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Showing posts with label ghosts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ghosts. Show all posts

Monday, November 17, 2025

Shudder Day: Nomads (1986)

 Since I'm on a James Bond roll here, why not a Horror Film starring a different Bond Actor?

Works for me!

As a bonus, this is the Film that John McTiernan did that got him hired for Predator, so it is doubly relevant.

A Doctor- Leslie Ann-Dowd- is called in to help a patient who is brought in.

He's acting erratic and ranting in French.
He's...Pierce Brosnan?!?
He has some sort of attack and lunges at the Doctor...before dying.

She (and everyone else) is very confused by this.
She's told that the man's tox screen was clear- no drugs in his system.

The Doc soon thinks that she is on drugs, however, as she starts to see the man's memories in first person!
In the week leading up to this moment, he had moved to Los Angeles with his Wife.

He'd been traveling around the World studying cultures- especially nomadic ones.

When his Garage is vandalized, he follows the culprits- a ground of nomadic punk rockers in a van.
He becomes obsessed with them, trying to figure out if they're dangerous or just weirdos.

He's soon targeted by them, chased around until he goes inside an abandoned building.... only it is not abandoned.

A lone Nun lives inside and she's blind.
Blind Nun/Priest- Take a Shot!
The Nomads eventually meet up with our Heroine after she meets up with Brosnan's Wife.  They're still confused, but eventually sort out the truth.

The 'punk rockers' are nomadic spirits and they don't want attention.

They wreck the House's interior and the duo leave.
Our Lead warns the Wife not to look back, but she sees...that Brosnan is now one of them!

They go their separate ways.
The End.
Sometimes the spirits you see aren't what you expect them to be.

For better or worse, Nomads does things in a very different way.

The Plot plays out in flashbacks, but done in a more dynamic way.
Dowd really sells the effect this has on her.

Likewise, Brosnan really sells the paranoia here as he looks into the void...and it looks back.
You'll either love or hate his French accent.  I didn't think it was merdes.

Having the Nomads appears as Punk Rockers as opposed to Spirits is an interesting choice.  As a one-off thing, I'm fine with it.

This is much more of 'What is Going On' Horror Film than one full of real scares.  Well, unless you're scared of Ants...

A Film that seems to either hook people or lose them in the 2nd half.  Personally, I like having actual 'villains' and not just ghosts.

Thursday, October 30, 2025

Tubi Thursday: Lady in White (1988)

 A small-town mystery by way of The Wonder Years.

This is a Film I've been putting off until it was seasonal, so let's float on in...

Frankie is a small-town boy in a small town.

He is happily celebrating the last day at School before Halloween when...
Bleh.
He's locked in the Coat Room by 2 bullies.

While there, a masked man wanders in the room looking for someone.

When spotted, he puts his mask on, but is nearly choked to death.
As he slips in and out of life, he sees a little girl ghost and other strange visions.

What is going on?
Well, he was nearly the next victim in a devastating trend of children killed mysteriously.

This is 1961, so you know who they blame for the killing.

No, it's not the white guy and some mockingbirds were harmed in the making of this metaphor.
Is this related to the mysterious Lady in White? 
Given the Title, I would hope so!

Frank finds some evidence in the Cloak Room and now he needs to save the day.

Here's hoping that Not Karen Allen here isn't out to get him.

To find out what happens, stream it now.
If you mixed a Ghost Story with A Christmas Story, this is basically it.

There must have been lots of people really yearning to tell tales of their youth in the 80s, what with this, A Christmas Story and The Wonder Years (to name a few).

This one is all about making things feel real, authentic and lived in.  You get to know Frank's family and their quirks.  It's not about them, but you can easily define them in a description.

The Film lives and dies by its Special Effects.
The early stuff with the Ghosts looks really good, especially when the invisible man (as Frank doesn't know who it is) carries her.

Sadly, the final Special Effects tend to really lean on the digitally added backgrounds and the seams are pretty obvious.  
They aren't terrible, but they are very noticeable.

If you're willing to just get into the Story and Characters, the Film will really hook you.
It's not the best Halloween Film though- don't let me get carried away...

A solid, if underappreciated Ghost Story from the '80s.  Just know that the big moments are spaced out and the Film is lengthy.

Monday, October 27, 2025

'90s Class: The Frighteners (1996)

 There's nothing like the feeling of unwrapping a DVD and getting a gem.

Today's Film is The Frighteners, Peter Jackson's first big Studio Film for America.  It's a shame that he never made anymore, right?!?

Jokes aside, the Film is historically significant as his pals over at the WETA Workshop needed to up their game for this Film and its many, MANY VFX shots.  They bought more computers and went to work- never once looking back.

The Plot itself involves a man who can see ghosts and then discovers a true danger.  Too bad he's been a conman so long that nobody believes him!

Can he rise to the occasion or will he fail yet again to save a life?

To find out, read on...

We meet a young Social Worker who checks on a lady at her Mom's House.

The Mom is super paranoid and won't let her leave the House.
At home, she finds out that the woman is connected to a Spree Killing from the 1960s.

She was released to her Mother's care, while the boyfriend was executed.
This sure won't be important, so why am I bringing it up?
Michael J. Fox plays Frank Bannister.

He will show up and get rid of the poltergeists...for a price.
As it turns out, however, he can see ghosts- like John Astin here- and uses them to scare people into paying him for his services.

He also has a dark backstory involving a dead wife, because, of course he does.
He's also been at this for quite a while, which has angered certain ghosts.

R. Lee Ermey plays...well, himself as a ghost here.

He's more than just a fun Cameo, however, as he will be key to the Plot in Act 3.
A series of strange deaths have been occurring in the last several months.

Since Frank's Wife died mysteriously, he's a suspect.

As it turns out, the real culprit is more, well, of a Ring Wraith.
It's actually Death, but jokes.
Of course, it is not that simple.

Frank learns that this is actually connected to that Spree Killing I mentioned at the beginning.  How weird!

He can see the killer spirit, but can't interact with it...unless he temporarily makes himself a ghost first.
Everything builds up to a big showdown at the sight of said killing all of those years ago.

The 'poor' woman was actually his accomplice and the killer is now the aforementioned spirit that is trying to break the record of most killings by one man/duo.

Of course, Pedro Alonso Lopez (who is possibly back at large!!!) set it officially at 110, so he'd need like 3 more Films.

In any event, Frank obviously saves the day.
The End.
A really fun Film that showed where a Director was going to go.

It is fascinating to see Peter Jackson go from a guy who made fake Documentaries and low-budget Zombie Films to a guy who made the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (and definitely none after that!).

This is the key, middle step to it all.

The Film is quite fun, giving you interesting visuals, enjoyable Characters and a quirky Plot.
Some say that it is a bit overlong, and I can't really argue with that.

That said, it is also hard to complain when you get more of, well, this.

Most of the CGI has aged very well here.  A few bits have that lack of texture/sheen that comes with adding a CGI Character/object into a shot.
Nobody is perfect.

Ultimately, The Frighteners is a great Film to enjoy if you're a fan of Jackson, ghosts or both.
Just don't accidentally get the TV Show of the same name by mistake...

Next up, I'll try to squeeze in one more regular Review before the Halloween one.  If so, get ready to howl!  Stay tuned...

Saturday, October 25, 2025

Holiday Reading: The Teen Titans Battle a Slave-Hunting Ghost (in 1971)!!!!

 Fate brought my attention to this Comic.
$7.99 brought this Comic into my life.

I might as well share this bizarre oddity with you!

In the 1970s, the Teen Titans weren't selling that well on the newsstands.  The Writer- Bob Haney- was writing weird and wacky NON-SUPERHERO Tales with the Characters in an attempt to be hip.

As such, they fought foes like an evil Sorcerer, Aztec Warriors and demons!
As teased, they must battle an evil, racist ghost from the Civil War!

At this time, the team is working for a Mr. Jupiter.
He once had them fight crime without their gear, but that is a thing of the past.

He takes them to his old Home to see his Aunt before she dies and...
So, look, Bob Haney (seen here) was a 46 year old White Guy when he wrote this.  
As someone who is closer to that than he wants to admit, he probably shouldn't write Stories like this if he's going to write Mal like this.

Anyhow, Mal is out that night and is chased by something.

It leaves no evidence, so he makes a big stink about nobody trusting him.
As it turns out, he's being targeted by the Ghost of a local Slave Catcher, since he bears a more than passing similarity to his last victim.

That one escaped when he drowned in the icy river.

Robin and Mr. Jupiter realize this and seek out a magic doll to save him...
It was this or call Batman, so...
Wonder Girl tried to pull Mal to safety once, so she's out.
Speedy shot three arrows...that didn't work, so he's out.

Thankfully the now-giant Doll is up to the task.
It breaks the ice and drags the Ghost Dogs with it.
It also breaks the ice up so much that the Ghost falls into the icy waters again.

You see, the Ghost can only be stopped if THE EXACT SAME THING happens again.
How convenient.

They leave the Doll on the Aunt's grave.
The End.
This was....pretty much what I expected and was hoping for.

This whole thing is just odd.  You have the Teen Titans, so let's have them...fight a Ghost?  The 70s were a weird time, but there had to be some limits.

To be fair, Batman started to deal with this stuff too...also in Bob Haney Books, mind you.

The dated stuff about this is REALLY dated.  Even so, I like to think that this was done sincerely.
This was truly a 'How do you do, fellow kids' situation...just with extra cringe because Race was involved.

The whole Story is just so strange and so bizarre.  It also makes such a poor use of most involved, hinging 100% on a single-issue Ex Machina.
I guess our Heroes helped by calling it to do all of the work though.

Teen Titans Delegate!

Look, I'm trying to find weird and obscure stuff- not all of it will be a Classic...unlike these sweet Records you can get for less than $3

Comics are usually a fun bit of escapism.  In this case, escape to a time where things were...quite different!

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Ghost Tales: White Noise (2005)

 A Film that is apparently to blame for at least one random Horror Film coming out every January.

This is White Noise, a 2005 Film that surprised the Film Industry.
Is it because of the quality?  Well...no, not really.

The Film was a surprise hit- grossing its Budget multiple times over- in a dead zone (not that one) for Film releases.  January was for castoff Films and the required release of Oscar bait Films to be eligible.

Is there more to this one other than the reason that Films like The Boy, Cloverfield and The Bye-Bye Man came out in January?

The Plot involves a man who handles grief by looking into the mystery of ghosts.  Are they hiding in the static we see on a daily basis?  Can they communicate with us?

This was the big American Film for a British Director- who has mostly done Period Pieces and Procedurals since- and it hit big.

To find out if it is good, read on...

An Architect- Michael Keaton- gets some great news from his Wife- she's pregnant!

He has a kid with his ex-Wife, but now she will too.
That day, he sees her off to work and then waits for her at home that night.

...and waits...and waits...
She's gone long enough to be reported missing and Keaton understandably panics.

While in that state, he sees a guy parked near his House and then sees him the next day outside of his work.

The man tells him that his Wife has passed, but is trying to communicate with him from the other side.
He doesn't believe him, of course, and keeps looking.

Finally, the bad news comes in- she's dead, her body found floating in a river by a Factory.
In the ensuing Months, he shifts his focus from work to the study of White Noise, which is the idea that ghosts and spirits can be seen/recorded in static.

He works with the man from earlier- until his mysterious and sudden death- and another woman who studies this.
He sees a vision of a woman in the White Noise and goes to help her.

She's in a car wreck with a power line about to fall.
He manages to save the baby- at her request- but can't save her.

At the Funeral, he wants to work with the Husband, who very directly denies him.
'My wife believed in this,' he says (paraphrased), 'But I don't!'
Confusion arises as he learns that other recent deaths match names in the massive data log of White Noise recordings...and they also studied it.

The lady working with him is understandably confused when she sees a message from herself!
She's compelled to jump from a third floor balcony, but survives.

It soon becomes clear the Keaton keeps seeing a trio of shadowy figures, especially as he gets deeper.

He sees a message from his Wife too- she tells him to go!
He gets a vision in the White Noise of the same building where his Wife was found dead by.

As it turns out, a worker at the site (who he met earlier) was killing people- including his Wife- at the beckoning of the shadowy figures.

Keaton dies when he tries to stop them, but the SWAT Team saves the last would-be victim.

Days later, he can be heard in Radio Static by his Son.
The End.
A Film that tries to be two things and I'm not sure if it quite works.

The first half of the Film is a straight Drama with people talking about White Noise.  You can see it being about grief and how it is processed.

At a certain point, all of the stuff turns out to be true...so it isn't a metaphor.
It gets pretty by-the-numbers at this point and the Plot hinges upon a guy we met exactly once in a random Scene.

The idea of 'Guy studies thing to feel better, but then it gets dangerous' isn't a bad one.  It has worked many times.

I think the problem is that this works *too well* as one idea (with its bleak look and pace) that when it becomes a Horror Film it is almost disappointing.

So, when it changes from one to the other, you can't really enjoy/appreciate the first part anymore.  The new stuff isn't that great either, so...nobody wins here.

If you're asking me to recommend this one then, I'm...not exactly going to...

Next time, I want to make up for a past sin.  Back in the day, I only reviewed one part of a Horror Anthology...so let me do the rest now.  Stay tuned...

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Tubi Tuesday: The Legend of Black Annie (2015)

This Film was watched on Thursday.  I just was too damn tired to also Review it.
That said, this one has been in my Queue since I started this Segment!

Here's a treat for you- two Tubi Reviews in one week.

Here is...

A guy goes out hunting.
He sees weird smoke.

Strange things happen.
It all ends badly for him.
It turns out he's the Mayor of a small Town.

This death relates to a young girl named- shock of shocks- Annie (aka Black Annie) who was chased by some kids.

After putting this new footage behind a terrible, strobing filter, she ends up falling to her death.
In the present, those related to it are killed.

Will our Professor here be the one to solve the case before everyone in town dies mysteriously?
Well, the Film is pretty much just a series of these Scenes, with flashbacks and filler.

You know this this a flashback because they added a Filter to it.
Sigh.
Will Black Annie get her revenge on, well, just about everyone over the age of 40 in this Town?

Will the sleaziness of the Film make up for all of its faults?

To find out, stream it now.
I clearly didn't miss out on much after all of this time skipping this one on Tubi.

Simply put, the Film isn't good.

It really is just Death, Setup to new Death (with three people reading about it in the Papers), a little Plot and then that Death.

Maybe if the Death Scenes are good or interesting, I might still like it, you say nervously.

They aren't.
The Film looks and feels very cheap, from the Sets to the lazy Plot to the Filters.
None of it is that good.
None of the Characters are good.

I don't like to be the angry Reviewer or anything, but...I mean, this one is a bit of dumpster fire...or a completely realistic-looking Church Fire...

A Film that doesn't aspire to be much and, well, it succeeds.  None of it is just that interesting or original- sorry.