Ghosts of Albion. In Print!!!
To say I am excited is a major understatement!!
No idea when it will hit your shelves, but it is coming!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Well...it's not YDIS
But I got called out anyway.
http://misstress-of-doom.blogspot.com/2011/10/it-only-gets-better.html
Out of the Closet blog. That made me laugh.
Mistress of Doom doesn't quite have the same level of gravitas as YDIS. But give her time and I am sure she will end up pissing someone off just the right way to get some attention.
Until then I'll give her some free clicks. What the hell.
Now if I can only remember where I left my flash-drive with my 10,000 page massive Willow/Tara and Xena/Gabrielle crossover epic. Maybe it is in that jar she mentions.
http://misstress-of-doom.blogspot.com/2011/10/it-only-gets-better.html
Out of the Closet blog. That made me laugh.
Mistress of Doom doesn't quite have the same level of gravitas as YDIS. But give her time and I am sure she will end up pissing someone off just the right way to get some attention.
Until then I'll give her some free clicks. What the hell.
Now if I can only remember where I left my flash-drive with my 10,000 page massive Willow/Tara and Xena/Gabrielle crossover epic. Maybe it is in that jar she mentions.
Sir Gannon, the Gold Knight
I normally don't mix my professional day-to-day job with my gaming or blog writing, but I was on campus recently and this thought came to me.
So here is a character you can steal for your game.
Sir Gannon, the Gold Knight
There is a small hamlet on the shores of a large lake in the Land of Penn that has known peace for nearly three generations. The land has had a history of great war, the Burg of Getty in east still sees the ghosts of long dead warriors from their bloody battles there. Even the home of the King in the Burg of Harris is constantly prepared for war and many of the best warriors come to this town to learn the arts of combat. But these towns do not have the one thing that has insured peace of small village of Erie.
They are not the home of Sir Gannon, the Gold Knight.
Gannon began, and many say remain to this day, a modest man of simple means. He inherited his father's castle at a young age. While he could have been content with the life of a land-owner he instead began his trainning for the priesthood. He spent long hours in quiet meditation, prayer and scholarship. His studies began early as a child and continued long past what others had done into his manhood. He turned his father's castle to a place where all could come and learn as he had done to make their lives better or just to satisfy an intellectual hunger. He only asked that help contribute to the town, and embrace his values of good over evil, charity over greed, and lawfulness over chaos. Some said he was naïve of the world and even old-fashioned, but Gannon knew better, he simply wished for a peaceful, quiet life.
Gannon would have been at peace, but peace was not offered to him. His land was plagued by foul undead, goblins and fell spellcasters. Reluctantly he took up the sword and defended the people that had come to learn from him.
He doned the only armor he had available to him, his father's magical gilded platemail and he met the challenges. For years Sir Gannon defended his lands. He always meant to exchange his armor for something less ostentatious, but his renown had grown. While not vain, he knew that the stories of "The Golden Knight" were often enough to persuade evil men and creatures to find spoils elsewhere. Plus the sight of his gilded armor on horseback was a welcomed and reassuring sight to those he defended.
Though now the great Sir Gannon is old and there are few willing, or able, to take up his cause.
Here is the great Sir Gannon as a Spellcraft & Swordplay Paladin (Warrior Elite-path).
Sir Gannon, The Gold Knight
Paladin 10th level
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 13
Constitution: 11
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 17
Charisma: 18
HD: 10+7 (60 hp)
AC: 12 (magical Field Plate and shield)
Attacks: 8+6
Special: +2 to Con-based saves (+4 total), Combat Style Mastery: Mounted Combat +2, Healing touch 20hp per day, +2 to all saves, disease immunity, detect and dispel evil, Holy Sword +3 ("Aggredior"), Holy Mount ("Charger").
Sir Gannon has recently taken on a young squire to aid him. Del is not a knight, but he will to aid the Gold Knight and that makes up for his lack of combat skill.
Bards are an elite path found in Monstrous Mayhem.
Del, his squire
3rd level Bard
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 16
HD: 2+2 (11 hp)
AC: 3 (magic leather)
Attacks: 2+1
Special: Favored Abilities (Indigence, Charisma) +1, Open Locks +3, Trapsmith +3, Pick Pockets +4, Stealth +4, Perception +2, Expert Linguist, Climb, Vital Strike, Uncanny Dodge, Lore +1, Prestidigitation
Currently Sir Gannon and Del are perusing what they believe to be a coven of evil witches. They are in fact Succubi. The Succubi though have no greater plans than to stir up some trouble and maybe claim a couple of souls, or at least enough gold to move on to the next town. They were summoned by an old warlock that died before he could send them back and now they are running free. They have taken false names to hide their True Names.
Succubi, witches and warlocks all appear in Eldritch Witchery.
"Sabrina", "Raven" and "Destiny"
So here is a character you can steal for your game.
Sir Gannon, the Gold Knight
There is a small hamlet on the shores of a large lake in the Land of Penn that has known peace for nearly three generations. The land has had a history of great war, the Burg of Getty in east still sees the ghosts of long dead warriors from their bloody battles there. Even the home of the King in the Burg of Harris is constantly prepared for war and many of the best warriors come to this town to learn the arts of combat. But these towns do not have the one thing that has insured peace of small village of Erie.
They are not the home of Sir Gannon, the Gold Knight.
Gannon began, and many say remain to this day, a modest man of simple means. He inherited his father's castle at a young age. While he could have been content with the life of a land-owner he instead began his trainning for the priesthood. He spent long hours in quiet meditation, prayer and scholarship. His studies began early as a child and continued long past what others had done into his manhood. He turned his father's castle to a place where all could come and learn as he had done to make their lives better or just to satisfy an intellectual hunger. He only asked that help contribute to the town, and embrace his values of good over evil, charity over greed, and lawfulness over chaos. Some said he was naïve of the world and even old-fashioned, but Gannon knew better, he simply wished for a peaceful, quiet life.
Gannon would have been at peace, but peace was not offered to him. His land was plagued by foul undead, goblins and fell spellcasters. Reluctantly he took up the sword and defended the people that had come to learn from him.
He doned the only armor he had available to him, his father's magical gilded platemail and he met the challenges. For years Sir Gannon defended his lands. He always meant to exchange his armor for something less ostentatious, but his renown had grown. While not vain, he knew that the stories of "The Golden Knight" were often enough to persuade evil men and creatures to find spoils elsewhere. Plus the sight of his gilded armor on horseback was a welcomed and reassuring sight to those he defended.
Though now the great Sir Gannon is old and there are few willing, or able, to take up his cause.
Here is the great Sir Gannon as a Spellcraft & Swordplay Paladin (Warrior Elite-path).
Sir Gannon, The Gold Knight
Paladin 10th level
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 13
Constitution: 11
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 17
Charisma: 18
HD: 10+7 (60 hp)
AC: 12 (magical Field Plate and shield)
Attacks: 8+6
Special: +2 to Con-based saves (+4 total), Combat Style Mastery: Mounted Combat +2, Healing touch 20hp per day, +2 to all saves, disease immunity, detect and dispel evil, Holy Sword +3 ("Aggredior"), Holy Mount ("Charger").
Sir Gannon has recently taken on a young squire to aid him. Del is not a knight, but he will to aid the Gold Knight and that makes up for his lack of combat skill.
Bards are an elite path found in Monstrous Mayhem.
Del, his squire
3rd level Bard
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 16
HD: 2+2 (11 hp)
AC: 3 (magic leather)
Attacks: 2+1
Special: Favored Abilities (Indigence, Charisma) +1, Open Locks +3, Trapsmith +3, Pick Pockets +4, Stealth +4, Perception +2, Expert Linguist, Climb, Vital Strike, Uncanny Dodge, Lore +1, Prestidigitation
Currently Sir Gannon and Del are perusing what they believe to be a coven of evil witches. They are in fact Succubi. The Succubi though have no greater plans than to stir up some trouble and maybe claim a couple of souls, or at least enough gold to move on to the next town. They were summoned by an old warlock that died before he could send them back and now they are running free. They have taken false names to hide their True Names.
Succubi, witches and warlocks all appear in Eldritch Witchery.
"Sabrina", "Raven" and "Destiny"
AL: E
SZ: M
AC: 7
Move: 90' / Fly: 120'
HD: 6 (25)
Attacks: Claw/Claw/Special (2 dagger-2)
Special: Fly 120', Energy Drain (kiss), Darkvision, Dominate, Magic Resistance (fire), Immune to mundane weapons
Treasure: 6
XP: 345
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
What happening on the Web today?
Here are some posts that I thought you might like to take another look at.
ChicagoWiz is closing down shop.
http://oldguyrpg.blogspot.com/2011/11/winding-down-and-what-ill-leave.html
Tenkar wants to know if you can do Horror with OSR/d20 games.
http://www.tenkarstavern.com/2011/11/can-d20-ogl-osr-be-used-for-effective.html
Ckutalik over at Hill Cantons wants to know if it is time for an RPG Publishing Co-Op.
http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2011/11/time-for-diy-gaming-publishing-coop.html
Laura, a new blogger to me, does a fantastic analysis of Mina Murray from the novel Dracula.
http://turntheworldoffwithhersmile.blogspot.com/2011/10/re-reading-dracula-was-mina-murray.html
You might recall I did something similar only with the movie versions of Mina, http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2011/09/juxtaposition-blogathon-mina-harker.html
Actually just go read her whole blog, Who Can Turn The World Off With Her Smile?, it's great.
ChicagoWiz is closing down shop.
http://oldguyrpg.blogspot.com/2011/11/winding-down-and-what-ill-leave.html
Tenkar wants to know if you can do Horror with OSR/d20 games.
http://www.tenkarstavern.com/2011/11/can-d20-ogl-osr-be-used-for-effective.html
Ckutalik over at Hill Cantons wants to know if it is time for an RPG Publishing Co-Op.
http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2011/11/time-for-diy-gaming-publishing-coop.html
Laura, a new blogger to me, does a fantastic analysis of Mina Murray from the novel Dracula.
http://turntheworldoffwithhersmile.blogspot.com/2011/10/re-reading-dracula-was-mina-murray.html
You might recall I did something similar only with the movie versions of Mina, http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2011/09/juxtaposition-blogathon-mina-harker.html
Actually just go read her whole blog, Who Can Turn The World Off With Her Smile?, it's great.
Halloween Purchases
Every halloween I treat myself to a horror-themed RPG purchase.
This year was no different except I didn't limit myself to one.
So here are my Halloween RPG gifts to myself and what I thought of them.
Mutants & Masterminds Threat Report #43: Dracula
Drac is one of my favorite villains of all time and he is especially fun in a Supers game. I really liked what they did here and the plot hooks are good ways to pull Dracula into your games quickly.
Savage Worlds Horror Companion
I am not a huge Savage Worlds fan, but you can't say I don't give the game a fair shake. I also keep getting books for it in hopes that I begin to feel some of that same love that others do for this game. I thought this one might do it. But no.
Now don't get me wrong, this is a fine book.
There is a lot of meat here (145 pages). There are new Hindrances and Edges for heroes (though a lot of the horror standards are in the main core book) There are even ways to make monsters into friends (to quote the late, great Joey Ramone) or rather to make monsters into Player Characters. I particularly like their Dhampyr and might yoink it for Unisystem. There are new weapons, not as extensive as the listings in some other games, but still fine, though if you wanted to do "Savage Ghostbusters" or even "Savage Blade the Vampire Hunter" then everything you need is here. There is an obligatory section on sanity. It is better than most, but I still don't like it (AGAIN that is more about me as a former QMHP than as a gamer). There is a good section about Rituals and one about Magick (with a k) that does much in strengthening what I have always perceived as SW's greatest weakness, it's magic system. Lots and lots of great monsters too, much more than I expected. So this is a huge plus. The book falls down a bit at the Game Mastering Section. But in it's defense what it does cover is perfectly suited to a Savage Worlds game. So SW Gamemasters can start here and then move out to other sources to get more info. All in all this was a good purchase.
Rotworld
Believe it or not, I Am not a huge fan of Zombie games. I love All Flesh Must Be Eaten, but as an addition to my WitchCraft/Ghosts of Albion games. Rotworld will be similar.
Produced by Daniel Proctor of Labyrinth Lord and GORE fame, Rotworld capitalizes on the 5 billion dollar a year business of Zombies (As of October 2011). RW uses the old Time Master system that Proctor bought from Pacesetter. He did not however buy Chill, so he can't say it is compatible with Chill 1st Edition. But with some work it is and that is why I picked it up. I love Chill and plan to see what sort of goodness Rotworld could add to a Chill game. OR the other way around. Either way this small game (65 pages) packs a punch and shows that "Old School Gaming" is more than just making the next retro-clone of Holmes Basic or AD&D 1st ed. I hope Rotworld is successful so Goblinoid Games does a generic horror game with this system. There are not a lot of monsters in this book, outside of zombies, but there is plenty of text on character creation, combat and skills. There is a good Game Master section (Corpse Master) about how to setup and run a game.
Rotworld is a fine game. It won't unseat AFMBE as the premiere Zombie survival game out there, but it is a lot of fun and great for an evening's distraction or even gathering up a bunch of friends with fond memories of gaming in the early 80s.
Darker Paths 1: The Necromancer
The Necromancer is the first in a set of alternate classes for the Adventures Dark and Deep RPG. Adventures Dark and Deep is an interesting "what if" experiment in gaming. The what if here is "what if Gary Gygax had not left TSR and headed the development of the AD&D 2nd Edition rules. Based on interviews, publications of the man himself at the time, and a healthy dose of conjecture, we get a game that is familiar yet new at the same time.
The Necromancer is one of the more popular "alternate classes" developed for any fantasy RPG. Almost always an alternate class and never a core one, the necromancer is the ultimate foe in many games or the ultimate PC in others. But as long as horror and undead are popular in game, then the necromancer is right there with them.
Darker Paths 1: The Necromancer packs a lot of punch in a small book. At only 24 pages, we get a new class, a "new" race and 75 new spells. No small feat really. The material is for the Adventures Dark and Deep game, but it certainly can be used with any retro-clone, near-clone or any other game that emulate AD&D 1st ed or Basic D&D. The art is mixed, but very evocative of the era. Some new pieces and some public domain works (and it looks like the editor did his research too).
If you like Necromancers and play an older edition of the game, whether an honest older edition or a newer clone, then this is a good choice.
Darker Paths 2: The Witch
I am always a bit hesitant to review other peoples work on witch-related classes since I have products of my own out there. I fear of being too critical or too lax, each to out weigh the other. In the end I think I just need to review the product as is. Like DP1: The Necromancer this product is for the "Adventures Dark and Deep" RPG, OR any other near-clone of AD&D. Also like the first Darker Path book this presents the witch as an evil character class; not the Earth loving priestess of old faiths or even the spiritual seeking witches of modern tales. This must be recalled when reading the rest of this book. These witches are more Baba Yaga and not Circe for example. There is the obligatory disclaimer on Contemporary Witches and how this game is not that. (As an aside, as someone that has written these myself this one does seem more of a disclaimer of "don't email me" rather than a "I am not trying to offend", but that could just be me. EDITED: I did get an email clarification on this and the author was very much in the "I am not trying to offend, but these are different things" camp, which is cool by me.)
Witches in this game are all evil and their main ability is Wisdom. Their Charisma must start high, but it degrades as the witch rises in level. Interesting. I am not sure I like that since it seems here that Charisma is used as an "Appearance" proxy and not as a "Force of Personality" one. It would make it hard to make a character like Circe, who was evil, attractive and had a lot of force of personality, as a witch in these rules. That is fine, she would have to be something else, but I do want to point it out.
Witches advance to 13th level; so reminiscent of the druid. She has a nice variety of spells to choose from (more on this) and there are rules for her brewing potions and poisons. Like other witches of folklore, this witch can also have multiple familiars. A nice touch in my mind.
The spells are the real gem of this book. Nearly 50 new spells there are a lot of classics here. There are spells on Candle Magic (and done differently than my own) and nearly every base is covered (curses, storm summoning, afflicting others).
Like with DP1, the art is a mix of new and public domain art, but all of it is appropriate to the feel of the book. In the end this is a very good evil witch class. It does make me wonder how the author might do a good witch.
Happy Halloween!
This year was no different except I didn't limit myself to one.
So here are my Halloween RPG gifts to myself and what I thought of them.
Mutants & Masterminds Threat Report #43: Dracula
Drac is one of my favorite villains of all time and he is especially fun in a Supers game. I really liked what they did here and the plot hooks are good ways to pull Dracula into your games quickly.
Savage Worlds Horror Companion
I am not a huge Savage Worlds fan, but you can't say I don't give the game a fair shake. I also keep getting books for it in hopes that I begin to feel some of that same love that others do for this game. I thought this one might do it. But no.
Now don't get me wrong, this is a fine book.
There is a lot of meat here (145 pages). There are new Hindrances and Edges for heroes (though a lot of the horror standards are in the main core book) There are even ways to make monsters into friends (to quote the late, great Joey Ramone) or rather to make monsters into Player Characters. I particularly like their Dhampyr and might yoink it for Unisystem. There are new weapons, not as extensive as the listings in some other games, but still fine, though if you wanted to do "Savage Ghostbusters" or even "Savage Blade the Vampire Hunter" then everything you need is here. There is an obligatory section on sanity. It is better than most, but I still don't like it (AGAIN that is more about me as a former QMHP than as a gamer). There is a good section about Rituals and one about Magick (with a k) that does much in strengthening what I have always perceived as SW's greatest weakness, it's magic system. Lots and lots of great monsters too, much more than I expected. So this is a huge plus. The book falls down a bit at the Game Mastering Section. But in it's defense what it does cover is perfectly suited to a Savage Worlds game. So SW Gamemasters can start here and then move out to other sources to get more info. All in all this was a good purchase.
Rotworld
Believe it or not, I Am not a huge fan of Zombie games. I love All Flesh Must Be Eaten, but as an addition to my WitchCraft/Ghosts of Albion games. Rotworld will be similar.
Produced by Daniel Proctor of Labyrinth Lord and GORE fame, Rotworld capitalizes on the 5 billion dollar a year business of Zombies (As of October 2011). RW uses the old Time Master system that Proctor bought from Pacesetter. He did not however buy Chill, so he can't say it is compatible with Chill 1st Edition. But with some work it is and that is why I picked it up. I love Chill and plan to see what sort of goodness Rotworld could add to a Chill game. OR the other way around. Either way this small game (65 pages) packs a punch and shows that "Old School Gaming" is more than just making the next retro-clone of Holmes Basic or AD&D 1st ed. I hope Rotworld is successful so Goblinoid Games does a generic horror game with this system. There are not a lot of monsters in this book, outside of zombies, but there is plenty of text on character creation, combat and skills. There is a good Game Master section (Corpse Master) about how to setup and run a game.
Rotworld is a fine game. It won't unseat AFMBE as the premiere Zombie survival game out there, but it is a lot of fun and great for an evening's distraction or even gathering up a bunch of friends with fond memories of gaming in the early 80s.
Darker Paths 1: The Necromancer
The Necromancer is the first in a set of alternate classes for the Adventures Dark and Deep RPG. Adventures Dark and Deep is an interesting "what if" experiment in gaming. The what if here is "what if Gary Gygax had not left TSR and headed the development of the AD&D 2nd Edition rules. Based on interviews, publications of the man himself at the time, and a healthy dose of conjecture, we get a game that is familiar yet new at the same time.
The Necromancer is one of the more popular "alternate classes" developed for any fantasy RPG. Almost always an alternate class and never a core one, the necromancer is the ultimate foe in many games or the ultimate PC in others. But as long as horror and undead are popular in game, then the necromancer is right there with them.
Darker Paths 1: The Necromancer packs a lot of punch in a small book. At only 24 pages, we get a new class, a "new" race and 75 new spells. No small feat really. The material is for the Adventures Dark and Deep game, but it certainly can be used with any retro-clone, near-clone or any other game that emulate AD&D 1st ed or Basic D&D. The art is mixed, but very evocative of the era. Some new pieces and some public domain works (and it looks like the editor did his research too).
If you like Necromancers and play an older edition of the game, whether an honest older edition or a newer clone, then this is a good choice.
Darker Paths 2: The Witch
I am always a bit hesitant to review other peoples work on witch-related classes since I have products of my own out there. I fear of being too critical or too lax, each to out weigh the other. In the end I think I just need to review the product as is. Like DP1: The Necromancer this product is for the "Adventures Dark and Deep" RPG, OR any other near-clone of AD&D. Also like the first Darker Path book this presents the witch as an evil character class; not the Earth loving priestess of old faiths or even the spiritual seeking witches of modern tales. This must be recalled when reading the rest of this book. These witches are more Baba Yaga and not Circe for example. There is the obligatory disclaimer on Contemporary Witches and how this game is not that. (As an aside, as someone that has written these myself this one does seem more of a disclaimer of "don't email me" rather than a "I am not trying to offend", but that could just be me. EDITED: I did get an email clarification on this and the author was very much in the "I am not trying to offend, but these are different things" camp, which is cool by me.)
Witches in this game are all evil and their main ability is Wisdom. Their Charisma must start high, but it degrades as the witch rises in level. Interesting. I am not sure I like that since it seems here that Charisma is used as an "Appearance" proxy and not as a "Force of Personality" one. It would make it hard to make a character like Circe, who was evil, attractive and had a lot of force of personality, as a witch in these rules. That is fine, she would have to be something else, but I do want to point it out.
Witches advance to 13th level; so reminiscent of the druid. She has a nice variety of spells to choose from (more on this) and there are rules for her brewing potions and poisons. Like other witches of folklore, this witch can also have multiple familiars. A nice touch in my mind.
The spells are the real gem of this book. Nearly 50 new spells there are a lot of classics here. There are spells on Candle Magic (and done differently than my own) and nearly every base is covered (curses, storm summoning, afflicting others).
Like with DP1, the art is a mix of new and public domain art, but all of it is appropriate to the feel of the book. In the end this is a very good evil witch class. It does make me wonder how the author might do a good witch.
Happy Halloween!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Spellcraft & Swordplay: The Necromancer
The Necromancer
One of the most oft created sub class, new class or alternate class is the Necromancer.
Gamers in good campaigns look to them as the penultimate foe. Gamers in evil campaigns dream of controlling scores of undead.
The Monstrous Mayhem book for Spellcraft & Swordplay introduced the Necromancer Elite Path. He is also featured in the Deluxe Core Rule book.
The Necromancer
Level 8
HD: 6+4 (36 hp)
Attacks: 5+3 (Staff, spells)
S: 10 D: 12: Con: 13 Int: 18 Wis: 16 Cha: 13
Bane of the Dead, Enhanced Undead, Skeletal Minion, Undead Apotheosis: +3
Spells:
First Level: Bane, Chill Ray, Detect Evil, Inflict Light Wounds
Second Level: Cause Fear, Death Knell, Hold Person, Protection from Good
Third Level: Curse, Speak with Dead, Unholy Blight
Fourth Level: Death Ward, Vampiric Killer
Fifth Level: Shadow Armor
The Necromancer prowls the night looking for crypts to raid or fresh corpses to use in his unholy experiments of the dead.
He is armed with a Skull Staff that gives him a +1 on his spellcasting rolls.
One of the most oft created sub class, new class or alternate class is the Necromancer.
Gamers in good campaigns look to them as the penultimate foe. Gamers in evil campaigns dream of controlling scores of undead.
The Monstrous Mayhem book for Spellcraft & Swordplay introduced the Necromancer Elite Path. He is also featured in the Deluxe Core Rule book.
The Necromancer
HD: 6+4 (36 hp)
Attacks: 5+3 (Staff, spells)
S: 10 D: 12: Con: 13 Int: 18 Wis: 16 Cha: 13
Bane of the Dead, Enhanced Undead, Skeletal Minion, Undead Apotheosis: +3
Spells:
First Level: Bane, Chill Ray, Detect Evil, Inflict Light Wounds
Second Level: Cause Fear, Death Knell, Hold Person, Protection from Good
Third Level: Curse, Speak with Dead, Unholy Blight
Fourth Level: Death Ward, Vampiric Killer
Fifth Level: Shadow Armor
The Necromancer prowls the night looking for crypts to raid or fresh corpses to use in his unholy experiments of the dead.
He is armed with a Skull Staff that gives him a +1 on his spellcasting rolls.
October Challenge: Spielberg Film Fest
Steven Spielberg is one of the best, if not the best director of the modern age. Say what you like about some of his movies, there is no doubt that he can do horror and suspense. I decided to end my October Horror Challenge with some really, really good movies. So this weekend I did some ones I have seen before.
There is different kind of horror here, and I'll go as far as to say was invented by Spielberg; the Suburban Horror film. Look at his movies, Close Encounters, Poltergeist, and ET. He took something so innocuous and innocent made it the stage for aliens and ghosts.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Richard Dreyfus' descent into madness is key to this movie; the fear, uncertainty and doubt. We even have a final girl, in the form of Dreyfus.
I chose this movie because I had just picked it up on Blu-Ray and it holds up really, really well. Even the bits that are dated seem fine and there is not a lot of those. This movie could be released today and have just as much impact.
Though I wonder if these days the aliens might appear different, or if the inside of the spaceship might change. Between this movie and now there is a whole lot of "Alien" culture that has happened.
Tally, 28 movies, 24 new
Poltergeist (1982)
And let us not forget the "Poltergeist Curse".
Tally, 29 movies, 24 new
Jaws (1975)
Like the first two this film is very nearly perfect in every respect. Ok, so, some the things the shark does are a bit much, but it is still a shark and not a ghost or alien.
Roy Scheider, like Craig T. Nelson and Dreyfus of a later film, has tyified the role of the "Speilberg Dad". A role, oddly enough, missing from his Magnum Opus, E.T. The Speilberg Dad though is strong, loves his family and is ready to do battle with the monsters, even if he has no idea what he is doing at all. Dreyfus in CE is the dad that fails, but Scheider here and Nelson in Poltergeist are cut from the same cloth.
Like Poltergeist lets pretend the sequels don't exist ok?
Tally, 30 movies, 24 new
Jurassic Park (1993)
In this movie we treated to breath taking views and wonders. Then the "screaming and blood" starts.
So much of this movie is right that it is easy to ignore what it gets wrong (those are Velociraptors, it should be called Cretaceous Park...), but none of that matters when there is a T-Rex chasing after you.
I can remember back in college my wife (then my girlfriend) had just finished reading this book and she was going on and on about how great of a movie it would make. She was right.
Tally 31 movies, 24 new.
That is the final review for this Challenge!
I watched more new movies this year than last year and that was my personal goal.
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