Video Game Review: The Evil Within 2

This is going to hurt, in pretty much every way you can imagine. So, let's get started.

This is the sequel to 2014's The Evil Within. Which followed Detective Sebastian Castellanos as he answers a call for help at Beacon Mental Institution only to be sucked into a diabolical experiment called STEM. He survives, and breaks the system, but the main villain escapes.

The Evil Within 2 returns to Detective Castellanos with a brand new STEM system. And that's really the only connection to the first game. There are a few other returning characters, and flashbacks to the first game, but the story otherwise has nothing to do with the first game.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. The Evil Within 2 stands well on it's own merits, with lots of tension, jump scares, and run-and-gun action. To say the game doesn't stand out would be remiss as well, there's lots of mind-fuckery as well as several things we haven't really seen in mainstream horror games.

What stands out the most is the open-world levels, fairly unique for a horror game. You have your mission, your objective markers, but the levels are fairly big, with side missions and other things scattered around for you to find on your own, if you're so inclined. You can still race through and claim the objectives and ignore everything else, but you can take hours to scour every unlocked house, rescue a few stragglers, discover extra weapons caches, and things like that.

Unfortunately, the praise kind of stops there. Not that there's a lot that's wrong with the game, but it's just kind of...standard? Nothing else really stands out. Not the enemies, not the weapons, not the levels themselves despite being open, explorable, areas.

I'm going to reiterate this, it's not a bad game. It's actually a fun, scary, well-made horror game. It's just very, very heavy with missed opportunities, and you feel it at just about every corner. Especially compared to the first game.

So let's start there. What's missing from the first game? The ability to burn bodies on the ground for a start. It's noticeable because you find a LOT of enemies laying prone on the ground, waiting for some kind of signal to get up and attack. It was one of the great tricks of the first game. Not all the bodies on the ground were enemies waiting to jump you, and you had a limited number of matches to use. It was one of the things that set The Evil Within apart from games like Resident Evil. Also, the first game used hordes of enemies to great effect, putting extreme pressure on you even in large areas with your limited amount of ammo.

Lastly, the traps. The traps were strewn throughout the first game. They were one of it's hallmarks. You could disarm them for weapon parts for the game's crafting system, or lure enemies into them. Or you could walk into them and die, too. Yes, The Evil Within 2 is in a different setting, but all the different kinds of traps, right from the very beginning is what really set the game apart, and to not have them in the next game just feels, wrong.

And that pretty much sums up the game for me. It's fun, it's scary, it's a great game in and of itself, but as a sequel, it's just wrong. All the directions they could have gone in, they picked ones that almost completely separate the sequel from the game it's following up on.

Still, we can probably expect some downloadable content in the future, so maybe they can fix a few things with that.

Anime Review: 'Another'

Horror can be found in lots of places, books, TV shows, Movies, Video Games. Lots of people tend to skip over such things as cartoons and anime though. They can't see past the idea of animation as being for kids. 

This story is definitely not for kids. 

When a new student transfers into class 3, he finds a strange place, where one student is completely ignored, to the point that they might as well not exist at all. He finds himself wondering if the one might be a ghost, or something only he can see. 

Then it begins, a calamity that has plagued the students of class 3 for twenty-five years. A curse where one person connected to the class dies every month in horrific, twisted accidents. 

The curse began when a popular student passed away unexpectedly at the start of the school year. The students, and even the teachers decided to deal with the loss by simply pretending the student was still there, sitting at their desk. Their actions brought the spirit back, and ever since then, Class 3 has had an extra student, one that was supposed to be dead. 

The dead class member doesn't know they're dead, or that they're the catalyst for the horrible accidents which plague the living members. At the end of the school year, they simply cease to be.

The new class deals with the problem by completely ostracizing one member, treating them as if they don't exist, and making the number of students in the class equal to what it's supposed to be. 

The new student breaks the rules, talking to the ostracized member, letting the curse loose among the class. Then the rest of the class bands together to try to find ways to stop it before they all end up on the wrong side of life and death. 

There's two main parts to this horror-mystery. The first half being the truth about why the class is cursed and whether the ostracized student is real or not. 

The second part is the search for a way to stop the curse, and who/how many of them are going to die before they discover which of their classmates is the extra. 

The tension builds up throughout the short run (only 12 episodes), culminating in a 'Final Destination' series of events and a mass madness which overtakes the students. 

It's definitely worth watching as a horror fan, even if the first half is a bit slow at times. I'm a little late to the party on this one. The anime came out in 2012 and was based on a comic. A live-action movie was also made in 2014, but it's only available in the original Japanese, and I don't know that a dubbed or subtitled version of that exists. 

Still, an excellent little horror series. Worth the time if you can catch it on Hulu or Netflix.

~ Shaun

Short Story: The Exploration of Chateau Du Dragon

Welcome! This week marks my 200th blog post! To celebrate that with all of you, I'm pulling one of the short stories I've been submitting around this past year and sharing it with you all. I've been on somewhat of a Lovecraft kick the past several months, so some of you may find some things blinking back at you. Don't worry, they're supposed to be there. Anyway, on with the show!

Enjoy,

The Exploration of Chateau Du Dragon!


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“So, what ‘historical treasure’ have you found this time?” Vanessa followed her boyfriend around the small grove of magnolia trees and down the barely visible trail.

“Who says I found anything? I was just talking to some people at the bar, mentioned I was into urban exploration, and a guy popped up, mentioned he knew a place, and that I should check it out. That’s all.” He smirked.

“Carl, I know you better than that. You don’t just wander off to any ol’ place some stranger mentions. You’re not usually that stupid.”

“Usually?”

“There was that one time in New Hampshire…”

“Never going to let me forget that one, are you?”

“You got us arrested.”

“Okay, okay. I did look the place up, did some research, and I think it’s clear. It should also really grab your interest when I tell you what it is and what it means.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes, but followed him. The ground was soggy underfoot, never quite deciding whether it wanted to be mud or underwater. Dead Spanish moss hung like streamers from Oak and Willow trees as they walked; typical Louisiana fare.

“So when are you going to tell me about it?”

Carl held up one hand as he pushed a bush out of the way. Then he motioned for her to move up and join him. “There it is!”

The house was ancient. Kudzu covered half of it, stretching down from the roof, but the front porch and the main entrance stood out. The weather-beaten wood contrasted with the green, giving an impression of a mummy’s skull, partially unwrapped from its lavish bandages. The glass from the windows was long gone, smashed through vandalism or by nature’s will. The curves of the architecture and the towering pillars still stood out to Vanessa, making a smile break out on her slender face.

“An early 1800’s plantation house. Not bad, Mr. I don’t know what we’ll find.”

“Actually, I read that it’s a late 1700’s, but you would know, I suppose.”

Vanessa elbowed him playfully in the side as she pushed past him, out from under the trees. “Anything else you read about this particular ol’ home?”

Carl smiled and took a deep breath. “Well, from what I could gather, they called it the dragon chateau. This was actually one of the early starts of the Underground Railroad that ferried escaped slaves to freedom. The story goes that out the back of the house, about two miles away is the Gulf of Mexico, with a large private dock, and that the owners of the plantation, who’s name nobody seems to remember, actually ran a tunnel from the house all the way down to the dock, where Spaniards would pick up the slaves.”

“Oh, so you’re saying there’s secret passages in here?”

Carl grinned and nodded.

“That’s why you insisted on flashlights, food and water, and some extra clothes?”

Another grin.

“You take me to the nicest places.”

The front porch became imposing up close. A gaping hole was all that remained of a large picture window, and the front door clung stubbornly to a single hinge. Flashlights surged to life, their beams bouncing off the walls. Anything of value was stripped ages ago. All that remained were bare walls and the remnants of rusty furniture frames.

“So, Mr. Bookworm, what happened to the slaves that went with the Spanish?”

“Honestly, if I had to guess, I would say the just ended up slaves somewhere else, like the Spanish colonies off in the Caribbean. This place was before the Underground Railroad really took off, though, and from the stories I found, not many slaves made it through here to be picked up.

“Oh? Was it a fake get-away?”

“Seems that way. Apparently the other local land owners came together, raided the place. Some claims of voodoo rituals, blood and virgin sacrifices, sex with demons and devils. You know, just all the usual fare. Some of them escaped, but the owners, all the slaves, and a group of Spaniards were all caught and executed, probably hung from one of the trees we walked under on the way here. ”

Vanessa held the flashlight under her chin, “You and your spooky stories.”

The tale stuck in her head as they continued through the house. She kept her eyes open for anything that might look like, or give clues to any kind of secret passage. Vanessa wracked her brain, trying to decide if the story sounded familiar. It was certainly true the Underground Railroad had routes that led south, as well as north. Could it really be possible that this house was such a stop?

“Hey! Vanessa!”

Carl was standing near the far wall of what might once have been the den.

“Let me guess, Mr. Scooby-Doo, a fake wall in the back of the fireplace?”

He smirked. “Nothing so obvious. Check this out, though.”

He ran his finger along the lines between the bricks in the wall, starting from the floor, up, then over, and back down.

“There’s no mortar between this section and the rest of the wall. Also, check this out.” Carl ran his finger over the front of the brick just above the divide. “I don’t know if you can see it, but it says ‘dragon’.”

Vanessa stepped closer and looked. The face of the brick looked off, but she couldn’t read anything on it. Her fingers slid over the surface, feeling the bumps that were barely there. “Are you sure? I think it’s missing the ‘R’”.

“Probably just worn off.”

He grabbed a brick near the top and pulled. It came easily, a handful of others tumbling to the floor as well. Pulling out more stones revealed a dark space, and a set of stairs leading down into the earth.

He swept his flashlight back and forth. “There, that wasn’t so hard to find.”

Vanessa bit her lip. A thick, cloying smell rolled up from the passage; a scent of mold and moisture, of rotting fish and wet earth. The passage had been too easy to find. Carl was already crawling inside, exploring with his flashlight. He was practically shaking with anticipation. He turned back to her, and saw her lip folded between her teeth.

“Is it okay, you think? We do still have the rest of the house to check out, see what condition the second floor is in. Maybe see if there’s anything to raid in the kitchen?”

She forced a smile and shook her head. “It’ll all still be here when we get back. It’s sat this long, hasn’t it?”

Only the first steps were wood. After that they were cut into the earth itself, but as they moved deeper, the stairs turned to stone steps that were slick underfoot. The walls did the same, starting with wooden supports, giving way first to dirt, and then stone. Water dripped down, only to vanish between cracks. The stairs went on, further, and deeper.

“Carl, how can we still be going down? Shouldn’t we be under water by now?”

“Yeah…I’m not sure, maybe there’s some kind of drain system behind these stones.” He tapped on the wall with his flashlight. The moisture on the surface was clearly visible, and they watched as a drop beaded up between two stones, rolled down, and vanished back into the wall.

“I don’t think we should go much further. It’s…strange…down here.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right, as old as this place is, we don’t want to wander too far, trigger a cave in, or risk getting caught if the place floods with the tide or something like that.”

Glurhrrrgle…

The sound started almost as a low rumble, bouncing back and forth up the stairs and between the stones. Vanessa suddenly felt sick to her stomach. The sound could almost have been speech, though what word or language, she had no clue.

“What the hell was that?” Carl was leaning down on the steps, trying to reach deeper with his flashlight. “Hey, I think I see the bottom of the stairs! It’s not that much farther.”

Before she could stop him, Carl had started down again. After just a few steps he was starting to disappear into the darkness, so she carefully followed after him.

There was another dozen steps, and then it opened into a massive, round room. The floors and walls were placed stone, the ceiling, a good ten feet high, was obviously part of a natural cavern; someone had discovered this cave and built into it.

They stepped into the cavern, their flashlights scanning the area as they stood in awe. Several hallways and chambers led off from the main room. Stone tables were the only furnishings in the main chamber itself. The smell, which had wafted through the opening at the house, was almost overwhelming. It waxed and waned, as if the source was moving. The strength of the stench made Vanessa cough, gagging at its worst.

Dragllehhth…R’lyeh…Shalal…Turthogahh…C’turrr…

The strange words rolled out of the side chambers, hallways, and reverberated through the stones of the floor, as if there were further chambers deep below. It was obviously a language, but the words were thick, barely recognizable as any kind of speech. There remained a pattern to them, a sense of powerful meaning behind each group of sounds. To Vanessa, it sounded like the last gasps of someone drowning, trying to talk through a throat full of water, past a tongue and lips numb from hypothermia.

There was a wet slop from one of the hallways and Carl spun to meet it. All his flashlight could find was two large, circular reflections from deep in the darkness. Then they were gone.

Vanessa crept over to her boyfriend, grabbing his arm as she pressed her back to his. Her flashlight ran from one hallway, to a chamber, to another hallway. More unrecognizable words. More wet slop sounds. More round reflections.

Eyes. They were eyes.

Large, glass-like, bulbous eyes.

Another slop. Then another, closer. Vanessa turned her flashlight towards it.

A man stood in the entrance of one of the chambers. His skin was grey and looked waterlogged. He was mostly bald, with small clumps of long, stringy hair reaching down to his shoulders. The sides of his neck were covered in folds. The nose was mashed, and almost seemed like it was melting into his face, and his lips were thin, almost nonexistent. He wore clothes that were impossibly old, torn, and stained.

Worst of all were his eyes; large and bulbous, like they didn’t fit in their sockets. They had no color, just huge pupils that made almost the entire eye look black.

She felt Carl’s gasp through her back, pressed against his. “What the fuck…”

More of them were slowly stepping out of the chambers and hallways, all of them similarly deformed. Some looked more human, some looked almost like fish.

Strange words again, the flashlight sought out the source, finding a more human creature with its half-lips moving.

“Cthorrtaghnn…Dpthue…Fur’thoroee…R’lyeh…”

It lifted an arm and pointed at her, the fingers all had thick webbing between them and no fingernails. “Breeder…”

Carl started to push Vanessa back the way they had come, towards the stairs. His bag swung down from his back, hanging from his forearm as he unzipped it and pulled out his gun.

Whether the creatures recognized the weapon and the threat it offered, they made no sign. Vanessa turned and shone the light back towards the stairs, only to find two of the fish-men had slipped in front of it, their bulbous eyes looking back at her as they whispered in their strange, thick throated language.

“Carl, we can’t go back…”

The gunshots echoed in the chamber. Then the space was filled with a cacophony of slops, chittering, Carl yelling, and unrecognizable words from the creatures. The power of the stench increased almost tenfold making Vanessa choke. One of the creatures lay on the stone floor, bleeding out, one large eye deflated from the bullet.

Cold, wet, hands grabbed at her. Carl was pulled away from her back and there was more yelling, more gunshots.

“Vanessa! Straight ahead! Fresh air! The bay! GO!”

She turned and saw him on the ground, four or five of the creatures grabbing him, holding him, pummeling him with their deformed hands. The gun went off again and one of their heads erupted in the thin light.

“Go! GO!”

Another creature reached for her, and she swung her backpack around, swatting away the hand. The air swirled around her and for a moment, she got a whiff of fresh air. More of the creatures were coming at her. Carl was lost under a pile of them. A quick spin caught sight of the stairs, and she dashed away in the opposite direction.

The stench cleared as she ran down the hallway. Fresh air whipped around her, although the stench of the man-fish clung to her skin and in her nose. Behind her, Vanessa could hear the sounds of their feet on the stone. Slop-slop-slop. Further behind them came another gunshot, then a sharp snapping sound, borrowing the unnatural acoustics of the tunnels to reach her. It was all she could do to not imagine what that sound was.

The tunnel sloped upward, the stone floor becoming slick as she ran. Her lungs started to burn, but the feet behind her kept her pushing as fast as she could.

The water was ankle deep and rising, but a light further ahead gave her hope. The sounds behind her started to fade and then were lost as she burst out into the setting sun.

She collapsed onto her hands and knees into the salty water of the bay. Almost unconsciously, she started splashing handfuls of water onto her arms, trying to scrub away the memory of those cold, slick hands grabbing at her skin.

Then the sobbing started as the relief of being outside again reached her. With a deep breath, she lifted her face to the warmth of the sun. She willed it to wash away the experience, the memories. Then she looked out across the water, and saw the unmistakable shape of several human-like figures swimming around, breaching the surface.

Sounds started to come up from the tunnel again; footsteps in the water. The fish-men were still chasing her.

Vanessa crawled further out and started waving and screaming to the swimmers, hoping one of them would come to help her, someone that might even have a car parked nearby.

All the swimmers stopped and turned in the water as one. The fading sunlight glinted off their large, round eyes as they started to swim toward her.

Movie Review: IT (2017)

IT has achieved the highest grossing opening for a horror movie of all time.

That's not for nothing. The movie is scary, engrossing, emotional and everything a good movie needs to be.

Based on the book, written by Stephen King in 1986, IT follows a group of kids as they discover an ancient evil has arisen in their town of Derry, Maine. The kids, collectively a group they name the Loser's Club, based on their different aspects which make them all outsiders and targets of the town bully, each experience their own terrifying visions as they are individually stalked by a terrifying clown named Pennywise.

The movie, which is now accepted as being "Chapter One", focuses solely on the experiences of the kids, while the book also includes a second encounter with the entity known as Pennywise when the group are all adults some thirty years later.

So we have a Part 2 to look forward to for those of you who can't get enough of this horrible clown monster.

So how good is it?

It's very, VERY good. 

Now, if you're looking to be terrified along the lines of a movie like Paranormal Activity, Alien, or something that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, this isn't it. Make no mistake, there's tension, and quite a few genuine scares, but this isn't your usual scream-a-thon. 

It's a mix of jumpscares, horrifying images and much more subtle, unnerving scenes. Beverly's father lightly stroking her hair is every bit as unnerving and terrifying a scene as watching Pennywise's conversation with little Georgie. 

Even horror movies can't be judged just on how many times they make you jump, though. Every aspect of this movie is well done. The score matches every scene perfectly. All the actors have a moment to shine, with none of them coming across as fake or flat. The story is a well-written adaptation, taking many of the memorable scenes from the book and bringing them to life, without too many questions caused by scenes which were cut. 

This movie is very comparable to Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. IT is a powerful, well-made piece as much an example of the art of film-making as it is a horror movie and I will be very disappointed if it doesn't earn any major awards. 

If you haven't seen this yet, go. Whether you're a fan of horror or of movies in general. It's worth the cost of admission. 

~ Shaun

Duwall Manor - The Wine Cellar

It should come as no surprise to anyone that when Duwall Manor was built, a large wine cellar was built as a basement. The space is large, with several smaller storage rooms around the periphery, while the main room in the center housed a large oak table and several cabinets. The cellar was used for atmospheric gatherings of Abraham and his friends, and as such, had only oil lamps strategically placed along the walls for light. 

Of course, a dark, underground room such as that is prime for stories of equally dark happenings. Before their deaths, it was rumored by locals that the Duwalls sometimes took slaves or local girls down into the wine cellar, got them drunk and then had their way with them. It was said that even the Duwall women took part, abusing the slaves with broom handles or whatever else their tool of choice was. These stories are largely unsubstantiated though. 

After the Duwall family passed away, the wine cellar was ransacked, and every bottle absconded with by thieves or locals with a grievance. It sat empty for years afterward, most of the owners who's hands the property passed through only truly having time to use the space for storage before they passed the home on again. 

In 1894, the size of the home and property found itself well suited to be used by its owner as an orphanage, and at one point in 1899 housed as many as 60 children. 

In 1901, a girl of thirteen by the name of Carrie found herself living at Duwall. She was mentally incompetent, but became close friends with one of the girls caretakers, Dana. They bonded well, which was good for Carrie because she failed to get along with the other girls her own age. 

As it happened, Dana became engaged, and planned to leave the orphanage. Carrie was happy for her, but during one of Dana's fiance's lunchtime visits, Carrie became badly enamored with him. After a few instances of kindness, Carrie became convinced that Dana's fiance was actually interested in her, and not the older woman. 

Carrie's delusion grew, until she was absolutely convinced her and Dana's fiance could be together if Dana wasn't in the way. 

One day, when Dana went upstairs to bring Carrie her dinner, the younger girl lay in wait with a heavy bookend. When the woman's back was turned, Carrie smashed it into the back of her head, killing her instantly. 

Dana's fiance came looking for her a few days later after having no contact. Nobody knew where she had gone or what had happened to her. It was only when he pressed Carrie for answers that the truth came out. 

Unable to carry the body out without people noticing, Carrie had pushed the body under her bed. But she had also known that it couldn't stay there. Not knowing what else to do, the young girl had taken to eating the body in order to get rid of it. By the time the act was discovered, one arm and leg had each been chewed down to the bone, while the hand and foot were gone entirely.

Disgusted, and horrified at the idea of the story getting out into the community, the woman running the orphanage decided not to inform the authorities. Carrie was taken into the old wine cellar and locked away, without food, water, or light. A heavy padlock was placed on the door, which wouldn't be removed until 1914. 

In the darkness of the wine cellar, they found the remains of the girl propped up in a corner. The investigator determined she had likely starved to death in the darkness, her body feeding rats running around, given the tiny teeth marks on her bones. 

A paranormal investigator, wandering through Duwall Manor in 2016 claimed to have seen the spirit of a little girl in the wine cellar. He also said from the moment he entered the basement until the moment he left, he was beset by a fierce hunger for something very specific, although he couldn't quite identify exactly what that desire was for. 

Movie Review: The Ruins (2008)

I read the original book version of this movie back in 2014. I liked it and it earned four stars on Goodreads, and this past weekend I found the movie was now available on Hulu, so I threw it on.

I was very pleasantly surprised. 

Movies based on books seem to be very hit or miss. Most of them take characters and a few major scenes, and then leave out some important details, while making up other parts that were never in the book. 

I think I'm getting ahead of myself though. 

FAIR WARNING! SPOILERS BELOW!

The Ruins is about a group of young 20-somethings, coming up on the end of their trip to Mexico. They meet a few others, and someone produces an old, hand-drawn map to some local ruins. They head out, and the map ends up being correct. As they get there though, they become cornered by a group of locals who suddenly prevent them from leaving. 

Left with nowhere to go, they head deeper into the ruins, discovering the remains of an archaeological expedition. Injuries mount as they explore, until they discover the vines covering the structure are hungry for blood. The vines themselves creep along, mimicking sounds they want to hear, grabbing, stabbing into their wounds, devouring them alive. With nowhere to go and a hungry enemy closing in, they turn on each other, until only a few remain. 

The last two, a couple, devise a plan to get her away past the natives. It works, and she escapes, while her boyfriend pays for the plan with his life. 

Now, as I was saying, this movie follows the book pretty damn closely! Closer than any other adaptation I've ever read. Of course, a lot of details are left out in order to cram the main story into the time allowed. The Ruins is no different in that, however, they leave in enough small details that if you've read the book, you won't be disappointed. 

There is a single, major difference from the book though, the girl's escape, potentially spreading the spores. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It sets up a sequel, to be certain, but the way the natives had the entire ruin surrounded, I'm not sure how much I believe the boyfriend's simple distraction would have worked. 

Regardless. The movie is well made, with lots of tension, believable characters that you like, and a realistic enough scenario. If you like horror, this should be near the top of movies to see. It might not be a classic in the usual sense, but given time, it may become one. 

~ Shaun

Duwall Manor - The Oak Tree

Duwall Manor sits in the deep country of Mississippi, the property backing right up to the Delta National Forest. Like many of the stately manor houses built in the early 1800's, it has a long history, with several prominent families residing within its walls.

The current owners are unlisted, leaving the property likely bank-owned after a forclosure. Why it remains off the market in that case is a puzzle, but many of the people who live near the building whisper that it was actually abandoned, by both owners and bank. The home and land left to rot and hopefully be reclaimed by the wilderness with the prayer that nature might bury the property's history.

In spite of this, every so often someone finds the land and insists on trying to claim it as their own, so the building remains in fairly good condition. The roof, for example, was redone as recently as 2011.

The owners never last, however. Most abandon the property altogether after a few years, a few have even willingly gone into bankruptcy than live there or try to sell it. None of them answer the singular question that is always asked of them.

"Why?" 

While more recent activity remains shrouded, much more is available with a simple trip to the county library, where the property has its own file of newspaper clippings and property maps. 

The earliest clipping dates back to 1824, only a year after the house was first completed, then owned by the Duwall family, headed by Abraham Duwall.  

The local sheriff was told to visit the property after no word had been heard from the family in weeks. 

When he arrived, the family's horses were feeding in the front yard, untethered. 

At the front door, nobody answered. He found the door unlocked and went in. The house was immaculate. Beds were made, everything was clean, everything was as it should have been. The only thing amiss was the large meal which had been laid out on the table and now sat there rotting, covered in flies, mold, and maggots. 

Something out the back window from the dining room caught the sheriff's eye and when he went to investigate, he found himself standing before a massive oak tree on the backside of the house. 

Dozens of nooses hung from its thick branches as different heights. The highest was easily thirty feet off the ground. All of them sat empty, only swaying from a slight breeze that blew up from the woods further back on the property. The sheriff circled the tree, and finally counted 43 nooses. Enough for the entire Duwall family and all their servants. 

Then the sheriff found what was left of them. To the left side of the oak was a hollow in the base of the tree. It was stuffed full of skulls. 

The sheriff came back later with help and excavated the hollow. All they found were skulls, picked clean of any flesh at all. While they couldn't be sure the remains were the Duwall family and their servants, the numbers matched. The sizes matched too, between adults and children. 

The remains were buried in a corner of the property, though any markers designating their graves have been long lost to the present day. 

What happened to the Duwall family was never solved. 

-attached to the back of the news clipping is a memo. 

"If you go out to the tree on a foggy night, you can still see the outlines of the nooses hanging from it. If the fog is thick enough, with a bright moon, you might even see the silhouettes of the bodies." 

Gremlins Vs Critters: The Fight Part Two

See the first part here.

Gremlins (9) vs Critters (5)

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One of the critters rounded a corner, fleeing Scratch's gunshots. In the corner was another Gremlin, just ignoring the ruckus and poking at a keyboard, singing a little song to itself. The computer screen flipped through spreadsheets and data, while the gremlin continued punching random keys, changing numbers and file names.

The critter jumped at the chance, bouncing over and grabbing the gremlin's face in it's mouth. Instantly the scaled green beast started flailing around as the critter chewed through the scales and flesh and started biting into the bone. One clawed hand smashed the computer screen, reaching in and digging claws into wires and circuits. Sparks shot everywhere as the electricity ran up the gremlin's arm and coursed through the two. The critter's eyes bulged, then exploded, and the furball let go, falling onto the floor, hair sizzled and smoked. The gremlin fell over too, coughing, smoke billowing out of its mouth. It blew a smoke ring before passing out.

The other critters rolled carefully around the edge of the room, watching out for more gremlins now. One bounced up onto a table to get a better view of the carnage of the room. It looked clear. There was only the two gremlins on the floor shot full of spines, snoring peacefully away, and the splatter of dead Crites. It turned back to the others, only to see them staring back in horror at the wing-like ears that rose up behind it. It turned back and the gremlin ducked back under the table, leaving the Crite swinging back and forth from the otherwise empty looking room and the critters still huddled together on the floor.

Then it turned back and found itself face to face with the gremlin for a moment before it was stabbed with a pair of syringes, random chemicals shooting into it while the gremlin laughed. The critter started to swell as the combination of chemicals produced gases inside it, blowing it up like a balloon, gas leaking out of its mouth and around its eyes before lifting up from the table, bouncing against the ceiling, where it stayed.

"Fuck this shit!" The last three critters rolled up, bouncing as fast as they could for the door. A hapless gremlin stepped out in front of them from around the corner of a desk and the three of them laid into it, eating through its body in seconds and continuing on. They made it to the door and bounced through into the hallway, one, two, then the door slammed shut on the third one, squashing it between the door and the frame. The other two paused only long enough to look back, then bounced down the hall as fast as they could deeper into a building only further infested with gremlins.

Scratch opened the door back up, admiring his handiwork at the green slim and tufts of hair that showed the Crite he'd caught in the door when he'd slammed it shut. He squinted down the dark hallway after the other two and cackled to himself.

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Victor: Gremlins

Final count
Gremlins: 2 dead, 3 incapacitated
Crites: 8 dead

What happened

Looking back at the creature analysis, it became pretty clear who would win. The Crites had real viciousness and intent to kill on their side, but they seriously lacked in durability, intelligence, and any kind of reach. They're small and relatively fragile, so rely on two main things: fear and numbers. The Gremlins have no fear of anything but light, and in a scenario like this where it's equal numbers, the Crites just lost the things they needed to pull it out.

Their spines are strong enough for a single shot to put down a grown human, but we've seen in movies that even people shot with a dozen spines or more don't suffer any extra ill effects, and are back to normal within a few hours once they're removed, so there was no chance of getting a kill from them unless they could follow up and devour their victim, which they couldn't do in this setting.

Likewise, their ability to grow larger with enough food was a non-item in this fight as there wasn't enough food, or time for them to take advantage of it.

On the Gremlin's side, they have an extremely high durability and an immunity to pain which meant even with an arm eaten off and a Crite still chewing on them, they still weren't out of the fight. It also meant that in cases like electrocution which would take them both down, the Gremlin would likely still survive while the Crite wouldn't.

You also can't disregard the Gremlin's penchant for mischief combined with their natural aptitude for damage. The syringe Gremlin for example, was likely just messing around by grabbing two syringes and sticking them in the Crite, but by its own nature, likely grabbed a combination of chemicals that would react in a destructive way when combined.

Put simply, the Gremlins could, on a 1-to-1 basis, take everything the Crites could dish out, and return it right back, while the Crites turned out to be paper tigers.

What do you think? Do you disagree? Is there something I left out? Leave a note in the comments or hit me up on social media!

~ Shaun

Gremlins Vs. Critters: The Fight Part One

So, we've been over both the Gremlins, and the Critters. The only thing left is the fight itself.

Scratch sat on top of the computer, the claws on his feet clicking against the screen as he curled his toes. Just under a dozen others were all that were left in the lab. All the other gremlins had spread out into the building. He was content to sit in the lab for now, security guard's pistol in one hand, flask of who-knew-what in the other. 

A furball rolled across the floor. Why it attracted Scratch's attention at first, he wasn't sure, but he knew it was something interesting when it stopped in the middle of the floor and then changed direction. It rolled over to one of the other gremlins and came to rest in front of it. Then unfurled. It stood there, looking around, then at the gremlin in front of it. Now everyone's attention was on the creature. 

The closest gremlin reached out, poking the furball. Once, twice, then the creature opened a mouth as big as itself and bit down onto the hand. Everyone laughed as the injured one swung it's arm around the furball still attached, gnawing it's way further up the arm. The furball chewed it's way up the arm to the shoulder, then lept up and bit off the front of the gremlins face, causing it to finally stop flailing and fall over. 

Suddenly, several other furballs rolled out onto the floor, from under the tables, under the cabinets, all converging on the downed gremlin and latching onto it. In seconds, nothing was left but bones. The rest of the gremlins kept laughing, all except Scratch, who's eyes narrowed as he watched the unfamiliar little furballs. They weren't mogwai, that was for sure.

Then the furballs rolled up again and took off in different directions, bouncing towards the gremlins scattered around the room. One of the critters bounced up at Scratch, who watched it amused before swinging the pistol around and putting a bullet through the furry black ball. It fell onto the table next to him, neon green blood oozing out of it. 

A second one bounced up at him. Scratch dropped the flask and cocked his clawed fist back, punching it in mid-air, sending it flying across the room and splattering against the wall. At the sound everything else in the room stopped and turned to stare at the green smear on the wall. 

The gremlins started laughing again, one of them, wearing a baseball hat, grabbed the leg of an overturned table and broke it off with a quick yank. It turned to the closest critter, still frozen as it stared at the mess on the wall. The gremlin croaked in its soft voice, "batter...up...". The critter barely had time to turn, eyes bulging, before the table leg sent it flying across the room and adding a second splatter. 

The second splat broke the spell on the rest of the critters, sending them rolling for cover. Scratch dropped down off the table looking around as he wandered over to another pair of gremlins that were poking at the bones of the one that'd been eaten. The room was silent as the gremlins looked around for where the furballs had gone to. 

Suddenly the critters were all together, popping out from around the corners of a smashed desk. One lowered its head and a spine shot out, spearing the gremlin to Scratch's right. The target immediately fell back, snoring loudly. The rest of the critters lowered their heads as well, launching spines as Scratch grabbed the other gremlin to his left, using him as a shield. The hapless gremlin was shot with a dozen spines and went limp, snoring as well. Scratch continued to hold him up while shooting back with the pistol. One, two more critters exploded before the gun ran out of bullets, but it was enough to scatter the furballs again. 

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So we started with ten to a side. So far in this battle, we have 1 Gremlin down, (3 if you count the two that are going to be asleep the rest of this little encounter) and 4 Critters. The Gremlin leader doesn't have his gun anymore though, so maybe the Crites can turn it around in the second half. 

This is going to be long though, which is why I'm breaking it up into two posts. So what do you all think so far? Am I missing something? Let me know in the comments below or on social media! 

Gremlins vs Critters. 9 vs 5 

Click here for part two. 

Gremlins Vs Critters: Critters

Now to look at the other side of this match-up! In the Blue corner, the ever-insatiable Critters! If you need a reminder of the other side, the Gremlins, click here.

The Crites have four movies to draw from, and are much more focused on killing than the Gremlins. In doing research online for this series, I have found a few other places that have tried to answer this question of who would win, and most of them put the win in the Crites' column.

I'm still going to go over their abilities, strengths, and weaknesses here though, to ensure the match-up is as accurate as I can make it.

Strengths

1. Eating Machines.

The Crites are pure eating machines, with bottomless stomachs and their huge mouths have three sets of razor sharp teeth. They will eat literally anything they think could be food, and they also use their teeth and mouths to get to prey. They'll chew through doors, eat down chairs, and shred tires to stop potential food from escaping. In addition, they can go into a kind of 'Piranha mode' where a small group of them can strip a body of flesh in a matter of seconds.

2. Tranquilizer Spines

Probably the Crites most unique ability, is that they have spines among their fur that can be launched like darts. The spines are strong enough to pierce steel, and are coated with a venom that puts other living things to sleep when struck. A single spine has enough venom on it to put a fully grown man to sleep. That being said though, it doesn't seem to be a venom that can kill. People hit with multiple spines fall asleep faster, but even after being hit with a dozen, they recover fairly quickly once the spines are removed.

3. Ball form

The Crites arms and legs are short and stubby, so they get around by curling up into a ball and rolling and bouncing along after prey. In this form, they are extremely durable, taking hits from baseball bats, and other objects and simply bouncing off of them. They can also fall for substantial distances without being hurt. In addition, they can spin in place, supercharging themselves for a speed boost or to let them bounce straight up from a stationary position.

4. Growth

One of the Crites rarer abilities is that if they actually manage to eat enough of something that actually counts as food, they can grow to much larger sizes. The average Crite is about the size of a soccer ball when it's curled up, but the example we saw in the movie produced one that stood over six feet tall standing upright. It certainly stands to reason that with enough food, they could continue to grow and reach truly monstrous sizes. This would takes time though, and tons of food.

Weaknesses

1. Intelligence

Crites aren't very smart. As I said, they're eating machines, and they don't discriminate very well between things that are food and things that aren't. They're happy to bite into electrical cables, swallow explosives. and down random chemicals. They don't know how things work, and get caught in machines pretty easily. They also can't recognize things that are dangerous until they see one of their fellow Crites go down from it. Even then, they aren't quick to run away and tend to get stuck in place for a few moments.

2. Durability

This goes along with the lack of intelligence. They're bottomless pits when it comes to things that are edible, but they can easily eat things that kill them. The aforementioned explosives, electrical cables, and chemicals are all things that killed them after being eaten. The lack of durability extends to their outsides too. They've been killed by everything from being stepped on to a falling ceiling fan, and they die to firearms as easily as just about any other animal.

There we go! The combatants have been examined. Both sides have strengths and weaknesses that can either lead them to victory, or a crushing defeat. Check back next week when I go over one possible scenario for a confrontation between these two terrible monsters. What do you think of the strengths and weaknesses? Have I missed anything? Do you have any predictions for the fight?

~ Shaun

Gremlins Vs Critters: Gremlins

So, here we go, looking at the first of the combatants. Gremlins. You can also click here to check out their opponents, the Crites.

Theatrically, these guys are the underdogs, with only two movies to their name. There is a lot of screen time for both them and their abilities though. So there's a lot of information here to go over.

I'm going to start with the preamble that we're talking about the Gremlins after their cocoons, not the furry little Mogwais. Otherwise they would pretty much be the equivalent of popcorn chicken for the Crites.

Strengths

1. Basic physicality.

These are little monsters, so they come pre-equipped with the textbook razor sharp claws and teeth. They also feel very little pain, and can shrug off wounds that would kill other creatures. In Gremlins 2, for example, we see one of them get riddled with a machine gun. The creature's response was to grab something to drink, just to watch the liquid pour out of the holes and laugh about it with the other Gremlins that were there.

Gremlins are also disproportionately strong for their size, able to wield chainsaws, throw saw blades hard enough to embed them in walls, knock out grown men with a single punch, and rip 2-inch electrical conduit out of the wall, live wires included.

2. Mutations

So, in Gremlins 2, we found out that the creatures are extremely malleable with their genetic code and appearance. Several mutated after downing laboratory-quality distilled hormones and essences. They grew wings, turned into vegetables, got smarter, and others. Now, it should be pointed out that we saw easily a dozen Gremlins drinking from different vials and flasks, so a mutation isn't a guarantee. Going from the number of mutations vs the number of Gremlins, odds seem to be about 1 in 3 of a mutation with extremely high quality materials. Still, if there happen to be any such liquids around during the battle, the Crites might find themselves facing quite a different opponent.

3. Intelligence.

Gremlins are known for messing up electronics and machinery. They seem to have an almost 'sixth-sense' for knowing exactly how to break something or to make it malfunction. Knowing just the right way to break something at just the right time, might turn the tide if they get into a sticky situation.

They also have a basic intelligence. They know how to work things like elevators, guns, chainsaws, and theater projectors. So anything that's handy, they're likely to use.

4. Reproduction

All it takes is one Gremlin and a water source. With just a single drop of water, one Gremlin becomes two in just a couple minutes. Increase the water, and you increase the Gremlins to a ratio of five or six for each one you started with. As long as the water keeps flowing, each new Gremlin is capable of giving 'birth' in the same way as soon as it can stand. So it stands to reason that the Crites need to finish this fight quickly before any pipes get broken, or they going to be overwhelmed with sheer numbers.

Weaknesses

1. Intelligence

Despite their innate knowledge of machinery, Gremlins aren't particularly smart. Being that they don't feel a lot of pain, they have no problem walking into situations that include their own dismemberment or death, and they don't feel any need to take cover or retreat from most dangers.

While Gremlins enjoy mischief and are generally malicious, they aren't actually out to kill or hurt people. They do it for fun and for laughs. Now, I say generally, because every so often, a Gremlin pops out which is particularly nasty. These tend to be the leaders, directing traffic to achieve maximum damage and destruction. In the movies, these were seen as Stripe in the first movie, and Mohawk in the second, although Mohawk ended up being usurped by the Brain Gremlin. Without a leader, many Gremlins are just as happy drinking beer, partying, and watching musicals as they are biting and scratching people.

2. Sunlight / Bright lights

This is how you kill Gremlins. Either direct sunlight or exceptionally bright lightbulbs. First they start to smoke, then they burn, then they melt into green and brown puddles, bones and all. It's also one of the few things they fear and that inflicts actual pain on them. So if you want to send the Gremlins running for cover, this is what you use.

So, that's pretty much my rundown of the Gremlins side of this fight. Do you agree with all my points? Is there anything I left out? Let me know in the comments, on my Facebook page, or my Twitter. I would love to hear from any and all opinions on this matter!

Check back next week when we go over the Crites!

~ Shaun

Gremlins Vs. Critters

So, a lot of places have done VS. series of one kind or another. Go see if you can find Deadliest Warrior for a great one. A few dedicated Horror sites have even already pitted classic monsters against each other. Plus there's movies for Aliens VS Predator, and Freddy VS Jason.

So, there's one pairing off that I've been thinking about for a while, that I want to go over. I don't have any programs for running simulations or anything fancy like that, but I can go over the monsters themselves, argue for who I think would win, and open the forum for discussion.

So, as you may have guessed from the title of this post, the face-off I'm talking about is Gremlins Vs. Critters.

Both are movies made in the mid-1980's which feature small monsters running around terrorizing towns. Both are really good movies and worth watching if you're into Horror.

Now, I'll be honest, I want to take this about as seriously as possible (which doesn't mean TOO much considering how off-the-wall the combatants can be). Which means I'm probably going to break this into a few different parts. This post is going to go into the basics of the movies and the monster's backgrounds. Then each beast will get a post detailing it's abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Finally, one more post will explain how I see their fight coming out. 

So, the ground rules for the eventual bout.

1. Considering these are small creatures, that typically run in groups or hoards, I've decided to make this fight a group match. 10 vs 10 or 25 vs 25. We'll see if the monster posts help me figure out exactly how many a side is actually fair.

2. To keep the fight contained, and to ensure retreat is not an option, I'm going to set this inside a building. Creatures can run and hide for a bit, but there is no permanent escape. 

3. There will be innocent bystanders trapped inside with them. Because what kind of horror movie monster fight would this be without people dying who have nothing to do with it? 

So, stay tuned, because things will probably get interesting the next couple weeks!

(Edit: The bit is done, so here's the links!)

The Gremlins.

The Critters.

The fight: Part 1

The fight: Part 2

~ Shaun

Future Fads: Kaiju

2018 - 2019 are going to be BIG years. I mean that literally. Godzilla 2: King of the Monsters, Pacific Rim 2: Uprising, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, are all movies coming out that feature giant monsters destroying things and eating people. (I'm assuming Jurassic World will at least have a T-Rex or some other excessively large predator chasing cars.)

OMGOMGOMGOMG!!! I can't WAIT!!!

Still, that's six months away at least, why bring it up now?

Because it's a window. For a time next year at least, there's going to be a huge push for Kaiju / giant monster stories. Depending on how well those movies are made and do in the theaters, people will be looking for more. A large part of that demand will be filled with books. Likely novels, and anthologies. Now, disclaimer, I'm not any kind of forecast expert. I'm just trying to base this off common sense and what I've seen in the past.

Pacific Rim came out in 2013, and the good American Godzilla came out in 2014, and both times, for the next few months, all you heard about was kaiju / giant monsters. There were cheap knock-off movies, books, comics, and toys. Even if it was just these two movies alone, it would likely result in a huge boost for this sub-genre, especially with these being sequels and making expanded universes.

But in addition to those two movies, we also have Jurassic World 2, and Rampage coming out. The timeline for releases is currently set like this.

Pacific Rim: Uprising - February 23, 2018
Rampage - April 20, 2018
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - June 22, 2018
Godzilla: King of the Monsters - March 22, 2019

That's a lot of giant monsters, which should keep the fad running well into 2019. And yes, I do think this will be a pretty major fad.

I have no intention to just be jumping on the bandwagon. I intend to be holding onto the hood or the roof.

See, here's the thing. I'm sure once the first movie hits, we'll see the wave start as people rush to pump out books. They'll pound through 50,000 words in a couple months, probably find some cheap editor (or use no editor at all!) and find some quick and ready cover art to slap on and drop their work into Kindle. Even if someone works hard, takes their time, and does everything proper, it's going to take six months to a year to get it published. At best, if you wait until the first movie hits theaters, you're getting out at the mid-way point of the fad. At worst, the movies will crash and burn, and the fad will languish.

However, even if the fad languishes and dies in short order, if you take the time to do things properly and write a good book, it'll transcend the fad and find success on its own. If the fad takes off, it'll simply take your work with it to new heights.

So, if you can see a fad coming like this one looks to be looming, and you have a story that would fit right in, why wouldn't you aim for it? That's what I'm going to do. Right now, while I have time to get it right. If you love giant monsters as much as I do and you're a writer, I suggest you do the same.

Can you really predict the fads of the future? Eh. I don't really know if this is predicting or not, but it's not hard to see which way the wind's blowing right now.

~ Shaun

Video Game Review: Prey

I'm just going to say this right out of the gate. Prey is the spiritual descendant of the Dead Space series.

Prey is a sci-fi, action, horror game that places you in the body of Morgan Yu. You're one of the owners of a company controlling a space station in the orbit of Earth, working on a new type of technology called neuromods. Once used, a neuromod allows you to learn all the information and knowledge to learn a specific skill. Always wanted to play guitar? There's a neuromod for that. Of course, there's a little problem with the neuromods. If they're removed, it resets your brain to the moment before you put it in. So, if you have a neuromod in your head for 5 years, then take it out, not only do you lose the neuromod, you lose every memory of the past 5 years.

So, of course you wake up with a degree of amnesia on a ship where most of the people are missing, equipment is broken, and you stumble across the occasional corpse as you explore your surroundings, putting the pieces together.

Let's not forget the monsters. Black masses of tentacles which can take the form of anything they want. Mimics. Nothing can be trusted, which includes coffee cups, boxes, chairs, and even items you want like ammo and medkits.

This inability to trust anything makes even the brightly lit hallways and offices of the station tense with possible jump-scares around every corner as they reveal themselves and attack. Later on, it's even more tense as you encounter bigger monsters who patrol the rooms in addition to the mimics.

The story is incredible as you fight for your life, fight monsters, piece together what happened on the station, and you even get to make the choice for whether other survivors live or die.

To be honest, that's about all that really sets the game apart. It's first-person, with standard controls, and the environments, while well-done, don't stand out. While the station is set with different areas, and there are noticeable differences between the Arboretum, Lobby, and Crew Quarters, they don't really FEEL different. The lines between textures are very crisp though, if you smash a holographic window, the difference in layers between the window and what's behind it are crisp and look freaking awesome. Seriously, the first time I saw that, I just walked back and forth for a few minutes admiring it, because the view changed exactly as you expect it would depending on the angles you looked at it at.

The sound is excellent. Music cues are very subdued and uncommon, allowing you to focus on the myriad sounds of the station around you, which is very life-like. You can hear fluids rushing through pipes, gases spraying through leaks, fires burning, your own footsteps, and the skittering of little tentacle feet all around you as that box you just walked by hurries to a corner and becomes something else. Definitely wear a good pair of headphones for this game!

Enemy AI isn't bad, but they're not generally going to be outsmarting you. They're made to give you a chance to sneak up on them, but they can figure out how to maneuver through rooms to get to you if you give them a chance. They also do occasionally do some pretty dumb things too. In one instance, I was facing off against the Nightmare pictured above. I hid until he completely lost track of me, then he proceeded to stand directly in front of where burning gas was spewing out of a pipe and burn to death while I watched. Was hilarious, to be honest, but probably needs work when one of the biggest baddies in the game pretty much suicides itself.

There's also an excellent crafting system here, where you can break down literally anything at all you pick up, and then get raw materials that can be made into weapons, ammo, medkits, and whatever else you can find the blueprints for.

I love this game. I'm in the process of completing every side quest just to stretch it out, which, I've now been playing for over 25 hours, so if you want it to last, it's got the ability to be a long game.
It's billed as a sci-fi-action, but there are a lot of horror elements to it. The atmosphere, though mostly brightly lit, is creepy and tense. The crafting system is simple but makes sense and requires you to do some work for it. The enemies are varied, and can get the jump on you at any time. The story is deep, multi-faceted, and gives you real choices to make which can (seemingly, I haven't actually beaten it yet!) affect the ending you get. Seriously, if Dead Space 4 ever comes around, I want their team to take a good, hard look at this game.

While some aspects of this game are fairly generic and standard, the rest more than makes up for it and creates an experience we haven't seen since the first Dead Space came out. Seriously. Get this game. Play this game!

~ Shaun