Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Poltergeist videos

Ok....now...I've spent my fair share of time on YouTube looking for cool ghost videos. There are some neat one's on there for sure, but most look fake. There are some cool exceptions to that rule, of course.

Like this fun nugget - the infamous PANTRY GHOST - http://youtu.be/H8f5vdFOEh4

MELLOWBIRD has some rather cool videos up, however. If they are fake, they are REALLY well done. I've spent some time trying to figure out how the "magic" could be done if they are fake, but several of the videos are just logistically impossible to target. Strings and things could make things fly around, but the positioning on several of the objects that move would make the task of faking their movement really difficult.

So...the jury isn't out on these. What do YOU think?
http://www.youtube.com/user/mellowb1rd

CLICK TO GO TO YOUTUBE

CLICK TO GO TO YOUTUBE


It seems like he has some backlash and that people are out to prove these are fake. If they are fakes, he's done a great job with them. 

The Anti-Mellobird folks can be found here: 

It seems like their biggest issue with him is the fact that he's making money off of ads, but the videos are fake. Is this any worse than people making money off of clicks gained when they use a picture of a cute girl in a bikini as their thumbnail, but she doesn't actually appear in the video?

I find the MELLOWBIRD videos to be highly entertaining - fake or not. 
(Though, I do hope they are real!)

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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Dark Music Mixes of Simon Drax

The wondrous SIMON DRAX has some cool music mixes on the 8 Tracks site for those who have a little darkness in them.

Are you looking for a little mood swing music from the twilight reaches of the soul? Look no further than DRAX! He uses the site to craft mixes that create a mood and space that strikes a dark and melodious cord. I find myself taken with the choices time and time again. He has a real sense of flow and direction that I find to be very pleasing. The the chosen music is an eclectic and wondrous mix as well. Groups I would never know about spin round each other expertly - one song leading into another with expert vision.

Turn out the lights. Settle in. Take a listen.

http://8tracks.com/drax


ABOUT SIMON DRAX

SIMON DRAX was born in Gloomy, Massachusetts. His writing has been published in The Quarterly, Bonesaw, Midnight Zoo, Fever, After Hours, and VideoScope. He is the author of the novels A VERY FAST DESCENT INTO HELL and DOOMTROOPERS, Book 1: White Sky Friday. The online serial EXIT VECTOR, originally published by Underland Press, has been archived for your reading pleasure.

Werewolves or Vampires?

                                                

On my drive into work, I thought about how the mainstream agenda has ruined (...well, almost ruined...) my love of zombies. I've been a zombie lover for ages, but the recent rise of "zompopularity" has me crawling back into the grave when it comes to the living dead. I've taken to dipping back into the waters of DAWN OF THE DEAD, ZOMBI,  RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD and THE BEYOND to avoid the swell of BS zombie, low budget fair.

Then, I remembered my other loves from long ago - werewolves. WAY back, I did IRC werewolf text chat role play gaming and it was a lot of fun. Wolf lore taken to political realms, lost loves growled about and a general wild feeling that was grand. Movies like THE HOWLING, WOLF,  and AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON fueled the imagination and had me...howling for more. :)

 
Role play text turned a corner with AOL and werewolves were given up for Vampires. VAMPIRE: The Masquerade was a base for some awesome, online vampire gaming. I was a typing fiend - sometimes "playing" three different people at once as I helped to weave stories of lust, revenge and blood. Eventually, the large group of 15 or 20 on AOL became a smaller group of 5. That group fell away leaving me and a woman playing, her husband giving up because we typed too fast and had the story (CLEAN, mind you! No silly, sexting action) moving along way too fast for him to keep up. The End of the first set of stories would have made for an amazing TV show end or a wondrous trilogy wrap up. Sadly, efforts to start a second batch of vampire dramas fizzled and flailed out of being with a whimper.

With my recent sadness about zombies came a renewed interest in werewolves and vampires, though TWILIGHT has had me leaning werewolf-ly and away from the prissy vampire clans. TRUE BLOOD has not helped the cause for me remembering a love of vampires either. I may be one of five people who think the dialog and acting are something I'd think I'd see in a high school production. (Send hate mail to idontcare@void.net

DOG SOLDIERS

NEAR DARK
UNDERWORLD (NOT Twilight) had some grand vampire on werewolf action. Big fights between the suit and tie vampire styles and the t-shirt and jeans, rough wolf crew. I've always loved that separation - vampires looked at as dapper and refined and werewolves looked at as feral and bestial.  There are some fun variations on that theme, however. NEAR DARK and 30 DAYS OF NIGHT had vampires acting more like animals and it worked really well. WOLF showed how the animal nature of the wolf can be directly associated with the world of business.

People tend to take sides on the werewolf or vampire question. They generally prefer one to another, routing for one side to dominate the other. This ties in directly with the type of person you are. Do you like sipping wine in a quiet room chatting with friends as you flirt with a young lovely from across the room or sipping a cold beer in an outdoor patio setting...eating steaks...and pawing at your sexy, curvy mate?


Personally, I can't wait for werewolves to come back into fashion. At least, until it becomes SO mainstream that you start seeing titles like ATTACK OF THE STRIPPER WEREWOLVES on Netflix streaming. Then, I'm out. I was hoping the inclusion of werewolves in TRICK 'r TREAT would have pumped a little life into the werewolf movie world, but it's relatively small, cult following didn't fan the flames much.

NY MAG posted a nice little sum-up back in 2010

The HORRORPHILE posted something back in 2007 as well

In my searches, most of the debate articles pre-date 2011. Hmmmm...

THE HOWLING

Seeing as the awesome HOWLING came out in 1981 (JEBUS!) and the cool DOG SOLDIERS came out in 2002 , I'm hopeful that we'll see some good werewolf action in 2012! IMDB has some possible nuggets listed for a 2012 release.
http://www.imdb.com/list/-Irb8XBKi7E/




GROWL is coming out in 2013 and stars BATTLESTAR GALACTICA's Katee Sackhoff.  
We'll see - the director's (Sxv'leithan Essex) other credits are a short and "Headbangers Ball"



I, FRANKENSTEIN is also a 2013 release that I'm thinking might be VERY cool seeing as the likes of Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy and Miranda Otto are attached to it.

Sadly, DOG SOLDIERS 2 is in purgatory or development hell - erased from the world. Maybe this is actually a good thing. My rekindled love of werewolves won't go the way of the zombie loves in my life. I'll keep my wolves close, snuggling up with the classics and modern fair like THE HOWLING, GINGER SNAPS, DOG SOLDIERS, TRICK 'r TREAT, THE WOLFMAN, CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF, COMPANY OF WOLVES, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, WOLF and 2010's THE WOLFMAN (Yes, I liked it!) and be happy that it has not been as tainted as the zombie genre! 


English accent from a time long gone?

Against a tree in the woods breathing in the night air?

What do YOU lean towards -  Vamp or Wolf? And...why?


GINGER SNAPS


THE HOWLING















Sunday, April 22, 2012

Cabin in the Woods


As a "Horror Guy", there are certain films that rise to the glorious heights of knocking my socks off. Movies I want to return to over and over again. Sure, they may not be fantastic from a film making standpoint, they may be dated due to when it was made, but they deliver on some grand level that sets them apart from other films of their genre. CABIN IN THE WOODS is one of these films.

It's a film that wins on many levels. The acting works well - the cast carries the story along exactly as they should. They play their roles and are believable and fun. The writing helps with that. They really got the writing right - filled with great characters, new reflections on the genre and some fun plot development that made CABIN a lot of fun to watch and experience. I didn't want it to end and half way through I found myself wondering when the film was coming out on DVD so I could purchase it at once.

Now, you can't say TOO much about the film without spoiling it. This is a spoiler free zone, so I won't say much more than what is already out in the world through trailers and ads. CABIN takes the classic "teens in the woods in a cabin" trope and turns it around, spanks it, and makes it it's own - making it something that is rather special and fun. 



Are there holes somewhere? Sure, maybe. You can poke holes in anything, really. However, I've seen a TON of horror movies. Like...really...if the reels were weighed, it would be tons. :) I've been through everything. Psychos, monsters and madmen. Ghosts and goblins. Foreign and domestic. I've grown rather jaded, really. I know what's going to happen before it happens more often than not. As I watch these lumbering anti-epics unfold, I find myself scrubbing through the Netflix stream or pressing the fast forward on the DVD player as i try to claw my way through to the end so I can add another one onto the WATCHED IT fire and move on.


 What I really enjoyed about it was that it's first strength is the writing, not the effects or gore. The script is tight and new and it delivers something that horror movie fans will really enjoy. The "same old thing" gains new life through some highly inventive plot changes. There was a fun mix of horror and humor that was reminiscent of EVIL DEAD. I loved the blend.  It also reminded me of other story based films like DEAD AND BURIED, APRIL FOOLS DAY and PONTYPOOL.  The story was the key. Everything else was just delicious gravy or icing. :) Drew "Cloverfield"/"Lost" Goddard directed the film and wrote it with Joss "Buffy"/"Firefly" Whedon. The combination was grand.They managed to present a horror film that has an edge and social awareness to it - one that dares to be different and one that says a lot about the current condition of the 20-something crowd.

Joss Whedon
CABIN had me giggling like a schoolboy as I watched the plot unfold. I think I may have even clapped my hands together in joy and whispered "Yeeeeeah" to my wife. (( We were one of two couples in the theater at the time and it wasn't going to bother anyone. :)  ))  That is rare. Very rare. My only regret is that I wasn't able to see it in a city theater with a larger crowd. I think that would be a fun experience.

If you're a horror fan who wants to see something new, fun and interesting, see CABIN IN THE WOODS at once.  If you prefer the same, dull and boring crap that is made time and time again, go seek out John Carpenter's THE *yawn* WARD and enjoy.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

DEMONS Restored HD

DEMONS I and II are coming in restored HD! Sweeeeet!

From http://film.thedigitalfix.com/content/id/75181/demons-1-and-2-this-april.html

"Arrow Video will bring Lamberto Bava's Demons and its sequel Demons 2 to UK DVD and Blu-ray on 30th April 2012. In Demons an audience are watching a brutal horror flick in a mysterious cinema when the horror rips out of the screen, unleashing a swarm of slathering Demons who are intent on spreading their evil plague across the globe. In Demons 2 the horror breaks through a TV screen to run rampant in an apartment block.

Restored from the original camera negatives by Cineteca di Bologna, Demons and Demons 2 will be released as Blu-ray, DVD and Steelbook editions. Each release will be packaged with a variety of reversible and interchangeable original Anglo/Italian and newly commissioned artwork by Jeff Zornow, a double-sided fold-out poster, an exclusive collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the franchise by Calum Waddell, plus Books 1 & 2 of Demons 3 - a new specially commissioned comic book written by Stefan Hutchinson and Barry Keating, with artwork by Jeff Zornow and Peter Fielding"

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

FATHER'S DAY figure

"Where's... my cake? I... want... my... cake! Where's my cake, Bedelia? Where's my Father's Day cake?"




 1/6th Scale Nathan Grantham from the 1982 classic CREEPSHOW. (Really?! 1982?!)



"Limited Edition of 1100 piece worldwide!

The figure features a 30 point articulated body, film-accurate sculpt of Mr Grantham's rotten head (complete with posable jaw), hands, chest and shoes, and great accessories such as a healthy helping of "cake", or in this case - Aunt Sylvia's head! Cake comes complete with seven candles, frosting and serving tray."


More here: http://www.figures.com/forums/news/15198-first-1-6-creepshow-action-figure-fathers-day.html 



Tuesday, April 3, 2012

More Horror Music

More fun rock with a horror twist! Check 'em out for a scary-good time!
(( Note: The page may take a moment to load completely ))

















Monday, April 2, 2012

THE SHINING: Spatial Awarenes

Some amazing attention to detail in this investigation of the mysterious Overlook Hotel.
Mind bending film analysis by Rob Ager.
(( The Gold Story is great as well! ))




The Old Chair



More nasty storytelling from DAYWALT HORROR. :::shiver:::