Tag Archives: horror

2018, alternatives, Movie Review

[Alternatives] – Movie Review – A Quiet Place (2018)

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Alternatives is the tagline to discuss entertainment outside of literature. It may encompass television, movies, games, and music.

Alternatives
Movie Review –
A Quiet Place (2018)

Genre: Horror, Thriller, Drama 
Duration: 95 Minutes
Directed By: John Krasinski
Starring: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe

A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR7cc5t7tv8

Continue reading [Alternatives] – Movie Review – A Quiet Place (2018) →

2016, Book Review

[Review] Bird Box — Josh Malerman

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Book Title                  Bird Box (Standalone)
Author:                        Josh Malerman
Number of pages:  272

Synopsis:

josh malerman - bird box book coverSomething is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now that the boy and girl are four, it’s time to go, but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat–blindfolded–with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?

(re: Goodreads @ Bird Box by Josh Malerman)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr review:

– I have no sales pitch. If you enjoy ambiguity, uncertainty, and if the blurb interests you, then by all means read Bird Box
– Psychological horror set in Detroit that feeds on the unknown; there is gore but it’s not over the top
– The writing is succinct and can feel choppy; displayed through past-and-present narrative
– Limited growth in a majority of the characters as they were generally dragged along by the plot

Initial Thoughts

This might be the shortest review I’ll go on record of having written.

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2015, ARC review, Book Review

[Review] The Dead House — Dawn Kurtagich

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Book Title                  The Dead House
Author:                        Dawn Kurtagich
Number of pages:   432

Synopsis:

Dawn Kurtagich - The Dead House - Book CoverPart-psychological thriller, part-urban legend, this is an unsettling narrative made up of diary entries, interview transcripts, film footage transcripts and medical notes. Twenty-five years ago, Elmbridge High burned down. Three people were killed and one pupil, Carly Johnson, disappeared. Now a diary has been found in the ruins of the school. The diary belongs to Kaitlyn Johnson, Carly’s identical twin sister. But Carly didn’t have a twin . . .

(re: Goodreads @ The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr review:

– Story is presented through a series of evidence (e.g. diary entries, video and voice-call transcripts, news articles, etc.,)
– Unreliable narrator encourages skeptical hats be worn; revelations can be guessed at but does not dilute the end-game reveal
– There are unsettling moments but nothing crazy in terms of gore. Also, the entire story takes place at night basically, or in very dark, claustrophobic spaces
– Can be difficult to feel compassion for various characters/MC
– There is a supernatural touch to the evil within this story

the-dead-house-dawn-kurtagich-scorecard-600x300

Initial Thoughts

Let me share some “lessons” The Dead House has taught me:

  • Unreliable narrators are the reason why 10-foot poles exist.
  • Having friends interested in witchy woo-woo dark magic means you’re setting yourself up to die.
  • Vlogging the supernatural is just not a good idea. “Let me just pull out some EVIL from my back-pocket…”—like, why is this even a thing?
  • Attending parties with underage substance use underscores bad shit happening. Moderation is a myth.
  • When you find out your school is connected with a hospital, you should make immediate plans to book it to Mars.
  • Cancel any plans you have of being a criminal profiler. Because you won’t succeed.
  • Schrödinger’s Cat lived and died for you, so why would you open up some sketchy artifact-diary? Just don’t. Or do? (R.I.P you.)

Full disclosure: I received an advanced reader copy of The Dead House from the Book Blog Ontario Meet-Up. I extend thanks to Little Brown Books for providing me with the opportunity to review this book.

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