The Master of Whitehall by Rick H. Veal

I recently found out about a book series called The Master of Whitehall, and since it's paranormal, I thought I'd share the info here in case any of you are interested in reading it. The author is Rick H. Veal, and there are five books in the series so far. Here's the description of the first book from the author's website:

"After the brutal murder of her parents, Katelyn Corbin, a twenty-one year old college senior, must face the prospect of resuming her life. Soon after arriving in historic Charleston, SC, Katelyn meets James Dubois a handsome young widower and wealthy patron of her school. The chemistry is instantaneous between the two of them. James, living alone in the beautifully restored colonial plantation of Whitehall Manor, is a mysterious man, with an old world aristocratic bearing. But James is not the man Katelyn thinks, and as their love grows, she begins to have questions. Why does a perfect gentleman seem so different? Dark secrets begin to surface and Katelyn finds that old folklore and fairy-tales are real in a world where vampires live and exist side by side with humans. Will love overcome all? Can she give up all she knows and all she is to be with him? Can she make the right decision when it comes to James, the Master of Whitehall?"


For more info and descriptions of all five books, check out the author's website. : )

http://www.themasterofwhitehall.com/

You can get the first book for Kindle here:

Movie Spotlight: Freaks of Nature

Freaks of Nature is a 2015 movie starring Nicholas Braun, Mackenzie Davis, Josh Fadem, Joan Cusack, Bob Odenkirk, Keegan-Michael Key, Ed Westwick, Patton Oswalt, Vanessa Hudgens, and Denis Leary. Dilford is a peaceful town where humans, vampires, and zombies get along just fine...until the alien apocalypse happens. Now the humans, vampires, and zombies are fighting each other, and human Dag (Nicholas Braun), vampire Petra (Mackenzie Davis), and zombie Ned (Josh Fadem) must work together to rid their town of the aliens and help Dilford return to the way it used to be.

I watched Freaks of Nature for Bob Odenkirk, Patton Oswalt, and Denis Leary, and even though they weren't in the movie as much as I would've liked, I still enjoyed it. Freaks of Nature is a fun movie with a big surprise near the end, and I like that it isn't just a vampire movie, zombie movie, or alien movie...it's ALL THREE!

My rating: 7.5/10

Movie Spotlight: Once Bitten

Once Bitten is a 1985 movie starring Jim Carrey, Lauren Hutton, Cleavon Little, Karen Hopkins, Thomas Ballatore, and Skip Lackey. A 400-year-old vampire (Lauren Hutton) seduces a high school student (Jim Carrey) in a Hollywood nightclub because she needs the blood of a virgin in order to maintain her youthful appearance.

I love Jim Carrey, and I've never had a chance to write about any of his movies for this blog, so I was happy to finally see Once Bitten. Although I didn't like it as much as some of his other movies (Dumb and Dumber and The Cable Guy are my favorites), it was an enjoyable movie, and Jim was great in his first leading role. Once Bitten has Jim Carrey, vampires, and a dance-off...what's not to like? ; )

My rating: 7/10

Horror Movie Month: What We Do in the Shadows

What We Do in the Shadows is a 2014 mockumentary about vampires living together in New Zealand, and it stars Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Jonathan Brugh, Ben Fransham, Jackie Van Beek, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stu Rutherford, and Rhys Darby.  I've been a huge fan of Jemaine Clement ever since I saw Flight of the Conchords on HBO's One Night Stand ten years ago (so if anyone's ever wondered why I've had hamsters named Bret, Jemaine, and Murray, now you know why), so I'd been excited to see this movie for awhile and was thrilled that I got to see it on the big screen.  Jemaine co-wrote and co-directed What We Do in the Shadows with Taika Waititi, and what a wonderful movie they've made!  What We Do in the Shadows is, without a doubt, the best vampire movie I've ever seen...every actor was perfect in his or her role, and the movie was hilarious. The scene involving 317-year-old Viago (Waititi) and his female victim is one of the funniest things I've ever seen, and I laugh just thinking about it.  I loved every second of the movie and would've been perfectly happy to stay in the theater and watch it again immediately (my theater didn't have this option though since they're only showing it once a day), so of course I bought What We Do in the Shadows the day it came out on DVD and watched it twice within the first few days I had it.

What We Do in the Shadows is the best movie I've seen this year, and I feel bad for anyone who hasn't seen it. Now that it's on DVD (and available to rent from Redbox), it shouldn't be too hard to find. You might not know it yet, but you need this movie in your life. ; )

My rating: 9/10

What We Do in the Shadows on DVD

What We Do in the Shadows comes out on DVD today!!!!! (Can you tell I'm excited?) I saw the movie when it played in Charleston a few months ago and have been waiting for it to come out on DVD because I need to own this movie. Here's my review:

http://paranormalcrystal.blogspot.com/2015/03/movie-spotlight-what-we-do-in-shadows.html

What We Do in the Shadows is the funniest movie I've seen in a long time, and I can't wait to watch it again! : )

Movie Spotlight: What We Do in the Shadows

What We Do in the Shadows is a 2014 mockumentary about vampires living together in New Zealand, and it stars Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Jonathan Brugh, Ben Fransham, Jackie Van Beek, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stu Rutherford, and Rhys Darby.  I've been a huge fan of Jemaine Clement ever since I saw Flight of the Conchords on HBO's One Night Stand ten years ago (so if anyone's ever wondered why I've had hamsters named Bret, Jemaine, and Murray, now you know why), so I've been excited to see this movie for awhile and was thrilled to find out that it was finally playing in Charleston.  Jemaine co-wrote and co-directed What We Do in the Shadows with Taika Waititi, and what a wonderful movie they've made!  What We Do in the Shadows is, without a doubt, the best vampire movie I've ever seen...every actor was perfect in his or her role, and the movie was hilarious. The scene involving 317-year-old Viago (Waititi) and his female victim is one of the funniest things I've ever seen, and I laugh just thinking about it.  I loved every second of the movie and would've been perfectly happy to stay in the theater and watch it again immediately (my theater didn't have this option though since they're only showing it once a day), so of course I'll be buying What We Do in the Shadows the day it comes out on DVD.

If you live in any of the cities where What We Do in the Shadows is playing, go see it as soon as you can (and take all of your friends with you)...it's a great movie, and I feel bad for anyone who hasn't seen it. : )

http://us.whatwedointheshadows.com/

My rating: 9/10

Movie Spotlight: Vamps

Vamps is a 2012 movie starring Alicia Silverstone, Krysten Ritter, Sigourney Weaver, Todd Barry, Justin Kirk, Richard Lewis, Dan Stevens, Zak Orth, Wallace Shawn, Kristen Johnson, and Malcolm McDowell.  Goody (Silverstone) and Stacy (Ritter) are vampires and best friends living in Manhattan; Goody was turned in the 1840s, while Stacy wasn't turned until the 1990s.  They were both turned by the same vampire (Ciccerus, played by Sigourney Weaver) and refuse to drink human blood, drinking rat blood instead.  Also, Stacy's new boyfriend (Stevens) happens to be the son of Van Helsing, world-famous vampire slayer.

I decided to watch this movie because I've enjoyed Krysten Ritter in everything I've seen her in, and Vamps was no exception (I was also happy to see Todd Barry since he's one of my favorite stand-up comics).  Most vampire movies are dark and serious, but this one was fun and lighthearted in comparison, so it was a nice change of pace.  I prefer funny movies, and I don't think there are enough vampire comedies, so I'm glad I stumbled across this movie.

My rating: 7.5/10

Movie Spotlight: Let Me In

Let Me In is the 2010 remake of Let the Right One In, which is a Swedish movie based on a book by John Ajvide Lindqvist.  The movie stars Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloë Grace Moretz, Elias Koteas, Richard Jenkins, Dylan Minnette, and Cara Buono, and it takes place in Los Alamos, New Mexico in 1983.  Bullied 12-year-old Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) befriends new neighbor Abby (Chloë Grace Moretz), who is also 12, "more or less," and happens to be a vampire.  I enjoyed Let Me In and was impressed with the performances of Chloë Grace Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee...even though Abby kills people, I felt sorry for her because no one wants to be a vampire and be forced to kill people to feed, but she has no choice if she wants to live. My only complaint about the movie is that I would've liked to know more of Abby's back story, specifically how she became a vampire.  I decided early on in the movie that if Kenny the bully (Dylan Minnette) didn't become vampire food (or maybe "drink" would be a more accurate term) by the end of the movie, I would be really disappointed...I hope that real bullies aren't as mean as Kenny and his friends because these kids were willing to do potentially deadly things just to get back at Owen for standing up to them, and to me, that's scarier than any vampire.

My rating: 7.5/10

Cool Website of the Week: Paranormal Zone X

This week's cool website is Paranormal Zone X.  This website seems like one I could spend hours on if I had the time; there are sections about aliens, crop circles, cults, ESP, ghost evidence, ghost hunting equipment, near death experiences, Ouija boards, vampires, and a few other things.  On the homepage alone, you can find info about a variety of strange creatures, paranormal phenomena,  and
conspiracy theories.  This website has extensive information about the topics it covers, so if you're interested in the paranormal, I bet you could really keep yourself busy on Paranormal Zone X...I know I'll be coming back often. : )

https://sites.google.com/site/paranormalzonex/

Free book: Bloodsuckers on the Bayou by Valerie Estelle Frankel

Bloodsuckers on the Bayou: The Myths, Symbols, and Tales Behind HBO's True Blood is free today!  I love True Blood, and Valerie Estelle Frankel's book sounds really interesting; I know that lots of people love the show, so I thought I'd share the book details on my blog.

"True Blood is more than just an HBO show brimming with sex and gore, or another vampire horror story blown up by big media. Independent detective Sookie Stackhouse is following the classic heroine’s journey, seen in epic myth and popular fantasy, from the quests of Isis and Demeter to the struggles of Dorothy Gale or Katniss Everdeen. Beside her, Sam, Jason, Alcide, Eric, and Bill, along with Pam, Tara, and Jessica embark on their own epic quests into darkness seeking freedom and belonging. From the show’s mythic structure to the maenads, fairies, demonesses, werewolves, and vampires, True Blood swells from its ancient roots to tackle modern issues and sensibilities in a breathtaking epic…while still breaking taboos and tackling boundaries."

http://www.amazon.com/Bloodsuckers-Bayou-Symbols-Behind-ebook/dp/B00E82OHSM/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375650374&sr=1-5&keywords=true+blood