A little while ago, I wrote about the first episode of Ash VS Evil Dead and how after one episode, I was hooked. [read that review over here!] As soon as the following episode went live [titled: “Bait”] I had to watch it, and I did. It was just as fun as the first episode, if not more so, and introduced us to a few more characters. I had meant to write a review on it, but unfortunately with work, and other personal matters coming first – as well as different posts – I decided to wait until now: the third episode. In my opinion thus far, Episode 03: Books From Beyond is the one of the best yet; and here’s why.

In the first episode, we’re shown that Ash has a business card for a store that calls itself Books From Beyond, which he calls and asks about “a particular book.” It turns out that Ash has been to this bookstore before, presumably when he first got the Necronomicon, and decides he needs to find an ‘undo button’ spell to stop the Deadites from becoming any worse than they already have been so far.

According to Lionel Hawkins, the ill-fated book store owner who translates the Necronomicon for Ash, the Book Of The Dead was written by an ancient group of evildoers called The Dark Ones. [okay, that could have been a little more creative..] These not quite human, not quite demon entities made some spells that supposedly have the ability to open portals into Hell, and unleash demons into our world. As Hawkins puts it, “The book itself is harmless unless wielded by someone very evil, or very stupid.” I’ll give you three guesses which category our supposed “hero” falls into..

As a way of almost proving Hawkins‘ point, Ash‘s great plan to figure out why the Deadites are coming back is to release another one from the book, if only to ask it questions. [cause that makes sense. Good call Ash!] Our team of Ghost Beaters [Pablo‘s brilliant team name consisting of Ash, Kelly, and Pablo]  as well as our new book savvy friend Lionel, decide on a “minor, wimpy Deadite” [as Ash calls it] named Eligos who, as the Necronomicon claims,  is a “demon of the mind.” Which is proven when he can seemingly invade his enemies’ brain!

I really like Eligos‘ look. Very Hellraiser-esque.

Oh, and if you’re wondering about Amanda Fisher, the cop who was chasing Ash down in the last two episodes after her partner became a Deadite in episode 01 – she’s around too! She’s currently convinced Ash is deliberately causing the chaos that surrounds him. She guilts Kelly into freeing her from captivity to take him down right in the middle of the Deadite summoning, and not even the faceless Deadite, who seems to be defeated by smacking him with the Necronomicon, can change the her mind. As soon as the smoke clears, and Eligos is officially Eligone [I am so sorry..] she snaps her cop cuffs on our hero.. again! Fortunately, his detachable wooden hand comes in.. handy, I didn’t even mean for that joke to happen, and he just barely escapes.

With no other leads on anything, The Ghost Beaters ultimately decide that the best course of action is to find Pablo‘s Brujo: his uncle who also happens to be a Shaman. Will he help? I mean, according to Pablo in episode 01, they don’t really talk anymore, and it’s been a long time since they saw one another..

In short, Ash VS Evil Dead really exceeded my expectations. I was worried, and even a little weirded out by a TV series based on the films but it’s doing better and better with every episode. The pacing is great, the characters are fun, and even the over the top violence that is known from the series; it’s all really fun to watch! I do have one question for the series though: [which will eventually be answered] just who is Lucy Lawless‘ character? She seems to know a lot about Ash, the Necronomicon, and the Deadites themselves.. I guess we’ll have to wait to find out! She’s shown to have a seemingly magical dagger that seems reminiscent of The Kandarian Dagger from Evil Dead II..could this be important? It certainly seems to be!

Personally, I hope he comes back, I think he’s cute..

If find yourself to enjoy what I do on here, then please take a minute and follow me over on my Facebook page [it’s at over 125+ likes – only a few more and we’ll have reached over 130!] By clicking that “like” button, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted online; and I also share links to articles and pictures/videos that will not be featured here on the blog. Every “like” helps me a ton, giving me the ability to write more posts for you to read, so be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share The Facebook Page with your family and friends!

THANKS FOR READING.

Some of my all time favorite movies ever are the original Universal Monster films, such as Dracula and Creature From The Black Lagoon. But of all these different styled monsters, my all time favorite easily goes to none other the man [monster?] himself: Frankenstein. I’ve always enjoyed the idea of a [seemingly mad] scientist creating human life, only to be destroyed by what he created. However, a few short years later, Universal released a sequel to Frankenstein; that didn’t suck! This movie was none other than: Bride Of Frankenstein. This time around, Dr. Frankenstein [pushed by an even madder scientist] builds his monster a mate, which I suppose makes sense. Even monsters deserve happiness, am I right?

Whether you were aware or not, Universal Pictures is, and has been, continuing forth with their own reboots, including modern/fresh takes on The Wolfman, The Mummy, Creature From The Black Lagoon, Frankenstein, and even – you guessed it: Bride Of Frankenstein. These plans have been leaking out over the past year, but most of the details are still kept under the Mummy’s wraps..I’m so sorry. According to a handy little page known as The Hollywood Reporter though, they’ve leaked some info involving none other than Angelina Jolie Pitt and her latest By the Sea, but also implying that she could play the lead in Universal‘s reboot of Bride Of Frankenstein.

According to THR, even if Universal loses tens of millions of dollars on ‘By The Sea,’ the studio is gambling that by backing Jolie Pitt’s artistic whim, she will be amenable to starring in its ‘Bride Of Frankenstein’ from producer Brian Grazer. It makes a lot of sense actually: usually, when an actor/actress goes on an “artistic whim,” there’s a reason it usually fails – because it’s a leeway into something bigger; in this case – Bride Of Frankenstein.

Believe it or not, I’m actually totally okay with her playing The Bride. It’s a role that might come off as difficult to re-cast, especially after Elsa Lanchester did such a great job in the original film, but after seeing Jolie play other characters kind of, but not really, like her; I think she could pull it off. The idea that Universal is rebooting their classic monster films [and having them all be part of a shared universe] is something that I’m actually really interested in seeing. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the classic monster flicks, but with roles like Maleficent working to Jolie‘s favor lately, she just fits the bill. Just  a matter of finding her Monster to be her mate, I don’t know about you guys but I think this is about the time we start dreaming up a bunch of fan casting! Although I’m totally interested in how this movie is going to play out, I’m just going to throw this one out there: where’s our sequel to Wanted?? Am I the only one who is still bitter about the lack of sequel? just me? I actually really enjoyed Wanted.. for the story, I swear..

I mean, this helps the watching process, but the storytelling was top notch in Wanted if I remember correctly.

Lastly, I look to you. How do you feel about Angelina Jolie becoming Frankenstein‘s Monster’s Bride? Although not entirely confirmed; it’s pretty convincing that it’s something that’s in the process of becoming fact. Like I said, I’m totally okay with it, because I feel that she’s the kind of actress that could give it justice – so long as the male Frankenstein is an awesome choice as well! If you find yourself to enjoy what I do on here, then please take a minute and follow me over on my Facebook page [it’s at over 125+ likes – only a few more and we’ll have reached over 130!] By clicking that “like” button, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted online; and I also share links to articles and pictures/videos that will not be featured here on the blog. Every “like” helps me a ton, giving me the ability to write more posts for you to read, so be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share The Facebook Page with your family and friends!

I think I know what I’m watching tonight!

THANKS FOR READING.

Walking home from work this morning, I quickly realized how cold it’s getting outside. Being in Canada, I have no doubt in my mind that sooner than later; there’s going to be snow on the ground – and I’m not excited for it. I’m not a fan of feeling like an ice cube: so seeing frost on the ground, and seeing people all bundled up, makes me feel like I’m halfway to frozen. That being said, it also caught my attention that there’s actually a few horror movies that take place in the winter, or at the very least; during Christmas. Since it’s that time of year, I figured this is the best time to talk about some of my personal favorite winter horror movies. Just remember: if these movies don’t give you the chills, the weather outside will…

No, I don’t mean that film..Frozen is a film by a Director I hold most dear: Adam Green, and Frozen is arguably one of his best. It’s eerie, it’s atmospheric, and in case you couldn’t tell: it mostly all takes place on a ski lift. The best part is that it mainly focuses on only three people – but that’s enough to give you fright from high above, especially when the ski lift shuts down for the night…and you’re still aboard. [check out the trailer here]

Rare Exports is a film I was late to seeing because of how ridiculously  difficult it’s been trying to find a way to watch it. It makes this list because it fits both bills: it takes place around Christmas and it’s in the winter – though being from Finland, it would be snowing.. Rare Exports takes us to the depths of The Korvatunturi mountains, where 486 meters in the ice we find the closest ever guarded secret of Christmas, Santa Claus. It’s a dark film that definitely has a different spin on the holiday season. [check out the trailer here]

Arguably one of my favorite films ever, The Thing is a movie that shouldn’t be taken lightly. It’s unparalleled in the way it presents fear in the snow. Even if it could be could technically be categorized as sci-fi as well, I feel like this movie is more horror. It follows a group of scientists in the Antarctic who are forced to face a alien that seems to assume the appearance of the people it kills.. [check out the trailer here]

One part vampire story, full on horror. 30 Days Of Night is a film I watched on a whim when it first came out, only to be presently surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The only thing I knew about it, was that it was based on a comic and that there was vampires. Like The Thing above, the movie takes place in Antarctica, where for one month during the year; the sun doesn’t come out..naturally, this is perfect feeding time for vampires. It’s creepy, and shockingly more gory than expected! [check out the trailer here]

Consider the following: you see your parents get murdered, and as a result you have to stay at an orphanage.. where you’re abused by the Mother Superior. Would this make you a killer? Cause this is exactly what happens to Billy in Silent Night, Deadly Night. [check out the trailer here]

So what have we learned today? That the cold isn’t the only thing that can be considered dangerous this time of the year? That, Santa does exist, he’s just Frozen in the mountains? I guess the real lesson learned here is that Christmas is just around the corner [ugh, I know..I’m not happy about it either – so much snow on the way!] but we have to think positive: family gatherings and free food! [okay, the family gatherings don’t sound as fun as they did in my head]

What’s your favorite Christmas horror movie? If it isn’t related to Christmas, what’s your favorite horror movie that takes place in the snow? Although one of my personal favorites, Let The Right One In didn’t make the list, it’s only because I’ve talked about it extensively on here. But seriously: let me know in a comment your favorite, and we can compare!

Also, If you find yourself to enjoy what I do on here, then please take a minute and follow me over on my Facebook page [it’s at over 125+ likes – only a few more and we’ll have reached over 130!] By clicking that “like” button, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted online; and I also share links to articles and pictures/videos that will not be featured here on the blog. Every “like” helps me a ton, giving me the ability to write more posts for you to read, so be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share The Facebook Page with your family and friends!

[if you can tell me what this screenshot is from, you’ll win my love!]

THANKS FOR READING.

If you know me in real life or at least not on the internet, you’d know that movies like Army Of Darkness and the entire Evil Dead trilogy, are some of my favorite films of all time. It was proven when I started babbling on about how I’m currently obsessing over Ash Vs Evil Dead, which I’m strongly considering one of the greater things to come out of TV in a while. Now, the one show I haven’t really given a chance, even though I keep saying I will, is The Walking Dead. But here’s a funny thought: what do you suppose would happen if Ash were to go up against the Walkers from The Walking Dead, instead of Deadites? Plus, if this were to happen, would Rick be there to help? Or would Ash get caught doing all the work? Luckily for us, it seems we’re not the only ones who are curious about this kind of thing – as Bruce Campbell, Ash himself – ‘accidentally’ released his script of how he thinks it’d play out on Twitter. Check out the tweet below!

Oops. This script “leaked.” pic.twitter.com/k4Vn9r7WxV

— Bruce Campbell (@GroovyBruce) December 1, 2015

Even if you’re more of a Walking Dead than a Evil Dead fan, you have to hand it to Bruce Campbell – he’s really confident in Ash‘s abilities over Rick‘s as far as zombie slaying goes. As proven by the above tweet, this [obviously fake] screenplay takes us back to the moment Rick Grimes wakes up from the hospital [all the way back in season one!] and realizes the world has been destroyed. Only this time, things are different from the pilot episode of – Ash is waiting outside with his signature 1973 Oldsmobile Delta Royale, and in perfect fashion, seemingly takes all the credit for “taking care of the zombie apocalypse.” To add to all this, it comes off as true to Ash as a character, since we all know he probably was the one who made it all happen, again, which is how the series would continue from that point.

I love that this feels like an alternate universe, and just like “Freddy VS Jason VS Ash,” maybe we can get this in comic book form. [time to make up a petition!] I mean, I remember when F VS J VS A was going to be a movie; and when it got dropped – we got an insane comic book.. who knows? Maybe Campbell can play the cards right, and make it happen! [though, I feel like it’s unlikely..] Oh, and that coffee stain? I’m going to go out on a whim an say it’s quite an excellent homage to Sam Raimi’s other, albeit less popular, compared to Evil Dead film Darkman.

So what do you think? Would you watch an Ash VS The Walking Dead TV show? Or is it all wishful thinking on my part, because I think it’d be a blast! Maybe I’m bias though, being a fan of The Evil Dead and all. Maybe Rick is a good zombie hunter, I mean; I’ve only seen season one [I’m preparing for hate in the comments!*] On a completely separate note, I know I seem to have disappeared for this past week, only really sharing things on the Facebook page, rather than writing a new post. [I kept meaning to write something, I swear!] However, every time I got the chance, I was either too exhausted or I had something more important to do. Afterall, this is a hobby; and life comes first. Speaking of, without going too into detail, something new is in the making in my ‘real world’ life – outside of warrenisweird – which I will talk about when the time is right. So be prepared for that! I have no idea when, but hopefully soon! ANYWAY..

If you find yourself to enjoy what I do on here, then please take a minute and follow me over on my Facebook page [it’s at over 125+ likes – only a few more and we’ll have reached over 130!] By clicking that “like” button, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted online; and I also share links to articles and pictures/videos that will not be featured here on the blog. Every “like” helps me a ton, giving me the ability to write more posts for you to read, so be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share The Facebook Page with your family and friends!

comeon! I know I’m not the only one who’d watch the hell out of this!

THANKS FOR READING.

[Note: This was supposed to be posted yesterday but being exhausted from a week of work plus seeing family, it’s a day late. Sorry friends!]

A little while ago, a friend of mine [whom I met through the blogging community] had told me he was releasing a book called Dwelling. I was curious, and after a bit of talking, he sent me a copy to read. It’s not terribly long, sitting at just over 300 pages, but it’s a wild ride from start to finish. So without further ado, let’s change it up today and go from reviewing movies to books!

Our story today follows a group of childhood friends [now adults], who are physically and psychologically devastated by war… As we learn, a horrifying creature emerged from a sandstorm just before Ricky Smith died in battle. Forced to leave, his widow Maggie buys a home on Oak Lee Road in the lonely town of Jotham. Maggie is isolated in the historic house…and is unsettled by strange clicking-like sounds coming from the walls. Jonathan Steele attempts to drink the painful past away: he was wounded in battle and now suffers from PTSD. He wants [and even starts] to put the nightmare behind him, but when Ricky’s ghost comes to him with warnings about Maggie’s new house, he begins to question his sanity, and everything around him. Bobby Weeks is a now homeless veteran struggling with a werewolf-like curse. Afraid of bringing danger to those around him, he stays far away from those he loves. But after a full moon, a mysterious woman approaches him and reveals a vision about a house with a sinister presence, and he quickly realizes staying away might no longer be an option he has. Lastly, we have Minister Jake Williams, who has lost his faith on the battlefield, and will do anything to reconnect with God. He turns to vices to fill the religious void, but a church elder insists he take a sabbatical, and a ghost tells him to quit the ministry! When Maggie wakes in a strange subterranean cavern, she can’t deny that her house has dark secrets. Desperate for help, she sends letters to her old friends to reunite in Jotham, unaware of the danger awaiting them. The friends have already been through hell once, but can any of them survive the evil dwelling beneath the House on Oak Lee?

Dwelling, overall is a pretty heavy story; it deals with the death of a ‘brother’, it has a lot of fear involved, and it reminds you that not all demons are in your head. With something like the topic of War, this is something like that would literally haunt your every move. What makes Dwelling work so effectively is that it shows us what soldiers go through as individuals, such as: heartache, guilt and painful flashbacks…it’s heartbreaking to read about, but it makes sense – especially to those, like me, who haven’t been in such a situation before. It’s dark and twisted, but for a story that follows War veterans, it has to be – Because it wouldn’t make sense otherwise.

Through this book, [which is only part one!] Author Thomas S. Flowers [who writes his own blog here!] has created an cast of characters and a world that feels super related-able: We all know people that have been in the War, or have been through traumatic situations, just like the characters in Dwelling. These groups of friends that every one of us have – regardless of how different they may be – have gone off in different directions, but the small things, and details that we experienced as children has created a permanent bond between you. It quickly shows where we would always be if they needed us. Hell, I can think of a couple friends now that are like ‘brothers’ to me – they know who they are. This makes the damaged characters found inside the novel as something we can hold on to; Something real. These five friends of mine have all been damaged, either emotionally, physically or even both. Because of this, they not only have to overcome the villain, but also their own personal ghosts and demons, either current or from the past!

Either way, I won’t go on too heavily about the book: it’s definitely something you need to experience [not read: experience] for yourself to fully understand. [buy a copy of Dwelling over here!] As I said above, it’s a heavy read, and at times – not for the faint of heart – but it’s great for horror fans, and veterans who understand the pain of War. If you found yourself to enjoy Dwelling, be sure to prepare for the sequel, Emerging, which is stated to be released on December 15th!

THANKS FOR READING.

What a week. From working almost every day to sleeping the whole day, [because of work] this week has been torture. I’ve been insanely busy and when I do get a free minute, I don’t want to do anything productive. This of course, includes writing on here. But now, it’s been over a week since I wrote about the awesome horror novel Dwelling and I’ve been feeling antsy to get back into writing – so here we are.

Naturally, when I woke up this morning, I did my usual routine: make a coffee, turn on my computer, and search the Internet for new and exciting things that are happening in the movie world. The first thing I notice is today’s topic – and it’s something I’ve been meaning to go over in more detail; especially after it was announced. But now we have a trailer, and…I’m skeptical. Let’s talk about it though, let’s talk Martyrs – the remake.

If you’ve seen the original Martyrs film, [which is both fantastic as it is terrifying] you’ll no doubt notice that this trailer makes seems to look more like a mean-spirited take Pascal Laugier’s original 2009 French film. It also seems to take away a lot of the mystery that the original had, only to try and make it “scarier” by filling it will even more torment and violence. Is this a good thing? Not entirely. Out of curiosity, I looked up some of the reviews for early viewers of this remake, and many were unenthusiastic, saying it lacked the same intense feeling that the original had. Not to mention, the original pushed their R-rating, while this remake is getting PG-13 – so…there’s that. I’m not saying all PG-13 horror is bad, I mean Insidious, Gremlins, and even Fire In The Sky were all rated PG-13; and I love these films. I just feel this means that this version of Martyrs is going to dramatically toned down.

As it turns out though, Anchor Bay recently set January 22, 2016 as a limited theatrical and Digital HD release of this reboot, which will eventually arrive on VOD, DVD and Blu-ray on February 2, 2016.. Feels kind of quick, doesn’t it? For those that don’t know what Martyrs is about – at least this version – here’s a plot synopsis and only you can be the judge if this movie sounds like your cup of tea. [or in my case; coffee]

“Ten-year-old Lucie flees from the isolated warehouse where she has been held prisoner. Deeply traumatized, she is plagued by awful night terrors at the orphanage that takes her in. Her only comfort comes from Anna, a girl her own age. Nearly a decade later and still haunted by demons, Lucie finally tracks down the family that tortured her. As she and Anna move closer to the agonizing truth, they find themselves trapped in a nightmare – if they cannot escape, a martyr’s fate awaits them…“

So does it seem worthwhile? I mean, maybe. I enjoyed the original [as extreme as it is] for what it was. It was violent, brave, and extremely horrific. This quick “Americanized” remake, seems to come off as toned down, but we won’t really know until it’s been watched. It has the same fearful elements of the original, but I can’t tell if there’s going to be the same horrific feeling that the came with the original French film. There’s already talks about how this remake is going to have a “happier ending to appease North American audiences”, so that alone has me concerned for the end result of this film.

If you find yourself to enjoy what I do on here, then please take a minute and follow me over on my Facebook page [it’s at over 128+ likes – only a few more and we’ll have reached over 130!] By clicking that “like” button, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted online; and I also share links to articles and pictures/videos that will not be featured here on the blog. Every “like” helps me a ton, giving me the ability to write more posts for you to read, so be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share The Facebook Page with your family and friends!

definitely not a film for those with a weak heart.

THANKS FOR READING.

After a long week, I’ve finally complied a list of my top 05 favorite films of 2015. It was a long year, wasn’t it? Tons of movies got released, and I saw..surprisingly, not a lot of them. For this reason, this list is going to be a little different: although I’m calling it my favorite of the year, I’m going to be posting movies I’ve seen this year. By this, I mean if a movie came out in 2014, which most of the films on this list are, but I saw it this year for the first time – it counts for this list. I mean, it’s my list..I can do what I want. So here we go, my top 05 movies that I saw in 2015, in no particular order. Be prepared though: not all of them are horror! [gasp!]

#01: Birdman [The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance]

What makes this movie so great is that it’s clearly a satirical look at Hollywood and the constant need to remain relevant in the entertainment industry. I will admit that the film does feel “artsy” in places, but if you want to get technical, some Hollywood actors love being unnecessarily artsy – they think it gives them depth. That was the entire point of this film, for Hollywood to turn the camera on itself and expose all of it’s own problems. [also, as proven in the film, Emma Stone is still a babe]

#02: WolfCop

I remember first getting an email about this movie before it was released and being both excited but skeptical, and for good reason. While it’s not a terrible film per-se, it’s not exactly “good” either. Still, it seems to use practical effects – which is nice – and it feels like an older B-Movie and the humor is good – at least at times – It just feels like ..weird. I will admit however, it being an original concept earns it points in my book! I’m eagerly awaiting WolfCop II [did I mention that these films are Canadian?!]

#03: It Follows

I ranted about It Follows a lot when it first came out, calling it the most unsettling film in a long time. It’s absolutely nuts and deserves the praise it got when it was first released. It’s not so much horror – as it’s not scary – more suspenseful-ly unsettling: every camera shot, every view from Jay, watching the film makes you feel involved – like no matter what you do: you’re trapped in this world of evil. **Be sure to check this one out if you like suspense.

#04: Tusk

I actually saw this one in theaters! After putting it off for the longest time — I finally got the chance to see Kevin Smith‘s newest horror film.. the film that wasn’t at all what I expected; which can be considered a good [and a bad] thing. Please be aware, this film isn’t for everyone, but..I enjoyed it. It’s weird, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s just plain strange.

#05: The Babadook

I waited a long time for this to hit Netflix, but when it did, I finally took advantage of seeing it – and it was worth every second. It’s an Australian film that doesn’t skip out on the scares. It has hauntingly beautiful cinematography, it’s really well acted, and even a little bit sad in it’s own right. After hearing so much positivity about it, I was begging for it to be as good as I was living it up to be – and it was! It’s not just cheap jump scares, it’s pure brilliance!

Obviously, there was a ton of movies I could have included in this list, including Mad Max: Fury Road, Gone Girl, and The Grand Budapest Hotel; but the fact is simple.. the list would go on forever. Thankfully, these are just 05 of the films I enjoyed most this year. I know I’ve been a bit MIA lately, but I swear there’s a reason for this. A lot is happening lately, and things are only going to get busier come 2016 [which I’ll explain more as the year continues] I hope you’ll all have an awesome holiday with family and friends! What were your favorite films of 2015? Did they make the list? Let me know in a comment or two!

If you find yourself to enjoy what I do on here, then please take a minute and follow me over on my Facebook page [it’s at over 128+ likes – only a few more and we’ll have reached over 130!] By clicking that “like” button, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted online; and I also share links to articles and pictures/videos that will not be featured here on the blog. Every “like” helps me a ton, giving me the ability to write more posts for you to read, so be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share The Facebook Page with your family and friends!

THANKS FOR READING.

Whether or not we want to admit it, 2015 is nearly over. We’ve had some hits and misses this year when it comes to movies, It’s almost as if for every great film, such as Krampus, we get a pile of garbage as well. I mean, if we’re being honest, The Human Centipede III was not a great film..at all. [but I trust that you knew that already, right?] With 2016 starting on Friday, I figured now was the best time to go back to our roots, and discuss some of the horror movies that I’m most excited for in 2016. Because this list is strictly horror, it goes without saying that I’m excited for some of the superhero films coming too – such as Deadpool and X-Men: Apocalypse. As with many things I write, spoilers are always a given..even if there are not, it’s good to give a warning just in case.

The Forest:

Start the year off right on January 8th, 2016 with The Forest – a film that follows an American woman who wanders into Japan’s very own Suicide Forest in order to find her sister. What makes this creepier is knowing that Aokigahara, or The Suicide Forest is an actual place..which is where this movie takes is said to take place.

The Witch:

Even though I’m tired of possession movies, I’ve been interested in this movie since I saw the trailer. On February 26th, The Witch follows a family in 1630s New England, who gets torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession. It looks like it will have a real disturbing vibe.

Rob Zombie‘s 31:

I mean, come on. Don’t tell me that you didn’t expect to see this one on here..especially with how it got an NC-17 rating..twice. I’ve talked a ton about this movie, and the internet seems to love the idea of it, so I won’t say much – just imagine killer clowns chasing a group of people. I’m predicting Halloween as a release date for this one.

The Boy:

Also coming sooner than the others is The Boy. [coming January 22nd, 2016!] As someone who thinks dolls are creepy enough as is, The Boy follows an American nanny who shocked that her new English family’s boy is actually a life-sized doll. After violating a list of strict rules, disturbing events make her believe that the doll is alive.

Of course, these are just a few of the many movies that are coming out this upcoming year. With more coming every day, it’s a wonder if I’ll see all the ones I’m interested in. 2015 felt underwhelming since I didn’t see as many movies as I usually do, especially cause a lot went down this past year. Hopefully 2016 will change that. With many things to come in 2016, I wanted to end this by thanking each and every one of you readers who have stuck with me this whole ride: it’s been crazy, and [as much as I say it a lot] I’m thankful there’s people out there that share my thoughts on movies, or at the very least – are willing to talk with me about them!

Today’s question is simple: what movie are you most excited for in 2016? Is it on this list? Which one? Let me know in a comment or two! Also, if you find yourself to enjoy what I do on here, then please take a minute and follow me over on my Facebook page [it’s at over 130+ likes – only a few more and we’ll have reached over 150!] By clicking that “like” button, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted online; and I also share links to articles and pictures/videos that will not be featured here on the blog. Every “like” helps me a ton, giving me the ability to write more posts for you to read, so be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share The Facebook Page with your family and friends!

THANKS FOR READING.

Unless you know me outside of the blogosphere [is that even still a word?] chances are that you’re aware that one thing I find fascinating is tattoos. I always have, ever since I was a kid and seeing the black panther on my Grandfather’s arm from his Navy days and thinking “heck, that’s so cool!”  I even have my own, it’s a heart on my wrist with the Japanese Kanjii for ‘love’ inside it. [kind of like this but invert the colors!] One thing that comes off as pretty common amongst tattoo fans are skulls, roses, and other fun things [even Grim Reapers for those cool kids!] but what about the horror fans of the world? Surely they have something special inked into their skin permanently , right? After doing some searching online, [which isn’t as difficult as I make it seem] I found a ton of people have horror inspired tats, and while not all are perfect, I figured I’d share my top 05 favorites that I found. I even managed to figure out some of the artists of the respective tattoo. Remember though: if you want a tattoo, make sure you really want it – these things are permanent. Now, let’s look at some of these pieces of art inspired by some of our favorite movies!

Remember the Re-Animator? Apparently this fan does, so much so that he got a piece that reminds us that even this cat’s nine lives would run out eventually.. or would they?

[artist: Jackie Rabbit – Source -]

Arguably one of the more famous horror films of the 80s, Hellraiser got itself more than just a fan [of flesh and blood!] when someone got Pinhead permanently added to their skin!

[artist: Ryan Burke – Source -]

Often considered the best vampire film ever made, Nosferatu looks pretty damn impressive in this piece.. Even better when you realize that it was a cover up tattoo!

[artist: Adi Earl – Source -]

Seems to me that this individual prefers their horror in black and white! With artwork from Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Bride Of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, Dracula, The Phantom Of The Opera and [much] more!

[artist: Chrisx Bren – Source -]

as someone who despises clowns, this tattoo which clearly channels Pennywise from It definitely reminds me why I have that very specific fear. It’s eerily life-like and it makes my skin crawl..no pun intended.

[artist: Mez Love – Source –]

With the way tattoos seem to be evolving every day, it goes to show that there’s more that one way to remind a horror fan of who/what is their favorite film/villain. Obviously, these are just some of my favorites that I hand picked specifically for this post, while there are still thousands of different styles/artists. So now I turn to you: would you ever get a tattoo of something from a horror movie? What would it be of? Of course, this is assuming you don’t already! If you do have one, please share it in the comments! I’d love to see what people have, and we could compare with one another! I would totally get an Ash from The Evil Dead done on myself…if I had the time and money available.

I believe I have made a significant find in the Kandarian ruins, a volume of ancient Sumarian burial practices. Sound familiar? If you’re a fan of a certain cult horror film, you’d know exactly where you’ve heard that before. Flash forward 30 odd years and today, we’re going full out spoiler mode with a post I’ve been wanting [but literally couldn’t right away] to write since Episode 03: a review on all 10 episodes from the first season of Ash VS Evil Dead. Technically, I already wrote a few reviews on the show [here’s my review of episode 01, and here’s another on episode 03] I’m expecting this post is going to be a long one, so long in fact; that this is going to be a two part post. This one is already really long, and tomorrow will be the FINAL few episodes – beginning where this posts ends. Also, if you haven’t already been able to tell, this post will explain everything that happened in season 01 plot wise, so if you haven’t seen the show, and plan on watching it.. don’t read this. At all. Because there will be spoilers everywhere. Ready to read a lot of words? Let’s go! 

Still here? Okay, good – let’s begin.

We start off 30 years after the original Evil Dead films, where we learn that a now constantly drunk Ash has accidentally read from the Book Of The Dead [all while getting high] and unleashed the Deadites..again. It’s pretty interesting actually, cause when we see him open the book, you can see sticky notes inside – presumably where he’s tried, and successfully begun translating the book on his own time! However, he’s working as a stock boy at another small town store, and has been living in a trailer park; constantly on the run from what happened all those years ago. When he does unleash the evil, we see the famous Evil Dead tracking shots as a result. [which is fucking awesome to see] With the help of a trusty and enthusiastic new sidekick Pablo and another store worker – the very attractive Kelly – this newly founded trio decides that it’s up to them to stop The Evil Dead. There’s also a cop, Amanda, who happens to blame Ash for all the Evil that’s happening. She’s important as well, as she shows up continuously throughout the season. [more on her later!]

This pilot was pretty damn impressive, giving hints to the original films, talking about previous characters, and even adding new ones. It shows us that Ash may have become a guy who keeps to himself and gets drunk all the time, but he’s still a fallible character; he does it because he’s been through so much that he doesn’t want to deal with it anymore; but does he really have a choice? Not really. This fantastic pilot episode ends with us seeing that Ash has a business card for a book store, which he calls the number on and mentions that they’ve spoken before about “a particular book.” This brings me to an important point in the season..

left to right: Pablo, Ash, Kelly

After seeing Lucy Lawless show up for a brief moment, with little to no explanation of who she is, we visit the episode titled Books From Beyond: where Ash and his new found gang decide to travel to a bookstore. [which shares the same name as the episode] Their game plan is to try to ‘unsummon’ the Evil through a passage inside the Book Of The Dead by the store owner, Lionel Hawkins, whom we’re left to assume Ash knows from calling a few times before. According to Hawkins, who translates the Book Of The Dead, it was written by an ancient group of evildoers called The Dark Ones. [okay, that could have been a little more creative..] These not quite human, not quite demon entities wrote some spells that supposedly have the ability to open portals into Hell, and unleash their demons into our world. As Hawkins puts it, “The book itself is harmless unless wielded by someone very evil.. or very stupid.” I’ll give you three guesses which category our supposed “hero” falls into..

Almost proving Hawkins‘ point, Ash‘s new great plan to figure out why the Deadites are coming back is to release another one from inside the book, if only to ask it questions. After looking through the book for a bit, they ultimately decide on a “minor, wimpy Deadite” [as Ash calls it] named Eligos who, as the Necronomicon claims,  is a “demon of the mind.” Which is proven when he can seemingly invade his enemies’ brain! [see this ‘new’ Deadite Eligos here] We also see very little explanation of who Lucy Lawless‘ character is. Every time we see her, She seems to know a lot about Ash, the Necronomicon, and the Deadites themselves.. She’s shown to have a Kandarian Dagger from Evil Dead II as well. By the end of the episode, Pablo suggests that his Brujo could help – but they haven’t spoken in a while.. Together; Ash, Pablo, and Kelly decide that they’ll head towards Pablo‘s old place and visit his Brujo.

Ash and Brujo

After setting more Evil loose from the book; Ash, Pablo and Kelly head to Pablo‘s uncle’s house for some answers.. After all, Pablo claimed he was even a shaman! While this episode was important, it also felt like the weakest episode. The majority of it has Ash sent out on an amusing [but long] acid trip throughout the rest of the episode. Kelly is shown to be having some after-effects from the fight with Eligos in the previous episode, almost like she is possessed by the demon. and in his mind, Ash, attempts to take down Eligos. Unfortunately, he is attacking Kelly. [which was probably what Elgios wanted] Pablo and his Uncle restrain Ash by knocking him out cold, and the episode ends abruptly there, on what could be considered something of a cliff-hanger.

Continuing where the cliffhanger ended, Ash and Pablo must fight to save Kelly from being taken over by Eligos, who seems to want to take her over. With time running out, the duo must defy all odds if they want to keep trio. Fighting Deadites was hard enough, but becoming one could spell murder for everyone.  While some of the interactions between the team and possessed Kelly were interesting [and actually felt like real Demon-extracting processes], this episode felt like Bruce Campbell was also required to give off a sense of helplessness as Ash, who seems to feel like he’s unable to help his friend for most of the runtime. It worked really well, and seeing a hard-ass like Ash feel helpless was heartbreaking.  Unfortunately, this episode also has Brujo‘s death, but it was good to see they didn’t just treat his death as an inconvenience – as a large portion of the episode was dedicated to his death therefore further building of Pablo‘s overall character as a result. This leads us to episode 06: The Killer Of Killers.

Now knowing what to do with the Necronomicon – thanks to that acid trip – Ash realizes what we’ve all been guessing all along. Ash [along with Kelly and Pablo] must return to where it all started: The Cabin from the original films. We also see our team stop at a bar for a little piece of cake, [y’know..to celebrate] while Amanda and Ruby arrive at Brujo‘s house, with his pyre still blazing, in search of Ash. [it’s a common thing that Amanda and Ruby show up one minute too late] Unfortunately, this episode ends with us hoping for The Cabin to show up..but doesn’t..for another few episodes. It’s not a bad episode, I just kept waiting for it to show.

And for now, that’s where I’m going to leave you. Like I said at the very beginning, this post was expected to be long. If you’re enjoying this, even with the spoilers, then please – come back around tomorrow [sometime in the afternoon] when I finish talking about the fantastic series/ first season that I’m already a huge fan of: Ash VS Evil Dead. STAY GROOVY!

[and] THANKS FOR READING.

After re-reading and noticing just how long PART 01 of this review was, it’s refreshing to know that we only have a few more episodes to talk about before the finale of Season 01.  If you’re only joining us now, [and have seen the entire first season of Ash VS Evil Dead] you should probably turn around and read the first part of this two part-er review. [which you can do here] Like part 1 though, there’s some crazy spoilers coming your way if you’re planning on reading this, so take that as a warning – because I’m not taking the blame for you spoiling this for yourself! If you’re ready, let’s begin talking about the end after the jump!

Starting from where we left yesterday, Ash and company [as well as being joined by Amanda, the cop] begin a search for a guy that Ash knows named Lem, in order to get some fire power to use against the Evil.. except Lem is having some kind of self-discovery as a Deadite. When they finally arrive at Lem‘s place – which is more of a military camp – all the other men who Lem was with are not happy to see them..at all. It becomes obvious that Lem has been slowly killing off everyone. These militia men decide that Ash and his team are the ones behind Lem‘s new found state and that they work for someone known as Big Brother. [it doesn’t helped by one of them remembering that Amanda is a cop] Essentially the whole episode gives us Kelly and Pablo on the run [and getting to know one another a little better] and Ash/Amanda getting to know each other more intimately. While I’m glad Ash has a female that he seems to be getting close to, I can’t help think of Linda from the original films and what happened with her when Ash and her got close. And then..and then it finally happened!

In the next episode, which is titled: Ashes To Ashes, we finally return to the cabin. We see Ash look at it saying “Honey, I’m Home!” and it gave me chills; it looks the same, it feels the same, there’s even references to what happened in the original films! The only thing that could be said negatively about this episode is that Ash‘s loneliness when he thinks about the past inside that cabin, I expected to be a bit longer and to bring us to a showdown with his hand..which it does [don’t get me wrong!] it’s just ended quite soon. Amanda, in good timing, arrives just seconds after he does. Which is short lived, because unfortunately, like all Ash‘s love interests, Amanda dies! The worst part? It’s technically Ash‘s fault..well, his hand that he chopped off 30 years ago ‘s fault. We learn that even something as small as a hand, when possessed, can spawn an entire body. It just happened to spawn another Ash. [and then, the episode ends..again..] I remember first seeing her death and thinking, “maybe Ruby – who seems to know a lot about the Deadites – can save her?” Sadly, I couldn’t be any more mistaken.

Taking place right after the end of the last episode, we see that [although she died] Amanda is still around.. and yes, she’s a Deadite. [no surprise there, am I right?] A pretty extreme Deadite too, there’s one scene before Pablo and Kelly reach the cabin, [they’re still on the run from the militia by this point] where Amanda attacks the duo along with a group of three campers, two of which she kills off easily [even going as far as reaching into their heads and using their mouths as puppets – no wonder Ash like[d] her! She’s funny!] Not long after, the suspicious Ruby [who we still don’t know anything about..yet] makes an appearance and fights off Amanda. After some talking, Pablo and Kelly take her to the cabin where she [somehow] convinces Ash to give her the Necronomicon [if you listen carefully, the book has some verbal input in the debate] by ‘passing it along to her’ and defacing [quite literally] the book. The “defaced” part of the book then attaches itself to Pablo, making him [involuntarily] go “half-Deadite”? I guess? Either way, Ruby claims this is in order to finish the fight once and for all. Except she doesn’t intend to ‘finish it’, but rather start it. Ruby claims she plans on summoning, not one – but all the demons from the book and destroy all life because, as Ruby explains, leaving us on another cliffhanger scene, she wrote the book. Yes. Ruby is exactly what I didn’t expect! Even though I’m not a huge fan of cliffhangers, It’s a great setup for the final episode!

you feeling okay there, Ruby?

The finale begins with the now known evil Ruby taking Pablo, who still has the Necronomicon attached to his face, to the basement of the cabin. Ash takes off after them while Kelly is left upstairs. This episode was arguably my favorite, being as it’s not only is it fun, it’s actually enough to keep you ready for more. [and then it makes you sad when you realize we have to wait for Season 02] The direction it goes in is sharp in execution and it’s clear that Rick Jacobson – who directed this episode – does an excellent job keeping it going at a fast and frantic pace. Like I said, The show is also, for the first time, genuinely scary. There are some good jump scares in the basement and thanks to a “particular book” attached to his face, Pablo pukes up a hideous child-like demon [probably the scariest creature in the series so far], all hell breaks loose as Ash is constantly forced to watch in fear, as his friend is slowly dying from a book he swore to destroy! [Pablo even asks him to end his life on a few occasions!] But the best part of this finale is subtle. During a scene in the basement – keep your eyes open for a Nightmare of a cameo..that’s right, Freddy Kruger is referenced for a split second! [or you can just click here, I found it for you!]

Speaking of genuinely creepy, there’s a particular creepy scene where Ash‘s flashlight is moving in the dark and Kelly calls out to it. As it moves closer and closer, it abruptly turns off.. only for the child-like Deadite to scream right up in Kelly‘s face! [I can’t lie – I jumped!] If I had to pick a downside to this episode though, it’s the somewhat strange conclusion. For some reason, we see Ash [apparently] agreeing to let Ruby have control over the book and unleash all evil upon the world..in exchange for a trip to Jacksonville, some gas money and Pablo / Kelly to be perfectly fine. Something about “all for the same of bringing balance.” It was strange and not fully explained, especially seeing Ash being so easily seduced when he was able to resist the temptations of the book before. Granted, it is an Ash like thing to do: give up everything for a small break back to the simple life. This is what he wanted..right? The season ends with the trio driving toward Jacksonville, only to have a sinkhole appear behind their car, showing us that they can’t turn back.

If I’ve learned anything from Evil Dead, it’s that girls covered in blood [in the rain] is something I find very attractive.

So there you have it: an entire review of the first season of Ash VS Evil Dead. It was a long type [especially being a two part-er]  and even though I enjoyed writing them, I don’t see myself writing a review on an entire season again for a while. [unless it becomes a thing people want, that’s another story] Overall, Ash VS Evil Dead blew my expectations out of the water with the atmosphere, the characters, and the similarities that made it feel like an Evil Dead film. I also really appreciated the fact that with new ‘versions’ of Deadites, and new revelations about the Necronomicon, it tells me that we know nothing. I can only imagine how Season 02 is going to start!

So as per usual, I’m going to turn to You: the reader. What did You think about the first season of Ash VS Evil Dead? Did you enjoy it as much as I, as well as critics, did? Or was it something that wasn’t your cup of tea? Why or Why Not? Let’s talk about it in the comments! Also, if you find yourself to enjoy what I do on here, then please take a minute and follow me over on my Facebook page [it’s at over 130+ likes – only a few more and we’ll have reached over 150!] By clicking that “like” button, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted online; and I also share links to articles and pictures/videos that will not be featured here on the blog. Every “like” helps me a ton, giving me the ability to write more posts for you to read, so be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share The Facebook Page with your family and friends!

THANKS FOR READING.

One thing I’ve always found extremely satisfying is the idea of [large] Forests. I like the concept of the lush atmosphere, the trees looming around, and most of all: the sunlight – peering trough the tree trunks, reminding you that there is an exit if you happen to delve too deep. But like many things I like, there’s usually a dark side to it, [I promise, I’m not just referencing Star Wars!] maybe there’s vicious animals living inside that forest, or maybe there is no exit, or maybe there is dead people among the trees…but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s rewind.

Another thing I’ve always had an interest in is Japan: with it’s culture, the way of life, the food – it’s all something I’d love to experience first hand if given the chance. Of course, this ties in with the first thing I mentioned – as Japan is home to many Forests, specifically one. At the base of Japan’s iconic Mt. Fuji lies one such Forest. Although beautiful to look at from a distance, [see it here!] at the base of this post card looking mountain lies [what some believe is] a haunted destination of broken souls known as Aokigahara, often referred to as the “Sea Of Trees”…or more infamously as the “Suicide Forest.” That’s right, that new movie: The Forest is based on this Aokigahara, and although I’ve read a lot of negative reviews on the movie, [which is unfortunate because I was looking forward to that one!] I’m here to talk to you about the actual Forest located in Japan. Be forewarned though, this has the potential to get very depressing, as we’re talking about a real place where people go to commit suicide. If you think you’re still ready to go forward, read on. I promise my next post will be more positive! Think of cats, or something that makes you happy while reading this: cause this post is about to get dark and depressing..

there’s still time to turn back if you wanted to..

From the very moment you step into Aokigahara, it quickly becomes obvious that something is slightly “off” about the place, mainly the eerie silence. The harsh density of the closely packed trees blocks any sign of the sun or wind, making it a dark and uncomfortable blanket of quiet. It doesn’t help either, when you begin to realize a lack of wildlife in the area.  The sounds of birds that you’d  come to expect to hear from a Forest are.. missing. Some have described the quality of sounds in Aokigahara as somewhat muted, almost as if they were being heard from another room. And that’s not even the scary part.. While walking around, people have claimed that they’ve ‘become aware’ of bizarre and creepy litter strewn about the forest floor. Things like pairs of shoes – both for children and adults – have been seen lined up on moss covered logs. Things like a packet of entirely mundane photographs, with song lyrics scribbled on the envelope. Even things like a child’s doll lying on top of the twisted roots of a [dead] tree. They seem out of place, even random, especially seeing as they come off as abandoned items left to rot among the trees. The thing is, even if they are random.. they give off a growing sense of foreboding and uneasiness.

Regardless of all this though, many tourists still visit the area [willingly!] to see the scenery and the numerous rocky caverns that are scattered throughout the Forest. Many of these caverns are deemed too dangerous to the unaware, with warning signs in front of most, and even amongst the thick trees..but for some reason, large numbers of visitors still brave the trek just to see them every year. But remember what I said above? Remember what this Forest is known for? That’s right, I’m talking about the poor, lost souls who come here every year to die.

That’s right! After all, it is called the Suicide Forest for a reason. Often referred to as “The perfect place to die,” Aokigahara is said to be the most popular place to commit suicide in Japan and the second in the world after The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Believe it or not, it’s been happening since [at least] the 1950s. This Forest has attracted ever growing numbers of people who come to the silence and the solemn for their final breaths, with the year 2003 seeing a record number of 108 suicides. What’s even more depressing is that these numbers are from the bodies that are found by monthly patrols and annual “body hunts,” which is when police and volunteers search the Forest for victims..

just some of the remains found in Aokigahara

Even if 108 seems like a lot of deaths, you have to consider – the number is likely even higher because of some of the areas within the forest such as: the numerous caves, crevasses, and caverns. Not to mention, the Forest’s ability to quickly and thoroughly decompose remains with how dead the Forestry is. Some of the bodies of these victims are stumbled across by accident by visitors, who, while hiking through the otherwise beautiful wilderness seem to come across the horrific sight of a corpse hung from a tree. The sad reality is that it’s quite literally impossible for police and volunteers to locate all of the deceased that seem to be hidden away within this dark Forest, or to accurately estimate how many have died. The only thing that seems to be known for sure is that every year, the number of those who come to Aokigahara to die seems to be increasing – yearly.

Of course, there’s many theories as to why these lonely souls drawn to Aokigahara. One of the more popular theories claiming it’s supernatural forces within the Forest that call them. Some survivors of suicide attempts [who attempted in Aokigahara] have told accounts of having the feeling of being somehow called to or ‘pulled towards’ the Forest.. or even having the inexplicable compulsion to make a trip to “visit.”

just one of many crevasses found in the Forest

This isn’t the only time Aokigahara has had mentions of paranormal happenings though. Even before records started being kept on suicides within Aokigahara Forest, the area had long been seeped in spooky lore and mythology. This Forest was long believed to be the living space of demons and ghosts who lived among the trees, who enjoyed terrifying travelers. It is also theorized that it was once a popular place for the [very unfortunate]practice of something called ubasute – a custom which has a sick or elderly relative who was purposely abandoned in a abandoned location such as a mountainside or [in this case] a Forest, only to behind: left to die – in the case of Aokigahara, locals claim that the victims of ubasate had became vengeful ghosts, and started living among the trees; preying on the weak.

Needless to say, Aokigahara is a very sad and very real place. It’s claimed the lives of thousands, if not more; with the number ever growing. Today’s question is somewhat difficult to answer, so I understand if you don’t really know how to respond: why do You think people go to Aokigahara? Is it really “the most beautiful place to die?” Or are these people being called by demons, vengeful spirits, or some other indescribable evil force? Let me know what Your thoughts are in the comments below. If you aren’t entirely sure of an answer, fear not! Because in all honesty… I feel that only those lost and forgotten souls – the ones who spent their last moments in this dark and quiet shadow-like Forest of Mt. Fuji – will ever know the real answer for sure..

THANKS FOR READING.

As you’ve probably caught onto while reading things I write on here, I’m a fairly regular lurker over on IMDb. [I often tag a movie I mention with their IMDb page] When not using their pages for posts on here, I enjoy looking up movie trivia, and even sometimes even reading [and commenting] in the forums. But when looking up a few behind the scene features on the Saw franchise [I actually do this a lot, for many movies] about the traps, something caught my eye: in the section that tells a reader what other movies they may like, [based on the movie page they’re currently on] I saw something.. something titled ” Saw VIII ” with a tag line stating “ARE YOU WORTHY?” . Wait. Seriously? Yes – Seriously. [here’s the IMDb official page for it!] I started doing some research on it, and naturally, various rumors and a lot of fake trailers for a “Saw 8″ have made appearances on YouTube and even message boards. But going back, to IMDb, it looks as if it was added a while ago, with the original writers [Leigh Whannel and James Wan] and Tobin Bell, who plays the John Kramer himself, have been added to the cast and crew section. Curious, I dug deeper. Eventually, I came across on the 31st of March 2015, Lionsgate uploaded an image from SAW V onto it’s Facebook page, seemingly without out of no where. Not just any picture – this picture. But trust me, it gets better. As expected, people went crazy over this picture, as proven by it’s nearly 10,000 likes. In one comment, someone [who’s has been whited out for obvious privacy reasons] says “So let the games continue!” and how does Lionsgate reply?

Of course, other than this reply, [which, in all honesty: could mean anything] not much is known about this ‘sequel’ other than Tobin Bell, Whannel and Wan are back. Another possible hint as to another film showed up a few months later, in May 2015, when a site called Release Date Portal put up an article titled ‘Saw 8 Release Date June 2016‘. The article isn’t really anything special, and it doesn’t confirm anything, but it does include some interesting quotes from producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules about their plans for making another Saw film, and about bringing the original writers back on board:

” James and Leigh…when Saw came out they were so afraid of being ‘the Saw guys’ and they were trying to make their own mark. Now that they’ve made their own mark, they’re very comfortable to come back. It’s one of the reasons we agreed to do this again…Our goal is to go to Comic-Con, not next summer but the summer after [ by this point, they would have meant 2016] with our heads up saying, ‘Alright. Here we go!’ “

Realistically, this would mark the first time a SAW film hasn’t come out a year after it’s previous sequel. Speaking of that last sequel, by the end of [the terrible] Saw 3D, we see Cary Elwes – Dr. Lawrence Gordon putting Hoffman – as played by Costas Mandylor – in the original film’s bathroom trap. For a lot of fans, myself included, the final SAW movie was kind of bland; and almost a cop out for the series. What happened to Hoffman when he got locked in the bathroom? It’s implied that he dies in there, but does he? This is only one of many questions that “the final chapter” left for viewers, and if we’re being honest: we need at least some of those questions answered. Mainly being, does Gordon become the next Jigsaw? It’s not like he can just shrug off what he’s done, and go back to a normal life..

So the question[s] remain: Do YOU think SAW VIII is really a necessity – Why or why not? Also, if we do get an eighth installment in this series, what do YOU expect to happen? Let me know in the comments below! As for myself, I’m curious, but I’m glad that they’ve waited longer than a year to make this. Maybe they’ll have a fantastic story..at least better than “the final chapter” which no one likes to talk about..

As always, if you find yourself to enjoy what I do on here, then please take a minute and follow me over on my Facebook page [it’s at over 130+ likes – only a few more and we’ll have reached over 150!] By clicking that “like” button, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted online; and I also share links to articles and pictures/videos that will not be featured here on the blog. Every “like” helps me a ton, giving me the ability to write more posts for you to read, so be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share The Facebook Page with your family and friends!

THANKS FOR READING.

A few days ago, I was going through my email, unsubscribing to newsletters and websites I no longer use when I came across an email about an account I hadn’t thought of – let alone remembered – in a while: Newgrounds. If you’ve ever been on the site, you’ll quickly notice that it still looks the same, almost like a relic frozen in time. Naturally, I looked around the website, checked out a few flash animations, and ended up where I used to always end up: the flash games. Like the site itself, the games portal seems very much the same as it always was: minimalist formatting and categories on the left in a row.I went through a few games, but decided instead to see if I had any games “saved to my profile”. Sure enough, I had a few – six to be exact. One game, really stuck out to me: almost like it was familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why. This game was none other than Maryse. It’s a simple click-and-point game, and it’s also very short; but holy crap does it ever deliver in the scare factor. It’s atmosphere and dark colors make it feel kind of like a Silent Hill game.. if Silent Hill was in 16bit.

In the game, you play as Maryse – Who is woken up on a stormy night by her a light on computer. [which she seems to have left on overnight] When you go over to it, she explains that she doesn’t remember leaving it on, but she quickly dismisses this notion when she notices she has a new message; from someone she doesn’t know. [the sender didn’t leave a name]

This message is somewhat bleak, only saying “They Are Coming For You.” Quickly dismissing it as a prank, Maryse decides to get a drink from her kitchen, probably to relax and go back to sleep, when she hears something – or someone – from behind her door. She calls out, but after getting no reply, she decides the best course of action is to hide in her closet. Good thing too, because this thing suddenly appears:

that’s…gross looking.

By this point in the game, I assumed that Maryse can see through the cracks in her closet, because after seeing…that, she decides she needs to leave her apartment.  She gets dressed and leaves through the door. [which looks a lot like Super Meat Boy] However, almost immediately after leaving, a note is seen pinned to the door, asking how she is. Also, it looks like it’s inked in blood! More scared than she already was, she heads for the elevator, when the monster [from the picture above] appears again, screeching at her. [headphones on full is probably a bad idea] She dashes into the elevator, if only to catch her breath. I swear her luck isn’t that great, because the elevator then breaks: causing her to hurt her head and end up in the basement of her building.

It’s from here you have to escape the basement, and ultimately: the building. I won’t describe how/what to do any further [I have to leave you some surprises afterall] in Maryse. Like I said above, it’s fairly short but but it’s definitely worth your time if you’re looking for a quick scare. The best part is that it’s a free-to-play game! If you’re a fan of horror and you grew up playing Super Nintendo, you’ll love the play style and the art design of Maryse. Does this game sound like something you’d like to try? CLICK HERE to play it and tell me in the comments what You thought of it. Also, one quick thing: I’m planning something new for this website. I’ve said it before and never ended up doing it but starting on Sunday, I am officially beginning this new segment – when it will reach the actual blog, I’m not sure yet. [time to edit, etc] I’ll explain more as it comes closer!

But as always, if you find yourself to enjoy what I do on here, then please take a minute and follow me over on my Facebook page [it’s at over 130+ likes – only a few more and we’ll have reached over 150!] By clicking that “like” button, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted online; and I also share links to articles and pictures/videos that will not be featured here on the blog. Every “like” helps me a ton, giving me the ability to write more posts for you to read, so be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share The Facebook Page with your family and friends!

THANKS FOR READING.

Remember Kevin Smith‘s Tusk? It’s difficult to believe that came out four years ago, isn’t it? I remember when it was first released, I had read somewhere that Smith had claimed that Tusk was only the “beginning of a ‘Canadian Terror’ trilogy.” I looked into it, and I found out that this was fact. As it turns out, The plan is for a trilogy of films, all set inside the same universe. Today’s movie, Yoga Hosers, features the returning characters of the two convenience store girls – Colleen and Colleen – [Depp & Smith‘s daughters] along with Johnny Depp returning as Guy LaPointe. The rest of the actors will be different characters; according to Smith, he wanted to bring everybody back since they got along so well in Tusk. Now the cool thing is, he also said there would be other references to Tusk in this one [he said people refer to the “Manitoba Manatee” to which the girls reply “it was a walrus”.] I don’t know much about the 3rd movie other than it will be titled “Moose Jaws” and is supposedly to be like Jaws… but with a moose. [why are you so surprised?] All this information is coming from when he has talked about it on his podcast.

The important thing to remember is that this clip was shown at Sundance this year, and like most of his films, Kevin Smith is a writer you either love or hate. In his new installment Yoga Hosers, we follow “Colleen Collette and Colleen McKenzie, two teenage besties from Winnipeg who love yoga and live on their smartphones. But when these sophomores get invited to a senior party by the school hottie, the Colleens accidentally uncover an ancient evil buried beneath their Canadian convenience store.” In this first clip from the film, we see Colleen and Colleen talking to the “school hottie” about a certain party, and for some reason – it tries to look all..artsy? [I don’t even think that’s the right word for it] Let’s check it out below!

Now, maybe it’s because I’m not a teenager anymore, but I’m really confused by the conversation that’s shared between all these teens. Although, from a film point of view, maybe that was the point; maybe we weren’t meant to understand to show that teenagers are not understandable..or maybe I’m looking too hard into it.

Ultimately, I’m excited for this to get wide-spread release, I was excited for Tusk, [hell, I was part of the #WalrusYes movement] and I love the feel that comes from this clip. I know it doesn’t seem like the biggest and best new film from Smith, but it’s important to note that it seems these movies – Tusk, Yoga Hosers, Moose Jaws – are being made for him. He’s not looking for high class fame from them, he’s not trying to say he deserves every award by making them; if anything [to me anyway] it comes off as he’s doing this for fun; for himself. I think that’s what film making should be. Yes, do it for the fans as well, but for the most part – do it for you. [that was deep]

[left to right: Harley Quinn Smith, Lily-Rose Depp]

Like always, this is where I turn to You: are You planning on seeing Yoga Hosers when it receives wide-spread theater releases? Why or Why Not? Based on the poster, [which the above picture is taken from] it certainly has a color palette of the 1970s, which could be a good or a bad thing. If you’re interested in learning more about the Sundance Film Festival, make sure you check out their official page here!

Also, if you find yourself to enjoy what I do on here, then please take a minute and follow me over on my Facebook page [it’s at over 135+ likes – only a few more and we’ll have reached over 150!] By clicking that “like” button, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted online; and I also share links to articles and pictures/videos that will not be featured here on the blog. Every “like” helps me a ton, giving me the ability to write more posts for you to read, so be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share The Facebook Page with your family and friends!

THANKS FOR READING.

Just like we learn in grade 09 -at least, I learned it in grade 09- Art is an expression of the human mind. It’s different to everyone, and it can leave you confused or sometimes, in awe. But what if a piece of art left you stunned..because it was like nothing you had ever seen before? Especially if that type of art was a self portrait, but was not as simple as just drawing your own face on a piece of paper. Today, we are going to talk about a different type of self portrait, which was titled “Self“. Ever heard of it? It’s not exactly a new piece. If not or even if you have, READ ON:

Back in the early 90s, British artist Marc Quinn started one of the most bizarre art projects in history – making detailed self-portraits.. from his own frozen blood. You read that right, his own frozen blood. He has actually been making a “new one” every five year or so since then. Yes, I will admit they’re strange, but there is actually a reason behind why he makes them!

According to Marc Quinn, he created his “Self” portrait series as a way of recording the changes of his face throughout the years of his life, and if you look closely enough at the four blood portraits [which I’ll share below] he has made so far, you’ll notice that his face has in fact matured over time. [although that is to be expected] You would think that he could have used a more common material for his artworks such as paint or something more solid; but realistically, the message wouldn’t have been as powerful as using his own blood. As said by Scientific American magazine,

“by crafting these heads out of his own blood, Quinn reconnects us to the the fact that in the fullness of time, no artist’s attempt at immortality through self-portraiture will prevail. And of course the series will presumably end in the course of the artist’s life, so the artwork’s time-dimension has a death of sorts as well.”

Self 1991

For each of his frozen portraits, Quinn claims that he uses anywhere between four and five liters of his own blood, which is extracted over a period of five months. [thankfully, not all at once!] After creating a detailed mold of his face, he then froze the blood to create his “portraits.” As expected, they are to be maintained in refrigeration units at a constant temperature of -15 degrees Celsius, to prevent them from melting. His latest “Self” sculpture is held alongside other famous portraits at the National Portrait Gallery in England, while some of the others have been actually been bought by foreign galleries. [or private collectors] Quinn has also said he likes to employ biology and genetics in his works, in order to expresses how art and science work together. As an artist, he has worked with a variety of other more “conventional” materials, such as glass, gold and ice. Be sure to check out his other “Self” portraits, down below!

Self 1996

Self 2001

Self 2006

Can you imagine making a self-portrait of yourself..made of your very own frozen blood? What do You think about Marc Quinn‘s “art”? Is it an awesome new spin on a familiar concept, or is it something that is considered too creepy to be in a museum? [or even bought] Let me know Your thoughts down below! If you want to check out Quinn‘s other artwork, be sure to check out his website as well!

Also, if you find yourself to enjoy what I do on here, then please take a minute and follow me over on my Facebook page [it’s at over 135+ likes – only a few more and we’ll have reached over 150!] By clicking that “like” button, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted online; and I also share links to articles and pictures/videos that will not be featured here on the blog. Every “like” helps me a ton, giving me the ability to write more posts for you to read, so be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share The Facebook Page with your family and friends!

THANKS FOR READING.

If you’re a regular on warrenisweird, you’re probably feeling like we’ve talked about this before; and that’s because we have. Back in mid January, I talked about how Saw VIII was still possible, and now The Tracking Board has confirmed that Lionsgate is working on another sequel..and it’s official title is “Saw: Legacy“. This.. could mean anything. Remember, for fans of the series, Jigsaw‘s games came to a “close” with 2010’s Saw 3D [sometimes titled “Saw: The Final Chapter”], which was considered the end of the franchise.. But if you remember, the final scene set up a world that could easily be expanded; especially because this “finale” didn’t answer all the questions that we were given. Considering Lionsgate hasn’t made a new Saw film in over six years, it’s clear that they took the time to take a breather from the series. I, along with countless other fans have talked abut the seventh Saw wasn’t…couldn’t… be the end, and as proof; the studio has even considered remaking Wan and Whannell’s original film – which is often called one of the most important horror films of all time. [or at the very least, of it‘s time]

The only weird part of all this is who is writing the story. It isn’t Wan or Whannell, or even one of the writers of the many sequels.. it’s actually going to be Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger – who we know as the guys behind Sorority Row, Piranha 3D and Piranha 3DD! Naturally though – being as it’s their characters/original story-line – James Wan will executive produce this “new chapter” with Leigh Whannell at his side.

I always thought this ending was a cop-out – there’s no way it was the “finale”..

One of the things I always found most interesting about the Saw series is that it was meant to tell a single story across all the sequels. I mean, sure, it may have ended up a complex, and wild web of flashbacks, but at least it wasn’t just the same story over and over with a different cast every time. It did try to follow one big story and The Final Chapter did leave threads hanging for possible future contributions. At this point and time though, there’s no sense trying to guess at what Saw: Legacy will be, or what it’s trying to accomplish. Will it be a continuation? A reboot? Maybe a prequel showing John Kramer becoming Jigsaw? Nobody’s saying anything. But one thing’s pretty much certain: there will be blood.

I’m very curious what they’re going to with the franchise. I used to love the fact that every Halloween meant another Saw film, and now I feel they’ve been bled dry. [haha…sorry] But, seeing as they waited six years, and didn’t just churn out another film just to say they did, I’m thinking pretty positive..so far. Obviously, there’s no trailer, details, or even pictures that have surfaced [this news only became public in the last day] So, the next we’ll see a movie from James Wan will be The Conjuring 2, [June 10th, 2016] which I’m actually fairly excited for! But enough about me. What do You thing about yet another Saw film? Is this something that you’ve been hoping for? If so, what do you think is going to happen – a prequel? Sequel? Or maybe a reboot? Let me know in the comments below!

Also, if you find yourself to enjoy what I do on here, then please take a minute and follow me over on my Facebook page [it’s at over 135+ likes – only a few more and we’ll have reached over 150!] By clicking that “like” button, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted online; and I also share links to articles and pictures/videos that will not be featured here on the blog. Every “like” helps me a ton, giving me the ability to write more posts for you to read, so be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share The Facebook Page with your family and friends!

THANKS FOR READING.

I’m not the only one who sees that right? Is that you.. Freddy Krueger?

Unlike what I initially thought, I actually enjoyed James Wan‘s The Conjuring: it was suspenseful, it was dark and claustrophobic at parts, and it was genuinely scary. I didn’t expect that, especially from a movie involving a haunting – which I’m really tired of seeing on film. Now we have the sequel, The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist, and while the trailer looks promising; I’m both curious..and worried. The problem is that almost every time we get a good horror film, [such as the first Conjuring] a sequel almost always follows – and doesn’t give the same feeling that the first one gave us. Who knows? Maybe The Conjuring 2 will be different. I don’t know. I just wants the same claustrophobic feeling that the first film gave me, and I’ll be happy with the film’s outcome. I like you Wan, give me hope.

That being said, there is a new set of posters for The Conjuring 2, and they have just been released, both of which have a strong point of highlighting that this film is, “Based on the True Case Files of The Warrens“. To further cement this, one poster shows [the beautiful] Patrick Wilson as Ed Warren, holding forth a small cross with a look of [an intense] fear across his face while the second, shows [the even more beautiful..if that’s even possible] Vera Farmiga’s Lorraine Warren, pressed against a wall – crucifixes in the background, a rosary [wrapped tightly] around her fist.. with a shadow of an arm reaching out for her, her expression: terrified. [I’ll be posting these posters at the end of the post..whoa – talk about an accidental tongue twister.]

Hitting theaters on June 10 2016, The Conjuring 2 also said to start by mentioning The Amityville Horror case, which I think is a really interesting starting point – start with something familiar to horror audiences, and then tell of the infamous “Enfield Poltergeist,” which if you know your history, took place at a council house in the Brimsdown village of Enfield, England during the late 1970s. But you’re not here for a history lesson, you’re here for the posters.. so let’s take a look, and see what’s happening..in The Conjuring 2.

Also, really quickly [I’ll get into this more in detail later on] I want to branch off super quick onto something completely off topic to The Conjuring 2. If you’ve noticed these past few weeks, I’ve been either late with a post, or I’ve just been anywhere but writing on here. [I even mentioned a while ago something has come up] There’s a legitimate reason for this and I think I’m ready to mention it on here: as of last Friday, I was accepted to the Funeral Preplanner course at College [in Toronto, though the course is entirely online] and to prepare for it, I’ve been doing major research. This is something I’ve been wanting for forever. It’s a stepping stone in the process of becoming a Funeral Director, but it’s something I need to do. Obviously, as warrenisweird is a hobby, and this is full-time career/school talk; the school planning is much more important. Now, I’m not going ANYWHERE, warrenisweird will still be around, and I will have updates and horror movie posts every chance I get – it just may be slightly more delayed than I want it to be. The big thing about this is that the course is online, so come September; I won’t be posting here as frequently. Hell, most of yesterday morning [which I really wanted write something on warrenisweird] involved calling/emailing about six different funeral homes..because second semester is an Internship! [a paid Internship!] I need to get that down before September because that’s almost, if not most, important. So, quick recap: warrenisweird is not going anywhere. I’ll still be posting here as much as possible. I just don’t know how much “as much as possible” is.. I’ll be writing a full post on this news both on here, and on my Medium account so please, if you were planning to, don’t ask too many questions about this, I’ll answer these questions when I write a full post on it. ANYWAY, what were we talking about again? I kind of trailed off, didn’t I?

Oh yeah, The Enfield Poltergeist:

above: Forensic illustration by Joe Nickell based on a photo in This House Is Haunted

Are You excited for a second Conjuring film? Why or why not? Maybe, like me, you’re tired of haunting films – or maybe you just don’t enjoy horror..[if so, you’re in the wrong place pal!] Let me know in the comments what You think about these two new posters.

Also, if you find yourself to enjoy what I do on here, then please take a minute and follow me over on my Facebook page [it’s at over 135+ likes – only a few more and we’ll have reached over 150!] By clicking that “like” button, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted online; and I also share links to articles and pictures/videos that will not be featured here on the blog. Every “like” helps me a ton, giving me the ability to write more posts for you to read, so be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share The Facebook Page with your family and friends! I’ve also been writing way more reviews on my Letterboxd account, I’m trying to review every movie I watch, [both new and older] with my most recent reviews including Deadpool and The Revenant and you can be damned sure that The Conjuring 2 will be reviewed on there as well, so follow me on Letterboxd if you like movie reviews!

THANKS FOR READING.

What a week! From working every few days to calling many different places for the Internship I need to secure in January, I’ve had a very busy few days. This, of course, would explain my absence on the blog. As I said in the post before, I will be posting, but it won’t be as frequent – and with a job opportunity that might happen tomorrow, I have the possibility at full time employment before the Internship. So you can understand my frustration and extreme workload as of late. But you aren’t here to listen to me whine, you’re probably here because of that Facebook post last night. You know – the one that had a picture of a shrunken head!

Let’s get right to the gritty bone of it: If you are reading this, expecting this post to be an instruction manual on the ancient practice of head shrinking, or “Tsantsa” – the making of an actual shrunken head – then you have come to the right place! This post is going to look into the process by which severed human heads are “shrunk” to roughly the size of an apple, and the reasoning behind this process. As you could probably expect, it’s also possible that this post could be considered to be NSFW, as it is based on actual head shrinking so please; be advised of this ahead of time! Otherwise if you’re still here, let’s talk about some shrunken heads.

Although many would follow this “exercise”, the main tribe known to practice head shrinking are the Jivaroan tribes – found in forests of Ecuador and the Peruvian Amazon. These Jivaro Natives were brought to the attention of the world because of their unusual custom of shrinking the heads of their enemies, but also because of them being one of the very few societies to have revolted against the Spanish Empire. There are various dialects in the Jivaroan tribes such as  – the AShuar, Aguaruna, Huambisa, and the most famous of them, the Shur; which will be the group we’re looking at today. These natives were highly superstitious and even impulsive, which would often lead to wars between themselves. The Shamans and medicine men would normally fall victim to attack, usually due to being accused of sorcery and/or black arts. Be aware that, at the time, these people did not have any concept of natural death and saw each [and every] death as having had a supernatural cause and therefore, the individual needed to be avenged. Scarily, at the ripe age of six, young Jivaro males were taught to hate neighboring peoples/tribes, and that the death of an opponent had meant reward in blessings, long life, riches and ultimately: the death of one’s enemies.

Even though it varies, the original reason behind the practice was a religious one; the tribes often believed that by shrinking the head of their enemy, they could “harness” that person’s soul and make it do their bidding. It was also a way to stop the soul from returning to our world in order to hurt the living and avenge his or her death. It is important to note that The Shuar tribe believed in 3 fundamental spirits:

Arutam – A vision or power that protects a person from a violent death.
Muisak  – A vengeful spirit who comes into being when a person carrying an Arutam spirit is murdered.
Wakani – Innate to humans and is a guardian spirit.

In order to stop a Muisak from using its evil powers, the head of a victim is [quite literally, as seen in pictures] shrunk and the mouth and eyes are sewn together as a way to paralyze the spirit. This method prevents that person’s soul from leaving the head and take revenge upon the murderer. This would also help to stop the victim’s soul from entering the afterlife and harming the murderer’s dead ancestors along the way.

Now for the main event of this post: the process of shrinking the head. It wasn’t a complicated process per say, but a lengthy one. Taking up to 14 steps, it starts with the actual decapitation and ends with making them “wearable” pieces. Let’s break it down, step by step:

01 – After an attack on an enemy the members of the Shur tribe would kill their victims and quickly decapitated them with a machete. On a rare occasion, the captured enemy would still be alive while the head was removed.

02 – The head is removed below the neck and a piece of skin from the chest and back is also taken off with it. The entire process is meticulously carried out in order to preserve the original likeness of the victim.

03 – A slit is made up through the nape of the neck and up the back of the head, the warrior now peels the skin and hair very carefully off the skull. The victim’s skull is discarded by the warrior and left by the river as an offering the anaconda or “Pani”.

04 – The eyes are sewn shut with a natural fiber, the lips are also sewn together but these are later skewered shut with little wooden pegs. The pegs are then later removed after the boiling process.

05 – The head skin is then transferred to the cooking jars and cooked for around 90 minutes; any longer and the hair falls out so it is important to remove before this time.

06 – The skin takes on a dark color, becomes rubbery and is about a quarter of its original size.

07 – The skin is then turned inside out and any flesh that is still sticking to the inside is scraped off.

08 – The skin is then turned right side out and the slit at the back of the head is sewn up.

09 – Stones from the fire are then placed through the neck of the skin and rolled around to stop them from burning the inside. This makes the skin shrink even further, and when the point comes that the neck becomes the same size as some of the smaller stones, they are removed.

10 – Hot sand is then poured into the head through the neck. This gets into all the smaller areas in order to shrink the skin even further and shape the detail in the heads features.

11 – Any excess hair is burnt off and the skin hung above the fire the harden and turn to black.

12 – Then three “Chonta palm pins” are put through the lips and they are sewn together with a natural fiber.

13 – The whole process from start to finish takes around 1 week, usually with the warriors working on them on their way back to the village.

14 – Before the warriors enter the village for the Tsantsa celebration, they make a hole in the top of the head so that it can be hung around the neck.

As proven by this list, it wasn’t a pretty process. As expected, it’d be a dirty, and complicated situation that took great care. Although their reasoning wasn’t exactly sound – such as teaching young tribe members to hate others at an early age – it’s still something that is interesting to think about. If the list above is too long for you to read, you can also watch a video recreation of the process.

So now I turn to You. What are Your thoughts on Tsantsa – or head shrinking? Is it an interesting concept, or is it something that should be considered “dark magic” and shunned away from? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! If you find yourself to enjoy what I do on here, then please take a minute and follow me over on my Facebook page [it’s at over 145+ likes – only a few more and we’ll have reached over 150!] By clicking that “like” button, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted online; and I also share links to articles and pictures/videos that will not be featured here on the blog. Every “like” helps me a ton, giving me the ability to write more posts for you to read, so be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share The Facebook Page with your family and friends! I’ve also been writing way more reviews on my Letterboxd account, I’m trying to review every movie I watch, [both new and older] with my most recent reviews including newer films such as  Deadpool and The Revenant!

THANKS FOR READING.