World of Horror- Videogames As Art

Inspired by the eldritch horrors from the world of H. P. Lovecraft and the strange surreal works of Junji Ito, this roguelite point and click videogame is a wholly unique proposition. It's MS Paint 1-bit aesthetic is wonderfully evocative and creates an aesthetic rarely seen on games. The composition of its shots demonstrate an awareness and deep knowledge of the visual vocabulary of folk horror and thrillers.

This sense of mood and atmosphere is very evocative when playing and the effective soundscape and soundtrack helps further this sense of unease. The game has a intimidating looking CRPG interface and, after getting my head around it, the game was pretty easy to play. Here are some screenshots from my play.

The Color Out of Space- Cult Film Review

Whilst suffering decision paralysis, caused by having too many choices available on Netflix and Amazon Prime, I came across a film that popped up and intrigued me… The Color Out of Space. I was familiar with the short story from H.P. Lovecraft, having read it about 20 years ago, and had loved the strange premise of a meteorite landing on a farm and bringing dreadful consequences for the creatures and humans that lived in the area. However, I didn’t know how this story could be effectively adapted for the screen as Lovecraft’s Cosmicism and existential dread, about humanity’s insignificance in the eyes of unknowable beings, would lose its power if the creature (in this case, a colour) were presented on screen as nothing is scarier than the unknown. So, suitably intrigued I selected to see who was involved and upon seeing Nicolas Cage front and centre, it kinda clinched the deal for me that this was a must watch… the man is an enigma and is pushing acting boundaries- both good and bad.

I watched the movie late at night over a couple of days and, at times, it felt like a strange lucid dream. In fact, on the second night I had to rewatch 10 mins from the previous night as I wasn't sure that I hadn't fallen asleep and dreamt it. I can reassuringly say that no, I hadn't dreamt it and yes, it was in fact as strangely, magnificently, hauntingly beautiful as I had thought.

I only knew the director, Richard Stanley, from the amazing documentary Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau when he went into the rainforest and survived off the land, playing an extra under disguise after being fired from the film shoot. However, based on this film, I can say that he is a solid director and has great vision which would have made Moreau a more exciting proposition than what we ended up with.

The Color Out of Space is a glorious B- movie and the whole feel is very The Thing or, more recently, Annihilation as it is a slow burn that slowly brings out the scares without being too graphic or gory. Cage keeps it reigned in for the first hour before he starts to Cage Rage out but he never goes Full Cage (FC) or gives the powerhouse gonzo performance we are used to and expect (Think The Wickerman bees scene). Rather, this is a more tempered and measured approach with occasional FC elements like the alpaca shooting and 'family always sticks together' speech. The rest of the supporting cast are solid and play it straight.

The cinematography is stunning and there are moments of pure spectacle. The trippy visuals and practical special effects give the film a timeless vibe in that the CGI is very good for the budget and the practical effects work well in an 80s way- the period it most recalls in its homage to the sci-fi horror genre. The soundtrack by Colin Stetson is reminiscent of dark 80s synth wave but also with some heavier beats. Overall, it's an excellent soundtrack that complements this unusual film.

I know that this is the first of a planned Lovecraft trilogy and I eagerly await the next one, which I hope will happen even thought this film was disastrous financially but won general plaudits from fans and reviewers alike. If you have a spare couple of hours and want something very unique, this may well fit the bill.

LINK- Children of the Stones: Cult TV Series Review

LINK- The Stone Tapes: Cult TV Review

LINK- Dead of Night: Cult TV Review

LINK- Tom’s Midnight Garden: Cult TV Review

LINK- Children of the Dogstar: Cult TV Series Review

LINK- Supernatural (BBC): Cult TV Review

Under the Mountain - Cult TV Review

I first came across Under the Mountain when I was carrying out research on another cult TV series, Children of the Dogstar, which I found out about when researching about Children of the Stones. From what I can gather Children of the Stones was exported to America and shown on Nickelodeon in the early 80's alongside Under the Mountain and The Witches and the Grinnygog under the banner 'The Third Eye'. This collection of series is fondly remembered as an oddity, especially at a time when America was quite strict on what could be shown on children's television and ensuring shows promoted traditional Christian values. These series must have caused quite a stir at the time as they were never shown again after their initial showing. I'd never seen Under the Mountain but was intrigued enough to seek the series out and here is my Cult TV retro review.


The series is about red-headed twins Rachel and Theo Matheson, who visit their uncle and aunt for the Summer in Auckland, New Zealand. The twins notice a strange neighboring house and sneak into the house to find out more about its owner Mr Wilberforce. The twins realise that they are in the part of a prophecy to defeat an ancient evil which lurks beneath the house and under the mountain. With the help of an old friend they will have to fulfill their destiny and stop the evil from taking over the world. This series is based upon the novel "Under the Mountain" by Maurice Gee and is told in 8 parts over 22 minute episodes, each ending with a cliffhanger and a providing a deeper sense of mystery until the final explosive confrontation.

This story is heavily influenced by the works of H.P.Lovecraft, with the theme that creatures beyond our comprehension are here on earth and are ready to take over. The young twins, played by Kirsty Wilson and Lance Warren are very believable and earnest, especially Wilson who carries much of the emotional weight, especially the scene where they are discussing xenocide. There is a real feeling of dread and scares in this series and I'm sure that if I was the target audience at the time of it's original release I would have felt suitable scared.

Under the Mountain features a lot of external shots and taking into account that it was shot in New Zealand the scenery is wonderful, I'll resist the temptation to say anything as trite as 'the real star of the show is the scenery' or 'New Zealand is a character' but the geology and natural history of the country is integral to the story and adds a lot to the feel of the series. Due to its age the special effects are dated, the costumes are of their time (think mates 70s/ early 80's Dr who and you'll get the idea) and in today's hyper aware world Mr. Jones comes across as a little predatory, but this doesn't detract from the atmosphere or excitement of the story at all.

As someone who had never seen the series before and thus had no feelings of nostalgia I can say that considering its age the series stands the test of time well and is definitely worth a look.

Gravity Fall Complete Series Review- No Spoilers

Gravity Falls is a special place—a town that feels like it's just a stones throw from Twin Peaks and a hop skip and a jump from the island in Lost. In this land oddities including rainbow vomiting gnomes, mermen and ghosts roam free. The series involves twins Dipper and Mable, who are sent to stay for the duration of the summer holidays, with their Uncle Stan (Grunkle Stan) at the Mystery Shack, a ramshackle building housing fake phenomena. There's no Log Lady but there are a stereotypical miner Old Man McGucket, Lazy Susan and manchild Soos; a colourful range of characters that give Gravity Falls a wonderful eclectic cast that brings the place alive.

The series is 39 episodes long and is similar to The X-Files in structure in that there is a story arc, as well as a monster of the week. The central mystery is where the monsters are coming from and who is the author of the 3 tomes that Dipper discovers which describes the phenomena in the town in great detail? Over the course of the 39 episodes many questions and mysteries arise. The cliffhanger at the end of series one was reminiscent of the end of series one cliffhanger in Lost but this one had the writing chops to pull it through to the second series and continue wonderfully through the second series to a satisfying conclusion.

Gravity Falls is a Disney production, surprisingly so, as it does feel like it would feel more at home on the Cartoon Network alongside Adventure Time, Over the Garden Wall or Stephen Universe. It feels edgy and on the nose, especially when you consider the age of its target audience but there is a definite heart and maturity to it that has led to a larger adult and maturer teen fanbase who enjoy the cryptography and codes that litter the episodes, but without excluding the younger viewers. During the course of the show over 3 years, thousands of fan theories abound, each week after each show discussion boards would be ablaze dissecting the details in intricate and exacting detail. The last time I saw this kind of clamouring around a series was with Lost when it was at its prime and in gaming when Bioshock Infinite wowed/ confused us with it's ending.

The final episode of Gravity Falls was on earlier this week and I won't spoil it here but I will say that the ending was a wonderful way to tie up the series and had a huge emotional punch. The character arc is beautifully realised here and unlike Lost, the ending was worth the many years of waiting and delivered. The pure wonderful weirdness of the final arc, the 3 part Weirdmegeddon, truly encapsulated what made Gravity Falls such a pleasure for its fans. The stakes were high and it didn't patronise its audience, there was real danger and real cost and true character development, something a lot of animation has lost today.

There are very few series that are as well conceived, written and executed as Gravity Falls and when an animated series leaves you thinking about parallel dimensions, alternate universes and man's place in the cosmos then you know there's something special. There are few shows that quote or are influences by Satre, H.P. Lovecraft or Danielkewski.

Gravity Falls is the perfect example of what other kid shows should strive to achieve. If you haven't watched Gravity Falls yet, look it up. You'll be glad you did.