By: Heaven Marquez

The Pleasanton Eagles kept up the hard work, winning over the Pearsall Mavericks 100-52 on Monday, February 24. “It’s a great feeling, but we’re not ready for it to be over; we’re gonna go as far as we can,” stated senior forward, Dalton Hobbs. The Eagles were led by senior Santiago Arguijo who had a total of 37 points, Dalton Hobbs with 24, and freshman RJ Marquez contributing with 15 points.

The Eagles played the Sinton Pirates on Friday, February 28, defeating them in vengeance from last year’s loss 68-57. “It [winning] feels really good because they took us out in the third round and we wanted revenge and we wanted to get them back,” said senior guard, Santiago Arguijo. Dalton Hobbs led the Eagles in scoring with 22 points, Santiago Arguijo with 18 and RJ Marquez with 16 points.

The boys went on to play Port Isabel for regional quarterfinalists and made Pleasanton High School history by making it into the regional semi-finals. The Eagles beat the Tarpons 77-47, despite the close calls in the third quarter. “Our transition wore them [the Tarpons] out, and we started making shots, and our momentum went up, and the crowd got into it, and it was just a great feeling just to be there,” freshman RJ Marquez said. Senior Santiago Arguijo paved the way for the Eagles with 28 points, with help from fellow senior Dalton Hobbs who had 19 points, and RJ Marquez who helped out with 15.

The Eagles went on to play the Houston Stafford Trojans at the Regional semi-finals at the Regional tournament in Kingsville, Texas. The boys were off to a slow start, falling behind the Trojans at the end of the first quarter 17-8. Pleasanton began picking up the pace in the second quarter, but, unfortunately, so did Stafford. The Eagles fought hard to build up momentum and started the half time behind the Trojans by 10 points, 34-24. The third quarter brought upon its own set of challenges as the Eagles and Trojans scored back to back to take the lead. Pleasanton got a few good shots up, however, Stafford fought all attempts at letting the Eagles take the lead, completing the period 50-36. The fourth quarter gave the Eagles the chance to catch up and defeat the Trojans, and everyone could tell Pleasanton was determined to bounce back. Sadly, the Eagles’ basketball came to an end on that Friday, with the boys losing by four points, 58-54. Santiago Arguijo led the Eagles with 24 points, Dalton Hobbs had 12 points, Kade Leoffler assisted with 6 points, Juan Lopez and Jayce Krauskopf each had 5 points, and RJ Marquez added 3 more points to that.

For those interested in the basketball finals, UIL recently released a statement speaking about the cancellation of spring sports and any State tournaments that were to happen within the duration of the school year. Hopefully, next year the Eagles will continue on their road to State and making history. Pride Pride!

By: Nohemi Vallejo

Senior Soccer Players with Coach Bird

With their continuous victory, PHS soccer girls keep kicking their way up to the top. On Friday, February 21st, the girls’ varsity team won against Yoakum (5-0). On Friday, February 25th, the varsity girls’ team won yet again this time against La Vernia (4-0). On Friday, February 28th, the junior varsity girls won against Gonzales High School (4-0). While the varsity girls’ team did an amazing job by scoring 6 goals against Gonzales who scored 0 goals. On Tuesday, March 3rd, the girls’ varsity won against Yoakum High School for the second time this season (7-0).

The most important part of winning is working together, Coach Bird also agrees with this statement. “… watching the girls come together and form their bond. Each team, each year seems to create a different bond and having this group of seniors. Watching them from their freshman year gain more of a leadership role.. Seeing them form that bond a uponst the five of them and realize it’s their last year has been fun to watch.” These girls have done an outstanding job. We are proud of your hard work, even if your season was cut short due to COVID-19!  Way to go, Lady Eagles!

By: Dillon Myers

The boys’  Eagle’s JV soccer team had two games, which took place on February 8th and 19th. On the 8th, they came out with a tie against Bandera, while they beat Beeville 3-1 on the 19th of February.

As far as Varsity went, the Eagle boys played five games on 2/18, 2/21, 2/25, 2/28, and 3/3. On the eighteenth of February, the Mighty Eagles faced Fox Tech and came out with a victorious 6-1 score. At 6:00 p.m. on the 21st, the boys beat the Yoakum bulldogs on their own turf. The score ended up 4-1. On 2/25, the Eagle boys had a close match against La Vernia with the end score being 3-2. At 7:00 p.m., February 28th, the Eagle boys lost to Gonzales 0-4.  On March the 3rd, the boys faced and won against Yoakum once more. The score concluded with a whopping 2 and 0. La Vernia beat the Mighty Eagles on Friday the 6th. On March 17th, their final game, the gnarly Eagle boys…did not get to play due to COVID-19. All sports seasons were abruptly canceled as of March 13th.

Tim Klein, a freshman here at PHS, commented, “I am sad the season ended the way it did, but I am happy to have had the privilege to play this season with this amazing team.”

Coach Breiten later stated, “Unfortunately, this past Friday, the UIL (who governs all extracurricular activities) stated that any spring sports will be canceled for the rest of the school year. As a coach, I know the UIL did what they needed to do to try and keep us safe, even though it was a tough decision.” When asked how he feels about soccer, quarantine, and all that is happening, he said, “I believe we had a great soccer team this year that was poised to make a potential playoff run. I know quarantine is hard on most of us because it took the ‘norm’ out of our lives. The biggest piece of advice I can give about quarantine is to try to stay positive and try to make the best out of this situation.” “For the most part, us as coaches make contact through Google Classroom, phone calls, or text messages. I know of many athletes are completing home workouts or still practicing their craft even though their seasons for this year is over.”

By: Hannah Richardson

Pleasanton’s Tennis team played at the Southwest Tournament on February 7, 2020.  As stated on the Pleasanton High School Athletic page, Anai Gonzales got first place in the girls’ JV single back draw match. Lauren Dowdy got first place in the varsity girls single back draw match. Then Blake Moos and Mathew Garcia got first place in boys varsity double back draw. On the varsity boys singles, Luke Harlos won two out of three matches, and Cade Macmanus won one of two matches. Lauren Dowdy on the varsity girls singles won four out of five matches and took first place. In the varsity boys doubles, Wyatt Garcia and Luke Gonzales won two out of three matches and Blake Moos and Mathew Garica won four out of five matches. In the mixed doubles match, Devon Clark and Elly Hernandez won one out of three matches.

On February 21, 2020, the teams competed at Uvalde High School. The Pleasanton High School Athletic page states that in the varsity boys singles, Cade Macmanus finished the tournament with fourth place and Luke Harlos finished the tournament with third place. In the varsity girls singles, Lauren Dowdy finished the tournament with thirteenth place and Makaylah Canales finished with first place. In the varsity boys doubles, Wyatt Garcia and Luke Gonzales finished the tournament with fifth place, and Blake Moos and Matthew Garcia ended with first place. In the varsity mixed doubles, Devon Clark and Elly Hernandez went home with second place.

On February 28, 2020, the Pleasanton High school Tennis team competed at Navarro High school. In the JV boys singles match, Mayson Smith finished the tournament with fourth place, and Angel Hernandez with third place. In the JV girls singles match, Anai Gonzales finished the tournament in third place. In the JV boys doubles match, Bennack Conroy and Cian Martinez finished the tournament in second place, and Wyatt Porter and Gage Pawelek finished in third place. In the JV mixed doubles, Josh Schmahl and Kamryn Salais finished in first place, and Conner George and Kaylee Titzman ended in third place. In the varsity boys singles match, Cade Macmanus finished the tournament with first place main draw, Luke Gonzales finished with second place back draw, Wyatt Garcia finished with third place, and Luke Harlos finished the tournament with fourth place. Varsity girls singles match Lauren Dowdy finished the tournament with first place back draw, Makaylah Canales finished second place back draw. In Varsity mixed doubles Blake Moos and Claire Benavidez finished the tournament in first place and Devon Clark and Elly Hernandez finished the tournament in third place.

The Eagle’s tennis season came to an end with UIL calling off all sports due to social distancing guidelines related to COVID-19.  Nonetheless, we congratulate our players on their season and wish them best in the future.

The Pleasanton Eagle golf team has been very busy these past few months competing in tournaments. The first tournament for the varsity boys was in Navarro, and they placed 4th.  They went on to be in 1st after day 1 in the Pleasanton tournament at the Pleasanton Country Club. Matt Garcia, Reed Foster, Luke Thornton, Trent Crady, and Garner Kemp shot a team score of 370. Matt Garcia and Reed Foster shot a round of 88, Luke Thornton shot a round of 90, Trent Crady shot 104 and Garner Kemp 116. The Eagle golf team took first place at the Pleasanton Eagle Invitational Golf Tournament on Friday and Saturday, February 14th and 15th. Matt Garcia, Reed Foster, Luke Thornton, Trent Crady, and Garner Kemp shot 377 for a two-day total of 747. Matt Garcia finished with 3rd place medal and an 87 on the 2nd day for a two day total of 175.

On February 27th, The Eagles golf team headed off to the NISD campus in Concan, where they finished day one of the tournament in 21st place and ended the day still in 21st. As of February 29th, the Eagle team placed 1st and played well at the SAISD tournament. Matt Garcia, Luke Thornton, Reed Foster, and Trent Crady shot a team score of 370 to lead 1st in the tournament. The team finished the SAISD Golf Tournament held at Willow Springs Golf Course in San Antonio on Friday and Saturday, February 28th and 29th as champions. Matt Garcia, Reed Foster, Luke Thornton, and Trent Crady shot a score of 356 with a 2-day total of 756. The Eagles were led by Matt Garcia, who shot a two day total of 177.

The Eagle #2 golf team finished 5th place at the Jourdanton golf tournament held at the Pleasanton Country Club on Monday, March 2nd. Carter Benavidez, Wyatt Tom, Jayden Koti, and Malaquias Gutierrez finished had a team score of 484. Carter Benavidez had a leading score of 110. Malaquias Gutierrez shot 121, Jayden Koti shot 125, and Wyatt Tom shot 128.

On Friday, March 6th, the Eagle golf team took 4th place at the Jay Mustang golf tournament at the Cedar Creek Golf Course in San Antonio. Matt Garcia, Reed Foster, Luke Thornton, and Trent Crady shot a team score of 379. Reed Foster led the Eagles with a score of 91. Matt Garcia and Luke Thornton each shot  93. Trent Crady shot a score of 102.

When asked about how he feels about his team this year, Coach Guerra stated, ¨The team is kinda in a rebuilding mode. We lost a lot of players last year, and we have a lot of inexperienced players because they didn’t have a lot of district and regional experience from last year, and the boys’ side were rebuilding because we lost a lot from last year’s team…but we’re getting better and coming along.¨ 

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, UIL has suspended the season due to social distancing guidelines. However, we are very proud of our teams for all they have accomplished. 

By: Courtney Henson

The Pleasanton BPA members who advanced left on Wednesday, March 4, to participate in the state leadership conference. The conference took place in Dallas, TX this year. The teams and individuals who competed did very well! Robert Rutherford, Paige Hubert, Lauren Dowdy, and Delanee Ollivarri’s Global Marketing team received 1st place. Thomas Huizar, Jordan Haby, Andres Torres, and Nathaniel Gonzales received 5th place in their Broadcast News Production team event. Makenzie Pilgrim competed in Advanced Interview Skills and received 1st place. Isaac Garcia, who competed in Prepared Speech, got 9th place. The following students did not place but participated with their very best.  Adyson Brymer, Lauren Trapp, Brandi Barnett, and Ashlyn Vera’s Presentation Management team also competed. Kory Caballero participated in computer modeling. Alexis Ramos competed in Fundamental Word Processing. Alizay Rodriguez competed in Medical Office Procedures. PHS is proud of all BPA students who participated with their hard work.

This year, the Pleasanton BPA team had a few participants advance to the national competition, which sadly will not take place this year due to the spreading of COVID-19. The national qualifiers are the Global Marketing team, Lauren Dowdy, Paige Hubert, Delanee Olivarri, and Robert Rutherford, who received 1st place at state. Makenzie Pilgrim, who competed in Advanced Interview Skills and received 1st place at state, also advanced to nationals. The club also had a few national alternates: Isaac Garcia who got 9th place in Prepared Speech and the Broadcast News Production Team, Nathaniel Gonzales, Jordan Haby, Thomas Huizar, and Andres Torres, who placed 5th at state are also national alternates.

Alongside all of the qualifiers, there were also four Statesmen Torch Recipients; these were, Lauren Dowdy, Makenzie Pilgrim, Paige Hubert, and Delanee Olivarri. As well, both Makenzie Pilgrim received a $1,000 scholarship and Delanee Olivarri receiving a $500 scholarship. Also, Delanee Olivarri received Texas Statesman of the Year. Lastly, Isaac Garcia, regional officer, and Delanee Olivarri, State Parliamentarian, received Texas Officer Team.

Congratulations to everyone who participated and good job on your accomplishments! Here’s to a great BPA year. Pride! Pride!

By: Courtney Henson

On Tuesday, March 3, the Pleasanton Wind Ensemble and Symphonic bands participated in a UIL contest. Both bands did very well. The symphonic band, led by Mrs. Yarnell, received a 2 on stage and 1 in sight-reading. The Wind Ensemble band, led by Mr. Solis, received a 1 on stage and a 1 in the sight-reading portion. 

On Saturday, March 7, some of the band members left early in the morning and started their journey to Orlando, Florida. On Sunday, the band arrived at the park and went immediately to Universal Studios, where they spent the day.  On Monday, they had a very eventful day! They participated in sight-reading a few Disney music pieces and performing a piece from Disney’s Moana and spent the rest of their time in Magic Kingdom and got to end the day watching the spectacular firework show.  On Tuesday, the band spent the entire day in Epcot, where they left to make the return drive home.  The band returned home on Wednesday, the 11th, after a long few days. 

Congratulations on a wonderful year for the band! Pride! Pride!

By: Gabby Palacios

Beginning on the week of February 24, PHS held tryouts for the 2020-2021 cheerleading team. At the first practice, the twenty-nine candidates began putting together a routine with the help of Geometry teacher and former head sponsor, Mrs. Roberson.

     On Saturday, February 29, the girls performed two jumps, a dance, a cheer, and the PHS Fight Song dance routine in front of judges from the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA). Twelve girls have made the varsity squad, and the JV squad is now made up of 6 girls. Due to a lack of candidates, the team currently does not have a mascot. However, the group is planning to make some changes regarding community involvement and the performance of the varsity and JV squads as a whole.

     Mrs. Rutherford, the new cheerleading sponsor states, “I am a Pleasanton High School alum. My whole family is from Pleasanton and we are very prideful in our community, and I think we need to step up our game as far as spirit and community involvement in our schools… I want the cheer squad to be very visible in the community… and spotlight our school…”

     Neviz Rodriguez, the cheerleading manager, states, “Most of our improvement is going to come down to cooperating with one another and being open with each other… and the group as a whole and how they’re going to choose to work with each other and through certain problems.”

     We are excited to see what the new team has in store for us. Congratulations ladies!

Freshman Sirrah Maxwell and Sophomores Linda Sanchez and Noelani Guerrero pictured before their tryouts.

Varsity:

Juniors- Gabby Palacios, Natalie Contrerez, Erica Santee, Lynda Rodriguez, Diya Chandra

Sophomores- Linda Sanchez, Noelani Guerrero, Melanie Douglas

Freshmen- Brooke Rankin, Riley Porter, Paige David, Sirrah Maxwell

Junior Varsity:

Freshman- Desiree Duran

8th graders- Emree Adamitz, Alexandria Balderas, Alejandra Martinez, Megan Mayse, McAda Rutherford

By: Gabby Palacios

Milagros García, Natalia Cano, and Alexandra García pictured with their acceptance letters for the PHS Pacesetter team.

This year, tryouts for the Pleasanton High School Pacesetter team took place the week of March 2-7. Candidates were taught a routine that involved specific kicks and dance techniques, and a combination to advance across the floor. Before tryouts, they were expected to have their right split, right stationary leap, and a right pirouette. For tryouts, the girls performed their left and right techniques and the combination they were taught.

On the afternoon of March 7, the new team was announced. The 2020-2021 Pacesetter team is made up of 33 members, including one manager, Edward Ottinger. 

This year’s Colonel, Jewels Kinsel, states, “Well we have a much bigger team now, so we will most likely focus on unison, and involve choreo that matches different levels of skill… With it all being fairly new dancers, the dances will be beginner dances, but Mrs. Dewaal really wants to focus on strengthening all of the girls, and not just the new members… I’m sure our dances will have many parts that showcase each dancer’s skill set.”

Congratulations to the new members of the 2020-2021 Pacesetter team! We are excited to see what you all have planned for the upcoming school year.

Sofia Aguilar, Kaitlyn Allen, Saidee Almendarez, Lexi Andrada, Brianna Arevalo, Miranda Caballero, Natalia Cano, Jasmine Carlos, Selena Cerda, Domingo Cordova, Alexandra Garcia, Milagros Garcia, Rosemary Garcia, Lorenza Gonzalez, Sergio Gonzalez, Jewels Kinsel, Erin Light, Alexandra Luna, Yolanda Miranda, Anisa Murillo, Illeana Ochoa, Bianca Perez, Madison Peters, Lladira Ramos, Alexis Robles, Cecilia Rodriguez, Samara Ruiz, Jayla Salazar, Kaylie Stratton, Autumn Tortes-McGinnis, Larissa Villarreal, Marisol Villarreal, and Edwin Ottinger (MANAGER).

By: Kristina Mertz

This month, the PHS Journalism class has chosen the confident, enthusiastic, motivated, kind, and determined Ashley Mahavior. She is an active member in JROTC, NHS, and Trinity Baptist Church. For many of the JROTC students, Ashley Mahavior, a junior, is a major role model and idol for the younger cadets. 

She has lived in Pleasanton since,“first grade but originally I was a Lady Bear of LaVernia.” She says, “I’m in JROTC. I am in a staff position, which means I control most of the battalion. I’m also on the color guard and armed drill team” Her hobbies include: “Volleyball, tennis, JROTC, hiking, running, writing, training dogs.” Ashley says when she gets out of college, “I want to enlist in either Marines or Air Force and go to college to get a 4-year degree for animal sciences at Tarleton State University then go active in the military. When I’m done with the military, I plan on becoming a veterinarian.” She says that she has many role models. One of them is, “My sister. [She] was in JROTC before I was in high school. She actually brought the color guard to Pleasanton. That is something huge. She ended high school as a captain, and I’m so determined to beat that rank, so I joined, but as I got more into it, I saw that it wasn’t just something you do for fun. It was a family away from your family. It was a sense of comfort to have so many people in the same room as me with the same interest, was comforting.” 

Ashley Mahavior is an amazing individual here at Pleasanton who is always kind and caring to the students around here. She will always be remembered in the JROTC community as an incredible student, friend, and leader.

By: Wanish Tortes-McGinnis

What can you say about a coach who has the energy of a 10 year old, constantly in motion, is always motivating and positive, but still manages to get everything done he sets out to do? This is Coach Worley. Coach Worley has been teaching 8 years here at Pleasanton High School, and has been coaching track and cross country for 7. Before that, he spent 23 years in the Air Force, as an Air Force Ranger. He has been to 20 countries during his service to the United States Air Force, he has been to both South Korea, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, Germany, Iceland, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Panama, Mexico, and Canada. He is truly a well-traveled individual. 

His beginnings started in Indianapolis, Indiana. As he grew up, his goals were to get good grades, go to college and join the Air Force. He majored in Economics, and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland. After he got married  and decided to go into teaching, he asked his son what he should teach. His son said, “Math”, so he became a math teacher. In addition to being a math teacher, he also coaches cross country, and works with the long distance runners for track. 

His enthusiasm at the track meets is well known. From the time the gun goes off to start the race, you can see Coach Worley run from one side of the field to the other, shouting words of encouragement to his runners until they cross the finish line; “Keep the pace”, and “Head up”. He encourages his runners and students by telling them to “Be Fearless”, and “Kill the Tiger”. Other motivational statements he tells his students in math and his runners, is “Don’t be afraid to fail”, “Don’t be afraid to ask.”, and “Don’t say, ‘I can’t’”. 

Coach Worley works out with the students in running, guides them in their individual specialties, but at the same time, encourages them to push themselves, constantly improving their own personal best. He is truly a motivating teacher and coach, and through his dedication to make the Pleasanton High School Cross Country and Track and Field Teams improve each week, the runners have a lot to thank Coach Worley for, including taking up Saturdays and during the school week to help train the athletes so they will be ready for the upcoming events. 

In closing, Coach Worley is a good influence to all students, due to his passion, enthusiasm, and the ability to be flexible at the last minute. We appreciate you, Coach Worley!

By: Adriana Clark

The cafeteria workers here at PHS work hard constantly to provide the food we have at lunch. Not only do they have to provide the food we eat, but they also have to make sure all the tables are clean and that there is enough food for b-lunch.

Our cafeteria staff includes Kathy Garza, the manager, who has been working here for a total of 6 years. Kathy says her favorite part of her job is being in charge. She also used to work at the primary and says that “it is a big difference from the little ones to the big ones. Mainly at that age in elementary, you have to deal with tattle-telling, the hair-pulling, along with many other things along those lines.” 

Mary Ybanez has been working here for 20 years and her favorite part about her job is her group of coworkers. Mary Ramos has been working here for about a month and a half and one thing she enjoys about the job is the surroundings.

Julia has been working here for 3 months and she enjoys the dishes. Rebecca Alcorta has been working here for 2 years, Christabel Douglas has been working here for 5 months, and Mary-Alice Rodiguez has been working here for 10 years.

The group was asked what the most challenging factor about their job was, and they all agreed that the most challenging factor was making sure there’s enough food for everybody and not running out, but they also don’t want to make too much food where they would have to throw it out.

A piece of advice the cafeteria workers would like to give to the students is that they (the students) aren’t always going to get free stuff, being respectful to the staff and each other, to be appreciative, and that “please and thank you” can go a long way. 

By Dillon Myers

Time travel is a topic that has brought about many theories. Can you go into the past or the future? Are there multiple timelines? Is the multiverse real? These questions may never be answered with certainty for a very long time. Although, science has shown that when astronauts come back to Earth very slightly younger. This could be one of the first steps towards time travel. Of the students and teachers here at Pleasanton High School, 100 were asked whether they would travel into the distant past or the distant future. The results are displayed below:

By: Kristina Mertz and Victoria Chavez

During the mid-1600s, women were suffering through the problem of abusive husbands. Bright young women trapped in a loveless marriage were left with only one way out, that being death. However, a woman named Tofana changed the lives of many women and cut short the lives of over 800 men. 

During the 17th century, Tofana owned a “cosmetics line” called Aqua Tofana that was laced with a self-made concoction of arsenic, lead, and belladonna (Deadly Nightshade). She helped hide the poison inconspicuously in the forms of powdered makeup or small bottles embellished with pictures of Saint Nicholas and Bari. This resulted in the idea that something so saintly could never have poison in it to kill people. The women who bought these products were mainly in bad marriages with abusive husbands or an abundance of forced marriages. Many women would spread the doses out to their husbands to avoid the suspicion of being poisoned. It was very easy to distribute the liquid poison into foods and drinks. 

Tofana had many apothecaries, entrepreneurs, and innovation skills. Due to her dappling in the apothecary, she was able to create a poison that couldn’t be found in the bloodstream. This helped the distribution of the mixture because the women who committed the crimes could remain guilt-free. When a medical professional would perform an autopsy on the dead husbands, there would be no remains of the poison. All the wives would have to do was act the part of a grieving widow, then she could live with the satisfaction of freedom. 

The first two doses of the poison left symptoms of nothing more than a basic cold or cough. However, by the third dose, the husband would experience vomiting, a burning stomach, and many other digestion problems, but by the fourth dose, the deadly deed was completed. She ended up selling this product for over 50 years, which contributed to her gain of income.

However, by the 1650s, one of Tofana’s customers had a change of heart and decided to cancel her plans to end her husband’s life, even though she already put the poison in a bowl of his soup. The husband then became increasingly suspicious over time and finally questioned her behavior. The wife confessed to everything she did, which resulted in the husband turning her in. The wife was interrogated and most likely tortured, to which she revealed who she bought the deadly poison. 

There are many different versions of the story as to what happened to Tofana: Some say she was retired to the country when she was warned, so she fled. Others believe she ran, but her employees including her daughter were killed. The most widely believed story details her running to a nearby church, where she was found and faced execution along with her daughter, and three employees. Numerous buyers were also punished. The lucky customers did a good job of convincing, swearing that they only bought the products for cosmetic purposes. The others that weren’t so lucky were either thrown into prison or executed. Some of her accomplices were entombed in the Palazzo Pucci Dungeons, while the unfortunate ones were sealed within the walls of the dungeon with no exits. These women later died from dehydration and starvation. A lot of the richer women were “quietly” executed by beheading, burning, crushing, boiling, and hanging. 

Guilia Tofana became known as one of the most successful serial offenders, not only in France but in global history. What she did may be perceived as unjust, but many individuals beg to differ and ask the same question: Did she really commit a crime?

By: Kori Miller

Unfortunately for cheesy sci-fi film fans, the genre is usually plagued by remakes and reimaginations of older successes rather than original concepts. Having said that, the few original ideas that do make it to the theater flop and fade from the collective memory of its viewers altogether. In short, sci-fi has desperately needed some fresh meat. Leigh Whannell, responsible for gems like Saw and Insidious, has stepped up to the plate for audiences everywhere, and he has yet to disappoint. Inspired by the 1897 novel of the same name, this is The Invisible Man.

Cecilia is a fragile girl who fell victim to the looming dominance of a demented man with a large sum of cash. After successfully escaping her abusive ex and later discovering he killed himself the night of the altercation, she feels like she may have a real shot at safety. That is until paranoia grips her and she begins experiencing strange happenings at the expense of what she believes is her ex-boyfriend- only he’s invisible. Stuck in the confines of her peers and their disbelief, Cecilia is forced to fight a battle she can’t even see. 

The concept of an invisible man isn’t a new one, it’s been around for many years in sci-fi media and usually isn’t taken very seriously. It’s cheesy, no one can deny that. So as a concept for a blockbuster thriller, it’s intriguing. Creating a serious film out of such a done to death concept is surely no small feat. There was no better person for the job than Leigh Whannell. He has numerous credits in the film’s production and adapted the story basically single-handedly. He’s a very talented director and it shows in every frame of this thriller. The production value is phenomenal, the score is unsettling, the cinematography is suited perfectly to the theme, and the acting is stellar. There is little to complain about.

This film runs into a bit of an issue when it comes to writing. It tries too hard to one-up itself, wanting to add an unneeded twist for the sake of seeming more complex and intelligent than it is. A simple concept should be followed by a simple, consistent plot. Unfortunately, that is not Whannell’s style. He is more accustomed to the twists and turns of a true thriller, like the movies he’s infinitely more familiar with. Considering he wrote the screenplay, it’s safe to say it was a simple subjective mistake on his part and it ultimately doesn’t take away from the rest of the film.

The Invisible Man is a to-the-bone thriller, chilling in every scene. It’s dark, gritty, and psychological, and it’s practically guaranteed to please. Aside from the stylized writing, it’s an experience for all mature audiences to learn from. Visible or not, this film is a must-see.