‘The Mandalorian’ Explained: Chapter 9 Redeems an Action Figure

‘The Mandalorian’ Explained: Chapter 9 Redeems an Action Figure

The Mandalorian Explained is our ongoing series that keeps an eye on Lucasfilm’s saga about the Galaxy’s most dangerous single dad. In this entry, we look at what went down in The Mandalorian Chapter 9 — the first episode of Season 2 — and explain how its shocker ending compares to the original premiere reveal….

10 Most Harrowing Horror Movie Pregnancies

10 Most Harrowing Horror Movie Pregnancies

October is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as “31 days of horror.” Don’t bother looking it up; it’s true. Most people take that to mean highlighting one horror movie a day, but here at FSR, we’ve taken that up a spooky notch or nine by celebrating each day with a top ten list. This article about…

The Rocking Stone in Islandmagee, Northern Ireland

The Rocking Stone in Islandmagee, Northern Ireland

During the 19th and early 20th-centuries, hundreds traveled to the East Antrim coastline for day trips out of Belfast to places like the Gobbins Cliff Path, Portmuck, Brown’s Bay, and the National Trust Skernaghan Point Reserve. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonFrom Skernaghan Point, there are stunning views of the East Antrim…

Retreat Tower in Brattleboro, Vermont

Retreat Tower in Brattleboro, Vermont

Brattleboro Retreat was established in 1834 and was designed to provide humane care for patients suffering from mental illnesses.  Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonAs with many facilities for mental health during that period, doctors believed fresh air and exercise would help treat ailing patients. In 1887, construction began on Retreat Tower. Patients…

THE SIMPSONS Epic Treehouse of Horror Marathon

THE SIMPSONS Epic Treehouse of Horror Marathon

It’s that time of the year when hauntings and horror fill our screens. Halloween viewing traditions are a staple of the season and this year, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror is no exception. While the 33rd induction of The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror was supposed to premiere on October 18, 2020, it was delayed due…

Rock Monastery of Shashkunite in Provadia, Bulgaria

Rock Monastery of Shashkunite in Provadia, Bulgaria

This rock monastery was carved and inhabited during the 12th and 13th-centuries by local monks. It consists of ten cells (caves) located about 98-feet (30-meters) above ground. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe cells are separated into two groups. The first consists of three cells followed by two other separate caves. The…

The True Adventures of Wolfboy

The True Adventures of Wolfboy

We have a certain expectation of a fairy tale hero—a handsome prince, gallant and courageous, sometimes blond, often wearing armor, able to defend himself and others—and “The True Adventures of Wolfboy” scoffs at it. Who does that narrow definition of bravery really capture? Who does it keep out? A coming-of-age story that melds fantastical elements…

How They Did the “Birth of Frank” Sequence in ‘Hellraiser’

How They Did the “Birth of Frank” Sequence in ‘Hellraiser’

Welcome to How’d They Do That? — , a bi-monthly column that unpacks moments of movie magic and celebrates the technical wizards who pulled them off. This entry looks into the reverse melt sequence in Hellraiser. At its core, Hellraiser offers a perverse portrait of domestic debauchery: Macbeth by way of interdimensional S&M. Released in…

‘Come Play’ Recycles Too Many Horror Tropes to Scare Us

‘Come Play’ Recycles Too Many Horror Tropes to Scare Us

There’s finally a new book to put on the cinematic shelf next to “The Babadook.” Naturally, it’s a cyber-edition, one found on tablets and smart phones but mimicking that movie’s literary frights. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho Marathon“Come Play” follows an Autistic lad who discovers a creepy children’s book lurking on his…

The Lost, Macabre Art of Swedish Funeral Confectionery

The Lost, Macabre Art of Swedish Funeral Confectionery

Attendees at the funeral of Adolf Emanuel Kjellén, in the autumn of 1884, received beautiful, solemn keepsakes. Small, sugar-sculpture doves perched among black lace and fabric flowers, all affixed to pieces of black paper. Inside each elaborate wrapper was a morsel of hard candy. Some mourners even flipped such mementos over and left heart-wrenching inscriptions….

The Malaysian Penanggalan Haunts Pregnant Women and Newborns

The Malaysian Penanggalan Haunts Pregnant Women and Newborns

A young mother is rocking her newborn to sleep when suddenly the smell of vinegar fills the air. She quickly pulls the curtain back, and sure enough, the disembodied head of a woman is floating just outside the window, with long, finger-like tendrils slithering out toward her child. In a panic, the mother slams the…

DAMNATION: The Bleak and the Beautiful

DAMNATION: The Bleak and the Beautiful

The fifth feature film from legendary Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr, Damnation chronicles the sad stasis of a depressed alcoholic who is obsessively in love with the married singer at one of his favorite watering holes. First released in 1988, a new 4K restoration from the film’s original 35mm camera negative debuted as part of the…

London Film Festival 2020: ANOTHER ROUND

London Film Festival 2020: ANOTHER ROUND

Thomas Vinterberg, one of Denmark’s most renowned and acclaimed filmmakers, returned with aplomb at this year’s London Film Festival. Another Round, on the back of strong reviews and a place as part of the Cannes Official Selection, took home Best Film from this year’s LFF, voted for by audiences for the first time. It is…

Great Camp Santanoni in Newcomb, New York

Great Camp Santanoni in Newcomb, New York

The Adirondacks is known for its sprawling rustic private summer homes known as Great Camps, but only one is publicly owned. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonCamp Santanoni constructed between 1892-1893, is a sprawling log building modeled after a Japanese temple. It sits at the end of a five-mile historic carriage road,…

10 Most Affectingly Bleak Downer Endings in Horror

10 Most Affectingly Bleak Downer Endings in Horror

October is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as “31 days of horror.” Don’t bother looking it up; it’s true. Most people take that to mean highlighting one horror movie a day, but here at FSR, we’ve taken that up a spooky notch or nine by celebrating each day with a top ten list. This article about…

San Marino Jinja in Serravalle, San Marino

San Marino Jinja in Serravalle, San Marino

Shinto, or Shintoism, is a pantheistic and animistic religion that originated in Japan. Lacking a doctrine, it’s more a traditional culture rather than a strict religion for most Japanese people. Reportedly there are over 88,000 Shinto shrines in Japan, so spotting one in the country is rather easy, as most neighborhoods have a jinja (“shrine”) of…

Supernova Film Review

Supernova Film Review

★★★★★ Directed by: #HarryMacqueen Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: #HarryMacqueen Starring: #ColinFirth, #StanleyTucci Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’,,Film Review by: ,,Andrew Young If you are going into Harry Macqueen’s ‘dementia drama’ Supernova expecting it to be a gruelling experience then you may…

‘Gadebuscher Münzschläger’ in Gadebusch, Germany

‘Gadebuscher Münzschläger’ in Gadebusch, Germany

Before the advent of minting machinery, coins were individually crafted by hand. Referred to as hammered coinage, they were created by placing a blank piece of metal (called flan) between two dies. The metal was then struck on an anvil. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonDuring the late 16th-century, the town of…