Film Review: The Conjuring 2

Last Friday I went to see The Conjuring 2. I'm a massive horror fan, with supernatural horror being my favourite subgenre, and I loved The Conjuring, along with James Wan's other films, so this one was a must-see. 

Both films are based on the case files of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Conjuring opened with the Warrens involvement with the haunted doll, Annabelle, before moving to a completely unrelated case about the Perron family. Similarly, The Conjuring 2 opens with a view from one of the iconic quarter-circle windows of the Amityville house. 

The most exciting thing I found about this prelude to the story was a scene where Lorraine spies a ghostly boy with glowing white eyes peering round a corner in the house. If you aren't as worryingly obsessed with horror as I am, you may not have realised that this shot was actually based on a real photo of an unexplained boy, which was taken in the abandoned Amityville house after the Lutz family famously fled the property. 

Real image of a ghostly boy, taken in the Amityville house

Whilst this probably went over many people's heads, it's a big fangirl moment for people with an interest in the paranormal. 

Again, like The Conjuring, the film then takes its focus to a completely unrelated case of the Enfield poltergeist. Thankfully, we don't see any terrible attempts of English accents, which are all-too common in Hollywood, and in fact, the representation of English life is pretty accurate, from the weather (raining throughout) to the school uniforms and run-down council estates. 

If you like jump scares, then you're in for a treat, because there are plenty. Also, if you're already familiar with the story of the Enfield poltergeist, this isn't a retelling of the same tale you've heard numerous times before, and still offers much to surprise you with. 

Sadly, this means that the film isn't wholly based on the true story. Some of this has obviously been done for the cinematic effect (such as the crucifixes scene, and the slightly-cringeworthy CGI "Crooked Man") as well as satisfying the need to keep the film fresh and original for audiences. For sure, the Warren's involvement in the case has been exaggerated by a mile, as they were not the principal investigators for the case, and cannot be credited for stopping the hauntings. In fact, people who have lived in the house after the Hodgson family, claim that it is still haunted to this day (but that wouldn't make a climatic ending, would it?) 

Having said that, the source materials have been used excellently; scenes from the case files are replicated well, including reports of levitation, the background of the poltergeist, the recorded interviews and the infamous "spoon bending" incident. 

By far the scariest feature in the film, however, is the nun. 

I'm pretty sure this character (who is in the same vein as Insidious' black-veiled old woman) is just a product of James Wan's imagination, and not from any real paranormal investigations from the Warrens, but that doesn't make her any less creepy. 

The nun has a slow-moving, silent and unexplained presence to begin with, which makes her sinister and ominous, which is what I think I found so unnerving about her. She's used as a narrative device to string the story together, and she's undoubtably been thrown in to make the film ten times scarier... but it comes as no big surprise to hear that (similar to "Annabelle") the creators of The Conjuring 2 are intending to make a spinoff film, solely about the nun, which I'm guessing is the main reason of her feature in the film. (P.S. I will be first in the queue to see it.)

So, the verdict? 

Whilst The Conjuring 2 is far from a documentation of the real Enfield haunting, it provides great entertainment to keep you on the edge (or jumping out of) your seat, which fans of the original will neither want to miss, nor be disappointed by. James Wan does not fail to deliver with his excellent talent to scare audiences, and manages to keep the famous story fresh, but enough of the true case present to send continual shivers down your spine. 

*CLAP CLAP* 

Pete

End Date Ball: Details!

So as I announced in my last vlog, I'm celebrating ending treatment by having a ball at The Duke Of Cornwall Hotel in Plymouth to raise money for CLIC Sargent. Here are some more details!

The Duke Of Cornwall Ballroom

The Menu
The catering staff at The Duke of Cornwall have put together a great 3-course set menu for us, with coffees to finish. They are also happy to accommodate and adapt the menu for any dietary requirements, they just need to know up-front.

Starter

Smoked chicken Caesar salad with garlic croutons and crispy bacon

(V) Tomato, roast pepper and aubergine soup with basil pesto

Main

Braised rump steak in stout with button mushrooms, onions and crispy bacon

(V) Butternut squash risotto with pine nuts, spinach,chives,watercress and black truffle oil 

Dessert

Baked chocolate fudge brownie with chocolate, caramel, pecan sauce and Cornish clotted cream 

Entertainment

I'm pleased to announce that we have the support of the amazing Scarlet Sirens burlesque group, who will be kicking off the evening by performing a routine for us. There will also be a disco after the meal, and perhaps some additional performers! 

Dress Code 

The dress code for the event is formal, with black tie being optional. This means it's a great opportunity for you to get dressed up! There will be a photographer there too, to catch photos of everybody looking their best!

How To Buy Tickets

The tickets are now all printed and ready for purchase! They are £30 each and can be bought on PayPal using my email: PeteYJerrett@Yahoo.com , or can be bought from myself or any of my family in person. If you are interested in buying a table, they can seat from 8 - 10.

I'd love to see you there to make this celebration a success and to raise as much money as we can!

Pete

Vlog: The Big Buzz

The hair is gone! My current fundraising total is £300, thanks to all of the generous people who sponsored me. If you'd still like to do so, you can here! And thanks to YouTube, you can see the whole thing below, in glorious technicolour. 

I'm really enjoying my new buzz cut at the moment, and very excited to be working on my ball which I will be posting more about soon. Get in touch if you'd like to hear more details or buy tickets!

Pete

Maintenance: the Good, the Bad & the Ugly

I'm currently on my final, longest, and least aggressive phase of chemotherapy treatment for ALL, which is called maintenance. 

What Is It? 

I started maintenance treatment in January 2014. For boys, this phase lasts 2 years and 7 months, and for girls it lasts 1 year and 7 months. 
Because I'm on a clinical trial, my treatment isn't the same as patients who were randomised to other experimental conditions. For me, maintenance treatment means the following: 

• Oral chemotherapy every evening
• Additional oral chemotherapy once a week
• IV infusion of chemotherapy once a month
• 5-day block of steroids every month
• Intrathecal chemotherapy every 12 weeks

However, some people on the trial get randomised to not receiving the latter three. 

The purpose of maintenance treatment is mostly preventative care; most of the leukaemia cells are killed in the intensive stages of treatment, and this is mostly to make sure they stay that way. 

The Good

Maintenance treatment is a lot easier on the body than the intensive stages. People will be put on different doses of treatment but in general, all of the side effects of the chemo slowly get a bit better and more manageable. Your hair grows back and the sickness and nausea aren't as incessant. 

As well as the meds getting more manageable, so are the hospital visits. I still need to go in for chemo, clinic and blood tests (fun fact: Google Maps has automatically marked the hospital as my "place of work") but this has gone from being nearly ever day to about every other week, which means hospital visits aren't running my life as much any more. 

Both of these mean that you can do more. This differs from person to person, depending on their situation, but I myself have been able to take on some voluntary work which I wouldn't have been able to do beforehand. Because my immune system is a bit stronger, I'm able to go on short breaks away and more social events, as well as a lot more freedom with what I can eat! 

A lot of the opportunities offered by cancer charities aren't suitable for patients on the intensive phases of ALL treatment, but maintenance gives you that bit more flexibility to take part in them. For example, you can see some of the stuff I've been up to with Teens Unite here. 

The Bad & The Ugly

One of the common complaints I hear amongst my ALL friends is that "people assume you're okay now, but you're not".

Basically, maintenance makes me feel like I've got a constant hangover. I can have the best night's sleep ever and still wake up feeling tired and drained of energy. This is something I have got a little accustomed to over time, but it still takes its toll. I often find I can't join in with things which are early in the morning or late in the evening, as I will be too fatigued, which goes against the grain of a 21-year-old's ideal social life. 

Most of the side effects are pretty manageable, and nothing I should complain about, but they are all still there. I spoke previously about how my hair is thin and falls out easily, and nausea and vomiting will affect me about once a month. Because my immune system is still pretty poor, I'm more susceptible to things like colds and infections, which hit me harder than they would a normal person. As I said, they're nothing I should complain about, but I still have unpredictable "bad days", which (in conjunction with day-long hospital visits) means that at the moment I couldn't even consider getting a part-time job. 

It was at the maintenance stage that I realised the longer-term implications of cancer. As many of you know, my steroids had to be stopped because of avascular necrosis in my ankles. This means that, in the past year, I have had to give up running and my gym membership: two things which I loved doing and really helped with my mental and physical wellbeing. (I've been struggling to find forms of exercise which I'm physically able to do, and am currently trying to give swimming a try, so fingers crossed!)

The most frustrating thing I've found with maintenance treatment is that I try to fit in to normal life again - the life that my school friends and other people my age are living - and find I'm not able to, or I don't fit in any more because I've been sat in hospital not doing anything for a few years whilst everybody else has been moving forward, which is unbelievably disheartening. 

Many patients, myself being one of them, enter maintenance and "try to run before they can walk". I've found this applies to most aspects of life: social, fitness, romance, work, etc. - like you're running through mud and getting nowhere fast.

Finally... 

Despite the good, the bad and the ugly, maintenance is something which I try my best to just get on with, and haven't really spoken (or moaned) about much until now. Of course, I have much to be thankful for, I guess I just wanted to put across the whole picture and both sides of the stage which I am at right now. 

As always, a reminder that everybody's experience of cancer is different, and I have seen so many different experiences of people going through maintenance. This is just about my own experiences! 

Feel free to add a comment or question below, or fill out the contact form!

Thanks for reading 

Pete

Before The Buzz

I can't believe how quickly my fundraising target for my headshave was smashed! A big thank you to everybody for your kind and generous donations.

As I mentioned in my last post, I have brought plans to shave my head for charity forward, and I set myself the fundraising target of £170, which would cover the cost of the initial care grant given out by CLIC Sargent at diagnosis. Within a day, this target was smashed, and currently stands at £260! (See JustGiving page here).

£230 could fund for a family to stay in a CLIC Sargent Home From Home for a week, as my family did (but I'll probably post more about that later) - so this is an amazing amount! I wanted to write this post to give some details, before the buzz...

I originally wanted this to coincide with another fundraiser which I am working on and will be announcing soon, but I wanted to move it forward, before my hair is too thin to donate!

This is why I didn't set myself a really high fundraising target for my Big Buzz - I didn't want to be haggling people for sponsorship just before asking them to support my next fundraiser - which is something I'd really like a lot of people to get involved in!

I haven't made plans for the actual headshave - which is in just under two weeks time - but rest assured, I will be posting a video of it happening, and lots of photos, so watch this space.

As I said before, I will be donating my cut hair to Little Princess Trust. Due to the chemo, dye and everything else I have subjected my poor hair to, I'm not sure that it will be good enough quality to be made into a real hair wig, but it's certainly long enough and I can but try!

If anybody would like to donate to help smash my target even further, here is my JustGiving page: justgiving.com/petebigbuzz

Thanks for reading!

Pete

Hair

I wasn't planning on doing this so early, but my chemo dosage has just been increased again, so here we go!  

My hair - December 2015

For the past 18 months or so, I have been growing out my hair, and now have a man-bun which is several inches long. There are a couple of reasons for this, the first, but least prominent, being me experimenting hairstyles as I have been since the beginning of secondary school. More importantly, due to still being on chemotherapy, my hair is very thin, so I wanted to grow it long to create the illusion of thickness (you could see my scalp through my hair when it was shorter). 

However, the most important reason is that I have been planning on shaving it off all along. 

On the 3rd May, I will be taking on The Big Buzz for CLIC Sargent and shaving my head back to the wood to raise money for children and young people with cancer, and their families. 

My LPT wig - October 2013

The reason for the growth is that my hair is now over 7 inches long, I can donate my cut hair to Little Princess Trust, to be made in to a wig for a young person who has lost their hair. LPT provided me with an amazing acrylic wig whilst I was going through the intensive stage of my treatment, so it would be great to give something back to them, and maybe help another young person... provided my hair is good enough quality! 

The dosage of my chemo tablets has just been increased again, as per the protocol. This isn't a problem for me, but every time the dosage is increased, my hair weakens, gets thinner and molts easier, so I've brought the date of my Big Buzz forward. 

My fundraising goal for this challenge is £170, which would fund an initial CLIC Sargent grant, which is given to a young person within the first 72 hours of a cancer diagnosis. This is to help with the initial additional incurred costs, such as travel and accommodation, and was greatly helpful to myself and my family. 

I have set up a JustGiving page if anybody would like to sponsor me - if 100 people sponsor me £1.70, I will have hit my target! https://www.justgiving.com/petebigbuzz 

Thanks for reading! 

Pete