blerd – Dahlia DeWinters

Three Halloween Books for Scary Reading

Yes, we like the movies, but there’s nothing like a scary book to curl up with on a dark, blustery night. When I lived alone, I used to scare myself to death with the sounds that I thought I heard when I was reading an especially scary book. And the dog didn’t help when she jump up and ran out of the room for no apparent reason. (Sometimes I think dogs do that on purpose to scare the mess out of us. Then they go drink out of the toilet and laugh at us.) Anyhoo, here’s my top five books to read around Halloween, or any time. These are presented in no particular order. Pet Sematary – Stephen King: I can’t tell you how much this book frightened me. I discuss this in more detail over at my blog, if you care to take a look. Suffice to say, while… Continued

photo of rainbow colored painting on canvas

Parlor

Anxious? Get Those Creative Juices Flowing!

Oh, anxiety. We’re all too familiar with that nagging beast, aren’t we? It rears its restless head at the most inconvenient times, leaving us tense and overwhelmed. Not fun! But don’t stress, lovelies. You know by now I’ve got a trick up my proverbial sleeve just for you. Let’s talk about creative playtime. That’s right! Tapping into your creative side can whisk those worries away. Remember “whistle while you work”? I’m talking art, music, dance…anything that sparks the inner muse. Trust me, anxiety doesn’t stand a chance against an actively creative mind. Now I know what you’re thinking… Did he fire six shots or only five? ….wait, that’s not what you’re thinking. What you’re really thinking is: “But I’m not artistic or talented…” My friend, come on, that’s so not true! We ALL have that creative flair within; we just have to reconnect with it. In fact, let your

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Horror Movie Review – Wrecker

Title: WreckerGenre: HorrorDirector: Michael BafaroIMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4227282/ This movie almost WRECKED my marriage. (See what I did there?) My husband had the day off and I suggested we watch a movie. “Hey, we’ll watch this movie. It’s terrible, but it’ll be fun! We’ll have a few laughs!” Famous last words. I’ve seen some horror dreck in my lifetime. I’ve watched the Friday the 13th movies and stuff that I can’t even recall I’ve seen because it’s been so terrible. But I’ve been able to laugh and point and giggle about the director and/or writer being awful. Or awful acting. Sometimes, the movie is bad, but you can see the actors are having fun, so it makes up for it. This was not the case with this movie. This movie was just bad with no redeeming qualities. None. Wait. I did love the red Mustang and some of the shots were gorgeous.

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Blogtoberfest – Horror Movie Review – Unfriended

Title: UnfriendedGenre: Horror, Thriller, DramaDirector: Levan Gabriadze (as Leo Gabriadze)IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3713166/ Synopsis according to IMDB:A group of online chat room friends find themselves haunted by a mysterious, supernatural force using the account of their dead friend. I might be getting too old for this, I admit this up front. I did not enjoy this movie on any level. Though I thought the story and the premise was excellent, the thirty year olds playing high schoolers did nothing to elicit my sympathy. I couldn’t even enjoy it on the “so bad it’s good” level because there was little to no physical action. You couldn’t say “don’t go in there” or “stay out of the basement”. Nope. The entire movie took place on a laptop screen. As I said, this was an interesting concept and on some level, it was well executed. Since I watched the movie on a laptop, it

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Horror Movie Review -Train to Busan (Busanhaeng)

Title: Train to Busan – Busanhaeng (original title)Genre: Horror (Zombies), Thriller, DramaDirector: Sang-Ho YeonWriters: Sang-Ho YeonIMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5700672/ NO SPOILERS Me after seeing this movie on Amazon Video: PLOT SYNOPSIS: (imdb.com) While a zombie-virus breaks out in South Korea, a couple of passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan. Before I even begin, I’m going to say I loved this movie. A lot. Many horror movie viewers are cynical and jaded. They claim that “they’ve seen it all” and “nothing can scare them now”. That’s all well and good, but once you claim that, where is the fun in watching movies? Movies are escapist creations, much like many fiction books. The point of any given movie is to immerse yourself in the experience, and in a manner of speaking, let the filmmaker have his way with you. As a film viewer of the age that I am at now.

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Horror Movie Review – Grave Encounters (2011)

Title: Grave EncountersGenre: Horror, Found FootageDirector: The Vicious BrothersWriters: The Vicious Brothers NO SPOILERS Plot Summary: (from imdb) For their ghost hunting reality show, a production crew locks themselves inside an abandoned mental hospital that’s supposedly haunted – and it might prove to be all too true. How do much do I love watching “found footage” horror movies? I don’t know why…it’s a strange addiction indeed. Something about the first person perspective, the shaky cam and the odd angles appeal to me. As a huge fan of those ghost hunter shows – I’m looking at you Ghost Adventures and Ghost Brothers – I was especially eager to see this film. Cynical “ghost hunters” who will pay people to say they’ve seen a ghost? Check. “Haunted” insane asylum? Check. Found footage? Whooo, baby! We got ourselves a movie! Do not come to this movie expecting high art, a never-before seen twist