Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Egyptology professor Henry Morlant believes an ancient jewel will give him the power to rejuvenate but he dies from his illness anyway. When his servant, Laing, steals the jewel from Morlant's crypt, Morlant returns from the dead seeking revenge on those who betrayed him. Who's in it? The movie stars Boris Karloff , Cedric Hardwicke , Ernest Thesiger , Dorothy Hyson and Kathleen Harrison . Review: I picked The Ghoul this morning because it's been a while since I've watched a Boris Karloff movie and, well, it is Halloween. Unfortunately, while the movie had its moments, it was far from being one of my favorites. Karloff himself makes the movie somewhat watchable. As is often the case with the actor, his zombie-like creature was creepy and a little scary. I especially liked how he made his eyes seem lifeless, something that really sold the character. My biggest problem with the movie is the star of the film gets surprisingly little screen time. The movie wa...

Synopsis: Liz McCall returned to her hometown of East Aurora, New York, after her father, Hank, was nearly killed in the line of duty as the village's chief of police. Liz now helps her father run a vintage toy store while also trying to remind him he's retired and shouldn't be getting mixed up in police business, even as the new chief of police, Ken Young, reluctantly tolerates her father's help. However, when a stranger is murdered in the store, Hank becomes the primary suspect. Review: I'm not part of the Baby Boomer generation. However, when I decided to check out Death of a Toy Soldier at my local library, it was for a very boomer-like reason, the larger print. I knew nothing about the author or her work prior to reading the book. After doing so, I have to say I was surprisingly pleased. As a stand-alone mystery, it was intriguing. There were quite a few questions relating to the stranger who was found dead in the store, including his real name and why he wa...

A funny story from last night. Our oldest cat, Echo, came charging into the room and jumped up by our bedroom window. He then attempted to swat at something through the screen. At first, I thought maybe he saw one of the critters outside. However, upon investigation, I learned he was instead trying to get a leaf that had landed on the windowsill. Cats can be weird sometimes. In any case, it was a windy night last night but there was still some trail camera activity, once again mostly from opossums. This, however, included an intriguing video (fifth one down) with one of the opossums being chased by something, I think possibly a fox, but I couldn't really tell because it went past too quick and a bit out of focus. It may have also been a dog. Either way, the opossum escaped.

Synopsis: Three years after her mother, an actress, is killed in a car accident, a still mourning Max Cartwright agrees to attend a showing of her mother's most famous movie, a 1986 slasher flick called Camp Bloodbath . When a fire breaks out in the theater, Max and her friends escape but somehow end up in the movie. Unable to escape, they are forced to face the killer, Billy Murphy, while Max bonds with Nancy, the character her mom played in the movie, knowing Nancy is slated to die. Who's in it? The movie stars Taissa Farmiga , Malin Akerman ,  Adam Devine , Thomas Middleditch  and  Alexander Ludwig . Review: I came across The Final Girls on Peacock yesterday evening and ended up picking it mostly because I wasn't finding much else. I had some doubts about the film, mostly because horror/comedies are hard to pull off and most tend to flop, at least in my opinion. However, this proved to be a great pick. I think the thing I liked best about this film was how the movie...

  I went into the grocery store yesterday evening with the mission of picking up something for dinner but also with very little idea about what I actually wanted for dinner. After placing multiple items in my cart only to return them to the shelf a short while later, I finally gave in and went to the freezer section for something simple. Lasagna sounded good and I hadn't tried the Simek's Italian Sausage yet, so I picked one up. This was a bit more expensive than the brand I originally considered. However, I was intrigued by the promise of freshly made pasta and no preservatives. Plus, according to the back of the box, they donate one meal for every one purchased. After making it in the microwave and giving it a try, I even decided it wasn't too bad. The lasagna clearly was a pre-made frozen product and there would be no way to mistake this from something homemade or even prepared at a restaurant. I'd even go as far as to say the frozen nature of the final product also...

Wow, can you believe it's almost November? I could have sworn we just turned the calendar to October only a few days ago but we're only a couple days away from Halloween. On the bright side though, it was a warm night last night. I forgot to turn off the furnace, but I don't think it kicked in at any point. The warmer temps also meant a bit more backyard activity in front of the trail camera , mostly from the opossums again. Here's a selection of those videos.

Synopsis: Rising Hollywood star Vic Morton's biggest fear is someone will discover he doesn't sing his own songs and instead lip syncs to lyrics sung by long-time friend, Breezie. That becomes his second biggest fear when he receives death threats in the mail, and someone begins following through by killing some of his business associates, making him a suspect. Meanwhile, Jimmy McDonald, a newspaper reporter who is engaged to Morton's marketing person, Toni Wentworth, and knows Morton's secret, conducts his own investigation. Who's in it? The movie stars Edward Norris , Sheila Ryan , Chill Wills , Kenneth Farrell and James Seay . Review: I had planned on watching another movie this morning but was reminded I had added Heartaches to my library several days ago and, feeling in the mood for a murder mystery, decided to give it a try. It ended up being a great choice. A lot of times, movies like this tend to be a bit predictable. There's usually only one clear ...

  I came across Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery Cheese Curds at one of our local grocery stores a couple weeks ago. They were on sale for $2.50 per pack, so I picked up some to give a try. Overall, it wasn't a bad purchase. These weren't as fresh as some other cheese curds I've purchased. I mean, they didn't taste old or anything like that, but you can tell by the lack of a squeak when eating them.  That said, I thought the curds had a good flavor to them. A lot of times, you'll buy a brand of curds and all you'll taste is salt rather than cheese. That was not the case with this brand though. The curds had a mild cheddar flavor, and I couldn't taste much, if any, salt when eating them. They also proved to be filling. At first, I thought I'd end up eating the whole bag in one sitting. However, it took me about three tries to get through it, adding even more value for the lower price. Another thing I found intriguing about this brand was the wide range of ...

I learned a short while ago Amazon will be discontinuing its Kindle Vella platform later this year, winding it down at the end of the month and no longer publishing new episodes by December. This is a disappointment for both me and every other independent writer that has published Vella content. However, it frankly also wasn't much of a surprise since Amazon failed to make it what it could have been. Image courtesy of Pixabay For those of you unfamiliar with the platform, the premise wasn't a bad one. Instead of paying for an eBook you may or may not like, you could purchase a book or series an episode at a time for a few pennies each episode. Authors, in turn, were paid a 50% royalty plus a bonus from a monthly pool. The problem was, Amazon never seemed to be fully invested in the idea. They didn't offer any sort of marketing program, forcing authors to do their own marketing through social media and at their own expense. This meant Vella stories were less visible and made...

I have been debating whether to bring my trail camera in for the winter because as the temperatures get colder at night, the quantity of videos shrinks. In fact, I only had the camera tripped once after 11 p.m. last night with most of the videos happening within an hour time window. I'll make a decision after the time change this weekend (maybe I'll leave it out there and just check it once per week for a while). I did still end up with some great opossum videos last night though. Here are some of them.

Synopsis: Alex's friends surprise her with an early 21st birthday celebration after hours at the amusement arcade she works at. However, the celebration is soon interrupted by a spree killer that is dressed like the Mickey Mouse character, Steamboat Willie, and has the ability to teleport. Who's in it? The movie stars Simon Phillips , Sophie McIntosh , Madeline Kelman , Mackenzie Mills and  Callum Sywyk . Review: It says a lot about the human race when a beloved classic like Steamboat Willie is no longer copyrighted and the first instinct is to make a horror movie featuring Mickey Mouse. However, I was admitted intrigued when I came across The Mouse Trap on Peacock and decided to give it a try. One of the main reasons I love watching slasher movies is it is very difficult to mess them up. Even if you have some of the most annoying characters ever, as long as they are being brutally murdered, it is entertaining. This film is a great example of how to screw that up. I spent...

My thoughts from the Green Bay Packers ' 30-27 win at the Jacksonville Jaguars today. I don't buy into the whole "trap game" concept. I think players and coaches at this level are just too good to think too far ahead and overlook a team. I do think the Packers faced the Jaguars on the road at an inopportune time, when Jacksonville was finally getting healthy and coming off a big win.  I had some doubts when Green Bay traded for Malik Willis at the start of the season, but he's proving to be well worth the low draft pick they gave up for him. I still would rather see a healthy Jordan Love under center, but Willis has stepped up when he's been asked to play and is a perfect complement to the Packers' run game, able to make plays with his arm and his legs. It means Green Bay doesn't need to rush Love back from his groin injury. Speaking of Lov e, I'm not so certain they shouldn't have pulled him out of the game earlier. Maybe not after the firs...

It wasn't an overly busy night on the trail camera last night and early this morning. We once again had an opossum visit though and I would up with some videos of that. Here is a selection of them.

It wasn't as busy last night in the backyard, which was a little surprising because I thought it was somewhat warmer than previous nights. We did, however, get some opossum visitors in front of the trail camera again. Here are some of the videos:

I decided to move my trail camera to a different location last night, hoping to get a better view of the yard and see if I was missing anything at night. I still ended up with the usual suspects appearing on the video, including opossums and rabbits. Here are some of them.  

Synopsis: A weekend at a rented mansion with college friends already feels awkward for Haley, who is there with her ex-boyfriend, Grant. When the group discovers a box of old hand-painted tarot cards in the basement they ask a reluctant Haley to read their fortunes. Soon after, they begin being stalked by a long dead cursed astrologer who wants to kill them in a fashion determined by their readings.  Who's in it? The movie stars Harriet Slater , Adain Bradley , Jacob Batalon , Larsen Thompson and  Olwen Fouéré . Review: It had been a while since I had watched a horror movie with my wife and even longer since we found one on Netflix. I resolved both last night when I selected the movie Tarot . Overall, while it was basically what I was expecting it to be, it still turned out to be surprisingly good. I think the best way to describe this movie is it was a combination of Ouija and the Final Destination   series. The group of friends starts out by tempting fate by messin...

It wasn't as busy in front of the trail camera last night, possibly because the temps were around freezing and, while I'm certain the opossums and other critters that usually come into the backyard don't hibernate, I also could understand why they wouldn't want to spend too much time outside their warm homes. I did, however, still get some videos. Here they are.

Synopsis: Actor and comedian rose to fame in the 1970s and 80s as part of the Monty Python comedy troupe. In this "sortabiography," he discusses that rise to fame and the impact it had both on his career and his personal life. Review: I know I'm not as big of a Monty Python fan as other people are. However, I have watched my share and did, at minimum, enjoy the movies Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Life of Brian . Plus, I'm familiar with Eric Idle from some of his other work, such as his hilarious cameo appearance in National Lampoon's European Vacation . So, when I had an opportunity to read Always Look on the Bright Side of Life , I did. Overall, I thought it was a good decision. Idle brings a good mix of comedy and seriousness to this book. The former both makes reading the book easier and also softens some of the sadder/darker stories, especially when he discusses the tragic way some of his fellow Monty Python actors saw their lives end. At the same t...

It's been warm enough for us to still keep the bedroom window open at night and as a result of that, I heard the opossums in the back yard talking to each other at one point. I was a little concerned the wind would cause the tree branches to trip the trail camera and leave me with hundreds of videos of nothing but most of the ones I did end up with featured the opossums hogging the spotlight. Here's a selection:

Synopsis: Even though she comes from a wealthy family, Sabra Tanner is a bit of an outcast in her sorority. That, along with a poor relationship with her mother, causes her to torture a pledge, something that has her on the verge of being expelled. When she learns one of her sorority sisters, Tina, is pregnant, she attempts to exploit the situation by convincing Tina to blackmail a local bartender, Mort, for $1000 if he doesn't want her to lie and name him as the father. Only the plan doesn't work, leaving both women in a crisis. Who's in it? The movie stars Susan Cabot , Dick Miller , June Kenney , Barbara Cowan and Barboura Morris. Review: I ended up picking out the movie Sorority Girl this morning mostly because I saw it was directed by Roger Corman, and I normally enjoy his films. After watching it, however, my opinion of it was very mixed. I thought the movie did a great job of developing the characters. This is especially true of Sabra (Cabot), who is technically...

It wasn't as busy last night in the backyard as it was earlier in the week. This statement applies both to the number of videos on the trail camera and the variety of animals. I did get several videos of opossums and rabbits though. Here are some of them.

Our backyard was once again a popular spot for the local wildlife last night and early this morning. The trail camera ended up getting a lot of use, picking up videos of opossums, rabbits, raccoons and even a neighborhood cat. Here is a selection: 

Synopsis: Tom Merriam, fresh out of training, joins the crew of the merchant marine ship Altair as its third officer. At first, he both impressed and idolizes the ship's captain, Will Stone, even as Stone acts erratic. However, that changes when Merriam realizes Stone murdered an insubordinate crew member. When he attempts to reports Stone, however, the captain is acquitted, and Merriam unexpectedly finds himself back on board the Altair as an outcast and fearing for his life. Who's in it? The movie stars Richard Dix , Russell Wade , Edith Barrett , Ben Bard and Edmund Glover . Review: When I came across The Ghost Ship a couple days ago and added it to my library, I wasn't fully sure what to expect from it. The title made it sound a bit like a supernatural horror film while the description showed it as a psychological thriller. It turned out to be the latter and a good one. I think the thing I liked most about this film was Stone (Dix). He seemed cold and unemotional,...

My thoughts from today's  Green Bay Packers ' 24-22 win over the Houston Texans at Lambeau Field. Welcome to Green Bay, Brandon McManus! I won't get into the controversy surrounding the Packers' new kicker because I'm smart enough to recognize I don't know everything there is to know about it and, in this country, someone is innocent until proven guilty. However, General Manager Brian Gutekunst's decision to try to fix the team's kicking inconsistency with a veteran who hadn't kicked in nearly a year could have backfired badly. So far, so good though. That game winning kick was huge. Hopefully it'll be one of many. Green Bay got the win but there's still a lot for the team to work on. There's no doubt the Packers have talented albeit young, players but you don't normally beat good teams when you turn the ball over three times and make numerous other game-changing mistakes. This game still had me comparing Jordan Love to Brett Favr...

My wife and I had a karaoke night last night (our first one in weeks) and while we were gone, there was a bit of an opossum party happening in the backyard. The trail camera had quite a few videos as a result. Here are some of them.

I didn't have as much variety on the trail camera last night as the night before. No raccoons, at least not any that came into view. However, there was once again plenty of opossum footage and the occasional rabbit appearance. Here's a selection:

The trail camera footage from last night confirmed a couple things for me. First, there are at least three opossums visiting our backyard at night, something I suspected but couldn't confirm until catching all three at once. Second, we do also still get raccoons in the backyard. It's been a while since I've seen evidence of that, but the camera captured a large one early this morning. I am starting to think I need invest in additional cameras though. This is both to increase visibility and because something keeps spooking the opossums but never ends up on camera. I'm curious what they are seeing. Anyway, here is a selection of videos from last night and this morning.

Synopsis: When his friend, Spencer Lee, is murdered, Edward Wales holds a party in India with 11 friends and family members to stage a seance with Madame Rosalie La Grange and get person he believes is the killer to confess. However, after all the lights are turned off and before La Grange can reveal the name of the suspected killer, Wales is also murdered. When Inspector Delzante arrives to investigate, he names La Grange's daughter, Nellie, as the primary suspect, forcing the medium to try to solve the murders herself. Who's in it? The movie stars Conrad Nagel , Leila Hyams , Bela Lugosi , Mary Forbes and Margaret Wycherly. Review: Considering it was the movie that made Bela Lugosi a household name, it is sometimes easy to forget he had been a Hollywood actor prior to filming Dracula in 1931. That's why, when I came across The Thirteenth Chair , a film that was made two years prior, I decided to add it to my library. My opinion of it was a bit mixed. The main plot of ...

Another night of frost but still plenty of activity in the backyard. I wound up with roughly 40 videos on my trail camera last night and early this morning. They were the same culprits, opossums and rabbits with nothing out of the ordinary. Here is a selection of the videos:

Synopsis: After approaching a man who has been following her and threatening to slap him the next time she saw him, widow Selma Anson consults with attorney Perry Mason to find out the potential legal consequences of following through with her threat. A curious Mason has Paul Drake investigate and learns his client is close to marrying one of her deceased husband's best friends, the wealthy Delane Arlington. This doesn't sit well with George Findlay, a man who is planning on marrying one of Delane's nieces and doesn't want to risk losing out on the potential inheritance. Findlay is so determined to prevent the marriage, in fact, he is helping prosecutors prove Selma murdered her first husband. The evidence seems to support that accusation, and Selma doesn't help her case by attempting to flee under an assumed name. Review: I requested a book through my local library and, since they needed to have it sent from another library first, I checked out The Case of the Car...

We had our first frost of the fall last night as temps dropped in the low 30s (making me glad for my car's remote start and heated steering wheel). However, it didn't stop the neighborhood opossums from stopping by during the night, giving me plenty of videos on the trail camera , along with one of a visiting rabbit. Here is a selection of them:

Synopsis: A traveling peddler,  Mergatroyd Barthlomew "Yankee" Davis, arrives at the border town of Mystic, Arizona with his partner, Professor Newton, and boards with a border patrol officer and his daughter, Mary. When Mary's father dies, and the death is ruled an accident, suspecting murder, Yankee and Professor Newton investigate and stumble upon a smuggling ring. Who's in it? The movie stars Douglas Fowley , Joan Woodbury , Ransom M. Sherman , Clem Bevans and Frank Reicher . Review: I came across Yankee Fakir on Starz last night after scrolling through dozens of other movies. It sounded interesting so I added it to my list and wound up watching it this morning. While it wasn't quite what I was expecting, it was still pretty good. The overall plot is an interesting one, with a powerful smuggling ring controlling the local authorities and being run by an unknown mastermind. This made it easy to cover up the initial murder and to make it difficult for Yanke...