Movie Review: A Good 'B' Movie - The Cave

While I am not usually a horror fan, something about The Cave piqued my interest. “In the 13th-century Carpathian Mountains of Romania, an Eastern Orthodox abbey and its inhabitants are destroyed by a landslide. Centuries later, a group of modern-day Soviet and British plunderers search for the long-lost abbey during the Cold War era. They discover the abbey is built above a vast cave system, but it is completely blocked off by an intricate floor mosaic. Trying to blast their way in, they cause a landslide that buries the abbey, trapping the men in the cavern below. They descend further into the cave in hopes of finding a way out, even as they hear strange sounds in the darkness. Some time later, present day, a new team, led by Dr. Nicolai, with his associate Dr. Kathryn Jennings and cameraman Alex Kim explore the site, and the mythology behind the winged demons depicted in the mosaic on the abbey's floor. Local biologists believe the cave could contain an undiscovered ecosystem, so they hire a group of American spelunkers led by brothers Jack and Tyler McAllister – thrill-seeking professional cave explorers who run a world-famous team of divers.” (Wikipedia)

 Yes, this has all been done before but somehow this version brought a little freshness to a tired trope. Of course the Knights Templar are involved and they’re always good for an ancient mystery. Again, of course, the looters failed to grasp the significance of the mosaic, with images of skeletal winged demons with oddly human faces and very, very long teeth, and the reason the monks had sealed off the cave in the first place. The cast is also good, albeit since this was made in 2005, some had not achieved their fame of today: Lena Headey, Eddie Cibrian, and Morris Chestnut star. The pace is slow in parts which would be logical as they investigate this new ecosystem. However, the science part of this science fiction/horror flick does work in that there are ecosystems where creatures flourish in almost total darkness underwater.

Where the plot got lost is in having too many back and forth forays into various tunnels (above and under water) with people being attacked by the fearsome creatures. But that aside, the special effects are great, and the pace speeds up as the last remaining survivors have to get out. One of the crew members bitten by a creature starts to exhibit signs of turning, which adds to the rising suspense and tension. Schlocky it might be, but you will be sitting on the edge of your seat. The director saved the best for last in that when two of the remaining three survivors meet up, it becomes apparent that the parasite wishes to escape. A fantastic ending.

What a pity there has never been a sequel, but this was because (I surmise) it was considered a flop. The movie did not do well, garnering negative reviews and not making much over the original budget. But the photography is really brilliant and although critics slammed the lack of character development, this is an action horror movie. Does one really worry about character development if the cast is being chased by monsters bent on killing them? The movie worked for me. 4/5

 

YA Book Review: The Gift



 Seventeen-year-old Michael decides to end it all one day. He feels he has nothing to live for. His life at school is a misery because of a gang of bullies; he has never kissed a girl; and his diary, in which he documents all his troubles, seems to be his only consolation. However, when he tries to commit suicide with pills washed down with alcohol, he wakes to find himself alive with no trace of pills, alcohol, or his suicide note. There is, however, a note telling him he will receive a visit from a stranger, offering him a chance at a new life. He can have all he desires, based on a handshake and a promise. This chance—aka the Gift—comes with a price. In 66 years’ time, Michael must do the strange visitor a small favour. If he accepts, then he cannot break this bargain. Michael reasons that 66 years is a long time. What can possibly go wrong? His life is transformed when he changes physically and mentally to a state of almost-perfection; his mother wins a vast fortune; and he begins a relationship with the girl he always worshipped from afar. But the man in black returns sooner than expected and demands his price.

From Goethe's Faust

What an interesting read! This book is a YA paranormal thriller with wide appeal. Author Jonathan Lynch has a gift for description, and knows how to turn up the tension. My only criticism here would be that in some very exciting scenes, the descriptions tend to slow down the pace. The characters are well-drawn and believable, especially Michael. The reader can really identify with him. The plot moves in and out of various people’s lives, drawing dark threads together as the mysterious stranger works on his own (otherworldly) agenda. Can Michael escape the fate he has chosen for himself? When dark forces conspire to claim the blood price, can Michael break this deadly pact? Reminiscent of the legend of Faust, who surrendered moral integrity for power and success, the story also throws up interesting questions of good versus evil; what is truth, and what things are beyond price. The book ends in a fascinating way, and I’m sure readers would love a continuation. Recommended.
4 Stars

by Fiona Ingram

First reviewed for Readers Favorite

(b/w illustration from Wikipedia - see link)

 

Master of the Macabre: Author David Fingerman

If you’re like me, you have to watch horror movies or read spooky books during the day. So guess what? I have as my 13th guest on the VBT, a master of macabre writing, David Fingerman. Do you think it’s mere coincidence that he is my thirteenth guest, as opposed to being another number guest? Maybe there’s something in this. (Shiver!) I mean, David scored Edgar Allen Poe as his crazy writer in a recent quiz…. David Fingerman, a master of the unforeseen and unpredictable, will take you on a number of seemingly ordinary journeys and then smoothly veer off course, surprising you with twists and turns that propel you toward destinations that are not only unexpected, but often terrifying.


Let’s have a look at David’s collection of shiveringly scary short stories.

Get ready to expect the unexpected when you read this collection of chilling short stories. The short stories of Edging Past Reality will take you to the precipice of reason and then push you over the edge. If you think you can always believe your eyes, and you're sure that what you believe is true, it's time to check your certainties at the door ... and start Edging Past Reality. In this collection of short stories, as you're warned in the introduction, ''the most common and familiar elements of life ... explode into a circus of horror.'' Imagine an inviting, lush meadow that turns shockingly deadly. A mirror that holds more than mere reflections. A trial where your life hangs by a call-in vote.


More about David:
You worked in the court system for 20+ years. Your experiences in the justice system have certainly given you lots of food for thought and many themes I am sure. Do you think that your work there influenced your choice of genre (horror, macabre/human condition etc) or is this something you just enjoy as a theme?
I've had a love of horror and the macabre long before I started working for the justice system. When I was young, my parents had a TV in their bedroom. After they sent me to bed, they'd go back downstairs and I'd sneak into their room and watch Alfred Hitchcock Presents, or The Twilight Zone, or Outer Limits depending on the night. So, as for my choice of genre, the courts had no bearing. That being said, my years working there has given me more fodder for ideas, plots, human behavior, etc. than I'll ever be able to write in this lifetime. I feel I've gotten to see the best and worst humanity has to offer. And what great stories that can create.

Apart from Alfred Hitchcock, what writers have influenced or inspired you?
Again, reverting back to childhood—I was an avid reader. The Hardy Boys were my favorites. As I got older I drifted more towards science fiction (which included speculative fiction). I couldn't read enough of Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, and Ray Bradbury (there were many others, but those were the top three. Then I went to college, and pfffftttt! I had no desire to read anymore until a couple years after I graduated when I saw a copy of Pet Sematary by Stephen King. He was my new fave until a friend of mine loaned me a book of short stories called Shatterday by Harlan Ellison. I really enjoy reading short stories and that book showed me there was a solid market for it. I've always loved to write, but it was mostly as something to do when I was bored. Reading Shatterday planted the seed of me wanting to become a serious writer.

Your first book, Edging Past Reality, is a collection of short stories. Now you have moved on to novels. What made you decide to write novels, and what was the experience like for you? Easy/hard/killing?
For me, novels are much harder to write than short stories but also more rewarding. (I'm still amazed when chatting with some authors that they find novels much easier to write.) One thing I love about writing short stories is that by the time I get sick of ever looking at it again, I'm done. During the editing and rewriting phase of the novels, I had to put them away for a while. I couldn't read a passage without hating the whole thing. Although I still write short stories, moving to novels was a natural progression. Like Stephen King's novels, my short stories were getting longer and longer anyway. My first inclination for Silent Kill (soon to be released) was a short story, possibly a novella. Once I got started I knew there was no way I could do justice to it as a short piece of work. Once that decision was made, the floodgates opened and that possible short story finished at 95,000 words.

Your Desert Island books, or what you read for pleasure?
On a desert island? Um, now I'm thinking Gilligan's Island and making an air conditioner out of coconuts—but you didn't say stranded, so never mind. Ahem, sorry. Pretty much anything by Harlan Ellison. I still have a couple books left in Stephen King's Tower series that I haven't read yet. I love horror, suspense, mystery, and occasionally I'll be in the mood for history and biography. If it's fast moving and lets me escape from reality, I'll probably enjoy it. There are also a number of authors I've met on this tour whose books sound fascinating and are now on my list.

Are you afraid (very afraid...) when you read your own scary novels late at night?
LOL. Yes, but in a little bit different context—when I'm reading something really sick and twisted and thinking, what disgusting and disturbed mind ever thought that up? Oh yeah, it was me. That's kinda scary.

Your favorite short story from your own collection—can you give me a paragraph?
Oohhhh, tough one. My favorites change with my mood. Okay, here's a short passage from "Marty's Toy" found in Edging Past Reality.

“Marty's bedroom stood right above the kitchen, but from the second floor he was able to see a small section of the vacant lot. Through the weeds, acting like a cloak, two blazing orange eyes stared back from the corner of the lot. Sparkling in the night, teeth shone like stars.”

Readers with nerves of steel who would like to win a copy simply post a comment. Visit David at his author site for more detail on purchase links and release dates for his next two novels.