Board 8 > THE Snake Ranks Anything Horror Related (Vol. 5) *5th Anniversary* *RANKINGS*

(+) Yeah! (+)

104. The Brethren Moons (Dead Space entities) (13 points)
Nominated by: Murphiroth (2/5 remaining)
https://deadspace.fandom.com/wiki/Brethren_Moons#:~:text=The%20Brethren%20Moons%20(Or%20Brother,cycle%20stage%20of%20the%20Necromorphs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=395&v=mR-TRWTTbdA&feature=emb_title

Importance: 1
Fear: 6
Snake: 6

The Brethren Moons are one creepy concept. I've always liked the idea of sentient astronomical objects quite a bit, just this massive thing that is harboring a huge secret. LOCAL58 pulled off this type of thing really well. In addition to looking terrifying, what with their writhing tentacles and maw at the center of their mass, but the sounds they emit are pure nightmare fuel, bone-chilling squishing and ear-piercing squeals just produces such a scowl-inducing effect in me. It's something you want to stay just extremely far away from. You know, it's a shame these things only appear in Dead Space 3 (besides technically being background antagonists in the first two) which relegates to them to obscurity, as I believe these moons have a ton of potential in crafting further intriguing horror scenarios. Discovering they were behind the Markers was a huge deal and Dead Space 3 DLC ends on a cliffhanger, so unfortunately we may never know what becomes of these gigantic, hulking behemoths due to Dead Space basically being a dead-in-the-water series at this point...

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103. Super Metroid | Mother Brain (13 points)
Nominated by: rwlh (3/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwt740KznHE

Importance: 2.5
Fear: 4.5
Snake: 6

Sounding like a track from the conclusion to a huge sci-fi space opera, there are clashing elements here that give the track both a concentrated, focused-in bass pulse-pounding rhythm perfect for gameplay mixed with tension building organ stings for an added layer of fear & hopelessness. I feel like this track almost speaks to you, as if Mother Brain's cries become the literal music you hear during the fight, driving your resolve to finish the fight. It has a time signature I believe of 7/8, furthering adding to its uncanny depth & atmosphere. It's just a well composed track front to back, helping solidify Metroid's themes of isolation & alien environments and it's just what I love to see in video game music.

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102. The Car Wreck Scene (Final Destination 2) (13 points)
Nominated by: BetrayedTangy (4/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3e4m69nx3w

Importance: 1.5
Fear: 5
Snake: 6.5

Final Destination is a series I've actually warmed up to over the years. I used to hate to this series for just being an excuse to show gratuitous deaths without much substance but it was scenes like this that made me appreciate it for just how stupid it could be. The leaps & bounds of logic & coincidence to make this scene work are insane, but if you turn your brain off, this is one of the most gleeful scenes of pure carnage to ever grace the silver screen. It's like everyone forgets they have brakes in their vehicles and can just you know... stop at anytime? Cars will just randomly explode on impact where nothing logically would even make that occur. This is the premonition scene for this film too; at least in the first film, it's a little more simplified & realistic, but I guess you either go big or you go home for the sequel. On the technical side, this scene is incredibly shot & puts most action films to shame. Forget brakes, the sense of speed & flow here is almost bar none, frames linger on tumbling vehicles, cutting at opportune times to show the terror of the people on the inside, and then ending off quite morbidly in the burning aftermath. FD2 was directed by David R. Ellis, an experienced second unit director on a slew of action films, which I guess gave this scene the boost it needed to stand out as much as it does and to be distracted by the demolition while you forget the logistics of it all. It's certified Death-approved, even if it does end up nullified.

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Snake5555555555 posted...

104. The Brethren Moons (Dead Space entities) (13 points)
Nominated by: Murphiroth (2/5 remaining)
https://deadspace.fandom.com/wiki/Brethren_Moons#:~:text=The%20Brethren%20Moons%20(Or%20Brother,cycle%20stage%20of%20the%20Necromorphs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=395&v=mR-TRWTTbdA&feature=emb_title

Importance: 1
Fear: 6
Snake: 6

The Brethren Moons are one creepy concept. I've always liked the idea of sentient astronomical objects quite a bit, just this massive thing that is harboring a huge secret. LOCAL58 pulled off this type of thing really well. In addition to looking terrifying, what with their writhing tentacles and maw at the center of their mass, but the sounds they emit are pure nightmare fuel, bone-chilling squishing and ear-piercing squeals just produces such a scowl-inducing effect in me. It's something you want to stay just extremely far away from. You know, it's a shame these things only appear in Dead Space 3 (besides technically being background antagonists in the first two) which relegates to them to obscurity, as I believe these moons have a ton of potential in crafting further intriguing horror scenarios. Discovering they were behind the Markers was a huge deal and Dead Space 3 DLC ends on a cliffhanger, so unfortunately we may never know what becomes of these gigantic, hulking behemoths due to Dead Space basically being a dead-in-the-water series at this point...

It's a shame we'll likely never see more of the Necromorph and Brethren Moon mythos.

The idea that they're the last stage of necromorph evolution and that they're the reason humanity has never found any alien life as they ate it all is strong.

I know, it's awesome! They really shot themselves in the foot with that poor series.

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What I've always found interesting about Final Destination is how many people (myself included) have gained irrational fears as a result of a lot of these deaths. They're incredibly unrealistic and absurd for sure, but the fact they persist in people's subsconsious regardless. I can't even begin to count how many times that logging truck has been referenced while driving with friends.

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That's true, for me it's that brutal Lasik scene in FD5, talk about a turn-off!

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Also a bummer since they had an idea for how to continue after Dead Space 3.

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Huh, I did not expect Playrooms to be the lowest ranked of my song nominations, though I understand your reasons for doing so. To me it's the scariest song I nominated, but I'm not really into horror at all outside of spooky game music. I appreciate the writeups for that and Mother Brain, very neat to see your thought process there.

101. My Little Pony Friendship is Magic S5E21 Scare Master (13 points)
Nominated by: PrinceKaro (2/4 remaining)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5vm6pg

Importance: 2
Fear: 3
Snake: 8

The second Nightmare Night episode of the series, Scare Master this time focuses on Fluttershy and her attempts to enjoy a nice, quiet night inside but instead is forced to face up to her fears and attempt to join in the festivities with her friends, since her bunny companion Angel is out of carrots. I adored this episode. It's the perfect thematic sequel to Luna Eclipsed, showing how fear isn't always enjoyable for everypony, even on those special nights dedicated to it. What I love most here is how it examines different types of fear, much like how Luna Eclipsed focused more on the tradition side of things. Fluttershy here is plagued by anxieties & irrational phobias, which is juxtaposed with the more physical side of terror, represented here by the haunted corn maze which features more "traditional" spooks such as ghosts & monsters. The best scene in this episode is when Fluttershy attempts to scare her friends using more psychological means, like having no sugar for a party or the arrival of unexpected guests. It's not only gut-bustingly hilarious (and demonstrates Fluttershy's impeccable taste in horror), this scene illustrates perfectly the core of Fluttershy's character, how truly caring she is and how she doesn't want anypony to come to any sort of real harm, all while being conflicted in not letting her friends down at the same time. To her friends' credit though, they try their best to be understanding and patient with Fluttershy, which was heartwarming to me. By the end, Fluttershy teams up with Angel and her bear companion Harry, giving the rest of the Mane Six a heart-pounding experience through the aforementioned corn maze, and at last, she is successful in scaring them, but again, seeing her friends in danger real or not is just not her jam.

Fear is an unavoidable fact of life, and we can't always control if we are scared or not, but this episode is a great lesson in not forcing yourself to be just to make others happy. You'll find people are more understanding than you initially realize too. I think we can all relate ourselves to Fluttershy here, those less tangible fears existing in our minds that nevertheless still feels more concrete than any sort of monster the world can throw at you. It's a beautiful example of the way horror can be used to explore more introspectively into ourselves, even when we are the ones performing the scares! Anyway, this episode is hilarious, great character building, and of course is another fantastic ode to Halloween even with its thematic core. Highly recommended Halloween viewing!

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100. Shaun Riley (Shaun of the Dead) (13 points)
Nominated by: Inviso (4/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fO3UxkbZ7w&list=PLY39hc8yTyncAqqw3Y4bClOhuL-IO3et8&index=7&t=0s

Importance: 3
Fear: 1
Snake: 9

Shaun holds a unique position when put up against many other horror protagonists. He isn't a teenager anymore, but certainly still acts like one. An eternal slacker, Shaun walks the streets of his routine to his daily dead-end job each day, unable to keep a relationship, not necessarily content with his zombified life, but lacking the willpower to change it, before actually zombies even make their debut in the film. This is certainly nothing new analysis-wise, but important to establish Shaun's place in this world and what the zombies in this film allude to, both when it comes to Shaun's growth and what remains the same. Shaun throughout the film slowly matures into a somewhat capable leader & survivalist, yet the film also commentates how little his life has changed: still hanging out with his best friend Ed, going to his favorite watering hole the Winchester, still having a rocky relationship with his family. Zombies don't suddenly magically make that all go away, but by the end Shaun goes through the growth he needs to at least salvage and make better some former parts of his life, especially when it comes to girlfriend Liz. Zombie films have historically been used to reflect the best and worst parts of our humanity, and when it comes to Shaun this is no different. He's a fantastic protagonist portrayed brilliant & hilariously by Simon Pegg, I dare say an underrated performance even, perfectly capturing the desperation & directionless life of mid-late 20s angst while at the same showing the growing pains of coming into your own person.

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99. Alan Wake (character) (13 points)
Nominated by: v_charon (4/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXZE9LdWOxk

Importance: 2
Fear: 1
Snake: 10

Like a character born out of Stephen King's wet dreams, Alan Wake shines his beacon of light on the horror stage with well-trodden tortured author tropes explored ages before he was introduced. Yet, that doesn't diminish his character in any way. Alan Wake is as fully realized as any of those Jack Torrances who came before, and puts you the player in his shoes to see his point-of-view. Most people don't want to play as this famous jerkwad who is rude to fans, has an alcohol problem, & has a strained relationship with his wife; it's a difficult position to be in, let alone empathize with, but the game builds up his character by projecting all his insecurities and flaws onto the enemies you encounter (the Dark Presence) and in specific individuals like Mr. Scratch, who represents Wake's violent & chaotic side. By having the player fight against these entities, you feel Wake's growth in a tangible sense as both Wake & yourself grow more confident in your abilities even as you are essentialy fighting against yourself. It's a perfect way to craft character growth in a video game and gives Wake extreme depth in a natural way, as he works to become a better person & even morphs into somewhat of a hero figure. Alan Wake is a character with tons of potential, and it looks like Control is seeking to introduce he, and his world of darkness, to players once more.

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I'd argue a higher importance score for Alan Wake. He's the title character of what seems like a very popular cult classic (though I definitely think B8's love for the game might alter my idea of how popular it really is)

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I agree! I wasn't expecting that to be my first nom out honestly. I think a part of the fear aspect to Alan is that his game is basically a creation of his mind, which is a pretty dark and scary place imo.
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Yeah I honestly don't see a ton of references or cultural impact outside of his games, but Control is a nice step towards that, apparently AW & Control are getting a full crossover game together next by Remedy.

As far as fear goes, I do see where you're coming from charon. I probably could've given him a few more points there. I guess I was just thinking that despite his flaws & inner darkness he still does not wish to be violent or hurt anyone else. He's a pretty pure-motive hero all things considered.

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98. Zombie Prostitute (Aurelio Voltaire song) (13.5 points)
Nominated by: v_charon (3/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcON9ZmGDBc

Importance: 1.5
Fear: 2.5
Snake: 9.5

Voltaire captures the imagination here with this dark cabaret-inspired track, an upbeat swingin' ode to Code Blue flesh for all the relationship-challenged men & women out there. Known for his horror tracks with a morbid sense of humor, Zombie Prostitute might be one of Voltaire's most dark & gruesome songs but also one of his funniest at the same time, firing off puns & zingers with every line, euphemisms that sully the mind with vivid images of sexual promiscuity that draws comparisons with rotting, undead body horror. It's creative as hell, and the mood is always kept light thanks to Voltaire's fast-moving, tongue-in-cheek line delivery coupled with an almost ska-punk feel with a vibrant horn section, drums that drive a breakneck pace, and the addition of a violin gives the track an ironically classy vibe despite the subject matter. This is essential Voltaire, and as he arrives at "baby keep the tip" as the music cuts out, just try keeping a straight face with this awesomely enjoyable piece!

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97. King Tuts Curse (13.5 points)
Nominated by: Anagram (4/5 remaining)


Importance: 6.5
Fear: 3
Snake: 4

The curse of the pharaohs, can be so deadly! When King Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered in the Valley of the Kings by Howard Carter and his team, several people involved in its opening died shortly after, due to this infamous curse. Of the more well-documented deaths, this included George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, the main financier of the expedition, AC Mace, a member of the expedition team, and over a decade after its opening, Carter himself. It's the kind of thing that seem eerie on paper but in practice is rather meaningless. I'm not a very skeptical person, I believe in a lot of supernatural or paranormal things maybe against my better judgment, but the King Tut Curse is just plain malarkey to me. Most of the attributed deaths happened way too far after the opening to be considered connected, and the deaths can easily be explained rationally either by error or by disease. When you watch the Ring tape, you get 7 god damn days. Ganush from Drag Me to Hell gives you 3 days! King Tut gives you whatever I guess, you know, take your time why don't you? It's completely ridiculous. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of Sherlock Holmes, actually helped contribute to & popularize the curse, claiming elementals guarded the tomb, acting almost like enforcers for Tut. Perhaps the longest lasting legacy of King Tut's Curse, besides the whole expedition launching a new wave of interest in Egyptology, is the media it helped inspire. Though the idea of Egyptian curses were nothing new, as explored in books like Bram Stoker's Jewel of Seven Stars, films like Universal's The Mummy were directly influenced by the opening of King Tut's tomb. Today, I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone who firmly believes this curse exists, & though it will always have its place in pop culture, its lack of real grit or bite to the legend makes its legacy an undeniably tarnished one.

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I thought that would be one of my higher-ranking ones, oh well.

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Yeah, I definitely think having Importance rank lower would be good for next year -- it's weird seeing niche but awesome things ranked underneath mostly-panned-but-better-known ones.

Still, loving the hell out of this so far, Snake!

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Yeah, hell I might even do away with the system all together. Have a free-for-all year!

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96. Jamie Lloyd (13.5 points)
Nominated by: RaidenGarai (1/5 remaining)


Importance: 3.5
Fear: 5
Snake: 5

Jamie Lloyd was the perfect follow-up character to Halloween's Laurie Strode. Coming at Myers and his Halloween killing sprees from a younger perspective was a smart choice. Of course, it does makes perfect sense as Lloyd is Strode's orphan daughter. Now I'm not the biggest fan of how Strode is killed off unceremoniously in an off-screen car crash, but this is a Halloween sequel we're dealing with, so you gotta just take what you get here. As a character, Jamie doesn't really astound until Michael re-enters the picture, but she does have a fun relationship with her foster sister Rachel Carruthers, and together they share the role of final girl in Halloween 4. Jamie has a strange connection with Michael, an implied psychic link; as her uncle, Jamie feels sympathy for Michael and even tries to appeal his to humanity, what little there is, in Halloween 5. Say what you will about these sequels, there's a real relationship with Jamie & Michael that is mined here if not always in the best written way. Like dear mother, Jamie is unceremoniously killed off at the beginning of Halloween 6 but not before leaving a baby of her own (at least in the official release, the workprint version is a whole different story I won't get in to right now). Jamie is probably most well remembered for her appearance at the end of Halloween 4, standing atop her stairs, bloody from stabbing her foster mother in clown garb just like Michael all those years ago, a haunting, lingering reminder of the endless cycle of violence in the Myers family. It's a twist ending that still shocks in spite of the lackluster film it appears in. Danielle Harris seriously deserves some praise here, and her performance & character are just the bright spot the Halloween sequels needed to be saved from being completely worthless.

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I can't hear Voltaire without just immediately thinking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpLRJyWe814

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Yeah that's definitely his most famous work. I meant to do a retrospective look on it since I ranked it previously but it slipped my mind.

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Johnbobb posted...

I can't hear Voltaire without just immediately thinking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpLRJyWe814

I default to The Night

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95. Panic! At The Disco: Hey Look Ma, I Made It [OFFICIAL VIDEO] (14 points)
Nominated by: trdl23 (3/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzbxacRr5Gk&feature=emb_title

Importance: 3.5
Fear: 4.5
Snake: 6

Perhaps Panic!'s most deceptively positive song, "Hey Look Ma, I Made It" follows a puppet Brendon Urie through his meteoric rise in becoming a star: leaving home, signing a deal with the record label, fame & fortune, and then all the negative side-effects that comes with it. The message here is not subtle, in fact it's about as much as a hard-hitting sledgehammer could be. Cocaine use, orgies, drunken tirades on the streets of LA, puppet Brendon quickly loses himself in the glitz and glamour of this seedy world, becoming sick and downfallen as it takes away everything he has. Brendon uses the puppet as a metaphor to represent the controlling strings of Hollywood and show business, especially by the end where he is just thrown aside from his master, the record executive. He also uses the puppet to show how easily distracted people are by life's realities, which ties in to the song as well. When combined with the video, "Hey Look Ma, I Made It" rings totally sarcastic, like "Mom, I made all this money, now I'm free to throw it away throughout endless nights of debauchery", but the music remains totally upbeat throughout, like you're just sweeping all that negativity under the rug. It's actually a venomous critique that totally succeeds in its intended effect. However, I will admit this really isn't one of my total favorite Panic! videos or songs, the instrumentation is really lacking for me despite being catchy and the video isn't as visually creative as something like LA Devotee. Still, it's an important message to get across and you can't deny the style & talent Urie still utilizes here to great aplomb.


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Daria Cohen does some nice animations with Voltaire songs sometimes, not sure if you've seen it or not but:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm74weOv04g

Lots of views, probably more views on this than any of his officially uploaded songs lol. He's taken to playing this and The Night at his live shows because of the popularity of these animations.
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I admit I was reaching a little bit with my Panic video this year. Ms. Jackson was the other one I considered, but it seemed way too confusing and convoluted with where it went, plus the first half of the video drags hard.

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v_charon posted...

Daria Cohen does some nice animations with Voltaire songs sometimes, not sure if you've seen it or not but:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm74weOv04g

Lots of views, probably more views on this than any of his officially uploaded songs lol. He's taken to playing this and The Night at his live shows because of the popularity of these animations.

Oh nice, I missed that, just listened to the song. That's really cool he acknowledges them like that.

trdl23 posted...

I admit I was reaching a little bit with my Panic video this year. Ms. Jackson was the other one I considered, but it seemed way too confusing and convoluted with where it went, plus the first half of the video drags hard.

Might just have to go with New Perspective next year. It's got cred since it's from an actual horror movie!

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94. The Guy Who Doesnt Like Musicals (musical) (14 points)
Nominated by: BetrayedTangy (3/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrxKX44qBJ0

Importance: 3
Fear: 3
Snake: 8

So, this was the first time I had ever watched a Team Starkid production. I've heard of them of course, from the Very Potter Musical, but like the guy in the title, I actually don't particularly like musicals myself. Yeah, Wicked will always be a jam, and of course there is Hamilton with some other exceptions, but I really don't go out of my way to watch them. Until now that is...? Yeah, I supremely loved this musical. It's so tongue-in-cheek, so chock full of irony it's ready to burst, and every single person in the cast is having such a blast that it's infectious (hey, that ties in to the plot too!). A little backstory: TGWDLM takes place in a town named Hatchetfield, where everything is pretty normal for the most part, when a meteor suddenly crashes into town at the local theater. This meteor causes everyone to suddenly start breaking out into impromptu musicals, and it's pure chaos from there. The plot mainly follows an everyman named Paul, who, over the course of the story, bonds with a barista, Emma. The show is filled with fourth-wall breaks and I like the interactions the cast has with the audience. Perhaps my favorite performer of the bunch is Jeff Blim, who can easily switch modes from Joker smile Jack Nicholson to Snake Plissken Kurt Russel in the blink of an eye, and I love it! The comedy is all perfectly timed and I love how it just breaks from the plot sometimes to examine a coffee shop where all the baristas have to sing when tipped, or to show off a professor's dream musical. If I had some complaints, I would argue the numbers aren't very memorable on their own and the horror is not really present (unless you think of the implications, promise me you'll think about the implications!), it's just a total goof show throughout. And that's fine, because this is a 2-hour roller coaster ride that'll have you too busy laughing to be scared anyway!

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StarKid is great. If you wanna see Jeff Blim basically play the Joker, check out Holy Musical, Batman - that's probably my fave StarKid musical.

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Oh that sounds amazing, definitely gotta make time for that at some point.

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My personal favorite is Twisted (featuring Jeff Blim as a villainous Aladdin) but they're really just all great

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93. Pokmon Generations episode 10: The Old Chateau (14.5 points)
Nominated by: GavsEvans123 (3/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBp1quVhbjo

Importance: 2.5
Fear: 5.5
Snake: 6.5

A young girl named Cheryl is travelling with her Chansey in a dark, spooky forest, when they encounter a mansion in the clearing: a perfect respite for their weary souls. The set-up here is classic, ripe for a horror story, but at first it seems overly cliche with its naive protagonist, overly accommodating butler, & painting where the eyes move, but Pokemon Generations quickly dashes any notes of familiarity with its dinner scene. Cheryl & Chansey are served empty plates of food in front of an apparently huge buffet, and watching them enjoy nothing, complete with fake cutting & chewing is just so eerie to me. It's a perfect little dash of psychological horror that leaves you with so many questions and you just feel terrible for the both of them. They are then led upstairs by the butler, who disappears into the floor in a puddle of goo, & our main pair are subsequently chased by a Haunter before being sucked up into his mouth. They awaken in the mansion, this time, old, decaying, decrepit, the illusion over, more like the nightmare over, but the episode still has time for one more scare. Cheryl reads a note, which apparently is a big no-no as a little ghost girl appears above and delivers one hell of a jump scare to end the episode off, leaving the pair's fate ambiguous. I don't know whether I should be surprised or should have expected that Pokemon would make such a dark short as this one. Pokemon revels in the horror side of its twisted little pocket monsters, and The Old Chateau as horrific as one would expect from a show made for children. It's awesome, this is a great way to introduce horror tropes & folklore to a younger audience, and really, they don't show anything gruesome that would upset a young child (the final shot does come close). It's cute enough to be approachable, & spooky enough for all audiences to find some level of fright in, and that's a tough balance to pull. I applaud this short for it.

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92. Gorillaz Saturnz Barz (music video) (14.5 points)
Nominated by: Jesse_Custer (3/5 remaining)
https://youtu.be/5qJp6xlKEug

Importance: 3
Fear: 5
Snake: 6.5

This animation is simply luscious, a slice of beautifully stylized, photo-realistic 3D animation that puts most big-budget animated films to shame. The Gorillaz each individually pop out from their drab surroundings with an extremely colorful palette that establishes each of their characters through visual language alone. The house is actually 1:1 based on a real location in Detroit, 220 Hendrie Street, which I feel commentates on the poverty & urban blight famously known in the area. The Gorillaz arrive at this house, apparently moving in. Spiritually, this actually feels similar to the Pokemon chateau set-up, though this time the expansive mansion is now a condemned horror show from the start. Murdoc's horror movies line is a bit too obvious for me here, but what follows is an incredible visual treat of psychedelia that examines each of the Gorillaz' personal fears. Russel deals with insomnia and wrestles with a sleep paralysis demon, Noodle with paranoia as she needles with a cycloptic snake, 2-D with anorexia, and Murdoc loneliness as he floats through the vastness of space (though that can be up to interpretation). Coupled with the song's eerie soft-spoken tone that's a twist on dancehall, the atmosphere drips off the screen as the Gorillaz are each left emotionally scarred by the end of it all. It's a pretty awesome video with a lot of depth upon further rewatches, I'm personally not that crazy about this song in general, but the impressive nature of the animation & just how smooth everything looks is worth a watch alone.

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Great write-up for the Gorillaz video. I like the way you highlighted how each of their individual fears/inner demons are depicted.

Apologies for only 2 write-ups today, I was extremely busy!

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You mean ExSCREAMly busy? >.>

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91. Ice Cream Man (Character / Comic Series) (14.5 points)
Nominated by: Pirateking2000 (2/5 remaining)
https://imgur.com/a/U1EeuRX

Importance: 2.5
Fear: 5
Snake: 7

Ice Cream Man is the breath-of-fresh air I think I really needed. This is a fantastic book that invokes & homages 50s era horror anthology comics like Tales from the Crypt or The Vault of Horror, basically anything from the EC Comics brand, mixed with a dash of Twilight Zone & a whole bottle of Stephen King. Disparately, Ice Cream Man is an anthology series, however, the books build up a collective tissue with a few recurring characters, with the titular ICM at the fringes of every story, typically involved in kicking off the plot by serving up a brand of ice cream that triggers an emotional reaction or repressed desire in its protagonists' lives. He's like a twisted version of Rod Serling, the horror host with actual pull & will on peoples' lives he simply sees as pawns in a grand plan beyond our comprehension. The artwork throughout the series is supreme, Martin Morazzo and Chris O'Halloran have a style that I feel invokes Steve Dillon's fantastic work on books like Preacher & Punisher, a clean, grounded look that packs in a lot of emotion but also has the added bonus of making the horror somehow more unnatural, deformed & disturbing. As the series continues on, panel layouts become a lot more creative & the stories more original. One of my favorites is issue #6, depicting a young man purchasing a triple scoop ice cream from our white-clad villain protagonist. The young man's life splits into three separate timelines as we are shown three different paths he takes home, each color coded and thematically similar, but how each affects his life varies wildly. It lacks any dialogue, the art carries the story and it's both a loving & tragic depiction of how our lives can be so altered by serendipity, and that no matter how perfect or imperfect a situation may seem, there's a chance our lives can be upended or shattered into a million pieces from something we never see coming.

Ice Cream Man is an amazing book. It's a comic that carries an undeniably nihilistic tone, but it's a book so unafraid to delve into humanity's flaws, failures, and unrealized dreams that I respect the absolute hell of it. It will almost never have you come out of an issue feeling good about anything, and some readers won't be in to that for sure, but sometimes we need that sobering reminder that life isn't all sunshine, sometimes things don't work out, that we do have those flaws, and that hell, we're here and we might as well try it anyway. Ice Cream Man is a scoop of delicious chocolate ice cream well worth tasting.

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man I guess I need to read that huh

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90. The Screaming Author from Spirit Hunter NG (15 points)
Nominated by: ihatethiscpu (1/5 remaining)


Importance: 1
Fear: 7
Snake: 7

Spirit Hunter NG in the second entry in the Spirit Hunter series, following 2017's underrated Death Mark. Though I'm typically not a fan of VNs at all, the Spirit Hunter series features enough interactivity for me to be thoroughly interested in its rich, Japanese lore-filled world of haunts & spooks. In Spirit Hunter: NG, the Screaming Author is the fourth spirit encountered. It is believed to be the spirit of Yakumo Miroku, a children's author who wrote dark fairy tales, think Grimm as written by an extremely depressed, lonely man. In reality, the Screaming Author was actually the spirit of a young middle-school girl, a ballet student viciously murdered by Miroku, in an effort to keep the Kaguya Doll (the game's main antagonistic source) locked away. After murder, Miroku attempted to transform her into a crane, attaching wings and bird-like legs to her corpse, like a ballet she was set to perform in, or to compare, like the transformation sequence in Black Swan. The horrifying visage you see before you is one gruesome piece of artwork that's extremely hard to look away from. This is loosely based on a real folkloric legend from Japan, called Tsuru no Ongaeshi, about a crane who takes the form of a woman after being saved by man, marries him, and uses her feathers to make expensive clothing to support her husband unbeknownst to him, until he gets too curious and finds out the truth, causing her to leave him forever. This is a much more twisted version of the story, and the investigation and clues leading up to the discovery of the Screaming Author is extremely well done and the pay-off huge. The game as a whole is well worth a playthrough along with Death Mark, try to get your hands on it if you can!

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Johnbobb posted...

man I guess I need to read that huh

For sure!

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Johnbobb posted...

man I guess I need to read that huh

It's really good. Learning more about the titular character is a trip in itself as well.

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Pirateking2000 posted...

It's really good. Learning more about the titular character is a trip in itself as well.

Yes I know I didn't touch on that as much as I wanted to but I didn't read the whole series yet and wanted to more highlight individually what made the book work for me.

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89. There Existed an Addiction to Blood (.clipping album) (15 points)
Nominated by: Johnbobb (4/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xCBOla9-PQ

Importance: 3
Fear: 5
Snake: 7

This album pushes the limits of hip-hop to its fringes, exposing a darkness that's far from the typically unserious nature that is the genre of horrorcore. There Existed an Addiction to Blood is an experience, a soundscape that makes the skin crawl with samples & noises atypical of hip hop, a cacophony of noises that invokes images of mad doctor's offices, stalking murderous vampires, and a depiction of slipping sanity represented by increasing static & dissonant crackles that brings to mind The Caretaker's portrayal of dementia in Everywhere at the End of Time. The album's title comes from a lyric in the soundtrack of Ganja & Hess, a 70s romantic vampire film and maybe the most deep cut of an album title ever. Daveed Diggs delivers some of his best flows ever on this album, a lyrical marvel who glides effortlessly over a track like the electro-soul of Blood of the Fang, a vividly descriptive banger that envisions black civil rights leaders as the vampiric undead, looking to drink up the blood of white supremacy. There's also Run for Your Life, a slow-building track with Silent Hill level industrial ambience that features a clever beat twist where it comes in as passing cars while the horrific scene of a murderer with perhaps the plain most visceral lyrics on the album coming from La Chat's verse dealing with immolation, dismemberment, and cannibalism, painting a musical portrait of hopelessness and quickly fading life. Nothing is Safe, the opening track, is a John Carpenter-inspired track that I feel takes cues from the Halloween score to depict police brutality as they fire at will on a drug den but also the dangers of living that sort of criminal life in the first place. There Existed an Addiction to Blood is chock full of these sort of cinematic songs, written like a screenplay and delivered like a poet, a true portrait of the macabre, pitch-perfectly socially relevant as many fantastic horror works have been in the past. This album is simply a trip, a haunting work of sounds & homages that combine together to deliver a truly gripping experience you won't forget any time soon.

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Snake5555555555 posted...

Yes I know I didn't touch on that as much as I wanted to but I didn't read the whole series yet and wanted to more highlight individually what made the book work for me.

Have fun with that.

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88. Umineko when they cry (15.5 points)
Nominated by: handsomeboy2012 (3/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D2y7QsBpbk

Importance: 7
Fear: 4.5
Snake: 4

Umineko When They Cry is a visual novel, and a huge one at that. Loosely based on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, Umineko deals with a series of murders on a secluded island, and though the game features no direct interaction besides clicking the next dialogue option, the player is encouraged to keep notes and play detective as they solve the mystery along the way. The mystery includes some supernatural elements and the player must discern between the real and paranormal. I better get it out of the way now: I couldn't get into this and didn't get very far. The characters and writing here just bored me to tears, I wasn't very compelled to keep going and there is little incentive in keeping your own notes in my opinion. It was disappointing since I greatly enjoyed Higurashi, but the level of violence and more prevalent horror elements in that made that more of an easy sell for me. Now, I didn't have time to try the anime before the project, so there's still a chance I could enjoy this franchise in a different light. Sorry if that's a little disappointing to hear, but well, I guess it happens sometimes.

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nobody on the planet recommends the anime don't do it

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Higurashi is a good mystery story disguised as a good horror story.

Umineko is the author crawling up his ass disguised as a subpar mystery story. Also, the anime is even worse somehow.
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Well I'm glad I didn't seem to miss much then!

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87. The Beast (Homeworld Cataclysm) (15.5 points)
Nominated by: Pirateking2000 (1/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM8OyBBoUhg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLmw5kJMT3s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w0qqTvXC-w

Importance: 2
Fear: 7.5
Snake: 6

The Beast is one of those heady sci-fi concepts made up of our deepest fears and paranoia fuel when it comes to the topic of space exploration and expansion. The Beast is a type of bio-virus and can repurpose anything organic or not to spread its cell and influence across the known universe. Yet, even more than a virus, the Beast appears to be sentient and can speak clearly due to having intercepted radio signals for millions of years and can thus easily manipulate us or any race it deems necessary to its spread going. Within the framework of Homeworld: Cataclysm, a team of researchers discover a derelict pod and take it about their ship to research. The Beast quickly begins to take hold but the ship jettisons it out before can it can spread further, but it ends up taking over another ship anyway. What follows is a huge campaign detailing battles against this seemingly unstoppable infection, and it's pure sci-fi epic and total horror. A cure is eventually made, but who can can say for sure the Beast is really gone for good? This is a great concept for an antagonist; it reminds me of SHODAN or AM, just these bio-mechanical beings that really examine the horrors of pushing technology to far. I also like how it's not totally unstoppable, which makes the threat more representative of our struggles and relationship with progress and in seemingly unstoppable pandemics (*cough*). This is just good sci-fi, and something I hope gets, ironically, more well-spread in the future.

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