The Stepford Wives

On this date (January 12) in 1915 the United States House of Representatives rejected a proposal to give women the right to vote.

The Stepford Wives (1975) was directed by Bryon Forbes and based on the novel by Ira Levin (whose other novels made into movies include Rosemary's Baby and The Boys from Brazil).

Joanna Eberhart has come to the quaint little town of Stepford, Connecticut with her family, but soon discovers there lies a sinister truth in the all too perfect behavior of the female residents.

Here's the trailer:

This Week in Horror: January 11 - 17

January 11
2005 – Resident Evil 4 released for the Nintendo GameCube in North America

January 12
1940 – The Invisible Man Returns released theatrically
1965 – Rob Zombie (musician, singer, artist, director of House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, and Halloween (2007)) born
1990 – Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III released theatrically

January 13
1939 – Son of Frankenstein released theatrically
1974 – The Satanic Rites of Dracula released theatrically
1995 – Demon Knight released theatrically

January 14
1981 – Scanners released theatrically

January 15
1915 – Der Golem released theatrically

January 16
1948 – John Carpenter (director, screenwriter, producer, and composer of scores for many horror films) born
1965 – The Outer Limits ends its run on television

January 17




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

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

The Joe Pitt Casebooks

I've been reading this series since I discovered author Charlie Huston from his books in the Hank Thompson trilogy (more on that trilogy at the end of this post).

You can learn more about Charlie Huston, whom Stephen King calls "one of the most remarkable prose stylists to emerge from the noir tradition in this century", at the author's website - Pulpnoir.com.

The Joe Pitt Casebooks are an ongoing series of supernatural noir thrillers. Each casebook chronicles Joe Pitt's life as well as his struggles in the underground of vampire clans of New York. At first Pitt is an unaffiliated vampire, living in between the cracks by doing jobs for various clans in exchange for blood and freedom. However, as the series progresses, this shifts and Pitt's life evolves with each book.

As of this posting, there are four books already published in this series:

1. ALREADY DEAD
2. NO DOMINION
3. HALF THE BLOOD OF BROOKLYN
4. EVERY LAST DROP

Here's the synopsis of the first book, Already Dead:

"Those stories you hear? The ones about things that only come out at night? Things that feed on blood, feed on us? Got news for you: they’re true. Only it’s not like the movies or old man Stoker’s storybook. It’s worse. Especially if you happen to be one of them. Just ask Joe Pitt.

There’s a shambler on the loose. Some fool who got himself infected with a flesh-eating bacteria is lurching around, trying to munch on folks’ brains. Joe hates shamblers, but he’s still the one who has to deal with them. That’s just the kind of life he has. Except afterlife might be better word.

From the Battery to the Bronx, and from river to river, Manhattan is crawling with Vampyres. Joe is one of them, and he’s not happy about it. Yeah, he gets to be stronger and faster than you, and he’s tough as nails and hard to kill. But spending his nights trying to score a pint of blood to feed the Vyrus that’s eating at him isn’t his idea of a good time. And Joe doesn’t make it any easier on himself. Going his own way, refusing to ally with the Clans that run the undead underside of Manhattan–it ain’t easy. It’s worse once he gets mixed up with the Coalition–the city’s most powerful Clan–and finds himself searching for a poor little rich girl who’s gone missing in Alphabet City.

Now the Coalition and the girl’s high-society parents are breathing down his neck, anarchist Vampyres are pushing him around, and a crazy Vampyre cult is stalking him. No time to complain, though. Got to find that girl and kill that shambler before the whip comes down . . .and before the sun comes up."



THE HANK THOMPSON TRILOGY

This was my introduction to the author. Not horror, they are an engrossing example of pulp noir. Great reads, each one!

You can learn more, and even read each of the books in the trilogy online, by clicking here.

Friday Night Frights: Race With the Devil (1975)

Welcome to tonight's episode of Friday Night Frights.

Tonight's feature is Race With the Devil, directed by Jack Starrett and starring a stellar cast from the 70's which includes Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, Loretta Swit, and Lara Parker.

Two couples vacationing together in an R.V. from Texas to Colorado are terrorized after they witness a murder during a Satanic ritual.

Here's the full movie, from a playlist:

Bubba Ho-tep (2002)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE KING!

Today is the 74th birthday of Elvis Presley. To mark the ocasion, here's Bubba Ho-tep, directed by Don Coscarelli and starring Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis.

Based on the Bram Stoker Award nominee short story by cult author Joe R. Lansdale, Bubba Ho-tep tells the "true" story of what really did become of Elvis Presley. We find Elvis (Bruce Campbell) as an elderly resident in an East Texas rest home, who switched identities with an Elvis impersonator years before his "death", then missed his chance to switch back. Elvis teams up with Jack (Ossie Davis), a fellow nursing home resident who thinks that he is actually President John F. Kennedy, and the two valiant old codgers sally forth to battle an evil Egyptian entity who has chosen their long-term care facility as his happy hunting grounds.

I strongly recommend watching the DVD with the commentary by Bruce Campbell in character as Elvis.

Here's the full movie, from a playlist:

The Bad Seed (1956)

On this day (January 8) in 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act.

To commemorate this event, here's the movie The Bad Seed, directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Nancy Kelly and Patty McCormack.

An ideal housewife begins to suspect her loving adolescent daughter may be a heartless killer.

The full movie, from a playlist:

Bad Ronald (1974)

I published a previous post about this movie, with a trailer, back in September. Here's the full length television movie Bad Ronald, directed by Buzz Kulik.

Ronald (Scott Jacoby), a nerdy high school youth, accidently kills a neighbor's young daughter. Panicking mother (Kim Hunter) fears the police will not believe that it was an accident. She moves her son into a bathroom that she turned into a secret hiding place. After her death, a new family moves in. In the mean time, Ronald has gotten lost in a fantasy world created in his own head from being hidden away for so long.

Here's the full movie, from a playlist:
(note: video begins at around the 20 second mark)