Tag Archives: Horror

January 17, 2014 · 1:22 pm

DO YOU LIKE MY BASEMENT? out on DVD, Netflix, and iTunes

If you’re looking for some sophisticated horror, check out Director Roger Sewhcomar’s DO YOU LIKE MY BASEMENT? Whether you’re a horror movie purist or a casual viewer, this is a thrill ride that is sure to please. You can think of this as tapping into the spirit of suspense in such classics as PSYCHO but with a contemporary edge.

Meet Stanley Farmer, a man who only wishes to make a truly authentic horror movie. Played with devilish glee by Charlie Floyd, Farmer is a handsome, dapper fellow with a taste for blood. Part comedy of errors, part little shop of horrors, you’ll find yourself quite entertained. This is also sly social satire. Our social media brings us all together in such interesting ways.

You can read my full review here. And you can listen to my interview with the director, Roger Sewhcomar, here.

You can find it as Netflix, iTunes, and available as a DVD, at such outlets as Best Buy, as of January 21, 2014.

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Filed under Horror, movies, Roger Sewhcomar

Tagged as Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Floyd, Entertainment, Horror, horror movie, Horror Movies, Movies, Pop Culture, Roger Sewhcomar, Social Media, Suspense

January 10, 2014 · 5:09 am

Kevin Smith’s TUSK is on track for 2014

We have heard that Kevin Smith was going to retire from directing movies. But maybe he can still keep his hand in. His latest film, TUSK, taps into his distinctive offbeat humor. Starring Justin Long, who got to spar a bit with Smith in DIE HARD 4.0, this new film allows Smith to try out some new things in the horror genre. It’s all systems go as A24 and Demarest Films have teamed up on distribution of Kevin Smith’s TUSK.

TUSK was inspired by the real-life story of an internet message board user who advertised for a roommate willing to dress as, and act like, a walrus.

“It’s about a guy who turns another guy into a f**king human walrus,” Entertainment Weekly quotes Smith as saying.

TUSK, which stars Justin Long, Michael Parks, Genesis Rodriguez, and Haley Joel Osment, was born out of one of Kevin Smith’s immensely popular SModcasts. Currently in production, the modern-day monster movie was also written by Smith. Sam Englebardt, David Greathouse, and Shannon McIntosh are producing.

Said A24, “We had the privilege of visiting Kevin on the TUSK set and seeing some of his early footage. We can say with certainty that this movie will blow people’s minds. Truly one you’ll have to see to believe.”

“I’m as happy as the day Miramax bought Clerks back in ’94! We’re so lucky A24 fell in love with our walrus picture and jumped in the pool with us. I was a big fan of how they released The Bling Ring and Spring Breakers, so I was praying TUSK would take root there. If anyone knows how to bring this flick to the masses, it’s them!” says Smith.

Demarest’s Sam Englebardt added, “We’re thrilled that A24 has joined us in backing Kevin’s wild, deviant vision. Tusk will be a horror movie for the ages and we couldn’t imagine a better partner in bringing it to the world.

TUSK follows Wallace (Long) a journalist on a mission. He finds the story of a lifetime in Mr. Howe (Parks), a worldwide adventurer with amazing tales and a curious penchant for walruses.

Smith is as busy as ever with his SModcasts and supporting new filmmakers. In 2013, independent distributor Phase 4 and the Kevin Smith Movie Club released THE DIRTIES, a gutsy faux documentary about bullying, by Matthew Johnson.

You can listen to my interview with Matthew Johnson, the co-writer, director, and star of THE DIRTIES right here. It was a pleasure to get to chat with Matthew and I thank him for his generosity.

A24 plans for a wide release of TUSK in the third quarter of 2014.

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JFK Assassination 50 years later and Richard Matheson’s ‘Duel’

Dennis Weaver in Steven Spielberg’s “Duel,” written by Richard Matheson

One of the great writers for “The Twilight Zone,” Richard Matheson, passed away this year. As we observe that fateful date in Dallas, November 22, 1963, I think of how one man created art out of the processing of his emotions from that event. You might find this to be a surprise but “Duel,” the short story about a man fighting for his life against a demonic semi-trailer truck, that went on to become Steven Spielberg’s first major movie, has its origins in the Kennedy assassination. It’s not a direct link. It’s more based on a significantly deep dark feeling of despair and dread.

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Tagged as Art, arts, Creative Writing, Entertainment, Horror, Horror Movies, JFK, John F. Kennedy, Kennedy Assassination, Movies, Richard Matheson, Screenplays, screenwriting, Steven Spielberg, teleplays, Television, The Twilight Zone, Writers, Writing

November 12, 2013 · 10:54 pm

Review: MANIFEST DESTINY #1

“Manifest Destiny” is a great name for a comic and now we have this gem, published by Image Comics, in connection with Skybound, which you can visit here. This is created and written by Chris Dingess. He admits to a passion for the weird so he’s just the right guy to mashup the Lewis and Clark expedition with a healthy dose of horror.

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Review: Criminal Macabre: The Eyes of Frankenstein #1

Monsters come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. There are bad monsters…and there are good monsters. In this four-part Criminal Macabre story, “The Eyes of Frankenstein,” we find more than one reason to see the good in the ghoulish.

Your only price of admission is to know that Cal McDonald is a dead detective who keeps working on cases beyond death and tries to keep the streets safe from all the bad monsters out there, you know, like werewolves and vampires. Of course, there could be a bunch of good werewolves and vampires in the mix but we’re not concerning ourselves with that.

So, focus with me. The main concern here is figuring out who is killing off all the ghouls. As Cal will tell you himself, ghouls aren’t supposed to just die and it’s a pretty sad sight to see a ghoul just, well, just die and all. It’s just not natural! And then there’s the whole thing about Frankenstein popping up out of nowhere, especially since we were so concerned over the unnatural deaths of all these ghouls. What is Frankenstein doing showing up out of nowhere like that??

The reason that a twist of fate should join Frankenstein with Cal MacDonald is pretty straightforward. Frankenstein has no eyes!! I’m serious, something happened to his peepers. And it is up to Cal MacDonald to set things right. Finding new eyes for Frank is only the beginning. Whoever, or “whatever,” took his eyes is probably wrapped up in this whole ghoul killing spree too. Does this sound like a fun story, or what?

This is written by Criminal Macabre’s creator, Steve Niles, and drawn by Dark Horse powerhouse Christopher Mitten. A good story has to do with knowing when to take a moment and build it up and you’re in good hands with these guys. You will believe that ghouls can talk, feel, and even fear death.

Visit our friends at Dark Horse Comics here and pick up a copy of “Criminal Macabre: The Eyes of Frankenstein #1,” out September 25, 2013.

TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE, SEASON 2 LIVE!

Happy Friday the 13! You are likely in a good sinister mood and so consider checking out this devilish and delightful series of horror radio shows for the digital age!

TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE, SEASON 2 LIVE!
Launches with FREE streaming of THE CRUSH by Glenn McQuaid and CAPER by Larry Fessenden

Featuring the voice talents of Sean Young, Mark Margolis, James Le Gros and the regular TALES stable of audio artisans.

All 8 episodes available for download at TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE right here and on Audible, iTunes and Amazon

(NEW YORK, NY—September 13th, 2013) Yearning for something suitably sinister to do this weekend? Well look no further. Prolific production outfit Glass Eye Pix (I SELL THE DEAD, STAKE LAND, THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, THE LAST WINTER) is pleased to present season two of the cult favorite TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE, audio tales for the digital age. And to mark the occasion, they’re streaming a double bill of terror — right now, for free!

This weekend check out Glenn McQuaid’s crime suspense shocker THE CRUSH and follow it up with Larry Fessenden’s phantasmagoric heist tale CAPER in a new online listening room at TalesFromBeyondThePale.com. All eight explosive tales are also available for download in the online store and are coming this weekend to Audible, iTunes and Amazon.

Inspired by the classic radio shows of Alfred Hitchcock, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, and Orson Welles, each TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE is chillingly brought to life by the extraordinary vocal talents of Sean Young, Vincent D’Onofrio, Mark Margolis, James Le Gros, Michael Cerveris, Kate Lyn Sheil, and Jonny Orsini, to name just a few.
Hosted by Glass Eye Pix CEO Larry Fessenden, each thirty-minute episode is written and directed by one of today’s horror auteurs including Joe Maggio (BITTER FEAST), Clay McLeod Chapman (HENLEY), Jeff Buhler (THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN), Ashley Thorpe (THE HAIRY HANDS), Kim Newman (ANNO DRACULA), Glenn McQuaid (I SELL THE DEAD), Simon Barrett (YOU’RE NEXT), and Larry Fessenden (BENEATH).
Conceived during a fog-drenched car ride by Fessenden and frequent collaborator Glenn McQuaid (I SELL THE DEAD, V/H/S), TALES continues the mission at Glass Eye Pix to celebrate and elevate individual voices in the arts and to bring the vast palette of moods that comprises the horror story to fans everywhere.
For more information and the latest news, please visit http://www.talesfrombeyondthepale.com Follow on twitter: @talesbeyond

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Tagged as drama, Entertainment, Friday the 13th, Horror, Pop Culture, Radio, Supernatural

August 29, 2013 · 9:07 pm

Interview: Director Eduardo Rodriguez and ‘Fright Night 2: New Blood’

Jaime Murray and Will Payne in FRIGHT NIGHT 2: NEW BLOOD

Eduardo Rodriguez is the director of the latest “Fright Night” movie and it’s really good. “Fright Night 2: New Blood” has style and a nice mix of horror and humor. I had the opportunity to talk with Rodriguez about his career, horror movies, and even what he’s currently reading. We also chatted about Jaime Murray, who plays the professor with an evil secret in “Fright Night 2: New Blood.” Was it just me, or was I onto something when I suggested that Jaime Murray would make an excellent Lisa in a remake of “Weird Science”? Rodriguez agrees with me, Murray would make a great Lisa. And, just so we’re clear, there will be a remake of this John Hughes classic.

Kelly LeBrock and Anthony Michael Hall in WEIRD SCIENCE

Back to our subject, Eduardo Rodriguez has made some very cool movies with an intense vibe to them, like “Stash House,” “The Messengers,” and “El Gringo.” It is safe to say that he has a taste for action, horror, and the offbeat. It is a treat to get to listen to him relate his student days and then compare that to being a professional. And it’s fun to listen to a pro praise something current like, “The Conjuring.” Clearly, he comes across as someone who loves a good story. And it was nice to have him share with us what he’s currently reading, “Unwelcome Bodies,” by Jennifer Pelland.

UNWELCOME BODIES by Jennifer Pelland

Rodriguez has come a long way in his career. He advises those in film school to cherish their time in school since those days don’t come back. He sounds quite happy with where he is now. It does look like he has a great career ahead of him. I went back and discovered one of the movies that Rodriguez worked on, “The Messengers.” That has got to be a very scary movie. I have yet to see it and will need to get back to you on it. Here’s a trailer:

Here is a link to the full interview:

“Fright Night 2: New Blood” arrives on DVD and Blu-ray on October 1. You can read my review here.

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Filed under Eduardo Rodriquez, Horror, movies, Vampires

Tagged as Entertainment, fright night 2, Halloween, Horror, Horror Movies, Interviews, Movies, Pop Culture, Vampires

August 23, 2013 · 8:25 pm

DVD Blu-ray Review: FRIGHT NIGHT 2: NEW BLOOD

“Be careful, Charley. Romania can be a very dangerous place.” That’s the bit of advice Charley (Will Payne) gets from his prof, Gerri Dandridge (Jaime Murray) right after she threatened to kill him. All must go hush-hush for the time being since another student, and Charley’s love interest, Amy (Sacha Parkinson) somehow wandered onto the scene. It’s a game of cat and mouse for a good while as Charley and his prof must make time to go over whether or not he should die. Maybe he could stop by after lunch?

This is a stylish sort of scary. It’s actually not that easy to get it right and “Fright Night 2: New Blood” gets it right. It comes out on DVD and Blu-ray on October 1. It’s light horror with high production value. Like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” it has its own sense of humor but it knows to respect the scary stuff.

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Tagged as Entertainment, fright night 2, Horror, Movie Reviews, Movies, Pop Culture

August 6, 2013 · 3:21 am

Graphic Novel Review: ‘Sandcastle’ by Pierre Oscar Levy and Frederick Peeters, published by SelfMadeHero

“Sandcastle” is a refreshingly creepy sci-fi mystery set to words and pictures. This graphic novel, published by SelfMadeHero, an imprint of Abrams ComicArts, lures you into quite a gripping tale. It fits right in with my current favorite summer movie , “The Conjuring.” It’s not set in a haunted house but it comes close. How about a haunted beach?

I’d love to see a graphic novel version of “The Conjuring,” by the way. It would slice and dice the story into something just as spooky if not more so. Your eyes rest on one panel, are pulled by one thing and then another. If the pacing is done right, you can easily slip into more than you bargained for. With drawings, you get an added sense of ambiguity. How, for instance, are you expected to know for sure that the kids back in the first set of panels have somehow changed? You can create this uncertainty with other mediums for sure but drawings carry their own special energy.

The story itself is right in tune with what we all seem to want to read these days while also having a timeless quality. There’s a certain hint of the Apocalypse mixed in here. There is also a “Twilight Zone” or “Lost” vibe. It’s a story involving a bunch of people that fate has thrown in together for a most extraordinary event, one they may not survive, one they are most likely not going to survive. And there’s a nice dash of the fantastical to make it all the more eerie.

It is a very understated story filled with very understated characters which can make for the best fiction. No one in this story is a hero or even all that likable. Even the most innocent or noble among them is less a shining example and more an average person pushed to the limits. That is a big theme here, being pushed to the limits. Just how much can one human being take? If a person is stretched far enough from what they know, have they lost their purpose, their will to live?

Without spoiling much of anything, the action is set into motion when a pretty young girl decides to disrobe and take a dip in the lake. As so often happens in life, her actions coincide with a most random person who is wandering about right at that moment. He’s a miserable looking man. He can’t help but find himself staring at the beautiful naked woman in the water. He didn’t plan to look in that direction but he couldn’t help himself. She, in turn, suddenly dies. And he is suddenly in a most dangerous position for an odd man out. He will quickly become a murder suspect. But that is only the beginning of the devilishly complicated horror that lies ahead.

This all told in a vividly cinematic way. That is much to the credit of writer Pierre Oscar Levy, a documentarian by trade. The translation by Nora Mahony is pitch perfect too. The art by Frederick Peeters is quite striking throughout, a blend of realism and cartoony embellishments. Many of the characters have severe features, coupled with severe temperaments, which Peeters takes delight in expressing in all its ghoulish beauty. These are mostly people who have already been beaten down by life and now they must deal with the worst beating they will ever get. It’s a wonderfully strange story.

“Sandcastle” is a 112-page hardcover available now. Visit our friends at SelfMadeHero and Abrams ComicArts.

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Filed under Comics, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Horror, SelfMadeHero

Tagged as Books, comics, Entertainment, graphic novels, Horror, Science Fiction

June 20, 2013 · 3:58 am

Review: DEMETER by Becky Cloonan

Becky Cloonan is a masterful cartoonist. She has a very loose and confident line that comes from years of love and practice of the comics medium. Ink gets in the blood and, like a painter, you’re always ready for your next chance to put brush to ink and paper. Becky Cloonan adds another short story to her Ink and Thunder presence at ComiXology Submit with, “The Demeter,” which runs 31 pages, and you can purchase for only 99 cents here. It is supposed to be the third and final book of a trilogy. While all three books under the Ink and Thunder umbrella are not related, they all share a similar spooky vibe.

Cloonan’s love of ink is infectious. She keeps creating opportunities to dive into that ink. Her artwork is gorgeous and her stories are platforms that allow that artwork to flourish.

That’s not to say that the stories aren’t compelling in themselves. Having read the three books she has with ComiXology, “Wolves,” “The Mire,” and now, “Demeter,” all three are very impressive, and even poetic, horror stories. Cloonan is a pro and she’s managed, over the years, to tap into some quality storytelling chops. She’s as good with words and she’s with artwork. “Demeter” runs very smoothly and naturally. At its heart, it’s a simple little story told with elegance and nicely paced. It’s a cautionary tale warning you to be careful about what you wish for.

Like Paul Pope, you get that unique view from one person as artist and writer. The words, the story itself, comes that much closer to the art compared to a team of artist and writer. That’s just how it is, no matter how closely a team works together. Only you know exactly how to scratch that itch. You can see it on the page.

“Demeter” is far and beyond well worth the price of admission. So, if you haven’t already, you definitely want to go ahead and get the other two books, similar in size and same price point. Just visit ComiXology here.