RECOMMENDED
There's no shortage of good horror books these days and a few new gems can be found in horror movies as well. I'll try to share my favorite new books and movies on this page. You can rest assured, if I'm listing them here, then I definitely enjoyed it. But by all means, before making a book purchase or spending your time on a movie, please check other people's reviews as well as opinions vary greatly. Note: I'm such a huge horror fan that I will likely stay with the horror genre on this page unless a good murder mystery intrigues me. My rating system will be 1 through 5 so these will be mostly 4's and 5's since I'm recommending them.
BOOKS
SUMMARY
Keira must decide if she should use her ability to contact ghosts to help the man who once tried to kill her.
Hunted and haunted, all she wants is to put her mysterious past behind her and move forward with her new friends as Blighty Graveyard's groundskeeper. But then she receives an invitation to dinner at the local recluse's crumbling ancestral estate. The mansion is steeped in history that is equal parts complicated and bloody—and at its center is the man who once tried to kill her, now begging for her help.
Dane Crispin believes his home is haunted—and that the unquiet dead clawing through the ancient house are after him. Unnerved but intrigued, Keira opens her second sight and discovers he's right: resentful specters cling to Dane…and if she can't find a way to stop them, threaten to consume everything in their path.
There's something dark happening in the world beyond most peoples' vision, and if Keira isn't able to sever the ties between the living and the dead, the chained spirits may not be the only things twisted beyond saving.
Darcy Coates is one of my favorite contemporary horror authors. She is very creative and describes her characters in a way that you'll either love them or despise them. I read her other recent book 'Gallows Hill' prior to this one and I enjoyed it but I felt that it dragged on a bit. This book however is excellent. It is part of a 3 book series called Gravekeepers. As a new writer, I have this terrible habit of paying more attention to an author's writing style than just enjoying a good read. Didn't do that for this book. I was immersed in the story and characters she created. If you are looking for a good horror read, this is it. If you are an aspiring fiction writer then I recommend you read any of her books as she excels in making you feel like you know the characters'.
I'd give it 5 stars- David
SUMMARY
Ollie, his romantic partner Dwayne, and Ollie's two children, Sam and Jodi Lee, have left their old lives behind for a farm outside of Larton, a small & simple farming community, where Ollie takes employment with the local Sheriff's Department as a deputy and the promise of a new beginning for his family feels within reach.
But as the family tries to settle in to routine, they are met with bigotry, complications with Dwayne's chronic illness, and the unnerving discovery that a serial killer, nicknamed "The Visitor", is on the loose, stalking teens in the area.
Against Dwayne's struggle to gain the children's approval and balance care for his own health, & Jodi Lee's immersion into the company of a religious family whose beliefs incite hatred, Morphosis traverses the intricate nature of familial connections and the exhausting pressures that can squeeze them to their breaking point.
Adding to the turmoil, Ollie's growing obsession to catch "The Visitor" keeps him out of the house for nights on end, leaving his family to unravel without support.
So, never judge a book by its cover right? I took one look at this cover and knew I had to take a look inside. (I have to find out who did that artwork.) The book is by AJ Saxsma and I believe it is one of 2 novels he has written. His Bio says that he has done screenplays and published short stories. The book is an easy read as it is only 167 pages but man is it good. It is fast paced and has many different elements including my favorite element; horror. This book is a great read and I'm not going to ruin it with spoilers but I'll only say, Wow, what an ending!
I'll give it 5 Stars ( and an extra star for the cover), -David
MOVIES
SUMMARY
After an extradition of criminals from Manila was disrupted by suicide attack at the airport, officials decided that the next group of criminals should be transported by sea. While under heavily armed guard, the dangerous convicts aboard a cargo ship unite in a coordinated escape attempt that soon escalates into a bloody, all-out riot. But as the fugitives continue their brutal campaign of terror, they soon discover that not even the most vicious among them is safe from the horror they have unknowingly unleashed from the darkness below deck.
Living in Thailand is interesting when it comes to available TV and streaming channels. Fortunately, we do get Netflix and a few other streaming channels so we can watch international TV and movies. This movie is new on Netflix and I had to add this one to my list of recommendations, If for nothing else, the amount of gore and blood is astonishing. This isn't one of those thought-provoking movies. Just killing and more killing so if you are in the mood for a gore fest, this is the one. So, just to give you an idea of the tone, one of the prisoners stabs a guard and kills him slowly while looking into his eyes, then lights a cigarette and tosses a match on him, then to add insult to injury so to speak, he urinates on his dead body. Like I said, not for the squeamish. Blood fest.
Bloody good- 4 stars-David
SUMMARY
When it is time for the Chinese gaokao, the entire country comes to a standstill. For nearly ten million high school students, this two-day national college entrance exam will determine where and if they get to study. It is not uncommon for the fates of entire families to hinge on the results. Like so many others, Nian has been focused on preparing for the exam, at the exclusion of everything else and is all alone. A classmate has committed suicide and she has become the target of relentless bullying. Meanwhile, fate brings her together with small-time criminal Bei and the two of them seal a pact.
Okay, I'm already going back about what I said about reviewing only horror books and movies. Better Days is a 2019 film that tackles the subject of bullying in Chinese schools. It is basically a drama but man is it intense. You know you've watched a good film when it is over and you are emotionally drained. That's how I felt after watching it. Lead performances are great. You'll be riveted from beginning to end. There are a few negatives (like having to read subtitles since audio is in Chinese.) I felt the ending could have gone in a different direction and they could have added to the film by blurring the lines of good police, bad gang members a little better. I'm nitpicking but it is a must-watch.
Definitely 5 Stars-David
GAMES
SYNOPSIS EPISODE 1
Tim’s life has drastically changed since his wife disappeared mysteriously. In one night, after suffering from the sorrow for a long time, he woke up in an unknown place instead of his house. While trying to escape from this place, he was hunted by a rancorous female spirit. Can he survive? Is this place actually his house? Does it relate to the disappearance of his wife? Some dark sinister secret is hidden inside this house, and it won’t be a place of happiness as it used to be any longer.
For those of you who enjoy games, my nephew showed me this one. If you are a horror fan and enjoy games, you will be addicted to this from the time you begin. I added the synopsis for episode 1 but if you would like to know more about the game series, click on the image and it will take you to their official website.