Category: Horror

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman (sn1)

Leading up to the latest Spiderman movie, I needed to join the hype train again. Friendly Neighborhood takes place in a universe adjacent to the MCU, referencing many key events like the Battle of New York, The Sokovia Accords, and the battle of the airport. The key difference is Peter Parker isn’t mentored by Tony Stark but Norman Osborn as he learns what it means to be a hero.

In the year since it debuted, I’ve heard so many mixed reactions and reviews to this series so I tried extra hard to go in neutral. Overall I had a damn good time. The voice cast does a damn good job, especially Coleman Domingo as Norman Osborn, balancing the warmth of a fatherly mentor, cold hearted business tycoon, while foreshadowing the villain he’ll become. I also love the series’s take on Lonnie Lincoln’s turn to Tombstone. Scorpion was a complete psychotic badass and one of my favorite interpretations. Peter’s overall story is really well done.

One of the best flaws I saw was it’s pseudo ties to the MCU. Most of the characters look and sound like their MCU counterparts while dropping easter eggs left and right but it doesn’t sync. Peter doesn’t participate in Civil War but the outcome is still the same. There is time travel and dimension play in the beginning and end circa Dr. Strange. I’m mixed on the origin reveal for the season finale, but it leads into my biggest problem with the first season overall. There’s a lot of giant plot threads left hanging, major ones that lead to major story arcs that could take multiple seasons to fill if done right. That got me peeved admittedly.

I hate to have to include this section, but its sadly the world we live in. I’ve heard so many reviews bash this show because of the diversity on display. It’s super apparent but feels natural. I come across different people each and every day and seeing all kinds of folks made the show feel more real, because Spiderman is there for everyone. Thats how it should be. So if it bothers you, maybe you need to learn what Spiderman was about in the first place.

In the end, I had a blast with this show and I can’t wait for more in season 2. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Betty’s Revenge

So much has crossed into public domain in the few years. Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Popeye the sailor…and Betty Boop. Yep, we got a Betty Boop horror movie on our hands. How? Why? Well, let’s find out (you might need a beer or hard drink of choice for this one.)

Three history majors have come to a mansion in the middle of nowhere for a project. The house was formerly a cabaret in the 1920’s called Dizzy Dishes that burned down under mysterious circumstances. Living in this house is a bizzarre young woman dressed in all black with a high pitched voice that rarely talks. This unnamed lady (though we damn well know who she is) is giving off some really menacing vibes. Trapped because of a storm, the three are left with this crazy lady in a giant house in the middle of nowhere. What could go wrong?

I shouldn’t need to state the obvious but Betty’s Revenge was not a good movie. But was it a fun bad movie? Honestly, no. The movie is barely 80 minutes and you can tell it’s stretching to hit that mark. The first victim takes about 4 minutes just to die, which was one of the only funny parts of the movie. The actress playing Betty (never referred to as Betty by name but damnit we know) tries unlike everyone else is flat month old soda. Their isn’t any outlandish death scenes and you really don’t see any of the killing but the laughable aftermath. The movie keeps showing clips of old Betty Boop cartoons but refuses to mention her by name. I was sorta confused what Betty actually was in this movie- ghost, some kind of immortal being, maybe a possessed victim. The movie never explains. It gives a vague but weirdly well written diary of a girl who sounds like a 20’s Joaquin Phoenix Joker in the making. In the end, I can’t recommend this movie, even with booze. There’s better slop than this. May th gaming gods bring you glory.

Moon Knight: The Midnight Mission

Marc Specter is a man of many faces trying to atone for many sins as a former CIA contractor and the Fist of Khonshu. The Midnight Mission was established by Mr. Knight as a refuge for the weak and downtrodden, no matter their past. However, no good deed goes unpunished as someone or something is trying to break the Moon Knight as he tries building his life up again. New and old friends and enemies arise but where is Marc Specter?

This is my first Moon Knight comic and damn it was a fun ride. I loved the dark, supernatural side of Marvel. Moon Knight is a fascinating character to read as well as his multiple, equally cool personalities. The artwork is badass, beautiful, and damn creepy at times. As someone dealing with my own mental health journey, it was cool seeing Mr. Knight attend therapy and deal with the stress of being honest and open, and trying to heal. The side characters were a interesting bunch, ending with the Zodiac reveal as the main bad guy. Hunter’s Moon was a awesome parallel to Knight as the second Fist of Khonshu. In the end, this is a damn good place to start reading Moon Knight and I can’t wait to read more. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Submariner: The Depths

I’ve always loved the sea and the legends surrounding it. That was partly why I feel in love with Aquaman after reading Aquaman: The Trench and that was my favorite aspect of The Fisherman by John Langan. Finding books dedicated to Namor are rough and getting my hands on this particular book wasn’t cheap but it was cool to finally get a full story of Marvel’s King of Atlantis.

Dr. Rupert Stein is a world renowned debunker of myths and legends tasked with a case sure to set him up for life: disproving Atlantis. He starts on expedition amongst the sea weary crew of the Plato to uncover what happened to a Captain named Marlowe who claims to have found the famed city but has disappeared. Tensions rise between Stein and his crew as reason and superstition clash as they warn him of the sea’s power and it’s vengeful protector, Namor. Strange things begin to happen miles under the sea and Stein is plagued by hallucinations of a figure lurking about them. Can the tales be true or are they victims to the darkness of the sea?

First, I got to give Milligan and Ribic credit for making a eerie, atmospheric kind of horror story. This is purely a slow, Lovecraftian, psychological, horror story; there’s no pretense of the greater Marvel universe or superheroes and I really liked that. I hate Stein as a character by design but he is a well done, egotistical, snobbish scholar who looks down on his crew; the ending hit me not because it’s end I wanted but how I think the story would’ve played out. I will say you will disappointed if you pick this book up looking for monsters, action, gore, or a super romp. Namor doesn’t speak in the story, presented as a otherworldly visage like a phantom or ghost. While I enjoyed it as a one and done standalone story, I really can’t recommend it like I would other Marvel Knights titles closer to Inhumans than Doctor Strange: The Flight of Bones. In the end, The Depths is a cool little horror story but definitely isn’t for everyone. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Something is killing the children (vol.1)

We all know monsters don’t exist, so tell that to James, the sole survivor of a sleepover gone violently wrong. Something viscously ripped his friends to pieces, leaving James as the town pariah. So many children have disappeared in Archer Bay with little evidence and no reason. A strange blond lady comes to town to help, knowing exactly what’s happening. Erica Slaughter is on the hunt for monsters and nothing will get in her way…

I’ve heard rave reviews for this comic over the past few years. I finally got to snag the first volume and I’m pretty happy I did. The premise is simple but effective. The writing is raw at points and never becomes goofy. Erica is a interesting character you want to know more about; I want to know what the hell is with the stuffed octopus she carries. The book leaves a lot of questions but is written so naturally, I breezed it through effortlessly. The artwork is gruesome and I love we never get a clear visual of the monster itself. I will say it may trigger some people because you do see some bloody stuff involving children, so if that triggers you, that’s basically way I wouldn’t recommend this comic. I’d say this was a damn good read I can’t wait to follow up on. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dungeon Crawler Carl

The Apocalypse is here and it’s being televised. Carl just broke up with his girlfriend Beatrice while she was on vacation. Bummed, still babysitting her apartment and her fluffy show cat, Princess Donut, Carl is in a bad spot. When Donut attempts to runaway in the middle of the night, Carl runs into the night in just his jacket and boxers. All hell breaks loose. Millions dead instantly, leaving the baffled survivors with an announcement: they’re now contestants in a intergalactic game show. Thrown into the Dungeon, now dubbed Crawlers, the survivors most traverse hellscapses full of monsters, looting for gear, and facing bosses before the level collapses. 18 floors, each harder than the rest. And Carl’s only companion is Princess Donut…

The hype around this book was pretty nuts. Every author tuber I follow has this book somewhere on their bookshelves, I’ve seen it posted all over Instagram and Tiktok, and recently it was greenlit for a series on Peacock. I went inn totally blind, weary of literary Blockbusters. This is one of the rare times I think it was warranted.

Dungeon Crawler Carl is a really fun book with great characters, humor, heart, lore and some really cool action. As a gamer, I enjoyed the gaming tropes and found the setup really relatable. Carl and Doughout are great characters that play well off each other, though Doughnut does steal the show more than not. Matt Dinnaman’s writing is down to earth and easygoing, making for a smooth read. My only real complaint is I feel like the book doesn’t come to a real climax. It just ends. No main antagonist per say. There’s alot of threads to be followed up on and their are plenty more books so I’m not too mad. In the end, I loved this book and I highly recommend checking on it. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

System Shock (2023)

We begin our story as a hacker getting busted by the Trioptimum Corporation after failing to steal tech. Edward Diego, the man in charge, offers us a deal: face the wraith of the company or do disable the safety protocols on Shodan, the AI for Citadel Station. After disabling the AI, we find ourselves on Citadel. Shodan has gone insane. Most of the crew is slaughtered, many reconfigured into cybernetic monstrosities, the machines have gone rogue, and genetic experiments are running amok. Can you escape the wrathful clutches of a wannabe god?

The original System Shock is a pioneer of immersive sims, heavily inspiring games like Bioshock and Prey. I was thrilled when the remake dropped, having never been able to experience the original.

First, Shodan is easily my favorite part of the game. Terry Brosius is absolutely iconic with her cold, hateful delivery. Shodan has become one of my all time favorite game villains. She is a all encompassing presence on Citadel with multiple Doomsday schemes to eradicate humanity. The game is a lot more eerie and unsettling than I thought it’d be, even more so having Shodan’s face following you, and her cameras eyeing your every step. The enemies themselves are haunting. I love he game’s overall cyberpunk sci-fi horror aesthetic.

Gameplay is very old school in some of the best and worst ways. This game does not hold your hand. You had better pay attention, take some notes, and be ready to dig through every nook and cranny for audio logs and data sticks for what the hell to do and where to go. Like the horror games of old, there’s a hell of a lot of back tracking but I found it fun. The environment tells a story and every floor I found either something fascinating or terrifying. Most of the combat is FPS which is solid, even awesome at times. It was pretty awesome beheading Temu Borg with a laser sword or setting mutants on fire with dragon breath shotgun rounds. There are plenty of puzzles and the cyberspace segments which give me a retro Star Fox meets 80’s space shooter vibe.

While there’s so much of this game I love, I’d be lying if I said this game didn’t piss me off at times. Their were times the game’s objectives are too abstract and for the second half I had to lean real heavy on Youtube to finish the game. Much like Dark Souls dying has big consequences. Autosave is unpredictable and more than I want to admit, it made my life way harder so save often. I also love the game’s retro approach but dammit a few small quality of life improvements would’ve done wonders like having your total ammo on your HUD, not just what’s in the clip. Automatically reloading would be nice too. Like every game, there are pain in the ass part, System Shock’s are FromSoft levels of brutal. I played the game on all the easiest difficulties possible and still took me 36 hours because of the back tracking and difficulty spikes. It wasn’t always fun but it was fulfilling much like my time with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

In the end, I loved the System Shock remake and I’m willing to say it’s up their with Resident Evil 2 (2019) and Dead Space (2023) as far as horror game remakes go. It’s absolutely not a game for everyone, its hard as hell but well worth a play. May the gaming gods bring you glory, insect.

Hellraiser: Revival release date trailer

Holy hell the horror nerd in me is freaking out. I love Clive Barker’s work. I’ve read the The Hellbound Heart at least a dozen times. Hellraiser is one of my favorite horror movies, and even Hellbound: Hellraiser 2. I’m hyped Doug Bradley is voicing Pinhead. The visuals are gritty, gory, and kinky as they ought to be. This might be the first game n a long while I buy day one. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Alien: Isolation 2 trailer

Hallelujah! Alien: Isolation was my nightmares come true in the best ways. I heard whispers of a sequel but I didn’t believe it until we got the full reveal. We’re stuck on a dark, dreary planet being hunted by the Alien. So far I enjoy what I see. We don’t get much information, which I’m glad for. I’m absolutely going to follow Isolation 2. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Spiderman: Brand New Day trailer 2

The latest Spiderman movie has me more than curious. The character list is pretty eclectic and we have a wide variety of story arcs going on. I’m glad me get to see Spidey beat down Scorpion. I’m extremely confident Sadie Sink is playing Jean Grey after this trailer. I’m super pumped classic Hulk is returning but I’m a little disappointed we haven’t gotten any glimpse of Tombstone yet. In the end, this trailer actually got me pretty hyped and I can’t wait to catch it this summer. May the gaming gods bring you glory.