Insidious x 2

You know something, lately everything that has come out that's a "scary" movie has either been a remake, or a Saw continuation.  It's put me in a movie theater funk.

So you can imagine how super-spoOoOooker-pumped I was when I saw the trailer for "Insidious":


SPOOOOOOOOKY!

I didn't even know what the word "Insidious" meant because I'm a moron, fortunately my dear husband is a Language Arts teacher.

Here's the definition of Insidious from my BFF Merriam-Webster:
1
a : awaiting a chance to entrap : treacherous b : harmful but enticing : seductive
2
a : having a gradual and cumulative effect : subtle b of a disease : developing so gradually as to be well established before becoming apparent

In terms of the movie itself...I had no idea what it was about...Haunted house? Haunted Kid? but this one thing I saw scared the shit out of me:

 

Seriously!??! WHAT IS THAT THING?!

It frightened and intrigued me.

So I had to see it.

Jim wanted to see some movie about Abe Lincoln, but when he saw the reviews on IMDB were so great, he caved.

For a horror movie that isn't a remake or a sequel/prequel, a 7.3 on IMDB is pretty incredible!

Anywho, I know there's a notorious commenter out there who hate-Hate-HATES when I spoil, but guess what buddy, I'm going to have to give some really satisfying spoilers.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Ok so there are so many things I really liked about this movie.  In the intro, it shows this cryptic scene and then immediately plays these loud noises (sounding like violent violins) and the title flashes across the screen.  It sets the tone of anxiety and tension.

So this is the happy family (I think there's a little girl not pictured here though):

How sweet.

Basically, the movie starts with them having moved into a new house and it's quite an adjustment. The dad is a teacher who doesn't have any childhood pictures and the mom is an aspiring musician. They have 2 sons, Dalton and Foster...and there's an obnoxious crying baby.

The one kid (Dalton, the one on the left in the picture) has a vivid imagination, and ends up in the creepy attic playing.  He falls and bumps his head, and his parents scold him for playing in the creepy attic.  That night while everyone sleeps, Dalton falls into a "coma" where he doesn't wake up and nobody can figure out why.

But things start getting weird...Scary things start happening...The mom, whose name is prounounced Renee, but is spelled Renai, sees and hears these super scary things, and I was pretty damn scared myself!

Scariest line of the movie: (Foster, the other child, talking to Renai when Dalton was in a coma): "I don't like it when Dalton walks around at night"...AHHHH!! Dalton's in a coma!!

It gets so bad the one night, that they actually move houses!  This, to me, is really unique from other horror movies.  Usually the house is scary as hell and the people stay and try to "fight back" or "face their fears" or they die in the house...I don't think it's very often that they really leave.

So they move, and of course, spoOoOoOky things keep happening.

What is going on?!

So, Barbara Hershey, who plays Josh (the dad)'s mom, explains that she had a vision about Dalton...which is when we see that horrifying image I put up on top..yikes!

And then this flashes on the screen:

Which caused me to jump 3 feet out of my seat...SCARY RED DEMON THING BEHIND THE DAD!

Something happens in Dalton's room and they run in and find the room has been destroyed and Dalton is thrown to the floor...it's time to get help.

This is probably a little comedic relief for the film, because honestly the entire movie is a massive ball of anxiety and fear and wondering what's going to happen to this poor family next...but these two ghostbuster dudes show up with some "homemade" ghost detectors:

They say that they are the filtering system before Elise comes in...so they take a look around and are frightened...

cue Elise:

Elise is great. She's like a really cool, ghost hunting grandma. She sees things and one of the nerdy ghostbuster guys draws what she sees. So, she gets right to work:



After seeing this frightening thing, she tells Renai and Josh that their son has an uncanny ability to leave his body and travel, also called "Astral Projection"

Huh?

This movie takes on a completely different storyline now, because here I am thinking this house is friggin' haunted and this kid is possessed, but no, his spirit is MIA. BUT, because his spirit is not in his body, all of these ghosts want in so they can be alive...including that horrifying demon that has the red face. Oh, and Dalton has traveled into "The Further" which is a realm not meant for the living, and he can't find his way back to his body. yikes!

Now in a wild turn of events, we find out that the reason why Dalton can astrally project so well, is because it is inherited...by...you guessed it! Josh! So Barbara Hershey knew this and Elise because Elise had saved Josh years earlier from a parasitic ghost who tried to take over his body.

We now find out why Josh has never taken pictures, in quite possibly one of the most disturbing and terrifying scenes ever.

So Josh is faced with a difficult decision, to dig up his past as an astral projector and go in and save his son from The Further, or let Dalton rot in limbo and be overtaken by a Demon.

I won't tell you the ending, but it is crazy bizarre and unexpected!

So, MB Blog gives Insidious 2 skeleton thumbs up...I thought it was great, and really a refreshing and new horror film.

Not to mention SpoOoOOktacular!

So SPoOOooktacular, in fact, that we saw it twice!

Pin.

Jim and I were trying to find a good movie to watch the other night, and somehow, we stumbled on Pin.

Man, I am so glad we did.

After reading one single phrase in the synopsis: "life-sized anatomically correct medical dummy"; I knew this was a winner.

Here's the trailer:


5 minutes in to this movie, and here's Pin:

Tell me that isn't the most disturbing dummy you've ever seen in your life.  He looks like you've just interrupted him in the middle of him telling an important story.  I mean, he kind of looks pissed.

But pair the way he looks with the way the doctor makes him talk...you have pure movie gold:

Skip to 6:34, that's when Pin talks....I have nightmares of that voice.

Basically, Pin is considered a type of story similar to Psycho, and I can definitely see the similarities, but this movie is frightening, disturbing and sad all at the same time.  There's so much going on and all of it makes me uncomfortable:

1.  Leon and Ursula's relationship.  They are brother-sister, but the whole movie has me thinking that Leon wants to get with Ursula.
2.  Leon and Pin's "relationship".  I feel sorry for Leon, especially at the end.
3.  The parents' storyline in the movie.  They are almost like Stepford people.  The mother is a crazy obsessive compulsive who is obsessed with cleaning everything and is pretty much a psycho.  The father I guess the most normal, but I think his vantriloquist doctor act is creepy.
4.  Poor Ursula.  This girl never had a chance, although despite how horrible her life is and how crazy everyone else is, she seems to turn out the most normal?
5.  The Nurse and Pin. Yikes.
6.  The scene when Ursula finds out she's pregnant.  Oh god.


There's so much material here.  You need to see this movie if you like bizarre films that are frightening in a non-gory way.

I will leave you with this though:

Doesn't he kind of look like one of the Baldwins?

I dunno, maybe it's just me?

Monster Bash 2010 (the Lite Edition!)

After the massive explosions that were Monster Bashes 2007 and 2008, I find it a little embarrassing that Monster Bash 2010 wasn't so big. Granted, I really didn't have the time and money to put into MB 2010 as I did for the other two, but still, if it has the title of "Monster Bash", it should be spOoOoOOooOktacular!

But, despite all of the roadblocks, we managed to throw together a "lite" bash, and you know what? It was still pretty spoOoOoooOooOktacular!

Can you guess what I am?  I'm a skeleton, with a hat and whip....give up?  Indiana Bones!

Indiana Bones poses with Jason, who is holding the coveted best costume prize

Santa Cos and Luigi show up

Monster Bash Brownies

Eyeball Caprese

zombie Pete won the best prize award

Monster Bash Pumpkin Cake

Pastry Princess and....Sherman from The Wiz

Pumpkin carving results from the Monster Dash

Zombie Pete wrapping Q-tip Renee during the Monster Dash Mummy Wrap

Pastry Princess v. Luigi during Monster Dash

Not too shabby for a last-minute bash!

2011 planning started 9 months in advance so we're in great shape for this year's to blow your faces off!

The Candy Buffet

Since it's only fair that we start off on the right foot, I figured I'd give you a little insight into why M.B. Blog has been so quiet over this past year...

The reason is this: The Candy Buffet.

Oh man. This Candy Buffet. It should've been one small aspect of my wedding, but unfortunately it took on a life of its own, surpassing every other portion of our wedding day.

It was an homage to the trick-or-treater in all of us...and since we're such spoOoOoOooOky friends, I wanted to share a few pics of my pride and joy:

These were our escort cards attached to chocolate pumpkin lollipops, this was a sneak preview of all of the candy to come...

This is a nice front view of the entire buffet, my aunt had made homemade chocolates, including a completely chocolate bride and groom, front and center, as a surprise to us

My LOVE dishes, filled with candy corn

A nice side view, I can't get enough orange in my life

The amazing Catherine from For Your Event Planning and NJ Candy Buffets, brought all of my candy buffet dreams to life, including spending probably a massive amount of time separating Reese's Pieces and M&Ms by color for me

Pumpkin jar!

These were my fave: Raspberry filled chocolate pumpkins wrapped in orange foils (made by my Aunt Wendy!)

Chocolate covered krispie treats with sugar leaves on top

Chocolate covered oreos with orange chocolate drizzle, and some with sugar pumpkins on top

Special thanks to  Catherine at For Your Event Planning and NJ Candy Buffets for working with me on this and making it the most spectacular, amazing candy buffet ever!

Pet Heaven.

Did you beloved MB Blog readers see that poll over on the right hand side of your screen?  MB Blog wants to know what YOU want to see as this year's Monster Bash theme!  I'm not saying it'll definitely be one of those, as I already have a few spooOOoOoOoky ideas up my sleeve, but I am always open to new options.

When we were discussing MB'11, Jim brought up a theme that he has been campaigning for since the birth of Monster Bash, back in Saddle Brook park on a frighteningly beautiful August day in 2006.

And that idea is this:  Pet Heaven.

Much like you, my initial thought was "what on Earth is wrong with you?", but then, as I thought about it, depending on how you do it, it can be quite frightening...I guess.  Jim, I'm really trying here.

Jim's idea of "Pet Heaven" is probably more along the lines of having a bunch of stuffed animals and filling the condo with the fluff that fills pillows and then maybe harp music?

Oh wait, he just told me he wants to attach a stuffed cat to a "pulley" apparatus and every hour, "send the pet to heaven" by utilizing the pulley to raise the cat up...what a creep.

Personally, I think this is just insane, but if I were to humor him, I'd probably negotiate for mutilating the stuffed toys, putting fake blood on the fluff, and maybe have scary organ music.  Jim however doesn't like this and says that isn't pet "heaven" but more like "animal cruelty", which of course is not something Monster Bash wants to have.

Jim just said to hang a cloud in the corner of our living room and have a stuffed cat sitting on it looking at you.

Guys, I don't know, what do you think?