Test Subject 011 (2017) by Videogram - Horror Music Single News

Its been a few years since I last heard from Magnus Sellergren who is responsible for the always awesome Videogram that proclaims to be the original 1980's VHS-inspired horror synth project. I love me some 80's synth and Videogram always provides the fix I need.

Last September saw the release of his 14th release, this was in the shape of a 4 track EP titled Test Subject 011 which to anyone with a passing interest in horror should see this is inspired by Stranger Things. The four tracks are made up of Hawkins National Laboratory (Intro) that clocks in at just 13 seconds. Title track Test Subject 011 is next and is just another great synth track, this one also has a video out for it. I love what Videogram does with its music videos as it always mixes clips from old films into a beautiful symbiotic relationship with the sound. Here is no different with an amazing looking mech battle playing out over the duration of the tune. Third track is Dr Brenner which fittingly uses a sound bite with his name in it, finally is the six minute long Hawkins National Laboratory (Outro).

This latest EP can currently be purchased on the Videogram Bandcamp page (here), while this and all his albums and previous EPs are streaming on all the biggest platforms such as Spotify, Deezer and, Pandora. The biggest news being for music lovers, and certainly fans of Videogram's work is that Test Subject 011 is coming out as a 7" vinyl single in January 2018.

The Temple of Lilith (2017) - Short Horror Film Review

The Temple of Lilith is a short 3 minute long film that in itself is a companion piece to Sulphur for Leviathan that is another short (13 minutes in length) that is due for release next year. Both these films are from Sodom & Chimera Productions that I first heard of when I saw the trailer for Flesh of the Void. This, like that is directed and written by James Quinn.

This is an arthouse film that is quite abstract in what it shows. It went over my head a bit, was only the end credits where the characters were named that I realised how abstract this actually was. Lilith (Suicide Girl Hex Suicide in her first ever film role) enslaves Christianity (Blade Amodio) and joins up with Baphomet (Justin Ewing).

I really liked this, this is the kind of arthouse I can get behind. This was filmed on 16mm and the grainy look reminded me of those cool creepy home made videos in Sinister. The best thing about this was the easy on the eye Hex Suicide who just looks the part so well, she seems a part of this bizarre world, the camera just compliments her look and she has a nice range of unsettling smiles. The other characters also please with some nice designs to their costumes. The score is by Musica No Grata and was also pretty excellent and very fitting, though I didn't really think much of the Doom Metal song that ends this. Still this has made me interested for Sulphur for Leviathan, Quinn does the type of arthouse that it seems I can get on board with.

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Stranger Things: The VR Experience (2017) - Horror Video Game Review (PSVR)

Before starting out on this review it has to be noted that Stranger Things: The VR Experience is completely free and so I find it hard to be too critical. The bigger question becomes; is it worth your time? With that I would say yes, though only because it is so short at around three minutes long.

The experience takes place within the time frame of the first season of hit show Stranger Things. You play as a person unknown who is at Will Byers house that has been decked out with the iconic Christmas lights. While in the house you get a phone call from a familiar voice warning you about the Demogorgon...

Even for an experience this is pretty bare bones, I would say my favourite thing about this is the title screen that has the theme tune playing and titles nicely decked out in glowing red. You play the game using the Playstation Move controllers, one acts as a flashlight, while the other grants you minimum interactivity. You can turn on the spot but you cannot move until set times have passed, in total you get to warp to two different places in the house, and answer a telephone, that's it as far as gameplay goes.

The graphics aren't amazing, I didn't really feel like I was in a real location unlike say Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul. Immersion is a key strength of VR and so it was a shame it didn't really feel like I was anywhere due to the muddy textures used in the house. It all ends on a jump scare that leads into a trailer for season 2 of Stranger Things.

If you have PSVR then there is literally no point in not giving this a go, it's cool that it is free, but then it would be criminal to charge money for this. As a test bed for a VR game set in the shows universe it demonstrates possible potential, with much better graphics and more movement a game such as this could be fun, as for this experience itself though it is unfortunate that the best thing about this is the title screen.

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December News 2017 - Shudder releases, 60 Seconds to Die, Alpha Delta Zatan film news, and Priest, Dead Animal Assembly Plant and The Creptter Children music news

I have been suffering, suffering with the most deadly disease known to man; Man Flu (TM). So much so that I have cancelled a series of social engagements and neglected my poor blog. Being an introvert the former is not so terrible, but the later is not acceptable and so I find myself this Saturday night (for this is when this was written) writing a news post and getting up to date with my inbox rather than attending the Christmas party of my day job.

I recently started getting sent emails updating me with new arrivals on Shudder (the Netflix of horror), this is pretty cool and so I will share what I have been told will be there this December. A few days back The Void joined the service, this is actually a film I have wanted to watch for a while and so a review shall be coming at some point. On 21st Beyond the Gates also arrives, now this one I have owned on DVD for most the year, the blurb on the back makes this sound like Jumanji 2 but with terror instead of fantasy and adventure. Scandinavian Noir mystery Black Lake arrives on 21st December, this series tells the story of a remote and neglected ski resort that Johan and his friends travel to with the intention of reopening it, but instead experience a series of disturbing events. Season 2 of Jordskott comes January 18th 2018. I haven't heard of this before but is described as 'Nordic Noir series laced with Gothic menace'.

UK produced horror anthology 60 Seconds to Die has now been released on DVD. The awesome sounding thing with this anthology is that each film is only 1 minute long! Frat house slasher Alpha Delta Zatan is now available on Amazon Prime in both the US and UK. This LGBT-oriented horror was one of the top VOD releases on Amazon Video in October and has been picked up for a DVD/Blu-Ray release.



Music news now and Priest released their full length debut New Flesh earlier this year, with it coming to vinyl and CD a week or so back. The blurb states the album 'contains 10 tracks that sound like when 1982 imagines how 2019 should sound like'. Judging from the video for 'The Cross' this really seems to be the case, I loved that tune.



Dead Animal Assembly Plant released the music video for their cover of Johnny Cash's song 'God's Gonna Cut You Down' on December 6th, I like the make-up the band have here, while the song also features guest vocalist Erik Gustafson from industrial band Adoration Destroyed.



My final bit of music news comes with Australian gothic/industrial hard rock outfit The Creptter Children who have a new music video out, the first one since 2016. The video is for 'Asleep With Your Devil' which is the title track of their EP that is due for release on January 12th.

And with that my inbox is clear of any news. It is soon coming up to Christmas so I hope everyone has a frightful time. With my illness nearly gone here's to more blog posts in what has been my most prolific year since this site started nine years ago.

The Babysitter (2017) - Horror Comedy Film Review

The Babysitter is a horror comedy that is available exclusively on Netflix. That service doesn't seem to have the best track record when it comes to exclusive films but I was very pleasantly surprised to see this one is actually legitimately hilarious and may just be the funniest film I have seen all year.

Cole (Judah Lewis) is a 12 year old nerd who is pretty much afraid of everything, and to his embarrassment he is the only person he knows who still has a babysitter. His babysitter though is hot Bee (Samara Weaving) who seems to have a real connection to the boy, together they have a load of fun with her being all that Cole needs. One day Cole's friend Melanie (Emily Alyn Lind) dares him to sneak back downstairs once he has gone to bed to see what Bee actually gets up to once he is usually asleep. Cole does just that and is beyond shocked to discover Bee is actually a Satanist who with her friends is into human sacrifice. Discovered, Cole must now try and survive a night of mayhem as Bee and her friends try to kill the sole witness to their crimes...

I really enjoyed this movie, the humour was on point constantly and I loved how the cast interacted amongst themselves. This is a film about growing up, coming into your own and conquering your fears. At the start of the film our lead is a wimp, he's bullied and afraid of everything from needles, to bugs, his tree house, and driving. Over one night of madness he is forced to confront these fears, with his ordeal shaping him into a better person. I loved how the first kill of the film is a geeky teen more Bee's age, Cole witnessing his brutal murder is like looking into a mirror of himself in the future, the geeks death brings with it the realisation that change within his own life is required unless he will stay a victim forever.

Verbintenis (2017) - Short Horror Film Review

Verbintenis (that I believe translates as 'obligation') is a short Belgium horror film that was directed and written by amateur filmmaker Wesley Remory. This is a slow burn of a horror that even at just 10 minutes in length feels drawn out, yet this works in making the drama feel all the more realistic.

An elderly man and woman (played by Patrick De Wilde and Liliane Vranckzx) prepare a special meal for their son in their basement. Despite changes that have occurred they are determined to look after their beloved child...

Nearly the whole of Verbintenis plays out in silence with the couple solemnly preparing their son's dinner, yet by what they are doing and how they are acting you can tell they are heartbroken at what is occurring. Their son is locked up and appears to be some sort of zombie like creature, with some nice make-up effects that reminded me of one of the undead from classic 80's Italian zombie flick The Zombie Dead. You get sad music playing at the start and end that compliments the unhappy couple, for the majority though it is silent, so much so when the mother speaks towards the end it was jarring to have the spell broken.

I thought both the man and woman did great jobs here, they show such emotion without even needing to say anything. The set design tells you a lot about what is going on, such as the couple looking at a photo of a boy, this not only lets the viewer know the importance of what is happening, but also serves as a reminder for them for why they have gone down the dark path they have. I thought the dank cellar was effective as the location chosen as the dreary setting helps with the overall mood.

Aside from the usual comment that this may be a bit too slow going for some there isn't really much to complain about with Verbintenis. Sure not much may actually happen but this moody short is brought to life by the realistic acting of the two main leads that can't help but cause you to feel for the hell they have found themselves living with.

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The Babyface Killer (2017) - Short Horror Film Review

The Babyface Killer works as a stand alone short horror film, however it is actually a spinoff from Kevin Forte's horror web series The Sin Reapers and features characters created by Kevin. Like Anna that I reviewed the other day this short is directed by Matthew Forte, who also co-wrote this with Vic Varriale who stars here. While rough around the edges there is a kind of grindhouse charm to be found here.

Mark Norman (Varriale) is devastated when his partner Katherine (Xiomara Forman) suffers a miscarriage. Unable to cope with this loss something snaps in his mind and he becomes extremely aggressive around those who are expecting a child. As the weeks go on this disease in his mind causes him to become the notorious serial killer known as the 'Babyface Killer'.

So in thirteen minutes we get the creation of a monster. I liked the transition this man got and how he become what he was with a different feeling origin story. I liked how it chronicled the key points that led him down the dark path he went, the scene in the bathroom when his path crosses with an expectant father all the way up to his first victim under his new guise. I like how the Forte brothers use real world issues to inject their horror creations with, here it being the pain of a miscarriage.

The grindhouse part of this short comes from the cheap looking effects and the sometimes corny dialogue used such as when Mark goes "Why did I do that? Why did I let him live?!" after beating a guy up. It is quite over the top which I guess is fitting for a killer whose M.O seems to be pregnant women. On the special effects side of things it is all practical effects, though not the best quality as can be seen when a woman's belly is cut open and a baby pulled out of her. This doesn't even remotely look realistic, but as I said there is a kind of grindhouse charm to this poor look and goes well with the look of the serial killers get-up (a Halloween mask and boiler suit).

The Babyface Killer is well paced with some nice ideas to it but the low budget does on occasion take away from what should be more darker scenes, while throughout there is an issue with sound quality that leads to loud voices coming across as distorted and muffled. The acting is all fine enough for the story being told and as an origin story from my perspective it hit all the right beats without feeling rushed. If you're a fan of The Sin Reapers this will be a lot more enjoyable with context, but as a stand alone it works fine enough, and it is free to view on YouTube.

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Anna (2014) - Short Zombie Horror Film Review

Anna is a short zombie film that clocks in at just under five minutes long. It was written and directed by Matthew Forte, who makes up one half of indie short film makers The Forte Brothers (the other member being Kevin), who also have a production company; Forte Films Entertainment. Their latest project is a horror short named The Babyface Killer (that I should be looking at in a few days, I have been a bit quiet on the blogging front due to man flu). To get myself acquainted with their work though I had a gander at Anna that uses horror as a method of exploring mental illness.

Anna (Brandi Bravo) is a bulimic who had recently committed suicide, to her horror though she doesn't stay dead long before reanimating as a flesh hungry ghoul. While she can't resist the urge to kill she discovers she has carried her illness over into the afterlife, but this time no matter what she tries there is no way out...

This is a serious film that has plenty of gruesome moments of Anna both eating the insides of people, but then purging herself and bringing it all back up. While she is a zombie she is more of a lucid one than the usual shambling corpse, she has the mind to refrigerate the organs she pulls out of her victims, and is shown not only opening doors (a big hindrance to the traditional undead) but also writing and being aware of herself. The horror comes not from the fact she is dead, more that she has the realisation there is no escape and she will be stuck with her negative though patterns for all eternity.

This is all shown with her bouncing around her small apartment which in it's plainness focuses the attention on Anna and her plight. This wasn't a bad short and it was different to the normal zombie film but I found the subject matter to personally be a bit grim and depressing for my tastes, I'm never one for too much disgusting situations. Anna is free to watch on YouTube so I will include it below, a well paced short that delivers the message it set out to do, if not to my tastes.

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Horror in the Clouds (2017) by Scott Shoyer - Horror Book Review

When it comes to reading eBooks I am a lot better than I once was, however I realise I really am not the fastest reader around. On the plus side though I find it rare that I get sent a book for review that I don't like in one way or another, and this one is no different. I first heard of Scott Shoyer back in 2015 when I did a news post about his book Outbreak: The Hunger (the Outbreak books now form a trilogy). Horror in the Clouds is his latest novel that was released in August this year, it is the fourth one of his to be published by Severed Press and it is based on Lovecraft's Cosmic Horror. That subject is a double edged sword for me as H.P Lovecraft is my favourite horror author and no one can match his skill at creating genuine terror with words. On the other hand though I love any story that takes on similar themes to his.

Damien Squire, his wife, and son Brandon are on a family vacation to visit the Grand Canyon when they make the mistake staying in the remote town of Derleth. The people of Derleth worship an ancient evil; an Elder God named N'Xabez that is trapped between this world and its own. For hundreds of years the townsfolk have sacrificed visitors in order to give this being power, but with the arrival of the Squires everything changes, it seems N'Xabez has found a way to escape its prison and that this particular family hold the key to it doing so...

Horror in the Clouds is a simple story in that it doesn't really bog itself down with a myriad of subplots, instead everything here seems relevant to the overarching plot. There are basically two different plot threads going on, first of all you have the Squires family vacation, and secondly it follows some key members of the cult that secretly rule Derleth, and their realisation that a big change is coming. I have no idea why but right until the books end I was getting confused with Damien and Brandon in that I kept forgetting which was which, my fault entirely but a point I felt was worth mentioning. The Squires are mostly a normal enough family, it is Damien that has demons in his past with a mentioned suicide attempt. This means when he first glimpses the titular 'horror in the clouds' (a great title that I'm sure Lovecraft would have approved of) and mentions it to his family they become concerned he is slipping back into his mental illness. The cult storyline on the other hand feels different in that we are essentially following the antagonists (well, agents of the antagonists), my favourite of these was Sheriff Landry whose family have protected the secrets of Derleth for generations, yet his knowledge of exactly what he is helping keep under wraps is not really understood that well and so as he finds answers so do we. I liked how he was duty bound to essentially act like a bad guy (in context of the story) yet found himself at odds with the lunacy of the cult leader's behaviour.

Somebody's Darling (2016) - Horror Film Review

Within five minutes of starting to watch Sharad Kant Patel directed indie horror Somebody's Darling I had misjudged it badly, it felt like it was going to be mean spirited and bleak. Usual internet problems on my phone at work meant it was later the same day I watched the rest, from the comfort of my bed as I am in the throes of the dreaded man-flu. I don't know if it was delirium from my illness but there was something I found quite ethereal and hypnotic about this slow burning character piece.

Sarah (Jessa Settle) is a young coed who goes to a party at a rich fraternity house on campus. There she meets the mysterious Christian (Paul Galvan) who happens to be the President of the house. He instantly finds himself attracted to Sarah but she spurns his advances as she sees him as wanting a conquest rather than legitimately interested in her. Christian begins to get obsessed with this girl, as his obsession takes him down darker paths his brotherhood begin to get concerned about the changes happening to him...

The film starts at a party and for some reason I thought the entire film was going to take place in this setting, though it does take place exclusively on the college campus. It is hard to do this contrast without making Somebody's Darling seem cheesier than it was but the parallels between this and Twilight struck me. The story beat of brooding outsider attracted to innocent girl resonates in both, though here things go down a different path, and a far less cheesy one at that. I loved how subtle the horror aspect of this movie was, the obvious fact is always shown on screen but the truth of the matter is never really revealed in too much detail until way later in the film. You have the brotherhood sleeping during the day and seeming to have a hypnotic control over people but aside from that elements are only ever really hinted at as to the truth of who they are.

Black Mirror: White Christmas (2014) - Horror TV Episode Review

Some people have put White Christmas in with season 2 of Black Mirror but it was actually fittingly a one off Christmas special. Sure in the world of this show that means there is no cheer to be found at all, instead we get an anthology of three interconnected stories that all take place over the festive season.

Matt (Jon Hamm) has been isolated at a remote arctic outpost with Potter (Rafe Spall) for the unspecified job they both do. Despite having worked together for over five years they never normally talk to each other, but as it is Christmas Matt forces the issue and they sit down to talk about what led them to getting such remote jobs. Matt talks about a shady dating advice service he used to run that went wrong, then he talks about his previous job as an A.I integrator. This leads to Potter and his traumatic story of how his ex girlfriend 'blocked' him and the repercussions of that.

Usually Black Mirror is pretty harrowing, so to have the stories all take place in the past meant I didn't feel much worry for the main two characters as obviously they survive seemingly all right (sure this turns out not to be the case but I didn't know that at the time!). As always it was more the use of technology that really made me think, there was some interesting things here, but also some which felt a bit too outlandish and so hard to take seriously. This episode takes place in a world where everyone has implants, like Google Glass but inserted into the brain. As such people can be 'blocked' which results in them being greyed out and their voice made unintelligible to whoever blocked them. The exploration of the uses of this made me think quite a bit even if it then set up a twist that became very obvious. Thankfully that was only one of many twists, some which were less obvious, and some that were handled better.

The Daughters of Virtue (2017) - Short Horror Film Review

The Daughters of Virtue is an award winning short horror (Best Horror Short at the 2017 Nightmares Film Festival) that was written and directed by Michael Escobedo. This was something pretty special and is helped by having a look and sound to it that makes it feel like a lost film from the 1970's somehow transported through time and space to the modern day.

Sylvia Panacione stars as Alice; a lonely housewife who is hosting a prayer group at her house. However it begins to become clear that the group have an ulterior motive for coming to Alice's house. The leader Betty (Maria Olsen) believes Alice has not been truthful in her prayers to God and with the help of the others plans to make her confess her sins using whatever methods it takes...

As I said in my prologue this feels like a film out of time. Especially impressive was the audio, it sounded a bit muffled, purposely of course, like inferior recording equipment was being used. The whole look of the short has a dull slightly desaturated look to it which combines so well with the beige clothes most the cast are wearing, and the beige house they are in which made it all seem old fashioned. My favourite part of The Daughters of Virtue though is the acting. There isn't a bad person amongst the small cast, but Olsen stands out as the bullying leader, with Alice's straight performance not far behind.

I never knew where the plot was going to go, from the start you get the feeling something is not quite right, the feeling of entrapment created a lot of suspense as I couldn't tell how much danger Alice actually was in. It is set up to look suspenseful and sinister but I wondered if it would be relatively more innocent than the feeling of threat and peril I was getting. The music helps a lot with this that goes in perfect tandem with the smooth concise editing and the beautiful way a lot of the shots are framed with a great blend of light and shadow. The Daughters of Virtue is just over 12 minutes long but to me I was so caught up in it that it felt like a feature length movie. I mean it was so captivating that the outside world faded away and I was totally caught up in the film, not that it in any way seemed to drag. The way this is a cohesive full story while also feeling like a scene pulled out a feature length film was pretty clever. It turns out Escobedo is actually developing a feature length of this so would be interesting to see how that turns out.

The Daughters of Virtue is a damn fine short horror that works so well thanks to a great combination of good acting and sublime film making. One of the better short horrors I have seen in quite some time.

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ZBurbs (2016) - Zombie Horror Comedy Film Review

It has been a fair while since I last watched a zombie film so it was cool to see a screener for ZBurbs turn up in my inbox. This is a romantic zombie comedy (or rom-zom-com I believe) that takes place almost exclusively in the one location and that has a very light hearted look at the undead that borders on the absurdist.

One night Shelly (Marieh Delfino from The Invitation) hears a noise in her back garden so she sends her husband Bill (Ian Alda) to investigate. After a while he still hasn't returned so he heads downstairs to discover an ill looking intruder standing over her husbands body. This man attacks her but before he can do any harm Bill pulls out his brain and eats it, this makes Shelly pass out. Waking up the next day she discovers Bill now has an insatiable taste for meat and has a huge bite mark on his shoulder, aside from that though he appears perfectly normal. Realising he ate the intruder Shelly contacts her best friend Carrie (Courtney Scheurman) and together they try and work out just what to do with this turn of events...

The biggest problem I had with ZBurbs is that I simply didn't find any of the jokes funny at all, not a single one made me laugh or even crack a smile which is a huge problem when this is meant to be a comedy. The jokes weren't distasteful, they weren't poorly done, they just did not appeal to me, which I found to be a bit of a shame as I actually thought otherwise this wasn't the worst film I had ever seen. Despite having such a light hearted atmosphere to this there was also a bit of a body count with at least a couple of victims to friendly good zombie Bill being completely innocent, yet this doesn't affect Shelly's conscience in the slightest. I can only imagine her mind must have snapped at some point and she is in huge denial. When the pizza delivery girl is consumed for instance it is commented that it didn't matter as she was an orphan. Elsewhere later on when one of the many government agents arriving at the house is bitten and realises they can never see their wife again a joke is made of this too which felt a bit cruel. There is a way to do dark humour but this fails by somehow being quite mean, yet portraying itself as airy and breezy. Our main leads are not good guys at all (which can be seen by many scenes of the heroes splitting up the money and belongings of victims amongst themselves) yet they are forever treated as such with the plot making good things happen to them constantly.