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The Exorcist Episodes 5 & 6

11/29/2016

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Episode 5
Casey is suffering immensely at the hands of the demonic salesman and with the exorcism in full swing Tomas and Marcus have their work cut out for them. When Casey manipulates Henry into going to her she tells him a secret which makes him question his whole life with Angela.

The secret was a fantastic twist that I didn’t see coming. Angela is not Angela. She is actually Regan Macneil – the Regan Macneil from the film. The demon has been speaking of wanting ‘her’ and personally I thought it wanted Kat but nope, it wants Regan, the little girl who managed with the help of the church rid herself of the evil that tried to take her life. Henry is very creepy in this episode. I was convinced he was possessed and was out to kill Angela, so foreboding was his mannerisms.

Meanwhile, locked in Casey’s room the demon inhabiting her body tortures not only Casey but Marcus and Tomas also. It makes them bear witness to the physical cruelty he puts her through while intermittently playing on their weaknesses by pretending to be Marcus’ mother and Tomas’ grandmother. Tomas; less experienced and prepared than Marcus, is left shaken and he flees to Jessica’s house where he breaks the ultimate cardinal sin.

We again see the demon sitting astride Casey’s chest which, as I have said before is a simple touch that has such powerful meaning. While her sister is in the grips of the demons relentless torment, Kat tries to persuade Angela to get her to a doctor. Angela refuses so Kat goes behind her back and the police arrive to arrest Marcus who Kat believes is doing nothing but harm to her sister. Casey is taken to hospital in an ambulance. When the ambulance doesn’t make it, Kat realises what a huge mistake she’s made.

Angela goes to Tomas for spiritual help and she talks about her own possession and how her mother used her story for financial benefit. The scene cuts to what appears to be one of the most iconic images in horror; a figure in a black hat carrying a black bag standing in front of a town house under a street light while eerie mist swirls around. It is an image that immediately conjured up connotations of the movie for me. However, it is not Father Merrin who stands in front of the house, but Regan/Angela’s mother Chris Macneil.

Episode 6

With Casey missing after she attacked and killed the ambulance drivers – a fact that the public have not been made aware of – Angela’s mother Chris has turned up after years of absence from her daughter’s life to help her find Casey. Angela is bitter towards her for using her to get a book deal and make money off her trauma when she was young. Henry and Kat are slightly more welcoming and Angela has no choice but to allow her to stay at the house.

The community comes together to search for Casey while Marcus branches out on his own to find her. He wants to do it without Tomas who he says has too much to lose. We witness a ritual with the organs of the people who were murdered a few episodes ago, although it doesn’t become clear what is intended until later in the episode.

The influential and formidable Maria Walters shows her support for the Rance family, but her interest in the case is more than just concern for the girl. With the help of friends Marcus learns that one of the companies the Walters own is a mere façade and the vans are the ones being used in the murders of the people who had their organs taken.

At a party held by Maria Walters and attended by the police superintendent leading the investigation into Casey’s disappearance, the reason for the harvested organs becomes clear when a demonic ritual is performed with the guests hoping for their chance to be possessed by the conjured demonic entity.

Marcus finds Casey hiding in an underground tunnel along with many other homeless and possibly possessed people. She runs but he finds her and attempts to save her soul with prayer and faith. In a moment of clarity she tells him that He is coming.

​Could the devil himself be about to walk the earth? I am looking forward to finding out.
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American Horror Story 6 – Roanoke Episode 10

11/24/2016

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That’s it, another series over and a long wait until the next (sigh). But hey ho, at least what we’ve been treated to this year was, in my opinion, one of the best series of AHS to date. The teaser trailers had me anticipating something to do with the occult. I was completely wrong but in this instance I was happy to be wrong because what we got instead was a dark reality-based corker of a show which I have loved from start to (almost) finish. Yeah, about the almost…

The final episode in the latest season ties up its loose ends but left me with a feeling of slight disappointment. I didn’t know what to expect after we saw all but one of the cast wiped out in the penultimate instalment, but I had high hopes for the big finale. For a season so unique in that it stepped away from the usual template for which every other season has been based on, and one where it constantly upped the ante by introducing us to not one but two reality-style shows, not to mention its genius way of getting the most out of the actors by having them portray two characters, I expected an explosive and thought provoking finish. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad, but it seemed like a bit of an anti-climax after we had invested so much in it.

Lee is the sole survivor of Return to Roanoke. She has been on trial for both the murders of Mason and of many of the cast of the second series and has been acquitted of all charges by the jury who sympathised with her traumatic experience at the hands of the Polks. However, she did lose Flora who not only testified against her by telling the court she saw her mum kill her dad, but who then told her she wanted nothing to do with her. Having lost her daughter Lee agrees to be interviewed by the intrepid talk show host Lana Winters to tell her side of the story. Lana Winters. Name ring a bell? It should. Sarah Paulson takes on her third character in this season as we see the return of Lana who we first met in Asylum. It was a fantastic touch to bring back a character from a previous series; a series that was wholly fictional and not the reality based offering that we have most recently been served up. Even so, it took nothing away from either Asylum or Roanoke. I loved it.

Lana gets straight into the tough questions and when she asks Lee where Flora is Lee is visibly shocked. She had no idea her daughter was missing. When Lot Polk forces his way onto the set with the intent of killing Lee in revenge for murdering his brother, Lana bravely tries to talk him down. Having none of it he knocks her out but before he gets chance to kill Lee he is gunned down by police. I thought this segment was unnecessary. It added nothing to the story-line and lasted only a minute or two before he was killed. I can only assume they needed filler.

And so comes the fourth reality-based show we have seen this series (including the naïve social media glory hunters from the last episode). Here we see a run-of-the-mill, OTT paranormal group break into the house to document the happenings over the blood moon. As you do. Of course they have all the latest technology at their disposal and of course it does nothing to help them. They invite Ashley Gilbert who played Cricket Marlowe in earlier episodes to join them. Whether he is a non-believer or just angry that he wasn’t invited to take part in the return, he goes along willingly. Things turn a bit strange when he starts channelling his inner Cricket and talking about sensing things.

​Much to everyone’s surprise, Lee - who is there to find Flora - arrives and tells them all they deserve to die for being so stupid and returning on the blood moon. Although extreme, I have to agree. Are ratings really worth more than their lives or have they just not seen what happened to everyone else who has been at the farmhouse recently? One by one the crew of the paranormal show fall victim to the Chens and the pigman and the remaining members flee the house only to fall foul of the butcher and her flock.

Refusing to leave without Flora, Lee stays put. When she finds her Flora will not leave the house. She tells Lee she wants Priscilla to help her be like her so she can keep the dead girl safe from the butcher. In a final act of love and devotion Lee talks Flora into letting her stay with Priscilla instead so she can protect her from the evil of the land. Promising she can visit them when the blood moon is over Flora agrees and walks out of the house into the arms of the waiting police. We see Lee helping Priscilla hold her gun to shoot her in the chest before a gas explosion engulfs the entire house.

Flora waves goodbye to her dead mum and friend before being driven away by the police. In the distance the ominous flicker of the clans’ torches shine through the trees as they look on.

As I said, it wasn’t a bad ending. I just didn’t see the need for this one when they could have fitted the trial and Lees’ subsequent loss of Flora into last week’s episode. I found the addition of another set of ghost hunting reality stars slightly tedious and silly. I did, however, like the fact that no-one survived in the end. A lot of programmes shy away from that for fear of backlash but not AHS.

​All in all season 6 is my favourite series so far (bar the final episode) followed closely by Hotel and Murder House and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for fans next year!
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American Horror Story 6 – Return to Roanoke Episode 9

11/17/2016

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I have loved every one of the offerings AHS has dished up for the fans, but season 6, I have to say, is my favourite so far. We have been treated to a whole new concept in the shape of a mocumentary, been introduced to some fantastic characters who, love them or hate them have provided moments where you have to feel for them and been on a genuinely frightening roller-coaster of a ride which I am so sad is almost at an end. Almost, but not quite.

The penultimate episode begins with three thrill-seekers with high hopes of becoming famous searching for the notorious farm house from My Roanoke Nightmare. It was good to see Taissa Farmiga – a familiar face to AHS fans - making a return this time as Sophie, one of the intrepid trio of ghost hunters. Trekking through the woodland with personal cameras documenting all they see, Sophie, Todd and Milo come across a woman who looks like she needs help so they follow her to a crashed car and we find it is Diana Cross, Sidney’s assistant who was killed in a crash when she tried to leave the property a few weeks ago. Seeing Diana’s mangled body in the wreck the petrified and confused ghost hunters go to the police for help. When the police investigate they find no body and, believing it to be a hoax, tell the three friends to stay away from the house. Oh, if only they’d watched the video footage.

​Lee and Audrey find out that Dylan was booked by Sydney to show up at the house dressed as the pigman in order to add some scares. He has no idea that everyone is dead. Knowing they have to get out before the final night of the blood moon arrives they go back to the Polks’ farm looking for Monet and with the intention of stealing their truck. Dylan’s body cam shows him hot wiring the truck just before he is stabbed by Lot Polk.

Audrey and Monet make a run for it and end up back at the farm house. Audrey has the camera Lee desperately wanted and Monet watches it back to see why she wanted it so badly. The women find out she killed Mason. Meanwhile, in the woods Lee is injured and lost and one of the outdoor cameras picks up the witch approaching her and handing her a heart – a scene reminiscent of a previous episode when Agnes was given a heart to eat and the witch transferred some of her powers to her.

The ghost hunters go back to woods wanting to prove the police wrong and if they can increase their social media followers in the process then even better. They come across Lee who kills Todd. Running for their lives Sophie and Milo stumble upon the production trailer where they watch the live streams and see Audrey and Monet are still alive and still in the house. They watch in horror as the screen picks up Lee going back to the house. The police don’t believe Sophie when she phones them so she and Milo decide to save them.

They don’t make it to the house in time to save Monet who is pushed from the top landing onto a spike on the floor below. Audrey manages to escape to the cellar where she is pushed down the steps by Lee.

After making it to the house Sophie and Milo watch as the butcher and her crew disembowel Dylan. Escape is not an option when Lee finds them and hands them over to the butcher for her to sacrifice. We are shown a disclaimer warning us of the nature of what we are about to see, which is a touch I loved as it added more reality to it. It is a fair warning too as we see both Milo and then Sophie speared and then set alight and left to die.

The next day the police finally show up to a scene of utter destruction and death. Finding body after body they are shocked to find Lee still alive but disorientated. When Audrey pulls herself from the cellar and sees Lee she takes a gun from a policeman and tries to shoot her. Believing Lee to be an innocent victim, the police open fire on Audrey in order to save Lee’s life.

​So Lee is the only remaining survivor from the house of horrors. Will she still be alive by the end of the final episode? I have no idea but I can’t wait to find out.
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The Exorcist Episode 4

11/15/2016

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The latest instalment in the horror series takes on a new and unique approach which differs greatly from the movie and book it is based on. We get to see the attempts of the demon to take possession of Casey from her point of view. We see the struggle she continues to put up as she fights against the malevolent force and the tormenting and unyielding effects of her unwillingness to allow it to take her.

The last episode ended on the train where Casey had savagely attacked a man. This episode picks up straight after with Casey admitted into hospital for psychiatric and medical tests to evaluate what is wrong with her. The ‘salesman’ is with her the whole way and we see the torment and manipulation he puts her through as well as the physical pain as he continues to wear her down, determined to crack her and weaken her resolve so he can gain full control over her. The brutality of the demons punishment is realised when she is given an internal examination and burns are found. As awful and vile as this is, it is far from being an unnecessary addition purely for shock factor. It shows how far the demon is willing to go and how brave and strong Casey has been thus far in preventing him taking hold.

As Angela tries desperately to get her daughter released she is halted at every turn when the hospital inform her they have an obligation of care to keep her in for 24 hours. Not allowed any visitors, Casey is alone and petrified as her torturer incessantly goads and attacks her, allowing her no respite from his wickedness. Her only comfort in her world of pain is a kind nurse who is soon used for the demons own gains when she falls prey to him. Casey finally gives in and allows him full entry to her in order to save the nurses life.

Meanwhile, Marcus is doing all he can, visiting people Father Bennett has suggested - off the record, to try and find a way to help Casey and her family. Finding a tour guide who has a wide knowledge of the occult he learns that the rate of possession and ritualistic killings are growing rapidly. The guide believes it is because there is something dark and horrific coming which Marcus hopes to stop before it is too late.

He turns up at a nunnery and witnesses another demonic possession where the nuns are attempting to oust the demon through patience, forgiveness and kindness. A vastly new approach to Marcus, he is intrigued, if unconvinced it will work. Permitted to take part in the exorcism he has to push aside all he knows and take on the more gentle approach to save the man’s life. It works and he regains his confidence in his abilities which he lost after his final failed exorcism where a young boy died. Full of hope he returns to Father Tomas and together they prepare to confront the demon residing inside Casey. Although not sanctioned by the church, Tomas is determined to help Casey - whatever it takes.
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American Horror Story 6 – Return To Roanoke Episode 8

11/9/2016

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Crikey, what an episode! The producers are pulling no punches on this one. No-one is safe.

We re-join Shelby and Dominic who are trapped in the house with the butcher and her clan circling outside. Having murdered Matt last week when she caught him with the witch, Shelby is all but ready to give up until Dominic persuades her to help him get out so they head to the tunnel where they encounter the Chan family who were killed by the butcher years ago. They have no choice but to retreat back to the house.

Meanwhile, Lee is being held by the twisted Polk family who are intent on keeping her alive while they feast on her flesh. Mama Polk leaves her son in charge of Lee who sees she can take advantage of him and she eventually manages to escape – but not before having her ear cut off as a sick Christmas present from one Polk to another.

Back at the house after fighting off the Chans’ and the pigman, Shelby and Dominic barricade themselves into the bathroom where Shelby resigns herself to her fate and takes her own life.

Audrey and Monet are being tortured by the rest of the Polks’ who make a mistake which allows Monet to escape. They go after her while Mama stays with Audrey and continues the torture. Lee comes along and saves her life and Audrey exacts revenge on Mama before the two women make a run for the secret tunnel to the house and Lee finds Matt’s dead and battered body. Finding Shelby’s body Audrey insists she would not have killed herself because she played her for six months and knows her better than she knows herself. Thinking Dominic killed her, they lock him out where he falls prey to the pigman. Fully expecting not to survive, Audrey films what she believes could be her last few moments in the spotlight and, ever the martyr, she tells her fans how she would have given them so many more fantastic performances. Sarah Paulson does a brilliant job at making the viewer’s dislike her.

​They stay in the house until morning when they find Dylan - who played the butchers son Ambrose in the documentary - on the doorstep dressed as the pigman. Will he be able to help them escape the terrors of the house and woods or are they all doomed and just don’t know it yet?

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The Exorcist Episodes 2 & 3

11/7/2016

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Episode 2
We are thrown into the horror when we witness Father Marcus as a young boy facing his first ever possessed person – alone. Bought by the church when he was very young, this horrifying act is how they trained their future priests and Marcus knew from an early age he would be able to help rid tortured souls of their demons. Back to the present day and he is on his way to Tomas’ house having left the sanctuary of St Aquinas’ without the permission of the church - one of his required demands from them after he was excommunicated when his last performed exorcism resulted in a child dying. Perhaps against his better judgement he knows he cannot allow someone to suffer when he can offer them help.

When Angela Rance discovers her daughter Casey sitting alone at night and speaking in a voice that is not her own, she pleads with Father Tomas for help. Taking the video Angela recorded of her daughter to a higher power he is understandably upset when he is told she needs a psychiatrist, not a priest.

Having seen Casey for himself Father Marcus is desperate to help her and her family and tries to persuade Tomas to work with him, not against him. When a spate of brutal killings with a grisly link to satanic ritual – organs, genitalia and skin from hands and feet removed and taken – occur in one night all on the same street, the two priests are forced to admit there is something much bigger and more devastating than they could have ever imagined at work in the small town.

Episode 3

In episode 3 we delve a little deeper into Kats’ car accident and we find the ‘friend’ who died was becoming more than just a friend. We also get to see the demon, or the salesman as he is referred to, was the one who caused the crash. It is insinuated by Father Marcus that the demon originally wanted Kat as his vessel but when he could not gain access he had to make do with Casey. Believing the man is her friend and will not harm her Casey allows him gradually more and more access to her which he takes with relish, insisting she dress provocatively in a stolen outfit for a memorial for Kats' friend.

There are a couple of scenes where it seems he has an unhealthy sexual interest in the young woman and at first it is unclear if she reciprocates the feelings. Later we see she does and then he begins to gain more control of her, compelling her to attack a man which, although not entirely unprovoked makes for a very intense and unsettling watch. She exhibits unnatural strength as the possession deepens and her capacity and enjoyment for violence grow at an alarming rate.

Will Father Marcus be able to save Casey before it is too late?
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American Horror Story 6 – Return To Roanoke Episode 7

11/1/2016

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The horror starts immediately this week with the gruesome murders of the production team at the hands of Agnes, aka the butcher. We witness her rapid descent into madness told in a chillingly convincing way by the ever-wonderful Kathy Bates. Sever psychosis blights the actress and she sways between her true self and her portrayal of Thomasin White. Believing herself to be the butcher she wreaks revenge on those who ostracised her from the show and humiliated her on TV.

With Rory dead and no body to be found, his fiancée Audrey believes he has gone to Hollywood to take on a major movie role. Devastated, she doesn’t have much time to grieve for her lost love when Agnes attacks Shelby with a meat cleaver. Lily Rabe delivers an exceptional performance as the injured Shelby and later in the episode her acting is impeccable when she makes a shocking discovery.

In desperate need of help they appeal via the cameras to Sidney to send an ambulance. When no help comes, the remaining women decide to go and find some themselves. Escaping through the secret tunnel under the house, they encounter something more terrifying than the knife-wielding Agnes and both Audrey and Monet are forced to believe the ghost story told by Matt, Shelby and Lee.

Finally free of the tunnel they find themselves lost in the woods with the blood moon high in the sky and night quickly approaching. With the butchers’ tribe hunting for them they flee until they fall prey to the hill-billy neighbours from hell. Will they survive the depraved family? Robin Weigert – who I loved as Calamity Jane in Deadwood - makes a brilliant but disturbing appearance as the matriarch of the weird family.


Back at the house the butcher and her clan have arrived. Will anyone escape alive?
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