The Meme

I decided to fill out this thing called a "meme" from the blog Billy Loves Stu :

So here's my answers to the first ever Billy Loves Stu Meme for Horror Bloggers



1: In Ten Words or Less, Describe Your Blog:
Random thoughts on horror entertainment and my other interests.


2: During What Cinematic Era Where you Born?
E: The Exorcism Era (Early to mid 70's)


3: The Carrie Compatibility Question: Sue Snell or Chris Hargensen, who would you take to the prom?
Sue Snell because I'd never have a chance on getting a date with Hargensen.


4: You have been given an ungodly amount of money, and total control of a major motion picture studio - what would your dream Horror project be?
That's tough. There are so many great works that could be adapted to screen and there's my own ideas running in my head. But I'd have to choose The Repairman Jack series by F. Paul Wilson (which has been in pre-production for years)


5: What horror film "franchise" that others have embraced, left you cold?
Final Destination


6: Is Michael Bay the Antichrist?
Since I'm athesist, I cant really believe in the Antichrist. But he is one evil mother fucker who is pointlessly destroying great horror movies with dumbed down pieces of shit movies just to make a few bucks. (wow, I feel better)

7: Dracu
la, The Wolf Man, The Frankenstein Monster - which one of these classic villains scares you, and why?
The Wolf Man because in human form, Larry Talbot could be your best bud. Then every full moon you could be his lunch.


8: Tell me about a scene from a NON HORROR Film that scares the crap out of you:
During the excruciating rape scene in Irreversible for a moment a man walks into the background and sees what is occurring, then quickly leaves without helping or saying a word. To me, knowing somebody sees such a horrific violation of a person and chooses to do nothing is truly frightening.


9: Baby Jane Hudson invites you over to her house for lunch. What do you bring?
Something she enjoys eating and new sneakers on my feet to run the hell out of there if need be.


10: So, between you and me, do you have any ulterior motives for blogging? Come, on you can tell me, it will be our little secret, I won't tell a soul.
Like all my writing, I do it for myself first. If I gain followers and admirors on my blog then great. If I eventually get published for the fiction stories I write, that'd be cool too. To quite the daily grind and live off writing would be a dream.


11: What would you have brought to Rosemary Woodhouse's baby shower?
Am I Satanist who knows the deal or a friend of hers? It matters.


12: Godzilla vs The Cloverfield Monster, who wins?
Cloverfield monster. It's bigger and should avoid the fire breathing of Godzilla.


13: If you found out that Rob Zombie was reading your blog, what would you post in hopes that he read it?
I might post something about it, not because I'd want him to respond, but because it'd be fairly awesome. But then again, I might not.


14: What is your favorite NON HORROR FILM, and why?
Damn. Not sure I can pick just one favorite film. This is not right. Well, off the top of my head Fight Club.


15: If blogging technology did not exist, what would you be doing?
Since I make about zero cash on my blogging adventure, I would still be doing what I normally do - work my AV job to pay bills and write stories when I have time.

Wrestling and Corporate America

Rarely to I talk about my fondness of pro wrestling these days. The reason is simple: nothing gets me too fired up to write about anymore. I still watch RoH on HDNet every week, hands down the best show for wrestling, but I dont attend live events like I use to. I DVR WWE RAW and Smackdown to watch later that night and usually delete NXT and Superstars. Dont even get me started on TNA and their waste of a great roster with absurd stories and two minute matches. Rarely to I even spend the time to watch.

With all that being said, Monday night on RAW was truly one of those rare moments in wrestling that catches you shock and awe. The unprovoked attack by the NXT "rookies" on the company's top star John Cena and complete dismantling of the ringside area was nothing short of brilliant. In wrestling circles, the WWE made people talk about what happened.

Here's the unedited clip




One of the shocking things about this angle is the WWE portrays itself currently as family friendly and rated PG. Yet supposedly the want more realism in their characters, interviews, and stories. A very fine line to walk, in my opinion.

I bring this up for a reason. On Friday, wrestler Bryan Danielson was fired. He is one of the NXT rookies and goes by Daniel Bryan. He's a tremendous worker that I've had the privilege of watching on the small stage for years. I've conversed with the man a couple of times at fan gatherings in the past. He's a good guy with great talent. I also cheer for wrestlers I've watched for years on the indie scene to make it with the big boys (WWE and to a lesser extent TNA). They're kind of like that obscure band you love and get excited for when the fan base grows and they get national attention or the cult movie you've loved for the first time you watched and gathers momentum to become this icon thing. But now I'm off the subject.

Rumors are flying around in the wrestling community. Is this real or a work? No one knows for sure, but it seems to be legit. The apparent reason is one of the WWE main sponsors did not approve of the action. The very action which made this segment so brutal and memorable. Danielson has apparently become the fall go for doing exactly what was asked of him.

On a side note, the WWE supposedly has a "no choking code" amongst the workers that has been in effect since the Chris Benoit murder-suicide. But from everything I have read, the creative team and bosses where very pleased at the segment and the workers. Plus if there is a choking ban, then why in the hell didn't the director cut away from the shot. In all the official WWE clips, the choke is no longer shown.

So it looks like, once again, a good guy gets the shaft. This is what happens when you are a publicly traded company, as the WWE, and have to answer to shareholders, network TV, and sponsors. Welcome to merger of wrestling and corporate America.

Under Appreciated Horror Authors #7 - Sarah Langan

It's rare that an author with only a few novels under their belt makes such a great impact on the genre. Sarah Langan has done just that and horror fans who've read her tales are more than happy about it. She has a unique voice and uncanny way of putting a new spin on classic fright themes.

Sara burst on the scene with The Keeper, a story about a small town haunted by its past and a spirit. I flew through the chilling story and wanted more. I got my wish with The Missing, a loose sequel where inhabitants of a town get infected with a virus. This is not your normal zombie infected drivel. This is awesome. I have Audrey's Door on my shelf waiting to be read. It's about a haunted house.

I look forward to the well crafted tales of this fine author. She has my attention, now it time she gets yours.



THE BOOKS
The Keeper - Bram Stoker winner, Best First Novel
















Missing aka Virus - Bram Stoker winner, Superior Achievment in Novel
















Audrey's Door - Bram Stoker winner, Superior Achievment in Novel

Horror Movies Watched and Books Read (May 2010)

MOVIES

Insanitarium (2008) **
I'm not even sure where to begin on this one. Crazy people are used as experiments by a doctor which is the subplot. This movie goes all over the place. Good gore and Peter Stormare's usual fine acting are about the only thing making this remotely tolerable.

The Graves (2010) **
A small town feeds passer by's to a demon in order to keep themselves safe. Nothing really worked for me in this one except the performances of Bill Mosley and Tony Todd.


The Black House(2007) ***1/2
An insurance agent tries to prove a man murdered his step-son for the money and gets far more than he bargained for. If the make it through the rather boring and procedural first half, then you are in for a great final half of the movies which stays away from the usual supernatural elements found in Asian cinema.






Splatter Beach (2007) 1/2
Sometimes you know what you're getting into before even deciding to watch a movie. I knew this a D grade movie, but I wanted some background noise while I was working on something else. I'm surprised that I even rated this monstrosity 1/2 star.

The Train () **
An overdone premise - US students traveling Europe are slain for the organs on the black market. Slightly suspensful and a tad gory, but not really worth it.

Shock Waves () **
Some would this nazi zombie flick a classic. I think it could have so much better with more logic and better characters. Even John Carradine and Peter Cushing seem to walk through their roles.

Legion (2009) *1/2
Such a disappointment. Had a couple of decent moments before the constant, mind numbing action sequences began.

Pyscho II (1982) ***
A very suspenseful tale that has you guessing if Norman has slipped back into his old ways right up until the end.

The Haunting of Molly Hartley (2008) **1/2
Nothing special about this spawn of Satan tale, but it did enough to keep me interested in watching the outcome

Trilogy of Terror (1975) ***
A decent made for TV movie with 3 short films. The best one is last with the famous Zuni voodoo doll.

# Supernatural, Season 5 (2009-2010) *****
Even though the show is going at least one more season, this felt like a series finale (as it was going to be). The Winchesters battle continue to battle angles, demons, Lucifer, and themselves to try a stop the Apocalypse from happening. I'm cant recall a more satisfying end cap to long term story arc from a series on Network TV. This show new what it was doing from day one and took the viewers on an incredible ride. Next season will be impossible to top, by I'll eagerly await to see where the saga of Dean and Sam head.

# Fringe, Season 2 (2009-2010) ****
I really enjoyed this season. I think the show is starting to hit it's stride and the stories they come up with on a weekly basis is amazing.


The Descent 2 (2010) ***
Picks up basically where the first one leaves off, with a search party looking for the missing group of cave explorers. Better than most sequels and the only the stupid decisions made by the Sheriff took away from it.

Animals (2010) **
I wanted to like this movie. But the ultra-terrible computer animation for the monsters and the unnecessary narration ruined the otherwise decent movie.

Necrosis (2009) *1/2
Bad acting and a thin story makes for an unbearable movie.

Carriers (2009) ***
Four people try to survive a virus outbreak. They heading to a secluded place on the beach and ride out the disease. Of course it's not going to be that easy. A good and very bleak movie where the horror lies in what you will do to survive.

The Human Centipede (2010) **1/2
The concept behind this movie is utterly sickening. However, it's not nearly as gruesome as I was lead to believe. Worth watching just for the villainous doctor.


# Lost, Season 6 (2009-2010) ***1/2
There has already been so much debate on this season, the entire series, and the last episode. For me, the entire season seemed a bit rushed and a letdown. The show turned into an event where the island was the main character. This year so many things where answered, but way too many where left opened as the focus turned back to the original survivors of the Oceanic flight. Still it will go down as groundbreaking TV, the likes we may never see again.


The Quiet Family (1999) ****
A Korean film about a family who runs a mountain hotel where guest keep dying off. Loads of black humor and light on gore, but I enjoyed it. Not nearly as wacky as the Takeshi Miike remake though.







Survival of the Dead (2010) **1/2
The story was decent, basically a modern day western but with zombies as a backdrop. But the CGI was terrible.





BOOKS

Death Troopers by Joel Scriber ***1/2
Star Wars and horror...interesting. The Empire constructs a virus that turns people into zombie like creatures. And it's the unfortunate luck of prison vessel to stumble upon the ship where the testing is being done.



Ghost Road Blues by John Maberry *****
The first book in a trilogy which I will anxiously await to finish. The book has everything for a horror fan. Supernatural elements, a great bad guy, kick ass fight scenes, drama, cringe worthy moments, and amazing true to life characters. Why did I wait so long to read this story about a town rising up to fight evil? It's one of the best novels I've picked up this year.











Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton ***
The first book in the Anita Blake series. I was captivated by the main character and this world she lives in that has a unique mythos on the supernatural world.