Tag Archives: horror

Sep13

Groovy Movies: The Conjuring Last Rites Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Groovy Movies: The Conjuring Last Rites Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Groovy Movies! If you are a horror movie fan like me, it is your time to shine because there are SO many good scary flicks that have come out or are due to be released soon. One that I was particularly looking forward to was the fourth installment of The Conjuring called Last Rites. I think we can all agree that the first movie was excellent, the second was so so, and the third one sucked on ice. However, those sentiments did not deter me one bit from wanting to see what happens next and I’m glad for it. The Conjuring 4 was better than the second and third one combined! As always, this will be a spoiler free review but I’ll be placing a trigger warning on the movie for pregnancy difficulties, injury to an animal, and disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it:

^^^ I have no rights to this video!!

Ed and Lorraine Warren are getting older and have decided to put their paranormal investigations on an indeterminate hiatus for Ed’s declining heart health. Their days are now spent lecturing and doting on their beloved daughter, Judy, who is now all grown up and dating a young man named Tony. Like her mom, Judy is increasingly having visions of the dead and things that have already happened and are yet to come. It’s a balancing act but both of the ladies manage it the best that they can. Aside from these visions, the Warren’s lives are quiet and peaceful which is in sharp contrast to the Smurl family in a small town called Pittston in Pennsylvania.

The Smurl family compiles of the parents, four daughters, and the father’s parents. They are a devout Catholic family who is in the process of celebrating the confirmation of Heather. The family has a good meal, cake, and Heather is treated to a huge gift from her grandparents: An antique mirror that is as beautiful as it is creepy. Just as soon as the mirror is unwrapped, the entire family begins experiencing paranormal activity to the highest degree. We’re talking levitation, items moving, terrifying spirits, injuries to the family, and a puke storm that would make the little girl in The Exorcist jealous.

Try as they might, the Smurl family cannot find help to rid their home of the angry spirits and take their scary story to the news. The Warren’s are none the wiser about this case but Judy has been keeping up to date and feels the Smurl household drawing her in. After tragedy strikes a dear friend who tried to help the Smurl family, Judy heads to Pennsylvania and her parents follow suit. By the time they arrive in Pittston, Grandma Smurl is being wheeled into an ambulance because something pushed her down the stairs. Judy has already offered her assistance and Ed and Lorraine reluctantly agree to help too. What happens next? You’re going to have to see The Conjuring: Last Rites to find out!

For the most part, I enjoyed this movie. My main qualm I had with it was the pacing because this was a slow burn and I mean slow. The first forty minutes or so of Last Rites was a back and forth situation. It got you up to speed on the Warrens and Judy’s relationship while showing minor instances of the Smurl family haunting. All the while, I was mentally willing this part of the flick to hurry the hell up because I wanted to get to the good stuff. The scary stuff! What transpired in the Smurl home really was scary but it felt like it was over before it even began. The major portion of their haunting consisted of roughly the last thirty-five minutes of the movie and it didn’t feel like it was enough. I always felt like The Conjuring films had an issue with pacing and Last Rites was a shining example of my complaints.

Other than the choppiness of the movie, it really came together once all of the key players of the film were together. Last Rites provided scares reminiscent of the first Conjuring movie – perhaps even more scary. I will never forget my level of fear seeing the first one in theaters and definitely was having similar reactions all of these years later. Also, it is worth saying that any movie with Patrick Wilson is alright by me because he is a dreamboat! If you are a fan of The Conjuring franchise, Last Rites is definitely a must see. Was it great? Absolutely not. But all in all it was a pretty good conclusion to the series.

I am going to rate The Conjuring: Last Rites with a six out of ten stars. It was certainly above average and I will happily watch it again when it comes out on streaming services!

What is your favorite scary movie? What is the last movie you saw in theaters? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul26

Groovy Movies: I Know What You Did Last Summer Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Groovy Movies: I Know What You Did Last Summer Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Groovy Movies! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing the latest summer slasher, I Know What You Did Last Summer. When I ordered the tickets for the flick, the employee told me “I doubt it” lolol. Nice! This is bad but I did not see the original movie so I went into this reboot with zero expectations. I was, however, a huge fan of the author of the book, Lois Duncan, back in the day and knew I was in for a fun afternoon at the movie theater! Let’s get to it:

^^^ As always, I have no rights to this video!

Southport is a lux ocean town for the ultra wealthy, but that wasn’t always the case. In 1997, brutal murders of a group of friends by a hook wielding fisherman took place. Two survivors remained who will never forget while the Southport police did everything in their power to erase the past. After a fancy land developer took the reigns on the town, it turned into the posh place to be with stunning ocean views. Southport is moving forward and the heinous crimes that took place are the last thing on anyone’s mind as they day drink their lives away. It’s certainly the last thing on bride to be, Danica’s mind.

Danica and Teddy are soon to be married and their old crew is back for the celebrations. There’s Ava and Milo as well as a straggler of the group, Stevie, who joins them before the night is out. After a big engagement party, the friends decide to keep the party going with some drinking and driving, sparking up blunts, and heading to a winding road with the best view of fireworks for the Fourth of July. Teddy has gotten turnt and a dangerous game of chicken as fireworks light up the sky brings a car crashing down into the rocky cliff. Rather than call the police, Teddy calls his dad who is the police and will make it look like this never happened. All they have to do is keep their mouths shut.

Fast forward to a year later and the gang is back for Danica’s bridal shower. As she opens her prezzies, she picks up an envelope expecting cash inside. What she receives is a card with the warning “I know what you did last summer” and just as we were all expecting, shit is about to hit the fan. The hook and harpoon wielding fisherman is back with a vengeance and whoever it is won’t stop until Danica, Teddy, Milo, Ava, Stevie, and a newcomer are six feet under. Their only choice is to stick close together and seek out advice from a survivor of the 1997 massacre. Her answer is simple: Kill whoever it is before they kill you. Who will make it out alive? Watch I Know What You Did Last Summer to find out!

Now, I am well aware that I Know What You Did Last Summer has gotten extremely lackluster reviews. Myself, on the other hand, liked it a lot! Maybe it’s because I didn’t see the original or maybe it’s because I saw the movie for what is was: A straight to the point summer slasher. A popcorn movie that requires nothing from you but to jump in and put your hands up for the ride. Was it the best movie I have ever seen? Of course not. Did I have fun watching it? I sure did!

I Know What You Did Last Summer was often hilarious, had insane kills, and a cast that worked really well together. The core group of friends was easy to root for which allowed for me to literally jump in my seat during the jump scares. It was a classic story with fresh and exciting twists and turns that had me hooked (Pun intended!). If you are feeling wishy washy about seeing this movie because of an attachment to the original film, think of it as watching something completely different. Something brand new that’s meant to entertain. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to watching it again with Johnny!

Overall, I am going to give I Know What You Did Last Summer a seven out of ten stars. I absolutely think it is worth seeing and I don’t think this movie’s reviews did it any justice!

Have you seen any movies this summer? Is there a movie coming out that you would like to see? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun20

Groovy Movies: Dangerous Animals Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Groovy Movies: Dangerous Animals Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Groovy Movies! One of my clients is a huge horror movie fan and one of her favorite things to do is catch the newest scary flicks in theaters. Just like me! She also has a passion for creature themed scary movies so Dangerous Animals was an absolute must see for her. We ended up seeing it this past week and it was an excellent choice because we both loved it. In fact, everyone who we talked about it with wants to see it too. In a spoiler free setting, as always, let’s discuss:

^^^ As always, I have no rights to this video!!

Dangerous Animals takes place in beautiful Australia with all of the sun, sand, surf, and… sharks that you could ever imagine. Zephyr, our leading lady, finds solace in the waves and spends her time on the beach, hocking snacks from gas stations, and living in her car. Tucker, our main baddie, also feels the call of the ocean – particularly to the sharks that inhabit the water. He runs a swim with the sharks cage diving adventure via his business “Tucker’s Experience”. When he’s not on his boat getting wasted, he is on the prowl for his newest victim. Tucker’s Experience is not simply cage diving, but a front for his favorite hobby of all: Watching the sharks nosh on the people who were looking for the thrill of a lifetime.

Tucker has been watching Zephyr and is intoxicated by her beauty, skills on the surfboard, and all of the booze that he chugs throughout the day. He must have her and blindsides her during an early morning surf. She wakes up on his boat handcuffed to a bed and meets another girl who got caught in his trap. Crafty Zephyr immediately sets to work to get them out of this deadly situation, but Tucker is just as clever too. With every step Zephyr takes towards freedom, Tucker is always one step ahead. He dubs her his “marlin” because of her fight, but let’s it be known that the marlin will always end up on the fisherman’s boat. Does Zephyr stand a fighting chance? Or will she end up as Tucker’s latest shark bait? Watch Dangerous Animals to find out!

From start to finish, Dangerous Animals was just pure fun and funny too! Jai Courtney as Tucker was a formidable leading man and carried this film with gusto. From his drunken dancing, drunken singing “Baby Shark”, and the ridiculousness he is constantly spewing, you could just tell that Courtney was having a ball playing this character. He was the ideal antagonist to the calm, cool, and collected Zephyr. While she was level headed throughout her terror, Tucker was on an entirely different planet and the juxtaposition between the two of them created a strong sense of urgency. No matter how cool Zephyr played it, crazy Tucker was there to play chess and it was a game of cat and mouse on the open seas.

Dangerous Animals clearly didn’t take itself too seriously and it made for a slasher that was so highly entertaining while still serving that classic horror movie gore. In fact, the humor that was consistent throughout the movie made all of the scares even scarier. It really did lull you into a false sense of complacency! This flick is the perfect summer slasher and was a wild ride. I would love to watch it again and can’t recommend it enough!

Overall, I am going to award Dangerous Animals with an eight out of ten stars. It was innovative, hilarious, and scary all in one and Jai Courtney did a phenomenal job. It’s worth a watch for his performance alone!

What movies are you looking forward to seeing? What was the last movie you saw in theaters? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar11

Fun & Games: Horrified – World Of Monsters Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Fun & Games: Horrified – World Of Monsters Edition

Hello! Johnny and I love playing board games together and one of our favorites is, hands down, Horrified. In this co-op game, your mission is to work as a team and save a village from classic horror movie monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein and his Bride, The Mummy, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Each monster has its own unique way of being defeated with tasks you must complete and all the while, you have to protect yourself, teammates, and villagers on the board. It is so much fun!!

We have gotten great use out of Horrified and Johnny and I always hoped they would make a new board with new monsters. You could imagine our surprise when we found out there was three! In addition to the original, there is a board for American Monsters, Greek Monsters, and World of Monsters. This past weekend, we made a Target Run to see if they had any of these new boards available. They had World of Monsters and we played it as soon as we got home. We had an absolute blast!

The premise of World of Monsters is the exact same as the original Horrified but with brand new heroes, monsters, villagers, items, action cards, and objectives. In World of Monsters, you can go toe to toe with the Sphinx, Yeti, Jiangshi, and Cthulhu. As per the game’s recommendation, we battled the Sphinx and Yeti first to get a feel for the board. Johnny played as the Buccaneer and I chose the Parapsychologist. Both of these heroes worked really well together and we were able to utilize their strengths for optimal results because we reigned victorious. Granted, our Life Counter was getting down to the wire but we still won so who cares lol.

Despite the fact that the way you play the other Horrified games doesn’t change, World of Monsters still felt so fresh and new. It was exciting to see everything the new board had to offer and it looked amazing too! If you are as big of fans of the first game as Johnny and I am, then this is a must buy. We plan on getting the other two boards as well and I have a feeling we are going to be playing a lot. I am SO not mad about this and would love to pencil in a game if we are both up for it after work instead of retiring to the couch. These new boards are what we have been waiting for and, as great as the original is, it’s going to make returning to it after playing something different even better!

Horrified is an easy to learn, fast, total blast of a game and I cannot recommend World of Monsters enough. And I cannot wait to play more!!

What is your favorite board game? Have you played Horrified before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb24

Groovy Movies: Heart Eyes Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Groovy Movies: Heart Eyes Edition

Hello!! I have had the pleasure of working with my very first client as an Independent Provider again and it is nothing short of a total joy. When I first started working with her almost a decade ago, one of our favorite community outings was going to see scary movies together. We both share a love for horror and slasher flicks and would hit the movie theater at least once per month. This past week, it was the most wonderful deja vu to go see Heart Eyes, as per her suggestion. This Valentine’s Day slasher checked all of my boxes and it was a blast from start to finish. I can’t wait to watch it again with Johnny because we both adore holiday themed scary movies! 😀

^^^ I do not have any rights to this video!

The Heart Eyes Killer or HEK for short has been terrorizing happy couples on Valentine’s Day for the past handful of years. Any cute couple displaying PDA is not safe from the scorn of this serial killer and they are advised to stay inside and keep their affection under wraps. This is no problem for Ally because saying she is unlucky in love is a total understatement. She went through a bad breakup and truly believes that romance is dead. So much so, that she created a dark ad campaign featuring famous death scenes from romance flicks for the jewelry company she works for to celebrate the season.

With the HEK on the loose, this could not have been a worse time for the campaign to launch so her employer sends in the big guns: A handsome freelancer named Jay who will surely create romantic magic to sell jewelry for Love Day. This comes as a HUGE shock to Ally who happened to have a meetcute encounter with Jay at the coffee shop prior to her campaign coming to a screeching halt. Jay would like Ally’s help for the new ad and invites her to dinner to which she agrees with the emphasis on it not being a date but a work meeting.

The restaurant they go to is very romantic and fully decked out for Valentine’s Day. It would be perfect minus the fact that Ally has sworn off of dating and, oh yeah, her ex boyfriend and his new flame have arrived for their reservation. To make her ex jealous, Ally engages Jay in a passionate kiss. Her former love isn’t the only one to see their lip lock – the HEK did too. In the killer’s heart shaped eyes, they broke the most important rule of all: Absolutely no PDA. From the moment Jay and Ally’s lips touched, their fate was sealed and the killer is hot on their tail. Will they survive the night after the Heart Eyes Killer targets them as the newest victims? Or, will true love conquer all? Watch Heart Eyes to find out!

As soon as Heart Eyes started, I was immediately in and remained that way for the entirety of the film. This short and sweet slasher was nonstop fun! It was hilarious, had some pretty nice eye candy, and crazy kills. My client and I couldn’t believe that a movie like this hadn’t been made before because the plot seems somewhat obvious. Then again, no one else has ever thought of it and Heart Eyes twisted this predictable plot into something shockingly fresh. Like I said, Johnny and I have grown most fond of holiday slashers and Heart Eyes is, easily, my favorite one yet. Is it the best scary movie ever? Of course not. Is it worth the watch? Absolutely!

Overall, I am going to rate Heart Eyes with an eight out of ten stars. Based on the fact alone that I wanted to watch it immediately again with Johnny after seeing it, I highly recommend giving it a watch!

What is the last movie you saw in theaters? What is your favorite scary movie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct11

Don’t Watch This Movie!

Posted on by
Standard
Don’t Watch This Movie!

Hello!! Johnny and I are working our way through the 31 in 31 challenge – AKA watching a scary movie every day of October. So far, we have watched a lot of movies that we have both enjoyed. This Monday, however, we watched quite possibly the WORST movie we have ever seen. It was called We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. I was drawn to the description of the movie, which talked about a lonely teen finding herself immersed in an online horror game. And, of course, we liked the fact that it was under an hour and a half long because we both had a long day. Despite its short length, this movie felt ten hours long and not in the good way. Let’s discuss in a spoiler free setting:

^^^ As always, I have no rights to this video!

Okay! Long story short, Casey joins in playing an online game called the World’s Fair. It is a horror role playing game that employs secret methods to gain entry. Once you are in, strangers dictate what you have to do and the players document the “changes” they undergo on video. As Casey goes through her days in a sad limbo, someone from the game contacts her with the concern that she might seriously harm herself or others. Will Casey take the World’s Fair too far? Please, please don’t watch to find out lol.

Let me first start off by saying, the plot of this movie was enticing to me. I love an internet horror story line. I also very much like artistic and thought provoking horror films. So why didn’t I like We’re All Going to the World’s Fair? Because it sucked lol. Johnny and I watched every agonizing minute of this movie hoping that it would get better. Unfortunately, all it did was get even worse and even weirder to the point that we were in stitches laughing about it.

We’re All Going to the World’s Fair was an impossibly slow burn without a big bang at the end. Every scene which could have lasted seconds took minutes because every action was shown – IE: A man walking through the entirety of his home to get to one room. Had there been anything particularly scary about this movie, maybe these lengthy scenes of movement would have felt more charged. Psychologically and visually, though, there was just no horror there. Rather, we were watching Casey’s pointless livestreams or watching pointless videos that she was watching. Whatever sense of anticipation was built at the beginning quickly crumbled because literally nothing happened.

I have seen SO many positive reviews for We’re All Going to the World’s Fair and it even scored a ninety percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The high tomato-meter score was part of why I chose it. It makes me wonder if I was watching the same film as the people who really enjoyed it because this should have been a movie I liked. If you are looking to waste an hour and a half of your life, put it on. I promise you that you are not missing out on anything if you skip on it!

What is the worst movie you have seen recently? What is your favorite kind of movie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep29

Random Book Haul

Posted on by
Standard
Random Book Haul

Hello!! This past week, I visited Barnes & Noble on an outing with one of my clients. She was completely striking out and asked if I could take her to Ollie’s instead. I’m not sure if this store is just an Ohio thing, but Ollie’s is basically a catch all discount shop. This is only the second time I have been in there but they literally have everything but the kitchen sink – clothing, books, toys, cupboard grocery items, furniture, etc. Actually, they just might have the kitchen sink too lol. She was hoping to find some new books on the cheap and I was so happy that she did. Surprisingly, I ended up with several too and a little something for my sweet nieces. Check it out:

IMG_9231(1)IMG_9232(1)

I have always been an avid fan of graphic novels and recently got heavily back into them. I have honestly been too exhausted to commit to cracking open a new book and graphic novels give me the opportunity to still be able to read AND appreciate amazing artwork. It really is a win win. After finishing the Nailbiter series, I have an idea of what I’d like to start reading next. I do, however, have a handful of different series that I have already read but would like to add to my collection at some point. One of them being one of my all time favorite horror series called Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. Little did I know, that some point was going to be earlier this week!

While at Ollie’s, I clutched my pearls when I saw that they had Books Two through Four of Preacher. And, yes, I did scour the shelves to see if Book One was there too but it was nowhere to be found. While that was a bit disappointing, I still could not believe my good fortune. I paid eighteen dollars for two paperbacks and one hardback cover. In total, I spent less for three volumes than what I would have paid for just one at another store or online. As this series is one that I coveted for a long time, I was incredibly happy to get a jump on obtaining part of the collection for a song. 😀

And, of course, I had to pick up a little something something for both of my nieces too. My two tiny besties are most fond of coloring books and I couldn’t say no after seeing Gabby’s Dollhouse and Disney princesses – their two favorites. ❤ This impromptu shopping trip as per my client’s suggestion opened my eyes to an essentially new to me discount store. I absolutely plan on returning again to see what else I can add to my graphic novel library. GREAT SUCCESS!!

What is your favorite discount store? Have you scored any awesome deals recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep20

What To Read Next?!

Posted on by
Standard
What To Read Next?!

Howdy!! I have always been a huge fan of graphic novels and have gotten deeply back into them as of late. I recently finished a crazy adventure that was the Nailbiter series and am ready to sink my teeth into something new. During one of my hauls at JC Comics, the owner gifted me with five free first issues of other horror series that he thought I might like. It was so kind of him and with nothing else to read, I read all five of them in one day to determine what I should start next. I was pretty surprised by the conclusion I came to so let’s discuss each option a bit more (with a trigger warning for violent content):

set1set

Kill or be Killed: The first issue of Kill or be Killed was just okay. Long story short, the main character named Dylan tries to kill himself. Somehow, he survives and is visited that night by a demon with a message. Dylan’s life was spared, so a life for a life every month is the deal. If he can’t commit to it, Dylan will die instead… My main qualm with Kill or be Killed wasn’t exactly the story line and a majority of the artwork was cool. I just thought that the demon looked lame AF and I won’t stand for it lol. I also felt like the plot wasn’t capable of developing beyond the deal with the demon so it was a next for me.

Ice Cream Man: Speaking of lame, that brings us to Ice Cream Man. Yes, you guessed it – it is all about the neighborhood ice cream man who is actually a werewolf. This one was far too goofy for my liking and I am also not interested in werewolf stories either so this was a big fat NO.

Monstress: I hated Monstress almost immediately because I had literally no idea what was going on. However, I kept on reading and I am so glad as it was my favorite one from the batch. Maika Halfwolf was orphaned after her mother was killed in an ongoing war between powerful witches and the Arcanics (or monster kind). The Arcanics are now being rounded up and killed and it is up to Maika to avenge her mother’s death and save her tribe… Holy WOW did this first issue pack a punch. The story line is quite dense, but I liked that because it read like an actual story. The artwork was also magnificent and I was blown away by every panel. I was so sad after reading the last page because I wanted to know more!

Criminal: I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like Criminal and I was right because the first issue did nothing for me. Basically, a career criminal who is the best in the business is contacted to go on a major diamond heist by people who are just as seedy as him. Not my bag whatsoever so into the next pile it went.

w0rldtr33: After Monstress, w0rldtr33 came in second place. The plot goes like this – there is a corner of the dark web that can get people to commit horrible monstrosities merely by glancing at it. The original creators have kept it under wraps, but it has resurfaced once again and left terror in its wake. There are those that want to stop it and others who want to harness it to create a new and not improved world… I am a sucker for a dark web story so I was pretty interested in w0rldtr33. It didn’t catch my attention as much as Monstress but I still would like to see how this battle of good and evil plays out.

My plan is to get Volume One of both Monstress and W0rldtr33 and see what happens. Each of them had their merits but it’s too hard to tell which one to go with after only reading one issue. Either way, I’m excited about it!

What are you currently reading? Is there a local bookstore or comic shop in your neck of the woods that you love? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep17

R&R Weekend

Posted on by
Standard
R&R Weekend

Hello!! This past week was an incredibly busy one for yours truly. On top of my normal work schedule, I also worked two events for my boss, Tim. One to do a presentation for college students at Kent State University and another at the end of summer Misnyland picnic. Both were really fun to attend, but I was exhausted by the time I arrived home on Friday. All of my plans for cooking, cleaning, and weekend activities went out the window once I became one with my couch!

IMG_8609IMG_8603

Hanging with my plushie friend!

After a whirlwind picnic on Friday the 13th, Johnny and I deemed it necessary to have a weekend of R&R. And, in honor of said Friday the 13th, scary movies were in order! Normally, I like to do at least one activity with Johnny during the weekend and as nice as that is, it was so much nicer to laze about with my main squeeze. The only agenda being to actually agree on what horror movies to watch lol. I much prefer an atmospheric psychological thriller and movies to the likes of Saw. Johnny, on the other hand, loves ridiculous slashers like Scream and basically any B-list scary flick that has ever been made. Needless to say, we have very different tastes!

To satisfy both of our preferred horror, we compromised. As we should, we watched a Friday the 13th on the thirteenth. Then on Saturday we watched my pick followed by his. I chose an Australian movie called Run Rabbit Run which was pretty good. It was certainly a slow burn of a film and had some creepy vibes. Was it pure horror? Not especially, but I’m glad we watched it even though I wouldn’t watch it again. After the dreary aesthetic of Run Rabbit Run, we were definitely in the mood for something more fast paced, which brought us to Johnny’s selection…

As we browsed through our options on Netflix, one movie caught both of our eyes. It was called Thanksgiving. Because neither of us have ever seen a scary movie revolving around the holiday, Johnny wanted to give it a go. Even though I rolled my eyes about it, I’ve got to say – Thanksgiving was a total hoot. Long story short, a killer seeks revenge after a Black Friday massacre at one of the local superstores. It was goofy, it was cheesy, but it had the craziest kills that kept us jumping the entire time. We got scared, we had a ton of laughs, and I think Johnny’s pick blew mine out of the water.

As soon as September hit, Johnny and I shifted into spooky season mode. It is our tradition around this time of year to squeeze in as many scary movies as we can and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

What is your favorite scary movie? Have you seen anything in theaters recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep10

Lil Red’s Book Club: Nailbiter Vol. 8 “Nailbiter Returns” By Joshua Williamson Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Lil Red’s Book Club: Nailbiter Vol. 8 “Nailbiter Returns” By Joshua Williamson Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we will be discussing the final volume in the horror series, Nailbiter. From start to finish, Nailbiter was a wild ride and Nailbiter Returns did a good job of wrapping things up. Minus ending on a massive cliffhanger!! As of now, there are no new Nailbiters in the works and it is a shame because I’d love to see what happens next. But, I digress. Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on Nailbiter Returns for graphic violence, gore, and disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it:

image_50410497(8)

Volume Eight of Nailbiter picked up right where Volume Seven left off: A high school game called the Buckaroo Brawl was made up by a young Crane and Warren. The game should have ended a long time ago but it has started back up again with look alike Buckaroo Butchers slaying citizens and harvesting their eyeballs for a new Master. Warren, Finch, Crane, and Alice return to Buckaroo at the end of Volume Seven to put an end to the new game where it all began. And Volume Eight begins.

Upon our ragtag team’s arrival in Buckaroo, they are almost immediately separated and Alice finds herself deep in the woods. As she tries to make her way back to the others, it begins to rain. Not regular old rain, but blood. Alice hallucinates nightmares before her very eyes until Warren tracks her down and leads her to where he knows they need to go. It isn’t an underground tunnel or a laboratory, rather it’s the home of Warren’s former high school fling whose ties to the Butchers go far deeper than just an appreciation.

In the house, one of the look alike Butchers hurls Warren and Alice into a dark room where Crane, Finch, and FBI Agent Danny are found in chains. A grand reunion is promised and it is there that they meet the new Master. This is a highly inconvenient time to be dealing with a bunch of cosplay serial killers as the Master has a plan: To rain blood all over Portland and let people experience horror as they never have before. With the Master and game in full force in Buckaroo and a catastrophe underway in Portland, decisions must be made for the safety of all. Can both be stopped? Read Nailbiter to find out!

If you recall, Volume Seven was my least favorite of the Nailbiter series. In my opinion, Nailbiter could have ended with Volume Six and that would have been fine. I’m not sure how I feel about Nailbiter Returns because I wasn’t privy to the plot of the Buckaroo Brawl to begin with. It felt like grasping at straws and that was disappointing as the series has always felt so confident in what it was. I did like the outcome of Volume Eight as well as the introduction of the Master. However, it seemed too little too late and I would have much preferred for this story line to have come forward earlier in the series. Then, these final two volumes wouldn’t have felt like such an afterthought.

While I didn’t much care for Volume Seven and Eight, I really did enjoy everything in the series leading up to it and I’m glad to have read it. Nailbiter is the first graphic novel series I have read that truly felt like horror. The plot of a small town with a double digit amount of serial killers is an instantly gripping one and I just had to know more. There were an abundance of jump scares, serial killers, and crazy twists and turns that any horror fan would appreciate. It was also very easy to get attached to the characters and that made every situation even more shocking. I wish there was more because the final panel of the series leaves A LOT more questions than answers!

Overall, I am going to rate Nailbiter Returns with a five out of ten stars. It was good, but not great. Don’t let this be a deterrent to not read the series, though! I still highly, highly recommend it.

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah