31 Days of Horror and Mayhem - ArcLight's Nights of Fright

It's the most wonderful time of the year, for horror fans atleast. This is the time of year that we don't have to be coy when it comes to being obscene, nasty and vulgar. We get to let our colors fly proud and get our chance to sit those friends down who have always been a bit too squeamish to watch our favorite flicks. I just love it.

Last year, October was a hectic time of the year for me so I didn't get a chance to celebrate like I normally would, so this year I wanna do some making up. We're talkin' reviews everyday, glimpses of my personal world of horror, some peeks at the horrific events going on in LA and maybe even a give away or two (wink-wink).

I know I missed yesterday, so today I'll be posting double duty and I want to start with one of my favorite events of the Samhain season: Arclight's Nights of Fright.

This is bloody awesome (all puns intended), for fans of horror in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas. Any horror fan knows that the best way to see your favorite classic horror flick is on the big screen. You finally get the opportunity to experience the terror first hand in the way it was originally meant to be, in a room full of people just as eager to be terrified as you are. Last year I indulged in The Exorcist and The Shining, and they were both just too amazing to properly put into words. You see and hear things that you never experienced while watching at home, and the atmosphere is so palpable that it's enough to send a shiver down your spine.

This year, ArcLight has a whole new roster of amazing films that will be showing throughout the month of October and I've taken the time to compile them all below for quick reference. Dig in, and if you're in the LA area, maybe I'll see you at one or two or seven of these below!

A Nightmare on Elm Street - October 2nd (Hollywood), October 12th and 15th (Sherman Oaks), October 20th and 23rd (La Jolla)

Beetlejuice - October 5th and 8th (La Jolla), October 26th and 29th (Beach Cities), October 30th and 31st (Hollywood)

Gremlins - October 5th and 8th (Sherman Oaks), October 12th and 15th (Beach Cities), October 17th and 18th (Hollywood)

The Shining - October 5th and 8th (Beach Cities), October 9th and 10th (Hollywood), October 14th (Pasadena), October 21st and 23rd (Sherman Oaks)

The Thing - October 5th and 8th (Pasadena), October 21st and 23rd (Beach Cities), October 24th and 25th (Hollywood), October 28th (La Jolla)

American Psycho - October 6th (Pasadena), October 22nd (Sherman Oaks)

The Bride of Frankenstein - October 6th and 9th (Beach Cities), October 26th and 30th (Sherman Oaks)

Carrie - October 6th and 9th (Sherman Oaks)

Psycho - October 6th and 9th (La Jolla), October 19th and 22nd (Pasadena), October 27th and 30th (Beach Cities)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - October 7th (La Jolla), October 12th and 15th (Pasadena)

Shaun of the Dead - October 7th (Beach Cities), October 8th and 9th (Hollywood)

Dracula - October 7th (Pasadena)

Little Shop of Horrors (Director's Cut) - October 7th (Sherman Oaks), October 19th (Beach Cities), October 22nd (La Jolla)

Fright Night - October 9th (Pasadena)

The Exorcist - October 12th and 16th (La Jolla), October 26th and 29th (Pasadena), October 30th and 31st (Hollywood)

Alien: Director's Cut - October 13th and 16th (Pasadena)

Rosemary's Baby - October 13th and 16th (La Jolla), October 27th and 29th (Sherman Oaks)

Silence of the Lambs - October 13th and 16th (Beach Cities), October 17th (Hollywood), October 27th (Pasadena)

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - October 13th and 16th (Sherman Oaks), October 17th (Hollywood)

American Werewolf in London - October 14th (Beach Cities), October 15th and 16th (Hollywood)

From Dusk Til Dawn - October 14th (Pasadena), October 15th and 16th (Hollywood)

Creature from the Black Lagoon - October 14th (Sherman Oaks)

Corpse Bride - October 19th (Sherman Oaks)

Young Frankenstein - October 19th and 21st (La Jolla), October 22nd and 23rd (Hollywood)

Edward Scissorhands - October 20th and 23rd (Pasadena), October 28th (Beach Cities)

Fearless Vampire Killers - October 20th (Sherman Oaks)

Scream - October 20th and 22nd (Beach Cities), October 23rd and 24th (Hollywood), October 26th and 29th (La Jolla)

Ju-On: The Grudge - October 21st (Pasadena)

Last Man on Earth - October 22nd (Hollywood)

Let The Right One In - October 23rd (Hollywood)

Monster Squad - October 28th (Sherman Oaks)

Night of the Creeps (Director's Cut) - October 28th (Pasadena)

Poltergeist - October 27th and 30th (La Jolla), October 29th and 30th (Hollywood)

Videodrome - October 29th (Hollywood), October 30th (Pasadena)

Evil Dead - October 31st (Hollywood)

The Host - November 1st (Hollywood)

So there you have it! The selection this year seems to way surpass last years, I don't remember having such a tough time deciding as I do this year. So for you Angelenos, are you going to partake and if so, what's your poison? Sound off below!

- Rg Lovecraft

Christian Horror You Say? Yep, Holy Moly Pictures Rolls Out THE LOCK IN

There are a lot of things that I've seen in this world, and this has to be one of the most interesting. From t-shirts with silly puns based off of various pop culture icons, to their own versions of dating sites and social media, Christians have been trying to tap into the modern day world for decades in an attempt to bring their religion into modern times and to connect with the youth of a new generation. There's nothing wrong with this, in fact, I think it's good to see the religion adapting and attempting to change with the times.

I never thought I'd see something like this though. Christian start-up company, Holy Moly Pictures, released their first film on January 9th, and it's not just any film, it's a horror film. A found footage film, no less, about demon possession (why does this surprise you?). While the film is already getting tons of flack, and being hailed as 2014's The Room, I think it's pretty cool to see this kind of forward thinking in the Christian religion. I won't be doing any bashing of my own, it just seems to easy a target.

The Lock In tells the story a 3 high school seniors who attend a lock in at their local church. A lock in, for those that don't know, is in essence a giant slumber party in a church, school, etc. where the doors are locked from dusk 'til dawn. It sounds sinister, however, it's fairly common, especially among church groups. Now one of these wily kids decides to bring a porno mag, and it just happens to be filled with the evil spirit of a demon.

Here's the trailer, dig on it, and let me know what you think about the idea of Christian Horror!

Trailer For Eli Roth's CLOWN Reaffirms Childhood Fears

A few years ago, Jon Watts released a faux-trailer for a horror movie called Clown. Horror fans gobbled it up, and much like Thankskilling, wanted to see it become a full length feature. Well, one of those fans happened to be none other than Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever, The Green Inferno) and he decided to get involved by producing the feature and bringing it to the masses. Dimension will be handling distribution, though there has yet to be a date attached.

Now, apparently this trailer has been making the rounds for 5 months and it has only just now been getting noticed. I'm starting to think that Dimension didn't want it seen though, as it was posted on Reddit last night and in that time it has been locked down on Vimeo. Luckily, Bloody Disgusting happened to find a link to the trailer in all of it's terrifying glory and I have to say, it looks pretty damn awesome.

Dig in here!

Creepshow (1982) - A Review

The most fun you’ll ever have…. BEING SCARED!

Anthology films are fun. While they are not necessarily my favorite, there are always exceptions to the rule, this being that very exception. Written by Stephen King and directed by George A. Romero, this film features a powerhouse of horror icons, including special effects by Tom Savini, King himself (in a one-man segment of the film), Adrienne Barbeau and music by John Harrison. 

Let’s dig on in, shall we?

George A. Romero's Day of the Dead (1985) - A Review

“First there was ‘Night of the Living Dead’, then ‘Dawn of the Dead’… and now the darkest day of horror the world has ever known.”

I had the wonderful privilege of attending the Day of the Dead Soundtrack Festival on Monday night at the beautiful Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. George A. Romero was in attendance, along with composer John Harrison, Howard Sherman, Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead) and Joe Pilato for a post-screening Q&A. It was a dream come true for any horror fan, and to be sitting a mere 20 feet away from the godfather of zombies was quite an honor. 

While I have grown weary of the current zombie infestation that seems to be infecting every inch of pop culture, I had a wonderful time watching this film and getting a nice reminder about why George A. Romero is one of the horror greats. No matter how many zombies I see, his will always be the best. 

For those of you who have not seen Day of the Dead, it is a wonderful zombie with a twist. It’s strangely heartfelt, whacky, zany, hilarious and extremely graphic. It’s a very fun ride, you will laugh, you will cringe, you will jump, you may even get a little misty eyed, but mostly you’ll laugh. A lot. 

"Halloween" 35th Anniversary BluRay Release Coming Soon; Features New Commentary

Anchor Bay has announced that a Special Edition 35th Anniversary Blu-Ray Release of John Carpenter’s classic Halloween will be invading our horror collections very soon. What’s more, Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter are doing an all new commentary for the flick.

All you Myers fans, begin your rejoicing…. now.

“No tears, please. It’s a waste of good suffering…”

Now, I’ve been working on the Stephen King series post, I promise I have, but the more I work on it the more I realize I have to add on and it’s become quite the exercise in repetition. I’ll make good headway, edit, then add a bunch more, edit that, change things, edit that. Aaaand you get the idea. I will be getting it to you, I’m hoping this weekend, and once I have the first one done all others will come along quite easily.

But last night, I decided to take a break from Pet Sematary and put on something I haven’t watched in years. And I mean, yeeeears. One thing that I love about doing this blog is it affords me the opportunity to watch films I haven’t seen in years, some that I may not have even liked, and revisit old memories, old thoughts and ultimately share them all with you on here. As you all saw last night, my choice for the evening was Clive Barker’s Hellraiser. 

 

26 directors, 26 short films, 26 letters, 26 deaths, 1 film. The ABC’s of Death was different from the moment it was announced. While the horror genre has never been a stranger to the anthology format, something like this had never been done. Combining some of the greatest minds of horror and bringing them together in such a way was new and familiar, and very exciting all at the same time. Not only were 26 directors picked, but each was different from the last. From the toilet-centric absurdist humor of Noburo Iguchi to the visceral, violent tendencies of Srdjan Spasojevic, you see a little bit of everything, and in a film like this… that could either be a great thing or a bad idea completely.

READER REQUEST

NOTE: This post is backdated, and was posted several months ago in response to a request from a Tumblr reader. 

This blog is a few weeks old, so it’s exciting to have people start to take interest in it. I hope to get more of these, I will do as many as I can while still maintaining the post calendar I’ve created for the next couple months.

Now, onto the post, user chibitized made a request:

“I’d like to read your opinion on the Friday the 13th franchise. Which one is your favorite? Least favorite?”

This is one I wasn’t anticipating doing for a while. I was planning on sticking to current and modern film reviews, news and articles and keeping the classics for special occasions such as anniversaries and special edition releases, but I’m excited to dig my teeth into this one because I have a varied opinion on this franchise. 

As you may have seen me mention already, I’m not a huge fan of slasher flicks. There are some that I love but for the most part I lose interest with any franchise. After the 3^rd installment I normally become disenchanted, annoyed and just bored with it. The Friday the 13^th franchise is one of the three holy grails of slasher films. There are three names that come to people’s minds when they think of slasher films, or even horror films in general, and they are Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger and, of course, Jason Voorhees (more commonly known, simply as Jason). Out of the three, Jason is probably my least favorite but that does not mean that I do not find worth in the franchise as a whole. Here are my thoughts: