Monthly Archives: June 2025

Saturday is Horror Day #222 – We Have Always Lived in the Castle

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Sisters Merricat (Taissa Farmiga) and Constance (Alexandra Daddario) Blackwood, along with their disabled Uncle Julian (Crispin Glover) live in isolation at the family home, Blackwood House. Six years have passed since a family tragedy occurred, one involving arsenic. But the villagers at nearby Shirleyville have long memories. When Merricat reluctantly makes her weekly excursion to get supplies, they torment her terribly. As for Constance, she finds herself of leaving the grounds at all.

Merritcat safeguards the house and its inhabitants as well as she can through her witchy spells and the

objects that she buries. But when she is forced to go into the village unexpectedly one day, she doesn’t have the chance to set any spells, and the worst happens in the form of their cousin Charles (Sebastian Stan) who shows up without warning and proceeds to turn their lives upside down. Merricat hates him, but Constance, who is too trusting and innocent for her own good, falls under his spell. Neither realize that he is there to get the money that is kept in the huge safe in the house. When he takes over the household and becomes very strict with Merricat, she realizes something must be done.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle is based on the novel by Shirley Jackson, who also gave us The Lottery and The Haunting of Hill House. This story is similar to the others in that it focus on the psychological rather than physical horror. Referring to Blackwood House as a castle draws an image of splendid isolation, of withdrawl from reality as reflected in the main characters’ withdrawal from even the society of the nearby village. Merricat’s weekly treks into Shirleyville are torturous for her, but she bears them for her sister’s sake, who is even more crippled than she is. It’s not until the arrival of their cousin Charles that the torture continues for Merricat at home as well. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Taissa Farmiga does a splendid job as Merricat. You may know her older sister Vera, from such films as The Conjuring and The Boy in the Striped Pyjama. I almost didn’t recotnize Crispin Glover as the uncle. Paula Malcolmson also appears – you might remember her from Deadwood and Ray Donovan. And of course my favorite – Sebastian Stan – who was the Hatter in Once Upon a Time, and is probably best known for playing Bucky Barnes in the Marvel film series. That being said, despite the stellar cast, this is definitely a slow burn, and I might have to watch it again to appreciate it better. It’s not your typical horror film – no jump scares, no dismembered corpses, nothing of the kind. Pure psychological horror. Reviews seem to be mixed. It was well done, it just didn’t always keep my attention. However, it is a short film, and I don’t consider it a waste of time. Decide for yourself. I’ll give this film 3.5 Stars.

Wednesday Briefs: June 2, 2025

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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. If you are interested in becoming a Wednesday Briefer, please leave a comment or email me at shelley_runyon@yahoo.com.

Hillbilly Hijinx: Part 5 by J Ray Lamb

They made quick work of getting Brodie’s truck unloaded.

Aidan had booked one of the large business suites available in Walnut Ridge. It was a small town and lodging options were fairly sparse. Everyone usually just drove the twenty minutes to Jonesboro, population over one hundred thousand.

The “office space” part of the suite was soon full of boxes of food that didn’t require refrigeration. It had taken several trips in and out to get the truck fully unloaded. Aidan was beyond thankful that Brodie had a topper on his truck which doubled the storage space and

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Saturday is Horror Day #221 – Venom (1981)

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Venom (1981)

Philip Hopkins (Lance Holcomb) is the ten-year-old son of a well-to-do family. His asthma keeps him mostly indoors among the pets he loves and collects. When his mother Ruth (Cornelia Sharpe), goes to join his father in Rome, Philips is left in the care of his grandfather Howard Anderson (Sterling Hayden), a world famous hunter, and the family maid Louise (Susan George) and the chauffeur Dave (Oliver Reed). Philip and his grandfather concoct a little scheme to enable Philip to sneak out of the house long enough to pick up his newest purchase from the dealer – a gray snake. Unknown to them, Dave and Louise have their own plan that is going to go down while the mother is away, one that involves a third man, Jacmel (Klaus Kinski) – they plan to kidnap the boy and hold him for ransom.

Meanwhile, at the Institute of Toxicology, Dr. Marion Stowe (Sarah Miles) discovers that a snake that was

recently purchased by them is not the one they ordered, it’s a common domestic snake. To her horror, she realizes that the purchaser of this domestic snake actually has the black mamba they expected to get – the most dangerous animal in the world. A policeman is sent to the boy’s house to inquire about it, but the nervous kidnappers assume they have been discovered, chaos ensues, and now they are all trapped in the house with a black mamba that is loose and the police are just outside the door – between a rock and a hard place!

To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect with this 1981 film (not to be confused with the Tom Hardy film of the same name). I was very pleasantly surprised. This is definitely no cheap horror film, and the snake is not CGI or cartoonish – and something to be legitimately scared of. There are some well-known actors in this film – Oliver Reed, Sterling Hayden, Susan George, Klaus Kinski, Sarah Miles, and Nicol Williamson as the police commander who is determined to rescue the boy and his grandfather. The acting is wonderful, as is the writing and direction. I had no idea what was going to happen, it is far from predictable. I loved Nicol Williamson’s performance as Commander Bulloch – he commands any scene he is in. You may remember him from the film Excalibur where he played Merlin. Oliver Reed as the chauffeur is prone to act first and think after, which doesn’t work well. You may remember him from such films as Gladiator and Tommy.

Klaus Kinski as the cold rather psychotic German is perfect. You may recall I recently reviewed Nosferatu, where he starred as the titular character. I much preferred Venom and his performance there.  All in all, a very entertaining film, well worth watching. I’ll give this film 4.5 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #220 – The Whip and the Body

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

The Whip and the Body

Nobleman Kurt Menliff (Christopher Lee) returns to his family castle to congratulate his brother Christian (Tony Kendall) on his marriage to Kurt’s former lover Nevenka (Daliah Lavi). His return is not exactly greeted with open arms by his father the Count (Gustavo De Nardo), Nevenka, the servant Giorgia (Harriet Medin) who blames him for the death of her daughter  or even his cousin Katie (Ida Galli). Tension reigns in the household.

Kurt proves to be a rather sadistic fellow who seems to enjoy torturing the people around him. At one

point, Nevenka over hears her husband and his cousin discussing their love for one another. Horrified, she escapes the castle for some private time by the sea, riding her horse. As she sits on the shore, contemplating her life choices, Kurt finds her, he takes her whip from her and strikes her with it – as though they have played this particular game before. She reacts favorably to his actions and they make love on the beach.

Later, when Nevenka is miss, and everyone is searching for her, Kurt is stabbed and killed by the same knife that killed Giorgia’s daughter. Tension grows as the household suspects one another of being Kurt’s killer, while Nevenka is haunted by the ghost of Kurt. When the Count is also found dead, also by the dagger, there can be no doubt of a killer in their midst. But is Kurt actually dead is the question.

I ran across this Italian film on Shudder. I’d never heard of it, but knowing Christopher Lee was in it was good enough for me. It was in Italian, with English subtitles. I could never tell if That was Christopher Lee’s voice or not since he didn’t have the usual depth of voice one associates with the actor. On the other hand, he was of Italian heritage, so it’s not impossible.

This is a bit of a departure for Lee, being a Gothic type horror film without a vampire in sight. Seeing him kiss a woman without biting her neck is also different. But all kidding aside, this is like a soap opera horror story set in an isolated Italian castle by the sea. The plot was sometimes difficult to fathom but once I sorted it out in my head, it wasn’t too hard to follow. It does have atmosphere, and appropriately angsty music, but it was made in 1963, so the pacing feels a little dated.

I wish the filmmaker had given us better insight as to the nature of the relationship between Kurt and the others, or why he was gone to begin with. So much bad blood, and probably not all justified. It was interesting to watch Lee, in particular, but I don’t think I would watch this again. That being said, I’ll give this film 2.5 Stars.

Wednesday Briefs: June 11, 2025

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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. If you are interested in becoming a Wednesday Briefer, please leave a comment or email me at shelley_runyon@yahoo.com.

Don’t Look Back #9(1.8)

Lee’s simple statement of intent derailed Marshall’s entire thought process. In the back of his mind, he remembered the bet. But the prospect of being fucked was a temptation calculated to distract.

Washing dishes wasn’t so bad, was it? Surely worth the price of paradise.

Damn, Lee knew him only too well.

Marshall felt his resolve crumbling. “After I suck you off?” he suggested

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Wednesday Briefs: June 4, 2025

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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. If you are interested in becoming a Wednesday Briefer, please leave a comment or email me at shelley_runyon@yahoo.com.

Don’t Look Back #8(1.7) by Julie Lynn Hayes

Marshall found himself transfixed by the sight before him—Lee’s perfect pucker. Generally it was Lee who feasted on Marshall’s hole, but when Lee was in the mood, he allowed Marshall the privilege of tasting him there.

“Come on, buttercup, I don’t have all night.”

Marshall knew Lee was only teasing. He glanced up to see that slow, lazy smile that went straight to his heart, and he had to grin himself. “Don’t think you can last that long, old-timer?” he taunted him.

Lee snorted.

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Saturday is Horror Day #219 – The Prowler (1981)

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

The Prowler(1981)

At the end of World War II, many soldiers came home to find the women they loved had sent them Dear John letters, ending their relationship. In the town of Avalon Bay, after the war was over, a young couple are brutally murdered by a man with a pitchfork, and their murders go unsolved.

Thirty-five years, the teens in Avalon Bay are holding their annual graduation dance. But the joyful event is married when a prowler is reported to be in the community. They are told to stay at the school and not to leave until the man is caught. But a killer is on the loose in Avalon Bay and he wears the fatigues of a US World War II soldier….

This film is definitely a product of the 80s, as evidenced by the writing, the acting, and the production values. It has a couple of names I recognized, such as Farley Granger and Lawrence Tierney, but most of the cast is unknown to me. I like Farley Granger in Rope, an Alfred Hitchcock film based on the story of Leopold and Lobe, but I fear he is wasted here.

I confess to being confused by the motivation of the soldier/killer here. If he was jilted 35 years ago, why come at these teens so long after the fact? Did he keep his original pitchfork or what? I will admit that some of the scares are effective and I did jump a time or two. But the film is uneven, and those moments did not sustain my interest. Luckily, it’s only about an hour and a half long. I’ll give this film 2 Tars.