Tag: ghosts

Posted in Moments and Musings

Is Your TV Haunted?

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Anyone who knows me knows I love this time of year. I love the crisp chill in the air, the smell of burning firewood and cinnamon-flavored everything. (I say cinnamon because pumpkin is way overrated and I want to bring cinnamon back. I said what I said!) 

Halloween is big around here. We even have a black cat, which the dog thanks us for on a daily basis. (Maybe!) My apartment is all decked out with ceramic ghosts, jack-o-lanterns and black cats all over. There’s pumpkins everywhere!! We even have a small Halloween tree. Pretty much anything Hobby Lobby and Wal-Mart have to offer in the way of decorating is in my home. (Yes, I’m a Wal-Mart girl!) 

So, in the spirit of the season, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite Halloween movies/series sure to put the ghost in your TV and make you sleep with the lights on a night or two. Don’t worry – I’ll help you choose ones to watch with the family and which ones to wait until the kiddos are in bed. (These are in no particular order)

  1. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown – Definitely fun to watch with the kids. No jump scares. Just a boy with his blanket in a pumpkin patch. I’ve loved this movie since I was a child and, at 55 years old, I still watch it each year. I believe in the Great Pumpkin.
  2. The Haunted Mansion (circa Eddie Murphy) – Another one that’s fun for the whole family. Gather on the couch with the biggest bowl of popcorn you can and enjoy! Only one jump scare and lots of laughs. 
  3. The Haunted Mansion (circa Rosario Dawson) – I’ve only seen this one once so I can’t remember if there’s any jump scares. It may be too intense for the super younger crowd. Strong themes of grief and loss but much closer to the actual Disney World ride. Very enjoyable. 
  4. The Craft – Not recommended for tweenagers or younger, in my opinion due to some very intense scenes. Witchcraft is a major theme in this story but this is a cult classic that cannot be ignored at this time of year. 
  5. Poltergeist – Not recommended at all for kids as there are a few jump scares and scary scenes. Also, the subject matter is way over their head. However, it is excellent to watch with all the lights off at night. Go ahead, I dare you!
  6. The Haunting of Hill House – This is a Netflix miniseries. I wouldn’t recommend it for tweens and younger. Some teens may be able to handle but there are strong themes of addiction and suicide. There are ghosts EVERYWHERE, lots of jump scares and it’s an incredible story. Keep a box of Kleenex available for the last episode. 
  7. The Haunting of Bly Manor – Another Netflix miniseries again not for the kiddos. Themes include LGBTQ+ among others. Several jump scares but the backstory is my favorite part of this whole series. Every good ghost story starts with a good story of something tragic that happened in the past. This delivers that history quite well!
  8. Crimson Peak – Now, as a story, this isn’t high up on my list. However, if you’re looking for gothic romance/horror, this delivers. It’s a visually beautiful film with a little ghost story sewn in. Some minor gore. There’s also some nudity and a quick sex scene so not for the younger crowd at all. But – Tom Hiddleston. Need I say more? 
  9. Twitches 1 and 2 – Let’s get back to stuff the kids can watch. These two cheese-soaked Disney movies are super campy but loads of fun. Strong family themes and excellent for post trick-or-treating on Halloween night. You know, after the costumes are all put away for another year and the candy has been thoroughly checked. Safety first! 
  10. Hocus Pocus 1 and 2 – More fun for the family. I honestly was skeptical about Hocus Pocus 2 but it was absolutely adorable! There’s even a black cat that talks. If that’s not fun, I don’t know what is! 

Of course there are others that I didn’t include but are just as worthy, like the entire Harry Potter series but these are really my top ten watches. (Harry Potter is something I watch year round.) Not a Halloween goes by that I don’t curl up on my chair, with my fluffy, fleece tie blanket and a mug of tea and tuck into these movies. 

Happy Haunting! 

BTW – This idea was shamelessly stolen from my sweet sister, Liz, over at http://dippedinsparkles.blog/

Posted in Bookish and Bingeable

The Drowning Kind

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

By: Jennifer McMahon

I live by a small lake. I’ve never feared it until I read this book. The idea now is to stay away from the water. 

Jennifer McMahon does it again with The Drowning Kind. Such a wonderfully magical, haunting story full of intrigue and suspense. I read this in under 24 hours and I’m not even upset about any sleep I lost. 

Jax is a young woman mourning the loss of her estranged sister, who struggled with mental health issues. This loss leads her to her grandmother’s home, a place Jax and Lexie grew up in. The house is situated next to a pool believed to have magical powers. Family history is explored as Jax discovered the pool’s relationship with her family going back to her great grandparents who made a wish to the pool in exchange for a child. Jax finds out what Lexie did just before her death – the pool gives and takes in equal measure. 

What I loved about this book: 

  1. The story felt original and well plotted. The pace was excellent. Dual timelines told in perfect timing (no pun intended) left me with a complete picture as the past and present converged by the end of the book – a technique I particularly enjoy. 
  2. Inanimate objects given a life of their own. Another favorite of mine. The pool as well as the house and the land, even the hills behind the house (Lord’s Hill and The Devil’s Hill) were allowed names and personalities all their own. It was flawlessly done. 
  3. THE ENDING!!!! Chilling, shocking and so sad. And yet, it worked with the story. I think I would have been disappointed any other way. 

What I didn’t like about this book: 

  1. It’s made me think twice about those walks around the lake next to where I live. 
  2. I’ll miss going swimming. 

If you’re looking for a book to provide a good amount of creep-factor, read this! Then go read everything else by Jennifer McMahon. 

My rating: :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

Posted in Bookish and Bingeable

The Missing Girls of Alardyce House

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

By: Heather Atkinson

This book was…..weird. And not in a good way. 

Amy Osbourne’s parents are lost at sea prompting her to move from London to Edinbugh to live with her aunt and uncle at Alardyce House. The house is depressing and her aunt has mega control issues along with her son, Henry, who is a failed attempt at a broody Mr Darcy only meaner. Amy does get along with her uncle and the other son, Edward. Both men seem amiable and reasonable. Also, for added fun, there’s rumors of a serial killer on the loose with a taste for local, young girls and it would seem, has eyes on Amy for their next victim. 

Intrigued? I sure was. 

Set in Edinburgh in the 1880s, this story spans about 10 years, making both the story and book longer than it should have been. I usually like my stories to start with a jolt and then settle into the story – sort of like an espresso before my coffee kicks in. Unfortunately, there was no espresso and no coffee. Just lots of watered down tea. 

And lots of missed opportunities for trigger warnings. So let me include those here. This book deals with lots of torture, mental illness issues, rape, BDSM and sexual addictions. I’m sure I’m missing a couple. 

If you haven’t guessed it yet, I did not like this book. I’d never heard of this author before but, as this book was labeled as historical fiction and mystery, it never occurred to me there would be so much sex in it. Not a fan at all. Nevertheless, as I skimmed over those very unnecessary scenes, I found this story really wasn’t all that mysterious. 

I gave it two stars for the writing style. The descriptions of the era and time were well done and nicely researched. I didn’t get lost in the language so while it was appropriate for the times, it was easy to read. The book also held a nice pace, for the most part. No lagging or sagging anywhere. 

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD – YE HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

For the characters, I couldn’t really find one with any redeeming qualities. Amy never really grew on me. I had a hard time seeing her as a heroine of any kind. Edward and Matthew turned out to be less than stellar men (and that’s putting it mildly), Lenore was a total witch, Arthur was a wet mop of a man and Henry really was so noodly that I couldn’t believe him at all as a hero. 

Ok, for the story itself, much of it was predictable. Like, the quarterback-letting-everyone-know-the-play-before-he-ever-throws-the-ball predictable. For example, the second Amy mentioned being nervous about getting pregnant, I knew she would wind up pregnant. I also knew who the killer was before the killer was ever revealed so no surprise there. 

What I wasn’t prepared for, outside of the all the sex, was the torture. It went beyond the extremes of human suffering and the level of detail was unnecessary. I had to skim over those parts as well as it was too disturbing. 

As for the storyline itself, I couldn’t really understand what story was being told. The whole idea of a serial killer really was more of a backstory than a major part. Until the killer was revealed, which was half-way through the book, it really was more about Amy and how she was going to escape. So not a lot of mystery at all. 

I also wasn’t a fan of how it ended. I would say more but it’s completely unbelievable to me that it could possibly end on the cliffhanger that it did. Unfortunately, as this was the first in a trilogy, I won’t be reading on to see what actually happens. 

Overall, I felt like this has all the ingredients of great mystery and even a good ghost story but too many triggering elements plus all the sex and torture ruined it for me.

My rating: :star: :star:

NOTE – Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.