"Quit cowering in the backseat! It's just a MOVIE!!"

           Remember the Drive-in movies? My love of horror, fostered by Saturday afternoon "creature feature" viewings of "SuperHost" on WUAB 43 out of Cleveland with my late mother, was kicked up a notch at a Drive-in. At the tender age of 12, a friend's older brother took us to see a double feature of Fulci's "Zombie" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" at our local outdoor venue, so drive-ins were an important part of my horror entertainment lineage.

 

            Fast forward to more modern times (yeah, I'm old, so kiss my elderly ass!) and drive-ins have went the way of "pet rocks" and (thankfully) disco. Well, fret not, oh fan of the fear film, a drive-in in Shelbyville, IN is serving up two heaping fistfuls of indie horror goodness this Thursday (Sept. 10th)!

 

 

 

            The Skyline Drive-In (3986 E. Michigan Rd. Shelbyville, IN 46176) will be doing a rare, even for indoors, screening of two instant classics, "Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn" and "Truth or Dare" in glorious, giant, outdoor, amongst nature and shit, open-air awesomeness!! Admission is only $7, gates open at 7pm with an 8:30 showtime, and two of the lovely ladies that make "Truth or Dare" so disturbingly nasty will be on hand to schmooze and sign stuff for FREE!!

 

 

 

            The incomparable Jessica Cameron (who directed this splatter-fest and also stars as "Jennifer"), and the amazing Heather Dorff ("Michelle") will be in attendance, mostly likely dropping fun film facts and random observations about "Truth or Dare" and generally looking hot as all Hell.

 

            "Truth or Dare" is a frighteningly topical tale about fandom gone terribly wrong, and "NOTLD: Darkest Dawn" is a new take on the classic tale, completely done in CG animation, that features the talents of genre luminaries like: Tony Todd, Bill Moseley, Danielle Harris, Joe Pilato, and Tom Sizemore (?).

 

            With this kind of awesome on hand, and HorrorHound Weekend starting the next day, just up the road in Indianapolis (featuring a HUGE "Nightmare on Elm Street" reunion among other treats), how can any self respecting gorehound stay away??

 

----I'm Scream King Tom, indie horror's answer to Kato Kaelin...thanks for playing.

This horror film is so EXTREME!!!

Okay, fuck this, let's call it as we see it shall we? This current glut of "Extreme" indie horror has reached a critical mass and, therefore, must be stopped before the "spoof" films start cropping up (it's inevitable, trust me...).
 
Granted, there are some quality examples out there, but all too often, some indie director out there seems to say "fuck plot, we gotta go further than 'A Serbian Film'!! Mix up some more entrails!".
 

Extreme? Bitch, please!

 



So, how did we get here? At what point did it become de rigueur to just come up with a kooky mask, phone in some plot points, and rush into some outlandishly done, over-the-top, slice and dice set piece (usually involving some sort of genital or anal trauma...and when the righteous fuck did that become necessary?!?!?).

 

From wide release world, the roots can be traced back to the "torture porn" movement. You know, shit like "Saw" and "Hostel" and the like. For a while there, it seemed like to MPAA hassles from the 80's and 90's never happened. Life was, relatively, good until the dreaded sequels started popping up.

 

which end do I blow in?

 

Indie wise, the grandfather of extreme low budget horror is, in my opinion, "August Underground". While not exactly my cup of tea, Fred Vogel's foray into neo-snuff (and it's sequels) are widely regarded as classics (and while we're on the subject of Toe Tag, I only just recently saw Vogel's absolutely brilliant "The Redsin Tower" and it's easily one of the best modern indie horror features of ALL TIME. Seriously, check it out, and also it's cinematic, illegitimate, bastard child, Adam Ahlbrandt's "The Cemetery"). 

 

And don't you fucking dare bring up Lucifer Valentine!! Those are fetish films and you fucking know it!! But, yeah, Vogel, Tim Ritter and a few others did "Extreme" extremely well, Eli Roth be damned, this stuff out does it's pricier brethren.

 

Place your bets, am I going to fuck, eat, or kill this puppy? Maybe all 3!

 

 

Filmmakers like Ahlbrandt, Stephen Biro, Dustin Mills, and Jessica Cameron, to name but a few, are currently doing "extreme" right (and for the record, I hate the term "extreme", sounds like a fucking energy drink...). They're pushing the envelope to the limits, but they're doing it while keeping one foot firmly planted in the "storytelling" grave. That's how it's supposed to be done, and that's why they're enjoying more and more success.

 

 

My point is (oh shit! there's a point?!?!), indie horror has always been the wellspring of originality. This is the place that the studio assholes mine for good ideas whenever they actually get balls enough to think about funding a decent film, and while we'll never fully shrug off the carpet baggers in this genre, indie horror filmmakers owe it to themselves (and the fans) to do better! There's more to making a great film than finding an excuse to film 80 minutes of chunk blowing gore! While there may be a niche audience for this stuff, even the most hardened gore-hounds eventually want to be mentally stimulated. You don't have to one-up anyone man, just do your thing, and if you do it right, we'll respond.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love violent, fucked up shit as much as the next guy, just please, please, please give me some plot, characters, and, above all, a reason for all the gut spilling!! Call me a pussy all you want, but I like to be entertained while I'm being repulsed (keep the tits though, always keep those...).

 

 

I am your Scream King, I can do anything...

 





 



 

Reedus, Greed(us), The Cult of Soska and Other Musings From HorrorHound Weekend

Soooo...HorrorHound Weekend-Cincinnati happened last weekend and, holy shit, was it fun. My wife, youngest daughter and I made the 3 1/2 trek to Cinci-nasty to get in on the festivities! There were high points, low points, and simply pointless...points. I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to see, but I saw some old friends, made some news ones, and learned a thing or two...
 
Norman Reedus. Admit it, your panties got just a little damp just reading that, didn't they? I'm not a fan, and I often bagged on poor, dreamy, Norman for jacking his auto/photo prices through the roof. Well, a visit to his line soon separated the facts from the fiction.
 

"what? of course I showered!!"

 

I was accompanied by an almost entirely female entourage, my wife, daughter, cousins and friend, so naturally, we HAD to go see Reedus. I cringed at the thought of spending hours in line with a bunch of lovesick Walking Dead fans, but decided to take one for the team. The HorrorHound staff has this line shit locked DOWN!! We went down about 11:45am, waited about 90 seconds for a ticket with 3pm stamped on it, then....nothing. We enjoyed the con, got lunch, came back around 2:45pm and waited in line for maybe 5 minutes, then BOOM! We were about 4th in line! The esteemed Sean Clark had some tunes blaring, a statuesque blond woman with some killer ink was busily vending 8x10s and ol' hillbilly Daryl himself was holding court like a fucking rock-star. Even with his $80 autograph price, Reedus really seemed to be having a blast interacting with his fans. He took the time for a few words, a couple of hugs and handshakes with each and every person in line, whether they bought anything or not. He also gave my cousin a special birthday surprise. As much as I hate to admit it, he was a class act, color me impressed.

 

Other cast members from "The Walking Dead" didn't exactly match Norm's enthusiasm. Alanna Masterson (Tara) has been getting the shit kicked out of her on social media for her table prices. In her defense she actually changed her sign to read "Meet & Greet $10" after spying Lawrence Guilliard Jr. (Bob) charging the same thing at the table next door, so it's easy to see where she got the idea.

 

 

Which, of course, begs the question "How much is too much?". Easy answer? Whatever certain dipshits will pay! In all seriousness, sooner or later lines will dwindle, there will be a fan backlash, and shit like this will taper off, like all fads. I'm a fan of the show, but the bit players need some lessons in con culture. Greed isn't the way to endear yourself to fans, and fans, kids, are what supports a long career.

 

 

Speaking of fans...

I've never fully understood the unwavering loyalty fans of Jen and Sylvia Soska display. Sure, I've interviewed them and interacted on the social media with them all the way back to the "Hooker" days, damn, they make cool flicks, and they're certainly friendly enough, but...

I'm going to issue a challenge to everyone--spend 5 minutes with the Soskas and then try to tell me that they're not two of the most charming, charismatic, engaging, confident, sexy, and intelligent human beings you've ever met. Seriously, I fucking dare you!

 

Jen, channeling all the sudsy powers of Hell, to bring Rooker to the masses...

 

You can't, That shit's impossible. My wife (who they once blogged about) and I waited in their line, watching them do everything but cook a meal and perform a shiatsu massage for every fan at their table, and when we got up to them, I was thrown back a bit--they yelled my name, not the other way around! (also, them being Canadian, you'd assume they'd be in hockey sweaters and knocking back shots of maple syrup--but they weren't!!)

 

I'm the fat guy in the middle...but you knew that already, didn't you?

 

 

After several minutes of: me finally giving them a "Zombitch!" DVD, signing it for them (didn't get a photo signed from them for my bar--FUCK!), presenting them with a HorrorHound beer, a lot of infectious laughing, slightly evil smiles, plenty of cursing, and a whole bunch of hugs, I left their table feeling like I had cemented a true friendship. They'll hate me for phrasing it like this, but, they're FUCKING ADORABLE! And while I may not be to the point that I'd take a bullet for them, I most certainly would punch someone in the cock for them. And that, friends, speaks volumes about those two amazing ladies. Long may their particular freak flag fly! They're the genuine article, and I'm forever down.

 

 

While we're on the subject of crushes...

My very first "horror film crush" was the late, great Ingrid Pitt. My second? Barbara Crampton. I still remember the evening, after reading about "Re-Animator" in Fangoria or something, I anxiously waited while the slow moving mouth breathers that ran the local video store finally obtained a copy. My sweaty 16 year old hands couldn't wait to pop that baby in my parent's VCR. That night, with the parents safely out on the town, a few friends and I, after some suitable preparation with a substance that's now perfectly legal in a few states, did just that. It was all over with after the first scene, we were enamored to say the least. Shortly thereafter, my house being the de-facto hangout for my group of friends, you could witness 3 or 4 long haired, tough-guy, teenaged,"metal kids" watching "Guiding Light" along with my mom, totally focused, waiting for a scene that included Mindy Lewis...it was pathetic, trust me, I was there.

*sigh*

 

 

I've met everyone, for the most part, on my "bucket list" of horror celebs, save for George Romero and the lovely Ms. Crampton. And, while I've never attended a con with Romero as a guest, I've attended two, thus far, with Barbara Crampton featured. Why no autograph you might say?

BECAUSE SHE TERRIFIES ME!! Seriously, I've met all kinds of genre celebs in my travels co-running NerdRemix.com, doing the "Scream Kingdom" and writing reviews for HorrorHound, and I've very rarely been starstruck. For some reason, completely unknown to me, I get shaky and nervous when it's Barbara Crampton. She's gorgeous, she's talented, and she seems friendly as Hell, but I go full "fanboy" when I see her. I even had an actor friend of mine, who had picked her up at the airport for HorrorHound-Columbus a few years ago, offer to walk me over to her so he could introduce me. My only reply was "nooooo way man!". So, obviously, one of you guys will have to get a signed 8x10 for me if she does a con near you. Pleeeeeeeeaaaase!! I need one, my bar is incomplete without her on my wall.

 

And indie filmmakers were well represented! The crazy talented Jennifer Valdes ("Jack-O-Slasher") screened her NerdRemix award winning short "Isabelle" and graciously posed with her (sorry!) late award with the Scream King.

 

 

Her traveling partner, Jeremiah Kipp, picked up the HH award for best short for his "Painkiller"--fucking winners driving in from NYC, that's dedication!

 

Fellow horror peeps John Ginder and  Jason Kretten were ran into as well--but fuck I missed a lot of you!!!

 

 

Also screening was the fantastic gore-fest "Headless". If you haven't seen this, RUN, don't walk, to your PC and order one HERE.

 

http://forbiddenfilms.storenvy.com/products/12120165-headless-dvd-limited-edition

 

 

Their booth was also killer, with "Skullboy" in attendance, and Brian Williams looking resplendent in his green Toe-Tag tee. The banner also featured a quote from me!!

 

photo ganked from the "Headless" Facebook page

 

The impossibly hot Ellie Church also picked up an award for best actress for "Headless", she keeps killing it more with every role!!

 

left to right: Scream King, Ellie Church

 

 

Notorious filmmaker Bill Zebub was also kind enough to question my sexuality when I told him I wouldn't make the 10pm screening of his "Holocaust Cannibal", but I heard it went well anyways...

 

 

Jason Hignite and crew, by all accounts, put together another bad ass film fest! HorrorHound Weekend is fast becoming the premier place to screen your indie horror masterpiece!

 

 

Right next to the "Headless" booth was Stuart Gordon, I bought a signed pic from him and chatted about my favorite author, HP Lovecraft. Mr. Gordon was friendly and gracious whilst I sputtered and attempted to sound well read. Awesome man, awesome films.

 







sexy? why thank you!

 

 

After another lap around the convention, we made the long drive home, tired, satisfied and spent. All in all, HorrorHound ALWAYS delivers!! Get to the next one!!!

 

I am your not-so-humble Scream King~

 

Bitch, moan, and insult me on Facebook: Thomas Gleba

or via Email: tom@nerdremix.com



 

 

 



 

 

 



 



The REAL Splat(ter) Pack

The REAL Splat(ter) Pack

 

Much has been made in recent years, in the mainstream horror press, about "The Splat Pack". Depending on the source, this cadre of genre directors includes names like: Roth, Aja, West, Zombie, Wan, Whannel, Green, Bousman, Six, and Rodriguez. While these cats have indeed made some killer movies, the up-and-comers in the indie world go largely unnoticed. Below, I'll take a look at some prolific film makers, and some rookies with only a film or two under their belts, that can, with a few frames of film, give any of the above a run for their blood soaked money...

 

 

Dustin Mills--

Mills has made a living, and legions of fans, for his offbeat, gory films, almost always injected with a large dose of humor (and sometimes puppets!). All that changed recently with the release (or did it escape?) of "Her Name Was Torment". Gritty, nasty, and made with an "arthouse" quality that manages to avoid being overly pretentious and self-important (i.e. it doesn't make you want to hit him in the face with a brick for insulting your intelligence), "Torment" was a bracing shock to the system for many of Mills' fans expecting more of the same zany bloodletting (and also was a big metaphorical "fuck you" to the "torture porn" sub-genre). Watch for releases from his new Crumpleshack stamp, and consider yourself warned.

 

Adam Ahlbrandt--

Violent, greasy, bloody, and unabashedly metal-as-fuck, Adam Ahlbrandt consistently delivers new and inventive ways to fuck shit up, cinematically of course. With a group of rabid fans, particularly for "Cross Bearer" (my personal favorite is "The Cemetery"), Ahlbrandt revels in assaulting the viewer with images of brutality, characters that don't always elicit sympathy, and unflinching set pieces soaked in bodily fluids--stuff that would have guys like Eli Roth shitting in his designer jeans. With "Hunters" and "The Sadist" in various stages of production, look for this purveyor of filth to scramble to the top of the genre heap soon.

 

Mike O'Mahony--

Developing his style in wacky splatter fests like "I.B.S." and the excellently subversive "Sloppy the Psychotic", O'Mahony unleashed an unnerving character study of a "monster in plain sight" with this year's "A Dark Place Inside". Virtually everyone who has seen it was blown away by the mature turn he has taken. There aren't any laughs to be had here, just tons of creepy atmosphere and deliberate pacing that ratchets up the suspense to an entirely different level. It's been amazing watching the man's style and craft develop, can't wait to see what he has in store next.

 

Adam Sotelo--

"Perseveration". Period. If you've had the pleasure of viewing it, you were treated to a blasphemous, fever dream of surreal, repugnant images that will long be burned into you consciousness. Coupled with an excellent cast and disorienting shots of extreme fucked-up-ness, Sotelo's direction has a seasoned quality that belies his short career. Topping "Perseveration" will be difficult, but it will be interesting to see how he does it.

 

Jessica Cameron--

Prolific genre actress Cameron stepped into the director's chair last year for "Truth or Dare". While most people may just be familiar with the controversy surrounding the film (I think Madonna is suing her or something...), those who have actually seen the film during it's successful festival run, or for review, have been treated to a boundary pushing, taboo shattering thrill ride that leaves you asking "how far is she REALLY going to go with this?". The short answer? Very fucking far. The cast does things onscreen that no cast should ever have to do...

 

Jason Hoover--

The criminal mastermind behind Jabb Pictures and it's amazing series "The Collective" (serving as a fan's gateway drug to countless talented new directors), Hoover's "Collective" entries have always been effective exercises in fear on a budget. Once making a great short film with nothing but shots of an old house and an ominous voice-over, Hoover went "full length" with "I Am No One" last year and knocked it out of the park! One of those films that make you want to wash your eyeballs after you see it, "No One" is one of the few convincing "found footage/mockumentary" films out there. Here's hoping something even sicker is brewing in that black capped head of his while he's stalking a convention near you...

 

 

Brian Williams--

"Time To Kill" is providing convention goers all over North American with beer swilling, shout-at-the-screen, good times virtually every weekend lately. The debut feature from Williams, "TTK" is his love letter to sleaze, cheese, boobs, blood, and Beelzebub. Featuring the exceedingly bad assed Ellie Church as a violent, revenge driven bitch on wheels, "TTK" combines all the elements that you loved from 60-70's drive-in fare, and almost none of the shit you hated, Buy a copy so I can see what comes next.

 

James Cullen Bressack--

Personally, I thought "My Pure Joy" was motherfucking brilliant. Following it up with stuff like "Hate Crime" and "To Jennifer" only cements Bressack's place on this list. With a distinct talent for pushing a viewer's buttons and keeping them engaged, waiting for the sanguinary "punch line", while the most mundane things occur on screen, Bressack masterfully creates scenarios that are truly believable. While I haven't seen everything he's done, I plan to rectify that in the near future.

 

So, there you have it, 8 directors that can make you hurk your lunch AND make you look twice at that "normal" looking person walking behind you on a dark street. In my not-so-humble opinion, they can best anyone on the list in the first paragraph, hopefully they continue to make the world a more twisted place for genre fans in the future.

 

--Scream King Tom

 

Musings on "Women in Horror Month"

It's "Women in Horror Recognition Month" this month, and the question arises-"Are women treated equally in the genre?". From the film making angle, I really can't say, because, while I may know a little more than a layperson, I'm still pretty ignorant of the process involved.  I think I might be able to safely assume, that when it comes to major studio funding, a green-light probably comes on a lot less for the fairer sex. Otherwise, you'd see a LOT more big budget fright flicks directed by women, because, when you watch the amount of low/no/modest budget indie flicks that I do, you see that women directors are pretty prevalent, and very talented as well, so they're there.

 

For the most part, my perspective is a fan's and reviewer's, so I find it kind of off putting the way some women working in our beloved genre are treated in the many blogs and social media outlets dedicated to the love of fear.

 

Now, first, let me be transparent-I love women, I often bitch about director's teasing us with the "possibility of nudity" and then not delivering, I'm very flippant in my reviews when discussing nudity (or the lack thereof), and I'm a sucker for: a pretty face, amazing breasts, and a killer backside (I've stated publicly, many times, that Tiffany Shepis has the best ass in the history of the horror film, seriously, it could probably literally hold up the Acropolis, since viewing Brian William's "Time To Kill" there's definitely some competition on the horizon, but yeah, Ms. Shepis is the benchmark.). But (no pun intended), do I limit my critique or assessment (again, no pun intended) of an actress' skills based on her looks? Absolutely not! And I think is where the indie horror world fails a lot of females.

 

I recently did an interview with three ladies (Jen & Sylvia Soska, and my dear friend, Jessica Cameron), all doing amazing work in the genre, and this subject came up. Also, I was recently the target of an anonymous email attack, chastising me for continuing the NerdRemix Horror Hottie of the Month series.

 

Now, from an outsider's perspective, this attitude towards women that prevails probably wouldn't be much of a surprise. Consider just one, almost universally beloved, sub-genre of horror: the 80's "Slasher" films--lots of fun, but when you boil a lot of them down, they're misogynistic maniacs slicing and dicing co-eds while their doofus boyfriends meet almost accidental (and drolly executed) ends. Sorry guys, Jason, the ultimate "mama's boy", was terrified of vagina!! Seriously, he killed anything that had, or had recently been inside, a vagina. But, in interacting with fans and film people at conventions, via social media, etc. I've found most of them to be pretty progressive thinking individuals. So it irritates me when I continually see things like "decent flick for a chick" or "she has to post pictures of her dressed like a whore to get attention" and the ever popular "she showed her tits in _____ so she's not entitled to an opinion".

 

I'm even semi-guilty of this, I made a comment in my review of Jessica's "Truth or Dare" along the lines of, "how can this sweet looking girl make such a violent film". But I never suggested that her gender could somehow prohibit her from making a decent film. Many people do, and that's a problem. Jessica also deals with a lot of backlash for speaking her mind and calling out the shadier elements of the industry, I've seen her referred to as "moody bitch", "feminist bully", and, my personal favorite, "mega-cunt", would a guy get the same treatment? I think not.

 

And the Soskas, I've seen larger, widely read blogs, that bemoan the fact that they're attractive young women who dress like attractive young women have every right to, so this somehow cheapens the quality work they've done thus far. Just what the righteous fuck does their clothes and curves have to do with what they do behind the camera? Please explain! Frankly, I like looking at Jen & Sylvia, if they're using their looks to market what they do, then good on them! If one random dude sees a photo of them, likes what he sees, and rents/buys a copy of "American Mary" out of curiosity, then-mission accomplished!! And, also, fuck that!! Nobody is telling Norman Reedus to look even more greasy than he already does (seriously ladies, what's the fucking deal? 'Cause you all know if you saw Daryl Dixon on the street, you'd be like "ewwwwwww! who's the smelly hill-jack?") because it somehow de-legitimizes "The Walking Dead"! Grow up, some chicks are hot, and they have actual functioning brains, and they make cool shit-deal or move the fuck on.



 

Bottom line-there's strong females like Jessica, Jen, Sylvia and Tara Cardinal to name but a few, working in the horror realm. They have goals, vision, drive AND killer looks. And they're here to stay (step up your game guys!!), And while I'm not a huge fan of "See No Evil", I'm interested to see the sequel that the Soskas directed (if for nothing else than Danielle Harris), and if they post a picture on Facebook of them wearing nothing but strategically placed peanut butter while molesting Grimace in a McDonald's lobby, then more power to 'em--I'm still checking it out.

"Blog Wars: Stupid? Or Just Plain Dumb?"

I've always been one to try and stay away from online drama. Recently, a misunderstanding led me to believe that someone, whom I have a great relationship with, was questioning my honesty/motivations/integrity concerning my shameless promotion of the film "The Black Dahlia Haunting" (a film which I, along with many others, loved--conversely, some people seem to dislike it quite a bit). The whole situation went downhill fast, with personal attacks coming in from all angles, along with a few attacks on the projects of some wholly innocent film-makers.

 

As it turned out, the website post in question wasn't about me, but it got me thinking--What a fucking waste of energy all this was! Why would fellow horror bloggers waste the time it takes to bag on each other? I, for one, hope the whole thing is in the past now, buried deep, never to resurface again...

 

But, you know, I let my anger get the best of me, as a blogger/reviewer, I'm used to getting nasty emails accusing me of all kinds of stuff. Example-Jessica Cameron, she's an actress who always speaks her mind, whether it pisses people off or not. We've become good friends in the past couple of years, but believe me, when it came time to review her directorial debut, "Truth or Dare", I thought to myself, "oh shit! if it's good and I say so, I'm going to eat shit for saying so". So, I watched it, it was great, so I gave it a glowing review. Sure enough, 2 days later, I get the "feedback". "You must want to bang her or she's giving you a quote on the box, because it CAN'T be good". To which, I would, had I bothered to, reply "watch the fucking thing, you dickface!!". But film makers are, or should be, used to bad/mediocre/vitriolic reviews. The thing is, WHAT GIVES SOMEONE THE RIGHT TO REVIEW A REVIEWER'S REVIEW????

 

I understand, I'll like some films that other people will hate, different strokes for different folks and all that shit. But with the advent of the internet and social media, it's not just disagreeing anymore! The art of trolling has made itself very prevalent in the world of indie horror! Beyond just a simple difference of opinions, this type of behavior can sabotage someone's career, make distribution hard to get for projects, and effectively "black-list" people.

 

I think, that we, as a community of bloggers and reviewers, should do better! Working together and cross promoting each others stuff can only bring positive results. I often pimp others' sites/blogs--especially with James at WickedChannel and Ginder with "Lost in the 80's",and they reciprocate, which benefits us all. Sure, I've bagged on some of the "major" sites, along with some individual reviewers, but they usually don't bother with the truly low budget stuff like we do.

 

Seriously, the trolling/hate-spew/flame wars need to stop! Look at all of the shit that's went down in just the last year or so: Rebekah Herzberg, who, along with being really easy on the eyes, writes a brilliant blog, was almost trolled off the entire internet by an actress or someone posing as an actress or some shit. Char Hardin, someone whose opinion I respect (and you should too) has had butt-hurt people take shots at her, and "The Dolls of Despair" group has pretty much imploded with in-fighting. And I'm not even going to go into the bloggers/reviewers that publicly bash films/talent because of all manner of real or imagined slights--I even voluntarily ate some crow after acting like a cunt to the Soskas for not getting a screener for "American Mary".

 

 

 

The point I'm trying to make (wait...there's a point to this rambling bullshit?) is, we, as bloggers/reviewers have a responsibility, and a power, that we need to be careful with. I seriously doubt anyone of us is making a "living" doing this, but the people that make the movies we watch likely are. So, if you don't like someone's opinion, don't like their film, don't like their shirt, don't like the shape of their genitals, or whatever the fuck, feel free to disagree, that's what makes us human and individuals. But, for fuck's sake, do it with a little dignity and respect--you'll find you'll get the same in return, and if you don't, rest assured in the knowledge that the person in question will most certainly have a finite shelf life in this genre. And also, I'm guilty of this, don't JUMP TO

CONCLUSIONS!!!

 

 

For the record, I love and adore the following people and films (among a ton of others not listed)-Brandon Slagle, James DePaolo, Debbie Rochon, Devanny Pinn, Cameron Scott, Debbie Rochon, Thomas Berdinski, Debbie Rochon, "The Black Dahlia Haunting", Jessica Cameron,  "Post Mortem, America 2021", Debbie Rochon, WickChannel.com, Chicken Wings, Debbie Rochon, John Ginder, Jen & Sylvia Soska, Debbie Rochon, Rebekah Herzberg, Derek Huey...

 

 

Also, keep any comments positive or keep 'em to yourself--thanks!!

 

 

 

 

 



 



It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year! (no, not Christmas...)

Happy (early) Halloween! It's a horror fan's favorite time of the year, and, unfortunately, aside from the recent "Carrie" redux and a few others, there's not a big seasonal flick in cinemas. October used to be the exclusive territory of the recent "franchise" flicks like "Saw" or "Paranormal Activity", but, thus far, there's not really a new brand-name to step into the breach. But, then again, "new" being the operative word, it's not that surprising, Hollywood treats "new", especially in the horror genre, like cancer these days...

 

There is, however, hope in the indie world! Brandon Slagle's fine "The Black Dahlia Haunting" and Pearry Teo's "Dracula-The Dark Prince" flick (with Jon Voight!) are in stores and on rental menus. You're probably tired of hearing me spew about BDH by now, but def check it out, and although I haven't yet seen it, Teo does great stuff, and I'd bet his new take on Dracula is interesting and well done, so buy a copy and support original ideas!!
 

 

 

Speaking of seasonal fare, I re-visited "Ginger Snaps" this weekend, along with it's darkly weird second entry and it's completely screwy "Snaps Back" effort. I had seen and enjoyed the first one (it's absolutely a "top 5" werewolf flick for me!), but had never taken a look at the other 2, even though I've owned the DVDs for years. Emily Perkins and Katherine Isabelle are really excellent together, great chemistry, and their superb dancing on the fine line between terror and humor in the original is a true pleasure to watch.
 

 

Check 'em out if you haven't already, even "Ginger Snaps Back" if for nothing else than Hugh Dillon's truly steeee-range turn as a minister. I'm pretty sure that if you're making a film in Canada these days, you have to clear it with Katherine Isabelle first, it's, like, a law or something. I'll have to ask Jessica Cameron...

 

After remarking that I'd never seen Adam Ahlbrandt's "Burnt House", he very graciously sent me a blu-ray copy (review coming soon!) along with a copy of his novella "Into The Chasm". "The Cemetery" and "Cross Bearer" are both exercises in brutal, violent fun and are the most metal flicks out there, so to say I was intrigued by the fact that dude had wrote a novella would be an understatement.

I read the whole thing in one sitting, and wow! a brutally frank, soul scarring journey into a man's psyche while dealing with love lost, self destruction, hope and finally redemption. It plays like a modern, vulgar version of "the Odyssey" and it's prose and imagery invoke both Bukowski and, at times, Barker, if you can wrap your fucked up little mind around that!

Buy a digital copy on Amazon if you don't want to take my word for it!

http://www.amazon.com/Into-The-Chasm-ebook/dp/B00AR34S4O#_

Also, if you're not now, you should be reading "Army of Darkness vs. Hack/Slash"--it's great, I'm glad Cassie Hack is back, and it's more awesome writing from Tim Seeley! Can I get a "Fuck Yeah!"?

 

 

Reviews coming soon for: more Dustin Wayde Mills sickness, another journey into Bill Zebub's depraved mind, the aforementioned "Burnt House" and "Wisp" a new series! Check NerdRemix and my social media crap for updates...

 

Happy Halloween! Here's hoping your week is filled with: candy, cider, cool Fall air, and hot chicks in slutty costumes!!