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Showing posts from November, 2011

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

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Searching for new and interesting horror is often a challenge. Lately, the movie industry (especially in the horror genre) has fallen into an uninventive cycle full of remakes and sequels. However, sometimes even mainstream filmmakers can hit a home run. To me, one such film is Drag Me to Hell from 2009. Plot/ A loan officer who evicts an old woman from her home finds herself the recipient of a supernatural curse. Desperate, she turns to a seer to try to save her soul, while evil forces work to push her to a breaking point. The first time I watched this I liked it. The second time, I liked it even more. Yes, the storyline was a bit cliché, but it had just the right mixture of the basic premise with some innovative twists to make it quite enjoyable. The acting was solid, the atmosphere creepy and the effects were memorable (even the CGI was decent).   Sure, there were some bump here and there, but those are easily overlooked. In the end, this is one of the

Beetlejuice (1988)

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On Thanksgiving, I had to chance to watch a flick with my brother, Matt. With the kids around, it had to be something mild, so in the end, we settled on the 1988 Tim Burton dark comedy Beetlejuice! Just in time as I have read that, Beetlejuice 2 has a green light for production!   Plot/ A couple of recently deceased ghosts contract the services of a "bio-exorcist" in order to remove the obnoxious new owners of their house. This Tim Burton entry may possibly be his best and most memorable work. This twisted look at the afterlife is fun and has just the right mixture of darkness and comedy to make it both enjoyable and memorable. The characters are sound, the all-star cast works great together, the storyline is solid and the acting works (it should with Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis and Winona Ryder). Sure, some of the stop-motion effects may seem a bit dated today, but overall it holds up well. Yes, some will say the plot is anti-clima

Vintage Marvel Trading Cards and More

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Now that things have calmed down some and we have got a lot more stuff into our small Scarlet Circus Side Show booth in one of the local antique stores, I have had a chance to start looking into get my stuff back up and running. Couple that with the excitement from tonight's Backyard Brawl (Let's Go Mountaineers) and I have some time on my hands with everyone asleep. Since, I have finally been able to complete some unpacking in the new man cave and have broke out some stuff that I have decided to part with, it was time to fire up the Ebay account and list some items including some vintage Marvel Comic trading cards from 1966 and some vintage Halloween and Christmas Decorations. If you are in the mood check out our auctions at the Blue Yonder Vintage Ebay Account. Vintage Iron Man Trading Cards Vintage Hulk Trading Cards Vintage Melted Plastic Popcorn Halloween Decorations 

Boggy Creek: The Legend is True (2010)

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Thanksgiving is a great time, food to make me feel bloated, football and enough time to watch some good movies. One movie that my brother Matt and I talked about tonight was the original Legend of Boggy Creek, an amazing flick. I love Bigfoot movies (almost as much as I enjoy searching for the legendary creature) and I cannot wait until the weather gets better so I can get out in the field with some of my Bigfoot researching friends. Until then, I will have to rely on movies like Boggy Creek: The Legend is True (2010) to keep me company. Plot/ When Jennifer's father dies in a horrific accident, she finds herself drawn to his small cabin in Boggy Creek , Texas . She brings a few friends for a week-long stay, but their vacation soon turns deadly. They are warned of an evil that has lurked near the water for three decades, a terrifying creature that murders men and abducts women. While camping, Jennifer and her friends encounter this evil, finding themselves on the

Night of the Blood Beast (1958)

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After some time away from it, I decided to jump back into the Pure Terror Collection. After all, what’s better on a rainy evening than some great early Roger Corman schlock? My selection for the evening is the often overlooked 1958 Sci-Fi entry, Night of the Blood Beast. Plot/ An astronaut is killed on re-entry to Earth, but his body is seeded with rapidly-gestating aliens. This should be the centerpiece of classic 1950s Sci-Fi ultra low-budget campiness. While, like most movies from this era it suffers from the usual faults, uneven acting, poor lighting and horrible creature effects, those are easily overlooked in this entertaining piece of schlock. In fact, this Corman entry may be one of his best (although it is often overlooked), featuring a sound plot and a decent amount of characterization. In the end, this is a great example of the flicks that made the 1950s the greatest age of Sci-Fi matinee camp, if you get a chance, check it out!

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)

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I was doing some reading the other day about a movie and I discovered something that I never remembered seeing. Kane Hodder (the best Jason ever) played Freddy Krueger’s arm in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday. I really do not remember that (although it has been almost 20-years since I saw this movie). So, what is any horror fan (especially Friday the 13th fan) to do? Go back and watch the flick to see where / when it happens, absolutely… That is exactly what I did with the unrated directors cut of Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday from 1993. Plot/ The secret of Jason's evil is revealed. It is up to the last remaining descendant of the Voorhees family to stop Jason before he becomes immortal and unstoppable. It had been years since I had watched this one and really I had very little memory of it. What I found when turning it on again was both graphic and somewhat hilarious. Honestly, I feel that this was misplaced as a Friday the 13th entry, and

The Ward (2010)

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One of the things that I have learned over the years is that if you want to truly watch and enjoy (and possibly review) a film, it is better to look past all of the packages and histories of the project, writers or directors. To me, often movies are unfairly graded and reviewed due to who starred in it, or who directed it. By looking past that data and watching the flick (regardless of who worked on it) you should be able to truly get a better read than if you let that info cloud judgment. Look at the movie My Soul To Take by Wes Craven, it was terrible with or without his name on it, but did it get bashed even more because it did not live up to his previous masterpieces? Probably… With that in mind, I am watching and reviewing The Ward, who cares if it was done by the great John Carpenter. Plot/ a young institutionalized woman is haunted by a mysterious and deadly ghost. As danger creeps closer, she comes to realize that this ghost might be darker than anything she e

Save the Chapel Benefit Auctions

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As I blogged last month, the chapel at the Evans City Cemetery is in dire need of repair and the Save the Chapel movement has been started to assist in funding and coordinating the repairs to the piece of Horror Cinematic History. After some time, the organization has got their website up and running, complete with details on the chapel, upcoming events and everything you can imagine concerning this tremendous  movement.  Please  check  out  this  site at www.fixthechapel.com and help save this iconic piece of horror history. One of the great events that this organization is behind is benefit auctions on Ebay to support this cause, follow this link, Save the Chapel Benefit Ebay Auctions  to discover some great OOAK Artwork.   Like this OOAK Painting  

Closed for the Season (2010)

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After taking an evening off from blogging trying to organize the 21 boxes of fabric and vintage clothing that we picked up the other day, I decided to write-up another find from the local Family Video Store. This entry is the 2010 thriller Closed for the Season. Plot/ Trapped in a forgotten amusement park, a young woman finds herself terrorized by the living memories of the park. She must break free from the park's grasp before she becomes its next victim.   As a fan of the old carnival and amusement park feel, I found this decently entertaining, showing a nice mixture of before and after amusement park scenes. Unfortunately, that days-gone-by atmosphere is truly the finest part of this flick. Somewhere or somehow this low-budget independent movie seemed to lose focus and flair, never truly embracing to the finer points of the story and allowing it to breathe. More surreal reflection or fantasy than horror or thriller, this film suffers from very uneve

Grave Encounters (2011)

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I honestly miss the times I spent investigating the paranormal and unexplained (not to mention writing about it). Hopefully, once I finally get settled into Pennsylvania, I will find an organization close to my home that I can become involved with that will allow me to get back in the field (of course, I imagine Bigfoot hunting will come first with the head quarters of the PA Bigfoot Association just down the road). Luckily, I have stumbled upon a few ghost hunting related flicks at the local Family Video Store. One of those, Grave Encounters, may be one of the best paranormal themed movies I have seen in some time. Plot/ Lance Preston and the crew of "Grave Encounters", a ghost-hunting reality television show, are shooting an episode inside the abandoned Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital , where unexplained phenomena has been reported for years. All in the name of good television, they voluntarily lock themselves inside the building for the night and beg

Atrocious (2010)

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One thing that I discovered recently was the virtual untapped treasure trove of horror at the local Family Video store. I remember growing up during the 1980s and the role these stores played in developing my horror tastes, allowing me a chance to see things I had never heard of and take chances on the unknown and strange. Luckily for me, that while these local stores are dying a slow death, we still have one. My first selection from the store this week is the 2010 entry Atrocious. Plot/ On April 4th of 2010, Quintanilla family was found murdered in their country side house. Police reported the existence of 37 hours of recorded evidence. "Atrocious" shows the real images of such evidence. Quintanilla family traveled to their old farm house in Sitges, where Christian and July investigated about the Legend of the Girl in the Garraf woods. Both of them used to record all day whatever they did. On the fifth day of their arrival they were found dead under stra

My Soul To Take (2010)

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While searching the television for something to watch, I stumbled on My Soul To Take (2010) on one of my cable channels. With my choices slim, I decided to break down and watch it, even though, the previews I remembered did nothing to excite me. Plot/ A serial killer returns to his hometown to stalk seven children who share the same birthday as the date he was allegedly put to rest. In some ways, I was very surprised that this flick was all done by Wes Craven. Yes, the idea and back-story provided within the first 10 minutes was awesome, but things toiled out of control after that and it definitely failed on many levels. The acting was so-so, the characterization just OK, and the combination of dialogue and predictability were laughable (including the ending I saw a mile away). Yes, some of the cinematography featured cool scenery, some of the costuming and effects were good, and some of the bloodshed awesome, but those few elements can do nothing to sav

Evil Brain From Outer Space (1965)

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After a weekend full of action and zombie-like creatures inside the Resident Evil series, I decided to head a different direction last night as I was working in the man cave. My selection for the evening is from the Pure Terror Collection, in the 1965 made for television entry Evil Brain from Outer Space.    Plot/ A monstrous evil brain from outer space leads his minions on a crusade to conquer the universe, and unleashes hideous monsters on Earth that spread deadly diseases. Superhero Starman must rescue Earth from the menace of the evil brain while battling armies of monsters the brain sends against him. When I put this on last night, I had no idea what to expect and I honestly did not expect what I found on the screen. Technically, this film suffers tremendously, featuring overacting, ridiculous fight scenes, bad audio dubbing with some of the corniest dialogue and some of the most hilarious costuming ever (even from the early Sci-Fi era). Yet, that t