The Forest - PS4

This is NOT a review. It's just a few thoughts based on my experience with the game so far.

The Forest was recently released for the PS4, so I asked my boyfriend to play with me. I thought it would be the perfect game for us, since it sounded like a mix between survival horror and Minecraft, which is how we've been playing it. There's a story in there somewhere, but I haven't seen it yet. From what I've read, it seems interesting and I'm excited to get around to it eventually.

I'll start by saying the game can be a bit boring at times, especially if you allow random people to join your session. Not all of them want to sleep at night, and I don't want to venture outside in the dark because I feel so unprepared. I followed someone who joined my game once and ended up stuck outside my base at night. I couldn't see anything and I was quickly surrounded, and killed, by mutants. If you're not able to sleep at night and despawn the mutants, and you're not ready to explore at night and fight them, you're stuck inside, waiting for daylight to come and trying not to starve to death. It's the one drawback of the game, for me, but it can be easily remedied by not allowing people to join without an invite.

That being said, this game is incredibly scary and if you're into that, here are some things that really got under my skin.

I went swimming in the ocean, trying to reach a small island. Full disclosure: I have a fear of the ocean. I had a panic attack watching Open Water during the scene at night where it was storming, because the ocean is so vast and it was so dark and you can't see anything. You're just there. Even though The Forest is just a video game, I still got anxious swimming in the water, it felt like I was never getting closer to the island. I was so focused on getting there that I was really surprised when, seemingly out of nowhere, I was "hit" by something and lost half my health. John jokingly said it was a shark attack, so I decided to look it up and see if there actually are sharks in the game. Sure enough, there are. That was the end of swimming in the ocean. It wasn't the end of that nightmare though.

John built a house boat for us so that we wouldn't have to worry about the sharks anymore. I couldn't stand in the open area of the raft, I had to go in the walled in section because I was getting sick watching him row along the water in the dark. At one point in the game, we got separated while exploring a "village" because mutants found us. John hid in the small shelter we built and I had to run to the beach and take the house boat out to the yacht so that when it was night, we could sleep and despawn the enemies, allowing us to reunite safely. I made it to the yacht and for some reason...I don't remember what was going through my mind, but I fell off the yacht and got stuck under the house boat. In the dark, shark infested water. I panicked. I was so immersed in the game, I forgot that that's ALL it was. It actually terrified me.

This game is great at making you feel alone and hopeless, even when other people are there with you. John and I would leave our base together to chop down trees every morning. There were times when I would see him walk by and my heart would stop because I thought he was part of a mutant patrol. He pointed out how clever it was for them to make you stand in front of the tree while you're hitting it, so you're unable to see anything else. It's true, it adds to the feeling of dread. You don't know what's lurking beyond the trees, or in them, because apparently these things can climb. That's another of my fears, the woods, for that exact reason. Anything can be hiding in there. On one of our outings, we were spotted by a patrol and I was so surprised, I screamed. I can't remember the last time a game got that reaction out of me.

So even though I'm only on Day 40 and I haven't progressed the story at all, I can still say a few things for certain about The Forest. Yes, it can get dull if you're just waiting the night out. It can be extremely difficult to survive if you're like me and you won't kill animals, because it limits what you're able to craft, and a lot of those items are extremely useful. It can be frustrating. However, it is so atmospheric and terrifying that it's made up for all the difficulties I've created for myself. And the amazing thing is, you don't even realize what the game is doing until after you've been playing for a while. You'll see things in the distance, mutants watching you, trailing you, stalking you. It builds this sense of paranoia unlike anything I've ever felt during a game, outside of Alien: Isolation. Any shortcomings The Forest has are overshadowed by the overall experience you'll have while playing it. For $19.99, it's completely worth it.

Day 31: Favorite Book to Read For Halloween - A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny

I probably should have started off the challenge with this category. A Night in the Lonesome October is told from the point of view of Jack the Ripper's dog, Snuff. Featuring various different horror characters (because if it isn't obvious by now, I love these kind of crossovers), the story is about which side each of them fall on when the Old Ones have the opportunity to enter our world. Will they aid them, or will they help shut the door to keep them out?

What makes this book special is that it features 31 chapters (not including the introduction). Throughout the month of October, it's become a tradition for a lot of people to read one chapter each night. I actually bought a copy for my boyfriend and asked him to read along with me. He then surprised me with a first edition copy of the book, which was really sweet because I love this story and it's a nice item to have in my collection.

If you're looking for your own Halloween tradition, think about picking up a copy of this book for next year.

Day 30: Favorite Horror Novel/Novella - The Shadow Over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft

This novella is about a man who visits a decrepit fishing village (in my mind, I now picture it as the Fishing Hamlet in Bloodborne) and learns of its dark secrets, as well as one of his own.

The Shadow Over Innsmouth was the first Lovecraft story I ever read and I think I started with that one because of Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. I've already mentioned it in a previous post, but there's a particularly scary segment of that game where you have to escape from the room you're renting and I thought if the story was even half as scary as that part of the game was, it would be worth reading. I wasn't disappointed.

I keep hoping that someday, there will be a decent movie adaptation of this story. Ideally, made by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. Until then, they've created a wonderful old-time radio adaptation of it, which you can buy here.

Day 29: Favorite Horror Music Video - "Lovey Dovey" - T-ARA

I'll admit, the best horror themed music video is "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. It's genuinely creepy and Vincent Price was involved in it, so that automatically makes it a masterpiece, because he's the king of horror as far as I'm concerned. Even so, it's not my favorite. T-ARA's zombie MV for "Lovey Dovey" may not make a ton of sense considering the song it's paired with, but it's still fun and the song is one I'll never get tired of, it's been in every playlist I've made for the past six years. There's also a nod to "Thriller" at the end of the video.

Day 28: Favorite Horror Anthology Series - Nightmares and Dreamscapes

Nightmares and Dreamscapes aired on TNT one summer, probably around 10 years ago, give or take a few. It's inspired by Stephen King's short stories (not all are from that particular collection though). It was 8 episodes long and most were very entertaining. My personal favorites were:

1. The End of the Whole Mess, a story about two brothers and one's attempt to "cure" violence, which ends horribly.
2. Crouch End - A very Lovecraftian tale about two newlyweds who end up in this hellish area.
3. You Know They Got a Hell of a Band - A couple finds a town called Rock and Roll Heaven and soon realizes that the ghosts of dead musicians (including Buddy Holly, which I think is why I really like this episode, if I'm being honest) inhabit it.

But the real standout is Battleground, a story about a hitman who is assaulted by toy soldiers. The reason this episode was so special is because it aired without commercials and I believe it was almost a full hour long. I sat there and watched the entire episode with my cousin, completely engrossed in it, and only after it ended did I say to him, "Hey, was there any dialogue in that episode??" While watching it, I never even realized that not one word was spoken the entire time. It was brilliant. The episode was so well done that you never notice until after it's already over and you have time to think about it.

This is an overall great collection of stories and if you're a fan of Stephen King's work, you would probably really appreciate it.

Honorable mention 1: Alfred Hitchcock Presents - With any long-running anthology series, there are bound to be hits and misses. Most of these episodes were pretty good though, notably "The Creeper" about a murderer who targets blonde women and "The Gentleman From America" about a man who takes a dare to spend the night in a haunted house.

Honorable mention 2: Night Gallery - I said it in a previous post, but Night Gallery is the horror version of The Twilight Zone and if you only ever watch one episode, I highly recommend "The Cemetery" from the series' pilot. This episode is about a painting that keeps changing, becoming more horrifying each time Roddy McDowall's character looks at it. I have a large poster of Cesare from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari hanging behind my bed and I'm always reminded of this episode whenever I look at it.

Honorable mention 3: Are You Afraid of the Dark? - This was a kid-friendly anthology series that was downright scary at times and prompted my fear of mirrors. With a wide range of episodes about everything from hungry hounds, to a pinball machine, to an all too real version of Nosferatu, there's something for everyone to enjoy.

Day 27: Favorite Horror Anime - Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

I really want to explain Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, but there are several different arcs in the show, all following different paths, and they leave more questions than answers. If you want to know what's happening, you also have to watch Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai. The short version is the show is about a group of friends living in a town where people keep dying. That's a horrible plot synopsis, but trust me, you need to see this one for yourself. If you'd like a preview of the first arc, I wrote about it here. Just a warning, at times, this anime is very gruesome and if you're squeamish, you may have a hard time getting through it.

Honorable mention: Another - This is also a horror anime that centers around a group of classmates dying. It's been a while since I've watched it or read the manga, but one scene that is drilled into my head is when a girl is going down the stairs and falls on an open umbrella...Again, don't watch if you're squeamish.

Day 26: Favorite Horror Themed Cartoon (Series, Special or Movie) - Daffy Duck's Quackbusters

Daffy Duck's Quackbusters is pretty much a bunch of "scary" Looney Tunes shorts slapped together, with a few scenes added in between to create a story. Daffy inherits a fortune, but to keep it, he must use it for "good in the world" and "display honesty in all business affairs." So he does what anyone would do and puts together a paranormal investigation team made up of himself, Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig. You can probably guess how this turns out, right? This is a fun movie, one I've been watching since I was a kid. What makes Looney Tunes great is that you can watch it when you're younger and enjoy it, but as you get older, you understand all the little jokes that went over your head as a child and it makes it even better.

Honorable mention 1: Tales From the Cryptkeeper - This was a kid-friendly Saturday morning cartoon version of Tales From the Crypt. It was one of my favorites and it's a shame that it didn't have a longer run because you don't see many horror-themed cartoons for kids.

Honorable mention 2: Tiny Toons' Night Ghoulery - This was a special that aired on TV, inspired by Night Gallery, which was basically the horror version of The Twilight Zone. Each cartoon short is inspired by a movie or story, such as Hold That Ghost, The Devil and Daniel Webster and The Tell-Tale Heart.

Honorable mention 3: The Halloween Tree - Based on the book by Ray Bradbury. Some changes were made for the movie, but it was still really well done. It's about a group of kids who, while trying to save one of their friends, learn the meaning behind their Halloween costumes and the true spirit of Halloween.

Honorable mention 4: The Adventures of Raggedy Ann & Andy "The Beastly Ghost Adventure" - I actually have this on DVD because I'm big on nostalgia and I always remember thinking of this as the "ghost whistle" episode when I was a kid. The Raggedy friends are terrorized by a ghost and have to figure out a way to get rid of it. Thinking about it now, even though these are all cartoons, they're pretty scary for kids. Maybe that's why you don't really see anything like this anymore.

Honorable mention 5: Halloween is Grinch Night - Everyone knows about that other movie, but have you heard of this one? The Grinch is out to frighten the Whos again during a storm, but he's interrupted by a child named Euchariah. Euchariah ends up inside the Grinch's wagon, which is filled with all kinds of nightmares, and he tries to stall the Grinch until the storm dies down. I'm reminded of this movie and the song "I Wouldn't Go Out on a Night Like This" every time the wind outside picks up and the skies darken.

Honorable mention 6: Fantasia "Night on Bald Mountain" - If you want to traumatize a kid, this is what you make them watch. I don't know what Disney was thinking, but this terrified me as a child. I didn't even see it in Fantasia, I saw it in some kind of Halloween special Disney aired once and they showed scary clips from all their movies. This was one of them. They can keep it.

Day 25: Best Horror/Halloween Special from a Show That Isn't in the Horror Genre - Running Man Episode 98

Running Man is a Korean variety show where the members have to perform various tasks that usually end in name tag elimination (or at least, it used to). The members each have a velcro name tag on their backs and other members have to tear it off,, or sometimes shoot it with a water gun.

In episode 98, the members find out that one of them is actually a zombie. Before they all become zombies, they have to find water guns and shoot anyone who has been infected by the head zombie. It's a fun episode, and the one that really made me love this show. The Running Man members are very funny and the show is extremely entertaining anyway, but this episode was special and if I could only recommend one episode to people, this would be it.

Honorable mention 1: Dawson's Creek "The Scare" - So there were actually 2 horror themed episodes (that I can remember) of this show. One was the episode with Jen in the radio station (that traumatized me for life), and the other was The Scare. Dawson invites his friends over to have a seance, Jen receives creepy phone calls, there's a serial killer on the loose and Pacey picks up some weird, older woman who may or may not be a threat as well. Fun is had by everyone except Jen and Dawson because they were unbearable the entire first season. And most of the second season...Most of the series, actually. So was Joey. Why did I like this show?

Honorable mention 2: Boy Meets World "And Then There Was Shawn" - Scream was clearly very popular at the time this episode aired. Cory, Topanga, Shawn, Angela and Kenny (don't worry about him) all end up in detention because of Cory and Topanga's drama. The lights go out and when they come back on, Kenny is dead. This is followed by a fun little song playing over the loudspeaker, a threatening phone call, someone running around in a mask and a pile of dead bodies. It's a cute episode. There's another episode where Jack invites a witch to move in with him that was also really good.

Honorable mention 3: Community "Epidemiology" - I tried to watch Community for a while and it was pretty good, but I just couldn't stick with it. I really liked this episode though. During a Halloween party, there's a zombie outbreak. That's it, that's the episode. Watch it if you want to laugh.

Honorable mention 4: The Hogan Family "Nightmare on Oak Street" - I can't even remember the kids' names, but after watching a scary movie, the three boys each have nightmares. Until the day I die, I will never forget this episode. One nightmare begins like it's just a normal day, the kid sits down at the table for breakfast, his older brother is acting like a zombie to scare him (until he gets yelled at by their aunt) and then he asks for...I think it's the cereal. At this point, the camera isn't aimed at the older brother anymore, but when it pans back to him, he's a zombie. The aunt is also a zombie. The kid is flipping out, like any reasonable person would, and he yells for his father, who comes in, puts a decaying hand on his son's shoulder and says, "If there's anything I hate, it's a zombie," in a low growl. It was so terrifying when I was a kid, and I loved it so much that I never forgot it.

Day 24: Favorite Horror TV Show - Penny Dreadful

To be honest, I almost stopped watching Penny Dreadful after the second episode. Eva Green's acting made me so uncomfortable (and I mean that as a compliment) that I didn't think I could handle it. I'm so glad I stuck with it though because it's such an interesting take on the classic monsters. I loved seeing those worlds come together the way they did in this series. It was well written and as horrific as it sometimes was, there was more to it than that. I wish it had gone on longer than three seasons because I really loved those characters and wanted to see more of them.

And while we're here, I have to mention my favorite scene. [SPOILERS] It's right after Victor shoots Lily and Dorian, who are dressed in white, and the two begin dancing to "Melting Waltz" (my favorite song in the series), while blood soaks their clothing. It sounds weird to call this a beautiful scene, but it really was and it's one I can watch over and over.

Honorable mention 1: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Everyone knows what Buffy is about, I don't need to talk about the plot. What I will say is that the show is timeless. Yes, if you go back to the first season, it's so 90's it hurts, the fashion is straight out of 5-7-9. But it was witty and fun to watch and it was so surprising to see what a great show it was because the movie that inspired it was absolutely ridiculous.

Honorable mention 2: Harper's Island - This show aired one summer several years ago and it was a murder mystery. A group of friends go to an island for a wedding and people begin getting killed off. It wasn't necessarily scary, but it was an entertaining show. It sort of falls apart at the end (okay, "sort of" is being kind), but I would still recommend it if you're looking for something quick to watch.

Day 23: Favorite Horror Themed Board Game - Betrayal at House on the Hill

I own more horror themed games than I know what to do with, but Betrayal at House on the Hill is the most fun to play. I once heard someone describe it as "Cabin in the Woods - The Game" and I think that's pretty accurate.

Everything starts out simple enough. You enter a house, exploring room by room, using random tiles to build the main floor, basement and attic, ensuring that the layout of the house is never the same. Some rooms will tell you to draw an event card or omen card. Each time you pick up an omen card, you're required to make a haunt roll. The first time you need to roll a 1, the second time a 2, and so on, until eventually the number you roll is lower than the number required. Once that happens, the haunt begins.

Depending on your actions until that point, you'll start one of 50 different scenarios (100 if you have the expansion), with one player becoming a traitor. The traitor has their own rule book, detailing what conditions they need to meet in order to win the game, as do the rest of the players. Each scenario offers a unique experience and chances are, you won't play the same one twice. It's a fun game for people who like the possibility of betraying their friends. (If you're one of those people, I also recommend One Night Ultimate Werewolf.)

Day 22: Favorite Song From a Horror Game - "Promise" and "Theme of Laura" - Akira Yamaoka, Silent Hill 2

This is the only tie and it's because my favorite song is whichever I'm listening to at the moment. Akira Yamaoka's work on the Silent Hill series was brilliant, and while I still thought Downpour was an excellent addition to the series, I really missed his music. It added so much to each game.

Day 21: Scariest Horror Video Game Ever Played - Alien Isolation

I'll be honest, I saw Alien once and I can't remember anything about it except that I was very concerned for the cat's safety throughout the entire movie. So I can't compare the game to the movie. I don't even think it's an adaptation of the movie, it's just in that universe.

Alien Isolation is horrifying. I hate being chased by enemies that I can't fight back against. Not because I think it's unenjoyable, but because it is so stressful and so scary, I panic and die. Repeatedly. The alien in this game doesn't seem to be on a set path either, so you never know where the damn thing is going to come from. There were times when I thought I was safe, only to find myself impaled a second later. As bad as the alien is, the androids are even worse. I had such a hard time with them during one part of the game, I don't know how I managed to go forward because I really just wanted to cry. They did not treat me well. I've also read that if you play with your headset on, the alien can hear any noise you make, so if you really want to hate your life, give that a try.

Honorable mention: Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth - This game's story starts out very similar to H.P. Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth, which could be why, what little I've played, I enjoyed so much. The real standout of the game is when your hotel room is broken into and you have to escape. It's scary and awful and if you can get through that, you can get through anything.

Day 20: Favorite Survival Horror Series - Fatal Frame

You know how companies like to attach the phrase "Based on a true story" to their movies, books and games? Yeah. That's what happened to Fatal Frame, and I've yet to hear anything about the "true story" the game is supposedly based on. It doesn't matter though, because this series is terrifying enough on its own without having to make those claims.

Armed with only a camera, you're trapped in a creepy mansion with an endless supply of ghosts to keep you company. Using various camera upgrades and film, you're able to fight the ghosts off while solving puzzles and attempting to escape. Be careful though, if you take too long in one area, you'll find yourself being attacked by random ghosts.

I've played all 5 of the main games, as well as Spirit Camera and since this is my favorite series, I want to talk a little about what each of them has to offer.

Fatal Frame is my favorite in the series because it's the first I ever played and I have fond memories of it. It doesn't have the best story (although it's still good), but it does have some of the most horrifying ghosts in the entire series.

Fatal Frame 2, as I'm pretty sure any fan of these games will tell you, has the best story. It's really sad and you'll probably cry a little, but it's worth it.

Fatal Frame 3 is my least favorite is in series and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that you're constantly going back and forth between Rei's house and being in her dreams. For me, it was frustrating. This is also the only game in the series that I did not beat, I made it to the final boss fight and turned the game off.

Fatal Frame 4 never made it over here and I had to import the game and mod my Wii to play it. It was completely worth it. I actually bought my Wii when Fatal Frame 4 was announced, and later found out that it was never going to be released here, so I was happy and grateful that other people worked on a way that would allow others to play the game anyway. Everyone who worked on the English translation patch is amazing. As for the game itself, it was fun and scary, of course. I know a lot of people were iffy on the controls, but the motion controls really aren't that bad once you get used to them.

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water was released for the Wii U and took advantage of the gamepad in a really cool way, acting as your camera. I'm not sure why Nintendo decided to bring this game over here when they wouldn't localize Fatal Frame 4, but I'm glad they did and again, this is another game I bought a console for.

Spirit Camera is a little spinoff game for the 3DS. It's kind of...A mini game-game? There's a story you can play through, but there's no exploration and it's really short, which could lead to some disappointment if you're expecting a more traditional Fatal Frame experience. That being said, I love that it takes advantage of the 3DS's AR and it's made me realize how awesome a Fatal Frame game would be with AR or VR. It's the perfect series for it and I hope we'll see something like that in the future.

Day 19: Favorite Survival Horror Video Game - Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

I'm so sad that Eternal Darkness never got a sequel because if any game deserved one, this was it. But there was so much controversy surrounding the development team that it couldn't get funded. And it's such a shame because this is one of the most unique horror games I've ever played.

Eternal Darkness is a Lovecraftian horror game that allows you to play as several different characters battling one of three Ancients, and depending on which artifact you choose, you'll be fighting different enemies with different strengths and weaknesses, who damage your characters in varying ways. Your goal is to prevent your chosen Ancient from being released into the world.

The story is good and gameplay is fun, but what makes Eternal Darkness truly special are the sanity effects. As your sanity meter drains, several things will begin happening, either to your character or you. Blood will drip from the walls, your character will walk into a room upside down, your TV will mute itself, your controller will disconnect, you'll get a blue screen. It's very unique and it makes the game a lot of fun, and you'll want to play with a low sanity meter just to see what else will happen.

If it makes any difference, this is the only game to ever give me nightmares. If that's what you're looking for, maybe this is the game for you.

Day 18: Favorite Movie Based on a Horror Game - Corpse Party Live Action

Video game films are notoriously bad, right? Ranging from downright awful like House of the Dead, to passable (the first Resident Evil film), to "This is a masterpiece compared to other video game films," such as the first Silent Hill movie. If we're being honest, none of them are good. They're just not. Too many liberties are taken with the plots and I know people say thing like, "Well, if they followed everything that happened in the game, you would already know what's going to happen in the movie." So? I like what happened in the game, I want to see that storyline the way it was. Why make a movie out of a game if you're just going to change everything anyway, instead of just making your damn movie and naming it something else? I'll tell you why. $$$. They're cashing in on the name. They don't care about the fans.

Now, Corpse Party may have the worst special effects I've seen in recent history, and maybe the acting isn't the best, and yeah, they cut out the creepiest part of the game (SPOILERS: playing as Yuka and thinking you should be running from Morishige when you should really be running away from Kizami), however, it does a really good job of following the basic plot of the story and I love that they included snippets from the game's soundtrack.

In Corpse Party, a group of friends perform a ritual before one of them moves away, as a nice gesture to cement their friendship. Only they kind of screw it up, just a little bit, and they end up in an old, rundown school that's haunted by some vengeful spirits. I watched the movie on Youtube (it seems to have been removed) and then bought it on Amazon, so if you're interested, you can find it there.

I recommend the movie, but more than that, I recommend the game. Don't let the graphics fool you, the game is genuinely unsettling, between the soundtrack, the story and the victim's memoirs, it's an experience I'll never forget. Corpse Party is available on Steam, PSP and 3DS.

Day 17: Horror Film That Was Surprisingly Good - Cabin in the Woods

I don't know how other people heard about Cabin in the Woods, but I first heard of it on Netflix a while back and my first thought, knowing nothing about it, was, "Oh great, another slasher film, this will be terrible." But I had nothing better to do, so I watched it anyway. I was stunned. Stunned. I don't want to give away spoilers, I think the best way to watch it is to go in knowing absolutely nothing like I did. Of course, this could backfire if you think you're getting one thing and you get something completely different, but it's a risk worth taking. Cabin in the Woods is a loveletter to horror films. That's the best way to describe it. You can tell how much love went into this movie. It's really clever and so crazy in the third act, it's incredible.

Honorable mention 1: Oculus - Another film I watched on Netflix. It's either about a haunted mirror that can manipulate everything within a certain radius of it, or it's about a family who all suffer from mental illness, and that's why I like it. Watching this film, I don't think it's ever really clear about what's going on. If it were just a straight up haunted mirror movie, I would think it was terrible, but there's more to it and that's why I enjoyed it so much. It was also inspired by a short film that you can watch here if you're interested.

Honorable mention 2: In Fear - Yet another film I watched on Netflix...Maybe that should have been its own category. I watched it because I'm a fan of Iain De Caestecker. Again, I wasn't expecting much. To be honest, I never do with horror films, for every good one, there are about 100 disappointing ones. In Fear is about a new couple who are going to a music festival together. On their way, they end up lost in a heavily wooded area, which is basically my worst nightmare as far as horror movie scenarios go. And of course, you know there's someone hiding out there who wants to kill them, because that's what always happens when you're lost in the woods at night. What I liked about this movie is that it did a really good job building up the tension. Some people might think it's a little slow, so keep that in mind. I do think it's worth checking out though. Also, apparently there wasn't much of a script and the two main actors didn't know a lot of what was going to happen, so in certain scenes where you see them react like they're terrified...They actually were. Watching it with that in mind adds a little something extra to the film.

Day 16: Favorite "Bad" Horror Film - Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Killer Klowns from Outer Space is exactly what it sounds like. They crash land onto our planet, set up a little circus tent (which is actually their spaceship) and then they go out and terrorize the entire town. How? I'm so glad you asked, I would love to tell you. Sometimes they shoot people with guns, which can turn them into giant cotton candy cocoons. They trap people in huge plastic/rubber balls that are kind of like the ones hamsters run around in, except there are no air holes. They turn people into popcorn, which somehow later can turn into little clown heads (remember the shower scene?). They make balloon animals that can track your scent. There are pies that must be super acidic because they will melt you down into nothing. Also, shadow puppets. That turn into a T-Rex. And eat you. I'm not making any of this up.

Honorable mention: Waxwork - This is a film about a random wax museum that appears out of nowhere overnight. There are 18 different wax exhibits that feature various horror movie and real life monsters, such as vampires, werewolves, the Phantom of the Opera, a mummy, the Marquis de Sade...There's a lot going on. The basic plot is that a group of friends is invited to the museum one night and they end up inside the exhibits. And then a little scenario featuring that exhibit's monster plays out. If they die in the display, they become part of it. Once this happens with all 18 exhibits, they come to life and the monsters are supposed to end the world. The usual. It's a fun, kind of campy movie, but I love it anyway. There's a sequel that should be avoided.

Day 15: Worst Horror Movie Remake - Thirteen Ghosts

You know...House on Haunted Hill was a decent remake. It was different, Chris Kattan added in some comedic moments, Geoffrey Rush was pretty great in the main role that Vincent Price played in the original film. I can see the good in that movie, along with the bad, so I'm not someone who is completely opposed to remakes or any changes made from the original films.

That being said, Thirteen Ghosts was just bad. It has almost nothing to do with the original film, aside from the glasses that allow you to see ghosts. Sure, both families inherit a haunted house and the lawyer is questionable af, but. That's it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The remake is about a glass house that shifts constantly. It's a maze. New ghosts are released every hour (I think, I hated the movie too much to go back and watch it again for the sake of this post), and it's all according to the "Black Zodiac." The movie stars Matt Lillard, and that would be fine in a movie like Scream that's poking fun at itself, but the "comedy" felt out of place, the plot was a mess, and it was boring.

I highly recommend the original film. It's a classic haunted house tale. Plus, it's a William Castle film, if you buy the DVD, it comes with the ghost viewer that was given out in theaters when the movie was released. Looking through one side hides the ghosts if you're too afraid and looking through the other side allows you to see the ghosts. It's a gimmick, but William Castle knew how to put on a show and it made his films unique. I wish that for Halloween, they would screen 13 Ghosts, House on Haunted Hill and The Tingler the way they did when the movies first came out. I want the ghost glasses, I want to see a skeleton fly across the theater, I want the little jolt when [SPOILERS] the Tingler escapes in the movie theater. And hell, while we're at it, House of Wax (which happens to be a remake itself, of Mystery of the Wax Museum) may not have been a William Castle film, but screen that in 3D, too.

Day 14: Favorite Horror Movie Remake - The Thing

I saw the original film a while ago when I was visiting my dad and I really didn't enjoy it at all, it was very 50's scifi, which just is not my thing. So the first time I watched John Carpenter's version, I had extremely low expectations and I was only half paying attention to it. However, it actually became one of my favorite horror films and any time there's a blizzard here, I watch it (along with 30 Days of Night).

The Thing is about a crew in Antarctica who are...Basically infiltrated by an alien who can take on the appearance of anyone. You're constantly guessing who might be infected, even up until the last second of the film. It's really well done. It's interesting, it's still scifi, but with a real horror aspect to it. The theme song is perfect, like all the other themes from John Carpenter's films (whether the movie itself is good or not, the music is always creepy).

There's a prequel, also called The Thing. I'm not sure if it was well received by other people or not, but I actually enjoyed it.

And if you're into board games, there's a game of betrayal called The Thing at Outpost 31, inspired by this film. I did purchase it, but I haven't played it yet. I love games where someone isn't who they claim to be and you have to work out who it is if you want to win. There's also another similar game called Who Goes There? (named after the title of the book that the movies are based on) that has a 2018 release date and may be out by the time this post is published.

Day 13: Favorite "Kid Friendly" Horror Film - The Monster Squad

"Kid friendly" is in quotes because The Monster Squad is actually kind of frightening at times and I don't know that kids will react well to certain scenes. But it is a movie about a group of kids who find out that Dracula, the Wolf Man, Frankenstein's monster, the mummy and Gillman are real, so they decide to form the Monster Squad and stop the forces of evil before they can take over the world.

Here's the thing. This movie was made in the 80's and is not politically correct. There are some lines that will make you cringe and wonder, "What were they thinking?" It was the 80's, I doubt anyone was thinking throughout that entire decade.

A few scenes in the movie really stood out to me and I'll list them below.

1. Phoebe, a young child, is sitting and throwing flowers into the water when Frankenstein's monster approaches her. If you've ever seen Frankenstein, you know exactly what scene they're referencing here and you can imagine what people were expecting to happen.
2. The kids visit "Scary German Guy" and he translates Van Helsing's diary for them. As the kids are leaving, they make a comment about how he knows a lot about monsters, to which he responds, "Now that you mention it, I suppose I do," while the camera zooms in on the tattoo on his arm, implying he was a prisoner in a concentration camp. It's such a powerful scene in an otherwise "lighthearted" movie.
3. At one point, Dracula transforms into a bat and the way it's done is reminiscent of Dracula's transformation in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, another film about Universal's classic monsters.

For all its faults, The Monster Squad is a fun movie that kids would probably love. Just make sure to watch it with them so you can explain why some of the more questionable content is inappropriate.

Honorable Mention: Something Wicked This Way Comes - No one knows more about Fall than Ray Bradbury. Even if I pick up one of his novels in the middle of summer, I'm instantly transported to a cool, crisp autumn afternoon. He really understood that season and it comes across in the book, as well as the movie.

A carnival arrives in a small town and two young boys decide to go check it out. But this is no ordinary carnival, and the boys will have to save the town from it before it's too late.

This is a Disney film, but I think everyone knows Disney is capable of going to a pretty dark place sometimes. While this movie might be a little too scary for really young children, I think those who are a bit older would enjoy it. And it's definitely more kid friendly than The Monster Squad.

Day 12: Favorite Horror Comedy - Shaun of the Dead

Shaun of the Dead wasn't listed as an honorable mention for my favorite zombie film because it was meant to appear here.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a great comedy team, and I really enjoyed all the films in the Cornetto Trilogy, but Shaun of the Dead was, by far, my favorite. It was a really clever movie with throwbacks to other zombie films, some romance and a few creepy moments. The cast was excellent and their comedic timing was perfect.

The movie is about a man named Shaun who completely screws up his relationship with his girlfriend by continuing to bring her to the same pub night after night, along with his best friend (which in turn causes her to invite her friends). Liz gets fed up and breaks up with him and then the zombie apocalypse happens and Shaun sets out to save her. That synopsis doesn't do this movie justice at all, you just have to watch it.

I also want to mention that as a huge fan of the Souls series, I love seeing Peter Serafinowicz in this film. He's such a huge fanboy when it comes to Dark Souls and I remember my anticipation for Dark Souls 2's release skyrocketed after watching him play a bit of it and listening to him talk about it and hearing how much he was enjoying the game.

Day 11: Favorite Zombie Film - Train to Busan

Train to Busan is a Korean horror film starring Gong Yoo (who also starred in one of my favorite K-dramas - Goblin). He plays a somewhat self-absorbed father, who reluctantly agrees to take his daughter to visit her mother, a woman he is no longer with.

At their stop, after boarding, a young lady runs onto the train, clearly in distress, and we see that she's been bitten and thus begins the spread of the virus onboard. This is not your typical zombie film. This movie is very character driven, you really care about these people and when they begin dying, it's incredibly upsetting. I sobbed throughout the entire last hour of the movie. It was not as all what I expected from a zombie film and I was so pleasantly surprised by it. I'm not a fan of zombie films in general, but this has definitely become one of my favorite movies.

Fun fact: Not one character in this movie uses a gun to kill the zombies. It's more realistic than any other movie of its kind because no one carries an entire arsenal with them just in case the zombie apocalypse happens.

Honorable Mention: My Boyfriend's Back - This movie can't even compare to Train to Busan, but to be fair, it's a totally different kind of zombie film. This is a comedy with a cast that includes Matthew Fox, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Matthew McConaughey. It's about a teenage boy, Johnny, who goes to ask a girl to prom, while she's working at a convenience store, and is shot during what was supposed to be a staged robbery. Johnny set up the fake robbery in an attempt to impress Missy by "saving" her, and didn't realize that a real robber entered the store instead. So he's actually kind of a jerk.

Johnny dies and becomes a zombie. It's later explained that he wasn't meant to die at that moment and whenever someone dies before their time, they apparently return to earth as a zombie and their actions as a zombie determine whether or not they'll get another chance at life. It's a completely ridiculous movie, but I saw it when I was a kid and the nostalgia makes me still love it. There's also a really nice song by the MMC during the prom scene and it's my favorite thing about the entire film.

Day 10: Favorite Hitchcock Film - Rebecca

This one was tough because Hitchcock made a lot of really great films, but Rebecca just barely edged the rest of them out, and not because that was the best Laurence Olivier ever looked. Rebecca is a mix between Gothic romance/horror and film noir. (By the way, if you like Rebecca, you should check out Dragonwyck starring Vincent Price and Gene Tierney.)

The movie is about a girl who meets a rich man, quickly falls in love before really getting to know him, and they marry. She moves into his mansion and is terrorized by his housekeeper, who constantly reminds her that she'll never live up to the first Mrs. de Winter, her husband's previous wife. She becomes extremely insecure, believing her husband never got over Rebecca.

SPOILERS: Mrs. de Winter eventually learns from her husband that Rebecca had an affair, said she was pregnant, and wanted her husband to claim the child as his own. During a heated argument, she fell, hit her head and died, so he decided to hide her body. Now, I'm not saying he did or didn't kill his wife, I'm not even going to comment on the rest of the movie. All I'm saying is that if I were Mrs. de Winter and I heard that story, I would be kind of skeptical. Why hide the body if you didn't kill her? I'm just saying. Either you're guilty or you're just stupid. That pretty face can only get him so far. (I guess the money can get him a little further, too, but eventually, he's going to run out of things to fall back on.)

Honorable Mention 1: Strangers on a Train - This film is about...Two strangers who meet on a train and have a chat about committing murder for each other. Only one of them is just joking around, while the other is actually serious and goes through with the plan, becoming enraged with the other man doesn't old up his end of the deal.

Honorable Mention 2: Psycho - Everyone already knows about this film, I'm not going to talk about the plot. I love this movie because of Anthony Perkins. He made Norman a somewhat sympathetic character, I'm not sure how many actors could have done that. The sequels to this movie were mostly disappointing, but after watching them, it becomes easier to understand how Norman became the way he did, and even though it doesn't excuse his actions, I felt sorry for him.

Day 9: Favorite Stephen King Film Adaptation - Silver Bullet

I've never read Cycle of the Werewolf, but I've watched Silver Bullet probably around 50 times and I love it. The movie is about Jane and her brother, Marty, and their weird uncle Red (played by Gary Busey), who dotes on Marty and does all kinds of things to piss off the kids' mom.

After a series of attacks in town, the fireworks show is canceled, so Red 1. Gives Marty a wheelchair that he built with a motor fast enough to outrun a wild animal and 2. Buys Marty a bunch of fireworks so he won't be as disappointed over the cancellation of the fireworks show. (Jane gets nothing because apparently no one likes her.) So what does Marty do? He sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night (even though his best friend was recently torn apart and killed by someone or something), gets on the motorized wheelchair Red built for him, and goes off to set off the fireworks. Smart.

Enter the werewolf. Marty shoots off one of the fireworks at it, impaling its left eye, and manages to escape thanks to the Silver Bullet from uncle Red. At this point, Marty asks his sister to go around town looking for someone with an injured eye and eventually, the two of them go to Red, who reluctantly decides to help them, even if he doesn't believe their story.

I know there are a lot of people who think Gary Busey is just a punchline to a joke, but I love him as an actor. He's great in this movie and he was so talented before the motorcycle accident that caused all of his strange behavior. He was even nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story and he should have won it because he was perfect. Flawless. This has nothing to do with Silver Bullet, but I wanted to throw it out there anyway.

The last thing I want to briefly mention is that there's a scene in this movie where everyone in church turns into a werewolf and it's terrifying, probably one of the scariest scenes I've ever seen in any film, so thanks to my parents for letting me watch this when I was like, five-years-old. A+ parenting.

Day 8: Favorite Holiday Horror Film - Krampus

My dad said to me, "You should watch Krampus, it's cute." And I was just kind of like, "Yeah, sure, whatever you say." Krampus is...Cute?

WELL. Krampus IS cute! It's a really cute movie. It's almost like a cross between Gremlins and Cabin in the Woods and I relate to the poor kid in that movie on a spiritual level because my family is out of control and I've had some really weird, awful holidays, too.

The movie is about a dysfunctional family and what happens when Max finally gets fed up with them, tears up his letter to Santa and throws it out his bedroom window. Apparently, this is enough to summon Krampus, who is kind of like Santa's evil twin. (I'm sure that's not entirely accurate, please forgive me.) He's going to send in mischievous toys to devour you and kill your family.

How is this cute? There are gingerbread men who come to life. And...I don't know, okay? It just is. It's a cute, cautionary tale of what happens when you ruin a child's Christmas and all families should be forced to watch it. It's fun, it's not a serious film and if you go into it knowing that, it's really enjoyable.

Day 7: Favorite Foreign Horror Film (That Isn't Train to Busan) - Kairo

Full disclosure: I don't even completely understand Kairo. I don't understand most J-horror films, I feel like they're sort of ambiguous. Even so, I love this movie. I hated The Grudge and The Ring and had almost written off Japanese ghost films, but then I watched this, and even though I was left confused by some of the plot, I still felt it. I'll explain that in a moment.

Kairo is about, from what little I understand, people being spirited away. Ghosts begin slipping into our world through the internet. Now, keep in mind, this movie was made in 2001 and the internet wasn't what it is today. I don't know how it was for everyone else, but when I was younger and I spent a lot of time online, I was really judged for it. Now, people never disconnect from the internet, people are always on their phones looking at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat...It was a different time in 2001 and I think this movie really shows that. It's not about the internet as we know it today.

The feeling this movie conveys so well is loneliness. I may not understand anything else that happens in this film, but it really got the point across that the characters in this movie are so lonely and feel so forgotten, that their entire existence just fades away. It's a really unique ghost story. It isn't frightening, but it's deeply unsettling and it does a great job of making you feel the despair the characters feel.

Day 6: Favorite Vincent Price Film - House on Haunted Hill

House on Haunted Hill is another William Castle film (this time he had a skeleton fly over the audience in the theater) and it's probably my favorite. Vincent Price's character invites a group of strangers to a haunted house, offering to pay them $10,000 each, if they make it through the night. There's betrayal and mystery, and some good old-fashioned scares. There was a remake of this film, and while it differs greatly from the original, I actually enjoyed it. It gets pretty ridiculous, but it's not bad (especially compared to other remakes, like Thirteen Ghosts, which was the most awful thing I've ever seen).

Honorable Mention: The Tingler - This is one of those movies that people would probably roll their eyes at now, but it terrified me when I was younger. It's about a creature that latches onto your spine when you're frightened, paralyzing you with fear and eventually killing you, if you're unable to scream. The creature itself looks almost like a large centipede. Vincent Price really is the reason this movie works so well because no matter what the story is, he was such a fantastic actor that he could make you believe it. This was also another William Castle film and at a specific point in the movie, the chairs in the theater would give a little vibration. Castle really thought of everything with his films and while some people might call it gimmicky, I think the added touches probably enhanced the overall experience.

Day 5: Favorite Silent Horror Film - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

I really enjoy German Expressionism, especially its use in film. The result is a surreal, bizarre, dream landscape. The sets used in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari are some of my favorites and have clearly inspired many directors, most notably Tim Burton (you can see the inspiration he took from Caligari all throughout his films.)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is about a somnambulist named Cesare, who goes around committing murders. That's the short version, anyway. It's a great film, but honestly, what makes it my favorite are the sets and the most notable thing about the movie is that many people say it features the first "twist ending." We're all used to twist endings by now and at this point, it's almost more of a surprise when a movie doesn't have one. I can only imagine how people reacted when this movie was released and the ending was completely unexpected.

Day 4: Favorite Universal Monster Film - Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is the first movie I can ever remember watching. It's always been a part of my life. This is the absolute best monster mashup film ever created. I'm a fan of Abbott and Costello (mostly Bud Abbott, if I'm being truthful, but I do love them as a comedy team) in general, but this movie was the highlight of their career. They meet Lawrence Talbot (the Wolf Man), who warns them that Dracula is trying to revive Frankenstein's monster. Together, they have to prevent this from happening. It's comedy gold. And, on top of that, when I was younger, there were scenes that actually scared me. It's not all fun and laughs. The movie stars Lon Chaney Jr. as the Wolf Man, Bela Lugosi as Dracula and Glenn Strange as the Monster. There's also a really fun cameo from Vincent Price as the Invisible Man.

There are a couple things I want to note about this film and also about Abbott and Costello's films in general.

Lon Chaney Jr. basically said that Abbott and Costello ruined the monster movies. It's interesting that he said that because...He starred in this one. And also because this movie is one of the most beloved Abbott and Costello films and Universal monster films. I completely disagree with his statement and if anything, I feel like there were some spinoffs/crossovers of the original monster films that were poorly done with lackluster stories that are completely forgettable.

The last thing I want to mention is that Abbott and Costello's films saved Universal Studios from bankruptcy. The last time I was at Universal Orlando, I went into a shop and they only had one small print of the poster from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, which is now framed and hanging on my wall. (I voiced my concern over this at checkout and explained why, because I'm annoying and it upset me that they were barely even acknowledged after all they contributed to the studio.) To me, the fact that Universal even bothers to stock a product featuring that film is a testament to the fact that people still really love it.

Day 3: Favorite Black and White Horror Film - 13 Ghosts

13 Ghosts is probably one of the first horror movies I ever saw and to this day, it's still one of my favorites. It's about a family who inherit a house inhabited by 12 ghosts, some of whom are hostile. The ghosts can be seen through a pair of goggles, which is kind of cool because William Castle made this movie and if you know anything about him, you know that his films were an experience. If you saw them in the theater, there was always something extra to the viewing, and in the case of 13 Ghosts, it was a pair of glasses that would allow you to see (or not see, if you were too frightened) the ghosts in the film. The DVD I own actually came with a pair of those glasses, which was a nice touch.

Honorable Mention: Horror Hotel (aka City of the Dead) - This is a movie I really like, but also tear apart every time I watch it. A girl goes to a town in Massachusetts to study the history of witchcraft there. When she disappears, her brother goes to Whitewood to search for her. It's a genuinely creepy film. However. My problem with it is that it is so clearly inspired by the Salem witch trials and yet, they talk about witches being burned at the stake. That absolutely did not happen in Salem. The witches there were hanged, with the exception of Giles Corey, who was pressed to death. I don't even think witches were burned at all here, that was something that happened in Europe. This was a British production, so maybe that's the reason behind it. I honestly don't know, but it bothers me every time I watch the movie because it's historically inaccurate.

Day 2: Favorite Horror Movie Theme Song - "Suspiria" - Goblin

Suspiria is one of the most terrifying films I have ever watched, up until you find out what's actually going on. It sort of fell apart for me after that. But the use of color and the set design in that film, along with the score by Goblin, made it horrifying. "Suspiria" in particular, with murmuring about witches, is incredibly unsettling. I have never heard anything as scary as what Goblin achieved with this song.

Day 1: All Time Favorite Scary Movie - In the Mouth of Madness

I remember being awake at some ungodly hour between 2:00 and 4:00 a.m. when I was younger, going through all the movie channels when I saw Sam Neill and finally stopped. "Hey, it's that guy from Jurassic Park," is what I thought and anything Jurassic Park related is enough to catch my interest, even if I have no idea what I'm getting into.

In the Mouth of Madness is a film about the disappearance of a horror writer, Sutter Cane, and the mass hysteria caused by his novels. The more people who read Cane's work, the more the world shifts into something darker and his "creations" begin coming to life. The ending is ambiguous, something I really enjoyed about the film. You're not exactly sure what to believe by the time it's over. Was Cane really a prophet for the Old Ones? Or did everyone actually go insane after reading his books?

I'm a huge fan of this film, I wish more people would watch it. John Carpenter had so much success with Halloween, but honestly, I think In the Mouth of Madness (as well as The Thing and The Fog) was so much better, as someone who isn't really into slasher films. The name of my blog is even a reference to the movie. It also lead to my interest in H.P. Lovecraft and Lovecraftian horror. I had no idea who Lovecraft was until I went online to read more about this film after I watched it. Now, looking back, you can see that this movie is filled with references to his work and I would even say that this is the best film I have ever seen inspired by his work that isn't meant to be a direct adaptation of one of his stories. It's so well done and genuinely horrifying at times. I highly recommend it.

31 Day Horror Challenge

While thinking about this list, I kept adding new categories and removing others because there are so many horror related things that I love and want to talk about. 31 days just can't cover it all. To be completely honest, some of these categories exist only because I wanted to discuss specific things, I already had my answers to them. Others, as I was going through and considering my options, I had a definite answer, but I also had other things in those categories that I really enjoyed. While my original plan was to give one answer to each category, I realized I didn't want to leave anything out, so some days there will be "honorable mentions" as well.

Here is the list, in full, for the entire month of October:

1. All Time Favorite Scary Movie
2. Favorite Horror Movie Theme Song
3. Favorite Black and White Horror Film
4. Favorite Universal Monster Film
5. Favorite Silent Horror Film
6. Favorite Vincent Price Film
7. Favorite Foreign Horror Film (That Isn't Train to Busan)
8. Favorite Holiday Horror Film
9. Favorite Stephen King Film Adaptation
10. Favorite Hitchcock Film
11. Favorite Zombie Film
12. Favorite Horror Comedy
13. Favorite "Kid Friendly" Horror Film
14. Favorite Horror Movie Remake
15. Worst Horror Movie Remake
16. Favorite "Bad" Horror Film
17. Horror Film That Was Surprisingly Good
18. Favorite Movie Based on a Horror Game
19. Favorite Survival Horror Video Game
20. Favorite Survival Horror Series
21. Scariest Horror Video Game Ever Played
22. Favorite Song from a Horror Game
23. Favorite Horror Themed Board Game
24. Favorite Horror TV Show
25. Best Horror/Halloween Special from A Show That Isn't in the Horror Genre
26. Favorite Horror Themed Cartoon
27. Favorite Horror Anime
28. Favorite Horror Anthology Show
29. Favorite Horror Music Video
30. Favorite Horror Novel/Novella
31. Favorite Book to Read for Halloween

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is a 2018 Korean horror film, inspired by the rumors surrounding the real (now demolished) Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital. It was once named one of CNN's 7 freakiest places on the planet. In the movie, the hospital was closed down in October 1979 after the mass suicide of the patients residing there and the disappearance of the director, though there were rumors that the director murdered everyone and then killed herself. In reality, the hospital closed in the 1990's, and I'll talk some more about that later.

The film is about a group of six investigators and their "captain" (who directs the others from a tent outside the asylum) who plan on doing a livestream for an internet show called Horror Times, allowing everyone to watch them explore the abandoned asylum. Two of the investigators already work for Horror Times, making the others four complete strangers. Their plan is to navigate through the rundown hospital while performing various rituals, and end the livestream by opening the door to room 402, where rumor has it you'll be cursed to death. All of this is intended to get Horror Times one million views.

Slight SPOILERS: Things start out lighthearted enough, with everyone drinking, getting to know each other and discussing the rumors surrounding the asylum. They even to to the blob jump together on their way to Gonjiam. (If you don't know what a blob jump is, google "Running Man blob jump." You won't regret it.) Once they reach the hospital and begin exploring, doors slam shut on their own, candles blow out and bells begin ringing during a ritual the group performs. Unsurprisingly, these initial experiences are completely fabricated by the members of Horror Times, unbeknownst to the other four investigators. But then things that even the two crew members can't explain begin happening, and that's when the movie becomes truly terrifying. [End of SPOILERS.]

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is an incredibly stressful movie to sit through. It features two of the settings that scare me the most: The woods and a rundown asylum. The over the shoulder camera, aimed behind the characters, had me on the edge of my seat throughout most of the movie because it always makes you believe something horrible is about to happen. The use of shadow is extremely effective. Most of the movie has no score, and it's not needed, you probably won't even notice that there's no music playing to clue you in that something awful is about to occur. The film is so incredibly tense because nothing ever happens at the moment you expect it to, it's really unpredictable. You know something is coming, but you don't know when, and right at the moment when you think to yourself, "I guess I was wrong," that's when the movie attacks. I actually had to look away at one point towards the end because I knew it was only a matter of time before the worst happened, but each time, it never did and the buildup to it stressed me out so much that I couldn't watch anymore. (It was no less stressful during the second viewing.) I never get like that with horror movies. It's almost impossible to unsettle me to the point where I'm actually afraid to look at the screen.

The film feels more realistic because the actors are relative unknowns, and they used their real names, with the exception of Moon Ye Won (who plays Charlotte, but I think I read that she does actually go by that name as well). Since you've probably never seen the cast in anything before, it seems more believable, like they really could be any random group of people exploring a haunted location. If they had cast someone like Gong Yoo, it wouldn't have the same feeling because he's very famous, you've likely seen him in things like Coffee Prince, Goblin and Train to Busan, and it would break the immersion that allows you to feel like this is all actually happening to these characters.

If it isn't already clear, I loved the movie. My boyfriend said it would have been better with a bigger budget (I strongly disagree, it's a found footage movie and it comes across exactly as it's meant to) and that some of the acting wasn't great (again, I disagree, Moon Ye Won was especially great as Charlotte). I decided to recommend the film to a few friends because I was curious to see how other people felt about it. I don't normally enjoy movies about ghosts, but I really loved this one and I would even say it's probably in my top five horror films of all time, I was very surprised that I liked it so much. And considering my boyfriend didn't care for it, I wanted to see if I was in the minority before posting and saying it's a must-see horror film. Just because I love it, that doesn't mean everyone else will. (Full disclosure: My boyfriend prefers sci-fi and the friends I recommended Gonjiam to are all fans of scary movies.) Here's what everyone had to say: The first friend watched it twice and said she was really creeped out and disturbed by the movie. The second friend said she liked it and it freaked her out. And the third friend said it was slow, but worth it and legitimately creepy.

Watch Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum if: You like found footage horror films, Grave Encounters, House on Haunted Hill (1999).

What you should know before watching the film: There's some buffering, film distortion and black screens. This is intentional, to make it feel as if you're actually watching the livestream.

The Real Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital

According to this article, the hospital closed down due to economic downturns and maintenance issues, not nearly as interesting as the rumors surrounding the building. The article says the hospital was demolished in May 2018, but in a blog post from another website, someone visited as late as May 29, 2018 and a comment left in August 2018 claimed that the building was torn down "about a month" prior.

Still, even though Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital wasn't closed down in the 90's because of mass suicides/murders or hauntings, that doesn't stop people from spreading similar rumors. The Paranormal Guide states that one story claims patients and staff suddenly began dying without cause. They also talk about rumors of a mad doctor and their experimentation on patients and even staff members. Inside the hospital remained furniture, lab coats and paperwork scattered about, making it appear as if everyone left in a hurry.

It's interesting that the building was demolished not long after the movie was released. In all the articles I've read, I never found a reason why they decided to knock it down. The locals were apparently very secretive about the hospital's location when visitors would ask for directions, so it seems to be a sensitive subject. There was also a lawsuit from the owner of the building that attempted to prevent the movie's release because they believed it would make it difficult to sell the hospital. Just based on speculation, I wonder if it was torn down because they knew even more people would attempt to break into the building once the movie came out.

Regardless of what really happened at Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, the rumors told about it are unsettling. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum did a great job bringing the rumors to life in the film. Even though you can no longer travel to the real hospital yourself, you can always experience it through this terrifying movie.

Slow Burn vs. Action Horror

This post will seem like a direct comparison between Hereditary and Truth or Dare, but I swear it isn't meant to be. The comparison here is between horror that starts out very slow, with a lot of buildup and horror that is almost nonstop action, which works better (for me) and why. I also want to talk a bit about Truth or Dare without giving it its own post, because it doesn't deserve one. I would love to talk about Hereditary as well, but there is no possible way for me to talk about that film without giving away major spoilers and for that movie, you really need to experience it for yourself.

Let's start with Hereditary. This movie...There's so much I want to say, but I can't. The only things I can really say, that are still sort of SPOILER-ISH are that I was amazed when I went back and rewatched the movie, that there were so many hints that tell you exactly what is going on. If you go back and watch even the first 30 minutes again, you'll wonder how you ever missed that ending. The other slight spoiler I want to mention is that the ending really reminded me of the original Suspiria, but I wasn't mad about it. Suspiria is a movie that I love, up until the point where you find out what's really going on. I didn't feel like it worked in that film. In Hereditary, however, it was so perfect.

The only reason I watched Truth or Dare is because an episode of Running Man was inspired by it. It's very Final Destination-esque. A group of friends repeatedly have to escape death (by choosing truth or dare and completing their mission), in the order in which they played the game the first round. So here come the SPOILERS because this isn't really a movie I mind ruining for anyone. The ending isn't particularly clever or innovative (I could swear I've read stories with similar endings on r/nosleep), but I didn't hate it. Throughout the entire movie, Olivia and Markie talk about how they'll always choose each other above everyone and everything else, with the exception of Olivia's first truth (before the game went off the rails), which was would she choose to save her group of friends or the entire population of Mexico during an alien attack? She chose the population of Mexico, because her character is supposed to be "too nice" and that's the correct choice to make, right? Saving many over a few. However, at the end of the movie, Olivia once again tells Markie she chooses her, takes out her phone and records a video detailing the ordeal they've just been through, uploads it to Youtube and asks her viewers, "Truth or dare?" Because at this point, the girls have exhausted all their options and the only way to save each other is to get more people into the rotation so it takes longer for their turns to come around again. I guess Olivia is no longer saving the population of Mexico.

Now that we've talked a bit about both films, here's how I felt about each of them. I thought Hereditary was very slow, but had a satisfying conclusion. I kept checking my phone throughout the movie because not much happened, until the last 20 minutes or so. I was very creeped out and disturbed by the movie's conclusion and it's something that stayed with me for days after watching it. Truth or Dare had a lot of action and it did hold my attention, but it was a pretty ridiculous movie overall, it never actually scared me and it's something I'll never think about again once I'm done writing this post.

So which is better? There honestly isn't a definitive answer because it depends entirely on if it's done right. It Comes at Night and The Blair Witch Project are both examples of films that, in my opinion, had a lot of buildup with very unsatisfying endings. Hereditary worked so well because you can clearly see, once everything is revealed, that the film was always headed towards that conclusion. And once it reached it, it was horrifying. It was worth every second I sat there thinking, "I hope this is going somewhere amazing and I didn't waste my time watching it." Because that's usually what ends up happening for me with these types of movies. They're slow and the ending never makes up for it.

The same goes for more action oriented horror films. If you want to get into a really specific sub-genre, action oriented horror films about a group of college friends going on vacation together, who end up playing truth or dare and screwing over the entire world. Let's talk about Cabin in the Woods, a beautiful loveletter to the horror genre. It is extremely heavy on the action for a good portion of the film and it never lets up. It completely goes off the deep end later on in the movie, in the best possible way. It's a thoroughly enjoyable horror film and it worked very well. These types of movies can be extremely clever when done correctly.

As usual, I don't have an answer to the question posed. Everything is on a case by case basis, you can't judge one movie based on another. They're all unique, some work and more often than not, some don't, but it's extremely satisfying when you find one that hits all the right marks and manages to surprise you.

Favorite Fall Candles to Light on a Crisp, Dark Fall Night

I know this is a horror blog, but there are certain things that I associate with horror. If I'm sitting home reading a scary story, my ideal atmosphere for it would be a dark, rainy night, with just the fairy lights on to read by, and a fall scented candle burning.

I've been a loyal customer of Candles By Victoria for years now. I won't buy candles anywhere else. Their candles are really good quality with a strong scent throw and you can see how much loves goes into them. They have all different jars to house the candles in, you can choose whichever you'd like in any of their available scents, and on top of that, they also make decorative candles in specific scents and they are beautiful. (I actually had to stop buying the decorative candles because I felt so bad burning them.) In addition to candles, they also offer room sprays, as well as scent shots if you prefer using a tart warmer rather than burning candles.

I'm terrible at describing scents myself, so below I'll list my favorites with the descriptions from the CBV website, as well as link to some of their decorative fall candles.

These first three are combos that I get in Victoria's Create a Scent candles. You get to choose two scents you think might work well together and she'll mix them for you. You also get to name the candle. And if you choose one of the glitter tureen CAS candles (my personal favorite), you can choose which color glitter you'd like.

Granny's Pie Crust + Caramel Apple - I don't really need to add the descriptions for each scent here, they're exactly what they sound like. I love both of these scents on their own, but they're even better together and this is a CAS that I'll continue to order in the future.

Apple Cider + Cinnamon Donuts - Again, no description necessary. I ordered this CAS because I was thinking about things that remind me of Halloween, and the first thing I thought of was the haunted hayride I used to go to with my cousins when I was younger. At the end of the hayride, they would always hand out apple cider and cinnamon donuts, so those are the two scents I chose and of course, I named this candle Haunted Hayride.

Bonfire Bliss + Country Bumpkin - "Gentle, dusky breezes and bonfires, with notes of dried wind-blown leaves, heliotrope, charred woods of pine and cedar, amber, smoky sandalwood, on a musky background containing hints of roasted marshmallows, brown sugar, coconut and soft vanillas" mixed with "Apples, candied yams, marshmallows, sweet cream butter, brown sugar, nutmeg, crushed cinnamon, bark and fresh cloves." This is an extremely strong scent, and I've ordered this CAS at least three times now, possibly four. It's my favorite scent, you can smell the fire and spices, perfect to burn on a cold, rainy fall night.

The next three scents can be bought in candles or scent shots, in many different designs.

Apples & Oaks - "It's fall all year round as you sit on the porch with a barrel of granny smith apples. You catch the breeze as it picks up not only the smell of the apples, but of the aged oak barrel housing them." This smells exactly like what you would expect.

Autumn Leaves - "Green and musky with heavy notes of bergamot." Literally smells like wet leaves.

Pumpkin Apple Cinnamon Bread - "Sweet creamy pumpkin, rich cinnamon apple with a crunchy strudel base note." This one has all three of the main fall scents and it's amazing.

The rest of these candles are some of Victoria's decorative candles. I have owned all o them in the past and I highly recommend them, if you won't feel guilty burning them like I did. I'll include links and pictures from the CBV website below.

Bake Shoppe Donut Shop Candle - This candle comes in Victoria's Cinnamon Donuts scent. The design isn't reminiscent of fall (it's still adorable though), but the scent definitely is.

Coffee Cup Cutie Leaves Type Candle - This candle is housed in a coffee cup, topped with glitter and tiny wax leaves. It's in the scent Leaves Type, which is described as "Rich Autumn notes of fresh ground cinnamon generously sprinkled over tasty dried apple peel. Allspice, fresh clove bud, and drips of Vermont maple complete this festive aroma." This one almost reminds me of the way a craft store smells if you walk in during the fall season, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Comfort Caramel Gingered Apple Crisp - The description for this candle states that it includes maple, caramel, ginger and apple cinnamon. Wax apple slices are embedded into the top of the candle.

Comfort Pumpkin Gingerbread Splash - A mix of maple, gingerbread and spiced pumpkin chutney, this candle features a gingerbread man who looks like he's bathing in the wax.

Maple Butter Pumpkin Frap - If you're one of those people who runs to Starbucks as soon as they start selling their pumpkin spice latte, this is the candle for you. It's a huge candle, 24 ounces, and features maple crumbs, wax pumpkins and real cinnamon sprinkled on top.

If you enjoy candles as much as I do, I definitely recommend checking out Candles By Victoria. I've purchased more candles and scent shots from them than I want to admit and I have been happy with every order. They're a great company and you'll be glad you ordered from them.