Sunday, August 3, 2025

Saturday is Horror Day #225 - Sssssss

 Sssssss


Famed herpetologist Dr. Carl Stoner (Strother Martin) approaches a former student now professor, Dr. Ken Daniels (Richard Shull) to find an assistant, as his last one left suddenly one day and he needs help in his experiments. Daniels recommends David Blake (Dirk Benedict), and when approached, David agrees to take the job (it also gets him out of being bullied by a larger student). When David meets Stoner's daughter Kristina (Heather Menzies), there is a mutual attraction and they begin a romance. Stoner is not too keen on this however and reprimands his daughter when he realizes she is sleeping with David.




From the outset of their working relationship, Stoner begins to give David a series of injections, in order 


to protect him from snake bites occurred during the course of their work. But David is starting to notice strange side effects - such as inexplicably peeling skin! Stoner assures him that is normal, and a one-time thing, as he helps to peel David's shedding back.





David and Kristina go on a date to a local carnival and discover that one of the attractions is a snake man. Naturally, they are curious, being both interested in snakes, so they check out the exhibit. The man appears to be a snake man indeed. But there is something about him that seems off. He seems distressed, as if he is trying to tell them something. By the time Kristina figures out what is familiar about him, she realizes what is happening to David and rushes home to save him and confront her father.


This is a bit of an odd film. I've been aware of it for years but never attempted to watch it until a coworker suggested it. Strother Martin shines as the mad herpetologist. You might remember him from Cool Hand Luke, and his famous line - "What we got here is a failure to communicate"! Heather Menzies, who plays the daughter, was a popular young actress in the 70s, and was married to actor Robert Urich who is probably best kniwb fir Vega$, Dirk Benedict, who plays David, was in the 70s sci fi show Battlestar Galactica.


The plot is, even for the 70s, ridiculous. I found the scenes with the snakes unrealistic. And as for the idea of turning a human being into a snake - first of all, why? Stoner's motivation is never clear, at least not in my book. That being said, Menzies as the loyal daughter does a good job, and Dirk Benedict, clearly not the bright bulb in the box, is clueless as to what is happening to him. The scenes with Strother Martin and real snakes are clearly not him, and the special effects leave something to be desired. Even so, it's worth watching to see Martin. So I'll give this film 3 Stars.



Monday, July 28, 2025

Book Review: One Piece, Vol 24: People's Dreams by Eiichiro Oda

 

One Piece, Vol 24: People’s Dreams    


Author: Eiichiro Oda

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: January 5, 2010

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Action Adventure/216 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

Now that Sir Crocodile has been defeated, and Alubarna can begin to heal, and the Marines under Captain Smoker and Tashigi head on their way, the Straw Hat gang face a new challenge, in the form of a stowaway.  None other than Nico Robin! Most surprisingly, she wants to join the crew! There is some resistance to the idea from the members of Luffy’s crew – until mention is made of Nico having some of Crocodile’s gems and opinion is swayed to her side.

As they continue their journey, the crew sees something rather extraordinary – a ship that is falling out of the sky. Literally out of the sky. How is that even possible? To Nami’s dismay, the log pose is pointing upward and not moving! Nico tells her it’s been captured by a sky island!

Luffy runs across a map – of the sky island, Skypiea! They decide to search the ship that fell from the sky for records of the floating island. Of course, that ship sank to the bottom of the ocean. Luffy, Sanji, and Zolo become deep sea divers in order to explore the wreck. But they hadn’t figured on encountering Masira, the Salvage King, who has his eye on the wreck as well. And oh, he’s a monkey.

Luffy and the others are conflicted regarding their next destination. If they go anywhere else other than the island in the sky, the log post will reset and they will be unable to get to Skypiea. Luckily Nico Robin has a solution to that problem, so it’s on to Jaya Island! When they arrive on the island, they find themselves in a place that seems prone to violence, especially between two rival pirate gangs!

Nico Robin’s presence was a surprise, not sure how I feel about that, not sure if she will stay with them any length of time or not. Naturally, Sanji is on board with her joining the crew.  lol The idea of a sky island is intriguing, if true, but how does that even work? Guess we’ll find out. The monkey was also a surprise. I’m sure we’ll see him again.

Another great volume of One Piece, looking forward to the next!

Sunday, July 27, 2025

Saturday is Horror Day #224 - Nosferatu (2024)

 Nosferatu (2024)


Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp) dreams of a man, a man who wishes to possess her. A man she wishes to be possessed by. Is he real? She doesn't know, but she is all too aware that she is a newly married wife with a husband she loves, Thomas (Nicholas Hoult) Thomas is a rising star with his law firm, and eager to please. When he learns that he is to deal with a new client, he is pleased, until he finds that the man is infirm and cannot travel, so he must travel to the man - to his home in the distant Carpathian Mountains.






Of course he does not refuse, although Ellen pleads with him not to go. On his arrival, the local folk are less than welcoming, especially one he has revealed his destination - Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgard)'s castle. The trip to the castle is an eerie one, and his reception by Count Orlok just as odd. Especially his obsession with Ellen, whom he spotted in a locket - and promptly took, refusing to return. Things go from bad to worse when he finds himself a prisoner in Orlok's castle, and he discovers the true nature of the client he has come so far to serve.



Meanwhile, at home, an anxious Ellen confides her fears to her best friend, Anna (Emma Corrin), who is married, with children, to Friedrich Harding (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and pregnant with another child. Ellen, who has always been supernaturally sensitive, continues to have "visions" of her dream lover, suffering from mysterious fits which alarm her friend. They send for an eminent professor, Albin Eberhart von Franz (Willem Dafoe), who arrives, as well as Dr Wilhelm Sievers (Ralph Ineson). They are at a loss to explain her fits, and the suggestion is made to send her to an asylum for the insane to safeguard the others. And Ellen is concerned that Thomas has not returned from his business trip - and he is long overdue.



Nosferatu is a reboot of the original 1922 film, which was itself a ripoff of Dracula, for which the makers were sued. It is very similar to that, and to the 1979 version, which I previously reviewed. Cinematically, this film is breathtaking, each shot carefully planned and framed. The performances are extra-ordinary, particularly that of Lily-Rose Depp who is, of course, the daughter of Johnny Depp. The story does indeed resonate with what came before, but in its own way. It was very well done, but at the same time I found myself somewhat dissatisfied in ways I can't completely explain. The dynamic between Ellen and Orlok drew me in at the beginning, but I feel as if it could have used some more depth, especially considering the ending (which I won't reveal, of course)




I did like it much better than the 1979 Klaus Kinski version, but I felt the storytelling was perhaps uneven. I'm sure a lot of people will disagree. I'm not denying it's a very good film. But perhaps not as satisfying as I would have wanted. I'll give this film 4 Stars.

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Wednesday Briefs: Don't Look Back #14(3.4)

 Happy Hump Day to one and all and welcome to another edition of the Wednesday Briefs, flash fiction brought to you by the friendly authors known as the Briefers! Get your flash fiction fix here! Hope everyone's having a great week! Hard to believe it's Hump Day already! Hold on to your seats, and get ready for some flash fiction!


As you'll recall from last week, Marshall and Lee are having a night out in nearby Tucker Falls, with their friend, Sheriff Roy. Last week, they ran into a few other friends. This week, Marshall and Lee are having a little private time in one of the back rooms. Don't forget to see what the other Briefers are up to. Their links follow my tale. Enjoy!

Don't Look Back #14 (3.4)


They exited the dance floor and made the short trip to the back area in record time. There was a code of sorts that was used to determine the availability of the rooms. It was a simple system. Colored plastic cards were hung on the door knob—red, green, and purple. The one on top determined the occupancy of the room. Green meant no one was inside. Red meant ‘stop, the room’s in use’, while purple meant ‘yeah, someone’s in there, but company’s welcome’. That was for the more adventurous souls who enjoyed sex with more than one person at a time. Everyone was on their honor to use the cards, and there’d never been a problem with it so far.

They passed the first couple of doors which displayed red cards. Lee stopped in front of one that sported a purple tag and reached for the knob. Marshall let out an indignant whoop without thinking. Lee turned to face him with a shit-eating grin.

“Could someone possibly be jealous?”

Marshall noted with chagrin the amusement in Lee’s eyes. He scuffed at the floor with his boot, debating a suitable response, before he blurted out, “Yeah, I guess that’d be me. “

Lee made no immediate reply. He took Marshall’s hand, leading him farther down the hall until they found a door with a green card on top. He switched the card to red before they entered the room and closed the door.

Then he pushed Marshall up against the door and claimed his lips, sucking Marshall’s lower lip into his mouth. Releasing him, he murmured, “You don’t need to be jealous. You’re the only one I look at. You’re the only one I see.”

Marshall warmed at his words. He knew Lee wouldn’t lie to him.

“I’ll never leave you,” Lee promised. “I told you that when we found you. I meant it then, and I mean it now. You and me, boy. Always.”

He reclaimed Marshall’s mouth, and their tongues met in a glorious union of flesh. Marshall knew what happened hadn’t been Lee’s choice or his fault. But every once in a while, he just needed a little bit of reassurance.

The décor of the room was simple. A single bed, nothing fancy, but the sheets were changed on a fairly regular basis, more than you got in some motels. A small wooden side table, if you needed to lay out a few things. Two or three chairs, in case of voyeurs. Each room was BYOL—Bring Your Own Lube, as well Bring Your Own Rubber. There were machines in the men’s room that dispensed those, so there was no excuse for coming up short.

Marshall and Lee had never used condoms. They were exclusive with one another, always had been and always would be.

Lee already had his hands at Marshall’s waist. He undid his fly and pulled down the zipper, freeing Marshall’s leaking erection. Marshall toed off his new boots and shimmied his hips as Lee pulled the cords down his legs, before kicking them out of the way. His fingers were already working the buttons of the black shirt then it joined the rest of his clothes on the floor.

Lee undressed quickly. When they were both naked, he gestured toward the bed.

“Hands and knees,” he directed, and Marshall obeyed.

Marshall knew just how far apart to spread his knees, how to wriggle his ass in an enticing fashion. Lee’s hand crashed against first one buttock, then the other, leaving heat in its wake.  The bed dipped under Lee’s weight, the springs creaking their protest. No telling how many bodies had done this exact same thing many times before. Partners was a popular place, both with men who needed a quick place to hook up, as well as couples who liked to be adventurous without having to go home to do it.

“Head down, boy,” Lee admonished.

Marshall had been daydreaming; his fault entirely. He dropped his head into the proper position and accepted another swat to each cheek as penance for his inattention. He loved the structure of Lee’s love, although the rules weren’t always rigidly enforced. Just most of the time. And it was all done with love.

Air hit Marshall’s pucker as Lee parted his cheeks. He shivered at the coolness of Lee’s breath as he blew across Marshall’s entrance. Apparently, he’d been eating something minty, and the sensation was both startling and intense. Marshall shivered as Lee’s tongue lapped at the sensitive skin of his perineum, licking at the underside of his balls as they hung down between his legs.

His cock ached from inattention, but he didn’t dare reach for it. That was so against the rules. 
Although he might, if he got horny enough, just to see what Lee would do about it. Might be fun.

Lee’s tongue was doing the most amazing things to Marshall’s hole, dipping and sucking, but there was more to come. Marshall knew it, and he needed it. Needed Lee inside of him. Soon.

He tried to curb his impatience, but the moan he inadvertently released was heartfelt.

Lee ceased his ministrations, leaning along Marshall’s back until his breath was warm in Marshall’s ear, his cock nestled securely between Marshall’s cheeks.

“Tell me what you want, baby,” Lee whispered seductively, his voice sending delicious shivers ranging through Marshall from his fingers to his toes.

It didn’t matter where they fucked, or how often they fucked, Lee continued to take Marshall’s breath away on a constant basis.

“Want you, Lee,” Marshall moaned. “Need you inside of me.”

Lee grasped Marshall’s cock and pumped it. “You want me to fuck you hard?” he teased. “Want my cock inside your hot ass, do you?”

“With all my heart.” Marshall bucked into Lee’s hand. He tried not to whimper, but he was quickly losing control.

to be continued

Now see what the other Briefers are up to!

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Wednesday Briefs: Don't Look Back #13 (3.3)

 Happy Hump Day, everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Wednesday Briefs! We are the Wednesday Briefers, a group of flash fiction writers, who take on the challenge every week to write a piece of flash fiction between 500 and 1000 words, based on one of a group of suggested prompts.


This week, Don't Look Back continues with more of Marshall and Lee's adventures at Partners. Who did they run into? Read this week's chapter and find out! Don't forget to visit the other Briefers, whose links follow my tale. Enjoy!

Don't Look Back #13 (3.3)


Lee broke into a broad grin at the sight of the newcomers. The man who’d greeted him was tall, dark, and angular, about Lee’s age. His bronze skin wore the weathered look of someone who spent a great deal of time outdoors, while his bright blue eyes were bursting with good humor.

 “Hey Slim.” Lee gained his feet as they approached the table, holding out his hand. The man named Slim took it, before pulling Lee into a quick hug. He did the same with Marshall.  “It has been a little while, hasn’t it? Hey there Rye, Denver.”

Rye was a little older than Lee, with a one-time athletic build that was turning to flab. He compensated by dressing in flattering clothes that hid his growing paunch. Denver was about a year or so older than Marshall. His wavy blond hair was heavily gelled, and he was as well turned out sartorially as Rye, but in bolder colors.

The four top next to them had just become free. They joined the two tables together and rearranged their chairs.  Lee and Marshall sat on one side, Denver and Rye across from them, Slim at one end.

Marshall and Lee had been coming together to Partners for less than a year. Technically, Marshall was underage, but a small glitch in the law allowed him to drink in the presence of a parent. Being with Lee, though, no one seemed to question his right to be there. Also, having Roy with them on occasion, as a lawman, helped.

They’d met Slim, Rye, and Denver on one of their visits, and had become good friends. The three men all lived and worked in or near Tucker Falls—Slim on a working ranch just outside the city limits, Rye as a salesman for a local liquor distributor, and Denver in a retail computer store.

“I noticed Roy up at the bar, smooth-talking some pretty little thing.” Slim grinned. “I thought he was seeing someone?”

Lee shrugged. “You know how that goes. One day they’re all sweet and lovey-dovey, the next they think you’re public enemy number one. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them.”

A chorus of amens resounded through the group. Not that Marshall had any experience with women. Not dating them, anyway. But he had a good idea what Lee meant.

At that moment, Roy himself turned up. He slid into the empty chair opposite Slim, setting his beer on the table in front of him.

“Didn’t work out?” Slim asked.

Roy shrugged. “I kinda got a clue it wouldn’t when she offered to introduce me to her mother.”

“Ouch,” Rye commiserated.

“Don’t worry,” Marshall tried to cheer up the dejected sheriff. “You’ll find someone else, for sure.”

“You know it.” Roy winked at him. “There’s some good looking guys right at this table, too.” He gave Lee a significant look. Marshall scowled and moved his chair closer to Lee’s, which earned him a snicker.

“Oh no, don’t you start too,” Marshall warned the older man.

“Too?” Slim raised an eyebrow. “Is there a story there, Lee?”

Lee shook his head. “Naw, nothing really.” He raised his hand to gain the server’s attention, and a moment later, Blondie stood beside them, ready to take their order. Each man named his poison. Marshall noticed Blondie had moved his sights to Rye, who fairly ate up the attention.

“Why don’t I help you carry those?” he offered, following the server toward the bar. Marshall noticed a little more spring in Blondie’s step.

Denver leaned across the table toward Marshall. “I bet he gets him in one of the back rooms,” he confided. “Like in the next five minutes.”

Partners was notorious among its patrons for the small back rooms that were the scene, more often than not, of intimate encounters, primarily between men. Most of the women preferred their lovemaking taken to different venues, but the men weren’t as picky, and usually twice as horny. It wasn’t unusual to see the beginning of such encounters on the dance floor, or at the tables, and people tended to look the other way if a couple showed a bit of flesh while caught in the throes of lust.

“I bet you’re right,” Lee agreed with a laugh.

“And I think I might be right behind him. Check out that sexy drink of cowboy at your nine o’clock.”
Marshall and Lee both turned and look in the direction indicated. A Sam Elliot look-alike was sitting alone, drawing on a draft. He seemed to be eyeing Denver up as well.

“Go for it,” Marshall encouraged him. “You know you want to.”

“Hell to the yeah. See that ten gallon he’s got on? I’ll be wearing it by the time we come back out,” Denver said confidently as he got to his feet and moseyed in the direction of his dream cowboy.

Just thinking about the back room made Marshall horny. He and Lee had been back there a few times themselves. Sometimes the drive home was too long, especially when Marshall had a hard-on for Lee that wouldn’t quit.

Like now.

Rye returned with the server, long enough to leave the drinks, their attention somewhere else. Sure enough, moments later, they were hand-in-hand, heading toward the rear of the bar.

Marshall squirmed in his chair a little. He lightly feathered his fingers along Lee’s thigh. “How about another dance?” he suggested.

“Go ahead, have some fun,” Roy encouraged them. “Slim and I can catch up, can’t we?”

“You betcha,” Slim agreed. “Go for it, you two.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

On the dance floor once more, they fell into an intimate two-step. Marshall snaked his hand between them, boldly cupping Lee through the fabric.

“I bet I can read your mind,” Lee murmured huskily into Marshall’s ear.

“Bet you can.”

Lee pressed against Marshall’s hand. “Let’s go in back,” he suggested.

“Fuck yeah.” Marshall fairly whimpered with need. “Right now, please, Sir.”

to be continued

Now see what the other Briefers are up to!

Saturday, July 5, 2025

Saturday is Horror Day #223 - Rawhead Rex

 Rawhead Rex


Howard Hallenbeck (David Dukes) and his wife Elaine (Kelly Piper) take their two children on a vacation to Ireland to learn about their Irish heritage and roots. Little do they know that a construction worker has unexpectedly awakened an ancient evil. And no one in this small Irish village is safe!








Despite being on vacation, Howard is working on a new book and has been given permission to do 


research at the local church. But he finds that Father Declan O'Brien (Ronan Wilmot) is not very friendly Luckily Reverend Coot (Niall Toibin) is friendlier





Strange things are happening in the village, and  people are dying at the hands of a strange creature. If something isn't done about this thing, the death toll is only going to rise!


I'll be honest - this is an odd film. Evil priest and clueless villagers and of course the American tourists who end up in the thick of things! The father is played by David Dukes, and I recognized him immediately from an old episode of All in the Family. A rather disturbing episode I'll admit. One of the priests will be familiar to anyone who watches Ballykissangel, he plays Father Mac.



The creature in question who is causing all the havoc (I had to look this up as I wasn't sure and I just watched it) is a demon (or maybe the devil himself, not sure) who was accidentally freed from his burial site. The unpleasant comes under his control via something at the church. The creature is odd, to say the least, having what seemed to me an almost robotic face with glowing eyes that people were upset by (like the rest of him wasn't a reason to run away in fright). 

The wife of David Dukes' character made me want to call CPS on her. There was a scene when the family was in the car, and they had like a half day's drive ahead of them. The little girl said she had to use the bathroom. It was too far to go back and they were too far from their destination, so Dad pulled over, near some kind of gates area, although the gate had seen better days. The mother turned around and told the girl to go on and do her business, but never offered to go with her. When the father suggested that, the mother said the girl would be fine. The girl was like 5 ot 6 years old maybe! So finally, Dad agreed to go with her. In another scene, when the siblings were arguing, she walked right past them as if she couldn't see or hear them, and then started whining to her husband about being bored.

That aside, this is a weird film, and I never understood how that creature was a demon (or the devil? still not sure). And why was he wearing pants? There is a certain amount of gore, so I wouldn't recommend this for kids. The mad priest is a bit too mad. David Dukes was fine and so was Niall Tobin. But on the whole, I don't recommend it very highly. I'll give this film 2 Stars.



Sunday, June 29, 2025

Saturday is Horror Day #222 - We Have Always Lived in the Castle

 We Have Always Lived in the Castle


Sisters Merricat (Taissa Farmiga) and Constance (Alexandra Daddario) Blackwood, along with their disabled Uncle Julian (Crispin Glover) live in isolation at the family home, Blackwood House. Six years have passed since a family tragedy occurred, one involving arsenic. But the villagers at nearby Shirleyville have long memories. When Merricat reluctantly makes her weekly excursion to get supplies, they torment her terribly. As for Constance, she finds herself of leaving the grounds at all.






Merritcat safeguards the house and its inhabitants as well as she can through her witchy spells and the 


objects that she buries. But when she is forced to go into the village unexpectedly one day, she doesn't have the chance to set any spells, and the worst happens in the form of their cousin Charles (Sebastian Stan) who shows up without warning and proceeds to turn their lives upside down. Merricat hates him, but Constance, who is too trusting and innocent for her own good, falls under his spell. Neither realize that he is there to get the money that is kept in the huge safe in the house. When he takes over the household and becomes very strict with Merricat, she realizes something must be done.



We Have Always Lived in the Castle is based on the novel by Shirley Jackson, who also gave us The Lottery and The Haunting of Hill House. This story is similar to the others in that it focus on the psychological rather than physical horror. Referring to Blackwood House as a castle draws an image of splendid isolation, of withdrawl from reality as reflected in the main characters' withdrawal from even the society of the nearby village. Merricat's weekly treks into Shirleyville are torturous for her, but she bears them for her sister's sake, who is even more crippled than she is. It's not until the arrival of their cousin Charles that the torture continues for Merricat at home as well. Desperate times call for desperate measures.


Taissa Farmiga does a splendid job as Merricat. You may know her older sister Vera, from such films as The Conjuring and The Boy in the Striped Pyjama. I almost didn't recotnize Crispin Glover as the uncle. Paula Malcolmson also appears - you might remember her from Deadwood and Ray Donovan. And of course my favorite - Sebastian Stan - who was the Hatter in Once Upon a Time, and is probably best known for playing Bucky Barnes in the Marvel film series. That being said, despite the stellar cast, this is definitely a slow burn, and I might have to watch it again to appreciate it better. It's not your typical horror film - no jump scares, no dismembered corpses, nothing of the kind. Pure psychological horror. Reviews seem to be mixed. It was well done, it just didn't always keep my attention. However, it is a short film, and I don't consider it a waste of time. Decide for yourself. I'll give this film 3.5 Stars.