Tag Archives: horror

Attack On Titan Live Action Movie – A Bleak Spin on the Series

December 14, 2015 Alex McCumbers

Attack on Titan swept across the world like the titular Titans in their assault on humanity. Soon, Mikasa, Eren and Armin became household names to anime fans everywhere. Conventions filled with Survey Corps members, all clad in tan and white, their green cloaks draped over their shoulders. It’s a phenomenon that has spurred one season of anime (season two set to be released in the second half of 2016), countless manga spin offs, a live action film series, video games and merchandise.

group-cosplays-16 — Group cosplay is especially epic with this series. Image courtesy of breakbang.com.

The first of these two films sum up about the first ten or so episodes of the anime. It tells the story of the first assault on the farming district and caps off after a fellow titan offers a bleak ray of hope for the world.

Fans of seeing anime faithfully recreated with all the details intact may not enjoy this version of Attack on Titan. The creators of the live-action film decided to give their own spin to the story and the characters, making vast changes to even the main cast. Even though these changes are painful to followers of the series or manga, they do have a uniqueness that adds to the overall impact the series has established.

Capture2 — The faces of the Titans will probably haunt my dreams for a few weeks. They hold a wrongness about them.

First of all, all of the major themes of the anime are intact. Humanity meets its demise face to face as the Colossal Titan kicks a hole in the impenetrable wall. The smaller titans swoop in, scooping up people, and crunching on their bones. Gore sprays in waves in this film, making the iconic brutality of Attack on Titan that much more intense. The titans feel less like monsters and more like Japanese horrors with uncanny faces and movements.

Eren shows his determination, feeble as it may be, to destroy the titans.

Lastly, unbridled rage remains in the character of Eren. He clashes with his fellow soldiers, wanting nothing more than to eradicate every titan for taking what he holds dear. His anger manifests in several ways throughout the film, keeping that theme firmly intact. All while being contrast with his fear of the titans, seeing their strength firsthand.

As for the differences, I’ll do my best to elaborate on some of the major ones without ruining the fun of the movie, but you may get a spoiler or two if you haven’t seen the anime.

Super uncomfortable scene, but shows the differences in this version of Mikasa.

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Where's our blonde strategist? — Where’s our blonde strategist? Let’s play “Where’s Armin?”

Another major change to characters is that of Sasha, the spunky, energetic member of Eren’s squad. She’s portrayed in a way that exaggerates her infamous “Potato Girl” scene to the point of it being obnoxious. Sasha of the film is more of a nuisance than comedic relief, as she disgustingly gobbles up any food she can get her mitts on. She does seem to have a better connection to Armin though, which is quite cute. However, it’s hard to tell the difference between Armin and Eren due to Armin’s recent choice in hair dye.

Capture — Hiana, a character new for the film, leads Eren deeper into the abandoned cities. What they find is a bit bigger than they hoped. . .

The style of this live action adaptation—adaptation being a crucial keyword here—while different from the source material, is still rather enjoyable. I found myself cringing much more through this bloody adventure, but there are many epic moments with the flair I’ve come to love from the series. One scene in particular shows Eren and Hiana searching for a baby’s cry, turning the movie into a dark, scary experience as they hold interestingly designed lanterns aloft. Combining moments of horror like this one with the visual style put into the titans themselves makes for a scarier story.

The film’s final act fits one of the high points of the anime quite well. Eren’s rage for the titans brings him to make a sacrifice, only to have his anger live on in a devastating way. This scene is still as adrenaline filled as the first time I saw it in animated form. Each piece of action hits hard, fast, unexpected to make for a great climax.

The visuals sometimes feel like late Godzilla or Gamera films.

Of course, this movie is broken into two parts, with a sneak peak at the end of this one. It’ll be interesting to see how the second part plays with the second season of the anime. I’ll definitely have to check it out soon.

Step into the Attack on Titan Live-Action movie with an open mind. This is a different version of the Attack on Titan story, themes, and style, not a mirror image of the anime with actors.

The film is available in English subtitles through importation on sites like Amazon, while an English dub is surely to show up in the future.

Film/Television/Broadcast/Radio, Movies/TV, Pop Culture

Feeling Groovy Baby?

November 17, 2015 Zach Snyder

Let me just start by saying I’m a little excited, you know why? Ash vs. The Evil Dead started Halloween weekend and it’s nothing short of fantastic, nostalgic, and had me absolutely enthralled. I don’t usually laugh or cry at what I watch, but I absolutely busted out at this series. Let me teach you a few things today; some groovy things.

In case you didn’t know about the evil dead (not the female-ash version) then shame on you! Get out there and watch The Evil Dead trilogy; there is a lot of Bruce Campbell’s glory there that you are missing. Anyway, here is a quick run-down of the story. A man and his friends spend the night in a cabin; they also find a strange book that happens to be bound in human skin and written in blood. This is the Necronomicon, which summons the evil dead, thanks to Ash and his friends. Ash gets tossed into the thick of it, cuts off his own hand, replaces it with a chainsaw, gets tossed into the past and sleeps until he’s back in his own time (or to some he “overslept” and went into a terrible desolate future). It’s simple to say it’s a crazy trip, and that Ash is an absolute idiot, this series is super corny, but badass none the less.

The series is three episodes in right now and I’m very excited about each of them. The old musician, Joseph LoDuca, is back, Sam Rami is the director again, the deadites are creepy as ever and Ash wants nothing to do with it, at first. He ends up taking up the role of El Jefe (The Boss) and gets two odd allies in Pablo and Kelly (I feel like they are Ash, but split into two people). Ash jacks up the same type of store he did before. At this point he’s even killed his old boss, tossed on the old attire that has the complete chainsaw hand option, and is being his old slick self. The series starts off with Ash talking a lady at the bar into some bathroom fun. This went awkward really fast once a deadite showed its face in the lady . . . just watch it.
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Pablo and Kelly are really getting a lot of my attention in this show too: Kelly, a young able-bodied lady who makes a short show of Ash at work, armed with whatever she can get her hands on; Pablo who apparently came from Honduras “New Jersey,” with some Uncle Abrujo issues, where he learned the stories of El Jefe, armed with his bottle (his hobo knife or busted glass bottle for stabbing). This is such a dysfunctional trio, and it makes you crawl with anticipation to see them all interact. This is the kind of combination that gets me into the story. The stuff that makes me want to move around and not sit still cause it’s too hard not to watch, and too hard to not feel like I am going to miss something spectacular.

I really enjoy the campy flair of the show so far. It has all the old glory of Evil Dead, and the silly aspects of Bruce Campbell I have come to love over the years. The fight sequences have the over the top slow motion and really strange deadite lines that are dumb, but so creepy. If you are in the mood for some horror with a mix of comedy, then definitely check this out. Be warned, there is a lot of blood, almost Quentin Tarantino-esq.

P.S. Who is this Fisher lady, and why does she only want to shoot Ash? She seems as dense as he is in some ways.

Comics 101

Dark Moon Review (Issues 1-3)

November 10, 2015 Seany Flamingo

Combining two different elements into one can make for some amazing results. Put Wolverine and Spider-Man together and you get Deadpool. Mix burritos and deep fryers and you get chimichangas. (Yay!) Combine horror with comedy and you get Batman Forever. I think my point has been proven. Now introducing Dark Moon, a motion comic that combines horror and science fiction, created by Freematik with artwork by Benedick Bana.

The premise here is pretty interesting. Earth is about to be destroyed (allegedly) and in a last ditch effort to survive, seven(?) people teleport themselves to a moon where they are alone and possibly being hunted.

The addition of music and some sound effects is a very nice touch that definitely sets this digital comic apart from any physical comic. Most of the time the music does a beautiful job of keeping me completely immersed in the comic. However, there are a few times where the music doesn’t quite fit with what’s happening or doesn’t match the tone that the comic has set. For example, in certain parts, when the music leans a bit too far towards hip-hop, it snaps me out of the mood of the comic. Although, even with the few missteps, the music is by far the strongest part of Dark Moon.

Interesting indeed.

Another great aspect of the web comic is the art. Where the artwork really shines is in creating creepy images. The comic isn’t overly gory, but there are some very chilling moments, with some credit to the music as well, that will definitely get a reaction out of you. Bana does a great job of portraying the bleakness and hopelessness of the moon, using different shades of black and grey, with a splash of red or blue; however, there are a few backgrounds that are a bit plain or the same color as everything else in the panel. Also, an image throughout the first three issues shows a far away shot of our main characters surrounded by nothing. This constant image focuses on the fact that these people are trapped by themselves on this desolate moon. The first time was a cool picture, but after seeing it a few more times it became redundant.

This looks like a kid scribbled something in Microsoft Paint.

There was a generic tadalafil tablets huge rise in the sale of the drugs.It is the only medication that has sold in more than 100 countries and has achieved the best selling tag. Treatment:- Treating ED in men involves understand the underlying cause of the online prescription viagra pain and provides for a complete rehabilitation. These curvatures are very often caused on a physical level by myofascial tissue which has become “wound up” by mental and emotional “tightness” and a order viagra you could look here lack of “new” chi energy circulating in those tissues. There are cialis tablets india several ways to avoid this illness Joint Pain, affecting one or more joints is a main cause of many health issues. At times some of the characters look a little lazily drawn. Everyone wears a full space suit and never takes the suit off (cause you know, space). Because of this, unless you study the character sheet (something that was released separately to help you learn the names and notice the slight variations in the characters’ suits), all of the characters blend into the same person. Each character needs something distinctive to set them apart at a glance. The artist really could’ve taken a page out of the Ninja Turtles books and given each person a specific colored decal or design on their suit. Some of them have slightly different personalities, but nothing too distinctive, except the leader. Nothing here is bad enough to make you stop reading, but if the artwork is what you look for in a comic, then this might not be the best choice for you. With that said, Bana is an extremely talented artist. Having to work within the restrictions of a space setting, it feels like he had to hold back a lot compared to his other work.

The lovely character sheet.

Now the real problem with this series is the dialogue. Sometimes the dialogue is too cringe-worthy to even keep reading. When every speech bubble after the beginning exposition is something along the lines of “This sucks”, “Look at all of this technology” or ” What do you think? I don’t know what to think”, then there’s a problem. Although, the lack of giant word bubbles does help, a lot.

I don’t mind a horror story not being some deep and moving piece, but I do expect it to at least introduce me to the main characters. Again, unless you read the character sheet, then you will have no clue who anyone is. It’s not even clear at first how many people are in the comic. For most of issue one, I was convinced there were only four characters, and some weird artwork choices made it look like maybe seven or eight. To clarify, I’m pretty sure there are seven main characters. Don’t hold me to that.

Regardless of how good a story might be or intense the situations, if readers don’t care about the characters, or even know their names, then readers won’t care if something bad happens. There really isn’t a proper introduction until about halfway through issue three, and that’s only for about five of the characters.

Based off of the premise alone, if you’re into science fiction, horror or both, then you should definitely read at least the first issue. I love the inclusion of music into comic books. Like I said, the music is the best part of this series and it really helps to immerse you into the story. It would be the perfect experience if only there was actually a good story or at least decent dialogue exchanges to keep you interested.

Games and Software, Indie Pennant

Indie Alert: Noct

November 6, 2015 Alex McCumbers

Horror is a genre that relies on multiple layers of design. Designers have to know these layers inside and out, as well as study their players to see what’s working to make a game scary. Often times, the titles with residual horror tend to stand out the most, such as Silent Hill 2 or Amnesia. These games have elements that stick to the player, often with their narrative or hints at one.

The Indie scene has blown up over the past few years with titles like Five Nights At Freddy’s and Slender soaking up popularity. This, in turn, has many developers focusing on horror. Devolver Digital is helping developer C3SK bring Noct to a reality.

Noct is a top down, multiplayer shooter that mixes elements of Silent Hill and Rust with monsters of which Lovecraft would be proud. Players see and control their survivors through a satellite feed, while given directions by a mysterious being known simply as XMIT. Who XMIT is and why he is helping the player are some of the questions that make these exchanges especially unsettling. It seems that XMIT wants nothing more than to see the survivor succeed, but is just as quick to move on upon death.

The game carries many solid, uncanny elements in its visuals. According to the game’s website, Earth has been cast into perpetual darkness, plagued by monsters known as the Nocturnal. The monochrome color screen fits with the notion that the player is being watched from above, presumably by mostly XMIT. The monsters of the game are all terrifying and overwhelming, as they can kill players with a single hit. The HUD is also cryptic; players must manage ammo and supplies without any clear numbering. It’s never easy to fight off a monster when ammo is low, but it’s oppressive just knowing ammo is low in general.

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It’s important to note that Noct has not been fully developed. It is currently under Early Access on Steam and has already gone through quite a few patches. As of now, once most objectives are cleared, it seems that players can get stuck in a loop to gather supplies. Being that many monsters can simply chase down the player, especially the little worms, there isn’t as much horror as there is frustration. The game’s framework is there, but the actual experience feels just as empty as the world its attempting to create.

Noct does carry a visual and thematic framework that could turn into something special. The monsters look great and the graphic style is oppressive, all while being accompanied by some interesting guitar songs that are reminiscent of Silent Hill. I was also hoping to get that overwhelmed feeling that comes with horror games. No matter what forced my character to say “Uh oh,” there was usually little room for avoidance or for confrontation. Most of my session included heading towards a waypoint, dying, and then continuing to the waypoint, until reaching it. It didn’t feel scary, just time consuming.

Being enclosed in a building, frantically grabbing supplies, felt unnerving, especially when the scratching of claws got closer and closer.

Let’s hope Noct continues to evolve and capitalize on those moments.

Game File, Games and Software, Indie Pennant

The Park: The Boogeyman isn’t Only for Kids

October 31, 2015 RaShaun Eshalomi

Funcom‘s (best known for the MMO The Secret World and the MMORPG Age of Conan) The Park takes place in the same universe as the The Secret World. If you haven’t played The Secret World—no worries, it won’t interfere with your playthrough—you’ll soon find out the Atlantic Island Park has a dark history of mysterious murders, unexplainable accidents and a seemingly crazy owner. Players control Lorraine, a woman who has lost her son, Callum, in the infamous park.

This psychological horror isn’t the run and hide—or shoot wildly at nothingness, hoping you made contact—kind of game I’m used to playing. There are no weapons, no monsters stalking you, waiting for the perfect time to attack. You’re just a spectator, watching a woman, mother unravel before you. The controls are simple: walk, run, look around and pick up random items. You can also call out your son Callum’s name and get a reaction/response.

The Park isn’t scary like Silent Hill or Outlast, it’s more of a creepy game with a few jump scares. I scared myself more than the game did. I spent most of the time expecting something to jump out and chase me, but it never happened. The sounds in the game raise the creep level even more: whispers, echoes, something that sounds like a speaker or radio in distance, the wind. The sounds are a nice touch, and there isn’t much music, which made the experience better for me. I did missed the scary, though. A creepy park at night is the perfect setting for terror, and I was expecting that.

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As you explore the dilapidated park, you’ll come across notes, reports and letters revealing bits and pieces of the park’s history. Lorraine will chime in with her thoughts and revelations about the park and her life. Riding the rides also causes her to give insight into her past and her decent. For someone who has lost her son, she is awfully calm: walking around, riding rides and contemplating. By the end of the game, I understood why, of course, but it did confuse me for a bit.

The story doesn’t get really interesting until the second half of the game; that’s when it gets juicy. Learning about the park and its dreary past is interesting, but as Lorraine reveals more about herself, the more I wanted to know about her and Callum. However, I felt a disconnect between the park and Lorraine. Because The Park is connected to the MMO The Secret World—which I haven’t played—developers had to tie in references, but it was still nice to learn a little bit about the park.

It’s a short experience (about an hour or two), but that’s expected when you are seeing only a glimpse of a woman’s life. The Park didn’t wow me or keep me up at night, but I did really enjoy the game. the story touches on a topic we rarely hear or know much about. I also like the short-story approach, peeking into a character we may have never bumped into during another game. I probably won’t play The Park again—maybe just to get the last two achievements I missed—but I would recommend it to a friend.