Freddy in Space

The Walking Dead Returns Tonight!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:59:00 +0000

We made it, fellow Walking Dead fans. After nearly three full months spent without the show in our lives, the lumbering undead return to our television screens tonight, for the first of the final six episodes of Season 2. What's in store for the group now that their hopeful efforts of finding little Sophia alive and well have been completely blown to shit in grandly grotesque fashion? We find out tonight at 9/8c on AMC!

I wanted to do something special to celebrate the big return tonight and I found that special something in the form of a little makeup kit I stuffed into Jen's stocking on Christmas morning ...

What better way to celebrate the mid-season premiere of the show than by turning Jen into the iconic split jaw zombie that was seen in Season 1? No better way, says I. Thankfully, ever the good sport about me putting weird shit on her face for the sake of the blog, Jen obliged. So let's get to it, shall we?!

Though they're fun, these little cheapo kits are generally pretty shitty, never quite providing all the tools you really need in order to turn yourself or your friend into the image that's pictured on the packaging. This Walking Dead inspired one from Rubies is no exception. All the kit contains is a crummy little latex appliance and tubes of fake blood and facial adhesive. No face paint. Nothing to blend the seam between human skin and latex appliance.

As you'll see below, the sum of these half assed parts doesn't exactly result in the most realistic looking zombie.

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Thankfully, a guy like me always has dried up liquid latex and packets of 'scary skin' at his disposal. And a girl like Jen has plenty of makeup lying around. Both used in conjunction with this kit, with a little creativity throw into the mix, should be able to turn this mess into something mildly impressive, no?

Well, we worked together and did our best and we're both pretty happy with how things turned out, to the point that Jen is currently cooking dinner with the full makeup still all over her face. Mmmm, can't wait to find rubbery pieces of liquid latex in my chicken tonight.

Here's the end result; Jen as a super sexy half jaw'd zombie, ripped straight from the set of The Walking Dead! With a little more patience and a bottle of liquid latex that wasn't so dry and crusty this could've been a whole lot smoother looking, but I think it came out pretty cool all things considered!

Would you hit that? Cause I'd hit that.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go enjoy the show with my little zombie by my side. If I can only convince her to leave it on for some post-show activities ...

Remember, 9/8c on AMC, DON'T MISS IT!!

Chronicle : It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's A Really Awesome Movie!!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:01:00 +0000

If there's two types of movies that have been done to death in the last couple years it's the found footage movie and the superhero movie, both of which many different filmmakers have attempted to subvert and inject new life into of late; some successfully, most others not so much. What Chronicle does is combine both of those tired concepts into one, delivering to us the world's first ever found footage superhero movie. And guess what? The fusion of the two results in one of the freshest and most exciting cinematic experiences in years (think X-Men meets Cloverfield), managing to be unique within the world of both found footage cinema as well as superhero cinema, a thoroughly entertaining and original ride every step of the way. It's almost like an origins prequel to a superhero movie we've never seen and it's pretty damn awesome, if you're asking me. Which I totally assume you are every time I write a review. Makes me feel good.

Chronicle is the story of three average everyday high schoolers from different social circles that end up encountering some kind of strange alien device, which they inherit superhuman telekinetic powers from. While they start off innocently enough, skipping rocks in the water with their minds and playing football at 30,000 feet in the air, the least 'popular' member of the group (Andrew) soon starts showing off his darker side, his new found abilities finally giving him power over those who walk all over him. Instead of shooting up the school like the bullied kids in real high schools across the country oftentimes resort to doing, Andrew realizes that he can get his comic book villain on and literally use his powers to destroy the entire town and everyone in it.

And that right there is the main idea of Chronicle. Rather than simply being a mindless action movie about high school kids with superpowers, the movie is at its core an exploration of both the effects of bullying as well as an examination of what different people do when handed immense amounts of power, some using it for good, others using it for evil. In that regard, Chronicle is the most interesting and original take on the superhero movie since Unbreakable, one that like that film is mostly grounded in reality (though obviously to a lesser extent, seeing as how Bruce Willis never took flight in that one). Filled out with characters we actually care about, and who feel totally real, this sense of realism is the main strong suit of the film, in my opinion.

That said, an equal strength of Max Landis' (son of John!) script is that Chronicle works not only as that dramatic exploration of the descent into madness of a good kid pushed to his breaking point, but also as the big out of control popcorn action movie that you might expect it to be nothing more than. Cars are hurled through the air, our teenage superheros are flying around like birds, and it's all enormously entertaining to watch, oftentimes jaw droppingly so. Landis' script is a nice balance of the fun and the dramatic, making this one smarter than your run of the mill superhero movie, successfully doing more than simply entertaining while at the time delivering superhuman levels of entertainment at all times. So it's got depth if ya want depth and mindless action if ya just want mindless action. I call that a win-win.

Now, let's talk about the found footage aspect a bit. Does the film need to be told in the found footage style? No, it probably doesn't. But that's the hot thing right now and the fact that it is told in that fashion is never bothersome, nor does the movie rely on the usual tropes of movies of the sort. If anything, the fact that it's found footage helps make the extraordinary events of the movie all the more extraordinary, given that what we're watching feels more real than it would if the movie were told in typical cinematic fashion. On top of that, Andrew creatively figures out a way to telekinetically suspend the camera in the air, so there's some serious innovation there that separates this one from the norm when it comes to movies made in this style, making it a heck of a lot more visually exciting and dynamic than just a kid walking around holding a camera. Besides, the movie is mostly about Andrew and his descent into madness, so it's only natural that we see the events from his point of view. So ya, no complaints about the whole found footage thing from me, even though it does work a whole lot better in the first half and they do kinda drop it altogether in the (EPIC) last 15 minutes and just show us the action as if we're watching a non found footage movie. None of it bothered me one bit, I was just enjoying the ride.

Chronicle is a totally wild and completely unique spectacle, one that I gotta say I kinda loved. Landis clearly loves superhero movies as much as his dad loves horror movies, and it's pretty evident that he has most definitely inherited a lot of daddy's talent. His unique and brilliant script combined with strong direction (by Josh Trank), oodles of incredible effects and solid performances from everyone involved make this one the first real exciting movie of 2012 and a definite shoe in for my end of the year list of favorites. It's like watching somebody else's wildest lucid dream play out and it's truly quite unlike anything I've ever seen before. Simply put, Chronicle's superpower is that it's really fuckin' good, a quick dose of fun that for once is totally worth every penny of your hard earned money. 'Nuff said. Go see it if you haven't yet.

I leave you with this incredible video of the amazing viral marketing that was used to promote the movie in New York City a couple weeks back, where remote control planes made to look like humans were flown around the city. Too cool.

Catching Up On Screeners : Method Man & A Dead Hooker

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:41:00 +0000

My ever growing screener pile is getting out of control and if I don't start banging these things out at a rapid pace, I'm gonna end up buried alive by DVD's. So today, with the day off of work and the house to myself, I decided to play catch up and watch two recent screeners; one which will be released on Valentine's Day (this coming Tuesday) and the other which came out last week. Abridged and to the point thoughts on both below!

OUT ON DVD FEBRUARY 14TH!

A mortician’s life is suddenly changed when a dead woman’s body comes into his morgue and stirs up memories of his past. While trying to pull himself together, he finds a young boy hiding in the morgue. The boy tells him that he's only there to say goodbye to his dead mother because he's on the run from his father, who wants him dead. Determined to help him, the mortician takes on the role of personal protector and will stop at nothing to end the cycle of abuse.

I guess the best thing I can say about this one is that it's a better movie than the movie it would appear to be; another bad horror flick starring a rapper. For one, The Mortician isn't a horror film so much as it is a gritty redemptive drama. And for two, it's not all that bad, at least not as bad as one would likely expect it to be. That said, it's ultimately fairly tough to sit through. What starts out as a film with a lot of promise quickly devolves into cliche and nauseatingly sentimental dreck. Blah.

The Mortician gets off to a very slow start, with the majority of the first 20 minutes or so focusing solely on a silent and rigid Method Man, going about his daily life as the titular character. Little dialogue is spoken and we mostly just get to be a fly on the morgue wall as the character cuts open bodies and, at night, taxidermies animals. He's a tortured character with some serious mother issues and the rapper surprisingly turns him into a fairly compelling character to watch. It was this initial introduction to the character that I found most redeeming about the movie. From the blues-y soundtrack to some pretty impressive cadaver effects and a gritty almost Combat Shock-esque depiction of a city run by drugs and violence, the opening to the film is highly watchable and engaging. From there, it's pretty much all downhill.

Once your run of the mill 'don't judge a book by its cover' gang banger joins the mix and the plot becomes more about Method Man saving a young boy from his big bad mean streets father than it is about him and his own problems, The Mortician essentially turns into a totally cliche movie with forced sentimental drama that evokes the spirit of the Hallmark Channel. Except maybe for the mortician himself, I personally didn't care for any of the characters in the movie, and I found my boy Meth's quest to save himself through saving a young boy to be quite dull and tiresome. Though my relationship with the movie started out as a pretty good one, I actually kind of ended up hating everything about it by the end of it. Again I say, blah.

Though a well lensed movie that ended up being more well made than I expected it to be, I'm gonna advise you to skip this wholly unremarkable film. It's watchable but it's not half as powerful as it thinks it is, and the fact remains that we've all seen it done and seen it done a whole lot better before. In my opinion, the story would've been a lot more effective as a short film that solely focused on the titular character, as it feels way too dragged out as a feature length experience.

But hey, at least we get a brief couple appearances from Edward Furlong!

OUT NOW ON DVD!

Four friends set out on an everyday errand and end up in a fight for their lives when they discover the body of a dead hooker in their trunk.

Even though it only just hit DVD last Tuesday, I still feel like me seeing and reviewing this one is an event that's at least a solid year late. Every other horror blogger on the net has seemingly already reviewed Dead Hooker in the distant past, as both theatrical screenings and screener copies have been out there for a while now. Hell, I've been sitting on a copy for over a year now, holding off on checking it out and spewing my thoughts until it was available for mass consumption. Now that it finally is, thanks to the folks at IFC Midnight, I excitedly set out to see for myself today what pretty much everyone I know and even folks like Eli Roth have been raving about for what seems like forever now. I literally have not stumbled upon a single person who has had anything negative to say about this movie, so my hopes were needless to say sky high.

Now the bad thing about serious hype like that is that it's hard for any movie to be as good as you might go into it expecting it to be, based on how much everyone around you seems to love and embrace it. I guess I'm in the minority here when I say that, for me, Dead Hooker In A Trunk didn't even come close to living up to the hype that has been surrounding it for the past year. If I'm being totally honest, I'm fairly baffled right about now as to why so many people have been raving about this movie for so long. The way it's been built up would lead one to believe that it's a fully polished kickass masterpiece, but the fact of the matter is that this Dead Hooker is quite an amateur piece of cinema, one that I found not half as enjoyable or entertaining as a movie bearing its title should by all means be. There aint nothing wrong with low budget and amateur, but when the story isn't good and the movie isn't fun to watch, those things really show. I found the movie to all around be quite dull and boring, spending most of its run-time checking the clock to see how much more I had to endure. Is it just me?

I guess I just didn't 'get' the movie and I'd really like for someone who truly loved it to comment below and let me know what they dig about it so much, because I'm really feeling like I missed something here. I don't know if it's just that people want to support indie DIY filmmakers like the Soska Sisters, which I'm totally all for, but to me I found nothing significant about this movie that could possibly have resulted in so many people falling so in love with it. I appreciate the fact that the Soska's wrote/directed/starred in the movie, doing it all on their own and all with very little money, and I'm all for hot chicks kicking ass and playing around with blood, but I just couldn't get into this thing at all.

Now if there's anything positive I have to say about the movie it's that there are a few impressively executed scenes of action and gore, which I guess is the main draw of the movie for most. Whether an eye is being knocked clean out of its socket, an arm is being chainsaw'd off or chicks are kicking dude's asses, it's all really well pulled off, especially given the budget. Unfortunately, these scenes of fun and ass kicking bloody awesomeness are few and far between not to mention brief when they do happen, far outweighed by boring sequences of poorly acted characters dropping F bombs and seemingly auditioning for a Tarantino film. Sorry, but lots of cursing and a couple scenes of cool action/violence do not a good movie make, least not for me.

While I do think it's awesome that Sylvia & Jen Soska made this thing all on their own, and have made a career now out of doing so, this is one movie that's bandwagon I just can't jump on. Color me disappointed, a disappointment that I have to attribute to too many people getting a little too excited about this one and heaping serious amounts of unwarranted praise onto it. I don't mean to hate on the Soska's or suggest that anyone is wrong for liking this one just cause I didn't, but I just have to be honest with my opinions.

Hate to say it, but I can't help but wonder if this movie would've gotten the same attention had it not been made by hot twins ...

Vintage Video Of The Week : Blood Spattered Bride/I Dismember Mama Double Feature Trailer!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:05:00 +0000

It's the 1970's and the art of the exploitation horror film is in full bloom. In an effort to bring audiences to theaters, filmmakers with little money and no access to movie stars cram as much hardcore violence and nudity into their films as possible, providing something for audiences that the big Hollywood films simply cannot. In addition to the material in the films themselves being as salacious as possible, clever marketing campaigns are also drawn up, oftentimes proclaiming that the films themselves are potentially harmful to those who watch them. There's no perhaps no greater example of this kind of over the top marketing than the trailer that was created back then to promote a double feature of the films Blood Spattered Bride & I Dismember Mama, a double feature whose purchase of a ticket included an 'Up Chuck Cup' to capture the meals that would surely spew forth from your belly upon enduring it!

Rather than merely cutting together footage from the two films, as the run of the mill trailer does, the folks who created this one instead decided to inter-cut small snippets of the movies into a mock news report, which was made to look like it was filmed after a showing of the double feature. The idea here was that a man literally went crazy just from watching the two movies back to back, and the faux news reporter is there to capture all the madness and interview the other patrons who saw it all go down. Proving that nothing sells horror like hippies with piss fetishes, psychopaths who giggle maniacally & abusive husbands, the trailer pretty much ensured that anybody who laid eyes on it would find themselves dropping their hard earned cash to see the double feature. How could you resist?!

So let's head back to the 70's and enjoy the most epic trailer of all time, the kind of marketing that you just don't see nowadays and probably never will again!

Help A Reader Out! RE: Identifying A Movie

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:31:00 +0000

Every once in a while I get an e-mail from a reader asking me for help identifying an old school horror movie that they can only remember minute details about, like kinda sorta what the cover art looked like or kinda sorta how one particular scene may or may not have played out. Sometimes, I can solve the mysteries myself. Other times, I cannot. Just got an e-mail the other day from a reader by the name of Michael M. and though I feel like I should know this one, I'm totally drawing all sorts of blanks about it. So I figured if anyone can help him out, it'd be you folks.

Read Mike's e-mail below and let me/him know if you know what movie he is trying to locate. Let's end this mystery together!!

For years now I have been trying to identify a horror movie based on its poster art and have had no such luck. I'm afraid all I have to go on is a description and a vague time frame of when it was probably from. It was sometime in 1980s, and I want to say most likely around the mid-80s. I used to see this movie at a rental store my family frequented when I was a kid. The image I remember is this: a woman's body is sprawled out (kind of similar to the woman on the STUDENT BODIES poster, but more flat on her back) atop the head of a giant toothbrush. The bristles looked like sharp, pointed teeth, and a couple of them may or may not have been impaling her body. I think we could also see one arm and one leg dangling loosely. I recall it just being that single image against a solid color background. I have no clue as to what the title was. I just remember seeing this box cover at the store often and it always scared the heck out of me. (I was probably no more than 9 years old, so this was long before I was into horror movies.) But now that I've since gotten into horror, I've been trying to identify this movie for years to try and track down a copy and see it out of curiosity.

I've always figured the movie was probably from the mid-80s to earlier, but I'm not entirely sure of the time frame since it's been so long. That's just what I can recall from memory. I realize it might not be much to go on. Heck, that could have just been the VHS box cover and the actual poster art was completely different. But I've looked all around the Internet and asked on some horror movie forums, even looked through websites collecting older horror movie posters, and have gotten nowhere. If you could help in identifying this movie, I'd really appreciate it.

Everything You Need To Know About : Holliston

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:50:00 +0000

By now you've probably heard a thing or two about Holliston, an upcoming television series being put out by FEARnet. But what exactly is Holliston, where and when can you see it & what's it about? Tonight I answer all those questions and other questions you didn't even know you wanted the answers to, as I fill you in on everything you need to know about what is looking to be one of the best things to happen to horror in 2012 ... HOLLISTON!

First thing's first. Before we even get into what the show is about, let's talk about how you can see it once it premieres on FEARnet come Tuesday, April 3rd. It may seem like I'm starting at the end here, but this is mucho importanto information and without knowing how you can go about catching the show, you'll likely end up missing it. So pay attention!

You probably know FEARnet, the website, but did you know that FEARnet is also a television station, as of just a couple years back? It is on this station, NOT ON THE WEBSITE, that Holliston will be airing starting April 3rd. It's all horror all the time over on FEARnet, a channel that devotes every time slot of its programming schedule to horror movies. Wondering why the hell you've never flipped past it on your TV? Well, the unfortunate thing is that not all that many cable providers carry the channel, and even the ones that do carry it require you to request it be added to your package.

Here's the most recent listing of the cable providers that do in fact carry FEARnet ...

- Verizon FiOS
- Comcast
- Time Warner Cable
- Cox Communications

From what I gather some other smaller providers do carry FEARnet On Demand, but these are the only ones I know of that carry the regular channel itself. Now the catch here is that even these providers don't all have the channel available in all outlets, so if you do watch TV through one of these companies, you're gonna have to give them a ring and see if they can add it to your television.

Now, what if your cable provider isn't listed up above? Well then, you're finding yourself in the same boat that I'm in right about now. My provider is Cablevision and they don't currently have FEARnet available, just as many providers around the country do not. So we're shit out of luck then, right? Well, not exactly.

Here's the part where we've gotta take action. We have to show our providers that we want FEARnet, or else they're never gonna give it to us. Simple as that. So what you've gotta do, if you find yourself hooked up with a provider that doesn't provide the goods, is pick up your phone and call the following number ...

877-FEAR-247

When you make this call, FEARnet will let you know whether or not their channel is available from your cable provider. If it is not, they will from there connect you directly to your provider, where it's then up to you to demand they carry the channel. No amount of begging or pleading is guaranteed to yield results, but the idea here is that if enough people call their providers demanding it, we'll soon start seeing FEARnet pop up in a lot more outlets, hopefully many before April comes around, so that the most amount of people possible can enjoy Holliston. So this is one of those times where we've all gotta rally together, because this is really all in our hands.

Now what happens if we don't stand up and demand the channel or if we can't get it added to our lineup even if we do? Well, then we're gonna have to wait till several months after Holliston premieres before we can check it out either online or on DVD/Blu-ray. I don't know about you but that bums me out, as does the fact that I currently don't have a channel I can flip on to watch horror movies whenever I damn well please.

So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE call up FEARnet (877-FEAR-247) and DEMAND IT from your cable provider!! Go ahead, take a moment to do it right now and don't you dare read on until you do!

Alright, now that we're all caught up to speed on that whole ordeal, let's get into the show itself. First, a little rundown of what it's about and then we'll meet the cast of characters who will bring it to life.

Described as The Big Bang Theory meets Evil Dead 2 (or alternatively Wayne's World meets Saw), Holliston is the first ever horror sitcom, based on actual events in the life of Hatchet/Frozen director Adam Green. But Holliston didn't begin its life as the Holliston we're about to have unleashed upon us ...

Back in 2000, before he even made Hatchet, Green made a super low budget film called Coffee & Donuts. A romantic comedy about two friends trying to launch a radio station in their hometown of Holliston, Massachusetts (where Green was actually born), the movie was bought by Disney/Touchstone, who planned to turn it into a sitcom for UPN. Obviously, the UPN deal never panned out, so there Green was a solid decade later, never being able to deliver what was at the time called Coffee & Donuts to his fans, either in a sitcom or movie form (due to various issues, the movie never saw official release).

Enter FEARnet, hungry to provide their viewers with original content, outside of just showing other people's movies all the time. A deal is inked between Green and FEARnet, the show is re-tooled to gear it more towards the horror crowd and it's reborn as Holliston; the very first original series from the channel. Voila. Click the play button above to see a faux video of the show being pitched to FEARnet!

That backstory out of the way, here's what the show is about ...

Adam Green and fellow filmmaker/BFF Joe Lynch (director of Wrong Turn 2/Knights of Badassdom) essentially play themselves in the show, or rather the themselves that they'd perhaps be if they never attained their dreams of being filmmakers. They star as Adam & Joe, two small town guys with dreams of making their own horror flicks, struggling with day to day life working at a local cable access station, where at nights they host a show called 'The Movie Crypt'. In the words of Ariescope, Green's production company, "the two must face their own far fetched ambitions, cope with their troubled work life, and learn how to deal with the opposite sex during that awkward period of life when nothing is working out like it was supposed to."

Aside from Green & Lynch, the show will also star a couple other familiar faces. Let's meet them!

DEE SNIDER

Yep, that's Dee Snider, the man who played a huge part in Adam Green pursuing his dreams of making horror movies (in real life). Dee plays Lance Rockett, the guys' boss at the radio station. Contrary to Dee's real life persona, Rockett is a wannabee rockstar that never quite made it. No Twisted Sister here; Rockett is merely the cross dressing lead singer of a Van Halen cover band.

ODERUS URUNGUS

GWAR frontman Oderus Urungus also plays an alternative version of himself; Oderus, the strange being who lives in Adam's closet. Holliston's answer to Home Improvement's Wilson, Oderus provides advice to Green whenever he needs it most. Unlike Wilson, the advice is almost always offensive and godawful.

CORRI ENGLISH

You may remember Corri English from the horror films Unrest & Killer Pad, the latter of which was directed by Robert Englund. In the show Corri plays Green's ex-girlfriend, the great heartbreak of his life that he just can't seem to get over.

This hilarious viral video hit the net earlier this week which features English in her supremely awkward (faux) audition video for the show. Give it a watch to get a feel for what you can expect from Holliston!

LAURA ORTIZ

Rounding out the core cast is Laura Catalina Ortiz, who played the preciously deformed Ruby in the kickass Hills Have Eyes remake (and who was super awesome enough to sit down for an interview with little old me waaaaayyy back in 2008). Laura plays the current girlfriend of Joe Lynch's character.

Speaking of familiar faces, several guest stars for the six episode season 1 run have already been announced, including genre legends the likes of Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, Danielle Harris, Bill Moseley & John Landis.

And that about brings ya up to speed with everything you need to know. I don't know about you, but this looks to be a horror fan's absolute dream show, and I can't think of any better people to deliver it to us than Green & Lynch, two men who are super fans just like us at the end of the day. The show will premiere April 3rd over on FEARnet, with six total episodes in season 1 airing subsequent Tuesday nights.

Remember, if your provider doesn't carry the channel, you need to DEMAND THEY DO or you'll be left out in the cold come April 3rd. So unless you want to wait till later in the year to see the show on DVD or online, call up your cable provider and tell them you want FEARnet and you want it NOW. If you don't tell them you want it, they have no way of knowing you want it, so it'll likely stay off your programming package until we all start asking for it. Don't take no for an answer. You've got a couple months to convince them to carry the channel.

877-FEAR-247

^^ GET TO IT!!! ^^

Tonight's Guest On Piper's Pit Is ... Eli Roth?!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:28:00 +0000

I have no earthly idea how these two people ended up in a room together, filming such awesomeness, but I'm not gonna question it. I was bumming around Funny Or Die tonight when I stumbled upon this, a video of Rowdy Roddy Piper interviewing Eli Roth in a mock episode of the vintage WWF segment Piper's Pit. As both a life long fan of old school WWF as well as a big time Eli Roth supporter, I really could never ask for much more than this.

Fellow fans of both, enjoy these few minutes of pure gold, as the Hot Rod gives Roth the complete Morton Downey Jr. experience!

Cool Promotional Shit : The Innkeepers Hotel Keychain!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:32:00 +0000

Shit Movie Fest's Tom Bryce recently attended a screening of The Innkeepers where these promotional key chains were being handed out, made to look like vintage relics from the hotel where the movie takes place. Being the awesome guy that he is, Tom snagged a couple for me. Love the movie and I have a weird fascination with these kinda old hotel key chains, so I'm very happy to add this one to my ever growing collection of promotional goodies. Thanks Tom!!

As I mentioned a couple weeks back, Jen and I are going to the real Yankee Pedlar Inn for a Valentine's getaway next weekend, where the movie was actually shot. It's funny because I was recently wondering if the hotel still used vintage style hotel keys affixed to key chains like these, and I kinda sorta fantasized about leaving the premises with one. Now that I've got my own, I guess I don't have to! And thank god because when push came to shove, I doubt I'd be man enough to walk out of a haunted hotel with stolen property. Bad ju-ju, my friends.

On a related note, it was just announced that The Innkeepers will be hitting DVD & Blu-ray on April 24th. Pre-order your copy today!!

I'd Hate To Live In A Van Down By This River!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:03:00 +0000

**THIS POST IS SPOILER FREE!**

When it comes to TV I generally stick to reality shows, with everything from Intervention to Hoarders to American Idol (screw off) popping up in my weekly couch sitting schedule. I generally don't get into sitcoms/narrative dramas, as I usually prefer to wait till the seasons or entire series' are available on DVD, so that I can watch them all at my own pace. Something about having to wait a week to continue a story that just doesn't work for me. Hell, even when I try to keep up, I generally end up giving up on shows after a couple weeks, losing interest as time passes. There are of course exceptions, like The Walking Dead, but ya, not really all that much of a TV guy. But goddamn do I love to see people high on smack and buried under mounds of trash and feces.

In any event, whenever a horror themed program pops up, I kinda feel obligated to give it a watch and see if I can't get into it. And if it's created by the guy who made Paranormal Activity and is produced by Spielberg, then you can bet your ass my ass is gonna be on the couch come premiere time, beer in my hand and cat on my lap.

The River, which just so happens to be created by Oren Peli and produced by Steven Spielberg, premiered tonight on ABC, the first two parts of eight total in the first season (both parts were directed by House of Wax/Orphan director Jaume Collet-Serra ... another reason for me to tune in). Though I find it hard to comment on/judge TV shows so early in the game, as it's kinda like reviewing a movie after only seeing a couple scenes from it, I do want to quickly give my brief thoughts on what we've seen so far, as well as leave the floor open afterwards for you to do the same.

The basic premise of the show is that a Steve Irwin-esque adventure TV show host has disappeared in the Amazon (the jungle, not the website), after over 20 years on the air. As time passes he is believed to be dead, until a signal from his emergency beacon suggests otherwise. Armed with the surviving members of the show's TV crew, along with some of their family members, the father and mother of the host take to the Amazon to find out if he's still alive, and if not, at least discover what the hell really happened to him. Cue oodles of mystery and intrigue.

I've encountered very few TV shows that grab a hold of me right off the bat, making me fall in love with them right after being introduced to them. Again, watching an episode or even a small handful of episodes is like seeing a tiny section of a massive painting, so it's really hard to say whether or not you're into any given show until you really delve deeper into it. Take True Blood for example. Though one of my favorite things about TV these days, it took me several episodes into the first season before I even figured out if I liked it or not.

Such is seemingly going to be the case, for me, with The River. I spent the past two hours flip flopping between being heavily interested in the show and being quite underwhelmed by what I was witnessing (parts of the first episode felt VERY fake and lame), so it's really hard to say whether or not I'm gonna end up digging this one. What I can say is that I really like the premise of the show, which sort of mashes up Paranormal Activity with The Serpent And The Rainbow and Lost. The show seems set to be a head on collision of magic, supernatural elements and serious amounts of mystery, all things I can get behind. So they've at least got me there.

Though The River is essentially a 'found footage' TV show, don't let that deter you from getting involved with it if you're over that whole style of storytelling (which I quite frankly am). I say that because the show feels more like a normal narrative TV show than it does a found footage movie, with cameras always rolling when nobody seems to even be filming the action and the quick cuts and time stamps we're used to from the sub-genre all but absent from the proceedings. Though they do make a point to crowbar in reminders that we're watching footage that's been filmed by somebody with a camera, I honestly wouldn't have even known it was a found footage tale if I came in midway through the show, aside from various shots here and there of the characters as they appear on security cameras inside of a boat and things of that nature. So ya, if you were worried about shaky cam overload, have no fear.

That said, the show does at times reflect many of the familiar and tired tropes of the found footage film, things like a character dropping dead right in the line of sight of his own fallen camera (yawn). Hoping they keep that kind of business to a minimum. In Part Two of this premiere there was even one scene of a quick time lapse sleeping sequence, ala the Paranormal Activity films, though that was admittedly kind of a cool little homage, given Oren Peli obviously created both that series and this one.

I will say that The River impressively does jump right into things without wasting any time, almost to a fault. The first part of the two part premiere feels very rushed, but it's always nice to see shows/films that get right to the stuff we care about seeing. So props to it for that. That sense of the story being rushed was all but gone in the superior second episode, so that was likely just first episode awkwardness, which most new shows suffer from. Can't fault it too much for that.

And that's really all the input I can give about this one so far. Time will tell whether this ends up being Lost for horror fans or just another serving of footage that should've never been found. I'll reserve any real judgement for now and see how I'm feeling come next week, when I will most definitely be tuning in. That said, I really don't see how this could go on for more than one season. Then again, I guess people were saying the same about Lost when it first crash landed on TV screens. And there those same fans were six seasons later still craving more ...

By the way, is anyone else feeling like we're getting a bit of a Spielberg overload lately? I feel like his name is being attached to everything these days, from movies to TV shows, and I'm beginning to wonder if he's even aware of half the projects he's involved with. Hate to say it, but I'm kinda feeling like his name is losing a bit of its power amidst this rampant involvement of his with far too many things. Meh.

Anyways, feel free to leave your comments below with your thoughts on The River so far, if and when you get around to checking it out. I'd love to hear 'em!

Oh and though it's unlikely that I'll continue to post episode reviews each week, you can read my continuing thoughts on each new episode over on the Freddy In Space Facebook page!

OK, now I'm done. Goodnight!

Trailer Of The Week : Dead Shadows

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:12:00 +0000

If there's one thing I'm a sucker for it's practical effects. If there's another thing I'm a sucker for it's modern day French horror. My favorite trailer from last week is a showcase of both. Check out the first look at Dead Shadows!

SYNOPSIS:
Chris is a young man whose parents were brutally killed 11 years ago, on the same day Halley's Comet could be seen from earth. Tonight a new comet is going to appear, and everyone in his building is getting ready for a party to celebrate the event. There's even an apocalypse theory going around. As the night falls, Chris starts to discover that people are acting strange - and it seems to somehow be connected to the comet. People are becoming disoriented and violent, and it doesn't take long before they start mutating into something from beyond this world. In a fight for survival, Chris has to try to escape from his building with the help from some other tenants - but will they make it out alive?

This trailer is the very first I've heard about this movie whatsoever and if it's any indication of the practical FX filled monster movie we're in store for, you can color me excited for the release of this one. No official release date has been set, though Dead Shadows is supposedly coming out sometime this year. Learn more/see more/dig on this baby more over on the official website!

Also gotta give a shout-out to the trailer for Ghosts On A Plane ... err ... 7500, the upcoming new film from the director of The Grudge (original & remake). A few days after the trailer hit last week, a pretty cool 'in-flight experience' trailer hit on the film's website, which shows you the same trailer as if you were watching it while on the haunted flight itself, screen shake-age and all. So go check that out if ya get the chance!

The Woman In Black : Atmosphere For The Win

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:09:00 +0000

While I had been looking forward to seeing The Woman In Black for the past several months, I wouldn't necessarily say I had been overly excited about the film, at least not as excited as many others in the community have been of late. Despite the fact that this is another venture for legendary British studio HAMMER, who have been churning out some real gems in the few short years since their under new ownership comeback (Let Me In/Wake Wood), as well as the fact that it's the second directorial effort of the man who brought us Eden Lake, one of my favorite horror films in recent years, there's just been something holding me back from getting too pumped up about this one. Ever since clips and trailers started coming our way a few months back, in anticipation for this past Friday's theatrical release, I couldn't help but feel like The Woman In Black was set to be another by the numbers haunted house flick, a generic rehashing of concepts and ideas from fright fest's past. Nevertheless, it was mostly the fact that Eden Lake's James Watkins was in the director's chair that got my ass in the theater last night. Oh who am I kidding, my ass would've shelled out the money to be in that theater whether I had any desire to see the movie or not. Such is the unwritten commitment of being a horror blogger!

So, now having seen The Woman In Black, were my initial judgements correct? Well let's just say that I pretty much got exactly from it what I expected to get from it, which isn't all that much of a bad thing, all things considered.

Before we go any further though, I wanted to quick mention something that I was not aware of in regards to this movie, until one of you guys over on the Facebook page informed me of it. Last night I made a status update over there saying that I was "Going to the theater to see a horror movie that's not in 3D, isn't a remake & doesn't feature any found footage". I quickly found myself wiping egg off my face when I was informed that The Woman In Black is in fact a remake of a 1989 TV movie of the same name, both films adapted from a 1983 novel by author Susan Hill (also called The Woman In Black). Just wanted to share that for anyone who was in the dark about that fact like I was. Funny enough, I also learned that this remake was originally going to be filmed in 3D, which it thankfully was not! In any event, the original TV movie apparently slipped into the public domain over the years and can be watched in full over on YouTube. Definitely want to check that one out at some point.

Now that I've filled you in on that information that you probably already knew, let's resume my thoughts, shall we?!

So ya, I expected a fairly generic haunted house movie and that's just about note for note what I got from this one. Rife with jump scares aplenty, creepy dolls, lunging CG ghosts & cryptic messages underneath old wallpaper, The Woman In Black is in essence your run of the mill creaky floorboard haunted house flick. That said, it's a very well done run of the mill creaky floorboard haunted house flick.

The film left me feeling very much the same way last year's Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark did, another film that was coincidentally also a loose remake of a TV movie. In the same way that I really had nothing bad to say about that one, aside from the familiar trappings of its execution, I really have nothing bad to say about The Woman In Black either, aside from the same complaints of genericism. Though by all means a well made old school ghost film, The Woman In Black's only real fault is that many other well made ghost films have come before it, oftentimes going about their business in strikingly similar fashion. Much like I would've appreciated Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark a heck of a lot more had I never seen a Guillermo Del Toro movie before it, the same can be said for this one in regards to haunted house cinema. Again though, that's just about the only thing bad that I really have to say about the movie, so don't let that detract from the fact that I found it to ultimately be a very well made and all around solid film, one that's paint by numbers approach to the storytelling doesn't change the fact that it comes out smelling like a rose in a genre populated largely by flat out bad movies. If the worst you can say about a horror movie is that it's good but derivative, then there's really not much to complain about.

The Woman In Black is a bit of a star vehicle for Daniel Radcliffe, a sort of showcase of the fact that he can have a career outside of the Harry Potter films. Though the script unfortunately doesn't allow him to do all that much or display much range, serious props must be given to young Radcliffe for commanding the screen and fully embodying the character he plays, never once making me think of him as the young wizard with the lightning bolt on his forehead. Even though he's only in his early 20's, and is largely known for his child stardom, Radcliffe never for a second seemed out of place as Arthur Kipps, a wise beyond his years father who lost his wife during the birth of their son. I honestly expected to find myself giggling over the sight of Harry Potter being a father (bet that makes ya feel old, eh?!) and battling ghosts, but Radcliffe totally owns the part and completely sheds the Potter image altogether, which is an impressive feat. Again, he really doesn't get to do or say all that much throughout the movie, but even when he's just walking around the haunted house by himself, not uttering a single word, Radcliffe manages to be captivating and a pleasure to watch, which I've gotta commend him for. Looks like that's one child star that's got a bright future ahead of him as an adult actor. Just stay away from the drugs, Danny boy!

Again I must stress that though I found The Woman In Black to be a bit too predictable and cookie cutter, it's a fine film all around, one that's got several things going for it that I quite liked. For one, the story is solid, not just a tale of a scared dude trapped inside a haunted house but rather one of a man who is desperately trying to prove the existence of spirits in an effort to show himself that his wife is not just forever lost in some black abyss somewhere. At its core, the story is about Radcliffe's search for hope, the hope that two people can in fact be reunited in the afterlife, a hope that forces him to put himself into some pretty frightening situations. I liked this idea a whole lot and it added a nice layer of realism to the story, never once raising the "why the hell doesn't he just leave the goddamn house?!" question that most of these types of movies make us ponder and roll our eyes at. That said, some of the complexity and exploration of that solid story is tossed away in favor of quick jump scares at times, which is kind of a shame. Would've liked to have seen some of those strong ideas explored a bit more. Nevertheless, the story does reach a strong and satisfying conclusion, even if it is a predictable one.

The main highlight of the film for me though is the rich atmosphere, which largely must be credited to the house chosen as the haunted location and the incredible Oscar worthy job the set decorators did on turning it into what truly looks like an uber creepy lived in house from the past. In movies like this one atmosphere is half the battle, and The Woman In Black valiantly triumphs in that half of the battle. The movie is beautiful to look at and those visuals and locations were what really impressed me most about the whole thing. In fact, it was surprisingly those scenes where Radcliffe is just walking around the dimly lit by candlelight house, exploring its creepiness and seeing things out of the corner of his eye, that I found most enjoyable to watch. Go figure.

Taking the haunted house flick back to its classy old school roots and delivering a story more akin to vintage horrors like The Changeling than recent hits such as the Paranormal Activity films, HAMMER has in my opinion crafted another hit with The Woman In Black, a more than formidable addition to their quickly growing catalogue of impressive new era horror films. Though it apes heavily from haunted horror films past and relies a bit too much on jump scares over any real sense of lasting terror, The Woman In Black provides some genuine thrills and chills set inside a wonderfully creepy haunted house, bolstered by strong performances all around, making it an effective entry into the annals of atmospheric haunted house horror. If you're into that sort of thing, and don't mind healthy doses of predictability and rehashed ideas in your horror films, then I really can't think of any reason to dissuade you from dropping your dough on this one. It gets the job done and is an enjoyable watch, more than anything else.

That said, I'd personally recommend you get your fix of moody HAMMER horror with last year's Wake Wood instead, another film that deals heavily with the theme of dead children, in a much more original and effective fashion. Seek that one out if you haven't yet. Though a totally different kind of film on every level, I also once again strongly encourage you to check out Watkins' previous film Eden Lake, a dark descent into human on human hell that certainly aint for the weak of heart.

Vintage Video Of The Week : Rare Creepshow Making Of Footage!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:41:00 +0000

With this weekend largely being devoted to celebrating the birthday of George Romero within the horror community, it seems only right that this week's Vintage Video Of The Week follow suit!

Though a fan favorite within the community, Creepshow has to date never been released onto home video in the United States with a single special feature attached to it*. Can you believe that? Even though it was released on Blu-ray by Warner Bros. a couple years back, the disc was still completely bare bones, save for a tacked on trailer. Now that's what I call some bullshit!

Thankfully, a YouTube user by the name of ZombiePhan was rummaging through his friend's VHS collection one day when he stumbled upon a homemade tape that consisted of several different segments from various TV shows in the 80's. On that tape was a segment from the news show PM Magazine, which ran from the late 70's to the late 80's. Taped from their 1982 Halloween special, the segment featured a behind the scenes making of look at Creepshow, which was released that same year. The piece mostly focuses on the filming of the Creepshow segment They're Creeping Up On You, and features interviews with bug wranglers as well as George Romero, Stephen King, Tom Savini and various stars.

Enjoy this rare behind the scenes footage, never before seen by even the most rabid of Creepshow fanatics!

*Creepshow completists will want to pick up the 2 Disc Special Edition DVD which hit the UK back in 2007. Packed with special features, including a commentary, a 90 minute making of documentary & deleted scenes, the set is the ultimate release of the film to date. Just make sure you've got a Region Free player!

Where's Romero? George's Many Cameos In His Own Films!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:20:00 +0000

As part of this weekend's ongoing celebration of the 72nd birthday of George A. Romero, I wanted to take a look back at several of George's blink and you miss him cameos in his own films over the years. Much like Hitchcock, Romero inserted himself into most of the horror films he made, oftentimes in camoes so small that finding him has become a 'Where's Waldo?' of sorts for horror fans. When I Google'd around for a picture filled listing of all of these cameos earlier today, I surprisingly couldn't find a single website that had done such a thing, so I knew it was up to me to hunt down those cameos and compile such a list.

So here's the internet's very first pictorial look at George Romero's many cameos in the films he directed, in chronological order and with timestamps indicating where you can find him!

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD - 56:29

That's a cherubic looking George on the far left there, as a news reporter trying to figure out why the hell dead people are coming back to life. Though he's hard to recognize given how different he looked back then, it's the voice that gives this one away.

THE CRAZIES - 19:37

Romero apparently has a couple cameos in this one, as a member of a crowd being hurried into a school towards the beginning of the film (seen above) and then later on as either the mayor of the town or one of the President's men, seen on a television screen. I've heard accounts of both but don't own the film so I can't go back and find out for sure. Huge thanks goes to reader David Foskey for screen grabbing this image for me!!

MARTIN - 1:03:11

In his largest role to date, Romero appeared in Martin for a several minute long scene as Father Howard, a cigarette smoking wine enthusiast priest. I don't know about you, but I'd totally start going to church if Romero was the priest!

DAWN OF THE DEAD - 00:59 & 1:47:08

Romero has a couple cameos in Dawn, first as a TV director at the beginning of the film, a cameo which is very easy to spot if you've ever seen the man. Towards the end is a much more hard to spot cameo, where George appears for a split second as a Santa suit clad biker, during the scene where the biker gang is throwing pies at the zombies' faces. All hail Romero Claus!!

DAY OF THE DEAD - 1:34:57

Though never seen from the waist up, Romero appears very briefly in Day right after Capt. Rhodes is ripped apart, as a cart pushing zombie with a scarf wrapped around his waist. Romero in fact wears this plaid scarf on the set of all of his movies for good luck, so this was a nice little reference to that fact.

DIARY OF THE DEAD - 44:50

After only providing a vocal cameo in Land of the Dead (as the voice of a puppeteer), George returned in front of the camera for Diary, playing police chief Arthur Katz. He appears during a televised press conference that the characters are watching and provides a cover-up for the zombie outbreak.

**BONUS CAMEO!!**

SILENCE OF THE LAMBS - 1:13:05

Though not a film he directed, Romero pops up very briefly during the scene where Hannibal delivers the iconic 'silence of the lambs' speech to Clarice, while inside his holding cell. Romero plays an FBI agent who pulls Clarice out of harm's way when Hannibal gets a little too close for comfort. You go, George!!

In Honor Of George Romero's Birthday Today, Print Out Your Pair Of Romero's Signature Glasses, Courtesy Of Screaming Brain Studio!!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:12:00 +0000

It was on this day waaaay back in 1940 that mama Romero spit out little son George, having no idea that her seemingly normal little boy would end up revolutionizing the zombie film and changing the landscape of the horror genre forever, inspiring the work of countless filmmakers to pick up a camera in his wake and becoming a golden God to horror fans the world over. Here we are 72 years later and ole George is still at it, making zombie films and entertaining audiences with his trademark fusion of horror and social commentary.

Second only to that trademark is George's trademark pair of badass oversized old man glasses, which he never leaves the house without. Many have suggested that it is this pair of iconic glasses that gives George his power, filling him with the superhuman ability to make kickass gut munching horror flicks. When Clark Kent throws on that red cape, he becomes Superman. When Bruce Wayne pulls that cowl over his head, he becomes Batman. And when George Romero tosses on those spectacles, he becomes George A. Romero; living legend and horror god.

In honor of George's 72nd birthday today, and to give fans attending today's screening of Night of the Living Dead at The Hollywood Theater in Dormont, PA a special little treat, my buddy Terry Callen whipped up replica pairs of Romero's trademark glasses, designed to let fans watch the film as it was always intended to be seen; through the eyes of Romero himself! Those attending the Hollywood Theater screening will also be invited to take part in a commemorative birthday photo, a picture taken of diehard Romero fans rocking the glasses, in tribute to the master. Exclusive to the event, the glasses will be selling for $1.

If you can't make it out to PA today and you're just gonna kick back in your own home today/tonight and watch some Romero films, you can still watch them in Romero Vision with Screaming Brain Studio's commemorative George Romero print out birthday glasses, which you can print RIGHT HERE or over at the Living Dead Festival Facebook page, a page which exists to help spread the word on the fundraiser to help fix up the iconic chapel seen in the beginning of Night Of the Living Dead, which will be destroyed if fans can't help raise the money needed for repairs. Learn more over at Fix The Chapel!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Romero!!

New Release Review : 2-Headed Shark Attack

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:56:00 +0000

RELEASED ON DVD & BLU-RAY THIS TUESDAY!

When a semester at sea ship is sunk by a mutated two-headed shark, the survivors escape to a deserted island. But when it starts flooding, the coeds are no longer safe from the double jaws of the monster.

Ooooh snap. The Asylum is back with another mega monster creature feature epic, this time out to prove that two heads are better than one. Tonight we watch and run 2-Headed Shark Attack through the patented Freddy In Space Syfy Originals gamut, which consists of three simple criteria designed to determine if it's any good ... as in, in terms of Syfy Originals good. As I've said in the past, these types of movies really can't be judged or rated on the same scale that 'real' horror movies are, so I came up with this little system to properly rate and judge these monstrous pieces of awesome trash. It's not cinematography, acting or story here we're rating, no no, it's three simple things that all Syfy Originals should by all means deliver. Unfortunately, most can't seem to get it right.

So then, does this latest offering grab the shark by the fins or sink like a rock? Let's find out, shall we?!

1) Is the monster cool?

This one can usually be answered before even watching the movie. In the case of this particular movie, yes, a two headed shark is pretty fucking cool, the most revolutionary use of a shark since Syfy fused one with an octopus last year. I like this siamese shark a whole lot, nearly as much as I like Brooke Hogan's derriere (ya feel me, Hulk?). The beast is brought to life mostly through the usual horrible CGI, but close-up shots of the shark chomping down on his many victims are admirably pulled off with a rubbery practically created creature, which is always a cool thing to see. That said, I again must reiterate that it's mostly the work of shoddy computer technicians on display here, though isn't godawful CG work one of the things that makes these kinds of movies so damn fun?

2) Is the monster given enough screen time?

My answer to this one almost always seems to be a highly disappointed no, but I actually can't complain about the screen time given to the 2 headed shark in this one. Not much time ever seems to go by without him making at least a brief appearance. Best of all, in between the scenes of him popping up to spill some blood, we get to see Carmen Electra's career hit rock bottom (oh wait, that happened years ago didn't it?), Brooke Hogan disappoint her father even further than her music career did & Charlie O'Connell once again drive home the point that his big brother got all the talent. So ya, can't complain in this department. Oh, and though it's fun to kid, Brooke-amania is actually one of the best actors in the whole thing, which is a bit like saying Troll 2 is the best movie called Troll 2 but still, that counts for something. And yes, her monster boobs are given ample screen time too, which also counts for something.

3) Are there cool kills?

While there is a bunch of the usual actors disappearing into the mouth of the beast in waves of bad CGI glory business, there are actually some inspired kills in this one too, particularly one which sees the shark spitting a woman from mouth to mouth and tearing her limb from limb in the process, before finally popping her head like a champagne cork. Though there are only a couple such notably awesome death scenes, there are so many characters written into the movie that there is plenty of bloodshed and more than enough shark on human consumption to satiate the bloodlust of any Syfy Original fan, which is more than can be said for most of these. So again, check on this one.

Conclusion : Is it fun?

Ya know, it's saying something when a Syfy Original can entertain you even when you're sober and alone. 2-Headed Shark Attack did just that for me tonight, which I've gotta give props to both it and director Christopher Olen Ray for. Olen Ray revels in the blood, boobs and monsters that his shlock master father Fred made a career on, delivering one of the more fun films of this type that I've seen.

Whadya say, Hulkster?

Amen to that, BROTHER!!!

Reader Beware, You're In For A Challenge : How Well Do You Know Your Goosebumps Cover Arts?!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:42:00 +0000

When I was a youngster, RL Stine was as good as God in my book; a man that was never seen and yet delivered utmost joy and happiness into my life. Burying my head in Goosebumps books got me through many a day of torturous grade school and I will always be thankful to RL for that. Those books will forever occupy a special quadrant of my right ventricle and I look forward to the day when I can usher my future children into the world of horror through Stine's writings. Don't get your hopes up though Jen, that day is still very far away, barring any unforeseen accidents.

If you're a lifelong Goosebump'er like myself, I issue a challenge to you tonight, a challenge that will test your true fandom of the book series and force your mind to travel back in time to your formative years. I've excised small portions of the iconic imagery from 10 different original Goosebumps books and I challenge you to name as many of the books as you can, using only those small slivers of awesomeness as your guide. In doing so, keep in mind that these are only from the original covers of the 62 books in the original Goosebumps series.

Leave a comment with your answers and good luck!!

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Cool Promotional Shit : House Of Wax 'See Paris Die' T-Shirt!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:37:00 +0000

Whenever anyone asks me why I would ever watch or enjoy a horror movie with Paris Hilton in it, I smile and offer up a simple reply that generally shuts them up. 'Because,' I say, 'Paris gets killed in it'. By way of the transitive property, my answer essentially morphs their question into "Why would you want to see Paris Hilton get killed?", a question no one in their right mind would ever ask, thereby nullifying their original question altogether. Yay, I win.

The makers of the House of Wax remake were incredibly smart in casting Paris Hilton in the movie, a brilliant decision that may at first seem insulting to horror fans who are used to a genre god like Vincent Price occupying the titular waxy house. Not only did they attract her fans to the movie, but they also appeased the many haters of her worthless existence by killing her off in the most brutal and fittingly phallic way possible; a long metal pole is first thrust through her forehead, which Paris then slowly slides down, the forehead pole holding her in place like a beautifully horrifying piece of art, even more beautiful and horrifying than watching Paris suck a dick on found footage style night vision home video.

The whole idea of putting Paris in the movie seems to be centered around this particularly awesome death scene, a hunch which was further proven to me when Warner Bros. decided to utilize the fact that Paris gets killed in the movie as a clever promotional tool, a marketing tactic that even Vincent Price would approve of. Check out the shirts that the brothers Warner handed out in goodie bags at the 2005 premiere of House Of Wax in Los Angeles!

The shirt was produced in very limited quantities and you'd be hard pressed to ever get your hands on one these days. In fact, I'd say your chances of getting your hands on Paris herself are a whole lot higher.

For the record, aside from just the fact that Paris gets killed (and strips down to her bra & panties), I am one of the seemingly few big time fans of the House Of Wax redux. I found it to be really well done and I have a blast with it every time I watch it. I haven't spoken to many horror fans who echo this sentiment, but it's nevertheless an opinion I'll bravely defend whenever I'm called to action to do so. So there.

What kind of blogger would I be if I didn't end this post by embed'ing the full Paris Hilton death scene from the film? Not a very good one! So hit the play button below to enjoy Paris getting a different kind of large, hard object shoved into her! Oohhhh, it hurts so good!!

Freddy In Space Facebook Discussion Recap : Horror Movies You Wish Were Sequel-ized!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:47:00 +0000

Around these parts I used to come up with a random question and kick start a Discussion of the Week each and every week, which back in the day yielded lots of awesome conversation. Nowadays, when I've got a Facebook page for the blog that makes it easy to instantly interact with and comment on new posts, the comments here on Blogger have dwindled considerably, and rightfully so. Commenting on blogs is kind of a pain in the ass, not to mention fairly archaic in this day and age. I love whenever I get comments on here but I understand the hassle that comes with having to sign up/log in to leave them and then wait for me to moderate them and reply. That's so 2009.

Anyway what I'm getting at is that I decided to do away with the whole Discussion of the Week thing a while back, being that the comments and discussion just weren't taking place as much as they were a few years back. But I've decided to utilize the Facebook page to my advantage and every once in a while post a discussion topic/question over there, and then share some of the results here on the blog. One of my favorite things about running this blog is interacting with you guys and the Facebook page has provided a means for me to do that moreso than ever before, which is really an awesome thing. I can share a thought, a picture or post a piece of news and instantly chat with you folks about whatever that is. It's truly a beautiful thing.

But anyway, I'm kind of rambling again.

The first discussion topic I posted about, just a few days back, was about sequels that you guys/girls wish were made, but never were. The question received over 40 replies and I selected just a small handful to share here on the blog, for anyone who isn't on Facebook or just didn't go through all the comments. More than anything though, it just gets some of these fantastic replies out in the open, rather than relegating them to Facebook burial or comment page seclusion. So let's check out some of my favorite replies to this week's discussion topic, along with my brief thoughts on each!

CHRIS SEAVER

"THE BURNING!!!! It is the best Friday the 13th film that is NOT Friday the 13th. In fact I watch this as Friday the 13th 1 and then do the Friday sequels. To me it's a much more entertaining and interesting flick than the first F13 and this is coming from a die hard fan. Characters are far more interesting as well."

I've honestly always been shocked that Cropsy was never turned into a franchise star. The Burning rocks and all the potential was there to turn his tale into a series of awesome gore fests. Perhaps it was ultimately just too closely related to the Friday series?

TONY CARROLL

"Shocker. Horace Pinker had franchise character written all over him. It was just all about timing. The craze was in a decline. My second choice would be The Burning. No particular reason. Just love the movie."

Shocker .... daaaamn, it has been so long since I have seen that movie, so I really can't comment much on this one. But Tony, I promise to go back and revisit it soon, especially since I already own it on DVD!

CALEB ELWARDT

"Nightbreed...so much more needs to be done with that film and it's not like Clive Barker doesn't have any ideas plus they left it completely open. Also, so many of the creatures and designs never even got a chance to be seen on film for more than a second."

OK. Embarrassing admission time. I still, to this day, have never seen Nightbreed. And I have no idea why. How many credibility points do I lose for that?

ADAM BARNICK

"I'd do a sequel to THEY LIVE called WE SLEEP. Takes place now, and we find out the invasion's "reveal" at the end of the first one only lasted a few minutes before a failsafe switch was activated, and was chalked up to mass hysteria/hallucinations. The thing that always bothered me about part 1- there's ONE tiny radar dish, conveniently in LA, that someone can practically kick over and that's all it takes to fuck up the alien's plan!? Obviously there would be more devices in place to keep the world unaware. And considering how insane/mainstream things are now, it's the 80's times ten, it'd be wild to pick up 25 years later when barely anyone remembers the "truth" until a new hero stumbles upon some sunglasses.. Yes I've spent too much time thinking about it."

Are you listening, Mr. Carpenter? This idea is absolutely brilliant and I would LOVE to see something like this get made. So long as there's a fight scene that's even more epic than Piper & David's!

BRITTNEY-JADE COLANGELO

"I want an Amityville movie about the original murders and not the haunting."

My sentiments exactly. None of the Amityville films have ever really touched too much upon the DeFeo murders, instead relegating them to opening credits intros, and I've always felt that a movie centered around that story could be really awesome. For now, the documentary Shattered Hopes will more than do!

SEBASTIEN GASPAR-WOODS

"I would like a GOOD Creepshow 3. We really got screwed over with that one."

Amen to that, Sebastien. Creepshow 3 was an abomination and I'm not sure how the property ended up in such unworthy hands. Would love to see a modern day Creepshow remake someday, with stories directed by today's budding talents like Adam Green & Ti West.

JOSHUA HULL

"Given the chance, I'd do a sequel to VIDEODROME. Call it THE VIDEODROME. Focus on the idea of someone resurrecting the concept for a violence hungry America. Play with the ideas of improved technology (3D, CGI) & a controlling government. I'd love to play in the Cronenberg universe.."

Judging by the sound of that, I'd like to see you play in the Cronenberg universe too! Hell, I'd love to see Cronenberg make a return to horror, even though I have been seriously digging his more recent dramatic films.

CHRISTOPHER OTT

"Maybe a stretch to call horror. But a sequel to Big Trouble in Little China, really needed to be made. Jack Burton was an Indiana Jones of sorts. And a trucker, who could travel anywhere and get involved in the next round of a shithole mess of some sort."

I'm all for more Kurt Russell, both back then and now, so I fully support this motion. Jack Burton in space, says I!

STACY STILL

"Night Of The Creeps or Intruder. For Night of The Creeps I would have made it in 1988 or so. Have all the same actors come back and have it take place during the same night using the film's original ending. I would have the town be overcome by zombies and even Atkins returned burnt and the living dead. As for Intruder I would have Jennifer Ross all these years later trying to get over what happened (Bill is in a coma) and how she's married now with kids and how he awakes to find and finish the job."

Much like Russell, the world needs more Atkins too. So hell ya, a Creeps sequel could've been epic. Last I heard Fred Dekker was still talking about the possibility of doing one, though the odds of that happening seem quite slim at this point. Then again, Killer Klowns is getting sequel-ized after all these years (thank god!!), so ya never know!

SHAUN FIELDING

"I would like to see a prequel for Near Dark to show how the 'family' came together."

The Near Dark family is one of my favorite families in horror history, so I'd totally be game for anything that gives us more of them. The best thing about a prequel to a vampire story is that they could've even used the same actors, given they've all looked the way they do for years upon years! Can't help but daydream about how cool that could've been.
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Big thanks to everyone who participated. If you didn't get around to sharing your thoughts on the matter, feel free to leave a comment below and continue the discussion on here. It may be archaic to comment on Blogger, but I still encourage it and I still get a serious thrill out of seeing "1 New Comment" appear on my Blogger Dashboard. So if you've been commenting on here, please don't stop!!

Stay tuned to the Freddy In Space Facebook page for future discussions and lots more exclusive content, each and every day!

Giveaway Time! Artist Chris Garofalo Brings An Early Valentine To Freddy In Space!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:04:00 +0000

A couple weeks back I received a package in the mail from my buddy Tom Bryce, who runs the blog Shit Movie Fest (which by the way has been firing on all cylinders of awesomeness lately). Inside of the package was an incredibly clever Monster Squad art print (check it out), which Tom informed me was done up by an artist by the name of Chris Garofalo, who created it for a recent Monster Squad cast reunion. Highly impressed by the print, I quickly hit Facebook and friend requested Garofalo, eager to check out more of his work.

It was through us being connected on there that I recently saw that Garofalo just designed a My Bloody Valentine poster, to promote a pre-Valentine's screening of the original film this Friday night at The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, PA. After seeing it, I knew I had to have it, not for me but for you folks. So I contacted Chris and he was kind enough to set one aside for one of you lucky mofo's reading this right now. Bask it its glory below!

These 11"x17" satin prints are limited to just 25 pieces (signed and numbered) and the only place to get them is at The Colonial this Friday night, so it's pretty special and pretty awesome of Chris to offer one up for giveaway purposes here on Freddy In Space. Before we get into the entry details, I've gotta send out a big time thank you to Chris for doing this. Dig on more of his art by heading over to Quiltface Studios!

To make this yours, all you've gotta do is leave a comment below with your e-mail address and the answer to the following question ...

- What horror movie character do you find the most romantic and why?

Make sure to get your comment in before the clock strikes midnight early Saturday morning, as the giveaway only runs through this Friday, February 3rd. Good luck!!

My Bloody Valentine screens at The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, PA this Friday night at 9:45pm, as part of their First Friday Fright Nights, which go down the first Friday of every month. If you're in the area, stop by and watch Harry Warden rip some hearts out up on the big screen and be sure to say hello to Chris!

And again, check out more of Garofalo's art over at Quiltface Studios!

My Name Is John And I Don't Hate The Fact That The Evil Dead Is Being Remade. Gasp.

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:49:00 +0000

It seems like enemy #1 in the horror community of late is the upcoming remake of The Evil Dead, one of the most beloved horror films in the history of splatter cinema. The genre hasn't been the same since Raimi, Campbell & Co. took to the woods with a camera, very little money and a whole lot of Karo syrup at their disposal, and you'd be hard pressed to find a single horror fan on this planet who doesn't have a serious place in their heart for what they came out of those woods with.

Naturally, when it was announced last Summer that the film was next up on the remake chopping block, fans the world over were outraged. Their worst fears had come true. Soon after came two other pieces of news that really got fanboy blood boiling; Ash won't be in the remake (nor will The Chin himself) and the script will be receiving touch ups from Diablo Cody, the writer of the 'hipster' indie comedy Juno. Hate machine overload.

I've been reading the hatred that's been spewed over the last couple months about this one and I've kinda had enough, so I wanted to make a post that will surely put some of that hate on me. A post wherein I proclaim that not only am I not upset about The Evil Dead being remade, but also that I'm kinda excited for what's to come. Would I rather see Bruce slap on the ole chainsaw hand one more time and engage in one last final epic battle with the Deadite Army? Shit ya I would. But seeing as that's never gonna happen, I'll gladly take a reboot that both Sam Raimi and King Bruce are on board for. Sue me.

There seems to be this feeling amongst a large majority of horror fans that in order to truly love and support a film that we love and support, we have to absolutely 100% be against any remake of that film (unless of course it's called The Thing or The Fly), regardless of whether or not we've even seen it. A lot of fans hate on remakes without ever even seeing them and even if they do, they oftentimes go in with so much hatred that there's no possible way they could come out with anything less. Hollywood grabbing hold of our beloved classics and remaking them is seen as a crime worthy of punishment by death, and it seems that many fans feel like once a film is remade, the original they so love will no longer exist. Or will at the very least be tainted in some way. Come on guys, listen to how silly that sounds.

I think one of the big things that horror fans get go sensitive about when it comes to remakes is the idea that our little films are being introduced to the masses, thereby making them a little bit less 'ours'. When a movie like The Evil Dead gets remade, suddenly it's not just us hardcore horror fans that are watching the Book of the Dead being opened, it's anyone and everyone who has 10 bucks and nothing better to do on a Friday night. We kinda see ourselves as being on the fringes of cinema and I feel that we kinda like it that way. We generally don't like when 'our' movies become popular and widespread. We love the movies that we love and we love to embrace them as ours, our special little films that only us diehards really know about, and that sense that those films are suddenly becoming widespread is a bit upsetting, in the same way that the announcement of the weird geeky chick who reads comics with us at recess becoming prom queen is upsetting. I get that, I totally do. But again, listen to how silly that all sounds if ya really think about it.

No amount of remakes or reboots is ever going to in any way taint the films that we love, so I think we need to stop being so hard on them, and definitely stop judging them sight unseen. While I can't say I wouldn't prefer more original horror in theaters, the fact remains that some remakes in the past couple years have been pretty fuckin' awesome, reboots like Dawn of the Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre & The Hills Have Eyes. So all I ask is that we at least reserve judgement on any given remake until we've actually seen it for ourselves. It's not remakes we should be hating, it's horror movies that are crap, plain and simple. To hate on remakes and judge them separately from other horror films is quite frankly the same thing as writing off a whole race of human beings simply because you don't like a few of them. Let's not forget that their are plenty of godawful original horror movies too. All that matters is whether or not a movie is good or enjoyable to us; whether it's based off an original idea or not should really not even be an issue.

And remember, even if your favorite little gem of a horror movie does get remade, it has absolutely no effect on that movie or your memories of it and love for it. Sounds like a stupid thing to even have to type out, but I can't tell you how many times I've seen forum and blog posts where people complain that Hollywood is 'ruining their childhood' by remaking all the movies they loved as a kid. Stop being so dramatic, will ya?

So, my general thoughts on remakes established, let's talk a bit more specifically about this particular one, and the two things about it that have so many fans up in (chainsaw) arms.

1) NO BRUCE CAMPBELL & NO ASH WILLIAMS

Alright first off, when it comes to Bruce Campbell not being in this remake; if you're upset by that, then you just plain don't understand the concept of a 'remake'. So many people were FURIOUS over the fact that Robert Englund wasn't going to be playing Freddy in the Elm Street remake, an opinion I didn't share despite my hardcore love for both the original franchise and for Robert Englund, who has been and always will be the only Freddy Krueger. But if you're going to reboot the Elm Street franchise, then it's pretty much essential that somebody new play Freddy. We may not like it, and it may not turn out so great (which it most definitely did not), but to remake Elm Street with Englund still under the fedora and Christmas sweater would just be totally idiotic and pointless. While I'd love to see Bruce in a small cameo in the Evil Dead remake, perhaps working at an S-Mart that the new kids pass through before they make their way to the cabin, it's pretty much essential that he not be the star of this one. Sorry remake haters, but it's just the truth.

Now as for the character of Ash not being in this one either, I see that as a godsend and one hell of smart decision on the part of writer/director Fede Alvarez. To have that character in his vision of The Evil Dead would totally put the movie at a major disadvantage right off the bat, as everyone would inevitably compare the new Ash to the old Ash whether they wanted to or not. Given how much we all love Bruce Campbell's portrayal of Ash, I just don't think a new Ash would work for any of us, much the same way a new Freddy didn't either. That said, this one is a lose-lose situation either way, as most fans are going to be pissed if the character of Ash is in this one and if the character is not in it. When the film was first announced and no details were yet given, everyone was outraged over the fact that we'd be introduced to a new Ash, played by someone other than Bruce Campbell. Then once it was announced that Ash wouldn't be in the movie at all, instead replaced by a female, fans were again outraged, baffled as to how an Evil Dead movie could exist without an Ash. Damned if ya do, damned if ya don't on that one.

But again, in my personal opinion, remaking the movie without Ash is smart as hell, not to mention absolutely essential to the movie being any good or effective as a remake.

2) THE CHICK WHO WROTE JUNO IS WRITING THIS ... FUCK THAT HO!!!!!!!!111

The second most instantly hateable thing about this remake, for most fans, is the fact that former blogger/Juno scribe Diablo Cody was brought on board to work on the script. Though many have taken this to mean that Cody is writing the entire movie, she was in fact only brought on to help flesh out and tighten up Alvarez' already written script. Nevertheless, because Cody is mostly known for writing Juno, a movie that most horror fans hate with a passion, the assumption was immediately that this bastardization of The Evil Dead would play out something like this ...

Four pregnant, witty teens head out to a cabin in the woods for a bitchin' weekend getaway, rocking out to indie music and sipping juice boxes along the way. While there they receive a strange voicemail on their hamburger phone, an incantation that unleashes a horde of undead Michael Cera's.

As a fan of Juno, and of Cody's writing, I find this assumption particularly offensive. The style with which she wrote Juno was obviously a chosen style to tell that particular story, and to assume that that's the only way she can write is a bit silly. While it may seem like an odd choice to have the woman who wrote Juno working on the script for The Evil Dead, which it admittedly does, Cody herself is well aware that writing the latter in the same way she wrote the former would be totally fucking ridiculous. This quote from her should soothe some of your worries ...

"I wouldn’t have even gotten involved if Sam [Raimi] and Bruce Campbell hadn’t been involved as well. They’re producing it, and so of course I was like 'Alright I have to do this' because I’m such a fan of the original, and the whole original series in fact. But I was nervous to take the job because I thought 'Ugh, I’m gonna get shit for this.' People are not gonna like this, because all people know of me is like Juno and they think I’m gonna pollute Evil Dead with like wacky dialogue and cute stuff and folk music, and it’s like 'No, look I understand what this is.' I’m interested in storytelling here and making it scary and good and true to the original. I did not do like the standard dialogue people associate with me at all. I did very naturalistic dialogue that I felt would serve the story."

I'm not saying you have to like Cody's writing, but please be aware that this will not be Juno writing inserted into The Evil Dead, with demonic undead characters spouting cutesy Ellen Page dialogue. Cody is obviously a big time horror movie fan, so I don't think we have anything to worry about here. Again, reserve your judgments until you see the movie for yourself.

All that negativity aside, let's talk a bit about some of the things worth getting excited about when it comes to The Evil Dead being remade. For one, as previously mentioned, Sam Raimi & Bruce Campbell are behind this project all the way, producing it alongside original Evil Dead producer Rob Tapert. How much can ya really hate this thing when those three are all involved?

"The remake’s gonna kick ass — you have my word" - Bruce Campbell

'Nuff said.

Secondly, the movie is being directed by an incredibly talented dude by the name of Fede Alvarez, who came to the attention of Raimi after Sam saw a 5 minute short film he did called Panic Attack! (Ataque de Pánico!). If you're worried about whether or not this guy has got any writing/directing chops, check out the short below and curb some of that doubt.

And no, just cause that movie has robots in it doesn't mean his Evil Dead remake will have them too. Sheesh, tough crowd.

Soooo I guess the long winded point I'm trying to make here is that there's really nothing we've heard yet about this remake that should have us worried about it, nor should we be spewing hate its way before the thing even gets in front of the camera. Whether the movie does end up sucking or not is a whole different story and even if it is a complete and utter pile of trash, have no fear, it will not take away the original trilogy we all love so much. In fact, nothing EVER will. So just relax about that.

With Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell behind this thing, I see absolutely no reason why we shouldn't be standing alongside them, excited about returning back to that iconic cabin in the woods on April 12th of 2013. I understand that much of the hate directed towards this one is just misguided passion, passion for what Raimi and the gang did back in the 80's, but I personally can't bring myself to hate on any remake that is fully backed by the people who made the original film. That's a big deal, something that has not been the case for many of the worst horror remakes out there (here's looking at you, Elm Street), and we should all embrace that and direct our hate elsewhere. After all, there's a lot worse shit going on in the world than Evil Dead being remade ...

Trailer Of The Week : God Bless America

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:18:00 +0000

There's a hell of a lot wrong with this country, more specifically the people that inhabit it. This week's Trailer Of The Week points a gun in the faces of those annoying fuckers that drive us all crazy and pulls the trigger. Check out the first trailer for dark comic Bobcat Goldthwait's upcoming film God Bless America!

Goddamn, does that look awesome or what?

One of my favorite things in this world is the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm, where Seinfeld creator Larry David tackles the shit about our society that makes this country such an irritating place to spend our time in, like people parking outside of the lines and talking in movie theaters. This trailer reminded me a lot of that show, only replacing David's scathing wit with heavy artillery. I don't know about you, but Larry David with a machine gun sounds like just about the greatest pitch for a movie since sending Nazi's into outer space. Hold that thought, more on that one in a second!

God Bless America looks to be Falling Down filtered through the darkly hilarious mind of Bobcat Goldthwait, a comedian who made a big impression on me with his previous directorial effort/star vehicle for Robin Williams' hairy weiner, World's Greatest Dad. I've always been a fan of Bobcat as a comedian but it wasn't until I saw that one that I really took notice of him as a filmmaker. The screechy voiced madman has got a serious talent for simultaneously disturbing and eliciting laughter and I really can't think of a better person to address the most irritating aspects of our society while gleefully blowing them to pieces in front of our eyes than he. The fact that Bill Murray's brother is the man doing the dirty work that we all wish we could do is just the icing on what looks to be a pretty goddamn delicious cake. Can you say most justified serial killer in the history of cinema?!

God Bless America hits On Demand platforms through Magnet Releasing on April 6th and then comes to theaters May 11th.

As for the space Nazi's I alluded to earlier, a new trailer was released last week for Iron Sky, the partially fan funded Nazi's in space epic we've all been eagerly anticipating for a couple years now. I know this segment is called Trailer of the Week and not TrailerS of the Week, but I simply couldn't stop the Nazi's from invading. So while you're here, you must also check out this mind blowing new trailer for Iron Sky, which is capped off with some words from the madman behind it. If you thought Tarantino delivered a wild re-imagining of World War 2 with Inglourious Basterds ... you aint seen nothin' yet!!

John Carpenter To Fans : Help This Dog, Get A Free Autograph

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:09:00 +0000

Just a quick note here which may interest some of you. Master of horror John Carpenter has taken to his Facebook and Twitter accounts tonight, coming to the aid of an abused dog by the name of Malachi, a pit bull terrier who was recently found in pretty bad shape. Watching the below video will help you understand the gravity of the situation, though I'll warn you that it's not easy to watch.

In an effort to help raise the money to cover Malachi's vet bills and establish a trust fund in his name to raise awareness about animal cruelty, with some of the money also going to future treatment and care of neglected and abused animals, Carpenter has promised that if you donate at least $25 to the fund, he will send you an autographed photo. All you've gotta do is head over to the donation spot over on Facebook, donate the money and then send a copy of your donation receipt to the following address...

Storm King Productions
8033 W. Sunset Blvd., #1044
Hollywood, CA 90046

To this I say, good on you, Mr. Carpenter. This is most definitely the best thing you've done since the late 80's. I kid, I kid.

Let's hope this dog isn't infected with 'the thing', thereby making us regret saving it. Get it? Get it?!

Ok, I'm done. Seriously, this is a great cause and Carpenter rocks for helping out. Do your part!

Vintage Video Of The Week : Phantasm 2 Premiere!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:49:00 +0000

This week we head back to 1988 for the premiere of Phantasm 2 at the Pacific Theatre in Hollywood, California. In attendance for the premiere was Angus Scrimm, decked out in full Tall Man gear, along with his trusty hearse. With Angus behind the wall, a competition was held to see how many 'Phans' could fit inside the back of the hearse. Thanks to Guy Thorpe, hearse coordinator for Phantasm 4 & Bubba Ho-Tep, a few minutes of the hearse stuffing event were forever preserved on video, video which has never seen release anywhere outside of the internet. So enjoy this rarely seen treasure from the Phantasm archives, BOYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!

Cover Art Wars : The Woman

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:58:00 +0000

As I've surely hammered into your brain by now, Bloody Disgusting Selects released The Woman onto DVD & Blu-ray here in the states this past Tuesday, the 24th. Over in the UK, Revolver Entertainment released the film way back in October of last year, a good three months before we got it. If that's not reason enough to go Region Free, I just don't know what is!

Anyway, in this installment of the ever popular competition Cover Art Wars, we pit the US & UK home video arts for The Woman against one another in a bloody battle to the death. Check them out below and then leave a comment letting me know which art you prefer!

UNITED STATES

UNITED KINGDOM

Though I do dig the toned down US art, which looks like a painting of sorts, I've personally gotta go UK on this one. Even though the UK art does kinda sorta spoil the outcome of the movie, I absolutely love the empowered imagery of a blood soaked Pollyanna McIntosh holding a bloody lawn mower blade, perhaps the ultimate 'male' tool. Sexy, fierce and badass, this image almost demands you pick the movie up and take it to the checkout counter. The only thing I don't really care for is the big quote blurb up top, which cuts Pollyanna's head off. UK releases tend to have art that's a bit crowded with website/magazine quotes, which can kinda get annoying, but I suppose it's a minor complaint. This art was also used for the badass vinyl soundtrack that Moderncine released here in the US.

What say you? Leave a comment with which art you'd rather have in your DVD collection!

Limited Edition Behind The Mask Art Prints Help Bring Leslie Vernon Back To Life!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:07:00 +0000

Remember how last week I told you that the Behind The Mask online shop had added some pretty sweet new items, with all proceeds from the sales of them going directly to funding Before The Mask, the upcoming sequel/prequel to Leslie Vernon's debut outing? Well here I am again today to tell you that even more items are now lining the virtual walls of the shop, in the form of three new limited edition art prints done up by three incredibly talented genre artists, two of whom I've had the pleasure of hanging out with at conventions. The three 8.5"/11" pieces of art are all limited to 150 hand numbered prints and they're only going for 10 bucks a piece. Dig on the art below and then click the corresponding links to check out more work from these talented sumbitches!

CHRISTOPHER OTT

JOEL ROBINSON

NATHAN THOMAS MILLINER

To purchase these and other little goodies that will help resurrect everyone's favorite mass murderer, head over to the Behind The Mask Online Shop! I also again encourage you to go ahead the 'like' the Before The Mask Facebook page, where you can donate money and get even more swag and treats, including walk on roles in the film!