Merry Christmas, Boys and Ghouls!

Thought I'd share Elvira's Creepy Christmas video,  Enjoy!

And Another Thing (Episode 9 extras)

A couple things I forgot to mention on episode 9 of the Terror Troop podcast, regarding Killing Ariel.  One is, the sound is great in this movie, and another, if you buy the DVD, there is a nice behind the scenes feature.  It really shows how the real magic is being made in independent films.  Really makes you appreciate their efforts more!

Episode 9 of Terror Troop out tomorrow!

Be sure to check out our 9th episode of Terror Troop tomorrow. If you don't already get the Monster Feed from Horror Palace, head to www.horrorpalace.com and get it going!

In this one we look at Pop Skull, Killing Ariel, and Shadow. Bloody Lizzy recommends Baby's Room, and I suggest From Dusk Til Dawn.

Enjoy!

Minicast Episode 001

Finally some new content!  I decided to use BossButcher.com to put out some mini podcasts every so often starting with this review of Bloodrayne from 2005.  Directed by Uwe Bol, this movie has something to offer vampire fans.  I hope you enjoy this little review and will put up more of these when I feel the need!  Enjoy!

Special suprise on Episode 6!

In addition to covering the remakes of Halloween, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare On Elm Street, our sixth installment of Terror troop features a suprise guest!  The only hint I'll give is, it isn't BillChete.  I am in the editing process, and it will be available in one week.  We really had fun watching and discussing these movies, and are anxious to hear what you think.  Until then, I hope you have a great Halloween!

Terror Troop Episode 5 is now up at Horror Palace.com

We kick off our Halloween shows with reviews of the classic original versions of Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare On Elm Street.  Bloody Lizzy recommends Trilogy of Terror (1973) starring Karen Black in her Thrillseekers segment, and I cover Stake Land, a movie that many listeners recommended to me.

So head on over to Horror Palace and check it out!  Subscriptions are available for free for iTunes, Zune, RSS feed and email.  Better yet subscribe to all of the Horror Palace podcasts with one easy subscription! We hope you enjoy it!

Big news! BillChete is back and bringing us Horror Palace!

You read it right, BillChete is back in business and has launched a horror mega site that we are proud to be a part of. It is called Horror Palace, and it features Bill's new horror video/audio podcast, the Grisly Zone! In addition there are 3 other podcasts including: The Terror Troop podcast with Bloody Lizzy and myself, Que On This with Captain Howdy and special guest (each episode), and last but definitely not the least, The Weekly Horror Podcasts hosted by Jason Pyles with BillChete, Dr. Shock, Craig "Terror" Tovey, and (are you ready for this?) Midnight Corey! All of these podcasts are available to subscribe to, but the really cool thing is, you can subscribe to them all with one subscription and have a steady stream of horror podcasts!

BillChete's Grisly Zone episode 1 is available right now! Just go to www.horrorpalace.com , and enjoy the show, commenting is open on the site, and subscriptions are ready! I know you're going to love it!

Terror Troop Episode 4 is up! Enjoy!

Well, it's our first episode covering three movies, plus our segment picks. We start off with Boss Butcher's Vampire pick 2009's Daybreakers, and Bloody Lizzy recommends The Mothman Prophecies starring Richard Gere.
Our 3 Movie reviews come next starting with college kids tripping out in Shrooms from 2007, followed by the scifi/horror movie from 1997 Event Horizon and finally a great slasher from 2009 Laid to Rest. Hope you enjoy the podcast!

A peek at Episode 4

I am working on Episode 4 right now, and wanted to give you a look at what we'll be covering. First off we are of course doing our segment reviews, but the big change this time, is we are reviewing 3 movies starting with this episode. The three we will look at are: Shrooms from 2008, directed by Paddy Breathnach, next up it will be 1997's Event Horizon by Paul WS Anderson, and last but not least it's Director Robert Hall's Laid To Rest.
Episode 4 will be available on Friday, the 7th of October. I can also tell you that from this point forward we will be covering 3 feature films, as well as our segment picks every episode. You asked for it, and we listened! I look forward to hearing what you think of our 4th episode!

Episode 3 is here

The Terror Troop podcast Episode 3 is published now and available for download here and at . The RSS feed should be just around the corner. In this episode we look at Torso (1973) and Wake Wood (2010). The Vampire Bloodbath selection is Guillermo del Toro's Cronos, and Bloody Lizzy's Thrill Seekers feature is A Haunting in Connecticut. Hope you enjoy it! (Sorry this didn't post at midnight, it was scheduled but didn't work!)

Work continues on Terror Troop.com

Just a quick update. We have started building terrortroop.com. In fact, it was up early in the week, but some issues arose, and I have had to start from scratch. It should be up and running good during the weekend! I do appreciate your patience with us, and I am going to be doing work on all projects this weekend.

Episode 3 will be recorded this weekend as well. We are expanding to two feature movie reviews this time out, and look forward to sharing that!

Welcome to Episode 2 of Terror Troop

Well, here is the second episode of the Terror Troop podcast. It's a little bit longer than the first episode, and I think it has a little better quality to it as well. I hope you enjoy it.
There are a couple of announcements in it: Mainly the news that after this episode, Hellhunter will be taking a leave of absence, to take on two jobs and get ready for his upcoming wedding. He will always be welcome to return when he can, and we wish him and his fiance the best!
Also, because of this development, I had to decide which direction to take, and I have. I am going to continue to do the Terror Troop podcast every two weeks, and add another movie review to it starting with the next episode. It has, however delayed the website, and the subscription link a bit, but the Terror Troop website should be up early next week. Subscriptions will be available once I have hosting set up, and learn how to get the feed up there. Thanks so much for your patience, and providing valuable feedback as we continue on! That's it for now! Here is Episode 2!

Episode 2 will be out tomorrow!

Just a quick update to let you know that editing is nearly done for Terror Troop episode 2, and I look forward to releasing it tomorrow. Thanks for the support and patience, and please continue!

Sneak peek at Episode 2

Episode 2 of the Terror Troop podcast will be available on September 9. The main feature we will discuss is the original 1977 release "The Hills Have Eyes". It is being released on Blu Ray on the 6th. If you haven't seen it by now, check out our analysis of this horror classic on episode 2 of Terror Troop!

Terror Troop Episode 2 being recorded

Just an update for you listeners, we are recording the second installment of Terror Troop tonight, and look forward to sharing our picks with you all.
The podcast will be available on Friday, September 9, and we should have our website functional by then as well. Thanks for your patience, and for all the feedback we've received!
In the meantime, please enjoy episode one (rough as it is), if you haven't already, and let us know what you think! The next one will definitely show improvement. I can't wait to share it with you!

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark- 2011

Just got back from the local theater, where I took in Guillermo del Toro's Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. So here's what I thought!

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark begins with a backstory of a house where a famous wildlife artist named Emerson Blackwood lost his son, and eventually his own mind and life.
Many years later, a young architect, his girlfriend (an interior designer) and his young daughter move into the famous house to restore it, and kick start his career.
His daughter has a few problems, and the three of them begin an uncomfortable coexistence in the old mansion.
Fairly soon after moving in, the little girl discovers a hidden basement and begins hearing little voices beckoning her to come to the basement to set them free, so they can be friends. This plays on the little girl's loneliness and isolation so she complies. Unfortunately, she quickly discovers the voices belong to little creatures that are quite wicked, and are literally out to get her.

First off this film is beautifully shot. The way the house is represented really make you feel familiar with it quickly. The acting by everyone is solid, and the characters are well represented. Bailey Madison does an excellent job portraying Sally, the sad, lonesome little girl.
I felt the script was well thought out, as Sally's isolation makes her initial relationship with the voices seem plausible. With that, the little monsters are great! They are revealed with near perfect pacing, and pack a couple of really nice jump scenes. One of these jump scenes brought to mind one in The Sixth Sense, where the boy is in the little fort in his room, only a little more claustrophobic.
While it is not an overly gory movie, the effects are done nicely, and a scene near the end with Katie Holmes made me cringe. And then there is what happens to Mr. Harris! One more thing I really appreciated, was that there was no silly comic relief in this movie. So few are made that don't feel it necessary to give the audience a break.
There some implausible things, but nothing so glaring as to detract from the enjoyment of the show.
I enjoyed this movie alot, and was never bored. I don't think you will be either. I give it a 7.5 out of 10, and recommend you go out and see it! Let me know what you think!

One side note: Don't miss the Terror Troop podcast in the post underneath this one!

Here it is! Enjoy Episode 1 of: Terror Troop!

Well, all the hard work is over on the first podcast! I really hope you all enjoy it! The first episode is available here, and soon on Hellhunter and Bloody Lizzy's sites. Subscription links won't be available until we have the new Terror Troop website up, which should be relatively soon.

Please keep in mind, this is the first in a series, and we will be improving with each outing. Your feedback is GREATLY appreciated!

In this episode, we cover the three host segments first. Hellhunter recommends Trollhunter, Bloody Lizzy recommends Shutter Island, and Boss Butcher recommends The Lair of the White Worm. The main feature is John Carpenter's The Ward. Plus, we have a special surprise guest!

We plan to have a new episode available every other Friday, so the next one should be available on September 8. So enjoy it and let us know what you think! Thank you so much for your patience! Just push the "Play" button on the little podcast image at the bottom of this post to hear it!

A podcast has been recorded!

Ok, I know it's been a while since I posted, but I can report that a podcast has been recorded, and I am in the middle of editing it.  I feel it will be ready fairly soon, but since this is my maiden voyage into audio editing, I can't say yet.
I can also tell you that Hellhunter, Bloody Lizzie and myself are the hosts at this point, but we do have a special surprise on the podcast so stay tuned.  Your patience is appreciated.  I will post here as soon as I have a concrete day for it's release!  Thanks for all the support everyone!

Priest (2011)

The quote on the cover of this new Blu Ray claims it is "quite possibly the most original vampire you'll ever see!"  That may well be...if all you ever watch are vampire movies.  And if don't watch anime vampire movies.  But more on that in a moment.

Priest is based on the graphic novel by Min-Woo Hyung, and was Directed by Scott Stewart (Legion).  It is about the quest of a warrior priest, portrayed by Paul Bettany, as he seeks to rescue his niece from the clutches of an evil Vampire and the hordes of other vampires and creatures that follow him. 

The priest has a problem to start with. Mainly, the leadership of the church he belongs to, won't recognize that a vampire threat exists anymore. This is is due to the warrior priests supposedly annihilating the vampires, and banishing them to reservations.  The leaders of the church disbanded the priests because they felt they were a threat to their power.  So the priest is told if he goes against the church he goes against God.  Good thing for his niece, he follows his conscience rather than the corrupt leaders.

He joins forces with Hicks, his niece's suitor.  Hicks is the sheriff of the outpost where the priest's niece and her family lived.  They set out to find out the source of the vampire army, and are joined by a priestess (Maggie Q).  They ultimately discover the vampires live on a huge train, and are being lead by Black Hat a big, almost cowboy looking guy with a few secrets.  They begin to battle it out to save the niece and ultimately many more.

I really went into this thinking I would like it, even though it didn't look like a horror movie (and it isn't), but ultimately, it left me cold.  It wasn't for a lack of trying: the film boasts a $60 Million budget, and it looks it.  The special effects are largely great,  the action scenes are good, the musical score is rich and the creatures are scary looking.  The performance of Paul Bettany is very good, as is that of Carl Urban (Black Hat).

My problems with the movie are:   The story didn't draw me in.  I did manage to feel empathy for Priest, but nothing for the other characters.  The movie also has the post-apocalyptic world that somehow has reverted back to the old west as a backdrop.  To me this is just soooo overused.  The action, while good, shows the overwhelming influence of The Matrix, and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Some of the themes in this story seem typical (to a non-enthusiast) in the world of anime and manga (see Trinity Blood).  It actually plays out more like and action western (with vampires) than anything else.  But...even I could deal with it if it managed to entertain me, and to be honest, it just didn't do it for me. 

One particular scene near the end really sums it up for me, but I don't want to spoil it for those who want to watch it.  All I will say is that if the build up of the priest's convictions had been properly handled, there would have been alot more contrast and would have made the scene much more compelling.  As it was, it became just another snap decision that faded away.  I can't possibly recommend a purchase of this movie.  Maybe a rental, if you want an action movie, and haven't watched much sci fi.  Priest gets a 4.5 out of 10 from me.

Thank you to Sheng Wi for the recommendation!  Sorry I didn't care for it, but we all have different tastes!

Vampyres (1974)

I have to say, this is one I've meant to watch for some time.  I just love good '70s vampire movies, and this is a pretty good one.  The film was shot in the UK , and was Directed by Jose Ramon Larraz and stars Mariane Morris and Anulka (aka Anulka Dziubbinska) as two lesbian vampires, who lure unsuspecting men into their world of freaky sex and bloodlust. 

The movie starts quickly, with the two lovers in a torrid, albeit silly tryst in a gothic-looking room, a doorknob turns, and they are gunned down.  And off we go!  The movie follows three plot lines, the first is a man named Ted (Murray Brown) checking into a hotel.  The second, a young couple John and Harriet (Brian Deacon and Sally Faulkner) beginning a camping trip near the old dilapidated castle where the two vampires, Fran and Mariam live out the third plotline.

John and Harriet are driving toward their destination, and spot a woman by the side of the road.  Harriet, who is the passenger, also notices a second woman hiding back in the trees a bit. This begins to eat away at her, but John of course poo-poos it, wanting to focus on their camping and trying his hand at fishing the next day.  Later, Ted drives by, and picks up the Fran, and like a fly in her web enjoys and evening of wine drinking and wild sex.  He awakens to find he has been cut on the arm, and drained of energy.  He begins to look for answers…

This movie has a lot of nudity, and it would be easy to dismiss it as a soft-core porno if you don’t stick around past the midway point.  In fact, at one point I began keeping score between the sex scenes and the deaths, and sex scenes were winning!  Fortunately, I stayed with it, because it really is a creepy, scary movie.  Most of the good jumps come toward the end, but the mood is certainly eerie, and doesn’t let up.  No comedic relief here (not that there aren’t some unintentionally funny 70s moments).

As far as vampire standards, I wish they had stayed a bit more consistent.  The girls seem to be able to stand out in broad daylight most of the time, but at one point, they have to hurry to the wine-cellar because “it’s day”.  Also, no fangs.  These girls need knives.  Their supernatural qualities are only hinted at, and their connection, and others, to the opening scene are vague.  On the upside, the deaths of one male and one female victim later are truly terrifying and disturbing.  The movie ends pretty strong, and I will definitely watch it again.  That being said,  at this point, I can’t recommend buying the blu ray.  It’s $26.49 on Amazon!  I will try to find it on Ebay, however! I would recommend buying it on DVD at around $15, and it is certainly worth streaming on Netflix! But hurry, it’s only available on Netflix until 8/16/2011!  I give Vampyres, a 7 out of 10. Enjoy!

Missing the Horror Jungle podcast?

As many are already aware, and many have just discovered, The Horror Jungle podcast has been discontinued.  I will leave it to Bill and the Horror Jungle website to explain it all, as it was a personal decision.  What I can tell you is that several of the other hosts, along with myself, are planning right now on what it would take to launch another podcast that will provide horror movie recommendations.   The format would be much like that of the Horror Jungle and the content will be PG13 quality.  We would have segments, such as the Bloodbath segment which I have done, and would review and recommend movies as a group.

This is a big undertaking for us, as most of us don't have experience in producing a podcast, and the proper planning it takes to ensure a quality show that people will want to listen to.  Basically we have to try to do what BillChete was doing, which was a tremendous amount of work!  The fact that BillChete put in that much work for free, shows his dedication to the fans of the show.  I am so grateful to have worked with him, I can't tell you!  He really helped me alot (and so did Dr. Shock and Bloody Lizzie) to channel my passion into something so rewarding.  I will do my best to contribute in this future project, as I'm sure the other participants will.

For the near future, all of the hosts have websites listed to the right, and many of them write movie recommendations.  Please continue to stay in touch as we move forward. I myself am learning how to do little solo podcasts that I hope to put up here on the site.  They will be a continuation of my segment on the Horror Jungle, and will cover one Vampire-themed  movie, per podcast.  Stay tuned!  In the mean time, thank you so much for all the feedback and support.  It means alot to all of us!

Pig Hunt!

Pig Hunt is and independent movie in the Fangoria Frightfest series.  Released in 2008 Directed by James Isaac.

It is the story of a group of "friends" led by John (Travis Aaron Wade), who go on a hunting trip in the woods of Northern California.  John's late uncle owned a cabin on some land there, and John hunted with his uncle a bit as a kid. When they get there, they run into a hippie of sorts, who saves John's girlfriend  from a rattlesnake.  He gives the movie it's first warning that things are a little different than they were back in San Fransisco, where the friends are traveling from.  As they are preparing to start their hunting trip, they hook up with some of the local hillbillies, who accompany them.  The bunch form an uneasy hunting party, and set out to see what they can get, all the while discussing "The Ripper": a local legend, 3000 lb wild boar.

The hunting party dissolves when, during a confrontation, one of John's friends kills one of the two redneck brothers.  The surviving brother, played by Jason Foster, vows revenge and runs off to rally his hillbilly brethren.  (The leader of the hillbillies is played by Les Claypool of Primus, who also contibuted to the film's soundtrack.)  As the hunting group scatters, and prepares for the pending battle, they begin to fall prey to the  hippie, who runs a commune filled with women, who have a marijuana operation and belong to a cult that follows the Ripper.  This begins a four way battle between the city folk, the hippie cult, the hillbillies, and the Ripper.

Now this show is far from perfect.  It is a low budget horror movie, and you can tell. That being said, it is pretty entertaining!  The effects used to create the Ripper are good.  It is all practical effects and no CGI.  Overall, most of the special effects are good. Lots of gore and tons of blood!  The acting is a bit uneven, but Jason Foster's portrayal of the older redneck brother  is great!  I was wary of the way the film was being set up, with John's girlfriend coming along, the almost overly diverse group of friends, but it doesn't sink into typecasting as I feared it might.  It is well into the movie before you get to see the Ripper, but it ultimately is worth the wait.

Some reviews I've read call it a horror comedy, but I felt it was campy.  Not an over the top comedy at all.  It also is not an over the top horror movie either.  It isn't scary, but it is bloody, and it is entertaining.  Definitely worth a rent, but not worth the prices I've seen for the DVD ($17.00+)  I give it a 6/10

Jenifer (Masters of Horror Season 1) Directed by Dario Argento

Streamed this one last night.  It is one of the episodes of Masters of Horror, which if you are not familiar with it, is a series of 1 hour, made for TV horror shows.

Jenifer starts out very quickly with a detective named Frank Spivy (Steven Webber) happening along a man attempting to murder a young woman with a meat cleaver.  The man won't stop, so Spivy guns him down, and rescues the woman (Carrie Anne Fleming).  As he comforts her, he sees that she is disfigured.  And I mean DISFIGURED!  After he takes her in, she is sent to a psychiatric hospital, because there is no where else to put her.  She is mentally impaired, and is mute to go along with it.

Spivy can't stand that she is forced to live in such a deplorable situation, so he takes her to his house, much to his wife's disappointment.  As he is trying to figure out what to do with her, Jenifer begins to act out sexually toward him, and heck, she does have a dynamite body so he succumbs to her, uh....charms.  Soon there are major drawbacks to his relationship with Jenifer, starting with her animalistic  devouring of the family cat!  It only gets worse from there.

This idea has so much promise, and it does deliver to some degree. However, it is a 1 hour tv show, and that is all you'll get out of this.  It is ok to watch for free, or as part of your Netflix subscription, but I would never spend any money to buy it.  The story is engaging, but there are many holes in the plot, but the incredible body of Carrie Anne Fleming will help you stick with it... or better yet, just watch Deadgirl which is top-notch! I have to give Jenifer a 4.5 out of 10.

Heartless (2009)

Thanks to Benny in N. Cal for the recommendation!  Streamed this one on Netflix yesterday, Here goes!

Heartless is a 2009 horror film from the UK.  This is the story of Jamie Morgan (Jim Sturgess), a young man with a large, heart-shaped birthmark over the left side of his face.  The birthmark has made him the target of ridicule his whole life, and presumably has completely crippled him socially, as he lives with his widowed mother in a flat.  The city is rife with thugs, and gangs of violent, aimless youths.  Jamie happens upon a gang of them one night and is shocked to see they are not human.  They are reptilian looking demons.  He begins noticing the demon gang's graffiti around the neighborhood, and sees and hears all the reports of their evil deeds, which include torching individuals with molotov cocktails. Ultimately, he and his mother are accosted by the demons, and they torch his mother right in front of him.  This, coupled with the loss of a new friend  to the demons, drives him to buy a handgun and try his hand at being a vigilante.

Getting even doesn't last to long as he meets a mysterious little girl and her Papa (played by Joseph Mawle).  Papa B, as he's called, appears as a disfigured man, but possesses supernatural powers.  He offers Jamie the wish to not have his birthmark so he can fall in love and have a family of his own, which his mother wanted for him. All he has to do in return is contribute to the chaos in the city a little, by doing graffiti once in a while.  Jamie decides to accept the exchange, and is transformed.

Everything seems to be going well, until Jamie discovers that he's been deceived, and the price he must pay for his gift is much more involved and terrifying than he was led to believe.

This movie was enjoyable, overall.  The acting was really good, the pace was adequate, and I really felt for the lead character in his quandary.  I did have some issues with it, however.  Some of the CGI used to make the demons' faces was sketchy,  I also felt that Jamie's character kind of fell to the dark side a little too quickly, given his close relationship with his pious, loving mother.  I don't want to give the ending away, but I think it was a bit rushed in relation to the levity of the situation he was in.  The ending also is not a typical "horror movie" ending, so that might be worthy of your consideration.  I give Heartless a 7 out of 10.  Worth a watch!

Near Dark (1987)

This movie was recommended by a couple of listeners, and I actually hadn't seen it since way back in '87 at the theater! Thanks for recommending it, Lianne Preisser and Wes! 

The first time I saw this flick was in the theater back in 1987. It was probably a date night, but that was a long time ago, so I'm not so sure...  At any rate the beginning of this movie is definitely date-night friendly.  The good news is it starts out quickly, the bad news is that is resembles Footloose a little too much! But it's not a total loss, as we will see.

Near Dark is a movie from 1987, a few months after The Lost Boys.  Of course it was tough for this little independent to compete in theaters against a film released by Warner Brothers, but as far as content, I prefer Near Dark.  It is the story of Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) who falls for a beautiful, young-looking female vampire, named Mae (played by Jenny Wright).  As their enchanted evening comes to a close, Caleb is bitten (but not bled out) by Mae.  She disappears into the night, and as the sun rises, Caleb discovers, he can't handle the sunlight. In fact he begins to smolder!  As he struggles across his family farm, an RV races across the farmland and someone swoops him up into the rig.  As it happens, his father sees this and thinks he's been kidnapped.  Turns out Caleb has been "rescued" by a band of vampires that Mae belongs too.  Mae is glad he's there, but the rest of them aren't nearly as thrilled.

That is the basic plot of the movie.  We follow the story as Mae tries to get Caleb used to his vampire lifestyle, and to earn his way into the little clan, which consists of Jesse Hooker (Lance Henriksen ), Severen (Bill Paxton), Diamondback (Janette Goldstein) and Homer, a child vampire played by Joshua Miller.  The main dilemma for Caleb is:  he has a big problem killing someone in order to live. So, poor Caleb is stuck having to feed from Mae's wrists in order to survive.  This doesn't sit well with the other vamps, especially Hooker and Severen.

This movie definitely has that whole lighthearted take on the Vampire story for the most part, but it does give us some originality.  It was one of the first vampire movies to examine the vampire that happens to become transformed as a child, the struggles of a new vampire, and it involves one scene in the middle of the film, that makes this one worth watching.  The scene involves the group of vampires locking the door behind them as they enter a bar, and follows them as they taunt, torture and kill nearly every patron to fulfill their bloodlust.  This is where Henriksen and Paxton really take over the movie, and this scene stuck with me for 25 years!  I honestly didn't remember anything else about this movie until I watched it again.

I won't give away the rest of the story, in case you watch it, but will say, it holds your interest, and the performances of Henriksen, Paxton, and Goldstein (fresh off the filming of Aliens) make this show worth the watch!  Not a perfect horror film by any stretch, but the middle scene is a must see!  The Blu Ray has a nice featurette with Henriksen and Paxton, as well as first time director Kathryn Bigelow.

Rating: 7 out of 10

What now?

Well, the news is out there about the Horror Jungle, and all of us are as disappointed as you listeners.  I have to thank BillChete for letting me take part in this great experience, and to Bill, Dr. Shock, and Bloody Lizzie for the help they all  gave me to get this site off the ground.  Thanks, too, to the other hosts.  It has been great getting to know such a talented bunch of people.  Especially, Thanks to you listeners for enjoying the show and providing us all with feedback, it means so much!
Much still remains to be sorted out, but I assure you, I will be updating this site as frequently as I can with mini reviews, and other subjects.  I would be glad to have any of you jump in and suggest movies to discuss or other topics that are interesting to you.
It sounds like several of the hosts want to attempt to put together a podcast, but it is a monumental task ahead of us.  If we get beyond the discussions and planning stages, we will let you know what progress we are making.  In the mean time, please check in at KC Canton's www.downrightcreepy.com , as KC has invited us to participate on his site.  I am planning on contributing reviews there, and he has his Creepcast linked to the site.  Also please support the hosts of the Horror Jungle by interacting with their websites. The links are listed in my Freaky Links box to the right.
Thanks so much listeners, and I  encourage you to stay in touch with us as we move forward!

Ninjas vs. Vampires

Thanks to the suggestion from Kolien, I took a little time and watched 2010's Ninjas Vs. Vampires. Make no mistake it is not a horror movie. It is an action comedy, with horror elements.  It is also low budget and intentionally campy.

Basically, this is a movie where a young man suddenly discovers that vampires do indeed exist, and not only that, there is a group of "Ninjas" led by a witch that battle against them. the young man, Cole joins this group to (of course) save his love interest, and undergoes training from Aaron and Kyle (the guys in this Ninja group).  The group then has a battle against a fragmented army of vampires, the most powerful of which is intent on ruling the world.  Now this movie is intentionally silly, and has horrible CGI, and borderline acting, but the film makers use it to their advantage.  While I wasn't completely won over by this show, I did finish it without falling asleep or exiting early from boredom.  A couple of times I even laughed out loud, but I  can't wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone. 

I'm going to go ahead and give this  movie a 4.75 out of 10. You might ad a point or two if you fire up a bowl prior to watching!  That's all I can say for now!  Thanks for the suggestion, Kolien!  Keep 'em coming folks!

Hats off to Bob Wilkins

Before I get too much further into this blog, I have to take a little time to honor the late Bob Wilkins.  Bob was the host of Creature Features on KTVU Oakland in the '70s and '80s.  That was the first place I saw the original Night of the Living Dead, and tons of other movies. Some great and some not so great.  The cool thing was Mr. Wilkins had a great sense of humor, and made even the dumb movies entertaining.

Bob also had an afternoon show that we always watched after school, where he became Captain Cosmic with his robot 2T2. On this show, he featured Japanese Sci-Fi series like Ultraman, and Space Giants, where giant robots like Goldar battled other giant robots and aliens.  Great stuff!

Sometime around 1979, Bob plugged the movie Slithis (a B movie that was kind of a Creature from the Black Lagoon knock off).  On his recommendation, we went to the drive in and were floored about how crappy it was! LOL  I even wrote him a letter to complain.  A week or so later, I received and envelope from KTVU, with a hand signed "form-letter" from Bob himself!  The funny thing is he added a post-script that read: "Glad you liked Slithis. Ha!"  He also included an autographed photo of himself!  I loved that guy!

So anyway, Here's to you Bob Wilkins!  I hope you are up there somewhere smoking a cigar and making more Creature Features!

More 30 Days of Night

As you may know, two 30 Days of Night mini-series are available on Hulu.  They each consist of 6 mini episodes and are titled 30 Days of Night: Blood Trails and 30 Days of Night: Dust to Dust . Not too shabby for what they are: Short episodes that you can jump in and out of or just let the autoplay run throught the whole thing.  I just wish there was an option to watch the whole thing in it's entirety without the intro and next episode preview interrupting the show. 
I understand the dvd is available in the UK, but not here unfortunately.  Maybe at some point they'll release them here.  Anyway, kind of a cool little vampire snack to tide you over!

Worried about a Zombie Apocalypse?

I ran into this awesome article online, where a guy literally builds a shotgun to be the ultimate zombie apocalypse survival gun!  Check it out:
http://artofmanliness.com/2011/07/11/how-to-make-a-survival-shotgun/

I really got a kick out of this article. Hopefully you can at least get a few laughs from it, or build your own?

Also, thank you all who have commented and to all who have taken the time to stop by the site.  I am going to try to stay daily with something or another, so please comment and keep it rolling!

Grace (2009) My Episode 3 pick

Most likely, you have heard my recommendation on the Horror Jungle by the time you read this, and know I have given this movie a 7/10.  I really liked this movie, although it definitely doesn't follow the conventional rules of the vampire sub-genre.  It is what I would call an eerie movie, not terrifying at all.
It stars Jordan Ladd (Cabin Fever, Death Proof) as Madeline.  Madeline and her husband finally succeed in conception, but a tragic car accident takes her husband's life and the fetus is dead as well.  She decides to carry the baby to term anyway, and after birth the baby miraculously comes to life.  As she begins to nurse the baby, she soon discovers the child needs blood to live.  Madeline is isolated by the lack of family,  her mistrust of conventional medicine, and interrupted communication with her Midwife (played by Samantha Ferris).  So she is left to do the best she can for her little bundle of joy.  She is forced to confront her own lifestyle choices, and conventional wisdom to keep Grace alive.  She also has to deal with alot of flies...

Based on ratings I've seen around, this picture is polarizing.  If you are looking for a conventional vampire movie with alot of intense scares, chances are you won't like it.  It has alot of interesting themes involving Madeline's pregnancy and early "child" care, there  are some pretty cool subplots, most things are explained throughout the course of the movie, and I liked the ending of it (except it does leave it open to a sequel...not sure about that).

Negatives:   My biggest negative was that the movie comes across as preachy on several topics, which depending on a person's viewpoints, may hinder ones enjoyment of it.  Also, I feel with a budget of $5 Million, Grace could of had a little more...bite (sorry!)

Price-wise, it isn't too bad. The cheapest I found the Blu Ray was $13.69 on Amazon (where I bought it), and the DVD was only $9.99 on Best Buy's website.  The Blu Ray has alot of cool extras, as well.  If any of you see it or have already seen it, please weigh in, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Horror Jungle available on Stitcher app

Just a quick note that you can now download the Stitcher app for your smartphone, and stream the Horror Jungle Podcast along with many other programs.  More information will be announced by BillChete on episode 3 coming Tuesday!
You can be ready by going to Stitcher.com and look for the Horror Jungle under Entertainment then Horror.  I have downloaded it, and it works great!

Let's talk Vampires

I look forward to hearing what appeals to you listeners about vampires.  What makes a good vampire movie?  As for myself, it all started with the original Dracula from 1931.  I probably saw it on Creature Features on KTVU Oakland back in the early to mid '70s, and liked it immediately.  Later, one summer day, my mom and her best friend dropped myself and the rest of the kids off at the theatre, which was playing a double feature matinee featuring the Count Yorga Movies.  Both of these movies, while they now show their age, scared the crap out of me, and also gave me the image of vampires as truly terrifying monsters.

Over the years I've enjoyed the performances of Christopher Lee, and others as they contribute to the genre.  In recent years, the movies have played up the more romantic facet of the vampire, which has mostly left me cold.  I have to admit, I watched Twilight, but I just couldn't connect with it, and didn't finish watching it.  I just don't regard vampires in some fairy tale way.  Not that I don't veer from the beaten path and enjoy some other takes on the genre, as you'll hear on the next Horror Jungle podcast.  I won't give it away, but I'm probably going to take my lumps for my pick!  I look forward to the discussion.  Please comment and share your take on the genre!

So I watched The Collector

It took long enough to watch this flick, and I was not disappointed!  It is 2009's The Collector. Directed by Marcus Dunstan of Saw movie fame.  This movie doesn't let up.  A tour de force from start to finish.  I am not a big fan of long credits at the start, but they had an initial scene that set the movie up very nicely, and the end credits entertained until the very end!

A brief synopsis: A handy man is working on some projects along with other workers at the home of a jewel broker, his wife owes money to a loan shark and needs money yesterday. To get the money for his wife, the handyman Arkin (Josh Stewart) decides to steal from the broker's house as the family is leaving on a  vacation.  He breaks in and discovers that a crazed killer has filled the house with traps and is torturing the family inside.  Terror ensues!

Now this movie is definitely not for the feint of heart. It is extremely brutal, and relentless.  It also has alot of holes in the plot and implausible situations, but it is so well made, the effects and gore so great and the pacing so perfect I didn't even care. Just suspend disbelief and you'll be in for a terror ride that is pretty rare.  If you are the type of viewer who needs all the ends sown up, it's probably not for you, but I can't recommend it higher.  I give it 9/10 and a big GRAB IT!

Dracula (1931)

The other night I watched the 1931 classic, Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi. It has been many years since I have watched it and thought now would be a good time to take it in. I am happy to report it is every bit deserving of the label of "Classic".

Of course, much of the credit goes to Mr. Lugosi, who was truly chilling as the famous Count. I'm sure audiences that watched his performance in 1931 must have been terrified with his portrayal. Dwight Frye, who played Renfield was convincing transforming the character from the confident business man in the beginning, to the deranged lunatic he becomes.

There is a small amount of comic relief in the form of Martin (Charles Gerrard), one of the workers in the sanitarium where he is asked on a few occasions to rein in Renfield. I remember liking those little moments as a kid, but now watching it in 2011, I felt it was unnecessary.

A few things I had forgotten. You never actually see Dracula bite anyone, and you also don't see the stake driven through his heart, you hear him die offscreen. Yet even without these things, Lugosi's performance provides plenty of creepiness as evidenced by the video clip at the bottom of this post, or the photo at the bottom of this page.

If you haven't seen it yet, or if like myself, it's just been a while, I highly recommend picking it up, or streaming it on Netflix. I give it a Netflix rating of 4 stars out of 5.
BB

The Horror Jungle Podcast

Well, the second Horror Jungle Podcast is going to be out in two more days, and I have really enjoyed participating.  Thanks much to BillChete for the opportunity!  Doc, HellHunter, BloodyLizzy, KC Canton, Midnight Corey and Joe Mummy have all been great to podcast with.  Just a great bunch of people.

Thank you to all who wrote in to my email (bossbutcher@rocketmail). Please keep the feedback coming so I can give you the segment you want. I am working on putting together a real-time movie viewing over Twitter, where I will announce a time and a DVD to watch together if anyone is interested.  I'll announce as soon as I have it all worked out.

Meanwhile, enjoy the Horror Jungle episode 2!  Some really great picks on there!  Thanks for listening!

The Nameless (1999)

A Spanish thriller from 1999,  the Nameless is a slow-moving, moody piece, but the payoff is indeed worth it, in the sense that I haven't quite seen a concept like it (and I'm not sure I'm glad I did!).
Basically, the story is one of a mother who has lost her young daughter, seemingly to an underground ritualistic homicide. She receives a call, years later from a caller claiming to be her daughter. She finds one of the detectives assigned to her daughter's case,and sets out trying to find her daughter. The results are more twisted than she ever could have thought. The performance of her ex-husband (Tristan Ulloa) toward the end is absolutely bone chilling!

Good movie, well acted and DISTURBING. I give it a 6 out of ten. More if not soooo drawn out.

BB