Freelance writer, horror author and geeky reviewer. Some of my stuff is quite graphic/adult, so leave now if that bothers you.
Monday, 31 March 2014
Dark Review - NEO Scavenger
Sunday, 23 March 2014
Dark Review - Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land
I did a review of the newly Steam released Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land on Geek Syndicate. A reasonable slice of Lovecraftian horror on tablets but when experienced on PC it seems a bit lacking. Well worth a punt though. You can read the review here.
Friday, 14 March 2014
Dark Article - Hoarding for the Gaming Apocalypse?
My Friday Feature Hoarding for the Gaming Apocalypse? is now up on Geek Syndicate here. A look at the possible reasons why gamers might buy games and then never get around to playing them. I also suggest a way to avoid that situation in the first place.
Dark Fiction - Potentiality
Potentiality
By Casey Douglass
as part of #fridayflash
 |
| http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyhay/10471977903/ |
‘Living the way I
live gives me the opportunity to see the world in a different way.’
‘How so?’
‘I live without
limits and this gives me a freedom that others can’t imagine!’
‘And so you help them
to see things your way?’
‘Yes! How could
someone walking past a prison full of innocent people not feel the
need to intervene on their behalf?’
‘The people you help
are imprisoned?’
‘You all are! I can
see it as plain as the pen in your hand!’
‘What do you see?’
‘It’s hard to
explain without being able to show you.’
‘We both know that’s
not going to happen.’
‘How can I put
it...You have seen those plasma balls that gadget shops sell? The
ones you hold your hand to and watch the miniature lightning dancing
around your fingers?’
‘Yes I know the
ones.’
‘People look like
that to me! Yes that’s quite accurate! The transparent globe is
their limiting beliefs, the lightening their potentialities...their
striving to find a way out, to make something of their reality!’
‘Do I look like that
to you?’
‘Of course!’
‘And you’d help
me?’
‘Certainly, if you’d
only unstrap me!’
‘Your aid proves
fatal to the people you try to help though.’
‘Not straight away!
They see the truth before that happens! Let me help you!’
‘Your hammer is
locked up as evidence.’
‘I can use anything!’
‘You killed fourteen
people.’
‘I freed fourteen
people!’
‘What use is freedom
if it cannot be enjoyed for more than a moment?’
‘It’s better than a
life time of confinement!’
‘You’ll certainly
find out if that’s true!’
THE END
I found the image of the plasma globe here with a CC Attribution license . I have made no changes to the image and use it in the manner allowed.
Thursday, 13 March 2014
Dark Review - 300: Rise of an Empire
Review of 300: Rise of an Empire
By Casey Douglass
 |
| Image © Warner Bros. Pictures |
I came to the first 300
film (2007) oblivious to both the background history it is loosely
based on and the graphic novel by Frank Miller. While I now know some
of the history, I have yet to pick up the novel, but none of this
really matters. Like its predecessor, 300: Rise of an Empire
is extremely enjoyable in its own right.
Its story runs parallel
to the events happening in the first film, some starting a little
before it, others carrying on from where the original ended. I really
liked this as it was a great chance to find out some of the back
story of Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and other key players in the
conflict.
 |
| Image © Warner Bros. Pictures |
300: Rise of an
Empire focusses on the travails of Thermistocles (Sullivan
Stapleton) and his naval strategy genius whilst his fellow countrymen
are defending the Hot Gates with King Leonidas. Basically, 300:
Rise of an Empire is the first film but at sea on big ships. In
my opinion, that is a good thing!
What I did find
surprising was that Xerxes was not in the film a great deal. I don’t
know why I thought he might, as thinking back he hardly stole the
show in the first. Maybe it was just a hope that he would get his
hands dirty this time. He had a flashback which did give some great
insight into his path to becoming “a god” but the Persian side of
the show was very much run be Eva Green’s Artemisia, commander of
the Persian fleet.
 |
| Image © Warner Bros. Pictures |
I’m also not a great
lover of naval warfare. Too much sea and choppy waves just bores me
as a rule but I did find the ship to ship combat as riveting as the
land based face-offs in the first film. That is the crux of the
matter really. Both films are built around stand-off, clash, victory,
clash, slight defeat, escalation, bigger clash, until they culminate
in some grand-standing finale that would need some kind of
mathematical savant to calculate the number of dead and the pints of
blood spilt. That is what I watch them for! To get those goosebumps
when brutal shit happens and to enjoy the chaos of battle in the
safest way possible through a cinema screen.
 |
| Image © Warner Bros. Pictures |
Talking of screens, I
was lucky enough to watch the film in IMAX 3D and it was excellent.
There were some scenes blatantly designed for the 3D, like the swing
of Xerxe's massive axe but for the most part the 3D was functional
without being distracting. I think I value IMAX for the extra size
and the sound quality. I always feel like my trouser cuffs are
flapping around when the bass hits in our local screen. If a film
won’t move you in an IMAX, it never will.
I give 300: Rise of
an Empire 5/5, purely because it gave me what I myself wanted. A
shitstorm wrapped in the dressings of comic style brutality and with
a tremendous soundtrack that accompanies the action like the trumpets
of hell.
Published Letter
A nice surprise today as I finally had time to read through a couple of back issues of Writing Magazine. It sounds funny saying that I "finally had time", I should probably say that I finally felt well enough to read a little bit. I turned to the letters page and saw my letter. Not the achievement of the century but it's the first proper letter I have had published since trying to power up my writing, so I am quietly happy. I would happily recommend Writing Magazine for any writers who want tips/motivation/ideas. It's well worth the modest cover price.
Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Dark Review - Creak
Creak Review
By Casey Douglass
A few weeks ago, I
reviewed Black Spot, a very low budget abandoned road horror by
Luther Bhogal-Jones. I thought it was done really well and gave it
4.5/5. Check it out here.
Creak is one of
Luther’s earlier films, and I must admit, that as much as I liked
Black Spot, it was nice to watch something in HD with better sound.
Creak is set in a city
house at 4am. Predictably, something creaks and upsets the two
sleeping occupants. Well, it upsets one and she in turn upsets the
other by repeatedly asking her to check the house in case someone has
broken in. What then ensues is a great little cat and mouse sequence
of room checking where something is always lurking at the periphery
but never seen.
It's about 5.5 minutes
long but that is just long enough time to ratchet up the tension for
the conclusion to have a strong impact. I enjoyed the way the
intruder was portrayed. At no point was it more than a dark
silhouette with indiscernible features, besides strange protuberances
around the head.
Like Black Spot, the
soundtrack was brilliant, a synthy vibe and harsh punctuating moments
all doing a great job to up the level of interest. My only issue with
the sound was that in some places the levels for the dialogue were a bit
hissy, but that is a minor gripe.
You can watch Creak
yourself by clicking here to get to the Faster Productions vimeo
page.
When you have done
that, there is a great behind the scenes look at how the film was
created on the Faster Productions blog here
.
From the director running late on set to the perils of shooting in frigid rooms it’s an
interesting read.
I give Creak 4.5/5. I
enjoyed it for what it was, a story of paranoia proving to be true
and a film that enjoyably uses a few horror tropes to tell that tale.
Friday, 7 March 2014
Dark Fiction - Viewpoint
Viewpoint
By Casey Douglass
as part of #fridayflash
(Something a bit
different this week. Read only the bold text, ignoring the italics, then
when you get to the end, start again at the beginning and read
through it again, but only reading the italics the second time.)
Mike watched the tip
of the hoodie as it crested above the pot noodle stand. His heart
lumped a couple of times as it missed a few beats. Not another one he
thought. Jason browsed the
garishly coloured snacks on the shelves, shaking his head at the
additives and sugar each contained. If his body was a temple, he
certainly wasn’t going to be filling it with prostitutes.
He edged along the counter to the panic button. At a snails pace, he
pushed his hand below the lip of the surface, his finger trembling as
it just touched the garish red plastic. He
paused his aisle roaming and smiled. It didn’t sound right but he
could use that for his art project. He ran a finger along the
bottles, their shiny plastic reflecting the lights into tiny UFO
trails. He looked out through the building length
window. The only other inhabitant of the petrol station was an
elderly man struggling to get the petrol cap off his ageing Rover. He
would be next to worthless if anything kicked off. Damn it. It was
always the way. He shivered
and wrapped his grey jacket around him more tightly. He was glad it
had a hood, this chill or bug or whatever it might be was really
getting to him. He caught a sight of the attendant through the cans
of Pringles. Six times the place had been turned
over this year and it always happened when it was dead. Well, Mike
thought, no doubt the little shits keep watch and choose their
moment. He was looking
through the window with a far away glaze to his eyes. Jason thanked
his lucky stars that he didn’t have to work a job like that. He
knew he would probably start hacking into his wrists with that razor
again. Thankfully, that was a long time ago. He wouldn’t get like
that again. Mike glanced back to ascertain where the
roaming youth was now and jolted as he found himself looking into the
depths of the hood. The boy’s mouth was drawn in an ugly grimace,
the edges drawing up into his cheeks in a way that made Mike think of
the Batman villain Joker. He
decided to give up his hunt for something to eat and just pick up a
packet of cigarettes instead. He moved to the counter and waited, the
attendant still miles away. Jason wondered whether to cough. His
phone vibrated in his pocket. He frowned, knowing it would be Teresa.
She never got the hint. He placed one hand on the counter and pushed
his other into his pocket. The boy stood on the other
side of the counter, one hand upon the counter, the other hidden in
his left hoodie pocket. Mike’s eyes stared at the covered hand,
watching for any tell-tale sign of a sharp edge. The boy spoke.
Adrenaline shot through Mike’s veins, a slight convulsion rippling
through his organs and setting him trembling. He pushed the button.
The attendant turned. Mike
asked for a packet of Marlboro. The attendant flinched, and the world
got a whole lot louder.
THE END
Wednesday, 5 March 2014
Dark Review - The Campground
Review of The Campground
A film directed by Roman Jossart
Review written by Casey Douglass
(I was given a free copy to review)
I never was a fan of
camping. I didn’t mind the weather or the cold; it was the hard
ground that always got to me. I know you can buy those little
mattress/padded things but then it’s not really camping is it. You
might as well just take your bed!
Well this film doesn’t
improve my opinion on camping one bit, although it does do the
important public service of hammering home the idea that you
shouldn’t just camp any-old-where. You might just end up dead!
The Campground
begins with a bickering couple driving through sunny fields on the
way to a birthday party. They stop for a toilet break and both end up
being off’ed before they manage to get back to the car. The title
credits roll and the film proper starts. So far so good.
The film revolves
around a camp ground in which a mother killed her son in the 80’s.
It’s now the present day and a group of friends gather there to
party, drink and have sex. In typical horror fashion, they get
separated by call’s of nature, the need to fuck and to selfishly
smoke joints without sharing. You can imagine what happens to most of
them.
I really liked some of
the angles and techniques used in shooting the film. I’m no movie
expert but I just knew what I liked. For some of the scenes, the
camera is at an angle and this allows the scene to be framed in a
novel way, such as the ladder going up to a bunk-bed when Brandon
(played by the director) lays on his bed beneath. There is also a
great scene in a cabin where the camera changes to the hand-held kind
and follows the view of a torch-beam. With the other stuff going on
like thumps and panicky breathing, it was a really effective change
of pace.
The soundtrack to the
film was well thought out, beginning with the punk rock styling of
The Vains but soon switching up to the usual creepy piano and
ambient menace of a horror film. The only issue I had with the rest
of the audio was that in some scenes, particularly an early one
around the camp fire, the audio of the actors was very hard to pick
out against the other ambient sounds. This didn’t really occur as
the film went on but was a little disappointing.
The acting in the film
varied from very good to a bit flat which affected the tone of some
of the scenes. A notable one was after the dead body of someone was
found and one character gets up and suggests going for help in such
an emotionless way that the scene was ruined for me. Thankfully the
majority of the film was suitably gripping and enjoyable.
The horror itself was
done very well, with nice gruesome effects and variety in the various
demises of the friends. It made good use of flashbacks to tell the
tale of the original 80’s tragedy and also a character’s
memories. These utilised bright colours which were a stark contrast
to the murky darkness of night that cloaks the action in the rest of
the film.
Throughout the film
there was some humour and some references to other horror tropes,
explicitly referenced in character dialogue or just written on the
props. I liked this, especially the typical doughnut eating cop that
turns up at one point.
I enjoyed The
Campground. As an homage to 80’s horror I think it nails it.
The flaws mentioned above are negligible when you look at the film as
a whole, and for Roman Jossart’s first film, it is a fine effort.
Rating: 3.5/5
The Campground Links
Website – http://thecampgroundfilm.com
Official Facebook
- https://www.facebook.com/thecampground
Official Twitter
- http://twitter.com/the_campground
Tuesday, 4 March 2014
Dark Article - Video Gaming Rituals
Monday, 3 March 2014
Dark Fiction - Two Honourable Mentions in Darker Times Feb Flash Competition
Dark Distractions is Two Years Old Today!
My blog is officially
two today, and just like last year, I thought it would be interesting
to do a post that is more for me than anyone else. A post that will
let me see what I did in the last year, and how that improved on the
year before. It will also include some shout-outs and thanks, as I didn't do it alone.
The year before last I wrote 43 blog posts. This past year I did 75. I’m pleased that I
almost doubled my output, even though I know quantity is no assurance
of quality. I will aim to double it again this year.
I went from around 25
Twitter followers to around 300. I’m not chasing numbers as it’s
all about quality followers, not just slack-jawed “I’ll follow
you if you follow me’ers.” Twitter is nice but I don’t think
I’m social enough to really take full advantage. Even so, my goal
for this year is to pass the 1000 follower mark.
My blog traffic went
from around 2,000 hits to around 21,000. It’s nice to see some
traffic, even if a lot of it is just automated bots and crawlers. I
think this year my goal will be another 10X increase to around
200,000 hits.
I managed to get an
article into every edition of the Geek Syndicate Magazine, and
thirteen articles/reviews for the website. I will aim to continue
that level of contribution to the magazine (as it is beyond my power
to make it come out more frequently) but I will try to increase my website
contributions.
I wrote 9 film reviews
for the Generic Movie and TV blog before I decided to part company
with them and put my effort into my other areas of interest. I did
have a look at letterboxd but think that I will just keep the odd
film review to my blog.
I wrote 17 pieces of
flash fiction for #fridayflash. Fridayflash is a great community of
writers and it has only really been the second half of the year that
I have been able to fully take part and commit to publishing a story
each week. I think it has helped my writing a good degree to have
something weekly to aim for.
I entered 5
competitions gaining various places/mentions in each, which won me a
free ebook (Grey Matter Press) and my stories featuring in 3 print and ebook anthologies (Darker Times).
I had only entered one competition before these, and that was before
this blog even existed. I am committed to keeping the competition
entries flowing as I feel that they are the main way to gauge my
progress and, if won, the main way to get my name out more. It was also very nice to be able to hold my work in printed form, something physical to show for the effort. On a larger note, I aim to plan and complete a novel of some kind in the next 12 months.
I joined the Horror Blogger Alliance, which has led to three review requests from people
that found my blog and asked me if I fancied reviewing their
books/films.
I was given a Liebster
award by Steve Green which was very kind of him. It wasn’t my first
but the first one I was able to accept. Paul Dail gave me my first
but it came at a time where I couldn’t meet the criteria for
accepting it and so it fell from my mind. I appreciated the gesture
though.
One low point was that
I did sign up to do NaNoWriMo but just couldn’t get started with
it. I had a couple of ideas for novels that I wanted to follow and
the indecision ended up putting too much pressure on me so I just let
it drop.
As usual, I would like
to thank my good friend Paul Brewer, who has tirelessly commented on my posts when I'm sure he has had much more interesting things
to be getting on with. Thanks as always Paul :).
Thanks to everyone who knows me, reads my stuff and lets me know that I am not writing in a vacuum.
Casey.
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