Spook Out! Day 4 ~ #Alive (in Korean w/English subtitles, 2020)

Netflix Says...
"As a grisly virus rampages a city, a lone man stays locked inside his apartment, digitally cut off from seeking help and desperate to find a way out."

I Say...
I got the sense he was more an older teenager than a grown man (he lived with his parents and sis and apologized to his probs-dead-dad for tapping into his liquor), and he didn't so much try to "find a way out" as he was just trying to survive till help arrived. Actually, none of the summaries I saw did a great job...

Horror Type...
Zombies, Siege-Movie

Main Players...

Yoo Ah-In as Oh Joon-woo (Gamer Boy)

Park Shin-Hye as Kim Yoo-bin (Girl with Gumption)

Lee Hyun-Wook as Sang-cheol (Nuanced Neighbor)

I liked...

• the creepy af zombies, from their Thriller-dance-like transformations, to their bleeding eyes, to their speed (they're runners, y'all), and ingenuity (they can open doors and freaking CLIMB STUFF!)
• Joon-woo's sweetness, from missing his fam, to his relief at discovering a living girl in his apartment complex, to how he managed to get some Nutella over to her--super adorbz kid who really wasn't ready to be a hero but became one anyway
• the moments of humor that lighten the tension (like, when there are still news broadcasts, Joon-woo's annoyance at the commercial breaks--for realz, kid, you'd think advertisers would chill during a zombie apocalypse)
• the synthy soundtrack, especially over the gorgeously terrifying opening credits
• that both kids kept it together enough to make use of all forms of tech available, from low (walkie talkies) to high (social media which, as it happens, proves not to be the villain, for once)

The Meh...
I feel like the theatrical poster gives the wrong impression. Like, you see that image of the guy and girl swarmed by zombies and you think it's going to be action-packed like the extraordinary Train to Busan, but it ain't. In fact, it drags in places and (I hate that I did it, but) I reached for my phone a few times while screening this. There's a better image on #Alive's Rotten Tomatoes page, showing Joon-woo taking risky action as he tries to get a cell-signal, that I think represents the film much better.

Would I recommend it...?

Sure! The tender-hearted may squirm at some of the zom-gore but the dramatic elements throughout are worth it.

Miscellany...

I actually expected social media to be more prevalent throughout the film, with #Alive cropping up among survivors regularly, however that wasn't the case (freaking cell-signals getting gobbled up within apartment complexes, dudes, I totes have felt that pain). Note to self: buy some walkie talkies, a crank-to-power radio, and a drone, just in case. (Hmmm...given the surreality of 2020 so far, I probably shouldn't joke about that, huh?)

Ratings...

My Grade: B+

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: Tomatometer=89%, Audience Score=60%

Details, Schmeetails...

Watch #Alive on Netflix

Check it out on IMDb

Learn more about it on Wikipedia (Contains Spoilers)

This concludes Day 4 of

Thanks for reading and come back tomorrow...

IF YOU DARE

Spook Out! Day 3 ~ After Midnight (2019)

IMDb Says...

"When his girlfriend suddenly disappears, leaving a cryptic note as her only explanation, Hank's comfortable life and his sanity begin to crack. Then, from the woods surrounding his house, something terrible starts trying to break in."

I Say...
That's an excellent descriptor that tells you all you need to know going into it.

Horror Type...
Creature Feature, Relationship Drama

Main Players...

Jeremy Gardner as Hank (Hopeless-Romantic Hunter)

Brea Grant as Abby (Gone Away Girlfriend)

Henry Zebrowski as Wade (Game, if Goofy, BFF)

I liked...

• what a cute couple Abby and Hank make (mainly in Hank's recalled memories--they're cute but not cloyingly so)
• the creepy af house--Abby compares it to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre joint and she's not far off. Anyway, it really sets the tone for Southern Gothic...
• the pacing--things quickly get weird and grow progressively weirder at a nice clip (the movie's about an hour and twenty-ish minutes)
• the way dread builds, especially toward the end, at the climactic birthday party (birthday parties do tend to bring out the intensity within folks, don't they?)
• Hank's heartfelt monologue at said party--as lovely as his singing voice!
• the unexpected moments of levity, much of it in connection with Hank's BFF Wade
• the proposal scene, which is now my fave in cinematic history

The Meh...
Hank and Abby have The Relationship Talk--which they do need to have, but at 13 minutes long (I clocked it!) it really bogs things down. On the one hand, Abby's points provide a good reality-check contrast with Hank's earlier nostalgic reminiscing. On the other hand, it was too much in one go, and I wish they'd found a way to get some of that exposition out in a way that didn't completely stall the action FOR 13 MINUTES STRAIGHT!

Would I recommend it...?

Yes, as I did enjoy this slow-burn, special film. It's a great meditation on relationship troubles and the suffering they bring when time passes without input from the beloved. With the above complaint noted, I think it's a great bit of drama. The horror aspects are felt more in the atmosphere, setting, and Hank's isolation--HOWEVER, there's a spectacular jump scare that your body's growing tension anticipates but can't quite predict, followed by some necessary gore. That bit's as bad as it gets in this movie and, apart from one earlier quick flash of the Creature, the only other such horror-movie staple in this flick. BUT it really is something, and it made me actually jump and squeak, and then LOL the way you do after you've had the stuffin spooked out of you. I legit got chills too, ROTFL, racing right down my arms, dang it all. Which, I have to admit, was rather pleasurable, as I so rarely get so freaked out by movies these days.

Miscellany...

I chose this flick because Henry Zebrowski's in it--I mainly know him from the Last Podcast on the Left and was curious to see his acting chops, which I did enjoy here. (Full disclosure: since they left Stitcher in favor of exclusivity with Spotify, I haven't been following LPOTL, mainly bc I don't really use Spotify for anything else.)

Ratings...

My Grade: B+ as a Drama, B as a Horror Movie

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: Tomatometer=88%, Audience Score=47%

Details, Schmeetails...

I Watched After Midnight on Amazon (the Rotten Tomatoes page linked above provides links to other streaming platforms)

Check it out on IMDb

Learn more about it on Wikipedia

This concludes Day 3 of

Thanks for reading and come back tomorrow...

IF YOU DARE

Spook Out! Day 2 ~ 1922 (2017)

Netflix Says...
"A farmer pens a confession admitting to his wife's murder, but her death is just the beginning of a macabre tale."

I Say...
This summary's better than most, which say he does it for financial gain--but that's just a slightly-misshapen piece of a pernicious puzzle.

Horror Type...
Psychological Drama, with a touch of the Supernatural, some Gore.

Main Players...

Thomas Jane as Wilfred James (Conniving Husband)

Molly Parker as Arlette James (Stereotypical Shrewish Wife)

Dylan Schmid as Henry James (Surprising Son)

I liked...

• the set, the writing, the costumes, the acting, the mood--all served their purpose of immersing the viewer in the story admirably
• the way the supernatural bits were interspersed in the story, very organic and fitting
• how the tension builds, and builds, and builds...

The Meh...
I dunno, maybe it's my allergy-stricken heavy, watery eyes and sinus congestion, but I only just finished watching the thing maybe an hour-ish ago and I feel sleepy and had to read the relevant bits of 1922's Wikipedia entry to remind myself how it ended. I'm just...kinda--Zzzzz...

Would I recommend it...?

As a fine bit of family drama and a Greek-epic-like/Edgar Poe-ish descent into madness and ruin, sure--in this respect, it really is an excellent film. But not as a horror movie--although there's a fair bit of gore and (TRIGGER WARNING) rats swarm around more than is strictly necessary. This flick kept turning up on the "best horror movie" lists I consulted prior to building my blogfest watchlist but I think that's just lazy writing. There are some horrific elements, yes, and some bits are very disturbing, but it's more horror-adjacent than anything else.

Miscellany...

This movie is based on the novella by Stephen King of the same title.

Ratings...

My Grade: A as a psychological drama, C as a horror movie

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: Tomatometer=91%, Audience Score=57%

Details, Schmeetails...

I Watched 1922 on Netflix 

Check it out on IMDb

Learn more about it on Wikipedia (Contains Spoilers)

This concludes Day 2 of

Thanks for reading and come back tomorrow...

IF YOU DARE

Spook Out! Day 1 ~ 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

Crackle* Says...

"After getting in a car accident, a woman is held in a shelter with two men, who claim the outside world is affected by a widespread chemical attack."

I Say...
This^ misses a critical element that makes for an effective tease in other summaries I've read--that the man who takes her there may be as much of a threat as whatever's happening aboveground.

Horror Type...
Psychological Thriller, Post-Apocalyptic, Creature Feature

Main Players...

John Goodman as Howard (Bunker Host)

Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Michelle (Resourceful Heroine)

John Gallagher Jr. as Emmett (Goofball...?)

I liked...

• the phenomenal cast, very much indeed
• the tight plot, in which everything means something and will come into play
• how I repeatedly found myself holding my breath and on the edge of my seat
• how it made me work to decide for myself whether the antagonist was actually a villain or just super socially awkward (I'm not gonna spoil this for ya--you're going to have to watch for yourself to find out)
• how, bit-by-bit, the story teaches the heroine everything she needs to know to survive
• how the heroine's life passion literally helps save her life
• the surprise pops of dark humor that made me legit LOL
• that kick-in-the-pants ending!

The Meh...
We learn there's more to Howard than he lets on but I'd've liked more definitive answers regarding his past.

Would I recommend it...?

YES! I loved this movie, Goodman, Winstead, and Gallagher (who played the cowardly prick-weasel from Netflix's Hush!) deserve ALL THE AWARDS. This isn't so much a jump-scare type of horror movie, more a menacing slow-burn that combusts at the very end, to spectacular effect. I feel like even folks who aren't into horror movies can enjoy 10 Cloverfield Lane without fear of losing sleep.

Miscellany...

It seems that the ending has polarized viewers, who complain that it came out of nowhere and ruined the film for them. I have to agree that it almost feels like we got one movie for the first, say, hour-and-a-half, and a completely different flick in the last ten-fifteen minutes or so. However, to me, those final, harrowing, action-packed moments totally make sense and absolutely fit with what came before (again, no spoilers, but do pay attention to all the squirrelly theories the fellas toss out).

Ratings...

My Grade: A

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: Tomatometer=90%, Audience Score=79%

Details, Schmeetails...

I Watched 10 Cloverfield Lane on Crackle* (the Rotten Tomatoes page linked above provides links to other streaming platforms)

Check it out on IMDb

Learn more about it on Wikipedia (Contains Spoilers)

This concludes Day 1 of

Thanks for reading and come back tomorrow...

IF YOU DARE

*Crackle is a free streaming platform I'm just finding out about. As you may have guessed, it's free bc commercials--during this 1 hour 43 minute movie, I counted 7 commercial breaks, the first few lasting nearly 3 minutes, though spaced generously apart. As the film progressed, commercial break lengths went down to about 2 minutes but came along more frequently. I didn't mind it bc FREE (and also, plenty of "cable" TV channels do this.) (I'm looking at you, FX--and YOU ain't free! Why do I have to love your programming so much??? Ugh...)

Guess what time it is...

Anderson Mancini from Sao Paulo, Brazil /
CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

 ...if you guessed that it's time for

Spook Out! 2020

then you are

CORRECT!!!

Why "Spook Out?"

Because le freak c'est chic, mes ami!

Last year I reviewed a different horror movie every day of October (more or less), and had a great time doing it. Given what 2020 has wrought, I reckoned a bit of fun was sorely needed. It's not the writing I should be doing, but nothing's ever wasted (or so I've read on inspirational tumblr posts).

I'm reviewing newer flicks, older flicks I've never seen, and keeping re-watches to a minimum. As well, I'm streaming on platforms to which I'm already subscribed so I don't have to dish out too many extra monies (Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, & Shudder). You work with whatcha got, n'est-ce pas?

So tune in tomorrow for Day 1 of

IF YOU DARE

It's Supplementary, My Dears...

My lovelies, I am not a medical professional, so please consider this post a starting point for your own research, if you're facing any of these problems, and consult with your doctor before beginning any new supplementation regimen.

I'm still too sexy for this face mask.

Some years ago, I bitched about the adult-onset acne that was making me miserable. Sure, I'd suffered with a bit of zit-action as a teen, but nothing compared to what attacked me in my early to mid-40s. (The hormonal hell women endure just never goes away, does it, FFS?) I wrapped up that last post with the hope that trying some new moisturizers and an electronic face brush would prevent more Frankenzits (a trio--or more--of pimples erupting in close proximity to each other, giving the appearance of one massive, heaving mountain of teeming pus), and resolved to keep using some weird pink silt stuff to treat any further spots.

Well. The face brush hurt my face, even after dishing out extra for the super sensitive brush head (I don't know how some of you folks can deal with these whirring implements procured from the dank pit of Pinhead's closet). And the silty-pink-stuff proved ineffective. The zits kept coming, crowding my face and leaving legit acne scarring and hyperpigmentation markings in their wake, the bloody little bastards.

I'd spent so much money on treatments (and a LOT on that device!) and none of it helped. I felt pretty desperate, I have to say. Then it occurred to me that maybe a topical approach wasn't the right one. Was it possible to treat these mfrs from within?

Yes. Yes, it was.

I researched supplements for skin health and, while I was at it, for mood regulation, as PMS--which also hadn't seriously troubled me before--had begun to push me into violent mood swings that the antidepressants I was taking at the time couldn't tame. (Frigging perimenopausal hormones!) From my own research, I settled on trying out some sea buckthorn and fish oil supplements (for skin and mood, respectively) and, from my then-boss (who's a year older than me and was going through similar PMS-y difficulties) learned about evening primrose oil for the PMS. Basically, I was seeking an assist from some of the omega fatty acids (fish oil=omega-3; sea buckthorn=omega-7; evening primrose oil=Gamma linolenic acid, or GLA, which is an omega-6 fatty acid). I betook myself to Amazon and ordered.*

About two months after taking the three different supplements regularly, my break-outs were fewer and farther apart, until I hardly broke out at all. As for the raging PMS--I still have one day a month, either just before my period or on the very first day, on which I am irritable, uncontrollably weepy, and can't seem to concentrate very well at all. I know that doesn't seem great, but it's an amazing improvement over what I'd been experiencing before. And if I do get any new zits (very rarely, now--maybe 2-3 a year, if that many), I apply a really good sulfur-based cream** at bedtime and it's significantly reduced, if not gone, by the following morning. (Er...the cream, containing sulfur, does have an unpleasant odor. But then, I'm not sharing my bed with anyone who might object, so...)

I've been taking these supplements for about six years now and, while they're not cheap, they're effective, and that's what matters to me. I started getting the occasional hot flash in early 2018 and I have a feeling that these three beauties are what's kept them from troubling me regularly. (So far.)

So this is what's been helping me, as I approach The 'Pause. Feel free to share in the comments what's helped you! And, again, please be sure to consult with your own doctor about what kind of supplements, if any, could be beneficial to you before embarking on a supplementation program of your own.

*This is non-sponsored content--I'm not affiliated with the companies or products mentioned in this post.

**It seems the spot treatment pictured above is not currently available as a stand-alone product (which it was when I purchased it), but is included in a kit on the PTR website, if you're interested in checking it out. I like PTR products generally, though I've not tried all the stuff in this kit. Also, PTR can be quite pricey, but the kit isn't too bad (as of today's date).

The Necronomnomnom by Mike Slater ~ A Belated* First Look

Mike Slater's The Necronomnomnom: Recipes and Rites from the Lore of H. P. Lovecraft is a cookbook written in the charmingly floral but forbidding early 20th C. style of H.P. Lovecraft. Its title, a play on the fictional "Necronomicon" (of which Lovecraft wrote in his cosmic horror) sends me into fits of Wilma Flintstone-esque giggles and I find myself repeating it often bc FUN, and fun's been in short supply for quite some time. Anyway, it's not merely written in Lovecraft's voice, but the recipes are named after creatures and characters from his many mythoi (including Cthulhu, of course), and are tales themselves. Sorta. Lemme 'splain...

The Necronomnomnom is in two parts: the main recipe section, à la Lovecraft, then the appendix, in which we see "the rites revealed." The recipes provide ingredient lists advising, "What Must Be Offered" or "Rise and Obtain," while cooking instructions commence with, "When the Stars are Right," or "To Travel the Void." The appendix section "reveals the rites" by giving us each recipe in more straightforward English (which is not as entertaining as reading that the garlic should be "minced savagely" and the sirloin "ruthlessly cubed"). There's also a handy index, which helps you locate both versions of a particular recipe with relative ease.

We're given fifty recipes in total, for Drinks (such as Herbert West's Deanimator), Appetizers (Atlach-Nachos), Soups and Salads (Pallid Bisque), Main Dishes (Formless Spawnghetti), Sides (Cthus-Koos), Breakfast (The Oats of Dagon), Children's Meals (Cultists in Robes) (not made from actual children) (yes, I checked), and Desserts (The Ring That Should Not Be). Because I love breakfast foods (and bc I'm about as mature as a very young and obnoxious ten-year-old), I'm itching to make the Great Old Buns (aka Very Cross Buns). (BC buns, hun.)

While there are no pictures, there are gorgeous illustrations. Not that you need pics, when the language used is so vivid:

SHOGGHOULASH. Serves 4, under strict hypnotic control

Freeze the creatures and keep them frozen! The bears cannot be trusted. ~ AT THE FOUNTAINS OF MADNESS (Drink)

Bring all to a boil; mutter the incantation, as instructed below, and stir until thickened. ~ NEW ENGLAND DAMNED CHOWDER (Yes, there is an incantation.) (No, you couldn't pay me enough to recite it.)

At first, I thought the old man simply eccentric, and perhaps a bit senile. ~ THE MUESLI OF ERICH ZANN

The pale crystal and ebon flakes may now be scattered atop. ~ LOVECRAFT MACARONI AND CHEESE (Serves 6 to 8 Dark Young, Children's Menu)

...he went at the egg like it done him wrong, beating at it as it went in. ~ JOE SLATER'S IN-BREAD PUDDING

And you don't have to be familiar with Lovecraft's work to enjoy The Necronomnomnom, you just have to have some culinary curiosity and a good sense of humor, coupled with a deep appreciation for the absurd (which, if you're reading my blog, you most assuredly must possess). Plus, if you're craving autumn and Halloween like I am, trying out these recipes can really lift your spirits! (Heh heh. See what I did there? Lift your spirits? Halloween? Yeah...you see what I did there.) 

The Necronomnomnom is available on Amazon (it's $22.46 right now but I bought it during a big price drop within the past week or so, for just $9.98!) and Barnes & Noble, and probably elsewhere but I'm too lazy** to go lookin'.

In a related story, check out this guy's video review of The Necronomnomnom
(and enjoy with me the number of times he says the book's title ~ tee hee)

*"Belated" bc this book came out last fall but I only just got it into my hot little hands
**You knew this about me already, undoubtedly