Category: Format

Posted in Film, Staff Picks

Old Movies Deserve More Love

Posted on by abbiebourelle

Lately I have found myself watching more old movies. To be honest, dear readers, I am becoming weary of all the CGI and special effects that these new movies produce with wild abandon. I long for the days when artists designed amazing physical props that would ignite the imagination and contribute to a story. There is something enrapturing about suspending your disbelief and appreciating a well told story. When I speak of old movies I am talking about ones that were either from the days of black and white film and up to the 1960s. I do greatly enjoy movies from the 80’s (1980’s for those of you born in this century), but I wish to go back farther than that as many classic and well known hits came to the screen in the 80’s. I would like to introduce you to some older films that I believe deserve greater appreciation. Dear readers, prepare to be transported in time as I introduce some old movies that deserve more love.

The Uninvited (1944)

Surprisingly, my husband brought this movie to my attention. He had read an article that it was this movie that began many of the modern tropes that we see in horror movies today. Because we are very spoiled with being library card holders with access to thousands of movies and books, I was able to request this movie from another library in our system (you can as well with the link, dear reader.)

I must say, this movie impressed me. If you are looking for gothic horror-this is for you. An adult sister and brother (Pamela and Roderick) are vacationing on the moody coast of Cornwall when they come across a sprawling gothic mansion. Pamela immediately falls in love with the place and convinces Roderick that they can afford it if they go in on it together (they get a good deal on it, in fact). Moving in they soon discover that their new home, Windward House, is considered haunted by the locals. At first they brush off these stories, but soon the sibling duo encounter strange happenings in the house: drafts, cold spots, and the sound of sobbing in the night. The dog even refuses to enter the second floor.

Pamela and Roderick are likeable people and quickly make friends with the neighbors, especially Stella Fitzgerald whose mother died in Windward House. Stella now lives with her grandfather and is mysteriously forbidden from entering Pamela and Roderick’s new abode. Why? Could Stella be the key to the haunting? What secrets lurk within the walls of Windward House? You cannot go wrong with this movie. The acting is great, the atmosphere is spooky and gothic, the special effects in terms of the ghost were phenomenal for the period. I highly recommend The Uninvited (1944).

Click HERE to request a copy of The Uninvited (1944)!

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Posted in Biography & Memoir, Film, Historical, Uncategorized

What have I been watching and reading lately?

Posted on by Beth

I have always found myself drawn to history. My interest ranges from more recent history all the way back to ancient histories of Egypt, Greece, and beyond. One of my favorite genres to read is historical fiction, usually I find myself with more questions at the end of a historical fiction book than I had prior to starting. Some stories really just stand out to me more than others. When that happens to me, I go searching for either books, documentaries, or movies about the actual event, or the actual person I have just finished reading about.  

I find myself frequently visiting the WWII era. My journey started like most, learning in school of Anne Frank, and although I was young when the movie Schlinder’s List, I remember watching it. So much from that time period is hard to fathom, that I believe, that is what keeps bringing me back to it.  Whether it be through books, movies, or documentaries if something that I have not read or seen comes to my attention, I usually dive right in.  

I found that happening a lot in the past year. I feel like when the big box office shines light on this era, it brings attention back to a pivotal point in our history.  With big office movies like Nuremberg and Truth & Treason hitting the screens last fall and available for streaming or DVD this past winter, I have spent the good part of this year in that era specifically on one story.  

The story that stuck with me the most this past year has been Truth & Treason. 

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Posted in Cooking/Baking, Graphic Novels & Memoirs, Horror, Science Fiction

Zachary’s Recent Reads – Mead Con Edition

Posted on by Zachary

It’s once again that time of year when I’m busy with last-minute preparations for Mead Con; many thanks to Carol, Abbie, and Aubrey (and many more besides those that I can’t list all here) for their help making it less crazy to plan this year. Thankfully, I have still had time to read while juggling things like planning a book swap and scheduling mini-painting workshops for the 7th annual con. You’ll find a few of the books I’ve been reading that I thought would be relevant to the celebration of geekdom that is Mead Con. After you check out Mead Con tomorrow, May 2nd, make sure to stop by Sheboy-Con!

There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm

There Is No Antimemetics Division came to my attention because, back in autumn, I had been looking for books based on the SCP Foundation. The book was started by being written on the SCP wiki, before eventually being picked up by a traditional publisher. It was a bit odd seeing what was obviously the SCP Foundation, called the Unknown Organization, but certain changes had to occur to be published. But those little hiccups didn’t distract me from enjoying the book. I went in being unsure how the author would tackle writing about antimemetics, an idea or entity that the human mind can’t perceive or remember, since it’s a concept I wasn’t sure could lend itself to writing. The author showed everything from a critter that eats memories to buildings you never noticed being outside your office. Those Unknowns were things that the author succeeded at describing, but it was the way the author formatted the story that stole the show. I’ll do my best to talk about what I enjoyed while not spoiling the book. The author used some clever writing tricks that play into the idea of antimemetics, which I don’t want to spoil. I’d find myself needing to double-check previous chapters, which isn’t always an unusual thing for me to do since I constantly forget the names of characters, but instead, I was doing it to confirm what the author had been doing. You’ll need to pick up this book to see what I mean, just remember your mnestics before you start reading.

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Posted in Film, Uncategorized

Great Film Scores

Posted on by Sydney Anderson

Did you know that April 3rd is National Film Score Day?  That’s still a while away, but there’s never a bad time for a dive into the fascinating world of film music.  Can you imagine Star Wars without ‘Binary Sunset’, or Jaws without that musical panic attack of a main theme?  I’ve been a bit of a nerd about movie music for as long as I can remember.  Maybe that comes from growing up around the time that Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy (scored by Howard Shore) was coming out, and having my mind blown by Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth (scored by Javier Navarrete) a little later. In my opinion, the right score is often what takes a good movie and makes it truly great.  Today, I’ll be writing about a selection of movies, all available through the Monarch Library System, that I feel exemplify the art of the film score.  Let’s get started!

Anna Karenina

To adapt Tolstoy’s classic about a woman pursuing forbidden love in a society where reputation is paramount, director Joe Wright took a high-concept approach.  To convey the artificiality of the story’s world of 19th-century Russian aristocrats, this adaptation sets the bulk of the action on a literal stage.  Dario Marianelli’s score is the perfect companion for this ambitious adaptation, sweepingly theatrical where it needs to be, and then all at once achingly real.  One thing I love about this score is the variety of musical arrangements involved, including brass ensembles, romantic strings, a haunting vocal solo, and more.  If you’re a fan of period pieces, and especially of any of Joe Wright’s previous work – which includes the beloved 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice – you should definitely check out this gorgeous and underrated film.

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Posted in Fantasy, Games, Science Fiction

Zachary’s Recent Games

Posted on by Zachary

When the weather gets cold, I like to get cozy and settle in to a game. I have a bad habit of playing a few games at the same time and bouncing between them as my interest in a particular game fluctuates. This week’s blog post is a list of the games I’m currently playing. If a game is on multiple platforms, I’ll include links to the different versions.

The Outer Worlds 2 (PS5/Xbox)

Obsidian developed my favorite Fallout game, so I’ve been partial to their games for the last few years. They’ve continued a design choice since Avowed that I appreciate. Avowed was open enough that it felt like an open-world game, but it was contained enough that I didn’t feel punished by going in a particular direction. Sometimes open-world games prioritize the size of the world without filling it with enough content to reward exploration, and to be honest, as I’ve gotten older, I don’t want to spend hundreds of hours sifting through a game to find what’s worth looting. Avowed also allowed you to upgrade the equipment that you liked throughout the entire game, so I didn’t have to waste time on loot grind. It was nice to see The Outer Worlds 2 kept that streamlined design, and I find the Outer Worlds setting interesting. Outer Worlds’ setting tends to be a little more comedic than Fallout: New Vegas was, but it still itches that Obsidian itch.

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Posted in Film, Horror

Just Some Good Horror Movies

Posted on by Sydney Anderson

There’s nothing like watching a scary movie when fall is in the air.  Every year, horror buffs look forward to the countdown to Halloween, when it’s socially acceptable to binge-watch as many horror movies as you want, and even the squeamish might give the genre a try.  Today’s list isn’t complicated.  It’s just a selection of horror films, all available at Mead, that I really liked, and that I hope you’ll like too.  One quick note: these are the preferences of a long-time horror aficionado – viewer discretion is advised for all of these selections.  With that out of the way, let’s get started!

Stopmotion

Stopmotion follows Ella, creative assistant to her mother Suzanne, a celebrated stop-motion animator.  Ella yearns to find her own artistic voice, but she’s been smothered by Suzanne’s personal and professional mistreatment.  When Suzanne’s health takes a turn for the worse, a mysterious young girl begins to haunt Ella.  The apparition encourages her to abandon her mother’s unfinished film and tell a different, very macabre story. Ella thinks she’s found her chance to come into her own – until the film begins to haunt her.  Stopmotion is a brilliant work of psychological horror – I was literally on the edge of my seat by the end.  I really appreciate how the film doesn’t overexplain itself.  It’s left up to interpretation whether the haunting represents Ella’s abusive upbringing, the toll of her devotion to art, fear of mortality triggered by her mother’s failing health, or something else entirely.  Furthermore, the stop-motion animation sections of the film impress, both on a technical level and in scare factor.  Stopmotion is a good story well told, capable of sending shivers up a jaded horror buff’s spine, and it absolutely deserves a place on your watchlist.

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Posted in Film, Horror, Uncategorized

Vampire Cinema

Posted on by Sydney Anderson

In my opinion, it’s never too early to start thinking about the scary movies you’re going to watch in the lead-up to Halloween.  Vampires are having a bit of a moment right now, so there’s no better time to explore the history of one of the most iconic and enduring subgenres of horror cinema.  Unfortunately, it would be pretty much impossible to cover the entire history of vampire movies in a single blog post: there are just too many great ones!  So, with the acknowledgement that any short list of vampire movies will also necessarily be an incomplete one, I’d like to use this space to talk about a few of my favorites.  Let’s get started!

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula is indisputably the grandfather of the modern vampire story, and I thought for a while about which of its’ many, many cinematic adaptations should go on this list.  Should I spotlight F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, the loose adaptation of Dracula that invented the vampire film genre as we know it today?  Or should I highlight the legendary performance of Bela Lugosi?  How about Christopher Lee?  While those are all great options, in the end I decided on this 1992 adaptation by Francis Ford Coppola.  Forget what you’ve heard about Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker, because this movie also features excellent performances from Gary Oldman as Dracula, Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing, Winona Rider as Mina Harker, and Tom Waits (!) as Renfield.  This take on the story departs from Stoker’s novel in that it explores the idea of a potential romantic connection between Dracula and Mina Harker. No matter how you feel about the adaptational changes to the original story, this film is undeniably stylish.  With Coppola’s directorial touch, a haunting score by Wojciech Kilar and gorgeous Oscar-nominated costumes by Eiko Ishioka, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is nothing short of an unforgettable cinematic experience .

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Posted in Adult, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Staff Picks, Teen & Young Adult, Thrillers, Uncategorized

Abbie’s Recent Reads for July

Posted on by abbiebourelle

Dear readers, welcome back and thank you for letting me share with you the books that I have been enjoying. As usual, I delight in a diverse range of genres. This month’s reads come from the genres of non fiction, fantasy, and horror. I greatly enjoyed reading these titles and I hope one of these catches your eye!

FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven

A shout out to my fellow librarian, Aubrey, for recommending this title is in order. Thank you Aubrey! If you are looking for a book that stays with you long after the closing page, this one is it! It has been a week or so since I finished this book, but I still find myself thinking about it. Dear reader, this book is a work of fiction, but it could very easily be set in the real world present day. FantasticLand is a theme park in Florida built by an eccentric billionaire. What sets FantasticLand apart is that it is designed to be many mini theme parks in one. There are different sections of the park. All are designed to be their own unique world. There are places like The Pirate Cove, The Fairy Prairie, and so on. Everything is great until a super hurricane hits. In theory, the staff that stay behind to care for the park should be fine. There is enough food and water for everyone. Dear reader, if that were the case we would not have a story. What results is something that resembles a slasher movie as the young people trapped in the park turn on each other. Each faction fights for dominance as supplies dwindle. The sordid tale is told from the point of view of interviews with those who made it out alive. Only the survivors can tell the tale of what REALLY happened inside FantasticLand. What keeps me thinking about this book is that this is no ordinary slasher. It poses psychological questions about the effects of phone addiction on our young population. Yes, it is a fiction, but it makes one wonder.

Click HERE to request FantasticLand!

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Posted in Adult, Film, Horror

Horror Movies for Mother’s Day?

Posted on by Sydney Anderson

Hear me out.  There are a couple reasons why you might want to watch a scary movie on Mother’s Day.  Firstly, maybe your mom just likes horror movies!  But if I may put my film nerd hat on for a second, one of the most important tricks in the horror toolkit is taking something people typically think of as safe and comforting and making it frightening.  When a director or a screenwriter focuses on familial relationships alongside or within the scares, they can reliably create a memorably chilling cinematic experience.  The following films include scared moms, scary moms, and sometimes both, and all of them are excellent picks for any horror fan at any time of year.

Alien

The Xenomorph, the iconic creation of artist H.R. Giger, is technically only doing what comes naturally for the propagation of her species.  Unfortunately, that involves using the crew of the Nostromo as hosts.  Only Ellen Ripley may have the strength not only to survive, but to fight back.  In the forty-six years (!) since this film’s release, Alien has become the gold standard for sci-fi horror.  Anchored by Sigourney Weaver’s unforgettable protagonist, the film provides both spine-tingling suspense and heart-pounding adrenaline rushes. The Xenomorph may be one of the all-time feats of cinematic creature design.  As far as the film’s applicability to Mother’s Day, the sequel just so happens to contain one of the most iconic Mama Bear one-liners in all of cinema.  You know the one.

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Posted in Biography & Memoir, DIY & How To, Fantasy, Graphic Novels & Memoirs, Horror, LGBTQI+, Nonfiction, Science Fiction

Zachary’s Recent Reads

Posted on by Zachary

A couple of months ago, Abbie wrote a blog post about her recent reads. When I saw that post, I decided I would steal that idea for a future post of my own, so here we are. I have been reading more since I learned about BookCrossing this summer and because I made a New Year’s resolution to read 30 books in 2025. So far, I’ve been reading an eclectic mix of graphic novels, sci-fi, fantasy, self-help, and even a little bit of theology. There should be something in this week’s post for almost everyone!

Bloodborne Vol. 1: The Death of Sleep by Aleš Kot

Bloodborne is one of my favorite videogames. Unfortunately, Sony doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to release even a remaster of the game, much less a sequel; unless you count The Duskbloods as a spiritual sequel. While Elden Ring has definitely been a delight, it didn’t quite scratch that Lovecraftian itch the way Bloodborne did. For that reason, I decided to give the comic a shot. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the comic was able to strike that same ethereal, dreamlike vibe that the game did. The plot follows a nameless Hunter who’s protecting a child that might have magical blood. There’s even a reference to the “You Died” screen that any Fromsoft fan will recognize. The only negative I have is that one of the characters from the game didn’t seem quite how I remembered them.

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