Posts

Horror Film History: Early 1900's Horror Shorts (Part 1)

Image
Faust and Marguerite (1900) Faust and Marguerite is a romantic opera in three acts, dating from 1855, based on the Faust legend. The score was composed by Meyer Lutz. The libretto was written by Henri Drayton based on the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe play Faust. The 1900 film Faust and Marguerite is an adaptation of the play. It was directed by Edwin S. Porter, three years before he directed The Great Train Robbery. Chinese Magic (1900) A British fantasy film directed by Walter R. Booth in which a stage magician transforms himself into a bat. (unavailable online) Bluebeard (1901) Bluebeard (French: Barbe-bleue) is a 1901 silent French drama directed by Georges Méliès. The film is based on the fairy tale of Bluebeard written by Charles Perrault who also wrote Cinderella. A sinister aristocrat known as Lord Bluebeard is looking for a beautiful woman to become his wife. Lured by his great riches, many noble families bring their most eligible daughter
Post a Comment
Read more

Horror Film History: 1890's Horror Shorts

Image
     As you may have noticed, I am a huge horror film addict (especially the paranormal ones).  This year I plan to delve a bit deeper into horror films and review some of the history of horror cinema!  Today I am focusing on the very first horror films ever made, 1890's horror shorts.  Some of these films may be labeled in other genres, however due to the odd nature of these pieces, they are must sees for any horror cinephile ! The Execution of Mary Stuart (1895) The Execution of Mary Stuart is a short film produced in 1895. The film depicts the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots . It is the first known film to use special effects, specifically the stop trick. The 18-second-long film was produced by Thomas Edison and directed by Alfred Clark and may have been the first film in history to use trained actors, as well as the first to use editing for the purposes of special effects. The film shows a blindfolded Mary (played by Mrs. Robert L. Thomas ) being led to
Post a Comment
Read more

Our Sad Fallen Friends

Image
Last year was a life-changing crossroad into humanity yet so incredibly challenging.  I published my book,  Becoming the Devil They Fear: A Gay Book of Shadows  and thereafter writing many words online about the paranormal, spirituality, horror reviews and all of the love I have experienced in my life.  However, in the midst of my writings, some of the flames within my desire for creativity which glows so bright have unfortunately simmered.  When my illustrator for my book and long time friend hanged himself in his garage, I just couldn't bring myself to write as much.  My emotions of the suicide have not been addressed as much as would be good for me because I've always been the fellow to help others in my life, usually before myself. I believe that my friend has contacted me from the other side, because before I found out how he left this world, I knew the answer...  The idea of my friend hanging himself in my mind kept repeating until I sat down for dinner with my h
1 comment
Read more

Troll 2 (1990) Review

Image
     As I have mentioned before, I watched many horror movies as a child.  Including the awful ones!  I was very young when my mother allowed me to rent a particular horror film, mostly because it wasn't R rated.  It was a sequel and I had not seen the first one, I just thought it looked like a cool horror flick.  A troll could be scene lurking behind a child on the cover and I was very excited to watch it.  We went home and I was finally able to watch it with my mother who told me she thought it was "really stupid" and that "we picked a really bad one this time..."  That film has since had a cult following due to how bad it was and there was even a documentary made about the film titled "Best Worst Movie".  In other words it's a film so bad that it's good.      The story begins in a family home.  Michael has always dreamed of being a farmer, and arranges a home exchange vacation in which he and his family will move into a house in the
Post a Comment
Read more

Halloween Special: Witchcraft, a Haunting & Ouija, OH MY!

Image
      Samhain represents the progression of life and death and is the end of the harvest, calling the spirits and the changing characteristics of the God and Goddess.  Autumn colors are usually used as altar decorations to represent the dying of nature and life.  Many decorate with “Halloween” decorations to resemble death while they also may choose to add pictures of passed loved ones.      Some use suitable herbs which symbolize mortality on their altar to remember loved ones or shrines for family are also created.  Spiritual tools are often added to altars for Samhain such as scrying mirrors, Tarot cards or a pendulum.  I use my nearly one-hundred year old Ouija board due to my success in using it.      One October thirty-first, my husband, my mother and I went to my older sister’s place and we brought my Ouija board.  I brought candles and every planchette from each board I own.  We successfully communicated with all four of my grandparents and my aunt.      My grandmothe
Post a Comment
Read more

Goosebumps "The Haunted Mask" (1995) Review

Image
     Along with the 90’s TV Series “Are You Afraid of the Dark” , my older sister and I loved another spooky 90’s show called “Goosebumps” , a Canadian horror anthology television series based on R. L. Stine's best-selling book series .  We owned several of the Goosebumps books and they certainly contributed to our fascination of all things spooky !      Alike the Are You Afraid of the Dark “The Tale of the Lonely Ghost” episode, we also had a favourite episode from the Goosebumps series.  We loved the episode so much that we convinced our mother to purchase the home video VHS release of the episode, and others thereafter.  However the first VHS was always our favourite to watch.  See below my review of the Goosebumps episode “The Haunted Mask” .       The Haunted Mask is a two-part horror television special that first aired on October 27, 1995, based on R. L. Stine's book of the same name.  It follows Carly Beth , a timid girl who buys a Halloween mask that wou
Post a Comment
Read more

Paranormal Activity (2007) Review & A True Paranormal Encounter While Watching the Film

Image
     I wasn’t going to do a review for this film originally.  However upon the release of my review of the 1973 film “The Exorcist”, along with a paranormal experience which happened to my teenage friends and I one evening, a fellow named Eugene William Elder shared a far more terrifying experience which happened to him while he watched the film “Paranormal Activity” .  I will start with my review of the film first.      " Found footage films" are a very interesting concept…  Many people dislike them because of the amateur shaky camera shots so many present while others love them because they seem believable as they are normally shot in home video styles.  However new directors of these films have become more creative in the ways the films are shot…  I’ll admit that they are a guilty pleasure of mine most of the time because most of them end in the same way, that being that the characters documenting die in the end.  However I find that the more I think less critically
Post a Comment
Read more