So for about two years now I've been subscribed to Horror Block which is a monthly subscription that delivers a box of horror goodies to your home (or office, in my case). I pay around $30 including shipping every month and receive about $60+ worth of stuff in the box. This month's horror box was so freakin' amazing that I thought I'd start posting what I get each month!
Seriously, as a horror fan, this box is the shiiiiiit. Plus Leanna Vamp (whom I adore) gets to choose one item in the box every month and that lady has excellent taste.
Each month you can guarantee you will get one t-shirt, one action figure type thing, and the latest issue of Rue Morgue magazine.
I literally starting screaming when I saw this guy. HOW FUCKING CUTE IS THIS?!?!?! An amazing pick from Leanna Vamp and I can now carry Jason with me everywhere I go. I'm dead. This might be my favorite item I've ever received.
Autographs from the Grady twins from The Shining - Lisa and Louise Burns. Complete with a certificate of authenticity. I popped it up on my wall next to my Soska twins autographs <3
This beautifully designed Beetlejuice shirt!!!!!!!!!!! Although I have to say I don't love the color choice of the shirt.
Rise of the Zombies on Blu-Ray which I will probably never watch. But last year I did get Puppet Master on Blu-Ray from Horror Block and that was pretty fucking sweet.
A little plain paper notebook meant to look like the book of the dead from Evil Dead. Super cute. Probably will never write in it, I actually just put it with my action figures at work.
And the latest issue of Rue Morgue which is by far the best horror magazine out there.
Anyway, I'm obsessed with Horror Block and although I am in no way affiliated with them I am a Horror Block pusher. There is seriously nothing better than getting a box full of horror surprises every month. If you want to know more, go here
Mitch is pretty busy this week so I'm going to have lots of time to watch some horror movies. My to watch list is getting pretty damn long. But Celebrity Big Brother also started so my time is pretty dedicated to that. Hopefully tomorrow night I can get one of the movies from my list and give it a watch and report back!
It is with devastating news that I write this blog tonight. Wes Craven, one of the pioneers of horror, has passed away - losing his battle with brain cancer. He turned 76 earlier this month. There are not many out there who can be called a "Master of Horror" but that is a title that Wes held for a long time, and will continue to hold. And something that horror fans could always agree on. He paved the way for my generation's horror bringing us all of the baddies we continue to love, and continue to reboot and remake.
Wes broke grounds in 1972 with his violent and controversial film The Last House on the Left which tells the story of two young girls who are taken into the woods and tortured by a gang of nasty people. Wes wrote the script and intended it to be much more graphic than it came out. It was edited to a much softer, but still incredibly shocking film. The original script has never been released. It was also well known for it's clever marketing scheme "To avoid fainting, keep repeating 'It's only a movie'..."
In 1977 the famous The Hills Have Eyes was released, Wes again wrote the script and directed. It tells the story of a normal suburban family on a road trip who become targeted by a family of back wood savages.
Of course, in 1984 Wes changed horror forever with the creation and release of A Nightmare on Elm Street. A film that to this day, ranks on everyone's stop ten horror lists, and gave birth to one of horror's vest villains - Freddy Kreuger. The franchise went on to include 9 films, and there's still more in the works. Freddy is a staple of pop culture, and Wes based him all on a strange encounter he had as a child with a stranger on the street. Part of the franchise was of course, New Nightmare which was completely unique as it pushed against the fourth wall and brings the actress Heather Langenkamp (who plays one of the best scream queens Nancy Thompson) into the film playing herself being haunted by Freddy Kreuger.
In 1988 Wes directed The Serpent and the Rainbow, a film where the main character recounts his experiences in Haiti investigating the story of Clairvius Narcisse who was poisoned and buried alive only to be revived as a zombie.
In 1991 The People Under the Stairs was released, which was written and directed by Wes, and tells a great tale of a man breaking into the home of his family's landlords only to discover a disturbing scenario from which he now must escape.
In 1996 he re-invented the Slasher genre with the release of Scream and immediately after, Scream 2. The Scream franchise has four films and in my opinion, all four of them are amazing. Scream was the film I watched when I was 12 and taught me that horror can be fun and can poke fun at itself while still being scary. The Scream franchise sits very near and dear to my heart.
Another personal favorite of mine was My Soul to Take which was released 2010. This was his first film since New Nightmare that Wes wrote and directed by himself and I fell in love with this strange and sleepy horror film.
Wes has had an extensive career, writing, directing, and doing just about everything. He flipped the horror genre on its' head and remained humble all the while. Only a few of his movies are listed here of course, and I urge you to explore his filmography.
My condolences go out to those who knew and loved Wes, and I'm sure they know how much he is beloved by the horror community. It is a very sad evening for me and I am dealing with it in the only way I know how - watching A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Thank you Wes, thank you for everything you did for horror and for the characters you brought to life and gave us to love. We are eternally in your debt and will continue to honor your great body of work and achievements.
Guys,
I am coming to you live from a laundromat.
I live a crazy life. I know.
But a quick update because I got an email from Spirit who is the company that has those awesome but overpriced Halloween popup stores every year, showing off their new home decorations. And let me just say...this might be the best year yet.
And quick note; when you buy their stuff online it's actually hella affordable, but shipping outside of America can be a tough pill to swallow. It's better to do bigger orders.
Here's some of my favorites but honestly, it's a great haul this year, go check it out and try not to spend all your money:
I love all things skeleton and have a pretty large fake skeleton collection already. I even got my first frog skeleton this year (see an earlier post). Oh, I also found a real bird skeleton in the woods once and brought it home with me and put it on our front porch. When our landlord was trying to rent the place to an old lady she lost her mind when she saw the bird skull and was convinced satanists were living there before her.....
I mean, she's not far off.
This gives me hella Stephen King vibes ya'll and I want him to grace my home. A creepy, decrepit, music making monkey.
A couple just came into the laundromat asking if it was a restaurant. I mean, look around? It's not some new age restaurant where we eat fancy meals in a "laundromat setting".
This beautiful baby. HOW CUTE AND EVIL.
Oh god, a man just sat right across the table from me. TOO CLOSE HUMAN, TOO CLOSE. This is uncomfortable. There's so many other places to sit. ABORT.
HOW FLAWLESS ARE THESE SIGNS? These are so great and unique and I want the Jason one to hang in my bathroom next to my water color portrait of Hannibal. These are so great. I'm crying.
This is the year I buy a zombie baby. Ever year I look at these munchkins and I am so sad I can't buy one. Usually it's been because I can't justify spending $40+ on a creepy, rubber baby. But I'm doing pretty well for myself this year and that means this is the year I buy one. The decision about which one will be so hard. But "snack time" zombie is amazing.
Check out all their stuff here they also have Halloween costumes and accessories and usually have pretty good sales.
The guy across from me is now reading the newspaper to himself out loud. He's also licking his finger everytime he turns the page. THAT IS A COMMON ROOM NEWSPAPER. THIS IS HOW THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE GETS STARTED.
You know what's really depressing? The wifi is better in this laundromat than it is in my home.
Last night I finally watched Repo! The Genetic Opera which is an American splatterplunk, rock opera, musical comedy, horror film (say that three times fast) from 2008. I know there's quite a cult following around this film and The Devil's Carnival which is from the same guys? I think? I always see those two movies roped together so I'm just assuming.
The man across from me just answered his phone and is now yelling down the phone. I can hear him over my headphones. This is why I never leave the house.
Repo is based on the 2002 musical of the same name. The movie stars Giles from Buffy, the little girl from spy kids, and Juliet's Dad from the modern re-telling of Romeo and Juliet. Oh, and Paris Hilton.
This movie has hella bad reviews online but I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. A gothic musical set in a fucked up future where everyone dresses in black and has surgery to replace their organs with new and improved ones which is all the rage. But when people can't keep up on their surgery payments, a mysterious and violent figure called the Repo Man comes to repossess the organs...FROM YOUR BODY (while alive, I might add).
Honestly, that's all you should know going into it. I had no idea of the story line except that it was a rock opera and I loved it. Just discovering the story and the characters and all the intricate lies and bizarre ways of this future world was a joy. I want to live there. And you know what? Paris Hilton wasn't even the worst actor. But she did look stunningggggg.
Now I'm curious to watch The Devil's Carnival and find out more.
Well, as long as I survive this laundromat experience I will be back next week with some more updates. I've noticed a big rise in viewers and I just want to say thank you for reading this ridiculous little horror blog and if you ever want to comment, please feel free, it would honestly make my day. And if there's any movies you want me to watch and review, or books you would like to recommend....feel free :)
So I decided to re-watch Deep Blue Sea and it did not disappoint.
First of all, I may or may not have watched this on youtube. One of the comments is from a young girl named Andrea who said, "I hope it does not exist!"
Oh Andrea, you sweet sweet baby angel cinnamon roll.
I really hope she watched this film and then went to tell her friends ALLLL about how there's this crazy underwater research facility that tests on sharks to cure Alhzheimers but ended up making a crazy giant killer shark instead.
Maybe she thinks it's found footage?
I haven't watched this movie since I was about 16? It actually really scared me the first few times.
We open up on a boat at night, a party is going on. I know this because women are in their bathing suits dancing seductively with men and there's pop music playing in the background. Movies taught me this is what parties are.
But something else wants to party and it is ....well it's a giant shark that bursts through the bottom of the boat, just wanting to make friends and sip some champagne. But instead he manages to toss everyone over board. Cue a dramatic rescue from a brooding blonde male. Who just happened to be in that exact spot of the ocean at the exact time.
Cue dramatic music. Newspaper headline reads "Test Shark Escapes".
Samuel L. Jackson is not impressed by this bad press. He has had it with these motherfucking sharks. But turns out these sharks are being tested on to cure Alzheimers and so it's obviously more important to do that than idk SAVE THE SHARKS. They are practically endangered SAMUEL.
He decides to go visit the underground lab that he funded for probably billions of dollars but has yet to visit? To determine if he should keep the place open. The broody blonde male is there, in a tank top and cargo shorts of course.
I mean, right from the get go this all seems like a really bad idea. A giant underwater lab in the middle of the ocean filled with sharks? But I guess this is why I'm not paid the big bucks to make sounds decisions like that.
We get our first glimpse of the big test shark and it's impressive. I would piss myself if I was standing there.
Like actually though, the more I look at this base...one good big wave could take out the upper layer. SO IMPRACTICAL.
We then meet the guy whose being blamed for letting out the test shark that attacked the party-goers. He swears he locked up just like every night and there's no way that shark could've got out. DOOOOOMMMM.
We now find out that the scientists are skipping test trials which sounds super safe. The female lead scientist has got a sordid and emotional history where her father had Alzheimers and now she's going to stop at nothing to stop this disease because motive and character development.
Oh yeah, LL Cool J is in this movie. He plays the chef whose best friend is a foul mouthed parrot who he seductively feeds icing to.
At a surprise birthday party thrown for the lady scientist the other scientists describe what they're trying to do there at the lab but I'm lost. Enlarging a sharks brain? Injections? Idk. And I'm not here to figure this out. But the party is about to be dampened because there's a giant storm headed their way. I mean, I warned ya'll about big waves.
Next the scientists show Samuel what they're up to, because like me, he has no fucking clue what's going on. Broody blonde, tank top wearing male is off to retrieve one of the test sharks using a tunnel system that is surrounded by metal fencing. But this shark can ram the metal and bend it because science. Broody blonde, tank top wearing male holds up his gun but the shark recognizes it and runs away...swims away. It then takes out the cameras. And the lights. Ya'll increased the brain size of this shark, I'm not sure why you're so shocked it got so smart.
Broody blonde, tank top wearing male still manages to shoot the shark and put it to sleep. He then brings it up to the laboratory. No one seems concerned that the power underwater and the cameras are out. Majestic music plays as the shark is lifted out of the water.
"What in gods creation...." Samuel mutters out loud.
It's a big fucking shark.
But now we know those sizes, though rare, do exist in the ocean, which is why I'm even watching this in the first place. Poor Andrea. She probably saw that giant great white shark footage and lost her shit, ITS THE SHARK FROM THE MOVIE! I TOLD YOU IT REALLY HAPPENED! WARN LL COOL J!
Lady scientist takes out blood or something from the shark's brain, says a bunch of sciency shit like "VITALS?".
I guess it worked or something because emotional music plays in the background as everyone gets super excited and yells things and congratulates each other. This made way more sense when I was 16. Lead male scientist lights up a celebratory smoke which I don't think is very safe in a lab environment. The sleeping shark agrees with me as it suddenly awakens and rips the scientist's arm off with the cigarette still clasped between his fingers.
Broody male jumps into action and attempts to shoot the super shark who was just trying to encourage everyone to quit smoking. Lady scientist releases the shark back into the water before he can kill it.
Homeboy's arm who got ripped off is still alive, medics are headed to the rescue in their helicopter. But surprise, there's a raging storm outside!!! Waves are crashing everywhere, the copter is lowering the hook which they now attach the stretcher to with homeboy's bloody stump bleeding everywhere. He could probably really use a cigarette right now.
The helicopter begins to bring up the body but the wire jams and instead they drop the body into the ocean. A bleeding human body. Naturally a shark is like cool, thanks, and grabs a hold. But the helicopter is still attached to the wire and the shark drags the copter into one of the buildings and it explodes.
What a fucking mess.
The shark then takes the body of the scientist and throws it at the laboratory window while everyone inside watches. Much like a mic drop. The glass begins to shatter where the body hits but no one seems to run? YOU'RE UNDER WATER. IF THE GLASS BREAKS YOU WILL DROWN.
The glass breaks.
Somehow they out run the water.
LL Cool J is still in the kitchen. There are leaks everywhere, water slowly seeping in.
Our team of survivors must now figure out a way to get out of this underwater lab despite water already seeping in everywhere. In one tunnel they see something trying to break in from the outside.
LL Cool J is just wandering around in the water trying to find his parrot and maybe a way out?
Samuel, who still hasn't caught on that the sharks are smart, is angry that the shark would try and break down a door. He turns on the lady scientist and accuses her of creating this. I say, Samuel, you funded this research project, take some blame. But turns out lady scientist was doing things behind the other scientists back and has indeed created a SUPER smart shark. Science things!!
Samuel inspires everyone with a pep talk as he's prone to do.
Cut back to LL Cool J who has now found a playboy to read while traipsing through the water. But SHOCK AND AWE there's a shark headed right for him. Even though these sharks are incredibly large. And the water only comes up to LL Cool J's chest. LOGICS. He's now trapped in what looks to be the kitchen with a shark and only an axe as a weapon. He gets to high ground as in the background a shark opens a door? But alas, his foul mouthed parrot has shown up. LL tries to save his parrot but a shark jumps out of the water, the chest deep water, and LL falls in. He locks himself inside an oven. But the shark manages to turn on the oven.
Even though its a shark. And the oven is under water.
But don't worry, LL hacks his way out of the oven with his fire axe and escapes out the top. He then lights a lighter and throws it at the shark and the oven and naturally it all explodes.
The group of survivors is still bickering and trying to figure out how to get out of the base. There's some sort of escape pod. But there's also an escape hatch that leads to the top. More bickering ensues. Samuel breaks it up with another inspiring speech but is rudely interrupted by a shark jumping out of the pool behind him and eating him.
The group panic and take the escape hatch. But at the top of the escape hatch is a roaring fire so they decide to get out at level one and "take the stairs"? Unfortunately, because things were going so well, the ladder breaks and falls back into the water where there's a convenient shark circling. One of the scientists that fell into the water is pulled under and eaten up real quick by the shark.
LL Cool J makes another appearance and this time he saves the remainder of the group, which is only three people. Tune in for part two because this movie is a lot longer than I remembered and I'm gonna go watch Zodiac because the Zodiac killer has been on my mind lately, much like most serial killers are.
GUYS it's only Tuesday and we have two HUGE announcements in the horror universe.
First, Victor Frankenstein dropped TWO trailers on us this morning...TWO!!! And a bad ass poster. This film looks fucking phenomenal and has a lot more humor than I was expecting but I love this.
Victor Frankenstein is a radical scientist working alongside his protege Igor. They share a vision of aiding humanity using their groundbreaking but slightly terrifying experiments but surprise, surprise the experiments go too far. Igor is the only one who can bring his friend back from the brink of insanity and save him from his monster creation. Starring James McAvoy as Frankenstein and Dan Radcliffe as Igor, the film drops this November.
In the trailer we see lots of clips of body parts frozen and body parts moving. Igor's transformation from a cripple to the man he is today. Bromance. Romance? Moriarty plays the cop who is not too fond of the boys' experiments. Lots of sneak clips of the monster itself and my body is READY.
Guys look I figured out how to embed a video!! (I'm the worst)
SECONDLY...what we thought was lost, was not lost at all. Simply...set back.
At a recent panel we got news that The Crow remake is STILL happening. According to creator James O'Barr the project is still a "live property". Despite financial set backs from the original studio making The Crow, the producers are going to take it to a couple of other studios and find it a new home. "...the day Relativity announced that they were having
financial problems, there were like a dozen other studios that called
about getting The Crow property."
This is so great. The Crow is obviously flawless and angsty and a great GREAT film, but this is one remake I can get behind. As long as the mood remains dark and Eric Draven is cast correctly (*cough* Sam Witwer *cough*) I think this could be great! I'm going to remain positive.
Did ya'll see that footage of the biggest great white shark in the ocean? Deep Blue Sea is only a hop, skip, and a jump away. I'm calling it now.
....kay well now I just need to watch Deep Blue Sea.
Yesterday I left the house and participated in society. I helped set up a Bachelorette party for a coworker and then indulged in the party itself. But during the set up I had to go to Michael's to exchange some decorations and to my delight....Michael's HAS HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS ALREADY.
So I bought a lot of them.
SO EXCITING!! I just want to put up the decorations alreadyyyyyy.
Nerdist also shared this week Funko's new collection of Nightmare Before Christmas and Crimson Peak's Mopeez and POP! Figures.
SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, I'm downloading the Sims 4 and signing my life away to the Devil. Have a spooky week!
Well we're one week closer to Halloween and I've spent my week reading the Devil's Knot and getting increasingly angry over a case that happened in the early 90's. I don't think I've ever felt so angry reading a book before, I just want to reach through the pages and throttle the judge and the cops. And of course, even though I've seen it all before, I'm falling down the rabbit hole and watching Paradise Lost all three parts, while also reading the book. Send help.
"I am neither a freak, nor a monster. I was basically a victim of circumstance."
I've also been writing my presentation titled "The History of Horror - A Three Part Retrospective". It's for a lunch and learn I'm doing at work and it's going to be SO much fun. I have a game planned and a power point presentation with video clips and photos. I'm hosting it on October 30th and it's also going to be our Halloween party.
In the horror world there's been some great stuff coming out this week, so lets talk about it!
Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th is getting a re-release on Blu-Ray and DVD, and various digital platforms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeyyy!!!!!!!!!!
There's nothing new added so don't get too excited, BUT it's a great re-release and with a new Friday the 13th movie being released next year, it's a great way to catch up and get back in the mood.
Crystal Lake Memories takes us behind the scenes on the epic journey of the 80's franchise that's continued on into 2009. There's never-before-seen photos, film clips, outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage to answer every question you've ever had. They interview more than 150 cast and crew members who are just as passionate as the fans.
You can pre-order it on Amazon right now and I'm sure a bunch of other great places and it'll be officially released September 8th.
In a strange coincidence, the book that's next on my reading list, was in the horror news this week. The Devil In The White City: Murder, Magic And Madness At The Fair That Changed America is a non-fiction book written by Erik Larson and will be adapted into a movie by Paramount with Martin Scorsese in the director's chair and Leonardo DiCaprio playing the lead.
The Devil in the White City, while non-fiction, is presented in a novelistic style making it an interesting read and a page turner. It tells the tale of the notorious Dr. H. H. Holmes who had a hotel in the Chicago during 1893. While that sounds innocent enough, the hotel was also known as Holmes' "Murder Castle". He killed somewhere between 27-200 victims in that hotel using his gas chamber, crematorium, and dissecting table. Wiki that shit right now because it's fascinating.
Leonardo DiCaprio supposedly bought the rights to this book back in 2010 and now we finally have some news. Although this is all the news we've gotten so far, it's still very exciting.
Once I read the book I'll report back.
This week we were also given our first official teaser trailer for the A&E show; Damien. The show was written by and will be executively produced by Glen Mazzara who you may know for his amazing work on The Walking Dead. So I have complete faith we're in good hands.
The series will be a direct sequel to the 1976 blockbuster film The Omen. Within it's ten episodes we will follow the adult life of Damien who was the anti-christ child in the film. He has somehow grown up completely unaware that not only is he the anti-christ but that satanic forces are everywhere around him. So this show will be him discovering his true calling I guess. It sounds a little hokey spelled out like that but we'll see.
I was successful in my first Halloween shop of the year:
Spiderweb and Pumpkin face mugs, two packets of glow in the dark rings (spiders and skulls) and a black cat for Tony to destroy
A weird Halloween themed sock monkey and a bejeweled glitter covered jar titled spider legs
Two adorable Halloween bowls
And this great sign!
Tomorrow I'm leaving the house and going to a stagette. I don't know who I am anymore. But for tonight I will be down the West Memphis Three rabbit hole.
