Little Blog Of Horrors

An American Werewolf in London remake...

2009-07-08T16:35:00.002-05:00

No, this is not one of my semi regular rants about the nature of Hollywood remaking every horror movie ever made. Rather it is about a restoration I just found out about. Apparently a private collector owns the life size werewolf prop from the end of the film.

Here is the link to the special effects artist's website who did the restoration. He has a very detailed photo album of the entire process. Amazing the work he did on it. Seeing the first pictures of the damaged wolf were heart wrenching, but seeing how incredible it looks at the end raised the hairs on my arms.

I found out about the restoration from a website called werewolf-news Make sure you go check out the information on his site after you see the incredible work Tom did on Oscar.

Bloody MonkeyZ

Clive Barker news

2009-07-03T10:03:00.002-05:00

I follow Clive Barker on Twitter. Love having that stream of conscious access to his thoughts. It is very revealing about the man behind the man. Having been a fan of his since the beginning I find it refreshing to read his innermost thoughts that he shares there.

There are two tidbits that I felt were well worth sharing beyond the scope of Twitter (although I am sure his Twitter followers exceed the readers of this blog, but there may be some here who have not read his tweets.)

The first one I am ecstatic about. Apparently there are 44 minutes of extra footage that have been uncovered for NightBreed. They are currently working out some funding issues, but hopefully this means we will be getting an uncut/restored/director's cut (whatever they wanna call it) version of NightBreed released soon.

The second one I shall relay in the words of Clive himself.

"I'm starting to get full-size sculpts for Halloween masks and costumes developed to give a wild, edgy look to my favorite holiday! In 2010 we'll start with The Dark Bazaar. Then we'll add characters to the mythology year after year. Working with an awesome company called Disguise. My designs for a whole new Halloween, with not a pumpkin in sight. I originate the characters as oil paintings. It's a blast! Great, creative people who want give the holiday some bite, some fresh blood, some new Terrors. In 2011 we will get even darker, as we descend into The Pit."

I can't wait to see the way these two bits pan out. Hopefully we can get some imagery or concept designs before too long.

Bloody MonkeyZ

Y2K again

2009-06-28T19:31:00.003-05:00

Well, to be more specific I mean the Millennium. What an incredible tv series this was. From Chris Carter the mind behind the X-Files. He created a series based on FBI profiler Frank Black. A man who can see through the eyes of a killer. The nature of his abilities is never really explained, but it was traumatic enough for him that he left his job with the FBI.

Now he works with a consulting group called The Millennium Group. They work on the outskirts of the law but with their goal for the greater good. The series started in 1996, which gave a tenuous run of only 4 seasons. But then the unthinkable happened. The show was cancelled after 3 seasons. They did a crossover to the X-Files so they could have a Millennium episode.

The most frustrating thing about the show getting cancelled was that it had begun to rival the X-Files. The shows were darker and grittier and dirtier. This was a world where bad things happened, but the evil was more often than not us.

The second season of the show Carter turned the reins over to Glen Morgan and James Wong. They did a tremendous job with season 2, but Carter disagreed with the direction they took things. Removing them, he resumed control for season 3.

Morgan and Wong went on to do Final Destination, while Carter went on to end Millennium and the X-Files while failing to launch Lone Gunmen and Harsh Realm.

Shortly after Millennium ended a virtual season 4 was written. This only exists online in script format. A 5th season has also been written. I am beginning to review the entire series and will carry through into the virtual season once I finish the 68 filmed episodes.

I have had a nagging presence in my head to review this series, but kept putting it off. It deserves some recognition. A truly great series cut down before it should have been. Too many shows get axed early while others are allowed to languish in their own boredom and doldrums.

For more information about the series go to http://millennium-thisiswhoweare.net/index.php

Bloody MonkeyZ

To play or not to play

2009-06-18T09:04:00.005-05:00

Have you got too much time on your hands? Looking for some mindless yet entertaining way to alleviate this problem? Have no fear friends, I discovered the solution to your problems!

http://www.deadfrontier.com/

This is an online game that is completely free to play. What sort of game is it I hear you asking? What else...A zombie game.

You create a survivor character out of about 15 choices. Each choice has it's own pros and cons. For example, the soldier has quite a few bonus stats and starts with a machine gun, but he has a -20% exp penalty. This means that it will take you much longer to level up. Especially in comparison to a lawyer who gets a +30% exp bonus (but no stat bonuses.) You will have to check out the characters and choose what you think you will like.

Once you have your character, go to the city and kill or be killed (but leave all your money back in "storage" or else you lose it when you die.)

This is a fun and entertaining game. Been playing it with my son (my daughter wanted to play but has been otherwise occupied) in a multiplayer mode. It is in open Beta testing mode right now, but overall it is a good game. I will have a more in depth review once I get the game section rebuilt (I kinda blew it up.)

Leave a comment about it on our message board: http://horror-web.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=deaditor&thread=97

Bloody MonkeyZ

Stoker Awards

2009-06-14T11:22:00.002-05:00

For those who don't know, the Stoker Award is given by the Horror Writer's Association for outstanding achievement in a variety of categories within the written horror genre. For specifics from them, check out their site http://www.stokers2009.com/

The award is named in honor of Bram Stoker, whose work gave us the legendary Dracula. He is a founding father of horror. No question about it. The Stokers were presented in Burbank California this past weekend. Here is a list of the winners:

The 2009 Stoker Winners:
NOVEL: DUMA KEY by Stephen King
FIRST NOVEL: THE GENTLING BOX by Lisa Mannetti
LONG FICTON: MIRANDA by John R. Little
SHORT FICTION: "The Lost" by Sarah Langan
FICTION COLLECTION: JUST AFTER SUNSET by Stephen King
ANTHOLOGY: UNSPEAKABLE HORROR edited by Vince A. Liaguno and Chad Helder
NONFICTON: A HALLOWE'EN ANTHOLOGY by Lisa Morton
POETRY COLLECTION: THE NIGHTMARE COLLECTION by Bruce Boston

Looking over this list and the recent years winners as well, I think the HWA has a problem. They are supposed to present an award for the best work in each category, yet every year that King puts out a book, he wins. Yes, he is good and has done a tremendous amount for the genre, but they are doing a disservice to the rest of the horror writers by refusing to give serious consideration to any other authors. The old comment "It is an honor just to be nominated" has never been so true as it is with regard to the Stokers. Because if King is in the running, you lose. This year Gary Braunbeck, Nate Kenyon and Greg Lamberson were all legitimate contenders for the best novel. Continuing to allow King to receive the award creates a situation where the awards themselves become irrelevant. Who cares if you get nominated when everyone knows King will win.

Not only does Stephen King not need the recognition from such an award (whether the work in question deserves it or not) but he doesn't even care enough to attend the ceremony. I imagine they continue to give him the award hoping that he will come to the ceremony and help raise their status. I would say they need to just give him a lifetime achievement award and leave it at that, but they did that back in 2002.

In fairness to every other writer in the genre, the Stokers need to create an award for King every year that simply states he wins for still being alive. Give him that award, but keep his book out of the best novel category.

Bloody MonkeyZ

An upset from hell

2009-05-07T15:37:00.004-05:00

I have been an avid Clive Barker fan since I first dipped my imagination into his Books of Blood. He has fashioned my mental landscape with writing more than any other author I have ever read. The way he weaves words together has astounded me over the years. On a number of occasions I have found myself pulled from a story and reading a sentence or paragraph over again to admire the craftsmanship put into it.

About one week ago I received a review copy of the Adventures of Maximillian Bacchus and his Traveling Circus. A manuscript that had been languishing for 40 years. My initial reaction to this was positive. This would be writings that were closer to the Books of Blood era. I had no idea why this work had sat unpublished for so long. Perhaps it had simply been overlooked.

After the release of his recent novel Mister B. Gone, I was looking forward to this even more. I was thoroughly disappointed with Mister. Looking back I realize that I never reviewed that work on Horror-Web. I had reviewed it on release when the Little Blog of Horrors was it's own website. A rather shortlived time, but exciting because it paved the way for my role taking over Horror-Web. With regard to Mister B. Gone though...I had been looking forward to reading it and was disappointed. There were some highly repetitive parts to it. Parts that frustrated me. But more depth on that would be review quality and this isn't meant to be a review of any specific work.

His new release (Bacchus) left me feeling the same way. So much potential and yet the actual release left me feeling a bit empty. I have the utmost respect for Clive as a writer, artist and director. While I haven't enjoyed either of his two most current releases, I know that I am looking forward to the Scarlet Gospels release just as eagerly. Along with Abarat 3, Abarat 4, the 3rd book of the Art, and whatever other stories he decides to release into the world.

I hated finishing Bacchus and giving it a bad review. You can check out the review here. Part of me looks at the work and says it would have been better left unseen. But another part of me looks at it and says that anything he has written I want to read. Ultimately, this is a title for the completist. Which I am. Certainly not one to get new readers with.

Bloody MonkeyZ

After Dark Horrorfest 3

2009-04-23T09:17:00.002-05:00

I have been thinking about this for awhile now. Finally getting around to writing about it. When 8 Films to Die For was first launched, the premise was that here are movies that were not mainstream enough to get theatrical release, yet good enough that they deserved theatrical release in some manner. Not just a noble concept, but one that worked well.

So here we are in 2009 and we have After Dark Horrorfest 8 Films To Die For III. With the following lineup of films: Dying Breed, Autopsy, The Broken, Slaughter, Perkins 14, The Butterfly Effect:Revelations, From Within, and Voices.

I have to admit, I have not yet gone out and checked out these movies. Matter of fact, there are some old 8 Films that I still need to see. But there are two films in this list that I want to mention a bit more in depth. Most of these films are exactly what (I feel) the 8 Films series was creaeted for. But then we have a film in here called Autopsy.

All that matters right now is that it stars Robert Patrick. The story isn't my issue. But this film has an actor that is a veteran of many, many films as well as television. He was part of the death throes of the X-Files, if you recall. Now, I may be wrong here, but if you have a big name star in your film, you must have some muscle behind your movie.

The other one is Butterfly Effect: Revelations (also listed sometimes as Butterfly Effect 3.) So this one is the third in a series of films, the first of which was a fairly decent theatrical success. A movie which was probably made in no small part based on the name being able to recoup the production costs. Seems that is a big way Hollywood works after all, why go with something original when you can rehash something. This movie seems completely contrary to the concept of 8 Films To Die For. It should be a direct to video release because it is living off the name of its original theatrical success. Claiming this is a film that should be seen and is worthy of theatrical release is ridiculous. If so, then why didn't the parent company who had the succesful original do just that?

In my opinion this lineup has 2 films that shouldn't be here. Not based on quality, but on concept. 2009 should be 6 Films To Die For. There are plenty of films out there that fit the category and criteria they set up with the first series of 8 Films To Die For. Go back to that and showcase talent that deserves showcasing. Good or bad, that is for the viewers to judge on their own, but stars and theatricaly released sequels should not have any place in this series.

At least that is my 2 cents (or $15 more like since the DVDs are usually $15)

Bloody MonkeyZ

Buffy started it all

2009-04-18T15:33:00.007-05:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about the shows I watch now and the shows of the past. Which shows did I like because they were actually good and which did I like because I was young and silly? Of course, that led me right to the classic, the all powerful Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I realized something: as fun as it was at the time, Joss Whedon and the rest of the world had the potential for better. Angel was better and we all know how much of a brooder he is (he and Batman should have a brood off). I decided to take this a step further and asked my friends whom I know have seen a majority of the show. It's not really a good sign when about 90% of them loathe the main character and about 65-70% say Angel was better by a long shot.

So, I started to think about why Buffy lasted as long as it did and I realized, when the show started there really was nothing else. Certainly nothing like it had even been seen before (unless you want to count the movie which...... no) and people saw it, said 'Hey, this is my kinda thing' and tuned in weekly to see what our whiney Slayer and her awesome companions were up to. My point being, high quality show or not, Buffy paved the way for all the better shows to come. There never would have been Angel or Firefly (as short lived as it was I still think it's Whedon's masterpiece) or Supernatural or even shows like Smallville (and who knows, the new Doctor Who - and subesquent spin-offs - might not have come to fruition without it). Buffy proved that audiences weren't just interested in Cop Drama and Dr. Sexy M.D. So, I came to a conclusion. I don't care if Buffy isn't my favorite show, that I hate the main character and there's only a selection of episodes I'd feel motivated to watch again and again because without it, our television selection would be very different.

Flunky

Sneaking a preview of Haunting in Connecticut

2009-03-28T02:28:00.002-05:00

I got an email invite to the local screening of The Haunting In Connecticut. There were two people I considered going along with. One declined. One agreed. The preview was set to start at 7:30, so I met with my buddy Tim at the theater at 5:45. We were gonna grab a bite to eat first.

Just to be safe though, we went to the theater first. We had been anticipating a large group waiting for the movie. Looking through the windows we were surprised to see that the lobby was empty. Not a single person was there waiting for the movie. Wow. It had been a while since I had been to a preview, I guessed people were just going to wait to show up.

We ate directly across from the theater. I kept an eye on the entrance to see if people started arriving. Nope. No one. At 6:45 we crossed the street to what we were guessing would be an empty theater. Preview passes in hand we bypassed the ticket lady and entered the theater. She mouthed something through the window at us. It looked like she was saying "Sold out." But that made no sense. We looked at each other and went in anyway. Inside another employee approached us and explained how it was already full. "People were there at 3 waiting. Lined up around the outside of the building and down around the corner," she told us. "We let them into the theater at 6:30. No more seats available."

We both cried foul at this comment. We were here before 6:30 and not a single person was in the lobby much less wrapped around the building down the street. She gave us envelopes to put our names on to get a screener to another movie instead, while explaining that the people were actually all inside the building. And they had them tucked away on one side and up the stairs.

We calmly filled out our envelopes as other latecomers lined up behind us waiting for the pens to fill out their envelopes. And then it happened.

Two people came to the ticket entry area and were questioned by the ticket taker. They said they were inside with seats for the preview but had two seats saved for friends who were about to arrive. "You can't do that," she declared. "No seat saving. You have to be here to have a seat." With that she turned and pointed to us "You and you, there are two seats. Go on in."

My friend tried to protest that we had just given envelopes for a free pass to be given later as I looked on in shock. Shut the hell up, I was thinking. Don't give her a chance to change her mind. She waved us in.

At the actual screening room we encountered two security guards who were quite friendly to us. We explained that we had been told to come in. We stood with them as the press filled the remaining seats, content to stand and watch the movie. Happy to be inside at all. As it started, one guard showed me to a seat that was vacant. Tim was left to stand at the back for the duration. But he survived. And we made it through the film.

I wrote up a review of the movie. Go check it out.

Bloody MonkeyZ

To 3-D or not to 3-D

2009-03-03T19:20:00.002-06:00

I took the kids to see Coraline the other day. I really wanted to see this in the theaters to get the 3-D experience of it. There has certainly been a resurgance of 3-D lately. And I find myself having to ask... Why?

Seriously. What is the sudden fascination with 3-D? The first Imax experience 3-D that I saw was the Polar Express. And to be honest, I was blown away by it. It really seemed like I was in the midst of a snowstorm. The flakes appeared to be swirling around well past the first few rows (and I was locked in the front row.) Maybe the first row heightened the experience.

Following that I heard that Superman Returns was getting the 3-D treatment. I turned it into a group outing, encouraging a friend to go with me and take her kids. Not going into the quality of the movie itself (it sucked), I found the 3-D to be distracting at best and lame overall. What, 15 minutes of 3-D in a two hour movie. What was the point? Either do it 3-D or don't.

The problem is that filmmakers feel that in order to utilize 3-D properly they need to poke the audience. Scenes are written so that a character can do something that jabs or throws or pokes or prods something into the camera. This mentality of 3-D filmmaking breaks the 4th wall. You are interacting directly with ME the viewer and no longer are you maintaining the integrity of the movie.

Then came Coraline. A 3-D movie done right. There wasn't really anything over the top and to be honest, most of the time you kinda forget that it is 3-D. Until something buzzes the screen in what I felt was a fairly natural manner. The door/tunnel creating itself before our eyes was an excellant use of 3-D. And it didn't poke me. They did poke me in the very beginning, but it was a needle sewing a button, and wouldn't have been filmed very differently without the 3-D aspect.

The previews for Coraline were all in 3-D. Touting at least 3 movies coming in 3-D. Movies which I look at and find myself asking...Why? The technology is better now than Jaws 3-D. But the overall quality of filmmaking from Jaws 3-D to My Bloody Valentine 3-D are exactly the same.

Want me to get excited about a movie being done in 3-D? Don't give me stupid crap like Jaws 3-D. Filmmakers need to grow up. But so do studios. I worry that they are close to running out of classic horror films to remake. What happens then? The studio execs who don't have the balls to make original movies will be forced to remake remakes. If Dimension announces Amityville 3-D the remake I won't need to blog it, you will be able to hear me scream out in protest...

Bloody MonkeyZ

250

2009-02-18T15:09:00.002-06:00

This number has come up several times in the recent weeks for me. 250...250... Hellblazer 250.

And then one day at lunch with a fellow writer we discussed collaborative fiction. He couldn't understand how 2 writers went about the process of writing a single unified story. I proposed a challenge to him based on this idea. Together we would write a story. As an exercise of the imagination. But doing it in a way that was pure imagination. We would write a story together, yet independantly. Each of us taking turns and then passing to the other. Adding to this I suggested that we make each section 250 words. That way it isn't an obstacle to be overcome. 250 words can be knocked out in 5-10 minutes if you try.

He lost the coin toss, so I chose to write the initial 250. 250 was going to be an approximate quantity. We decided that 15 over or under was close enough. I went home and wrote 249 words. Looking over my work it was rather easy to insert a word and reach 250. Upon receiving it, he wrote his 250 words. Precisely. It turned into another facet of a writing exercise. Move the story along (even though neither of us knows where the end point is) but do it with the precision and economy of words that 250 mandates.

Writing is a lonely profession by nature. This challenge that we began has allowed us to share the journey of creation while stretching and flexing some muscles in different ways.

I have added a section on the Horror-Web forum specifically for this story. I posted the initial 250 that I wrote and sent to my co-writer. And I am encouraging anyone who wants to take up the yoke of storytelling on the fly. Login. Read the story. Write 250. Pass the word along about the idea. Tell people to check out your portion. Writing is creative, hopefully engaging in this will bring some fun to the craft for you. I find myself enjoying the writing process much more with "250" than I have anything I have written recently.

Bloody MonkeyZ

Don't be a Hater

2009-02-10T10:15:00.002-06:00

This is a preview that I have been included in early distribution of. It is a video excerpt from a novel coming out titled Hater by David Moody. I haven't seen the novel yet, but will let you know when I get a copy for reviewing. The author had on his own tracked down and personally pitched his story to Guillermo Del Toro who purchased the rights to the story. That in itself speaks volumes about the nature of the story.

You can find more info at http://www.RUaHater.com

Check out the video

Bloody MonkeyZ

YOU CAN GO TO HELL...

2009-02-05T10:01:00.002-06:00

Or you can go to a convention of your choice. There are loads of them around. I recently updated the list of conventions in North America for 2009.

http://www.horror-web.com/cons/index.html

Many of them are well worth spending your time and money on attending. Too many for anyone to go to all of them though. If you know of one that I missed or see some detail that I screwed up, please inform me and I will update it.

Bloody MonkeyZ

Horro-ku Winners...

2009-02-02T18:52:00.002-06:00

When I first started receiving the entries I got one with a subject line including "Horror-Ku" and thought to myself that is a good name. But alas, I am already started on the contest and don't want to muddy the waters by changing the name midstream.

The entry deadline was set for midnight, although I neglected to indicate that I am in Central time zone. So I delayed it until 2 AM my time. And someone did submit at 1:55. Just in under the cutoff time. The entries were compiled and passed along to the incomparable Michael Arnzen to judge. He has a talent for writing wonderful abbreviated works. His collection 100 Jolts was amazing. Check out his work at http://www.gorelets.com You won't be disappointed. And check out his latest book Proverbs for Monsters, from Dark Regions Press.

Without further ado, here are the winning entries:

C. S. McBride won first place with...

Twisting from the branch,
the wind's marionette; my
love, you dance once more.

Bruce Boston won second place with...

flesh of a zombie
cold and crumbling in my hands
when I touch myself

John Pupo won third place with...

Under bed I hide
Seeing feet shuffle here - there
Till you grab my hair

There were many wonderful entries and I want to publicly thank everyone who joined in this contest. Rest assured this is the first of many contests to come.

Bloody MonkeyZ

Horror Haiku Contest Update

2009-01-31T08:32:00.001-06:00

There has been a good response to the Haiku contest. There are still a couple of days left to get entries in. The big news about it is that Michael Arnzen has come onboard to be a judge.

Michael Arnzen is a four-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author and poet.The creator of Gorelets -- short-short horror poems available through his website, gorelets.com-- Arnzen's latest book is Proverbs for Monsters, from Dark Regions Press.

Bloody MonkeyZ

Haiku update

2009-01-07T18:10:00.002-06:00

Two rules that I realize were not set. No more than three entries per person. And it isn't important whether or not they were published before. It would be nice to have original, but not required.

Bloody MonkeyZ

The laddie reckons himself a poet

2009-01-05T19:00:00.003-06:00

Do you?

I just posted a review of a book that my daughter gave me for Christmas. Zombie Haiku by Ryan Mecum. I won't go into the book here, the review page already has that accomplished. Zombie Haiku review

The book Zombie Haiku introduced to me the idea of doing a horror themed Haiku. I used to do Haiku many moons ago. A haiku is a poem that has a very rigid structure to it. It is only three lines long. The first line is 5 syllables, the second line is 7 and the third and final line is 5.

I have done one here as an example.

Sunlight reflecting.
Razor held high, swiftly falling.
Crimson drips from steel.

Since I have taken over Horror-Web I have not maintained the idea of contests. I have wanted to but simply not really known how to go about it. Too many things I had been learning and dealing with. Now we will have contests. This is the first of them.

Write a horror haiku. Submit it to us at HorrorHaiku@Horror-Web.com

This is going to be a contest with a very high payoff too. Gonna pay first place one dollar per syllable. Not bad for what is likely to be about a 10 word entry. For second place I shall pay out 75 cents and third place will pay 50 cents.

Entries must be posted to the email address above by midnight Sunday February first. I shall not be the lone judge. I will post the judges here in the next few days or so. Soon as I know who they are!

Bloody MonkeyZ

What is your horror IQ?

2008-11-16T13:36:00.003-06:00

Did IQ's drop sharply while I was away? Ripley said it in Aliens, but I could not get this line out of my head while watching a movie the other night. What movie? I haven't written a review for it on the movie section (yet.) Sukiyaki Western Django. I was looking forward to this. Takashi Miike with an English language release film. Audition and Ichi are two of the most stunning asian films I have seen. Five seconds into this film I realized that I was in for a long 2 hours. The start of this film is on a set that looks like a crappy high school play set. Excuse me Mr Miike, but don't give me high school musical crap and expect me to enjoy it as a legitimate movie.

This isn't my first objection to being insulted by horror movies. Although I have been in disagreement with some about recent movies. Grindhouse comes instantly to mind. Those B movies we fondly recall growing up with are fond memories because it was a different time. A different world. There was less horror that had been explored as well as there has been today. You cannot recreate that environment. Any attempt to do so simply results in a movie that comes across as self serving. Neither of the Grindhouse films were any good. And making them "scratchy" looking and "missing a reel" only confirms this. If you need a gimmick to garner interest then you missed the mark.

Another recent mis-step in our beloved industry was Hostel. 45 minutes of tits and ass followed by 45 minutes of splatter and gore does not make a movie. First I felt like I was watching a porn and then you change channels on me to Faces of Death. What the hell...There were so many inane things in this film. Bad decisions. Poor plotlines. Ridiculous character choices. It was an unwatchable film that I feel only became a success because of the news that people were becoming "sick" just watching this film. Wanna see a movie that is stomach churning but also has a story? Watch Ichi.

Kill Bill also comes to mind. Here's a gimmick for ya. Let's take a movie that should be 90 minutes, make it a 3 hour epic with ridiculous asides and different filmmaking styles then release it in 2 parts. Kill Bill could have been a good movie if it had been made into one freakin film. Lord of the Rings had to be 3 films. The story commanded it. And then some. No gimmick there in three films or even in the extended releases. The story dictated the form. Tarantino has gone from making great and innovative films to using gimmicks and trickery to entice viewers to his movies. There was another Tarantino film I thought I was buying only to discover that it was a 70's Grindhouse type of film that he had repacked with his name overwhelming everything. I didn't look close enough and was tricked into thinking I was buying a Tarantino film. This blog didn't start out with the intention of ripping on Tarantino, but I think he needs to sit down, take a deep breath and recall what it was about Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction that worked so well. Insulting your viewers was not what did it.

We need more films like Wolf Creek, Malevolence,Sixth Sense, High Tension, Saw, Silence of the Lambs, Cube and Midnight Movie. We need less movies like House of Wax remake, Saw 5, Happening, Strangers, Lost Boys: Tribe, Texas Chainsaw Beginning, Amityville Horror remake, Fog remake. This isn't rocket science people. It is filmmaking. Horror filmmaking. Give me a decent story with decent acting and a few scares and I am happy as a pearl in a clam. Give me crap with Paris Hilton or nothing but remakes and I am just gonna get cranky.

Bloody MonkeyZ

Rhode Island International Film Festival Horrorfest (October 24-26)

2008-11-05T17:39:00.002-06:00

Last weekend I had the great pleasure of being invited by George Marshall, Executive Director/CEO of The Rhode Island International Film Festival to attend their 9th Annual Horrorfest taking place in five theaters throughout Providence over three days. I attended those at the Columbus Theater, a grand old movie house, gilded with the patina of having seen at least 80 years of films and now a perfect venue for any art film festival, and that’s how I would describe the RIFF event; artsy, independent and often fierce the choices of films shown. Given the short time I had to attend any screenings, I did manage to find a few gems and get a feel for Mr. Marshall’s commitment to helping make worthy small, independent, foreign and often, low budget horror films accessible to the general public to which they might not have been exposed otherwise. And what a refreshing experience it was. Tired of the last fifteen years of big budget Metroplex runs of bloated remakes, gratuitous and graphically violent films masquerading as horror to appease the tastes of the uninitiated teenager? Then go to next year’s 10th Annual Horrorfest. The RIFF takes a brave stance in supporting small films without the promotional clout of studio backing but that nonetheless pack a wallop of creativity, both visual and intellectual. The antithesis of the “junk food” offered at the local mega theaters, the films chosen for this years Horrorfest presented a meaty banquet of wide and varied courses, some spicy, some sweet but all ( at least of those I personally viewed) leaving me full of thought, imagination and questions and ready for my brandy and cigar.

For me the appetizer was a little Japanese film (with subtitles) called HAIR EXTENSIONS. When I sat down I half expected a knock off of “The Grudge” from a few years back, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Hair Extensions is a neatly packaged and highly stylized film with a simple plot A scientific madman uses a woman’s dead body as sort of a “hair farm,” growing long black wads of hair out of her every orifice. He then harvests the hair to sell to local beauty shops with . . . far reaching results. Even better than the horror plot is the second plot involving a pair of sisters, one good and the other not so good, and the abused child the bad sister abandons to the good one. The special effects will dazzle your eyes and make your skin crawl at the same time while the abused child subplot will break your heart to the point where you just can’t wait for the child beating “bad” sister to get her . . . hair done. Don’t miss this one. I loved it. Next, I saw a short subject filming of H. P. Lovecraft’s Pickman’s Model with the feel of a student film experiment. The acting was like bad TV and the photography like a Polaroid Point and Shoot, BUT, it had something indefinable that made it come together and creep me out. It could have been the mannered theater like acting of the lead playing Pickman, or the murky, grainy, almost sepia toned coloring of the film but it undeniably delivered its goose bumps. For this, I’d have to give credit to the director, Gary Fierro, and lead actor who, even with all the flaws of this filming, will both with any luck will become polished into artists of merit in their future efforts. I would call this one an aperitif, short and sweet but with a nice kick. Good job guys, next time I hope you get a bigger budget to flex with.

Following the very short Pickman’s Model, I had the good fortune to have the time to see the film that followed; a modern silent filming of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulu, a famous and thus familiar tale of lost civilization, cult worshippers and dark obsession. Kitschy and sometimes corny, this “Call of Cthulu” seemed like an exercise in form over substance, very artistically shot with a nice 1920’s period feel giving the impression one gets of a piece of parchment held over a candle but with a downside of leaving the viewer coming away still waiting for a slamming pay-off. In the end the creators and director Andrew Leman proved they could make an eye catching, almost hypnotizing looking film but one that leaves the viewer at the end asking “Where the hell is the MONSTER?”

My next and final foray into the RIFF’s vault of horror was for the Saturday night premier of SEA OF DUST, but you’ll have to look at my full review posted earlier for that one. All in all, I can only praise Mr. Marshall for his dedication not only to artistic expression in general but to his clear love and appreciation for the art of horror film making and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with for next year, Surf & Turf? I’m there!

There is a forum entry if you want to go talk about this post or any other film festivals.

Horrorspondant

I see love in your future...

2008-11-04T09:05:00.002-06:00

Several months ago I was at an event where a psychic was in attendance. I had never gone to a psychic before. My mom had, and her experience was interesting. The psychic wanted to know nothing about her. They sat with a tape recorder running and the psychic talked for 30 minutes. There was a lot of detail in that 30 minutes, given that she knew nothing of my mom.

So here I am about to go get a reading. $25 for 30 minutes, but I figured it would be worth it. She took me back to her "reading area" at the event. Seemed like it took 5 minutes just to get to the room. We sat down across from each other and she just stared at me. Then she asked me what I wanted to know.

I stumbled a bit at this. I told her I hadn't prepared questions. What do I want to know? I thought you were going to tell me stuff. She sat patiently and explained to me that she needed me to ask something. Under pressure, I reverted to the basics. How about love.

She was introspective for a minute and then asked me about my love life. Is there someone I am interested in? So I talked a bit about that. And she gave me some vague responses and told me that I was too generous. The situation is tenuous and I need to decide how long I am willing to stay in the uncertainty.

Then we moved on to business. I explained my situation to her and the venture that is looming. She offered some vague commentary on that. Indicating that I needed to find my calling. I have a creative nature and that needs to be fully explored.

Intermingled with all this were comments about "her peeps" which she meant her spiritual advisors. She indicated that they were basically standing there looking over her shoulder during our conversation. She also mentioned now and then about how I was a good person.

And that was it.

A wholly unsatisfying experience. Honestly, I spent more time talking than she did. And I left feeling more like I had been in a therapist session than a psychic one. I am not down on the whole idea of a psychic, but the one I saw I would not go to again if she paid me for my time.

Head over to the forum and tell me about your experience.

Bloody MonkeyZ

The revolution will not be televised...

2008-10-28T19:52:00.002-05:00

it will be downloaded. Or so Amazon hopes. In case you have not heard, they have introduced the next evolutionary step in the literary world. A handheld electronic book reader.

When I first heard the news I was shocked. This idea is so groundbreaking and incredible I don't see how no one ever thought of it before. Oh wait, they did. Seems like it was in the mid 90's when ebooks were touted as the end of printed books as we know them. Only problem was that the people that read books tend to love them. Most readers I know have bookcases in their homes overflowing with paperbacks and hardbacks. And the one thing that an ebook can never emulate is a shelf full of books.

The difference this time? Oprah. The woman who can mention a book and turn it into an instant bestseller has endorsed the Kindle. What does this mean for books? who knows. I know that I won't buy a Kindle. I love my bookshelves. And my pockets are already overflowing what with an ipod, wallet, cellphone, DS and a Clie. The next big thing will be cargo pants for the extra pocket space.

Check out the Kindle for yourself

Bloody MonkeyZ

10 women and a snake

2008-10-23T16:16:00.003-05:00

When has a franchise gone too far? Overstayed it's welcome in the spotlight? Overall I would say that moment is not one that can be seen until years later. Looking back, we can see when Freddy's claws grew dull. When Pinhead's nails began to rust. When we all wished Jason would go jump in a lake. But at the time, we were all going to the cinema and paying our money to check out the body count.

Saw was one of the more original franchises to kick off in recent years. A killer who doesn't kill, yet has a body count. A horror movie with (gasp) a story. And a horror franchise that has a mission. Every Halloween they intend on releasing a new movie. I believe I read somewhere recently that they are contracted through Saw 8. Mind you Scream was at one time contracted through #7 as well, but stalled at 3.

So how has Saw gone too far? Personally I think they went overboard with blood and gore. I am not a gorehound. I love me a scary movie, but blood doesn't scare me (Hostel sucked because it was all about the gore.) Saw crossed a line and began focusing on the gore and blood rather than the intriguing stories that launched the franchise. Each movie I feel could be improved with a little MPAA gore cutting, not that I am a supporter of MPAA interference. I just think that they needed someone to reign them in a bit.

I love the fact that the franchise killed off the main killer, actually killed him. And kept the story progressing and true to itself. But I came not to praise Jigsaw, but to bury him.

VH1 has a new reality series called Scream Queens. 10 aspiring actresses are vying for a role in Saw VI. Let's be honest though, what sort of role will it be? Not gonna be a lead in any way. Probably some low key cameo that rivals the average cameo a director gives to himself for fun.

But really, a reality show? Give me a break. Shawnee Smith is one of the three judges. Makes sense. She pretty much became a scream queen from her role in Saw 1-3. But James Gunn is doing rather well as a filmmaker. He doesn't really need the shameless level of promotion that this offers. And then we have John Homa. An acting coach. Makes sense for him to do a show like this because of the promotional aspect.

The show was more entertaining than I expected it to be, and James Gunn looked like he had a blast directing 10 women in the bathtub. But hell, who wouldn't! The show is fun and I will continue watching it, but I don't really think that it will lead to a starring role in Saw VI.

Bloody MonkeyZ

The stuff of nightmares

2008-10-16T23:01:00.002-05:00

I have always had a fascination with dreams and nightmares more precisely. 20 Years ago a comic brought the world of dreams into the forefront. Sandman by Neil Gaiman. Right now there is a semi new Sandman comic coming out. It is an adaptation of Dream Hunters into comic form. Not 100% new, but still something to look forward to.

Beyond that though, the realm of dreams and nightmares has been of interest to me. Often the idea of nightmares would be related to dinner. Something you ate had caused an imbalance in your system and the result of that was apparent in your psyche via nightmares. I don't really believe in that. There was a time when I ate all sorts of weird stuff trying to induce nightmares. Nothing worked. Eating late. Going to bed immediately after a meal. Heavy meals of meat and potatoes. Light meals. Junk food. Ice cream. I tried everything except healthy foods (they scare me...) I never had any better or worse dreams based on food. Likewise, staying up for extended periods just caused me to recall less of my dreams because exhaustion would shut my body down.

This article made me pause and think though. It links creativity to nightmares. For those who don't know me personally, I have a strange mixture of talents. I am an incredibly creative and artistic person. Most of the time. But the other portion of the time I am incredibly logical and methodical. I have spent time in college learning programming and electronic engineering and calculus. I have spent time in college learning airbrush, creative writing and figure drawing (not just for the nude models either!) I wonder if the correlation between nightmares and creativity has any relevance. Often in my life I have had my focus drawn towards one aspect or the other (creative or logical) but never before did I track the frequency of my nightmares. I am going to spend some time tracking it now. Although it may be hard to since this website has gotten me rather intensely back into the technical and logical aspects of my personality. Guess I will test the lack of nightmare portion of the theory first!

Bloody MonkeyZ

SPOT "Day of the Clown" (Parts 1 and 2) The Sarah Jane Adventures Series 2

2008-10-14T20:17:00.007-05:00

What's this? A kid's show getting a SPOT? You had better believe it.

While Doctor Who and Torchwood are well known here in the US, The Sarah Jane Adventures (which as the title suggests, follows the adventures of the Doctor's former companion Sarah Jane Smith - who traveled with the Third and Fourth Doctors - in her life now here on Earth) has flown under the radar. Which is a shame since this is probably one of, if not the best children's show I have ever seen.

In this particular episode, local children are being abducted and Sarah Jane and her kids suspect it has something to do with a clown that has been appearing around town. There's one small problem. Sarah Jane is deathly afraid of clowns. As she should be. Seriously. This clown was one creepy sonofabitch. I didn't think they'd go for something so scary on a kid's show. What is with my shows and making my fear of clowns worse than it already is?

Here's a fan-made trailer for both parts (which really isn't too different from the trailers for each part except it's longer).

Flunky

Random thoughts from a half asleep mind

2008-10-09T23:28:00.003-05:00

Probably the worst remake news I ever heard was about the Evil Dead. Let's face it, the Evil Dead 2 was almost completely a remake of the first one. Although they confused it a bit by picking up where the fiest one left off. Evil Dead 3 was more of a spoof of the idea. So now we get conflicting rumours about an Evil Dead 4 and an Evil Dead remake. Let's be honest, they are probably the same thing. When a series is looking at the 4th installment and that installment comprises the second remake of the original... I guess I just don't see the point. I enjoyed it but if I really want to see Evil Dead again, I can pop in the DVD. I don't need some new remake version in order to see what I have already seen.

God, it seems like I keep touching on remakes here. They are a hot topic though and everytime I turn around there is more news about more remakes. This will be the last remake post in Little Blog Of Horrors for the month of October though. Too much other stuff going on. And I missed 2 days this week as it is. Barely got Tuesday in. Computer troubles were ridiculous. Took me an hour Tuesday of literally hitting the post button, waiting for it to time out and fail then pasting the info again and hitting post again.

And the real world horrors that are going on are getting overwhelming. I thank God that 2 years ago my job laid me off and I cashed in my 401k in order to have living money at the time. Hey, I am already broke. All the rich people are coming down to my level. Welcome to the cesspool. We all float down here...

Tomorrow will be a super sized LBOH post. All my energy shall be guided that direction in an effort to make up for my missed blogs earlier this week.

Bloody MonkeyZ