How Needful Things needs to be remade…

 How Needful Things needs to be remade…

In the early 90's Stephen King had plenty of amazing pieces of work under his belt both in Novel and film form. (Carrie, Salem's Lot, The Shinning, Cujo, Christine, The Dead Zone, Cat's Eye, Maximum Overdrive, Stand By Me, Creepshow, Creepshow 2, Pet Sematary, IT, Misery, Graveyard Shift, The Dark Half, and Sleepwalkers just to name a few. The world's biggest horror writer, King was a master of his trade and people from all over were fighting to adapt his bone chilling novels onto the silver screen. Dozens of his works were turned into classic films or mini series. Beginning a new decade, King was battling his own inner demons, as well as continuing new pieces of of work. One of his greatest books from the 90's was his final chapter in his Castle Rock series. This of course being Needful Things.

Needful Things was a giant epic that tells the story of the small town of Castle Rock Maine, and how one day a mysterious new business opens downtown. It's a small antique shop run by Mr. Gaunt, a man who is charming and more mysterious than how his business actually came to be. Very little is known about this man, but just over the course of a few days a series of people who live in Castle Rock visit the shop and discover magical objects that make their most wildest dreams, or inner needs become a realty.  Sadly they buy these items for a cost. First they need to play a "prank" on somebody who also lives in town that Gaunt has chosen, the second later of course is their soul. These "pranks" set off a deadly chain reaction around town causing it to destroy itself from the inside out.

Being one of my all time favorite Stephen King novels, this is the one book I would recommend to anyone. King's brilliant writing of linking everyone in this town is mind blowing as well as the explosive build up that begins with page one. This was one of the few books i was completely hooked on reading and honestly couldn't put it down until I finished.

The film adaptation sadly didn't live up to how amazing the book was. With an all star cast, one would think this Ed Harris supernatural thriller would totally rock. Sadly this wasn't the case, and this very lackluster film failed to impress me. There aren't always going to be a finished product that is just as amazing as the book, but coming from the source material, I found this being a huge wasted opportunity. 

So let's pretend they decide one day to green lit a reboot/remake of Needful Things. What would we want to see?

1) Make it a mini series.

- I always felt certain pieces of King's work are so epic that the mini series route works best. In fact some of his most memorial pieces of work have been made for the smaller screen. He's come a long way since his IT and The Stand days where as truly awesome these series were, they never fully grasped the mood or potential the books did. I'm not saying the later have, but Riding The Bullet was amazing as good as Desperation was and I'm still praying for one based off The Regulators, I feel this piece of work along with IT should be a mini series for HBO. In fact I feel this network might be the only one maybe along with Showtime that could pull this off. You have this amazing story with rich characters, and it's seriously all plot driven. At this place in time, I could see this being done the right way with a strong director, and it being split into three different episodes, maybe released around Halloween.

2) Cast Mads Mikkelsen as Gaunt.

- As amazing as Max von Sydow was in this, he wasn't exactly who I had in mind while reading this novel. I can only begin to think of how frustrating it is for King whenever he has certain actors in mind for these great characters he writes and ends up having the role completely changed by how's playing them. If Needful Things was made today I would have the ever so creepy, handsome, and smooth Mads Mikkelsen play Gaunt. First off I think Mads could capture how charming Gaunt seems at first and slowly sinister as time goes on. 

3) Stick with the book, be completely brutal and don't hold back.

- One thing that drove me up the wall was how much they cut out from the book. Now I understand, feature films can only be so long. Still, even if the version I've seen isn't the full director's cut I really got pissed off by how the whole Brian Rusk thing was a copout. Sure the content is disturbing, but this really would have shown some balls if they went this route. Same with the epic battle between the two women in the beginning. A mini series, allows more subplots to happen, which I think would really work for this story. Show more of the characters, and be completely brutal. I would love to see Kiefer Sutherland come back as his character from Stand by Me, and how the beyond killer showdown at the end. Really show how quickly Castle Rock falls apart. 

4) Cast a stronger Pangborn.

- This might be odd casting but either Jeffery Dean Morgan or John Hamm I think would make a great Sheriff Pangborn. This is a story that needs strong leads, and I would of loved to see the background of Allan's family shown which makes his storyline even more tragic. 

5) Keep the Elvis storyline.

- This might sound insane but my two favorite objects from the entire book were the Elvis sunglasses and photograph. Sure in the book they were used for a little "something" else for two Castle Rock women, but I think it would be a complete riot to show this magic being down and really set the tone for this mini series.

So until then, let's keep our fingers crossed and see if any of this will actually happen!

What would we like to see if Thanksgiving was made?

 What would we like to see if Thanksgiving was made?

Back in 2007 audiences from around the world were blown away by one of the best fake movie trailers of all time. 

Thanksgiving.

Grindhouse was an action packed gore fest that paid tribute to the 1970's drive-in days of classic Grandhouse films where you could watch two movies for the price of one. Quentin Taratino and Robert Rodriguez teamed up yet again to creative two very amusing movies with very unique plots. Planet Terror and Death Proof. As much shit as these movies got, you really had to hand it to them for trying something new for movie goers. I honestly think the release date (around Easter of that year) and the fact so many people didn't understand what these storytellers were trying to do resulted in it being a box office flop. Still, almost ten years later these movies have a love hate relationship with fans. With all star casts, gore splattered across the screen, and a killer soundtrack, these two movies were a breath of fresh air and fun all around.

What made these movies so great were the fake trailers that were between each film. Famous directors like Rodriguez, Rob Zombie, and Edgar Wright all directed a trailer no longer than a minute but created their very own worlds including werewolf's, nazis, ghosts, Mexican hit man, and so much more. One trailer didn't make the cut Hobo With A Shotgun, but ended up with it's own feature film just like Rodriguez' Machete. So many people wondered, when would the others have their chance to shine. The one trailer that got the most hype was by director Eli Roth who was fairly new to the scene at the time. Becoming a member of the splat pack, he all ready had such movies as Cabin Fever and Hostel was his belt. Thanksgiving paid tribute to classic slashers from the 1980's that took place during the holidays. So far we had Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, even birthdays covered. Besides Home Sweet Home, and Blood Rage, there was a serious lacking of horror films that actually took place on Thanksgiving. Thanks to Mr. Roth we were reward with one of the best fake movie trailers of all time.

With stars such as Michael Biehn, and others from the Hostel movies, this film set the perfect tone for what I believe would have been the ultimate modern day slasher. With the Creepshow soundtrack, and a voice over we were reward with bloody holiday themed gore with memorable moments as the gym scene and of course the final dinner shot. This trailer caused much hype and after Machete was made fans had their mouths watering wondering when Roth would finally get around to making Thanksgiving.

Sadly after Hostel II flopped, Roth took a step back from directing and stuck with producing and acting before finally making the ultimate comeback with The Green Inferno. Today to pay tribute to the holiday I'm making a short list of things I feel fans would truly want to see if Thanksgiving was actually made into a feature film.

1) Get Eli to direct.

- Like I said, it seemed for a brief period of time Eli might have lost his luster for making awesome gore filled movies that paid tribute to a much better time after Hostel II. I understand what he was doing with that movie, but besides just continuing on with the story, it really didn't add much. After The Green Inferno I know in my heart he would be able to handle this two fold. In fact if they let him do his thing I'm sure there would be no better director to do this than him. He would capture the vibe that so many classic slashers before hand held. I bet it would be a gritty old school tribute to slashers from the late 70's and 1980's. Let it be as over the top as nuts as possible,. Even if he couldn't completely match to the trailer, try to go as nuts as possible. I really want to see that dinner scene "Happy Thanksgiving grandma!"

2) KNB gore

- KNB rules when it comes to creating gore filled movies. These guys have been around since the glory days of Intruder and Day Of The Dead. I've had the pleasure of metering two of the original guys from it and they are beyond likable and down to earth. I mean these guys have seriously done makeup on nearly every single movie and have won Oscars! I'm sure after The Green Inferno they would make this movie beautiful with some of the most over the top gore scenes ever to splatter across the silver screen. I want to see that trampoline scene dammit! 

3) Get Lorenza Izzo and Daryl Sabara to star in it.

- What truly won me over with The Green Inferno was the likable cast. Eli Roth's beautiful wife Lorenza I think would be the perfect final girl for Thanksgiving. Her eyes are gorgeous! I've yet to see her in Knock, Knock yet but if she delivers what she brought from The Green Inferno I'm sure  she'll rock it. Same goes with Daryl Sabara who's a far cry from his Spy Kids days. I could totally see this guy stealing every scene in the movie all over again. Please Eli recast these two!

4) Michael Biehn as the sheriff. 

- I love me some Biehn. A classic actor who's appeared in such films as The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Navy Seals, and Tombstone. Biehn had a comeback with Planet Terror, and even was put in Roth's fake trailer for Thanksgiving. Him muttering "Sonofabitch…" during the trailer forever and always have me cracking up.

5) Have fake trailers play before the opening.

- To complete the ultimate feel of this being a gritty 1980's slasher I would pass the torch down and have one or two fake trailers play before the opening of this movie directed by other horror peeps. I mean come on, I would die to see one directed by Adam Green or Ti West!

- Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Movies that really capture the magic of Thanksgiving...

 Movies that really capture the magic of Thanksgiving…

1) Home Sweet Home

- This low grade slasher is actually a lot of fun to watch around this time of year since there is truly a lack of horror movies that take place on this highly underrated holiday. I was able to get a killer copy from VHSPS and it's a must to watch every year despite how slow the movie really is.

2) Bloodrage

- Not only is this movie one of my favorite slashers, it's also one of the few but amazing horror movies that take place on thanksgiving. Making up for the lackluster Home Sweet Home. Bloodrage aka Nightmare At Shadow Woods is truly an awesome 1980's old school gore fest with effects by Ed French (Sleepaway Camp, Tales From The Darkside). This slasher actually has a really great storyline and setting. Hopefully one of these months the Arrow Video blu-ray release will finally be available. Until then I'll have to settle with my bootleg and watching it on Youtube. Keep your eyes open for a Ted Raimi cameo, and some classics line likes "This isn't cranberry sauce!"

3) Kristy

- I just discovered this thriller this year thanks to my friend Courtney. It's a blow burn movie, but a great storyline and some really tense moments. I highly recommend this movie to anyone to watch since it's on Netflix and perfectly captures the holidays when one is away at school.

4) The Green Inferno

- This movie is the main course of films. This is by far my favorite movie released this year. The epic comeback from director Eli Roth brings us a stomach turning tale of a bunch of people captured in a tribe in the Amazon. With a likable cast, and some beyond awesome gore moments from KNB this is a must to watch when one is settling down after a big meal.

5) A Nightmare On Elm Street 5 The Dream Child

- This movie is one of my least favorite sequels from the series but nevertheless still I give it the respect it deserves with the colors and style. In fact this would be the desert out of all the films. It's visual eye candy, and has one of the best deaths in the endless line of sequels. When you see Freddy feeding a girl her own stomach you know it's going to be good!

6) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

- Nothing says the holidays more than the original 1970's cult classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This movie captures how truly heart warming it is to settle down with the family and dig into some head cheese.

7) Silver Bullet

- The beer of this movie line up. Silver Bullet is a fun Stephen King film with a great cast, Corey Haim in a wheelchair, and a drunk uncle (we have all had one of those during the holidays) A great movie to watch while catching a buzz and trying to relax after a day full of holiday fun.

8) You're Next

- Somehow I always think of Thanksgiving when I watch this movie. Maybe because of the setting and time of year it takes place, but I love how beautiful this film looks and how crazy everything goes while this very screwed up family settles down to a nice warm meal. Nothing screams Thanksgiving more than guys in lamb masks attacking people! 

How Damon Martin would have played the perfect Robin in Batman Returns.

 How Damon Martin would have played the perfect robin in Batman Returns

As November comes to a close, and we finish off with yet another successful Galligangiving, I need to take a second to pay tribute to another actor who in my eyes has also starred in some killer cult classics that are highly underatted.

This actor is Damon Martin.

Damon Martin had a brief acting career in the 1980's and early 90's before shifting gears and forming the band Naked who had two #1 hits on the billboards (Mann's Chinese and Raining On The Sky) this band was so popular they were even featured on an episode of the hit television series Buffy. Sadly the band broke up shortly afterwards and Damon continued his career as a music producer forming several very successful companies. Damon later went on to producing films including the remake to Night Of The Demons. Damon now lives in LA and is one of LA Art Districts' most famous mural artist who has worked all over the country, creating breathtaking pieces of work around different cities. Supporting wonderful causes like protecting elephants, and even designing a smart car, Damon truly seems like a man who's tried it all, and has had a very successful and eventful career in any field he's tried.

Today I want to talk about Damon's amazing brief film career as an actor. What fascinates me about Damon is the fact he's lived such an interesting life dabbling in so many amazing careers. I've always found the character lesser know actors very intriguing. There have been several who appeared in a brief series of films before continuing on with their life's working new jobs with wide range. Damon appeared in several TV shows before landing a small role in Tim Burton's 1985 cult classic Pee Wee's Big Adventure in 1985 as Chip, the redheaded BMX bike rider who classically quotes the line "That Dottie sure is radical with bikes!"

Damon went on to appear on episodes of Freddy's Nightmares and 21 Jump Street. Damon won the role in the movie Ghoulies II, as well as appearing in the made for TV Disney movie Sky High (a film I've been searching for, for what seems like years.), C. Thomas Howell's action thriller Kid, and of course the very stellar sequel of the Amityville series Amityville 1992 It's About Time.

Damon has recently just joined Instagram as @Damonmartinartist it's amazing to see his breathtaking work, and the other pieces he's helped making possible. I urge anyone to please check out this man's work, it's truly amazing.

What makes me post again about Damon is the fact he's one of the last actors I need to have signed my beloved Amityville 1992 laserdisc. I in fact blew Stephen Macht over what a huge fan I am of this movie when I met him this past fall while working Rock & Shock. I showed Stephen how Damon and Megan Ward (the two Sterling siblings) are the background of my phone and how I've had several different artist re-draw one of my all time favorite scenes from the movie which I hope to get tattooed on me someday.  I want Damon to get the respect he deserves. Ghoulies II was just re-released on blu-ray by Scream Factory and truly the only thing missing was Damon being involved. I really hope he's not embarrassed by his acting work because as cheesy as some of the movies he appeared in were, he always played a likable character and was able to appear in some really cool scenes. I know it's a long shot, but I hope someway somehow fans will show Damon how badly they have waned to meet him and get the chance to pick his brain a little over what he thinks about the masking of these films.

"Sigh…a girl can dream right?"

Well going back to the blog's original subject, I feel maybe just maybe had things been a little different, it would have been Damon Martin playing the boy wonder.

Back in 1985 Damon Martin's first film role was in Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Just a few years later Burton discovered Mr. Johnny Depp who would go onto and star in Edward Scissorhands in 1990. Martin and Depp both co-starred in a really serious episode of 21 Jump Street in 1988. Even tho the two actors never interacted at all in the same episode, both did a great job dealing with the serious subject matter the plot line dealt with. Being roughly around the same age, one could wonder what would have happened if it was Martin had been re-used again, not for Scissorhands, but for a certain role that I feel personally for Damon at that age, he was born to play.

Some might argue that Damon was too old (when Batman Returns was made it was 91/92 so he was around 27 or 28.) But trust me, no offense to Chris O' Donnell in Joel Schumacher's mess of a movie Batman Forever. I think as much as so much epicness was packed into Batman Returns it would have been AWESOME even if he just did a cameo if Damon played Robin. With Burton's darker tone to the series I'm sure it would have been played off wonderfully even if he played Nightwing. 

So closing thoughts, Damon Martin is a crazy talented artist, but would have made one HELL of a Robin. 

"Sigh…"

I guess I'll just have to be happy with Joseph Gorden Levitt…

Gremlins action figure by Chad Young of The Horror BBQ

Well, it finally happened! After years and years, us Galligang Members finally receive what we've been waiting and long for. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the moment has arrived. 2015 will mark the debut of...THE BILLY PELTZER ACTION FIGURE.

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Standing at only 3 3/4, this throwback is ready for all your backyard adventure with all your favorite Star Wars and GI Joe figures. 

Wanna take down Darth Vader? GALLIGAN.

Is Cobra taking over the world? GALLIGAN.

Is Skeletor invading Castle Greyskull? GALLIGAN.

We fans have been hoping for years we'd receive a Billy Pelzter figure after the constant(and enjoyable) barrage of Gremlins variations. We've received the Electric Gremlin, the Brain Gremlin, even the Bat Gremlin. Again, not complaining, but it's about time we received our favorite banker! Coming with his handy green backpack as well as his trademark sassy red sweatshirt, this teen idol is ready to make your sister's Barbie scream with excitement. The likeness isn't spot on perfect, but it fits for the toyline, especially considering the goal of ReAction is to represent classic toys in classic 1970s/80s Kenner fashion. Despite looking like David Naughton, this is as perfect of a Billy figure we could get. 

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So if you ask me, what's the perfect gift for your friends and family this year?

Yup...

-Chad E. Young

Horrormoviebbq.com

Terror Twins Podcast

Galligang Fan Club ID: 9838494

Galligangiving - Strung Along - by Tiffany Santiago from Psycho Chick Flicks!

 Strung Along A review by Tiffany Santiago from Psycho Chick Flicks

I was asked if I wanted to participate in "Galligan Giving" by the awesome Stacy Still and the first thing that popped into my head was the amazing Tales from the Crypt episode Strung Along. I agreed because I had to share my love for Zach Galligan and that very episode!

Strung Along is the 12th episode of the fourth season of Tales from the Crypt. That show remains one of my very favorite series ever! I have such fond memories of staying up late and watching HBO and looking forward to every episode. I remember being 10 years old and loving everything about the show from the intro, to the crypt keeper puns, to every story. Each one seemed like a different horror movie! Season four was particularly a great one. So many great episodes! Strung Along stood out to me because I love anything with killer puppets and add Zach into the mix which equals awesomeness.

Strung Along is about an aging puppeteer who gets a second shot at the big time. His health is suffering and he has a young wife who doesn't seem to be so interested in her husband anymore. He hires a young assistant (Galligan) to help him put a show together. The wife acts like she doesn't like Galligan but he and the wife have a plot all of their own. They cause the poor puppeteer to have a heart attack and die but the joke is on them. His spirit lives in Coco the puppet and he gets revenge and kills them both.

I loved all the twists to this episode! I felt so bad for the puppeteer but he got his revenge! It was so cool and the special effects were awesome! Strung Along was directed by Kevin Yagher who also created the Crypt keeper creature, Freddy Krueger's makeup, and designed the original Chucky doll. I loved that Galligan played a jerk because he's known so well as squeaky clean boy next door Billy from the gremlins films. 

I've always Liked Zach Galligan but when I met him the first time at Chiller theater back around 2007 or 2008, that solidified how awesome he really is. He was so nice and conversated with all of his fans, and he got a kick out of the fact that I had Waxwork on VHS for him to sign. Then a couple of years later we met again at Chiller, and he hung out with my friends and I at the Saturday night concert. We spoke about everything from Corey Feldman to Waxwork to Hatchet 3. A true class act from my home town of NYC who is humble and appreciates his fans.

So I say thank you Zach Galligan! And thank you for helping make Strung Along one of my top 5 favorite Tales from the Crypt episodes ever. In Galligan we trust! Happy Galligan Giving to all of you and especially to Stacy Still!

Tiffany Santiago

Psycho Chick Flicks on Facebook

10 reasons why Jurassic Park rocked.

 10 reasons why Jurassic Park rocked!

10) Best Steven Spielberg movie since Jaws.

- I love Spielberg, but sadly I can count on one hand the movies of his I truly love. As a huge fan of Jaws, this hands down was truly his best film since his 70's shark adventure. Had he kept making movies like this, he would of hands down been one of my all time favorite directors of all time. Sorry guys, I can't forgive him for The Lost World.

9) Based off an amazing novel.

- This past summer I was lucky enough to finally get around to reading the amazing novel this film is based off on. Had they taken this route the novel went, Juraasic Park would have been a much darker movie. I absolutely loved this book, and the fact Muldoon pretty much steals the show in it. I mean come on how, the man takes down a T-rex down himself. Bad ass!

8) The perfect mixture of practical effects and CGI.

- If only films followed this movie's lead in production maybe we would have more CGI that would hold up today. Thanks to the late Stan Winston, there was a beautiful mix of practical effects and puppets with CGI. It really doesn't look too dated and this movie was made over 20 years ago! In fact I have it on blu-ray 3D and there really aren't many scenes that show the film's age.

7) Fun for any age.

- I don't care who you are, nearly 99% of anyone I talk to LOVES Jurassic Park. You would be a fan of any sort of movie and still enjoy this film. People my age grew up watching it (I still remember having the video game and a stuffed raptor as a kid.) or you were lucky enough to see this movie when it first opened. I feel that's why Jurassic World did so well at the box office. So many people in their mid to late 20's grew up with this movie being a huge staple of the 90's and got to relive their childhood by seeing the next installment in the series. This is a movie you could show anyone at any age and get some sort of reaction. Sure some scenes are a little intense, but I see it as the Jaws of dinosaur movies. It's a complete thrill ride that never lets up.

6) The raptors.

- Long before Jurassic World where the guy from Parks and Rec were teaching them how to behave on command, these little fuckers were the biggest villains of all time. Rarely seen in the beginning, all you know is they are the only dinosaur that makes both Dr. Grant and Muldoon nervous. If there's any dinosaur that gives the T-rex a run for his money, deserves it's very own place. There's some major foreshadowing in the beginning of the film with the 6 feet turkey speech. Between the epic opening (love how the music cues up when the film's main title comes across the screen.) How while transporting one of the raptors, there's an accident and the gatekeeper is sucked inside eaten alive. Here we get to meet the film's biggest bad ass Muldoon who struggles to fight against the raptor and pull the poor dying man out of the cage. There both monster and man lock eyes and we're given one of the film's best lines "Shoot her!" These raptors steal every scene they are in, including the terrifying kitchen scene where they stalk the Lex and Tim characters.

5) Likeable characters.

- It's very rare that such a great cast comes together. Sure there were asshole characters in this film, but I'll give credit where credit is due. Every single one of these actors knocked it out of the park, mostly the leads. Laura Dern, Sam Neil, Jeff Goldblum, and of course Bob Peck. I could keep going, but all of these leads were the reason why this is one of my all time favorite movies. I seriously can't name one scene in the original movie I don't like. This is a film with characters that are so good with each other you can't help but root for them.

4) The score.

- John Williams was the master of conducting a score to a movie. Who doesn't get chills whenever the chopper is first arriving on the island, or when the T-rex saved the day at the end? I still remember instantly getting excited when I heard the original theme slowly get played in the background for the Jurassic World trailer. Such a beautiful soundtrack that I play all the time on vinyl. I urge anyone to grab the Mondo release to this soundtrack.

3) Jeff Goldblum

- The odd sexual awakening I think every child had seeing this movie in the early 90's. Who's more boss than Goldblum, and having his character chew up every single scene he's in. Between his odd ball laugh, his dark sunglasses, his reactions basically being the audience's reactions, and of course his open shirt scene that strangely is just thrown in there. I can't really explain it, but it certainly did make me feel a few different things back in the day. Still does. Sadly his laughable and awesome character was ruined in the sequel. I forever and always will remember him as the asshole breathing into the camera asking Hammond is there are any dinosaurs on the dinosaur tour?

2) One of the most quotable films of all time.

- You seriously can't just pick one. In fact dare I say it, it very well might be one of the most quotable action/adventure films of all time. These quotes are so popular they are featured on artwork, on tattoos, and even uttered whenever a group of fans of the movie are sitting together. "They move in herds, they do move in herds…" "Shoot her!", "BINGO dino DNA!" "Life finds a way." "Hold onto your butts!" and of course "Clever girl…"

1) Muldoon.

- At least this is my #1 reason on why this film rocks. My all time favorite character is Robert Muldoon (played by the late and brilliant Bob Peck) Muldoon's character seriously steals the show in both the novel and the movie. In my eyes this dude is the Quint of dinosaurs. He's the only one with balls enough to call Hammond out on his bullshit, dresses like a boss, carries a bad ass gun, has the most insane muscular legs ever, and utters one of the most famous lines in the movie as well as having one of the greatest deaths and final words spoken ever in a movie. I loved this character so much after seeing Jurassic World this past summer, I decided to pay tribute to him by getting his character tattooed on me. 1993 up in here bitches!

This is my design - Hannibal the TV series.

 This is my design - Hannibal the TV series.

During a massive snow storm in New England back in 2013 I discovered the very popular and well hyped NBC thriller Hannibal which I had heard only amazing things about. Going into this completely blind, I bought this deciding to take a chance since I downright adored the original novels/films by Thomas Harris. A huge reason why I was curious about this show was the fact it seemed to be telling the story I've been the most interested in. Believe it or not my favorite film from the Hannibal series is Manhunter aka Red Dragon. The 1986 Michael Mann film that is highly underrated. Manhunter goes down as one of my all time favorite movies, and believe it or not as good as it's remake is, I've never truly been able to get into it as much as I did as the original. Sure it screams the 80's, and there are some very over the top moments such as Will looking out the window and saying "It's just you and me sport." but I've always seen that film as a breathtaking living breathing piece of art. The fact that Silence Of The Lambs is actually a sequel has always stunned me and keeps the first film in the shadows due to it's box office failure. 

Silence came, sweeping the box office as well as academy awards and redefined "Thrillers" and horror for the new decade.

I've been a fan of Manhunter and Silence Of The Lambs for years since my mother was a huge fan of them and the novels. I feel the series did in fact take a downfall with the third film Hannibal in which they really seemed to cash in on Anthony Hopkins' Oscar winning performance in Silence. With Jodie Foster not returning, the movie honestly did seem like a giant mess as good as the film was. A perfect way to end the series. It didn't take long for Manhunter to be retold, but sadly didn't capture the magic Manhunter did. Hopkins' part was beefed up (I still laugh over the fact they claimed they used CGI to make him look younger) and sadly Edward Norton didn't capture the same chilling performance William Petersen did. Still Ralph Fiennes did a great job, and the series truly seemed in limo with the prequel Hannibal Rising. It seemed the once very popular series was dead and that was that.

Until the TV show came.

I really gotta say that television seems to be returning to it's roots that the 1980's was playing with. Taking popular films and turning them into weekly shows. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't Luckily this time it was complete and utter brilliance. I still remember seeing previews for the show "Did you just smell me?" and being a little taken aback. How could this movie/series of books be turned into a TV show? Tons of Television as of lately have really been amazing. They took the film Psycho and made Bates Motel. From Dusk Till Dawn, The Walking Dead, Ash Vs Evil Dead, Supernatural,  even True Blood. Shows are getting darker, more grittier, and taking great movies with cult following and expanding on them. This in my eyes was the perfect series to turn into a TV show.

I still remember binge watching the first season and being completely speechless. Never before have I seen a show so beautifully shot. I was instantly thrilled at the casting choices. First off Hugh Dancy seems born to play this role. He's like a modern day William Petersen with his shaggy hair, and sympathetic eyes. He's the heart of the show, and expanding on his "gift" of being able to see what the killer sees. The opening scene of the series where Will is explaining a home invasion instantly sets up the tone for the entire show. I love him reenacting the crimes, showing the design, and flashing backwards on what the killer felt and did. Showing a lonely hero that isn't perfect, has flaws, and is on the spectrum was brilliant. 

The second biggest win for this show is the casting of Hannibal himself, the brain of the show which is played by Mads Mikkelsen (best known as the villain of Casino Royal) This is a role few would want to take over after Hopkins Oscar winning performance. For Mads the stars certainly did aline, and this was a role he was born to play for this generation. He tackles the role with his own smooth and beautiful cultured style. You could seriously spend hours listening to this man talk and be captivated. His chemistry with Dancy is one for the books and the fact these two haven't won any awards yet blows my mind. I know this show has a massive cult following, but I gotta say, it deserves it. Each episode is Manhunter expanded. It's elegant, beautiful., and breathtaking. Each shot carefully planned out and colorful art for the eyes and soul. I've never found a show so well paced, and driven by it's characters. It's surreal, haunting, and most of all a force that few stories can match. 

With awesome changes with race and gender to characters we all know too well from the films and novel, the stories keep going and keep us on the edge of our seats. The season two cliffhanger was one of the best I've seen in years.

Season one tackles the set up of how Hannibal and Will came to be. It follows the Hobbs case, the first official one that both characters worked beside each other on. Expanding on the universe, as well as showing some of the most stomach turning, jaw dropping crime scenes of all time. The first season legit seems to top itself episode after episode. The action and drama are fast paced and leads to a great ending cliff hanger before picking back up with season two.

Having only seen a few episodes of season 3 where we finally get to see the Red Dragon aka Manhunter story play out, this is a bitter sweet ending since the show was canceled. (The fact a brilliant show like this gets canned and the fucking Walking Dead keeps going is beyond me.) The show's creator Bryan Fuller decided to say fuck it since his original plan of five or so seasons was thrown to the ashes. Before he could continue and maybe tell the Silence Of The Lambs story (which I heard was going to be hard due to the rights.) the show was given a horrible time slot and given the kiss of death. Knowing despite the massive swarm of fans, and cult following Fuller decided to say fuck it and end the show the way he wanted it to end. This was one of the few episodes I actually saw and was speechless at how it ended. Good for you Bryan, perfect "Fuck you" to NBC.

I plan on writing a closing thoughts review after I view all of season three. Until then cheers to one of the most brilliant and beautiful shows ever made!

Ten reasons why The Green Inferno rocked.

 Ten reasons why The Green Inferno rocked.

Now I know I'm going to get complete and utter Hell for this, but I really truly enjoyed this year's release of Eli Roth's cannibal film The Green Inferno. Originally filmed in 2013, it took nearly two years before finally the right studio backed it for a release. As an homage to classic 70's and 80's jungle based horror films, this gory tale of a group of activist who crash land in the middle of the Amazon in my eyes was the best horror release of the year. Now I know tons of people are going to argue with me, mostly with It Follows having been released this pervious spring. Mr. Roth isn't really known as the best well liked guy in the business, but I for one am a fan (maybe it's because he's from my home state, or the fact he's the Bear Jew…OR that he makes fun gory splatter films that pay tribute to classic films of the last forty or so years. Whatever the reason is, I want to pay tribute in listing off ten reasons why in my eyes this film rocked. 

10) Eli Roth's big return.

- Eli Roth burst out into the scene in 2002 with his bloody flesh eating fest of Cabin Fever. A few years later he followed it with the brutal torture film Hostel, and a few years later his lackluster sequel Hostel II. Appearing to be getting a swelled head, Eli stuck with directing on a smaller scale (Thanksgiving anyone?) Producing, and acting. Finally after what seemed like a well deserved break, Eli got his ducks in a row and seemed to return to his roots. This film's production was a long time coming, but was well worth the wait with this year's release.

9) Paid tribute to classic jungle themed horror films.

- Cannibal Holocaust, as well as several other cult classic jungle themed films of natives attacking was the main source for this newest take on Amazon themed films. Showing ancient tribes in the heart of the jungle, as far out and over the top as it seems, this movie shows somewhat realistic, gritty, and brutal pacing to build amazing suspense. Had it not been for these classic films in the 70's and 80's I know for a fact we wouldn't have gotten The Green Inferno.

8) The soundtrack.

- Absolutely loved the opening credits with the rythum beat of the drums going on as the cameras flew over the jungle. One of the best reasons to stick around after the bonus scene during the credits is a crazy awesome song that blasts during it. Perfectly captures what kind of feel this movie has.

7) Likable characters.

- It's very rare (mostly in an Eli Roth film) that you find realistic, likable characters. In this movies besides really one certain character (Kaycee the roommate, man oh man this movie in HD did zero favors to her face, nor did her shitty dialog and acting) the actors did an amazing job showing off realistic people in their early to mid 20's. You honestly feel bad for them after they are captured and for once root for the most part that they make it. It's very rare that there's a horror movie when you actually like the characters and don't want them to die. I gotta say each time one of these characters were killed off I was bummed out. Also Eli Roth's stunning wife really stole the show. Can't wait to finally check out Knock Knock.

6) K.N.B gore!

- For nearly 30 years the boys of KNB have been rocking it in every sense. Starting from their early days with Day Of the Dead and Intruder, this company have supplied the effects for more than a hundred movies and even walked home with Oscars. Having the complete pleasure of meeting two of these guys, it was beyond awesome to see them rock the house yet again in a bloody gory horror splatter fest. One of the most brutal deaths is the first one to happen when the team gets taken to the village. It takes A LOT to turn my stomach. This over the top blood bath was classic K.N.B and I loved every second of it.

5) Spy Kid's dick.

- The one actor who really stole the show in this movie was child actor Daryl Sabara. Now an adult, Daryl is a far cry from his Spy Kid's Days and has been taking roles in such films as Rob Zombie's Halloween, and Machete. I'm sure guys all over the world cringed at a certain part in the film when Daryl's character goes into the jungle to take a piss. Trust me my childhood was slightly taken when I saw about 89% of Spy Kid's dick. Holy hell...

4) Stephen King loved it.

- From the man, the myth, the legend himself. Stephen King, master of horror went on Twitter after the release in September and expressed how much he loved this movie and how it reminded him of the good old days of being gritty films like this from the 1970's. Remember guys, King in the past has gone on record to say he's loved films such as The Evil Dead, and Hellraiser. 

3) Witnessed my first walk out while watching it.

- I saw this film several times when it was playing. The second time I saw a young boy, maybe around 11 or 12 get up with who I guessed was his father during the film's most brutal and over the top kill. I kinda felt sorry, but deep down inside thought of how much it rocked that I was sitting back witnessing my very first walk out during a movie. Talk about brutal.

2) The actors are great sports.

- This past Halloween I dressed up as two separate characters from two different movies of actors who appeared in this film. The first was Daryl Sabara's character from Machete, the second was Kirby Bliss' character Amy from this movie (yes, the girl who shits in a cage) I tagged both actors in the photos I took dressing up as them and both tweeted and commented on how much they loved it. Goes to show what down to Earth chill people these guys are. I even had a producer of this film post a photo of my Amy costume on IG this week. Beyond awesome!

1) It made my sister sick!

- My sister loves horror movies as much as I do. We basically grew up watching the same stuff, so being the awesome sister I am I invited her to come see the movie with me again. No word of a lie i've never seen my sister get so sick by watching a movie. #winning.