Ouija 3 The Charlie Charlie Challange
Ouija three, Charlie Charlie challenge starts of interesting. It’s done like a schoolgirl game… A piece of paper folded into four squares with yes or no on it and pencils bouncing on top of each other to create a pendulum. You invoke the characters name and ask if you can play… And if he says yes… Well, you’re about to get possessed!
As they invite the character in, sparks fly into one of the girls, causing her to choke… It moves from one to another, and blood splatters on the floor, The entire sequence culminating in a marvelous kill.
We get the credits then, and according to the credits the title of the movie is merely Charlie Charlie. That makes sense, another rename by the distributors, that didn’t quite make it into the actual production!
A cheesy ringmaster welcomes a skeptical group in to spend the night at a haunted attraction. After regular haunting hours, he’ll set up the Charlie Charlie game. The event starts with them finding the room where the summoning board to set up.
After our unwitting dupes conjure Charlie by playing the game, the haunted house 
workers are actually the first to get it. It gives us a good opportunity to actually explore the haunted house the movie is set at, taking best advantage of a marvelous environment. Doors open and shut, and A malevolent blue mist wanders the halls as people disappear.
Out of nowhere, the girl from the prologue shows up to warn the kids. They’re all in danger now that they’ve started the game, and the only survivors to finish it. It’s a race through the haunted house to escape Charlie Charlie as they try and complete the game and survive the night.
It’s an interesting choice that we never actually see Charlie Charlie. The ghost is represented by ethereal blue smoke, obviously CGI, using some pretty common FX 
packs. Nevertheless, all of the creepy imagery is supplied by the haunted house itself and the filmmakers are doing their best to make great use of this set. It’s a fun little round, and ultimately satisfies as a haunted attraction movie, running a good spot right next to the Funhouse Massacre and splatter movie the directors cut. It’s full of tropes and clichés, but that’s kind of what we’re coming to the server before. It would do better though, without the Ouija name and imagery on the cover, which just smacks of distributors interference. I’d much rather see this film done up, leaning into the haunted attraction theme.
Bad CGI (common, afterFX, same old blood packs)
Clown(s)
Copyright free name that sounds like another franchise (Amityville, Ouija, ect)
Sequel in name only
Renamed by marketing to sound like a mainstream horror title/series
Mostly one location
85% of the cast is under 25
638
Posting the best strips from the series, in order from the beginning.
Every Wednesday and Friday
House of Darkness House of Light
I excitedly grabbed House of Darkness House of Light as soon as I saw it. It’s the only copy I’ve ever seen at a dollar tree and I have to admit, my curiosity was overwhelming. See, I know what this is. I read Andrea Perron’s book. Actually books, there’s three of them These books, House of Darkness House of Light volumes one, two and three, self published by Perron are the story that would later come to be known to movie goers as The Conjuring.
The thing about the books is, they’re really hard to read. Darren insists that she self published because no publisher with allow her to tell the story the way that she wants. That’s probably true. They are full of random inserts of poetry, atrocious grammar, nonlinear storytelling, the whole thing is really a mess of disjointed memoir. They’re a very tough read. Still, I’m one of those kind of people who really wants to know what really happened… Understanding that The Conjuring was mostly fictional. “Based on true events”… The way the Untouchables is based on true events. The way the Texas chainsaw massacre is based on true events. The way the Amityville horror movies are based on true events. That is to say, something happened, there is a historical record of it, and the movie is pretty much just going to take the names in the circumstances and then write their own story around those things.
The Conjuring actually gets a lot of things right though. There are characters and events that are pulled straight from the book, but the movie had to have a beginning middle and end. For the Perrons, there never was a true end… And the haunting lasted all the years they stay at the farmhouse.
What I picked up wasn’t really a movie, or even a proper documentary. For the most part it’s a long talk with Andrea; a panel with some photos and slides thrown in as well as a couple of special features on the back end. What I like about it is it feels more cohesive than her books. I find I come away with a better sense of the haunting in the events after watching the movie than I do reading the books.
I also find I come away with a greater sense that the woman is a bit of a loon. That’s never come Through before in interviews or in her writing. A certain amount of pretentiousness, sure. But listening to her speak at times she goes full on tabloid talk show Looney and it’s a little distracting. Nevertheless, it’s a great companion piece to anyone’s collection regarding these events. Pair this up not just with the James Wan movie, but also the handful of ghost hunting shows that I’ve visited the Peron farmhouse. All of these separate and desperate elements really do merge together to create the entire picture of what really happened at the house of The Conjuring.
Genghis Con 2023
It’s been a minuet since I’ve been to Genghis Con. As recently as last year they were still requiring masking so it was a no-go for me. But this year, they are back in full force.
This event has always felt more like an art show than a proper comic con, with it’s emphasis on Zines, Comix, small press and underground. It reminds me a lot of Pekar Park fest that 
way, but with less (and by less I mean “no”) programming.
Still, that art show feeling makes it perfectly at home at the Pivot Community Art and Dance Center. The existing installation even manages to add value to the experience.
I like the new venue, and find the show to be a nice afternoon diversion. A lot of familiar faces here, an while you can really do the whole thing in about an hour, this show is really more about the comic and art community here in Cleveland. That’s where Genghis Con gets it’s heart.
637
Posting the best strips from the series, in order from the beginning.
Every Wednesday and Friday
636
Posting the best strips from the series, in order from the beginning.
Every Wednesday and Friday
Patient Zero
I have to admit that I have a weird relationship with Matt Smith. I’m a big Doctor Who fan, but in all honesty, I spent most of his entire first season having a very difficult time buying him as the Doctor. It really wasn’t until that speech at the Pandora Opens that I finally could see it. He grew into the role. And while I missed David Tennant, he wasn’t bad. But he left too soon, and I think for the wrong reason. He left for the bigger and better things that he thought were waiting for him in Hollywood(and it turns out…..they weren’t). So there’s a certain cognitive dissonance going on here. I want to watch this because he’s in it, but at the same time I want to watch them fail because I feel like he bailed on the show for the wrong reasons. Nevertheless, I’ve got to admit, I bought Patient Zero because I saw his name in it.
patient zero… And perhaps cure everything. (Because that’s the way infections work)
Everything is a game changer, when they capture a zombie who is still rational, articulate, still in possession of a degree of free will. It’s the first time of zombies truly been able to talk and debate the merits of being a zombie. It’s riveting, and the sort of role that only Stanley Tucci could really pull off.You know what, I got to stop right here… Because its what they revealed that propels us into the third act, and is shocking and brilliant and I really, really need you to watch this movie. It is the best, most brilliant sequel to Day of the Dead that never was. It makes sense, it is a logical progression… And the only thing that holds back, is the fact that I can’t see Matt Smith as anything for Doctor Who. Quite frankly, he’s still playing
that same character, even though he’s putting on a nasally, geeky high-pitched voice to affect that American accent. It’s still the most logical conclusion and progression from Day of the Dead I can imagine… Even better than anything that George Romero ever did after the original Dead trilogy. This is such an excellent zombie movie that I implore you to seek it out, whether it’s at the dollar tree or elsewhere. Doctor Who fans may need to steel themselves, but it’s worth it. There’s such great ideas at work here, and it’s the rare zombie movie that truly advances in mythology in an original format, and takes it someplace new.
635
Posting the best strips from the series, in order from the beginning.
Every Wednesday and Friday
The Prophecy 2
Okay, Jennifer Beals and Britney Murphy. This looks like it just might be an interesting cast – and then I see Glenn Danzig listed as one of the angels – and now I feel fear.
The Prophecy 2 is an interesting follow-up to what was a fairly mediocre movie made particularly interesting by the inclusion of Christopher Walken. In general I’m a fan of Christian mysticism, however, the Prophecy never seemed franchise worthy to me though, so I never followed it up and as a result, don’t know what we’re going to see with two – other than the fact that Walken is here, and joined by Eric Roberts and Glenn Danzig – somewhat bizarre choices.
We begin the film with a shot of someone writing ancient texts dissolving into clouds dissolving into the city and getting us into the modern day setting. Then a person crashes down into Jennifer Beals car window, it definitely wakes me up and gets my attention.
Elsewhere, all monastery, dies in a room covered in papers in writing. It feels very non-Sequitur, is. I cut to a man in a black coat that rests into birds before the city concrete splits reminders for them. I read below emerges from underneath the concrete and between flashes of blood, hands reach out, clawing at the dirt and a muddy body street and read it self out before the concrete back together again. Face risers and we recognize Christopher Walken is back.
Because it’s a sequel, they don’t waste any time with world building. A priest discovers the prophecy and is driven mad, then a dark angel open the gateway to hell to bring us 
the fallen archangel back – and this is all before we even hit the nine minute mark.
Back at the hospital, Beals visits the man who crashed into her windshield, and sits with him in his hospital room as an angel watches on across the street. The man is getting better, and regaining his humor, entertaining children by jumping up and bouncing on the edges of the beds. He wants her home, and because pulling into somebody’s windshield is kind of like a first date, she probably takes him upstairs and gets knocked up.
Back of the monastery, Christopher Walken pays a visit to the monks, it’s a site that receives visions, and walking is sure they’ve seen the person that he is here to get. Seems uncooperative, but fire cleanses all.
Do you angel purchase on the edge of the bed come and watch his feels sleep… And goes back to importance. That. It’s around this time though, that Glenn Danzig shows up and attacks him, mid air. Our boy prevails, but now is on the hunt.
Walkin for his part is looking for Jennifer Beals since she’s pregnant with an angel baby- A somewhat confusing situation. Angel babies grow faster than regular ones and in just a few days, the doctor informs her that she’s in her second trimester. She searches for answers while Walkin searches for her to prevent her nephilim from being born. He grabs a suicidal Britney Murphy for a sidekick (He needs help because he can’t drive a car or navigate DOS on the computer – can you blame him?), keeping her from being able to die (a trick we saw in the previous film as well). She’s weepy and you can tell that we’ve got a very talky fifty two minutes ahead of us.
In the meantime, Beals visits the corner, to view the body that she suspects is her angel baby daddy, now a stiff, thanks to Walken. The main purpose of this scene though, is for Kenny Banya to make his appearance and explain the plot… describing the angels that he had here in the mortuary for years ago.
Her next stop is the monastery of visions where the teacher continues information dump, this time updating us on angelic script and angels in the second war in heaven, for anybody who missed the first film. It’s here that we first find out about the
In the meantime, Beals visits the corner, to view the body that she suspects is her angel baby daddy, now a stiff, thanks to walk in. The main purpose though is for Kenny Banya to make his appearance and explain the plot… Describing the angels that he had here in the mortuary for years ago.
Her next stop is the monastery of visions where the teacher continues information dump, this time updating us on angelic script and angels in the second war in heaven, for anybody who missed the first film. It’s here that we first find out about the nephilim .
Back in the city, Brittany Murphy hacks computer and gets Jennifer Beals address for Walken, allowing him to arrive there before her.
“You have no idea trouble you got there,” he tells Beals as he puts his hand on her belly. “Nothing personal, just business.”
Her angel baby daddy, not dead after all, crashes through the window to rescue her but Walkin stakes him, and then runs out to Brittany Murphy, waiting behind the wheel of the car to race after Beals. It’s amusing to note that they’re driving the same kind of car that Sam Raimi refers to as “the classic” in the Evil Dead films, just a different color. Our Angelic hero spirits her away to the monastery, hoping she’ll be safer there, as he attempts to get her to the archangel Michael and real protection.
Walken finds them of course, but bills in the angel manage to escape while Walkin blunders into a crowd of cops all who all blow him away. He’s not gonna stay dead long though, and revives while the police are questioning Murphy. He collects her and heads out on his way, revealing to us where the final showdown will be held… Eden.
It’s no longer a garden, but rather in industrial hellscape which opens its gate up to Beals and her angel. They navigate through the steamy maze of pies and hot metal until they finally come across the Archangel Michael… This time played by Eric Roberts.
It’s fairly epic to see Walken and Roberts face off across the rusty gate beneath a tumultuous cloudy sky with the occasional angel soaring through it. As Walken gains entrance, it’s time for angelic melees as he sends Murphy to assassinate Beals, but pretty shortly, will all discover just how hard it is to kill the mother of a nephilim .
If you’re a fan of this series, it may be a worthwhile entry, but it doesn’t stand on its own for me (which makes it out of place in the Masters of Terror box set I got it in) and ultimately I found it a little slow, predictable, and boring… This one is probably a pass.
Cyborg cop 2
Cyborg cop two, seriously?
Who looked at the movie cyborg cop, and decided maybe that thing really needs a sequel! Now to be fair it wouldn’t surprise me if these films were shot back to back, and the robotic lab set up again using that same bare black stage with some rented tech pieces kind of points towards that.
From IMDB : A fancy, loner cop loses his partner to a crazed terrorist during a hostage rescue. He settles for the terrorist going to Death Row in jail. What Jack doesn’t know is that the terrorist will be taken and turned into a cyborg for the “Anti-Terrorist Group”. When the Cyborg “Spartacus” wakes up accidentally, he kills the scientists and their guests, then goes to set things up for a Cyborg Empire. Only Jack and a few friends know how to stop him.
It’s not actually that bad and will be, certainly a step up from CyberCop and that’s a big surprise. The action is actually a bit better. Fights are really well choreographed and the pace doesn’t lag, it passes the watch test without me ever feeling bored, something that I can’t say about the first film. We start off with a great set piece – bad guys versus good guys guns blazing and I watch the cop from the previous film arriving to take them all out with high kick and some leather jacket martial arts. The bad guy from this opening scene will become our villain for the film, but yeah, this one wants to be a little bit more terminator that it does universal soldier. The costumes haven’t gotten any better, in fact they’re a little worse. We saw the same rubbery cyborg suits but the design…who decided to put a front grill on the abs? and these guys are wearing these army clothes that would make Rambo cringe saying “okay guys is just a little bit too much!”. We see way more of the cyborgs here though, and the fact is they seem to be trying to do more with the concept of adding attachments and cameras and flamethrowers and fun stuff like that.
It’s still great fun film and still very much a time for the early 90s . I found it on YouTube and that’s a great place to watch it. if you see it in the bargain bins at buybacks or record exchange definitely Grab it. As action films go, it’s not a bad one. May be fun to watch back to back with the first…by the way, you know there is one more of these don’t you?
634
Posting the best strips from the series, in order from the beginning.
Every Wednesday and Friday
Red Island
Red Island starts slow. I don’t necessarily hold that against it, because island movies tend to start that way. It takes time to actually get the characters there, and establish who they are and what’s going on. We’ve got a marriage that’s in trouble, trying to reconnect on a vacation.
They really like that long established out of the island. Expect to see a lot of it.
We get occasional flashes of a police interrogation. The further we get in, we get more and more flashbacks.… The main character is an art gallery owner, and the gallery isn’t doing well. However there is a lead on a piece of art, that might turn things around. We flashback to a meeting, we see him talking with one of his employees, and we keep flashing back to the police interrogation. Perhaps he didn’t come to this island just to make things better with his wife after all.
The natives believe something protects the island, nd once in a while you get a flash have a creepy pale face. Enough to make you wonder what’s going on… Also enough to keep you from turning the movie off halfway.
Halfway in though, I still feel like I’m waiting for something to happen. The movie is very elevated and introspective. While there’s nothing wrong with that, I bought this because I thought it was a horror movie. Twigs snapping, brief glimpses and disassociative behavior is not nearly as disturbing as they seem to think it is. Even when we finally get a little more clear glimpse of the proposed monster, which looks like a child wearing a Don Rickles mask, it’s really not a big deal. Wife vanishes, but the husband’s confusion and grief is expressed in long lingering shots of him looking, 
and then when he’s in countering some monster there’s even more long lingering shots through the woods. Someone is shooting this for the sheer artistry of it, which is great, but again… Not what I signed up for.
If you’re looking for the descent, or the green inferno, or even wrong turn, this is not the movie for you. This thing is practically a lifetime film, with occasional creep outs. Even when the real monster makes its appearance in the last 15 minutes (or rather, non-appearance… I suppose I should at least give them credit for knowing enough to keep this thing out of direct sight since the CG wouldn’t really hold up), it’s woefully under played and anti-climatic. This one is really a hard pass.
Bad CGI
Bad fonts
going camping or roadtrip (ish)
633
Posting the best strips from the series, in order from the beginning.
Every Wednesday and Friday
Conan O’Brian : Can’t Stop
I was basically just a kid when all the late shift drama happened. My grandfather was a long time fan of Johnny Carson, so I was aware that was happening, but really I was a little surprised as well. I didn’t see what all the big deal was. After Jay Leno had gotten the permanent guest host spot on the Tonight Show, to me that made him air apparent. I know that some of my younger, hipper friends preferred Letterman, but wasn’t the network already signaling that Jay would pretty much be taking over when Carson left?
can count. So you can imagine, with all that kind of familiarity, I could actually see some of the train wreck coming down the road when it was time for Jay Leno to pass the torch to Conan O’Brien.
I give all this backstory because you really need context for the movie were talking about, and you don’t get quite enough of it during the brief recap at the beginning. Conan left NBC with shall we say, a financial golden parachute, but not a creative one. He was barred from being on television for a year or so and how did you figure out what to do without going stir crazy while waiting for his next show to line up. He decided to take the act on the road. Conan O’Brien can’t stop is the story of that endeavor.
faces like that, especially since you really do fall in love with his assistant Sona as you’re watching this film. Conan himself, is quirky, little short tempered and gruffer than his public persona, but on the other hand, he’s going through a bad time right now too.
ltogether.
631
Posting the best strips from the series, in order from the beginning.
Every Wednesday and Friday
The Convent
The Convent starts competently enough. We get a prologue about a young woman name Persephone in the 17th century ,releasing evil with flashes of atrocity. 40 years later the woman who summoned the evil is on trial for necromancy where we get a very satisfying cameo by Michael Ironside as the magistrate. And then comes to her defense and offers to place her in her care as an alternative to being burned at the stake. It’s a beautiful convent, medieval stone and dramatic lighting. There, she dreams of fire and death.
The convent is a strange place in of itself, with its own rules and rituals. The atmosphere is made cruel by the strict legalisms of the Reverend Mother (played by the always marvelous Claire Higgins of Hellraiser and Doctor Who fame) and senior nuns. Outside a doomsayer protects the convent will fall, and their faith will be tested soon. It seems the case, as Persephone is shown first the graveyard within the walls the convent, and then 
witnesses the bloody fever that is striking down many of its inhabitants. Persephone, she is haunted.
Perhaps she’s not the only one.
A quick visit with the doomsayer outside the convent walls reveals to us exactly what is haunting the stone halls, insert us firmly on the path to the third act.
It’s hard to do a period piece on $3 million, but they managed to pull it off well by sticking mostly with a single location and relying more on atmosphere to tell the story. In many ways, it’s standard nunsploitation, with the dash of prison film thrown in, until 
the end when it turns into a full on demon stalker slasher film.
The convent makes excellent use of resources and creates some truly scary monsters. While it starts off slow, it ends with a bang, and with the running time of 81 minutes, it doesn’t overstay at welcome.
Catholics and/or Exorcism
Mostly one location
Cultist(s)
Cover patterned after a current mainstream movie (the Nun)
630
Posting the best strips from the series, in order from the beginning.
Every Wednesday and Friday
Murder on the Orient Express
I’m actually a fan of Kenneth Branaugh from back in his Shakespeare days when my best friend introduced me to him. I’m actually pleased to see him going back to the classics these days, though Poirot is a strange choice it seems.
I’m familiar with Poirot of old, he was a perennial feature on PBS’s mystery. He never appealed to me. There’s a thin line between eccentric and insufferable, and the way that David Suchet portrayed him in the 80’s and 90’s, it just annoyed me. I’m not sure what it is about Branaugh’s performance, perhaps that he adds a bit of height to it. Not just being physically taller, but having a slightly more dashing presence. It’s that full head of hair that can be mussed and set against an upturned collar in front of a stunning panorama at sunrise. There’s just something about his take on the character that appeals to me more.
That’s not to say he’s a man of action, the best detectives never are. Hes still very much an intellectual with enough subtlety to his quirks that they become charming rather than overbearing. That’s no mean trick considering the size of his mustache. It’s an excellent take that makes me genuinely enjoy the character, and not just the story. I almost wonder if Branaugh has found his best destiny here.
I’m not going into the plot here, because Murder on the Orient Express is a classic. We turn to classics as entertainment because 
they’re familiar, not because we wish to see something new. If you’re going to see this movie, it’s likely that you already know the story. If you don’t, well I’d rather not spoil your entry into the magnificent world of Agatha Christie. I’m a fan of mysteries of old, though I have a hard time reading them. I think the single best venue for a mystery is actually the stage. There’s something about that parlor room set up on an elevated and lit stage behind the curtains… something about the look and the smell that transports me to my childhood. I spent a lot of time both in front of the stage and on it, and mysteries were always my favorites. Still, there’s limitations to the stage, where as a film can paint which is a much bigger brush. Branaugh provides us stunning vistas, gorgeous skies and amazing 
shots as the train cuts through a hostile winter. He never misses a chance to squeeze every drop of beauty from a shot, and I have to admire that. Then again, I’ve come to expect quality from Branaugh’s production. Quality, not just in production, but in cast as well.
Michelle Phiffer is still stunning. She perfectly plays the socialite looking for her third husband. It’s a sassy and aggressive performance that highlights everything we love about her. Dame Judi Dench does a fairly remarkable job as quirky aristocracy as well. It’s a minor 
role that I would almost think was beneath her. Nevertheless, she imbues it with such quality that this background character demands notice.
Speaking of background characters, I had difficulty recognizing Josh Gad, Daisy Ridley, Penélope Cruz, and Derek Jacobi. That’s a credit to all of them, disappearing completely into the various personalities that populate the Orient Express. It’s particularly a credit to Daisy Ridley. I’m glad she got a chance to take this role in the middle of her Star Wars tenure. It shows that she’s capable of handing in quite a solid performance, provided she’s given solid material, and not just Mary Sue dreck.
William Defoe happily chews through the scenery with a German accent and thick glasses. Hes basically playing William Defoe, but it’s a delight every time and hes a perfect choice for the undercover Pinkerton detective. Likewise, Johnny Depp is a surprisingly logical choice for our ill-fated gangster. (How many mobsters has he played now anyhow?) What’s really interesting though, is he manages to give a different flavor to each one. There’s a certain greasy bootlegger feel to this character, something that’s distinct from the conflicted trepidation in Donnie Brasco, or the Arrogant confidence we see in his George Jung, or the Stoic approach 
we see to his Whitey Bulger. It’s a small role, and he’s sometimes little more than a walking prop, but he pulls it off with great precision and is a delight to watch.
Indeed, the entire movie is a delight, and I’m sad I hadn’t gotten to it beforehand period The Thing is, making this movie, and casting himself in the lead role, you could almost accuse Kenneth Branaughof arrogance and hubris, except… dot he’s just so good at it. I you haven’t caught Murder on the Orient Express yet, this one’s a high recommended. In the meantime, I’m headed over to the next entry – Death on the Nile!
Gabrielle
Gabrielle starts off with a montage of a very out of shape Michael Madsen playing a Stephen King style archetype writer, who needs to get away from it all to really be able to write the next great novel. He was behind on his deadlines and so it’s time to retreat in the solitude so he can write his very last novel.
There’s definitely some flare here, but these credits still look a little cheap. The overlays look a little too standard.
Madison arrives at a cabin facing the lake, and starts to settle in. We get the impression that his son is dead and then he’s estranged from his wife. Something like that. We keep flashing back to a father and daughter… It looks like this is the story he’s typing up. (they start the scenes too early, before we actually see him writing it… and that makes this a little confusing.) get used to this, because we basically are going to get more of the story that’s being written then we do the actual writer. Madsen is actually the “B” story. He’s obviously working out his own demons, quite frankly, I’m waiting for something creepy.
Gabrielle‘s father is a big lawyer taking over a firm after his father‘s death. He’s getting a reputation as a bit of a hard nose and a shark, but tragedy strikes after the company Christmas party when he’s driving too fast on the slick roads and accidentally kills his daughter. meanwhile, Madison writes, drinks, and remembers his lost son.
The character in the book starts to get visited by the dead daughter Gabrielle, and it drives an already unstable dude completely over the edge, making him a dangerous murderous maniac. That’s all well and good, but I still need some creepiness in the real world don’t I?
For just a brief minute we get a glimpse of a figure half materializing at Madison‘s shoulder as he types… But I don’t know if we’re actually going ghost and haunting here, or that’s just metaphor.
Things start to get really freaky for the character of the novel as he’s admitted to a psychiatric institution for the criminally insane… Or is it hell? Because I’m genuinely not sure. It’s a good chance for the director to use every FX compositing trick he’s ever learned to create a swirling vortex of madness that ultimately drives me insane father in the novel to kill himself… mirroring the writer as he uncovers a hidden gun and blows his head off. When with David Banner Incredible Hulk sad music and an image of Madison and his son walking off into a woodsy distance.
Look, I get this is meant to be artsy and poignant, but I’m not convinced. It doesn’t entirely land for me. Especially when the Cover is selling me a ghost story. This is not the story of “a terrifying creature disguised in an angel”.That’s what I wanted from this, and This weird melancholy tragedy, this introspective melodrama is absolutely not what I signed up for. It’s not necessarily a bad film, but it’s made for a different audience. It’s made for men who like lifetime movies… That’s nothing.
Not a skip or a recommend. More a “proceed with caution“
Cover misrepresents the movie
Possessed Dad
Creepy locals
Bad CGI
Moving into a new house
Kid Ghosts
Darkness
OK, I’m going to flat out admit I was originally really excited for Darkness out of this box set, mostly because I’ve got a thing for Anna Paquin (Who is playing a role here that was originally intended for Natalie Portman, pre-Star Wars). She looks so much like an ex-girlfriend, it’s uncanny… And I genuinely like her Rogue in X-Men.
We got a nice set up right off the bat with quick flashes of horrific images overdubbed with what sounds like either a police or psychiatrists voice asking a young girl to help them find other missing children., Then we fast forward to Spain, 40 years later and Anna Paquin waking up in a moody house.
We quickly establish that they are isolated in the middle of nowhere with an ailing father and an eclipse coming up. That’s when things start to get weird… Shadows, and things 
moving by themselves. Every day the lights go out, and the son of the family says, the darkness is different. The electricians can’t figure it out, and we are left to wonder what’s going on.
The fathers doctor happens to be Giancarlo Giannini, who perplexed me for half an hour until I realized he was the corrupt inspector in Hannibal. He must’ve been using hair dye in his prior film (shot two years later, but released one year earlier) and it throws me off. In any event, he assures the family that things are going to be just fine, which is a good indication that things are NOT going to be just fine.
The father starts to get obsessive and we get glimpses of shadowy figures in the hallways, not entirely unlike the dead twin sisters in the Shining. It’s all wonderfully spooky and effectively shot so that we know we are out of the first act and things are about to get real. Younger brother starts seeing ghostly children and everything’s about to get bad.
The haunting escalates quickly from here on out, making it difficult to distinguish between the second and third act of the film. With the running time of 88 minutes, that’s not unexpected anyhow.
As things start to get bad, Anna Paquin discovers a weird carved Sigel under the floor, something that comprises of snakes and strange figures now lurk in the darkness, and empty rooms and on ceilings.
Anna figures it out, and leaves the house… trying to warn her parents away from returning, but the evil unleashed isn’t confined to the house – a nice twist. In most haunted house stories, you can escape the ghosts just by bailing, but whatever this darkness is, it’s following her and her family, and the hauntings are relentless. Don’t fall for the red herring though, there’s more going on here than you realize… And by the end, everything is revealed.
This has good hunting elements, but it’s also a really clever suspense film mixed in with the supernatural elements. It’s a genuinely fun film and I’m pleased with the way that this movie starts this box set.
Bad CGI (common, afterFX, same old blood packs)
Mostly one location
Ghost Children (Bonus for white dress)
something walks by in the background
Door slams
occultic symbols (bonus if hidden)
Argo City Comics 