Chadwick H. Saxelid's Blog: Ghoulies, Ghosties, and Long-Leggedy Beasties, page 13

House On Eden (2025) - Review

Once again a small group of cocky paranormal investigators stumble upon, and fall victim to, malevolent supernatural activity in House On Eden. The feature film writing-directing-acting debut of online content creator Kris Collins and her friends/co-creators Celina Myers and Jason-Christopher Mayer.

While the found footage horror high-water marks created by Stephen Cognetti's Hell House LLC (2015) or Joseph and Vanessa Winter's Deadstream (2022) are in no danger of being surpassed, much less approached, House On Eden does manage to deliver some jump scares and several moments of sustained tension. But only after taking its sweet time getting to them.

Despite Collins, Myers, and Mayer having plenty of charisma and chemistry as a performative team onscreen, it could not keep me from feeling that the first ten to twenty minutes of House On Eden were far too unfocused and aimless for its own good. There was at least one moment where I found myself thinking, "Can we just get to the frigging house, please?" Maybe there were even two. Maybe.

Once the trio does reach that old dark house nestled deep in the middle of a forested nowhere (in the dead of night, of course) the film finds its footing and commences to work its way through overly familiar tropes that, nonetheless, can still work, if done right. 

Collins and company managed to do enough of those tropes well enough that I walked out of the theater feeling I had not wasted too much time watching this DIY mash-up of The Blair Witch Project and House of the Devil.

The Legend of Hell House (1973) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - July 25, 1973
If Die Hard can qualify as a Christmas movie, then so can 1973's The Legend of Hell House. Hey, the movie ends on Christmas Eve, after all.

The Legend of Hell House was one of a baker's dozen or so movies that were broadcast staples on the local syndicated stations I grew up watching. Whenever The Legend of Hell House aired, I was good as glued to the television until it was over.

I did not crack open the source novel until 1985, or thereabouts. The differences between the far more graphic book and the much subtler film took me by surprise, but made for a zesty and memorable read.

IDW published a four part comic book adaptation of Hell House in 2005. One that hewed closer to the novel than it did to this film version. It was also quite good.

Lady Death: Dark Alliance - Trading Card #3

Cool Confidence
Her foes fear her, while those she calls allies find her confidence on the verge of arrogance. Thing is, Lady Death is not overconfident in her abilities, nor does she make idle threats. She knows what she is capable of, and it shows in her demeanor. 

Gloomy Carnival - A 1000 Piece Puzzle by Ravensburger

Maximum Overdrive (1986) - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - July 24, 1986
I was in Dallas, Texas, of all places, visiting a friend. That friend and I went to see Maximum Overdrive on its opening day and we had quite the memorable experience.

Although King had made a promise to scare the hell out of his audience in the film's infamous trailer, Maximum Overdrive plays more like a parody than it does as a sincere attempt at "doing a Stephen King movie right."

King's writing, at times, suffers from his indulging in lowbrow humor. In Maximum Overdrive he did not just indulge in it. He both gorged and wallowed in it, like a pig in slop.

One can both laugh at and laugh with Maximum Overdrive. King himself has gone on record stating that he was coked out of his mind, and no doubt drunk off his gourd, during the production and no idea whatsoever of what he was doing. It shows in every single frame.

But I still love it and have zero problem watching it over and over and over again...

Alien (1979) - Trading Card #72

 

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - July 23, 1972
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes was released a couple of weeks after my fifth birthday. The 'first' time I saw it may or may not have been when it made its network television debut, although I had my doubts about that.

Because memories of my having seen several key scenes in the film on the big screen, such as the interrogation and tragic end of Armando (Ricardo Montalban), came to mind as the movie unfolded. 

These memories went beyond mere déjà vu, though. I could remember sitting in a movie theater and watching the damn thing.

Yet my parents were adamant that they had never taken me to see the movie. That this was the first time any of us had ever watched it.

Perhaps they had not taken me to see the movie, but someone else had? Because I remember sitting in what might have been the Alameda Showcase, before it became the Southshore Twin, and watching this movie.

Lady Death: Dark Alliance - Trading Card #2

Suddenly Human
Her powers gone, Lady Death found herself in human form once again, with all the weaknesses and insecurities that brings. Still awesome in her might and confident of her abilities, the world quickly learned that a human Lady Death was even stronger than before. 

The Amityville Horror (1979) - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - July 22, 1979
While I remember the theatrical release of The Amityville Horror film adaptation, I did not see it on the big screen. I did read the paperback, though. Several times, in fact. I also remember the debunking the haunting got on the show That's Incredible!

Perhaps there was a time I believed the story, or just wanted to believe the story was real. But that time has long passed.

Alien (1979) - Trading Card #71

Swiftly the disembodied head of Ash is wired for sound. It speaks: "My orders were to investigate an alien life form, almost certainly hostile, and bring it back for observation..."

I am guessing that using a shot of Ash's decapitated head sitting atop the table was taken off the... uh.... proverbial table. So it goes.