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(Book Review) Orphans of Wonderland: A Different Kind of Trip

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Orphans of Wonderland was my first experience with a Greg F. Gifune novel. It was definitely not what I thought it was going to be going in. I was expecting a rampaging satanic cult story. He even references the 80’s satanic cult craze and Sally Jesse Raphael (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exWUeQ53ICg). So there are some mentions and nods to the devil-worship scare of the 80’s, but Orphans of Wonderland is more of a mystery/psychological thriller.
It reminded me, at times, of the movie Sleepers.

Sleepers (Warner Home Video, 1997)

Sleepers (Warner Home Video, 1997)

 

You have a set of five best friends who experienced something bizarre on a weekend afternoon when a black car appears to be following them. The car charges them and the next thing they know, they’re waking up in a field and telling themselves “nothing happened”. It is a mantra they’ll repeat and swear by for decades.
This present part of the story begins when one of the friends (Lonnie) dies. Lonnie’s daughter reaches out to another of the friends, Joel, a newspaper reporter (and former novelist) and asks him to find out who killed her dad. Joel returns to his hometown in Massachusetts and begins to uncover some pretty crazy stuff. That’s when the suppressed memories of what happened to Joel and his friends as boys begin to flash through his mind, and his surviving hometown friends are not overly excited about being forced to look back.

So, what did happen to them? Who killed Lonnie? What does Joel discover? Orphan‘s mysteries unravel at slow and steady pace.  Gifune keeps you on the edge of your seat as he reveals just enough slivers to keep you turning the page.
There’s plenty of depth to this piece. Despite my initial let down in the lack of 80’s cult vibe, what Gifune delivers in its place is much meatier and very well written.
If you’re looking for something outside of monsters and serial killers, this would be a great novel to try.

I give it 4 stars!

 

 

GREG-1

Find all of Greg F. Gifune’s works on his Amazon page: HERE

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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Spirit Halloween Unleashes Life-Size ‘Ghostbusters’ Terror Dog

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Halfway to Halloween and the licensed merch is already being released for the holiday. For instance, the seasonal retailer giant Spirit Halloween unveiled their giant Ghostbusters Terror Dog for the first time this year.

The one-of-a-kind demonic dog has eyes that light up in a glowing, terrifying red. It’s going to set you back a whopping $599.99.

Since this year we saw the release of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, it’s probably going to be a popular theme come October. Spirit Halloween is embracing their inner Venkman with other releases tied to the franchise such as the LED Ghostbuster Ghost Trap, Ghostbusters Walkie Talkie, Life-Size Replica Proton Pack.

We saw the release of other horror props today. Home Depot unveiled a few pieces from their line which includes the signature giant skeleton and separate dog companion.

For the latest Halloween merch and updates get on over to Spirit Halloween and see what else they have to offer to make your neighbors jealous this season. But for now, enjoy a small video that features scenes from this classic cinematic canine.

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