Awesome!

Many people may have already seen this photo, but I just had to post it cause it is so cool. Benicio Del Toro is starring in the new Wolfman remake, and I must say, he's looking doggone good (sorry) in all his hairy glory.


(Entertainment Weekly)

This will be a must-see movie, with Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins starring in this one.
It's gonna rock.
The great (Oscar winning) makeup artist Rick Baker is doing the transformation and it's obvious he is right on track with this look.

You can read more about it here - and there's another photo.
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20185191,00.html

A wee bit frightening...

Scary Stuff.

Entertainment Weekly's website has compiled a photo essay of the Scariest Movies of All Time. It seems everyone does this at one time or another, but take a look at this list - it is fairly accurate in my book. There is no #1 or anything - just a random list. To me, though, they kinda seem to go in order of scariest to least frightening.

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20187007,00.html

What's your favorite? I'd probably say The Exorcist or The Shining, it's a toss up.
Oh yeah, I forgot Jaws.... I change my vote. It's Jaws!

Barking Mad....

The Breed (2007) is a dogs-gone-bad movie that is Exec Produced by Wes Craven.

I wondered what might be in store for me with this rental. Funny thing is, the cover of the DVD case looks like some serious CGI work, but in the movie itself, there was none. Thankfully, the dogs were just dogs. Highly trained, to be sure (and to be evident after watching the extras on how they were prepared for their roles as killers).
I have heard people complain that the dogs in this just aren't menacing enough, and truth be told, I did want to adopt a few of the cuddly fidos, but when they beared their teeth and lunged - it was Cujo all over.Our little canine scare-fest begins with a quintet of college students blowing off some steam at a remote cabin on a lake owned by the uncle of two of the leads. Oliver Hudson (Kate's bro) is the bad brother, Eric Lively (Butterfly Effect 2) is the "good" one. Michelle Rodriguez (Lost) is a love interest who has been with both bros and is none the worse for wear.

Soon they discover a pack of wild dogs is menacing their cabin and making life quite unpleasant. Seems the pups were the product of genetic engineering gone bad and they are pretty pissed that they were left deserted on this hub of land. So when the five unlucky travelers land on their turf, they are going to make the most of the all you can eat buffet presented before them.

I actually found myself enjoying this movie. Glad the CGI was out. Sick of it sometimes, you know? It was back to movie-making basics on this set and I think it pays off. The acting was ok (except Hill Harper (CSI NY) , the token black guy who can't act his way out of a paper bag here. Is it the same guy??) but nothing spectacular.
All in all, worth a look.

30 Days Of Night: Show Me Your Teeth!

30 Days Of Night

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, but it sat at the top of my Netflix queue for a month with a long wait. That's a fairly good sign I guess. It's based on a graphic novel by Steve Niles. And as we know, graphic novels generally make a graphic movie, right??

When I finally got to see it I was pleasantly surprised. I really liked the premise of this one -

A band of vampires hit pay-dirt when they descend on the frigid small town of Barrow, Alaska where they are preparing for "30 days of night" - a time in that area in which the sun does not rise for a month. Wondering why they never thought of coming to this doomed hamlet before now, they create havoc and devastation - murdering with such wild abandon and savageness the poor town doesn't know what hit them.  How fun to see vampires actually do what vampires do best: use their teeth!

Starring Josh Hartnett (The Black Dahlia, Wicker Park) and Melissa George (Turistas, The Amityville Horror 2005, Triangle) as an estranged law-enforcing couple, I can't recommend this enough. It has a ton of tension, loads of gore, and a sense of impending doom pretty much the entire way through. The vampire effects are really cool - different than anything you've seen before, though the female one had this truly annoying screechy-howl thing going on. I couldn't wait for her to bite it.
No pun intended.

It will be a definite purchase for me at some point. So if you like vampires, check this out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The Girl Next Door (2007) - No Thanks.

I wish I could wholeheartedly recommend this film, as horror fans were urged by just about everyone to check this out.
I'm not saying it was a bad film.
I'm just saying I don't think it was as fantastic as it was made out to be.

The Girl Next Door (2007) is based on a novel by the great Jack Ketchum. I have read (and enjoyed, however perverse that is) the book, as well as a number of his other works. However, when it came to putting the words to a screenplay, it lacks the excitement and sense of absolute dread that the book had.

Some backstory:
Both the movie and the book are (very loosely) based on true events that happened in 1965 in Indianapolis. Sylvia Likens and her sister were sent to live with their aunt because the parents were traveling carnival workers. The unstable aunt (Gertrude Baniszewski) took an instant disliking to Sylvia and proceeded to torture her in unspeakable ways. She involved and encouraged her children and kids in the neighborhood to be her accomplices, and handed out an endless string of horrific abuse. They kicked and punched her, burned her with cigarettes, made her strip in front of the other children, banished her to the basement with little to no food and water, tied her up, made her drink her own urine and vomit, and cut words into her skin with knives. She died of these injuries and malnutrition after several months. Neighbors had heard strange noises coming from the basement at various times but typically didn't want to get involved.

The movie (and book) deviate from the truth, elaborating on certain aspects of the abuse, and outright adding sexual abuse (which did not happen in the actual case) to pump up the torture-factor.

I was not at all thrilled with this film. Not because I didn't want to see the torture - I've seen it all - Saw, Hostel, Captivity, The Hills Have Eyes, etc... I guess it is the poor acting on pretty much everyone's part.
It was also extremely slow to start. I almost felt like I was watching an after-school special for the first 45 minutes. Setting up a story is one thing, but when you don't really have much to work with, you gotta get down to it, you know?

Maybe it is because this was based on a true story I could not get into the movie.
Things that happen in real life are almost always scarier than any movie could attempt to pull off.
After seeing the movie I wanted to learn all about the case, and after using Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Likens) to investigate, I really believe this book should not have been written and the movie should have been scrapped.
If Ketchum wanted to scare people, please invent something original, instead of elaborating on the ghastly truth. Nothing could ever be as horrific as the things mankind can do to one another.

There is a movie coming out soon called "An American Crime", which stars Ellen Page (Juno) and is based on the actual events. I can only assume this will be a MUCH better movie.
But as for The Girl Next Door?
Skip it.

Legendary........

I AM LEGEND is one of my favorite new horror films of the last several years. It has great imagery - New York City totally devoid of human life. Desperate. Depressing yet beautiful.

With the sun shining down on a desolate urban jungle, we see Dr. Robert Neville (Will Smith) - speeding through the streets in a mustang with his loyal canine companion (his only friend, we are to learn) by his side.

Bob Marley references oddly abound in this tale of one man's struggle to right a wrong that wasn't his fault in the first place. The premise is that a cancer vaccine has been developed and given to thousands of people - it is successful, at least at first - until it begins to show the most evil of incarnations.

The movie deviates a great deal from the source material, a book by the same name by Richard Matheson. But similar themes exist, and the transition from novella to screen (for the third time since the book was written in the late 50's) is pretty impressive. It has been updated for modern times in a fluent and relevant manner. It seems as though this kind of thing could actually happen. Let's hope to hell it never does.

Nearly everyone has seen the trailer for this movie, and I hate to give things away - so I won't. But you need to see this film if for nothing else than to see a fantastic (as usual) display of acting on the part of Will Smith. I have heard this referenced to Tom Hanks' role in Castaway, and that is fair at least in that Smith basically carries the entire film on his shoulders, and quite ably. There is one scene in particular - you'll know it when you see it - where his emotional state is so completely believable.

He embodies the part. He is the light in the darkness. You'll know what I mean when you see it.

So, what are you waiting for? Rent it!

Into the mist.......

The hubby & I watched The Mist last night and I admit, we were certainly entertained.

I've heard all sorts of comments about it - in particular people were saying the ending was awful. Well let me say I thought the ending was fine. Simply perfect, yet not exactly like the story by Stephen King ("we're not worthy") included in the collection 'Skeleton Crew'.  It was a gutting finale, but really quite appropriate.

The Mist stars Thomas Jane (The Punisher) and Marcia Gay Harden (The Invisible) and is directed by Frank Darabont of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile fame.

It tells the story of an ordinary man (though he does play a somewhat famous artist - kinda like a famous author, eh?) living in Castle Rock (King's favorite little town of horrors) and going about the business of cleaning up after a rather ferocious storm has hit the town. He, his son and his sometime-litigating neighbor head to the local supermarket for some supplies. Once there, a foreboding mist closes in on the store and the entire surrounding area.

Now, if you're thinking "I've seen this all before. It was called "The Fog".... Not so fast. Stephen King always has a few tricks up his demented sleeve, and this time is no different.

Suffice it to say, they become trapped in the market with a slew of other neighborhood folks, including a gutsy store employee (Toby Jones) and an uber-religious screwball (Harden).

I just cannot give away the heart of the story - I don't like spoilers myself and won't subject you to it. But I'm sure most everyone has seen the commercials which show malevolent creatures of some sort raining down the fires of hell on the distraught folks.

Three words: We loved it.
Glad we bought it and it definitely warrants repeat viewings.
Forget the rumors and take it for what it is. A good scary 'monsters from the unknown' type of flick.

Work in progress

Hey all,

This is my new blog which will be all about horror. Movies, books, music and all other horror related content. I didn't want to obsess about it on my regular blog, so here goes.

But for now this is a work in progress. Will take some time to get it up and running with some regular posts. So bear with me, boys and ghouls.