When archivist Dan Turner takes a mysterious job restoring a collection of damaged videotapes from 1994, he finds himself reconstructing the work of documentary filmmaker Melody Pendras and her investigation into a dangerous cult. As Dan is drawn into Melody’s story, he becomes convinced he can save her from the terrifying end she met 25 years ago. – IMDb

This TV-show is amazing, I absolutely loved it. First of all, I had no idea that nowadays people would be interested in restoring old tapes. I googled “restoring old tapes”, the amount of results that appeared surprised me. Watching Dan working his magic in Archive 81, was hypnotic. Granted, it was shot in a way that I looked like eye candy. I think that I would have really liked this job.

The videotapes Dan needs to restore, were shot at the Visser in the 90’s. The decade that gems like Twin Peaks and the X-files were created. Archive 81 belongs on that same shelf to me. I think that the reason why I love this TV-show this much is because so many boxes are checked for me. 

Imagine taking on a mysterious job restoring a collection of damaged videotapes in a remote location where there is absolutely no connection, and no way to get in contact with anyone but your shady employer. Things start to happen, and none can be explained scientifically. All you know is that it’s real. If I would have been in Dans’ shoes, I would have gone insane.

I think that this concept mixed with Cthulhu-esque elements like alternate timelines, comets, some otherworldly intoxicating mould, a cult who worships a demon / god named Kaelego,… works like a charm on me. 

Archive 81 is based on a podcast with the same name so I started researching about Kaelego, hoping I would stumble on some ancient historical facts. Of course, like expected, it’s pure fiction (one can only dream). However, I did read an interesting article on Den of Geek about the deity / demon Kaelego, the comets, the Vos Society, the Baldung witches, the Otherworld,… All I can say is that I’m awestruck by the world they’ve created.

There are many references to Dante’s Divine Comedy. The main character’s name is Dan T. (Dante) and he’s being taken on a journey with a man named Virgil (Dante’s guide). I still can’t believe I’ve read those books one day though, it’s not exactly light reading.

The music Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow created for the show is haunting. It crawls under your skin and gives a dark and intense vibe to the show. You feel something building up, like they’re trying to create a rift between two worlds. It’s daunting and tense. It reminds me a lot of Eyes Wide Shut, The Lords of Salem, and Twin Peaks.

There are only a few jump scares in the entire first season, but it weren’t those that scared the living hell out of me. This show is more about a lingering feeling of eeriness / creepiness which creates a tense atmosphere. I absolutely love this kind of thing, and I was sad to hear that Netflix cancelled the show without giving any reason. Regardless, I still don’t give up hope that it’ll be renewed one day.

It’s weird to think that this TV-show was originally planned for a one season limited TV series, yet here we are watching the third season. Normally, Chris and I aren’t fans of psychological drama at all, we even cut movies in the middle because we can’t stand it but, for The Sinner, we gladly made an exception. This season was like a cat and mouse game between Detective Ambrose and his antagonist, Jamie. Like Chris said, it looks like Ambrose is shaking Jamie like a bottle of champagne and the cork is about to pop any minute. That’s the exact reason why we came back for more, who wouldn’t wanna see the outcome?

The main quote and plot throughout this season could make one hell of a subject for discussion, yet I’m not going to go there because when I get philosophical, I don’t know where things will end:

If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. – Friedrich Nietzsche

The Charnel House Trilogy, developed by Owl Cave, is a point & click game with pixel graphics. As the title states the game is in 3 parts: Inhale, Sepulchre, and Exhale. The story is about a horrifying and fatal night aboard a train bound for Augur Peak. Even though the game is pretty short, the developers managed to create an eerie atmosphere that puts you at ill-ease in times.

My favourite scene is the one at the station, waiting for the train while snow’s falling on the abandoned tracks is so dreamy. Despite the current summer temperatures, Alex gave me the chills though. I mean, who goes out in the snow in just a T-shirt? I’d be wrapped up like an Eskimo!

Anyway, I’ve played this game a few years ago, and remembered how much I loved it at that time. Meanwhile, I’ve played so many other games that I’ve forgotten most of the story of The Charnel House Trilogy so, I planned to re-play it this weekend.

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Today, after a great walk at the park, a super delicious sandwich, and a damn fine cup of coffee, I installed myself at my desk, and booted this little gem. Two hours later, I had already finished the entire story. While it was very short, the adventure was worthwhile. The puzzles are a bit too easy, but it made the trip go smooth, and without any challenge. I can understand that some people may have an issue with that, but it didn’t really bother me that much. Props for the pixel graphics cause I’m a complete sucker for these. All in all, an absolute must for all adventure games fans.

The Void is about a police officer that delivers a man, who seems to be drunk and hurt, to a remote hospital. Soon, very strange and violent events take place, including the appearance of mysterious hooded figures.

The movie isn’t that bad, it’s a bit between Hellraiser and The Thing. Unfortunately, the clunky acting and the slow pacing ruined what could have been a great movie.

The film has bags of atmosphere and sense of dread, but with zero explanation for the events that unfold. At some point, I started to feel restless and itchy in my couch, which means that there wasn’t enough action involved, and I lost interest.

I’m always up for a bit of a mystery but, in the end, who are the hooded people outside the hospital? No idea! Why are people turning into monsters? No idea! Where does the strange triangular gateway lead to? No idea! It feels like once again they had a great idea for a story, but no clue on how to realize a satisfying ending.

My final verdict: worth the watch but, without any expectations, and most certainly not for a big horror night!

The movie’s about two students that must face a mysterious evil force when they get left behind at their boarding school over winter break.

Regardless of the amazing reviews I’ve read about The Blackcoat’s Daughter, I though it was just “meh”. It has something that made me continue watching it but, other than that, I have nothing interesting to say about this one. Granted, the casting may be excellent, but it doens’t change the fact that the story is too slow and underdeveloped.

Towards the end, things tend to get a little bit more violent, but it’s done in such a cheap slasher way that it contradicts the kind of ambiance they’re trying to build. It’s a very bleak and fairly uninteresting movie that isn’t scary at all.

Most people think that this movie is some kind of documentary about “The Dyatlov Pass Incident“. I’ve watched it last night and therefore I can confirm that it’s an horror movie inspired by the incident that took place in 1959 and not an actual documentary. The movie is about 5 students that go to the location of the infamous incident. To make a documentary but, as you can guess, things go horribly wrong.

From the day that “The Blair Witch Project” was released, I’ve been loving found-footage horror. “Devil’s Pass” is quite a gem in this genre. The beautiful snowy landscapes, the sudden plot twists, the shooting, the building ambience, and an unexpected ending. All is there for a perfect Saturday horror night.

It also got me interested in the real incident, and made me wonder what really happend there 58 years ago… I guess we’ll never know.