So I know, it's been a while since I last blogged. I guess I just wasn't in the mood...that and I kept having bad dreams for a while! Well I decided to go watch Insidious and after seeing it, I knew I had to blog about it.

It's been a while that I've seen a movie that is truly suspenceful and scary. I actually sort of (well, ok, maybe I did...) screamed at one part due to the intense suspense breaking.

I absolutely love the opening scene and music because it takes me back to the older horror movies of the 60s and 70s. Remember Psycho (1960)? Recall the music and how it would become when a scary scene came on? Well, Insidious uses that same effect. The shrilly sound of the violins coupled with the banging of random lower-octave keys on the piano brought back what I felt contributed greatly to the adrenaline rush one gets from watching a horror movie. There was also the

What I also loved about this movie was that it continually became creepier thoughout the entire movie. Now, some may say that only the first 3/4 were really scary, compared to the last quarter. Whether this is true or not is up to the viewer. However, what I prefer to keep in mind is that this film aims to not only scare, but also tell an interesting story. An interesting story incorporates much more than a few cheap thrills - it may have action and drama thrown into the mix as well. Insidious manages to provide an excellent mix of fear, action, and even comedy.

I recommend this film to horror buffs looking for a truly scary movie. If you can't handle too much excitement and horrow in your life, then stay far away from this film. On a scare-meter of 1-10, 10 being scariest, I would rate this film a 9/10. It is just that good of a horror film. Check out the trailer if you haven't done so already!

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The Walking Dead - Episode 6 (Season Finale)

Final showdown, Zombies v.s. Living. Who will survive?

Not the CDC in this zombie-ridden state, that's for sure. So this review is coming in pretty late. Every time I sat down to write it, I get getting side-tracked, it's been a pretty busy week! I actually got to know a classmate (Dryden, was it?) who's a horror fan and watches this show. He shared with me his thoughts on it, and I couldn't agree more.

First off, Episode 6 was the season finale. WHAT? A 6-episode season? Normally it's twice the amount, and honestly, I felt like the season was just getting started. First, I'll talk about Episode 6.


A quick summary...
Flashback to the hospital where Rick was comatose. Shane shoots at zombies, while hiding from military shooters probably ordered to kill anything that moves. He tries to wake Rick up and save him, but when the power goes out, he no longer hears Rick's heartbeat. Thinking he's dead, he shoves a gurney in front of the door so that the zombies don't get to him (Well...whatever's most effective, I suppose!). Flashback to the present...Rick's group enters the CDC and are greeted by Jenner, the only scientist who didn't run off or shoot his brains out when the virus hit. Like in the sneak peek, he shows everyone a brain...it's his wife who was the head of the team at the CDC. There is no cure, as far as he knows. After a drunken night, hot showers, and Shane's attempted rape on Lori, Jenner let's everyone know that they're stuck there and will die once the CDC runs out of power. The supercomputer that "governs" the CDC is set to detonate the entire building, since it has extremely top secret information. Jenner and a woman decide to stay and die, while everyone else escapes to their vehicles by blowing a bullet-proof window up with a grenade.

Ok, analysis!
Shane: The intro gave us a glimpse of what things were like when the virus hit, something we never got to experience throughout the show. Shane had so much guilt pent up inside when Lori shunned him, and in a drunken rage, went from hero to zero when he attempted to rape Lori. Worst part is, I think he was still mad at her the next morning for scratching him! I admit though, he has no one he can confide in...and his best friend is pretty darn clueless. Speaking of Rick...


Rick: After hanging out with Jenner for a while and opening up about his fear that everyone will die, he snuggles up with his wife. She's upset over Shane, and Rick thinks she's sad about the world. Completely clueless!

Jenner: He forced everyone to take a blood test to make sure they were all clean. What was the point in doing that when he knew they'd all die within two days?


Speaking of which, he didn't have the right to choose for everyone the path of instant death. Serial killer profiling would probably say he's like an angel of death. "Tick tick tick, that's the sound of your life running out!" Dexter fans will know what I'm talking about! At least Jenner came to his senses before the boom and gave everyone a chance to escape. I wonder what he whispered to Rick just before he left, though! Possibly a way to get to the French? Unlikely. Maybe something to do with the blood tests?

So overall, a good season, albeit a quick one. At least we have some direction for the show now, seeing as how everyone is on the run. The Walking Dead is probably the first zombie show (maybe we can even include movies into the mix) that focused on the drama and psychological impact on people. The one thing this show lacked was more character development of the dead characters. I didn't exactly feel emotionally attached to any of the characters that died. For a show that focuses on drama, I think this is important. On another note, from what I've read, this show has skewed from the comic book it was based off of since episode 5, with the visit to the CDC, so it'll be interesting where the show goes from here.

To paraphrase my classmate on something I totally agree with and love about the show, despite the fact that it's the end of the world as everyone sees it, they still cling to hope.

Not everyone may have it, but I guess this is where survival of the fittest kicks in.

Since the season is done, I can say that this show provided great entertainment value and I recommend it wholeheartedly to horror fans. However, if you're just looking for a good scare, look elsewhere. This is a show that focuses on the mind of the individual when in fight/flight/fright mode. It's been highly successful, garnering high reviews. Check out AMC's blog for more details.
So who will win? The zombies or the humans? Find out NEXT YEAR in October..and look forward to a 13 episode season!

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The Walking Dead - Episode 5 (Spoilers Alert!)

Today's episode of The Walking Dead focused more on the drama and aftermath of the zombie attack at camp. One of my favourite scenes was when Andrea was mourning over her sister's death, particularly because I have a close relationship with my brother, well close considering the somewhat large age gap. The bond of sisterhood is strong, and when that all comes to an end, it's extremely painful. Add to that the feeling of guilt - not being there for your little sister's birthdays, being away at college and involved in your own life for years instead of being there to watch her grow up, and worst of all, being unable to protect her. This is what Andrea was feeling as she sat by Amy's corpse for hours on end. Andrea was much older than her sister, but still loved her all the same. We viewers knew that Amy was due to wake up any minute now, but Andrea refused to budge. Andrea wasn't stupid, she was waiting for this, so she'd have an opportunity to apologize to her when she awoke. And she made sure to be the one to end her life...or should I say death?

After smashing in the heads of the dead and burying them, they decide on a plan of action since staying at the camp is no longer safe from zombies. Furthermore, Jim, the man who suffered from a nervous break down before, admits that during the frenzy, he was scratched and shows the scar on his stomach to prove it. He will turn into a zombie, it's just a question of when and what to do with him. Rick suggests traveling to the CDC since they may have a cure or a treatment. After a full night's rest, everyone, excluding one family who plans to go to see some family in another city, decides to go find the CDC. However, during the ride, Jim becomes incredibly feverish and lucid and, at Jim's request, he is "ditched" at the roadside.

We then cut to another perspective - a lone man recording video journals and working on a cure for the disease is having no success in the lab. Moreover, after an accidental spill, he loses all his samples due to a complete decontamination of the lab. It becomes apparent that he's the only one left at the CDC and is seriously considering shooting himself...but not tonight. No, tonight he shall drink! However, it's on this very drunken night that Rick and crew arrive on his doorstep. There doesn't appear to be much hope, but at least he won't be blowing his brains out!

I liked this episode because not only did it combine a bit of drama into the episode, it also created a sense of urgency and direction in the plot. Typically, a zombie movie contains the latter, plus a whole lot of zombie killing. This show, especially since it's been picked up for a 2nd season needs more substance to remain interesting. It drives this from drama and having an overall sense of direction. So far, the goal seems to be "find help".

Check out a sneak peak for next week's episode:

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The Walking Dead Eps 4 - (Spoiler Alert!)

This review is coming in pretty late, but I felt I needed a bit of a break from the horror genre. In Episode 4, Rick and the rest of his 4-man team look for Merle and Rick's weapons, while the team back at camp deal with a minor case of one member on the verge of a nervous breakdown. After failed attempts at finding Merle, the team in Atlanta encounter another, much larger, group of survivors who want Rick's weapons. After a large misunderstanding, Rick's team discover that this group is caring for many elderly at an old hospital, whom the hospital staff abandoned when the "zombie virus" hit. Rick decides to give almost half his weapons to help them defend themselves, but the question is, how long will that group survive? How long will anyone survive for that matter? As the 4-man team head back to their van, they discover it gone. The suspect? Merle!

Back at camp, the man who suffered from the nervous breakdown had been digging holes in the earth. After he recovered, he claimed that he did it because of a dream that he had, but couldn't remember anything about. He soon remembers this very dream when at night, zombies out of nowhere raid the camp!

Lives are lost, hearts are broken, some are eaten...including wife-abuser Ed (Check out the number Shane did on him!) and the soon-to-be birthday-girl, Amy. The dream? That zombies would raid the camp just as Rick's team arrives, which actually happened. The surprise attack seemed to come so randomly. Where did all these zombies appear from? Who stole Rick's van? Is a certain someone at the camp a psychic? Find out this Sunday on AMC!

Here's a sneak peak of what's to come:

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