#adam nevill

[lailoken]

What are your favorite pieces of media that you think accurately represent magic and spirit work? Movies, books, even music..

This is an interesting question, but one that requires a lot of thought, as I have read and watched an inordinate amount of books and movies. Plus, even really good fiction with pagan themes that I've read/watched is generally inaccurate in most ways, with some realistic aspects of magic woven in here and there. Some of my very favorite media relating to the subject can't really be included, simply because of how inaccurate it is overall, but there are a few that have caught my notice.

I'm sure I'll end up missing ones, which bugs me, but I'll do my best to recount some examples that I can think of:

The Love Witch (2016) is a movie that I think presents a strikingly realistic portrayal of what magic can look like. It manages to show some of the ways one might use magic to great effect, without actually skewing into fantasy at all. Clearly, the magic shown isn't going to line up with every paradigm, and its not exactly a heady or spirit-based story, but I think it's a very real look at how ritual and magic is/can be approached by many folks in the modern day.

The Witch (2015) is, above all else, a great slow-burn horror film and an excellent period-piece. However, it also portrays quite an accurate conception of folkloric beliefs about Witchcraft in the 17th century, which inexorably inform the realities of modern Witchcraft traditions. It does just barely skew into fantasy horror, but the actual folkloric information being presented is quite sound.

A Dark Song (2016) is a film that portrays ceremonial magic realistically in many ways. Ultimately, it is still a supernatural horror film, but the bulk of the magic in the movie is based directly on the Abramelin Operation, which was interesting to see. A lot of the ways that the magic "takes shape" in the film feels real enough to me, too (though it certainly takes it to extremes at points, as horror movies are wont to do).

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson is a horror novel I much enjoyed when I read it a coulple years ago, but I also remember that it happens to contain small, but meaningful, instances of sympathetic magic within the story that I appreciated as a practitioner looking in. This one has been made into a movie as well.

Cunning Folk by Adam Nevill is one of the more realistic looks at magic—including the uncanny side of it—that I've come across. It's still definitely a horror story, first and foremost, but there's an oomph to the ritual and magic described therein that a lot of other similar fiction lacks—even when the ritual act being described isn't necessarily accurate in terms of historicality or my personal experience of the Craft.

The White People by Arthur Machen is a Welsh short horror story from the turn of the century, which I think is worth including here. There are elements and aspects of the story that feel surprisingly real in terms of Gloaming initiation and the Gloaming Spirits—though, of course, it takes creative liberties informed by the paranormal beliefs and trends of the time (1890s).

The Craft (1996) is a movie that I'm sure a lot of pagans have of nostalgia for in one way or another, myself included. I struggled with whether this movie should be here or in the Honorable Mention section, but I included it here in the end because a lot of the ways magic and ritual are presented in the film are accurate enough. I also think it did a fairly good job of capturing how it can feel to discover, revel in, and then become overwhelmed by magic. However, since it is a supernatural horror film, a lot of magic shown is portrayed more fantastically than the real thing, and there are aspects of the magic (rituals, entities, etc.) made up entirely for the sake of the story.

As implied above, there are also some pieces that, while largely inaccurate or too far into the realm of fantasy, still manage to succesfully capture some essence of realistic feeling magic in them. I will list those here as Honorable Mentions:

Practical Magic (1998) is another movie that I'm sure a lot of Pagans have nostalgia for in some way or another. I won't claim that it's a genuinely "accurate" representation of magic—and it certainly strays into outright fantasy at times—but there are little things throughout the movie that managed to ring a bell for me, as someone who grew up with magic in my family. I know this was originally a book, but I actually haven't read that as of yet, so I can't speak to it.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006) is a movie is squarely in the fantasy-horror genre to me, but even still, I include it here as an honorable mention because a lot of the lore depicted is drawn from real lore, and the overall ambience it manged to evoke strongly reminds me of some of my own experiences with chthonic journeying.

The Good Witch franchise isn't one I have ever actually watched any part of before, but I include it here because, oddly enough, multiple practitioners have mentioned to me that they think the magic is surprisingly realistic for a Hallmark series. As I understand it, the main character is a sort of local Wise Woman who helps the folk in her little town using things like folk-knowledge, remarkable intuition, and an uncanny ability to seemingly sway people and circumstances. Since I haven't seen it myself, my take on it may be somewhat lacking, (which is why I listed it as an honorable mention), but based on the description, it actually sounds like it may be one of the more realistic interpretations of magic on this list.

I know this is a strange addition, as it's not exactly magic, per se, but much of how Stephen King writes about psychic abilities like clairvoyance and healing throughout his works manages to touch on something all too familiar for me. I think, sometimes, that he may have known someone with the Sight and/or the Touch in his real life, as it comes up a lot in one shape or another in his writing.

As I said, I'm sure there's stuff I'm missing, but this at least a serviceable overview. I encourage others to share any other media that they think deserves a mention, too!

[backlogbooks]

i started reading the ritual by adam nevill yesterday and let me say, i didnt expect things to go downhill so quickly

[jayvrontio]

I rewatched The Ritual last night and I think it was for the 5th or 6th time and I’ll still continue doing it and that gave me the motivation to post some drawings I did of the 4 main boys.

It was easy for me to draw Hutch and Luke(since they are my favorites) but I kinda strugle at drawing Dom. Phil was alright.

I totally love that movie and I’m very glad with how these drawings turned out and I wanna draw even more from the movie.

[twistedjackalope]

Inspired by “ Cunning Folk” by Adam Nevill

[mylifeinfiction]

Cunning Folk by Adam L.G. Nevill

No home is heaven with hell next door.

Adam L.G. Nevill's Cunning Folk turns well-known, overly familiar haunted house tropes on their head by having his struggling new homeowners cursed with hellish neighbors rather than haunted by ghosts. And it's this freshly relatable approach that saves the book from such tired horror tropes as the 'unbelieving wife'. (I can't stand the 'unbelieving wife'.)

This is a dark book, and succeeds because of Nevill's willingness to bring us everywhere this nightmare leads. It's a truly daunting folk-horror tale that utilizes Nevill's fantastic sense of atmosphere perfectly. And even the more familiar elements work wicked wonders throughout thanks to his storytelling, which evokes masters such as Graham Masterton rather than, well, other less capable/more successful genre mainstays. Then there's that final act, which is brutal; an unrelenting onslaught of desperation that—for better and worse—never leads where you're expecting; a blood-soaked series of hopeless events that leads to a pitch-black, gleefully ferocious finale.

7.5/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

[theritualofmoder]

The Ritual 2017

“A group of old college friends reunite for a trip to a most dangerous country in Europe - Sweden, encountering a menacing presence there stalking them.” (IMDB)

Based on the novel by Adam Nevill, along with writer Joe Barton and director David Bruckner.

[adrian-of-artistry]

I got a used kindle the other day. Ive read more books in the past weeks then i have in the past few years.

I found a new author that im loving the writing of. Adam Nevill, ive read 2 of his books and am on a third. First i read "The Ritual" then "No One Gets Out Alive" both have movie adaptions. Im currently reading Cunning Folk on my Kindle.

I read a classic book on my kindle too. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

The 0.99 cent e-books on the kindle store are gonna be the death of me....

I have like 50+ books on my TBR. Im in a horror book mood.

I look forward to getting back into reading.

The reason i bought the kindle is to read more but spend less and if i really like an e-book i read on kindle i'll buy a physical copy.

[lostbetweenthepagesofthesebooks]

Some Will Not Sleep

My second book into the horror genre, and leaning a little more towards what I'm looking for. In my head, this is really the book that starts my horror novel journey. This is a book that another friend let me borrow, they are big into horror, so they gave me a few different types of horror to start my journey.

Some Will Not Sleep

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot(s): ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Writing style: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I think technically the overall rating should be like 4 1/2 stars, but it gets a full 5 stars because I would absolutely read this again. I am also going to be owning this now, more so because I accidentally spilled coffee on my friend's book (my bad, my dude). And not saying this because I wouldn't own it, I just wasn't planning on owning it so soon.

I really enjoyed Nevill's writing style, it's different... but then again all of horror will likely be different than what I'm use to. But Nevill does a great job of building up the suspense and then giving us our big reveal. I felt anxious as times... basically chomping at the bit to get to the climax. So when those feeling's get evoked, regardless of the material, it's always good to me.

Another major feeling that you'll likely get, because I sure as hell did with every story, while reading these: disgust. Literally every time we got to the climax, or the point, I made a face. A few I even said "ugh" out loud. Nevill's writing is that great, where you can clearly visualize what he's describing with his creatures. Might not be how he saw them, but the way my brain created the images were plenty jarring

It's also good to add here that all of these short stories feature some type of creature, and all said creatures are grotesque. It's certainly not gory to me - which can be taken with a grain of salt because I'm not bothered by gore too much. It's not disturbing per se - again, grain of salt, I never felt disturbed during this book. Every story features creature(s), and they are just... gross. Again, the writing here... superb.

Plot(s) got a 4 only because I didn't love every story, and I think this is a fair rating for this reasoning. It's hard to fairly rate plot, I think, with a book of short stories where the stories themselves are only like 30 pages long. Overall, I enjoyed every story, but not every story really jumped at me. Speaking of which...

My favorite stories from this book: Mother's Milk, Yellow Teeth, To Forget and Be Forgotten, and The Ancestors.

I had a hard time deciding whether or not Mother's Milk was going to be on that list because to me, this is the most grotesque. This one disgusted me the most. But in that same vein... since it really impressed on me so... I do think it deserves the mention. Yellow Teeth felt a little more on the disturbing side to me, but it was such a good build up. I felt like this one definitely had movie vibes, in a good way... I'd watch it. To Forget and Be Forgotten also fairly disturbing at the end. This ending I really enjoyed, the wrap up of it all. There was something of a relief mixed with dread. I'm not sure how to really explain it. Then The Ancestors. I think this one bothered me a bit because it involved a child. So there definitely something very childlike about the POV in this one, which I appreciate when written well, and Nevill did a good job. There's also something about all the hair that's mentioned, gave me the heebie jeebies.

Overall: definitely recommend this one, with the caveat that if 1. you like horror in the first place and 2. if you like horror and don't mind more grotesque/somewhat gory horror. I recognize this is not everyone's cup of tea, so I want to make that very warning clear. I did not mind it one bit, but it still isn't quite the horror I'm yearning for. But, like I said, I wouldn't mind reading this again, and I will be looking into reading more by Nevill.

Read on beautiful people. 📖🤘

[eurofox]

Finished 'no one gets out alive' by Adam Nevill and it was really good.

Have to say, I was honestly surprised at how well the female main character was handled, I was preparing for some cringeworthy moments but honestly can't recall any. And for a story that has a lot of violence directed at women, it didn't feel exploitive like some other horror books I've read.

As a haunted house story there was some parts you could see coming a mile off but it was still enjoyable. I do wish he got to the point a little faster though. A lot of gawking about corridors and listening to footsteps. Repetitive descriptions of the house gor annoying, started skipping over paragraphs at points. Too many nightmare sequences as well, one or two is fine but here there was around six or seven.

The story changes tact about two thirds through, same as 'the ritual' but it was handled far better here.

Aside from the horror angle I really liked all the details about living just above the poverty line in modern Britain. Trying to scrape enough hours with temp agencies, doing shitty jobs with co-workers you barely get to know before you're assigned somewhere else, staying in to avoid spending money and surviving off the yellow sticker section and realising that most people you know are in the same boat and can't offer much help so you're trapped. It was nearly as uncomfortable as the horror bits tbh. Especially when she wants to leave, realise she can't afford anywhere else, friends have no room, family is dead or crazy and all the women's shelters have waiting lists.

I didn't realise the Netflix film was based on this book but it looks like it's changed a lot, moving everything to America and it sounds shite tbh

Also the fact the two main baddies are called 'fergal Donegal ' and 'knacker mcguire ' is so funny.

[lowhorrors]

The Vessel

The Vessel by Adam Nevill

Oh, the mounting tension as things spiralled out of control! You may not know this, but "trapped in a house with a witch" has been a fear of mine ever since watching Sword in the Stone as a kid.

Fairy tales are bloody!

[jayvrontio]

I’ve recently rewatched a movie called The Ritual(2017) based on the book writed by Adam Nevill and I must say that I truly loved this movie!

The acting, the settings, the feeling of being trapped in those woods without having a way out. I really loved all the details and I love how from a movie of 4 guys going on a hiking trip in the mountains after one of their best friends died, went to a true real life nightmare.

I first watched this movie when I was like in 7th grade and I was a scared lil kid back then and when I watched it for the first time I shit myself from how scared I was and I coudn’t watch more of the movie, I’ve watch only like half of it. And than this year I’ve decided to give it a try and man I really fell in love with it. I even rewached it three times already.

I like how there aren’t many jumpscares and just a little bit of gore but I was really interested in the nordic mythology and for me personally this movie is very important.

I really loved the 4 main characters that ones being Luke(the main protagonist), Hutch, Dom and Phil. They are just some good ol’ university friends trying to connect again after so much time by going on a trip in the Sweden mountains to honour their dead friend Rob who was killed in a store by some robers.

Luke as I said is the main protagonist and he is the one who the movie is happening around him. He was the one who was with Rob when he was killed and he didn’t take action to save him or help him and now himself and the rest of the group blames him for what happend to Rob.

Everyone blames him exept for Hutch(the second main character) who is the leader of the group and the most closest to Luke. He is the only one who don’t blames Luke and the only one who still considers Luke his friend.

Dom is like the crybaby drama queen of the group. He is always the one with the big mounth and complains alot. He is like that one annoying friend but you still care about him beacuse you know him how he is. Dom is the one who blames Luke for what happend and that grows the tension between the group.

Phill is the character with the less characterization not having a clear personality and most of the movie being in the background. Not a big fan of this character beacuse of the lack of personality he has and beacuse he had so much potential to have a good role in the group instead of just being there.

I won’t get too much into the details since I want to create separate posts for my review or discussing about this movie since this might be my new hyperfixation for a while 🤷‍♂️

I’ll just talk more about it and maybe starting doing some fanarts of it since I wanted to do that since my first rewatched of it.

I wanna buy the book as well to read it beacuse now I wanna consume as much as I can from this series, movies, books, youtube videos, theories, fanarts, fanfics ANYTHING.

I know not many people are interested in this movie anymore but I’ll still create these posts maybe, maybe someone who still likes this movie in 2023 will discover my blog :,)

So that’s it for now, I’ll continue posting stuff about the ritual for a while since I have this hyperfixation for two weeks already and it doesn’t wanna stop.

For now have these gifs I created from the movie they might contain spoilers. Sorry for the bad quitality I’ve made them on my phone 💀

I have more gifs which I wanna post but Tumblr doesn’t allow me to have more than 10 in one post so for the rest of the gifs I’ll just post will be these ones I have of my most favorite character from this movie

✨HUTCH✨

He is such a goof ball and a sweetheart! Plus I really love his actor Rob James Collier

[nfinitefreetime]

Some reviewlets

The three of us, one of whom, let me remind you, is twelve, went out for dinner tonight, and somehow dinner for three at BW3s cost ninety fucking American dollars, so lemme channel some misplaced rage into some quick reviews. First, a video game, because since I’m not doing the YouTube thing any longer I need to put those here again. Lies of P (Xbox Series X) is a surprisingly competent…

[jennifersbod]

why am i almost 27 and about to put my e-reader in the freezer so the book can’t hurt me

[knuts-and-bolts]

book review time!

The Ritual by Adam Nevill

loved this book! gave me nightmares /pos and i couldn’t stop reading. very spooky, very folky, and the characters were pretty interesting. a little sexist :( and it used the f slur a few too many times for my taste (it made sense contextually but wasn’t really necessary). if you want to ignore that and get frightened about the forest, i highly recommend! it didn’t hinder the experience much and i was mostly focused on the scary beast that kills people.

overall rating 7.8 out of 10 stars

[dragonwysper]

Saving this to discuss with my animation teacher later, because YEAH THIS IS A NOTICEABLE PROBLEM. And the worst part? A lot of companies/films that try to 'pander' to the group that wants original stuff and who wants more detailed animation and detailed physical effects and good rep and a grounded, logical perspective on anything at all don't get any kind of widespread recognition. Some of the most incredible films I've seen in terms of artistic skill, detail, and grounding have barely been cult classics. We gotta be really really loud about the kind of stuff we enjoy. We gotta share it with eachother and have big, public discussions about it. We can't let examples of the quality of work we're so desperate for fade into the background, because this is how we got here.

Like look at Into the Spiderverse. It's an incredible film in every way, shape, and form, and it was noticed for that. Granted, it can't be considered an original work, and it's made by a very well-known company, but fuck if it isn't a damn good film. And people saw it and noticed it. Very loudly, in fact. And now? We have Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which is a new film in very much the same position as Spiderverse. It's playing up nostalgia for a long dead horse, and is also blatantly trying to ride the success of a VERY successful artsy film. But people love it, because by god at least they're doing something different that what they've been doing for actual decades that feels rich and full of actual effort and color and art.

We got The Last Wish because we loved Spiderverse, and that is our lesson. You want something? Be LOUD about it. They're only stifling themselves because they want to make money and think everybody prefers old works to originals. If we show them that they'll get money from creative and daring films, then we can at least start to get some stuff that mimics love and art and effort.

So now, because I want to encourage everybody to discuss obscure stuff that is the epitome of quality in at least one designated area, I'm gonna give some short rambles about some of my favorite films of all time, beginning with a long rant about my favorite and then descending in no particular order.

MFKZ/Mutafukaz (2017) - fucking stellar animation. Like, beyond anything I've ever seen, coming just short of Spiderverse (and maybe Cartoon Saloon's stuff, though even then, only if you prefer their art style imo). It's so incredibly dynamic and fun, and as a bonus, features The Toxic Avenger and Guillaume Houzé in its soundtrack, which makes for a spunky, techno feel and enhances every bit of action. This instantly became my favorite movie upon watching it for the first time a few years ago. It absolutely has its problems (pacing is way too fast to catch even most of the story on your first watch-through, some portrayals are potentially problematic (though I can't comment on that), and it's a bit of a disaster in terms of the logic of the plot itself). But I don't think that detracts from the pure visual candy this film is.

Birdboy: The Forgotten Children (2015) - similar style and quality of animation to MFKZ, but this time, the plot is much more parsable. It's very dark and nihilistic, but with undercurrents of hope that are oh so important to remember especially in this day and age.

I Lost My Body (2019) - beautiful animation and a wonderfully crafted dark atmosphere.

The Hallow (2015) - best practical effects I've seen in a long, long time.

The Ritual (2017) - a rare example of a book-to-movie adaptation that's better than the book (without the book being shit). Movie stays mostly true to the book, except it adds in complex metaphors for trauma. Also the sound and creature design are both top tier.

Lights Out (2016) - not the best executed horror film, but displays an absolutely terrifying concept.

Buried (2010) - much better executed with an arguably more terrifying concept, since this one is based in reality.

The Last Unicorn (1982) - this movie was my childhood. Stunning animation, and just, so so beautiful in just about every way. I have yet to read the book it was based on.

Annihilation (2018) - fascinating horror/scifi/fantasy film. Features an almost entirely female cast, and some incredible creature, environment, and sound design.

Upgrade (2018) - another horror/scifi movie! I love the soundtrack of this one so much. Plus, it has a really interesting premise!

fucking constant reboot remake reboot remake reboot remake reboot remake!!!!!!!!!! the tv has only been around for like a century you literally cannot be out of ideas already

[pppariahhh]

The Ritual by Adam Nevill

So I started watching this movie long ago when I still had a Netflix account. I never made it to the end of the film but now that I've had it kind of spoiled for me, I want to watch the movie again. Like I said, I no longer have Netflix, BUT the book was on Kindle Unlimited so naturally, I'm going to read the story instead.

I'll just have to charge my kindle while I go to work tonight..

And then I'll be up until like 5 am as usual just scaring the bejeebies out of myself. Anyway, is there anyone else that has something to say about this story? I remember the trauma from the beginning of the movie but that's really the only reference point I have.

I guess I will just have to FAFO with this one. I'm guessing it will make me cry a lot if anything, so I'm looking forward to that!