This Week in Horror

I keep lapsing in my horror blogging, and for that I am truly truly truly sorry. For the first time in a very long time, I keep getting distracted by this thing called REAL LIFE. Shocking, I know! I don't know what to do with myself anymore! Anyway, here is what I shall be blogging about in the next two weeks:

• Movie Review: Them (French Version)
• Movie Review: Let the Right One In (Swedish Version) 
• Book Review: Darkness Under the Sun by Dean Koontz
• Book Review: Haunted by Joyce Carol Oates
• Book Review: The House by Bentley Little

And, for those of you who love the show True Blood, I'm going to do an episode-by-episode review of season 2 while I watch it! I am very much looking forward to staring at Alexander Skarsgard for a while! 

Your Empress,

Mina

Let Me In

Dearest Readers,

Today has been the most productive day ever! I am incredibly thrilled that I can say this is the first time I've even had a chance to sit down and write something down because I've done sooooo much academic work today! I feel ahead of the game! I know that officially it is Valentine's Day, but as a single female, I do not celebrate such an atrocity....I celebrate Singles Appreciation Day (S.A.D.) So, happy SAD everyone!

Today I will be reviewing the movie Let Me In. Let Me In is an American remake of the Swedish movie Let The Right One In (originally a novel by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist). I'd like to preface this post by saying I have neither read the novel or seen the Swedish film, so my opinion is solely based on my experience with the American film.

LET ME IN:

This movie was amazing. It was hauntingly beautiful but not scary, so don't watch it expecting to jump or have nightmares. Though there is blood, the driving force of this movie is the plot and the relationship between the 12-year old vampire girl and the lonely young boy who cares about her. Admittedly, the story started off slow, but I didn't mind because I enjoyed just watching the lovely cinematography. The visual aesthetic of the set really solidifies the atmosphere of this story. The acting of the two young stars was absolutely incredible! They seemed so mature and believable in this film that I am now expecting very great things and very long careers for both Chloe Grace Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Also incredible is the fact that while the plot is a bit predictable at times, it is not cliche. The ending, while generally expected, still has several interesting details that create a heart-wrenching and bittersweet resolution.

Things I Loved:

• The chemistry between the actors and the incredible acting performance by the two main characters
• This was a vampire romance that was not sappy or Twilight-esque! It elicited zero eye-rolls!!!

Things I Did Not Love:

• I would have liked the movie to be a bit scarier than it was.
• The pacing could have been a bit faster.

Again, I hope everyone has a lovely day whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or S.A.D.

Love Always,

Mina 

True Blood and More....

Dearest Friends and Fiends,

I am back! In the not-so-immortal words of Lady Gaga, "I'm on the right track, baby. I was born to survive!" Sometimes, life doesn't go as planned, and it really gets you down. Well, the past few weeks have not been very happy, and thus, I did not so much feel like blogging! Alas, things must get better. I plan to force them to become better....starting with more blogging and horror immersion! So, let the reviewing begin!

TRUE BLOOD SEASON ONE:

Now, I'm going to admit, I read all of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books, and I was afraid that I was going to be torn between the books and the TV show....but I was not at all! I genuinely like both of them equally because they are so very different!

Now, for all you nay-sayers out there, YES, True Blood is pretty campy. It's not always the most engaging of TV shows or the most intelligent, but it's a great guilty pleasure! It's a nice diversion from reality, and it is surprisingly hilarious for such a dark show. However, I'd like to issue a brief warning: if you are squeamish with blood, sex, or swearing, perhaps you should avoid this show since it is rife with all three.

I found season one at my library (I work in a library, by the way...shocking, I know!) and I checked it out. I loved it so much that I actually went ahead and purchased season two from Amazon! It has already arrived in the mail, but I might not review it until spring break (Mid-March!).

Season one of True Blood started out a bit slow, at least in my opinion (keep in mind, that some "shocking" things didn't shock me since I read the books first), but as the season progressed, I really started to enjoy everything, especially the things that weren't in the books. I really enjoyed the major airtime of Lafayette/Tara/Tara's Mother. However (*spoiler alert*) I didn't like the Sam/Tara hookups because it seemed out of character.

Jessica's character does not exist in the books, but she made the last few episodes incredibly enjoyable! I am really looking forward to seeing how her character develops in the coming seasons! Also, Alexander Skarsgard, if you're reading this, I just want you to know that you are exceptionally hotttttt!

Things I LOVED:

• All the gore!
• Jessica!
• (Alexander Skarsgard) Eric's appearance!
• Pam's dry humor 
• Hoyt's gentleman-like behavior and innocence (it was endearing lol)
• Grandma Stackhouse (I wish my grandma was as awesome as Sookie's instead of being a psycho) 
• Tara's acerbic tone

Things I Didn't Care For:

• Sookie's air-headed behavior (This didn't happen constantly. She seemed strong and independent a few times as well, but this stood out to me more).
• Bill - He's sort of irritating and not very attractive
• Sookie's cat dying (I love cats!) 
• Alexander Skarsgard was not in EVERY episode....

Well, hopefully, this week will be pretty productive! I plan to review the movies "Legion," "Let Me In," and "The Last Exorcism" as well as reviewing the novella Darkness Under the Son and maybe another book review as well.

Have a terrifying week,

Mina Raquel Fae

Yeah, I suck, so what?

Dearest Readers,

This week, my blogging may or may not happen. Please, disregard my last post that gave you a lovely schedule....

I'll be back as soon as I get time and emotions sorted....

Love Never,

Mina

Musical Spotlight - Emilie Autumn

Dearest readers,

I nearly neglected this blog post today. Today has been a tumultuous soap opera of surging emotions! Thankfully, I've learned that I'm not nearly as alone as I generally feel, and so I can look back on the events of today with amusement instead of trauma.

Now, to the point:

Today I'm bringing you a musical spotlight on one of my favorite artists: Emilie Autumn. EA is an extraordinary violinist who once toured with Courtney Love. She has bipolar disorder and has suffered through abuse, and she sings about those subjects with such a haunting vulnerability. 

One of my favorite things about EA is the fact that she incorporates her extensive training in classical music with heavy industrial and electronica music and a stunning burlesque aesthetic. She is a true artist. In a world of generic pop artists with mindless beats and amateur lyrics, EA stands out with her poignant words and genuine talent! 

I am a massive literature nerd, so I love how EA intelligently pays homage to great literature with her songs "Shallott" (based on the poem "The Lady of Shallott" by Tennyson) and "Opheliac" (based on the character of Ophelia by Shakespeare). These songs really stand out, as do the heartbreaking "Gothic Lolita" and the very witty "Thank God I'm Pretty." Seriously, if you love both edgy and classical tones, if you have suffered through abuse or mental illness, if you just want to explore new musical talent, you should give Emilie Autumn a try! Also, for those of you who already love Emilie Autumn, she has announced that she's working on a new album called Fight Like a Girl, which she promises will be even more intense than Opheliac!

Now then, I'm off to pretend I care about the Superbowl! 

Eternally yours,

Mina 

Blog Schedule for this Week

Dearest Readers,

This week shall not be in vain. I plan on being quite productive and bringing you lots of goodies with at least five new blog posts:

Sunday: Music Spotlight on Emilie Autumn
Tuesday: Movie Review of The Last Exorcism
Wednesday: TV Show Review of True Blood - Season 1
Thursday: Movie Review of Let Me In
Friday: Book Review of Haunted: Tales of the Grotesque - by Joyce Carol Oates


I hope that this week will be brighter than the last two have been. In the words of The Lady of Shallott, "I'm half-sick of shadows."

Forever Yours,
Mina

A Beautiful Grey Morning

Today, as I left my house, the world was silent and frozen. It was a beautiful sight. The sky was grey and shrouded in clouds and my car was covered was a thick sheet of ice. I scraped off the ice and it flew around in tiny shards like glass. It was a magical moment for me. I genuinely hate winter, but I found the ice to be incredibly beautiful. It gave the atmosphere such an ethereal beauty.

Anyway, I'm nearly finished with season one of True Blood! I'm really enjoying it and I'm going to review it for you in a few days. So that people reading this (if anyone is reading this; blogging readership is always a painfully slow process) know what's coming up on this blog besides my random ramblings, here is a list of things I plan to put here in the next week or two:

• A Review of True Blood Season 1
• A Review of House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo
• A Music Spotlight on Emilie Autumn
• A Special Link for all Writers of Horror
• A Review of a movie...specifics still to be determined......

I'd love to some day make this blog a bit more interactive and have reader's poetry and artwork and etc. highlighted for all to enjoy! If anyone thinks that's a good idea, feel free to let me know that you're interested!