Movies At Midnight

Top Ten Best Horror Movie Soundtracks

2011-10-06T20:43:00.000-04:00

Different kind of music listeners have their own favorite musical genres and music lists. If you are a horror fan, you probably enjoy music that evokes creepiness,weirdness and terror. You can find these pieces on some of the best horror movie soundtracks. Below are the top 10 horror movie soundtracks that you should have in your collection if you love horror movies and the music that enhances their mood. Needless to say, these albums are best experienced in the dark.

1. Halloween: 20th Anniversary Edition

The soundtrack contains the staccato rhythmic devices of Mike Oldfield's classic Tubular Bells, combines them with dissonant The Exorcist-sounding score, and overlaid them with a few simple Grand Guignol-esque synth chords. The results are tracks that unsettle you as it gives you musical pleasure.

2. Jaws: Anniversary Collector's Edition Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

The theme music is so well known, that it automatically elicits a flight or fight reaction. Some say the movie will not nearly be as effective without that theme (a hallmark of a great soundtrack), and won composer John Williams his first Original Score Oscar. So much of Williams’ score depends on the nearly silent tension buttressed by deep, probing notes. It is what empathic movie scoring is all about.

3. The Exorcist: Music Excerpts From (1973 Film)

The soundtrack contains unsettling music and strange sounds from Penderecki and various other artists(including Jack Nitzsche). The classic tinkling of the Tubular Bells haunts you with its insistent sinister rhythm. 'Five Pieces For Orchestra' is absolutely beautiful with an eeriness hard to forget. 'Night Of The Electric Insects' is so full of emotion and thought that one can often become lost in the notes that pour out of the speakers. On 'Polymorphia' the stringed instruments are used to their utmost in the many different sections of the piece. But it is the perfect chord that seizes the finale of the whole piece that will blow you completely away.

4. Psycho: The Complete Original Motion Picture Score

The soundtrack composed by Bernard Herrmann is known Much for the razor-sharp, slashing strings that accompanies the iconic shower scene. Herrmann evokes dread and tension with just a few notes, or captures Janet Leigh's flighty panic in pizzicato as she hits the fateful road to the Bates Motel after impulsively stealing a large sum of money from her employer.

5. Friday the 13th

Harry Manfredini's score is built around eerie whispers that foreshadow the killer's identity and make use of Manfredini's own voice. The soundtrack features music from Night Ranger, The Hives, The Kills and the classic "Friday the 13th theme" by composer Steve Jablonsky. The theme evokes the bloody slashings of the movie.

6. The Omen: Original Motion Picture Score (Deluxe Edition)

With help from orchestrator Arthur Morton, Goldsmith uses splashes of sound to great effect, bending pitches and inserting bursts of atonality until even the cheerful sections (very few) sound spooky. This soundtrack, which won Goldsmith an Oscar for Best Original Score in 1976, plays an enormous role in setting the tone for the classic horror film about an ordinary couple who unwittingly adopt the Antichrist. Composer Jerry Goldsmith won the only Oscar of his long career for this score, whose highlight is the chant "Ave Satani," or "Hail Satan."

7. A Nightmare On Elm Street I & II

Charles Bernstein's score eschews traditional orchestral approaches while employing state-of-the-art synthesizers and sound effects to convey the horror of Craven's suburban dreamscapes. The inorganic, dehumanized tones produced by the composer's synthesizers underscore the narrative's detachment from waking reality. In A Nightmare on Elm Street II, the composer is Christopher Young. The children's song will haunt your thoughts long after you see the movie. The slow, simple chant of jump roping young girls on the street is fantastically horrifying.

8. Suspiria: Complete Version

You get everything in this amazing soundtrack - creepiness, horror, laughter, gaiety, and death. It all blends together in this tremendous music by Goblin. The music also mixes genres, rap-lovers as well as Bach fans have something to enjoy here. Goblin really succeeded more than ever in creating a dark and sinister atmosphere that's perfect for horror movies.

9. Sleepy Hollow: Music from the Motion Picture

Danny Elfman’s frightful score contains dramatic string passages, crashing percussion, and a children's choir . They all contribute to an eerie movie score that never settles on a singular theme. "Into the Woods" is the disc's creepiest moment, where the sounds of strings, brass, and a choir create a web of suspense. There are no dull moments here; whether driving and powerful ("Introduction") or mysterious and ethereal ("Sweet Dreams"), Elfman's score is--as usual--superb.

10. Bram Stoker's Dracula: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Wojciech Killar's score for Bram Stoker's Dracula contains music that is suspenseful, silly, scary, sensual, soft, and spiritual. Furthermore, the music possesses an uncanny subtlety. Even when it rises in intensity, there is still an underlying gentleness that is unmistakable. A whisper on your skin that belies the gravity of the score as it lives and breathes life into the very essence of the film.

The Walking Dead TV Episode 4 Review

2010-11-28T10:53:00.000-05:00

The Walking Dead TV Episode 4

Review by Bill Bedlam

Episode 4, "Vatos" is the first episode that Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead, wrote for the television series, and man did he write a good one!

The episode itself is a major divergence from the original comic continuity, with the inclusion of a Hispanic gang who Rick and his group of survivors run across in their attempt to find Merle and retrieve the bag of guns Rick left behind in the first episode of The Walking Dead. As with the prior changes made to the show from the comic storyline, it didn't feel shoehorned in whatsoever, and although the concept of the "bad guys" who are really misunderstood good guys isn't anything new, its set-up is an important aspect of The Walking Dead's mythos in that you cannot take anybody you encounter for face value.

Also in this episode, we get to see more examples of how living in the zombie apocalypse can just play hell with a person's mental stability. We see Jim digging graves for no other reason than a combination of a bad dream and too much exposure to the sun, which ends up with Shane once again stepping in to take control of the situation. Thankfully for Jim, it ends much better for him than it did for Ed.

For those of you who have been waiting for a full-on zombie attack, wait no more! As the survivors are sitting down for a fresh fish dinner around the campfire, a group of walkers invade leaving carnage in their wake! We see the expected munching of wife-beater Ed and the surprisingly early demise of Amy. Amy's death came as a surprise to me, because it comes much sooner then it did in the comic, but it was great to be surprised yet again by the television series! Her death captures another important aspect of the comic, in which nobody is ever safe. NOBODY!

With only two more episodes left of the inaugural season, I'm dying to see where we will be left with the season finale. I have my guesses on where it could in contrast to the comics, but as we're seeing, anything can happen!

The Walking Dead TV Episode 3 Review

2010-11-21T14:59:00.000-05:00

The Walking Dead TV Episode 3

Review by Bill Bedlam

Episode 3 of The Walking Dead, "Tell it to The Frogs", again reaffirms the greatness of the series with another massive increase in viewership! The phenom television series is spreading like a zombie epidemic, picking-up new watchers with every episode, and for those who have been in the know, it isn't a surprise.

Case in point, lets look at episode 3:

As I pointed-out in my review for The Walking Dead episode 2, I mentioned the difference in tone of the first two episodes. Where episode 1 was methodically paced and had chilling feel to it, episode 2 was more face paced and intense. With episode 3, we have yet another tone with an emotional roller coaster of human drama. Watching the reunion of Rick with his wife, Lori and their son, Carl was a perfect example of the compelling drama that drove the comic series for so many years. Where Rick and his family were awash with disbelief and joy, you see Shane being torn apart. Besides the shock of seeing that his partner and best friend Rick has "returned from the dead", he also has to come to grips with the relationship he was having with Lori and Carl coming to a crashing end.

The reunion is short lived as Merle's brother, Daryl (played by Norman Reedus of THE BOONDOCK SAINTS) returns to camp and the news of his brother's fate. Understandingly, Daryl lashes-out, and once Rick and Shane calm him down, Rick decides he must return to the city to not only rescue, Merle, but to retrieve the bag of guns, ammo and his walkie-talkie to contact Morgan and Dwayne who we last saw in episode 1. Merle, being the shiny ray of sunshine that he is, doesn't have many sympathizers at the camp supporting his rescue, but ultimately T-Dog's guilt gets the better of him and he volunteers for the mission. Rick also enlists Glen, since he knows the ins and outs of the city, and is their best bet to help ensure their return.

In episode 3 we also get a glimpse into the day to day life of the survivors in the camp, and how they are coping with life in a world with none of the comforts that they have grown accustomed to. We see the women have been designated for laundry duty while the men hunt, repair their vehicles, and keep watch. During one particular scene of the women down by a nearby lake, the ladies discuss some of the things they miss most, from their washing machines to their vibrators. And hey, who wouldn't miss their sex toys during the zombie apocalypse?

A growing plot thread that is developing is Shane's struggle with the return of Rick, and the fallout of his relationship with Lori and Carl. As mentioned earlier, when Rick returns Shane becomes a conflicted man. You see both the sheer shock and devastation underlying his happiness to see his best friend back from the grave. You almost wonder if he's happy at all? My answer is, "hell no". We see the night after Rick's return, Shane keeping watch... watching, Lori's tent that is. You can see him getting twisted-up inside with the thought of her laying with her husband once again.

Later on, back at the lake where the women are doing laundry, a confrontation between Lori and Shane reveals that Shane lied to Lori about Rick being dead, and she warns him to stay away from her and her family. Here is where the story deviates from the comic. In the comic, Shane never lied to Lori about Rick being dead. It was just assumed by both that he was. I feel that this is something of a slight cop-out for the character of Lori for the series. While it maintains the guilt she feels for being with Shane, it absolves her from taking responsibility for her actions, being able to blame in on Shane's deception. I don't think it will really take away from the story in the long run, but that little change to her character makes her more of a sympathetic character then she is in the comics and may alter some of her more choice moments from the comic.

After this scene, you can see Shane start to come apart even further. An incident breaks out at the aforementioned women at the lake with the one older woman and her abusive husband. Shane intervenes and succumbs to his rage, brutally beating the guy to a pulp. Andrea looks on knowing that something is seriously wrong with Shane, and wonders if this guy is quickly becoming a loose canon.

Have you noticed something about this review yet? If you're thinking, "This guy has hardly mentioned anything about the zombies", then my friend, you are correct. The episode really had only one zombie moment with a walker coming close to the camp, feasting on a deer carcass, and the group dispatching it accordingly. But that's the thing about The Walking Dead. Yes, it is a show about the zombie apocalypse and hordes of walkers looking for fresh meat to feast on, but they're more of a backdrop to the show, giving cause to the survivor's effect, than being the main antagonists. The real story is about the survivors and how they... well... survive. So, like in the comics, some issues deal with the survivors dealing with the zombies and some issues deal with the survivors dealing with each other. And that being done as well as it has been is the reason The Walking Dead is just so damn compelling!

SCREAM (1996) Movie Review

2010-11-21T10:25:00.000-05:00

SCREAM (1996)

Review by Bethany Ramos

Don’t answer the phone… This is perhaps one of my favorite horror movie lines from the last several decades, and for good reason. SCREAM has a wonderful familiarity for many of us who enjoyed it in the 90s, yet it still has the ability to make you jump in your seat. As a side note, you may enjoy revisiting this film since it features Courtney Cox and David Arquette, who are now divorced. Blast from the past!

SCREAM starts at a classic high school campus somewhere in the United States, although we can’t overlook the fact that all of the students appear to be in their 20s, reminiscent of the adultS cast as students in 90210. No matter. The point is that a maniac with a knife is on the loose, and for Sidney (Neve Campbell), her fate may be in his hands. SCREAM is directed by Wes Craven, who created the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET series and brings the same unique perspective to this horror film.

Yes, you will definitely find horror clichés in this movie, but you have to appreciate the self-awareness of the characters as they discuss what to do and not to do when a killer is on the loose according to classic horror movie "rules". In essence, you will get the “best practices” for a horror film, directly from the mouths of the lead characters. SCREAM, for that reason, brings a bit of cleverness to the horror genre, although you will still experience many of the same stereotypes and holes in the plot that seem almost ridiculous.

Bottom line? SCREAM is an enjoyable slasher movie that’s fun to watch even 15 years later as we await the new release of SCREAM 4 (or is that SCRE4M) next year. Most of all, don’t miss the scene with Casey (Drew Barrymore) trying to spend a quiet night alone watching a scary movie, when she makes the mistake of answering the phone. It’s a wrong number, but the caller keeps calling again and again, until he reveals that he is watching Casey from outside as she is alone in her house. Casey then turns to see her boyfriend bloody and tied up outside, where he is disemboweled before her eyes after she gets the caller’s horror movie questions wrong over the phone.

This is just a sample of what you can expect from the first in the SCREAM series, and remember, when watching this movie don’t answer the phone…

For a great selection of the Bunn home coffee maker, check out Bethany Ramos' website, The Coffee Bump.

The Walking Dead TV Episode 2 Review

2010-11-14T11:52:00.001-05:00

The Walking Dead TV Episode 2 Review

Review by Bill Bedlam

If episode two (Guts) of The walking Dead has proven anything to us, it's that:

A. Alot of zombie mayhem and compelling story can be accomplished in just an hour.

B. With another high rating of viewership for the second episode, AMC gave the green light for a second season, which means The walking Dead is here to stay!

With episode two, we begin to see some real departure in the storyline from the comic. As in the comic, Rick is helped by Glen but in the show he meets-up with a group of survivors trapped in the city. Among the group of survivors is Andrea, who is somewhat older than her comic counterpart, T-Dog, and Merle, played by Michael Rooker. After an encounter between Rick and Merle to establish who is running the show, the group puts a plan together to escape the zombie horde who are quickly working their way into the building.

For me, this was the real test of how I would feel about the changes made to the story. In episode one, elements seemed to only be tweaked to flesh-out more aspects of the world of The walking Dead, where in episode two, events playing-out and the inclusion of new non-comic characters were much different than the comic. Again, everything felt very organic and made sense for the show. Each new aspect which venture off the path set in the comics didn't take away from the story at all. I can't see any fans of the comic taking issue with the changes, because it doesn't hurt the story, nor change the characters whatsoever. The inclusion of the many new survivors delights me to no end, not because I'm eager to learn their backstory or get to know them, but I know their inclusion is pretty much going to allow for some awesome zombie chomping!

One aspect I found interesting about the pacing of the second episode is how it was drastically different from the first. Where the first was chillingly tense and almost methodical in laying-out the story, the second was fast-paced and heartpounding! In the comic book, each issue can be completely different in tone with story elements ranging from the survivors dealing with each other and their relationships, adjusting to the the world they live in now, to full-on zombie mayhem! I feel if that pace is maintained in the show, it will give The walking Dead that uncertain uneasiness and keep viewers on their toes throughout the series.

We also get to see some more characterization of Rick, having him start pulling the group together, which foreshadows the man he becomes in the comic. As far as the rest of the comic originated characters, such as Glen, Andrea, Amy, Lori, Shane, and Dale, we get some more glimpse into the type of people they are, which will be more fleshed-out as we go on.

Finally, lets talk about the zombies. I've noticed that the ones that exist in the world of The walking Dead are different from each other based on their state of decay. Some of the fresher ones move and function alot better than their more rotten compatriots. First and foremost, non of them are quite "runner zombies" as we've seen in the DAWN OF THE DEAD remake, or the gun-toting and almost human reasoning as we've seen in LAND OF THE DEAD, but these zombies have basic tool and problem-solving skills on par with a chimp. They seem to be able to "remember" aspects of their past lives, such as how to turn a doorknob and climb a ladder, as well as know that a rock will help break a window all of which is all fine by me. I think that gives them the element of danger where the survivors will learn that simply hiding and waiting is not going to be an option for long once the zombies find them.

All in all, I'm really digging the show. With episode two, The walking Dead is still on the right track and has me glued to the TV from start to finish. As we go into episode 3, I'm interested in the reunion between Rick, Lori, Carl, and, Shane. From what we've seen of the relationship which Lori and Shane have been developing in Rick's absence, it should be bittersweet and lead to some serious tension among the survivors!

THE LAST EXORCISM (2010) Movie Review

2010-11-14T11:25:00.000-05:00

THE LAST EXORCISM (2010)

Review by Gunter Jameson

Whatever THE LAST EXORCISM is, it is not predictable. Director Daniel Stamm and writers Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland came up with a great twist on a mostly dead horror sub-genre, exorcism movies, and made the tired material somewhat new again.

In THE LAST EXORCISM, which is due on DVD January 4th, a former child preacher turned agnostic, Reverend Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian), receives a letter requesting his help with the exorcism of a teenage girl named Nell (Ashley Bell). Since Marcus no longer believes in the reality of demonic possession, he sets out to show that exorcisms are nothing but hoaxes by performing a fake exorcism as a film crew follows him, documenting his tricks and slight of hand. However, once he’s pulled off his fake exorcism, Nell begins to act in erratic and unexplainable ways, leading Marcus and the film crew to believe that she is in fact possessed by a demon.

The film is shot in the shaky-cam, documentary style of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and CLOVERFIELD, which adds to the overall sense of claustrophobia and terror. And as the Reverend and the film crew dig deeper into each unexplained event, more and more questions arise. Each time the reverend feels that his job is done and that the possession was simply some sort of mental illness, his theories are obliterated, leaving more questions than answers.

Although the exorcism genre has had doubting evangelists before, Marcus’s doubt is not melodramatic or overplayed, thanks to the superb acting by Patrick Fabian. And Ashley Bell is able to bring real creepiness to her character by deftly maneuvering between a sweet and innocent teenage girl and the demonically possessed in a way that draws the audience in and leaves them questioning, as well as Marcus, the true impetus behind her increasingly horrifying acts.

However, although both Fabian and Bell do a fine job and the initial setup is original, the balance of the film falls flat, especially the hugely disappointing ending which is par for the course for this type of fake documentary-style film. Although, at some points, the documentary style adds to the feeling of anxiety in the audience, at other times it is simply confusing, leaving the audience to sort out exactly what is happening rather than cringing in terror. The end result is a movie that is innovative in its approach to the genre and has great potential to transcend the usual teen horror fare at the box office, but ultimately doesn’t deliver on its promise due to its necessarily limited documentary-style point of view. All-in-all it’s not a horrible film, but it is disappointing, knowing that it could have been so much better.

Gunter Jameson writes about several topics including travel, minimalism and online schools.

THE MIST (2007) Movie Review

2010-11-14T11:08:00.001-05:00

THE MIST (2007) Review

Review by Bethany Ramos

THE MIST is yet another Stephen King theatrical adaptation by Frank Darabont, further proving that they both make a good match when it comes to creating a quality horror film. This movie will not only keep you on the edge of your seat, but it will take you on an emotional journey that will stick with you long after the credits roll.

THE MIST begins with a storm, where David Drayton hides with his family in their basement to stay safe from the bad weather. When they wake up in the morning, they find that a tree has crashed through their front window, and they have lost power. David and his son go into town for supplies, leaving his wife at home. When they get to the grocery store, David realizes that something has gone horribly wrong. A bleeding man runs into the grocery store screaming about something in the mist, which is when David and the other grocery store customers see a thick mist rolling toward the city.

David soon discovers that he’s trapped inside the grocery store since he can’t go out into the mist and risk unspeakable horrors. David and the customers stay hidden inside the grocery store, with tensions mounting as time goes on. However, the survivors soon realize that there are creatures lurking inside the grocery store that are just as frightening as what may lie outside in the mist. These fears cause many of the cast members to unravel as they fight to stay alive, with David ultimately deciding to escape to get to his car and get free of the mist.

Overall, the entire cast is compelling and shows different aspects of how human nature reacts in adverse circumstances. This movie is a unique horror film since you become truly invested in the characters until the bitter end. The only criticisms of this film would be that some of the plot points are utterly predictable, but the film offers a deep emotional connection that will leave you thinking about it days afterward.

For those of you who can’t get enough of what Frank Darabont brings to the horror genre, he has now collaborated to bring the zombie epic The Walking Dead to AMC. This is a show following the storyline of the zombie apocalypse, where you will again get to know a group of survivors and most certainly become emotionally invested in their journey along the way as they survive the zombie disaster that has hit their town. These days, many of the best plot lines have hit the small screen, giving you one more reason to become addicted to a TV show that you just can’t quit watching. As a whole, the series takes a few detours from the original graphic novels but remains true to the characters and the theme of the books.

For a great selection of Bunn filters, check out Bethany Ramos' website, The Coffee Bump.

AUDITION (1999) Movie Review

2010-11-14T10:51:00.000-05:00

AUDITION (1999)

Review by Tom Parnell

What draws us to horror movies? Is it the feeling of being scared while in a safe and comfortable environment? Is it the heart-racing shock of imagining what could be lurking in the shadows? Or is it a kind of perverse schadenfreude as innocent victims suffer a fate worse than death on the screen in front of us?

These may seem like quite weighty questions for a mere film review, but anybody intending to watch Japanese director Takashi Miike’s AUDITION should be prepared to find themselves pondering them.

Prolific filmmaker Miike has explored cartoonish violence in films such as ICHI THE KILLER and the DEAD OR ALIVE series, but AUDITIO is all too real, which is where perhaps the horror is created. Everything that happens in AUDITI could happen; the main character is familiar and believable, his motivation understandable and his surroundings homely and comfortable. If Miike had chosen to add a ‘based on true events’ caption at the beginning I doubt few viewers would have questioned it.

The film begins with widower Shigeharu Aoyama being encouraged by his teenage son to find love again. Shigeharu’s friend, film producer Yoshikawa, suggests they hold a fake audition for an actress to play Shigeharu’s wife in a fictional film, and from there he can woo the applicant of his choosing.

Despite opening with the death of Shigeharu’s wife the beginning of the film has quite a positive feel and could easily have gone on to be a story of unconventional romance and clichéd ‘learning to love again’. Miike is not one for clichés and this is far from where the story is headed.

What does happen is that into this seemingly innocent story an unnerving undertone is introduced, in such a subtle manner that at first the viewer would be hard pressed to say exactly what it is that is making them uncomfortable. Miike’s style is reminiscent of David Lynch’s as he slowly builds tension and makes the mundane seem somehow surreal. Our expectations are continually confounded and the sinister atmosphere increases, until the film’s dramatic, difficult and disturbing crescendo.

It is difficult to review this film entirely without giving something away, although I defy anybody to predict the ending accurately. What I will say is that AUDITION ends with one of the most difficult movie scenes I have ever had to watch and I’m still not sure how I should feel about it. What I would say is that I don't believe it is entirely gratuitous.

AUDITION is a good film and I would definitely recommend it, it is engrossing, stylish and subverts the viewer’s expectations. What I would be uncomfortable in saying is that I enjoyed it all. Nothing is more tempting than being told something may be too extreme for you to see, but if you do watch AUDITION be aware that you may very well end up seeing more than you wanted to.

Tom Parnell is a writer and former journalist who is hoping for a Doctor Who box set for Christmas.

ANTICHRIST (2010) Movie Review

2010-11-06T18:24:00.001-04:00

ANTICHRIST (2010)

Review Joe Johnson

ANTICHRIST, directed by Lars Von Treir, never made it to the big screen, at least at my local multiplex, and with good reason! It is difficult film to watch and therefore does little to appeal to a mass audience. Having seen the trailer for this in 2009 I was immediately excited at the prospect of seeing what looked like a pretty grim horror, somewhat of an understatement I later found out. I waited patiently for the picture to debut but it never materialized. This only added to my anticipation when I found it nestling lonely on a shelf in my local Blockbuster months later as I assumed it had been deemed too scary for cinema audiences!

Scary is not really the right word to describe ANTICHRIST. Party poppers are scary when they make you jump, ANTICHRIST is downright disturbing. It follows just two unnamed characters, a husband and wife simply referred to in the film as ‘he’ and ‘she’, played by William Defoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg respectively. At the start of the film their son falls from his bedroom window to his death, neglected by his mother and father who are getting it on in a variety of locations around the house at the time.

The couple are understandably traumatized and, in seek of some respite, they take a vacation in a deserted cabin in the middle of a forest (personally I’d have choose a sunny beach with a cocktail bar but each to their own). While exploring the forest he and she both experience odd visions and rather than becoming closer and helping each other, they actually become alienated, when they’re not romping that is! The film is, visually, a work of art and some of the images associated with death and decay are truly disturbing. A talking fox does lighten the mood, even if its monologue to Defoe is somewhat ominous.

As the film proceeds the pair become increasingly mentally unstable and ‘she’ performs unspeakable acts of genital mutilation on both herself and her once loving husband while he sleeps. These scenes are incredibly graphic and all the more harrowing, as they lack the melodramatic pomp of Hollywood hits like HOSTEL, instead presenting them in stark, full frontal reality. All the while the scenes are played out against a juxtaposing cacophony of an opera soundtrack. Even if you are a die-hard horror fan this is a difficult watch, and I find hard to fathom gaining enjoyment from watching ANTICHRIST. As an artistic, sensory experience however it is unparalleled.

Joe is copywriter, and also works part time for a company who repair tumble dryers. He found watching ANTICHRIST a harrowing experience that he wouldn’t recommend to anyone but the most ardent horror fan!

The Walking Dead TV Episode 1 Review

2010-11-06T17:57:00.000-04:00

The Walking Dead Episode 1

Review by Bill Bedlam

So, were you one of the 5.3 million people to tuned-in to the premier of The Walking Dead on AMC? If you weren't (and you should hang your head in shame), you missed out on a historical moment in not only in the history of the zombie genre and comic book adaptions, but television as well!

Now you may say thats a bold statement, but I can back it up with ease.

First of all, any doubt of the show being faithful to its source material can be put to rest. From the opening scene of Rick's grisly encounter with a diminutive zombie, to his shoot-out with crazed gunmen, as well as his first venture into the city on horseback is like watching the comic come to life!

Although I knew exactly what was different from the comic, the changes were all very organic and enhanced story elements, rather than trying to "improve" on them like so many other comic adaptions in the past. Obviously, the creative team knows the old saying, "if it's not broken, don't mess with it".

I sit here now trying to figure-out where to start with this review, but it's almost impossible to pick out just one aspect of awesomeness. Do I begin with the gore and violence that go hand and hand with a zombie apocalypse? How about the spot-on characterization of Rick Grimes and Shane? Maybe I could talk about the brilliant tapestry of the world of The Walking Dead that really makes you think the zombie apocalypse could happen? Or how the terror and tension of just about the entire episode never gives you a moment to breathe? I could go on and on about any one of those for quite some time, but what stood-out to me about the episode most was that you are sucked in immediately, not only because it's a great story, but because you actually find yourself caring for these characters. Just like in the comic, Rick and the others are so very human and you easily relate to them. You sympathize with their struggles both physically and emotionally, while fearing for them with the constant threat of the ravenous undead lurking behind every corner!

This a great start for The Walking Dead. Although I try to avoid reading other reviews before I finish mine, the articles I have seen have been nothing but praise from critics and fans alike. This is a true testament to not only the phenomenal talent behind the show, but to the dedicated effort on AMC's part of marketing the hell out of the show before it's premiere.

AMC is streaming episode one on their site now, and it is also available on Hulu, in case you missed it. But really, you should have no excuse other than being in a coma if you did miss it, so get to that streaming video now so you're ready for episode two this Sunday.

To me, we're looking at a historic moment in zombie genre history! There have been plenty of movies, both good and bad over the years, but Kirkman's The Walking Dead weekly television series may be the greatest thing to happens to zombies since George Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD!

Well, thats it for this week's review. I'll be back next week with another for episode two!

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (2010) Movie Review

2010-11-06T10:32:00.001-04:00

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (2010)

Review by Joe Johnson

For me, the original PARANORMAL ACTIVITY was one of the best horror films of all time. Fright fanatics may refute this, but I’m happy stand my ground and argue that the first offering stood amongst horror greats such as THE SHINING and ALIEN. Although many likened it to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT owing to it’s handheld camera shooting style, I found it to be an entirely more visceral involving experience, simply because the framing was not influenced by seemingly artificial human intervention, rather we were seeing the events unfold raw and unedited.

When the sequel was announced I felt a mix of excitement and in trepidation, the latter because part of what made the first film such a unique experience was the method of storytelling. Having become accustomed to this style, and assuming the second offering stayed true to its roots I convinced myself that it would lack the same edge that its predecessor orchestrated so expertly.

While PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 does indeed retain the format of its big brother, the content is just as, if not more, mortifying second time round. The film charts the events that lead to Katie’s demonic possession in the original, beginning two months before in her parent’s home. Rather than just two main characters, this time Katie’s whole family is subject to the supernatural goings on, the addition of a dog and baby to the fold certainly offer ample opportunities for the demon to wreck havoc.

And wreck havoc it did, most notably on my constitution! As before, the film is a harrowing experience with expertly timed segments of high tension. The genuinely heart stopping moments are few and far between but when they come, they will rock you to the core, those of a nervous disposition need not apply, unless you have a sadistic tendency to test your thrill-threshold to the max, something which I’m guilty of!

The few criticisms I heard of the picture were that it was slow to start. This may test the patience of those with borderline ADD, but fans of the first will know that good things come to those who wait. It’s difficult to talk about the film without giving too much away but I can say with hand on heart that this is no shoddy, badly made sequel. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 builds on the success of the first film, toying with audience’s composure until it is frayed beyond all recognition. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 is recommended to any horror fan and is a worthy successor to one of the most nail-biting, edge-of-the seat examples of the genre.

Joe is a copywriter and horror movie fanatic. He highly recommends that you can see this film on the big screen rather than watching it on LCD TVs.

THE DESCENT (2005) Movie Review

2010-11-03T21:18:00.000-04:00

THE DESCENT (2005)

After a tragedy one year before, six female friends gather in the Appalachian Mountains to explore a cave system together. Soon after they enter the caves, a collapse blocks the path behind them and they are forced to venture forward, hoping to find another way out. As tension and fatigue begins to put a strain on the group, they discover to their horror that they are not alone in the dark. That is all the synopsis you're going to get, and all that you need.

This was bar none the best horror movie to hit the United States in 2006, even with its truncated ending (more on this later). Anyone who will try to argue this point simply hasn't seen this movie. It is that scary. So scary in fact, that your intrepid writer, who usually goes out of his way to keep the writing in third person and remain somewhat objective, is going to slip into full-on first person narrative for a moment.

No movie has done to me what THE DESCENT did since I watched the Japanese film PULSE. That was in 2001. As I watched this movie, alone at night on my couch, I could not help but move from one uncomfortable position to the next as the tension ratcheted up and the carnage spilled out on the screen. When the screen went black, my heart rate was bumping, my fingers were shaking and gosh-darn-it if I didn't pause just a moment before going into a dark room to turn on the lights.

This is Neil Marshall's second full-length outing as director. His first film, DOG SOLDIERS, was a unique take on werewolves and pitted them against a small band of military soldiers in the woods of Scotland. He returns again to the similar themes in his writing, only this time around six females discover what goes bump in the shadows and learn what goes bump within themselves. The film has a feminist agenda, without being preachy at all, and allows these women to let loose an inner strength that is too often in this world suppressed.

Throughout the entire film there is some very active camera and sound work going into creating a very specific mood and subconscious feeling within the viewer. In the beginning of the film, great pains are taken to use as many full and wide angle shots as possible, to give an open and airy feeling. But once inside the cave systems, the camera closes in on the actors and thus closes in on the viewer which brings about an uneasy and claustrophobic sense.

There are many shots where most of the screen is "dead" space, as the characters climb through the tiny tunnels, as if the blackness were swallowing them up. Speaking of blackness, lighting takes an interesting and sinister turn once they go underground. The second part of the film is lit purely from source light, i.e. torches, flares, glow sticks and a camera's infra-red lens, which washes entire scenes in strange hues of red and green, and can be quite disorienting at times.

While watching this film, the average horror fan will be able to easily spot several references and nods to past horror films, which in include ALIEN, THE THING, CARRIE and even the not so horrific GOONIES. Marshall does not try to hide the fact that his film includes these references. It is almost as if to say: remember the terror you felt when watching those other movies? Well I'm going to try and give you that same visceral reaction.

And now onto the "two" endings. This film was originally released in Great Britain, and the original end of the film had a much more bleak and somewhat open end. When Lion's Gate got the rights to the film, they literally stopped the movie halfway through the end. The truncated ending created a more happy ending for a movie-going American audience that would not be able to accept the true implied fate of what happened. Sadly this downbeat ending, which implied that no one made it out alive and was seen in full on the US DVD release, was overridden with the release of THE DESCENT: PART 2.

SAW 3D (2010) Movie Review

2010-11-02T22:18:00.002-04:00

SAW 3D (2010)

Halloween weekend seemed like the perfect time to wrap up the long, gruesome SAW series, but all of the loyal fans out there are asking, “Does it really have to end?” SAW 3D continues the story directly where SAW VI finished with main character Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) surviving the trap created by Jill (Betsy Russell).

All the while, Bobby (Sean Patrick Flanery) has become quite well-known because he’s survived a trap set by Jigsaw, and using that fame to write a book and go on tour. This, of course, infuriates Jigsaw, meaning that Bobby will soon be walking into a new trap set by… You guessed it - Jigsaw! This leaves him in a fight for survival for his own life and the lives of those close to him.

Even though many moviegoers may have been waiting in anticipation for the main character from the original movie, Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes), he is barely in SAW 3D. You see him in a few early scenes, and then he seems to disappear altogether with little input throughout the entire storyline. You may also be confused to find that the actual Jigsaw has but a few cameos in this movie. He did die in SAW III, but in most of the other movies following, he still had quite a bit of screen time through videos and flashbacks. In SAW 3D, you will find that Tobin Bell is hardly seen, although he has top billing in the movie promotion.

SAW fans may be split down the middle since SAW 3D brings the series full circle, and the movie features some seriously intricate and complicated torture chambers. However, movie fans may also be bothered by how little they see Gordon or Jigsaw, which are supposed to be the most meaningful characters in the series. What you will find most in this movie is a man moving from room to room, attempting to save people as usual. Unfortunately, this same scenario is quite played out by this point, with the traps not being as thrilling or gruesome as anticipated, especially compared to SAW VI. One trap involves pulling a key from a difficult location, and in another, a floor with huge patches missing has to be crossed which adds a bit of adventure to the quest. Moviegoers also may observe that the traps worked exactly as planned, although it would have been more believable to see at least one trap fail.

Although fans may have some criticism of this movie, it was the perfect way to wrap up the series and celebrate Halloween weekend. The storyline itself is well formulated with quite a bit of plot to keep you on the edge of your seat, and even with his minimal amount of screen time, Jigsaw’s appearance is horrific to say the least. Don’t miss out!

Bethany Ramos is a lover of horror movies and co-owns The Coffee Bump. For a great selection of Bunn coffee filters, check out Bethany Ramos' website!

A Very Happy Halloween To All

2010-10-31T09:10:00.000-04:00

Have a very happy Halloween from all your undead friends at Movies at Midnight!

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972) Movie Review

2010-10-30T18:11:00.001-04:00

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972)

Review by Tom Parnell

Maybe it’s an indictment of the desensitizing of modern audiences, but I find that most films which were banned or heavily censored decades ago would probably attract no more than a PG-13 rating today. LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT is not one of these films.

Made in 1972, it was part of the BBFC's infamous Video Nasties list. It wasn't until 2002 that this film was officially allowed to be released in the UK, and then it wasn’t until 2008 that a fully uncut version was passed by the BBFC. The film is still banned in multiple countries around the world.

If LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT had been about killer monsters or aliens I don’t think it would have had half the problems passing the censors, or half the impact on the viewer. However, the horror which director Wes Craven creates here is one that is so despairingly human that it becomes difficult to watch and for once I can understand why the BBFC might have wanted to protect certain people from seeing it.

The film tells the story of an ‘as American as apple pie’ family who live out in the sticks, and begins with their celebration of daughter Mari’s sweet seventeen. Much to the concern of her protective parents, Mari is heading out to the big city to watch a rock band with her rebellious friend Phyllis. What’s going to happen to them?

Meanwhile nearby, escaped criminals Krug Stillo and Weasel Podowski are holed up with equally disturbing partner Sadie and Krug’s junkie son Junior.

On their way to the concert our young protagonists meet Junior in a shop and are lured back to the gang’s hideout on the premise of buying some drugs. So begins a horrific ordeal, both psychological and physical, which sees the girls kidnapped and driven out into the countryside, where their torment continues.

LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT was horror big-hitter Wes Craven’s directorial debut, and even though it is of the same genre it is far from the cartoonish violence of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET or SCREAM. The film is also arguably more intelligent than Craven’s later work, as the viewer is faced with a series of escalating nightmarish scenarios and we get a real feeling of the girls’ powerlessness in the hands of their captors.

Craven also successfully uses Junior as a vehicle for a more human, nearly sympathetic witness to the girls’ torment, building a bridge between the viewer of the film and the character and pointing out the impotence of both in their ability to change the course of events.

This is not the ludicrous and tasteless realms of more recent ‘torture porn’ horror trend, as seen in films like SAW or HOSTEL. LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT’s last act causes the viewer to turn from revulsion at the acts of the psychotic criminals to practically cheering on Mari’s middle class parents as they perpetrate similar horrors, which leaves you on very thin moral ice and is a powerful statement about the fragility of society.

LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT is a difficult film to watch, but it is also an intelligent, thought-provoking film, which makes it a rare gem in the horror genre.

Tom Parnell is a writer and former journalist who is working with the lovely people at Virgin.

The Walking Dead Comic and TV Series - What You Need to Know

2010-10-30T11:21:00.001-04:00

Article by Bill Bedlam

Here we are, just a few days before the premiere of The Walking Dead television series on AMC, which debuts Halloween night at 10pm EST. For those of you who have lived in a cave for the past year, here's what you should, strike that, NEED know about The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead started-out as a black & white indie comic published by Image Comics and was created by series writer, Robert Kirkman (Invincible, Battle Pope, Brit, The Astounding Wolf-Man) in 2003. Originally, the art duties were handled by Tony Moore, but were taken over by current regular artist, Charlie Adlard, since issue #7.

The story revolves around lead character Rick Grimes, a small town police officer, his son, Carl, and an ever changing cast of survivors dealing with the trials and tribulations of life during The Zombie Apocalypse and the threats that come with it.

Kirkman has crafted one of the most compelling stories in comic history. His characterization of the human players and their relationships with each other and personal struggles are so intriguing, you almost forget that you're reading a comic about zombies. Don't be fooled though, the zombies are ever present and provide the element of danger and uncertainty that creates the uneasy and frightening backdrop to the series.

The success of The Walking Dead has truly been an example of a grassroots movement. In a day where superhero comics dominate the industry, mostly by the "Big Two" publishers Marvel and DC, The Walking Dead's meteoric rise in popularity has no other examples to compare to. The series has won numerous awards and nominations and continuously sells-out every issue to this day. Kirkman was made a partner of Image Comics and launched his own imprint, Skybound.

With all the success and buzz about the series it wasn't surprising that Hollywood would come a calling. Originally, Kirkman was approached by several movie studios offering deals to adapt the series into a feature length movie, but Kirkman held-out in hopes of an offer that would help ensure the integrity of the series.
Eventually, a deal was reached with televison network AMC to develop an adaption into a TV series.

Now having a home, AMC quickly attached critically acclaimed director Frank Darabont (THE MIST, SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, THE GREEN MILE) as writer/director and an executive producer along with Gale Anne Hurd (THE TERMINATOR, ALIENS, THE ABYSS) and Robert Kirkman himself. The pedigree of The Walking Dead is expanded even further with veteran special effects and make-up master Gregory Nicotero (DAY OF THE DEAD EVIL DEAD II) leading the FX team.

With a powerhouse of behind-the-scenes talent secured, the on-screen talent was not far behind. The announcements came quickly with notable cast members, including Andrew Lincoln who's acting background consists of mostly European television and film roles as Rick Grimes, John Bernthal as Rick's partner, Shane, Sarah Wayne Callies (Prison Break) as Rick's wife, Lori, and Jeffrey DeMunn (THE MIST, SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, THE GREEN MILE) as Dale.

Almost instantaneously after the news broke that The Walking Dead was being picked-up and developed for AMC, the buzz on the internet became more and more feverish with speculation and anticipation with every announcement.

Taking a page from the word-of-mouth movement that brought The Walking Dead comic such notoriety, AMC utilized viral campaigns on social networks like Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about the upcoming show, almost as quickly as a zombie outbreak!

AMC increased the frenzy among the media and fans alike with production stills of zombies for the show, blog videos of zombie actors attending "Zombie School", interviews with Kirkman and Darabont about their insight and passion for the series, and driving the fans rabid with video footage and trailers at both the San Diego Comic Convention and Spike TV's Scream awards.

Coming from such great source material, and having a creative team who not only has extensive experience in the Horror/Sci-Fi genre, but who are enthusiastic and care about the project, not to mention having the series creator as an executive producer, it seems like The Walking Dead is almost certain to be a hit with both fans old and new.

As a fan of The Walking Dead who was there from day one, I'm excited for the series premiere! It'll be nice to revisit how it all began, and will be interesting to see some new twists and turns that the show will introduce. So barricade the doors and windows, and stock-up on provisions and ammo, for the "Roamers" are coming and not everybody is going to get out alive!

Win a Hardcover Copy of THE DEAD PATH Novel

2010-10-28T09:27:00.001-04:00

Movies at Midnight and Nightly Horror News are teaming up with Random House to give away one free hardcover copy of Stephen M. Irwin's debut horror novel The Dead Path, with a glow-in-the-dark jacket cover!

To enter, simply subscribe, like or follow one of the Movies at Midnight social media profiles and then comment below on which platform you've subscribed.

If you are already a subscriber, just mention in the comment that you are already a disciple of Movies at Midnight.

One random winner will be chosen and contacted to receive the free book on November 26th.

For more information on the author and to read an excerpt from the book, check out Stephen M. Irwin on Facebook.

CANNIBAL TERROR Movie and DVD Review

2010-10-27T19:15:00.000-04:00

CANNIBAL TERROR (1981)

When two bumbling crooks and their prostitute friend hatch a plan to kidnap the young daughter of a car manufacturer, they think their money troubles are all over. But, these crooks can’t even get a simple kidnapping right, and when their plan falls through, the trio pull a few favors and quickly cross over into the next country to hide out, taking the little girl with them. There’s only one problem - the cottage they’re hiding out in is right on the border of cannibal territory!

Though the crooks think they’re safe, tension mounts no doubt due to the fact that Mario rapes Manuela, the wife of the cottage’s owner. Manuela’s husband deals with Mario in his own special way, while the other two race into the jungle. On their trail though, are the parents of the little girl and the tribe of cannibals who have picked up their scent. As the chase turns into free-for-all battle for survival, the only question remains is who will be lucky enough to simply die and who will become the next sacrificial meal of the cannibals?

For bottom-of-the-barrel EuroTrash sleaze looking to cash in on a horror fad, look no further than this Alain Deruelle (directing under the pseudonym Allan W Steeve) French/Spanish co-production from 1981, as he tries to ride the coattails of Italian directors like Ruggero Deodato and his infamous CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST. However, Deruelle proves that his abilities to mimic a genre to make a few bucks are even worse than Jess Franco at his worst. Interestingly enough, Franco was thought to be the true director of this movie for years.

The cannibal sub-genre is a particularly nasty offshoot in the realm of horror, and lends its perverse violence, often times demeaning stereotyping and lurid acts of sexual depravity to those with an acquired taste. And that is when the genre is done right. When done as a poorly cobbled together cash-in such as CANNIBAL TERROR, the results are a mixture of unintentional humor and boredom, interrupted ever so briefly with moments of stomach-turning disgust.

Here, the laughter starts from the first scene with abysmal acting from everyone involved, magnetized by the canned and nearly-emotionless English dubbing, but really gets the guffaws rolling with the introduction of perhaps the worst depiction of cannibals the screen has ever seen. These cannibals, who for the most part are pasty white Europeans with sideburns, flowing locks of hair, and beerbellies who have painted their faces and can barely contain their giggles as they hoot and holler and dance around endlessly. Rather than try to exploit their “savage rituals” a la MONDO CANE, here it amounts to nothing more than a ridiculous updating of white guys pretending to be Indians in old Hollywood westerns.

Now the highlight, if one can call it that, of any good cannibal films is of course the visceral display of flesh eating. Derulle’s version of that is to substitute a pig’s body for that of human, drape some clothes over it, and let a few extras tear it apart. We get two scenes of this grotesque barbarity, as a few fellows pull at and pretend to eat the organs of some piggy. Its a bit revolting, until you notice their smiles, as if it say, “look at us, we’re cannibals!” It is impossible to take anything even remotely serious after that.

The rest of the film amounts to a few brief glimpses of nudity thanks to exploitation mainstay Pamela Stanford (BLUE RITA, GIRL SLAVES) in one of her final roles, lots and lots of walking, a few clips of jungle stock footage, and a rollicking African beat inspired soundtrack. In fact, there’s just enough footage of interesting and exciting scenes to be able to cut together a trailer that (as is often the case) promises much more than is ever delivered.

It is a sure bet that if CANNIBAL TERROR had not been labeled a Video Nasty and briefly banned in the UK during the mid-’80s, the film would have long ago disappeared into obscurity. But now, thanks mostly to this infamous list it has lived on, and now the movie has finally been restored to all its uncut “glory” by Severin Films for its US DVD debut, where it will surely continue to provide laughs for a whole new generation of gut-munching fanatics.

The DVD provides an anamorphic widescreen transfer of an uncut print, and has been remastered in Hi-Definition, though the quality varies from one scene to the next, and even one cut to the next. The sound retains glaringly obvious of its dubbed roots. The special features include a deleted scene, which is just a short clip of Pamela Stanford dancing around topless that should have been reinstated into the film and the theatrical trailer featuring a priceless voice-over, especially when the announcer exclaims “Cannibal Terror!”

For genre enthusiasts this is worth a precursory glance just for the sake of curiosity and mocking, and for those that absolutely positively have to own every Video Nasty. For the rest, there is nothing to see here.

GINGER SNAPS (2000) Movie Review

2010-10-25T19:10:00.000-04:00

GINGER SNAPS (2000)

Sisters and best friends Brigitte and Ginger Fitzgerald are inseparable teens who share everything together, and are never far from each others side. When the two decide to kidnap a fellow student's dog for attacking Brigitte, Ginger is attacked by a snarling monster in the woods. Was it just a big dog, or was it the small town's fabled beast, who kills and eats animals? The next day, Ginger's graphic wounds from the attack begin to rapidly heal, and Ginger starts to feel a primal change within her. She also finally gets her period, three years later than she should have.

When Ginger's changing attitudes begin to drive the two sisters apart, Brigitte begins to suspect that Ginger was attacked by a werewolf. Ginger's physical changes, from thick coarse hair and a small tail protruding from her back, solidify her fears. She turns to the local drug dealer and horticulturist for advise on a possible cure. Ginger's changes appear to be from a biological virus, and if it is a disease, then there must be a cure. The only question is whether an antidote can be found before Ginger completely snaps.

Horror, and to a slightly lesser degree science fiction, has always had the benefit to its writers to mean something else or to be seen as an allegory to a more serious or dangerous topic to discuss. The classic monsters of early horror cinema hid frail human emotions. Communist undertones were rampant in the 1950s, under the guise of cheap B-horror schlock. The "body horror" sub-genre was perfected by David Cronenberg and Shinya Tsukamoto to talk about contagious disease and the natural breakdown of the human body. Sometimes these topics can be overlooked, or not even noticed, by those who are just looking to be entertained or get a cheap scare. Sometimes they are seen by those with a keen perception. Sometimes however, the "real" topic of the film is so obvious that it almost becomes silly to hide it within another genre. Such is the tragic story about Ginger, written by Karen Walton and directed by John Fawcett.

Werewolves have always had the distinction of being a cover to talk about involuntary physical and mental changes or to serve as a juxtaposition to a spreading disease via blood. From THE WOLFMAN to AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, the main protagonists become lycanthropes against their will, and must deal with their permanent curse. Such is the case in GINGER SNAPS, were Ginger's affliction is merely a red herring for puberty and all the unbalanced hormones that come with it. For Ginger, the slowly gestating lycanthrope virus is just the same as her new found primal desires for boys and her period - she can not control her desires, and is willing to do anything to make it stop. Karen Walton's script, which is laden with the terrors of womanhood, gives a feminine injected boost to a genre that seems permanently bulls-eyed at 18-34 year old males. For the men in this film, their horror comes from their inability to dominate and control a woman either through verbal put-downs or archaic parenting, in the face of her female ferocity.

This is not to say that the film skimps on the actual werewolf story. It is quite the opposite in fact. Walton's biological take on the subject is well thought out, and it takes the entire film for Ginger to finally succumb to the virus. In between, make-up and creature effects designer Paul Jones (who previously worked on NIGHT BREED and the HELLRAISER series) slowly transforms actress Katharine Isabelle into an animalistic version of herself. The changes are very subtle, and his dedication to physical make up and latex, play integrally into the believability of Ginger's transformation. And when Ginger finally makes the full transformation, it is a violent and painful turn, recalling the transformation in AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. The final creature, which again is a physical effect brought to life by an actor and animatronics, is a unique creature. And thanks to Jones' build up earlier on, one can easily make the connection, especially in the eyes of the creature, that this was once Ginger.

Under Fawcett's direction, the film gets a standard horror atmosphere as he brings his characters through dimly lit woods and drenching school hallways and the sisters' room with shadows, though there is nothing mind blowing in his approach to his suspense set-ups. During the attack sequences, the camera keeps with the characters witnessing the attack, or are hiding during the attack, rather than showing what is actually happening. Fawcett gives just enough of a glimpse to let the viewer fill in what is happening. Though this may have been done due to the budget constraints, Fawcett makes it work. What he doesn't skimp on is the aftermath, showing multiple half eaten dogs and the invariable dark-laced humor that follows during clean up, or Ginger's shredded victim when she has to protect her secret.

Upon its release in the US in early 2001, it was completely ignored as a theatrical release (IMDB states it was shown on *one* screen) and then unceremoniously dumped on DVD in 2003 in a full-screen only version. Fortunately for those with a little hunting power, in Canada (the Canadian government funded this film as part of their film program) there is an incredible DVD release. It is a shame too, because this film deserves a much wider audience than it has received. Two decent sequels rounded out the Ginger "trilogy" in 2004.

Nightly Horror News Website Up and Running

2010-10-24T13:18:00.000-04:00

I'm very happy to announce the launch of Nightly Horror News, a website dedicated to horror movie news plus the occasional story on music, comic books, and television.

This will allow Movies at Midnight to return and refocus on what it has always been meant to be, a movie review website.

I hope you check it out. I'm just getting the website up and running, but it will soon be integrated into most aspects of the Movies at Midnight social media empire, such our facebook fanpage and twitter account plus I'll be setting up independent accounts for this new venture.

BAY OF BLOOD (1971) Movie Review

2010-10-23T10:15:00.000-04:00

BAY OF BLOOD (1971)

On a grand estate on the shore of a bay, an elderly woman clings desperately to the land so that it will not be bought and turned into a resort. However, her murder sets off a chain reaction that brings all of the potential heirs to the estate out of the woodwork, and more disturbing, an unknown killer who begins to systematically murder each of these heirs. The situation takes another turn for the worse when a group of teenagers decide to trespass on the estate, and are quickly targeted by a killer who knows no remorse, sympathy, or limits to their cruel imagination for slaughtering their next victim.

In 1970s Italy the murder-mystery, also known as a giallo, was coming into its golden age soaking the screen in blood, filling it with red herrings and sleazy sexuality and generally confusing the hell out of the audiences with complicated plots. But when famed director and writer Mario Bava brought BAY OF BLOOD to the screen, it was like nothing anyone had seen before. Starting off from a generic storyline that could be found in any run-of-the-mill giallo, Bava quickly amps everything up from the almost insane weaving of all the characters' relationships, to the one-after-another murders that are each committed in a more horrific way, to the gratuitous and graphic sex and nudity.

This film has become known as the very first official slasher film, and is (or at least should be) the water mark to compare all other films that compete for the slasher subgenre label. In America, it can be debated whether BLACK CHRISTMAS or HALLOWEEN was really the first US slasher film, though both owe all their screen credit to Bava's masterpiece. The early FRIDAY THE 13TH films in particular also borrow heavily from this film, right down to the first-person POV and some of the signature murders in the series. For better or worse (and for most fans it is probably the better), due to BAY OF BLOOD, sex and violence will always be married in the slasher genre.

It is not just that the film is the very first slasher, it is a great slasher and can still to this day hold up against any would be film adversary. The groundbreaking murder sequences within the film alone make the film worth seeking out, even if you are passive fan of the genre. The make-up special effects, helmed by Carlo Rambaldi (who would later work on E.T. and ALIEN among others) can still hold up almost forty years later, which is testament to their realism. It is truly a crime that as the years passed this film has become more obscure, fallen off the "must see" lists of some horror stalwarts, and may even be unknown to younger and newer faces to the horror scene.

This was one of the last films that Mario Bava would make, and it is a culmination of a lifetime of work. Even though the movie's essence can be boiled down to a horror shocker, each of the film's individual parts are given the respect and professionalism that would be seen in a high art or dramatic picture. Bava has always been known as one who uses color to manipulate and enhance his films, and it is no exception here. The music plays a critical part in setting moods and building up suspense. Bava's camerawork pulls from the well established "unknown killer" motifs and makes them his own, which set the stage for future directors and cinematographers to mutate to their own needs.

Any horror fan owes it to themselves to give this film, and Mario Bava, the full credit and respect that it deserves, and that even if it doesn't become a permanent part of your home collection, that it is seen at least once for historical purposes. When watching this, try to keep in mind when it was made practically no one had done anything like this before. And guaranteed, no one will see the ending coming, nor has anyone had the balls since to make an ending quite like BAY OF BLOOD. The couple being double-impaled on the bed while having sex is just icing on the bloody cake.

SUSPIRIA (1977) Movie Review

2010-10-21T22:08:00.001-04:00

SUSPIRIA (1977)

Review by Tom Parnell

What exactly do witches do?

If you think about it nobody has ever really explained this. From a very young age we are told there are witches, they have little pointy hats and broomsticks, throw frogs into cauldrons and cackle a lot. But nobody ever explains why they do all this. What is their goal?

Dario Argento’s cult classic SUSPIRIA poses this question in a sort of Grimm fairytale for adults (if the brothers Grimm were sponsored by an artificial blood production company). Whether the film actually answers it is another matter.

The movie begins with all-American stranger-in-a-strange-land Suzy Bannion (played by Jessica Harper) arriving in an unnamed European country where she has enrolled in a prestigious ballet school. What’s going to happen to her?

We are less than five minutes in before the tension begins to build, driven in no small part by the EXORCIST-style theme performed by the aptly named Goblin. Although Argento goes to great lengths to build suspense throughout SUSPIRIA, we are left in no doubt as to the nature of what lurks in the shadows, as the phrase “Witch” is repeatedly whispered whenever the music grows to a climax. At points this can get somewhat irritating, as there are several moments when the characters are listening for specific creepy noises around them and it becomes hard to distinguish sound effects from the relentless repeating soundtrack.

From the start the film’s set design and cinematography are stunning. Every building and room is bigger than life and decorated in a spectrum of coloors with wallpapers that appear to have been designed by an excitable descendent of William Morris. Argento continually finds unusual and exciting angles from which to frame shots, from distant headlights through a pitch-black woodland to the unusual spectacle of pouring a glass of wine practically straight down the viewer’s throat.

Where this film falls down is in the plotline and dialogue. Suzy wonders around the mysterious dance academy doe-eyed and mouth agape, while the requisite number of friends and acquaintances are knocked off in a variety of gore-soaked ways. Then suddenly and inexplicably she starts talking about witches (I can only suspect that she somehow caught a snippet of the soundtrack) and the next thing you know she’s off consulting a ‘witch expert’ who happily knows an awful lot of plot exposition.

I read afterwards that Argento had initially planned to populate the dance academy with 12-year-olds, but the studio wouldn’t let him so he kept the dialogue in protest. This would explain a lot, but if it is the case it seems a shame that he ultimately punishes the viewer for this censorship.

In all SUSPIRIA is a stylish and well-paced horror, with some truly grizzly set pieces. But if you’re wondering what motivates a witch I still can’t tell whether it’s murder or whether they’ve just got to dance!

Tom Parnell is a writer and former journalist who is eagerly awaiting the DVD release of Toy Story 3.

Rick Takes Action in Latest THE WALKING DEAD Clip

2010-10-20T18:40:00.000-04:00

In this latest clip from the upcoming comic book adaptation of THE WALKING DEAD, Rick shows he's already learned the mantra of any zombie apocalypse survivor - aim for the brain.

The 90 minute season premiere is set to air on AMC Halloween night at 10pm EST.

The dead are coming. Are you prepared? Spread the word!

The Top 5 Horror Movies of 2010 (So Far) - 15 Days till Halloween

2010-10-16T15:58:00.001-04:00

Top Horror Films of 2010 (So Far)

Article by Joe Johnson

I personally feel that 2010 has been a somewhat lean period for our beloved horror genre. Maybe I’ve had my head in the sand, but I don’t feel we’ve been treated to the steady drip feed of horrors that we’ve had in pervious years. Although horrors have been few and far between, I think we’ve had some real gems nestling in amongst those pesky Rom-Coms your girlfriend always wants to see. Here are my Top 5 Horrors of the year so far:

1. PIRANHA 3D

This film was trashy, throwaway, tongue in cheek, and all the better for it! It never once took itself seriously and for this reason endeared itself to even the most staunch horror critics. Blending colorful, summery imagery and gyrating chicks in bikinis with levels of gore that truly put SAW and HOSTEL to shame, it proved a unique experience that left me mentally drained!

2. THE LAST EXORCISM

Another exorcism film? Really?! It seems every flick that deals with demonic possession is trying to out do the 37-year old daddy of horror, THE EXORCIST. THE LAST EXORCISM is a good effort but falls short of this accolade, mainly for its bizarre and anti-climactic ending that no one really understood!

3. THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE

An underground classic if ever there was one, THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE charts the escapades of a deranged surgeon who captures unwitting guinea pigs for his twisted experiment which consists of sewing people together, orifice-to-orifice. This was not released in mainstream cinemas and with good reason, it was bleak and challenging.

4. DAYBREAKERS

This turns the classic vamp flick on its head. Set in 2017 it depicts a world where the majority of the population are vampires. The human population is dwindling, meaning the vamps are rapidly running out of blood and a number of scientists are battling to save the human race while pioneering an alternative food source.

5. SHUTTER ISLAND

One in a long list of silver screen horror hits with a mental-health theme, SHUTTER ISLAND sees DiCaprio visit an asylum where there are some strange goings on. DiCapro faces a struggle to deal with the voices in his own head while fending off crazy people in this thought provoking masterpiece with a killer twist.

What lies in wait for the rest of 2010 that could topple one of these titles? Anything out there you'd would hav rather seen here? Let us know!

Joe is horror movie lover who works as a copywriter for a company leasing cars.

Top Twenty Horror Films Presented to Final Girl - 18 Days till Halloween

2010-10-13T23:22:00.001-04:00

Over at Final Girl, Stacie Ponder is currently counting down a reader generated list of favorite horror films as part of her Shocktober shenanigans. That list contains 732 unique movie titles. Crazy! Fantastic! Fantazy!

Your humble blogger submitted his top twenty of course, and is anxiously awaiting to see where they line up. Thus far, I've only seen one of my twenty pop up, that being EVIL DEAD TRAP. I'm always asked to name my top films, and more specifically my top horror films. When I submitted my last a few weeks ago they happen to be (in no particular order):

John Carpenter's Halloween
John Carpenter's The Thing
The Haunting
Nosferatu
Nightmare on Elm Street 3
Ringu
Ju-On: The Grudge
Evil Dead Trap
Mr. Vampire
Tobe Hooper's Texas Chainsaw Massacre
George A. Romero's Dawn of The Dead
Alien
Evil Dead II
Silence of the Lambs
Friday The 13: The Final Chapter
Zombi 2
David Cronenberg's The Fly
The Descent
Suspiria
Bay of Blood

I'm a little irked that I didn't put THE EXORCIST on here, but I'll make up for that on October 17th. Be sure to come back in a few days for a special dedication to THE EXORCIST.

What are your top horror films at the moment? Don't think to much, just start typing and the goods will float to the top naturally like a body that hasn't been properly weighted with a ballast.

18 days till Halloween...

DEAD SNOW (2009) Movie Review

2010-10-12T23:52:00.000-04:00

DEAD SNOW (2009)

Review by Tom Parnell

When it comes to monsters, Nazi zombies may not be a new idea, but they are up near the top of the horror food chain, along with ghost ninja pirates. It would be far too easy for a lazy director to rely on this epitome of horror squared to carry the whole film, while simply ignoring the basics of character development, or even just decent dialogue.

DEAD SNOW however, with its snappy script, great direction and post ironic nods to its predecessors, happily avoids falling into this trap. This is a highly enjoyable movie which can have you laughing and wincing in the same moment, without relying on one gimmick to keep the audience enthralled.

Norwegian director and co-writer Tommy Wirkola’s only previous feature film, KILL BULJO, is a bizarre Scandinavian parody of Quentin Tarantino’s KILL BILL, with murdered reindeer, racist police officers and a pastiche of the famous DELIVERANCE ‘squeal like a pig’ scene. Although it may not seem like the most natural step to go from there to a full-blown zombie horror, much of the humour is carried through into DEAD SNOW and you get the feeling that, like a smirking version of Tarantino, Wirkola is a man who likes his movies.

DEAD SNOW has many of the classic cabin horror elements; a group of youngsters heading out for a ski holiday and staying in a remote shack, something evil lurking in the woods and a mysterious stranger with a tale of horror. What it doesn’t do is treat these as anything more than the clichés we all know they are.

For one of the first times since SCREAM the main characters actually exist in a universe where horror films are available; they know the rules (there is an excellent scene involving what to do if you’re bitten by a zombie) and they aren’t about to go quietly into the night. There are plenty of laughs and nods to films such as EVIL DEAD, but I still felt myself genuinely caring about some of the characters and willing them to survive.

Wirkola does a great job of creating tension when it’s needed and going for full-on blood-spattered snow when the time comes. You may have been wondering why the fact that the walking dead are Nazis makes any difference, but the addition of SS uniforms does add a genuine extra element of sinisterism to the zombie hoard and the high quality of the zombie make-up perfectly complements this.

In all, DEAD SNOW is funny, exciting, beautifully visual and genuinely terrifying in parts and with a the tagline “Ein, Zwei, Die” who could resist?

Tom Parnell is a writer and former journalist who spends too much time sitting around at home listening to Kings of Leon albums.

MONSTERS (2010) Movie Review

2010-10-12T18:52:00.001-04:00

MONSTERS (2010)

Review by Michael Montenegro

I recently watched MONSTERS as an early release on my FiOS Video on Demand; it's USA theatrical release is scheduled for October 29th. I went in to watching this movie with moderately high expectations since they are marketing this movie as "2010's DISTRICT 9".

However, let me be the one to burst that bubble! In order for that comparison to be accurate DISTRICT 9 would need to remove 95% of their alien scenes, have the lowest common denominator plot devices and turn out to be a love story masquerading as a "monster" movie.

MONSTERS' premise is that 6 years ago NASA found the possibility of intelligent alien life in our solar system. They launched a probe and instead of landing safely it crashed in the middle of Mexico and the region was quickly inhabited and over run with "strange creatures." The area was walled off and became the Infected Zone, with sections of Mexico (and presumably America) bordering the Infected Zone constantly under attack from said creatures.

Now that sounds like a great idea for a movie about giant monsters! Sadly this is NOT a movie about giant monsters, it's a love story?! That's right, I watched and waited patiently for my big pay-off alien showdown and all I got was two of the most flat and uninteresting characters trekking across Mexico together and falling in love at the end. The offending characters are Andrew Kaulder, a photographer for a major US publication and Samantha Wynden, the "runaway bride" daughter of the publisher of said publication.

Samantha is caught in and slightly injured in an altercation between military forces and a wandering creature near her hotel in Mexico, where she is hiding out from her father and fiancee. Apparently her emotions around getting married are so confusing she runs to creature-infested Mexico presumably on daddy's dime to think things over. Really?! Not some tranquil far away European nation or some private island that fits your characters' background? Nope she picks the most ghetto areas of Mexico where alien encounters and devastation run rampant.

Enter our photographer Andrew, who is tasked by daddy dearest to find and bring his daughter back safely to the US. He's hesitant at first since leaving the area to escort "Ms. Whiny rich girl with problems" home will likely derail his opportunity to get some real shots of these creatures, which is his job and the whole reason he's stationed down there in the first place. But after a somewhat "stern talking to" over the pay phone from daddy he agrees to get her to the harbor and on the last ships to the states.

Arriving at the harbor they find there's only one company selling tickets for the last ship out and of course the price of admission is a steep one. They negotiate a little and get two tickets on the ferry leaving at 7am the following day. So what better to spend the night before your last shot of leaving the area for 6 months then shack up in a shady flee-bag motel and go out drinking like it's Cinco De Mayo!

We all know drinking leads to feelings and a "connection" but it doesn't lead to anything physical with unattached to Whiny rich girl so Andrew, being a guy, finds a local lady to end his night. The next morning Samantha, upon discovering Andrew's passed out bed mate, runs away upset and Andrew gives chase in his boxers to "apologize?"

If you're confused by this don't worry, it's natural. So of course after working this apparent "tiff" out Andrew returns to find... the tickets and their passports have been seemingly stolen by his now absent lady of the night. Oh no!! Who could have foreseen such a plot twist?! Oh right anyone who has half a brain and knows the movie isn't even halfway over and they haven't entered the Infected Zone yet!

They try to reason with the uncaring ticket guy who simply explains the price has now doubled! How could they possibly afford double... if only one of them had a super rich and connected father... but that only happens in the movies! So the the only option left is to go through the Infected Zone with "Mercs-for hire" and to cover the cost our heroine hands over her diamond engagement ring. Gasp!

Well at least now I'll get to see the creatures attack people and run amok right?! Wrong! Our intrepid duo navigate the Infected Zone with their "guides" coming to rest for the night and hearing stories told around campfire of why the area is refereed to as Infected. Turns out the creatures mate and the female lays her eggs in the form of glowing toadstool growths on tree trunks all over the jungle.

The group's night is interrupted by a radio squawk of an obvious attack in the area. As they try to escape the danger the first truck out of the two is picked up by some dark tentacles and dropped. Gunfire and screaming ensues and through a broken and flipped over truck window we see our first real, all be it quick, glimpse of the creatures. Back lit only by the moon we see basically a big Octopus on what appears to be stilt like legs, yep... that's all these new breed of Monster movie makers can imagine for us.

So now alone Andrew and Samantha push on toward the "promised land" of America. They reach a very old temple and climb to the summit and look out across the jungle and see a massive wall signaling the border of Mexico and America. The scene, which could have had a really interesting effect, is ruined by the next few pieces of dialogue in which, with the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the head, drives home the point that America is something we take for granted while inside and how it's so different looking at her from the outside in.

Wow! So on top of a love story it's also addressing the issue of illegal immigration! What can't this movie do... oh right, show me Giant Monsters being Giant Monsters!

Thankfully we're reaching the end of this dribble. So as our couple reach the seemingly deserted and abandoned border wall, seeing only emptiness and hurricane like destruction, it appears all is not safe in America. They wander into the night finally finding a run down yet still functioning gas station equipped with lights and a working phone and pay phone. They quickly call the 911 and are told to stay put and a military unit is in the area and en-route to pick them up.

Now this has promise, our heroes are alone in the dark, the military is on the way and all signs point to a nice decent action sequence to close out the movie. Again Wrong!

What we see on the final moments of MONSTERS is not one but two creatures, again back lit by sporadic lightning flashes, who stumble upon the gas station and come together and mate. They apparently lock tentacles and glow with bio-luminescence then walk away making almost whale like calls. As they walk away the military unit of twin Humvees show up and take our couple away separately. That's right, the final image we as an audience of MONSTERS see is our couple looking longingly at each other, knowing they can never be, that their just from two different worlds. Fade to black. The End. WHAT!?!

The level of anger and sheer disappointment I felt at a movie that was billed as a return to the Giant Monster movie was epic! What we have here is a movie about two people from different worlds coming together and eventually falling in love with each other with the backdrop of creatures roaming around the jungles mating. The perfect words I can find to describe this movie are "Wasted Potential". However if the idea the entire time was to make MONSTERS a love story then why call it MONSTERS?

I can't in good faith recommend this movie for any fan of legit monster movies. The ratio of monster to human drama is completely off balance. If you're looking for a love story that has an indie feel with very little monster parts this is the movie for you. But if you're a fan of old school GODZILLA or BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS movies stay away, unless you like to be teased and taunted with no payoff.

Michael Montenegro is an avid Horror/Sci-fi movie fan. He is also a hardcore comic reader and artist having graduated from The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. He currently resides with his fiancee, two cats and a ferret in NJ.

Origin of the Jack-o-Lantern in Irish Myth - 21 Days till Halloween

2010-10-10T17:50:00.000-04:00

One of the easiest to recognize and longest lasting symbols of modern Halloween is a jack-o-lantern, a pumpkin which has been hollowed out, had a face carved on one side and a candle placed inside to give off an eerie glow. While this tradition is religiously followed by millions every year, the origin of this icon has alluded many.

The practice of carving jack-o-lanterns has been around for centuries, though it has not always been associated with Halloween. It origins is steeped in an Irish myth about a man who was nicknamed Stingy Jack, who played a trick on the Devil, of which there are several variations of the trick played. One of which features Jack tricking the Devil to turn into a coin to pay for a night of drinks and then placing the coin in his pocket next to a cross preventing the Devil from changing back. Another features Jack asking the Devil to climb a tree to grab some fruit, then placing crosses around the tree preventing the Devil from climing down. Though the trick is different from story to story, the resolution is always the same, in which Jack only releases the Devil after promising not to claim his soul when he dies.

The legend continues that when Jack finally does die, God does not allow Jack into heaven for all the tricks and misery he has caused during his life. True to his word, the Devil does not claim Jack's soul and refuses his entry into Hell. Instead, he sends Jack back off into the dark night with only a burning ember from the pits of Hell to light his path. Jack carves out a turnip and places the coal inside to light his way as he roams the Earth for eternity looking for a resting place. The Irish began to refer to this doomed figure as "Jack of the Lantern," which eventually morphed into "Jack O'Lantern."

Throughout Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lantern by hollowing out turnips or potatoes, carving scary faces onto them and placing them into windows or near doors to scare away Stingy Jack and any other evil spirits wandering around. Irish immigrants came to the United States in the mid 1800s they brought the jack-o-lantern tradition with them. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to North America, made for much better jack-o-lanterns and adopted them as their lantern of choice.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the jack-o-lantern became adopted first into Thanksgiving and fall harvest festivals, and then into Halloween festivities which had morphed from their pagan origins into a community celebration.

21 days till Halloween...

THE WOODS (2006) Movie Review

2010-10-10T10:50:00.000-04:00

THE WOODS (2006)

Heather is a rebellious teen who has been brought to an isolated all-girls school deep within an old forest in an attempt for her to learn some control over herself. Heather is none too keen on the idea, and attempts to worm her way out of it, but to no avail. She meets the headmistress Ms. Traverse, befriends shy Marcy, and likewise becomes the object of torment by the school’s alpha student, Samantha. On her first night sleeping there, Heather has a horrific nightmare, as she has visions of the surrounding woods and begins to hear voices. And though no one will come out and say it, Heather feels an aura of the supernatural lingering around the school as days turn to weeks. When a student goes missing, and Heather learns of the legend of the school, she begins to suspect that there might be some truth behind it. As her intuitive nature leads her on, Heather comes to realize that school may in fact be run by a sisterhood of witches.

Lucky McKee follows up his 2002 sleeper horror hit MAY with this supernatural ode to witchcraft, sisterhood, and rebellion. However, as McKee’s film is drenched in European-styled slow-building suspense and filled with three-dimensional fleshed out characters, rather than the long haired ghosts and torture chambers, fans had to wait almost three years for his film to be quietly ushered onto DVD. It is quite a shame, as McKee’s film seems an attempt to bring back into the horror spotlight a more lyrical and dreamlike tempo which has been widely absent from modern American screens, and has more than a passing resemblance and paid respect to SUSPIRIA.

Throughout cinema's history and in storytelling reaching back into Shakespeare’s MacBeth and beyond, the woods and forests have always been a source of the unknown, of horrors untold, of mysteries waiting to unfold, of spooks and specters, witches and warlocks. In modern days, forests have housed unstoppable killers and unseen evil forces. McKee taps into this subconscious fear of the woods quite aptly here, sending his characters into the underbrush both in day and night, and allowing his camera to idle through the shadows and silhouettes of the treetops. The effect is both hauntingly calming and frightening. McKee even goes so far as to bring in Bruce Campbell in a supporting role, an actor who will always be synonymous with haunted forests, to ratchet up the viewer’s embedded terror of what lurks beyond the tree line.

David Ross, who makes his writing debut here, makes a stylistic choice to set his tale in 1965. This decision gives the film a unique twist on the story as it plays out. Given the year and the isolation of the school, the setting has a very natural and earthy feel to it. Technology is given very little screen time, and much of that is during Heather’s car ride in. The classrooms, and especially the dormitory, doesn’t look like they have been updated in the one-hundred plus years of the school’s operation, and give the setting more of a haunted castle aura than that of a learning institution. Second, is the dawn of rebellion that was blossoming in the mid-60’s youth, and the distrust for all authority. This subtext plays a crucial part of Heather’s being, and adds texture to her anti-authoritarian stance against both the teachers and her parents.

Ross also takes his time to give depth to his supporting cast. He keeps the horror and suspense subdued through most of the first hour, limiting it to a few nightmares of Heather’s, and a fantastically paced goosebump covered ghost story that one of the students tells as a way to explain what lies in wait in the woods and its connection to the history of the school. But when he unleashes the woods in the final act, they are more terrifying and lifelike than ever before seen. Though most of the gripping, thrashing, and constricting plant life is CGI, it is wonderfully brought to the screen and meshes with the physical set and actors, serving to enhance rather than distract. And when Heather finally gets a hold of an axe, it brings forth a quick and satisfying bloodletting that plays not only for shock, but as a logical conclusion to the story that is multiple layers thick.

Just as the extreme and graphic horror of the mid-2000s was a backlash against the watered-down “near beer” horror of the late 1990s, so too does it seem that character driven horror seems to be clawing at the throats of the James Wans and Eli Roths at the time of this film's release. And though THE WOODS did not get the widespread initial recognition it should have, perhaps it be looked back upon fondly as a forebearer of what was soon to come. Or it may just have to sit and wait patiently on the rental rack, waiting for the next unsuspecting soul to get too close, so that THE WOODS may grab its next victim.

How to Make Solar-Powered Jack-O-Lanterns - 22 Days till Halloween

2010-10-09T20:37:00.001-04:00

October brings out the mad scientist in us all, as we cobble together costumes, figure out how to make things go bump in the night on a budget, and genetically engineer monsters using bugs, slugs, and toxic ocean water from the Jersey shore.

Your humble blogger is no different, and for this post I wanted to walk you through my first attempt at making some solar-powered jack-o-lanterns for about $5 each.

For this project you will need:

a plastic jack-o-lantern bucket (available anywhere for about a $1)
a solar powered walkway light (I picked up some at Target for $3 each)
crazy glue
a drill with the biggest drill bit you've got (for comedic effect)
sharpie marker
very sharp scissors
a skull (for atmosphere)

Take the top off the solar-powered light from the post. This is the only part you'll need for this project. Using the sharpie, draw a circle around the light at the back top center of the jack-o-lantern bucket.

Cut the circle out of the back of the bucket. Next, using your drill drill a few holes through the bottom of the bucket. This is to allow any collected rain water to pour out.

Take the solar-powered light an position it in the back of the jack-o-lantern bucket. Using an ample amount of crazy glue, glue the light directly to the bucket.

Let the glue thoroughly dry. Then hang your pumpkins out in directly sunlight for a few hours. I've used my shepherd's poles on my deck. Now, just wait until nightfall...

22 days till Halloween...

THE UGLY (1997) Movie Review

2010-10-09T18:00:00.000-04:00

THE UGLY (1997)

In a mental institution in New Zealand, where the sadistic orderlies look like they've just returned from a Korn concert and the voyeuristic warden looks like he would be right at home preaching at a black mass, resides deranged serial killer Simon Cartwright. Simon, who is about to go on trial for his crimes, personally requests psychologist Karen Shumaker for an independent evaluation of his sanity. When Karen arrives, she immediately gets the impression that she is not welcome, and her forward attitude is definitely not common place among the facility. Over the next two days, Karen interviews Simon, using her kind and sincere nature to get through to Simon and let him open up.

But Simon, who as a boy was tormented by his classmates and beaten by his abusive mother, is not one to open up so easily. Simon, who now sees himself in mirrors as a horribly disfigured man, goes into detail about the murders he has performed over the years before being caught. His reasons for killing change with each inquisitive question, but seem to center around the vocal commands of The Ugly, who Simon can not disobey. Karen may never be able to uncover the "why?" she is so desperately seeking, but if she is not careful she may just get to experience the commands of The Ugly herself.

Released in the US in early 1998, and buried alive with little attention given amidst the fashionable horror streaming from the pen of Kevin Williamson at the time, this debut from New Zealand writer/director Scott Reynolds melds together the "serial killer interview" dramatic style with the chaotic slasher style of the early nineties. What comes of it is a schizophrenic tale that can't decide if it wants to play it safe as a psychological thriller or fully commit to being a horror film. This unsure choice in genre somewhat resonates within the conflicted Simon, who never truly commits to deciding if his actions are forced due to circumstance or the choice of free will. Meek and innocent looking Paolo Rotondo, who bears a striking resemblance to Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale, was chosen to bring to life the conflicted Simon. His shy and introverted performance is so convincing and encompassing, that it is shocking to watch him lash out against his victims, and was a gambling choice that paid off.

Scott Reynolds sets up two stylistic devices in his film to try and make his movie just that much more interesting to watch. The first is his choice to make blood in this film the color of jet black ink. Whether this is how Simon himself sees blood to help him cope with his killing, if it was a choice to get pasted censors or just a cheeky nod to PSYCHO is never explained, but it is certainly an artistic choice that is open interpretation. Reynolds' other key choice was in how he explores the frequent flashbacks as told by Simon. Past and current time overlap one another here, as present day Simon and Karen frequently wind up "appearing" together within his flashback as he tells the story. It shows that Simon's life is so jumbled and confusing that he is never able to commit to what time period to devote himself to, and a simple visual aid that draws you deeper into the story.

For the creation of "The Ugly", a hive-like collection of Simon's victims that he claims follows him around and demands that he kill again and again, Reynolds tapped the shoulder of pre-LORD OF THE RINGS Weta, a New Zealand-based effects house. These gloomy corpses, that spew that same black blood that Simon sees when he kills, are dressed in white flowing rags and have eyes that penetrate from the screen. They resemble the "long haired ghosts" that America would become inundated with about five years later, and one might wonder if the Kiwis were just a bit too far ahead of their time.

Not all is delicious and evil in Reynolds' tale though. He does resort to several invigoratingly aggravating scare pieces that unfold for several minutes before reverting back to real time to show the attack you just saw was only in Simon's head. While it does show that different thoughts are battling for dominance in his mind, it is not done well enough so as to not damage the narrative flow and credibility of the scares in the film. And, in an all out steal from THE USUAL SUSPECTS in one scene, we are brought for a brief moment to question everything that Simon has been telling Karen, but it is never touched upon again to prove the theory it places in the back of the viewer's mind.

Had THE UGLY been embraced during its too-quick theatrical run and after being dumped onto the then fledgling DVD format, it would have been a slap in the face of the glossy horror that was coming out and certainly would have seen a needed sequel. Many films produced after this would step up to the plate to make that important slap to glossy horror, and with better films to boot. Because of this, THE UGLY falls into the ravine of the would've-could've-should've horror releases. The film has lost its importance and place in history, and while it is a solid watch with some memorable scenes and a good mind-twist, it remains solely as proof that Peter Jackson is not the only filmmaker in New Zealand.

Horror Movie Blogger Wanted for Guest Posts - 23 Days till Halloween

2010-10-08T23:44:00.002-04:00

The horror community at large is a lively bunch passionate about everything from the macabre and grotesque to the chills and classic thrills. You will not find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy anywhere ready to go toe-to-toe about such topics as whether 28 DAYS LATER is a zombie movie (its not, by the way), which NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET is the best (that would be Part 3) or which horror remakes actually need to exist (off the top of my head THE THING, DAWN OF THE DEAD and maybe THE RING).

As a member of said community we want to give those voices a soapbox, and thus Movies at Midnight is officially opening its doors to guest bloggers. What better time than the Halloween season, eh?

If you've ever had the desire to write about the last horror film you saw in the theater or some lost classic you've just discovered, send us a message. We're also looking for reviews of exploitation and grindhouse flicks, sci-fi schlock and kung-fu adventures. If its from the seedier side of cinema, chances are we want a review!

Reach out to Ryan Midnight at moviesatmidnight@gmail.com to submit a review or an article idea. For the month of October we're looking for Halloween themed articles as well.

23 days till Halloween...

First Look at Pinhead in HELLRAISER REVELATIONS

2010-10-06T23:20:00.000-04:00

A few weeks back we reported that Stephan Smith Collins had been revealed as the new face of Pinhead, after Doug Bradley declined to reprise his most famous role in the next HELLRAISER sequel.

Above is the first shot of Stephan Smith Collins in full Pinhead make-up for the direct-to-DVD HELLRAISER: REVELATIONS.

This photo is a poor selection on Dimension's part to showcase the premiere of the new Pinhead. Collins here just does not instill the instant terror in me that Bradley has done in the past. No slight on Collins as there is yet to be any video footage released and he has some pretty big shoes to fill. At a glance this looks like really really good make-up and costume created by a super fan of the series, not the official heir of the pain throne.

Judging by this photo alone I don't see this change-up going very well with the few fans left who have stuck with the franchise, but maybe they'll surprise me. What do you think of the photo?

HELLRAISER: REVELATIONS recently wrapped shooting in Los Angeles. No release date has been set yet.

Put Your Co-Workers in the Halloween Spirit - 25 Days till Halloween

2010-10-06T22:43:00.000-04:00

5 Ways to Put Co-Workers in the Halloween Spirit (without the Messy Fake Blood)

Article by Jill Tooley

I don’t even try to hide the fact that I live for Halloween. If I could, I would be one of those nut bars who coats the house in fake spiderwebs and spends hours outside setting up an elaborate, gory Halloween scene on the front lawn. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time or the cash to celebrate my favorite holiday in the elaborate capacity I desire, so I try to make up for it by oozing enthusiasm wherever I go from the beginning of September until the start of November. Not everyone shares my zealous attitude for Halloween, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try to persuade them anyway. Here’s how you can spread your passion for All Hallows’ Eve like the bubonic plague!

1. Decorate however you can. I may not be able to afford enormous, motorized Halloween statues but I definitely don’t have a shortage of decorations! This year, I strung orange and purple cluster lights around my desk, brought in some gauzy spiderwebs and a few stuffed monsters, broke out the ghost-and-pumpkin garland, and plugged in my favorite light-up jack-o-lanterns for a festive effect that I’m quite proud of. I receive tons of smiles and compliments from all who enter my domain, which makes it more than worth the effort.

2. Bribe ‘em with treats. Surrounded by Halloween scrooges? If you can’t beat them, bribe them! Now’s the time to scour supermarket aisles for the most mouthwatering candy and put a bowl (or a cauldron) full of it where your co-workers can see it. It boosts afternoon energy and reminds them that Halloween is right around the corner; not to mention, it saves them the trouble of stealing kids’ candy from trick-or-treat bags. That’s just embarrassing.

3. Throw a killer party. Nothing screams Halloween like a raging party, and you could be just the one to throw it. For best results, make it a costume-required affair and commission your friends to help with decorations and music so you’re not stuck doing everything for yourself. Your guests will get into the spirit of things if they see everyone else decked out in zombie sores or meat dresses!

4. Have a costume contest. Even those stubborn, ghoul-hating people will participate in a contest if there’s a prize involved! Costumes can be tricky in professional settings, but don’t let that deter you from playing dress-up. When fake oozing wounds and grotesque props aren’t an option, then think of a theme that would allow people to wear costumes while still appearing somewhat work-appropriate (like famous movie characters or good old-fashioned witches and vampires).

5. Host a horror movie night. Instead of going out for a few drinks after work, invite people over to veg out and watch scary movies. You can bond with your co-workers over choice flicks and share the passion for your favorite holiday all in one night! Or, if you’re a Halloween enthusiast who prefers a more hands-on approach to group outings, arrange a company visit to a local haunted house and spend a different evening watching your top horror films.

I don’t know about you, but I’d be super psyched if a fellow employee tried to organize any of these suggestions. Be prepared if you give these techniques a whirl, though, because a few co-workers will probably refuse every invitation you give them. That doesn’t mean that you suck—it only means that some people aren’t willing to participate in Halloween festivities. And that’s just the way the spooky crumbles!

Jill Tooley is a writer and blogger who loves scary movies but would probably die immediately in the event of a zombie apocalypse. She regularly blogs for Quality Logo Products, a promotional products company specializing in stress balls, pens, and trade show giveaways.

25 days till Halloween...

BURIED Movie Review

2010-10-05T23:59:00.003-04:00

BURIED (2010)

Review by Joe Johnson

Of course there is nothing underground about this heavily promoted Hollywood hit staring heartthrob Ryan Reynolds. Billed as a horror/thriller hybrid the Hitchcock inspired teaser trailer eludes to some kind of retro murder mystery flick. Buried is far removed from these genre, with just one actor and one (very cramped) location.

We learn at the start of the film that Reynolds character, Paul Conroy, is truck driver stationed out in Iraq who has been captured by insurgents and buried underground in a less than spacious wooden coffin. Equipped with just a mobile phone, a lighter, a torch and oddly, a couple of glow-sticks, Reynolds sets about trying to build a picture of what happened to him and how to get rescued.

In a bold move which injects an element of humor into the proceedings, the film plays with the frustrations of navigating endless layers of automated telephone options when trying to make contact with someone in a hurry about an important issue. None could be more urgent than this, Conroy is rapidly running out of oxygen and has been informed by his captors that he must raise 1 million dollars within the next few hours in exchange for his freedom.

Paul goes about ringing the U.S emergency services who offer little help before being put in contact with a calm trustworthy voice from the Pentagon who talks him around and attempts to contain his desperate state of mind that triggers sporadic anxiety attacks. With assistance, Paul begins to make inroads into organizing a rescue for mission.

Among the phone calls from the good guys, Paul is being constantly hounded by his captors who demand that he makes videos of himself pleading for mercy. Reynolds portrays a fallible character with an attitude that spirals from anger to disappointment and joy making the feature a believable and visceral experience.

To reveal any more would be bordering on a spoiler but needless to say Conroy has a myriad of crucial decisions to make, each one influencing the next, culminating in the film’s end which, while satisfying, is wholly predictable. The singular location and the suspense factor that ebbs and flows is reminiscent of PHONE BOOTH, but BURIED has a unique style all of its own which will no doubt appeal to horror and thriller fans alike.

Joe is a copywriter and Horror film fanatic, we works in advertising for a car lease hire company but wishes he could review films for a living.

Non-Romero Zombie Movies You Need to See - 27 Days till Halloween

2010-10-04T23:21:00.000-04:00

Anyone familiar with my T-shirt collection, my DVD library or this website knows that I love me some zombies.

For tonight's installment in the Countdown to Halloween, I wanted to share some of my favorite non-Romero zombie films that may have slipped by your undead radar. They are, in no particular order:

THE GRAPES OF DEATH (France; 1978) - LES RAISINS DE LA MORT comes from director Jean Rollin, who is basically the French version of Jess Franco. In GRAPES, an traveling woman discovers that an experimental pesticide is turning the residents of a small village into zombies. For fans of classic smut, you may be interested to see French adult film star Brigitte Lahaie featured here in her first mainstream film. Yes, she still gets naked.

LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE (Italy; 1974) - Known equally as THE LIVING DEAD AT MANCHESTER MORGUE Jorge Grau's zombie film is a slow and methodical piece of horror that builds up some incredible tension and suspense. Obviously influenced by George Romero, what makes Grau's zombies so fantastic is that many of them are walking corpses from a local hospital. Much like GRAPES, this one also features pesticides as the culprit for the dead walking again.

BURIAL GROUND (Italy; 1981) - Some may also know this sleazy dirty zombie flick as THE NIGHTS OF TERROR or ZOMBI 3. Director Andrea Bianchi, who also brought the world STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER, plays Lucio Fulci's song of unapologetic gore here as he unleashes a batch of reanimated rotting and hungry zombie on an unsuspected hipster crowd. BURIAL GROUND living dead set themselves apart from the usual shuffling zombies as they have just enough intelligence to make them truly vicious.

JUNK (Japan; 1999) - More Romero-influenced slow-moving zombie action from Japanese director Atsushi Muroga, who essentially remakes his crime-thriller SCORE here with zombies interjected. When a criminal trio meets up with their bosses in a supposedly abandoned warehouse, they find a secret military project aimed at reviving the dead. Revived they are, and immediately begin eating anyone's guts they can get a hold of. The film's tagline, "Everybody Fights" couldn't be more true.

WHITE ZOMBIE (United States; 1932) - This is always the go-to film for me when I need reminding that zombies didn't always rise from grave looking for some tasty brains. Bela Lugosi is absolutely mesmerizing here as the zombie master, who hypnotizes all who are caught in his gaze, to do whatever he wants. It may be blasphemy to say, but Lugosi shines better here than he does in DRACULA. This is classic horror at its finest.

So there you have it, five zombie movies that you really need to treat yourself to before its too late and some sadistic undead ghoul sticks a splinter through your eye, forever ruining your chance to watch them.

27 days till Halloween...

Horror Cocktails for Chilly October Nights - 28 Days till Halloween

2010-10-03T23:40:00.003-04:00

Its never too early to start celebrating the Halloween season and chasing those chilly October nights away with a few well-named spirits.

Here's a few favorites that get mixed in the luxurious Voodoo Vault Bar nestled in the basement of Chez Midnight. These are perfect for Halloween parties, when unexpected ghouls drop by or you just need to kill those pesky neighbors next door.

Black Cat Martini

2 oz. Blavod Black Vodka
1/2 oz. Chambord

Combine in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Maliboo Witch’s Brew

1 1/4 oz. Malibu rum
3/4 oz. white creme de cacao
1/4 oz. grapefruit juice
3/4 oz. orange juice

Combine ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake well and serve into martini glass, garnish with Halloween gummy worms.

The Headless Horseman

2 oz. black vodka
3 dashes bitters
Ginger ale

Pour the vodka and bitters into a Collins glass. Fill the glass with ice, then pour in ginger ale. Garnish with a slice of blood orange.

Zombie

1 oz. Light Rum
1 oz. Gold Rum
1 oz. Dark Rum
1 tsp. 151 Rum
1/2 oz. Apricot Brandy
2 oz. Orange Juice
1 oz. Pineapple Juice
1 oz. Lime Juice
1 tsp. Sugar
1 cup Crushed Ice

In a blender, combine all ingredients except the 151 with crushed ice. Blend at a high speed until smooth and pour into a Collins glass. Float the 151 rum on top and garnish with the orange slice and maraschino cherry.

If mixology isn't your thing, you can just skip straight to shots of Crystal Skull vodka. Its outrageously expensive and the vodka isn't that good (we're talking sub-Smirnoff here) but it comes in a skull! Spooky!

28 days till Halloween...

Danny Elfman and Tim Burton Music Boxset - 29 Days till Halloween

2010-10-02T17:10:00.000-04:00

If there are two names in modern film and music entertainment that are synonymous with, if not completely personify, the Halloween spirit it would be Danny Elfman and Tim Burton.

The two have been working together on projects for 25 years now, and to help celebrate their silver anniversary, Warner Bros. Records are going all out with The Danny Elfman & Tim Burton 25th Anniversary Music Box.

The box set includes the first-time-ever soundtrack release of PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE (1985) as well as scores to the films BEETLEJUICE (1988), BATMAN (1989), EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990), BATMAN RETURNS (1992), THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993), MARS ATTACKS! (1986), SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999), PLANET OF THE APES (2001), BIG FISH(2003), CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (2005), CORPSE BRIDE (2005), and ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010). It also includes music from Elfman and Burton’s numerous other collaborations including Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Jar, Amazing Stories: Family Dog, Beetlejuice: The Animated Series, The World of Stainboy, Tim Burton’s Museum of Modern Art Exhibit, and Danny Elfman’s unused score to the Edward Scissorhands Ballet.

In addition to the music, the set comes a nigh-irresistible assortment of goodies, all of which you can check out on elfmanburton.com as well as pre-order the set which is scheduled to be available this December.

Can't wait that long to get your bloody hands on some spooky tunes to drown out the screams coming from the basement? Then check out Gothtober, an advent calendar counting down to Halloween, where each new day features a new music track and accompanying video of spooky goodness.

29 days till Halloween...

THE MAD MAGICIAN Movie Review

2010-10-02T14:02:00.001-04:00

THE MAD MAGICIAN (1954)

Review by Brian McGovern

THE MAD MAGICIAN is Vincent Price at his deranged and diabolical best. After Warner Brothers created a hit with their 3-D production of HOUSE OF WAX Columbia Pictures decided to get in on the craze. They hired the writer from HOUSE OF WAX and brought back Price and his tortured-artist-turned-mad-man shtick in this 1954 3D horror classic.

Mr. Price stars as Don Gallico, a frustrated inventor of stage illusions. Gallico toils in the magic prop studio of the cruel Mr. Ormond (played by Donald Randolph) and dreams becoming famous as “The Great Gallico,” once he has perfects his masterpiece of magic, “The Buzz Saw Illusion.”

Gallico mounts a stage production to promote his new illusion. When Ormond sees the commercial potential of the buzz saw trick he shuts down the show on opening night with a court order. Gallico learns that his contract with Ormond gives him no right to his own inventions. We find out that not only has Ormond destroyed Gallico’s career, he’s also managed to steal his wife. Gallico flies into a rage. Greedy boss, vanquished dreams, jealous ex-lover plus buzz saw plus Vincent Price… I think you see where this is going. Cue the maniacal laughter.

After the mad magician dispatches Mr. Ormond via a real buzz saw blade he has two problems; what to do with the body and what to do with the head? Gallico disguises himself as Mr. Ormond and drags his victim’s body to a convenient pre-game bonfire just about to start only a short walk from the scene of the crime. Disguising the body to look like a straw-filled effigy of a rival sports team member, he’s cheered as he dumps the body in full view of a crowd. Since the crowd believes he is Mr. Ormond, Gallico believes he’s pulled off the perfect crime. Tah-da!

Now to dispatch with Ormond’s noggin, stashed safely away in a small satchel. Unfortunately Callico’s assistant drops by his studio and accidentally takes the satchel containing the head. Then she loses the bag in a cab. The cab driver gives the bag to a police officer and Gallico must race across the city to find the bag before anyone discovers what is inside.

Just when Gallico thinks he’s covered his tracks, his ex-wife (played by Eva Gabor) shows up searching for her husband, the very dead Mr. Ormond. She discovers Gallico’s crime so he dispatches his unfaithful lover in pure Vincent Price rage. So many bodies, so little time.

A rival magician named The Great Rinaldi appears, trying to steal another secret from Gallico. Rinaldi stole credit for the Buzz Saw Illusion and wants another trick. Gallico shows him his new Crematorium Illusion, up close. Rinaldi vanishes in a puff of smoke. And so it goes up to the formulaic finale.

In all, THE MAD MAGICIAN typifies the teenager targeted shock movie of the 1950’s. Full of plot holes, unbelievable coincidences and sophistic character motivations it’s a campy, fun and entertaining 74 minutes.

Brian McGovern is a magician in New York. He appears regularly at comedy clubs, corporate event and private parties. He does not own a buzz saw (yet).

Turner Classic Movies Starts October with a Fang Bang - 30 Days till Halloween

2010-10-01T19:45:00.000-04:00

You've got to love Turner Classic Movies, the cable channel that gives you the best of the best of classic cinema uncut, commercial free and in its correct aspect ratio.

For horror fans, TCM in October is a playground of thrills and chills as the House That Ted Turner Built let out from the vault an assortment of fantastic flicks, some of which are unavailable in the home video format.

Each Friday in October, TCM will have a mini-marathon of goodies, all leading up to a fantastic, non-stop horror cavalcade the entire Halloween weekend.

October 1st start things off right with four Dracula movies from Hammer Films. Films and times (in Eastern Standard Time) are:

8:00 PM Horror of Dracula (1958) - The legendary count tries to turn his enemies' women into his bloodthirsty brides. Cast: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough. Dir: Terence Fisher. C-82 mins, TV-PG

9:30 PM Brides Of Dracula, The (1960) - A handsome vampire stalks the students at a remote girl's school. Cast: Peter Cushing, Martita Hunt, Yvonne Monlaur. Dir: Terence Fisher. C-85 mins,

11:00 PM Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966) - Four travelers unwittingly revive the bloodsucking count. Cast: Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Andrew Keir. Dir: Terence Fisher. C-90 mins, TV-14

12:45 AM Dracula Has Risen From the Grave (1969) - Dracula goes after the niece of the monsignor who destroyed his castle. Cast: Christopher Lee, Rupert Davies, Veronica Carlson. Dir: Freddie Francis. C-92 mins, TV-14

I'm off to watch HORROR OF DRACULA. Join me, won't you?

30 days till Halloween...

NBC Returning to 1313 Mockingbird Lane?

2010-09-30T23:30:00.004-04:00

It appears as if NBC may be planning to return to 1313 Mockingbird Lane those who inhabit the address - the one and only Munsters.

According to an article by Michael Ausiello NBC has ordered a pilot episode to bring the Munsters to a whole new generation, with Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller helming the project.

The reboot is being described as Modern Family meets True Blood but being on a network channel could limit how far they'd be able to push the content.

In addition to Fuller's name being attached, Guillermo del Toro is also rumored to be attached in a behind-the-scenes role.

No word yet when the pilot would see light of day.

Horror Movies in the Theaters October 2010 - 31 Days till Halloween

2010-09-30T22:26:00.001-04:00

There's nothing quite like watching a good horror movie in the movie theaters, sitting in a giant blackened room and soaking up the crowds reactions as the suspense and terror ratchets up. Nothing, save for watching that horror movie in a theater during the month of October, as Halloween waits in the near distance.

October 2010 has a pretty good selection of movies to watch on the big screen, with a little something for everyone as the screen gets a sampling from just about every subgenre of horror. Check out the schedule below.

OCTOBER 1st:

LET ME IN - For the vampire crowd out there, the American remake of LET THE RIGHT ONE will definitely be one to sink your teeth into.

HATCHET 2 - Adam Green's sequel to his 2006 slasher genre throwback offers more blood and more guts in all its unrated glory.

CHAIN LETTER - Just another blood and guts slasher

CASE 39 - for the thriller crowd (aka those that don't watch "horror") Renée Zellweger stars as a case worker who tries to save a girl who may not be so innocent.

OCTOBER 8th:

MY SOUL TO TAKE - Wes Craven writes and directs this teen-centered slasher focuses on the return of a serial killer who supposed died the same night seven kids were born.

I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE - Another week, another remake release, this time focused bringing one of the hardest movies ever to watch to a 2000s audience.

OCTOBER 22nd:

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 - For those that didn't learn from following the hype machine the first time around, here's more camcorder horror to bore you with.

OCTOBER 29th:

MONSTERS - This year's DISTRICT 9 focuses on the journey of a man and woman through a restricted area in Mexico that is full of aliens who now call Earth home.

SAW 3D - The movie franchise that helped establish the modern torture horror genre comes to a close in three glorious dimensions!

So you see, a little something for everyone. Which films will you be seeing?

31 days till Halloween...

SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN (1970) Movie Review

2010-09-29T19:51:00.001-04:00

Scream and Scream Again (1970)

Review by Tom Parnell

A quick glance at the cast list of SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN should be enough to excite any horror fan.

Featuring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Vincent Price this 1970 film could easily have come from the Hammer stable if it wasn’t for the utterly bizarre, convoluted and ultimately confusing plot which encompasses vampire superhumans, oppressive Eastern European regimes and vats of acid.

Adapted from a Peter Saxon novel by Christopher Wicking (who years later co-wrote the David Bowie flop/cult classic ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS) SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN is a film that constantly keeps you guessing and generally proves your predictions wrong.

As the opening credits roll we are treated to a serene scene of a jogger crossing a green somewhere in suburban England. The dramatic title freeze frames the action for a moment accompanied by an upbeat David Whitaker jazz number. So far, not so sinister. What’s going to happen to him?

Not vampires, not violent dictators or rubber-masked monsters, but a sudden heart attack does for our jogger and suddenly we cut to him tucked up safe in hospital. Or is he? A nurse arrives and wordlessly attaches one of those weird suction pipes which drain your saliva to our jogger’s mouth. When she leaves he takes stock of himself. One arm. Two arms. No legs! Let the screaming begin.

Now from here most watchers would expect the rest of the film to focus on the jogger’s ongoing torment and potential escape attempts, but actually the film’s focus shifts entirely to an unnamed Eastern European country ruled by some sort of Gestapo-like organization headed by Peter Cushing. This is where things begin to get confusing.

I would like to say that I could give the plot away at this point, but having watched this film twice in quick succession I still can’t claim to fully understand it. One of the tricks which this film constantly manages to pull is, just as you start to get the hang of what’s going on and who everybody is, it suddenly changes location and story thread.

Apparently Vincent Price repeatedly said in interviews that he didn’t understand the script at all and he had no idea what he was talking about in his final, supposedly explanatory, monologue. I’m with him.

If you sit back and let the various convoluted plot points wash over you however, you are left with a highly enjoyable, stylish and sometimes genuinely innovative film. Disappointingly Peter Cushing never appears with the other two main stars, but we do get to see Peter Sallis (Clegg from LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE) meeting an unfortunate end (and not in a bathtub rolling out of control down a hill).

Bizarrely the best bit of the film has none of the top-billed stars in it, as the British police chase a (literally) blood-thirsty murderer around Betchworth Quarry and to a very surprising end.

SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN may not have gone down in history as a classic, but for its uniqueness and elaborate plot alone it is worth a watch for any horror fan.

Tom Parnell is a writer and former journalist who spends too much time sitting around at home watching Doctor Who DVDs.

NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE Movie Review

2010-09-28T22:18:00.000-04:00

NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE (2006)

When a young woman is found dead in her apartment, her gruesome death appears to be a suicide, and the Tokyo Police Department are ready to close the case. But when a second death is reported, another suicide by a salaryman whose wife witnessed him as he brutally stabbed himself in the neck again and again while sleeping, the detectives become much more suspicious of the first death. When both of the victims’ cell phones show their last conversation was with a caller known only as "0", they fear the suicides may have been coerced.

The detectives split off into two groups, with one taking on a traditional investigation attempting to hunt down "0", while newcomer detective Kirishima (J-pop star Hitomi) is assigned to approach from a more experimental viewpoint, trying to decipher what happened in their dreams. Her inquest leads her to a recluse known as the Nightmare Detective, a man who is cursed with the ability to enter people’s dreams. With his reluctant help, the Nightmare Detective enters into the dreams of Detective Wakamiya, who has since made contact with "0" and now is under suicide watch. Soon after entering Wakamiya’s dream, the Nightmare Detective discovers that there is a powerful entity in the dreamworld, whose desire to make others kill themselves rivals that of the Nightmare Detective’s desire to kill himself!

If the name Shinya Tsukamoto does not immediately put a smile on your face, then pay very close attention. Shinya Tsukamoto is an auteur in the Japanese film industry whose style is most commonly linked with the body-horror of David Cronenberg and the surrealist horror of David Lynch. Tsukamoto’s early film, TETSUO: THE IRON MAN helped to pave the way for the cyberpunk subgenre, and his influence can clearly be seen in the works of Takashi Miike and Darren Aronofsky. When Tsukamoto is not behind the camera making his own movies he is acting in his contemporaries’ films, and is most recognizable as the sinister Jijii in ICHI THE KILLER.

With NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE, Shinya Tsukamoto once again takes on almost all key production roles including director, writer, cinematography, editor, art designer, and even the role of the mysterious "0". His singular hand in the creation of the entire film is paramount in giving the movie its unique vision. While at the very core of the film is a death-by-dream motif that is similar to A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, Tsukamoto takes his ideas of what nightmares would look like if they were caught on celluloid (well in this case HD video) further than Wes Craven would ever dare.

Tsukamoto’s visions of what happens within people’s nightmares is truly horrific, and as with many of his previous films, he takes full advantage of the visual medium that is film and exploits it to the fullest, offering up imagery you’ve never witnessed before. His blending of reality and dream as the film progresses is subtly twisted through his editing, and at times pushes beyond arthouse horror into pure experimental terror. Tsukamoto’s bloodlust once again makes a welcome return as his victims’ necks are ravaged by box-cutters in the real world, while in the dreamworld victims are chased by a horrible monstrosity of cobbled together body parts and exposed intestines.

But with the visuals being so utterly fantastic, the story itself and characterization suffers somewhat under the demands of said visuals. Tsukamoto does make a brave choice by making his titular character, played by Ryuhei Matsuda, hate the fact that he is able to enter into dreams, and doesn’t even want to help Kirishima. And while he may look cool with his straight-out-of-manga haircut, he is a completely introverted person who just wants to die, which makes it difficult to root for him despite his protagonist status. J-pop star Hitomi makes her feature film debut as detective Kirishima, and while she does a surprisingly good job as an actress with the bizarre material, the character itself offers little to care for. Shinya Tsukamoto does bring on the goosebumps with his portrayal of "0" with his natural facial features, including his emotionless and dead eyes, chilling the screen whenever he pops up.

NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE is a difficult film to watch for its disturbing visuals and is at times difficult to follow due to the information heavy dialogue (the subtitles sometimes flash by at a brisk pace) and the interpretive way the story unfolds. Still, this is an incredible cerebral horror firlm and a breath of fresh air amidst the deluge of long-haired ghosts that have been plaguing Japan over the past decade. Shinya Tsukamoto, as he enters into his third decade of filmmaking, proves once again that he is still ready and willing to take chances with his movies, and has lost none of his dedication to making sure that cinema stays dangerous.

THE MORGUE Movie Review

2010-09-26T19:06:00.000-04:00

THE MORGUE (2008)

Life moves at a pretty repetitive rate for Margo, and that is just how she likes it. Every night, she rides her bike over to the local morgue and mausoleum to vacuum the rugs, give the night watchman his liquor and try once again to get that pesky stain off the bathroom floor that is said to be blood from one of morticians when they committed suicide. But tonight, her peaceful routine is interrupted when a dysfunctional family comes in looking for gas and to use the bathroom. Margo does her best to help them, but when a pair of men burst into the morgue badly injured, Margo knows that something is very wrong.

Things go from bad to worse for the group when they discover that not only are the phones dead, but that there seems to be something stalking and hunting them in the shadows. Margo tries to take the lead of the perplexed and confused group, but whatever it is in the darkness seems to know their every move before they make it. With hours to go till the sun rises, will any of them live to see the day?

No matter how exciting this synopsis may sound, rest assured in knowing that THE MORGUE may just be the most boring haunted horror film of 2008. Even at just under ninety minutes, and with a denouement that begins a full fifteen minutes before the end credits role, waiting for this movie to finally fade to black is a chore. While it may have some reaching for the remote to fast forward to something that may be interesting, the majority of those who self-inflict this movie on themselves will be fighting just to keep their eyelids open.

Najla Ann Al-Doori is a short story writer who makes her screenwriting debut here, and if she has any sympathy for the horror community, she will stay far away from cinema here after. Al-Doori’s story is completely uninspired, with wafer-thin characters and a plot that can be guessed by basically anyone within the first ten minutes. And this does not even take into consideration of the marketing, but perhaps we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

What little potential there is for some suspense and maybe one or two good scares is completely eviscerated by co-directors Halder Gomes and Gerson Sanginitto who take a stab at horror after each directing a few low budget action movies. Gomes and Sanginitto test their audience’s patience early on by going completely overboard with jump cuts and double exposures as if to warn us that there is something mysterious about this particular morgue, but only manages to irritate the viewer's eyes. If this is what they feel passes as spooky foreshadowing, then they need to hit the video store and do some more research.

Meanwhile, things aren’t looking to good for the cast either. Lisa Crilley takes her first shot in a lead as Margo and just barely holds the role. It’s not clear if it is the material or Crilley who is to blame, but at least she’s got a great scream, which certainly holds some weight. Poor Bill Cobbs is reduced to stumbling around, muttering a few words and taking long drags of liquor, while Chris Devlin shows off his abilities to make you want to punch him through the screen. And hey, is that Heather Donahue of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT fame being completely wasted in a few scenes? Why yes, yes it is.

The one thing that THE MORGUE does succeed in is having a set design that is too good for this movie. The labyrinth-like corridors of crypts and coffins that twist and wind seemingly for infinity offer up the only place where some interesting camera work and lighting is even attempted. So kudos to the production design team, who at least offer up something to keep our attention during the bleak emptiness of this movie.

Now, a word on the marketing in conjunction with the Lionsgate DVD release. The whole point of a twist ending is that we are not supposed to know it is coming. In a post-Shyamalan world, if you put “There is an astonishing twist ending” right there are the back of the DVD box, chances are we’re going to spend the whole time trying to figure out what it is. And in the case of THE MORGUE, viewers will be abysmally disappointed when the ~~astonishing~~ mundane twist that Al-Doori has to offer can be deciphered mere minutes into the film.

Need something to help fall asleep tonight and C-SPAN just isn’t doing the trick? Well then you’re in luck because Halder Gomes and Gerson Sanginitto have concocted the perfect remedy. Sweet dreams!

LOST BOYS THE THIRST Shows Its Fangs with New Photos

2010-09-26T15:25:00.002-04:00

A batch of new screenshots from the soon to be released direct-to-DVD sequel LOST BOYS: THE THIRST has made their way online and here's a selection of the best.

The third entry of the LOST BOYS franchise finds veteran vampire hunter Edgar Frog destitute and almost friendless, and thinks his life has hit bottom when wealthy vampire-romance novelist Gwen Liebling reaches out to hire him. Gwen offers Edgar a small fortune to go on the vampire hunt of a lifetime and rescue her son Peter from the Alpha Vampire D.J. Dusk. With the help of his friends Zoe, Lars and Blake, Edgar once again heads into a bloody battle to exterminate evil.

If you're thinking to yourself that you just can't get enough LOST BOYS action and hope for more adventures of Edgar Frog, then Corey Feldman has some good news for you.

"If The Thirst performs as it seems it's going to, we're open to not only another sequel, but we're talking three more films, a second trilogy. We've plotted out three more films that could bring back more original characters. We're also talking a television series."

THE THIRST is set for DVD release October 12th. If you want to make your dreams and Feldman's dreams come true about more LOST BOYS flicks, make sure to pick up a copy.

Photos from Upcoming MONSTER BRAWL Wrestling Horror-Comedy

2010-09-26T14:09:00.000-04:00

Here's four brand new photos from the upcoming MONSTER BRAWL. MONSTER BRAWL brings together comedians such as David Foley, modern wrestling legends like Jimmy Hart
and Kevin Nash and horror favorites like Lance Henriksen together for one smashing good time.

The film, directed by Jesse T. Cook, is the flagship title from start up company Foresight Features , and depicts a no holds barred fighting tournament that takes place in an abandoned graveyard which has been transformed into a brawling venue. On the ticket is an assortment of classic monsters that will battle to the death in an explosive Pay-Per-View television broadcast format.

The main production is just wrapping up in Ontario, so hopefully more news about this film will be released shortly.

Greg Nicotero of KNB to Direct THE DRIVE IN Adaptation

2010-09-26T13:04:00.000-04:00

Greg Nicotero, the special effects wizard who co-founded KNB and whose work can be seen from current films like PIRAHNA 3D PREDATORS and classics like EVIL DEAD 2 and BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR will be making his feature length directorial debut with the film adaptation of THE DRIVE IN.

The Drive In is a novel written by Joe R Lansdale, which has already been adapted into comic book form by Avatar Press, that focuses on a group of friends who decide to spend a day at the world's largest Drive-In theater horror fest. They expect to see tons of bloody murders, rampaging madmen, and mayhem on the screen, but when a mysterious force traps all the patrons inside the Drive-In, the worst in humanity comes out.

No telling when the film will finally see the light of day, but just knowing that Nicotero is involved makes me giddy with anticipation.

Ghostface in Action in SCREAM 4 Photo

2010-09-25T06:59:00.000-04:00

Above you can see one of the first images of Ghostface in action in SCREAM 4, here stalking Courteney Cox as reporter Gale Weathers.

The new film sees the return of cast members Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, along with a group of new stars - Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Nico Tortorella, Anthony Anderson, and Marielle Jaffe - who can hopefully stay alive long enough to figure out the new rules to this one-of-a-kind horror franchise.

Director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson bring the latest entry in their slasher franchise to the big screen April 15th.

PSYCHO BEACH PARTY (2000) Movie Review

2010-09-24T18:31:00.000-04:00

PSYCHO BEACH PARTY (2000)

In a small town near Malibu Beach, innocent girl-next-door Florence becomes friends with the local surfers and quickly catches her eye on surf guru Kanaka. But no sooner does her friendship with the group start to solidify than they start dying off at the hands of an unknown killer. The group also meets up with a B-movie actress who has taken up residence in a beach house that is supposedly haunted. As residents continue to drop off like flies, each of the survivors becomes a suspect under the iron gaze of the militant police captain Monica Stark. When Kanaka discovers Florence's secret - that she has a split personality - Kanaka fears that she may be the killer but also finds himself inexplicably attracted to her dark alter ego. And at the annual beach luau, as the local teens gather to dance the night away hoping to stay alive, all will be revealed!

This film, which is actually based on a stage play of the same name and rewritten for the screen by the play's writer Charles Busch (who also plays the police captain), has been touted as a mix of the 1960s beach blanket movies with the 1970s slasher. However, Busch is clearly more interested in sending up the beach party movies and their go-go style than making anything resembling a horror movie. Following Busch's script, director Robert Lee King explores the homo-erotic undertones of the surf movie culture, the commie fears of the McCarthy era, and the pure sexual energy of youth without fear of being blacklisted. King saturates his movie with a dripping and over-the-top style of the sixties beach movie with a loving tribute to the clothes, the cars, and drive-in culture of the era, and even goes so far as to have the actors "surf" in front of a projection screen.

The horror elements, if one can even go so far as to call them that, are few and far between. The kills are practically bloodless and played more for laughs than scares. There is no sense of suspense or atmosphere, and the only thing resembling a tribute to the seventies slasher is that the unknown killer is shown wearing gloves. And by the time the killer is revealed for one last chase, King doesn't even bother to go for a sense of danger, and merely goes through the motions to resolve the film.

Of the cast, each of whom look right at home in their bikinis, surf trunks and pastel dresses, are culled from mostly television productions. Lauren Ambrose (best known as the redhead in CAN'T HARDLY WAIT) plays the cute and innocent lead Florence. Ambrose knows exactly what King is looking for, and delivers a bubbly Sandra Dee-inspired performance to a T. The rest of cast perform their stereotyped roles admirably, and even their apparently weak and somewhat wooden delivery plays right into the movies they are sending up. Nicholas Brendon (Xander in "Buffy The Vampire Slayer") finds a role in the surfer gang, while Beth Broderick (of "Sabrina The Teenage Witch" and "Lost") plays Florence's mother. The movie also includes a killer surf music soundtrack, and features Los Straitjackets in a live performance during the luau scene.

For anyone without a firm appreciate of Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon, GIDGET, or the surf culture, it is best just to stay away from this flick. The slashing horror is so watered down here that even getting to the best kill scene which ends in a cartoonish decapitation is a chore, and the rest of the thriller and horrific elements are a dud. However, if you've ever rattled off the Wipe Out drum solo on your car steering wheel while driving to the beach, do think about checking this movie out.

LORDS OF SALEM to be Rob Zombie's Next Movie

2010-09-23T20:20:00.000-04:00

After keeping his fans waiting with anticipation over the past few weeks, Rob Zombie has announced that his next directorial outing will be THE LORDS OF SALEM, which keeps good on his promise that the announcement would be a previously unmentioned title. Since HALLOWEEN 2, it had been speculated that Zombie's next movie would be TYRANNOSAURUS REX or a remake of THE BLOB.

THE LORDS OF SALEM will be a thriller set in contemporary Salem, where the inhabitants receive a demonic visit from a 300-year-old coven of witches.

Zombie will write the script while on his upcoming concert tour circuit and will shoot next year. The movie will be put out by Haunted Films, which is comprised of the team that put out PARANORMAL ACTIVITY.

Above, you'll find the very first teaser art for THE LORDS OF SALEM.

New SAW 3D Photos Includes Cary Elwes First Look

2010-09-23T19:19:00.000-04:00

Here's two brand new stills from SAW 3D, including the first image of Cary Elwes as Dr. Gordon, who we haven't seen since the very first SAW film.

The second photo features Sean Patrick Flanery.

SAW 3D, the final entry in the SAW series, is set to open Halloween weekend, 2010.

Wonderfully Ominous THE WALKING DEAD Poster Rises

2010-09-21T22:05:00.000-04:00

AMC has revealed a wonderfully ominous one sheet poster design to promote their upcoming adaptation of THE WALKING DEAD.

Based on the Image Comics publication of the same name, the series will chronicle the survival of a group of friends and strangers bound together during a zombie apocalypse.

The series premieres Halloween night at 10pm EST. Do you have your viewing party set up yet?

New Pinhead for HELLRAISER REVELATIONS Unmasked

2010-09-20T21:59:00.001-04:00

Meet Stephan Smith Collins. He'll be replacing Doug Bradley as Pinhead in Dimension Films HELLRAISER: REVELATIONS. He's got the bald head already, but will he be able to conjure up Bradley's infamous Master of Pain? The horror world will be waiting on... wait for it... pins and needles.

HELLRAISER: REVELATIONS is currently filming in Los Angeles, and no release date has been set yet. Be sure to stay tuned for updates when Collins is finally revealed in full Pinhead garb.

***10/6 Update - check out Collins in his shot in the full Pinhead make-up.

COLD PREY 3 (aka FRITT VILT III) Teaser Trailer and Posters

2010-09-20T18:03:00.000-04:00

The slasher franchise that could from Norway, COLD PREY, is back with its third entry this time detailing the origin of the series' killer, Geir Brath. COLD PREY 3 is set to open in its native country October 15th. Above you'll find two teaser posters for the film, and below you'll find the most recent teaser trailer.

The original COLD PREY is currently available in the states and is well worth a watch. No better time than the Halloween season to invest in a new series, eh? Sadly the sequel still hasn't found domestic distribution.

SHUTTER (2004) Movie Review

2010-09-19T15:45:00.000-04:00

SHUTTER (2004)

On their way home from a party, photographer Tun and his girlfriend Jane hit a woman with their car. Startled and afraid, they flee from the scene, and though they try to put the event behind them, Jane can not stop thinking about it. They decide to return to the scene, in hopes of finding out if the woman is alright, and discover that there was no reported accidents in any of the local hospitals the night of the crash.

When Tun begins to develop photographs he has taken since the crash, he discovers that all of his negatives are damaged, and some even appear to have the faint outline of a woman's face in them. Though no one believes him when he shows the photos around, he is certain that it is the woman from the accident. When the spirit begins to appear before Jane as well, nothing can prepare her for the journey she is about to take that will open up one of Tun's deepest and darkest secrets.

Coming from the deeply spiritual and superstitious country of Thailand, co-writers and co-directors Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom make a huge splash with their debut film that draws heavy influence from Hideo Nakata's original RINGU and the theory of spirit photography. It is perhaps one of the best, but criminally under appreciated, films in the run of Long Haired Ghost movies that permeated the late 1990s to mid 2000s.

The creative pair take what had at that time become a rather repetitive horror riff and breathed fresh life into by incorporated a much more archaic technology, the photograph, into the design of the story. Spirit photography has long been argued as a physical proof that ghosts exist, and we have all seen images in pictures at one time or another that should not have be there. Using this to draw the audience into familiar territory only heightens the tension and breaks down the barrier being fact and fiction.

The directing duo also tap into the time it takes to develop photos to draw out suspenseful moments to the point of nail-biting anticipation. Unlike more modern technology like the phone, video or even digital photography which has an instant connection time, traditional photography has a delayed reaction, as the film must be processed and developed. In several scenes in particular, a Polaroid camera is used to try and locate the spirit. With each shot, it takes a few seconds to learn what is on the picture, and each second is played into for maximum effect.

After toying with the audience's fright that the spirit is just on the fringe of the screen, Pisanthanakun and Wongpoom of course let the vengeful wraith loose and ratchet up the scares even more. The duo's ghost physically shares much in common with her Long Haired Ghost cousins of Korea and Japan, as well as her ability to terrorize Tun and Jane. As Tun and Jane attempt to put the soul to rest, the spirit shows again and again that it has no intention of going peacefully. Through a series of jump scares, ethereal music cues, and terrifying reality-bending, Pisanthanakun and Wongpoom use their natural ability to induce fear to propel themselves toward the final curtain reveal that will leave goosebumps on top of goosebumps.

CHAIN LETTER Teaser Trailer for Delayed Slasher

2010-09-19T09:03:00.000-04:00

Deon Taylor's CHAIN LETTER has been plagued with official release date delays since it started showing at film festivals at the beginning of the year. It is now scheduled to finally open October 1st, to help kick off the official 2010 Halloween season.

The film chronicles the plight of six friends who receive a mysterious chain letter via text messaging and in their email accounts from a maniac who's hunting down teenagers who fail to forward his online chain letter. The maniacal game pits friend against friend as they race to beat rules that seem impossible to escape, as the master behind the chain letter uses the teens' own digital technology to track their movement. Someone will break the chain. Its just a matter of who, and when.

The film includes Nikki Reed, Betsy Russell and Bai Ling, plus horror favorites Brad Dourif (the voice of Chucky; Sheriff Brackett in RZ's HALLOWEEN) and Keith David (THE THING, THEY LIVE). Check out the latest teaser trailer below.

KILL BABY KILL (1966) Movie Review

2010-09-18T23:35:00.001-04:00

KILL BABY KILL (1966)

After the death of a young woman in an isolated village in the early 20th Century, coroner Dr. Iswai is brought in by the inspector to do an autopsy to try and determine if the death was suicide, accident, or homicide. Circumstantial evidence rules out suicide, but the townsfolk are terrified to speak about what has happened. The town's burgomeister intones that the supernatural is involved, and that there is a conspiracy surrounded the local Villa Graps. After Dr. Iswai performs his autopsy, much to the town's disapproval, he returns to the inn he is staying at and witnesses a magical protection ritual performed on a young woman, who claims to have seen the ghost of the dead girl that haunts the village.

After seeing the sorcery performed, Dr. Iswai becomes obsessed with bringing logic and reason to a town he believes is merely being crippled by poverty, ignorance and superstition. Meanwhile, the inspector has gone missing after taking a trip to Villa Graps, and Dr. Iswai follows in his footsteps to the crumbling mansion. It is there that he crosses paths with Melissa, a little blonde girl who seems to disappear before his very eyes. When he once again returns to the village, the story about the little girl is finally revealed. And as the night slowly slips by, with death floating through the foggy air, Dr. Iswai soon discovers that not all things can be explained with science and reason.

Filled with classic imagery of gothic horror, from cobwebs and candelabras to shadows and yellow light, KILL BABY KILL (originally released as OPERAZIONE PAURA which translates to Operation Fear) is made unique by director Mario Bava's use of color schemes and a perpetually moving camera, which swirls, pans and dollies through the scenes like an ghost. Bava also filmed mostly on location in several small Italian villages, which adds a level of creepy authenticity to the period piece, in that such places do exist, and such events could very well take place within the cracked and crumbling buildings.

Beyond the set piece atmosphere, subtle practical effects play an important part generating and maintaining the uneasy mood that drifts along in the picture. It should be noted that Mario Bava's father, Eugenio Bava, was a cinematographer and the father of Italian special effects. Mario, who worked for Eugenio before making a name for himself, uses the many secrets of the trade he learned as a cameraman to create the full array of effects that seep into all of the viewer's senses, from reverse photography to swinging cameras, and colored gels to warped glass. They are inexpensive, yet effective tricks that create a very unnerving feeling.

Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, whose long and lustrous career has taken him across all of Italy's trademark genres from spaghetti westerns to gialli, is right at home here in the lead role. His crisp and striking features, coupled with the character's modern suits, fits the bill perfectly as the supernatural skeptic as he is set against his co-stars dirty peasant-like appearance. As the film goes on, he subtly brings out a spectrum of emotional nuances as his logic begins to lose out, before going for broke in the final sequences.

Much like SLEEPY HOLLOW would do almost thirty-five years later, the story here pits a man whose heels are firmly dug into science and logic against a town where curses and the supernatural do exist, and it is hard to deny that this film had an effect on Tim Burton. Likewise, it is hard to deny that the story here, which was co-written by Bava, was influenced by 1963's THE HAUNTING. Indeed the first half of the film here is set-up with masterful ambiguity, so that it is quite unclear whether there is anything supernatural happening at all.

For those unfamiliar with Bava's work, KILL BABY KILL may be an ill-advised place to start. Despite the title, there is very little killing in the film, and despite the fantastic and grisly opening murder, almost no gore. Bava's more accessible BAY OF BLOOD or BLOOD AND BLACK LACE would be a good place to start, before returning to and appreciating this one. What this film does offer, however, is pure atmosphere that will have fans of ghost stories and slowly-unwinding plots sleeping with their lights on. Bava himself was a firm believer in ghosts, and his love of the supernatural permeates each oddly-angled scene and multi-layered image.

Whatever title you may know this film as, with the film featuring several name including CURSE OF THE LIVING DEAD, it is an important piece of cinematic history and an influence of filmmakers over the last quarter century. Much of Bava's work was steeped in the supernatural and the unexplained, and among them this can easily be ranked as one of the highest. Bava made films that he would personally enjoy as a viewer, and thus was able to turn his movies into personal art pieces, regardless of the finance gain or loss. For that, he is truly to be respected and remembered as a filmmaker.

THE BLOB (1988) Movie Review

2010-09-18T19:08:00.000-04:00

THE BLOB (1988)

In a small sleepy town in Colorado, a giant meteor has crashed in the foothills only to be discovered by a homeless hermit, who learns the hard way not to poke a gelatinous goo seeping out of a rock. The town's sole rebel Brian and the high school's star cheerleader Meg also get a taste of what this blob can do when they come across the ever growing Jell-O Mold From Hell. With each victim that it dissolves and consumes, the Blob grows in strength and size. When Brian decides to make a self-preserving dash on his motorcycle, he crosses paths with a military containment brigade that seems to have arrived on the scene too quick and too well prepared to be just a coincidence. Meanwhile, the townsfolk are being rounded up under the pretense of a bacterial outbreak, and The Blob, growing stronger still, has made its way into the sewer system. And it is pissed off!

Like a younger and often ignored sibling to John Carpenter's THE THING, this remake of a cheesy 1950's b-movie has a distinct privilege of expanding upon and improving the original source material. Coming from director Chuck Russell (NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3, THE MASK) who also wrote the screenplay along with Frank Darabont, the communist-allegorizing original film is updating for a cynical anti-authoritarian and anti-government 1980s audience with an additional warning against the Cold War arms race thrown in for good measure. Unlike the original, in which a mysterious "red" entity comes from the skies and threatens America's heartland, here Russell and Darabont provide an origin to the beloved goop that is much worse than any external force could hope to create.

Continuing with the connection to Carpenter's creation, Russell out does the original monster as he makes his Blob faster, more dangerous, more powerful, and perhaps unstoppable. Along with a horde of special effects creators, Russell employs just about every trick available at the time to bring the Purple People Dissolver to life. Surprisingly, aside from a few just a layering shots, the effects hold up quite well over twenty years later, with miniatures, puppets, and matte shots all coming into play. On top of the Blob itself, the creature's new way of "eating" leaves some quite gory and gooey messes in its wake, and as it grows bigger and gets deeper into the town, the new ways it learns to find victims leads to some quite over-the-top ends to the secondary characters.

Speaking of characters, THE BLOB gets a few actors early in their career as they cut their acting chops in the horror field. Kevin Dillon steps into the shoes of Steve McQueen as Brian, whose rather wooden and goofy turn here is right at home with the b-movie styling, though it was probably not conscious on his part to play it off that way. The wardrobe choice, fitting somewhere between Bon Jovi and Adam Ant, definitely does not shout "rebel", but boy can he throw a half-empty beer in anger! Watch for future Baywatch babe Erika Eleniak as a potential date-rape victim, Bill "Chop Top" Moseley as a soldier, and is that everyone's favorite female torture prodigy Shawnee Smith getting second billing as cheerleader Meg? You bet it is!

For whatever reason, and perhaps it is because this came out before the "everything must be remade" mentality in Hollywood, Russell's re-imagining of the 1950s drive-in sci-fi film is often forgotten in the argument to defend or defame remakes. THE BLOB is a highly entertaining piece of 80s schlock that has fun with the source material, takes time to poke at the then current cookie-cutter slasher films, and makes sure that you know none of the characters are safe by employing my favorite expect-the-unexpected tactic of killing a kid. While no masterpiece in any sense, Russell's sophomore effort in the horror/dark-humor hybrid genre certainly deserves more than it is has gotten and should be used whenever possible as an argument of how a movie should be remade, and more importantly what should be remade.

I'M A CYBORG BUT THAT'S OK Movie Review

2010-09-18T13:11:00.000-04:00

I'M A CYBORG BUT THAT'S OK (2006)

Sweet teen Young-Goon is just your average girl, except for that fact that she has "discovered" that she is a cyborg. Not only does she refuse to eat, for fear that the food will damage her inner electronics, but while working at her job she slices her wrist open and sticks an electrical cord in to re-charge. This gets her an express trip to the local mental institution, where she finds deep conversations with the fluorescent light fixtures and the coffee vending machine. Her doctors try to figure out just why she won't eat, but Young-Goon made a promise not to tell anyone that she was a cyborg.

Among the various and colorful patients in the institution is Il-Sun, a young man who is a habitual thief and has self-committed himself in order to escape jail time. Il-Sun is not just content with stealing material objects, but also steals everything from ping-pong skills to yodeling abilities and even the emotion of sympathy! When Il-Sun, who perpetually wears cardboard robot masks and bunny suit pajamas, becomes curiously infatuated with Young-Goon, he discovers the secret to why she does not eat. And while the doctors try their clinical procedures including shock therapy and even trying to force feed Young-Goon through her nose, Il-Sun comes up with an ingenious plan to finally get her to eat, knowing full well she only has days to live before she starves herself to death.

I've been looking forward to seeing this movie ever since the first rumors started leaking out of Korea shortly after the completion of SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE. The name Park Chan-Wook has become synonymous with violent revenge films with his nigh-perfect trilogy, and could have easily stayed within this genre for the rest of his career. However, he chose to challenge himself and his fans with a romantic-comedy that is truly one of a kind, which he co-wrote with SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE writer Jeong Se-Gyeong.

The result is one that will surely divide his "built in" audience, and probably annoy the hell out of K-Pop fans who want to see heartthrob Rain, who plays Il-Sun, in a movie. The style of the opening title sequence and introduction to Young-Goon, is the immediate make-or-break point for the audience. Park goes straight for sensory overload as he pushes the quirky pedal to the metal. Along with the musical overture, this is as close to replicating a combination of Tim Burton and Danny Elfman to be found in cinema as you're likely to get, and in some ways even out does these kings of strange.

From this opening, Park dumps us right into the boiling pot of his mental institution, where it appears the inmates are definitely running the asylum. While the exhausted staff tries to keep the patients corralled and in some manner of treatment, mostly they just wander the halls and the grounds, free to perpetually run amok with their odd behaviors that have landed them there in the first place. These scenes are quite reminiscent of the asylum scenes of 12 MONKEYS, if they were shown through an anime prism. The huge assortment of secondary characters offer some of the greatest laughs throughout the movie, and help to keep the tone light even as Young-Goon's fate becomes more dire.

Of course the center piece of the film is the odd relationship that builds between Young-Goon (Lim Su-Jeong of A TALE OF TWO SISTERS) and Il-Sun. Park runs through an exhausting array of emotions between these two, as they each become the others stalker for entirely different reasons, Il-Sun's desperate attempts to break through Young-Goon's "cyborg" shell as she nears death, and finally a romantic love that is often ignored in cinema which climaxes with the oddest scene ever to wretch a single-tear from the eye. Both actors completely loose themselves in the freedom of being mentally unhinged, but avoid going completely manic leaving this to the other actors.

Park Chan-Wook injects his bizarre dark-humor into scene after scene and coats everything with colors that only exist in Japanese candy. Much of the movie takes place within Young-Goon's skewed perspective on the world she lives in, which segues into some truly odd fantasies that even some of the other characters get sucked into. For those demanding blood, Park lets Young-Goon obliterate the entire staff of the hospital with her fully-automatic weapons system with limitless ammunition, which finishes with an uninterrupted shot of mayhem that comes close to rivaling his hallway sequence in OLDBOY. Even in sequences that supposedly take place in reality, Park twists them just enough to the point where it could very well just be the fantasy interpretation of one of the characters.

Park has said that he "wanted to make a film that my daughter could watch and take friends to see and laugh out loud." He has certainly accomplished the laughs with the rat-a-tat pacing, physical comedy that occupies every available space, and the love story that would connect with the younger female crowd who still thinks of romance as holding hands and getting into a bit of mischief. There is a darker side to the film, that I think might resonate specifically with the older crowd, who can catch the absurd and rather cruel things that humans can turn to in order to solve problems they don't understand. However, there is also a very bright center that is focused on the older crowd, which shows the journey and pure joy of finally finding the purpose of your life.

HATCHET 2 Red Band Movie Trailer Unleashed

2010-09-18T10:37:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week we showed you the official HATCHET 2 movie poster. Now, feast your eyes on the official red band trailer for HATCHET 2, coming from Dark Sky Films October 1st.

Its a little self-serving to director Adam Green, with plenty of push for the HATCHET franchise to become bigger than it ever will be, but the clips from the actual movie to hint at making good on delivering the carnage that has been promised with this unrated feature.

Documentary THE TROLL HUNTER Reveals Norwegian Cover-Up

2010-09-15T20:23:00.000-04:00

A group of students in Norway have set out to expose a government conspiracy to cover the existence of trolls in mountains of the country.

That footage is about to be revealed in THE TROLL HUNTER, perhaps the most important documentary of our time! Here is a look at some of that footage:

Korean Shocker I SAW THE DEVIL Heads to North America

2010-09-15T19:07:00.000-04:00

Magnet Releasing has announced they've picked up the North American film distribution rights for I SAW THE DEVIL, a Korean thriller that made headlines in South Korea last month when director Kim Jee-Woon was forced to trim between eighty and ninety seconds of graphic violence from the film before it would be granted a rating, thus allowing for distribution of the film in Korea.

In I SAW THE DEVIL Lee Byung-Hyun stars as Dae-Hoon, a special agent whose pregnant wife becomes the latest victim of a disturbed and brutal serial killer, played by OLDBOY’s Choi Min-Sik. Vowing revenge, Dae-Hoon blurs the lines between hunter and hunted and good and evil, eventually becoming a monster himself in his twisted pursuit of revenge.

The film is being planned for a theatrical release in first quarter of 2011. Check out the captivating trailer below.

HATCHET 2 Official Movie Poster Revealed

2010-09-13T18:59:00.000-04:00

Here's your first look at the official HATCHET 2 movie poster.

In HATCHET 2, Marybeth escapes the clutches of the deformed, swamp-dwelling iconic killer Victor Crowley. After learning the truth about her family's connection to the hatchet-wielding madman, Marybeth returns to the Louisiana swamps along with an army of hunters to recover the bodies of her family and exact the bloodu revenge against the bayou butcher.

HATCHET 2 opens October 1st.

THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL Movie Review

2010-09-12T10:55:00.001-04:00

THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL (2009)

Samantha is a beautiful college sophomore desperate to earn some extra cash for her new apartment. She accepts a mysterious babysitting job at the creaky Victorian mansion of Mr. and Mrs. Ulman who soon reveal to her that it is not actually a child they need her to care for but rather Mrs. Ulman's elderly mother. Against the advice of her best friend, Samantha accepts their offer to take care of the old woman and as a total lunar eclipse darkens the sky it becomes clear that Sam will end this night in a bloody fight for her life...

If you want to get a true feeling for the style and tempo of late 1970s to early 1980s horror, look no further than director and writer Ti West’s THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL. The film takes place circa 1983, and West gets as close to an authentic reproduction of then-contemporary film production and realistic recreation of the era as you’re likely to see in the modern age.

While current films like PLANET TERROR and DEATH PROOF sought to recreate the drive-in experience and provided over-the-top action and effects beyond anything capable during the “grindhouse era”, and the recent HOT TUB TIME MACHINE took a poke at the wacky zaniness that was the 1980s, West goes in the complete opposite direction. West seeks out the complete mundane of the time period, and while Rodriguez’s and Tarantino’s films were a blast, West succeeds even more with his ability to replicate the era’s move aesthetics.

The set design and attention to detail is simply breathtaking in its normalcy. That pizzeria used to be up the street from you. Your parents used to watch that local UHF news report. That walkman Samantha listens to is in your attic right now collecting dust. And the crown jewel, the titular house is a maze-like labyrinth of rooms, hallways and staircases that sits on the outskirts of town that you were in once, and just once.

Filmed with a shoestring budget on 16mm film to give it just the right look, West and his crew hearken back to a time of freeze-frame credit sequences, well-planned extended takes, and slow and methodical camera movements where babysitters are in peril and the kind but slightly awkward old man is anything but harmless. West takes all of this and more to turn THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL into a slow-churning, slow-burning horror film almost to the point of madness, with the audience surely expecting that the next pan or cutaway to the shadows or a window is the jump scare we’ve been waiting for. Except it just… never… comes, and continues to build and build that unrelenting tension.

But for all this dedication to authentic reproduction, is the actual movie any good? The answer is a resounding yes, with West going well beyond proving to the audience that he has done his film history homework. But for all of the technical aspects that West pieces together from the weaving of light and shadow letting the viewer fill the voids to the proclamation that the film is based on “true and unexplained events”, it is Jocelin Donahue as Samantha that must be given praise for the film’s success.

The film spends an extraordinary time just watching Donahue walk from one place to another, and then even more time following her from one room to another in the massive mansion where a bulk of the film takes place. Much like the pace of the film, Donahue also builds up a mental and physical tension that is almost imperceptible to the audience until it is too late and they have been infected as well. It doesn’t hurt that Dee Wallace and Tom Noonan are Donahue’s co-stars, who again provide that authenticity in screen presence and acting style of the time period.

THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL provides chills, thrills and goosebumps in the most traditional sense that a horror film can provide. It is certainly not for all, and will best serve those that are looking for a little more substance than just blood and guts dripping down the screen for ninety minutes.

Ozploitation EL MONSTRO DEL MAR Trailer, Poster and Screenings

2010-09-11T18:18:00.000-04:00

In EL MONSTRO DEL MAR, three gorgeous but deadly hired killers, Beretta, Blondie and Snowball, hole up in a small beachside community to keep a low profile. But this town has a dark secret. The local old sea baron, Joseph, tries desperately to warn them to never go into the water. But these crazy vixens listen to no one, especially no crazy assed old fool. So the Kraken awakes! Now, along with Joseph and his beautiful grand daughter, Hannah, they must fight for their lives against this furious creature of the deep as the sea rises in a tidalwave of blood.

Stuart Simpson's EL MONSTRO DEL MAR brings together elements of b-movie monster flicks, Suicide Girls attitude, and a heaping dose of FASTER PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! inspiration, together with a thumping rockabilly soundtrack and topped off with an Aussie accent.

EL MONSTRO DEL MAR is currently screening at film festivals around the world. Here's a breakdown of showings in the United States for those lucky enough to be within driving distances:

Chicago, IL - September 24th at the Chicago Horror Film festival
Bay City, MI - October 2nd at the Hell's Half Mile Fest
Erie, PA - October 7th-10th at the Eerie Horror Film Festival
Orlando, FL - October 8th at the FreakShow Horror Film Festival
New York City, NY - October 14th-18th at the Royal Flush Film Festival
Austin, TX - October 21st-28th at the Austin Film Fest
Fairfax, VA - October 23rd at the Spooky Movie Film Festival

Check out the film's official screenings list additional details.

And here is the official trailer for EL MONSTRO DEL MAR!

Thai Martial Arts Movie RAGING PHOENIX Rises in US

2010-09-11T11:36:00.002-04:00

A violent gang is abducting and killing women around Thailand. Sanim and his friends, having had loved ones abducted, have joined together to break the gang of kidnappers. In the latest kidnap attempt by the gang, Deu (Jija Yanin) is saved by Sanim's crew. Deu is inducted into Sanim's crew, and is trained their unique martial arts style, then prepares to lure the gang into an epic battle to save the women across Thailand.

Jija Yanim returns from her stunning debut in CHOCOLATE for this hyper-stylized Thai martial arts movie produced by Panna Rittikrai and Prachya Pinkaew. The film is set for release on DVD in the United States this Tuesday, September 14th.

Check out the flashy trailer below, which promises "real fights", "real injuries" and for the first time ever Drunken Chinese Fist versus Drunken Muay Thai.

NEAR DARK Movie Review

2010-09-11T09:25:00.001-04:00

NEAR DARK (1987)

Caleb is just your average midwest town boy, who cares for his family, and likes to ride horses. But after an evening of hanging out with Mae, a shy young woman he meets while at the bar, he is indoctrinated against his will into Mae's "family", a dirty nomadic band of vampires. Caleb tries multiple times to escape the nightmare from which he can't wake up, and begins to feel a new, but very natural instinct within himself, to feed on human blood. Eventually, Caleb escapes into the darkness, but is swiftly followed by his vengeful co-blooddrinkers. He knows he must make a stand, alone, or his family may be the next to fall victim to the ravenous neck-biters.

This is one of the crown jewels in the overlooked list of 80s horror, that due to poor advertising and a genre-defying storyline, fell to the side to make room for unending franchise sequels and generic slasher rip-offs. Here, the vampire mythos is turned completely on its head, and remains to this day a unique entry in the genre. In NEAR DARK these "nightwalkers" do not call themselves vampires (the word itself is never even mentioned in the film), are not aristocratic, do not have fangs or fly, and more-so do not even enjoy being what they are. These are "cursed" souls doomed to live forever, and have taken a nasty turn to violence and cruel humor to pass their evenings.

Director and writer Kathryn Bigelow, who would go on to create the nigh-perfect STRANGE DAYS and most recently THE HURT LOCKER, brings a modern blend of horror, western symbolism and mythology to the screen, shrouding it in shadows, blue-washed light, and crimson red. Even with her limited behind-the-camera experience at the time, Bigelow is able to pull off just the right angles, framing and pacing that keeps the film exciting and moving along. The writing is a little over-the-top at times, but in the quieter and subtle conversations, lies more character development and back story than most films can hope to accomplish in their 100-minute running times.

Much like a pop-punk song right out of the 80s, NEAR DARK has a tremendously enjoyable flux between chaotic and noisy choruses, and soft and melodic verses. Bigelow cuts her teeth on just about every action style, which she would later incorporate into her following productions. Between a holed-up hotel shootout with some inventive ideas that would later be seen in FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, car and foot chases, and tense one-on-one stand-offs including a western-style showdown between a vampire and a semi-truck, there is a little something for everyone.

Adrian Pasder takes on the role of Caleb, and does a decent job portraying a newly-turned vampire, as does Jenny Wright as the shy and sweet Mae. The real fun though, is watching Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton and Jennette Goldstein, fresh off their stint on James Cameron's ALIENS. All three of them relish in their vampire roles, and the friendship the actors created on ALIENS shines through in their characters' friendship here. You can almost sense the rich bonds between them. Henriksen's Jesse Hooker is the leader, and his longevity as a creature has brought about a wisdom that can only be cultivated from centuries of living. Paxton's Severin is a loose cannon, who still languishes in his power over humans. Goldstein's Diamondback is a cunning thinker, and something of a den mother within the group. And while the scenario may be somewhat far-fetched, each of them portray their characters with total sincerity.

Although failing at the box office, NEAR DARK has gone on to collect a dedicated following through the years in the home video and DVD circuit. It is one of the more unique releases from the 80s, and through some impressive practical special effects work on a low-end budget it has aged quite gracefully, and has avoided being trapped in the constriction that is known as "80s horror". Sadly, as with many films that have enough of a cult following to make the name marketable but not well-known enough to leave it be, a remake is being planned. No word has been set as to how faithful the adaptation will be, or who is attached, but it is coming. Hunt down a copy of the now out-of-print Anchor Bay released 2-disc DVD set that gives the film the justice it is due.

Casting for HANSEL AND GRETEL WITCH HUNTERS Revealed

2010-09-11T08:57:00.001-04:00

Tommy Wirkola,the Norwegian director who brought us the over-the-top Nazi zombie romp DEAD SNOW, is planning his English language film debut HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS. Set fifteen years after the original Grimm Brothers fairy tale, the now grown-up brother and sister have become full-time witch killers.

During an interview at the Venice International Film Festival Jeremy Renner, still running strong off his performance in THE HURT LOCKER, let it slip that both he and Noomi Rapace (of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO) will play the titular characters.

"I think Hansel and Gretel will be awesome. I play him and Noomi Rapace plays Gretel. They have become adults, are damned and going on witch hunting."

If this is true, it will certainly provide a little extra power to the intended horror-comedy fantasy that is seeking an EVIL DEAD 2 vibe.

Will industrial band Hanzel Und Gretyl provide the soundtrack? It would seem the only logical choice.

BOY EATS GIRL (2005) Movie Review

2010-09-10T18:21:00.001-04:00

BOY EATS GIRL (2005)

Nathan is your average teen in a small town in Ireland, where he hangs out with his mates, and is secretly in love with his friend, Jessica. On the night that he prepares to tell Jessica his true feelings, he is tricked into believing that Jessica is out on a date with one of the school's jocks. Distraught with grief, he drinks himself into a stupor, and contemplates suicide by hanging, but when his mother walks into his room and knocks him from the chair, he actually does kill himself.

All is not lost though, as Nathan's mother has just uncovered a book on reanimation in the church she is restoring. She uses the book, and brings Nathan back from the dead, though he is unaware of his short trip to the afterlife. Although Nathan seems fine at first, he notices he no longer wants food of any type, and realizes that his strength has increased. On the night of the school dance, he gets into a fight with one of his tormentors and in a fit of rage bites him. This bite causes a chain reaction which soon has the entire student body and townspeople turning into vicious zombies. Only a few are left alive, including Jessica and Nathan's mates, but will they be able to find a way to stop the onslaught, or are they just the next course on the menu?

Although not as romantic or comedic as SHAUN OF THE DEAD, this entry into the niche rom-com-zom sub-genre is still a fun movie to watch, and runs circles around MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK. The teen-angst portion of the storyline is nothing new, but coupled with believable above-average acting and the addition of Irish accents, it makes it more watchable than most current teen comedies.

Once the zombie action begins about half-way through the film, the caro syrup and rubber limbs come out for some good old fashioned gutmunching. The zombies in BOY EATS GIRL are the running and hunting type, who pursue and tackle their pray. Stomachs are pulled open, intestines are spilled out and heads are bashed open. During the final sequence, Jessica dispatches a horde of zombies in a way that must have been written in an attempt to one-up the lawnmower scene in BRAINDEAD, and although it does not take the crown, gorehounds will surely squeal with delight.

BOY EATS GIRL is by no means a perfect zombie movie, and does have a few glaring absences of explanation, the biggest being why Nathan does not turn into a full zombie for the whole of the movie, while all the other victims become zombies immediately. For that matter, why does a reanimated corpse who bites someone cause them to become a zombie to begin with? The answer is, it really doesn't matter. The film does not seem to latch itself onto any specific zombie rulebook, nor does it try to instill any amount of seriousness into the movie.

For fans of the above mentioned films, as well as Japan's STACY or IDLE HANDS, this rom-com-zom is highly worth the rental for a few chuckles and ewwws.

Official SAW 3D Theatrical Trailer Revealed

2010-09-10T09:36:00.000-04:00

SAW 3D brings the franchise to a close, as a deadly battle rages over Jigsaw's brutal legacy. A group of Jigsaw survivors have gathered to seek the support of self-help guru while fellow survivor Bobby Dagen, a man with his own dark secrets, is about to unleash a new wave of terror.

I'm sure its just a marketing gimmick to sell the 3D aspect of the movie, but the trailer almost has me believing that somehow the audience will become part of the movie, a la William Castle, making each viewing a unique experience. Maybe the view changes slightly depending on where you are sitting in the theater or somehow select seats are "chosen" to become part of a specific trap? Were that the case I might just have to plunk down my $13 dollars and reinvest in the series. I abandoned the franchise after watching SAW III.

We'll all find out how the "traps come alive" when SAW 3D opens in theaters nationwide October 29th, 2010.

THE DEAD PIT Movie Review

2010-09-07T22:09:00.002-04:00

THE DEAD PIT (1989)

Twenty years ago, a mad surgeon named Ramzi worked at a hospital for the mentally insane and used his patients in a secret experiment deep within the hospital’s basement and found a way to conquer death just before being shot in the head and sealed in the tomb by a fellow doctor. Now, an earthquake has broken open the seal and the undead surgeon, who has patiently waited for his day to return and begin his experiments anew, has been let loose. It is on this very day that the hospital receives its latest patient, a buxom brunette who claims to have had her memory stolen and goes by the name of Jane Doe.

Jane spends each day being terrorized by images of the insane undead surgeon, although no one else seems to notice him, while at night her dreams are tormented by images of her past. But Ramzi is not content in just giving Jane goosebumps, and begins to kidnap patients and hospital staff, bringing them back to the now abandoned building where he continues his experiments in keeping the dead alive. When his army of still living and stumbling corpses is discovered, they are unleashed upon the hospital grounds to feed. Only Jane, a patient obsessed with explosives, and a little holy water can stop them!

As part of the last wave of horror films to be released in the 1980s, director Brett Leonard’s low budget zombie flick is a shambling hodgepodge of what makes these sort of creature features so great and at the same time so bad. With inspiration that can easily be traced back to RE-ANIMATOR, Leonard and co-writer Gimel Everett try to give their zombie hoards a fresh and perhaps even pseudo-scientific origin rather than the “no more room in Hell” motif. But as the zombies don’t make their appearance until well into the final reel of the movie, Leonard seems even more interested with providing as many chances as possible to get Jane Doe;s (Cheryl Lawson) well-endowed body into a tank-top that is two sizes too small, and providing politically incorrect humor at the expense of the mentally insane that wander in the background.

Despite this being his debut, Leonard, who would go on to give the cyberpunk genre two memorable entries with THE LAWNMOWER MAN and VIRTUOSITY, has all the makings of an entertaining schlockfest well in hand. With the movie being filmed inside an actual asylum for the criminally insane which had been closed down, the shadow-filled clinical feeling of the sets provides a very natural and uneasy tingling that permeates much of the movie. Leonard uses this with an amazing and resonating effect to build up a very suspenseful atmosphere with more than a dash of claustrophobia. Leonard also takes on the use of the tried-and-true 1980s style blue backlighting through fog to cast unearthly shadows across the screen.

While the zombies wait patiently just off stage for their chaotic reign of terror, Cheryl Lawson provides ample entertainment as Jane Doe. Sure she may not have the best line delivery (incidentally, she later found success as a stunt woman) and any attempt to become scream queen material leaves much to be desired. However she does have an incredible body and absolutely no shame when it comes to parading around in skimpy clothes on cold nights, and that goes a long way in a borderline exploitation movie like this. Danny Gochnauer, who makes his only screen appearance as here as Dr. Ramzi, uses his naturally demonic facial expressions coupled with some generously applied latex, to a make a memorable king of the zombies. The medical-themed puns he is entrusted with might even make Freddy Kruger cringe, but his creepy screen presence more than makes up for it.

Once the zombies become unleashed and Ramzi goes into overdrive conducting his experiments on his freshest victims, Brett Leonard and the special effects crew let the fake blood and gore flow. Some of their highlights include a dentist drill through the eye, the affects of holy water on a zombie, and an exposed brain being poked by acupuncture needles. Of course there is also the prerequisite brain munching and the bloody corpses that make up a majority of the zombie masses, and Leonard relishes in it all with great abandon. Though there are a few weak elements here and there, it all just adds to the overall charm of the production.

And that is what it all comes down to. THE DEAD PIT is certainly not without its faults, with more than a few questionable plot holes throughout the meandering story and nothing but b-grade acting across the board, but damn if it isn’t a fun and charming little zombie flick that never gets pretentious and never takes itself seriously. Leonard just wants to provide a hundred minutes of pure 80s cheese to the home video market, and that he most certainly does.

Italian Zombies Return From the Dead in EATERS

2010-09-07T21:32:00.002-04:00

Could Italy be making a comeback in the zombie genre that it once help supremacy over? If this trailer is any indication, the answer is a resounding yes! Push past the temptation to stop the trailer when you see "Uwe Boll Presents" for a most excellent cinematic promise of things to come.

After being devastated by a deadly epidemic, the world is now governed by hordes of living dead. Locked in a fortress that has been turned into a research center and shelter, three men - zombie hunters Igor and Alen and a scientist named Gyno - are trying to find an answer to what has happened to the human race.

EATERS is directed by Marco Ristori and Luca Boni, and includes music by Death SS, Deadly Tide, Bahntier and Wheels Fargo & the Nightingale.

No official release information appears available at this time, but there is an official website worth checking out.

Don't Fear, EVIL DEAD Remake Still Possibility

2010-09-07T20:14:00.000-04:00

For those of you who may have wondered if you'd ever see a remake of THE EVIL DEAD, or thought that the project was dead by dawn, fear not for the brothers Raimi and Bruce Campbell are still thinking about it.

In a recent interview Bruce had this to say:

"None of us have said no," [Bruce Campbell] said. "I think Sam is always tweaking with the idea. He's joked with a couple of concepts. He has threatened to do it multiple times. He'll put a false statement out just to torment people. We joke that when he's got one eye left and I'm in the old actors' home, that's when we'll do it. But we both have day jobs now.

"The 'Evil Dead' movies, you really have to lock up about two years of your life for each 'Evil Dead' movie and we don't really have the time right now. Sam says that he will gladly get back on that track, but right now he's on that A-picture train and he's getting a lot more creative freedoms afforded to him with his success. I don't know that he needs to right now. And I'm kinda busy with the No. 1 show on cable. I don't think about it a lot because I'm busy doing other stuff."

So there you have it. Sure this is pretty much non-news as Bruce and Sam have been "threatening" an EVIL DEAD remake for the better part of the decade. Whether it ever happens or not though is anyone's guess.

Latest Trailer for MONSTERS Released

2010-09-07T19:00:00.000-04:00

The latest trailer for upcoming MONSTERS has been released via Hulu.com:

Six years ago NASA discovered the possibility of alien life within our solar system. A probe was launched to collect samples, but crashed upon re-entry over Central America. Soon after, new life forms began to appear and grow. In an effort to stem the destruction that resulted, half of Mexico was quarantined and dubbed the Infected Zone. Today, the American and Mexican military still struggle to contain the massive creatures. MONSTERS picks up when a jaded US journalist (McNairy) begrudgingly agrees to find his boss’ daughter, a shaken American tourist (Able) and escort her through the infected zone to the safety of the US border.

MONSTERS premieres on Video On Demand, iTunes, Xbox Live, Playstation Marketplace, Amazon and Vudu on September 24; in theaters on October 29th.

THE WICKER TREE Burning Soon at a Theatre Near You

2010-09-06T12:20:00.001-04:00

Almost forty years after the original cult film THE WICKER MAN was released on an unsuspecting audience, director Robin Hardy is returning with a follow-up companion piece to the film entitled THE WICKER TREE.

Based on Hardy's own book Cowboys for Christ released in 2006, THE WICKER TREE tells the tale of two young Christians Beth and Steve, a gospel singer and her cowboy boyfriend, who leave Texas to preach door-to-door in Scotland. When they arrive at Tressock, the border fiefdom of Sir Lachlan Morrison, they are welcomed with joy and elation and assume their hosts simply want to hear more about Jesus, unaware of just how wrong they are.

Also returning to the screen in the film will be Christopher Lee, who played Lord Summerisle in the original film. Lee was initially to fill the role of Sir Lachlan Morrison, who Hardy wrote specifically for the legendary actor. However, an injury on another film forced Lee out of this role and it is now suspected that Lee will reprise the role of Lord Summerisle.

The film has been rumored to be completed since 2009, but has suffered multiple setbacks and delays. But now with an official website and a teaser trailer have been released, Hardy may finally be getting close to inducting an entire new generation into the old religion of the Celts and undo the damage that the Nicholas Cage starring remake has done. While no official release date has been set, we may be seeing the film finally see light of day in late 2010 or early 2011.

THE EXPENDABLES Movie Review

2010-09-05T10:13:00.001-04:00

THE EXPENDABLES (2010)

A team of mercenaries lead by Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) who dub themselves “expendable” and take on the jobs that no one else will touch have been offered their latest assignment – take out one General Garza who has overthrown small South American island and placed it under military dictatorship. The job seems easy enough, until Ross realizes that Garza is only a puppet for a corrupt CIA agent setting up a drug distribution empire. The team, including Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Toll Road (Randy Couture) and Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) are ready to walk away, but a revelation from Ross’ friend Tool (Mickey Rourke) open him the idea that this not just a fight, this is something worth fighting for.

Armed to the teeth and prepared to stop at nothing, The Expendables ready themselves to free the island of Vilena and for Ross to save his dying soul. But before they can put a bullet through the eyes of General Garza and James Monroe (Eric Roberts), they’ll have to get through ex-teammate Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren) who has betrayed them, the silent Paine (Steve Austin) and several hundred soldiers in a suicide run to end all suicide runs!

Exploding like a movie you’d find in the “Super Action” section of your local video store circa 1988 or maybe you’d find collecting dust in your dad’s DVD collection, THE EXPENDABLES seeks to finally reignite the flame of the unstoppable musclemen action genre that has been fanned by 2008’s RAMBO and to a lesser extent 2007’s LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD. Collecting an ensemble cast of that era’s biggest names and a few modern faces from both screen and fighting ring, director and co-writer Sylvester Stallone delivers exactly what the trailers and promotions have promised to the fans: a not very good movie featuring an uneven script with little character development that delivers all the gratuitous violence and posturing your could hope for.

Outside the ensemble cast, the action sequences appear as their own character, something to root for as the carnage unleashes on the screen. THE EXPENDABLES features four key sequences that basically hit on everything an action fan could ask for. In the opening sequence, our mercenary protagonists deal with Somali pirates aboard a freighter. Next up is an extended chase sequence as Stallone and Jason Statham attempt to escape the island of Vilena. A third sequence begins with a car chase and ends with a Toho-esque monster battle as Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren go one-on-one in a fight choreographed by Hong Kong martial arts veteran Cory Yuen. The final sequence is the against-all-odds assault on Vilena which is part THE DIRTY DOZEN and part COMMANDO both in execution and explosive flair.

While the explosions are grand, and the set pieces to demolish are even more so, Stallone’s directing leaves a bit to be desired in the “what just happening” and “who is fighting who” department. Once the action starts the camera violently shakes to-and-fro hardly stopping once to let the viewer get perspective on where everything is, and the editing is becomes speed metal fast. This is especially true in the final sequence, which takes place in the dark and has the entire cast on screen wearing black. There’s something to be said for quick pacing to get the blood pumping, but it wouldn’t hurt just to have a stationary camera roll for a few seconds to let the viewer know where and who all the players are.

When things aren’t exploding, we get to enjoy the ensemble cast quipping back and forth as they chew up a script that serves to move characters from one place to the next. In the protagonist’s corner, Stallone and Statham share the majority of the screen time, with Jet Li, and Mickey Rourke coming in close behind. All four find exactly what their characters need and spit it out fine fashion. In the antagonist’s corner, Eric Roberts and David Zayas (Angel Batista on “Dexter”) shine like they were born to be baddies commanding an army of cannon fodder. The plot may be a dozen times old, and the soliloquy about soldiers losing their soul when they stop fighting “for” something and just fight for fighting sake are about as subtle as a brick to the face, but be certain this is not parody of a bygone era but an honest attempt to add at least one more film to the unstoppable musclemen action genre.

Speaking of musclemen, the short scene that sets up the main plot and brings Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger on screen for the first time ever is a testosterone filled dream-come-true, despite the fact that this has shallow publicity angle written all over it and Schwarzenegger looks a little he’s seen better days.

Since first hearing about THE EXPENDABLES in late 2008, the film has been set up to bring action fans a non-stop tour de force romp of explosions, fist fights and familiar faces that is part nostalgia and part modern adrenaline. Stallone does deliver on those promises and even a bit more, presenting a thoroughly entertaining 100 minutes that should quickly be added to anyone’s top list of go-to flicks for unadulterated and unapologetic violence. That is until the sequel arrives, and yes, a sequel is already being talked about.

FUTURE-KILL Movie Review

2010-09-04T15:05:00.000-04:00

FUTURE-KILL (1985)

In the near future, a new class division has been created in the cities, the uptowners and the downtown mutants, who look more like people that listen to way too much Adam Ant rather than biological abnormalities. These mutants stage elaborate protests against nuclear weapons, and have been the focus of several newscasts. Oblivious to the suffering that happens downtown are a bunch of fratboys who, after a botched college prank, are asked to go downtown and kidnap the leader of the mutants, Eddie Pain. Lurking downtown however, is a mutant named Splatter (Edwin Neal), who is all too familiar with suffering, and loves nothing more than to dish it out. When the boys locate Pain and Splatter, Splatter's twisted logic leads him to murder Pain in a power move, and then blames it on the innocent fratboys.

As word gets out of Eddie Pain's death, the mutants begin a citywide hunt for the now on-the-run fratboys, who are hopelessly lost. During their sprints from alley to alley, the fratboys come across Julie, a local mutant who is being attacked. The fratboys save Julie, and in exchange, she begrudgingly agrees to help them find a way out of the downtown city. When their paths cross with Dorothy Grim (Marilyn Burns), another mutant who has decided that Splatter must be killed if the mutant cause is to succeed, the group arms themselves and head into Splatter's lair for one final confrontation.

FUTURE-KILL uses the basic storyline premise of THE WARRIORS, and infuses ideas generously borrowed from THE TERMINATOR, REVENGE OF THE NERDS, THE ROAD WARRIOR and Penelope Spheeris' SUBURBIA, with a none-too-subtle stance against pending nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. First time director and co-writer Ronald W Moore (who incidentally never made another movie after this) pieces together a hodge-podge of physical gross-out comedy, weak suspense set-ups, a few good gore moments. The cracks are filled with prerequisite 1980s cliches including blue-washed lighting, a synthesizer score and an utterly pointless yet still fun sequence in a nightclub where a live band plays not one, but two full songs as the fratboys dance and mingle with the mutants.

For most, the main selling point of the film will be a chance to see the original TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE stars Edwin Neal and Marilyn Burns on screen together again. The two don't actually spend that much time together on screen, and Burns' role is more of an extended cameo rather than the co-star billing she gets. Neal, who was extensively involved in the film's creation, is obviously having a great time on screen in his full armor outfit, and Burns' looks damn sexy in her low-cut leather n' metal combat gear.

FUTURE-KILL is a prime example of low-budget 80's indie exploitation, which is big on heart, poor on execution, and whose poster, an art piece created by H.R. Giger specifically for the movie, promises a character twice as cool as any that make it on screen. 1980s b-movie horror and sci-fi junkies should enjoy this one as long as you know what you're getting into, but make sure to watch it with a few friends and a twelve pack; it makes for is easy cannon-fodder and talking back to the screen.

Spike TV's Scream Awards 2010 Nominees

2010-09-03T17:25:00.000-04:00

Spike TV returns with their fifth annual Scream Awards, a genre-celebrating show honoring the best in horror, sci-fi, comics and television.

This year the show will be taped on October 16th in Los Angeles, and will be broadcast on Spike TV October 19th at 9pm EST.

Here's a selection of nominees from the better categories:

BEST HORROR MOVIE
The Crazies
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Paranormal Activity
Shutter Island
Thirst
Zombieland

BEST TV SHOW
"Dexter"
"Doctor Who"
"Lost"
"True Blood"
"V"

BEST HORROR ACTRESS
Julie Benz, "Dexter"
Emily Blunt, The Wolfman
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Antichrist
Milla Jovovich, The Fourth Kind
Anna Paquin, "True Blood"
Emma Stone, Zombieland

BEST HORROR ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio, Shutter Island
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Woody Harrelson, Zombieland
Stephen Moyer, "True Blood"
Timothy Olyphant, The Crazies
Alexander Skarsgard, "True Blood"

BEST VILLAIN
Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger, A Nightmare on Elm Street
Stephen Lang as Col. Miles Quaritch, Avatar
Dieter Laser as Dr. Joseph Heiter, The Human Centipede (First Sequence)
John Lithgow as the Trinity Killer, "Dexter"
Terry O'Quinn as John Locke/Smoke Monster, "Lost"
Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko, Iron Man 2

MOST MEMORABLE MUTILATION
Body Dissolved by Hydrofluoric Acid, Saw VI
Forced to Cut Off Own Flesh and Arm, Saw VI
Heart Cut Out of Chest, Cut Up into Souffle, and Fed to People, "True Blood"
Scalped With a Hunting Knife, Inglourious Basterds
Surgically Transformed into Human Centipede, The Human Centipede (First Sequence)
Zombie Shot in the Mouth by Flare Gun, Survival of the Dead

Who do you think will win? What's missing from the list? Is this a true celebration or just another cash-in celebrity spectacle? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

You know what they really need to bring back? The Horror Hall of Fame awards. If you don't remember, this was an awards show that broadcast from 1990-1992 and honored both current and classic horror films and talent. Perhaps this opening sequence will awaken those recessed memories:

BEHIND THE MASK - THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON Review

2010-09-02T22:52:00.000-04:00

BEHIND THE MASK:

THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON (2006)

In a world in which Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger exist, a young man named Leslie Vernon is preparing to become the newest name in serial killers. Following him around as he sets up for the night on which he will strike is journalism grad student Taylor and her two-man film crew, who are fully documenting Leslie's preparation to become a horror legend, from his cardiovascular workouts, to his methodical choosing of his victims, to his complete rigging of the house where the murders will take place. He carefully plants the seeds of the back story and curse that will be associated with his name, and even introduces Taylor and company to his mentor, a serial killer who has since retired. But on the night of the murders as Leslie sets to work, Taylor feels something deep within her - Leslie Vernon must be stopped!

Move over SCREAM, there is a new kid on the self-aware horror block. Building from a base previously set up by the serial killer mockumentary MAN BITES DOG and employing the laundry list of well-known horror cliches and motifs, debut director and writer Scott Glosserman energetically takes on the horror genre with one of the most unique entries to the slasher world in quite some time.

The film starts off with Taylor discussing the world in which the film takes place, bringing realistic credence to the mythical kings of killers of the past thirty years and bringing them all into one universe. During this opening, film footage of the real Elm Street and the streets on which HALLOWEEN took place are briefly seen, plus a very quick cameo by a certain hockey mask wearing actor. It helps get the film right up to running speed, and instills in the back of our mind a collective set of rules that must be followed in this universe. Plus, it is an encouraging wink to the horror fans that this movie is for us.

Behind Leslie Vernon is relative newcomer Nathan Baesel, who makes his film debut here, and is very eager to please the viewers. His happy-go-lucky attitude, with just a hint of underlying sinisterism, is a biting contrast to what one would suspect to find behind the mask of a serial killer. Via Glosserman and co-writer David J. Stieve's script, Baesel is able to go into great detail about the preparation it takes to be a killer, gives concrete evidence to just how killers are able to always be in the right spot at the right time, thus giving a further nod to Ben, the serial killer of MAN BITES DOG. Baesel has great presence and chemistry, and when he dons his mask, outfit, and gets a hold of his scythe, he truly does transform into a variation on every masked killer to grace the silver screen.

The script also lets a little steam off during a conversation Leslie has with mentor, Eugene. In these discussions, as Eugene gives a history lesson to Taylor about the evolution of the serial killer, he is actually talking about the evolution of the slasher genre. He discusses in the late sixties, how killers would just travel from town to town, starting over each time, which is a thinly veiled recollection of a pre-sequel horrors. He then goes on to praise how Myers, Voorhees, and Krueger revolutionized how killers operate, and lambastes what he calls sloppy "one-hit wonders", in what is easily seen as both paying respect to the height of the slasher genre and condemning of those that were merely hopping on the bandwagon.

The final act of BEHIND THE MASK takes an interesting twist which may irk some viewers, but is the only logical way for the film to end. Instead of merely standing by and documenting the carnage, Taylor decides to stop Leslie before he can complete his masterpiece. Their cameras turn off, and suddenly the movie switches gears from mockumentary to an actual horror movie. If you can let yourself get wrapped up in it momentum, Glosserman pulls off the sudden style change surprisingly well, employing a slicker look and pulling out all the horror conventions that one would expect, down to the very... last... shot.

30 Days Till It is 30 Days to Halloween

2010-09-01T18:55:00.001-04:00

While the air hasn't taken to that lovely chilling crisp that only New England can offer nor have the leaves started falling from the trees, the fact that is September 1st means that its already time to start thinking about Halloween.

This year Movies at Midnight will be participating the Countdown to Halloween, in which I'll try to post a blog-a-day relating to some facet of All Hallows Eve, October, and of course horror in general.

I hope you'll join me on my month-long fanfare the best month and holiday of the year. If you haven't done so already, now would be the perfect time to become a Facebook Fan of Movies at Midnight or to start following us on Twitter so you'll be sure to get every drop of Halloween goodness.

First Look at the HATCHET II Trailer

2010-09-01T18:31:00.000-04:00

Here's the first teaser trailer release for HATCHET 2, which hits theaters October 1st and sets the mood for thirty-one days chills and thrills!

THANKSGIVING Next Faux Trailer to Become Real?

2010-08-27T16:33:00.000-04:00

With MACHETE hitting theatres next weekend and the GRINDHOUSE double-feature about to hit Blu-Ray, the question once again rises as to which of the infamous faux-trailers will become the next real movie.

As the title will no doubt imply, it looks like Eli Roth is prepping to draft a full script for his faux-movie THANKSGIVING. While doing a press release for THE LAST EXORCISM Roth had this to say:

"I've been working on the script with my co-writer, Jeff Rendell, who plays the pilgrim in the trailer. But Jeff has been working. I said that his deal is he has to work on the script while I'm promoting THE LAST EXORCISM, and as soon as I'm done in mid-September he's going to fly to California, we're going to sit down, and bang out the script."

Roth has been talking about doing an official version of THANKSGIVING basically since GRINDHOUSE was released in 2007, so its nice to see him make good on his word.

There's currently no talk from Rob Zombie or Edgar Wright to respectively bring WEREWOLF WOMEN OF THE SS or DON'T to a cinema house near you.