Archive for the ‘horror’ Category
Posted by Horror Grinder on
October 22, 2008
Guillermo del Toro has to be one of the hardest working men in Hollywood as he has more projects lined up than I can count on my two hands. Alongside THE HOBBIT, there has been a lot of chatter about his obsession with the Victorian horror films as he’s slated to direct his own versions of both FRANKENSTEIN and DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE. Inside you can read about Dr. Jekyll’s addictive personality…
Stabbed first by Bloody-Disgusting Horror News
Posted by Horror Grinder on
October 22, 2008
In case you were not at the San Diego Comic Con this year or missed last nights 2008 Scream Awards, below is the Twilight clip that aired at both events. There is less than a month before the film hits theaters on November 21st, and since there has already been so much hype, I don’t know what Twilight goodies they have left for us. With the final trailer and poster already released, Twilight fans may have to suffer through a little withdrawal before getting their final fix… Well final until the sequel hype begins that is.
>>>>
Synopsis:
Twilight tells the story of 17-year-old Bella Swan (Stewart) who moves to the small town of Forks, Washington to live with her father, and becomes drawn to Edward Cullen (Pattinson), a pale, mysterious classmate who seems determined to push her away. But neither can deny the attraction that pulls them together…even when Edward confides that he and his family are vampires. Their unorthodox romance puts her in physical danger when Edward’s nemesis comes to town and sets his sights on Bella.
Stabbed first by horroryearbook.com
Posted by Horror Grinder on
October 22, 2008
Bad Moon Books has announced that Clive Barker has agreed to sign all editions of his upcoming Bad Moon Books release, Maxmillian Bacchus And His Traveling Circus. In addition, Barker has supplied the following blurb to promote this never before published title:
“The adventures of Maxmillian Bacchus and his Traveling Circus is a story very close […]
Stabbed first by HELLNOTES
Posted by Horror Grinder on
October 22, 2008
Written by Fatally Yours
When the wind grows colder, orange leaves start dropping from the trees and stores start adorning their windows with ghouls and goblins, I start getting giddy because I know it’s the season for Halloween!
Of course, sometimes the sights of the season aren’t enough to spark the spirit of Halloween and I need a little help with eerie inspirations. A few good Halloween movies usually do the trick for me, so today I’m going to share with you my top 10 Halloween movies that really get me in the groovy mood for Halloween!
Keep in mind, not all my picks are strictly horror themed. Since Halloween-time really makes me feel like a kid again, I’ve decided to include some family-friendly films on my list. Despite their PG rating, these choices never fail to get me in the ooky-spooky spirit!
Also, I don’t watch just any old horror movie to get me in the scary spirit…my picks all predominately feature Halloween or autumn. In my book, just because a movie is frightening doesn’t make it perfect for Halloween…it needs costumes, trick or treating, pumpkins, and orange and red leaves adorning sidewalks!
So, sit back and enjoy my top 10 Halloween movies! Maybe they’ll become some of your holiday favorites as well!
Click the title of the film for a review or click the BUY ME! link to buy the DVD for cheap!
1.) It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) BUY ME!
This is just a classic, hands-down. The whole Peanuts gang gets dressed up to go trick or treating (“I got a rock.”) and attends a Halloween party…except for Linus, who spends the chilly night in the dark pumpkin patch, waiting for the Great Pumpkin to appear. This movie immediately gives me Halloween spirit! I get the warm fuzzies watching it, because it reminds me of being a kid again and the excitement surrounding Halloween.
You’d be a blockhead not to watch this around Halloween!
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2.) Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) BUY ME!
This much-maligned horror flick is actually one of my favorite Halloween series flicks. While there is no Michael Myers lurking about, I still love the storyline about a big Halloween mask maker that has plans to kill all the children on Halloween with his popular masks. The trick or treating kids throughout the film always get me revved up for the holiday, as does the Silver Shamrock song. “Two more days ‘til Halloween, Halloween…” It just doesn’t feel like Halloween until I hear that song…
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3.) Trick or Treat (1986) BUY ME!
With its metal soundtrack and disaffected teen who conjures up the vengeful spirit of a satanic rock star Halloween night, Trick or Treat is a definite MUST SEE for Halloween. Though it’s a bit slow towards the beginning, the film picks up speed like a kid on a Pixie Stix sugar high. It also boasts cameos from Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osborne along its wicked cool soundtrack. If you want to raise hell this Halloween, this movie will definitely set the sinister mood!
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4.) Donnie Darko (2001) BUY ME!
This is one mind-bender of a movie, featuring time travel, space-time continuums, worm hole theories, fate vs. free will and a plethora of other themes to make you think. At its heart, though, I think it’s about love and two star-crossed lovers, one of which sacrifices it all for the other. It’s a very dark film whose themes and amazing score capture the dark side of the season. Why would I choose this as a Halloween movie? Well, besides the malignant feel the film has, it is set around Halloween and features some great Halloween costumes, including one very creepy bunny costume.
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5.) Night of the Demons (1988) BUY ME!
Night of the Demons is just a plain fun Halloween movie. A group of teens decides to break into a supposedly haunted funeral home on Halloween to have a party, but instead unleash some nasty demons. Ok, so if Peanuts reminded me of being a kid again, Night of the Demons reminded me about being a teen and wrecking havoc on Halloween night! The whole breaking-into-a-haunted-house-on-Halloween-night story always reminds me of being a teenager and trying to scare the crap out of my friends.
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6.) Hocus Pocus (1993) BUY ME!
Another fun one, but this one is kid-friendly! In 1693 in Salem, three witches were sentenced to hang, but beforehand they promised they’d be back…300 years later a teenager who is a virgin unwittingly conjures them back. Now it’s up to him, his girlfriend and his little sister to stop the three witches before they suck the life out of all of Salem’s children. I was 11 when this first came out, and I absolutely LOVED it. It perfectly captures the feeling of Halloween with its creepy cemetery, festively decorated houses, fabulous witches’ costumes…and even a zombie called back from the dead! Watching this flick is a definite Halloween tradition for me, no matter how silly and Disney-fied it is.
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7.) HellBent (2005) BUY ME!
Going from Disney territory to more X-rated territory, HellBent is a hotter than hell film that’s set at West Hollywood’s wild Halloween street party. This film features tons of hot guys and gory kills, but it’s the crazy Halloween party that appeals to me in the movie. The atmosphere of the party is just electric, filled to the brim with lots of flamboyant, scary and hot costumes, and just makes you wish Halloween was year-round.
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8.) Monster House (2006) BUY ME!
You remember when you were a kid and your parents didn’t believe you when you told them there was a monster under the bed or the dog ate your homework or the old lady living down the lane liked to eat children? Well, Monster House, about some kids who discover that the house across the street is a living, breathing, EATING entity, will take you back to those days…It’s a great film not only for kids, but groan-ups as well and features plenty of fall foliage to put you in the mood for Halloween, not to mention the cute trick or treating scene at the end!
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9.) Satan’s Little Helper (2004) BUY ME!
This little-seen horror film is an absolute gem that more people should seek out! It features a creepy serial killer wearing a twisted goat-devil mask who is befriended by a reality-challenged young kid who is obsessed with a video game called Satan’s Little Helper. When he meets the serial killer he thinks he’s found his own personal Satan and that that basically his video game has come to life. This is a darkly humorous movie with plenty of shocking violence…and fun Satan costumes!
10.) The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) BUY ME!
Do I really need to explain this one? If there is one movie that exemplifies the Halloween spirit (other than the classic Halloween, [review] of course, which I’ve elected not to include on my list because I watch it year-round!), then The Nightmare Before Christmas is it…Featuring a town called Halloweentown populated by monsters and other spooks and tons of catchy songs you can sing year-round, The Nightmare Before Christmas is fun for boils and ghouls of all ages!
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Well, as I settle down for some pumpkin bread and spiced cider to carve some pumpkins, I hope you have enjoyed my list and seek out some of these films to put you in the spooky Halloween spirit!
Stabbed first by Fatally Yours
Posted by Horror Grinder on
October 22, 2008
Ladies and Gentleninjas,
Endlight Entertainment is Proud to Present: THE WORLD PREMIERE BOOTLEG SCREENING of NINJAS VS ZOMBIES
Friday, Halloween night, October 31, 2008 at:
The Tally Ho Cinema in Leesburg, VA
Two Shows - 9:00 pm and Midnight
More information and tickets are on sale online at www.nvzmovie.com
Tickets also available at the door, but online people get first dibs and also a free gift!
Really, its ninjas vs freakin’ zombies; on Halloween!
You WANT to see this, and you CAN find child care. The kids are sleeping at Midnight. Or, you CAN make that party - the first screening is done by 11:30.
What? Do we need to send the zombie army to drag you there? HUH???!!! Breathe…breathe.
What’s that, you say? NINJAS vs what?
It’s a homegrown indy filmed right here in Northern VA. Part Evil Dead, part Clerks, part Buffy, part Bourne Identity, with some Harry Potter, a twist of vermouth and a lime chaser - uh, wait…
Funny, Violent, a Rollercoaster; with GOBS of local talent - and international appeal.
Seven friends, struggling with late 20s, early 30s life, find themselves in terrifying danger when a long-dead loved one is magically resurrected and starts devouring souls. To make matters worse, three of them have been granted the power of the ninja, and now must lead the fight against a power they cannot hope to vanquish. If they fail, the undead will overrun their little town, and maybe the world.
What follows is a whirlwind of magic, swordplay, hand to hand combat, gunfire and simmering sarcasm. From high flying flips to a full-on melee, from a claustrophobic last stand to a Star-Wars worthy katana battle, NINJAS VS ZOMBIES is a chilling, laugh out loud, edge of your seat adventure.
Meet the Cast and Crew, ask us questions, take locks of our hair and clone us, just be there.
You can also check out the newest promotion trailer and interact with members of the N.V.Z. (Ninjas vs. Zombies) community in the forums at www.nvzmovie.com.
Stabbed first by Fatally Yours
Posted by Horror Grinder on
October 22, 2008
WILD EYE Hosts Holy Hell on Earth - GOTHKILL The Soul Collector! New York Theater screening 10/24 @ 9pm!
Director and Cast Members in Person! Live Acts! Fire & Brimstone! Devil Girls! Join the fun on screen and off! Apocalyptic After Party!
This tongue-in-cheek occult horror outing features a willing cast of New York underground and avant guard music and fetish performers, including Flambeaux, Eve Blackwater, and a special appearance from FUSE’s Mistress Juliya.
When Catholic Priest and Inquisitor Nicholas Dread finds out that innocents are being burned as witches he decides to do something about it. Unfortunately for him, his superiors don’t agree and he’s burned at the stake alongside two women he forced confessions from. While dying, Nick curses god and makes a pact with Satan to reign over his own kingdom someday at any cost.
Now, in 21st century New York City, Dread has returned to finish the deal. His end of the bargain with Satan must be fulfilled, and many will die so Dread can take the throne in his kingdom of over one hundred thousand corrupt souls. He just has to find the right bunch of victims…and it just so happens the best Goth Club in the city is ripe for this bloodthirsty butcher bent on revenge!
Can a group of Goths and wanna-be vampires hold their own when the real thing arrives?
For more information:
http://www.twoboots.com/pioneer/
To order Tickets, please visit:
https://www.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=159522
Stabbed first by Fatally Yours
Posted by Horror Grinder on
October 22, 2008
Good news for Dexter fans, Showtime has picked up the show for two more seasons. The hit series is currently running its third season now, and newer fans can catch-up with the first two seasons on DVD (See below for all you Dexter needs). Also be sure and check out our Scream 2008 Red Carpet coverage, where Dexter’s own Julie Benz made an appearance.
Buy Darkly Dreaming Dexter the book Here
Buy Dearly Devoted Dexter Book Two Here
Buy Dexter in the Dark Book Three
Dexter - The First Season on DVD
Read More Here
Stabbed first by horroryearbook.com
Posted by Horror Grinder on
October 22, 2008
Written by Fatally Yours
Victoria Blake recently launched Underland Press, a publishing house that specializes in dark fiction. Before founding Underland, Blake was editor for Dark Horse Comics, one of the largest independent publishers of comic books and fiction. She worked on series like Aliens, Predator, Lankhmar, and Playboy, as well as original fiction titles.
Blake left her editorial job at Dark Horse to start her own publishing house specifically for weird and dark fiction. Current debut authors for Underland Press include: Bram Stoker Award winner Kealan Patrick Burke, Edgar Award and International Horror Guild Award nominee Brian Evenson, two-time World Fantasy Award winner Jeff VanderMeer, multiple award winner Will Elliott, and husband and wife writing team Berry Verhoef and Esther Verhoef (writing as “Escober”).
Blake and Underland Press are also poised to revolutionize the online publishing world with the “wovel,” a serialized novel whose chapters are posted week by week as the readers decide where the story will go. It’s the choose-your-own-adventure book for the digital age! Underland’s first online-only interactive “wovel” is Bram Stoker Award winner Kealan Patrick Burke’s The Living.
Victoria Blake was gracious enough to take a break from her busy schedule and chat with us a while about Underland Press and her love of dark fiction!
Fatally Yours: Victoria, it certainly is a pleasure! Can you tell us about the most significant book/comic/film that got you into dark fiction/horror in the first place?
Victoria Blake: Oh, that’s easy. Flowers in the Attic. It was a formative book in my childhood.
I was recently at a lecture in which the speaker said that men have a common language in comic books, but that women don’t have the same source texts. No way. Who among our generation hasn’t read V.C. Andrews?
Fatally Yours: How did you get your start in the business?
Victoria Blake: I knew two things when I graduated from college: that I wanted to write, and that I wanted to be able to pay my bills. Those two things led me to journalism, which led me to Portland, which led me to Dark Horse and to prose books.
Fatally Yours: Working for a comic book company like Dark Horse would be a dream for many of our readers! Can you tell us about your time there?
Victoria Blake: It was great fun. For instance, one of my jobs was to make sure that the Predator books were consistent with the rules of the Predator universe. There are big “bibles” of rules for each universe… Star Wars has one and Aliens, etc. Anyway, one of the books had a scene in which the Predator took off his visor and saw in infrared. So the question that occupied my day was: Is infrared vision a product of the visor, or do the Predators see in infrared naturally? I ended up asking Randy Stradley, one of the gurus. He set me straight.
But I don’t want to glamorize the job. I sat at a desk, in a cubicle without windows. I worked on great projects, but I didn’t choose which projects were mine. I was a production editor.
Fatally Yours: How did your time at Dark Horse help prepare you for launching your own publishing house, Underland Press? In what ways were you unprepared?
Victoria Blake: I worked under Rob Simpson at Dark Horse. He taught me everything. He was incredibly generous with his time and his knowledge. I learned by keeping my ears open, being in as many meetings as I could, and asking Rob as many questions as I needed to. I’m very grateful to Rob.
How was I unprepared? Well, I wish I had spent three years in the accounting department, and three years as a printer’s apprentice, and one as a binder’s apprentice, and three years in law school. I wish I had worked at a bookstore during my teenage years instead of at a restaurant. I wish I knew more agents in New York, and that I’d gone to at least twelve more conventions. But I don’t think you can ever be completely prepared. What you need more than anything else is the ability to learn along the way.
Fatally Yours: To you, what is the definition of the kind of dark fiction that Underland Press specializes in?
Victoria Blake: Underland publishes weird, strange, odd, and unsettling fiction. I chose those words to get at the quality that Underland is interested in, not necessarily the marketing niche. The gold standard for the kind of books I publish and want to publish is Brian Evenson’s Last Days. It’s almost flawless, both structurally and stylistically. Brian is a master.
Fatally Yours: With what criteria do you consider novels for publication with Underland Press?
Victoria Blake: First, the book needs to be well written. I can tell within a page or two if the author has control over language. If she doesn’t, I put the book down. Second, the book needs to keep me interested enough to read it after a day at my desk. I do most of my submission reading when I get home, between dinner and bed. Lastly, I need to know how I’d market the book. It does nobody any good if the book is brilliant but I don’t know how to get it into the hands of the readers.
Oh, there’s something else, and something unique to Underland. I also consider how willing the author is to do work online-web serials, ebooks, blogs, podcasts, reader-suggested graphics, etc. Underland aims to be an integrated in print, online publisher. In order to do that, we need authors who understand the power of the web, and want to work within the new rules of the 2.0 world.
Fatally Yours: What are some of your upcoming releases?
Victoria Blake: Brian Evenson’s Last Days! That’s coming out in February. It’s followed by Will Elliott’s The Pilo Family Circus, which is an absolutely crazy read involving a trio of psychotic clowns and an otherworldly circus. It’s fantastic, and I’m not just saying that because I’m the publisher. This is a book I’d be recommending to my friends if I stumbled across it in the bookstore.
We also have a great thriller by Escober called Chaos. This book is Escober’s introduction to the American readership-the book is a bestseller in Dutch, but not yet in English. It’s a fantastic read, very fast and fun.
I’m really looking forward to Jeff VanderMeer’s Finch, too. He’s working on finishing the novel now. I can’t wait to read it.
Fatally Yours: All of those sound great! Cannot wait to check them out myself! With Underland Press you’ve created the “wovel” or web-based novel. How did this idea come about and were you surprised to be the first publishing house to do it?
Victoria Blake: The central idea behind the wovel is to allow readers a stake in the plot. The author posts an installment every Monday. Each installment has a binary plot branch point and a vote button at the end. Readers vote on which direction they think the story should go. The author writes over the weekend, and the new installment is up in time for work on Monday. Response so far has been tremendous. The first installment of Kealan Patrick Burke’s The Living attracted 1,000 readers. We’ve built our standard mailing list to about 600 in just four months. And these are vocal readers, too! I get at least one email a week from somebody with a thought, or who just wants to check in. I love it. I love the community the wovel is building, and I love the twists and turns that the wovel itself has taken.
Am I surprised that Underland is the first to try this? No, not really. It seems to me that book publishing is where the music industry was in 1996-pre-Napster, ready for a change. I expect that publishers will be trying to figure out how to work with the web for a long, long time, and I expect that the innovations will come from my generation of publishers, and the publishers coming up after me. Technology natives. Is that what they call us? But you know about this, as a blogger…
One thing I have to mention here: We have a new wovel starting on November 4-Firstworld by Jemiah Jefferson.
Fatally Yours: In your opinion, what are some recent horror novels and/or authors that have been overlooked yet deserve to be discovered by dark fiction/horror fans?
Victoria Blake: I really like Stefan Petrucha and Paul Whitcover. They both wrote monster books for Dark Horse, and the books were both great. Elizabeth Hand is also fantastic, one of my favorites. She does things I see very few other writers doing.
Fatally Yours: What are you currently reading?
Victoria Blake: Currently reading Joe Landsdale, Yvonne Navarro, Weston Ochse, and Jemiah Jefferson.
Fatally Yours: Do you have a favorite subgenre in dark fiction?
Victoria Blake: I find vampires more interesting than zombies, and serial killers more compelling than aliens, but I think a good story could be made out of any of them. Plus, if I say “vampires,” aren’t I going to piss off the zombie folks?
Fatally Yours: What was the last great horror movie you saw?
Victoria Blake: I know which one I’m about to see…Teeth, the one about vagina dentalis. I don’t know how I missed it, and I don’t know why it took me so long to rent it.
Fatally Yours: Where do you see Underland Press in a few years? What are the goals you hope to accomplish?
Victoria Blake: My main goal is to do right by my authors, to treat everybody I work with well, to keep publishing books I believe in, and to make enough money to keep going. I hope to expand my title list by about two books a year. When I get to twenty titles a year, let’s talk again. I’ll be full of big plans then…
Visit Underland Press’ Official Site!
Stabbed first by Fatally Yours
Posted by Horror Grinder on
October 22, 2008
Hopefully you all caught last night’s Scream 2008 Awards on Spike TV! We will be posting red-carpet coverage soon, but in the meantime, check out the full list of last night’s winners below:
THE ULTIMATE SCREAM
-”The Dark Knight”
BEST FANTASY MOVIE
-”Hellboy II: The Golden Army”
BEST HORROR MOVIE
-”Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
BEST SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE
-”Iron Man”
BEST TV SHOW
-”Dexter”
BEST SUPERHERO
-Christian Bale as Batman; “The Dark Knight”
BEST ACTOR IN A FANTASY MOVIE OR TV SHOW
-Heath Ledger; “The Dark Knight” -
BEST ACTOR IN A HORROR MOVIE OR TV SHOW
Johnny Depp; “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE
-WALL-E; “WALL-E”
BEST ACTRESS IN A HORROR MOVIE OR TV SHOW
-Liv Tyler; “The Strangers”
BEST VILLAIN
- Heath Ledger as The Joker; “The Dark Knight”
BEST ACTRESS IN A FANTASY MOVIE OR TV SHOW
-Angelina Jolie; “Wanted”
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
-Gary Oldman; “The Dark Knight”
THE HOLY S***! SCENE OF THE YEAR
-The Big Rig Flips Over; “The Dark Knight”
MOST MEMORABLE MUTILATION
-Bitten By Vagina With Teeth; “Teeth”
BEST SCREAMPLAY
-”The Dark Knight;” Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan & David S. Goyer
BEST SCREAM TO COMIC ADAPTATION
-”Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season Eight”
BEST SEQUEL
-”The Dark Knight”
BEST DIRECTOR
-Christopher Nolan; “The Dark Knight”
BEST REMAKE
-”Halloween”
BEST ACTOR IN A SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE OR TV SHOW
-Robert Downey Jr.; “Iron Man”
BEST ACTRESS IN A SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE OR TV SHOW
-Milla Jovovich; “Resident Evil: Extinction”
BEST F/X
-”The Dark Knight”
BEST COMIC BOOK
-Y: The Last Man
BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE
-”The Dark Knight”
BEST COMIC BOOK ARTIST
-Gabriel Ba; The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite
BEST COMIC BOOK WRITER
-Grant Morrison; Batman, Final Crisis
MOST SHOCKING COMIC BOOK PLOT TWIST
-The X-Men Disband After Professor X Is Shot In The Head By Bishop; X-Men
BEST LINE
-“I believe whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stranger” (The Joker); “The Dark Knight”
Stabbed first by Fatally Yours
Posted by Horror Grinder on
October 22, 2008
Dimension Films mad a major, major announcement this evening revealing that they’ve greenlit a whopping 18 direct-to-video pics for 2009 release. Within the release they give us a little taste of what’s coming next year and what’s to come beyond that - let’s just say pretty much every film is about to become a major franchise! The only downfall is the exclusive output deal with Blockbuster Video, who still think they have a right to censor films in their stores (pig f*ckers). Read on for the juicy details.
Stabbed first by Bloody-Disgusting Horror News