Review: Marvelry's Curiosity Shop

Marvelry's Curiosity Shop by John Brhel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What a great age we live in when you can be contacted on Twitter and asked to review a book by someone on the other side of the planet, which is then sent directly to your Kindle ready for you to read.

You can argue all day regarding the pros and cons of e-readers but you can't deny that it has given aspiring writers a platform to have their work published and access to a worldwide audience.

Marvelry's Curiosity Shop by Brhel and Sullivan is a collection of 12 short stories all based on cursed items sold by Marvelry; a retired magician who now owns an antique shop.

The stories are all varied in the way the items haunt their new owners, some work out ok for the customer and others don't have such a happy ending.

The stories seem to lack any tension for them to be classed as scary and are over to quickly which is a shame as there are some great ideas in these stories and I love the central connection with Marvelry who you get to know more with each story. I also love the artwork on the cover, I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover but you should give credit when it's due.

I'm confident Brhel and Sullivan will only get better with their craft and I look forward to future releases.

3/5

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The Conjuring 2 Movie Review

How many times have you gone into the sequel fearing it won't be as good as the first? Well you have nothing to fear here... that's not totally true; you do have something to fear here you have a lot to fear with The Conjuring 2 which I believe is far better than the first one.

James Wan really pulls out the scares in the follow up to his 2013 The Conjuring. The story focuses on the Enfield haunting. Set in 1977 London, England; Peggy Hodgson is a single mum of five children who asks for help after she believes her youngest daughter Janet maybe possessed. Ed and Lorraine Warren are sent to investigate.

Not only am I impressed with the scares in the film which come in the form of jump scares and slow burn tension building I am really impressed with the way James Wan recreates England in the 70's. For someone that isn't even from the country I have to give credit for the amount of research that must have gone into this project to get the feeling right.

The movie has a great cast with Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson reprising their roles as Lorraine and Ed Warren; they are joined with great performances by Frances O'Connor who plays Peggy Hodgson, Lauren Esposito who plays Margaret Hodgson and the stand out performance from Madison Wolfe as Janet Hodgson.

When it comes to real life hauntings like the story this film is based on I am somewhat of a sceptic, I don't believe in ghost so in order for me to enjoy a film that is advertised as the true story from the case files of the Warrens I have to try really hard to turn the sceptic side of my brain off and enjoy it for what it is... Which is one of the most scariest films I've seen in a long time.

5/5

Excited For The New Ghostbusters Movie

As we are only weeks away from the release of the new Ghostbusters movie I want to put it out there how excited I am for it.

Growing up in the 80s and 90s; Ghostbusters was a big part of my life. I collected all the toys (which I wish I kept in the original packaging now), watched all the cartoons and can't count how many times I've seen the movies.

I remember the second movie coming out and was so excited with the build up; all the promotional gifts that you got with kid meals at Burger King, the comic series where the second movie was told with the characters from the Real Ghostbusters and all the other promotions I tried to squeeze my mum and dad for. I remeber loving the 2nd film and although it doesn't stand the test of time I loved it as a kid and still do now.

I've been waiting and waiting for a third Ghostbuster movie and after a lot of false starts with certain actors not wanting to take part we finally got a computer game which most of the cast took part in and it now stands in for me as the third movie. The cut scenes and music really make it special and I truly enjoyed it.

When the reboot was announced I was sad that the third film was never going to happen but I managed to get over it. When I saw the trailer I can see why they had to reboot and got excited for it.

Ghostbusters is a family film and although I would have loved to see the original cast taking their original roles on the big screen that movie would be aimed at me and people aged 30 plus. I'm not sure my children (boy 8 and girl 4) would take to four men older than their grandparents being chased by ghosts. Even if the original cast only had a bit part where they introduced new recruits you still have a huge gap to explain what the ghostbusters have been doing since the last movie. Where do you go from having a giant Marshmallow Man attacking New York and then taking the Statue Of Liberty for a walk? I think if a third movie was ever going to work and be a big money success it should had been made at least 15 to 20 years ago.

I'm going to go into the reboot with an open mind and if I love it I will write a review about it. If I hate it then you won't hear another word about it from me as I like to give recommendations not shit all over someone's work.

One thing the new movie will never be able to do is change any of the memories and love I felt and still feel for the original movies. I just hope it creates the same joy for my children as the original did for me.

Review: Blood Harvest

Blood Harvest by S.J. Bolton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Welcome to Heptonclough! A small village in the Pennines. If you're into ghostly sightings, creepy folklore, missing children and pagan rituals then this is the place for you.

This is the third book from Sharon Bolton  (known as S J Bolton when initially released) who has gone on to release a further six books plus some short stories.

The story starts in a graveyard where a landslide due to heavy rainfall has unearthed a childs grave who must have been having a sleepover as two extra bodies where found along with the gave's supposedly only occupier.

The story then goes back a few months and follows Harry Laycock the new town vicar, the Fletcher family who has recently moved into the area, Evi Oliver a Psychiatrist who is concerned for one of her patients from Heptonclough that goes for walks along the moors looking for her daughter who died in a house fire and numerous other supporting characters that contribute to the build up for a great whodunit that will keep you guessing right till the end. I love the amount of twists that Sharon Bolton throws into this story. My wife who is better than me at calling out a killer also got this wrong.

Although I love horror stories and movies I don't believe in the supernatural so I would like to point out the genius way Sharon Bolton creates a supernatural environment and later explains what caused it.

What I loved the most about Blood Harvest is the location. Now I might be a bit biased with this opinion as it is set very close to where I use to live. Although Heptonclough is a made up place the surrounding area is very real and Sharon Bolton captured it perfectly. I loved the references to The Witch Way bus service which is a real bus service, Rawtenstall Market and other local references that I couldn't help but smile when I came about them.

Sharon Bolton is a gifted author who has created a very enjoyable book with relatable characters that covers some very dark human behaviour where you feel a real sense of danger for the children involved.

4.5 / 5


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Review: HEX

HEX by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's been a long time since a book has creeped me out this much. At some points while reading I kept thinking the witch was stood at the side watching me read which is when you know the book is doing what the author planned out to do. So I would like to thank Hodderscape for sending me this book and for the nightmares.

Hex is the worldwide debut from Thomas Olde Heuvelt having already had success in Holland with 5 novels Hex is the frist to be translated into English. However this isn't a straight translation, Thomas went back and rewritten the whole book to give it an American setting.

I think the set up is brilliant. The residents of a small town in the the state of New York called Black Spring are under the curse of a 17th century witch called Katherine, The Black Rock Witch. If you were born there or moved there you can't leave. If you spend any extended amount of time away from Black Spring; say a two week vacation you become suicidal and must return or your suicidal tendencies will get the better of you. Katherine whos arms are chained and eyes and mouth are sewn shut has full access to the town; she is seen walking the streets, the woods and she can also appear in your house stay as long as it suites her then disappear again. The town is under strict rules and a high tech surveillance team called HEX who monitors Katherines movements and keep a watch on the residents and outsiders as Katherine is their secret and they can't risk outsiders getting involved as opening her mouth or eyes will be devastating. Unfortunately for the rest of the town a group of teenagers are sick of the restricted life and plan to make Katherine viral.

Thomas Olde Heuvelt has demonstrated the great ability of creating a town and making you feel like one of the residents. The story follows multiple characters as they go about their lives in Black Spring and this helps you normalise living with a seventeenth century witch that is haunting your town. Just when the situation becomes normal to you thats when Thomas Olde Heuvelt pulls the rug from underneath you!

Although the story is set in America to me it still has a European feel to it. The town feels older than the USA actually is. I would be more than willing to read the original story if it ever gets translated into English just to see how much has been changed. But don't let that put you off as this is a real page turner even when you want to cover your eyes cause you can feel the witch is watching you.

I look forward to more from Thomas Olde Heuvelt hopefully we won't have to wait long for his other releases to be translated.

4.5/5

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Hush Movie Review

I don't know about you but the sub-genre of horror that genuinely scares me are home invasion movies. Psychopaths breaking into your house and doing terrible things to you and your love ones seems much more likely to happen to me than say a horde of zombies tearing me from limb to limb and eating my innards. Although in the majority of these movies the home invasion usually happen to people in big, isolated houses with lots of land so I'll count my blessings that I live in a small house on a cul-de-sac.

The setup is simple; Maddie played by Kate Siegel is an author who lives on her own in a remote house who one evening settles down to finish her latest book becomes the target for the psychopathic killer played by John Gallagher Jr. Unfortunately for Maddie due to a battle with meningitis at the age of 13 she lost her hearing and became mute. Her tormentor realises this and uses it to his advantage. Maddie then has to try and find ways to keep the killer outside.

Director Mike Flanagan has created an edge of your seat, cat and mouse thrill ride. Although there is some gore the film doesn't rely on it. Instead we get perfect tension and as there isn't much dialogue the film delivers this through a superb performance from Kate Siegel. You really feel her isolation and fear as she tries to keep her attacker away.

The film is now on Netflix and I definitely recommend you watch it.

4.5 / 5

The Witch Movie Review

Frist let me say that I have some lovely woodland behind my house where I enjoy going for walks with my two children who can play in there for hours if I let them... not anymore! Since watching The Witch it will take a while before I go back in the woods especially with my children.

Directed and written by Robert Eggers The Witch stars Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Anya Taylor-Joy and Havery Scrimshaw. The film is set in the 1600s and starts with William and his family being banished out of their village due to Williams religious teachings. They find themselves a place where they set up a farm but the family is gradually torn apart by the power of witchcraft, black magic and possession.

The movie is a slow burn but with the combination of the beautifully filmed scenes, great acting from the whole cast along with the most haunting score I have heard in a long time your attention is never challenged.

Some people may find the 1600's English hard to follow at times but that's another testament to the cast for being able to pull it off convincingly.

The only downside to the movie and has nothing to do with the film itself is that it won't reach a wider audience due to the limited cinema release it has received here in the UK. This is a movie that will be best enjoyed in the cinema with no distractions but unfortunately there are many people that will miss it as it isn't screening near them.

I want to end on a positive and thank Robert Eggers for restoring my faith in movies involving witches!

4.5/5