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A while back I noticed that Richmond area writer Lydia Armstrong posts a healthy amount of selfies on her Instagram that were taken in the bathrooms of a wide variety of businesses around the city. First I thought, she sure likes taking bathroom selfies; then I thought, I wonder how the food at that restaurant is…how’s the beer at that pub…who’s playing this weekend at that club? And from that a collaboration was born! Lydia would like to see your bathroom selfies from your favorite places in your town! You get to share your best pics and information about your favorite local businesses… Support local; snap selfies!

Hell House LLC

Released: Oct 16, 2015 Available to stream: Amazon Prime Video Genre: Horror, Found Footage

Visit the IMDb Listing

Yes, Hell House LLC is primarily a found footage film, but the premise allows the maligned horror sub-genre to work effectively in this case. The majority of the movie is footage shot by the Hell House crew as they set up their latest Halloween haunt in an abandoned hotel in Aboddon, New York. However, this movie adds in a documentary film crew who, five years later, are investigating what happened in Hell House that tragic, chaotic night. Because if this, Hell House LLC feels more mockumentary than found footage. The inclusion of videos uploaded by tour goers, believable news clips, and interviews with researchers all give the movie a cohesive documentary feel. 

The characters feel believable; their conversations natural; their actions reasonable. 

Setting the story in a Halloween haunted house gives the footage an immediate creepiness and having a slew of gruesome mannequins and props throughout the maze of rooms in the old hotel forces the audience to constantly question if what they just saw was supernatural or just a dummy…or both!

With plenty of creeps and jumps and “what the hell was that” moments, Hell House LLC does what you’d expect from a good found footage movie. As with any horror movie, the only real question is did it scare you? Yes! Yes, it did!

Take the Hell House tour…if you dare!

Help Wanted

Spider Mirror Journal is seeking creative individuals who would like to be regular contributors in the following areas:

Streaming movies/TV: Ideally we would like to have at least two regular contributors to provide reviews, recommendations, and opinions on movies/programs available for streaming on Netflix, Prime, Hulu, YouTube, etc. with an eye toward independent content and hidden gems.

Music: Ideally we would like to have multiple regular contributors to provide reviews, recommendations, and opinions on music/bands with an eye toward indie labels/bands and the contributor’s local scene. 

The Making of…: This would be a series of journal-style entries by one or more persons involved in the production of a movie/film/show. The entries would need to be regularly updated and written to give the audience a look at the process of creation, including the elation and frustration.

Tour Diary: This would be a series of journal-style entries by one or members of a band during a tour. The entries would need to be regularly updated and written to give the audience a look at the highs and lows of touring.

If you are interested in any of these contribution* opportunities, we encourage you to email [email protected] and let us know which area you are interested in. If possible please include a link or two to examples of your writing. If you do not have links, don’t worry, email us anyway! We encourage diverse voices, tastes, and points of view.

Help Given

Spider Mirror Journal seeks to provide any support that we can to independent creatives. To that end, we are offering free advertising on our site. We plan on introducing a classified-style page that you can advertise your book, film, lit mag, album, production company, podcast…whatever your creative endeavor is…for free! Interested? Contact us at [email protected] for more information.

The Striking Feminism of Gerald’s Game

Spider Mirror is excited to announce our first regular contributor! Meg Hafdahl will offer up her perspective on all things horror in a little feature that we are calling “The Attic Light”.

Look for the first installment soon!

Now we need you! We are seeking poetry, short fiction, and visual art, as well as reviews (books, movies, podcasts, music, etc), interviews, and op/ed pieces. Tell us about your favorite book, or interview that local band that you love. It’s all up to you. Be a contributor!

What is Spider Mirror?

What is Spider Mirror?

“Mama’s Boy is a short, transgressive horror film about a tragic figure, Joshua (played by Malcolm Mills), who lives as a BDSM prostitute in order to preserve the only family he has left. When the reality of Joshua’s life comes crashing down, the masochist becomes the sadist in this tale of sex, violence, and resilience.

The film explores the psychological pull that the notion and desire for family has on us all, and the level of self-torment that people sometimes go through trying to maintain their idea of family. The fantasy of family for those who have been abused can be like a prison, and this film acts as allegory to the liberation of that fantasy and to the confrontation of reality."