Author: FM Contributor
“Less is more” is a motto that cannot be expressed enough times for the horror genre. More often than not, though, it falls on deaf ears—especially when it comes to horror games, where too many times “terror” seems to be mistranslated into gross-out blood baths with relentless action. AMNESIA: THE DARK DESCENT, however, seems to understand the power of minimalism and uses it in spades. AMNESIA is steeped in the style of Victorian-era horror, which recalls the familiarity of Mary Shelley, Henry James, Edgar Allan Poe, and other gothic writers with a penchant for dreary, dark looks into the human…
As time passes, I find myself becoming fonder of AMNESIA: THE DARK DESCENT. Perhaps because it was a completely dreadful. And I mean dreadful in the best sense possible. In a time when every trope has been used for the horror genre to the point that we know when, where, and how the monster will appear, a time when horror seems more like a grotesque comedy, THE DARK DESCENT had a brutal suspense that used your imagination to put you into something terrifying. AMNESIA: A MACHINE FOR PIGS is a return to familiar territory. As in its predecessor, you wake…
Turn-based tactical RPGs are very much like chess on steroids. Like chess, these games are easy enough to grasp once you get the hang of it, difficult to fully master due to their complexity, and can be very addictive if done right. XCOM: ENEMY UNKNOWN is hands down one of the best tactical RPGs I’ve ever played, and it’s certainly addictive. “Addictive” is a term all too often used by reviewers—”you cannot put down this book” or “this game was completely addictive”! Just hyperbolic statements used to show how much they liked what they’ve reviewed. But make no mistake—XCOM: ENEMY…
Voodoo has always been a creepy subject, and a popular choice for horror films, perhaps most notably with the classic (and first) WHITE ZOMBIE, starring Bela Lugosi as an evil voodoo master. Now, the misunderstood religion finds itself in the spotlight once again, with FX’s hit AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN. But that’s not the only horror property delving into the Haitian religion. Allow me to introduce you to Walter Boholst’s horror film VOODOO POSSESSION. Despite the over the top name, the film actually has complicated themes (and Danny Trejo), and isn’t a straight riff on the wacky voodoo doll tropes…
Rather than giving you yet another typical online critic’s opinion, FM has decided to bring you its verdict on the new GODZILLA movie by transcribing the opinions of four more qualified individuals: Godzilla art guru Bob Eggleton, Heisei Godzilla-suit-wearer Kenpachiro Satsuma, original Ultraman Satoshi “Bin” Furuya, and tokusatsu hero of Kikaida and Inazuman Daisuke Ban. The following Q&A session took place after a special screening of GODZILLA in San Jose at Big Wow! ComicFest, with kaiju expert August Ragone moderating, on May 17. August Ragone. So why don’t you tell us what you thought of the film? Bob Eggleton. It…
Over the past couple weeks, I’ve dedicated a lot of time to covering the World 3-D Film Expo, which took place at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and knocked my socks off. One of the headlining films, the most exciting one for us certainly, was CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, the legendary monster flick from Jack Arnold that starred Richard Carlson, Richard Denning, Nestor Paiva, and one Julie Adams, who may very well be the most famous scream queen of all-time thanks to her iconic role as Kay. Julie and her son, Mitchell Danton, were in attendance for the Expo…
Although I was introduced to Adam Glass through his fearless handling of Harley Quinn and King Shark in SUICIDE SQUAD, many know him for SUPERNATURAL episodes, like the recent “As Time Goes By”—widely seen as a new beginning for the still-popular television series. At the DC booth over Comic-Con weekend, Glass could hardly be found without two men by his side: Robbie Thompson, fellow writer for SUPERNATURAL, and Aidan, Glass’s enthusiastic son.| Famous Monsters. I’m going to ask the predictable question first. Having written in both mediums, how does writing for comics differ from writing for television, and do you…
I’ve always been of the opinion that “original concepts” are overrated, especially in Hollywood. Every great movie ever was based on a book—or at least pieces of stories that came before it. If you take some basic science fiction tropes and make a better movie than anybody else, how is it somehow inferior to something that’s never been done? I would much rather watch a familiar masterpiece than a revolutionary load of tripe. Thus with Bong Joon-ho’s SNOWPIERCER, a tale of post-apocalyptic class warfare aboard a massive train, which is not only based on a graphic novel (LA TRANSPERCENEIGE) but…
The Vicious Brothers crashed onto the horror scene with the found footage film GRAVE ENCOUNTERS, which owed its success to a massively successful trailer that went viral on YouTube. Now, the dashing duo is back with a sequel, GRAVE ENCOUNTERS 2. The film is out on iTunes now, but opens in select theaters on October 12th. In the following UNCENSORED interview, Stuart Ortiz and Colin Minihan (the Vicious Brothers), reveal their origins as friends and as filmmakers, explain where they came up with their moniker, discuss their thoughts on both GRAVE ENCOUNTERS movies (as well as the possibility of a…
It seems there’s no slowing down the Telltale Games franchise train. They’ve already done JURASSIC PARK, BACK TO THE FUTURE, the critically acclaimed WALKING DEAD, and now, Vertigo’s comic seres FABLES with THE WOLF AMONG US. Fortunately, Telltale Games does franchises justice—a far cry from the old days when licensed games were a quick buck and nothing more. Like their other games, specifically THE WALKING DEAD, Telltale Games injects THE WOLF AMONG US with its tried and true formula of an adventure game focusing on story with some choices along the way. If you haven’t played THE WOLF AMONG US…