Horror Movie Review – The Ouija Experiment

Title: The Ouija Experiment, aka The Realm
Genre: Horror, Found Footage-ish
Director: Israel Luna
Writers: Israel LUna
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2364842/

NO SPOILERS

This was a movie that I stumbled upon perusing some streaming service or another. I suppose if you run a search for the title, it will tell you where it’s playing or where you can get it. Honestly, even though IMDB gives it a 3.4 out of 10, I actually enjoyed the movie. I’d even watch it again!

Here’s the setup. There’s a film student (already annoying, lol) who plays with a Ouija board with his four friends. Why? They want to solve the mystery of a drowned girl that happened some time ago. I’m really fuzzy on the details because, well, it just didn’t matter to me after a while.

Let me say upfront…it’s not scary. The acting is bad and the found footage-ish way of filming can by annoying at times. I don’t know if it was the mood I was in, but I thought the film was rather cute. I liked the dynamic of some of the actors, and the self-aware of “I’m a black person in a horror movie” of the black actress was pretty funny at times.

I felt the first hour was quite strong in the way it set up the story. The actors did a pretty good job for a low budget movie that looks like it was filmed in somebody’s house on the fly. In addition, trivia for the movie suggests the actors’ lines were mostly improvised during this first hour. They didn’t do a half-bad job!

As I noted above, when the scary stuff starts, the black actress is the best. She really made me laugh.

A note on the dialogue: this was the best part of the movie. The conversations and rapid exchanges seem real and unrehearsed. Also, the actors have such a good sense of timing, they did not stumble over each other’s lines as is often the case in the found footage movies where the lines are improvised. I just liked hearing the characters chit chat with each other.

Otherwise, the film and its eventual reveal of the long-ago murder was rather flat and boring. Do not watch this movie if you are looking to be frightened. It won’t happen. If you watch it at all, watch it for the actors’ performances and how they interact.

Film Grade: D

Actors Grade: B for snappy dialogue.

Blogtoberfest – Zombie Awareness Month

Welcome to October, or as I like to call it, thirty days of Halloween Eve!

This is one of the first posts of “Blogtoberfest” and it’s also Zombie Awareness Month!

So…..are you aware? More importantly, are you prepared?

Many people are caught unprepared, no matter what the emergency, whether it be a hurricane, snow storm or zombie apocalypse. This is according to the CDC, which has a page on how to prepare for any emergency event, up to and including a zombie apocalypse. If you don’t believe me, click here.

Again, are you prepared to “bug-out” at a moment’s notice? Your Kindle, table or extra-smart phone won’t be of much help when the ravenous, bloody-mouthed hordes of the un-dead start beating at your door. Well, maybe you can throw your device at them, but at the most it’ll only take out one or two.

Okay, now you’re all asking, Dahlia, what can I do to prepare for the zombie apocalypse or any other emergency that might occur?

Well, I’m glad you asked that. Here’s a list of items that are essential to surviving those first few days of utter confusion when there is no more room in Hell and the dead begin to walk the earth.

From the CDC Page:

Water (1 gallon per person per day)
Food (stock up on non-perishable items that you eat regularly)
Medications (this includes prescription and non-prescription meds)
Tools and Supplies (utility knife, duct tape, battery powered radio, etc.)
Sanitation and Hygiene (household bleach, soap, towels, etc.)
Clothing and Bedding (a change of clothes for each family member and blankets)
Important documents (copies of your driver’s license, passport, and birth certificate to name a few)
First Aid supplies (although you’re a goner if a zombie bites you, you can use these supplies to treat basic cuts and lacerations that you might get during a tornado or hurricane)

In addition to having this emergency kit, you should also have an emergency plan for your family. Zombies wait for no one, so mapping the quickest route out of the infected area (and alternate routes) should be of utmost importance. Does your family have a meeting place just in case you are separated? How about an out of state contact that you can either run to or touch base with to ensure members of a family are safe?

Remember, the farther away you can get from a hungry zombie, the better. And the more prepared you are for any emergency, the better off you and your family will be. Take the time today because……..

They’re coming to get you, Barbara…

Blogtoberfest 2016 – It's Back!!!

OCTOBER….OCTOBER…OCTOBER!!
Hang with me for …..

Blogtoberfest!

Terrible, isn’t it? But fun, right?

The month of October is special to me. It’s not because of Halloween, although that’s part of it. October marks the month in which I had my first e-book, “Kitty Wishes” published with Evernight Publishing.

In honor of this occasion as well as a personal challenge, I will be posting something Halloween related every single day of the month. If I get frisky, I might post some snippets of the sequel to “Loving Among the Dead”…..”Among the Dead: One More for the Road”.

I certainly hope that you will join me for Blogtoberfest – keep me honest with these posts! Leave a comment! Share! Above all, read and have fun!

Dahlia

Blogtoberfest – Mulled Hard Cider

You can always count on me to be the liquor to your parties. That was me with the Long Island Iced Tea and the Vampire Sangria. So, I’m back with hard mulled cider. Plain cider is nice, but adding a kick is even nicer. Prepare to enjoy.

Ingredients

2 quarts apple cider
Dried apple slices
Thinly sliced orange
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg (pinch)
1 cup dark rum
cinnamon sticks for stirrin’

In a large pot, combine all ingredients except the rum and bring to a simmer over low heat. Allow mixture to remain for about ten minutes. Remove from the heat, add the rum. Serve in mugs with a cinnamon stick and enjoy.

If you want to make ahead, put the mixture in a slow-cooker on “keep warm” and add the rum just before serving.

Blogtoberfest – Weird New Jersey

It’s only fair, since I’m writing about scary stuff this month, is to highlight some spooky places in New Jersey. Despite being the Garden State, there’s a ton of mysteries surrounding some of the horse pastures and lovely farms.

So light the lantern and let’s take a closer look behind the cobwebs.

The Jersey Devil

From Wikipedia:

The Jersey Devil is a legendary creature or cryptid said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey, United States. The creature is often described as a flyingbiped with hooves, but there are many different variations. The common description is that of a kangaroo-like creature with the head of a goat, leathery bat-like wings,horns, small arms with clawed hands, cloven hooves and a forked tail. It has been reported to move quickly and often is described as emitting a “blood-curdling scream.”^[1]^[2]

From Me:

I’ve seen some pictures of the Jersey Devil that looks my dog trying to dress up for Halloween. There is even reported “video” of the Jersey Devil. Obviously, is a legend and a kinda corny one at that, but still, it makes me laugh to see the claims. If you happen to see the Jersey Devil while you’re wandering around in the Pine Barrens, give him (or her) a carrot and a cube of sugar.

Clinton Road

Snippets from the New York Daily News:

“It’s like a dark highway into people’s innermost fears.” That’s how Mark Moran, publisher and co-creator of the Weird NJ magazine and website, sums up Clinton Road, a quiet and twisty stretch of road roughly 55 miles northwest of New York City.

“People definitely play on the legend [of Clinton Road],” said Mark Moran. He mentions the menacing black truck that lurks on the road. Appearing out of nowhere, the truck gets extremely close to your rear bumper, flashes its lights, and then suddenly disappears into the night.

From WeirdNJ.com

This rugged ten mile stretch of deserted road is so rich in lore that it has been attracting late night visitors for generations. The stories that these sightseeing sojourners have brought back with them of their adventures are sometimes harrowing, often terrifying, and almost always intriguing. Many of these tales of midnight joyrides may seem unbelievable, while others leave one wondering just where truth ends, and an overactive imagination begins.

If you ever decide to travel down Clinton Road at midnight, stop at the bridge by dead man’s curve. As the story goes if you sit on that bridge and throw pennies into the river, the ghost of a young boy will throw them back to you. –Anonymous

My friends and I decided to find out for ourselves what is true and what is not. We went to the bridge and threw a quarter off. Not but a minute later you hear the bloop, as if you dropped the quarter in again. The water filled with ripples and a child’s reflection appeared. I flew back to the car. That scared all of us. –Dina, West Milford

The Devil’s Tree

From Wikipedia:

Local legend suggests the tree is cursed: those who damage or disrespect the tree (usually by urinating on it, or making disparaging remarks about it while nearby) will soon thereafter come to some sort of harm, often in the form of a car accident or major breakdown as

they leave.^[1] The tree’s history is surrounded by superstition, and common theories claim that Bernards Township was one of the central headquarters for the Ku Klux Klan in New Jersey and that the tree had been used to lynch African Americans and rebellious slaves since Colonial times.^[2]^[3]^[4] Another theory claims that a farmer hanged himself from the tree after killing his family and that anyone trying to cut the tree down will “come to an untimely end”.^[5] Other urban legends surrounding the tree allege that visitors who get too close to the tree will get chased by a black Ford pick-up truck that will then disappear at a certain point, or that anyone who touches the tree will find that their hands have turned black if they try to eat at a restaurant.^[4]^[6]

In winter, the ground beneath the tree is allegedly free from snow, no matter how much has fallen or how recently.^[1] A nearby boulder called “Heat Rock”, and sometimes the tree itself, are said to be warm to the touch regardless of the season or time of day,^[7] and is believed to be a portal to Hell.^[1]

The township’s plans to develop the land might have required the tree’s removal, but it decided to protect the tree and keep it intact. In 2007, a sign was posted at the site stating when it is open to the public. The Devil’s Tree is currently surrounded by a chain-link fence due to vandalism.^[4]

There are so many other scary/haunted places in New Jersey! Check out WeirdNJ.com if you want to read more.