Why a Waxwork III would work

 Why a Waxwork III would work

So I guess it's finally been announced that Gremlins will be YET another movie that will get the remake treatment. After years of rumors it's finally be confirmed and set for Christmas 2014. (gags) I for one am honestly sick of this remake shit. There seems to be zero original ideas left in Hollywood. I could go on and on about the thoughts on remakes and reboots. Sometimes remakes can be a good thing. These are for movies that acutaly don't hold up and need a re-telling. Sometimes they can be just as amazing as the original or even better. With a movie like Gremlins I really don't understand. The puppets still hold up today and so doesn't the story. Why do we need a remake?! I know as a true fan another sequel would have been amazing. I for one adore both films, and seeing a third all these years later would have been ideal. Still, due to the fact so much time has passed, and that Phoebe Cates is in retirement I can see how the studio wouldn't be down for it. 

I can only hope they try to reboot it, maybe having Zach Galligan play the single dad as a brand new character having his son end up getting Gizmo and taking a more modern take on the story. Still, I have an awful feeling it's going to be just a straight remake with nothing but horrible CGI thrown onto it to make a quick buck. I feel this "remake" should be a reboot. Make the movie for the fans. I wish we could have a perfect blend of practical effects/puppets and CGI to cover up tiny things. I wish we could get some original cast members instead of this very rushed pile of trash we'll end up getting. Fingers crossed at least Galligan will have a cameo.

Speaking of remakes/sequels with Mr. Galligan, I've been wondering for some time now about my dream movie.

This being Waxwork III.

If I hit powerball tomorrow the second thing I would do after paying off my student loans would be to get Anthony Hickcox and make Waxwork III Through The Gates Of Time. 

I have constantly been interested in the vague rumor that has been floating around for some time now. On the official Waxwork site run by Stuart Green, he claims years back he saw on the internet there being some article talking about a Waxwork III. In fact this past spring I even wrote a post about this since the storyline he remembers reading about right away sparked my interest. Sadly Stuart said he could never remember the site where he saw the article or the artwork he saw as a teaser poster (I still believe that he saw artwork for the Japan VHS of Lost In Time.) Now from the few members of the cast and crew I've spoken to, I don't think there was ever a set storyline or solid fact that there ever was going to be a third Waxwork movie. Still, the storyline did sound pretty legit...

 I know what you're thinking: "Waxwork III?  WHAT?!?"  But it's true: writer/director/creator Anthony Hickox had actually intended for there to be a third installment of the "Waxwork" movies.  Over a decade ago, I found a French website about "Waxwork" (which sadly, no longer exists) and there was a poster of Zach Galligan as Mark with the aforementioned title and the tagline "The only exit is... infinity!"  And believe me, I wish I could've saved that cool poster picture from that site!  Apparently, the brief plot synopsis listed would have had Sarah return to the King Arthur time period to reunite with Mark, since "Waxwork II: Lost in Time" ended with Sarah vanishing in the back of a departing taxi cab, and they were going to find their way back to the present time.  However, because Mark was revealed to be a time warrior in the second film, Mark and Sarah would have to first help Merlin the Magician and the time warriors stop a Modor witch (no, not Mordor - wrong movie series, guys) before they could return to their present time.

 Well, there it is. It sounds more like some awesome fan make rumor for a sequel, but still pretty cool. Zach Galligan himself said he never would of had a problem with a Waxwork III but as the 90's went on Anthony Hickcox sorta stopped using him in lead roles, and the two went off in different directions working on new projects. 

I for one feel Galligan was Hickcox's lucky charm. Every movie Galligan appeared in even if it was a small little cameo ended up being in a really great movie. I haven't followed this guy's career much, but the movies Zach appeared in are the best. Just saying...

I still strongly feel even 25 years after the original that Waxwork still has a very strong fan following. Running that Facebook page to show support in getting both movies a proper blu-ray release, I've come across so many people who remember these movies from their childhoods. These are two highly underrated movies, that still hold up today. I feel a third film even made today would be perfect.

I would either in a perfect world have the third movie released direct to DVD OR an original SyFy movie. I would of course get Hickcox back in the director chair since he was a huge reason why both movies were made so perfectly. 

The second thing I would do of course is get Zach Galligan back. The character of Mark Loftmore I think is a must in completing the trilogy. Galligan brought a lot of time to his role and seeing him yet again after all this time would be awesome. It also doesn't hurt the man has seriously not even aged at all!

I would try to get Deborah Foreman back. Yes I know Hickox and her dated in the late 80's and after their breakup that was a huge reason why she didn't return for Lost In Time. Nothing against actress Monika Schnarre who replaced Deborah in Lost In Time, but I think seeing the original Mark and Sarah would be amazing. If that didn't work in all honestly I would hire a brand new actress for Sarah. A woman around Galligan's age, maybe someone known in the world of horror. If you can't get the original Sarah back you might as well change her every film. Via the Vacation movies. 

There are tons of brand new ways to take this story. The biggest if it was a reboot to have brand new kids pretty much fall into the same trap of the waxworks going back to the roots of the original. Maybe have one of them move into Mark's old house or Sir. Wilfred's where they discover clippings and evidence surrounding Mark and Sarah's disappearance. Here I would have teens fall into a brand new series of traps as a new Wax museum opens up right before Halloween. There of course would be epic cameos by Galligan and Foreman at the very end. This time depending on budgets I would have these teens fall into more modern day displays. (A hostel, a Japanese ghost, zombies, maybe even a masked killer, ect.)

But as a fan and since I am day dreaming I would have it become a straight direct sequel with Mark and Sarah all these years later traveling through brand new modern updated worlds (to appeal to the new audience) Here I would sorta take that new idea of them traveling as time warriors and having to stop some sort of evil before the end of the world happens. I would find it funny that finally they return to the real world all these years later and not knowing what to do with themselves. It would be awesome to see Galligan going from world to world and finally having to stop our brand new villain before a new army of evil takes over.

Hey a girl can dream right?

I feel with all these direct to DVD sequels being made for the fans stranger things have happened. First of course we need to focus on a proper blu-ray release, but it all comes down to the studios wanting to make money and end up pleasing the fans (this comes second of course.) with releases such as The Thing, Curse Of Chucky, and Hatchet III I think direct to DVD releases are the key thing. Get a good independent film company behind it and Hickcox and Galligan and bang you got yourself a movie!

Hey maybe it's just me but I'll still waiting to see Mark and Sarah's next adventure!

 

Scream Factory Day Of The Dead

 Scream Factory Day Of The Dead

So this past weekend I decided to go ahead and buy one of my all time favorite zombie movies ever made. Yep that's George A. Romero's Day Of The Dead. Even though I own this baby on VHS and DVD, I knew the second Scream Factory announced their brand new re-release for this movie I just had to get my hands on it.

Day Of The Dead has been a favorite of mine ever since I can remember. In fact I think I was either ten or eleven when I first watched it after discovering the massive awesomeness of the Pittsburgh crew as I slowly began watching Night of the living dead, and Dawn of the dead. Like I said I can't clearly remember exactly when I did first watch this movie but I became obsessed with it. I used to watch my VHS tape all the time. It also didn't hurt that I had a massive crush on Cpt. Rhodes. Love a short guy who shouts and screams! This movie also continued my interest in SFX makeup. I really don't care who I offend when I say this but I feel Tom Savini topped himself with this movie and that's one of the main reasons he stopped doing effects. He didn't want to change with the currant times and went on to become an actor. (eh...) Still, there's no hiding the fact his effects in both The Burning, and this movie were nothing less than outstanding. I'll give the man props when it's due.

Day Of The Dead is a truly beauitfuil movie. In fact I remember as I watched this film on a constant loop so many of my family members refused to watch it with me. My sister even said that she didn't like this movie since it was too voilent, dark, and depressing and she would legit get sick whenever I had it on. Talk about awesome!

I loved everything about this movie, the storyline, the dark setting in the underground mines/bunker, the dialog, the score, the effects, the zombies, and the truly epic moments. In my eyes this really should have been the last "Dead' movie. I hated all the others that have followed. I truly wish they could have made a Dusk of the Dead to complete the full circle but whatever. I feel this was the last movie where effort was made. 

The Scream Factory release is stunning. With brand new features, an awesome menu, and seeing this movie finally in HD. I am one very happy fan!

 

Line up for 31 days of terror next month!

 Line up for 31 days of terror next month!

The weather is changing, I find myself wearing my Raimi brothers hoodie now every morning. The leafs are turning colors, there seems to be pumpkin flavored everything out, and of course all of the Halloween decorations are now busting out at all the local stores. "sigh..." It's my favorite time of the year...fall.

I decided for the month of October to do a 31 day movie challenge. This means somehow I need to watch 31 movies or TV based episodes next month. I decided to have a little fun with this. For the whole month there will be 4 weeks split into different themes where I picked certian titles. Here every day I will highlight that movie/title and either review it, post it's trailer, a clip, a poster, artwork, or a fun fact based about it. Every day will be different depending on the title. For those who follow or read this blog I hope you can also join in on the fun and tell me if you are doing your own movie challenge. So stay tuned and here's the line up so far for next month!

WEEK 1 – The 80's

• Pieces
• Night Of The Creeps
• The Mutilator
• Fright Night
• Deadly Friend
• Creepshow
• Hello Mary Lou Prom Night II

WEEK 2 – Television terror!

• The Midnight Hour
• Midnight Offerings
• Bad Ronald
• Dark Night Of The Scarecrow
• Nick Knight
• Tales From The Crypt – Lower Breth
• Monsters – A Bond Of Silk

WEEK 3 – The 90's

• Popcorn
• Body Bags
• Tales From The Darkside The Movie
• When A Stranger Calls Back
• Waxwork II: Lost In Time
• House IV
• 976 Evil II

WEEK 4 – Autumn time terror!

• Deadly Blessing
• House Of Dark Shadows
• Night Of The Demons
• Girls Nite Out
• Halloween
• Halloween II
• Halloween III Season of The Witch

Why the Waxwork movies are amazing...well let me remind you...

Why the Waxwork movies are amazing...well let me remind you...

So a while back on my Facebook page for getting support in Waxwork and Waxwork II being released on blu-ray, somebody messaged me asking to write a quick review up on both movies. Well I waited for them to give me their info to send the article but they never got back to me. Never wanting to waste something I've written, I decided to just go ahead and publish it here. Now I know how many of you who follow the blog or my Waxwork page know how much these movies mean to me. Well...here's another reminder...because why not!

Would you like a closer look?

Waxwork – The 1980's Cabin In The Woods. 

 

Many people believe that towards the end of the 1980's, horror was beginning to die a slow and painful death. With slashers, yes this was completely true. They had their glory years from the years 1980 to 1985/86 or so. As for horror itself, I believe in the final years of the decade there were a few years where some truly amazing sequels and original titles were released. These few years were the last hurrah for horror itself before the 1990's began and it took years before this genre were given a brand new breath of life along with a whole new found respect. For the end of the 1980's, I believe 1988 was by far one of the strongest years for that decade in horror. One of the most underrated tiles to be released that year was Waxwork.

Waxwork tells the story of a small group of collage age preppy teens who get invited to a very mysterious wax museum in the middle of the night. Curious, the group goes inside and wander around the displays based off some of the most famous movie monsters and killers. It isn't until before the audience learns all is not what it seems. The kids become hypnotized, and slowly walk over the velvet ropes and become transported into the wax displays. Here they become trapped in these mini worlds of horror, slowly getting picked off one by one and then becoming part of the display themselves! It isn't long before Mark (Zach Galligan) begins to suspect something is wrong when some of his friends go missing after the private showing. With help from Sarah ( Deborah Foreman) the pair investigate the museum’s owner and his master plan toe release evil by using his displays onto the world. 

Waxwork is a movie that I'm sure many people my age have grown up with. This was one of the many iconic posters we all remember and love seeing in the horror section in those old fashion mom & pop video stores. Everyone instantly links our tiny little butler friend, welcoming us into the open doorway of melting faces of complete horror. With plenty of memorable scenes and moments, Waxwork is an original classic filled with amazing special effects, an up and coming attractive talented cast, a great adventure storyline, and one of the greatest showdowns in horror history. 

This movie has it all, blood, guts, romance, whipping, aliens, werewolf’s, vampires, mummies, sword fighting, zombies, and a great score. With likeable characters, and the famous scene where all the wax displays come to life, creating utter and complete chaos very much like Cabin In The Woods, Waxwork is the perfect horror movie since at least in my eyes it's fun for all ages. A truly underrated piece of freshmen genius from director Anthony Hickox, this is a movie that even twenty-five years later holds up even today!

Sarah and you have stumbled into God's Nintendo game...

Waxwork II: Lost In Time – A bizarre thrill ride of a sequel. 

 

The early 90's was a very strange time for horror. After the craziness of the 1980's, horror titles seemed to slowly slow down to a trickle as the new decade progressed. Wanting to end of reign of the villains who had gone to complete sequel Hell, both Freddy and Jason were killed off, and strange new attempts for sparking life into original ideas were made. Most of which failed. Still, a good number of sequels and new films were made and are simply underrated or undiscovered because of the time they were released. Almost four years after the original Waxwork, Anthony Hickcox decided it was time to make a sequel to show more adventure of Mark Loftmore and Sarah Brightman.

Picking up moments after the first film ended, some dramatic and very noticeable changes have been made. First off, Deborah Foreman does not return as Sarah. Instead model turned actress Monika Schnarre fills the virgin shoes, and the character looks a whole lot different. With much longer hair, and a shorter dress, it seems that zero fucks were given in matching up this film to the original. Zach Galligan does return as Mark, but with a hair length difference, and a different colored shirt it seems that movie continuity wasn't on the top of this film's list.

With the character of Sarah framed for her stepfather's murder after a piece of the wax museum escapes and sneaks into her apartment, she's put on trial for murder. Here Mark decides to find evidence to clear her name. The young couple then discover a strange compass that has the ability to have them time travel. Together, they fall into several different worlds which all pay homage to classic horror movies. Finally the two land in Mid-Evil times where they become captured by a crazy warlock who used black magic.

As strange as it sounds I really enjoyed Waxwork II. This movie was made at a very strange time where horror didn't exactly know what to do with itself. Still, as I said before many underrated sequels and original ideas were made. For Anthony Hickox he seemed to be on a roll with sequels. First Waxwork II, then Warlock 2, and finally Hellraiser III: Hell on earth. Waxwork II didn't have the charm the original had, yet still captured the adventure like story, with some truly amazing and memorable scenes. Paying tribute to such films as Frankenstein, Alien, The Haunting, and Dawn Of The Dead, Waxwork II seems to have everything put the kitchen sink in it.

I'll be the first to admit, my first viewing of this movie I didn't exactly like it, or even get it. Finally after a few re-watches, the movie won me over with it's larger than life ideas, and amazing captivating scenes. Zach Galligan steals the show as Mark Loftmore, and truly shines in this movie. With cameos by Bruce Campbell and Drew Barrymore, this movie had a great action packed, romantic feel towards it which was nothing less than epic. Sure people say it's silly, but I feel this is a sequel that truly could have had a third installment due to the open ended final scene. With great characters, and a great continuing story with our lead characters, my heart still bleeds that we didn't get the chance to see Mark and Sarah together one last time. 

I feel Waxwork and Waxwork II were great films made by Mr. Hickcox and has a rich storyline that is nothing short of a great time. This is exactly what horror movies should be, fun and bring back great memories of our childhoods. The Waxwork movies do exactly that. Hickcox is a wonderful storyteller and he crafts such an interesting adventure ride with the characters of Mark and Sarah, that even to this day, twenty-five years later I still wish we could have seen them one last time traveling through time and different worlds.

With a strong cult following I feel in this day of age where so many classics from the 70's, 80's and 90's are being re-released on blu-ray in special edition, a double feature of both of Hickcox's films is exactly what fans want. I feel in time with enough fan support, hopefully these films with get the treatment they deserve! So keep the numbers climbing! Keep up the support! And spread the word! Let these classic fun movies become immortalized for all time!

- Stacy Still

Happy Friday the 13th!

 Happy Friday the 13th!

Happy Friday the 13th everyone!

Yes it's that wonderful day that only happens once or twice a year. Much like other fellow horror nerds, I celebrate today as sorta a holiday. In fact next Friday the 13th I'm gonna be that asshole who goes to the tattoo shop to try and get one of those 13th/13$ deals. I mean really why not?! Yesterday and today I celebrated in style. I watched Friday the 13th part IV The Final Chapter, Friday the 13th part V A New Beginning, and part 2 (random order...yes) I of course finished the night watching some of my favorite episodes from the TV series. Then today I watched part VI Jason Lives, and part VII The New Blood. Kicking back I joined that new awesome Friday the 13th group run by John Squires (Freddy In Space ) where fans could gather and do a live chat watching The Final Chapter. For the past hour or so between some classy drinks I was able to chat with some good friends and talk about pretty much everything but the movie we were watching. I'm ending my night watching Jason Goes To Hell wearing my Fright Rags Final Chapter shirt. So to all my fellow horror friends, Happy Friday the 13th!

Why Friday the 13th the series means so much to me!

  Why Friday the 13^th the series means so much to me!

In honor of tomorrow being Friday the 13^th, I decided to write up a quick little post to express my long lasting love for a VERY underrated television series. In fact, it warms my heart to see fellow bloggers, horror fans, and a whole new audience discover this show that sadly only lasted 3 seasons and was overshadowed by the fact it was named after the popular slasher series that was released and took over the same decade.

I am speaking of none other than Friday the 13^th the series.

There are certain things I'm not crazy about. (Waxwork 1&2, Christine, Sam Raimi, Phantasm, ect.) movies, actors, directors, and even novels that I truly believe are the bee's knees. Friday the 13^th the series is one of them. 

 

Back in 2007 I clearly remember coming home from my senior year of high school and deciding to click on the television to see what was on. Well, we had just gotten a brand new channel called Chiller that was a horror nerd's dream come true. I've been meaning to go on a rant about this channel. Even though I haven't had it in about three years, I really want to point out how quickly it went down hill. For the first two years this channel rocked. I clearly remember in the beginning when the channel must not of had many rights. Info commercials ran on a constant loop, along with some pretty clever ads the channel had made up. I remember there were only a few movies they aired back then. Far From Home, Creepshow 2, and The Legacy. They also aired television shows such as Freddy's Nightmares (which I hadn't seen until then besides the very first episode!), The Others (which to be was awesome due to the fact Kevin J O'Connor was in it AND the fact it took place in Boston.), Tales From The Darkside Tales From The Crypt,, Monsters, AND none other than Friday the 13^th the series.

I still clearly remember channel surfing and seeing just the title Friday the 13^th. Right away I was puzzled since they NEVER showed the original Friday the 13^th on basic cable let alone in the middle of the day. The second I landed on it I knew right away it was the television show I had heard of for all these years. 

 

I'm a massive Friday the 13^th fan. Ask any of my friends, when it comes to useless bullshit about these movies I know a pretty good amount. I grew up watching theses movies, and always looked up any info I could on them thru early 2000's websites just as I began learning how to use the internet. Here I first learned of there being a TV series by the same exact name of the films. BUT the weird thing was, the show had NOTHING to do with the Jason movies at all. In fact, besides the title, these two aren't anything alike.

The story is about an antique store owner who sells his soul to the Devil making every object in his store a tool used for evil. When the man backs out of his end of the deal he's killed and his store is left to distant family. In comes two very distant cousins Micki and Ryan who have inherited the store not knowing the power these cursed objects hold. After selling off most of them, a man by the name of Jack comes forward claiming he knew what their uncle was up to and tells them the truth. Together the three of them vow to track down and get back every single last object before it's too late. For three seasons we followed the trio as they went after objects like dolls, radios, jewelry, cameras, even a full sized playhouse which all left a bloody trail behind them. Almost like a monster of the week, this show had objects instead. Taking certain nods from classic 60's and 70's television, Friday the 13^th featured a very likeable cast, some famous guest stars, and very memorable story lines and episodes. Besides some dated effects and fashion this show still holds up 26 years later!

To me I was hooked after watching the very first episode. Loving the two main leads Micki (Robey) and Ryan (John D LeMay), I watched for the first two seasons as these two cousins battled evil trying everything they could to recover these cursed objects. Lucky for me the following year after watching a good number of the episodes on Chiller, they were released on DVD. Sadly I still after all this time haven't given season 3 a try. Actor John D LeMay left the show after the end of season 2 and was replaced with a love interest for Micki by the name of Johnny. A lot of people can give me shit about not ever watching the final season since I'm supposed to be such a “fan”. But I seriously don't care. I think a huge amount of the reason why this show worked, and the fact it had the charm it did was because of John D LeMay. His character of Ryan Dallion wasn't you're typical leading man. He was a flawed young guy with a tragic past who you could relate to. He was the underdog who was of course adorable but had that charming nerd way about him. (A guy who can paint and likes comics...sign me up!) Very much like Moonlighting and as I feel a bit of inspiration for The X-Files, the two characters of Micki and Ryan were perfect together. Yes I know they were cousins...but only by marriage! The fact this point kept being brought up leads me to believe something was planned on happening! Maybe I'm just being a fan girl but the amount of sexual tension that went on between them was insane. Sorry Johnny!

This show had complete balls. I mean there was even an episode directed by  David Cronenberg. Most of the episodes had some heavy duty creepy and outstanding effects, some awesome music, and the fact at one point one of the show's leads were killed off in an episode, and one was possessed later on killing a nun! Whoa now!

Due to D LeMay being recast and a new time slot the series was sadly canceled. John D LeMay did go on to star in what was supposed to be the final installment of the actual Friday the 13^th films Jason Goes To Hell.

Still, the first two seasons in my eyes were utter perfection. I feel this was truly the Supernatural of the 1980's. Who knows what would of happened if they had a bigger budget and D LeMay stuck around for a few more seasons. In fact I was a little annoyed to hear about that new show Warehouse 13. Are you kidding me?! Let's call a rip off a rip off...seriously...

The first two seasons of Friday the 13^th are perfection. I know a lot of fans were angry and confused by the title of the show. They were looking for Jason in Camp Crystal Lake and instead they got a story about cursed antiques. I on the other hand loved the change. They did something different and it worked. Even Freddy's Nightmares dealt with different story lines that happened to take place in Springwood. Only a small handful of the episodes in that show dealt with Freddy himself. Sometimes change in good!

Some of my favorite episodes such as “What a mother wouldn't do?, Badge Of Honor, The Playhouse, Night Hunger, Wax Magic, and Heads I live, Tails you die.” showcase great guest stars, amazing story lines, and awesome cursed objects. 

I also got some custom made Friday the 13th the series earrings which I rock almost every day. I can't tell you how many people stop me and go "Who are those people?" I also am that nerd that has the soundtrack on CD and whenever I'm taking long road trips do blast the score. I mean that one for Badge Of Honor is awesome. (Fun Fact - John Stockwell guest starred in that episode!)

With a great cliffhanger that deals with some pretty heavy stuff at the end of season 2, D LeMay's character is “killed” off in a very clever way. Still, I felt this was the beginning of the end even though these episodes air first in season 3 I always took at them as season 2. I pray that the cast will do a reunion show soon for a convention. The fact I haven't met any of them is insane!

I will continue reviewing certain episodes from this show and always phrase it. In fact, I even named two of my dogs after the lead characters Micki and Dallion! So to all you Friday the 13^th fans, try and pop in an episode of this wonderful show. Why knows...you might just like it!

Actor spotlight - A. Michael Baldwin

 Actor spotlight - A. Michael Baldwin

As I sit here, recovering from YET another horrible head cold, I've decided to do something new now for the blog. Every month I'll choose an actor/actress that I feel is worthy to discuss in the brand new Actor Spotlight. A feature that goes over why exactly I feel this actor/actress is awesome and which movies they truly stand out in. Blowing my nose, and drinking OJ I decided to tackle the three sequels to the cult classic Phantasm. Just last week on my birthday I was able to watch the original film on the big screen! As a huge fan of this series (mostly the original) this was one of the coolest ways to spend a birthday. Also the fact it was an original print didn't hurt either. I'm a massive fan of the 70's supernatural horror ride, and decided for this month to have actor A. Michael Baldwin spotlighted for his worthy and amazing roles in three out of the four amazing epic movies. In fact dare I even say it...if it hadn't been for Baldwin's amazing talents he brought forth to these movies, maybe they wouldn't have been nearly as awesome.

In 1976 Michael starred in Don Coscarelli's comedy Kenny & Company. This movie is a truly underrated classic. In fact if it hadn't been for this movie there would have never been a Phantasm! In fact next month I plan on reviewing this film since it's a must to watch around Halloween. 

Michael stole the show in this movie even though he was playing the lead's sidekick. Coscarelli knew that Baldwin wasn't like any other child star and decided to reuse him shortly after when he began filming Phantasm.

Baldwin played Mike, the 13 year old boy who's life is turned completely upside down when an evil force takes over his small town. It isn't long before he notices something is wrong at the local cemetery/funeral home and that the undertaker known as The Tall Man is the creature responsible for many of the mysterious deaths that have been taking place lately. With help from his older brother Jody, and uncle Reggie the ice cream man, the trio team up to try and stop this monster before it's too late.

Coscarell truly took a gamble with writing a movie that truly relied on focused on a child being the main character. Had he cast the wrong child I feel this movie could have been an utter and complete disaster. Instead, he struck pay dirt when he cast Baldwin as Michael, who seriously showed off some amazing acting kills at such a young age. One of my favorite moments in the entire movie is when young Mike is walking down the street when he encounters The Tall Man. Here he freezes, watching him in complete and utter fear. Just the expression on Mike's face says it all. Great acting coming from somebody who was just in Jr. high! 

Years past after the release of Phantasm and unfortunately Universal decided to back the film's long awaited sequel due to the fact it was the 80's and they were trying to unearth as many villains as possible to make money off. In the decade of sequels and slashers, The Tall Man was given yet another chance to show his stuff. Sadly with a big studio backing the movie they made some very strict rules with Coscarell. The first was to have Michael have a love interest which Conscarell was very much against. The second and most likely the worse of the two was the fact that both Baldwin and Reggie Bannister hadn't really acted much in the time between the original film and now. Telling Coscarell that he had to make a choice he could only pick ONE of the actors to appear in the next installment. Begging the studio, Coscarell tried everything he could, including even having Baldwin come in and read for the part he originally played. When the studio refused to change their mind, Coscarell did the only logical thing possible...he replaced Baldwin due to the fact the sequel took place 8/10 years later. This time he brought in actor James Le Gros. I love Phantasm II. This time around Coscarell got the budget he wanted and made this movie ten times more action packed. Rumor had it that the studio also demanded that the movie wasn't as dream like/surreal as the original and had a more straight forward story line "rolls eyes." Still this movie was packed with amazing action and breath taking special effects. My only main draw back is that Baldwin didn't return to the role he rocked at originally. After much searching I found a photo of Baldwin around the time the sequel was filmed. I don't know about you, but I feel had he returned that movie would have been utter perfection.

A few years later Coscarell made the very wise choice in taking the Phantasm series in a new direction. Wanting to go back to the film's original roots he decided to stray away from the big studio and go more of an independent route. Wanting complete control, Coscarell made the very wise choice in bringing Baldwin back to playing the character of Mike. In fact the opening of Phantasm III is one of my all time favorite openings due to how well they spliced the last film and this one together. It almost seemed as though Baldwin hadn't gone anywhere. Also love the way they take care of the love interest. I feel this was Badlwin's reaction to the big studio making all these demands. Right on dude, right on...

This movie is a cheesy sorta nutty take on the movies. There are zombies, military women, Reggie yet again trying to get laid, and some new creatures thanks to Mr. Tall Man himself. Still, seeing Baldwin back in his old character's shoes really makes the movie. It seems as if he works better beside Reggie, and the film feels more complete. Sadly, Baldwin's character sorta takes a back seat in the movie but has one hell of a great ending which leads to a massive cliff hanger. In fact I even sculpted his character from this movie and showed Michael himself on Facebook. From his reaction and many others, I think I might have to mass produce this little baby...

In 1998 Phantasm fans to treated to the epic final showdown between Reggie, Mike, and The Tall Man. The final chapter in the series, we follow these characters one last time as the audience goes deeper into The Tall Man's history and why exactly he's after Mike. This is after the original my second favorite in the series. I haven't talked to one Phantasm fan yet that hasn't liked this movie. With some truly awesome and breath taking scenes, Mike goes head to head with Mr. Tallman himself once and for all which results in what I believe is one of the best endings ever to a horror series ever. Who doesn't love seeing Reggie and Mike ride away with that epic ending line "It's just the wind..."

Still gives me chills. 

Rumors have been flying around since the last movie was released of a fifth. Almost everyone is on board and even a teaser featuring Michael was released. Still nothing solid has come into play and as much as I would love to see the boys back at it again, I sorta feel the ending of the forth movie made everything come full circle and end perfectly. 

So I feel that my account off Myspace has been deleted. Not that I've been on that site in years, but it sadly held many of my old convention photos which included when I met Baldwin back in 2008. Mike was a pleasure to meet, he signed my Phantasm shirt (which I somehow can't find) and my DVD. He was awesome to talk to and very sweet. Baldwin has been appearing in more movies lately and is a must have to meet at conventions. A friendly guy who will forever be remembered as Boyyyyyyyy!!!

Autumn must-haves for Stacy

Autumn must-haves for Stacy

1). Watch as many horror/Halloween themed movies as possible.

2). Buy as many pumpkin/candy corn scented soaps and candles that I can get my hands onto.

3). Eat/drink anything that's pumpkin flavored. Even if it tastes like shit.

4). Decorate my entire house the day after Labor Day for Halloween and look like a crazy person.

5). Go to Rock N Shock

6). Do zombie/gore makeup!

7). Buy pumpkins way too early so they end up being rotten by Halloween.

8). Drink Shipyard...the most wonderful pumpkin flavored beer in the world.

9). Break out my favorite hoodies!

10). Stare at the colorful trees while driving and nearly crash my car.

Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me

Last week while hanging out with Miss Stacy, we got to talk a lot about everything. Of course a majority of what we love to talk about is movies, and between all the Zach Galligan movies we watched,we got on the subject of best kiss scenes. I was going to try and make a top 5 kiss scenes, but really I got 2 that I am unable to get out of my mind!

#2 My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)

This tells the story of Omar (Gordon Warnecke), a young Pakistani living in London. His family owns and runs laundrettes and decides to take on one in a not so stellar neighborhood. He decides to get his old friend Johnny to help him rehab and reopen the store. Johnny (Daniel Day Lewis) is a street punk and Omar's former lover. Let's just say there is a little of everything in this movie, different cultures colliding, homosexuality, gutter punks, laundry, and love.

While watching the movie, the relationship between the 2 friends is subtle, there is a hint of love there but your not quite sure. Then finally once the new laundrette opens, they finally kiss and reconnect. and boy is it a kiss.

We all know that Daniel Day Lewis gives 110% for every role he does, but this kiss takes the cake! 

#1 Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)

I consider this one of my favourite John Hughes movies. Yes i know he didnt direct it but he wrote it, and that man knew how to write young teenage love, drama, and comedy.

This film shows us the friendship between Keith (Eric Stolz) and Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson). Watts is a all around tomboy/punk girl. Keith is more of the quiet artist type. They have a close friendship that starts to become strained when Keith becomes interested in the popular girl Amanda Jones (Lea Thompson). This makes Watts realize that she feels more for Keith then just good friends.

The kiss. Oh this kiss, without giving too much away, Watts decides to help Keith out with his date with Amanda. Which leads to a conversation about kissing in which Watts has Keith practice on her. You can tell that they both feel more than just friends during the kiss.

I am a sucker for a romance, but the tough best girl/friend storyline always gets me, and I can just rewind this kiss and watch it over and over. It's that good.

Amazing new releases from Scream Factory!

 Amazing new releases from Scream Factory!

In the last few days some truly amazing news has come from my new all time favorite DVD company Scream Factory. It looks as if both of Mr. Kevin Tenney's cult 80's classics Witchboard AND Night Of The Demons will be getting the red carpet treatment as they are re-released on blu-ray in 2014!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sure a lot of people know how excited I am for this news. I'm a huge fan of both Witchboard and Night Of The Demons. In fact Witchboard became a must during very drunken nights back at school, as was Night Of The Demons. In fact I remember my last semester I seriously would re-watch Night Of The Demons over and over again on a loop.

It's wonderful to see that Night Of The Demons is getting the SE treatment with some very awesome new artwork from Mr. Nathan Thomas Milliner. In fact this is my favorite artwork by him so far! I really don't get why people are freaking the fuck out over Angela not being front row in center. Linnea Quigley is one of the biggest reasons I love that movie, and Milliner brought up some pretty good points today on Facebook when he pointed out that really Angela isn't the "leader" of the demons even though her face was all over all of the original artwork. It's Linnea's character who gets possessed first! Also her in all that lipstick glory, who doesn't love it!

Sadly Witchboard isn't being released on SE but it's said there will be brand new extras. I have a feeling this has something to do with the fact that it's sequel is also being released on blu-ray as well.

I'm very excited for these two released, sorta wish they would come out closer to Halloween but beggers can't be choosers. I'm also very sparked by the news of Prince Of Darkness AND Body Bags being released by Scream Factory as well. The art work on those are amazing!!!

Between these released AND Day Of The Dead coming out...well bye Stacy's bank account!

You're Next - A new wave of horror.

  You're Next – A new wave of horror.

PLOT -

When the Davison family comes under attack during their wedding anniversary getaway, the gang of mysterious killers soon learns that one of victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back.

LOWDOWN -

Home invasion scares the utter shit out of me. In fact I would say that probably is the most terrifying thing in the entire world. I'll be the first to admit, I'm a complete pussy when it comes to that sort of thing. I'm a flight kind of gal instead of fight. I honestly can't tell you how many times I've freaked out alone in my house whenever I hear the doorbell or see a car park out front. I usually scream and run down the hall locking myself in the bathroom only to find out it was a neighbor just ringing the bell to say I've left my car lights on. = Fail.

So back this spring when I dragged my poor father to go see the Evil Dead remake with me, I was instantly interested when I saw the trailer for You're Next.

I decided not to closely follow the making and hype of this movie as months passed. Maybe it's because I've gotten older but I really hate having certain movies I'm interested in being spoiled for me. So, I sat back and waited and right away couldn't wait to view this movie as soon as fellow bloggers, and friends wrote positive reviews for this movie and sported those awake fox, lamb, and wolf masks from Monster Mania!

Well this past weekend my good friend Melissa flew in from Chicago to celebrate my 25^th birthday. This past Friday after cruising around I decided to be lame and drag her to the movies. Besides two other people, we were the only one there. Right away I knew we were in for a treat!

Like I said I find home invasion terrifying. Movies like The Strangers scare the hell out of me. Just the idea of people wearing masks, breaking into you're house to kill you. Yeah...no thanks. No wonder I was always bothered by the opening scene in Scream. This movie believe it or not reminded me of this old 1980's made for TV movie I used to watch as a kid called Fortress. In which a school teacher and some children are kidnapped by a group of men wearing animal masks. The second I saw the You're Next trailer pleasant and weird childhood memories came flooding back when I used to watch that movie. Plus that trailer song was killer!

Well, I really haven't gotten into this new wave of movies/filmmakers that have just really become popular. Such as the House Of The Devil, Innkeepers, VHS/VHS2 movies. The directors/actors all seem legit and I love that they homage old school horror. In fact I had been dying to watch all these movies since it seemed as if a new band of guys came along to make fresh new horror that had the style/music/and story lines we all grew up loving. I feel the era of the splat pack is over. Now a new band of guys have come along who I like to call the homage guys. They homage and pay tribute to these classics and craft and shape brand new movies that honor the films that inspired them. 

I hate to nitpick but I really wasn't a fan of the dialog and acting for the most part in this movie. I know it was supposed to pay tribute to movies from the 70's and 80's where the acting and writing wasn't exactly stellar, but I found a few moments down right cringe worthy and very distracting. In all honestly besides that and one other small thing I'll bring up in a second, I really liked the movie!

My friend Melissa thought other wise but our movie tastes aren't exactly alike. I like movies like this, it seemed refreshing to see an idea like this for once since the last couple of horror movies I've seen at the movies have been less than disappointing besides The Conjuring. First off the music was really awesome. The Lou Reed trailer sound was wonderful and even though it was very annoying and stayed in my head for the rest of the weekend, I did find that Magic song pretty catchy! What can I say? I'm a sucker for movie soundtracks. I also found the score very well done. In fact in a few moments the score went old school and reminded me of some early 80's movies. I know that's exactly where they were going with this and it worked perfectly!

Another brief thing that I sorta had a a problem with was the “final girl”. I like seeing a girl fight back. In fact it's down right refreshing. In the 80's we began getting final girls who for once fought back (Nightmare On Elm Street, Just Before Dawn, The Stepfather, ect.) I found this a tad bit overdone. I mean I loved the lead girl's character. She was a smart thinker and they did explain why she was fighting back the way she did. Still, there were a few moments where I felt they were trying a little too hard. Just her standing with her weapons, with the score booming. I know they were trying to paint this image and for the most part it did work, but eh...I don't know maybe it was just me. 

The setting was gorgeous! That house is seriously insane. Also the beautiful scenic shots really kept my eyes glued to the screen. I found the cast besides a few really bad acting moments (we can blame the script maybe?) likeable. In fact I couldn't believe that was Barbara Crampton playing the mother! She still looks gorgeous! I loved the entire family. Pretty much a typical dysfunctional, screwed up all American family. I love how they kept that real that the wife's were bitches, the sons assholes, and something “off” about the mother and daughter. I loved a few of the lines between the brothers acting like jerks to each other, and of course that awesome diner scene before the shit hits the fan.

The pacing of this movie is very well done. There's this constant building tension that is unseen. Once the violence/action begins it doesn't let up. In fact I thought it was “cute” they added Ti West in the mix. What can I say? The man is very handsome.

I love how completely out of nowhere things begin and how terrifying it is. I loved the utter and complete panic that starts and the smart and really stupid things the characters do. The brother with the arrow in his back had me dying. I couldn't believe that I found him one of the more likeable characters even though he was a complete jerk for the most part of the beginning of the movie. My favorite part in the entire movie is when one of the characters go to “run” for the cars. I found this scene beautifully filmed and it even took me a second to truly grasp what happened to them when they try to run out the door.

I sorta guessed the twist a little before it was revealed but found it pretty down right clever. I liked the non-stop acting and the gore was nothing less than beautifier. Like I said I loved that entire house and how these characters are running around doing anything they can to fight back. There were some truly memorable moments in the film and a few really interesting twists and turns. Of course Melissa and myself lost it during a certain “blender” scene and when the lamb pretty much pulled a Home Alone and stepped on the boards with the nails. I really haven't laughed that hard in forever. Loved how quickly the movie began going, never letting up with the gore, kills, and scares. I'm really not the biggest fan with pointless blood and violence in movies but this delivered the goods! The ending was clever and I really walked out of there 50/50 on how I thought about the movie. A few days later after listening to the soundtrack and letting the movie sink in, I have to say I really wasn't disappointed besides a few minor things. This was a fun movie to watch and I'll most likely end up buying when it becomes released.

I did in fact go out and buy House Of The Devil last night and watched it. Review for that coming soon!

So all in all You're Next was the kind of movie I could enjoy. A fact paced silly bloody movie with some awesome animal masks. Why not!

4 Stars!