Horror Palace

The Best in Horror - You have everything to fear!

You are here: Home / Archives for Featured

Featured

Best Horror Movies on Netflix – February 2017

By Leave a Comment

Netflix has been great as an alternative for horror movies.  The “on demand” feature makes them available day and night (night is always better!).  To help refine your search and keep you up to date with the top Netflix horror movies, here is the HorrorPalace.com list of what is currently the Best Horror Movies on Netflix:

BEST HORROR MOVIES ON NETFLIX – FEBRUARY 2017

15. Cujo

While not a supernatural horror film, Cujo is still a quality thriller filled with many edge-of-the-seat moments. The premise is simple – a helpless mother and her son are stuck in a car with a giant, rabid dog trying to attack and kill them from the outside. The movie’s pace deserves a special mention here, as it just pounds you with one violent scene after other.

14. The Babadook

A widowed mother and her son are haunted by the Babadook monster, which wreaks havoc in their life. The movie is unique in the sense that it manages to scare the hell out of you without the use of excessive gore and violence. Much of the fear is psychological and the movie is intensely suspenseful until the last scene.

13. Hush

A deranged killer stalks a helpless girl and tries to kill her. Sounds like the plot of many a thriller movie, right? But Hush stands out from the rest because the helpless girl here is truly helpless – she is a deaf mute. While we can hear everything the stalker says, the girl can’t, which compels us to feel scared for the girl.

Watch Full Movie

12. Housebound

After trying to rob an ATM machine, the female lead is sentenced to house arrest in her family’s home. As if living with a family she doesn’t get along with isn’t punishment enough, she soon finds she may be living with ghosts too. This horror film is both terrifying with some humor thrown in.

 

https://youtu.be/BT1KcYiPb4I

11. Starry Eyes

Starry Eyes is a crowd-funded movie that fared quite well with both viewers and critics alike. Starry Eyes follows an aspiring actress, Sarah, and her journey towards stardom. Her day-job as a waitress at a significantly questionable restaurant leaves her pretty unfulfilled. Furthermore, Alex isn’t someone with many true friends. Her fate takes a turn for the bizarre after she shows up for an audition that requires more than just acting. Her transformation to stardom requires a high cost, quite literally her soul, which she gladly hands over.

10. Dead Silence

This is a movie that James Wan made before he hit gold with Insidious and The Conjuring. While not as scary as the latter, Dead Silence has an interesting plot and some quality jump-scares. It is about a dead ventriloquist who seeks revenge by ending the bloodline of the family that killed her. The creepy dummy Bill acts as the conduit and she kills anyone who screams and spares the ones who keep their mouth shut. Pretty considerate for a ghost, wouldn’t you say?

 

9. The Invitation

The Invitation is about a dinner party that turns awry when it is revealed that the hosts are part of a brainwashing cult and try to kill their guests. The movie is not well known to the mainstream audience as it only had a limited theatrical release, but it is a top notch thriller. The movie is filled with intense, edge-of-the-seat moments that are full of suspense. The well fleshed out characters and the near perfect performance of the cast make this indie movie a horror classic.

 

8. The Awakening

The movie deals with Florence Cathcart, who debunks alleged supernatural occurrences. When she goes to a school to investigate a ghost sighting, she gets the shock of her life as she comes to know about a dark passage from her childhood. The movie is dark, brooding, and scary to boot.

https://youtu.be/iB8UAuGBJGM

 

7. The Hallow

A conservationist and his wife and son head to a remote Irish village in the middle of a forest. Strange things begin to happen as he comes to know about a legend called The Hallow. Soon, the entire family is attacked by strange creatures and they struggle to get out of the forest alive. A dark setting, plenty of jump-scares, and a final scene that will have you fervently hoping for a sequel make it one of the best horror films in recent times.

6. It Follows

It Follows brings a rather strange aspect to the forefront, because it involves a one-night stand that has to keep going. A college student by the name of Jaime is unaware that sleeping with her boyfriend will pass on a haunting experience. After tying her up and informing her she’ll be stalked by an evil spirit until she sleeps with somebody else, Jaime’s hell begins to unfold. Apart from the interesting plot, you can settle in for some very close calls that will keep you at the edge of your seat. The film has a “slasher” feel to it, so if you enjoyed movies like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, you’ll definitely enjoy this one.

5. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare

Wes Craven takes a meta-fictional approach to scale new heights of horror in this movie. Freddy Krueger is back, only this time he haunts not just the dream world, but the real world of filmmaking as well. Freddy is more menacing in this film than the original, which makes the movie all the more special.

 

4. Hannibal

Who can forget The Silence of the Lambs? With Anthony Hopkins in the leading role of the cannibal serial killer, it’s no surprise why the film is a cult classic. But the story continued with Hannibal, and yes, Hopkins is back in the driver seat as the hungry Hannibal Lector. But there’s a strange twist this time round, and it’s the romance blooming between Hannibal and the police officer he focused on in the first film, Clarice Starling. Despite having a new director and screenwriter, Hannibal captures the same unnerving feeling as the first film.

3. Dream House

After a man finds a dream home for his family, his life soon turns into a nightmare. He feels he and family are being harassed when strange occurrences begin to happen in his home. New discoveries lead him to the conclusion that the house is being stalked by its former owner, a suspected murderer.   Of special interest from the start is the thematic bluish coloring.  Once you notice it you will be watching for it throughout the movie – and it is nearly always there.  Sometimes the bluish color is merely a tinted reflection in a receptionist’s hair.  This really has much to do with horror directly, but the color certainly creates a subconscious feeling and tone.  This kind of details that go into movie making is always a great thing to see.  And something not likely to appear in the “home movie” or “found footage” type drivel.

 

2. Lizzie Borden Took an Ax

Based on the real murders that took place in the late 1800’s, Lizzie Bordan Took an Ax is a television movie with more than just one dark side. Bordan’s parents were hacked to death and till this day she’s the prime suspect who got away. The movie and case have many interesting aspects, because the evidence left a lot of doubt and made Lizzie a household name at the time. Christina Ricci plays the role of Lizzie Bordan and she does it brilliantly.

1. The Shinning

It’s probably one of the best horror movies ever made, and it’s based on one of the best horror books ever written by none other than Stephen King. Directed by the methodical Stanley Kubrick and starring Jack Nicholson, prepare yourself to enter a hotel with more horror than your nervous system can handle. Nicholson plays the role of Jack Torrance, a guy who accepts the job as caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. What he doesn’t know is that the hotel is pretty much a mass grave. He takes his family with him, only to eventually chase them around with an axe. If there’s one movie that will have you sleeping with the lights on, it’s The Shining.

https://youtu.be/1G7Ju035-8U

You might also want to check out our honorable mentions:

Honeymoon

This is more of a science fiction horror, but it’s a horror nonetheless. It follows a couple of newly weds who end up spending their honeymoon going through a very strange and dangerous separation.

Hellraiser

This is one of those classics you just have to watch, because it’s as strange as it is scary. The villain of the story is called Pinhead, and the story begins with a mysterious puzzle box getting solved, which unleashes Pinhead onto the world.

 

Jaws

We all know the story line, but its a fun movie to go back and check out!

 

Creep

As the name suggests, this is definitely a creepy film and it should make anybody weary of accepting jobs on Craigslist.

https://youtu.be/hYx5R6kbJTQ

We Are What We Are

This is a film that looks at cannibalism as part of the family tradition. If you thought teenage girls are harmless, take a good look at this film and try to stick to your theory.

Nightmare From World’s End (Book Review)

By Leave a Comment

featured-reviews-smal

Nightmare from World’s End, by Robert J. Stava, is a horror novel featuring a very intriguing type of evil entity.  In a very relaxed style, Stava builds this particular story on familiar terrain, namely his Wyvern Falls.  Wyvern Falls is a little village where a series of Stava’s books originate.  Nightmare From World’s End is the latest in what is known as Hudson Horror Novels.

I have not yet had the pleasure of reading previous stories that unfolded in this rather strange town, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying his latest installment.  He’s got a good feel for his audience and how to keep the story flowing without unnecessary hitches.

Three boys are out exploring the wreckage left by Hurricane Cassandra. As they explore they come across a very large crate, which is also the last thing they see before suffering an awful fate. While more disappearances occur, leaving the police stumped as to who the culprit might be, Dr. Sarah Ramhorne makes a very interesting discovery regarding sea monsters that used to inhabit the area.

The one friend Ramhorne makes is private detective John Easton, although Easton is romantically smitten by the doctor upon seeing her for the first time. Her straightforward attitude wins him over instantly, and he finds any excuse to spend time with her. But their romance gets put on hold as the supposedly mythical sea monster makes more daring appearances, forcing the police to use all the help they can get.

I wouldn’t put this book in the extreme horror section, because it has so much going for it. Yes, the sections where characters are squished so hard their eyes bulge out are very well done, and could possibly ruin a good night’s sleep for some readers. But I doubt the point of the book is to scare as much as it is to entertain and let his readers indulge themselves in the story.

Firstly, the tone is very laid back and reader friendly. Stava connects quickly and doesn’t have a problem maintaining this connection. Secondly, the characters are very colorful and the chemistry between them brings up a feeling of familiarity. Thirdly, there is always some drama waiting in the background. So, Stava has a good balance between horror, a little bit of romance and even some humor. In fact, the introduction does add a little playfulness to the rest of the story.

I want to say the pacing of the book is relatively quick, but it takes a few pages to get into the thick of things. Apart from a small encounter at the beginning, Stava patiently introduces the cast. Given that the characters are somewhat melancholy and likeable, it’s not at all strange that he chose this route. However, the horror aspect is easily forgotten in the early pages, which brings me back to my initial point – the book wasn’t meant to give you nightmares.

Hardcore horror fans might find the book on the light side, but readers looking for an entertaining read that will make you check the bathtub twice before getting in, I definitely recommend it. Even though it’s not a groundbreaking plot, Stava did a great job of keeping it together and making it his own.

Damnetha-Jules-Horror-Palace-Review

Reviewed by Damnetha Jules
Damnetha  is a staff writer, horror book and movie critic.

Robert J. Stava is a writer who now lives in the lower Hudson Valley just north of NYC, apparently, not far from that half-imaginary village he sets so many of his stories in, Wyvern Falls. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Robert had a successful career in advertising (Y&R, J Walter Thompson), 3d graphics and performed for 8 years on the NY Music scene with his band, ‘The Jag’. These days he focuses on local legends and history of the Hudson Valley.

His first novel “At Van Eyckmann’s Request” was published in 2012. He is also the author of the novels “By Summer’s Last Twilight’ and “The Feast of Saint Ann” which has found its way into the hands of such eminent authors as T.C. Boyle and Ann Rice and has also been previewed by acclaimed novelist & screenwriter Michael Marshall Smith who commented: “I loved it…as if I was being pulled into a Ray Bradbury or something like BOY’S LIFE.”. His novella “The Devil’s Engine” was published by Muzzleland Press in 2015 and his short stories have appeared in various anthologies including “Kill for Copy” (Dark Chapter Press) & “Legends of Sleepy Hollow” (Nielsen Press). His fourth novel, “Nightmare From World’s End” was published by Severed Press in 2016.

He is also author and designer of “Combat Recon: 5th Air Force Images from the SW Pacific 1943-45” (Schiffer Publishing, 2007), a historical account based on his great uncle’s service as a combat photographer during WWII.

He has also been called by writer Hunter Shea ‘The King of Hudson Horror’.

More Horror Book Reviews

Don’t Fear The Reaper (Book Review)

By Leave a Comment

featured-reviews-smal

Don’t Fear the Reaper: Vol. 1, is the latest horror novel by Lex Sinclair. His experience in the genre shines through a story that ventures into the supernatural world of death. In fact, Sinclair mixes up a few elements we’ve seen before, creating something unique to his style and taste. With an obviously high-quality standard of writing, Sinclair brings to life the Grim Reaper.

The world is about to experience a small apocalypse, a prophecy needs to be fulfilled, and the Reaper has to protect the one who is going to continue his work. All over the globe, a strange fog is plaguing the citizens. At the same time strange and horrible things are occurring without motive. A man butchers his family with an axe, a group of girls unknown to each other commit mass suicide, and to make matters worse, a meteor is on course to hit earth.

In between the chaos is Rev. Anthony Perkins, a man who has been experiencing vivid nightmares while losing his faith. As he struggles with the decision to leave the church, his pregnant sister undergoes a traumatic experience, making him only doubt his faith more. Little does he realize he’ll need his faith more than ever when he comes face to face with every mortal’s deepest fear, death.

I knew exactly what to expect when reading the first chapter because it’s the third book I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing by Sinclair. I had no idea what the plot was going to entail, or how it was going to unfold. But I knew I had to get ready for a style that’s very precise in its execution. More than anything, Sinclair is a writer who takes the art very seriously and it shows in his work.

With a very sophisticated tone, Sinclair starts the story with a scene featuring the Reaper and the evil green fog. The first thing you’ll notice from the introduction is that Sinclair pays attention to detail, painting a very vivid picture. His talent to describe something as if it is sitting right in front of you is amazing. This is only empowered by his extensive vocabulary and research.

That being said, the story does follow a relatively slow pace. This is a good thing for readers who like to fall deep into the content of the pages, but it could be a little frustrating to readers who prefer things to happen faster. The amount of characters who are introduced can also get a little overwhelming, so it’s critical to keep track from the first page.

Overall, I can honestly say that Sinclair hasn’t lost his creative touch on a classic idea. I consider his latest novel, along with those I’ve read before, to be among the “higher quality” reads within indie circles, although I don’t consider them “easy-reads”. There’s originality, skill and an interesting plot, which is consistent elements for Sinclair. He demands the reader’s full attention, otherwise, the story might not grab you the way it’s meant to. So, for the horror fans who want to invest themselves in a good book, I suggest picking up this new release from Sinclair.

Damnetha-Jules-Horror-Palace-Review

Reviewed by Damnetha Jules
Damnetha  is a staff writer, horror book and movie critic.

More Horror Book Reviews

Also by Lex Sinclair:

The Frozen Man

Nobody Goes There

The Goat’s Head

Lord of Darkness

Killer Spiders

It Follows (Movie Review)

By Leave a Comment

Constantly haunted by recurring anxiety dreams about being followed, a young, terrified David Mitchell would later use this to write one of the most familiar yet unnerving horror films of all time. The now famous writer and film director initially struggled with the concept so much and would often blatantly refuse to discuss the plot quoting, “When you really say it out loud, it sounds like the worst thing ever.” Fortunately for him and horror fans worldwide, the film was an enormous hit, netting a cool $20.3 million in the Box Office as of January 2016.

It Follows: The Plot

Making its debut at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival in Detroit, Michigan, It Follows is a supernatural horror film written, directed and co-produced by David Robert Mitchell. The movie stars Maika Monroe as Jay, Daniel Zovato (Greg), Keir Gilchrist (Paul), Olivia Luccardi (Yara), Jake Weary (Hugh/Jeff), Lili Sepe (Kelly) and Bailey Spry as Annie. In addition, actors Mike Lanier, Ingrid Mortimer, Alexyss Spradlin, Erin Stone and Don Hails all play the various incarnations and manifestations of the entity.

The film begins with a young woman running for her life from something unseen. She stops at a beach and calls her father, sad and remorseful for being a bad daughter. The next morning, the damsel is found brutally murdered, limbs broken and bones sticking out.

Meanwhile, Jay (Monroe), an average Michigan college student is out on a date with her hunky dreamboat, Hugh (Weary). Hugh begins spewing off about how he envies the innocence of young children and soon starts seeing things. He spots a young woman at the entrance to the theater and points this out to Jay, but Jay can’t see a thing. Creeped out, they decide to leave the theater altogether. They meet up another day for a second date and this time, Hugh gets lucky in his car. After having sex, Hugh incapacitates Jay with chloroform and upon regaining her senses, wakes up tied to a wheelchair.

Hugh calms her down and explains that when they had sex back in his car, he passed on a curse to her. He further elaborates that from now on, Jay will be pursued by an entity that only the accursed can see, and that can take the appearance of any person, friend or stranger. Although this mysterious entity only moves at a slow, shuffling pace, it will kill her if it catches up and proceed to hunt the previous person who passed it on. In this case, that would be Hugh. Before freeing Jay and driving her home, Jay shows her a naked woman walking towards them then flees for his life.

It is here that viewers connect the death of the woman in the first scene since it is implied that Hugh had earlier slept with her, but the entity had unfortunately caught up with her. The next day, the police come knocking, looking for Jay in connection with the Girl’s murder. It turns out that not only has Hugh gone AWOL, but he has also been living under a false identity. Back in school, Jay is haunted by IT constantly following her in a hospital gown but unseen by others. Her sister Kelly (Sepe) and close friends Yara and Paul see her dismay and offer to spend the night with Jay. At night, things only get creepier with windows getting mysteriously smashed. The others can’t see the culprit, but Jay sees a blood-covered, half-naked woman eerily making her way towards them. Jay flees upstairs only to find a man with gouged eyes baying for her blood. Mortified, Jay can only make for the hills and gets out of the house to seek refuge in a nearby playground where her friends find her.

Their resourceful neighbor Greg (Zovato) offers to help and after some research discovers that Hugh’s real name is Redmond Jeff. They all track him to his address where he explains that the only way to temporarily belay death is to have sex with someone else and pass the curse on. Greg drives them to his lake house for safety where Jay gets attacked by the entity in a horrendous array of guises. Jay tries to escape in Greg’s car but crashes and wakes up in the hospital with a broken arm. Later on, Greg, who does not believe in anything supernatural, is more than willing to have sex with Jay. Worst decision ever. Days later, Jay sees the entity smashing Greg’s window. After countless attempts of trying to warn Greg over the phone, Jay is too late. IT transforms into Greg’s half-naked mother, knocks on his door and brutally murders Greg while Jay watches. Later on at the beach, Jay is apprehensive since IT is still after her. Paul offers to sleep with Jay and take the curse, but Jay refuses.

They draw up a plan to lure the entity into the university swimming pool and electrocute it to death. While Jay swims in the pool as bait, the entity has already manifested among them as Jay’s father and is now trying to electrocute her in return. Paul draws out a gun and fires blindly at an invisible target, wounding Yara in the process, but also shooting the entity right in the head. After IT falls in the pool, they edge closer to see if it’s dead, but it launches an arm and attempts to drown Jay. Paul pops off another round of bullets in the entity and frees Jay from death’s clutches. The pool steadily fills with blood. Afterwards, Paul and Jay have sex and later walk down the street holding hands in relief, grateful that the ordeal is over. However, a dark, mysterious figure looms behind them, following them steadily, inching closer with each stride.

Production and Reception

While horror films typically fester in overly tight and claustrophobic spaces, Director David Mitchell thrives in open space because he knows just how infectious the premise of It Follows could be. The filming of It Follows took place from 2013 in Detroit Michigan with Director Mitchell opting to go with wide-angle lenses for an expansive look.

The premier for the film was at the May 17, 2014, Cannes festival. The movie was later theatrically released on February 2015 in France and the United Kingdom. Following its release to limited theatres in the United States and Canada, the film earned over $160,000 in the first opening week. By April 5th, the film had grossed $8.9 domestically and a worldwide total of $10.3 million.

Sequel

Due to the major success of the concept, co-president of Radius TWC Tom Quinn recently announced that the studio is interested in doing a sequel. Quinn has articulated the idea of flipping the concept a tad, with Maika or any other original character going back down through the chain to find out the exact origin of IT.

The film It Follows fancies the encroachment of mortality where the victims soon realize that they’re trapped by inevitable circumstances. There’s nothing more inherently frightening than the steady advancement of an evil entity that just keeps coming and will never, ever dissipate. Horror fans all around the globe can’t wait to catch a glimpse of what will be an exciting, unnerving and bone-chilling feature.

Pavor Nocturnus (Book Review)

By Leave a Comment

featured-reviews-smal
pavor-nocturnus-coverPavor Nocturnus is a haunting tale by Trevor Whittemore, and it takes a step back into a rather classic scenario. With a very subtle tone, Whittemore lays the groundwork for an intriguing story, pitting good against evil and overcoming the odds. Even though it might not be the most sophisticated literary execution, it holds a lot of promise.

Michael is an 8-year-old boy who moves into a new house with his mom and dad, Tanya and Ron. He finds it difficult to make friends, and he starts to have very intense nightmares, eventually building up a fear towards entities that might be in the house. While a pregnant Tanya sympathizes with her son, Ron believes it’s nothing more than a phase.

Michael finally makes a friend, but the nightmares also become more intense. In fact, they start manifesting when his parents aren’t around. Tanya decides to investigate the situation further, only to find their new home was indeed the setting for a horrific ordeal. However, Tanya remains doubtful as Ron insists his wife and son are imagining things.

As mentioned in the introduction, the story is based on many classic elements. For example, the haunted house with a very dark past, the child who has a hard time convincing his parents that real danger exists, and finally the confrontation between a heavenly entity and a demon. In terms of originality, the story probably won’t make much of an impression, but it does cater to an audience who like this type of situation. So if you enjoy having an idea of what’s coming, you’ll enjoy this book.

pavor-nocturnus-feature

 

Even though Whittemore did a good job at presenting a solid horror story, it was the “experimental” tone that attracted me the most. Whittemore has a definite talent, but it’s obvious he hasn’t found his unique style quite yet. I love reading books from indie authors because they have an overwhelming sense of passion while they lack technical perfection, which ultimately gives it a lot of character. So, while this particular story won’t see a spot on the New York Bestseller list, readers will most likely remember Whittemore.

The overall pacing is relatively slow, and Whittemore is very focused on selling the authenticity of his characters. There’s also a constant build-up with certain climaxes in-between, so it’s probably better to read the book in one night instead of spreading it over a few days.

Every book and every writing style are subject to personal opinion, but if I had to give a general description for Pavor Nocturnus, it would be “potential”. I don’t know whether this is Whittemore’s debut, but if it is then, I commend his first attempt. There remains some work regarding execution and his technical approach, but the essence of the book is very entertaining. What the Whittemore lacks in experience he makes up in passion telling a spellbinding story.

If you are the type of reader who expects nothing less than Stephen King quality, it might not be the book to read. But if you like discovering new talent and having an open mind towards passionate writers, you’ll get totally wrapped up in the pages.

Damnetha-Jules-Horror-Palace-Review

Reviewed by Damnetha Jules
Damnetha  is a staff writer, horror book and movie critic.

More Horror Book Reviews