October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 11: The Exorcist (1973)

While many exorcism and other supernatural spirit films call on the echoes of rituals and cults, The Exorcist brings us right into the realm of mysticism and the connections it has to the world - the old world and the new world. Clearly this is brought about with the opening at an archaeological dig. We sift through the remnants of the past, hoping the understand more about the ancient world, but instead we playing with things that we only think we know something about. Hubris. All the dichotomies the long opening offers because we get to Georgetown and the possession.

As the film plays out, though, we are introduced to the supernatural spirits' best friend... the Ouija board. This is the gateway to the demon who then wreaks havoc on Reagan and her mother. The Exorcist is its own classic horror film and the roots of so many other films clearly crib from it, even if they're in denial. I mean, honestly... once you enter into a genre you can argue it wasn't planned, but certain things become ingrained into our culture and occasionally find their way out into modern film.

An origin film and, again, it fits into this perfect start to more modern exorcism films.

The Joy of Gaming: October Challenge 2019 - Day 11: Zombie Fluxx (2007)

My daughter has never played Fluxx before. She knows I absolutely adore zombies, so she took the time to play this with me. The basics of Fluxx is that you start out by drawing a card and playing a card and the rest of the time you just follow the rules on the cards. This was both frustrating and exciting for her. I, though, enjoyed it. The zombie variant offers several new twists and changes (such as groaning like a zombie when you get a zombie creeper and the Ungoal that causes everyone to lose).

A great quick game for the spooky season.

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 10: The Possession (2012)

The Possession has an interesting place in my spread of movies. It has the malicious spirit attached to an item quality, but that spirit possesses the daughter in a very demonic way.  The dybbuk box is part of Jewish mythology and there is part history and part fictionalized horror. The box itself is said to have been specifically a wine box and that, when burned, will burn an excessively long time, releasing the spirit. At some point, a guy created a box and sold it on eBay along with his fiction story about it, which is what this particular movie is based on. Well... based on the story, not buying the box off of eBay.

According to one of the histories I read, the dybbuk originally was considered a demonic spirit, but over time it was changed to be an angry spirit.  This is primarily why I put it between the possessed items and demonic possession. 

The Possession itself is an interesting movie. It follows the same traditional format of not realizing an item is possessed and essentially getting entangled in the situation. Again, here we have an individual who takes on the spirit from the box, fighting from inside. This is similar to the Annabelle movies in The Conjuring Universe.

One of the best images, though, is in the hospital and the scan of her inner body. A unique touch in this particular genre. Addressing that idea of where does a spirit or demon go when they possess us or is it just an ethereal thing. 

The film has its creepy moments and how people suffer at the hands of a possessed tween, but again the plot is relatively formulaic. 

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 9: Oculus (2013)

Oculus is an interesting movie that truly deals with a malevolent force. Like with Annabelle (the possessed doll), the main character, Kaylie, is convinced that an old mirror is responsible for the deaths in her family. She spends years and a good majority of money researching and finally tracking down the mirror. Kaylie waits for her brother, Tim, to be released for a psychiatric hospital where he has spent his time after being accused of killing his parents.

Kaylie gets Tim and takes him back to their childhood home where she attempts to rope him into documenting how evil the mirror is. Sadly, it doesn't go well for either of them, because the spirit that inhabits the mirror is determined to keep it's home safe so that he can continue to harass and torture the living.

Having just finished watching Annabelle Comes Home (2019), I found it interesting that Ed Warren asserts demons don't attach themselves to object, they attach themselves to people. I don't know if I buy that, despite demons seeking lifeforms and "haunt" the living until they can enter someone. But with Oculus, the spirit is clearly malicious and wants nothing more than to hurt the family.

When I think back on Oculus I always seem to have a different story in mind. Almost like it combines with another story. I think this is mostly due to the cover, but when I watched it again it really had that kind of psychological scare that comes along with malicious spirit movies. This spirit really goes all out to mess with their minds and it's hard not to feel sorry for the family.

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 8: The Conjuring (2013)

The Conjuring Series absolutely enthralls me. I spent a good bit of time looking into how the films came about and how involved James Wan was in the production. As I mentioned in the Insidious commentary, Wan and Whannell and Peli are these three keystones to the modern take on the supernatural horror genre. What I found at the heart of the production started to open the lid of Pandora's Box even more than this binge session already had.

Long story short, the script went through a bunch of drama to the try to get made, but Chad and Carey Hayes were finally brought on to give the script a treatment and bring it up to something a bit more Hollywood. They are the ones to really bring in the Warren's POV of the events taking place, instead of it just focusing on the family's POV. Here, consultations with Lorraine Warren were even made. After the script had started to be floated, then they attached Wan as a director, which also brought with it Patrick Wilson.

The interesting connection that popped up was that the original writer of the initial script/story, Tony DeRosa-Grund, had made a deal with Gold Circle films. Clearly the deal fell through and the script just got moved around like crazy. Gold Circle films, though, is the production company that did The Haunting in Connecticut, which is another movie that is going to pop up later with the haunted house films.

Also, Carey and Chad Hayes had some horror credits to their name with House of Wax (2005) and The Reaping (2007). Not that any of these have a place in this holiday binge, but the slasher and psychological horror aspects I think are interesting backgrounds to have going into this new and cutting edge take on ghost films.

While I chose The Conjuring as my title item, I also am drawing in the other Conjuring movies. The emergence of one just built an entire franchise that still has a very intriguing development in regards to the ghost/spirit/haunted story genre.

Annabelle (2014-2019)
The Annabelle movies fall more into the possession category. The object (doll) is possessed by a demon and seeks a host to bring it to life. The demon was summoned through the prayers of desperate parents who wanted nothing more than to see their daughter again. How the story continues to develop is really intriguing, spanning numerous films. Another interesting connection between the Annabelle films/Conjuring Universe and the spirit films is Lulu Wilson, who is in Annabelle: Creation (2017) and Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016). She plays Doris in Ouija - the girl who is possessed. She plays Linda in Annabelle - the girl who wants to stop the possessed Janice. The series is really engaging and I love watching it. It still has some spooks and scares after several watches.

The Nun (2018)
This is another demonic entity and I'm interested in seeing how this story unfolds. They say there will be a second one. This demon is connected directly to The Conjuring and what Lorraine Warren goes through. It's amazing how they make sure all the movies are linked. The Nun is focused on an actual demon and its possession of people. I think this movie, overall, is kind of weak. As someone who loves nun movies, this aspect is really disappointing. Once I link it up with the arrival of the nun in the other Conjuring movies, though, it adds a little more information and the potential overarching plot I find very intriguing. I, though, am insanely detail-oriented when it comes to film series and the picture from the convent of nuns is actually in Annabelle: Creation (2017). Sadly, there is no real  explanation of this and while the connection is there, it is never explained in either movie. Maybe the second nun movie will explain it more. Wan said there is tons of information to use to develop the story. It's just about getting a green light to move forward with projects.

The Conjuring (2013)
The two actual Conjuring films that have been done have primarily centered on actual spirits in the two houses that serve as primary setting and how they are affecting their respective two families. I like this presentation, because it reminds me of the roots of the television show Ghost Hunters. It's not about collecting evidence - it's about helping families. Along the way, though, information is collected to be used in the future. I've learned that the last Conjuring, though, is going to return to the demonic and possession with the very first trial of someone who used the possession defense in the court room. It should be pretty great.

The Curse of La Llorona (2019)
Then there's this little stand alone movie. The only connection it has to the Conjuring universe is Father Perez, who was in the Annabelle movies. He helps guide the family about the spirit haunting them. This particular film deals with a malevolent spirit and how she seeks revenge for the loss of her own children. It has a few touches that seem akin to Paranormal Activity, with the idea that you can transfer a haunting onto other people. It also seems connected to Drag Me to Hell, because it involves a person being cursed by another in a fit of rage. A child services caseworker, Anna, takes a, woman's children away and, in doing so, leaves the children vulnerable to La Llorona. The children end up being killed by the spirit. Their mother then calls on La Llorona to go after the Anna's children. Woowee... so much anger and bitterness. This movie really needed a bit of the loving mother, Lorraine Warren. The Curse of La Llorona does have some great scare scenes. For example, how La Llorona lures the children and the car scene! I can't give this stuff away, because it gives some great flavor to the film, but it does feel a little out of place in the entire universe unless it's touched on again.

I love the Conjuring universe. It pushes all my must-see buttons when it comes to a series. Interconnectedness always gets my engine revving and all the different supernatural elements utilized make this universe an absolute must for those completely obsessed with spirit/demon films.

The Joy of Gaming: October Challenge 2019 - Day 8: Letters from Whitechapel (2011)

I am an absolute adoring fan of Letters from Whitechapel, Whitehall, and Scotland Yard.

Letters from Whitechapel puts you in the position of one of the most notorious killers in history or the cops who sought to find justice. Players are either Jack the Ripper or the police officers. Each turn, Jack the Ripper secretly moves around the board and the cops need to use their knowledge and powers of deduction to try to catch The Ripper before the final night of making it back to his hideout. Full of fun and strategy and great for a group of people. You can even roleplay the characters if you’re so inclined.

Also, if you’ve played Nuns on the Run, this is a similar gameplay style and Nuns on the Run is an additional fun game that you can dress up for (trust me, I’ve done it), but isn’t a murderer thing!

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 7: The Ring (2002)

When The Ring came out, I remember it caused a new film obsession with Japanese horror cinema in the United States. Not only were fans of The Ring obsessed with the American remake, but Ringu started to make the rounds.

I should have watched it before The Grudge, in this binge, because The Grudge came out of this new Hollywood obsession. What is interesting, though, is that sometimes both films are great or one is significantly better than the other. In a movie I'm watching later, the Japanese version is far superior to the Jennifer Connolly remake.

I like the pacing of the American one. I know, as a country, we supposedly can't appreciate a long burn movie, but the original loses interest once the island investigation starts. In this one, it moves at a really reasonable pace and keeps our interest going without huge lulls of driving and swelling music, attempting to cause suspense, but instead makes it like a Sunday drive meant to be little Timmy to sleep.

While The Ring has the scares that pop up throughout, the real story is based in the investigation. What drives me nuts, though, is the video. Watching it now after all these years, the video still bothers me even more. It was too film school, which the character Noah mentions. It just brought back too many of the bad feelings I have towards my time in academia in the Humanities and the Film Studies departments in general. It reminded me too much of Un Chien Andalou (The Andolusian Dog) made Luis Buenel and Salvador Dali during the surrealist movement in Europe. Art for art's sake without any rhyme or reason. I've officially decided these ghosts were fans of artistic Euro cinema.

What is different from the surrealist movement, is that here all the images and things have a deeper meaning that drives the investigation and could potentially save lives, affecting the characters in the movie and not simply frustrating the audience. It's art for the sake of horror. Luckily, the artistic take makes the horror that much more memorable. The burning circle of "the ring" and the creepy long-haired girl crawling out of the well and the walk towards you and all the aftermath... haunting.

At the time is was more powerful. In today's world, people demand much more hardcore scares and I can see this not playing as well if released based on today's mainstream standards. Sad, but true... the jaded internet, need to feel smarter than everyone else (lack of humility?), and the ever growing quality of the post-production process has done so much damage to the industry in so many different regards.

The Ring, though, stands up as much as it can. The most recent addition, Rings (2017), taps into the modern by attempting to understand the move from video to actual digital content. Would the "curse" still hold? The American remakes are just The Ring (2002), The Ring 2 (2005), and Rings (2017). The Japanese series had a series, but then a prequel.

As far as what it contributes to this binge, it has the malicious ghost and her attachment to an object in order to wreck absolute terror. And like The Grudge, that spirit just can't seem to be sated.

Those Custom Starbucks Frappuccinos

I haven't been to Starbucks in a long time. I find them to be overpriced and often so sugar-packed I can't imagine consuming that amount of sugar daily. That's not to say I'm not a sucker for cool things and this weekend I totally indulged in the world of obnoxious custom drink orders.

We went full on The Nightmare Before Christmas. We were at a game convention all weekend with my family, so I knew I had to get a drink for myself, my daughter, and my husband. This was the perfect thematic lineup. I found the easy recipes on Totallythebomb.com:


Sally (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
This was absolutely delicious! My daughter and I were almost obnoxious enough to fit over it! Not too sweet and a total treat. A must try if you're doing any of these!

How to order:
- Size (we did Grande.)
- Vanilla Bean Frapp
- Add Matcha Powder
- Caramel drizzle on sides of cup
- Whipped cream, strawberry sauce, and freeze dried strawberries on top



Jack "The Pumpkin King" Skellington (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
My husband drank it, but it just wasn't our bag. If you like the chia and spiced pumpkin and all that, it might be your thing, but it definitely wasn't ours.

How to order:
- Size (we did Grande.)
- Pumpkin Spice Frapp
- Chai syrup
- Mocha drizzle on sides of cup
- Whipped cream on top
- Java chips on top



Oogie Boogie (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
This was my drink and now is so naughty that I want it more. Cookie crisps and mocha and it's a chocolate chip cookie in a cup. The java chips and the cookie bits just make it so delicious. It looks pretty great, too!

How to order:
- Size (I did a Ventie, because I thought it needed space....)
- White Chocolate Mocha Frapp
- Add Java Chips mixed in
- ON THE BOTTOM: Whipped Cream with Java Chips
- ON THE TOP: Whipped Cream, Matcha Powder, and Mocha Cookie Crumbles

There is another way to order it, but I couldn't remember. Had something to do with the type of base Frapp, but I can't remember what it was.



The next day we went in and got two more creations. The first one I ordered that I had seen floating around was the Pennywise It: Chapter Two drink. The second one was the Maleficent drink that had apparently been hacked from Disney.


Pennywise It: Chapter Two  (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
My daughter insisted on drinking this one and it tasted just like strawberries and cream. Our local Starbucks did an awesome job! We would totally order again. My barista knew what it was, but had never made it. So excitement!

How to order:
- Size (we did Grande)
- Vanilla Bean Frapp
- Strawberry Puree (either on the sides and/or drizzled on the top before the whipped cream)
- ON THE TOP: Whipped Cream and freeze-dried strawberries



Maleficent (Totallythebomb.com How-to-Make)
This thing tastes like a FRUIT LOOP!!! Oh my goodness... what a treat! If you like fruit loops, this is the drink for you. I wanted to share it with my husband, but he was so busy gaming, I couldn't share this amazing secret with him. Honestly just so delicious!

How to order:
- Size (we did Grande)
- Vanilla Bean Frapp
- Add in blueberry and dragon fruit
- ON THE TOP: Whipped cream and matcha powder
Someone said ask them to make the matcha powder whipped cream, but I couldn't do that to them.

I have more frapp tries coming up. I've found all sorts of crazy ones and now feel compelled to try them. I can't say I'm not totally stoked.

The Joy of Gaming: October Challenge 2019 - Day 6: The Walking Dead: The Board Game (2011)

Of all The Walking Dead games, I have a soft spot for this one. I love the original artwork. It's dice rolling, set collecting, and variable player powers. Those are some of my favorite things combined with my favorite theme. It has a unique area control aspect with zombie attacks.

I really recommend it, especially since I've enjoyed it more than the other games. The one based on the TV isn't as cool. So if you're going all in on a game, I can't recommend this enough!

October Movie Binge 2019 - Day 6: Drag Me to Hell (2009)

I hadn't seen Drag Me to Hell (2009) movie in quite a while and my memory of it was vague. I forgot how Sam Raimi it was. The, sometimes blatant, campyness that goes with the film - even the almost silliness of some of the basics of the plot.

I struggled with the main character Christine (Alison Lohman). I think that was the primary drawback to the film for me. My husband did not feel the same way, but she just felt like a truly pathetic individual. What happens to her sucks, sure, but she really had a modern perspective on life goals. This is presented in juxtaposition (but barely) with the two styles of life seen in the movie: The gypsies and the boyfriend's family.

Strangely enough, in my class we are studying understanding characters at a deeper level and one of the things I ask the students to do is realize that characters have good and bad traits about them. They're like anyone you would interact with. Is anyone ever truly all good or all bad? You know the oppositional kids said yes. I disagree. But I shared my experience watching this movie (not the name of the movie) and how I wanted so badly to sympathize with the character and I couldn't, because despite being the lead in the movie, she just had too many bad traits.

The movie deals with the revenge taken against people for doing things that cause them personal tragedy. The old woman uses her "powers" to put a curse on her via an object. This object is causing her to be haunted by a Lamia, a powerful demon who will drag her to hell. Christine deals with all the moral implications of saving her own life, which is somewhat redeeming of her. The curse is attached to an object, which is attached to a person, which then causes them to be haunted. It's a tricky film for my movie binge, but that's what makes it a special oddity to include. Is it ghost haunting? Object possession? Demonic haunting? Oh goodness!

If you're into Raimi, it's another notch on his supernatural belt. Already in on my calendar as several of his produced films and it's I put it in the possessed object and vengeful spirit category, because of the button. I don't want to give too much away, but it was interesting. If you like Raimi, you'll get a kick out of some of the things, but it's no high ranking cinema for this particular topic.