Witch - British Folk Horror Coming Soon

 

Released on 29th April 2024, Witch is a new British folk horror film from directors Craig Hinde and Marc Zammit. 

Witch takes viewers to 1575 England, where we will meet Twyla, played by Sarah Alexandra Marks, a caring wife and mother who has been accused of witchcraft. Facing the death penalty if found guilty, her husband William sets out to find the real witch behind the crimes Twyler has been accused of, hoping to bring her to justice to save his wife's life.

Witchcraft has often been a ripe source of inspiration for horror films, and whilst Witch promises to feature otherworldly horror, it's perhaps the very real horrors of the witch hunts and trials from history that take centre stage in this upcoming film. Set decades before the infamous witch trials of Salem, the film promises to shine a spotlight on the often forgotten witch hunts of Britain, and the terrors of the time for those accused of being practitioners of the dark arts. 

However, the film also tells the story of a devout husband, one willing to go through terrifying trials and face down awful horrors to save the woman he loves.

Witch releases in the UK on 29th April, and I will be reviewing it for release. However, until then, check out this clip from the film.

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Three Exorcism Siblings Vol 1 by Shinata Harekawa - Manga Review

 

'In the mountains above Japan, Mamoru Yamaemori spends his days tending to his family shrine, fighting Tengu— monsters who feast on human flesh—and, making sure his two younger brothers will never have to pick up his mantle. Unable to escape the life forced upon him by his parents and a dark ritual involving Tengu blood, all he knows is that his existence is a curse: he is destined to die young in the service of others.

'But to fight monsters, Mamoru must dance that line between loving older brother and mindless beast – or else he risks becoming that which he is sworn to destroy.'

Three Exorcism Siblings opens with a grim image. Deep in the woods, something huge and monstrous eats the head of a child whilst another lays nearby, unconscious, with the warning that 'Deep in the mountains... Dwell the Tengu.' This is something of a dark, horrific beginning to a story that isn't as frightening as this first page would have us believe, as whilst there are indeed monsters to be found within these pages, there are also brave young warriors whose mission is to stop them.

In the mountains there lies a remote shrine, watched over by three siblings from the Yamaemori family. The youngest of them is fifteen-year-old Yu, who loves sports and doesn't really do well at his academic studies. The middle brother is Kei, a seventeen-year-old student who is almost the opposite to Yu, and is incredibly smart and studious. And looking after both of them is twenty one-year-old Mamoru. Mamoru is the first of these three siblings that we meet, and the first time we see him he's killing the monstrous Tengu with a sword, saving a child's life. As the elder sibling, he's sworn to protect the shrine and the surrounding area from the Tengu. This would lead you to think that Mamoru is going to be a grim, perhaps even haunted kid of young man; where in fact he's something of a mother hen to the others.

In a delightful twist on the expected formula, Mamoru spends much of his time cleaning the home, making dinner for his brothers, and acting like a loving parent to them. He's even unafraid to cry and show is emotions over how proud he is of his two younger brothers. He's a wonderful subversion on the warrior with a sacred duty archetype that you can't help but instantly like him.

Unfortubately, things can't stay nice and happy for our three protagonists. When his brother is in danger, Mamoru heads out into the woods to fight the monsters that are threatening his family. Whilst he manages to save Yu, he's seemingly killed in the attempt, but comes back as a Tengu-like creature himself. Somehow fighting off the full infection, Mamoru must learn to control his new abilities and find a way to use them for good, lest he turn into one of the very monsters he has sworn to destroy.

Three Exorcism Siblings has a really interesting start, with a nice mix of very relaxed, enjoyable slice of life style scenes with a family that care about each other and get along well, along with some very bloody and horrific moments that feel like they belong in a horror title. Plus, there's a load of action thrown into the mix too to keep things exciting. Shinata Harekawa does a great job at balancing all of these different tones, and gets you invested pretty early on. By the time Mamoru becomes infected by the Tengu you're already on board for this story, and you care for the siblings, even though you've barely begun the story. 

This investment in making likable characters definitely keeps you on board as Harekawa spends the rest of this first volume diving into the history of this family, the mythology around the Tengu's, and this secret world of shrine protectors that exists hidden from the regular world. Like with most good Urban Fantasy books, you get small peeks of the strange and unusual before diving headfirst into the fantastical elements, and the first volume keeps racking up the stakes throughout so that by the time the first book comes to a close you're desperate to find out what happens next. 

Harekawa's artwork looks fantastic, and the action and horror moments stand out as some of the best parts in the book. The very first page feels incredibly visceral, and the image of the Tengu biting a child's head off in a single bite is shocking and rendered in a way that doesn't revel in the blood and gore, but conveys the horror of the imagery well enough that it feels haunting. There are several moments like this throughout, where it almost feels like the reader is a perverse watcher, peeking in on awful, depraved events that we shouldn't be looking at. Thankfully, the action that's in the book acts like a nice palate cleanser for these moments. And the scenes in which Mamoru gets to cut down a monster with his family sword are drawn beautifully. 

If you're looking for a new manga series that manages to juggle world building, likable characters, great action, and horror, then Three Exorcism Siblings is a book that you're going to want to pick up. It's a very addictive read, and if you're like me you'll end up finishing the entire thing in a single go and be ready for the next volume already.

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Hellboy (2004) – Throwback 20

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

When looking at the last decade or so of cinema and the huge numbers of big budget comic book movies and multimedia shared universes it’s easy to forget when comic movies were first becoming a popular thing.

The early 2000s was when the genre was first making its way onto the big screen without being seen as a joke, with films such as Blade, X-Men and Spider-Man leading the charge for these films to be taken seriously again after the 90s saw a drop in popularity and acclaim with fairly disastrous Batman movies. With people wanting to see more comic book films on the screen there was a push to find more properties to adapt, and studios began to look outside of the ‘big two’ (Marvel and DC) to find source material.

One of the properties that stood out to studios looking to cash in on the popular, darker tone of successful movies like the Blade series, and the more serious natured approach to X-Men, was Dark Horse Comics‘ Hellboy. Originally having appeared in Dime Press #4 in 1993, the character of Hellboy quickly appeared in his own four issue mini-series, Hellboy: Seeds of Destruction, a year later.

This book would prove to be the spark that not only made a name for the character, but also began an entire universe. The Hellboy universe would begin fairly small, but over time new characters and new titles would be added, spawning spin-offs and events in a story that would go on for more than thirty years. The popularity of the series, and the fact that series creator Mike Mignola was already on board to bring it to the big screen alongside director Guillermo del Toro made the prospect an enticing one, though the road to get to the big screen wasn’t an easy one.

Del Toro wanted to make Hellboy before a single studio did, having discussed the idea of adapting it with Mignola in depth years before the project was given the go-ahead. Del Toro took the key storyline from the first Hellboy story, but altered several elements to better suit the big screen, including slightly altering Hellboy’s origins to better connect him with the films antagonists.

Most interestingly, during these early stages of development, del Toro had already cast his lead actor. Del Toro wrote the script with Ron Perlman as his only choice for the titular role, and made efforts to make the character work for him. Part of the choice in casting Perlman was due to his experience in extensive monster make-up, thanks to his work on the television series Beauty and the Beast, a series where Perlman also displayed his ability to convey nuance and emotion whilst hidden under prosthetics.

Whilst several studios initially rejected del Toro’s pitch to adapt the comic, with many executives not liking the very idea of the film, the push to get more comic movies made and on the screen ultimately helped. Del Toro was ready to make Hellboy in 1998, but it wasn’t until 2003 that a studio finally gave him the chance to make it.

The film loosely follows the story of the first graphic novel, and opens with the origin of Hellboy (Ron Perlman), a demon summoned by the Nazis, and the mystic Rasputin (Karel Roden), during an occult ritual on a remote Scottish island during World War Two. A group of Allied soldiers, along with a young occultist, manage to stop the ritual from being completed. Rasputin is sucked into a portal and lost forever, whilst a small demon baby with a right hand made from stone is found in the ruins. Sixty years later, the demon, now a man named Hellboy, works for the government institution the B.P.R.D. (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense). Having been raised by the young occultist, who he sees as his father, Hellboy fights to protect the world from paranormal threats and monsters.

Helping him in his mission is Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), a young woman with the power to create and control flames, who has a budding romance with Hellboy, and Abraham ‘Abe’ Sapien (played by Doug Jones and voice by David Hyde Pierce), a psychic fishman. The three of them are joined by a new agent, who has only just discovered the world of the paranormal and is in over his head, but acts as our audience ride-along character as we get to discover this world ourselves. When the team learn that Rasputin has returned from the demon realm he was lost to decades before, it begins a mission that has the fate of the world resting in the balance.

Despite having a built in fan-base, and the popularity of comic book movies at the time, Hellboy did not experience a smooth release. Being brought out during the Easter period, and with both Hell in the title and a demon as the hero, the film met protests from religious groups and businesses. Some toy chains refused to sell Hellboy merchandise, some theatres wouldn’t show the film, and certain markets in southern US areas changed the name of the film to ‘Helloboy’ to try and avoid demonic association. Despite these protests, the film received high critical and audience praise, and was nominated for several awards. The success of Hellboy would also see a sequel four years later that was even better received.

Whilst superheroes may have been dominating the comic book movie landscape at the time Hellboy offered audiences something different, and showcased to general audiences that comic books are a lot more that capes and tights.

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The Borderlands - Limited Edition Blu-ray

 

The Borderlands was a film that I had seen on a number of lists of great horror films that few people had heard of, and it was often cited as one of the best found footage horror films. A few years ago I managed to find a copy, and thought that I'd give it a try, my household being fans of both horror and found footage. It quickly became one of our favourite horror films, and have since watched it pretty much every Halloween season. As such, when I heard that Second Sight were releasing a new Limited Edition Blu-ray release of the film I knew that I needed to check it out.

The Borderlands takes viewers to the sleepy English countryside, to a small town where nothing special really happens. However, a small, barely looked after church, has experienced what the priest is calling a miracle, as objects upon the altar began to move on their own. We join a trio of Vatican investigators as they travel to the small church to try and debunk what has happened. There's the sceptical priest Mark (Aidan McArdle), the agnostic techy Gray (Robin Hall), and the alcoholic and world weary investigator Deacon (Gordon Kennedy). Equipped with headcams to record their investigation, the three of them work together to find out what's going on in the church; and discover something that none of them could have ever expected. 

Forgoing jump scares, The Borderlands is something of a slow-burn horror film, and for much of its run there's very little happening that you could actually call horror. The film takes its time, and lets you get to know the characters as they bond as a group, and begin to investigate what they're sure is a hoax. Many of the early scenes feature two of the leads, Deacon and Gray, as they hang out in their rental home, having a few beers, doing a jigsaw, and getting to know each other. The chemistry between the actors in these scenes are undeniable, and it's a huge part of the charm of the movie. There's a sense that the production was perhaps somewhat relaxed, and that much of the banter and joking between the two leads is largely improvised on set joking (this is confirmed in an interview included on the disc).

The film draws you in and gets you attached to the characters very easily, and as such, when the spooky stuff does start it almost takes you by surprise as you've forgotten that this is supposed to be a horror film. Like the characters, you've almost come to think that the events they're investigating must be a hoax, and that you're just there for a fun time. And this is one of the things that the film does wonderfully. This lulling into a false sense of security before it pulls the rug out from under you elevated the horror and makes it that much more disturbing. It feels real in the sense that the film has the frightening intersecting with the mundane in a way that makes your skin crawl and your stomach turn. 

Perhaps the biggest thing about the film, and something that gets brought up almost every time it's mentioned, is the ending. I'm not going to go into what happens at the end of the film, as if you've never seen The Borderlands and haven't had it spoilt for you you definitely need to see it. It's the kind of ending that had me with my jaw hanging, and having to double check I was seeing what I was seeing, asking the others with me if it was really happening. It's unexpected, shocking, and absolutely stays with you. It's the kind of ending that makes you want to re-watch the film almost immediately; and because of this ending I'm sure that The Borderlands will continue to grow as a cult hit. 

Alongside the movie, the new set comes packed with a host of enjoyable special features that fans of the movie are sure to enjoy. There's an archive Behind the Scenes featurette that has been on previous releases of the movie, but there's also some brand new features made just for the new Blu-ray. There's an interview with special effects artist Dan Marin, named 'Monster Goo', that goes into the work done for the film, but also includes a guide to making your own monster slime at home; something that I didn't know I wanted to do before seeing it explained to me. There's also an interview with producer Jennifer Handorf, who goes into the production of the movie, the adventures in filming underground, and how the film was given a different name in the US.

The two best features, however, as the interview with stars Robin Hill and Gordon Kennedy, and their audio commentary for the film. The interview, which takes place inside an old church that appeared in a small scene in the film, is a lot of fun, and the two stars slip back into their friendly banter and jokey relationship that their characters had on screen. The two of them are a lot of fun together, and their stories often lead to you chuckling along with them and wanting to hear more. Luckily, the commentary allows for this, and whilst watching through the film with the two of them telling jokes and funny stories does make the experience less frightening it absolutely makes it hugely enjoyable. 

The Borderlands has very quickly become one of the horror films that I'll always recommend to people who haven't seen it. It's imaginative, enjoyable, and encourages multiple watch-throughs. This new release, which also comes with some art cards and a book filled with essays about the film, is perhaps the perfect edition of the movie. It has everything that a fan of the film could want, and I can't think of a good reason to not want it decorating your shelf. 

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Bobcat Moretti - Film Review

 

Sports are hugely popular, and have become engrained into modern culture in ways that other pursuits haven't. There are large sections of daily newspapers dedicated to sports, the nightly news will include a sports segment, and there are entire channels committed to not just watching sports but discussing them in depth. This has become very normalised, in ways that you don't get for things such as the arts, and most people just see sports as one of those things that is everywhere. Despite that, sports tends not to make its way to the movies all too often. There are exceptions to that, and we're not without sports films, but compared to its prevalence elsewhere it's strange that it's not a bigger genre.

One sport that tends to make the translation to film a lot, however, is boxing. Boxing movies allow the creators to skip over having to manage a large cast that would come with team sports, and instead focus on one persons story. And boxing movies are often more than just boxing; they're stories of a person overcoming some difficulty, or pushing themselves harder than they thought possible in order ton pursue a dream. Bobcat Moretti fits nicely into this mould, and whilst it doesn't do anything new or innovative with the genre, it still tells an engaging story that ticks all the boxes that fans would want.

The film begins by introducing us to our titular character, Bob Moretti (Tim Realbuto), a man in his late thirties who has found himself overweight and sick following a personal tragedy that saw his wife killing their son before turning a gun on herself. Pushing past the doctors insistence that his pain must be psychological, he's eventually diagnosed with MS, multiple sclerosis. Struggling to take care of his elderly mother, who's suffering with dementia, he eventually moves back to LA to stay with his brother and his family after their mother passes. 

With the opportunity to do anything in front of him, but weighed down by his grief and his diagnosis, Bob struggles to know what to do with his life. He eventually comes across an old boxing guy run by Jo (Vivica A. Fox), who agrees to take Bob on as a janitor. She also agrees to help train him in order to help him manage his grief and improve his physical health. Thus begins a story that will see Bob, now nicknamed Bobcat, moving on to a new chapter of his life; but it's one that's far from easy.

Bobcat Moretti is clearly a small movie, and it has some issues that you do come across with some indie productions, chiefly with the audio not quite being perfect all the time, but it's also clear that a ton of passion has gone into making the film. Realbuto co-wrote the film alongside director Rob Margolies, and the scenes in which Bob is dealing with the trauma that he's carrying with him are some of the better moments in the film, and Realbuto sells it well, delivering some scenes that any actor would be proud of. However, it's his physical transformation during the movie that's perhaps the most surprising. 

Midway through the film there's a skip of several months, during which Bob has dropped a lot of weight. The first time we see the transformed Bob I had a moment of confusion as to what the film had done. It looked like Bob, yet he'd clearly lost a lot of weight. I considered that they'd recast him with another actor who was incredibly similar looking, or even that the film had used some very good prosthetics to make him look larger earlier on. The truth is so much simpler, and much more impressive. Realbuto lost 70kg (11 stone) midway through the film. This is the kind of physical transformation some actors will do for a role before a movie, so to see it happen during one is hugely impressive, and speaks to the level of dedication that the lead has for the film. 

Alongside Realbuto, Vivica A. Fox is the films top billed actor, and is perhaps one of the bigger names in the movie (apart from a cameo from the hugely famous Coolio, but I'm not sure that counts). Getting Fox for the film was definitely a big thing, and it helps Bobcat Moretti stand out from other independent movies filled with largely unknown names. I'll admit, it was seeing her name on the cast list that initially grabbed my attention. But, Fox isn't just here to give the film credibility, as she plays the role of Jo well. A lot of boxing movies have an older, experienced trainer for our leads to connect with, and Fox fills that kind of role here, and does many of the things that you'd expect. However, she brings a degree of warmth and care to the role that in so many other films often comes across as the 'grouchy' older guy. The fact that a role that's normally given to older male actors is being performed by a Black woman also makes the film stand out from the crowd. 

Bobcat Moretti isn't a perfect film. There are issues throughout, and it's clear that the budget is limited in places (scenes that are supposed to include a crowd focus on a few people and put cheering voices in the background to do the rest), but it's decent despite this. The film tries, and whilst it does include many of the tropes from these kinds of movies it does do things a little different here and there too, and is trying to tell its own story. Whilst you're not going to be getting Rocky Bobcat Moretti is an enjoyable and engaging experience.

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The Market of 100 Fortunes by Marie Brennan - Book Review

 

'Enthralling fantasy mystery from the world of Legend of the Five Rings as two samurai risk everything to rescue an old friend from the clutches of a shadowy trickster.

'Having vanquished demons and halted invasions of devious creatures from the Spirit Realms, Asako Sekken and Agasha no Isao Ryotora are finally going to be married. But when a note from their old ally Sayashi arrives unexpectedly, the samurai find themselves dragged into another supernatural mystery.

'Their investigation leads them to Crane lands and an ancient market ruled by a mysterious being. Now Sekken and Ryotora must use all their wit and charm to save Sayashi from a hundred year bargain before they find themselves embroiled in a conflict with a forgotten deity of unimaginable power.'

I've only had the briefest experience with Legend of the Five Rings world, having read a few of the books before, and I didn't realise going into The Market of 100 Fortunes that this particular novel was one of a series, with the main characters having been used in previous books. Despite this, Marie Brennan makes this latest entry in the franchise feel incredibly accessible to new readers, and it was easy to slip into this world and these characters stories as we get taken on a story of mystery and adventure.

Having read the second book in this series, The Game of 100 Candles, it was easy to slip into this story as it picks up directly following those events. Even though I had a small amount of experience with Sekken and Ryotora, Brennan makes the beginning of the book easy to get into, and much of the details from the first two books is given over when needed in order to catch people up and to introduce things to new readers. There was a lot of stuff that I wasn't completely sure of that was from the first book, but I found that I never got lost once as I re-joined these two characters for their latest tale as they prepare to marry in the Dragon Lands.

After the events of the last book our two heroes seem to be looking for something of a quiet life, and things seem to be going well for them until Sayashi, an old friend of theirs, writes to them asking for help in the distant Crane Lands. Knowing that they cannot leave their ally alone and in trouble, they head off, leaving their wedding behind and travel to the distant Market of 100 Fortunes. 

As with previous entries in this series, the book is filled with mystery, and Ryotora and Sekken are forced to search for clues and work alongside new allies as they try to help their friend find the entrance to a supernatural market. The book blends the world of the ordinary, filled with rigid tradition and order, with that of the supernatural well, and our two leads definitely feel like they're trapped between the two; forced to go against their leaders in order to help out a friend and ally in their hour of need not because it's the proper thing to do, but because it's the right thing to do.

The story also evolves the relationship of the two leads in some new and interesting ways. At the end of the last book the two of them found themselves with a new connection, one that means they're bonded in ways in which most people wouldn't understand. This book sees them exploring that connection, figuring out what it means for their relationship, and tests them in ways that neither of them would first expect. However, it helps that they have both new and old allies along for the journey to keep things running smoothly.

Brennan does a fantastic job with the setting, and the melding of historical inspired setting with the fantastical is something that she has done well across her career in several novels; and she certainly brings it to The Market of 100 Fortunes in spades. Even those who have no experience with this series and this game world but have a love for Japanese history and mythology would enjoy the world that Brennan has brought to life here. It feels like something familiar, yet also something with a fresh and interesting twist on it at the same time; and if you're like me you'll come away from the book wanting to learn more about the world of Legend of the Five Rings.

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This Skin Was Once Mine by Eric LaRocca - Book Review

 

'A brand-new collection of four intense, claustrophobic and terrifying horror tales from the Bram Stoker Award®-nominated and Splatterpunk Award-winning author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. Four devastating tales from a master of modern horror...'

My experience with Eric LaRocca's work has been one of ups and downs. I've always found his writing to be very well made, to be interesting, and to be stories that I remember. But I'm not sure I always enjoy them because they're the kind of stories that I remember with a slight shudder and a sense of unease. He's perhaps one of the few writers who I'm always excited to read more of, yet also never want to read again thanks to how well he works the horror centre into truly unsettling pieces of art.

His latest release, This Skin Was Once Mine follows a similar style to his previous work with Titan Books, where you find several small stories collected together rather than one large narrative. And I think this is my preferred method of reading LaRocca's work, as I'm not sure I would bring myself to read a whole novel length story by him as it would feel like too intimidating a prospect; but when it comes to the horror short story format he's become something of an expert. And as much as his stories get under my skin I can't help but delve into one of his short stories with a sense of perverse excitement. 

The first story in this collection is the one from which the entire book takes it's title, 'This Skin Was Once Mine', and tells the story of a young woman, Jillian, and her having to return home and deal with her estranged family after the death of her father. Unlike with most people returning to their childhood homes and finding them smaller, them having grown both physically and emotionally since they were last there, Jillian finds a home that feels larger, full of secrets and dark emotions waiting for her. The setting is as much a character as the people in the story, and the tale takes on as strange, psychological horror that twists and turns so many times that you begin to wonder what might be real. It gets into your head in the most perverse way possible. The story has an almost nightmarish, dream logic to it that is easy to imagine, but hard to translate well to the written word; yet LaRocca does so wonderfully, creating an experience that feels like it's crawled out of the back of your mind in the small hours of the night. 

The second story, 'Seedling', has a similar theme to it, as it deals with a man learning that his mother has died, and returning home to console his grieving father. The loss of a parent seems to be a theme that LaRocca uses a lot, and despite having two stories in a row in this collection that have that as a basis, the execution of each of them is very different from the other. The story is less about loss and more about obsession. It deals with something twisted and wrong in the worst way possible, a part of your body. Unable to escape it, it becomes all you can think about, it dominates your mind and takes on a life of its own. It's an experience most of us are familiar with, from picking at a wound, to worrying over an odd lump, to having fears about losing a piece of your body. But as with most things LaRocca takes it to a horrific extreme and plays into some primal and disturbing phobias that will at times leave you feeling ill.

'All The Parts of You That Won't Easily Burn' takes the third place in the book, and tells the story of a man who buys an ornate, antique knife and the journey that comes from that simple purchase. A tale about kink, pushing boundaries, and the extremes of consent, it tells a dark story about a spiral of self destruction. This story is one that definitely gets under your skin, pun intended. It reminds me in some ways of 'Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke', a story about someone being introduced to new, extreme experiences, and how the person who does so seems to be leading another human being to willingly destroy themselves. Every story in this collection is dark, but this is perhaps the darkest as for the most part it feels incredibly real. It's easy to imagine the drive for new, more extreme experiences leading someone to do terrible things, and is a theme that isn't new to horror. It's not hard to pair this story up with something like the cenobites from Hellraiser, of monsters pushed to the extremes of physical sensation, and as with those stories, it will likely leave you feeling shocked and sickened in unique ways.

The final story, 'Prickle', is perhaps the more simple of the bunch, and feels much more straightforward compared to the others. It tells the story of two older men who have a special game, whereby they go out of their way to ruin other peoples days. It doesn't sound that bad on the surface, but the simplicity of the concept hides some truly awful acts that occur across the story. The story escalates as the two old friends compete against each other, leading to an ending that will leave you reeling; and on reflection might be the perfect way to round out the collection of stories.

Eric LaRocca has a mind that frightens me. A lot of people who aren't into horror assume that those that are, and those that create it, must be twisted people, with minds filled with awful ideas and darkness. And of course, that's complete rubbish. But LaRocca is one of the few horror creators who makes that sentiment come to mind for me. I wonder what dark and twisted things are lurking in his mind, and what stories are yet to come; stories that leave me feeling sickened and shaken, yet that I can't wait to read.

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Myrrh by Polly Hall - Book Review

 

'Myrrh has a goblin inside her, a voice in her head that tells her all the things she's done wrong, that berates her and drags her down. Desperately searching for her birth-parents across dilapidated seaside towns in the South coast of England, she finds herself silenced and cut off at every step.

'Cayenne is trapped in a loveless marriage, the distance between her and her husband growing further and further each day. Longing for a child, she has visions promising her a baby.

'As Myrrh's frustrations grow, the goblin in her grows louder and louder, threatening to tear apart the few relationships she holds dear and destroy everything around her. When Cayenne finds her husband growing closer to his daughter, Cayenne's stepdaughter, pushing her further out of his life, she makes a decision that sends her into a terrible spiral. The stories of these women will unlock a past filled with dark secrets, strange connections; all leading to an unforgettable, horrific climax.'

On occasion, when I have strong opinions on a book that I've read I'll head over to the internet to have a look at what others have said about it, curious to see if my love or hate of a book is common, or if it's just me. On occasion, I'll also check out other people's thoughts when I struggle with a book. If I ended up confused, or found the journey something of a chore, I'll go and see if I'm the only one who went through this. Myrrh by Polly Hall kind of falls into this later category. It's a winding, maze-like narrative with some difficult and occasionally dark themes, and was a book that made me uncomfortable to read at times. I needed to see if that was just me or not; and this time it seems like Myrrh is the kind of book that has gotten under a lot of people's skins.

At it's heart, Myrrh is a story about family and belonging. It covers the topic from a range of perspectives, including adoption, step-families, marriage, and parenthood in three interweaving narratives that meet and interact in some unexpected and surprising ways. The two main stories follow Myrrh, a young woman who was adopted as a baby and is now searching for answers to her past by looking for her birth parents; and Cayenne, who has married a man with a teenage daughter, who struggles with her desires to have a child of her own and has to watch as her husband and step-daughter bond in ways she's always wanted for her own child. There's also a smaller plot involving Marian, who has a connection to Myrrh and her birth father.

The novel shifts between the various characters and their narratives often, using fairly shot chapters to keep things moving at a fairly fast pace. Whilst this does move things forward well, it's also done in a way that helps to make the story feel more confusing too. It often feels like the reader is having to play catch-up, that events are moving from one thing to another before we've had a chance to get our heads around the first thing. This kind of feels like it's meant to mirror Myrrh's own sense of confusion, and her somewhat unusual mental state (she has an internal voice called Goblin that doesn't seem healthy at all). It's an interesting choice from Hall, and it does put you in Myrrh's shoes well, though it also does make the book a little bit harder to digest at times too.

One thing that I did enjoy about the book was the complexity of the characters. They're the kinds of characters that seem to have a fairly clearly defined trait, ones that are easy to describe and are great starting out points. However, as the book went on you begin to learn that there's a lot more to Myrrh and Cayenne than you first think. The story changes them, it makes them face some shocking and life changing truths about themselves and the way that they view the world, and watching them go through that journey is a big draw to the book for me.

Something that I saw when looking at other people's thoughts on the book was that some people didn't finish the book. The long, interweaving narratives, and some of the dark content were cited as reasons why, and I can understand that perhaps those things might not be for everyone. However, I also saw several people talk about the books ending. It feels like Myrrh is one of those books where when you discover someone else has read it the first thing you're going to say it 'oh my god, the ending!'. I'm not going to say much on the actual content as I don't want to spoil it, but it's certainly one where you're going to be thinking about it a good while after you've put the book down, and whilst some people might be tempted to not finish the book, those that do are going to find something quite surprising and memorable waiting for them.

Whilst Myrrh has been described as horror, it's definitely more of a psychological thriller with some dark, horror-like elements. It relies heavily on mystery, and complex characters rather than overt horror imagery. If that's the kind of book that appeals to you, then Myrrh is definitely worth your consideration. 

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Metroid: Zero Mission - Throwback 20

 

The Metroid series has been a popular staple of the Nintendo consoles since the very first game became a hit back in 1986. The combination of side scrolling exploration, puzzle solving, exploration, and intense action led it to become a formula that would prove to be incredibly popular. It was only a few months after its release that it would be joined by Castlevania, a game similar in style and flavour, yet forgoing the sci-fi setting for fantasy horror. Together, these two title would give birth to an entire genre of games whose name was taken from the two; Metroidvania. Having inspired an entire genre, of course Metroid would become a popular series with multiple releases.

Shortly after the release of Metroid: Fusion, the first in the series released on the Game Boy Advance, development began on recreating the first game in the franchise for the new handheld console. Yoshi Sakamoto, who worked on the original game as a designer, and had worked on most of the games in the series, was tasked with directing the remake. The game engine that had been developed for Metroid: Fusion was used as the bones for Metroid: Zero Mission, allowing the team to skip the process of crafting a new engine from scratch. This instead allowed them to focus on the contents of the game itself.

It was decided that one of the ways in which the team wanted to update the original was by expanding the story. The first game was fairly light on plot, and contained little dialogue or text. This time around the game employed cutscenes to explore Samus' history and expand her character considerably over the first game. New cinematics were created to show her memories as they related to the main story, giving those who wanted to explore the origins of the series a more modern experience. 

The story itself followed the basic plot of the original game, with the player taking control of Samus Aran, one of the galaxy's greatest bounty hunters. When space pirates take over a research vessel containing the deadly Metroid organisms Samus is dispatched to their base of operation to stop them. The pirates are intending to mutate the Metroids, turning them into weapons that they can use on their enemies. 

It wasn't just the story that was expanded upon, however, as new gameplay elements and features were introduced to make the game feel different from the original, and to make the most of the new hardware innovations. The most notable of these was the inclusion of three difficulty settings; something that the original did not have. This allowed players to try out the game on lower difficulty to get used to the world of Metroid before jumping in on higher difficulty levels that were more in line with the original games challenge. To compliment this, the game also included the ability to unlock the original game in order for players to compare the two. 

Those who had experience with the original would find a lot of surprises waiting for them with the remake. New enemies, new locations, and entirely new parts of the story were included, meaning that even the most experienced Metroid player would find something in the game to keep them entertained and engaged. Improvements to the graphics also helped to improve the overall experience, allowing the developers to create a more detailed and realistic setting. Things became less devoid of detail, and the result was a game that felt much more a part of the rest of the series than the original did. 

The game was well received upon release, rating highly with most games publications at the time, resulting in a lot of near perfect scores. Some publications even went so far as to name it one of the best games on the Game Boy Advance, a sentiment that's hard to argue against now looking back at the entire console library. It was even voted as the fifth best video game remake by IGN in 2020, ranking above some of the most beloved remakes ever made. 

Whether Metroid: Zero Mission is your first time experiencing the beginning of Samus' journey, or if it was your chance to replay a beloved classic, it stands out as one of the best examples of treating a remake of an old game with care and respect. It is a prime (no Metroid pun intended) example of how to do it, and has resulted in a game that's still one of the best ways to experience Metroid, and a great reason to dust off your old Game Boy Advance.

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The Skinwalkers: American Werewolves 2 - Film Review

 

The world of the paranormal and the supernatural is an unusual one. There are many things in this world that we don't have explanations for, things that confuse, fascinate, and frighten us. Over the course of history there were more things that fell into the realm of the supernatural, but that expanding knowledge of the world and science has allowed us to figure out and explain away. Thunder isn't a sign that the gods are angry at us, it's rapidly expanding air. And whilst there are many things that I'm sure we will eventually be able to explain away with science on day there are certain things that feel harder to understand for me; and Skinwalkers are definitely in this category.

The Skinwalkers: American Werewolves 2 is a new documentary film that aims to shine a light on the personal experiences of several people who have had encounters with beings or creatures that they believe are Skinwalkers. The documentary gives us the briefest of information on Skinwalkers, telling viewers that they're people who have the ability to change into a variety of animals, including wolves, dogs, and elks, as well as people. This is done via a ritual where they have to kill the person who means the most to them, or because of a curse from a shaman. The reasons for Skinwalkers existing is unclear in the film, and we're given various theories as to how based mostly on myths and stories passed down over the years.

Sadly, this is about as much that we get in terms of research or scientific presentation in the film. For those who have experience watching TV and movies that deal with the paranormal and the unusual there are things that feel common to the genre, such as going out to remote locations, looking for clues, using devices to try and record evidence. Even those who don't believe in the paranormal at all will have becomes so used to this that even if they can't name an EMF meter they know that ghost hunters carry around electronic devices when on the lookout for ghosts. This film has none of this.

Instead of seeing a documentary team or a group of investigators heading out into the wilderness to try and find some kind of physical evidence of Skinwalkers (footprints, fur, or even a blurry photo of something in the distance) we get a series of talking heads. The film sits down with people with personal accounts with Skinwalkers and has them recount their tales. 

These stories are intercut with video of locations around New Mexico, and shots of people in werewolf suits acting scary. There is a distinct lack of evidence of any kind, with only one of these stories including blurry home security camera footage of what they claim to be a spirit dog. For those looking for some kind of evidence, some kind of physical proof or artefact that they can latch onto as proof that this urban legend might hold some weight will likely be disappointed.

However, most of the stories collected come from members of the native peoples who call New Mexico home, the people who grew up with stories of Skinwalkers, shamans, and magic. Some of them even talk about having shamans in their families, and how they grew up with these beliefs. It makes the stories they tell feel a little different from most personal paranormal accounts you hears. This isn't just a person claiming they ran into Bigfoot whilst out hunting, or who says a cowboy haunts their local bar. These are people sharing stories that tie directly into their heritage and culture, a culture that has been oppressed and almost wiped out by colonial settlers. It makes dismissing these stories out of hand feel wrong, and almost makes you feel like doing so would in some way add to the cultural oppression these people have faced.

It does raise interesting questions though, of whether the people spoken to in this film have had Skinwalker encounters because Skinwalkers are connected to their people and their cultures, and are tied to the region in which their tribes were forced to make their homes, or if they have these encounters because they grew up with these stories and the idea of Skinwalkers became engrained in them. The question of whether it's something that is drawn to them because of who they are, or if it happens to them because of their own beliefs is perhaps the most interesting part of The Skinwalkers: American Werewolves 2; though mainly because the film doesn't really present you with anything else.

Perhaps the biggest mistake that The Skinwalkers: American Werewolves 2 makes is that it seems to spend much of its runtime playing it safe. It doesn't try to come down on one side or another. It's not trying to find any evidence or corroboration for the stories it's presenting to try and prove them true. Nor does it offer any other kind of explanation or proof for why it can't be real. Instead, it gives you these people's stories, some basic facts that are presented as text on the screen, and leaves it at that. The lack of anything else, even an engaging narrator, leave the whole thing feeling a little lacklustre. 

People tend to come to films like this to either be presented with evidence that supports their views and proves their beliefs right, or to be entertained by what they see as the ridiculous. This film does neither, and because of that I'm not entirely sure who the film is really for, and who will find it anything more than mildly interesting at best. The truth might be out there, but this film doesn't try to find it for you. 

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