Happy Valentine's Day! Candy, Flowers and bludgeoning! Entertainment Weekly has posted some last-minute suggestions of horror films that are fitting for the occasion. Of course, if you're not feeling particularly sappy, you could just dive right in to Zombie Holocaust or The Human Centipede 2. Whatever fits your mood.
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I don't know about you but when I hear Guillermo del Toro's name, I perk up a little. Ever since I watched The Devil's Backbone (like 20 years ago - I'm old), I've paid close attention to his work. I loved the Hellboy movies and appreciate his way of making "fairy tales" for an adult audience, which is how I viewed The Shape of Water, Don't Be Afriad Of The Dark and naturally, Pan's Labyrinth. Let's also not forget his co-penned "The Strain" trilogy which spawned a successful TV show. It gave us a whole new breed of vampire lore. Take that, Twilight! Whether he's directing, producing, writing or lending artistic direction, del Toro is a certified powerhouse, which is why I'm really looking forward to Antlers. At face value you might take it as Rudolph Gets Rabies (Claimed it!) but this movie looks certifiably gory and suspenseful. With the buzz and praise that The Ritual (a movie also featuring a wild, mythical beast-monster) has been getting, which I enjoyed, I have a lot of high hopes for Antlers. Now just to pass the time for 2 months... I'm disappointed. Really disappointed. Rick Moranis's unforgettable Louis Tully would have been the final addition of original (living) cast members returning for Ghostbusters: Aftermath. Yet we were disappointed to learn Moranis appeared to be sticking with his vow to retire from acting (aside from voice acting an an occasional cameo); he passed on the return. So it was with head-scratching news today that it was announced he will be reprising his role as Wayne Szalinski in a "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids" sequel / reboot. He'll do THIS, but not Ghostbusters?! At the time if it's release, "Honey" offered some great effects using large props, camera perspective trickery and fairly advanced animatronics. Theatrical success lead to two sequels - a less engaging "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid" and the unnecessary, lower budgeted "Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves" - and a 4D experience in Disney parks. No doubt Disney will cough up some cash for this new title but let's not forget, Ghostbusters: Afterlife will be no small ordeal. Jason Reitman, son of Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, is directing and again, all other original cast members are returning to make sure the torch is passed in the best way possible. It almost feels as if the void of Rick Moranis (and of course Harold Ramis) could be the only thing making it feel incomplete. Still - I'll go into Ghostbusters: Aftermath hoping for a sweet surprise in which Louis Tully locks himself out of his apartment one last time. So this one caught my eye - Women in Horror Month: Top 13 Final Girls posted by But Why Tho? So here's the list:
I like the Scream movies just as much as anyone else who was in their teens during the Miramax Horror boom. Ghostface has certainly become a horror icon...but c'mon. Sidney and Gale as #2 and #1? The author of the original article seems to be expecting some heat for that. In my opinion, especially from these candidates, Laurie Strode should be #1. Not only has she survived Michael through numerous movies and branching timelines, but the latest installment showed us that she is prepared for anything. She knows how to stay one step ahead of Michael and she transformed her house into a deathtrap (though with the coming sequels, perhaps not well enough). So I ran across another list from WhatCulture and I have to give it a thumbs up because they really have noted a few good diamonds in the rough that I too highly recommend. First off - The Void. This movie exceeded my expectations by far. To be transparent about this, I am a big Lovecraft fan, down to the original fiction, to inspired art and various means of gaming (Arkham Horror, Arkham Horror LCG, Mansions of Madness, Call of Cthulhu (video game)...I'm not an RPG person, but there's a plethora of content there. Anyhow - The Void. This was simply bizarre, disgusting and intriguing all at once. On a macro level, I'd say it kind of reminded me of not-so-family-friendly Stranger Things with a little sprinkle of cross-dimensional cultism. The effects were fantastic and it carries a high production value for a small release movie. Also on here - Starry Eyes. This movie blew me away and firmed my belief that Alex Essoe very well could become a household name soon enough. I was not at all surprised that she was cast to play the iconic Wendy Torrance in Doctor Sleep, although disappointingly it was a minimal flashback role (in the theatrical release at least). Starry Eyes let's you feel the dirty grit of Hollywood and the desperation it can bring upon someone to make it in the film industry. Of course, this is not an original idea but Starry Eyes puts a firm horror spin on that plot line. While it is a "How far will you go to make it?" story, it's very stylized and brings about a fairly grotesque and unique ending. I loved it. Also on the list - The Invitation, The Autopsy of Jane Doe and Train To Busan. Bloody Disgusting has compiled a list of the best 15 Horror performances of the past year. The clear "winning film" on this list would easily be The Lighthouse, with both Willem Defoe and Robert Pattinson appearing as #1 and #3, respectively. The top 5 is also rounded out with Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) and Florence Pugh (Midsommar) at #4 and #5. Though I'd argue those two should be switched in the ranks at the very least, they're both good calls either way. In terms of acting, I think Florence Pugh was incredible, displaying her constant state of mental anguish in Midsommar, while although it was clearly a fun role, Samara Weaving had the less complex victim-turned-badass bride role. Bill Hadar and James Ransone appear further down the list for It: Chapter 2. Bill Hader - definitely. James Ransone...eh....he did a good job portraying the adult Eddie but nothing groundbreaking going on. My question is why isn't Rebecca Ferguson on this list for Doctor Sleep? Who else should be on this list? So, at the moment there doesn't seem to be much information available, but with the recent efforts to reboot their classic monster movies, Universal is scripting something titled "Monster Mash," according to Horror Cult Films, SlashFilm, and others. There are little to no details out there, other than it will be directed by the same guy that made CeeLo's "Fuck You" video. O-K...?
This one should cause some debate. Fansided listed their top 5 female horror villains, putting Annie Wilkes at #5, while giving #1 to Samara. Eh...really? What about Angela Baker from Sleepaway Camp? Carrie? Baby? Throw your nomination in the comments! Remember the scoreboard from Cabin in the Woods? How about the edge-to-edge writing in those notebooks in Se7en? Here's an article that goes back and points out some fun details easily overlooked or unappreciated in some iconic horror movies. LINK - Whatculture.com It’s no secret that a few of us are big Rob Zombie fans so of course we went to night 1 of 3 From Hell’s theatrical release.
While sadly, Sid Haig has very little screen time due to surgery and physical rehab taking place right before filming, it was still fulfilling to see the relentless, murdering trio on screen again. Richard Brake steps in as the Firefly siblings’ half brother, Foxy, who is just as deranged as they are. After all, disregard for human life runs in the family. While seeing a new face in the trio takes a few minutes of getting used to, he quickly proves himself to be one of the fam. Bill Moseley seamlessly returns as Otis, just as we last saw him back in 2005. He has perfected this character, offering the same unyielding path of destruction while being utterly hilarious- at least for those of us with a sick sense of humor. I think I could watch Otis in just about any setting and be entertained. The star of the show is unquestionably Baby, once again portrayed by Sheri Moon Zombie. Her performance was outstanding. In the previous films, Baby is clearly disturbed, toying with her victims and flaunting herself to her prey. This time, Sheri kicks it up to 11. Baby is absolutely psychotic now - so much so that at one point Otis even acknowledges it. Sheri was absolutely incredible and I hope she receives legitimate recognition for this performance. The interesting thing I thought about after this movie was that we usually root for the bad guy - Jason, Freddy, Michael. On the other hand, we accept the fact that their fate is sealed before the movie has even begun. Since we left The Devil’s Rejects assuming the trio had certainly died, it was an exciting to see them on screen once again. This movie brought a lot of anticipation for me while watching because not only did I find myself rooting for them, but crossing my fingers, hoping they make it out alive. I cringed much more when they were in danger than either of their victims. It’s a very interesting paradigm that Rob Zombie has created. Or maybe I’m just a sick person. Sorry - no spoilers here. The movie is very entertaining and graphic. A winning combination! Check it out. -Todd |
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