Big Hero 6 | Movie Review

(There are no real spoilers in this post!)

A couple months ago I finally got around to watching Big Hero 6. I had heard SO much hype over how wonderful of a movie it was so I did have high hopes. I wasn't 100% sure of the story before going into the movie. All I knew was that there was a white, puffy robot named Baymax who everyone seemed to love...a LOT.

The story is about a robot named Baymax that was created by Tadashi Hamada to serve as a personal healthcare assistant. After a horrendous accident, Baymax teams up with Tadashi's younger brother, Hiro and his friends, as they journey to become hero's to protect San Fransokyo.

Within the first 30 minutes I was already completely emotionally invested. You instantly start caring about the characters and once Baymax is introduced, you just can't get enough! This movie is sad at times and I will admit, I definitely cried a LOT when I saw it, but don't let this turn you off! This movie has the perfect balance of emotions. You'll be sad for a minute, but then something good or funny will happen that will make you almost forget why you were so upset.

This movie is so great for all ages. I have always been a huge fan of Disney and I definitely think this is one of my favorite movies I have ever seen! I really wish it was as popular as Frozen became, because I feel like this is so much more emotional and funny. 

If you haven't checked out this movie yet for some reason, PLEASE watch it. You won't regret it! Whether you like cartoons or not, I feel like this movie will cause anyone to smile.

By the end I'm certain you'll be wanting your own personal Baymax as well! I know I did.

If you saw this movie, what did you think about it? Did you love it as much as I did?

Also, I just want to mention I'm SO sorry for not blogging for 2 weeks. I have a lot in the works. I hope you all enjoyed this post! I have a whole blog dedicated to horror movies/video games called Horror Teeth, if you are interested in stuff like that as well!

Feel free to leave any recommendations of movies or books that you think I'd like/want me to review down below!

Gone Girl | Book Review

Gone Girl is the first book that I have picked up and read all the way through so far this year. I usually don't read the books that have a ton of hype around them because I am often left disappointed. But I kept hearing people rave on and on about this book, and lot of people that I know and trust their opinions greatly! So, I finally decided to pick it up and give it a chance.

Also, this review doesn't contain any spoilers to the unraveling of the story!

Gone Girl is about a man named Nick Dunne and his wife Amy. When she suddenly turns up missing on their 5 year wedding anniversary there are so many questions but no answers. As Nick is frantic to find his wife and all fingers are pointing at him, you see the story through his eyes, with excerpts from Amy's diary, in the search to find out what truly happened to her.

The story starts off pretty quick, about 30 pages in Nick's wife disappears and in sets the paranoia and worry. The book constantly throws hints at you that even leaves you convinced the story is one way, when really it's the complete opposite. I also found it very unique that you are seeing things through the eyes of Nick and Amy's diary entries, AND they aren't always telling the truth. So I thought that was an interesting way to tell the story.

There is a pretty huge twist in this story and once I got to it I was actually surprised. It's one of those things that crosses your mind when you're trying to figure out the ending to a story but you think "No, they wouldn't do that. That is WAY too crazy and it just wouldn't work." Well, Gillian Flynn doesn't follow the rules and she makes it work. The only con I can think of is that once I passed the big twist in the plot line I got kind of bored. It just seemed like the last half dragged on a bit and once you finish the book you feel like it was a bit lackluster. I had the feeling of "I went through that crazy ride, all of those awful things happened, and THAT'S how you're leaving me?" I do understand why the book ended that way, but I just wish it was different.

Or if reading it isn't you're idea of fun, the movie is pretty good too! They did a great job casting Nick and Amy (Ben Affleck is exactly how I would imagine Nick) and I feel like they captured the crazy story really well.

Overall, I really would recommend reading it if you're interested. It's a well written book but it's also a pretty quick read. It's very entertaining and even the though ending is a bit annoying, I don't think it's a waste of time. Not the best book I've read, but I enjoyed it!

Have you read Gone Girl? If so, how did you like it?

The Walking Dead Season 5 | Consumed

STOP READING TO AVOID SPOILERS

Top Horror Video Games

If you didn't know this already, I am a HUGE video game fan. I don't know what it is about them that I adore so much more than TV and movies but I just find so much more joy in playing them. Combining Horror and Video Games are basically putting my two favorite things together! Here are 5 video games that I love and that also REALLY creep me out.

Outlast

Miles Upshore is a journalist who has come to Mount Massive Asylum to uncover the filth and inhumane experiments that are seemingly happening in the asylum. Once inside, he realizes he is locked in, leading him on a terrible journey meeting many of the insane patients and uncovering the truth that is held inside. With only a camera you are expected to maneuver and survive throughout Mount Massive.

Outlast is the only horror game I have ever played that I can only beat once, and it's a miracle I even did that! I don't know why this game makes me so nervous, maybe the random jump scares, the scary chasing scenes in the dark, or that you have no weapons and can't fight back, just run and hide? Either way, this game makes me SO nervous. But it's also such a captivating story and the graphics are beautiful. It's so interesting and creepy exploring an old asylum (I'm slightly obsessed with asylums so this fits right in to my interests). Although it makes me anxious I love this game and would recommend it to any horror lover.

I believe it is only available for PC and a PS4/Xbox One download!

Silent Hill 2

James Sunderland receives a letter that seems to be sent by his deceased wife, asking him to meet her at their "special place" in Silent Hill. He returns to Silent Hill and realizes that it's much different than the last time he remembered. It is a haunting and eerie place filled with strange creatures he has to fight through to hopefully find out the mystery of exactly what this letter means.

I have posted about Silent Hill 2 before, which you can read here. Silent Hill 2 really doesn't contain any jump scares and is a relatively easy game to get through. The atmosphere and the town itself is really what makes this game so incredibly creepy to me. It's so eerie walking through a foggy town filled with creatures. I've been in love with the story of Silent Hill ever since I can remember but the story of Silent Hill 2 is by far my favorite. This game does have riddles and puzzles that you have to solve and it is kind of difficult at points because if you don't do something exactly right, it won't work. So you have to make sure you pick up all of the clues the game is leaving you! It's really an amazing game and if you have the time you should definitely try it out.

 Siren

Siren takes place in a small village in Japan that mysteriously disappears during the blaring of a Siren. The village becomes surrounded by a red sea that the once villagers emerge from now as some time of zombie creatures.

Siren is one of those classic horror games that I used to play when I got my PS2. I remember how scared I was when I first played and it still creeps me out to this day! It was released in 2004, so the graphics aren't as great as they are in present day but it still manages to be a very creepy and eerie game that really takes you into their terrifying world.

 Fatal Frame Series

The first Fatal Frame was released in 2001 but has many other games in the Fatal Frame series. Since all of the stories are a bit different I'm just going to loosely explain the first, since it's my favorite. Your character is exploring a huge mansion that is infested with tons of vicious spirits that are terrifying. 

I love these games and I think they are all unique and definitely scary. I'm not a big fan of the newer releases but the first few are definitely a must have in any horror gamers collection. They deliver an eerie atmosphere while encountering scary creatures and spirits. One of the first horror games I ever really experienced!

Dead Space

You play a character known as Isaac Clarke who seems to be an engineer who was aboard a ship that was traveling to save another that had been lost. All of the crew had been slaughtered and transformed into crazy monsters known as Necromorphs.

The reason I added Dead Space on this list is because I remember the first time I played and how scary it was! I was a bit younger and I'm used to it more now, but it's still an incredibly creepy game where you never feel safe! It contains lots of jump scares and you really don't know when a monster is going to pop out at you. Plus, they move very fast and are just incredibly scary looking so that doesn't help when you're trying to aim to shoot them! It's a fun, fast-paced game but if you don't like jump scares then steer clear.

Do you like horror video games? What are your favorites? 

Overlooked Horror on Netflix

Netflix is great for TV series but after having it for a long time it can be hard to find good quality, entertaining movies. A lot of good/decent films can definitely be overlooked because lets be honest, sometimes Netflix is pretty hit and miss. I'm going to tell you about the 5 horror movies that I almost didn't watch, but glad that I did!

American Mary

A medical student who's piling up debt jumps at the chance when she's offered a lucrative opportunity to perform extreme body-modification surgeries.

This is probably one of the more well-known films of this group. Surprisingly I had never really heard anything about it before Netflix. One night as I was trying to find a movie that could serve as decent background noise I chose this one and went about my business. However, I noticed I kept stopping to watch the movie. It's a pretty dark and gory movie but I find it pretty unique concept for a film. If you enjoy gore and weird movies I think you would probably like this!
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Dead End

Deadly consequences arise when Frank and his wife opt for an unfamiliar route through the forest and stop to pick up a mysterious hitchhiker.

I had actually never heard of this movie until a few months ago. Someone said it was a very creepy movie that is way underrated. I didn't really expect it to be scary but after watching it I was pleasantly surprised. Dead End is an EXTREMELY eerie movie in my opinion. There aren't really any jump scares or monsters, the atmosphere and the characters really make it quite terrifying. Even though it is horror and a lot of awful things happen it's not 100% serious either, but I like that it's still pretty creepy. The only place I can really find it is on Netflix, I definitely recommend checking it out!

V/H/S

When a group of petty crooks goes in search of a rare VHS tape, they come upon a corpse surrounded by stacks of horrific and bizarre videos.

I had heard a LOT about this movie online, mostly on Tumblr. Everyone was saying how scary it was and after seeing tons of screen shots I had to finally see it! I'm not a big fan of the whole "filming with a home video camera" that a lot of horror movies are doing these days but I thought I'd give it a chance anyway. I thought it was going to be one long story, but it's actually split up into multiple different stories containing multiple creatures and murders. It's a very eerie and creepy film that I actually really enjoyed. It's not a movie that I could watch multiple times but I think it's definitely worth watching.

Grave Encounters

The stars of a paranormal-investigation TV show spend the night in a derelict hospital, hoping to uncover what's been going bump in the night.

This was another movie I had heard a lot about online. But it was, once again, a movie filmed on video cameras and I wasn't too eager to watch. Boredom got the best of me one night so I clicked on it and I ended up really enjoying it! It was pretty scary movie! There was a couple of jump-worthy moments and overall was definitely an interesting movie to watch.

 Absentia

Seven years after her husband goes missing, Tricia almost has him declared dead -- but now she suspects a sinister force caused his disappearance. 

Absentia was probably my least favorite on the list but I still feel like it's worth mentioning. It was a very odd movie and the way the filmed it was pretty different to me and I'm not sure that I really liked it. But it was definitely creepy at times and had an eerie "alien abduction" feel to it. I thought it was a pretty decent horror film though overall!

Have you seen any of these films? What did you think about them? What are some of your favorite overlooked horror movies on Netflix?

My Favorite Foreign Horror Movies

Foreign horror is sometimes my favorite. Often I feel like they are so much more scary and absurd than American horror films. I especially have a liking towards Japanese Horror. If you know anything about me, you'd know I already love everything to do with Japanese culture and my love for Japan actually started with watching one of the Ju-on's with I was about 8. (An odd thing to make me fall in love with Japan, but I guess it's what you'd expect from a horror lover like me!)

So I decided it would be fun and interesting to list some of my favorite Foreign horror films. They are listed in no particular order, so I guess lets get into it!

Ju-on

If any of you have seen The Grudge that came out in 2004 starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ju-on: The Grudge is actually the original version! It follows the same basic storyline. It revolves around a house that seems to be possessed by an evil curse from the past murders of a family and whoever enters the home or property will die in a terrible way. The second one just continues the original story of the first film and is definitely worth checking out if you watch the first.

It's one of the more popular Japanese horror movies franchises that I've found. Whenever I seem to mention anything about Japanese horror this one ALWAYS comes up. It's a very good story that is definitely a lot scarier than the American version!

 A Tale of Two Sisters

A Tale of Two Sisters is a South Korean horror film that was released in 2003. The two main characters are sisters Su-Mi and Su-Yeon who recently just got released from a mental institution. They return home to their father and step-mother.

The girls begin to have violent and terrifying nightmares and experience eerie things happening around them and it seems that their family and home are haunted by past tragedies.

This is one I actually haven't heard much about. I've always really liked this film but I wouldn't consider it one of the mainstream ones. But I feel like this may be one of the best films on this list. It's more of a psychological horror movie so if you're into that kind of thing I definitely think you should check it out! The more Americanized version of this would be The Uninvited with Emily Browning!

The Eye

The Eye is a Hong-Kong-Singaporean horror film that was released in 2002. It follows a 20-year old girl called Mun who has been blind since she was a child. She undergoes surgery to receive a new pair of eyes from a donor. She is happy to finally have her sight back but then she starts seeing odd figures and seem to foretell deaths.

The Eye is definitely a favorite of mine (obviously). This movie is always so creepy to me. Unfortunately the second movie doesn't really follow the first at all, but the first one is definitely worth a watch.

Ringu

Ringu is a 1998 Japanese horror movie. It follows a videotape that is apparently cursed and seven days after you view the tape it's said you will receive a phone call and will die. The only way to save yourself after watching the tape is to get someone else to watch it and then apparently the curse will be broken and go after the other person who viewed it.

A woman named, Reiko Asakawa's niece and three of her friends seemed to have watched the tape and were killed. She and her ex-husband try to investigate the tape and find out the curse behind it in time to break the curse completely.

I'm sure this story sounds extremely familiar as it's the original version of The Ring! The American remakes were very good and definitely scary, but you can't beat the original in my opinion.

Dark Water

Dark Water is a 2002 Japanese horror film directed by the same person who directed the Ring 1 & 2.

Yoshimi Matsubara moves to a small, run-down apartment with her daughter while she is in the middle of a nasty divorce. The ceiling of her apartment has a leak which becomes worse every day. She then starts experiencing odd things happening around the building and sometimes she will see a glimpse of a mysterious, long-haired girl. Yoshimi starts to uncover the horrible truth of what happened to the young girl in her apartment building.

This was remade into an American film in 2005. It was a good remake the the original is definitely a LOT creepier!

Do you enjoy watching Foreign horror movies?

My Favorite Movies to Watch in October!

I think everyone has some movies that make them feel that certain "warm & fuzzy" way when they watch them around their favorite holiday. Since Halloween is my favorite time of the year I thought it'd be a fun idea to list my favorite (non-horror) movies to watch around this time!

Coraline

A young girl named Coraline moves with her parents into a mansion that had been renovated into apartments. Her parents seem extremely busy with their jobs and often ignore Coraline and let her wonder by herself. She ends up finding a small door in her living room that she begs her mother to open, but unfortunately finds it has been sealed off.  Her life seems very dreary and boring until one night as she's sleeping she awakes to mice in her doorway. She follows the mice downstairs to find that the small doorway that was sealed earlier is now open and extends a long colorful tunnel into another world. She enters this world to find she is still in the same house. She finds her mother in the kitchen cooking but it turns out not to be her mother at all, but actually her "other mother" who she can identify by the buttons she has instead of eyes, as all of the characters in this world seem to have. She quickly realizes that this other world seems so much better and magical than her regular one. But things don't always stay that way.

This isn't necessarily a scary or a Halloween themed movie. But for some reason I always find myself reaching for this movie around October. I love how unique this story is and I just think it's a beautifully animated movie in general. I adore Coraline and I think that this story is cute, creepy and funny. It's really great and I think it will remain one of my favorites for a long time.

Paranorman

Norman is a seemingly normal boy except for one thing, he seems to have the ability to talk to the dead. He sees them wherever he goes including in his own home where he speaks to his late grandmother regualarly. No one believes him and he is often made fun of and bullied for his ability. Norman starts to have visions where he can see that the his town is in danger and he comes in contact with a man that tells him that he has to continue a ritual that will help save the town from the rising dead.

Continuing with the animated movies, Paranorman is another that I often find myself watching while Halloween is close. I actually just watched this last year around October and fell in love. It's a funny movie but it's also very interesting and cute. I really think it's fun movie to watch that will get you into the October spirit!

Halloweentown

It's starts off with a young girl named Marnie, as she is trying to convince her mother to let her go out for Halloween. But for some reason her mother seems completely against the idea and festivities that happen during the holiday. The children's grandmother comes to visit them like every Halloween and before she leaves they see her getting onto a "magical bus" that they end up sneaking onto and traveling into the magical world of Halloweentown! Which obviously is a town filled with anything and everything relating to the wonderful day of Halloween.

This is one of those movies that I would never have even watched if it wasn't for when I was younger I constantly had the Disney Channel on. This movie just gives me such an nostalgic feeling of when I was younger and getting excited for trick or treating. Or staying awake "late" to watch it when it aired on Disney. No matter how silly this movie is I think it will always be one of those main childhood movies that carries on into adulthood whenever this time of year rolls around.

The Craft

Sarah Bailey moves to San Francisco with her father and stepmother. Sarah had always had odd things happening to her but she never thought much of it. When she starts her new school she befriends a group of outcasts that practice witchcraft. At first Sarah thinks they are crazy but soon she realizes that together as a group their powers are so strong and they can seemingly get whatever they wish for. However they don't realize the consequences of taking it for granted until it's too late.

This movie is just one of my favorites in general. I'm not sure why I favor this movie so much but I always have. Maybe it's because I think witchcraft and witches are so interesting? Who knows. But this movie always makes me think of autumn. This is definitely the most serious movie I have on this list but I really wanted to add it in. It's not scary at all, I would consider it more of a drama/thriller more than anything.




As you can see, I didn't really add any horror movies because I feel like movies that make you think of Halloween & horror movies are two completely different lists. There are tons more that I love watching but I guess you could consider these my "most watched" around this time.

What are your favorite movies to watch in October?

Top 5 Horror Reads

My favorite genre of books, graphic novels, manga, etc. is always horror or science fiction! I think it's a real talent if you can creep me out just by reading a story or looking at drawings. That's why, I feel like it's only appropriate at this time of year to list some of my favorites!

The Walking Dead

Rick Grimes, shot in the line of duty, awakes from a coma to find that he is now in the middle of an apocalyptic world surround by zombies! He meets many friendly, and not so friendly faces along his journey to survive in this new world and he soon discovers that the living dead aren't the biggest problem he has to face.

I'm sure all of you are familiar or at least have heard of the hit TV show, The Walking Dead. It's definitely one of my top TV shows as well as one of my top graphic novels. The writer is Robert Kirkman who also works on the show. Although the television series is much different than the novel, it loosely follows it and it does follow the same characters. One of the more popular characters in the show, Daryl, actually isn't included in the novel at all! The novel is much farther ahead than the TV series as well but reading it won't really spoil anything for you!

Uzumaki

Uzumaki takes place in a small town on the coast of Japan. The main character, Kirie Goshima, starts to notice how the residents of the town are starting to become fixated on spirals and how it's affecting them to such lengths that make them go crazy because they become so obsessed. 

This manga is written and illustrated by Junji Ito. I actually did an in-depth review of Uzumaki here! Just simply explaining this manga really does it no justice. You can't understand how creepy and well written/illustrated it is until you see it or read it in person. It really is a one of a kind story that I am completely in love with. It's so haunting and unique.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Scary Stories is a 3-book series by Alvin Schwartz that contains many scary stories (obviously!) with creepy illustrations. I actually didn't know how popular these books were until rather recently! I remember when I was younger I found one at a thrift store and read the whole book in one sitting. I thought it was so scary and captivating. I eventually collected them all and I still read them once in awhile today! Some of the stories are pretty far fetched but I definitely think that they all are very unique and the illustrations just add that extra kick to the story-telling. I grew up around these and they were always the scariest books I owned growing up. 

I really think if you haven't checked them out you really should! They are quite interesting and I'm pretty sure you could get them for very cheap now!

Edgar Allan Poe

Now for one of the most classic horror writers known! I own a lot of his books and poetry and I just really find they are the perfect books to settle down and read on a rainy, October day. His well known stories include "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Raven", and "The Pit and the Pendulum". If you want a horror story that isn't as fast paced and terrifying as some, I would really recommend some of his. 

Today is actually the anniversary of his death, what a weird coincidence! 

Goosebumps

This is a major step back into my elementary school days! I used to be obsessed with Goosebumps books, as many kids were. I loved how there were so many different stories and at my young age I always thought they were so scary! Of course looking back now they don't seem nearly as intimidating! I actually found my stash from when I was younger not too long ago so I've been going through them lately and it brought back a ton of memories. I feel like this is such a classic series for so many kids growing up!