Seeing It Follows came to me spontaneously...my plan was to go to work, and then go straight home and go to sleep. However, my friend texted me asking if I had any interest in seeing it, and considering it's received reviews such as "the scariest horror film in decades", I figured it would be in my best interest to go see it.
Basically, if you haven't seen it yet and you want to know the synopsis, I feel like this whole film is an innuendo about STDs...I could be totally off but that's the way it seems to me.
A girl sleeps with a guy she kind of just met, and contracts something he eludes to as "the following". Anyone who contracts it from someone essentially sees people walking at them. Yes, very odd-looking people, walking slowly at them. They stare, and for some reason, they're unnecessarily naked, because most of this film is overly sexualized.
So, the only way to "get rid of it", is to pass it on to someone else the same way you contracted it. By sleeping with someone.
Anyway, like I said before, the film is overly sexualized, like someone was trying to make a horror-porn. Most of the "followers", I guess I'll call them, are walking around with their shirts cut too low...or their robe is open...or they're not wearing a shirt at all. There's an ample showing of breasts in this film, if that's something you need in your horror. Personally, I'd prefer to be scared than have to be entertained by naked women. That also happens. Women are completely naked.
And it's not just limited to women- you have a naked man standing on a roof, as well. -sigh-
The acting was wonderful. I really enjoyed the cast; they seemed to fit their roles very well. That part was not a disappointment for me at all.
The story was terrifying in concept, but in execution, I think it lacked something. It wasn't extravagant and in-your-face the way some films are, but there were jump-scares in place of where real terror and suspense could have been. I don't know, maybe it's just me, and maybe I'm jaded by horror films by now. I sure hope not...
So for those of you looking to go see a different kind of horror film, this one is definitely worth checking out. I'd like to hear opinions on it, because I know my friend and I were both pretty disappointed, but many people are saying that they were totally terrified by it.
What scares you the most? Killer clowns? Serial killers? Or perhaps what lurks in the dark? "Nightlight" delves into what happens when a group of friends travels into the woods after a classmate commits suicide there, to play what they call "flashlight games". But are they really just playing a game? Or is there something in the woods with them, watching their every move? More importantly, will it let them leave?
I am terrified of the dark. It's something I don't like to admit as a horror fan, because it seems a little silly...how does someone that loves blood and gore and all things horror-related not like the dark? There's just something about not being able to see what could be on any side of you that makes my skin crawl. I know I'm not the only one, you can all stop lying...okay, maybe I'm just a big baby.
Here’s my own personal review of the film:
Nightlight was a film that literally played on my exact worst fear: being unaware of what is skulking in the shadows. I'm normally wary of found-footage-type films because I typically find them to be cheesy, but this concept was different- the film is seen through the point-of-view of a flashlight. What the flashlight is pointed at is what you see, so it's like you're seeing exactly what each character is seeing. Well, that means you can't see what's behind you, and when you're in the woods late at night when everyone told you not to go there, you can only assume some crazy, scary stuff is going to happen. The character dynamic is really fun, because it's realistic. There's the "nerdy girl" Robin (Shelby Young), trying to fit in with the group of popular kids. There's Nia (Chloe Bridges), the beautiful, popular girl winning everyone's attention, there's Amelia (Taylor Ashley Murphy), the best friend of the popular girl who does her best to let her personality shine through, but is overshadowed by her friend, Ben (Mitch Hewer), the beautiful love interest of just about everyone, and Chris (Carter Jenkins), who is the jokester of the group. It's the exact group of people we see in our everyday lives. You find yourself rooting for the underdog, Robin, to rise up and overcome all of the obstacles the group faces while they're in the deep, dark woods...
Now, if your fear is the dark, you've got it. If your fear is being attacked by a wild animal, you've got it. If you have a fear of paranormal entities and demons, it's here. This film touches on some of the most terrifying things that people claim to experience all of the time. That's what makes it feel so real and relatable. It's got jump-scares galore; I'm not going to lie, I jumped out of my skin a few times. The suspense, as well, is plentiful and intense. There were many times that I was gripping my blanket, yelling "no, no, no!" The anticipation of what's going to come out of the dark is enough to make your head spin, but what actually comes at you...that's where the true terror is. It's stuff of nightmares, you guys. I'm telling you. This is going to be a tough film to top in 2015, considering there are so many different kinds of fear involved, plus that brand new perspective.
I would absolutely recommend you give this film a watch. The trailer is creepy in itself, but the film as a whole is well-done, and definitely scary.
Hello my ghosts and ghouls. You're probably all reading this on Thursday, because I always post on Tuesday and Thursday. I have a review coming for you on Friday, but the film hasn't been released yet, so I was told to hold off until the 27th to release my opinion.
Therefore, I will let you all know that I'll be posting my review on Friday, the 27th at my usual time! Check back then!! But for now...here's the trailer:
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a collection of folklore that has haunted children and adults all over the world. It has sold over 7 million copies...that's a lot of terror to spread. If you didn't read these books as a kid, you either need to get yourself to a bookstore this instant, or you're lying to me.
The books have been picked up for an adaptation for film, and I don't think I could be more excited. Heck, that's what got me started here in the first place; the fact that these books are one of the reasons that horror has become more than my little hobby, but my lifestyle and my obsession.
But did you know that this incredible book series has acquired so much attention scaring the living daylights out of people, that schools and libraries all over the world are banning them? They're suppressing childrens' abilities to enjoy the spooky stories and disgusting drawings by taking them away from them.
Now, if you really read these books, you know that the stories were absolutely creepy, but it was the illustrations by Stephen Gammell.
These illustrations haunted our dreams for decades. But what is the draw to these books? I got the opportunity to speak with Cody Meirick, the director and producer of Scary Stories: A Documentary. (YES, THERE IS GOING TO BE A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT ONE OF THE BEST BOOK SERIES IN THE HISTORY OF LITERATURE. ARE YOU AS EXCITED AS I AM.) We talked via email, and we got to talk about some of the things he's researched for his documentary. This documentary covers vital investigations into what draws us to all things creepy, the folktales and urban legends that are told in the books, literature of gothic nature for children, and artists inspired by the drawings of Stephen Gammell, to name a few.
So what did Cody have to say about this documentary?
Taylor: What sparked you interest in creating a documentary about these stories? Is there another documentary that influenced your decision to make your documentary in any way, whether it be in style, or topic?
Cody: It started with my interest in children's literature in general. My background is in children's literature, both academic and with Erikson Institute. Of course I loved the books growing up like a lot of people, but what really started to take shape are big topics related to the books that really lent themselves to documentary form. I saw how much people gushed over them, liked them on social media, upvoted them. I'm sure a lot of other people have noticed the same thing. But along with the interest, you're talking about a series of books that inspired generations of children to open a book and read, as well as spark an interest in art and illustrating, while also being one of the most banned books of the last 30 years. Those things add up to being a really fascinating story.
TK: On your website, you have a list of topics that may be covered in the documentary. Which was your favorite topic to explore (up until this point) and why?
CM: Although I talk about the banned books topic and the illustrations as art, some of those topics that I know we will explore which are really interesting topics, I guess in my heart of heart my natural inclination is towards folklore and connections to traditional children's literature. My degrees are all in English Literature, so I like to sit down with a professor or folklorist and talk about those things. But again, all topics interest me quite a bit.
TK: I know that personally, these books helped shape me as a person in my childhood, allowing me to delve into outlets other than what was considered "the norm" in reading. I grew up to be a horror fanatic with a love of all things dark and creepy. Do you feel that the reason parents steer their children clear of these books is because they believe that they will enjoy it? Or do you feel that parents think their children will be scared? To put it briefly...why do you think parents keep their children from enjoying dark, scary things?
CM: These are the types of questions I want to explore. Just to throw a few of my own thoughts. I'm sure it varies a lot. I'm sure there are some parents who actually believe these can be "taught" to children... as if reading about death or murder will give a 12-year-old the idea and suddenly they become a sociopath. There are probably a few parents out that like that. But by and large I imagine it is a bit more tame and not quite as extreme as that. They just want them to be a bit older until they are reading certain things. The problem is, the act of banning in an entire school determines that other kids that maybe are ready for it, and could benefit from it, don't have access. So there are a lot of dimensions that I think people could delve into.
TK: What do you think draws children to such dark topics?
CM: I think similar reasons to why I enjoy a good scary movie. I don't know that I could accurately describe my own desire. But I wouldn't mind talking with a few experts who could posit some theories about why that is. Why do I like Freddy Krueger so much?
TK: How did you come across the people to interview for your documentary? What about the crew for the production?
CM: Research, research, research!
TK: Tell us about Open Books! It seems like an organization that you're passionate about, how did you get involved with them?
CM: Erikson Institute where I work isn't too far and I sometimes wonder over there to browse. I love their model. Used bookstore and the proceeds go towards literacy programs. I love it.
[Open Books is an organization featured on Scary Stories: A Documentary's indiegogo page. If you donate to the documentary, a part of the proceeds go to Open Books! It's all about children's literacy!]
TK: What is your ultimate goal for the documentary? What do you want it to accomplish?
CM: I want to pay tribute to this book series that was important to a lot of childhoods while also exploring important aspects of children’s literature. The early years are so fundamentally important. What is put in front of our eyes and processed through our minds during those key developmental years goes to shape who we are. Examining what it is that draws us, inspires us, interests us when we are young I think says a lot about the human condition. Looking at just this particular example I think can be both fun for a lot of fans but also enlightening.
TK: There have been talks about a film adaptation of the stories; are you excited to see those childhood stories we know and love become a reality on the big screen?
CM: I'm intrigued of course. I'm a big John August fan, so that really piqued my interest. We'll see.
TK: The illustrations of Stephen Gammell in the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books have been iconic over the years. If you could have yourself drawn into any of the illustrations, which would it be and why?
CM: I'll play along. I've always loved the illustration for Oh Susannah. I have no idea what dimension or reality that is, but I'd be interested in exploring.
I'm honored to be able to help such a cool cause gain exposure. You guys should check out Cody's documentary's progress, if you haven't already! Help fund his campaign, too, and get our love of horror out there! Until next time, ghosts and ghouls. Stay spooky!
Hi ghoulies!
Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday, it's been a super busy week in the horror world for me, and I promise I'll be back on Tuesday with some really incredible horror content!
I have big things coming up; I've partnered up with a couple of different outlets for horror writing, and once everything is all set in stone and ready to go, I'll be keeping you all in the loop!
I have some new books and movies lined up to watch, so stay tuned! <3 <3
Stay spooky my loves,
Taylor
So I got back from MonsterMania Convention on Saturday morning. Let me just tell you guys, if you're a horror fan and you've never been to a horror convention...you need to go. MonsterMania is the perfect example of a place where first-timers can go, and where seasoned con-goers can go, and everyone is harmonious and lovey and everyone talks about gore and creepy things. It's the most magical experience.
I wish I would have went for the entire weekend, but I only went on Friday. I went to Bizarre AC last year, and I was exhausted after just one day, so I told myself I would go to MonsterMania, do what I went there to do (meet John Carroll Lynch, aka Twisty the Clown from American Horror Story: Freakshow!) and then head home.
Well, I regret that completely. It was one of the most fun days of my life, full of adrenaline, creepy things, and lots of laughs, smiles, and amazing people.
First of all, let me just tell you, the vendors there were amazing. I told myself I would grab a quick few things to add to my collection (and walking into the first room of vendors, I found Full Moon Features and ended up going crazy with Puppet Master stuff...) but that didn't work out so well. I got some of the COOLEST stuff to add to my collection:
Don't mind the Arnold Palmer and keys in the background...
I grabbed a Captain Spaulding Funko Pop! vinyl figure; I'd had my eye on him for a while because I collect the horror Pops, but at my comic book store they usually sell them for around $12, and this vendor was selling him for $10...I decided I was never going to find him for a better price unless he was damaged, so I went for it.
Full Moon Features was where I really went crazy. My other half bought those babies for me, but I'm so grateful! Puppet Master is how our relationship started 2 years ago; our third or fourth date was him at my house watching B-horror films, and Puppet Master was on one of the compilation DVDs I had bought at my friend's house in New Hampshire, so we watched it...and now we have a collection of all of the figures of the puppets! The two large boxes in the middle are resin statues of two of our favorite puppets: Six Shooter and Tunneler. They're beautiful figures, and they fit perfectly on my Puppet Master shelf!
Skinless Julia from Hellraiser is all the way at the right. She's another figure I had been searching for at a good price, but she's kind of rare around me, so I was going to resort to buying her on Ebay until the vendor gave her to me at a MUCH better price than I expected! I am elated about this one!
The Twisty the Clown print on the far left above Captain Spaulding is 1 of 8 made, if I'm not mistaken. I saw him and fell in love and nabbed him before all of them were gone. He's all hand-painted!
I also got a Hellraiser hoodie (IT SAYS "WE'LL TEAR YOUR SOUL APART" ON THE SLEEVE. HOW SWEET IS THAT?!?!) and a poster of Sam from Trick 'r Treat that's currently still in the plastic so it doesn't get damaged. I have to go out and get a frame!
But what made the weekend so incredible for me?
Oh, I don't know...THIS:
That's John Carroll Lynch, the actor behind Twisty the Clown! I panicked when I met him...I was trying to tell him all about you guys and my little horror family and I totally blanked and got nervous and couldn't do much but stare at him. Talk about starstruck...oops!
He's the sweetest man in the world. It was his first convention so I talked to him a little bit about that. I was telling him about Bizarre AC and how if he ever needed some recommendations of good conventions to go to, I could help him. -facepalm- I walked away kicking myself for sounding like an idiot, but I was so grateful that he signed my Twisty doll.
I spent a lot of time walking around and looking at peoples' costumes throughout the day, and there were some awesome Freddy Krueger costumes, Jason costumes, and there were some great replicas of Victor Crowley there to see Adam Green!
I sadly didn't stay to get to see the live performance of Rocky Horror (where Naomi Grossman got on stage and danced to The Name Game from AHS: Asylum!), and I didn't stay to see any of the movies screening. I was a big baby and went to bed.
But I have to say, it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. The people I got to know there were so wonderful, like Mary who sold me Freddy Kreuger soap! I'm a big soap/skincare junkie when I'm not doing my horror stuff, and I told her that I work for a soap company and she loves the company I work for, so I figured how could I not try out her soap too?!
The networking was awesome, and hopefully, soon, there will be more members of the horror family and we'll expand!
Were any of you at MonsterMania?! Let me know if you saw me there!!
This is a review of the film, not the short story by the ever-so-incredible Mr. Stephen King.
I went into watching this film with absolutely no idea as to what it was about, so I went in with a clean slate. Normally, I judge a film way before I watch it and that's how I decide whether or not it's worth watching (I typically check the first website that comes up when you type the name of the film, because, you know, that's the most reliable source of information as to what a film is about...kidding...) but this one, I went in completely clueless. I read the synopsis on Netflix, and jumped right in.
The story is about a wife who learns that her husband has been keeping a major secret from her throughout their 25 years of marriage, and she has to decide whether or not to stay with him, even though she knows what he's doing when he's on "business trips".
I'm personally a huge Stephen King fan; I dig into his books and I don't come out until I'm completely done. I'm sure A Good Marriage was no exception as a short story, because his writing is so complex and enthralling.
But the film. I honestly don't have words for how awkward the film was...it was completely anticlimactic. I was really disappointed about the lack of thrill; I was pretty much counting the minutes until it was over.
The acting was mediocre. The story was great, and I give credit to the story that the script came from because the potential was absolutely there, but the only acting job worth noting was Darcy, played by Joan Allen. She was great, the rest of the cast lacked in enthusiasm and skill. To be honest, Kristen Connolly was probably the worst part of the film, and I adored her in Cabin in the Woods, but watching her in this film, she constantly looked like "I don't want to be here".
The chemistry between the characters was so awkward, and it ended so abruptly with no explanation or resolution.
If I could give this film a rating out of 5 stars, I would give it a 1.
Sorry, A Good Marriage, I think this might be my first negative review! Oops!
I had the privilege of reading the new novel by author Jeremy Megargee, Dirt Lullabies.
Honestly, the opportunity came about in a pretty cool way...we've been following each other on Instagram for some time, when suddenly, a message appeared! Jeremy asked me to read Dirt Lullabies and I agreed, hence where we are now!
Let me tell you, guys, I ripped through this book. 5 hours, and I was finished with the whole thing. It was a snowy day here in New York (I'm writing this on Thursday night, but you guys will see this on Tuesday) so I had a little time on my hands to sit down and truly get involved in a book.
Well, I didn't exactly expect that I would be so immersed in this book that I would finish it in one sitting. I also didn't know I could sit still for 5 hours.
Let me give you a quick synopsis:
Roman Merrick lives in West Virginia with his parents, and the family is just barely scraping by. He discovers a crack in the ground in the root cellar beneath his home that could just be the answer to all of his family's problems...when a melodic voice calling itself M drifts up from the crack promising a way out, Roman is faced with a life-altering decision.
I KNOW, even the synopsis is awesome. The story is very original, and I found myself slightly crushing on the antagonist, M, which is pretty disturbing. I mean, you're going to have to read it to find out why.
It's gory, it's gripping, it doesn't let you go, and I was turning pages like a madwoman. I probably looked insane reading it. Good thing I was curled up in a ball under the blanket to read it during this insane weather. The characters are awesome and memorable, and I absolutely love their stories. It just feels so complete- you don't finish reading with any questions like "wait why did that happen?" or "who was that?" or anything like that, it's completely full-circle and cohesive, which is nice. Also, there may or may not be an awesome goth girl that reminds me a lot of myself.....she's my favorite.
I honestly don't have enough good things to say about this novel. I loved every second of reading it and I am so honored to have been asked to give it a read. If you're looking for a novel to really grab your attention, Dirt Lullabies is absolutely a great place to start. Also, you'll be supporting Indie writers, which is even more awesome, because their talent needs to be exposed!
Let me know if you decide to read Dirt Lullabies, you're really missing out until you do!!
This post is going to be a little different today. I was doing a lot of thinking, and I really don't want to keep doing reviews (I feel like it gets repetitive); I won't stop doing them completely, but I'd like to do them a little less frequently.
SO in the spirit of keeping you guys entertained, I will leave this to you!
What would you all like to see on the Terrible Toy Chest? If you want me to keep reviewing, by all means, I will in the frequency I was going!
Or would you like to see videos? My horror collection? Opinions on books instead of films? More haunted places I love...?
Leave a comment below and let me know what you think.
And stay safe in this crazy snow if you're in or near New York like I am! :(
In true Taylor fashion, I waited until the last minute to book my tickets to MonsterMania Con in New Jersey. About a week ago, my other half snagged us tickets, and I was so thrilled to check the list of guests going!
Daveigh Chase, who I'm super excited about, is going to be there, and you guys probably know her as Samara from The Ring.
You have like half of the people from the Saw franchise.
Adam Green will be there (just weeks after I watched Digging Up the Marrow!) and he'll be supporting charities supporting Yorkie rescues! For those of you that know me well, you know that I work with LUSH Cosmetics and I'm obsessed with all things cruelty-free.
Kane Hodder will be there, who is not only one of the actors that played Jason in the Friday the 13th franchise...he's also a fellow paranormal investigator!
But then...
We continue scrolling and...what is this? Wait, repeat that?
JOHN CARROLL LYNCH. TWISTY THE CLOWN. WHAT?! I almost cried and died and threw up all at the same time. That's where my excitement really kicked in.
I'm totally going to have him sign my stuffed Twisty that I had made for me.
I attended Bizarre AC last year, and I plan on going back this year (when they release a date), but until then, I'm beyond thrilled to be going to this con! I'm just trying to decide if I want to dress up...the plan would be a female Pennywise the Clown.
This was a super short post, but I'm trying to get everything together for the 13th! I hope to see some of you horror ghoulies there, after all, it will be Friday the 13th...
