Which Is More Terrifying: The Haunting Vs. The Devil’s Advocate?
Evil from Within or Evil from Without?
By David Churchill Barrow
When I was in 3rd or 4th grade I considered myself a horror film aficionado – mostly watching old horror classics on Friday nights like the original Dracula, or more recent B-rated schlock, like Jack Nicholson in The Terror. Then one evening I began watching 1963’s The Haunting, and had to shut it off after the first few scenes. I didn’t finish the movie until years later. The fright was from pure atmospherics; there’s no monsters jumping out at you, no blood, flesh and gore flying about – but it’s was like walking into someone else’s black & white nightmare. Martin Scorsese ranked it the best horror film of all time.
New Fiction for Halloween: The Grey Men
By Tamara Wilhite
Logan casually glanced at the grey man in the corner. No one else in the room saw it, but he knew it was there. It slowly traced a path through the room, soaking up the sparks and noise the last child in the room had left. Logan looked down at his own hands. His medication was wearing off. He wouldn’t leave a scent or trail after that.
The doctor was waiting for him to give him his attention. “Logan, is there something you want to tell me?”
“No.”
“Do you know why you’re here?”
“You want to change my medication again.”
“Do you understand why we need to do that?”
Halloween Movie Picks: Pumpkinhead
By Fred Tribuzzo
Nature manifests its horror script through biology: old age, disease, and death. Camille Paglia is right to name biology the real fascist ruler of mankind. Added to nature’s brew are the conscious decisions made within the human heart—jealousy, revenge and murder.
When You Left
By Jamie Glazov
Liberty Island will be republishing a series of poems by Jamie Glazov first published in 2016, now with new images. This is the fourth.
TV Review: The Rookie – Does Burying Yourself in a Stressful Job Assuage the Pain of Alienation?
By David Churchill Barrow
Fans of Nathan Fillion, late of Castle fame, should be pleased with his latest venture – a police procedural “dramedy” called The Rookie. The action is herky-jerky like a good amusement park ride (and therefore riveting) and the humor is sprinkled in judiciously so as not to detract from the drama. Fillion stars as John Nolan, as a forty-something new recruit to the L.A.P.D.
I Knew You’d Be There
By Jamie Glazov
Liberty Island will be republishing a series of poems by Jamie Glazov first published in 2016, now with new images. This is the third.
New Sci-Fi Book Review: The Far Shore By Glenn Damato
By Tamara Wilhite
“The Martian” meets “1984”. Modern young adult literature meets realistic science fiction. But what is “The Far Shore” by Glenn Damato really about?
TV Review: The Meaning of the NCIS Franchise’s Recurring “Off The Books” Plots
Return to a “State of Nature?”
By David Churchill Barrow
“…the end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom. For in all the states of created beings capable of law, where there is no law, there is no freedom.” – John Locke, Second Treatise of Civil Government, Chap.VI, Sec. 57
For years now, whenever our daughter comes home from her adventures (which included West Point, Afghanistan, Iraq, law school, law clerk and now Supreme Court Fellow, thus explaining her interest) we binge watch the NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) franchises: NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles and NCIS New Orleans. These shows have been highly rated for decades, though you don’t read or hear much about them. I suspect that is because there is entirely too much patriotism, classical heroism, and American exceptionalism for the cynics in the media to swallow.
Wish I Would Have Said Hi
By Jamie Glazov
Liberty Island will be republishing a series of poems by Jamie Glazov first published in 2016, now with new images. This is the second.
Disney Learns: Live by the Woke, Die by the Woke
By Shant Eghian
I have to admit, I’ve been pretty ambivalent about the slew of live-action Disney remakes that the company has been producing over the past few years. It’s not that I hate them, I just don’t find them worth my money. Every once and awhile, one of them would pop up on Netflix, or one of my friends would be playing them in the background, and I’d sit down and give them a watch. They’re… okay. Not terrible, not amazing, just okay. It just seems to me to be a way for Disney to make some easy money.
One aspect of these live action remakes that some have commented on is their newfound “wokeness.” Whether this is making Le Fou from Beauty and the Beast an open homosexual, giving an animal-rights slant to Dumbo, or even giving a subplot to the new Aladdin where Jasmine wants to be the next Sultan, apparently Disney feels like its old properties are in need of some good old self-criticism.
