Updates

Well my conference is done so now I can refocus my attentions to game and blog related writing.
I still have a couple of projects that need to be finished; Strange Brew and Darwin's Guide to Creatures.   But those are coming along nicely.

So here are some updates.

Witch Links
I have been updating my Witch Links page.  On it you will find links to various posts, mostly within the OSR blogs, on using a witch or warlock class in your D&D-like games.  It is that time of year, so expect the page to be updated even more.
http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/p/witches.html

If you have something you want to add just let me know.

DriveThruRPG / OneBookshelf Halloween Sales
DriveThru is having their Halloween sales.  This time no hunting around for Tricks or Treats, just sales and free stuff.
To start out we have a few of my favorites for free.

RQ1 Night of the Walking Dead (2e) for Ravenloft and 2nd Ed AD&D.  One of the better adventures for the Ravenloft game.

Eden Studios Presents: Volume 1 is a magazine like book for Eden Studios' Unisystem games ala The Rifter.  It was supposed to come out more often (and I submitted material years and years ago). But it is still a great publication and worth getting if you enjoy the Unisystem system.  There is an interview with Jason Vey of the Dungeons & Zombies game, some more monsters for Buffy and material for Terra Primate.

Wraith the Oblivion (1st Edition) which might be one of the most depressing and agnsty games I can ever recall playing.  But still a lot of fun.  Sometimes you need that.

They have similar sales and freebies over at DriveThruComics and DriveThruFiction.

I have a few more movies to get through and some reviews.

October Movie Challenge: Queen of the Damned (2002)

October Movie Challenge: Queen of the Damned (2002)

In what can be best described as an "Attack of Opportunity" I caught Queen of the Damned on TV yesterday.

Since I have been watching a number of "Vampire Queen" like movies lately this seemed appropriate.

Again, while I don't like the movie as part of the larger Anne Rice Universe, the movie is kind of fun.   I think the tried too hard to take two books "The Vampire Lestat" and "Queen of the Damned" and make them into one movie.

Though to be fair, there is lot in both books that could have been cut or least edited down to size.

It is interesting though that I can recall exactly where I was when had heard that Aaliyah had been killed.  I had never really given her a second thought prior to that.  Watching her performance here again some 12 years after her death I am struck that how she physically embodied Akasha.  I can't tell if she would have been a good actress or not, it is just a shame we never got to find out.

Stuart Townsend makes for a decent enough Lestat.  Or at least the heterosexual Lestat.  Tom Cruise probably did Gay Lestat better.

I have tried to stat up an Akasha like figure in many games before, but I usually end up disappointed in the results.  In this movie and the book she really is less of a character and more of a plot device. Maharet (and Mekare, who is not even in the movie) are easier to do since they have more developed characters.

This is a re-watch.  I reviewed this one back in 2010.

Tally so far:  33 Total Watched / 21 New

What do you find scary?
October Horror Movie Challenge hosted by Krell Laboratories.

October Movie Challenge: Báthory: Countess of Blood (2008)

October Movie Challenge: Báthory: Countess of Blood (2008)

I am a sucker for a good Bathory movie.  Or even a bad one.  This is not a bad one, but it is an odd one.  There are some genuine horrific scenes, but nor really enough to really be called horror.

Much like the Julie Delpy movie The Countess, this is a retelling of the Bathory tale to put the countess in a better light.  I think The Countess is a better overall movie, but Anna Friel from Báthory: Countess of Blood is a better Bathory.

I think if both movies and casts had pooled their resources together one really great movie could have been made.

There are few things about the movie I didn't care for.  The monks with the "roller skates" (no. really) annoyed me.  The whole absinthe bit was way over done.  In fact I pretty have never seen an absinthe scene in a vampire movie and wasn't pretty crappy.  I blame the Bram Stoker's Dracula movie.

Not an unenjoyable movie, but at 2 hours and 21 minutes it is a bit too long.


Tally so far:  32 Total Watched / 21 New

What do you find scary?
October Horror Movie Challenge hosted by Krell Laboratories.

Zatannurday: Constantine

Sorry for the delay.  Have a party we are getting ready for today.


Last night was the premier of the TV series Constantine on NBC.
What did you think?

Well the critics seem to be mixed and the ratings were only ok (4.3 million). But it was up against the World Series, so hopefully we should see a ratings climb by next week (even if it is Halloween).

The actors were fine, but could have been better.
A number of comic book elements make an appearance including a few name drops (Nergal for example) and the Helm of Nabu from Dr. Fate.  Though not quite as much as say the new Flash series.  I am still quite hopeful that we will see Zatanna at one point.

I think it has potential to be honest.  Can't wait to see where it goes.

October Movie Challenge: Twins of Evil (1971)

October Movie Challenge: Twins of Evil (1971)

I watched this one back in 2012 and lamented at the time that many of the scenes seemed cut. So I picked up the Blu-Ray hoping that the "deleted scenes" were included this time.

Not so much.

There is a deleted scene; Where Anton is playing his new song to the girls school.  Glad it was deleted.

There is however a very interesting documentary on the making of the Hammer Karnstein that might be worth the price of this disc alone.

The Blu Ray itself looks fantastic.  Much better than the version I watched in 2012.

It still has it's 87 minute running time I have read there are some scenes that were filmed and never made it to the theatrical release and others that were cut afterwards.

Plus, given the recent death of Madeleine Collinson (the evil Twin Frieda) I wanted to watch this one again.

I am still hoping for a restored edition, but not holding my breath.

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Tally so far:  31 Total Watched / 20 New

What do you find scary?
October Horror Movie Challenge hosted by Krell Laboratories.

October Movie Challenge: Nosferatu (1979)

I am not sure how to classify this one really.  I thought I saw it years ago, but once I started watching it again I was less sure.  By the end I was really unsure.  Some scenes were familiar, others I remember really differently.

This movie of course is a remake of the classic 1922 Nosferatu.  Remake is somewhat of an inadequate word.  This is a re-visioning of Dracula from the 1922 source.

Klaus Kinski was one of the greatest actors to grace the screen. A strange man by all accounts, but also a brilliant actor and quite brilliant in this role.  Isabelle Adjani as Lucy Harker is also quite fantastic and undoubtedly the hero of this movie outshining both Johnathan Harker and Van Helsing both..

Nosferatu (either version) gets it right where Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) gets it wrong. Vampires are monsters and they carry plague, disease and death.  Dracula is a bringer of death.

Like the Hamilton Deane play and the 1979 Dracula movie reverse the names and roles of Mina and Lucy.  Unlike the Deane play and the original novel nearly everyone dies.

Watching this movie is treat for the eyes. Like the 1922 Nosferatu the cinematography is a marvel to behold.

I am calling this one as a re-watch.

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Tally so far:  30 Total Watched / 20 New

What do you find scary?
October Horror Movie Challenge hosted by Krell Laboratories.

October Movie Challenge: Vampire's Night Orgy (1973)

October Movie Challenge: Vampire's Night Orgy (1973)

Well after last night's suck fest (eh eh) tonight's movie was a pleasant surprise.  While searching for more Bathory movies this one came up.  I had never heard of this one before and really did not know what to expect, but the title was not giving a lot of faith.
But I have discovered that there is a certain charm to Spanish Horror of the 1970s and this one did not disappoint.

A group of travelers looking for work end up stranded in a remote village. They arrive at night and no one is around. They soon discover that everyone was at the cemetery where they stood vigil over the grave of a recently deceased towns person.   In truth they are all vampire spawn controlled by the local countess (played by Helga Liné) who plans to feed of these new comers.

In what has to be the creepiest scene in the movie the Mayor informs some of the towns-folk that the countess will provide them with the meat the new-comers need to eat.  So the villagers take to chopping up others to provide them with the meat they need.

Our hero is not like some of the virtuous found in most horror movies.  He is a lone American and something of a Peeping Tom. He finds a hole in the wall that separates him from the our heroine.

All in all there is some very creepy scenes and elements in this movie and it makes actually quite fun to watch.  I could have done with out Violet's death though.

The DVD I have is presented in a very odd format. It looks like a letter box transfer from a VHS.  The image is not very sharp but still pretty clean.
I will admit I am not a big fan of the soundtrack, but it is the 70s so that is to be expected really.  A little too experimental jazz/Jean-Luc Ponty for my taste.

It dawns on my that this would make for a great adventure.  The PCs come to a town and all the villagers are acting weird. They fear the count living up in the castle. Turns out they are all the vampires and the Count is the only human for miles and he/she is the only keeping them from spreading out into the world.

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Tally so far:  29 Total Watched / 20 New

What do you find scary?
October Horror Movie Challenge hosted by Krell Laboratories.