Fiction vs. Fiction (Kind of): Amityville- The Nightmare Continues (1991)

 I took forever to finish this Book, so I missed the chance to make this my 4,700th Post Celebration.

Oh well- I still finished it in the end, so let's do this...

***VS***

The reason for the 'Kind of' in the Title is that this is one of the many Book Sequels.  The Film Sequels are mixed bag as far as the sources go, with some being based on Books and others just whatever they felt like.

This Book doesn't reference 'Amityville: The Evil Escapes,' but also cribs from it too.

Look- I wrote an Article about the Books long ago.  See it here.

What's the Same?

The Plot of the Book involves 2 Kids going into the still-empty House and taking some goods from it.
Said goods kill people.

On top of that, there's an underlying Plot about the mystery of what's still-haunting the House.

What's Different?

In the Films based on the ancillary Books, the whole Story is built around ONE object that creates lots of chaos (killing pets, injuring people, etc) and eventually has to be stopped.

In this Book, the Kids sell/give away items throughout the tale- which takes place over about a Month.
The items tend to kill people THAT DAY.

Said deaths are also just padding, since they rarely affect the Leads.  They are basically the Random Campers/Counselors you see in Friday the 13th Films (and its Ripoffs).

In the Films, our Heroes/Heroines eventually defeat the evil and usually live happily ever after.

In this Book, one of the Kids goes missing forever, the other sees his Father killed by a ghost snake in front of him and his Mother (who gets tried for the killings, despite all logic).  Also the Detective just kind of dies later and nobody lives happily ever after.

Yea.

Here's the biggest thing- this Book pretends to be 100% Non-Fiction.

No, really.

The Author has this elaborate Book backstory involving a friend asking him to write about it and then said friend dying mysteriously before he gets the chance.  He also interrupts the narrative at random points to use 'Notes.'

For instance, he says that the one kid was never found again...four Chapters before the end.  Why?!?

Did he convince me that this was real?  No.
Did he convince people back in 1991?  Maybe.

Final Thoughts

Honestly, despite me being dismissive of the attempts to make this seem like Non-Fiction, I actually kind of enjoyed the Book.

The Author fills it with some freaky visuals that I would kind of like to see on Film.  With the dirge of Copyright-free Amityville Films being made, why not this Story? 

The Plot definitely has many distractions, but it works overall.
Just ignore all of the silliness involving this all being 'a True Story' and it's pretty enjoyable!

New Streaming: She-Hulk- Attorney at Law- Episode 7

 As we begin the final Episodes of She-Hulk, let's think about what really matters.  Self Health is key, for one.

Let's see how that works out in...

Jen is feeling pretty good, finding a nice little romance with the guy from last Episode.

…and then he ghosts her.

Yikes.

She's called away to check on Abomination on a Sunday, going to his Retreat to confirm that he's not turning in his bigger side in secret.

Before she can leave, her car gets wrecked by two of his Patients and now she has to stay for a while.

She also faces a really modern horror- a place with no Wi-Fi!

Can Jen get to know herself better and get in touch with her feelings?
Is Abomination/Emil really just out to help people?

Will this one too find a way to annoy some people?

To find out, stream the Episode now.

A good Episode for character growth and giving us some new (and silly) MCU Characters.  I mean, how can you not love Porcupine.  Granted- you must do it from at least a few feet away, but still.

In all seriousness, they have some good moments here and keep the Plot moving in some big ways.  None of the 'distraction' Episodes have really been distractions.  Something was always happening to set up key events later.

I wonder if the Creators making this essentially a Super Hero Sitcom is the problem.  While I have no issue with that choice, I can see how it might seem odd in comparison to other MCU Shows.  Variety is the spice of life, of course, so I say go for it more, MCU folks.

It also gives us a great example of when you have to introduce your weird friends to your normal ones...

Next time, it is the moment that the Internet has been waiting for.  Is this Marvel Team Up one for the record books?  Stay tuned...

New(ish) Streaming: The New Mutants (2018, 2020)

 After 4 years, a corporate merger, reshoots, COVID-19, a half-assed Theatrical release during a Pandemic and bouncing around Streaming sources, I can finally see this Film.

Was it worth all of the wait and drama?  Let's see...

A young woman- Dani Moonstar- escapes a strange-looking attack on her Reservation and wakes up in a Hospital...or is it?

She finds out that she's not allowed to leave thanks to, well, no SPOILERS (for those who didn't see/don't remember the Trailer).

The Hospital has only one Doctor and four other patients- Cannoball, Magik, Sunspot and Wolfsbane.

They are there due to their powers making them a threat to themselves and others.

They are promised that if they pass, they will move on to another place (implied to be the X-Mansion).

Dani does not want to stay, as she is dealing with Survivor's Guilt (among other things).

She makes a connection with Rahne/Wolfsbane, which seems to help her.

As time goes on, the group begins to gel and find that they have common ground, despite their many differences.

They also learn what Dani's power is and, well, I won't SPOIL it here.

When they find out even more secrets, will they ever get out alive?

To find out, stream the Film now on Disney +.

It honestly doesn't suck.  I think that was the general consensus- at least among the many, many people that never actually saw the thing.  I don't blame them for that last part.  Life didn't make it easy to see this Film!  Even after its release, you had to willingly go on HBO Max to see this for a while.  No thanks.

The actual Film is good.  I liked it.  They tell a good Story with a small Cast to really focus things.  Everyone has a Story involving their powers and why they are here.  The Doctor has her own story as the truth unfolds.  They aren't all the same, which would be an easy trap to fall into.

The Acting is nice too, as subtle moments are allowed to happen between the big, crazy set pieces.  The finale is definitely one of those and is built up nicely.  Fans of the Comics should be happy with most of what they get, I think.  Random Casting issues aside- Sunspot being played by a non-Afro-Brazilian mostly- the Cast all worked for me.

The biggest drawback, honestly, is that this builds off of the Story set up in the last few X-Men projects- X-Men: Apocalypse and Logan, mainly- and that went nowhere, since Simon Kinberg decided to do Dark Phoenix again.  Oh well!

I'll leave you a reenactment of every Fox Executives face when the Disney deal started and they had to figure out what to do with this...

A good, if imperfect, Film that suffered from many outside issues.  It is far from 'the worst X-Men Film' as some have said.

Tubi Thursday: Night of the Werewolf (aka The Return of the Wolfman) [1981]

 A Werewolf, a Witch and some Vampires walk into a Bar.  
You don't want to be in that Bar!

You also don't want to be around Paul Nashy during...

A group of young Ladies are going to the Carpathian Mountains.

Seems like a harmless (and illogical) Vacation, right?

Well, it would be great (well...not great really) if it weren't for a few things...

For one, some Graverobbers accidentally revive Waldemar Daninsky (Naschy on his NINTH turn as the Character) from his tomb.

For another, the Leader of the Group is a straight-up Evil Witch who kills some people to wake up the other person buried there...

Elizabeth Bathory!

The Ritual works!

Now she's awake and making Vampires....since, why not?

She wants to control Naschy, but he's in love with the one living and non-evil girl in the group.

What's a lady to do?

Will evil triumph?
Will Elizabeth reclaim Waldemar?

Just how many random people will the Werewolf kill?

To find out, stream the Film now!

An enjoyable Film even if it is a bit much.  Seriously, the Plot involves a Witch, Elizabeth Bathory (to be clear, she's not the Witch), her Vampire Ladies and the Werewolf.  You know the expression 'A hat on a hat?'

This is, well, alot of damn hats!

Aside for that, this is a pretty fun Film.  For as overstuffed as it is with creatures/threats, they make for a constantly-interesting experience.  It gets a bit convoluted towards the end, but it is otherwise quite good.

The Plot sure didn't win any Awards, but it was probably a fun Drive-In Film and enjoyable to Foreign Horror Buffs like myself.  Naschy- even dubbed- is a joy to watch.

If you know what to expect here, you can enjoy it.  Speaking of expectations, I did NOT expect to see this when I Googled this Film's Title, but here we are...

A silly, but self-serious Film.  It has everything Horror Buffs want, save for any real surprises.

*Somewhat* Immediate Response: Halloween Ends (2022)

 Is this the worst one yet?  Is this the most different one yet?  Is it something in-between?

It is a Film in Theaters, so not a normal Review.
I also watched it Streaming (just due to ease of use), so it's not a normal one of these either.

The Good

* Jamie Lee Curtis is really good here, playing a matured version of Laurie that just wants to live her life with the family she has left.  She's very naturalistic here, which is nice.

* Laurie's Daughter Allyson gets a nice Arc here as she goes from just another victim caught in the path to a full Character.

* New introduction Cory is the most controversial part of this for sure, but I enjoyed his role.  He starts out as a misunderstood young man to become, well, no SPOILERS.

* There are many nice callbacks to previous Films here- like the Title Cards- that manage to happen naturally, as opposed to feeling like the Director stopped the Film to point something out to you.  

Well, as natural as pinning someone to the wall with a knife actually is.

* For better or worse, this is not just another 'Michael shows up and chases Person X around, killing people as he goes' entry in the Series.  

Plus, aren't those Films- like Part 5- considered to be subpar?

* The big showdown is teased like in the last Film and ACTUALLY HAPPENS in the Film- unlike the last one.

The Bad

* There's more focus on the effect that Michael Myers had on the Town than his actual appearance, which comes later than many would have hoped.

* On that note, an explanation of what Michael did in the ensuing time would have been nice.  I still also don't know how he magically-seems to revive like he did in the last Film.

* Many people are comparing this to Friday the 13th, Part V: The Final Chapter.  While I don't agree- it is not the same misdirection-, it's not a comparison any Film wants.

* You got Joe Bob's Co-Host to be in the Film and didn't get him to be in it?  Boo.

* The Film was made in New York?!?

For better or worse, they told a different tale with a Halloween Film.  If you don't like it, that's fine- I'm not here to make you change your mind.

Shudder Sunday: Creepshow- 'Meter Reader'

 After a busy week of work and Madness, I'm going to cheat a little bit.  Sue me, why don't you?!?

In this Segment, we see a man with a normal sounding job, but all is not what it seems.  What happens when he brings his work home with him?

This is one of the few Segments where the Budget *kind of* stands out as the Intro involves multiple locations and effects, so it is done with Comic Panels.

They do this every time, but it is usually just cute transitions.

You can see the dollars they saved on-screen.

He's a Meter Reader, which is not what you think (as my Intro implied).

There's a world-wide plague (with obvious COVID imagery) and only a select few are immune.

Also the infection is demonic possession and you have to cut off their head to stop them.

Still afraid of 'the jab?'

The catch: they can only be out for 72 hours safely.  If they are out longer, they must prove that they weren't infected.

Oops, it has been 73 hours and counting, so your family has to keep you in the Basement until you can be tested in the Morning.

Will this end well?

To find out, stream the Segment now...

A good contrast to Sings here, which is nice with an Anthology Series like this.  That one was all about hidden evil in broad daylight in Suburbia.  This one is all about a dark presence in dark times (literally and figuratively) in a House far from everywhere.

The actual Story perhaps tries to be more than it can afford to be in scale, leading to the cheats I mentioned in the Intro.  It still looks cool, mind you.  When it gets to the meat of things, it works quite well.  Having an actually notable Guest Star is a bonus too.

The Horror aspect builds up nicely as things get more worrying.  It is not the most complex tale, mind you, but it is also about 20 minutes long.  Take what you can get.

Meter Reader is something that teases more, so I'm curious to see if that happens as well.  As for me, I just need to check the Garage.  Be right back...

Next time, something more unique from Shudder.  Unless I get busy again, which is...possible.  See you then...

Tubi Thursday: Witchcraft (1964)

 As Witches are the Theme of Halloween Horror Movie Madness and I'm happy to oblige.

This is a British Film, so it should be classy AF.  It is...

A Land Developer bulldozes a seemingly-empty Cemetery, offending the locals- led by Lon Chaney Jr.

They also disturb a Witch's grave, so...fair complaint.

It was done at the behest of the Partner of our Hero, who is developing the land for Houses.

He also seems to live in Stately Wayne Manor.

The greedy man is killed via Voodoo Doll (they say it is something else) in his Bathtub.

The Policeman- who looks like Leslie Nielsen's Stunt Double- talks to everyone and brings Chaney in on suspicion, since he, you know, threatened the guy an hour before he was choked to death in the bathtub.

It's actually this Witch here.

You see, there's a family feud since Chaney's Family was accused of Witchcraft and chased out of Town, with their land going to the other family.

To be fair, they were proven right about him...

She comes for revenge as Roodmas is near.

Is anyone safe?

Can they stop Not Barbara Steele and save the day?

To find out, stream the Film now.

Let's get the obvious thing out of the way- does anything that unique happen in this Film?  No.

The whole thing is very stock, with its proper Brits, secret sect, a Witch and other quite common things in these Films.  It even- 58 year old SPOILERS Alert- ends in a big fire.  They could be living in the same County as the place from Village of the Damned.  Get the idea?

That said, it is still pretty fun, if quite stock.  Everyone is fine in it and it's well-made.

If you like these kinds of Films, its another one.  There are worse ones.  There are better ones.

My big takeaway- 1964 Lon Chaney Jr is giving me real Bela Lugosi vibes.

It's alright.  It's not exactly enchanting or bewitching, but it is fine.

New Streaming: She-Hulk- Attorney at Law- Episode 6

 At last, the Season/Series Finale...if you're watching this in real time.

I'm only up to Episode 6, so look back at what randomly-annoyed people a couple of weeks back on...

Bottle Episodes are when you lock the Characters in a place and make them confront their decisions/feelings regarding others.

This is not one, despite Jen joking about it being one.

In the main Plot, she is invited to an old friend's Wedding.  She's happy to show off as She-Hulk with her new Hulk-sized gear at first.

In the B-Plot, her friends must work out an Arbitration Case for one Mr. Immortal, a man who has faked his death to get out of his past Marriages to avoid any conflict.

So now they have to deal with multiple Spouses at once, since his secret is out.

Back at the Wedding, Jen's friend doesn't want to be overshadowed by She-Hulk, so Jen spends the rest of the time out of said form.

What hijinks can she get into away from the City at a Wedding?
Which unfortunate Guest will arrive?

To find out, Stream Episode 6 now...

No Daredevil?!?  That makes me mad?!?

Am I being too dismissive of that still?  Oh well.

The actual Episode is a fun one as the A-Plot gives Tatiana more time to shine as herself.  Her fun quirks as Jen take the spotlight, which is nice.  There's, of course, still drama- as teased- so it's not just her at a Wedding- obviously.

The B-Plot is really fun as Mr. Immortal is a neat character.  Show of hands- who remembers The Great Lakes Avengers?  Put your hands down if it is ONLY from after Squirrel Girl joined.  You know what you did.  Outside of Gate-Keeping, he's an enjoyable part of this Episode.  He gets his appropriate comeuppance too.

All in all, the Show pokes more fun at this being an 'inconvenient distraction' than it really is.  Just enjoy the Sitcom feel here.  If you're going to complain that Marvel Projects are all the same and then complain when they are different, we will see it...

Next time, Jen goes out to the Country.  Will she learn about herself or just why she doesn't like the Country life?  See you then...

New Streaming: Werewolf by Night (2022)

 Fittingly I watched this while a Full Moon was out.  Did it make things better?

To find out, see what this new (and different) Marvel Project is...

A group of Monster Hunters are gathered to mourn the loss of the Bloodstone Family's Head....and to claim the titular Stone for themselves.

To win it, they must slay a Monster loose on the grounds.

Alongside Jack (see above), we have Elsa Bloodstone, the prodigal Daughter.

She, along with everyone else wants the Stone and will kill for it.

Things take quite a turn as Jack's secret is revealed, people are killed and Elsa is put in great peril.

Who will live?
Who will die?
Who the hell is Ted?

To find out, stream the Special now.

An enjoyable throwback to Old School Horror.  It is a bit strange, to be fair, to do this for a Character (or Characters plural) who were created in the 1970s.  That said, I appreciate all of the details.  The B&W gives the Film/Special an unnatural feel that comes with the filter.

Part of me wishes that they had just legit shot in B&W, but it wouldn't allow them to do the parts where the Bloodstone itself glows red.  A fair trade, I suppose.

I don't want to SPOIL things, but it is great to see one Giant-Size creature in this.  The titular Character has a strong showing and, I, for one, am looking forward to more of his adventures in Color or B&W.  There was a neat Short with The Spectre which did it as an Homage to '70s B-Movie Thrillers.  Just throwing that out there, Marvel.

A fun, fresh adventure for non-Timeline aficionados to watch.  It just shows that you're never quite sure who will show up in these things...

A fun tale for Horror Fans.  With lots of implied death and gore (tinted in B&W) it's not for everyone though.

Awfully-Familiar Cover Art: Witchtrap (1989)

A Google Search is a wonderful thing.
There- that will help my Site with 'the algorithm.'

While getting my Screen Caps from Not Bing, I got a few different Posters/Box Art Pieces for this Film.

The one I didn't use is this one...

Am I the only one getting a feeling of Deja Vu here?

A blue cloud with an evil face in it.

A normal-looking house.

A Poster with both framed dead in the center AND with a visible Moon?

What am I reminded of?

Oh, right...

To
Be
Fair...

There are minor tweaks here...although they are mostly just them taking details out (like the sidewalk and trees).

Fright Night put out this Poster in 1985.
Witchtrap put out their Poster in 1989.

I'm not saying anything...but I am saying something.