Seth Tucker's Blog, page 15

Halloween Movies That You Should See if You Haven’t

Hello my ever faithful readers, I’ve hit a lot of different parts of the genre known as Horror during our Halloween Film Fests lists. What I’d like to do today is go with some of the films that I feel most people haven’t seen, but films that are fun and should definitely be seen.

5) Gargoyles – This made for TV film is most notable for it’s makeup, which was done by a young Stan Winston before he became the god of makeup effects. It’s easy to see how he achieved his status from this early film. The makeup is outstanding, and the plot is very different. Every 600 years gargoyle eggs hatch, and they will swarm amongst man unless stopped. Well it’s the late 60s. It’s been 600 years and they are in the desert waiting for all their eggs to hatch. A professor of folklore and his daughter are traveling through the Midwest and stop to talk to Uncle Willy, who knows much of the local folklore. While telling his stories, it gets dark and something tries to get into the shack and a lantern catches fire. The professor and his daughter escape but are chased by something flying. Back in town they get a hotel hoping that there isn’t any more excitement. Much to their dismay the Gargoyles follow them and they along with the local law enforcement and some dirt bikers try to prevent the hatching of the eggs that will spell the end of humanity. It’s old but not a bad movie at all.

4) Undead – This Australian zombie flick is great. It has aliens, zombies, 3 & 4 barrel pump action shotguns, and Australians. This film is a little comical (to a lot comical depending on your point of view). A meteorite crashes in the middle of a small town in the outback and apparently the equivalent of alien swine flu was in it, and people begin turning into zombies, then it starts to rain. Several of our survivors are trying to escape when they realize that a giant wall has been erected around their city. Trapped with the undead, they’ll have to fight to survive. This film is great for it’s tongue in cheek approach and good timing for both their action scenes and gags. I’ve got to admit this film is 10 times better than Razorback (think Jaws if Jaws was a razorback boar terrorizing the outback instead of the ocean, yeah it’s as bad as you’re thinking).  This film also was released before the massive zombie craze that we have today.

3) Slither – This film is actually a pastiche of several different films, borrowing most heavily from Night of the Creeps. It’s about space slugs that get into your brain take over and then as a group consciousness want you to meld with the originator of the slugs (whoever he might be). While he still impregnates people, which causes them to swell to grotesque proportions until they burst and the slugs come forth. Now this being said, this movie stars Elizabeth Banks (Zack and Miri Make a Porno), Nathan Fillion (Joss Whedon’s Firefly) & Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead). Now, I know this might sound like some crazy slugs-in-my-brain-zombie movie and it kind of is, except for one thing. It’s not restricted to people. At one point, Nathan Fillion, our local sheriff, is attacked by a slug-brain deer. This film is also very tongue in cheek, but it’s so awesome to watch. Mainly, because I’m a massive Nathan Fillion fan and if you like his character from Firefly and Serenity then you’ll love his character in Slither.

2) Phantasm – If you haven’t seen this awesome film series, then you are missing out. The Tall Man is an enigma, I’ve learned things about him through 4 films and have not come any closer to finding out what he is exactly, or where he’s from. The action hero of these films (predominantly starting with 2) is an ice cream vender. But the main crux of the story is about Mike. Since I can go on forever about these films, I’ll try to stick to the first one. Mike is a teenager who is being raised by his older brother (Jodi) since the death of his parents. Jodi attends a funeral of one of his friends and leaves. Mike having followed him stays behind and watches as the Tall Man picks up the casket, by himself, and puts it back into the hearse. Mike, Jodi, and Reggie (our ice cream vender) get drawn into a battle against the Tall Man who controls imps made from the dead and his sentinel spheres (small silver balls that as we see in this film, attach themselves to a person’s head, drill into the skull and remove the blood). The Tall Man is a creepy guy, he’s the undertaker at the Morningside Funeral Home and is transporting the dead to some unknown dimension/planet where they are shrunk and become his evil dwarfish minions. It’s a battle to save their town, their dead parents, and their very lives as they match wits with the Tall Man.

1) The Monster Squad – This 80’s classic was put out on DVD a couple years ago and is just as fun today as it was back then. Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Mummy, the Wolfman, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon have arrived in a small town seeking to find an amulet that will allow them to cast the world into darkness and evil for 100 yrs. But if the forces of good control the amulet at the stroke of midnight and recite the ancient German spell then evil will be banished into limbo for 100 yrs. Who you ask are the forces of good: 2 kids, 3 young teens, and 1 mid teen, and a scary German guy (who is credited as Scary German Guy). Some people can’t stand this film and I’m sure it wouldn’t get made today. It shows one of our heroes making bullets (silver of course), but it also shows several of the squad handling firearms. Our middle schooler is the bad boy of the group and steals an archery set from his school and smokes. So, as you can see there’s too many controversial issues for those to allow this film to be made today. Anyway this movie is fantastic. “The Wolfman has Gnards,” garlic pizza can hurt Dracula, and the “Creature stole my twinkie,” what more could you ask for. If you don’t get these references then watch the movie. If you get these references watch the movie. All in all watch the movie. It’s the Goonies with Monsters, what’s not to love?

Oh, 80’s poster art.

Other suggestions if you’ve seen these are Night of the Creeps (brain slugs from outer space), Near Dark (vampires that get ignored b/c of the Lost Boys), Children of the Corn (despite how bad the series of films got, the first ones still really good), and Bubba Ho-tep (Bruce Campbell as geriatric Elvis in a Texas rest home with a black JFK fighting a soul sucking mummy). Enjoy, and keep your eyes open for all those movies you should see but haven’t.

Filed under: 80s, creature from the black lagoon, cult, cult classic, don coscarelli, Dracula, Frankenstein, fun, gargoyles, Halloween, horror movies, list, Monster Squad, movies, mummy, phantasm, slither, Tall Man, theme, undead, wolfman, zombie

Bad films to cheer and jeer at your Halloween party this year (or You get a B on this)

Hello, my frightful friends. As most any one who knows me will tell you, I have an appreciation for a good horror movie, but an even deeper appreciation for the bad ones. So, if you are looking for some flicks to rent and watch but don’t want any thing to heavy but just some good laughable flicks that were made as intentional horror films (and with some of these that’ll be hard to swallow) then this is a good list for you.  It is with utmost pleasure that I have collected these B movies for you to enjoy.  For those of you who are more serious minded in your horror, I’ll post later entries for you. But first on with the camp.

5) The Evil Dead (original) – This cult classic has been viewed by a large number of you, I’m sure, but still this campy classic has been a staple in my Halloween line-up for years. This film was a first time effort by then unknowns Sam (Spiderman trilogy) Raimi, Robert (co-founder of Ghost House Pictures) Tapert, and Bruce Campbell. Two wonderful moments of camp: monsters dissolve into creamed corn (budget constraints, I get it.) and tree rape, the most famous scene in the movie, not that it isn’t well done but the concept is still kind of comical. But that’s #5 on my list. On a small tangent, I had the pleasure of meeting Bruce Campbell a few yrs back (and yes he’s still working) and he has, to date, been the nicest celebrity I’ve ever met.

4) Feast – The most recent of the films. This was a Project Greenlight production that aired on Bravo. This is a gore-drenched film with monsters that have super libidos, and lots of teeth. I don’t want to give too much away about this because not knowing much about it made it that much better to watch the first time (and I cried from laughing so hard). This film starts with a dude getting his head eaten, places tongue firmly in cheek and runs with it. Why is this campy you ask, without giving too much away let me just say: Monster Humping.

3) Puppet Master – A run down hotel is supposedly haunted; a small group of paranormal investigators go in and discover it is actually stringless puppets. Old man Toulon must be behind it (if only it were so simple but this isn’t Scooby Doo). Toulon died in ’39 and someone has learned his way to give life to objects. The puppets wreak havoc on the investigators until the truth behind their resurrection is made clear. It may not sound campy but 1 it’s direct to video from 89 and 2 killer puppets in a hotel.

2) Night of the Lepus – I think the best way to introduce this film is to quote from the actual film: “Ladies and gentlemen, a herd of killer rabbits is headed this way.” That’s right, giant, killer, man-eating rabbits are roaming the plains of the midwest devouring entire towns as they travel by night. Two great things about this. The rabbits are obviously shot on miniatures, and 2) the actors are never in the same shot as the rabbits. Also, there’s nothing like a cute fuzzy bunny with bright red stage blood smeared on its face as it smiles. It’s cute. So watch this movie and discover the horror of cute.

The horror! THE HORROR!

1) Plan 9 from Outer Space – Universally known as the worst film ever made, and if you watch it you’ll see why. This was Bela Lugosi’s final film appearance, he died early in production and Ed Wood (the most famous bad director of all time) had his chiropractor stand in for Lugosi (covering up his face with a cape and playing Lugosi from the eyes up, despite the uncanny resemblance it’s obvious to tell who is and isn’t Lugosi). Some people even ask why Plan 9, it’s simple the first 8 failed and they decided that if they used 3 zombies they could take over the earth easier. Also, any film with the words “from Outer Space” at the end of the title must be acknowledged as a bad film, but most likely laughably campy.

“I’ve got to tell you, this is the shoddiest cemetery I’ve ever been in.”

There are numerous campy greats out there, but these are my recommendations for you. The Honorable mentions go to: Re-animator, Frogs (despite the fact that the frogs don’t actually do anything), and Billy the Kid vs. Dracula (that’s right). Please enjoy and tell me what some of your favorite campy classics are.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: B-movie, Bruce Campbell, campy, classics, Evil Dead, Feast, Halloween, horror, horror movies, list, movie, Night of the Lepus, Outer Space, Plan 9, Puppet Master, Puppets, theme

5 Monster Movies for Halloween (or Creature Comforts)

Hello, my monstrous friends. Let’s look at some of my favorite horror films in the creature feature sub-genre. These films are normally thought of as existing within the confines of science fiction and super B movies (thanks Scifi Channel). Creatures are often considered outside the normal pantheon of supernatural beasties. Vampire, werewolves, ghosts, and zombies all exist separately but the creature feature, well, it will show you some strange beasts wreaking havoc only to succumb to the army or scientists who created it. But here are the top 5, that I recommend you guys watch.

5) The Relic – Believe me when I say that the movie hardly resembles the book at all, but this is a fun movie. It’s set in the Museum of Natural History in Chicago, which provides an excellent backdrop for the Kothoga to stalk and kill. It’s days before the opening of the Superstition exhibit and the Kothoga statue is on display. The real creature is actually stalking the grounds as well, using the subbasements and underground tunnels to traverse the labyrinth like museum. On the night of the opening exhibit, the Kothoga strikes and manages to cause the security system to shut down, trapping many of the guests (including the Mayor) inside, with 2 of the investigating officers and one evolutionary biologist who uncovers the origin of the Kothoga. This film has a good feel to it and I enjoy the characters, including the Kothoga. I assure you, that you’ll never look at the musuem the same way again.

4) Black Sheep – Night of the Lepus-like only instead of giant killer bunnies they used genetically altered man eating sheep. That’s right sheep, this time they’re doing the shearing. Not only are there killer man eating sheep, but anyone who’s bitten by the sheep and lives will turn into a giant weresheep. Great, right?! Sheep are just kind of funny looking while they chew, but when you see them chew with blood smeared on their muzzle and the actor’s reactions to this, you’ll crack up. Still despite it , this film was well done, tongue firmly placed in cheek, but the movie is good because it knows what it is. If they had tried to pass this off as a serious film, then people would not have liked it, but this film must be seen. So watch the sheep and remember when you see that sweater in the closet, the sheep might be coming for you.

Doesn’t this look awesome!

3) They – This film takes an interesting look at children that suffer night terrors, claiming that they are actually being terrorized by creatures. It’s not until much later that you realize that they didn’t imagine it. They actually were dragged to another dimension and implanted with this tracker in their skulls so that years later they can be found for the purpose of being eaten. Four people in this film who at one time suffered night terrors are our cast of protagonists. One of them who blows his brains out in a diner so they can’t get him. Two of them who don’t believe until it’s too late. And the last, our heroine, who must convince others that they are real, and they are coming. I absolutely love this film for the way the creatures are portrayed and the fact that you never get a great look at them, but it’s still awesome. This one will make you think twice about dismissing someone who claims to have had a similar nightmare.

2) Pitch Black – This film introduce us to the anti-hero Riddick (which most people came to love) and Vin Diesel. Also, the creatures were an interesting concept living underground until the triple sun solar eclipse then they come out to feed. Riddick (in the custody of a bounty hunter) is a murdering felon, but he also can see in the dark and, in this case, that’s a very helpful skill. I absolutely love this movie and thought it was well done. There’s something about watching a bad guy fight monsters, especially when those monsters are faster, stronger, and tougher than you. Watch and see who will survive and who will feed the beasts.

Staring down the monster.

1) The Descent – Hands down the best horror films made in the past 10 year. You don’t see any monsters until later in the movie, but the way it’s shot and the set design make you feel like you’re in a cave system. The film has a very claustrophobic feel to it, and then once the ladies get good and lost. There’s a cave-in, so they must brave the uncharted caves or risk never getting out again. Unbeknownst to them, is a tribe of humanoids living down in the caves and they are hungry. I encourage anyone who likes a good suspenseful film that’s well done to watch this. It has some graphic parts to it, but it’s just an awesome movie. I can’t say anymore about it, awesome.

If these don’t seem to suit your fancy then I’d recommend Humaniods from the Deep (fishmen mating with our women), of course the first real creature feature The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Watchers (based on the Dean Koontz book), or Pumpkinhead (nothing like some southern demon justice). Thanks for reading and remember, no matter where you are they might lurk so check the bed, the closet, and any dark corners for creatures abound.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Black Sheep, creature, Descent, film fest, Halloween, horror, horror movies, list, marathon, monster, movie, Pitch Black, Relic, Riddick, theme, They, Vin Diesel

Five Classic Films for Halloween

Good evening, the time is drawing close for you to make your viewing selections for Halloween, so let me offer you what I consider to be an essentials list of classic films for the season. These are the films I recommend everyone watch.

5) Evil Dead (original) – This low budget masterpiece introduced the world to Bruce Campbell, Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert. A trio that has since gone onto bigger things. The effects in the film are good, especially when you consider the budget and how some of the effects were pulled off. The later films take a more comedic turn (becoming splatstick), but this first one is still disturbing. Be it the tree rape, the possessed gnawing through her own wrist, or the creepy girl that won’t quit giggling. This film is still one of the best examples of the “Cabin in the Woods” genre.

4) Nosferatu (1922, silent) – This was the first screen vampire and is technically a film that we shouldn’t have today. After it’s initial release the estate of Bram Stoker sued Murnau for copyright infringement and won. All prints of the film were ordered destroyed, however, because the film had already been distributed internationally this was not successful. Thankfully. Schreck’s performance is wonderful and Murnau really does a wonderful job of creating a creepy horror opus that still holds up today. Also impressive is the fact that Schreck did his own makeup.

Great makeup, right?

3) The Creature from the Black Lagoon – This is my personal favorite from the Universal Classics. It has great sequences underwater that are shot beautifully but still create the sense of dread because just below the surface is the Creature watching, waiting, until the time is right. It also has a great gillman suit that still holds up. And it has a good story, scientists are looking for fossil remains and find a living specimen. During their attempts to capture the creature, they become trapped at the lagoon and are forced to fight for their lives. This movie has just always been a great watch and always will be.

2) Night of the Living Dead (1968) – Welcome to the birth of the modern zombie. Before Night, you did not have the flesh eating zombies that you have in modern cinema. Previously, they were all voodoo zombies. Something that Night also did was give a grander scale of the problem. While our main cast is trapped inside a farmhouse, they are exposed to the plague around the world via the television. If there’s anything else that Romero’s zombies taught us is that deadliest threat is not the undead. From it’s opening where we learn that :”They’re coming to get you, Barbara!” (which is one of the most memorable lines from horror movie history, and was also parodied in Shaun of the Dead) to it’s end, which does not leave us happy with a warm fuzzy feeling, this film is a milestone of independent filmmaking and using a device to discuss social woes (though this is more notable in the other films in the series, it all started with this one). And please don’t believe the satellite brought the dead back to life theory that most people use as the explanation for the zombies. I heard Romero speak and he explained that there were going to be several different theories given via the news during the night, but they had to cut the film for time’s sake and left in that one because they had went to Washington D.C. to shoot it, and they felt it added production value to the film. So why are the dead wandering? We just don’t know for sure.

1) John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) – I am a massive John Carpenter fan and this film series. This was the film that started it all for the masked slasher. It also introduced us to Jamie Lee Curtis. Halloween was a true vision of terror and is still disturbing today. For some unknown reason (at least until the sequel), Michael Myers murdered his sister 15 years before and ,now, has escaped the maximum security hospital to stalk babysitter Laurie Strode, killing off her friends before attacking her. What adds to this film is the ever present Michael Myers as he stalks her and her friends. You can almost feel him watching plotting to plan his perfect moment. He was thought of as the boogeyman by some, and he proved himself an indestructible killing machine in this film. Although it’s the ending that will leave you wondering, where’s the boogeyman. This film also turns in excellent performances by Curtis, but also Donald Pleasance as Dr. Sam Loomis (named for Janet Leigh’s boyfriend in Psycho) Michael’s psychiatrist who knows just how deep the evil runs within Michael.

Well there you have it. If you haven’t finalized your Halloween viewing for the weekend, these are your essentials. If you’ve already seen these then please read some of my other posts to get ideas on what you might find out there that you’ll like. Sleep tight, and just tell yourself it’s only a movie.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Ash vs the Evil Dead, black lagoon, Bruce Campbell, creature, Evil Dead, Halloween, horror, horror movie, horror movies, john carpenter, list, movie, Night of the Living Dead, Nosferatu, slasher, vampire, zombies

Vampires vs Doctors (natural enemies?)

One of the more interesting aspects of vampire fiction is the animosity found between vampires and doctors. Twenty-five years before Dracula was printed, Le Fanu’s story Carmilla featured a doctor determined in his quest to destroy vampires. Then, of course, there is the ever famous Dracula with Doctors Van Helsing and Seward crusading against the Count. From there, it seems that most vampires who appeared on film were foiled by some sort of Professor or Doctor. It wasn’t until the late 50’s and Hammer that the Doctor was intermittently replaced by priests, monks, and young lovers; even then only in every other film. Peter Cushing portrayed Dr. Van Helsing for Hammer in one of my favorite Van Helsing portrayals.

Seriously, his Van Helsing is the best thing ever.

Even into the 60’s and 70’s do we see doctors and vampires matching wits. Count Yorga, The Return of Count Yorga, and Blacula (he’s Dracula’s soul brother) had the title bloodsucker facing off against doctors. The 80’s saw the doctor further and further removed from vampire films (unless of course it was a Dracula film). Lost Boys had the dynamic duo of vamp slayage: the Frog Brothers. Near Dark’s features a doctor in a prominent role against the bloodsuckers.

Count Yorga

Dracula’s soul brother, indeed!

Most likely, this harkens to a subconscious point, where plagues swept across the lands, and vampires were blamed for the deaths that were ever present in the middle ages. In its modern incarnation, doctors are fighters of disease, protectors of man against viral evils. While vampires were thought to spread disease (interesting sidebar: at the time of Dracula’s publication, a syphilis epidemic was plaguing Britain, syphilis being a blood disease was associated with vampirism, it’s also speculated that Bram Stoker the author of Dracula died of syphilis), doctors would be the natural adversary to them. Van Helsing is called upon because Lucy has shown symptoms of a strange blood disease, which is his area of expertise.

Of course, it’s almost comical to think that only a century and half before, when bloody rags formed the red stripes on the barber shop pole. The barber may have faced the vampire just as easily as a doctor. I can’t imagine Floyd Lawson from the Andy Griffith Show taking on a vampire (although it is kind of funny to think about). However, Sweeney Todd vs. Dracula would be an interesting fight to see. But I digress, if you are a doctor and I ever stumble upon vampires, rest assured that I will be knocking on your door. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but doctors keep vampires away, so trade in your apple for a clove of garlic.

I’ll be back again this week with some great films for your Halloween celebrations.

 

I’ll be back again this week with some great films for your Halloween celebrations.  Click below to pick up copies of Carmilla or Dracula.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Blacula, Count Yorga, Dracula, Hammer, Hammer Horror, Lost Boys, movies, theme, vampire, vampires, Van Helsing, writer

5 Werewolf films for Halloween, or a Howling Good Time

Good evening, my lunar lunatics. So tonight with the season upon us and the celestial bodies guiding our fates it seemed appropriate for us to discuss werewolf films. Admittedly, this is quite tough because some of the earlier drivein classics that are titled with werewolf are more a Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde story (there’s A Werewolf in the Girl’s Dormitory, for instance not a werewolf but a jekyl/hyde character). Also, there are several classic werewolf films that I’ve never seen that have been lost to time. Skinwalker (not the recent one) was the first werewolf film, and it took it’s story from the native american legend about men that possessed animal skins and could take on the shape of that animal. It was a silent film and I’ve never seen it. This film is considered lost and at this juncture in time there are no known copies. Let’s look at these canids (doglike humanoids) and see what full moon frolicking we can find.  My top 5 werewolf films for Halloween are:

5) The Howling – The Howling is an 80’s classic, featuring Dee Snider as a tv reporter who has a close call with a serial killer (who is a werewolf). To deal with the emotional scars, she goes to a nature retreat in a small community. Unbeknownst to our wily reporter, the entire community is a pack of werewolves and Eddie’s, our serial killer’s, hometown. This film does a good job of not revealing the werewolves until the time is right, building the suspense in nighttime scenes where our heroine is being stalked. I enjoy this film for 2 main reason, awesome transformation scene, and the werewolves look fantastic (especially for the time). They made a sequal (several of them in fact) but none of them can even remotely hold a candle to the first.

4) Curse of the Werewolf – This film is from Hammer Horror out of England and kudos to it for going back to the origins of werewolf lore. It wasn’t the bite of the werewolf that carried a virus, but it was generally someone who was cursed, or who would perform dark magic and could take the shape of the wolf and other animals. If you actually look into history, they executed people for being a werewolf (no silver bullets on that one), but I digress back to the movie. It goes with a more classic origin. Our werewolf in this film is the result of a rape and according to myth the bastard son of a rapist would become a werewolf. Accordingly, our werewolf does begin to exhibit the syptoms of lycanthropy as he approaches his late teens (18, I believe) at which point he begins to rampage about under the full moon. This is one of the more sympathetic characters in werewolf cinema because he actually tell his love’s father where to obtain a silver bullet and that he must be killed with it. I also think that the makeup effects on this film are good, but not overly comparable to the awesome effects that they have today.

3) An American Werewolf in London – The greatest transformation scene in all of moviedom. No other film has made the process look so painful or so real, not before and not since. This film is more a dark (very dark) comedy than horror.  The acting in it is superb, and John Landis’ direction is impeccable. This film doesn’t give the werewolf some grandiose death sentence it just has to die, any way is fine. But the psychological wear on our werewolf makes him a pitiable character, he is followed by the spirit of his dead friend (the last victim of the werewolf that turned him) and all the souls of the people he killed (displaying their wounds and rotting throughout the film). And I thought this was a great concept, their souls can’t rest until the werewolf’s line is severed and being that there are no other survivors save our American Werewolf and his sire was shot on the moors the night he attacked them. His death will bring peace to their souls. This film is still one of my favorites even though it’s 20-25 years old and I’ve seen it plenty. It never gets old, hopefully you’ll enjoy it as well.

2) Dog Soldiers – Soldiers vs. werewolves. This film is absolutely awesome and the best werewolf film made in the last 20 years. It pits a group of soldiers (who were being used as bait) against a pack of werewolves that reside in a secluded valley in the country side. The Special Forces that were going to trap the werewolves as they hunted our soldiers were decimated. Now, our soldiers with one of the locals have taken refuge in a secluded farmhouse to withstand the onslaught during the night. It’s Aliens and the Alamo, with werewolves. They have made their choice and now they just have to make their stand.

1) The Wolf Man – This classic gave us Lon Chaney, Jr. as Larry Talbot. Who is bitten by a wolf trying to save a girl and later finds that he will turn into a wolf “When the wolfsbane blooms and the moon is bright.” This film was the first great werewolf film that Hollywood created and of course the Wolf Man went on to join the pantheon of Universal Monsters. His portrayal of Larry Talbot as a tortured soul cracking under the knowledge of what he’s done is perfect. So if you haven’t seen this one then go out and give it a shot.

Honorable Mention: Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, I was Teenage Werewolf, Total Eclipse (werewolf cops), Cursed (if it’s the unrated version), and Silver Bullet. What are your favorites werewolf movies.

I hope you enjoyed the list of our shape shifting friends, who walk under the mantle of an animal during the moon’s cycle. Sleep tight and just tell yourself that the dog you hear howling is of the 4 legged variety and not one that might be your neighbor under the rays of the sun.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: creature, full moon, Hammer, Hammer Horror, horror, horror movie, Howling, list, monster, movie, must watch, Universal Monster, werewolf

Friday the 13th, a tale of a simpler time

So, I’ve been torturing my wife by watching all of the old Friday the 13ths.  She even admitted the first few weren’t too bad, but once they brought him back from the dead with a lighting bolt, she just could not get into them.  That being said, I really did take notice of how the first Friday, while a slasher, is also a bit of a thriller, as well.  It isn’t until Mrs. Voorhees reveals herself that the killer has truly been unmasked.  Based off of the jeep that we see the killer drive, it could also be Steve Christy.  And what about old, crazy Ralph?  Could he possibly be apart of the violence with his prophecies of doom?  Nope, just a woman who went mad with grief.

She’s not cra…

I take it back.

One thing that I noticed when watching these films, especially 1 & 2 (the one with camp counselors as the exclusive targets) is that children today will not even remotely understand some of the aspects of these films.  I could be wrong, but most of my friends who have children that go to camp, it is a day camp or weekend camp.  The only camps where they go overnight are the theme camps (music, sports, theatre).  Camp Crystal Lake was just a camp, where kids went and learned outdoors stuff.  Do camps like that still exist?  If so, how many of them are there, and how many kids are attending?  That is the first thing, the second will be why isn’t anyone calling for help with their cell phone?  In a time when you had to keep change in your pocket to make a phone call, these movies will puzzle kids more so than the other slasher franchises (Halloween is in the town and they normally try and attract attention, Nightmare on Elm Street is in their dreams, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre doesn’t really give our protagonists time to realize that something crazy is going on).

I even laughed about that with my wife, while watching the first film.  Two of our characters find an bloody ax in a bed, keep in mind one of the counselors is supposed to be there.  They think the others are playing a joke, when in today’s culture, it would go something like this:

AX IN BED

ALICE RETRIEVES CELL PHONE: “I’m texting Linda, this isn’t funny.”

Instead, they wander about looking for someone else.

Nope, nothing unusual about this.

Some things I don’t even understand about the movies, and I’ve watched them far more than I should have.  For instance, why is this man wearing a neckerchief.

Explain this to me!

The fashion is admittedly fun to laugh at, because I don’t know that we ever thought these looks were going to last forever, but just in case, here is a sampling of the clothing seen at Crystal Lake.

Lastly, I still don’t understand the concept of Jason.  They’ve made him more of a spirit of vengeance as the series has went on, but it didn’t start that way.  We get a simple explanation that he’s some mentally damaged, feral kid that has been living in the woods.  The Jason we see at the end of the first film was originally just a jump scare because Carrie’s did so well.  It was never meant to insinuate that Jason did not drown in 1957 (interesting sidenote Jason would be over 60 if he were alive/undead/existing in whatever state he is in for the last 6 films of the franchise today).  So if possible explain how Jason went from this:

To this in just 5 years (the second film states that it has been 5 years since the “Camp Blood” murders, even though it was made the year after the first film):

To this the next day (part 3 takes place the day after the second film):

Even though I have picked a little bit at the dated nature of the series, Friday the 13th is still a fun series to watch, as long as you don’t think about it too hard.  So pull it up on whatever service it can currently be found on and enjoy.  You’ll have to wait until part 3 to get the super-familiar Jason we all know and enjoy.  Hope you have fun walking down memory lane, I’m going to wander out into the dark forest and sleep in a tent now.  ha ha ha sh sh sh

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 80s, binge watch, franchise, friday the 13th, Halloween, hockey mask, horror, horror movie, jason, kevin bacon, movie, nostalgia, voorhees

Watched Salem’s Lot (1979) Last Night

As I am always happy to tell people, Salem’s Lot is my favorite Stephen King book.  It is just a magnificent read that perfectly captures the feel of the old EC comics and Stoker’s Dracula, all at the same time.  One of my favorite King adaptations for the screen is the 1979 TV miniseries Salem’s Lot.  This film is a great watch and captures the ideal small town with secrets buried deep beneath the surface that King wrote about; it does condense down the story, but that is expected from a film adaptation.  Three things that the film got right that I still praise it for are:

1) the vampires – these are not sympathetic beings looking for love.  Barlow is an undead fiend who has come to a small town where he can feed relatively unnoticed.  Not only are there motives depicted perfectly, they are genuinely creepy.  Just check out these clips to see what I mean.

It’s like Peter Pan from Hell, and check out this scene for more of the creepy goodness.

2) the fear – Imagine if you just found out vampires were real, how would you react?  This movie captures a range of emotions and feelings, starting with Jason Burke in the clip above and watch the clip below to see the fearless vampire hunting hero and how he handles himself.  To set the scene, Ben Mears and Doctor Norton are waiting in the mortuary in a neighboring city to see if a recent victim rises, enjoy.

Did you notice that Ben Mears actually looks scared?  When she raises up, he looks like he wants to cry.  This is wonderful acting from David Soul and good direction from Tobe Hooper (of Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame).

3) the town – The town of Salem’s Lot is an unassuming town where everyone knows everyone else, but many secrets are hidden within the walls of each home, the film did a good job of showing that the town was far from perfect without spending unnecessary time exposing each of these secrets, but from the moment Ben Mears drives through the quiet streets, you get the feeling that there is more than meets the eye to this small town.  There is not really a clip I can show to emphasize this, so I’ve just posted the original trailer for the film.

So there you have it, if you are looking for something that is a more subtle chill-inducing watch, I would highly recommend this movie.  If you want a good read, then pick up King’s book.  You can click on the cover below to go to the Amazon page and pick up a great October read, and I’m sure you can find the 1979 Salem’s Lot on Netflix or Hulu, so go find it, enjoy, and I’ll be back with more good chilling watches and reads for this month.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: book, classic, ebook, Halloween, horror, movie, peter pan, Salem's Lot, scary, spooky, stephen king, tv, vampire, vampires, watch

Dragoncon 2015 – That’s a wrap

I’m back from Dragoncon 2015. This was another fun year with lots of great costumes, guests, and attendees. I got to meet a lot of new people and sell some books, which is always nice. My wife, Caralyn, had a phenomenal year in the art show. A big thank you to everyone that came out, met us, and took one of her little guys home.

Caralyn at our Dragoncon booth

It was also my pleasure to meet author Bobby Nash. I was able to sit in on several of his panels and even had the opportunity to pick up his Domino Lady novel: Money Shot.

Me & Bobby McGee…Nash, I mean Bobby Nash

If you get a chance please visit his website or author’s page, and pick up Domino Lady: Money Shot by clicking the cover below.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Bobby Nash, books, convention, Domino Lady, dragoncon, Dragoncon 2015, fantasy, pulp, scifi, writer

Dragoncon 2015

Hello all, tomorrow I will be at Dragoncon.  As always, I will be attending with my lovely and talented wife in the art show.  Since she is also my cover artist, I will have some copies of my books for sale at her table.  As followers of my blog, you may be aware of Lollipop Jones & Pecan Sandie.  For those of you who prefer to have a book rather than read a webpage or for those of you who just like rare things; from now on I will be carrying The Case Files of Lollipop Jones & Pecan Sandie Volume 1 in print.  This volume will only be available from me at shows and is not available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or any other book retailer.  So, if you swing by the table, you can get what is sure to be a priceless collector’s item for only $5.  My novels will be available at the Dragoncon rate of $10.  Come by and pick up some awesome art (like these little steampunk guys), grab a book, or just stop by and say hello.

If you aren’t attending Dragoncon but will be attending the Decatur Book Festival this Labor Day weekend, please stop by and see Jay & Katie Barber and pick up their fun books.  Thanks all, I’m sure I’ll have a wrap-up post after Dragoncon.

* Please note: The Case Files of Lollipop Jones & Pecan Sandie Volume 1 may not become a priceless collector’s item.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: art, author, autographs, books, con, decatur book festival, dragoncon, festival, independent, steampunk