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!

Reading And The Future

Reading in the future.

 Before TV and even before Radio, one of the primary forms of entertainment when it came to people getting their entertainment was through reading... And I am not talking about reading say a, 'Magazine' or something... Although the type of magazine that I am talking about... Which I would say are the ones that we see every day, were just starting to come out in the tale end of the 19th century... (Stuff that closely approximates: Mad Magazine, and stuff like, 'Fangoria' and the like...

Now reading has maintained itself for the most part well in to the 20th century... The problem is, is that with more interactive mediums, reading has become less and less popular...

Well you know, I have heard people say, and have read about how some believe that reading a good book as a way to get your education, should be replaced by more interactive forms of media, stuff like, Movies, Video Games, and other sort of media...(To keep children motivated to continue to learn...)

Educational video games have their place, but should not replace a good book!

Well the truth is folks, is that is the wrong way to go! Don't get me wrong, it does have certain positive applications for getting one's education... And I imagine that at least to some extent that the worlds youngest (which I suspect have some of the shortest attention spans out there.) But the truth is, is that if you give in to the concept of a 15 or 16 year old and giving him an, 'educational video game' probably won't help him when he or she is trying to study, 'math' or the like... I mean what can you do? Give kids a XBox 1 game called, 'Call Of Duty: Modern Education'? I suspect they will probably end up not learning anything, and going for the more violent aspects of that series!

Now again, all of that stuff has it's applications in the classroom... I,e. Having kids just going to to school playing educational games, and documentaries have always been able to help educate people on various problems that the world faces, or some of the more exotic, and awesome aspects of what this world has to offer... In the end though, non of those can replace a good book!

I hate to say it, but from a text book stand point, books are straight forward... If you are learning say... Math... Then you will learn math... And not something secondary... As far as movies go, Hollywood is notorious for exaggerating their movies, and if you are thinking that you maybe able to learn Shakespeare's original, 'Hamlet' from say, 'Mel Gibson' (which he did do in the 90s), then you should expect certain over the top dramatizations!

Mel Gibson as, 'Hamlet'... A fun movie, but should not be considered an educational standard... 

And as a form of entertainment... More so then ever, books are an important entertainment medium...  What do I mean by this? Well simply put, Movies give it to you... What I mean by this is that it takes away the viewers imagination... Before I continue, let me ask you guys this... Have you guys ever read a book and then seen the movie... And where as the movie was fun, the book was truly memorable? If so... Then good!

For me, that was, 'Christine'... Not one of Stephen King's bigger movies... or books for that matter, but in all truth, the movie was fun, with a great cast, and even better story... Well the truth is, is before I ever saw the movie I read the book when I was in boarding school, and I have to say that reading this novel was so much fun, that it was one of the few times when I would literally just sit in the class room for hours after they closed it down for the day!

I loved that movie... Still do... I have the movie on both VHS and DVD, I also have the book, and the movie poster signed by: John Carpenter (Halloween)... But as fun as the movie was, I will never forget  the many hours I spent just sitting there reading that book in the drafty classroom!

Christine... A great movie... An even better book!

In the end, I guess what I am saying is this... Don't let the future of reading... Really the future of books be a dismal one... Books and reading in general have been one of the most important (and yet sorely underrated) advancements mankind has ever had, and with the advancement of technology, lets not have reading or books in general disappear in to the ether!

Escape From L.A. (1996) - Movie Review

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

The first movie that I ever saw that Kurt Russell (Soldier), had ever done was the movie, Backdraft (1991). When I saw that movie I found that everyone in that movie had done a great job, but I found that I liked the role that Kurt Russell had played the most!

In that movie Kurt Russell played a veteran fire fighter who was divorced, but was great at his job... And I suspect was really torn up about being separated from his family, and had never quite been the same when he witnessed his fireman father die when he was a kid... And his unhappy life gets even more complicated when the little brother that left behind his brother and the family business to make it on his own comes back to take on the mantle of, 'Fire Fighter' with his older brother!

I personally suspect that because of Kurt Russell's amazing performance in 'Backdraft', that in some way that it was the inspiration for the character of, 'Tommy Gavin' (played by: Denis Leary), in the hit TV series, Rescue Me!

Anyway after that though I hadn't seen much of the work that he did, until I saw the movie, Escape From L.A. (1996)! And you know what? I gotta say that the role that he played of, 'Snake Plissken' was truly awe inspiring for some one like me who at the time was aspiring to become a writer and an actor!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="243"] Snake Plissken is back in the kick ass thrill ride![/caption]

I mean I hadn't seen the predecessor to this movie, Escape From New York (1981) at that time, so I hadn't seen where all of this began, but I gotta say that the work that Kurt Russell put in to this role was so awesome that it started my interest in the movies that he has done... And you know what? I haven't been disappointed since!

Now I know I haven't said why I like this character so much... I will let you see this movie to understand better, but trust me when I say that if you like biker movies, or outlaw movies (which I really do), then I think you might find that you really like, 'Snake Plissken'!

As far as the movie goes, there are some truly amazing talent that did a great job, including: Stacy Keach (Galaxy Hunter), Steve Buscemi (Fargo), Peter Fonda (Ghost Rider), Pam Grier (Scream Blacula Scream), Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead), Michelle Forbes (Star Trek: The Next Generation), A.J. Langer (The People Under The Stairs)... As a matter of fact, the only character I really didn't like or believe as legitimate was, 'The President' but I don't think that it was the actors fault, I think Cliff Robertson (Spider-Man) is an amazing actor, I just think that it was a poorly written character!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="509"] Snake, as he is making his way to the, 'Magic Kingdom' to see a man about a box...[/caption]

I also liked the vision that John Carpenter brought to the big screen in bringing Snake Plissken back for one more attempt to go in to a dystopian waste land and for one more mission for the President...

The only problem that I had between the writing and directing (and this seemed to be something that became a problem in the 90s, and has since become a real problem with some sequels in the new millennium,) that is that sometimes more explosions are not always better, and although I am a fan of special effects and big explosions, I found the over use of explosions and special effects out shadowed what I still thought was a great story!

In the end, this movie is fun, and it was well worth my time to watch it again recently, and if you check it out you might find the same thing as well!

http://youtu.be/drOdRwD1JF0

The Thing (2011) - Movie Review

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

John Carpenter (Halloween)… What can I say about the guy… I mean this guy is most definitely a true legend in the horror/science fiction genres! (I would go so far as to say that Halloween (1978) (a movie which he directed) was one of the first movies that helped me to become a true and long standing fan of horror movies!)

Now the reason that I mention him in this is that because besides directing true classics like, ‘Halloween’, or ‘Big Trouble In Little China’… He also directed the remake to a classic Howard Hawks movie that would eventually become so popular that people who, ‘HATE’ horror, and are not interested in Science Fiction still know of this movie… This movie of course is the movie… The Thing (1982)…

Now this movie which is a remake of the original, The Thing From Another World (1951) and told the story of how a group of American Researchers in the Antarctic end up having to destroy a Norwegian Helicopter, after it starts causing problems in the American Camp, while the Norwegian’s are trying to kill this fleeing dog (don’t worry, there is a lot more about this dog…) Anyway the American’s destroy this chopper, and as they go to investigate what the Norwegians are up to, they come across an Alien specimen that will eventually infect the team, and pit them in a struggle between their lives and their deaths, as well as the whole of the human race!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="216"] Definitely a fun one![/caption]

As for, The Thing (2011), this movie is a prequel that stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Final Destination 3), Joel Edgerton (King Arthur), Ulrich Thomsen (Hitman), Eric Christian Olsen (Not Another Teen Movie), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (The Bourne Identity), Trond Espen Seim (Fallen Angels), & Jorgen Langhelle (Elling), and tells of the story leading up to Carpenter’s original movie!

You see, this movie tells the story of how after falling through the ice, the Norwegian research team end up finding an Alien space craft under the ice as well as an Alien himself!

So they end up creating a research team that is comprised of a few Americans (and although it is not conclusive, I suspect a Brit) to dig the craft and the Alien up… The only problem is that once they do so, they ultimately end up unlocking Pandora’s box, and waking up the Alien who will proceed to infect this crew in the same way that it infects the next crew, and if they can’t stop it… Well let’s be honest… No one can!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="553"] The team after they pulled up the Alien...[/caption]

Now for the bad part... this movie does seem to lack for a certain element of originality (I,e… the shot where they first burn an infected person in the snow in this new movie is almost the exact same shot that Carpenter used for his… The characters, ‘Sam Carter’ and, ‘R.J. Macready’ seem to be a little to similar to be coincidence. Also, although they did a great job in re-creating what the burnt out parts that were seen of the, ‘Norwegian Camp’ by the Americans in the first one would have looked like had they not been burned out… the rest of the set I suspect was probably what was used by Carpenter in his movie... Also, I did like the fact that they tried to use pistols in this movie, they still used Flame Throwers in this one (if you have seen the first one, then you will understand why I am asking, ‘does no one have a rifle in these movies’?

In the end, albeit the fact that this movie is not entirely original, it is a fun one, and I do hope to see the what is next for, ‘The Thing’…

 

http://youtu.be/UKjErC2JLQc

The Main Mistake When Remaking Horror Movies...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] The Last House On The Left (2009)... A great example of a remade horror movie![/caption]

As we all know, Hollywood, for about the last decade or so, has been remaking just about everything that has ever come out... With a special emphasis on remaking horror movies...

I have wondered why this is... I mean is it because they are out of ideas? Or maybe Hollywood in it's bid to continue to suck out every cent that they could out of some of horror's most classic horror movie franchises (like, 'Friday The 13th', or 'A Nightmare On Elm Street'... Just to name a few.)

Well for whatever the reasons that maybe, there is one thing that they have mostly done wrong when it comes to trying to remake these movies... In my opinion it is one of the biggest mistakes that they have made... It is a mistake that they don't always make... But they do often make... That is, the choices that the studios make for the people they hire to write the story for the remade masterpiece!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="165"] Fright Night (2011)... One of the more recent remakes that has had very mixed reviews![/caption]

Now you might be asking, 'why is that so important?' I imagine some of you are probably thinking, 'that's nonsense... The biggest problem is the fact that they over CGI everything!' Well, to that last one I will say that it is definitely one of the problems, but in my opinion the writing is the main problem!

As for the writers themselves... Well, for the most part, they are in-and-of-themselves not bad writers... I'm just not convinced that all of them are fans of the genre, or fans of the original movies that they are trying to remake... You have to have that if you are going to have a successful remake!

A couple of good examples of this are:

1. A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)... Let's be honest here... This movie stunk, as far as a remake goes, this movie was virtually killed off a legendary series that had for itself created: 7 sequels, a TV series, helped launch the careers of a lot of A list celebrities, including: Johnny Depp (Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl), Breckin Meyer (Rat Race) and Patricia Arquette (True Romance) as well as having created tons of media in just about every venue... I mean Freddy Krueger was a house hold name... but when the remake came out that all pretty much has gone to pot, with no new, 'Nightmare' movies currently being released!

[caption id="attachment_2635" align="aligncenter" width="450"] With this one, you just have to ask yourself, 'Why?'[/caption]

2. Friday The 13th (2009), in all truth, I thought that this movie was better then the, 'Nightmare' remake, but again... This movie series was a house hold name because of it's popularity, and since the release of the remake movie, has not seen another, 'Friday' movie on the horizon!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Better then the, 'Nightmare On Elm Street' remake, but still... ya know?[/caption]

Now I have heard rumors of sequels coming out someday... But then again I have also heard rumors of Halloween 3 supposedly starting production since 2009 as well!

Either way, the main reason that I think that these movies tanked is because of the story! I mean don't get me wrong... If you are like me, then you probably had a hard time getting past the fact that Robert Englund (Urban Legends) was no longer, 'Freddy'... But, Friday The 13th, really did not have that excuse... And story wise was just not as good (I mean they tried to rely on the success of the, 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' remake for this movie scene wise... And they tried to change the basic makeup of, 'Jason' himself... To say the least... A big mistake!)

Now I have shown you the negative side... I wanted to show you the positive side as well with Rob Zombie (House Of 1,000 Corpses) did with his remake!

Before I go on... Let me say this, Rob Zombie is a true fan of the Halloween series, (he has mentioned it in a few of the interviews that I have seen him do about the, 'Halloween' movies,) with that in mind, it shows!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="388"] Rob Zombie with Tyler Maine as, 'Michael Myers'... A true fan of the original, 'Halloween' series, and it showed in his work with the remake series![/caption]

Mainly I say this because I personally believe that Rob Zombie took the story to such an extreme that not only was it fun, but I felt it really honored the original vision of John Carpenter (The Ward) and Mr. Carpenter's vision for the original movie!

Well if you haven't seen it yet, I won't say to much, just to say that, John Carpenter's original 1978 classic, 'Halloween' movie is my favorite movie, but I also thoroughly enjoyed Rob Zombie's version as well!

For more information on these movies, please enjoy the trailers for the movies that I have mentioned above:

http://youtu.be/Mra_Z3cpGCM

http://youtu.be/btH4tPwILg0

http://youtu.be/fpKdXnXl93s

http://youtu.be/polKMrfyK-A

http://youtu.be/rrdYC-YKkJs

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

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!

http://youtu.be/h7aHJR5lzE8

The Lighter Side Of Remakes

Like most people I have to admit that I am not always the hugest fan of horror movie remakes...

I mean the creation of these types of movies generally tend to show that Hollywood is out of ideas, but in Hollywood's greed, they seem like they are not willing to put to bed these classic franchises, and often times seem to virtually destroy these franchises!

A couple of franchises that should have never have been remade, that have since seemed to have ruined a truly legendary franchise are, A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010), and Friday The 13th (2009)!

As for A Nightmare On Elm Street, this movie series has become truly legendary in the world of horror movies, and it made both the name and the character of Freddy Krueger, a house hold name.... The same can be said for Friday The 13th and Jason Voorhees!

Now as for the remakes, I actually did like the Friday The 13th remake (obviously not as much as the original series), and I haven't seen the new remake for A Nightmare On Elm Street, but from what I have heard and from what I have seen, it has been universally panned by just about every one!

Now that is the darker side of Remakes, there is also a lighter side as well!

What I mean by this is that there has in my opinion also been some good ones as well and at least one movie that I liked better than the original (If you can believe that!)

[caption id="attachment_1154" align="aligncenter" width="525"] The posters for John Carpenter's, 'Halloween' (1978), and the poster Rob Zombie's 2007 remake![/caption]

An example of a pretty solid remake of a horror movie was Rob Zombie's Halloween (2007), now this movie in my opinion was not as good as John Carpenter's original Halloween (a fav). But the truth is, is that this movie had some special effects that I doubt could have been done in 1978, (which was when Carpenter's Halloween was made) and the way that Rob Zombie expanded on the story line for what happened to Michael Myers before he started killing his family, to when he broke out of the insane asylum was a lot of fun and well worth it!

Another example is Marcus Nispel's, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003).... Now I personally was a fan of Tobe Hooper's classic, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), but the truth is, is that this movie was a lot of fun and really needed for the following reasons:

1. The last Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie to come out from the original series, 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation' (1994) kind of really sucked, and it looked like it would get worse and worse.

2. Everything about the remake was fun, including the special effects, the direction, the story, and the acting, and the look and feel of the movie seemed a lot more realistic!

3. And lastly I have to say that R. Lee Ermey (Se7en) was both funny and entertaining in this movie.

Earlier I mentioned that there was a remake that I actually liked more than the original... That movie is the remake of, The Last House On The Left (1972).

Now I enjoyed to a strong degree the story and the acting in the original movie, but the truth is, is that the original movie in my opinion was so intense that you would have thought that there was a film crew that had been sent out to film a group psychopaths as they brutally murdered a couple innocent girls (they didn't.) The remake on the other hand was a fun horror movie!

With that in mind folks, for the most part. I will agree with you that remakes and reboots are not the best, but I highly recommend not entirely discounting them entirely out of hand, because in the end you might find some movies that you really enjoy!

http://youtu.be/Mra_Z3cpGCM

http://youtu.be/btH4tPwILg0

Stephen King On The Big Screen

Stephen King… What can I say… I mean this guy can literally be described as a true master of horror! I mean this guy’s novels have been terrifying readers all over the world, with such works as:

1. Carrie
2. The Stand
3. Gerald’s Game
4. Christine

And that is just to name a few!

But there is another side to the work that Stephen King has done that I wanted to talk about today that I thought that you, guys might enjoy, and that is the work that would eventually make its way to the big or small screen!

Starting off as early as 1976 with the release of his novel, ‘Carrie’ to the big screen and continuing on to the modern day with all the remakes that are coming out from this guy’s work. Stephen King has been entertaining and scaring audiences all over the world for literally decades! And the type of talent has been drawn to the films that are based on this man’s work!

[caption id="attachment_1103" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The start of one of the most famous scenes of the movie, 'Carrie' (1976)... One of the most recognizable horror movies all time, and it was adapted from Stephen King's first novel![/caption]

There has been such notables that have worked on movies that were based on Stephen King’s works of fiction which have included:

1. Sissy Spacek (Carrie)

2. Piper Laurie (Carrie)

3. John Travolta (Carrie)

4. P.J. Soles (Carrie)

5. Nancy Allen (Carrie)

6. Drew Barrymore (Firestarter & Cat’s Eye)

7. James Woods (Cat’s Eye)

8. Martin Sheen (Firestarter)

9. George C. Scott (Firestarter)

10. Gary SInise (The Stand)

11. Matt Frewer (The Stand)

12. Molly Ringwald (The Stand)

And that is just a few of the countless notables that have graced the screen in a Stephen King movie… And as for directors , we have such truly legendary directors that have worked on these movies which included:

1. John Carpenter

2. David Cronenberg

3. Brian De Palma

4. Tobe Hooper

5. Stanley Kubrick

That is just to name a few as well!

Now if you haven’t had a chance to read any of his work, he does have some non-horror based work as well, including: The Green Mile (1999), and Stand By Me (1986)… And the truth is, is that the majority of that stuff is fun and all of that, but I am not here to talk about that…

In this case I am here to talk about his work in the horror field… There was a joke at one point that was done on TV about Stephen King having to come up with a new idea that would scare the audience well enough and so he grabs his editors lamp and tries to scare him like that…

Well that is just one facet of his work! What I mean by this is that I have found that Stephen King has been able to take any one thing or circumstance and make it in to a fun, gripping and chilling tale of the macabre! A few examples are as follows:

1. In, ‘The Langoliers’ Stephen King makes an innocent enough plane trip in to a terrifying adventure back through time, where if they don’t make it back quick, they might never be able to do so!

2. Another fun example is how Carrie tells the tale of a girl with telekinetic powers in High School who after being taunted and teased by just about everyone around her decides to get even on one fateful night that will live in infamy forever!

3. Another example is how a classic car turns out to want it’s owner about as much as the owner wants the car and will kill to keep that relationship alive!

These are just a few examples of the truly classic novels that had been turned in to movies!

All in all, the truth is, is that most of his work is better in written form, but the truth is, is that the movies that are based on his work is pretty close to being just as good, and if you haven’t had a chance to enjoy either, then I recommend trying both… You might find that you have a new author to enjoy and a new series of movies as well!

http://youtu.be/1qshFVvbYuw

The Ward (2010) - Movie Review

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

John Carpenter (They Live) is truly a legend in the horror movie/filmmaking community as a whole! I mean besides the fact that he created one of my favorite movies of all time, Halloween (1978)! His early career is truly iconic of a great director! What with having done such truly great films as, The Fog (1980), Escape From New York (1981), The Thing (1982), and Christine (1983)... To name a few!

Unfortunately though as the 80s turned in to the 90s and eventually in to the new millennium, Mr. Carpenter would end up doing less and less as a director... as a matter of fact besides, The Ward (2010), the last movie that he directed was, The Ghost Of Mars (2001).

And speaking of, The Ward, I have be honest and say that the trailer for this movie really doesn't do this movie justice! When I first saw the trailer, I thought this movie was going to be horrible (which would have been unfortunate considering the fact that Mr. Carpenter is my favorite director!)

Written by: Michael Rasmussen (Long Distance), Shawn Rasmussen (Dark Feed), and Directed by: John Carpenter. Starring: Amber Heard (Drive Angry 3D), Mamie Gummer (Twelve Thirty), Danielle Panabaker (Friday The 13th), Laura-Leigh (The Restaurant), Lyndsy Fonseca (Nikita), Mika Boorem (The 2 Bobs), Susanna Burney (Homeland), D.R. Anderson (Frank), Jared Harris (Resident Evil: Apocalypse), and Jillian Kramer (The Big Bang).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Kristen (Amber Heard) as she is being picked up by the Police so that she can be sent to, 'The Ward'...[/caption]

The Ward tells the story of a woman by the name of Kristen (Heard) who after burning a farm house down in a rural area of North Bend Oregon in 1966, is taken to the local Mental Health Hospital!

Now of course when she gets there she does seem pretty responsive, and ends up going to her new room to get some rest... When she wakes up though that evening is when some strange stuff starts to begin. What I mean by that is that she wakes up and discovers the former occupants broken charm bracelet, and is convinced that some girl was in her room that evening!

The next day Kristen was introduced to the rest of the girls in her ward, including: 'Emily' (Gummer), the girl who is the more insane of the bunch, 'Sarah' (Panabaker) the girl who is more interested in dating then anything, and then there is, 'Zoey' (Laura-Leigh) whose problems seem to be that she has regressed to being a child! The last one being, 'Iris' (Fonseca) who is the most sane of the women that Emily meets and has a strong interest in Art!

Now each and everyone of them in their own right despite the fact that they don't really seem to like each other, end up working out well together!

Now the problem is, is that the longer that Kristen stays at the mental hospital, the weirder things get, what with this strange girl that seems to keep showing up and then eventually disappearing at the weirdest moments, and the like...

But when the girls start disappearing, and the staff don't seem to be paying much heed to these disappearances, as Kristen in her attempts to get herself and the girls in her ward out of the hospital, she will come to discover the truth behind, 'The Ward'!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="470"] In this, 'Ward' things aren't always as they seem![/caption]

Now the truth is, is that this movie is a lot of fun, what with great acting from the cast, some awesome special effects, and as always John Carpenter did a great job of directing this movie!

The problem is though, is that the story is fun, but it is pretty unoriginal, and is not really breaking any new ground.

But if you're a Carpenter fan then this one is definitely worth checking out, but if not, then you might find this one to be a fun way to kill some time!

http://youtu.be/buF-keImNYk