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Horror TV

The Guest: South Korean series about Shamanism, Possession and Exorcism. Sohn (Guest) is a powerful Demon which uses lesser Demons to possess people who then go in to kill their families. In episode one we get the back story of a taxi-driver (also a Shaman), a detective and a priest. Twenty years ago they met up on a fateful night when Sohn was loose, and struck at their families. Now in 2018 the trio meet up again, determined to vanquish Sohn. We see how people mix Shamanism with Catholicism, how even an Exorcist can fall victim to the Demon. The possessed levitate, have superhuman strength and stab themselves in the eyes when they have slain their victims. Dark, disturbing and satisfying! Directed by Hong-sun Kim, written by So-ra Kwon. On Netflix. 8/10.
 
It was bad? OK, I won't watch it.
Ha .. I've fixed the spelling now, thanks ... and I've just worked out who the author character is, it's Milton John who was also in The Empire Strikes Back.
 
I recommend the werewolf one with Diana Dors. You'll either jump out of your skin or laugh your head off. Win/win.
Was that the one where the kids are werewolves as well? .. I've seen that one but not since it aired. The only other episode I remember watching at the time was 'Twins of Evil', the one with the replicas taking over and the copy of the Dad with his yellow rain coat and long dirty fingernail.

I think we've got a thread here somewhere about the strange prevalence of yellow rain coats in horror films and TV.
 
Was that the one where the kids are werewolves as well? .. I've seen that one but not since it aired. The only other episode I remember watching at the time was 'Twins of Evil', the one with the replicas taking over and the copy of the Dad with his yellow rain coat and long dirty fingernail.
Yes, I like quite a few of them as I have the box set. There are a couple of duff ones but that one you mention with the doppleganger is great and also the one with Denholm Elliot.
 
Yes, I like quite a few of them as I have the box set. There are a couple of duff ones but that one you mention with the doppleganger is great and also the one with Denholm Elliot.

That restored Blu-ray box set looks wonderful, like they were made yesterday. It's a really enjoyable series, I remember being told about the plots by a friend in hushed tones before I ever saw the actual series, because it was on past my bedtime (but not his, obvs).
 
Was that the one where the kids are werewolves as well? .. I've seen that one but not since it aired. The only other episode I remember watching at the time was 'Twins of Evil', the one with the replicas taking over and the copy of the Dad with his yellow rain coat and long dirty fingernail.

I think we've got a thread here somewhere about the strange prevalence of yellow rain coats in horror films and TV.

It was called The Two Faces of Evil (Twins of Evil was the 1970s "sexy lady vampires" movie with twin centrefolds Madeleine and Mary Collinson), and yes, it's fantastic.

Another good one was Silent Scream with Peter Cushing, farfetched as a premise, but spectacularly horrible at the end.
 
I remember being told about the plots by a friend in hushed tones before I ever saw the actual series,
That was all part of the fun of horror tv and films before streaming and vhs. The lucky person who saw it would have to tell everyone else about it the next day, often acting out the various roles.
I'm sure there was some exaggeration. I embellished things in The Creature From The Black Lagoon that would have got it banned.
 
That was all part of the fun of horror tv and films before streaming and vhs. The lucky person who saw it would have to tell everyone else about it the next day, often acting out the various roles.
I'm sure there was some exaggeration. I embellished things in The Creature From The Black Lagoon that would have got it banned.

A schoolfriend of mine (different friend) described The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as a wall to wall gorefest. It really isn't!
 
That restored Blu-ray box set looks wonderful, like they were made yesterday. It's a really enjoyable series, I remember being told about the plots by a friend in hushed tones before I ever saw the actual series, because it was on past my bedtime (but not his, obvs).
I’ve got the original DVD and I suspect there’s not enough reason to upgrade?
 
I’ve got the original DVD and I suspect there’s not enough reason to upgrade?

Ooh, I dunno - I'm a bit of a Blu-ray snob, and prefer them to DVDs! It's Network who did the restoration, and their team are some of the best in the business.
 
Ooh, I dunno - I'm a bit of a Blu-ray snob, and prefer them to DVDs! It's Network who did the restoration, and their team are some of the best in the business.
I do prefer them to DVDs but if there is not a huge difference I prefer not to double dip as there are other ones I could buy that I don’t have already. The Network blu Ray of The Prisoner is a thing of great beauty!
 
Bloodride: Norwegian horror anthology. Starts with Ultimate Sacrifice, a family move to the countryside and find that locals follow some old customs. Good Folk Horror. On Netflix.

Only just caught up with this series.
A bit like Tales of the Unexpected, but with adult-rated violence and gore.
Definitely worth a look and very digestible at just 30 minutes per story.
 
A Discovery of Witches: Historian Diana Bishop discovers her Witch heritage when researching an ancient tome in Oxford;s Bodleian Library. She is thrust into a world of Witches, Vampires and Daemons; falling in love with the Vampire Matthew Clairmont. Intrigue and infighting sends them off on a quest which includes time travel to the late 16th Century where they interact with John Dee, Kit Marlowe, Robert Cecil and Queen Elizabeth I. Really entertaining, some great battle scenes between the magical beings with sub plots on the history of the Clairmonts, how Diana's parents died and her coming to terms with the extent of her powers. The 16th Century is wonderfully recreated. On Sky One. 8/10.
 
The Terror: Great adaptation of the Dan Simmons novel, developed by David Kajganich. About the expedition searching for the North-West Passage led by Sir John Franklin with the ships Erebus and Terror. Mutinies, lead poisoning from tinned food, cabin fever. being stuck in the ice are the least of their problems. There is also strange Polar Bear like creature which hunts them across the ice and the tundra. Some convincing scenes of the monster (called Tuunbaq by the Inuit) attacking, eating and killing the sailors. Further turmoil ensues resulting ultimately in cannibalism. It even climbs a mast in pursuit of it's prey. An impressive ensemble cast but Jared Harris as Captain Crozier, Adam Nagaitais as Petty Officer Hickey (leader of the mutineers) and Nive Nielsen as Silna (an Inuit woman who has a bond with the Tuunbaq) stand out. 8/10.
 
Behind Her Eyes: A dark psychological thriller series which segues into horror so smoothly that you hardly notice it happening/ The plot at first seems a bit too hackneyed - a psychiatrist's secretary, Louise, has an affair with her employer, David, and becomes best friends with his wife, Adele, at the same time. But there's a lot more going on than meets the eye, Adele's parents had died in fire which David had rescued her from. There is also a mystery as to why David and Adele had to move from Brighton and Louise suffers from night terrors and sleepwalking. The horror is mostly psychological but some really disturbing events occur on screen. There is also a Fortean touch to the events which cannot be revealed without giving too much away. Plus you get a couple of plot twists which will made me gasp but were convincing. Directed by Erik Richter Strand and written by Steve Lightfoot. On Netflix. 8/10.
 
The Terror: Great adaptation of the Dan Simmons novel, developed by David Kajganich. About the expedition searching for the North-West Passage led by Sir John Franklin with the ships Erebus and Terror. Mutinies, lead poisoning from tinned food, cabin fever. being stuck in the ice are the least of their problems. There is also strange Polar Bear like creature which hunts them across the ice and the tundra. Some convincing scenes of the monster (called Tuunbaq by the Inuit) attacking, eating and killing the sailors. Further turmoil ensues resulting ultimately in cannibalism. It even climbs a mast in pursuit of it's prey. An impressive ensemble cast but Jared Harris as Captain Crozier, Adam Nagaitais as Petty Officer Hickey (leader of the mutineers) and Nive Nielsen as Silna (an Inuit woman who has a bond with the Tuunbaq) stand out. 8/10.

On BBC2 this March 3rd:
Trailer

Will be looking out for it, though I never had the stamina for the book. Not because it's a thousand pages, but because it weighs a ton.
 
Damien (2016): TV series on Fox, a direct sequel to The Omen film. Damien is now 30 and works as a war photographer. Things start to go strange, people die around him, friends, enemies, those who know about his past. The Devil Dogs are pretty busy but other deaths result from being dragged into an escalator by a tie (terrible way to lose face) or being crushed by a taxicab. There are competing cultists who want to protect Damien and also those who wish to kill him. Quite dark and violent even though Damien is an engaging character who is a reluctant Antichrist. There was only one season of ten episodes and I'm halfway through it. I suspect I'll be left wanting more. 8/10.
 
Season 2 of Kingdom is just as good, the Zombie Horde scenes are perhaps even better. The palace intrigue continues along with Civil War. 9/10.

Kingdom: Ashin of the North: A feature length prequel to Season 1 which gives the origin story of Ashin who discovered the Zombie herbs. A tale of betrayal, war, espionage, intrigue and of course Zombies. Like Train To Busan the first Zombie we see is a deer, when it sees a tiger naturally it attacks but it's bitten off more than it can chew. It has bitten the tiger though which is now a Zombie and dispatches beaters and hunters before it is finally brought down. The young Ashin (Kim Shi-ah) is the only survivor of a massacre and trains so that she might take vengeance on the killers; Jun Ji-hyun reprises her role as the adult Ashin who puts good use to the training. Quite a savage, violent film. Not just the Zombies biting/eating people alive but also the human on human slaughter. The forests at time shine with a subdued light, almost subaqueous in tone. Some great Zombie swarms. Directed by Kim Seong-hun from a screenplay by Kim Eun-hee. On Netflix. 8/10.
 
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