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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Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers (1988) - Movie Review

The changing of the guard?

Good news folks! Halloween is just around the corner... Are you excited? I know I am, and one of the things that I look forward to doing every year (at least till they run out,) is doing a review for one of the, 'Halloween' movies!

I mean let's be honest folks, these movies really do symbolize the haunting awesomeness that makes doing a horror movie marathon so awesome!

Wit that said, the next movie that I am doing in this lot is: Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers (1988)!

A killer movie, that ushered in one of the great scream queens!

Directed by: Dwight H. Little (Anacondas: The Hunt For The Blood Orchid), and starring: Danielle Harris (Halloween), Ellie Cornell (House Of The Dead), Donald Pleasence (Halloween 2), George P. Wilbur (Die Hard), Beau Starr (Goodfellas), Kathleen Kinmont (Bride Of Re-Animator) & Sasha Jenson (Buffy The Vampire Slayer).

Now before I continue on with the story, I should say this, when John Carpenter tried to take the Halloween series back to where he had originally wanted it to be (basically as an anthology series of movies with different stories,) and made Halloween 3: Season Of The Witches (1982) as it's own independent movie completely separate from the original story line... Well that concept pretty much didn't work, and so the studios brought us back to, 'Haddonfield', with Halloween: The Return Of Michael Myers (1988)!

"Why now? You waited ten years. I knew this day would come. Don't go to Haddonfield, If you want another victim, take me. But leave those people in peace. Please, Michael?" - Dr. Sam Loomis to Michael Myers (a quote from Donald Pleasence in, Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers (1988)!)

It looks like is niece is not to happy to see her uncle!

As for the story, this movie takes place about ten years after that fateful Halloween night of 1978... Michael Myers (George P. Wilbur) is in a coma, the scarred Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) has never really gotten over it, and Laurie Strode is dead... And the rest of the town has begun to forget about it... Including Laurie's daughter, 'Jamie Lloyd' (Daniel Harris), who seems to know nothing about it!

All seems to be quiet, eh?

Well when a team is sent in to bring the slumbering giant mass murderer, he learns something new about the family he likes to visit on Halloween... And that is that he has a niece living in his home town!

This of course wakes ole Mickey up, and takes out his jailers, and heads home to, 'meet' his young niece...

And as for the new family that Jamie is living with... Well they are about to discover the deadly secret of her family when they meet her uncle, and he tries to take them all out!

Jamie's new family after meeting Jamie's old family!

In the end, this movie I am gonna say is not quiet as good as the classic movie that John Carpenter (Halloween) made, but considering how young Danielle Harris was in this movie, she did an absolutely brilliant job portraying Jamie, and Ellie Cornell... Lets just put it this way, after seeing this movie and the element of scary realism that those two put in to this film... Well... Danielle Harris became my favorite actress after this, and when ever I get the chance, I do try to find any Ellie Cornell movie that I can, because she is just fantastic!

Two great actresses, that really brought this series 

And as for everyone else... Well lets just put it this way, they did a brilliant job!

And the story... Awesome! The only things I didn't like about this movie are as follows:

1. There are a ton of retconned story lines in this franchise, and when I found out that Laurie Strode was still alive, and faked her death so that she could go and live in California... Well let's just put it this way, it kind of destroyed a little bit of both story lines for the Jamie Lloyd Halloween films, and original series as well...

2. The last thing that I am I going to have to say that I really didn't like about this movie is the mask... I know it is a dumb thing, but this one in my opinion is the worst of the entire batch of movies!

Anyway, if you haven't seen this movie yet, check it out... It is a good, one and well worth it! I thought so, and I suspect you will to!

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Scout Taylor-Compton & Rooney Mara: Two Great Scream Queens That Admirably Filled Some Big Shoes!

Jamie Lee Curtis & Heather Langenkamp are tough acts to follow, but Scout Taylor Compton & Rooney Mara definitely did a great job filling those shoes they left behind! 

For those of you who haven't seen the movies for which I am talking about, I am talking about the remakes to, Halloween (1978) and, A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)... And for those of you who have seen these movies... As for Rooney Mara and her role in, A Nightmare On Elm Street... I will get in to that in a minute... 

Now before I go on, let me say this, Jamie Lee Curtis (The Fog) & Heather Langenkamp (Shocker) are two actresses that did totally amazing jobs in the roles that they played... I mean Heather Langenkamp's girl next door who ends having to fight against an entity that only appears to exist in dreams... And Jamie Lee Curtis's role from regular high school student to having to fight against a brutal and sadistic killer who has targeted her and is killing off her friends is sheer brilliance, (Jamie Lee Curtis played, 'Laurie Strode' in the original, 'Halloween' and Heather Langenkamp played, 'Nancy Thompson' in the original, 'A Nightmare On Elm Street'...)

Jamie Lee Curtis as, 'Laurie Strode' in one of the most famous scene in horror movie history! 

 With that said though, I will say this, Scout Taylor-Compton (who plays, 'Laurie Strode' in Rob Zombie's Halloween remake series,) delivered a truly inspiring job taking over the role... 

Now Taylor-Compton's, 'Laurie Strode' is different from Jamie Lee Curtis's, 'Laurie Strode' in a lot of ways (a great example is, Scout Taylor-Compton's more, 'sarcastic' Laurie Strode as opposed to Jamie Lee Curtis's more, 'girl next door' type of Laurie Strode... Both are good,  but one of the reasons that Scout Taylor-Compton's Laurie Strode is so good is the differences between the two...) 

She may not be, 'The Girl Next Door', but this Laurie Strode definitely has some chops!

Another reason why she did so good taking over the role, is the fact that she really made the role her own, and her progression from sarcastic teenage girl, to traumatized teen (as seen in part 2), is just sheer brilliance... And a little scary, due to the fact that you could almost see that as how she would descend in to total madness if Ms. Taylor-Compton was really going through it! 

And now on to Rooney Mara... Before I continue... A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010) was not a great movie... But Rooney Mara for me was one of those few shining lights in the movie that really helped make sure that the movie did not totally suck! 

And what I mean by this is the fact that Rooney Mara (who took over the role of: 'Nancy' from Heather Langenkamp,) really did this role justice, by really only emulating Ms. Langenkamp's strength that she gave, 'Nancy' in the original movie... 

Rooney Mara in a modern version of one of the most famous scenes in, 'A Nightmare On Elm Street'! 

Other then that... She really made the role her own, and really just brought this character to life in a new and different, and exciting way! 

For more information on these movies and the differences between the original actresses, and the people that filled in the roles that the original actresses made legendary, and did a pretty damn good job doing so... Please see these trailers for: Halloween (1978) & A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984), as well as: Halloween (2007)  & A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)! 

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Halloween III: Season Of The Witch (1982) - Movie Review

Official Score = 2 1/2 Devils

You know I will be honest and say that, Halloween (1978) is my favorite movie of all time, I mean this movie is just fun, it has everything that a classic slasher movie has in it! Great victims, a heroin that you really rooted for in the end, and a great villain, (Michael Myers,) that just makes that movie series just a truly awesome and memorable one!

Now since I have been reviewing movies on Hellinspace.com one of the things that I thought that I would do is to review one of the Halloween movies every year around Halloween, and over the last couple of years I have done, Halloween, and, Halloween 2 (1981), and now I thought that I would do Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch (1982)!

An unfortunately misunderstood movie!

I will be honest with you guys here, and say that this movie may not be the best movie of the series, and for obvious reasons (primarily the fact that it is the only Halloween movie that doesn't have Michael Myers in it,) and where as I think the idea behind taking Michael Myers and making the series an anthology series that have a different story each time would have been inspired had fans not grown to love having Michel there, but never the less, I didn't think this movie was as bad as every one is making it out to be!

I mean it had a great cast that included: Tom Atkins (The Fog), Stacey Nelkin (Going Ape), Dan O'Herlihy (RoboCop), Nancy Loomis (Assault On Precint 13) and that is just to name a few!

Dr. Dan Challis (Tom Atkins) & Ellie Grimbridge (Stacey Nelkin) as they check out the deadly masks!

This movie also brought John Carpenter (The Ward) & Tommy Lee Wallace (Fright Night Part 2) back to the world of, 'Halloween'!

And the story... I have to admit that the story of how a crazed Toymaker/Halloween mask maker uses Stonehenge, and Halloween to play the cruelest trick of them all on the rest of the world... (Killing off the worlds children on Halloween through the masks they wear,) and the fact that a Doctor and the daughter of one of the Mask Maker's distributors are the only ones that can stop them was truly inventive!

Stay tuned to that dial kiddies... For your final message from, 'Silver Shammrock'!

I mean my main problems were 2 fold, 1: I thought the Androids were a little odd, and 2: I thought about midway in to the movie it seemed liked Mr. Wallace was adding filler to get to the good stuff...

Other then that though, this movie is worth checking out at least once... Trust me, if you are a fan of the series... Well it may not be imperative... But then again... If your like me and have to see all of them, good or bad... Then you might check this one out as well!

Halloween In Horror Movies... A Great Setting For A Scary Story

Halloween (1978) a true classic with an awesome story setting!

Halloween, now the origins of the actual holiday can actually be traced back to the pagan Holiday of, 'Samhain', a festival that has it's roots in deep mysticism, and with religious overtones that stated in Irish myth that the doors to the world of the Undead are opened and the dead are allowed to come in to our world...

In more modern times, Halloween is still celebrated at the same time, but the truth is, is that it is more of an opportunity at this point for kids to dress up in costumes and head out with their parents for that time honored tradition of, 'trick 'r treating'...

So the question in all of this that I am sure comes to mind for some is, 'why is an event that is meant at this time for the enjoyment of kids, such an awesome setting for horror movies?'

Friday The 13th... A classic horror movie series that is great to watch on, 'Halloween!'

Well first off, in slasher movies, Halloween is a great setting to hide your villain til the bitter end, as most the time in movies, almost all people under the age of 18 are usually in some sort of costume... And continuing on in that logic, another plus point to setting  your story on Halloween is the fact that not only is this holiday already designed to be terrifying, but with the holiday usually being celebrated at night... It is a great creepy setting for either a movie, tv show, or book!

As a side note on this mode, if you are just getting in to writing your first screen play, beware of one problem that can trip you up... That being the fact that even though this is a great setting, it has been done a lot in movies, and it can become to easy to make your movie snippets from other movies... Make your movie as original as possible, and with a setting like one on, 'Halloween', you will almost certainly have a truly classic horror film!

Now there is another side that I wanted to talk about here, and that is the, 'Samhain' angle... The truth is (and I have never quite understood why this is, because it is a fun angle that I think can be a lot of fun to work with,) but Samhain is a Halloween setting that seems to not be used as much in movies set around Halloween...

A scene in Halloween 2 (1981)

If you are writing a movie based in Halloween, try working it around, 'Samhain',  the concept behind this festival, rather or not you intend to embellish it, or stick strictly to the original festival itself can be pretty scary in and of itself, and if used right can be on it's own a movie that will scare the hell out of your  girlfriend/wife, or just be something that, (after being made,) is just something that you and your friends will really enjoy!

Anyway, there ya go, a freebie story idea,  try it out... You might find writing that movie just about as much fun as watching it for the first time after it is made!

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!

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Halloween (1978) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_415" align="alignright" width="300"] Official Score = 4 Devils[/caption]

Written by: Debra Hill (The Fog), John Carpenter (The Ward) and Directed by: John Carpenter. Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis (Terror Train), Donald Pleasence (Prince Of Darkness), P.J. Soles (Carrie), Nancy Kyes (Assault On Precinct 13), Charles Cyphers (The Fog), Brian Andrews (The Great Santini), Kyle Richards (Eaten Alive).

Now this movie is a special movie for me, for many reasons...

You see, first off this happens to be my favorite movie because the acting is amazing! I mean Jamie Lee Curtis (whose parents are legendary actor and actress, Tony Curtis (Some Like It Hot) and Janet Leigh (Psycho), did such a good job in this, her first feature film, that it helped lead her in to a long term movie career!

And speaking of Janet Leigh and Psycho, John Carpenter ended up hiring Jamie Lee Curtis, and naming Donald Pleasence's character, 'Sam Loomis' as tributes to Alfred Hitchcock, and his movie, Psycho (1960).

As for P.J. Soles, she has always done a great job, making any role she has done both hilarious, but also quite endearing! And Nancy Kyes, did so well in all of the movies that she has done, rather it be, playing a scared phone operator in, Assault On Precinct 13 (1976), playing the angry ex-wife of Dr. Dan Challis (Tom Atkins) in Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch (1982)

And all of the rest of the actors are amazing as well!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="376"] Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), Annie Brackett (Nancy Kyes), Lynda van der Klok (P.J. Soles) in, 'Halloween' (1978)![/caption]

Halloween, tells the story of a group of friends by the name of Laurie Strode (Curtis), Annie Brackett (Kyes) and Lynda van der Klok (Soles), and how they are terrorized by an escaped psychopathic killer by the name of Michael Myers (Played by Tony Moran), who intends to kill all of them, on the Halloween night 17 years after Myers killed his older sister!

And it seems as though the only person that can stop him is his therapist by the name of Dr. Sam Loomis (Pleasence) that has been taking care of Michael Myers since Myers was a child, Sheriff Brackett (Annie’s father), and the unsuspecting Laurie Strode, who thought she was going to be bored with yet another night of babysitting!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Michael Myers as he is looking as he is tearing some stuff up in 'Halloween' (1978)![/caption]

With all of that in mind, and besides the amazing acting job that all of the cast did, John Carpenter is my favorite director! I mean the vision that Mr. Carpenter brings to his movies (including this one), is utterly amazing! I mean this guy does such a good job in directing these movies, that it is no wonder that he has legions of fans all over the world... And is also the reason why I think it is a safe to say that he is a true master of horror!

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Top 5 Films For Halloween 2012

With Halloween coming up real quick, and with the release of Hellinspace.com, A friend of mine and CEO of AwesomeBMovies.com, Matt Dowling helped give me this great idea for doing my top 5 choices for Halloween…

So please enjoy this list, and I hope you are able to find something to enjoy this Halloween from my top 5 list of films for Halloween 2012!

At Number 5: Slumber Party Massacre (1982):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="420"] A truly classic horror movie that is a fun way to kick off a Halloween extravaganza![/caption]

The name may not win some people over, but the truth is, is this is a great scary Corman/slasher that is really worth sinking your teeth in to!

Number 4: Friday The 13th (1980):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Alice as she is about to meet the woman that will change her life forever![/caption]

Come on, you know I had to put it in there… I mean it is a truly genuine classic horror fest that is definitely worth watching on Halloween!

Number 3: The Changling (1980):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="627"] Home Sweet Home....[/caption]

A truly great paranormal classic that I do think you guys might truly enjoy!

Number 2: The Pit And The Pendulum (1961):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Damn if that ain't the biggest butchers block ever![/caption]

A great Vincent Price classic that was based on an Edgar Allan Poe novel and has some great scares in it!

And finally, for number 1 we got: Halloween (1978):

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="800"] This guy is taking out trick 'r treaters left and right![/caption]

The truth is folks, is that this movie is my absolute all-time favorite movie in general… And let’s be honest here… The name says it all!

Anyway folks I hope that this series of movies helps you in your decision making on what to watch on Halloween night… and hey… Happy Halloween to all you fright fans out there!

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