Four Summer Camp Slashers That You'll Never Forget!

Sleepaway Camp (1983)... A great example of a fun Summer Camp slasher film!

Summer Camp, a time for young men and women to get a taste of the great outdoors, to run, to play... And even in some cases, for a boy or girl to find his or her's first love... That is the sappy hallmark version of it... But we fright fans know how Summer Camps can become a, 'bloody' good time... Don't we?

That's right folks, where as it is true that the whole summer camp experience is generally a time for kids on summer vacation to have fun in the great out doors, Hollywood has turned this time honored tradition in to mayhem and bloody violence, with some of the most famous slasher movies of all time being set in and around the Summer Camp setting...

So I thought that you guys might enjoy these Five Summer Camp Slashers That You'll Never Forget!

At number 4: Friday The 13th (1980):

This counselor will never forget his Camp experience!

 Friday The 13th (1980)... Now here is a classic example of a great Summer Camp slasher, you see this movie has it all, an unsuspecting group of soon-to-be camp counselors who went up to Camp Crystal Lake to help Steve Christy (The owner of the summer camp,) re-open the camp... Little do they know, a former counselor is ready to take out her anger on a new generation of counselors!

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

With number 3: Sleepaway Camp (1983):

How would you like to have her in your Summer Camp?

 You might be wondering why I mentioned this twice? Well the truth is, is I kind of had to... I had no choice... I mean i was compelled to do so, because in all honesty, this movie is not only a great 80s Summer Camp slasher, but in all honesty, and in a lot of respects, this movie helped set the tone for a lot of the the 80s Summer Camp slasher movies out there!

For more information on this movie, please enjoy the trailer for: Sleepaway Camp (1983):

Next up, at number 2: Friday The 13th Part 2 (1981):

Just when you thought it would be safe to go back to Camp!

Following in the same vein with Friday The 13th (1980), I thought that I would mention part 2 primarily because in all honesty, the two movies just fit perfectly! Don't get me wrong, I mean the rest of the series fits in with these 2 movies as well, but the truth is, is the first two movies, when they came out, the series was new, and so the story hadn't started to get watered down yet...

For more information on this movie, please enjoy the trailer for: Friday The 13th Part 2 (1981):

And with number 1, we have: The Burning (1981):

It looks like Cropsy is about to come out and play!

Now this one is one that my buddy over at AwesomeBMovies.com, Matt Dowling, told me about... This one was actually kind of a fun and interesting story, about a group of kids that accidentally torch a camp caretaker in the past, and years later it looks like he might have come back to get revenge on the campers currently enjoying there experience at the camp that he used to work at!

Another interesting thing is that famous actors: Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) and, Holly Hunter (The Firm) play roles in this movie, early in their careers!

For more information on this movie, please enjoy the trailer for: The Burning (1981):

Getting To See A Classic Horror Movie With Fresh Eyes

By the way... If you thought that I meant, 'fresh eyes' in the literally sense... Well you are kind of right... Just not in the disgusting way!

No... What I mean is this... One of the things that I really like to do, and is sort of a tradition that I have had since I was a teenager is to get a whole bunch of really great junk food and then watch a whole bunch of great horror films... And you know what, if you haven't tried it yet... If you like horror movies, I would recommend giving it a try... It is freaking awesome!

Watching horror movies on Halloween can be a real killer experience!

This Halloween though was one with a little bit of a twist! You see, my wife and I got to enjoy my Halloween tradition together this year... But in years previous we have ended up watching other genres of films... Fun, but it really needs to be with horror movies... you know?

Well this year when we were arranging it, my wife was all in for watching some fun horror  movies... And you know what? It was a total blast!

Now you might be wondering why I am sharing this little bit of personal information... Well the reason being is that we got to watch some awesome classics that I hadn't seen in years!

You see, for me, because I review movies all the time, and there are so many out there to review, I generally don't get much of an opportunity to re-watch classics that I have loved for quite a few years, and when I got to watch, Halloween (1978) and, The Omen (1976)... I got to say, it brought me back to the days of when I first watched both of these movies for the first time... Boy was it awesome!

Watching these movies for the first time in years was a total blast! 

And the reason that I mention all of this to you horror fans, is because where as it is true that even today that there is a lot of amazing horror movies that are coming out... I have noticed a trend with a lot of the younger generation of well (not just horror movie fans, but movie fans in general,) that they generally seem to tend to ignore the classics and stick exclusively to the newer films!

And well, I will say that  there are  some great reasons for going with newer movies, don't forget to check out the classics, they can scare the hell out of you just as well as the new ones, and in my opinion are just as good, and in most cases better then the newer movies out there!

So did I check out some classics with fresh eyes? Sure... For the newer generation, give it a try... I think you will find there is some truly amazing horror movies out there that have come out in the last hundred years that are just as good, if not better then some of  the horror movies that have come in the last 14 years!

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) - Movie Review

Official Score = 3 Devils

You know what, I will admit that I am probably very similar in context to most horror fans with the fact that I more often then not generally tend to be much of a fan of remake movies... I mean as stand alones I have seen some decent enough remake movies, but if you look at them as remakes of classic movies... Well I hate to say it, but most of the time, these movies generally tend not to be as good as the original!

I mean there are some generally pretty awful remakes, and there is one or two that I have seen that I would consider to be actually better then the original... (Yeah I know, I was surprised to!)

But generally speaking those movies that should have been made as stand alone movies, are that way in my opinion because they oft times just don't pay the type of homage to the original movies in the right way (A goode example of this being, A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)!)

There are some though that really pay homage properly to those that made the classic... In my opinion, a great example of this is the movie, Halloween (2007)... This movie in my opinion did a great job in paying homage to John Carpenter's classic, while also adding a couple of elements to the movie, that made it just fantastic!

Another great one is, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)!

One of the few truly awesome horror movie remakes!

Written By: Scott Kosar (The Machinist) & Directed by: Marcus Nispel (Friday The 13th). Starring: Jessica Biel (The Illusionist), Erica Leerhsen (Book Of Shadows: Blair Witch 2), Mike Vogel (Under The Dome), Eric Balfour (Skyline), Andrew Brynarski (Batman Returns) & R. Lee Ermey (The Frightners).

Now the truth is, is I can go in to how everything is great... The truth is, is that all of the cast did their jobs great, and they were all fun!

The story... Well, this story of how after picking up a traumatized hitchhicker, who kills herself, starts off a chain of events that leads them to become the next up on Leatherface's chopping block... Starting with contacting the, 'Sheriff'... Who turns out to be a deranged member of Leatherface's family that goes by, 'Sheriff Hoyt' (R. Lee Ermey) and leading to each of the initial 5 friends who had just wanted to do a good deed, being stalked and killed off one by one!

These teens wanted to do a good deed, but picking up this hitchhiker gives new meaning to the reason why you should never, 'pick up a hitchhiker'

Well I could say this story is great... It is!

But the truth is, is the best part of this movie is R. Lee Ermey, his portrayal as Sheriff Hoyt was both disturbing, and hilarious... But was also made to look so real that you could almost imagine that all of this could happen in real life!

In the end... Is everything great in this movie? For a remake? Yes... It is extremely fun, and well worth checking out!

Five Contemporary Horror Movie Villains That Got There Start In Novels

For those of you who don't know this, there are a few horror movie villains that had a truly prolific run as horror movie villains, they actually got there start In Horror Novels!

A great example of this would be, 'Norman Bates'... Now this is Anthony Perkins, in his role as, 'Norman Bates' was truly an amazing job that still resounds today (and heck I would go on to say that Vince Vaughn did a pretty good job as well!)

But believe it or not there has been more then a few that have done a great job as well... And so I thought that I would let you guys know about 5 that I found that I really like!

At number 5: Norman Bates.

Anthony Perkins as, 'Norman Bates', the main character in Alfred Hitchcock's, 'Psycho' (1960)... A movie based on the novel of the same name by: Robert Bloch

As mentioned above, Norman Bates was definitely initially a novel that was written by Robert Bloch... A novel that was loosely based on the serial killer: Ed Gein.

At number 4: Jame Gumb.

 Jame Gumb (Played by: Ted Levine), in Silence Of The Lambs, an award winning movie based on the novel by Thomas Harris!

Now Jame Gumb, is the name of the main villain from, 'Silence Of The Lambs'... He is actually an amalgam of a bunch of serial killer cases that the FBI worked on over the years... Now as for the movie... Well this movie is actually a big screen adaption of the novel that was written by: Thomas Harris!

At number 3: Hannibal Lecter.

Brian Cox was the first person to play, 'Hannibal Lecter'... the lead villain from Thomas Harris's novels!

You might be wondering why I am doing this, I mean Hannibal Lecter is sort of the hidden evil throughout Thomas Harris's novels: 'Red Dragon,' 'Silence Of The Lambs' & 'Hannibal' as well as the movies and the TV series that is based on the novels... But the truth is, is that Hannibal Lecter maybe one of the most famous horror movie villains of all time, and probably the most famous horror movie villain that used to be exclusively based in the pages of novels!

At number 2: Candyman.

Candyman (Played by: Tony Todd) was the main character in the movie series, 'Candyman'... Candyman started off as one of stories written by Clive Barker in the novel, 'The Books Of Blood'!

Now unfortunately it does seem as this series for the most part has not survived outside of it's second sequel, but Candyman... A movie that helped catapult, 'Tony Todd' (Final Destination), in to cult status, was a movie character that saw his start in a short story that was written by: Clive Barker called, 'The Forbidden'!

At number 1: Pinhead.

Pinhead (Played by: Doug Bradley) maybe a legendary horror movie villain, but he started off in the pages of books written by: Clive Barker!

There are a lot more out there then I am mentioning here, but the truth is, is that, 'Pinhead', a character that was portrayed on screen by horror movie legend, 'Doug Bradley', maybe the most famous of the lot to have made it from the pages of a book to the big screen that has ever come out... You see, Pinhead got his start in the pages of Clive Barker's novel, 'The Hellbound Heart'!

Again, there is a lot more out there as well, but these are some that I believe to be some of the most famous to have made it to the big screen!

The Many Faces Of, 'Leatherface' And The Men Who Played Him

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] 'Leatherface' with his family as they are about to sit down for dinner in, 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'![/caption]

Believe it or not, with the exception of Freddy Krueger (who has uptil the recent remake has been played by: Robert Englund), and Norman Bates, (who til it's remake had always been played by: Anthony Perklins,) most long standing horror movie villains have been played by several different actors.

A good example of this is, 'Kane Hodder' (Hatchet)... Now Kane Hodder had up until recently been kind of universally recognized as the actor who played, 'Jason Voorhees' in the, 'Friday The 13th' movies... The only thing is, is that he didn't start playing the role till around part 7, and there were at least a couple of actors who played the role before him, and played them after him!

Well I got to thinking that you guys might enjoy a look back at the many looks of ,'Leatherface' over the years, (another role that has been played by many actors,) and the actors that played him!

So with out further adieu:

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974): Gunnar Hansen as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Gunnar Hansen played the role of, 'Leatherface' first, when he did, 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' (1974)![/caption]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986): Bill Johnson as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="attachment_2953" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Bill Johnson would go on to take over the role in 1986's, ' The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'[/caption]

Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 (1990): R.A. Mihailoff as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="attachment_2954" align="aligncenter" width="640"] R.A. Mihailoff would go on to be the first person to play the role in the 90s with, 'Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3' (1990)[/caption]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994): Robert Jacks as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="416"] Robert Jacks would be the final person to play the role in the 90s, having taken over for, 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation' (1994)[/caption]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) & The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006): Andrew Bryniarski as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="442"] Andrew Bryniarski would not only go on to be the first person to play the role in the new millennium, but he would be the first person in the history of the franchise to have played the role more then once![/caption]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D (2013): Dan Yeager as, 'Leatherface':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="543"] To date... Dan Yeager is the most recent person to take over the role, but not only has he taken over the role, but in my opinion, helped bring the original series back to prominence, what with helping reboot the original franchise![/caption]

In the end, this series is pretty awesome, and if you are like me, then you are really looking forward to what comes next!

Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday (1993)

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignright" width="258"] Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils[/caption]

Now I am not the kind of guy that generally speaking, advocates a formulaic Horror/Sci-Fi Movie, or just movie in general... I mean I am a huge fan of originality when it comes to the movies that I watch… But I have learned in the past 15 years or so, since I really started getting in to Horror and Science Fiction movies in the whole, that sometimes a little tradition in a movie is actually a good thing…

I learned this when I first started watching one of the Friday The 13th movies each year for Halloween, and realized that although that it is true that the heroes and heroines in these movies are  important... But that at least as far as the Friday The 13th franchise goes, that it really is Jason and Mrs. Voorhees and the hell they went through, and the bloody swath they cut across Camp Crystal Lake (Camp Blood) for decades!

Believe it or not, I discovered this when I watched a Friday The 13th movie that didn’t have Jason in it, and realized that it was nowhere near as good as any of the movies in this series that came before or after it… This movie of course being, Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday (1993):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="255"] Not one of the better movies in this series![/caption]

Written by: Jay Huguely (Magnum P.I.) and Adam Marcus (Who also directed the movie). Starring: John D. LeMay (Friday The 13th: The TV Series), Kari Keegan (Mind Games), Kane Hodder (Jason X), Steven Williams (21 Jump Street), Steven Culp (Thirteen Days), Erin Gray (Silver Spoons), Rusty Schwimmer (Twister), Leslie Jordan (The Help) and Kipp Marcus (Aisle Six).

Now believe it or not, one of the truly great things about this movie, is that it has John D. LeMay in it… The reason that I mention him is the fact that LeMay had been in Friday The 13th: The TV Series, (A series in the late 80s that had been created by Frank Mancuso Jr. (Who helped create the original Friday The 13th movie), and was actually A great TV series that did not have Jason Voorhees in it!)

The movie it self is a descent enough Saturday Midnight Monster Shock Fest for TV, that tells the story of how after being murdered by an FBI sting operation, Jason Voorhees decides to come back to life by willing the coroner of the local morgue to eat Jason’s original heart… (which of course he does so!)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Jason finally meeting his maker... or is he?[/caption]

After this is done though, Jason ends up cutting a bloody swath through the whole of Crystal Lake as he tries to make it to his half sister (It is never fully explained, but I suspect that this half sister is Jason’s father’s daughter, but not Mrs. Voorhee’s daughter.) Now he does this because he has to impregnate her (Don’t worry, it is strange, but it is not necessarily some strange sex act).

You see the way it works is through a Voorhees Jason was born, and if he dies, through another Voorhees will he be re-born…

But when is half-sister dies, her daughter and grand daughter are in town and it will be up to the daughter (Keegan) and her ex-boyfriend Steven (LeMay) to protect Jason’s sister’s daughter and grand-daughter from Jason’s attempt to impregnate one of them and being reborn as the evil incarnate that he is!

[caption id="false" align="aligncenter" width="386"] Jason, fresh faced, meets with his half sister...[/caption]

In the end, this entry I hate to say, because I love this series, has a bland and somewhat weird story line, and is definitely not a good entry in to the series, but unless you’re a fan of the whole series, then I don’t recommend watching this movie… It just isn’t very good!

http://youtu.be/Eikhwtqvhbo

 

Scream 4 (2011) - Movie Review

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

In 1996 there was a soon to be legendary teen slasher movie, that would go on to define the slasher movie horror sub genre for the 1990s with the movie, Scream (1996)!

Believe it or not this movie (which was made by Wes Craven), had actually meant to be a spoof of previous slasher movies... The only problem is that it wasn't funny... As a matter of fact, despite the fact that this movie was not really all that funny, it actually turned out to be a piece of cinematic genius that would define that type of horror movie for the rest of the 1990s!

Why was this movie so defining? Well simply put I think it was because it added an element of mystery to the movie... What I mean by this is that this movie had a certain style and panache that definitely defined the 90s (as opposed to your usual Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or Friday The 13th, being more of a slash and grab!)

Now I do like both of those types of movies, but in this case, and I do think that this was largely due to the direction of Wes Craven (who helped define the mystery/slasher horror movie) and the writing of Kevin Williamson (who took it to a new level in the 1990).

I will also say that Hitchcock helped to trail blaze this type of movie, with that said though, Hitchcock's style vs what you would see in Scream are two different movies (i,e. with Hitchcock (as was the sign of the times) there was more mystery then horror, and with what you see in Scream, it is more of a balance of horror vs mystery!)

The reason that I mention all of this is that in 2011, Scream 4 was released in to theaters (unfortunately I did end up missing it then), but I recently saw it fresh... And I gotta say that this one is an interesting one...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="241"] A fun one![/caption]

You see, this movie (which would reunite Kevin Williamson, Wes Craven, and the original cast members that were in the first 3 movies) told the story of how after many years, Sidney Prescott (Played by: Neve Campbell), comes back to her home town of Woodsboro during the anniversary of the original Woodsboro massacre as part of her publicity tour for her self help book...

What she doesn't know though, is that she isn't the only one that has come home... You see, it turns out that Ghostface has decided to come home to remake the legendary original story line in ways that she, nor Dewey (Played by: David Arquette) or his wife and fellow survivor of the previous massacres Gale Weathers (Played: Courtney Cox) may not be ready to combat!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="468"] Ghostface and Gail Weathers are just two of the original party players that have come together to reunite for the anniversary of the original massacre![/caption]

Another thing that I thought was kind of cool was the introduction of some of the talent that has been making waves on both the big screen and the small screen, like Hayden Panettiere, (Heroes), Emma Roberts (Nancy Drew) & Rory Culkin (The Good Son) to name a few!

Also I thought it was cool how they have utilized talented veteran actors and actresses like Marley Shelton (Planet Terror), and Anthony Anderson (The Departed)!

Now the unfortunate side of this movie (and I hope this movie does properly put the Scream franchise to rest), is A: This movie was definitely dated, and all though it was quite cool to enjoy a classic 90s style teen slasher... In the end, this movie unfortunately tried to re-create that 90s magic, while incorporating elements to make it fresh and new, yet failing to do so! B: I mentioned above that I hope this movie effectively allows this franchise to Rest In Peace... Well that is because this movie has gone everywhere it could... I mean the only directions they can take that I could think of would be to either 1. would be to add the same elements that made the original 3 great (which has been played out), or 2. to have Ghostface go after some other group of teenagers... Although if they do that then it will probably end up being as horrible as the second sequel in the, 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' series.

In the end, I am a fan of the series, and I definitely think if you are a fan of the series that you might like it as well!

http://youtu.be/UlaZfOiGaCU

American Psycho (2000) - Movie Review

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

Before Christian Bale (Equilibrium) became an international box office sensation with having not just revived the (at that time) dead, 'Batman' series, with the, 'Dark Knight' series, there is a movie... (and although it is tough to say this, because I am also a huge fan of the, 'Dark Knight' series), but a movie that was based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same name that in my opinion, may actually be better then the Dark Knight series... And that movie being, American Psycho (2000)!

Written by: Mary Harron (The Moth Diaries), Guinevere Turner (Chasing Amy) & Directed by: Mary Harron. Starring: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux (Mulholland Drive), Josh Lucas (Hulk), Bill Sage (Boiler Room), Chloë Sevigny (Zodiac), Reese Witherspoon (Fear), Samantha Mathis (Buried), Matt Ross (The Aviator), Jared Leto (Urban Legends) & Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man).

You know, the truth is, is the only fault I could really find with this movie, is the producers, and the damage they did by doing a shockingly bad sequel! I mean the cast is great... (Well I mean check it out above!) I loved the story and how the message was of the greed and ultimate degradation, and pointlessness of some of the filthy rich in the 1980s!

What I mean by this is that, Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), is a young well to do rich man, who gets all the ladies, and is working for his father's company...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Patrick Bateman... Power broker, wealthy playboy, and serial killer...[/caption]

The problem though is that Patrick Bateman is bored... Other then trying to outshine the rest of the world, he is bored... So much so that he comes in to work and ignores most everyone by listening to his walkman, he also goes to great excess to prove that he is better then everyone else, (so much so, that he nearly freaks out when he discovers that some of his colleagues may actually have better business cards then he does!

But Patrick Bateman has a secret... A blood lust, that he is about to release... The only problem is that when he does so, it begins to consume him, as he starts to loose it more and more, and act out his favorite murder scenes from some of the most violent horror movies of the 1980s...  It will take Detective Donald Kimball (Willem Dafoe) to stop him before Patrick Bateman is allowed to take out the power elite!

But is he really killing these people, or is this just the delusional fantasies of a bored rich kid?

Like I said above, I really can't complain, the only thing I didn't like about this movie was how bad the sequel was... Otherwise I have to admit that everything about this movie worked real nicely for me, and if you haven't seen it yet, and if you get a chance to try it out, do so, you might find the same thing as well!

http://youtu.be/2GIsExb5jJU

Ed Gein And His Connection To Modern Movie Serial Killers

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Ed Gein... This guy was a truly evil monster in life, but in death, was some of the greatest inspiration for serial killers in some of the most famous horror movies of all time![/caption]

For those of you who don't know who Ed Gein was... The truth is, is Ed Gein was a monster who in Wisconsin in the 1950s had killed a few people, but because of the tragic circumstances that led up to him become the monster that he would end up becoming, has in some respects become the model for a lot of the serial killers in movies as well as in novels for the second half of the 20th century...
A couple of examples of this being:

1. The Sawyer family's remoteness, cannibalism, as well as wearing human body parts is said to have been inspired by the fact that Ed Gein lived out on a remote farm in the middle of no-where, eat human flesh, as well as sometimes wearing body parts from some of the dead people he dug up...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] This truly prolific horror movie villain was in some part inspired by who Ed Gein was and what he did.[/caption]

2. Another example of this is, 'Jame Gumb' from, 'The Silence Of The Lambs'... Now the truth is, is that with this book and to some extent, the movie itself, the serial killers, 'Hannibal Lecter,' and, 'Buffalo Bill' are an amalgam of a lot of the serial killers from the various bit of filling that has been done on these creeps, on up to people like, 'Ted Bundy'... But there is a little bit of Gein in both Lecter and Buffalo Bill... In how Lecter was a cannibal, and also in how Buffalo Bill used to skin his victims...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Both of these horror movie villains both had a little bit of Ed Gein in them...[/caption]

3. And last but certainly not least, when Robert Bloch did his seminal novel, 'Psycho', he actually based the character of, 'Norman Bates' loosely, but still directly on, 'Ed Gein'!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] The character of, 'Norman Bates' as characterized from the most famous scene from, 'Psycho' was loosely, but still directly based on Ed Gein...[/caption]

And boy did he... I would definitely say that it is wrong to immortalize a serial killer in any fashion that paints them in any form of positive light, but the truth is, is that this is exactly to a greater or lesser extent what Robert Bloch did... And I have to admit that where in I have never read the novel (I really want to...) I have seen the movies and they are freaking awesome... Despite the fact that unfortunately it looks like, 'Ed Gein', will live on forever in, 'Norman Bates'!

Now as for Ed Gein... Ed Gein was practically in love with his mother, and the two of them had a very unnaturally close bond in their tiny farm, out in the middle of no where, till well after his father and brother passed away (the later of which it has been suspected that Ed Gein murdered...)

After his mother died he decided that he wanted a sex change and began exhuming the bodies of dead women to make himself a, 'Woman Suit'... From there he would also go on to kill women as well...

Now Norman Bates was very similar, except different and here is what I mean:

1. Norman Bates, he lived at a creepy Motel that was out in the middle of nowhere (unlike Ed Gein who lived on a farm...)

2. Norman lived out at that creerpy Motel and shared a dangerously unnatural bond with his mother, until he killed her, (Ed Gein shared an unnatural bond with his mother but never killed her...)

3. After Norman Bates killed his mother, he slowly became her, (After his mother died, Ed Gein wanted to become a woman...)

In the end, I think Ed Gein was the absolute embodiment of a monster, but being a fan of, Novels, Movies & History, I found this stuff to be kind of interesting (despite being extremely disturbing,) and I thought that you guys might as well!

http://youtu.be/y9klJA1JMbM

http://youtu.be/Vs3981DoINw

http://youtu.be/lQKs169Sl0I

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D (2013) - Movie Review

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

You know you are a true horror movie fan when you can sit through a truly disturbing horror movie (Not a gore fest, or a thriller, but also not something like a, 'snuff' film), but a truely awesome but disturbing and fun horror movie... The first one for me that I saw was, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)!

Up to this point I had been watching the more traditional horror movies (A Nightmare On Elm Street, Silence Of The Lambs & the like...) But this one I found to be truly disturbing... Not because it is strongly violent... It's a gore fest... Not even out of fear that this type of thing could be real (sadly I have read that elements of this movie are based on serial killer, 'Ed Gein', and his life...)

No this movie was disturbing to me, because it was one of the few horror movies that scared me when I got older... (a circumstance that I assure you when I say that it doesn't happen often,)

Now because of the fact that this movie scared me... (Before I continue, let me say that this movie no longer scares me, but is a movie that I do enjoy), with that said, I decided to dive in to the series in the whole, and I have to admit that I found them to be a lot of fun, and with the later sequels to the original series bringing together such 'A' listers as, 'Viggo Mortensen' (who was in, 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3'), 'Matthew McConaughey' (who was in the final movie of the original series) and, 'Renee Zellweger' (who was also in the final movie of the original series.) I found them to be a lot of fun as well!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="510"] A young, 'Matthew McConaughey' with a young, ' Renee Zellweger' before they became the 'A-listers' of today![/caption]

And the most recent movie, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2013), I found to be an interesting way to reboot the original series instead of just remaking the series again...

Written by: Adam Marcus (Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday), Debra Sullivan (Conspiracy), Kirsten Elms (Banshee) & Directed by: John Luessenhop (Lockdown). Starring: Alexandra Daddario (Hall Pass), Dan Yeager (Metal Head), Trey Songz (Step Up 3D), Scott Eastwood (Flags Of Our Fathers), Tania Raymonde (Wild Cherry), Shaun Sipos (Final Destination 2), Keram Malicki-Sanchez (American History X), Thom Barry (Independence Day), Paul Rae (Enterprise), Richard Riehle (Office Space), Bill Moseley (Halloween) & Gunnar Hansen (Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers).

This movie is interesting to me, you see this movie isn't a remake, but a reboot... But not a reboot of the first movie, in this case, this movie seems to reboot the series but starting from the end of Tobe Hooper's original 1974 movie, and seeks to reboot the original series as the original series (I have to say that I was really happy to hear this!)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] This new movie seeks to reboot the original series starting from not long after this point in the original movie...[/caption]

But this movie starts off just after the events of the first movie, where the Sawyer family is holed up in their farm during a tense stand off with Sheriff Hooper (Thom Barry)... Now at first it looks like everything is going to go fine... The speaker for the family, 'Drayton Sawyer' (Bill Moseley) & Boss Sawyer (Gunnar Hansen) have decided to let, Jed 'Leatherface' Sawyer (Dan Yeager) be taken in to custody... That was when things started going wrong!

You see Burt Hartman (Paul Rae), and a group of rednecks come out to get their own brand of justice... They end up torching the farm and everyone in it... Or so they think...

Decades later, Heather Miller (Alexandra Daddario) finds out that not only is she adopted, but that she is the last known living member of the, 'Sawyer clan', and that she had been taken the night that the Sawyer farm had been torched, by one of the redneck couples and raised as their daughter...

[caption id="attachment_2514" align="aligncenter" width="450"] A family reunited...[/caption]

During this time she discovers that she has inherited the estate of the last recognized Sawyer... And so she and a couple of friends decide to drive down to the family estate while they make their way to Louisiana.

On their way, they pick up a hitch hiker by the name of, 'Carl' (Scott Eastwood)... Once they get their though, they are completely blown away by the level of wealth that was bestowed on to Heather... But with all good things there is always a catch right?
And as the bodies start to pile up, it is starting to look like maybe the, 'Sawyer curse' may not actually be over!

In the end, the only thing that I was a little surprised with, was the ending... Other then that, this movie was a great way to reboot the original series!

If you like these type of movies, then I recommend checking this one out, it is a fun one, and I think you might like it!

http://youtu.be/AKqFfkassgo

Ed Gein... Movies He Inspired!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

http://youtu.be/y9klJA1JMbM

http://youtu.be/04kk_XHyTvk

http://youtu.be/nSNJmvxNs80

http://youtu.be/lQKs169Sl0I

http://youtu.be/OzNOwnizMmg

http://youtu.be/nrhyZTNYdrU

http://youtu.be/mt9dFlDiC6k

http://youtu.be/Vs3981DoINw

http://youtu.be/k4AR3BgaCdA

http://youtu.be/btGEvamuaA4

Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer (1986) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignright" width="258"] Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils[/caption]

Written by: Richard Fire (The Borrower), John McNaughton (Wild Things) & Directed by: John McNaughton. Starring: Michael Rooker (Jumper), Tracy Arnold (The Shot) & Tom Towles (Night Of The Living Dead)

This bizarre tale is a story about two friends... And their mutual interest in murdering people... You see Henry (Rooker) and Otis (Towles) , who met while they were in prison, and when they got out, they found a tiny little hovel of a small apartment building and ended up moving in together.

During this time, Otis is trying to stay about as clean as possible (despite the fact that he is a degenerate of the worst kind,) and Henry is sort of a handy man about time... That is about to change when Otis's sister, 'Becky', (Arnold) comes to town to stay with her brother after the damage that was caused on her by her husband...

Now what she doesn't know, and what neither Henry or Otis will come to expect, is that after a short period of time of weird domestic bliss, they will start down a road that none of them ever expected, and some may not survive from!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="610"] This strange family and their bizarre domestic bliss...[/caption]

On the plus side, I suspect that this movie was in some capacity the inspiration for Rob Zombie's, House Of 1,000 Corpses (2003).

Also I think that this movie may have been the inspiration for people to start making movies based on the events of real serial killers.

In the end though, as a movie, this movie was bland and predictable (about the only thing from the movie stand point is what I mentioned above, as well as the fact that being a fan of Michael Rooker, I found seeing him in one of his earliest roles was quite cool!)

As a movie based on a true life serial killer, the movie was disjointed, and sorely lacking cohesion in showing the darker side of the crimes that this guy committed!

In truth, this is not one of the better horror movies I have seen that are based on true events, and unless you have the patients to wait till it starts getting good (which it does toward the end of the movie... A little to late to really make anything of it), than this movie probably is not the movie for you!

http://youtu.be/OHVHqOoQf5k

Return To Horror High (1987) - Movie Review

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

The 80s saw I would say as a perfection in the art of making slasher movies, I mean there was a lot of great slasher films before the 80s… (A couple of good examples of this is Alfred Hitchcock’s classic, Psycho (1960), and even The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) to name a few…)

But the 80s really perfected this sub-genre as a reputable and entertaining exploitation style horror movie sub-genre, for quite a few reasons.

Now the stories in a lot of these pre 1980s slasher horror movies were great, but not a lot of them ended up having a terrific amount of franchise potential… What I mean by that, is that with the exception of movies such as, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Psycho (which both have shared long lasting franchises, and have stayed in the hearts and minds of horror fans everywhere), there really hasn't been many slasher films to come out before the 1980s that have had long lasting franchise appeal… Now I think that is in large part, probably due to the popularity of monster movies Earthbound Monster movies in the 70s (such movies as Jaws (1975), Barracuda (1978), and Piranha (1978) to name a few…) and the more popular historically epic horror movies that people like Vincent Price (The Pit And The Pendulum) did in the 60s, etc…

Another reason is because rather you are a fan of the more mainstream slasher horror movies (like Friday The 13th (1980) or A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)), or if you are a fan of the more B Movie styled horror movies, such as, (Intruder (1989), or, The Prowler (1981), to name a few…) or are a fan of both (like myself), than you are going to also find these 80s slasher movies to be more perfect for the following reasons:

A: The story lines gave an element of potential legend in the storylines (as exampled with such series as, the ‘Friday The 13th’ series, the, ‘A Nightmare On Elm Street’ series, and even to a lesser extent, the, ‘Child’s Play’ series.

B: A lot of these slasher flicks that came out of the 1980s, were the inspiration for what was great from (well let’s be honest,) most of the horror movies to come out of the 1990s!

C: The next thing that I wanted to mention here, is that although I do think it may not be the worst ideas to remake some of the slasher films (or Horror films in general) from before the 80s, most of the horror movies that have been remade in the last 10 years are movies that although got their starts in the 70s, are movies (or movie series) that had their heyday’s start in the 80s!

But you know what folks, this is not paper on the importance of the slasher genre (that is coming) but a review on an awesome and classic slasher movie from way back when, that I do think embodies everything that made (and still makes), B slasher films so incredibly awesome (including everything that I mentioned above…) That movie of course being, Return To Horror High (1987)!

Written by: Bill Froelich (A Fine Romance), Mark Lisson (Mighty Joe Young), Dana Escalante, Greg H. Sims (Red Surf), and Directed by: Bill Froelich. Starring: Richard Brestoff (The Man With Two Brains), Brendan Hughes (Outland), Lori Lethin (Bloody Birthday), Pepper Martin (Scream), Andy Romano (Pump Up The Volume), Alex Rocco (The Godfather) and Al Fann (Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] This production is sure to have a lot more then just it's budget, 'SLASHED'![/caption]

A film crew has come to the great city of Crippen, to the former High School, to make a movie about the events that occurred at that School a few years earlier, those being that someone had gone through and had killed a whole bunch of the students that had gone to the School at the time!

 Now what makes this story so sensational is that the killer had not only never been caught, but had also never been identified!

So of course a few years later, a sleazebag producer by the name of, Harry Sleerik (Rocco) decides to make the movie about the events that occurred during the time that those grizzly murders were occurring!

Well the movie starts off after the new set of grizzly murders are supposed to have occurred, where all of the cast and the crew are laid out in pieces… During this time, the Chief Of Police (Martin) is there and he is interrogating the writer on the project by the name of ‘Arthur’ (Brestoff).

Now Arthur is telling the story, (which of course is the lead in to the movie…) And at the beginning of the story, everything seems to be working out well, with the exception of certain problems with in the crew hierarchy (including: the Producer wanting to save a buck and make a low budget gore fest, the Director wanting to make the epic that will save his career, the frustrated writer, and the overly pretentious special effects man).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="386"] The lead actress with the head of the production![/caption]

That is of course until people start disappearing from the production… Are they dead? Have they walked from this job? Or is there something even more sinister going… Well in the end, as more and more people begin to disappear, Steven Blake (Hughes) an officer for the Crippen P.D. who had been around during the original murders, and Susan (Lethin) begin to investigate what is going on… During this time though, and despite the disappearances, the show must go on… And the cast and crew may end up doing more than just, ‘break a leg’!

The last two things that I thought that I should mention here is the cameo appearances by actors: George Clooney (Ocean’s 11), and Maureen McCormack (The Brady Bunch), the other thing that I thought that I would mention here is that the ending to this movie is freaking awesome, and one that you will never expect!

So if you get a chance, check it out, I thought this one was both hilarious and entertaining, and you might as well!

http://youtu.be/pLjWEvEJvsk