Horror movies are the stuff of nightmares.  Sometimes, the nightmare IS the horror movie.  Sometimes, horror movie music makes that nightmare all the more real... 1984 saw the start of the " A Nightmare on Elm Street " franchise- and in doing so, gave the horror world a truly classic horror icon in the shape of Freddy Krueger... and an equally iconic theme. This piece of music is both dreamlike, and nightmarish at the same time.  It walks the line between the two realms with etheral wind sounds, and low pulsing beats of the heart.  The combination of wind instruments, guitar, and synth sounds add up to a really mysterious and otherworldly song.  The ever changing melody and rhythm create an slow building of unease as you sense the creature in the shadowy depths of your bedroom slowly creeps up to whisper in your ear. The layers of sounds, rhythms, and tunes lay on each other, adding a heaviness of mood that reflects the overall tone of the movie...

Halloween is made for nightmares.  And horror movies are all about making nightmares real.  One of the best ones is "A Nightmare on Elm Street" from 1984.  Today, I take a quick look at the main theme. The notes that open up this piece are dreamlike and misty before taking a turn into the dark realm of nightmares.  The whole piece feels like that ever encroaching shadow in the corner of the eye- the one that shifts and fades when you try to look at it... only for it to gently caress your cheek with it's razor sharp claw from behind you. The music pulses and thumps rhythmically like the heartbeat of a person in the throes of a horrific vision flashing upon their closed eyelids- a vision they can't wake up from.  You feel the dread as shapeless, nameless horrors flit about in the crevices and hollows of your sleeping mind.  The music stalks you without remorse. I love this particular piece.  It is so unique and fits in with the franchise, and Fr...

If you've seen " Freddy vs Jason " (2003), then you know what happens when you mix two famous horror franchises together.  What would happen if you added a THIRD...? An undead horror has returned to the forests of Crystal Lake seeking an evil book at the behest of a nightmarish figure intent on reshaping the world to his warped dreamscape.  The only thing standing between these two monsters and genocidal slaughter is The Chosen One, a chainsaw... and a boomstick. .. " Freddy vs Jason vs Ash " was quite enjoyable- though a fair bit more serious in tone than you'd expect from a book featuring Ash Williams of " Evil Dead " fame.  There's humour to be sure- but it's mostly delivered in the form of quips by Ash and Freddy, rather than the slapstick that common to Ash's stories.  In general, the blending of the more seriousness of the " Nightmare on Elm Street " and " Friday the 13th " franchises is blended nicely wi...

I felt that it wouldn't have been a proper " Terrorpolooza 2012 " if I didn't watch a classic 1980's horror movie- which is why I pulled up " A Nightmare on Elm Street "... Teenagers in a small American town are starting to dream of a disfigured man with a clawed glove.  When her friends start to die from their dreams, Nancy decides it's up to her to confront the supernatural killer and end his nightmarish reign of terror... I'm pretty sure you, the reader, can figure out where I'm going to go with this particular review. Yep- you guessed it.  I really enjoy this movie. The premise is simple, but terrifying, since you're at your most vulnerable when sleeping, and we've all had those dreams that are just "too real" for comfort.  The story is well paced, with a great mixture of suspense, and plain old in your face scares.  No event is trivial, and the flow is smooth.  Just a masterpiece of writing. The characters ...

When it comes to movies, the horror genre is one of the few where houses are as much a character as the humans.  Certain houses are immediately identifiable with certain movies: The Meyers house from John Carpenter's " Halloween "; Nancy's house from Wes Craven's " A Nightmare on Elm St "; Norman Bate's house from Alfred Hitchcock's " Psycho "; and The Lutz home from any " Amityville Horror " movie. George and Kathy Lutz have just moved into 112 Ocean Ave- where a brutal mass murder had occured just the year before.  Soon, however, their dream house becomes a house of horrors and the couple must fight to protect their children from the evil that resides with them... and keep it from causing history to repeat itself... There has always been controversy regarding the background for the movie, since it's based on a book documenting the experiences of the real-life Lutz family.  Because of this controversy,...

The past decade or so has seen a series of remakes and reboots shunted into theatres.  "Halloween", "Friday the 13th", "A Nightmare on Elm Street" being the biggest names put out there.  This overflow of remakes and reboots has caused a serious drop in faith when it comes to Hollywood's ability to produce original and exciting horror movies. Personally, I'm not a big fan of remakes.  When I hear that a remake or a reboot of a franchise is being released, I'm automatically wary and sceptical. I can understand WHY Hollywood would want to remake a horror classic- they hope that they can recapture the success of the original. They want to earn money. The same goes for reboots.  Hollywood studio reps can say they "want to introduce a new audience" to the classic horror franchises, but ultimately what they mean is they want to feed younger people to the cash cow and milk the franchise for more money. Do remakes really NEED to be made? ...

Imagine if you will that you're a zombie.  You're shambling along the darkened streets of the city, the occasional flickering of the street lights illuminating you in a staccato rhythm.  Your kindred are staggering through the alleys and parks around you.  All you know is a need... an unending hunger... and undying, painful desire for human flesh. Suddenly the sound of voices, and the scent of living meat draws your attention to the intersection in front of you.  The deathly silent air brings the voices and the enticing aroma of dinner to you- pulling you forward with a sluggish limping gait.  You approach them, the shadows and their voices disguising your approach.  If you could articulate what you saw, you would describe one of the appetizing morsels as lean... low fat but tough.  The other tasty treat is high in fat, but tender. Suddenly, the street light on the corner comes on as its timer activates!  They see you, and in some dim cor...