i'm kael's ghost

Blood River (2009) Spoilers ahead. Of course. The skinny Young couple takes a long drive through the desert only to meet a drifter who changes their lives forever. So, I keep seeing Blood River classified as a "slasher" and "serial killer" film but, that doesn't really get to the heart of it for me. When I think about "slasher movies" I think about  Prom Night  or  My Bloody Valentine , something with  excessive  gore for gore's sake alone. I think of a killer who is roaming around, mindlessly wielding a weapon. And if we're going to talk about serial killer movies I expect a killer who is smart and savvy, killing in some creative ways ( Kiss the Girls  or  Silence of the Lambs  style). I'd be more apt to classify Blood River as a "supernatural thriller" and by that I mean a "thriller" with supernatural elements. And I'm okay with that. Our killer,  Andrew Howard  (Joseph), isn't some mindless sla...

On occasion, I've written a bit about my childhood and since no one seems too horrified by that, I thought I'd again take a moment to reflect upon one of my favorite movies from childhood: Forbidden Planet . I consider myself fortunate to have gotten my hands on a copy of the 50th anniversary DVD release. Designed for nerdy fangirls like myself, this edition includes a making of documentary and a collection of replica lobby cards on top of buches of other cool features. Spa-loosh! If you've never seen the movie, I'm likely about to spoil it for you. That's your warning. Read on as you see fit. The 1950's were a complicated time for the film industry. Audiences were staying home to watch television and the major Hollywood production companies were forced to divest their theatre chains. This break down of the Hollywood monopolies forced studios to reduce production timelines and film budgets. This was actually a great time for scifi; do a little leg ...

Hello Boils and Ghouls! I thought I'd try another experiment and write a bit about horror anthology TV shows. If this post proves popular, perhaps I'll tackle horror cartoons or horror series shows in the future. Just to put it out there, this post doesn't claim to be a list of the "best" or the "scariest" TV horror offerings; think of it as a door opener into the (often times) enjoyable world of horror on TV. Anthology Shows An anthology show is composed of individual story episodes with no connective story arc to tie them together. This format easily allows for multiple directors and writers working on the show. It also means a harder push to keep audiences coming back each week (as you can miss an episode and not worry about missing big-picture story elements.)  Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) Although Hitchcock only directed a handful of episodes himself, he introduced each episode in his wonderfully droll manner and his st...

For most, summer means sunshine, popsicles, and trips to the beach. For the rest of us, there are movies to be watched in the air conditioned comfort of our living rooms. To help combat the heat, I've put together a quick list of "snowbound" horror flicks for you to enjoy. So grab some popcorn, crank the AC, kick back, and laugh in the face of the sun! The Thing  (1982) $.25 version: scientists discover an alien life form frozen in Antarctica. All hell breaks loose. Why it scares us:  The Thing tackles a number of our fears - isolation, fear of the dark, the monster is within us, good old body horror , etc. The Shining $.25 version:  writer takes family to mountain-top resort for the winter. All hell breaks loose. Why it scares us:  The Shining is both a haunted house story and a portrait of one man's descent into madness.  30 Days of Night $.25 version: a stranger wanders into a small town in Alaska where there is no sun for ...