Halloween after-party + plans for November

…I hope to get around to a semi-regular posting schedule in the near future, OK. I just need to figure out a balance that works for me, probably landing somewhere between posting shorter, simpler pieces at shorter intervals and/or posting less often but writing more in-depth stuff. I might make it my New Year’s resolution. Anyway, I’m sad I missed out on the opportunity to do something Halloween-themed for the entirety of October, but due to various reasons I could not find the time or the inspiration. Thankfully, it is ALWAYS a good time to talk about monsters, witches and other spooky things! It’s odd that I feel so fond of Halloween, because I never really celebrated it (it has only truly been growing in popularity for the last few years where I live). However, I just like the general themes and aesthetics that suddenly show up everywhere during October. I also like how varied the possibility of anything Halloween-related is:you have your cute-spooky stuff, but you can also go more classical with gloomy atmospheres, monsters,witches, gothic tales and scary stories – and of course there is the more hardcore (hard-gore? SORRY) bloody horror. So many options! So maybe I will do something more (or, just… something) next year. For now, let’s just have a small Halloween after-party in post-form, with some recommendations for those who are still (or always) in a mood for something magical and/or monstrous. So, here are three recommendations for anyone looking to be creeped out. And they can all be found for free online!

SOMETHING TO PLAY: The Witch’s House

The Witch’s House is a simple but engaging short horror game. Apparently, there is now a remastered version available on Steam, but you can still download the original for free (legally!) here. The game starts with a girl in the woods. To clear the path home, the girl, Viola, has to go to a mysterious house that has been left conveniently (or suspiciously?) unlocked. It will be no surprise that this is the titular Witch’s House. Luckily, there are plenty of surprises left. As you guide the protagonist through the strange and unusually murderous house, you solve some puzzles, try to avoid certain death, and have the opportunity to learn some backstory through various books (especially the excerpts from the witch’s diary). The game is a lot of strange, creepy fun, with a dark sense of humor. The story may be simple, but makes great use of the possibility of a game to have multiple (In this case just two) endings. I recommend playing through the easier ending first, and than replaying the final bit and watch the ‘true’ ending unfold. It can get pretty dark near the end though, just a heads up! The game also relies heavily on jump scares and gore (well, as gory as you can get with pixels), so if you really dislike that, maybe skip this one. Further content warnings can be found on the same page as the download link. In case you get stuck or cannot figure out how to get to the ‘real’ ending, here’s a walkthrough.

SOMETHING TO WATCH: AM1200

This is a 40-minute horror movie that I watched a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised by.  It is a Lovecraftian horror involving a very ominous radio station. Yup. You can watch it here.  If you want to know a bit more, here’s what I said in my Letterboxd review: 

Very tense, well directed horror short. I have not read any Lovecraft, but I have read some Lovecraftian stuff and this is, as has been mentioned by many others, very much that. My main complaint is that I am not sure the flashback scenes in the first act were needed. Perhaps they flesh out the movies themes and the main character’s backstory somewhat, but the opening did enough to establish the protagonist’s situation, and the flashbacks really break up the story and make the first act drag a bit. The main story develops wonderfully, though. The atmosphere grows from slightly uneasy to thick with dread, and I personally really enjoyed the ending. Sure, there are some horror clichés here – a creepy location! An even creepier location in said creepy location! A rambling victim of… Something, spouting ominous nonsense at our protagonist! – BUT it utilizes them really, really well. Especially the locations, which are brought to sinister life by the excellent cinematography. As to be expected with a horror film about a radio station, there is some great use of sound, too. Some of the effects are a bit shoddy, but that is to be expected for a low budget film. I can see why some people do not like the reveal at the end, partially because of this. Personally, I liked it a lot and can forgive the crap CGI. But that might be because the twist suits my tastes in this type of horror very well.

SOMETHING TO READ: Junji Ito’s short stories (manga) 

Look, this isn’t from a short story, this is from Ito’s incredibly entertaining collection of anecdotes about his cats. However, with the stories, my options were ‘Panel were nothing happens’ or ‘panel were NIGHTMARE FUEL THAT YOU CANNOT UNSEE happens’. So I chose this because 1) I like cats, 2) Junji Ito’s Cat Diary is A DELIGHT and I love having an excuse to mention it, and 3), Ito’s… charming self-portrait…. here, might give you an indication of how he usually utilizes his art style for horror. Yes I realize this is a ridiculously long caption. Image taken from this review.

Perhaps not the most original choice – if you have ever looked up anything about manga and horror, you have probably come across Junji Ito. I am not well-versed enough in manga to have any opinions on whether or not he is The Best. But he sure is memorable. He has a knack for turning everyday things into the stuff of nightmares, very… creative body horror, and taking initially silly concepts so far that they become eerie or frightening despite their absurdity. There are some really cool collections available, BUT if you want to try a few before spending any money, enough can be found on YouTube (where you can find various readings etc. – if  the video has a narrator and that doesn’t work for you, just turn the sound of and…. read the video?) and elsewhere on the internet. The Enigma of Amigara Fault is probably the most famous one, so I will make up for that choice by recommending some others as well. Remember: read from left to right! And also, read at your own risk. I am not accountable for anything that might result from reading the nightmare fuel, mindfuckery or pure what-the-fuckery contained in these pages. I also recommend checking out some of the many analysis videos ABOUT Ito’s work.

• The Window Next Door
  
• Thing that Drifted Ashore
  
• Human Chair 

And with that, the belated Halloween-part of this post is officially over! Have this adorable ghost to make up for the horrors I recommended above.

Giphy

I am planning to post a few reviews throughout November, since the local film festival starts this evening and I would love to keep up my habit of posting reviews of everything I see at festivals. I am very excited, since I will be able to watch THREE of my anticipated films (from this post), before the weekend is over. Starting this evening with Eighth Grade. Tomorrow, I’m seeing Cold War, Sorry To Bother You, Shoplifters, and Suspiria. AND THAT’S JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE FESTIVAL. I AM READY.

So, did you read/watch/do anything special for Halloween this October? Any recommendations? I am aware Halloween-month is officially over but I officially don’t care much. As I said, it is ALWAYS a good time for monsters.

Things to look forward to: top 5 sequels I want to read

Release dates can be pretty frustrating. You think a book is coming out next month, suddenly, it turns out to be next year. You think a movie is coming out soon, turns out THAT’S THE US RELEASE DATE, and the release date for your country is somewhere between ”wait half a year” and ”never, probably”. As I found myself a bit frustrated by this, I thought about a way to turn these everyday annoyances into something a bit more positive, collecting a few titles I am looking forward to, whether they are supposed to come out relatively soon, or not until next year (or have a completely unclear release date). I’m starting with books and comics, but there will be another post shortly after this one that focuses on movies (and, to a lesser extent, TV shows). So,  allow me to present to you, my:

Top 5 Upcoming Releases That I Want to Read, That Are Sequels To Stuff I Have Already Read, So To Be Honest This List Is Just An Excuse To Recommend Several Series That I Want to Rave About

5. Monstress volume 3, by Marjorie Liu (writer) and Sana Takeda (artist)

Release date: 11 September

I’ve been enamored with this dark fantasy comic before it even came out. Usually, getting your hopes up based on an intriguing premise and some stunning artwork is setting yourself up for disappointment, but that was not the case here. This is one of the few comics where I find myself tempted to buy separate issues just so I can keep up with the story – but I prefer reading an entire arc in one go, so I try to be patient. But it is difficult, because this series contains pretty much everything I could want from a good fantasy comic. Intriguing, imaginative world-building! A complex, morally gray heroine! An adorable fox child! Talking, cursing cats! Lots of female characters! A demon that lives inside the heroines skin, and the dynamic between the two that develops in a way that is both incredibly entertaining and kind of scary! OK that last one might be a bit specific. But it’s so good. And there must have been about a dozen things I forgot or glossed over here.

Oh, and the art work, I LOVE THE ART WORK. Look at the art work (taken from the Image comics site):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. The Iron Season by Helene Wecker

Release date: ????? (I found some info saying October this year, but also another site saying September next year? I have no idea).

As I’ve mentioned on this blog already, I recently moved into a new apartment. One of the things that made mind-numbing but necessary tasks more fun was being able to continue the book I was reading by listening to the audio. I took that as an opportunity to get through one of the bigger books on my TBR, Helene Wecker’s historical fantasy The Golem and the Djinni. Now, that book stands on its own perfectly, so while I did not NEED (and definitely did not expect) a sequel, the promise of one still delights me. Just the thought of spending more time with the two main characters, but especially with Wecker’s beautiful, atmospheric writing… transported to a new setting and time period, with new characters (human and otherwise)? SIGN ME UP. The reason there are so many years between this book and its predecessor (which came out in 2013) is that Wecker does a great amount of research, both with regards to the history and the mythology she uses to bring her world and characters to life. And it shows: both the mundane and magical elements in The Golem and the Djinni felt real and vibrant. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in historical fiction with a magical twist. I listened mostly to the audio book because I was busy, but I am definitely NOT getting rid of my own copy. Having said that, the audio book narrator is incredible and fits the story perfectly, so you can’t go wrong with that version, either.

3. Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence

Release date: 4 April 2019

The first two books in Lawrence’s Books of the Ancestor trilogy, Red Sister and Grey Sister, are both among my favorite reads of the year – so obviously I am incredibly excited for the final book. Lawrence does such a good job of creating a dark yet compelling world, filled with morally ambiguous characters. The books follow Nona, a young orphan girl who is taken in by an abbess after she barely escapes being hanged for murder (or attempted murder. Well, perhaps actual murder. The guy got better. It’s one of those messed up magic things). Nona has to learn about her dark, magical powers, come to terms with her past and her possible destiny, and train with the other novices at the convent, where they learn to master the arts of magic, stealth and combat. Yes, this is a dark, action-packed and intrigue-filled trilogy about magical assassin nuns. It is also about politics and scheming and backstabbing (and literal stabbing), and the possibly approaching end of the world? And there are demons involved. While the overall story is pretty damn dark (Lawrence is not afraid to put his characters through hell), it isn’t just a ”grimdark for the sake of it” book, as there is plenty of attention paid to other, more positive elements, like the sense of loyalty the girls feel for the abbess and each other, and the developing friendships among the novices.  I was also impressed with how the second book built on the first. The elements the second book expands on are already in the first, but mostly in a more subtle way – so looking back, you can see how the first book laid the groundwork for the second, BUT reading the first on its own, it is not immediately obvious how everything will play out. The sequel makes sense in relation to the first book, but it is still surprising and unpredictable at the same time. I really hope Lawrence also pulls this off with the final installment, and I already enjoy speculating which elements of the world-building and which aspects of the characters will come into play in that book. 

Last but not least, the characters are so much fun! My favorites are Nona herself (who is a surprisingly angry girl character, which you don’t see often enough) and especially abbess Glass (I love how she is both a caring mother figure AND cunning, even ruthless if she needs to be – willing to put both herself and those around her at risk, but always at least three steps ahead of everyone around her).

2. My Favorite Thing is Monsters volume 2 by Emil Ferris

Release date: ????? again (it was supposed to come out August this year, I think? But it didn’t, and now all I can find is September 2019, which seems like a HUGE DIFFERENCE. So I hope it’s before that, but it might not be).

I already wrote quite a few words about how much I loved the first book of this graphic novel duology, so perhaps I risk repeating myself here. However, since this was one of my case studies for my BA thesis, I’ve had more than enough time to think about all the things I adore about it. For example, I love how Ferris uses both pulpy horror comics/movies and ‘high brow’ museum art pieces as a source of inspiration and as a clear influence in her own – and therefore, Karen’s – work. The way Karen relates to all these things ensure that all these influences get their own meaning through her eyes and make sure that the story never feels derivative. Apart from placing us inside Karen’s world in a unique and engaging way, it also makes for an interesting reflection on how people relate to art and fiction, and how it can help them think about their own life and the world around them – and how we can have such personal connections with all types of art and stories, whether they be classical museum pieces or monster movies.

You see, of course I am curious to find out what the answers are to the questions and mysteries from the first volume. Even more than that, I want to know what happens to Karen herself and how she grows as a person. But most of all, I am excited to see in what new ways Ferris and her wonderful protagonist can show readers a fresh and changing vision of the beautifully monstrous world around us.

1. Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao

Release date: 6 November 2018

One of my definite top 10 books of the year so far is Dao’s Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, so this, together with book 2 of My Favorite Thing, is the sequel I would pick if I could read one of them right now. I am both super excited to see how the duology (I think?) ends, and a bit nervous – can it hold up to its predecessor?

With The Rise of The Empress books, Dao puts her own spin on the genre of the fairy tale retelling, specifically the story of Snow White, set in an East-Asian inspired fantasy world. However, it is only the second book that truly features a Snow White character as a protagonist. The first book instead follows the young woman who will grow to be the wicked stepmother/queen. As is to be expected from such a set up, the main character is an incredibly flawed anti hero (growing more and more into a villain protagonist with each chapter). The story does not excuse her actions, but it does explain how she became this person and how her ambitions and convictions keep pushing her down a darker path. This makes her simultaneously one of the least likeable AND one of the most compelling and complex characters I have seen in YA fantasy in a long time. Apart from that, the novel also does interesting things with its central themes of power, beauty, agency and destiny. Suffice to say I have high hopes for the sequel. At the same time, I think Dao has set quite a challenge for herself (and her audience) by making the protagonist of book 1 the antagonist of book 2 (or at least, that’s what it looks like). Mostly I find myself wondering if Xifeng will be able to have the same depth as an antagonist (and/or co-protagonist, instead of being the sole lead character). It will also be interesting to see how the sequel fares with a different, (presumably) more classically heroic protagonist – will it still capture the same disturbing, twisted beauty that makes the original such a standout?

THEN AGAIN, based on Forest, Dao knows damn well what she’s doing. And if it turns out well, it could be absolutely amazing: a complicated villain to whom the readers still have some loyalty (even if we don’t condone her actions), against a new main character who we might grow to sympathize with equally, if not more so? If the sequel is as strong as the first book, this could be a very complicated and fascinating dynamic that deconstructs various well-worn fantasy/fairy tale tropes. And hey, it is currently set to come out only a few days after I turn 26, SO I KNOW WHAT BIRTHDAY GIFT I’M GETTING FOR MYSELF.

If you don’t just want to take my word for how great this book is, here is a more elaborate review.

Are you reading any of these series? Are you planning to? What is a sequel you can’t wait to finally read?

Some MARVEL-ous (sorry) Questions

So, I asked Lindsay (her art, her shiny new fandom blog) with what kind of post I could thank her for making the art work for this blog, and she suggested a Marvel/MCU-themed post. Rather than dive into one movie, show or comic, I decided to come up with a bunch of questions. I felt it was a bit presumptuous to present this as an actual tag (being a relatively new blogger with a tiny handful of readers) – but feel free to treat it as such if you want. If you don’t feel like answering all of them in a post you could of course just discuss your favorites in the comments. It’s going to be a relatively short post because I’m a bit busy at the moment.

1. Favorite Marvel comic

I’m going to spoil the answers to my own other comic-related questions, but, off the top of my head: anything centered around Kamala Khan as Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye by Matt Fraction and David Aja, the Gillen-McKelvie run from Young Avengers.

2. Favorite MCU movie

I want to say Black Panther but that might be because I have seen it most recently. I do think it will probably hold up really well, though. I also really enjoyed Winter Soldier and still have a soft spot for the first Avengers movie, having watched it multiple times with my closest friends. I also think Iron Man 3 is an underrated delight.

3. Favorite of the MCU netflix shows

Definitely the first season of Jessica Jones, but I must admit I am woefully behind on all things netflix Marvel, since I have not yet watched season 2 of JJ or even the first seasons of Iron Fist, The Defenders and The Punisher. I really liked the first (or one-and-a-half) season of Daredevil as well and thought the first half of Luke Cage was great fun (until the whole villain switcheroo thing happened, but let’s not go off an a tangent here). Jessica Jones, however, is the only one I would count among my favorite current television shows, regardless of genre or relations to any cinematic universes.

4. Favorite non-MCU marvel adaptation (like The X-Men films, Deadpool, an animated show or movie, etc.)? And do you prefer Agent Carter or Agents of Shield?

My current favorite superhero movie is Logan. I could spend a whole paragraph rambling about why but guess what? I already did that. I stopped watching AoS multiple times only to try it again after hearing about how it had improved, but still found it very lackluster, so I gave up on it again. I did watch and enjoy all of Agent Carter, even though I had some problems with it – it wasn’t one of my favorite shows, but it definitely was a lot of fun.

5. A Movie you are looking forward to?

Even I, someone with a fondness for most genres and subgenres including all superhero related stuff, am finding myself wishing that Hollywood would move on to the next trend, already. Having said that, I AM excited that one of Marvel’s female heroes is finally getting a movie, so I am really looking forward to Captain Marvel.

6. Which marvel comic book series do you really want to start/continue?

I have the first volumes of both Hawkeye (focused on the one and only Kate Bishop rather than Clint Barton) by Kelly Thompson and the much-praised Vision series by Tom King on comixology and should really read them sometime soon. Preferably yesterday. After seeing Black Panther I also really want to continue reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’ run of the comics (I have only read the first volume), but I’m waiting until I can buy a nice collected edition.

7. A character whose comic version you prefer to the movies?

Hawkeye. OK, That is cheating, since current marvel gives us TWO awesome, interesting Hawkeyes: Clint Barton AND Kate Bishop. Even if I just was talking about Clint, though, I would pick the comic book version (having read the comics by Fraction as well as Jeff Lemire’s run). Movie-Clint is a fun, snarky counterpart to the more outlandish superheroes in the team BUT in terms of actual characterization, I love ‘Human Disaster That Just Happens To Shoot Arrows Really Well’ Clint Barton so much more.

(images via goodreads)

8. A character whose movie version you prefer to the comics?

I don’t feel like I have read enough comics to really answer this question (…that I made up. I know), but I never felt that inclined to pick up any comics about Steve Rogers since a lot of his comic book incarnations seem to fall into more standard, macho-y hero-types that I am not particularly interested in, thank you very much. I like MCU Captain America, though.

9. A character you wish got his/her own movie already

Look, I liked Spider-Man: Homecoming, but that we have seen Peter Parker surviving his high school years THREE TIMES now, yet there is no cute coming-of-age action adventure centered around Kamala Khan is a missed opportunity and, frankly, Marvel should feel bad about it.

10. Which story from the comics would make a great TV show or movie?

Not sure how they could make it work inside the MCU since they have different versions of Loki and Hawkeye, but oh well, such small details won’t stop my imagination: the Young Avengers run by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie would make for a wonderful teen drama/superhero show. They could use the storyline from the comics as the overarching story arc but coupled with some monster/villain-of-the-week type stuff added in. The team isn’t just filled with fun, engaging characters, it is also very diverse, making it a welcome addition to the current MCU teams. They could also use the serial aspect to focus on character arcs and coming-of-age issues. It would be like a contemporary Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is what I’m saying – but with less vampires, more diversity and more traveling between worlds/dimensions. This is a great idea and Netflix should contact me immediately.

And that’s it for today! Hopefully I will be back soon(ish) with something a bit more in-depth.