Suspiria (2018) Review: Reinventing a Horror Classic

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suspiria dancersIn the 2018 horror film Suspiria, director Luca Guadagnino creates a thoughtful tale, both compelling and strange. Suspiria explores the darkness surrounding a dance company in Berlin. Set in 1977, the backdrop of German Autumn violence brings a real world aesthetic to this supernatural story. Continue reading

Supernatural S12E11 Review: Regarding Dean

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icebucketIn Supernatural’s 11th episode of Season 12, “Regarding Dean,” we get witches, a bunny, tiny vodkas, and lots and lots of Dean Winchester—both the silly and the sad. “Regarding Dean” was written by new Supernatural writer Meredith Glynn, who also wrote “The One You’ve Been Waiting For” (S12E05, AKA the Hitler one). It was directed by John Badham, who has been with the show since Season 9. Continue reading

Supernatural S11E03 Recap: The Bad Seed

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Dean The Bad Seed Supernatural“The Bad Seed” was directed by Supernatural’s own Jensen Ackles. This is Ackles’ fifth outing as director of a Supernatural episode. Writers Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming previously worked with Ackles on his last two directing ventures—“Heartache” and “Soul Survivor.” In “The Bad Seed” we caught up with Castiel, Crowley, Rowena, and the hungry new character Amara.

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Gifts for the Supernatural Creature in your Life

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The Walking Dead milk chocolate zombies from The Truffle Cottage

The Walking Dead milk chocolate zombies from The Truffle Cottage

Gift-buying is always hard, but when it comes to getting something for the supernatural creature in your life, it can be a nightmare. Finding the perfect present, that won’t cause a monstrous rampage, can create a lot of pressure. Here are some gifts to please the most surly of supernatural beings. Continue reading

Supernatural S10E16 Recap: Paint It Black

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Rowena confronts Olivette Supernatural Paint it Black“Paint it Black,” the 16th episode of Supernatural Season 10, focuses on our favorite Queen Mother, Rowena. It’s about time we learned more about Rowena and her past. When we first saw Rowena at the end of “Soul Survivor,” it was clear that her character was going to be interesting. In “Girls, Girls, Girls” we learned that she was a rebellious witch and Crowley’s mum. Since Rowena’s introduction to Supernatural, a bit more about her past has been revealed. “Paint it Black” gives our picture of Rowena a bit more color.

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Monster of the Week: The Baba Yaga

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Baba Yaga of Vertigo's Fables.

Baba Yaga of Vertigo’s Fables.

The Baba Yaga (called Baba Jaga in Poland, Baba Roga in Bosnia, Baba Pehtra in Slovenia, and Ježibaba in the Czech/Slovak lands) is a forest-dwelling witch of Eastern European folklore. She is, in many ways, the archetype of the woodland witch, and traits such as the eating of wayward children and flying with brooms may be attributed to legends of the Baba Yaga. In the Skazki (fairy tales) of Russia, she sometimes appears as a trio of “sister” Baba Yagas, much like the Greek Hecatae or gorgons (though when appearing as a trio, these Baba Yagas are usually less sinister, and often helpful). She is described as having a big nose, iron teeth, tangled hair, bony legs and a long reach. The Baba Yaga is very clever and powerful, having control over the elements and the “three riders”—the white horseman of the dawn, the red horseman of the sunrise, and the black horseman of nightfall. In the oldest Baba Yaga stories, her powers resemble those of a goddess more than a witch, and she and her hut act as guardians/gateways to the underworld. Continue reading

Supernatural S10E12 Recap: About a Boy

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1p Cain quote About a Boy SupernaturalAs we embark upon Episode 12 of the tenth season of Supernatural, there are still a lot of interesting stories to be explored. The scenes from previous Supernatural episodes at the start of “About a Boy” bring us back to the ongoing saga of the Mark of Cain and the mystery around Rowena. We’re still captivated by these stories each week. In “About a Boy,” Supernatural weaves together these story arcs, while being a very intriguing Monster-of-the-Week episode unto itself.

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Supernatural S10E07 Recap: Girls, Girls, Girls

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hannah and cas on bridge pix round

“Girls, Girls, Girls” had a few really good moments, though it is probably one of the weakest episodes so far in what has been an outstanding Season 10. Some of the best parts were a revelation (who knew we would become so attached to Hannah?), while other great moments were less of a surprise because of the consistently strong characters on Supernatural (you can always count on Crowley). There were several separate storylines occurring, which is not unusual on Supernatural since Mark Sheppard and Misha Collins have both become season regulars. The multiple storylines worked mainly because the narrative with Castiel and Hannah was so compelling. The scenes with Castiel and Hannah were also beautifully filmed, which we appreciate in a series with sequences that often take place in dimly lit rooms, dark alleys, the Impala, Hell, or purgatory. Even when Sam and Dean have visited Heaven the scenes were generally dark both in terms of content and images. Seeing the angels Castiel and Hannah in a beautiful, natural environment just feels right, a heaven on earth, as it were, and is a nice contrast with the demon Crowley in the gloomy, prison-like atmosphere of administrative Hell. “Girls, Girls, Girls” places Sam and Dean squarely into their traditional hunter roles.

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Supernatural: Meet Crowley’s Mum

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rowena at restaurant pix sloppy

Rowena, formerly of the Grand Coven, until she was dismissed for using being too extreme

The King of Hell received quite a surprise during Episode 7 of Supernatural, “Girls, Girls, Girls.” When Crowley discovered that someone was killing his demons, he sent out his minions to capture the offender. Upon close examination, he was shocked to find that the witch causing all the trouble in town was his own mother. Though her appearance was a surprise to Crowley, some Supernatural viewers had guessed the identity of the mysterious red-haired woman when Rowena was first introduced. As we are expecting to see more of Rowena during Season 10, this is a good chance to explore the signs that connected this witch to the demon Crowley.

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