A nod to European Horror

Here's another post from a guest. I've been battling sickness, writing a lot, starting a business, and just haven't had time to watch as much horror as I'd like to. I will return to a full schedule sooner than later, but until then, check this out.  

It’s a known fact that they sure know how to make movies that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up over there on the old continent. For all the faithful horror fans out there- just the mere mention of names as Dario Argento or Guillermo del Toro, but the last decade has witnessed a lot of involvement from part of the Scandinavian, Russian and Serbian directors who’ve managed to offer some truly amazing titles that are surely to earn a permanent place in the Horror Hall of Fame. Let’s take a quick look at some of the most memorable ones.

Sauna (2008)

A very strong title born from the collaboration of Finland and the Czech Republic. The somber and depressing movie has a solid plot with a feasible background story, which is all the more painful as it deals with the horrors of war or, more precisely, the aftermath of these horrors and the way everything good in the human nature crumbles before the atrocities we are capable of committing.

Philosophy of a Knife (2008)

Written and directed by the promising Russian talent Andrey Iskanov, the movie follows the true story of the notorious Japanese Unit 731 - known for unbelievably brutal human experiments during WW2. The atrocities carried out in the infamous unit are far too horrendous to require extra video effects, which is something the Russian director was fully aware of. His movie is but a peak into the hellish nightmare that devoured thousands of men, women, children and infants.

Semum (2008)

A surprisingly original Turkish horror, despite the fact that it exploits a theme that we’ve seen one time too many. The effects are pretty decent for this kind of budget and the plot is as simple as it is effective. Allegedly the movie is based on the real-life events of Canan Karaca. Definitely worth checking out.

Let the Right One In (2008)

The movie is actually a remake of a previous one by director Tomas Alfredson. A different and quite unorthodox story about vampires, which is as eerie as it is endearing. Every minute of the film is brilliantly steeped in the characters’ emotions and the cinematographic and music are both beautiful.

Srpski Film / A Serbian Film (2010)

In case you have missed out on this one it’s time to make up for it. Serbia has single-handedly given to the world some of the best movies in the past several years and A Serbian Film is one of them. A brutally honest, disturbingly realistic visual experience - this movie is about as snuff as it’s ever going to get. As if the topics it deals with are not atrocious enough, the camera doesn’t shy away from the violence in a way that will make you sick to your stomach.

Indie Horror Films Worth Checking Out

I'm starting to feel better, but still am not at 100%, so you'll have to deal with guest postings yet again. I'll return to the helm with all new reviews for Chemical Burn Studios work. 

Indie movies are often overlooked by fans, mainly due to the fact that their limited budget and unrecognizable actors don’t make for a very appealing advertising campaign. If you don’t frequently browse through the horror fests’ lists of indie flicks, you risk missing out on some of the best, chilling, original and disturbing titles the horror genre has ever witnessed. For those of you, who’ve only stayed up-to-date with the mainstream titles released over the past few years, we offer a list of a few brilliant indie horror films that are definitely worth checking out.

Joshua (2006)

Travis Betz is an f-ing genius for single-handedly writing and directing one of the most dark, demented and truly disturbing horror flicks of the past decade. It is truly amazing what can be done with just few mediocre visual effects and an extremely strong background story and tight plot. Betz’s efforts have been rewarded with this realistically disturbing tale of human downfall into depravity and insanity.

Splinter (2008)

A very effective Sci-Fi horror flick, which is one of those movies that actually gains from not revealing too much about the cause of events, is what you find here. The effects are decent and the gore is just the right amount to contribute to the build-up of suspension and feeling of dread throughout the movie. Director Toby Wilkins has done a marvelous job with the plot as well as with the cast.

Dead Girl (2008)

A very powerful and disturbing movie, exploring serious social issues, full of horror that should shake you is presented here. This memorable stomach turning flick deals with the most depraved choices people make when nobody is watching. The director is sparing of effects, but effectively creates a dark tale that starts off slow, but quickly builds up to a climax of absolute destruction and carnage.

Triangle (2009)

This is more of a psychological type of horror, but still it is worth mentioning, as it is quite fresh with a very unexpected turn of events. Although the movie starts out as just another slasher, pretty soon it takes a turn for the worse and the viewer is introduced to something much more sinister than just another deranged killer hunting down a group of good-looking folks.

Perkins’ 14

Perkins’ 14 is an unusually stark flick, superbly directed and filmed by Craig Singer and it’s one of the best things to come out from the After Dark Horror Fest in recent years. The unique style and engaging script only add to the movie’s effective somber atmosphere, which draws the viewer into a downfall of horror, psychological pain and brutal violence.

Clive Barker's Books of Blood Review

(Buy the Book Here)

Your old pal Sir Jorge is still sick. I haven't been able to do a whole lot of writing, so you will have to enjoy another guest blogger attempt to get you interested in horror of a different kind. Enjoy.

Clive Barker is a well-known name in the world of horror and fantasy. His biography of a director and producer holds titles such as ‘Hellraiser’ and ‘Jericho’, which are trend-setters in times, when people thought that everything has been done before. Having said this, Barker’s true talent shines most in the field of literature. Known as one of the most promising writers in the horror genre and proclaimed by none other than Stephen King as the future of the said genre, all of Barker’s books prove that he will most certainly live up to these expectations.

The first volume of the Books of Blood consists of 6 stories and 3 introductions. The first story carries the title ‘The Book of Blood’ and it unfolds the tale of how the said book came to be. The narrative is original and grim with brilliant twists and the incorporation of paranormal elements. It is interesting to point out that Barker doesn’t abide by the rules imposed on authors at the beginning of their careers for a strict word count of their works and creates every story as he sees fit. The end result is compact, concise stories that are surprisingly engaging and influential.

The second story in the book is ‘The Midnight Meat Train’, which most people will recognize as the film adaptation with Vinnie Jones and Bradley Cooper, which was actually pretty decent. The author himself has expressed his desire for the movie to become the first of a trilogy, which will shed some light on the creatures that are behind all existence and demand bloody sacrifices for it.

In ‘The Yattering and Jack’ Barker offers an interesting insight into the mishaps of an inferior daemon. Even though someone might argue that comic is not a term that ought to be used when we’re reviewing a book in the horror genre, this story has an undeniable humoristic element to it. Time and again Barker manages to offer something fresh and original, proving that he definitely doesn’t fall under any categories of the said genre.

‘Pig Blood Blues’ makes the infamous scene from Hannibal pale in comparison. Barker is truly at his best in terms of ruthlessness and brutality that makes the reader squirm with disgust. Another proof that he is willing to experiment and explore different angles and approaches of the genre, playing with and pushing the limits of sane and normal.

In ‘Sex, Death and Starshine’ the plot unfolds following the pattern of…well..sex, death and starshine. Although far from frightening, the story is quite intriguing. The dead too require a healthy dosage of entertainment and apparently they know how to get it.

‘In the Hills, the Cities’ deservedly is placed at the end of the first volume of the ‘Books of Blood’ as it is truly the best work of the author of the 6 stories. Barker’s imagination has really surpassed all limits and ventured into realms of unimaginable horror and dread.

As a whole ‘Books of Blood’ has its weak and strong points. As we mentioned before, Barker is not amongst the authors to follow predetermined patterns in their style of writing or narrative and he’s definitely not the one to spare his readers any brutality. He’s exhaustive and thorough to the point where it can get physically unsettling for the person on the other side of the book. His works are a must-read for anyone who’s looking for something different than the mainstream horror formula.

Silent Hill Revelation 3D Review

(Buy silent hill here)

From time to time, your pal Sir Jorge (me) gets sick. This week I got the flu, so in that case, I had a little help from a guest blogger. This guest blogger didn’t want to be named, just wanted a shot at posting on the old blog o rific, so without further adieu, here you go.

We dare to dream of the day that Hollywood will stop trying to make movies based on game sequels, but alas that day is yet to come…For the time being we’re forced to sit through a [yet another] mediocre and downright laughable cinematic version of one of the greatest horror game franchises that were to ever grace the face of this pitiful planet. KONAMI must really be regretting selling the rights to the franchise to an American company - now that the fellow Americans hold the legal rights to the game(s) and movie(s) all bets are off.

But onto the movie, we will see... It’s hard to write a coherent review for a movie that’s all over the place, so let’s just use the same approach to do it justice. This movie has no reason to exist. Period. After the dreaded and insufferable Silent Hill from 2006 a lot of game fans were convinced the making of films based on games had hit rock bottom and nothing worse could ever live to see daylight. Apparently scriptwriters, directors and visual artists in Hollywood mistook this for a personal challenge and thus - Revelation was born. Sometimes I think virtually every movie based on a game is doomed to failure and the guys from the East Coast seem pretty keen on proving me right (note: no, putting Angelina Jolie in the lead role does NOT a movie make or save; she’s freaking hot as hell, yes, but if I wanted to watch an hour long of a hot chick flashing her curves from every angle I’d just play me some random Sasha Grey clip).

As a religious fan of the game sequel I have to shamefully admit I was timidly hopeful for the second Silent Hill movie after having experienced one of the worst disappointments of my life sitting through the first (seriously, I wasn’t that upset when I found naked pictures and ongoing correspondence of my boyfriend with his ex, leading to an ugly break-up). Further to this the fact that it would be loosely based on the third installment of the game series, which is one of the strongest and sickest in the sequence, only added to that adorable pitter-patter of my heart and the butterfly feeling in my stomach. By the time the credits appeared on the screen I was deeply pensive about whether to pull a James Holmes on the theatre (alright, this was completely inappropriate in the light of the recent events, but you get what I am trying to say) or go home and slit my wrists with broken DVD pieces.

See? I promised you a review as coherent as the movie and so far I think I’m delivering. In all seriousness, though, the movie is all over the place - like literally. There isn’t the slightest effort from part of the script-writer to put together anything even remotely decent in terms of background story (the glue that hold together all Silent Hill-related stories no matter how irrelevant or unrelated they might seem in the beginning) and the director has only assisted with throwing in here and there random images in the spirit of the game franchise. Apart from recognizing some of the series most infamous monsters there is little that the fans will be able to relate to. As if in a meek attempt to block out these flukes, several up-and-coming and one or two famous actors have been thrown in the movie, but they’re just as out of place as everything else. Almost all of the casting of ‘Game of Thrones’ is present, which goes on to prove that when the industry has decided to promote someone, they’re going to promote the living shit out of them - even if that person can’t act to save his life (which is kind of ironic since one of the actors in question does die in the movie…and in ‘Game of Thrones’ for that matter. Wonder if it was due to bad acting). Carrie Anne Moss hasn’t acted in a scene as laughable as the infamous last dialogue with Neo from the 3rd Matrix, where he tells her she can’t die, but she argues that she can and dies, until now.

Things are not looking good in the soundtrack department either, which is baffling to say the least. With a monumentally genius composer like Akira Yamaoka, who single-handedly ensured that musically Silent Hill is just as eerie and disturbing as the story and gameplay intended it to be, the music to the movie is nothing like any of the brilliant tracks we get to experience in the games.

Without spoiling the movie for those who will bravely venture into the theatre to catch a glimpse of the abomination that it is, let me just shout out a fair warning to all faithful game fans - the notorious, but beloved Pyramid Head appears in the most unimaginably grotesque (not in a good) way - one that will leave you with nightmares for weeks to come and will possibly result in several shrink appointments.

The general atmosphere of the movie is dark and somber, albeit in a way that has little to do with the sad hopelessness that the games used to make the player care. You will find it doesn’t really matter whether the characters live or die and will fail to be thrilled by their personal tragedies, which are told in a more of a soap-opera-drama style. The safest choice you could make is to take my word that the best thing about this movie is the poster and move on with your life.

My Favorite Zombie Movie

(Buy Nightmare City Here)

Nightmare City (1980) is my favorite Zombie Movie

One of the easiest prompts you can get as a writer is simply about yourself. Any subject matter that deals with what you enjoy, love, and want to share can become the greatest piece of writing because it comes from the heart, right? Well, in a series of articles that I will be posting in the coming future, starting today, I’m going to be talking about my favorite movies in the horror genre. Today, for example, I will be talking about my favorite zombie movie. That is going to an Italian-Spanish flick that came out in 1980 known as Nightmare City.

The plot of the movie is one that is definitely note worthy. A report is at an airport awaiting a famed scientist that has been linked to a nuclear accident. When a military plane shows up, the doors open with fast running zombies and chaos starts to reign at the airport. They stab, shoot, and run with reckless abandon. Meanwhile, the reporter catches all of this and tries to warn the general public but is thwarted, and instead seeks to find his wife so that they can flee to safety while the zombie apocalypse jumps off. The twist ending is definitely one of note and will probably bring about a lot of arguments as to what really happened.

The whole movie is a great piece of European cinema, and the Italian and Spanish film making style is evident throughout. You have to give it up to them for creating a frenetically paced movie without the use of shaky cam to introduce the monsters. You feel like you’re involved in a serious apocalypse, albeit with monsters that resemble something out of the old Power Rangers television program. Sure, there are some tongue and cheek moments, the whole thing plays off like a made for television Stephen King picture, but so what?

The music is great, the acting is ok, the dubbing is fantastic, and the premise most certainly can fit into modern day worlds. You will find Nightmare City to be one great piece of zombie filmmaking and even George Romero might give it a nod or two. But that doesn’t really matter, does it? This is my favorite zombie movie, and though there are a lot of great ones out there, nothing seemed to have the impact that this one had. I saw it several times in my years, but most recently I enjoyed it with Spanish subtitles, a great one to enjoy an IPA to. If you haven’t seen this in a while, make sure that you buy Nightmare City here, and see why it’s my favorite zombie movie.

Rosemary’s Baby Review

(Buy Rosemary's Baby Criterion)

A Mother’s Worst Nightmare Comes True

Love it or hate it, the slow moving era of movies still reaches to the depths of fear and comes out charging in a relevant way. Whether you’re watching something that came from the mind of Bava or Argento or you’re watching Rosemary’s Baby, you realize that not every horror movie has to have a baby that’s exploding with violence and gore all over the place. Thank you Peter Jackson, but you will have to take a backseat to t his one, as it is far more emphatic through the reveal than anything produced in the last 10 years, although, there was that one movie about the orphan that turned out to be an older woman, what’s that movie called again? Something about adoption, who cares, who knows, let’s talk about this child molester’s movie…what, he was acquitted? No?

Rosemary’s Baby is indeed a classic for a variety of reasons. It could be the naivety that is portrayed by the main character, coming up pregnant amidst what seems like a very odd backdrop. Each 20 minute interval reveals another piece of the puzzle and as the movie continues through a variety of steps, it’s leading up to something big, and you know what the twist is, but you don’t know how it’s going to be revealed. The knowing, the slow pace, deliberate lines and lots of clues lead you to believe that there is something going awry, and when all is said and done, it is truly revealed that the devil is in the details, the little hands, and the laughter, and the coven of witchcraft that has produced the birth of the devil!

The movie is drawn out, long, boring and fully realized by a true artist. You really get tense because of the way the plot thickens into a cesspool of cool. Regardless of your take on the director, you will get a chill up your spine the way things turn out. The scariest moments aren’t really gorey, they are just moments that you see how society has changed in many ways. The hysterical wife that confides in her doctor, only to get taken to her husband, who is in on it, or how everyone involved is very much part of a cult. The whole movie churns its way through several momentous plot points, none of which deliver quite like the pay off.

All in all, Rosemary’s Baby is an example of an older movie that has some scary ideas. However, when it comes full circle it’s actually a tad on the boring side. I liked the overall artistry, it’s a work of great triumph, but in the canon of scary films, this one is not going to win over modern fans. However, if you’re a mother, father, pregnant, or are going to get pregnant, this presents a whole new level of fear that is definitely as scary today as it ever was before. Roman Polanski outdoes himself with such grace here; you don’t really get the age until you start to realize this was made in the late 60s. Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes do a fine job here, and I’m surprised at how much money this made when released. It’s a long one, so strap in for a game of scrabble!

The Raven Review

(buy The Raven here)

John Cusack is Edgar Allen Poe in this dark horror thriller of mediocre proportions. It is available now on blu ray here.

When you think of John Cusack, at least when I think of him, you often times remember the guy that is always chasing that one lost love. Whether he’s in the middle of a break up or he’s trying to win the affections of a hot chick that won’t give him the time of day, Cusack is known for wearing his heart on his proverbial sleeve, and this movie in some ways is a culmination of all his previous work, only it is wrapped in the fat head of Edgar Allen Poe.

The movie is a tale of thrilling proportions, or at least it tries to be, with a gothic feel that is quite interesting. There are a lot of components to the way the actors portray the characters that makes it fit for a stage play rather than a full-length movie. In fact, I often times wondered what it would be like to see this in person live on stage, but that would mean having a lot of money because good quality stage plays cost a lot of money to see live in Los Angeles.

The Raven moves through several acts where Poe played by Cusack, has to go through a series of grizzly murders in order to find a missing person, buried alive. The whole movie rings of Poe’s stories and really does a good job with the visual representations of the writings. However, the movie starts to slow down and get really boring towards the third act. Even though there is a slowdown, it’s still has a great deal of action, suspense, and a plot twist that you may see coming a mile away but cheer for anyways.

All in all, I liked The Raven, even if I did have a few problems with the pacing and the overall story. This work of historical fiction really does make me a tad bit more interested in Poe’s work, even though I already find what I know about his writings to be fascinating. For those that haven’t read his work, you can purchase his books here. For those that are familiar with his work the visuals are going to be cool, but the movie as a whole? Well, that’s debatable. It leans towards greatness visually but lacks a certain gusto that I would want from horror movies. Your opinion will vary, I’m sure.

Top 5 Valentines Day Movies

The month in which lovers decide to enjoy their courtship and all that jazz is fast approaching. For lovers of horror movies the day can mean a nice romantic dinner followed by a movie of epic gore, followed by whatever it is you’d like to do afterwards. For this list, we’ll focus on the top 5 Valentines Day movies. It’s bittersweet for me because February 14 is my birthday, my sister’s birthday, and a day in which society says that I should be even nicer to my girlfriend, although I try to do that daily. Whatever the case is, here are 5 movies you want to check out.

#5 My Bloody Valentine 3D

A mining community gest an insane bloodbath of terror in this remake, which was not necessarily needed, but still got made by Lionsgate. I for one saw it in theaters when it came out, and was thrilled with the way they did it. The 3D is a bit overblown, but I found it to be quite alright when I saw it again at home. In theaters, I didn’t find it to be as good as I did later, and it is now my #5 pick. You can scope this one out new/used by clicking here.

#4 Let The Right One In

I love foreign horror movies, heck I love foreign movies in general. This one is the better version as it is striking and quite insane when the reveal is finally peeled away. This Swedish movie doesn’t force you to use an allen wrench to watch it, it simply presents a budding relationship between a young vampire and a boy, and well, things get bad, really bad. You’ll enjoy it on a level of romance that is sometimes left to childhood sweethearts or tarts, whatever. You can buy it new/used by clicking here.

#3 Scream

Who is killing off teenagers in a small town? The high school kids each gets taken out and when we are introduced to the killer it’s all about a lack of SEX. My girlfriend and I named our cat partially after the main character, and this was an awesome flick that still holds up today. Scream produced a ton of sequels and even the latest one had me enjoying the popcorn one more time. This is a good one; check it out on the special lover’s day. You can buy it new/used by clicking here.

#2 Bride of Chucky

You know you can’t miss this one, it’s a loving tribute to couples everywhere, and Jennifer Tilly is smoking hot as a little doll. Chucky gets a new gal pal and they seriously want to takeover. This is a classic, it’s terrible, but hey, not all horror movies are going to win Oscars, ok. You can buy it new/used by clicking here.

#1 The Bride of Frankenstein

When it comes to custom making a woman, here is an awesome example of why you should just leave it up to God. In t his sequel to the original, the Bride of Frankenstein is created, comes to life but has a mind of her own! Oh now, a woman that thinks for herself? What next women drivers? I kid, I kid, but come on; this is the number one movie for lovers, right? Right? Click here to pick it up new/used or in a box set.

What are your thoughts? Drop me a line, let me know what you think, it’d be nice to have comments on here.

Support Scary Film Review 

If you want to support the efforts of this site, and me (sir jorge) you can do so by buying things on amazon through the links I provide, or you could donate some money via the link in the sidebar. If you would like to see LESS ads, you can subscribe to this website via the RSS feed link on the right. I am 100% freelance, and a pro-writer, I only write and go to grad school, so this site helps me get a cup of coffee and rent horror movies. Please help if you can, otherwise, enjoy the blog.

A Piano In the House Review

When it comes to Twilight Zone, there are episodes that are scary and there are episodes that rely heavily on the human condition. They exhibit humanity in a way that is going to be quite difficult to find scary. In this 1962 episode we go through the human emotions that we most likely have to deal with on a regular basis as adults, that of lying to ourselves.

The show is quite interesting, it features a variety of different takes on the classic notion of be careful what you wish for. Once again, I had to think about a variety of different points in my life while watching this, and each of the plot’s twists and turns recycled moments where I could relate to the showcase. This cautionary tale from the show really uses a great amount of timing to deliver the final punch line of what is otherwise a practical joke on the main character.

A Piano in the House follows the story of a man that wants a player piano in his house for his wife. He gives it to her and tells her that she could never learn to play it, so he buys a player piano that automatically plays music. However, when you play songs it causes the true nature of the listener to come out and that’s where we see some greatness in psychological story telling.

Think about it in your own life, do you ever act differently amidst certain stimulus? If the answer is, no, you’re a liar. There are certain things that make us louder, truthful, and even psychotic. I know for me, drinking opens up a wealth of rambling that is not worth listening to.

This episode was ok, it wasn’t my favorite, but it definitely was worth noting for the way personal relationships can grow sour. There is a cool twist at the end, so make sure that you check this one out.

Support Scary Film Review 

If you want to support the efforts of this site, and me (sir jorge) you can do so by buying things on amazon through the links I provide, or you could donate some money via the link in the sidebar. If you would like to see LESS ads, you can subscribe to this website via the RSS feed link on the right. I am 100% freelance, and a pro-writer, I only write and go to grad school, so this site helps me get a cup of coffee and rent horror movies. Please help if you can, otherwise, enjoy the blog.

American Horror Story Season 1 Episode 3 Review

American Horror Story is one of the more addicting horror television programs that I’ve seen in a long time. Each episode keeps drawing me into a whole new world of story telling and second guessing. I thought I had this thing figured out, then a wrench is thrown into my view, and I have to think on my feet to get moving towards a resolution. The third episode brought onto the screen several different story milestones and things are just beginning, which makes this so much better to watch than your average movie.

At this point in the story we get to find out the original owners of the house of murder, as they are calling it. There was a strange doctor that was giving abortions to women in his basement and there are some interesting Frankenstein moments where he’s working what appears to be a chimaera of sorts. The visuals here are impressive, and I definitely thought hit was a strong point in the episode.

Meanwhile in the present, the marriage that has been rocked by infidelity continues to unravel when the mistress shows up and says she’s keeping the baby. Our two faced friend comes through with a much needed helping shovel to the face which was awesome. However, not all is safe as the doctor is being drugged by someone, and he think it’s the maid!

This is quite the interesting point in the series, with a murder, a helper, and someone trying to drug the man of the house. I liked the way it was going, and it was apparent that the show is building up to something. I haven’t quite made out whether everyone is dead, if only a few of them are dead, or this is all a dream.

American Horror Story season 1 episode 3 really does do a good job of mixing storytelling with horror in a quick capsule of around 40 some odd minutes. It kept me interested, which is hard to do with television programming. I’ll have another review updated sooner than later.



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American Horror Story Season 1 Episode 2 Review

After yesterday’s sex filled episode featuring a guy in a full gimp suit, I was wondering what the second episode would have in store for me, and it really let me down in the sexual department, although there were definitely some nice overtones. This second episode opened up with a 1970s serial killer rampage inside the home that the new family is now living in, and it was done quite good. Without revealing too much gore the shots were well edited, and the elements of fear were set into motion within a few minutes of the opening sequencing. I thought it was a great opener and really set the tone for everything else.

The show moved into an odd story line in which the father has to lie about going to Boston to see his former lover, and in the meantime the wife and daughter are terrorized by a group that is hell bent on reenacting the crime from the opening sequence.

This episode did two things very well, it told another piece of the story about the house, and it also set up another distrust angle between the husband and the wife. I thought those two emotional connections really shown through the underlying tension that was had.

Visually, this second episode ramped up things and while I was still confused by a great deal of the plot points, I found myself mesmerized with many of the details, wondering how far this thing would truly get. I found that there were some great moments overall, and the clichés that plagued many slasher films were not found here. In fact, it was quite the opposite, getting me to cheer for the family as they fought their way back to life rather than accepting the fate of a serial killer or the rampage of lunatics.

The end of the episode left me thinking about what I would do in the situation, and I wasn’t able to answer. I’m probably a big wuss. Episode 2 of American Horror Story Season 1 is quite good, and is still delivering one hell of a punch.



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American Horror Story Season 1 Episode 1 Review

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The Twilight Zone Complete Series Blu Ray Set 50% Off

The Twilight Zone Complete Series Blu Ray box set is one of the best gifts that you can give a horror fan for any occasion. Not only do you get every episode in high definition glory, you don’t have to wait for those pesky commercials to get in the way. My biggest gripe with the marathons that are shown on television each holiday season is the fact that they edit the show down to fit in as many commercials as possible. Not only that, some of the episodes are skipped, the order is jumbled, and the scenes are deleted. The reason being is because of time constraints, and that’s fair, but here in this edition you get it all and then some.

The first thing that you’ll notice here is the transfer. The transfer of each episode was carefully done to showcase the true power of the hi-def display, and it comes through with shining glorious clarity. The show, videos, and all visuals look stunning and truly are worth the asking price.

When you purchase The Twilight Zone Complete Series Blu Ray box set you will also get a bonus documentary entitled “Rod Serling: Submitted For Your Approval”, which is something that many collectors had previously had to fight to get on eBay an other sites.

The extra features are done right with this set, so you know you’re getting quality. Some of the features that come inside this set include audio commentaries, radio dramas from the original radio broadcasts, video interviews, conversations with Rod Serling, highlights from the seminar featured at the Museum of Television and Radio, isolated music scores, Twilight Zone ads, stills, blooper reel, Saturday Night Live clip, Twilight Zone comic book, and a complete script for twenty-two of the shows with handwritten notes from Serling!

I’ve purchased a lot of box sets in my day, and most of them have isolated features and extras, but this one is really worth checking out, especially for all the episodes that you’ve seen in your past. Never before has the whole show been transferred in such glory, which makes it a perfect example for other studios to follow when releasing sets.

If you have a fan of science fiction, horror, or just television in general, you owe it to yourself to pick up The Twilight Zone Complete Series Blu Ray box set. If you click here today you will be able to get it for 56% off! Now that’s a killer deal. Help this site buy purchasing this for yourself or someone you love today!

The Walking Dead Spoilers

The Walking Dead television series is one of the best things I’ve seen on television in a long time. However, did you know that the whole series has already been written? Ok, so not every aspect is the same, but after talking to several different fans of the show, they have said that the comic books are better than the stories that you see on television because they are far ahead of what you see on the screen. Essentially, if you buy The Walking Dead Compendium here, you will have all the spoilers that you could possibly want from the show.

When you check out the first compendium, you will be getting the first 48 issues of the hit series in comic book form. It’s not adapted from the show; this is the original stories that MADE THE SHOW! If you want to see how things compare to the television version, you’ll want to check this out.

Right now, if you order The Walking Dead Compendium here, you will get a massive volume with 1,088 pages of non-stop action for nearly half off! No joke. If you are a fan of zombies, movies, and scary film, this is for you. I don’t usually recommend getting comic book volumes because they can cost you a lot for only a hundred or so pages, but this has no ads, and is over 1,000 pages!

The best thing about this is that if you purchase the book, you can knock someone out because it weighs a ton. The Walking Dead series is definitely going to go down in history as one of the best examples of horror on the small screen, and it all started with this series of comic books. This award winning series continues today, and if you haven’t invested into it, the time is now.

If you’re going to shop online for a comic book fan, yourself, or you just want to look around Amazon online, go ahead and look at The Walking Dead Compendium here, and see if it is something that you want to pick up. I own it, and it’s definitely far more compelling at times than the live action series. Check it out, and help support this blog.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Complete Box Set

If you’re a serious fan of Buffy, then you already own all the sets of this series and you’ve watched them several times, however, there are some of you that have held out on getting the series for yourself or a loved one for quite sometime. Well, the time is now to check out Buffy The Vampire Slayer Complete Box Set, which is available for nearly ½ off if you click here. This complete setup completes everything, and you get everything you could get from the show in one easy box set of epic proportions. (Terrible language, I know)

If you haven’t seen the show, or maybe just a few episodes, you should know that this show is definitely one of the great ones. What sets it apart from many others is the individual show scripts which go through several arcs that don’t really intertwine right away but get you hooked none the less. The casual viewer will definitely like some of the emotional stuff with a teenager subplot that seems to go through the same angst as you probably come to expect from a series that features, well, a teenager. However, there are moments where you realize that there’s something far more sinister going on, and when that opens up, you start to recognize why so many fans of this show have been diehard since day one.

When you purchase Buffy the Vampire Slayer Complete Box Set, you are not just investing in another television show that will sit on your shelf unwatched, you’re getting one of the most engaging horror television shows of all time. The show definitely transcends the moniker of being about a girl with super human abilities and starts to really charter a course through seven seasons of something more compelling than just your average angst fueled drama.

If you are a fan of the X-Files or any other kind of science fiction, or horror anthology, you’ll want to check this out because it most certainly has a large story, many seasons, and all the elements that you would expect from a vampire type narrative, without the glimmer and stupidity that is attributed to things like Twilight. You most certainly can’t go wrong with this set, especially if you’re planning on getting it for yourself or someone you know. Pick up Buffy The Vampire Slayer complete series here, and help make someone smile with ease.

Horror Box Sets You Need Today

With so many different options in terms of shopping for horror out there, it’s hard to define what you want sometimes. This is especially true for those that randomly show up at a video store or a record store and aren’t really sure what to get. If you’ve been shopping around, and have been looking for that perfect gift, purchase or anything along those lines, well here’s a cool post for you. The following are the best horror box sets that you should pick up today. It is in no way a definitive list, but it’s worth checking out for sure.

The Twilight Zone Complete Box Set $101 – This is most likely a limited edition set, but it’s well worth it. 28 dvd’s and you get the complete Twilight Zone in your home for a cool $100. If you’re a fan of the show, you owe it to yourself to finally pick this disc up. The Blu Ray Twilight Zone Complete Set will run you $200, but this one is well worth the price of admission.

The Masters of Horror Season 2 Box Set $72 – This box set is awesome because it comes inside of a full replica skull! That’s right, the box is a skull that you can display on a mantle and no one will be the wiser. You get all the discs and shows from the second season of this amazing series that brings together horror directors with 1 shot movies that will have you screaming.

Hellraiser Box Set $40 – This is a relatively low cost option, but it’s well worth it. The Hellraiser series in a Box Set with the original Hellraiser TOY Box design will creep everyone out, especially those that are big fans of the series. At t his price, you can’t let it pass you by.

Pick up the aforementioned with the links I posted, and get yourself some bloody good horror today!

Creepshow 2 Review

Just when you thought anthology horror couldn’t get any creepier out comes a few tales of horror from the masters of horror that will shake you a little. Creepshow was a movie that was first released to relatively low fan fare, but the sequel got me all sorts of excited as a kid. The giant poster of the creeper pointing towards the screen really got me, and when I finally rented it on vhs all those years ago, I was completely blown away. I recently revisited Creepshow 2, and wow, it’s still as good as I remember, although questions are raised during the second film that I can’t really get my head around.

The stories are interesting enough, so instead of trying to fill out a longwinded paragraph of things, I decided to simply review each story on its own.

Old Chief Wood’nhead

This story tells a tale of a poor town of Native Americans and local shop owners that are friendly to them. The two exchange a deal for debt, and we are treated to what seems like an ok tale of honor and respect. However, things go awry when a young Indian comes through the store guns blazing, and robs the place. On his way out though, he awakens the wooden chief that guards the store, and the chief goes on a rampage of revenge for the tribe and the shop owner! This scary tale really has major impact and is great for a short ride, not really a long-winded affair. Then again, it’s a short, so don’t worry, it hits hard then finishes itself nicely.

The Raft

The blob comes to life in this short, and it’s really scary to think that there are bogs and marshes out there that have these types of blobs full of dirt, oil, and much more. The sickening display of garbage here is alive and traps some vacationers within its gooey grasp. The weird part of this short is that there is an apparent attempted rape scene, which is just awkward and slow to watch. If you saw Cabin Fever, a similar thing happens near the beginning of the film, only this one has a full black blob to contend with.

The Hitchhiker

A cheating wife has to get home fast and ends up getting involved in a hit and run that would haunt her unto death. This story, I feel, has been told before, but I couldn’t really remember where I saw it. It’s nothing like the HBO series, but it still packs a good punch.

In between the films there are interludes of cartoon mayhem featuring the creeper and a comic book. A group of bullies have to deal with a flesh eating plant, but I won’t give too much away.

Creepshow 2 is a great piece of anthology horror. You’ll enjoy it for sure, and it really does flow well, even though it’s quite old. This one was released in 1987, so you can imagine that it hasn’t aged completely well, but it still has enough creep factor to be recommended. Check it out, especially if you like Stephen King and George A. Romero.

Fear Itself - Eater Review

I discovered that the full series of Fear Itself is available online with Netflix, so I decided to start reviewing the series one by one, giving us a chance to explore certain elements and self contained stories that are found with each episode. The first one that I watched was titled, Eater.

The story seems simple enough, a prisoner and serial killer is placed into a maximum-security prison cell to be watched by a group of police officers. As the night progresses each officer ends up getting killed one by one and our main heroine has to save the day, albeit she begins to find that things aren’t exactly what they seem as there are elements of ghosts, possessions, and well…cannibalism running throughout this episode.

The thing that got me right away was the high production values of this episode. The lighting, the acting, the way the camera moves, all is great. The director, Stuart Gordon really plays on the nerves and fears of the viewer by allowing a variety of spooky things to happen before we get the final situation that is quite gorey for television. The gore really surprised me in this one, as cannibalism isn’t really a topic for regular primetime television, and well, it got into the forefront of the viewer in this one.

Eater is an interesting modern take on cannibalism, and ends like a freight train falling off the tracks. I thought for sure I had this one figured out until the very end when this all unraveled before my eyes. While it wasn’t the most creative of plots, it had enough gusto to keep me watching, even if I immediately fell asleep after the climax…. which is usually the case anyways…never mind.

REWIND: Masters of Horror: We All Scream For Ice Cream Review

And we're going back in time today. I have been bogged down with a few other projects and decided to do a look back at a post rather than force a new one. Here you go, here's a blast from the past.



Growing up, I enjoyed the Nickelodeon series “Are You Afraid of the Dark” and loved to read the “Goosebumps” series of horror novels, and this short film seems to be in that vein.

The Masters of Horror series is a pretty cool concept, that gets a wide array of directors to shoot one hour horror shorts and produce some really cool stuff.
This one is quick and easy to swallow.

There is a killer clown who has come back after a long absence to kill off some kids that were mean to him. By giving kids ice cream, their parents begin to start melting to death.



Meanwhile, one of the parents gets wise to the scheme and tries his best to stop it.
This is a rip off if you’re buying it. It’s really cool to rent on netflix, but overall it’s a short winded burst of tension, and release. It’s a good one hour program, but it is rushed and the characters are somewhat disposable, so you don’t really get the full emotional connection as you would if this was a 90 minute project.



We All Scream For Ice Cream is really a good entry in the Masters of Horror series, and it compliments the genre really well, but it’s not the greatest thing to come out of the cable television series.



Here's a clip from the show:

The Washingtonians Review

The Washingtonians is part of the second season of Masters of Horror. This episode was directed by Master horror director, Peter Medak. This episode was based on a book by the same title, and was not a full length movie, therefore, I'm going to try to review it in non-traditional style, shorter than usual since I have only 1 hour to work with.

The Masters of Horror series is a showtime show that has produced a lot of mediocre stories, with a much better production value than Tales from The Crypt, and with the sting of The Twilight Zone at times.

The Washingtonians is a movie that is not too crazy. It takes a while to set up, and by the time it fully gets into the action, it crashes just as fast. With such a limited amount of time you have to set em up for a good three quarters of the time, only to finish it off fast with the ending and sub ending.

The plot revolves around a family that inherits their grandparents home. They find that in the basement there is an oil painting of George Washington, and after it falls over from their kid (who is afraid of everything) they discover a scroll. The scroll is a letter, and in it George Washington claims he eats children! A cannibal? Yep.

So the rest of the movie we slowly get introduced to those that call themselves The Washingtonians. They dress up in clothing like the 18th century and are cannibals just the same. The climax of the film ends up with the family being taken hostage and the Washingtonians showcasing their big feast featuring Human Flesh....and then...

Well you'll have to see it for yourself.

The Washingtonians is an interesting re-writing of history. It was kind of cool, it had a lot of camp humor and it fits the style of Masters of Horror. I recommend checking out Masters of Horror, as it is really like a modern "Tales from the Crypt" turned on more towards straight horror, opposed to simply comedic values.



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