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Ghost Adventures – Lemp Mansion and Brewery – S10E02

image For this episode the guys head out to St. Louis to investigate the Lemp Mansion and Brewery. The Lemp family came to St. Louis from Germany and established the first Lager Brewery. This was a new style of ale for the region and it took off with great success. Unfortunately, the family was plagued with tragedy as 3 members of the family committed suicide in the home.  William Lemp Sr and Jr both killed themselves in the house via a gunshot wound to the head. Charles Lemp later died the same way and was the last Lemp to live in the house. Not to be outdone, Elsa Lemp, daughter to William Sr also took her own life by way of the gun, but she died at a different residence. Clearly, there are cases of instability and most like mental illness in this poor family.

But mental illness isn’t good enough for Zak and the gang. Oh no, this has to be the work of a curse and it has to be tied to the Native Americans. The problems with this family have are because of dark energy and must be linked to the tunnels under the mansion and brewery. It’s rumored the Indians used these tunnels and they of course suspect restless spirits are at work down there. This is confirmed when they aren’t able to open one of the doors that leads into the tunnels. Let’s just ignore the fact that the workman says he doesn’t have the keys.

This certainly ranks as one of the worst episodes and really proves that Zak is an arrogant ass, a bully and quite frankly a pansy. I first have to say I’m sick and tired of their cut scene reenactments that are so over the top as to look stupid. The whole intro to this show talks about their credibility and their reputation and then within seconds they’re showboating and using theatrics to try and make the place dark and sinister. It’s pretty damn pathetic.

But on to the investigation. It should come as no surprise that even before they walk in the door, Zak is talking about all the dark energy and the family being cursed. This coupled with the horror movie style dramatizations seals the deal that this place is demonic right off the bat. No need to be objective, their minds are made up and they are shaping the show to fit their mindset. Is it me or does it look like they’re modeling their characters after those in Grave Encounters?

The claims are also pretty damn outrageous. Pictures are supposedly turned upside down and chairs move around the place. There is also the feeling of sadness and loss as you go from room to room. There is even talk that the spirits yell at you.

As they investigate they of course see orbs of energy flying around and every voice hey hear is dark and sinister. There’s even the standard slamming of the metal door.

The big moment to me was Zak down in the cellar of this building where he about soils himself, yet again. He claims he’s uncontrollably staring into the room and then when he hears a noise he jumps out of his skin and damn near knocks everyone out of the way to make an escape. He then bullies Aaron to go into the same room because he’s too damn scared to do it himself. Seems like Aaron and Nick are a bit tired of the crap and opt to leave him down there alone while they check out the upper floors. Zak damn near has a fit and starts spewing obscenities at them. They keep going and ditch him.

Shortly thereafter Zak’s flashlight goes out and he instantly starts to panic. He’s shaking, his voice is cracking and he demands Nick and Aaron come back to save him. You can even see when he hears a noise he almost soils himself a second time he’s so damn scared. I was laughing at his plight and how much of a pansy he is when left on his own. He did this same damn thing last episode where some blob shows up on his Xbox Kinect and his voice goes into a shrill panic that something is coming right at him. My god, he’s been doing this for 10 years and this is what happens when he’s alone? Grow a set!!

Since nothing is happening with this investigation they turn to the standby of orbs and "I feel heavy sadness in this room". Junk is flying around the room which Zak states is spirit energy and while laying on the bed in the Master Bedroom he says how sad he feels. Give  it a rest.

They didn’t capture anything of note in this investigation, but since they made such a big deal about the dark energy, curses and Indian burial grounds, they have to milk everything little thing as much as they can. Plus, what sort of haunted restaurant can the owners run if these guys don’t find anything? Sales would plummet!

Yes, the Lemp family suffered a great deal of loss in this house, but they don’t have anything that supports their baseless claims. They scared the crap out of themselves while standing in the dark like Shaggy and Scooby. Seems more likely this family had illness and they sadly crumbled to the pressures they put themselves under.

This episode was a joke and I can do nothing but laugh at just how childish Zak can be.

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American Horror Story – Freakshow – S01E01

image I just got done with the premiere episode of American Horror Story and I have to say it didn’t disappoint and it managed to stick in plenty of creepy characters. Right off the bat we get the creepy damn clown who has quite the penchant for stabbing people and keeping them prisoner. Of course, you have to wonder, is that a mask? Somehow I think not.

We also have the Siamese twins who have been rescued from the hospital so they can be the main attraction at the show. We have Lobster Boy, who has an interesting set of hands that seem to be a big hit with the ladies. Oh my goodness, I’m not sure if he’s using his powers for good or not. The other cast of characters include the bearded lady, the contortionist (who showed the entire tent a good time), the world’s smallest woman, the tall woman and several other characters who talents we are sure to meet along the way.

In the center ring we have Elsa, the woman who brings all the talent together. Her dream is to be famous or perhaps recapture the fame she once had. She enjoys being in the limelight and these new attractions will help give the troupe the boost they need to sell seats.

So we have the Siamese twins who have a few skeletons in their closet. We have Lobster Boy who has done away with the local constabulary because he was going to take away the twins and he used the word "freak" one too many times. We have the sinister clown that has a way with a pair of scissors and seems to collect people as toys. And we have Elsa who’s past I’m sure is so twisted and demented we’re going to shake our heads in disbelief.

But a damn fine kickoff to this season. And if you happen to catch the preview for the rest of the season more characters are on the way. This is going to be pretty damn exciting and oh so damn creepy. I already don’t like that clown. He’s not giving me nightmares yet, but then again he’s only been around for one episode. I have a feeling by the time we figure out his story and see the path of bodies he leaves in his wake, that guy is going to mess me up. I can already see we are going to see some really interesting people in this season.

So what do you think? Is this going to be the most bizarre season yet?

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American Horror Story – Freakshow

image Tomorrow is the new season of American Horror Story – Freakshow and from everything I’ve seen this is going to be even more messed up that the seasons that have before it. You know darn well and good their going to come up with the most bizarre and unusual things to throw at us this season. I’ve seen a few of the commercials and while we have them, we’re going to go far beyond the bearded lady. They even have the world’s smallest woman onboard so you know they scouted high and low for some thrills and shocks.

From what I can gather this season will focus on some murders that take place in a farming community and the horror it instills can be used to the advantage to the circus carnies. It also tells of the owner looking for new "attractions" for his freakshow. Considering we are right around the corner from Halloween there is going to be plenty of grim and outrageous scenes. And I have every reason to believe there will be some scene and a story involving demonic and twisted clowns that will make the Pennywise from IT seem tame. I’m looking forward to it!

The first episode of the new season is tomorrow night, Oct 8. The episodes run right throw Halloween so you know this is going to be twisted!

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Forever – Interesting stories and an interesting look at life

image There are several things I like about Forever, the first being it’s actually got a British actor using what I assume is his natural speaking voice and it has interesting mysteries to solve. I have to say, I think it’s a shame that US shows hire foreign actors and then change their voices. You can hear this in the Mentalist, Rush, House and others. Considering most people enjoy hearing a different style of accent, why does this keep happening?

Anyway, Forever actually has a nice sound to it and I like how there is a narration where we get to hear more about a character and what they’re thinking. I liked how Dexter used this and it was also something we heard (although not very often) on the show Silk Stalkings way back in the 90s. I think this is a neat device and I think a show like Forever uses it to their advantage. There is a whole lot of backstory for Henry Morgan so it’s nice to get a little bit of that insight.

I wouldn’t say it’s subtle, nor would I say it’s blatant, but there is the undertone of what goes into a life. Henry has lived for 200 years and he sees it as a curse. Would the rest of us feel that way? What we do if he had nearly unlimited time? Henry speaks of relationships and growing old and what it’s like to love and lose that love. While none of us can live forever, there is the message that we should make the most of the time we have. What does tomorrow bring? As we see from the opening minutes of the first episode, life can change in an instant. We never know what we’ll get to finish tomorrow.

I like the stories so far and I like the message. Perhaps we do need to take a step back from the computers and Twitter and Facebook and phones and focus on the people around us. Perhaps we should take that time to read a book (to our kids) rather than sitting in front of the TV. Or perhaps I’m getting a little sappy.

Another thing I like is that the CGI is a minimum so far. I grow tired of shows that zoom in on a totally pixelated and grainy picture that magically becomes crystal clear, or they run through millions of photos in seconds and find the person their looking for through facial recognition. I know what computers can and can’t do so it’s nice to see someone using their brain and going with their instincts for a change.

So far, a pretty neat show with characters I like and stories that are actually interesting. Hopefully this one will stick around for a few seasons.

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