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 2-7-10
NIGHTBREED UNCUT AT HORRORHOUND WEEKEND
Since they had already been working on a NIGHTBREED reunion
with writer/director Clive Barker and actors Oliver Reed, Hugh Ross, and
recently added Doug Bradley, now they have going to premiere something that fans
have been wanting to see for decades. And that is the screening for the
first time will be an uncut print of NIGHTBREED. Tickets will be given
away at the HorrorHound booth on the morning of Saturday the 27th. Gold
Pass members will be given tickets to the screening when they check in on
Friday. There is limited seating for this event, so make sure you get the
info at the show of what you need to do not to miss this once in a lifetime
chance. The screening will take place at 5pm on Saturday following a rare
NIGHTBREED cast panel and presentation.
Another guests that has been announced is the immortal Sid
Haig, director William Malone, Louise Robey (from the FRIGHT THE 13th TV
series), and Charles Craig (newscaster from the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING
DEAD). For all the details and complete guest lineup, head over to the
HorrorHound Weekend site by clicking
HERE. This
is going to be one hell of a show, so hopefully you are planning to come out for
the fun.
HORROR HISTORY
This week's lesson shows us one of the men behind the great
studio that dripped blood, and definitely had a hand in why the studio became as
successful as it did. Head over to our Horror History page to discover who
we're talking about and more, just by clicking HERE.
HAMMER FILMS TO REMAKE THE
WOMAN IN BLACK
Susan Hill's 1983 novel The Woman in Black was first
adapted into a very successful and long running stage play in 1987. In
1989, it was made into a made-for-TV movie which was scripted by famous
horror/sci-fi writer Nigel Kneale. The film deals with a young lawyer
going to settle the estate of a dead client. But once he gets there, he
keeps catching glimpses of the title character. It is incredible creepy and comes
highly recommended. But now it seems the new Hammer Films has picked it up
to film a newer version of it, with James Watkins to direct, who had recently
directed EDEN LAKE. According to Hammer President and CEO Simon Oakes,
“THE WOMAN IN BLACK is an iconic British horror story, and so makes a perfect
match for Hammer. Jane Goldman has written a terrific screenplay and with
James Watkins at the helm, we feel that this feature adaptation of Susan Hill’s
classic novel will be both dynamic and terrifying.”
While we haven't seen anything from this newer version of
Hammer Films, we hope for the best. And if anything else could come out of
this, maybe the 1989 version will get a DVD release over here in the states so
more people can see it.
MYSTERY PHOTO
It was nice to see many more emails this last week to recognized our Mystery
Photo from last week. Sure, it might have been due to some of them
watching the movie for their January Mission for the Kryptic Army, but none the
less, great job to those who knew it. It was of course the great Lionel
Barrymore in drag in the 1936 film DEVIL DOLL. Kudos go out to Hoby
Abernathy, Aaron Christensen, Nancy Cremer, Dave Friedman, David Schmidt, and
Mike Shields. Job well done.
Now lets take a look at this one and see how you do.
Good luck, and as always click
HERE to send in
your answer.
 FINALLY
A NASCHY T-SHIRT!!!
One of our favorite T-Shirt places is
Fright Rags. They
have consistently came up with some great designs, especially thanks to artist
Jeff Zornow. For years, I have been asking different T-Shirt dealers "How
come no Paul Naschy T-shirts?". Well finally my wish has come true.
Fright Rags have several new designs, including the one to the right, LA NOCHE
DE WALPURGIS. Other new designs include art from THE HOWLING, MAXIMUM
OVERDRIVE, THE SHINING, CREEPSHOW 2, ZOMBIE and CHRISTINE. Their shirts
always look great.
For more information, head over to their website
HERE to see the rest of
the new images.
THE WOLFMAN AND THE CURSE OF
HOLLYWOOD
We recently read something on the
Shock Till You Drop
website that pisses me off, but on the same note doesn't surprise me.
Director Joe Johnson spoke about his new film THE WOLFMAN which opens next
Friday. He mentions that there will be a 17 minute longer cut of the film
when it hits DVD. Apparently the studio wanted the the time to the first
transformation to be quicker.
Okay, first of all, telling me the the film
has been cut down 17 minutes to get to first transformation is basically telling
me why waste your money at the theater to see a cut version of the film, when in
4-5 months, I can purchase the uncut version on DVD. It's also telling me,
which we all have known for a long time, that the the people running the studios
shouldn't be making those kind of decisions for those particular reasons. In
reality, I guess whatever story or plot in those 17 minutes doesn't really matter, as
long as we get to see the transformation first. So why don't they just put
the first transformation in even before the opening credits? Or better
yet, why even have a story? Just have the wolfman running around for 90
minutes, changing back and forth, and ripping people up, with of course some
nudity, because....well, we like nudity. Otherwise, you never know, people
just might be too stupid and bored to wait and not bother to watch the movie and
pay any attention to the story in the first place. GRrrrrrr...
BLU-RAY BATTLE RAGES ON
I am one of those that still has fought the urge to jump to the new DVD format.
Mainly because I think in the very near future, there won't be a physical
medium, but will all be digital downloads or streaming video. And that
would mean that your shiny little store-bought DVD that you're holding in your
hand will go by the wayside, much like 8-tracks and LPs. Sure, the quality
is suppose to be amazing. I'm not doubting that, though I have yet to
personally experience it. I keep hearing on how clear things are and how
much more you can see. Once again, not having been there, can't really say
just yet.
But the one thing that keeps me thinking about it are the
extras. To force movie fans like myself to switch to this new medium, a
lot of the DVD companies are still putting more extras on the Blu-Ray edition
and little or no extras on the standard DVD edition. And that really irks
the hell out of me.
One of these films that is coming out on May 25th, is Lucio
Fulci's CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (aka GATES OF HELL). Both versions will
have the new featurette: The Making of CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, which will
feature interviews with actress Catriona MacColl, actor Michele Soavi,
production designer Massimo Antonello Geleng, special makeup artist Gino De
Rossi, assistant makeup effects artist Rosario Prestopino, cinematographer
Sergio Salvati, and camera operator Roberto Forges Davanzati. Both
versions will also have the English and Italian trailers, and radio spots and
still gallery.
But the Blu-Ray edition will have the following featurettes
that are not on the regular edition: Acting Among the Living Dead - Interview
with Catriona MacColl, Entering the Gates of Hell - Interview with actor
Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Memories of the Maestro - The cast and crew reminisce
about working with director Fulci, and lastly Marketing of the Living Dead -
Poster and Still Gallery. This is one of those movies that just might get
me to make the jump, which I will do kicking and screaming. Now granted, I
may change my tune when I do, but until then, you'll just have to keep hearing
me complain.
 BLUE UNDERGROUND
QUESTION
I do want to mention something about Blue Underground, who is
releasing the CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD disc. According to their website,
this new DVD will contain a "freshly transferred in brain-ripping High
Definition from its original uncensored negative". So this won't be one of
those transfers from the original DVD to Blu-Ray, but a completely brand new
transfer, right? We'll see when the reviews come out, but I for one
wouldn't be surprised if it's a transfer from the original.
And why you ask? Because I don't trust Blue
Underground. Here's an example. On their site advertising the new
Blu-Ray DVD of José Ramón Larraz's VAMPYRES, it
states "Blue Underground is proud to present VAMPYRES in a stunning new
High Definition transfer that restores all of the controversial gore footage
missing from other versions!" Since this had already been released on DVD
from Blue Underground, does this mean that there's more footage that wasn't on
their first release? But wait, looking at that original release, here's
what it says on the back of the sleeve: "featuring a stunning new transfer that
restores all of the controversial gore footage missing from previous version."
Now I may be just being really anal and picky, but when you announce a new DVD
version, and state that it's has gore footage missing from the other versions,
you are implying that there is just that: more footage. It's just
strange that it is the exact same statement made on their first DVD release.
We have sent out an email to Blue Underground asking them for clarification and
will post any response we get from them. But I know this is one DVD that I
won't be buying.
1-31-10 KRYPTIC ARMY
First off, I just to thank everyone who joined our little
Army and that participated in our January Mission. It was great to see
these emails coming in with different titles that were being discovered for the
first time. That's one of the great things about being a horror fan is
that there are always tons of great movies out there waiting to be discovered
for the first time. Doesn't matter if the new films coming out are crap.
Just venture a few years in the past and you'll find some amazing cinema there
waiting for you.
At the time of this update, there's only a few hours left for
this month's challenge. So I'm hoping that if you did get to your movies,
that you sent in your "debriefing", or you have until midnight tonight.
You will receive your instructions for the February Mission tomorrow. Of
course, if you're on our mailing list. If you're not, just click
HERE to sign up.
ZELDA RUBINSTEIN - REST IN PEACE
She might not have been a huge star in the horror genre, but because of her role
in POLTERGEIST, all horror fans know who Zelda Rubenstein was. We had
heard a few months ago that she was being taken off life support, so we figured
it was only a matter of time. She had suffered a mild heart attack and
just never recovered from it. She passed away last Wednesday. But
while she is most known for her role in the Steven Spielberg's....oops,
sorry....Tober Hooper's 1982 film, as well as the rest of the series, she also
had a very memorable role in another horror film, one that is highly underrated.
That is the the 1987 film ANGUISH. If you haven't seen it, don't read
anything about it, just see it.
Our thoughts and wishes go out to her friends and family.
Her memory will live on in the lives of many horror fans because of her work in
the genre.
NEW REVIEW
We have posted a review of one of the best werewolf movies
out there. Or at least, that's what we think! It's for Paul Naschy's
NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF (1981). Yea, I know what you're thinking, that I
liked it just because it's a Paul Naschy movie. Maybe. But check out
my review to see just why I like it. And why you should see it if you
haven't already. You can get to our Review section by going to our
Features page, or just click
HERE.
HORROR HISTORY
For those that accepted our January Mission, many of you
discovered for the first time this guy who was known for his horror roles in the '30s,
but for some reason isn't that remembered too often. So we're going to try
and change that with this week's Horror History lesson. Head over there to
see who we're talking about. Just click HERE.
MYSTERY PHOTO
Only got 2 correct answers for last week's photo. I figured it would be a
tough one, but thought at least a few more would have gotten it. But that
just means that there's more people that need to experience some of the great
horror films from the Philippines. That is none other than John Ashley
under all that make up, and is from the film BEAST OF THE YELLOW NIGHT (1971).
If you haven't seen it, check it out. Kudos go out to Hoby Abernathy and
Mike Shields for identifying the correct movie. Nice job, guys.
For our next one, we're going back a few more years.
Those of you who participated in the January Mission of the Kryptic Army might
have gotten to this film. I may have given too much away already, so I'll
keep quiet and let you take a look. Good luck, and as always click
HERE to send in
your answer.
1-24-10 KRYPTIC ARMY -
LAST WEEK FOR JANUARY MISSION
Just the last reminder that you only have 1 more week to get
in your mission reports. We will be accepting them until midnight next
Sunday. So don't delay and miss out on the fun and excitement.
WOLFMAN POSTER
Sorry folks, but we're going to have to go on a slight rant
here. In case you weren't aware of it, I'm pretty big nerd when it comes
to movie posters. And it's probably no surprise to long time visitors of
this site to know my feelings on the typical poster art that is used in
Hollywood, especially for horror movies. Since the new remake of THE
WOLFMAN has been in promotion mode since sometime last year when it was first to
come out, there has been an insane number of poster art that has been released
by the studios. That's the great thing about the internet these days, you
can have these images released instantaneously all over the world, without even
printing a single poster. And for us geeks that love collecting movie
posters, we're always hoping that they come up with something good. Being
an American film, trust me, we didn't have our hopes too high though. But
I must say that I was pretty surprised at what they had been putting out,
especially when they've released so many. Take a look:
These are the kind of posters that are
going to get fans to see the movie. Some show some style, some even show
the creature himself. Had Hollywood actually learned a lesson when it
comes to movie poster art and horror films? That we care more about the
artwork and images more than who's in the film? Right.....like that was
ever going to happen. As they say, the proof is in the pudding.
Below is the image of supposedly the official final poster for the theatrical
release.
You've got to be kidding me, right?
Oh sure, we do get a little pic of the creature, but the whole "who's in the
movie" headshot thing is just pathetic. Do I need to break out the poster
shots from SCREAM, THE FACULTY, or H20 to see that they are doing the same thing
all over again? This was even after the infamous Basil Gogos did a poster
art for the film as well. But we get this headshot poster instead.
Oh I know what they're thinking. It's not that tough to figure out.
They knew that horror fans were already going to be seeing this film regardless,
so they didn't need to go after them. This poster is marketed directly at
the non-horror fans, who might go see it just because of who's in it. Yes,
we know Hollywood is nothing more than a business and it seems to make sense on
the bottom line. But it doesn't mean that I have to be happy about and sit
here and keep quiet.
 PELOQUIN JOINS
HORRORHOUND WEEKEND
Clive Barker's NIGHTBREED has always been one of our favorite
films. He showed us a world where the real monsters are not the ones with
fangs and horns, but usually the ones hiding in human skin. And one of the
most memorable characters from the film was Peloquin, who made a strong
presence whenever he was on screen. This great creature was played by
British actor Oliver Parker. Many fans might not have known that Parker
was also in both the first two HELLRAISER movies. He also has gotten
behind the camera, and had directed the recent DORIAN GRAY, amongst other films.
So we were extremely excited to hear that Parker has been
added as a guest to the HorrorHound Weekend in Indianapolis next March. I
don't believe that he has ever even done a convention before, so it will be
great to see him, along with Hugh Ross and Clive Barker for a NIGHTBREED
reunion. They will be doing a NIGHTBREED Q&A at the show, and I believe
there will be a screening of the movie as well. It will be great to get
some insight from these two actors on the making of this fan favorite.
The guest list gets bigger and better, making this one show
that you will not want to miss. For all the info, head over to the
official website by clicking
HERE.
MORE CONVENTION NEWS
While we are very excited about the March HorrorHound Weekend coming up, there's
another show shortly after that one that is also going to be an amazing time.
That is the iconic Cinema Wasteland show, taking place on April 9th-11th, where
they will be hosting a huge zombie event that nobody does better. And
topping off this undead party is the 30-Year Anniversary of Lucio Fulci's ZOMBE
(Okay, technically 31 years, but who's counting)! They have announced
Richard Johnson, Ian McCulloch, Al Cliver, and Ottaviano Dell’Acqua (the poster
zombie). Of course, most of these guys are veterans to the horror genre,
with many, many films to their credit. Just check them out on IMDB to see
their massive film list. But it just doesn't stop there. They are
also have many other zombie film stars. They have recently announced
Beatrice Ring (pictured to the right), who starred in Fulci's (or whoever
directed it) ZOMBI 3 (1988), as well as Lamberto Bava's GRAVEYARD DISTURBANCE
(1987). The rest of the guest lineup consists of Bill Hinzman and Kyra
Schon from the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968), Sharon Ceccatti-Hill,
Jim Krut, and Tom Savini from DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978), and Howard Sherman from
DAY OF THE DEAD (1985). So make sure you are making your plans now to
attend the show that is truly is a religious experience! For all the
details, head over to their website by clicking
HERE.
And if you're in the Chicago area, the Hollywood Celebrity &
Memorabilia Show has quite a few genre guests on their current line up.
Here's just a few of the names they have listed: Tracie Lords, Linda Blair,
Gerrit Graham, Olivia Hussey, Richard Kiel, Carol Lynley, Louise Robey, and
Leonard Whiting. The show is taking place on March 13th & 14th at the
Rosemont Hotel @ O'Hare (formerly the Sofitel Hotel O'Hare). For more info
about the show and the complete guest list, just click
HERE.
 "MY NAME IS
LEGION, FOR WE ARE MANY."
Chicago's WildClaw Theatre will be presenting their
adaptation of William Peter Blatty's LEGION, opening at the
Viaduct Theater on
March 15th, and running until April 18th. Writer of the original novel THE
EXORCIST, Blatty wrote a sequel to the novel in 1983, entitled LEGION.
This was later made into a film version, directed by Blatty, under the title
EXORCIST 3. The story takes place more than 10 years after the events of
the first book/movie, with Lieutenant Kinderman investigating a series of
murders that look very simliar to that of a serial killer, who just happens to
be dead.
Being adapted for the stage by WildClaw Artistic Director
Charley Sherman, and being directed by Anne Adams (who had directed WildClaw's
THE REVENANTS), as well as all the usual excellent input from WildClaw's
incredible ensemble, such as Allison Greaves, Paul Foster, Brian Amidei & Scott
T. Barsotti, this is something that we are very much looking forward to seeing.
Being a fan of the novel and the movie, we can not wait to see how they have
adapted this for a stage version.
For more information about WildClaw, head over to their
website by clicking
HERE.
HAUSU
PLAYING AT SISKEL FILM CENTER IN FEB.
This rare Japaense 1977 haunted house movie, also known as
simple HOUSE, has been drawing
a lot of attention over the last year and will be playing next month at the Gene Siskel Film Center. Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi, this give shows us some
truly bizarre and strange images that are still impressive today. Head over
to the Film Center's website by clicking
HERE
and check out the trailer they have posted. See if that doesn't give you
the itch to explore something different and very strange.
The film starts on February 26th and runs until March 4th.
MYSTERY PHOTO
Yes, our photo from last week is of Roman Polanski in drag from his 1976 film
THE TENANT. If you haven't seen this one, you need to check it out.
But make sure you are not preoccupied with anything else and will have time to
ponder this film, since it will stick with you for days afterwards. Kudos
go out to Hoby Abernathy, Aaron Christensen, Eric Engelmann, Dave Friedman, and
Krista Soli. Nice job, people!
So let's take a gander at our latest photo and see what you
can come up with. As always, good luck and click
HERE to send in
your answer.
HORROR HISTORY
We have added a BIG name for this week's entry into our
Horror History lesson. I'm pretty sure his films are familiar, but let's
just see if you know the man they called Mr. BIG. Head over to our
Horror History page for this week's lesson.
1-17-10 KRYPTIC ARMY -
JANUARY MISSION HALFWAY POINT
Okay troops, we are just past the halfway point of the month.
We've had a few "debriefings" trickle in so far, but just wanted to put out a
little reminder that I wouldn't wait too long before you start your mission.
If you're still not sure which movies to watch and need some help, I would
suggest hitting either IMDB or even Wikipedia. And if you still need some
help, feel free to contact us, and we'll do our best to help out the best we
can.
HORROR HISTORY
For this week's lesson, we head over the island of the
Philippines, to where back in the '60s & '70s, they were making some pretty
entertaining exploitation films. And our latest entry in our Horror
History lesson had a part in many of those films.
MYSTERY PHOTO
We have to admit that our last photo was a little tough. It is from the
1982 film SUPERSTITION, which for some reason is pretty obscure. It is
available on DVD, so if you haven't seen it, I would recommend you checking it
out. If you a fan of '80s films with some over the top gore (which you
could see from that photo) and some outrageous stuff going on, I think you'll
enjoy it. But a "Job Well Done" out to the few, the proud, the geeks, that
were able to recognize the movie. They were Hoby Abernathy, Rick Hayden,
Eric Engelmann, and William Wilson.
We've posted our latest photo, so take a look and put those
thinking caps on. To be honest, we may have use a shot from this movie
before, but not sure. But if I did, I don't think I used this particular
shot. So good luck, and as always click
HERE to send in
your answer.
HOUSE OF THE DEVIL PROMO...GENIUS!
We've always been a big fan of Dark Sky Films and the great
job they do putting out some great titles on DVD. But when we heard what
they were doing with the release of Ti West's HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, it just blew
me away. I haven't seen this type of promotion in quite some time, and it
makes me sad that more companies are not doing stuff like Dark Sky is.
First off, in case you haven't seen this on many other sites, they are releasing
an actual VHS version of the film as part of the special edition DVD set that
you can purchase. It's an actual VHS tape that comes in the clamshell box,
just like the good old days. Since the movie has the feel of the '70s &
'80s, this fits in perfect.
But it doesn't stop there. They also released this
little photo of an add for a babysitter. Now if you've seen the movie, you
understand what this is. Just give the number listed there a call for a
little added surprise. Its pretty cool. But the fact that they did
this sort of thing to help promote the movie again shows me that they get it.
They understand what good promotion means. We can wait for more from them.
HAMMER'S ICONS OF SUSPENSE
While we are still anxiously waiting for Columbia Pictures to
release their latest box set, Icons of Suspense: Hammer Films, they are holding
a poll for the fans to select the cover. Below are the 3 different covers,
so all you have to do is click
HERE to be taken to Columbia Classics website and cast your vote. The
movies included in this set are : NEVER TAKE CANDY FROM A STRANGER (1960), THE
SNORKEL (1958), MANIAC (1963), CASH ON DEMAND (1961), STOP ME BEFORE I KILL!
(1960), and THESE ARE THE DAMNED (1963). All of these are classic black
and white films, some of which have never been officially released over here in
the states. And some, like CASH ON DEMAND, will be release uncut for the
first time. We have seen most of these films and highly recommend putting
them on your "to-watch" list when they are released these April.
1-10-10 B-MOVIE
MADNESS NEXT WEEKEND
For those Chicago area horror fans that can't wait for the horror events to
start back up again, make sure you head out to the Portage Theater next weekend
for Horror Society's B-Movie Madness 2. They will be screening Kevin
Tenney's NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (from a 35mm print) and BRAIN DEAD, with Tenney in
attendance. They will also be screening INCEST DEATH SQUAD, with director
Cory Udler attending as well. The other feature film to be screened is
HYPOCHONDRIAC, with writer / star Marv Blauvelt there too.
As usual, there will be dealers (including us) there to tempt
your money away, as well as a lot of other Chicago horror minded fans. So
help fight those winter blues away and come on out for a good time.
For more information, just head over to the
Horror Society.
And while on the subject of the Horror Society, next month
they will be making their journey to the internet airwaves with Horror Society
Live. This will be on BlogTalk Radio and will start on Feb. 3rd.
When we have more details as far as the time and stuff, we'll post it here.
MYSTERY PHOTO
 Maybe I had you people thinking a little too hard on this
last one, since we didn't get that many responses. The pic was from the
1982 movie VISITING HOURS, starring the ever so menacing Michael Ironside.
Even though he's been in hundreds of movies, he will always been known to horror
fans as the psychotic Darryl Revok from David Cronenberg's SCANNERS (1981).
VISITING HOURS was one of the first movies he did after SCANNERS, casting him as
another villain, since he did it so well previously. Kudos goes out Hoby
Abernathy, Mike Dudley, and Mike Shields for sending in the correct answer.
Let's move on to our latest photo. Hopefully this one
won't be too difficult...Good luck, and as always, just click
HERE to send us
your answer.
 NEW REVIEWS:
BOOKS, MOVIES, & MUSIC
We have posted a couple new reviews
with this update. The first one is a British film called THE SPELL.
Unfortunately, it's terrible. But you can read our review if you want.
But you will want to check out our review for one of
the best nature-gone-amuck movies ever made. Head over to our
Reviews section to find out more.
We have also posted a new review for an old soundtrack.
It's a compilation of Les Baxter's music for CRY OF THE BANSHEE and AN EVENING
WITH EDGAR ALLAN POE and John Cacavas' HORROR EXPRESS. It might be tough
to get a hold of, but it's well worth it. You can read our review by going
to our Soundtrack Review section, located on our
Features page.
And lastly, we have posted our review of a book that is great
for horror fiends, especially when they having a horror themed party. It's
The Horror Film Quiz Book, that has 1000 questions on tons of different horror
movies. There's nothing too obscure here, but there will be a few
questions that will get you. Trust me.
RETURN OF
HORROR HISTORY
It's been quite some time since we've added a new face to our
Horror History page, but we're trying to get back on track with this. We
have added a new name and face to the page, that of one of the most prolific
composers of the '50s and '60s. Head over to our
Horror History page to check it out and see if
you might know who this guy is.
1-03-10 WELCOME TO
2010
We have made it through another long year of ups and downs,
just like everyone else out there. We have our Year-End-Review posted at
the bottom of this update, mainly since it's so long we wanted to get the rest
of our update out of the way first. So let's get this new year started!
CHAS. BALUN - REST IN PEACE
Chas Balun was one of the most outspoken horror fans out
there, usually campaigning for the little guy, as well as shouting praises for
some of the most notorious gore films out there. He was also an extremely
talented artist. While we were never huge fans of his writings, mainly due
to just a difference of opinions, I give him a lot of credit for fighting the
cause, defending and promoting the horror genre for what it is. So when we
heard of his passing, after a long battle with cancer, we were still sadden
quite a bit. As I've said before, we don't need to agree on all the
movies, but as long as we agree on the genre as a whole. And now we have
lost one of the loudest speakers out there. Our thoughts and wishes go out
to his friends and family. Rest in Peace.
 RICHARD LYNCH COMING TO INDY HORRORHOUND
HorrorHound has added another genre icon to their guest
lineup for their Indy show this March. None other than Richard Lynch, who
has probably played more bad gusy, and done them so well, in so many movies,
that it's really hard to count. He gave us memorable characters in
VAMPIRE, BAD DREAMS, CUT AND RUN, NECRONOMICON, nad countless more. And
not just in the horror genre either, but in EVERY genre out there, from action
films like INVASION USA, or fantasy films like SWORD AND THE SORCERER, he is
always giving us a character we love to hate. In our 20+ years of going to
conventions, Lynch is one of our favorites that we've never had the chance to
see before. So we are very excited to see him join the ever growing list
for the March HorrorHound show in Indianapolis. For all the details about
the show, just head over to their websites:
HorrorHound Magazine or
HorrorHound Weekend.
KRYPTIC ARMY CHALLENGE
BEGINS!
We have sent out our first mission for our troops. If
you haven't joined our Army (and our mailing list) then you can not participate.
All you have to do is join our mailing list, which you can do this at the bottom
of this page. Or if you want to read about all the details of the
Challenge, then head over to the Kryptic Army page, by clicking
HERE. You can enlist in the Army at any point
during the month. If you join after the month has started, you will still
receive your mission for that month in an email within 24 hours, but you won't
have as much time to complete the mission as everyone else. So don't
delay. The Kryptic Army Needs You!
MYSTERY PHOTO
We were kind of surprised at the few responses we got from last week's Mystery
Photo. We figured by going with a classic film that a lot of people would
have gotten it. Granted, I did make it a little trickier, since while it
might be obvious who the character is, there's a few of those movies out there.
Well, the shot is that of Lon Chaney Jr., making his first appearance as
Frankenstein's creature, in the 1942 film THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN. That
is Bela Lugosi bending over in the photo cleaning the chunks of dried sulfur off
of him. That's right folks, sulfur. Not snow. I think that was
the tricky part. But kudos goes out to Vic, Hoby Abernathy and Dave Friedman
for getting the right movie.
For our next photo, we're kind of doing the same thing.
You might recognize this actor right away, but think a little before sending in
your answer. As always, click
HERE to send in
your answer. Good luck!
NEW REVIEWS
We have finally posted our review for ABOMINABLE, which have been working on and
off for about a month now. For some reason, we just couldn't get it
finished and ready to post. But now it is done and has been posted in our
Review section. Just click HERE to be take
there.
We have also posted our review for Shadows & Light: Journeys
with Outlaws in Revolutionary Hollywood, the autobiography of Gary Kent.
Kent worked on some iconic cult films, like SATAN'S SADIST, and has worked with
tons of people in Hollywood from the likes of Jack Nicholson to Monte Hellman,
to Don Coscarelli. Head over to our Book Review
Section to red more details on what we thought of the book.
BLOOD SPATTERED BOOK
We're always on the look out for new and interesting books
coming out to support. In a time of internet blogs and whatnot, we're
rejoice when we hear of a new horror reference book being published. This
one is from Chris Alexander, formerly of Rue Morgue, now residing at Fangoria,
and is called Blood-Spattered Book. It's a collection of old and
new essays on
different movies such as Joe D'Amato's ANTHROPOPHAGUS, Lucio Fulci's CITY OF THE
LIVING DEAD, Paul Naschy's COUNT DRACULA's GREAT LOVE, THE DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE,
PSYCHOMANIA, and many others. There are also interviews with different
people in the film business, film like director Tobe Hooper, producer/directors
Roger Corman & Mark Damnon, writer Richard
Matheson, and composer Fabio Frizzi, and more.
The book is being published by our friends at Midnight
Marquee some time early this month. When we get more details, such as the
price, we'll keep you posted. But I would add this onto your "to-get" list
now.
WOLFMAN SITE OPENS
It has been quite a long time since there a movie that I am more excited to see, as
well as so nervous that it is not going to be as great as I'm hoping, than the
new remake of The Wolfman. With
all the release date changes, and all the other production problems, that does
not bode well for anymore. Especially one that is as big as this one is.
So next month, I will be seeing this on the big screen, and can only hope that
it's good.
But in the meantime, they have launched the official website
for the movie. It does have some cool wallpapers, as well as giving you
some history lessons on lycanthropes. Just click
HERE to check it
out.
SIR PETER JACKSON?
Now who would have ever thought that the demented mind that
gave us films like BAD TASTE, MEET THE FEEBLES, and BRAID DEAD would ever get a
Knighthood? Apparently due to the money he has brought into the country,
from the tourism coming in from the LORD OF THE RINGS movies to the huge boost
to the film industry that he helped developed, the Queen is pretty happy about
all of that. Now that is something to make you scratch your head...
OUR KRYPTIC YEAR-END-REVIEW
Okay folks, here's what you've all been waiting for.
This turned out a quite a bit longer than I originally imagined, but I guess
that just means the year was jammed packed. Let's take a look
back.....shall we?
ALWAYS REMEMBER…
There were several high points last year, as well as a few low ones as
well. One of the lower one that hit me the most was the death of Paul Naschy at the
end of November. The horror genre really lost one of the last remaining icons
that day. But even with his passing, it is making me strive even more to get
his work out there to people that are not aware of his massive filmography, let
alone talent. So while we are still sadden by this lost, we do know that we
will also keep his memory alive and can even bring him back to life, each time
we pop in one of his movies. And this is something that we will continue to do
so, on a regular basis.
Another passing that
really hit home was that of Clayton Hill. Clayton was most known as the
“sweater zombie” in Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD, among other job titles. If you
ever had the chance to meet Clayton at a convention, you’d remember him.
Between him and his wife Sharon, they were a lot of fun and just great people.
Here is a list of other great talent
from the genre that we lost last year:
Chas.
Balun, Jack Cardiff, David Carradine, Don Edmonds, Clayton Hill, Tony Kendall,
Paul Naschy, Lou Perryman,
Dan O’Bannon, Edmund Purdom, Robert Quarry, Ray Dennis Steckler, and Harry Alan
Towers.
We didn’t want to end last year on a sad note and dwell on the
passing of these people, but to use it as a reminder to make sure that these
people, and their work, remains alive and well in our hearts and minds. We are
the ones that can truly make them and their work immortal. So make sure you’re
doing your part!
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
 
But let’s get to the higher points from 2009. Where to start? It was great to
see two filmmakers finally get noticed and awarded for their work in the film
industry. Jess Franco received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Goya Awards
(Spain’s version of Oscars), which still boggles my mind. Not that he was
giving this award, because he surely deserves it. But I just never thought I
would see a montage of his films being screened at a big event like the Goya’s,
showing some of the cheesiest films, tons of nudity, and the rest of insanity
that is Jess Franco. So for him to be recognized and given this award shows the
talent in this man.
The other
filmmaker was Roger Corman who received an “honorary” Oscar for all of his work.
I was thrilled to see him finally get the official recognition that they
have deserved years ago. The man not only cranked out tons of movies, which
were always successful, but he also tutored hundreds, if not thousands of people
in the filmmaking business. Granted, it would have been even better to see him
receive this award during Oscar night, but when you think about it, Corman has
never been about the big Hollywood thing, and really wouldn’t have fit there
anyway. But we are thrilled for both him and Franco.
Another
highlight of this year was that after searching for this film for over 30 years,
I was finally able to get a copy of The World Beyond, a TV-movie that I
had only seen once before, back in January of 1978, but it had stuck in my mind
since then. Was it as good as I remembered? If you’re seeing it again through
the eyes of a 12 year old, then yes, it was great. It’s so great when those
childhood memories are not spoiled so many years later. Even if we might be
viewing them from a slightly skewed point of view. Its also great when you
can find something that had such a powerful impact on you as a child, that might
be a little piece of the puzzle as to who we are today.
But I have
to say that the biggest highlight for me personally this year was joining the
writing staff at HorrorHound magazine. I was honored to be asked to join and
have been having a lot of fun. The staff at HorrorHound are not only a
bunch of great people, but are dedicated to putting out a great magazine for
horror fans. If you would have told me back in my high school
days that I would actually be writing for a nationally syndicated magazine, I
would have thought you were on crack. Wait…we didn’t have crack back then…..It
just shows that you never know what you’re going to use latter on in life. So
pay attention out there, kiddies! Just a little word of advice from your ol’
Uncle Jon…
It was
also a real thrill to see that the Horror 101 book received a Rondo Award
nomination. Sure it didn’t win, but the fact that it was even nominated
shows that people not only understood what we were doing, but enjoyed it as
well. Still proud to be involved in such a project, and still get a kick
when people mention how much they've enjoyed the book. It shows that
people still are reading!
I also had
another first for me and that was being involved with Fanex Files: Hammer Films DVD that came out this
year from Midnight Marquee. Aaron Christensen had the chance to
participate in this back in while in Baltimore back in 2007. The final product turned out pretty
good. For someone who was at those Fanex shows conventions originally, it was really great to be able
to see some of those Q&A’s again. Fans of Hammer Films, whether new or old,
should get a kick out of this DVD.
KRYPTIC
WORLD TOUR 2009 CLOSES
We had a pretty good tour this year, even though we really
didn’t make it out of the Midwest. But we hit plenty of shows and always had a
good time. From the Wasteland and HorrorHound shows, to the smaller film fests
here in Chicago from the likes of Movieside and Horror Society, we want to thank
you guys for all the hard work that you put into making sure all of these fans
have a great time at your events. These shows really are the highlights of
our year. As we’ve said many times before, these are like mini-family
reunions, and it’s always a blast to see all of our friends. And we plan
to do it all over again in 2010, especially with some of the shows that we are
already planning on attending. See you there!
BEST OF WHAT WE WATCHED IN 2009 LIST!
This isn’t going to be like most people’s list, since I don’t
confine my list to just movies that came out in one particular year. Mainly
since we don’t see every movie that comes out each year. Then there are some
foreign movies that don’t see an official release here in the states until well
after it came out outside the US. So this is our list of “Best of what we’d
seen in 2009”. Read and enjoy. And of course, we always like to hear feedback.
BEST OF 2009
In 2008, we had finally started keeping a record of
what horror movies we watch during the year . That year we only got to about
175 movies. So our goal for 2009 was to at least break 200, though we would
have liked to hit 225. Well, the finally count is 218. I can’t tell you how
much easier it is to go back what you’ve watched over the year, especially if
you’re reviewing it for some sort of “best of list”….but who’s dumb enough to do
something like that…..
Strangely enough, as I was going through my list of what I
watched in 2009, writing titles that I thought impressed me the most, it seemed
a lot of them came from outside the US. Wonder why that could be? We
did revisit a lot of great classics in 2009, like the BLOOD ISLAND trilogy from
the Philippines, and a nice chunk of Jess Franco films (highly recommending his
1966 film THE DIABOLICAL DR. Z to anyone who hasn't seen it yet.) throughout the
year. But let's take a look at some newer films first.
But actually there were two films from the US that did make my list. The
first one was MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3-D. Yea, I know. I can’t believe
it as much as the rest of you, that an American remake of a favorite ‘80s
slasher film would have been that entertaining. I enjoyed it so much that
I actually caught this in the theater twice when it came out. I thought
the 3-D effects were great and very effective. They used it throughout the
movie, not just for the typical 3-D gimmicks. It had plenty of blood and
guts. Now, I haven’t seen it on video since it came out, so I’m not sure
how it might hold up in a regular 2-D format, but I just know that I was pretty
impressed in the theater.
The other
American film that I would consider one of the top of my favorites list was a
film that was actually made 2 years before it finally came out. And that is
Michael Dougherty’s TRICK ‘r TREAT. Usually when a film builds up this
reputation of how great it is, with internet rumors and reviews squeaking out
from special screenings and what not, it is really tough to have the movie pay
off when it has been built up so much. But this film does just that. A great
homage to the good old fashion anthology films, but also done a little
differently. It was funny, scary, gory, creepy, and everything else one could
want in a movie. This film brought back the fun and tradition of the Halloween
holiday. I know that this film will be pulled out at least once every Halloween
from now, making it a holiday requisite.
Our next
two films were both made in countries known for cold and wintery settings. The
first one was PONTYPOOL, a Canadian film that was one of the most original
horror films that I had seen in a very long time. It is also a film that
creeped me out more than a film has done in a very, very long time. And the
best part it was all done with style. The use of close-ups and audio really set
the chills loose for me. Plus the fact that they took a very old and tired
sub-genre and really gave it a nice fresh twist.
The other film came from way over in Norway. When we first heard about a
Norwegian horror film that deals with Nazi zombies, we were pretty excited.
Tommy Wirkola’s DEAD SNOW proved to be one of the most entertaining and fun
movies that I’ve had in a long time. From the over-the-top use of gore, but
also using some great camera style and atmosphere, it proved to be one of my top
films this year. Seemingly very influenced by the early work of Peter Jackson,
this is the type of film that could be watching countless times and still be
enjoyed.
Another film
was one that fans had been waiting for over 40 years for this film to be made.
It was for the return of Zé do Caixão, better known as Coffin Joe, in his film
EMBODIMENT OF EVIL. This film finally completes the trilogy that Brazilian
filmmaker José Mojica Marins started back in 1964 with AT MIDNIGHT I’LL TAKE
YOUR SOUL, and followed with THIS NIGHT I’LL POSSESS YOUR CORPSE three years
later. But after many false starts over the years, Marins was finally able
to get this third film made. And it was amazing that even though it was
made 40 years later, it still had the same feeling and atmosphere as the first
two. There were plenty of scenes in this movie that just blew me away.
Some other
films that we want to highlight from last year are not necessarily new films,
but ones that we had seen for the first time that we think are worth mentioning.
THE CHILDREN was a British film that technically came out in December of
'08, but most didn't see it until 2009. I'm not a big fan of killer child
movies, mainly because they can be pretty disturbing. And this one really
is. It's a great movie, but one that I probably won't find myself watching
again.
I've
always said that no matter how long of a horror fan that you've been, there are
always some undiscovered gems out there waiting for you. And last year
proved it time and time again. THE WITCHES' HAMMER was a Czechoslovakian
film made in 1970, based on the actual transcripts of witch trials that happened
in the late 1600's. While not as graphic as Michael Reeves WITCHFINDER
GENERAL (1968), the film still packs one hell of a punch and leaves the viewer
in a grim mood. The fact that it's based on actual events is even more
frightening.
And
lastly, we want to mention to Spanish films that we got to last year. The
first one was Alejandro Amenábar's first feature lenght film, TESIS (1996).
Not sure why it took me so long to get to it, but it was well worth the wait.
Great thriller about a film student that while doing research on violence in the
media, stumbles across what looks to be a real snuff film. The other film
is called TIMECRIMES and came out in 2007. The movie does deal with time
travel, but that really is not the main part of the movie. Highly
entertaining and immediately keeps the viewer guessing, but is not one of those
where you need a M.I.T. graduate to explain it to you.
So that’s
our list, and our Year-End-Review, for what it’s worth. As always, we’d love to
hear your opinions and thoughts. And here’s to hoping that 2010 is going to be
an even bigger and better year. I know I am looking forward already to some of
the conventions that we have scheduled for the early part of the year. We hope
to see our old friends there, as well as make plenty of new ones.
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