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Showing posts from October, 2015

Sinister--my take on the movie (with spoilers)

Research is an integral part of writing. As writers, it is our job to go in depth of the subject we are writing about; be it fiction or non-fiction. But should there me a limit to how much we are ready to pursue the knowledge of our subject?  Mark Twain said that first we must get our facts right and then distort them as much as we please. The question is: how much should we delve before we have gained satisfactory knowledge to work on a story. Sinister, shows us just how risky doing research for a book can be. Ellison Oswalt (played by Ethan Hawke) is looking for a new story that would sky rocket him back to success. As a writer of real crime stories, doing research for him means getting inside the story by living in the place where the crimes took place. His passion is what puts his family at risk as unknown to his family, Ellison has moved into the house where a family was hung from a tree that still stands. There is however a mystery attached to it: the youngest member

Alone-- My take on the movie (with spoilers)

Loneliness can be scary to some people because being alone means having to face all your problems all alone. Life is tough and it helps to have someone backing you up and most importantly being there when you need someone the most. Being physically may not always be possible; the person that cares for you may have other commitments and sometimes you have to be the one to stand back and tell them that you are doing fine  After all, not everyone can be there for you all the time. Or can they? Imagine having a conjoined twin. Yes, there could be medical complications, but physically, someone will always be there for you- your sister or brother, your best friend. Spending all these years together, eating and sleeping together, going everywhere with your twin- the bond would no doubt be strong. The only problem you would imagine conjoined twins face is when they get into relationships.  The movie ‘Stuck on you' gave a comical twist to the idea of conjoined twin brothers t

Pay the Ghost (2015)-- My take on the movie with spoilers

PLOT SUMMARY: When his son disappears during a Halloween Carnival, the father learns he may just have a chance to save him from the witch that abducted him during the next carnival. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. If you've rejected her love, she'll hold onto a grudge forever, and if you hurt the ones she loves, she will curse you and your future generations.  Pay the Ghost is yet another tale comprising of a curse uttered eons ago that haunts the present.

The Tall Man --My take on the movie with spoilers

PLOT SUMMARY: When children start going missing in a small town, everyone blames the local legend, The Tall Man.  How do you define a good person? They do kind things, help the needy, keep secrets and never betray those who are close to them. How do you define a bad person? They betray you in the worst possible way. They physically and emotionally hurt people and show little regard for the people around them or their dire circumstances. In movies and books, villains and heroes are carefully and easily identified by the audience. In a visual medium, their introduction is accompanied by an appropriate background score- something peppy for the hero and something ominous for the villain. 

The Midnight Game- My take on the movie (with spoilers)

PLOT SUMMARY: Five friends play a game to summon the Midnight Man and are caught in an endless cycle of nightmares.  How far would you go to seek a sense of thrill? Would you be ready to summon a dark evil and play hide and seek with it? Would you put your life at risk just so you can have a few moments of excitement and anticipation of whether or not you'll die?   Then The Midnight game is just what you need.

Creature 3D and Dark was the Night ( My take on both movies withspoilers)

Two different movies, pretty much one concept. Both movies consist of a similar plot. A creature is awakened in the woods and soon enough terrorizes the town nearby. The thought of running away and the idea of self-preservation never crosses the main character's mind. The town needs a hero and they are it!  I wouldn’t compare the two movies because despite having a similar plot, and eerily the same CGI creature, the two movies are rather enjoyable even though they didn’t really work out at the box office. This brings forth the depressing fact that the horror genre has a very limited audience nowadays and if more movies are not encouraged and watched, the horror genre will soon be wiped out. Oh the horror! Imagine no film makers producing horror movies because there won’t be an audience for them. Why spend so much time and money on a project that won’t yield any profits, right? Of course, the recent movies haven’t been exactly terrifying or nightmare inducing or even

Contemporary Horror Movie (My take)

Over the past few years, the biggest challenge, horror film makers have faced is tackling with the advancement in technology while writing their stories. Classic horror movies are still well loved and movies set in bygone eras are cherished because they expose a world where the things we take for granted are nonexistent.  If we move to a new house, we rely on recommendations from people on whether or not that area is safe or if the house has any hidden damages.  When we buy an antique we verify the buyer and the item being sold to us.  All this is achievable and accessible to us through the internet which makes verification convenient to us, but it is this facility that creates problems for writers who want to write a believable and terrifying story. Which is why I wonder if more and more filmmakers prefer setting their stories in an era where Facebook and Google didn't exist yet. I went on a horror movie binge a couple of weeks back and watched movies that have cleverly incorporat

The Intruders-- My take on the movie (with spoilers)

PLOT SUMMARY: Rose and her father Jerry move into a new house following a tragedy. Once there, Rose finds a dark secret but her father believes she may be imagining things. There used to be a time when the only things you had to look for when moving into a new house were whether or not the neighbourhood was good and relatively crime-free, if the rent of property was competitive and the house itself was free of vermin and mould. Now it seems that you have to check for another, rather important feature- the house must be free of former occupants as well. Imagine being watched all the time and having your privacy invaded. Webcams on laptops and phones already pose a hacking risk. Now imagine that whoever is indulging in this voyeuristic activity is living right in your home. Pretty creepy thought, isn't it?

The Dorm- My take on the movie

PLOT SUMMARY: Shy and awkward Vivian enters college hoping to make a fresh start following a suicide attempt. She befriends a group of girls who seem to have an agenda of their own.  What would you give to become anyone else but you?  The Dorm addresses this serious issue faced by girls who suffer from inferiority complexes. The movie answers this question in one way and then doesn't towards the end when the story finally unravels.

Fascination with horror movies

My fascination with horror continues!  I've been watching tons of horror movies-some titles I've never even heard of- and found some really good ones in the mix. While there have been some produced by big banners and boasting of well-known celebrities, I have to say that they weren't exactly exemplary. In fact, they were quite forgettable.  I'm trying to find some really creepy movies so I can draw inspiration from them and write my next horror novel.  Can't wait to dive into writing again! 

Where's the romance?

While working on my first attempt of a romance novel, I came to realize that love can have so many meanings and it is all because of the way we perceive emotions. A generous desired gift can mean love to some or a subtle smile or kind gesture can mean an act of love. While what we feel can be explained by science and chemicals and hormones, the truth is that we don't all react similarly. What is love? It's a question I've posed in my new book and one I sought out to answer throughout the course of the story. Eventually what I had to struggle with was another mind-boggling question: how do we fall in love? What we call love is one part attraction to physical appearances and one part reaction to our personal needs that include settling down and having a family. Living alone till our old age must be what scares us into subconsciously choosing a partner for us. Or is it? Are we forcing ourselves to fall in love so we can satisfy our insecurities? Perhaps there is something call