Dr. Goremans Nightmare Emporium

BREAKING NEWS- MACHO MAN RANDY SAVAGE DEAD

2011-05-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

As a huge wrestling fan since the mid 80's, I was sad to learn of the death of Macho Man Randy Savage. He was truly an icon and one of the best of all time. My heart goes out to his family and his millions of fans. You will be missed Macho Man. Oooohhhhhh Yeeaahhhh dig it!!

From The Ice Cream Truck- Mr. Melon

2011-05-17T00:48:00.000-07:00

I have decided to branch out a tad on the blog and include articles on food and pop culture we have grown up with. Most of us were children of the 80's and I am sure have fond memories of things no longer made. Today I give you Mr. Melon. We lived in a very nice and new sub-division back in the 80's and were frequented by a variety of ice cream trucks. Every time I could catch one, my first selection was Mr. Melon. They could be had for a measly $0.25 a box and as my parents always gave me a couple of bucks to spend on such things, I always bought two boxes. It is rather strange I liked these at all seeing that I do not like watermelon but there was something different about Mr. Melon. The outer candy shell actually tasted like soap but in a good way if that makes any sense. The inner gummy portion had a very sweet yet also subtle watermelon flavor. I have not been able to find Mr. Melon in about 18 years but I have heard that they make an item called Melonheads that are the same thing. However, I have not found those anywhere either. Do any of you guys remember Mr. Melon?

Santas Slay Review

2011-05-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

Even though Christmas is still seven months away, I couldn't help but watch Bill Goldberg as a killer Santa.
I'm not even sure where to begin with this review. I guess I can start with the fact that I love this film and consider it to be a guilty pleasure. To me, this is the greatest Christmas themed horror movie. The movie opens with five of the greatest minutes in all of cinema as we get to witness the deaths of James Caan, Chris Kattan, and Fran Drescher. After they are all dispatched rather quickly by a killer Santa, played greatly by former wrestling champ Bill Goldberg who coincidentally is Jewish, we get to find out the back story on old Santa. We are shown "The Book Of Claus", which reveals the origins of Santa Claus. Apparently, Santa was the result of a virgin birth produced by Satan (just as Jesus was the result of a virgin birth produced by God- meaning that Santa is somewhat of an Antichrist). Christmas was "The Day of Slaying" for Santa until, in 1005 AD, an angel defeated Santa in a curling match and sentenced Santa to deliver presents on Christmas for 1000 years. This means that Santa is free to kill again in 2005. And kill he does, Goldberg racks up an astonishing 35 kills in the movie, sometimes in a very comical manner. The dialogue is ridiculous and over the top but who cares? That is what makes this movie so perfect. Goldberg was born to wrestle and play a killer Santa Claus. They left the ending open so a sequel could be produced but so far I haven't heard of one getting a green light. When you watch the movie, make sure to watch through the credits for a funny little surprise. If you are a fan of cheesy horror and senseless killing, check out Santa's Slay.

John Carpenters The Thing Review

2011-05-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

Last night I was tinkering around on Netflix and saw that one of the best horror movies of the 80's was watchable instantly. I kicked back with a mountain dew and hit play on The Thing.
The film is about a parasitic alien being that takes over and imitates other organic life forms. Kurt Russell stars as helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady, a character who always has a short temper and a loaded gun. Quickly you realize that he will become his groups leader once the alien starts taking over different members of the crew. The setting of the film is a scientific research station in the middle of Antarctica with terrible blizzards and no contact with the rest of the world. As each new man succumbs to the parasite, the remaining crew lose a little more of their sanity as any one of them could be next. The film has an open ending with the outcome left to the viewers imagination. The acting was top notch and aside from Kurt Russell the cast included Wilford Brimley and Keith David who would go onto be in They Live, another John Carpenter film. The effects were spot on by Rob Bottin who also did the FX work for The Howling and The Fog. The Thing didn't do very well in the box office which some attribute to the fact that E.T. came out around the same time and had a more positive outlook on aliens. A prequel of The Thing comes out later this year and so far from what I have seen looks very interesting. In my opinion, The Thing stands as one of the best horror movies ever directed by one of the best directors in horror history.

One Year Ago...

2011-05-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

Exactly one year ago today I posted an article discussing horror and the summer blockbuster at theaters. Lets see where we stand 365 days later.
Well the start of the summer blockbuster season hasnt really been strong as of this writing. Thor debuted this past week and made over 60 million opening weekend which is a strong number but not as big an opener as super hero movies of the past few years. Fast Five is pulling strong numbers so far thanks to bringing back almost all the characters of the previous entries in the franchise. The low numbers on Thor could be attributed to a couple different things. First, of course, is the economy which is still in the tank. Or it could be the fact that Thor is one of Marvels least popular characters when it comes to the members of the Avengers. At any rate, my point is, last year I posed the question of when will a horror movie be a summer blockbuster again. With the weaker openings of more mainstream movies, a horror film might become a blockbuster this year by default. In June Super 8 opens and even though I would classify it as more of a Sci-Fi film, it does appear to have horror elements along the lines of Alien and Cloverfield. I could see Super 8 being the breakout film of the year thanks to JJ Abrhams. Also this summer we get the remake of Frightnight. Even though I hold a personal grudge against this film because I think the original is a classic, it does carry the star power to bring in the cash if marketed right. I see those two films as being our only hope this summer as far as bringing horror back to blockbuster status. I still miss going to the drive in's during the 80's. What do you guys think? What will it take to get horror back into summer blockbuster status?

Daybreakers Review

2011-05-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

Well I decided to throw caution to the wind and sat through the vampire flick Daybreakers. I want my hour and a half back.
The film could not be saved even with a stellar cast that includes Ethan Hawke, Sam Neil, and Willem Dafoe. The film is set 10 years into the future after a plague has turned most of humanity into vampires. The cause is not explained which is akin to many zombie outbreak movies. Etahn Hawke is a blood scientist that works for a large human blood farming company run by Sam Neil. Ethan Hawkes character is remorseful though, and refuses to drink human blood and instead wants to find a blood substitute so what is left of the human population can regrow. Willem Dafoe, who used to be a vampire but found a cure, aids Etahn Hawke in his journey to be able to get a nice sun tan again. There is really nothing special or new to be added to the vampire genre within Daybreakers. In fact, most plot elements have been done in other films, such as mutant vampires (Blade 2), pretty vampires (Underworld), and viral outbreaks (TOO many films to list). If you are gaga over vampires and have some time to kill, you still shouldn't watch this movie. Im about to watch The Monster Squad to get this horrible taste out of my brain.

Is The Truly Original Horror Film Dead?

2011-05-04T08:27:00.000-07:00

This is a question many of us horror fans have been asking ourselves as most of our beloved 80's films are being remade.
But aside from the endless remakes, most of the horror being churned out is just a rehash of a very tired and worn out mould. Over the last decade there have been very few original takes on the genre. I can think of Dog Soldiers, Let The Right One In, Pontypool, and House Of The Devil as some of the only films to make a great impact on the community. The majority of good, original horror, has been a product of the independent scene. Which begs the question, has Hollywood lost its mojo when it comes to horror? What do you guys think? What have been your favorite horror films of the last ten years and can Hollywood horror make a comeback?

My Problem With Netflix

2011-04-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

So I am a little behind the trend and just started my one month free trial with Netflix. Already, I don't like it.
Of course being a horror nut, one of the first things I did was do a search of my favorite flicks. I was alarmed to discover that the majority, especially 80's cult horror films, were only available on DVD. But I don't want to wait for a DVD. I want to watch them instantly on my laptop. The Halloweens, NOES, Friday The 13ths, Critters, Chopping Mall, and many others only have the mail out DVD option. So for $2.00 more a month, which I am sure is to cover postage, I can get the movies I really want to watch. It does not make any sense. I can watch His Name Was Jason instantly, but then have to wait two days to watch Friday The 13th part 4. This is just another reason I miss walking into a brick and mortar video store. Thank God there is a Hastings just down the road. I can get my movies and an issue of Horror Hound.

I will be returning soon!!

2011-02-08T14:52:00.000-08:00

Rick Axtothefacenheimer and Dr. Goreman will be back soon with new reviews, articles, and much more. The wait is almost over.

Bye For Now

2010-06-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

It's not goodbye forever, just for a while. I am really busy at my job and construction takes a lot out of you both physically and mentally. I am going to do some you tube videos soon of the projects I am working on and do some tool reviews. Construction and power tools have always been my first love so my focus will be there. I haven't even had time to watch any movies in weeks, though I did see Get Him To The Greek with my wife for her birthday and it was awesome. Thanks to all of our fans, readers, and contributors and I will see you all again sometime....

10 Questions With Felissa Rose

2010-06-05T07:19:00.000-07:00

Our own Dr. Carnage had the chance to ask Sleepaway Camp star Felissa Rose 10 questions and here they are.

1) You where in Sleepaway Camp at a young age. What was it like being on the set of a horror movie so young?

It was amazing and very exciting, it just felt like a big party!

2) Did you know about the shock ending in Sleepaway Camp or was it kept from you?

I knew about the ending, but it was very different from page to screen! i was in shock when i saw it in the movie theater

3) What is your favourite movie making experience?

Meeting my husband on the set of return to Sleepaway Camp.

4) What makes you want to return to the horror genre again and again?

Definitely the people who make horror movies and the people that watch them its an incredible community.

5) How was it working with Andreas Schnass in Nikos The Impaler?

He is very fun and loves blood. An eccentric for sure.

6) How did you feel when returned to SleepAway Camp?

It was surreal. Like being in a dream i had once before.

7) What was it like working on Silent Night Zombie Night?

I adore Sean Cain and had a lot of fun working with Vernon Wells. it was an exciting set with great people.

8) What is the scariest movie you have ever seen?

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

9) What movies are you/have you been working on lately?

I just finished Poe, and i will begin The perfect house next month, so exited for both!

10) Any plans for another return to Sleepaway Camp?

Oh yeah, something is coming...

We would like to thank Dr. Carnage for conducting the questions and Felissa Rose for taking the time to answer.

Battle Of The Kick Ass Alcohol Commercials

2010-05-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

While I finally work on some horror stuff to publish tomorrow, I thought I would give you guys a showdown of two of the best alcohol commercials ever. Check out the videos after the jump.

First we Keith Stone, the #1 contender

And then we have the reigning heavyweight champion, Bacardi And Cola

In my opinion, Bacardi And Cola still get the job done. Keith Stone put up a good fight and may be smooth but he falls a little short. What do you guys think?

VHS For Sale- Some Rare Titles

2010-05-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

I need to buy some new tools for my construction job so I am selling some of my VHS. I hate to part with them but power tools are expensive. Below is a list with prices and I will take PayPal for payment. All are in great working condition with very good to near mint covers. Email me at dr_goremans@yahoo.com with the titles you wish to buy and I will calculate shipping cost.

Lair Of The White Worm/Vestron Video/$10.00

The Mutilator/Vestron Video/Very Rare With Cool Artwork/$50.00

Night Of The Demons/Republic Home Video/$8.00

Night Of The Scarecrow/Republic Home Video/$10.00

The Offspring/IVE Home Video/$8.00

Popcorn/RCA Home Video/$8.00

Rituals/Embassy Home Video/$10.00

Salems Lot/Warner Home Video/$8.00

Shivers/Avalanche Home Video/$10.00

The Glove/Media Home Video/$10.00

Or buy them all for $100.00

Don't Worry... I Am Still Alive

2010-05-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

I have had a few people ask me where the hell I have been so I just wanted to let everyone know I am fine. My day job is construction and with all of the storms that have been going on, I have been really busy. But, this weekend we will have a new Gore Line up and I will be doing a couple of reviews. After my work slows back down, I will be posting more again.

Gore Line @ 9 Horror Web Show For 5/14/2010

2010-05-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

Here it is!! The NEW episode of Gore Line @ 9. Lots of horror goodness, watch it after the jump.

Here is the link for part 2, for some reason I can't embed it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjmkWJ_TMPE

I Am A Product Of Mom And Pop Video Stores

2010-05-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

I have always believed that I could trace my love of horror movies to the fact that my Mom worked at our local mom and pop video store, Alta Loma Video.
Back in the mid to late 80's, she worked most weekday evenings and on Saturday, most of the time with me in tow. She didn't take me to work with her because of a lack of willing babysitters, I just always wanted to be there with her, right behind the counter. To this day, I can still remember the store set up and where the different genres were located. If you were standing behind the counter looking out, the horror section was on the right hand side with two aisles dedicated to the best in splatter, Italian, slasher, and exploitation fare. I would spend hours walking those two aisles looking at all the wonderful covers and memorizing the synopsis that was printed on the back. If anyone ever came in with a question about a horror movie, I was the one they turned to for an answer. When I wasn't wearing ruts in the carpet pacing the floor, I would take a stack of films behind the counter, pop them into the Panasonic VCR and be entertained by the likes of Dolls and Monkey Shines. The wall behind the counter was adorned with rows of movie posters like Basket Case, Aliens, Nightmare On Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, and countless others. I actually got to take the Aliens poster home and it hung in my room for many years. It has been at least 18 years since Alta Loma Video closed it's doors, at that time Blockbuster was pushing its way into every Southern California neighborhood. I wish I could find some pictures of the old store but I don't think any exist anymore. I do remember their logo was a 1950's Chevy Panel Van with Alta Loma Video written on the side. I read an article not too long ago stating that with the decline of the major video store chains, mom and pop's are poised to make a comeback. The article specifically said that to succeed, the stores would have to focus on cult films and movies that you cannot get from other sources. They say that everything old becomes new again, maybe that will hold true for the video store. Below, I have posted some of the posters that hung in the store and why they had an impact on me.

The first thing I noticed about the Dolls poster was the doll she was holding. The evil look on its face and the fact that it looked like it was waiving at me actually had me a little hesitant to watch the film. As far as evil toy horror movies, this is one of my favorites.

After looking at this poster, how could you not want to see this film? Those little toy monkeys are evil and this one looked even more so. One of my favorite Romero films.

One of my favorite horror movies of all time. I actually got to see this opening night at the drive-in with my parents. We piled into our 1981 Buick Regal with an Alpha Beta Grocery paper sack full of home made popcorn and enjoyed this and The Fly on double feature.

I must have watched Critters 100 times when I was little. I always thought Dee Wallace was the coolest Mom.

If I watched Critters 100 times, then I watched The Monster Squad 1000 times. When i didn't rent the movie, I watched it every weekend on HBO.

Fu*#ing Fright Night Remake

2010-05-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

I am livid while I sit here writing this. I can understand a movie company wanting to remake the big guns in the horror genre like Friday The 13th, Nightmare On Elm Street, Halloween because even though the remakes are crap, at least the casts were good.
But why do they want to desecrate a classic like Fright Night? Unless you are a genre fan, not many people remember Fright Night. Especially kids today, they missed out on the countless times it played on USA Up All Night. So their first impression of the film will be a remake that stars Anton Yelchin as Charley Brewster and mother fu$@kin Colin Farrell as vampire next door Jerry Dandrige?! I am about to have a stroke thinking about this shit. Why would they have Colin Farrell take over as the character Chris Sarandon made famous? That's like having a Night Of The Creeps remake with Jake Gyllenhaal taking over for Tom Atkins. I wouldn't be surprised if this thing went straight to DVD. They can't be expecting it to make any money. If you could pick the cast, who would you have chosen?

Horror And The Summer Blockbuster

2010-05-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

How many people are really surprised by the fact that the new Nightmare film, which was only in it's second weekend, got destroyed at the box office by Iron Man 2?
Nobody should be shocked by this, a remake that got mixed reviews up against an original, entertaining film based off a popular comic book hero. My point in this post is that I can remember when horror movies were the summer blockbuster films and I wander what it will take to make it that way again. Horror films used to gross a lot of money in their theatrical run in the 70's and 80's, and really they were selling more tickets then because ticket prices were much cheaper. Take Nightmare On Elm Street 3 for example, that film made a little over $44 million in it's run. The new Nightmare will creep up to around $65 million if it is lucky and that will be it. Technically the new Nightmare film will make more money but if you adjusted for inflation, The Dream Warriors would have blown it out of the water. MANY more people back then went to the theaters to watch horror. In fact, Jaws is often called the father of the summer blockbuster season. Jaws was released on June 20 1975 and went on to gross over $470 million, that is 1.9 billion in 2010 dollars. Obviously, all of the horror remakes coming out are not going to be blockbusters and then the horror films that are original, like The Human Centipede, don't appeal to a wide enough audience. What kind of horror film would it take to beat back the Avatars and Iron Man 2's of today? Do you think the box office will ever be as good to horror as it was in the 80's? Hell, it's tough for a horror film to top $100 million now and that's just pathetic.

JJ Abrams Super 8- Watch The Trailer

2010-05-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

I have just seen the trailer for JJ Abrams new mysterious film Super 8. Not much to it and it doesn't explain a lot but I am looking forward to it. Still not sure if it has anything to do with Cloverfield or if it is a new alien movie he developed. Someone recorded the trailer and put it on You Tube so I have embeded it below for your enjoyment. What do you think?

Top 5 Horror Movie One Liners

2010-05-06T10:53:00.000-07:00

For years now, film makers have been blending comedy and horror. Most of the time, the combination just does not work but every now and then a true gem shows up, giving us some great one liners. So for your amusement I have compiled the top 5 horror comedy one liners. I present them as video clips because no amount of writing can do them justice.

Number 5

True, every Nightmare film after part 1 seemed to insert more comedy than horror but I always found part 3 to be the perfect blend. I just wish they would have shown Zsa Zsa bite the dust.

Number 4

There were some good jokes in The Monster Squad but this one was the best in my opinion. Brent Chalem who played Horace in the film died a few years back but at least he will forever be immortalized here.

Number 3

I have heard that Roddy Piper ad-libbed that line, don't know if its true but it would not be shocking. If any of you watched the WWF in the mid 80's and caught his Pipers Pit segment, they were not scripted.

Number 2

Army Of Darkness had a number of memorable one liners but this is the one that anybody can quote or at least know what movie it came from. I am sure some of you think this should be number 1 so let the hating begin.

Number 1

One of the greatest horror movies of all had the advantage of Tom Atkins dead-pan delivery of the dialogue. A serious film that did not take itself that way. Alright, thats it for this top 5, what might you have put on this countdown?

I Spit On Your Grave Remake Trailer

2010-05-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the official trailer for the remake of I Spit On Your Grave. I have no hope at all that this will be good.

The Re-Animated Creature From Hell Says They Live In The TV

2010-05-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the second part of my article about all of the planned horror movie remakes that have either been filmed or are being developed. I hope you have a bottle of Pepto handy cause some of this shit is hard to digest.

1. Creature From The Black Lagoon- You could actually make a film about trying to get this movie made. The road to get The Creature back to the big screen actually started way back in 1982 with John Landis and has also had Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro attached to direct at times but of course they all fell through for different reasons. I was hoping that with the failure of The Wolfman that this project would fizzle but it seems that it is still top priority for Universal. Instead of them recycling all of their classic monsters, why can't Universal say, come up with new monsters? I understand that is a tough concept in Hollywood today.

2. Motel Hell- Talks about remaking Motel Hell started in 2005 but have been heating up again lately. I wouldn't mind seeing this one redone, the original was good but unintentionally funny. Because of its low budget nature, the original intent was to make a serious horror film, with moments of disturbing wit and irony but it came off as tongue in cheek. Twisted Pictures bought the rights from MGM so we'll see if anything progresses soon.

3. Poltergeist- Another of our beloved 80's and one of the best paranormal horror films ever was due to get a remake but is dead in the water right now. It is still on MGM's to do list but at least it is a few years off now. I cherish the original as one of my favorite movies and don't want to see another remake cash cow.

4. Re-Animator- For years, Stuart Gordon had expressed interest in making a fourth film called House Of Re-Animator but now sees no reason to make the sequel. In February 2009, it was announced that producers Ray Haboush and Brian Yuzna were developing a remake, possibly shot in 3-D. The film is still in very early stages.

5. Suspiria- Of course eventually Hollywood will run out of American films to remake so it wasn't long before they moved into Italian Horror. Dario Argento's best film is getting remade and is supposed to release later this year/early next year and is rumored to star Natalie Portman. This is another one of those perfect films that does not need a remake and Argento has stated his displeasure of it.

6. They Live- First Wes Craven and now John Carpenter are watching all of their movies get mangled by the corporate machine. It's a terrible bit of irony that a movie about mind control and evil corporations is being processed that way. Not much word about this one except that a writer is attached.

7. Videodrome- The David Cronenberg classic was snapped up by Universal Pictures with a possible 2011 release. Wow, another movie about evil broadcast signals is getting remade, see a trend here? Don't drink the Kool Aid!!

Well, we know by now that nothing in the horror world is sacred to Hollywood anymore. More remakes get named on a weekly basis and until they run out of movies to do over, it doesn't look like it is going to stop. I am sure a part 3 to this article will follow soon.

Splice- My Thoughts And The New Trailer

2010-05-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

Finally, a horror movie that looks great, is getting a wide release, and is not a remake!! About damn time.
I am actually looking forward to seeing this in the theater opening day. For those who don't know what the film is about, Splice shows two young scientists achieve fame by splicing human DNA with the DNA of different animals to create a new creature. In the process they ignore their society's ethical and legal boundaries and name their creature "Dren," which is initially a deformed infant but becomes something very deadly.

Brand New Official Trailer For The Hole In 3D By Joe Dante

2010-05-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the movie may not even have a distributor yet but this is the trailer for the new Joe Dante film The Hole In 3D. Looks like awesome Monster Squad/The Gate type fun!!

Gore Line @ 9 Horror Web Show For 5/01/2010

2010-05-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

This weeks episode Rick Axtothefacenheimer and Katherine McSharpensherknifey discuss the remake of Martin, I Spit On Your Grave remake, Batman 3, and show the trailers of Jonah Hex, Piranha 3D, and Buried. You can also see an awesome fan made Thundercats trailer featuring Vin Diesel as Panthro.

Jonah Hex Trailer- Freaking Awesome!!

2010-05-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Check out the brand new official trailer for the Sci-Fi Western Jonah Hex. Looks like its gonna be bad ass.

I Spit On Your Grave Remake Poster Vs Original Poster

2010-04-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

I don't normally post this late but I wanted to share this with you. The above image is the poster for the I Spit On Your Grave remake. Below is the poster from the original film. Frankly speaking, I think the new one is a huge piece of shit. I think the original captures the look and feel of the film much more effectively. But I want to know what you think, which do you prefer?

NEW Official Piranha 3D Trailer

2010-04-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the new full official trailer for Piranha 3D. Christopher Lloyd is awesome. The movie looks campy but should be enjoyable.

I Spit On Your Fright Night Of A Howling American Werewolf Has Nards Remake

2010-04-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

I know, that's a pretty long title for a post. Initially I wanted to try to work something in for all of the remakes that are coming out but there are just too damn many. With A Nightmare On Elm Street being unleashed into theaters today, I wanted to give our readers a rundown of other remakes you can expect plus a small portion of my thoughts on each. These films are either already made, being filmed, or are in development.

1. An American Werewolf In London- Dimension Films will be developing a remake of the classic 1981 werewolf tale but as of press time, that's all the info I have. I understand on a studio wanting to capitalize on the best werewolf movie since The Wolfman but I just can't see them recapturing the magic that made the original so special. John Landis is brilliant and I just don't see kids today understanding the humor that was infused within the film. Plus, they tried to make a sequel and it sucked, terribly.

2. The Birds- Platinum Dunes(Michael I Like To Blow Shit Up Bay) has been trying to get this project off the ground since 2007 and it looks like it might finally get a release in 2011. We should know after Psycho that remakes of Hitchcock's work should be illegal.

3. Childs Play- This one can actually work. This movie is being made by the creators of the first film, writer Don Mancini and producer David Kirschner. I like the original film, but lets be honest, a classic horror film it wasn't.

4. Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark- Yes, one of the best made-for-TV horror films EVER is getting remade for the big screen. Katie Holmes is set to star. Why!!?? The only aspect of this film that gives me hope is Guillermo del Toro is producing and co-writing the script. Expect a 2011 release.

5. The Fly- This one is pretty interesting. It will be a remake of a remake, but that's not the best part. David Cronenberg, who did the awesome remake in 1986, will be doing this remake which will be a remake of his remake. Confused?

6. Fright Night- I have to go drink a beer now.

7. The Gate- Alex Winter (Bill from Bill And Teds Excellent Adventure) is to be the director of this remake. Two pieces of good news. First, Keanu Reeves has not been spotted anywhere near this film and H.R. Giger designed the creatures. That's about it though.

8. The Host- The brilliant Korean monster movie will be remade and directed by Fredrik(This is my directorial debut) Bond. For some reason I just keep seeing flashes of Godzilla Vs Megalon in my head.

9. The Howling- This one has been dubbed a "reboot" and will be more youth oriented. You know, I think some Hollywood executive just woke up one morning with a vendetta against werewolf movies.

10. I Spit On Your Grave- This one just pisses me off. Why remake a perfect movie? And really, how can they possibly think it will be on par with the original in today's politically correct obsessed society. I'm pretty sure it will be toned WAY down.

11. IT- NOTHING can top the stellar cast and their performance in the original TV mini-series. Is Stephen King hard up for money. I would rather pay him to not sign off on it.

12. Let The Right One In- I loved this movie and thought it to be one of the best vampire films of all time. But of course, it has to be remade for a wide US audience. The strange thing is the people attached to the film. Hammer Films, yes, THE Hammer Films is the entity overseeing production with Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) directing and Chloë Grace Moretz (Hit Girl from Kick Ass) as Abby. My interest in this has escalated.

13. Martyrs- The French and The Swedish have been besting us in horror for quite sometime now so I guess besides remaking our classics, Hollywood figured their ideas needed "The Treatment" as well. That sounds so dirty, I am gonna take a shower.

14. The Monster Squad- Platinum Dunes will be torturing this remake as well. I wanted the rights to go back to Fred Dekker so he could make the sequel he had always planned. All of us know that this will be horrible and fail. Nobody had ever even think about touching Night Of The Creeps. I need another drink.

So what have we learned kids? We learned that Hollywood cannot come up with an original idea and that Michael Bay must be holding a grudge against Gen X'rs and 80's horror because he is on an unstoppable rampage bent on destroying our childhoods. The sad part is that this isn't even a complete list and you can expect part 2 from me soon with about the same number of films.

Horror Movies That Scared The Hell Outta Me When I was Young

2010-04-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

In the process of having a nightmare last night, I woke up and for some reason started thinking about horror movies that actually scared me. So I decided to let you all in on the movies that impacted my childhood and invaded my REM(Rapid Eye Movement, the stage of sleep where you have vivid dreams for the uneducated lol).
Anyway, for some reason way back in 1986 when I was 6 years old, my parents thought it would be a good idea to take me to the drive-in to watch a double feature of Aliens and The Fly. Aliens was awesome, it didn't bother me at all and I loved it, The Fly on the other hand kept me awake all night. I am not talking about The Fly from the 50's, The Fly I saw was Cronenbergs version. A six year olds fragile little mind should not see Geena Davis give birth to a giant maggot.

Eventually that image left my mind and one night they rented the movie Dolls. Great, now my He-Man and Thundercats figures were going to come alive and try to shank me in my sleep. Don't even get me started on Childs Play and My Buddy.

Those were the movies that kept me up at night when I was little, movies stopped affecting me like that many years ago and I think I can thank my parents for desensitizing me. The only film lately that has burrowed under my skin was Twilight. I watched part of the first one and will NEVER watch another and now vampires feel dirty and wrong. Twilight wasn't a very original idea though, I have been seeing sparkly vampires at the corner of Hollywood and Vine for years. Now it's your turn to tell everyone what movies messed you up. Until tomorrow, my name is Rick, keep your ax sharp and check under the bed at night cause you never know when I will pop up.

Top 5 Small Creature Features

2010-04-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to do a Top 10 creature features for a while now, which will be done soon in video form. But I knew I wasn't going to be able to fit all the movies on it I wanted to so in deciding what to write today, I thought it would be a good idea to break the concept down a little. So for your enjoyment, here are my Top 5 Small Creature Features.

5. Ghoulies- This is one of those films where half the people who have seen it love it and the other half can't stand it. I thought it was a good movie, interesting plot and OK acting. But this film could have been soooo much better. It was to be directed by Charles Band, with special effects by Stan Winston which would have been awesome since they had worked together on Parasite. It ended up being directed by Luca Bercovici with special effects by John Carl Buechler and his company Mechanical and Makeup Imageries Inc. I would much rather have seen Band and Winston's stamp on this one. One of the better things about Ghoulies was it's star, a just debuting Mariska Hargitay who plays the uber hot Det. Benson on Law & Order SVU. A lot of people think this film was a rip off of Gremlins but Ghoulies actually started production first. Everyone knows there is a part 2 that is very forgettable, but not many are aware that parts 3 and 4 exist. Never watch the last two, you might actually kill brain cells.

4. Leprechaun- There are not many redeeming qualities about this film other than Warwick Davis who plays the title character. You have to love his rhyming one liners, plus come on, the guy was Willow. I met him at a con years back and he is a really nice dude. The movie itself is awful. The plot, the script, and the rest of the acting made me want to puke and rinse the taste out of my mouth with Troll 3. Yes, I said Troll 3 because if you were to mix Leprechaun and Troll 2 the results would be more devastating than a meth lab in a trailer park. We are introduced to a young Jennifer Aniston in this film but that's not saying much nor was it helpful to the cast. Whats funny about the Leprechaun series of films though, they actually got more watchable as the sequels rolled out. True they were a lot stupider, but the camp factor made them very entertaining. So for that reason and Warwick Davis being so cool, they earn a spot on the countdown.

3. Troll- I really liked Troll, the story was original and the film had a really good cast including Noah Hathaway, Michael Moriarty, Shelley Hack, Jenny Beck, Sonny Bono, and June Lockhart. The effects and set pieces always looked really cool to me and Torok was a genuine nasty little bastard. I remember when the VHS came out with Torok holding the ball, walking by the box at the video store always creeped me out for some reason when I was little. I would easily rank this as one of Empire Pictures best films. The film had two sequels which had nothing to do with the original. Troll 2 has the distinction by many to be the worst film ever made. You tend to be left in a catatonic state pondering what the hell it was you just watched. The child star of Troll 2, Michael Stephenson, directed a feature-length documentary about Troll 2 titled Best Worst Movie which I cannot wait to see.

2. The Gate- I can remember being home alone during summer vacation watching this film on HBO. The movie itself was a little crazy but you have to love the stop motion, Harryhausen-esque creatures. Stephen Dorff made his feature film debut in The Gate and would go on to be evil vampire Deacon Frost in the horror film Blade. The premise of The Gate is what always drew me into watching it, two friends home alone that have to battle creatures from hell then explain to their parents why the house is destroyed. There is a 3D remake in the works and H.R. Giger is supposed to be working on the creature designs, that in itself has me in a theater seat opening night.

1. Critters- Although widely believed to have been made to "cash in" on the success of the similarly-themed Gremlins, director Stephen Herek has refuted this in interviews, pointing out that the first Critters script was written by Domonic Muir long before Gremlins went into production and subsequently underwent rewrites to reduce the apparent similarities between the two films. I have always thought the design of the Critters themselves was great and the fact that they have the shooting porcupine spines is awesome. And how could you not like a horror movie that stars Dee Wallace, she is the best horror mom ever. The best part of the film is when two Critters are standing on the porch and Critter 1 says "They have weapons." Critter 2 is like "So what?" Critter 2 is then shot off the porch and Critter 1 shouts "Fuck!"

Freddy Krueger In Pop Culture Part 2

2010-04-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

Today, we are looking at how Freddy Krueger affected the action figure and collector doll market. The two main companies responsible were McFarlane and Sideshow toys.
McFarlane toys intially created action figures for Todd McFarlanes Spawn comic, but then branched out into the horror market. In 1998 McFarlane introduced the Movie Maniacs line of figures. Series one began as a line of horror and science fiction based figures that had been licensed from influential and financially successful horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th, as well as the upcoming (at that time) Species II. The second series of figures expanded the character base for the line into the realms of cult and action cinema with the a figure based on the title character to The Crow. Series three would further push the boundaries of character selection into fantasy, with Edward Scissorhands, straight action with Shaft, and back into cult/sci-fi with Escape from L.A.. These conventions would continue, with character selections in future series frequently containing a mix of many, or even all of these various film genres, much to the chagrin of a small section of fans and collectors who, incorrectly, saw the line as being meant to be horror specific. The line began as an annual release, with each of the first few series being released at, or around, October, however as years went on this tradition began to slip, initially as a factor of slipping release dates, and then, the tradition already broken, just as a matter of course. Although never officially confirmed by McFarlane Toys, the line is now considered defunct, and no new releases carrying the Movie Maniacs brand name have been created for quite some time. All of the characters were very popular, but the Freddy figures seemed to be the most highly regarded. Below are some pictures of a packaged and loose example of the Movie Maniacs Freddy Krueger, in the photo of the loose figure, take note of the detailed display base.

Sideshow toys brought us the first real collectors figures of Freddy with their stellar 12 inch line. They made 12 inch figures of Freddy from the original film, as well as a special edition Dream Warriors Freddy with chest of souls for the 2006 San Diego Comic Con, and a demon version from Freddy Vs Jason. Over the past couple of years, though, Sideshow has moved away from doing their own line and has been distributing for other companies. They just sold out of the New Line Horrors Freddy figure, but it was produced by Mezco. And while Mezco has good figures with the Cinema Of Fear line, the sculpting cannot hold up to Sideshow. Below are some pictures of the awesome figures Sideshow produced in the mid 2000's.

Mezco is about the only company that produces quality horror toys at this time. Sideshow still does some statues, but actual action figures are very limited right now. I have always hoped that McFarlane's Movie Maniacs line would come back but that looks less and less likely all the time. Tomorrow I will be looking at Freddy's involvement in music. No, really, music.

Brain Dead Review By Dr. Carnage

2010-04-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

Directed by Kevin Tenney, Brain Dead is a wickedly funny take on the alien parasite/zombie/survival horror genre. This movie is packed full of wicked one liners, over the top gore, and hilarious situations.
An asteroid burns through the sky, burning through the head of an unfortunate fisherman, the black slime contained in the asteroid envelops his brain and turns him into...yeah that's right! A brain hungry zombie! Two escaped criminals, a perverted minister and his assistant and two college girls must defend themselves and the farmhouse they are hiding in from the creatures who want to tear out their brains!Cue tons of gore as heads are split open, arms are blown off, heads are punched through, and black slime is vomited in great amounts. The movie really brings back the glory days of 80s cinema, complete with cheesy one liners and nudity galore. Oh, and more gore than an explosion in an abbatoir! And theres even an upskirt shot that I'm sure the guys out there might like, although there is a not so nice surprise that goes with it. Don't say I didn't warn you! There is also a small cameo from Chopping Malls Jim Wynorski as the sheriff. Yet again, Kevin Tenney brings us horror fans a funny, amazing, and bloody movie. If you haven't checked out his work before, go seek out Night Of The Demons and Witchboard as well as Brain Dead. Brain Dead is a fun, bloody, well made, awesomely directed and acted movie, so lets get more people to see these movies! Go get Brain Dead, I am one hundred percent sure you'll have a blast!

This review was contributed by the always awesome Dr. Carnage.

Freddy Krueger In Pop Culture Part 1

2010-04-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

With other sites focusing on the films of Freddy Krueger due to the impending release of the remake, I decided to focus more on the pop culture impact of the dreaded slasher icon.
So I am going to start by talking about two of his most popular toys, both produced by Matchbox at the height of his popularity.

The first is the 18 inch pull string talking Freddy. Freddy would speak one of his many famous phrases every time you pulled the string on his back. A bunch of parents complained and most toy stores pulled the item from their stock because apparently it wasn't appropriate to have a children's toy of a scorched serial killer. Go figure.

Matchbox's other main contribution was the Maxx FX doll. Boys finally had an awesome doll to torture their sister's Barbies. The concept was actually good for this one. The set came with a doll that had a resemblance to Ken, plus the pieces needed to transform him into Freddy Krueger. Freddy was just the first in what was supposed to be an entire Maxx FX line. The other dolls would have included Alien, Dracula, and Frankensteins Monster, however sluggish sales on the Freddy doll put a stop to the entire line.

Tomorrow I will take a look back at the Sideshow Toys and McFarlane Toys action figures and collector figures. Sideshow made some badass stuff.

B Movie Madness- Eight Legged Freaks

2010-04-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

I don't think any film in recent memory epitomizes the term "B Movie" more than Eight Legged Freaks.
Aside from an awesome title and poster art reminiscent of the 1950's, the movie had perfect casting with David Arquette, Kari Wührer, Scarlett Johansson and Doug E. Doug.

In the quiet mining town of Prosperity, Arizona, an accident causes a barrel of toxic waste to land in a swamp. An exotic spider collector named Joshua has been making regular visits to the site, where he collects crickets for his spiders. Although the bugs have ingested the toxins, he is oblivious since the insects seem unaffected. Joshua shows Mike, a local boy, his collection. After Mike leaves, Joshua is bitten by an escaped tarantula and accidentally knocks down the spider cages. He is killed by the spiders that grow larger and larger each second. Mike attempts to return but is stopped by his mother, Sheriff Sam Parker (Kari Wührer) and Deputy Pete pulling the toxic barrel out of the pond. Wade, the Mayor of Prosperity, is holding a town meeting in the mall about whether they should sell the mines and relocate. Chris McCormick, whose father owned the mines before he died ten years ago, shows up and stands against Wade's proposition. Chris also sparks a romance with Sam. Mike sneaks out on foot and finds Joshua and the spiders missing, although he sees an enormous spider shadow in the mines and tells Chris that the spiders have grown to enormous sizes, based on a giant spider leg he found at the mine entrance. Meanwhile the mines have reopened with the miners searching for a famous gold lode. They are soon consumed by the large spiders, who have made the mines their home. Seeing as the entire town is connected in some way to the mines, spiders show up in many different places. Chris finds out that his Aunt Gladys and her dog are abducted by a male orb weaver in her basement. Sheriff Sam Parker is convinced Chris and Mike are delusional. However, her skepticism fades when she witnesses a giant male orb-weaver attempting to abduct Ashley, her daughter. Parker saves Ashley. Sam contacts Pete and tells him to bring all guns in the police station's possession and they travel to the trailer of an eccentric UFO enthusiast named Harlan (Doug E. Doug), knowing he has a radio station that he operates from within his trailer. As Sam broadcasts the threat over the radio, a giant tarantula assaults the trailer but they manage to escape. As the town is assaulted by vicious spiders, Sam tells everybody to evacuate to the mall. The main characters make it in safely along with surviving townspeople. Meanwhile, Harlan and Chris climb onto the roof and ascend the radio mast and try to get a signal to call the army as they are being attacked by the spiders, but are believed to be pranksters. Harlan jumps from the roof, after the tarantula breaks open the gates and lets the spiders enter the mall, and lands in some bushes, where he meets up with Pete. The two run from spiders as Chris meets up with the remaining townsfolk and goes down to the basement. Chris goes to look for his Aunt Gladys in the mines and finds her and the gold his father was searching for, but is confronted by a massive Consuela (female Orb Weaver spider). He uses a motorcycle to escape, and blows up the spiders and the mines utilizing Gladys' smoking addiction and the high concentrations of methane gas. The police finally arrive. They had not believed the reports of the spiders but were concerned about the screaming overheard on the radio. As the story ends, Harlan is heard making a radio report about the spiders. He concludes that the town has decided to cover up the whole incident, but have let Harlan continue broadcasting the incident, knowing nobody will believe him. He also mentions Chris reopening the gold mines and putting everyone back to work, but tells us "that is another story altogether." As the camera zooms in close on his mouth, it is clear that he now has three gold teeth.

Of course the thing that makes this movie so great is the camp value. Eight Legged Freaks could have been made 40 years ago and would still be relevant today. One thing that can always make me laugh is the line where the deputy is asked, "What is that?" to which the deputy replies, "It was a spider, man." Making reference to the super popular Marvel Comics Spiderman film that had just been released. The acting is great, especially for this type of film. The effects are fantastic as well. The giant spiders look pretty realistic, even when they are gigantic. If you liked Tremors or any other similar movie, you won't be disappointed with Eight Legged Freaks.

Freddy Krueger 1-900 Hotline Commercial

2010-04-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

I love this cool old commercial for the Freddy Krueger hotline. If you called the number, Freddy would tell you stories over the phone. But at $2.00 for the first minute and $.45 for every minute after, by the time he was done telling the story, you could have bought every piece of Freddy merchandise. In his heyday, Freddy crossed over into many different aspects of pop culture.

Fruit Brute Commercial

2010-04-25T15:27:00.000-07:00

Check out this cool old commercial for Fruit Brute Cereal. This was out in the late 70's to early 80's and was part of the monster cereal line. I never understood why they kept Boo Berry and got rid of Fruit Brute. Fruit Brute was so much better.

Night Of The Creeps Review

2010-04-24T09:44:00.001-07:00

Rick Axtothefacenheimer reviews one of his favorite films, Night Of The Creeps starring man of action Tom Atkins.

Parasomnia Review By Dr. Carnage

2010-04-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

William Malone, director of the House On Haunted Hill remake and the season one Masters Of Horror episode"Fair Haired Child"returns with a brilliantly original horror movie.
Patrick Kilpatrick(Class Of 1999)stars as the evil hypnotist and serial killer Byron Volpe, who is chained in the cell of a psychiatric hospital. We are introduced to Danny, who visits the rehabilitation wing of the psychiatric hospital to visit his friend Billy. Danny decides to look in on Volpe, who seems to notice Danny even though Volpes head is covered by some sort of mask that he cannot see out of. When Danny leaves the hospital, he passes the room of Laura, a girl who suffers from parasomnia, which means she spends nearly all her life sleeping, only waking for mere seconds. Danny becomes infatuated with this sleeping beauty, and when he learns of the hospitals plans to transfer Laura as an experiment to a clinic with a bad reputation, he decides to abduct Laura and take her to his apartment. But Danny doesn't know that Volpe also loves Laura, and he has the ability to control her nightmares, so Volpe sets about bringing Laura back to him in a trail of bloodshed. This movie contains some amazing and disturbing nightmare sequences that are reminiscent of Guillmero Del Toros Pans Labyrinth, but are more disturbing and horrific. And yes, this film also has blood. Just check out the hospital massacre. Jeffery Combs also stars as the detective on the trail of Laura and Danny, and watch out for cameos from John Landis and Sean Young. This film is truly chilling and original, and the visuals will blow you away. Dr. Carnage cannot recommend this movie enough. Go get it!

Dr. Carnage Is Back!! Midnight Movie Review

2010-04-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

Hey all! May I first of all say its great to be back on Dr. Goremans. I recently had the pleasure of viewing Midnight Movie.
Now I understand this movie has been available for a while in the states, but has only just been released here in the UK. The story is kinda your typical slasher fare, with a supernatural element thrown in for good measure. A group of friends go to a midnight screening of an old 70s movie, which is inhabited by the director who escaped from a mental ward 5 years earlier via black magic. The kids heckle the movie, but when they recognise one of their friends being killed onscreen, the mayhem really starts! I must say, the first time I saw this movie I didn't think much of it, as the majority of the kills happen off camera(which kinda annoyed me), but after viewing for a second time, I fell in love with it. The killer is creepy, his weapon of choice is a kind of hand held drill, which he wields with great pleasure. The killers mask is also cool, a cracked, bloodied skull. Suffice to say, all the friends are drawn into the movie, and its left to 3 people to find out what makes this killer tick. This movie is old school to the core, and the supernatural element and open endedness of the movie add so much. If you need a dose of slasher mayhem, this doctor prescribes Midnight Movie. I guarantee it'll brighten up your day!

A FIRST LOOK AT INDEPENDENT HORROR-COMEDY “THE NIGHT SHIFT”

2010-04-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

A FIRST LOOK AT INDEPENDENT HORROR-COMEDY “THE NIGHT SHIFT”

Pre-production is well underway for the independent feature “The Night Shift”, and now you can get your first look at the film’s lead characters.
Coinciding with an overhaul of the official website for “The Night Shift”, an online gallery has been added featuring publicity photos of the lead characters, Rue Morgan, Herbie West and Claire Rennfield as portrayed by Khristian Fulmer, Soren Odom and Erin Lilley, respectively. Also available to download from the site are two official desktop wallpapers for “The Night Shift” featuring the leads facing off against the film’s menacing creatures.

The film and filmmakers have received a great deal of support, encouragement and positive buzz from the online community and are looking forward to getting production underway this summer. The feature is based on Fighting Owl Films' short film of the same name which proved an online hit, was positively reviewed in "Fangoria" magazine's online edition earlier in 2009 and has screened in several festivals across the United States.

A supernatural adventure-comedy, “The Night Shift” centers on Rue Morgan, the undead night watchman at Pinewood Oaks Cemetery. Rue, along with his buddy Herb, a limbless corpse, spends his nights trying to keep the cemetery’s cantankerous residents in, and his days dreaming of a date with hard-nosed day-shifter, Claire. It’s an okay afterlife until a scourge of supernatural occurrences leaves Rue not only watching the cemetery, but also watching his back!

To stay abreast of all the latest production developments and updates, please become a fan of Fighting Owl Films on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fighting-Owl-Films/73399032976) and follow them on Twitter (http://twitter.com/FightingOwlFilm). For more information, downloads, photos and cast information, please visit http://www.thenightshiftmovie.com/.

Press Release About Independent Horror Film Eyes In The Dark

2010-04-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

Troy, Alabama - April 22, 2010 - The Alabama International Film Festival held during TroyFest will show the world premiere for Seattle director, Bjorn Anderson's new independent horror film, “Eyes in the Dark,” on April 25th at 3:25pm.

The 78-minute movie was filmed in the Pacific Northwest, mainly in the forests of the Cascade Mountains.

Anderson hopes that his films will bring tourists and other filmmakers to the Northwest. “I feel that the world hasn’t really been exposed to the natural beauty that is up here, and when the world takes notice, there’s going to be a great influx of films coming here,” he said.

The director also wrote the script for "Eyes in the Dark" after months of nightmares where he was chased through the woods. He said, "the vividness and reality of my nightmare is what I wanted to convey above all else."

The film’s plot features an unknown force hunting down seven college students on vacation in the mountains.

“I’ve always found that our own imaginations can come up with something far creepier than anything we can put up on screen,” said Anderson. “So following this rule, I limited the exposure of the creature to the audience. You never really see what is out there, and when we don’t know what we are facing, our natural reaction is fear.”

"Eyes in the Dark" will be the last feature film shown at the 2nd annual Alabama International Film Festival in The Studio on Walnut Street before the awards ceremony on Sunday. Attendance to the movie is free and open to the public, however children should not attend due to the frightening action and explicit language in the movie. For more information about the festival visit http://www.alafilm.org/.

Bjorn Anderson is the owner of Emerald City Pictures, which serves as a video production company in the Seattle area. "Eyes in the Dark" is also an official selection for Seattle’s True Independent Film Festival showing in June. This is Bjorn Anderson second feature film following the medieval epic "Warrior's End." For more information about the movie visit http://www.eyesthemovie.com/.

Based On A True Story... Whoa, Not So Fast

2010-04-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

Something that has always bothered me is when movies, especially the horror genre, use the moniker "Based on a true story." This is a term that should be advertised as being used loosely, if at all.
There are many people in this world who will take whatever info they get from the TV, and in their mind, it becomes fact. You wouldn't believe how many folks I have encountered who will say things to me like, "They ever catch that guy who killed people with a chainsaw down in Austin." Of course my sarcastic nature forces me to ask silly questions, "I never heard about that." To which the response is, "Yeah, some guy who wore people's faces as a mask killed a bunch of kids with a chainsaw." Luckily this is not the norm, but it proves that some consider the TV as the bible. Why would the TV lie? So I put together a list of horror films that gained a large audience at the time of their release due to the fact that it was "Based on a true story."

Of course being mentioned in my monologue above, the first film is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre follows the ambush and murder of a group of friends on a road trip in rural Texas by a family of cannibals. The worst of the family is Leatherface, a hulking beast of a man who wears someone else's skin as a mask and runs around killing people with a chainsaw. Even though the film is presented as a true story, it is completely fictional.

Writer and director Tobe Hooper based the Leatherface character loosely on Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein. His crimes, which he committed around his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin, garnered widespread notoriety after authorities discovered Gein had exhumed corpses from local graveyards and fashioned trophies and keepsakes from their bones and skin. He was tried in 1968 for the murder of Worden and sentenced to life imprisonment, which he spent in a mental hospital. The body of Bernice Worden was found in Gein's shed; her head and the head of Mary Hogan were found inside his house. Though he did commit other murders, Gein was only tried for one. So The Texas Chainsaw Massacre NEVER happened.

The Exorcist is another prime example. An elderly Jesuit priest named Father Lankester Merrin is leading an archaeological dig in northern Iraq and studying ancient relics. Following the discovery of a small statue of the demon Pazuzu (an actual ancient Sumerian demigod) and a modern-day St. Joseph medal curiously juxtaposed together at the site, a series of omens alerts him to a pending confrontation with a powerful evil, which unknown to the reader at this point, he has battled before in an exorcism in Africa. Meanwhile, in Georgetown, a young girl named Regan MacNeil living with her famous actress mother, Chris, becomes inexplicably ill. After a gradual series of poltergeist-like disturbances, she undergoes disturbing psychological and physical changes, appearing to become "possessed" by a demonic spirit. William Peter Blatty, screenwriter and author of the novel The Exorcist, was inspired by an article he read in college at Georgetown University about an exorcism performed on a 13-year-old boy in Mount Rainier, Maryland in 1949. The story's details have been muddled through the years -- perhaps intentionally so, in order to protect the family -- but the boy's actual home lay in Cottage City, Maryland, and the exorcism was performed in St. Louis. Evidence points to the boy's behavior not being nearly as outrageous or supernatural as was portrayed in the film. So even though the events may have taken place, the film took many "liberties."

One of the most widely regarded horror films thought to be true is The Amityville Horror. The movie revolves around the alleged real-life experiences of the Lutz family who buy a new home on 112 Ocean Avenue, Long Island, a house where a mass murder had been committed the year before. After the family move into the house, they experience a series of frightening paranormal events, causing them to flee the house only 28 days later.

The film is based on a self-proclaimed nonfiction book describing what George and Kathy Lutz experienced during their four weeks in the house, including disembodied voices, cold spots, demonic imagery, inverted crucifixes and walls "bleeding" green slime. Most, if not all, of the events portrayed in both the book and the movie have been called into question by investigators, and it is widely believed that the entire incident was a hoax.

This is just a small portion of films thought to be true, and I will get into the others sometime soon. To give people credit, these films did come out at a time when researching something wasn't as easy as the click of a mouse. But it also goes to show that people need to be more skeptical. You cannot go around in life believing everything you are told, especially by someone who wants to sell more tickets to their film.

The Human Centipede To Be A Trilogy

2010-04-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like one of the most original and disturbing horror films of the year will be the first part of a trilogy.
The Human Centipede will open in a limited release on April 30th, the same day as the new Nightmare, so I guess I will have to see 2 movies that day. Anyway, Tom Six has stated that he is about to start filming the sequel to The Human Centipede and then will work on the third. He already has plenty of cringe inducing moments planned for the movies and had this to say about the sequel, “The first film will seem like My Little Pony compared to what we do with the sequel. There will be a lot of black humor, and I’m excited as a director to see how far I can push audiences. We start shooting this June in London, and we’re looking to release the sequel before the end of the year if post-production goes well.” Make the first film look like My Little Pony? I can only imagine.

20 Interesting Facts About The Original A Nightmare On Elm Street

2010-04-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

With only a little over a week until the remake of A Nightmare On Elm Street hits theaters, I thought I would post a lot of interesting facts about the original.

1. The movie Nancy watches to stay awake is The Evil Dead. She isn't watching a random clip, but rather the theatrical trailer.

2. Wes Craven's original concept for Freddy Krueger was considerably more gruesome, with teeth showing through the flesh over the jaw, pus running from the sores, and a part of the skull showing through the head. Make-up artist David B. Miller argued that an actor couldn't be convincingly made up that way and a puppet would be hard to film and wouldn't blend well with live actors, so these ideas were eventually abandoned.

3. Johnny Depp accompanied friend Jackie Earle Haley to the auditions, where he was spotted by director Wes Craven, who asked him if he'd like to read for the part. Interestingly enough, Haley will be playing Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street

4. Wes Craven cast Joseph Whipp, who plays the inept sidekick of John Saxon's Lt. Thompson in this film, as the sheriff who endures David Arquette's inept Deputy Dewey in Scream.

5. The scene where Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) is attacked by Freddy in her bathtub was shot using a bottomless tub, which was put in a bathroom set that had been built over a swimming pool. During the underwater sequence, Langenkamp was replaced with stuntwoman Christina Johnson. Langenkamp spent 12 hours in the bath during filming.

6. This was the second movie produced by New Line Cinema. The first was Alone in the Dark, directed by Jack Sholder and starring Jack Palance. However the film was given a very limited theatrical release, and when it performed poorly and received bad reviews, it was released straight to video. As such, 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' was New Line's first genuine mainstream cinematic venture.

7. Freddy Kruger was designed by Wes Craven to be the typical "silent" serial killer such as Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers. But in the sequels Freddy developed a cheeky persona that enabled him to be the black humored villain.

8. The original glove was used in A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge, and was also seen in Evil Dead II. However, when Wes Craven loaned the glove to the A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors' set, it was lost, and has never been located since.

9. The only times you see the words "Elm Street" are during the opening and closing credits. The words "Elm Street" are not mentioned at all during the movie.

10. The scene were Freddy's arms elongate were achieved by having men with fishing poles on each side of the alley marionetting a set of puppet arms attached to actor Robert Englund.

11. In a deleted scene featured on the Laser Disc and VHS from Anchor Bay we learn that Nancy and many of her friends from the neighborhood weren't always only children, but had a brother or sister before they were killed by Freddy (during the scene in the basement just before Nancy's mother reveals she has Freddy's glove.)

12. Wes Craven had helped Sean S. Cunningham by working on a few shots for Friday the 13th, in turn, near the end of the production of this movie, Cunningham directed a few shots when several units were working at once.

13. Heather Langenkamp beat over 200 actresses for the role of Nancy Thompson, some of the other actresses who auditioned for the role of Nancy were Jennifer Grey, Demi Moore, Courteney Cox and Tracey Gold.

14. In "Just the Ten of Us" (1988), Heather Langenkamp makes reference to a rusty knife stuck in a cutting board "looking like something from 'A Nightmare on Elm Street.'"

15. When Nancy's dreams are "examined", when her hair turns white, the nurse is played by Wes Craven's ex-wife, Mimi Craven.

16. An omen that Johnny Depp's character is about to die occurs as he is laying in bed listening to his radio. The broadcaster announces, "It's midnight and you're listening to station KRGR." KRGR can be interpreted as meaning "Krueger."

17. John F. Kennedy was killed while traveling on Elm Street in Dallas.

18. Charlie Sheen was interested in the role of Glen, but according to producer Robert Shaye, he wanted more money than the production could afford.

19. The very first time we see Freddy in the movie, he isn't being played by Robert Englund, but by special-effects man Charles Belardinelli, as Belardinelli was the only one who knew exactly how to cut the glove and insert the blades.

20. The sparking glove effect seen throughout the movie was achieved by attaching the glove to a car battery. The famous scraping noise was created by scratching a steak knife on the underside of a metal chair.

Remakes Or Should I Say Redux

2010-04-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

I have never been a big fan of remakes, especially remakes that include iconic characters that we grew up with like Jason and Freddy. Out of all the remakes that have happened so far, only My Bloody Valentine is one I would consider enjoyable.
I thought the Friday The 13th remake was a train wreck and at first I was upset over A Nightmare On Elm Street. I have gotten over Nightmare though, I like many others have always thought about what a non-funny Freddy would be like. I never minded the campiness per say, but to me the character could have been so much more. The concept is scary as hell and Freddy needs to be too but after the first film he just wasn't. This got me wandering, what other films could actually BENEFIT from being remade, not a flat out remake, but I guess a reimagining for lack of a better term. I have put together a list of a few movies that, to me, could have been so much more, especially when it comes to horror. Let me know your thoughts.

Gremlins was the first one to come to mind. This film is called a horror comedy, but I never found much horror in it, mostly comedy. But can you picture them taking out the comedic element? I can see some badass scary Gremlins, especially with today's technology, I don't want CGI but animatronics would be awesome. We have come a long way in that field since the mid 80's. My vision is brutal, relentless eating machines bent on causing the destruction of mankind. Some jump scares, stalking, and a little POV and you could have a good creature feature. I think a little expansion on the origins of the mogwai would benefit as well.

I don't think that anyone could argue with me that RawHead Rex could have been a ton better. For some reason, I think movie companies enjoy screwing up the work of Clive Barker. To really enjoy the RawHead Rex character, you need to read the short story. It didn't help with the look they gave him in the movie, the picture below is a more accurate representation. Clive himself really hated this movie though I don't think as much as he did Nightbreed.

The Stuff is another one. The plot itself is brilliant but is ruined by bad pacing, acting, and dialogue. You could make a very strong socio-political statement, even more so in today's world. A food company that knowingly sells a product that gets people addicted and takes them over. Its perfect, especially with people's distrust of food companies, the FDA, and the government being as high as ever. Real life fears are always worse than fictional ones.

Those are a few of the movies I think could benefit from a redux. I would be really interested to know what films you think could be made better. Of course, there are some films that I don't think should ever be touched, Fright Night and The Monster Squad top that list.

10 Interesting Facts About The Monster Squad

2010-04-20T15:55:00.000-07:00

Here are 10 interesting facts on the 1987 Fred Dekker classic The Monster Squad.

1. According to director Fred Dekker the film was cut by ca. 13 minutes because some executives didn't want it to run more than 90 minutes.

2. Dustin Diamond had a small role as a kid who tries to sell comic books to the boys, but this was later cut.

3. Liam Neeson was paid for a bit part that was never shot.

4. There is a poster for the Lucio Fulci film Zombi 2 (1979) visible in the background of the club house.

5. The scene where Dracula lifts Phoebe up and she screams was done in one take. Duncan Regehr wouldn't wear his red contacts or fangs around the five year old Ashley Bank because it scared her too much. For the scene, director Fred Dekker just told Ashley to scream once the platform raised her. When she asked, "When?" Dekker told her, "Oh, you'll know," and proceeded to shoot. The terrified scream you hear when Dracula opens his eyes is Ashley's genuine scream of fright.

6. Ashley Bank turned down a role in Fatal Attraction (1987) to play Phoebe.

7. Liam Neeson was considered for the role of Dracula.

8. The Wolfman's face was modeled after that of Stan Winston.

9. In 2006, "Wizard" magazine made a list of the 100 Greatest Villains of All Time, Dracula was ranked as #30 on the list. But, surprisingly, it was for Duncan Regehr's performance in this film. His performance was chosen over all other versions of the character. Regehr's Dracula is still considered to be one the absolute best interpretations of the character.

10. The picture that Frankenstein's monster takes of Patrick's sister undressing in front of the window is actually of a blonde girl in a black shirt.

2010-04-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

This week I am working on a Night Of The Creeps video review that I hope to have finished in a couple of days as well as more written reviews I will be publishing. I am also getting more lists of facts from different movies put together and will have a few original articles up as well. I started another blog today called We Miss The 80's that can be found here http://wemissthe80s.blogspot.com/ If you are a fan of the 1980's, please check it out. I start a huge construction project next week so my posts on both blogs will either be early in the morning or early in the evening. Thanks for all of our friends and readers and just keep on coming back.

Gore Line @ 9 4/16/2010

2010-04-19T14:25:00.000-07:00

Watch the hottest horror news show on the net, Gore Line @ 9. Tonight, we discuss Death Kappa, The Human Centipede, Beetlejuice 2, remakes of Robocop and I Spit On Your Grave, and MORE!! Watch the rest on our You Tube Channel www.youtube.com/user/DrGoreman

I Didn't Know That!! Facts About Phantasm

2010-04-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

Here are 20 interesting facts you may not have known about the movie Phantasm.

1. The mansion used for the exterior shots of the mausoleum was also seen in the James Bond film A View to a Kill

2. Don Coscarelli's and Reggie Bannister's parents can all be seen as extras in the funeral scene.

3. The dwarves were played by children.

4. The "ball" scenes were simple special effects. The sphere was being guided around a corner by a fishing line. The sphere was thrown from behind the camera by a baseball pitcher and then the shot was printed in reverse. The ball attaching itself to the man's head was filmed by sticking it on his head, then pulling it off, and printing the shot in reverse.

5. The stone-looking interior of the mausoleum was actually constructed of plywood and marble colored plastic contact paper.

6. Title was changed to "The Never Dead" for Australian audiences as not to confuse it with the popular Aussie sex comedy Fantasm

7. The coffin that Mike sees the Tall Man lift by himself and shove back into the hearse was made out of balsa wood, empty, and had a rope on the side facing away from the camera to make it easier to handle.

8. This film's original running time was more than three hours, but writer/ director Don Coscarelli decided that that was far too long for it to hold people's attention and made numerous cuts to the film. Some of the unused footage was located in the late 1990's and became the framework for Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998). The rest of the footage is believed to be lost.

9. Don Coscarelli rented all of the filming equipment used to make this movie, always on Fridays so he could use it all weekend and return it on Mondays, all the while only actually having to pay one day's rental on the equipment.

10. The genesis of the story came to Don Coscarelli in a dream. One night, being in his late teens, he dreamed of fleeing down endlessly long marble corridors, pursued by a chrome sphere intent on penetrating his skull with a wicked needle. There was also a quite futuristic "sphere dispenser" out of which the orbs would emerge and begin chase.

11. Don Coscarelli got the idea of The Tall Man's living severed finger while drinking from a styrofoam cup. He punched his finger through the bottom and started moving it. He loved the visual effect of it and decided to include it in the story.

12. Although being very tall, standing at 6 feet 4 inches, Angus Scrimm wore suits several sizes smaller and boots with lifts inside that added 3 inches to his height.

13. At the scene near the end when Reggie comes out of the funeral home, the production installed a wind machine with a huge fan blowing to create the effect of a very strong wind. As a joke, A. Michael Baldwin started throwing stones in front of the fan, that went to hit Reggie Bannister and Kathy Lester several times.

14. The film was originally rated X by the MPAA because of the famous silver sphere sequence, and because of the man urinating on the floor after falling down dead. Los Angeles Times film critic Charles Champlin made a phone call in a favor to a friend on the board. Thanks to him, Phantasm was downgraded from the original dreaded X-rating to a more acceptable R. Champlin's positive review was quoted on the film's promotional posters.

15. Don Coscarelli's mother, novelist Kate Coscarelli, held several titles on the production and even used two aliases, "S. Tyler" and "Shirley Mae", for production design and make up/costume design respectively. She also wrote a novel adaptation based on the film. It was published in 2002 and only 500 copies were produced.

16. Co-Producer Paul Pepperman approached Angus Scrimm at a sneak preview of Kenny & Company (1976) and told him that Don Coscarelli had written a role for him in his next production. When informed that he would be playing an alien, Scrimm became very excited and immediately asked to know what country his character would hail from. Pepperman said: "He's not from another country, he's from another world."

17. The 1971 Plymouth Barracuda was chosen because Don Coscarelli remembered a guy in high school had one, and was a little envious of him. A Barracuda was made to look like the Hemi 'Cuda. Though in one scene you can see the designation of 440-6 on the hood. Indicating the car had a 440, with a "six pack" (3 two-barrel carburetors).Bill Thornbury then took the car to a friend of his and had it custom striped so it felt like it was really his car. The true purpose of the car was so the brothers Mike and Jody could have a means of bonding. In fact, A. Michael Baldwin learned to drive in that car, he was only 14 at the time! After the movie was finished, the car was sold, and to this day nobody is sure what really happened to it. As a result the black Hemi 'Cuda became just as much of a hallmark to the series as the chrome spheres.

18. Performers A. Michael Baldwin, Angus Scrimm, Terrie Kalbus, Mary Ellen Shaw and Kenneth V. Jones had all appeared in one of Don Coscarelli's previous two movies, Jim, the World's Greatest (1976) and Kenny & Company (1976). Reggie Bannister is the only actor in the cast to have appeared in both features.

19. There are several references to Frank Herbert's Dune, including a bar named "Dune" and a scene where Mike is forced to insert his hand into a black box that inflicts pain as part of a test.

20. The Spanish distributors for the movie decided, instead of translating the title, to simply add an "a" at the end, making it "Phantasma". The word itself does not exist in the Spanish language, but sounds phonetically the same as "Fantasma" (Ghost).

Poster Wars

2010-04-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

With so many remakes of our beloved classic horror films either coming out this year or in the works, I wanted to take a look at a few remakes that have already come out and compare their posters with the originals. Let me know which ones you think are the best. Welcome to poster wars!!

Terror From The Toybox- My Pet Monster

2010-04-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

Horror has never been just regulated to Movies and TV, toys have often been a large part of the formula as well. The first terror from the toybox I am going to look at is one I remember fondly from my own childhood, My Pet Monster.

My Pet Monster is a plush doll first produced by American Greetings in 1986. As one of the few plush dolls marketed to boys at the time, My Pet Monster would prove popular throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. The doll has blue fur, horns, and a fanged smile and is recognizable by its orange handcuffs. Several versions of the doll have been released ranging in size and other attributes. Other characters were also created with brightly colored fur and unorthodox names like Gwonk, Wogster, and Rark. Their popularity allowed a wealth of merchandise including coloring books, Golden Look-Look books, frame-tray puzzles, and various other items.

The popularity of the toys spawned a cartoon that ran for roughly one season. The show followed Monster who lives with a boy named Max. When Monster wears his handcuffs, they turn him into a stuffed animal. Max often does this as a way to maintain the secret of Monster’s existence from others. Max's sister, Jill, and his friend, Chuckie, are the only ones that know this secret. The two main adversaries in the show are Mr. Hinkle, a neighbor who always thinks Max is up to something, but isn’t quite sure what, and Beastur, a large monster who hates light and wants to bring Monster back to Monster Land. The cartoon only lasted one season mostly from low ratings stemming from the fact that parents didn't think their children should watch a cartoon about a "good" monster.

A live action direct to video film was also released in 1986 and was a very popular rental for video stores at the time. I must have rented the movie at least 20 times when I was little, however, watching it as an adult is a painful experience. Everything about the movie is awful, which is probably the reason we will never see a dvd release. If you feel like torturing yourself with it, the vhs version is readily available on Ebay or Amazon but can carry a hefty price tag.

My Pet Monster had a small resurgence into the mainstream not too many years ago with a new stuffed toy being released as well as the original cartoon making it's way onto dvd. I think I will always have a soft spot in my heart for My Pet Monster and wander how many of our readers feel the same way. Was My Pet Monster part of your toybox?

What If??? Day Of The Creeps

2010-04-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

On April Fools Day, I made up a post about Tom Atkins being part of a Critters remake and then said his next project would be Day Of The Creeps. After a lot of e-mails and comments on the matter, I decided to ask, what if there was going to be a Day Of The Creeps?
Night Of The Creeps is one of my all time favorite movies, it blended horror and comedy perfectly plus Tom Atkins was given some of the best one liners ever. At the end of NOTC if you go by the original ending, Detective Cameron played by Tom Atkins, is seen walking and badly burnt after the explosion he caused trying to kill all of the slugs. He lights up a cigarette but then falls, cracking his head open for a few slugs to escape. The slugs are seen going into a graveyard with the Alien ship they escaped from searching for them with a giant spotlight. I think it would be cool to have Day Of The Creeps start the next morning with many of the fresh corpse from the graveyard being infected and reanimated by the slugs, hence Day Of The Creeps. The theatrical ending to NOTC left Det. Cameron's fate ambiguous so if you base it off that ending, he could come back having escaped the explosion. If not, Tom Atkins could play Det. Camerons twin brother who works for the FBI or something. Sorry, Tom Atkins has to be in the movie. The rest of the film would find Tom Atkins, Jason Lively and Jill Whitlow's characters fending off the zombie and slug invasion until the aliens help them put a stop to it. Thats some of my idea, now I want to know what our readers think. How would you expand on the plot line for Day Of The Creeps? What other actors or characters would you like to see in the film? You never know, a sequel could happen. Fred Dekker has stated he would love to do a sequel and wouldn't touch a remake.

Another Cool Movie In The Mail

2010-04-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

Katherine just got a movie that was sent to us from a video store that likes our blog. I have always wanted to watch The Glove but never got around to it. Got a new film to review, thanks to all of our readers and big thanks to the video store in Illinois that sent The Glove!!

Horror Realm Presents Zombie Awareness Night

2010-04-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

Horror Realm & Oaks Theater present Zombie Awareness Night

Featuring mini zombie crawl, rare 35 mm print film screening and costume contest

Pittsburgh, PA – April 14, 2010 – Horror Realm™, Pittsburgh’s modern horror convention, teams up with the Oaks Theater to celebrate Zombie Awareness Month® with night of zombie themed entertainment on Saturday, May 8, 2010.

The evening kicks off with a mini zombie crawl beginning at Steve’s Inn, located at 301 Allegheny River Boulevard in Oakmont (across from the theater). Zombies will receive instructions at 9:15 PM and then will shamble one block, cross over the boulevard and approach the theater.

At 10 PM, the theater will screen a rare 35 mm print of Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things (rated R). The 1973 low budget zombie movie was directed by Bob Clark (Black Christmas, Porky's, A Christmas Story) and has become a cult classic because of the bad acting, ridiculous dialogue and writer/star Alan Ormby's striped pants.

Zombies and humans are welcome. All paid admissions will be entered into a raffle for prizes and there will be a Best Hippie Zombie contest immediately before the movie screening.

Tickets for the program can be purchased at the door the night of the event for $7 or in advance through Showclix at http://www.showclix.com/event/9228/.

May has been designated as Zombie Awareness Month® by the Zombie Research Society, recognizing the evolution of the zombie in cinema, literature and culture. Founded in 2007 by Matt Mogk, the Zombie Research Society is dedicated to raising the level of zombie scholarship in the Arts and Sciences. ZRS members represent diverse backgrounds, interests, and theories, but are unified in their support of the Society's three foundational principles: 1) a zombie is a biologically definable, animated being occupying a human corpse; 2) the zombie pandemic is coming. It's not a matter of if, but a matter of when; and 3) enthusiastic debate about zombies is essential to the survival of the human race. More information about ZRS can be found at http://www.zombieresearch.org.

The Oaks Theater is a gloriously refurbished, 430-seat single screen movie house located at 310 Allegheny River Boulevard in Oakmont, PA (15139). For questions about the venue, please call (412) 828-6311 or visit the theater’s web site at www.theoakstheater.com.

Horror Realm™ is Pittsburgh’s modern horror convention. The 2010 convention takes place September 17-19 at the Crowne Plaza Pittsburgh South. Please visit www.horrorrealmcon.com for more information.

The Blackest Night #8 Review

2010-04-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally made it to the eighth and final issue of The Blackest Night.
Over the course of a year, writer Geoff Johns has brought back some of the DC universe's greatest heroes as an undead army wrought on bringing an end to all life and also made second rate villain Black Hand a force to be reckoned with. In this issue, we see Sinestro try to be the hero he always thought he was meant to be, just to see him brought down again because of his massive ego. So, of course, it is up to uber Lantern Hal Jordan to be the savior of the universe once more. It is revealed that the only way Nekron can even be in power is when he has a tether, which is the way he was using Black Hand. When Hal Jordan binds with the White Light, he transforms himself and the converted Black Lantern heroes into the White Lanterns. Together, they focus all of their energy on Black Hand successfully bringing him back to life, therefore severing the tie he had with Nekron. A white ring spews forth from Black Hand's mouth and tears into Nekrons heart, killing him, at least for now... Aside from Black Hand, the White Light also brought back 12 heroes and villains from death's grip. Included among those is Deadman, no longer dead, and he is the only one wearing a white ring still... Thus leads us into The Brightest Day. I really enjoyed this whole series. I have read other reviews where they didn't like the ending. My only question to them is do you think that DC was going to let some of their top heroes stay dead? This story arc wasn't meant to be an ending to anything but rather a start to a new direction. Between Geoff Johns writing and Ivan Reis art, The Blackest Night and it's tie-ins delivered issue after issue. I look forward to The Brightest Day, especially when it comes to Deadman, The White Lanterns, and what the Indigo Tribe is really all about.

Some Of My Favorite Slasher Posters

2010-04-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

I wanted to showcase a few of my favorite slasher posters. Aside from actually liking these films, I thought the artwork used to promote them was beautiful. It's sad that movie companies don't take the time to produce posters like these much anymore, the only exception being House Of The Devil, that poster kicked ass.

Look What I Got

2010-04-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

I got this in the mail a couple of days ago. I love it when people are nice enough to send free stuff because they like the blog. This is a Vestron Video copy of The Mutilator and is in really great shape. I tested it and it plays back perfect, I will be watching the whole movie sometime this week and will do a review on it. Big thanks to the person that sent it!!

The Black Cat Review

2010-04-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

I know most of you who read this will know Fulci as a master of splatter and incoherent story lines(eg Manhattan Baby),but heres a movie which rivals stuff put out by AIP, Amicus and even Hammer.
The Black Cat(Gatto Nero,1980) is a retelling of Edgar Allen Poe's dark Gothic tale, but Fulci only uses Poe's work as a frame for his own twisted tale. Robert Miles can control the mind of his black cat, and uses his power to exact revenge upon his enemies. A photographer who works for the local police begins to notice cat like scratches on the murder victims. She pays a visit to Robert Miles, and the cat is present, making her even more suspicious of the felines involvement. The cat doesn't like this, and begins imposing its will over its owner....This movie is incredibly Gothic and the camera work is probably some of the most beautiful seen since Dario Argento's heyday. Unfortunately, there is very little eye trauma or gore for that matter but i feel this film doesn't need it, as its more of a tension builder. Needless to say, if you haven't seen any of Fulcis work, don't start off with this one, as it won't prepare you for the shocks of his other movies. But this is a superb piece of Gothic horror. The film also stars the late David Warbeck, who many of you will know from The Beyond.I would urge any fan of Euro horror to track this one down,as it is a complete departure from Fulcis early work, and probably one of the last great movies he made. The atmosphere and tension are cranked up to eleven.

The Landlord Review

2010-04-13T09:15:00.000-07:00

Last night, Katherine and I sat down to screen the new independent film, The Landlord. We wanted to do a video review but we both came down with the flu. Anyway, on to the review.
Tyler never has trouble finding tenants for his cozy little 3-unit apartment building... he just has trouble keeping them alive to pay rent! You see, Tyler's building is haunted by a pair of 5,000-year-old demons with an insatiable appetite for flesh. And no matter how nicely Tyler asks, he cannot keep them from devouring the tenants. The demons never listen to Tyler, and why should they? After all, they have an all-you-can-eat human buffet and Tyler as their pet monkey. But things could change when Tyler take a liking to the newest tenant, a desperate young woman running from demons of her own. The premise is very easy to follow and never tries to convolute itself. For the most part, the film was very entertaining with a good dose of humor, especially dark, thrown in at just the right time. The acting on the part of the leads was good and pretty believable with only the small roles going into cheese territory which is to be expected. As far as negatives, the only things we could really come up with were make-up and effects. The two demons that haunt Tyler look like Cheetara from Thundercats and Lorne from Angel. The effects are really fake looking, especially in the final scene where there is an explosion. It just looked like someone used their home computer to generate the effect. You can't really hold stuff like that against an independent film though, and it is great that those two items were really the only thing wrong. We can say we recommend this film, the originality shines through and we laughed our asses off. Next time we watch it, we are going to play the built in drinking game. Oh yeah, good times.

VHS Vs DVD- Which Is Better For Horror?

2010-04-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

In the pursuit to find the best format for watching horror, I have been viewing many movies on both VHS and DVD. Here are my conclusions and I tried not to let any bias get in the way.
In terms of picture, especially for 70's and 80's horror, I choose VHS. The grainy picture always makes me think back to the drive-in plus it helps hide some flaws in shoddy FX work. Now, for much older movies and current ones, DVD would be the better choice. VHS did not do the Universal Monsters justice and that is where the digital format can really shine. For audio quality you have to go with DVD. I can't tell you how many movies I have watched on VHS, mostly direct to video titles, where the speed of the music and voice track was off. I really hated the ones where the music would start and it would sound like an old wind-up Victrola that was almost out of juice, just sputtering along. On some films like Night Of The Creeps or The Monster Squad, I prefer the picture of the VHS but love the extras on the DVD. All of the featurettes and mini documentaries have always interested me, I know a lot of people just buy the bare bones release but I like learning about the behind the scenes stuff. The bad thing with this experiment is that I was not able to decide which format is better. Guess I will have to keep buying both VHS and DVD, poor me. But I want to know what you think, which format do you like more?

Gore Line @ 9 4/11/2010

2010-04-11T22:15:00.000-07:00

On this edition of Gore Line, Rick Axtothefacenheimer and Katherine McSharpensherknifey discuss the indie film Heartless, Mothers Day remake, Cabin In The Woods, and Parasomnia. Our new intro is funny as hell. Super Troopers!!

The Freddy Krueger Nike

2010-04-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

I have never paid much attention to other shoe brands, I am from So Cal and have always been a Vans guy. But had these gone into production, I would have bought a pair. Here is the NIKE DUNK LOW PRO SB FREDDY KRUEGER. These were going to be produced in 2008 but Nike scrapped the idea. The only pairs that exist are production samples making them quite rare. Expensive too, I have seen them go upwards of $800.00. Every once in a while you can find a pair for $300.00 but not many people have that kind of money to burn on shoes they will never wear.

Hello Freddy

2010-04-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

My beautiful wife, Katherine McSharpensherknifey, has submitted a new picture to put up on the blog. She sharpens the claws of Hello Kitty and gives us Hello Freddy.

The Icon Award

2010-04-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

With other blogs giving out awards, we decided the time was right to debut our own award. The Icon Award will be given out once a month to the blog that constantly delivers horror related, well written entertaining posts. Yes, this will be a very difficult task with all the great horror blogs out there but hey, I love to read. Expect the first award to be given April 30th!!

Banshee!!! Review

2010-04-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

A group of college friends on a spring break camping trip are stalked and slashed by an unknown creature with the ability to make them hallucinate through sound waves. The survivors hold up refuge in an isolated farmhouse, cut off from all communication. Now, they have to come up with a plan to kill this unrelenting creature before it kills them. "Banshee!!!" takes the idea of the legendary Irish myth and spins it around into a terrifying and unstoppable monster!
Thus is the synopsis of the new indie horror film Banshee!!! I have read some other reviews of the film in which they were not too kind. I, however, enjoyed this film. Not as much as I have some of the other indie horror I have had the pleasure of screening lately, but it still kept my interest throughout. While the story and concept were great, the film was not without it's flaws. There were a few major potholes in the plot, for example, it is never explained where the Banshee came from or what it was doing and why. The acting wasn't top notch, which is to be expected, but it could have been better than it was. The most disappointing thing was the ending. The film leads up to what should be a huge climax with all but two characters dying. The way they build it up, you are expecting a grand battle with the beast and our final two antagonists. What we are left with, however, is a strobe effect. We get two quick flashes of action rotated off with a black screen. That's it. Are you serious!!?? That just pissed me off. Thankfully, we are given a final scene that has M.J. Kelly and Shawn C. Phillips (Coolduder of You Tube fame) in a pleasing comedic performance. It was not enough to save the film though. The other bright spot in Banshee was Officer Jul, played by Kerry McGann. Aside from being pretty, her acting kept the film out of becoming a complete cheesefest. So I recommend this film for the story and originality, but not much else.

Zombi 2 Review

2010-04-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today, we look at a Lucio Fulci classic and perhaps one of his best films, Zombi 2.
The film came out in 1979 and has been known by many names including Zombie, Island of the Living Dead, Zombie Island, Zombie Flesh Eaters and Woodoo. Even though it is the first of the Lucio Fulci Zombi films, they labeled it as part 2 because they wanted to capitalize on the success of Dawn Of The Dead even though the only thing the films have in common is zombies. An apparently abandoned yacht drifts into New York Harbor, and the Harbor Patrol investigates. On board, a huge rotting man (Captain Haggerty) kills Marty, one of the patrolmen, by tearing out his neck with his teeth. The remaining patrol man called Bill manages to knock the hulking man into the sea by blasting him with his revolver several times.A young woman named Anne Bowles (Tisa Farrow) is questioned by the police when it is discovered that the boat belonged to her father (Ugo Bologna). She does not know anything except that her father left for a tropical island to do research. A reporter named Peter West (Ian McCulloch) is assigned by his news editor (director Lucio Fulci in a cameo) to get the story on the mysterious boat. Anne and Peter meet on the boat and decide to work together after finding a note from Anne's father. The note says that he is on the island of Matool and that he has come down with a strange disease. Anne and Peter enlist the aid of a seafaring couple, Brian Hull ('Al Cliver' aka Pier Luigi Conti) and Susan Barrett (Auretta Gay), to help find Matool. On Matool, Dr. David Menard (Richard Johnson) is hard at work studying the island's secrets. Matool is a cursed place where the dead rise to attack the living, and Menard is determined to find out why. Menard's contemptuous, highly-strung wife Paola (Olga Karlatos) wants to leave the island in fear of the zombie attacks, but Menard insists on staying to continue his research. When Anne, Peter, Brian, and Susan reach Matool, the island itself seems to come alive, vomiting forth all the dead buried on the island to kill them. In the end, all of the island's inhabitants and Susan fall victim to the walking dead; Brian is infected and dies soon afterward. Peter and Anne manage to escape by boat, taking the now reanimated Brian with them as evidence for their story. Shortly after the group leaves the island and reach the open ocean, they receive a radio message that, to their great horror and dismay, the undead have attacked New York City. Marty, the policeman killed by the zombie, and his killer itself have infected the New York population, explosively multiplying the zombie army beyond any hope of control. While the story is written very well, the acting can leave a little to be desired. The effects were handled professionally though and the scene with the piece of door in the eye and the zombie fighting the shark were magnificent. This movie spawned three sequels, all of which are very forgettable. However, if you are a completest, the three sequels are available as a box set on dvd. As for Zombi 2, you have more than a few choices for your home video viewing. The best, in my opinion, is the Shriek Show 25th anniversary box set. It is the most complete release thus far and even includes rare interviews on the 2nd disc. If you have not had the pleasure of seeing Zombi 2, take the time to do so.

Awesome Polish Alien Anthology

2010-04-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

If you thought the Alien head box set was awesome, check out the Polish Blu-Ray release of the Alien Anthology.
This should be out sometime in the Fall and we can only hope this will make it's way to the States. A lot of people were concerned this set was a hoax, but I have recieved word that this is a legit release. No word on the price yet, but I will keep you posted.

Classic VHS Art VS Craptastic DVD Art Volume 2

2010-04-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

Here is my list of 5 more classic VHS covers against their shitty DVD counterparts.

First up is the 1981 killer kid classic Bloody Birthday. The VHS art, shown above, is awesome. When I would go to the video store in my younger days, this cover would be one of the first to jump out at me. Something about a hand on top of a cake with the fingers lit up like candles was just mesmerizing. Too bad some yahoo thought the DVD just needed some photoshopped piece of crap with lettering I have on my computer. No originality at all.

Now we have The Monster Squad. The VHS above kept the poster art intact and was always a great attention grabber. All of the kids with the car and the monsters in the back ground just made you want to rent this. But on the DVD, you get a kid that wasn' t even in the movie and a picture of the monsters.

The Gate suffered in much the same way as The Monster Squad. The VHS has the cool graphic of the logo with the monster coming up through it and the DVD has a kid that wasn't even born when this film came out on the cover. Epic FAIL!!

RawHead Rex wasn't the best movie, but at least the VHS had a good clear picture of the monster. The DVD has some strange awkward looking drawing of the creatures face with a full silhouette below it. VHS wins, monster looks good and it was a Lightning Home Video release.

Last we have Alien Prey. The VHS cover is legendary, it was actually banned by many video stores and put in the "back room" in most others. A lot of people rented this film thinking they were getting an awesome gore fest just to be VERY disapointed. Back then, people rented most horror movies by the covers and blurbs on the back of the tape. If people went off the cover of the DVD shown below, it looks damn boring.

Mom And Pop Video Store Memories

2010-04-06T11:12:00.000-07:00

Writing about going to work with my Mom when I was younger really got me thinking about mom and pop video stores.
I am sure you know by now that at the end of April The Video Vault, one of the largest remaining indie video stores, closes their doors forever. They are selling off all of their stock and they have tons of rare horror and exploitation available. Give them a call at 1-800-vault-66 and see what gems you can pick up. Anway, I have shared my memories of the mom and pop I frequented and now I would like to hear your stories. What video store did you/or still do go to? Do you have any pictures of the place? What movies did you rent the most? Just share anything with us, I am really interested to hear your thoughts on indie video stores.

B Movie Madness- Prey AKA Alien Prey

2010-04-06T04:11:00.000-07:00

I think for B Movie Madness, we are going to concentrate on even more obscure films than we have in the past. Today we look at Prey AKA Alien Prey.
The film focuses on the lives of two lesbians, Jessica (Gloria Annen) and Josephine (Sally Faulkner), living in a deserted English farmhouse who are thrown into turmoil upon the arrival of strange man called Anderson (Barry Stokes), who, unknown to them, is an alien scout on a mission to find food on Earth. Able to transform his appearance to that of a perfectly coifed human man, the alien brings tension to the the girls' relationship as Jessica starts to find him attractive. Much morbid excitement follows as Anderson's animalistic behavior leads to their downfall... A lot of people were tricked into renting this film by the awesome big box artwork shown above, but were very disapointed when they popped it into the VCR. The movie was released onto DVD under the original title Prey, but you won't find this one on Netflix so buying may be the only option. Even though the movie wasn't that great, the big box art was fantastic, much better than the 2nd VHS printing shown below.

Here is what the current DVD release looks like

For fun, I thought I would throw in the original trailer

Don't Go To Sleep Presskit Photos

2010-04-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post a few pictures from my prized press kit of the made for tv horror film Don't Go To Sleep. It was an awesome movie with a creepy ending and is VERY hard to find on home video. You can get bootleg dvd's but I want an authentic VHS.

Shock Festival Review

2010-04-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

I was reading an issue of Rue Morgue not too long ago, when I came across an ad for a DVD called Shock Festival.
The ad read: Take a wild journey through the exploitation movie scenes of the 1970s and 1980s with this collection of hundreds of actual previews of coming attractions, television commercials and radio spots for the sleaziest, sexiest most off-the-wall films ever made - all digitally re-mastered from original film elements. This is the ultimate collection of classic exploitation and horror trailers, TV ads and radio spots. This 3-disc set includes new audio and video tribute media, collectable poster and full-color liner notes. I bought the dvd and after watching it, I think this is one of the coolest ideas ever. The first disc is the exploitation disc. You can either watch the feature length trailers compilation or their home made trailers. I chose the feature length compilation, and I was treated to some zany and off the wall films, many I had never heard of. I saw Treasure Of The Four Crowns, Vice Squad, Grimms Fairy Tales For Adults, Conquest, Amazon Jail, Flesh Gordon, and more. I found myself anticipating what trailer would come next. I haven't watched the home made trailers yet, but when I do I will review them. Disc two is the horror disc. The horror trailer compilation was very good, even though I have seen 90% of the films. The trailers shown include: Pieces, Snuff, Beyond The Gate, Pranks, Maniac, Shock Waves, and many more. The other half of the horror disc was dedicated to TV spots and I will review those as well when I have more time. With over seven hours of footage, its hard to watch in one sitting. I actually found myself pausing between some trailers and checking Amazon or Ebay to see if I could get ahold of some of these films either on DVD or VHS. There were only a couple I couldn't track down, but the hunt is half the fun. I didn't even try to watch disc three, so I guess you could say this will be a 2-3 part review. I had a blast watching this dvd, all of the trailers are in the same condition you would have seen them in at a drive in or grindhouse theater, it's all very charming. You won't be able to find this on netflix so the only option is buying it, but if you are a fan of rare and obscure horror or exploitation, this cannot be missed. Aside from the movies, you also get a booklet and poster!! Great watch and great value, pick it up.

Wanted To Introduce Myself

2010-04-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

With the new blog format and all of the new readers and followers we have, I thought it would be a good time to introduce myself.
My name is Rick Axtothefacenheimer (not my real name, it is cool though) and I own and write most of the articles and reviews for Dr. Goremans. I was born the day after Christmas in 1980 and saw my first horror movie at a drive in, it was the original Nightmare On Elm Street. As I was growing up, my Mom worked at a mom and pop video store in my hometown of Rancho Cucamonga, California. It was a great place to go, a huge section was dedicated to all the best and worst of horror and exploitation VHS. All of the beautiful big box artwork would call out to me saying, "watch me". I was able to go to work with my Mom a lot, especially during the summer so I would grab 3-4 movies at a time and take them behind the counter to enjoy. My parents were cool, I never really had any restrictions on what I could watch, they believed censorship was like sheltering. Stuff on the news is worse than anything in a movie. Anyway, I grew up with a love for horror, especially obscure and 80's stuff. I have 7 kids of my own, 4 boys and 3 girls, the oldest are my girls and my 8 year old loves Nightmare On Elm Street. I have always had a love for writing so late last year, I decided to start a horror website. Having to do all of the HTML coding and designing was very tedious so I moved to a blog format. I like it better and it is a lot more popular with our readers. I have made a lot of online friends with the blog, a lot of independent film makers as well. I am starting to work on a list of my favorite horror films of all time so I hope to have that up soon. I just wanted to tell you guys a bit about myself and thank all of our readers, fans, friends, and the indie guys that send us their films to review. All of you are greatly appreciated and I look forward to continue giving you a quality website and making new friends. If you ever want to chat, my email is dr_goremans@yahoo.com

Gore Line @ 9 4/03/2010

2010-04-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

Watch the NEW Gore Line as we discuss Godzilla 2012, Ghostbusters 3, The Human Centipede, Resident Evil Afterlife, I sell The Dead and MORE!! Awesome clips, trailers, and a little dark humor plus Katherine McSharpensherknifey is THE hottest red head on the planet.

DVD Update For 4/03/2010 Part 3

2010-04-03T14:39:00.000-07:00

DVD Update For 4/03/2010 Part 2

2010-04-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

DVD Update For 4/03/2010 Part 1

2010-04-03T13:43:00.001-07:00

The Howling Review

2010-04-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I have been on a werewolf watching kick as of late. Last night I watched one of the best lycan movies ever, The Howling.
Directed by Joe Dante of Gremlins fame, The Howling follows Karen White (Dee Wallace-Stone) who is a Los Angeles television news anchor as she is being stalked by a serial murderer named Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo). In cooperation with the police, she takes part in a scheme to capture Eddie by agreeing to meet him in a sleazy porno theater. Eddie forces Karen to watch a video of a young woman being raped, and when Karen turns around to see Eddie she screams. The police enter and shoot Eddie, and although Karen is safe, she suffers amnesia. Her therapist, Dr. George Waggner (Patrick Macnee), decides to send her and her husband, Bill Neill (Christopher Stone), to "The Colony", a secluded resort in the countryside where he sends patients for treatment. Too bad The Colony's patients all carry a secret... I found this to be one of Dee Wallace's best films, along with Cujo, and her on screen chemistry with Christopher Stone was very real. I am sure that can be partially contributed to the fact that they were married around the time of filming The Howling. As with most werewolf films, the transformations are one of the main things used to draw in the viewer. Rick Baker was originally attached to the film but left to work on An American Werewolf In London, and he gave us the best transformation ever seen. On The Howling, the FX were handed over to a young man by the name of Rob Bottin. Bottin's most celebrated effect was the on-screen transformation of Eddie Quist, which involved air bladders under latex facial applications to give the illusion of transformation. Even though it was creepy and filmed very well, it couldn't stand up to the job Baker would do on AWIL. The story for The Howling is the true strength here. Taken from a novel by Gary Brandner of the same name, the film actually deviates a lot. One of the biggest changes was that in the book, Karyn is raped by a man in her apartment and ends up having a miscarriage, thus giving her a nervous breakdown. In the movie, she is saved by the police before she is attacked by a werewolf in an adult bookstore. I think the scenario in the novel was much more effective for giving someone a nervous breakdown. This film is the best in the series, with only part 3 being somewhat entertaining. If you have never seen The Howling, give it a try. The ending has always been memorable to me and the film took itself serious.

Three Films That Deserve A DVD Re-Release

2010-04-02T14:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of three films I believe need to be re-released onto dvd, either because they are out of print or their initial release didn't do the film justice.

Siblings, Eric (Frederick Flynn) & his surreal abstract artist sister Kay (Sarah Kendall), her doctor husband David (Alan McRae), her sister-in-law Brooke (Carol Kottenbrook) along with pilot Marsh (Michael Holmes) become stranded on a rugged isle. For thirty-something Kay her current situation is her worst fears realised, for she's been troubled since her childhood by recurring prophetic nightmares in which she is stalked and slain in a burning room by figure known as The Slayer. Now it seems this place may be in fact its dwelling and she's sure somehow that this so-called entity is lurking close by, biding its time until nightfull, where it will be drawn to Kay who (for whatever reason) dreams of its killings. But, then again, what's real or make believe? Not everything is what it seems in this place. The ending was very innovative for its time although it has been used numerous times since. I know a lot of you are thinking that this has never been released onto dvd. Well, it was for a short time in the UK courtesy of Vipco. We have never seen a region one version but hopefully that will change.

Popcorn revolves around a group of film students planning an all-night horror film festival in order to raise funds for their cinema club. They decide to show a number of (fictional) horror films from the 1950s that rely on gimmicks such as 3-D, Odorama, and electrical "buzzers" in seats. Unbeknownst to the group, a homicidal maniac is stalking the theater where the festival is being held. A filmmaker named Laynard Gates, who murdered his family during a screening of his only film in the 1970s, supplies the decoy killer character, since young Maggie (Jill Schoelen) may or may not be his missing daughter. I actually loved this film. It is a very well done 80's horror movie that came out in the 90's. This film has been out of print on dvd for a few years now and a copy will set you back $40.00-$50.00 just for a used one. I still have my trusty old VHS copy and enjoy watching it now and again. You can read my review of Popcorn HERE

The plot revolves around a small American town that slowly becomes infested with vampires. However, the mini-series is necessarily toned-down from its source material, removing several characters and sub plots, and instead focuses primarily on visual scares, atmosphere and tension. The appearance of the lead vampire in the mini-series was inspired by the motion picture Nosferatu. As in that film, vampires are portrayed as monstrous and repulsive in keeping with legend and folklore, though in King's novel the character was described as more human looking. I found this to be the best of all King's televised horrors, it still gives me chills. I have always believed that vampires are not supposed to be super attractive, let alone sparkle. The only dvd of Salems Lot came out in 1999 and is out of print. I would love to see a special edition, the last release was pretty bare when it came to extras. A used copy can be had for $15.00 but a new copy will be double that.

The Burning Review

2010-04-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

With the weather starting to warm up and many kids heading to camp soon, I decided to review the 80's slasher classic, The Burning.
The movie was produced by the then new company Miramax Films run by Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob Weinstein. Harvey wrote and produced while Bob co-wrote the screenplay. Brad Grey, who later became Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, was another of the film's writers. Called a Friday The 13th ripoff by many critics, true horror fans seem to know better. The film follows Cropsy, an alcoholic, sadistic caretaker for a summer camp called Camp Blackfoot. He is pranked by a group of campers who felt it was necessary to get him back for his cantankerous ways. The prank goes awry and Cropsy is left in a hospital for five years. After many skin graphs and surgeries to no avail, Cropsy goes back out into the world again but this time he is a changed individual inside and out. Cropsy, back in society, feels more than obligated to pay a visit to some individuals at a place called Camp StoneWater, just across the way from his old stomping grounds. If you watch the uncut version, there is an extra scene that leaves the ending ambiguous, making you contemplate if the films events even happened. Aside from a good story, there are a few other things that make this film interesting. One is the cast. We get to see a young Jason Alexander(Seinfeld) in his first feature performance, and albeit in a much smaller role, Holly Hunter. The viewer is also treated to great effects by super guru Tom Savini, who turned down Friday The 13th Part 2 to do this film. If you are a fan of 80's slasher fare including a deranged killer, nudity, sex, and lots of gore The Burning won't let you down. I enjoy this movie every time I watch it.

Tom Atkins To Star In Critters Remake

2010-04-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

New Line Pictures announced early today that Roland Emmerich will write and direct a reboot to the 1980's movie franchise Critters.
Tom Atkins is slated to star as the head intergalactic bounty hunter sent to Earth to destroy the Krites. Malcolm McDowell will handle the role of the dopey, yet loveable, mechanic Charlie. With a budget of 100 million and the production being handled by Platinum Dunes, expect a film of grand scale with numerous explosions, a sound track by Will Smith, and many large breasted women running around for no reason. When asked to comment on the film, Tom Atkins said he couldn't discuss the plot but did mention his next movie would be Day Of The Creeps. Filming on Critters begins never because this was a joke, hopefully you realized that. Happy April Fools!!

Five Great Horror Films That Haven't Hit DVD

2010-03-31T13:29:00.000-07:00

I often get asked about certain films and if they have ever been released onto dvd, so I compiled the following list of great horror that has never received the digital treatment.

A writer finds that a television has been delivered to his house without him ever ordering one. Not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, the writer accepts the television, only to find that it does not work properly and continuously plays a gory zombie movie titled "Zombie Blood Nightmare". The television allows murderous undead zombies through to the real world, leaving the writer to be found the next day. Three months later, a new family moves into the "murder house". With their parents having not yet returned from years abroad, the teenagers, Jeff and Zoe, begin to unpack. Jeff finds the television in the attic and turns it on, and the undead begin to murder families in the neighborhood. I thought this was one of the better zombie films from the 80's, even though it was direct to video. If you would like to see The Video Dead finally get a dvd release, help the cause by visiting The Video Dead Myspace Page

The Offspring is an anthology with five tales of terror from the blood splattered history pages of Oldfield and are told by the town librarian, master of horror, Vincent Price. The sotry that stands out in this film takes place at the end of the Civil War. A handfull of renegade Union soldiers roam the South on a mission of unholy terror. But they meet their bloody past, the survivors of a vicious massacre, the kids of the dead. I loved this anthology and I hope it gets the treatment it deserves, I mean come on, it has Vincent Price!!

Don't Go To Sleep is an early 80's made-for-tv movie about a family that moves into a new house after their oldest daughter has died. The younger daughter starts being haunted by her sister. Is she crazy? Or does the ghost exist with very devious motives? This film had one of the best and most creepy endings in all of horror. I am shocked it has never had an official dvd release, especially since the Warner Brothers Archives has issued discs of Bad Ronald, Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark, and even Razorback. Its next to impossible to even find this on VHS, so if you can snag one for a good price, do it.

Rituals is about six friends(all Doctors) who meet for their yearly retreat together and fly deep into the Canadian woods to go fishing and hiking. All of these guys have problems(drinking, homosexuality, malpractice, and apathy for their jobs) so we learn what each man's failings are. They run across some strange things, but are having a good time, till the next morning they wake up to find someone has come into the camp at night and taken all of their shoes. The man who planed the trip brought an extra pair and sets off for help, never to be seen again. The others, with no shoes and dwindling with an uneasy feeling of being stalked, wrap their feet up as best as they can and set off to escape the woods. As they fight their way out the "person" leaves clues that show that a doctor did not treat him very well and is now going to take it out on them,or was it one of them that messed him up. Kind of in the same vein as Deliverance but with a lot more violence, and includes a stellar performance by genre vet Hal Holbrook. This was actually supposed to hit dvd late last year, but that has since fallen through and Rituals has faded back into obscurity.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown was shot in 1976, and presents the true story of a Texarkana, Arkansas crime spree in 1946. World War II had ended bringing the military boys back home and Texarkana was enjoying peace and prosperity. From the murky depths of night, a killer mysteriously emerged to taunt and terrorize the inhabitants of the quiet town. Young couples were attacked in their cars on lovers lane in intervals of 21 days...and even a famous Texas Ranger couldn't solve the case.

The story is presented in documentary style, with a narrator weaving direction through the onslaught of terror. The killer in the film wore a white hood and they say this was the inspiration for the same looking hood in Friday The 13th. I have always loved how this film plays out like a movie length Unsolved Mysteries.

Phantasm Review

2010-03-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

One of the most underrated, yet brilliant horror films of the last 40 years has to be Phantasm. After the death of their parents, 24 year old musician Jody Pearson is raising his 13 year old brother Mike in a small town disturbed by the mysterious deaths of its citizens.
Reggie, an ice cream vendor, joins the brothers in their suspicions that the local mortician, dubbed "The Tall Man", is responsible for the deaths. Mike relays his fears to a fortune teller and her granddaughter about the possibility of Jody leaving town, and Mike in the care of his aunt along with the suspicions of The Tall Man. Mike is shown a small black box and told to put his hand into it. After the box grips his hand, Mike is told not to be afraid and as the panic subsides, the box relaxes its grip. The notion of fear itself as the killer is established and is what propels Mike towards his final confrontation in the film with The Tall Man. Phantasm is a "Thinking Mans" horror movie, if you don't pay close attention you can miss crucial plot points. While the film itself can be a bit confusing, the antagonist, aptly named The Tall Man is straightforward. I have seen Angus Scrimm in his other roles but I firmly believe his greatest was as The Tall Man. His size, evil sneer, and the way he delivers dialogue can still make the bravest of moviegoers tremble. While the film had a great cast, two of its biggest stars were not human. Jody's 1971 426 Hemicuda showed up in this and the sequel and of course we have the iconic silver cranial spheres. Originally Phantasm was given an X rating because of the sphere scene coupled with a scene of a dead man urinating. However, the X rating was overturned and Phantasm was released as an R rated flick. All around, Phantasm is a great film and has become one of my favorite horror movies ever. It may require multiple viewings to really understand the story, but it's worth it.

What The Hell???? Remakes And Unoriginal Ideas

2010-03-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

Is there not ONE person in Hollywood that can come up with a good, original idea for a horror movie? I am sick to death of all the suck ass remakes that are out or the murdering of our childhoods they have planned.
Exhibit A- Fright Night. A perfect 80's horror comedy, they cannot replace Chris Sarandon and Roddy McDowall is no longer with us. Exhibit B- The Monster Squad. I still watch this film multiple times a year, it is The Goonies for the horror bunch and Hollywood wants to piss on it. Then we have the new Nightmare, Childs Play, The Gate, I Spit On Your Grave, Suspiria, and many other classics that should be illegal to tamper with. The thing that really pisses me off are that the few original films that do get made i.e. Trick r Treat, House Of The Devil, Pontypool get little to no theatrical love. Most are doomed for a direct to video release. Hardcore horror fans will always be able to find these gems, but what about people that dig horror but don't read all the stuff we do? Both they and the film makers are being cheated. And I know there are people like me, who have awesome ideas for original horror movies but don't have connections or capital to get their films made. Big movie companies just want to make a quick buck and don't give a shit about us as fans. And our army isn't as big as the tweens and teeny boppers who will go see the remakes, so my question is, how can it be stopped? I don't know if it can be stopped, but I recommend turning to independent horror. Films like Gun Town, Us Sinners, and The Trek may lack "Big Budgets" but make up for it with originality and heart, two things lacking from Hollywood horror. I loved all three of those films, they were made for horror fans by horror fans and it shows. If I had the cash to help the indie guys get their films to a wider audience, I would give it to them. If you are as sick of remakes as I am, google independent horror, go to facebook and look around, and just give the indie guys a try. Their movies won't break your wallet and I promise you will find something you'll like.

Turn Back Time Tuesday- The Stuff Review

2010-03-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

I just watched a movie I had seen many times in my youth, The Stuff. Too bad The Stuff cannot hold up to the test of time.
Its not the worst film by far, and is actually even a little fun but no longer requires repeat viewings. The story follows a new product called The Stuff, a mysterious taste sensation that has taken the country by storm. But when it begins to outsell ice cream as Americas favorite treat, a coalition of food moguls hire an industrial saboteur to uncover the snack's secret formula. Together with an embittered cookie entrepreneur, they discover the horrifying truth: The Stuff is a body snatching treat that turns its hosts into monstrous zombies. The movie is full of plot holes, bad effects, and bad acting but it has a lot of 80's cheese. The jokes and product placement will take you back to the times of Max Headroom and Nightcourt, so in this way the movie is enjoyable. The ending can be seen miles away so you won't be guessing. Anchor Bay put out the dvd and for them, it is a disapointing release. The only extras are a trailer and commentary with Larry Cohen and when you put in the dvd it starts playing automatically, no menu screen. If you are looking to pass some time and don't want to watch something that will make you think, The Stuff is for you.

Just A Little Info

2010-03-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

I wanted to let our readers know that on Amazon, the Night Of The Demons DVD costs only $10.00. Looks like it got re-released because it had been OOP and going for $30.00-$40.00

List Of Movies For Sale

2010-03-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of movies I am selling. All are mint in case.

1. Blood Creek- $5.00
2. The Burning- $5.00 SOLD
3. Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark- $5.00
4. Hell Night- $5.00
5. Long Weekend- $5.00
6. Maniac- $5.00 SOLD
7. Monster Squad- $5.00
8. Nightmare On Elm Street Infinifilm- $3.00
9. Patrick- $5.00
10. Phantasm- $5.00
11. Silent Night Deadly Night- $25.00
12. Street Trash Meltdown Edition- $5.00 SOLD
13. The Stuff- $5.00
14. Tales From The Crypt/Vault Of Horror- $3.00
15. Village Of The Damned/90's edition- $5.00
16. Wes Craven Collection- $5.00

Or all of them for $90.00

I do take Paypal but prefer money order. E-mail me at dr_goremans@yahoo.com

2012=Return Of Godzilla

2010-03-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

Looks like us Ameicans are giving the Big G another spin as Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures are co-working on a new Godzilla film due out in 2012.
No cast or crew has been announced yet but I would expect to hear something soon. As long as they keep Godzilla true to his Toho roots and steer as clear as they can from the 1998 crapfest, I will be in line to see it. I have always wanted to catch the true Godzilla on the big screen and I hope they give him a kick ass foe.

Pontypool Review

2010-03-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

Last night I decided to watch a movie that received a lot of attention at film festivals last year, Pontypool.
Pontypool stars Stephen McHattie as Grant Mazzy, a shock jock that has been kicked off the airwaves and is now relegated to working a small-town morning show. What starts as an ordinary morning quickly turns deadly as calls and reports start flooding in of riots and crazy people attacking others, including biting and tearing them apart. This film has one of the most original viral outbreak scenarios I have ever seen. Instead of the virus being spread by blood, saliva, or the air it infects people through language, specifically English. Only certain words are infected, such as baby talk and terms of endearment phrases. The ending is sad but make sure you watch all the way to the end of the credits for an extra scene that is left open to the viewers interpretation. The thing I loved most about Pontypool was that there isn't much gore or on screen action, the horror is conveyed through description and emotion. If you are looking for a zombie splatterfest, this isn't for you. 98% of the film takes place inside the radio station, giving you a very claustrophobic setting that is punctuated by the tension the characters are feeling. This is one of the smartest horror films I have seen in a long time, great acting, great story, and nail biting scenes with a pinch of humor. If you haven't seen this one check it out.

Top Ten Made-For-TV Horror Movies

2010-03-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

Our Top Ten this week deals with the best in made-for-TV horror. There have been many great ones, but only the best could make this list.

10. Storm Of The Century/1999/ABC- Stars Tim Daly(Wings) as the constable of the small community of Little Tall Island. A menacing stranger who calls himself Andre Linoge has come into town and knows everyones dark secrets. He will go away, but only if he is given one of the townspeoples children... This was the last King miniseries that I cared about watching and one of his best. The plot was creepy and I liked the fact that a little bit of history was thrown in.

9. The Screaming Woman/1972/ABC- Stars Olivia de Havillandand as a former mental patientwho has travelled to her country estate to recuperate. While there, she discovers that a woman has been buried alive on her property. Wynant tries to inform others of what she has found but nobody believes her, and her family begins to suspect a relapse in her mental condition. The tension in this movie is so thick you can cut it with a knife, a must see.

8. Something Evil/1972/CBS- One of the only movies directed by Steven Spielberg never to be released on home video, Something Evil stars Darren McGavin(Kolchak) and is about A married couple with two young children who move into a Pennsylvania farmhouse that turns out to be inhabited by demons. An awesome pre Kolchak performance by Darren McGavin.

7. It/1990/ABC- The best of all of the King miniseries, It features an all star cast featuring John Ritter and Harry Anderson with Tim Curry playing the sinister Pennywise the clown. A group of friends, known as The Losers, face the evil Pennywise in their youth and are drawn back in adulthood to finally defeat him once and for all.

6. Salems Lot/1979/CBS- Yet another Stephen King miniseries, this was the film that made vampires scary again after all of the romantic and exploitation vampire movies of the 70's. The look is about as close as you can get to Nosferatu. Directed by Tobe Hooper.

5. Trilogy Of Terror/1975/ABC- This one is so high on the list because of the final short that stars Karen Black. She gets a Zuni hunter doll that ends up being one of the most evil killer dolls ever seen in horror and the ending is still shocking to this day.

4. Bad Ronald/1974/ABC- Stars Scott Jacoby and is a creepy, voyeuristic horror movie. You can read our review of it HERE

3. Don't Go To Sleep/1982/ABC- Stars Valerie Harper and Dennis Weaver as a couple who has suffered the loss of their oldest daughter. As everyone tries to heal, the younger daughter starts hearing and seeing her dead sister, too bad she isn't a nice ghost.

2. Dark Night Of The Scarecrow/1981/CBS- Stars Larry Drake(Dr. Giggles, Darkman) as a mentally challenged man who is killed by a lynch mob for a crime he didn't commit. To the dismay of his killers, he comes back for revenge...

1. Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark/1973/ABC- This movie will mess people up to this day. It might be made-for-TV and be almost 40 years old but it is still scary as hell. Stars Kim Darby as a woman who moves into an old house and is attacked by small craetures that only she seems to see and hear. Someone else knows the secret of the creatures though and the fireplace they come out of should have stayed sealed...

NightBreed Review

2010-03-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, NightBreed is Clive Barkers masterpiece. The film centers around Boone, a troubled man who is set up as the fall guy in a string of slasher murders that are actually being commited by his therapist Dr. Decker, a role played very well by David Cronenberg.
Yes, THE director of Shivers David Cronenberg. Boone decides to hide by crossing the threshold that separates us from "them" and sneaks into the realm of Midian. Midian is the place where all of the "outcasts" or "monsters" go to live in harmony and away from society. Yeah, I know I am using a lot of quotations because I am being facetious. People usually label the monsters as being the villains, but not so here. The true monsters are the people and authority figures we normally look up to. Though Barker made the comparisons painfully obvious, most cannot comprehend the true meaning of this film. Barker used the plot of NightBreed as a euphamism to describe how it feels being a gay man, especially around the late 80's-early 90's when the movie came out because being homosexual wasn't as accepted then as it is now. Gays and lesbians still have it very difficult but more people are coming around to the fact that everyone deserves the right to be happy. Aside from the plot being done very well, the acting was great. As I stated earlier, Cronenberg was awesome as Dr. Decker and Craig Sheffer played his best role as Boone. The true strength of NightBreed are the visuals. All of the different costumes, make-up, and mythology of the citizens of Midian are rich and vibrant. It took a lot of creative genius to bring the characters off the pages of Cabal to life in NightBreed. The movie was not without misfortune though. For one, studio execs just couldn't wrap their minds around monsters being the heroes. The run time was cut from 145 minutes all the way down to 101 minutes. The marketing was atrocious and if you had seen any of the ads and trailers, you really had no clue what the film was about. NightBreed ended up being marketed as a slasher and Barker was said to be both disgusted and distressed by the treatment it was given. The reviews were mostly negative, with even the nicer ones being brutal. This one from the New York Times said, “But surrounded by Mr. Barker's visual clutter and lack of narrative energy, Mr. Cronenberg's presence only highlights the difference between a gruesome but first-rate psychological horror story like Dead Ringers and a mediocrity like Nightbreed”. Luckily, NightBreed has gained a cult following over the years and anyone blessed enough to be going to HorrorHound Weekend gets to see the uncut version for the very first time. We may never get the sequel that was planned, but hopefully the studios will finally give us the special edition dvd that has been begged for by fans for years. If you haven't seen Nightbreed yet, I recommend reading Cabal first and then watching the movie, you would be able to appreciate it more that way.

Dog Soldiers Review

2010-03-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

A band of soldiers is dispatched to war games deep in the woods. When they stumble across a rival team slaughtered in camp, they realize they're not alone. Something deadly is waiting in the darkness: something not animal and not human.
Holed up in an abandoned farmhouse, the soldiers start a bloody battle against the beasts. Dawn is only a few hours away but they may not live to see it. That is the premise for the best werewolf film I have seen in a long time. The lycans in this film are smarter than Underworld and faster than The Howling. Kevin McKidd(Journeyman)plays Cooper, a headstrong soldier that does not like listening to orders. He turns in a wonderful performance here, reminding me of Shaft in that his courage and bad assness is never swayed. Most of the film takes place at an isolated farmhouse and this setting leaves you feeling like there is no hope for our cast. Even though there are means of escape, that does not insure survival as these beasts are very clever. It becomes easy to guess who the werewolves are but not necessarily who might be in league with them. So, yes, the plot and acting was brilliant but it was not until I read who the director was did I realize why this film was so good. Neil Marshall, director of The Descent, is the man who wrote and directed Dog Soldiers. That makes sense now, Marshall is one of the best things to happen to horror in a long time. This film runs a strong 105 minutes, which is long for horror, but it is so fast paced and gripping you are left wanting much more. No real twist at the end so a sequel might be out of the question, even though one had been planned. Dog Soldiers: Fresh Meat was to pick up where the first film ended but none of the original cast and crew were to be part of it and it has been 4 years since filming was to begin but nothing ever happened. I'm glad to be honest with you, this film is much better as a one-and-done than getting 2-3 crappy sequels that just piss people off. If you are a werewolf fan, Dog Soldiers is mandatory viewing.

What The Hell???? The Twilight Craze

2010-03-24T05:22:00.000-07:00

I will be straight up with you now, if you are a fan of Twilight then you might not want to read this post. On to my ranting.
Why in the blue hell do horror websites, mainstream or otherwise, feel they have to sell out to teeny boppers and report on all the latest Twilight happenings? I have seen post after post of Twilight bullshit on almost all of the "Big Horror Sites". Oh did you hear, Robert Pattinson took a shit today!! I wonder if he needs us to wipe his ass?? It's the most pathetic thing I have ever seen. I have heard them use the argument, "Well, the films are about vampires and werewolves, they are bringing new fans to horror." The kids and desperate housewives that watch Twilight don't give a shit about horror. The only thing the films do effectively is make vampires look like sparkling pussies. I would not fear some pretty boy who glistens in the sun more than a stripper who uses too much body glitter. If the Twilight fans want to see werewolves and vampires, they need to watch Salems Lot and An American Werewolf In London. Fuck Twilight, fuck the cougars who get wet for those bitches, fuck the sellouts and long live real horror!

Turn Back Time Tuesday- Popcorn Review

2010-03-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

Released in 1991, Popcorn was a film that flew under most peoples radar. Written by Alan Ormsby, the film featured many genre vets including Jill Schoelen and Dee Wallace-Stone.
Popcorn revolves around a group of film students planning an all-night horror film festival in order to raise funds for their cinema club. They decide to show a number of (fictional) horror films from the 1950s that rely on gimmicks such as 3-D, Odorama, and electrical "buzzers" in seats. Unbeknownst to the group, a homicidal maniac is stalking the theater where the festival is being held. A filmmaker named Laynard Gates, who murdered his family during a screening of his only film in the 1970s, supplies the decoy killer character, since young Maggie (Jill Schoelen) may or may not be his missing daughter. There are a number of things this film right. For one, the acting was superb, especially by Tom Villard who played the films antagonist. I also loved the fact that with the fictional horror films that were played at the theater, they used gimmicks quite reminiscent of the ones made famous by William Castle. Popcorn always took itself serious and never became self aware, a problem that plagues much of today's horror. The film contains two plot twists that are devulged during the second act and we are given a straightforward ending, something rare for the genre. When viewing Popcorn, I watched my old VHS copy to get the grainy feel that just seems to make horror movies better, especially ones not overly laden with CGI effects. This really is a gem of a film and I know many people that have never even heard of it so I always make sure it is one that I recommend.

They Live Review

2010-03-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

They Live was one of the lesser seen John Carpenter films, but has gained a cult following with genre fans. He directed the movie and also wrote the screenplay under the pseudonym "Frank Armitage." The movie is based on Ray Nelson's 1963 short story "Eight O’Clock in the Morning."

The story revolves around a nameless man referred to as "Nada" (Roddy Piper), a quiet drifter who finds work on a Los Angeles construction site. One of the workers, Frank Armitage (Keith David), takes him to a local shantytown. After eating at the soup kitchen and spending the night, he notices odd behavior at the small church across the street. Investigating, he discovers that the church's soup kitchen is a front: inside, the loud "choir practice" is a recording, scientific apparatus fills a back room, and cardboard boxes are stacked everywhere, including some in a secret compartment that he stumbles across. That night, the police surround the church, forcing the inhabitants to flee. The police then turn on the shantytown, destroying it with bulldozers and beating the blind minister of the church to death. Nada returns to the site the next day and investigates the church again, which has been emptied. He takes one of the boxes from the secret compartment and opens it in an alleyway, finding it full of sunglasses. He keeps one pair and leaves the rest in a garbage can. When Nada later dons the glasses for the first time, the world appears in shades of grey, with significant differences. He notices that a billboard now simply displays the word "Obey"; without them it advertises that Control Data Corporation is "creating a transparent computing environment." Another billboard (normally displaying "Come to the Caribbean" written above a lovely woman lying on a beach) now displays the text "Marry and Reproduce." He also sees that paper money bears the words "This is your God." All printed matter around him contains subliminal advertising. Additionally, he soon discovers that many people are actually aliens, who are human-looking except for skull-like faces. When the aliens realize he can see them for what they truly are, the police suddenly arrive. Nada escapes and steals a police shotgun; while evading the police, he accidentally stumbles into a local bank filled with aliens. Realizing that the jig is up, he proclaims, "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum." A shooting spree ensues and after killing many of them, one of the aliens sees him and disappears after twisting a dial on his wristwatch. Fleeing the bank, he forces a woman (Meg Foster) at gunpoint to take him to her house in the Hollywood Hills. Taking off the glasses to rest, he remarks "wearin' these glasses makes you high, but, oh, you come down hard." Holly (the woman) tricks Nada and pushes him through her window, nearly killing him. He leaves behind his pair of sunglasses, however. After recovering, Nada returns to the construction site to talk over with Frank what he discovered. Seeing Nada as a wanted man for the shooting spree, Frank is initially uninterested in his story. The two engage in a long fight as Nada attempts to convince and then force Frank to put on the sunglasses. When Frank finally puts on the glasses, he sees the aliens around him as well. Frank joins Nada as they get in contact with the group from the church. They learn that a meeting is being held at a local community center later that evening. The community group listens to a seminar in the background introducing radical ideas. For example, the aliens are blamed for carbon dioxide and methane emissions – "They are turning our atmosphere into their atmosphere" – and quickly using up the planet's resources. Holly returns, claiming to now believe Nada, and delivers some information to the rebels. At the meeting, they learn that the aliens' primary method of control is a signal being sent out on television, which is why the general public cannot see the aliens for what they are. An unknown but brilliant inventor has created a lens called the Hofmann lens. The lens shows the world as it really is. The sunglasses, which are also available as contact lenses, interfere with the aliens' hypnotic signal. The meeting is raided by the police, who shoot to kill. Nada and Frank escape with the help of one of the wrist devices. They find themselves in a network of underground passages that link hidden parts of the alien society including a port for space travel. Through the passages they find the aliens are throwing a party for their human collaborators. Further passages lead to the basement of a local TV station, Cable 54, and the source of the aliens' signal. Holly, who works at the station, is found by Frank and Nada and they take her with them to the roof. Nada runs up to the roof expecting that Holly and Frank are behind him. Holly pulls out a gun, presses it against Frank's temple, and kills Frank. Through the special lenses Nada notices the broadcasting antenna. Holly gets to the roof, then takes aim at Nada. Nada uses a hidden sleeve pistol and kills Holly. Nada then turns his attention back to the broadcasting antenna. Nada is shot and fatally wounded by the aliens, but manages to destroy the broadcasting antenna in the process. As a last dying act, Nada gives the aliens the finger. With the signal now destroyed, people around L.A. are surprised to discover aliens in their midst – seeing them on TV, chatting with them at the bar, meeting with them at the office, and even having sex with them.

The film opened on November, 6th 1988 and grossed $4,827,000. It had a total domestic gross of $13,008,928 on an estimated $3-4 million budget. Carpenter is on record as attributing the film's initial commercial failure to result from an audience "those who go to the movies in vast numbers these days don't want to be enlightened". Since that is what the entire film was about, I could see how he might reach that conclusion. I just don't think a lot of people really got the jist of it through watching the trailer and, therefore, didn't go see it. Honestly, it was one of my favorite Carpenter films. Being a huge wrestling fan, the fact that Rowdy Roddy Piper starred is what got me wanting to see it. I was surprised just how good it was though. The acting was great and Piper was given some funny one liners, especially the bubble gum line. Even with the story being political in nature and containing a lot of euphemisms about the government, the working of aliens into the plot was both brilliant and entertaining. I liked the fact that to see "the truth", you had to wear a special pair of sun glasses. The scary part is that one could comapre the film to the way our country and many others is heading now. Economic decline and government takeovers are on the rise with no end in sight, big brother owns our health care now. Anyway, this movie really deserves a chance and if you haven't seen it in a while, rewatch it and you may see They Live in a new light.

Italian Horror- Cannibal Holocaust

2010-03-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

Today we look at what most would consider the most controversial movie in the history of cinema, RUGGERO DEODATOS CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST.
Written by Gianfranco Clerici(who also wrote such amazing gialli as the New York Ripper, Phantom Of Death, and Ruggero Deodatos next feature, The House On The Edge Of The Park)this movie has to be one of the most depraved and horrible but also most intelligent and shocking movies i have ever seen.The movie is incredibly well paced and violent but i think it explains so much about the human psyche, race, and about trying to capture the perfect moments to show on TV. Yes, there is animal cruelty, and in no way do i condone this, but i felt it added to the films shock value. The film begins with a New York anthropologist named Professor Harold Monroe travelling to the jungles of South America to find out what happened to a documentary film crew that disappeared two months before while filming a documentary about primitive cannibal tribes deep in the rain forest. He meets two tribes, the Yacumo and the Yanomamo. While being looked after by the Yanomamo, he finds the remains of the crew members, and several reals of their undeveloped film. When he returns to New York, he views the films in detail which reveals that after a few days all of the footage was staged by the director Alan Yates, his girlfriend Faye Daniels, and cameramen Jack Anders and Mark Tomaso by them terrorizing and torturing the locals. This movie even has the power to mess with our sympathies in a devilishly clever way. Cannibalism seems horrible to most of us, but at the end aren't we almost pleased to see the protagonists eaten by the natives when they have spent the previous half hour mistreating and abusing them?The movie contains many sickening moments, such as a tribeswoman being punished for adultery by having a huge stone dildo shoved in her, and then a mud ball with spikes pushed up inside of her. And a fetus being torn out of another woman with it being buried in the ground and then the woman being stoned to death. But nothing prepares you for the carnage at the end. When this film was released in 1980, Ruggero Deodato was actually arrested because people believed that cannibal holocaust was a snuff movie.After proving that he did not murder any actors for the film, the Italian magistrate banned the film due to the genuine animal cruelty depicted. Director Ruggero Deodato, the film producers, screenwriter, and a United Artist representative were fined and given a four month suspended sentence after being convicted of obscenity. This film really is a true classic, and weather you agree with its content or not, it has to be seen as it is one of the greatest horror movies in existence.

DVD Update For 3/20/2010

2010-03-20T19:19:00.001-07:00

Fright Night Review

2010-03-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

Fright Night was released in 1985 and is one of the better horror comedies from that decade. Never taking itself too seriously, the story follows Charley Brewster, a horror fan who believes a vampire named Jerry Dandrige has moved in next door.
First he watches a coffin get taken into the house and then watches Jerry through his bedroom window bite the neck of a young woman. The next day Charley hears a news broadcast about a young woman that was found slain. Charley thinks this is the woman he saw with his new neighbor the previous night and starts to really worry. He tells his friend Evil Ed and his girlfriend Amy of his suspicions but they think he is going crazy. It doesnt help that Charley is a fan of a horror host by the name of Peter Vincent, who just happens to be on a show called Fright Night and touts himself as the great vampire killer. Charley thinks that Peter will believe him about Jerry so he and Amy decide to go see him. Peter has just been notified that his show was cancelled and has become very cycnical and tells Charley that he is delusional before speeding off in his car. Amy starts to get worried about Charley's obsession with Jerry being a vampire and goes to visit Peter without Charley. She convinces Peter, through the help of money, to go to Jerry's house with Charley so they could prove once and for all that Jerry is not a vampire. Peter calls Jerry on the phone to get permission with the only stipulation that he not bring real holy water as one of the vampire tests. Jerry explains this by saying he is not religous. Jerry passes all the tests but as they are leaving, Peter drops his mirror and picks it up, realizing that Jerry does not cast a reflection. Amy comes to believe that Jerry is a vampire, but Evil is not convinced, and wants to hear nothing about it. As he leaves, Evil takes an alley, only to encounter Jerry. He becomes scared, and tries to run, but Jerry keeps up. He corners Evil, giving him a choice to either die or join his side. Evil takes Jerry's hand and Jerry bites him, changing him into a vampire. Back at his house, Vincent is scared and tries to shake off his feeling of dread. Just then Evil knocks on his door. Peter opens it, and begins talking to Evil casually, as he knows nothing of the hideous, undead creature Evil is now. Suddenly, Evil attacks Peter, who narrowly escapes by using a cross. A scalded Evil slinks away, threatening Peter with telling the Master. Amy and Charley, at the time, happen to be crossing the streets when they see Jerry following them. They run into a night club, but Jerry follows them, where he hypnotizes Amy. Charley attempts physical combat, but Jerry subdues him. He then leaves with Amy to his house. Charley runs back to Peter, who makes him grab a cross before he enters. There, he persuades Peter that they must confront Jerry, igniting Peter's long-slumbering faith and strength. The duo get ready, and go to Jerry's mansion. By then, he had already turned Amy into a vampire.

This is where all the action really starts and I don't want to spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it. The movie is worth seeing all the way through and has become one of my favorites. Chris Sarandon plays a great evil vampire and should be familiar to genre fans as also being the detective from Childs Play and the voice of Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas. The real star of the movie though is Roddy McDowall who played Peter Vincent. He was very convincing as a brave TV personality who turns out to be a coward only to dig deep for the lost hero within. Stephen (Evil Ed) Geoffreys went on to do 976-Evil and Amanda Bearse, who played Amy, went on to be Marcy on Married...With Children. The effects were really good at the time, being done by Richard Edlund, who also provided them for Ghostbusters one year earlier. Fright Night was the second highest grossing horror film of 1985, being beaten by Nightmare On Elm Street 2. The movie was followed by Fright Night 2 in 1988 and was a very good sequel, in fact, some people prefer the sequel to the original.

Some interesting production notes are that actor William (Charley Brewster) Ragsdale accidentally broke his foot during a Christmas Eve shoot. Filming was halted until Ragsdale could make a recovery. The theme song of the film, "You Can't Hide From the Beast Inside" was written and performed by Autograph. This film contains a puppet that was rejected from Ghostbusters (which was also made by Columbia a year earlier.) The same special effects crew recycled the "rejected Ghost Librarian" puppet for this film. This past year it was announced that DreamWorks has a remake of Fright Night in development with a script by Marti Noxon, who did work on Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV series. If you want to see this movie again or for the first time, check out ScareFlix, we have it for rent.

Blood Creek Review

2010-03-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

My wife bought me Blood Creek the other night because of my fascination with occult history and I finally had time to sit down and watch it yesterday.
Before I give you my thoughts, I will tell you what the film is about. In 1936, the Wollners, a German family living in rural Town Creek, West Virginia, are contacted by the Third Reich to host a visiting scholar, Professor Richard Wirth. In need of money, they accept. Wirth's grand occult project seals the Wollners off from the rest of the world and makes them players in a horrifying game of survival. In 2007, Evan Marshall's life has stalled at twenty-five years old. Left without answers after his older brother Victor's disappearance from a camping trip near Town Creek, he has tried to move on. But when Victor returns one night, very much alive and having escaped his captors, Evan asks no questions - at his brother's request, he loads their rifles, packs up their boat and follows him back to Town Creek. The film stars Dominic Purcell as Victor and Henry Cavill as Evan. Some of you may remember Dominic Purcell from his role on the show Prison Break. From start to end the movie was action and brutality, and it worked. I can't give away too much of the film because there is a twist at the end that kicks ass. The acting and the plot were both enjoyable, it had my attention the entire 90 minutes and I wan't bored once. I think a lot of people skipped this film because it was directed by Joel Schumacher, Bat suit nipple guy, but don't let his name scare you away from Blood Creek. The only extra on the disc was directors commentary but you can't expect much more from a direct to video release. I hope they make a sequel, I will be first in line.