A Post is Coming

Hello, my spooks. I know, I missed a post on Tuesday, but with good reason! I'll be releasing a post tomorrow instead. I was lucky enough to be sent to screen Sinister 2  early, but I wasn't allowed to post about it until yesterday.
There is already a post up on my Moviepilot about it (they sent me to go see it so I wanted to make sure they got a post ASAP) but it's not a complete review of the film.
My review will be released tomorrow! I'll update you on my Facebook page as to when it goes live. If you don't follow my Facebook page already but you're a reader, I would LOVE to be able to interact with all of you so head on over to https://www.facebook.com/TerribleToyChest and say hello!
I'll see you all tomorrow for my Sinister 2 review!

I Went to Haunt Faire!

Over the past few weeks, things have been super busy. Between working one job full-time and working another casually, sometimes it's hard for me to sit back and really appreciate a day. I've been thinking a lot about how I haven't really had much time to myself...so I said "hey, I'm going to treat myself to one day of awesome spooky weirdness".
I ended up at Haunt Faire here in New York where I live. It's not often that a horror convention comes anywhere near here; typically things take place in NYC or New Jersey. I don't know why, it's just where the horror scene settled, I guess.
I hadn't done much research on Haunt Faire prior to buying tickets because I had a family party later in the day and didn't think I'd have time to go...but then I found out Nick King was going. If you don't know Nick King, you will know him as Bughuul from Sinister, and the sequel (which comes out August 21st and I'm counting the hours).

I saw Sinister a few months ago at a friend's house, and it was one of the few horror films where I had to close my eyes and check behind me to be sure that there were no crazy demon children. I was really, truly horrified at the death scenes, and I loved every second of it. Minus when I got home and was walking around the house in the dark. So naturally, when I found out the actor behind one of the most horrifying characters to ever grace the screen in a horror film was going to be at this convention, I said "you know what? Screw it. I'm buying tickets, and I'm going."

Cut to that Sunday (I work Saturdays, but took Sunday off). I loaded baby Bughuul that I got from MoodyVoodies into the car, and I was off (and incredibly determined to get him signed. Here's a picture of all of the Voodie babies:

I walked around for a bit inside and checked out who was around at the tables before heading over to meet Nick King. I realized right away that this was less of a horror convention and more of a job fair of sorts for people that wanted to work in haunted houses around the tri-state area. There were very few vendors, but there were plenty of fun haunts!
The vendors that were there had a lot of fun hand-painted dolls, magnets, makeup, etc. I somehow ended up with a huge painting of Bughuul, but I have no regrets about it...

The painting in back is the one I got at Haunt Faire, though I don't have the artist's name. I don't think it's even signed, to be honest. The mask on the left is part of my cosplay/Halloween costume in progress from JD Morgan Studios, and there's baby Bughuul on the right (after signing!).

When I tell you guys I think I was there for an hour total, I spent 30 of those minutes with Nick King talking about his upcoming projects and other conventions he'd be at, I spent 10 talking to Philip Friedman who is the Bride in Black from Insidious, and the other 20 minutes were spent wandering around looking at vendors.
All in all, it was a cute convention. What I'm really looking forward to (as always) is Bizarre AC in October. It's a few days before my birthday this year, so I'm going to be spending that weekend scared, dressed up, and probably drunk/hungover. If any of you will be joining me at Bizarre AC, let me know in a comment! I'd love to hang out!

I'll sign off with a photo of me hanging out with Nick King after he signed my little Bughuul:

He isn't nearly as scary in person! :)

Until next time, stay spooky!
Taylor Terrible

My Moviepilot!

Hello ghoulies,
For those of you that don't know, I don't only write here, I also write for moviepilot.com. If you want to go directly to my articles, you can find me at: Taylor Terrible.
Those articles include "more fun", less personal posts, more along the lines of quizzes and such. I would love if you checked those out as well!
For my blog, I like to stick to reviews and more personal things as this is a place that I created on my own. I also write reviews for NightmarishConjurings.com every other Friday, so sometimes my reviews are cross-posted.
I never thought that I would be able to say that my little horror family has grown so much, and I want to thank everyone that has been here for the Terrible Toy Chest since the beginning. Your support in my writing means more than you know, even if you've only read a few posts.
I love you all so much! Thank you for being here with me for this!
Love always,
Taylor Terrible

The Hole (2009) Review

I’ve been looking around and I’ve found that there are about a million movies with the name “The Hole”. I got the one that I watched confused with the Kiera Knightley version from 2001, in which the story is completely different from the version I watched. (Oops!)

            So here is the synopsis of the correct film that I watched:

“A pair of brothers stumbles upon a mysterious hole in their basement that leads to the darkest corridors of their fears and nightmares.”

With the help of their new next-door neighbor, the boys decide to investigate the weird happenings in their new home, such as ghostly girls and creepy clowns (my favorite). The hole in their basement is the source of all of their fears once they open it, and they soon find out why it was sealed shut. Essentially, the hole creates everything that you are afraid of and sends it after you. Uh oh.

           

            This story is surprisingly deeper than it lets on. It’s lighthearted and fun, more of a thriller than a horror, however it’s definitely worth the watch. The story is almost sad once you find out what’s going on at the end, so it makes it worth watching all of the way through. I went in to watch the film honestly thinking that it was going to be ridiculous and childish, but, like I said, it’s fun, it’s deep, and you know what? For a much younger cast, the acting was wonderful.

            If you’re looking for a fun, kind of creepy film to watch on a rainy day, this is a good one. It’s not over-the-top classic, but if you have Netflix and need a good suggestion, start here! It’s a quick watch, so at 92 minutes long, it’s easy to get through.

I know this was a super quick review, but it's a short film! I'll be writing a post for next week about my experience at Haunt Faire this weekend.

Until next time, stay spooky,

Taylor Terrible

Grave Encounters (2011) Review

As someone who has been into the paranormal from a young age, I’m always interested in watching horror films that showcase paranormal activity (well). After some experiences that I consider to be potentially paranormal, I wanted to be able to prove or disprove the existence of a life apart from what we have here in the “mortal” realm.While I still have yet to be able to prove or disprove this theory, I’ve spent lots and lots of time brushing up on my share of mediocre ghost hunting, as well as watching all of the shows I can get my hands on that are about paranormal investigation (my guilty pleasure is watching marathons of Ghost Adventures, eating popcorn and giggling at Zak Bagans).So with that being said, when it comes to films about paranormal investigation, I tend to have my reservations. I worry that they won’t do the field the justice it deserves (it’s not easy!) but I try to keep myself current in terms of horror films, so I watch all of the cheesy ones, and I also try to watch all of the good ones.Therefore, today, I’ll be reviewing Grave Encounters. 

The synopsis of Grave Encounters from IMDB:“For their ghost hunting reality show, a production crew locks themselves inside an abandoned mental hospital that’s supposedly haunted- and it might prove to be all too true.”I wish there was more to it than this, so I’m going to give you the synopsis I think you all deserve:“For their hilariously realistic, slightly cheesy ghost hunting reality show, a production crew full of cocky jerks lock themselves inside an abandoned mental hospital that’s supposedly haunted- and shit gets real.”
Basically, this group of “paranormal investigators” (I put it in quotes because they don’t actually truly believe in the paranormal, as far as they let on in the film) decides to go to one of the most haunted places they can find, assuming it’s a hoax as they’ve found it normally is, and starts to find that maybe they’ve been wrong about the paranormal this whole time.The building moves around within itself, doors disappear, they find ghosts of the people that died in the hospital.
As far as how scary the film is, I never really felt terrified per say, however I did experience a few moments when I was really freaked out. I have to say, one of my biggest fears in the world is hospitals (abandoned or not). There’s something about the smell of functioning hospitals, the way the fluorescent lights make everyone look sick, the sounds of the beeping monitors…it all makes me so uncomfortable. So seeing this group in a sad, dilapidated, abandoned hospital made me feelexceptionally uncomfortable.
There really weren’t many jump scares, which I very much appreciated. Lately I’ve been on a real hate-streak of films that rely on jump scares for the “horror” of the film, and this one was more about the horror of the situation. I like that. That’s a very good thing.
I’ve also been very against found-footage-style films, and this one absolutely is. I don’t really know what it is about this one, to be honest, that makes it seem so much more real than all the others. I think they don’t play so much off of the fact that they’re filming through one entity and they make an effort to change shots every once in a while so you aren’t watching exclusively through one camera. I don’t know, all I can say is that this one looks better than all the others and I didn’t despise it.

But, all in all, if you’re interested in movies about ghosts, found-footage films, films about paranormal investigation…I really like this one! I didn’t expect much going in, and I was pleasantly surprised when it ended and I wasn’t miserable!
Let me know what you thought of Grave Encounters, creepies!

Until next time,

Taylor Terrible
PS: I just found out there’s a sequel! I’m going to have to look into that soon! 

Can We Stop With the Found-Footage Films Already?!

Alright, this is something that's been on my mind for quite some time now. Typically, when I hear about the release of a new horror film, I get really excited. I usually get pretty elated, actually, because it's always nice to hear about something new within the horror community.

You know, American Horror Story only comes around once a year, and seldom are there horror films that are actually scary these days. Most are remakes. Even more are found footage.
Pardon my French here, but WHAT THE FUCK is going on with all of these found-footage-style films?! Can we cut it out already?!

Let it be known that when I talk about found-footage films, I mean anything handheld. That kind of changes the game for some, because many people see a difference between found-footage and handheld. I guess the best way for me to describe the kind of horror films I'm complaining about is: anything filmed by something like a camcorder, so anything handheld and seen through the POV of a camera. (Just stop it already. STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP.)

Found footage dates back all the way to the 1980's with Cannibal Holocaust which was an absolutely disgusting film and I loved every second of it. However, the progression of these films has gone from gory, interesting and scary (think Blair Witch) to cheesy, overdone, and stupid.

If we're speaking honestly, I think many horror films today are not made to scare horror fans, I think they are typically made to attract an audience that pretends to like horror films. I don't know, maybe it's just me, and maybe people will be angry at me for that statement. Do I believe that horror films deserve the exposure and the money? Yeah, absolutely. With all of the cinematic universes like Marvel and DC taking over, I wish horror got a little bit more love because it tends to be overshadowed.

However, lately, they have been relying entirely on jump scares...and to put it nicely, it's really sad. Where are the Nightmare on Elm Streets? Where are the Hellraisers? Instead, horror fans are put through the atrocities of The Gallows and Paranormal Activity 100000000.

Let's just talk about these awful found-footage films:
As Above So Below is one of the more recent ones I've watched. I don't think I've ever been so bored by a horror film because it's dark, shaky, and all-around not entertaining. There's no substance. Blah.
The Bay. Scary in concept, but the shakiness made me nauseous. I have to say, I kind of enjoyed this one because bacteria terrifies me, but the making was boring.
VHS (the first) was pretty good, but VHS 2: please go away.
Anything Paranormal Activity: I hate you.

But the list goes on. The list is SO LONG, and it seems to be that every film that's been released in the last two years has been something found-footage, and they're all the same story. Does anyone else feel this way? Like they're watching the same horror film every time a new one comes out? No? Alright, well, then I'm a crab.

Maybe I'm just saying bah humbug because I've never really enjoyed found-footage films, yet I keep watching them in an attempt to stay current. Maybe I've never found one that satisfies my taste (besides Grave Encounters, which I love because it sees the humor in those types of films).
I would love to find a found-footage film that makes me want to cry (in the good, horror-loving way, not the bad "I can't take this anymore" way). I want to be scared out of my wits by something that isn't cheesy!

Please, everyone, if you share this sentiment, please let me know. If you love found-footage, please recommend one that is substantial that I may like.
If you want to help me out here, I really enjoy: Hellraiser, anything with creepy dolls, possessions, hospitals. Anything with those topics, or that kind of idea. Just...help me out.

I really just hate this sub-genre. Why does everyone like it so much.

/endrant/

I love y'all,
Taylor Terrible

PS: ugh.

The Gallows (2015) Review

Assuming the best, I purchased my ticket early and made the decision to go see The Gallows with a group of friends on the night of its release.
Sitting in a theater full of too-young-kids that probably snuck in, and guys yelling about how many girls they got laid by that week, I realized the kind of group that this film attracted: "I think I like horror so I came to see this lame movie".
I guess I gave away on my opinion in that last sentence, but we'll get into that.

The Gallows is a story of a group of high schoolers that get trapped inside their school one night while trying to dismantle the set of the school's play, because the lead (a football player) doesn't want to be a part of the play anymore. While they're inside the school, the play's previous lead (who died in a freak accident during the show- he was hanged on stage) comes back to haunt them.

So back to my review of the film: it was awful. It was so bad. If I could take back that hour and 20 minutes of my life, I would gladly do it. I'll explain...
It was an almost-found-footage kind of film. It was all shown through the video camera that one of the characters is carrying around, conveniently documenting everything that goes on. I guess to keep with the theme of having an irresponsible kid holding the camera, the shots are awful, shaky, and nauseating. The camera is CONSTANTLY moving and blurring and cutting in and out, to the point where I actually had to cover my eyes to keep from feeling like I had vertigo. In relation to it being found footage: I am so tired of found footage horror films. It seems like that's all there is lately; it's a cop-out in my opinion because rather than making things truly scary, you minimize what the audience sees by using a video camera. It's lame. It's so, so lame.
Anyway, the acting is fine, I never really felt like the acting was cheesy at any point, however the characters were pretty bad. There was the jock, the theater nerd, the cheerleader, and the football-player-turned-lead-in-school-play. Cliche. Nothing special about a single one of them.

As for the film itself: it was an hour and 20 minutes of awful, unnecessary jump scares and loud noises. I was playing with my melted chocolate bar in the wrapper more than I was watching the film because I was so bored (and nauseous because of the camera). Some jump scares didn't even have anything to do with the "scarier" parts of the film, they were literally just fillers.
The twist at the end was pretty okay- I'll give it that much. I enjoyed how unexpected it was, but even that wasn't done well.

So I guess that was my awful, scathing review of The Gallows. If you want to save yourself some money and time, don't go watch this film. If you have nothing to do and you really want to torture yourself, hey, feel free.

...but really, don't see it.

Until next time, guys! Sorry this review sounded so angry, it was just honestly one of the worst films I've ever seen. :P