Kampung Kreepy

I just watched Pride and Prejudice and Zombies , and enjoyed it much more the second time around.  To be clear, I am a Jane Austen fan. I love her writing and her wit, and I’ve read every one of her six finished novels. I’ve even read the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies . The movie is based on Seth Grahame-Smith’s 2009 novel parodying Austen’s masterpiece with the addition of the living dead. I enjoyed the book and found it funny and respectful of the original work. I first watched the movie shortly after its release in 2016. At that time, I may have been subconsciously comparing it with prior serious adaptations of Austen’s book. (I like Colin Firth’s Darcy in the 1995 BBC TV series slightly more than Matthew Macfadyen’s version in the 2005 movie also starring Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet.) I must have gotten over my hang-ups when I watched Pride and Prejudice and Zombies for the second time. I could focus on the film as a work in itself, zombies and all. And I foun...

Well, I finally watched KPop Demon Hunters and … I enjoyed it. I don’t know why it took me so long.  In case you’re not familiar with the movie, it’s an animated urban fantasy musical about Huntrix, a girl group in South Korea (hence K-pop, or Korean popular music). The threesome actually are demon hunters who use their singing to protect the world against soul-sucking demons. A new boy band, the Saja Boys, becomes the Huntrix’s biggest competition. It turns out the Saja Boys are demons out to steal the Huntrix’s fans and weaken the protective anti-demon barrier that the women maintain with their music.  Netflix released KPop Demon Hunters in June 2025. Since then, the movie has become a sensation. It’s Netflix’s most-watched original title, with more than 500 million views. It’s won two Academy Awards—for best animated feature and best original song. My friends’ kids watch it on repeat. Heck, my cousin is taking K-pop dance classes so she can dance to “Golden,” the hit song...

    Bones and All is a gem of a movie that I recently caught on Netflix. I don’t remember any hype around it, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I suppose it can be called a horror movie. It certainly has horror elements.  More importantly for me, it has heart and soul, and great ensemble acting.  The movie, set in the late 1980s, centers around a teenager named Maren. She’s been sheltered all her life by her strict father. He closely monitors her activities and locks her in her bedroom at night.   One evening, Maren sneaks out to a sleepover hosted by one of her high school friends. There, we find out the reason for her dad’s behavior when she gives in to her cannibalistic urges. She runs home and tells him what happened, and the pair flee out of town.  It turns out that Maren has been hungry for human flesh all her life. Her father abandons her in a new town, telling her she has to fend for herself from now on. He leaves a tape explaining ...

I’m not a fan of Godzilla movies. I mean, I like them well enough, but I won’t go out of my way to watch them. So I was really surprised to find how much I liked Godzilla Minus One , which I caught on Netflix . This isn’t yet another kaiju (giant monster) movie in which the creature wrecks Tokyo and terrorizes its residents. Instead, it’s character-driven, and really tugs at your heartstrings. You’re so much more invested in a flick if you actually care that the people in it survive. The movie was produced and released in 2023 by Japan’s Toho Studios. It has found worldwide success, reportedly raking in $116 million compared to an estimated budget of $10 - $12 million. It is Toho’s highest-grossing Godzilla movie ever, at a time when American movies are sluggish at the box office. Godzilla Minus One takes place shortly after World War II, when Japan is reeling from its ignominious defeat by the Allied Forces. The main character is Koichi Shikishima, a former kamikaze pilot who mus...

I confess I was nervous about watching Netflix’s live version of Avatar: The Last Airbender . I liked the animated series on which it’s based, and I had no idea whether Netflix could be true to that. All in all, I thought Netflix did a good job. The animated series aired on Nickelodeon for three seasons (from 2005 to 2008). I particularly liked its storyline, which was influenced by Chinese martial arts and Asian and Native American cultures. If you’re not familiar with it, the series is set in a world where the people of four nations—the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, the Air Nomads and the Water Tribes—have the ability to “bend,” or manipulate, the elements. Peace between the nations is ensured by the Avatar, who is born with the ability to bend all four elements. Aang, a 12-year-old Air Nomad, is the latest Avatar. The Fire Nation exterminates his people as part of an effort to conquer the other nations. He survives, but goes missing for 100 years. When he returns, he befriend...

I liked Netflix's  Rebel Moon , but I found the story only so-so. The tropes and archetypes could have been lifted from any fantasy (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). Here you have an evil empire, an innocent village, a brave, disillusioned warrior, a villainous villain, a quest to seek out heroes and defenders. The writing is clunky in parts. Everything is too pat. The movie’s concepts and aesthetics also are heavily reminiscent of those from popular sci-fi films, shows and games such as Dune   (2021),  Firefly  (2002-2003),  Star Wars   (1977),  Mad Max  (starting from 1981's The Road Warrior ) and Warhammer . I didn’t get to know any of the main characters, and I didn’t particularly care for any of them. Which is a pity because any good story needs a heart and a soul. Perhaps Rebel Moon, Part 2 , coming in April, will tell us more about their back stories. I’m also interested to see what happens with Jimmy, a sentient machine whom I found t...

I recently watched the new Netflix movie Troll . It is, not surprisingly, set in Norway. Did you know that Southeast Asia has its own troll-like figure? She is called Sang Kelembai. Trolls are such an important part of Nordic folklore that places all over Norway are named after the creatures. Mountain peaks and rock formations are especially likely to be named after trolls because, according to the lore, trolls turn to stone when exposed to sunlight. Whether from the mountains, the woods or caverns, trolls are large and uncouth. They love to trick humans and are generally unhelpful. Think of the troll who lives under the bridge in the old fairy tale “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” Or the nasty trolls in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings . The Sang Kelembai myth originates from the state of Pahang in Malaysia. She is a giantess (some say giant) three times the size of a normal person. She has a big nose, big elephant-like ears and fangs. She lives in the jungle and eats meat, fruit...

Television series have a lot in common with books. It’s often the cast of characters that keep their fans loyal. Think of the Winchester brothers and their monster-hunting friends in Supernatural . Or if your tastes run to something more prosaic—the lifeguards of Baywatch . And that’s why I love Netflix’s Stranger Things series. It’s not so much the edge-of-the-seat tension and the scary monsters. It’s the characters. They’re not just interesting and compelling. They also develop and change, as we see in Volume 1 of the latest season. By the way, my apologies for not posting recently. I’ve been hard at work with my latest book, the third installment in my urban fantasy The Geomancer’s Apprentice series. I finished the first draft recently. Yay! My reward was allowing myself a few hours to binge watch Stranger Things 4 . The characters in the series are as familiar as apple pie. There is the not-so-smart jock with the heart of gold; the wisecracking smart kid; the female superhero...

I just watched the first season of Netflix’s Cracow Monsters . It’s been a treat, especially since my husband and I spent a few days in that lovely city in 2018 and I love folklore and mythology. In the series, a medical school student and her classmates investigate strange events involving missing and dead children, resurrected corpses, and ancient Polish gods. While the storyline was pretty run-of-the-mill urban fantasy, there were quite a few suspenseful and hair-raising moments. The acting and the production quality also were good. What I especially liked was how the makers of the series took care to film in many of Krakow’s most iconic landmarks. That includes the city's Main Market Square, which dates back to the 13 th century and is the largest medieval town square in Europe. I loved seeing the square, the Vistula River, Wanda’s Mound and, of course, the Wawel Dragon in the series. The Wawel Dragon You can’t talk about Krakow without touching upon the Wawel Dragon. Acc...

I’m really enjoying Korean zombies. I recently binge-watched  All of Us Are Dead , the new Netflix television series about a group of students whose high school is overrun with reanimated corpses. The series, adapted from a popular webtoon, has everything you would want from a show about zombies. There are jump scares, close-contact situations of peril, close shaves, relatable and sympathetic characters, good makeup, and hordes of terrifying, shambling, hungry zombies. Each episode ended with a cliffhanger that made it hard not to rush to the next installment. There were perhaps too many character tropes in the series. However, that’s par for the course for most programs featuring zombies. Many people in the shows don’t live long enough to show their depth of character or to undergo personal growth. It’s not clear at this point whether there will be a second season. I’ll definitely watch it if there is one. While All of Us are Dead was good, I consider Kingdom —another zombie-c...

It’s almost Christmas. What better time for horror movies than the Yuletide? After all, Yule originally was a pagan mid-winter festival celebrated by pre-Christian Germanic peoples. The early Germans believed that the “Wild Hunt” occurred during the 12 nights of the Yuletide (Dec. 21 to Jan. 1). That was when a host of ghostly hunters rode the night skies led by Odin, whose many roles included the god of the dead. The hunters would mimic the sounds of howling wind and storms as they swept up the souls of the dead as well as any unlucky people and animals that crossed their path. The Yuletide feast was thought to be a sacrifice to secure blessings from Odin and the other gods for abundant crops and livestock in the coming spring. Yule was adopted and adapted by the Christians. However, even as Yuletide became Christmastide, some of the older traditions and customs were retained, such as wassailing and the burning of the log. In the spirit of the Wild Hunt, I have suggestions for ho...

It’s three days to Thanksgiving, and I have movie recommendations that will help horror fans enjoy the holiday even more. Watch a movie every night until Turkey Day. Or watch them all on the day itself, right after the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Have a great Thanksgiving! Kristy (2014) A college student stays in the dorm while most of her schoolmates go home for Thanksgiving. She is targeted and pursued by a cult of sadistic killers. Does anyone else find empty college campuses creepy? If you do, this is the horror flick for you. The movie is fast-paced and exciting. Kristy can be streamed on the Roku Channel or Tubi. Into the Dark: Pilgrim (2019) A woman invites re-enactors into her home to recreate an authentic Thanksgiving with the pilgrims, in the hope that her family will appreciate the holiday even more. Unfortunately, the actors take their work very, very seriously. Pilgrim is from Season 2 of Hulu’s Into the Dark TV series produced by Blumhouse Production...

Some of you already have put out the pumpkins and bought the mums, and it’s still September. But when you’re looking forward to something fun, you want that anticipation to last. I understand. To help with that anticipation, I’ve compiled a list of 10 movies that are sure to put you in the Halloween mood. Not only do they take place at Halloween, but they’re all about celebrating that zany, wacky time of year when the ghouls and goblins come out to play. Watch one of my recommendations a week (and two a week for the last three weeks) to amp you and the kids up. Most of the movies are kid-friendly, but I’ll add a warning if they’re not. Many of you have already seen most of the movies. Watch them again with the kids. Kids have no problem watching the same movie over and over again. I know. The Teletubbies theme music is seared into my brain. Enjoy, and Happy Halloween (in September)! The movies are listed in no particular order. 1. Hocus Pocus (1993) This Disney movie is so well-...

Photo: Netflix.com I watch a lot of bad horror movies. Heck, my family thinks I watch nothing but bad horror movies. Recently, however, I saw something that made me think, “Damn, that was a good one. Good enough to crack my top 10.” I’m talking about Netflix’s Blood Red Sky , a German vampire movie that takes place on a plane in mid-flight. The premise: a German woman and her young son embark on a flight to the United States. The doctors there think they have a cure for her condition. Her flight is hijacked by a group of brutal terrorists. To protect her son, she has no choice but to reveal her secret. The movie is slick. The protagonist is relatable and very sympathetic. You care right up to the end. The pace is fast, the action sequences are exciting. The vampires themselves are scary and feral. The claustrophobic setting makes them even more terrifying. As you can probably tell, I like my vampires to be frightening. None of that Twilight nonsense (although I have to confess tha...

Photo: Netflix.com Anyone who has caught Kingdom , the Netflix South Korean television horror series, knows it is addictive. It’s also a must for any fan of the zombie subgenre. The series features fast-paced action and on-the-edge-of-your-seat tension. It has palace intrigue, beautiful and lush settings, good fight scenes, and some amazing costumes. It’s set in the Kingdom of Joseon, Korea’s last dynastic kingdom, which lasted from 1392 to 1897. It’s a turbulent period. The Japanese are a constant threat, while villages at the kingdom’s borders have to make peace with the warring tribes. The best part, of course, are the zombies. These aren’t George Romero’s shambling automatons. The Kingdom zombies are quick, nimble, nasty, single-minded, and very, very hungry. The makeup is superb, and their movements when they awake is creepy as hell. If you’ve seen Train to Busan   (2016), you know Koreans know how to do zombies. Photo: Netflix.com For fans (including myself) eagerly awa...

How do you like your horror movies? With lots of slicing and dicing, and blood splatter everywhere? Or do you prefer jump scares and edge-of-the-seat tension? How about a mounting sense of dread? The slow burn toward terror? I’m generally not big on serial killer/slasher flicks. I couldn’t finish watching The Midnight Meat Train (2008), for example. It's way too gory and violent for me. I also haven’t seen any of the Saw or Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies. I prefer dread and atmosphere. I want chills that send cold fingers down your back, that will stay with you for days. I like the sort of movie that—when you think you’ve forgotten all about it—suddenly plays back in your mind at 3 in the morning when you’re alone and you just heard a weird sound in the next room. The movie also gets bonus points if it has a strong female protagonist. Below are 10 movies that I particularly liked. They aren’t big box-office hits and they haven’t been shown widely in theaters nationwide. Two...

Image: Netflix.com Trese , a brand-new Netflix animated series from the Philippines, has fast-paced action, good animation, a strong female lead, and interesting monsters. I binge-watched all six episodes in one sitting. There are a few plot holes, but I enjoyed Season 1 and I can’t wait for Season 2. There is a lot of bloodshed and gore, so you may not want your young children watching this. Netflix released the series June 10 in the United States. It is based on popular Filipino comic books featuring Alexandra Trese, a detective who investigates supernatural crimes. In the Netflix series, Trese is a lakan, an enforcer of peace accords between supernatural beings and humans. The police consult her on crimes that have a paranormal angle. Image: Netflix.com The series starts with her being called in on a case where a subway car is found blood-splattered and its passengers missing. She also looks into the murder of a ghost who was the one-time mistress of the mayor of Manila. During ...