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US Trailer Debut for 'Grand Piano'

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Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after a catastrophic performance, he reappears in public in a long awaited concert in Chicago. In a packed theater, in front of the expectant audience, Tom finds a message written on the score: "Play one wrong note and you die". Without leaving the piano, Tom must discover the anonymous sniper's motives and look for help without anyone realizing...

Grand Piano, starring Elijah Wood and John Cusack, hits VOD January 30th, 2014 (In Theaters March 7). 


Watch This Horrifying Montage of Near-Death Moments Caught on Camera

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Are you wearing clean underwear? Just checking, because you might have to change 'em after watching this compilation of real-life clips featuring the luckiest people ever to walk the earth... and if it weren't for miraculous timing (not to mention excellent reflexes and good brakes), they wouldn't be walking anywhere. Ever.
 
Lucky1
 
Sourced from all around the world and recorded by phones, security cameras and those ever-present Russian dash-cams, the 32 YouTube clips that comprise the “Lucky People Compilation” (arguably the most understated title in video history) would be scary enough if they were faked... but as far as we can tell, they're all totally real, and everyone walked away alive.
 
You're about to experience 4 1/2 minutes of heart-stopping, cold-sweating, pants-crapping terror that offers enough material for a half-dozen Final Destination sequels. My personal favorite begins at 3:08... that guy. Damn.
 

Book Review: 'Candy House' by Kate Jonez

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Candy House, the debut novel by Kate Jonez, sets magic and science against one another in one of the weirdest, wildest neighborhood disputes you'll ever read about. 
 
Candy_HouseRoland Childe is a 28-year-old professor with some… interesting theories he’s been working on. The theories have garnered him some attention in the scientific community, but not exactly the kind of attention he’s hoping for. His burgeoning reputation as a crackpot, combined with his explosive temper, has resulted in a broken career and a wrecked personal life. When we first meet the man, he’s moved back into his childhood home with his mother.
 
The Childes live next door to a family that’s anything but your ordinary suburban family. Instead it’s a wild clan of witches and demons, a colorful cast of characters with a mission – make sure science respects its boundaries and stays out of magic’s way. One of the ladies, an alluring woman named Hesperia, pegged young Roland years ago as someone who could make trouble for them in the future, and many of his current problems can be traced back to their time together when he was just a boy. Hesperia is bound to her house, and Roland’s ultimate destruction may be the only thing that can set her free. It’s a project she’s been patiently working on for years, but her feelings for him have slowed her progress over time.
 
It’s an interesting premise, and one that could have slid over into pure fantasy, but Jonez gives it a decidedly horrific slant. It’s also an ambitious piece of work, particularly for a first novel, and it sometimes reels out of the author’s control. There’s a pretty big cast to contend with, for one thing, and only so much time to flesh them all out into believable, impactful characters. Jonez also enjoys playing with time, pushing readers backwards and forwards in the story. That can be an effective storytelling tool when wielded with precision, but there are several instances where we’re lurching in and out of the present instead of flowing smoothly, a sure way to yank readers right out of the story.
 
On the plus side, Jonez has a vivid imagination and a total lack of fear when it comes to taking her narrative into uncharted territory. There are some truly original ideas and concepts in Candy House, and Jonez tackles them with obvious glee. That’s a rare and wonderful thing these days, and hopefully Jonez will continue to nurture her creativity while sharpening her ability.
 

Blu Gilliand is a freelance writer of fiction and nonfiction. He covers horror fiction at his blog, October Country, and contributes interviews to the Horror World website. Follow him on Twitter at @BluGilliand

 

Woman Travels the World With a Skeleton Named Sam

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Some people travel with their spouses or their family, or friends. Susan Weese decided to travel the world with a full-sized medical model skeleton named Samantha (Sam for short).

It started when Susan's husband bought her a skeleton for her birthday (something she asked for). Having taken courses in medical illustration, Susan was fascinated by bones.  She named her skeleton Sam and decided to do a 365 project in which she takes one photo per day of Sam and puts them on her blog. Susan had lots of travel planned, so that meant Sam was going to have to leave their Albuquerque home to travel around the world.

If you thought trying to get shampoo past airport security was tough, try getting a 42lb. human skeleton past the TSA. The Department of Agriculture in Newark had to make sure that Sam wasn't made of real bone (she's not). In Denver, the TSA took her skull apart (they found nothing). Delta said Sam was too heavy to fly to Berlin (she had to be shipped). Southwest lost her (she was eventually found, but came home in pieces).

In Texas, while posing Sam outside a bar, a drunk man stumbled out and thought his drinking had led to hallucinations. They were asked to leave Trocadero Plaza in Paris. Outside the American embassy in Berlin, Sam dropped her leg and the guards went for their guns. Sam danced with a pirate in Chicago - and was then kicked out of a Cubs game. She was ignored by locals in New York City, but an attraction to tourists. A California park ranger asked them to leave lest they give people "the wrong idea about my park." She photobombed newlyweds.  She has ridden in hot air balloons, baby strollers, Venice gondolas (by way of Las Vegas), bicycle rickshaws, a carousel, a fishing boat, and a party van.

I want to be Sam when I grow up.

View the entire 365 project on Susan's blog, The Knife Wife

Frightening Creature Caught on Camera in Oregon

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You'd think with all the modern day technology that exists, allowing anyone and everyone to snap pictures and film high quality video at a moment's notice, that one of these days someone would be able to finally document one of the many mythical creatures that people have for years been searching for and reporting sightings of.  Technology has made it easier than ever to capture the likes of Bigfoot, the Mothman and the Loch Ness Monster on film, and yet, such beasts still remain hidden away from the world.

Until now, that is - if you choose to believe that what you're about to see is real...

Though absolutely no story has been attached to it, the video below was recently uploaded on YouTube by the Video Agency of Audio Color World, and was allegedly filmed in the forests of Oregon earlier this month.  The 2 minute, 23 second long video shows a massive, long-limbed creature foraging around in the woods - presumably for bugs, or whatever the hell else strange unidentified monsters eat.  Though there's no way of knowing if the creature is real or just another hoax, the video is nevertheless incredibly fascinating and quite frightening, and we'll leave it to you to decide whether or not it's legit.

Check out the incredible video below, which we spotted over on Cryptozoology News.

Space Monster Destroys Astronauts in Hilarious Baked Beans Commercial

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Beans, beans, they're good for your heart, the more you eat, the more you fart.

So goes the popular children's song, which suggests that eating beans is quite good for you.  But what the song doesn't tell you is that beans can also be bad for you.  Really, really bad for you.  Let's just say you better hope those farts are silent, because if not, they could be quite deadly...

That's the clever angle that visual effects studio Cinesite took with this hilarious faux baked beans commercial they just whipped up, which highlights the extreme dangers of bean consumption.  Written and directed by Alvise Avati, the commercial is the very first animated short film to be made by the company, and it was created to show off the skills of Cinesite's visual effects artists.  And those skills are very impressive, to say the least.

Perhaps it's true that in space, no one can hear you scream.  Thanks to Cinesite, we now know that the same doesn't apply for farts.  Check out their hilarious mock beans commercial below, which came to our attention courtesy of Ad Week!

Is This a Moth... or a Fuzzy Miniature Demon?

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The Venezuelan Poodle Moth first became a thing back in 2009, when photos of a pudgy, white and cuddly-looking winged critter began circulating the web. According to Snopes.com, the most commonly-shared image (shown below) was not only a fake moth made of felt, but a model of a completely different species – most likely the Chinese silkworm moth.
 
Poodle_Moth1
 
Despite all the confusion, the Venezuelan Poodle Moth is not a mythical creation, but a real creature... and it's not quite as huggable as the replica shown above. In fact, it looks very much like a furry white minion of hell.
 
Poodle_Moth2
Photo © Dr. Arthur Anker
 
The moth was discovered by Dr. Arthur Anker, who photographed it during a visit to Venezuela's Gran Sabana National Park. He documented his findings in this Flickr gallery.

Best of 2013: Top Five Board Games

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Not too long ago the closest thing we had to a "horror board game" was the Ouija Board, but times have changed. The board game industry is alive and kicking, and as a result all good genres get proper representation. It seems horror resonates the most with board game companies, because we saw a slew of awesome new games come across our play table. Some of these games are twisted, some are spooky, some (okay, let's be honest, most) have something to do with H.P. Lovecraft. But these five games rose above the rest to deliver fright-filled competitive and cooperative play! Game on, horror fans, and check out these 2013 releases.

Eldritch Horror

Have you ever wanted to play a game where you felt like the world was crumbling all around you? In 'Eldritch Horror'… you can! Inspired by the stories and themes of H.P. Lovecraft and his Cthulhu Mythos, players of 'Eldritch Horror' take on the role of globe-trotting investigators attempting to unravel the threat of the Ancient Ones. These creatures, immense in power and scope, hope to take over and destroy our world. Each Ancient One is its own play experience, and you choose which Ancient One you'll go up against at the start. That foe has its own sets of challenges and difficulties, so gameplay always feels fresh. As an investigator, players will attempt to gather clues to solve the mystery of their doom. But there's always a cost! Players could end up in debt, involved in a dark pact with a sinister force, with broken bones, or with lost memories. The scope of this game, for one to eight players, is immense. You'll have to fly to Rome, squabble in the streets of Boston, and traverse the depths of an ancient jungle all before the game ends. Trouble's all around, and we love this innovative game for making us feel so helpless in the face of evil!

Ghooost 

This super-light board game (that means the rules are easy to learn and there isn't much strategy) is all about spooky family fun! The game features a series of cards numbered from one to fourteen, and play revolves around players playing cards in sequential order. What makes this game so great is the amazing artwork. Every card depicts a different spooky ghost. All of the designs are adorable and family friendly, and the gameplay follows suit. You may see a card with a creepy stuffed doll, or a brave little boy scout, or the son of Frankenstein's Monster. Playing these cards, one after another, is a play experience akin to Uno. So, if you've ever wanted to play a quick, crowd-pleaser of a game with a horror tinge… 'Ghooost' is the game for you! While we love complicated games, sometimes we want to sit down and teach our little brothers how to play too (and if we can scare them senseless… all the better)!

A Study In Emerald

If simple games aren't your style, then take a look at 'A Study In Emerald.' In this wonderfully complex board game from designer Mark Wallace, players take sides in the tenuous struggle for control of 19th century Europe. Seeing as this board game is based on the Neil Gaiman-scribed short story of the same name, we know it's not that cut and dry. The greatest fears of all of H.P. Lovecraft's stories have come true. Cthulhu and the Great Old Ones have taken over the world and are quietly pulling the strings from behind the curtain. Mixing Sherlock Holmes with zombies, vampires, and a world invasion, players must choose their allegiances. You are either a player for the resistance (who want to burn the evil system down), or you're a loyalist fighting to maintain the status quo. Players bid for control of various cities in Europe, make secret plans with (or without) the help of other members of their teams, and eventually someone will come out on top. Now this is a quite complicated board game, but hey - we love a game we can really wrap our tentacles around!

Rampage

Remember that classic "giant monster" arcade game called Rampage? Here's its spiritual successor in board game form. Borrowing more than just the name from that classic city smasher, 'Rampage' is all about doing as much destruction as possible. You score points when your monster eats people (adorably represented by little wooden figures known in the gaming world as "meeples"), you score points when your monster crushes buildings, you score points when... well, when anything devastating happens. But that's not even the best part! 'Rampage' is a physical game, a game of dexterity and chaos where the player physically interacts with the board. To replicate the monsters' breath weapons players can blow on the board game. To reproduce the effect of a giant monster stomping down on a city players can drop their monster on the buildings. There are rules and times for doing all these crazy actions, but when you get to throw a bus into a building it really does feel like you're a giant monster terrorizing the city. Get out your aggression with this fun, rules-light board game!

Risk: The Walking Dead

The dead walk among us. The world as we know it has fallen. Do you have what it takes to lead your group of survivors through the Southeast of the United States and claim as much territory as you can? That's right, it's the classic board game 'Risk'… with The Walking Dead flavor! We love this game because we already really love Risk. But this version adds so much to the original game of global conquest. You and your followers must compete for control of areas as diverse as "Elementary School," "Landfill," and "Downtown Woodbury." Weren't we supposed to vie for control of France in the original? Talk about tightening the scope on 'Risk'! Not only will you struggle against your foes in competing sectors, you'll also have to square off against the hordes of undead that spawn at the beginning of every round. Life post-apocalypse isn't easy, but if you really want to control that Landfill you've got to fight for it! We love this game for giving 'Risk' the horror spin we've been craving, the fact that it's a 'Walking Dead' license is just icing on the cake!


Gift Guide: Horror Nesting Dolls

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Horror begets horror begets horror with these hand-carved, hand-painted nesting dolls. What may be a dream to some becomes a nightmare as you open Jason and find Freddy; open Freddy and find Michael Myers; open Michael Myers and find Ghostface; open Ghostface and find an ityy-bitty Chucky. Chucky is where the horror stops... for now...

$25 at Etsy

Menagerie of Micro-Monsters Takes Top Honors in Photo Contest

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Just because you can't see some of these tiny horrors with the naked eye doesn't mean they aren't scary as hell.
 
Caddisfly1
 
Out of more than 2,000 entries from over 70 countries, the top winners in the Tenth Annual Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition include a carnivorous plant called a humped bladderwort, the ghostly embryo of a black mastiff bat and a caddisfly larva (above) that looks like it's about to eat your face.
 
Bladderwort1
 
According to Yahoo News, Igor Siwanowicz took First Prize for this laser-scope photo of the bladderwort, which sounds scary enough thanks to its habit of sucking in passing creatures like the Sarlacc from Return of the Jedi, but it's even more alien-looking after being treated with a glowing dye.
 
Ghostbat1
 
Second Prize went to Dorit Hockman, who used a stereo microscope to capture this bat embryo in its colorless “peek-a-boo” stage, which makes it look like a bashful ghost.
 
Check out all the winning BioScape photos in this gallery at LiveScience.

Best of 2013: The Year's Top 13 Horror-Friendly Albums

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In the realm of dark musical delights, 2013 has been quite a historic year: legends in their respective genres returned and/or reunited, while others marked the swan songs of their careers; iconic artists turned out some of their finest work, while some innovative up-and-comers set loose fresh and evil earworms on our collective brains. Honestly, it was damn near impossible for me to narrow the list down to just thirteen entries – a mere Top 10 was out of the question – and cutting names felt like chopping off my own extremities (which I'll admit would be an impressive journalistic statement, but could lead to unpleasant side effects I'd rather not deal with). Still, I found a way to make it work. Well... okay, I cheated, actually. More on that later. But for now, let's cycle back through 2013 – definitely a banner year for scary sounds!
 
[Be sure to click on the titles for full album reviews.]
 
2013_Maniac
 
 
If you associate old-school electronic music with horror movies from the late '70s and early '80s, you'll love the chilling and hauntingly tragic motifs summoned by French composer Rob for Franck Khalfoun's astoundingly excellent slasher reboot. Rob perfectly captures that vintage vibe, but Maniac doesn't play like a nostalgic retread; there's an emotional core to these melodies that extends far beyond the faithful recreation of an era. It's genuinely soulful, which actually enhances the tension. Add to that an impressive vinyl release by Mondo (itself treated to a superb remaster), and you'll be transported to a golden age of lo-fi grindhouse horror. No question, Maniac is this year's best horror album.
 
2013_NIN
 
 
While Trent Reznor took a lengthy hiatus from his legendary band, forging a successful career as a film composer and launching the excellent group How To Destroy Angels (their album Welcome Oblivion nearly made this list), he never really strayed too far from his field. Hesitation Marks is case in point, combining the sleek pulse of his debut Pretty Hate Machine with the gritty production of The Fragile and the dark ambient experimentation of Ghosts. Trent also manages to pull off a delicate balancing act between accessibility and emotional rawness, which for me represents the very essence of Nine Inch Nails.
 
2013_WitchHouse
 
 
Rock opera is really tough to pull off without stumbling into pretension, and I think the only way to really make it work is to go as crazy as possible with the material. You wouldn't think Lovecraft's prose would lend itself to a blend of Broadway-style musical and European gothic metal, but this team must have struck a deal with the Elder Gods, because this is some seriously epic shit. The narrative sticks closely to the source tale, and a huge lineup of international talent brings the madness to life, aided by bombastic sound effects and surprisingly poignant moments of drama.
 
2013_P9
 
 
I'd long feared that Psyclon Nine, one of the most evil-sounding bands ever to enter a studio space, had signed off forever after their epic release We the Fallen... so I was overjoyed to learn they were returning for one last dip into the plasma pool. Founder/frontman Nero Bellum has endured a rough few years, and his personal anguish splatters all over this album, laid bare by a leaner production style that favors grit and grime over the more grandiose, cinematic style of their previous work. But Nero and company still compose on an apocalyptic scale, and after playing this album you'll be tempted to check outside to see if the rest of the world still exists.
 
2013_DR3
 
 
This may be the first game soundtrack to make the “Year's Best” cut, but it wasn't a close call; the score to the latest installment in the epic zombie game franchise is supreme in every way, even in a year of excellent game music. Not only is series composer Oleksa Lozowchuk joined by Brian Reitzell (30 Days of Night) and Jeremy Soule (Elder Scrolls), a host of talented cyber-rockers (including regular FEARnet fave Celldweller) also join in the fun, resulting in a massive 40-track collection representing virtually every musical moment from the game. Extra props go to Sumthing Else Music Works for a downloadable version clocking in at over five hours.
 
2013_SkinnyPuppy
 
 
Another of my all-time faves returned this year with one of the finest releases in a long and illustrious career. This pioneering electro duo never disappoints, but they returned to their roots for their latest studio album, which fuses their early-era song structures with their highly topical postmodern experimentation, wrapped in a shroud of horror imagery and dark-future atmosphere that has always been the band's greatest strength. That skill for blending haunting moods with intense emotional content has kept SP's music fresh, shocking and relevant for over thirty years, and I'm already stoked for their next offering.
 
2013_Sabbath
 
 
The only musical event that came close to eclipsing the return of Nine Inch Nails was the long-awaited (and constantly delayed) reunion of the original grand masters of dark rock. While the failure to bring original drummer Bill Ward back into the Sabbath fold caused much distress among the faithful, founding trio Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne not only managed to summon the dark and bluesy spirit of the group's earliest albums, but infused the new songs with a lively, jam-session vibe that I totally wasn't expecting... especially after all the commotion in the run-up to this release. It was well worth the wait.
 
2013_DOA
 
 
Industrial-metal mastermind Kristof Bathory brought forth this highly-anticipated and most welcome release – Dawn of Ashes' first full-length studio album since their overtly metal release Genocide Chapters (they put out a couple of excellent interim EPs hinting at a new creative direction) and tapping into the extreme terror EBM elements that dominated the first phase of their career. The result is a demonic hybrid of everything that has worked best for the band over the years, and represents their most focused, intense and truly terrifying output.
 
2013_Autopsy
 
 
Reuniting in 2008 after a 16-year hiatus and celebrating their 25th anniversary last year, the pioneering death metal quartet continues to prove they've still got that old black magic. Their sixth full-length studio album is even darker and more sinister than 2011's critically-acclaimed Macabre Eternal, and they've truly embraced their horror influences with this release, wrapping a raw and gritty package of death, thrash and doom in spectacularly gruesome promo art, including zombified portraits of the band that are just screaming for poster-sized editions.
 
2013_MidSynd
 
 
The Halloween music masters topped themselves this year with a gorgeous tribute to monsters of the silver screen. Not only did they secure official images of Universal favorites, they crafted old-school symphonic compositions and 3D soundscapes that transport the listener to Frankenstein's laboratory, Dracula's castle and the misty moors where the Wolf Man prowls by moonlight. Much like their innovative release Carnival Arcane, Monsters of Legend puts the emphasis on storytelling, creating a full-scale sense of cinema and casting you as the protagonist in a classic horror film. One of the best lights-out listening experiences of the year.
 
2013_GWAR
 
 
The ultimate monsters of metal chose to stick together following the death of guitarist Cory Smoot (a.k.a. Flattus Maximus) last December, and I think it was ultimately the right thing to do. Battle Maximus became a twofold landmark in the Scumdogs' three decades of debauchery: it honors Smoot's musical legacy (it was recorded at the new Slave Pit Studios, which he helped design), and hails the arrival of new axe-man Brent Purgason in the role of Pustulus Maximus, taking his own place in the mighty GWAR canon. Stylistically, it represents a solid union of the band's blistering punk/thrash roots and their darker, thicker post-millennial mode.
 
2013_Ghost
 
 
The sophomore release from the acclaimed Swedish occult rockers follows seamlessly from their amazing debut Opus Anonymous, with the enigmatic team delving even deeper into the same vintage style. The hooky, pop-infused rock melodies still create a shocking counterbalance to their blatantly satanic lyrics, but this time they're augmented with slightly darker tones, more complex song structures, and expansive production that includes symphonic and choral passages. The fact that the band carries off their flamboyantly satanic approach with zero irony makes me appreciate them even more... and damn, these songs are catchy.
 
2013_RobZombie
 
 
No list of horror rock would be complete without an entry from RZ, and thankfully his fifth full-length studio album is a winner. Released on RZ's own label Zodiac Swan, Venomous Rat is something of a Zombie time machine: where his previous release Hellbilly Deluxe 2 sequelized his most popular and career-defining solo release, this project recalls key moments from the earlier White Zombie years, while drawing more heavily on the raunchy, bluesy tone that highlighted 2006's Educated Horses. It's also one of the most fun releases in the Zombie catalog,  proving that Rob and his team still have some imaginative tricks left in their collective hats.
 

As I mentioned earlier, it was almost physically painful to narrow this list down to just thirteen entries... so I totally cheated and tossed in thirteen runners-up. Just like the titles listed above, these picks cover the full spectrum of dark music genres from horror metal to dark pop, and again include some legendary names alongside indie artists who deserve big-time props. Unlike those above, however, these are sorted in alphabetical order (I had to draw the line somewhere), but all are quite worthy of praise, and you can read more about them by clicking on the titles.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This Mild-Mannered Caterpillar Transforms Into a Snake

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We've seen our share of diabolical caterpillars lately... from carnivorous acrobats to living land-mines made of deadly poison-filled spines. But this is the first caterpillar we've seen that can pull off a natural Jekyll-and-Hyde routine. We present the larva of the Mesechites trifida, or hawk moth, in its normal state. Pretty basic nature stuff, right?
 
Snake_Larva1
 
But when threatened, that little guy can do this:
 
Snake_Larva2
 
Yup... he just blew up his body into a pretty good imitation of a snake.
 
Native to Central America, this critter is able to replicate the appearance of a snake's head and body, all the way down to spots that resemble the eyes. It will even mimic the movements of a snake, scaring the potential predator into thinking it's about to bite!

Dangerous Games: 'Elder Sign' Board Game Review

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The chair creaks as you settle onto it. The candlelight flickers. All around you the ravenous faces of your so-called friends twist in delight as you slowly open the box laid out on the table. Welcome to Dangerous Games! Each week, we'll feature a horror/thriller/monster tabletop game you should be playing. Don't be scared… roll the dice… what's the worst that could happen?
 
Elder_Sign1
 
Elder Sign
 
"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn" *cough cough* Oh, excuse me, I had something caught in my throat. What I meant to say was, "In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming." That’s right, board gamers, even the elder gods get plenty of attention on hobby shop shelves. Dead Cthulhu waits dreaming and now, with the board game Elder Sign, you can wake him up (Pro tip: don’t wake him up)!
 
Elder Sign is an awesome adventure card/board game for one to eight players. Released in 2011 by Fantasy Flight Games, Elder Sign puts the players in the ill-fated role of adventurers and explorers stuck in a museum of curiosities. As time ticks by, the cracks between our world and the outer worlds thins in the museum, and it's a race against the clock to find elder signs to seal away the monsters!
 
Elder_Sign3
 
Game Mechanics
 
Each player works in cooperation with each other player to try and save the world from Cthulhu and his buddies. A map of cards is set out under a clock which tracks the progress of the elder gods. Each turn players attempt to move to different areas of the "map" and resolve actions on the cards. Maybe you're investigating a strange noise you heard in the basement. Or maybe you're taken on a creepy guided tour. No matter what the action, the players must roll custom dice and match the symbols on the dice to the symbols on the cards. If they fail to do so, they lose sanity or stamina (or maybe both).
 
If the players succeed, they get weapons, unique items (like the Necronomicon), clues, and hopefully an elder sign to help them in the fight against the elder gods. This is totally a dice-based system, and plays out kind of like Nyarlathotep Yahtzee.
 
If the game proceeds to the point where the elder god du jour awakens, it becomes a mad dash to destroy him before he destroys you (and the whole world). When I last played, we were able to seal up the portal before Ithaqua came and froze us solid.
 
Elder_Sign5
 
Replay Value
 
I've only played this game a few times, but I'm dying to play again. The subtle balance between luck and wit keep this game fresh. Also, there are plenty of Great Old Ones to battle, and tons of different cards/rooms to explore. Add to that the various abilities of the different characters players can choose from, and this becomes a very high-variant game.
 
Overall Impressions
 
If you're a Cthulhu fan this game is a must. It's quick and fun to play (clocking in at an hour to two hours tops). It's extremely easy to learn (and teach to others). The artwork looks exactly how you'd want it to look, and the play experience keeps you on the edge of your seat. Will you roll that last scroll symbol you need to roll? Will you die a horrible death at the hands of some twisted beast? Probably, but you'll definitely come back for more. 

Exclusive Clip From 'Open Grave'

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What would you do if you randomly woke up in a pit of dead bodies with no memory of who you are or how you got there? That's what happens to Sharlto Copley ('District 9') in the upcoming 'Open Grave,' which we be released via VOD digital outlets on December 24th and in select theaters January 3rd. Below you'll find an exclusive clip from the feature in which Copley discovers that everyone very well may be out to get him! You can also find the 'Open Grave' full theatrical trailer from our previous post. 

 

 

Video Premiere: Get Your Holiday Shock Treatment in Brian Kroll's 'Flight Deck (For Christmas)'

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We won't lie to you... sometimes this time of year can get a little crazy. But we're betting even your most insane holiday scenario can't compare with the deranged Christmas clip you're about to see.
 
Flight_Deck1
 
Alt-rocker Brian Kroll seems to have a rather cynical view of the season, as suggested by his super-dark but incredibly hooky tune “Flight Deck (for Christmas),” which weaves the sordid and surreal tale of a man pushed over the edge by annoying family get-togethers. The track is brought to hilariously nightmarish life by the Canadian filmmaking duo Beans & Bueller, who enact Kroll's twisted tale with a cast of seriously creepy puppets.
 
Flight_Deck3
 
The “Flight Deck” video, which makes its World Premiere right here, features all kinds of cozy Christmas traditions – you know, like chainsaw rampages, projectile vomiting, carpet-bombing, and a little do-it-yourself shock therapy. Fire it up and have a happy, horrifying holiday!
 

Fan Gives Video Game 'The Last of Us' a LEGO Makeover

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Zombies once again dominated the genre landscape in all forms of media this year, with The Walking Dead gobbling up ratings on TV and Warm Bodies topping the charts at the box office.  In video game land, 2013 saw the release of The Last of Us, which FEARnet's own Carl Lyon just crowned one of the best horror-inspired video games of the year.  In the gory and grotesque game, zombies have taken over, and a badass dude is tasked with protecting a young girl, both of them fighting for survival in a quickly collapsing world.  To say that Carl's not alone in his opinion of the game would be an understatement, to say the least.

YouTuber Brian Anderson is one of those fans who wholeheartedly agrees with Carl's assessment, and he's just shown off his love for the game in a pretty unique, and totally awesome way.  I'm not sure how it happened, but the LEGO brand has become bigger than ever in recent years, everything from Star Wars to the Avengers being turned into LEGO video games.  But what if a video game became a... LEGO video game?  And what if that video game was The Last of Us?

Check out Brian's incredible mash-up video below, which includes a twist ending that I've got a feeling many of you are going to love!

Santa Destroys the World in Hilarious 'Scientifically Accurate' Video

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I think that by now, everyone reading this has come to terms with the fact that Santa Claus is not real - no spoiler alerts necessary.  But what if he was?  What if there really was a jolly fat guy and what if he really traveled to millions of homes on Christmas morning, delivering millions of presents to millions of children?  What kind of strain would that put on him, his reindeer, and the world at large?  Well, as you might imagine, the results of such an epic journey would be quite catastrophic to all parties involved - including the child laborers elves.

This hilarious new video from Fox's Animation Domination imagines a world where Santa is indeed real, and shows what would really happen if he were to do the things children around the world think that he does every year.  It's not pretty, to say the least.

So put the kids to sleep and find out the face-melting, reindeer-burning truth in 'Scientifically Accurate Santa Claus'!

DIY Monster Makers: Deck the Halls with Body Parts from Extreme Gore Store

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Have you heard the old expression “The walls have ears?” Well, Los Angeles artist Tim Gore takes that saying to literal extremes with his three-dimensional creations, which also give those walls eyes, mouths, and a few other disturbing parts as well.
 
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A visit to Tim's “Extreme Gore Store” on Etsy is a like a flip through Leatherface's personal scrapbook: mutated strips of skin, sewn-up lips, punctured eyeballs and other uncomfortably realistic horrors are on display, all elegantly framed and ready to hang in your living room.
 
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Gore's 25 years of experience in makeup effects and toy design is evident in these pieces, which are crafted from silicone and polyurethane and hand-painted. Check out the full collection on Etsy!

Catch the First Three Minutes of 'Big Ass Spider!'

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With a title like Big Ass Spider!, you know what you are getting: big ass spiders. The new horror/comedy from director Mike Mendez stars Greg Grunberg and Lombardo Boyar as an exterminator and security guard who somehow get involved when a government experiment goes horribly awry and unleashes a... well,  a big-ass spider on an unsuspecting Los Angeles.

Big Ass Spider! stomps onto blu-ray and DVD on January 7th, but you can watch the first three minutes right here, right now (and yes, you get to see the big-ass spider):

Best of 2013: Top Five TV Deaths

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The last year was surprisingly weak for small-screen deaths - yet the good ones went big. Really big. The Vampire Diaries went soft this last year. True Blood is usually a good source for bloody nonsense, but with the absence of showrunner Alan Ball, I guess we know who brought the red stuff. And I have pretty much blocked the final season of Dexter from my memory.

Yet those that made the list are the kinds of things that stick with you for awhile. They may not involve buckets of blood or dripping entrails, but they are unique and upsetting. These are TV’s best deaths.

The Walking Dead Episode 316: “Welcome to the Tombs”

The Walking Dead is always known for gruesome and gory deaths - of both people and zombies. There are certainly plenty of amazing deaths, but the one that sticks out in my mind is the season finale, in which the Governor shoots everyone. Literally. In his frustration with the prison group, he just mows down dozens of his own people. It was a war atrocity, pure and simple. It wasn’t the gore or violence that stuck with me; it was the cold brutality of the kill.

The Following Episode 103: “The Poet’s Fire”

This is possibly the most disgusting suicide I could ever comprehend. Carroll conspirator Jordy is shot and in police custody at the hospital. He realizes he has said too much and needs to kill himself in shame. But he’s cuffed. The only thing he can reach is the gauze covering his bullet wound. And he can only reach it with his mouth. So he gnaws on the bloody, scabby, pus-soaked bandage until he literally suffocates on it. I cannot think of anything more vile.

American Horror Story Episode 309: “Head”

Hank strolls into Marie’s shop and starts shooting people left and right. This is not what makes it one of the best deaths of the year. It is Hank’s death that wins. Queenie, having been shot in Hank’s rampage, is alive but not terribly mobile. She grabs one of his discarded guns, but can’t get a good angle on him. So she does something even better, and more guaranteed: she puts the gun in her own mouth and pulls the trigger. Queenie is the human voodoo doll. Anything she does to herself can be transferred to another person. So when she shot herself in the head, nothing happened to her - but Hank’s brains were sprayed out all over the shop.

Hannibal Episode 102: “Amuse-Bouche”

We don’t see the actual attack - all the violence comes from the description of how tonight’s victims died. They were put into diabetic comas, buried in shallow graves, and force-fed a sugar solution to keep the bodies alive long enough to grow special mushrooms. It is such a fascinatingly complex process that could only be pulled off by a mad genius. The victims weren’t  actually killed; that was just a byproduct of using them as mulch.

Under the Dome Episode 101: “Pilot”

I was not a fan of this show, but I was a fan of death-by-dome. While trucks and planes crashing into the invisible dome were cool, the shining moment of this series was the poor cow who was caught by the dome when it dropped. It was cut lengthwise, right down the middle, like a very disturbing science project.

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