Alfred Hitchcock: In His Movies

The scene in Psycho, where Mr. Hitchcock is walking by Marion Crane's (Played by: Janet Leigh) office window in Phoenix AZ!

That's right folks, it looks like with at least some of his movies, that the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho), has been known to add a personal touch in his movies, that is when he is in them!

Now I haven't personally seen him in all of his movies, but, (and believe it or not, I have been kind of surprised about the fact that Mr. Hitchcock had cameo's in some of his movies as well,) besides having been the host of his anthology series, Alfred Hitchcock has been known to appear in some of his movies, but in the ones that I have seen anyway, it looks like Alfred Hitchcock will not only make an appearance, but I have found that unless you are looking for him, you probably won't find him!

What I mean by this... Well at least in the movies that I have seen of his, that his roles are usually just brief non-speaking cameo roles, doing stuff like, 'walking down the street', (as he did in both, Psycho (1960) and Vertigo (1958))!

Alfred Hitchcock's cameo in, 'Vertigo' (1959)!

The way I discovered this, was one day I happened to be watching a featurette about, 'Psycho', when they started talking about the scenes where Hitchcock appears in some of his movies... Well to say the least, I was a little surprised!

You see, they mentioned the scene that he is in, in Psycho, (you have to understand that I have probably seen Psycho dozens of times over the years,) with that said, I have seen the scene that Hitchcock is in, and in all of this, I honestly could not remember seeing him in that scene or in any other, through out the movie!

So if you are a fan of the master's work, and if you are like me, and don't remember seeing him in any of his movies, then go back through some of them... I think you might find a pleasant surprise!

For more information, please enjoy these scenes from some of the movies Alfred Hitchcock made that he has had a cameo in!

Four Prolific Musicians/Bands Whose Contributions Helped To Define Heavier Music In The 20th Century!

There are and always will be some truly spectacular musicians out there that really know what the hell they are doing, and it really shows... But in all truth, there are a particular subset of musicians out there that I would say their music is so prolific that even decades after they broke up and or died, that these bands are still heavily influencing new musicians all over the world... So I thought I would let you guys in on a couple of these...

At number 4: Elvis Presley (1935 - 1977):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="240"] Elvis Presley... 'The King Of Rock' now and for ever![/caption]

Now here is a guy that not only had some amazing tunes that really rocked, but when he was still alive, his music helped trailblaze the, 'Rock 'N Roll' genre from being something that annoying old people tried their very best to outlaw, to being a respectable musical form the people admired... And still do! When he was alive, Men wanted to be him, and women wanted to be with him... In the end he had been crowned, 'The King Of Rock' before he died, and to this day he still holds that title!

For more information on, 'Elvis Presley' please enjoy this song:

[embed]http://youtu.be/gj0Rz-uP4Mk[/embed]

For number 3: The Beatles (1960 - 1970):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="434"] The Beatles... Truly a force to be reckoned with![/caption]

The Beatles... When these guys were together, like Elvis Presley, were people that were frowned upon by old people, but they also held the interests of their ever growing fan base... But as for Elvis making the way for, 'The Beatles' and other bands and musicians to make there way in to the genre in an era of respectability, The Beatles didn't do that... They both had very distinct sounds, but in the case of, 'The Beatles' I am going to have to say that these trailblazers were really the direct ancestors of the modern, 'Metal' scene!

For more information on, 'The Beatles' please enjoy this song:

[embed]http://youtu.be/_HONxwhwmgU[/embed]

For number 2: Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="460"] Michael Jackson is truly one that will be missed...[/caption]

Now this guy was something different... I mean he had his harder music, but as for Michael Jackson... He had the tendency to meld Rock 'N Roll, with Pop/R&B type of music in a  pretty fun melding... And ultimately rather he was doing Disco (which it does seem like he did a lot when he was kid, or playing his more heavier stuff, Michael Jackson was crowned the, 'King Of Pop' before he died, and at this point it is pretty safe to say that he still owns that crown!

For more information, 'Michael Jackson', please enjoy this song:

[embed]http://youtu.be/dsUXAEzaC3Q[/embed]

At number 1: Nirvana (1987 - 1994):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="533"] At truly prolific band that is missed...[/caption]

The truth is, is that I am not putting these guys up at number 1 on the strength of their music (all though there music is pretty awesome), in this case I am giving them the number #1 spot because these talented musicians, when they were all still apart of, 'Nirvana' were producing music that was so good that it helped pave the way for, 'Grunge', and it is the type of music that has remained extremely popular even after decades after the band dissolved itself!

For more information on, 'Nirvana', please enjoy this song:

[embed]http://youtu.be/G3qRYGopZMU[/embed]

A Major Contribution To Horror And Science Fiction Movies: The Soundtrack

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] James Horner composing music for a soundtrack to a movie.[/caption]

You know I will be honest with you and say that one of the biggest contributions that the music industry has given to the world of film, rather it be on the big screen or on the small screen is the, 'Soundtrack'!

You might be asking yourself though... Well what about, 'Musicals'? Well the truth is, is that there are some great musicals out there, I am going to have to say though that Soundtracks really take the cake when it comes to the more important of contributions... There are a couple of reasons for this:

1. Universally, rather it be on the big screen or on the small screen Soundtracks compliment the movies or TV series that they are supposed to go to pretty nicely!

2. Now this is just my opinion, but almost every musical TV episode, or music based TV show that I have ever scene has always and so far from what I can tell, will always universally suck!

And this is pretty universally true for the horror & science fiction genre as well!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Believe it or not, a truly fun soundtrack![/caption]

What I mean by this is that rather it be on the small screen or on the big screen, Soundtracks tend to play an extremely important role in the production they are connected to. A couple of great examples of this:

A: Psycho (1960): Universally, the arrangement that music composer, 'Bernard Hermann' put together for this classic horror/thriller by: Alfred Hitchcock (Vertigo) was so well made that in a lot of respects, I think with out this maestro's work, this movie would never have become the insane cultural icon that it is today!

B: Star Trek... I know, I know, I do tend to use this example an awful lot, but it is true! I mean no matter who the composer or musicians are, who are associated with the latest movie or TV series, generally speaking truly help make the movie the historic epic that we all see on the big screen!

Now those are a couple of great examples of some soundtracks that have totally helped make these Horror or Science Fiction movies the true masterpieces that they were when they first came out, and the cultural icons they are today!

And there is another side of soundtracks that I thought that I would mention here that are really important... That is the talent they bring in to work on these movies!

Rather they be composers like, 'John Williams' (Jaws), or heavy metal super stars like, 'Rob Zombie' (Halloween), producers generally bring in some truly amazing talent! A couple of examples are as follows:

John Williams' score from, Star Wars - Episode 3: A New Hope (1977):

http://youtu.be/2Mo0dSHFGPg

Rob Zombie's 'House Of 1,000 Corpses' from the movie he directed with the same title:

http://youtu.be/WT_f2UFNj3U

Charles Bernstein's famous score from, A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984):

http://youtu.be/tn_DjzN8410

Elvis Presley: Fever (1960) - Song Review

[caption id="attachment_330" align="alignright" width="220"] Official Score = 2 1/2 Devils[/caption]

Now I have recently discovered that this song was not originally created by Elvis Presley, I thought so for the longest time... But as it turns out, Elvis recorded this song in 1960, but it was recorded by Little Willie John (All Around The World), for his 1956 album of the same name!

Well regardless though, I think Elvis did a great job with this song, you see this song is a sort of a sleek and sexy song, that I imagine had the girls at the concerts that Mr. Presley would sing this song at driving them wild... And for guys though I kind of took it to be more of an awesome song, a sort macho song... But in a way you could almost say a way to help, 'pick up chicks'.

If you haven't listened to it yet, then I would recommend checking it out, I mean this song as sung by Elvis Presley in all truth is the only version of this song that I have actually heard... And I have to admit that I really like it, but if you are not exactly a fan of the, 'King Of Rock' then check it out from one of the other people who recorded versions of this song... It is a pretty awesome one!

http://youtu.be/6n1iX7I54n4

The Cape Canaveral Monsters (1960) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

As a movie buff and more directly a Science Fiction and Horror movie fan, there are times that I wish I could go back to the 50s or the 60s or even the 70s and go to the theater!

I mean how cool would it be to see, Halloween, as it was originally made, when it was released in 1978? Or to see Alfred Hitchcock’s, ‘Psycho’ when it was released in to the Theater in 1960? Or any of the myriad of amazing Science Fiction films that people back then got to see for less than a dollar (in some cases!)

The reason I mention this, is because these types of movies were extremely awesome! Rather they be Horror movies or Science Fiction movies, these movies had awesome campy as hell (but very fun) story lines (in the case of Horror, horror is more fictional than real anyway, in Science Fiction… Well from the 60s on back it was still mostly imagination of a world that was just starting to hint at going in to space!)

They had great actors and actresses, who unfortunately for most people in the modern day would not remember, which is a shame, because most of these old time actors had so much talent coming from them, that in my opinion, they match up to the talent (or in some cases beat out the talent) of some of our modern day celebrities (They kind of had to, considering what they had to work with in what could be considered the pioneering days of special effects and the like…

And speaking of special effects… I know that it might seem like I have knocked them around in this review more than a few times… But the truth is… ‘Yes’, the special effects in these types of movies were of times extremely campy (especially Science Fiction movies,) but they are that good type of camp that make these movies a ton of fun… I mean I’ll be honest here and say that if some of these amazing classics were given the modern Hollywood makeover when it comes to special effects, then these movies would have sucked!

And you know what? The Cape Canaveral Monsters (1960) exemplifies all of these traits!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] A great example of a cult classic, that had very little but ended giving such an amazing performance![/caption]

Written and Directed by: Phil Tucker (Robot Monster). Starring: Jason Johnson (Invasion Of The Saucer Men), Katherine Victor (The Wild World Of Batwoman), Chuck Howard (The Last Hurrah), Scott Peters (Panic In Year Zero!), Linda Connell, Billy Greene (The Shrike), and Lyle Felice (Psycho a Go-Go).

This movie tells the story of an American Space Program in it’s infancy… During this time a special project that is being run by a Doctor Von Hoften, a German Scientist that has assembled a team at Cape Canaveral to help get mankind in to outer space…

On this team is Von Hoften’s daughter, ‘Sally’ (Connell) and a student by the name of, ‘Tom Wright’ (Peters)…

Now during this time, there is a group of Aliens by the name of Nadja (Victor) and Hauron (Johnson) who have been sent to Earth with the express purpose of helping make sure that mankind never reaches the cosmos…

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Hauron (Jason Johnson) as he is stopping another attempt by NASA to launch a rocket in to orbit.[/caption]

One night, while Tom, Sally and a couple of friends are out on a date, they stumble upon the Aliens, and it will be up to these two love birds, and a couple of other people to stop Hauron and Nadja from carrying through with their nefarious plot, so that, in the end they can stop a bigger plot that involves the rest of the world!

In the end, this movie was a ton of fun, and worth my time, and if you’re in to these classics, then you might like it as well!

Ed Gein... Movies He Inspired!

Unless you are an extreme horror movie fan or some one who does research on serial killers, then I doubt you would have heard of Ed Gein...

Well first of Ed Gein is one of the worst serial killers there is, yet he is also one of the most prolific serial killers in history... Why is that? Well besides the fact that he murdered only 2 people, and besides the fact that Ed Gein was more or less obsessed with his mother, he was also known to have made furniture and what not out of human body parts, as well as also having been known to have started making a woman costume out of human skin, to arrange some strange rituals... And yet he was a nice guy that lived as a hermit out in the middle of no where... Sound familiar?

It should, you see, one of the biggest contributions that Ed Gein contributed to the world, is what he contributed to the horror movie genre!

[caption id="attachment_1415" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Ed Gein, after the truth about hos gruesome life came to be known![/caption]

The first of these movies is, Psycho (1960), you see this movie was based on the book by author Robert Bloch who based his story mostly on Ed Gein's case, in that Psycho told the story of a reclusive young man by the name of, 'Norman Bates', who lived out at his mostly empty Motel, and who was obsessed with his overly possessive mother, and how after he kills a woman one night, the world that he had created for himself, had started spiraling out of control!

[caption id="attachment_1416" align="aligncenter" width="597"] Anthony Perkins as, 'Norman Bates' in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 masterpiece, 'Psycho' (1960)[/caption]

The next one that I thought that I would mention here is, Three On A Meathook (1974). Now this is another movie that is loosely based on the story of Ed Gein, with the exception that it appears that the mother is no longer in the picture, and the father appears to become obsessed with the son, when the son starts pulling away!

[caption id="attachment_1417" align="aligncenter" width="600"] A scene from, Three On A Meat Hook (1974)![/caption]

And another one that I thought that I would mention here (One of the first movies that maybe the first most closest adaptions of the old Ed Gein story), a movie that I found to be a lot of fun, (and if you are huge B Horror fan I think you might to), that movie is, Deranged: Confessions Of A Necrophile (1974). This movie tells the story about how after the death of the mother that he loved so dearly, that this old hermit farmer, becomes a grave robber and murderer, and even goes so far to try and keep and preserve his mother's corpse!

[caption id="attachment_1418" align="aligncenter" width="600"] This guy is taking the term, 'getting a new look,' a little to far!'[/caption]

The next movie that I thought that I would say is more closely based on the story of Ed Gein is not so much a movie as it is a character in a movie, and that is the character of, 'Jame (Buffalo Bill) Gumb' (Played by: Ted Levine) from the award winning movie, Silence Of The Lambs (1991), a movie which has FBI trainee, 'Clarice Starling' (Played by: Jodie Foster) and how she enlisted the help of a captured serial killer in an effort to capture a serial killer by the name of, 'Buffalo Bill' a loner, that is kidnapping women in an effort to make a woman suit out of the women that he has murdered... And has gotten the FBI's attention when his latest kidnapping victim is the daughter of U.S. Senator!

[caption id="attachment_1419" align="aligncenter" width="604"] Ted Levine as, 'Jame (Buffalo Bill) Gumb' in, 'Silence Of The Lambs' (1991)![/caption]

The last one that I wanted to mention here is, Ed Gein: D.D.S. (2013). Now this movie hasn't been released yet, but this movie will tell the story of how a witches coven will resurrect Ed Gein using an old haunted dental chair that had been taken from the Hospital that he spent the last years of his life at.

[caption id="attachment_1421" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Ed Gein will be resurescted later this year to have some more fun in, 'Ed Gein: D.D.S.' (2013)[/caption]

And then of course there are the movies that are actually bio-pics of Ed Gein and his story, included in this is:

1. Ed Gein (2000), a movie which stars, Steve Railsback (Disturbing Behavior) as Gein.

2. Ed Gein: The Ghoul Of Plainfield (2004) a documentary on Gein himself.

3. Ed Gein: The Butcher Of Plainfield (2007) a horror movie that stars, Kane Hodder (Jason X)

4. Ed Gein: The Musical (2010) a movie which stars Dan Davies (West Of The Thunder)

The last area that I thought that I would mention here are just a few movies that took some element of Ed Gein and what he did for their film:

1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) used Gein as the inspiration for, 'Leatherface', as well as the fact that Leatherface and his creepy family are on a creepy out of the way farm that is decorated with furniture that was made from Human remains.

2. Motel Hell (1980), used the whole creepy killer farmer element that lives almost entirely out in the middle of no where, and kills people!

3. Maniac (1980) a movie that used the fact that the killer in this movie had an abusive mother, and that is why he kills women he deemed, 'un-clean'.

4. Ed And His Dead Mother (1993) in this movie the lead character who is mourning the loss of his mother that he has lived his entire life with, dies and ultimately he has brought back to life!

5. Roadkill: The Last Days of John Martin (1994) tells the story of a crazy meat carver who lives on a farm by himself and goes out and kills people with car trouble for food... He also has an ornamental dead head.

6. House Of 1,000 Corpse (2003), now I suspect that when Rob Zombie was making this film, that he utilized the fact that Ed Gein would dress up in a woman suit and would dance in bizarre rituals at night as inspiration in this movie for the moment in the movie when the family dresses up (in real costumes) to sacrifice the remaining people that they had captured to, 'Doctor Satan'!

http://youtu.be/y9klJA1JMbM

http://youtu.be/04kk_XHyTvk

http://youtu.be/nSNJmvxNs80

http://youtu.be/lQKs169Sl0I

http://youtu.be/OzNOwnizMmg

http://youtu.be/nrhyZTNYdrU

http://youtu.be/mt9dFlDiC6k

http://youtu.be/Vs3981DoINw

http://youtu.be/k4AR3BgaCdA

http://youtu.be/btGEvamuaA4

Beyond The Time Barrier (1960) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_385" align="alignright" width="353"] Official Score = 2 Devils[/caption]

Starring: Robert Clarke (The Man From Planet X), Darlene Tompkins (Charlie’s Angels), Vladimir Sokoloff (Twilight Zone), Boyd, ‘Red’ Morgan (Foxy Brown), Stephen Bekassy (The Four Horseman Of The Apocalypse), Arianne Ulmer (The Naked Venus), John Van Dreelen (The Money Pit), & Ken Knox (The Giant Gila Monster).

Now this one is an interesting one, because I am pretty certain that this movie is indirectly responsible for a lot of the accidental time travel movies of the 1980s… You see, this movie tells the story of how Major William Allison (Clarke), the lead research pilot at the Sands Air Force Base gets thrown forward in to the future when he is testing an experimental aircraft in to space…

Once he gets there, he finds that he is confronted with a plague ridden Earth, where most of the closest to normal humans have created a totalitarian society underground, with the mutants living on the surface… (neither of which can pro-create and both civilizations are dying out…)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="448"] Major WIlliam Allison (Robert Clarke) as checks out this strange new world![/caption]

Once he is forced underground, the leader, ‘The Supreme’ (Sokoloff) panders to Allison in the hopes of having him mate with his daughter, ‘Trirene’ (Tompkins), and help to re-populate the planet… While a small group of humans that have also been sent to the future are hopping to use him and his plane in an effort for him to go back in time and stop the plague!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="512"] If Major Allison can make it back home, then maybe he can save the woman that he loves![/caption]

In the end though, and with no one Allison can absolutely trust (besides Trirene), he will have to navigate dangerous waters in this future, so that he can get home and warn the world before the plague has the chance to destroy the world!

In the end, this movie was surprisingly well done, it had a great cast, some fun special effects, and a great story… The only problem that I really have with this movie, is that there is a pretty significant plot hole (which I probably should not tell you guys about…)

In the end though, this movie is fun and action packed, and if you like these classic Science Fiction movies, then you might like this one as well.

http://youtu.be/MQXoRAlXl4U

Psycho (1960) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_415" align="alignright" width="350"] Official Score = 4 Devils[/caption]

In the 1950s in Wisconsin there was a serial killer by the name of, 'Ed Gein' who lived alone on a huge farm, and was more or less obsessed with his mother to the point where he started tipping over the edge when she died.

Then a few years after Gein's arrest, author Robert Bloch would go on to write a novel that was loosely based on the, 'Gein' case called, 'Psycho'.

Then in 1960, the true master of suspense, 'Alfred Hitchcock' (Rear Window) went on to make a little movie for Universal Pictures that would go on the become one of the most prolific movies in both the thriller genre and the horror genre, and that was based on Bloch's novel called, Psycho (1960)!

Written by: Joseph Stefano (Psycho 4: The Beginning) and Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock. Starring: Anthony Perkins (The Black hole), Vera Miles (The Searchers), John Gavin (Spartacus), Janet Leigh (Halloween: H20) and Martin Balsam (Cape Fear).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="538"] One of the most famous shots in horror movie history... A shot with Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) as he looks up in to his mother's room![/caption]

Psycho tells the story of Marion Crane (Leigh) who comes across $40 thousand dollars one day when a person who is about to buy a house from the real estate company that she works for drops the cash on Marion's desk, and Marion's boss asks her to take it to the companies safety deposit box!

Now Marion has a boyfriend that she loves very much by the name of, 'Sam' who lives in Fairvale California (while Marion lives in Phoenix Arizona). Sam unfortunately due to his debts can't move in with Marion, and won't let Marion movie in with him (due to the fact that he more or less basically has a tiny room in the back of his shop!

So Marion decides to steal the $40 thousand and takes off for Fairvale to be with the man of her dreams and help pay off his debts!

After some fear of being caught by the California Highway Patrol, Marion decides to stop off at the local Bates Motel, where she meets the slightly odd but nice enough Motel Manager who lives with his mother, by the name of Norman Bates (Perkins).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) asking a cold and lonely Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) if she would have dinner with him.[/caption]

Now after some slightly weird but mostly genial conversation and a dinner of sandwiches, with Norman, and discovers that she may have made a mistake in stealing that money. Marion heads off to her own room to get ready for bed, in preparation for heading back to Phoenix to face the music!

While she is in the shower, 'Mrs. Bates' decides to show her dislike for Marion by barging in to her room and murdering her in what would become one of the most famous shower murder scenes in movie history!

Well with Marion and the $40 thousand dollars missing, a Private Detective by the name of, 'Milton Arbogast' (Martin Balsam) is hired to find Marion and retrieve the money. While Marion's sister, 'Lila' (Miles) just wants to find her sister!

Now this movie truly is not only an iconic movie in the horror and thriller genres! But this movie is one of the most recognizable movies in the history of Cinema!

http://youtu.be/y9klJA1JMbM