Sunday, November 30, 2008

The American Nightmare (2000)

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The American Nightmare, a documentary directed by Adam Simon, examines the nature of 1960's-70's horror films, the involved artists, and how they reflected contemporary society.

The film features interviews with John Carpenter, Wes Craven, David Cronenberg, Tobe Hooper, John Landis, George A. Romero, and Tom Savini, among others.

WARNING - CONTAINS SCENES OF EXTREME HORROR

Full documentary, from a playlist:

This Week in Horror: Nov 30 - Dec 6


November 30
1999 – Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness released on the Nintendo 64 in the United States

December 1
1944 – House of Frankenstein (1944) released theatrically
1985 – Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch released theatrically

December 2
1924 – - John Herbert Frid (portrayed Barnabas Collins in Dark Shadows) born.

December 3
1927 – London After Midnight released theatrically

December 4
1992 – Tony Todd (actor in Night of the Living Dead (1990), Candyman, and Final Destination) born

December 5


December 6
1942 – Cat People released theatrically




Source: wikipedia Portal:Horror/This day in horror archive

Please leave a comment with any additions/corrections. Thanks.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Friday Night Frights: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

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Welcome to tonight's episode of Friday Night Frights.

Tonight's feature is the classic sci-fi film The Day the Earth Stood Still, starring Michael Rennie as Klaatu.

An alien (Klaatu) with his mighty robot (Gort) land their spacecraft on Cold War-era Earth just after the end of World War II. They bring an important message to the planet that Klaatu wishes to tell to representatives of all nations. However, communication turns out to be difficult, so, after learning something about the natives, Klaatu decides on an alternative approach.

Watch The Day the Earth Stood Still

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Home Sweet Home (1981)


This year, it's not the turkey being carved for Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving! Not a lot of horror movies take place on this holiday, but there is the 1981 slasher film Home Sweet Home.

An escaped mental patient steals a station wagon and makes his way to the Bradleys' Thanksgiving celebration, where he plans to make them a little less thankful...

Here's a death scene clip collection from the movie, for those that have an ...ahem... appetite for this sort of thing. No need to give me thanks.

Blood Freak (1972)


Happy Thanksgiving! My quest for a Thanksgiving themed horror flick served up this turkey:

Blood Freak (1972)

A biker comes upon a girl with a flat tire and offers her a ride home. He winds up at a drug party with the girl's sister, then follows her to a turkey farm owned by her father, a mad scientist. The father turns the biker into a giant turkey monster who goes after drug dealers.

Here's the trailer.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

This Week in Horror: November 23 - 29


November 23
1887 – Boris Karloff born (d. 1969)
1917 – Michael Gough (actor in Hammer horror films) born
2001 – Silent Hill 2 released on the PlayStation, Xbox, and PC in Europe

November 24
1999 – End of Days released theatrically
2006 – Castlevania: Curse of Darkness released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in Japan

November 25


November 26
1992 – Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge released on the Game Boy in Europe
1997 – Alien: Resurrection released theatrically

November 27
1988 – John Carradine (actor in numerous horror films) dies (b. 1906)
1997 – Castlevania Legends released on the Game Boy in Japan
2003 – Castlevania: Lament of Innocence released on the PlayStation 2 in Japan

November 28
1974 – Let Sleeping Corpses Lie released theatrically

November 29




Source: wikipedia Portal:Horror/This day in horror archive

Please leave a comment with any additions/corrections. Thanks.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Friday Night Frights: The Thing (1982)

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Welcome to tonight's episode of Friday Night Frights.

Tonight's feature is The Thing, directed by John Carpenter.

Members of an American scientific research outpost in Antarctica find themselves battling a parasitic alien organism capable of perfectly imitating its victims. They soon discover that this task will be harder than they thought, as they don't know which members of the team have already been assimilated and their paranoia threatens to tear them apart.

This is a chilling remake of The Thing From Another World, a 1952 movie which featured James Arness (of "Gunsmoke" fame) in the role of The Thing.

Watch The Thing

Vampire


The movie Twilight opens today, so it seems appropriate to post a painting of dark romance.

"Vampire" was painted in 1893-4 by Edvard Munch, whose works also include "The Scream".

This painting was originally titled "Love and Pain". A critic mistakenly interpreted it, and the painting became commonly known thereafter as "Vampire". The woman in the painting is actually consoling her lover, not sucking his blood. Although...

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Happy Toilet Day!

Today is World Toilet Day!

In honor of this occasion, here's the toilet scene from the 1987 movie Ghoulies II.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

This Week in Horror: November 16 - 22


November 16
1880 – Robert Wiene (director of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) born (d. 1938)
1984 – Night of the Comet released theatrically
1990 – Initiation: Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 released theatrically

November 17
2001 – Frailty released theatrically

November 18
1990 – It premieres on television

November 19

November 20

November 21
1931 – Frankenstein released theatrically
1964 – Onibaba released theatrically in Japan
1990 – Predator 2 released theatrically
2002 – Resident Evil 0 released on the Nintendo GameCube in Japan
2002 – Gothika released theatrically

November 22
1958 – Jamie Lee Curtis (actress in Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night, etc.) born



Source: wikipedia Portal:Horror/This day in horror archive

Please leave a comment with any additions/corrections. Thanks.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Friday Night Frights: Children of the Corn (1984)

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Welcome to tonight's episode of Friday Night Frights.

Tonight's feature is Children of the Corn, based on a story by Stephen King and starring Linda Hamilton.

A young couple wander into a mid-western town where all the adults are apparently dead and the children participate in a cult that worships a malevolent force in the corn fields.

Watch Children of the Corn

The Devil's Dictionary

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The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce, is a satirical book published in 1911. It offers reinterpretations of terms in the English language which lampoon cant and political double-talk.







The Devil's Dictionary at [The Devil's Dictionary Dot Com]

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Devil's Dictionary

The Devil's Dictionary, audio and text

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Day of the Dead (1985)

Here's a scene from Day of the Dead (1985) with my favorite zombie, Bub.

This final chapter of George A. Romero's "Dead Trilogy" is even gorier than the first two "Dead" films - Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Dawn of the Dead (1978) - thanks to special makeup effects by gore master Tom Savini.

The blood and entrails used in the disemboweling of Capt. Rhodes were real. Pig intestines and blood were procured form a nearby slaughterhouse and used to make the scene. During filming the refrigerator housing intestines and blood was unplugged by custodial staff, and the entrails started to spoil causing most of those involved to become physically sick.

WARNING - CLIP CONTAINS SCENES OF GRAPHIC VIOLENCE

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

The Unborn (2009)

Here's an Internet Yellow Band trailer for the The Unborn, which opens in theaters January 9.



You can find out more at the official movie site.

The Spiral Staircase (1945)

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Here's a movie that kept me riveted to the screen when I saw it on television as a kid in the 60's.

The Spiral Staircase, directed by Robert Siodmak, is a psychological thriller. Based on Ethel Lina White's novel Some Must Watch, in which the heroine was crippled rather than mute, the novel was adapted for a radio production starring Helen Hayes before reaching the screen.

Her performance in the movie earned Ethel Barrymore an Oscar nomination in 1947 for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Beautiful young mute Helen is a domestic worker for old ailing Mrs. Warren. Mrs. Warren's two sons, Albert (a professor) and womanizing impudent Steven, also live in the Warren mansion. Mrs. Warren becomes concerned for Helen's safety when a rash of murders involving 'women with afflictions' hits the neighborhood. She implores her physician, Dr. Parry, to take Helen away for her own safety. When another murder occurs inside the Warren mansion, it becomes obvious that Helen is in danger.



Sunday, November 9, 2008

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below. The man's hands were behind his back, the wrists bound with a cord. A rope closely encircled his neck. It was attached to a stout cross-timber above his head and the slack fell to the level of his knees.

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is a short story by Ambrose Bierce. It was originally published in 1890, and first anthologized in Bierce's 1891 collection, Tales of Soldiers and Civilians. The story is famous for its irregular time sequence and twist ending.

A 1962 French short film was based on this story. It was directed by Robert Enrico and produced by Marcel Ichac and Paul de Roubaix with music by Henri Lanoe. It won awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Awards, and was also screened on American television as an episode of The Twilight Zone.

This Week in Horror: November 9 - 15


November 9
1984 – A Nightmare on Elm Street released theatrically
1984 – Silent Night, Deadly Night released theatrically
1988 – Child's Play released theatrically
2001 – Castlevania Chronicles released on the PlayStation in the European Union

November 10
1889 – Claude Rains (actor in many horror films) born (d. 1967)

November 11
1951 – Bill Moseley (actor in many horror films) born
1995 – Interview with the Vampire released theatrically
2002 – Resident Evil 0 released on the Nintendo GameCube in North America

November 12
1904 – Jacques Tourneur (director of many horror films) born (d. 1977)
1943 – The Mad Ghoul released theatrically
1999 – Resident Evil 3: Nemesis released for the PlayStation in North America
2004 – Seed of Chucky released theatrically

November 13
1933 – The Invisible Man released theatrically
1991 – Cape Fear (1991) released theatrically
1992 – Bram Stoker's Dracula released theatrically

November 14

November 15



Source: wikipedia Portal:Horror/This day in horror archive

Please leave a comment with any additions/corrections. Thanks.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Friday Night Frights: The Toxic Avenger (1984)

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Welcome to tonight's episode of Friday Night Frights.

Tonight's feature is an American cult classic comedy horror film - The Toxic Avenger.

Released by Troma Entertainment, known for producing low budget B-movies with campy concepts, and virtually ignored upon its first release, The Toxic Avenger caught on with moviegoers after a long and successful midnight movie engagement at the famed Bleecker Street Cinemas in New York City in late 1985.

Watch The Toxic Avenger

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Ghosts of the White House


Happy Election Day! In keeping with the theme of this site, yet wishing to note the day, here - straight from the White House website - are Ghosts of the White House!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Back For Christmas

Halloween is over (sigh), but here's a little pre-Christmastime tale for you.

Escape's "Back for Christmas" was adapted from the short story of the same name by John Collier. Both Escape and Suspense presented this tale but without the gruesome elements of the original work. The radio dramatizations also added extra scenes to fill the half-hour format.

The story begins in England, inside the house of a professor of botany named Herbert Carpenter. He and his wife, Hermione, are soon to leave for an extended trip to America, where he will be lecturing.

Hermione is a shrew who keeps her husband under her constant control. She has planned every detail of their trip with precision and, to her annoyance, Herbert is not conforming with her plan. Instead, he is wasting time on a botanical project in their cellar. He is also lingering too long at the bookshop to chat with the bookseller, Miss Markham.

Hermione has promised all of their friends that they will be back for Christmas, but if Herbert has his way -- she won't be.

The radioplay performed on Escape had originally aired on Suspense on December 23, 1943. Peter Lorre played the role of the professor and his rendition of the hen-pecked husband gone mad is classic. The name of the actress who played Hermione is not given, but it was probably Jeanette Nolan.

Listen to "Back for Christmas".

The story was also produced as an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1956. You can watch the full episode in a popout window by clicking on the picture below.





Source for radio broadcast: Escape and Suspense!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

This Week in Horror: November 2 - 8

November 2
1990 – Jacob's Ladder released theatrically

November 3
1976 – Carrie released theatrically

November 4
1948 – The Snake Pit released theatrically

November 5
1943 – Son of Dracula (1943) released theatrically
2006 – Castlevania: Curse of Darkness released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in North America

November 6
1931 – Mike Nichols (director of Wolf) born
1972 – Thandie Newton (actress in Interview with the Vampire) born
1972 – Rebecca Romijn (actress in Godsend) born

November 7
1971 – Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde released theatrically
2000 – Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem released on the Nintendo GameCube in Australia

November 8
1847 – Bram Stoker (author of Dracula) born (d. 1912)
1968 – Parker Posey (actress in Scream 3) born
1975 – Tara Reid (actress in A Return to Salem's Lot, Urban Legend (film), Devil's Pond, Alone in the Dark, and The Crow: Wicked Prayer) born


Source: wikipedia Portal:Horror/This day in horror archive

Please leave a comment with any additions/corrections. Thanks.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Friday Night Frights Bonus Saturday Night After Halloween Movie: The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

Welcome to tonight's episode of Friday Night Frights. Yes, it is Saturday, but the Halloween spirit(s) lingers.

Tonight's episode, The Midnight Meat Train, is a FEARnet Special Presentation. From Clive Barker comes the story of a man struggling to make it as a photographer. Today's assignment: Follow that guy into the NYC Subway. And by the way, he is a serial killer. Starring Bradley Cooper, Brooke Shields, Leslie Bibb, and Vinnie Jones.



(Click here to watch The Midnight Meat Train on FEARnet.com)

Halloween 2008



Playing on the side of the house were Mad Monster Party (1969) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).