

Nagisa’s classmates and teacher are unaware of his horrific home life with his controlling mother. She decides she wants him out of Class 3E, for his own good, no matter what it takes. Not only is she abusive, but she has treated him like a girl for years, wishing she’d had a daughter instead of a son. She decides she will talk to Nagisa’s home room teacher and get him transferred to the main building, despite Nagisa’s efforts to dissuade her from going there. What can they do? Unfortunately, Karasuma is unavailable, and Irina is a poor choice, as they discover. That only leads Koro Sensei, which is cause for great concern, despite his attempts to disguise himself as Karasuma. During the interview, it quickly becomes apparent how unstable Nagisa’s mother really is. Just when it seems that maybe everything will turn out all right after they return home, his mother drugs him and takes him to the classroom in the dead of night, demanding her son burn it down with his own two hands! This can’t end well, can it?

It’s time for the School Festival! Class A is determined to get revenge on Class E, and everyone is stoked to find out how the two rivals will fare against one another.  Koro Sensei’s students feel they are at a disadvantage, being isolated on the mountain as they are. Who will want to trudge up there for cheap eats? But Koro Sensei shows them how to turn disadvantages to advantages!

This volume of the series sees the students deal with the Grim Reaper once and for all… hopefully.  They are able to utilize the skills they’ve learned from Koro Sensei so far and learn some more. We learn a lot about Irina’s backstory and what has made her what she is. It’s easy to forget she’s not much more than a child herself, one who’s had to grow up in a harsh environment and make difficult choices. Karasuma is beginning to change as well. Perhaps he’s not as hard as he appears to be. Nagisa’s mother is just nuts. What he has to deal with is horrible. I wonder if he becomes an assassin, will she be his first target?

I love the ingenuity of Koro Sensei and the class as they brainstorm how to do well in the upcoming festival, which continues into the next volume. This was a lot of fun, looking forward to seeing what they are able to do, and hopefully outsell Class A, even if they cheat (which of course they will)