Mark Taylor's "Shutter Speed" Review

Hello again, ghosts and ghouls!
Yes, you read that title right. Last week, I reviewed another work by author Mark Taylor ("Strange", his anthology of short stories), but this week I had the opportunity to read his personal favorite novel he's written, Shutter Speed.

I'm going to be incredibly honest, I had no idea what to expect from this novel because the back of the book explains a handful of different stories all coming together. I don't do well with American Horror Story doing the same thing, so I was concerned I was going to lose sight of the story and be too focused on staying on track memorizing which character was which.
It turns out that the characters were much easier to keep track of than I thought, because they're all very memorable, especially Steve. Steve's the man.

Here's the synopsis from Amazon: "Jimmy Tasker is an ordinary child. He loves to take pictures: has an eye for it. When some common bullies take things too far, Jimmy ends up burned… and different. It starts when his father is killed in a mysterious house fire. Him and his mother move away… change names… disappear. Some years later a group of friends are finding it tough. They are unemployed, short of cash, and one of them comes up with a great idea. A robbery. But they are a rag-tag bunch, and Steve declines, leaving the other three, a misogynist, an addict, and poor, easily led Peter, to pull off the ‘robbery of the century’. But Jimmy is still in there, somewhere… … and he’s killing for fun."


...You guys. I have to be honest with you all, the beginning of the book was strong and it had a moment just before the middle of the book where I wasn't sure how it was going to, and then all of a sudden BAM. I finished three quarters of the book in two hours. I couldn't put it down. My heart was racing, I felt so connected to the characters (Jimmy is a crazy badass! Steve is the coolest! The Boys are insane!) and there really wasn't much that I disliked after that.

I have been reading indie horror for some time now, and I am always so grateful that these authors send me their work because they pour their heart and soul into these works and more often than not, they're awesome. Shutter Speed is no exception to this observation.

At times, the story seems a little "woah, what the heck is going on?" but once the flow is back, you're hooked. Like I said, I finished most of this book in a day. What an awesome way to spend my night. Really.

The death scenes are really, really graphic, you guys. I handle blood, gore and gross things REALLY well, and at times I was flinching. There are copious amounts of graphic imagery. It's wonderfully and grossly written. If you're looking for some major gross-outs, go with this one. I've never really felt so empathetic towards characters that are being slaughtered. 

Thank you again, Mark, for sending me your work (and signing it!!!). I can't wait to put Shutter Speed on my bookshelf to show off!

If you'd like to purchase Shutter Speed, find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Shutter-Speed-Mark-Taylor/dp/1496190246

Without authors submitting me their wonderful books, I often miss out on some awesome indie horror. Feel free to email me any time to review horror novels at taylorterriblehorror@gmail.com! I love creepy things and I love reading!

Until next time, stay spooky!
Taylor Terrible <3

The Hallow (2015) Review

Just when I thought that the found-footage film was going to take over the horror industry and we'd be left with a bunch of awful films that made our favorite genre look like a joke, director Corin Hardy brought us The Hallow, and I want to kiss him on the mouth for it.

For those of you that were getting so tired of found-footage, this film is going to rock your world. Adam and Claire Hitchens are a couple moving to rural Ireland with their infant son. Adam is a geologist looking to do some research in the surrounding woods...though the locals are telling him to stay away. The creatures in the forest don't take well to visitors...and if you have a baby they'll probably want it.

This film has a little bit of everything for all types of horror fans. If you prefer a slow-burn horror film, you're in for a treat. My only real frustration with this film stemmed from the fact that it took almost an hour for it to pick up and get exciting (I'm an instant-gratification kind of person), but other than that, there's no found-footage (can you tell I hate found-footage?), there's some body horror (one of my favorite types of horror...it freaks me out so bad!) and it's abundant on freaky creatures living in the woods.

When I tell you guys...these creatures are awesome. They were all done with very practical VFX because Hardy didn't want to make them look fake, and trust me, they don't. The sounds they make are awful, too...I was hearing them in my sleep.

While it's not making its way into my top 10 horror films, I do appreciate the film for what it is and I definitely think it's worth a watch if you're feeling tired of the norm in horror (which is lately pretty awful). The Hallow is on VOD now, so I would definitely give it a watch! It's fun, it's stressful, and it's such a breath of fresh air.

Until next time, my creepy people, stay spooky!
Taylor Terrible <3

All Hallows' Eve Review

When you think of Halloween, what's the first thing that comes to mind? For me, it's trick-or-treating in costume while the wind rustles the leaves on the trees as you walk down the street, your costume shoes stomping on the leaves that have already fallen and you hear that satisfying crunch...-sigh-

Naturally, I love all films that revolve around October 31st. Trick 'r Treat is classic, and is in my top 5 favorite horror films of all time. Halloween doesn't get much more iconic. So when I heard about All Hallows' Eve (2013), I said "oh, I'm probably going to love this one!"

                                            photo from screamhorrormag.com


All Hallows' Eve tells the story of a babysitter and the two bratty kids she's watching after their Halloween festivities. They've been trick-or-treating and the night is rapidly coming to a close. The children are sitting around watching movies when Sarah (the babysitter) ushers them to bed. But the bratty brother finds a VHS tape in his trick-or-treat bag (uh...what?) and insists on playing it. After thoroughly disturbing themselves by watching a psychotic clown named Art become the ringleader to the "terror" on the tape, Sarah is left in the house alone while the children sleep. Is someone there with her?

Okay, you guys. I'm not going to lie, I went into this film with insanely high expectations because you all know how much I love, love, LOVE killer clowns. Pennywise is my man, Twisty is my BFF...any evil clown I can find, I will watch and devour with my eyeballs. I'm not scared of clowns, I just adore them. Don't ask me why.

Anyway, I'd heard about this one before, and I saw Art and thought "alright, this is right up my alley, let's go for it!" and then never got around to watching it. Cut to last night, and I was jumping for joy when I found out my friend had it on DVD. Popped it in, and I let the excitement commence...

Except it never came. This actually may be one of the worst films I've ever watched. There's no plot, and what the film lacks in plot, it only slightly makes up for it in gore. Sort of.

You get to see a baby cut out of a woman, and there are "creepy" aliens with noodle arms, but the whole process of getting to the points that are supposed to scare you are unnecessary, kind of annoying, drawn out, and really boring. The VHS itself is cool, it's almost like an anthology but it doesn't make any sense and it never comes together at the end, but nonetheless, it's the easiest part of the film to watch, besides Art.

Art is AWESOME. He's weird, disturbing, and he's very present. He's never lurking in the shadows, he's right in your face (except for the "second film" where he's kind of just a painting).

If you're looking for a good, classic Halloween film, skip over this one and move on to something more sophisticated like Trick 'r Treat. It's essentially the same, but done better.

This one gets a 3.5/10. Womp womp.

Do you guys have any great film suggestions for me? Let me know! Email me at taylorterriblehorror@gmail.com!

Alright guys, tomorrow is my birthday so I'm taking a trip to Sleepy Hollow. I'll let you know how it goes!!

Until next time, stay spooky <3
Taylor Terrible

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

We Are Still Here: Review

I recently watched the 2015 film We Are Still Here as per the recommendation of a handful of super excited people. I'd been hearing good things all week, so I told myself, "hey, I'll save this one for a rainy day and it'll be awesome!"

Cut to about two days later...there was a beautiful thunderstorm here in New York and I was so excited to snuggle up burrito-style and turn this flick on.
With the thunder and lightning in the background, I flipped this one on and got myself ready to be terrified.
The story is about a small town that a middle-aged couple moves to after the tragic death of their son. When things start to get a little weird in the house, the couple realizes that there may be someone their besides their beloved Bobby...so they call upon their "psychic" friend to check the house out with her boyfriend.

Things start to go downhill early on, giving you little bits of suspense here and there right off the bat. I feel like things are very stop-and-go; a lot of the suspense and jump scares happen very abruptly and they're kind of expected.
I have to say, the story itself is good. It's a pretty typical house-haunting-type film, but the story of the house and the history is fun.
The characters are really well-written, however the casting left a lot to be desired. I found the acting really cheesy to the point where I was having a hard time getting into the story.
The entities floating around the house getting crabby and nasty were pretty terrifying. I won't get too far into where they come from or what their deal is because it's very well-explained in the film, but what you should know is that two of them are kids, which is one of the things that freaks me out the most. Ick.

Overall, I liked the film. Maybe not enough to watch it again, but I do recommend it as a film that you check out at least once so you can join in on the conversation about it!
I give it a 6/10, a little better than halfway there but the acting really ruined it for me. The entities and the deaths are what got the rating up there for me...if you guys enjoy gore like I do, this one has PLENTY. I promise, it doesn't start off too gory, but once you get a little ways in...BAM. Body parts flying everywhere. Thumbs up on that for me.

Happy haunting, my spookies...let me know what you think of We Are Still Here!
Taylor Terrible <3

It Follows Review

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.

Let me know what you guys thought!!

Nightlight Review

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.

What Do You Ghouls Want to See?

Hey guys!

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! :(

MonsterMania Convention: I'm So Excited!

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...

Poltergeist Remake...I'm Grossly Excited

I remember watching the original Poltergeist at my 10th birthday party in my basement with all of my best friends. We were all so terrified that a tree was going to come crashing through the window to eat us that none of us went to sleep that night. I also still frequently find myself having weird, nightmarish fears of the guy in the bathroom ripping his face off...so this begs the question: how excited are you for the remake coming out this year?! I'm so excited that I need to go into the liiiight...hehe...heh...

Producer Sam Raimi is probably an awesome pick to be on-board for this film, that's one of the things I'm most excited about. Some of his notable credits are the Evil Dead "remake" from 2013 (which holds a special place in my heart, because it was one of the first times I was actually dragged to a horror film I thought I'd be too scared to see, and it was also one of my first dates with my now-boyfriend-of-two-years), The Grudge, and Drag Me to Hell. Um, yes. His horror expertise is a welcomed credit on the roster for me.

Then, there's the up-to-date visual effects. The original Poltergeist is terrifying in it's own way, mostly because of the concept. You have an angry bunch of spirits throwing things around your house and sucking your daughter into the television. Your son gets swallowed by a tree. You have a small woman with an awful voice running around your house talking to your daughter that you can't see. If you haven't seen the original Poltergeist, it's like having not seen the original Evil Dead. It's a classic, and while it's not necessarily the best visual effects in the world, it still freaks you the hell out. That's what I'm looking forward to with Poltergeist: the story will never, ever be dated. It can only go up from here.

The only concern I think I have is them messing with the story. There is something about Carolanne and her family that was so charming and lovable, that you root for them obsessively the whole time. I was thrown off when I watched the trailer and the oldest daughter is on Facebook when her phone goes down. Meh. I know it isn't the 80s, but can't we pretend that it is? Also, they don't have little Zelda Rubinstein running around the house with that tiny voice of hers yelling "go into the light", which is also slightly disappointing.

But all in all, I can't wait until this one comes out! I think 2015 is going to be a year where horror reinvents itself, creating a new outlook on the genre. Except for that awful Unfriended movie. We're just going to pretend that doesn't happen. Cool? Cool.

Love you, my little ghosts and ghouls.

As Above So Below: Ugh.

I think the title says it all. This post is going to be more of a rant than a review. I can't believe how disappointed I was with this film- I was so excited to see it when it came out in 2014, but for some reason I never got around to it. Maybe it was the universe's way of saving me time.

I watched this one yesterday, which will be 3 days ago when you guys read this, and every time I think about it, I get more sad.  I ended up checking Instagram through most of the last half of the film because I was just so horrifically bored. 

Let's get one thing straight: the concept sounded awesome. A woman searching to fulfill her father's legacy by finding the Philosopher's Stone in the collapsing catacombs of Paris? Sounds pretty sweet. Especially when you find out it's "haunted". I mean, in theory, it's cool. Then you watch the actual film.

-pause- I should have listened to the 27% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Okay, so it grips you and doesn't let go from the first five minutes when you think the protagonist is going to die, but because she's the protagonist, you know that isn't going to happen. Is it thrilling? At some points, like maybe when the phone is ringing and you don't know why...or when the wall people are attacking, I guess.

But let's just talk about those rushed, awful deaths throughout the film. It's like they advertise that you hear these delicately crafted backstories throughout the movie, building up to the point where the characters finally face their fear and deal with what their demon is...but that never happens. Sorry, to those of you that enjoyed this one, you're crazy if you think that these backstories were well done. I never felt like I got to know any of the characters at all with the exception of the main woman, and I can't even remember her name.

Essentially, the only good part of the film was the first 30 minutes. I liked the initial establishment of the entity that was taunting the group, but from then on, I was so bored that I almost shut it off, but I paid $6 on demand to watch it so I figured I should watch it all the way through.

The end of the movie was what really did me in, because there wasn't one. Nothing is resolved, nothing is fixed, nothing is proven, and nothing is explained. You just watched this WHOLE MOVIE waiting to find out if their efforts are successful, and you have NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENS AFTER?!

You guys. I honestly don't understand how this ended up as awful as it did. It looked like it was done so well, and ultimately, I don't remember the last time I watched a movie this bad. I'm sorry if you liked this one, but I really don't have any good to say about this one.

Let me know what you thought, especially if you didn't like it so we can be on the same page!

I'm still working on that video of my HorrorBlock unboxing for you guys, it's been rough. Until next time, my creeps!

Horns (2013): A Review

Hey guys! I know I promised a HorrorBlock unboxing in my last post, and trust me, I tried. I recorded it at LEAST 8 times, and each time the computer froze (it even does it in the final cut I got, I couldn't do anything about it, and I'm still getting used to this whole video-making thing...I'm trying to do it all on my own!) so I kept the last cut, and if you're reading this, it means the video didn't process in time to post for you guys this Thursday. I'm going to keep working at it though, I promise!
I've tried to upload it so many times, and every time it just tells me an unexpected error occurred. -sigh- I pinky swear, that video will be up and running eventually. It's all filmed. I swear.

So, in the meantime, I saw an awesome film this week! See title.

I had heard a ton about this one just from seeing people post the picture above on Instagram. I didn't know it was on Netflix until a few days ago (I'm behind on the times, you all know this) but I had a few moments to myself so I sat down and watched this.

I have to say, I'm very impressed. First of all, visually, I thought the film was stunning. The scenery in the woods is beautiful, and it made me pine for a treehouse. Get it? Pine? Because they're in the woods?
...I digress.

Daniel Radcliffe's performance was outstanding. He's emotional, he's insane, he's so sane it hurts, and he's hilarious. Honestly, the whole film is a rollercoaster ride of emotions the entire time. I caught myself tearing up towards the end. What horror film makes you emotional? Unless it's disgust, of course, or your favorite hero dies.

Here's a brief summary without spoilers, so for those of you that haven't seen this one yet, you can keep reading:
Ig Perrish lives in a small town where he falls in love with his childhood sweetheart at church. Cut to the fact that the entire town is condemning him to hell, because Merrin (the love of his life) has been murdered, and everyone thinks he did it. He spends the next week or so attempting to prove his innocence, but not without growing a huge set of horns on his forehead.
It all makes sense when you watch the film, I promise.

Ig vows that the power of the horns will lead him to good, and ultimately to finding Merrin's killer, allowing her to finally rest in peace, with her tragic story being told.

Honestly, this super brief synopsis does the film no justice. There are so many more details that are important, but if you haven't had a chance to watch this film I really, truly encourage you to do so. It put things in perspective for me in my personal life, but not without entertaining me with some gore, violence, a handful of sex scenes, and a very angry Daniel Radcliffe looking like Satan.

I know, I know, I'm raving about this one. I don't do it often because I usually go into films very skeptical. This was no exception, but it completely turned me around. It was a beautiful film. I don't have enough good things to say.

Let me know if you guys end up watching, and tell me what you think! How did you like it?!
Until next time!

Empty Bodies: a Review of a New Novel!

Hey guys! I'm really excited about this post for so many reasons. One, you know how much I love books. Two, this is a review of a book by one of the authors in my "Favorite Horror Books" post!

I had the privilege of becoming friends with an author, the ineffable Zach Bohannon, when I won a giveaway on his mailing list because I wanted to check some of his work out. A few weeks later, I had read through his book of 4 short stories and loved them.

Cut to about a month ago. I was lucky enough to receive an email from him that he wanted me to be a beta reader for his newest novel, Empty Bodies. I had never been a beta reader before, but I was excited to be trusted with such an important job. Essentially, I was sent a copy of the book early to read and give notes on. But let me just tell you guys, I never expected it to end up like this.

I finished Empty Bodies in less than 48 hours. That's in the middle of a crazy work week. Like, I was at work on my lunch break with my phone in my hand reading the PDF file. Let me give you the synopsis:

If you like zombies, this is going to be a great novel for you. It's about a group of survivors in the middle of a post-apocalyptic world trying to survive with hoards of "Empties" running around craving flesh and blood. Yummy. All of their stories are told separately, but you slowly but surely find out that they're all connected...
But what really got me hooked on this story: the characters are so memorable. I frequently caught myself reading with my hand over my mouth because so many moments were surprising, and honestly, really grotesque. It's very detailed, and very gory. I crossed my fingers at multiple points because I was scared my favorite characters were going to die. Basically, this story ties you up from the first page and doesn't let you go until the last sentence. It's enthralling.

I was so honored to read this story, and now I highly encourage all of you to do the same. It's really cool knowing that you can support an indie writer, so if you want to grab yourself a copy of Empty Bodies, click here!
If you guys decide to read it, leave me a comment below and let me know what you thought!
Until next time, my ghoulies...I'll be doing an unboxing of my HorrorBlock!

Kraven Manor

I have another horror game to talk about with you guys! In my spare time, I've been trying to get my hands on some good ones (that live up to my expectations, having played Outlast...I told you guys, I'm slightly obsessed, and I don't really know if anything is ever going to compare to the love that I have for this one...) and this one popped up. I said "hey why not!"

My newest conquest (if you couldn't tell from the title and the picture): Kraven Manor.
This one's about a haunted house...that's about all you know, unless you're paying close attention, which I clearly didn't. Normally I'm all about storylines in horror games, this one's story develops way later, but it all starts to come together at the very end. I was kind of disappointed about it in the beginning, but once I got to the end, it satisfied my craving for some kind of answer about what the hell was going on (but it did not satisfy my craving for tiramisu, which is still happening.)

Essentially, the premise of the game is that you're in this house alone with nothing but a flashlight, and you can't fight the entity trying to attack you. That antagonist you have chasing you around is a bronze mannequin. Yeah, Maniac style. See below for explanation.

I didn't love the game, as it didn't have a story at the beginning so you're kind of just wandering, like I said about Among the Sleep, but I definitely enjoyed it. The story is explained throughout the game in notes and books, but it's kind of hard to keep up with because you have the potential to read them all out of order. I understand, though, that this was a teeny indie horror game created by graduate students at a college, so I'll cut 'em some slack. Good job, guys. So with that in mind, the game gets credit to me as: not the best game I've ever played, but definitely terrifying. If you're looking for a game that may potentially make you pee your pants, this is probably a good one.

I also like the fact that as the game goes on you pick up pieces that look a little bit like chess boards, and those all connect on a table in the entryway to Kraven Manor. These boards are actually scaled-down models of the rooms in the house...which you can move around and rebuild as you play to connect different rooms. What that means is every time you move the models around, the rooms in the house move to match it. It was a really cool concept, and towards the end it became crucial to move the rooms into the right spot to finish the game.

On to those mannequins I was telling you about:

I wish that I could link to a youtube video of their awful grunting and creaking that they do when they move up behind you, but you should honestly just play for yourself and listen to it. Ick. You're playing the game with a demon mannequin breathing down your neck. Their noises are horrific. They're Maniac-style creepy mannequins. (If you've never seen Maniac, you should probably do that.) Oh, and let me also mention that they can only move when you turn your back to them (think Dr. Who's weeping angels), which makes them even worse. They also kind of teleport really, really close to you...it's awful.

All in all, I'm happy with this game, though. I should have put a camera on myself during playtime because I was screaming and jumping all over the place. There were curse words said. There was eye-covering. Therefore, it's good in my book.

Let me know if you guys decide to play this one, I'd love to know what you think!

Also, I might have a giveaway coming up in the near future, let me know how you guys feel about that. 

American Horror Story: Freakshow

Man, there are so many things I can say about this season of American Horror Story. Let me start by saying this: Murder House is absolutely still my favorite season. But where does Freakshow fall? Let's have a chat about this.

There were a few reasons that this season of AHS was awesome.

Reason 1: The characters.

This guy. Twisty the Clown. He had the ability to terrify people, then make them cry with intense amounts of sympathy in the matter of one episode. His back-story was amazing. His mannerisms were totally awesome. His reasoning behind what he did, fabulous.

I loved him so much that I actually decided to dress up as him for Halloween.

I had way too much fun with this.

Dandy Mott; have you ever met someone so horrifyingly perfect on the outside, but disgustingly twisted on the inside? If you have, I applaud you for surviving, and I also want to give you a hug while you weep into my shoulder. What a messed up person. Watching his character develop and become more and more maniacal and awful was probably the most entertaining part of the show. 

Many of the other characters, ie. Elsa Mars, Jimmy Darling, and Desiree Dupree were definitely note-worthy. The performances of their respective actors were incredible. Elsa was developed beautifully. Strongman (Dell Toledo) was one of my favorite characters, and so fun to watch. He was a mess. It was great.

But there were plenty of things in the show that needed improvement.

Reason 2: The circus concept.

It sounded like it was going to be such an incredible idea. I mean, after a haunted house, an asylum, and a bunch of witches, what's the next scariest thing you can think of? (Take Coven out of there because it definitely was not scary by any means) I think of clowns and a circus. Now, I'm not afraid of clowns. Pennywise is my man. Art the Clown is a big favorite. Twisty made the list of my top 3 favorite clowns of all time (hell, I even had a doll, Christmas ornament and figure made of him to put in my collection) but the way this was done was pretty cool.

Based loosely on the 1932 film Freaks, you saw Pinheads, two-headed twins, "Lobster Boy", and more. The correlation was great. The original film is classic, so if you have never seen it, I suggest that you do. The full thing is on Youtube. It's pretty creepy.

But there were a few things that ruined it for me:

The season dragged. I only really enjoyed 4 or 5 episodes, most of which involved Twisty. For those of you that watched this season, you know why I say it like that. If you're planning on watching Freakshow, either stop reading, or expect subtle spoilers. I'll try to be good. I truly believe that the downfall of the season were those awful musical numbers. Jessica Lange is incredible, by all means, I bow down to her, but I think that the awkward songs (that were strangely out of the time period) threw off entire episodes. They were just...bleh.

What really ruined it for me was the season finale. While most of the season was just mediocre, saved only by really screwed up characters, the finale was so half-assed. I'm sorry, I don't know how else to say it. It seems like the writers didn't know how to wrap it up, so they just killed everyone, and left the rest to what we all already knew would happen.

Murder House left me guessing the whole time.

I haven't seen Asylum so I can't judge it, but I hear it's pretty great.

Coven didn't really fit into the series so much, but it was entertaining and the characters were wonderful.

This one...honestly? Honestly.

I don't mean to be totally down on it, but I don't really have much good to say. I mean, they put NPH in and got rid of him without wrapping up his character. All the other ones got an awful sendoff. 

I feel like this post isn't even completely cohesive. I'm just so disappointed that it's all of my thoughts smooshed into a post. 

Let me know what you thought about this, guys. I'm so sad, I expected it to be awesome because it started off strong, but I learned about 3 episodes in that I was going to be disappointed. -sigh-

...I still love Twisty though.

My Top 4 Horror Books

Books have held a very special place in my heart since I was super, super young. They were always my outlet when I was having a rough day, or when I used to get in trouble and my parents took my television remote away so I couldn't watch anymore...they thought I didn't like reading so it was always awesome getting some peace and quiet where I could just go through my book collection.
My horror obsession started with a Goosebumps book that I read when I was in kindergarten.

It was this one, you guys! I'm so excited! I couldn't remember the name of it, and it's all coming back to me now! It had all of the alternate endings, so that's why it was called one of the Give Yourself Goosebumps books. Ah, my childhood.

Anyway, as I grew up, my taste in horror changed, and Goosebumps wasn't so scary anymore. I needed something to give me my fix of terror, but I desperately needed it in book form. There's just something about turning pages that's so satisfying.

I went through tons of books, none of which every stuck out to me. It took me a long time to really discover what I loved where horror was concerned, and I found some wonderful books in that time. 

Here are the favorites I found:

4) The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

Not necessarily a book, it's actually a short story, but it's wonderful and so classic. This one gave me such anxiety as a kid when I read it. I used to carry around what looked like a textbook with Poe's complete works in it, and this one was the one that I read over and over, followed by the Cask of Amontillado.

A synopsis:

The narrator of the story commits a murder, and essentially has to convince himself he isn't going completely insane as he hears what he believes to be his victim's heart still beating under the floorboards. (He hacks up the body, for those of you that like gore.) 

I was always terrified of the fact that I truly believed that maybe the body was alive under the floorboards, and always somehow found myself hoping that the narrator wouldn't ruin it for himself. If you haven't read this one, I highly suggest it, along with all of Poe's work. He's classic.

3) The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

I only read this one recently, but it shot up my list to my top 4. I couldn't put this one down, I finished it in 48 hours and I was at work when I read it. I got really lucky, actually, because I went to a comic book store close to me that had a bargain bin full of old, used books. I got this one for $2, it's beat up and falling apart, and that makes me love it even more.
This one was one of my favorite films before it was one of my favorite books, as you guys know. I talk about it all the time. But there's something so terrifying about reading it because you picture it in your own way, and I like to create the scariest scenarios possible. I won't even give a synopsis, because I hope most of you have seen the film (or at least know of it). But I highly recommend reading the book. It's amazing. Good job, WPB.

2) The Dead Zone by Stephen King

This is another one I got from that bin at the comic book store! $3! What a steal! I had no idea what the deal was with this book, I saw Stephen King on the cover, and I knew I loved his work (no one is going to be surprised when they see my number 1) so I went for it, and as it turns out, I absolutely loved it.
There's a film adaptation with Christopher Walken in it, I still haven't seen that one though.
A synopsis:
Johnny Smith is injured in a car accident and wakes up from a coma 5 years later with the ability to see things in other people's lives by touching them, like their family history, and future things they're wondering about.
This thriller is incredibly entertaining; I wasn't sure how I was going to like it until I got a chapter in and really got addicted to the story. There was something about Johnny Smith's character and the turmoil he goes through that is so captivating, plus there's a second story that is going on during all of that that's even more disturbing and strange.
Basically, what I have to say about this story, is it's gripping to the point where it's near impossible to put the book down until you know exactly what happens at the end...I should reread this one.

1) No one is going to be surprised...it's Stephen King's IT. Duh.

Alright, I'll be honest. When I read this one the first time, I totally hated it. I was about 200 pages in and I completely stopped and told myself I'd never pick it up again. I remember where I was at that exact moment. I was waiting for my sister to have her hair cut, and I shut my Kindle off and stared into space, shook my head, and said "nope".
But, something that summer told me to try it again. I was working, but not enough. I had a decent amount of time on my hands. So why wouldn't I try reading something so classic?

And so it began. I sat, I sighed, and I powered my Kindle on. I clicked the title. I sighed again. I read two sentences. Then I sighed again. There was a lot of huffing and puffing in the beginning...but I've come to learn that sometimes, Stephen King likes to start things off slow. That explained so much! And so I dove in headfirst.
About a week later, I was finished, and I was obsessed. In love. Infatuated. Pennywise was always a favorite of mine but that secured him (or her, for those of you that know the real deal that they never explain in the film...you have to read it if you're a fan of the movie. It'll change everything.) as my number two favorite villain.
I feel like this one doesn't require a synopsis because the story is so well-known, but what I DO have to tell you, is if you've seen the film and you've enjoyed it, read the book. If you saw the film and hate it, read the book. If you saw the film and you're indifferent, read the book. The film is long, but it leaves out incredible and insanely important details that change everything. Read it. Seriously. Then report back and let me know how much you love it.

I'm thinking next on the list are some works by Clive Barker. You guys know me and my Hellraiser...Hellbound Heart is probably next.

I also just recently finished some works by my good friend Zach Bohannon called Dark Reveries. It was a collection of 4 short stories were completely wonderful. I won it in a giveaway, and it turns out I loved it so much that I emailed him in a panic about needing more of his work. Check him out, he's awesome.

I'm always very open to book suggestions, let me know in the comments if there are any I've been missing and/or overlooking all this time!
Thanks for reading, my ghouls, see you next time!

Among the Sleep

Every once in a  while I like to switch it up and play through a horror game or two. I've played Outlast, which was absolutely beautiful and terrifying and awesome. Actually, to be more accurate: I was so scared playing Outlast that I made my boyfriend play through most of it for me, and I was giving directions as I saw fit. I mean, hello, Dr. Trager.
I just finished Among the Sleep today, and I have to say, I'm not impressed. You play the game as a toddler trying to find his mom in what appears to be a "haunted house" after something knocks his crib over in the middle of the night. Sounds like it could be good, right?
Some of the details are sweet, like the fact that because you're playing as a toddler, you can't read signs or anything. Everything looks like scribbles and squiggles, which is a nice touch. It makes it more accurate.

You also are told little bits and pieces of the story of what's going on in the child's life by drawings that he's drawn around the house. They're thrown around and they seem like they aren't really a part of anything related to the game, until you're about halfway through and you can say to yourself "oh hey, I just realized that's completely relevant."
Also, the only villain in the game is pretty creepy. They don't show themselves until three quarters of the way through, but once you see it, you don't want to be near it.

Now, I'm no video game expert, and coming from me, I feel like a not-so-good review takes a lot. But I felt like it took 3/4ths of the game for it to even begin to get remotely exciting. There's no threat, you're literally crawling around for most of the game with a bear who's pretty annoying. It's all very monotonous. You crawl around your "house" about 9 million times with no endangerment, so essentially, you're not doing anything. It requires zero skill (which for someone like me, is a good thing, because I button-mash until I figure out what everything does), but this one, you don't even run or anything. I had to hide twice.

I know, this is a really short post, but I figured I would let you guys know not to spend your money on this one. If you do decide not to take my advice and you play through it, let me know what you think!
But if you decide to skip this one...instead, spend it on the new Pinhead Funko POP that's being released some time this year...but don't endanger my chances of getting one ;)

Nightbreed (1990) Review: WTF Why Didn't I Watch This Sooner?!

Excuse me, why didn't any of you guys tell me about Nightbreed? It's okay, I forgive you.
I'd heard of it in passing, but in my true fashion, I was the last to watch it. I'm sure this movie is huge, because it's directed by the beautiful Mr. Clive Barker (he also wrote the book that inspired the film), and I somehow just never watched it. It's on Netflix, Taylor. WHAT have you been doing?

As a Hellraiser fan, you would think that I would go ahead and try to find all of the works by Mr. Barker, but I don't necessarily work that way. I probably should, considering it seems like his works are all very similar, it just depends on the date. Take Midnight Meat Train for example. I adored it, and found out it was Clive after the fact. (If you haven't seen it, the story is wonderful, Bradley Cooper is wonderful (and not bad to look at), the antagonist is thrilling. But I'll save my love for that one for another time.)
This one reminds me a lot of Hellraiser in the sense that there are a group of crazy-looking fools running around wanting to kill humans, that kind of look like they would be Cenobites, but they are in fact Nightbreeds. What does this mean, you ask? Here's a synopsis:

***SPOILER ALERT, IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO RUIN IT STOP READING...I'll still love you.***

Aaron Boone is slightly mentally unstable, seeing a psychotherapist to help with his crazy dreams he's been having about a place called Midian. He's never been there, but he sees it vividly when he's dreaming, so he knows exactly what it looks like and who the creatures are that live there. His therapist is a huge jerk, and convinces him he's a serial killer. He gives him what Aaron believes is Lithium to calm him down, but it turns out his (SUPER HUGE JERK) of a therapist gave him a hallucinogen. He ends up in the hospital, meets a patient who also knows of Midian, and he gives Boone directions to get there. He then promptly rips the skin off of his face (hooray!).
Since he was in the hospital (after jumping in front of a truck while tripping out of his mind), he escapes when the doctors come to help his roommate. This sets off a police chase to go find him, but he's at Midian (because why wouldn't you go to a crazy-looking graveyard while you're high?!). He meets a few of the Nightbreeds there, tries to join them, and they tell him no, but not without trying to attack and eat him. He does get bitten, though, and that's when all the fun starts.

I don't want to give away too much, although the synopsis in itself is probably pretty confusing. I guess you'll just have to watch. But here's my review:
The film itself is really entertaining. I'm normally very picky, I like to find things wrong with films, but this one was great. They brought two (or three if you also want to count the love story smooshed in between a serial killer and a "mental patient"-turned-Nightbreed. Honestly, it's a great story about tolerance between social groups, if you want to get really deep.
I loved the makeup, I loved the personalities of the characters, and I loved that half of the Hellraiser cast was in it. Doug Bradley, Nicholas Vince, and Simon Bamford were all prevalent in this film. The only Cenobite missing was Miss Barbie Wilde.
The music was also a big factor in my love for this film. It was so, so awesome to listen to. That's something I don't typically look too closely at, but this time it stood out to me as a really important part of the story. It pulled everything together.
If this film was out of 5 stars, I would give it a 4.5, taking away that .5 only because I was never really scared, but it was graphic enough to cover that up.
If you haven't seen this one already, I absolutely recommend it! Leave me a comment to tell me if you love it as much as I do. Until next time!

My Favorite Horror Films

Well, this is going to be a fun post! I really have 3 films that have changed my view on horror forever. These films have shaped my love for the genre, and have taught me that loving horror isn't weird, because other people love them too! Instead of only giving you guys 3 films that I love, I'm going to do a list of my top 5, accompanied by mini-stories about why I love them so much.
Let's start with number 5...

5) The Exorcist

If this film didn't scare you at least a little when you first saw it, please reconsider your life choices. It's one of the scariest films of all time for a reason. Yes, I understand that the effects are slightly outdated. But is it still terrifying? Absolutely.
I got into this one because when I was in 5th grade we had library time, and I found a book that was literally just called Horror Movies. I checked it out of the school library and brought it home with me to read. I flipped through it, coming across classics like Dracula and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, then I flipped the page and found a picture of Regan's face. It was just her face, completely transformed. It was terrifying and disturbing, but I couldn't look away. So I begged and begged my mom to let me watch it and she told me no, because I was "too young". Thank you, mom, for not exposing me to this horror when I was so little. I watched it at my friend's house at a slumber party, and I didn't sleep that night. Come to think of it, I thought my sleeping bag was vibrating. I also thought the devil was going to possess me and I was going to curse at my parents and get in trouble. This one's always had a special place in my heart.

4) Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge

Don't get me wrong, I am completely aware that this entire series is so, so cheesy. However, there is something about those creepy puppets that I found so enticing. I would have put the original on the list, but I truly enjoyed the story of Toulon's Revenge much more than all the others. It's the only one that I found completely cohesive and understandable. Also, I didn't get bored halfway through like I did with the others.
How did I get into this one, you ask? Well, it started when I was about 7 or 8 years old. I had rented one of my weekly movies from Blockbuster, and there was a coming attraction for toys from the Puppet Master films. (You bet your ass I have all of them now) I wanted little Blade SO badly. I thought he was the sweetest little thing in the whole world. The movie was old, so the odds of finding the toys was slim to none, but my dad (who passed away when I was 16) saw how in love with Blade I was, and drove me to the closest collectibles store to see if maybe, just maybe, they had him. They didn't, but they did have Leech Woman! She wasn't my favorite, but out of sheer appreciation, I accepted the gift from my dad, and I had little Leech Woman for about 5 years before she went missing. I'm sure my mom threw her out because she thought she was creepy. Fast forward a few years, my other half and I watched through the entire series, and I loved this one. It reminded me of my childhood, and it made me realize I have a seriously weird love for creepy-looking dolls. We've collected the whole set of the action figures, and I even met Charles Band (the creator) and he signed my Blade for me!

That's me and Charles Band. My other half is on the right, but I feel like he wouldn't appreciate me throwing him on my blog. Also, this was before I had my nose fixed, so pardon the inaccuracy. This was about 2 years ago. :)

3) Trick 'r Treat

This film is just plain fun. I can't say enough good things about this one. This is the film I recommend to everyone that isn't sure what kind of horror they like. The only thing I dislike is really the werewolf story, and even that one is good. Sam is the cutest, and the story is wonderful. It's essentially "believe in Halloween or, you know, this adorable little pumpkinhead in a onesie is gonna come kill you."
I only saw this one recently, but I catch myself saying "wrong way" like the kid on the bus all of the time when I drive in the wrong direction. I always check my candy. I also don't take home strangers, but I've never done that anyway. And since I've seen it, I've probably watched it about 10 times. It's so well-done, and so classic.

2) IT

This is another cheesy one, but it's so classic. First of all, what's better than Tim Curry as a crazy clown killer who ISN'T actually a clown?! Second, nothing is more terrifying than the idea of something playing on exactly what you're afraid of to break you down?
I've always had a love for killer clowns. I don't know what it is, something about the fact that they're supposed to be so friendly and sweet, but it turns out they're actually awful and evil and maniacal and they'll eat your soul.
(But Pennywise's eyebrows are on point, see photo above.)
But I love Pennywise's voice, his mannerisms, his dry humor laced with evil threats, just everything about him. I find myself rooting for him to catch them more than the kids (and adults) getting away. While this one is brutally long, it's the perfect amount of frightening, entertaining, and funny to keep you fixed on the screen for the full 3 hours. Yes, 3 hours. It's worth it, I promise.
"You want a balloon, Georgie?"

1) This is it. My holy grail. The film that made its way on to my body permanently. I have a decal of this guy on my car. I have a life-sized bust of him in my room.
You guessed it.......

My man Pinhead in Hellraiser! I've tried to think long and hard about why I adore this one so much. Could it be because it's gory? Probably. Could it be because there's a group of badasses walking around looking like a death metal band? Also probably. But most likely: I feel like I can relate to so many of the characters from this one. Mostly the cenobites. Crazy, right?
There's something about their show-no-mercy attitude that reminds me of myself. I'm the type of person that won't take anyone's BS. These guys don't either. I also think that there's really something so appealing in having a horror villain you can plead to and have them sort of listen. I don't really think Jason or Michael really feel bad when they're bludgeoning you to death. Pinhead at least gives you the time of day to say your peace, looks like he's contemplating letting you go, then says "hey, you know what? Not good enough for me. Let's chain you up and rip your face off."
It also helps that the costumes and makeup are incredible. I wish I was talented enough to put all that on someone.
But I love the story of this one so much that it's become the staple of my room. I have an entire shelf dedicated to my love for this one. I've also met all 4 cenobites, and they're all sweet as hell...no pun intended. I actually shared coffee with Butterball (Simon Bamford) and got his view on what it was like being a cenobite, he told me he hated it because he and Chatterer (Nicholas Vince) had no eye or ear holes, so most takes while filming were them walking into each other or the walls.
Here, have a picture of me with them.

Simon Bamford (Butterball) on the far left, Barbie Wilde (Female) middle left, Doug Bradley (Pinhead) middle right, and Nicholas Vince (Chatterer) far right. Far, far right is my other half. He couldn't escape this one. :)

I would love to know all of your favorite films, my horror lovers! Please let me know in the comments what your favorites are!

Ghost Adventures: My Guilty Pleasure

For those of you that have never watched Ghost Adventures, I plead you to do so. It started out as a joke between a group of my friends, and somehow turned into something that I watch daily. It is so, so hard to admit that.
It's on Netflix, so if you can't catch it on the Travel Channel (the station it originated on), you can catch a handful of the "best of" episodes there. There are 10 seasons, but for some reason Netflix only has about 20 episodes online...that's about how many episodes are in each season. Step up your game, Netflix. You're slackin'. (But I do have to admit, the episodes they have posted are the best ones. Check out Black Moon Manor if you really want to get into it.)
I'm probably the last person to jump on this bandwagon...as soon as I started posting about it, people were telling me "you do know this show is in its 10th season, right?" Um, no, I didn't...so I apologize if you guys have been watching this show forever and are laughing at my lack of ability to keep up with things that have become mainstream. I'm usually the last to hear about things.
While the show showcases Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin and Nick Groff (who is no longer with the Ghost Adventures Crew, or GAC, respectively) and their crazy personalities getting themselves into some real shit with some mean ghosts, the best part for me are the EVPs they catch on their recorders.
Let me just tell you that the intro to the show says "I never believed in ghosts until I came face to face with one." Alright. Translation: "I never believed in ghosts...until I did." That kills me every single time.
ANYWAY, the personalities of these goons is really a big highlight of the show. I do my share of paranormal investigation (which I'll post about later, once I get a good recorder so I can share some of my EVPs I've caught), and never have I once taken my shirt off to provoke a handful of dead nuns with my tattoos. I probably wouldn't even if you asked me to. That's the kind of show this is. Zak loves himself more than the ghosts, Aaron is constantly making the best scared faces, and Nick is the rational one who usually stays pretty quiet.
Their investigations take them to some wild places, Black Moon Manor being my personal favorite. It was home to a smallpox hospital, and it is said that 200 people have died in that house. That's a lot of angry spirits. They caught some crazy EVPs, some of which are so clear that you have to think it's fake, but considering I've gone out in the field before and caught things equally as clear, you start to wonder...as insane as these guys are, could there really be a life after this one? They catch things that are so tailored to what they say, such as when Zak asks what color his EMF reader is turning, the ghost says "it's green"...what.
Needless to say, this is the show that inspired my love for paranormal investigation. Do I ever want to be a Zak Bagans? No, not exactly. I do think it's cool to find a niche like these guys did though, their personalities are addicting to watch because they're just so crazy. So, I'd like to be the ghost hunter that snuggles the ghosts. That's just who I am. I feel weird amounts of empathy.
Because of this show, I was given a P-SB7 as a gift (for those of you that don't know, that's what's called a Spirit Box, a radio sweeper that can catch RVPs between radio frequencies) and that's where it all started. I go out just about every chance I get to try and catch some weird stuff.

So, Ghost Adventures, while you're absolutely one of the dumbest shows I've ever watched...you're crazy addicting and you made me hunt ghosts. Good job, guys.

This is a fan video I found on YouTube...it's a remix of the best parts of Black Moon Manor. I quote it hourly. You will too. Enjoy.