Sunday, October 27, 2019

October Movie Challenge: Housewife (2017)

This one has been on my list but I debated because I saw some fairly poor reviews. But I wanted to see it so tonight was the night.

The movie starts with Holly and Hazel, young sisters, playing with dolls.  Hazel is drawing, including a very strange one with tentacles coming out of the clouds.   Hazel notices that she is getting her first period so Holly calls for their mother who is going on about "visitors".  The mother tells Holly to stay behind while she takes Hazel.  Holly goes to see where they went and she sees her mother drowning Hazel in the toilet.  Her mother chases her through the house to catch Holly, but her father comes home.  Holly's mother kills him but Holly manages to escape.

Fast forward to today and Holly is a bored housewife.  Holly and her husband Tim get invited to a cult meeting, UML, where they find their former lover Valery is now a "family member" of UML.
The cult's leader seeks out Holly and manages to read her mind and learn about her pain.

Holly, Valery and Tim head back home where they rekindle their love affair.

But things are not that simple.  Holly begins to question reality.  Did they come home? Did she meet up with Bruce the UML leader again?  Is she seeing her mother and sister?   A session with Bruce makes her think she killed her sister.

Then it gets weird.

I won't ruin the ending for you, but in truth I kinda liked it.  Weird, surreal and frankly a lot of fun.


Watched: 30
New: 23



Saturday, October 26, 2019

October Movie Challenge: Dead Space: Downfall (2008)

Part Alien, Part Zombie movie and dash of Event Horizon, I had higher hopes for Dead Space: Downfall.  Sadly it was not to be.  Based on a video game, I should have known it wasn't going to be great, but I  had hoped for a bit more.

A group of interstellar miners find an artifact on a dead planet and decide to take it back to Earth along with a big chunk of the planet.

The artifact begins to make people crazy and they begin killing each other.  The dead being to rise, transformed into monsters that kill more of the crew and thus making more monsters.

Fairly predictable.







Watched: 29
New: 22



October Movie Challenge: Voice from the Stone (2017)

I will admit, I like Emilia Clarke. I think she is a good actress and I like to see her in more roles other than the Mother of Dragons.  This movie was a late afternoon pick.  A slow-burn thriller at my wife's request (she is not a horror fan normally).

This one was not so bad.  Clarke plays Verena, a pediatric nurse that specializes in helping families.  She is summoned to Tuscany to help a mute child after the death of his mother.
The child Jakob listens to a crack in the wall where it is assumed he hears the voice of his mother.  Verena works with him to get him to talk.
As the movie goes on we begin to question Verena's perspective on things.

The movie reminds me a bit of "The Others".  The creepy atmosphere and the not knowing what is happening actually. Well...actually part of it was pretty easy to figure out.  The "twist" at the end leaves a little open to interpretations.

Still though, a nice little creepy movie.



Watched: 28
New: 21



Thursday, October 24, 2019

October Movie Challenge: The Witch Files (2018)

What do you get when you cross "The Blair Witch Project", "The Breakfast Club", with "The Craft"? Well, the producers were hoping you would answer "The Witch Files."  Sadly that is still not the correct answer.

That is not to say the Witch Files doesn't have it's moments.  It does and there is some fun to be had here, I just can't quite figure out what it is missing or what else it needs to do.

The five girls, Julia, Claire, MJ, Brooke, and Greta, fit all the needed stereotypes for a teen movie so that is covered.   The town has a spooky history, check and there is some neat displays of magic.

I really wanted to like this movie more.  Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it, it just wasn't great.









Watched: 27
New: 20




Featured Artist: Silveztra

Today's Featured Artist is another one I found at the D&D Fantasy Art Facebook page AND on Twitter.
Silveztra is a great artist and has such a cool style I knew right away I needed some art from her.

Here she is in her own words.
Hello! I am Silveztra a 24-year-old self-taught freelance artist who is inspired by fantasy characters. I am an avid video gamer, anime watcher, and D&D player! I love drawing both cute characters, the threatening and powerful, monstrosities and also delve a lot in drawing pinups! I mainly draw females. I actually have a four-year degree in applied communications, which may seem useless, but I attribute it to a lot of my success in building my customer basis! In the future, I hope to get more commissions and be part of projects bigger than myself in the gaming, art, and rpg communities.
And here is some of her art!

Of course first up is her Pumpkin Spice Witch version of my OC Larina.  This is going to be the cover of my new Pumpkin Spice Witch Tradition book.









She has a lot more, some NSFW, but all really good.

Check out all her links including her commission rates.  Twitter is her main site, but she has all the usual ones.
Be sure to check her out!

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

October Movie Challenge: The Love Witch (2016)

One could be easily excused for thinking this is a movie from the late 60's or early 70's.  In fact when I saw come up in my suggested movies that is in fact what I thought.  Looking at the film stills only reinforced that idea.  But the movie is from 2016.  It was shot on 35 mm film and used effects to mimic the Technicolor film of the time.  The sets, the costumes, and even the sensibilities are all from late 60s/early 70s.   It is a real vision from writer, producer and director Anna Biller.

The movie is "comedy horror" but dark comedy/horror is a better description. It deals with a witch named Elaine (played by the wonderful Samantha Robinson) who leaves San Francisco looking for love.  Trouble is her love spells usually leave her suitors dead.

Love Witch is fun little tale of feminist tropes and some interesting witch trivia. My only gripe was that the movie was a little too long.  At 120 minutes it should have really been 80 to 90 minutes.

This is one of those movies with a message to unpack and it was fun. Scary? Not so much, but I supposed a lot of people died all the same.


Watched: 26
New: 19




Pumpkin Spice Witch: New Witch Rituals

One of the things I enjoy about doing these witch books is creating new spells and rituals.  At present, I have featured over unique 1,000 spells in all my books combined I am thinking of one day putting them all into one document.

But until then here are some Halloween entertainment rituals from the Pumpkin Spice Witch.

Blessed Wanna-bes
“If you wanna be in my coven, you gotta get with my friends.” 
Level: Witch Ritual 2
Ritual Requirements: One witch and members of the coven
Duration: One Day per Level
Range: One dwelling
This ritual initiates a new witch into the coven.  Often called an Initiate, or sometimes in jest, a “baby-witch”, this ritual requires the entire coven to cast.
Once complete the new witch initiate can read the coven’s Book of Law, and learn the greater mysteries of the coven. 
During the duration of the spell the new initiate has a +1 bonus to all saves and to AC.
Material Components: The ritual tools of the coven for the initiate. Also food and drink for the cakes and ales ceremony afterward.

Séance
Level: Witch Ritual 4
Ritual Requirements: The witch and at least one other person
Duration: 3 questions
Range: Caster
This ritual resembles the Clerical Speak to the Dead, save that the corpse of the dead person does not have to be present.
All that is required is the witch, who will do the actual speaking to the dead, and someone who knew the person in life.  The amount of time the queried spirit has been dead is not an issue as long as the person who knew them in life can still remember them.
There is a chance that the spirit summoned is not the spirit intended. The base chance is 75% reduced by 5% per level of the Witch and 5% per ritual member that knew the deceased in life.  So a 9th level witch with two family members calling on the spirit of their long-dead father has a base chance of 75%-(9x5%)-(2x5%) or 20% chance.
There is no way to know if the trickster spirit is telling the truth or not, usually not. Also unless directly challenged the witch has no way to know if the spirit is true or not.
Material Components: A crystal ball, witch board, or some other divinatory devices, and lit candles. All members of the séance must sit in a circle and hold hands.  They need not be at a table, a circle on the floor is acceptable.

Tripping the Light Fantastic
Level: Witch Ritual 5
Ritual Requirements: The witch and at least one other person
Duration: Preset time
Range: One other person per level of the witch
This ritual is a powerful glamour the witch can cast on the behalf of another person or group of people.  When cast the those affected will appear to be wearing the finest attire, jewels, immaculate hair, and impeccable courtly manners.   This ritual can make the lowest member of society appear and act as if they were reared in the highest society.
The glamour is perfect in every respect and even magics such as detect magic or true seeing will only reveal that the clothing itself is magical, making their disguise seem even more lavish.  Otherwise, the clothing, jewels even the manners and actions of those affected will be perfect in every way.
The ritual will only last for a prescribed time.  Typically till midnight or sunrise. After that, the illusion will fade and those affected will revert back to their true appearances.
Note: This ritual can not be used as a spell to cause fear or in place of other glamours such as Sister to the Dark Ones.
The spell gets its name from one of its first recorded uses, to prepare a servant girl to go to a royal ball.
Material Components: The key component here is nothing material, but the recipients' dearest desire to go wherever this ritual will allow them to go.

Grand Séance
Level: Witch Ritual 6
Ritual Requirements: The witch and at least one other person
Duration: 3 questions
Range: Caster
This ritual is nearly identical to the Fourth level Ritual séance save that in this case, none need to have known the spirit in life. The witch can call on the spirit on her own.
There is a chance that the spirit summoned is not the spirit intended. The base chance is 75% reduced by 5% per level of the Witch.  So a 15th level witch calling on the spirit of a long-dead king has a base chance of 75%-(14x5%) or 0% chance. 
Material Components: A crystal ball, witch board, or some other divinatory devices, and lit candles. All members of the séance must sit in a circle and hold hands.  They need not be at a table, a circle on the floor is acceptable. In a grand séance the witch will often burn fine incense and pour strong libations to attract the spirit.