Book Review: Beyond by Graham McNamee

This is my second R.I.P. (Readers Imbibing Peril VII) review, and the first book.  I'm not sure I'll be able to get a second book in as planned, but we'll see.  If you want to see what reviews others have written, check here.

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Pros: great characters, fast paced, honest chills, no romance

Cons: too short!

For Parents: no content

The real reason behind Jane's numerous brushes with death is too crazy for anyone but her fellow 'creep sister' to believe.  So when she starts hearing voices and seeing things - in addition to her already extreme sleepwalking and migranes - she only tells her friend Lexi what's really going on.  Somehow, she's picked up a ghost.  One who wants her dead, and is able to use her own shadow - and body - to kill her.

This is a brilliantly written teen novel.  The chapters are short and punchy, making it very fast paced and quick to read.  The characters are fully fleshed: Jane's parents who love their daughter and want to help but don't know how.  Jane, who wants to explain but knows they won't believe her.  Lexi, whose father left when she was young, and who makes dark films in order to understand the world.

The story is explained through quick flashbacks to Jane's various deaths, her friendship with Lexi and dealing with the present.  There is a love interest, but it's kept low key and just barely factors into the plot.

The ghost is suitably terrifying, as is it's reasoning for wanting Jane.  There is some adult creepiness involved with the ghost's past that comes into play with Jane's present, but it's passed over with limited details.

It's a great book for younger teens to adults who want a decent - but not gory or too terrifying - scare.   And the author's Canadian. :)

Movie Review: Frankenstein (1931)

I'm rather behind on my R.I.P. (Readers Imbibing Peril) picks, but here's my first.  If you want to see what else has been reviewed for R.I.P., go here.

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Directed by: James Whale

IMDb listing

Pros: great acting, classic horror motifs

Pro/Cons: major divergences from the novel

Helped by his hunchbacked assistant Fritz (Dwight Frye) and witnessed by his fiancee (Mae Clarke), best friend (John Boles) and former professor (Edward Van Sloan), Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) plays God when he stitches body parts together and endows his creature with life. 

The movie diverges from the novel by Mary Shelley in several ways, not least of which is making the monster (Boris Karloff) unintelligent.  Switching Frankenstein's first name with that of his friend caused me a fair amount of confusion when watching the film.  Then again, this film is much more entertaining than the novel, with less of Frankenstein's woes.

This film has all the hallmarks of a good horror flick of its time: mad scientist, hunchbacked assisstant, scary monster, murder and mobs.  A few moments come close to being humerous, especially when viewed today.  Being in black and white really helps it keep the mood though.  The actors do such a great job, especially Karloff, whose Frankenstein has become the iconic image of that character. 

The monster is almost sympathetic, objecting to its mistreatment at the hands of Fritz and then Dr. Frankenstein.  It could be used as a cautionary tale of how bullying and abuse can create monsters, if the victim is pushed hard enough.

This movie has had such a huge influence on later films and it's worth the time to watch it.  And you can do so for free online.

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril VII (R.I.P.)

Lisa over at Starmetal Oak Reviews brought this to my attention by posting about it a few days ago.  The idea is to set a goal for yourself to read/watch something creepy during the months of September and October in order to get in the Halloween spirit.

Given that I've been working my way to free reading time (with a giant pile of books I've been dying to read) I'm not sure how much time I'll have to add in horror (you can also do dark fantasy, suspense, thriller, etc.).  But I'm sure I can read at least 2 books that fit the criteria (I've got Beyond by Graham McNamee on the shelf beside me and Lisa mentioned Breed, by Chase Novak, which I've heard of before and sounds interesting).  So that's:

I also highly suspect I'll be watching some horror movies in the coming months (several of the black and white films still on my list are the 30s Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, White Zombie, etc.  So I'll add:

If you're interested in joining or reading along with their book club, here's the website where you can add your blog to the blog roll and/or comment that you're participating and the site for reviews.