Gremlins

The rules were so simple

One of my Christmas traditions is to watch a Christmas themed horror movie.  This year it was one of the best "Gremlins"

There isn't much more to be said about the movie, it's horror classic.  It was one of the few horror movies that was a hit from day one.  There was no slowly building it's audience like a lot of movies. 

It's been a while since I've watched this so I thought I would share a couple of things I noticed. 

1.  Why don't the Gremlins multiply when they walk on the snow, it's wet after all.

2.  Why is Zach Galligan's character the only one with a job in the family? I know dad is supposed to be an inventor but couldn't he work a regular job too?  Their financial situation doesn't seem that great, yet the mom doesn't work either.  Seems a shame to put all the burden on the son. 

3. When people talk about kick ass women in horror they forget Lynn Peltzer (played by Frances Lee McCain).  When she hears the Gremlins upstairs, she doesn't run, she doesn't call for a man, she grabs a butcher knife and takes care of business.  She managed to kill three out of five by herself.  Not a bad record.  

4. For an additional commentary go to: The Movie Crypt Adam Green, Joe Lynch and Zach Galligan do one that has some great info in it. 

Merry Christmas, and always follow the rules when given a mystical creature. 

The babadook

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It's a rare movie that lives up to all the hype, but "The Babadook" does. Writer/director Jennifer Kent delivers one of the best horror films I've seen in a while, and certainly the best one this year. 

The story revolves around widowed mother Amelia and her son Samuel.  Samuel has the kind of behavioral problems that make me glad I don't have kids. One night before bed Samuel asks Amelia to read him a book he found on his shelf.  Once Amelia begins reading from "Mister Babadook" the problems begin.

The film is very claustrophobic with most of the action taking place in the family's house.  The look of the house and art direction in general are amazing.  The effects are refreshingly not CG, and it helps the feel of the film.

Jennifer Kent delivered a great movie and I can't wait to see more from her. 

Ouija

 I went to see this last night and I was pleasantly surprised.  "Ouija" is a definite throwback to the days when they produced horror movies that had actual budgets.  Over the last few years we've been inundated with found footage and similar low budget fare.  A low budget horror movie used to be one that was under $10 million.  Now $10 million is considered a high budget one. 

"Ouija" also reminds me of the horror films of the 1980's.  There is some actual character development and the characters generally avoid doing stupid things.  The script even manages to throw in a twist, although it won't be a shock to most horror fans. 

In general this is a very solid "B" movie that deserves more praise than it's getting. 

Spooky Empire 2014

Only five more days until Spooky Empire.  We'll be there all three days, then we're all hitting Halloween Horror Nights on Sunday evening. 

Dracula Untold

It's a shame when so many things are done right in a movie, that they missed the most important one,the script. 

This movie looks amazing.  The effects are top notch, the sets and costumes look great.  While Luke Evans wouldn't have been my choice for Dracula, he does a good job showing the warrior side of Dracula. 

The problem is that there are far to many plot holes for the movie to be effective.  The way that Dracula becomes a vampire makes little sense, and without spoiling it, brings up more questions later.  The death of one character who is thrown from a 1,000 foot high cliff only to land perfectly on their back and with no blood is laughable.  Another issue is that you could have made this same movie and left out the Dracula name, and it wouldn't have changed it that much. 

As the first major studio Dracula movie since Dracula 2000, I was hoping for better. 

Annabelle

I finally got to check this out tonight.  It's a well enough made film, but it was nowhere near as scary as it was made out.   I can't think of anything in it that made it deserve the "R" rating.

To me it felt like a made for TV horror film from the 70's.  Knowing what becomes of Annabelle in The Conjuring tends to blunt the edge of it's scares.

Not a terrible movie, but not a memorable one either.  

Doctor Mordrid

Thanks to the good people at Fangoria and Full Moon, I now have a copy of Doctor Mordrid.  Thank you very much!

Doctor Mordrid started as an adaptation of "Dr. Strange" but after the rights were lost they retooled it. 

It should be interesting to watch. 

Pinhead vs Freddy

It will never happen, but this would be my ultimate horror movie crossover. 

Just imagine that one of the kids Freddy is tormenting tries to use Lemarchand's box to stop him.  Freddy might even kill a few of the other Cenobites, but in the end my money's on Pinhead. 

The Darker Side of Robin Williams

It's been a couple of months since Robin Williams died, and it still doesn't feel real yet.  So in this entry I thought I would recommend a couple of his darker movies.   Everyone is familiar with ones like "One Hour Photo" and "Insomnia" but there are a few more that are worth while.

In a future society people can get memory implants that allow them to record their entire lives.  Williams plays Alan Hakman a "cutter".  Cutters are people who assemble the recorded memories of a person into a movie viewable at their funeral.  His latest assignment leads to more than he bargained for.

Williams plays a radio host who receives a manuscript from his biggest fan.  Intrigued by it, he tries to make contact, only to be drawn in a bizarre mystery. 

A private detective is trying to find out the identity of a woman with amnesia.  He turns to a disgraced psychiatrist, played by Williams, for advice. Williams appearance in this shocked people at the time because he was uncredited. 

AMC Fear Fest 2014

The schedule is up for the first week AMC's Fear Fest and it looks great!!
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Friday, October 17, 2014

• 9:00am – Graveyard Shift
• 11:00am – Silver Bullet
• 1:00pm – Thinner
• 3:00pm – Cujo
• 5:00pm – Dreamcatcher
• 8:00pm – Firestarter
• 10:30pm – Children of the Corn (1984)

Saturday, October 18, 2014

• 12:30am – Riding the Bullet
• 4:00am – Cujo
• 6:00am - Children of the Corn (1984)
• 8:00am – Tremors
• 10:00am – Tremors 2: Aftershocks
• 12:15pm – Tremors 3: Back to Perfection
• 2:45pm – Tremors 4: The Legend Begins
• 5:15pm – Tremors
• 7:15pm – Tremors 2: Aftershocks
• 9:30pm – Tremors 3: Back to Perfection

Sunday, October 19, 2014

• 12:00am – Tremors 4: The Legend Begins
• 2:30am – Creation of the Humanoids
• 4:00am – Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh
• 6:00am – The Howling
• 8:00am – Pumpkinhead
• 10:00am – Child’s Play 2
• 12:00pm – Child’s Play 3
• 2:00pm – Bride of Chucky
• 4:00pm – Seed of Chucky

Monday, October 20, 2014

• 7:00am – Friday the 13th (1980)
• 9:00am – Friday the 13th, Part 2
• 11:00am – Friday the 13th – Part III
• 1:00pm – Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
• 3:00pm – Friday the 13th (1980)
• 5:00pm – Friday the 13th, Part 2
• 7:00pm – Friday the 13th – Part III
• 9:00pm – Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
• 11:00pm – Friday the 13th – A New Beginning

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

• 1:00am – Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives
• 3:00am – War of the Colossal Beast
• 7:00am – Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
• 9:00am – Friday the 13th – A New Beginning
• 11:00am – Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives
• 1:00pm – Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
• 3:15pm – Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
• 5:15pm – Jazon X
• 7:15pm – Friday the 13th (2009)
• 9:15pm – Friday the 13th (1980)
• 11:15pm – Friday the 13th, Part 2

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

• 1:15am – Friday the 13th – Part III
• 3:15am – Violent Midnight
• 3:30am – Corridors of Blood
• 3:45am – Invasion of the Neptune Men
• 7:00am – Slaughter of the Vampires
• 7:15am – Invasion of the Neptune Men
• 7:30am – How to Make a Monster
• 7:45am – The Funhouse
• 10:00am – Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare
• 12:00pm – The Fog
• 2:00pm – Survival of the Dead
• 4:00pm – Land of the Dead
• 6:00pm – Lake Placid
• 8:00pm – House on Haunted Hill
• 10:00pm – Return to House on Haunted Hill
• 11:45pm – An American Werewolf in Paris

Thursday, October 23, 2014

• 2:00am – Puppet Master
• 7:00am – Eight Legged Freaks
• 9:30am – Lake Placid
• 11:30am – Cujo
• 1:30pm – I Know What You Did Last Summer
• 4:00pm – Thirteen Ghosts
• 6:00pm – A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
• 8:00pm – Ghost Ship
• 10:00pm – Scream

Friday, October 24, 2014

• 12:30am – Deep Blue Seas
• 7:00am – Scream 3
• 9:30am – Ghost Ship
• 11:30am – Firestarter
• 2:00pm – The Omen (1976)
• 4:30pm – Damien: Omen II
• 7:00pm – Omen III: The Final Conflict
• 11:30pm – Hide and Seek

Saturday, October 25, 2014

• 4:00am – Graveyard Shift
• 6:00am – Christine
• 8:00am – Friday the 13th (2009)
• 10:00am – A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
• 12:00pm – Child’s Play 2
• 2:00pm – Child’ Play 3
• 4:00pm – Bride of Chucky
• 6:00pm – Seed of Chucky
• 8:00pm – Child’s Play 2
• 10:00pm – Child’s Play 3

Doll Movies

With "Annabelle" coming out today I thought I would bring up some of my favorite "evil doll" movies.

Despite coming from James Wan and  Leigh Whannell this movie just didn't find an audience when it was released.  It's found a following now on video and deservedly so.  

If this doesn't haunt your dreams I don't know what will.

Space cop Brick Bardo (yes really) comes to earth and gets reduced to 13 inches.  Somehow he still finds a way  to fight crime.  This movie came out in the era when Tim Thomerson starred in almost every direct to video movie.  It's goofy fun and Thomerson takes it way more seriously than it deserves.

This is movie that was a staple of video stores in the 80's. This was one of the first movies I rented on my own.   It was a good film and I'm shocked it never got a sequel.  It was certainly a big enough hit.  

Darkroom

“You’re in a house—maybe your own, maybe one you’ve never seen before. Do you feel it? Something evil. You run, but there’s no escape, nowhere to turn. You feel something beckoning you, drawing you into the terror that awaits you in the darkroom!”


Before "Tales From The Darkside" brought anthology horror to television, there was "Darkroom".

The series, hosted by James Coburn, lasted only last seven episodes.  Each episode featured two or three short horror stories, and they some of the scariest I've ever seen. 

The series featured writers and directors with some impressive credentials, such as Robert Bloch (author Psycho) who wrote three episodes and Rick Rosenthal (dir. Halloween II) who directed four.

Sadly the show hasn't gotten a DVD or Blu-Ray release in the United States.  Some episode are available on Youtube, but the quality varies.  

Here's hoping that Scream Factory will get their hands on this.  

Tourist Trap

 For years I had searched for this movie, the only problem was that I didn't know it's name.  I remembered seeing it as kid while I was on vacation with my family.  I was 10 or 11 and I caught it late night while my parents were sleeping.  Years later I looked for it, but I had only vague memories of it and I couldn't remember who was in it.  This summer I was describing to a friend and she managed find the name, for that I thank you Jackie!  In a strange twist of fate I won a copy on Blu-Ray from Dread Central the very next week. 

The plot is a pretty standard, a group of friends gets stranded in the middle of nowhere and wind up in clutches of a killer.  What elevates this above other similar movies is it's atmosphere.  Robert Burns, who was the art director on "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", handled both art direction and the majority of the special effects. He does an amazing job making the film look creepy and disturbing. 

Written and directed by David Schmoeller it was based on his student thesis film.  Schmoeller would later go on to write and direct "The Puppet Master" which spawned a whole franchise. 

Chuck Connors stars as Slausen the owner titular Tourist Trap

I don't want to spoil anymore of the plot, but it takes some interesting turns.  I guess the best way to describe the plot is a mixture of elements from "The Hills Have Eyes"and "Carrie".  This sounds odd, but it really works in the movie. 

Whatever he's selling, I'm not buying. 

Do yourself a favor this Halloween and check this forgotten gem out. 

As Above So Below

Good things rarely happen in tombs. 

I finally caught this film tonight and I was pleasantly surprised.  I'm not sure why it hasn't gotten better reviews, it's a very effective horror movie. 

The movie tells the story of a woman ( Perdita Weeks) who takes a group to the catacombs under Paris in search of the Philosopher's Stone.

Things start to go bad almost immediately, and then get even worse.  I won't spoil anything by saying what it is that they encounter, but it was very different than I expected.

The movie does a great job conveying the claustrophobic feelings of the group. There were a few scenes where you could almost feel the walls closing in on you. 

Some people have complained about the "found footage" angle of it.  I can honestly say this is one film where that didn't bother me.  By outfitting everyone in the group with a camera, we weren't limited to one POV.  Before anyone asks, yes there is a reason that all the footage is edited together. 

Check this movie out, and do it in the theater. This is a film that benefits from being seen with an audience.

Night of the Walking Dead

My friend Perry is organizing a Zombie walk. The walk last year was a great success, and this year looks to be even better.  

It will be held at:

The Boathouse Restaurant

2035 SE Us Highway 19, Crystal River, Florida 34429

 

 

 The fun begins at 4pm at The Boathouse Restaurant in Crystal River. Here you will be able to GRAB something to eat along with join in on some fun Zombie games.
This will be from 4pm to 8pm.
This will be open to ALL ages.
The AFTER party will be held at liquid lagoon next door and will be for 21 and up only.
This will be from 8pm till 2am

Go to the Facebook page for more information. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/275868692619339/?ref=2&ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming&source=1


I hope to see you there!

The Walking Dead Season Five Trailer

Top Ten Aquatic Horror Movies

Aquatic horror movies have always been a favorite of mine.  I find being on water scary personally, mostly because you never know what's out there with you.  You've got sharks, alligators, piranha, squids, octopi,  and other creatures that actively want to eat you.  Then you've got brain eating amoebas floating around just waiting for a chance to melt your brain.

So here's my top ten aquatic horror movies that aren't Jaws.  I left off Jaws because it's classic in it's own right.

10. Creature

If you're Peter Benchley how do you make sharks scarier? You give them arms and legs and have them chase Craig T. Nelson and Kim Cattrall.

9. Beast 

 Another Peter Benchley entry, this one has William Peterson doing battle with a giant squid.  Originally a made for TV mini series, it's been edited down to movie length for some DVD versions.  

8. Ghost Ship

The opening scene alone secured this one a place on the list.  The rest of the movie is good, but that opening scene is what you'll remember.

7. Dagon 

Actually based on "The Shadow over Innsmouth" Dagon begins with a ship wreck.  The survivors find themselves trapped in town where people like the woman above live.  If that isn't enough to make you leave town in a hurry I don't know what will.

6. Alligator 

Based on one of the greatest urban legends of all time, this movie really delivers.  I saw it as a kid and the scene at the children's birthday party really freaked me out.

5. Shark Night 

If you combine I know what you Did Last Summer, Jaws and Saw you get Shark Night.  That is such a ridiculous idea that I had to see it.   This one is fun to watch with a group, but kind of a drag if you watch it alone. 

4.  Deep Rising 

While the creature effects are way to busy, the cast is top notch.  Another fun movie to watch with your friends.  A great game to play is who can do the best imitation of the sound the first mercenary killed makes.

3.Beneath  

A great film that didn't get enough attention when it was released.  The scariest thing in this movie wasn't the fish, it was the people.

2. The Deep Blue Sea 

I went into this movie knowing nothing about it and was blown away.  This film managed to really throw me for a loop with some of the deaths.

1. Leviathan

I liked this movie when I saw it in theaters.  It had a great cast and great effects.  What really made me love this was seeing it again in college.  The Campus Activities Board showed it at the pool.  They had a screen at one end of the pool and you could watch while floating in the pool or sitting beside it.  It was great being in the dark, floating in the water watching this. 

Willow Creek

This reminds me of "In the Hills, the cities" by Clive Barker

Found footage, Bigfoot and Bobcat Goldthwait are an unlikely mix for a horror movie.  I went in to this not convinced it would work.  Bobcat is a talented filmmaker but I wasn't sure he could pull this off.  My doubts proved to unfounded however. 

A bad night for camping.

Alexie Gilmore and Bryce Johnson star as Kelly and Jim who go out to the woods to try and catch some footage of Bigfoot.  They wind up getting more than they bargained for. 

The first half of this movie is very bright, cheery and mostly played for laughs.  It was almost like a Christopher Guest film.  One night falls, the movie really ups the scares and tension level.  After watching this film it's safe to say I'll never go Bigfoot hunting, 

My only problem with the movie is that end is one of the most WTF things I've ever seen, and there's no real explanation.  I would have liked a few more minutes to wrap things up. 

Spooky Empire's May-Hem

I will attending all three days.  If they could have gotten Jamie Lee Curtis it would be a clean sweep of the Halloween cast. 

I think I'm most excited to meet the Godzilla guys. 

Almost Human

In horror movies nothing good ever happens in the woods.

I first heard about this movie on The Movie Crypt last year.  It sounded interesting and once it was available on VOD, I decided to check it out.  

Writer/director Joe Begos does a great job of capturing the feel of an 80's horror movie.  This is the type of movie my friends I would rent when I was in high school.  It's gritty, tense and disturbing, all of which I mean in a good way.  

The most amazing thing about this movie is that the whole thing was made for $50,000.  Which is proof that story and talent are way more important that budget.  

The Blu-Ray will be released on June 17th and I'm anxious to hear the commentary and see the behind the scenes footage.

If you're looking for an old school VHS horror movie, this is it. 

Halloween Box Set

 

From the Scream Factory Press release:

 *** LIMITED EDITION 15-DISC DELUXE EDITION BRINGS TOGETHER ALL THE HALLOWEEN FEATURE FILMS IN ONE MASSIVE SET FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER; All-New Bonus Features, Collectible Packaging, and 40-Page Book Make This THE Blu-ray™ Box Set Event of 2014!***

Yes, you’ve heard the news by now and let’s just say that we are BEYOND thrilled to be working with Anchor Bay and Malek Akkad from Trancas Entertainment directly on this very special project! (It really is a dream come true.) Artwork and bonus features to be announced in the next couple of months so hang tight!

Here’s the quick breakdown of the Deluxe Edition:

- 15 Discs
- Contains all the Halloween feature films – Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Halloween H20, Halloween: Resurrection, Rob Zombie’s Halloween and Halloween II.
- Includes the never-before-released producers cut of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers as well as the ultra-rare network TV version of the original Halloween, the network TV version of Halloween II, plus the unrated versions of Rob Zombie’s Halloween and Halloween II.
- Packed with hours of BRAND NEW bonus features including new interviews with cast and crew from the entire franchise
- Due to fan demand, the first Halloween film will now also include the original mono audio track and the set will include both versions of the original Halloween-the original Blu-ray™ release and the recently remastered 35th Anniversary version with the mono track added back in!
- Includes limited edition 40-page book written by Michael Gingold of Fangoria Magazine.
- Collectible packaging will include a newly commissioned illustration on the outer case and each film will be in its own black Blu-ray™ case with the original theatrical one sheet as the key art. 

*************

This is great news! I've always wanted to see the producers cut of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers.   It was previously available only as a bootleg, and I didn't want to see it that way. 

 

Gateway Horror Film

I was just wondering what was the first movie you saw that got you interested in horror?  

Post your answers in the comments please.

Constantine TV series

They have the look of Constantine down, but it feels like they're recycling the movie plot a bit. I'm still excited to see how it goes.

The Sacrament

A fashion photographer is traveling to meet his sister at Eden Parish. Once there, his friends begin to film interviews with the Eden Parish inhabitants, all of whom speak of the commune in glowing terms. However, they soon discover that there is a sinister edge to the commune that belies the seemingly peaceful setting.-From IMDB

I'm generally not a fan of the found footage genre, it usually makes the movie seem low budget, and the shaky camera work annoys me.  The Sacrament rises far above the usual found footage fare.

L-R Gene Jones, AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg

To begin with the concept makes sense within the story.  The characters are making a documentary, so having the film be shot POV makes sense.  Since the characters are professional journalists the movie is well lit and the camera work mostly stable. 

All the actors do a great job, but Gene Jones as "Father" steals the show. 

Nope, not creepy at all. 

Jones just exudes a dangerous calm.  He's the kind of guy who scares you without ever raising his voice. 

This is a horror where the only monster are the people who will do anything for their faith and their father.  The Sacrament gets under your skin and stays there. 

Charlies Farm

Not sure when this will be released here in the states, but it looks interesting.  Anytime you have Bill Moseley and Kane Hodder in a movie, I'm there. 

The Quiet Ones

Ironically the movie is not quiet at all. 

 Tucked away in an estate outside of London, Professor Coupland along with a team of university students conduct an "experiment" on Jane Harper, a young girl who harbors unspeakable secrets. What dark forces they uncover are more terrifying than any of them expected.- From IMDB




After Oculus I was hoping for a great run of horror movies this year. The Quiet Ones dropped the ball in a major way. 

What could have been an amazing ghost film, turns into a jump scare marathon.  Jump scares are not bad, if they're not over used.  After the 13th time they did it in The Quiet Ones you were barely startled anymore.

The way a lot of the movie was shot was distracting too.  Many scenes in the movie were shown from the camera that was supposed to be filming the experiments point of view.  Which means about a third of the movie looks like found footage.  Why did the guy have to be holding the camera all the time?  Couldn't he have just as easily used a tripod? 

Save some money and wait till this one is on Netflix.  

Oculus

Never buy anything that killed the previous owner.  

This year is off to a great start as far as horror movies are concerned.  Oculus is one of the most original horror films I've seen in years.  While the basic plot of a haunted object is nothing new, the execution is. 

This is a film that doesn't rely on huge effects or tons of CGI.  It's an old school ghost film in the vein of  The Haunting of Hell House. 

I'm glad to see well written and acted horror films make a return.  I can only hope this trend continues. 

Phantasm V: Ravager

There's no movie without the Hemicuda. 

 It's been 16 years since the last Phantasm movie.  It's about time!!

Oderus Urungus

Dave Brockie aka Oderus Urungus died yesterday at age 50.  I met him at Spooky Empire’s Mayhem last year.  He was a genuinely nice guy and went out of his way to make sure everyone had fun.  My condolences to his friends and family. 

Godzilla

This year at Spooky Empire there will be something unique.  For the 60th anniversary of the original Godzilla film they have gotten Akira Takarada and  Haruo Nakajimato appear!  

Both actors appeared in multiple Godzilla films and it will be a real treat to hear what they have to say. 

The Movie Crypt

When I first heard that Adam Green and Joe Lynch were doing a podcast I was excited.  Being a fan of their show Holliston, I was expecting something like they do in the show.  I thought they would do some movie news and reviews and occasionally have on guests.  I couldn't have been more wrong or more pleasantly surprised.

The inaugural episode featured the duo doing a full length commentary for Friday the 13th Part Two.  The commentary may have been light on actual facts, but it did unleash Bruce Fury on the world.  Okay that won't make sense till you listen to the podcast, but trust me it's hilarious.

The  subsequent episodes have been equally entertaining, but even more informative.  Each week Green and Lynch bring in a new guest from the industry.  They don't just stick with the expected guests either.  One of their best episodes featured Hollywood agent David Boxerbaum.  His stories and insights behind the scenes were very interesting to hear.  Many times we forget about the people who do most of their work in pre-production.  Costumer Autumn Steed was another guest who was funny and insightful.  I had not given much thought to clothing in TV shows and movies, unless it was a sci-fi or fantasy. 

The best thing about The Movie Crypt is the harsh truths that Green/Lynch and the guests
bring.  There's no sugar coating at all.  The stories they share make me wonder how anything ever gets made.  It makes you realize just how dedicated you have to be to make it in Hollywood. 

Anyone looking to break into the business should definitely check out this podcast.  For those of us who are just genre fans, it adds a whole new level of appreciation for the films we love. 

You can download The Movie Crypt on I-Tunes or on Geeknation:

http://geeknation.com/podcast/the-movie-crypt/