The Eclectic Delights of Interactive Horror

Horror in computer and video games, the titular interactive horror, is unsurprisingly something that can be incredibly effective. Probably has something to do with the medium's ability to suck you in and fully immerse you in its digital worlds I suppose, but you could actually discover this for yourselves wise readers.

Me and Kyttaro Games, you see, have put together an indie gaming bundle that lets you name your price and grab 11 great indie games. That is, 11 games you get to own for ever without the inconveniences of pesky DRM and can grab for as low a price as $0.99. Said bundle, the Eclectic Delights bundle, also happens to offer three of the best and most interesting horror games by independent developers. Here they are in all their video glory:

Park Avenue Hell

In the shadows even the most innocent things can reveal their evil side.

One of the things that caught my eye was the transformation of a simple number, a symbol of good fortune actually in some eastern countries, into the very essence of evil in western ones.

New series quite promising so far playing around with the eon old idea of hell's master on earth. Some have everything, some want everything and are willing to do anything for it and others are delusional enough to think that they can make it preserving their ideals and themselves intact.

A building and its occupants on an address quite familiar to most is the main focus on this new horror series. High, middle, low class people live, breath, orchestrate and fear within its walls, walls echoing all the malice of the previous tenants. Trapped souls will find release for their murderous instincts, sadistic killers will manifest to seal the fates of those who could not see past their longing for success.

The road to hell is paved with nothing but good intentions..

ASYLUM

It's back!

Autumn has come and with it every little pleasure and torture that we've missed; even a couple of new ones!

I know we have been silent for very long, but all that is about to change.

I can't speak for Gnome, but my reason for keeping quiet for so long was because I was impatiently waiting for it to begin. It didn't feel right writing about anything else.

It's here and as far as I can see it's come back with a vengeance. Only the first episode has been aired so far but it has already sunk its claws into my conscience. I have religiously been following every little teaser of this season, scattered information here and there about the plot, the actors, the production, and every time I thought I had an idea of what to expect something else was announced, something different appeared in the teasers - drove me mad.

Love the new setting, and the whole 60's air to it. Also loving the fact that it's much more aggressive as far as social issues are concerned. No taboos, no holding back; it creeps you out in whole new way since we still don't know exactly what to expect. Only the surface has been scratched so far and it's already bloody.

Maybe I'm expecting too much I don't know, what I do know is that it's given me incentive to start dealing with all the others, yes even the torturous ones.

So let the games begin!

The Shadow Out Of Time Movie

The Shadow Out Of Time by H.P. Lovecraft is one of the most interesting of Loveraft's short stories and one of his incredibly rare works that express political ideas. What's more, it has also been adapted to glorious movie form and you can enjoy the 15 brilliant minutes of the thing above. It's definitely worth your time.

Top 5 Best Horror Series

This season has come to an end and with it all my hopes of entertainment for the hateful summer to come (as far as TV is concerned of course). So finding myself in dire need of a distraction and in an attempt to prove to our readers that we shall never silence, I venture two sets of top fives with the best and, my personal favorite, the worst horror related TV series of the year!

So I hereby give to you my best...

 Number 5

BEING HUMAN

In lack of a fifth series actually worth giving it the time of day or, in this case, night I can only give you, since I am bound by the number, one that was merely watchable. I know that I haven't even mentioned it all this time, a fact which by itself speaks volumes, but it being so indifferent actually got it a spot in the blog!

The tale of yet another tortured dark soul straggling with the beast within along with a werewolf and a ghost setting up house pretending to be human. I must say I am more partial to the original British version since the cast in the American one fades in comparison.

Number 4

GRIMM

Not a great start but good enough to catch my eye, and a much more interesting ending to land it in number four. Wolves, trolls, ogres, witches with a german twist and a secret society or Wesen elite if you like, pulling the strings and threatening war on humans. Did you really think that Grimms were the brothers who wrote all those fairy tales you grew up listening to?

Number 3

SUPERNATURAL

Call me sentimental but there is something about those Winchester boys that no matter how lame the script is it always saves the day! I pretty much avoided talking about this season in the hopes of a comeback by the end of it. False hopes as it turned out, but, still, those boys have a great sense of humor...

Number 2

THE RIVER

If you told me a few months ago, right about when it aired, that it would be one of my favorites I would have laughed in your face. As it seems I should not form opinions based on only one or two episodes - even though I still believe those first ones do set the mood for what is to follow - but I should really start giving second or even third chances. It started pretty weak but by the last few episodes I found myself hooked and wanting for more.

Number 1

AMERICAN HORROR STORY

I am at a loss for words. I can't find anything else to say than you must watch!!

The River

This was one of the things I convinced myself not to write about during my dark days. I'm glad I did.

After watching the first episode I certainly wasn't expecting to get carried away by the flood; I pretty much wanted to escape with a handmade raft!

I must admit though that I did change my mind after watching a couple more. I was a bit put off with the all "magic is out there" thing at first but they handled it pretty gracefully at the end if you ask me.

I actually like the Blair Witch filming moments since they don't make me dizzy, and the idea of digging deeper into the mystic properties of an uncharted part of the world did not leave me unmoved.

Sometimes it goes a little overboard with said notion (I'm attributing that to the infancy of the program, testing the waters) but other than that I believe it could turn into a quite strong candidate for my top 5 greatest shows of the season (which I will be posting at the end of it!).

Enough said and written, it's different and getting more interesting as it goes so give it a try!

Death Valley and the horrors of horror

There are many side effects to being deprived of actual human contact as well as many days of constant fever. One of those side efects is hating everything new you see or read.

So, after careful consideration I've decided not to post anything I' m not absolutely sure about. (And believe me I've seen a lot these past few days).

I've seen films that deserve a closer look -given my state of mind at the time- I've seen new series I didn't really like that much, but said to myself don't be too quick to judge, give it another episode or two. I've started reading books I wanted to close shut after 20 or 30 pages, but put them away till everything went back to normal again. . .

There is though, one single thing that I hated so much and with every painful breath I took that I had no choice but to write and warn people about.

Welcome to "Death Valley", a seemingly not so bad idea but given in such a poor, stupid, tasteless, non creative way, that it actually gives a bad name to the people responsible for such an insult to fans of horror everywhere.

I don't know where to begin, so I will talk about what awful thing comes first, second and so on to mind.

Let's see, dialogues; who wrote them? I really would like to meet the people MTV has in its payroll.

Characters; really? Cops looking for doughnuts in the middle of a zombie chase, or looking at porn during an attack? Is that supposed to be funny?

Actors, well I'd rather be silent on that one...

Well, I should have known that it would be a disaster the minute I realised MTV had its claws into it, nevertheless I gave it a shot (serves me right not to trust my instincts!).

Anyway, a word of caution to all of you out there, time is too precious to be wasting it but if for some reason you find yourself wanting to watch it, by all means watch away, just remember you had been warned!!!

PS: Any different opinions would be more than welcome.

Classics for a New Year

Happily all the X-mas joy is finally gone. Sadly though, the end of the previous year called for the ending of the only thing I actually liked watching. So after the last Christmas episode of the season of my newly favorite American Horror Story I found myself looking for solace.

Nothing could comfort me, no books, no games, nothing. There was nothing left to do but turn to the classics, and so I did!

I brushed up on my black and whites starting with my all time favorite Nosferatu!

Excessive make-up, lack of voices and the ever haunting face of Max Schreck in the first attempt of telling a story so unquestionably linked to the horror genre.

I kept on in the same pace with films like The Student of Prague and others... and somehow I ended up with Rosemary' s Baby, remembering how life imitates art..

Time went by and the new year came. Hopefully it will be a creative one book - film - series - gamewise.

How did you fair over the holidays?