Man-Thing by R.L. Stine

 (Warning spoilers ahead)

This week Marvel relaunched Man-Thing with Goosebumps writer R.L. Stine taking over the writing reigns.

Man-Thing is a character who has largely remained in the shadow of the far more popular Swamp-Thing.  There was even a feature film of Man-Thing in the early 2000's but even it remains mostly unseen.

Bringing a writer of Stine's popularity shows that Marvel is serious about trying to give Man-Thing another chance.

After reading the first issue, I have to say I am surprised in the direction they are going.

Stine has given the character the ability to speak and think like his former human self.  Which is quite a change from all the previous comics.  Also, Man-Thing has gone to Hollywood to become a movie star.  Yes, you read that correctly.

 So, Man-Thing has gone Hollywood, at least in his comic series.  I was expecting a much more EC comic feel from the series, and the comedic turn has taken me by surprise.

The first issue gives us a quick recap of his origin and is very light and humorous in it's tone.

Maybe taking the series in a humorous route is the right way to go.  Man-Thing has been the butt of many jokes over the years.  

Some intentional:

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. asking the real questions.

Some unintentional (maybe)

I mean, they had to know, right?

If the serious can laugh at itself maybe we can too.

Cuts From The Crypt

I'm a huge fan of Podcasts. I have a long commute to and from work and they make the time go by much faster.

The newest Podcast I have added to my playlist is "Cuts From The Crypt".  Hosted by Tony Giles, this podcast takes a look at horror movie soundtracks.

On the inaugural episode he plays and discusses tracks from 30 Days of Night, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Thing and many more!

If you're looking to explore some new soundtracks or hear some classic cuts, please give this a listen, you won't regret it.

Click here to listen!

The Monster

Sometimes there are good reasons the road is less traveled.  

I finally had a chance to watch this and I loved it.  Writer/director Bryan Bertino (who also gave us The Strangers) does an amazing job on this film.  The Monster tells the story of a mother and daughter who are traveling on a deserted road when they have an accident.  It doesn't take them long to figure out they aren't alone on the road.

Never touch the roadkill 

The movie does an excellent job of being both a great family drama and an effective horror movie. You truly care about the characters, they aren't just stereotypes waiting to be killed.

The creature effects are top notch, the titular monster is very unique looking.  Also amazing is that it was done with practical effects and no CGI.  This makes the monster feel more real and menacing.

My only complaint is that I found myself screaming at the screen when the characters did certain less than intelligent things.  Although I guess that just shows how invested in the movie I really was.

A tale of two sequels

Making a sequel is always a hard thing.  No matter how good it is people will always say "It's not as good as the original".  Two of the most successful horror movies ever made,  Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street , both got sequels the year after the original film.

The F13 sequel is one of the most loved of the series.  The NOES sequel is one of the most disliked of the series.

What did F13 get right that NOES got wrong?

Friday the 13th Part 2 introduced us to Jason as the killer for the first time.  While he didn't wear his signature hockey mask yet, he was still a terrifying figure.  F13 2 upped the ante in terms of body count and still has some of the most memorable kills of the franchise.  The cast, lead by Amy Steel, all delivered good performances.  Director Steve Miner brought us many iconic images that stay with you long after the movie is over.

One of my favorite "Final Girls"

This scene really got to me as a kid.  

It's worth mentioning that  very few people mention the original Friday the 13th as their favorite in the series.  Which is something no other franchise can say,

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge is by contrast the stepchild of the NOES series.  The biggest problem with the film is the script.   Writer David Chaskin filled the script with homoerotic subtext in an effect to amplify the horror for teen boys.  This caused a lot of strife on the set and the film suffers for it.

It also violates the rules of the first film.  While Freddy appearing at the pool party is an iconic scene, it's not something he should be able to do.  Freddy taking over a persons body is not something he did before or after this.

Director Jack Sholder does give us some terrifying images, but they aren't enough to make the film rise above the original or sequels.

"You've got the body...."

When discussing which NOES film is their favorite I have yet to hear anyone cite this one.

Before they were famous: Scott Derrickson

Today Scott Derrickson is well known to horror audiences.  He's the writer/director of such hits as The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister, Deliver us from Evil, and of course Dr. Strange.

Before any of these however he also co-wrote and directed Hellraiser: Inferno.

Pinhead looks bored.

Released in 2000, it was originally a different film that was re-written into a Hellraiser film.

The film has a decent cast with Doug Bradley as Pinhead, Craig Sheffer (Nightbreed), James Remar and Nicholas Turturro.

This was the first Hellraiser film not to receive a theatrical release and started a trend of scripts that were rewritten in straight to video sequels.

This is not a terrible movie, it just doesn't have anything exciting or unique about it.

The Darkroom

"You're in a house. Maybe your own...maybe one you've never seen before. 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!"

One of the best horror anthology TV shows, is also one of the least seen.  The series aired on ABC for one short season,  The series had quite a few creepy and disturbing episodes.  Four episodes were deemed to disturbing for TV and were used in the movie "Nightmares".

James Coburn was the host who introduced each story while in the titular Darkroom.  The series had episodes directed by Paul Lynch (Prom Night), Rick Rosenthal (Halloween II) and Jeffery Bloom (Flowers in the Attic).  

It also boasted episodes written by Robert Bloch (Psycho) William F,Nolan (Burnt Offerings) and Robert McCammon.

I'm hoping that this will be released on DVD/Blu-Ray eventually.

The horrors of Tampa Bay

I went to the Tampa Bay Comic con last weekend.  Here are some of the best cosplays I saw and a full sized Crite!