Vampires have been a staple of the horror movie industry for decades.  As such they've changed over the years from being the purely evil blood sucking beasts of my childhood to the teenage, angsty, mopey tools of recent years.  Once in a while, something different comes along... Dex is a musician who has a problem that is slowly tearing away at his band, his friendships, and his relationship with is girlfriend.  He's an addict... but not your average addict... He's a vampire... The premise is actually quite intellegent- examine the vampire mythos from the perspective of it being an addiction and how it would affect the vampire's dealings with those around him.  Too bad the execution failed to explore that premise to a satisfactory level. " Immortal " is a very low budget production- we're talking camcorder low.  In some ways it's helped, but overall kept it from being a film with depth and coherency.  The film quality gave it a nice gritty lo

Kicking the week of right is important in life- and you can't kick it off any better than by catching up on William Castle's second 2011 "Scare It Forward!" tale ! The story so far: Rod "Hot Rod" McIntosh, is a guitarist with a taste for cocaine, liquor, and fast bikes.  During his band's performance one night, a mysterious woman gives him a note and a kiss.  Soon, Rod is faced with a growing horror as the woman stakes a claim on his soul.  Is this hellish nightmare a bad trip... or a fast trip to Hell? A night of passion turns into a nightmarish vision of shadowy death and and an creepy mystery for Rod after he meets, "Mindy".  Kisses land like feathers, and blood flows like wine in the fog of his memories from that night.  Who  IS  this mysterious woman... and what does she want with him?   Seeking answers to the fragmented questions about the strange night with "Mindy," Rod is on a journey to find her and discover the truth b

The wild west was full of ghost stories- often told around the camp fire in hushed tones lest the spirits in the shadows overhear you and bring their presence into your bedroll under the full moon.  Unfortunately, when it comes to movies, the wild west and horror don't seem to do as well as their oral storytelling predecessors.  Having said that, it's always interesting to see how a director works to mesh the two. A group of settlers have sold a deed to a mountain- which is supposed to be hiding a wealth of good under its rocky surface.  From the very beginning, greed and suspicion threatens to tear the group apart.  After the murder of a native, the group soon discovers that they are threatened by more than just greed... While this film certainly isn't a great film, there are some things I enjoyed.  It was a nice touch having Jack Elam do a cameo as Grady- the man who guides the group to the mountain.  I remember watching him in all sorts of westerns growing up- "

I'm always fascinated to see how certain books might be transcribed from the page onto the big screen- especially when it's a book by one of my favorite authors.  Usually, they aren't as good... but sometimes, they are just as good as- if not better than the book. Paul Sheldon is an author who is well known for his "Misery Chastain" novels to point where he feels that he'll never be known for anything else.  After a car accident leaves him stranded in the middle of a blizzard, he finds himself being nursed to health by Annie- his "number one fan."  Soon though, he learns just how far some fans will go to keep him from killing off their beloved character Misery... I absolutely loved the book by Stephen King and was hopeful the movie would retain the book's integrity and mood.  I wasn't disappointed.  Kathy Bates was just simply mind blowing as Annie- and deserved to win the 1990 Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role; 1990 Golde

Over the years, the Church, Satan, and cults have played a big part in the horror genre.  Some- like "The Exorcist" had a huge impact on the genre, while others try, but fall a little short of the mark. A Satanic group of monks have survived since the middle ages- sacrificing family members for longevity, wealth, and power.  In modern New York, the group has set their eyes on Alexandra Parkman as their next victim.  It's up to Detective Dann Carr to stop them before Satan takes her as his new bride... I'll say right off the bat that the premise wasn't too bad:  A group of disillusioned monks form a Satanic cult, and must sacrifice blood relatives every 13 years to remain in Satan's favour.  It could provide some interesting scares and suspense even. The execution wasn't as good, unfortunately.  To be honest, I felt that it was almost something that had been made in the 1970's, but released in the 1980's.  The sets, the costumes, the music, t

Monday has rolled around again- and that means it's time for another chilling update on William Castle's 2011 "Scare It Forward!" .  This week, I bring you a quick summary of Chapter Three and Chapter Four! The story so far: Rod "Hot Rod" McIntosh, is a guitarist with a taste for cocaine, liquor, and fast bikes.  During his band's performance one night, a mysterious woman gives him a note and a kiss.  Soon, Rod is faced with a growing horror as the woman stakes a claim on his soul.  Is this hellish nightmare a bad trip... or a fast trip to Hell? A night of passion turns into a nightmarish vision of shadowy death and and an creepy mystery for Rod after he meets, "Mindy".  Kisses land like feathers, and blood flows like wine in the fog of his memories from that night.  Who IS this mysterious woman... and what does she want with him?   Seek answers to the fragmented questions about the strange night with "Mindy," Rod is on a journey

Regular readers of my blog will know that I'm a big fan of William Castle.  The man was a visionary that made horror films fun, entertaining, and more than just images on the screen. Well, he's at it again- this time with a new book... the first book ever written by a ghost! William Castle finds himself a ghost in the quiet tomb of Saint Sarah in France.  While learning to adjust to his new "life", he discovers that his fate is tied to the lives of four teens who are soon sent on a terrifying quest to uncover the the truth behind Castle's death... and keep those responsible from gaining the tool for taking over the world... I have to admit, I was excited to read this book.  Seriously excited.  That last time I was THIS excited over a book was when I found a bunch of old " The Shadow " books at the book store I frequent.  And I was seriously geeking out at that time. And as far as I'm concerned, that excitement was worth it. The book, si

I enjoy foreign horror films since they tend to be, generally, more original and interesting than those produced by the North American studios.  But, sometimes the foreign attempts just suck. After spending years in a mental institution due to his murdering his parents, Michael Tucker is finally released... and plans his revenge on the scientist responsible for taking over his mind... " Death Warmed Up " was apparently New Zealand's first foray into the splatter gore region of the horror genre.  I'm kinda hoping they learned from their mistakes in this film. I couldn't stand the main character- especially as he dragged his friends into a blood bath without any remorse at all.  Not only that, I kept getting distracted by how much he looked like Rutger Hauer in " Blade Runner ".  Personally, I'm ashamed to mention such a great movie like " Blade Runner " in a review of an utter crap fest.  Not only was the main character detestable, bu

I have found that usually, when it comes to haunted house stories, those from Europe tend be a bit better than those made in North America, and are often more envelope pushing in respect to gore. Lucy and Norman- with their son Bob, are moving into a new house... despite a little girl in a photo warning Bob not to.  After moving in, strange noises can be heard as Norman begins to investigate the death of the previous owner- who happened to be a colleague of Norman's.  Soon, the family is involved in the fight of their life as the dark secret of the house comes to life and stalks them... I often enjoy foreign horror films, and I definately enjoy haunted house movies. " The House by the Cemetery " is a pretty decent one, despite some of its flaws. The acting was pretty good, though hampered by the dubbing.  The voice work was a little stilted at times.  While most of the characters seemed a little two dimensional, I still liked them.  The role of the young girl- Mae,

Last Monday, the first of three tales for William Castle's, 2011 "Scare It Forward! " ended, and today, I bring you the first two chapters of the second tale. The story so far: Rod "Hot Rod" McIntosh, is a guitarist with a taste for cocaine, liquor, and fast bikes.  During his band's performance one night, a mysterious woman gives him a note and a kiss.  Soon, Rod is faced with a growing horror as the woman stakes a claim on his soul.  Is this hellish nightmare a bad trip... or a fast trip to Hell?  Chapter One is written by Dan Dillard- who also wrote Chapter Two of the first tale- as well as contributed to Chapter Six with William Castle and Will Newell of that story.  Chapter Two of THIS tale was written by Jason Chalmers. I'm looking forward to seeing where this tale leads over the course of the next eleven chapters. Check out the complete first tale- " Scare It Forward- Undertow ", as well as last year's story, " Scare it

The 1980's saw a surge of slasher films rising to prominence.  Some were effective, while others, though entertaining, were not so effective. During the annual carnival in a small town, a couple are killed and dumped in the river.  As the Sheriff investigates, a group of teens decide to have a private party near the river... only to have the killer being to take them out one by one... Some people will know, "Death Screams" under the titles, "House of Death" or "Night Screams".  Under any title, this film has some entertainment value- but some serious flaws as well. The acting isn't too bad, and is entertaining.  There weren't any stand out performances, though Hanns Manship- who plays the child-like Casey, did give a good performance in his role.  The characters are a little stereotypical of the 1980's, but still likable. The kills are decent, and fairly well done- though the one with the girl being shot with an arrow during broad d

  This week's update for William Castle's 2011 "Scare it Forward!" features the concluding two chapters for the first story. The story so far: Summer- a time for sunshine, bathing suits, swimming in the river... and death.  Grant and four of his friends are enjoying the summer sun by spending the night along the banks of a river.  After Grant sees what he thinks is a dead body, evil begins to stalk the teens one by one...   Years ago, a simple Mexican peasant girl caught the eye of the Don's son.  He wanted her, and have he would.  But all was not what she expected.  Soon the rumors brought to her by the servants, and his growing attention towards their twin sons would pull the family apart... and her actions would haunt the landscape for years to come... And one of those years is now.  Aaron- one of the teens camping by the side of the river is found the next morning... barely concious, and terrifie

As the 1980's opened up, so did the number of horror movies increase.  One common theme was the idea of the "home invader"- someone entering your home and doing nasty things to you. Dr. Lindsay Gale has been receiving phone calls to her radio show from a person calling himself "Ramone", claiming to suffer from headaches, and having found the cure.  During one such call, "Ramone" treates Dr. Gayle to the sounds of his strangling a prostitute.  Soon, Dr. Gale and the two detectives assigned to investigate a string of stranglings are tracking the killer down, as he gets closer to his final victim... Dr. Gale... " Don't Answer the Phone! " is a little misleading in its title- along with the tagline, " He'll Know You're Alone! " since the killer never once calls his victims- other than contacting Dr. Gale a couple of times.  I was a little disappointed and felt mislead myself.  I think the American title, " The Ho

I simply going to say that I have never been so disappointed in a horror movie in my life... ever. A professor tells a High School class about and encounter with an inhuman creature 20 years prior while investigating an archeological site where a mummy had been found.  After finding the mummy, he and his students are forced to confront and destroy the beast before innocent people are killed... " Curse of Bigfoot " starts out with what could've been a decent clip of a rather nasty faced creature in a black suit attacking a woman and her dog.  Too bad that was only a movie being shown a High School class to illustrate how Hollywood portrays monsters and mythical beasts.  He then bring up the topic of Sasquatch- or Bigfoot.  They then go into a flashback of two people encountering a Bigfoot.  A promising start, right? It's a promise that they fail to deliver on.  After that initial Bigfoot scene, the rest of the movie has nothing to do with the title.  In fact, al

Revenge is a common theme in horror films, and it can provide a basis for an interesting, and entertaining film... and sometimes a guilty pleasure... Five members of a secret society for women are invited to a reunion at an isolated Mexican villa, with no clue as to who invited them.  Soon however, the five women are terrorized by a sinister figure seeking revenge for something that happened seven years before... "Sisters of Death" is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me.  It's not a great film, but for some reason, it appeals to me... not really sure why though. The story is pretty basic, though not without potential.  It's certainly strong enough to support the events in the film.  The first time I watched it, I was actually surprised by the ending, which is a good thing.  The rest of the events are a little disjointed and even a little illogical. There are one or two decent pieces of camerawork, but the majority of it is rather plain and ordinary. Despite t

  It's Monday again, and that means a new update on William Castle's 2011 " Scare It Forward! ".  This week, Chapters Ten and Eleven take you onto a strange journey into the nightmare that is the La Llorona twisted heart. The story so far: Summer- a time for sunshine, bathing suits, swimming in the river... and death.  Grant and four of his friends are enjoying the summer sun by spending the night along the banks of a river.  After Grant sees what he thinks is a dead body, evil begins to stalk the teens one by one...   Years ago, a simple Mexican peasant girl caught the eye of the Don's son.  He wanted her, and have he would.  But all was not what she expected.  Soon the rumors brought to her by the servants, and his growing attention towards their twin sons would pull the family apart... and her actions would haunt the landscape for years to come... And one of those years is now.  Aaron- one of the teens camping by th