A horror-themed blog, especially on the subject of Halloween.
Going with some lighter fare today, 'Do You Believe in Nightmares' maybe should have been something more along the lines of 'Do You Have Mildly Upsetting Dreams?' While the stories in this one aren't terribly dark or original, the line art is fairly decent. I don't have a lot to say on these early stories, but I do believe the latter part of the issue gets a little more entertaining.
To quote my boyfriend this week, as I haven't finished the novel yet and feel like everyone needs to check this one out,
"House of Leaves is a must read for any horror fan. What initially started for me as a slow burn quickly turned into a page-turner that reminded me of what made me such a huge fan of the genre in the first place. It transported me back to a time before I had consumed enough horror to predict all the tricks and tropes, when every page flip was exciting and every moment was tense and uncertain. The fear of the unknown is a staple of all good horror from the grand cosmic horror down to your classic murder mystery, and no book encapsulates that primal fear more than House of Leaves.
It takes every chance it can to remove you from your comfort zone, from pages that need to be read upside down or out of order and everything in between. What initially seems like a gimmick at first glance becomes much more as you become truly engrossed. After maddeningly flipping back and forth through pages you eventually become completely unaware of how far along in the book you even are, you begin to feel lost, and it’s at that moment where House of Leaves is at its best. It’s a truly unique experience that can make you feel like you are a part of the horror just as much as the characters on the page."
- Ryan Bustos
Shocking as it may be, this week I am featuring a film that is younger than twenty years old. For once. I didn't think there was a remote chance I'd enjoy this 4th remake (if you count the many sequels, then even more) of a film I'd only ever really enjoyed in its first incarnation. Especially given that in the trailers they seemed to be taking more of a Hollow Man approach - - and I was not a fan of that one, despite my love of Kevin Bacon. I was completely wrong, however, and this movie was far more delightful. The Invisible Man really became the monster of the piece, while the victim's point of view came to the forefront. It lent far more of a mystery element in some ways to a film that had never really had that before. It's sort of crazy realizing that a film about an invisible man had never really been much of a mystery before. For the most part the audience always knew where he was, save for a few sequences at the climax of Hollow Man.
Please, give this movie a chance as soon as possible. The atmosphere is perfect. The message in the story is relevant. The acting is superb. It's a film worthy of the Universal Monster universe, and even better is that it's in conjunction with Blumhause - - which has has very quickly seemed to become the king company of horror films these days.
This year I'd like to feature a different type of Kickstarter, rather than a short film or cartoon. Though I'm not much of a gamer, I really admire the creativity and intelligence that goes into programming something genuinely fun and aesthetically charming. I encourage you to check out the Sunshine Manor game, and if it appeals to you - - support it any way you can!
Revisiting one of my favorite art teachers of the Youtube-sphere, the Art Sherpa, today I'm sharing the progress pictures and a link to her delightful video (which is far more expertly done than my own attempt). I can't recommend this lady enough if you're just looking for some fun at home and have way too many acrylics wasting away in the back of your closet.
Wrapping up this shorter comic issue, Beware reminds me just how delightfully dark it was for a classic horror comic. I just love the twisted endings. The last one especially of the corpse having a night on the town with his 'friends' is particularly fun. You don't typically find these sorts of stories in 50s comics, and it's no wonder a lot of them became banned for a couple of decades until the American public lightened up.
There's something eerie about outer space. Like the depths of the ocean, yet even more unfathomable. Sometimes we fear deep waters because of what we know may be lurking below. I think the unknown is even more chilling. So here's some trailers, old and new, of a few possible terrors awaiting us beyond the stars...
