The Second Five Of Ten Horror Movies To Enjoy This Halloween

An awesome holiday! One worth spending doing a movie marathon!

So we did the first five movies over at AwesomeBMovies.com, I hope that you will find something from that era that will work for you this Halloween... I mean there are a lot of great horror movies to have come out between the 1920s - 1960s!

Well now that we have done that run, it is time to show you some great horror films from the 1970s on up that could be great choices for this Halloween as well!

At number 1: Halloween (1978).  

Now this one is a little obvious, but the truth is, is John Carpenter's, 'Halloween' has in a lot of respects been one of the defining movies when it comes to horror movies to enjoy during Halloween, and is one that if you are looking for something to scare the hell out of you this Halloween, will do a great job!  

Number 2: Cannibal Holocaust (1980).

Cannibal Holocaust... This horror film from the 1980s is truly gruesomely fun, and could be said to be one of the more famous Cannibal movies of all time... If you do decide on this one though... Watch it with some one there... You won't regret it! 

Next up at number 3: Tales From The Crypt Presents: Demon Knight (1995).

Now this movie, (which was based on the classic horror anthology TV series/Comics, 'Tales From The Crypt Presents',) does have some fun thrills and chills, but what it looses in over the top chills, they make up in just having an absolutely bad-ass movie! 

And at number 4: 28 Days Later (2002).

This one is an awesome British Zombie movie, that is as much fun now as it was then... And I will say this, I suspect that the way this movie was filmed had some influence on at least how some of the earlier seasons of, 'The Walking Dead were filmed!' 

And finally at number 5 we have: Scream 4 (2011).

With this one, you might be asking yourself why I am doing a sequel movie instead of an original movie... Well the truth is, is the original for this movie would make for a great addition to this list, but I thought that I would mention, 'Scream 4', because let's be honest, this movie series was fantastic, and as long as the studio is smart and lets the movie series die, then it will have gone out with a bang! 

Please note that this list is not from best to worst, these are just some great horror films from the 1970s on up to the 2010s that we thought that you would enjoy! For the first five, check out the list I did over at AwesomeBMovies.com!

And if you like this list and would like to see some more of the great movies and other awesomeness, check out our sister site at: HellsDepot.com! 
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Five Awesome Green Day Songs From The 1990s

Green Day in the early days... They rocked as much back then as they do now!

Green Day... Man, what can I say about these guys that hasn't already been said? I mean these guys do truly rock! Granted unfortunately it is true that they haven't had as strong of a presence as they once did, but in the 1990s, I have to say that these guys truly rocked, and rocked hard!

So I thought that it might be kind of fun to give a little reminder note, with these: 'Five Awesome Green Day Songs From The 1990s':

At number 5: 'Basket Case', from their classic 1994 album: 'Dookie.'

With number 4, we have: 'Brain Stew/Jaded', A two in one combo from their 1995 album: 'Insomniac.'

Next up on the block, at number 3: 'Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life), another great son from their 1997 album: 'Nimrod.'

Number 2: 'Welcome To Paradise'... A personal favorite of mine from an early album of theirs, 'Kerplunk.'

And finally, last but not least, at number 1: 'She' (Maybe one of the more defining songs... Well in terms of teen movies of the 1990s...) Anyway, this song is also from their classic album, 'Dookie'

Five Awesome Star Trek Crossover Episodes

One thing that I discovered had started to become something of a thing in the Star Trek Universe is the fact that at one time or another every series in and of itself that was on TV had at one time or another had a crossover episode with another... Believe it or, including, 'The Original Series' as well!

And with that in mind guys, I thought that you guys would enjoy: Five Awesome Star Trek Crossover Episodes!

At number 5: Star Trek Voyager: 'Death Wish' (1996).

This episode is not a major cross over, but it does have Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-D, and originally of, 'Star Trek: The Next Genration' fame!

At number 4: Star Trek Deep Space Nine: 'Defiant' (1994).

Is that Commander Riker with Major Kira? Or is it Lieutenant Riker with the good Major, as he steals, 'The Defiant'!

 Ok this isn't exactly a crossover... But it sort of is, you see, Thomas Riker (Jonathan Frakes), is a character that was created on, 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'... The problem is, is it is not the lead character, 'Commander William T. Riker', that Jonathan Frakes made popular in Star Trek: TNG... But never the less, Jonathan Frakes plays, 'Thomas RIker', who is impersonating his twin, 'William Riker', in an effort to steal, 'The Defiant' from DS9!

At number 3: Star Trek Voyager: 'Caretaker' (1995).

The U.S.S. Voyager's new, 'Ops Officer', 'Ensign Harry Kim' talking to Deep Space Nine's resident Bartender, 'Quark' in the pilot episode for Star Trek Voyager!

This is the pilot episode for, 'Star Trek Voyager', and prominently shows the newly christened crew of the, 'U.S.S. Voyager' as they take some time off on their way to their first mission... The place they stop off is none other than, 'Deep Space 9', and a sizable portion of that episode takes place on the sets for the Startrek spinoff, 'Star Trek Deep Space 9'!

At number 2: Star Trek Deep Space 9: 'Emissary' (1993).

Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) & Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) as they meet in the conference room on board the U.S.S. Enterprise-D in the pilot episode for, 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'!

This is another great pilot episode that brings together both, 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' and the newly minted cast of, 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine', when the Enterprise is sent to ferry Sisko and the new Star Fleet crew to Deep Space Nine!

At number 1: Star Trek Deep Space Nine: 'Trials And Tribble-ations' (1996).

Captain Benjamin Sisko goes undercover along with his senior staff on board the original, 'U.S.S. Enterprise' to stop a plot to kill legendary Captain James T. Kirk, in one of the most technologically amazing episodes of any Star Trek episode ever!

Now I know a lot of these crossovers have had to do with Deep Space Nine... The truth is, is probably the majority of the best of them did... And I know that this isn't the only episode to crossover between the original series and TNG, 'There have been a couple', I just thought that I would mention this one for it's unique nature...

You see, through a feet of technological wonder, this episode is actually crossed over to the original, 'Trouble With Tribbles' episode, and they actually inserted the cast in to that episode! (You got to understand that the original series, 'Trouble With Tribbles' episode aired nearly 40 years before the DS9 episode!

Anyway, there are many other such crossovers, but I would say that these are some of the best!

Masters Of Horror: Clive Barker

Clive Barker... A true master of horror who created such legendary horror movies as, 'Hellraiser'!

Clive Barker... What can I say about the man that hasn't already been said? I mean as weird as this may sound, this master of horror, who was born in Liverpool England in 1952, could be said to be the, 'William Shatner' of horror.

What I mean by this, is that for the better part of a few decades actor/writer/musician, William Shatner (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) has been branding himself as a major player in the world of Science Fiction, what with having either been in or directed or even written, Star Trek novels/TV Shows & Movies, he has also done his own spoken word version of David Bowie's, 'Major Tom' (A song that could be said to be sort of, 'Sci-fiish'... He also wrote a series of Science Fiction novels called, 'Tek Wars', that were so good that they were turned in to a TV Show in the 90s! And that is just to name a few!

And you could say that Clive Barker has done very similar for the horror genre as well! I mean this guy created such amazing horror movie villains as, 'Pinhead' & 'Candyman' (Both are characters that started in stories that had been written by the master,) but that is just to name a few of the awesome villains that he has brought to the big and small screens!

Pinhead (Played by: Doug Bradley) & Candyman (Played by: Tony Todd)... Two horror movie legends that were originally created by: Clive Barker!

Besides those mentioned above, this epic filmmaker has helped bring to the world, such classic horror movies as, Rawhead Rex (1987)... A classic story about a pagan gods bloody rampage through out the Irish countryside (a movie that was also based on one of his stories...)

Another classic horror movie that Clive Barker did that was based on his written work was the movie, Nightbreed (1990)... Now this amazing movie told the story of an unstable man who is led to believe that he is some sort of serial killer, and ends up finding refuge in a hidden refuge where the monsters and the like have come to hide from humanity!

And the last one that I thought that I would mention here (although there is a ton more great movies that he has done that I found that are just great,) but this one is, Lord Of Illusion (1995)... This classic, which brought together an amazingly talented cast that included the likes of, 'Scott Bakula' (Enterprise), and, 'Famke Janssen' (X-Men)... This movie which tells the story of a New York Private Detective, who while on a case in LA ends up getting involved with a cult, and prophecy that is supposed to have foretold of a cruel cult leader's resurrection...

Scott Bakula going up against the forces of darkness in Clive Barker's 'Lord Of Illusion' (1995)

Now that is just a small cross section of his film/written works, but this amazingly talented artist is an acomplished visual artist, having illustrated some of his own novels... His artwork has also been displayed in galleries in the U.S. In places like, 'Los Angeles', 'New York' & even 'Chicago'!

Now the truth is, is I could go on and on about this guy, and his truly prolific work... But you get the point... I would say that as an over all artist, that this guy maybe one of the most prolific masters of horror of all time!

Memnoch: The Devil (1995) - Anne Rice - Book Review

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

You know over all I am going to say that Anne Rice's vampire novel series maybe one of the most prolific vampire novel series of all time... (That's right... I said, even more so then the god damn piece of shit, 'Twilight' series that helped destroy vampire movies for now!)

The reason why Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles are so good, is because even though each one has it's own individual and distinct story lines, they all paint an over all picture that spans centuries, that is enthralling, and will keep you on the edge of your seat, and your face stuck in a book for almost the entire time that you are reading the novels.

'Memnoch: The Devil' (1995) is definitely one of them!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="153"] A truly awesome novel![/caption]

This book I would say was almost directly inspired by Dante's legendary poem, 'The Divine Comedy', you see this novel tells of how Lestat is essentially taken off of Earth and offered a job by the devil who is calling himself, 'Memnoch'.

Now during this story it takes place as Memnoch is leading Lestat through the history of the war between heaven and hell (based on the warped perspective of Memnoch...)

During this time, Lestat, (who is watching with an observers eye), has to make his way out of the clutches of, 'Memnoch', and when he does so, he comes out of it feeling completely different, having witnessed certain religiously significant moments in history!

And when he finds out the truth of it all, this will drive Lestat in a direction in which he may never make it out of!

In the end, this book is freaking unbelievably awesome... A true comeback after the debacle of, 'The Tale Of The Body Thief'!

Children Of The Corn 3: Urban Harvest (1995) - Movie Review

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

Believe it or not the Children Of The Corn series has been an interesting odyssey… What I mean by that is that the first of this series that I saw was not the original, Children Of The Corn (1984) movie, as a matter of fact the first of these movie I saw back in the mid 90s when I was a teenager watching the old, ‘late night monster movie’ shows that was hosted by Joe Bob Briggs!

That one was, Children Of The Corn 3: Urban Harvest (1995)!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A pretty awesome movie![/caption]

Now this movie, (which as it turns out was originally based on the short story by Stephen King), was directed by: James D.R. Hickox (Blood Surf), and stars: Daniel Cerny (Demonic Toys), Ron Melendez (Voodoo), Jim Metzler (Circuitry Man), Nancy Lee Grahn (Castle), Jon Clair (Tales From The Crypt), Mari Morrow (Virtuosity), and Michael Ensign (Ghostbusters).

Children Of The Corn 3: Urban Harvest, tells the story of Eli (Cerney) and Joshua (Melendez). Now Joshua and his father had moved to the now infamous Gatlin Nebraska (the main town for a lot of the series), after the events of the first and second movie, the property values in Gatlin were extremely discounted, and Joshua’s dad decided to move them there as he wanted some land to work on his corn experiments…

Now after they get there, they end up adopting Eli (Cerney) in to their family… And that is when everything fell apart for that family… You see, it turns out that Eli is the earthly embodiment of, ‘He Who Walks Behind The Rows’ (the evil demon that controls the children in these movies), and after a night where their father beats Joshua, Eli decides to make him another victim of, ‘He Who Walks Behind The Rows’…

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="457"] Eli decides to bring, 'He Who Walks Behind The Rows' to the big city![/caption]

After all of this goes down though, Eli and Joshua are sent to live with foster parent by the name of, William (Metzler) & Amanda (Grahn) Porter. After they get there though, Eli decides to continue his work with his master, and starts planting a new field of corn in an old abandoned factory…

Now as Eli re-establishes his connection with his master, Joshua seems to be going in the exact opposite direction, and starts connecting with his foster mother and the people around him, (their foster father seems to be more inclined to favor Eli (especially when he starts seeing dollar signs about possibly creating a new industry with Eli’s corn!)

With that in mind Eli will stop at nothing to ensure that he is able to work with his foster father to export his corn (so that he can expand the influence of, 'He Who Walks Behind The Rows' world wide) and the only one that it appears able to stop him is the brother that he had grown to love!

In the end, if you like awesome B movies then you might like this one as well (what with the awesomely campy storyline, the great cast of B actors, and I mean, ‘hey’ it is Children Of The Corn….)

http://youtu.be/8JZApwQHPa4

White Zombie: Electric Head Pt. 1 (1995) - Song Review

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

When I was a kid I have to admit that I really wasn't the metal head that I am now, I mean I used to avidly... (Sometimes still do, but not often,) listen to a lot of classical music, Elton John and the like, it wasn't until I became friends with a metal head that I started listening to it, and you know what? I have to say that I have found that I really liked it!

A lot of people say that it is because of the headbanging, others say that it is because it is not a very upbeat music and being a goth, it is right up your alley... (That one I heard when I was a goth...)

The truth is, is I have found that I really like it because the beats are intense and lively, and it can either make you really happy to listen to them, or it could make you intensely depressed... And White Zombie's, 'Electric Head Pt. 1' from White Zombie's, 'Astro-Creep 2000' (1995) is just one of those songs!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="457"] Electric Head Pt. 1 rocked then and it still does now![/caption]

 

You see, Rob Zombie (as well as White Zombie's music) may not be the most upbeat, but this song has a strong energy that I  really enjoyed, I also loved the instrumentals of: J., Sean Yseault & John Tempesta... In the end, this song, along with the amazing work that Rob Zombie did on this song, not only cemented me as a fan of White Zombie, but a life long fan of Rob's, and if you get a chance to check out this song... Try it, you might like it... I did!

http://youtu.be/2Rk3YEC6Wr4

Marilyn Manson: Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of These) - (1995) - Song Review

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

You know, as weird as people claim that Marilyn Manson is... And lets be honest here... This dude is pretty out there, I have to admit that his music is pretty awesome! I mean he takes metal to a whole new level, making it that borderline scary type of metal that I believe mostly only true goths really enjoy...

And you know what? His cover song for his 1995 EP, 'Sweet Dreams' was pretty much that level of awesomeness!

A remake of the classic 1980s song by the, 'Eurythmics', Marilyn Manson's song took the Eurythmics classic synthpop/new wave song and gave it the horror movie revamp!

What I mean by this is that  generally speaking the Eurythmics song was fun, and I imagine it could translate pretty well in to the soundtracks of certain Science Fiction movies of the 1980s... Marilyn Manson did that, but for Horror... As a matter of fact, I would say that this song could be a universally fun song to add to most horror movie soundtracks... As a matter of fact this song can already be heard in such horror movies as, Trick 'r Treat (2007), House On Haunted Hill (1999) and in the trailer for the Sci-fi/Fantasy movie, Wrath Of The Titans (2012)! And as for the small screen it can be heard in the pilot episode of Fox's hit TV series, 'The Following'!

[caption id="attachment_2897" align="aligncenter" width="458"] Marilyn Manson doing, 'Sweet Dreams' live in 2003![/caption]

The only problem with this song is that while it is definitely a fun one, it is also one of those songs that takes a certain type to listen to it and enjoy it... Basically it doesn't translate well to fans of other musical genres...

http://youtu.be/QUvVdTlA23w

 

Rebel Without A Crew (1995) - Robert Rodriguez - Book Review

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

In my opinion, and especially because of the type of movies that I like to watch, as well as the type I like to write, I have found that Filmmaker, Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn) maybe for me one of the most influential filmmakers ever!

The reason being is that his style of shooting films that are based in and around small desert locations, (i,e... Deseparado (1995), and From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)), in my opinion was truly awe inspiring!

With that said, my buddy Matt Dowling from ABM one day a bunch of years ago had recommended to me a book that Robert Rodriguez had written a bunch of years ago about the process which brought him from being a virtual nobody who was submitting his films in to festivals, in to notoriety when he released, 'El Mariachi'... And I have to say that it was a truly inspiring book for me that I couldn't put down!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="233"] 'Rebel Without A Crew' is a truly inspired novel![/caption]

You see, this book laid out in detail some truly amazing steps, in his journey of making this low budget masterpiece, and how truly easy it can be!

Up until this point, I assumed that you needed this gigantic budget, with a small city of talent, and a huge crew, and all sorts and other stuff that is almost impossible to get with out having spent most of your life trying to find that crack to getting in to the industry...

But this book, with a great fun story, that took me on the journey from where he began with El Mariachi, all the way to the top, also truly inspired me to want to become a filmmaker, what the steps that he laid out, and how easy they were... And with it being even easier now to get your own work visible to the rest of the world, reading this book I found is a great first step to becoming a filmmaker, and if you give it a try, I think you might find the same thing as well!

5 Classic Weird Al Parodies That Rock

I know this blog is is dedicated to, Heavy Metal, Rock 'N Roll and the various sub genres associated with this type of music, but I thought that I would take a change of pace this one time and talk about something a little bit off topic (not entirely... But a little...)

This topic being, '5 Classic Weird Al Parodies That Rock'.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="475"] Weird Al doin a parody of Michael Jackson's, 'Bad'[/caption]

Now I know this is a little bit of a switch from the norm, but with Christmas coming up, I thought that it would be fun to do a list with some great songs that Weird Al has done, that not only rock, but you will laugh your ass off!

At number 5 we have: Ride The Bus (1980), a parody of Queen's 1980 hit song, 'Another One Bites The Dust':

http://youtu.be/NeMrttj8Ucg

http://youtu.be/7Dmd1b-sfUw

At Number 4: Fat (1988), a parody of Michael Jackson's 1987 classic song, 'Bad':

http://youtu.be/dsUXAEzaC3Q

http://youtu.be/t2mU6USTBRE

At Number 3: Smells Like Nirvana (1992), a parody of Nirvana's 1991 hit song, 'Smells Like Teen Spirit':

http://youtu.be/hTWKbfoikeg

http://youtu.be/FklUAoZ6KxY

At Number 2: Gump (1996), a parody of The Presidents Of The United States Of America's 1995 hit song, 'Lump':

http://youtu.be/_sj_U6vObUA

http://youtu.be/hQwWaWFjd0Y

At Number 1: The Saga Begins (1999), a parody of Don McLean's classic 1971 song, 'American Pie':

http://youtu.be/ih7N9_VUU4U

http://youtu.be/hEcjgJSqSRU

In the end, I know this is a little turn in a different direction, but I found that Weird Al is not only absolutely hilarious, but he also rocks in the same time, please enjoy!

In Remembrance Of Sega's Home Console Systems

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="685"] Sonic The Hedgehog... One of the most popular games that Sega ever released![/caption]

You know, if you have been playing video games for as long as I have, then I am sure that you have played on a fair amount of systems, everything from the old, 'Atari' systems all the way up to such systems as the, 'Nintendo DS', the, 'X-Box 360' and if you are lucky, the, 'X-Box 1.'

Well there is one video game system that when I was a kid that I found to be just a total blast, A video game system that helped me realize that there was more to gamming then just what was on the, 'Nintendo' a system that to this day I still believe is something that has helped to define my gamming interests, and that system is the, 'Sega Gensesis'!

Sadly, Sega would close down it's console development when they stopped making home consoles after the demise of the, 'Dreamcast.'

But before the death of Sega's video game consoles, they came out with a ton of truly amazing systems that played a lot of classic (and in some cases, 'historic') video games, including their flagship game,  'Sonic The Hedgehog' (1991). So I decided to a little memorial for those classic home console systems, that we all remember enjoying when we were kids was in order!

The first one of course being the. SG 1000 cartridge based home console system that Sega released back in 1983...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] An ad for Sega's first home console system the, 'SG-1000' a system that never saw the light of day in the United States.[/caption]

This one I will admit was a bit before my time, but this system, which was released on July 15, 1983, (Released the same day as, Nintendo's, 'Family Computer' (the forerunner of North America's NES).) This system was release to only moderate success, and was never actually launched in North America or in the UK...

In 1984 Sega would release an update to the SG-1000 called the, 'SG-1000 II'.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Sega's, 'SG-1000 II', while functioned essentially the same as the SG-1000 it really only looked newer...[/caption]

With primarily just cosmetic changes, (I,e. The place to plug in the SK-1100 keyboard being moved from the back to the front of the machine, and the shell being changed,) this console basically functioned the same as it's predecessor... The only other difference is that the Japanese version of the SG-1000 II had a game card reader called a, 'Game Catcher' that used Sega Card technology to read these cards (At the time, game cards were only utilized in systems in Japan.)

Sega would also go on to make a computer that was compatible with the SG-1000 video games... But in 1985 Sega would produce it's first system that would truly launch it in to the world of gaming... That system being the Sega Mark III or, 'Sega Master System'.

[caption id="attachment_2070" align="aligncenter" width="450"] The Sega Master System... One of the first truly remarkable video game systems that I believe made, 'Sega' a powerful force in the video game world![/caption]

Now this system was truly an amazing system... I mean I only had the opportunity to play a game on this system once some time around the late 80s - early 90s when I happen to be at my cousin's house (who happened to have one,) and I was so hooked that I believe I played it for almost the entire time I was there... needless to say this system was comparable to North America's, 'NES' and although I don't really remember what games were on here, I remember that I had just as much fun playing with that as I later would with my Nintendo!

At this point Sega's video game consoles were starting to get closer and closer to their, 'Sega Gensesis' console, and the next one here is, Sega Master System II.

[caption id="attachment_2072" align="aligncenter" width="450"] At this point in the game, not only had Sega become a direct competitor, but they had begun to out stripe Nintendo, due to the larger availability![/caption]

In the end, this system did so well, that due to it's larger availability, it had begun to out due Nintendo's, 'NES' due to it's wider availability!

Now for the next one on the list (and a personal favorite of mine), The, 'Sega Genesis'!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] The, 'Sega Genesis' probably one of the most memorable video game systems that was released in the 1990s![/caption]

Known as the, 'Sega Mega Drive' outside of the U.S., this video game system, which would be released in 1988 and later around the world, would become the most successful video game system that Sega ever produced. This video game system,  which released the world wide phenomena, 'Sonic The Hedgehog', would be released 2 years before Nintendo's, 'Super Nintendo', and was so popular that between the 2 systems, there would launch the first real fierce competition war between the 2 systems and companies that would really last through out the 16 bit era of video gamming!

In 1991 in Japan, Sega would go on to release the first real CD based console gaming system called the, 'Sega Mega Drive CD' and then later in 1992 would release it for North American distribution under the label: 'Sega CD'

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] This add on to the Sega Genesis would bring video gamming to an even higher level![/caption]

Personally I played this add on at a friends house in the mid 90s, and where as it did have it's usefulness, it was not one of those systems that had games that particularly jumped out at you... I personally fell like the best thing about this system is what the system brought to the history of, 'home console systems'.

The next one, and I will be honest with you guys, was another system I have only played a handful of times... Fun but not great... That was the, 'Sega 32X'.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="432"] The Sega 32X.[/caption]

I will be honest and say that this add on to the Sega Genesis was for me not particularly thrilling... I would say that probably the best thing about this system is that it brought the graphics level up to 32bit... But to me, the games weren't particularly memorable...

Sega Neptune... I will be honest with you guys and say that I personally never played it... (Hell I never heard of it till now...) And apparently not a lot of people would have heard about it... You see, this system was supposed to be the hybrid version of both the, 'Sega Genesis' and the, 'Sega 32X'... But after a delay, and the closing of the Sega 32X line... The Sega Neptune just became one of the systems that never was...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="390"] The Sega Neptune... A console that died before it had the chance to live.[/caption]

The Sega Saturn... Have you ever enjoyed something for so long that you just knew that there was no where left to go after this? Well the truth is, this system was that for me!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] One of the last truly great systems to be released by, 'Sega' before it stopped making consoles...[/caption]

Released in 1995, and going in to direct competition with Nintendo again, and Sony, (who shortly would be releasing the first, 'Playstation',) this system never had the traction to keep up with the competition, and in all truth, like all great things, the dynasty that Sega had setup for itself was beginning to falter... Although I will be honest with you and say that I was a fan...

The next one up is the un-released, 'Sega Pluto'.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Supposedly this was to be the prototype for the new, 'Sega Pluto'.[/caption]

Not much is known about the systems or the games that would have come out... but supposedly this system was supposed to be a direct update to the, 'Sega Saturn' and if released, probably would have been the first system to offer internet access!

Sega Dreamcast... Now this truly was the last home console that Sega has released to date...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="580"] Released as precursor to the coming systems such as, 'Playstation 2' and the like that had taken a technological leap ahead of the rest... Sega's final system had been at first a success... That was until tragedy struck![/caption]

When the Sega Dreamcast had been released, it had started off doing well... But when the new systems such as the, 'Playstation 2', which could support, 'DVD's', Sega ended up realizing that they could no longer keep up and ended up discontinuing their home video game unit...

In the end folks, Sega's video game systems maybe gone but they are never forgotten!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"] R.I.P. Sega's Home Video Game Consoles (1983 - 2001).[/caption]

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

White Zombie: More Human Than Human (1995) - Song Review

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

Back in the early to mid 1990s I noticed on TV and in movies that there was a sudden trend of ex-NFL Football greats making their way in to the world of acting on both TV and movies, a couple of great examples of this of course being, Dan Marino who was in, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), Terry Bradshaw... This guy was in a couple of things that I have seen, but I would have to say this his most notable performances for me was the work he did on such TV series as, Married With Children (1987 - 1997) and Everybody Loves Raymond (1996 - 2005)...

But the most notable and the reason why I mention this is that in the late 1990s I first heard part of the song, 'More Human Than Human' by, 'White Zombie' (Rob Zombie's band before he went solo) in a trailer for the movie, Firestorm (1998) starring: Howie Long (3000 Miles To Graceland)... And this was my entrance in to the life of a White Zombie fan forever... But I didn't know that at the time!

You see I didn't end up getting, 'Astrocreep 2000', (the album that this song came from) until I was at boarding school about a year later!



Well needless to say that I loved it... But it does take a little while to get used to if you aren't used to the style in which this song was crafted...

What I mean by this is that Rob Zombie's guttural kind of half way between Death Core Metal and regular metal is not something that is easy to get used (I have to admit that even though I am a fan of White Zombie's work, I am definitely more of a fan of Rob Zombie's solo career.)

Now don't get me wrong this music is still quite good, but in my opinion, where as this song was good, and I still think that the lyrics along with the instrumentals, as well as the woman moaning was a very fun choice, I hate to say it, but this type of song only appeals to a select type of audience...  But if you are a fan of this type of music, (which I will be honest and say that it took me a little while to fully appreciate it,) then I think you might find that you really enjoy it!

Here is the music video (sans woman moaning):

http://youtu.be/E0E0ynyIUsg

Why I Am Still A Huge Fan Of Michael Jackson!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] RIP: Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009)[/caption]

When I was a kid one of my favorite musicians that I was a huge fan of (and kind of grew up listening to his music) is Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009), I followed his career as much as any kid could through the late 80s, and even through out the early to mid 90s when he was starting to loose his standing with his fans due to the scandals and allegations, and I remained (and still remain) a fan of this master musicians work to this very day!

Why I am still such a fan, despite the fact that his last (well this is my opinion, but I do think there is some element of truth in this,) but the last truly great album that he did was the one that he did around 1995... Well that is simple... And I will admit that I kind of lost interest in some his more easy listening albums of his later years... But the truth is, is that his more hardcore songs, (Smooth Criminal, Scream & even Thriller), definitely had that R&B Pop element that was pretty much always there, (although sometimes it was little harder to see then others), but there was also other genre influences that I saw in his music (like rock 'n roll in the songs that I mentioned above)...

Another thing that I found to be most fascinating is the fact that in a lot of ways I found that the songs (especially when you see the music videos) were very strongly representative of the time in which the music video was made (with probably one of the few exceptions being, 'Smooth Criminal'... What with the story line in that song taking place in the, 'Gangster' Days.)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Michael Jackson in the music video, 'The Way You Make Me Feel' (1987)... A song that was very representative of the late 80s![/caption]

A great example of this is, 'Beat it'! Now Beat it was made just barely after what I would say is the look between the 1970s and the 1980s, so there was definitely an element of the 70s (very small... But like most decades, the early part of it does seem to draw some minor inspiration from the decade that preceded it!)

But besides some minor inspiration from the 1970s, for the most part this song had the look, the feel, and the sound of just about everything that in my opinion made the early 1980s great! (Granted most of what I know about that part of the 80s is based on what I saw in movies and TV shows because I was still in diapers when, 'Beat It' came out in 1983!)

Nevertheless another truly great song, a song that I felt was strongly representative of the look/feel/style of the late 80s (really all the way up through the early early 90s was another truly classic song that he did, 'The Way You Make Me Feel'!

And you know what, I will admit that when I first heard about the Child Molestation scandal that rocked his career... I will admit that once I found out what all that was, I thought it was pretty odd, and it did color my perceptions of him and his career... But in all truth, I thought (and still do think) that despite that, Michael Jackson was still an amazing musician (sadly I think that this may have roughly been about around the time when he started having his problems with medications...)

Never the less, I was sad to see him go in to relative obscurity... I mean the guy had a truly legendary career!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="573"] Michael doing a part of one of his signature dance routines![/caption]

And when he started popping back up in the world, in the new millennium, I gotta say that I was truly impressed with some of the work that this amazing talent still had in him, and when I heard about his second set of child abuse allegations, I gotta admit that I was truly shocked and appalled to hear about the second sexual abuse scandal... But I was also glad to hear that he made it past all that!

The truth is, is I strongly suspect that due to the fact that Michael Jackson was an international superstar since he was pretty young, he ended up having some unusual tendencies, and so was he an odd guy... Sure, but he was not a bad guy, and was a truly a prolific musician/actor, and I was truly saddened to hear when he had past away back in 2009!

With that said, absence truly does make the heart grow fonder I suppose, because I have to admit that I was a little shocked to see just the true outpouring of love for the guy and his work... The truth is, is he absolutely deserved (and still does) every ounce of love and respect he got at his death, but if he had gotten that same outpouring when he was alive, I suspect he still would be entertaining audiences all over the world with his live performances!

Anyway, I don't mean to attack anyone for anything, but being a fan through thick and through thin, I have to say that I am sorry to have seen such an amazing talent gone from the world, but for me, I am still a huge fan of Michael Jackson's work and always will be!

http://youtu.be/1glqdih1LsM

http://youtu.be/sOnqjkJTMaA

http://youtu.be/0P4A1K4lXDo

Chrono Trigger (1995) - Video Game Review

[caption id="attachment_557" align="alignright" width="300"] Official Score = 3 1/2 Devils[/caption]

On the NES, RPG games were an awful lot of fun, and as a matter of fact they still hold up in my opinion to a lot of the modern RPG's as well, I mean I still from time to time am able to play such awesome games as, The Legend Of Zelda (1986) and Final Fantasy (1987), and they still hold up to even the modern day! But the truth is, in my opinion I  would have to say that the RPG (Role Playing Game) really started to come in to it's own when Nintendo started making RPG video games for the Super Nintendo in the early 90s!

During this time they released such awesome games as, Final  Fantasy 3 (1990), The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (1991), Secret Of Mana (1993) and even Chrono Trigger (1995)!

And speaking of Chrono Trigger, in this video game you are the lead character who starts off going to the fair where you ultimately go and see as a friend of yours demonstrate her time traveling device, but when the princess decides to volunteer and ends up disappearing in the machine, both you and your friend, go and rescue her... And after you guys find her, this leads you and your expanding group of friends on a quest through out the history of this world in an effort to stop Lavos from destroying the world!

[caption id="attachment_623" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Chrono (the name of the lead character in the game) and his group of friends as he faces off against Lavos![/caption]

Now the truth is, is like most of these type of games back then, the  game is pretty easy to play, it has amazing graphics, that even today I have to say that I am really happy with, and the music I have to say was pretty spectacular... But you want to know what the best part of all of this is? It is the story!

This in my opinion was one of the best most inventive story lines that I still for the most part to date have ever seen, and you know what, I have gone through this game a couple of times... Including playing this game recently, and you know what? each time I play this game it is just as amazing a good time as it was the first time I played it!

In the end this game is still an awful lot of fun, and since it has been converted for the Nintendo DS, Playstation and modern mobile phones, this game is pretty awesome and if you get a chance, try it, you might like it as well!

http://youtu.be/6SrzVj5NpoE

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

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http://youtu.be/3GwO6sO44bU