Pics of my stash...you asked, I delivered.

Okay, so here's my recent VHS haul. I promised pics, so here goes...

For those that don't know, I recently had a windfall of luck when an entire horror section of old VHS movies got thrown in my lap. When I mentioned it online, I had some interested folks wanting to see just what came my way.

As of now, they are all in boxes in my basement, because I have no idea what on earth I'm going to do with all of them. So amongst our recycling, birdseed, and Harley gear sit a whole shit load of VHS movies...with more on the way.



First up, above are the ones I grabbed up and took upstairs to watch first. I don't have any of these on DVD so I was jazzed to see them.



So I'll be expecting some recommendations of what to watch....some of these movies, quite a few of them actually, I've never seen. (And I think every 'Howling' movie is represented above...)



And honestly, I don't have much of a mind to pull out these "Critters" movies and watch them, so please....just no.



In the Mouth of Madness! It's been years. And The Terror - an early Jack Nicholson flick.



Was rather psyched to get The Blob! One of the better remakes out there.



The Relic and Dead Calm.... interesting.




All the Psycho flicks on VHS (to match my collection of each one on DVD, lol) and low and behold, The Evil Dead - in a hard case. And in FINE condition. Yay!




Some good shit here. Evil Dead 2, Pumpkinhead, Bride of Re-Animator....etc, etc.



Return of the Living Dead in a hard case. Nice. Also - Bad Taste, The Hitcher (original), and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Sweet.



April Fool's Day, a couple of Child's Plays, Demons 2, and four Curses.



I laughed when I saw all those Puppet Master flicks. And Basket Case 2. Did I even see that?




Dracula & The Mummy: both the originals.

So anyway, that's the stash so far. Someone give me a clue what's good that I may not have seen!!

Random Notes For An Early Tuesday Morning...

Welcome to another rambling mess of words from yours truly. Why? Because nothing I have to say really can come together in a fluent post. So here goes:

Earlier last week I had the honor of sitting in with Brian Solomon of The Vault of Horror for an episode of his 'Conversations in the Dark' vault-cast. Our topic? None other than the Italian virtuoso, Dario Argento. While it is no secret I have a great devotion to the bloody-good director, I'm not sure I've ever talked aimlessly for 45 minutes about him before. It was great fun and I have to thank B-Sol again for having me on.
So if you feel the need to hear me say the words "great", "stylized" and "beautiful" about a hundred times, you're gonna want to tune in. Go here to do so.

Speaking of Argento, if you're a fan of his, chances are you've heard of his plans to film his own version of the classic story, Dracula. Now I've been rather nervous since I first heard this news. For one thing, I had trouble believing it was true. Secondly, Argento does Dracula? I mean, what will that be like? Will we see Drac's cape flowing in lieu of the black gloves associated with many of Argento's films? I heard he's making it in 3D. This disappoints me simply because, as I have formerly stated (and will continue to do so), I am so done with 3D. All that being said, you need to watch this video in which Argento himself discusses his upcoming project - the location sets are going to be outstanding....hopefully it will reek atmosphere. Check it out. And yes, it's subtitled. Get over it.

Last night I finally got a chance to check out The Commune, which was written, directed, and produced by the amazing Elisabeth Fies, and let me say - I was BLOWN AWAY! I really don't want to spoil anything, and I don't think I'm giving too much away by saying it reminded me of the original Wicker Man, but with a completely updated, authentic feel. Totally realistic and utterly compelling, The Commune is a film that everyone should check out. God, it really freaked me out! I rented it from Netflix, but intend to buy it asap. You should too - by going right here. Support independent horror!! (And no, that is NOT Lindsay Lohan!)

You've got to check out the inaugural episode of a brand new podcast over at The Blood Sprayer.
Hosted by three of The Blood Sprayer's own: Kristy Jett, Jeff Konopka, and James Sugrue, it's chock full of ranting and rambling about such subjects as television horror (True Blood, Dexter, and the upcoming The Walking Dead), anthology horror, and the best of horror in 2010 so far. It's great stuff! Can't wait for more.

Check out my interview with Robert Galluzzo over at The Blood Sprayer. The guru behind the forthcoming DVD, The Psycho Legacy (Oct 19), he answers burning questions about the highly anticipated DVD that includes never before seen interviews, clips, and tons of extras that celebrate 50 years of Psycho and its sequels, and in particular Norman Bates. As a HUGE fan of Psycho, I have to say it will be my go-to DVD purchase of this year.

Also, celebrating Psycho's anniversary is Rue Morgue, whose October/Halloween issue boasts a classic shot of our pal Norman on its latest cover. Needless to say, me and my Psycho addiction cannot wait. May even have to frame that one.

Continuing on my Psycho trend, I'm very excited to share how I am spending my major overtime checks from this past summer. I'm having a poster done by Steve Jencks, a fellow LoTT-D pal of mine whose work is just mind-blowingly (I may have just made that word up) good. It's a commissioned work (his first, but certainly not the last) and so I will have the one and only.

You can check out Steve's retro style right here at his regular haunt: The Lost Highway - it's a superior blog on cult films and B-movies - and though you cannot share in all my Psycho goodness, you can get yourself one or more of his other excellent works. I have to admit I did already order the Halloween poster, I couldn't help myself. He's just revealed a sneak peak at his latest work, a piece on the great anthology film, Trick 'r Treat. You're gonna want to get in on this one, folks.
Oh, and I will post a pic of my good fortune once I have it in hand.

Let Me In. Okay, at first I was utterly disgusted and pissed that they are remaking the foreign film that really knocked my socks off just a few years ago (and by the way you can see Let the Right One In streaming on Netflix Instant Watch right now). But now that I've seen the trailers several times, I have to admit I'm more than intrigued. I may even go see it at the theater.
Let Me In opens in theaters October 1st.

On a side note, my iTunes and I haven't been getting along since I had to do a system restore on my desktop computer. What this means is that many of my 4735 songs on my iPod are no longer in storage. The good news is that I have almost everything backed up. The bad news? I cannot find the score I downloaded off iTunes for Let the Right One In. It's entirely possible that it could have been something I simply forgot to burn off onto a disc. It's one of my favorite scores and I am just dying without it. I've just about decided to buy it again, but thought I'd throw out a last plea to anyone who may have it on CD - I'm begging anyone with a hard copy to burn one off for me out of the kindness of their hearts. If not, I'll download it again, because I just don't want to live without it. Anyway....

I've officially reached Laura Palmer overload. Recently I've spent an unimaginable amount of time with the little teenage tart, by way of my Twin Peaks box set and the movie, Fire Walk With Me. There's an unmentionable reason for my madness, but at this point, Laura and I are starting to have disagreements about where she's been hanging her hat. When I wake up at three a.m. humming Angelo Badalamenti's theme he wrote for Laura, I know I'm becoming engulfed with her woes. Note to self: stop obsession now. It's unhealthy.

I also have to admit openly that I've cheated. It happened this past weekend. I was out with a friend, and one thing led to another and wham! I shopped at Barnes & Noble. I completely betrayed my hometown Borders, even with all its rewards, live music, and fresh coffee. Then I double-crossed them again by actually purchasing two books. But hot damn, B & N's sci-fi/fantasy section is the bomb! Is it healthy to spend well over 45 minutes just standing in two rows of books? I'm thinking of getting therapy. I've also made a pledge to Borders not to make it a habit. (But no, I still haven't mentioned my secret Amazon.com obsession. It would only make things worse.)

And where did I find this Barnes & Noble? Why, the Monroeville Mall. I live about 40 miles from there, but haven't been shopping there for quite some time. I heard there is a zombie store somewhere at the mall, but I couldn't see it anywhere amongst all the high-end stores selling Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton and Michael Kors. Next time I will look a little closer.
And for the record, not one zombie. Alas.

Recent DVD purchases include *House of the Devil - which I've wanted for awhile but waited till it came down in price, *Dorian Gray - because British accents are carnal catnip for me, *IT - because my VHS just wasn't cutting it anymore, *Daybreakers - because I got it for free from my DVD club when I bought Robin Hood for the hubby, and the original *Last House on the Left - 'cause it was only 5 bucks. I've also just ordered *Nightmares in Red, White & Blue - I'm a fan of retrospectives, what can I say? - as well as *Dark Night of the Scarecrow - and if I have to tell you why, you haven't seen it.













I'm getting totally beside myself with anticipation for AMC's The Walking Dead. Premiering on Halloween night, this upcoming tv show has all the horror fans in a frenzy. The trailer looks fantastic, and talk is good....so far. And it can't be a coincidence that all three
major horror mags are running it on their covers at the same time. So fingers crossed it lives up to the hype!

And one last thing. In "wildly exciting and truly overwhelming" news, I've inherited a massive collection of VHS horror films. My hubby's friend owned a video store, and when he closed it around 8 years ago, he kept all his movies in storage. Well, he finally wanted rid of the tapes, so yours truly benefited in such a way that I almost can't believe. I got the entire horror section. I'm going to guess there are something like 250-300 titles, maybe more.
There are some movies we haven't found yet, such as Halloween 1-3, most of the Argentos and Fulcis, really popular stuff like the Friday films, The Shining, NOES, etc... These films quite possibly just in a hidden box, or someone else scarfed them up and hubby's friend didn't remember. But the collection I ended up with - EPIC. I already watched several, including The Gate, Demons, Fright Night, and Popcorn....all of which brought back such great memories of my youth! Some of the other titles include the originals: Psycho, Dracula, The Mummy, and Frankenstein... all three Evil Deads (in hard cases), all the Phantasms, Child's Plays, Sleepaway Camps, and more! And of course there are just a ton that I've never even seen. Movies with titles like The Vineyard, Cemetery High, The Shrieking, Biohazard, and The Paperboy...
I plan a whole separate post regarding this windfall, but suffice it to say, the pic above is a little taste of what is to come. I'm a happy girl!

So that's it from this corner. Stay tuned.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Bride of Re-Animator



Phantasm



House of Wax (2005)



The Relic



The Blob (1988)

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Night of the Demons



The Burning



Maniac



Frozen



Demons

Horror's Sentimental Journey

In the world of horror, there isn't much tenderness or expression of feeling. Why not? Because it's a damn HORROR movie, that's why.

But there are some instances of actual emotion and warmth.
Behold, my favorite sentimental scenes in horror:



Frankenstein (1931)
Never mind that he's going to throw her in the water five seconds from this moment.
Frankie met a friend, and couldn't we all use one of those?



The Village (2004)
My favorite romantic scene in a horror movie comes at this moment of quietness on a porch.
Not a lot of dialogue, but a boatload of emotion. Well played, and yes, I did tear up during this scene.



Pumpkinhead (1988)
Aww, this scene is so poignant. Poor little Billy Harley. As his daddy holds him one last time, it's hard not to choke up a bit. And wish for vile vengeance against those a-hole teenagers.



The Others (2001)
Grace's husband comes back from the war - or does he? The two share a long overdue reunion, only to discover he may have never been there in the first place. A sorrowful bit of film that always gets to me.



The Sixth Sense (2001)
I still get a lump in my throat when Cole finally tells his mom about his ability - and then proceeds to mention something that was said by Lynn's (dead) mother that only she would know. A powerful, yet tearful few minutes in film.



The Evil Dead (1981)
Who else thinks it's hokey yet sweet when Ash gives his beloved the necklace? Try to forget you've seen the rest of the film, in which Ash has to kill Deadite Linda when she succumbs to Kandarian demons. Yeah, makes that necklace seem all the more important.



Let the Right One In (2008)
When you love someone, age isn't usually a barrier. But being alive usually helps. In Eli and Oskar's case, however, love knows no bounds. This scene above is proof, even though the entire movie is a love letter to sentiment - you just have to know where to look.



The Shining (1980)
In a rare moment of tenderness, Jack Torrance (already under the influence of the Overlook) gives Danny a loving hug. Danny, however, does not seem to reciprocate. Hmm....



I Am Legend (2007)
Because I couldn't put a pic of the moment when Sam died - because it gets me right in the gut - I instead chose this pic of the two friends bedding down for the night, to the sound of the roaring Darkseeker crowd outside.



Stephen King's IT (1990)
"Your hair is winter fire. January embers. My heart burns there, too."
Enough said.



Ghost Story (1981)
After a lovely sundae for two and a stroll in the rain, Alma and Don come back to her place for a little rendezvous. Too bad she is a vengeful ghost. Always spoils the fun.



From Hell (2001)
In a movie as dark as this one, it's really hard to see anything even remotely affectionate, but Johnny Depp and Heather Graham manage one steamy moment in a grungy alley, and it's the only true emotional moment in the film.



Friday the 13th (1980)
Steve likes Alice. See the way he touches her face when he says 'thanks, Alice'. What a tender moment... Too bad Alice has the hots for Bill instead. Too bad both Steve and Bill end up dead anyway.



Carrie (1976)
Didn't you just for a minute....think things might work out okay? That Carrie and Tommy might just fall in love and everything will be coming up roses? When they stand on stage, holding hands and accepting the king and queen crowns... And then all hell breaks loose.



Dawn of the Dead (2004)
One of the calmest moments in the thrill ride that is DOTD is Frank, accepting his imminent death and saying good bye to his daughter. Touching, depressing, intense, and hard to watch.



Psycho II (1983)
My favorite moment in one of my favorite movies is when Norman, realizing he is slipping into insanity again, turns to Mary for comfort. He relays a story about his mother making him toasted cheese sandwiches, which sounds ridiculous, but it works. Cue the violins.



Jaws (1975)
Winner of my Most Sentimental Moment in a Horror Movie award, this scene from Jaws is what got me thinking about this post to begin with. It's such a touching segment in the film, when father and son do their little copycat routine, and end with Brody asking for a kiss, to which his son asks why? He responds with "cause I need it". And he does. After all, he's got one big mother of a shark to hunt.