Monday, December 29, 2008

Holiday Horrors...

...or, A Few Things I Watched Over the Course of the Past Couple Weeks...



Christmas Evil

The fine folks at Exhumed Films recently had their "Ho-Ho-Horrors" double feature, and this was the first film. Director Lewis Jackson was there to introduce it (shown on his personal 35mm print - the only one in existence), and for a post-film Q&A. A reel of deleted scenes was also shown.

Interesting stuff. Overall, I enjoyed it. I wouldn't really call Christmas Evil (or You Better Watch Out, as Mr. Jackson originally titled it) a horror film, but it certainly is dark and disturbing. An odd little film. Worth seeing if odd little films appeal to you.



Silent Night Deadly Night

Ah yes, the infamous slasher classic. This was the second half of the Exhumed double feature.

I remember the controversy over this when it came out in 1984. Or at least I remember this being THE film my friends & I just HAD to find a way to see once it hit video stores a year or two later.

Flash forward to 2008. It hasn't held up too well, although it does have some moments (the "antler" scene is, of course, an exploitation classic). But it sure was fun to see with a crowd.



Santa's Slay

After hearing about this one for the past couple years, I decided to give it a shot. It's a stupid/fun movie, about 65% stupid, 35% stupid fun. Former wrestler & current MMA commentator Bill Goldberg is a killer Santa Claus, who visits the township of Hell to wreak some havoc. The amped-up bison-reindeer was a nice touch. Could've been better, could've been worse.


Don't Open Till Christmas

Instead of a killer Santa, we have someone killing anyone dressed as Santa. The only word that comes to mind is dulllll. With 5 L's. Seriously - Avoid this if you can.



Jack Frost

Another one that fits into the stupid/fun category. On the way to his execution, convicted murderer Jack Frost crosses paths with some experimental genetic material, and the snow outside, and mutates into a killer snowman. If they could have put some more money into the effects - specifically the snowman - this would have been more fun. But as it is, it's mostly stupid. And yet, I'd sit through 10 screenings of this before watching Don't Open Till Christmas again.


Tales From The Darkside: "Seasons of Belief"

This episode definitely has some Darkside cheese, but overall, I like it. It's Christmas Eve and the kids won't go to sleep. So Mom & Dad decide to tell them the story of The Grither - a monster headed right for their house from the North Pole. The sense of dread builds as the story progresses, which is nice, but the ending is a bit expected and abrupt. Worth seeing if you can catch it, though.



Tales From The Crypt: "And All Through The House"

I love this. Silent Night Deadly Night wishes it could be this episode of Tales From the Crypt. I'm a big fan of the original comic story (from the Vault of Horror - not Tales From the Crypt) - especially the Johnny Craig art - and this version definitely does justice to the original. The same tale was tackled for part of the 1972 Tales From the Crypt movie, but it's not as good as this one. Highly recommended for any sort of Christmas gathering.



Black Christmas

And here we go, back to the beginning - The original holiday slasher film! Actually, it's not that Christmasy, but it is pretty creepy, even after 34 years. I never saw the remake, but I'm fairly confident it's not as good as the original. If you haven't seen this one, do yourself a favor & rent it before the holidays roll around again. For extra impact, be sure to watch it alone, at night, in a big dark house.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

New work

Where did November go? Seriously - I'm still thinking Halloween thoughts, mashed up from time to time with visions of Santa Claus...

Anyway, I just uploaded some new work to the main site. Check the graphic design & hand-drawn sections for our Halloween party invitation, a "cursed" beer label, and this:

And be sure to check out the Uprising if you're in Philly this Friday or Saturday.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Halloween 2008


Behold! My 2008 Halloween music mix!

Tracklist:

Count Chocula Intro
Munster Beat! - Martinibomb & the Coconut Monkeyrocket
Walk Like A Zombie - Horrorpops
The Horrror - RJD2
Spider Baby theme - Lon Chaney Jr. & Ronald Stein
Undead Rock And Roll Music - The Brickbats
I Can Kill You In A Heartbeat My Dear (acoustic) - The Spookshow
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde - The Who
Deviltown - Groovie Ghoulies
Attack of the 60 ft Lesbian Octopus - Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Vampire Bat - Wesley Willis
Billy's Dead - Deadbolt
Zombie Hop - Zombina & The Skeletones
Organ Donor - DJ Shadow
Evil Dead (Only Movies Mix) - Monkey Farm Frankenstein
I Was A Teenage Werewolf - the Cramps
Vampire - Antsy Pants
Zombies Ate Her Brain - The Creepshow
Dinner With Drac - Zacherle
Diabolo's Theme - The Ghastly Ones
The Creep - The Vampires (Milton DeLugg)
Die You Zombie Bastards - Count Smokula
Trick Or Treat - Nekromantix
Bloodfeast - Misfits
My Teacher Is A Werewolf - Harry and the Potters
House Of 1000 Corpses - Rob Zombie
Elvira Outro

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Halloween 2005 - part 3

The madness continues! Here's the third and final chapter of my Halloween music mix from 2005. (Stay tuned for the 2008 mix tomorrow)

Tracklist:

Danny Elfman - Tales From The Crypt (Main Title)
Rob Zombie featuring The Ghastly Ones - Halloween (She Get So Mean)
The Brickbats - Too Many Vampires
Ghoul Squad - Bride of Frankenstein
Ex-Voto - Transylvania Twist (edit)
The Diamonds - Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein or Dracula
Monster Magnet - Goliath and the Vampires
Rasputina - Transylvanian Concubine
Everclear - Halloween Americana
The Woggles - Dracula's Daughter
Rob Zombie - How To Make A Monster (Kitty's Purrrrformance Mix)
Gorillaz - Dracula
The Hollywood Flames - Frankenstein's Den
Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)
The Cramps - Zombie Dance
Famous Monsters - Blood of Frankenstein
Coil - The Hellraiser Theme
Misfits - Skulls
Satan's Pilgrims - Gravewalk
Johnathan Richman - Vampire Girl
Plateau - Creeper

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Halloween 2005 - part 2


Shock! Horror! The second part of my 2005 monster music mix!

Tracklist:

Reverend Horton Heat - The Halloween Dance
The Ghastly Ones - Ghastly Stomp
Misfits - Horror Hotel
Famous Monsters - The Werewolf Wiggle
Oneiroid Psychosis - October
The Madeira - Theme from "Young Frankenstein"
The Birthday Party - Release The Bats
Bobby "Boris" Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers - Monster Mash
Rob Zombie - Dragula (Hot Rod Herman Remix)
Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead (Live Version)
Los Straitjackets - Rockula
The Brickbats - Do The Dead Girl
Misfits - Vampira
The Boss Martians - Have You Ever Seen...?
The Residents - Phantom
Los Pelegrinos Negros - El Monster Surfin' Time
The Legendary Invisible Men - Spooks Night Out
The Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein
Voltaire - The Vampire Club

Monday, October 27, 2008

Halloween 2005 - part 1


Back in 2004, I decided to put together a Halloween mix CD for a handful of friends. I ended up running out of time, and didn't actually finish it until the following year. Of course by then it had ballooned to a 3-disc set - which was somewhat fortuitous, as I didn't have the time to put anything together in '06 or '07.

I put together a new mix this year, which I'll get to in a few days. For now, though, here's a link to the first disc of the 2005 mix. Enjoy.

Tracklist:

Rob Zombie - Everybody Scream
The Bomboras - A Fistful of Terror
The Citizens of Halloween - This Is Halloween
The Swingin' Neckbreakers - No Costume, No Candy
Comateens - The Munsters Theme
Misfits - Ghouls Night Out
Southern Culture On The Skids - Werewolf
Siouxsie & The Banshees - Halloween
Jumpin' Gene Simmons - Haunted House
Ministry - Everyday is Halloween
Satan's Pilgrims - Frankenstomp
MX-80 - Theme From "Halloween"
Famous Monsters - International Monster Presentation
Type O Negative - Black No. 1 (edit)
The Chimps - It's The Mummy!
Wumpscut - Witches' Dance
Ghoul Squad - Abracadaver
Misfits - Halloween
The LeRoi Brothers - Zombie Rumble
The Ghastly Ones - Haulin' Hearse
Converter - Zombi

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Exhumed

It's not the greatest photo, but here's what last year's poster for Exhumed Films' 24hr Horror Marathon looked like. I got a copy of it from the artist, but mine's printed in green glow-in-the-dark ink on black paper. Oh yeah.

They're doing it again this year - the marathon, that is - but I have yet to see a poster anywhere in town...

Friday, October 24, 2008

I Luv Halloween

I Luv Halloween is an odd, twisted thing - the story of a group of kids (Finch, Mr. Kitty, Pig Pig, Devil Lad, and Moochie) who meet up every year to go trick or treating, and wind up encountering everything from Aliens to Zombies. Actually, that description doesn't really do this series justice. It's a bit stranger than your typical Halloween story.

Anyway, a special edition of this American-made manga was just released, collecting all 3 volumes (in a slightly larger format, and now in full color), plus a handful of extras.

But before that, Tokyopop started releasing two different video series - a CG animated series, and an "iManga" series, which is basically moving comic book pages with sound. Doesn't look like either series reached a proper conclusion, but you can see what there is to see right here.


Wednesday, October 22, 2008

TZ


Somebody's been putting classic Twilight Zone images up around Philadelphia. I spotted this one from "Eye of the Beholder" recently. Prior to that I saw an image from "The Masks" repeated several times along the same wall - but when I returned with my camera, they were gone.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Frankenbucket


When I was young, my mom found one of these at a yard sale, and brought it home to feed my already feverish love of horror movie monsters. For years I stored my collection of markers and colored pencils inside - never daring to use it on Halloween (the handle was long gone anyway). Wish I knew what happened to it...

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Chris Mars

Some amazing, and very Halloween-appropriate, paintings by Chris Mars. A book of his work, entitled Tolerance, was just published. Enjoy.





Thursday, October 16, 2008

Cubeecraft


Check out Cubeecraft for some fun papercraft figures. All free downloads, and no tape or glue required.

Friday, October 10, 2008

The Peoria Plague

This used to be available from the Zombie Astronaut's page, but it looks like his site's undergoing some surgery... So I thought I'd share the wealth a bit. "The Peoria Plague" is a fine radio drama from the early 70s - a living dead tale done "War of the Worlds" style. So if you're a fan of Old Time Radio & Romero movies, this is definitely worth a listen. Get it here.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Monster Appeal

One of my favorite paintings - "The Spectre of Monster Appeal", by Todd Schorr. Every now & then, I wish I was Leonardo DiCaprio, just so I could say I owned this amazing work.

Monday, October 06, 2008

Deliciously gruesome

Thai artist Kittiwat Unarrom makes bread in the form of body parts. Feast your eyes on some of his work...



And there's a few minutes of video here.

Sunday, October 05, 2008

A-Haunting We Will Go-Go...

A year ago tonight I finally got to see one of my favorite bands. The Ghastly Ones came to Asbury, NJ, and I somehow convinced my friend Frank to take a trip up north. 'Twas great fun - The Crimson Ghosts, The Brimstones, The Nebulas, and The Ghastlys, all playing on a small stage in the middle of a bowling alley. Creepy green lights, fuzzy sound, horror movies in the background, and the entire event emceed by Mr. Dead Guy. Hopefully I'll get to see them again someday. A few pics from the show are below.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

A Nightmare On 21st Street

This sign hangs in front of an apartment building in Philadelphia, down the street from where I used to live. Always wondered what the story was, beyond the owner being an obvious horror fan...

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Zombie CSU

Jonathan Maberry's "Zombie CSU" has been out for a month now, but I didn't get to pick it up until tonight. Lucky me, I purchased it at a zombie panel discussion with the author & friends. A very entertaining evening. Discussion topics covered civil response, potential causes, fast vs. slow, best vs. worst, and a lady in the audience asking the panel if they agreed that the "scariest movie ever was The Wolfman Vs. Frankenstein". She also wondered why we didn't see more "zombies in moonlight". And for a moment, she seemed genuinely concerned that a zombie outbreak might be an imminent possibility. Anyway, I came home with the book, and a handful of gummy body parts.