Sengoku 2 (1993) - Horror Video Game Review (Nintendo Switch)

Discovering the Neo Geo port of Sengoku on the Nintendo Switch store earlier this month was a pleasant surprise, I loved the creepy vibe of ancient Japanese demons attacking a modern day city, it felt different to other scrolling beat-em-ups. I had heard many people complain about it though saying it was only with the release of Sengoku 2 that the series got good. While the graphics and sound effects are a lot better, and the game as a whole is more polished I felt a certain something was missing for me this time around, whether the surprise factor was gone, or if it just isn't as good a game I really am not sure. Much like the first game I bumped my lives right up to the maximum of 99 as I wanted to switch off my brain and relax rather than be stressed about dying.

I played through the game in both the Japanese and English versions, but didn't really see much difference. Annoyingly this time around there wasn't a story told before the game starts, I had to kind of piece it together from the cutscenes in between levels. I couldn't even tell if it was the same evil warlord from Sengoku or not. Playing as the two warriors from that one you have to fight your way to the enemy's stronghold and defeat him, that's about it. Something about him trying to alter time to make it so that he rules the world (possibly?).

There is a bit of a Turtles in Time vibe this time around with the warlord's floating fortress able to travel through time (at least it was nice to see that Technodrome like creation return, this time with added dragons!). Each of the four levels takes place in a different time zone, starting with the modern day characters in the 1500's (no explanation for that), you then go to the 1940's during World War II, the 1990's, then finally onto the floating fortress itself. To be honest I expected more levels this time around, not less. Sengoku's final level may have just been a boss battle but it still casts this in a bad light being a visibly game shorter than the previous one. The levels all have you just scrolling from left to right but they do go to some memorable places, the third level for instance takes place in a busy shopping district, so it is full of onlookers and civilians running around, level two features a section where you are fighting along the back of a huge bomber as planes fly around in the distance. The demon levels go more abstract, such as one background featuring gigantic ghostly warriors in mid fight, and another with a huge drum that a crazed drummer works at. There were three or four sections here that took place with you on horseback as well, helped to break up the relentless fighting a bit.

Carnivore: Werewolf of London (2017) - Horror Film Review

As disclosure right at the start of this review of Carnivore: Werewolf of London I just don't rate the werewolf as a movie monster. To me it always seems like a wasted opportunity to have a creature that is essentially just a large wolf when you could have something far more unique and terrifying. Even classics in the genre like An American Werewolf in London, The Howling, and Dog Soldiers don't get my blood pumping, so I thought there wouldn't be much chance of this indie horror making much of an impression, and sadly it doesn't, despite some occasional good ideas, and some cliche busting moments.

London couple Dave (Ben Loyd-Holmes - Torchwood) and Abi (Atlanta Johnson) have headed out into the country for a romantic weekend at a cottage they have rented from farmer Sam (Gregory Cox). Dave craving commitment in what was meant to be a simple fling had planned the trip so that he could propose, however the couple soon discover there is some sort of creature prowling around outside the property, something that wants to kill them, and that may be getting assistance from an unlikely source.

I would say one of the biggest problems with Carnivore is that it becomes a little bit boring, the majority of the film is the cat and mouse game they play with the werewolf. While they are safe in the house there are plenty of plot reasons given for them constantly leaving, whether it be lack of phone signal, trying to get to a nearby car, or needing to turn the circuit breaker back on. I did like that the cottage is so tiny, and that the vast majority of the movie takes place in and around this location with a small but competent cast. This gave a claustrophobic feeling that was helped by plenty of close up camera angles that follow the two as they move around. I also liked that this felt almost real time in how it plays out, it isn't at all, but the progression over the course of one evening felt smoothly done with events progressing rapidly.

Convergence (2015) - Horror Film Review

Convergence is a film that constantly surprised with where the plot went, this was despite some issues surrounding the sometimes muddled plot. It is actually the second 'person trapped in bizarre-world hospital' movie I have seen this year after Inoperable. What saves this from being a forgettable horror is the welcome inclusion of an actor who is fast become a favourite of mine.

While responding to an explosion in downtown Atlanta detective Ben (Clayne Crawford) is caught in a second explosion after witnessing a suspiciously acting paramedic in a warehouse. He awakens in hospital, but it is one that is mostly deserted, and populated by a bunch of strange acting people that include Ben's Captain (Mykelti Williamson). However also in the hospital is Daniel (Ethan Embry); a religious madman who thinks it is his job to kill all who are undeserving of God's love...

So I guessed the early twist pretty early on with regards to just where Ben is and how he got to be there, but not content with this cliche move trope Convergence later goes to some really quite interesting places. Seventy minutes into the film a whole new cast of characters are introduced, these people have their own horror movie going on that perfectly intertwines with Ben's. This part was really quite clever, it even provides answers for just what the demonic looking shadow people were that were seen earlier in the film. This final act was welcome as up to this point Convergence just didn't seem to be going anywhere. The core part of the film is Ben vs Daniel and his cronies. For whatever reason Daniel seems to have a special power that convinces people to do his bidding, not supernatural in origin, more it felt that he provided answers and hope for other people trapped in the hospital.

Soul Dimension: Episode 0 (2018) - Horror Video Game Review (PSVR)

The third video game review in a row now, can you tell it is nearing the end of the month and I am picking the low hanging fruit to increase my post count? Soul Dimension is a new episodic VR game, currently only episode 0 is out. The whole experience took me around 15 minutes to play through, however this was less than £2 and so that alleviates the short length somewhat. Whether all episodes will be as cheap and as short I don't know.

Soul Dimension takes place in a large mansion, you play as a father who is trying to piece together missing fragments of a photograph at the behest of the ghost of a little girl that is likely the protagonists daughter. As you search the house you catch glimpses of a strange mask wearing woman, as well as frequent sightings of the little girl's ghost.

It is becoming clear to me that VR within the confines of a house is pretty effective. With this game though the detail isn't as clear as it should be in places, specifically with text that appears as unreadable smudges. This is a horror game, yet it really wasn't scary, save for one moment when some crows flew towards me. After surviving the terror of Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul this pales in comparison, there isn't really much horror to speak of, the masked woman, the occasional swinging chandelier, and those crows are about it. Your progression through the mansion is very linear with doors you pass through usually locking behind you. There are a few simple puzzles to solve along the way, such as books that must be put onto a shelf in the correct order, and a safe with a combination to find.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (2017) - Video Game Review (X-Box One)

Due to the fact I once reviewed the almighty Battle Royale on this blog I just had to review PlayerUnknown's Battleground. That film was the primary influence on the game after all. With Fortnite and PUBG being as big as they are I'm sure many of you already know what this new type of game is about. Basically 100 players parachute out of a plane onto a large island, the aim of the game is to be the last person standing. At intervals the playing area shrinks to smaller and smaller circles of the map. Should you be caught outside this area then you will be in the poisonous mist and take damage. Along the way you gather weapons and armour to protect yourself.

There is no story to speak of save for survive to the end, with a multiplayer only game though that doesn't really matter. I have been putting off writing this review for a long time. Firstly the game has not officially came out as a finished product on X-Box One, secondly I have only played a few of the different game types, and thirdly and most importantly I have yet to win a match. The highest position I have gotten to is fourth place.

There is no other game quite like PUBG, and that includes Fortnite. I don't want this review to just be a VS argument on which game is better. I have extensively played both and so can say that while Fortnite is the better made game and is a lot more fun I actually prefer PUBG due to how much more immersive it is. For the huge amounts of stuff that Fortnite gets right I just don't enjoy the base building aspect of it, and as interesting as the map is it is just too small and hard to get lost in. There are times in PUBG where you are so far away from the safe zone that it becomes a quest in itself to reach. In Fortnite no matter where you are in the map if you leave enough time you can make it to any point on the island before the poisonous mist gets you, taking away some of the stress. Fortnite controls a hell of a lot better, but is more designed for fun than serious play, as can be seen with some of the more gimmicky weapons such as the boogie bomb that makes the target start dancing uncontrollably.

Nightmare Boy (2017-18) - Horror Video Game Review (Nintendo Switch)

Nightmare Boy is a platformer in the style of a metroidvania, that is to say the game takes place in one huge level with new areas opening up as you gain new abilities and collect items. At its heart this is a platformer, while you do get stronger there is no real RPG element to speak of. It was the visuals that appealed to me, that and the fact I darn love metroidvania games. However while on the surface this is an attractive looking game as soon as you start to play it you discover the many problems it has both in terms of level design, and how your character controls.

You play as a young boy named Billy whose pillow comes alive one evening while he is laying in bed. The pillow changes into an evil magician who casts a curse on Billy, transforming him into a monster before departing. Billy gives chase only to discover he isn't on Earth anymore, instead he has found himself trapped in a dream world. Aided by the a prince of the land Billy sets out to find and defeat the magician, rescuing children trapped in their own nightmares along the way.

The graphics have a lot of charm to them and add a lot of character to the different locations you visit. For some reason there are fake scan lines over the screen that there is no option to switch off. I think they were included to make the game seem retro, yet this is not pixel based and so just looks weird. So the game features one big level made up of a variety of smaller areas, most areas end in a boss fight that grants you new powers and abilities. The different areas include a graveyard, dungeons, a mansion, and a dreaded ice section amongst others. Each area has its own distinct look to it so it is always recognisable, but there is none of the solid design of better metroidvanias, the areas sometimes loop back into other places, but more often than not you get to the end and then have to work your way back out. I really wish there had been a teleportation option to get around the game world as backtracking can be a bit of a pain. When you do get shortcuts open up I often found them to be full of tough enemies that made it easier just to take the long way around.

Tomb Raider (2018) - Adventure Film Review

Originally I had no intention of reviewing Tomb Raider on my blog, after all it appeared to have next to nothing to do with horror. However once I started watching it I realised the plot is heavily based on the 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider; a game that is damn near perfection, and also happens to be very much a horror game. While the movie strips away nearly all elements of horror and the supernatural I felt it was worthy of a review if only as a contrast to the vibe of the video game.

Seven years after her father went missing Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander - Ex Machina) discovers clues as to just where he may have went. She teams up with Lu Ren (Daniel Wu - Warcraft: The Beginning) and together they sail a boat to the mysterious island of Yamatai, which is said to be the resting place of the mythical Queen Himiko who legend says had the power over life and death. This also happened to be the place Lara's dad had been heading when he went missing. They arrive, though lose their ship in the process, and to make matters worse immediately get kidnapped by a shady group calling themselves Trinity. The leader of the group; Mathias Vogel (Walton Goggins - Predators) reveals he was responsible for murdering Lara's father seven years previously after he refused to help Trinity locate the tomb of Himiko, her dad feared they would use the power it contains for evil. While she doesn't believe the legends that say the Queen holds supernatural powers she is still determined to ensure that whatever is found doesn't fall into Trinity's hands...

So in the video game the island was home to armies of mad men, and Mathias was their leader. Here he is changed to be a member of Trinity which were the antagonists in the 2015 sequel Rise of the Tomb Raider. Immediately that survival horror aspect is lost. In the game it turns out the legends of the Queen were actually pretty accurate, while here this is far more of an adventure with the supernatural element corroded to the point of being feasible in the real world. Loving the game so much I couldn't help but compare this to that and this is in no way anywhere near as good. I did enjoy the elements that were taken from the game. Firstly it was a great idea to base the film on what I believe is the very best Tomb Raider game out there. Secondly it was great to see the screen version of Lara to be the younger, more realistic looking rebooted version, rather than the ridiculous sexed up version of the 90's. Much like in the game she got battle damaged as the film progressed, she is young and inexperienced and so makes plenty of mistakes. There are a few iconic moments that were transported over from the game, and weapons as well, such as the bow and arrow, climbing axe, and duel pistols.

Within the Darkness (2016) - Horror Film Review

The set-up for Jonathan Zuck directed Within the Darkness is nothing new, and I have been guilty recently of moaning about films that follow a tried and tested formula to a generic dead end (Before I Wake). However I really enjoyed my time with this one, the icing on the cake being how it all winds up in the finale, it was something unexpected, and despite some flaws this film was successful as a horror.

Austin (Dave Coyne - V/H/S/2) is a wannabe star who has decided to create a ghost hunting show that he is to be the host of. Along with his girlfriend Lucy (Erin Cline), cousin Bruce (John C. Bailey), best friend Jesse (Tonya Kay), and spirit medium Megan (Shanna Forrestall - The Last Exorcism) he heads to a property that has stood empty since a family were found dead there in mysterious circumstances many decades previously. Austin intends to fake the whole ghost hunting experience in order to make his show seem exciting, he has no belief in ghosts, however it soon turns out that the property is in fact very haunted, and that the group may be in well over their heads...

So the format is similar to many others films but I found this to be a pretty good film. The actors were a lot better than I expected them to be which was a treat I didn't expect for what is an indie film. I also liked in terms of characterisation how situations between the cast were inferred but never explicitly stated. There is a lot of sexual tension between Austin and Jesse for instance that hints at them possibly having an affair, yet nothing happens at all to explicitly suggest they are anything but good friends. Austin is a bit of a creep who only really cares about himself, yet this restraint in the way this subplot is handled felt pretty mature. The complete flip side of this though is the really quite unnecessary female nudity on show here. Both Lucy and Jesse have scenes where they are naked and almost everything is shown, yet neither scene felt at all necessary and added nothing to the plot. There is an early sex scene between Austin and Lucy for instance that felt slotted in for no good reason other to show how self centered Austin is as a person.

Dead Shack (2017) - Horror Film Review

Dead Shack is a Shudder exclusive horror film that just so happens to be excellent, hands down the best horror I have had the pleasure of seeing so far this year. Think of a mash-up between Stranger Things, Don't Breathe, and The People Under the Stairs with a little bit of The Evil Dead thrown in, and add in fantastic acting and a hilarious script and that is roughly what this great comedy horror feels like.

14 year old Jason (Matthew Nelson-Mahood) has gone away on holiday to a remote woodland cabin with his best friend; foul mouthed Colin (Gabriel LaBelle - iZombie) and his family that includes older sister Summer (Lizzie Boys - also iZombie), easy going dad Roger (Donavon Stinson - Dead Rising: Endgame) and Roger's girlfriend Lisa (Valerie Tian - Jennifer's Body). While the kids are out exploring they come across the property of the next door neighbour (Lauren Holly) and accidentally witness her drugging some men, who are promptly eaten alive by some zombies she keeps chained up in her house. Discovering she had been watched, the neighbour tools up, and heads out to kill the witnesses.

From the very beginning I got a really good feeling about this horror, it all starts off with great music, something which throughout Dead Shack remains very strong, a kind of 80's synth that reminded me of Stranger Things. The camera work is amazing, the cinematography in the prologue alone was enough for me to straight up love this, the framing of that first sequence was a work of art. Everything looks so crisp here, so considered and particular, I can't think of a single bad looking part here. Next up is the script from which the majority of the humour stems from. The family here are very dysfunctional, the dad in particular is really quite irresponsible in how laid back he is. So much of what characters say is laugh out loud funny, and usually quite inappropriate for the situation they find themselves in. Robert and Colin having an earnest heart to heart moment while off camera Jason and Summer are engaged in heavy combat with zombies, the occasional blood spurt flying into shot for instance.

Garden Party Massacre (2018) - Comedy Horror Film Review

The award winning Garden Party Massacre is a comedy horror film that was written and directed by Gregory Blair (Deadly Revisions) who also plays one of the main characters here. While personally the humour often wasn't always to my tastes this film was inoffensively fun, and I did smile on a couple of occasions.

Caleb (Andy Gates - The Blessed Ones) and Addison (Nichole Bagby) are a couple who have decided to have a garden party for a small group of friends. These friends include among them Wesley (David Leeper), Lincoln (Blair), Reena (Lise Hart - Deadly Revisions), and Melanie (Dawna Lee Heising - Revenge of the Samurai Cop). It isn't too long into the party however when one of the group is found murdered at the hands of a pick-axe wielding madman (Matt Weinglass - Bright). Without access to a phone, and trapped in the house, the group must work together to find a way to either contact the police, or get past the madman to freedom.

If I had to describe Garden Party Massacre in one word it would be 'wacky'. This is very much a comedy world the characters inhabit which is reflected in the over the top acting and facial expressions of the small cast. Being a comedy it explains away a lot of the issues you would normally have watching a horror in relation to how characters act, but also goes to great lengths to explain plot conveniences such as why no one has a phone on them, or why the internet doesn't work on Caleb's computer. After a great intro credit sequence I was all set for the titular massacre to begin, and it does eventually start, but a lot later into the film than I expected. This is no bad thing really, at seventy minutes long this never drags, and there is a third act plot twist that I definitely did not see coming, which leads up to a really fun ending.

Apocalypsis (2018) - Horror Film Review

I realised with a mild kind of horror while watching indie thriller Apocalypsis that over half an hour had passed and I was none the wiser to what the hell was actually going on. Sometimes I watch films that pass over my head somewhat and this was one of them. Still with plenty of arthouse style editing, interesting main leads, a decent soundtrack, and a sustainable feeling of paranoia I may have left confused but I also left with nary a sign of boredom upon my person. This is actually the third film in a trilogy, Imagination (2018) and Glitch in the Grid (2012) preceding this, though I assume each one may be stand alone in nature.

My confusion started with the synopsis I was sent along with the screener that seemed to be from a different film entirely, so much so that I had to pause the movie to double check I was actually watching the right thing! From what I could make out Apocalypsis takes place in a parallel world to our own that wouldn't feel out of place if it appeared in an episode of Black Mirror. In this world the American government is known as the NWO (New World Order) and they are in the process of getting every citizen fitted with a microchip so that they can be monitored wherever they go. People without these chips are seen as malcontents, and the film follows two of these people. Albino Evelyn (Maria Bruun) has recently converted to the Eastern Orthodox Christian religion and while studying the book of Revelations in the bible has started to get visions of the end of the world. Meanwhile hyperactive hacktivist Michael (Chris O'Leary) has gotten terrified at the increasingly dystopian state of America, with his friends he has decided to try and do something about it. Unknown to both, their actions are being monitored by a shady group who are waiting for the right time to pounce...

This is very much an arthouse film with many, many montages that uses a variety of techniques to create unique views of what is going on. By far my favourite of these are the visions that Evelyn has of angels, as these consist of a lot of creepy looking stop motion animation of religious beings and imagery. These stop motion figures all look rough around the edges and basic, but this just adds to the other worldly charm of them. Angels spinning in circles, God looking down from the heavens, all combined with the effective soundtrack create a feeling of mystical confusion. More than anything these brought to mind the videotape segments from The Ring series. Director and writer Eric Leiser created the stop motion himself which was interesting to find out. These parts are also the most horror based parts of Apocalypsis. Aside from these bits there are also a lot of moments when footage gets over saturated, or the colours get inverted. The reason I mentioned in my synopsis that Evelyn is an albino is down to the fact that Leiser makes uses of this unique condition for his film work. There are scenes where everything is so lightly saturated that all you can see on screen is her eyes, nostrils and mouth, everything else as white as her skin. Then there are moments where she is surrounded by leaves of what appeared to be a cherry blossom tree, again blending so well with her light skin and creating novel scenes.

Game Night (2018) - Comedy Crime Film Review

                           
I don't know exactly why but I had in my mind ever since I first saw the trailer for Game Night that it was a horror. Of course it isn't, instead it is a darkly comic crime thriller, but I had been planning to write a review of it and I have no time to do another blog post today and so a review I shall do. Jason Bateman (The Gift) stars in this and I have never liked him in anything outside of Arrested Development, yet here I found his presence not to be that bad.

Game obsessed couple Max (Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams - Red Eye) host weekly game nights that their best friends always come to. One day Max's successful brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler - Super 8) turns up in town, he invites the group to his rented house so that he can host his own game night. He tells them that he has arranged a murder mystery type game; one of the group are going to be kidnapped and the rest must follow clues to find out where the person is being held. Not long after telling this two men break into the house, beat-up Brooks and kidnap him, the rest all thinking it is part of his game don't take it seriously. Splitting into pairs the friends all try their own ways to find and rescue Max's brother, not realising that he was actually kidnapped for real by some legitimate criminals...

Game Night was a funny film, though I saw this on my own in a moderately busy cinema I still laughed out loud on at least a handful of occasions. When it wants to be this film can be hilarious, but with so many jokes there were a fair few that fell flat for me, such as topical ones about Donald Trump, or references to current Marvel movies. The comedy comes both from the dialogue and physical gags, out of the six friends each of them had their moment to shine, but it was Billy Magnussen (Black Mirror episode - USS Callister) as the dumb Ryan who gave me the most laughs due to how over the top thick he was, a scene when he is trying to bribe a woman with a pitiful amount of money was perfect due to how slowly he was giving her the cash (funnier than it sounds). Another great character was played by Jesse Plemons (also Black Mirror episode - USS Callister). His character was a very creepy next door neighbour cop who was perfect with his really awkward scenes and his complete lack of emotion in his delivery of his lines, coupled with complete lack of facial expressions.

Cry Your Way Home (2018) by Damien Angelica Walters - Horror eBook Review

It is always such a good feeling to finishing reading one of the many books I have been given for review purposes. Cry Your Way Home is an anthology of short horror stories written by Damien Angelica Walters. The 17 stories here have a definite feminine angle to them with many revolving around relationships between mother and child, or featuring female protagonists, this is no bad thing at all.

This reminded me quite a bit of Mercedes M. Yardley's anthology Beautiful Sorrows in that a fair few of these stories are both abstract in nature as well as coming across as a kind of fairytale. This is best shown with opener Tooth, Tongue, and Claw, and A Lie You Give and Thus I Take which is a mash-up of several different well known fairytale situations, and which I couldn't really tell what was going on. Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys: The Elephant's Tale was another really quite weird one, somehow coming across like a mix between Chuck Palahniuk's Haunted and a Nick Cave song, with a grimy circus and an elephant main character leading to some quite surreal passages.

Many of the stories here deal with a parents loss of their child, this concept is explored several times, often with the child having committed suicide, or at least suspected to have. On the Other Side of the Door, Everything Changes is realistic horror in the way it switches between the perspective of the unsuspecting mother and her distraught daughter. Falling Under, Through the Dark has a grieving mother trying to reconnect with the moment her son drowned. Umbilicus has a child again feared drowned, and another mothers attempts to discover exactly what happened no matter the cost to the world. Then there is Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice which again brings up suicide but with a bizarre almost Robert Rankin style short about a Frankenstein child.