Netflix review: The Casketeers

Hello readers! Only 4 days left to Halloween!

If you are still searching for a good series to watch this October, I’m here today to recommend The Casketeers, or Pompe Funebri (Funeral Home) as it’s called in Italian.

The Casketeers (I love this title) is a New Zealand reality tv shows that follow the Tipene family who runs the Tipene funerals in Oakland.

Maybe you think it’s a morbid show, but in fact, it’s really heartwarming and funny too.

Francis Tipene, the boss of the funeral home, is a super funny person, obviously still respectful of his job and his clients.

There are a lot of comedic scenes between him and his wife, or between him and one of his staff members, Fiona. I love Fiona, she’s my favorite because we have a similar character. But it’s a reality show that talks about death, funerals and grief, so please be aware of that. Nothing is shown too explicitly, we only catch glimpses of the deceased, but it will not be suitable for a sensible viewer. It deals a lot with human emotions, and that’s the heart of this show: the love of the Tipene family, the respect for their job, the sadness, the despair caused by a death, the joy of seeing the community embrace and celebrate a life on this planet. I confess I’ve cried nearly for every single episode.

The episodes are in English (with Italian subtitles for us) but they talk a lot in Maori, so it’s really interesting and useful to learn words in Maori, at least for me. Don’t worry, all the Maori words are translated on screen.

On Netflix Italy there are only 2 seasons of this show that has begun in January 2018, but I read online that are currently 4 seasons, the last one deals with the pandemic and the victims of Covid-19.

Have you watched it?

Can’t wait to hear your opinions!

My Top Ten Horror Movies, Top 5.

Hello readers, welcome to the second part of my personal Top Ten Horror Movies.

Here’s the post with the movies from 10 to 6, where you can find titles like The Ring or The Others.

5) The Woman in Black (2012)

The woman in black is still my favourite ghost story. I’ve read the book and it’s good as the movie, even if they are different in multiple ways. Also, can we talk about Daniel Radcliffe? It’s fantastic in this gothic/horror roles.

4) The conjuring (2013)

Could I write a Top Ten horror without mentioning The Conjuring? Even if I watched it during the afternoon, I was terrified.

Did you know that this year, the Halloween special episode of Ghost Adventures will be about the house that inspired The Conjuring?

3) The Conjuring 2 (2016)

The second movie in The Conjuring series is even more terrifying than the first.

2) The Final Destination series (2000 – 2011)

Maybe, this series isn’t exactly horror, is more splatter, but it’s still one of my favourite series of all the time. I particularly like the link that exists between the characters or the deaths, and how the last movie closes the cycle. And can I hear a wahoo for Tony Todd? (Yes, this is a Good Omens reference)

1) Krampus (2015)

Krampus is like Nightmare Before Christmas: it’s a horror movie based on Christmas, so when you can watch it? At Halloween or at Christmas? Both is good. Krampus begins like a Christmas comedy, with family drama and Christmas songs. But remember that he sees you when you’re sleeping…

And that’s the end! Have you some movie reccomendations for me?

Tell me in the comments!

 

 

 

My Top Ten Horror Movies, 10 to 5

Hello readers!

As Halloween approaches, I had the necessity to make my personal Top Ten of horror movies. This is the first part.

I’m a strange fan of horror: I love to watch movies, tv shows and reality tv shows like Ghost Adventures, but at the same time, it’s difficult for me to find a book or a movie that I like and that scares me, so most of the time I’m disappointed. If a movie can reach my personal Top Ten, is really the best.

I will not include classics like The Addams family or NBC, only because I want to talk about underrated/adult movies.

10) The Ring (2002)

The ring was the first horror movie I’ve watched in a movie theatre. I remember I was 15 years old, and I’ve watched it with my friend. Both of us were so terrified that we lock our VHS and video recorder in the closet for months. I’ve watched again after many years, and I fell asleep.

9) The ward (2010)

Without talking about Amber Heard, the main actress, this movie is great! I love all the plot twist!

8) The Others (2001)

 

At first, I can’t stand this movie, I don’t even remember why. Now is one of my fave, even if I know how it ends.

7) The skeleton key (2005)

What I like most about The Skeleton Key are the locations. And Kate Hudson, she’s one of my fave actresses.

6) Errementari (2018)

Errementari is a great underrated horror movie made in Spain, I watched it last year and I was immediately a fan. You can read my review here.

And that’s the first part of the post, in the next days I will post the top 5 horror movies!

Have you seen these movies? Are you a horror fan?

Tell me in the comments!

The Halloween Song Book Tag

Hello readers!

I recently found this tag on Chapter Malliumpkin, but it was originally created by A beautiful chaos of books.

I loooove Halloween songs, so this is the perfect tag for me! I will include some of my favourite songs!

1. Thriller: A book that was an absolute page-turner

Despite the ending, that I hated, The Lost History of Dreams is the perfect book for this prompt.

 2. Somebody’s watching me: A book that gave you the serious creeps

I recently finished this short story (about 50 pages), and I’m not easily scared, but something in this book, with a cursed mirror really has given me creeps.

3. Vampire: A book you hated so much it was soul-sucking i.e incredibly tedious to get through

I chose this book only for the Vampire of the prompt, because there are a lot of books that I hated. I hated this “feminist retelling” of Dracula for the disrespect of the author against Stoker, the errors and typos, and the stupidity of Mina, the main character.

 4.I put a spell on you: A book featuring witchcraft or magic

I’m still reading this cozy mystery ( I think is my first in this genre!) and look at the cover! So witchy, perfect for Halloween!

5. This is Halloween: Your favourite treat/ snack to eat while reading

I don’t drink or eat when I’m reading, unless I’m reading my e-reader when I’m dining alone.

6. Timewarp: “Let’s do the time warp again” What book/ or books do you like to return to at this time of year?

In fall and winter, I prefer to read horror (obviously) and classic books.

 

7. Hungry like the wolf: A book you loved so much, you devoured

I devoured The Ugly Princess, and it makes me so sad to know that is an underrated book!

 8. The Addams Family: A book featuring a dysfunctional family

The family of Edgar Allan Poe was dysfunctional, and The Raven’s tale shows it very well.

9. Scary monsters (and super creeps): A book genre that you are scared or intimidated to pick up

Any Russian classic, like War and Peace, or Anna Karenina, I’m sorry.

10. the twilight zone: A book with a completely different and unique premise

Isn’t the title itself unique and original?

And we are at the end of this tag! I tag everyone who wants to do it, but now, here’s my favourite Halloween song!

October 2018 Wrap Up

Hello everyone! Another month has passed! How was your reading month?

I read a total of 7 books, with only 1 DNF.

Who let the Gods Out? by Maz Evans: I Loved this book!! I laughed so hard, the Gods are so funny and this is a wonderful middle-grade fantasy! 4,5/5 stars!

Shadow of the Ripper by Tom Schafer: a horror “sequel” of the infamous Jack The Ripper story, very gruesome. I didn’t like it, 2 stars.

Casper and Jasper and the terrible Tyrant by Tilia Keblenov Jacobs: thanks to Netgalley for this e-book, it’s a fantasy middle grade excessively long. 2 stars.

Death or ice-cream? By Gareth P. Jones: it’s strange, I read two books with a question in the title this month! I love this cover, and this book is original and quite amusing. 4 stars!

And that’s all!

Happy Halloween!!

 

Creatures of the Night Book Tag

Hello! As I already said, October is all spooky here! Here’s the Creatures of The Night Book Tag that I found on Another Book In the Wall.

Go and check Kelly’s blog, it’s fantastic!

The rule is simple: choose a book or character that features the creature listed.

Vampire: Count Dracula.

 

Werewolf: Remus Lupin

I don’t like so much the werewolfs, but Remus Lupin is probably the character that has helped me to find a new obsession: the harry potter series. I cried for days after you know what.

Zombie: Resident Evil

I don’t like Zombies. At all. I don’t like The Walking Dead, or books with Zombies. But I like Resident Evil.

Ghost: The graveyard book

This book is full of ghosts!

Witch/Warlock/Spellcaster: Princess Olive

 

Fairy/Fae: Flights and chimes and mysterious times

Angel/Demon: Aziraphale and Crowley from Good Omens

I cheated a little here and I combined the two characters. But seriously, how cool is this poster? Have you seen the trailer?

Alien: The Long way to small, angry planet

 

Superpowered Human: Van Helsing

Maybe you don’t know, but there’s also a book from this movie (that I love so much!)

 

 

Come little children, the time’s comes to read all this spooky books!

I love books with original and strange titles, and I love to adapt the lyrics of songs to something more bookish.

Here’s my recomendation of horror/spooky books:

I try to including more genres, so we have Death or Ice Cream? that’s a Middle Grade (and I love the cover so much!) and The Woman in Black, still my favourite classic ghost story. Shutter Island is the best thriller that I ever read; Coraline is fantastic. The Other Mother scares me a lot, even if I am 31 years old.

Underworld London is a non-fiction book and it’s scary and very gruesome; The Last Necromancer is a fantasy/historical/gothic, the first of a series with gorgeous covers and last but not least The Uninvited by Cat Winters: she can writes about ghosts and paranormal like no other.

I know that are more and more horror books out there, so stay tuned for my horror TBR books and my favorite horror movies!

Do you know some of this books? Who else love Peter Hollens? I adore him!!*_*