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…  

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.

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…