Hatchet III

Victor hasn't gotten any better looking.

The Plot:
Marybeth faces off against Victor Crowley for what could be the final time.

My Thoughts:
One of the things I love about these movies is their continuity.  Each sequel has started just seconds after the last.  Watching them back to back they feel like one movie.  Other slasher sequels have suffered from being made by different writers/directors.  Even though Adam Green didn't direct this one, he still wrote it and oversaw the production.  Keeping this kind of creative control is something rare and allowed the movies to rise above the normal slasher film.

Kane Hodder as Victor Crowley 

Like the previous Hatchet films this one features several cameos by genre favorites. While I won't spoil them, I think everyone will be pleased.  I had guessed one, but there was one I never expected.  There are so many other Easter eggs it's hard to catch them all in the first viewing. 

Danielle Harris still manages to be hot even covered in blood. 

Another great thing about the "Hatchet" films is that they know what slasher fans want, and they deliver.  This one manages to deliver an amazing body count.  The kills are all much more elaborate and bloody, the blood comes by the 50 gallon barrel.  Again, I won't spoil any of them, but they don't disappoint.

Not something you want to see coming at  you.

All of the cast deliver great performances, Kane even manages to make us feel sympathy for Crowley.  It's a testament to Kane that he can convey such emotion through the layers of make-up.

Adam Green has hinted that this will be his last "Hatchet" film.  If so, the series ends on a satisfying, if surprisingly emotional note.  I have a feeling we will see Crowley again.  After all Jason Voorhees had a "Final Chapter" and a "Final Friday" and still managed to come back.  Although I hope Crowley and Jason don't tangle in space. 

Holliston

If you’ve always wanted a sitcom that would appeal to you as horror fan, this is it.  It doesn’t make fun of us, it shows that we’re real people who care about more than body counts.  It’s also pretty damn funny. 

Never go drinking with the Candyman.

Personally I'd pick an imaginary friend who wore pants with a back in them, but that's just me. 

Prince of Darkness

I've got a message for you, and you're not going to like it.

 

Actually, most horror fans will like this message.  Scream Factory (ScreamFactoryDVD.com) has announced a collectors edition of "Prince of Darkness" releasing on 09/24/13.  

Other than the amazing cover art by Justin Osbourn, they haven't released any details.  They always do a quality job on their product, so I wouldn't expect any less on this one.  

I'm hoping for a commentary track by John Carpenter personally.  This is one of my favorite films, and I would love to hear his insights on it. 

Friday the 13th Part 3

I watchetd Friday the 13th Part 3 for the first time in forever.

Here are some random thoughts on it I jotted down while watching it. 

Higgins Haven is the name of the farm they’re staying in, which has the craziest farmhouse ever.  Here are some notable features about it:

• It has a spiral staircase and the rooms have hammocks instead of beds. 
• It’s decorated with gongs on the fireplace, antique kitchenware , garden gnomes on the nightstands, with deer heads and African tribal masks on the walls. 
• There are copies of Fangoria just laying around. 

The Volkswagen bug they drive can self repair its windshield, that thing is like K.I.T.T. .

Women in 1982 did not wear bras, but did wear what would be called "granny panties" now.

“Where’s that coming from?” is said frequently.

You can squeeze a mans head till his eyeball pops out and his face will stay looking the same.

Jason actually makes noises in this one and appears to feel pain.

Drive In Theaters

I had all but forgotten about Drive In Theaters.  I remembered them being a  lot of fun, but wasn't sure if that was just the memories of a kid.  I remembered it being nice to be able to discuss, or make fun of, the movies without bothering anyone else.  Plus you could bring your own snacks, and you usually got two movies for the price of one.

The last Drive In closed near my home in Joplin Missouri closed in 1994 or 1995.  I was shocked when I got to Florida and there were still Drive In's!  That's the advantage of Florida though, the weather rarely gets bad enough they need to close.

They've reopened a Drive In near Joplin Missouri, but it's strictly a family movie place.  The one here will show anything.

While some movies should be seen in a state of the art theater, others are best seen old school.

It was great fun to watch "The Cabin the Woods" under the stars. 

The Silvermoon Drive In even did a classic movie series with free admission.  "Christine" was just one of the movies they showed.  It's a horror fans dream to watch these in this format!

Here are some pics I took at the Silvermoon Drive In, enjoy!

It does have a horror movie vibe to it. 

I'm all for nostalgia, but we used my car radio for sound.

Almost show time. 

The Snack Bar.  

All photos are ©Shad Youngblood 2013, and may not be copied with written permission. 

Phantasm II (Blu-Ray) and a story

I got a copy of this today from a friend as an early birthday present.  I'm going to do a proper review next week, but it reminded of something amusing.

When Phantasm II was released in theaters back in 1988, I was in high school in Joplin Missouri.  The theater that would be showing it was massively promoting it the entire week before it opened.  They promised a big surprise for everyone there on opening night.   My friends and I were already excited to see it, so this got us even more amped up for it. 

The theater showing it was on the mall, but it only had two screens.  There was no stadium seating, and it was very cramped.  This theater usually only got the worst movies, only occasionally did it get something good. 

They were hoping that this would be a big draw, it was summer and it was the only horror movie coming out that month.  We arrived for the first showing that night and were shocked at the turnout.  Other than me and my friends there was only a handful of people in the theater.  The theater was obviously expecting a bigger turnout.  

Suspended above the seats was a huge net full of balloons. They were all silver balloons, blown up to about the size of "The Ball".  The theater manager came out and explained that hidden inside one of the balloons was a ticket.  Whoever got the balloon with the ticket would get a t-shirt, poster, and a press kit from the movie. 

The theater manager, complete with looked like a "Mr. Microphone" then said "Ladies, release the balloons".  Two young ladies pulled on different corners of the net and down they came.   Chaos ensued as everyone scrambled to sort through the balloons.  This went on for longer than expected, seeing as the theater was less than a 1/3 full.

Sadly, I didn't find a special balloon.  I have however, never forgotten that night at the theater..

Grave Encounters/Grave Encounters 2

After hearing about these for some time I finally decided to set down and watch them this weekend.

Grave Encounters

The Plot:
The cast and crew of the ghost hunting show Grave Encounters spend the night in the supposedly haunted  Collingwood asylum. They get more than they ever bargained for at Collingwood though. 

My Thoughts:
While I generally don't like the found footage genre, I was surprised with Grave Encounters.  The start of the movie is a great send up of every ghost hunting show you've ever seen.  Watching the crew bribe gardeners, coach the fake psychic, and stage the "scary" shots was great.  When the ghost inevitably arrive there are quite a few good scares. 

and that's a wrap!

The crew avoided doing typical horror movie cliches and they reacted realistically to the ghosts. The only complaint I have is that the last act was too long.

Grave Encounters 2

The Plot:
A group of film students sets out to prove that the film Grave Encounters  actually happened.

My Thoughts:
As much as I enjoyed the first one, the sequel left me flat.  It was to meta for my taste. Starting the movie off with people reviewing the first movie just killed it for me.  They took the shaky camera to the extreme too.   Motion sickness does not endear a movie to me.  Also I'm pretty sure  film students wouldn't record themselves buying pot.

They should definitely stop here and not try to squeeze any more life out of this concept.