Review of "Ghosts of Johnson County," by Lori Erickson

Review of

Ghosts of Johnson County, by Lori Erickson

Four out of five stars

 The ghost stories in this collection involve tales from Johnson County, Iowa and in that sense they are unique. However, in terms of content, they are not. They are all typical of such stories of house and place hauntings, involving spirits of deceased people that for whatever reason feel the need to continue to inhabit the world of the living.

 People familiar with the area will recognize many of the locations, which always increases the level of interest. Johnson County is the location of the University of Iowa, and some of the stories are based there. Especially amusing is the story about the early days of the medical school, when grave robbing was essential in order to acquire a sufficient number of cadavers for dissection training.

 The stories here are all short and involve the more peaceful and sometimes useful spirits of the dead. They are amusing, even though similar stories have appeared in many other publications.

Review of "Walk the Proud Land," a movie starring Audie Murphy, VHS version

Review of

Walk the Proud Land, a movie starring Audie Murphy, VHS version

Five out of five stars

 In this movie, Audie Murphy once again plays the role that he was typecast in, a man with a high moral sense of right and wrong placed in a very difficult position. He plays John Clum, a man that dramatically altered the life of the Apaches living on the San Carlos Reservation. Frustrated with the exploitation of the Native Americans under the Indian agents that were often exploitative, President Grant turned to religious groups in an attempt to find agents that would serve the Native Americans rather than simply line their own pockets.

 Before Clum arrived on the San Carlos Reservation, conditions were brutal, supplies designated for the inhabitants were stolen and sold for profit and the Apaches were occasionally tortured or killed by the occupying soldiers of the U. S. Army.

 Shortly after arriving, Clum instituted a system of tribal policing and self-government, leading to a relative level of peace. He even managed to capture the ferocious Geronimo and his warriors without a shot being fired. Unfortunately, Clum turned out to be too successful in bringing peace and after being thwarted by officers in the army and agents looking for profit as well as uncaring officials in the Indian Bureau Administration, Clum resigned his position. After that the wars between the Native Americans and the whites restarted and continued for another nine years, until the final surrender of Geronimo.

 To a large extent, this movie accurately portrays the years of Clum on the San Carlos Reservation and the positive changes that he implemented. The true level of opposition that Clum faced is tamped down quite a bit. Murphy is the perfect person to play the principled Clum and in a role unusual for Murphy, he does not carry or use a gun. Unfortunately, the movie ends on a more optimistic note than the way the actual events unraveled.

Review of "Shudder Stories 6: Tales of Heinous Iniquity"

Review of

Shudder Stories 6: Tales of Heinous Iniquity

Five out of five stars

 To enjoy these stories, you have to be a fan of the brutal murder and inappropriate use of dead bodies stories. There are four stories in this collection and there is nothing in the way of a warm fuzzy feeling generated in any of them.

 The first story involves a writer and a series of murders of young women where their arms are hacked off. True to his profession, the writer sees a major novel in the events, but his logical extrapolations from the facts of the cases leads him into trouble with the locals. Ultimately, the villain is uncovered as well as the reason why the victims were mutilated.

 The second story takes place in a very remote area that is considered full of bad spirits, the Native Americans avoided it. Evil stalks a couple as they encounter paintings that seem to alter in front of their eyes, revealing horrific events. There is also a lizard man called Africa that is dangerous, even though he has been somewhat tamed.

 The third story involves an extremely secretive cult and the desire of a female reporter to penetrate the organization and return an exclusive expose. It is a cult in the true sense of the word, once they join the fold, members are not allowed to leave and are in grave danger if they try.

 The final story is set on a Pacific Island in World War II and involves a mad scientist type. The Japanese doctor has potions that will reanimate dead bodies into obedient zombies and he has a female assistant. The air battles overhead with crash landings provide the doctor will plenty of fresh casualties to experiment on.

 Heinous and involving the hideous, these stories will entertain people that are fans of that genre.