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Mr. Reset and the Society of Turnbuckle & Bone (2026) - Horror Film Review 9:16 AM (3 hours ago)

The sublime five minute prologue introduces you to the all powerful organisation of 'Turnbuckle & Bone'. A montage presentation likens this secret society to the Illuminati, with the group controlling the world fate of wrestling from behind the scenes, with the power to make or break wrestling careers. The film itself is set out as showing the rigorous initiation process that new members must partake in. It does this by following small time wrestler, Power Punch (real life wrestler Vinny Pacifico), someone who is a potential new member, who has travelled to the secret headquarters to get a chance to make it into the wrestling big leagues.

This film had a very cool aesthetic to it. The editing throughout was near perfect. If my review had been based purely on that five minute introduction, then my final score would have been 10/10. Amazingly edited and produced, with perfect sound design. Off topic, I have recently been playing video game Marathon, and the editing style here really reminded me of the style from that game. There is a pirate TV gonzo feel, combined with a nightmarish mash-up of perfectly chosen moments and images.
The film is narrated by an on-screen narrator, who like everyone else in the film, wears a simple and somehow unsettling white paper-maché type mask. With his clipped posh British voice, he gives a matter of fact feel to what he says. It is hard to properly explain what watching this arthouse movie felt like, it gave me a vibe of the in-game episodes that play on TVs throughout Alan Wake. Voice work is often distorted heavily, with key lines of dialogue also appearing in bold on screen. There was a feel of a video game to much of this, flashback sequences and examples of the rise to making it big in wrestling represented by pixel art animations. When the protagonist, Power Punch appears, he even gets his own screen showing his stats.

There were two main mini-stories going on within the instructional. The bigger of these is Power Punch being so eager to join the society that he signs the leader; Mr Reset's (Kodzewski) contract without really considering that the small print states his wife will be taken as collateral should he underperform!
The smaller story concerns a wrestler who goes by the name 'That Dude' who struggles with playing a heel role, when in real life he is a good person. He is contrasted against Ryzin (Rob Ryzin), a heel who delights in his role of chaos. Both try to give fables about the psychological and physical hardships of being a professional wrestler.

Both of those sections culminated in wrestling matches, like the rest of the film, much of this is shot in black and white. The matches are exciting and it is obvious the wrestlers know how to actually wrestle. With everyone wearing those creepy expressionless masks, and that twisted ending, there was a definite horror vibe here, though mostly it stays as darkly surreal. At just over an hour long it effectively teaches its lesson. The kinetic fast paced editing and super-cool feeling unhinged style did get a tiny bit exhausting at times. Still, there really is nothing else like this, a wonderfully bananas horror arthouse that, as mentioned throughout this review, really did have some amazing production to it. Mr. Reset and The Society of Turnbuckle & Bone is available now on Apple TV, Google Play, and YouTube TV.

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Sail & Wreck (2026) by Aiming - Music EP Review 25 Jun 9:09 AM (yesterday, 9:09 am)

The sixteen minute EP begins with 'Our Voices At The Bottom Of The Ocean', which more than anything made me think of a tune set during a summery montage. screaming peak Stranger Things. A peaceful and nostalgia tinged track that even at over four minutes didn't do much to annoy.
Next up is 'First At The Accident' that followed a very similar groove. Very similar to track one, but with more emotive feelings to it; again, a chilled and nostalgia summer vibe to it all.

Halfway through and it is the turn of 'Sh*t In The '80s', which to my lack of supreme surprise was another nostalgic throwback. A steady synth based drum beat throughout had me imagining roller skating, children cycling, and people enjoying times at the beach. The perfect summer day conjured up and stuffed into a song.
Finally, it is the turn of the titular 'Sail & Wreck'. This one started with a more modern beat, though at its heart its shares much of the same DNA.

It was hard to dislike Sail & Wreck. The dreamy sounds of yesteryear were indeed very chill, and easy to let wash over you. Maybe not the most varied of sounds to be found, but nonetheless was the perfect accompiment to living life and making memories, which like the sound of the EP itself, in time will be remembered with nostalgic fondness. Sail & Wreck is Aiming's second EP and is out now.

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Love Is the Monster (2025) - Horror Film Review 24 Jun 10:47 AM (2 days ago)

Justin (Leonardo Nam - Werewolf by Night) and Ana (Madeline Zima - The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) have gone to a couples retreat in the wilderness of Finland on the insistence of Ana's best friend, Harper (Kimberley-Sue Murray - Crimson Peak), who is also going with her partner. The retreat is run by Tiina (Milla Puolakanaho), the hippy-like leader of a cult who worship a local nature God known as Lampa. At her retreat she helps those who are struggling in their relationships, using her perspective on life. Justin is fully on board for this, but Ana really doesn't want to be there. Tiina's religion is a sexual one, and lust soon permeates the air. With the guests all giving into their carnal desires, they also begin to hallucinate evil looking doppelgangers with glowing golden eyes. It seems that Tiina has something sinister in mind for Ana in particular, something that involves the rebirth of Lampa into a physical form.

The first half of this 90 minute horror was very slow. It was made up of various couples having sex or otherwise just getting naked at the drop of a hat (the film includes full frontal male nudity, plus lots of breasts and butts if that is your thing). The only visible signs of horror came from the golden eyed hallucinations and a bucket-load of CG birds. There was the idea here that anyone who dies literally transforms into a bird. With birds being my favourite animal, it was hardly the stuff of nightmares imagining that happening. It also didn't help that the many flocks of birds were entirely CG, it never felt like there was a single real bird in the entire film. Other bad looking CG came in the form of digital looking fires, with one mini-explosion in particular looking like something from a made for TV movie. There were some cool looking kill scenes with practical special effects used, such as someone stabbed to death with a stag antler. There was plenty of blood, alongside possessed people, and of course the fake computer birds.

The acting style could be wild at times, with Tiina in particular walking a tightrope of manic veal that occasionally fell off into outright absurdity. The wide eyes and over the top grin could come across as silly rather than someone full of religious fervour. Elsewhere, Justin irritated with his near permanent horny grin, while Ana made for a miserable protagonist who never came to be a character I remotely cared about. There wasn't a single likeable character, always a bad thing when you are meant to be rooting for the lead.
An indie film with less than ideal CG effects, but it still looked cohesive on screen. The story was basic and a little bit meandering, but the look of the lake and surrounding woods was a nice one, creating some atmosphere. The best part of Love Is the Monster was the rustic sounding score. Lots of simple drums, and the occasional inclusion of deep throat singing. This primitive sound really added to the vibe of the folk horror, making for the best part of the whole.

Despite being a serious horror, the cartoon-like antagonist with her exaggerated performance, coupled with the ever present digital birds, had me struggling to take this seriously. A budget Midsommar the setting and the music may have been on point, but the characters and more vitally the story, came to be lacking. Love Is the Monster became available to rent or own in the U.S.A on June 23rd, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

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Slashvivor! (2017) by Stephen Kozeniewski and Stevie Kopas - Horror Novel Review 23 Jun 10:03 AM (3 days ago)

In an alternate Earth that saw Russia and the U.S.A engage in a nuclear war (and America very much coming out on bottom), the continent is now a nuclear wasteland that has came to be known as 'The Geiger Lands' There is no government anymore, instead various warlords have rose up to rule the various states. In this land there is a special gameshow broadcast illegally that the whole nation adores. 'Try Not to Die' sees contestants plucked out of the remains of society at random and taken to a custom built arena full of deadly traps, where they are hunted by vicious killers. These maniacs, referred to as 'slashers' are loved enough that they have become household names, and stars in their own right. For the latest episode of the show, one of the unlucky contestants is Dawn, a determined young woman who intends to not only find a way to survive the rigged game, but also to find a way to somehow reach the producers box and kill the show creator; warlord Marisol.

Having read the prequel, I eagerly awaited the arrival of Razortooth, but she turned out to be far more of a side character here, appearing at around the halfway point of the roughly 300 page book. I love killer gameshows but initially I can't say I was impressed with this one. The contestants were quickly dropping like flies, while the action pausing for ad-breaks (that get their own mini-chapters, much like with the prequel) led to a frustrating feeling of stopping and starting. I then had the realisation that I was little better than the rabid audience, wanting to see blood and violence at the expense of everything else. Once I began to appreciate this wasn't going to play out as a proper episode of the show, and followed the format more of rebelling against the very idea of it, that I became much more invested in the story. The actual gameshow makes up most of the novel, and it was neat that both the contestants and production staff get their own little subplots going on. Best of the staff parts were jaded gameshow host, Mark Winters. He was a very interesting character, turning to alcohol to be able to believably play his part of jokester host, when in reality he is horrified by it all. I enjoyed these frequent cutaways to him and his interactions with other staff, such as showrunners, and the producers themselves. My very favourite part of the novel was a found footage style section that saw two hapless camera-men forced to head into the cells where the killers are kept, after one of the contestants is abducted by one of the slashers.
From the very start, Slashvivors! is a wild ride, never dull, never lacking in extreme violent action. This was a brutal world where life is so cheap that many people dream of being able to get murdered by their favourite slasher.

Where most of the contestants are blank slates; just existing to be killed like Star Trek 'redshirts', the slashers were full of personality, and became the highlight. From a homicidal Abraham Lincoln kill-bot, to the cannibal - Charming Charles, mutant Denny the Killer Clown, and psychotic child, Abadonna - these killers were so varied and so much fun to read about. Of course, Razortooth eventually enters the story, and having read her origin story made the character better here. It was also cool to see other characters from the prequel also appearing in roles here.
There were moments of extreme violence, the use of a cheese-grater on a limbless victim's face for instance, and someone who was forced to eat their own genitals! The world was sadistically cruel, reflected very much with what happens throughout the story.
Slashvivor! went along at a blistering pace, Dawn was a decent protagonist, with a good story progression. I liked the use of flashbacks to reveal more about some of the characters, such as the origin story for warlord Marisol.

After a start that I was unsure of, I quickly got into the thrilling story, becoming hooked. This was one of those novels where I had a genuine bittersweet feeling reaching the end, I wanted to stay with these characters more. Slashvivor! was a fantastic novel, well worth reading.

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Karen the Beauty Queen Butcher (2026) - Horror Film Review 22 Jun 9:38 AM (4 days ago)

There is a brutal serial killer on the loose in New York, with the masked killer's choice of victim being winners of beauty pageants. Meanwhile, Karen (Jasmin Flores - Beaster Day: Here Comes Peter Cottonhell) is determined to make a career out of winning beauty pageants, much to the annoyance of her hen-pecked and sexually frustrated husband, Ted (Scott Bolger - He Sees You When You're Sleeping). With the killings benefitting her goals, Karen becomes well known in the media, loved and hated in equal measure. When the serial killer is caught, Karen must look to her own skills to continue to be on top of the pageant game.

It became increasingly clear just how much A.I is used here to tell the story. To begin with I didn't notice it too much, I enjoyed the scenes with the killer, and the ridiculously violent and unrealistic way victims were torn apart in geysers of blood. After the killer is stopped though, this falls into a troubled and ultimately dull middle section that seemed to go on forever. It made the picture lose the momentum it had built up to that point. The use of A.I may have been used with a tongue in cheek approach, but it took over so much of the movie that it felt authentic scenes were few and far between. Overhead shots of the city were fine, but the many, many scenes of identical looking crowds of people really overstayed their welcome. It was a bit amusing at first how obvious it all was, but these lengthy parts soon led to extreme boredom, making the 100 minute movie really drag. Visually this had a soulless look to it, and in terms of the plot, not much was really going on. The heavy A.I use ruined the film, with about 80% of the movie having that slightly uncomfortable and artificial look to it. While likely intended as a joke to create a 'so bad its good' type vibe, it fails at this and just becomes bad, with my patience wearing thin. You can have the most disgustingly violent and gory scene ever, but with that A.I look, it did nothing for me other than to make me roll my eyes.

The main characters were not bad. I thought Ted was decent, and special mention goes to the two detectives, with Harris (Phillip Green) and his counterpart having some hilarious scenes together where they have meandering conversations that almost felt ad-libbed. Those scenes were the very best parts of Karen the Beauty Queen Butcher, but few and far between in a sea of terrible looking A.I generated crowd scenes. The humour was ok at times, and it had some current-news jokes thrown in, such as a few referring to modern day folk-hero/alleged CEO killer, Luigi Mangione.

The first twenty minutes or so I didn't think this was bad, I had an early review score that was much higher than what I eventually decided for this. The utter tedium of the middle soon had me desperately wishing for the film to end, it just dragged and dragged. Not completely terrible, the actors were fun in their roles, but there wasn't much actual things happening here, making for a vapid and often pointless experience. Karen the Beauty Queen Butcher is currently streaming on Amazon Prime, with it coming to TubiTV and Fandango in the first week of July.

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The Rotting Zombie's News Anthology for Thursday 18th June 2026 18 Jun 9:15 AM (8 days ago)

Together Till the End (2026) - Zombie Horror Film Review 17 Jun 9:31 AM (9 days ago)

Elena (Jimena Bilsup) and boyfriend, Joaquin (Rolando Breme - 1974: The Possession of Altair) have recently moved to a new apartment in the middle of a bustling Mexican city. The film begins with them preparing to go on a vacation to visit Elena's mother. It is just before they leave that they discover something terrible. A deadly virus that had originated in Europe has made it to their country, and now the whole city appears to be over-run with victims; people who have died and returned to life as flesh-hungry ghouls. Joaquin wants to still travel to Elena's mums house, thinking it will be safer there, but Elena thinks maybe staying put is the best idea. The arrival of a suspicious stranger; Giovanni (Giovanni Gamba) creates an uneasy alliance, with the trio forced to work together to protect the apartment from being invaded by the hungry dead.

Together Till the End stays in the apartment location for about 99% of the film. The action only moves outside of it via Facetime video calls. Those parts were neat due to being presented in a narrow vertical format, as they would appear on a phone itself. Due to the relatively bland central location, there were also just a handful of characters, eight in total, most of which only made very minor appearances. Elena and Joaquin were likeable leads, with the later in particular standing out, due to being a flawed character. He is portrayed as a bit of a love-rat, but despite this, his character acts selfless and noble throughout the story. There didn't seem to be as much to Elena, she was decent enough but nowhere near as interesting. Giovanni was an interesting character, and while it was obvious that he may not be exactly who he claimed to be, he was a fun person to distrust, and the film makes no effort to hide his duplicity.

Being an indie film, there sadly were also just a handful of zombies shown here, roughly seven or eight in total over the course of the whole movie. At times this led to a bit of frustration as a viewer. In one scene, the couple are watching a news report on TV, but the camera is pointed from behind of it, so that you don't actually get to see anything. The same annoyance happens in a different scene where the couple are looking in horror out of their apartment window, but again nothing is actually shown, just some sound effects to suggest what is occurring. There are a bunch of action scenes, but nearly all of the violence is implied rather than shown, usually happening just out of shot. I get its the constraints of the budget, but it gave the film a bit of a slower paced feeling, especially in the meandering third act. I also felt the abrupt event that happened right near the end credits could have been handled a bit better.

Together Till the End was a decent indie zombie film. Far more drama than horror, this benefitted from some good dialogue, and I liked the occasional bit of dark humour thrown in. Personally I would have liked more ghouls, but regardless, this was a solid indie entry in the very crowded sub-genre.

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Vindicated (2011) by Scott Harper - Horror Novel Review 16 Jun 10:10 AM (10 days ago)

I think this takes place roughly six months after the events of Necromancer. Monster hunter, Wendy Markland has headed to Florida, though has noticed a car has been following her the entire way. Confronting the driver at a gas station, he introduces himself as Colm Pryce - a fellow monster hunter who brings with him terrible news. He tells Wendy that she is being hunted by a very powerful group of vampires who call themselves 'The Kindred of Malignity'. Their leader is Adolph Larson; a vampire so strong that he has powers rarely seen (such as being able to be outside during the daytime). Colm also tells Wendy that what makes this group more dangerous is that each time a member is slain, the remaining members inherit that dead vampires strength.

Vindicated was a great end to the trilogy. Where Necromancer was an almost stand-alone story, this one has ties back to both novels. Never the most capable or enthusiastic of monster hunters, Wendy is really shown to be on the back-foot here. There never seemed a single point in the novel where she is doing anything but reacting to the actions of her attackers. As antagonists go, The Kindred of Malignity were pretty cool. I loved that each member was given at least a little bit of backstory to their characters. This gave an almost Kill Bill feel of the unique gang members all out to get Wendy. While in peril and out of her depth, she is helped by the group never seeming to ever take her seriously as a threat. The vampires are either really inept, or the apparently super vampires are not that much more dangerous than the normal type, with them spending the entire book constantly underestimating Wendy.

The horror comes in three key ignition points throughout the story. Each time the group get in a battle with Wendy and Colm you could be sure of a thrilling read. Lots of gory decapitations of victims, and lots of extreme violence given to the paper tiger vampires. I zoomed through the 281 page novel, barely able to put it down. By this point in the series I was really hooked, liking protagonist Wendy despite her continuing off-putting narcissistic qualities of constantly admiring her own body. Being a Harper book, of course this heroine is a flawless beauty, something she is well aware of. There is some growth to be found in her character, with her leaving the book a very different person at book's end than she was at the start. This was a transition I hadn't expected.

Vindicated was a great finish to the story of Wendy Markland. I really liked how flawed and ultimately human she was. She gets emotional, she makes terrible mistakes both in her actions and her priorities, but she really grew as a character over the course of her three books.

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The Dead Place (2026) - Horror Film Review 15 Jun 4:48 AM (11 days ago)

It begins with a serial killer, credited solely as 'The New Kid' (David Howard Thornton - the Terrifier series), heavily injured, after having taken a fatal blow from his final victim. As the killer slumps to the ground, he begins to lament his fate, and his sadness at not being able to kill anymore people. It is then that he hears a strange voice from a supernatural entity (Bill Oberst Jr. - The Man in Room 6, 3 From Hell). This voice offers the dying man a chance to kill again, all he has to do is give himself over to the being and give him his soul.
Meanwhile, high schooler Isaac (Idris Veliu in his film debut) has been having a tough time. Cursed with the gift of being able to see dead people since a young age, people around him find him weird, with even his own mother beginning to think her child needs psychiatric help. One day, the entity contacts Isaac also, interested in his special gift, it promises him great power should he also give himself over to it.

I really enjoyed this indie horror. For a change, I thought the main protagonist was a great character. Sure he is troubled, but at heart it is obvious he is a genuinely decent person, something that comes across with his interactions with other characters, such as the respect he shows for his wholesome father. Isaac's girlfriend Katharine (Lexi Graves) and younger brother play their parts well, but it is school trouble maker James (Nick Theurer - The Bell Keeper) and his gang who were the highlights. The running joke of James vehemently denying he is a bully despite all the evidence to the contrary somehow never wore out its welcome.

Thornton is great as the red hoodie wearing ghost killer. It was cool to see the actor in a speaking role, and with his way of talking, he came across like a Freddy Kruger style wise-cracking villain. This was fitting as the story of The Dead Place did feel a bit familiar to A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge. This killer is missing from the film for much of the first act, but when he finally reappears he was fantastic to watch. I loved the gleefully evil way he spoke, and his manic ever present grin. The practical effect of his distended jaw looked ok, but was certainly better than some less than real looking CG blood sprays, but outside of that, there was a good amount of blood flowing. There was also a decent amount of kills, including some lovely looking throat slits.
The story kept my attention throughout, leading up to an unexpected finale that seemed to set up a sequel, rather than give any closure to this film's over arching plot, a minor annoyance.

The Dead Place can be a little rough around the edges at times, as can be seen with some of the less impressive effects. I did think both Thornton and Veliu were great in their roles, and of course it is always a pleasure to hear the voice of Oberst Jr. If a sequel does get made, then I will be interested to see the direction this goes in. 

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Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors (2026) - Horror Video Game Review 10 Jun 9:17 AM (16 days ago)

Much like its predecessor, the story here has you setting out to discover the source of the evil responsible for unleashing hordes of monsters upon the land. Starting off in a village, you choose your character and leave, the assumption being that a vampire is the cause. Of course, exactly the same as before, the big joke is that there isn't a single vampire to be found anywhere in the game.

Again, this is presented with a charming pixel-art style. Indeed, the monster and character models are lifted whole-sale from Survivors, looking even more basic and janky due to being blown up to a larger size to fit the first-person card battling. Each stage follows a familiar rogue-like pattern. Defeating enemies with your card attacks gives you XP gems, which then level-up your character, each level giving you the option of three rewards. There are different attack types, buffs, and special abilities to add to existing cards. Each card has a value, usually between 0 and 3, these allow you to build up combos, with each subsequent card in line getting more and more powered up. You traverse maze like levels in first person, dotted around are candles to break for gold and other boons (gold being used at the village to buy new heroes at the tavern, buy permanent upgrades at the shop, and later, adding ability slots to cards at the blacksmiths). Levels are usually made up of five floors, with the exit to each floor being guarded by a boss enemy whose charging attack can be quite painful to receive if not countered.

Story-wise, of course this is very basic. Levels are identical to Survivors, woods, an enchanted library, milk factory etc. It is very addictive and I always felt I was making progress, each run taking anything up to an hour to get through. I found it fun to play both with and without podcasts as background accompiment. It was also lengthier than you might expect, my final play time being over 24 hours! Similar throughout, I still rarely got bored playing this, and by the time the end credits rolled it just about hadn't outstayed its welcome.

Vampire Crawlers, much like its protégé was crack in the form of a game. Highly addictive and with a good sense of progression, this was very much worth playing. Even better, it is currently on Xbox Game Pass.

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Dead Space: Catalyst (2012) by B.K Evenson - Sci-fi Horror Novel Review 9 Jun 10:22 AM (17 days ago)

Istvan and Jensi are two brothers who grow up in a slum area on planet Vinduaga. From a young age, Jensi had to look out for his brother due to his mental health issues that caused him to hear voices, and to sometimes lash out in psychotic anger. Circumstances lead to Jensi being adopted by a loving family, but Istvan decides to instead stay in the slum area of the domed settlement they lived in, and become homeless. Time passes and his deteriorating mental state, and new voices in his head, lead to him assassinating a politician. His punishment sees him removed to a penal colony for political prisoners at the far reaches of the known galaxy, which also happens to house a top secret research facility that has a replica of the 'marker'; based on the ancient marker that was discovered 80 years previously on Earth. It appears that the marker has been using its strange influence to set up the circumstances that would bring Istvan there, seeing him as the perfect vessel to spread its message.
Jensi meanwhile hasn't given up on his brother, years later eventually discovering where he has gone, Jensi joins a supply drop crew and sets out on a fateful rescue mission.

Martyr was entirely set on Earth, this sequel entirely set off Earth, The lengthy first part didn't grab my attention. Charting the early lives of the duel protagonists, this had nothing to do with the more interesting parts of the Dead Space universe. I admit I fell off the book completely early on, only returning back to it some months later. The book improved steadily from this opening section, with the introduction of the planet the penal colony is based at where it felt the story really started to come into its own. The core of the story explores the markers influence on its victims, from the Unitologist head of research at the top secret base; Dr. Briden, to the prisoners of the nearby facility, and the guards in their ship orbiting the planet. This I still found interesting and didn't mind (much like Martyr), the iconic necromorph monsters not appearing until the final part of the novel. When they do appear, it felt very much like the games; from people discovering you need to cut off their limbs, and needing to stamp on their corpses, to the inclusion of cutting tools, RIGs, and even the inclusion of a mini stasis field. This all felt suitably appropriate.

I guess for me, the story here didn't really feel important to the overall lore. The whole story is based on an obscure note found in Dead Space 3, which itself was extremely light on details. Having gotten the origin of Unitology in Martyr, there were no surprising revelations to be found in Catalyst. The novel did pick up from its slow beginning, and told an enjoyable and exciting story, even if it really was just a side story rather than an integral piece of fiction.

Dead Space: Catalyst was the last of the novels by Evenson, and indeed the last Dead Space novel to be written as of 2026. From here on in, the multimedia series this takes place in moves up to the time that the video games are set in. Here, there was plenty of gruesome violence and dark moments, and did feel like it belonged in the universe.

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Amityville: Descendants of Darkness (2026) - Horror Anthology Film Review 8 Jun 9:11 AM (18 days ago)

The wraparound segment is a presentation by Dr. Marsh (Tiffany Sinclair) about the history of the Amityville house, explaining to the viewer that the place was just an entry point for evil, and even with its destruction that evil still lingers. She was an odd character and the actresses delivery of her lines made these in-between moments captivating to watch. There was an intimate feel helped by good set design and some moody lighting. Not much really happened in these parts but they worked well at setting up each of the stories.
'The Shed' (written, directed, edited and produced by Todd Sheets - Final Caller) was the first film, running roughly 20 minutes. Three small-time crooks have travelled to a shed on the edge of the Amityville property due to rumours that money is buried there from a robbery that took place back in the 1970's. The trio; Frank, Danny and Scarlett (Dilynn Fawn Harvey) soon find themselves at the mercy of a demonic cult, who are angry at having their resting place disturbed by the intruders. Meanwhile, Father Anson (Mike Reeb) heads to the shed after a series of arthouse style nightmarish visions. This one was an early highlight, the exaggerated acting and the cartoonish digital effects combining to make this feel like a horror comic brought to life, in the style of Tales from the Crypt. There was an almost Evil Dead Rise level of blood and gore here, extremely bloody and gruesome, but also with a feeling of the tone having its tongue firmly in its cheek. It all culminates with the arrival of the priest, whose unexpected fight scene channelled Peter Jackson's Braindead. A fun start to the anthology, and special mention to the collapsing scarecrow moment; it looked great on camera.

Next up was 'The Possessed Relic' by Marcelo Fabani (I Slay on Christmas segment 'The Best Company'). This brought with it a complete change in vibe, taking place far from Amityville, and the only short not to be in English. The idea for this one was that even objects taken from the infamous house could be cursed. Moody husband, Santiago (Stan Lubo) discovers an old red rocking chair out on the street outside his apartment block, and decides it will be a nice addition to his new cosy corner he is working on in his apartment. The pacing here was a bit odd, it takes place over a series of days, with each day introduced via a title card, and each day including one moment of horror, I'm sad to say this didn't leave much of an impression on me. The core cast (including a dog) were all good, and there were a couple of stand-out moments such as when Santiago discovers what has happened to his missing pet. It kind of abruptly ended before I really knew what was going on.

Halfway through and the third film is 'Blood Moon over Amityville' by Derek Braasch (Phil Herman's Unearthed segment 'Ties That Bind'). Here, a hard boiled detective (Joe Jauch), still living with regret over an unsolved case 5 years previously that resulted in the death of a girl, is guilt tripped into going out for one last look for answers. His search leads him to an abandoned apartment complex where he does find answers of a sort. An early bar scene was a highlight of this one, but this film sped along at such a quick pace that the ending took me completely by surprise. A little underwhelming, but I did enjoy the film noir feel and the detective character.
Finally, we have 'Echoes of the Damned' that was directed by James Panetta (Jacker 3: Road to Hell) and written and produced by Herman. In this one, couple Jack (Herman on fine form) and Megan (Debbie D - Jacker 3: Road to Hell) move into a home that had been built on the former site of the Amityville house. Troubles for the couple begin straight away, with Jack in particular being plagued with hellish visions of the location's dark past. There was a great collection of odd-ball characters here, in particular, very strange next door neighbour Karen (Deanna Marie - Clown Motel 3: Ways to Hell) whose persistent manic grin became almost distractingly weird!

Amityville: Descendants of Darkness had four distinctly different shorts. While I would say only the first and last were the ones I really loved, the other two were still well made and featured some good scenes. From the comic book horror of 'The Shed' to the more traditional horror of 'Echoes of the Damned', this anthology remained interesting throughout. I always have a lot of time for anthologies, and so enjoyed my time with this one.

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The Rotting Zombie's News Round-up for May 2026 3 Jun 9:29 AM (23 days ago)

On 21st April VCI Entertainment released the global Blu-ray debut of double-feature: The Slime People and The Crawling Hand. These are both new 4K scans from the original 35mm negatives. In The Slime People, a wall of fog has covered a city, and spear wielding slime people from beneath the ground have emerged to hunt humans. A few survivors team up to try and find a way to force the creatures back into the earth.
Meanwhile in The Crawling Hand, after a mission to the moon goes wrong, an astronaut wants his shuttle to be destroyed on re-entry to Earth. Scientists realising the man has been possessed by something on the moon, complies with his request, but a single limb survives the explosion and still possessed, it sets out to look for victims. The double feature comes with an assortment of extras including audio commentaries, poster galleries, and a collectible booklet.

Hacked: A Double Entendre of Rage Fueled Karma (2025) - Comedy Horror Film Review 27 May 11:17 AM (last month)

Hannah of the Dead (2026) - Short Horror Film Review 22 May 9:18 AM (last month)

After being kicked out of her childhood home, teenager Hannah (Amanda LoCoco) is offered a place to stay at a shady Airbnb run by Fred (Garofolo). She soon joins the other guests in prostitution, but her success and arrogance leads to other workers and Fred getting both jealous and suspicious of her actions.

This was a whirlwind of a story, in just 11 minutes a story that could easily fit a feature length movie is told. At times, Hannah of the Dead felt like an abridged version of a longer film, with the protagonists tumultuous journey speeding by at a lightning pace, helped along by a decent cast, especially with Garofolo who is on fine a form as ever. All ending on a most enjoyable and fun sequence.

With minimal special effects of somewhat dubious quality, Hannah of the Dead never took itself too seriously and was all the better for it. This was an enjoyable if dizzying story of a troubled girl, set to the backdrop of many custom Electric Tomb tracks.
Filmed at Cape Cod, Hannah of the Dead won the '2026 Best Thriller Short Film' at Festival De Indie, and is available to watch on the Fawesome App for TV, PC, and mobile devices.

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The Rotting Zombie's News Anthology for Thursday 21st May 2026 21 May 12:08 PM (last month)

Freestyle Digital Media have acquired the VOD distribution rights to the Abel Danan directed Moroccan based (at least partly) The Curse. This tells the story of a young Moroccan girl who moves to Paris to study. There she lives in solitude in her apartment, agoraphobia preventing her from leaving. It is while there that memories of the past and monstrous visions merge to bring her to the edge of sanity.

Horrorbuku (2026) - Horror Film Review 20 May 9:25 AM (last month)

The first half's wraparound has struggling author, Anthony (Shapiro) at a therapy session, recounting to his therapist the very odd experiences he has been having lately. Suffering writer's block and with a family to care for, his third novel in a horror trilogy was put on the back-burner, until the discovery of a creepy wooden mask reignited his passion for his fiction trilogy, even if it is a bit troubling that Anthony believes the mask speaks to him. Not long after the mask, he speaks of being visited by another figure, this one being a doppelganger of himself (of course, also Shapiro), albeit it, one that has all the confidence of a jacked-up coke fiend. Anthony finds himself caught in a conflict between the two; the mask wanting him to finish his trilogy, the copy wanting him to scrap it and work on his 'great American novel'.

Initial impressions weren't the strongest, I noticed some distracting background interference in early scenes, and at first the story was a bit hard to follow. This however was a movie that steadily improved, from the first second to the last, it was constantly getting better in quality. What was constant throughout was the amazing score. The music here was sublime, it was great enough that I found myself unconsciously tapping away on the side of my headphones to the low-fi beats. Music really can add so much to a film. So, the first half is an indie odd-ball drama with slight horror elements. The mask was a great looking prop and the sound design for the voices it spoke with were excellent. Shapiro playing both himself and his confident clone also worked well, injecting some humour into these early scenes. It all culminates with a crossover into the second story. Much like with Intrusive, this second story occurs roughly around the halfway point.

That second half moves the setting to Kuala Lumpur (by coincidence I spent several hours in the airport there earlier this year...was very humid!). Horrorbuku transforms into a supernatural Malaysian crime drama of all things! This section was near impossible to look away from, I was captivated by the unfolding story. Teenage siblings, Faris (Gen Darwish) and Dania (Zarith Zalikha) are preparing for a trip, meanwhile their crime-boss father; Amir (Josiah Hogan) is trying to get away from his criminal lifestyle. There was a fun blend of supernatural and crime drama here, I especially liked the look of the entities (gave a real Squid Game guard feeling). There were a couple of exciting and well choreographed fight scenes, and the change in location from America breathed new life into Horrorbuku, even if the change in styles did feel a bit jarring.

Much like with Intrusive, Horrorbuku is at the top of end of good, just missing out on excellent. It starts with humble beginnings as a 6/10, but by the strong finish was a solid 8/10, with the median line bringing it down to the score you see below. Another very interesting film that is a tiny bit arthouse in style, but without the pretentiousness that can come with that subgenre. Horrorbuku is due to come to streaming platforms later this year.

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The Hematophages: Splatterings (2026) by Stephen Kozeniewski - Horror Story Collection Review 19 May 10:28 AM (last month)

It begins with 'The Blood-Red Lake' which as openers go is a horrific intro to the eel-type nightmare creatures. Set on an Earth in the past; a father and daughter learn all too late just why the lake near their remote home has turned blood red. There wasn't too much to this one, but was almost the most nightmarish. I liked that the afterword mentions classic sci-fi horror video game series - Dead Space, as I am a huge fan of those.
'Derelictus' is next and was the stand-out story. Firstly due it doing that ace framing thing of starting halfway through the story and then heading back to explain how events came to be. Secondly, because events transpired here in a way that reminded me of recurring nightmares I have of being unable to escape a terrible situation. In this one, a strange spaceship is discovered floating apparently abandoned. Someone is sent to investigate the wreck unaware of the pure Hell they are about to enter. I enjoyed the first person presentation of this tale.

At the halfway point and next is 'Blackfish' that tells the story of a woman locked in quarantine after a visit to an alien spacecraft. I liked the build-up to this, though the shock reveal didn't really resonate with me much. It was similar in tone to 'Derelictus' and while harrowing also, it wasn't quite as harrowing. It was interesting to read in the notes for this that it had been envisioned as a sci-fi take on the classic werewolf concept.
Finally is 'Gerstein', which was an original short written for the collection. This was a Gothic mad doctor story, albeit it, one set in space within a hollowed out asteroid. It shouldn't have worked, but strangely, it did. It features an unlikeable jobsworth who has travelled to a space station in order to repossess it for the company she works for. Instead, she discovers that maybe she shouldn't have been so flippant with agreeing to the terms of the quarantine orders the head scientist at the station made her sign before entering. I liked the idea of this hollowed out asteroid appearing like a Gothic castle, that was a neat touch.

With that, the brief collection was over. Despite not having read The Hematophages, I liked the short stories here, and once again found all the added details as to the inspiration for them extremely interesting. For those needing a small injection of sci-fi horror, look no further than The Hematophages: Splatterings, which released on 16th March.

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Intrusive (2024) - Horror Film Review 18 May 1:37 AM (last month)

Sabina (Rhoda Jordan - Bango, Death Factory) arrives at the apartment block home of psychic Kelly (Sherill Quinn - Ted Bunny) for a session with the woman. Obviously afraid and desperate, Sabina tells the psychic that she hears the voice of a mysterious woman in her mind, and needs help to rid herself of this troubling issue. Under hypnosis, Sabina begins to exhibit psychotic tendencies, with Kelly suspecting the woman might be mentally ill rather than actually hearing an unknown voice. However, when she comes to speak to the voice within Sabina, Kelly begins to believe that something hauntingly authentic might be going on.

This felt like an even more indie bedfellow to stunning German demonic possession film, Luz. Both mainly take place in a singular location, both use hypnosis as a means to expose the hidden evil, and at 70 minutes long each, they even share the same length. For the first half of Intrusive, I felt this was going to be a really great movie. The first 35 minutes is one long drawn out scene between Kelly and Sabina/Phentara (the entity's name), with the former slowly realising that there is something supernatural happening. I was on the edge of my seat wandering where the story was going to go; the build-up with Sabina's anxiety created a lot of tension. I thought Quinn was great in her role as Kelly, a professional, but also having that professional mask slip at times to reveal the real Kelly.
At the halfway point, Intrusive changes to a setting I wasn't expecting, moving to a new character; Paul (Richard Caines - Bango), who is out in a park taking his baby for a walk in its pram. His story and the previous one overlap in fascinating ways, with it shown that both plotlines are occurring at the same time.

While the first half was single-room horror drama, the second half did something a bit different and in the process slightly trips over its own feet. In this second part, the protagonist is having a strange day, hearing voices wishing him harm that appear to be coming from the baby. This whole section came across as humorous rather than chilling, with bizarre event after bizarre event making for some comedic scenes. At one point as an example, the baby ends up clinging to a tree branch!, then there is Paul's panicked run scene that plays in slow motion like a running sequence from comedy action film Crank, and his constant falling over didn't help give the character any dignity. This part did add to the overall story, but the more light hearted vibe affected the unsettling first half. There was a fun cameo from the director in this segment that was nice to see.

This indie film didn't require fancy special effects or big set pieces to sell its paranormal events in a grounded setting. Like Luz, the intentions of the antagonist threat are relatively minor at this stage, making for an insular and intimate story with a small cast of characters. While not a great film, Intrusive was still a good film, it did interesting things with how the story was set-out (silly cliff-hanger ending aside), and the back and forth between the two tangentially related stories was well implemented. Intrusion can currently be viewed for free on TubiTV.

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The Rotting Zombie's News Anthology for Thursday 14th May 2026 14 May 9:38 AM (last month)

Coming from RZE Studio is animated horror film; Ynccuth, created by Lukas Reznicek. The creator states the idea for this story came from his video game project - Bukkaku, and the whole film is being put together by Reznicek. He states: "The film story will be full of helplessness and hope, atmospheric scenes with dynamic action, psychedelic stylization and a charming world." An official teaser titled 'The Ceremony of Death' has been released, with Ynccuth getting its teaser premiere on Halloween via YouTube.

Ted Bunny (2026) - Horror Film Review 13 May 9:51 AM (last month)

The crew of an online true crime channel have travelled to the rural home of Catherine (Dee Wallace - 3 From Hell, Red Christmas) to interview her for a program they are going to do about Ted Bundy. The director; Sasha (Diana Roman) has discovered that the woman had been allegedly attacked by Bundy prior to him getting infamous, but has never had her story told for fear of not being believed. Accompanying Sasha is her producer Emily (Mia Parco), and two newly hired members; cameraman Tommy (Tammer Girgis) and sound guy, Richie (Dominic Olivo). Interviewing Catherine, the woman tells a story of having been attacked by Bundy, and subsequently discovering she was pregnant with his child. The crew think Catherine is making the story up for attention, and while on a break from filming, Tommy and Richie decide to break into her basement for a laugh. It is here that they encounter Theodore (Trent Avvenire - Bears on a Ship) - her child, now grown up into a hulk of a man, who has a taste for murder, the same as his possible father.

The first act of Ted Bunny was also the best the film had to offer, from here, it was a steady decline in quality for the rest of the 90 minutes. Expectations were subverted as I had figured the whole movie would take place at the rural house location, with the crew tying to survive against the rabbit obsessed woman and her rabbit mask wearing son. This whole section was played relatively straight, I almost got some The Texas Chainsaw Massacre vibes. It felt novel initially when the action moves away from there, but from here, the film became increasingly silly and unbelievable.
Sasha becomes the primary protagonist, and is soon joined by police detective Dante (Brad Satterwhite), who has one of the most wafer-thin reasons ever as to why he doesn't bother telling anyone else at the police station he works at what they have both discovered. As the film progresses, and the body count rises, this flimsy excuse becomes increasingly ridiculous and makes zero sense. Then there is the introduction of two utterly insufferable side characters halfway through the movie. Tommy and Richie were annoying enough, but Sasha's awful friends - Lauren (Sherill Quinn) and Cassie (Jamella Cross) were ten times as bad. Both were pure comedy character with their actions and words so abrasive to the tone of the movie that they stuck out like a sore thumb. Even worse, these two characters served absolutely no purpose whatsoever, if they hadn't even been in the film, it would have made for a better experience.

Theodore (the titular Ted Bunny) is a rabbit obsessed hulk of a killer, with the intellect of a child and a fondness for gnawing on carrots. He features in a bunch of kill scenes, that while not always amazing to see, were at least inventive and reliant on practical effects. Someone having a carrot shoved into their throat, impaled on a tree branch, and a few head stamps are just some of these deaths. The killer had the annoying slasher trope of conveniently being exactly where he needed to be for each scene. It made the protagonist's search for him seem a bit stupid when the killer just happens to be where ever she goes to search at any given point.
The third act continues the downward slide; odd dream sequences, characters reacting to events strangely, and a late film reveal of what Theodore looks like under his mask, sure, sometimes these were entertaining, but they were also in stark contrast to the more serious first act.

Ted Bunny never seemed entirely sure just how comedic it wanted its story to be. Ignoring the silly title, there are a few moments of genuine horror to be found here. The inclusion of insufferable comedy characters, and the painfully stupid actions of the protagonists meant that by the time the end credits rolled, so were my eyes.

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Poppy Playtime: Chapter 4 'Safe Haven' (2025) - Horror Video Game Review 12 May 11:15 AM (last month)

As a former employee of the sinister toy company, Poppy Playtime, you had returned to the factory ten years after a disaster closed it down, following a cryptic letter you received in the post. Safe Haven begins with you descending into the darkest level of the secret underground facility, where there is no longer any pretence as to the twisted experiments being performed by the company. Between the underground prison and surgical wing lies the titular 'Safe Haven', a home for all the non-violent sentient toys, who hide there, protected by Doey the Doughman (a large creature made out of what appears to be Playdough). Poppy arrives and announces a plan that would see the complete destruction of the entire Poppy Playtime facility, as well as the sinister Prototype (the mastermind behind the initial disaster ten years previously). To carry out this plan however, the employee must travel to the domain of  'The Doctor', to retrieve a high access key card that he has in his possession.

Following the trend of the other games, this fourth chapter is again longer than any of the ones that came before, with my overall (Poppy) playtime being over five hours. Deep Sleep introduced more of a pure horror vibe, and that continues here, the bleak and brutalist prison area being a prime example. There is lore here in spades, with this chapter having more notes and videotapes to discover than ever before. The story that plays out during this chapter is also the most involved yet, featuring a big cast of characters. Helping you are Poppy, Oliver, Kissy-Missy and Doey. That later one was a fantastic new one, coming across as almost cartoon-like with his comical exaggerated movement and jovial way of talking, yet also containing within him a lot of darkness that occasionally bubbles to the surface.
Much of the chapter has you pitted against 'The Doctor', an antagonist who is more cerebral, watching you over CCTV rather than physically trying to kill you. He is a constant presence, taunting you, directing where you are able to go, and occasionally sending enemies after you, most notably, the lion-like yarn creature; Yarnaby.

There are puzzles to solve and chase sequences as always, but also an increased focus on stealth sequences that see you pushing switches while avoiding a prowling creature. The stealth is pretty simple as the creatures appear to have atrocious vision, only able to spot you when they are almost on top of you. I enjoyed the chase sequences, nearly all of which were fun to do. There was the odd moment of frustration when it wasn't exactly clear where you were meant to go while being chased. There were also a few boss battles, but all followed a similar pattern of pressing switches and pulling levers.
Safe Haven is graphically lovely, especially coming from the very simple and plain level design of Garten of Banban. I really enjoyed traversing the areas here, occasionally giving a Resident Evil 4 vibe with its mine areas and labyrinthian medical facility areas. All of this leads up to a cliff-hanger finish that was a return to form after the underwhelming end to the last chapter.

Playing Poppy Playtime: Chapter 4 'Safe Haven' made me realise just how superior in quality this mascot horror game is to nearly any other one in the sub-genre of horror video games. I have a soft spot with both this and GOB, but with both games it feels like an ending really needs to come into sight, rather than treading water by stretching out the plot. Many had assumed that Chapter 5 would be the the final game, but apparently that isn't the case. Regardless, the second it drops on consoles, I will be plunging in feet first.

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Strawstalker (2026) - Horror Film Review 11 May 9:48 AM (last month)

The film has a wraparound segment to explain where the found footage that makes up the main story came from. Basically, small-time L.A based social media influencer Sandy (Vincent Ranola - Halloween Immortal) has been inadvertently shown up by two up and coming influencer superstars; Henry (Horton) and his girlfriend Haley (Branika Scott), when his day job as an Uber driver got exposed. As some type of revenge, he then broke into the property they were renting and stole a whole bunch of video recordings he found there. Sandy then edited all the footage he found into a cohesive and chronological 'movie', and so on his next live stream, he announces he is going to play the combined footage for his viewers, and also for himself, as he claims to have been 'black out drunk' when editing the recordings together and so can't recall a single detail that was on them.
The footage story itself charts Henry and Haley's new arrival to L.A, where they hope to cement their reputation and make it into the influencer big-leagues. As their base, they have rented a property in a secluded and private suburb. While there, they discover a creepy scarecrow hidden in the back garden, and this innocuous object begins to unsettle them, with it appearing to have been moved to a slightly different position each time they subsequently spot it.

Strawstalker had a few things going for it. As insufferable as Sandy was, he slightly grew on me. He became almost a proxy for the viewer, with the film occasionally cutting away to him where he gives his reaction to whatever has been going on in the main story. He is also the in-film reason for why the footage being shown has had sound effects and a suitably horror-like film score added to it.
The protagonists proper were even more insufferable, all of this extremely purposeful, as influencers here are never shown in a good light. The couple are constantly filming everything they do, with Henry in particular being very tiresome, constantly acting-up for the camera and goofing around in a clownish way. His catchphrase of "L.A baby!" with his British accent, was so bad, that purely by repetition I came to find it vaguely amusing. Outside of actual cameras being used for the footage, there are additional moments that comes from the couples phones, bodycam footage, and most interestingly, footage that was taken by the antagonist, where they are seen spying on the two. This all flows cohesively, but I found the strange montage that shows all the highlights of the film edited together into a 20 second clump at movie's start an odd choice, as it did kind of ruin some of the more action packed moments.

The horror may start at around fifteen minutes into this 82 minute movie, but it never really progresses to anything that interesting. Sometimes the horror is so well hidden in the background of scenes that I didn't even spot it, when I did spot it, it was always tame. The scarecrow moving around on its own while out of shot was hardly the epitome of terror, I never really understood why the couple found it all so scary. Until the third somewhat wild act, not much of note really happens. There is a slight body count, though being a found footage, I expected it was likely the protagonists wouldn't survive the events. The deaths never looked anything special on screen, and the suggested supernatural element to this was only shown poorly, given a bit of an amateurish feel; set pieces hard to excite. There are no scary moments to be found here, perhaps the point, as the director has stated the film was designed to be campy, and that events while played straight, were not really meant to be taken too seriously.

Strawstalker wasn't all bad. The live-stream segments were done just as well as in other films that use a similar concept, and the wraparound segment at least added something slightly fresh. Overall, there wasn't much entertainment to be found, with it often bordering more on the realm of boredom. Strawstalker can now be rented or brought on Digital HD services in North America, including Amazon Prime.

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The Rotting Zombie's Round-up of Horror News for April 2026 7 May 2:41 AM (last month)

Take From Me comes from first-time filmmaker, West Eldredge. It looks at themes of longing and addiction using vampiric motifs, I imagine in a similar way that cult horror The Addiction did back in the nineties. This horror has been picked up by BayView Entertainment, and has won awards on the festival circuit, including 'Best Feature Film' at the Red Rose Film Festival, 'Best Actor' at the Romford Horror Festival, and the 'Audience Award' at the Alexandria Film Festival. Take From Me is available to rent or buy on streaming services worldwide, and also out on region-free Blu-ray.

Trepang2 (2023) - Horror Video Game Review (Xbox Series X) 6 May 11:48 AM (last month)

You play as Subject 106 - a super soldier who at the start of the game is being held captive and brainwashed by the shady all-powerful global entity, Horizon. Broken out of your confinement by an equally shady mercenary group called Task Force 27, you are given an offer to join up with them once you have escaped the prison facility and transported to their secretive HQ. Task Force 27 really have it in for Horizon, and so your goals align, with each mission taking you to a different Horizon facility dotted around the world for you to attack and expose its secrets. At each place you uncover sinister experiments that the entity had secretly been performing on volunteers, with this information then published by the mercenary group in an effort to weaken the companies global reach, enough that a full frontal assault on their main HQ can then be initiated.

Trepang2 had the feel of a middle of the road Xbox 360 shooter, albeit, with a nice coat of paint and better quality of life improvements to the gameplay. As the super soldier protagonist, you infiltrate bases over six main missions and an equal amount of side missions (roughly, can't recall the exact amount), with the quality varying wildly throughout. At first this felt like it was going to be an immersive sim in the style of something like F.E.A.R. As you battle through levels, scenery gets blasted apart (reminding me of Black), and you get treated to the increasingly desperate radio chatter of the enemies commanders as you single handily mow down legions of faceless enemy soldiers. There are computers to hack, vents to traverse, key VIP boss-style specialists to defeat, and also...monsters (more on that later). You can hold two weapons at a time, later getting the ability to duel-wield, pick up and throw enemies, as well as use two different recharging super abilities. One of these puts you into a Max Payne style slow-mo/bullet time state, the other makes you briefly invisible. Oddly, you are unable to aim down the sights of your guns (of which I believe there were about 8 different types), instead, the traditional aim down sights button instead throws your grenades. Combat never gets more complicated than that, no upgrades to your abilities, though you are frequently fighting small armies of spawning enemies. Missions, especially the side missions, can become very video game-like in feel, multiple ones being nothing much more than combat arenas where you have to survive against waves of increasingly tougher enemies.

So, at first glance this did feel like it might be an immersive sim in the design of the levels. The places you go to are certainly full of environmental details, but it isn't long before it comes clear (in some of the levels at least) that the actual level layout can leave a lot to be desired. Main missions are typically set in labyrinthian locations, while at the same time also being extremely linear, legions of locked doors funnelling you ever onwards down the only unlocked ones. These missions can be extremely hit and miss, pure joy one moment, screaming frustration the next. Take the second mission that is set in a Horizon medical facility. The first half has you slowly ascending through the facility into the basement lab, where you discover patients had been experimented on and turned into essentially zombie type husks. Sounds cool, but then the second half has you fighting these zombies who really annoyingly explode upon death, leading to lots of swearing on my part as I constantly got swarmed by the blighters. Some of the main missions really do suck, one that sees you assault the mansion based HQ of a group of cultists was once such example that was a real slog to get through. Others though were startingly amazing. One mission sees you exploring a Soviet underground base whose inhabitants had mysteriously all vanished without a trace. From start to finish that level was pure joy to play through; a 10/10 mission stuck in an often middling game. Perfectly designed, atmospheric, and at times transported you ingeniously to Creepypasta 'Backrooms', linear spaces complete with soggy carpet and yellow walls - was so unexpected to discover!
Trepang2 is a crazed mix of military shooter and horror, with roughly 75% of the game the first part, and the remaining 25% when things occasionally gets weird. That other part makes for a real ride, where you are never really sure what to expect next. A moth-man, bio-organic blobs that communicate via computer banks, evil spirits, clones, zombies, and one side mission that sees you on an oil rig battling a giant U.F.O! This felt especially jarring with so much of the rest of the game feeling much more grounded. I was fully on board for the horror of course, a welcome atmospheric break from the pure action of the rest of the game.

Trepang2 was a weird game with a frequently wild and darkly humorous (though somewhat generic) story. At its highs, this has some of the best video game moments I have experienced in years, but it is so hit and miss in quality that the less well designed moments really bring the overall game down to something that at times is very average.
There is DLC in the form of battle arenas and two extra side missions, but I never played those.

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