The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D & Star Trek... Two Great Examples Of Movie Series Rebooted

That's right folks, these 2 movies, both being almost polar opposites of each other really got it right!

What do I mean by this? Well before I go in to this, let me give you a little background in to why these series ultimately really did need to be rebooted... Starting with, 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' would go on to live in the hearts and minds of horror fans all over the world forever![/caption]

Now this movie series started off with the ultra popular classic, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre  (1974)... A movie that was directed by Tobe Hooper (Eaten Alive)... Now this movie would go on to live in the hearts and minds of true horror fans, and would spawn a few sequels, and a remake series...

The problem is, is that like all great horror franchises, the production company allowed the series to degenerate in to unbearable campyness... That was until, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994)... This movie was so bad that they went in to full on remake mode!

Well the truth is, is the remakes truly did do the series some justice, and kind of rubbed off some of the stank that came with, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation... The problem though, is that for some reason, the studio decided not really to follow through the remake series very well, because directly after the first remake movie, they decided to do the pre-quel... Well both were good... It just sucked to see them end so quickly!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="510"] Leatherface as a girl... Really?[/caption]

And then came, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D (2013) rather or not you liked this movie or not, there is one area that I found not only to be extremely bad ass, but in a way, this movie could have stunk otherwise (It didn't), but having this element being apart of the movie, just made it all worth while!

That being just how well they rebooted the series!

What I mean by that, is that they essentially cut out the original series sequels, and started this movie as if it was a sequel to the Tobe Hooper classic original... But not only did they do that, and do that well, but they also did something that I don't remember ever seeing in any movie, that was done right, but have always wanted to see it, and see it done right, and that is to see the after math of the events from the previous horror movie!

There are many other reasons to see this movie, but the truth is, is these 2 I think are 2 of the better reasons!

[caption id="attachment_2622" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Star Trek (2009)... A great example of a classic series being properly rebooted for the next generation![/caption]

As far as Star Trek (2009) goes, I can go on and on about that movie, but the truth is, is that I liked the way they rebooted the series for that movie as well (essentially they gradually and comfortably refocused the story by changing events in the main story line, so that the original story can be told with a fresh perspective, and the truth is, I found that cool, considering that the original story was running out of wiggle room, and Paramount at the time had a moratorium on anything Star Trek, after, 'Enterprise' and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) bombed...)

In the end, there is a lot of other great reasons to check out these 2 films, and if you would like information on that, then I would recommend checking the reviews that are on this site... Otherwise, please enjoy these trailers for both movies!

http://youtu.be/SyJszxnJydA

http://youtu.be/AKqFfkassgo

Hell Yes, 70s Horror Movies Are Still Relevant

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] 'Pluto' (Michael Berryman) with, 'Brenda Carter' (Susan Lanier) in this scene from the classic 70s horror movie, 'The Hills Have Eyes' (1977).[/caption]

The short answer is... 'Hell Yes!' Of course 70s horror movies are still strongly relevant to the new generation! I mean a world that has for the most part not only forgotten the trailblazers of any genre during the silent era, pretty much all the way up to the classics that helped define a lot of modern movies... Hell Yes 70s horror movies are still relevant!

If horror is to survive and not drown in the soup of over rebooting or remaking of the genre (essentially just putting a newer face and untested (and I hate to say it), but at least some of the time disinterested talent to try and re-create the mastery and artistic vision of the trail blazers like, 'Alfred Hitchcock', 'John Carpenter' or any of the other true masters of horror...) We as the fans of the true classics have a duty to remind this new generation of horror fans that before, movies like, Tobe Hooper's truly classic horror movie, A Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) was being remade in 2003, that there was a classic little horror masterpiece that no one wanted to give the time of day to (so much so that during production of the movie, at least one time they had to close down production of the film for lack of funding!)

[caption id="attachment_2023" align="aligncenter" width="471"] Leatherface both from the 1974 version as well as 2013 version.[/caption]

Now before I go on I should probably say this, there are a some decent enough horror movie remakes, as well as originals that are coming out in the modern day (there is at least one remake, believe it or not that I would say is even better then the original... Shocking but true!) All I am saying though is that in an age where CGI has slowly taken over the horror genre, and where remakes seem to be mostly taking over, and the horror movies of the 70s that I believe are what helped make the genre what it had been for so long loosing their power, that some one has to stand up and say, 'Hell Yes 70s Horror Movies Are Still Relevant!'

In the end, I guess what I am really trying to say folks is to remember the classics that made 70s horror great, and don't forget to pass them on to the next generation, and keep these awesome classics alive for the next generation to enjoy... So stand up with me and say, 'Hell Yes 70s Horror Movies Are Still Relevant'.

Here is just a few classic trailers to wet your whistle with:

http://youtu.be/FS5hvqyeKfI

http://youtu.be/deJWUkiS42U

http://youtu.be/fYhceVkQGUk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

http://youtu.be/YyJvOuxZDHY

http://youtu.be/9cQGA5VRj50

http://youtu.be/0j__l3DgbhE

http://youtu.be/dw2bAg5dwW4

http://youtu.be/3GwO6sO44bU

The 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