American Horror Story: Coven, Season 3 (2013)

Starring: Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Taissa Farmiga, Emma Roberts, Lily Rabe, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Frances Conroy, Evan Peters, Denis O'Hare, Danny Huston, Josh Hamilton, Gabourey Sidibe



Premise:
A coven of witches in New Orleans battle witch hunters and a rival voodoo coven while trying to find out who their next leader will be.


My Take:
This might be my favorite season of the show. It is full of weirdness, gore, and horrific imagery. Toss in some revisionist history like the coven all being decendants from Salem and the rival voodoo clan being headed by Marie Laveau and her rival Madame Delphine LaLaurie. Then throw in an a reincarniated ghost of an serial killing axe murderer and a group of millionare witch hunters and a it's a delicious mix of insanity that hits on all cylinders. A great cast and great writing nails it.



Rating: So Good



Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Grey Knight (1993)

Starring: Corbin Bernsen, Adrian Pesdar, David Arquette, Ray Wise, Martin Sheen, Billy Bob Thorton, Cynda Williams
Director:George Hickenlooper


Premise:
Slave traders accidentally release an entity which possesses soldiers during the Civil War. Members from both the North and the South form an strong army of the undead and it's up to small group of Northern soldiers and their Southern captive to stop them.

My Take:
A stellar cast effortlessly makes their way through a very orginal story. The movie is heavy on atmosphere and suspense while keeping the gore almost nonexistent. It's hard to find new ideas in the genre of horror, but this brings something new to the table.

Rating: So Good

 



 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

Plaugue of the Zombies (1966)

Starring: Andre Morell, John Carson
Director: John Gilling


Premise:
A doctor goes to assist a former student in a rural town where people are mysteriously dying.

My Take:
Hammer Studio takes zombies based on traditional Hatian voodoo lore. You know it's going to have some style and that fact alone basically makes it a watchable movie. A good story and acting move the film along.

Rating: In the middle





 
Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.

All Heads Turn When The Hunt Goes By

Author: John Farris

Synopsis:
The tale of a distinguished Virginia family, the Bradwins and their cursed bloodline which goes back generations to the darkest Africa. Forces beyond the families control look to destroy them in the name of vengeance.
 
My Take:
For whatever reason I found this a very hard book to get into. The complex story is good, the characters are rich in development, and it's meticulously plotted. The tale keeps moving along with back story on the families and the the climax wraps up rather quickly.
Perhaps others will enjoy the book more than I did because it's on several top horror novel lists.

Rating: In the middle






Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.seankimmel.com.