Horror Movies

The wheeling and dealing at Cannes 2013 is almost over, but one more genre film has landed distro just in the nick of time! Sony Pictures Classics acquired North American rights to Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive just hours before the film's world premiere at the fest. "Only Lovers Left Alive is one of the great Jarmusch pictures, and American audiences will love it," Sony Pictures Classics said in a statement provided to The Wrap. "We are excited to be back with Jim and our great friends [producer] Jeremy Thomas and Tilda Swinton, whose performance, along with the rest of the cast, is fantastic." We also got our hands on some spoilery additional info on the film from Yahoo! News, including the fact that it's more an unusual comedy that puts its own spin on the age-old vampire genre than the angsty drama so many vamp-centric flicks tend to be these days. Related Story: Image Gallery and Artwork Arrive for Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive The last English-language entry competing for the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or, Only Lovers Left Alive stars Tilda Swinton as Eve, a grungy but erudite vampire who's married to a forlorn vampire musician, Adam, played by Tom Hiddleston. Several-hundred-year-old Adam (of Biblical fame) has been living quite happily ever since being expelled from the Garden of Eden--that is, until the 21st century came along with its excesses and greed and pushed him into a full-flung existential crisis. He cracks and orders a wooden bullet to kill himself. Adam and Eve are not about blood-sucking and murder but are refined lovers of literature, science, music, and learning in general. When Eve's estranged sister (Mia Wasikowska) "drinks" Ian, a friend, to death, Eve tells her off, saying that in the 21st century people won't understand such barbarity. It's not like they can just dump the bodies in the Thames with the tuberculosis sufferers like in old times, she says. Now, in the 21st century, they get their blood from the transfusion section of a hospital. Alongside this, John Hurt plays a vampire Christopher Marlowe, who's still bitter that Shakespeare became more famous. In the film vampires elegantly cover their mouths and have a strange ritual with gloves that goes unexplained, but at heart it's the story of Adam and Eve, who try to rekindle their love despite living in different places, he in Detroit and she in Tangiers. It is as touching as it is odd. The love story between immortal beings also raised philosophical questions for leading man Hiddleston, who said playing Adam was a "fascinating prospect" — a chance to break away from his more conventional superhero roles like Loki in 2011's Marvel Studios film Thor. "The idea of exploring love in the context of immortality — is (it) a blessing because it recurs, and what does that do to your commitments?" he said. It took Jarmusch seven years to find a backer, and he explains why: "I wanted to make a vampire love story... The reason it took so long was that no one wanted to give us the money. It's getting more and more and more difficult for films that are maybe a little unusual or not predictable or not satisfying the expectations of everybody — which is the beauty of cinema, discovering new films of all forms." Hear, hear, Jim! And kudos to Sony Pictures Classics for taking a chance on it as well. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Put the bite on in the comments section below!

.Maybe this was inevitable. Maybe it's just me. Either way, the Blu-ray format has become stale. Which feels strange to say since I was an early adopter of Blu-ray (and HD DVD), possess two players, and a couple hundred BDs. I also championed the formats and understand their merit as a potentially fantastic means of home entertainment. I can talk your face off with a litany of technical mumbo-jumbo regarding Blu-ray and put up a good argument as to why you should buy into it if you haven't already.Yet lately I find myself not caring as nearly as much about the format. It's gotten to the point that it's tough to fathom paying even twenty bucks for a single movie on disc. It's not a cash or Netflix issue, it's more a "why pay that much nowadays" issue. And I can hear it now, "Dude, do you realize how much DVDs were when they first came out?" Of course, remember all those Anchor Bay horror multi-packs of previously released individual titles a couple years ago? Yep, I bought all those when new when they averaged twenty-five to thirty a pop. That might be a big part of the reason. There comes a certain point where you start wondering about weird abstracts like how and when a given film was shot versus the benefit of seeing it in 1080p or simply whether it's worth upgrading to the Blu-ray over the good ol' DVD. Even with brand new titles, if the movie was shot to look dull as dish water, I'll gladly opt for the standard def coaster and save a couple bucks.Then there's dealing with the marketplace reality of the format compared to its technical potential. As time has passed, Blu-ray has become less a means providing a truly premium viewing experience to being another home video medium to move product. Naturally, that's what it always has been, but there's been this ongoing "settling effect" between what purists want and what the general public accepts as enough quality to warrant buying Blu-rays. So more-and-more I find myself disappointed in new titles with regards to their video quality. Good but not great is the new mantra...Not to pick on Scream Factory, they have some great titles, but their output so far has exhibited this phenomena. Much like the U.K.'s Arrow Video, SF seem to place more focus on cranking out titles and getting the presentation surrounding the movie itself perfect. The problem is that they don't appear to be concentrating on providing definitive video transfers and as far as I can tell all of their titles have utilized licensor-provided HD masters (like Universal and MGM). In other words, they haven't created any new masters from fresh telecines, only pre-existing ones of varying quality and age.Take their They Live Blu-ray for example, the same pasty transfer wouldn't have received such high marks by most BD review sites if weren't for the extras, the nifty cover, and attractive slipcover. It would be another wishy-washy BD effort from Universal if they had handled it instead. That's the thing, most can't seem to resist the thrill of "Wow, [insert cult classic] is coming to Blu-ray!" while heaping praise upon Scream Factory for the simple fact they're releasing favorites to get to the heart of the matter.Better than DVD but mediocre for Blu-ray simply isn't good enough. I'm tired of the whole inevitably double or triple-dip game, if the quality isn't there from a master created years ago, it doesn't matter how cool the cover or extras are. I'll wait until the film's treated right and that goes for all Blu-ray releases. I'm not expecting something shot decades ago to look like 2011 material, but I want the best approximation currently possible of what the film material actually looks like represented on Blu-ray. No digital tampering or filtering.If anyone can recall the days of LaserDisc and early days of DVD, you may remember how willing major studios were with licensing out even their big titles to smaller distributors. Eventually, once the DVD format really began cranking, this willingness contracted and s

Tales From The CryptkeeperSeason 2, Episode 05All The Gory DetailsAfter the Cryptkeeper and the Vaultkeeper fight for dominance at the local newsstand, Crypty tells us today's terror tale, All The Gory Details.Two newspaper reporters--one a newbie, and one an experienced pro--venture into Smalltown America in search of a mad scientist who has supposedly been attempting to create artificial life for the past five decades or so. Everything seems quaint and perfect in the area. Perhaps a little too perfect.In short order, they find themselves investigating a mysterious abode where they find much more than they're looking for...It's a decent episode, nothing fantastic but better than a lot of the others in the series. There are a few cool monster designs, even if a few of them are absolutely inexplicable. Does that Frankenstein monster have eight fingers on each hand? That hardly seems necessary.--J/Metro

It was 21 years ago this week that Alien 3 opened in theaters. Since Alien 3 didn’t spawn any music videos, I’m instead forced to go with Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil’s theme song to Encino Man, the other movie that opened on May 22, 1992. Ah, May 22, 1992: The night I saw a double feature of Alien 3 and Encino Man. I remember being so excited for Alien 3 - then I actually saw it. Yeah, I know there are many of you out there ready to rush to the defense of Alien 3 - save your breath. That’s one you’ll never be able to sell me on. Wanna know how much I disliked Alien 3? I was so let down exiting the theater that I turned right back around, bought a ticket for Encino Man, and ended up enjoying it far more. That’s how bored and depressed I felt watching Alien 3. And that’s really saying something because if you’ve ever seen a few minutes of Encino Man in the two decades since, I’ll just politely note that it doesn’t hold up. Before Brendan Fraser fought mummies, he was the one being awakened from a deep sleep, as an unfrozen caveman thawed out by Samwise and Pauley Shore, whose short-lived movie career was once best summarized by Bobcat Goldthwait when he said, “I guess the kids need a new Ernest?” The clueless caveman is brought to school as an exchange student, where wackiness ensues as he helps Sam… er, Sean Astin defeat the school bully and score with Full Moon movie cutie Megan Ward. Robin Tunney, however, still to this day remains unamused by the antics of “The Weasel”. Somewhere between the Crüe breaking up and getting back together and before he would enjoy a new career as a reality star on VH1’s “Rock of Love,” Vince Neil’s solo music career churned out “You’re Invited (But Your Friend Can’t Come),” the title track to the Encino Man soundtrack. The official music video sees Pauley Shore crashing a Vince Neil performance and eventually succeeding in getting invited into his dressing room with all the hot girls. The ending is even more depressing than Alien 3. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Rock out in the comments section below.

If you're a book collector who's always on the lookout for special editions... even more so if they're signed by the authors, then read on for details of a new release coming from Cemetery Dance of Brian Hodge's Dark Advent, a post-apocalyptic novel due out later this year. From the Press Release: We're pleased to announce we'll be publishing a signed Limited Edition hardcover of Dark Advent by Brian Hodge, his epic 550-page end of the world novel, featuring stunning wrap-around cover artwork by Vincent Chong; and for the next week only we're offering FREE SHIPPING within the US! Published in two states: • Hardcover Limited Edition of 750 copies signed by the author, bound in full-cloth and Smyth sewn ($50) • Traycased Lettered Edition of 52 signed and lettered copies bound in leather with a satin ribbon page marker ($200) Special features exclusive to this Collector's Edition: • epic cover artwork by Vincent Chong • special afterword by the author • deluxe oversized design with a 7" X 10" trim size • extremely collectible print run • four color illustrated signature sheets Synopsis: It arrives without warning: a devastating plague, the medieval Black Death weaponized for the age of global terrorism. Like a biblical pestilence, this plague sweeps through modern civilization almost overnight, destroying good and evil alike, leaving only a handful of survivors to make their way through an empty landscape and face the unknown horrors awaiting them in a savage new world. In a deserted St. Louis department store, a few survivors band together to begin again. But beyond their temporary haven, an evil is stirring. An evil that preys upon human weakness for its own twisted ends. Soon, all that stands between the reborn world and a reign of insanity is this unlikely fortress of humanity, armed with what can be found on a department store shelf and what courage they can muster to battle a monstrous, merciless scourge... For more info, including pre-ordering details, visit the Cemetery Dance website. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Battle the monstrous and merciless in the comments section below.

Troy Escamilla's Fright Meter Awards have grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years. And now the online horror awards have found a home for their inaugural live ceremony… Florida's Pensacon! From the Press Release The Fright Meter Awards Organization is excited to announce that Pensacon will be hosting the 2013 Fright Meter Awards inaugural ceremony. The event will be presented as part of Pensacon’s main programming on Saturday, February 22, 2014, in Pensacola, Florida. Pensacon is a multi-genre convention for fans of horror, sci-fi, comics, anime, gaming and more. It will be held at the Crowne Plaza Grand Hotel in downtown Pensacola the weekend of February 21-23, 2014, and feature guests including Tom Savini, Kane Hodder, Lew Temple, Peter Mayhew, Walter Koenig, Dirk Benedict and more. As the official host of the Fright Meter Awards Ceremony, Pensacon hopes to position the awards as the preeminent honor of the horror genre, which has long been ignored by mainstream award organizations. Now in their seventh year, the Fright Meter Awards are presented annually by the Fright Meter Awards Organization, dedicated solely to honoring and recognizing excellence within the horror genre. The nominees and winners are determined by members of the Fright Meter Awards Committee. Past winners of the Fright Meter Award include John Cusack, Chloe Grace Moretz, Rutger Hauer and Marcia Gay Harden. The Fright Meter Award Committee consists of horror fans, bloggers, actors, producers, directors and others involved in the industry. The aim is to select and nominate worthy films regardless of budget, means of release or popularity. The Fright Meter Awards Organization intends to make the Fright Meter Award one of the most prestigious horror awards given. For more information on the Fright Meter Awards, visit the official Fright Meter Awards website; and for more on Pensacon, visit the official Pensacon website. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Find a new home in the comments section below!

Hi everyone at Kindertrauma, Psychonator here, I’ve followed this blog for years and have contributed to solving a few Name That Traumas. I thought I’d share a kindertrauma of my own. I was a sickly kid and would contract the flu at least three times during the long Michigan winters. I also had (have) a very vivid imagination (my brother called me “impressionable,” a term he got off of the back of the “Disney’s Sounds of the Haunted House” which creeped the bejesus out of me.) But I digress. Being home-bound, a latch key kid, I’d entertain myself between bouts of vomitting by watching day time TV. There was one particular cartoon (this would’ve been mid to late sixties) that set with me wrong. It was “Tales of the Wizard of OZ.” Totally creepy. Every episode was frought with downbeat drama. All the characters were drawn in a surreal, unnatural way, especially for this time period. The “Munchkins,” if I recall correctly, looked like fat rain drops with arms and legs. For some reason, I always watched this when I was sick; so, sort of like only ever having drank Seven Up when I was sick, this cartoon (and the taste of Seven Up) cannot be seperated from the light headed feeling of a high fever and the seasick feeling of a sour stomach! The theme song is uber creepy to me to this day. The background music harkins back to the appearance of the wicked witch from the classic movie (not such a good choice, IMHO). The first scene shows the Tin Man pulling a prank on the Cowardly Lion, punching him in the kisser and making him cry. I think I need a Zoloft.

“One of Our Planets is Missing” by original series director Marc Daniels is another superb early episode of Filmation’s Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973 – 1974). The episode is not only true to Star Trek’s spirit of adventure and decency in the face of dangerous alien contact, but forward-looking in its approach to its subject matter. The episode also maintains remarkable continuity with the established Trek universe. In “One of Our Planets is Missing” a “huge cosmic cloud” moves into the "outer fringe of the galaxy.” This cloud is a “strange combination of matter and energy” and quickly consumes an uninhabited planet. Worse, it is on a direct course for a world of eighty million colonists: Mantilles. Captain Kirk (William Shatner) orders the Enterprise to investigate, and takes the ship inside the strange cloud. Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Dr. McCoy (De Forest Kelley) soon realize that the cloud is alive, and possibly intelligent. Spock likens the space-going organism to a “bull grazing in the pasture of the universe,” a bull who may be unaware that it is harming other life-forms. With only hours remaining before Mantilles is consumed by the cloud, Captain Kirk must consider destroying the organism’s brain, but Spock attempts a Vulcan “mind-touch” and contacts the alien being in hopes of reaching some kind of agreement. He allows the cloud entity to see life through his eyes, and recognize that it is destroying life-forms with its basic, biological behavior. The alien understands Spock’s message of peace and cooperation, and pledges to return to its “origin place” outside the galaxy. “One of Our Planets is Missing” charts the Enterprise’s encounter with a mysterious space cloud, a sort of scintillating alien rendezvous that would recur, with some variation, in films such as Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) and episodes such as Star Trek: Voyager’s “The Cloud.” Here, the cloud is not cloaking a vast life-form (as is the case in the first movie), but is an actual life-form unaware that its behavior may be interpreted as hostile. In the best tradition of Star Trek stories, this alien -- once it learns of its behavior – seeks a peaceful end to the crisis. No phasers are fired. No punches are thrown. With its female voice (provided by the late Majel Roddenberry), the Cloud here also evokes memories of another benevolent cloud being, the Companion from the episode “Metamorphosis.” In "One of Our Planets is Missing," Spock uses the Vulcan mind-touch to give the cloud a sense of humanoid life, a development which recalls not only “Metamorphosis” (and Commissioner Hedford) but some moments in the third season Star Trek episode “Is There in Truth No Beauty?” Here, however, the entity in Spock’s body not only gets to “feel” and “touch” human life, but through a video presentation on a view screen, gazes at human life on Earth. It sees cities, children playing and other aspects of our existence. In terms of continuity, “One of Our Planets is Missing” is rather amazing, especially for a Saturday morning production in 1973. Kirk contacts the governor of Mantilles, Bob Wesley, a character seen in live-action in the second season episode “The Ultimate Computer.” We learn that Wesley left Starfleet for politics, and now lives on Mantilles with his eleven-year old daughter, Katie. This is a great character touch that connects the animated series to its live-action predecessor, and not in a gimmicky or exploitative way. Also in “One of Our Planets is Missing,” Kirk grapples with the necessity of killing the cloud to save the population of Mantilles, and verbally references his speech from “A Taste of Armageddon” about deciding “not to kill…today.” It’s a deliberate call-back to a great (and under-appreciated episode), and also a good re-assertion of Kirk’s essential humanity.

The Peter Cushing Centennial Blogathon : Day One

Looking forward to Season 6 of "True Blood" but maybe a little hazy on what exactly went down in Season 5? Well, nip that short-term memory loss problem in the bud with this nifty five-minute recap video courtesy of HBO. Season 6 picks up immediately after last year's bloody finale, which found Sookie (Anna Paquin) and Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) attempting to escape a very scary--and very naked--Bill (Stephen Moyer, who also directed the premiere episode). Joining the "True Blood" regulars this year are guest stars Rutger Hauer, Arliss Howard, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rob Kazinsky, Karolina Wydra, Luke Grimes, and Amelia Rose Blaire. Related Story: New "True Blood" Season 6 Teaser Home to Governor Burrell's Anti-Vamp Tirade; #ShowYourFangs Campaign Launches The battle between humans and vampires begins on June 16th at 9PM, when "True Blood" Season 6 premieres. Tweet or Instagram a photo of yourself using #ShowYourFangs to tell the world that you stand with the bloodsuckers. Visit ShowYourFangs.com for more info. For more info visit "True Blood" on HBO.com, "like" "True Blood" on Facebook, and jump in on the Twitter conversations here using the hashtag #trueblood. VISIT THE EVILSHOP @ AMAZON! Got news? Click here to submit it! Show us your fangs in the comments section below!