Fairy Tale Spotlight: Shock Wave [Short Story Review]

"Shock Wave" is a short story written by Richard Matheson. It was published in 1963. It has an alternative title of "Crescendo" which is entirely appropriate. In fact, I kind of like that one more.

The story of "Shock Wave" is a very strange one. It kind of takes what seems like a silly idea and just pursues it directly to the end unwaveringly. It does so in a way that actually made me a bit uncomfortable.

The whole idea of it is that a man who is in charge of a giant church organ is, for whatever reason, under the suspicion that the organ is becoming sentient. He believes it is actually aware that it is about to be replaced for being old. Being that he has been playing the thing for ages, he has a sort of feel for it, and this is why he has these beliefs.

This is a very interesting idea since these great organs use compressed air as a means to produce most of its music. There is a lot of air flow that can affect many aspects of the organ itself. It seems realistic that you would be able to "feel" when something is wrong.

Although the story itself seems silly, this is another Matheson story that has a Edgar Allan Poe vibe happening. It is once again written in a much better way than Poe generally does it. Both times, I have enjoyed this sort of story as done by Matheson.

One of the things I do want to point out about this story is that it is very intense. It has a crazy build-up to it that hits hard and never lets up. It only gets worse. So even if you can't wrap your head around the idea of a sentient organ, you might, like me, get caught up in the intensity of the story itself.

I recommend "Shock Wave." It's surprising for what it is, but it's ability to take itself seriously really won it out for me. I genuinely enjoyed reading it.

This blog was written on May 4, 2023.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Maize [Video Game Review]

"Maize" is an adventure video game released in 2016. I've played it through twice. I think I meant to review it back when I finished it the first time but simply forgot to do it.

The basic story of "Maize" is that you wake up in a strange cornfield with no memory of who you are or why you are there. Very quickly you find out that some of the corn are not only alive but sentient beings. They even have faces and can talk, although they don't seem very intelligent, as one might expect of corn.

Soon, you find out the the farm is on top of an extremely large secret facility. While exploring it, you end up finding one of the most entertaining characters I have ever met in a video game. His name is Vladdy. He is a talking, Russian, robot, teddy bear... and he hates you. He constantly reminds you about how stupid you are. It's wonderful. Pretty much this character alone made this game worth playing a second time. Seriously, look up a trailer for this game so you can see and hear him.

The gameplay consists mainly of finding things and figuring out where those things go. It's basically a simple adventure game. The enjoyment comes from just taking in the whole world and learning about all the details of how it came to be. Everything is built upon comedy, but it is presented in a very surreal manner that makes it all fascinating. This is a good way to do comedy.

The comedy itself is quite absurd, but dry enough so you can kind of relax and take it all in. An example of this was that the lab has a really awful cheap security system which is painfully easy to circumvent. In order to pass by a facial recognition scanner, all I had to do was do an "Etch A Sketch" drawing of the man I am trying to impersonate (a really bad one, by the way) and then dress it up in an old jacket. Instant access. Yes, it's really that stupid.

Actually the word "stupid" is a prevailing aspect of the whole experience. The game owns stupidity as almost a way of life. Throughout the game, nearly every character you meet seems like a complete moron. You are also called "stupid" and an "idiot," usually by Vladdy. And as you play through the campaign... you actually may begin to wonder if you really are stupid.

The concept that you are just as stupid as the people around you is not something I am used to in games. Usually we assume that we are, at the very least, the one hero that can solve the problem. But this game doesn't really do that. No. You're an idiot, and the game lets you know that... and also that... it's kind of okay to be an idiot... as long as things work out.

If you can get your hands on a copy of "Maize" you really should. It's worth it for its very surreal brand of comedy and adventure. Just keep in mind that the humor is often very slowly paced and heavily based on your own personal investment in this strange world. Give it a try. Do it for that Russian robot bear who hates you. Also do look up that trailer. It's really quite fun to watch.

This blog was written on May 3, 2023.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Creeping Terror [Short Story Review]

"The Creeping Terror" is a short story written by Richard Matheson. It was published in 1959. Before I talk about this story, I want to sidestep into a discussion about Richard Matheson's titles.

The thing of it is... I haven't really been enjoying the way he has titled many of his stories. Although they aren't all bad. "Mute" was appropriate. "Button, Button" is tolerable. But the other stories that I have been reading of his has not really, I feel, been very representative of the work of which they were attached to. There may be a small, or subtle reason why they make sense, but for the most part, I have enjoyed his stories far more than his titles.

I'm sure it must just be the ones I have been exposed to so far. I'm getting these stories from a relatively small collection. Matheson was a prolific author who has more stories than I can dream of reading. Maybe I'll get to them someday, but who knows. I just wanted to point this opinion out.

Now, what do you think about when you see the title "The Creeping Terror"? My mind immediately went straight for something Lovecraftian. You might have as well. It does sound as if Cthulhu is about to invade one of Matheson's stories, doesn't it? Clearly this story is going to be a horror, right?

Before I tell you anything about this story, I do want to point out that he does have an alternate title for this one that I learned about after I finished the story. Are you sure you want to see it? Okay, here it is: "A Touch of Grapefruit." I'm not joking. "A Touch of Grapefruit" is the alternative title to "The Creeping Terror." I'm pretty sure you have absolutely no idea what this story is about now. All semblance of predictability has washed away. Thank you, Richard Matheson, for being no help at all.

Oh, I'll stop making you wait. The story is actually really good, so I'll just get into it.

"The Creeping Terror," otherwise known as "A Touch of Grapefruit," is a story about Los Angeles. The city itself suddenly becomes alive in the year 1983 and begins stretching out across the country. It was even scientifically proven that it was happening by scientists who saw it happening on the microscopic level. So you have an actual city in the world that is moving across the country and eating up other cities and states.

No, it's not really serious. This story is a comedy.

It's a comedy because it's not really eating up the states as much as it's changing the culture of the country as it progresses. The fakeness and elitism of Los Angeles and Hollywood begin to corrupt the rest of the country as its influence spreads. People start watching more movies, driving in convertibles, and plant palm trees everywhere, stuff like that. It's all very silly, but it has a good point.

Honestly, I rather feel that this story did eventually come true to a degree. We have all become slaves to Hollywood. We watch movies too much and we let them control how we think. It's all pretty tragic, even if it was intended as a comedy.

If you want to feel both laughter followed by swift depression, I do recommend "The Creeping Terror" or "A Touch of Grapefruit." I think it's worth it. At the very least, try and take this comedy a little seriously. It kinda happened. Los Angeles really is a virus. We'd probably be better off as a nation if it had never existed with the influence that it ended up having.

This blog was written on May 2, 2023.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Mute [Short Story Review]

"Mute" is a short story written by Richard Matheson. It was published in 1962. It is also a Twilight Zone episode that I have unfortunately not seen yet.

The story here is that there is a terrible fire in town. The only survivor is a small boy named Paal (which I think may be a two-syllable word... possibly German in origin.) The boy won't speak to anybody, and it is determined that he can actually speak... but won't. He ends up in the temporary care of the Sherriff and his wife.

Although there are next of kin that can be contacted about Paal, the Sherriff's wife falls in love with the boy so much that she ends up sabotaging these efforts, so the boy ends up her charge. It is then revealed purely through narrative that the boy is actually intensely psychic. The fact that he is psychic has much to do with why he refuses to talk. Therein lies the mystery.

At this point, I don't think I should spoil anymore. This is one of his longer stories, so there is a lot of content to pour through, and I think I'd rather just leave it to the reader. And I really do recommend "Mute" to you as well. It was not what I thought it was going to be.

All the characters are very well presented. Paal's perspective is especially well done, and it somehow does it without spoiling his own origins. It's really quite a great piece of literature. If you can find this one, you should definitely give it a go. It's about a forty-minute read.

Update: I saw the Twilight Zone episode which had the same name. It was excellent and followed the story closer than I thought they would. The only major change was that they made the boy into a girl. Honestly, I think a girl makes more sense. The only problem here is that if you watch this version, it makes the book version obsolete because of how it reveals things extremely early. Still, I think the Twilight Zone version is the superior one. I don't normally say things like this, so please take it seriously.

This blog was written on April 30, 2023.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Pattern for Survival [Short Story Review]

[This blog completely spoils the story.]

"Pattern for Survival" is a short story written by Richard Matheson. It was published in 1955. It is the most strangely written of the ones I have read from him so far.

The name of the game here is subtlety. You might miss what is going on if you aren't paying very close attention. I sure did. I had to reread it once just to figure it all out. It wasn't a big problem. It's pretty much a 5 minute read.

The story relates the tale of a successful writer who has just finished his new novel. He ships it off to the publisher. It's picked up by a postman, who is also a fan, and delivered to the publisher. A man there reads it and loves every single word of it. It's then approved and then put into print, making exactly one copy. It is then bought and taken home to be enjoyed by a single man. As it turns out, this man was all of the characters in the story... and that is why this is a sad tragedy.

The interesting aspect of this tale is that you may not actually notice it's happening. The only major clues are that everything seems to be happening too quickly... and that the man at the end seems to have a lot of different costumes that he had been wearing that day.

The tragedy of the story is that the man has apparently failed to make a living for himself as a writer, and because of that he seems to have recessed into his own imagination. Inside his mind, he is living his dreams of being a popular writer which causes this terrible cycle to go on and on until he either gets help... or dies. This one hit kind of hard for me.

"Pattern for Survival" is a competently written short story with novel aspects to its writing, and I do recommend it. It's very short and interesting in the way it is constructed. I really liked it.

This blog was written on April 25, 2023.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: No Such Thing as a Vampire [Short Story Review]

"No Such Thing as a Vampire" is a short story written by Richard Matheson. It was published in 1959. It plays heavily into popular vampire themes and tropes.

There are a bunch of superstitious beliefs we all have heard regarding vampires. The repulsion to garlic, the aversion to crosses, and the inability to be active in daylight. This short story has all of those things in play, and it is very important to remember that when going into this story set in the nineteenth century.

The real question of this tale is not so much about a vampire but if they even exist at all. Whether or not they do, something bad is happening, and the truth needs to be figured out. In that respect, the story is very gloomy and dark. It's much like an Edgar Allan Poe story but without the overwritten baggage. I liked it.

The ending of "No Such Thing as a Vampire" was pretty darn satisfying. I would recommend this one if only so you can see how a Poe story could have been better written. You don't need tons of overwritten garbage just to tell your spooky mystery story. Richard Matheson proved that guy wrong in this very interesting horror story.

This blog was written on April 24, 2023.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: A Flourish of Strumpets [Short Story Review]

"A Flourish of Strumpets" is a short story written by Richard Matheson. It was published in 1956. Not particularly the type of story I expected from the 50's, but it was perfectly welcome in any case.

This story could be considered a comedy. It is rather amusing, but it also has an important message about the social degradation that has always been happening in America. It is a sadly relatable story that reminds me that I am living in a country that is slowly becoming a dystopia.

The main plot of the story has to do with prostitution. We all know about it. We see and hear about it all the time. They can be found in brothels in some states, and, in others, they can be seen on the streets, selling their bodies illegally. But what if they were selling themselves door to door?

That is where we find ourselves in "A Flourish of Strumpets." The world has finally began to devolve to the point where prostitutes are openly visiting all the houses on the street, looking for any takers. It's hilarious. It's sad. It's also not that far-fetched. The more desensitized we become as a people, the closer we get to stuff like this. It may take slightly different forms, but it's happening.

I totally recommend "A Flourish of Strumpets." It had a great ending too. It's not really in the same vein as his Twilight Zone styled stuff, but it's still a great idea that was worth writing about.

This blog was written on April 24, 2023.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Dying Room Only [Short Story Review]

"Dying Room Only" is a short story written by Richard Matheson. It was published in 1953. What's interesting here is that the story could have happened in just about any modern era... as long as it was before cell phones had become mainstream. And even if we had cell phones, a dead battery would have fixed that plotline right up!

This story is all about the madness someone goes through when things simply stop making sense. Imagine having a completely normal day, and something happens that makes no sense, and nobody but you seems to acknowledge it. I swear all of these author's stories are just like Twilight Zone episodes.

In the story, a woman and her husband go to a bar in the middle of a sweltering desert. After they both go into their respective restrooms, the wife comes out and finds that her husband is completely missing, and nobody in the bar will acknowledge what happened.

Whether the story is supernatural or not, and I won't say one way or another, the real idea of this story comes from the madness of a purely "wrong" situation. And the story does a great job at showing the fear, the discomfort, and the insanity that can happen to a person when they are thrust suddenly into that terrifying situation.

"Dying Room Only" gets a big recommendation from me. I found it to be very satisfying and intense. I would have loved to have seen a film version of this honestly, but I am unsure if it was ever adapted. Either way, it was easy enough to imagine.

This blog was written on April 21, 2023.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Girl of My Dreams [Short Story Review]

"Girl of My Dreams" is a short story written by Richard Mattheson. It was published in 1963.

The story tells of a really nasty man who is living with/in care of a woman who can see the  impending death of people inside her nightmares. He then uses the information she gives him to charge the family of the future victims for information on how to stop the deaths from occurring.

I do like the idea of this story, but it did make something a bit unusual clear to me. I don't normally read books about extremely horrible people. The man in this story is so rotten and bereft of any morality that it was pretty startling to read. I guess those kinds of characters don't show up very often in my choice of books.

It was really hard to read this story and not hate this man, but the sad thing is that I do think that people like this actually exist. It's one of the reasons I groan about humanity from time to time. There is real evil out there, and it won't do you any good to ignore that fact. If you still aren't convinced, stop bothering to lock your front door at night.

"Girl of My Dreams" gets a big ol' recommendation from me. The ending, which I won't spoil here, is very satisfying. Be prepared, however, for a very dark ride to the finish. It's a story about a horrible man and a severely abused woman. It strikes fairly deep and makes you wish you could do something to stop the events from happening, making you feel pretty helpless.

This blog was written on April 19, 2023.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Freaked [Movie Review]

"Freaked" is a movie that was released in 1993. It is almost never talked about within my circle of friends. The only reason I watched it was because I had... a memory... of one scene. Just one tiny scene.

Back when I was growing up, I happened upon a weird scene of a bunch of men being turned into a mutant shoe. I didn't really finish watching it, but I went over to a special channel that said what shows were playing and identified the movie as "Freaked." I then promptly forgot it. The memory of the scene still stuck in my head though, and I carried it with me for over 30 years.

Somewhere along the way I wanted to make the effort to figure out what that movie was. This was prompted by the idea that the movie had a mad scientist in it, and I am super into that concept these days. But my brain must have gotten a bit mixed up, and I incorrectly misremembered the title of the movie as "Freaks." This ended up leading me to the wrong film, although I ended up loving that one and the book that went with it. But the scene with the shoe wasn't in it, so I realized I made a mistake.

After banging my head into a table for a few hours, the word "Freaks" finally changed to "Freaked," and that's when I realized what my mistake had been. I looked the movie up, and then I watched it. Confirming the mutant shoe scene was in it, I was finally able to put the memory to rest.

Oh, and by the way, the movie is absolute crap. It's one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I have lost probably a decade of my life from the sheer trauma of watching it. I also ended up with a massive migraine as well. Like, I thought my head was going to explode. I felt really awful. I still do. I wish I could go back into the past the hold myself at gunpoint until I agree not to watch this movie. But alas, the deed is done.

One good thing, however, is that the movie does feature a mad scientist. And he is... pretty much a mad scientist. Yep. That is a thing I enjoy... and this movie had one thing that I enjoyed in it. I appreciate that. I really do.

I think the problem with the movie was that it was about a twenty layer deep comedy. What I mean is that it was so intensely a comedy that there was absolutely no remote semblance of seriousness in it at all. It has jokes. It has jokes on top of its jokes. It joked about the jokes it made. It just went on and on like that for an hour and a half, and then the movie ended.

The movie was also extremely gross. Not always in a bad way. I actually liked some of the puppeteering that happened in the film. The monster designs were also interesting. But the movie just never cared about itself. It was a comedic comedy that didn't know when to stop comedy-ing.

Please don't watch it. Please don't. You have so much to live for. There are so many other things you could be doing with your life that are far better than watching this movie... like smoking cigarettes till you puke... or running around naked on a busy freeway, actually trying to get people to run you over.

My head really hurts. I need to go to bed. I feel really sick. I'll talk to you later, blog.

This blog was written on April 19, 2023.

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