Spirit Within -Horror Short Film for the Halloween Build Up

Poor, poor, Katie. While Katie is babysitting she is haunted by a demonic African statue --shades of "Trilogy of Terror" & "Black Devil Doll". Or is it that Katie's mind is just playing tricks on her. You Decide....

"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…

"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…

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…  

"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.

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