Rob Zombie’s “Lords of Salem” Finally Gets A Release Date

Rob Zombie’s long awaited return to the big screen (his last 2 endeavors where the sad cartoon film “Superbeasto” and that sorry mess of a film “Halloween 2” back in 2009) as his latest film “Lords of Salem” gets a release date.

Anchor Bay (along with Alliance & Haunted Films) is shooting for late April. April 26th, 2013 to be exact. Also in the works will be a novelization of the film penned by Zombie (along with B.K. Evenson) from the script & is slated to hit book shelves a month prior (March 2013).

Zombie has been touting “Lords” as being his biggest project to date and it is starting to look that way.

Until Next time…

Neill Blomkamp's "Elysium"... First Images and What Not

Class warfare seems to be the theme of the day whether it is real life or that of Hollywood productions, so it should come to no surprise that the Sci-Fi genre is going to follow suit with Matt Damon’s new flick “Elysium”.

The film centers around an orbital space station named -surprisingly, Elysium- where the rich seem to live the life as they always have for centuries, while they orbit around the an apocalyptic 22nd century diseased ridden Earth. Damon plays the central character Max, an ex-con who is trying to get up to the space station because he is dying, and he is given a mission that will, hopefully, not only save his life but equality to the world and people as a whole.

“Elysium” Also stars Jodie Foster as Secretary Rhodes, an evil and twisted government official that will stop at nothing to enforce Elysium’s anti-immigration laws and so in effect keeping the luxurious lifestyles that the rich have come accustom too… oh, yes, the have-nots so want to be part of the haves.

Sound familiar?

It should, also, come to no surprise that “Elysium” was written and directed by “District 9’s” Neill Blomkamp who based a lot of that film on the way the South African government treated blacks and Apartheid. So, I believe, a lot of what “Elysium” rings with is Arizona and their immigration laws (and I believe a lot of Secretary Rhodes’ character can be said comes from Arizona’s governor). After reading the over-all plot synopsis, it seems that we have been down this route of sociopolitical ideas before (Think George Romero’s zombie films, “Escape from New York” (John Carpenter), even that of the “Resident Evil” franchise, to name a few).

Do we need another film like this? One that appears to be -a much better and grittier, but sort of the same premise- “Judge Dredd” meets “Total Recall” retread? I don’t know about you but I for one is getting a little tired of it. But it might be fun to see Matt Damon back to a grittier, tough guy role in the realm of Bourne.

Originally slated for a March release, but it appears that it might get pushed until August.

Update April 10th, 2013

Here is the first trailer for the film. It looks it'll hit theaters on August 9th

"World War Z" Trailer and Thoughts

Holy shit, time to break out your Zombie Survival Handbooks because here it is, the trailer for the big screen adaptation of Max Brooks’ “World War Z”

Don’t worry if haven’t read the novel because from the first looks of it, “World War Z” is going to be nothing (even more than the “Walking Dead”) like the book. Which really is not a bad thng. In case you don’t know the novel, that version of the story is set 10 years after the great war with the undead as Agent Brooks of the United Nations Post War Commission travels around the world gathering information and facts from the years of battle to reclaim the Earth. Whereas the big screen version from Brad Pitt’s production company (Plan B Entertainment) takes us what is sure to be wild ride as UN agent Gerry Lane (Pitt) searches the globe of what the origin is that has brought of this onslaught of the dead and for a way stop it from destroying the world.

Originally set for release at the end of 2012 (because, hell, who doesn’t like death, destruction and the end of the world during the holiday season) “World War Z” seemed to be plagued (pun untended) with problems from almost the start. Everything from production shutdowns to being WAY over budget. Then there were the rumors that the ending was a complete disaster in its own right. Causing the Studio to have Pitt hire a new screen writer to re-write the end and re-film. When I heard that and how the movie was pushed from the Christmas release list I had figured this movie to be a dead issue, maybe finding the light of day either in movie Purgatory of January (that seems to be the time when studios that have little faith in their projects and since most people are recovering from the holiday season they are not typically heading to the movies, so usually there is little or no quality films be put so a movie like this would find no competition and perhaps might make some of it’s budget back) or just dumped on DVD. But with a movie this size and amount to produce the latter would be unlikely with out a big screen release. Then there comes the fact that the “Hobbit” looked slated to be released, if not on the same weekend, then, relatively close to “World War Z” which did not bode well either. So either from genus marketing or perhaps they have actually fixed whatever problems they have, “World War Z” is finally going to find it’s way to the theaters. And right in time for the summer blockbuster season, and reportedly going up against the revamped Superman franchise: “Man of Steel.”

Should be interesting, because the trailer makes it look pretty fucking awesome. However, I do have to note the zombie purists will not be happy as we have returned to the fast moving, rabid eater type zombies.



So check it out and let me know what YOU think.

Hell Night (The Movie) My Fifteenth Must See Pick of the Halloween Season

The video above is the whole movie of "Hell Night", and not the trailer


Aaahhh, now here is some college coed fodder… “Hell Night!”

Linda Blair tried to get away from the horror genre with awesome disco flicks like “Roller Boogie” but like Pacino as Michael Corleone, “They keep pulling me back in!”, so goes the “Exorcist” star, Linda Blair.

It’s Halloween Night and the campus is in full party mode, swinging and rockin’ as only college campuses can. But not only is it Halloween but it is also Hell Week for the poor fucktard pledges that for whatever the reason want to be part of the “Greek Life“. And for the pledges of Alpha Sigma Rho it is do or die time (little did they know how literal that term would be). Marti (Linda Blair), Jeff (Peter Barton), Seth (Vincent Van Patten), and Denise (Suki Goodwin) are told that they are suppose to spend the night in the old Garth Manor. Where of course twelve years prior was the scene for murder-most-foul. Turns out that old man Raymond Garth had enough of the family life so he set out and strangled his dear wife for besetting him with three mongoloid kiddies. After dispatching his wife-y Daddy Raymond went about killing the children as well. When he was done, Raymond set himself up a little noose and chair dove into oblivion. However, legend has it that one of the youngsters survived, witnessing the carnage reaped by dad and is still living somewhere upon the grounds.

Peter (Kevin Brophy), the Alpha male of Alpha Sigma Rho locks in his four pledges for the evening, but he is not about to tempt fate and has set up along with his two dimwitted assistants hidden scares and sound effect devices to make it hard on the new blood. Because lets face it, no one wants wimps on their team. So if all goes according to plan Peter has what he newbie’s or fodder for the fire. But we all know, when it comes to horror nothing ever goes according to plan. And when the bodies start piling up who knows who is going live through “Hell Night”.

I found “Hell Night” simplistic but well done, and I am surprised it didn’t spawn countless remakes since the 80s were great for really starting that trend in horror because they really left the door wide open for it. Thankfully “Hell Night” only turned out to be one shot and there seems to be “NO” remake on the horizon which is an added plus.

So sit back, roll a fatty (…lol), and much some popcorn with a couple of hotties.

Until next time…  

"Torso" (1973) My Fourteenth Must See Pick for the Halloween Season

Nothing says awesome like 70s Psycho-Sexual-Thillers and “Torso” is tops on that list.

Jane (Suzy Kendal) is an American exchange student studying in Perugia, Italy, although she is studying more than just class text books… leave it to the Italians to interject a ton of sex into their horror films -much to my appreciation. But as Jane discovers to carnal knowledge of Italy a pent-up Psycho Killer is on the loose. Strangling girls where ever he goes. The only clue he leaves behind is a red and black scarf.

As the killer stalks to campus Jane and her friends decide that it might be high time to get away head up to her friend, Danielle’s Uncle’s cabin (because we can’t have a horror movie without one… lol), but unfortunately for the group of horny coeds the Psycho-Sexual-Killer tags along for the ride and “women begin suffering in rapid attrition problem.”

If you like a ton sex to along with your gore then “Torso” is for you!

Until next time…

"The Entity" My Thirteenth Must See Pick for the Halloween Season

It seems like some of the best horror films are “based on a true story” as in the “Exorcist” or “The Amityville Horror” (just to name two), so goes my 13th overall pick for Halloween viewing fun: 1981’s “The Entity”

Although one can break up with a abusive boyfriend that fact does not always have the outcome one so desires -even when they are DEAD!, as poor Barbara Hershey finds out.

Hershey plays Carla Moran a single mother of three who works during the day and goes to school at night trying to make things better for her family.

Poor Carla awakens one night by strange noises and as she begins to investigate she is smacked and tossed onto the bed and raped. The act causes her to flee with her children afterwards to a friends house. When she explains to her friend that she had been raped she confesses that that she did not see anyone there. Unfortunately for Carla this is only the beginning of long ordeal that leaves her fighting alone until she decides to enlist help from the paranormal community to prove once and for all to everyone (and herself) that she is not bat shit crazy.

As the researchers investigate what is happening to Carla they discover that some sort of evil entity has attached it’s self to her. And as the attacks increase and become more violent the researchers have to figure how to stop it.

For an early 80s flick “The Entity” boasts some cool effects and Hershey does a great job pulling off being raped by an invisible being.

Look for the compressed, hand marked boobs being made by nothing.

Until next time…

"Salem's Lot" My Twelfth Pick for the Halloween Season

Vampires Stephen King style, in other words: “Salem’s Lot”. The made for television movie is my twelfth pick for Halloween, made during a time long before bad reality TV shows and -what we are starting to see more of- cutting edge shows of horror variety. Think “American Horror Story”, “Walking Dead”, or even that of “True Blood”.

“Salem’s Lot” sees king use his favorite type protagonist: writer (Ben Mears), as played by David Soul (Starsky & Hutch) as he returns back to his hometown of Salem’s Lot, Maine (another mainstay of the King universe) with the intention to write his newest novel about the ominous old house that sits and over looks the town. The house itself presents a traumatic past as it was home too Hubie Marsten, a bootlegger and suspected child murder. As a young boy, Ben went inside the old, deserted mansion on a dare from friends and the images that his mind had conjured (he believed that not only that he saw the corpse of Hubie Marsten, but good-old-Hubie opened his eyes and looked at him) have haunted him ever since.

So what better way to confront ones fears than trying to rent the house that scares the shit out of you. Unfortunately for Ben someone has beet him to the punch and the house is already rented to a man named Barlow, and who has moved in his man servant, Straker, to get the house ready for his arrival. This fact forces Ben to take up residence in the local boarding house.

Not long after the arrival of Straker, strange occurrences began to hold upon the town of Salem’s Lot. First the disappearance of Ralphie Glick one night as he and his brother Danny cut through the Marsten property. Then the body of another well known towns person is found behind the wheel of his car. After that things rapidly start to come apart in Salem’s Lot. Danny awakens the night of the search for his brother to find Ralphie outside his window. Problem with that is Danny’s room is on the second floor, So Danny being a dumb kid opens the window for his brother and gets a surprise from his younger brother that he was not expecting. Danny is found face first on the floor by his parents. At the hospital things do not bode well for poor Danny-boy as he receives another visit from his dear ol’ brother this time when is found in the morning Danny is dead. But this just the beginning of the bad things that are coming to Salem’s Lot. As more and more townsfolk either are taking “ill” or just disappearing altogether.

At thins point Ben Mears is starting to put the pieces together and begins to think that all of this has something to do with the impending arrival of the mysterious Barlow. But what Ben thinks is by far of the real evil that is taking place in “Salem’s Lot”.

FYI: The TNT remake of “Salem’s Lot” (2004) starring Rob Lowe is actually a very good as well. And stayed a little truer the actual King novel. So think if this post as a two for one deal…

Until next time…

"A Cat in the Brain" My Eleventh Must See Pick for the Halloween Season

What is a Halloween season without an appearance of controversial Italian Gore Director (and who is considered the “Godfather” of the genre) Lucio Fulci? A sucky one, that is what! And today’s installment of my must sees is one Fulci’s most original works and probably one of his most insane and regrettably one of his last: “Nightmare Concert” aka “A Cat in the Brain”.

“A Cat in the Brain” is a “Meta-Style-Film” where Fulci plays himself as the main character of Dr. Lucio Fulci, a horror/splatter film director, who is not only tortured but driven by his violent visions. Fulci, feeling ever more like he might be losing his grip on reality with ever-increasing fantasies of murder and mayhem decides that it might be high time to see a psychotherapist. But unfortunately for Fulci, his new psychotherapist, Professor Egon Swharz, has something more sinister than treating Fucli’s bloody visions. More of something along the lines of stalking the famed director and using Fulci’s gory nightmares-esque movie death scenes for his own personal use. And in the end to try to pin his own wheel-of-mayhem upon the famed director.

A truly insane nightmare of sadism, carnage, and brutal lust that only can be delivered by the Godfather of Splatter himself!

Until next time…

"Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park" My Tenth Must See Pick for the Halloween Season

Sandwiched between the pot smoking, acid dropping love in’s of the 1960’s and the cocaine fueled rage of the 1980’s, the 1970’s proved to be one fucked up decade. Hence today’s installment of Halloween madness, “Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park”.

Originally made for television, before anyone thought about something called Mtv, by NBC then later put in theatrical rotation outside the US where it finally got repackaged and put out on VHS;  Part “Scooby Mystery” part “Westworld” and all Rock Opera, “Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park” is a cult fav amongst Kiss fans.

The movie opens and we, the viewer, find Melissa (Deborah Ryan) and her boyfriend Sam (Terry Lester) enjoying a day at Magic Mountain Amusement Park. It is just your usual day of sunshine and lovebirds, that is until Sam gets the gumption to investigate the weird and strange acting park engineer, Abner Devereaux (Anthony Zerbe), who is creating a new attraction of cybernetic creatures for the park (think Frankenstein’s Monster and Dracula). Regrettably for Sam he is caught snooping in places he is not wanted and subsequently turned into a mindless cyborg himself.

Meanwhile, park owner Calvin Richards (Carmine Caridi), faced with a failing business plan and budget crunch diverts Devereaux’s much needed cash flow from the cyborg project and hires Kiss to perform at the park. Thinking that they will bring the kids and the cash. A non-too-happy Devereaux argues with Richards about the money to no avail. That is until a group teenage bikers sabotage one of the rides and nearly kills the riders. An outrage Richards blames Devereaux for the incident and fires the head engineer who then vows revenge upon Richards, the park, and Kiss who Devereaux blames most of all for his lost project funds.

The first step in Devereaux’s evil plot for revenge is to send a Kissbot in the form of Gene Simons to roam around the park destroying things. But when Kiss is questioned by authorities no action is taken against them and  the concert goes on as planned. Now an even more pissed off Devereaux sends his monstrous creations after the band and when Devereaux has Kiss locked up tight in his evil laboratory, Devereaux sends his Kissbots to the concert in place of the band in hopes if they start playing the wrong songs that it will entice the crowd to riot.

Oh know, what will Kiss ever do!

So grab a bottle of Jack and a bowl of acid and pull yourselves up to TV and immerse yourself into “Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park”. You won’t be disappointed. Well, that is, unless you are on the acid. If not then you’ll probably laugh your ass off.

Until next time…

The Silent Scream (1980) My Ninth Must See Pick for the Halloween Season

Word to the reader: The video above ^^^^^ is the actual movie and not a trailer. Below vvvv are my thoughts of the film…

You know nothing ever good can come about with screaming police sirens or when detectives enter the house find bodies, so goes the opening scenes of ‘Silent Scream”, an 80’s scare fest along the lines of “Psycho”.

College student, Scotty Parker (Rebecca Balding) finds that she waited so long to register for her college semester that there is not any dorm room or any campus housing and most of the off campus palces have been filled as well. But she lucks out and gets a list of places renting rooms but with the awesome administrative words of wisdom “They haven’t been check yet. So who knows what they look like…” Ah, nothing like sending your daughter to a quality school.

While house hunting Scotty comes across a creepy looking mansion (and this being a horror film you know what that means: creepy places like that hold dark secrets and it is no different with “Silent Scream”) renting rooms. But before she can seal the deal, rich kid, Peter Ransom (John Widelock) tries to steal the room from out from under Scotty. Although all is well because as it turns out creepy teenager, Mason (Brad Rearden) that not only lives there but is the landlord (in-between his viewing pleasures of war flicks and smack-them-around porn) in stead of his mother played by none other than “Lily Munster” herself, Yvonne De Carlo (because for some reason lives in a room in the attic), has two rooms for rent.

Good natured Peter offers to take all his new roommates (there are four including him) out for dinner to celebrate the last night of freedom before the start of school. Unfortunately, for Peter, he gets turned into a drunken pincushion on his way home from the restaurant -the rest of his roommates were kind enough to leave him passed out on the beach.

After the discovery of poor “Pincushion” Peter, things begin to settle down long enough for the other roommate, Jack (Steve Doubet), to score with Scotty. However, while Scotty is turned in a pincushion of the fleshy kind with Jack, things do not bode well for other roommate, Doris, because she gets to meet the other person they share -unbeknownst to them- the place with. And when you meet someone you do not know about in the basement of the creepy mansion you are living in you know nothing good can come about it.

From there it just gets crazier.

Look for “Dark Shadows” (TV series) alum, Barbara Steele.

Until next time…

Fade To Black (1980) My Eightieth Must See Pick for the Halloween Season

The late 70’s and early 80’s horror was on the cusp of something truly great and it is unfortunate that the decade got so bogged down with endless retreads of the same old characters and the same old stories that horror genre is still trying to pick up the pieces as Hollywood has now decided to remake all those money makers from the 80’s. So for today’s pick for my Must See Movies for the Halloween Season: “Fade to Black” is truly a lost classic.

Eric Binford (Dennis Christopher) is a shy, quiet person who is obsessed with movies to the point that he would rather spend his life sitting in a darken theater than deal with the real world. A fact that makes Eric look rather odd to most people, and with people like Eric they quickly become a target for people (bullies really, and one of which is a rather young, and rather normal looking Mickey Rourke) that do not understand him. And with any good obsession it turns into something more along the lines of psychosis after Eric crosses the path with a young blonde bombshell Marilyn O’Connor (Linda Kerridge) that reminds Eric of his favorite on screen legend, Marilyn Monroe.

The two hit it off after a chance meeting in a dinner, and set up to meet later that night. Unfortunately, Marilyn stands up (unintentionally) Eric who then feels that he has been duped once again by people that don’t understand him and want too. Sending Eric along a path homicidal rage and the need for revenge against all that have he believes done him wrong. But like any true cinematic nut job Eric wants to it in style and dresses up as some of his favorite characters from some of his favorite films.

Eric starts with his wheel-chair bound bitch of an aunt Stella, sending her rolling down a flight of stairs ala 1947’s “Kiss of Death” to a more glorious kill of a prostitute that once snubbed his advances (how fucking sad is that when a hooker makes fun of you?) dressed as Count Dracula. And the fun stuff is just beginning leading to an ultimate climax that is the stuff of Hollywood legend.

A real must see for Halloween.

Until next time…  

"My Bloody Valentine" 1981 My Seventh Pick for the Halloween Season

A friend of mine in the UK (that would be the country Britain for those who do not understand abbreviations… lol) was asking about old skool 80’s slasher films, so this is one is for you, Andrew Moody.

Now I usually hold this film off for another special holiday. That one being the awesome “Valentine’s Day”, and if you are into the old skool slasher films then “My Bloody Valentine” is right up your proverbial alley. Now I am not talking that shitty ass 2009 3D remake that was pure crap, but the original 1981 version. Hence the term “OLD SKOOL”.

The town of Valentine Bluffs (go figure), Nova Scotia has not celebrated the famed day for lovers and wannabe lovers since 1961 when, in response to a horrible mining accident claimed the lives of several miners a year earlier (1960) because people were to preoccupied of the local Valentine’s Day party plans, sole survivor, Harry Warden, took matters in his own hands the following year and nicely -or should I say non-to-nicely- removed the hearts of the mining authority that he deemed negligent for the accident with a stern warning not to celebrate the holiday ever again.

Flash forward 20 years and the local twenty-something’s decide that it was high time to bring back Valentine’s Day and have a party. At first the township is okay with  the idea -it had been twenty years and all and good-old-Harry was locked up tight as a drum in the local metal ward, or so they thought. But as the celebration nears the sheriff (Don Francks) receives a heart shaped candy box. Unfortunately for the sheriff the box actually contains a heart. From there things get worse as the sheriff soon discovers another heart in the box and that of the lonely Harriet who owns the local laundry mat who ends up as a fleshy drier sheet in one of her own driers.

The discovery of Harriet is enough for the sheriff and the mayor to cancel ones again the Valentine celebrations with their worst fear coming to fruition: that of the return of Harry Warden. But as the town’s twenty-something’s move the party to the coal mine facilities despite the sheriff’s warnings, the mayor and the sheriff learn that Harry Warden died in the metal hospital he was in. So whoever is doing he killing is not Harry but someone posing as Harry. And when a few party goers decide to head down the mine shafts they come across their worst nightmares.

While the original is not the greatest of slasher films (really just a retread of Michael Meyers), the film is a classic of the 80’s horror genre and by far better than the ’09 remake.

Until next time…  

"The Zero Boys" My Sixth Must See Pick for the Halloween Season

What do you get when you take “Wrong Turn” and add a bunch of wannabe survivalists/paint ball game players and make it in 1986?

You would get “The Zero Boys” that’s what.

By 1986 the horror market, especially horror set out in the backwoods (think the “Friday the 13th series) was rapidly growing stale and I found the “The Zero Boys” a nice, if not a cliché, departure from the big three (Jason, Michael, & Freddy) but still giving us all the basic needs when it comes to the genre: babes, babes for fodder, dudes for fodder, booze, sex, and we can not forget the main attraction: that being crazed hillbillies living in the backwoods doing dastardly things to un-expecting saps that happen to run across them.

The film opens up with a red hearing, the surrounding countryside appears to either be the intro of one of those 80’s apocalypse films that B-movie Hollywood loved to turn out at the time or this it could be a suburb of Tijuana. They both look pretty much the same. However, both choices are wrong and it turns out to just be a paintball survival game.

We follow our heroes to the path of victory as the main Zero Boy, Steve (Daniel Hirsh) puts a well place blob of paint goo into the forehead of a dude dressed as a Nazi SS officer, and in effect winning their little side bet. That of SS guy’s girlfriend, Jamie (80’s Scream Queen, Kelli Maroney).

After a little tension and an early version of a bad music montage where we see the rest of the team get together with their girlfriends and head out for a long weekend away from the city we finally get out to the woods and learn a little backs story on why the Zero Boys call themselves that. I won’t go into the full details other than they used to suck as a paintball team and they didn’t get awesome until they started training with REAL weapons. (Don’t all awesome paintball teams train that way?)

Of course while the group is out playing in the woods Jamie thinks that she sees someone running in the distance. Of course, at first, no one believes until they hear a woman scream from off in the said distance. Which then leads them the group to discover -and to forget about the scream- a house and barn off the well beaten path. At first the group thinks they have stumble upon some rich dudes haunting lodge and do what any normal person does when they find someone else’s house in the woods: make themselves right at home.

And this being horror all the fun comes to a crashing halt when Steve and another of his posse stumble across the fun and excitement that is the barn. Turns out the owners of the house have set up a sweet little snuff movie production pad out in the barn. And now it looks as if the Zero Boys are next of the play list.

So check it out. While not the best of production values it does hold up well with the other 80’s offerings of horror and in my opinion surpasses some of the mainstream sequel retreads early mentioned.

Until next time…

For Sale: One Haunted, Possessed House as Seen In "The Amityville Horror"

 The neighborhood and the house that is there are synonymous in not only the horror genre but that of the supernatural as well. And now you can own the house that was made famous by the Lutz family and their supposed 28 day ordeal that was brought to the big screen of the first time (and has since spawned 4 sequels and a re-make) for a cool $995,000 dollars. Down almost a half mil of it’s original asking price.

But if you are thinking that this is the place that all the action really took place then you are going to be greatly disappointed. Unfortunately, the “Amityville” house that is for sale id the one used in the original films and not the one that is suppose to be the gateway to hell. Well, that, and it is in the great state of New Jersey and not New York. Bummer I know.

However, while you do not get the actual presence of Satan or whatever “lives’ in the home in New York you do get all the cool perks of having a haunted house (This spacious 3,370 square foot, stately colonial home sits on waterfront property along the Toms River and comes complete with dock for your boat and a swimming pool) without the actual problems that sometimes goes along with them. Instead you will get the problems that come along with owning a movie presence: that of picture takers and horror seekers and the random fan that wants a looky-loo.

Far trade I am sure.

The House Then...


The House Now...


Until next time…

In Honor of his 60th Birthday: Dark Dreamers featuring Clive Barker

In honor of horror icon, Clive Barker’s 60th birthday. Here is an interview done by Stanley Wiater for the “Dark Dreamers”  Television series.

Prince of Darkness (1987): My Fifth Must See Pick for the Halloween Seasson

Decades before Rob Zombie started making horror films and using a small pool of recurring actors -one of which is his wife- John Carpenter was doing just that with his own small pool of actors -one of which was his wife at one time. So in honor of Donald Pleasence’s birthday (Oct. 5th) my fifth pick for Halloween must sees is John Carpenter’s “The Prince of Darkness.”

All is not well in the world as the a dying priest who has been keeping a sinister secret locked away in the basement of an unused church in one of the shitty parts of LA for a mysterious sect of the church only known as “The Brotherhood of Sleep”, who send another Priest (Donald Pleasence) of the sect the church and opens the basement and discovers a large vat of weird swirling green liquid. The Priest -who has no other name than that- contacts a group physic grads from a local college to help him investigate just what the hell it is that has been locked away.

It turns out that this weird green liquid may hold the essence of Satan himself and that the Priest (Pleasence) is just a pawn for “The Brotherhood of Sleep” that watches over the liquid. But little does the Priest know that a prophesy holds the upcoming apocalypse and the coming of darkness with the re-birth of Satan and now it is up to the Priest and his rag tag team of students to keep it from happening.

“Prince of Darkness” is one of Carpenter’s more psychotically disturbing films with it’s slow moving build up to impending doom along with a great Carpenter score to set the mood. And when things start to go bad they go really fucking bad. Students one by one start to be possessed and turned into fucked up zombie-like versions of themselves and let us not forget about the weird crowd of homeless freaks -one of which played by horror-rocker Alice Cooper- drawn to the scene by the siren song of the devil.

A definite must see for Carpenter fans and fans of the horror genre. Then again you probably already know this.

Until next time…

"The Dead" My Fourth Must See Pick for the Halloween Season

What would a Halloween season be with out a good Zombie flick? and “The Dead” is right up that alley when it comes to good Zombie flicks.

In  the vein of the “Walking Dead” , “The Dead” is more about the humans that are caught up in the crisis of the recently deceased returning to life and using the living like fat people use a smorgasbord at your local “Old Country Buffet”, then it is about the zombies per say as we find ourselves caught up with Flight Engineer, Brian Murphy (Rob Freeman) as he hops one of the last planes out of Africa where -it should come to no surprise since Africa seems the place to find end of the world diseases originating (Ebola anyone?)- a zombie virus is plaguing the continent. But, unfortunately, for Murphy, things do not quite go according to plan and the U.N. relief flight he is on crashes just off the coast. Murphy now finds himself the sole surviving member of the doomed flight and is now completely cut off and on his own.

As Murphy fights his way through the Dark Continent -his only saving grace are his wits and ingenuity that he has learned through years as a soldier, that lend any hope for him staying alive long enough so he can escape and make his way back to his family- Murphy crosses paths with Daniel Dembele (Prince David Osei), a Sergeant in the African Army, as he finds himself on his own pilgrimage of the damned across the inhospitable landscape of zombies and the insane, as he tries to find out where his son was taken when the army evacuated his decimated village.

The two desperate men decide to join forces in hopes of perhaps evening out the odds against what are no doubt insufferable odds and with no real hope of winning.

Shot on location in never-before-seen on film parts Africa (Burkina Faso, French-speaking West Africa, and Ghana, as well as the Sahara), “The Dead” announces the arrival of the Ford Brothers onto the horror scene with what is being touted as one of the most unique zombie films ever. And a definite must see of fans of the genre.

Enjoy.

Until Next time…

The Omen III:The Final Conflict(1981) My Third Must See Pick for the Halloween Season

While I don't really consider "Omen 3: The Final Conflict" an actual must see, the first two "Omens" are by far better movies, but this being 2012, and an election year and all, not to mention that tonight is also the Presidential debates, I thought that "Omen 3" would be a fun inclusion into the the must see picks for Halloween.

We find good old Damien Thorn (Sam Neil) all grown up in "Omen 3" and head of his late uncle's international conglomerate, and like his adoptive father in the first film Damien is appointed Ambassador to Great Britain. However, unlike the previous "Omen" films, the adult Damien is now entirely aware of his unholy lineage, and his destiny.

With the coming alignment of the stars in the Cassiopeia region causes the generation of a 'superstar', described in the film as a second Star of Bethlehem. Damien realizes that this is the sign of the Second Coming of Christ and he orders all boys in England born on the morning of March 24, 1982 (the morning when, in the story, the Cassiopeia alignment occurred) to be killed in order to prevent the Christ-child's return to power.

Meanwhile, Father DeCarlo (Rossano Brazzi) and six other priests armed with the seven daggers of Megiddo - ancient holy weapons which are the only Earthly weapons which can harm the Antichrist - hunt Damien in the hope of killing him before he can destroy the Christ-child. However, one by one, Damien kills off all the priests (some in horrific circumstances) until only DeCarlo survives.

Heavy with sub-plots (a poorly done romantic affair and Damien's ambitions of becoming President) "Omen 3" doesn't have the same feel as its two predecessors, however, "Omen 3" does tie things together and is a definitive ending to the "Omen" series even though Hollywood tried and failed to keep the series going with a horrible fourth installment and a remake.   

But then again what do you expect from Hollywood lately?

Until next time... 

Eaten Alive (1977), My Second Must See Pick for the Halloween Season

Tobe Hooper's follow up to his cult hit "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Eaten Alive" sets the tone that will define Hooper's legacy as a horror director and is my second pick for the Halloween season.

Judd, a  psychotic redneck, runs the Starlight Hotel,a dilapidated hotel in rural East Texas out in some sort of swampy place and is unfortunately a few slices short of a loaf. Judd has a pet crocodile conveniently placed on the other side of the hotel's front porch railing that he happens to feed with various people who upset him or his business: A reformed hooker, an unlucky family, and the father and sister of the hooker all suffer various rates of attrition as Judd tries to implement damage control.

'Eaten Alive" is loosely based on the story of Joe Ball (also known as the Bluebeard from South Texas or the "Alligator Man") who lived in  Elmendorf, Texas sometime after Prohibition ended. Ball owned a bar with an alligator pit serving as an entertainment attraction. Several murders of women ensued, but it was never proven that the flesh found in the pit was human. However, Joe did commit suicide upon possibility of capture.

You might recognize a young Robert Englund who was a largely unknown actor at the time.

Until next time...

The Sentinel (1977) My First Must See for the Halloween Season

I fucked up and did not get a chance to post the first flick in my own 31 days of horror -it is Halloween time, and hey, everyone else is doing one so why not me?...lol

My first pick for October 1st is a crazy little fucked up movie. 1977's "The Sentinel" has that big budget feel one gets with a Polanski film, and like all of good old Roman's films "The Sentinel" moves a little slow as it sets up the the third act. But do yourself the favor and stay for the third act because it is something right of "Freaks" meets Clive Barker's "Nightbreed."

The movie follows fashion model, Alison Parker (Cristina Raines), as she moves into an apartment that happens to be inhabited (on the top floor) by a blind priest (John Carradine). Not long after moving in Alison begins having strange physical problems that causes her to have trouble sleeping at night. Also Alison is plagued by some nasty flashbacks of her attempted suicide that she attempted when she walked in on her father having sex with two other woman -neither being his wife. As time goes on living in the apartment Alison has strange interactions with neighbors and when she has finally has enough Alison complains to the real estate agent of the noise caused by her strange neighbors, but finds out that the house is only occupied by the priest and herself, and ultimately discovers that she has been put in the house for a reason.

So if you like 70's style Satan films then you should dig this one.

Until next time...

“Lords of Salem” reviewed: Rob Zombie’s Most Ambitious Yet? & Who Gets it?

Looks Like “Anchor Bay” is the winning bid for distribution as word begins to leak out from those who have been lucky enough to catch the screening for Zombie’s new flick “Lords of Salem” @ TIFF‘s Midnight Madness, unfortunately, I am not one of them, but I’ll give you a general overview of what I have read, and thus far, while reviews are mixed (what Zombie isn‘t?), it seems to be getting fair reviews.

I have to say that I was a little on the fence early in the year about “Lords”. I hate both the “Halloween” sequel & and that fucking moronic cartoon of his, “Haunted World of Superbeasto”. But from what I have been seeing (still wise from) from “Lords” and what I have been reading, I am beginning to think I might be putting “Lords Of Salem” back at the top of the list of things to see.

For those of you who have yet to know what the film is about:

Radio DJ Heidi (Sherrie Moon Zombie) hosts a show along with her two cohorts she dubs the Hermans (Ken Foree & Jeff Philips) called the “Big H Radio Team”, when they receive a mysterious wooden box containing a vinyl record, a gift for Heidi from a band called the “Lords”. The record starts to play backwards when it is played causing Heidi to experience flashbacks from “happier times” & that of a past trauma, that trauma is the Salem Witch Trials themselves. The arrival of another wooden box from the “Lords” presents the “Big H Team” this time with free tickets, posters and records to host a gig in Salem. Soon, Heidi and her compadres find themselves far from the rock & roll spectacle they had been expecting. Where the original “Lords of Salem” are hell-bent on returning and they are out for blood.

In other words “Lords of Salem” has that total 70’s vibe that he is so famous for when it comes to his films. Which is cool -to me anyway- because I think some of the best horror really came out that decade.

As the movie progresses it turns out that Heidi’s life pretty much revolves around her work & her going to AA meetings to help her to on the path of the straight & narrow. But after her flashback with the “Lords” record & how the music, not only, effected her but all the women that heard it, Heidi begins to withdraw again into drugs & alcohol. However, that isn’t the only problem Heidi has to face. Turns out her world is becoming more & more intruded upon by her landlord, Lacy Doyle, played by Judy Gleeson (“Horror Planet”), & her two cousins, Sonny (Dee Wallace) & Megan (Patricia Quinn), who all have a secret agenda of their own. But you are gonna have to go see what that my be.

As usual, you can the same gaggle of Zombie cronies in “Lords”, from Sid Hag, Udo Kier, Michael Berryman, to Richard Lynch (1940-2012), along with a few fresh faces; creepy-ass Billy Drago being one of them.

I hear (or should I say: read) that the third act looks like an old Polanski film gone awry; resembling more of “Rosemary’s Baby” meets “Supriria” than anything else, that I just have to see.    

News From the World of “BATES MOTEL”

TV guide is reporting that A&E have finally found their Norman to play opposite Vera Farmiga’s Norma with honor going to Freddie Highmore.

British born Highmore is probably best known for his portrayal of the luckiest kid in the world who finds the last GOLDEN TICKET, Charlie Bucket, in Tim Burton’s version of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

“BATES MOTEL” will delve into the inner young mind and workings of the godfather of Serial Killers (for the screen that is) and his sexxxy & twisted relationship with dear old Mommy.

A&E is  set to debut “BATES MOTEL” sometime in 2013.

Is there a Deal in the Works For Rob Zombie's "Lords of Salem"?

Rob Zombie should be waking up in Toronto this morning a happy man.

It appears that he has a little bidding war on his hands for his newest featured film “Lords of Salem” that premiered at Midnight Madness on Monday.

So far Anchor Bay is at the top of the running with a 1.5 million dollar (guaranteed) minimum offer for distribution. Image & Millennium are also in the mix along with Lionsgate and Open Road of trying to get their greedy little hands on what is being touted as Zombie’s biggest & most mature film to date.

Yes, I said mature.

If you’re expecting of along the lines of the craziness of “House of a 1000 Corpses” or the gallons of blood spilled by Michael Meyers in “Halloween” or the handheld 70’s grittiness we saw in “Devil’s Rejects” you are going to be greatly disappointed. Zombie this time around has gone from gore to  actual scare with “Lords”.

In an interview hours before the premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival for “Lords of Salem”, Zombie said: “All the movies I have made in the past are these sort of very raw, handheld, physically violent type movies, where the violence is really in your face. And this movie [LORDS] is not violent at all, or bloody, or anything like that.”

HUH? Is Rob Zombie starting to get mellow in his age?

“I wanted to make something that was sort of slow paced, psychological mindfuck,” [Rob] Zombie went on to say.

For those who have had the pleasure of seeing “Lords” are saying that this may be his most darkest, most unnerving film yet.

Back in the day when [Rob] Zombie was more commonly known as Rob Cummings, growing up in Haverhill, Massachusetts (A town not to far from Salem) his elementary school used to take the students to see the reenactments of the witch trails for field trips. (how awesome would that been? The best I ever got was a trip to the JAY’S Potato Chips & got to watch them being made) So I guess we have to blame the education system of Massachusetts for giving us the likes of Rob Zombie.

However, the story for “Lords of Salem” still reminds from something out of  1970’s big budget horror we would find with guys like Cronenberg  or even in the 80‘s with the likes of Lynch (reportedly Zombie had a 2.5 million dollar budget, incidentally Zombie’s  smallest budget thus far for a film) with the premise of a DJ named Heidi (Sharrie Moon Zombie)  receives a mysterious wooden box containing a vinyl record, assuming (one should never assume…lol) that the box has come from the band “Lords” as part of their promotional package, but as Heidi plays the record to her surprise it starts to play backwards -and we all know where that leads, right?

And things just go bad from there as the next arrival (another wooden box) from the “Lords” presents Heidi and her team with free tickets, posters and records to host a gig in Salem. Soon, Heidi and her cohorts are far from the rock spectacle they're expecting. The original Lords of Salem are returning and they're out for blood.

I guess will just have to wait and see when it comes to this new, kinder, gentler Rob Zombie…lol.

Up next for the horror master? A little movie about hockey & the 1970’s Philadelphia Flyers.

A&E Joins the Occult

A&E have joined forces with X-Files alum, James Wong and big time producer Michael Bay and gave the go ahead on the pilot for their show “Occult”.

The premise for the show is centered around a FBI agent (X-Files anyone?…lol) as he returns to active duty after losing it while investigating the disappearance of his wife (Sounds like they are taking a little from another Chris Carter and his book of stories and “Millennium”). So of course they send the guy down to the newly formed occult unit.

Makes sense to me…lol.

With the go ahead, A&E seems to be becoming more and more a supernatural/horror genre network, and with the wreckage that is the SYFY channel, is a huge sigh of relief for fans.

In case you have been living under a rock, A&E also airs “The Walking Dead”, “The Killing” (while not supernatural, but definitely falls in the whole conspiracy realm ala “The Lone Gunmen”), and the soon to be released “Psycho” spin off: “The Bates Motel” and the American version of the Danish hit: “Those Who Kill” which takes down the rabbit hole of serial killers. Again a little nod to “Millennium”.

DEADNATION Preaches Obscenities with Their Latest CD

I went to the old mail box today and found that the band DEADNATION were nice enough to sent me their new CD “PREACHER OF OBSCENITIES”.

Since I had never had heard their music before and from the name of the CD as well as the cover art I was expecting something from the realms of Slayer or bands like them.

In fact I could have been more wrong with that perception.

What I did receive into my ears reminded me of something on par with a more techno savvy “DOG FASHION DISCO” meets “MINISTRY” meets old school “WHITE ZOMBIE”. And it was rather refreshing to hear something that wasn’t just another rip off of another bands’ sound. Like “ZOMBIE” “DEADNATION” uses a lot movie media as add ins or intros into songs -while I don’t mind the use of other media as filler it can be slightly over done- however, that is where the “ZOMBIE” coloration ends then turning into more melodic and upbeat (strangely enough) fast paced Industrial metal album that mixed a techno sound with some rap and while it can be a pain in the ass to blend those styles of music “DEADNATION” does it rather well with grooving it all together.

Some of the notables from “PREACHER OF OBSENITIES” are “DICK IN THE DIRT” and “BALZ IS DEAD”, two tracks I can see being played in the Industrial Dance Clubs like NEO; while some of the more dancy stuff really works some of their more bluesy stuff (“SHUT ME DOWN BLUES”) doesn’t come off as well, really slowing down the momentum of the rest of the tracks. And while the slower songs are slow they still have a hip vibe to them. I can see the last song on the disk (“COME ON, PUT IT!”) in some Tarantino style indie film.

If you are looking for some new for the car or looking fore something trippy at your next party you might want to check out “DEADNATION”.

Three and a half severed heads out four on the old rating scale.

http://deadnation666.bandcamp.com/album/preacher-of-obscenities

"THE LORDS OF SALEM" News

THE LORDS OF SALEM is finally done! The world premiere is Sept. 10th at the TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

It Truly Is A Profane World, Ruggero Deodato (“Cannibal Holocaust”) Returns to Horror in “THE PROFANE EXHIBIT“. Where There Are No Boundaries."

Oh, HELL Yeah!

Fearnet is reporting the return of Ruggero Deodato to the realm of horror. The name doesn’t ring a bell?… (novice… lol) Think back a hardcore horror flick from 1979 called: “Cannibal Holocaust”. AAhhh, now it does… lol.

Yes, “Cannibal Holocaust”, the movie that started the whole POV genre for horror films, and “NOT” “The Blair Witch Project” that gets all the claim-to-fame for it. Nope, sorry. “Cannibal” beat you by a couple of decades. Last time I saw good old Deodato he was playing a small part in “Hostel 2” as a client of the Elite Hunting pay-for-murder group who was happily eating large portions of flesh that he sliced from the legs of a terrified young man. A little wink and a nod to what put him on the map of horror.

Now, however, Deodato is back -in an extreme way of course- in an upcoming anthology called “The Profane Exhibit“ with a segment entitled: “Bridge.”

“The Profane Exhibit” takes us deep within the underbelly of Paris and to a nightclub that is the home of a secret, wicked society. At first glance the club looks like any other goth/fetish club, but, like an onion the more one peels away the more things hidden from view come to light. Hidden within the cavernous building are many hidden rooms, one of which is called “The Room of Souls,” which is where the world’s richest and most evil people like to gather and is hosted by the elegant and yet frightening Madame Sabatier.

For amusement, each of the members take turns and spins for the pleasure of the others a true tale of their depravity (think of it as a badass “CREEPSHOW“): A good wife learns that her husband goes out at night to abduct and murder young women; A botched suicide attempt leads to a drug induced dream; A girl is believed to be possessed by a demon and her overly religious parents enlist the help of a corrupt reverend who has his own sinister plans; We are invited inside the deranged mind of a respected surgeon as he takes us on a guided tour of life, death, and everything in between; A young street prostitute crosses paths with a charismatic flesh trader and is forced to take an unspeakable journey of sex, violence, and murder; A nun is abducted off the streets of Rome and held captive for over a year turning her into a feral, murderous creature to be unleashed on society; A chance encounter on a fateful bus ride for an unsuspecting girl who dreams of riches and fame is her undoing; A man picks up a woman in a nightclub and soon finds himself at the mercy of a cult of women who believe consumption of their sacrifice will bring them to their highest form of female dominance; An unflinching look into darkest Africa where human life is traded for fortune and the most unspeakable atrocities are committed.

In other words “The Profane Exhibit” is going to piss off most people… lol. I wonder how long it will take for this to find it’s way to American shores. Hopefully not too long because my interest is peaked.

Deodato will be joined by a roster of other internationally-known directors (and from the looks of it this lineup is all about pushing horror to it‘s limits and boundaries), that of which includes: Uwe Boll (Bloodrayne), Michael Todd Schneider (August Underground's Mordum), Ryan Nicholson (Live Feed), Andrey Iskanov (Philosophy of a Knife), Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police), and Richard Stanley (Hardware), and the Italian FX maestro Sergio Stivaletti (who has done FX for Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, and Michele Soavi).

“The Profane Exhibit” is said to be in pre-production as we speak and is slated for a 2012 release.

BATES MOTEL NEWS: NORMAN GETS A MOM

It seems that Norman Bates’ mother has been found!

She was in the basement the whole time… lol

Anyway, it looks as if A&E’s television version of the 1960’s Hitchcock hit (“Psycho”) of one Hollywood’s most dysfunctional families ‘The Bates’ has cast Vera Farmiga to play the most notorious mothers in all of cinema for it’s up coming “THE BATES MOTEL”

The Academy Award nominated actress, [Vera] Farmiga (“Up in the Air”), downplayed the role of the twisted mother who unwillingly molds her son into a deranged serial killer, saying: “She’s complicated, passionate, and compelling, Norma Louise is a smart, multidimensional character who is always capable of surprising us.”

The show is being described as a contemporary exploration of Norman Bates' formative years and will explore the relationship between Norman and his mother, Norma. Offering a look at the backstory that helped set the stage the infamous serial killer and the forged what will eventually happen in “Psycho“. “Bates Motel” is being dubbed as a cross between “Twin Peaks” and “Smallville“.

A&E has opted to bypass the traditional pilot stage and has ordered a full ten episodes and is scheduled for a 2013 premiere.

“The Bates Motel” will be Carlton Cuse’s first television project since his “LOST” days as that show’s co-show runner and it’ll be interesting to say the least to see how “Bates” will turn out.

The role for Norman has yet to be cast.

American Horror Story - Season 2 Asylum

Ah, yes, “American Horror Story” is back and I can not wait, and if it’s anything like season one then it should be great. Although, I wasn’t all that crazy about the season finale of the show. Thinking that it should of ended with the episode 11 entitled “Birth”:

     “Tate (Evan Peters) cannot promise Vivien's baby to Nora, for fear of revealing to Violet that he raped her mother. Nora is resolved to take the child anyway.

Ben (Dylan McDermott) picks up Vivien (Connie Britton) to take her from the ward to her flight to Florida, not understanding why Violet (Taissa Farmiga) refuses to leave with him. The doctor strongly warns Vivien and Ben that, despite only being six months in the womb, one of the twins is ready to be born any minute, telling them that the other twin is dying because the dominant twin is taking all the nutrients.

In the house, Violet and Tate encounter Chad (Zachary Quinto) and Patrick (Teddy Sears) preparing a nursery and cribs, planning to take the twins. Violet objects, contacting Constance (Jessica Lange) for help in stopping them. Constance and Chad confront one another. Constance offers Ben's twin to Chad, but demands her grandson for her own. Learning that Tate is the father of the other twin, Chad remains resolved to take both children. Constance and Violet enlist the help of Billie Dean (Sarah Paulson), who senses Violet is dead, but keeps it a secret from Constance at her request. She tells Violet that she can banish a spirit if she burns one of its close possessions and recites the word "Croatoan". Tate obtains Patrick's ring when Patrick attacks him, screaming that he could have been "free" of Chad and the house if Tate hadn't killed him, which Chad overhears, heartbroken.

Ben enters the house to retrieve Vivien's bags and Violet. Violet tells him that she is dead from suicide and cannot leave the house, futilely urging him to take Vivien far away from the house and its ghosts before she gives birth. Ben thinks she is high and tries to take her to the car. Meanwhile, Vivien goes into labor in the car and Constance appears, taking her into the house against her will. The power goes out and ghosts destroy the car, forcing Ben and Vivien to have the babies there. Dr. Charles Montgomery (Matt Ross) handles the delivery, with the 1968 nurses' ghosts (Celia Finkelstein, Rosa Salazar) attending. Constance urges Ben to accept the house's help with the birth.

In the basement, Violet burns Patrick's ring and Chad's watch, and recites the spell, but Chad mocks her, saying that "banishment spells" are all fake. When she asks why he is destroying the cribs, he explains that he now knows that Patrick no longer loves him and has given up. He then tells her that Tate killed him and Patrick and also raped Vivien.

While Vivien gives birth, Ben helps her with her breathing, remembering the day Violet was born. The first twin is stillborn, and Dr. Montgomery hands it to a happy Nora. Constance takes the second twin, and she and Moira (Frances Conroy) gush over it, until Hayden (Kate Mara) appears demanding the child. Vivien begins to postpartum hemorrhage and Violet appears, apologizing to her and urging her to let go and join her. Ben, unaware of Violet's presence, urges Vivien to live, promising her that they can still have a happy life together. Vivien dies and Ben finds himself alone.

Violet confronts Tate, revealing that she knows all he has done and she forces him to remember the school massacre. Distraught, Tate begs for forgiveness, saying that Violet has changed him. She believes him, but cannot forgive him because Vivien is dead and Ben is alone. She states he must be punished for it and that, therefore, she cannot and will not be with him anymore. She forcefully banishes him by saying "go away" and Tate disappears. Violet, alone and crying, is soon comforted by Vivien's ghost, who tells her she was brave and that she is proud of her.” -which, in my opinion would of made a stronger impact on the audience.

Whatever the case, season 2 looks to be shaping up into something that is going completely bad ass as this time around we find ourselves not only in a metal asylum but a completely different time period altogether (that being the 1960s, prime time for the greatness of the metal institute craze… lol), and it is being touted that one time enemies will be allies.

“American Horror Story” premiers on October 17th on FX.

The review for "Lovely Molly"

It can be said that Eduardo Sanchez knows how to set up a movie in the realm of suspense that few (and for the budget) can seem to do. From “Blair Witch” to “Altered” to “Seventh Moon”. And newest film, “Lovely Molly” is no different.

Molly (the gorgeous Gretchen Lodge) and her new husband, Tim (Jonny Lewis) move into hMolly’s old family home, formally owned by her now deceased father, and lies pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The house holds painful memories long locked away inside Molly but it doesn’t take much time for those memories to start to resurface.

Tim is a long haul truck driver who is on the road for days at a time, leaving Molly alone to her own devises, which isn’t the smartest thing because Molly is a former heroin addict struggling to stay clean and sober. But as the lonely days and nights increase, Molly starts to feel that she is not alone on the property, as she starts, at first, hearing things around the house at night. The strange occurrences turn into something more physical and Molly has a hard time keeping it all together. Feeling the pressure that she may be going crazy or maybe there is something truly happening to her, Molly turns to her sister, Hannah (Alexandra Holden) then to her husband and try to explain what she think is going on, however, neither believe much in what she has too say causing Molly to go back to her old habits of drugs which just compounds the problem. Only now does anybody take notice that Molly is suffering, so her sister and husband turn to their local pastor for help, which was about as useless as one might think. All of which ends in one of the more “What the Fuck” (a term I actually found myself saying out loud) endings, as it comes to a truly horrific head, where nobody is safe.

As I watched “Lovely Molly”, I kept wanting to compare it too “Silent House”, but with Sanchez at the helm “Lovely Molly” was a stronger more disturbing film when it comes down the subject at hand.

One I highly recommend.

I give it 3 out 4 severed heads on my rating scale.

Dexter Season 7 Trailer... Oh, Yeah!

Holy shit, Dexter is back and season 7 looks to be the most intense yet as Showtime appears to have pulled out all the stops this time around.

We know how it ended last fall: Dexter (Michael C. Hall) has the Doomsday Killer (Colin Hanks) strapped to his table and sending the religious wacko on his way to meet the man that supposedly pulls the strings on humanity just dear-old-sister, Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) walking on him at that exact moment. The killer of cliff hangers.

Now it looks in the season 7 trailer that Dex convinces Deb to keep his secret at least for the time being, but as the investigation continues more and more of Dexter’s secret life comes to light for Deb.

Dexter can be found on Showtime Sunday Nights starting September 30^th.

"Eddie,The Sleepwalking Cannibal" Gets Distribution

Chicago-based Music Box Films looks to have picked up the distribution rights of the cannibalistic comedy film “Eddie, The Sleepwalking Cannibal”.

For those of you who don’t know about this, the film follows a once celebrity artist, Lars Olafssen, who is slipping into the realms of has -been and with a ungracefully aging hipster for an art dealer who doesn’t want his meal ticket to end, and a metal problem that keeps Lars from painting, it’s no surprise that his career is in shambles. It seems Lars’ creativity comes at a high cost to him as his inspiration is of carnage: Blood & guts & limbs and shit, all of which lead to a breakdown of Lars so he no longer paints. (Not a good thing if you want to a living that way) None-the-less, Ronny the Art Dealer arranges a teaching gig for Lars at a school in a small Canadian town in the middle of nowhere hoping it will be the "therapeutic” means to an end of Lars’ problem. While there Lars befriend a student named Eddie who suffers from a strange -and rare- form of sleepwalking that turns Eddie into a ravenous cannibal craving fresh meat. Is this the thing that Lars needs to spur on his creativity? Because, truly great art always comes at a high price, and Lars’ price looks to be sacrificing lives of the residents of Koda Lake.

At the moment there is no release date “Eddie” or if it’s going to go straight to DVD (which will probably be the case). However, it is making the rounds of the film festivals so if you have a chance to grab a seat I say take it.

Rec 3 : Genesis-Review One Wild and Fun Ride

“[REC] 3: GENESIS” is the third installment in the highly successful “[REC]” series. In case you are not completely familiar with “[REC]”, the American remake of it was called “Quarantine” which is basically a shot for shot remake of the original “[REC]” (although “Quarantine 2” deviates from “[REC] 2”).

The original “[REC]” follows a female reporter (Manuela Velasco) and her cameraman (Pablo Rosso) as they basically do a fluff story on firemen and paramedics, who then fatefully end up going on a call at an apartment building for an unresponsive woman.

Upon arrival the fire crew hear screams coming from an apartment, the woman appears to be crazy and having some type of melt down. From there things go from bad to worse as the residents find themselves being sealed inside the building do to some sort of outbreak which the authorities are vague in explaining, even to their own people inside. The infection begins to spread thru the group that is locked in, making them come across as rage-filled (think “28 Days Later”) zombie-like creatures that move fast and attack in a second, and with each attack the infection spreads. In “[REC] 2” we follow as a SWAT team enters the building to asses the situation, along with a group of adventurous teens who find a back way in.

Both “[REC]” and “[REC] 2” are shot in POV so the action develops as the camera rolls and we see it first hand as the participants do, and whereas “Quarantine” is practically the same film as the first “[REC]” the two films deviate from each other over what causes the infection. In the American version of the infection is a super sized type of the Rabies virus made by a doomsday cult hell bent of destroying the world, and in the original Spanish version the infection is steeped in religion where a doomsday cult hell bent on destroying the world has figured out a way through exorcisms for the devil to come into our world and start Judgment Day.

Which takes us to “[REC] 3: GENESIS”. “Genesis” begins on the same day as the first two films only that it starts hours before and at a completely different location, and like the first two films begins in the POV style filming as we follow the wedding of Clara (Leticia Dolera) and Koldo (Diego Martín), in fact the whole first twenty minutes of the movie is just like raw footage you would have from an actual wedding. As we are introduced to the party goers who are destined to become the horde of psychotic possessed zombies we are shown who is to be patient zero of it all while they are still normal, tying in the first “[REC]” nicely because patient zero works at the same vet where the infected dog from the building of the first film was from.

You get your usual junk cuts and shaky camera work that is to be expected from using hand held camera as we watch the set up too and the wedding itself all the way up to the reception (on side note I might add if this is how Spanish weddings are, I so want to go to one). But as things go south and the shit hit’s the fan with zombies, the POV camera (and since if you are watching this film you more-than-likely know how the filming will be) that has become a staple of the “[REC]” series suddenly changes. We now go from POV to a more traditional style of film making. And at first I got the impression that maybe it was going to go back and forth from the two. Alas, while I, personally thought it would be cool, it is given up pretty quickly for a straight shot.

I don’t want to give any spoilers, because the “[REC]” series is like an onion and the more layers they peel away the more layers there are. Although I want to add that while films one and two were dead serious this third film brings in a lot of dark comedy to the series that works quite well with all that is happening, and the comedy doesn’t over step it’s bounds like it can and has been the case with plenty of horror films. When something funny happens it is usually followed by something really horrible.

In the end I found “[REC] 3 GENESIS” a fun and wild ride and a must see for those who have seen the series and like these types of horror movies and that it fir nicely with the first two films making yearn all the more for “[REC] 4 apocalypse.”

The only real problem I had with this “[REC]” is that some of the zombies shambled and moved slower than they did in the previous films.

I give “[REC] 3” 4 out of 5 severed heads.

Takashi Miike: Back Where He Belongs: In Horror

The highly prolific and controversial horror director, Takashi Miike, is back behind the camera with “Lesson Of The Evil” and his new film is being touted as his most twisted and gore filled film yet.

You remember him don’t you. And if you are a horror fan -especially of Asian horror- how can you not?

Takashi Miike rose to fame back in 1999, here in America anyway, with his film “Audition” that told the story of a lonely Japanese widower whose friend decides to hold a fictitious audition for a role in an up coming movie so he can find a new love to share his life with. And as fate would have it the widower grows enamored with one girl in-particular but in Japanese fashion not all goes the way it should.

This time around, Miike is directing “Lesson Of Evil” which is adapted from the 2010 best selling novel “AKU NO KYOTEN” by author Yusuke Kishi and is shooting for a November release. Not sure when it’ll make to American shores but I can’t imagine it would be that long as for the large following Miike has in the States.

The plot for “Lesson Of Evil” follows A teacher named Seiji Hasumi who is loved by his students and respected by his peers. However, his outward charm masks his true nature. In reality, Hasumi is a psychopath who is unable to feel empathy for other human beings. Specifically, he has a severe antisocial personality disorder. Because of his mental condition, Hasumi chooses to deal with problems like bullying and overbearing “monster parents” the easy way—by systematically murdering his students.

Other Miike notables are “Ichi the Killer, “Gozu”, Yakuza Demon”, and the Showtime series “Masters of Horror: Imprint”. “Imprint” if you remember was banned from the Showtime broadcast but is available on DVD.

247⁰F -Movie Trailer Official HD: Can You Survive The Heat

In the vein of movies like “Open Water”, and “Frozen”, or even that of “ATM” where we find young attractive twenty something’s trapped, left fighting for survival, “247 Degrees” is no different.

The film opens and we find that Jenna (Scout Taylor-Compton of Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” fame), Renee, Ian

(Travis Van Winkle from the “Friday the 13^th” remake)

 and Michael are heading out of town intending to enjoy a carefree weekend of fun, fun, fun up at a lakeside cabin owned by Ian’s uncle played by Tyler Mane. Of course after the group settles in and things begin to heat up between friends they find a new thing heating up as well. One that they rather wouldn’t.

While enjoying the cabin’s main selling point: a sauna, Jenna, Renee, and Ian are soaking in the steam when they find that they are locked in. At first the group thinks that maybe Michael is playing some kind of joke on them they soon realize that this is all too real and that help isn’t coming anytime soon. As the heat begins to rise the three friends are pushed to their limits trying to figure how, not only too survive, but find a way out because staying isn’t all that easy to do anymore because in their efforts to get cool air they break the small window that is in the door only to find that the coolness from the outside has the thermostat thinking that it needs to run the heater no stop. Pushing the the temperature well past the body’s limits.

I don’t know about this one. I’m thinking that I can waste 90 minutes of my life doing something else. But who knows. It my be up your alley.

Rated R for language, a scene of sexuality, some disturbing images and drug use.

The Possession - Official Trailer (2012) [HD]... And My Thoughts

I was highly looking forward to the “The Possession”. I’m always up for a good devil/demon takes over someone’s soul type of thing. And when MPAA gave “The Possession” a R-Rating for "violence, terror and disturbing images" I was even more excited.

But then it happened.

Yep. You guessed it. The studio fucktards-in-charge went and re-cut the film to give it a (CRINGE!) a fucking PG-13 rating and in essence cutting the balls off of what should have been one scary ass ride.

Not to say that it won’t still be good. There have been the occasional PG-13 flicks that didn’t completely suck ass.

“The Possession” follows Jeffery Dean Morgan (“Watchmen”, “Magic City”), a divorced dad who one day takes his daughter to a garage sale where she buys a box. Unfortunately, said box contains a malicious ancient spirit. (Go figure) When the daughter starts get more creepy each day, Clyde Brenek (Morgan) enlists the help of his ex-wife and mother, played by Kyra Sedgwick, of the possessed girl to help him save their daughter. As you can imagine things go from bad to worse from there.

Supposedly based on true story (aren’t they all) of a Jewish myth called "Dybbuk" which is a folklore of malevolent and malicious spirit of a dislocated soul because they have been turned away from the afterlife for some sort of serious transgressions (suicide being one of them). Dybbuks are believed to inhabit bodies of the living to be able to fulfill something that they weren’t able to in life.
“The Possession” was originally entitled "Dybbukbox”.

Because of the PG-13 rating I am now on the fence about this one. But one never knows…

House at the End of the Street Trailer HD (2012) and My Thoughts on Whether to see it

I don’t know about you but every time I see a horror film with a PG-13 I cringe. Not saying all the horror films that get saddled with that rating suck but you can pretty much tell which ones do just by the trailer. And “House at the End of the Street” happens to be just one those. And not in the good way, because from the looks of this trailer the producers’ set audience are your typical PG-13 horror movie wannabes.

“House at the End of the Street” is basically a mother (Elisabeth Shue) and her daughter (Jennifer Lawrence) move to a new town -you know, your fresh start thing- and find themselves setting up shop next store to where a young girl murdered her parents. And when, lo and behold, the new girl makes friends with the surviving son bad things happen. Twists occur and I’m sure in the end it won’t be the young girl who killed the parents but the son… AARRGGGHHH.

So in other words this won’t be making my must see list and I’ll just wait for a night that nothing is on cable to actually try to sit through this.

But hey. That’s just my opinion…

The Return Of “PontyPool“… In “Pontypool Changes”

While perusing the internet the other day I came across Dread Central with them displaying the sales art for the upcoming sequel to (in my opinion) the very cool “Pontypool“. You remember that flick, right? Where sound waves from speech patterns create zombie-like people hell bent on fucking your shit up and generally giving you a bad day.

Adapted from the book “Pontypool Changes Everything”, by Tom Burgess (Burgess also wrote the screenplay) and directed by Bruce McDonald we follow the hard drinking and very opinionated radio DJ Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) as he reports the odd goings on in the far off town Canadian town of Pontypool where he has been, shall we say, demoted too.

The entire movie playing out pretty much inside the radio station with all the information of what is going on outside it’s walls coming from their eye-in-the-sky-traffic-guy Ken Loney (Rick Roberts) as he reports in by cellphone.

“Pontypool” is a nice departure from an overly crowded field of mostly bad zombie films that seem to plague the airwaves and DVD shelves.

From what I have able to gather, “Pontypool Changes”, the upcoming sequel, looks to follow more of the Burgess novel then the first film. The film is supposedly set for release in 2013.

On a strange side note, there actually happens to be a town called Pontypool in Canada, Ontario. Might have to be on the list of locals to see…lol