Jack Ketchum's writing totally sets up the environment like no other author I have read. He really puts you there and you feel like you can really envision the place and people he describes. This adds to the horror of the abuse the girl suffers and as if you were not already sickened by the pure evil of an adult over a child. He also reminds you what it feels like to be a child and to be powerless because adults rule over them. You would never imagine that things of this nature are even possible, but they are and have happened. The author captures the feel of the time period and how a lot of people were not even thinking this can happen. This was definitely a page-turner and one that I couldn't put down. You are in shock and awe most of the time wondering and even when you know how it will turn out you are still caught like a deer in headlights. The scenes were very gruesome in details and how cruel the characters could be when they would torture an innocent girl were beyond shocking. If you cannot easily stomach things of a graphic nature I would avoid reading this or the original case notes. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars based on how well the author has with words and really capturing an event. I intend to read a few of the other books by him in which I have seen films.
Showing posts with label graphic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label graphic. Show all posts
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Review: The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum
This is my first time ever having read this author. I only heard of this author because I recalled something I read about Stephen King and he had mentioned this author. Of course, I had seen a few films based on Ketchum's books. Which were not for the faint-hearted. One thing I learned about this book was that it was based on a real-life murder of a young girl named Sylia Likens. Upon completing this book the author writes his thoughts on this book and he wanted to bring attention to child abuse and how tragic it is. Warning this book is very graphic in detail....even more graphic is what the real girl had gone through.
Jack Ketchum's writing totally sets up the environment like no other author I have read. He really puts you there and you feel like you can really envision the place and people he describes. This adds to the horror of the abuse the girl suffers and as if you were not already sickened by the pure evil of an adult over a child. He also reminds you what it feels like to be a child and to be powerless because adults rule over them. You would never imagine that things of this nature are even possible, but they are and have happened. The author captures the feel of the time period and how a lot of people were not even thinking this can happen. This was definitely a page-turner and one that I couldn't put down. You are in shock and awe most of the time wondering and even when you know how it will turn out you are still caught like a deer in headlights. The scenes were very gruesome in details and how cruel the characters could be when they would torture an innocent girl were beyond shocking. If you cannot easily stomach things of a graphic nature I would avoid reading this or the original case notes. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars based on how well the author has with words and really capturing an event. I intend to read a few of the other books by him in which I have seen films.
Jack Ketchum's writing totally sets up the environment like no other author I have read. He really puts you there and you feel like you can really envision the place and people he describes. This adds to the horror of the abuse the girl suffers and as if you were not already sickened by the pure evil of an adult over a child. He also reminds you what it feels like to be a child and to be powerless because adults rule over them. You would never imagine that things of this nature are even possible, but they are and have happened. The author captures the feel of the time period and how a lot of people were not even thinking this can happen. This was definitely a page-turner and one that I couldn't put down. You are in shock and awe most of the time wondering and even when you know how it will turn out you are still caught like a deer in headlights. The scenes were very gruesome in details and how cruel the characters could be when they would torture an innocent girl were beyond shocking. If you cannot easily stomach things of a graphic nature I would avoid reading this or the original case notes. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars based on how well the author has with words and really capturing an event. I intend to read a few of the other books by him in which I have seen films.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Who is the Villain? Film Review of Red White & Blue
I came across this film in a listing of 10 horror films that should be seen to be believed or something like that. As I watched this I had seen the ending of this film a very long time ago on IFC, which is who produced this movie. I rented a copy of it from Netflix, and no one is paying me to review this, which I will give my honest opinion on this film.
The movie does not start out at all like a horror film, and I kept asking myself...."why is this considered horror?" You see it starts out with a skanky girl named Erica, and we see how she goes from bar to bar just picking up random guys and sleeping with them. We later learn that she lives in a room for rent establishment and pays for her board by cleaning. The film jumps all over the place, and shows different players in the film. This really confused me, as the story telling is not right in your face and direct. The viewer kind of has to play detective and figure it out as the film progresses.
One of the other characters that is introduced is a man named Nate, who lives on the same floor as Erica. He seems to be a strange loner, who shyly observes Erica, and later helps her get a job where he works. One day he tells her this bizarre story about how he used to torture animals as a child. Creepy. They slowly develop a relationship, but not in the way one would expect.
At one point in the film Erica reveals just why she sleeps around, and "never fucks the same guy twice". She tells someone how when she was 4yrs old her mothers boyfriend raped her. So is she the victim or the villain?
I don't want to spoil this film for those who have yet to see it, but it has been called a revenge film, and if you put together all of the stuff I have mentioned already you may get an idea of just what happens to make this be considered a horror film. I liked this film, and rated it 4 out of 5 stars. I think it was a bit confusing at times, but kind of made sense in the end. There is no real marking the separation of time events, but only through paying attention to the dialogue. We also see near the end just why the film is named what it is, and this was another one of those moments where you had to pay attention to catch it.
The movie does not start out at all like a horror film, and I kept asking myself...."why is this considered horror?" You see it starts out with a skanky girl named Erica, and we see how she goes from bar to bar just picking up random guys and sleeping with them. We later learn that she lives in a room for rent establishment and pays for her board by cleaning. The film jumps all over the place, and shows different players in the film. This really confused me, as the story telling is not right in your face and direct. The viewer kind of has to play detective and figure it out as the film progresses.
One of the other characters that is introduced is a man named Nate, who lives on the same floor as Erica. He seems to be a strange loner, who shyly observes Erica, and later helps her get a job where he works. One day he tells her this bizarre story about how he used to torture animals as a child. Creepy. They slowly develop a relationship, but not in the way one would expect.
At one point in the film Erica reveals just why she sleeps around, and "never fucks the same guy twice". She tells someone how when she was 4yrs old her mothers boyfriend raped her. So is she the victim or the villain?
I don't want to spoil this film for those who have yet to see it, but it has been called a revenge film, and if you put together all of the stuff I have mentioned already you may get an idea of just what happens to make this be considered a horror film. I liked this film, and rated it 4 out of 5 stars. I think it was a bit confusing at times, but kind of made sense in the end. There is no real marking the separation of time events, but only through paying attention to the dialogue. We also see near the end just why the film is named what it is, and this was another one of those moments where you had to pay attention to catch it.
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