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Showing posts from October, 2011

Trick or Treating - 2011 - Lakehurst NJ

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Well, my retirement ceremony went off pretty much without a hitch today. As I expected, I had many emotions throughout the day and during the ceremony (especially when Dave read me the letter from Ambassador Rooney, which I never expected).   All-in-all, it was actually the perfect lead into Trick or Treating tonight with the girls and their friends from New Jersey . With the twins and Markie having different friends (for the most part), we split up and I got to hang out with Jolene (Captain Pajama Girl) and Jillian (Zombie with a cleaver) and if we were with Markie she was the Ghostface.  Until next year, here are some pictures from our evening in Lakehurst .

Dr. Jekyll and the Werewolf (1972)

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As I was preparing to watch the Steelers game today (which we won), I decided to continue with my Pure Terror Collection. It is funny, with tomorrow being Halloween (and my retirement ceremony), I could not decide on a flick at first. Eventually, I decided on the Paul Naschy entry Dr. Jekyll and the Werewolf from 1972. Plot/ A man tortured by the curse of the werewolf goes to London with a female companion in search of a doctor with a possible cure. The doctor turns out to be the grandson of the famous Dr. Jekyll and the two men begin researching a possible treatment involving the Mr. Hyde serum. When the lycanthropic man is injected with the serum, it causes a strange transformation in him that risks the safety of strangers and loved ones. I love Paul Naschy movies. Sure, they aren’t the highest quality, but they are usually pretty interesting.   This one, the sixth time he dawned the werewolf costume, falls definitely falls into that interesting cate

Don't Answer The Phone (1980)

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While the sleet and snow fell today and I was waiting to firm up plans for dinner with my family who have travelled in for the retirement ceremony, I sat down to continue on with the Pure Terror Collection. My selection for the early afternoon was the 1980 horror / thriller Don’t Answer The Phone.   Plot/ A deeply disturbed photographer and Vietnam veteran terrorizes Los Angeles by going around strangling lingerie-clad young women in their homes. How long until the police finally catch-up up with this psychopath?     So far in this set, there has been some good and some bad, but you actually sort of expect that. Unfortunately, some of the bad is so terrible that I see now why I had never seen it before. This is one of those cases, complete with the signature bad acting, laughable dialogue, terrible soundtrack and a simple yet unrefined plot that makes little to no sense. Hell, even the costuming is bad (even for the 1980s). Really, there is not much wort

More Details About Saving A Piece Of Horror Cinematic History

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This has been a whirlwind week. It started off with the great Undead Festival in Asbury Park , worked through all of my check-out procedures, and I now I settling in for my official retirement ceremony Monday at 1 o’clock. It is hard to believe that 21 years have passed by so quick and as of Monday (well, really December 31 as I have two months vacation) I will be done with my Naval career. On to bigger and better, right? Well, As I was sitting down tonight searching for more information on the potential West Virginia University move to the Big 12 (Let’s go Mountaineers!), I stumbled upon some more information about the Save the Chapel movement that I blogged about earlier in the week.   This information was taken directly from their facebook page and stands as a historic look at the chapel that George A. Romero made the world see and a look at how the weather has taken a toll on the future of this iconic horror landmark.   Erected in the 1920s as a chapel

The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (1971)

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Today seems like a blur, my Hail and Farewell Breakfast, followed by my retirement ceremony practice. Wow, Monday is almost here, and I can move on to bigger and better things. Since I really have no life lately, I decided to sit back and watch yet another flick from the Pure Terror Collection; this entry is The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave from 1971. Plot/ A wealthy English lord is suffering a mental breakdown following the death of his red-headed wife, Evelyn, whom he feared was cheating on him. He tours local bars and dives, scouring for lovely red-heads willing to come back to his decaying castle in the country, where he seduces them, then tortures and kills them. This 1970s combination Gothic Horror / Giallo is quite an interesting flick; full of just enough os these cinematic influences to an enjoyable and creepy atmospheric film. Filmed on a lower budget, the movie boasts solid acting, some disturbing moments, a decent soundtrack, awesome ci

Satan's Slave (1976)

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After watching some decent movies, it was time to get myself prepared for this weeks episode of American Horror Story (I am bummed, I missed last weeks and that halted my weekly review – but I will catch up Monday). So, I decided to sit back and watch some Satanic / Reincarnation goodness with the 1976 entry Satan’s Slave (AKA Evil Heritage) Plot/ A young girl is caught up in a devil cult run by her evil uncle and cousin. She can trust no one and even people she thought were dead comes back to haunt her. This flick was definitely one that I enjoyed. Any time you get bizarre twists with some mind-provoking imagery couples with equal amounts of nudity and bloodshed, you should have a winner. This one had all of that and more. In fact, other than some minor pacing issues and some strange illogical story twists that were a bit confusing, everything else worked. The acting and characterization were solid, atmosphere was creepy, the cinematography was on poi

The Embalmer AKA Monster of Venice (1965)

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Last night after the bizarre Death Warmed up, I continued with the Pure Terror Collection by watching the 1965 entry The Embalmer (AKA The Monster of Venice ). Plot/ A crazed killer is on the loose in the catacombs of Venice , Italy . He stalks beautiful women, drags them to his underground lair, kills them, then stuffs them and adds them to his collection. I definitely got the idea that this was an early example of what would eventually hit the more mainstream as a giallo. Unfortunately, while that was an interesting twist to discover, the film as it is does not deliver in any way. Truly the movie makes little sense (come on a frogman grabbing women in the canals of Venice ). The movie suffers from off pacing, terrible acting and possibly the worst dubbing I have seen since Godzilla. I will admit that there are some suspenseful moments and the manikins do provide some creepy moments, not to mention that most of this was extremely taboo for 1965. While

Yes, You Can Help Save the Chapel from Night of the Living Dead

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   Last weekend I had the opportunity to meet and talk with some of the cast of Night of the Living Dead , arguably the most influential horror flick of all time. For many, this definitely one of the most loved and classic films of all time and more importantly, it laid the groundwork for the zombie culture that we have in our lives today. As many know, portions of this masterpiece were filmed in the Evans City Cemetery, and by now, many (even if you are not fans of horror) have seen the quaint little chapel shown in the beginning of the film when Barbara and Johnny arrive. As I found out in talking with some of the cast, this chapel, while still there, has fallen to a state of disrepair and it is in danger of being torn down. Gary Streiner, original sound engineer on the film, has started the Save the Chapel initiative, a grass roots group of Night of the Living Dead fans who do not want to see the chapel in the Evans City Cemetery torn down.  (Picture by She

Death Warmed Up (1984)

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After deciding to take a break last night to watch Monday Night Football and Castle, I decided to jump back into my Pure Terror Collection with the 1984 import Death Warmed Up. Plot/ Michael is hypnotized by a scientist to kill his parents and ends up in a mental institution. Years later, as a grown up, the boy returns to seek revenge over the scientist. Honestly, I have no idea where to begin with this flick. It is so weird and incoherent, that even the parts that make sense may not really make any. The storyline is choppy, full of bizarre twists (motorcycles in the tunnels, really?) and enough plot holes to make it like Swiss cheese. Sure, there is a ton of violence and gore (OK, not the best special effects), in fact, some of the killings are actually pretty vicious (shotgun blast to the crotch has to hurt), couple that with a variety of Saw-like brain surgeries and unplanned impalements and you have plenty of blood to go around (and I have not ment

The Eerie Midnight Horror Show (1974)

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As many know, I love 1970s exploitation and horror, and sometimes flicks come out that should have / could have been much better. One such flick is the Eerie Midnight Horror Show (AKA The Tormented, AKA The Sexorcist, AKA Enter the Devil)   from the Pure Terror Collection. Plot/ The story in this horror movie revolves around a strange religious icon and the demonic sexual influence it exerts on a young art student. After a gory dream sequence in which the woman imagines being nailed to a cross herself, the statue eventually comes to life and begins to sexually torment her. This is one frustrating movie. Created as an Italian rip off of The Exorcist, this film boasts some very good moments and actually some originality. Unfortunately, all of that ends about the halfway mark (roughly 46 minutes into it), that is when the awesome Italian exploitation, horror and originality end and the Exorcist begins. In fact, in those 46 minutes, the pacing, effects, st

The Curse of Bigfoot (1978)

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Now that my weekend at the New Jersey Zombie Walk and Undead Festival are done and I started reading the awesome book Silent Invasion by Stan Gordon that my mom picked up for me about the 1970s UFO/Bigfoot Flap in South Western Pennsylvania, I decided to do some Bigfoot watching of my own. Of course, here in New Jersey , it is mostly Jersey Devil hunting (although, that owl last night was pretty creepy here at the office). My selection is the 1978 (or 1858, I am so confused) campy entry The Curse of Bigfoot   from the Pure Terror Collection.    Plot/ A group of high school students on an archaeological dig discover a century’s old mummified body in a sealed cave. Removing the mummy, it soon comes back to life, revealing itself to be an inhuman beast that terrorizes a small California town. Incredibly, this made for television Bigfoot flick from the 1970s took almost 20 years to make. Really, this campy and entertaining stinkfest started out originally

The Hollows (2001)

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One of the things that I love about going to conventions or film festivals is the chance to pick-up some true underground indie horror. These flicks are the true grass-roots, no budget gems that are being done, not for the money or fame, but for the love of the genre. Everyone knows what these are, they are the movies that sit on the table at 5 bucks, and are made with little-to-no budget, with local footage and citizens as extras, and maybe one or two trained actors (this one does feature Suzi Lorraine). This weekend at the New Jersey Zombie Walk and Undead Festival I was psyched to find a few such films from Amplo Films. The first one I have watched and will review is The Hollows. Plot/ When all is lost and death is near, darkness walks on Halloween. Soon, one discovers blood is like a drug, and the killings just cannot stop.    Like many of these low-budget / no-budget entries, there are flaws. This one is no exception in the sound quality, lighting and acting. But

NJ Zombie Walk and Undead Festival - Day 2

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So, I was able to spend the entire day hanging out with all the guys at Bad Zombie both working the merch table and enjoying the festivities of this great three day event. More importantly, I got to talk with some of the cast members of Night of the Living Dead about saving a piece of horror history (details will follow later in the week). Here are some random pics from the day. (with make-up artist from Airbrushing Concepts)