A&E

Deep into that darkness peering... A&E Horror

Classic Poe adaptations good for a bit of midnight fun

Odevice, otherwise the “man visits his brotherin-law’s castle in order to uncover the cause of his sister’s sudden death” plot is completely original. Despite feeling like a rehash of “Usher” at parts, it makes for a good follow-up. Next is “Tales of Terror,” a criminally underrated anthology that adapts three Poe stories: “Morella,” “The Black Cat” (though it’s mostly just “The Cask of Amontillado”), and “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar.” “Morella” plays it straight. Reusing locations (and footage!) from Corman’s previous films, it’s pure Poe, with no shortage of revenge or despair. The frame is stuffed full of cobwebs, corpses, and candlelight, making the perfect gothic setting for a dark romanticism story that tells of a dead woman’s revenge against her daughter. In “The Black Cat,” Lorre plays Montresor Herringbone, an alcoholic bastard who pesters his wife for drinking money without an ounce of shame. Capitalizing on a chance for free alcohol, he challenges the slightly pompous, very flamboyant Fortunato Luchresi (Price) to a wine tasting battle. It ends in a draw and the two become friends -- until Luchresi cuckolds Herringbone, who promptly seals him and his wife within his basement walls. Look out for a truly bizarre dream sequence, in which the screen is stretched so much Lorre looks like a deformed bowling ball. “M. Valdemar” brings the viewer back down to Earth -- or would it be more appropriate to say the spirit realm? The benevolent Valdemar (Price) is on his deathbed, his only wish to fulfill his promise to the man who helped relieve his chronic pain. That man is the slithery psychic Carmichael, whose final experiment on Valdemar leaves him wading between the overworld and afterlife. The segment is split into two parts: the deal and the experiment. The climactic scene is too silly to be taken seriously (a “decaying” corpse appears to have peanut butter smeared on its face) but is great nonetheless. If “The Pit and the Pendulum” had Once upon a midnight dreary, expert independent filmmaker Roger Corman and celebrated actor Vincent Price made “The Fall of the House of Usher,” based on the Edgar Allan Poe story of the same name. Over the next few years, the two would reunite for six more Poe adaptations, in the process creating one of the most lasting series in all of American horror cinema. “House of Usher” lays the foundation for the rest of the series, featuring a delightful Price performance, colorful widescreen cinematography, and a mansion that, without fail, will burn down during the finale. It starts with the young Philip Winthrop arriving at the Usher estate, a decrepit house whose backyard consists of swampland and dead trees. He has come with the intention of visiting his fiancée Madeline Usher, but his brother-in-law, Roderick (Price), is steadfast in his belief that the “cursed” Usher bloodline should be discontinued, permanently. The first in the cycle holds up as one of the best. Its twists never let up, something the later films could take a cue from, and is solely responsible for the seven-movie cycle audiences have today. After the success of “Usher,” American International Pictures commissioned Corman to direct another Poe adaptation. If you go into “The Pit and the Pendulum” expecting anything remotely like the story it is based on, prepare to be disappointed. The only relation it has to the tale is the torture By Braden Turk

Poster for “The Raven” / Public Domain

little in common with the Poe story, then “The Raven” bears no resemblance to its “source material” whatsoever! Like the poem, it begins with a man (Price) mulling over the death of his beloved Lenore when he is interrupted by the appearance of a raven, but the similarities pretty much stop after the bird starts talking. That raven is Adolphus Bedlo, a wizard who has come to ask Price, the master sorcerer Erasmus Craven, to revert him back to his original body. After some potion-making shenanigans, they set out with Craven’s daughter and Bedlo’s son (a young Jack Nicholson) to confront the evil wizard Scarabus. Thus begins the farce “The Raven.” The movie is surprisingly very funny, thanks to the delightful performances by Price, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff. (Lorre apparently ad-libbed some of his lines, including this exchange between him and Price: “Shall I ever see the rare and radiant Lenore again? How the hell should I know!”) Just don’t expect to be scared: for something marketed as a “horror comedy,” “The Raven” is much more reliant on the latter. It’s not a classic by any means, but is admirable in its own right. The modest Charles Dexter Ward and his wife Ann arrive at the village of Arkham to claim the estate of Ward’s great-great-grandfather Joseph Curwen, a warlock burned at the stake many years ago. Ward is possessed by his ancestor’s vengeful spirit in no time, who is eager to continue his demonic experiments. If that doesn’t sound like it is from a Poe story, it’s because it isn’t: “The Haunted Palace” is actually based on H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.” The producers got cold feet being the first to adapt a Lovecraft tale and, aware of the success of the recent Poe adaptations, changed the title to play it safe. (The real “The Haunted Palace” is a short poem that was later inserted into Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The only connection it has with this movie are a few quotations thrown in throughout.) Nevertheless, the resulting picture is one of the spookiest in the cycle. Price’s performance is as entertaining as usual (this time, he’s tasked with playing two characters), and horror veteran Lon Chaney Jr. leaves an impression on the viewer as well. “The Haunted Palace” is further aided by a score by Ronald Stein, whose pieces provide a dramatic backdrop to the action. “The Masque of the Red Death” went back to a Poe story, but Corman once again decided to change things up by filming on location in England. It follows the Satanist Prince Prospero (Price), who locks himself and his noble friends in his castle as the Red Death ravages medieval Italy outside. But, as Poe knows all too well, death does not discriminate. In contrast to the other movies in the cycle, Price plays the villain, which has its ups and downs. On one hand, he’s clearly having fun, hamming Prospero’s character up so much you can practically smell cooked pork emanating from the screen. On the other, Price is too likable to pull off the “evil prince” persona. Putting that aside, “Red Death” succeeds as a horror film, and the change of scenery gives the cycle a much-needed revitalization. Like “The Masque of the Red Death,” 1964’s “The Tomb of Ligeia” was also shot in England. It follows the widower Verden Fell (Price, in a usual tortured performance) and his doomed marriage to the young Rowena, who looks unnaturally like his first wife, Ligeia, an atheist who ominously said she would never leave Fell’s side, even after death. After a classic Poe series of twists and turns, Rowena and her suitor, Gough, flee the abbey and leave Fell by himself. The film ends with Fell, now completely frenetic, attacking the feline reincarnation of his first wife. She leaps onto his face and blinds him, causing him to knock over a veil, which ignites and begins to engulf the room in flames. How fitting it is for the cycle to end like this: Price stumbling around in the dark, his estate burning down around him, while the younger generation rides off to start anew. As the raven would say -- “Nevermore.”

Detail from “Usher” poster / Public Domain

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He is standing right behind you ing in with her childhood friend, she finds that Griffin has killed himself. In his death, Cecilia has inherited a large sum of money. Cecilia begins to believe that Adrian has finally left her life and she can begin to move on happily. Although the movie is categorized as horror, it appears to be more of a thriller. It’s easy to feel tense when you have no way to know if the antagonist is really there or not. When subtle hits of prescience “the invisible man’s” presence are given, you may find yourself wanting to yell at the screen, telling Cecilia to turn around. At points when you slowly see the characters struggle and contemplate their sanity under the fear of an invisible feeling, it’s clear why Whannell is known for his attacks on the human mind. While the movie keeps you tense, action scenes are done especially well. The concepts of how rain and objects interact with something that is invisible, are interesting to see on screen. Despite the interesting acting scenes, there are moments when the fighting seems almost funny. Having no comparison from what a real invisible person is like, seeing someone fight with something that is not really there appears comical. In the end, just when you think all is resolved and the villain has been vanquished, the situation is not what you think it to be. Cecilia is able to break free in a questionable way and takes advantage of all she has endured. “I enjoyed the movie, It was a unique take on the psychology of sociopaths and narcissists in respect to how they pursue their victims but It didn’t feel like a horror movie, more like a thriller” sophomore Zachary Adams said. While mostly predictable, the movie utilizes the chillying and damaging relationship of the obsession between an abuser and their victim. A large number of modern and even futuristic ideas play into the movie in an interesting way and the moments of suspense leave you gripping in anticipation. Next time you look at that dark figure in your bedroom at night, you’ll think twice about dismissing it. Thriller movie, “The Invisible Man” hits you where you can not see it By Veronica Castillo A&E Thriller A Breathing lightly as she crept through the house, Cecelia gathered her belongings and frantically fled from her abuser’s home. Sprinting through the woods, feeling the cold night air on her skin, she escapes with her sister and believes she will finally be free. Only too late does she realize that her former lover would never leave her, he would never stray from her side. “The Invisible Man ‘’ Directed by Leigh Whannell, who is also known for his work in “Saw”, premiered Friday, February 28. This movie follows a long line of entertainment surrounded around the idea of an invisible figure which was originally brought to life by H.G Wells. Published in 1897, Wells wrote of the life and death of scientist Dr. Jack Griffin. In Griffin’s field he found a way to make himself invisible but in doing so, he went mad and began to use his abilities to commit heinous crimes until he was eventually hunted down and killed. The first movie based on the novel came about in 1933 and was titled “The invisible man”. This movie closely followed the plot of the original book but some time after, in the early 2000s a two season television series based on the concept of an invisible man was released. Now it seemed, Universal Pictures was ready to give “The Invisible Man” another shot. Many of Whannell’s previous movies have greatly focused on the physiological aspect of fear, and he continues to use these talents in the new 2020 film. Cecilia Kass, played by Elisabet Moss, finds herself trapped and manipulated by her boyfriend, a brilliant and rich scientist. Shortly after leaving her abuser, Adrian Griffin, and movCourtesy of theinvisiblemanmovie.com

New series is more than ‘okay’ A&E Television

Sophia Lillis and Wyatt Oleff star again in high school thriller

Iout in October of 2017, “I Am Not Okay with This” stars Sophia Lillis as Sydney Novak. Sydney recently lost her father and is struggling to deal with her emotions. She also does not have many things she loves to do. She has always moved around the “I Am Not Okay with This” came out on Feb. 26, and by Friday it was number three on the U.S. watch list on Netflix. It is said to be similar to “The Breakfast Club” which is certainly true. Based on the the book and TV show “End of The F***ing World,” which came By Emmy Cohen

The Netflix original series came out on Feb. 26

Courtesy of Netflix country and is still in the town where her father died, Brownsville. He killed himself and never left a note which baffles Sydney. Sydney’s best friend is Dina, played by Sofia Bryant. Sydney had moved around so much and finally found a best friend who was there for her when her dad died. She also becomes friends with neighbor Stanley Barber, played by Wyatt Oleff, who allows her to be herself after dealing with stress from all areas of her life. Her younger brother Liam, played by Aidan Wojtak-Hissong, shares her agony and pain from the loss of their father. At first Sydney is not easily relatable to the audience and seems to hate the world, but later on she starts to open up. After being given a diary by her counselor, she starts to explore her past, which explains plot details that give a better understanding of her situation. Sydney is shown to be a bad daughter but a good friend and sister. She has her own internal battles going on that affect the people around her. Sophia Lillis is usually in horror films so before the show was out it was expected to be a bit of a horror TV show. One thrilling element is that Sydney suspects she has superpowers but knows she has them after trying them out. This show has a realistic view of

Courtesy of Netflix

high school and is different from most Netflix films about high school life, as Sydney deals with bullies but sticks up for herself. There is cheating, lying, hate, greed, love, romance, jealousy, and sadness throughout every episode, and Sydney is doing her best to manage it all. Sydney has a new perspective on high school because she is trying to figure out her sexual identity as well as her personal identity because she has uncontrollable superpowers. Her diary is used to narrate her emotions and feelings throughout the eight episodes. There were a couple of episodes where nothing exciting really happened, and the plot was a little bit repetitive, but usually there was something different happening in every episode that changed her life in a whole new way. There were moments where the acting made me cringe. The mother of Sydney would give advice in a tone that was not natural and threw me off because I was enjoying the scene. However, considering finding TV shows and movies on Netflix that are new and not cringeworthy can be hard, I was grateful that there were not many bad acting moments. If you like “The Breakfast Club,” I recommend this show because of the similar characters, atmosphere, and setting. If you like to laugh while having your mouth drop to the floor, this is a good show for you with surprises around every corner, or episode. Characters Dina, Stanley, and Sydney hang out during school

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Jackbox: A family friendly game A&E Gaming

EEveryone experiences it. The excruciating boredom when the party you are at starts to die down. After trying card games, Twister, and even spin the bottle, it is still not enough. What is there left to do? The solution is simple: Jackbox! Jackbox is a series of digital party games that will aid your gnawing need for some good laughs.

Jackbox is played by having everyone gather around the television and grab whatever smartphone or tablet they prefer. Using those devices they go to “Jackbox.tv” on Google and enter the 4-digit-code displayed on the TV. Once you enter your name that means your phone or tablet is synced up with the game.

Jackbox’s career took off with their first-ever trivia game, “You Don’t Know Jack.” From then on, they have created a total of 30 games. In addition, they have bundles of games called party packs. Each party pack consists of 5 different games that are guaranteed to keep you entertained.

In the first party pack, there are not too many interesting games. They all have different motives, but they seem to be a bit bland. By Nikki Darnall

For example, Lie Swatter is a basic trivia game; not many interesting twists to it. Then in Word Spud, you are creating compound words. There is nothing really exciting or captivating in the first pack.

However, I do think that it is beneficial to play some of these first ‘basic’ games to get you to understand Jackbox more. Since they are so simple, it is easy to get to understand how things work, what to expect, and what the in and outs of Jackbox are.

In the second party pack things start to get more interesting with games like Quiplash XL and Earwax. Quiplash is a game where the player has a prompt or something to write about and competes with someone else with the same prompt. The other player is a judge who picks the better answer. You are awarded points for how many people vote for you. It has to be my favorite game because it has many opportunities to be funny.

When I judge these Jackbox games, a big thing I look at is how many laughs you get out of it. No one wants a plain jane type of game. This is why I like Quiplash because it gives you an opportunity to crack jokes or make a sarcastic comment.

On the flip side of the extreme humor in Quiplash, things can get inappropriate quickly for younger kids or sensitive ears. To help with this, there is a family-friendly age filter in the settings so you can adjust the appropriate content for each group of people.

Earwax is also very entertaining because the point of the game is to mimic an event with the sounds given to you. These sounds range from explosions, farts, toilets flushing, creaking doors, and screaming. The goofy noises can make this game so funny you will be rolling around on the floor crying.

The third party pack is my absolute favorite because it includes Quiplash 2, Trivia Murder Party, Guesspionage, and Fakin’ It.

Trivia Murder Party is a great twist on a trivia game for anyone who is into scary things. I personally am not, so some of the random Online game brings humor into house holds and smiles on faces [ ] “I love this game in general because of the wacky questions that you get, and how stunned you are when you get a far off an swer.” Max Deutschle

Courtesty of Officail Jackbox Website

screams and creepy vibe make me a little uneasy. But overall, the point of the game is clear and is also enjoyable for people who do not like scary things.

Guesspionage is a unique game that Jackbox has to offer. Even though I am terrible at it, I will never pass up an opportunity to play.

Guesspoinage is set looking through securities cameras in a mall, as if you are part of the CIA. You are given a question and you have to guess the percentage of people you think would do that. The closer to the actual percent the more points you get.

For example, “What percent of adults have played truth or dare for the first time after turning 30?” I love this game in general because of the wacky questions that you get, and how stunned you are when you get a far off answer.

Fakin’ It is the best game to play if you are a good detective. The game is played so that all players except one, the faker, are given particular instructions and the faker has to blend in without knowing the question. Sometimes it takes until the end of the game to figure out who the faker is, and other times the faker is terrible at lying or covering up their tracks.

The fourth and fifth party pack does not really have that many interesting or new games besides Monster Seeking Monster, which is a dating or match type game where your motive is to find your perfect ‘match’.

If you compare The Jackbox Party Pack 1 with the newest, Jackbox Party Pack 6, you will see only slight differences.

Role Models, a very interesting game, is played where you have to judge people and place them in their own cliques or groups based on certain categories. I would suggest playing this game with people you know a lot about.

Dictionarium is very fun and unique in that you are creating your own entries in a dictionary. The game has three voting rounds in which you make up funny words, define them, then use them in a sentence. Overall, it is a very fun and creative game.

In a nutshell, Jackbox is a great way to entertain friends and family and get a lot of laughs. There are a large variety of games, and packs to choose from. Although some games are repetitive, the overall content and memories of when you play are worth it.

Jackbox is a widely avalible game on your game consel’s app store. It can be played on XBox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, PC, and much more. Every gamer can enjoy the fun that is Jackbox.

Look out for Jackbox Party Pack 7 coming out later in 2020!

Maddie Hill dedicates all four years of high school to the soccer team

By Taylor Koop

K. Ambrogio

The crowd hoots and hollers as a goal is scored. All the players on the field run to each other to hug in a huddle. The energy of the players radiates off of each other ready to start playing again.

Maddie Hill, a senior at Huntley High School, has been on the Varsity soccer team since she was a freshman. Soccer has been one of her true passions for the past fourteen years and counting.

She started playing when she was 4-years-old on a recreational team at the Huntley Park District. After a couple of years into the sport, she transitioned to a club travel team, Heat United, when she was 6. She actually started playing on an 8 years old team rather than her own age group.

She plays soccer all year long starting with her club team at the beginning of summer up until the

“I am so close with every single girl on that team.” Maddie Hill [ ] beginning of March. She then has to turn around and play for Huntley High School’s Varsity team from the first week of March to the end of the school year.

“We are literally like sisters. I am so close with every single girl on that team. We’re truly like a family, we all tell each other everything and we’re so so close. When you transition over in high school, it is sad that we have to lose a few of those girls but we still remain just as close and they literally are like my second family, I’m with them all the time,” Hill said.

The Huntley soccer team has a lot in store for their upcoming season. They showed a little disappointment when looking at last year’s results but have already started working to change the outcome of this season. “We’ve actually been doing conditioning sessions on our own outside of the high school and everything, just open with our club. We set it up all on our own and everything. And like I say right now is we all say to each other, state champs! State champs! We want to go to state, and we haven’t gotten to state in a long, long time. So that’s kind of our goal that we’re all working really hard towards,” Hill said.

In the future, she will not be continuing playing for the collegiate level but will still play on her school’s club team at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She explained that she will still play other schools and travel like how they do at the collegiate level but it is less of a commitment so she can put more time into her studies. “It’s changed who I am as a person. It’s made me a lot more determined. And it’s made me have a much higher work ethic. A lot of people who don’t play sports like growing up, I’ve always had to go from doing homework or school to practice and then doing homework and I’ve always been busy. It’s helped me learn time management and then have a work ethic, knowing how I need to work hard to get things done,” Hill said.

The Huntley girls Varsity soccer team has a lot in store for us this season. We will watch Hill along with the other seniors play their last season here at Huntley High, hopefully making history. Good luck, girls!

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