Astute Vault-Dwellers (I know you're out there) will note that I usually do top 10 lists on Tuesdays , not Thursdays. However, this is a special occasion--namely the Boris Karloff Blogathon , hosted by Pierre Fournier of Frankensteinia . And since I wasn't able to do it on Tuesday due to Ms. Horror Blogosphere duties (polls now open, by the way, please vote), I'm breaking the rules and doing a Thursday Top 10. You're probably reading a lot of posts about Karloff's portrayal of the... Read Full Story
Ivan the terrible machinist
As the longevity of organized religion makes painfully clear, imaginary friends hold a powerful allure. They are not, however, limited to the fiction of holy texts. Imaginary friends manifest themselves in the lives of many — the overly creative person whose genius spills over into the make believe, the psychopath with a second face for dark deeds, or the friendless kid who’s practical.
There is something to be said for befriending a figment of one’s... Read Full Story
What happened to all the classic horror movies that many generations of people knew and loved? Well they are still out there somewhere, hidden in old movie sections of video rental stores, waiting to scare the crap out of people once more. Many original black and white movies have bee restored and digitized to DVD format, some remain in their original black and white form, while others have been colorized. What was it about the classic horror movies that attracted so many audiences, again and... Read Full Story
It’s difficult to overestimate the influence of legendary Italian director Mario Bava on the horror genre. His Black Sunday (1960) is a seminal gothic horror masterpiece that launched a decade of similar fare; Kill Baby Kill (1964) is perhaps the greatest ghost story ever committed to celluloid; and Bay of Blood laid the template for the slasher genre a full decade before Friday the 13th simplified the formula and ran it into the ground. One of Bava’s most admired films, Blood and Black Lace... Read Full Story
Midnight Choir, a new label that promises to bring Italian genre classics to DVD, is releasing two mouth-watering double features on February 24: The Whip and the Body (1963) / Conspiracy of Torture (1969) : Anamorphic widescreen versions of Whip , Mario Bava’s wickedly perverse sadomasochistic classic, and Conspiracy , an early period piece from future goremeister Lucio Fulci. Both are presented in their English language versions. The Long Hair of Death (1964) / An Angel for Satan (1966... Read Full Story
You really do have to scratch your head at some of the things Lionsgate
does. We've detailed some of the company's bizarre moves - like buying the completely
antiquated TV Guide network for $250 million at the first of the year - and the studio has
certainly had some bizarre release patterns over the years.
But Lionsgate has also given us one of the true guilty pleasures of the year, My Bloody
Valentine 3D . It's not a great movie but it's very good gory fun and the 3D speaks for... Read Full Story
Shut the blinds, carve the pumpkins and grab the popcorn -- "Extra" has compiled a list of the best horror, thriller and campy flicks to celebrate Halloween!
Top Flicks for Halloween American Psycho The 1991 satirical thriller centers around businessman — and serial killer — Patrick Bateman, played by Christian Bale. The Amityville Horror 1979 thriller about the paranormal experiences of the Lutz family. The film is said to be based on true events. Arachnophobia This 1990 campy-horror flick... Read Full Story
Elizabeth Bathory was the notorious 16th-century Hungarian countess who butchered hundreds of young girls and allegedly used their blood in an attempt to regain a youthful appearance. While the latter claim has been largely debunked, the story remains rich horror fodder that has spawned at least two excellent films: Peter Sadsy’s Countess Dracula , and Jorge Grau’s sublime The Legend of Blood Castle , a grim Spanish product which easily equals and in many ways surpasses Sadsy’s better-known... Read Full Story
If You Want to Scare Me
Cover my windshield
with mist,
rain that morphs
into torrents,
torrents that flood
into fear,
fear that reminds me
of bloody sockets
where eyes
were lunch
for Hitchcock birds.
Leave me to grope
with my arms out straight,
bump into the chair
in the dark.
Darken my room,
cover my cage,
don’t let me see
the crimson water
streaming out of your
eyes tonight.
Your eyes are left
with empty promises.
Don’t let me see
tonight. Read Full Story
Frying pan batter Mary Waronov in Eating Raoul
We decided to make this list a two-parter, as a number of the films featured here are sequels—which, in the horror genre means uprooting the entire production to Eastern Europe, without telling the guy who directed the original (who by that point would’ve designated the film an ‘ Alan Smithee ‘ production anyway and fled from his creditors)
As we noted in Part I of this list, movie audiences are increasingly demanding when it comes to seeing... Read Full Story
