VERSUS CYBERPUNK HORRORS

Jennifer Oh Jennifer!

2012-06-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

When I hear the name Megan Fox I go "Yum!" in my head. So blessed to have a name like that and actually be a fox. I dug her modern, rock 'n roll demon tale "Jennifer's Body". You could compare her demonic possession to a vampire in this movie with her rabid bloodlust. It's a cool, dark ride into the evil image of rock bands. In this movie the rock band literally worships Satan and sacrifices a girl to gain fame. Ironic, selling their souls to the devil. For the metaphor this movie rocks. The two friends from high school, one being a popular type, and the other being a nerdy girl, somehow manage to stay friends... until she gets sacrificed and shows her true colors as a bad friend. Another irony that makes you think of lame friends you might've had in real life. Before that, though, they went to a concert together and one of them runs off with the band to go party with them, jumping into a van. I don't think that's such a good idea but girls do like band guys. She's never heard from again. That's where it all starts. The modern style is to be more entertaining now days, instead of just seriousness and scares. I liked how it turned out though. She fed on guys to quench her demonic bloodthirst and later there's an eerie scene where all the houses on her block are empty and devoid of life. It sends a chill up your spine the first time you see it. Not like a scare, but it is creepy. Of course the nerdy rock guy goes to meet up with her and she eats him up alive, kind of a metaphor for certain types of girls that guys like, lol! Then she goes to find her old friend and makes out with her in an unnerving moment where everyone in the theater was probably smiling. I'd say this movie was better than a lot of critics like to give it credit for. I mean when you're talking about a movie where a rock band sacrifices a girl to Satan for fame and she gets possessed then what do people expect? Critics are so funny that way. And we even get to see Jennifer's body, well her top half covered in hair that is. Why oh why didn't we get to see all the goods before she got married?! Movies these days are more censored than they used to be so we were not graced with Megan's fine ta-ta's. Back in the day a teen horror movie like this would have loads of gore and nudity and sex but I still liked it. Will Megan ever do nude? I can dream. I liked this movie a lot in the end and I sure do wish she'd stalk me. Won't happen though. Is it safe to call her a "man-eater"? The whole movie is a big metaphor for high school life. Do opposite best friends ever last? The irony is humorous as hell. It's a good movie but you know there will always be nerdy guys that love to hate on hot girls and go on about how unintellectual it was. This movie makes fun of all those stereotypes. Typical people will say the nerdy girl did a better job of acting or bla bla bla. It's not meant to be too scary. People need to lighten up and get over the hot chick they never got in high school. It doesn't have a lot of suspense but it's more of a dark comedy than full on horror. It's a freaky high school flick. I think it sets itself apart enough to be worthy of rewatching. Don't over think it.
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Guest Commentator THE GRAVEROBBER says: "When she's finally done dying I'll be there with a shovel and a demonic bible!"

Vampiric Tides Awash With Blood

2012-06-03T01:06:00.000-07:00

Versus Book #75. This writer, John G. Rees, is a skilled wordsmith. I've featured his work on here before for the last two books and now I'm following it up with the prequel "Black Tide". As a writer myself I look for things that I'd look up to and he has an efficient way of crafting a story without muddling on any one part too long, and he's economic with descriptions. At the same time his extensive vocabulary and unabashed lack of censorship make for a great thrill ride. It's the type of vampire story I've been wanting to read for a long time. As a diver he's accumulated the vast, necessary knowledge of the craft pertaining to the story to be able to put you in awe of the homework done to make this story shine. The story of two divers that work for a salvage crew takes the vampire into new territory and it works. You might think "what?" but it does work perfectly. They're referred to as "reusables" here but they are indeed vampires. The idea of a person as a reusable is definitely a scary one in its own right. They get abused and die repeatedly only to be resurrected time and time again, as if mocking death. No concern is shown to reusables and no attempt is made to save one so it makes dangerous jobs that much easier if people are like cogs in a wheel. I enjoyed learning so much about the reusable that I never knew I didn't know. They were ostracized from society and looked down upon. Apparently their pale skin gave them away. I felt this book was so much more than a prequel for being an adventure in and of itself. You can relate to and feel for the main protagonist Jake as he struggles to understand the meaning of immortality, or rather, mortality through immortality. The harrowing tale enables to you sympathize with the living dead through his random friends, acquaintances, loves, and wandering thoughts. The way he describes an opiated society with their virtual reality and no real adventure makes me think and smile. The character, Jake, despises cell phones even. His use of gore and foul language is a refreshing change in world of watered down vampire tales. This is real horror. And at the same time it's an adventure full of emotion, feeling like a true journey by the end. In a way I can see how corporations would love the idea of a reusable human. People being replaced by shadows of their former selves feels so cinematic and gives you chills. The evil corporation, Megacorp, using megabucks instead of real money to bring in more money is sheer genius. If you've read the other two then this book will blow you away because normally you don't expect such a punch from a "prequel". I can overlook a typo or two when the writer is this good. And if a given writer makes it to the big leagues then editing is no big deal. What you'll be focusing on is how shocking and thrilling an independent can be, while crafting a very unique adventure like none I've ever imagined. He made good use of the prequel, much better than some I've read before. If this were a movie it would be the type of vampire movie that horror fans would go gaga for. I feel honored to have come across this author out of the blue and found something that has changed me. His work deserves praise just as much as Clive Barker's ultra gory work has garnered. We all love "Hellraiser" after all. It would do you well to give this one a discerning eye and feel inspired yourself. I'm willing to bet that's him on the cover. Deep sea scares abound!
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Guest Commentator BLOOD MISTRESS says: "This work has appeased the lords of gore! I can taste the blood on my fingers!"

Fear The Underground Again

2012-05-31T03:47:00.000-07:00

From one series to another here. The biggest thing in horror is the rise of these different series. This movie "Stag Night" is from the Ghost House Underground collection. I have to say this, to me, is a perfect horror movie, and it's straight to DVD. You never know now days whether a movie is gonna be good since they put out so many that you couldn't possibly watch them all. Stag Night touches a genre I really like but rarely hear about, the underground railroad track horror genre. Is that a genre? Well it is now kiddies! The story obviously revolves around a group of guys that go to a strip club and they leave along with a couple of the strippers on a train. The problem is they get off on one of those fabled, closed down train stations from the 70's that you're not supposed to stop at. This is a fear of many stragglers that get lost on train rides. The human rats, as I call them, live down there where nobody goes. The homeless have a way of digging deep to find shelter if needed. It turns out there's a whole city of homeless vagrants down there that nobody knows of. This reminds me of a documentary I saw titled "Dark Days" about homeless that live way down in those abandoned tunnels. The group of people witness a murder of a cop and accidentally call attention to themselves. This is where it all starts to go awry. This movie in no way seems cheap at all. It was like a perfect, dark U.R.T.H. movie. It really makes you weary of going into the subway, lol! I won't spoil the end but it is a good one. I love movies like this and this is like the best one so far that I've seen. There are others though. This movie truly manages to scare you and give you a fear of desolate tunnels.
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Guest Commentator X-RAY SALLY says: "I wouldn't go that way. I wouldn't go that way either. Uh oh... you're a goner!"

Tomb Of The Macabre

2012-05-29T05:28:00.000-07:00

A recent trend now is the adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe stories into movies. The movie "The Tomb" is based on a 1964 movie titled "The Tomb Of Ligeia", which is based on the Poe short story "Ligeia". I'm still excited about "The Raven" so if you like Poe's work then this is a good warm up. I know some think this movie was alright but I did like it. It reminded me of the new movie "Dark Shadows" in ways too. It depends on how you look at it. A big house, an evil witch, etc. The story to this movie is quite good and where comparisons are made they also stop. A college student seduces a professor and gets him to support her research into trapping the human soul before death. Seeing it for himself he then falls for her charms and must fight to keep his bearings. She gets him to movie into her house and leave his girlfriend. From there he must find out what's happening to him before it's too late. I didn't even know before I saw this that it was a Poe tale and I still found it to be entertaining. You'll find Wes Bentley and Mackenzie Rosman in this movie fitting into their roles nicely. From the beginning there's a foreboding sense of dread as you try to figure out what the title implies. The tomb in question comes up later. The actress playing the witch, Sofya Skya, was convincing. I like even more how this was part of the Fangoria Frightfest. I've seen almost all Poe movie adaptations out there.
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Guest Commentator FLESHCRAWL says: "She stole my soul but I love her anyways. Ain't love grand!"

In Time For Your Future

2012-05-29T04:17:00.000-07:00

Versus Movie #121. If you're like me then you were in time for "In Time", a sweet sci-fi movie where time is money, ha, get it?! Time is money people! Literally. The scary thing about time actually being money is you only live as long as the time you have so if you don't have much money you don't live as long. Ironic but life sort of works that way. The main characters in this movie were a mother and son living in some projects with a job at a mill. That can be a tough life and I've known people like that. They tried so hard to make ends meet, living paycheck to paycheck and that literally meant your life depended on a job. In a world where people only age to the age of 25 and then look the same you have to wonder what the motive would be. Is it really better if we all look as young as we did at 25 forever? Some kind of eternal youth, depending on whether you can afford it. If not, then you only live 25 years. Ouch. What a metaphor for life in a way. So many young people think their lives end at 25 but it doesn't. Society tries to make us feel old and it's all B.S. if you ask me. I would never want to be 25 forever. In the movie it may serve a purpose of population control but what a way to do it. I felt so sorry for the guy when his mom died abruptly racing to him only to die in his arms. Later he meets a girl that lives in a richer area and she feels so lifeless despite her youth. She was stifled by the conformity of her family and her rich father. The girl and guy go on together to rob banks and to give time to poor people. Movie comparisons can be made here. I don't blame her; in a world like that it would be easy to grow up jaded about how you'll never grow up and what this means to you. So many people want to think their "glory days" were when they were in high school and turn out to be lame adults. Life is too short to feel old I say. Too short to conform. Conservative people never take chances and live like cogs in a wheel. I liked how this movie makes you feel like life is precious and we better make it count. If time was money I'd consider robbing banks too. What kind of greed would there be if people could live forever? Some think viruses are population control so it's not too hard to imagine a future like this. Living in a ghetto making ends meet is kind of like not living if you don't save money. The message of how the classes separate each other is well done, and similar in "Land Of The Dead" with the city promising protection if you could afford it. There will always be a way to separate classes. And what if someone gave you more time than you knew what to do with? You could live forever or give it to people. In that type of world I might give it to people too, knowing that others also live like that, hoping they don't die from a weak paycheck. It's all a big metaphor for how life can make us feel trapped. And yet the rich girl felt trapped in her own hell. We may not live forever in this life but money does help. I think the best of us retain our youth better than others while many conform to the aging process set forth by society. It is a good movie to make you think if you let it. I liked the message and the action was just right. Well balanced. Either be wanted or prolong your existence. Keep death away for another month. What pressure is that? What a choice huh? We can all relate to that. The future is a scary place and we like these movies because we'll never live long enough to see such a far future. A fast paced sci-fi tale that exemplifies a real dystopia. I am scared of this future and it makes you appreciate life that much more. He had no choice though, since he was framed. That's fate.
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Guest Commentator BONE COLLECTOR says: "I wasn't in time for 'In Time'. I'll have to abduct the stars and re-enact the movie!"

Enter The Cave Of Death

2012-05-25T06:29:00.000-07:00

Some people love this movie, others are not sure. I'm a huge fan myself. Monsters that live underground kick serious ass! "The Cave" was one of those very well done underground beast caver films that we all love and never seem to see enough of. The ending left it open for a sequel yet we never saw one. The beast itself was one of the best beasts on film. Cavers, as I call them, are a breed apart. Movies like this are made for a niche audience that likes movies like "Alone In The Dark" and similar types. One of the biggest draws to caving is finding the unexplored. We all want to find something new but what if the underground caverns had their own ecosystem unlike anything on Earth's surface? The caves in this movie had parasites living on the moist walls deep underneath known land. A caver touched the walls and began mutating into one of these "things" that in no way resembled what they were before, human. They had humanoid body structure but their heads were all beast with a huge hollow nose cavity for using sonar like a bat. Sonar so powerful that the nose bone could pick up on anything and transmit a full image back to the brain of the beast. Ever imagine what would happen if you took a parasitic bacteria and mixed that with super mutating genes, combined with human and bat DNA? It wasn't necessarily part bat but it did seem akin to one. People will say what they want but if you like beasts and dark cave horror then this is perfect. The idea is real if not for one example I can think of, flesh eating bacteria. You might think "what?" but I'll explain. In places like gyms bacteria can form but it doesn't become harmful until it has a chance to grow and mutate. If given enough time sweat on a gym wall can become flesh eating bacteria. So if that's possible then imagine what could live on the moist, slick walls of a humid cave system that hasn't been touched in aeons! That's a scary thought huh? This is possibly the scariest mutation of a parasite ever.
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Guest Commentator BLUE FIEND says: "This shark tank should help; oh god no!!! It's ripping it open. I can taste my own blood!"

Demons In The Forest

2012-05-25T05:39:00.000-07:00

Versus Killer #33. Been a while since I featured a Versus Killer. Got a new one here! It's time for Killer BOB (must capitalize name) to take the stage. Who's that you ask? Well I'll tell you. He's the guy from "Twin Peaks" that had the long, gray hair and wore a denim jacket with jeans. He was a very frightening presence that was referred to as a demon from the Black Lodge. In truth, I had no idea he was a demon. I thought he was a psycho side inside us all or something. But that's what made Twin Peaks so great; the supernatural element that came off more like noir or madness. Either way they could be one and the same so you could think of him that way if you so desired but he is a demon. I was wondering why he slithered all over Laura Palmer and scared the bajeebuz out of her; apparently he likes to feed off of sexual pleasure and fear, not a good mix. Now that I know he's a demon I'm gonna watch that series all over again with a new taste for it. I just made the connection between the Black Lodge and the "Anthrax" song Black Lodge. Even metal honored that show. There were several other killers I could have chosen but Killer BOB is one freaky dude. Why do you capitalize his name? He's a demon, he likes it that way! This show has given me a love and a fear of small towns ever since. Go Killer BOB!
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Guest Commentator HARVESTER OF SORROW says: "Demon is such a four letter word; I prefer to be called a merchant of death!"

Zar The Art Czar

2012-05-25T04:10:00.000-07:00

Versus Art #88. Got some urban art here for yaz all. This artist Chet Zar is a gothic wild man when it comes to making good art. As you can see here the pictures are all done in a coffin shape to be different. He's got some really good detail in those pictures too. Even in this photo you can see how crisp and clear the images are. This guy has a dark imagination and it works in the context it's put in. It's not too dark but it is on the strange side, which I like. The pictures are bigger than they look on the internet too as you can see. I tend to like these modern gothic artists that have a penchant for ghoulish faces or cryptic imagery. You wouldn't be able to tell by his painting that he was a sculptor. In fact, he was the guy that sculpted for the videos by "Tool". That's quite a coincidence since I just happened to really like his work and had no idea who he was. I saw Tool back before they were big. And I too am an artist so I like to learn about what others are doing. He seems to do more figures or faces in a darkly expressive way. The message behind them is hidden to me but that might be because it's more abstract art. It's ironic how he started with his roots in painting and ended up finding new life by returning to that medium. Life works like that sometimes. That makes me think about my beginnings in art. I had some really far out stuff when I was younger. Many artists start with their surreal art and change only to find it again.
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Guest Commentator BRAINSUCKER says: "If one were to mix blood with red you would get a brilliant crimson paint like no other!"

One Ghoul You Can't Run From

2012-05-24T05:39:00.000-07:00

Versus Book #74. Saw this book on a rotating dollar rack in a gift shop. The whole spinning rack had mostly old, obscure horror novels. "Ghoul" by Michael Slade is the book. Michael Slade is actually 3 guys, 3 criminal defense lawyers I believe. You can tell when you read this book too. It's written from the stand point of a detective trying to find out what's committing horrific murders across London. These murders are no mere murders either. We're talking skinned alive and torn apart. Really grisly stuff. What could do something like that? The fears were that a beast at first maybe. Or a supernatural killer even. The detective had to question his sanity at many times. There are a lot of critics of this book and I actually liked it a lot. Critics can be harsh sometimes. The plot is a serial killer is on the loose and the detective must find him, along with another serial killer. Then it gets confusing, in a good way. There's a figure that seems to be supernatural lurking the London sewers and possibly going through a mirror to another time. Later on you learn there's more to him than you think. The book goes into detail with crime scene investigations and critics say there's a lot of facts that don't flesh out characters but I thought it all worked just fine. I understood the characters and the facts acted more as part of the story. I don't know what people think fleshing out a character has to entail but this did have a lot of background for each character, from the way the psycho was created to the family incest and teen orgies. Then there's a rock band in there with family members from the same twisted family. And another detective has to fight to keep her job. In the midst of all this you get a lot of psycho moments that really work for hardcore fans of horror. You can't always listen to the critics because they'll say things like it doesn't live up to the works of its references, like H.P. Lovecraft's hometown. Well, it's not trying to be like his work, it was just a trip to his hometown. If you want to make a comparison then you could say that this book did have a good amount of psychological horror in it and a supernatural element followed by madness. That is similar to Lovecraft in ways. The majority comes off more like CSI meets Sherlock Holmes but it's not a mere crime novel. I loved how much goes on in one book. You feel like you saw one hell of a movie by the time it's done. The psycho in the sewers was my favorite part about it. There's a lot of bang for your buck here, and critics aside, I think this book was an excellent read. This is a gorehound's delight, as well as any lover of well thought out madness or shock drama.
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Guest Commentator THE GRAVEROBBER says: "Any book about graverobbing psychos works for me! Off to rob a grave now!"

The Good And The Bad Ass

2012-05-22T04:46:00.000-07:00

One badass movie I can think of is "Bad Ass". This movie stars the awesome Danny Trejo in one of the best movies I've ever seen him in. I think he really took some time making this one and put his heart and soul into it. The story of a poor Vietnam vet down on his luck was a nice change for him. I'm not old enough to have fought in that war but the movie really struck a chord with me since I somehow saw myself able to relate to aspects of the character, if not all of them. I knew how the guy felt when he was trying so hard to make an opportunity happen while life passed by. It saddened me but kept me watching. I liked the fact that there was some emotion in a Danny Trejo movie for once. A lot of people sometimes end up more famous in their older age. I've noticed this with a band I like called "The Melvins". They've got gray hair now and so does Danny Trejo. Sometimes it just takes a body of work to get noticed. And in reality Danny is a real bad ass. Bad Ass is the type of movie that makes you root for the underdog. There are some violent parts but you can't mess with a bad ass. I really felt for the guy in the beginning being caught by a P.O.W. camp and after he came back a year or 2 later his dream girl had married another guy and had two kids. Ouch! That sucks. This movie is so true to life in ways and that might make you think or laugh, depending on the person. I recommend this one highly. Are you a bad ass?
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Guest Commentator BLUE FIEND says: "You know who's badass? Well I'll tell you who, I am bitch! I'm badass! Now get me outta here!"

Internet Vermin Thrive

2012-05-20T05:18:00.000-07:00

Some still think that viruses were started by the very people that invented the internet. You know who that is? They say the military invented the internet so it would be no surprise to me if they created viruses without our knowledge in the name of consumerism. I mean really, doesn't it seem so unnecessary to have to buy apps just to keep them off your computer now days when we never had to use them before? I do actually remember a time when anti-viruses weren't needed. Nobody ever wonders about that either? A bunch of automatons that think it's normal never question anything. It's the smart ones, like me, that question things when we're supposed to be good dogs and obey. Viruses now do new things. They attach to anti-viruses and even infect other viruses. That doesn't make much sense to me but I'm sure it's not good if a virus is infected too. That might lead to a way to get rid of them though if we can infect them back. Better yet, infect the person's computer that sent the virus. That would be a nice turn of events. I know we can track the people who sent things but it's illegal for us to directly attack them back. If the FCC can take out a pirate radio station then why can't the FBI take out a hacker directly? It might happen eventually. That won't stop them though. That'll just create hacker wars and that sounds like a new nightmare. Anyone notice how one anti-virus doesn't get rid of all viruses? So you have to end up trying different ones together just to finish the job. Why is that? Some things like that bug me to a point of questioning reality. What is our reality? We are the experiment.
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Guest Commentator CHROMESHINE says: "I hacked a human the other day but my robot buddies don't believe me!"

War Over The Fifth Element

2012-05-20T02:47:00.000-07:00

Versus Movie #120. This movie "The Fifth Element" has been mentioned on this site before but not for review. So here I am with the review finally. Some movies are really big budget and never stray from the path of the usual sci-fi formula. This one however breaks the mold. It shows how far we've come since "Star Wars", and I still love movies like that, but this one is very modern in style. It shows how the times have changed. You could call it over the top, and very different indeed. Some people believe that the greats have all but been done mostly so movies like this that totally change the rules could help to bring something fresh to the table. The most faithless man in the world is called upon to save the world when aliens invade Earth looking for a woman that happens to be the perfect being. That's kinda cool for her I guess. I wish I was perfect, ha. The wild part is they reconstructed her from a hand. How far off of a future is that? Way far off! That won't be happening any time soon. Wild science but it makes you wonder just what really will be possible someday. I like how they gave the main guy a vacation to find out it's a mission to save the world after being retired. They must be hard up for mercenaries. The view from this guy's apartment is amazing, and extremely high thanks to those futures with insanely high buildings, similar to "Star Wars". What is it with super high buildings? The buildings are so high in this movie that the lower level was covered in smog and trash, inhabited by the rats of humanity. Scary idea but easy to imagine. Now lucky for this cab driver that the perfect girl seems to think he's a savior. There's no lack of humor in this movie and it works. A traditional sci-fi action movie would never stray into such territory but again this isn't your ordinary sci-fi movie. The aliens are after her and he must find out why she's worth saving. In a way it's ironic that such a guy would get this sorta luck but maybe he needed a change. Every dog has his day. The flying cars were spectacular, especially the flying Chinese ship that sold food. Is this how we avoid cleaning up pollution in the future? Living like "The Jetsons"? Both Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich did a stellar job in this movie. They both had the right feel for the style of humor and peculiarity of this project. This movie was made to entertain first and foremost. The style isn't competing with the greats but it is a great. It's wild and bizarre and flashy.
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Guest Commentator BONE COLLECTOR says: "She's prrttyy but on my planet we have 17 elements. She's not that special. But she's hot in orange!"

Camel Spiders Hate Us

2012-05-16T04:01:00.000-07:00

You may have heard of these gigantic spiders called camel spiders. Now it's a movie: "Camel Spiders". Gotta love those creature features. This one is done by Roger Corman by the way. In truth, they're not spiders but they are arachnids. They eat flesh and suck blood instead of liquifying prey. Their sting is fierce. Some of us may have heard of them from going to fight in a war in desert countries. That is their home, the harsh desert landscape. They're so huge that you would think they could kill you but I don't believe they're venomous. Instead their bite has a high risk of becoming infected and causing necrosis of tissue. Not good! Sounds like a good subject for a movie if I ever heard one. This movie takes them to a level we've never seen though. They're oversized and deadly in this one. I don't doubt that could be a reality if they were any bigger truthfully. That almost scares me since they're pretty dang big to begin with. They only have two eyes by the way. Spiders have eight eyes. If you're not creeped out by these things then you must be lying. I think anyone would agree these buggers are gross. If you like monster movies and the like then this will work just fine for that variety of horror. I would be one scared soldier if I saw one of those in another country. Poor camels! Watch the movie then decide your vacation destination. Spiders creep me out so bad.
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Guest Commentator TOUGH GUY says: "Of course I can handle a camel spider. Didn't you see what I had to deal with in 'Pitch Black'?!"

Within Madness Hide The Monsters

2012-05-16T03:37:00.000-07:00

When I first started reading H.P. Lovecraft stories I was just expecting some old literature. What I didn't expect was learning about the beginnings of horror entirely. The earliest horror never had sci-fi themes with flying cars and force fields, etc. One's imagination had to create things that would scare people back then, like gods of madness and torment. Sounds effective to me. Gods that emerged from the sea to rule over mankind. Their rule was put on indefinite hiatus but those that go mad could release them. It's so inventive that you have to love the concept. H.P. Lovecraft started true psychological horror and took it to fantasy realms not heard of much even now. It's like creating "The Matrix"; anything after that will always be influenced by the original in one way or another. If people hear the word 'matrix' they'll think of that movie, and likewise, if people hear about 'gods' or 'madness' then more often than not people will refer to it as Lovecraftian. The irony is that most big authors weren't big in their living years. The destiny that some take doesn't get fully realized until the work has had a chance to have a profound effect on a new generation. You can't do that in your lifetime. Some do get big but to get as big as this would require at least two lifetimes to witness. He feeds on the fear of the unknown as his biggest source of imagination. The oldest fear in the book according to him. That's ingenious. The symbol of the sea is a symbol of our fear of what lives in it. We all know we fear what lurks in the deep sea. His visions of people on forgotten town islands worshipping sea gods where people sacrifice visitors are so darkly delicious. When you go for the bizarre it usually turns out entertaining. He will live on for sure. And we will still fear the unknown. The beasts that come to punish us.
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Guest Commentator BONE COLLECTOR says: "Why does everyone blame me when a huge beast is released on Earth? I don't even live on Earth!"

Hidden Meaning In Chaos

2012-05-16T02:59:00.000-07:00

Chaos Theory is all around us. Some use it to explain formations of stars in space. Others think of a vortex of wind or a two black holes colliding to create a bigger one. It can explain changes in the weather, even earthquakes and forest fires. It can explain changes in heat or radiation. It can even explain how people live their lives and how the unexplainable happens. It's shrouded in mystery since those that do understand it will find it hard to explain to those that don't. Basically, if you understand the secrets of life then you may not be able to help others. All we can do is try to better ourselves initially. The way lives interconnect can also be explained by chaos theory as our interactions create mathematical patterns throughout our daily living. It can be combined with probability to try to figure out all the possibilities of a given situation. It can be used to crack codes and show that no matter how hard we try to change events a new pattern will emerge. It's unavoidable. All we can do with this information is to try and avoid bad life patterns. The chaos comes from lives intersecting with other lives sometimes. As patterns crash into each other they create even more new patterns that all intertwine and it never stops. It moves inside out and back again. It rotates and distorts. But it is never without pattern. That might be scary to some but it can be a comfort if you allow it to be. It may blow the lid off of some simple minds though. There is no escape from patterns but there is control, until another pattern collides with yours. Then it's only somewhat in your control.
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Guest Commentator FLESHCRAWL says: "I tried to live by chaos theory and now my mind is mush. Now I'm a mindless zombie!"

Success Is A Kill Away

2012-05-13T04:43:00.000-07:00

"Sequel Science" episode 24! You musta seen this one if you liked the first "American Psycho". This movie "American Psycho 2" was a cool sequel. Mila Kunis played the killer intellectual with her mind set on what she wants. She wanted success and she was willing to do whatever it took to get there. In a way I don't blame her. I'm sure people have at one time or another thought to themselves "what if I could go up the ladder by killing that person?" instead of dealing with the rat race. Some people like to "compete" more than others, if you know what I mean. Others simply comply and take the hand they're dealt. But what if there was another way if you just let yourself go a bit? You never know. This girl in this movie was so twisted, and rather young to be such a nutcase. What drove her to it? The desire for success alone? The rat race? Some people would do almost anything to change their lives. A college psycho sure is scary though. That's how they make it scary again, a younger killer. I thought Mila Kunis did a good job in this movie and it wasn't anything like the first but maybe it wasn't supposed to be. It's funny how it's always the students in those classes where they profile killers that end up being killers in movies. Why is that? I've seen similar movies before and this is an entertaining genre. The "serial killer profiler/killer" genre, lol! In some countries the pressure to succeed is great and it can drive people to great lengths. What is success worth to you? Can you get there without killing someone? I'd like to think so. It makes for good movie making though. It makes you think about how some people got where they are. The "college killer" genre is another good one. Smart chicks can go crazy too. She's also one of the "Horror Girls" for this same movie in the past. Fear her or die!
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Guest Commentator BLUE FIEND says: "I tried that strategy and look where I ended up! Don't trust the movies!"

The Primeval Way Of Life

2012-05-13T04:03:00.000-07:00

Ranting about "Primeval" again. This time I thought I'd think about the dinosaurs themselves in the show. They are, how do you say, different than in other shows. The dinosaurs in this show have some unique body designs. One sort of resembles a dog with no skin, a reptilian tale, and huge teeth while another almost looks like a monkey with reptilian skin and sharp teeth. They have a lot more too. So this got me thinking about what that could mean. It is true that all animals started out as dinosaurs so it's not far fetched to believe that some of the creatures on this show could have been a reality at one time. Some are downright strange even. It's amazing how inventive the creature designers are really. This show is a good example of why we shouldn't go back in time. If we can go back they can come forward. And what if it caused some sort of paradox, anomaly, or changed the course of history? In every show about dinosaur time travel they're all different. Like in "Terra Nova", where they say it's an alternate reality so the future won't get affected. Even if it wasn't affected what impact would that have if we strip mined an alternate reality on the future of that reality? That might explain the twisted ending season finale. Now Primeval is a whole different beast. In this show they've created a wormhole that has let some bad creatures into the future. It's not like "Jurassic Park" but similar. If you could go back in time and let some dinosaurs into the future that would be a nightmare. A real nightmare. That's the sort of thing that would go very hush hush as they cover it up quietly. I don't think it's smart to want to go back in time to dinosaur times because we weren't meant to know some things. You know that's how scientists would think too. They would say "just imagine what we could learn" or something along those lines. Yeah, and then we can go back to WWII and let something into the future to cause WWIII; wouldn't that be grand? And what if it's an alternate reality where something is changed, but it could still affect the future? That would cause a paradox. I love shows like this and if you're like me they make you think about the horrors waiting to kill us in the past. Don't go into the past I tell you. What truly good application is there for going back into the past aside from trying to flee the doomed future or save it? Good one.
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Guest Commentator THE DRAGON SLAYER says: "I like the past. They have dragons here, and I like to eat dragon burgers!"

To Kill A Planet

2012-05-11T04:43:00.000-07:00

The dead planet, as I call it, would be Mars. We've all been curious about whether there's ever been life on Mars before but nobody knows for certain. All we do know is it would have been a very, very long time ago. The planet is very earth-like but totally dead. The air is a reddish orange. The ground is too. Rivines seem to have had water at one time. Mountains are taller than any on Earth. Canyons are deeper than ones here. Ice forms in spots showing proof of water. So what happened? It's as if someone killed the planet on purpose with some technology that we've never seen. Something that could disintegrate all living or man made things and toxify the ground, water, and air all at once. In "Doom 3" they hinted at something like separating the molecules of the soil and air to create clean air and water. If that were possible it could prove that something happened. That life once covered the planet. We won't be able to separate any molecules for a long time though. If we could we'd be nano-recycling by tearing things apart and building new things from them on a molecular level. What if nuclear war finally hit an all time high on another planet and wiped everything out? What if Mars was inhabited by humans at one time? Maybe it's an unconscious warning for us to not repeat the past. Are we doomed to repeat our past actions if that's what poisoned that planet? For all we know we're looking at a dead Earth. Scary. It makes ya wonder. What if all that orange dust is what's left of humans, buildings, animals, plants, everything? The ultimate weapon, a planet killer. But why kill a planet? Power?
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Guest Commentator HARVESTER OF SORROW says: "There's a lot of that orange dust in hell. It gets in your eyes. I hate it!"

4,000 Channel Imagination

2012-05-11T04:04:00.000-07:00

There are many kinds of art, not just the usual abstract painting hanging in a hotel lobby or something. I've seen things in movies like a wall of t.v.'s, as seen here. It could be art if done right. If you have the t.v. sets put on certain stations or playing certain movies or show clips then maybe it could come off like art with a message behind it. This vision of a wall of t.v.'s is kind of a cool one that I've seen in shows and movies. In "The X-Files" a kid with an over active imagination stares at a wall of t.v. sets to keep him from using his imagination to make things appear in reality. He had a sort of ESP that allowed him to manipulate reality. In movies you see it in different ways too, like in "The Matrix" or "The Dark Knight". Something about it is really cool. I think I'd get a headache watching too many t.v.'s at once but it could be fun. As art electronics are used more the more we'll see art that comes to life. No longer do we have stationary art only. Our minds are opened now and art can be diverse and active. It can have moving parts or electricity. Art is only limited by your imagination. I've also heard of a band with a wall of t.v.'s in a squat they had when rehearsing. "Amebix" maybe. A variation would be the globe of t.v. sets. We all know we've seen something like that, like in "Johnny Mnemonic". I'd like to create some t.v. based art myself now. If only I had the means to live a carefree artist life. Until then we got art. We all have our own idea of a t.v. wall. What's yours?
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Guest Commentator CHROMESHINE says: "4,000 channels and nothing to watch. You humans amuse me so much. Hahahahahaha!"

A Fond But Distorted Memory

2012-05-08T04:54:00.000-07:00

Versus Music #61. Well just to break the mold I thought I'd review something different than what I usually listen to. Every now and then I like to review different sounds. This band "Distorted Memory" is what I would call terror EBM. They sound like a mix of distorted "Skinny Puppy" vocals and cyberpunk style electronic-industrial. I always thought of early cyberpunk music as Skinny Puppy so to me this is the evolution of that type of music. I would prefer some heavy guitars in there but the sound is perfected and accessible. They're heavy without the guitar. By using the singer's voice and driving beats you get a different kind of heavy. To some this is true industrial but the dance beats don't have to be. There are heavier forms to me but this is EBM industrial. Others would call it dark electro or aggrotech. I like the sound of aggrotech. It's a very niche sound, just like "Frontline Assembly" has their own style. It's a great thing when you find your own unique sound and stand out in the world. Their music takes the best elements of older styles of music and mixes them with their own new ones. It's dark and evocative of scenes from cyberpunk movies. I think it would work great on a soundtrack of some sort. Their site looks great. They too use Blogger and they did wonders with it. It's amazing how a simple blog can change. When I'm not listening to guitar heavy industrial I might be listening to stuff like this. Futuristic sound. I like what the name implies. Do you trust your own memories?
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Guest Commentator HARVESTER OF SORROW says: "When you dance in hell you dance to this... as people get maimed in the background!"

VERSUS GIRL #70 - Maxxed Out!

2012-05-08T03:18:00.000-07:00

Time for a new Versus Girl. There are many to choose from and most are movie stars but this time I got a sexy fetish model by the name of Masuimi Max. She's been around for a while now so if you haven't heard of her then you're not in the know. That and I read "Bizarre" magazine. You can learn a lot from that mag really. She basically does pin-up model work and modeling for products such as Coffin Case or Lucky 13. She has been in movies too if you look for her. I'd say she did a good job carving out a niche for herself. You don't hear the word "pin-up model" much anymore but I don't see why not. Does that sort of modeling ever get old? Not really. We'll be in the year 3030 and there will still be pin-up models. She does nude work but I wouldn't classify it as the same as Hustler magazine or anything. The pin-up goes back to the purity of simply viewing the artistic nude form of a female. Now days we have tons of hardcore mags everywhere and the pin-up still has its place. She does have a nice form I'll say. Sure, her breasts have been augmented but I have a feeling in a cyberpunk future it'll be more commonplace to change parts of your body. I mean yeah she's firmer than a teenager and all but her breasts do look nice. I think it can be alright when they're not too exaggerated but who am I to say anything? Some men like natural, some men like all kinds. Some women might need the help more than others too. We have to be respectful in the end because we are all not created equal and we all age. If you ask me she's hot. I usually like natural better but she's cool. I can't even think of a cooler pin-up girl than her. Have you seen her website? It looks really well made. Of course, you know she's more than just a pin-up. She endorses clothes and products and sells memorabilia with her designs. I know she hasn't been in many movies but you'll like what she's done. There are plenty of pics of her out there too. Nice dragon tattoo.
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Guest Commentator FATHER DIABOLICAL says: "Be careful. With a tattoo like that she may have a sword hiding somewhere!"

Spiked Denim Culture

2012-05-07T05:29:00.000-07:00

Part of several musical circles is the spiked denim vest. You can find it worn by metal fans, punk fans, bikers, goths, black metal fans, movie fans, and fashion punks. I'm partial to those worn by crust metal bands like this one here, "Children Of Technology", but this isn't a music review. Good band though. Crusty punks have a way of making the coolest spiked denim vests with patches and spikes. If you look at bikers it may have started there and ported over to fashion culture. The adding of patches is indicative of a body of work, not just a love of music, movies, etc. It takes time to add the art, pictures, spikes, patterns, patches, and you could think of it like getting tattoos where you add with new experiences. Each piece symbolizing a new event in your path. You don't just put it all on at once, even though some do. It's more like a vest of a warrior with medals adorning it, which are the patches and the spikes are like chain mail. It's ironic since most punk is anti-war deep down and they take the fashion of a warrior into their style. Now we display our pride in our likes, dislikes, or try to shock people. Spikes make everything look better. I like the ones with plaid or leopard print added to them. Sometimes people don't design the best ones if they get too cluttered but most look alright. You may now look at denim vests much differently from now on. In the far future the punks and metal heads will still have denim vests. It takes time to earn your medals. Work on it. Don't rush it. Take pride in it.
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Guest Commentator TOUGH GUY says: "Of course I have one. I wouldn't be much of a tough guy if I didn't have my spiked denim dude!"

She'll Reap Your Lifeforce

2012-05-06T22:27:00.000-07:00

One of my fave movies of all time is "Lifeforce". It's a weird movie for sure. Not quite the most mainstream of ideas but it's so well done that you can't ignore it. The idea is some space vampires travel in a large plant-like ship of sorts. The vampires themselves are more like vampire bat humanoids or something that come out of the plant like spores when it blooms maybe? It's an interesting idea since it mimics the way a plant can travel through the air and leave spores in different locations. In this case the plant would be traveling through space and the vampires are what live inside of it. They don't feed on blood though, like conventional vampires, they feed on energy. The lifeforce of a person is the energy that they leech off of instead of blood. Upon arriving the queen starts causing havoc killing people as she walks around totally nude. Something about this works. I like the idea of a nude vampire with powers using energy as a weapon. It's not something you see everyday but I think we need more nudity in horror movies. Most are too tame by normal standards. She for some reason has made a mental connection to the astronaut that found her. It's sort of an obsessive love that draws her to him to become her mate. Apparently they can propagate through humans. As bodies start turning up there seems to be more than they expected to these inert bodies they found. They do learn that the lifeforce was what was taken later and a friend tells them of a legend of the original vampire possibly originating from these creatures they speak of. Then it turns out that his friend is indeed one of them, or more of a messenger. He's not like the others though, he's more of a demon looking thing. As the vampires start taking lives at an alarming rate they spawn what appear to be zombies taking over downtown. The amazing thing is how this movie manages to combine vampires and zombies into one movie and really make it adhere. You don't feel it too ambitious because it's done in a way that makes sense. By taking the lifeforce, but not all of it, you end up with zombies. It's a cool sci-fi take on the vampire unlike any out there. The obsession between the queen vampire and the astronaut grows and grows. I think the acting in this movie was on par and you could feel his brain trying to fight her hold on him. Even the musical score was classic and really propelled the movie to cult status. Some consider cult movies the unheard of ones but I like to think of cult as maybe a new classic known to genre followers. I think this movie sets the bar for a real parasitic soul reaping take on the vampire... from space. And pulls it all off. They are frightening here.
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Guest Commentator PRINCE OF DARKNESS says: "I agree, female vampires should always be walking around nude causing psychic sex torture!"

The Source Code To Another Life

2012-05-06T05:59:00.000-07:00

Versus Movie #119. One of the coolest movies I've seen in a while is the movie "Source Code". If you haven't seen it then you should. The idea behind it is complex but it's told in a way where anyone can understand it. A man must find a bomb on a train before 8 minutes or so is up. He dies. He goes back and looks for the bomb again and again. Confused yet? You will be. I was. It's a head trip and I love movies like that. You could call it sci-fi since it takes a change later on. The man that keeps going back in time to find a bomb is actually in a virtual reality unit, which is really in his imagination. That's about the most confusing thing ever but you'll understand what I mean when you see it. It's a trip. The poor guy was a soldier that got wounded and his family was told that he was dead when in truth his body was used for this experiment. It wasn't even his full body, like only the top half. They kept him alive superficially somehow, but only through the mind. He ends up falling for a girl he meets on the train and wishes he could save her and be with her. The ones in charge tell him that's not possible since he's merely going back in time in a parallel universe temporarily. He doesn't know that he's just half of a body though and he wants to keep trying to make it happen. He has no idea that he's an experiment. The cruelty is that he would basically be dead if it weren't for their keeping his brain alive. They wanted to use him as a brainwashed virtual reality person doing missions to save people by finding things, like bombs. He catches on to what they want and grows tired of it. He's not supposed to question anything though so they keep it very secretive. As he goes on he realizes that these temporary alternate realities are much more than temporarily opened. They exist upon his making one. As he enters one he makes it. So each reality is a different alternate reality that keeps on existing even after he leaves it. But he made them. He doesn't figure this out right away though. It takes a lot of trial and error and dying over and over before he starts to understand this. Each time he goes in he tries to get to know the woman better and better. He plots to save her and tells his superior that he's falling for her. This sounds like a losing battle but the one in charge is hoping that it works deep down. As he begins to find a way to save her he saves them both and they leave together to live a life dating each other. Then... his mind exits the alternate reality but he knows what this means. He may have come back to this reality but the alternate reality he entered will live on, with him and her together, independent of his body in the secret location. So now he's ready to have the plug pulled on him in reality while the alternate him lives with the woman he saved in an alternate past. The mind is a very powerful thing and creating an alternate reality is possible but it would be independent of this world, hence "alternate". So you could enter an alternate and become a new you, then leave and die in reality while the new you lives a different life. It's a strange way of looking at life and nobody wants to have to have things change by doing that but maybe it's a metaphor for how we could change life in reality. I liked how deep this movie really got. You can't tell by the rest of the movie how complex or deep it would get. It's a good action drama not to be missed. It makes me wonder what's possible.
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Guest Commentator CHROMESHINE says: "Wait... so he's dead, but he's not? He's alive and dead? Am I alive?!"

D.O.A. - Extreme Horror Arrives!

2012-05-03T05:05:00.000-07:00

Versus Book #73. Here's a good story collection: "D.O.A. - Extreme Horror Collection". This is actually the second in an anthology series. I loved horror anthologies in school so I still look for them to this day and found this one. The name says it all doesn't it? It's really up to the reader how extreme the stories really are because people can always say this story or that one weren't totally extreme but it's a matter of taste. Some cover extreme subjects without being too extreme you could say. That's not too bad. Others pack on the gore and vileness you would expect. The name of this book makes you want to get it for sure. If you're a horror enthusiast then this is a good excursion into terror since the stories are so varied. They vary from subject matter like necro vampires, abuse, monsters, disturbed people, demons, supernatural frights, and some other creepy ideas. I like it when a collection like this is greatly varied enough to take you off guard. Some critics feel a few of the shorter stories don't scare too much but that's fine by me. I'm willing to take the dive and see how crazy it is. I've been looking for something like this for a long time. The publisher happens to be an independent one specializing in uniquely scary stories. Sometimes there needs to be an independent publisher to take on certain subjects or stories that would not make it into the mainstream. If you're not scared then give this one a try and it should deliver. The cover art is awesome for an independent read by Bloodbound Books.
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Guest Commentator BLOOD MISTRESS says: "When the blood stains on the pages are fresh then you know you got a good one!"