Constriction Pictures

Friday the 13th: A Trip Back To Camp Blood VERSION 2

2011-07-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

Alright, so it's actually Saturday the 14th at this point . . . but who's really keeping track? Actually, come to think of it, somewhere in the Friday the 13th series, this blog post would be perfectly acceptable as taking place on the "very next day" (see Part II and Part 3D. So, anyway, enjoy this photographic tribute to original Friday the 13th!

One of the coolest things about growing up in New Jersey was some of the amazing history and connections to things I'm interested in. Let's see, you got the home of The Misfits up in Lodi, there's the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, the Jersey Shore, and of course, Troma Films. But, this one definitely takes the prize -- in 1979, a small group of filmmakers headed by Sean S. Cunningham were making a little Horror picture that they were hoping would become the
scariest movie of all time.

Little did they know.

Taking a page from John Carpenter's Halloween and Bob Clark's Black Christmas, Cunningham's aptly titled Friday the 13th shot in northern New Jersey in and around the towns of Hope and, of course, Blairstown. Camp Crystal Lake itself is actually a local Boy Scout camp called Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, which is still active today.

Our first location is Main Street in downtown Blairstown. Seriously, this is pretty much the hub of Blairstown and the Friday crew utilized a lot from this location. Through some creative editing, the small strip of Main Street becomes all of the town of Crystal Lake. In the film, the first "present day" footage we see is of Annie, the cook for the soon-to-reopen Camp Crystal Lake. She crosses a small bridge as she enters town and heads.

As you can see in the photos, not much has really changed. I have no idea what happened to the original bridge, but I'm sure the concrete needed significant repair work over time.

Still, regardless of the changes that have taken place, it really is a sight to behold as you first turn onto Main Street. If you're turning left onto the street, you cross the bridge, with the wall on your right, leading to the Old Mill.

Built in 1825 and acquired by the Blair Academy in 1903, the Old Mill was eventually placed on the State and National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior, so I'm pretty sure it ain't going anywhere.

In the film, Annie walks through the Old Mill's classic arch ways.

This location is right next to the bridge, so this one of few geographically correct locations in the film. As you can see in the pictures here, nothing has really changed (the pic here is actually from 2004, but again, it still looks the same).

It's also worth noting that the road to Camp No-Be is actually the one in the picture that winds off and up to the left. So, um, Annie . . . you're going the wrong way!

Here, Annie lazily wanders through the tunnel before exiting through one of the arches.

The smaller arched windows have been updated with solid panels of wood, though still keeping the original color scheme. I'm also pretty sure the overhead lights were added in recent years, though.

Annie walks through the second arch.

This is where things get interesting....remember what I said about the producers using some clever editing to make Main Street seem a lot bigger than it actually is? In the start of this scene, Annie comes in from one end of the street and here, she's coming from the opposite end.

In the screen capture, I'm not really sure what the red building Annie is walking down in front of was back then. As you can see in the modern pic, the building has since been painted a ghastly light blue color and is now the Historic Blairstown Theatre. Why is it blue? I have no idea, but it's pretty much an eyesore as far as I'm concerned.

It looks like the building right next to it has had a bit of a facelift, as well.

Next up is one of the most famous locations, which to this day, remains pretty much identical as to when Enos, the truck drive, drops Annie off at "the crossroads" . . . the Moravian Cemetery in Hope, NJ.

Hope Township is actually south of Blairstown on Rt 519, so Annie has quite a trek ahead of her if she's still walking to Camp Crystal Lake, don't you think so?

I remember the first time I actually went to Blairstown to check out the locations back in 2003; as we were heading north on 519, I looked down the road to the left and immediately recognized the location. The Moravian Cemetery is just outside of the actual crossroads in Hope, NJ and, as you can see in the photo, still looks pretty much the same.

The next location is the Blairstown Diner, where Steve Christy has a meal before making his way back to Camp Crystal Lake. And, personally, I think Sandy was totally flirting with him and trying to pick him up.

The diner, as it appeared in the film, looked pretty much the same on the exterior until at least 2004 . . . Unfortunately, sometime in that year or the next, the diner was remodeled and "modernized" so to speak. I never did get to see it with the DINER marquee lit up (the place used to keep very odd hours, so I might have driven all the way up there in the evening, only to find it closed!). The interior of the diner is now very different, resembling your typical American diner establishment, with a large dining room area.

Inside, Steve Christy sits at the counter as he finishes his coffee and Sandy tries to work her magic on him. "Two and a quarter."

In the film, Sandy's back is the front of the diner. I'm not sure if there was a large dining area in there (behind Steve, a little further down the wall) as it stands today. And, frankly, I don't remember it that way the first time I got into the diner back in 2004.

In the first pic above, we're standing down by where Steve sat in the film. There is no longer a counter there, only booths. During filming, I'm not sure there was a counter where there is one, so it's possible it may have just been relocated to the other end of the front.

In this pic, taken in 2004, I'm sitting where Steve sat. At this time, the diner still had its original green paint scheme and the layout looked similar. To my left was where the booth behind Steve sat; it was pretty much removed or in the process of being removed, as I remember it.

At that time, my wife (then my girlfriend) Sandee and I were hesitant to go into the diner, as I'd heard urban legends that the locals are too fond of their town's connection to a cheap slasher movie from the 1980s. So, as we walked up to the counter and ordered a Coke, Sandee was able to take a pic of me (she was standing where the small booth is behind Steve Christy in the screen capture). I do remember that booth was either completely busted up and removed or in the process of being removed, as I don't recall an actual seat or table in that spot.

I used to go up to Blairstown every Friday the 13th and have lunch at the diner and, as it stands, it's not a bad little place! The food is great and the service is friendly and inviting. I highly recommend the chicken fingers and fries!

Needless to say, when we were there on Memorial Day, the staff of the Blairstown Diner were incredibly friendly and inviting. Though they were closing due to the holiday, we were welcomed inside to take as many photos as we needed! Thank you Blairstown Diner staff!

That's all for now . . . stay tuned for Part II of "A Trip Back To Camp Blood" when Constriction Pictures will actually visit the original Camp Crystal Lake itself!

Super 8 (2011)

2011-06-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

There’s a scene early in J.J. Abrams’ Super 8, set in the summer of 1979, where we’re shown two of the main characters’ bedrooms. In that of our hero Joe Lamb’s, we’re treated to Aurora model kits of famous Universal monsters like the Hunchback, a Frankenstein mask, and a Creature From The Black Lagoon doll, as well as various era-specific comics and even an issue of Famous Monsters of Filmland (what, no love for Fangoria #1?). The bedroom dwelling of aspiring filmmaker Charles has its walls adorned with theatrical one-sheets for Halloween and Dawn of the Dead. It’s quickly established that Super 8’s young characters are self-described “Monster Kids” and, if you have even a remote interest in horror or science-fiction, you just might be one, too, or at least grew up as one.

JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg definitely fall into that category and, with Super 8, wear that love proudly on their sleeves.

Abrams, along with producer Spielberg, hopes to awaken those possibly forgotten feelings of excitement over the latest b-movie playing at the local, single screen, movie theater or the newest monster make-up technique from Dick Smith (Tom Savini/Rick Baker/Stan Winston/Rob Bottin if you grew up in the 80s). At the very least, you might be able to go to the movies this summer and say “Finally. Someone gets it. I really don’t have a single thing to complain about with this movie.”

The top secret story involves a group of kids making a zombie movie with a borrowed Super 8 camera, who stumble upon a horrific train crash and subsequently get tangled up in the enigmatic red tape of an Air Force conspiracy. Their small Ohio town becomes invaded by uniformed scientists as townspeople begin mysteriously disappearing. Sheriff’s Deputy Jackson Lamb (played by Friday Night Lights’ Kyle Chandler) starts asking questions and, before he knows it, crosses paths with his young son, Joe, and his adventure-seeking friends.

There are certainly elements of Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E. T. present here (there are even some direct references throughout) and, it’s precisely the spirit of those early blockbusters Abrams is recreating. Sure, there is the standard use of summer movie CGI, but there’s also a subtlety and heart that has been missing in these types of films for a long, long time. Recalling early Spielberg, at its core Super 8 is about a family – Joe and his recently widowed father, trying to put their lives back together and fill the increasing void between them. Their loss has also affected many of the townspeople (not counting the families of Joe’s friends) as well and the town as a whole is in need of something uplifting.

It’d be easy to sit here and point out things like “That town meeting bit was lifted from Jaws”, “this dialogue exchange between the kids echoes Goonies or Stand By Me”, or “that kid constantly hitting the dining room table is a direct homage to Close Encounters”, but it’s even easier to just sit back and enjoy what is truly a breath of fresh air for American summer movies. This summer, multiplexes will again be overcrowded with super-heroes, talking animals, and big, dumb, loud sequels to pointless CGI eye-candy. In fact, I’m interested to see how some of the younger moviegoers will respond to a picture like Super 8, given that they may have only grown up on movies like this through home video – that’s if movies like Goonies, Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Close Encounters aren’t too “old” in their ever so critical eyes.

Even if you didn’t grow up in 1979, Super 8 hits all the right beats of adolescence and the types of kids you probably hung around with; there’s the total geek, the pyro maniac, the shy kid who probably hasn’t hit puberty just yet and, of course, the dreamgirl who’s totally out of your league and you think you’d die if she even talked to you. The young cast, as headlined by newcomer Joel Courtney (as Joe), and rounded out by Riley Griffiths (Charles), Zach Mills, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, and Elle Fanning is terrific all around. All of the kids bring believable life to their characters and, frankly, I was pretty impressed to see such range coming from this bunch of actors. Their talent and relative anonymity is surely a treat given today's blockbuster standards of casting familiar faces from hit television shows.

Overall, Super 8 is a great summer movie and if it, along with 2009's Star Trek is any indication, we're all in for a treat as J.J. Abrams continues his flourishing career. See it!

Shock Waves (1977)

2011-06-10T15:03:00.001-07:00

Ken Wiederhorn's Shock Waves is one of those "Holy Grail" Horror movies as far as I'm concerned. It's got everything needed for enjoyment:

-Awesome 70's poster art
-Great cast
-Creepy music (no need to really argue the difference between a horror movie with a score versus a horror movie with a soundtrack featuring music from and inspired by the film) -rustic 1970s (or 1980s, depending on the movie) cinematography
-Rad 1970s vibe
-Atmosphere. Atmosphere. Atmosphere.

I'd first come across this movie in a book called Clive Barker's A-Z of Horror, where it was discussed under "Z" for Zombies. All that was really shown was the poster art, in a glorious black and white reprint. Instantly, I thought to myself, "I NEED to see this movie!"
And so began my search at what seemed like endless Chiller Theatre conventions, always asking dealers if they had a copy of the long out of print VHS from Prism Video. Of course, like clockwork, I was always met with a "I just sold it" (sure ya did...). One day though, I finally score a copy of the film (albeit a dubbed copy with a black and white photographed cover, depicting the poster art on both the front and back -- but I didn't need any key plot points spelled out...I knew I'd love this movie)!!

Upon that first viewing after getting home from that Chiller show (seriously, at like 2am), I'll admit I had a rough time trying to stay awake, eventually falling asleep, but what I did see amazed me. It was everything I'd hoped it to be and then some!

The plot is pretty simple: A group of strangers are stranded in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida when the touring boat they've boarded breaks down. Luke Halprin (of TV's Flipper) plays Keith, the heroic deck hand to John Carradine's Captain. After an encounter with a ghost ship (straight out of Death Ship actually), the group must take the boat's dingy over a desert island after someone spots a large hotel. But, as they soon find out, the island isn't completely deserted and a Nazi secret has been lying dormant in the depths of the ocean for the last 32 years....

Throw in the legendary Peter Cushing as a weird old Nazi commander and you've got yourself one hell of a 70s drive-in movie!

"Man, I was in Vampire Hookers -- what movies have you been in?"

One of the cool things about Shock Waves is its prologue, featuring an ominous voice-over and a creepy photograph of Nazi stormtroopers. The narration talks about Germany's secret investigation into the Supernatural before the start of World War II and how Der Führer had enlisted a group of scientists to experiment on the bodies of the dead. Awesome, huh? Believe it or not, because of this intro, many people believe Shock Waves to be based in some fact . . . which it may very well be . . .

Story-wise, as I said, it's pretty simple and straight-forward. It really delivers on its premise. There's no outlandish action sequences and you really get the sense the film was made on a slim budget at an actual abandoned hotel in Florida.

Co-writer/director Wiederhorn would later go on make such fare as Meatballs II (which, incidentally, features clips of Shock Waves in it!) and, of course, Return of the Living Dead Part II . . . but this is creative peak, hands down. Seriously, there is nothing wrong with this movie. I'd have given anything to have caught it on "USA's Up All Night" or "Shocktober" on WPIX 11 back in the day. It would definitely be one of "those" movies where you'd have a fuzzy recollection of it and can't remember the name, all the while wracking your brain trying to remember more about it.

Underwater Nazi zombies. What's not to love?

Back on 6/29/01, I was fortunate enough to finally catch Shock Waves on the big screen -- as the second movie on a double bill with Cannibal Holocaust! While not really the perfect pairing in the truer sense of the word, it was still something to behold. Most people laughed and scoffed at the idea of water-logged Nazi stormtroopers stomping around the depths of the ocean, but man . . . I was in seventh heaven!!

"Carradine thinks he's the man, prancing around with his vampy whores, but I was in Star Wars sucka!"

William Lustig's amazing Blue Underground finally released Shock Waves onto DVD back in 2003 (though it still has no Bluray planned unfortunately) in a pretty nifty special edition featuring a commentary track from Wiederhorn, make-up designer Alan Orsmby, and filmmaker Fred Olen Ray. There's also a brief featurette with Luke Halprin, wherein he recalls his transition from television teen heartthrob to adult actor and shares some fond memories from the making of the film. Rounding out the set is a theatrical trailer (which, as far as I'm concerned, looks to be in better shape than the movie itself), a TV spot, radio spots, and an extensive gallery of posters, stills, and production photos.

A note about the print used for the DVD: according to the disc's liner notes, the film's original negative mysteriously disappeared nearly 30 years ago, so the film was transferred from Wiederhorn's own vault print and digitally restored for the DVD release. The overlook of the film is a bit soft and grainy with some minor print damage throughout -- which I'm certainly not complaining about at all (that just adds to its greatness as far as I'm concerned).

Overall, if you're in the mood for a great, often forgotten gem of a 70s horror movie, you owe it to yourself to track down Shock Waves. Also, being that it's rated PG and there is virtually not one drop of blood or slip of the nip, it would make a great gateway introduction for young horror fan in training in your household. See it!

"The sea spits up what it can't hold down."

Final Exam (1981)

2011-05-26T18:29:00.001-07:00

In honor of Horror H o u nd magazine's awesome tribute to all things 1981 in their latest issue, I decided to finally check out some of the titles I've had for a while, but have somehow managed to avoid.

Where do I start with this "gem"?

Lanier College in Anywhere, USA is coming upon the end of its system where...wait for it...final exam(s) are taking place. One of the local frats pulls a pretty insane prank (I'll get to that in a little bit), which sets up the school nerd/tattletale/over-achiever/self-appointed genius Raddish, to become a whistle blower for all things abnormal. Of course the joke's on him because of the prank and now the frat wants to rough him up a bit and the backwoods sheriff accuses him of being a Boy Who Cried Wolf. Man...this kid can't get a break. Suddenly, students start dropping like flies and the bodies start piling up. Will Raddish call the cops again and risk looking like a fool? Will he survive his Final Exam?

Things start off promising with some cool, grainy cinematography.

Alright, so the poster looks kinda cool despite the obvious Friday the 13th ripoff. Maybe the killer is wearing some sort of cool mask that will make up for whatever shortcomings the movie might have . . .

Nah, he's a Gerard Depardieu stunt double wearing an olive drab Army longsleeve, a pair of jeans, and your average, shit-kicker work boots. Hardly impressive, right? Maybe he's got a cool backstory or some insane motive for knocking off all these stupid college students . . .

Nah, he just comes and goes with the wind. Dude doesn't even have a name for crying out loud!! I guess maybe writer/director Jimmy Huston was trying to channel the creepiness of Michael Myers' "killer with no motive"/pure eeeeee-vil vibe . . . but failed miserably.

Ladies and gentlemen: our killer.

Honestly, the only thing the killer can do well in Final Exam is catch arrows with bare hands and ride a dumbwaiter standing up(seriously!). The kills are pretty unimaginative and the gore is nowhere to be found except for some blood coming out of a victim's mouth or appearing on their face when their body turns in the last reel.

Raddish, as played by Joel Rice, should be the example of the type of character every Horror character shouldn't be. He's whiny, nerdy beyond words (the kid friggin' announces "I can't help it! I'm a genius!" when he finishes a final exam before the rest of the class) and probably wouldn't even be able to make friends with someone as annoying as Encyclopedia Brown. There's one scene where he visits a female character who's stressing about boys . . . to give her the sort of pep talk Stuart Smalley would blush over. Dude...and I'll only say this once: she's stressing about a guy who's being a butthole -- her defenses are down. Make your move! Give her that shoulder to cry on and those arms to hold her. But yeah . . . poor Raddish comes off like a
nerd prototype for "Degrasi, Jr High" (the original one). Dude gets what he deserves.

Somewhere, Jack Torrance is proud. I guess.

One of the things Huston tries to do to make Final Exam stand out from other slasher pictures of the times is focus more on the kids . . . er, college students. I'll give him an "A" for effort, but the execution is so terribly boring that it really makes the movie become bad ABC After School Special with "some" scenes from an amatuer slasher movie thrown in. There is so much time spent trying to develop the characters (none of which can really act all that well) that I forgot I was watching an '80s slasher movie!!

Remember that prank the frat pulls that I mentioned earlier? Yeah, well, speaking of forgetting which movie you're watching . . . early on, the killer is driving around in a black van, right? Not too long after this is established, another van -- which is brown and clearly doesn't look anything like the other one -- roles onto campus. Did the killer decide to switch vans? Did the production think no one would notice that they banged up the director's Uncle Seymor's van and figured the audience wouldn't noticed if they replaced it with a brown one?

The head-scratching continues when dudes in ski-masks, brandishing M-16's hop out and start mowing people down. Seriously.

Somebody better call The A-Team because some dollar store terrorists are shooting up the local college.

So Final Exam just turned into Kent State? I'm confused.

Oh wait . . . it's just the frat pulling a prank way too elaborate for their star keg-stander, Wild Man, to execute. They grab the "bodies" of the two kids who fall victim to their gunfire and drive off with them. Is this some sort of hazing prank, part of Hell Week? Oh, it's all a distraction so the lead frat guy can switch write a passing score on his final exam and waltz out of the building like he just finished his test.

Sure, the movie is pretty confusing, but you wanna know the single most insane bit about Final Exam? The DVD is currently out of print and copies of it are going for ridiculous prices on ebay and Amazon.

Go ahead and do a search right now. I'll wait.

Forget it, I'll show you myself.

Nuts, isn't it?

Yup. That's the body of a dumb jock stuffed into that skinny locker.

Anyway, this movie is pretty terrible and those who know me know that some of my favorite movies are pieces of trash. But man . . . this one sucks so hard. Skip it!

"Too Much Horror Business" by Kirk Hammett

2011-05-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

For as long as he can remember, Kirk Hammett has found fascination, escape and even love within the world of horror movies. From nervous yet enthralled nights spent cowering behind the family sofa as another Universal Studios horror classic played on the black and white TV, to the recent years which have seen Hammett gather one of the largest private collections of movie poster art & memorabilia in the world, Kirk's love of the genre has never wavered. As the lead guitarist of rock superstars Metallica, Hammett has been able to indulge this passion and procure the art and artefacts from the world of fantasy and horror, which are only available to a select few. Each piece Kirk has bought holds emotional value for him, each one a memory, whether as a child or today. For this reason, Kirk has previously been highly reluctant to discuss or divulge the details of a collection of toys, posters, and props, which has developed a legendary reputation amongst horror enthusiasts and Metallica fans alike. Until now. "Too Much Horror Business" is the definitive record of his collection and the emotions attached to it. Presented in a full-colour, larger format volume, with three gatefolds, the book does real justice to his treasure trove of horror. This book is augmented with pages of handwritten notes and thoughts, plus a series of, conversation-interviews, which will offer a chronological thread starting with the young Hammett growing up in the Bay Area. For fans of horror, "Too Much Horror Business" will be an exciting journey through unique properties and pieces. For fans of Metallica, it will be the ultimate book about Kirk Hammett. And for the casual reader, "Too Much Horror Business" will be the rock 'n' roll coffee table book that offers an intriguing view into the mind of a horror-obsessed, superstar guitar hero.

-Amazon.com

The first time I can remember seeing anything related to Metallica was in a 1989 issue of Collectible Toys & Values, featuring all things related to Batman (the then current Tim Burton movie as well as the comic and 1960s television series). There was a photo of "Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett", an avid comic book collector, holding a copy of Detective Comics #27, the very first appearance of Batman, which he'd just purchased at a comic book show. Honestly, that photo sort of brushed under my radar, but little did I know that I'd just had a first encounter with the guitar player for what would eventually become my all-time favorite band.

Flash-forward to the present day and Kirk, his love of Horror, and his collection of posters and props are the stuff of legend among Metallica fans worldwide. He's worn countless Horror t-shirts on-stage in the late '80s (Night of the Living Dead and Hellraiser, to name a few), but aside from the odd photograph or video snippet in Some Kind of Monster, Kirk has never really shown much of his collection off to the public. So, when I won a Meet & Greet with Metalllica on 1/31/09, I knew I had to ask him about his collection.

We talked briefly about Chiller Theatre conventions (in '90/'91/'92, Kirk was often seen on-stage and in print wearing a t-shirt for Horror-Thon -- Chiller's original name -- or a Tor Johnson Chiller Theatre tee). I asked if he still gets a chance to go to them; he said not really, but he is still good friends with the show's creator, Kevin Clement. I then asked if he ever considered doing a book one day about his collection; more or less a coffee table photo book just detailing what he's got. He said he had actually been thinking about doing one, but it'd been very time-consuming just cataloging everything because, well, there's so much of it!

Kirk and I at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ 1/31/09.

More than a year went by before "Too Much Horror Business" (awesome title, btw) was finally announced and I couldn't believe my ears! Not only was Kirk finally doing a book on his collection, but the man was clearly not bullshitting me when I asked him about it way back when (of course, any Metallica fan knows how down to earth and real those guys actually are).

Recently, Kirk was on VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show", where he briefly discussed the book with hosts Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson, and Jim Florentine. On the show, Kirk displayed a proof for the intro spread, where he's posed with life-size statues of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. What's cool about the statues is that they're wearing the actual, screen-worn costumes Karloff and Lugosi wore in The Black Cat and White Zombie respectively.

Regardless of how you feel about Metallica, if you're a Horror movie fan, this book will definitely be worth checking out. From the sounds of it, once "Too Much Horror Business" is released, we'll be seeing some long lost treasures.

Early reports are saying it's due out 10/1/12 (Kirk did say he was going to be working on it during Metallica's break in the early part of 2011), more information is available from Amazon.com.

Terror Train (1980)

2011-05-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

After the one-two punch of Halloween and The Fog in 1978 and 1979, respectively, Jamie Lee Curtis was well on her way to claiming the title of "Scream Queen". With 1980's Terror Train, she officially embraced that title.

Terror Train has all the basic elements of a really good slasher movie...

-a cruel prank that went terribly wrong
-isolated location (in this case, a train)
-list of disposable teens with little character development
-killer with a cool mask/costume (more on this later)
-cool kills

Plot-wise, Terror Train has a pretty simple (and unique) setup. A year earlier, some freshman frat brothers and their girlfriends orchestrated a prank that took a very cruel turn for a young pledge named Kenny Hampson. Now, as seniors, the same fraternity is throwing a New Years Eve costume party, their "last big college party" (what are they gonna do for the rest of the school year? Must be a pretty lame fraternity, eh?) on a train. Faster than you can say "All aboard!" someone begins picking off people one-by-one and it doesn't take very long for Jamie Lee to figure out who it is.

Released during the first wave of Halloween knock-offs, Terror Train is easily one of the best of the bunch, sitting pretty closely with My Bloody Valentine in my eyes. One of the picture's most unique attributes is the setting: trains themselves can be kinda creepy, what with those narrow hallways and basically nowhere to go, right? Add to that a night time landscape set in the dead of winter and there's a recipe for goose bumps.

The train itself is a pretty ominous being, if not a character itself. That first opening shot during the credit sequence with the door of the train house slowly rising before the train starts plodding from within the smoky/foggy white light completely sets up the mood of the film. The train's whistle is also effective, as it sounds eerily like a co-ed screaming for her life.

One of the great strengths about slasher movies from the 70s and 80s is how much of their casts were complete unknowns. Any horror fan will tell you how distracting it can be with a cast populated by familiar faces (which is always one of the main complaints against modern horror). Aside from Jamie Lee Curtis, Hart Bochner (of Die Hard) and screen veteran Ben Johnson, the cast is mostly Canadian actors, all unknown to US audiences. Oh, and there's also a young David Copperfield as the "is he the killer or isn't he" Strangely Antisocial Magician character.

Speaking of Copperfield, a sizable portion of the movie is devoted to his magic routine and several tricks that he performs. I wish one day we'd get a commentary track from director Roger Spottiswoode, which could maybe shed some light on this part of the film. Was Copperfield, at the time pretty much an unknown illusionist, fairly strict on what could or couldn't be shown of his tricks and how they were to be filmed? Or were his tricks merely special effects? While he certainly wouldn't be winning any awards for his acting (he's obviously just playing David Copperfield here), he does pull off a convincing sense of suspicion whenever he's on-screen.

Jamie Lee Curtis is in fine form here as Alana, the girlfriend of one of the ringleaders of the prank their group wishes to forget. Unlike the rest of them though (either those directly responsible or those who merely follow), Alana feels bad about what happened -- as well as her role in it -- to Kenny. Aside from all of that, she's graduating early, which is essentially Creative Writing 101 stating that Alana is a smart cookie. Jamie Lee As Scream Queen always personified what the "Final Girl" character should be. She's smart, strong, and doesn't really take shit from anyone, including Doc, the self-appointed fraternity leader and the one with all the good ideas.

Doc, as played by Bochner, is a character cut from the same cloth as Keir Dullea's Peter in Black Christmas. He's moody, arrogant, conceited, and basically thinks his shit don't stink. He's also pretty much a tool, leaving the viewer wondering why anyone in their right mind would follow this guy's direction, let alone be his friend. Doc is the archetype of the boyfriend/jock who fends for himself and would probably use his girlfriend as a human shield in the face of the killer. His girlfriend is Alana's best friend, Mitchy, and well...there's some strange swinger vibe between them as they both ditch their significant other for an attempted romp with someone else's lover.

Another odd character is Alana's boyfriend, Mo (played by Timothy Webber, surely a long-lost brother to Sam Raimi). While he probably has the best intentions, he always winds up disappointing Alana and falling prey to Doc's juvenile pranks and jokes. On top of that, he blindly follows Doc in wandering off with a drunk co-ed behind Alana's back. WTF, mate?

Anyway, the coolest thing about Terror Train is the killer, Kenny Hampson. Since everyone is wearing costumes on the train, Kenny is able to change disguises as he racks up his body count. He's even able to make a Groucho Marx mask creepy as all hell! But, easily taking the crown for creepiest mask is that of an old man. Looking like a cross between a troll and a hairless version of Fluffy from Creepshow, the Old Man mask stands neck and neck with the Groucho mask as being the most effective and scary of Kenny's disguises.

Even with his face covered by a mask, Kenny's eyes stare daggers into his victims, potential or absolute.

In the end, Terror Train somehow slipped through the cracks in the wake of the mainstream popularity of the Friday the 13th and Halloween franchises. The VHS was long out of print for years (I initially had to resort to a fullscreen R2 Spanish import disc with a print that looked as though it'd had been buried in a coal mine) until 20th Century Fox finally decided to put it out on disc in 2004. I'm convinced big studios take so long to release classic horror titles on DVD because they're anxiously putting every single waking minute of creativity into creating a brand-new cover because the original poster/video art that convinced many a viewer to check it out in the first place completely sucks (end of sarcasm). The print looks good and, while it's essentially a barebones release (aside from the dirty, old fullscreen version on the flipside), it does contain the original theatrical trailer!

Anyway, yeah . . . definitely see Terror Train. It's crucial viewing for any self-respecting slasher fan. See it!

Friday the 13th: A Trip Back To Camp Blood

2011-05-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

Our first location is Main Street in downtown Blairstown. Seriously, this is pretty much the hub of Blairstown and the Friday crew utilized a lot from this location. Through some creative editing, the small strip of Main Street becomes all of the town of Crystal Lake. In the film, the first "present day" footage we see is of Annie, the cook for the soon-to-reopen Camp Crystal Lake. She crosses a small bridge as she enters town and heads.

As you can see in the photos, not much has really changed. My picture was taken back in 2008, but things really haven't changed since then. I have no idea what happened to the original bridge, but I'm sure the concrete needed significant repair work over time.

Still, regardless of the changes that have taken place, it really is a sight to behold as you first turn onto Main Street. If you're turning left onto the street, you cross the bridge, with the wall on your right, leading to the Old Mill.

Built in 1825 and acquired by the Blair Academy in 1903, the Old Mill was eventually placed on the State and National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior, so I'm pretty sure it ain't going anywhere.

In the film, Annie walks through the Old Mill's classic arch ways.

This location is right next to the bridge, so this one of few geographically correct locations in the film. As you can see in the pictures here, nothing has really changed (the pic here is actually from 2004, but again, it still looks the same).

It's also worth noting that the road to Camp No-Be is actually the one in the picture that winds off and up to the left. So, um, Annie . . . you're going the wrong way!

Here, Annie lazily wanders through the tunnel before exiting through one of the arches.

The smaller arched windows have been updated with solid panels of wood, though still keeping the original color scheme. I'm also pretty sure the overhead lights were added in recent years, though.

Annie walks through the second arch.

This is where things get interesting....remember what I said about the producers using some clever editing to make Main Street seem a lot bigger than it actually is? In the start of this scene, Annie comes in from one end of the street and here, she's coming from the opposite end.

In the screen capture, I'm not really sure what the red building Annie is walking down in front of. As you can see in the modern pic, the building has since been painted a ghastly light blue color. Why? I have no idea, but it's pretty much an eyesore as far as I'm concerned.

It looks like the building right next to it has had a bit of a facelift, though.

Next up is one of the most famous locations, which to this day, remains pretty much identical as to when Enos, the Truck Driver, drops Annie off at "the crossroads" . . . the Moravian Cemetery in Hope, NJ.

Hope is actually south of Blairstown, so Annie has quite a trek ahead of her if she's still walking to Camp Crystal Lake, don't you think so?

I remember the first time I actually went to Blairstown to check out the locations back in 2003; as we were heading north, I looked down the road to the left and immediately recognized the location. The Moravian Cemetery is just outside of Hope, NJ and, as you can see in the pictures, it looks pretty much the same.

The next location is the Blairstown Diner, where Steve Christy has a meal before making his way back to Camp Crystal Lake. And, personally, I think Sandy was totally flirting with him and trying to pick him up.

The diner, as it appeared in the film, looked pretty much the same on the exterior until at least 2004. The picture above is from 2003 and you can clearly see the large DINER marquee was still on the roof and the original green color to the exterior was still in place.

Unfortunately, sometime in 2004 or 2005, the diner was remodeled and "modernized" so to speak. I never did get to see it with the DINER marquee lit up (the place used to keep very odd hours, so I might have driven all the way up there in the evening, only to find it closed!). The interior of the diner is now very different, resembling your typical American diner establishment, with a large dining room area.

Above, this is what the diner looks like today.

Inside, Steve Christy sits at the counter as he finishes his coffee and Sandy tries to work her magic on him. "Two and a quarter."

In the film, Sandy's back is the front of the diner. I'm not sure if there was a large dining area in there (behind Steve, a little further down the wall) as it stands today. And, frankly, I don't remember it that way in 2004 when I went inside and had a seat at the counter, pretty much exactly where Steve sat.

At that time, my wife (then my girlfriend) Sandee and I were hesitant to go into the diner, as I'd heard urban legends that the locals are too fond of their town's connection to a cheap slasher movie from the 1980s. So, as we walked up to the counter and ordered a Coke, Sandee was able to take a pic of me (she was standing where the small booth is behind Steve Christy in the screen capture). I do remember that booth was either completely busted up and removed or in the process of being removed, as I don't recall an actual seat or table in that spot.

I used to go up to Blairstown every Friday the 13th and have lunch at the diner and, as it stands, it's not a bad little place! The food is great and the service is friendly and inviting. I highly recommend the chicken fingers and fries!

It's a shame though that everything had to be remodeled in the Blairstown Diner, but I completely understand the need to change with the times, ya know?

The last location I was able to get to was Camp Crystal Lake itself. I'm sure you've seen other blogs with actual photos of the camp (many of the cabins and other buildings are still standing and look the same, aside from a fresh coat of brown paint).

However, when I finally was able to find the Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco itself for the first time in 2004, I was really hesitant to step onto the grounds, as I'd heard that the staff aren't very welcoming to Friday fans (obviously).

It's quite a trip driving up the dirt roads to the camp itself . . . it definitely feels like you're in the movie!

Just before you reach the first main building (in the film, I think it's the Office that Alice and Bill break into to check the phonelines), Crystal Lake itself is immediately to the left (it's actually called Sand Pond)!

Anyway, needless to say, we didn't get very far on our drive onto the grounds, as we were immediately greeted by someone who wasn't straight up rude, but they weren't exactly extending an invitation to come on in and take pics. So, the above photo of Sand Pond is the only real photo I've got from the camp.

I'll tell you, taking a trip up to Blairstown is incredible and, if you're a Friday the 13th fan, you gotta go! Just driving in that area strikes a nerve (try playing the soundtrack as your driving around up there, too). I think it's definitely time to take another trip up there some time real soon . . .

Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things (1972)

2011-05-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

After George Romero redefined what the living dead should (and could) be with Night of the Living Dead in 1968, there were scores of imitators. Most of them came from Europe (one of the best being George Grau's Let Sleeping Corpses Lie in 1974), but there were only a few American imitators.

This is one of them.

The story is pretty simple: a group of struggling actors accompany their hack of a leader to a remote burial island for criminals and general lowlifes; some real scum and villainy. The group is lead by the quasi-Manson, Alan (played to annoying perfection by Alan Ormsby, who also handled the make-up effects); basically, he knows these young actors are starving and hungry for work, so they'll do pretty much anything he says.

Alan's plan is to commit a little grave-robbing and hold a seance to raise the dead; knowing full well he's full of shit and merely wanting to have a laugh or three at the expense of his "children" in tow.

The catch? It works.

Before they know it, the acting troupe is surrounded by the living dead and seek refuge in an abandoned house (presumably the home of island's caretaker perhaps?).

Sure, the movie itself is really slow and the zombies don't show up until pretty much the last half hour or twenty minutes . . . but, there's just something about it that works. Honestly, I almost look at it as a prequel to Night of the Living Dead (the ending was later ripped off by Lucio Fulci for 1979's Zombie [aka: Zombi 2]).

The sequence where the dead return is truly creepy; director Bob Clark (of Black Christmas, Porky's and A Christmas Story fame) presents the action in an almost nightmarish way. Strange sounds pop from the soundtrack, a heavy mist envelopes the burial ground like a tablecloth, and some interesting zombie make-up all come together to make this sequence work.

If you're into gore, this movie might not be for you. Sure, there's a little bit of blood, but nothing to go hog wild over and, honestly, if you're a fan of Romero's zombies, you'll probably be disappointed.

One of the coolest things about the DVD version of this movie is the print quality. It looks like complete garbage. There's some incredible print damage, but it's not like the bootleg quality of Abby or Curtains -- just good old fashioned noise in the picture and scratches; hell there's even some really terrible color tone shifts and parts where the edge of the picture turns a minor red color! I love it! This really adds to the atmosphere and, for me, the overall enjoyment. I seriously can't imagine this movie looking as good some of the Blu-Ray remasters Anchor Bay or Blue Underground have released in recent years.

In the end, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things is a fun little movie that certainly has its faults, though it more than makes up for them with its charms and payoff. See it!

My Bloody Valentine: 3D (2009)

2009-01-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

Remakes are always a tricky proposition. On one hand, the original is usually hailed as a classic and deemed "perfect" with no need to be touched. On the other, there is always room to explore a particular angle left out of or not even thought of in the source material. Happily, My Bloody Valentine 3D (MBV3D) succeeds where few have.

The general plot remains the same as the 1981 slasher classic; after a terrible accident in the Hanniger Mine, Harry Warden snapped and took his bloody revenge. Years later, he returns and the killings begin once again.

MBV3D picks up where the original left off with, what it is pretty much a condensed version of the original's finale; workers at the mine are throwing a party and boozing it up . . . with Harry Warden on the loose, after a terrible accident there which left him in a coma for the last year.

The love triangle of Tom (aka T.J.), Sarah, and Axel is still prevalent. Here Supernatural's Jensen Ackles stars as Tom. Right from the start, there is tension between Tom and Kerr Smith's Axel -- and it's obviously over Sarah (played by Jamie King). After Harry Warden shows up and starts slaughtering people, Tom is left for dead in a mass confusion with Axel, his girlfriend Irene (played by Betsy Rue) and Sarah feeling for safety. Ten years later, Tom returns to town and finds things aren't exactly as they were when he left . . .

Axel is now the Sheriff (taking over from Tom Atkins' Burke) and is married to Sarah. Like the original, that love triangle still exists and it serves as a springboard for some intense moments between Tom and Axel. But, the one that remains the same is that a similar string of murders by someone in a miner's outfit (complete with the eerie combination of the gas mask and miner's headlamp). Is it Harry Warden?

The script by Todd Farmer and Zane Smith is fun and intelligent for what it is. Let's face it, MBV3D is not out to win any Oscars. If you go to see to be enlightened, you're at the wrong movie. If you go into it expect a fun time and a roller coaster ride into Hell (as the posters are saying), you will have a grand old time! Farmer's writing has happily improved since he wrote Jason X and with Smith at his side, he creates a world familiar to longtime fans of Harry Warden, while at the same time bringing them something new.

The acting is pretty solid all around, with Tom Atkins pretty much stealing the show everytime he's on-screen. He plays Burke as if he's in a B-movie and does his dialogue with the perfect delivery; seriously, some of his early scenes recall 70s drive-in double features. The major letdown though is Jamie King as Sarah. King plays the role by the Slasher genre rulebooks and, well, Sarah was never your standard throwaway Slasher character. Although that problem begins with the writing, King's performance dumbs down the character so much to the point that she falls into the standard Slasher cliches of moving too slow or just standing there when something bad is happening. Kerr Smith is also pretty intense, as well, playing nicely off of Jensen Ackles; the suspense of the Miner's true identity, coupled with the tension over Sarah gives these two actors a lot to work with.

Where the original MBV was heavily cut by MPAA censors, special Effects supervisor, Gary Tunnicliffe pours on the gore for Harry Warden's 3D debut! Victims are dispatched in a manner of colorful and grizzly ways enhanced by the amazing 3D effects! Like the Friday the 13th series, this is absolutely a bodycount movie and the kills are so cartoonish that you're bound to have a good time. Again, people come to see movies like this to see the effects and the gore; and in that regard, MBV3D delivers across the board.

Since this is, afterall, a remake of a classic movie loved by many -- including director Patrick Lussier -- you may be wondering if there are nods or homages to the original Canadian classic. Of course there are! Lussier updates a couple classic kills that are even more spectacular given the recent DVD release of the original in its uncut form. In fact, there are plot elements in MBV3D that make watching the original even more interesting considering what some of the newer versions of favorite characters do this time around....

And, speaking of familiar territory, Lussier has stocked his cast with some genre favorites to appease the hardcore Horror hounds in the audience. As I said before, Tom Atkins (The Fog, Escape From New York, Creepshow, Halloween III, Night of the Creeps, Lethal Weapon, Maniac Cop, etc.) is on-hand, chewing up scenery and stealing the show right out from under the younger actors. Then, there's John Harrison (composer for Creepshow, Day of the Dead, director of one of the Dune TV movies, and of course, the "Screwdriver Zombie" in Dawn of the Dead) as the foreman at Hanniger Mine. Harrison has a bit role, but any George Romero fan will recognize him and smile. And, speaking of Romero, there's one more alum creeping about . . . Bingo O'Malley ("Jordy's Father" in Creepshow and "Valdemar" in Two Evil Eyes) appears as Sherrif Burke's right hand man, Hinch. Sure, to the average moviegoer, these cameos are insificant, but to those "in the know" it's a nice way for Lussier to show he cares and respects the fanbase.

The 3D technology has drastically improved from what many from my generation remember in, say, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare or Friday the 13th Part 3D and Jaws 3D. Gone are the red and blue lenses in the cardboard glasses (at my screening, there was a metal detector outside the theater to ensure none of the state of the art 3D glasses walked). Also gone is the almost instant headache that feels like an icepick is being driven into one or both of your eyes! The 3D here really kicks off with the depth of field on-screen in terms of the actual mine itself. Of course, some of the effects are throw-backs to 3D fun of yesterday with objects either popping or, um, flying directly at you....yes, there were a few parts where I actually blinked and flinched. Some of the scenery looks breath-taking in three dimensions as well -- especially the wooded areas surrounding the mine.

However, MBV3D is not a perfect movie. As I said earlier, Jamie King's portrayal of Sarah was a letdown. Perhaps if she'd studied the original movie a little more and identified with the character, she could have made Sarah more believable. Granted, no one is asking for the opposite end of the stereotype -- ie: Lt. Ripley or Sarah Connor, but it just would've been nice for her to have some depth. Also, some of the guys out there my hoot and holler and drool over Betsy Rue in all her naked glory . . . but really, I think the nudity was a bit overdone (the same way Danielle Harris' was in Rob Zombie's Halloween). Another point of centention surrounds the believablity of the actors' ages; time shifts ten years and hardly any of the actors look different from the way they are in the beginning. Only Kerr Smith grows some facial hair and, from what I've read, Tom Atkins actually looked younger in the beginning.

Lastly, the movie could have been a minute or two shorter. The ending they went with is a bit redundant and it would have been more effective for that "one last scare" moment had things been trimmed just a bit.

Overall, MBV3D is a fun little movie that ushers in the next trend for Horror: the 3D movie. Yes, there is a plethora of 3D-based Horror movies coming out later this year or early next year (I'm looking forward to Final Destination 4 and Alexandre Aja's remake of Piranha). While it was also released in the standard 2D version (which I plan on seeing), I cannot recommend seeing the 3D version if it's playing near you! See it!

The Shining (1980)

2008-11-20T20:15:00.000-08:00

How many "Scariest Movie of All Time" lists have been made since the beginning of the Horror picture? Quite a bit, no? Chances are more than a few titles on those lists are adaptations of Stephen King books and, I'm also willing to bet that The Shining is right up there.

By now, it's pretty well known that Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of Stephen King's 1977 novel about a haunted hotel taking its toll on a broken man differs greatly from its source material. Sure, it's not a page by page recreation of King's work, but Kubrick succeeds in making The Shining completely his own.

In case you're not familiar with the story, Jack Torrence (in a tailor-made performance by Jack Nicholson), a writer with an hopelss affinity for the bottle, is hired to be caretaker during the winter months at the Overlook Hotel. To keep him company, Jack brings along his mousey wife Wendy and their borderline autistic son, Danny. Almost immediately, strange things start to happen and it's quite apparent that the Overlook Hotel has some skeletons in its ballroom (the previous caretaker, Delbert Grady, killed his family and then himself).

The Shining is more than just a mere Horror movie; it's an exercise is fear and almost like watching a nightmare. Even if you've read King's novel, although you may see traces of its plot devices in Kubrick's film, it's still unclear what exactly is going on. In fact, the stedicam shots of Danny tearing through the Overlook on his big wheel are even terrifying!

Many could argue that Kubrick's film is a series of surreal images, strung together with the loose twine of Stephen King's novel. Kubrick uses static shots (or at least shots with very little to no movement) as he crafts some of the most memorable bits of The Shining: Jack, sporting an early beard and a black turtleneck as he stares at Wendy and Danny playing in the snow, the Grady twins in the hallway, and of course, the blood coming out of the elevator. It's as if Kubrick was trying to conjure up childhood nightmares as he made the picture!

At the end of the day, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, though flawed in the eyes of many (including King himself, who wrote the 1997 Mick Garris-directed ABC mini-series remake), stands on its own as a seminal masterpiece. Twenty-seven years after the fact, it still holds up as one scary as hell motion picture! See it!

My Bloody Valentine (1981)

2008-11-20T19:45:00.000-08:00

"From the heart comes a warning filled with bloody good cheer. Remember what happened as the 14th draws near."

My Bloody Valentine is truly one of the best slasher pictures to come out of the first wave in the early 1980s. From start to finish, it's got the perfect formula: it's set on a holiday, likable characters, a solid setting, a tragic backstory, and a flawless killer. So, why has MBV fallen under the radar for so many people? For starters, when it was released in '81, Horror movies were enduring a lot of criticism for their portrayal of graphic on-screen carnage and, well, the MPAA swung its old proverbial axe down. Paramount Pictures caved in and cut MBV and Friday the 13th Part II (also released that near) of nearly all the gore footage fans would come to see. Aside from that tragic flaw (which Lionsgate may be correcting with a brand new special edition DVD due January 13th...just before the 3D remake hits theaters on the 16th), My Bloody Valentine is a true classic that any self-respecting Horror fan should have at least seen, if not own.

The story revolves around the Canadian mining town of Valentine Bluffs, where a certain holiday is pretty much the focal point, with locals looking forward to it every year. But there's also a heavy curse weighing in over the town; twenty years before, as the townspeople celebrated Valentine's Day, five miners were trapped in a cave-in at the Hanniger Mine. It took six weeks to find the men and, by then, there was only one survivor who had gone mad. His name was Harry Warden. And exactly one year later, Harry took his revenge in a bloody rampage, warning that if the town ever celebrated Valentine's Day again, he would return. Now, with Harry in a sanitarium, the young people in town decide it's a great idea to celebrate the holiday of the town's namesake. And then the murders begin to happen . . . again. Caught in the middle of the nightmare is the desperate love triangle of T. J., Sarah, and Axel.

As I said before, everything is solid with this movie. I can remember seeing it for the first time many years ago either on a late night movie channel or the USA network (more likely the latter). Right from the opening scene of a couple in miner's gear embracing before the woman is brutally impaled on the spike from a pick-axe, I knew MBV was something worth checking out! The writing and directing is tight enough that it keeps the viewer guessing throughout -- yes, there are a few surprises to be found in the Hanniger Mine. The acting is pretty much on par with what was found in cheap Horror movies on this era, but that's not necessarily a bad thing; for all intents and purposes, it's got "Fink" from Meatballs in it.

If you've read any of this blog before, chances are you've seen me talk about how Horror movies from the 70s and early 80s had "the look" -- MBV has it as well! There's just something about it that demands the respect it deserves. Also, even though it's not the theatrical version, just look at that poster art, will you?!? They don't make 'em like that anymore folks. As I said earlier, with a remake (in 3D no less!) set for release in January, here's hoping that a whole new audience and...generation (yikes)...finds the original My Bloody Valentine. See it!

Diary of the Dead (2007)

2008-10-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a huge fan of George A. Romero. The original Dawn of the Dead is, and always will be, my favorite movie of all time . . . it’s as simple as that. The pictures Romero made from 1968’s Night of the Living Dead to 2000’s Bruiser may have their fair share of flaws and shortcomings, but I still like each and every one of them.

In 2005, Romero finally gave us his long-awaited fourth entry in The Dead Trilogy, Land of the Dead . . . and well, to say I was disappointed with it is a bit of an understatement. Even after Bruiser was released to pretty poor reviews in 2000, I defended Romero up and down, but with LOTD, I really do believe he lost some of the magic that made his earlier pictures so incredible.

The main thing that ruined LOTD (and George’s career) in my eyes was the blunt political commentary. Sure, the other Dead movies had some sort of social commentary, but maybe it’s just the fact that Romero finally had his own say about what’s going on today after every other bleeding heart liberal made their own movie, documentary, blog entry, or song. For the first time, I was truly seeing an innovator become a follower . . . it left an unforgivable negative impression on me.

When Diary of the Dead was announced, I really simply did not care about it in the least bit. Again, there was talk about how Universal and the big money people were at fault for LOTD’s dismal box office intake, so when Diary of the Dead was marketed as a return to Romero’s indie roots, I still didn’t even get excited about it. And, when it was given a limited theatrical release (only playing near me in NYC), I swore that there was no way in hell I’d travel out of my way to see it. Of course, it was released to pretty solid reviews from the Horror community and critics alike, praising its commentary on our society’s obsession with video-taping things and uploading them to Youtube or MySpace. Maybe it was worth checking out after all?

I finally saw it the other night . . .

Diary of the Dead tells the story of a group of college film students who are out to make a mummy movie for a senior thesis. As they run into production problems out in the middle of the Pennsylvania wilderness, they overhear some disturbing news on the radio about the dead returning to life and attacking the living. From there, they decide to flee and make their way “home” to see their friends and families . . . or at least see if they’re still alive.

Right from the get-go, Romero is already a mere follower – the much better Cloverfield was released shortly before Diary (this is the story of Romero’s life; Day of the Dead bombed because Return of the Living Dead was released about a month prior to its own release, effectively satiating moviegoers’ hunger for zombie carnage). Where Cloverfield succeeds – ie: making the film actually feel like one long hand-held video that was shot as all hell was breaking loose – Diary effectively cripples itself with some unneeded voice-over narration from Debra (played by Michelle Morgan). Many critics and reviewers who didn’t worship this movie simply because it had Romero’s name attached to it complained about how the narration immediately pulled them out of the film and distracted the experience. I agree. Morgan sounded more like a fifth-rate Sarah Connor impersonator here than anything else.

None of the characters are really likable (which is funny because that’s what almost every review of Day of the Dead claims is a low-point of that film…I, for one, love that movie) aside from Ridley (played by Phillip Riccio), Eliot (played by Joe Dinicol), and an Amish farmer played by R. D. Reid (of the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead remake). All of the other main characters are terrible clichés or they act out clichés: Josh Close plays Jason Creed, the stereotypical film student obsessed with becoming the next Spielberg (or in this case, the next Romero) and Scott Wentworth’s portrayal of film professor Andrew Maxwell, the drunkard who talks down to the kids about death feels like something we've seen dozens of times before.

A couple positive things worth noting here lie in the fact that Diary of the Dead isn’t merely a new sequel, but more or less an reinvention (sort of like Batman Begins maybe?) of the world Romero created in 1968. The initial outbreak and societal breakdown that was only alluded to in Romero’s earlier Dead series is finally given a glimpse here. As we see through the eyes of a television news crew covering a double homicide at an apartment building, there is still something refreshing about zombies with Romero at the helm! This scene definitely harkens back to Romero's glory days and easily could have been an outtake from the original Dawn of the Dead!

One really cool bit that I thought tied into the notion that Diary is essentially happening at the same time as the original Night of the Living Dead (aside from fashion, time and a correct year are never given in any of the original Dead pictures) was the inclusion of audio from one of the TV broadcasts the farmhouse survivors are watching – presumably coming from the same, live TV broadcast here in the new film.

As with any Romero movie, there’s always a sense of family among the cast and crew and, true to form, several familiar faces (or, in some cases, voices) pop up throughout the movie; F/X man Greg Nicotero, composer and “Screwdriver Zombie” John Harrison, “Butcher Zombie” Boyd Banks, Simon Pegg, Quentin Tarantino, as well as Romero himself.

While it’s impossible to really reinvent the wheel with a zombie movie, Romero does manage to come up with some new and interesting way to kill zombies; I’ll never look at a defibrillator in quite the same way again. And the way a character “buries” several zombies later in the film, is a welcome addition to the Dead mythos.

In the end, while Diary of the Dead has its moments, it’s still just a painful reminder of how great Romero’s past work is and that his continued mining of territory he’s excelled in before cannot repeat those previous successes. And with the announcement that Romero has made yet another Dead movie (sporting the original title of "George A. Romero's ...of the Dead), this movie hurts even more. Skip it!

The Strangers (2008)

2008-05-31T00:08:00.000-07:00

One thing that has always been disturbing about older Horror movies (say, from the 70s or early 80s) is that, save for a "star" who may be past his/her prime and they're trying to pay the rent with a quick paycheck, most of the cast is made up of unknowns. When an unfamiliar face is being terrorized on-screen, it's much easier to get lost in the movie and become engrossed in the tension that a skilled director can create from a really good screenplay. It also helps when the setting could be Your Town, USA.

The Strangers has been on my "To See" list for at least a year/year and a half since I first read about it in Fangoria magazine. After seeing Fango's stamp of approval on the article, my reaction to the masked characters was "Whoa. That's intense."

First time writer/director, Bryan Bertino, starts things off with an ominous voice-over about how the story is based on true events . . . as a fan of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this is a fine way to begin things as far as I'm concerned. If you're willing to actually get inside the movie and pay attention, it easily adds to the experience when you've got "this actually happened" in the back of your mind.

The story centers around James Hoyt and Kristen McKay (Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler, respectively), a couple who look as though they haven't been having such a wonderful night. They're barely speaking to eachother and one can't help but be interested as to what's going on with them and why they're in the state we find them in. Almost immediately, someone is pounding on the front door -- it's 4am, by the way -- and things quickly begin to spiral out of control.

For the most part, Bertino keeps things interesting despite the fact that only Speedman and Tyler are on-screen for the duration of the picture. And, people can say what they want about Liv Tyler, but she more than holds her own and easily plays against type in a role like this. Seeing a high-profile actress like Liv Tyler in a movie like this can always go either way, but I'd say things went more in the right direction for sure.

The violence is pretty intense, yet not overly gory. Honestly, if it can be compared to anything else, Wes Craven's Last House on the Left comes to mind. The level of on-screen violence here is in no way of the cartoonish variety found in a Friday the 13th or any other Slasher movie; in a sense, the audience is not cheering, applauding, or laughing at the setpieces. When things go down in The Strangers, it's not pretty and it's not a roller coaster ride. In fact, it's derivative of when Phyllis is killed in front of her best friend Mari while she watches helplessly in Craven's 1972 shocker. There's an overbearing sense of dread that hangs over the entire movie and it only continues to unsettle right to its grim and startling (albeit a bit cliched) conclusion.

As for the titular Strangers . . . wow. These characters are easily some of the most disturbing the Horror genre has ever seen. Their strength lies in their mystery and simple nature of their motive -- "because you were home." They will definitely make anyone think twice about locking every door in the house and checking tenfold.

Some may say that there's nothing we haven't seen before in The Strangers and, sure, that's true to an extent. However, it's really refreshing to see a Horror picture that at least strives to be suspenseful and work its way under the audience's collective skin. In a time of flashy, sporadically edited, cookie cutter movies, I welcome anything that breaks that mold.

All in all, if you're a serious Horror fan, this is just what the doctor ordered. See it!

Just a quick update....

2008-04-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I've been steadily adding some reviews here. I'm also going to be pulling older reviews from my archives either that I've posted on MySpace or on various message boards. So, those posts -- like Rob Zombie's Halloween, 30 Days of Night, and The Mist -- might feel a little dated as they were written right after seeing them in the theater. So, have a heart, and don't be too hard on them if there are any errors I may have missed in them.

Also, I'm going to be adding some short reviews that I've done based on the movies in my collection. Now when I say short, I mean, well they're shorter than the average review you might see on here or have come to expect from me. I usually write the short ones in one shot from memory and give the basics of the plot, what I thought of it, and whether or not you should see it.

Until next time . . . keep reading.

Rob Zombie's Halloween (2007)

2008-04-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

I'm really, really glad that I didn't read any reviews or see any clips or see the final trailer before hand. It made it so much better. Without giving anything away of course, I thought Rob Zombie brought a fresh approach to a franchise that has frankly worn itself out. Come to think of it, regarding the original series' sequels, I don't think any of the directors ever really brought their own vision -- ie: something fresh -- to the formula. I guess what I mean, initially you had "John Carpenter's Halloween", but none of the sequels had a clear, identifiable signature on them from their given director in my opinion. Rob Zombie's Halloween, on the other hand, definitely accomplishes that.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see Rob's creative growth with this picture . . . granted, it's still not Oscar™ caliber stuff (hey, it's the Horror genre, folks), but much like the differences between House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects, Zombie's added a few more notches to his belt as a writer/director. Yes, there are definitely some bits of dialog that "typical Rob Zombie", but in its defense I'll say it's perfect for the particular characters.

One thing that always seems to crop up within a successful Horror franchise is the inevitable and oft-dreaded backstory. The studio heads love it because it gives writers another angle to work and play with -- and make more movies based on -- and fans usually groan at it because it sheds too much light on their favorite masked men. Some of the early fears I heard regarding this movie and its prequel storyline were over giving Michael a reason why he kills. Right from the get-go though, I wasn't worried because Zombie's not the type of artist to say "Michael Myers kills his sister because his mom wouldn't buy him a candy bar." Yes, while we get maybe a clearer vision of young Michael's thought process behind his early deeds, there still is no clearcut reason why; and that's a great thing.

I'll admit, when I saw Daeg Faerch's first photo as Michael, age 10, I was skeptical as hell. But, I was really genuinely surprised by his performance. There were some truly terrifying and unsettling moments with him in the film . . . and, as intense as they were, I'll admit that I had a devilish grin. Another aspect I've heard some people were weary about -- specifically my hardcore Halloween fan of a cousin -- was some of the real life serial killer elements that Zombie added to the character. Trust me, you'll know what I'm talking about if you've read anything about Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, or Jeffrey Dahmer. From the moment I heard about this stuff, I wouldn't say I was necessarily thrilled, but I was definitely up for the angle of reality Zombie was going for. In the end, I thought it was a fine patch of character for young Michael.

Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Samuel Loomis . . . a fine choice of an actor to step into a role literally immortalized by the late Donald Pleasence. One thing I did know about the movie was that McDowell hadn't seen any of the original movies, so he had no idea how Pleasence played the character. I thought that was a great move on his part and brought a fresh, yet somewhat familiar, breath to the character.

Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie Strode . . . listen, one thing about Slasher movies that I've always found a bit distracting is that they cast someone who obviously isn't 17 years old to play a 17 year old. That's always bugged the shit out of me and one major eye-roller is Peter Barton as "Doug" in Friday the 13th part IV: The Final Chapter -- the dude was 28 (!) when that movie was made and he's playing a "teen". Scout Taylor-Compton, though, actually is 18, so I noticed a particular teen element to her performance. Whether it was blatant or subtle, it's hard for me to pinpoint -- but I believed her character.

As anyone who knows anything about Horror movies or has seen either of Zombie's other two movies, you'd know he's got a thing for throwing in cameos from character actors of the 70s and 80s. He did it with The Devil's Rejects big time and here, he brings most of that cast back for brief cameo bits. Seriously, it's like a Who's Who of Genre Actors . . . and while I thought it'd be distracting as I'd heard a new name and face announced every week, surprisingly it wasn't. As corny as it sounds, it was kind of like seeing a bunch of old friends on-screen! There are so many times throughout the movie where I'm just sitting there nodding and smiling as one familiar face after another pops up on-screen in a memorable bit. One of those faces that stretches far beyond a cameo though, is Danielle Harris....

Danielle is the only actor in this movie to be an original Halloween series alum; she played Laurie Strode's daughter, Jamie Lloyd, in Halloween 4 and again in Halloween 5. Regardless of what any fans think of those two movies (I'd say 4 is better than 5 myself), one thing everyone agrees on is Danielle Harris. She's great in the role and brought something special to the later sequels. I've met her at a show a few years ago and she's such a cute little sweetheart -- she's literally 5' tall -- and seems like she's got a good head on her shoulders. She's of course been in other movies since her Halloween days, so it's been cool to see her move on, but always seem to keep showing some love for the series and the name . . . much like Jamie Lee Curtis has continued to do. And, going back to what I said about older actors playing younger characters, Danielle actually breaks that mold -- she just turned 30, but you wouldn't be able to tell! So yeah, I was thrilled when I'd heard she'd been cast as Annie Brackett for this movie. In the original, I thought Annie was incredibly annoying and boring, so I was kinda glad when she got killed off. Here, though, there's something likable about the character and I really did feel bad for her being thrust into Michael Myers' path....which brings me to another point.

When most people think of Slasher movies, they instantly talk about brainless teenagers lining up to be slaughtered by a masked killer. That's certainly true for the majority of the pictures that came out after the original Halloween; often times characters were introduced with a handful of lines, just so they could be added to the bodycount (I'm looking at you, Friday the 13th part V!!). Again, as I said Rob Zombie's Halloween sure ain't Academy Award-worthy Drama, but I'll be damned if he didn't try to infuse some sort of sympathy for the majority of the characters. Sure, this movie has characters who are introduced just to be killed, but the main characters are who I'm talking about. One thing that's so great about the original Halloween is how Haddonfield, IL is a "small, American town" that could be anyone's town. The babysitter characters seemed pretty genuine in that film and, maybe that's why it struck such a nerve with audiences in 1978. Here, the residents of Zombie's Haddonfield appear to be living in a peaceful world, relatively free of any real danger, with only schoolyard whispers of "the Boogeyman". I personally felt bad for a few of the characters as they had this monster break into their world and shake things up.

Speaking of the monster, let's talk about Tyler Mane in the lead role. This is another role I was pretty skeptical about when I heard he'd been cast. Tyler is famous for playing Sabretooth in the original X-Men movie, so naturally, he's a pretty massive dude to begin with. One of the great things about the original movie and Nick Castle's portrayal of the character was that he seemed like a normal guy. He was a regular build and, aside from the mask, didn't really have any imposing qualities the way Kane Hodder had when he played Jason Voorhees. But again, I was impressed with Tyler's performance as Michael here. I thought he brought his own take to the character, while bringing some qualities that nodded to Nick Castle's original version, too -- specifically in the way he walked and moved sometimes. And, wow, this Michael Myers is one baaaad dude!! He literally is a monster and, I think, truly terrifying. There are a few stalk scenes where he's doing stuff that, to me anyway, is right up there with The Shape stalking Laurie while she's hiding in the closet in Carpenter's movie.

Yet another hot topic of debate for any Halloween movie is always the mask. Lots of folks wonder why directors don't just use the original William Shatner mask in the sequels. The only one in my opinion to get it close was Halloween II. But, Wayne Toth certainly hit it pretty damned close with his version of the famous mask. I thought it brought back that eerie feeling most people get when they see that "blank, pale, emotionless face".

The original Halloween is relatively light on the red stuff, although it does have its share of what some fans pay to see -- blood and gore and T & A. Here, Zombie amps things up quite a bit (predictably too much in one department for some people...) and delivers. I thought the violence was pretty intense and realistically brutal; only serving the story and adding to the Michael Myers character.

There are also some interesting left turns Zombie takes with some of the characters, who, for long-time fans have become so familiar and dear. I thought this, too, was pretty cool. Specifically in Loomis, there's a different element to him that I think reflects what some doctors might do if they had a high-profile patient like Michael Myers.

In terms of Zombie's directorial style . . . I thought there were some pretty cool shots. Yeah, there is a bunch of hand-held, shaky camera-work that I'm sure will have a sector of people complaining, but what can you do? There were some interesting shots that, to me, recalled Kubrick's work on A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and Full Metal Jacket, too. And, this has got to be intentional, but I swear there are a couple shots of the houses that seemed eerily similar to Carpenter's set-ups in his movie. Cool, nonetheless!

Overall, like I said . . . I'm incredibly pleased with the movie. I really loved it and plan on seeing it again tonight. Just at a quick glance, I popped over to my old stomping grounds at Fangoria.com and, sure enough, the movie is still a major hot topic (with 117 pages devoted to it, as of this original writing!) and it's largely spotted with negative criticism. One poster over there in particular makes me pretty gaggy with his pretentious and self-righteous takes on how "most horror fans are wising up to this kind've crap" (that's an intentional grammatical error). And, ya know, I gotta be honest -- I really don't understand what people can hate so much about this movie. Just in the few pages of that thread alone, I've seen people say how they felt dumber after watching this. Whatever. I think if you go into it wanting to hate it, you're most likely going to hate it. And, of course, on the flipside, if you go in wanting to love it, you probably will. I thought it was a great time at the movies personally and, sure, while it's got some flaws here and there, I still enjoyed myself and feel that Rob Zombie did a wonderful job. See it!

"Trick or treat, baby!"

30 Days of Night (2007)

2008-04-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

Two things entered my mind as soon as 30 Days of Night started:

1.) It’s “Fargo With Vampires...but not as funny.”

2.) The “vampires” themselves . . . I see an endless amount of ponytailed, trenchcoat-wearing, Mountain Dew drinking, video game playing, “graphic novel” reading fanboys and loners dressing/acting like these guys for years to come either at Horror and Sci-Fi conventions or, more disturbingly, in daily life. You know what I mean: after Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Interview With The Vampire, all the self-proclaimed “vampires” in real life started wearing John Lennon sunglasses and dressing like it was 1791.

For the better part of 2007, I’ve heard so much buzz about 30 Days of Night; that it’s completely original (because it’s a Horror movie set completely at night?), got a really cool premise (because it’s a town in Alaska where it’s night for a month...and vampires are on the loose?), and that according to the trailer it’s “based on the groundbreaking graphic novel”.

I may be in the minority since I’ve never read the original comic book -- face it, no matter what you call it, it’s still a comic book, okay? -- and I’ll admit that I’d never even heard of it before Horror websites started talking about the movie almost a year ago. On one hand, that’s probably a plus when coming into a movie like this. Most movies that are based on something preexisting that already has a rabid fanbase are usually met with cries of “they didn’t get it right!” . . . just look at any negative review at AintItCool of something based on a video game or comic book.

So, with that said, I went into the movie expecting nothing. I skipped the preview footage shown at Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors earlier this year and somehow managed to avoid all of the clips and most of the photos found online.

There are some very nice Alaskan landscape shots (which are, evidently actually parts of New Zealand and some nifty effects work courtesy of Peter Jackson’s WETA crew) at the very beginning of the movie. The feeling of isolation is pretty rich, too, recalling John Carpenter’s The Thing.

Josh Hartnett stars as Eben, the sheriff of an Alaskan town which happens to be located at the most northern point of US territory, therefore bringing darkness for a month at a time. At first, Hartnett looks a little too young to be a sheriff; his boyish good looks, while sure to make the girls squeal, are distracting in a role where he’s supposed to be a bit of a conflicted person who's trying to make sense of what's happening to his town. Once the story got going though, and Eben interacts with Stella (played by Melissa George), Hartnett starts to pull things together.

I’ve heard a lot of talk about Ben Foster’s portrayal of the mysterious character known only as “The Stranger”. Honestly, his character was downright annoying. Not only is he absolutely disgusting to look at on-screen, he’s pretty difficult to understand with his mumble-mouthed accent (which, by the way, recalls some of the worst Maine accents from Stephen King adaptations). The performance just oozed with Foster trying too hard.

The vampires . . . or whatever they are, lead by Danny Houston’s “Marlow” character, while a valid attempt at doing something different with a monster that’s become as worn out as a pair of old Chuck Taylors, weren’t all that impressive. They were actually pretty annoying. As I said at the start, I kept seeing fans imitating these folks and their animal-like movements while trying to amp up their own coolness/danger factor. It just didn’t work for me. Early in the movie, I joked to my date that these guys must be European. I wasn’t sure whether I should laugh or be scared by their Klingon-esque language and high-pitched (ie: annoying) screeching. In literally every scene he’s in, Marlow has a wide-eyed and open-mouthed expression as if he just heard some news he can’t believe; “What?? You mean to tell me Rock of Love was a sham?? Get the fuck out!” The other three vampires shown the most were also sort of laughable; the hulking bald guy, a woman who could be a stunt double for Ginger Snaps’ Emily Perkins, and a guy who looked like a bizarre cross between Marilyn Manson, Josh Saviano, and Balki from Perfect Strangers (ie: one skinny nerd).

Rest assured, if there’s a sequel, I’m sure the story will somehow explore the background/origins of the vampires.

One powerful element in storytelling and movies is foreshadowing -- but only if its done subtly. Even though I thought The Sixth Sense was a fluke, it showcases M. Night Shyamalan's best Hitchcock-stealing suspense and use of foreshadow. In other movies, there may be something a character does or possesses that will come into play later on . . . that’s okay. But there’s something so blatantly shown in 30 Days of Night that screams, “Hi everyone, don’t worry....I’ll be used later on in the movie and everyone will cheer and clap.”

And while we’re on the subject of filmmaking techniques, can we all agree that shaky, hand-held camerawork doesn’t add tension, terror, or suspense? It just makes for a distracting image on-screen and, likely, hides some pretty hideous greenscreen work.

One thing 30 Days of Night does deliver with is the gore factor. As a lifelong Horror fan, it’s always nice to see a picture that more than earns its R-rating. That isn’t to say that gore makes a movie, but it’s certainly better to see a Horror movie that utilizes its special effects to the tilt rather than one that’s been watered down and severely cut to get a PG-13 rating in the hopes of catching a broader audience. With Peter Jackson’s WETA crew in charge, there’s at least one moment in 30 Days of Night that recalls the gonzo gorefest of 1992's Braindead/Dead-Alive.

There are some genuinely creepy moments peppered throughout the movie, but too many of them are diluted by quick cutting and an increase in volume to squeeze a reaction from the audience.

All in all, I’m sure I’m in the minority of people who maybe not necessarily didn’t like 30 Days of Night (because I kinda did), but who are a bit on the fence about it. It did well at the box office -- at least until the following weekend when Saw IV was released -- and will probably be followed by a sequel or become a trilogy.

So, if you don’t want to feel left out in water cooler or message board discussions about 30 Days of Night . . . see it!

The Mist (2007)

2008-04-26T10:40:00.000-07:00

It's no accident that Thomas Jane's David Drayton has the artwork for John Carpenter's remake of the Christian Nyby's The Thing From Another World hanging in his art studio. In 1951, that original Howard Hawks production banded a group of men -- scientists and military personnel -- together against a being from another world. In the time of the Cold War, these men were united as one against a being from "over there". Carpenter went one step further and pitted the protagonists against eachother for his remake. Simply stated, there was no unity. The tension was thick and the suspense unbearable. No one was to be trusted and fingers were pointing. No one was safe.

With stellar adaptations of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile already under his belt, Frank Darabont has solidified himself as the quintessential go-to man for Stephen King adaptations. And, along with 1408 earlier this year, The Mist proves the "Stephen King Movie" has returned to its glory of the 1980s.

The story is simple: a freak storm rocks the small town of Castle Rock, Maine. The next morning, trees and wires are down, houses are destroyed, and a forboding mist has gathered on the lake, slowly making its way towards town. In an effort to continue with their daily lives, locals have converged on the town market, stocking up on supplies. Then the mist arrives.

In The Mist, writer/director Darabont does what George Romero did with Night of the Living Dead. That is to say, he presents a monumental castastrophe which his characters have a difficult time trying to comprehend and survive. Using flesh-eating zombies, Romero had six characters to represent six different ways human beings might react to civil unrest, the Vietnam war, or the political assassinations that plagued this country in 1968. Here, Darabont has a stock of at least 50 different characters -- some main, some supporting -- to bring that idea into 2007 where the titular mist could represent any number of fears and frustrations that plague the American public. Fill in your own blank here...

Darabont, of course, also has an A-list cast to bring his story to life. Thomas Jane is common and sympathetic as Drayton; Andre Braugher is exactly as he should be as Brent Norton, the smooth-talking and hot-headed lawyer from New York; Toby Jones as the instantly likable Ollie; and Laurie Holden as Amanda Dumries, the surrogate mother figure to Dawtry's son. The standout performance belongs to Marcia Gay Harden as the Jim Jones-like Mrs. Carmody. Her performance is so jarring that it's simply terrifying how she spouts religious diatribes and manages to form a congregation in the back of a supermarket. As Darabont's script points out, people will follow whomever seems to have an answer in a time of crisis. When Mrs. Carmody's "visions" start to become realized, tension mounts and the rules of society are soon thrown out the window. Several characters decide something...anything needs to be done, as one character says, "before people start drinking the Kool-Aid."

Keeping in line with the "fill in your own fear or frustration" for the metaphorical mist, the picture's special effects leave something to the viewer's imagination. Yes, there are some impressive CGI and practical effects on hand, courtesy of CafeFX and KNB eF/X respectively, but there reamains an air of mystery to the things seen on-screen. Harking back to the days of The Thing From Another World, for instance, Darabont only gives us brief glances of several striking designs, effectively creating a scarier screen monster.

Working on a scant 37-day shooting schedule and $17 million budget, Darabount hired the cinematography crew from TV's The Shield. Ronn Schmidt and his crew often times improvised camera set-ups on the fly and this wise directing choice fully brings the audience into the supermarket. Throughout the picture, there are breathless moments of anxiety and tension, which are made even more evident by up close and personal cinematography. Like any director worth his weight in experience, Darabont knows he has control of his audience. He forces his viewers to bear witness first-hand to the events unfolding and, ultimately, to choose sides with the characters. In the end, much like Romero and Night of the Living Dead, he asks the question of "Who's right?", leaving the answer open-ended.

After a string of recent theatrical stinkers for the Horror genre, The Mist could very well be the "must-see" picture of the Fall. The ending is sure to be discussed (and possibly ruined by online chatter and bloggers) and debated. Frank Darabont's adapatation of Stephen King's The Mist is a fine picture made for Horror fans, but it also has the potential to be a mainstream and critical hit. See it!

28 Weeks Later (2007)

2008-04-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

Almost immediately after Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later made a splash at the box office, rumblings of a sequel surfaced. And just as quickly, I was skeptical about it. That first picture was so incredible and appeared to have the same impact on pop culture that a George Romero movie may have had in the 70s. It was just perfect and it looked as if having a bigger budget might tarnish that vibe and the impact of the original...

Then I saw the teaser poster, which I've included here, in an issue of Entertainment Weekly. My jaw dropped and pretty much stayed there as I kept thinking of this poster. I wasn't sure whether I thought it was a rad nod or a blatant ripoff. But still, my attention had been grabbed.

If 28 Days Later is the original Night of the Living Dead, then 28 Weeks Later is the original Dawn of the Dead.

The best way to describe this sequel is that it's everything its predecessor was, but on a much bigger scale. Where Days, much like NOTLD, made its low budget work for it, but still suggested a bigger world outside of what was going on, Weeks brings everything to grander scale.

Taking place six months after (or 28 weeks later) the first movie, director/co-writer Juan Carlos Fresnadillo opens things with a few survivors in a darkened house. Among them is Robert Carlyle as "Don" and his wife. On the surface, it looks like a nice family dinner scene from a British movie playing somewhere in Princeton, NJ. No sooner do we get to know some of the characters, the Infected attack and Don's false sense of normality is torn to shreds before his eyes. Fleeing across the countryside with with hordes of Infected on his heels, Don escapes in a boat; leaving everyone -- including his wife -- behind to die.

Back in London, things are returning to normal as people are being let back into the city. Aside from a few not-so-clever barbs, the US military realistically has moved in to assist the Brits as they rebuild their lives. Of course, there are still areas that have been deemed off limits because of infection, but other than that, people are moving on. Don is reunited with his chidren, Tammy and Andy, as he struggles to break the news about their mum's whereabouts.

Of course, The Infected return as another outbreak rips through London. 28 Days Later really never lets up from the point where hundreds of Infected spill into an underground parking garage, as Don's children flee with a scientist and a soldier who's had second thoughts about his orders.

I've always said both 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later owe more to George Romero's The Crazies than they do to any zombie movie (because, let's face it people: The Infected are NOT zombies). One scene in particular that confirms this idea involves the Army pumping nerve gas into the streets. There's one shot where several soldiers walk out of a thick fog of gas and they're dressed in contamination suits (like the poster art...and like the military in The Crazies) and carrying flame-throwers. This is seriously such a creepy image . . . I can't quite explain it.

In the end, 28 Weeks Later is definitely a bigger movie compared to its predecessor. Does that make it a better one though? That's up to the viewer I suppose. I know I loved it. See it!

2001 Maniacs (2005)

2008-04-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

Its still unclear if this is a remake or a sequel to H. G. Lewis’s gorror classic TWO THOUSAND MANIACS! It’s got a similar plot of a bunch of yankees finding themselves trapped in an odd southern town, where they’re the guests of honor for a centennial celebration. Robert Englund hams it up as the town’s mayor (come on, you know you love Robert!), making him really the only noteworthy actor in this piece. Some people out there will probably refer to this as “cheesy” (yes, I HATE it when people use that term to describe a Horror movie), but that’s probably because they’re not familiar with the original movie. 2001 MANIACS pays homage to Lewis’s classic (seasoned viewers may get a sense of deja vu at times), but also adds a few new things to the story. It’s funny. It’s gory. And it’s a good time. I promise. Look for supporting roles by Lin Shaye and Peter Stormare. See it!

28 Days Later (2003)

2008-04-25T21:14:00.001-07:00

First things first: IT’S NOT A ZOMBIE MOVIE!!!! The people known as “The Infected” aren’t dead...so how the hell can this movie be a zombie movie?!?!? Sure, there are some heavy elements of Romero in the later half of the picture, but I truly don’t believe 28 DAYS LATER is a zombie movie. The story follows Jim (Cillian Murphy), a bike messenger, who wakes up one morning in a hospital bed. Not knowing how he got there, he leaves the hospital (which is empty and lifeless, btw) and ventures out into the streets of London . . . . which are also completely barren. Turns out, a virus known as Rage has pretty much wiped all of London and possibly most of England out; people infected with it become deranged lunatics who puke blood. Jim meets Selena (played by the beautiful Naomie Harris) and a handful of other survivors; they set out to find a cure for the virus. This movie comes highly recommended. I’d say this is one of the scariest movies in the last couple years because it very well COULD happen. It’s followed by 2007’s 28 WEEKS LATER. The end is extremely fucking nigh! See it!

Prom Night (2008)

2008-04-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

One of two things that will seemingly be around forever in Horror is the Slasher Film. Many would argue when John Carpenter made Halloween in 1978, he kick-started the sub-genre. Of course, there are fans who feel Bob Clark beat Carpenter to the punch with 1974's Black Christmas, but the argument is something for another time and, indeed, another place. The point is, both of those movies are fine examples of "smart" Slasher pictures. And, unfortunately, in their wake, they spawned innumerable entries that consistently dumbed the genre down more and more. One of those many titles is 1980's Prom Night, which starred Jamie Lee Curtis as she and her friends are stalked by a masked madman with an axe to grind.

And, unfortunately, the second thing that will never die in Horror is the dreaded REMAKE. Every time a new classic title is announced to have boarded the Remake Train, there seem to be two responses from fans: "Fuck remakes!" or "Let's do it!" As far as I'm concerned, since Dawn of the Dead and Halloween have both been remade, anything is fair game, so there's really no use complaining about it.

Prom Night is the newest Horror remake. And, right from the beginning, this ain't your older cousin's Prom Night and, sadly, there's no disco soundtrack -- what? no big dance number? -- this time around (or Leslie Nielsen for that matter). Prom Night (2008) is one of those "remake by name only" movies, where a studio tries to capitalize off of a classic title and the young target audience pisses on the original title as being "cheesy" and outdated. TV director Nelson McCormick must not be much of a Slasher fan because he forgot all of the essential elements....but we'll get to that in a second.

The story concerns Donna Keppel (played by Brittany Snow from the Hairspray remake), her boyfriend and their four other friends as they're stalked by a killer on the night of their senior prom -- that's pretty much where the similarities to the OG Prom Night begin and end. Unlike the original's masked killer (which, today, doesn't even seem that cool -- what? A black glittery ski-mask?), Nelson McCormick introduces his killer in the first five minutes and shows his face. See that? Suspense and Mystery just took off on an all-expenses paid trip to Cabbo for Spring Break courtesy of Sony Screen Gems. An essential element in just about every single Slasher movie worth its weight in blood is the "Who Dunnit?" story arc. Sometimes it's pretty obvious, while other times the audience is thrown for a helluva loop that asks them to ignore certain plot holes during the reveal -- but it's always FUN. You would've thought the major studios got the clue that mystery is essential after Dimension Films peeked under the tree in Black Christmas (2006) by showing and explaining who Billy is. Sheesh.

Okay so, Nelson McCormick, your Slasher movie doesn't have much surprise or mystery to it....what else can the audience look forward to? That's right! Graphic, on-screen kills that are done in really cool ways so that the audience will go "Aaahhh!" and cheer. Sadly, there's none of that here either. It's not clear whether this movie was shot with the intention of being PG-13 all along or not, but damn . . . there's not much blood on-screen at all. Sony Screen Gems, you're killing me here! Victims are stabbed repeatedly and throats are slashed...but there is hardly a drop of blood to be found. At least one body is shown in a white, tiled bathroom that is so spotless, you could serve an entree on the floor. Maybe since it's 2008 and the disco music has been replaced by crunkin' club hip hop, perhaps Slasher movie victims don't bleed like they used to? Seriously....when the killer has a wicked-looking knife and uses it to turn some annoying kids into pin cushions, it should be expected that there'd be a ton of blood (or at least a reasonable amount of red stuff on a victim's white shirt).

Some things Prom Night '08 do manage to retain from its Slasher forefathers are a lack of logic, wooden acting, and actors who are older than 17 playing high schoolers (Scott Porter, who plays Bobby, is almost 30 years old). In terms of logic, there are too many incidents to count where foreheads will be slapped and eyes will roll. Here's an acting and logic double damn: when a character is pissed at not winning Prom Queen, she utters a "shit" and tears up....yet, even though we're told how much she wants to be Prom Queen, we don't get any payoff after she doesn't win the honor. I still say she should've showed up at Donna's house later on and demanded a recount! Or, yet another character who's also in the running for Prom Queen (she repeatedly makes it known how important it is for her to win) decides to go up to the hotel room to have sex with her boyfriend shortly after the house DJ announces that the King and Queen ceremony will be underway in a few. What?!?

Speaking of logic, Donna and her friends have some major beef with a girl named Crissy, whom they dub "Rich-Bitch". Crissy's on the Prom planning crew and reportedly went $100,000 over her budget, so her daddy wrote a check to cover it all. First off, what school not named Beverly Hills High would allow for any school-related function (outside of maybe a pep rally for its star football or wrestling team) to cost in excess of that amount?!? On top of that, Donna and her friends seem to have a chip against Crissy because she's got money....yet these kids all pitch in for a ssssssstrech limo, have nice digital cameras, live in fat houses (at least Donna does), and can afford what looks like a penthouse apartment suite at a hotel that is surely not a Days Inn. Really? The suite the three couples are sharing is bigger than the house I grew up in! Also, when all of the couples are arriving at the hotel for the prom, why is there a fenced off area with a bunch of punters/paparazzi camped out and cheering for them? This is the prom, not the red carpet premiere for the movie!

One other aspect remakes of Horror classics love to do -- or should at least try to do -- is have some sort of nod to the original movie. Some people roll their eyes at it, but others like me love to point that shit out. In some way, it shows that the people behind said remake have some sort of affection and respect for the source material. Dawn of the Dead did it with Scott H. Reiniger and Ken Foree (who even says his famous line from Romero's classic movie), Invasion of the Body Snatchers had Kevin McCarthy, Black Christmas did it by casting Andrea Martin as Mrs. Mac, and Halloween even had series favorite Danielle Harris. Somewhere along the production of this movie, you'd think there were some phone calls made to David Fucci for a cameo, right? All we get is a brief cameo by Joshua Leonard from The Blair Witch Project (yeah, it's been almost ten years...). I feel so braindead after seeing this, I don't even remember if the school was named Hamilton High. At the very least, the initials for the school could've been JLC no?

In the end, Prom Night (2008) is just another one for the fire on a never-ending list of remakes to modern day classics. Thinking outside the box, I suppose it's only natural that the genre comes to this. I can imagine an older generation of fans being pissed off and shaking their fists when The Thing From Another World or Cat People were remade in '82. The bottom line: I'm sure you may enjoy this if you see it with a bunch of friends and laugh at how stupid it is, but it's not really worth paying good money for -- wait 'til it's available On Demand. Skip it!

The Pack (1977)

2008-04-06T20:32:00.001-07:00

For the first official review here, we're gonna start off with 1977's The Pack, directed by Robert Clouse and starring Joe Don Baker, along with familiar character actors, R. G. Armstrong and Richard B. Shull.

In the 1970s, there was a wealth of Nature/Animals Vs. Man pictures coming out; Frogs, Grizzly, Day of the Animals, and of course, The Pack. All of these titles tended to have some sort of "message" within them, which usually amounted to "don't mess with nature."

Immediately following the opening credits, we know we're in for a good time as a horse peacefully grazes in an open field. Suddenly, the creature is spooked by....something....and tears off across the countryside, with its predator on its heels.

With The Pack, the story center on a remote slice of Heaven named Seal Island. Only a handful of people actually live there year round, but during the summer months, it's populated by vacationers from big cities. Unlike most vacationers who usually leave their garbage behind, these vacationers habitually leave behind dogs which they buy at the start of the summer. As it turns out, this is a pretty common practice on Seal Island, being that there’s a whole pack of scared, likely rabid, wandering pooches running free.

From there on, the titular Pack terrorizes the remaining islanders, as well as a small group of fish-out-of-water vacationers.

Joe Don Baker (fresh from the original Walking Tall and the MST3K classic, Mitchell) stars as Jerry, the local know it all when it comes to technology, animals, and being an all around cool guy. Jerry is the sort of the guy who would probably tell anecdotes (not “stories”, mind you...his would have some deep meaning behind them) to a bar room full of listeners. You’d probably want to buy him a beer, too, just so you could say you hung out with a cool S.O.B. like Jerry. Everyone on the island likes him and he's greeted at the local watering hole with all the gusto of a "Cheers" episode. Essentially, Jerry is a man for all seasons when it comes to living on Seal Island -- he's even been building his new bride (and her son) a brand new house with an ocean view!

Aside from Joe Don Baker, Armstrong, and Shull, the rest of the cast is pretty standard 70’s stock acting. Among them, is Paul Wilson (who would easily win in a Phillip Seymour Hoffman look-alike contest) in the role of Tommy.

Alright, let’s face it, the real reason you’d want to see a movie about a bunch of dogs terrorizing some people is for the cool scenes of dog attacks. And there are plenty! One of the cooler things about older movies like this one is how many of the stunts and effects gags were done usually in-camera. Today, all that crap would be fixed in post-production with some CGI, but not here...oh no. Predating Cujo by a few years, there are some seriously intense dog attacks on display! One thing I’m still trying to get my head around is how some of the sequences were completed without any harm coming to the dogs themselves -- as there definitely don’t appear to be any puppets or actors in dog suits (like Cujo).

In the end, the remaining people hole themselves up in Jerry’s house and prepare for a life or death battle with The Pack. If you’re into 70’s drive-in movies, then I strongly recommend checking this one out if you can find it (as of this writing, it’s OOP on VHS and there don’t appear to be any DVD release plans any time soon). See it!

Let the Blog Begin

2008-04-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

First things first: welcome to my blog, Constriction Pictures! Since this is my first time with an actual "blog" (not counting MySpace blogs of course), I'm still getting my feet wet and deciding what exactly it is I'd like to accomplish here.

For a long time now, several friends of mine have been saying, "Dude! You gotta do a Horror blog!" and, while I've given it some obvious thought, I was just never sure I'd have the time for it or what I'd do with it. So, with that in mind, I'm gonna start out basic and begin with a review or two.

So, sit tight, grab your favorite beverage and hopefully you'll stick around for a while and enjoy what I've got to say.