The Guardian (Book 1979)

After reading The Sentinel there was absolutely no choice but to read The Guardian. I had heard great things about this book from my dad, he had read it when he was a teenager. So I impatiently awaited my book to arrive from Amazon, and when it did I read it in only a few days. From the start I knew I was in for a good story.

Upon opening the book I see an illustration of men and women with white eyes and it says:
You are about to experience the most paralyzing terror ever unleashed...the final hour of evil. One step beyond the very boundaries of belief...it has already begun.

This book was amazing. It is without a doubt one of the greatest horror fiction books I have ever read, even beating alot of Stephen King books. This book is severely underrated and forgotten, people don't know what they're missing.

The story centers around Ben and Faye Burdett and their life together. When they move into an apartment and start to witness weird things it becomes apparent that they're going through what Alison Parker went through. And when Ben finds out his wife is picked as the new Sentinel/ Guardian to guard the gates of hell from hell leaking onto earth. What will Ben do to save his beloved wife?

This story was particularly better than its predecessor The Sentinel because this one was higher stakes and more on the line. Satan is on earth and waiting his time to take over. It's up to Ben and the help of Father McQuire along with the Catholic church to stop Satan from claiming the thrown. But how can they do that when Ben is protecting they're chosen Guardian, Faye, from being picked as the new Sentinel? He must find another way. But is there one? Or is he fighting a hopeless battle?

This book is filled with non stop suspense and twists. It leads you in one direction and then bangs a sharp right and switches on you with jaw dropping turns of events.

The Characters were well written and genuine, alot of character development as well. It's heart racing speed and adrenaline makes you feel in the moment and you're scared for the characters.

The ending of this book is absolutely amazing. One of the best endings ever written. I won't give it away but lets just say that so far this gets my Book Of  The Year Award. I wish I was into this book sooner. My heart dropped to my feet when the ending unraveled.

Now as I mentioned in last months The Sentinel review, The Guardian was never made into a movie for whatever reason. I think this would make a great movie and would love to see it happen. I'd go opening weekend for this one. It deserves the movie treatment as much as The Sentinel did, and if The Sentinel did as well as it did then the fanbase for The Guardian has got to be there as well.

If they do do the movie at some point in the movie I can only hope that they do it as close to the book as The Sentinel. If they do it'll make a fantastic horror film.

I would prefer to have the movie made as a direct sequel to The Sentinel and I'd like it authentic, really looking old and in the same fashion as it's predecessor. One thing I can't stand is when a movie is a sequel or prequel to an old movie and they don't try to keep it true to the other film, they don't pay attention to detail and it always ends up looking more modern. And so it doesn't fit with the other, just like with Prometheus and Alien. The ship in Prometheus was way more high tech and definitely didn't look older than the ship in Alien which is was supposed to be. I'd want this movie to fit right in with the other.

But on the other hand, if a remake of The Sentinel is what it takes to make The Guardian an authentic film to The Sentinel then bring it on. I'll be iffy of a Sentinel remake but I'm a supporter if it'll get The Guardian made.

Read this book if you want a good horror read that'll keep you on the edge of your seat. It's highly recommended.

THIS BOOK GETS 4 REAPERS OUT OF 4

Grimm Reviewz Remembers: Night Of The Demons (1988)

Night Of The Demons is one of the greatest 80's horror films made, to me, it's at the top of the list of best 80's movies when you think back on it. This movie was the pure definition of that particular era, it is everything about 80's horror we love inside one scary little box.

It has bad acting, an annoying cast of misfits, cheese, gore, lots of bloody awesome gore and it's entertaining as hell and one hell of a watch. The scares are top notch and the entertainment value is on the same level. If you're a fan of the genre in that time period then you're conditioned to alot of the things mentioned above, and you more than likely feel the same way about another movie or several.

Night Of The Demons tells the story of two girls, Angela and Suzanne who are throwing a Halloween party in the local haunted house. Supposedly the house belonged to a family using the home as their business, a funeral home, and they were practicing Satanism. They all died in a car crash. But something goes wrong when the group of misfits and troublemakers find the house to be holding an evil presence from the previous family. And one by one they begin to become picked off...and possessed! From there on it's a fight for survival.

Stooge: Ang, you can't really believe this place is possessed.
Sal: Nah, just repossessed!

I remember when I first saw the film the part that scared me the most was definitely seeing Angela turn for the first time. She was scary looking! I remember being over my neighbors house when I was a small child and they owned a copy on VHS, and I remember seeing Angela on the cover and it scared the hell out of me! I swore to never watch that movie after that. But that of course is before I grew up and could watch all the horror films I want.

It's crazy thinking how a movie can have that effect on you at such a young age and yet it ends up becoming one of your favorite movies in the genre. Same thing happened to me with The Evil Dead.

I think the most suspenseful part for me was when you knew Angela had become possessed and she's dancing in the strobe light. The anticipation was nail biting. I had to look away a few times trying to avoid being startled by a sudden movement or action causing me to jump.

DID YOU KNOW?

LINNEA QUIGLEY HAD TO COME IN AND PRACTICE EYE GOUGING

The cast in this movie was undoubtedly annoying, but they were a fun cast and even if they did get on your nerves they still gave you plenty of laughs. And you still cared for them, knowing the grave night that was ahead of them wasn't deserving.

And the opening scene was amazing and totally struck a chord to the inner kid in me, instantly showing me that this movie was going to be fun and enjoyable. I also loved the theme.

DID YOU KNOW?

PRODUCED FOR A VERY MODEST 1.2 MILLION, THE FILM RAKED IN OUTRAGEOUSLY LARGE GROSSES IN ITS LIMITED RELEASE. DEBUTING IN DETROIT, IT HIT NEW YORK CITY AT THANKSGIVING AND EARNED 3.109M, HOLDING SCREENS UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR.

How could you help but not hate Stooge but turn around and laugh at him the next. I knew this dude was trouble and he proved me right. I remember him turning into his demon form the first time and it startled me. He made such a nasty looking demon and you knew he was a dirty, gritty character, and that's never good in a demon movie.

Stooge: Festering ****wads! You cannot take this bitch anywhere, man.

DID YOU KNOW?

HAD THE FILM OPENED NATIONWIDE WITH THE NUMBERS IT EARNED IN DETROIT, IT WAS PROJECTED TO HAVE EARNED $13 MILLION DOMESTICALLY IN ITS OPENING WEEKEND- WHICH WOULD HAVE RANKED IT AMONGST THE TOP GROSSING HORROR FILMS OF ITS DECADE.

The old man in the film that we see in the beginning ended up playing out brilliantly! And his closing scene was a great salute to fans of the genre, not only ending on a high note, but making it bloody and demented. Satisfying the horror fan in us. It was particularly good to me because I didn't see him playing a part in the movie as he did. Good stuff.

Now lets get to the most memorable scene in the movie- the lipstick scene. WOW. No one saw this coming and it was especially impact-full because the effects were so damn good! It looked real. Totally shocking and brilliant scene. It was one of those scenes where you go out of the movie talking about it.

Suzanne (Linnea Quigley) uses her lipstick in the proper way- on her lips to 'freshen up'. She then shoves the lipstick into her boob. Right dead center in the nipple. And like I said, it looked very real.

DID YOU KNOW?

LINNEA QUIGLEY (SUZANNE) AND SPECIAL EFFECTS ARTIST STEVE JOHNSON MET WHEN SHE CAME IN TO GET THE MOLD FOR HER FAKE BREASTS FROM. THEY WERE LATER MARRIED.

Angela: Blessed be the sinners, for the day of atonement is at hand.

Sal: Say what?

I remember the ending of Angela's party when daylight arises and I loved it. I thought it was so scary seeing these dead friends/ possessed friends coming at you and wanting you dead. Being only two survivors of the movie, you know so serious crap went down. I loved seeing the demons turn to fog and disappear. It was a simple trick but was done tactfully and not cheesy.

The gore in this movie was top-notch and lovable to any fan of the genre. They were very well done, and the possessed looked scary as all hell. Like I mentioned earlier, Angela scared me as a child and that's why it took me so long to see the movie. The most memorable is the eye gouging scene. It looked unbelievably painful.

Angela: Oh don't tell me you're leaving? Sal wanted to go...but he decided to stick around! 

[shot of Sal with a wooden stake through his heart]

DID YOU KNOW?

NIGHT OF THE DEMONS WAS SHOT IN 4 WEEKS

Angela: [shouts] Come on! Your face looks fine. I have never seen anyone spend so much time in a mirror!

Suzanne: Relax! I just wanna look good for the boys. You did remember to invite some cute boys to the party I hope.

Angela: Of course I did, and we're gonna scare the sh*t out of them.

In conclusion I'd like to encourage anyone viewing my page to see this movie for their own sake. If you love horror and love 80s horror then do it. You can't go wrong. You'll enjoy it. If you don't find it scary you'll find it funny, if you don't find it funny you'll find it scary. It's entertaining and a true underrated gem.

Night Of The Demons was one of the last horror movies of the 80s and it reminded us by slapping us in the face with everything we love from that era and genre in one fun, gory and extraordinary horror film dedicated to fans like us. For those of us who get it, we love it.

This movie is cemented as one of my all-time favorites and frequently comes up in almost any horror conversation I have. I could watch it over and over. 

I later heard that there was a 6" cardboard stand-up that was made available for fans of the movie when the movie was released. I wish I had one of those...I may hunt one down and get it for the mancave.

Coming Next Month

Grimm Reviewz Remembers

Dexter Season 7 Two Minute Sneak Peak

If you follow my blog then you know that Dexter is my favorite show ever. I'm a super-fan, so to speak, so if you're like me and love this show then you're impatiently awaiting it's return like me. Especially after such a epic cliffhanger season finale. Well hopefully this will hold you off. Enjoy!

Mum & Dad (2008)

RATED- R 
RUN TIME- 84 MINS
WRITERS- STEVEN SHEIL
STARRING- PERRY BENSON, DIDO MILES AND OLGA FEDORI
DIRECTOR- STEVEN SHEIL


Synopsis taken from IMDb
Mum and Dad, and their 'adopted' children, Birdie and Elbie, work at the airport. The family lives off whatever they can scavenge from cargo holds, offices and hotels- including a steady stream of transient workers who populate the airport's souless hub. When Lena, a young polish office cleaner is befriended by Birdie, she gets drawn into a nightmarish world of torture, murder and perversity. Imprisoned in a suburban House Of Horrors and designated a 'Mummy Girl', Lena's only options appear to be to become part of the family- and join them in their insanity- or die.




Going into this movie I had no idea as to what to expect, especially when the film started to show you what it was made of. It's soul, it's core is a very brutal and surprising movie. Very twisted and sick and disturbing, but also a good watch. I was shocked at a few key points where they go places I would never of expected.

This film didn't resist to show you any brutality or gore. The second I knew this film was to be taken seriously was when they showed Dad masturbating with a human organ from a previous victim. Very sick scene, but the scene showed you that it was making a statement.

Perry Benson, the man playing Dad in the film did a great job of playing a scumbag. He was dreadful and a disgusting person. The worst part about it was that he and his wife acted like they were the normal one and everyone else was wrong. They were totally convinced by their convictions. They live in their own special reality where if you don't like to torture and murder like they do, you're wrong.

Not only are they stuck in their ways, but they actually kidnap children, and make them live under their conditions. The children have to take part in their sick doings and if not they're scolded. It's their initiation into their 'family'. By the title of the film I didn't expect much but this movie hits hard.

They punish their 'children' in ways of degradation and humiliation. They break you into submission and into being submissive and living their way and agreeing that what they do is right. They want good children who will partake in their family ventures.

Their other children who've they already broken into being part of their family are just as bad. Helping to torture their new sibling and get her in as much trouble as possible. It's the sister of the family who's the worst, trying to get our lead Lena, into as much trouble as she can. Even planting cell phones for Lena to find and then calling it to reveal to Mum and Dad that Lena's hiding a phone.

I thought the acting in this movie was well performed and executed, genuinely making you feel sorry for Lena and hoping she can find an escape or a hero or some sort of saving Grace.

As the movie unwinds and Lena starts to realize what she has to do to survive in this family the movie starts to build anticipation, making you await Lena's big move and if she'll even make one. Or merely breakdown and give in like her other new siblings have done.

Can she survive? Can she make it out or will she become a slave to her environment and current way of living?

This film delivered and had a solid ending, I won't spoil it for you, but it's a bloody one. I was satisfied with this ending. It reminded me much of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974).

This movie is available on Netflix Instant. So if you're a Netflix subscriber check it out when you're in the mood for a good and bloody horror film.

THIS FILM GETS 3 REAPERS OUT OF 4