I love scary movies and I love blood and guts and severed heads and tangled up intestines everywhere. I guess tangled-up intestines are kind of the same thing as guts, but, wow, do I love grisly gore. It seems like older horror movies often focused more on the psychology of how horrifying a situation or act was and newer horror movies put more attention into convincingly showing every stab and every spurting artery on camera. For example, especially when you factor in what audiences of the time were used to, Last House on the Left was really shocking in 1972. It’s slogan was “To avoid fainting, keep repeating it’s only a movie, only a movie, only a movie.” Most of the most horrible events in the movie, you hear the suffering, but you can’t really see what is going on. By contrast, the 2009 version seems to be shot somehow higher quality, partly just due to the technology of modern cinematography. To my modern eyes, the color palette is more pleasing in the 2009 Last House on the Left. More of the gruesome parts are visible, although they could still go more extreme with that, for my taste. But the new one somehow loses some of the aura of menace, while at the same time vastly improving special effects and general overall look. Partly I suppose Aaron Paul just didn’t seem very scary to begin with and he already seemed like a tragic hero to anyone who had seen him play Jesse in Breaking Bad. You can research more about both the 1972 film version and the more recent 2009 remake at Wikipedia and you can read a bit about Last House on the Left distribution channels for horror at Blue Blood.
Horror special effects definitely have come a long way since the seventies. Now though, the special effects are, not to sound ironic, to die for. Trust me, if the quality of movies were still the same as they were a few decades ago, you can bet that I wouldn’t drop what I was doing over at http://www.partybingo.com just to watch some crappy special effects, and acting that we will just label as sub-par. Thank god though, that isn’t the case! To prove my point, just go watch one of the many (I think there are eight) movies in the Saw series, or if you are really up for some cringing, then watch Hostel.
So, in conclusion, I’ll watch the seventies movies for the acting and the newer ones for the special effects, but the special effects really have to be pretty impressive. I’m thinking about going to see Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D. I figure, even if the acting is all Disney Channel, the special effects on that have to be worth a theater ticket.
Social Bookmarking: Scream as loud as you can! Maybe someone will hear.
The Adam Ahlbrandt directed double feature Cross Bearer and The Cemetery has been making the rounds at Cannes, and we have more details on both, including artwork, trailers, and a few stills.
The films were picked up for German speaking territories by Illusions Unlimited, an Austrian Uncut Distribution Company. CEO Emsch Schneider said, "These movies are very cool and gory. Cross Bearer is a back-to-the-roots slasher, and The Cemetery is a gory and violent flick with amazing practical effects. We're honored to release these brutal movies UNCUT in German speaking territories." We should hear more about a North American release and other territories shortly.
In The Cemetery (official site here) a team of paranormal investigators must fight for their lives after accidentally releasing a demon from a forgotten cemetery. Alternately gut-punching hilarious and brutally violent, The Cemetery takes the best elements of the old-school slasher film and pushes them to the edge.
In Cross Bearer (official site here) a group of strippers looking to score big with a drug deal soon find themselves hunted by a religious maniac hell-bent on purifying the Earth of its sins through murder and destruction. Armed with a carpenter's hammer, the Cross Bearer hunts the girls in a sadistic crusade to cleanse the world.
Both movies were a co-production of Backseat Conceptions and Adversary Films, written and directed by Ahlbrandt, and produced by Doug Sakmann, who also provided the special effects. Actress Natalie Jean (Men in Black 3, Black Swan) stars in both movies and also served as co-producer; executive producers were Brian Iglesias and Anton Sattler.
The Cemetery stars Natalie Jean, Adam Huss, J.D Brown, Tim Cronin, Tabetha Ray, Ruby LaRocca, Roberto Lombardi, and Billy Gram.
Synopsis: Deep in the Pennsylvania hills a cemetery for those who died during exorcism remains a dark secret for the church. In 1671 hundreds of men, women, and children suffered in bloody, torturous rituals at the hands of priests unable to contain the evil of the possessed. Were these possessions real, or is the story a hoax to cover up the sins of the deranged priests thirsty for human blood? Bill and his team of cynical paranormal investigators plan to find out the truth. As the producer and host of the reality TV show "Ghost Seekers," Bill and his crew have seen it all: abandoned prisons, haunted houses, and decrepit mental hospitals. Night after night of boring trips to empty, rundown buildings has left them sure that the dead stay dead and ghosts are the furthest thing from being real. Their lack of faith will soon be repaid in blood. Armed with the church's historical record, they set out into the wilderness to uncover this series of forgotten atrocities. The demons of the past are invited to return, and the gory details of old sins are revealed as the possessed begin hunting the living.
Cross Bearer stars Natalie Jean, J.D Brown, Isaac Williams, Kacie Marie, Julia Campbell, Victoria DePaul, Kelsey Lehman, Shaun Paul Costello. and Dawn Vaughn.
Synopsis: Heather is broke. She has a soul sucking job as a stripper. Her live-in girlfriend, Victoria, has a baby and a coke problem. Her boss, Harry, is an abusive maniac. Life cannot get much worse... or so she thought. Determined to get out of this living hell, Heather and her lover, Bunny, plan to rip off Harry, ditch Victoria, and leave town to live out their days on the Greek islands in peaceful bliss. One big score is all they need, and Harry gives them the opportunity when he asks them to take care of a drug deal with one of his clients at an old warehouse. As Heather and her friends arrive, everything seems to be going fine until they make a grisly discovery and are trapped inside by a rambling, religious maniac hell-bent on purifying the Earth of its sins through murder and destruction. Armed with a carpenter's hammer and a fanatic passion, the Cross Bearer hunts Heather and her friends down one-by-one in a sadistic crusade to burn clean the filth of the world. Heather's dreams are shattered, and if she survives, nothing will ever be the same. Unflinchingly raw, primal, and horrifying, Cross Bearer is a trip to the darkest, most vile side of humanity.
Honestly, we thought about not doing this story so we'd have a better chance of scoring one of these bad boys ourselves, but because we love you guys, here's news on the latest Mondo posters coming our way.
Here's the word from Mondo:
Tomorrow (May 23rd) we will be selling three prints, previously sold at this year's Texas Frightmare Weekend: THE THING by Randy Ortiz, SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (two versions) by Rich Kelly, and WHITE ZOMBIE by Ghoulish Gary Pullin. Thank you to those who came out to support us at Frightmare. TFW has afforded us the opportunity to get genre-heavy, for two years in a row now. Special thanks to the Lugosi Estate for their help in seeing our vision of WHITE ZOMBIE and SON OF FRANKENSTEIN come to life.
More detailed shots of each poster can be found on the Mondo Blog. Be sure to follow @MondoNews on Twitter for the on-sale announcement as these posters will be available online at a random time on Thursday, May 23rd.
Honestly, we thought about not doing this story so we'd have a better chance of scoring one of these bad boys ourselves, but because we love you guys, here's news on the latest Mondo posters coming our way.
Here's the word from Mondo:
Tomorrow (May 23rd) we will be selling three prints, previously sold at this year's Texas Frightmare Weekend: THE THING by Randy Ortiz, SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (two versions) by Rich Kelly, and WHITE ZOMBIE by Ghoulish Gary Pullin. Thank you to those who came out to support us at Frightmare. TFW has afforded us the opportunity to get genre-heavy, for two years in a row now. Special thanks to the Lugosi Estate for their help in seeing our vision of WHITE ZOMBIE and SON OF FRANKENSTEIN come to life.
More detailed shots of each poster can be found on the Mondo Blog. Be sure to follow @MondoNews on Twitter for the on-sale announcement as these posters will be available online at a random time on Thursday, May 23rd.
And here it is, kids! The official one-sheet for Hatchet III. And we love it. Just love it! Check it out for yourselves. I'm guessing the entire Hatchet Army will be rocking some new computer wallpaper today!
HATCHET III is set to open in New York City's Cinema Village and in Los Angeles at Laemmle Music Hall on June 14th. Opening week will feature special appearances by cast and crew, followed by Q&A's at each location. Additional cities will be announced at a later date.
Synopsis: Danielle Harris and Kane Hodder return in HATCHET III and are joined by Zach Galligan (Gremlins), Derek Mears (Friday the 13th 2009), Caroline Williams (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2), Sean Whalen (The People Under the Stairs), and others.
HATCHET III continues the tale of the now-iconic villain Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder). As a search and recovery team heads into the haunted swamp to pick up the pieces and carnage left behind from the first two films, Marybeth (Danielle Harris) hunts down the true secret to ending the voodoo curse that has left the ghost of Victor Crowley haunting and terrorizing Honey Island Swamp for decades.
The sequel, which was filmed outside of New Orleans, Louisiana, from late May to mid-June, 2012, is a co-production of MPI/Dark Sky Films and Hatchet III writer/executive producer Adam Green's Los Angeles-based ArieScope Pictures.
Larry Hryb, Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson, has worked on the Xbox team that developed Xbox LIVE, Xbox 360, and now Xbox One. He took some time to chat on Yahoo! today to answer some lingering and nagging questions regarding the Xbox One. We were on hand and have brought you the key bits of info.
On how the XBox One will be able to play used games...
"We are still months away from the launch of Xbox One & policy decisions are still being finalized."
Why the name Xbox One?
"Xbox One because it is the ultimate all-in-one entertainment system. As far the name Xbox 720 is concerned... that was a name the community came up with. We never considered that name."
There seems to be some confusion in the media on how frequently users must connect to the internet to use the Xbox One. Will this be as frequent as once a day as rumored, or will gamers be able to use the console for extended periods of time without an active connection?
"No. It does not have to be always connected, but it does require an internet connection."
On what the focus will be on during the Xbox One E3 presentation...
"Games. Games. GAMES :)"
On the new controller...
"The new controller is awesome; I have spent a lot of time with it. If you like the Xbox 360 controller, you'll LOVE this controller. We have made over 40 improvements in the new design. Regarding the Start and Back buttons, they'll perform similar functions but right now we don't have final names for them yet. The controller takes 2 AA batteries. More details at E3"
On 3D and 4K support...
"Indeed. Xbox One supports BOTH 3D and 4K."
On whether or not users can opt to use the controller exclusively instead of the Kinect functionality...
"As always, that is a decision up to game creators."
On backwards compatibility with 360 games...
"Xbox One hardware is not compatible with Xbox 360 games. We designed Xbox One to play an entirely new generation of games. Games are architected to take full advantage of the state of the art processors and infinite power of the cloud."
On whether or not the new Kinect can handle smaller rooms better than the Kinect 360...
"It does. It has a much wider field of view which will allow it work in smaller spaces. A 1080p wider field of view even!"
On whether or not there are plans to make Xbox LIVE a worldwide service or if it will remain as currently only available to a number of selected countries...
"We are working hard at making Xbox LIVE available in as many regions as possible. Currently we are in 41 countries."
On game developer feedback....
"They are very excited for Xbox One and the power of Xbox LIVE that will power it…as well as the unique aspects of Kinect and SmartGlass they can tap into."
On appealing to the hardcore gamer while also trying to appeal to a wider audience...
"The hardcore gaming audience has given us some great feedback, and we watch that feedback carefully. I think they’ll be happy after E3."
On how the new Xbox LIVE power will help games...
"The new architecture allows developers to do processing in the cloud in really really smart ways. That will result in much richer gaming experiences than ever before. Again more at E3!"
Producers Ant Timpson and Tim League announced today the release of The ABCs of Death, a grown-up children’s book based on their highly-successful anthology film of the same name.
With a limited run of only 666 copies worldwide, the book also contains a special edition Blu-ray of the uncut feature film, which includes a whopping 30 commentaries, behind-the-scenes clips, making-of featurettes, and trailers.
Featuring original artwork from acclaimed storybook illustrator Stephan Britt and accompanied by jaw-dropping verses from author Zack Carlson, The ABCs of Death is a 56-page storybook guaranteed to entertain young and old alike with its hilarious, heartwarming tales of cannibalism, suicide, and life-or-death sex tournaments.
Based on each and every horrifying segment from the hit 2012 anthology film (from 26 of the world’s most acclaimed voices in genre cinema), the disturbingly adorable storybook entrenches the movie’s extreme splatter into a whole new world of 1960s, Dr. Seuss-inspired artwork.
“The idea for this unusual film sprung from a deep fondness of alphabet books from our collective childhood,” says ABCs producer and creator Ant Timpson. “A little digging revealed that the books had a dark history and that many early versions were used as punishment primers. In a sleep-deprived state that was all the ammunition required for an epiphany of sorts. How about creating a film inspired by the alphabet?”
And now, it’s time for the book based on that film... based on those books.
The ABCs of Death limited edition storybook (with Blu-ray) is now available for purchase at abcsdeathbook.com for $37.00. The film The ABCs of Death is now available for purchase online and through all major retailers from Magnet Releasing.
Timpson Films, Drafthouse Films, and Magnet Releasing will debut The ABCs of Death 2 in 2014.
Hot on the heels of the two new one-sheets we showed you a couple of hours ago for the remake of the 1981 Bill Lustig classic Maniac, a new trailer has come our way that does a fine job of illustrating the film's many horrors.
Franck Khalfoun directs the script by Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur, which stars Elijah Wood. Nora Arnezeder (Safe House) co-stars in Maniac (review here).
Look for the film to open in select theaters, on iTunes, and on VOD platforms June 21st.
Synopsis: A 21st century Jack the Ripper set in the present day, MANIAC is a reboot of the cult film considered by many to be the most suspenseful slasher movie ever made. Frank (Elijah Wood, in a tour de force performance) is the withdrawn owner of a mannequin store, but his life changes when young artist Anna appears asking for his help with her new exhibition. As their friendship develops and Frank’s obsession escalates and the number of victims increases, it becomes clear that Frank is far more dangerous than he seems. With a pulsating electronic score by Rob, the film is an intimate, visually daring, psychologically complex and profoundly horrific trip into the downward spiraling nightmare of a killer and his victims.
Well, someone out there in TV land obviously loves horror as much as we do as the 2013 Critics' Choice Awards nominees have been announced, and a lot of our favorites are included.
Excerpts from the Press Release: The Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) announced nominations for the 3rd annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards, which will be held the evening of Monday, June 10, 2013, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel. For the first time the award show will be webcast live on UStream.
HBO led the networks in most nominations with 21, followed closely by FX, which collected 19. Topping the list of nominated series are "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS) and "American Horror Story: Asylum" (FX) with six nominations each. (For the full list visit the Critics' Choice website.)
Submissions are still being accepted for The Most Exciting New Series category, which will be announced on Monday, June 3. Nominated programs and performances aired between June 1, 2012, and May 31, 2013. Bob Bain will executive produce the Critics’ Choice Television Awards for Bob Bain Productions.
“This year’s nominations reflect the expanding definition of television, with nominated programs and performances representing new platforms as well as broadcast and cable,” said BTJA President Joey Berlin. “As evidenced by nominations for the third annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards, television continues to be a rich and diverse source of high quality entertainment.”
Here are the horror highlights:
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
• Andrew Lincoln ("The Walking Dead") – AMC
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
• Vera Farmiga ("Bates Motel") – A&E
• Tatiana Maslany ("Orphan Black") – BBC America
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
• Jennifer Carpenter ("Dexter") – Showtime
BEST MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES
• "American Horror Story: Asylum" – FX
BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES
• Toby Jones (The Girl) – HBO
BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES
• Jessica Lange ("American Horror Story: Asylum") – FX
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES
• James Cromwell ("American Horror Story: Asylum") – FX
• Zachary Quinto ("American Horror Story: Asylum") – FX
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES
• Sienna Miller (The Girl) – HBO
• Sarah Paulson ("American Horror Story: Asylum") – FX
• Lily Rabe ("American Horror Story: Asylum") – FX
• Imelda Staunton (The Girl) – HBO
It happens to all of us. You're sitting quietly in your home and then... well, then the paranoia sets in. While you sit alone at your most vulnerable... somewhere out there... someone is... having fun! Experience the fear NOW!
Below you'll find the short film FOMO: The Fear of Missing Out starring Anna Camp from the loveable sickos at CollegeHumor. Yep! It's just another fine way to kill some time while waiting for this accursed day to finally be over and done with. After all... there's nothing scarier than spending a Saturday night alone. *Insert maniacal laughter and dramatic musical stingers here*
Check out this new “horror” trailer with Anna Camp below as part of YouTube Comedy Week.
Last night's Season 2 finale of "Grimm" was pretty awesome in all respects, not least of which was the presence of the creature known as the Cracher-Mortel, which wreaked enough havoc to keep fans on pins and needles until the show returns in the fall.
The Cracher-Mortel, a puffer fish-like Wesen portrayed by Reg E. Cathey (no offense to Reg, but did anyone else think Tony Todd would have killed in that part?), spits a thick green liquid that induces a death-like trance on its victims. We were pretty shocked to see who its main intended victim was all along, and you better believe the shit is going to hit the fan once everyone else in Portland catches on!
The Adam Ahlbrandt directed double feature Cross Bearer and The Cemetery has been making the rounds at Cannes, and we have more details on both, including artwork, trailers, and a few stills.
Honestly, we thought about not doing this story so we'd have a better chance of scoring one of these bad boys ourselves, but because we love you guys, here's news on the latest Mondo posters coming our way.
And here it is, kids! The official one-sheet for Hatchet III. And we love it. Just love it! Check it out for yourselves. I'm guessing the entire Hatchet Army will be rocking some new computer wallpaper today!
Larry Hryb, Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson, has worked on the Xbox team that developed Xbox LIVE, Xbox 360, and now Xbox One. He took some time to chat on Yahoo! today to answer some lingering and nagging questions regarding the Xbox One. We were on hand and have brought you the key bits of info.
Producers Ant Timpson and Tim League announced today the release of The ABCs of Death, a grown-up children’s book based on their highly-successful anthology film of the same name.
Hot on the heels of the 
Well, someone out there in TV land obviously loves horror as much as we do as the 2013 Critics' Choice Awards nominees have been announced, and a lot of our favorites are included.
It happens to all of us. You're sitting quietly in your home and then... well, then the paranoia sets in. While you sit alone at your most vulnerable... somewhere out there... someone is... having fun! Experience the fear NOW!
Last night's Season 2 finale of "Grimm" was pretty awesome in all respects, not least of which was the presence of the creature known as the Cracher-Mortel, which wreaked enough havoc to keep fans on pins and needles until the show returns in the fall.