Alrighty, ladies and gentlemen, let’s check out another piece of Indie Horror that needs out support. Let’s check out the short film PAGE ONE!
So PAGE ONE is about Abel, who is a black actor who dies in every single horror movie that he has been in. When the set of a film he is doing is attacked by actually monsters, Abel is way ahead of the game on how to survive. So it’s up to him to keep everyone alive.
This sounds HILARIOUS! According to the video above, the film has already been made but they need your support to pay for the cost of this endeavor. They hope to show this short to other film festivals and hope to find support for a full feature film.
So let’s talk about the Perks! They range from a name credit to digital downloads of he film and production book, and tickets to a comedy show, and an invite to the NYC screening of PAGE ONE!
This is going to be a quick one guys so stick with me here. Please watch the video above to learn more about the film. The director can explain it more eloquently than I can. Just listening to how passionate Emanuele Mengotti speaks about this project. It just touches your heart. Please show your support!
THE PLAGUE DOCTOR is an indie horror film I’ve mentioned before, but this is the last call to show your support! We only have a few days to help this production reach it’s goal of $25000.
Some of the perks are awesome! Jewelry, masks, posters, paper models, a documentary, and a tour of Poveglia Island! You better hurry up and show your support before time runs out!
Gooooooooooood Morning, Horror Lovers!!! How are we today?
I figured I’d take a step back for a minute and talk about this massive pain in the ass I’ve been struggling with. I’m talking about that bastard known as WRITER’S BLOCK!
I’ve been having trouble getting back into the gory battle that is Horror Writing. At first I thought that it would be nice to take a break and focus on other things. I love you all but I do have a life outside of this blog and twitter. I was focused on finding a job, making sure I had the requirements to go to grad school, helping my mother out with her errands, church, etc. Suddenly I realized that I hadn’t written anything is so long. It got worse when I realized that the flash drive where I stored ALL of my work and been corrupted.
That felt like a punch to the lady nuts! Ouch! I had short stories, novellas, and ideas for novels stored on that thing. I wanted to cry. But I figured that there’s nothing I could do so I left it. I figured that maybe it was an opportunity to start fresh and create some new stories. That didn’t work out either. I just kept thinking about all my unfinished work trapped in a corrupted file. If there’s one thing I absolutely hate, it’s an unfinished project.
Since there was nothing I could really do, I decided that maybe now would be a good time to pick up a book and get lost in it. Damsel Cannibal has often recommended H.P. Lovecraft to me but I never got around to it. So the next time I headed to Barnes & Noble I picked up the first volume of the comic book HELLBLAZER and THE CALL OF CTHULU AND OTHER WEIRD STORIES. I must say I was hooked! I haven’t finished the whole thing yet but so far THE STATEMENT OF RANDOLPH CARTER is my favorite. I also didn’t realize that the ’80s movie REANIMATOR was based off of a Lovecraft story. I have seen that one and I think I’ll review it later.
Anyway, I was reading Lovecraft’s dark tales when all of a sudden I found it. I found my inspiration! Queue “You’re The Inspiration” by Chicago! I realized that while my finished works on my flash drive were gone…I still had the first drafts written down in notebooks. That’s how I like to write. I love taking a pen and putting it on paper. It also allows me to make notes and doodles in the margins. So I pulled out everything I’ve ever written and started marking what I wanted to edit and what I wanted to scrap.
I’m happy to announce that I’m back in the game! I’ve been going back to the short stories that I really loved and giving them the proper attention that they needed. Maybe losing all my work on the flash drive was the Universe saying that it was crap and I could to better. So I’ll be squeezing in time to write and send out submissions.
How about you guys? Have you ever had to wrestle with the Writer’s Block Monster? How do my fellow writers and artists stay motivated?
I’m finally getting around to reviewing THE INVITATION. Sorry it’s taken me a while, but I put it off until the live-chat with the Graveyard Shift Sisters. Check them out HERE
WARNING!!! THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW!!!! SPOILERS!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!!
So let’s movie on to the film!
THE INVITAITON is about Will(Logan Marshall-Green) being invited to a dinner party along with his current girlfriend and some of their mutual friends. But this isn’t any old dinner party…the hosts are is ex-wife, Eden(Tammy Blanchard), and her new husband, David(Michiel Huisman) at the home where they were once a happy family. As dinner progresses and a few more strange guests show up, Will senses that something is wrong and that danger is just waiting to jump out at every corner. But is it just his paranoia playing tricks with his mind or is this party going to be the end for everyone invited?
This movie does the trick in getting your skin to crawl! It covered a lot of topics like how we respond to awkward situations, how we come to terms with traumatic events, death, cults, and gaslighting. Here’s some of the things I enjoyed about the movie.
First is Will’s state of mind: From the beginning, he was uncomfortable with the idea of going back to the house where his child once lived, where he was happily married, and see his ex-wife with someone else. Anyone would hate being put in that situation, but we are programed to be polite and not ruffle anyone’s feathers. If he didn’t go then he’d be the asshole ex-husband still bitter about the divorce. So he goes in and the very moment he steps into the house, he is hit with a memories of his son. Although it’s not spoken about, you understand that it was the death of their son that ended Eden and Will’s marriage.
Which leads me to the second topic: Death. While Will tried to move cope with his son’s death one way, Eden ran to Mexico where she found some guru who supposedly had the answers to her grief. That’s where she met David and made friends with Sadie and Pruitt. To make this dinner awkward to start off with, the hosts and their friends decide that they want to share a video about the cult(because we all know that’s what it is) called THE INVITAITON and share stories about why they sought help with this guru. Death is such a morbid and taboo topic to bring up even among friends. It’s especially more uncomfortable when a stranger talks about how he accidentally killed his wife and being shown a video of a terminally ill woman’s final moments. If it was me, I’d have left at the beginning of the party.
Third topic: how to deal with traumatic events. While Will seems like he’s handled the divorce and his son’s death as well as can be expected, being in that house has made him truly face his inner demons. Someone in the live-chat on Twitter pointed out something that described it perfectly. There’s a point where Will is talking to his girlfriend, Kira(Emayatzy Corinealdi), and says that he feels like there is a scream trapped in his throat. That was a beautiful way to describe how trapped he feels with his emotions. With Eden, she attempted suicide before and then sought out this cult for answers and hasn’t been seen by her friends for two years. These two showed that everyone reacts differently in grief. Some try to move on and have to wrestle with their heartache constantly while others run away to find the answer they want with people who feel the same as they do. This makes the relationship between Eden and Will so tragic because they never really had the time to find closure with each other. Only in the end when Eden shoots herself in the stomach does she confess her grief to Will and apologize for everything.
Fourth topic: Cults. This film reminded me of Jonestown so much that I got a little uncomfortable. Like most religious ideologies, THE INVITATION group claimed to answers for how to deal with pain whether physical or emotional. This cult advertised itself as a spiritual group that tried to get people comfortable with the inevitability of death hence the video of the terminally ill woman and how easily Pruitt could talk about his wife’s death. Most people wouldn’t bring that up EVER let alone at a dinner party. I thought of Jonestown because the true motivations of this cult is revealed when the party is about the give a toast, but Will senses that the wine has been poisoned. Turns out his paranoia served him well. The hosts and their friends had planned to kill their guests and themselves so they could be free of their earthly pain. Jonestown is notorious for its Mass Suicide event or Mass Murder depending on how you look at it. What makes it more terrifying is that this dinner party wasn’t the only one of its kind. In the final scene of the film, chaos has erupted in L.A. when the surviving guests see red lanterns all across the neighborhood like the one David lit in the yard along with screams, gunshots, sirens. Can you imagine living in a neighborhood where your neighbors are part of a death cult and committing murders all around you? HELL. NO.
Fifth topic: Gaslighting. For those who don’t know, gaslighting is used in abusive relationships where the abuser twists situations and information to make the victim doubt themselves. Throughout the movie, Will is clearly uncomfortable and anxious. Rather than say “You don’t have to stay. Please go home and we’ll talk when you’re ready” both the hosts and the other guests make Will out to be the bad guy. They make it seem like he’s the crazy one, that he’s just emotional because of the house, that he’s the one being a jerk, and he’s the one being unreasonable. David even pulls Will aside and shames him by commenting that Will is being ungracious by “being suspicious of our hospitality”. When Sadie starts making out with the other guests, Claire is the only one who has the guts to say “I want to leave”. David tries to convince her to stay and, I felt, that he was kinda making it out that she was being a prude and that Sadie is just a “free spirit” and she meant nothing by her erotic behavior. He even blocked the door. It’s like he was trying to guilt her into staying. I would have ran right out the door!
All together, THE INVITATION was an amazing movie. The live-chat on Twitter was so much fun because I got to read someone else’s thoughts on the movie. Some people brought up some interesting things like the music, the “scream trapped in my throat” line, and even how the color red became important. I hope we get to do another live-chat during a horror movie soon!
Sorry for missing out last week. I took a little break because I received some good news. I got my acceptance letter into Graduate School! I’ve been on edge for two months! I’m happy to finally have the suspense end. Anyway, sorry for missing a post but I’ll do my best to keep up!
So moving on to what this post it about. I’m flipping out about the beloved shows that are leaving Netflix. We’re losing Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Roswell, and The X-Files. I’m annoyed because these were the best shows growing up and sometimes I just want to watch something that isn’t crap on TV. I already mentioned in the last post about Buffy being one of the main reasons I love the horror genre. I guess it was nice to have easy access to this show. I’ll have to save my pennies know to just by the box sets for these shows. This way I’ll always have them.
Yeah I realize that it’s probably a licensing thing and that maybe it’ll come back. But that’s what they said about Doctor Who and I’m not holding my breath about that one coming back ANYTIME soon. So right now I’m binging Roswell because I can recall most of Buffy, Angel, X-Files, and Firefly. I remember some of Roswell but it’s kinda fuzzy.
I was reminded recently of an article from Glamour magazine that was floating around Twitter. This article basically called all us Horror Lover freaks and that we must’ve had a horrifying childhood to love this genre. Check out the article HERE incase you haven’t seen it.
Anyway, I can’t really tell you the exact moment I feel in love with Horror but I can tell you the important moments that I really came to love it.
The first moment was when I was a little girl. There was a show called WISHBONE that I used to love. It was about a Jack Russell Terrier that would reenact classical literature for kids. I learned about stories like Ivanhoe, Pride & Prejudice, The Odyssey, etc. My favorite story, however, was The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. As a kid I loved the story of how a man wanted to separate the animal within but ended up making himself the monster. Don’t we all wish that we could remove the evil within ourselves so we can have peace?
The second moment I really loved Horror was when I was in my tweens. I LOVED watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer! In my house is was the forbidden fruit of television. My mom believed that Buffy was the devil and that watching that show would invite him in. I watched it anyway. What I loved was this badass chick killing monsters, saving the world, and still having a social life. I also loved the makeup of the show! The way the vampire faces changed was awesome for my tween brain. They were creepy looking but in a good way. I also thought that the backstory of the “Fanged Four” was pretty cool. That’s how I love my vampires…completely unapologetic.
The third moment was when THE WALKING DEAD premiered on AMC. My father traveled to Afghanistan for work so we could pay for university. My father and I are really close and I missed him so much. While I was emailing him, I told him about the show and he said to spoil every episode. So every season of THE WALKING DEAD, I would have my laptop out with an email ready. During the commercial breaks I would write everything I just saw and when the episode was over I’d send my message. What we both loved about this show was that it’s not about the zombies, it’s about the survivors. Watching the show you can find a least one character that you can relate to or have your own ideas of how you would survive. My father and I do that all the time. It’s funny how a zombie show was the one thing that my father and I could share while he was so far away.
The fourth moment came to me recently. I watched THE TRAIN TO BUSAN and I was amazed by how well this Korean zombie movie was made. I won’t spoil anything because I’ll write a review for it later. But I will tell you that it had me at the edge of my seat and even made me cry. Not because I was terrified but because I came to love the characters and it hurt to see some of them die. You see, horror movies can bring out a number of emotions if it has the right cast and the right script.
To me the horror genre is more than just boobs, blood, and gore. Although those are entertaining too. If this glamour magazine writer used half her brain, she would know that horror is filled with symbolism and various themes. I think Glamour Magazine needs to stick with the hair and makeup tips with articles of “love your body” right next to the picture of the size zero supermodel.
What was the moment for you guys? When did you love horror? Which moments stuck out to you the most?
So I’m taking a moment to talk about one of my most prized possessions….My gothic oracle cards. The reason why I love this deck of cards so much is because of the artwork. I LOVE gothic art! I honestly can’t describe what it is that I love so much. I think it’s that even dark and sad subject matter can be beautiful. I have some pics of my oracle deck below.
The artist for this lovely set is Victoria Frances. She has published numerous art books so please check out her website HERE
Here’s a few pics for you
I really need to order some prints and hang them in my room. So beautiful! Anyway, please check out her art and let me know which is your favorite piece! These ones are my favorites from this deck!
I’ve been looking forward to watching this. I’m not doing a review since I haven’t seen it. Rather I’m just giving my thoughts on the concept of GET OUT.
It’s basically about a black guy meeting his white girlfriend’s parents and seeing the creepy white suburb that she grew up in. While there he learns that other black people who visited this suburb have gone missing and the few black people he’s come across are acting strangely. One in particular giving him the desperate warning to GET OUT!
Jordan Peele, mostly known for comedy, has written and directed this creepfest and I can’t wait to check it out.
I first saw the this trailer on Facebook and thought that this worst case scenario of Meet the Parents was scary as fuck! I then checked out YouTube to see if there were any other trailers or commentary on the subject. It was interesting to see other people’s views.
Personally, I think it’s super creepy not just because of the racial tension that are sure to be flooding the screen but the reaction of the black people who live in the suburb. To me it seemed like they were brainwashed into staying and being the perfect zombie slave. In the trailer, the mother is introduced as a psychologist who uses hypnosis on her patients. So I’m going to guess that the black people that come to this suburb are put under hypnosis and made into zombie slaves.
I think its an interesting way to go about this film because according to Haitian folklore that’s really what a zombie is. Not a flesh eating monster but a poor victim still trapped in slavery even in death. Not sure that Jordan Peele was going that deep but the Haitian zombie is what came to mind when I saw the mother use hypnosis. My mind also went to slavery while watching the trailer. There was a scene, it only lasted a few seconds, where the neighborhood is sitting together outside with these bingo cards and a large portrait of the main character in the front of the group. It felt eerily like a silent auction.
Anyways, those are my thoughts on the trailer. I hope that I’ll catch this movie soon. I know it’s out in theaters but I don’t like going to the movies alone. So I need to find someone to go with me….maybe I’ll ask my sister. She likes horror movies.
Let me know what your thoughts are? Are you going to watch it? Was I close in my assumptions? Was it worth the trip to the theater?
Not very many movies give me a physical reaction but this trailer kinda made me gag. But in the best sense.
RAW in a French/Belgian film written/directed by Julia Ducournau about a vegetarian college student who turns cannibal after a initiation hazing ritual.
I just love the idea of this! Vegans and Vegetarians make me laugh. Not the normal everyday ones, but the ones that try to make you feel guilty for eating bacon because poor piglet. I can only imagine how awful it must be for this chick to just gorge on meat when she hates it. I don’t know enough about this character so I don’t know if she’s the normal kind who just wants to make a good health choice or if she’s the crusader who wants to make Animal Farm by George Orwell a real place.
Anyway, I was really gagging with this trailer. I love meat but damn I could just feel the ecoli multiplying in my stomach when she’s chowing down on raw meat. Yuck. But I really want to see this movie!
Here’s a few fun facts about the film: This was screened at the Cannes Film Festival 2016 and won the FIPRESCI Prize. During the Toronto International Film Festival 2016 some viewer had to receive emergency medical attention because some viewers fainted during the graphic scenes. You know you have a winner when can make someone pass out with their movie.
Look for it in March at your local theater and let me know what your thoughts are.
Heads up, Everyone! Hollywood is going to be giving a shout out to Women in Film on February 21, 2017.
This isn’t a “horror” exclusive event, rather it’s about acknowledging all the women who put their blood, sweat, and tears into the entertainment industry.
“We are championing Women in Film and Diversity in Entertainment. Our goal is to celebrate with the Los Angeles Genre Film community and create an environment where filmmakers, producers, decision makers, and actors can network, discover new opportunities to grow, and continue to make more meaningful films,” says Michelle Romano, actress, producer and CEO of Roman Media Inc..
This sounds like it’s going to be an awesome party. There’s going to be the red carpet, award show, and then the fashion show. Some of the sponsors include The Independent Cinema Foundation, Breezeway Productions, and ChicArt Public Relations.
Damsels With Chainsaws 