Short Horror Film Friday: BAKEMONO

Welcome to this Week’s Installment of Short Horror Film Friday featuring BAKEMONO by  by Sumire Takamatsu and Jorge Lucas who Wrote as well as Directed the Film.

What I found Interesting is the Evil Spirits in BAKEMONO are in fact Based on Hungry Ghosts.Hungry Ghosts is a Concept in Chinese Buddhism, Chinese Traditional Religion, Vietnamese Buddhism, Vietnamese Traditional Religion, Japanese Buddhism, and Tibetan Buddhism, Representing Beings Who are Driven by Intense Emotional needs in an Animalistic Way. Since the Family in the Film is Japanese I’m going to quickly Touch on Hungry Ghosts in Japanese Buddhism.

                    

In Japanese Buddhism, Hungry Ghosts are considered to have Two Variants: the Gaki and the Jikininki. Gaki are the Spirits of Jealous or Greedy People, Who as Punishment for Their Mortal Vices. The Gaki have been Curses with an Insatiable Undying Hunger for a Particular Substance or a Specific Object. Traditionally, this is Something Revolting or Humiliating like Decaying Human Corpses or Feces, but in Recent Years it can Virtually be Anything No Matter how Bizarre it may be. Meanwhile Jikininki (People Eating Ghosts) are the Spirits of Greedy, Selfish or Impious Individuals who are Cursed After Death to seek out and Eat Human Corpses. They Feed at Night Scavenging for Recently Deceased Human Bodies, and the Food Offerings Left for the Dead. Jikininki Lament Their Curse and Hate Their Vile Craving for Feasting on the Flesh of the Dead.

                    

Plot Summery: The Date is February 3rd, known in Japan as Setsubun, and is Supposed to be the Celebration of the Beginning of Spring. Families Celebrate by Casting out Evil Spirits from Their Homes.  Although at Ayumi’s House things have become so stressful You could Cut the Tension with a Knife. This is Due to Rebellious Ayumi who once again like so many Children is Refusing to Finish Her Dinner. In an Attempt to Remedy the Problem Ayumi’s Mother Tries to Scare Her into Compliance with a Terrifying Tale. As the Story goes if Ayumi Doesn’t Finish Her Dinner then an Evil Spirit will Enter the House and Eat it instead, But Ayumi is not Convinced that All Spirits are Evil. So Ayumi decides to test Her assumption by Inviting One in for a Midnight Snack, and Learns You should Never Feed a Hungry Ghost the Hard Way.

Enjoy.

CAST:

  • Ayumi – Claudia Fabella
  • Oka-san – Shio Muramatsu
  • Oto-san – Daisuke Suzuki
  • Bakemono – Sherry Q, Erin Yuqi Yang

Thanks For Watching,

   Presented By Les Sober  

I Know That’s An Insult But What The Hell Does It Mean?!

I recently had the Pleasure of Rewatching the Classic 1983 Horror Movie Christine which is Based on a Stephen King. Now one of the Unique things about the Movie that has Always stuck with Me as Being Odd as fuck it a Particular Insult that is Used in It. The Insult in Question is the Word Shitter when used to Describe People and Not Toilets.

Now for Those Who may Not be Aware or Remember here is a Very Brief Summary of the Movie.  Arnie Cunningham was a Nerdy Nobody until He is Compelled to Restore an American Classic Car named Christine . What Arnie is Unaware of is This Car is Cursed with a Will to Kill anyone Who gets Between Arnie and Her Unfortunately for Arnie Christine Transforms Him from Steve Urkel into a Hostile, Foul Mouthed Asshole with an Eat Shit Attitude. In Case You haven’t seen the Movie I won’t talk about the Ending.

The Main Character is the Primary User of the “Shitter” Insults in the Movie, and Here are the Insults Quoted from the Movie.

  • The Cranky Old Bastard Who Sells Arnie the Car (and WHo’s Brother Died in It) While talking to Arnie’s Best Friend Dennis: “No Shitter came Between Him and Christine.”
  • Arnie to Dennis while They are taking a Joy Ride in Christine: “A Toast, Death to the Shitters of the World in 1979.”
  • During the Same Joy ride Arnie also says to Dennis: “”… We’ll always be Friends as long as You Stick With Me You know what Happens to Shitters that Don’t.”
  • Dennis asks Arnie During the Joy Ride after His Previous Comment about Remaining Friends: “Who are the Shitters?” (Arnie answers with “All of Them”)
  • When Arnie finds Christine Totaled by the School Bully and His Girlfriend Leigh Cabot, and She try to Console Him: “DON’T TOUCH ME SHITTER!”
  • Arnie talking to Christine in the Mechanic Garage after She is Totaled: “We’ll show Those Shitters what We can Do.”
  •  Arnie talking with Dennis about Love: “What? Fuck No, I’m talking’ about Christine, Man No Shitter ever came Between Me and Christine…”

This is My Question What the fuck does calling Someone or Describing Someone as a Shitter mean Exactly?! The way I see it it’s one of Two Scenarios which I will Address Now.

  1. You take it at Face Value and by that I mean if I Drive an 18 Wheeler for a Living I’m a Trucker, and If I Farm the Land then I’m a Farmer Etc.  Following that Format I shit so that makes Me a Literal Shitter.
  2. The Insult is the Most Derogatory Term for a Toilet. I’m not Talking a Regular Household Bathroom I’m Talking about a Truck Stop Bathroom or a Gas Station Bathroom or Perhaps the Worst of all a Pro-A-Potty. Is It the same as Calling Someone an Asshole is a Crude way of Referring to a Rectum? Is the Insult that You’re  being called a Filthy, Nasty, Grimy, Disgusting, Nauseating, Sickening, Gross, Unsanitary, Disgusting, Puked On, Piss Covered, and Putrid Toilet with a Turd Floating in it.

If I had to make an Educated guess between the Two Options Listed Above I’d put My Money on Number 2 (OH THE IRONY!), and that says a lot Since I DON’T Gamble.

Thanks For Reading,

By Les Sober   

The Tale Of The Lazy Boy Lucifer

I’ve lived out here in the Woods by the Lake for Ongoing 5 Years Now and I have seem some seriously Strange Shit Believe You Me. Now Living this Far Out in the Woods We don’t have certain things that Most People take for Granted such as Street Lights, Sidewalks, Fire Hydrants, City Water, and Trash Pick Up. The Last one is the Real Big Bitch of the Bunch since Not only do You have to Periodically haul Your Regular Household Garbage to the Dump, but Everything Else as Well Such as Old Furniture, Mattresses, Yard Debris and All Other Extraneous Shit.

You do have the Option of Paying for a Private Trash Removal Company to come Each Week and take Your Trash, But since They don’t work for the County You have to Pay Them Out of Pocket for the Service. And if You’re thinking that They might take advantage of the Situation and Exploit the hell out of People for Profit You’d be Absolutely Right. So Needless to say I know of Only one Household around My way that Pays for Trash Pick Up.

Since the Day We first Moved in I had Noticed one of Our Neighbors a few Blocks Down the Road from Us had a rather Odd ongoing Habit. Don’t get Me wrong these are Decent People They aren’tWhite Trash by Any Means They don’t have Cars Lying around Their Property Rusting into fucking Oblivion, There aren’t any Household Appliances on the Porch (like a Washing  or Dryer Machine), The Yard is Mowed Regularly so it’s Not Overgrown or Plagued by Weeds, and the House is a Pleasant Looking One Story Brick Ranch with a Relatively New Roof. Thus for All Intents and Purposes it looks so Generic and Normal that on Any Given Day No One would give it a Second Thought. I would fall into this Category Myself if it weren’t for the Fact I noticed (and then became a bit obsessed over) the Chair Phenomenon.

                

These Particular Neighbors would Randomly without Rhyme or Reason Put a Living Room or Similar Type Chair Outside on Their Front Yard. This again isn’t a just Throw the fucker on the Front Lawn as there is Apparently a Method to this Madness. The Chairs are always placed in the EXACT same spot each and every time without Fail. If Your standing in the Street and Facing the House the Spot is the Lower Left Corner of the Front Yard as Far from the House as Humanly Possible. The Chairs sit just  inches from the Actual Road, and in Front of a Natural Privacy Wall of Large Bushes that Separate the Property From the One Next Door.

The Chairs that have been Placed in that Designated Spot over the Years aren’t Junk by a Long Shot. All things Considered as Second Hand Chairs go These Chairs are in Decent to Good Condition they aren’t Beat to Hell, Torn or Ripped, Faded, or Missing Cushions or perhaps a Leg. In Fact they are in better condition than anything one might find at Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity’s Restores. Honestly there been a few Chairs that I actually in all Honesty thought to Myself “Damn if I needed a Chair or Knew someone who did I’d take this Fucker right here.”

There are Never a Sign like FREE, TRASH, or FOR TRASH PICKUP so I just came to assume that if Someone could use it They simply would take it. As time went on if the Chair continues to Sit out in the Sun, Wind, and Rain along with the Local Wildlife as well as Bugs/Insects collecting Dirt and Mildew I figured Someone in the Area would get fed up with Driving past and seeing the Particular Chair Rotting Away, and took it Upon themselves to Dispose of It (a sort of “Well if They aren’t going to do shit I don’t want to have to keep looking at this Eyesore.”).

              

Again the Different Chairs Sudden Appearance and Subsequent Disappearance Devoid of Any Reason that I can Tell of slowly began to Evolve from Mild Curiosity to Full Blown Full On Fascination. I couldn’t determine Why this Occurrence was Happening  or Why it was Occurring. Who has so many Chairs to Discard in the First Place?  Not to Mention Where the Hell where these Chairs Ending Up?  And Most Important of all the Questions/Factors Who the Hell was Responsible for The Numerous Chairs Eventually Inevitable Disappearance?! So Many Questions and Not a Single Answer or Clue. Left to My Own Devices I slowly began Developing a Theory that Answered All the Questions I had or Possible could have, and here it is.

Generations Ago this Family was Faced with a Curse of Discomfort that was Placed Upon them by an Fellow Neighbor who was Pissed that They weren’t Invited to The Family’s Annual 4th of July Cookout. The Curse Stated that No Matter what a Cursed Family Member Sat Upon be it a Living Room Chair, Couch, Stool/Bar Stool, Loveseat, Bench, Recliner, Chaise Lounge, Hassock, Rocking Chair, Settee, Futon, Daybed, or Bean Bag Chair They Would Never be Able to Get Comfortable until They Day They Died. The Reality of Living Out Their lives with Their Asses in Constant Anguish was Utterly Unbearable to the Family so They started looking for a Way to Dispel the Curse once and for All.

              

The Family went from Town to Town, City to City, State to State, and Every Lead They managed to Scrounge Up ended up Amounting to Jack Diddly Shit. Dismayed and Deeply Depresses the Family was on the Verge of Abandoning Their Curse Breaking Cause when They came across the Mother Load of Tips. This One Tip Blew all the Other Tips Combined completely out of the fucking Water, and The Family’s Hope was Once again Restored. It happened while the Family was in A. Hole’s Home Decor Depot in God Knows Where New Mexico. Just as the Family was about to Leave the Store Empty Handed, which They had become accustomed to, They were Approached by a Shady Looking Salesman Sporting a Sinister Smile Named Asmodeus. Asmodeus empathized with the Family’s Plight and because He did He was willing to Give the Family the Key Piece of Information that They so Desired.

Asmodeus tipped the Family off to the Whereabouts of a Last Boy Retail Outlet Hidden so Deep in a Dark Corner of an Appellation Mountain Vally that The Locals Denied its Very Existence. There at the Mysterious Lazy Boy Outlet The Family would find the Man They had been Seeking for Decades, and this Particular Man possessed the Cure to the Uncomfortable Curse. The Family set out Immediately in Search of the Illusive Lazy Boy Outlet Post Haste Their Hearts Filled with Hope. The Family Drove for what Seemed like Eternity until They Reached  the Secret Access Point in the Application Mountains that would lead Them to the Mythical Lazy Boy Outlet the Menacing Salesman Spoke Of.  It took the Better half of the Day to Navigate the Increasing Rough Terrain of the Appalachian Mountains, especially for the Family of Amateurs who were Unaccustomed to such Physical Toil.

           

At Last as the Sun was Setting far off in the Eastern Horizon the Family Exhausted and Caked in Dirt and Filth Stumbled Upon the Peculiar Ominous Lazy Boy Outlet. The Family Tentatively Entered the Dank and Shadow Filled Store being extremely Cautious in Their New Surroundings so Far from Home. The Store was Illuminated by 18th Century Oil Lamps that were Scattered Around the Store making the Dense Shadows Dance Upon the Walls and the Ceiling itself. A Thick Layer of Dust Lay upon Each and Every Surface within the confines of the Store, and Cob Webs swayed back and forth like a Body from the Gallows.

All of a Sudden a Decrepit Old Woman came Slinking forward from the Shadows to Greet The Family. The Family told the Old Hag Their Tale of Woe as She Nodded Knowingly as if She Somehow had Heard it All Before. Once the Family had Finished Their Story the Old Hag informed Them that They could in deed Break the Curse, But just like so many things in Life there were Strings Attached as Nothing is Free.

The Family was so Overcome with Excitement at Finally being rid of The Curse that when the Old Hag handed them a Clipboard with a Unknown Document Pinned to it They Signed it with Gusto not bothering to Read a single fucking word of it. Once the Old Hag had the Signed Document She informed Them that it was a Life Long Multigenerational Contract that Guaranteed the Family that the Curse was Now Broken. Not Only that but as Part of the Contract the Family would be Given the Most Decadent, Luxurious, and Decadent Lazy Boy Recliners that Man has Ever Known.

              

The Family Rejoiced at the Old Hag’s News as They Cheered, Laughed, Danced Around, and High Fives One Another Smiling Ear to Ear like a Bunch of Jackasses. The Old Hag waited patiently until the Family’s Fanfare had Died Down and then Informed Them of the Previously Mentioned Attached Strings that also came with the Contract. To Uphold Their End of the Contract the Family as Long as Their Bloodline continued to Walk the Earth would Periodically Sacrifice a Chair to the Lazy Boy Lucifer.  And if They Failed They would be Dragged Kicking and Screaming Straight to The Household Hell which was Governed by The Lucifer of Lazy Boys. There the Family would spend Eternity as Satanic Salesmen Selling Shitty Chairs to Demons who could Never be Satisfied, and would Return to Torture the Shit Out of Them since Household Hell has a No Refund No Exchange Policy.

              

So Thats Obviously what is Going on with My Oddball Neighbors since its the Only Scenario that makes any sort of Sense. And Thats That Plain and Simple.

Thanks For Reading,

By Les Sober  

FYB’s Short Horror Movie Showcase: THE SMILING MAN & DON’T MOVE

Welcome to another Installment in the FYB Short Horror Movie Showcase featuring THE SMILING MAN and DON’T MOVE!!!

THE SMILING MAN By A.J. Briones in Association with ALTER (a Company that Traffics in Short Horror Movies) is a SINISTER little Endeavor. In The Smiling Man an Innocent Young Girl watching Cartoons starts to Follow a Trail of Balloons throughout Her House. At the End of the Trail the Little Girl comes FACE TO FACE WITH PURE UNADULTERATED EVIL!! The Smiling Man’s has an Overall “The Devil’s come for Your Daughter” Tone makes it Even more Unnerving. It lends itself to the You feeling You’re watching a Powerful and Vicious Predator Luring its unsuspecting Prey into Striking Distance.

What We particularly Enjoy about The Smiling Man is it reminds Us a Great Deal of Asian Horror. Asian Horror for the Most Part Deals in Disturbingly Demented Psychological Creepiness as Opposed to an All Out Gorefest. It’s a Truly Unique Stylistic Form of Creepy that irks You to the Bone. The Smiling Man is the Kind of Creepy “Cat in Mouse” Horror Movie that leaves You feeling Uneasy, and it tends to Linger Hauntingly in Your Mind for Days after Watching. Enjoy.

DON’T MOVE By Bloody Cuts and Directed by Anthony Melton is a Throw Back to the Devious Demon Centric Horror Movie Classics from the 80’s Ouija Board and All. One of the Impressive Facts about Don’t Move is though it was made on a Very Small Budget the Movie yields High Production Value Effects and That’s No Exaggeration We Assure You. The Other Amazing thing about the Film is the Acting is Exceptionably Good. Since Acting Terrified is One of those Things that People think is Easy When that couldn’t be Farther from the Truth the Actors really Bring it Home.

The Other Aspect of Don’t Move that We particularly got a Real Kick Out Of was if Don’t Move was a Roller Coaster it Starts with/on that First Massive Plunge Down sending You straight into the Heart of the Action. From the BLOOD SPLATTERED Opening Scene Don’t Move’s Backstory has Been Told, The Deed is Done, and The Demon has Come So DON’T MOVE!

We Hope You Enjoyed Coming Eye to Eye with The Vilest Evils as Much as We Did.

Presented By Les Sober

Somethings That Rent Space In My Head

Throughout the day I have these rather random thoughts that just jump into the Chaos contained within My Cranium. I decided to write these 2 word to a sentence long tidbits of  creativity down as they came to me during the day. They are complied in a sort of sudo list from first to last, but run together back to back makes them even more interesting I think.

So without further ado here We Go:

The Banana Spider has laid Eggs in My Brain

These Poor People have No Faces

The Old Lady with Coupons is Killing Me

I am My harshest Critic By Far

If You spent time in My Head You’d go Insane

Dirt Road Dogs are giving Chase

The New becomes The Old

Narrow passings on the Edge of Accident

Indifference is Compliance

Mr. Mindfucker is at it Again

The Tangles Webs We weave when We try to Deceive

What the fuck is Really Going On

Trailer Park Psychotics

Futilely trying to Conquer Forces Beyond Our Control

Embryonic Evils & Aborted Faith

Disillusioned Illusionist’s ill Ilk

The Dark Cloud Dominates the Sky

Aggressive Apologies from Assholes

Fake Fucking Fake for It is False and a Fraud

Trapped in the Chaotic 3 Ring Circus of Humanity

Capitalism Cannibalizes Itself and We All Die In Vain

Like a Deer in the Headlights We freeze watching the Oncoming Death

The Morbidity of Maggots

There are Three Sides to every Story

Cerebral Symbiotic Shortcuts of the Mind

Everyone is Eye fucking multiple Screens

Converting the Remain of the Dead to Fuel Our Lives

We Too will be Biologically Recycled

The Weeping Willows can Cry No more

At the Core of the Curse lies Damnation

Who let this Lunatic out of The Asylum

Decapitate The Deplorable’s for the Guillotines Delight

Beyond The Coin We Barter

Lobotomizing the World’s Think Tanks

There’s an Exorbitant Price Ones Pays for Paradise

Snow amplifying the Silence

That Crackhead Kid is soaked in Squalor

Picking Labels off Our Beer Bottles and Minutes off Our Lives

Space is Infinite just like Thought

Uneducated Idiots will be lead like Lemmings to The Slaughter

If the Eyes are the Window to The Soul then some should Remain Shut

Who Kills Unicorns for Sport

The Pied Piper is Pissed the Rats ran off

Seeking Peace while Waging War

And The Barbarians are at The Gate…..

Thanks for Reading,   By Les Sober

November’s Embrace

I am so blah. I don’t really know how to describe it. I suppose me feeling this way when November rolls around is turning into sort of a trend.

But no this time is different because I am trying to escape the disfunction. And that is all I find. My energy levels are so freaking sapped. It is like everything I put into a thought remains just as that, just as a thought. Suspended in time. Not fullfilled, but so far from being broken. Just captured.

So I sit here trying to recapture some of the energy. It comes in a song, it comes in a whisper from others but is not internal. I lost it in the wind, have lost it in the wind.

Maybe all I need is some good drugs. I sleep only seldom and am in this fog all the time. Not the place where I want to be. I would rather live in pandemonium then this constant fog. I cannot feel in the fog. It is a dangerous place to be.

Once long ago I was entirely too concerned about others giving up on me. Now this curse lingering within me is making me want to give up on myself. At least I keep them busy in the ER between Halloween and Thanksgiving.

By SpaceDog