THE CONJURING Blu-Ray giveaway!

Well sickos, "The Conjuring" landed on Blu-Ray and DVD yesterday. And I'm here to give a copy away!

All you have to do, is run your mouse over the GIFs and post your favorite freaky fact into the comments section below! It's that easy guys. I'll be posting the winner's name on Friday, October 25th. That gives everyone two days to get their entries in. Posting your favorite freaky fact enters you into into the contest, and I'll randomly pick the name of an entrant to take home the prize. Good Luck!

Based on a true story, the movie tells the horrifying account of how famed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were summoned to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse which they recently bought. In fighting this powerful demonic being, the Warrens find themselves in the middle of the most terrifying case of their lives! 

*NOTE* When you post a comment in the comments section below, it will not show up immediately. I first review the comments before they're posted, to weed out any false entries. Your comment will be added after I've approved it.

*GUIDELINES* Each household is only eligible for 1 The Conjuring Blu-ray via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.


1) The Conjuring is directed by the acclaimed James Wan, the Australian-born director of the fright-fests Insidious and the Saw series. His Twitter handle is @CreepyPuppet. Say no more. 2) The Conjuring has been given an “R” rating by the MPAA. Not because of blood, gore, or violence, but simply because it’s just so scary from start to finish! 3) The Conjuring’s cast and crew experienced creepy events during filming. Scratches appeared out of nowhere on Vera Farmiga’s computer soon after she agreed to act in the movie, the crew were routinely woken by something in the “witching hour” between 3 and 4AM, and the real-life Carolyn Perron fell and broke her hip while visiting the set. 4) The Rhode Island farmhouse where The Conjuring is set once belonged to an accused witch, Bathsheba, who tried to sacrifice her children to the devil and killed herself in 1863. 5) Hold your applause! The Conjuring will make you terrified to clap! Whether it’s playing a traditional game of hide-and-seek by following the clapping sounds like the mother and daughter in the movie, or being terrorized by ghostly claps in different rooms of the haunted farmhouse, these claps throughout the movie will give you the creeps!

CARRIE: THE MUSICAL

Although the "Carrie" remake did pretty well this past weekend, coming in third and grossing $16, 101, 552, I'd say it's opening weekend was a success. However, I wasn't at a showing of the film, because I was one state over, in North East, Maryland at The Milburn Stone Theater attending the musical adaptation of the tragic story. I'll be seeing the new movie later this week, but with a musical of this criteria, I had to prioritize. 

Not much to my surprise, there's some serious talent involved in this stage performance! And with such a broad cast, it was a genuine relief to see it go over so well. AJ Melendez, a former American Idol Juniors finalist plays Tommy Ross, Carrie's prom date. Melendez not only is convincing in his performance, but has a great voice for the role. 

Then you have Christy Wyatt, who plays Carrie's only friend, Sue Snell. Christy not only plays the biggest role in the act, but also was narrator of the entire show. With a solid stage presence, and elegant vocals, she carries the show quite well. Add to that, Wyatt is also a resident of Delaware, like me, and many others of the cast. Having graduated high school as a vocal and musical theater major, she's been in numerous stage performances and is currently a freshman studying the Elementary Education major at the University of Delaware. 

When I asked Christy what preparations she had to make in order to get into the role of Sue, she said, "I think I'm a lot like Sue in real life. I'm very studious and I often keep to myself. Like any teenager, I can relate to making bad decisions and wanting to make things right after the fact, so it was easy to draw from that for my character." 

And of course, you have the main focus of the musical, Carrie, played by Megan Valle. The high school senior has a dance background of 14 years, and plans to go to college for a BFA in musical theater. And if her singing and acting in this musical have anything to say, she's going far, I hope. She plays the character of Carrie with almost perfection. She's got the look, and really is suitable for the role. She's utterly convincing in her execution of the character! 

Valle told me, "I tried to pull from certain events or feelings that related to Carrie. Everyone in their life has been bullied or called certain names, and I took that emotion that I felt during that certain incident, and exemplified it during the show." 

All around, being entirely truthful, the entire cast is phenomenal, and it's easy to tell they work for it. Throughout the entire show, there wasn't one hiccup in a single performer! This really stood out to me, because I usually always encounter some sort of screw up amongst the cast whenever I attend things like this. So, it was a serious relief and surprise to see this local show done with such precision. Everyone on stage should give themselves a pat on the back. It's no surprise that every performer, individually and collectively, received a massive standing ovation when it all ended! 

The music is great, and really gets the audience going, and keeps them interested and invested. Although some of the lyrics can be a bit dark, this musical never loses it's quirkiness due to the high-energy acting and vocals of every single person on the stage. 

If I were to use criticism, all that I can really muster to mention is that although the music is big, the effects aren't. And I would have liked to see a more fitting stage setup. But, the thing is, the tunes and showmanship out weigh any negatives that you can find or point out. It's a whole hell of a lot of fun, and everyone in the crowd enjoyed themselves, just like I did. It's worth seeing over the music alone, but you get so much more. I'm really glad that I got to see a film that I hold dear, turned into a show that is done with complete professionalism. 

But don't take my word for it, take Christy Wyatt's. "I don't think there's a kid out there who wouldn't find some part of this show that they like. It is really unlike anything out there..."

If you didn't get to see it last weekend, it's not to late! This coming weekend there will be another show from Friday to Sunday. If you're in the area, check it out. Trust me, you've got nothing better to do. Swing over and show some support. And enjoy yourself.

For tickets and other information, click here.

THE LOVED ONES (2009)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 84 MINS
WRITER(S)- SEAN BYRNE
STARRING- XAVIER SAMUEL, ROBIN McLEAVY, AND VICTORIA THAINE
DIRECTOR- SEAN BYRNE



Synopsis taken from IMDb
When Brent turns down his classmate Lola's invitation to the prom, she concocts a wildly violent plan for revenge.

I am actually late to the game and just viewed this flick for the first time last week. This is one that came up during a horror discussion I was in, and I was strongly recommended to give it a watch. So, I did. And now, I can see what all the fuss is about!

First of all, before we get into the more detailed stuff, let me say how writer, Sean Byrne got something right, he composed a very simple story. So many horror films nowadays try and show off with an overload of special fx, and/or cgi. The majority of film makers fail to see how you don't need a complicated story or plot to make a good horror film. All you need is a basic, primal emotion to feed off of, such as resentment or revenge.  And you need the right mind to execute that idea right. All I'm saying is, this movie is a prime example of how you don't need anything out of reach to make a solid genre film.

Upon watching, I found the humor injected into the film, and actually laughed a lot. That being said, I also cringed a lot, and found myself not wanting to move from my chair! Once I started watching, I found it hard to pry away. It's not a long film either, so it's all paced very well and keeps you invested.

I can't really think of another motion picture like this, it's in a class on its own, really. It's a new type of revenge story, but keeps true to the gritty nature of what we'd expect to see. It also crosses a few lines that you don't expect, and has some very painful-to-watch torture scenes.

Lola (Robin McLeavy) is played to perfection, and is one twisted chick! I liked the concept of this film, it's something new and different, yet impeccibly simple. It's actually fun to watch even though it can be brutal in nature.

One of the things that I really took to, is how Lola's father is just as screwed up as she is, if not more! The fact that he's in on everything along with her, really sets off how screwed our lead character, Brent (Xavier Samuel) is. Basically, the point to the story is that you need to watch what you say to people and how you say it, just in case they turn out to be a crazy. In this case, being rude to a female who asks you to prom can end up being the worst choice of your life. You just never know when the girl you're making fun of with your friends may turn out to be a psycho, and make you pay for it in ways you don't want to imagine. 

Looking at the full picture, it's just as much about survival as it is torture. And I'm extremely impressed. This is one that left a good impression on me, to say the least. I actually plan on buying it on Blu-Ray as soon as I catch up on all the other movies I have to buy and catch up on. I'm telling ya, watching and reviewing movies is a work that you can get drowned and overwhelmed with, but movies like this are why I do it. Whenever you find that diamond in the rough, it makes it all worth it.

So, in other words, if you're like me, and late to the game on this one, go find yourself a copy and watch it asap! It's damn good, and I wish I was ahead of the ball on this one. But, one of the best things about watching so many movies is that regardless of how many you've seen, there's always ones you find that you didn't know about before. If you like creepiness, gore, and laughs, then you need to see this. Essentially, it's a horror film that has it all! 

7TH DAY (2012)

RATED- UNRATED
RUN TIME- 80 MINS
WRITER(S)- MARK LEAKE
STARRING- CHAKA BALAMANI, HELENMARY BALL, AND ALEX BARONE
DIRECTOR- JASON M. KOCH



Synopsis taken from IMDb
A pervert, murderer, and hopeless romantic, Allen Dean is on a a 7-day journey to discover his real true love. He is torn between Denise the waitress, who he believes he loves, and his first true love, murder.

Every now and again, there's a film that'll make you take a step back and shake your head. Such is the case with "7th Day". Even though there's a very good amount of dark humor, some have even compared it to "American Psycho" (2000). But, although there's quite a bit to laugh at, it's not a funny movie in any way. In fact, it's very disturbing due to its realism, and partially why I liked it.

Viewing the film, you're following Allen (Mark S. Sanders) for the duration of a week. In that week, we learn a lot about Allen, and what makes him tick. Very chilling performance, and although the acting wasn't anything of brilliance, it is done effectively. He doesn't understand why he's a psychopath. He thinks he was born the way he is, and truth is, he's just desensatized to all of the trauma that he's undergone. As the viewer, it's clear as day where his problems began and why he is the way he is.

His mother was basically the whore of the neighborhood, his brother did some despicable things to him growing up, and his father committed suicide in a very stomach churning way. Yet, Allen talks about all of this as if he were discussing what he wanted off of a menu at McDonalds. He's so resigned to it all, that he doesn't think it's out of the ordinary or abnormal. So, to subconciously take out his hurt and anger, he enjoys the torture and slaughter of random "selections". Within the week, we see him at his dishwashing job, all the way to how he hunts and stalks his prey. You really get to see all sides of the box with this character, and it's why the movie has the effect it does.

Allen's obsessed with Denise (Daisy Gibb), a waitress from his job. And his relationship with her really shows you how delusional he is. He sees one thing, and thinks something else is going on. You really see how out of touch he is with reality, and it's unsettling and very believable.

Aside from the story, there's also some fantastic visual effects by Aftermath FX Studio who also did work on "V/H/S/2" (2013). There's actually not an abundance of gore shown throughout but, there's plenty to go around in the scenes where it's present and we see Allen at work!

Though the pace seems a bit drawn out at times, and as I mentioned, the acting suffers, but there's still a lot to watch this movie for. Very rarely does a film of this quality achieve the effectiveness that it does. It sounds typical, but you may really want to wash your hands after giving it a watch. It leaves you with an uncomfortable feeling...

The overall presence of this film is one that you won't forget. Despite its flaws, it'll stick with you and really get under your skin. The realism of it really sets everything off, and works very well. Give it a shot when you can find it, and prepare yourself. It's not the grossest or most disturbing thing you'll ever see, but it's one you'll talk about, for sure.