Tusk (2014) Review

Tusk is a comedy horror directed by Kevin Smith (the guy behind the Clerks series). For a guy who usually focuses on comedy and comic book related media, it was super interesting to see his dark side. This movie was brought to my attention by my dad, who claims it was one of the most disturbing movies he's ever seen. That's saying something given the history with scary movies he's had. Even my brother backed him, and he's tough as nails. It would take something pretty edgy to weird him out.
The movie focuses on a podcaster who goes to Canada and ends up in an interview with an old man who has a history at sea. This man as it turns out, survived on a deserted island for quite a while with the help of a walrus who saved his life. As his time went on, he eventually was forced to eat the animal, who he had named Mr. Tusk. Now, he seeks to give his friend another chance at life. By which he means surgically turning our protagonist into a walrus.
Now, this is the part where people would nervously laugh or just stand up and leave the movie. The first thing that comes to mind is that Tusk is basically Human Centipede with a walrus instead. Did Kevin Smith really write and direct this?
But its really not. Human Centipede is arguably the most unwatchable torture film ever that tries way too hard and lingers on every detail that would be best left up to audience interpretation. I went into Tusk expecting a movie like that, but left completely underwhelmed.
As strange as the movie is, its actually somewhat decent. It's not too focused on the torture and gory details and saves the shock factor for the walrus man...thing reveal which will effectively burn itself into the viewer's memory. In short, it's basically a man who has his legs removed and arms stitched to his torso. Then his femur bones are sharpened akin to walrus tusks and attached to his face. He is then sewn a walrus suit made from human flesh.
It's not just his physical transformation that is emphasized, but also his mental. This poor man's mind begins to break and he loses grip of his humanity and becomes more like an animal, a walrus. At the same time, his friends from the podcast are looking for him.
Of course, there is some dark comedy thrown in the mix. But depending on who you are, it may not be laughable as it is rather horrifying. For me, it was a little bit of both.
Tusk isn't the best thing ever, nothing I'd write home about. It's understandable that some people find it hard to watch, but that's part of its appeal. It's one of those movies that you have to give a bit of time to appreciate. Also remember, there is much, much worse that the movie industry has to offer then this.
As it turns out, Tusk is also the first part in a trilogy of movies that Kevin Smith has planned. The common theme is Canada, as weird as it sounds. The second movie is in progress, which I don't know a whole lot about. The third movie is apparently titled 'Moose Jaws'. And as Smith puts it, "it's Jaws, but with a Moose."
Say no more, I'm on board.

Horror Icons: Tobe Hooper

Tobe Hooper, every horror fan should know him. He's up there with the greats like John Carpenter and Wes Craven. If you're not familiar with him then you might better remember his 1974 picture, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. If it's bloody and edgy, then Hooper's name is attached to it. Here I'll be running down his movie career, not the whole package just some of his that I've seen and am familiar with.
We'll start with Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Hooper directed completely under a low budget and independently. Before its release, the only monsters we had were demons and the classical likes of Frankenstein and Dracula. Horror was taken to a whole new level when this movie came out as it brought gory bloodshed and sometimes hard to watch scenes. What made it truly scary was the fact that the beginning set up a documentary like setting before diving in. This set up the illusion that the events were true. They weren't really, but it could happen. There's nothing supernatural about a family of maniacs living in the backwoods and killing people after torturing them. The villain, Leatherface, would become one of the future faces of horror with his chainsaw.
The sequel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, was released 12 years later in 1986 with Hooper returning to direct. Not really much to say about it except it upped the bloodshed and took an aim for a dark comedy. A really, really dark comedy. It wasn't as good as the original, but still has that Tobe Hooper feel. From there on out, the series would receive a number of other sequels, each one worse then the last. Then an ok reboot, I guess.
Before Texas Chainsaw 2, Tobe Hooper directed The Funhouse in 1981. My dad saw this movie with his parents while it was in theaters when he was a kid...I think he left the auditorium shaking and traumatized. Its really a lesser known movie and is often included in compilations of underrated horror movies. The plot focuses on a two teen couples attempting to spend the night in a carnival's dark ride funhouse. The attraction is run by a strange man with his son who always wears a Frankenstein monster mask when out in public. I won't give away too much, but the face reveal of the killer will burn itself into anyone's mind, regardless of how it ages.
The following year in 82, Hooper would work alongside Steven Spielberg and bring us Poltergeist. This is a supernatural horror story at its finest. It's also fair to mention that it was rated PG, even though there are some scenes that pushes it into the R territory. Spielberg then got the brilliant idea to suggest a rating that ran between PG and R, and we all know what came of that; the PG-13 rating. So, in a way, Tobe Hooper helped create PG-13. Poltergeist would also go on to be nominated for three Oscars, a rare case for a horror movie. We also got a Poltergeist remake earlier this year...yeah, but why though?
The last Hooper film I remember watching was The Mangler from 1995. Yes, based on the Stephen King short story about a possessed laundry pressing machine. This wasn't the first time Hooper did a King story, he directed a TV movie of Salem's Lot back in the 70s. The movie starred Ted Levine (Buffalo Bill from Silent of the Lambs) and Robert Englund (Freddy from the Nightmare on Elm Street series). For such a short story to be adapted into a movie, new material had to be added. The gore and scare factors play well here and it has the Hooper fib to it, but I guess it didn't work out in the long run. Despite it, it actually stays pretty faithful to the short story, about the same as Children of the Corn did. IMDB is way too harsh on this movie, giving it a 3.9. I say its worth about a 5.5. Its no masterpiece, but its worth a watch. As for the two other sequels, throw them in the garbage.
A few honorable mentions are Salem's Lot (1979), Eaten Alive (1976), and Spontaneous Combustion (1990). Tobe Hooper continues directing today, but all his work is a bit under the radar and don't see a theatrical release unless its big budget. I would agree that Texas Chainsaw Massacre is his magnum opus and heavenly contribution. He made his impact on horror and continues to be referred to as one of the masters of the genre.

SOMA Review

When I last discussed Frictional Games, it was during my revisit to Amnesia A Machine For Pigs, the sequel to The Dark Descent (said to Frictional Games' magnum opus). Unknown to me, is that during that time in September, Frictional Games released a new title, SOMA.
I'm late to jump on the band wagon here. It took me sometime around to actually get the game, then another month or so to complete it. SOMA is another survival horror game, masterfully done by Frictional Games. What sets it apart from the other titles is that it sinks a bit into the Science Fiction genre with its extremely immersive setting.
The game puts you in the role of Simon, a Toronto native, who suddenly finds himself in the underwater lab, Pathos II in the far, doomed future. I'm going to keep this spoiler free, because if you were to play the game knowing everything, then the entire experience would be ruined.
The world of Pathos II is super immersive, everything can play a role in advancing forward and the whole plot isn't explained to you up front. There's interactive objects throughout the levels that elaborate the hidden lore. The gameplay borrows several elements from the Amnesia series. There's no methods of fighting back or attacking, all you have is a light and a certain amount of health (usually its two hits and you're dead). You have to entirely use your wits to continue.
Each of the levels are designed as mazes with certain puzzles that must be completed. The jump from an old dark house to a desolate undersea lab creates a much more claustrophobic feel. If the brain teasers aren't enough, then the robotic monsters will drive any player from taking a break.
The monsters of this game are kind of mixes of barnacles and machinery. They're huge dark blobs for the most part, but it starts to get pretty freighting when they take on humanoid shapes.
Seriously, imagine walking down a dark hallway and the screen starts to become disorienting and you could just make out a human shadow at the end, that's this game. And if your stomach hasn't dropped yet, then the creatures actually break out in a full sprint towards you. You can run all you want, but eventually they will catch you.
But they really appear in every other level. The true essence of SOMA is in its level design and immersion. You can use computer terminals throughout Pathos II to solve the puzzles most of the time, the game heavily stresses this. The hidden lore also has a certain charm to it, like uncovering the mystery about what happened to Pathos II. There's also points in the game where you can make your own decisions and take a break from the linear path, don't worry they don't seem to effect the ending.
So in short, SOMA is another great game released by Frictional Games. And from my time with their library, it's better then Amnesia A Machine For Pigs and slightly falls beneath Amnesia The Dark Descent. Primarily because SOMA doesn't really have a good replay value while The Dark Descent does. Once you know everything, it loses its novelty. But give it one play through and its like being apart of a really good movie.

Tales from the Crypt, A Short Revisit

I'm not talking about the TV series that most people are familiar with, I'm talking about the comic book series from the 1950s which the episodes are based off of. Now, the show didn't draw its inspiration from just the Tales from the Crypt books, but also its running mates (lack for better words); The Vault of Horror and Haunt of Fear. Each of these presented their own collection of stories. Each one had their own mascot-like character, the Crypt Keeper was for Tales from the Crypt, the Vault Keeper was for The Vault of Horror, and the Old Witch was for the Haunt of Fear.
Now, aside from the television series, these comics also inspired other horror classics such as Creepshow and its various sequels. I can't talk about the comics without addressing the stir that they caused. The 1950s was the hay day of creating stereotypical images of what a nuclear family should look like and it was believed that these comic books were unhealthy for kids to read as it would leave bad impressions on their minds. Sort of akin to today's myths that video games and movies would provoke kids to commit violent acts. I beg to differ since people such as R.L. Stine, Stephen King, and George Romero bought and read these as kids and look at them today.
Each issue had three stories within them, each one being from the three different story tellers. As the side bar on the title suggest, they all had something to do with that theme. Tales from the Crypt tried to provoke terror, Vault of Horror was horror, and Haunt of Fear was fear. Some of the best stories arguably came from the Vault of Horror.
They can be enjoyed by anyone since they have been reprinted numerous times since the 50s. I, personally have a few issues from the time they were reprinted in the 90s and the whole set of Tales from the Crypt issues within the three volume set of hardcover books.
I've read a fair amount of the stories, and I can honestly not see why there was such a fuss over them. The stories are extremely well thought out and there isn't a whole lot of emphasis on gore (for better or worse). If anything, I can honestly say that they can provoke creative thinking.
Despite the demise of these comics, numerous revivals have been made to keep them alive.

Crimson Peak Review

Over my Fall Break I was able to see Crimson Peak. I have to be honest, I was super hyped for this movie when it first got announced on IMDB. Maybe it was because a big time director like Guillermo Del Toro was attached to it or there were familiar actors like Tom Hiddleston (Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe) and Mia Wasikowska (Alice from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland). But I think it was because it was advertised as a haunted house based plot taking place in the 1800s and early 1900s. I'm a sucker for ghost stories in the older ages, in fact, my favorite horror film from the millennia is The Woman in Black. Movies like these go back to films like Dracula or Frankenstein in a Gothic Victorian era setting. It kind of reminds me of Amnesia The Dark Descent at times. I won't try to spoil it, but I have to go into it a bit to do it justice. So, I guess, sort of spoiler alert.
When the trailers came out, it was no mystery that this was going to be a horror movie. After all it was marketed as such, highlighting the house itself and jump cuts of the ghosts (whose designs scream Del Toro's name). It seemed like just a mundane horror movie that would meet too much expectations and only horror junkies like myself where drawn to it. After seeing the movie, I can now say that I went in and got something completely different.
The movie centers around a girl named Edith Cushing (Wasikowska), a daughter of a businessman in early 1900s America. She's also a rising writer it seems, since its only mentioned as a side note and doesn't play a huge role (so you'd think). An English Baronet, Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston) arrives in America with his sister (Jessica Chastain) seeking an investment from Edith's father to assist him in his clay mining projects. He and his sister live in a mansion outside of their native town and is located just above a mine of particular red clay.
Edith spends time with Thomas during his visit, despite her father rejecting him and even bribing him to leave and they fall in love. When Edith's father is murdered by an unseen killer, she marries Sharpe and moves in with him.
That's all back story and at this point you might be wondering, well where are the ghosts? Isn't this a ghost story? There may or not be a debate on this, is Crimson Peak a horror movie? Wikipedia has it listed as a gothic romance film. I will never in a million years pay money to see a romance movie and it certainly didn't feel like one. However, the movie appears to be aware of this. Edith is said to be in the process of writing a book, we never get to see what its about but everyone who looks at it calls it a ghost story. To which Edith replies that its not and the ghosts are merely metaphors of the past.
She just described the movie, this blew my mind. Edith first began seeing ghosts as a young girl, in fact, it was that of her own mother warning her of Crimson Peak. So, she isn't surprised in anyway that ghosts are real and there's no tedious build up to there appearance.
So what's the point of the movie? If its not about the ghosts, then what is it about? I think its a mystery, like Amnesia The Dark Descent its someone trying to figure out what the deal is with the house they find themselves in.
We associate ghosts with death and haunting, meaning that they were once living people who passed away and now haunt the house of Crimson Peak. There's quite a few ghosts in that house, all of which are young women and there's even one of a baby. How did they die? Why is Thomas and his sister always acting so weird?
So, gothic romance or horror, Crimson Peak is one of the smartest movies in the genre I've seen in a while. And yes, I believe it falls into the horror category. For all I know, Dracula was a gothic romance and that went on to become an horror icon. As for a Guillermo Del Toro movie, it definitely feels like one with its creature designs and some actors who appeared in his earlier Pacific Rim also pop in and out. If you liked Pan's Labyrinth, then you'll like Crimson Peak.

So...We're Getting a Friday the 13th Videogame

I couldn't believe it myself when I first heard it. Gaming sites all around at least have some small mention of a Friday the 13th game in development for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. As you would it expect, it is based on the slasher series of the same name. It's hard to imagine that it would be possible to make a game of such. The last time they tired it was back in the 80s for the oldest of game consoles when cartridges were still a thing. The same happened to A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and even Halloween (all of which didn't work out too well since they were just advertising the films that were recently released. The Friday the 13th game, released in 1989 was infamous for being a horrible game.
This time, the people who were involved in the movie seem to be supporting the release of this game. Tom Savini (the special effects director) and Kane Hodder (the actor who played Jason in parts 7-10) are reported to have some involvement.
However, the main hype about this game comes from the fact that Jason will actually be a playable character. In the 1989 game, you played the role of a camp employee rescuing campers while at the same time, avoiding and fighting Jason. It's also announced to be multiplayer with some players taking the role of counselors while one plays as Jason and must kill them all off, just like in the movies.The premise kind of remind me of Evolve released just last year, in which four players take the role of monster hunters while one is the monster. The game ends with the monster killing all the hunters or vice versa. The monster, being against four other people, is given more powerful abilities and more to work with. Jason, being the hard-to-kill machete wielding maniac we all know and love, might take some effort to defeat. When it comes to the methods of killing, we can expect a lot. Since Tom Savini, the master of gore himself will be designing them.
There's not a whole lot to tell about the game since it hasn't been released yet. What we do know is that it is being funded by Kickstarter and is being developed by Gun Media. A final release date has yet to be announced.

The Haunting of Hill House (1959) by Shirely Jackson Review

I'm starting to get a bit lazy with these posts. Instead of reviewing something I've seen or read recently, I'm covering something I read sometime in January. Now, the only other time I've heard of Shirely Jackson was in 7th grade when we read her short story, The Lottery. It came as a bit of shock to me, seeing how she decided to write a horror story sometime in her career. However, who am I to judge a book that is considered to be one of the best ghost stories of the 20th century and a finalist for the National Book Reward?
The Haunting of Hill House is known for incorporating terror rather then horror to ensure a unique reading experience. It's really your classic haunted house story, taking four outsiders and placing them into this house. We have Dr. Montague (paranormal investigator), Eleanor (the main focused character with mommy issues), Luke (the heir to the house), and Theodora (an artist). There are also Mr. and Mrs. Dudley (the caretakers of the house who always leave at nightfall) and later on they are joined my Mrs. Montague and Arthur (a headmaster of some school). All the characters are unique in their personalities and all seemed to be developed well. They're all staying in the house by the request of Dr. Montague to see if the rumors of Hill House really being haunted are true.
Throughout the book, they all encounter something paranormal but Eleanor is the only one who experiences it more with the others not knowing a whole lot. These events are your classic haunted house scenarios; shadowy figures roaming the halls, writing on the walls which no one claims to have done, and things moving on their own. Of course, the house's history is explored. Hill House had a past of deaths and suicides since the time of its construction in the late 1800s. Death related events within a facility usually point to reasons why it is haunted in most instances. Crimson Peak, coming out soon this month and I plan it to see, seems to have drawn a bit of influence from this book it seems.
For me, I don't think my reading experience of this book wasn't what it should've been. I felt that it moved at a slow pace, mostly lingering on the interactions between the characters rather then the hauntings at hand. In fact, I really can't recall a whole lot happening within the first one hundred twenty pages, and the book is only two hundred forty six. What really is the most elaborated on is Eleanor and Theodora's relationship, even more so then supernatural forces inhabiting the house. The book really amps up the terror factor by the end. It's not one of my favorite books, but I'm well aware of the place it holds in the history of horror. I may not have enough evidence to back this up, but could this be the book that started the trend of a group of people venturing into a haunted house? I'm not sure since some of the Vincent Price movies from the fifties explored the same territory. He was in a movie called "House on Haunted Hill" in 1959, the same year Shirely Jackson published The Haunting of Hill House, is there a connection? Probably not.
As for more media adaptions, two movie forms of The Haunting of Hill House were made. There was the 1963, which is the proclaimed "good one", being faithful to the book, and the 1999 one which was met with negative reception despite having big time actors like Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Owen Wilson.
So, The Haunting of Hill House, is it worth a read? Yes, but don't expect it cutting right to the chase. It's best to give it a little bit of time to let it wind up.

Horror Icons: Rob Zombie

While backing up my iTunes library, I remembered that I had missed "Living Dead Girl" by Rob Zombie by the time I got to the 'S' section. I knew the 'L' section was missing something. I had first heard the song when I watched Bride of Chucky, the fourth entry in the Child's Play series, a while back. It played throughout the opening credits. It didn't take long for me to explore more into Rob Zombie's career; music wasn't his only contribution to the horror genre.
Back when Fear Net was still on Comcast's On Demand, I would spend nights reaping the free movies they had. There was one night, I think I was in eighth grade when I watched House of 1000 Corpses (2003), Zombie's first directorial debut. I watched it a couple more times over the years. My opinion of it didn't seem to change in the slightest. It wasn't a bad movie; in a nutshell it was really a mediocre torture porn. It primarily focused on a family of serial killers living in the backwoods torture and kill a group of traveling teenagers. The movie cast included Bill Mosely, Sid Haig, and Sheri Moon Zombie (Rob Zombie's wife) all of whom would later go on to be regulars in his films. For the young age when I first saw it, I was a bit shocked more then scared because of all the sadistic torture scenes. Now, I look back at it with somewhat more of a positive outlook. At least it didn't go to overboard and it was something original. Think about it, not too many horror films in the millennium are original, its usually remakes and sequels.
Speaking of which, a sequel was released two years later; The Devil's Rejects (2005). This one received much more praise then the original, in fact it was far better. It follows three members of the Firefly family as they run from the law. After all they're wanted for over 1000 counts of murder. It falls into more of the crime genre, but I still managed to enjoy it. Bill Mosely and Sid Haig's performances placed them among the famed actors in the horror genre, like Kane Hodder who played Jason Voorhees. There was even a petition to have Mosely nominated for an Oscar because of his performance. It was an instance where the sequel was better then the original.
Rob Zombie would go under my radar until 2007, where he directed a remake of John Carpenter's Halloween, one of the prime slasher films in horror history. Now, I didn't see it until it was out on DVD. The movie itself was really more of a tribute to the original; the Halloween theme plays (far too much if you ask me), scenes from Carpenter's version are remade verbatim, and not a whole lot is changed. The way I saw it, it was really Zombie waving a flag around while yelling, "Hey! Hey! I just got the rights to Halloween!" It did offer more of an exploration of Michael Myer's (the killer) origin through a lengthy opening. John Carpenter's version had Myers more in the role of an entity/demonic presence, that gave the film charm and a theme. Now, Zombie tries to make him more human and relatable, not the best thing to do to the antagonists from a horror film.
Like the original Halloween, Rob Zombie's also got a sequel; Halloween II (2009). I saw this while it was in theaters with my dad since the first one kind of fascinated me. All the other slashers were getting reboots at this time like Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Halloween II, I kind of like to ignore it like its the plague. The main focus is again Michael Myer's mission to kill Laurie Strode, but this time it gives much more insight on why. Apparently Myers is acting on his dead mother's will, who he sees throughout the movie, from the afterlife I guess. In the Zombie version, Michael never killed his mother like in the original. Instead she committed suicide while he was in the asylum. Laurie is established as his younger sister (something that actually did happen in the original series) and its sad that the entirety of the Myers family must die. There wasn't a whole lot appeal to this movie, if anything it really wasn't necessary. The original Halloween II was required because the first one ended in a cliff hanger, it was necessary to continue the story. Zombie's is almost the same as the first, its just Michael trying to kill Laurie again. Carpenter's sequel took place in a hospital right after the first one and had a new atmosphere. The newer one never really changed setting. I do remember that not too many people left the theater happy when I went with my dad.
The same year he directed a direct to DVD animated movie for adults, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto. I've only seen bits and pieces, but it is very funny and references horror films throughout. For now, I've kind of jumped off the Rob Zombie bandwagon. I know that in 2013, he directed Lords of Salem (which I haven't seen) and in 2016, a movie called 31 will be released. 31 really does sound interesting. It focuses around the dark carnival theme with demented clowns, that really appeals to me, so I might end up seeing it in theaters when it comes out.

Ten of my Favorite Creepypastas

In my first post I mentioned that we'll be going back to the subject of creepypasta. For those unfamiliar with creepypasta, then its basically horror stories posted on the internet by horror fans alike. The prime hub for it is the creepypasta wiki. The Youtube user, Mr.Creepypasta, does readings of such and posts them for people's listening enjoyment. I have complied a list of ten of my favorite stories. Note that Mr.Creepypasta has made videos of them and they are relatively easy to find.

10. Ben Drowned-One of the most popular creepypastas on the web. Creepypasta works in categories, two of which are lost episodes and videogame (both of which got old really fast and no longer hold the novelty that they used to). Ben Drowned was either one of the first videogame pastas or simply one that was done right. The premise is the blog posts of someone who experienced unnatural evens while playing Majora's Mask (Legend of Zelda) on his Nintendo 64. The posts describe the game functioning in ways it shouldn't, as if it was trying to contact him. However the true culprit is the entity that inhabits the game cartridge. It claims its name is Ben, the very same name of a local kid who had drowned. What makes this story so great is that there are some gameplay videos you would watch as you read through it.

9. The Suicide King-What makes this story so unnerving is the fact that it just might be true. Ever wonder why the king of hearts in a playing card deck seems to be stabbing himself in the head with a dagger? That's because its based off of King Charles VII of France, who was said to have gone insane and took his own life by stabbing himself in the head with a sword.

8. Lack of Empathy- A story told from the point of view of a sociopath. He cares for no one but himself and takes extreme joy in watching people's pitfalls that he caused. When a family moves next door, he sees them as new victims for his amusement. Its interesting to have a narrator who isn't exactly mentally stable. You're able to see the world and other people how he sees them and for the first time, you may or may not be rooting for the bad guy. Which begs the question, is he the protagonist or the antagonist?

7. The Huntsville Camping Trip- The woods is a great setting in the genre of horror. It's a land of isolation, far away from anywhere civilized. Four teens go on an annual camping trip in the woods of Huntsville. All seems like a friendly reunion until one of them comes across a seemingly empty cabin. This pasta exists to unnerve the reader and does an extremely good job of it. There's nothing the reader can do to make sense of what the campers encounter. The ending(I won't spoil it) is up for interpretation.

6. Abandoned by Disney- There's a number of pastas that deal with Disney and its parks. After all, there's so many urban legends and dark secrets that the company holds. Abandoned by Disney details an investigator's venture to Mogli's Palace, a resort that was built in the Bahamas by Disney then left for reasons unknown . As he descents deeper into the ruined hotel property the reasons for its abandonment become clear and more terrifying. There's also a sequel, Room Zero, which achieves the same level of morbid intrigue that the first one does; exploring more of Disneyland's urban legends.

5. The Russian Sleep Experiment-One of the only pastas that isn't told from first person POV. Scientist in Soviet Russia are tasked to keep five political prisoners awake for a month using a gas. For the first five days, all is well. Then things start to go haywire. The test subjects become more ghoul-like, screaming and sprinting around the test chamber. When they aren't heard from for a week or so, the scientists make the decision to open the chamber. What awaits them are truly horrifying results. This is also one of the more well known and popular pastas. It keeps the reader on edge, always wanting to know more and what's going to happen. Its one of those stories which asks the question; could it really happen?

4. Anasi's Goatman Story- Another story with kids in the woods, only now there are at least ten of them. It seems like a fun filled camping trip in the woods in a trailer, but throughout the story there's always this copper/blood smell following them around. This is one of the signs that a being called "the Goatman" is near. It's said to stalk large groups of people and even infiltrate them by disguising itself. Already we have a group of teens in the woods who are full aware that something is stalking them. This gives way for paranoia and an intense feeling of dread. It kind of reminds me of John Carpenter's The Thing; a group of people isolated with an unnatural creature that can hid in plain sight and of course not knowing who to trust.

3. Grad Night at the Haunted Mansion- Yet another Disney-based story. Three high school seniors decide to spend the night in the Haunted Mansion ride in Disneyland during their grad night. Again, there's nothing more scary then the secrets that the Disney company holds. And these three unfortunate graduates end up running to one of the most infamous.

2. 1999- This is a big one, it would take about an hour to read the whole pasta in one sitting. In 1999, the narrator received his own TV for his room as a child. He had access to the channel, Caledon Local 21. This odd channel broadcasted shows of questionable nature, the prime one being "Mr. Bear's Cellar". It was aimed at children and featured a man dressed as bear (like Bear in the Big Blue House) and children (child actors) visiting him in his basement. Overtime, the show became more and more bizarre and frightening. The child actors would always choke up with tears, as if they didn't want to be there at all. While the actor portraying Mr. Bear's intentions became much more sinister. Other shows are also explored on the channel, and they all seem to connect back to "Mr. Bear's Cellar". The police reports of missing children also begin to add up...

1. The Puppetmaster's Regime- I really do love investigations into dark territory and that's exactly what Puppetmaster's Regime is. I can read/listen to it for hours and never get bored of it. The protagonist is investigating a play from the 30s called "The Puppetmaster's Regime". The production was known for mentally scarring those who had seen it and even ended with all the actors being killed on stage. As more is uncovered, the play's dark origin is also explored. We follow the narrator through his investigation; going through old documents about the original premiere, interview with a survivor, and even going to see a revival of the demented musical. There's twists and turns and sometimes things appear that are even hard to imagine. There's tones of mystery and shock and it even ventures into supernatural territory. Its the perfect blend that can really delight any avid horror reader.  

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs Revisited

I have a lot of games on Steam. I've converted from console gaming to PC because its just easier that way. Games always are released for PC users and they never have to upgrade like with an Xbox or PlayStation. Another reason why is because the library of PC games is much larger then that of a console. This paves the ways for a whole lot of indie games that are excusive. The Amnesia series from Frictional Games is one such. The first one, Amnesia The Dark Descent, released in 2010, took the PC community by storm. People praised it for its immersion and intriguing game play. The objective of the game was to navigate through a Gothic mansion haunted by dark forces. You couldn't fight back and could only rely on hiding for survival. I've played through it several times, taking advantage of the interaction based endings I could perform. The novelty wore off and eventually I became familiar with the stage layouts and scares. But it still has a place on my list of favorite games.
Then in 2013, after much talk and expectation, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs was released. I played through it that same day and completed it in three hours. I thought to myself "Eh, it was ok." My hype for it died out a while ago. It was recently when I decided to play through it again, just to make sure I still was familiar with it. It soon all came back to me.
A Machine for Pigs is actually a prequel rather then a sequel, taking place a couple years before The Dark Descent. You're given a new character and setting, so playing the first game isn't required to have an idea as to what is going on. The plot revolves around Oswald Mandel, an industrialist and butcher, trying to find his two sons on New Years Eve 1899. Instead of taking place in a single mansion, its expanded to small town in London. Oswald is guided by someone called the "engineer" into a secret lair of sorts underground where it is claimed his children are held by a machine. This machine is capable of turning men into pig-like monsters and will continue to do so until it assimilates the global population, starting with London. The pig monsters can be encountered regularly throughout the game. As Oswald continues down, he slowly regains his memory and figures out he's more closer to the machine then he realizes.
Now there are differences in the second entry, for better or worse. The first is the lantern. In The Dark Descent, you have a lantern to light up dark areas (which is pretty much the entire game). The issue with it is that it runs out of oil and must be refilled. The lantern in A Machine for Pigs never runs out and can be accessed at anytime even when not needed. It makes navigating easier, but it must be hidden when the man pigs are near. While on the subject of the monsters; their designs are...scary to say the least. I've always enjoyed pig-like creatures and they seem to have their place in the horror genre. Appearing in movies like Motel Hell and Saw III and IV. The ones in The Dark Descent are hard to describe, but also deliver the same sense of fright. The game has a detection noise that they make when they find out your location. Trust me, its truly heart dropping when you hear that sound and the visuals only add to it.
So is it a better game then the first one with all these improvements. In my opinion, close but no banana. The reason I say that is because the gameplay. The Dark Descent was very open world like. Sure it had a start point and an end point but it offered many more in game interactions. A Machine for Pigs is very linear, its almost like a visual novel. It tries to keep you moving in a straight line to get from beginning to end while in the first game you can make curves here and there. I do, however, like the premise of the second game better. It's not too cryptic and is very upfront with everything. It's not too memorable though, consider I had to have a second play through to remind myself.
A Machine for Pigs was met with mixed to positive reviews. Most people agree that The Dark Descent is better. I see why, it's longer, requires more thinking, and has a much higher scare factor then the second one. In my opinion, its a good entry into the series. Keeping up with the connecting theme of forgetting something then slowly remembering it through a terrifying journey, but its a tad bit short and too one tracked.

The Green Inferno Review

Before jumping into a review itself, I want to address the history that led up to this movie. The Green Inferno was directed by Eli Roth and was intended for a release in 2013 upon its actual completion. However, it was pushed back not one but two years later. I was a bit confused since a very small part of me wanted to see it, then I completed forgot about it. I thought maybe it was to gory or hardcore for a release. But then again, Human Centipede 3 is aloud to see the light of day, so why not this?
The Green Inferno is Eli Roth's tribute to the older film from the eighties, Cannibal Holocaust (which from what I remember wasn't actually a jewel itself). Why would anyone want to pay homage to Cannibal Holocaust anyway? It was one of the most realistic and shocking movies of its time. Filmed in a documentary format with extreme practical gore effects, it was taken into investigation for being a snuff film. In fact, the director actually made the actors sign a contract to "disappear" for a year to make the film seem real. His innocence was proven when they appeared in the courtroom. Cannibal Holocaust is one of those films that tries a bit too hard to shock the viewers, incorporating massive amounts of gore, torture, and even rape of all things. Now, I like gore since it adds to the realism of horror and all around looks cool when done right, but rape doesn't sit well with me as I'm sure it doesn't with most people. It's a sign that the movie is trying too hard to shock the audience. Thankfully, The Green Inferno doesn't have any scenes of the sort.
This is Eli Roth we're talking about, the guy who discovered his passion for movies by vomiting during the chest bursting scene from Alien. He has since began making disgusting films like Hostel and Hostel 2, Green Inferno is no exception. The setting is once again with a cannibal tribe in the amazon like Cannibal Holocaust. This time the victims are college teens on a philanthropy trip rather then nature show staff. Their plane crashes in the jungle on the return trip and they fall into the clutches of a cannibal tribe. The tribe is in danger of losing their land to a logging company and think that the students are part of that organization. I like that, giving the antagonist(s) reasonable motives. It's like Jason from Friday the 13th, having witnessed his mother's death by the hands of a camp councilor. The rest of the movie is basically a torture porn(that's actually a real genre). We have it all; dismemberment, cannibalism, slow methods of killing, all done in front of the camera with no cutting away. In the end, the cliché of the sole female survivor escapes with her life with the help of a tribe member who feels for her(a child), kind of like The Hills Have Eyes.
In short, there's a line drawn between shock and fear. Fear is what the horror genre has been striking at for years. Audiences feel it when suspense is built up towards a jump scare and when a monster is revealed. Shock purely comes from images, presented in either books or films. Both need each other to function properly. A movie that does this right is Hatchet; the monster/killer is scary looking and the gory ways he kills both add up to a shocking and terrifying result. The Green Inferno only offers shock...and that's really about it. But the good thing about it, is that it doesn't try too hard to bring as much gore to screen as possible.

Krampus Trailer, First Impressions

http://www.traileraddict.com/krampus/trailer

I first found out that there was going to be a movie about the Krampus legend sometime in August, a little bit before school started. I thought it was just going to be another direct to DVD movie from the Sci-Fi channel, living up to all the low budget values; terrible actors, bad CGI that looked like it was done in IMovie, and an unoriginal story line that was recycled from one of their other movies. However upon viewing the trailer for Krampus, I found out it was nothing of the sort and is actually something to look forward to.
Firstly, this movie is expecting a theatrical release on December 4th. Yeah, it will actually be shown on the silver screen so the bar is already set. The Sci-Fi channel has nothing to do with it, it's all Universal. The plot was also something I wasn't expecting. I thought it would revolve around a group of teenagers being put in peril, being killed off one by one by the Krampus, etc. (Something that is usually typical of the Sci-Fi channel). But then again, why would the Krampus go after teenagers? Isn't he suppose to punish the "naughty children"? And why would teenagers even believe in Santa and the Krampus? Wouldn't they've outgrown it by now?
Finally on to the trailer itself (this is just speculation based on what I saw). The story is set in the household of a dysfunctional family on Christmas Eve. Would you know it, actors that are recognizable are in this movie. Adam Scott, Toni Collette and David Koechner. It's not often horror movies get actors that are well known, usually its people who were hired on the spot or those whose careers(if that's what you can call them) that are either starting up and crashing down, usually the second one. The main focus is that the child of the family, Max, has gone Scrooge; no longer taking part in the festive spirit of Christmas. I guess that counts as being naughty, so the bad Santa; the Krampus pays them a visit with his posse of holiday demons.
Now for those not familiar with the character of the Krampus must be familiar with his opposite, Santa. The Krampus is the bad Santa, there's so many interpretations of him. One such is that he visits the naughty children on Christmas Eve, instead of Santa, and just leaves coal in their stocking. The variations grow darker; some say that he kidnaps children and refuses to let them go until they change their ways. Others say that he just straight up kills them and takes their soul back to Hell for all eternity.
Now as he appears in the movie has been revealed with screenshots, but I try to avoid them because it might spoil it for me. Part of a horror movie's shock value is the monster reveal and I like to see it when the time is right. From the small glimpses of him in the trailer, he takes on a traditional demon like form with a Santa coat. I must say I am impressed, again I was expecting bad CGI but with the effects being done by Legendary (Godzilla and Pacific Rim), it looks quite appealing and frightening.
I really do look forward to seeing this movie when it comes out. It's not too often when we get a Christmas horror film, at least on where Santa isn't the monster. This is that done right; Santa isn't evil and with him in the antagonist seat doesn't really sit well. I may not enter the theater expecting anything big, but with this new insight on what Krampus is going to be; my spirits have been raised. It will be good to see a new movie this holiday season, mercy forbid I have to sit through Elf again.

From Beyond (1920) by H.P Lovecraft Review

Howard Phillips Lovecraft has been my favorite author since I discovered him during my senior year in high school. I had purchased a book, for the purpose of a project for my creative writing class, said to include pieces that are said to be his very best. Among the masterpieces such as 'The Call of Cthulhu', 'At The Mountains of Madness' and 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth' was 'Herbert West-Reanimator. I was excited to read it because I had seen Stuart Baker's cult classic "H.P Lovecraft's Reanimator" before hand. However, no more then two years after the film's release Baker directed another movie based off a Lovecraft story; "From Beyond". Most of the actors from "Reanimator" returned for the production, seemingly making it a follow up to it.
The short story itself wasn't in the book I owned. 'From Beyond' never received the praise that 'The Call of Cthulhu' did and fell into obscurity. I searched book stores and libraries for it, but not many Lovecraftian books contained it. I cut my losses and read it offline. Call me old school, but I just like having a physical copy out in front of me.
Like the rest of Lovecraft's works, 'From Beyond' walks the bridge between horror and science fiction. The plot goes as follows; the narrator describes his scientist friend, Crawford Tillinghast, to be shunned by the scientific community. The focus is a machine that Tillinghast created. It emits vibration waves which heightens human senses, stimulating the pineal gland. The pineal gland is the part of the human brain which regulates sleep. With these heightened senses, the human subject is able to see the parallel reality exists within our own. Creatures, not of this Earth, appear. They float around in mid air, appearing as glowing blue masses which cannot be described without difficulty.
The story revolves around narrator recalling experiencing this with Tillinghast. Here the story makes the jump from science fiction to horror, growing more darker. It is revealed that the machine works both ways, allowing the creatures from the other dimension is see humans. In fact, one of the creatures killed Tillinghast's house servants. Terrified when one of the creatures near him, the narrator destroys the machine by gunfire. Tillinghast has a stroke and dies while the narrator falls unconscious. The police show up later; they take the narrator in for questioning and investigate the scene. They come down to the conclusion that Tillinghast killed his own servants for reasons unknown. While the narrator is released, he can never feel alone knowing that a whole other world exists within his own.
I was happy to finally be able to read it. It's no 'Call of Cthulhu', but its one of the entries in the Lovecraftian libraries that shouldn't be forgotten. It's a short read and is easily accessible by the internet. Stuart Baker's film is a whole other story, taking a four page story and turning it into a movie. It made sense with 'Reanimator' because the story itself was split into chapters with events occurring in a chronological order. This one is just one event after an explanatory introduction. Watch the movie not to compare to the short story, but for the special effects.
All in all, 'From Beyond' is intriguing, thought provoking and enjoyable. The premise of a mad scientist, with seemingly good intentions, creating something that only brings chaos and terror is prized in the genre of horror.

The Vertigo Ring

The following is a short piece I wrote for my creative writing class. I decided to post it here for your reading enjoyment.

The Vertigo Ring

 

Sam Rakestraw

From the time since his late fifties to his death, Dr. Riley Sheridan was known for his work in mental rehabilitation at the asylum in his home town of colonial New York during the sixteen hundreds. He was also known for the two rings he always wore when out in public. A wedding band on his left finger and a particular blue one with a silver lining on his right. By now, you can already see that I’m broaching the urban legend of “Dr. Sheridan and the Vertigo Ring’ or “The Vertigo Ring” for short. Since it’s time, the credibility of the accounting has been questioned several times, making it one of the most debate history subjects in the state of New York.

    My uncle is the assistant curator at the natural history museum in Albany. Every now and then, he’ll let me pop in during the after hours to satisfy my hunger for historical knowledge, being a history major and all. It was on Saturday when the archives of the museum received a new shipment. Inventory included some civil war correspondence letters, author’s notes on Thoreau’s Walden, a few newspaper clippings detailing the fall of the stock market at the end of the twenties, among several other documents needing preservation.

    My uncle soon found a yellow shoebox at the bottom of the shipping crate. Inside, was the complete diary of Riley Sheridan during his years at the asylum. My uncle was reluctant to put it on display since, again, it was historically unclear. I asked him for it, just to read and to maybe determine whether or not it may be eligible for display.

    Based off what I found and the number of pages that were illeligible, it’s best to start with the first entry.

27th of August, 1692

    Poor Agatha lost her battle with insanity today, lynched herself with bed sheets from her own cell. I’ve begged Warden Porter to instill sandpaper rather than sheets, but he has a deaf ear turned towards me.

    It was such a shame because I was so close with Agatha! Her mind was almost repaired and completely free of the madness that clouded it. Granted, her husband and infant child are dead because of her, but I believe that even the minds of the most corrupted can be remedied.

    Even now the Warden is displeased with my performance as this is the fourth patient of mine who has committed suicide this quarter. However, he sees my struggle and has granted me with a temporary leave in coming of next month. I believe this would be a better time than ever to take my wife, Martha, around the colonies and see new sights. I’ve already reserved a carriage bound to Salem. Some time in the country would do me good away from this hub of madness. Work related entries will resume upon my return.

2nd of October, 1692

I return from my break with a clear mind and conscience. It was the perfect break, sometime with a loved one can heal a troubled mind. The colonies were beautiful, the people were welcoming, and unknown faces became acquaintances.  

However, it is at this joyful time where I must recollect a rather...grave experience. It was on a night during the return trip through Salem. They’re a rather superstitious lot, in that town, pointing fingers at everyone with accusations of practicing witchcraft. For someone like me, it was best to steer clear of them. I’m better than that.

It was during the late hours when my wife asked me to run an errand at the general store in town, open from dusk till down. The moon and path lights guided me from the hut we rented to the town. The route included a small stone bridge crossing over a river. The water flowed rather fast, even the pebbles at the bottom moved along with it.

I was halfway across when I suddenly heard a loud gasp for air, followed by rapid splashing and a scream. It came from directly under the bridge. Beneath the stone arch was an elderly woman, stripped of all articles of clothing and struggling to stay afloat. One of her hands gripped a nearby rock at the bank while the other clumsily thrashed around besides her. I rushed over to her, grabbed her hand and tried to pull her ashore but she went nowhere. The poor hag was anchored down with a ball and chain around one of her ankles. Her purpose in the river was clear; she was said to be a witch.

The woman’s struggling suddenly ceased when her gaze met mine for the first and only time. Then she spoke to me in a calm, hushed tone.

“I’ve been waiting for someone like you,” she told me. I was confused, what did she mean?

Her hand suddenly shot open and seized mine by the wrist. The other which she had been using to tread water placed something in my open hand. I didn’t get a look at once, she closed my fist around it with hers. Her dying eyes pierced my own as she said her final words.

“Keep it safe and whatever you do...don’t fight it.” A grin spread across her face as she let go and was dragged into the depths.

I backed away from the river, breathing heavily. The haunting image of her grin clawed its way into my mind. My hand slowly opened, revealing what she had given to me.

A ring, a blue band with silver lining on it’s edges. My fear turned to sympathy. I’m not an investor in the supernatural and I certainly don’t believe in witches. What that old woman had said made sense now. She wanted me to take care of this family heirloom in her time of passing. I couldn’t deny someone their dying wish.

I slipped the ring around my finger and went about my night. Upon returning to the hut, my wife asked me about the ring. I told her I found it in the streets and didn’t want it to go to waste. It was a necessary fib, she would’ve had me get rid of it had she known the truth.

Tomorrow I make my return to the asylum. Patient related entries will resume regularly then.

10th of October, 1692

    This is truly a joyous day! In all my years here, I’ve finally had a breakthrough! With the passing of Agatha, I was able to focus more on another patient of mine; Connor Fitzpatrick. Mr. Fitzpatrick was admitted two years ago, a child was murdered by his hands, you see. He claimed that “a man in a black robe with a human skull for a face” forced him against his will. He seemed incurable upon his arrival, this figment of his imagination plagued him night and day. Over the course of the last few days, I found a way to suppress his insanity. It won’t be long now until I can entirely exorcise it. Now, Mr. Fitzpatrick is more stable, his vision of the robed figure seemed to have come to an end. He works in the laundry room, he’s even been permitted to leave his cell and allowed in the courtyard. Because of the nature of his crime, release from the asylum isn’t an option. But at least he isn’t tortured anymore.

    It seems like a miracle, I return with a golden touch. My wife has joked that the new ring I acquired in Salem is a good luck charm of sorts. I humored her with this theory. Only someone desperate would believe in superstitions like that. I was just a tired man in need of a rest period, I leave it at that. I must now return home to Martha, an accomplishment of this gravity requires a dinner outing.

14th of October, 1692

    The last few days have decreased in speed, I must’ve caught something. Headaches run rampant and my cranium lightens in weight. Even know as I write my non dominant hand clutches my forehead. I experience no cold or rise in temperature. Before I go to rest my head, I must take a moment to reflect on...a burden on my mind.

I was enroute home from the Asylum, given an early dismissal. As I passed through the market district, sharp odor suddenly presented itself. It smelled as if a wolf’s pelt had reached the later forms of decomposition; rotting and foul. The source soon became clear when I spotted the girl. She stood in one of the alleys, no older than the age of ten. Black, ragged clothes adorned her tiny frame and her tangled mess of dark hair covered her face. Her image akin to a beggar, quite common in the market district on busy days.

I have a weakness for children, since Martha wasn’t capable of producing such. To see someone so young in such a poor condition stirred my concern. I also wanted to know who she was. I live in a rather small community, so naturally everyone is acquainted with each other, this girl was unknown to me. For a while, I followed her down the alley. The bystanders rummaging through the dust bins seemed to take no notice in our small chase. They seemed to be aware of my presence, but not the girl’s. It was a matter of seconds before she turned a corner. I slowly followed, not wanting to scare her. But when I came around the same corner, there was nothing but the blankness of a brick wall.

I have some unanswered questions, so much inquires. Who was she? Where was her family? How did she lose me so easily and quickly? Was someone of her size able to climb a wall composed of bricks that stretched that high in such a short instance?

That wasn’t the last time I saw her though. Throughout my entire walk home, I could swear that I could see small glimpses of her in the corner of my eye. I kept a mental list of the times I saw her; inside store windows with her head pressed against the glass, behind light posts, and even camouflaged in groups of patrons who oddly seemed to take no notice in her at all. She never moved or took steps, she just stood still with her hands at her sides and head facing the ground. She gave occasional heaves, silent heaves; mimicking movements that a child would make when laughing but completely devoid of anything audible. All the while, the smell of rotting wolf pelt accompanied her.

Upon arriving to my house, the smell subsided but the headaches worsened. I think it would be best for me to lay in bed for know until dinner is served. I’ll abandon my probing of the girl, her parents (if she has any) will have to take care of her. They also better give her a rub down, that scent can choke the strongest of colts.

21st of October, 1692

    Today, Silas Marl; the thief who had been charged with manslaughter walked out as a free man. He was kept in the asylum in fear that his first taste of human blood would evolve into an insatiable hunger. Methods that I tried on him in the past, that proved to be futile, now work all of a sudden. He’s no longer resistant to better himself. In fact, he learned to value human life rather than disregard. He was deemed sane and released. He now works as a land baron’s houseboy.

    Warden Porter is immensely pleased with me, raising my pay and promoting me to the head of psychiatric evaluations. The community have also caught on to my work. They praise me for it! Two lives repaired in one month’s time! I must hold a record!

    Despite my slow rise to fame, I still find myself...troubled by this mysterious illness. The headaches work in unpredictable patterns, disappearing early in the day but resuming within the setting of the sun. They are not the only thing that comes and goes, sadly. The mysterious girl still follows me when I pass through town. The sightings of her slowly become far more unsettling with each passing encounter. However, after the previous day, she presents her intentions as slightly...sinister.

    The girl stood upon my homefront, back turned towards my front door. She had seemingly followed me home from the marketplace. Her presence was announced by the scent of decaying fur, so powerful that I was able to detect it from my bedroom on the second floor. Again, she stood just beyond the front of my house...for a passing of ten minutes. The entire time she was silently heaving like she had during our first encounter. I was about to go outside and offer her some food and drink, but she was revealed to be elsewhere when I opened the door.

What’s more is that my wife was home with me at the time. I asked her about the smell and if she had seen the girl. Her eyebrows rose as she looked up from her reading at me. She stated that the only scent she could smell was the embers of the fire pit. As for a girl, well she simply had never seen one around.

I know she’s there. It is extremely unsettling to think that I can be the only one who sees her. More to think about is her motives; why follow me? What does she want?...Am I going insane?

*The next several entries are mostly illegible, the ink experiencing intense decay from the aging process. However, upon further inspection the entries are all detailing numerous asylum patients’ rehabilitation and in some cases; release. As for the little girl in rags, she doesn’t seem to make appearances anymore*

27th of December, 1692

    The relocation to the mansion went mighty smoothly. Martha and myself are settled in nicely. The pay I earned from the asylum, along with the earnings from the editorial I wrote last week added up to a hefty sum. So much as I was able to to present the property deed to Martha on Christmas Day, the timing could not have been better. The property wasn’t terribly far from the town as the community requested that I must stay near since I am too precious to them.

    Everything has changed for the better. My wife and I have never been happier and I’ve never felt better since my illness has been cured. I didn’t choose to investigate any further into the case of the mysterious girl since it doesn’t seem that I’ll be seeing her anymore. As absurd as it sounds, I feel like she was all a figment of my mind. Perhaps a mental projection of my sorrow of never becoming a father. No one else noticed her but myself. Whatever the reason, it’s far in the past. I’ve reached a peak in my life and the road ahead is paved with gold.

2nd of January, 1693

    She’s returned! She’s returned to me! Now, I know what it feels like to be alone and afraid! I’m becoming insane! I just know it!

    She’s appeared at the asylum, no doubt she knew that’s where I was! The girl! Only now I don’t think I can call her that. No longer did she appear as a small child, she was a woman! In her mid twenties! I tried thinking of it as someone else, but I know it’s her! How is that possible!?! It’s only been a couple of months since I last saw her! No human being can age at that pace!

    It was in the hallway of the medical wing. A member of the janitorial staff was at my side, scrubbing the floor as I passed. It was at that point when my foot slammed down as my head shot up. I smelled something I imagined, hoped, would never return. It was the decaying pelt odor once again, only this time it was much, much sharper. It was as if someone had set the decaying wolf pelt aflame and let it burn. The ozone had even gone the extra distance to nauseate me.

    There she was, standing in the middle of the hall as plain as the blue in the sky. Her tangled nest of hair had grown to her stomach as it hung over her face, her ragged, black apparel dangled from her limbs in strips of varying length. She started heaving again, this time...I heard it. Though the slow, demented laughter seemed to come from behind me rather than from her. The woman slowly raised a hand from her side to the level of her head, her fist slowly opened and her fingers spread apart. I leaned to the side against the wall, both hands on my head as the aches returned with a vengeance. Tiny fists pounded on my cranium as I struggled to regain myself from the state of vertigo I fell in. I gazed back at the woman. That’s when a glint of light from her middle finger forced my irises upon it. Around the base of her grey finger was a ring, blue with a silver lining at its borders just as mine did. I threw my head back in a scream, fingers digging in my temples. The janitor quickly sprung from his feet and faced me. Confusion in his eyes, he inquired me what the matter was. I roughly seized his shoulders and forcefully turned him to face the woman. I yelled at him, screamed at him to look at her.

    I stopped shaking him after I heard him whimper. He turned to face me. Fear was in his gaze and tears pooled in the corners of his eyes. I thought he had seen her, but I soon found out that the dread he felt at that moment wasn’t towards her...it was towards me.

The woman had disappeared by the time I took my sights off the janitor. The terrified little men took his bucket and slowly left the room, not wanting anything to do with me anymore. The Warden came in shortly after. He explained that the janitor had told him that I attacked him, he inquired why. I couldn’t tell him the true reason. I tried to direct it towards the woman though, explaining that a woman dressed in rags had broken into the asylum. A survey of the perimeter was conducted by the constables, but nothing came of it. No signs of forced entry could be found at all. The Warden, sensing I was troubled, gave me an early leave for the day.

I now know that I am truly alone in this. No one can see the woman but myself it seems. There’s nothing I can make sense of; the woman, her scent, her ring...her ring! The blue ring! It never occurred to me until this very instant! I’m running out of logical theories...it must have something to do with this ring! These strange events began after I received it, did they not?

The smell of burning pelt is everywhere now. It follows me home, it’s in my clothes and my meals. I have reason to believe that the woman is watching me eat, sleep, and go about my life. My wife is oblivious, the comfort I find in her is wearing thin. I’ve been thinking, but I think that the old woman under the bridge in Salem was put there for a reason. Most people of my status say that the practice of witchcraft and prosecution of it was purely fanatics of religious zealots...but who's to say it’s not.

12th of January, 1693

    She...spoke to me. I’m beyond the point of no return, my sanity is breaking. Is this real? Is this a horrible nightmare I can’t wake from? Am...am I even alive anymore? I threw the ring in my firepit, I watched it burn into a molten puddle of blue liquid littered with ash...but I still see her. She’s even begun to plague my dreams. I’ve lost track of the times in one night I’ve woken up screaming and squirming in the arms of my wife.

    The account of the woman breaking her silence was mere hours ago. I fear it will only bring me more pain retelling it. Martha was spending the night with her friends outside of town, leaving me alone in the mansion. She summoned me outside through her scent, the smell of burning animal flesh beckoned me. She stood outside beneath the waxing crescent, head turned towards the soil. Her hand wearing the ring opened and closed slowly above her head. I could call it a hunch, but I knew she was smiling beneath the hair that fell over her face. She was taking joy in tormenting me.

    Understand that I was never a man of violence. but I needed answers and I needed them now. I grabbed my shaving razor and confronted her after plowing through my own front door. She didn’t move or fight back when I pressed the blade against her neck. I shouted at her, “What is it that motivates you to drive me mad!?! How is it that no one else sees you!?! What are you!?! Tell me at once!”

    The woman heaved roughly, a sinister giggle emitted. Her head slowly raised towards mine. The razor fell out of my hand as I wretched and backed away.

    Her eyes...her tainted eyes; black voids of pure madness. I shook as she reached out and laid a dark hand upon my cheek. Her touch, cold as the iron bars at the asylum during the dead of winter. Her laughter died down as she spoke, a monotonous monstrosity of a voice that seemed to carry with the winds of the night.

    “I am that which you seek to rid the world of, little man,” she told me, “You think insanity is a state of mind? It’s so much more...an entity, an ethereal presence which breathes down your neck constantly. Can’t you see? You created me. I’m the collective madness of the minds which you have ‘remedied’. The voices in their heads, the twisted senses of morality, and their insanity must go somewhere once you’ve expelled it, no? With every patient you tend to, their vertigo feeds me.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” I asked her, my legs are still recovering from the amount of times they buckled.

“You’re the new bearer of the vertigo ring. The previous one passed it on to you. It’s your place to take the insanity upon yourself. You accepted it the moment you slipped it on your finger.”

“I refuse it!” I whipped her hand away, the taunting giggles resumed.

“Don’t fight it,” she said. And in that instant she was gone, faded away before my eyes.

I fell to my knees, hands balling into fists so tight my nails dug into my palms. I sat there, crying under the dim light of the crescent above.

Upon returning to the confines of my mansion, the ring awaited me on the very chair where I had watched it burn. I won’t put it on again, not even in a century.

Now as I write I weigh my options. I could give the ring to someone else, but they would also receive a life of maddening torture. I’ll do no such thing, I am not an evil man. I know one thing for sure, I can never return to the asylum. I’d simply would be feeding the fire.

I shall spend the night sleepless in my bed, razor clutched in my hand.

*The next thirty entries are only composed of their proper dates and the words “Leave me be!” hastily scrawled vertically across the paper. The ink bleeds through the pages with each stroke being forcefully applied.*

10th of March, 1693

    I wanted it to end. I tried to fight it...but I lost. This will be my last entry and hopefully my last day on Earth. Everything I ever knew and love has ended.

The woman of madness had to die! It was the only way I could be set free! It was the fullest of moons when my wife fell asleep next to me. I laid awake, razor hidden under my pillow. The ozone of burning wolf pelt filled my nostrils for the hundredth time that day. I left the bedroom, razor in hand, and went outside to the front yard.

I stood beneath the fading light of the moon, awaiting the arrival. Moments later, the smell became sharp and she had come. She appeared behind me, exhaling breaths of ice down my neck. The attack was immediate, I screamed and tackled her to the grass. Razor at the ready, I assaulted her all the while she goaded me on. “Do it! Do it!” she chanted, over and over again.

I thought I’d slain her. I thought I dragged the blade across her neck and watched the cascade of crimson red pour out. I thought I jammed the razor in her black void of an eye until it couldn’t go any further. I thought I watched her head twitch before falling still.

A rogue spray of blood landed in my eyes, I furiously wiped it away. When my blinking eyelids opened and my vision cleared the woman under me was gone...in her place...my beloved...my wife...Martha!

    I cradled her corpse, her blood seeped into my mouth and teary eyes as I drew her in close. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I must’ve spent an hour moaning those two words nonstop for perhaps an hour.

    The authorities are coming for me. I can already hear what the town cries will shout at sunrise, ‘miracle doctor murders his own wife’. The asylum will take me, hopefully the justice system will show me mercy and put me to death. No doubt, this diary will be taken in as evidence.

    The woman will follow me wherever I go. I don’t see her anymore, but the scent never leaves me. It seems to be all that I breathe now. Her laughs of taunt, I can hear. Oh yes, she’ll be watching me now and forever.

    The ring which can never be destroyed will remain with me for always. It’s dark secret will die with me...so no one may discover it. The witch who bestowed it upon me was right about one thing, I shouldn’t have fought it. I can only leave with this one warning; to whomever has the displeasure of coming across this ring, do not put it on! It could drive you insane! Make you do things you never thought yourself capable of! Show you a monstrosity beyond any logical explanations.

    I am Riley Sheridan. I waged a war against insanity…

    insanity won.