#Messiah of the Evil Dead

[keeperofdarkness22]

Messiah of Evil | 1974

[mariocki]

Messiah of Evil (Dead People, 1974)

"Hard to remember back on things... but I - I remember the red moonlight Daddy told me about, only once. Mama gave him a bad look when he talked about it. He was only a boy himself, then. He called it the blood moon. He said that was the night that he lost religion. He learned that men could do... could do horrible things... like animals."

[chaoticdesertdweller]

Messiah of Evil, 1973

Dir. Willard Huyck

[vertigoartgore]

30 Days of Horror - Halloween 2024 horror movies picks :

#1 : The Frighteners (Peter Jackson, 1996, 1h50)

#2 : The Blob (Chuck Russell, 1988, 1h35)

#3 : Ginger Snaps (John Fawcett, 2000, 1h48)

#4 : Martin (George Romero, 1977, 1h35)

#5 : Prince of Darkness (John Carpenter, 1987, 1h42)

#6 : Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (John McNaughton, 1986, 1h23)

#8 : Body Snatchers (Abel Ferrara, 1993, 1h27)

#9 : From Beyond (Stuart Gordon, 1986, 1h25)

#10 : Candyman (Bernard Rose, 1992, 1h39)

#11 : Night of the Creeps (Fred Dekker, 1986, 1h28)

#12 : Near Dark (Kathryn Bigelow, 1987, 1h34)

#14 : Event Horizon (Paul W. S. Anderson, 1997, 1h36)

#15 : Fright Night (Tom Holland, 1985, 1h46)

#16 : Frankenhooker (Frank Henenlotter, 1990, 1h25)

#17 : Messiah of Evil (Willard Huyck & Gloria Katz, 1974, 1h30)

#18 : The Serpent and the Rainbow (Wes Craven, 1988, 1h38)

#19 : Bubba Ho-Tep (Don Coscarelli, 2002, 1h32)

#20 : Nightbreed (Clive Barker, 1990, 1h42)

#21 : Waxwork (Anthony Hickox, 1988, 1h35)

#22 : Night of the Living Dead (Tom Savini, 1990, 1h32)

#23 : Fade to Black (Vernon Zimmerman, 1980, 1h42)

#24 : Dellamorte dellamore (Michele Soavi, 1994, 1h43)

#25 : Ghost Story (John Irvin, 1981, 1h50)

#26 : Don't Look Now (Nicholas Roeg, 1973, 1h50)

#27 : The Hitcher (Robert Harmon, 1986, 1h37)

#28 : Drag Me to Hell (Sam Raimi, 2009, 1h39)

#29 : Maniac (William Lustig, 1980, 1h27)

#30 : Slither (James Gunn, 2006, 1h35)

[voktapi]

[oneofusnet]

Digital Noise Episode 333: Bad Ninjas and Nuns DIGITAL NOISE EPISODE 333: BAD NINJAS AND NUNS Our home release show has it all, as Wright and Chris discuss what the throat goat would have thought of Enter the Ninja, 2 Days in the Valley, The Fugitive, Oppenheimer, The Nun 2 and many more new 4k and Blu-Ray releases. All titles were sent to Digital Noise by the distribution companies in question for the purpose of review. No other compensation was involved. The opinions here are our own. PLEASE USE OUR IMAGE LINKS TO BUY ANY OF THESE TITLES ON AMAZON. IN FACT, PLEASE USE THEM AS YOUR STARTING… Read More »Digital Noise Episode 333: Bad Ninjas and Nuns read more on One of Us

[schlock-luster-video]

On April 23, 1973, Messiah of Evil debuted in Los Angeles.

Here's some new art to celebrate!

[nagitosstolenhand]

i don't like the growing opinion that people are being 'too hard' on deku for his failing to save shigaraki.

i've seen quite a few people complaining that a lot of the bnha-critical crowd are being too mean to deku for getting tomura killed, arguing that it isn't really his fault, and that hes a 16 year old child soldier who's been failed by almost every adult in his life, why should we be putting all of this on his shoulders? hes just a kid after all?

and the truth is, they're right. deku IS a 16 year old boy whos had the fate of the world thrust on his shoulders. but the story itself just plainly refuses to acknowledge this.

the narrative doesn't acknowledge how fucked up having a school that trains literal children how to be combo cop-celebrities is. it only tentatively acknowledges the fact that a universe having combo cop-celebrities is fucked up, and even then the only people who ever point this out are antagonists, who are portrayed and treated in-universe as untrustworthy. the narrative doesn't care how fucked up dekus circumstances are. the narrative treats deku like hes a fucking messiah here to touch the hearts of the evil depressed villains with his magical empathetic heart of gold before they get blown up or just sent to fucking superhell for daring to challenge the status quote.

deku isn't a person. he's barely even a fucking character at this point. he's a plot device, and a mouth piece for the objectively shitty themes bnha is trying to spout. the themes that tell you that if you're mistreated by society and want to do something about it, you're a villain. that disrupting the status quote and refusing to repent to some random teenage boy spouting empty platitudes at you means you deserve to get sent to fucking superhell. the themes that portray people fighting for civil change as mass murdering supervillains. the themes that look the audience dead in the eye and can call deku the greatest hero to ever live.

deku, who barely spared a second thought to lady nagant telling him the truth about the hero commission. who spouts meaningless platitudes about heroism and morality at nagant, and aoyama, and toga and shigaraki, when even the thought that he should question the world around him comes up. who's constantly talked about as this truly kind, empathetic person, but hasn't spared an empathetic thought to literally anyone who is classified as a villain. who listened to every authority figure around him except the ones who asked him to question his worldview. who saw la bravas tears, shigarakis various breakdowns, himikos plead for understanding, chisakis catatonic state, lady nagants truth, and barley batted a fucking eye. deku, who killed tomura shigaraki.

people don't criticize deku for failing shigaraki because they just hate deku. people criticize deku because of what he represents. because hes a mouthpiece for the atrocious morals and themes of this ideologically rotten manga. because any character he had was chopped up to bits in favor of the incomplete husk we have now. people criticize deku because hes the main character of my hero academia. theres nothing more damning then that.

[tothecrucifieddeer]

PROPHETIC SIGNS/COMMANDS/IMAGES

Moonchild by Santiago Caruso

Untitled by Liz Mamont

She Laments by VikiGrindhouse

Dumb (acrylic on board) by Wilqkuku

Untitled on Zegalou's blog

ヨコイジュウ @4kuda5rana1

Nightmare (acrylic on canvas) by Vaxolong

Survival (acrylic on canvas) by Vaxolong

Untitled by Cult of Mortem

Divine Ammonitic Fluid Harvest System by dariuszkielisszek

The Crucible by dariuszkielisszek

Ten Piedad by bawdysuojb

Untitled Painting by A Bearded Artist

Split (acrylic on plywood) by Vaxolong

Untitled by A Bearded Artist

English explanation of signs will be under the cut--beneath the Irish.

Míníonn an Doe cad as a dtagann sí agus cén fáth go n-éiríonn sí san Oíche den chaid is mó. Rugadh ar an ngelach í. Mar leanbh gealaí tá sí os comhair réalta na maidine agus oi bríonn sí i groinne draíocht chun on Meisias a chosaint.

Bíonn Doe le feiceáil lena fenn sainiúil ar lasadh--ní raibh mé einnte cad is aiis leis sín Creidim gur rabhadh é seo a bhaineann leis an spiorad naounh agus éirí amach na marbh.

Déanann Doe caoineacdh m'easumhlachd agus an suithheadh atá le tacht ar son an domhain-molann sí mé chun gnimh. Tá a fhios agam nach féidirleon. Ach iarran sí orm orcas agus gan dula chodlaoh. Chun gniomhá or bhás ag teacht. Meisiasa thabhairt chun a chuspóir.

Sampla de na mairbh agus a reachtanaas oerach.

Meabhrúchán ar hamlinté atá ag titim as a chéile, lena n-áiritear amlinte ALfa, Bunscoile, agus Órga a bhaineann le héabhlóid mé féin go Macalla, Ocrais, nó Ascended. (Is tuar níos oimhe níos sine í seo nach mór amhiniu uair elle)

Taispeánann Doe í féin leadharca laasracha angus clóca suíle. Tá si at afire angus at cosaint dom í rith an hamlinte chun né a bheannú. Fiú má bhí né ag mí-iompar den chuid is mó.

Fulaingt an march in Ifreann a mheabhraíonn Doe dom go bhféadfainn die ready a chur leis and tascannanach ndéanfaídh mé.

Níos marbh

Comharthaí lobhadhi *súile brevity (féach orthodontist see ionam féin angus a ngaolta—ciallaíonn sé breoiteacht, olc, easpa cosanta)

Caireadhchun athbhreith an Mheisias a Chríochnú ó sofa go diaga.

Arís ag impí orm an rad nach ndéanfaidh mé a dhéanamh.

Meabhraítear gurb é an Melissa’s a lean hour agus cé go bhfuil fears uirithi teastoionn uaithi abhaile é.

Foirm leathfior Messiah.

Na Mairbh ionam agus na hamlintie a rialaíonn mé. Tá Doe ag iamaidh orm iad a shaoradh.

Mo chimiúint má éiríonn Orcas orm leonta le Lobhach.

Doe explains where she comes from and why she mostly only rises at night. She is born of the moon, the moon is her womb. As a moon child she is opposite but close to Morningstar and works in opposite magic to protect Messiah.

Doe appears with burning head. I’ve never bee sure what caused it. I believe this is, the warning the involving of the Holy Spirit and the rising of the dead..

Doe laments my disobedience and the coming turmoil for the world. She urges me to act. I know I cannot. But she asks my to act on the Death coming and inevitable—to bring Messiah to he’s true purpose. To bring him home.

An example of the dead and their ravenous need.

A reminder of the collapsing of Timelines in on each other through including theAlpha, Primary, and Golden Timelines including the evolution of myself into Echo, or Hunger, or Ascended. (This is an older, deeper prophecy that must be explained at another time…)

Doe she’s herself again. Flaming antlers, a cloak of eyes, she is watching me progress through timelines, trying to bless me even I have been mostly disobedient. She doesn’t want to punish me even though I have jeopardized a great many things in my stubbornness.

The suffering of the dead of Hell.

More dead.

Signs and symptoms of rot: *Sick eyes (watch for these in self and loved ones—sickness, evil, unprotected)

Invitation to complete Messiah’s rebirth from Holy to Divine.

Again begging for me to do what I won’t do.

A reminder Messiah is Doe’s child and that she is angry and she misses him. I know what she wants me to do but I won’t do it.

Messiah’s semi-true form.

The Dead within me and the timelines I control—Doe wants me to free them.

My fate if I become the Hunger filled with rot.

[goryhorroor]

What are some underrated horror films? I have watched all the popular ones and need more! Thanks!

mentally prepare yourself because im ready to give a gumbo list (this has been sitting in my inbox because i had to ask all my friends and this is the list we came up with):

curse of the demon (1957) the serpent and the rainbow (1988) paranoiac (1963) the old dark house (1932) countess dracula (1971) golem (1920) haxan (1968) island of lost souls (1932) mad love (1935) mill of the stone women (1960) the walking dead (1936) the ghoul (1933) tourist trap (1979) the seventh victim (1943) ganja & hess (1973) dead of night (1945) a bay of blood (1971) let's scare jessica to death (1971) alice sweet alice (1976) the deadly spawn (1983) the brain that wouldn't die (1962) all about evil (2010) black roses (1988) the baby (1973) parents (1989) a blade in the dark (1983) blood lake (1987) solo survivor (1984) lemora: a child's tale of supernatural (1973) eyes of fire (1983) epitaph (2007) nightmare city (1980) slugs (1988) death smiles on a murderer (1973) intruder (1989) short night of glass dolls (1971) the children (2008) alone in the dark (1982) end of the line (2007) the queen of spades (1949) the housemaid (1960) tormented (1960) captain clegg (1962) the long hair of death (1964) dark age (1987) the crawling eye (1958) the kindred (1987) the gorgon (1964) wicked city (1987) baba yaga (1973) 976-evil (1988) bliss (2019) decoder (1984) amer (2009) the visitor (1979) day of the animals (1977) leptirica (1973) planet of the vampires (1965) lips of blood (1975) berberian sound studio (2012) a wounded fawn (2022) matango (1963) the mansion of madness (1973) the killing kind (1973) symptoms (1974) morgiana (1972) whispering corridors (1998) dead end (2003) infested (2023) (this just came out but im adding it) triangle (2009) the premonition (1976) you'll like my mother (1972) the mafu cage (1978) white of the eye (1987) mister designer (1987) alison's birthday (1981) the suckling (1990) graveyard shift (1987) messiah of evil (1987) out of the dark (1988) seven footprints to satan (1929) burn witch burn (1962) the damned (1962) pin (1988) horrors of malformed men (1969) mr vampire (1985) the vampire doll (1970) contracted (2013) impetigore (2019) eyeball (1975) malatestas carnival of blood (1973) the witch who came from the sea (1976) i drink your blood (1970) nothing underneath (1985) sauna (2008) seance (2000) come true (2020) the last winter (2006) night tide (1961) the brain (1988) dementia (1955) don't go to sleep (1982) otogirisou (2001) reincarnation (2005) mutant (1984) spookies (1986) shock waves (1977) bloody hell (2020) the den (2013) wer (2013) olivia (1983) enigma (1987) graverobbers (1988) manhattan baby (1982) evil in the woods (1986) death bed: the bed that eats (1977) cathy's curse (1977) creatures from the abyss (1994) the dorm that dripped blood (1982) the witching (1993) madman (1981) vampire's embrace (1991) blood beat (1983) the alien factor (1978) savage weekend (1979) blood sisters (1987) deadly love (1987) playroom (1990) die screaming marianne (1971) pledge night (1990) night train to terror (1985) the devonsville terror (1983) ghostkeeper (1981) special effects (1984) blood feast (163) the child (1977) godmonster of indian flats (1973) blood rage (1980) the unborn (1991) screamtime (1983) the outing (1987) the being (1983) silent madness (1984) lurkers (1988) forver evil (1987) squirm (1976) death screams (1982) jack-o (1995) haunts (1976) a night to dismember (1983) creaturealm: demons wake (1998) the curse (1987) daddy's deadly darling (1973) nightwing (1979) the laughing dead (1989) the severed arm (1973) the orphan (1979) not like us (1995) prime evil (1988) the monstrosity (1987) dark ride (2006) antibirth (2016) iced (1988) the soultangler (1987) twisted nightmare (1987) puffball (2007) biohazard (1985) cameron's closet (1988) beast from haunted cave (1959) the she-creature (1956)

[picaroroboto]

Any jokes or memes or analysis that paints Ayin as a messiah figure and Carmen as a big bad evil are really missing the point, nor is the vice versa quite true either (though there is some interesting religious symbolism). Neither of the two is a monster or a saint, they're both just fucked-up humans.

Ayin...definetly did do some horrible things and hurt a lot of people, from close friends to strangers. He could be a textbook definition of the word "ruthless" - but he's not "heartless", the fact that he built his own hell just to torment himself into understanding his mistakes and making amends testifies to the collosal guilt and regret he felt.

Some people look at what he did in order to achieve his goal of finishing the Tree of Light and say "he had good intentions". Well, helping achieve a dead friend's dream is a very kind thing to do, and Carmen herself had good intentions too, but Ayin never loved humanity half as much as she did - he's not doing this to help people, he's doing it just because of her. So the idea of good intentions but bad methods kind of falls apart too. Ultimately, neither Ayin nor Carmen or their actions are good or evil.

We're shown and told time and again that the City is a stagnant dystopia where things rarely change, and almost never change for the better. In contrast to this sort of world, Carmen is a selfless, kind, and forward-thinking person, and that's why so many people, including Ayin, flock to and obsess over her. I think, in Ayin's mind, letting her dream die with her or with the destruction of the lab would be giving up on that potential for change that she represented - as if both her life and her death counted for nothing in the end. That's why he gets so intense about completing the project, because he feels he has to make it all worth something, and that impetus only gets stronger and stronger as the bodies of friends and strangers pile up. To him, giving up and stopping at any point would render all the sacrifices, especially Carmen's, worthless, and that's unthinkable. (he's also a textbook example of "sunk cost fallacy")

My main point here is actually that the word "Ayin" means "nothingness" in Hebrew, relating to a concept of the divine creating something from nothing. That, more than anything, is what it's all about for him. He's not driven by either cruelty or compassion, good or evil, but the even more base human need to find or create meaning in an otherwise empty world.

[magpie-come-east]

1 + 16 + 17 for the ask game!

16) You can't understand why everyone likes this thing...

IF MESSMER HAS 0 HATERS THEN THAT MEANS I'M DEAD!!!!

Jk (kinda). I do genuinely like his character's place in the Shadow Lands canon. But I don't really understand his explosive popularity. Like Tarnished/Messmer is going to overtake the top ship on AO3 (Tarnished/Morgott my beloved) any day now. He wins just about every Demigod based poll I've seen of late. I'm genuinely not being edgy or contrary here, but I don't see it.

The fandom is very based and sexy for drawing this hideous man weepily draped on beautiful women's laps as if he were a woman beholding Christ in a Renaissance painting. Meanwhile I feel like the only one that can see all the grannies and babies and sisters and husbands skewered through their assholes and set on fire every 10 feet by the world's most racist shrike.

Maybe I'm just bitter because the love Messmer gets comes at the expense of the hornsent. I'm so attached to them and their conflict and their culture. Their lore is some of the coolest in the game and the fandom has just swept it entirely aside because heaven forbid the genocide Messmer helmed gets addressed at any point while he gets fixed/saved/healed/pegged.

1) The Character Everyone Gets Wrong

Mohg and Miquella are holding hands.

I dunno man. The asinine Mohg and Miquella drama has made me pull away from this fandom a lot in the past few months.

Obviously there's a lot of wiggle room in characterizing both of them! A villainous Mohg is canon compatible as is a Mohg that suffered more under Miquella's charm. Miquella can be a naive figure doing his best or a more manipulative power player. There are wide margins here! But not wide enough for this fandom! I'm still so... baffled and bummed out FromSoft handed us Mohg fans a canonical sympathetic angle to his story on a silver platter and so many Mohggers slapped it to the ground in a tantrum because it wasn't good enough. Because I guess Mohg victimizing Miquella was hot and cool but Mohg being victimized in turn is despicable and traumatic? Whatever.

To fandom, Mohg is either a silly, campy, gay uncle goofball drinking bloody marys and getting manicures from Varre or an irredeemable rapist that deserved every bad thing that ever happened to him. Or- third option- he was the secret hero of the Lands Between, as virtuous and honorable as they come before that wretched Miquella ruined his life!

He's the Bad Guy of Elden Ring. He's Miquella's victim that did no wrong. He's the obnoxious comic relief because people don't want to touch on any of his unsavory aspects.

Like fuck me, he's none of these things. He is a powerful, charismatic cult leader with a devastatingly tragic past. He is worthy of sympathy and dignity, but he was also the literal vassal of an Outer God of blood and pain. I wish his character was treated with more depth. I wish his pain was given weight and his rough edges weren't violently sanded away.

Then there's Miquella. Who, fandom has decided, is either a horrible manipulative monster or a literal infant with no agency. It's tragic how illiterate this fandom is regarding Miquella. Claiming everything that doesn't corroborate the Messiah figure they invented in their head is a retcon or bad writing. Claiming that Miquella gave up on Malenia when that is straight up not true at all. Claiming that Miquella trying to lay Godwyn to rest meant he wanted to marry him all along. Claiming that Miquella is literally charming half the cast into doing his bidding just to make him more evil. Claiming Miquella would have been better off as Mohg's hapless victim rather than the richly nuanced and tragic character with his own faults and goals that FromSoft wrote him to be.

The hard pill for ER fandom to swallow is that Mohg and Miquella are just like all the other Demigods: flawed but compelling in their tragedy

[chaoticdesertdweller]

Messiah of Evil, 1973

Dir. Willard Huyck

[wisefoxluminary]

Arcane Season 2 Act 2 my thoughts (+analysis)

Wow just wow…this show really is a rollercoaster and this set of episodes really delved into the family dynamics of Vi and Jinx, two broken characters trying to fix what was lost between them. Jinx being forced to reckon with who she is as a leader in Zaun, inspiring those to stand up against the injustice wrought by the enforcers and this time we get to see the innocent and more soft side of her as she realises all these people look up to her as their saviour when all her life she was led to believe she was a monster who gets everyone she comes close to killed but she realises that she is making an impact on everyone around her including Isha who reminds her of her past self that she buried and is bringing that back out to the surface. Their sibling relationship was really beautiful to witness because they would save each other every damn time. It was cruel watching that get taken away from us because Isha’s final act was saving Jinx from Warwick’s rampage, though her life was short lived just like Powder’s, her sacrifice really showed the impact Jinx had made on her life and that act of preservation and love will help her finally embrace the role of a saviour complex the people of Zaun need, in the shadow of Viktor’s passing, a fallen messiah who used his power of healing for good. Jinx takes that chance and must weaponise her own destruction for good, to liberate her people and what remains of her family from Ambessa and the Piltover Guard and also Jayce who seeks to wipe every last remnant of Hextech.

I really liked the twist that Vander was Warwick as it added loads of tragedy to his character and really fuelled the emotional beats for the reminder of the story, in particular Vi and Jinx’s journeys respectively. The idea of Vander's love being the one thing that ties the sisters together was really beautiful to me because every time he saw Jinx, he was reminded of Powder which brought back his humanity which was slowly being corrupted by the beast. Powder is his tether to humanity thus why he protects her with all his might (“they don't touch my daughter” scene comes to light). This link to humanity, his memories of Ponder is what helps him overcome his monstrous impulses. He's a dead man who has turned into something unrecognisable and yet the memory and warm love Vander once embodied still resides within him and Vi and Jinx are working so hard to persevere that. This is shown in the memory sequence Viktor observed in his mind because Vander's impact is always felt on Vi and Jinx. He gave Vi her name, he was a loyal friend of their mother. His dying words to Vi was for her to protect Powder. That's why he recognises Jinx and sees her for who she used to be, why he saved her. Jinx may blame herself for his death but that only brings him closer to her. So when that perfect image of family was taken away from them, the monster from within won and every last memory of Vander is stripped away from him because that light Viktor was trying so hard to untangle from him was gone the moment he was killed.

Jayce really lost his mind because who knew one senseless action could cause this horrific chain of events to happen because being trapped in that anomaly caused him to see a false and corrupted vision of the future and it descended him into madness. Jayce is the reason Viktor loses his humanity because as he said in his dying moments the greatest good can also become your greatest evil. So what Jayce believed he was doing right by killing Viktor and stopping him from going down the wrong path only was the fuel to the fire that caused it. Betrayal and the tragedy it brings and how it melds us into the worst version of ourselves is a very integral theme in Arcane as seen with Vander and Silco, Vi and Powder, Vi and Caitlyn etc. Jayce and Viktor is just another representative cursed by the narrative and the ramifications of this betrayal will be dealt by them in terrifying ways and how they'll overcome that is going to be very central heading into the last three episodes. There is no changing the past, but there must be a way to make a better future with it as well.

The only way this show can end is if Vi and Jinx finally forgive each other and themselves and finally use love as their greatest weapon against the evil that threatens to supress them, how sacrifice impacts them and encourages them to carry on what the people who are gone had taught them. Love is what united them rather than hate and I think that's a beautiful thing. The resolution of their arc would be those two sisters reconciling, living in peace knowing their family is in a better place. For Vander to be ressurected and for Zaun to return to what it used to be under his resistance, finally at a peaceful agreement with Piltover where no more blood is shed. Where Hextech isn't used as a weapon anymore.

But overall, this episodes truly were a masterclass in storytelling and animation with its vibrant and colourful visuals. Truly can't wait for Act 3 because the symbolism of this show goes crazy.

[actuallysaiyan]

||Love Like Blood|| Chapter Two: And The Woman Was Weak

Chapter Two: And The Woman Was Weak

warnings: religious trauma, lots of religious imagery, abusive parent, abuse, physical violence, dark themes, use of Cursed energy, mentions of urination, Nanami isn't present in this chapter pairings: Emo!Nanami Kento x Fem!Sorcerer/Carrie White!Reader summary: when hell comes home, you know you're going to pay the price of receiving the original sin. what you don't realize is that your own powers are here to protect you.

dividers by: @/benkeibear/@adornedwithlight

taglist: @tsukimefuku @kentocalls @erebus-et-eigengrau @sparklynightm4re

@seireiteihellbutterfly @beneathstarryskies

Masterlist

The smell of candles and the sound of her heavy footsteps is what pulls you from your dreams. Inside your room, you know it’s the only comfort you can have for a bit. The pictures of the messiah hang on your walls. They are unlike the ones in the living room and the ones that adorn the walls of your own mother’s bedroom.

In these paintings, he’s herding sheep. In these paintings, he looks like someone you could trust. You remember the words your mother had always said. There would be a Day of Judgement. And the Jesus that was in the paintings in your room would soon morph into the ones that are in the paintings downstairs.

On Judgement Day…there would be an angel with a sword. Jesus would come down, not with mercy, but with a want to root out the evil.

Just the image it evokes in your mind is enough to make you shudder. You pull on your cardigan and you sit at the top of the stairs as you try to listen to your mother talking to someone unknown on the phone. You wonder who it could be. Then she hangs up the phone. You nearly hold your breath in anticipation.

“I know you’re listening,”

The voice of your mother. It frightens you while also comforting you. You don’t know anything else that could do this to you. No kids at the school comfort you. But your mother…oh your mother. She can with the same hand wipe away your tears but also cause lots of pain.

The minute you see her, you know that this can’t go the way you want it to. The mother who you would always wish for, she was not her. You wanted a mother who would hold you close, dry your tears and leave you with words of wisdom.

With her lips pulled tight in a disapproving look, and her eyes wide with anger, you know that you are in the wrong somehow. Even if you felt like you were going to die today and really wished your mother had taught you better, she was going to show you how you were just an ugly sinner.

“So,” she starts. “You’re a woman now.”

You nearly fall to your knees from the soft tone of her voice. It’s a trick. It’s always the same tactic she uses on you every single time. 

“Momma,” you cry. “I was so scared. Why didn’t you explain this to me? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Your mother looks you dead in the eyes before she slaps you across the face. The slap nearly sends you backwards. Your cheek is already heating up from the pain. Suddenly, you feel like your whole body is surrounded by a colorful aura.

The nonsense that comes from her mouth reminds you of how much of this is repetition and routine. The sin of Eve. The way she was weak and let loose a raven of sin on this world.

“Everything is a sin, momma.” You tried to defend yourself. 

She scowls at you, trying to hit you once more. But something seems to be stopping her. Almost a barrier between the two of you. 

“Sin has walked into my home!” She shrieks, reaching to tug on her hair.

You watch in terror from your pseudo-barrier. She’s scratching at her face and tearing out her hair in large clumps. It’s a way to terrify you, but you don’t know how to feel this time. She should have been there to teach you and to make you feel comfortable with the idea of becoming a woman and the idea of menstruation.

There’s a struggle when she reaches down to grab onto your shirt collar. When she manages to get a good grip on you, she begins dragging you to the door of the cellar.

“You need to pray. Get down there and pray for forgiveness.”

You cry out. “No momma! No, please!”

But your cries fall on deaf ears. She shoves you into the partially opened door. You feel your body being scrapped but when you try to think of that comforting aura from earlier, it seems to appear just for you in your time of need.

The way down the steps was rough. You caught yourself before you fell all the way down. Then you found yourself in almost pitch black darkness. Your eyes adjusted to it slowly, but you knew your way around this place.

It’s damp and dark in here. Things belonging to your father reside in this cellar. Jars of vegetables that seem always past their expiration line one of the walls. You approach the tool bench in the corner and you grab for the small box of matches. With shaking hands, you manage to light one of the candles.

The small flame begins to illuminate the area in front of you. The tool bench had been one of your father’s possessions. Your mother never truly spoke of him, but at times she let things slip.

He was good with his hands. When he wasn’t scaring the whole town with his stoic and austere demeanor, he would come down here and work on some of the furniture that sits upstairs.

You have a hard time imagining the man. You have seen him in photographs. But you had never seen him in real life. Your mother, she has you convinced that he was tempted by the devil and that’s why he wasn’t here anymore.

You kneel in front of the candles on the bench. A few figures of the lamb of god being crucified on the cross are littered about. The eyes, oh how they almost seem to glow.

And on the wall, a large painting that had been hidden down here. It’s the very one that gave you nightmares for years. Here he was, all in his glory, on the crucifix. The maroon blood seemed to almost seep into his eyes from his crown of thorns.

You shudder and look away. But he, the Unseen Guest, was always watching you. To you, he would always be seen. You couldn’t quite look away completely. Something had made you feel like you had to look up at it.

It’s almost as if you couldn’t trust the eyes boring deep into your soul. Even if that Judgement Day came, would you be redeemable? Could you be forgiven from your sins even if you repent now?

The words flow out of your mouth almost seamlessly. You remember all the passages and the verses. The Lord’s Prayer seems to almost always be your go-to, just like anyone else.

Minutes passed by slowly. You sat on your knees for so long, you didn’t even remember how the passage of time worked.

But in the back of your mind, you kept reminding yourself not to break. Not to give in.

·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ 　　.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

But of course you broke. It was only a little bit of time before your mother was going to open the door to you and let you out. Your bladder ached for relief. Your stomach growled for food.

The minute the door to the cellar was opened, you rushed to the bathroom. You remember many times when you were forced into the cellar that you never made it out in time to relieve yourself.

The embarrassment and the shame that comes with it was a constant reminder that you are just a pawn in her game. There were so many times where you wished you could tell her that you wanted to live a normal life.

She barely looks at you when you come back downstairs. There’s a cold plate of dinner waiting for you in the dining room. You sit down, and with a glance to the sky, you say another silent prayer. The food was atrocious, but you were starving.

Then you went up to bed. There would be no goodnight kisses, no lullabies and no sermons to listen to. Nothing of comfort on the first night of you becoming a woman.

And yet when you finished your evening routine, you found yourself being cloaked in that warm aura from before. You could almost see it now. It was a warm pinkish color.

In your mind, you almost felt like you were using a muscle to flex. No, flexing wasn’t the right word, but it would do for now. The aura seemed to dim whenever you couldn’t quite control the flexing motion.

Your eyes glimmered when you noticed that the pink aura seemed to almost reach out to the objects you tried to move with your mind. It was almost like there was a hand there moving things at your will.

The way your heart was beating, you almost felt like you’d faint. You were working so hard on this newly (no, not new but…) discovered power. And at last, you collapse against your pillows.

You try one last attempt in vain. This ends up knocking over a bunch of things on your dresser. This would definitely rouse the suspicion of your already very tense mother.

The minute the sound of the clutter hitting the ground stopped sounding out in the room, you knew you had to hurry up and look inconspicuous. You lay down on the bed, the blankets covering you. With your arms crossed over your chest, you almost resemble the perfect imitation of the sarcophagus from ancient Egypt.

Her heavy footsteps become closer and closer, making you feel nervous. Finally she enters your room, watching you carefully on your bed. Her eyes always seem like they are penetrating you and looking deep into your soul, just as Jesus would from all the paintings and figures scattered about the house.

“What are you up to?” She asks, the disgust in her voice so apparent.

“Saying my prayers. Going to bed.”

You feel like you could pass out from the fear of her glare. But when you feel that pinkish aura around you, suddenly you don’t feel as scared as before. You look up at her with your most innocent face.

“Good night.” She finally says, turning around and closing the door. This leaves you in darkness once more.

While the darkness has shrouded your happiness so many times and left you feeling helpless, you find it to be the only comforting constant in your life tonight. And with this pinkish hue buzzing around you, you’ll sleep well tonight.

[ghoul-slime]

Ghoul horror movie night: double-feature edition

Thought I'd do another Halloween post similar to the one I did last year about the ghouls' favorite horror films!

Unsurprisingly, Halloween is a big event in the Ministry, and all month-long the ghouls each take turns curating a double feature movie night for the rest of the pack:

Aether: Halloween 3 and Night of the Demons

For Aether, a Halloween double feature means watching movies that take place on Halloween. And which two better than Halloween 3 (yes, the one without Michael Myers) and Night of the Demons? Both extremely fun and packed with delicious Halloween atmosphere. Aether goes all out and decks out the ghoul den with cheesy lights and decorations and makes sure there’s plenty of candy and popcorn to go around.

Swiss: The Devils and Messiah of Evil

Transgressive and blasphemous religious horror from the 1970s. Messiah has a more supernatural element while the Devils, famous for receiving an X rating and being banned in multiple countries, deals with Catholic sexual repression, witchcraft, and religious fervor - a very popular set of subjects in the Ministry. Bonus points for containing a full-on nun orgy scene.

Dew: Dead Alive and Demons

Blood! Guts! Goop! Lawmowers, motorcycles, possessed demonic masks, and zombie rats!! Two of the absolute MOST fun movies to watch with a crowd. Dead Alive aka Braindead (directed by Peter Jackson, yes THAT Peter Jackson) has one of THE most fun, over the top final acts of all time and Demons has an amazing heavy metal soundtrack and the evil mask looks A LOT like the ghouls’ Prequelle masks. Dew knows that these two movies are sure to get the entire pack yelling and cheering at the screen (he is proud of himself).

Mountain: Event Horizon and Galaxy of Terror

Mounty loves his sci fi. This time around he’s picking two space themed horror films that aren’t alien movies. Event Horizon is like Hellraiser in space (but NOT like Hellraiser: Bloodline, which is actually Hellraiser in space). Both films are essentially about inadvertently finding Hell through space travel.

Aurora: Toxic Avenger and Swamp Thing

MONSTROUS, MUTATED ROMANCE. Aurora says if your not a monster fucker or a mutant fucker then you’re a coward.

Phantom: Spooky Encounters 1 & 2

Two Hong Kong martial arts vampire movies! Incredibly fun, great gags, and packed with amazing martial arts stunts by Sammo Hung, one of the greatest martial arts actors ever. Phantom loves his vampire movies, and are some of his favorites.

Cirrus: Blood on Satan’s Claw and Eyes of Fire

Both set in the 18th century, Cirrus loves the unsettling, slow-burn atmosphere of folk horror films, and these two are essential viewing. She insists that anyone that loves movies like The VVitch and Midsommar go back and give these two a watch.

Sunshine: Frankenhooker and Bride of Re-Animator

1990 was apparently the year for wacky Frankenstein re-imaginings. Like most of the ghouls, Sunny loves a goofy, over-the-top horror comedy. Frankenhooker is exactly what it sounds like and more while Bride is a sequel to Re-Animator (she thinks Dan and Herbert should just freaking kiss already).

Cumulus: Lair of the White Worm and Vamypros Lesbos

Two erotic horror films with VERY different tones. Lair is hilarious and choc full of phallic imagery (“It’s a penis movie” - Cumulus) and Vampyros Lesbos is about, well, lesbian vampires. Very sexy and beautifully shot.

Rain: Xtro and the Blob

Two slimy alien movies. Xtro is something that needs to be seen to be believed, and the fact that Rain picked it has Dew beaming (he has taught him well). The Blob, a remake of the 1958 film, has great practical effects. Despite the fact that the Blob is about a giant blob of alien space goo that dissolves humans into a bloody puddle of goop, Xtro makes it seem like a Disney movie. Rain loves to see all the WTF expressions on everyone’s faces (except Dew, who is grinning ear to ear).

Ifrit: The Burning and the Prowler

Slasher films. Ifrit has seen them all. While he thinks slasher classics like Halloween and Friday the 13th are essential viewing, he thinks these two lesser-seen slasher flicks from the 80s are superior.

Omega: Prince of Darkness and the Beyond

Omega is the cosmic horror enthusiast of the bunch. He loves the scientific quantum physics spin on the devil’s return to earth in Prince of Darkness and thinks the Beyond is the best of Fulci’s Gates of Hell trilogy.

Mist: Audition and High Tension

Women who love a little too much. These movies being Mist’s picks have everyone wondering if they should be worried (they shouldn’t, but she wants them to think they should be.)

Alpha: New York Ripper and Torso

ITALIAN SLEAZE. Part giallo and part horror, both of these films are slasher meets murder mystery. Arguably the popularization of giallo in the 70s gave way to the rise of slasher films in the 80s, and these perfectly combine the two subgenres. Alpha and Dew yap about the hypersexualized ultraviolence and dreamy, surreal cinematography in giallo films the whole time (annoying).