Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Happy twin peaks day!

Happy Twin Peaks day!
 
 
Today, July 29th marks the re-release to one of television's greatest shows of all time. This is course being Twin Peaks. Back in 1990 director David Lynch made a world both wonderful and strange centered around the small Northern town of Twin Peaks where F.B.I agent Dale Cooper is brought to solve the murder of Laura Palmer, the town's homecoming queen who seemed to have some very dark secrets of her own.
 
Lasting only two seasons, Twin Peaks became an instant cult classic and even all these years later people still think Lynch's television masterpiece was the jumping off point for so many popular shows we all know and love today.
 
I for one have been a huge Twin Peaks fans for years. Years back when I was a freshmen in high school I was talking about mini series with my friend Mike and he was the one who ushered me into the wonderful world of Twin Peaks. All these years later after Friday the 13th the series it's my all time favorite show. Now I may be killed here but I'm not a super huge fan of Lynch's film works. I liked Blue Velvet, somewhat enjoyed Wild At Heart, and was just starting to warm up to the original cut of Fire Walk With Me. I believe had the network allowed Lynch to do whatever he wanted and milked the whole murder mystery, Twin Peaks would have lasted much longer. Still for just two seasons worth it's still one of the greatest mystery stories ever told. In this quirky, dark little town we're introduced to some of the most iconic characters of all time. This is a show I can't stop gushing about and love whenever friends of mine start watching it. It's a show I re-watch at least once a year and still get chills every time Cooper asks "How's Annie?". The show is so close to my heart that I have Twin Peaks Tuesdays on my IG account, and just the beginning of this month of very talented tattoo artist Shane Murphy did a killer Twin Peaks tattoo on me. = Well worth the pain! 
 
 
Today the SE Blu-ray boxset of the show, fully restored with all new special features along with an uncut version of FWWM which had nearly 90% of the original film featuring the original characters cut out of it when it was released. This time around the whole story is restored for fans who are just dying to see a few loose ends tied up.
 
Along with this killer re-release Fright Rags also released three brand new designs based off Twin Peaks. I'll be ordering the Cooper one ASAP. So tonight dig into a nice slice of cherry pie, slosh it down with some coffee as dark as midnight, and pop in Twin Peaks to relive the same magic from another world! 
 


Friday, July 25, 2014

Video haul #1!

 Video haul #1!

Just last week my friend John mentioned that there was a killer little hole in the wall record/video store up in Maine that had a whole wall of VHS tapes (mostly horror). Not really having anything better to do since it's been nearly a year since my last good VHS score, I drove all the way up to Maine to go check this place out.

The drive was nearly an hour twenty, a little long for my taste but I didn't hit any traffic and it was pretty pleasant. Would I go up there again? Eh, most likely no but it was still fun to see Maine since I truly haven't been up that way since the early spring. Now don't get me wrong, I would love to see more of Maine, and even do the Stephen King tour as well as see some movie/book locations, but for just a video hunt, ehhhh sorta a long haul. Still, I lucked out with the movies I found.

I got Amityville 4 The Evil Escapes, Aracphobia, Infested, Graveyard Shift, Warlock 2, Jaws The Revenge, A Nightmare On Elm Street 3, 4, and 5, When A Stranger Calls Back, House II, The Unholy, Silver Bullet, Cat's Eye, and a hardcover edition of one of my favorite King novel's Needful Things. 

Not a crazy haul, but still a pretty good one. Tomorrow I'm heading to NH with my friend Nate to check out a video store that's about to close so stay tuned for another update!

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Happy 22nd Anniversary Amityville 1992!

Happy 22nd Anniversary Amityville 1992!

Twenty-two years ago today on July 16th 1992 the sixth sequel in the Amityville horror series was released on video. This being Amityville 1992 It's About Time. I'm sure anyone who reads this blog knows how much I love this sequel. In fact, right after the Waxwork movies and Christine this is a movie I down right adore and love everything about. This is a film I've reviewed, talked about, and posted about several times in the past.

I guess the reason why I love it is the fact for the 6th movie in the series it gives some of the pervious and even original movie a run for it's money. In fact after part II, I would say this is the best in the series. Sure it's a little cheesy and dated, but the KNB effects still stand up, as does the creepy cursed clock. Just last month I had Nathan Milliner from Scream Factory do a custom sketch of my favorite scene from the movie between Megan Ward (Lisa) and Damon Martin (Rusty) where the possessed sister comes onto her brother uttering by far my favorite line in the entire series "Oh God Rusty it's so horrible!" "What is?" "That your my brother." Before licking his ear. Yep, I'm a sicko.

I even have them as the background of my phone.

My friend Jeanette was cool enough to meet Megan Ward for Chiller this past April and have her sign my laserdisc of this movie and answer some questions about the movie/cast for me. 

In fact, I even plan on getting a tattoo based off this movie sometime in the near future. 

I feel the only other person who shares the same kind of love for this movie is John from Freddy In Space. This is a movie along with Waxwork that I try my hardest to get people to watch. It's a must in my eyes and one of the best sequels ever made.

I have fond memories renting this baby as a kid and would have loved to see these awesome video boxes released at video stores back in 92 when it was first released. In fact going through some of my old Fangorias I noticed that Amityville The Next Generation was going to be called Amitville 1993. Would have loved that!

So happy anniversary Amityville 1992! I'll be watching you tonight! 


Friday, July 11, 2014

Amazing Amityville 1992 artwork!

 Amazing Amityville 1992 artwork!

Just a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be able to order a custom sketch by artist Nathan Milliner. Nathan is a pretty well known artist in the world of horror, having been working in the business for years. His truly stunning pieces of artwork and prints are always fans favorites from work based off movies, serial killers, and literature. Nathan has done covers and artwork for HorrorHound magazine, and just lately started doing covers for the new Scream Factory releases such as The Burning, Halloween I, II, and III, The Funhouse, The Howling, Day Of The Dead, Night Of The Comet, and Terror Train. 

Nathan is a huge fan of the Nightmare On Elm Street series, and even made the cover for the up coming Nightmare coffee table book which will be just like the Camp Crystal Lake Memories book based off the Friday the 13th films. I noticed that Nathan was trying his hardest to make it to the Days Of The Dead convention next month where Robert Englund will be appearing in his Freddy makeup for the "last" time ever. The price for the tickets are a little on the high scale, so he decided to put a special out on Facebook. To raise money so he could attend the convention and meet his hero, he did a one day offer for custom sketches of anything anybody wanted for just 30$. I've always liked Nathan's artwork well enough and have paid much more for custom work and thought this was sorta a steal being able to own a piece of artwork from such a popular artist. I jumped at the offer and decided to request a very strange sketch. Now I knew I could ask for anything, and I was seriously right on the verge of asking for something from Waxwork when I decided of this very well was the only chance I could own a piece of artwork like this for such a low price, I went for something completely out of left field.

I think it's clear how much of a big fan I am of Amityville 1992 It's About Time. It's one of my all time favorite sequels as well as movies. One of my favorite scenes is when Damon Martin (Rusty) goes into his bedroom only to see bloody handprints covering the walls and his sister Megan Ward (Lisa) crying on the floor. Picking her up, she keeps repeating "It's horrible, it's so horrible..." when he asks what is? She leans in close before saying "That your my brother..." and licks his ear. = Twisted...I know it. I love the shot of Damon holding Megan as she leans in so much that it's the background of my cell phone. In fact my friend Jeanette was cool enough that she met Megan Ward for me back in April at Chiller and had her sign my Amityville laserdisc and have her ask some questions about the movie for me. I decided I wanted Nathan to sketch Damon and Megan from my all time favorite scene.

I wasn't disappointed. 


I was seriously blown away when I received this. It's completely stunning and for a quick sketch it's pretty awesome. I do plan in the future to get more Amityville 1992 artwork done by other artist, but at the moment this is my favorite. I know it's odd to own such strange artwork, but this is seriously the coolest and strangest piece of custom artwork I've owned since last summer I had my uber talented friend Tara do an art piece off my favorite Tales From The Crypt episode Strung Along (which this past spring I had tattooed on me!) My hopes is to somehow be able to get my tattoo artist to translate this killer artwork into a tattoo for myself in the future. I also hope if I ever get the pleasure in meeting Megan Ward myself I can get her to sign this. I also hope/dream that someday I can finally meet Damon Martin (this guy needs to do conventions!) and have him sign it as well. I'm sure both wouldn't even begin to guess some crazy fan has artwork of them from this little horror movie they made in the early 90's! I do hope Nathan does specials like this in the future! God knows what else I can think of!

Is it just me or would this make a killer blu-ray release cover? 


Thursday, July 10, 2014

Horror movie questions

Horror movie questions

 1) Favorite zombie movie?
Day Of The Dead (1985)

2) Favorite slasher movie?
Toss up between Intruder and The Burning. 

3) Favorite vampire movie?
Fright Night

4) Favorite werewolf movie?
An American Werewolf In London

5) Favorite horror director?
Sam Raimi

6) Favorite death scene in a horror movie?
Sam Raimi getting killed on a meathook in Intruder and Fisher Stevens getting his fingers cut off in The Burning.

7) Favorite quote in a horror movie?
"He got seven kids and three bikers...this time they got him." - Friday The 13th The Final Chapter

8) Favorite scream queen?
Jill Schoelen

9) First horror movie ever watched?
Most likely either The Lost Boys or Fright Night

10) Last horror movie watched?
Spellbinder, believe it or not this was a first time watch. Love the artwork for the poster. I really dug this movie, very well made with a great ending!

11) Worst horror movie you ever watched?
The Fog remake. I honestly can't even explain the utter disappointment I felt seeing this movie. It sickens me that I saw it when it first came out. Complete and utter horse shit. There is not one good thing about this movie and a complete slap in the face to the original.

12) Favorite thing while watching a horror movie?
Nothing beats watching a horror movie with friends. If it's a movie we've all seen before I love talking during it, laughing, and drinking some beers. If I'm alone I usually drink iced coffee and sit back and relax.

13) Remake of a horror movie you wish they made?
I adore The Kindred, like seriously adore it. In fact it's most likely in my top ten favorite horror movies of all time. Still, a modern update to this movie would be really interesting. My two main things to see it work would have all practical effects in it (hire a bunch of young eager effects artist who are talented and of course will work for cheap) AND feature the original score which is simply beautiful. 

14) Dream sequel you would love to see get made?
Well everyone knows how I feel about Waxwork III Beyond The Gates Of Time. I still truly believe this would work as a made for SyFy movie. I wanna see what Mark and Sarah have been up to after all these years! Are they still time traveling?! I would kill to see a proper sequel to Nightbreed, or maybe another Jaws movie, but have it made right. Maybe even have Spielberg return and get a killer cast. Michael Fassbender with that beard of his playing a crazy fisherman? Sounds like perfection to me!

15) Top five pieces of VHS artwork for a horror movie?
Oh God, um...The Mutilator, A Nightmare On Elm Street Dream Warriors, The Monster Squad, Waxwork, and Friday the 13th.

16) Three sequels you feel are just as good or even better than the original?
Ghoulies II, Hello Mary Lou Prom Night II, Waxwork II Lost In Time

17) Favorite John Carpenter movie?
Christine, then Prince Of Darkness

18) Favorite horror movie tagline?
There are some houses in every neighborhood that adults whisper about and children across the street to avoid. - The People Underneath The Stairs

19) One Of your favorite endings to a horror movie?
Toss up between The Thing and Amityville 1992 It's About Time

20) Top 15 horror movies?
Christine, Waxwork, Jaws, Amityville 1992, Phantasm, Fright Night, Intruder, The Burning, Hello Mary Lou Prom Night II, The Kindred, A Nightmare On Elm Street 4 The Dream Master, Day Of The Dead, Ghoulies II, Night Of The Creeps, and Prince Of Darkness

The Burning (1981)

The Burning (1981)


PLOT - A prank goes terribly wrong at a summer camp one night when the drunken caretaker Cropsy is horribly burned and left disfigured. After five long years recovering at the hospital, he's released and returns to a nearby camp to seek revenge on the teen who harmed him. With a pair of sharp gardening sheers, he stalks the surrounding woods, picking off young campers and councilors one by one.

LOWDOWN - Old age is a terrible thing. I honestly can't remember if I ever gave this movie a proper review. I know I've posted about this movie before, but I think this is the first actual time I'm giving it a full fledge review and explain why this slasher is so near and dear to me heart. First off, pretty much my whole life I've been a massive horror and slasher fan. I discovered the Friday the 13th films very early on in my life and adored them. I still remember reading up about this movie in an old issue of Fangoria when Tom Savini was asked why he didn't return to do the makeup for Friday the 13th part II. I guess there were several reasons behind him not coming back, but the biggest was because he had taken the job of doing the makeup for this movie instead. Many horror fans have augured over which movie ripped off who? Friday the 13th 1/2 or The Burning. Yes The Burning was one of many knockoff camp slashers that followed the success of Friday the 13th, but the campfire tale of Cropsy had been a local legend in up state New York since the early 70's. I for one feel that The Burning is just as good, and dare I say it maybe even better than the first two Friday the 13ths. Mind you I adore all these movies, but The Burning was far better than the camp slashers that followed in the early 1980's. In fact I think The Burning and Sleepaway Camp are two of the better slashers that followed the Friday the 13th boom.


I had known about this movie, and the fact it was one of the Video Nasty films that was banned and cut to hell in the UK. Besides that, growing up I could never seem to find it. Finally in 2008 I still for some strange reason remember this day perfectly, It was June and I had just finished a whole day of training for my summer job. I was out with a friend afterwards and went to my local Newberry Comics and happened upon the bare bones MGM release of The Burning that had just came out. Picking it up, I shrugged figuring it was worth a blind by and bought it. That afternoon I watched it with my parents and this holds a pretty special memory for me since both, mostly my mother loved it. I still remember being in complete and total awe at what an truly awesome slasher this was.

I guess the big things that stood out for me were three simple things.



The first being the music. Rick Wakeman's score is by far one of the greatest I've heard in a horror movie. In fact it's most likely right behind the Phantasm theme for having one of the greatest scores for a horror movie. This music truly captures the mood for the sort of film your watching. The best use of the music is at the very beginning and end of the movie. The beautiful score truly feels like you've just woken from a dream. I've searched high and low for this soundtrack and unless your willing to sell out some serious cash online, it's a no go with finding it on vinyl.


The second is the cast. I hate to agree with Mr. Savini but he was completely right when he said once in an interview that 99% of the time while watching a slasher movie the cast is filled with unlikeable character actors. Dumb and annoying teens you just can't wait to see get picked off. In The Burning this is the opposite. For a slasher movie the film does a pretty great job at establishing the characters and all seem like pretty cool people. In fact, after several characters are killed you feel down right bummed out. This movie is most famous for featuring a young Holly Hunter, Jason Alexander, and Fisher Stevens. It still floors me they were able to get the cast they did for such a low budget movie. Mind you all three of these people were unknowns, but it's crazy that two are now Oscar winners, and one was on one of the funniest TV shows of all time. I got a serious fan girl crush on Mr. Stevens from this movie. In fact I've always found him attractive (what can I say, he's a handsome smart talking Jew!) but this movie he sports some skinny legs, a fannypack, and some stunning sandy colored hair. Long before Short Circuit, Early Edition, and winning Oscars about Dolphins, Fisher was getting his fingers chopped off. I adore his character so much I've sculpted his Woodstock character, along with Cropsy. I've painted him from this scene, and yes even dressed up as his character (cut off fingers and all!) for a party back at school.



The third thing is the makeup. I truly feel Savini peeked in the early to mid 1980's with this movie, The Final Chapter, and Day Of The Dead. I'll admit, I'm a fan of the man's early work, I've gone to his school, I've met him several times and as much as people think he's a tool he's always been nice enough to me (maybe it's because I have boobs) but his makeup in this movie is truly awesome. The raft massacre is by far some of the most brutal killings I've ever seen in a horror movie before. Even his burn makeup on Cropsy is amazing. This is a gory blood soaked film that is truly awesome. In fact I did a makeup gig up in Boston once where they were showing this movie and I got all excited about seeing the raft scene on the big screen, well low and behold it was the cut version. Safe to say I was a little pissed.



This is a movie with a killer opening, and an even greater closing. It features fun characters, great jump moments, and very cool camera shots. One of my favorite effects was now the POV shots of the killer is all blurred showing the damage to his eyes. With a killer showdown, and a super awesome final line/shot The Burning is a must for any horror fan out there. In fact it's one of my favorites to watch around the summer.

So if your ever looking a truly awesome slasher, go pick up Scream Factory's new blu-ray release of this film and take a canoe ride to Camp Blackstone!


5 stars!     

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Scream factory coasters!

Scream factory coasters!

Shout Factory...aka Scream Factory have been ruling as the greatest DVD company to be re-leasing some of the greatest classics in horror for the past several years. Horror fans alike can now look forward to whatever next favorite title of theirs will get the Scream Factory treatment with stunning new artwork, extras, and being transferred into crystal clear HD blu-ray format. I for one am a huge fan of Scream Factory. I own at least a dozen or so of there re-releases, and seriously love whenever new titles are announced. I nearly cried tears of joy when I saw that such movies like The Burning, The Howling, Night Of The Demons, and Prince Of Darkness were just a few of the many amazing films to get chosen. There are a few other companies that are making some truly awesome re-releases, but in my eyes SF earns the number one spot for the best number of films that have gotten the golden treatment. I can still dream that someday they choose Waxwork and Waxwork II. Damn you Lionsgate!

Anywho, what I love about Scream Factory is them being on Instagram. Fans from all over the world post awesome photos of their newest buys from them. The best is how people have fun with these photos, myself included. I've sorta begun a game of how to do themed photos according to what my latest Scream Factory buy is. This is all in good fun, but it's a gas to see who else does it. A fun stupid little way to get creative. What's even more awesome is how SF recognizes the effort from their fans.


Just last week I saw a special that SF was having for the summer. Buy one of their releases, and you get a pack of double sides coasters featuring some of the artwork that's graced the covers of their horror titles. This week I came home to my latest buy, Cat People and the pack of coasters.

Cat People, which is a film I've yet to review is a classic that now has brand new stunning artwork. With these new coasters (which will never have a glass on them) I yet again have to hand it to this company for doing fun little SWAG items like this such as buttons, T-shirts, and now these killer coasters. With a handful of awesome titles on the verge of being released this summer, I urge anyone to check out their website and start shopping away!

Saturday, July 5, 2014

The wonderful world of vinyl

 The wonderful world of vinyl 
I'm a collector of many things. Not a pack rat or hoarder, but a collector nevertheless. I have a pretty good collection of VHS tapes (mostly horror), 80's movie posters, horror figures, lobby cards, laser discs, and now hopefuly a good start of horror soundtracks, 80's bands, and whatever else I can find on vinyl.

Now I'm not trying to be a hipster. I'll be the first to admit I know little to nothing about music. I love music, mostly 60's and 70's soul, and 80's new wave, but my biggest thing is soundtracks or songs featured in movies. In fact it's a pretty big joke with my friends that 99% of the songs on my Ipod are all songs from movies or themes. What can I say, it's soothing to listen to! My very first record I bought was at a flea market back in 2004 when I saw the Stray Cat's Need For Speed record for sale. Being a pretty big fan of this band I decided to buy it not owning a record player and just getting it to put on display in my room. I believe either that same flea market or sometime shortly after I got another record of 1950's dance songs on vinyl. For nearly 10 years I did nothing with these, they just simply sat and collected dust. While at school, one of my friends had a record player and explained to me that you seriously couldn't beat the sound. Curious, I wondered if it would be worth it since really the only music I truly listened to was horror soundtracks in my car during long road trips. Time passed and finally I began going on a massive search back in 2007 to find the soundtrack to Night Of The Creeps. In my eyes after Fright Night, A Nightmare On Elm Street 4 The Dream Master, and Return Of The Living Dead, Creeps has the greatest 80's soundtrack of all time. Finding only a few songs and being able to download them on my Ipad (Stan Ridgeway in case anyone is wondering is one hell of a performer, his songs The big heat, and Drive she said, are so catchy they will stay in your head for days!) Well, one of the bands that have 4 songs in total featured in the movie was called Intimate Strangers. I believe either Dekker, or somebody on the crew either knew the band or loved their music. After hearing several of their songs online I was floored at how amazing they were. I loved every single song that I heard and I'm sorta stunned this band never took off. The movie My Demon Lover features several of their songs, and I pray for the day some movie producer or director will re-discover this band and put some of their classics in a film. Well, some of the songs were down right impossible to find for download or online. I searched for years for one song that's heard only for ten or so seconds in Night Of The Creeps. (The scene where the girlfriend returns to her dorm and walks to her room while her roommates are drying their hair.) I knew this song was from Intimate Strangers, and it was called Into the Wilderness, but I couldn't find any samples of this song ANYWHERE. It drove me nuts since it sounded like such a good song. Well two years while on ebay I found Intimate Stranger's only album on vinyl and said fuck it and bought it. It killed me to hold this awesome record on my hands and not being able to enjoy it.


Time passed and as I kept collecting laser discs I accidentally bought the awesome Dangerously Close on vinyl, then was gifted the Summer School soundtrack from my friend Melissa. I found one of Rick Springfield's albums at a yard sale, and last HorrorHound got the Christine soundtrack, Friday the 13th the series, and Jaws 3-D as well. I began to notice I had all this vinyl I wanted to listen to but couldn't. Everyone I talked to said you couldn't beat the sound, and nothing was more relaxing than listening to a record while drinking wine and writing, sculpting, or painting. I began to slowly look around for a player, not wanting to spend crazy money, but get something good enough.

Then Waxwork records happened. I didn't discover this site or Death Waltz until the big releases started happening. I'm a huge fan of Day Of the Dead and wanted to slap myself for missing out on the release for it's soundtrack. (I have it on CD and always listen to it whenever I'm driving) Harrison I feel was one of the best composers after Carpenter in the 80's. When I missed out on the Creepshow release I was bullshit. Here were these awesome soundtracks with new stunning artwork and I wasn't ordering any simply because I didn't have a player? Finally I said enough was enough, on july 1st when the Chopping Mall soundtrack was released (with truly the coolest new artwork ever) I jumped on the chance and got it. That same afternoon I went out and got a record player for only 80 bucks that looks like an antique radio from Friday the 13th the series. It also has a cassette player (looks like I have someplace to play my Dangerously Close soundtrack now!), a radio, CD player, and record player. Safe to say I was getting my bang for my buck. Thrilled, I also struck gold when I found the Creepshow soundtrack at a record/movie store I always go to. I got meteor shit green and was truly floored at how awesome the artwork was, and how cool it sounded. I can see lots of writing and painting getting done now listening to this! After being able to play all my records, and the Intimate Strangers one on a loop (when I heard Into The Wilderness I could have cried), I knew why this was such a big thing. This very weekend I snagged the awesome Last House On The Left soundtrack, and agree with everyone that it's the most relaxing feeling in the world listening to a favorite soundtrack and watching that record spin around and around.


I'll update on whatever new soundtracks I'll be hunting for, so stay tuned! 

Better late than never! Top 5 horror films for the 4th of July!

Better late than never! Top 5 horror films for the 4th of July!

I had massive plans for this long weekend. In fact, they started off pretty awesome with lots of wine, a Jaws marathon on TV, and me and my friend deciding to go see X-Men Days Of Future Past for the third time before it finally got pulled. (call me a loser, but I was having a grand old time!) Well, the good times sadly didn't last long after I came home to discover a freak thunder storm hit ripping down several telephone poles, wires, and a pine tree right in front of my house.

= FML

Yep, that's the front of my house, bye bye fence! The last forty-eight hours have sucked the big one. I've been without power, melting in the heat, and have four very unhappy dogs on my hands. I spent the 4th over my sister's, but it rained and due to the fact the night before I was up all night as crew men chainsawed right outside my bedroom window I wasn't exactly the life of the party. Still, I'm beyond thankful this fucking tree didn't hit my house. I did have huge plans on July 3rd to watch Return Of The Living Dead in a haze of beer but sadly that didn't work out. I also planned on making my yearly write up on the top five best horror movies for the 4th. Well due to the power outage, this had to wait until the 5th of July, which in my eyes with the A.C blasting, the power back on, and Night Of The Creeps playing in the background I can't think of a better way to write this. So here goes, the five best  horror movies to watch around the 4th of july!

5) Phantom Of The Mall - Eric's Revenge
A young man named Eric is horribly burned after he refuses to move from the area where a brand new mega mall is planned on being built. His house is burned down flat, and his parents are killed in the fire, while he is left disfigured. Believing him to have perished in the fire, his girlfriend mourns him and a year later after starting her new job at the brand new mall, she begins to receive strange messages and feels somebody is watching her. Right before the 4th of July, the mall plans on a series of huge events open for the general public. Here, one by one after hours the men responsible for the fire a year ago are stalked by an unseen killer who happens to live within the walls of the mall and have been watching and waiting. Is it Eric back for revenge? Or someone else?

4) Uncle Sam
A Desert Storm vet returns from the grave to punish all of the unpatriotic people of his hometown. Dressed as Uncle Sam, he begins a massacre all before the 4th of july.

3) I Know What You Did Last Summer
A group of young friends with promising futures from a small sea side town celebrate the 4th of July drinking, and partying. It isn't until they accidentally hit and kill and lone fisherman crossing the road that night. In complete panic they decide to throw the body in the ocean, and swear never to speak of it again. A year later the young adults begin to receive unsigned letter all saying the same thing...I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. Returning to the same town for the 4th, the friends try to figure out who is sending the letters as an unseen killer begins stalking them one by one.

2) Return Of The Living Dead
On July 3rd, 1984 (thirty years ago!) a terrible accident happens in a small medical warehouse down South. It seems that two workmen happened upon a barrel that was shipped to the warehouse by accident in the 1970's. Inside is a rotting corpse that was once to be believed to return from the dead after a government made chemical was sprayed on it. Accidentally the barrel leaks, resulting in a horrible chain of events that leads to the deadly gas getting released finally outdoors and causing the nearby cemetery to have it's graves erupt with flesh eating zombies searching for brains. A funeral worker, the warehouse workers, owner, and a group of punk rocker teens are all trapped inside the cemetery fighting to survive and learning very quickly that you can't always believe everything you hear in the movies.

1) Jaws
A small New England island is terrorized one summer when a giant man eating great white shark begins to attack locals. After two deaths, the town is in a complete uproar after an attack on the 4th of July. The local sheriff, a scientist, and a crazy fisherman all go out to hunt the beast before it's too late.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Top Fifteen Most Important Movies of my life so far

Top Fifteen Most Important Movies of my life so far
For film fans alike, there are certain movies that they can look back on not only as favorites, but as staples that plays as tools of a timeline for their life. These are movies that were important to them, hold certain memories, and stand out looking back over the years. I very much wanted to make this a top twenty, or even thirty list but here are my own personal top fifteen films that played big parts in my life, standing out for very different reasons. 

15) The Goonies
I'm sure I'll say this at least ten dozen times on this post, but there were certain films that were always playing in my house. The Lost Boys, Fright Night, The Monster Squad, and yes The Goonies. Now this movie was head to head with The Lost Boys for making the list since both were huge favorites of mine growing up, and I have endless memories watching over and over again with my family. The Goonies win simply because this film was a favorite of my mother's, and holds a very special piece in my heart. This was back when 80's kids movies were awesome. Back when the plots were actually well written, and the actors were real kids who swore, got into trouble, and spoke endless quotes that I find myself still joking about and saying today. The Goonies is a fun adventure movie that seriously has it all. This is a must for any child to watch during their childhood. It's a movie that pretty much sums up why growing up in the 80's were so awesome. I legit was obsessed with this movie, and love that it still gets the respect it deserves today. The Goonies has some of the best characters ever. Data (before he ruined Indian Jones), Mikey, Mouth, Sloth, and of course Chunk. I still die whenever Chunk is in the walk in freezer gushing over the fact they have every single flavor of ice cream, or when he presses against the window to watch the car chase and the milk shake spills on him. Gotta love chubby little kids swearing. I loved the Goonies because I've never lost my love for this movie. I feel anyone at any age can enjoy it, and no matter what mood your in it can always make you laugh and smile. To this day I still crack up whenever the Spanish maid sees Josh Brolin tied to the chair and she just laughs and kicks the box of crackers across the room laughing. Classic.

14) The Monster Squad
Much like The Goonies, The Monster Squad is another movie that holds warm memories for me from my childhood. This is the movie that I believe is a huge reason behind my love of horror, monsters, and Halloween. I still own my battered up VHS copy (that I had the actors who played the monsters sign at Horrorhound back in 2012) The Monster Squad was a favorite of mine growing up, and pretty much it's The Goonies meets monsters. Fred Dekker is by far one of the most underrated writers and directors in Hollywood. After writing the ever so awesome House, he directed one of my personal favorites Night Of The Creeps. The following year, he made The Monster Squad. It still amazes me that this man's career didn't take off. In fact, even though a lot of people my age have always loved Creeps and Squad, just during the last few years these movies have gotten the respect and love they deserve due to being the cult classics they are. The Monster Squad is a huge favorite of mine simply because I have so many great memories watching it all the time as a kid with my sister. This was always on the background during Halloween, or during one of my many "Halloween" themed birthdays I had (mind you I was born in the summer.) The Monster Squad was a movie I adored. In fact I went to my very first Monster Mania in Jersey when I was a senior in high school to meet the kids from this movie. I was completely floored at how awesome everyone was, how amazing Fred Dekker was. These guys were all class acts and I will always remember that certain show.  In fact right before I left, Ryan Lambert (Rudy) came down from his hotel room just to say goodbye to me (nerd swoon) I even named my car after him, and got a really fucking horrible tattoo on my leg based off his character. I mourn the fact I was young and dumb when I got this, and from a very shitty tattoo artist. It looks more like a Robin Hood tattoo than anything else. I plan on fixing/covering it soon but yet again Ryan Lambert showed what a class act he is after he saw it saying it was awesome (yeah okay Ryan). I own an original poster of this movie, along with the T-shirt/poster that Fright Rags made based off The Squad Vs. The Creeps. I've met the entire cast (yep, watched the kid who played Patrick do a keg stand from a mini keg me and my friend Andy had, and watched him collapse on my friend Kristy = magical times. The Monster Squad is by far a favorite of mine, I've played more drinking games to this movie than I can remember, and love showing it to people who never got to watch gems like this growing up. Just last summer I was lucky enough to see an original print of this wonderful movie in Boston, and I still tear up like a loser at the end. In fact back in 2007/2008 I ran the official Monster Squad fan page on Myspace. Yep, I'm kinda a big deal (...)

13) T2
- I love James Cameron's movies. Aliens is one of my all time favorite films, but T2 holds a very special  place in my heart. This was by far my all time favorite movie as a little girl. Yep, a movie about killer machines was my favorite movie. I love the original Terminator, (love me some Michael Biehn) but something about T2 was just amazing. I think it's one of the greatest sequels of all time, the effects still hold up, as does the story telling. In fact, this, Looper, and the new X-men movie have been the best films dealing with time travel in years. I remember wearing out my VHS tape, rocking my T2 sweatshirt in preschool, and having a crush on Edward Furlong (yep...) and even to this day wishing that they had stooped making these movies after this one. Cameron topped himself, and there has been no greater villain than the liquid metal man. T2 was and will forever be one of my favorite movies of all time.

12) Batman Returns
- Like I said above, I was obsessed with very odd movies when I was a little girl. Instead of enjoying movies about princesses, and fairy tales, I liked darker, crazy, and truly weird movies. Now I'll be the first to admit, I wasn't a huge fan of the original Tim Burton Batman made in 1989. I mean I liked it, but I feel that his sequel in 1992 was so much better. This is by far after Die Hard and Gremlins one of the best Christmas movies of all time. A beautiful gothic take on super heroes and not until the last two Dark Knight movies had I seen super heroes done in such a way. I loved watching this movie on repeat, I owned these awesome figures of the lead characters that my mother bought for me at a comic book store. What happened to them is beyond me, but I still kick myself for not taking care of them. Hey, what can I say I was a dumb ass child. I loved Michelle Pfeiffer's take on Catwoman and I honestly have to say nobody has been able to fill that skin tight cat suit since. I didn't even see the Catwoman movie simply because I knew what a mess it would be. For three Halloweens in a row I dressed as Catwoman and threw a fit one year when my mother put a hot dog costume in my bag at school instead of my catwoman one. 

11) Jaws
- Oh Jaws, not only one of my favorite movies of all time, but a movie that I grew up loving. This was a film that held my interest even at a very early age. Over and over again I would watch this from start to finish. In fact it's now a bit of a tradition of mine to watch it around Easter and of course the 4th of July every year. I think we all know what I'll be watching next week! This was a favorite movie of my father's, so I grew up always watching it on a loop. I can seriously quote this movie from start till finish. It was a huge movie that was part of my life. I loved watching it every second I got. One Christmas my parents gave me a Jaws poster framed that I still have downstairs in my den. My car is filled with sharks, simply because of this movie. Sure I liked the sequels (mostly part III, yes you read right.) but nothing beats the original. Growing up I wanted to marry Hooper, and live in "Amity". In fact every convention I go to I always buy my father a Jaws shirt simply as a thank-you for showing me the original and opening my eyes to what truly a great adventure movie is. I've watched the E! True Hollywood story on the making of this movie, I have a shark tattooed on my foot, and back at school my awesome roommates and friends pooled their movie together to get me an Jaws poster signed by the original cast and crew from the 1970's. By far the greatest gift I've ever gotten. Jaws is a movie I will and forever love. In fact, I told my loved one when I die I want my ashes scattered down in Martha's Vineyard = I'm a freak.

10) Day Of The Dead
- Around age 11 I discovered the Romero dead movies. The whole Pittsburgh crew that made some truly awesome movies back in their day. I feel these movies were a huge stepping stone in my love of horror as well as discover of special effects makeup. I loved Dawn of the dead, Effects, Creepshow, and Creepshow II, but my all time favorite had to be Day Of The Dead. Another top favorite of mine. This was a movie I could re-watch over and over again. Somehow about this movie honestly is in my eyes the greatest zombie movie ever made. The effects are mind blowing and stomach turning (Savini topped himself with this one.) The cast stellar, the score by far one of the most beautiful (I have it on CD and always listen to it in my car.) This was a pretty heavy hitting horror movie. It had deeper meaning, beautiful monologs, memorable lines, the best gore and zombie makeup I've ever seen, and the best villain ever = Rhodes. I loved the John character, and his classic lines "Forget we're making this a habit man? Pointing guns at each other?" This was a movie I always watched over and over again and I still remember being thrilled when I found out there were extra features after the credits. I couldn't get enough of this movie and loved how my family members, mostly my sister hated watching it since it was such a dark movie and so gross. I on the other hand love it! This is a movie I could watch over and over again with a few beers and still enjoy it. I adored the Scream Factory release, and of course as a nerd and got the box set from Fright Rags. In fact, I'm wearing my Day shirt as I write this!

9) The Stand
- Stephen King was a huge part of my life growing up. My mother was a big fan, and my sister and I began reading his books at an early age. One of our favorites was the early 90's mini series of The Stand was was adapted from King's biggest novel/epic to take. Mick Garris directed this awesome adaption that took a thousand page book and somehow made it into a really awesome sweeping epic of a story. With King involved, this movie had an all star cast, and tons of cameos of talent from all over. Amazing effects (even tho some CGI is very badly dated) this was a mini series that was always playing at my house. We owned that huge four pack VHS set, and always would watch it. I remember as a child just committing to spending the whole day watching it with my family. How even today whenever it's on TV I just have to stop everything I'm going just to watch it. This was based not only off one of my favorite books of King's, but is one of my favorite film versions as well. For years rumors of a film remake has been floating around, something me and my sister have always been very interested it. I'm all for it as long as they can bring it to justice. Garris did a wonderful job even from the opening credits. This is a mini series that packs a punch and holds lots of great memories for me of watching it over and over again. I mean where else can you find Sam Raimi with a machine gun? A deaf Rob Lowe, Joe Bob Briggs looking sexy as a sheriff, Molly Ringwald playing a "college" student, that catchy tune "Baby can you dig your man?", and of course the judge being "clever". 

8) Dream A Little Dream
- Ah, I loved off beat teen movies growing up. Instead of liking recent celebrities when I was in middle school I liked all these weird 80's actors who hadn't been popular in years. I loved weird quirky teen movies like Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Thrashin', Dangerously Close, and of course the two Corey movies. The Lost Boys was a HUGE movie along with Fright Night in my house. I of course thought both Coreys were adorable and for some strange reason when I was in the 5th or 6th grade I had a massive hard on for Corey Feldman of all people. Now mind you I grew up watching his movies (The Goonies, Stand By Me, Friday The 13th The Final Chapter, The Lost Boys, ect.) and it somehow hit me that Corey was the strange, weird, yet "bad ass" between the two Coreys. I loved his films, and discovered Dream A Little Dream. After my mother bought me both one and the HORRIBLE part two on VHS as an early birthday present for me, I couldn't get enough of this movie. Over and fucking over for a whole summer I would watch Dream A Little Dream on repeat. When I wasn't watching this movie I was listening to the soundtrack (which I still own today and it really is very good). This was one of the "switch" movies that were so popular back in the 1980's. They sorta made a comeback a few years ago, but in 1988/89 there were several movies of people swapping bodies. Overall this had a good idea, it just sorta was a bit of a mess with it's ending result. It had a great cast, but between the crazy on acid storytelling/editing, Corey Feldman's dance, and cop out of an ending, it's dated and beyond cheesy. I hate remakes of classic 80's movies but this movie is screaming for one. I loved this movie so much that at one point the spike jacket Corey Feldman wears on the poster went on sale and my mother was awesome enough to try and buy it for me. Feldman is such an asshole, I would have felt terrible if she had ended up spending all that money on that thing! Still, I was lucky enough to have met both Corey's before Haim passed away in 2010. 

7) Scream 2
I'm sure anyone my age, having grown up in the 90's knows about the wave of slick and sleek teen thrillers and horror movies that took the world by storm after Wes Craven's Scream. I still remember back in the second grade hearing from my sister about the movie where a girl got stuck, and then killed in a doggy door that was on a garage door. Floored by this idea, I asked my mother to rent the movie and was completely scared shitless after seeing the opening scene and poor Drew Barrymore get gutted and hung from a tree. Before I knew it Scream became a huge obsession for me. My sister and I taped the first film off cable and wore out out VHS copy by watching it over and over again. I still remember freaking out when the trailer for part II got released and how excited we got that our mother was taking us to go see it. Yep, that's right back in 1997 I got to see Scream 2 at the movies. = I had the coolest mother ever. Scream 2 is filled with flaws, but it's a million times better than that shit show Scream 3. This movie had one hell of an opener to turn up the notches from the first film. A great cast, soundtrack, and overall story. Sure the twist at the end was stupid, but this honestly was one awesome sequel. I may be, dare I say it my favorite one out of the entire series. I still remember throwing a fit in front of my father over he fact that my sister got to go see Titanic AGAIN at the movies and that I wanted to go see Scream 2 for a second time. (such a brat!) I being the weird little girl that I was loved these movies, and rocked my Scream 2 shirt more times than I can think. These were movies I rented over and over again, then when I finally got them on tape wore them out and have tons of memories watching them with my sister and mother. That Halloween me and my sister went as the ghostface killers, and in high school my best friend got me an original poster of this movie that still hangs in my office to this day. I love the Scream series since it reminds me so much of my age when these movies came out. In fact, I was able to see Scream 4 opening night when I was away at school in PA. This was very bittersweet for me since I knew my mother, who adored these movies would have loved this final installment. Still, Scream 2 to this day is my favorite, and whenever I watch it, or play it's soundtrack I remember how much I adored it.

6) Phantasm
It kills me to know that it took me nearly 11 years to finally get around to watching the original Phantasm, which is in my top five favorite movies of all time now. Back when I was younger I rented part II, having never seen any of the Phantasm movies before. The only thing I knew about them was that it had a tall old man in it as a killer, and flying silver calls that drilled into your head. After watching this epic, action, adventure, thrill ride of a sequel I couldn't believe how much I loved it. Never before did I feel a movie was made for me. Between the storyline, the gross effects, beautiful score, and one hell of an ending. I loved this movie so much that I "borrowed" it from my local video store and still have the original tape today. Finally back in 2008 after catching the sequel on TV I decided to buy the other 3 movies from the series since I was a fan of the director's other pieces of work (Bubba Ho-Tep, Kenny & Co. ect.) I still remember watching the original and knowing from the moment I put that dvd on that this was unlike any other horror movie I had seen before. Phantasm to me is like a living breathing piece of art. It reminds me of Italian cinema, and seriously is so surreal and dream like you feel as if you're slipping into some strange and wonderful colorful nightmare. In fact, I became such a fan of these movies, I feel parts 1,3, and 4 are much better than the big budget sequel I had always loved. I'm a huge fan of a saga, an epic and this is exactly what the Phantasm series is. The original is a movie I've seen so many times I honestly can't list off how many things I love about it. The colorful artwork, the stunning way it's filmed, the actors, and of course that score. This is a movie I've written papers about in college, have made theories for, and have broken down shot by shot and scene by scene. The original Phantasm tells a wonderful haunting story following three main characters. This is a movie I would love to get a tattoo based off someday. It's one I will always watch whenever it's on and geek out whenever I have to chance to talk about. Just last year on my birthday I was able to watch an original print to the first movie and was blown away by how truly gorgeous it was. 

5) Christine
As I've said I'm a massive Stephen King fan due to my mother. Not only was I raised hearing and reading about his books, but I adored nearly all of the movies based off his work. With Christine, I still remember renting it, and right away knowing I had to buy my own copy. Christine honestly was a mixture of complete and utter perfection. They took Stephen King, who's star was very well on a rise in the early 80's, (1983 the year this was released had two other movies based off his work released around the same time), and John Carpenter, one of my own personal favorite directors. Taking both of these men's massive talents, I believe they made one of the greatest adaptations of King's works. What I love about this movie is that it still holds up today and honestly never needs to be remade. A haunting score by Carpenter, a great opener, and the best cast I've honestly ever seen in a horror movie. Christine herself is a character, and the showdown is amazing. A wonderful movie, based off a wonderful book. This is one of my all time favorite movies, I've driven way out of my way to meet several members of the cast, and the car itself. My Christine collection is insane (I own way too many copies of this movie!) It's a film I have to watch whenever it's on, and was one of the nutcases that bought 2 copies when the SE of the blu-ray was released. I even got my friend Melissa into this movie that she has a Christine tattoo, and does artwork based off this movie. Christine is not only one of my favorite King's movies, but one of my favorite Carpenter films as well. 

4) Waxwork/Waxwork II Lost In Time
I think it's clear how I feel about these movies. I remember always rushing to the horror section growing up at those old school private mom and pop video stores. I still remember always staring at the covers of such movies like A Nightmare On Elm Street 3 Dream Warriors, April Fools Day, and of course Waxwork. These were favorites of mine and it wasn't until a few years ago while staying with a friend that I checked out the original on demand. The moment I began watching, I remembered how much I truly adored these movies. With a likeable cast, with fresh attractive actors who at the time were on the rise, a catchy score, great directing by Anthony Hickox, amazing effects, and a storyline/script so ahead of it's time it's insane. (Yep, Cabin In the Woods, I'm talking to you!) The original Waxwork is a fun, clever little horror movie for almost anyone. It had a great lead, an evil villain, some truly awesome memorable scenes (The whipping scene, the werewolf, the mummy, the steak tar-tar, and of course the classic black and white zombie part.) The first Waxwork movie worked so well because of Zach Galligan and Deborah Foreman, two actors I've met and have been floored over how amazing they have been. The sequel is bat shit crazy, strange, and cheesy, and those are just a few reasons why I love it. With Hickox and Galligan returning, this movie takes place just moments after the original, and has some laughable changes. I love the time travel idea in this movie, along with all the homages to all these classic horror movies (The Haunting, Alien, Dawn Of The Dead, ect.) These two movies are great horror adventure movies with awesome characters, and great moments. I still mourn the fact there was never a part III. I'm a huge fan of these movies, and have been trying to gain support on Face Book in trying to get these movies re-relesed on blu-ray. These are classics that deserve a proper release. I've met Galligan and Foreman several times, and my Waxwork collection is still growing. My most prized piece is Zach Galligan's very own personal Waxwork II crew shirt that I won last spring. These movies are by far my favorites, movies I'm sure everyone knows I adore and won't ever get sick of talking about.

3) Say Anything
- I didn't like typical things when I was in high school. In fact I remember one of my history teachers got a kick out of the fact that I knew about all these 80's actors and movies that he had watched growing up himself. I liked of course the brat pack movies, and films like Radioactive Dreams, Thrashin', Valley Girl, ect. One of my favorites had to be Say Anything. I'm a massive John Cusack fan, and I mean massive. Say Anything was Cusack's last "teen" performance and he went out with a bang. I'm not a massive Russell Crow fan, I mean I adore Fast Times that he wrote, and have enjoyed his other works, but something about Say Anything reminds me of the non-horror movies I loved watching as a teenager. I liked off beat teen movies, but this one was one of my favorites. It was well written and seemed like a pretty realistic romance between two very interesting young adults. I loved how this wasn't a perfect sappy love fest, and I loved how the character of Lloyd seemed pretty much like this weird loser, who really deep down inside was full of passion and legit the perfect guy. With a killer soundtrack, and pairing between the two leads I was obsessed with this movie. Sure I love all of Cusack's movies (The Sure Thing being one of my favorites) but something about Say Anything just reminds me of when I was a carefree teenager who dressed as Lloyd for Halloween one year (boom box and all) Yep...lol.

2) Inglorious Bastards
- Sorta on a serious note, this movie was released during the worse year of my life. In 2009 I suddenly lost my mother at age twenty. My mother was my whole life and we were very close. In fact, she's the main reason why I love horror and movies so much. 2009 was a dark and shitty time in my life and what broke my heart was the fact that Inglorious Bastards was released and my mother never got to see it. My mother was a huge Tarantino fan. She was the person who got me into his movies, and enjoyed them just as much as me. In fact she down right loved his movies so much, we would re-watch them all the time. My room growing up was covered in Reservoir Dog posters. I had a huge crush on Michael Madsen. I re-watched Pulp Fiction over and over and over again. I saw Kill Bill and Grindhouse several times each when both were released, and yes I had the same hat Jackie Brown wears in the movie with Sam Jackson. My mother was always very interested in the whole holocaust history, she loved movies about them and her heart honestly went towards Jewish people. I remember back in high school the rumors that went around after Grindhouse about this movie being made and how excited she was about it. The day I went to see it with my best friend was a bitter sweet one. It goes down in my top ten favorite movies of all time, and in my eyes it's Tarantino's best movie he's ever made. In fact I truly believe when Brad Pitt and BJ Novak and smiling down at the camera at the end and he says "Utivich, I believe this may be my masterpiece." It's Tarantino speaking to the audience. This really is a flawless film. It's a living breathing work of art with the best cast I've ever seen in a movie since The Great Escape. The last half an hour is seriously utter and complete perfection. This movie I saw several times when it was released and I know for a fact my mother would have loved it. By far one of the best movies I've seen in years.

1) Red Dawn
- Spirit of the deer! This movie along with so many other 80's classics was a must in my household growing up. In fact, I'm down right floored at the fact that at such a young age I had the attention span to watch such a movie. I'm not knocking it saying it's slowed paced, but it's about the cold war in the 1980's with a pretty beyond far fetch plot. I myself have never really been huge into military movies, but something about this movie I was always instantly drawn to. In fact, it was a favorite of mine growing up and most likely stays in my top twenty-five favorite movies of all time. I think a big reason behind this was the cast. They seriously got nearly every single big 80's actor at the time. Even though the mid-west invasion storyline is a little out there, I think everyone did a great job. I mean this was back when Charlie Sheen was originally coked out of his mind and it was charming. Back in high school instead of being super into modern day boy bands and heart throbs I was a thirty-seven year old trapped in a sixteen year old body. I only liked actors from the 1980's. In fact I had a major crush on C. Thomas Howell so this movie along with The Outsiders, and The Hitcher were always on. The Hitcher even today is one of my all time favorite movies. Red Dawn is a pretty kick ass movie with lots of action, an all star cast, and an epic ending that still gives me goose bumps. It's still a huge inside joke between me and my sister quoting this movie, and I remember having Red Dawn night at school and being the only asshole to put war paint on my face and twigs in my hair watching the movie (what can I say, I drank a lot of beer back then.) This is a pretty awesome movie that I still have to watch every time it's on TV and yes...I haven't seen the shitty remake yet. No thanks! In fact I loved this movie so much, that in high school when we had to order those stupid class rings, I got one with deer on it just for this movie. Yes, I was a very strange teenager indeed.

What are yours?