Weekly Witch Hunt: Darkness in the Valley & The Walking Dead 'New Best Friends'

We decide what artistic endeavour passed approval to earn the Scorcher label from the past seven days & what also had the dishonour of being that week's Torture...

Both of the entries on trial this week have a horror element to them.  While one is an old favourite that is regrettably starting to sour; the other is a recently discovered realm of fantasy that has been giving me much pleasure.  I live in hope that our entrant in the Torture category can be redeemed but I have some reservations.

The Scorcher

I recently included The Uncanny Valley: Tales from a Lost Town in my Scorchers of 2016 as it was one of the books I thoroughly enjoyed last year.  Well I can safely say that the follow up Darkness in the Valley is just as entertaining.  It follows the same format where the story unfolds from the diary entries of different residents of the valley.  Where it does differ is that this covers one event; whereas Uncanny Valley was made up of anecdotes of different goings on in this strange town.
The circumstances all take place over a few months in 1909 as a mining corporation want to take over the town to get to the rich minerals they believe are present in the area.  Dark forces are at work and the residents slowly come to realise they must take action or risk losing everything they care for; including potentially their lives.
Some of the characters return from Uncanny Valley while others are newly introduced.  While there are a lot of people to keep track of as the narration flips from one to another; you still get a decent amount of character development in the majority of cases.  So when things take a turn for the worse for some you still care what is happening to them.
This material and setting would be ripe for a television or film adaptation.  I could see someone like David Lynch taking this to some dark places or alternatively Tim Burton revelling in the fantasy and horror components of it all.
Gregory Miller does an excellent job once again of blending the fantastical element with reality.  Things do get seriously creepy at times and you do get a good sense of dread and suspense as the tale unfolds.  He has set this out as a three part act and while the middle section does feel a little too overlong; the final act pays off handsomely as it rushes to the inevitable conclusion.
I will look forward hopefully to a third visit to this strange and wonderful location.

The Torture

Speaking of entries in my 2016 Scorcher or Torture list; here is one who made it into the latter category.  I have been a big fan of The Walking Dead since the very first season aired but just lately have found my devotion waning greatly.
It isn't because they have deviated so far from the comics that it all feels alien, if anything they do follow the comics rather faithfully in general.  I think part of the problem is the character development as the main cast seem to have stagnated or are just becoming too repetitive by nature.  However those are different issues to why episode 10 of season 7: New Best Friends has been sent to the torture chamber this week.
One thing that TWD has done is try to ground itself in a realistic setting; as much as you can when the world has been overcome by a zombie apocalypse.  By sticking with the same storylines as the comics though this is where the show is starting to fail.  Some of the elements that work well in comic format are not transferring over as well to the television screen.
Don't get me wrong I love Ezekiel in both formats but The Kingdom seems too caught up in the realm of fantasy for the realism they are striving for.  The Saviors likewise also come across as too one note; surely there has to be some members amongst them with a shred of compassion or human decency.  Instead they are all painted as comic book villains so that when we do finally get to see them get their comeuppance we won't feel sorrow for any of them.
Those are just two of my objections.  My main complaint was with the Dumpster Dwellers as I shall nickname them until we get an official moniker.  What the hell is going on with this group?  So let me get this straight; the apocalypse happened a little over two years ago in TWD's timeline.  During those couple of years the speech patterns of the Dwellers has regressed to some form of broken English?  I can understand the group using coded terms and sign language amongst themselves but when Jadis the leader is conversing with Rick she still keeps up the same cadence and patter.  I questioned whether she was completely sane.
Every one of the Dumpster mob must have looted the same group of shops that only cater to Goth's because every single one of them was wearing black or grey or some other sombre tone.  Colour does not appear to be an option if you want to join this gang.  The only place you are allowed some colouring though is in your hair; especially if you are the leader of this motley crew.  Jadis hasn't got time to hunt for supplies; she is too busy getting her ends done at the local salon!
At first I was thinking the Dumpster Dwellers have been based on some Mad Max style apocalyptic band of warriors; they definitely gave off that sort of vibe.  Or my second thought was that maybe they are a type of death cult.  However I re-evaluated that opinion once Jadis threw Rick into the fighting pit against what I can only describe as a Resident Evil style of monster; the comically named Winslow.
Firstly this group do not look like they could be bothered to capture a zombie, let alone then festoon said zombie's body with all manner of spiky implements.  And secondly he doesn't resemble a zombie; he looks more demonic and less like a former human.  Winslow's makeup is good for a horror creature but he fails as a decomposing body that has been abused by his captors.  His ribs don't look like they belonged to a person, he has claws and sharper than normal teeth; overall he appears otherworldly and that is a problem for the universe they have built here.
Resident Evil must have been an inspiration for this whole segment.  Not only would Winslow feel at home in that environment but Jadis herself looks like she could fill in for Milla Jovovich as Alice.
To top off the surreal experience of seeing this Mad Max/Resident Evil hybrid; we then see yet more bizarre attitude from Rosita who has fast moved to the top of my list of characters I would like to get eaten or beaten next.  I want someone to slap some sense into her so badly and scream at her to stop acting like a spoilt teenager.  Barring that then let Negan swing away.
The one saving grace for the episode was Father Gabriel.  I mentioned the characters seem to have come to a standstill in their overall development; well the opposite is true of Gabriel.  He out of everyone has gone on a massive arc of redemption since his introduction.  I only wish that the writers would take as much care with the remainder of the group, then my investment in the show might be restored.

Weekly Witch Hunt: The Nightmare Before Christmas & The Sea of Trees

We decide what artistic endeavour passed approval to earn the Scorcher label from the past seven days & what also had the dishonour of being that week's Torture...

I have interrogated a few comedies this last week such as Bad Moms and Mascots which nearly got my Scorcher vote.  With Halloween in mind I have also seen a couple of horrors and thrillers.  The two selected here are a bit different to the normal fare and I thought it fitting to cover them.
 

The Scorcher

This was actually the first time I have seen this Tim Burton classic and I am so sorry I haven't caught it sooner.  I am a big fan of stop motion, particularly the creature features of Ray Harryhausen, so I don't really know why it has taken me this long to check out The Nightmare Before Christmas.
The music and songs go so well with the story.  I have a soft spot for musicals when done well and Nightmare certainly fits the bill.  Danny Elfman is one of Burton's usual collaborators.  Because of that close relationship you get the feeling that they are very much in synch with one another.  I am sure the process of creating the tunes for this musical would have been quite easy for Elfman because of the level of trust he shares with Burton.
The casting of Chris Sarandon and Danny Elfman to do the voice of Jack Skellington was pretty seamless.  It was very hard to spot the difference between the singing and speaking voices.
The figurines themselves have so much life to them and the stop motion is excellent.  It is such a slow, painstaking process but the rewards are on the screen for all to see.  There are also no scenes that are there just to show off the stop motion; there is no need when the story being told is doing that all on its own.  Why resort to technique trickery when you don't have too?
I loved the design of Oogie Boogie the most out of all the characters.  He really would be the stuff of nightmares and he didn't have Burton's normal big eyed design, he felt more unique that way.
It isn't a film that outstays its welcome either, it tells the story in a nice succinct way.  It does this without wasting a minute on exposition.  This was Henry Selick's directorial debut too and it shows a lot of faith from Burton that he trusted him to bring his vision to the screen.
I can certainly see this becoming one of my favourite Halloween films to throw on when I want something nice and short at this time of year.

The Torture

 

I recently watched The Forest with Natalie Dormer about the Aokigahara Forest in Japan; a forest renowned for the amount of suicides that take place there each year.  To say I was disappointed with this mind numbingly boring horror would be an understatement.
With this in mind I was hopeful that The Sea of Trees would be an improvement considering Aokigahara was once again the main setting for the movie.  There was also the added incentive of seeing Ken Watanabe and Naomi Watts who are two reliable actors.  Not only did it boast these two fine thespians but also Matthew McConaughey whose recent run of roles have seen him win much acclaim.
Oh how my faith was so misguided to believe that this would be any better.
The actors overall aren't too bad; Watanabe's Takumi Nakamura suffers most as he doesn't have a lot to do but moan and groan as he follows McConaughey's Arthur Brennan as the two try to find a way out of the forest.
I will admit that the scenery and the way the film is shot is quite beautiful.  Considering the majority of the film takes place in a forest you would think that the scenes would become a bit repetitive but the cinematography of Kasper Tuxen has to be commended.
The pace of the film however is just too slow and pondering.  The story of the Brennan's is told in flashback so we learn why Arthur has travelled to Japan.  The relationship he has with his wife Joan is clearly not in a good place.  It only seems to mildly improve as events unfold; you therefore feel very little sympathy for what they are going through.
It is hardly surprising that I had a hard time trying to reconcile his current behaviour and bleak outlook considering how poorly the couple relate to one another.  Neither of the Brennan's do anything to give you a positive emotional connection to them.
To top this off we get some supernatural mumbo jumbo at the end of the film to try and give it a spiritual and uplifting finale that just falls flat.  At no point during the preceding events do you get an inkling that the story will end this way and it feels so out of place when it unfolds.

Weekly Witch Hunt: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children & Klan: Killing America

We decide what artistic endeavour passed approval to earn the Scorcher label from the past seven days & what also had the dishonour of being that week's Torture...

There was very little that I managed to watch on the television this week, apart from starting a re-watch of Stranger Things but that exceptional show is getting an article all to itself.  I did however finish reading two books.  One of them had me turning the pages in anticipation, the other one I couldn't wait to get to the end of and be done with it.  Let us see why...

The Scorcher

I have had Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children on my Kindle for a couple of years now and hadn't got around to reading it.  With Tim Burton's film adaptation hitting the screen this week I thought it was high time I gave it a go.  What an entertaining read it was indeed.
Jacob, our hero, is a very likeable character as are the peculiar children he meets.  I wasn't keen on his parents but they are peripheral figures anyway.  The island setting gives it an extra air of mysterious intrigue.
The story overall is not an edge of your seat thriller; nor are there many scares.  The characterisation as well as the stories depth and detail are enough on its own though to keep up interest levels.  While there are very few surprises as the story unfolds; about a boy who might have a secret power he hasn't yet realised; it is told in such a way that it keeps you engaged throughout.
Ransom Riggs developed this tale around a bunch of old unusual photographs from different collections he viewed over a period of time.  The photos themselves are sprinkled throughout the book and provide a nice addition to the narrative.  I enjoyed this enough to go straight into Hollow City the second part in the trilogy.
All in all I am now eagerly waiting for some free time to go to the cinema and see how well Mr Burton adapts this material.  I tend to enjoy his work a lot and the subject matter seems to be right up his alley.  I would not be too surprised to find a future article coming up on my thoughts regarding the film version.

The Torture

Before I started Klan: Killing America I was well aware that it was not an analysis of the Ku Klux Klan but a collection of news articles from the late 1800's when the Klan were first formed up until the early 1920's at the point of their greatest power.  I wasn't expecting anything other than reading what amounts to newspaper clippings and in that respect the book does not disappoint as it is full of snippets.
What did annoy me was the blurb on Amazon and Goodreads proved to be quite misleading.  It made the book sound like it focussed on the lynching's and attacks the KKK meted out throughout these turbulent years.  Whilst there are articles detailing events of this nature; overall they make up a very small percentage of the book.
Mostly you get articles which break down the number of lynching's that occurred during a year or in a state; without getting into any detail of the actual crime.  I can appreciate that those details probably weren't covered in any great depth by the papers but it means you aren't getting the overall picture that the author was possibly aiming for.
To make matters worse the editing and spell checking on the Kindle version I had was atrocious.  Considering I wasn't happy with what I was being presented with anyway; the fact that Ken Rossignol or whoever was responsible for the editing, couldn't be bothered to make sure correct words were used made it even more frustrating.  On top of the grammatical errors; there are an awful lot of articles that repeat information.  Rossignol would have been better served cherry picking the better ones and leaving out others that repeat the same details.
If like me you want to learn more about this terrorist organisation that attained such an enormous influence and following throughout America then I suggest you avoid this one and look for another piece of work instead.