Freddy in Space

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!

If I Can't Get A Blog Post Out Of Having My Wisdom Teeth Pulled, Then What Can I Get A Blog Post Out Of? Vicodin Fueled Thoughts On The Dentist 1 & 2!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:17:00 +0000

Just got home from the dentist, wherein I had three of my four wisdom teeth yanked out of my jaw. I'm flying pretty high on Vicodin and while I'm sitting here in suppressed pain and under the influence of some pretty seriously awesome drugs, I thought it'd be pretty cool, and quite fitting, to finally get around to revisiting both The Dentist 1 & 2, and offer up my inebriated thoughts on both. I haven't watched either of these since I saw them back when I was a kid on VHS, so I've been meaning to revisit them for a while now. What better way to do so than while high, bleeding profusely from the mouth and recouping from serious dental surgery?! No better way, says I!

Before I get around to popping in this epic double feature of gruesome dentistry, let me first give ya a brief rundown of how the operation went.

Despite all the horror stories I've heard, the triple extraction (I was supposed to get all four pulled, but the doc decided that one could stay) was actually quite pleasant and not at all painful or uncomfortable in the least. I was given the choice of either A) having local anesthesia and nothing more or B) having the local anesthesia on top of inhaling Nitrous Oxide Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet style, while also simultaneously being hooked up to a Valium IV. Intent on this experience being as pleasurable as possible, being that I'm a total pussy when it comes to dental work, I opted for option B, the Valium and Nitrous cocktail. With the Bane-like mask strapped to my face and the needle full of Valium pumping a steady stream of the good stuff directly into my veins, I gotta say, I felt pretty damn good, to the point that I never once felt even a single pain or unpleasant feeling during the whole operation. In fact, dare I say, I kind of even enjoyed it and honestly wouldn't have minded if the dentist went ahead and just plucked all of my teeth out. Hell, he could've even fondled my man bits and I don't think I would've stopped him. "Hey, John, what do you think about us removing your arms and legs while we're at it?" ... "Sure doc, be my guest!"

After all the fears and worries, the whole thing was over in mere minutes and I soon found myself in the comfort of my bed at home, high on prescription Vicodin that took hold as soon as the Valium wore off. So in summation, I got the day off of work and got to get legally fucked up in public and then encouraged to pop a bunch of painkillers for the next couple days, doctor's orders. Not a bad day, if ya ask me!

Being the sick individual that I am, I of course asked to keep the three wisdom teeth that were pulled from my head, which I will share with you at the end of this post. Before then, you must endure my high on Vicodin thoughts about two of my childhood favorites, the two horror films that forever made me terrified of taking a trip to the dentist. So without further adieu, let's get this double feature started!

THE DENTIST - 1996

On the surface, Dr. Alan Feinstone is a dream dentist, the kind of guy you'd trust with sticking sharp objects in your children's mouths. He's got different rooms in his office decked out to deliver different experiences for his patients, including one themed as a tropical environment, where he even has his assistant rock a Hawaiian shirt. Not a bad place to get some dental work done ... or so it seems. Just beneath that surface lies the true Dr. Feinstone, a fastly progressing psychopath who dreams of forcing his cheating wife to bite the pool boy's dick off, sees his hatreds for humanity manifested as visible black dental decay and molests his female patients while they're under the influence of copious amounts of Nitrous Oxide. Yaaa, so I guess he's not the kinda guy you'd want probing around your kid's mouth after all. Or your own, for that matter.

Based on a real life dentist/serial killer, Corbin Bernsen stars as the titular dentist in this gem from a time which many look back on as an era when horror was dead in the water. Released in 1996, the film was directed by Brian Yuzna and written by Dennis Paoli and Stuart Gordon, who together wrote the Gordon directed Re-Animator 10 years prior. Funny because The Dentist is akin to Re-Animator in many ways, both sharing the common trait of a mad doctor pushed to the brink of his insanity, killing animals and taking his practice to levels most doctors do not. The Dentist can almost even be seen as Re-Animator by way of Taxi Driver, with a deranged doctor going around fixing what he believes to be wrong with the world, fully convinced that he's just doing his job and at times even getting the viewer on his side. Shit, did I really just compare The Dentist to Taxi Driver? Goddamn, this Vicodin is one hell of a drug.

I've always been a fan of Brian Yuzna's films and have always felt he's very underrated as a genre filmmaker, with efforts like Return of the Living Dead 3 & Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 never quite getting the fan appreciation that I feel they deserve. As far as 90's horror goes he's one of my favorites, one of the few filmmakers who was churning out decent material in the pre-Scream horror drought. The late 80's/early 90's were an interesting time for the genre, when the extreme gore and superhuman killers of the majority of the 80's gave way to more reality based killers, which resulted in a whole lot of what I like to call 'profession horror', movies which depicted people with ordinary jobs such as ice cream men, carpenters and cops as mass murderers. Though it's certainly not the best horror movie from the decade, The Dentist has always been one of my favorites of that sub-genre of seemingly ordinary people with ordinary jobs harboring dark murderous secrets.

The highlights here are obviously the scenes where the killer dentist is performing his crude brand of dentistry, with some pretty solid practical effects and several great inside the mouth camera views that bring to life a fair share of highly awesome and brutal sequences of dental torture, carried out by an on top of his game Corbin Bernsen, who turns the role into one of the more memorably underrated villains in 90's horror. Pretty much the entire movie hinges on his performance and boy does he rock the part, creating a totally nutso and yet at times likeable and dare I say relatable bad guy. There's another dude who doesn't ever seem to get the respect he deserves.

It's funny watching the movie nowadays because as a kid, minor appearances from a young Mark Ruffalo as well as Dawn of the Dead's Ken Foree never stuck out to me. Nowadays, being big fans of both, I was quite surprised to see them in there, albeit in very brief appearances. Who knew!

Watching The Dentist today brought back a lot of memories for me and I had as much fun with it as I remember having with it back when I was a kid. Always nice when that can be said about a childhood favorite, which unfortunately often cannot. So hooray for that!

THE DENTIST 2 - 1998

Speaking of bringing back memories, the Dentist 2 box art is one that I vividly remember staring back at me at my local Blockbuster as a youth, so much so that I've always believed that I had seen the movie until I popped it in today. It's possible that I did a long long time ago and just don't remember a lick of it, but I'm pretty certain that this was my first actual viewing of the film, as none of it brought back memories like watching the first one did. So I guess I lied up above when I said that these two movies were childhood favorites. But goddamn, is that razor toothed box art awesome or what?!

Two years after his first foray into dental terror, Corbin Bernsen is back as the killer dentist, with Brian Yuzna once again at the helm. Though he ended up in a mental hospital at the end of the first film, Feinstone breaks out at the beginning of this one (he stitched a scalpel into his leg at some point before getting locked up and uses that to escape...yep), changing his name to Lawrence Caine and relocating to a small town to start anew. Turns out his tongue-less wife is still alive (ole Corbin mutilated her in the first one) and she's hired a private investigator to track down Caine/Feinstone, who is desperately trying to suppress his desires to be the dentist/killer that we as an audience know he is eventually gonna revert back to.

Whereas the first Dentist saw Bernsen's character descend into madness, starting out as a successful and seemingly normal dentist and then morphing into a brutal killer, in this sequel he's already mad to begin with, so the majority of the film is able to focus on his complete insanity rather than his descent into insanity, which made the movie even more of a fun experience for me. Bernsen is once again on top of his game here and it's highly entertaining to watch him try and be a normal dude in the first half, doing everything he can to stop the crazy thoughts in his head and stay away from dentistry all together. Of course, all hell inevitably breaks loose when the small town dentist does some shoddy work on a tooth Caine chipped while eating dinner, which leads him to once again go off the deep end, killing the dentist and taking over his practice. From there, it's back to his old ways, maiming and brutalizing the mouths of his patients.

One of those patients, who identifies Caine as being Dr. Feinstone, thereby driving him even more over the edge, is Clint Howard, the man who played another one of my favorite under appreciated 90's killers; Gregory Tudor in 1995's Ice Cream Man. For me, seeing the Dentist and the Ice Cream Man go at it was worth the price of admission alone, a price that was quite low given that I picked both of these discs up at Hollywood Video when they were going out of business for a dollar a piece. But still, their shared scene is pure gold and put a huge smile on my face.

Just like in the first Dentist, there's plenty of gruesome teeth pulling and grinding in this one, all once again shown up close and in graphic detail. It's almost as if there are cameras affixed to Bernsen's dental tools and I absolutely love the cringe inducing sequences of him pulverizing mouths. Unfortunately, there's not as much of that kinda stuff in here as there was in the first, but that's all made up for in the final half hour of the film.

The events of both films come to a head in these last 30 or so minutes, with a particularly brutal dental torture sequence which leads into Caine/Feinstone battling both the love interest in this one as well as his tongue-less wife from the first. It's a pretty brutal finale, which sees Bernsen going full Jack Torrance for a clearly Shining inspired final act (at one point he smears a victim's blood all over his face), which ends with the absolutely batshit awesome imagery of Bernsen driving off presumably to the next town, maniacally laughing and pulling nails out of his head which were fired into him via his nail gun wielding love interest. It's the kind of totally off the wall material that I wish both films spent a bit more time reveling in, but nevertheless I had a blast with this one just as I did with the first, if not even moreso.
________________________________________

Ok, now it's time for your reward for making it through my painkiller fueled ramblings about two horror flicks that I enjoy perhaps a bit more than anyone has any business enjoying, enjoyment which was no doubt amplified by said painkillers. You ready? If you think you can handle it, here's an image of my three extracted wisdom teeth, freshly pulled from my skull just a few short hours ago. In the words of The Dentist 2's awesome tagline, BRACE YOURSELF!!

Somewhere, Corbin Bernsen is smiling. And if I ever meet him at a convention, he's totally signing one of those bad boys.

A Different Kind Of Texas Chainsaw Massacre Tattoo ...

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:43:00 +0000

Artist/Freddy In Space friend Krystal Beck is without question the ultimate Chainsaw fan. Why do I say this? Well, in addition to having a house chock full of all kinds of related memorabilia, Krystal made the trek out to Texas last year to see the movie outside of the iconic house where it was filmed, and in fact even ate dinner in the house prior (it's now a BBQ restaurant!). While in Texas, she also managed to scoop up a bunch of dirt from the filming locales, which was included in limited edition t-shirt packages from Fright Rags last year. In addition, she dressed up as The Hitchhiker for Halloween a couple years back (seen above), a character that she has a fairly serious obsession with. Which brings us to her latest and perhaps most ultimate display of affection towards the film, a unique one of a kind tattoo that is unlike any other Chainsaw tattoo you have ever seen.

Remember in the movie when The Hitchhiker cuts his own hand and then smears blood all over the side of Sally and the gang's van, after they kick him out? He makes a pretty interesting design with his blood, which many fans over the years have speculated on the meaning of. It's this imagery which Krystal decided to recently get tattooed on her side, instead of the usual image of Leatherface or a chainsaw. Check out the fresh ink!

How cool is that?! If you're still not convinced that she's the ultimate Chainsaw queen, then I guess I should tell you that she eats head cheese every morning for breakfast, cut up and tossed into her cereal.* She's not fucking around with this stuff, believe you me.

Be sure to show your support for Krystal's awesomeness by heading over to her Etsy shop The Zombified, where you can pick up, what else, a limited edition Texas Chainsaw Massacre poster print that she drew. Go figure!!

*Ok so that last bit was made up but still, I challenge you to find a more hardcore fan of the film!*

Everything You Need To Know About : V/H/S

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:31:00 +0000

Perhaps the biggest genre hit of this year's Sundance (Jan. 19th-29th) thus far has been V/H/S, a found footage anthology put together by Bloody Digusting founder Brad Miska that's comprised of five films directed by up and coming names within the genre, including House of the Devil's Ti West. The film has been getting pretty much rave reviews across the board, garnering serious press for pulling off the same impressive feat that The Woman did at Sundance last year; making a dude at a screening pass right the fuck out.

Hot off the heels of that exciting news blip came the news today that V/H/S has been picked up by Magnolia Pictures for distribution, who will be releasing it under their Magnet label, a label that has been attached to some of the better genre films in recent years, titles like Tucker & Dale vs Evil, Hobo With a Shotgun and the aforementioned House of the Devil. The plan is to give the film Magnet's patented pre-theatrical Video on Demand release sometime this year, with a limited theatrical release to follow 30 days later.

So, with all that established, what exactly is V/H/S and what can we expect from it? You could spend a good portion of your night prowling around Google to find out all the details but I'd rather just do that work for you and combine it all in a nice and easy quick read. That's what I'm here for.

So below you'll find everything you need to know about V/H/S, everything except any kind of spoilers that will ruin the experience for you. Cause I'm cool like that. Also peppered throughout the post are all the still photos from the movie that have been released thus far.

Without further yapping, we begin at the beginning, with the official plot synopsis ...

When a group of misfits is hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire a rare VHS tape, they discover more found footage than they bargained for.

This is the wraparound story that ties all five short stories together. Directed by Horrible Way To Die's Adam Wingard (above), the wraparound (titled Tape 56) sees the group entering the home and discovering a treasure trove of VHS tapes, unsure which one is the one they've been tasked with taking. In order to determine that information, they decide to watch all of the tapes in the house, which is how the five short films are presented to us. What we see is what they see, with the individual segments showing us what's on the various fucked up tapes in this strange house.

Here is some information about each segment, along with pictures of the directors as well as brief plot details.

Amateur Night - Directed by David Bruckner

The basic idea of this one is that a group of college kids head out for a night on the town, one of them sporting a pair of camera equipped spy glasses, which capture all the action. They pick up a couple of chicks and bring them back to their hotel, intent on filming a homemade porno of sorts with them. Unfortunately for them, the girls aren't exactly what they appear to be. Amateur Night was directed by David Bruckner, who was one of the directors of 2007's The Signal. It was during this segment that a man passed out earlier this week at Sundance.

Second Honeymoon - Directed by Ti West

The most recognizable name of the bunch, Ti West previously directed House of the Devil & the recently released Innkeepers. With Second Honeymoon he delivers what is being called another slow burn tension filled mini masterpiece, which sees a couple road tripping through the Grand Canyon. While staying at a hotel one night, they receive a knock at their door from a strange woman ...

Tuesday The 17th - Directed by Glenn McQuaid

I Sell The Dead director Glenn McQuaid helms this found footage slasher tale, the story of a young girl who takes some of her friends out to the woods. As expected, bad things begin to happen. But everything is not what it seems, as McQuaid turns convention on its head.

The Strange Thing That Happened To Emily When She Was Younger - Directed by Joe Swanberg

A Skype chat goes horribly wrong when paranormal things began to happen on one end of the video conversation in this short directed by Joe Swanberg, whose only real recognizable credits to genre fans include acting gigs in two films made by two of the other directors of V/H/S; A Horrible Way To Die & Cabin Fever 2. This haunted foray into the world of Skype was written by Simon Barrett, who previously wrote one of the better Syfy creature features out there, Frankenfish.

10/31/98 - Directed by Radio Silence

I know little to nothing about Radio Silence, but apparently they're a group of guys who have become known for their videos over on YouTube. Set on Halloween night in 1998, their debut film is about a group of buddies going out to a Halloween party, where they end up in a fight for their lives.

And that's about everything you need to know about the film. To tell you any more that I've read would spoil some things and I really wouldn't want to do that.

The guys that comprise Radio Silence describe V/H/S as being "a found footage movie for people that are over found footage", which sounds like music to my ears. According to every single review I've read thus far, the film injects new life into the dying found footage sub-genre, providing several creative new means of pulling such a film off and coming jam packed with copious amounts of horror, humor, gore and monsters. Sounds like this one has a little something for everyone and with such talented indie filmmakers at the helm, I wouldn't expect any less. I love me a good anthology and V/H/S looks to be the next great horror anthology to keep an eye on.

Once the film is available On Demand, I'll let ya know about it and I'll of course share my thoughts once I check it out!

Cool Shit : Voorhees/Predator Hybrid Mask!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:31:00 +0000

There's a forum called The Replica Prop Forum that I hang around from time to time, a place where super talented geeks get together and show off their handmade recreations of props from their favorite movies, everything from popular items like Freddy's many gloves to more obscure stuff like the magnifier necklace Ash gave to Linda in The Evil Dead.

I was browsing around there the other night and stumbled upon something that really caught my eye, a mask that fused together two horror icons; Jason Voorhees and the oh so loveable Predator. Story goes that the man who made it, Jake Rich, was getting drunk with his brother while watching Jason X one night, wherein they came to the realization that the metallic uber Jason mask looks a bit like the mask the Predator's wear to cover up their gross vaginal mouths. So, naturally, Rich hit the garage and began turning a Predator mask he had sculpted years prior into what he's dubbed "The Hockey Hunter", the love child of Jason and Predator. Needless to say, that's one child you wouldn't want to pick on in the schoolyard!

What does such a child look like? Check out the results of Jake's gene splicing experiment!!

Made from fiberglass and featuring LED lighting mounted with a 9V battery power supply, the "Hockey Hunter" masks are currently selling for $230 a piece over at Dream Scape Studios, the Rich Brothers' FX studio. The mask can either be worn or displayed.

If you're more of a Freddy kinda guy, have no fear; Freddy has also been mashed up with the Predator in the past ...

This 'Fredator' shirt was available for one day only over at Tee Fury, but can still be purchased through Red Bubble. Hooray!

So ... How Evil Are You?

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:05:00 +0000

On the eve of Halloween last year, I caught a highly fascinating show on Discovery Channel called How Evil Are You?, an hour long episode from their series Curiosity. Hosted by Eli Roth, the special aimed to examine the evil that lurks inside the average American citizen. To do so, Roth and a team of psychologists recreated controversial experiments psychologist Stanley Milgram carried out in the 1960's. Remember that scene from Ghostbusters where Venkman delivers an electric shock to a test subject whenever he gets a question wrong? Well that was the basic idea with the Milgram Experiments, only Milgram had participants delivering shocks of increasing intensity to what they were told were test subjects in another room with heart conditions, who were actually actors who were purposely giving wrong answers and who weren't really even getting shocked. Without anyone actually getting hurt, the experiments determined how much pain a given subject would inflict upon their fellow man, simply because an authority figure was instructing them to do so.

Milgram's findings were astounding and can be perhaps best summed up by this bone chilling statement he delivered after conducting the experiments ...

"I would say, on the basis of having observed a thousand people in the experiment, and having my own intuition shaped and informed by these experiments, that if a system of death camps were set up in the United States of the sort we had seen in Nazi Germany, one would be able to find sufficient personnel for those camps in any medium sized American town."

So, is the average American as evil now as he was back in the 60's? Hit the play button below to begin this recreation of Milgram's experiments and find out!

Had been wanting to blog about this for months now but didn't want to do so until I had the video to embed. So big thanks to YouTube user farbus5 for uploading this!

Netflix Instant : Hit Play Or Stay Away? Megan Is Missing

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:40:00 +0000

Spewed forth some brief thoughts about this one last night on Facebook but being that I still can't seem to get the movie to leave my head alone, I found myself itching to talk a bit more about it. So let's do just that and find out if this Netflix Instant title deserves your time!

Employing a mix of storytelling techniques (including webcam footage, video chats and dramatized news reports), this chillingly realistic thriller charts the disappearance of two teens who vanish three weeks apart under mysterious circumstances.

Asking whether or not Megan Is Missing is worth your time is a bit of a loaded question, because it's really not as simple to answer as the same question is for most other movies. When it comes to this one, it's really not even a matter of whether the movie is any good or not, it's more about the massively damaging impact it leaves in its wake and the message that lies underneath its less than impressive attempt at being what I could consider a great film. The fact of the matter is that Megan Is Missing is a pretty sloppy and cheesy film, a found footage flick that teeters on the brink of stupidity almost to the point that it's hard to take it very seriously for very long. The acting is oftentimes pretty poor and the way the whole thing is presented to us is quite messy, but nevertheless by the end of the film I found myself absolutely horrified and disturbed by what I had just seen, to the point that I found it hard to sleep afterwards. Movies don't often have that effect on me so I kinda gotta give serious props to this one for doing so.

What's so scary about the movie is that this kind of stuff happens in the real world all the time, with several of those real life stories in fact serving as the inspiration for the film. This isn't a story about some slasher in the woods or a melted dude invading nightmares, this is about a sick predator targeting vulnerable young girls on the internet, luring them in with promises of love and companionship. In this day and age, where teens are growing up faster than ever, doing drugs, having sex and spending late nights on the internet, online predators are an all too real problem and young girls are an all too easy prey for them. Megan Is Missing uncomfortably taps into that idea, showing us what can and many times has resulted from that combination of kids growing up too fast and having too much freedom on the internet.

Just as being a kid isn't what it used to be, the world isn't what it used to be either, and Megan Is Missing paints a very unnerving picture of the current state of things, bringing horrifying news stories to life and highlighting the dangers of being a modern day American teenager. We hear about these stories all the time on the news but it's only when we see them play out that we truly feel the gravity of the horror, a horror that a pretty newscaster or a catchy newspaper headline could never convey. In that sense, Megan Is Missing is an important film for anyone who can handle it, one that will hopefully serve to scare off teens from messing around with strangers on the internet. This is one of those movies that's truly more than just a movie, which is a pretty damn powerful thing.

All that said, I again must reiterate that as a film, Megan Is Missing is not so great. Though the final 20 minutes (which show us exactly what happened to the two girls) are raw, realistic & utterly disturbing, a lot of the stuff that comes before it is totally poorly acted and goofy, which hurts the overall impact of the experience a great deal. I shudder to think how much more effective and more horrifying the movie would have been if those two girls and their situation felt a bit more real, but then again I'm not sure I could've handled it being much more horrifying. Again though, it's less about the movie and the characters that inhabit it than it is about the horror of such a situation, as your mind pretty much swaps out the victims with your own loved ones and the movie properly gets under your skin regardless of how it's pulled off throughout. That's really the strength of writer/director Michael Goi's effort, when all is said and done.

So, do I recommend you hit the play button on this found footage horror flick by way of Larry Clark? Well, yes and no. We live in a horrific world where some pretty awful shit happens on a daily basis and if you want to be exposed to the most horrific of the horrific, and can look past some flaws on the filmmaking front, then give it a watch. If, on the other hand, you want to shelter yourself from that kind of disturbing material, stay far far away. A reader by the name of Kristi Nommensen Dorson commented on my Facebook post about the movie last night and summed up my feelings pretty well ...

"I simultaneously want to make my children watch it before they are allowed to use the internet, and at the same time never expose them to anything like this ever in their lives."

That about says it all.

Bust Out The PBR & Ghost Hunting Equipment : My Valentine's Weekend Getaway Is Booked!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:44:00 +0000

When I watched Ti West's Innkeepers for the first time last week (read the review), it was pretty much love at first sight with a couple things about the film, most notably the characters and the hotel it's set in, which is pretty much a character in and of itself. The Innkeepers tells the story of a man and a woman working at the Yankee Pedlar Inn over a long weekend, the final weekend before the place shuts down for good. They've always believed the place to be haunted and so they set out to once and for all find out if it truly is. As expected, horrific things ensue.

Though it was pretty obvious that the movie was filmed in an actual hotel, what I didn't realize until I did some research after watching it is that the Yankee Pedlar Inn is actually a real place in Connecticut, built in 1891. The name wasn't changed for the movie nor was the location dressed up at all; what you see in the movie is the same location that is still an operational hotel that you can stay in. Ever fascinated by horror movie filming locations and totally in love with the old school look and feel of the Pedlar Inn, I immediately knew I had to book a room as soon as possible.

Cut to one week later.

With Valentine's Day coming up in just a couple weeks, I figured what better way to wine and dine Jen than to book a stay at the Pedlar Inn for the weekend and celebrate our love with the spirit of Madeline O'Malley by our side. I don't know about you, but I can't think of anything that's more romantic than ghost hunting while sipping PBR. Thankfully, Jen feels the same way. So last night I booked our mini suite for two nights on the weekend after Valentine's Day, February 17th-19th. If all goes as planned, both horrific and romantic things will ensue. Once they do, you'll of course be the first to hear about them. At least the horrific parts. I'll spare you the romance.

So, is the Pedlar Inn really haunted by malevolent spirits? Well, that's up for debate. Though the whole Madeline O'Malley thing was made up for the movie, the inspiration for it actually came from Ti West and the House of the Devil crew staying at the Inn while they were filming that movie, wherein West says they experienced some pretty freaky shit; phones ringing, lights turning on and off. In addition, he says the staff regaled him and his crew with ghost stories, alleging the place is in fact haunted. It was because of his experience there that West decided to write the story of The Innkeepers, brilliantly deciding to film the movie on location at the actual hotel that inspired it, making it the first movie ever to film there and in fact the first to be filmed entirely on location in Torrington, Connecticut.

So again I ask, is the Yankee Pedlar Inn really haunted? I figure that question can only be answered by spending a few nights there for myself, so I'll let ya know when (and if!) we return on the 19th!

In the meantime, I recommend you order The Innkeepers On Demand and, if you can, see it in theaters when it comes out February 3rd. Check the listings to see if it's playing anywhere near you!

The Woman : 4 Limited Edition Pieces Of Must Have Swag!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:47:00 +0000

Today is the long awaited DVD & Blu-ray release of Lucky McKee's The Woman, one of the most must see and must own horror films of 2011. In honor of that release, I wanted to put the spotlight on four kickass pieces of merchandise that all fans of the film absolutely must have in their collection, along with either the DVD or Blu. So if you dig the movie as much as I do, get ready to bust out that credit card and add some serious awesomeness to your home and your life!

VINYL SOUNDTRACK

If ya ask me, you simply cannot own the movie without also owning Sean Spillane's soundtrack, which adds so much to the overall experience of the film. I've had this on repeat since I saw the movie last year and I'm betting you're with me on that one. Sure you can download MP3 versions of the songs on the cheap, but if you really love the soundtrack you may want to consider investing in this limited edition vinyl release, which features all the songs and comes individually numbered. If you don't have a record player lying around, this release also contains a digital download code so don't worry about not being able to listen to it. It's currently available for pre-order and will begin shipping March 6th!

FRIGHT RAGS T-SHIRT

Thankfully for all of us, the Fright Rags crew are also big fans of the movie. Today they just released this t-shirt, which is available in men's and women's sizes. Only 200 will be printed before it's gone for good, so hop on this one while ya still can!

PROP LAWN MOWER BLADE

Don't want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't seen the movie but if you have, you surely know the importance of this particular weapon to the outcome of the film. In one of the coolest moves in promotional item history, Modercine decided to make a limited number of polyester resin replicas of the bloody lawn mower blade, which are currently selling for $30 over on Amazon. Small price to pay for such a cool display piece, if ya ask me.

SIGNED LEATHER BOUND LIMITED EDITION BOOK

Though only sharing the titular character and not much else, The Woman is actually a sequel to Offspring, a movie adapted from a book written by Jack Ketchum. McKee & Ketchum not only got together to write the movie version of The Woman but they also wrote a print version of it together, which was released in both an inexpensive paperback form as well as this limited edition leather bound version. Signed and numbered, the book was limited to only 174 pieces, hand sewn and bound, making it perhaps the ultimate collector's item for fans of the story. Unfortunately, due to the limited nature, there's really nowhere to buy this edition these days aside from on sites like eBay, which is why there is no link above to purchase it. Keep your eyes peeled and prepare to shell out a couple hundred bucks if ya can't live without one. In the meantime, drool over more pictures of the most badass book of all time!

Happy Birthday, Beer Can! (I Promise, This Post Is More Relevant Than You Think!)

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:18:00 +0000

On this day in 1935 the first canned beer hit the market, revolutionizing the way people got fucked up. Why is this worth noting on a horror blog? Well, you might be amused to learn what company was the first to can their beers ...

Yep, the Krueger Brewing Company was the first to adopt the can as the chosen receptacle for their booze. The small Newark, New Jersey brewery began selling canned beer on January 24th, 1935, almost a full decade after founder Gottfried Krueger passed away. By the end of that year, nearly 40 US breweries had also begun doing the same. The rest, as they say, is history.

Though Krueger closed their operations in the 60's, canned beer is more popular than ever over 70 years after its birth, making a big time comeback of late, as breweries around the globe are realizing that canned beer is the way to go. Not only are cans a heck of a lot more earth friendly than bottles, but cans actually help keep out beer ruining elements like oxygen and light far better than bottles do, and the costs are lower to produce and ship aluminum than glass. On top of that, they're a whole lot safer. After all, if there's one thing no drunk person should be in possession of, it's glass!

In the 1980's, Gottfried's great grandson Fred put the Krueger name back on the map when he innovated a new dreaming technique that allowed him to literally enter the dreams of others, an achievement so impressive that many forgot his child molesting past and embraced him as a pop culture icon. That's the Krueger's for ya; always one step ahead of the pack!

Cool Promotional Shit : 'The Woman' Stress Heart!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:14:00 +0000

Though I was pretty sure I'd be getting a DVD screener of The Woman in the mail, I never expected to find this awesome little stress ball heart inside the package with it, which is exactly what I found on my doorstep this past weekend. In fact, I wasn't even aware that Bloody Disgusting had whipped these up, to promote tomorrow's DVD & Blu-ray release. The fact that they did makes me quite happy that they're the ones who picked up the film. It's the little things in life.

Not only is this a cool little promotional item but It's also a very fitting one, given that you should probably have a stress ball in your hand while experiencing the film. So go find one around the house and go experience it!

Trailer Of The Week - FDR : American Badass!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:38:00 +0000

Though this past week saw the debut of a new trailer for a horror film directed by Tobe Hooper and the first look at an upcoming flick that sees Tom Savini busting out the liquid latex and fake blood for the first time in many years, it's the one featuring Barry Bostwick as Franklin Delano Roosevelt that I can't help but select as my favorite horror movie trailer of the week. In the 70's or 80's that would've shocked me. Nowadays, not so much!

Check out the hilarious trailer for FDR : American Badass!, the latest in a recent flurry of 100% historically inaccurate horror cinema, which looks to be even more out there than a black JFK or a vampire hunting Honest Abe!

Right about now I oftentimes tell you folks about why I dig the featured trailer and why I'm excited to check out the movie it was cut from. This week, I'm really not feeling like that's even necessary. I mean come on, don't the machine gun wheelchair and Hitler werewolf justify this pick well enough?!

No idea when this movie is supposed to be released, but I personally would love to see it featured in a sequel to Chillerama, and not just because it shares many of the same actors. FDR : American Badass! is the kind of film that would fit perfectly alongside giant killer sperm & horny zombies and I relish the thought of one day watching it in a theater with a drunken audience. Oh, and did I mention Kevin Sorbo plays Abe Lincoln in it?

FUCK POLIO!!

New Evidence Exposes Truth Of The Amityville Murders?

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 11:12:00 +0000

Though none of us will ever truly know what happened on the night of November 13th, 1974 inside of the DeFeo home on Amityville's Ocean Avenue, filmmaker Ryan Katzenbach set out nearly a decade ago to compile research and evidence to put together as many of the pieces to the mystifying puzzle as he possibly could, a seemingly never ending quest that has resulted in a three part documentary titled Shattered Hopes : The True Story Of The Amityville Murders, the first part of which was released late last year (and reviewed by me just a couple weeks back/subsequently praised and pimped all over the blog and Facebook). There are so many things about the case that just don't add up to the way the police have reported the events of that night to us, such as how nobody in the house woke up from the sound of shots being fired at their family members and why Dawn DeFeo (Ronnie's sister) had powder burns on her clothing consistent with her firing a gun that night, but Katzenbach is this weekend one step closer to finding out the truth ...

One of the big theories Katzenbach aimed to explore and find out the truth of was the one about a second gun that was used in the DeFeo murders, allegedly wielded by an unknown accomplice working with Ronnie DeFeo to wipe out his entire family in cold blood. Various testimonies over the years, including those of DeFeo himself, have indicated that there was in fact a second gun used to kill the family, a .38 handgun. Ballistics reports even seem to suggest the same, with at least one bullet that was allegedly not fired from the rifle that the others were. Convinced that this second gun was thrown into the canal behind the 112 Ocean Avenue house after the murders, Katzenbach enlisted the help of a dive team to comb the bottom of the canal in an effort to find the gun and confirm this hunch, efforts which began in the Summer of 2011. After an extensive dive, the team found over 300 metallic objects at the bottom of the canal, no gun in sight.

Cut to this past Thursday, January 19th. Not about to give up, Katzenbach and the dive team head out to Amityville once more, taking to the frigid waters with a hope and a prayer. At around 4:00pm on that day, the following picture is posted to Katzenbach's Facebook wall ...

Buried under feet of water and mud, there it was; the remains of what Katzenbach believes to be the .38 handgun used in the DeFeo murders, a missing piece of the Amityville puzzle finally found after nearly four decades. Amityville was teeming with police officers and detectives on Thursday, who immediately confiscated the gun after it was found. Though they claim that the gun has no connection to the case, and in fact may just be a flare gun, Katzenbach is still convinced otherwise. If the Suffolk County Police Department truly believes what they're saying that would mean that the gun now belongs to Katzenbach, rather than to the evidence department, and he aims to have a member of his team pick it up this coming Monday. Whether or not the department hands it over will be quite telling, revealing their true thoughts about the alleged piece of evidence. Is this just another in a long line of cover-ups about the case? We shall see come next week.

So what does this mean if this is in fact the gun that Ronnie DeFeo and others have for years been claiming was used in the murders, alongside the rifle fired by DeFeo? Though it ultimately doesn't bring us any closer to answering any questions as to who might have held and fired it, as fingerprinting it is obviously out of the question at this point, this key piece of evidence would bring us one big ole step closer to finding out what really happened on that night, which has been Katzenbach's goal all along. The truth is closer than ever.

I don't know about you, but I find it hard to believe that this isn't the gun that has been reported as being used in the murders. It sure looks like the remains of a .38 to me and the odds seem incredibly, well, odd that such a gun could've been lying in that canal all these years that has absolutely no connection to the case. That just doesn't add up and at this point, I'm a lot more keen to side with Katzenbach on this one than the Suffolk County Police Department. If you're asking me, Katzenbach has made history here, in a big big way.

To check out a whole album of photos from the dive that resulted in the gun being found, head over to the Facebook album 'Amityville Murder Weapon Recovery' over on diver Bill Pfeiffer's page. Credit goes to him for the above photo.

As for Katzenbach's documentary, I once again urge you to pick up your copy of Shattered Hopes : Part 1, which is an absolutely must own and must see piece of history for anyone who is interested in the puzzling murder case. Expect this most recent dive to be documented in a future part of the trilogy.

Vintage Video Of The Week : The Monster Squad, Behind The Scenes!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:37:00 +0000

It was the 1980's and practical effects were injecting new life into the world of horror movies, making them more exciting and a whole lot more awesome than ever before. Artists were hard at work in makeshift shops and warehouses around the country, turning ordinary elements like clay, liquid latex & karo syrup into extraordinarily gruesome monsters and horrifically gory scenes of carnage. It was perhaps the most glorious time the genre has ever known, a period of decadence that has left us with some of my personal favorite horror movies of all time, special effects spectacles like Evil Dead 2, Pumpkinhead, House, Predator & The Monster Squad, to name just a few. Why do I list those specific titles? Because they all share the common bond of having monster maker extraordinaire Shannon Shea on board their behind the scenes effects team.

A member of the Stan Winston Studio as well as the illustrious KNB EFX Group, Shannon Shea worked on all of those films and, lucky for us, filmed many of his behind the scenes experiences from that period of time, documenting the incredible work he and his brothers in bloody battle put into bringing those films to life. The work they did behind the scenes cannot be understated, for it is in large part those practical effects that have made films like The Monster Squad still so awesome after all these years.

In this 12 minute video that he posted back in October over on his site First Person Monster Blog, Shea provides narration over video footage of himself and his fellow creature designers (including Stan Winston himself!) hard at work on The Monster Squad, sculpting the loveable monsters and creating soon to be movie magic right in front of our eyes. Enjoy this blast from the past from a time before computers all but replaced magicians like Shannon Shea!

I encourage you to read the story that goes along with this video, either before or after you hit play!

If you're a fan of practical effects and behind the scenes stuff, you absolutely need to favorite and start rifling through the archives of First Person Monster Blog, an absolute treasure trove of never before seen photos and video as well as never before told stories. Shea provides unprecedented access to the making of such films as Evil Dead 2 & Predator, allowing us to become flies on the walls of the many effect studios he has worked in throughout his career. For practical effects aficionados, First Person Monster Blog is literally heaven on earth and there are so many videos on there like the one I posted above. Shea has been blogging since last April, with 45 stories told thus far, so believe me when I say that there is a plethora of awesomeness over there to catch up on, with many more stories still yet to be told. The footage that Shea has is the kinda stuff you'd see on DVD special features and it's a real treat that he's made it all available to us free of charge, on the internet. So take advantage and head back in time to the making of your favorite horror films by heading over to First Person Monster Blog!

Leslie Vernon Needs New Blood!!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:06:00 +0000

If there's one thing my years of being immersed in the horror community has taught me it's that when us horror fans dig something, we go out of our way to support whatever it is and spread the word to as many people as possible. We're like an army in that sense, one big ole bloody extended family that will do anything we can to help the genre and each other, for no reason other than that we love this shit with all our hearts. That's what it's all about. It's a genre driven by fan love, and that's precisely what I adore about this twisted little world so much.

Perhaps the reigning Queen of genre pimpage is Kristy Jett, a near and dear close friend of mine that truly loves the genre with every fiber of her being and spends many of her days working tirelessly to spread the love and champion causes she believes in, most times not getting paid a single cent for her work. Within her is a passion so strong that it's hard to believe that she was not put on this earth to eventually rise to power and become the female voice of the horror community at large. She's well on her way, there's no doubting that.

One of the causes Kristy has hardcore gotten behind of late is the fundraising campaign for Before The Mask : The Return of Leslie Vernon, the upcoming prequel/sequel to 2006's Behind The Mask that for whatever reason cannot get studio funding and thus, has turned to the fans to raise the money to bring Leslie back from the dead. It's a cause I have personally gotten behind as well, pimping it at every chance I can get, but Kristy has gone several steps further, her love and support so getting the attention of the filmmakers that they made her a part of the team. When I say that Kristy has had and will continue to have a major impact on this film coming to life, believe me when I say that I say that because it's the truth, not because of any personal relationship I have with her. When that film eventually does get made and is ready for mass consumption, it's Kristy and people like her that we're gonna all have to thank for making it happen. Without the Kristy Jett's of the world, we quite frankly would never get the chance to see the film and the filmmakers would never get the chance to make it. That makes me sad, which in turn makes me all the happier that there are Kristy Jett's in this world. Well, there's actually only one Kristy (thank god, not sure I could handle two of them!), but you know what I mean.

Her latest effort to help the film secure funding was to enlist the help of frequent Fright Rags artist and friend Jeff Zornow, who whipped up a pretty sweet Leslie Vernon graphic that pays homage to the awesome old school poster for Friday The 13th Part 7 : The New Blood. That design is now available for pre-order on men's and women's shirts as well as hoodies, with the shirts selling for $20 and the hoodies going for $40. Bask in its awesomeness!

When you purchase this shirt/hoodie or any other item in the recently launched Behind The Mask online shop, which includes signed copies of the soundtrack as well as a promotional heart prop that was released back when the film first came out, your money goes directly to funding the impending follow-up, so please know that you're not only nabbing yourself some awesome swag but you're also literally playing an integral part in funding the sequel to a horror film you love, which is something we rarely ever get the chance to do. Over on the Before The Mask Facebook page there are also all kinds of other donation incentives, with certain money amounts nabbing you everything from DVD & Blu-ray pre-orders to the chance to actually be killed on screen in the movie by Leslie Vernon. I shit you not.

Head over to the Before The Mask Facebook page to learn more/donate and then browse around the official online shop to pick yourself up some cool merch, including the t-shirt or hoodie seen above. Oh and best of all, it was recently announced that a sponsor of the project has agreed to match every dollar you donate, making the chances of this thing coming to fruition closer than ever before. Do you part. Support good horror. Get yourself cool shit in the process. It's truly a win-win for all parties!!

Speaking of recently announced, Leslie Vernon himself, Nathan Baesel, has just been confirmed to appear at this year's Texas Frightmare Weekend, taking place May 4th-6th in Dallas, Texas. Grab your tickets and be sure to stop by his table to say hi to both Nathan and Kristy. I had the pleasure of meeting Nathan at Monster Mania last year and honestly, he's one of the nicest and most down to earth dudes I've ever met. He was so genuinely excited to meet his fans and he literally did not want to accept money from myself or anyone else who approached him. If it was up to him, he would've done it all for free, which really shows the kind of man he is.

I know I already posted this once, but it seems only right to re-post an epic video right about now that Kristy and Nathan filmed for me last year, where Nathan pimps Freddy In Space, a blog he clearly reads on a daily basis ...

To Kristy and everyone else who has been supporting this cause, either by spreading the word or donating, keep fighting the good fight and giving back to the genre you so love. This army of super freaks truly can make a difference and the future of this genre is in our hands, now more than ever. So let's keep on demanding the movies we want to see and making the world a better place for all us horror fans that inhabit it!

Facebook Giveaway Winners!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:03:00 +0000

This past weekend I held not one but two Facebook exclusive giveaways over on the Freddy In Space Facebook page and I just wanted to take a quick minute tonight to announce the winners of those giveaways. Ya ya, I know the internet is supposed to be all blacked out and shit, but I keep forgetting to do this and don't want to put it off any longer!

First up I held a giveaway on Friday the 13th, where I asked you folks to e-mail me pictures of your coolest pieces of Jason swag. The winner was promised to get something cool and Voorhees related, though I admit I had no idea at the time what that prize would be. The winner of that giveaway is Allen Ward, who sent me the above picture of his impressive Friday collection, which includes DVD's, some awesome masks (one that appears to be Manson's own personal Jason mask, which I quite dig) and two Fright Rags shirts. A thing of beauty, to be sure.

So what'd you win, Allen? Being that you obviously have a thing for Jason masks, I've decided to gift you with the one and only Jason mask I've ever created with my own hands, which I whipped up for a competition between Jen and myself that I blogged about last year. You can read the whole post here but essentially I bought two cheap plastic bootleg Jason masks and Jen and I got drunk, watched Jason X and decorated them to our liking. Jen went all Dia De Los Muertos with hers and I just went for my own version of a bloodied and battle damaged Voorhees look, complete with burns and dirt. Needless to say, we had a blast.

So Allen, as a show of my appreciation for you reading the blog and entering the giveaway, please accept the one of a kind Freddy In Space Jason Voorhees mask, which will be packaged alongside HorrorHound's Friday The 13th retrospective issue from the Summer of 2010. I can only hope that the mask ends up displayed alongside your others. And, ya know, that you get some awesome toilet reading out of the mag.

After posting my review of Hostel : Part 3 on Saturday, I then held another giveaway over on Facebook for one of the many Hostel action figures I have sitting in a box in my closet. Long story short I ended up purchasing a whole case of these for real cheap a while back, and I've been slowly giving them away whenever and to whoever I see fit. As a little tie-in to my review, I instructed anyone who wanted it to head over to that review and leave a comment explaining a bit about why they either wanted to see the movie or, if they had, what they thought about it. Ended up getting 21 comments on that review and randomly picking a winner from those comments. That winner is ...

MIKE TANK

"I'm both an unabashed HOSTEL series fan and a Spiegel fan, but I have to admit that I've been wary of this one since I first heard about it. The stigma that comes with most direct-to-video titles like this gave me pause.

But after reading your positive review, my interest has been piqued and I'm looking forward to giving this a day in court.

Thanks!"

So congratulations Mike and Allen and a big thanks to each and every person who entered these giveaways. Keep an eye on the Facebook page for more exclusive content every single goddamn day!

Paranormal Activity's Katie Featherston Shows Her Boobies Exclusively To Freddy In Space!!!!!!!1

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:42:00 +0000

Damn you, SOPA!!!

Fight the power and make sure cruel internet censorship like this never happens again!!

New Release Review : The Innkeepers

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:01:00 +0000

OUT NOW ON DEMAND & IN LIMITED THEATERS STARTING FEBRUARY 3RD!

After over one hundred years of service, The Yankee Pedlar Inn is shutting its doors for good. The last remaining employees are determined to uncover proof of what many believe to be one of New England’s most haunted hotels. As the Inn’s final days draw near, odd guests check in as the pair of minimum wage “ghost hunters” begin to experience strange and alarming events that may ultimately cause them to be mere footnotes in the hotel’s long unexplained history.

With 2009's House of the Devil, Ti West won over the hearts of genre fans the world over, mine included. Based on that film and that film alone, West instantly became a fan favorite filmmaker, one we all stood up, took notice of and started keeping an eye on. Shortly after the impressive 80's throwback that was House of the Devil came Cabin Fever 2, a sloppy almost cult classic that West helmed and then later disowned, on the grounds that studio recuts essentially took the film out of his hands and turned it into something he didn't approve of. Though I personally found the film to be a bit of a hot mess, most fans didn't look at it so kindly, but West was forgiven when they realized the film they saw wasn't really his. And that's about Ti West in a nutshell, excluding earlier works like The Roost & Triggerman, which I admittedly haven't seen. Actually I did watch The Roost when I was very drunk several years back, so drunk that I don't remember a single thing about it. I think I watched it because I thought it was about a giant killer rooster, which is totally the kinda thing I go for when I'm intoxicated. Anywho.

So ya, given how much I dug House of the Devil, I was instantly excited about The Innkeepers, as I will be by any film West comes out with in the future. Don't ask me why it took me several weeks after the On Demand release to finally check this one out, but alas, I have done just that and I'm here to share my thoughts. So let's get on with that.

Ti West has become known for being a bit of a master of the slow burn horror flick, rife with tension and atmosphere, and The Innkeepers, much like House of the Devil, is further confirmation that West knows what he's doing in those departments. The Innkeepers is another heavily atmospheric horror film with a long and slow buildup, but West offers up something a bit different this time around, which proves to be another one of his strengths as a burgeoning filmmaker; humor. Believe it or not, this little haunted house movie is a lot more funny that it is scary, and it's that humor that I was drawn to most about the movie at large.

What's most interesting about the movie is that rather than choose to deal with the subject matter in either A) a serious way or B) a whimsical way, West instead decides to have his cake and eat it too, as he crafts a haunted house horror movie that is simultaneously both serious and very much lighthearted, a sort of goofy horror-comedy that doesn't become the ghost infested fright flick it's billed as being until around the halfway mark. Even more interesting than that decision are the results, with my personal opinion being that the goofy first half far eclipses the generic haunted house horror movie it becomes later on. While many horror movies are quite dull until the horror elements actually begin to ramp up, I found exactly the opposite to be the case with The Innkeepers, a movie that I would've likely preferred had no ghosts or horror elements ever presented themselves. Go figure. Let me try and explain what I mean by that.

The beginning of the film introduces us to Claire and Luke, the two staff members who are tasked with looking after the soon to be closed Pedlar Inn over the course of a long weekend. The characters are incredibly well written and well acted by Sara Paxton and Pat Healy, two loveable geeks that share a common goal of proving once and for all that the hotel they work in is in fact haunted by the ghost of Madeline O'Malley, a woman who allegedly killed herself there many years prior. The chemistry between Claire and Luke is where the majority of my enjoyment of the film came from, with their first half banter and hijinks making me absolutely fall in love with both them and the movie, almost immediately. They feel like real people with real pasts together, and you truly get the sense that they've spent many a similar day together prior to the time the cameras started rolling on this latest adventure of theirs. I was literally so into just watching those two characters go about their day that I completely 100% mean it when I say that I would've had no problem with the movie being a romantic dramedy about unrequited geek love set in a haunted hotel, not a serious scare in sight. A lot of reviews I've read have talked about how it took too long to get to the spooky stuff, but I'm personally thankful for the fact that West focused ample time on establishing those two characters and their dynamic, as that stuff is the standout best material in the film for me. Again, I'd almost have preferred to be a fly on the wall of one of their work days prior to them encountering any supernatural elements, just shooting the shit, drinking Schlitz and making fun of the guests. Is it just me?!

So what's wrong with the movie once the horror elements come into play? Honestly, nothing really, it's just not as entertaining or as enjoyable to watch as the stuff that comes before it. Call me crazy, but I found an extended scene of Sara Paxton's character trying to throw a heavy bag of garbage into a dumpster a heck of a lot more entertaining than I did any later scenes of her hunting ghosts or finally coming face to face with them. It all just kinda becomes too haunted house horror movie 101 for my liking, with the characters taking a backseat to the ghost story, their charms and witty dialogue largely done away with. Of course this is after all a horror movie so it may seem kinda silly for me to criticize it for eventually turning into, well, a horror movie, but I just found the early bits centered around Claire and Luke to be the best things the movie had going for it. Serious props to Paxton, who brings to the screen one of my favorite female characters in recent years, an awkward asthmatic dork who enjoys the finer things in life, like ghost hunting and good bread. Paxton charmed her way into my heart almost at first sight, and it's her strong performance that stands out most. In fact, it's her character that I love more so than even the movie as a whole.

Don't get me wrong, though I favored the first half over the second, The Innkeepers is all around a solid horror flick, one that I recommend you all check out. It's no House of the Devil and because of that comes off a bit disappointing in the long run, but it's got a lot of the same strengths and charms as that film, including a retro feel that's largely a result of it being set in an old school independently run hotel. Even though the characters have a laptop and there's a modern day Starbucks style coffee shop next to the hotel, it still impressively feels like a film from a past era. That said, it's also got many of the same weaknesses as West's previous film, particularly as it pertains to the conclusion of the story, or lack thereof.

The biggest (and in fact only) problem I had with House of the Devil was that after a long and slow burn buildup, the ending left a whole lot to be desired, so much so that it felt like a betrayal of all the tension and buildup that preceded it. The same goes for The Innkeepers, which similarly just kinda fizzles out at the end, never really bringing the story to any kind of satisfying conclusion. Ti West is kinda like the girl that gives you really great head and then finishes you off with her hand and it just seems like he really just doesn't know how to properly end a movie. The process of getting there seems to always be better than the actual destination itself, which is kind of a bummer, especially given the fact that he puts so much effort into getting us pumped up for a huge payoff, a payoff that never actually comes. Can you say blue balls?

All in all The Innkeepers is another win for Ti West and for the genre, not a perfect film but one of the better horror films of 2011 nonetheless, even if the horror elements were my least favorite part of said horror movie. West has proven that he can work within many different sub-genres of the genre and I'm quite excited to see what avenue he goes down next. I'd almost like to even see him do a straight up non-horror movie, which I think he could pull off really well. Either way, the thought of the movies he's gonna bring our way in the future excites me. Bring it on, Mr. West!

Cool Shit On eBay : Killer Klowns Popcorn!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:49:00 +0000

eBay has proven to be an absolute treasure trove for Killer Klowns fans over the years, providing access to everything from stunning custom made masks and busts to original concept art drawn up by the movie's creators/writers/directors/creature designers, Charles, Stephen & Edward; The Chiodo Brothers. Being that I am a mega Killer Klowns fan, perhaps one of the biggest out there, I frequently find myself running eBay searches to see what other gems I can find. Amongst the Dickies' soundtrack albums and fan made t-shirts, I stumbled upon this little gem this morning ...

PLACE YOUR BID OR BUY IT NOW!

This package of novelty 'Killer Klowns Popkorn' is being sold by the Chiodo Brothers themselves, under the username 'cbklowns'. According to the description these bad boys have previously only been available for sale at conventions and other events that the brothers appear at, but are now being put up for grabs on eBay for a limited time. Featuring new label artwork drawn up by Charles Chiodo, these nifty bags of ammunition ... err ... I mean ... popcorn ... are listed with a $4.99 starting price and a mere $9.99 Buy It Now price. An affordable and must have item in the hardcore Klown fan's collection, if ya ask me.

Name That Movie : The 'I Have A Dream' Edition!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:28:00 +0000

Most bloggers share a common goal when it comes to holidays; the goal of coming up with a clever tie-in post that not only pertains to the holiday at hand but also to the subject matter of the blog. When it comes to horror blogging, some holidays are a lot easier to tie-in to the genre than others, given that many holidays have been honored with their own horror movies, which make for easy topics of discussion on those days. As for a holiday like Martin Luther King Jr Day, which is being nationally celebrated today, there isn't exactly much to blog about for folks like myself. But I think I've come up with a pretty clever way to honor the late great civil rights activist this year, if I may say so myself!

MLK was and still is best known for his epic "I have a dream..." speech, a 17 minute discourse he delivered in 1963 in a bid to end racial inequality. Dreams/nightmares are of course a common theme found in countless horror movies, with many characters over the years meeting horrible fates in the dream world, only to wake up and find that it was all but a figment of their imagination (unless of course they meet up with that burnt dude in the Christmas sweater). So in honor of MLK's most famous speech, I've screen grabbed 10 such dream/nightmare sequences from 10 different horror movies below, for a very special holiday edition of everyone's favorite game here on Freddy In Space, Name That Movie. Your job, as always, is to name as many of the movies the images were pulled from as you possibly can. Leave all guesses in the comments section at the very bottom of this post!

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Good, Bad, I'm The Guy With The Lightsaber!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:20:00 +0000

It seems like lately not a day goes by where I don't feast my eyes upon a kickass artistic mashup between the world of horror movies and some other avenue of pop culture. I don't know about you, but I'm lovin' the trend.

On that note, check out Shirt Punch's t-shirt of the day today, a glorious mash-up between the worlds of Star Wars and Army of Darkness!!

"I have always been a huge Army of Darkness fan. Bruce Campbell as Ash kicks all kinds of arse! I had this idea quite a while ago when considering zombies in the Star Wars universe. Which lead me to imagine the most epic team up: Ash from the Evil Dead Trilogy and Han Solo from the the Star Wars trilogy. “Trapped in a galaxy far far away.” If Ash can be transported back in time why not be sent way across the unverse and perhaps battle the Deadites who are taking over the empire. For me this would make an awesome film or comic", says artist Midgerock.

Indeed it would, good sir. And I think we all know who Leia would shack up with. Sorry, Han!

You have through tonight to order this shirt, which will go away for good once the clock strikes midnight, lost in a galaxy far, far away. Grab yours for only $10 over at Shirt Punch!

Vintage Video Of The Week : 1987 Hellraiser Infomercial!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:35:00 +0000

The year is 1987 and Hellraiser has just been released onto both VHS & Betamax. In a unique and totally awesome move, New World Video tacks on opening and closing segments to the film, featuring a crazy cat lady who serves as a horror host of sorts. Prior to the film she gives a little introduction before sliding the tape into her VCR and after the film she literally walks onto what looks like the set of the film to introduce a bizarre home shopping network style infomercial that pimps some Hellraiser merch, everything from clothing to a thermos. Given the fact that the goods offered up were no longer available once the movie got subsequent VHS releases or hit later formats like DVD & Blu-ray, these little segments were never to be seen again, outside of those original VHS and Betamax releases.

So let's head back to 1987, where New World Video has such vintage sights to show us!

Oh and keep your eyes peeled for the coolest tissue box of all time, which someone totally needs to make and mass produce!!

New Release Review - Hostel : Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:36:00 +0000

OUT NOW ON DVD!

While attending a bachelor party in Las Vegas, four friends are enticed by two sexy escorts to join them at a private party way off the Strip. Once there, they are horrified to find themselves the subjects of a perverse game of torture, where members of the Elite Hunting Club are hosting the most sadistic show in town.

Just by watching the trailer or reading the above plot synopsis, one thing is immediately clear about this second sequel to Eli Roth's gory masterpiece; this is not the Hostel we've come to know and love over the last several years. In addition to the film taking place on American turf, Hostel : Part 3 was directed by Scott Spiegel, who executive produced the first two Hostel's and directed films such as From Dusk Till Dawn 2 & Intruder. Longtime friend of directors like Eli Roth, Quentin Tarantino and Sam Raimi, Spiegel has become known for his over the top fun style of filmmaking, gleefully reveling in all the things us gorehounds love so much about the genre, which anyone who has seen 1989's Intruder can attest to. It's my personal opinion that the world needs more Scott Spiegel horror films, as he's only directed a few throughout his career, and I was personally quite excited when I heard that he would be the man taking over the reigns of the first Hostel film without the involvement of Eli Roth. Though not exactly the kind of director you'd expect to see attached to such a dark and brutal franchise, I was very interested to see where Spiegel would go with the subject matter and I knew he'd deliver his own unique and fun vision of a world where people pay to kill others. And then, the negative and harsh reviews started pouring in ...

Well, I finally got around to watching Hostel : Part 3 for myself earlier this afternoon and I gotta say, I kinda had a blast with it, just as I fully expected to. I'm a big fan of Spiegel's style of filmmaking and though I can see why many fans of the first two Hostel films wouldn't exactly be so into this installment, I feel that there's not much to dislike about it if you go into it expecting something a bit more fun and goofy than the realistic and brutal films Eli Roth sliced into our hearts. No, this is not the kind of film you'd likely expect from one with the title of Hostel, but if you can get past that and just have fun with it, I think you'll find this to be another entertaining little gem from the mind of Scott Spiegel. Sure, it's the weakest installment in the franchise thus far, but it's nevertheless a pretty damn entertaining direct to video third installment of a franchise that the creator of that franchise had absolutely no part of. What more can ya really ask for?

Taking Elite Hunting to Vegas is in my opinion a pretty brilliant idea, upping the ante and escalating that idea of people paying to kill to the next level, one that unfortunately seems all too possible in this day and age. The basic idea here is that the sickest of gamblers in Vegas sit in a crowd and watch as Elite Hunting members kill their purchases inside of a glass walled stage, placing bets along the way on everything from how the victims will be killed, how long it'll take for them to die and even what they will say in an attempt to beg for their life. At times, the very clever Wheel of Misfortune is even spun as a way of deciding how victims are to be dispatched. Again, this is not the kind of shit you'd ever expect to see in a Hostel film, but that's precisely where a large majority of the entertainment of this one comes from. Though it's laid out in a similar way to the first two installments and does very much feel like a Hostel film in many ways, it's ultimately quite different and it's just plain fun, trading in the disturbing tones, gritty aesthetics and realistic gore effects for over the top entertainment, like a steampunk Navi looking chick shooting arrow after arrow into a dude's torso & weenie and another dude's face being neatly and cleanly cut off. I don't expect all to welcome the change, but my arms were wide open for it.

The film all around is just so damn Scott Spiegel, which is probably why I had so much fun with it. Remember all those whacky camera angles that he experimented with in Intruder, like showing us the points of view of inanimate objects? I was very happy to see a lot of that kind of stuff in here, like the view from inside a characters mouth as bugs are poured down her throat and a shot of blood drenching the camera lens and obscuring our vision as an audience. I love that kind of stuff and you can tell that Spiegel had a lot of fun with this one, as he always does. Several times throughout the film he plays with the kinds of things one would expect to see in a Hostel movie, oftentimes turning those ideas on their ass and throwing in little twists and turns which keep things fresh and different. That said, at the same time I kind of wish the film had a bit more of Spiegel's touch to it and went more for that straight up fun vibe, with even more whacky camera shots. I guess what I'm saying is that I wish he himself wrote the film. I kind of expected to see an Elite Hunting member dressed as an Elvis impersonator and I would've loved to have at least seen one of the infamous *'Spiegel Cuts'* utilized, but nevertheless the film is very much Scott Spiegel and that's really what I dug most about it.

Though it's very much a direct to video inferior sequel to what I consider to be two really awesome horror films, Hostel : Part 3 is at the same time a good gory dose of fun, the kind of film you sit back and watch with some friends and beers and just have a good time with. The main deciding factor to whether or not you enjoy this one as much as I did is really just a matter of whether or not you can get over the fact that this is not Eli Roth's Hostel 3, before you go into it. I kinda feel like a lot more people would've had a lot more fun with this one if it was a film that was totally independent from the franchise it's a part of (obviously Elite Hunting would have to be 86'ed from the script), much like how I feel about films like Halloween 3 & Silent Night, Deadly Night 4. Sure it would be considered a big time ripoff of Roth's ideas, but at least nobody would go into it with preconceived expectations. Bottom line being, it may seem kinda crappy when compared to Hostel and/or Hostel 2, but as its own little direct to DVD mashup of The Hangover and "torture porn", I don't really have anything bad to say about it.

*The 'Spiegel Cut' is something Scotty became known for through Intruder, where a violent act is about to take place, such as a dude being hit over the head with a meat cleaver, and then there's a quick smash cut to a scene of somebody smacking a watermelon with the same tool. Interestingly enough, you may remember Eli Roth utilizing the 'Spiegel Cut' in the first Hostel, when a chick's toe is about to get lopped off and then he cuts to a scene of a girl innocently cutting her own toenails.*

Cool Promotional Shit : The Devil Inside Rosary Beads!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:40:00 +0000

Ya ya, I know you all hate The Devil Inside but these rosary beads that were handed out at advanced screenings are pretty cool ...

That said, i'd kinda prefer stick on upside down cross tattoos and would totally rock one on my lower lip. Just sayin!

There's one of these currently selling on eBay with a starting bid of $9.99 if you're into all this promo shit as much as I am. But hurry, the auction ends in 11 hours!!