Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Damned by Dawn
Damned by Dawn
This Australian horror film was heavily marketed toward fans of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead series. Watching the film it is easy to believe that the director is a fan of Raimi. The camera work and cinematography is reminiscent of the first Evil Dead film. Likewise the demons bear a fleeting resemblance to the “deadites” of Raimi’s films. However the humor off the Evil Dead series is missing from Damned by Dawn. The movie is dark and humorless, but I think the film works better without humor. Paying homage to Sam Raimi is one thing but I think trying to make an unauthorized remake would be a massive fail.
The movie’s plot revolves around the legend of the banshee coming to claim the soul of the dying. Piercing and horrifying screams awaken a family, when the matriarch is on her death bed. The old lady warns then that they must not interfere when the banshee comes to claim her soul. Off course they do interfere. This leads the shrieking spectre to awaken the dead to hunt down the family one by one.
The film manages to be creepy and scary at times. It even made me jump early on, which doesn’t happen a lot. The outside scenes look reminiscent not only of Raimi’s early work but also remind me a bit of Hammer films. The scenes are mostly kept dark which serves to help the effects, keeping the undead onscreen but for the most part not easily seen. The creatures appear to be CG or possibly a mix of Cg and practical effects. The fog and darkness work to keep them obscured enough so that they do not look as fake as most CG effects.
Some of the gore effects would have been better served to have been obscured more. The film makers attempt to pile on the demon gore ala Raini, but it doesn’t work as well. I won’t say that all of Raimi’s gore looked realistic, but on Damned by Dawn it just really looks fake.
It’s a minor detail though and overall it is a very effective little horror film. The banshee’s screams are chilling, and watching it in the dark can lead to jumps and squirms. Damned by Dawn will not make you stop waiting for Evil Dead 4, like the DVD case promises, but it might help you hold out till then.
This Australian horror film was heavily marketed toward fans of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead series. Watching the film it is easy to believe that the director is a fan of Raimi. The camera work and cinematography is reminiscent of the first Evil Dead film. Likewise the demons bear a fleeting resemblance to the “deadites” of Raimi’s films. However the humor off the Evil Dead series is missing from Damned by Dawn. The movie is dark and humorless, but I think the film works better without humor. Paying homage to Sam Raimi is one thing but I think trying to make an unauthorized remake would be a massive fail.
The movie’s plot revolves around the legend of the banshee coming to claim the soul of the dying. Piercing and horrifying screams awaken a family, when the matriarch is on her death bed. The old lady warns then that they must not interfere when the banshee comes to claim her soul. Off course they do interfere. This leads the shrieking spectre to awaken the dead to hunt down the family one by one.
The film manages to be creepy and scary at times. It even made me jump early on, which doesn’t happen a lot. The outside scenes look reminiscent not only of Raimi’s early work but also remind me a bit of Hammer films. The scenes are mostly kept dark which serves to help the effects, keeping the undead onscreen but for the most part not easily seen. The creatures appear to be CG or possibly a mix of Cg and practical effects. The fog and darkness work to keep them obscured enough so that they do not look as fake as most CG effects.
Some of the gore effects would have been better served to have been obscured more. The film makers attempt to pile on the demon gore ala Raini, but it doesn’t work as well. I won’t say that all of Raimi’s gore looked realistic, but on Damned by Dawn it just really looks fake.
It’s a minor detail though and overall it is a very effective little horror film. The banshee’s screams are chilling, and watching it in the dark can lead to jumps and squirms. Damned by Dawn will not make you stop waiting for Evil Dead 4, like the DVD case promises, but it might help you hold out till then.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Happy Vetern's Day
Just wanted to give a quick shout out to those who give so much, and some who give everything. To those veterns, home and abroad, especially those still in a war zone, we salute you. Hopefully there will come a day when we stop making veterns, when the world no longer needs the sacrafice of American blood. To the families who are missing their loved ones we salute you as well. To those Veterns who did give everything, who gave their life, let us never forget.
Salute!
Salute!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
SINT trailer
From Amsterdamn comes the latest killer Santa movie, just in time for the holidays here is the trailer for Sint
Contest! Free Giveaway
SOOO I am working on a contest to give away something here on the blog. What is the prize? I will announce as soon as it is physically in my hands. How will the contest work? Not sure but it will be simple, along the lines of leaving a comment. Stay tuned! the prize will be decent, worth at least 25 bucks Let's call it a Christmas Horror Contest. Keep watching
Monday, November 1, 2010
The Walking Dead
Well I had to DVR The Walking Dead last night due to work, but it looks like it was the biggest series premiere ever on AMC. I am watching it as I type and I am stunned by it. Darabont delivers again not just with the horror but with believable, likeable characters that we care about. Characters coping with an uncopable situation. Got about thirty minutes left in this episode and I am already jonsing for episode two. Give me more AMC!
Bloody Reunion- Korean Slasherfest.
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I caught the very end of Bloody reunion on cable a couple months ago. Really bloody, but also confusing. Now Asian cinema can be confusing at its best, so I should have known better than trying to make sense of a Korean slasher film from just the final ten minutes. Even though those ten minutes really looked encouraging, I completely misread the motivation of the killer.
Then last weekend I picked up a copy of Bloody Reunion at a local used DVD store. I settle in to watch it and really enjoyed it. Knowing the ending (or so I thought) didn’t spoil the film in the least.
Without giving away too many spoilers, the film concerns a reunion of former classmates at their teachers house. At first glance they all seem happy and successful, but they all harbor a dark secret about their time with teacher. As the party gets under way, the secrets start to surface. When night falls a mysterious figure in a rabbit mask starts killing the former classmates one after another.
Is the killer, the teachers disfigured child that she locked away in the basement? Or is the answer even more sinister? The story is told in flashbacks with some clever misdirection. The story is set up and told so well, that the misdirection doesn’t seem unfair. You may hit yourself on the forehead near the end and say “damn I forgot that was a flashback.” The filmmakers may have bent the rules of story telling but they didn’t break them.
There isn’t a huge amount of gore in Bloody Reunion but there are some squeamish points during some of the torture scenes. If you are a fan of Asian horror, don’t miss out on Bloody Reunion.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Altitude- Squids in Space!-not
When I first saw the trailer for Altitude I was really excited. An airplane full of kids terrorized by a giant squid in the clouds. Dreams of Lovecraft filled my head. Come on, who else but the mighty Cthulhu, may he rise and devour us all, could be behind a giant squid in the sky?
Well apparently none of the filmmakers realized that this tempting trailer would get Lovecraft fans in a tizzy. Or they failed to realize that what really happens in Altitude would royally piss off those loyal Lovecraft fans. Well it pissed me off and left me crying false advertising. Maybe the stars just weren’t right for Altitude.
Apparently having a giant squid in the skies is just too ludicrous. Instead we a emoesque kid who projects his fear of flying (really) into a giant squid that devours his friends. Wow that’s much more plausible. Not only does he bring the sky squid into existence but also manages to force his fellow travelers to recite the dialogue from a comic word for word. A comic where people are being devoured by a giant squid. Yeah much more believable than the rebirth of an ancient god, may he slumber and dream of death.
Altitude has its cast of stereotypical teens, doing all the stupid stuff you expect teens to do. Climb outside a plane while tied to a rope, sure that’s something any teen would do right? It all ends with the revelation that dude has caused all this due to his angst over flying. Damn that makes sense. Also we find out that he probably caused a plane wreck as a baby. He really hates flying apparently. Off course we have to end it with a time travel, twilight zone, paradoxical ending that I wont even try and spoil for you.
It just amazes me that a whiny kid, too afraid to ask out the girl he is crazy about, has apparently never experienced anything worse than flying in his miserable existence. Come on, he was the punching bag amongst his friends on the plane, but he has never before been bullied enough to summon a cephalopod to wreak vengeance? Wasn’t the idea of psychic’s summing a giant squid done in the Watchmen comics? Wasn’t it also considered too out there for the film version? Hint to young filmmakers, if Zack Snyder can’t make it work, odds are you can’t either.
So if you haven’t heard of Altitude, just forget you read this. If you have and you are expecting Lovecraft, like the films wikipedia entry claims, you will be disappointed. If you never heard of Lovecraft or the great Cthulhu, long may he feast on our bones, and you are expecting just a wacky, Snakes on a Plane type monster fest, once again, expect to be let down. If you like PG horror, with pretty kids and a convoluted plot, you might actually like it. My best bet is to wait for it to show up on cable, where you won’t feel bad about the three bucks you spent on a rental.
I was advised to skip this flick, but I didn’t. Now I am passing that advice along to you. Especially the Lovecraft fans who might be reading this. Go watch Dagon again instead. Me, I’m just gonna sit here, drink a beer and wait for the stars to be right.
Victim of abuse by priest takes revenge
No one is surprised anymore to read about a priest allegedly raping young boys. It seems to have become almost a given. Priests molest kids and when they get caught the church pays off the family and relocates the priest. Win, win situation, the family gets money to help cover the therapy, the church limit’s the bad publicity a trial would bring, and the priest gets access to fresh meat.
See how easy it is to laugh about it? Who hasn’t heard or even told a molesting priest joke? Now that Michael is dead, we all feel bad making pedo jokes, but the priest are still around. It’s easy to laugh, but it’s not quite as easy to remember that each joke represents a life ruined. It represents the institution that people look to for guidance and hope stealing the innocence of our children.
We look to the head of the church for a solution or at least for justice and we find nothing but weak words. If these molesters were not priests they would be in jail, but the church protects them, and worse at times seems to be aiding the pedophiles by relocating them, but still allowing them access to kids.
Does the priesthood draw pedophiles, or does the priesthood lead them down the road to sexual predator? Personally I lean to the latter. Priests are forbidden to marry or have sex. However while having sex with a woman is a sin which can see a priest removed from the pulpit, pedophilia is a sickness and needs counseling. In Christianity a sin is wrong, yet sickness is not a sin because it is beyond our control. Thus horny old men, locked in celibacy by their vows to God, may see their only release in the cherubic faces of young boys.
That is in no way meant to absolve those pedophile priests. There are plenty of other men of God who never walk down that path, or at least I hope there are plenty of them. These men are sick and they are criminals. They deserve to be in jail, just as the dirty old men who don’t have the protection of the Vatican are in jail. We don’t move them to a new neighborhood, we lock them up and even that seems too little, too late.
With the pedophile priests, we get no satisfaction. We get nothing but horror stories. Priest accused, priest denies, church denies, priest gets moved, new accusations arise, rinse and repeat. How long before the bubble bursts and people start taking the law into their own hands?
In California that has just happened. William Lynch was reportedly abused as a child three decades ago. On Friday he was arrested for viciously beat the priest accused of molesting him. The alleged molester, Rev. Jerold Lindner, was accused of molesting Lynch and his younger brother. He of course denies the accusations. The church had so much faith in his innocence that they paid Lynch and his brother 625,000 to settle in 1998.
There may be some who question a victim who takes a cash settlement. There have been times I have questioned why someone would drop the charges. Well half a million dollars is a lot of money. The alternative is a long drawn out trial, that may last for years.
Now consider that you were raped when you were seven years old, forced to have sex with your five year old brother. I’m betting your life has been pretty shitty, you can take the half million, try to salvage it, try to repress it or else go to trial, against the churches lawyers. You expose everything that happened and have the lawyers call you liars. All in the hopes of justice. A justice that would probably see him spend a very little amount of time behind bars. Hell, I’d probably take the damn money myself. It’s easy to judge them when you aren’t in their shoes.
Lynch took the money but apparently couldn’t forget about the past. Cash can’t buy back innocence apparently. So he took the matters into his own hands. This is the point where I should say that violence is not the answer. Two wrongs don’t make a right. What happened to Lynch doesn’t justify him beating an old man nearly to death. Well I am not going to say that.
What Lynch did to Lindner was no worse than what happened to him. If the allegations were true, than Lindner attacked a helpless child and scarred him for life. Yet he has never been charged or spent time in jail for it. Lynch attacked a helpless old man, beat him severely, but he is back at work.
His blood is on the church’s hands.
The blood of the innocents who suffered at the hands of Lindner also rest squarely on the church. They chose to look the other way, even when they knew they had repeat offenders. How can anyone have faith in a church that protects and possibly even breeds monsters. Monsters like Lindner, who belongs behind bars
Counting Lynch, Lindner was accused in three separate lawsuits for molesting children between 1973 and 1985. He was part of the over $600 million settlement struck between the church and over 500 accusers in 2007. He remained behind the pulpit till 2001, when he was assigned to the Los Gatos retirement home.
See how easy it is to laugh about it? Who hasn’t heard or even told a molesting priest joke? Now that Michael is dead, we all feel bad making pedo jokes, but the priest are still around. It’s easy to laugh, but it’s not quite as easy to remember that each joke represents a life ruined. It represents the institution that people look to for guidance and hope stealing the innocence of our children.
We look to the head of the church for a solution or at least for justice and we find nothing but weak words. If these molesters were not priests they would be in jail, but the church protects them, and worse at times seems to be aiding the pedophiles by relocating them, but still allowing them access to kids.
Does the priesthood draw pedophiles, or does the priesthood lead them down the road to sexual predator? Personally I lean to the latter. Priests are forbidden to marry or have sex. However while having sex with a woman is a sin which can see a priest removed from the pulpit, pedophilia is a sickness and needs counseling. In Christianity a sin is wrong, yet sickness is not a sin because it is beyond our control. Thus horny old men, locked in celibacy by their vows to God, may see their only release in the cherubic faces of young boys.
That is in no way meant to absolve those pedophile priests. There are plenty of other men of God who never walk down that path, or at least I hope there are plenty of them. These men are sick and they are criminals. They deserve to be in jail, just as the dirty old men who don’t have the protection of the Vatican are in jail. We don’t move them to a new neighborhood, we lock them up and even that seems too little, too late.
With the pedophile priests, we get no satisfaction. We get nothing but horror stories. Priest accused, priest denies, church denies, priest gets moved, new accusations arise, rinse and repeat. How long before the bubble bursts and people start taking the law into their own hands?
In California that has just happened. William Lynch was reportedly abused as a child three decades ago. On Friday he was arrested for viciously beat the priest accused of molesting him. The alleged molester, Rev. Jerold Lindner, was accused of molesting Lynch and his younger brother. He of course denies the accusations. The church had so much faith in his innocence that they paid Lynch and his brother 625,000 to settle in 1998.
There may be some who question a victim who takes a cash settlement. There have been times I have questioned why someone would drop the charges. Well half a million dollars is a lot of money. The alternative is a long drawn out trial, that may last for years.
Now consider that you were raped when you were seven years old, forced to have sex with your five year old brother. I’m betting your life has been pretty shitty, you can take the half million, try to salvage it, try to repress it or else go to trial, against the churches lawyers. You expose everything that happened and have the lawyers call you liars. All in the hopes of justice. A justice that would probably see him spend a very little amount of time behind bars. Hell, I’d probably take the damn money myself. It’s easy to judge them when you aren’t in their shoes.
Lynch took the money but apparently couldn’t forget about the past. Cash can’t buy back innocence apparently. So he took the matters into his own hands. This is the point where I should say that violence is not the answer. Two wrongs don’t make a right. What happened to Lynch doesn’t justify him beating an old man nearly to death. Well I am not going to say that.
What Lynch did to Lindner was no worse than what happened to him. If the allegations were true, than Lindner attacked a helpless child and scarred him for life. Yet he has never been charged or spent time in jail for it. Lynch attacked a helpless old man, beat him severely, but he is back at work.
His blood is on the church’s hands.
The blood of the innocents who suffered at the hands of Lindner also rest squarely on the church. They chose to look the other way, even when they knew they had repeat offenders. How can anyone have faith in a church that protects and possibly even breeds monsters. Monsters like Lindner, who belongs behind bars
Counting Lynch, Lindner was accused in three separate lawsuits for molesting children between 1973 and 1985. He was part of the over $600 million settlement struck between the church and over 500 accusers in 2007. He remained behind the pulpit till 2001, when he was assigned to the Los Gatos retirement home.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Let Me In
Let Me In
This weekend I gave in and saw Let Me In, the American remake of Let the Right One In. Let the Right One In is probably one of the best horror films in the last ten years. The idea of a remake just did not sit well with me and I had mixed emotions about seeing this film.
Anyone who has talked to me about movies for any length of time knows how I feel about remakes. To clarify, remakes are never necessary, there are plenty of original projects that never get made, or never get funded. Art and creativity take second place to profits. That said I have to admit there have been some good remakes, some like John Carpenter’s The Thing are arguably better than the original. Let Me In while not a horrible film does not manage to surpass the original. It actually came close to being a great film but was hindered by some major flaws.
I can’t find anything bad to say about the two lead actors. Both Kodi Smit-McPhee as Owen and Chloe Moretz played their part well and made the roles their own. While it is impossible to watch Let Me In without comparing it to Let The Right One In, it I think it is a disservice to compare the actors too closely. The two young actors did a wonderful job and were probably the brightest thing about the film.
Probably the biggest, and honestly only real problem with the film was the CGI. I had been warned the CGI was bad but I was in no way prepared for how bad. Without the CGI, which was entirely unneeded, I would have easily rated this film four stars out of five. The effects were so bad, and in my opinion, so damaging to the film I can’t give it four and even three seems generous.
Why did the filmmakers feel it was necessary to turn Abby into a monster when she attacked? Wouldn’t it have been even more disturbing to see the innocent looking child viciously attacking a victim? While we do need to see her as a bloodthirsty killer, I think it would have been more powerful and better for the story to have seen her still looking mostly human during the attacks.
The other CGI that I noticed was in the hospital fire scene. While I can’t attack them for using CGI in this instance instead of setting someone on fire, I can attack them for using such obviously fake CGI. This is the 21st century, if your effects team can’t visually trick me into believing a person is on fire, you need to hire a new team.
Other than the CGI, I really thought Let Me In was a beautiful film. There were some other small things I wasn’t crazy about such as the length of the pool scene. I really liked the less violent version in Let The Right One In. The shock of seeing the aftermath was more than enough, all the extra carnage really wasn’t needed, but wasn’t a game killer.
The subject of Abby’s sexuality was avoided in Let Me In and I can only assume this was done so as not to offend American sensibilities. They did leave in several of the lines that allude to her true nature, but the one pivotal scene that reinforces the truth is left out. In all defense, the original only hints to it with the exception of the one “nude” scene.
So should you see Let Me In? My advice would be to only see it after you see Let The Right One In. While you might enjoy it better without having the original, you are doing yourself, and cinema, an injustice if you don’t see the original. Let The Right One In is truly one of the best “horror” films in recent years. I think it will go down as one of the top fifty horror films of all time. Run to the video shop to rent Let The Right One In and then stroll leisurely down to the theater and catch Let Me In. While it comes nowhere near the first film, it is still a decent attempt at a remake.
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| Poster for Let Me In |
This weekend I gave in and saw Let Me In, the American remake of Let the Right One In. Let the Right One In is probably one of the best horror films in the last ten years. The idea of a remake just did not sit well with me and I had mixed emotions about seeing this film.
Anyone who has talked to me about movies for any length of time knows how I feel about remakes. To clarify, remakes are never necessary, there are plenty of original projects that never get made, or never get funded. Art and creativity take second place to profits. That said I have to admit there have been some good remakes, some like John Carpenter’s The Thing are arguably better than the original. Let Me In while not a horrible film does not manage to surpass the original. It actually came close to being a great film but was hindered by some major flaws.
One thing I have to credit director Matt Reeves with is that he didn’t Americanize it too much. In fact I think this actually may have hurt the film at the box office. The trailers and previews made this appear to be your standard American horror film. Likewise I think many upon hearing it was a vampire love story expected the sparkly emo vampires of Twilight. Instead Reeves gave us a bloody, disturbing tale very similar to the original.
Let Me In does simplify the relationship between Abby and her human protector. At first this bothered me as the relationship between Hakan and Eli was much darker and disturbing, and most of it was left up to the viewers own imagination. Those who have read the book know the true relationship, but it is never revealed in the film.
Let Me In takes a simpler approach and through a few subtle hints establishes a relationship that Abby’s guardian was once her boyfriend. At first this didn’t sit well but after viewing the entire film, I actually like this decision. It makes Abby a more tragic character, as well as adding a feeling of hopelessness to her relationship with Owen. Romeo and Juliet is referenced several times in the film and Anny and Owen truly are star crossed lovers with little hope for happiness.
I can’t find anything bad to say about the two lead actors. Both Kodi Smit-McPhee as Owen and Chloe Moretz played their part well and made the roles their own. While it is impossible to watch Let Me In without comparing it to Let The Right One In, it I think it is a disservice to compare the actors too closely. The two young actors did a wonderful job and were probably the brightest thing about the film.
Probably the biggest, and honestly only real problem with the film was the CGI. I had been warned the CGI was bad but I was in no way prepared for how bad. Without the CGI, which was entirely unneeded, I would have easily rated this film four stars out of five. The effects were so bad, and in my opinion, so damaging to the film I can’t give it four and even three seems generous.
Why did the filmmakers feel it was necessary to turn Abby into a monster when she attacked? Wouldn’t it have been even more disturbing to see the innocent looking child viciously attacking a victim? While we do need to see her as a bloodthirsty killer, I think it would have been more powerful and better for the story to have seen her still looking mostly human during the attacks.
The other CGI that I noticed was in the hospital fire scene. While I can’t attack them for using CGI in this instance instead of setting someone on fire, I can attack them for using such obviously fake CGI. This is the 21st century, if your effects team can’t visually trick me into believing a person is on fire, you need to hire a new team.
Other than the CGI, I really thought Let Me In was a beautiful film. There were some other small things I wasn’t crazy about such as the length of the pool scene. I really liked the less violent version in Let The Right One In. The shock of seeing the aftermath was more than enough, all the extra carnage really wasn’t needed, but wasn’t a game killer.
The subject of Abby’s sexuality was avoided in Let Me In and I can only assume this was done so as not to offend American sensibilities. They did leave in several of the lines that allude to her true nature, but the one pivotal scene that reinforces the truth is left out. In all defense, the original only hints to it with the exception of the one “nude” scene.
So should you see Let Me In? My advice would be to only see it after you see Let The Right One In. While you might enjoy it better without having the original, you are doing yourself, and cinema, an injustice if you don’t see the original. Let The Right One In is truly one of the best “horror” films in recent years. I think it will go down as one of the top fifty horror films of all time. Run to the video shop to rent Let The Right One In and then stroll leisurely down to the theater and catch Let Me In. While it comes nowhere near the first film, it is still a decent attempt at a remake.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Horror hottie Bobbi Sue Luther
Bobbi first came to my attention a few years back when she was doing promo for Laid to Rest. I didn't know anything about her or the film, but it had good buzz so when it was released I decided to check it out. I was pleasantly surprised by the film and her performance. Not only that but damn was she easy on the eyes.
Now Bobbi Sue is starring in the remake of the classic Night of the Demons. Now I hate remakes but just from an eye candy point of view I had to check it out. The remake is good gory fun, and Bobbi Sue Luther looks better than ever.
Check out Laid to Rest, check out Night of the Demons, but mostly check out Bobbi Sue Luther.
John Carpenter's original Halloween on the big screen
So last night I got the opportunity to see the original classic Halloween on the big screen. I am definitely not the biggest fan around but Halloween is one of the movies that terrified me as a youth (along with Orca for some strange reason). I was too young to see it on it’s initial release but just the promo poster at the local one screen theater gave me the creeps. The Halloween theme music in commercials terrified me. When I finally got a chance to see Halloween, it was on network TV, edited of course. It was many, many years before I finally saw it uncut on VHS, and PJ Soles nipples were just as awesome as I had imagined, and Michael Myers was just as terrifying.
Still even the edited version of Halloween gave me nightmares. Especially the Halloween theme. I remember having on particularly bad nightmare where Michael Myers was chasing me. I could hear the theme music, and hear his breathing behind me. Finally I woke up in a cold sweat, and the music was still playing! Talk about scared, brother I was scared. Then I realized my mom was cooking breakfast and had set off the fire alarm. That’s my fondest Halloween memory.
Now thanks to the wonderful people at Premiere Eastern Shore Cinema in Spanish Fort, I got to finally see John Carpenter’s classic Halloween on the big screen. Not only did we get to see the film but that had arranged it to be hosted by Bryan Andrews and Tony Moran, two stars of the original film. There was a short Q and A session before the film, door prizes and the stars signed autographs. I only found out about it last minute so I had nothing to sign but got a photo with Bryan who played little Tommy Doyle in the original Halloween.
Hopefully we will have more opportunities like this in the future. With all the remakes being churned out its nice that people get to see the original, on the big screen like intended. Halloween is such a well known classic, that I can’t imagine that there are many people who have not seen the original in some form. It plays regularly on cable and is available on DVD. There are a lot of horror classics that are not as well known such as the original The Hills Have Eyes and Last House on the Left. Maybe someday we can have them playing on the big screen again.
If they do will the horror community support them? I was pleasantly surprised at the turn out for Halloween. The theater was almost completely full. This for a midnight showing of a film over thirty years old. True it is Halloween season, and we did have two celebrities in attendance, but that could be done with other films as well. It would be great to have the choice to see a really great, classic film instead of the Hollywood, big budget garbage that is churned out with assembly line speed. It is up to us, the fans of classic horror, and classic film in general to support the theaters willing to take a chance, willing to buck the trend. Keep your eyes open, support independent film, support classic film and support those people going out on a limb to bring it to us.
Cheers to Premiere Eastern Shore and their staff and management. If you were at the Halloween showing go to Pccmovies.com ( no www.) and post a comment in their guest section.
Happy Halloween!
Still even the edited version of Halloween gave me nightmares. Especially the Halloween theme. I remember having on particularly bad nightmare where Michael Myers was chasing me. I could hear the theme music, and hear his breathing behind me. Finally I woke up in a cold sweat, and the music was still playing! Talk about scared, brother I was scared. Then I realized my mom was cooking breakfast and had set off the fire alarm. That’s my fondest Halloween memory.
Now thanks to the wonderful people at Premiere Eastern Shore Cinema in Spanish Fort, I got to finally see John Carpenter’s classic Halloween on the big screen. Not only did we get to see the film but that had arranged it to be hosted by Bryan Andrews and Tony Moran, two stars of the original film. There was a short Q and A session before the film, door prizes and the stars signed autographs. I only found out about it last minute so I had nothing to sign but got a photo with Bryan who played little Tommy Doyle in the original Halloween.
Hopefully we will have more opportunities like this in the future. With all the remakes being churned out its nice that people get to see the original, on the big screen like intended. Halloween is such a well known classic, that I can’t imagine that there are many people who have not seen the original in some form. It plays regularly on cable and is available on DVD. There are a lot of horror classics that are not as well known such as the original The Hills Have Eyes and Last House on the Left. Maybe someday we can have them playing on the big screen again.
If they do will the horror community support them? I was pleasantly surprised at the turn out for Halloween. The theater was almost completely full. This for a midnight showing of a film over thirty years old. True it is Halloween season, and we did have two celebrities in attendance, but that could be done with other films as well. It would be great to have the choice to see a really great, classic film instead of the Hollywood, big budget garbage that is churned out with assembly line speed. It is up to us, the fans of classic horror, and classic film in general to support the theaters willing to take a chance, willing to buck the trend. Keep your eyes open, support independent film, support classic film and support those people going out on a limb to bring it to us.
Cheers to Premiere Eastern Shore and their staff and management. If you were at the Halloween showing go to Pccmovies.com ( no www.) and post a comment in their guest section.
Happy Halloween!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Haunted New Orleans Road Trip
Another pic or two, aint I a stinker
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| Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop one of the oldest operating bars in the Western Hemisphere, haunted by several apparitions Blogger is acting up so only one picture for now |
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
New Orleans road trip
Just a few pictures from my trip to New Orleans. We stayed in the Bourbon Orleans, which is haunted, but no paranormal activity as far as we noticed. Honestly all of New Orleans is haunted, but thats another story.
Went on a haunted history tour. If you are in town you should take the tour
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| requisite shot of Jackson Square |
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| Lalaurie Mansion, the most cursed building in New Orleans |
Monday, October 11, 2010
Top Ten Horror Movies For Posers
So, you call yourself a horror fan? You dress up on Halloween, you got your Team Jacob gear and have even seen Rob Zombie in concert. You tell everyone how much you love horror. However, you don't have a clue who George Romero is and you think Bram Stoker is the dude who played Dracula in the movie with Keanu Reeves. You my friend, might just be a horror poser. Here is a list of movies that just might be for you. Before you get angry this list is all in fun and some of the movies are actually pretty good. Don't expect to earn a lot of horror credibility from them though.
Here they are from ten to one.
10. The Fog (remake)- The original was directed by the legendary John Carpenter, the remake was directed by, um, someone else. Not the worst remake to be made in recent years, it still is bad. Gone are the like able cast and the creepy, disturbing un-dead lepers from the first. Instead we get cheap CGI and half hearted acting from a cast that seems like they had rather be somewhere else. It did not do well at the box office but I am amazed that so many young horror fans love this film. Posers love CGI apparently.
9. House of the Dead- Some consider this to be Uwe Boll's worst film. I prefer Alone in the Dark for that honor, still House of the Dead, runs a close second. Many people, like myself got suckered in by the MTV style commercials featuring DMX's blaring music. It really looked good. Live and learn, I guess. Up until the recent Day of the Dead remake this was the worst zombie film EVER. That includes Plan 9 From Outer Space, which at least you can laugh at. That is why I am so shocked when every so often it shows up on a list of favorite zombie movies. I blame their parents.
Page two at Associated Content
Here they are from ten to one.
10. The Fog (remake)- The original was directed by the legendary John Carpenter, the remake was directed by, um, someone else. Not the worst remake to be made in recent years, it still is bad. Gone are the like able cast and the creepy, disturbing un-dead lepers from the first. Instead we get cheap CGI and half hearted acting from a cast that seems like they had rather be somewhere else. It did not do well at the box office but I am amazed that so many young horror fans love this film. Posers love CGI apparently.
9. House of the Dead- Some consider this to be Uwe Boll's worst film. I prefer Alone in the Dark for that honor, still House of the Dead, runs a close second. Many people, like myself got suckered in by the MTV style commercials featuring DMX's blaring music. It really looked good. Live and learn, I guess. Up until the recent Day of the Dead remake this was the worst zombie film EVER. That includes Plan 9 From Outer Space, which at least you can laugh at. That is why I am so shocked when every so often it shows up on a list of favorite zombie movies. I blame their parents.
Page two at Associated Content
I need to post
But damn I'm tired. Update coming soon. Just gpt back from New Orleans, will post some pictures of some real haunted houses and my drop dead gorgeous friend Jenn who accompanied me on the trip. Also have some content, not 100 % original but still fresh. Hopefully in a couple days, just worn out and have to wrk tonight
Thursday, September 30, 2010
So you want a horror story
This morning I come home from work and turn on the TV, by chance I had left it tuned to a news channel instead of TBS when I left. What was I greeted by? The news of Tyler Clementi who had apparently jumped to his death off the George Washington bridge. The police officially ruled it a suicide. Tyler was a 18 year old freshman at Rutgers, and by reports a talented musician.
With so much bad news, honestly this just registered as just another sad story. I hate to admit it but I went on about my daily rounds with little attention, but did make a mental note to look it up and find out more.
Before I had time to change the channels however, I heard about Asher Brown. Asher was a 13 year old from Texas who died of a self inflicted gunshot wound. Another tragedy. What besides the obvious do the two teens have in common? Both were the subject of harassment and bullying.
Asher was bullied because he was small for his age. Small kids typically have a hard time and are the target of the stronger bully types. However Asher was also a Buddhist, and also gay. This made him the perfect whipping post for other kids. Kids raised by homophobic, right wing parents. Kids who make themselves feel stronger but beating down those who can't fight back. maybe he could fight back if it was a fair fight but with gang mentality he never had a chance. It's sad he chose the path of terminating his own life. Suicide is not the answer but in Asher's case I can't call it the "easy way out." To a 13 year old kid, just coming to grips with his sexuality, with nothing to look forward to except being an outcast it had to seem to be the only way out.
With Tyler it wasn't bullying in the traditional sense, but betrayal and public embarrassment. He was recorded by his roommate while engaged in a sexual encounter. That recording was then posted to the Internet and the roommate tweeted about the prank inviting people to watch. Sure , maybe it sounds like a harmless prank, but once again played upon a young man, dealing with his sexuality, a sexuality still frowned upon by so many and looked on as a source of humor. Now in the Internet age embarrassment isn't just something between a group of people, your embarrassment can be broadcast worldwide. What escape did Tyler have except for death?
I don't condone the suicide of either, but I do understand. We live in a bigoted, intolerant society. A society where if you do not fit in you don't have a right to privacy, intimacy or even life. It would be bad enough if it were only these two, but it isn't. I just read of an unnamed California teen, 13 years old, who hung himself due to being tormented about his sexuality.
Bigotry, racism, homophobia, hatred and fear. When will we grow out of them? When will we step up and do something to stop our children from killing other children? Until that time hope your child isn't the one being tortured.
For those who do care, please remember these kids and let's work to end this so no other parent has to lose their child this way.
With so much bad news, honestly this just registered as just another sad story. I hate to admit it but I went on about my daily rounds with little attention, but did make a mental note to look it up and find out more.
Before I had time to change the channels however, I heard about Asher Brown. Asher was a 13 year old from Texas who died of a self inflicted gunshot wound. Another tragedy. What besides the obvious do the two teens have in common? Both were the subject of harassment and bullying.
Asher was bullied because he was small for his age. Small kids typically have a hard time and are the target of the stronger bully types. However Asher was also a Buddhist, and also gay. This made him the perfect whipping post for other kids. Kids raised by homophobic, right wing parents. Kids who make themselves feel stronger but beating down those who can't fight back. maybe he could fight back if it was a fair fight but with gang mentality he never had a chance. It's sad he chose the path of terminating his own life. Suicide is not the answer but in Asher's case I can't call it the "easy way out." To a 13 year old kid, just coming to grips with his sexuality, with nothing to look forward to except being an outcast it had to seem to be the only way out.
With Tyler it wasn't bullying in the traditional sense, but betrayal and public embarrassment. He was recorded by his roommate while engaged in a sexual encounter. That recording was then posted to the Internet and the roommate tweeted about the prank inviting people to watch. Sure , maybe it sounds like a harmless prank, but once again played upon a young man, dealing with his sexuality, a sexuality still frowned upon by so many and looked on as a source of humor. Now in the Internet age embarrassment isn't just something between a group of people, your embarrassment can be broadcast worldwide. What escape did Tyler have except for death?
I don't condone the suicide of either, but I do understand. We live in a bigoted, intolerant society. A society where if you do not fit in you don't have a right to privacy, intimacy or even life. It would be bad enough if it were only these two, but it isn't. I just read of an unnamed California teen, 13 years old, who hung himself due to being tormented about his sexuality.
Bigotry, racism, homophobia, hatred and fear. When will we grow out of them? When will we step up and do something to stop our children from killing other children? Until that time hope your child isn't the one being tortured.
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| Asher Brown victim of fear and bullying |
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| Tyler Clementi |
WM3
As I am typing this right now the latest attempt to gain a new hearing for Damien Echols of the WM3 is ongoing in Arkansas. Will justice finally be served or will paranoia and fear reign supreme? You can watch the hearing live
http://arkansas-sc.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2
http://arkansas-sc.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
New Pinhead revealed
Warning Sarcasm Ahead
In a move surely to leave horror fans bouncing with excitement, especially Doug Bradley and Hellraiser fans, it looks like a new Pinhead has been cast for Hellraiser: Revelations. Now in all fairness to the lucky sap, err actor, Doug Bradley, the one and only Pinhead did turn the role down. Honestly that should be a clue for anyone involved that maybe this project should just be left to die a natural death. But it is Hollywood after all and poor bastard Stephen Smith Collins has landed the "no way to win" role of the decade. At least Jackie Earle Haley had a bit of a following before the Nightmare snooze fest. Plus this was a reboot, while the Hellraiser is a continuation of a series. I won't lie and say the last few Hellraiser's were classics, but at least we had Doug Bradley waiting to tear our souls apart, even if it was just for a few minutes on screen.
At least this is being helmed by a solid director in Victor Garcia ( warned you). I am sure everyone rembers Garcia from that Horror classic in the making Return to House on Haunted Hill. A movie that that had us all repeating "Why the hell isn't Cerina Vincent taking her top off?"
Now before you all go rushing to IMDB to see what this guy has been in let me just tell you. Tell you that I don't have a f'ing clue and really don't feel like checking. Does it really matter?
Poor guy
In a move surely to leave horror fans bouncing with excitement, especially Doug Bradley and Hellraiser fans, it looks like a new Pinhead has been cast for Hellraiser: Revelations. Now in all fairness to the lucky sap, err actor, Doug Bradley, the one and only Pinhead did turn the role down. Honestly that should be a clue for anyone involved that maybe this project should just be left to die a natural death. But it is Hollywood after all and poor bastard Stephen Smith Collins has landed the "no way to win" role of the decade. At least Jackie Earle Haley had a bit of a following before the Nightmare snooze fest. Plus this was a reboot, while the Hellraiser is a continuation of a series. I won't lie and say the last few Hellraiser's were classics, but at least we had Doug Bradley waiting to tear our souls apart, even if it was just for a few minutes on screen.
At least this is being helmed by a solid director in Victor Garcia ( warned you). I am sure everyone rembers Garcia from that Horror classic in the making Return to House on Haunted Hill. A movie that that had us all repeating "Why the hell isn't Cerina Vincent taking her top off?"
Now before you all go rushing to IMDB to see what this guy has been in let me just tell you. Tell you that I don't have a f'ing clue and really don't feel like checking. Does it really matter?
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| The New Pinhead |
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Living with Chiari
I first took notice of Chiari Malformation when I found out a friend was living with Chiari. She had been diagnosed before I met her, and I would have never guessed that she suffered from anything other than a bright and cheerful attitude. Working in the medical field I knew of the condition but as far as I know I had never before encountered anyone with Chiari. Like so many other bits and pieces of information I had picked up in school it got shuffled into the background.
For those who do not know Chiari Malformation is a congenital condition where a part of the brain protrudes through a opening in the base of the skull called the foramen magnum and into the spinal canal. This part of the brain, known as the cerebellar tonsils, which normally lie above the foramen, puts pressure on the spinal canal. This pressure can cause pain in the back of the neck and radiating upward. Other symptoms of Chiari vary widely and can include blurred vision, muscle weakness, unsteady gait, facial numbness and trouble swallowing.
A related disorder found often, but not always in people with Chiari is Syringomyelia. Syringomyelia is when cerebrospinal fluid, also known as CSF, enters the interior of the spinal cord. There it forms a syrnix or cavity. The syrnix can expand over time which destroys the center of the spinal cord. In most cases Syringomyelia, like Chiari, is congenital. However a second form of Syringomyelia can be brought on by trauma. In people with Chiari the protruding part of the brain blocks normal CSF flow and can cause a syrnix. However not everyone with Chiari will develop Syringomyelia.
Treatment for Chiari Malformation can range from pain management with medication in mild cases to surgery. The surgery is known as posterior fossa decompression. In this surgery small portions of bone form the back of the skull are removed. This allows the tonsils to move back into their normal position in the skull and reduces compression of the brain stem. This surgical procedure gained notoriety in the horror movie Saw. The villain Jigsaw, though not suffering from Chiari had the surgery to remove pressure from a brain tumor.
Surgery is the only viable treatment for Syringomyelia. While in mild cases continued at
http://healthmad.com/conditions-and-diseases/living-with-chiari/
For those who do not know Chiari Malformation is a congenital condition where a part of the brain protrudes through a opening in the base of the skull called the foramen magnum and into the spinal canal. This part of the brain, known as the cerebellar tonsils, which normally lie above the foramen, puts pressure on the spinal canal. This pressure can cause pain in the back of the neck and radiating upward. Other symptoms of Chiari vary widely and can include blurred vision, muscle weakness, unsteady gait, facial numbness and trouble swallowing.
A related disorder found often, but not always in people with Chiari is Syringomyelia. Syringomyelia is when cerebrospinal fluid, also known as CSF, enters the interior of the spinal cord. There it forms a syrnix or cavity. The syrnix can expand over time which destroys the center of the spinal cord. In most cases Syringomyelia, like Chiari, is congenital. However a second form of Syringomyelia can be brought on by trauma. In people with Chiari the protruding part of the brain blocks normal CSF flow and can cause a syrnix. However not everyone with Chiari will develop Syringomyelia.
Treatment for Chiari Malformation can range from pain management with medication in mild cases to surgery. The surgery is known as posterior fossa decompression. In this surgery small portions of bone form the back of the skull are removed. This allows the tonsils to move back into their normal position in the skull and reduces compression of the brain stem. This surgical procedure gained notoriety in the horror movie Saw. The villain Jigsaw, though not suffering from Chiari had the surgery to remove pressure from a brain tumor.
Surgery is the only viable treatment for Syringomyelia. While in mild cases continued at
http://healthmad.com/conditions-and-diseases/living-with-chiari/
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| My friend Alicia who is living with Chiari |
Monday, September 20, 2010
Hanger
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| Hanger by Ryan Nicholson |
Hanger is a 2009 movie directed by Ryan Nicholson, the director of such sleaze horror classics as Gutterballs and Live Feed. Anyone familiar with Ryan’s directorial work should already have a good idea what they are in for with Hanger. For anyone else the films synopsis SHOULD be enough warning, but even knowing both these things I found myself surprised by the audacity in Hanger. Fans of Ryan’s other work and those with an extremely warped sense of humor should love Hanger.
I got to admit I was a bit disgusted by some of the stuff I saw on the screen. It would be hard to tell watching me watch it because I was moving from “EWW” to laughing out loud with barely a break. I can safely say I think 80% of my friends wouldn’t like Hanger, probably at least half would be morally offended and 10-20% would think less of me as a human being for even watching it. It is definitely not a film for everyone.
Hanger is a film about a botched coat hanger abortion, ok that right there should tell you a lot. While the mom dies the baby manages to survive, horribly mutilated, both physically and mentally with a taste for blood. He grows up on the streets till his father comes for him on his 18th birthday and they set out on a path of revenge against the pimp who killed his mom.
Reading the synopsis I was expecting a typical revenge flick, type horror film. A film where a hideously deformed killer stalks hapless victims in search of the one who wronged him. Well there was a little of that but damn Nicholson can really pile on the sleaze. If you are the type who can’t watch a film with a morally ambiguous killer, avoid Hanger. However if a film in which the “hero” eats a Jehovah’s Witness while screaming “Give me a baby” maybe you might like it, but that is really just the tip of the iceberg.
To enjoy Hanger, or at least get through it, you need to be able to watch rape scenes shot in humorous ways including anal rape on an unconscious man, and rape of the heroes’ stoma (surgical incision in the side that allows you to bypass you rectum to defecate). I usually don’t like giving spoilers but besides the above scenes prepare for bloody tampons being sniffed and sucked, tea being made from tampons, being choked to death on feces, a coat hanger abortion, forced cunnilingus on a bound man (pretty graphic), a man choked to death on a tampon and bloody menstrual flow, cannibalism, and well I am sure I have missed something and that’s just the big stuff. Prudes also need to know it features a fully nude female masturbation that is hotter than anything I have seen in a no porn film, as well as some light object penetration. The nude scene is featuring actress Candice Lewald from Gutterballs. She is a beautiful actress and stands in stark contrast to the other physically deformed characters.
Does this film have any redeeming values? That’s kind of a trick question because I don’t think director Nicholson intended it to have any redeeming values. He sets out to produce horror sleaze that will appeal to only a select portion of the horror fan base and he succeeds. I personally preferred Gutterballs as it was more of a straight up horror film, albeit somewhat of a parody of the slasher horror film. With all of the depravity of Hanger, the part I most disliked was that Hanger himself was not a likeable hero. The protagonist in a film doesn’t have to be a good guy, but Hanger just seems to want to be a god guy, but he keeps eating people. I get where Ryan is going (I think) but that part just didn’t work for me.
The disgusting stuff didn’t bother me that much, I mean it’s just a movie people. I don’t like fecal horror, so the poop scenes weren’t really for me. Some may say rape is never humorous, and I agree. I didn’t laugh during the rape scene in Gutterballs, and I didn’t laugh at the rape in Hanger, but neither did they instill a righteous anger at the director for filming them.
In the interest of complete honesty, the best part of the film was the gorgeous Candice Lewald, credited as Candice Le in the film. Revealing more than most actress are willing to reveal on film, at least non porn, she heats up Hanger ( no pun if you have seen the film) with her long masturbation scene. The tampon scenes may turn off a lot of people, but may just as well turn on a lot of people. She could be in my movie, or be my secretary, any time.
So after all this what is my opinion, and would I recommend Hanger. While disgusting and sleazy, past the point of any film I have seen so far, I liked Hanger. I do think Gutterballs is a better film and personally liked it better, but for what it is, Hanger works. I did not like the character Hanger and could do without the poop scenes but that wasn’t enough for me to completely dislike Hanger. Would I recommend Hanger? After reading this you shouldn’t have to ask. I would only recommend it to fans of Ryan Nicholson’s other films and fans of gross out sleaze horror. People with a weak stomach and who can’t take what I mentioned above should avoid it at all costs.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
More Electra and Elise: Crazy Babysitter Twins
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| Sexy Chainsaw Twins Electra and Elise |
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| Sexy Elise Avellan |
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| Elise and Electra Avellan in Machete |
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| Sexy Babysitter Twins, Elise and Electra from Planet Terror |
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| Elise or Electra? |
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Resident Evil IV: A Face Full of Milla
First off I am a Resident Evil fan who really hasn’t played the games other than once or twice when the first one was released. Add to that that I am a Milla fan, due in most part to the first film. Now does it make sense? It gave me what I wanted another shot of zombie kicking Milla action.
Maybe one of the best aspects was stripping away Milla’s superhuman powers and just making her a human ass kicking machine again. Plus Milla was looking at the top of her game in this. She was stunning. Add to the mix Ali Larter as Claire Redfield who, in my opinion, looked even better than Milla and it is instant win for me. There was some dude playing Chris Redfield too, but really, do I care?
The bad guys ran the gamut from average reanimated flesh eater to zombie dogs, and some leviathan type dude with a massive axe. I am sure RE game fans are lambasting me for not knowing the character, but once again, who cares? He was freaking cool and the battle with him, Milla, and Ali rocked ass.
The CGI was ok for the most part and I say that because I can’t recall many moments when the effects really pissed me off. One effect which I assume was a miniature effect that was shot in 3-D was horrible but I will cover that in the bad stuff.
For the most part the 3-D was a negative and the film would have been better off without it. The coolness of the 3-D was mostly in the title sequences. Yeah it was that weak. There was one scene that almost made the 3-D worth it. When Alice (Milla) literally jumps out of the screen riding the shock wave of an explosion. Literally out of the screen, hovering in the air just over your face. This my friends was what 3-D was meant to be. Who can resist a face full of Milla?
Now the bad. The 3-D, during the action scenes there is so much debris flying toward you that it obscures the screen. The first time it happens the effect is cool, you really want to flinch to avoid it. It is repeated ad nasueum and it gets old really quick, especially when you realize you are missing the action due to all that debris. I want to see Milla, not a cloud of dust.
The scenes involving Milla’s plane just look amateurish. It seriously looks like a miniature tied to a string suspended in mid air. I can only assume that is how they accomplished the effect.
The only CGI effect that pissed me off was one I was looking forward too. Resident Evil: Extinction promised us an army of Milla clones fighting against the Umbrella Corporation. The film opens with this army of Milla, but damn. The effect sucked. It looked like basically the same shitty split screen effect that let Jethro and Jethrine be onscreen at the same time on The Beverly Hillbillies. Can’t we do better fifty years later on the big screen?
Lastly at the chance of being called a total pervert, there was no nude scene. Mow I accept this could well be Milla no longer being comfortable doing nudes. However her nude body added a touch of spice to the first two films. The idea of seeing her nude body in 3-D was a major incentive in shelling out eleven bucks for a ticket. I still could have dealt with this if there wasn’t the nudity tease. Alice wants to take a shower and surprise the survivors have a working shower. YES! Unfortunately they don’t have hot water. Double YES!! Milla then proceeds to take off her holster, wait for it.. And she is interrupted and then the damn zombies attack. Ah well.
So, my opinion. Resident Evil: Aftermath is not that good of a movie. If you are a major Milla and Resident Evil fan, there is a decent chance you will like it. There’s also a chance you won’t. There are plenty of flaws ad very few redeeming values beyond the hot leading ladies and well, a face full of Milla. Still I liked it, and was stoked to hear a fifth film will happen. Let’s hope Milla sheds her inhibitions and sheds her clothes. Nude Milla, cold shower, and 3-D, you do the math, but to me it equals total win
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Horror Hotties: Crazy Babysitter Twins
Sure to make your heart go pitter patter are Electra and Elise Avellan, better known as The Crazy Babysitter twins. The twins are the nieces of director Robert Rodriguez and Elisabeth Avellan. They first gained attention and idolisation in the Grindhouse double feature directed by Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Appearing in both segments they set fan boys on fire. Now they are on the big screen again, playing sexy nurses in Machete. Lucky they are nurses as their beauty will take your breath away. Don't believe me check out their Maxim pictures. WOW. Here are some of their sexy shots.
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| Sexy babysitter twins Electra and Elise |
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| Sexy Electra Avellan Solo |
Grimm Love
She hears rumors that a video tape exists of the murder and cannibalism. Her curiosity overcomes her and she sets out on a quest to find the tape that plunges her into the underground world of online cannibalism forums. All the while trying to come to grips with the morality of the crime. IS it murder to kill someone who wants to be killed? Finally she receives a copy of the tape and we watch with her as the act unfolds.
Once again acting on the belief that less is more, the film never gets extremely graphic and is perhaps more disturbing because of this. There is blood, and while the actual act of emasculation is off camera it is none the less disturbing. There are scenes of simulated cannibalism which are not for the faint hearted or weak stomached viewer.
Grimm Love is available on DVD from Fangoria's Frightfest imprint. The avergae horror fan might find it a bit slow and relatively bloodless but the content itself is very disturbing. Considering this is more realisticaly based on a true story than most true horrors adds to that level of uneasiness. Most of the facts of the case are presented pretty much truthfully, with the exception of the wrap around featuring Russell.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
The Human Centipede
The Human Centipede
Some movies just get hyped too much to ever live up to that hype. In some ways The Human Centipede fits that bill. The film was heavily hyped as the most disturbing film of all time when it opened. The premise of The Human centipede was right out of a bad joke, the cast and director were pretty much unheard of, and it didn’t have a big budget. How could this film be any more than an exploitation film, or most likely a bad joke?
Well after finally getting to view this film, I can say it doesn’t live up to the hype. While it is disturbing and does have some truly cringe worthy moments, it never the less doesn’t have the impact that Martyrs, or Inside has. What it does do is deliver an awesome movie going experience, an experience way beyond the hype.
Director Tom Six resists what had to be a tremendous temptation to make this a blood and gore filled schlock fest. Instead he keeps much of the most disturbing visual footage just out of sight. That in fact is one of the more disturbing aspects. We know what he is doing. He tells us matter of fact exactly what his procedure entails. That works wonders on our brains, letting us imagine far worse than he could accomplish on a limited effects budget.
Likewise he uses the horror cliché of nude girls rather sparingly and effectively. I should point out that even though I say sparingly, the two female leads are topless throughout most of the film. Six however does not use the nudity for titillation but as a device to show that their humanity has been stripped away. The girls remain clothed until after the surgery. Then after the centipede is formed we see them stripped of their clothes their dignity, basically they have become the punch line of a very sick joke. The doctor sees and treats them as a pet and only near the end when they fight back do they regain their humanity and self respect.
Deiter Laser as the mad surgeon is the break out star of the show. He controls the scene whenever he is visible and plays an insane doctor better than anyone since Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein. His “feed her” line is being echoed by fans all over the horror realm.
What really makes Laser stand out though is that as vile, evil and horrifying as he is, he still makes you feel some pity for him near the end. The final scene between Akihiro and Laser stands with the final confrontation in Oldboy as one of the finest moments in modern cinema. Looking in the doctors eyes you see that he doesn’t and never can understand Akihiro’s decision. The good doctor thus manages to pull of a tragic character as well as one of the most heinous villains of all time.
It is somewhat sad that Laser’s aggressive over the top performance tends to overshadow the performance of the rest of the cast. The opening scenes of dialogue has a lot to do with this. I had heard criticism from friends about their acting skills and during the first scenes I had to agree. The dialogue was really forced and trite and the girls were very unlikable. However judging the acting skills of Ashlynn Yennie and Ashley C. Williams on these scenes does them a great injustice.
After the surgery their acting is limited to their eyes and they hands. With their eyes only they give perhaps the best acting performance in horror. The final scene with Ashley’s eyes conveys more terror than the best scream in film. Watch the two women’s hands, especially in that final scene. When they grip then one grip slowly loses strength and falls away. Look at the subtle movements, that convey so much.
I got to meet the three cast members who play the centipede at Horrorfind Weekend recently. I was having a hard time with the dichotomy of the horrible acting at the beginning and the acting I witnessed later. They confirmed that it was intentional. Director Tom Six had given them no dialogue and had instructed them to “act like you are on The Hills.” Their goal was to create two unlikable, vain, “typical” American girls and they succeeded. In fact almost all of the dialogue in the film was written by the cast.
I also chatted with the “head” of the centipede Akihiro Kitamura. The girls had told me that he too had improvised much of his dialogue and that they had no idea what he was saying until the film was finished and they were able to read the captions. During the film it had slightly bothered me that they seemed to be able to follow his direction without being able to understand him. It seemed a minor plot problem but somehow knowing that they didn’t know, even that works in it’s favor.
Talking to Akihiro, or Aki as he asked me to call him, I mentioned that the closing scene remained me of Oldboy in ways. It didn’t surprise me to find out he is a big fan of the South Korean film.
His monologue at the end, which was also written completely by him, seems to be an antithesis to the speech by Oh Dai-Su in Oldboy. “Even though I am less than an animal, do I not yet deserve the right to live?” seems to be Dai-Su pleading that he deserves to live, while Akihiro rejects living if he is nothing more than an animal.
Both men come to the conclusion that they have squandered their lives and families. Oh Dai -Su rebels by fighting back and refusing to die. Aki fights back by realizing he cannot escape. The only way he can defeat the doctor is through death. Adding to the tragedy is the fact that he cannot communicate to the other segments that he is condemning them to death. Thus it is up to each individual viewer to decide if this was a selfish or selfless act of defiance.
Meeting the three actors was the highlight of my vacation. This was their first ever convention appearance and they handled it with aplomb. They were friendly, gracious and appreciate of their fans. Aki is so vivacious and just literally explodes with positive energy. Both of the ladies are beautiful, friendly and well spoken. They deserve a lot of credit for taking a role that very well could have ended their career. They also deserve credit for being able to see beyond the punch line and see a role that would test their abilities as actors. Too many young actors sacrifice their body for gratuitous scenes that haunt them, these young ladies sacrificed their modesty and created a work of art and we can only hope that other filmmakers recognize this.
Director Tom Six deserves a lot of credit for using restraint. One of the most chillingly disturbing scenes is when the doctor explains with the help of a very crude diagram exactly what he is going to do. After that we don’t need to see the surgery on the screen, we have already seen it in our heads. He picked and chose what to show and what to leave to the imagination. The scene on the stairs was stomach clinching and nauseating. The angles he chose to shoot of the “centipede” expressed all the pain, humiliation, and despair in the victims. I don’t remember the last time nudity was used so effectively.
Is there weaknesses in the movie? Yes. Dumb dialogue is dumb dialogue and some people will not accept that it was done purposefully. Aki’s dialogue while tied to the bed was kind of weak but again, most of the dialogue was created by the actors not professional writers. Add that to the fact at that point the was desperate and scared. How many of us can create Shakespearean level speech when scared for our life?
The only other flaw that bothered me was when Ashley William’s character chose to go back for her friend instead of escape and send for help. It is a bit illogical but was needed to move the scene forward and also important for transforming her into a hero. Her desire to help her friend, only adds to the tragedy of her fate.
The Human Centipede is not a film that everyone can enjoy. It is however not just a punch line. It is a work of art that transcends it’s premise and it’s genre. Roger Ebert is right in many ways it cannot be judged with a thumbs up or thumbs down. It is what it is, and what it is, is a masterpiece of film making. It is scheduled to be released October on DVD and Blu-ray and should soon reach cult status. It does contain violence and some sexual references. There is some profanity and nudity however the nudity is after the surgery and shot tastefully and not explicitly. If you can stomach it give it a watch without any preconceptions about the concept. I think you will be surprised.
Some movies just get hyped too much to ever live up to that hype. In some ways The Human Centipede fits that bill. The film was heavily hyped as the most disturbing film of all time when it opened. The premise of The Human centipede was right out of a bad joke, the cast and director were pretty much unheard of, and it didn’t have a big budget. How could this film be any more than an exploitation film, or most likely a bad joke?
Well after finally getting to view this film, I can say it doesn’t live up to the hype. While it is disturbing and does have some truly cringe worthy moments, it never the less doesn’t have the impact that Martyrs, or Inside has. What it does do is deliver an awesome movie going experience, an experience way beyond the hype.
Director Tom Six resists what had to be a tremendous temptation to make this a blood and gore filled schlock fest. Instead he keeps much of the most disturbing visual footage just out of sight. That in fact is one of the more disturbing aspects. We know what he is doing. He tells us matter of fact exactly what his procedure entails. That works wonders on our brains, letting us imagine far worse than he could accomplish on a limited effects budget.
Likewise he uses the horror cliché of nude girls rather sparingly and effectively. I should point out that even though I say sparingly, the two female leads are topless throughout most of the film. Six however does not use the nudity for titillation but as a device to show that their humanity has been stripped away. The girls remain clothed until after the surgery. Then after the centipede is formed we see them stripped of their clothes their dignity, basically they have become the punch line of a very sick joke. The doctor sees and treats them as a pet and only near the end when they fight back do they regain their humanity and self respect.
Deiter Laser as the mad surgeon is the break out star of the show. He controls the scene whenever he is visible and plays an insane doctor better than anyone since Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein. His “feed her” line is being echoed by fans all over the horror realm.
What really makes Laser stand out though is that as vile, evil and horrifying as he is, he still makes you feel some pity for him near the end. The final scene between Akihiro and Laser stands with the final confrontation in Oldboy as one of the finest moments in modern cinema. Looking in the doctors eyes you see that he doesn’t and never can understand Akihiro’s decision. The good doctor thus manages to pull of a tragic character as well as one of the most heinous villains of all time.
It is somewhat sad that Laser’s aggressive over the top performance tends to overshadow the performance of the rest of the cast. The opening scenes of dialogue has a lot to do with this. I had heard criticism from friends about their acting skills and during the first scenes I had to agree. The dialogue was really forced and trite and the girls were very unlikable. However judging the acting skills of Ashlynn Yennie and Ashley C. Williams on these scenes does them a great injustice.
After the surgery their acting is limited to their eyes and they hands. With their eyes only they give perhaps the best acting performance in horror. The final scene with Ashley’s eyes conveys more terror than the best scream in film. Watch the two women’s hands, especially in that final scene. When they grip then one grip slowly loses strength and falls away. Look at the subtle movements, that convey so much.
I got to meet the three cast members who play the centipede at Horrorfind Weekend recently. I was having a hard time with the dichotomy of the horrible acting at the beginning and the acting I witnessed later. They confirmed that it was intentional. Director Tom Six had given them no dialogue and had instructed them to “act like you are on The Hills.” Their goal was to create two unlikable, vain, “typical” American girls and they succeeded. In fact almost all of the dialogue in the film was written by the cast.
I also chatted with the “head” of the centipede Akihiro Kitamura. The girls had told me that he too had improvised much of his dialogue and that they had no idea what he was saying until the film was finished and they were able to read the captions. During the film it had slightly bothered me that they seemed to be able to follow his direction without being able to understand him. It seemed a minor plot problem but somehow knowing that they didn’t know, even that works in it’s favor.
Talking to Akihiro, or Aki as he asked me to call him, I mentioned that the closing scene remained me of Oldboy in ways. It didn’t surprise me to find out he is a big fan of the South Korean film.
His monologue at the end, which was also written completely by him, seems to be an antithesis to the speech by Oh Dai-Su in Oldboy. “Even though I am less than an animal, do I not yet deserve the right to live?” seems to be Dai-Su pleading that he deserves to live, while Akihiro rejects living if he is nothing more than an animal.
Both men come to the conclusion that they have squandered their lives and families. Oh Dai -Su rebels by fighting back and refusing to die. Aki fights back by realizing he cannot escape. The only way he can defeat the doctor is through death. Adding to the tragedy is the fact that he cannot communicate to the other segments that he is condemning them to death. Thus it is up to each individual viewer to decide if this was a selfish or selfless act of defiance.
Meeting the three actors was the highlight of my vacation. This was their first ever convention appearance and they handled it with aplomb. They were friendly, gracious and appreciate of their fans. Aki is so vivacious and just literally explodes with positive energy. Both of the ladies are beautiful, friendly and well spoken. They deserve a lot of credit for taking a role that very well could have ended their career. They also deserve credit for being able to see beyond the punch line and see a role that would test their abilities as actors. Too many young actors sacrifice their body for gratuitous scenes that haunt them, these young ladies sacrificed their modesty and created a work of art and we can only hope that other filmmakers recognize this.
Director Tom Six deserves a lot of credit for using restraint. One of the most chillingly disturbing scenes is when the doctor explains with the help of a very crude diagram exactly what he is going to do. After that we don’t need to see the surgery on the screen, we have already seen it in our heads. He picked and chose what to show and what to leave to the imagination. The scene on the stairs was stomach clinching and nauseating. The angles he chose to shoot of the “centipede” expressed all the pain, humiliation, and despair in the victims. I don’t remember the last time nudity was used so effectively.
Is there weaknesses in the movie? Yes. Dumb dialogue is dumb dialogue and some people will not accept that it was done purposefully. Aki’s dialogue while tied to the bed was kind of weak but again, most of the dialogue was created by the actors not professional writers. Add that to the fact at that point the was desperate and scared. How many of us can create Shakespearean level speech when scared for our life?
The only other flaw that bothered me was when Ashley William’s character chose to go back for her friend instead of escape and send for help. It is a bit illogical but was needed to move the scene forward and also important for transforming her into a hero. Her desire to help her friend, only adds to the tragedy of her fate.
Horrorfind Weekend: The con is family
I accept that for a lot of people a convention is just a place to get autographs and meet celebs, others it is just a place to buy cool shit. There is nothing wrong with that, I was once like that and frankly, the convention needs those people to survive. We need massive crowds to support us, the people for whom the con is family.
I write this directly for MY con family. I am sure there are other groups who use HFW and other cons as family reunions. Our families may cross paths from time to time. Some times it extends and the families merge, other times we just wave and keep moving. The Horrorfind family has grown over the years. New people come along, old people move on. We lose touch. Just like a family. Maybe not everyone gets along all the time. We have bumps in the road like any family.
What is Horrorfind Weekend for me? It’s a whole year of emotion, frustration, love and hate crammed into four days. I leave it broken, bruised and bloody from the raw emotion, physically tired but emotionally renewed. Old friendships are rekindled. Secrets are revealed, while others are concealed. Lines are crossed and new ones are drawn. We drink too much, we yell too much, we love too much. We play the hero and the villain, do things we regret or make us feel dirty, but we also do great things. Anyone not in the family will never understand the magic that HFW works in people’s lives. Both good and bad magic can be worked.
We pour everything into this weekend, then we go back to our everyday life. We leave in tears but with smiles on our faces. Some of us have great full lives, others live just to get back to HFW. I have been in both situations. I never intended to make friends when I first stumbled upon this site. I never intended to find a family. Never intended to scream at people I love, hurt people I cared about, care about people I hurt, sing to strangers, hold the people I love while they cried and be held while I cried. Sometimes it is a mixed bag, but like this year it is a catharsis. The smiles outweigh the tears. Friendships that were left to whither have been refortified. New friendships have been forged. I have been a villain, but hopefully also somewhat of a hero. I received what I needed this weekend and hope I had some part in someone else finding what they need.
I know not everyone walked away happy this year, but I hoped they walked away with what they needed to forge ahead another year.
I write this directly for MY con family. I am sure there are other groups who use HFW and other cons as family reunions. Our families may cross paths from time to time. Some times it extends and the families merge, other times we just wave and keep moving. The Horrorfind family has grown over the years. New people come along, old people move on. We lose touch. Just like a family. Maybe not everyone gets along all the time. We have bumps in the road like any family.
What is Horrorfind Weekend for me? It’s a whole year of emotion, frustration, love and hate crammed into four days. I leave it broken, bruised and bloody from the raw emotion, physically tired but emotionally renewed. Old friendships are rekindled. Secrets are revealed, while others are concealed. Lines are crossed and new ones are drawn. We drink too much, we yell too much, we love too much. We play the hero and the villain, do things we regret or make us feel dirty, but we also do great things. Anyone not in the family will never understand the magic that HFW works in people’s lives. Both good and bad magic can be worked.
We pour everything into this weekend, then we go back to our everyday life. We leave in tears but with smiles on our faces. Some of us have great full lives, others live just to get back to HFW. I have been in both situations. I never intended to make friends when I first stumbled upon this site. I never intended to find a family. Never intended to scream at people I love, hurt people I cared about, care about people I hurt, sing to strangers, hold the people I love while they cried and be held while I cried. Sometimes it is a mixed bag, but like this year it is a catharsis. The smiles outweigh the tears. Friendships that were left to whither have been refortified. New friendships have been forged. I have been a villain, but hopefully also somewhat of a hero. I received what I needed this weekend and hope I had some part in someone else finding what they need.
I know not everyone walked away happy this year, but I hoped they walked away with what they needed to forge ahead another year.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Horrorfind Weekend 12
Packing tonight for HFW. I have neglected the blog for too long but am working on an update, actually several. A review of The Human Centipede (almost finished), review of Grimm Love and The Last Exorcism as well as a recap of HFW. If you have never been to Horrorfind Weekend it's not to late get your ass to Gettysburg
Saturday, August 21, 2010
RIP Lorissa McComas
Check out the Lorissa McComas letters!
Well this is probably one of the latest RIPS ever but I just heard today that Lorissa McComas died last year. Who? Well Lorissa was an adult model and actress who had done some mainstream films and according to an interview was about to give up the seeder side of Hollywood and move into higher grade B and low level A films.
Unfortunately she never got the chance. This blog I found has more info in case I miss or get somethign wrong. It's not my blog, no spam this time
http://infosack.blogspot.com/2006/08/lorissa-mc-comas-saga-unfit-parent-or.html
A lot of the info was by Lorissa so you can choose to believe or not believe some of the allegations. The facts are Lorissa's mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and Lorissa moved from Los Angeles to Florida to help care for her. While there her mother died, accoring to Lorissa she was lying in bed with her when she died. A few weeks later she was on a film shoot when her father committed suicide. Lorisa came home to find his body. Around this time she was also diagnosed with an incurable disease, RF Dystrrophy, which caused extreme pain in her legs and feet. According to Lorissa it left her legs deformed and she could no longer do nude work. At times she was confined to a wheelchair.
During this time she was reported as an unfit mother and her child was taken by protective services (the whole story is on the blog), and suffereed a mental break forcing her to be hospitalized in a mental institution. Her brother was also dying of aids and on Nov 3 of 2009, Lorissa McComas took her own life. Her brother, who lived with her, stopped taking his Aids medication and died later that week.
Zombie pin up?
It's weird I found this out today, her name just popped into my head and I did a search. Found some old videos of her and one had a RIP which made me investigate further. I say weird today, because one of her mainstram films was the 1995 remake of Piranha. I had no clue she was in it.
No matter what you think about adult entertainment, whether you believe her claims about why her child was taken, the story of Lorissa McComas is a tragedy.
This blog post continues to be popular. It quickly went beyond what I thought was a simple goodbye from a fan, to a gathering place for friends, fans, and family. It really makes me happy that this post might have had a small positive effect on people. I have fallen away from blogging, then back, then away. Every time I come back I see new comments here. So I am editing to add in some links for information about Lorissa, for those who want more information about her death and the mystery around it
Justice for Lorissa Facebook page
Lorissa Mccomas Truth
For real naked celebrities
Friday, August 20, 2010
Piranha hottie Kelly Brook, One more time
Piranha 3-D, the new film from Alexandre Aja opened in theaters today. Now I really hate remakes but this barely classifies as a remake. Basically the only thing in common with the Joe Dante original is the title and the fish. Well actually not even the fish as they are not genetically engineered Amazonian Piranha but the great grand daddy prehistoric forerunner of modern Piranha. Check your brain at the door, don't expect and deep or hidden meaning. If you accidentally find any YOU ARE LOOKING TOO HARD! This is a fun summer movie. There are gallons of blood, and bushels of boobies. Including the absolutely fabulous Kelly Brook. Her role is bigger than I had been lead to believe, and besides an underwater nude scene to melt your brain, she is also a likable character. Kind of rip on the hooker (video vixen in this case) with a heart of gold. Run to see Piranha and til then just enjoy these pictures of Kelly Brook
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