Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: When stage magician John Harley "Duke" Duquesne dies, he leaves his entire estate to his estranged daughter, Cassie. The bequeathment comes with a condition though, Cassie must stay in his house for seven nights, so she can be a witness when he carries through with his promise to return from the dead. Cassie, along with her new friend, Val (who is secretly an undercover reporter), discover Duquesne's house is both full of artifacts from his shows and set up like a funhouse, with a variety of hidden scares. As a result, when strange things begin to occur at night, she doesn't know if they are just a trick or supernatural. Who's in it? The movie stars Connie Stevens, Dean Jones, Cesar Romero, Parley Baer , John Hoyt and Virginia Gregg. Review: I came across Two on a Guillotine last night and, while it was longer than I usually prefer for a morning movie, the plot sounded intriguing enough for me to add it to my library and give it a try. It proved to ...

Synopsis: When her blind husband begins receiving phone calls from his dead mother and she herself begins to see apparitions, Vivia Mandore enlists help from architect and paranormal investigator Nelson Orion. At first, Orion is skeptical and thinks it's a hoax, possibly to scare Henry Mandore into selling his estate. However, after witnessing supernatural events and realizing they are centered around Vivia, he begins to believe they are connected to an unsolved murder. Who's in it? The movie stars Martin Landau , Diane Baker, Judith Anderson , Tom Simcox and Priscilla Morrill. Review: I came across The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre a couple weeks ago and thought it looked interesting enough to add to my library. I decided to watch it this morning, and it turned out to be both entertaining and surprising. My first expectation of this movie is the ghost would turn out to be nothing more than an elaborate and cruel hoax. The phone calls from the tomb could have been placed by anyo...

Synopsis: A year after a serious car accident left her traumatized and depressed, a pregnant woman moves to a vineyard with her husband in the hopes of starting a new life. However, shortly after arriving, she begins to experience a series of hallucinations. Are they supernatural? Or are they being caused by her decision to stop taking her pills? Who's in it?  The movie stars  Isla Fisher ,  Anson Mount ,  Gillian Jacobs , Jim Parsons ,  and  Eva Longoria . Review: After watching several Christmas movies in a row, my wife and I were in the mood for something different and, even though I sort of remembered watching this film a few years ago, put it on. Even though there were a few things that felt familiar about it, I couldn't remember much about the movie and rewatching it turned out to be a good decision. At first, this seems like your typical haunted house movie. Eveleigh (Fisher) sees and experiences strange things inside the house and on the property bu...

Synopsis: On Halloween night, a group of college friends decide to visit an "extreme" haunted house. They think it will be a great way to spend the evening and score some laughs but, about halfway through, they realize their lives are in danger. Who's in it? The movie stars Katie Stevens , Will Brittain , Lauryn Alisa McClain , Shazi Raja and Schuyler Helford . Review: I was a bit surprised to get this DVD through Netflix because I didn't even realize it was on my movie list. I'm not saying it wasn't. I just don't remember adding this film. And, because of that, I did find myself having some doubts about this movie. As it turns out, the movie was better than I was expecting it to be. Well, more specifically, the first three-quarters of the film were better than expected. At least in the beginning, the movie has a lot going for it. The plot is relatively believable with the friends learning about the open house via a flyer, being asked to sign a waiver ...