Friday, December 31, 2021

REVIEW OF THE MERCHANDISER BY DEBI W

 

REVIEW OF THE MERCHANDISER BY DEBI W - “This horror story is casted [SIC] with a crazy man (you figure that out quickly with the hints the author gives early on), the bully boss, snarky son, a thief (allegedly) also posing as a love interest to more than one. Things sound very promising for Fred, the merchandiser, and mostly going right until disaster hits his prize mannequin and Fred has to improvise to finish his now macabre vision. Although you basically knew how the story would end, all the little twists and turns, along with a very illustrative way of describing the "decorations ", real or with unusual "things" made this a fun story, reminding me of the OLD Twilight Zone!” 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WF2G7YH#customerReviews



Friday, December 17, 2021

REVIEW OF THE COSTUMER BY LINDA


REVIEW OF THE COSTUMER BY LINDA – “Just a short story, but wow! it really packs a lot of thriller into just a few pages [SIC]. Well written, well plotted and with a superb twist at the end. 5 out of 5 stars.“

https://www.amazon.com/Costumer-Chad-Schimke-ebook/product-reviews/B08LYRJHJC/

Sunday, November 21, 2021

MY THANKSGIVING COLLECTIBLES - FEATHERSTONE TURKEY BLOW MOLD & HALLMARK DECORATIONS CIRCA 1970


SCIENCE FICTION

 

SCIENCE FICTION - There are 2 main methods to determine Science Fiction sub genres. Ask yourself, does the action take place on our Earth or on another world? Science permits humans to advance to the point that life on an extraterrestrial world/ need to travel there, or disruptive societal change -- dramatically transforming our day to day existence.  Before the term Science Fiction had ever been used, Jules Verne wrote a series under the moniker Voyages Extraordinaires including From the Earth to the Moon (De la terre à la lune).  While that was happening, Robert Louis Stephenson dreamt up the concept for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  A short time later, HG Wells wrote and published The Time Machine, Invisible Man and War of the Worlds. The Speculative Fiction movement began, whereby Earthly limits fall away and imagination takes flight. Even if that imagination means staying at home. Superhero and Apocalyptic fiction emerged into a space created by their predecessors. Once we learned history is not fixed and things might/ might not turn out the way we hope, Social fiction appeared. With a fully developed genre, authors could go anywhere and everywhere, unrestricted by reality, ready to inhabit new nearby/ faraway worlds.

Related links:

https://www.chadschimke.com/2019/02/thriller-fiction.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2017/10/hard-boiled-fiction.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2017/11/horror-fiction.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2021/11/science-fiction.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2021/11/fantasy-fiction.html

From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne (1865)

Gun enthusiasts dream up an idea to shoot themselves to the moon with a space gun, in an attempt to survive a moon landing.



Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Robert by Louis Stevenson (1886)

A London lawyer investigates strange occurrences involving his old friend and the evil Edward Hyde.


War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (1897)

Martians invade the home of an unnamed narrator, and his younger brother, in southern England.



Superman by Action Comics (1938)

As a baby, an alien is sent to Earth from an old faraway planet before it was destroyed, where he learns to assume a new identity.



Evidence by Isaac Asimov (1946)

A political opponent levels an accusation that his rival is a robot, remotely guided by the true candidate -- who was in reality permanently disfigured by an accident.



I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (1954)

The only survivor of a pandemic lives in LA, as he struggles to beat the disease but constantly fears pandemic sufferers arisen from the dead like vampires.



The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney (1955)

When seeds invade Santa Mira, unsuspecting sleeping residents disappear and are quietly replaced with nonhuman duplicates.



Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (1957)

While investigating a ruined factory, a railroad magnate finds a strange electric motor.



Soldier from Tomorrow by Harlan Ellison (1957)

A soldier from a distant future, state conditioned from birth to fight and kill, travels through time to the present.



Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein (1959)

A young soldier serves in the Mobile Infantry, fighting in an interstellar war with Arachnids, sent through space from the planet Klendathu.



Coma by Robin Cook (1977)

As students complete their rotation, it becomes clear patients are going into comas more often than usual, at Boston Memorial.



The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985)

A totalitarian state has overthrown the United States government in a world where fertile women are forbidden to use their birth names in service to their master.



Diaspora by Greg Egan (1997)

In a post human future, a transhuman orphan takes the form of a purple robed herdsman, set off to explore the unknown.



Legion Brandon by Sanderson (2012)

A special condition allows a man to generate multiple personalities but he shies away from researchers wanting to study his abilities.

 


Monday, November 8, 2021

RAISED BY WOLVES

 
RAISED BY WOLVES - Ridley Scott, legendary director of Blade Runner and Alien, has returned to series television, offering an unsettling potential vision of our closest neighboring planet. Two androids have landed and camped out on that barren world, intending to recreate the human race. Kepler-22b is real, but Raised by Wolves (2020) was written/ created by Aaron Guzikowski, with the support of the aforementioned, as producer. Amanda Collin’s star shines bright in the role of Mother. As a shapeshifting necromancer, she’s into some extremely warped stuff, but I am here for it. Travis Fimmel stars as Marcus/ Caleb, and has even managed to bring about the future mullet. Musically, the score creates a backdrop of disconnected unease. Kepler-22b scenes are intercut with events occurring on a post-apocalyptic future Earth. The film has a specific aesthetic, evoking but not directly referencing Blade Runner or Alien. That is supported tonally by virtual and physical SFX which are some of the best ever to have been made. Big TV networks and movie studios have typically shied away from Sci-Fi/ Horror, like this one. It will be great to (hopefully) see this trend continue.  I’ll admit - I feared showrunners completely lost their way in the hodgepodge finale of Season 1. Also, too often Mother wanders aimlessly, but does not accomplish anything. But overall, I loved it - as a collective entity. Despite some of it's flaws, and my complaints.  Expect the 2nd season to be available for streaming on HBO in early 2022.










Sunday, October 10, 2021

FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980)


FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980)  - Look almost anywhere in American pop culture and you’ll find references to Jason’s hockey mask. No wonder, since it’s the most successful media franchise in history. Directed by Sean S. Cunningham, written by Victor Miller, Friday the 13th (1980) stars Adrienne King, accompanied by composer Harry Manfredini's soundtrack. But the chilling sound effect “ki ki ki, ma ma ma" sets it apart from any other movie soundtrack. It is the first installment in the Friday the 13th series, featuring 12 films to date.

Related posts: 

https://www.chadschimke.com/search/label/FRANCHISE








Sunday, October 3, 2021

00s HORROR MOVIES

 

OOs HORROR MOVIES - Which decade produced the best horror movies? A bit of backstory helps to provide a complete answer. Largely credited with being the first, originally titled Le Manoir du Diable, was a French silent film. Retitled and released, it appeared in the US in 1896 as The Haunted Castle. Jumping ahead, paranoia and puritanical repression lurked in the backdrop of every film made with a brief gap in the 20s into the 30s. The Hays Code applied to all the motion pictures from 1934 to 1968, until it was replaced by MPAA film ratings. By the 70s, filmmakers were breaking away from the rubber head B-movie monster. The 80s ushered in big budget box office smashes in a decade of unrivaled storytelling. There were still certain lines which were not crossed. This relaxed in the 90s and dropped away almost completely by the aughts. In the 00s, horror movies were made all over the world, but the success was diminished perhaps by splatterporn and gore fests. Film fans in 2021 (sometimes) fail to realize that today’s creepypastas, anthologized series on streaming platforms, social network viral videos, RPGs, and even hidden easter eggs - buried in movie backgrounds, all owe debts to the above previous eras. Filmmakers, finally unhindered, able to make what they wanted, to follow their own artistic direction, ushered in movies foreign and domestic, which pushed the genre’s envelope from 2000-2009. The aughts brought about a huge surge, and saw widespread popular appeal of the genre. This propped up the decade to follow. Do you already know which decade produced the best horror? I rummaged through the vault, and came up with this entirely subjective short list. Perhaps you agree, or maybe you don’t. Check it out, and decide for yourself. Coming soon: 60s Horror Movies. 

https://www.chadschimke.com/2015/12/80s-horror-movies.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2021/10/oos-horror-movies.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2019/03/70s-horror-movies.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2018/08/90s-horror.html



Jisatsu Sākuru 2001


Cabin Fever 2002


28 Days Later 2002


Ju-On 2002


High Tension 2003


Dawn of the Dead 2004



Saw 2004


Hostel 2005


Wolf Creek 2005



The Hills Have Eyes 2006


Rest Stop 2006


Paranormal Activity 2007


28 Weeks Later 2007


Frontier(s) 2007


Quarantine 2008


Martyrs 2008


The Strangers 2008


Drag Me to Hell 2009


Last House on the Left 2009