All Things Horrible

NYT: Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009)

2009-10-23T02:18:00.001-07:00

Universal Pictures

Can't they play well with others? Chris Massoglia, left, and Josh Hutcherson in front of Michael Cerveris in “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.”

Amid Vampires, Boy Meets Girl, Complete With Monkey’s Tail

By A. O. SCOTT

Published: October 23, 2009

Darren (Chris Massoglia) has a life that’s hectic in the usual teenage ways. He’s a good student with a bad-boy best friend named Steve (Josh Hutcherson) and loving if somewhat intrusive parents. Darren’s afterlife, however, is a whole different story.

More About This Movie

After a mysterious circus comes to town, Darren and Steve find themselves pulled into a long-running conflict between rival factions of the undead: the eccentric but basically decent Vampires and the diabolical Vampaneze. They enter a world whose inhabitants range from odd to sinister and beyond, a realm fraught with complications that will take many more movies to resolve.

This is the premise, and the hope, of “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant,” adapted by Paul Weitz (who directed the film and wrote the script with Brian Helgeland) from the first volumes in a popular series of young-adult, comic-gothic novels by Darren Shan. This frenetic, bumpy movie enters a crowded marketplace of book-based, youth-oriented fantasy entertainment and perhaps inevitably calls to mind some of its competitors, from the unstoppable (and soon to be concluded) Harry Potter series to, most obviously, the “Twilight”franchise.

Coincidentally enough, Mr. Weitz’s brother and frequent collaborator, Chris, has taken over that juggernaut of swooning adolescent vampire love, the second installment of which, “New Moon,” opens next month. Both “Twilight” and “Cirque du Freak” plunge a normal American high school student into a maelstrom of supernatural warfare, but “The Vampire’s Assistant” favors campy, semi-comic grotesquerie over hothouse romanticism. Its wandering narrative and quizzical blend of the outré and the everyday sometimes feel like David Lynch for young adults.

There are bright colors, garish costumes and stagy special effects, in keeping with both the circus setting and with Mr. Weitz’s not quite successful attempt to meld disparate moods and tones. (Speaking of tones, I should disclose here that the composer of the film’s score, Stephen Trask, is a friend of mine.) The movie starts out as a voice-over-driven satire of youth in the suburbs, with shades of John Hughes and “Heathers,” and then jumps from horror to melodrama to a kind of carnival backstage comedy.

At the circus, whose connection to the whole Vampire-versus-Vampaneze imbroglio is never entirely clear, Darren finds a squad of human oddities, including a bearded lady (Salma Hayek), a fellow with two stomachs (Frankie Faison), an indie-rock snake boy (Patrick Fugit) and a potential sweetheart with the tail of a monkey (Jessica Carlson). The show is presided over by an enigmatic fellow named Larten Crepsley, played by John C. Reilly with an exotic accent and a florid manner that express, above all, his joy at being liberated from regular-guy typecasting.

One of Crepsley’s fellow Vampires, Gavner Purl, is played by Willem Dafoe, whose hollow cheeks and funereal voice (to say nothing of his portrayal of the old-school freak Max Schreck in E. Elias Merhige’s “Shadow of the Vampire”) give him instant credibility. Also on hand is Michael Cerveris, the brilliant stage actor (“Tommy,” the recent Broadway revival of “Sweeney Todd”), who plays Mr. Tiny, a porcine provocateur who entices Steve over to the Vampaneze in his quest to stir up trouble in the underworld.

The trouble with “The Vampire’s Assistant” is that it is almost all prologue and exposition. It lays out, at some length and yet only in part, an intricately crosshatched set of dramatic problems. Will Steve and Darren become mortal — or undead — enemies? Why do the Vampires and the Vampaneze hate each other so much? Ideally, the opener of a many-sequeled series should create an almost unbearable need to know the answers to such questions, so that fans count the months to the next installment.

Instead, this movie incites curiosity tinged with confusion and irritation. It bristles with interesting ideas — about friendship and freakishness, honesty and anger — and intriguing characters, all of which may blossom in later episodes. But the pop-culture landscape is littered with scuttled or suspended fantasy series, including “The Chronicles of Narnia,”“The Golden Compass” and those Lemony Snicket novels. “Cirque du Freak” seems to be at some risk of joining them, since “The Vampire’s Assistant” tests its viewers’ patience even as it strives to build their loyalty.

“Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). It has some grisly and scary moments.

CIRQUE DU FREAK

The Vampire’s Assistant

Opens on Friday nationwide.

Directed by Paul Weitz; written by Mr. Weitz and Brian Helgeland, based on the “Cirque du Freak” series of books by Darren Shan; director of photography, James Muro; edited by Leslie Jones; music by Stephen Trask; production designer, William Arnold; special effects and creature effects by Alex Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr.; produced by Lauren Shuler Donner, Mr. Weitz, Ewan Leslie and Andrew Miano; released by Universal Pictures. Running time: 1 hour 49 minutes.

WITH: John C. Reilly (Crepsley), Ken Watanabe (Mr. Tall), Josh Hutcherson (Steve), Chris Massoglia (Darren), Jessica Carlson (Rebecca), Ray Stevenson (Murlaugh), Patrick Fugit (Evra the Snake Boy), Willem Dafoe (Gavner Purl), Salma Hayek (Madame Truska), Orlando Jones (Alexander Ribs), Frankie Faison (Rhamus Twobellies) and Michael Cerveris (Mr. Tiny).

DMtH review

2009-10-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

	..Wilmington On Movies
	..MCN Weekend

Wilmington on DVDs
Drag Me to Hell
U. S.; Sam Raimi, 2009 (Universal)

Drag Me to Hell, from Sam (“SpiderMan”) Raimi, is a terror fest in his Evil Dead mode and gear: a scary movie that’s really scary and a horror flick that, despite a hell-bound plot that‘s not too original, managed to keep the audience with whom I saw it in the theater, jumping and screaming -- and then laughing and applauding after each fresh jump and scream, all the way to the last shot.

I won’t say I was one of the screamers. But I did jump more than once -- and I’ve seenDavid Lean‘s Great Expectations, Brian De Palma’s Carrie and the Evil Deads andRosemary‘s Baby and the like, so I knew what to expect.

Here‘s what we get. Alison Lohman is young bank office manager Christine Brown, who’s in competition with office sneak Stu Rubin (Reggie Lee), both bucking for a promo from fake-kindly boss Mr. Jacks (David Paymer). Mindful of the mortgage crisis (the movie has incredible crash timing) tells her not to be too nice. So unlucky Christine denies a mortgage payment extension to the fiercely unkempt, raggle-toothed and gnarly-nailed Mrs. Ganush (played by Lorna Raver, the big hit of a very good cast) -- who begs for more time so she won’t lose her home, and pulls out her gooey false teeth when the stunner Christine confers with Jacks and comes back to refuse the extension. Then, as they say, all Hell breaks loose.

Hell hath no fury like an elderly mortgage victim. Despite the best efforts of touchy psychic Rham Jas (Dileep Rao), of fellow Satan victim Shaun Sen Dena (Babel‘sAdriana Barraza) and stalwart fiancé Clay Dalton (Justin Long) -- who keeps, however, going home at inopportune moments -- Christine is in for some really bad times. (President Obama might consider requiring all bank executives be forced to watch Drag Me to Hell once a week until they loosen credit.) But I think I should shut up about the rest. I will however advise cat-lovers of possible havoc to their sensibilities. And the kitten doesn’t suffer as long as the bank officer.

Another caveat. Drag Me to Hell is a terrifically entertaining movie, though it’s clearly offensive to some of the audience, and though the script, by Sam and Ivan Raimi, is no great shakes. But the direction is gruesomely fabulous. And, as with Nightmare on Elm Street, there’s a jocular air to it all that keeps the movie amusing as well as horrific. Give the devil his due -- which was certainly missing in the much harder-trying Angels and Demons.” This movie -- I can’t help it -- may hand you a hell of a time.
______________________________________________________________

Zombi Pub Crawl

2009-10-14T07:34:00.000-07:00

Zombie Pub Crawl: Tales of survival and insobriety

A horde of costumed zombies gathers in Gold Medal Park prior to the pub crawl.

By Jack Spencer, Lara Avery, Ryan Ouradnik October 13, 2009

ARTICLE TOOLS

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The anarchic chaos of Zombie Pub Crawl reached almost unmanageable numbers Saturday night, as all good zombie swarms should. Lines at the participating downtown, West Bank, and Seven Corners bars kept the 5,000+ zombies in attendance shuffling in the cold, waiting to get their maws on some delicious brains. Every bar along the crawl reached capacity before 10 p.m., with dozens of costumed, fake-blood-drenched revelers waiting outside to get inside for bands and zombie-themed specials like the Acadia Cafe’s "blood and baby flesh"—rum punch and turkey legs.

In addition to the sounds of car horns (zombies tend to disobey anti-jaywalking laws) and the constant clamoring for brains, the night was flooded with the sounds of many evil local bands, including Satanic surf-rock combo Lusurfer at the Nomad, dark cabaret band Butcher’s Bag at the Acadia, and rappers MC/VL at the Cabooze. At Palmer's, Cadillac Kolstad was one of the highlights of the night, raucously banging out foul-mouthed blues with his backing band The Flats, local legend Cornbread Harris, and a zombie burlesque dancer shaking her moneymaker on the piano. The packed Palmer’s bar cheered loudly for encores and brains throughout the night. At the 501 Club, Gay Witch Abortion made sure the crowd's eardrums were just as dead as they were, pulverizing the zombie hordes with their blistering noise-rock. Drummer Shawn Walker did his best to fend off a zombie who attempted to play his cymbals with a severed hand.

As costumes go, of course, merely being a zombie was just the baseline for many of the more creative participants. Clever variations on the theme included clown zombies, Mario and Luigi zombies, Santa Claus zombies, and an MC Hammer zombie (complete with questionable zombie blackface). A pair of Mormon missionary zombies shambled in the Seven Corners area complete with white shirts, black ties, and bike helmets, and one enterprising group had redone the entire main cast of The Wizard Of Oz in undead form.

Amid the throng of zombies there were a few human "survivors" as well, doing their best to (pretend to) fight back against the carnivorous undead, some resorting to camping atop bus shelters and firing shots at the undead with a Nerf gun. But as the officialZPC web site clearly states, “unlike many zombie movies, at the pub crawl the zombies always win. Always.” By the time the crawl-ending concert at the Cabooze was over, the thirst for brains (and booze) was, at least temporarily, quenched.

HellBilly2

2009-10-14T07:33:00.001-07:00

Rob Zombie To Release 'Hellbilly Deluxe 2' Nov. 17

October 13th, 2009 9:04pm EDT Post a comment 1 comment Add to My News

Hellbillies rejoice, the master of monster mayhem, Rob Zombie, is returning with exactly what you've been waiting for, "Hellbilly Deluxe 2"! The follow up to the 1998 triple platinum smash "Hellbilly Deluxe" will be the latest masterpiece from Zombie which is set to hit stores November 17th. The album, produced by Rob Zombie himself, features the first single "What?" which has just been made available for fans to check out.

In support of the new album Zombie will blast off on tour in Phoenix, AZ on October 29th, Las Vegas, NV on the 30th, and a very special Halloween event on the 31st in Hollywood, CA hosted by Uncle Seymour Coffins also seen recently in Halloween 2. Zombie will be accompanied by his longtime band mates -guitarist John 5, bassist Piggy D, and drummer Tommy Clufetos. This is the first headline tour since 2007 and will have other ghoulish delights in tow including openers Nekromantix and Captain Clegg & the Night Creatures last seen rocking Haddonfield and Michael Myers in Zombie's new film "Halloween 2". The tour will usher in Zombie's forthcoming album "Hellbilly Deluxe 2 - Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool" (Geffen), a companion to the 1998 original.

Selling over fifteen million albums worldwide, Zombie is one of Geffen Records' top selling and the longest running artists on the label. He has written and directed five feature length films, directed dozens of high profile music videos, contributed recordings to multiple soundtracks, and authored several comic books. "Halloween 2" (2009) took hold of the box office recently, following-up his record breaking blockbuster re-imagining of "Halloween" in 2007. In 2005, Zombie assaulted the film world with the critically-acclaimed "The Devil's Rejects" (Lionsgate), the follow-up to his already cult classic "House Of 1,000 Corpses" (Lionsgate 2004).

Image © Geffen Records

- Click here for more great Rob Zombie pictures! -

Track Listing:
1. Jesus Frankenstein
2. Sick Bubblegum
3. What?
4. Mars Needs Women
5. Werewolf, Baby!
6. Virgin Witch
7. Death and Destiny Inside The Dream Factory
8. Burn
9. Cease to Exist
10. Werewolf Women of the SS
11. The Man Who Laughs

Listen to "What?"

Rob Zombie Tour Dates
Oct 29 Dodge Theater - Phoenix, Arizona
Oct 30 The Pearl - Palms Concert Theater - Las Vegas, Nevada
Oct 31 Hollywood Palladium - Los Angeles, California
Nov 1 The Grove - Anaheim, California
Nov 3 San Jose Events Center - San Jose, California
Nov 5 The Great Salt Air - Magna, Utah
Nov 6 The Fillmore Auditorium - Denver, Colorado
Nov 8 The Brady Theater - Tulsa, Oklahoma
Nov 10 Austin Music Hall - Austin, Texas
Nov 11 Verizon Wireless Theater - Houston, Texas
Nov 13 Palladium Ballroom - Dallas, Texas
Nov 14 Uptown Theatre - Kansas City, Missouri
Nov 15 The Pageant - St. Louis, Missouri
Nov 16 Murat Theater - Indianapolis, Indiana
Nov 17 Akron Civic Center - Akron, Ohio
Nov 19 Eagles Ballroom - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Nov 20 Roy Wilkins Auditorium - St. Paul, Minnesota
Nov 21 Val Air Ballroom - Des Moines, Iowa
Nov 22 Aragon Ballroom - Chicago, Illinois
Nov 24 Broadbent Arena - Louisville, Kentucky
Nov 25 The LC Pavilion - Columbus, Ohio
Nov 27 The Fillmore Detroit - Detroit, Michigan
Nov 28 The Sound Academy - Toronto, Ontario
Nov 29 Metropolis - Montreal, Quebec
Dec 1 Hammerstein Ballroom - New York, New York
Dec 2 House Of Blues - Boston, Massachusetts
Dec 3 Mohegan Sun Arena - Uncasville, Connecticut
Dec 4 Electric Factory - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 5 9:30 Club - WASHINGTON, Washington DC

Image © Geffen Records

- Click here for more great Rob Zombie pictures! -

- Click here for more Rob Zombie pictures! -

Orphan reviewed

2009-08-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

Review: Orphan

August 3, 3:41 PM

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Courtesy of WB Pictures and Dark Castle Entertainment

What's with demonizing orphan children? Evil children is one of money-grubbin' Hollywood's favorite go to bad guys. And adopting an evil orphan? Fuhgedaboudit. What is it about the fear of inviting horror into the home through the form of a kid with no home? Call me old fashioned, but I think orphans and foster kids might be the one group of people in society who don't need to be demonized. They have it bad enough. What's wrong with Nazis? Everyone hates Nazis. Or zombies. Or aliens. All perfectly good groups to hate on. Maybe if the orphans were Nazi zombies. I'd go see Nazi Orphan Zombies From Mars.

Orphan, however, is not about an undead Martian Nazi foster child, but some 9-year old Russian girl named Esther with a secret. A secret that her foster parents would be very interested in (as well as the audience, the screenwriters are hoping). Since this movie has been released recently, and not everyone has seen it, here is a spoiler-free paragraph review (the secret will be divulged in the final paragraph):

Orphan ain't bad. At two hours, it's a horror film that takes it time and wallows in its own dread and angsty mood along the way. Vera Farmiga (15 Minutes) and Peter Sarsgaard (K-19: The Widowmaker) play Kate and John Coleman, a loving couple with two young children. A third, Baby Jessica, was stillborn and Kate is dealing with those emotional ramifications. They decide to look into adopting, and end up adopting very-mature-for-her-age Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman). Esther is oh so perfect and kind of weird and very polite and just about charms the pants of John and Kate. But not long after she gets to her new home, things tense up quite a bit. Bad things start happening around Esther, and Kate begins to think that there is something wrong with their new adopted child. And of course everyone at this time thinks about how great it would be if these adoption agencies had a returns department. Things did start going bad right away, would have been within thirty days of purchase. ("Excuse me, my Orphan is defective, she's pushing neighborhood children off of playsets and watches me and my husband have sex and, oh yeah, we suspect her of murder and arson...got the receipt right here.") So there's a good build up and after showing us some unsettling stuff mostly kept out of movies, father John is the only one not aware of Esther's evil. The family tears apart thanks to Esther's actions, and it's up to Kate to save everyone. The movie is pretty tense and kind of silly at times, but not too silly to diffuse all the scariness. Orphan feels more like a low-budget 1970's horror film than the horror films of today. Not bad if you're looking for a moody and kind of crazy couple of hours.

Spoiler-free review terminated: Orphan starts with a crazy scene, the kind of opening that's like getting slapped in the face. Hard. Kate has a nightmare stemming from her miscarriage, and it's a fairly horrible scene to watch (and horrible as in unsettling, not poorly made), including lots of blood, creepy doctors and a bloody baby (fun times!). An opening like that gives the feeling of "anything can happen" and when Esther starts lurking around and scheming against people, we already fear the worst. And director Jaume Collet-Serra doesn't shy away from some movie taboos. Esther holds a gun point blank at her brand new, young sister Maxine and asks if she wants to play a game (obviously roullette, and not the Las Vegas variety). The children hurt animals (both on accident and on purpose), adults hit kids and Esther shows a nun what's what with the aid of a hammer. The movie is pretty much a children in danger exploitation type of movie, and so much of the horror comes from the kids involved.

Vera Farmiga plays a very layered character, someone dealing with loss and also dealing with alcoholism, and she's still struggling over her husband's infidelity from ten years ago, and on top of that there's her own nearly-fatal mistake that she can't live down, and it's obvious she wants to be a good parent and does her best with her children, which makes it all that much harder when she goes to the orphanage with her defective orphan and a copy of the warranty. Isabelle Fuhrman is pretty amazing as Esther. She's rocking a subtle Russian accent through the whole movie, but Miss Fuhrman ain't Russian, she's from Washington D.C. Esther is a very mannered person, and can switch from pleasant and awesome to evil and sinister in the blink of an eye. She menaces Kate and John's other kids and comes across as a totally believeable miniature nutjob.

And the beauty of Esther's final secret is the simplicity of it. She's not a demon-child, possessed by the Devil and trying to raise Hell on Earth. She's not a monster or some sort of alien-shape-shifter or anything like that. She's just crazy. Oh, and she's actually 33-years old. Hypopituitarism does that sometimes. Make people stop growing, I should say, not go crazy. The explanation/twist isn't awfully out there, just a little out there, just enough to keep the whole thing humming along. And it doesn't take a lot of exposition to get this information across, which is always a plus (if the filmmakers feel the need to explain their evil. Sometimes movie evil goes best left unexplained). So Orphan is a well made and somewhat unsettling horror movie, with only a touch of goofiness (like glow in the dark neon paintings) and a slightly ridiculous "twist," and is one of the better horror films to come out this year (of course, outside of Drag Me To Hell, there really hasn't been any good horror this year, but whatever).

Author: Christopher Crespo

5 worst places to be when the Zombies attack

2009-08-04T14:17:00.000-07:00

Top 5 worst places to be in a zombie outbreak

August 3, 7:42 PM

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Cover art for comic written by Max Brooks, due out Oct 6th.

While doing a little research for a different article, I stumbled across this on Random House, Inc.'s website.

Max Brooks, the mastermind behind The Zombie Survival Guide and it's "sequel", World War Z has transformed his Guide into a comicbook which will be released October 6th of this year. With an indefinite 2010 release date, World War Z is also being turned into a movie and is said to be "in development."

I don't know about you, but I personally am very excited about both of these announcements and have no doubt in my mind that both will be exquiste, especially if Max Brooks is helping with the movie even at all.

In light of this and in preparation of the upcoming premiere of George A. Romero's latest film, "Survival of the Dead" to be shown first during the Midnight Madness Screenings of Toronto's International Film Festival (TIFF), I decided it would be good to list off a couple places that you may not want to find yourself at when the inevitable becomes our reality.

No. 5: East, West, or South Towne Malls or any mall for that matter is a very bad place to be at when a zombie outbreak should occur, especially on a Friday or Saturday night. Think about how many people are at the mall on any given day and then think about the facts. You only have to be bitten once to turn into a flesh-eating corpse. If there are 200 or 300 people at the mall throughout the day, and one person stumbles in not feeling so well, not looking to "ripe" around the edges, someone out of this 300 mass is most likely going to try and help this person. The person in turn attacks his or her aid and so on and so forth until there is mass panic erupting throughout the mall and everyone is trying to go everywhich way, which causes traffic jams and people being pushed and shoved. This causes more people to be bitten and more panic and more attacks. Though it is survivable and if you keep your wits about you, you would be able to escape it, it's not a place I would advise visiting during this situation.

No. 4: Although it may seem like the best place to go, a church is one of the last places you want to find yourself in during the time of an outbreak. It's generally small structure and the fact that many other people will have the same idea as you will generate into a feeding ground for zombies. Pack too many people into a closed area with only a few decent ways out, add a horde of zombies blocking each of these exits, and you've got yourself a pickle. Climbing into the rafters and jumping out may seem like a good idea as any, but be careful of the jump. Land incorrectly and you're just as screwed as you were inside the church. Best to just stay clear at all costs.

No. 3: Any supermarket such as Copps, Woodman's, Super Target in Fitchburg, or the South Towne, two-story Super Wal-Mart with escalators and underground parking to boot are places to be heavily avoided as well. You need food for your pantry to help you wait out the infected for the next month or two? Too bad. You should have been doing that a long time ago, not waiting until the day of the occurance to decide maybe it would be a good idea after all to stock up. Going to any one of these supermarkets would be absolutely asinine and a sure way to get yourself killed or worst yet, being turned into one of the undead. Take a look at what happened to this Wal-Mart employee last year, and you'll understand why nothing more is needed to be said about this matter.

No. 2: UW school and its downtown home in a whole should be avoided at all costs. With 4200 courses offered and a total of 41,028 students attending, not to mention how many people are always walking the streets of downtown at all hours of the day, not including the homeless or those who work on State Street or any other part of the downtown area, it's a natural haven for walking corpses. Though there are a lot of places to hide up in, in fact, the downtown area, the University and all, is a very deadly place. To find yourself stuck here is to find yourself as good as dead. Whatever you do, if you think you see a zombie or someone acting a little funny, leave. Get out of the area as soon as possible and for the love god, don't stop to help anyone who may appear to be sick or injured. Otherwise find the nearest shop or dorm and board yourself in and claim it as your resting place, because there will be no getting out once the outbreak reaches the streets of downtown.

No 1: Finally, the very last place you never want to find yourself at during a zombie outbreak is also the most likely place for an outbreak to begin here in the city: UW's on-campus hospital, or any other hospital for that matter. This should be a common sense situation, but you would be surprised how many people actually feel the need to go to hospitals after an outbreak has begun, whether it is for actual treatment by a doctor or looking for pharmaceuticals to help "cure" the virus that caused this horrendous human anomaly in the first place. Ask anyone who has ever seen a zombie flick, ever played a game or read the zombie guide, and they will tell you, whatever you do, do not go anywhere near a hospital. If you're already there, find the nearest usuable weapon and fight your way out.

Hospitals are considered birthing grounds for zombies because what happens when you are injured or bitten by some raging lunatic? You go to the hospital to have it treated. By the time you make it to the hospital, you've already reanimated into a corpse and begin to wreak havoc on everyone around you, and they do the same after they all turn and so on until the whole hospital has been overrun and the doors are thrusted open for the undead to flood the streets of downtown and the rest of Madison. For your own safety and hope of not being added to the Darwin Awards list, it is of utter importance to remember not to go anywhere near a hospital in times of a crisis such as this.

To do so would be suicide.

For more info: Check out The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z at the nearest library, or purchase both from Amazon.com by clicking the approriate titles.

Author: Nicole Kuczynski

Oldies

2009-08-04T14:12:00.002-07:00

Coming to DVD: "Karloff & Lugosi Horror Classics"

August 3, 6:44 PM

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Boris Karloff in The Walking Dead (Warner Bros.)

For the last half-decade, Warner Home Video has been a godsend for those who love great old movies. As the owners of the film libraries of Warner Brothers, MGM and RKO Pictures, they have issued many beloved classics on DVD with a generous supply of extras, such as original trailers, cartoons and short subjects. Also, the success Warner Home Video has had with classic movies has inspired other companies like Universal (owners of the Universal and Paramount libraries), Sony (owners of the Columbia library) and 20th Century Fox to follow in their footsteps.

On October 6, Warner Home Video will be releasing a most-own for fans of classic horror films in time for Halloween. The Karloff & Lugosi Horror Classics set consists of four vintage flicks that star either Boris Karloff (The Walking Dead, Frankenstein 1970), Bela Lugosi (Zombies on Broadway) or both (You’ll Find Out, which also stars Peter Lorre).

Undoubtedly, the gem of the collection is The Walking Dead (1936). Expertly directed by Michael Curtiz (best known for directing Casablanca), The Walking Dead is a moody, low-key thriller in which Karloff plays a man who goes to the electric chair after being framed for murder. When his innocence is proved posthumously, Karloff is brought back to life by scientist Edmund Gwenn and proceeds to haunt the gangsters who framed him, indirectly causing their deaths.

Although the other three films aren’t in the same league as The Walking Dead, they remain diverting amusements. Both You’ll Find Out (1940) and Zombies on Broadway (1945) belong to the popular sub-genre known as “horror comedies” which would peak with Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). (In fact, Alan Carney and Wally Brown, the comedy team in Zombies on Broadway, were a low-rent knock-off of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello). You’ll Find Out, a musical comedy starring band leader Kay Kyser and His Kollege of Musical Knowledge, is a particularly underrated romp as well as being the only movie that Karloff, Lugosi and Lorre made together.

The latest film in the set, Frankenstein 1970 (1958), is typical Fifties low-budget drive-in movie fodder starring Karloff as the great-great grandson of the original Dr. Frankenstein who allows a television crew to film in the family mansion while he resurrects the monster. Not surprisingly, the monster (wrapped in bandages) starts bumping off the crew one-by-one. (There is a neat little surprise at the end when the monster is unmasked.)

Karloff & Lugosi Horror Classics (list price: $26.98) is available from Amazon and Deep Discount.

Author: Doug Krentzlin

Legion Director interview from Shocktilyoudrop.com

2009-08-04T14:12:00.001-07:00

Interview: Legion Director Scott Stewart

Source:Ryan Rotten, Managing Editor

August 3, 2009

His credits include Sin City, Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean and Iron Man, now Scott Stewart - who brought the FX of those aforementioned titles to life via his company The Orphanage - is making his feature directorial debut with Legion, starring Paul Bettany as the archangel Michael. His mission? Protect a mother-to-be in a diner full of people who are under siege by angels sent by God to destroy the human race. Shock caught up to Stewart for an early chat about his 2010 Screen Gems release shortly after he presented a trailer to a San Diego Comic-Con audience.

ShockTillYouDrop.com: This script has been floating about for a while. What elements of the story attracted you so much that you decided to make this your feature debut?

Scott Stewart: I had been brought in, at the time this was some time ago, and they had that script and there was a different director involved. It was ambitious, a different project and a different kind of movie. They were having difficulty making that project for the budget they had. It was really different filled with monsters. It was like Starship Troopers with dozens and dozens of fantastic characters. What they really needed to make and what they made was a contained, dark, scary action-adventure movie. So I came in and I had a visual effects background, but I had just been doing quirky character dramas as a writer. They asked me to rewrite the script. I was really intrigued by the idea, but I couldn't really wrap my arms around it until I could find my own way into it. I think there was a lot of really cool stuff [writer] Peter Schenk had come up with. I just felt like I was going back to the basics and start over. I liked the setting and this idea of these characters stuck in an overall big idea of the movie. Then it was figuring out who the characters were and the thematic idea, because if you're going to have a bunch of characters stuck in one place for a significant portion of the story then it's got to be a scenario where you care about them and the drama they're going through. Why they're necessarily the ones you're following and they're not just disposable people waiting for the next one to die. I wanted it to be a morality tale. I was raises Jewish so I was an Old Testament guy with no experience reading Revelations so I read a fundamentalist view, a teaching guide of Revelations. It was nuts. Crazy stuff. Let's make a movie about that stuff. The big line in the movie, that Paul [Bettany] says, is "The last time God lost faith in man, he sent a flood. This time he sent what you see outside." You sort of ground that question in, "What would we do if the Noah's Ark scenario happened again?" What if it manifested itself in the contemporary world? It's sort of about the madness of suburban life becoming monstrous and attacking us. These characters are all dealing with family issues and on top of that angels with machine guns. Highway to Heaven with machine guns!

Shock: Did it ever occur to you, during shooting, that a lot of directors cut their teeth on siege films like this? George Romero and so on?

Stewart: Oh yeah, it felt like a great place to start. It was the right size of movie and really ambitious for the budget that we had, trying to do what we could to deliver a roller coaster ride for people. What was also fun was creating a new mythology, taking stuff that was familiar to people, things that people find scary...like I said, I was raised Jewish, but I saw The Exorcist as a kid and it terrified the living shit out of me. Even though, I didn't believe in any of that stuff. As opposed to the other bogeymen of the world we can invent - like Freddy Krueger or The Terminator, which I bow down to and am heavily influenced by it - there's something about these religious ideas, whether we believe in them or not, that instantly gets you in different ways than other things in the horror genre. Also, I love comic books. I love Close Encounters, I love The Terminator and it mashes everything together. It's a heavy action movie, but at the same time it's a horror movie and there are some fun moments.

Shock: What's the MPAA rating going to be?

Stewart: It's R rated. A hard R.

Shock: We were stuck here in the press room while you showed the trailer to the crowd - what did we miss?

Stewart: The green band trailer will be out soon, but it sets the stage for the movie. It shows you Paul's character, Michael. It sets the tone of the movie. Adrianne Palicki's character is the voice over at the beginning of the film and trailer. There's this lost Americana vibe and she talks about how her mother, she grew up in a trailer on the edge of the Mojave desert and her father had left the mother alone. Her mother used to tuck her in at night, pray to God because he's kind, merciful and just, but things changed when her father left. And her mother talked about when the world would be covered in darkness and the fate of mankind would be decided. "One night I asked my mother why God had changed his mind and was mad at all of his children, and she said, 'I guess he just got tired of all of the bullshit.'" And that sets the tone for the movie. You realize it's a character film but it's got an edge to it. When Paul lands in L.A. and pulls off his halo collar, which is like our heavenly LoJack, and he proceeds to cut his wings off, break into a warehouse and steal a bunch of weapons, kill cops and drive to the desert.

Shock: The Terminator elements are pretty apparent then...

Stewart: That was the story as it was unfolding, absolutely. Unabashedly so. We're doing our own thing with the story, but it has those elements but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a major influence. Steal from the best.

Shock: How did being the effect background influence knowing what you could and couldn't pull off?

Stewart: That's the other thing, even though I've worked on some of the "money is no object" visual effects movies as a visual effects artist, invariably a lot of times they're amazing and a lot of times you see them and you're like, "It was just about the effects." The movie was an excuse for those things. Terminator was amazing in that it was a $6 million movie, totally staggering that's all it cost. The effects were amazing for that time, they're still great. Terminator 2 pushed the boundaries. Poltergeist, all of the Amblin pictures, even The Exorcist had groundbreaking work at the time, and Close Encounters which is another huge influence for me and I pay homage to it in this. I don't think you watch those movies and say they're effects films, we don't think of them that way as opposed to a movie that's about a big wave because that's what the trailer says it's about. I guess the long answer is I just wrote what I wanted to see for the story. There are a lot more visual effects in this people will know: Change backgrounds, change skies... Paint this out, add this in. Hopefully you won't notice any of those things. Then there's thousands of angels swirling down, coming at you, that's fun, too. We wanted to give people a glimpse of that world in this movie. So I chose very carefully how to get that in because I knew I could only afford a little bit.

Shock: Did you wind up doing stuff yourself to cut corners?

Stewart: I would do stuff myself. We can't afford that? Then I'll do it. I don't have time but I'll figure out a way to do it. I don't sleep much. We're starting Priest, another movie, on August 23rd.

Daybreakers

2009-06-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

Trailer for the Vampire Thriller 'Daybreakers'

Yup, more cinematic bloodsuckers after your money

BY: BRAD BREVET | JUNE 25TH 2009 AT 11:02 PM

Ethan Hawke in Daybreakers
Photo: Lionsgate

The trailer for the Lionsgate vampire feature Daybreakers has just made its online debut prior to its January 8, 2010 release.

The film stars Ethan Hawke, Sam Neill and Willem Dafoe and is set in the year 2017, and a plague has transformed most every human into vampires. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the dominant plots their survival; meanwhile, a researcher (Hawke) works with a covert band of vamps on a way to save the human race.

Check out the trailer directly below and take a peek at our gallery of three images, including the newly released poster, right here.

You can watch the trailer in high definition at Yahoo.

dreadcentral.com: werewolf

2009-06-28T11:18:00.001-07:00

Werewolf: The Series Delayed

A little sliver of bad news for fans of "Werewolf". We won't be seeing it in stores as planned on September 1st from Shout Factory! Don't get too broken up though; the delay is not a long one.

According to TVShowsOnDVD the five-disc DVD set has been pushed back about a month for an October 6th release.

The site also learned what a couple of the included special features will be. Fans can expect two featurettes for sure with more likely to come. Look for -- The Man Who Was Alamo Joe with actor Lance LeGault and To Build a Better Werewolf with make-up F/X coordinators Greg Cannom and Gino Crognale to be tantalizing your supplemental bone. More soon!

Thanks to Dread Central reader Amatsu Mikaboshi for the heads-up!

- Uncle Creepy

LA Film Fest: I Sell The Dead

2009-06-28T11:17:00.001-07:00

LA Film Fest: I Sell The Dead

By Tom von Logue Newth

Film festivals can be pretty serious affairs, and the LAFF is no exception, so it’s nice to take a break now and then for something more lighthearted. Glenn McQuaid’s I Sell The Dead is a rollicking comedy about a pair of 18th-century grave-robbers, affectionately evoking the parochial camp of Hammer Horror, with a dash of Monty Python silliness.

The cartoonish tone extends from the extravagantly grotesque rival gang up against which Grimes and Blake (Larry Fessenden and Dominic Monaghan) repeatedly butt, via occasional dissolves to comic book graphics, to the central conceit, whereby selling the undead proves more lucrative than robbing regular corpses. It’s told in flashback from Blake’s execution cell, the episodes related to cheerfully hammy priest Ron Perlman over a bottle of whiskey.

Supported by fine production design and passable effects, Monaghan is not frightfully good, especially in these framing scenes (and why is he the only one without an Irish accent?) but wild-haired and gap-toothed Fessenden fares much better, with the gleam of lunacy in his eye. Similarly, the familiarity of genre tropes – bawdy tavern, strident strumpets, lots of fog – works comfortably to the film’s advantage, whilst the obviousness of a lot of the comedy notes feels disappointingly second-hand. But right down to the “surprise” ending and shameless sequel set-up, the whole film is carried off with enough reckless good humour to prove endearing, with a generous share of genuine chuckles.

Rating: 6.6/10

See more on the official site

image: LA film fest

Dead Snow

2009-06-28T11:15:00.001-07:00

'Dead Snow:' What's more evil than Nazi zombies?

Sveinung Svendsen / IFC Films

Nazi zombies!!!

The recently released Norwegian film is trying to become the latest in a line of international crossover successes.

By Mark Olsen
June 28, 2009

In the new Norwegian horror film "Dead Snow" a group of young medical students on holiday in a remote mountain cabin are besieged by a battalion of reanimated zombie Nazis. When an undead soldier cracks a student's skull open like a walnut and a pink, vein-laced brain plops out on the floor, the moment needs no subtitles.

"The language of thrills is universal," said Colin Geddes, programmer of the Midnight Madness section at the Toronto International Film Festival. "Whether it's a gore scene or a cat-and-mouse stalker scene, you understand it. It's all the language of visuals. You can sense the rhythms, and you can sense the patterns of terror."

With the relative crossover success of recent pictures such as the Thai martial arts film "Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior" or the Swedish vampire movie "Let The Right One In," international genre filmmaking seems to be gaining momentum with American audiences. This, of course, follows an earlier wave of Asian horror films such as "Ju-on: The Grudge," "The Eye," and "Ringu" and their subsequent Hollywood remakes.

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IFC Films, which released "Dead Snow" in Los Angeles on Friday (the film is also available on video-on-demand), has a series of six international genre films rolling out. Focus Features, the usually highbrow distributor of films such as "Brokeback Mountain," will soon be releasing Korean director Park Chan-wook's vampire story "Thirst." That film recently won a jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival, where it screened in competition alongside Filipino revenge thriller "Kinatay" and Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To's crime picture "Vengeance."

"If you think of English-language action and horror -- adrenaline movies -- a lot of times they are thought of as low filmmaking," said Tim League, director of the genre-centered Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, where he estimates about 70% of his selections come from overseas.

"There's such a glut of willfully lazy, bad, cheap American productions," League said. "And it's not the same in other countries. I think the ratio of good stuff to bad stuff from almost every other country is higher than what it is in the United States."

Foreign filmmakers turning to American genres for inspiration is a long-standing tradition, including the western-influenced Samurai films of Akira Kurosawa in Japan, the Hitchcock perversions of Mario Bava and Dario Argento in Italy, and the action heroics of '80s filmmakers in Hong Kong.

Yet while rarefied film geeks have long been looking past America's borders for their movie kicks, many general filmgoers in the United States still see foreign-language films as having a certain eat-your-vegetables quality about them. Tommy Wirkola, director and co-writer of "Dead Snow," is inclined to agree.

"Norwegian cinema has always been kind of boring, really serious films," said Wirkola. "'Dead Snow' is a very un-Norwegian film. We wanted to make a film like we loved growing up, the film we wanted to see. In Norway, people make films they think the audience should see, not the films they themselves love to see."

In "Dead Snow" there is a discussion about Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" movies and lines of dialogue from " Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and the first "Terminator." These serve in part as signposts to the audience that the filmmakers are working from the same set of reference points, even from half a world away.

"We wanted to go back to that '80s feel," said Wirkola, "where horror movies were bloody but also very funny."

Wirkola even went so far as to play one of the Nazis. "I like to think of them as Nazi zombies. Nazis first, then zombies," said the director, who suffered through nearly two hours of makeup so he could be in a scene in which a student perilously hangs off a mountain cliff from an unraveled intestine.

Wirkola, 29, had previously made a "Naked Gun"-style parody of "Kill Bill" called "Kill Buljo," setting heads spinning with a movie-mad spoof of the famously cinema-besotted director Quentin Tarantino. After that, working again with co-writer Stig Frode Henriksen (who also appears in both "Buljo" and "Snow"), Wirkola knew his next film would continue to explore his own movie-love.

"There had never been a zombie movie made in Norway before, and we wanted to be the first," said Wirkola, "because I loved that genre growing up. We thought it would be natural to mix in our own war history, that's really strong in Norway.

"We thought, what is more evil than a zombie? A Nazi zombie, of course."

Speaking the international language of scares and gore, love for foreign-language genre films is perhaps spreading beyond just the longstanding hard-core audience.

"I think there's a part of the audience that's bored with American horror films where the ideas are all pretty much repeated patterns," said Toronto programmer Geddes. "So to see something new is refreshing. You look at crossover films like 'Let The Right One In' or 'Dead Snow' and there's nothing in them which is culturally alienating or mystifying. If they happened to be in English you wouldn't know the difference.

"The most Norwegian thing about 'Dead Snow' is the language and their geographical proximity to dead Nazis."

Graphic novels

2009-06-28T11:14:00.001-07:00

Comic books strong come back, graphic novels are finally getting the attention they deserve

June 26, 10:23 PM

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Marvel release of The Stand book #3

Glancing at Time Magazine's 100 best English language novels from 1923 to the present and you'll notice some familiar titles. "Animal Farm", "1984", "The Catcher in the Rye", "Watchmen". Watchmen? "Watchmen, a graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (the authors as well of "V For Vendetta") not only appeared on this list, but among the comic book world has always been a favorite. Earlier this year a movie release of the comic hit big screens directed byZack Snyder. No stranger to the graphic novel world, Zack also directed the movie translation of "300", based on the work of the same name by Frank Miller.

Frank Miller released "The Spirit" into theaters, and he worked with Quentin, and Rodriguez on "Sin City", which in turn did so well that #2 is scheduled for release in 2011. It seems the fashion to look for graphic novels to make movies on is here to stay. To name a few: "Wolverine" has a bit part of "Origin" in the movie, "30 days of Night", "Road to Perdition", "Wanted" (also scheduled for a sequel in 2011).

These movies and graphic novels all have adult themes, and thematic elements. What was once just the media for kids has matured into a well thought and viable past time for the "older kids" among us. With the continuing comic book heroes movies on the rise, more and more authors are putting their works into the comic book form. Visit Stephen King's website and you'll notice art work, and various editions of his books hitting the paneled, thought bubble world of the comic. "The Stand" is an ongoing comic book series, "The Dark Tower" series has new authors other than King working on their re-imaging of his world, "The Talisman". Stop by his son's website, Joe Hill and notice, he too enjoys comics and has a series of them with Gabriel Rodriguez titled "Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft". Dean Koontz has dabbled in the comic genre as well with a series on Frankenstein, and in February released "in Odd We Trust" based on his best selling novels in the Odd Thomas series.

Horror and comics have actually went hand in hand since the early fifties when "Tales from the Crypt" hit news stands. Five years later they ceased publication because of teachers, and preachers, and general outrage. Other comics books featuring horror themes had come out before, but none had the word of mouth, and standablility of Tales. Offshoots of the main title came out, but the series never really started again, and instead were republished, and became a TV series on HBO, and then later a less controversial cartoon show on Saturday mornings for the kiddies.

For now comics are the big thing, and we probably owe Sam Raimi, and Bryan Singer some credit for making two topnotch movies and giving others the gumption and know how to do even more comic book based movies (I secretly wish the game-to-movie movie-makers would takes some notes. I know there's at least one good one somewhere). For those out there that have never read a graphic novel, you'll probably be surprise with how well some are written.

Thank God

2009-06-20T18:10:00.000-07:00

'Twilight' fans should run for cover: The vampire flick gets nasty again with 'Thirst'

Jun 19, 2009, 03:02 PM | by Clark Collis

Categories: Horror, Movie Trailers, Twilight

One of my favorite movies is the stylish, but totally nuts, 2003 revenge thriller Old Boy. Directed by Korean auteur Chan-wook Park the film examines the question of what happens when you lock a guy up for years, and don't tell him why, but do allow him to perfect his fighting abilities. The answer is a lot more complicated than you might imagine but does involve some pretty shocking violence. And "pretty" is the right word for this crazy but beautiful-looking movie.

The latest from Chan-wook Park is Thirst, a vampire epic about an undead priest that comes out next month. My colleague Lisa Schwarzbaum saw the movie at Cannes earlier this year and wrote that it featured "scenes of vivid, graphic, intently realistic sex between a vampire and a vampiress-in-waiting." I have no reason to doubt her, even if the new red-band trailer below merely hints at such erotic shenanigans (though it does hint strongly enough to make it suitable-only-for-adults.)

More Thirst Info

Personally, I can't wait for Thirst and not just because I'm such a fan of Old Boy. This is one of the first vampire movies to come out since the release of the phenomenally successful, if in my view utterly abominable, Twilight and it seems possible that a few Twi-fans might be sucked (ha!) into checking it out. If so, I genuinely hope they like it. But, while both films may technically belong to the same genre, it's hard to imagine more different sensibilities than those of Chan-wook Park and Stephenie Meyer. I predict scenes of entertaining mayhem aplenty—and not all of it onscreen.

Are you a Twilight follower who is thinking of checking out Thirst? A fan of Old Boy? Or someone who is glad that the vampire movie is getting serious (and in, all likelihood, seriously gruesome) again?

SF Examiner: Drag Me To Hell

2009-06-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

'Drag Me (Back) to Hell': Sam Raimi returns to his roots

June 8, 4:18 PM · Add a Comment

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Image courtesy Universal Pictures.

Drag Me to Hell
(Sam Raimi, 2009)
Now Playing

There's a great little exchange in Drag Me to Hell, the latest film by veteran cult directorSam Rami - and his first since the Spider-Man trilogy turned him into bona fideblockbuster material - that must have set the hearts of countless fanboys and fangirls aflutter the moment they heard it. It's a little less than halfway into the movie, and heroine Christine Brown (Alison Lohman of Big Fish) is suffering the early stages of a curse that will, you guessed it, ultimately summon an ancient evil to drag her soul to hell. Her doting but clueless boyfriend, Clay (Justin "I'm a Mac" Long), suggests that maybe she'd feel better if they took a weekend trip...to his parents' quiet, remote cabin in the woods. By the time Clay mentions the plentiful trees that surround said cabin, the tongue-in-cheek reference to The Evil Dead, the no-budget 1981 film that made Raimi a hero to horror fans the world over, is complete. And for a few moments, one can practically hear those same fans' heads spinning into overdrive. Could this be, at long last, Raimi's return to corpse-animating, bodily-dismembering, viscera-splattering form? Will Christine be subjected to the same fate as Ellen Sandweiss in The Evil Dead's most notorious scene - tied down and raped by the animated roots and branches of the trees themselves - just for old times' sake?

The answer to the second question, for better or for worse, is no. But the answer to the first question, and decidedly for the better, is a resounding yes. For the first time since Raimi struck mainstream box-office gold with 2000's Spider-Man, the cultish ingenuity that made Evil Dead and its two sequels such enduring genre classics is once again on full display, undimmed by modern Hollywood's flashy digital effects and only slightly compromised by the film's controversial PG-13 rating. Drag Me to Hellcertainly makes good on its titular promise, but more importantly, it also drags its viewers back in time - to the days when its director had full creative control over his work; to an earlier, sillier era of horror cinema; and indeed, to a quaint, nostalgic brand of scary storytelling rarely seen in any medium since the 1960s.

Raimi's retro aspirations for Drag Me to Hell become obvious from the first frames - a classic Universal Pictures logo dating from the mid-1980s - only to pick up even more as the narrative progresses. The film's central plot conceit, a gypsy curse, is one of the oldest (not to mention most gleefully un-P.C.) tricks in the horror storytelling book; while the evil entity that hunts Christine is older still, dating back even further from the Lovecraftian roots of the Dead films' Necronomicon to ancient Judeo-Christian images of the occult with vague tinges of Hindu mythology. Granted, there are a few clever nods to more contemporary themes: that timeworn "gypsy curse" theme takes on a whole new meaning when the curse is placed upon Christine as vengeance for her refusal to extend an old woman's mortgage payment, surely a moment of wish fulfillment for many viewers in this time of economic crisis. Overall, though, the imagery that comprises the film's opening flashback sequence alone hardly seems to belong to the same narrative universe as 21st century horror landmarks like Saw, Hostel, or even TheRing: it's all Gothic architecture and Satanic horned silhouettes, exorcisms and mysterious Latin American mystics.

As it turns out, this curiously anachronistic world becomes the perfect backdrop, against which Raimi is set free to resurrect his instantly recognizable stylistic tics. Longtime followers may as well be warned in advance that Drag Me to Hell never gets as gory as either of the first two Evil Deads: other than one truly prodigious nosebleed and a few cartoonish popped eyeballs, blood-hounds of a particularly single-minded stripe will find little to compete with Ash chainsawing his own hand off inDead by Dawn. But there are gallons of other, lesser bodily fluids to go around, as well as a few scenes of ghoulish physical comedy with a corpse, a show-stopping seance that plays like The Exorcist crossed with a game of hot potato, some wickedly funny business involving an adorable kitten, and quite possibly the best gross-out "dinner with in-laws" scene since Henry met the parents in Eraserhead. Whatever Drag Me to Hell lacks in the originality and sheer quantity of its predecessors' corporeal excess, it makes up for in the giddy, slapstick approach to body horror that Raimi has always done best. It's not particularly scary, but then, it's not really meant to be either: as in everything else, Raimi hearkens back here to the days when horror was not meant to shock or terrify so much as disgust and entertain; those part-camp, part-Grand Guignol E.C. Comics days that have been one of the most significant and consistent touchstones in his ouevre from the beginning. With contemporary horror turning more and more toward either subtle, psychological scares or "torture-porn" sadism, Drag Me often feels like some long-forgotten gem from a bygone era. They just don't make many movies like this anymore.

That last statement, more than anything, reveals the true brilliance of Raimi's return to form. With the original Evil Dead almost thirty years old this year, and an entire generation of moviegoers more familiar with Raimi for his big-budget superhero work of the last decade than for the independent horror on which he cut his teeth, Drag Me to Hell feels like the perfect opportunity to reintroduce a landmark filmmaker's early work to a contemporary audience. It is almost certainly no coincidence that Raimi's next film will be his remake/reboot/sequel/whatever of The Evil Dead, due apparently in 2010. Might this be his creative way of testing the waters? If it is, then this is easily the most welcome marketing ploy in recent memory. And if it isn't, if this really is just an honest-to-god comeback from a director who only two years ago seemed doomed to a career of summer blockbusters with diminishing returns, then that's even better; because it proves that even when all seems to be irrevocably lost, evil this fun just can't stay buried forever. Welcome back, Mr. Raimi. This time, how about sticking around for a while?

Drag Me to Hell is now playing in most major theatres. For a true retro-horror experience, you can even see it at the I-70 Drive-In on East 40 Highway. It will be playing alongside Dance Flick (!) all week long at 9:10 p.m., and in special late screenings on Friday and Saturday at 12:20 a.m. See the Globe Cinemas website for more details. For more information on the film, see the official website.

Weekend of Horrors

2009-06-06T11:49:00.001-07:00

New York Weekend of Horrors Starts Today!

Friday, June 05, 2009 07:23 AM James Zahn New York

The East Coast Edition of FANGORIA's Weekend of Horrors gets underway today at the Javits Center in Manhattan, and FANGORIA will be brining you updates throughout the weekend! For those attending, we've got all the info you need to know after the jump - and for those that can't make it, the Fango crew will be webcasting LIVE from the convention center all weekend!
To check out the LIVE Webcast, click here. You'll be able to CHAT LIVE with Fango Crew and Special Guests direct from the FANGORIA ENTERTAINMENT BOOTH in the heart of the show floor. Much like Los Angeles, you never know who might show up and jump on the broadcast, so stay tuned and check back in throughout the weekend!

By popular request, we will be streaming trailers and clips periodically along with the live discussion! The event gets underway at 5pm ET tonight.

For those attending:

The East Coast edition of FANGORIA’s Weekend of Horrors convention is taking place THIS WEEKEND, June 5-7 at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center (11th Avenue between 34th and 39th Streets; use Javits’ Crystal Pavilion entrance; panels and vendors’ area are in Hall 1-D)!

New H2 shot.

2009-06-03T17:29:00.000-07:00

Rob Zombie’s ‘H2′: New Michael Myers Photos Hit The Web

[Apologies for the long gap in postings. Everything was about Twilight there for awhile and I got bored.]

Rob Zombie had released a brand new image of Michael Myers in Halloween 2 and the good folks over at Fangoria #285 is offering up a set visit from the film, the cover of the magazine offers a great new view of one of horror’s greatest icons. Check both of the images below and grab a copy of Fangoria on your at your local newsstand for some on set goodness.

The cast for the highly anticipated film includes Malcolm McDowell, Scout Taylor-Compton, Tyler Mane, Danielle Harris, Daniel Roebuck, Margot Kidder, Ezra Buzzington, Chase Wright Vanek, Brea Grant, Caroline Williams, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Jeffrey Daniel Phillips, Dayton Callie, Richard Brake, Matt Bush, and Howard Hesseman.

‘H2′ is slated to hit screens nationwide on August 28th, 2009.

DVD: Ghosts of Goldfield

2009-05-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

Published by Kelsey Zukowski May 9th, 2009 in MOVIE REVIEWS (ALL) and Movie Reviews NEW (2000 & Up).

Starring: Marnette Patterson, Kellan Lutz, Scott Whyte, Many Amano, Richie Chance, Ashly Rae
Directed By: Ed Winfield
Written By: Dominic Biondi, Brian McMahon
Grade: B-

Ghosts of Goldfield is set in the Goldfield Hotel of Nevada. It is said to be haunted and further more, one of the 7 portals that connects the living with the world of the dead, letting ghosts come and go as they please. However, the ghost of a woman named Elizabeth is said to be stuck in the now closed down motel. Ghosts of Goldfield seems to maintain and incorporate many of the same elements that witnesses have claimed to see or experience. Whether the story or what has been reported to happen there is true or not, Ghosts of Goldfield is still a film that clearly was inspired by the story and wanted to bring a version of this to the screen. The story by itself wouldn’t be anything great but there is a certain eeriness that this hotel does exist and paranormal activity has been at least rumored to have happened there.

Julie (Patterson) is working on her thesis, which requires her to explore the haunting of the Goldfield hotel. It has been closed down for years and really used as a museum where the ghost of Elizabeth (Rae), a women who was murdered there, remains, forced to relive her death over and over again. Julie and two of her film student friends, Chad (Lutz) and Dean (Whyte), as well as Dean’s girlfriend, Kerri (Amano) and Julie’s boyfriend, Mike (Chance), go on a road trip to the hotel to attempt to catch Elizabeth’s ghost on film. The hotel that they were supposed to have a room at doesn’t seem to exist when they get there. They end up staying at the Goldfield Hotel over night. They decide to start exploring. Before long Julie begins feeling something in their presence. Elizabeth goes inside of her mind and takes her back to the night of her murder.

The flashbacks to Elizabeth’s last moments reveal that she was a hooker at the hotel, and that she was having an affair with the owner, George Winfield. When she got pregnant George couldn’t let her have the baby and insisted on an abortion. However, it wasn’t really his baby, it was Jackson Smith’s, who worked at the hotel. A woman who looked identical to Julie is the one that reveals this to George and gets Elizabeth tortured and killed. After Julie comes out of her vision she realizes the locket her grandmother gave her was the same one that she saw on the person who betrayed Elizabeth. Chad is the only person aside from Julie that can recognize that Elizabeth was among them. When they go back to look at the footage nothing is there, just static. They soon pick up on how Elizabeth is influencing them. She starts hunting them after getting inside of their heads. Julie is still safe as long as she has the locket, but she is convinced that what happened to Elizabeth is her fault and thinks giving the locket back is the way to set things right.

The acting here isn’t all that great, but for the most part it isn’t distracting enough to ruin anything. Marnette Patterson was one of the better actors here. She gave us a fairly likeable protagonist, which was vital since not all of the characters were likeable. Her character did lose some credibility towards the end as she started making stupid decisions, but that was just due to bad writing. Kellan Lutz of Twilight fame was another who managed to give a decent performance. He gave us a believable character and was probably the most sensible out of all of them. After Julie’s scum of a boyfriend is caught cheating on her, he reveals that he always liked her. It would have been nice if we were given a little more build up to this, which would have made their connection/them finally getting together much more significant. Richie Chance was just annoying as Mike, Julie’s boyfriend. Pretty much all he did was drink alcohol and hit on other girls. He had no redeeming qualities and it was all the more fun when his character was killed, since he clearly deserved it. Still Chance gave such a flat performance, which is partially because he wasn’t a very well written character either. It would have been good if he would have been giving even the smallest shred of humanity. Mandy Amano as Kerri falls in to this category too. She was completely superficial, extremely whiny, and pretty much just looked around for what she could steal. She wasn’t likeable at all and was just an annoyance. I found myself asking what is she even doing in this movie? Soon I found out that she was there to get killed, which was completely satisfying as well as Mike’s death.

The flashback sequences were really well done. They were very stylistic, giving us an old and grainy look. Many of these shots are dark and shadowy with muted tones, portrayed in an almost blurred dreamlike state. Everything from the costumes, to the setting, to the characters and acting that bring them to life, really takes us to this place and makes us feel connected to the story. In many ways, the flashback sequences were almost better then the movie itself. The story in the present is a little weak, relying almost entirely on the back story, and stretches to make a connection between the two worlds that ends up feeling forced. Visually though, the movie outside of the flashbacks does hold up. When they first enter the hotel and are exploring it a bit there is this neon green dusty look to it that adds to the old and deserted tone. There’s a number of interesting angles and shots throughout the film that differ from the style within the past world, but still hinting at the connection.

As I said the story isn’t that good and the back story helps it quite a bit, but it really isn’t anything new in terms of ghost stories. The script was fairly poorly written and even some better dialogue could have made this much better. I don’t know how many times I heard, “That is what we’re here for”. Yes, we all know why you are in this hotel and on the off chance that we didn’t, I think after the first handful of times you can assume it has sunk in. A lot of the dialogue like this was just far too overly obvious and unnatural, taking away some of the character’s believability as well. I liked Julie pretty well until the end when she started blaming herself for what happened to Elizabeth. Yes, in the flashback the girl that betrayed her did look like Julie. However, if it was her grandma, who gave her the locket and worked at the hotel, it isn’t out of the question that they would look alike since they are related. Elizabeth did go inside her head and fed her this vision so she could have just put whatever image she wanted her to see. Since Julie wasn’t even alive it is hard to believe that she could have had anything to do with this. The ending just really confirmed her stupidity regarding this.

Despite all this though, I did have fun with this movie. I really liked the storyline of them filming to capture ghosts on screen, giving proof to the rumors of the paranormal that have been circulating in the hotel for decades. Going in to this expecting to find this and the question of how you actually face this was interesting. Also, I think this is one of the very few films I have seen that young filmmakers take on an unbelievable deathly situation and don’t get obsessed with capturing all on film. They are definitely given a few points for their intelligence here as so many other films have become far too preoccupied with this and forget about everything else including realistic characters. Of course the characters here wanted to capture it, but they had the sense to put their lives first when people started dying. Ghosts of Goldfield isn’t the smartest horror movie, and as far as ghost stories go it is only average, but through very compelling flashback sequences, great style, and satisfying deaths, it’s still a pretty fun film as long as you turn your brain off for an hour and a half.

New H2 Poster

2009-05-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

New Poster for Rob Zombie's Halloween 2

Source:Rob Zombie

May 8, 2009

Rob Zombie has premiered the new poster for Halloween 2 (AKA "H2"), opening in theaters on August 28. In the Dimension Films sequel, Michael Myers has returned home to sleepy Haddonfield, Illinois to take care of some unfinished family business. Myers will stop at nothing to bring closure to the secrets of his twisted past. But the town's got an unlikely new hero, if they can only stay alive long enough to stop the unstoppable.

DMTH - Sam Raimi

2009-05-03T12:44:00.001-07:00

'Drag Me to Hell'

Melissa Moseley / Universal Pictures

Alison Lohman plays a loan officer who runs afoul of one mean old woman in Sam Raimi's horror flick.

Horror heads to the cineplex in the form of such films as 'Drag Me to Hell.'

By Mark Olsen
May 3, 2009

Summertime doesn't have to be all sunshine and ice cream; sometimes there are soul-sucking dark nights and dripping blood -- on film, anyway.

Following his foray guiding the juggernaut " Spider-Man" franchise through three outings, director Sam Raimi revisits his horror roots with "Drag Me to Hell" (opening May 29), in which he fashions a wickedly funny, wildly scary, grossly whacked-out story reminiscent of the "Evil Dead" films on which he made his reputation.

"It's supposed to be like a filmic version of an old horror-house ride," Raimi said recently with impish delight. "But I don't mean the classy kind Disney would put on, a wholesomely scary experience. It's more like the cheap, gaudy kind the local carnival would bring."

STORY:
Summer '09 movie sneaks

"Drag Me" tells the tale of an ambitious young loan officer (Alison Lohman) who, looking to impress both her boss and her boyfriend's mother, angles for a promotion by foreclosing on an elderly woman who has missed her mortgage payments. The woman repays her consideration with a demonic curse.

The film is full of wild set pieces and features perhaps the most villainous handkerchief ever captured on film.

"It was never written for it to be any kind of comment socially," Raimi said. "We wanted the character to make a morally bankrupt decision, to sin. It's a very simple morality tale about a good person, like the rest of us, who tries to do the right thing, but every once in a while does something that's not in the best interest of someone else, knows it and tries to justify it. But there is no such thing as a little sin.

"She gets over-punished, which I'm really into. I love over-punishment. It's something I can really relate to."

Despite the genre's dark themes and rivers of blood, summertime horror fans know one thing -- for all the frights, these films are supposed to be fun.

"I feel like the big brother that's waiting in the closet knowing his little sister is coming in the room. I know I'm going to scare the bejesus out of them. There's a little of that wickedness of knowing the big scare is coming and hoping it works on the audience, that dumb jubilation that they did jump. It's really immature."

Among other horror fare hitting theaters this summer, look for:

* "Orphan" (July 24), a creepy-kid/family-in-peril film starring Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard, two actors often found in serious art-house fare -- their presence alone gooses anticipation.

* "Final Destination: Death Trip" (Aug. 28), the surprisingly resilient series about premonitions of death that become self-fulfilling, jumps onto the 3-D bandwagon.

* "H2: Halloween 2" (Aug. 28) finds filmmaker/rock 'n' roller Rob Zombie following up his remake/re-imagining of the original "Halloween" with his own demented take on the horror sequel.

* "Pontypool" (May 29) finds art-house distributor IFC Film jumping into the genre as Canadian filmmaker Bruce McDonald tells the tale of a radio station beset by the undead.

* "Dead Snow," a Norwegian film that premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival prior to its June 12 theatrical release. In it, medical students find themselves fighting off zombie Nazis. (You read that right: Zombie. Nazis.)

true blood season 2 trailer w/ Bob Dylan theme

2009-05-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

Zenescope: Wonderland Trilogy

2009-04-18T11:07:00.001-07:00

WONDERLAND TRILOGY Writer Raven Gregory Talks Shop

Friday, April 17, 2009 10:54 AM Steve Ekstrom News - RATED Eks

Zenescope Entertainment's WONDERLAND TRILOGY has been turning the heads of horror fans; and in June, when the third act, ESCAPE FROM WONDERLAND, hits shelves, writer Raven Gregory plans on tearing the house down...so to speak. Fangoria contacted Gregory to talk about his love affair with the genre and the three WONDERLAND projects including TALES FROM WONDERLAND: THE CHESHIRE CAT,TALES FROM WONDERLAND: THE RED QUEEN coming out starting in May.

He's also provided some exclusive never-seen-before cover art for the upcoming comics for this exclusive interview-including a piece by comic industry veteran Angel Medina.

How long have you been a fan of the genre? What is your earliest memories of horror movies, comics, books?

Raven Gregory: Horror movies go way back to before I was even born in 1975. That was the year TRILOGY OF TERROR was released. I wouldn't see the movie for about half a dozen years later but when I did I was scarred for life. I still remember to this day the sound the little doll made when it was chasing Karen Black. Strangely enough, a couple years back I was reading a Richard Matheson short story collection and came upon the story PREY from which that part of the movie was made and I literally had shivers running down my spine the whole time I read it.

As for comics and books, I grew up an avid reader. My mom fed me books from a very young age. I loved the "Three Investigators" series, and all the dog books (Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern grows) until about sixth grade when I read Stephen Kings' 'The Stand' and I've been hooked ever since. Dean Koontz, Robert McCammeron, Richard Matheson, Poe, Lovecraft. Just love 'em all.

Comics I actually chanced upon when a friend of my brothers left a comic in our bathroom. Uncanny X-Men #295, part two of the X-Cutioner's Song. Later still, my mother's boyfriend gave me a box of old horror comics like House of Mystey and Vault of Horror that I really loved but I wouldn't get hooked until a few years later when the Age of Apocalypse hit but that book was the start of it all.

Have any works in particular influenced your work?

RG: King is a pretty big influence. Lovecraft, Matheson. Comics wise I read a lot of Peter David growing up, Claremont, Bendis, Millar. Those are the guys whose work I really enjoy and I can see their influence in my writing at times.

What are some of your favorite films?

RG: IDENTITY, FIGHT CLUB, SEVEN, TRILOGY OF TERROR, CREEPSHOW 1 and 2, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL.

What sorts of books are you reading currently?

RG: Clive Barker's Books of Blood. Really great stuff.

Let's talk about ESCAPE FROM WONDERLAND and THE WONDERLAND TRILOGY; what sort of inspiration do you take from Lewis Carroll's original work?

RG: It's such a beautiful multi-faceted piece of literature. You can read it as a children's book but also read it as an adult and see a wide array of adult theme elements lying beneath the surface. Not to mention that if you take away all the childlike imagery that came with the Disney film, it really is a terrifying piece of work.

What's the premise of the ESCAPE FROM WONDERLAND?

RG: Alice Liddle is now an adult with a family of her own, but all is not right with Alice. Now her daughter, Calie, must journey to a twisted version of a place called Wonderland to discover the source of her mother's insanity and uncover the truth behind what Wonderland really is.

When do the Wonderland books from Zenescope hit shelves?

RG: Both TALES FROM WONDERLAND: THE CHESHIRE CAT and THE RED QUEEN hit stores next month. ESCAPE FROM WONDERLAND, the final part of the WONDERLAND TRILOGY, hits stands early June and is now available for pre-order in Previews.

In your mind, what balances a solid horror comic?

RG: Tension. Keeping the reader engrossed in the page and building that tension slowly but steadily until they just can't take it anymore; then bringing out the sledgehammer and sending it home. That and building real characters that people can identify with is of the utmost importance.

What's been the scariest story you've written to date?

RG: I'd have to say either the first issue of SEVEN or THE GIFT #4-if only because both times I had to put my head into the mind of a serial killer and, sometimes, that stuff leaks into your dreams and can really play havoc on your life.

Are there any movies or comics coming out this summer that you're especially looking forward to?

RG: TRANSFORMERS 2. There was a Halloween movie that was supposed to come out called TRICK 'R TREAT or something like that, that I really wanted to see; but, I have no idea if it is ever coming out.

What else are you working on in the near future?

RG: Have a few big projects coming out but it's too early to make an announcement yet.

Are you going to be attending any conventions this summer? If so, which ones?

RG: Wizard World Philly, and maybe Chicago and San Diego. It really depends on my writing schedule; even when I get ahead, strangely enough, I fall behind.

One last question: What scares Raven Gregory the most?

RG: I used to be terrified of clowns, and Chucky from CHILD'S PLAY. Then about ten years back, I went out for the night with some friends and got really wasted and came home around 2AM to find my front door open and my two year old gone. He had recently learned how to open the front door and I hadn't got a chance to put a chain on yet. I freaked and went screaming through the neighborhood trying to find him. Me and my friends searched everywhere. I went back home in tears and was about to call the cops when my wife found him sleeping underneath our bed. He had crept out during the night and snuck in while she was asleep. So losing any of my kids is probably my biggest fear.

For more information on the Wonderland Trilogy, check out: Zenescope.com

Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors

2009-04-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

Sam Raimi, Clive Barker, More At Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors

Meet your favorite filmmakers this weekend in Los Angeles!

by Jen Yamato | April 17, 2009

Discuss Article | Blog Article

Are you in the L.A. area and dying to meet your favorite masters of horror, science fiction, film, and television? Then the L.A. Convention Center is where you'll want to be this weekend (April 17-20) for the 24th annual Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors -- otherwise known as Fango Con -- to preview the latest indie and studio horror flicks, see legendary casts reunite, and meet filmmakers like Sam Raimi, Ron Perlman, Tobe Hooper, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Jordan Ladd, and Sybil Danning. See how you can attend and get the full line-up (which , ahem, includes a live performance by Corey Haim) below.

Los Angeles is ground zero for hardcore horror and sci-fi fans this weekend, since the folks behind Fangoria's 24th Weekend of Horrors have pulled together some of the biggest (and most legendary) names to grace the genre.

Festivities kick off today (Friday) at 2pm with previews of upcoming films, including the Donnie Darko "sequel" S. Darko, before Sam Raimi and Justin Long take the stage to introduce their May thriller, Drag Me To Hell (pictured above). Fans of classic exploitation cinema will get a real treat when the Godfather of Gore himself, Herschell Gordon Lewis (Blood Feast, Two Thousand Maniacs, The Wizard of Gore) arrives to show footage of his latest film and sign autographs. (The man is 82 years old, for goodness sake!) A "Shock 'n Roll Fashion Show" caps the night, with a special performance by Lost Boys singer G Tom Mac featuring Corey Haim.

Saturday's lineup includes more previews (Night of the Demons, Fading of the Cries featuring Thomas Ian Nicholas, Laid to Rest featuring Sarah Connor Chronicles' Thomas Dekker, and The Mutant Chronicles featuring Ron Perlman, pictured above) and a few highly anticipated events. For giallo fans, the Masters of Italian Horror panel will be a must-see, as it brings together Ruggero Deodato (Cannibal Holocaust), Lamberto Bava (Demons), and more to discuss the recently repopularized genre. Clive Barker fans will be treated to a Hellraiser cast reunion, a horror-writing seminar given by Barker himself, and a preview of the upcoming film adaptation of Barker's Book of Blood.

(If you're undead-inclined, join Fango Con's Zombie Walk on Saturday and help them limp and stagger their way towards breaking the world record. "No eating of REAL brains or body parts permitted." And of course, come in costume to take a stab at the $1000 cash prize.)

Sunday is highlighted by cast and crew reunions for the original Last House on the Left, Darren Bousman's recent Repo! The Genetic Opera (pictured above), and the first two Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies. Directors Patrick Lussier (My Bloody Valentine 3D), Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist), and Troma's Lloyd Kaufman will give lectures and sign autographs, along with former WWF wrestler-turned-actor Roddy Piper. Lastly, be sure to check out the Horror on the Web Panel, in which your favorite writers from Fangoria, Dread Central, Icons of Fright, Arrow in the Head, and FearNet will be on hand.

For more detailed information, visit the official Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors website.

Everyone knows clowns are evil...

2009-04-17T17:38:00.001-07:00

Horror And Slapstick In A Brutal, Timeless Parable

The Pilo Family Circus
By Will Elliott
Paperback, 336 pages
Underland Press
List price: $13.95

NPR.org, April 17, 2009 · Fans have waited more than 20 years for another book from the great Katherine Dunn, whose amazing Geek Love centers on a family of circus freaks and sets the standard for the literary Big Top novel. She's still working and won't be rushed, but she does have a recommendation. In her glowing introduction to Australian writer Will Elliott's gripping debut, The Pilo Family Circus, Dunn offers comparisons to Kafka, Chandler, Swift, Orwell, King and The Three Stooges. The blend may be hard to conceptualize, but Elliott's story of a young man unwillingly inducted into a lethal clown act mixes horror, satire and slapstick into a brutal but timeless parable.

Jamie, a timid everyman with an arts degree who works as a concierge at a Brisbane gentleman's club and has arranged his bedroom with an eye toward impressing a cocktail waitress he's never had the nerve to ask out, nearly runs into a psychotic clown with his car after getting off a shift one night. Soon his apartment is trashed, his roommate Steve is vomiting blood, the clown and his buddies are constantly dropping in to make threats, and both Jamie and Steve are told they must pass an audition — by making the clowns laugh — within 48 hours, or die.

Motivated to comedic heights by dint of sheer terror, our hero passes and finds himself in a circus populated by hideous freaks, homicidal clowns, graceful but equally homicidal acrobats, a deadly fortuneteller and a couple of bosses — also killers, one of whom is an amateur theologian troubled by the fact that Satan has to serve as God's policeman. Jamie is forced to don magic face paint, which transforms him into JJ, the most brutal clown of all. "'Nicer the man, meaner the clown,'" one of the veteran clowns observes.

The force of the story is almost entirely psychological. The Pilo Family Circus invites the reader to consider where anyone, when pressured — and given the power — to do great evil would draw lines. At night, when JJ takes off his face paint, Jamie weeps as he remembers everything his darker twin has done. Luckily, he is paid for his work in strange white powder that helps him forget, for a time. Still, the incompatibility between the two selves continues to mount. In the circus, as in life, it is not clear until the end which side of his character will prevail.

Wii Horror

2009-04-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

Silent Hill Re-Imagines Horror Game Clichés for Wii

By Chris Kohler April 16, 2009 | 4:47:10 PMCategories: Console Games

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories lets you search with your flashlight by pointing the Wii remote.
Image courtesy Konami

SAN FRANCISCO — The creators of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories want to reinvent the videogame horror experience on Wii.

It's not just about using the Wiimote as a flashlight so your character focuses on things you're pointing at, or about making radio noises crackle out of the controller's speaker, although Shattered Memories does both those things. Instead, the Konami developers are taking a much more radical approach: They are re-evaluating all the horror game tropes that earlier Silent Hill games helped establish, and throwing out things that don't work.

For instance, you won't have to worry about getting into awkward combat with shambling zombies in Shattered Memories, which is scheduled for release later this year. And you won't have to run around every room humping every wall and mashing the A button to find hidden secrets. Everything you need to survive the terror of Silent Hill is at your fingertips.

"Survival horror is a genre that is crying out to be reborn," said lead designer Sam Barlow at a Konami presentation in San Francisco last week.

Horror games have garnered a reliable niche audience ever since the release of the original Resident Evil in 1996, but many designers working in the genre seem to sense a certain stagnation. There's nothing less scary than predictability, so developers have taken to significantly altering the latest entries in classic horror game franchises. Like the extensive makeover of Resident Evil 5, the Wii version of Silent Hill is an attempt to boost the creep-out quotient by tweaking the gameplay at the series' heart.

The original Silent Hill, released on the PlayStation in 1999, helped define the nascent horror genre. It told the story of Harry Mason, a man trapped and looking for his young daughter in the haunted town of Silent Hill. The game spawned five sequels and a 2006 feature film. Like the movie, Shattered Memories is a retelling of that first story in the series. It is developed by U.K.-based Climax, with some input from the original Japanese development team.

While the upcoming game will also be released on PlayStation 2 and PSP, it began life as a Wii project. Nintendo's casual-gaming dynamo machine is the lead development platform, said Konami producer Tomm Hulett at a recent game preview event.

"It made sense to put Silent Hill on the Wii," he says. "Apart from the controls making sense, the philosophy behind the Wii of interacting directly with the games worked well with the idea of reimagining survival horror."

Walking around and pointing at objects with Harry's flashlight is enough to explore all the hidden details of each room, Hulett says: "I can just look at objects, I can zoom in on them. If Harry has an insightful comment to make, he just makes it."

Use the Wiimote to light up creepy environments in the upcoming Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.
Image courtesy Konami

Harry's mobile phone is one of his most important tools. He can use it to call phone numbers that he sees scattered across Silent Hill, take pictures of odd-looking scenes to reveal past events, and ... well, probably a lot of other stuff that the developers don't want to talk about yet.

In keeping with the theme of remaking the horror game genre, Shattered Memories won't include much combat.

"A lot of survival-horror games are based on rules established in the zombie genre," says Barlow. "So you have lots of slow, dumb enemies walking around and you beat on them with a pipe. If you look at horror movies, slasher flicks or psychological thrillers, and see what counts as action in those movies, people are going to start having an idea of where we're going.

"We're getting away from the action-horror trend, where it's about the guns you have, and collecting ammo, and shooting monsters, and focusing on the survival aspects."

Konami is also moving away from puzzles that can confound players and keys located far from the doors they open, a gameplay mechanism with no real benefit other than making players backtrack.

"In Shattered Memories, when I come to a locked door, a television I have to turn on, whatever it is, I can stop and think — 'Look around, what am I missing in this area?' I'm never going to have to run back to the grocery store two blocks away to find an egg or something ridiculous," says Hulett.

Instead, says Barlow, puzzles are about "giving the player something to grab hold of ... interacting in a meaningful, physical way." The one example Konami showed of how this will work was very simple — a key was hidden in a soda can, and the player had to pick up the can with the Wii remote and turn it upside-down to dump the key out.

From what Barlow and Hulett have described thus far, you'd think Shattered Memories' improvements are largely based on streamlining the experience, making horror games more straightforward and less frustrating. But there's something else they're doing with the design that, depending on how it is implemented, could either be a clever gimmick or a real game-changer. They call it the "psych profile."

"The way that (most) games deal with interactivity can be quite simple and dull," says Barlow. "You're the big barbarian hero, do you want to save the maiden or not? Do you want to be good or evil? It's slightly childish. The idea behind the psych profile is that the game is constantly monitoring what the player is doing, and it creates a very deep set of data around that, and every element of the game is changed and varied."

Barlow and Hulett wouldn't talk, at this early stage, about what sorts of things might change due to how you play the game, or what kind of data the game collects about you as you play. In the trailer that Konami showed, a character flashed between two very different physical appearances — that could be one of the things that changes.

The psych profile also sounds slightly sneaky. You won't necessarily know that things have changed based on your gameplay style, says Hulett: "When you go online and talk about it with your friends, they wouldn't know what you were talking about."

"We're trying to play on subconscious things. Pick up on things that you don't know you're giving away," says Barlow.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories will be available in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Zombie Prom?

2009-04-13T14:19:00.001-07:00

Zombie Prom: A show to die for

April 12, 8:06 PM

Zombie Prom, a Co-production with City- Rep and The University of Central Oklahoma, is a Grease-esque style musical. It takes place in the 50’s during the nuclear war scare at Enrico Fermi High School. The story centers around the love story of the hoodlum, Jonny (without the H) and the good girl, Toffee. They fall in love but Toffee’s parents and strict high school principal want her to break up with him. When Toffee breaks up with Jonny, the heart broken teen leaps to his death. And this is only in the first scene of the show! Zombie Jonny comes back from the dead to find that while he was dead everyone had moved on including Toffee. Jonny must win everyone over as a dead guy including Miss Delilah Strict the Principal.

Zombie Prom is a well cast show which leaves little doubt as to who each of the characters are from the beginning to the end. Just like with any great show the characters grow throughout the show and it is well demonstrated by the cast. The student roles are all played by Music Theatre majors from the University of Central Oklahoma and the four adult characters are either CityRep veterans or newcomers to the CityRep stage and was directed by Rene Moreno.

The Ensemble of Zombie Prom includes Toffee (Alex Hall) and her three friends Candy (Emily Mitchell), Ginger (Erin Clemons), and Coco (Jenny Rottmayer). There is also Jonny (Michael Stewart) and his “boys” which consist of Josh (Justin Larman) the nerd who wants to be a star reporter, Jake “the Jock” (Slade Burgess), and Joey (James Michael Avance). The authority of the show is Miss Delilah Strict (Renee Anderson) and her rival, local Expose’ writer Eddie Flagrante (Jonathan Beck Reed). The Rest of the company is finished out by Pattie (Haley Jane Pierce), Cookie (Angela Lansdown), Jerry (Cole Longcrier), Jimmy (Matt Bergman), Father/ Announcer (Michael Jones), and Mother/ Sheila/ Ramona Merengue (Audrey Henderson).

Zombie Prom as a whole was a good production but I didn’t feel it lived up to what is the “Norm” for UCO. It seemed to lack mainly on the technical side of the show. The choreography (done by John Greer) seemed somewhat languid. It left me feeling like I was watching a high school show choir. The performers executed the moves they were provided with great conviction and crispness showing that they could have executed much more difficult choreography. Also, the set and lighting design (Don Childs of City- Rep) could have had much more pizzazz to it.

Hall and Stewart left the audience in awe of the relationship which they acted very well. Hall recently won the OKCity Star competition and sang the part beautifully. The only real concern with Hall is that she is still young as an actress and she seemed to come and go within a scene leaving you wondering if she is completely confident in her own performance. Stewart, who is the poster child for Rowe and Dempsey productions (the creators of Zombie Prom as well as The Fix) sang and acted the lead role of Jonny with such strength and conviction leaving the audience in complete awe of his singing. The supporting leads; Clemons, Rottmayer, Mitchell, Larman, Burgess, and Avance all blended well in the tight harmonies of the production. They all captured each of their roles exactly the way Dempsey and Rowe wrote them, leaving no question as to why each were cast in those roles. They also each brought something great to the show which allowed the show to come off so well. Anderson and Reed are just amazing as always bringing something to the show that could have easily been missed by other performers. Even though this theatre is an equity theatre who mostly works with equity actors, the students of UCO held their own and proved that they are capable.

UCO and City- Rep have a real hit with Zombie Prom which continues its run next week. The 17th and 18th at 8pm and the 18th at 4pm, as well as a 2pm performance on the 19th. I recommend that everyone go and check out at least one of the remaining performances. You do not want to miss out on this production because you may not get a chance to see it again in the Oklahoma City area.

For more info: about Zombie prom contact City- Rep at www.cityrep.com or by phone at 405-848-3761

Zombie finishes H2

2009-04-12T22:06:00.000-07:00

Rob Zombie Finishes Shooting Halloween Sequel

posted Apr 12, 2009 at 2:47 PM by xFiruath. (2 Comments)

Band Photo: Rob Zombie

Rob Zombie has issued the following update about finishing the filming for the Halloween movie sequel "H2:"

"Well, after 35 days of snow, freezing rain, fire ants, mud and blood we are done! The cast and crew kick ass beyond ass to bring you the most demented Halloween ever! In less than five months Michael will be back in your face! And speaking of face... here is your first glimpse of one of the many faces Michael 2009."

Publisher: Bloody Pulp Books

2009-04-12T09:32:00.001-07:00

Horror Writer STEVE NILES launches BLOODY PULP BOOKS

Sunday, April 12, 2009 01:04 AM Mike Fish COMIC SCREAMS - Comics News

Steve Niles does it all in the horror genre, and now he's added self-publishing to the list.

Niles plans to unleash more writing upon us by bringing back the stories pumped out on old metal typewriters, and using words more than pictures to tell it with Bloody Pulp Books. Like his recent release with Dark Horse Publishing, CRIMINAL MACABRE: THE COMPLETE CAL MCDONALD STORIES, Niles will explore more dark adventures with his tough guy Cal McDonald with this new venture. "I'm really excited about Bloody Pulp. Not only do I finally get to write more Cal McDonald prose, but I'm working with some damn talented people like designer Alex Lodermier," Niles tells Fango. "And when I announce the sound component of these books, I think people are going to be as excited as I am."

The books will also feature illustrations by top comic artists like Kelley Jones (SANDMAN, BATMAN) and will come in two versions; Affordable and Limited Editions. The limited editions will be signed by Niles himself, and will feature a box full of extras. And the best part? It’s all coming direct from Steve Niles and right to your door.

For more information, T-shirts, and updates on the initial release, head on over to www.bloodypulpbooks.com.

Publisher: Bloody Pulp Books

2009-04-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

Horror Writer STEVE NILES launches BLOODY PULP BOOKS

Sunday, April 12, 2009 01:04 AM Mike Fish COMIC SCREAMS - Comics News

Steve Niles does it all in the horror genre, and now he's added self-publishing to the list.

For more information, T-shirts, and updates on the initial release, head on over to www.bloodypulpbooks.com.

Gothic rockin' author: The Sticks by Andy Deane

2009-04-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

Bella Morte Singer Publishes Horror Novel

Fri., Apr. 10, 2009 8:00 AM PDT , by Gregory Burkart

Andy Deane, frontman for popular Gothic-rock outfit Bella Morte, has announced the publication of his first-ever horror novel The Sticks. Released through Delirium Books, the novel is a creepy Southern Gothic tale of a mysterious evil lurking in the woods of rural Virginia. Click through to find out more about the book – and how you can get your own copy!

The story of The Sticks revolves around one man’s search for his missing ex-girlfriend in a labyrinth of woodland weirdness, populated by a colorful assortment of twisted backwoods characters, a mysterious raven-haired hottie named Jessica, and a lurking, bloodthirsty creature.

Although the trade paperback edition isn’t available until April 28th, there’s a good reason to pony up for the downloadable version, which is available now: Deane has written and recorded “The Sticks Theme,” an instrumental track to accompany the novel, available as a bonus MP3 with book download. You can buy the e-book, or preorder the paperback version, through Delirium’s web store.

Classic movie: The Vampire Ghost

2009-04-11T10:32:00.001-07:00

"The Vampire's Ghost"

By Doug Gibson

This is an interesting 1945 vampire tale, only 59 minutes, from Republic Pictures. It's semi-obscure and few retailers carry it (I've been waiting years to catch it on Turner Classic Movies) but it's just interesting enough to have a chapter in McFarland's "Son of Guilty Pleasures of the Horror Film" and Frank Dello Stritto gives it a couple of pages in his collection of essays "A Curious Volume of Forgotten Lore."

Plot involves saloonkeeper Webb Fallon, a haggard-looking white man with impeccable manners, who runs a small saloon in an African port. There have been vampire attacks on the natives, and they are getting restless. They speak the language of drums, and the drums spell Fallon (John Abbott) as their chief suspect.

They are right of course. Fallon is a vampire, centuries old and very tired. He bemoans his fate but also accepts it with chilling simplicity. When he sets his sights on the pretty fiance of a young Englishman, it looks as if nothing can stop him.

What makes The Vampire's Ghost so interesting is that it deviates from the standard vampire plot made famous by Bela Lugosi. Vampire Fallon can move around in the light and sleeps in a bed with native soil from his grave by the bed.

As mentioned, he's sympathetic early but Webb is able to give his vampire a sort of polite heartlessness that underscores the undead sociopath that lies beneath his gentleman English exterior. In one scene, Fallon ruthlessly and quickly dispatches a boat captain and saloon dancer who have cheated him at cards. He also plays with the boyfriend (Charles Grodin) who knows that Fallon wants his fiance (Peggy Stewart). Fallon the vampire seems detached, as if he is repeating a game he has played many times before. He relies on sapping the inner strength of his potential victims. The languid, remote location of his life (Africa) underscores his soft deadly power.

If you can find this film, it's worth a buy, particularly if you enjoy the changing genres of vampire film. Surprisingly, in its own quiet way, The Vampire's Ghost predates Twilight. It's an example of well a fiilm can be made on a tiny budget. This would be an excellent addition to UEN's Sci-Fi Friday roster.

Notes: The Vampires Ghost was written by Leigh Brackett, who wrote Star Wars 5: The Empire Strikes Back. Roy Barcroft, who played the doomed boat captain, later played a sheriff in the 60s cult film Billy the Kid versus Dracula. The Vampire's Ghost, directed by Lesley Selander, was released on May 21, 1945. In the early 1970s, it played on the TV movie show Creature Features paired with House of Frankenstein.

Comics: Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead

2009-04-10T12:46:00.001-07:00

HOTWIRE: REQUIEM FOR THE DEAD – Issues 1 & 2 (Comic Reviews)

Friday, April 10, 2009 09:12 AM Mike Fish COMIC SCREAMS - Blood-soaked Pullbox

There’s a song that pops into my head from Juliette Lewis when I see a girl acting all tough and sex on a comic book cover. It’s quite soothing, hearing a woman’s sultry voice say it, so you can imagine the rush of blood while walking down the aisles of comic books sporting “bad girls” on the cover. It’s like getting a massage without being touched. The delicate wane of words singing “Born Bad” in the back of my mind when choosing the next gold star comic is well... not so bad. And then I watch STRANGE DAYS again, and go crazy for Lewis like I did when I was a teenager watching her roller skate in nothing but her skinny bikini bottom. Strange, and yet, exciting days I say.

HOTWIRE: REQUIEM FOR THE DEAD – Issues #1 & 2

Radical Comics http://www.radicalcomics.com/

Written by Steve Pugh based on a story by Warren Ellis | Art by Steve Pugh

Amazon.com Widgets

Welcome to the Bad-Ass Babe Club, Alice Hotwire. Radical Comics has unleashed another visual force with this piece of science fiction with a taste of horror on top. The small taste of horror is the “ghost” element in the book, more appropriately known as “blue lights” as they’re actually not allowed to call them ghosts. (Funny how every time I saw that, a blue light special went off in my head.) Alice Hotwire, babe, has the ability to combat these ghosts, and is known by her fellow police officers as an exorcist. But she’s a little techno geek, sporting “8-Bit” sweatpants and talking to computer systems like the local diner grill cook. She’s cute. Sexy. And kicks butt. Girls will like Alice. Guys will want to date her. Take one part Lelu from THE FIFTH ELEMENT and one part TANK GIRL, and you have Alice Hotwire. In fact, Alice’s mom keeps calling her throughout the series, and for a moment there in issue two, I felt Corbin Dallas was going to show up. Either way, she’s easy to fall in love with which could create a very long life for her if writers continue to keep her real.

And that’s just what writer and artist Steve Pugh does in this series. Wait, did I read that right? He did the art as well? Must be nice to be able to write and draw comics. That would definitely explain why this book is rock solid though, and how it’s definitely worth the cover price. The writing is excellent with realistic dialogue and meaty portions of story mixed in to give the reader much more time to sit in the panel and live in the world a little bit. Sometimes writers get a little too wordy and lose themselves in sentences just to impress or finally use that word they love that they can never use in a sentence, but Steve Pugh cuts it off just in time before that happens. It was funny to see this actually happen in the lettering when Alice is speaking and her partner, “Nasty Man” Mobey, starts talking over her. I’ve never really seen that in comics, where word balloons stack on top of each other to replicate this kind of speech used in film and stage, but I think I will a lot more now. It worked great, and I probably just gave a bunch of comic book letterers some nifty ideas. Pugh has definitely added a trend here with HOTWIRE, giving fans not only a cinematic experience with the art and writing, but something new to enjoy in the land of comics. Add a hot character that everyone likes, and you have yourself the total comic book package. Welcome to the bad-ass babe club, Alice.

GRADE: Issue #1 Issue # 2

CONTINUE READING? Definitely. The sparks fly off the page in this book, so get some more like it’s Independence Day. Once you lock eyes onto Alice Hotwire, you can’t let go either. She’s butta!

2008 Bram Stoker Finalist: Suicide Collectors

2009-04-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

David Oppegaard '02 talks about 'Suicide Collectors'

By Kari VanDerVeen
April 9, 2009

It didn't take David Oppegaard '02 long after leaving the Hill to find success as a writer.

His debut novel, The Suicide Collectors, has been named a finalist for the 2008 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. The Bram Stoker Awards, presented each year by the Horror Writer's Association, honor outstanding work in the horror field. Past award winners include household names like Stephen King, J.K. Rowling and M. Night Shyamalan.

David Oppegaard's debut novel, The Suicide Collectors, is a finalist for a prestigious Bram Stoker Award.

Oppegaard will return to St. Olaf College Wednesday, April 15, for a reading and book signing that will begin at 7 p.m. in Buntrock Commons, Viking Theater. Copies of his book will be available for purchase at the event, which is free and open to the public.

Released in December, The Suicide Collectors describes an earth that has been plagued by the Despair for five years. Most of the world's population has committed suicide, and the few who remain struggle to stay alive. Mysterious, shadowy figures called the Collectors inevitably show up to take away the bodies of the dead. The story focuses on a Florida man named Norman who kills one of the Collectors that arrives to take away the body of his wife. His unprecedented action prompts Norman and a neighbor to set out for Seattle, where it's rumored that a scientist is working on a cure for the Despair.

In a starred review of the novel, Publisher's Weekly notes that "eloquent prose and haunting characters lift Oppegaard's astonishing debut." The Washington Post and Kirkus Reviews also praised his work. Oppegaard shares his thoughts on the plot of The Suicide Collectors, his advice for aspiring writers, and one thing he thinks every St. Olaf student should do.

The Suicide Collectors has a dark plot and eerie characters. How did you come up with the idea for this book?
I was interested in trying to imagine a new kind of apocalypse. Everyone's familiar with viral, nuclear, and environmental apocalypses. After a couple of weeks of pacing, I hit on the idea of suicide and turning it into a global epidemic.

Some of the best post-apocalyptic stories are compelling because it seems plausible that the events described could actually happen. Do you think that something like the scenario you outlined in The Suicide Collectors could happen?
I don't know if a mass suicide plague could literally happen, though there are days I'm worried humanity is trying to kill itself.

Is there a lesson about humanity that you were trying to convey with this novel?
People are tougher and, paradoxically, more fragile than they think.

How long did it take you to write The Suicide Collectors?
I began The Suicide Collectors in 2004. It started as a side project while I was working on another novel for my master's thesis. It took me about two years and several revisions to write, though it wasn't really 'finished' until I corrected the last draft in the spring of 2008.

You've already followed your first novel with a second, titled Wormwood, Nevada, that will be released this December. Do you see yourself becoming a career novelist?
I certainly hope so. I've wanted to be a novelist for as long as I can remember.

What have you learned about yourself or your writing in the process of getting a novel published?
You have to learn to be patient, whether you like it or not. Breaking into the publishing industry can take a long time, and once you're in, there's no guarantee you'll succeed.

Were there classes at St. Olaf that prepared you well for your work as a writer?
I think they all helped in various ways, even French, which almost destroyed me. I worked a lot with the writer-in-residence Jim Heynen, who has since retired, and took every fiction class the English Department had to offer.

Are you surprised at how well your first published novel has been received?
I'm very glad it's gotten so many good reviews, but I try to disassociate myself from every review (otherwise I'll have to believe the bad reviews, when they come). I just hope the good reviews lead people to read it.

You wrote your very first novel -- which was 400 pages long -- when you were just 15. You note on your website that it will never see the light of day. Why are you so adamant about that? Will any of the other novels you wrote before The Suicide Collectors ever see the light of day?
Ah, well, I was mostly kidding about that. Usually your first novel isn't very polished, and mine was no exception. It was about an alien named Zil who escapes from his home world after a violent revolution. He goes on a quest across the universe and returns to battle the rebels and free his world.
There's one unpublished novel, Knocking Over the Fishbowl, that I'd still like to see published. It's actually a comedic novel about a mental patient who escapes to the suburbs and causes havoc in the lives of its residents.

You've worked in a variety of occupations, from an optician to a standardized test scorer to a farm hand. Have you been able to weave any of those experiences into your writing?
I suppose you learn a lot from any job and put that into your writing. So far I can't think of any job I've put directly into a book. I try to make up as much stuff as possible when I write.

What advice would you offer aspiring writers?
Keep your head down and keep writing. Listen to good advice, but trust your gut. Eventually you'll find your authorial voice.

Anything else you would like to add?
I traveled abroad a lot while I was at St. Olaf. I'd encourage any students reading this to do the same, no matter what area you're studying. Get out there and see the world!

Graphic Novel: The Eternal (prequel)

2009-04-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

The Eternal Graphic Novel Preview

The producers of the upcoming feature horror film The Eternal have announced development of a full-length graphic novel prequel to their film entitled The Eternal: Final Dawn, and this looks like some good gore-soaked reading!

The novel, written by Justin McConnell, Kevin Hutchinson, and Adam Kenneth Wilson and illustrated by Justin Erickson (Rue Morgue Magazine), represents the first step in offering a unique immersive experience for an independent film, as out of the twelve total issues, the first six will be offered online in monthly installments, entirely free and coming later this year. Canadians will get an early glance at the project as it will be previewed at the upcoming Rue Morgue Festival of Fear in Toronto. For now a teaser of the graphic novel can be found here.

"The Eternal: Final Dawn tells the life (and undead) story of Samuel Gradius, born in 1463 Scotland as Samhairle Greme. Twelve chapters tell his journey, from birth until 2009, and the first moments of the feature film The Eternal. Set against the backdrop of real history and known myth, the horrific, tragic and humorous collide in The Eternal: Final Dawn. Welcome to Samuel’s world – we can’t guarantee your safety.”

Development on the feature film The Eternal continues, with shooting scheduled for early fall. Casting developments will be announced as shooting draws closer, and producers are hard at work securing a great ensemble to join already attached leads Adam Kenneth Wilson (soon to be seen as Charles Manson in the upcoming biopic Manson) and James Lorinz (from the cult classics Frankenhooker and Street Trash).

Check out the official The Eternal website for more. In the interim, dig on the pics below!

- Uncle Creepy

DVDTimes: Famous Monster

2009-04-08T02:15:00.000-07:00

Famous Monster

08-04-2009 00:00 | 199 views | Eamonn McCusker

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If you have ever been a reader of Fangoria (and it's probably fair to say that most people are not given that its UK readership is tiny) then the name Forrest J Ackerman will be familiar to you. Having enjoyed more mentions in Fangoria than even its editor, Ackerman is a cult figure in the world of horror in spite of never having written a novel, made a movie or sliced'n'diced several teens on a remote farm in Texas. Instead, Ackerman was the ultimate fan. Not, mind you, a writing-letters-in-green-ink-and-stealing-underwear-from-the-washing-lines-of-celebrities kind of fan but, as several of the contributors in this feature testify to, a man who collected movie props at a time when they were considered little more than industrial waste and who, in his own house, created a treasure trove of horror memorabilia. And, best of all, was perfectly happy to guide complete strangers through his mansion, a place that is to horror movie fans what the Playboy Mansion is to chronic masturbators.

Famous Monster begins with Ackerman's history, taken straight from the man himself. Returning home after serving his time in the armed forces during the Second World War, he was a man driven by his love of science-fiction, horror and fantasy. At the age of eight, he created the The Boys' Scientifiction Club, was a frequent contributor to magazines and helped set up the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society. Without ever writing a novel himself, though he was the author of several short stories, Ackerman drifted into becoming literary agent for a bunch of writers that included Ray Bradbury, future Scientologist L Ron Hubbard and even Ed Wood. To Ackerman, Wood was a drunken voice calling him on the telephone at two o'clock in the morning but this friendship saw Wood accompany Ackerman to the premiere of John Landis' Schlock, something that impressed Landis no end. And Wood too, who was surprised that Landis had not only heard of him but pronounced himself a fan of Plan 9 From Outer Space.

The centrepiece of this documentary, though, is Famous Monsters of Filmland, the magazine started by Ackerman that introduced the history of horror, science-fiction and fantasy, as well as more recent movies, to younger readers. Coming along just as televisions became commonplace and monster movies were hitting the drive-ins, Famous Monsters of Filmland was shot through with a sense of humour and a healthy dose of cynicism, even to those films that it featured. As John Landis describes it, it was a magazine written for fourteen-year-old boys but which wasn't afraid to lampoon horror movies on account of, "...most fantasy movies being shit...even Forrest knows that!" One who remembers this fondly is director Joe Dante, who recalls writing into Famous Monsters of Filmland with a piece titled The 50 Worst Blockbusters, some of which he admits now that he hadn't actually seen. Ackerman not only printed the article, largely rewritten according to Dante, but sent the young Dante a copy of the magazine with the now exciting-sounding Dante's Inferno billed on the cover. To a section of nerdish young boys, Dante was probably a hero but one doubts if it did little for his relationship with girls.

Unfortunately, movies changed but Famous Monsters did not. As horror became less about monsters and more about psychopaths stalking young girls, Famous Monsters lost out to several newcomers, Fangoria included. The magazine made an ill-fated return years later but Ackerman was effectively forced out of his position and lost even the name to it. As his health suffered, all Ackerman had was his home and his movie memorabilia but he was even to lose that. Actor Dan Roebuck guides us through some of the memorabilia that Ackerman might once have had and lost while Roger Corman and Ackerman himself bemoan the fact that directors, who are now wealthy but were once scrimping pennies to buy Famous Monsters of Filmland, did nothing to ensure that Ackerman's possessions remained in one collection. His health, which had been failing for years, deteriorated in late 2008 and Ackerman died that December.

As well as being a decent documentary of the man better known as Uncle Forry or Dr Ackula, Famous Monster does well at recalling a time when horror on television was something of a rarity and the only places that children could see monsters was in the pages of comic books and magazines. More than one contributor talks about scanning the pages of TV Guide for those movies mentioned in Famous Monsters, while Michael Weldon's Psychotronic magazine did more than that by reviewing movies of that week for their genre credentials. Alongside clips of The House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler and Frankenstein, Famous Monster is a loving tribute to horror's ultimate fan. Others have paid tribute before - Ackerman has been cast in Amazon Women on the Moon, The Howling and even Michael Jackson's Thriller - but this is an affectionate tribute to a man who influenced not only moviemakers but encouraged many a young boy (and girl) to

Famous Monster was, in all likelihood, produced for television with each sale on DVD being something of a bonus. The picture is anamorphically presented in 1.78:1 and not counting the scratchy old footage of monster movies and the visual effects that are used to complement these, the image is very decent. The bonus features imply that some of the contributors, particularly director John Landis and Roger Corman, might have advised director Mike McDonald on his interviewing technique but while they may not be particularly exciting-looking, McDonald does a fine job of selecting the best moments from each contributor. The DD2.0 soundtrack (without subtitles) also does well at presenting the dialogue but, again, isn't anything more than talking heads and old movie (and stock) footage.

Speaking of these features, they're a bit of a mixed bag. The Commentary is good with Mike McDonald and writer Ian Johnston giving away more information on Ackerman than was included in the main feature but being honest enough to describe their own failings during the making of the documentary. Everything else isn't quite so interesting, including a Blooper Reel (3m19s), More Forry Memories (26m51s) and Deleted Interviews (22m18s), the last of which includes our hearing from cult movie stars like Caroline Munro and Grace Lee Whitney, which just aren't of the standard set by the rest of the feature. The Mini-Ackerman (7m03s) takes the viewer through what's left of Ackerman's memorabilia while Dan Roebuck's Living Room (5m37s) does the same for the actor/writer with all the gubbins that he's bought from Famous Monsters of Filmland (and other magazines) over the years. Finally, there is a Photo Gallery.

Cemetery Dance: Knowing Darkness

2009-04-06T12:15:00.001-07:00

Knowing Darkness: Artists Inspired by Stephen King

Sorry for the surprise update on a Sunday, but we will be placing an order for a very limited number of copies this newly announced collectible book from Centipede Press, so if you're a big fan of Stephen King, now is the time to place your order with us so you don't miss out! This is going to be a HUGE and very HEAVY book, probably unlike anything else in your collection unless you were lucky enough to snag a copy of the Limited Edition of 'Salem's Lot a few years back. This one's going to be special and completely unique!

Publisher: Centipede Press
Expected Ship Date: November 2009
Trim Size: A HUGE 11 x 15 inches
Page Count: 448 pages

Featuring over 500 illustrations and over 30 pages of double-page foldouts!

About the Book:
From the publisher of the deluxe Limited Edition of 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King, the special edition of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and Masters of the Weird: Algernon Blackwood! You know the quality Centipede Press produces -- their books are unlike any other limited editions in the field!

In addition to the wealth of previously published Stephen King artwork gathered for this exciting new title, new works of art have been commissioned especially for this book and you won't find them anywhere else!

Michael Whelan leads the way with a magnificent front cover and a new interior piece illustrating The Dark Tower. Newly commissioned interior pieces include art illustrating "One for the Road" (Stephen Gervais), It (Bob Eggleton), The Shining (Douglas Smith), 'Salem's Lot (John Picacio), Hearts in Atlantis (Les Edwards), Duma Key (Don Maitz), "The Lawnmower Man" (Jason Eckhardt), The Tommyknockers (Alex McVey), Black House and Cell (Zach McCain), "Weeds" and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (David Ho), and others.

There are over 500 illustrations inspired by King's work in this book alone! Shot from the originals or the artist's original color-corrected computer scans, free of distracting type or design, the artwork in this book is printed on heavy matte paper and varnished for protection. Every artistic medium is represented: scratchboard, oils, watercolors, pencils, collage, photographs, and digital art.

The text, written by King critic George Beahm, looks back at 34 years of King in print. It provides a detailed look at the writer and his life, supplemented with interviews with Michael Whelan, Bernie Wrightson, Drew Struzan, John Cayea, Dave Christiansen, and many others!

Click here to place your order while supplies last!

Shocktillyoudrop.com: Dark Hollow moviefied.

2009-04-05T13:04:00.001-07:00

Director Takes a Trip into Keene's Dark Hollow

Source:Nimble Pictures

April 4, 2009

What an odd book to adapt out of author Briane Keene's oeuvre! Writer Paul Finch and director Paul Campion are embarking on an adaptation of Keene's "Dark Hollow."

Published in 2008, this perverse tale is about a man, Adam Shay, who discovers on a walk through local woods the statue of a half-man, half-goat creature, a satyr from ancient legends, which comes to life before his eyes. Soon, all the women in town begin disappearing, summoned to the woods by the satyr's hypnotic piping. When Adam gathers the menfolk to hunt down the satyr and retrieve the women, what they uncover is an unholy evil bent on protecting itself and spreading its seed.

Keene's past works including the incredible zombie book "The Rising," its sequel "City of the Dead," "Ghoul" and "The Conqueror Worms." Campion's short film Eel Girl has taken home a number of awards and is definitely worth checking out.

Elisabeth Pinto will produce Dark Hollow with Andrea Clarke (Dog Soldiers) on casting duties. Playing the role of the evil satyr Hylinus is Shane Rangi whose credits include The Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings. The New Zealand-based WETA has signed up to create the creature make-up.

Shooting will take place in Kent, England in the coming months.

Going to be in LA tonight?

2009-04-03T16:54:00.001-07:00

Round Up Your Werewolves for Drive-In Delight

By ALYSIA GRAY PAINTER

Getty Images

Director Joe Dante, and a werewolf or two, make for the Steve Allen Theater on Friday, April 3

Dear drive-ins everywhere: you rule. You are a symbol of summer, and neither your fading glory nor rolling tumbleweeds nor cracked asphalt nor the public's changing tastes in how movies are consumed can dim that fact.

But all is not lost. A venue plunk in the middle of the city, we are happy to report, heralds the coming days of warmer weather by opening its parking lot, rounding up some scary big-screen classics plus oodles of Showtime "Masters of Horror" episodes, and inviting the big names behind all the fright to come speak in person. Thank you, Steve Allen Theater. Thank you so much.

While there's a whole scream-y slew of mad-eyed movies coming in the months ahead (yay, "Army of Darkness"), the kick-off flick is "The Howling" which, you might guess by the title, is pretty tricked-out in the werewolf department. Director Joe Dante is appearing before the lycanthrope-y film for a Q&A, and before that the Steve Allen will screen the also chilling "Homecoming" (Dante's "Masters of Horror" contribution).

Can we all give a rah-rah for Joe Dante? Or maybe a Gizmo-like coo? He helmed "Gremlins," one of the most heartwarming horror/holiday movies ever put to celluloid. Just think about all those mischievous gremlins mucking about and try not to chuckle. Oh, we can't even try. We are chuck-o-ling something wicked.

"The Howling" with Joe Dante in Person
"Masters of Horror" Drive-In Night
Friday, April 3, 8PM
$8 person/$30 car (eye the site about reserving your car space ahead)
Steve Allen Theater, 4773 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles
323-666-4268

Dead Romeo

2009-04-03T09:11:00.001-07:00

Vampires Don't Sparkle: Jesse Blaze Snider on Dead Romeo

By Lucas Siegel
posted: 03 April 2009 06:16 am ET

Buzz up!

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Comments (9) | Recommend (3)

Dead Romeo #4

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Jesse Blaze Snider is no stranger to comics or horror. His name, and he proudly goes by his full name on a regular basis, shows how his life was influenced by comics since birth. Between his father’s love for horror, and the horror comic he wrote for Fangoria Graphix, Strangeland: Seven Sins, he has a clear grasp of the genre, as well. So when it came time for DC to more firmly introduce Vampires into the DCU, Snider got the call (thanks to the aforementioned mini-series, a Deadpool story, and about 10 years of bugging editors). Dead Romeo #1 came out this week, and we chatted with Snider about the book, romance, and the fact that no, these vampires will NOT sparkle.

Newsarama: Zombies have been--

Jesse Blaze Snider: Hey before we start I have a short statement to make...

Friend, Ramas, Comic Geeks, lend me your ears!

PLEASE, do NOT prejudge this book on the first sentence of the solicitation copy. This book has NOTHING in COMMON with Anne Rice’s “Queen of the Damned.” That was about a Vampire who is a ROCKSTAR, Dead Romeo is just a rock musician, who died and was never famous. He could have been a Vampire/Plumber and not a single panel of this book would have changed.

I know that some people have had reservations about the “rocker” thing, but let me explain that I only made him an “80’s Rocker” for two reasons. First, so I could dress him up in some cool clothes and second because I am a rocker and you should always write what you know. I didn’t even have the “lead singer of a band” thing in the original solicitation for the book, DC added it afterward, because they thought it was a plus. But I knew that some of you vamp fans would scream “Shenanigans!” And “Unoriginal.”

This book is about SEVEN very EVIL VAMPIRES from HELL who are willing to do ANYTHING to ensure that they never have to go back to HELL. And about the two people (Dead Romeo and Whisper) who stand contrary to their position desperately trying to escape from them with their lives!

Give it a shot, ‘cause Ryan Benjamin and myself have poured our hearts and souls into making it great.

Sorry, you were saying?

NRAMA: Ahem... Zombies have been top of the horror heap for a while, but with True Blood on HBO and (gulp) Twilight in theaters, it seems Vampires are ripe for a comeback. What's the appeal of Vampires in specific for you?

Dead Rome #3

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JBS: Twilight...double gulp. Well, it’s certainly not how sexy they are.

For me, I just love the fact that every Vampire is essentially Wolverine; you just can’t kill these guys that easily. In Dead Romeo we really explore the vampire healing factor thing. My hypothesis is that a vampire can heal from anything as long as he can feed. So a vamp with blood in his system is good to go, but take away the blood and they are just as f’ed as you or I.

And trust me when I say, that our lead character is going to have plenty to heal from!

NRAMA: Vampires aren't as common and well established in the DCU as they are in Marvel's universe. They made a recent appearance in the Superman/Batman vs. Vampires/Werewolves last fall, and Brother Blood is something of a Vampire, but are otherwise not too common. Why establish this as a DCU story?

JBS: DC Editorial realized that Giffen had vamps showing up in Reign in Hell and in a number of other places and felt that it was the right time to give vampires a go. Specifically, they wanted to test the waters for a vampire/romance.

Now, I think that that is all well and good, but I am personally tired of Vampire tales that are geared towards women that neuter the Vampires of any real...scariness? I mean, vampires in Anne Rice and Twilight are very rarely frightening. At the same time, there isn’t much heart and soul in From Dusk ‘Til Dawn. While I realize that that is how the boys prefer it, I don’t see why we can’t do both.

That is exactly what I have tried to do with Dead Romeo. A vampire book that appeals to both men and women at the same time, while never loosing either audience. I guess I will find out how successful I was very soon.

Dead Romeo #1

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NRAMA: You've said before that you think of this as more of a "periphery" of the DCU, living in the magical fringes, rather than being in the dead center alongside the popular heroes and villains. Could you see the characters you're creating here eventually becoming part of that world and interacting with those established guys?

JBS: Sure. But I wouldn’t really want to see Romeo hanging out with Superman. I’d prefer him on the run from the Spectre or fighting El Diablo. He could definitely interact with Batman though, that might be cool. Basically the shinier the hero gets, the more I want Romeo to stay away from them.

NRAMA: The tagline for the book is "Not every love story has a happy ending." Does that necessarily mean this one will end in sadness?

JBS: Well, I am not a fan of the completely and utter unhappy ending. But yes, I wouldn’t expect a “they lived happily ever after” on the last page of this book. It says right there in the solicitation, either he kills Whisper and earns his release from Hell or he protects her and burns for eternity. Only one of them can get a happy ending and its definitely not going to be Romeo.

NRAMA: The characters here, including the titular one, are released from Hell. Is that linked to DC's Reign in Hell miniseries, or just a happy coincidence?

JBS: I guess it is just a happy coincidence. Though I believe that when DC Editorial saw that there were Vampires in Hell in the book, they said we should do a book about vampires from Hell. At that point they called me up and asked me to pitch them something. I pitched Dead Romeo.

NRAMA: What general Vampire mythos are you subscribing to here? What abilities/weaknesses do they have? They're coming from hell, so are they evil to their core?

JBS: I only use some things, but I don’t really contradict any of the things I don’t use. Over the course of the series you will see vampires with enhanced strength, speed, endurance and healing abilities. You will see vampires fly and be afraid of and burned by the sun. You will see silver used as a weakness and...I think that’s about it.

I did add two things though. I decided that vampires could feed on the blood in another vampire. And since in my book the vampires need blood to survive and in order to heal, feeding on a vampire is kind of the one sure way to take him down. So, I did that and I’ve never seen that done before, but maybe it has been.

NRAMA: You've said you'd really like this to appeal to both men and women. What are you doing specifically in the book to bring women into it?

JBS: Well, at the center of the book is a love story. Romeo’s entire motivation springs from love. Love from his past and a new love, which is blossoming throughout the series. Love is at the heart of the book, but it is not going to slow us down or tone us down, it is just the driving force. And I think that is really all that the ladies need; A reason to care. As long as they have that they are along for the ride. The men need the horror, the gore, the scares and we’ve got plenty of that as well.

Dead Romeo #2

I believe my pitch for the book was, Dead Romeo desperately tries to protect his new love for 6-issues the only way he can...by throwing himself in front of her and absorbing any danger that comes his way. Which in this book will be bullets, swords, fangs, knives, punches, kicks, and scythes, whatever! I think that kind of chivalry is something we all can appreciate. Its what Superman does everyday, except bullets bounce off of Superman and our hero absorbs them in the normal and painful sort of way.

NRAMA: I like writers to close out with a specific moment, panel, scene, whatever that they are personally really excited about. So anywhere in the series, what's one bit that you can't wait for readers to see, without spoiling anything too much?

JBS: Well, the first issue is set up and as a fledgling writer, I think I made my fair share of mistakes (Mostly with cramming too many panels on certain pages.), but as the book gets going I learned and improved a lot and there are really a lot of great scares and I’m really excited for issue 4. We come off of one of my favorite cliffhangers and end on my other favorite. But maybe I should be more specific....

Issue one sets the stage for the series and issue two is all out action from beginning to end, as all seven of the Hollywood Vampires (Our Bad guys) get a chance to shine, as they slowly and painfully tear Romeo apart. In 22 pages Romeo will be shot full of holes, tackled out a window and fall 10 stories, loose an eye, ear, leg, arm and some fingers and worse! Issue two is gonna be a lot of fun and it’s gonna make everyone question exactly how Romeo and Whisper are going to live a full 6 issues!

If you like the first issue, you will love every issue after it! I promise!

CoD #5 is out and reviewed.

2009-03-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

CITY OF DUST: A PHILIP KHROME STORY #5 (Comic Review)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 01:48 AM Mike Fish COMIC SCREAMS - Blood-soaked Pullbox

There’s something about a vampire sizzling up like a slice of bacon in the brightest morning light that just captures the moment like a baby walking for the very first time. Why is it that something so nasty and vile looks so cool and relieving, as its skin bursts into flames along with screams of agony and revenge erupting from a fanged mouth? Or that in the irony of things, this vampire is robotic, and as our hero Philip Khrome flies above the skyline with Nosferatu in his arms, the vampire still burns like a marshmallow on a fire pit stick. Why would a robot do such a thing? Then again, it’s not really surprising that electronics would malfunction in the future as they do today. Need a repair? Forget it these days. Better buy a new one instead, even if the vampire robot is supposed to live forever.

CITY OF DUST: A PHILIP KHROME STORY – Issue #5 of 5

Radical Comics http://www.radicalcomics.com/

Written by Steve Niles

Art by Brandon Chng, Zid, and Garrie Gastonny

The conclusion to CITY OF DUST is at hand, and all ends well for writer Steve Niles and his art crew. Despite a short confrontation between Frankenstein’s monster and a werewolf (I was hoping for more), the battles between Philip Khrome’s crew and Nosferatu’s turned out pretty bloody. Heads flying everywhere, hearts being ripped out, and flame throwers cooking up the place. I could smell the burnt hair on the werewolves, I was so into it, and a lot of this credit is owed to the art team for making such an intricate and visually appeasing environment. Can’t really credit one person either as this appears to be a huge team effort between the artists and colorists to make it all flow together nicely. And after reading this series, I wouldn’t mind seeing them pick up the BLADE RUNNER license and telling more tales about Deckard and Co. It’s a place that’s very addictive in comic book form, that is, when done well like the Radical team here on CITY OF DUST.

Or writer Steve Niles can add this to his monthly writing schedule and continue forward after this first series introduction. Not only was it an impressive debut for Radical Publishing, but also to Niles own overflowing plate of work, sort of separating himself from his beloved Cal McDonald character for a bit, and almost getting back to basics with his affection for Universal monsters. It’s great to be in a world that is open to many characters and possibilities, allowing the reader to live in it a little before it being interpreted to its audience which is why such films (and possible influences to the book) like BLADE RUNNER and A CLOCKWORK ORANGE have become cult favorites. It’s a world where we can escape to, find a neat little apartment in, a robotic girlfriend, and just go nuts in like a bunch of crazy, sexed-up teenagers. Niles has allowed this world to finally rise above his concentration for the protagonist, and for that, readers are allowed to see how truly gifted he is as a horror writer. And speaking of sex, though it might be a little “typical male” for me to say, I was glad to see Philip Khrome go back to the hot, sexy lady friend in red he met back in the first issue. Thanks to the artists in drawing that scene so well, as it allowed me to be there in bed with that hot cinnamon muffin. Well, without Philip of course.

CITY OF DUST: A PHILIP KHROME STORY is a must read for horror fans that love a little science fiction in their bloody soup. With premiere focus on the writing of Steve Niles and the stellar performance from the team of artists at Radical Publishing, CITY OF DUST is definitely a dark but wonderful world away from home.

GRADE:

To Walk With A Zombie

2009-03-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

Adam Marcus To Walk With A Zombie
Director set for remake of RKO classic

Adam Marcus, director of the underrated, if erroneously titled, Friday The 13th sequel, Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday, is finally making a return to horror after over fifteen years away.

The 40 year-old director has signed on to direct the remake of RKO’s cult classic, I Walked With A Zombie.

Directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Val Lewton in 1943, the original was a creepy, eerie affair that isn’t a typical zombie film, at least, not in the way that we understand the term now. There are no flesh-eating ghouls here – just a dark and macabre tale involving a Caribbean island, voodoo, and a patient stricken by an apparent illness which seems to involve zombie-like symptoms.

The original was also only 69 minutes long, so there’s plenty of room for Marcus’ remake to expand, and hopefully, improve upon what’s gone before.

Indeed, he’s already begun, retooling the premise so that it now revolves around a private tutor who stumbles upon a terrifying secret while working at the New Orleans home of a wealthy businessman. The relocation to New Orleans instantly brings the likes of Angel Heart to mind, so this could be a very serious, atmospheric affair.

Marcus co-wrote the script with Debra Sullivan, his writing partner on last year’s Conspiracy. RKO’s Ted Hartley will produce, along with Twisted’s Mark Burg, Oren Koules, and Carl Mazzocone. Andy Fickman, the Race To Witch Mountain director who can’t stay out of the news today, will executive produce.

Chris Hewitt

Vampire Skull found

2009-03-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

PHOTO IN THE NEWS: "Vampire" Skull Found in Italy

March 10, 2009—Among the many medieval plague victims recently unearthed near Venice, Italy, one reportedly had never-before-seen evidence of an unusual affliction: being "undead."

The partial body and skull of the woman showed her jaw forced open by a brick (above)—an exorcism technique used on suspected vampires.

It's the first time that archaeological remains have been interpreted as belonging to a suspected vampire, team leader Matteo Borrini, a forensic archaeologist at the University of Florence, told National Geographic News.

Borrini has been digging up mass graves on the island of Lazzaretto Nuovo, where the "vampire" was found, since 2006.

(See mass grave pictures of plague victims on another island near Venice.)

"I was lucky. I [didn't] expect to find a vampire during my excavations," he said.

Belief in vampires was rampant in the Middle Ages, mostly because the process of decomposition was not well understood.

For instance, as the human stomach decays, it releases a dark "purge fluid." This bloodlike liquid can flow freely from a corpse's nose and mouth, so it was apparently sometimes confused with traces of vampire victims' blood.

The fluid sometimes moistened the burial shroud near the corpse's mouth enough that it sagged into the jaw, creating tears in the cloth.

Since tombs were often reopened during plagues so other victims could be added, Italian gravediggers saw these decomposing bodies with partially "eaten" shrouds, Borrini said.

Vampires were thought by some to be causes of plagues, so the superstition took root that shroud-chewing was the "magical way" that vampires spread pestilence, he said. Inserting objects—such as bricks and stones—into the mouths of alleged vampires was thought to halt the disease.

—Christine Dell'Amore

Photograph courtesy Matteo Borrini

Blood: The Last Vampire

2009-03-11T09:04:00.000-07:00

All-New Hi-Res Pic from Blood: The Last Vampire

Source:Pathe

March 11, 2009

Our reps at the UK distributor outfit Pathe have forwarded along a new look at Gianna Jun as Saya in the upcoming Blood: The Last Vampire. This live-action adaptation of the 2000 animated film opens in the UK on June 12th. The following is a synopsis provided to us in anticipation of its release.

Directed by Chris Nahon (Kiss Of The Dragon) and featuring stunning action sequences choreographed by legendary action director Corey Yuen (Transporter 1 and 2; Jet Li’s The One; X-Men), BLOOD, THE LAST VAMPIRE tells the story of a mysterious girl known as Saya (Gianna Jun), who is employed by a covert US government agency to eradicate a species of vampire-demons that is about to threaten mankind. Half-demon herself, and armed with just a samurai sword and a whole bunch of attitude, Saya kicks vampire ass like nobody you have ever seen before. Forget Blade, forget Buffy, and check out the trailer to witness, in action, the hottest and gutsiest vampire slayer ever to grace the screen.

Click below for a hi-res version!

The Haunting in Connecticut

2009-03-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

Web Stalker - Zero Gravity Vomit Makes The Haunting in Connecticut Fly

Oh, what a difference a well-considered piece of marketing can make. Despite being an original movie -- as opposed to one of the never-ending stream of remakes that horror fans love to rail against -- nobody was paying much attention to Peter Cornwell's The Haunting in Connecticut, probably because it was coming out rated PG-13 (the one thing fans love to hate even more than they hate remakes). But there were a few early signs that underestimating this movie was a mistake.

First, unlike other "inspired by a true story" movies, this one actually is based on a true story, one previously given the documentary treatment on The Discovery Channel, something that immediately ups the creepiness factor in my book. But horror folk are a jaded lot and that wasn't enough to raise more than the occasional eyebrow. Second, while most PG-13 horror panders to the audience with a nonstop parade of pretty (but vapid) young things on screen, Haunting is anchored by real life, honest to goodness, damn good character actors: Virginia Madsen (Sideways) and Elias Koteas (Apt Pupil). And yet, this didn't provoke much interest, either.

In fact, other than the occasional, obligatory coming soon announcement, nobody had much of anything to say about Haunting until the first trailer arrived, which -- surprise! -- proved to have a pretty compelling atmosphere to it. Finally! Some commentary, though somehow I suspect that the producers were hoping for something a little less squealy than: " OMGOSH!!!!!!!!! ZACH YOU AND HEATHER ARE SO GOING TO HAVE SO MUCH FUN WATCHING THIS MOVIE OMG OMG OMG!!! I MIGHT COME WITH YOU GUYS AND WE CAN ALL HAVE FUN TOGETHER WATCHING THIS SCARY MOVIE!!!! BOOO! JUST KIDDING!!!" (OMG!!!!!!, Trailer Addict)

OK, I'm being a little facetious with that quote, but despite the high quality trailer -- which was by far the best of the loop that I caught running in front of My Bloody Valentine 3D -- the dominant reactions at this point were still very much from the tween and young teen set, featuring a lot of young girls overly excited by the presence of young star Kyle Gallner. "I love Kyle Gallner!!! He's so good in everything that he's in!! I hope that we see him in more things. This kid has got so much talent. It's almost scary!!" (Jackie L Vester, Ace Showbiz).

Now, while I'm sure that the people behind The Haunting in Connecticut will be more than happy to take money from those teen girls, I'm also quite certain that they were hoping to reach a little bit wider than that. But what to do when your movie is following tight on the heels of Friday the 13th, and that's all the hardcore horror set is thinking about? Clearly, the producers of Haunting needed to make a splash.

Enter the motion poster.

A relatively new phenomenon, the motion poster is really nothing more than an overgrown Flash ad -- a poster-proportioned image with sound and movement elements. The first one to really attract attention was one for scifi blockbuster Terminator Salvation and, perhaps inspired by the way that poster helped turn the tide of negative feeling towards the new Terminator (now firmly entrenched as one of the most anticipated films of 2009), the Haunting team opted to produce one of their own, one built around a striking -- and truly disgusting -- image of its young star vomiting what appears to be zero-gravity ectoplasm.

Result? KABOOM! Suddenly The Haunting in Connecticut is the belle of the ball; the poster is featured prominently on pretty much every movie website there is. A quick scan turned up eighteen different sites referring to the new motion poster and -- most importantly -- it's not just the horror geeks taking notice. The scifi kids are feeling squeamish about the ectoplasm. Coming Soon is all over it. Even the indie and foreign flick geeks are juiced with anticipation. And, yes, all the big horror sites are on board as well. You want bang for the buck? Motion posters are, apparently, the biggest bang going right now.

"That's pretty iconic, makes me think of a certain gross but awesome and memorable scene from The Exorcist. It has been a while since a horror movie has grabbed my attention and made me want to see it like this." (Elshifto, Coming Soon)

"THATS PROLLY THE MOST AWESOME POSTER EVER! BUT I AGREE IF ONLY WE COULD REALLY SEE THIS IN THE THEATRES OR ON OUR WALL!" (Jason4eva, Bloody Disgusting)

"That is beyoooooooooond f**ked." (VincentCostigan, JoBlo)

Get used to the motion poster phenomenon, kids... with the success rate these early ones are experiencing, they're here to stay. Now just wait until they start mounting video screens in theaters to run them there...

WonderCon: The Nightmare Factory

2009-03-01T00:45:00.001-08:00

WonderCon news: Image, BOOM!, Fox Atomic

THE BEAT February 28th, 2009

There’s a bit of news and announcements out this morning from WonderCon. At the Image panel, Erik Larsen talked about Obama and John Layman talked about his new series:

Layman was on hand to talk about his new ongoing title, â€œChew,â€ with artist Rob Guillory.

â€œâ€™Chewâ€™ is about a federal agent who is able to get psychic impressions from the things he eats,â€ Layman said. â€œWhen thereâ€™s a corpse that shows up in the sewers or the garbage dump, he is sent and has to chew on the corpse to figure out what killed them.â€

The story is set after a bird flu epidemic has wiped out the poultry population, and the agent actually works for the Food and Drug Administration â€œkeeping you from eating chicken,â€ Layman said. â€œMeanwhile heâ€™s solving crimes by eating really, really gross stuff.â€

J.K. Parkin also reports this nugget:

Duirng the Q&A, a fan asked about new technologies, and Starkings was quick to pull out his iPhone and show off â€œElephantman #1.â€ He said the Web and iPhone arenâ€™t the future of comics â€“ â€œtheyâ€™re already here.â€ Electronic media arenâ€™t replacing comics, he said, but supplementing them, pointing out that if you were ever stuck in an airport without comics to read, you could always download them via Wi-Fi. He also touted Rantz Hosleyâ€™s Longbox initiative, which he said was intuitive to use.

At the BOOM! panel, a new co-publishing deal with Fox Atomic was announced, as well as a new series by Mark Waid, with covers by Paul Pope:

Waid will be following up Irredeemable with a new series, The Unknown. The four issue miniseries will deal with a globetrotting female detective who debunks the paranormal but is lost when confronted with the one mystery she can’t solve, what lies beyond death. Waid, who wasn’t able to attend the panel due to a conflict with Mega Con, calls the book â€œDoc Savage as written by David Lynch.â€ Dutch artist Minck Oosterveer is doing the interiors, with covers by the likes of Erik Jones and Paul Pope.

PR on the BOOM!/Fox deal below:

BOOM! Studios announced today that Fox Atomic, a division of 20th Century Fox, has entered into a broad multi-title comic book and graphic novel co-publishing deal that will see the formation of a Fox Atomic Comics imprint at BOOM!.

Titles will cover a vast array of different titles and characters, some very familiar to fans, others being new turns on old favorites, as well as entirely new, original series.

Fox Atomic first made a splash with a series of SpikeTV Award-winning original graphic novels in 2007 including 28 DAYS LATER: THE AFTERMATH, featuring work from 30 DAYS OF NIGHT creator Steve Niles, followed by THE HILLS HAVE EYES: THE BEGINNING written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. A third graphic novel, the International Horror Guild Award-winning THE NIGHTMARE FACTORY was also released, adapting stories from Bram Stoker and World Fantasy Award-winner Thomas Ligotti. THE NIGHTMARE FACTORY: VOLUME TWO, the second graphic novel in the series, followed in 2008.

The new Fox Atomic Comics and BOOM! Studios collaboration will see titles serialized as individual single issue comic books before being collected into trade paperback graphic novels available in the direct and mass bookstore markets.

The new venture will see a broad expansion of Fox Atomic’s titles after its previous success. Partners are keeping the specific details of the series under wraps with expectations for further announcements later in the convention season featuring marquee series and high-profile creators.

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By Lucas Siegelposted: 03 April 2009 06:16 am ET

Advertisement

CoD #5 is out and reviewed.

To Walk With A Zombie

Vampire Skull found

PHOTO IN THE NEWS: "Vampire" Skull Found in Italy

Blood: The Last Vampire

The Haunting in Connecticut

WonderCon: The Nightmare Factory

THE BEAT February 28th, 2009

The Pilo Family Circus
By Will Elliott
Paperback, 336 pages
Underland Press
List price: $13.95

By Lucas Siegel
posted: 03 April 2009 06:16 am ET