The Dark Half (1989) - Stephen King - #Book #Review

An image from the movie. 

You know, Stephen King truly is a great author...  He truly is, there is not a lot of the masters of horror out there that can write like Stephen King can, (there are a ton of great written works by true, 'masters' out there... But Stephen King... At least when it comes to horror novels maybe one of the best.)

With that said though, at this point I think it is fairly safe to say that the majority of his works, 'if not all of them,' have been turned in to movies, 'with some of those movies being remade.'

Well the reason that I mention this is the fact that one of the first movies I ever saw of his was a movie that I truly love, but I would later find out was better in book form... A movie starring: Timothy Hutton (Secret Window) That movie being, a The Dark Half (1993)!

The Dark Half... A great movie, an even better book! 

Well this isn't a review for the movie, I will get in to it, but later... Anyway as for the novel, this novel tells the story of a writer, a writer whom for whatever reason only seemed to be able to write well under the name, 'George Stark'.

But when he decides to put George Stark in the grave, something strange starts to happen! You see, murders seem to start happening around him that seem to be straight out of a, 'Geotrge Stark' novel!

Is some one out to get him? Or has some one more insidious, and closer to him been committing these murders is it, well... A Dead Name?

All I can say is that this is a pretty apt description! 

Anyway, the movie was good, but the book was so much more engrossing... I mean besides the gruesome nature of the novel itself, Stephen King weaves you through this suspense filled maze that you just can't help but stay entranced with!

If you haven't read this one yet... Read it... But let it be known, you may not be able to put this one down, no matter how hard you try!
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Strider (1989) - Video Game Review

Official Score = 4 Devils

This is a first for me, you know... Doing reviews for the same game on two different systems... Well it was bound to happen...

You see back in the day when the competition in the world of video games and their consoles began to finalize around just a couple of different companies and their systems (by the late 90s, and up to about the mid 1990s, it was primarily Nintendo and Sega in competition with each other,) anyway...

When the competitors in the world of video games for the 1990s, began to show themselves in the late 80s, one of the things that began to occur is that some video game companies would end up releasing the same video games on different systems, (they did this a lot in the rest of the 80s as well, but it really did not become more pronounced until roughly the late 80s and through the 90s...)

Strider is a great example of a fun game on two different systems!

And the fact is, is where as this game on the NES certainly has its differences between the NES version, and it's Genesis counterpart... I am going to have to say that, 'Strider' (1989)... Maybe the better one!

You see, I like games that are really hard to beat... Rather it is through the controls, or the story, or whatever, that is my thing, and I have to be honest and say that this game has it all... I would say that this game maybe one of the best NES games I have ever played!

A true classic!

Don't get me wrong, the Genesis version of this game was fun, it just could not compare... Although I will say that the Genesis version does have better graphics!

Five Classic Movie Posters For Five Classic Monster Movies

You know I have always considered myself to be something of an aficionado when it came to horror and science fiction movies, I mean I have been watching horror and science fiction movies for decades... Little did I know how truly wrong I was... For the past few years I have been diving in to all sorts of, 'B' Horror & Science Fiction movies as well as all sorts of other types of lesser recognized sub genres that are out there... And the one thing that over all else that I have come to realize, is the fact that there is a lot more then even I thought that I knew... And I look forward to watching more and more of them!

With that in mind, I thought that you guys might enjoy the artwork on some of these movie posters for some truly classic, 'B' monster movies! So enjoy!

At number 5: Them! (1954):

A true classic, and one of Leonard Nimoy's first movies! 

For number 4: DeepStar Six (1989):

A classic movie about a Sea Monster attacking an underwater base!

Next on the block, at number 3: Godzilla (1954):

The first movie that has led to a historic movie series!

At number 2: Kingdom Of The Spiders (1977):

A great B Movie starring William Shatner!

And last but certainly not least, at number 1: The Mighty Peking Man (1977):

The Shaw Brothers's, 'King Kong'!

There are a ton more out there, I just thought that you guys would enjoy these!

Tales From The Crypt... Oh How We Miss Them

The Cryptkeeper welcoming us back for another wonderful, 'Tale From The Crypt'!

Back in the late 80s there was a late night horror TV anthology series that was just something to be hold... It had some truly scary episodes, some truly funny episodes... but rather they be scary, or funny, most of them were truly something to enjoy... And with those episodes, you would get horror movie quality special effects (the like of which made horror movies great, and which have been found to be lacking in most modern horror movies...) And in all of this, you get some truly amazing talent, (including: Tom Hanks (Apollo 13), Larry Drake (Darkman), etc...) And along with the amazing talent of filmmakers like, 'Robert Zemeckis' (Back To The Future) and you got the amazing HBO late night smash hit, 'Tales From The Crypt' (1989 - 1996)!

Based on the EC Comics series of the same name, this series debuted on HBO on June 10th 1989 and would go on to superstardom, and become one of the most famous horror anthologies of all time, making, 'The Crypt Kreeper' (Don't let the name fool you kiddies, he may look scary... But he is more awesome then will give you a jump!)

The face of late night TV in the late 80s - the mid 90s... A face that only a mother could love!

Now the reason that I say that this series would probably go on to be one of the most famous horror anthology TV series of all time... The reason for that is this... Well you might say that, 'The Twilight Zone' is that... The truth is, is that what makes, 'The Twilight Zone' one of the greatest anthologies of all time is not because of the horror aspects of the series, but because of everything (the science fiction side to...)

No in the case of Tales From The Crypt... They became the, 'The Twilight Zone' of horror anthologies, having pulled off a long list of celebrated 80s and early 90s superstars, including (Besides those mentioned above): Dan Aykroyd (Ghostbusters), Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), Brad Dourif (Child's Play), Margot Kidder (The Amityville Horror), Bill Paxton (Aliens), Malcolm McDowell (Halloween)... And that is just to name a few!

Legendary actor: 'Kirk Douglas' in a scene from, 'Tales From The Crypt'!

 Included in this also is the fact that most of this series was extremely well written, with stories that were extremely well crafted, with enough character development, that when the shit hit the fan (and I mean this show had episodes that were about 1/2 hours long, so the fun gore moments, when the shit hit the fan came rather quickly...)

And along with great stories and great acting talent was the fact that this show... considering the fact that (well at least when I got in to it... And I got in to it when it was still on the air) was still running on late night, had some surprisingly great special effects that I would say would rival just about any special effects that you would see in any movie!

The use of an, 'Electric Chair' is just one example of some truly remarkable special effects in the series!

But besides what I mentioned above, one of the coolest things... And I imagine that this probably would sound pretty odd, but the truth is, is that I would say what tops out this series over all is, 'The Crypt Keeper'... I mean John Kassir (Batman: Arkham Origins), did an amazing job bringing the crypt keeper to life and giving him this sort of bad ass hilarity that just made him perfect!

In the end, I guess what I am trying to say is that there were few series (anthologies or otherwise), that are made these days like shows like, 'Tales From The Crypt'... I know that: Tales From The Crypt Presents: Bordello Of Blood (1996) didn't do all that well in the theater, but this series in it's heyday was truly prolific, and left a mark on the world of TV, and for the fans like me, we miss that, and would love to see, 'Tales From The Crypt' come back in all of it's glory!

5 Classic B Horror/Sci-fi Movie Posters And The Trailers For Those Movies

Being a huge B Movie fan, as well as having the science fiction & horror movie genres and all of their subgenre's as some of my favorite movie genre's, I thought that you guys might enjoy these 5 Classic B Horror/Sci-fi Movie Posters And The Trailers For Those Movies:

At number 5: The Crawling Eye (1958).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="435"] A Classic Horror/Sci-Fi B Movie![/caption]

For more information on this movie,  please enjoy this trailer for: The Crawling Eye (1958):

http://youtu.be/BDGwCMcLs_M

At number 4: Frogs (1972).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="361"] A great monster movie![/caption]

For more information on this movie, please enjoy the trailer for: Frogs (1972):

http://youtu.be/Dzl1RkBxNsY

At Number 3: The Wasp Woman (1959).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="451"] A great B Movie take on, 'The Fly'![/caption]

For more information on this movie, please enjoy this trailer for: The Wasp Woman (1959):

http://youtu.be/E5zAPCwCh40

At number 2: Prianha (1978).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="336"] A great B Movie take on, 'Jaws'![/caption]

For more info on this movie, please check out the trailer for, Piranha (1978):

http://youtu.be/XoCKGvVlNYM

At number 1: DeepStar 6 (1989):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="321"] A great B Sci-fi/Horror Movie![/caption]

For more information on this movie, please enjoy this trailer for: DeepStar Six (1989):

http://youtu.be/pouTM3jqZCM

 

The Hiddien Story In Horror Movies

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor Compton) running away from, 'Michael Myers' in, 'Halloween' (2007)[/caption]

You know, in my family I am unfortunately the only person left who is a major fan of horror movies... And so, a lot of time when I try to talk to my mom, or my wife about my love of horror movies, a lot of times they kind of look at me cross eyed and tease me for my interest in these movies...

They think that most of the horror movies that I really like to watch are to gory... They're not, they also believe that these horror movies that I watch have no plot to them at all... On this, they couldn't be more wrong!

And I say to all of those who don't think of the story with horror movies... There is one, and even though I am pretty convinced that most of the time this little known truth about this genre is generally overlooked, I also think it is one of the most important aspects of a horror movie... Trust me, it is true!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] The start of one of the most famous scenes in horror movie history, from the movie, 'Psycho'... A movie that has a truly amazing story attached to it![/caption]

I mean, to be honest horror fans, how many of you fright fans can say that you would watch just a straight blood bath... I wouldn't... As a matter of fact, the one movie I did see that was pretty much had the plot of some Geisha being brutally and sadistically tortured... Well to say the least, it is the one horror movie I have seen that I have shut off!

No, you see, I believe despite how good the talent naturally is (or cheesy awesome they are), no matter what legendary filmmaker they get for the film that the main story is the most important part of the movie!

I mean despite the fact that the story sets a template for the cast and crew to follow, it also often times has themes that believe it or not generally have some sort of message to it... The most often being the power of women to overcome anything no matter how big or overwhelming the odds maybe.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Heather Langenkamp in, 'A Nightmare On Elm Street'... A movie with a great and empowering message of strength![/caption]

A great example of this is, Halloween 5: The Revenge Of Michael Myers (1989)... You see in this movie, Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris) is essentially on her own against her uncle, (Michael Myers)... And at one point she is alone against him, while he is driving a car against her... In the end she pulls out of the situation with out resorting to any real histerics (Jamie Lloyd was about 10 in the movie)... In this movie, and in all of the other movies that has this character in it, this child essentially survives her Uncle's attacks each time, with a strength well beyond her position as a child in the early movies!

In the end I guess what I am trying to say dear reader, is if you are a horror fan and you got some one teasing you about horror movies having no story line... They do, and not only do they, but story lines like (Dracula), have been around since well before the advent of movies... And also are movies that proudly demonstrates the power and strength of will that women have in abundance... And lastly, all horror movie story lines are essentially what makes a movie, and well... After several decades, these stories have to have proven themselves by now!

http://youtu.be/fTabuTNAZMQ

http://youtu.be/y9klJA1JMbM

http://youtu.be/jdb_HSvf2Zk

Strider (1989) - Video Game Review

[caption id="attachment_557" align="alignright" width="307"] Official Score = 3 1/2 Devils[/caption]

When I was a kid there was a friend of mine who had a ton of now ancient classic NES games, and when I got a Nintendo, he lent me most of these games... Alot of these games were a lot of fun... But there was about a handful of video games that were truly remarkable, and to this day I still remember how fun these games were!

Well one of these games happened to be, 'Strider' (1989)!

This action packed game was just a total blast, and the further you got in to the game, the further you would want to play (as a matter of fact I would say that this was one of those games that could rack up a huge power bill, in that this game is one that you would want to keep on if you couldn't play any longer that day!)

Well when the Sega Genesis came out, I was looking for this game on NES... As luck would have it, 'Capcom' publish it'sversion of this game which I would later discover on the Sega Genesis... But as it turns out, this game would be released on multiple platforms, starting with the, 'Amiga' console, and going on through an arcade version of this game, as well as the, 'Atari ST', 'Commodore 64', 'DOS, (A now defunct operating system that PC's ran off of before Windows) & later, 'The Sega Mega Drive', 'Sharp X68000', 'Turbo Grafx CD', 'Virtual Console', 'Wii' & 'ZX Spectrum'.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="350"] This game still freaking rules![/caption]

This game tells the story of how in a dystopic future, a dictator by the name of, 'The Grandmaster', has a stranglehold over the world... The only hope is a group of high-tech Ninja's that call themselves, 'Striders'...And particular Strider by the name of, 'Hiryu', who has been tasked with assassinating, 'The Grandmaster'!

This game had an appropriate level of hardness that I found that I really liked... But what made it a little bit easier is that for the most part the game play on this game was not particularly hard...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] A fun game that is just the right amount of hard![/caption]

I did find the music was pretty decent, but what I found to be the best was the bosses... in the 80s and early 90s, most bad guys ended up being these over the top monsters, and the people who designed this game really did a good job at making them difficult to beat!

There is one thing though that I have to admit that I was not a particular fan of, and that is there appears to be a defect in the game itself in which the game slows down at certain intervals, so much so that it can be really annoying and distracting (because not only did the game do that but the music would as well, and you couldn't play during this period!)

Despite this, this game is an awful lot of fun, and well worth it to play, and if you get a chance, I highly recommend checking it out... The defect is annoying, but in the end, this game is worth giving a try!

http://youtu.be/EntpuPbXwKw

5 Final Girls Of The 1980s That Kick Ass

Say what you will about Horror movies, one of the things that they do really well, is empowering women and girls, by showing the fact that 99% of the time it is not the, 'man' (or the hero), that is the final survivor against the, 'big bad' monster, but the girl/women that are the one's that are going up against the big bad monster in an effort to finally destroy these big bad monsters once and for all!

Now these women who end up going up against the big bad monster and finally take him or her out once and for all... Well they are called, 'Final Girls'... I think the name is pretty self explanatory... I mean they are either the last surviving member of the group that the big bad monster has been killing off one by one, or is the girl who ends up winning the final battle against the big bad monster!

And so I thought that I would mention here, '5 Final Girls Of The 1980s That Kick Ass!'

At number 5: Adrienne King (What's Eating Gilbert Grape) in, Friday The 13th (1980):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Alice Hardy (Adrienne King) as she is beginning to realize that there is one more person at, 'Camp Crystal Lake' and that person is not particularly happy![/caption]

For more information, please enjoy this trailer for, Friday The 13th (1980):

http://youtu.be/bcoi-Zgg8BU

At number 4: 'Kirsty Cotton' - Played by: Ashley Laurence (Deuce Coupe) in, Hellraiser (1987), Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 (1988) & Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence).[/caption]

For more information, please enjoy this trailer for, Hellraiser (1987):

http://youtu.be/P7TWm3Akw-s

At number 3: 'Jamie Lloyd' - for the 1980s, she was played by: Danielle Harris (Hatchet 3) in, Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers (1988) & Halloween 5: The Revenge Of Michael Myers (1989):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris) as, 'Uncle Mike' is about to wake up and attempt to put her down for a little more then a nap![/caption]

For more information, please enjoy the trailer for the movie, Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers (1988):

http://youtu.be/tozboaohpbk

At number 2: 'Stephanie' - Played by: Jill Schoelen (Cutting Class) in, Stepfather (1987):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Stephanie, (Jill Schoelen) is about to learn the disturbing truth about her new, 'Step Dad'![/caption]

For more information, please enjoy this trailer for, Stepfather (1987):

http://youtu.be/C6dg84FhA9k

At number 1: 'Nancy Thompson' - Played by: Heather Langenkamp (Shocker) in, A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) and, A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors (1987) as well as, Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)... (Although as a side note, she is not a final girl in, A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: The Dream Warrior.):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="470"] Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), as she is about to face her greatest nightmare![/caption]

For more information, please enjoy this trailer for: A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984):

http://youtu.be/jdb_HSvf2Zk

Monsters Of Metal: Rob Zombie

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="498"] Rob Zombie... A true, 'Monster Of Metal'![/caption]

Most people these days I am sure probably recognize Rob Zombie for his amazing contribution to the horror movie, genre but for me you are going to have to go back to the late 90s, when Rob Zombie (Halloween) was still a member of the classic heavy metal band, 'White Zombie'...

But even before this, this power house Musician/Filmmaker/Writer of essentially the, 'horror genre' and it's equivalents became the man he would become, in some respects almost as a young man we would see the hell hound he would become... You see Rob Zombie (who was born, 'Robert Bartleh Cummings') was born to parents who worked in the Circus when Rob Zombie and his brother, 'Michael'... (Also known as, 'lead singer of Powerman 5000', 'Spider One',) were young Rob Zombie seemed to have developed an interest in the macabre with his favorite movie genre being, 'Horror'... (I would say that with his parent's work in the Circus and his being a fan of Horror movies, I suspect this was the inspiration for, 'Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) from, House Of 1,000 Corpses (2003)!)

After his parents left the Circus and after Zombie graduated from High School, Zombie met ex-girl friend and former bassist/co-founder of, 'White Zombie', 'Sean Yseault' and would eventually move in with her.

During this time in the 1980s, Yseault and Zombie would go on to co-found the band that would later be known as, 'White Zombie'... Well believe it or not success didn't initially come easy to this soon to be legendary, 'Monster Of Metal'... You see during the early days of Zombie's and Yseault's collaboration together, the band would release 3 EP albums which really kind of failed to gain the notoriety during that time...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Sean Yseault (Center) and Rob Zombie (Right) with the rest of their band mates that would eventually comprise, 'White Zombie'.[/caption]

It wasn't until their 4th studio album, 'Gods Of Thunder' when things started to get interesting for the fledgling group... You see Michael Alago (A rep for, 'Geffen Records', the label that would eventually be the label that Zombie and his crew would sign up with,) listened to this album and ended up showing enough interest in the band to ask that they make a demo, (which they did with the help of J.G. Thirlwell, who produced the demo for the group), and would eventually be signed on to Geffen!

And White Zombie would be born!

During their time together, White Zombie would go on to release 4 studio albums, including: Soul-Crusher (in 1987), Make Them Die Slowly (In 1989), La Sexocristo: Devil Music, Vol 1 (In 1992) & Astro-Creep 2000: Songs Of Love, Destruction And Other Synthetic Delusions Of The Electric Head (In 1995). They would also produce 1 remix album 6 EPs, 3 compilation albums, several singles and work that the group did on such classic movies as, The Crow (1994) & even, Escape From L.A. (1996) to name a few!

But like all good things, Rob Zombie and Sean Yseaut broke up, and in 1998 the band would disband as well... But that wouldn't stop this true Monster Of Metal!

No you see, Rob Zombie would go on to almost catapult himself further then he could have ever gone working with, 'White Zombie'...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Rob Zombie, live in concert during his solo career![/caption]

What I mean is that Rob Zombie picked up his career not long after the band disbanded and on August 25th, 1998 Rob Zombie would release his first solo album called, 'Hellbilly Deluxe: 13 Tales OF Cadaverous Cavorting Inside The Spookshow International', which ended up being so successful that it had actually outshined previous sales of older, 'White Zombie' work!

During this first decade of his solo career, he would go on to release what some could say are his most famous (or at the very least, 'most recognized') songs of all time! Including such hits as: 'Living Dead Girl', 'Dragula', and, 'Superbeast' to name a few!

Well folks besides the monumental success as a solo artist, he would also make his first attempts in to the movie industry... You see, if you remember, near the beginning of this article, I had mention that as a child Rob Zombie was a huge fan of horror films... Well he would first try to put his love of of films in to use when he was to direct the movie, The Crow 2037...

Well unfortunately despite the fact that he had even written that script, the movie was never released... But this wouldn't stop Rob, who after the failure of his first attempt, would start working on the script that would eventually be for the movie, House Of 1,000 Corpses (2003)... And well after all was said and done, the movie would not see the light of day for about 3 years, until it was release in 2003!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Rob Zombie with Dr. Satan himself, 'Walter Phelan' on the set of, 'House Of 1,000 Corpses' (2003)![/caption]

And thus another chapter in the amazing career of this man would be born!

In 2002 Rob Zombie would go on to marry B Movie Scream Queen, and one of the cast from, House Of 1,000 Corpses (2003), Sheri Moon (Halloween)... Later Sheri Moon Zombie!

Anyway, rather this true master of horror is putting together the latest kick ass album in his truly epic career  as a musician, or the next horror classic, this guy's career is truly legendary and one that would definitely cement him as a true, Monster Of Metal!

http://youtu.be/E0E0ynyIUsg

http://youtu.be/EqQuihD0hoI

http://youtu.be/fTabuTNAZMQ

Gradius 3: From Legend To Myth (1989) - Video Game Review

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

Most people at this point have played some sort of video game in their life... I mean even my Dad beat the original, 'Final Fantasy' for the NES, before I even had a chance to play it... And as the years go on more and people are sort of born in to the concept of playing video games as a regular thing!

And well, every true gamer has that one game, or that one game series that they truly love, that game that in some way you could say in some capacity ended up defining what games they would end up playing in the future... For me, that game was, 'Gradius 3: From Legend To Myth (1989)'!

This game started off as a 2D side shooter game in 1989 when it was released by Konami in Japan as an Arcade game... This game would later be released for the, Super Famicom in 1990, (for those of you who don't know this the, 'Famicom', or 'Family Computer' is the name that was given for the Japanese equivalent of the, 'Nintendo Entertainment System' and the, 'Super Famicom' was the name given to the Japanese equivalent of the, 'Super Nintendo' etc...)

But, 1991 is when I, and the rest of North America would be able to finally get our grubby little mits on it, when it was re-released for the Super Nintendo as simply, 'Gradius 3'!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Gradius 3... A truly awesome fun time![/caption]

Now this game freaking rocked! And is still one of my favorite games of all time (As a matter of fact, I was recently playing the first, 'Gradius' game and I got to say that this game was truly amazing as well!)

You might be wondering why this game is so awesome... Well the truth is, is everything! The music was awesome, for a 2D side scrolling game from 1991... The graphics were truly above board, and frankly with the story, and the fact that the way this game was made, made it that much harder in the end truly made this a spectacularly fun time that I just spent literally hours on!

In the end I still think this game is a lot of fun... It can get extremely frustrating at times, but even the frustrating times are fun as well! And well, where as I can't vouch for the fact that this game will be your favorite game of all time, I can honestly vouch for the fact that if you try it, you might really, in the end enjoy it!

http://youtu.be/XQfNkjEF5f4

2 D Games: Why They Still Rock!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] 'Golden Axe' (1989)... A classic awesome 2 D Video Game![/caption]

If you were born really before about 1992 then the chances are that you probably started off your Video Game playing, playing such classic 2 D video games as, Super Mario Bros. (1985), Contra (1987), or even Sonic The Hedgehog (1991)...  And you know what? Having gotten my start in this style of video games, I have found that I still think that this style of gaming freaking rocks!

Now don't get me wrong, the modern style of gaming is awesome... I mean you really can't go wrong with a video game that is getting closer to being like an interactive movie! But you really can't go wrong with a 2 D game!

The classic 2 D Games were an awful lot of fun... And in some ways I think they brought an element that is missing to the more modern 3 dimensional games of the modern time!

What I mean by this is the fact that a lot of the older games didn't have the option to save (and even with the ones that did have the option to save), there was always something about the progress that was made in the game that made you really look forward to the next level, (or in the case of an RPG. trying to find out what was next in the game)... As a matter of fact, one of my favorite games for the NES that I absolutely loved was, Bionic Commando (1988), and since this game did not have the option to save, and I was so far in to the game that I actually ended up leaving my Nintendo on all night and turning off the TV so that I can continue on with my progress when I woke up in the morning!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] 'Bionic Commando' (1987)... A truly awesome 2 D video game for the NES![/caption]

Another thing that I feel still makes this style of gamming really awesome is the fact that the majority of the video game systems that used this system for it's more recently released video games... As well as the more recently re-released video games for some of the more recent video game systems, is that the game play was not exceptionally difficult, and made getting in to these games quicker  and easier, and in some cases getting to the entertainment a little bit quicker!

And yet another thing that I thought that I I would mention here is the fact that the story lines for these games were pretty awesome, and are story lines that helped spawned such legendary franchises as, the 'Donkey Kong series', the 'Super Mario Bros. series', 'The Legend Of Zelda series', and even the, 'Sonic The Hedgehog series' to name a few!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Liu Kang and Sub-Zero in 'Mortal Kombat 2' (1993), a classic 2 D fighting game for the Sega Genesis![/caption]

And yet even another thing that I thought that I would mention here is the fact that, computer generated music may not be a big thing to most, but the truth is, is I have found that the music for these games are still really quite awesome!

And the last thing that I thought that I would mention here is the fact that the other reason why these types of games are freakin awesome is the fact that they are historic, and show the amazing jumps in progress from where video games started off, to the modern X-Box 360 style games!

http://youtu.be/3qAPbXNq0dc

http://youtu.be/bh1BSyJGtOA

http://youtu.be/wh8iJLTH2qg

Top 5 Non-Iconic Horror Movies Made By Masters Of Horror!

You know, a lot of time horror movie directors are usually equated with those horror movies that made them legend, (I,e… John Carpenter for, ‘Halloween’, Wes Craven for, ‘A Nightmare On Elm Street’, Tobe Hooper for, ‘A Texas Chain Saw Massacre’, and even Clive Barker for, ‘Hellraiser’)…

Now I know that, that is not always true, but let’s be honest, even if we don’t do it all the time, we are or have all been guilty of this from time to time (us horror fans I mean… I know I was when I still pretty green to the world of horror).

With that in mind, I thought that I would do my top 5 non-iconic horror movies that were made by Masters of horror…

Now you might be wondering what I mean by a non-iconic horror movie… Well I mean movies that were great, and definitely helped people in their careers, but not the ones that everyone and their mother’s know them for, an example of this would be.

1. Wes Craven for, Deadly Blessing (1981)… A great movie that is a true classic, but it is not, A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)… A movie that besides, ‘Scream’ Wes Craven is most well known for by both horror fans and non-horror fans alike…

So here it is my, ‘Top 5 Non-Iconic Horror Movies, Made By Masters Of Horror!’

At number 5: Clive Barker for, Lord Of Illusions (1995):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Clive Barker with Scott Bakula (the star of, 'Lord Of Illusions'.)[/caption]

It is true that this movie is considered to be a cult classic, I decided to choose this one, because most people who know Clive Barker know him for his work on creating, ‘Hellraiser’ and I thought that you guys would enjoy this one as it is a lesser known of his classic films but still just as good as even Hellraiser!

At number 4: Tobe Hooper for, Eaten Alive (1977):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Legendary filmmaker, Tobe Hooper posing with, 'Leatherface' (the villain that made him famous![/caption]

Here is a lesser known Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) movie, that was freakin awesome, with an amazing cast that had a pre-A Nightmare On Elm Street Robert Englund in it as well as a pre-Halloween, Kyle Richards in it as well!)

At number 3: John Carpenter for, The Fog (1980):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] from left: Adrienne Barbeau, John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis and Janet Leigh on the set of, 'The Fog' (1980)[/caption]

Not quite a lesser known horror film of Mr. Carpenter’s but definitely a good one, and I am putting this one here, because if your new to the works of John Carpenter, then you will find this one to be a worthy choice to sink your teeth in to, to see where John Carpenter can take you!

At number 2: Wes Craven for, Shocker (1989).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="250"] Legendary master of horror, Wes Craven on set.[/caption]

I haven’t seen this movie in years, but I remember it being pretty fantastic and featuring a younger Mitch Pileggi (‘Skinner’ from, ‘The X-Files’) this one is definitely a fun one… And honestly one that I am little surprised did not ultimately end up getting the attention than it deserved!

At number 1: George A. Romero for, The Dark Half (1993).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="611"] George A. Romero with Stephen King would make not just, 'The Dark Half' together but would also work together on the movie, 'Creepshow' (1982).[/caption]

Now if you know George A. Romero, then you know that he is most well-known for creating what would come to be called by some, ‘The Dead series’, (I,e… Night Of The Living Dead (1968), Dawn Of The Dead (1978), Day Of The Dead (1985), Land Of The Dead (2005), and I have heard more loosely associated is, Diary Of The Dead (2007), and Survival Of The Dead (2009).) Well there is another movie that I thought that I would mention here that he did that is based on a novel by another master of horror, (Stephen King)….

That movie of course is the movie, The Dark Half (1993)… This movie I don’t want to give to, to much on, except to say that it is a truly fantastic film, with an amazing plot, that has to do with the duality of good vs evil in all of us… and what if the evil was allowed to escape… but also the cast was amazing and the special effects were remarkable!

In the end folks, I am not saying that the movies that made these guys famous... They have been entertaining fans and new people to the genre for a fair number of years now... (heck, Halloween is one of my favorite movies!)

http://youtu.be/YyJvOuxZDHY

http://youtu.be/9cQGA5VRj50

http://youtu.be/0j__l3DgbhE

http://youtu.be/dw2bAg5dwW4

http://youtu.be/3GwO6sO44bU

The Abyss (1989) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_557" align="alignright" width="307"] Official Score = 3 1/2 Devils[/caption]

This may seem like an odd question folks, but, has there ever been a movie that you just really liked and would watch frequently for years?

The reason that I ask is because there was about 2 or 3 dozen movies that I would watch more often than most movies for years at a time when I was a kid, and one of those movies that I used to watch a lot was the movie, The Abyss (1989)…

Now you might be wondering why I would watch this movie quite a bit… Well to tell you the truth, a lot of these types of movies that I saw, I either saw on the recommendation of my Dad, or with my Dad (I can’t say for certain, but I think periodically throughout the 80s and early 90s my Dad may have been going through a kick of watching Science Fiction/Horror movies that took place in areas where people could not easily escape from…)

Anyway, this movie, which tells the tale of an American submarine that sinks to the bottom of the Ocean during the cold war by a passing Alien submersible (I use the term, ‘Alien’ loosely, can’t say why for those who haven’t seen the movie yet, except to say that if you haven’t seen this movie yet, then I think you might find this concept of, ‘UFOs’ and ‘Aliens’ to be quite fascinating…)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] The crew of the underwater mining base as they first notice the larger sized Alien vessel![/caption]

Well after the sinking of the American Sub, the U.S. government hires a group of underwater drillers and send down a SEAL team to try to recover any surviving crewmen (little does the company know that this sub is a nuclear sub, and the SEAL team has also been sent down not just to recover any survivors but also to make sure that the sub does not get in to the hands of the Soviets…

In the end though this crew and the rest of the world will end up getting more than they bargained for when the SEAL team and this crew of Undersea drillers go out and search for survivors of the downed sub and end up coming back with something completely different!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] The Aliens trying to make contact with the Humans![/caption]

Anyway in the end I thought that this movie was a great one and I would end up coming back to it rather often over the years… (as a matter of fact, the reason that I decided to do the review for this movie now instead of later is because I ended up seeing this movie again recently with my Wife and my Dad and enjoyed it as much this last time as I did the first time!)

I know I know, I have been harping a lot now on the fact that it is a true classic, but not on why it is a true classic (My apologies,) honestly this movie is great because it is just a fantastic example of a great story, and amazing FX, and even great acting can come together in perfect harmony! (Sorry if that sounds weird, but it is amazingly quite true!)

Now for all of that I really have to say that on the crew side, that this was due to the amazing vision of James Cameron (The Terminator) and the amazing crew that he had on this award winning movie, as well as the talented cast of actors and actresses which include, Ed Harris (Apollo 13), Mary Elizabeth Mastrantino (Scarface), and Michael Biehn (Aliens) to name a few!

And to tell you the truth folks, you honestly don’t see such a well done movie these days like this one, I mean sometimes you will see movies with one of these traits but almost never with everything just perfectly meshed together like this, so if you’re looking for a truly classic movie that is a timeless, that you will enjoy for years to come, then I highly recommend this one, it is a good one!

http://youtu.be/WYPcLYPoaxo