Horror Report

Author: The Horror Report

  • DOES ‘MOTHER!’ DESERVE THE PRAISE IT IS GETTING? (A spoiler alert with this one)

    DOES ‘MOTHER!’ DESERVE THE PRAISE IT IS GETTING? (A spoiler alert with this one)

    The horror film ‘mother!’ Is getting high praise from noble media affiliations. It is also being billed as an intellectual horror flick with a message.. religious overtones.. social justice ramifications.

    Big name star: Lawrence.
    Big name director: Aronofsky (BLACK SWAN FAME)
    Shock scene (SPOILER): Infant being eaten.

    Let’s unpack this..
    Taken purely on its surface, the film is about the horror of hosting ungrateful houseguests. Going beneath that surface, it’s about gruesome male narcissism. Ignoring its text and subtext entirely though, mother! is something more ambitious: A herald of prestige horror at a moment when we might actually need it. It’s September, the calm before the dizzying storm of awards season self-aggrandizement, when we stop thinking of movies as works of art and start thinking of them as show horses; we sacrifice the substantive power of movies in this stretch of the year, focusing instead on making predictions, playing the odds and analyzing marketing campaigns. mother!’s theatrical release falls just on the cusp of celebratory madness, three months earlier than Black Swan’s back in 2010. But both movies screened at the Venice International Film Festival, often treated as the start of the Oscar race by pundits; both movies star esteemed, in demand lead actresses, the latter Natalie Portman, the former Jennifer Lawrence.
    X X X 
    VULTURE has a report on this too .. And they go deeper into the shock scene of an infant being eaten. And they really work hard but find a reason to praise it..
    From their report:
    Aronofsky is no stranger to shock value, having given us such moments as Winona Ryder stabbing herself in Black Swan, the main character giving himself a lobotomy in Pi, and the infamous “ass to ass” scene in Requiem for a Dream. But killing off a newborn, even a CGI one, is a big leap for him. Baby murder is generally off-limits in cinema, and witnessing it triggers your lizard brain’s instinct to protect young life, making even the most hardened stomach potentially churn. It perhaps fits with the environmental and religious metaphors of the film (which we’ll get to in more detail in a minute) by showing the ways in which mankind destroys that which is most precious to us. But there’s also a solid argument to be made that it was a gratuitous attempt to inflict something memorable at the cost of good taste.

    X X X
    I am a fan of the unwritten but prescribed rule of leaving graphic scenes OUT of movies involving children.. “IT” was a little much for me even during the opening sequences, but I get it. The movie had to focus on Georgie first.. but still.
    The NETFLIX hit “CLOWN” ? ,That movie went too far for me, as well.
    Call me a wimp .. But I have an idea of then type of horror film I like. Less blood. More store. Less cautionary problems for vision, but mental fear and distress..

    But mother!? This is my take, without seeing it:

    Basically it is a snuff film. Pornographic and violent. Suitable only for degenerates who pretend to be intellectuals. Absolutely horrible and vile. And that is it.

    Now before I go deeper into a category that will cause my own impunity and commentary of being a boring and tired no-name who shouldn’t even have a voice at all with my audience, let me offer a counter point that many of you may already agree with before reading. From the VULTURE article, a comment, a defense of the movie and the anti-religious message, and the baby eating scene:

    “They kill the baby, Him says to forgive them, the creepy priest says he’s not really dead, the worshippers put his carcass on an altar and ceremonially eat his flesh. Remind you of anything? The baby is Jesus, eating him is the Eucharist.
    The movie is a brief, ugly history of humanity culminating in the whole thing blowing up with the help of some fossil fuels in the basement. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry!
    I thought it was a wild trip and I didn’t even get the Mother Earth thing until later. In retrospect, I think it makes sense. But it’s also a dark portrait of religion as practiced by the masses of Him’s fans/worshippers. Him’s beautiful scripture is perverted in their hands. Sharing means stealing, love is cannabalized for cheap comfort, and supposed Christians behave in every awful way people have done and still do in a thrilling cinematic tableau worthy, as others have said, of Hieronymus Bosch. All the while, horrified mother (earth) and her house are abused and Him (God) pleads for patience.
    It must also be a dark portrait of the artist/muse dynamic. In this layer of the metaphor, Him is more of an a-hole, a wannabe God. He can’t just create. He relies on the adoration of his muse — whom he only loves for that adoration. Her love is symbolized by her heart, which calcifies in the apocalyptic furnace along with her body, leaving behind a delicate glass rock containing the force with which he will start again — this time, with a new girl. The old one’s dust, remembered and valued only for her love of Him. Not sure he’s trying to say sorry to an ex here or what, but the Great Artiste comes off as an all-consuming narcissist in this telling. 
    Don’t buy the reviews that say it’s very disturbing. I find mere trailers for ordinary horror and action films more upsetting for their blasé callousness. Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer as a hilarious chain-smoking Adam and Eve are worth the price of admission alone.”
  • “Criminal” clowns March on Washington

    “Criminal” clowns March on Washington

    From BUSINESS INSIDER:

    Juggalos are ardent fans of the fringe hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse and they paint their faces like clowns to be like ICP’s founders, Joseph Utsler (commonly known as Shaggy 2 Dope) and Joseph Bruce (commonly known as Violent J).

    The march on Washington is not just a big party, though. They group is designated as a criminal gang in several states, of which the FBI has taken notice. In 2011, the FBI’s National Gang Threat Assessment identified the Juggalos as a “a loosely-organized hybrid gang” who often “exhibit gang-like behavior and engage in criminal activity and violence.”

     “Most crimes committed by Juggalos are sporadic, disorganized, individualistic, and often involve simple assault, personal drug use and possession, petty theft, and vandalism,” the FBI report said. “However, open source reporting suggests that a small number of Juggalos are forming more organized subsets and engaging in more gang-like criminal activity, such as felony assaults, thefts, robberies, and drug sales. Social networking websites are a popular conveyance for Juggalo sub-culture to communicate and expand.”

    And the Juggalos, along with the Insane Clown Posse and their record label, Psychopathic Records, believe these descriptions from the Department of Justice are unfair.

    MORE: http://www.businessinsider.com/juggalo-march-on-washington-insane-clown-posse-2017-9

  • Calling Seph Lawless! Now Toys “R” Us may be a new location for photos

    Calling Seph Lawless! Now Toys “R” Us may be a new location for photos

    The internet killed the shopping mall.

    Toys “R’ Us, a normally stand along stores that has been existent in strip malls or next to Pizza Huts for generations, is potentially the next building in your local distressed town to grow weeds..

    From REUTERS:

    (Reuters) – Toys ‘R’ Us is working to put together a loan to fund its operations in a potential bankruptcy filing that could come before the holiday sales season, according to people familiar with the matter. The toy merchant’s move underscores the deep distress rippling through retailers of all sizes as consumers increasingly shop online at sellers such as Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) or go to discounters such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N). A spokeswoman for Toys ‘R’ Us did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The people could not be identified because the bankruptcy plans are not yet public.

    X X X 

    My local toy store closed just about 6 years ago after my son was born.. there are a few distances away.. during our very few trips to Toys R Us, it was a lackluster experience with overly expansive aisles of toys that mostly went un-purchased.

    I even regularly saw people checking their Amazon accounts WHILE shopping, illustrating that the best deal is what the consumer hunts.

    Toys R Us.. You will soon join the rest of them.

    Retail hell.

  • No way Jose!

    No way Jose!

    AND NOW IN THE POTENTIAL CONE OF JOSE: NEW YORK CITY.. BOSTON..? JERSEY?

    It is amazing to consider how long Jose has been floating around the Atlantic Ocean. He formed some time shortly after Irma did 5000 miles ago.. and he tailed behind her as she took center stage in the islands and America..

    Since her escape from the United States across the North Atlantic, Jose has wobbled and bobbled, turned into a tropical storm and recently has been upgraded to a hurricane again.
    The stats:
    As of 0500 AM EDT Sat Sep 16 (Advisory # 44)
    Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale: Category 1
    Maximum Sustained Winds: 70 knots; 80 mph
    Minimum Central Pressure: 983 mb
    Located at: 27.9N 71.8W
    Movement: northwest at 8 knots; 9 mph

    And now it appears that Jose has finally chosen a path .. he will travel to the Northeastern part of the United States and potentially have a landfall near Jersey or NYC.. Maybe even Boston.. The storm is expected to stay around a Category 1 or below as it will be in considerably colder waters than it is now..

    But strength aside, the storm is expected to blow up into a monster when you consider the mileage and landscape it will encompass. Just as Sandy did in 2012, Jose is supposed to blossom into a massive Nor’Easter-ish type storm..

    Anyone from North Caroline north to Maine should be on guard for this situation and prepared for an either glancing blow or a direct strike…
  • Jury decides Slenderman verdict

    Jury decides Slenderman verdict

    Wisconsin girl who admitted to participating in the stabbing of a classmate to please horror character Slender Man will avoid prison after a jury determined Friday that she was mentally ill at the time of the attack.

    Anissa Weier trembled as the jury’s verdict was read after a week of testimony and some 11 hours of deliberations. She wasn’t available afterward, but her attorney said Weier was relieved and cried following the verdict…


  • JAMIE LEE CURTIS RETURNING TO HADDONFIELD! Will reprise role as Laurie Strode

    JAMIE LEE CURTIS RETURNING TO HADDONFIELD! Will reprise role as Laurie Strode

    This is some of the best news for ORIGINAL Halloween movies fans

    Ever .. 

    . Blumhouse just announced that legendary scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis will reprise her role as Laurie Strode when the new Halloween movie opens on October 19, 2018.

    This is not a sequel of news films .. it ignores H20 and Ressurection, instead focusing on being a sequel to the second movie..

    From the press release:

    Curtis “come to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.”

    The release continues: “Inspired by Carpenter’s classic, filmmakers David Gordon Green and Danny McBride crafted a story that carves a new path from the events in the landmark 1978 film.”

    Exciting stuff.. 

  • ‘Slender man’ deliberations begin

    ‘Slender man’ deliberations begin

    From the AP:

    WAUKESHA, Wis. — A Wisconsin girl accused of helping her friend stab a classmate nearly to death to please the fictional online horror character Slender Man was lonely and depressed and had descended into “madness,” her attorney said Friday in pleading with a jury to send the girl to a mental hospital rather than prison. 

    Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser lured classmate Payton Leutner into the woods at a park in Waukesha, a Milwaukee suburb, in 2014. Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times while Weier urged her on, according to investigators. A passing bicyclist found Leutner, who barely survived. All three girls were 12 at the time. 

    Both Weier and Geyser told detectives they felt they had to kill Leutner to become Slender Man’s “proxies,” or servants, and protect their families from the demon’s wrath.

    Weier, now 15, pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree intentional homicide in a deal with prosecutors in August. But she claims she was mentally ill during the attack and not responsible for her actions. A jury heard three days of testimony from psychologists and detectives. If the jury agrees she wasn’t responsible, she’ll be committed to a mental institution. If not, she faces prison.


    Jury deliberations began today.. 


    Developing

  • It follows It

    It follows It

    The film IT is getting awfully close to $200 million.. It may surpass soon.

    I predict this weekend: It will be the number film for the second week in a row.. and maybe just as big..
    DEVELOING..

  • The odd ‘invisible wall’ attack in Cuba

    The odd ‘invisible wall’ attack in Cuba

    This may be one the strangest AP news dispatches I have ever read..

    I cannot add more to it..

    The blaring, grinding noise jolted the American diplomat from his bed in a Havana hotel. He moved just a few feet, and there was silence. He climbed back into bed. Inexplicably, the agonizing sound hit him again. It was as if he’d walked through some invisible wall cutting straight through his room.
    Soon came the hearing loss, and the speech problems, symptoms both similar and altogether different from others among at least 21 U.S. victims in an astonishing international mystery still unfolding in Cuba. The top U.S. diplomat has called them “health attacks.” New details learned by The Associated Press indicate at least some of the incidents were confined to specific rooms or even parts of rooms with laser-like specificity, baffling U.S. officials who say the facts and the physics don’t add up.
    “None of this has a reasonable explanation,” said Fulton Armstrong, a former CIA official who served in Havana long before America re-opened an embassy there. “It’s just mystery after mystery after mystery.”

    MORE

    In several episodes recounted by U.S. officials, victims knew it was happening in real time, and there were strong indications of a sonic attack.
    Some felt vibrations, and heard sounds — loud ringing or a high-pitch chirping similar to crickets or cicadas. Others heard the grinding noise. Some victims awoke with ringing in their ears and fumbled for their alarm clocks, only to discover the ringing stopped when they moved away from their beds.
    The attacks seemed to come at night. Several victims reported they came in minute-long bursts.

  • spiPhone X: Brave new world with a filter

    spiPhone X: Brave new world with a filter

    It is hard to believe that only ten years ago, the technology that Apple would be selling the public was just about unfathomable.. Extremely fast processors. Facial recognition. Emojis that can make poop turn into your face and voice. 

    In 2007, people were happy with Myspace and turning ‘off’ the net in favor of a night out. Now they can’t leave home without the smartphone.
    Apple wants to capitalize further on the influencers: Those who we are told have ‘disposable income’ (credit cards) and are below the age of 25 .. those who care less about processor speed and more about selfie. Those who would indeed literally buy an iPhone simply because it can turn their face into an Emoji of feces…

    Let’s pause for a moment. The most precious few seconds of Apple’s big unveiling was a big flop: They tried to announce facial recognition but when they actually attempted to use it, it failed.

    Apple has offered an explanation for an embarrassing glitch at the launch of its most expensive iPhone ever, arguing that the phone didn’t make an error – the company’s staff did.

    During the first ever public demonstration of the expensive iPhone X, Apple executive Craig Federighi attempted to unlock the device using the company’s new Face ID feature, which scans a user’s face to ensure only they can unlock their phones. But the feature failed, bumping Federighi to an old-fashioned passcode entry screen and forcing him to switch to a backup phone.

    Too many people. Not tech. The people.

    The people ruin everything!

    But it’s pretty interesting to say the least: The biggest selling point of Apple in 2017 is a device that can see you, get to know you, and also stay knowing you even as you age. As your facial features change.  

    The cutting edge of yesterday was fingerprint.. now it’s motion sensing, unlocking with gestures, and facial definitions that will be forever surveiled by your very own pocket spiPhone.  How quaint.

    I am not going to lie to myself, though. AT this point there is really no way that technology slows down. There is no ability or us to quell the march of advancement. In a few years, when iPhones or smart phones of your own choice are firmly implanted in either your hand or buttocks, facial recognition will look so 2000 and late.

    Yes indeed… Things that would have been either laughed at or feared 20 years ago are completely and perfectly normal now. And expensive.

    Thankfully we all have that ‘disposable’ income… Income that is mostly disposed of in the form of debt payments, late payments, and school loans that are constantly being tinkered with because of how high a percentage of your take home pay they consume.

    But all that can be on hold for a while! 

    A new phone is out. And I can make by face an Emoji if shit. 

    2017, baby. The future is now.