A Ghost Story for Christmas: A Warning to the Curious

A Warning to the Curious (Amazon Prime) is a 1972 supernatural drama produced by the BBC as the second instalment of its A Ghost Story for Christmas strand and was first broadcast on Christmas Eve. It is based on "A Warning to the Curious", a ghost story by British writer M. R. James. The story has nothing to do with Christmas but is part of a long-standing tradition of enjoying ghost stories during this season.

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Some of our decorations predate me, having been Mother's and even my grandparents'.

Infinity Pool

(I came home from my vacation visit with my grandbaby with a cold, and I'm still not back up to 100%. I'm watching horror movies, playing on Facebook, and watching the patio birds but still not back to the blog.)

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Infinity Pool (Hulu) is a 2023 science fiction horror film written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg, and starring Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, and Cleopatra Coleman. The film follows a struggling writer and his wife on vacation who, after an accident, discover the country's dark culture and the reason they had been warned not to leave the resort compound. I find it engrossing. It gets good reviews. The concept is different from what I usually find, and that's always a plus for me.

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Alien: Covenant

Alien: Covenant (Hulu) is a 2017 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott. It is a sequel to Prometheus, which is considered a prequel to the original Alien movie. It is the sixth installment in the Alien series but eighth if you count the Predator crossover films. It gets generally positive reviews. This is a film where if you like the franchise as a whole you'll like this. I admit I found the original film deeply disturbing when I saw it in the theater when it was first released, but I didn't watch horror movies back then and was expecting a science fiction film. Many years have passed, and I now watch horror movies and appreciate this franchise. It's been a live-and-learn process for me, broadening my horizons.

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Son of Dracula (1974)

Son of Dracula is a 1974 British musical film starring Harry Nilsson and Ringo Starr. It was produced by Starr. It is also the title of a soundtrack released in conjunction with the film. I had never heard of it and came across it by random happenstance. What fun!

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The Witches (1966)

The Witches (Internet Archive) (aka The Devil's Own) is a 1966 British Hammer horror film directed by Cyril Frankel and starring Joan Fontaine, Alec McCowen, Kay Walsh, Ann Bell, Ingrid Boulting and Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies. It was adapted by Nigel Kneale from a 1960 novel. It's one of the lesser-known of the Hammer films. It's more suspense/thriller than what you might call horror, downright tame if you're looking to dip a toe in the waters. The movie gets mostly positive reviews and makes for a nice addition to an October film fest.

via Internet Archive:



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Grim Prairie Tales

Grim Prairie Tales is a 1990 horror Western film starring James Earl Jones, Brad Dourif, Will Hare, Marc McClure, William Atherton, and Lisa Eichhorn. It is a four-part anthology film with the stories told by two strangers sharing a prairie campfire. Morrison (Jones) is a grizzled bounty hunter carrying a body, while Farley Deeds (Dourif) is a clerk on the way to a romantic reunion with his wife. I had seen this one before, but it had been so long I thought it deserved a re-watch.

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No One Will Save You

No One Will Save You (Hulu) s a 2023 science fiction horror film starring Kaitlyn Dever as a young woman living alone, shunned by the local townspeople, who must fight off a home invasion that has unexpected consequences. It has only five words of dialogue spoken during its entire runtime. To be honest, I prefer my science fiction and my horror not to be combined in film, but it has been a popular concept for such a long time... This one is fine, but only fine, and I won't be re-watching it.

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Hagazussa

Hagazussa (Tubi) is a 2017 Germany/Austrian horror film. The story takes place in a remote mountain village in the 15th-century Alps, and is about a goat herder and her daughter who are shunned as witches by local townspeople. I expected some actual witchcraft and was disappointed in that. Almost all the critics liked it, though, so I think my expectations hurt my appreciation.

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Blade (1998)

Blade is a 1998 superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Blade, a human with vampire strengths but not their weaknesses who fights against vampires. It is the first installment of the Blade franchise. The film stars Wesley Snipes as the title character with Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson and N'Bushe Wright in supporting roles. Great fun. I've forgotten where I watched this one, and it no longer seems available on any of the services I have access to.

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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (DVD) is a 1979 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The character of Sweeney Todd first appeared in a Victorian penny dreadful. Sweeney Todd opened on Broadway in 1979 and won the Tony Award for Best Musical and Olivier Award for Best New Musical. It has been revived in many productions as well as inspired a film adaptation. The video I saw starred Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett and George Hearn as Sweeney Todd. Angela Lansbury is one of those actors I watch for.

One of Lansbury's songs:

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The Feast (2021)

The Feast (Hulu) is a 2021 Welsh folk horror film. "Folk horror" isn't your typical horror but focuses on using elements of folklore to invoke foreboding. This film certainly does a good job of that.

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The Time of Their Lives (1946)

The Time of Their Lives is a 1946 fantasy comedy ghost story film starring the comedic duo Abbott and Costello. Hilarious. Perfect if you're looking for something light for Halloween.

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The Invitation (2022)

The Invitation (Hulu) is a 2022 horror/thriller vampire film inspired by but not based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. It follows a woman who, after her mother's death, meets long-lost family members and discovers the dark secrets they carry. I like vampire movies. That said, this isn't among the best of them.

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Underwater

Underwater (Hulu) is a 2020 science fiction action horror film about a group of workers at a drilling facility at the bottom of the Mariana Trench who encounter hostile creatures after an earthquake destroys the facility. It stars Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Jessica Henwick, John Gallagher Jr., Mamoudou Athie, and T.J. Miller. Reviews are mixed, but I like it. The world needs more science fiction movies, and this is a welcome entry.

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The Monster Squad

The Monster Squad (free on Pluto TV) is a 1987 horror comedy film about a group of the Universal classic movie monsters led by Count Dracula who are confronted by a group of savvy kids out to keep them from controlling the world. I watched it because of its reputation as a "tween friendly" cult classic. Lots of fun.

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The Company of Wolves

The Company of Wolves (Kanopy, Shudder) is an award-winning 1984 British gothic fantasy horror film directed by Neil Jordan and starring Angela Lansbury, David Warner, Micha Bergese, and Sarah Patterson in her film debut. The screenplay by Angela Carter and Jordan was adapted from her 1979 short story of the same name. It's a werewolf tale and a take on the Little Red Riding Hood story. You can't go wrong with Angela Lansbury or David Warner. The movie is well-reviewed. I enjoyed it.

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Nocebo

Nocebo (Hulu) is a 2022 Filipino-Irish psychological thriller film starring Eva Green. I watched because of Green. She plays a children's fashion designer who sufferes a mysterious debilitating illness. This movie is fine, and Green is always worth watching. It got mostly positive reviews. trailer:

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Saloum

What with politics and the Olympics I've gotten totally distracted from blogland.

I was sad to see Biden bow out but am excited about Harris. I watched Trump's "weird" appearance at the National Black Journalists conference. I've been getting a kick out of his misprouncing of her name, as if that doesn't reflect more poorly on him than on her -is he that ignorant, or is he just engaging in his habit of personal insult...

We signed up for a month of Peacock so we could watch more and live Olympic coverage. We have been glued to the TV!

I check on my post every day, and yesterday I noticed the Daily Motion embed of the Bad Faith video had been removed. I edited the post to add a direct link to the Tubi video. (You can watch it on your computer, or you can add the Tubi app to your TV. It's free.), While I was here approved and responded to comments. I'll get around to visiting folks bit by bit...

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Saloum (Shudder) is a 2021 Senegalese-French crime horror-thriller film, a fictional story taking inspiration from African legends and real-life events. Set in Senegal in 2003, it follows a trio of elite African mercenaries, the "Hyenas of Bangui", who, on their way by plane from Bissau to Dakar, try to lay low and find supplies in a resort near Saloum Delta in Senegal, where they must hide their identities and fight for survival. I watched this during my one week free trial of Shudder.

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Roger Ebert's web site has a positive review, concluding with this: "This is one of the most satisfying films, genre or otherwise, of the year." The Guardian says, "Director Jean Luc Herbulot dynamically weaves supernatural mystery into this gritty crime caper to produce a distinct and charismatic thrill ride."

Vulture says,

Herbulot, who is Congolese and whose Senegal-set TV series Sakho & Mangane (available on Netflix) is a kind of Law & Order meets Evil, has made in Saloum an interrogation of Heart of Darkness and an homage to various ’80s action and ’90s horror classics that remains entirely its own thing, even as the film’s plot undergoes a radical shift midway through and challenges our expectations of its protagonists’ actions.

The Hollywood Reporter says, "Propulsively lurching with infectious glee from crime drama to modern-day Western to horror suffused with supernatural elements, this may turn out to be the rare African film that enters the international mainstream, or, at the very least, achieves cult movie status." Variety and Slant each has a positive review.

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Mad God

Mad God (Shudder free trial) is a 2021 stop-motion adult animated experimental horror film. Completed in 2021, the film was produced over a period of thirty years. The film received critical acclaim upon its release. We took advantage of the 7-day free trial of Shudder, looked up lists of the best movies available on that service, and I started watching the ones I hadn't already seen. This is quite the surprise, like nothing I'd seen before. I admit that if there's a plot I didn't discern it, but it's visually remarkable. I'm glad I've seen it.

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Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (We bought the DVD. What can I say; we couldn't wait.) is a 2024 monster movie, the sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and the fifth film in the Monsterverse franchise, also serving as the 38th film of the Godzilla franchise and 13th in the King Kong franchise. Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, and Kaylee Hottle reprise their roles from the previous film. In the film, Kong encounters more of his species in the Hollow Earth and must unite again with Godzilla to stop the tyrannical Skar King and the powerful, frost-breathing Shimo from invading the Earth's surface. I'm continuing to enjoy the new Godzilla and King Kong films as they come out.

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