I apologize for getting this post out so late, but I'm out of town and find myself on a farm, around 45 minutes South of Portland, right now. I thought it would be easy to just set up the old laptop and get to work without skipping a beat, but... that's proven to be just a little more than difficult. In any case, I've been working on this post, on and off, all day. It may be cryptic, but it's all here...I'm almost sick of mentioning it, but I have to because it's just unbelievable. "Paranormal Activity" has now grossed over $62Million, having just pulled in $22Million this weekend and, on its fifth week in release, beat out "Saw VI" for the top spot, which came in second, grossing just over $14Million. Otherwise,, really, horror appears to be hot right, as I'm looking over what's in the theaters now and in the top 10, you've got "Paranormal Activity", "Saw VI", "The Stepfather", "The Vampire's Assistant" and "Zombieland". Not bad, we're definitely well represented. I guess it's that time of year, though. It's also a fantastic week for horror on DVD. There's a lot to go through, so I'll go through a few of the more interesting releases in detail, but mention them all... and, of course, you can check out all the trailers on our Youtube page, found here, and/or you can click on the titles and be taken to their page on Amazon where you can read more and/or buy them.
I'm not going to lie, I've been anxiously awaiting the release of this first film for quite some time. I read about it forever ago, watched the trailer, talked about the trailer, forwarded the link to the trailer to tons of people... and now, finally, I can get my hands on my own copy of "Black Devil Doll
". It's screened at tons of festivals and has already built up a huge cult following. How can you not get pumped about a 70's retro, blacksploitation film, where the killer is a black, shit-talking puppet? Check out the trailer, you'll be rushing out to get this one, I promise.This is actually another one that I've been interested in checking out for a while, but I actually already have a copy of it... in fact, I brought it with me and I'll be checking it out over the next few days. "Rotkäppchen: The Blood of Red Riding Hood
" is written and directed by Harry Sparks and I'm assuming that it's loosely based on the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but it's definitely not a kids story... in fact, it's apparently almost soft-core porn. I hope to have an interview with Sparks done soon, as well.I didn't actually go out and see "Orphan
" when it was in the theaters, but I've been wanting to check it out ever since I heard the interview that Creative Screenwriting did with the screenwriter, David Leslie Johnson. If you google "creative screenwriting orphan", you should be able to find it. It's a great interview and it's a cool story because he had to pitch his take on the idea to Joel Silver, then, after getting the job, go and flush it out. The film's got a crazy twist, but if you like studying how screenwriters get their ideas and how they work, I'd suggest finding that interview, then watching the film.I'm going to just touch on these other films, but the trailers are on our Youtube Page and you can click on them and find out more on their Amazon pages.
I wish I could look into this one more, as "Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet
" looks wicked AND it has a naked girl on the cover, so, all in all, that's a good start.I'm not sure if it's up your alley... or up anyone's alley, for that matter, but the Executive Producer of "Scary Movie" has come out with another horror spoof, this one's called "Stan Helsing
". I liked the whole spoof thing when "Airplane" and "Naked Gun" did it, but... it's a little old for me now."Fear(s) of the Dark
" is a French, animated horror anthology and it's being called one of the most "visually stunning and unsettling anthologies in modern animation history". Check out the trailer, it does look pretty f'ing good.Fans of extreme Asian horror, rejoice! "Jin Won Kim's The Butcher
" is finally hitting the shelves... My bet is that this flick is one harsh movie. I mean, the trailer is creepy and gory enough...I can't find much on "Dead Air
", but you've got a bit of Bill Mosely and that's alright with me.Don't let the title fool you, "Sauna
" is not about a sauna.... well, actually it is, but it's way creepier and violent than that mild title would lead on. Who knows, maybe there's something lost in translation, but it's a Finnish/Russian film and it's about the space between Christianity and paganism... where two brothers find a sauna where all sins are washed away. Check out the trailer, it's definitely not the feel-good movie of the year."Breaking Nikki
" has hit the festival circuit pretty hard over the last year or so and it's about a call girl that ends up being the victim in a sick game that's going to spiral bloodily out of control."Deadlands 2: Trapped
" was the winner of best zombie film at 2009's Fright Night Film Fest. It's an indie horror and it looks damned good, too."Late Fee
" is an indie horror where a couple tries to rent the scariest movie on DVD on Halloween, but end up being in a real life horror show that they might not live to regret...
Well, Brad went to Comicon, but I didn't... even though I felt like I did. Jesus, if you even mildly use any social networking tools, you were just inundated with news from Comicon all weekend. From Comicon's perspective, it's a real testament to how well things like Twitter and Facebook can work... I mean, I felt like I was there and now I'm thinking of heading down next year. Talk about being kept top of mind. Anyhow, most people didn't notice, but a horror film WAS released in the theaters and... it didn't do so hot. "Orphan" came in fourth, grossing just under $13Million, getting pummelled by the Jerry Bruckheimer Gerbil movie, "G-Force"; "Harry Potter" (which is in its second week) and "The Ugly Truth", the romantic comedy with Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. For what it's worth, though... the reviews on "Orphan" were alright - in your face, "G-Force"!.
" is an award winning Australian horror that looks down-right awesome and I really love the premise, so I hope I do it justice when I explain it. It's directed by Jon Hewitt, written by Shayne Armstrong, Shane Krause, with additional writing by the director. It got second place in the Horror Jury Prize at The Austin Fantastic Fest and took home three awards from the Melbourne Underground Film Festival. The plot revolves around James and Mark, who are constantly being bullied and finally decide to stop being the victim and kill their nemesis... that's when they stumble upon a serial killer who, they figure, will do the killing for them. You have to check out the trailer or read about it, really... it looks great.
" is another award winning film... directed by Adam Wingard and written by E.L. Katz, Lane Hughes and Wingard. It won the jury award at the Boston Underground Film Festival and the grand jury prize at the Indianapolis International Film Festival. It's about the lonely and disjointed life of Daniel, a young Alabama pill addict, as his efforts to cope with the trials of his day-to-day life collide with the increasing influence of murderous and displaced spirits that inhabit his home.
" didn't win any awards, but it was nominated for best film at the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema. However, once you hear the plot, it may just jump to the top of your 'to see' list. It's about a guy who falls in love with Fanny, a sheep from his family's vacation ranch, and then starts killing and grinding people up and feeding them to his new 'partner'. Say no more, it's in the queue!
", which has all three films from cult director Greg Lamberson, plus a new rock-n-roll zombie icon "mini-movie" called "Johnny Gruesome", that stars Misty Mundae. The three films are "Slime City", "Undying Love" and "Naked Fear", if you weren't aware.
" lately and, maybe, with good reason. It originally came out in 1985 and it's basically the balls-out, Troma version of "Taxi Driver". I had totally forgotten about this film until I saw all the press on it and, if I remember correctly, it's pretty good. So, they won the battle with me, I'm definitely going to check it out again. We've got the trailer on our Youtube page, take a look.
from 1965, starring Catherine Deneuve - his first english speaking film; 
from 1965, starring Ursula Andress; 
from 1973 - a shocking movie, for it's time; 
from 1970 and, lastly; 
from 1974.