Little Miss Zombie: October 2008

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Trash or Treasure Thursday

Trick or Treat (1986)

Acquired at: Giant Tiger
Cost: $4.99

When I saw this movie for $4.99, I was like "Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Simmons? Score!" But they're barely in the movie. Ozzy is a minister against rock music and it only shows him in a brief clip where he's interviewed on T.V. Gene is DJ at the local radio station. It's unfair that they put both of them on the cover to sell more DVDs, but I guess it works.

Trick or Treat is about a high school outcast, Eddie, who loves metal music, especially Sammi Curr. When his idol dies in a hotel fire, Eddie is devastated and goes to his friend Nuke (Gene Simmons), the local DJ, for comfort. Nuke gives him the only copy of Sammi Curr's last, unreleased album. When the record starts skipping, he notices something strange about the words. Eddie plays it backwards and Sammi Curr speaks to him from beyond the grave, telling him how to get even with some bullies. When Sammi's plans turn sour, Eddie wants to stop talking to him. But when he spills his pop on the record, an electrical surge brings him back to life - sort of. He can only travel through electronics. When Sammi travels to the school's Halloween dance, it's up to Eddie to stop him.

This movie wasn't scary at all, but it wasn't bad enough to be so-bad-it's-good either. It was interesting up until the point where he came back to life. After he started jumping around through electronics it became stupid and boring. The premise was so good: playing a record backwards to raise your favourite dead rock star from the dead to help you get revenge on your enemies. Sounds interesting, but the execution was disappointing.

I give this movie a 3/5. It's not an amazing treasure, but I wouldn't call it trash either.

Rating: 3/5

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

My Halloween Haul

Every year I can't wait to see the Halloween displays go up. Especially at stores like HMV. I'm addicted to buying horror DVDs. And every store that sells them sets up displays of cheap ones that they get in for Halloween. This is the only time of the year they have an abundance of horror films. In the past I've bought such films as Friday the 13th, Sleepaway Camp, and Pin for only $5 each. This year I went a little overboard and bought a bunch of DVDs. Here's my Halloween haul...so far...

C.H.U.D.

Acquired at: HMV
Cost: $5.99

I just reviewed this film last week. I watched this as soon as I brought it home. It was just as good as I remembered.

My Bloody Valentine/ April Fool's Day

Acquired at: HMV
Cost: $8.99

Two for the price of one! I haven't seen either of these cult classics yet, but I can't wait to watch them. Especially before the 3-D remake of My Bloody Valentine comes out.

Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers

Acquired at: HMV
Cost: $5.99

I loved the first Sleepaway Camp, so hopefully the sequel will also be good.

Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland

Acquired at: HMV
Cost: $5.99

I rented this movie a long time ago when I went camping. The campground had a bunch of camping-related horror films, but I just remember this one and Campfire Tales. I remember hating it, but I think that now I've seen the original I'll appreciate this one more.

A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

Acquired at: HMV
Cost: $5.99

This was the only Nightmare On Elm Street movie I didn't have. I've heard that this one is supposed to be one of the better sequels. It does have Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) in it.

Tamara

Acquired at: Zellers
Cost: $2.99

I watched this a couple years ago and remember enjoying it.

Milo

Acquired at: Zellers
Cost: $2.99

The tagline made me buy this movie. "Remember, Jason and Freddy were kids once too." I do love killer kid movies...

Undead

Acquired at: Zellers
Cost: $2.99

Sounds like an okay zombie flick.

The Butcher

Acquired at: Zellers
Cost: $2.99

Hm another car-breaks-down-while-young-beautiful-people-are-on-a-road-
trip-and-the-house-they-go-for-help-houses-a-killer slasher movie. It could be good...

Leprechaun 4

Acquired at: Zellers
Cost: $2.99

I remember watching this when I was younger. This and Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha Hood are the only Leprechaun movies I've seen. I remember thinking this movie was creepy, but I would've been 10 at the time, so that might have something to do with it.

The Off Season

Acquired at: Zellers
Cost: $2.99

Looks like an all right ghost movie. The cover claims "The most haunting film since The Shining." I doubt it.

Madhouse

Acquired at: Zellers
Cost: $2.99

A horror film that takes place in a mental institution? Sounds like good watching.

Looks like I'll have a lot of movies to review.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Screemers

Last year on my birthday (October 19), I went to Screemers, a haunted house type thing in Toronto. It actually has six different haunted houses. It's at Exhibition Place in a huge building. There are midway rides, a fortune teller/palm reader, an arcade and a Pizza Pizza. Last year they also had a show with a Criss Angel sort of man who did stunts where he could be killed (like putting a box on his head like the one in Saw).

I thought it was pretty scary, but of course the people I was with thought it was lame. They stamp your ticket at the entrance to each haunted house so you can only go in each once. At one haunted house, the ticket-stamper made me go in alone and I was terrified. There was someone dressed up as Michael Myers but I thought it was a mannequin...until he started chasing me. I pretty much ran through the whole thing. Another one is pitch black so you have to feel along the walls to get through. My friends and I fought over who would be the first to go through. And afterward they said it wasn't scary.... The fact that you don't know what's around the bend is what makes it scary.

I would definitely recommend Screemers for some creepy fun this Halloween. Admission is $28.50 plus GST, but you can print out a $5 coupon on the Screemers website (the coupon can't be used on Halloween). It's open the following dates:
Tuesday, October 28 7 pm - 11 pm
Wednesday, October 29 7 pm - 11 pm
Thursday, October 30 7 pm - 11 pm
Friday, October 31 6 pm - midnight
Saturday, November 1 6 pm - midnight

I've always wanted to go to Canada's Wonderland Halloween Haunt, but I haven't been yet. I've heard it's really scary. They have way more rides than Exhibition Place. Screemers only had three rides plus the bumper cars and the funhouse. Canada's Wonderland has tons of rollercoasters and their website says they run in complete darkness, which would be even creepier.

Their haunted attractions are mazes instead of haunted houses, according to their website, and there's 10 of them. And they all have a spooky back-story which you can read on the website.

There's also a show which sounds similar to the one at Screemers. Most of the restaurants there are open, or you could also buy a ticket for a buffet online. It's open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday 7 pm - midnight until November 1. The admission is the same price as Screemers.

Even though I'm sure both of these are scary, nothing will ever compare to the haunted road I went to with my family. It was a sideroad in the middle of nowhere that you drove down in your car and actors would walk around banging on your windows and pretending to drag you out of your car. My cousin was pretty young at the time and an actor opened his door and tried to drag him out, making him start bawling.

And there was something in the woods that we argued about whether it was a person or a mannequin. So to settle it, I got out of the car and walked up to it to grab the mask off. But I chickened out when I was an inch from its face. My cousin argued that the person was waiting until I ripped off the mask to grab me. I argued that if I was an inch from its face, it would've grabbed me then. But we'll never know. It was shut down a few years later. I guess with actors dragging people out of cars, they could've been sued if someone was hurt.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Top 10 Treehouse of Horror Segments

I look forward to The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode every year (even though they're not as good as they used to be). Unfortunately, for the past several years, the Halloween episode of The Simpsons hasn't aired until November. So, instead of watching a new one, I downloaded all the old ones. There is a Treehouse of Horror DVD, but it only has episodes V, VI, VII and XII on it. I think they should release one with all of the episodes on it. Anyway, I'm going to give you what I think are the top 10 Treehouse of Horror segments (each episode has three segments).

10. Hell Toupee

Snake is given the death penalty for smoking in the Kwik-E-Mart, with Apu, Moe and Bart as witnesses. After, Homer receives his hair for a transplant. But the hair grows into Homer's brain, controlling him. And then Snake can seek revenge on the witnesses from beyond the grave.

Classic Line(s): Chief Wiggum: This is your third strike. First you torched that orphanage, then you blew up that bus full of nuns.
Snake: Hey, that was self-defense!
Chief Wiggum: Well you'll be seeing lots of nuns where you're going, pal... Hell!

9. Clown Without Pity

Homer buys Bart a Krusty doll as a last minute birthday gift but it's evil. Meaning it comes to life and tries to kill people.

Classic Line(s): Homer: Do you sell toys?
Shopkeeper: We sell forbidden objects from places men dare to trade... We also sell frozen yogurt, which I call "frogurt".
Homer: Yeah, well I need something for my son's birthday.
Shopkeeper: Ah... Perhaps this will please the gentleman...
(The shopkeeper reaches the shelf and takes the Krusty doll.)
Shopkeeper: Take this object... But beware, it carries a terrible curse.
Homer: Ooo, that's bad...
Shopkeeper: But it comes with a free frogurt!
Homer: That's good!
Shopkeeper: The frogurt is also cursed.
Homer: That's bad...
Shopkeeper: But you get your choice of topping!
Homer: That's good!
Shopkeeper: The toppings contain potassium benzoate.
(Homer stares at the shopkeeper.)
Shopkeeper: That's bad.
Homer: Can I go now?

8. Bart Simpson's Dracula

The Simpsons are invited to dinner at Mr. Burns' castle in Pennsylvania, not knowing that he is a vampire. While there, Mr. Burns turns Bart into a vampire, prompting the rest of the family to kill Mr. Burns, who they believe is the head vampire.

Classic Line(s): Kent Brockman: Another local peasant has been found dead, drained of his blood with two teeth marks on his throat. This black cape was found on the scene. (It is labeled "Dracula.") Police are baffled.
Chief Wiggum: We think we're dealing with a supernatural being, most likely a mummy. As a precaution, I've ordered the Egyptian wing of the Springfield museum destroyed.

7. Nightmare Cafeteria

When over-crowding of the detention room becomes a problem, Principal Skinner finds a solution: cooking the kids and serving them for lunch in the cafeteria. Which also solves their problem of having to use Grade F meat for lunch. An homage to Soylent Green.

Classic Line(s): Principal Skinner: Oh, relax kids. I've got a gut feeling Uter's around here somewhere. After all, isn't there a little Uter in all of us? In fact, you might say we just ate Uter and he's in our stomachs right now! Wait. Scratch that one.

6. Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores

Homer goes to buy a colossal donut, but is disappointed by the size, so he steals the giant donut from the Lard Lad statue outside the store. Then a freak storm brings all the giant statues in Springfield to life, causing Lard Lad to come after Homer to get his donut back.

Classic Line(s): Homer: Hello? Yes? (opens door and sees Lard Lad) Oh, it's you… Uh, if you're looking for that donut of yours, um… Flanders has it. Go smash open his house.
(Homer shuts the door as Lard Lad leaves.)
Homer: (to himself) He came to life… Good for him.
(Loud smashing is heard, then loud thumping and the doorbell; Homer opens the door and sees Lard Lad again.)
Ned: (runs past) Help me, Lord!
Homer: I told you! Flanders has it! …Or Moe. Go kill Moe.
Marge: Homer! Give him the donut! Once he has it, it will be the end of all this horror!
Homer: Well, okay… If it will end horror…

5. The Homega Man

Mayor Quimby makes a joke about the French which enrages them, so they bomb Springfield. At the same time Homer is bomb shelter shopping and he survives. But others also survived and were mutated by the blast, and now they're after Homer. A parody of the film The Omega Man.

Classic Line(s): Homer: (While mourning.) Little Bart!
(Envisions him hitting ball with bat.)
Little Lisa!
(Envisions her hitting ball with bat.)
Little Marge!
(Envisions her swinging and missing.)
And the rest!
(Envisions Maggie, Santa's Little Helper, Snowball II, and the television set.)

4. Time and Punishment

While fixing the toaster, Homer turns it into a time machine and is transported into the past. When he goes back in time, he accidentally destroys things, resulting in the present changing. He keeps returning to the past to try to get the present back to normal.

Classic Line(s): Homer: What the hell is that geek, Flanders, doing on TV?
Ned: (on TV) Oh, I see by the Big Board we got a Negative Nellie in Sector 2! I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask the whole family to kind of freeze and prepare for re-Neducation.
Bart: Don't you remember, Dad? Flanders is the unquestioned lord and master of the world.
Homer: D'oh!

3. Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace

A parody of A Nightmare on Elm Street, but in this version Groundskeeper Willie is accidentally killed by the children's parents. He comes back to get them in their dreams and the only way Bart and Lisa can stop him is to kill him while they're sleeping.

Classic Line(s): Groundskeeper Willie: (after being nearly burnt to death) You'll pay for this…with your children's' blood!
Chief Wiggum: (not serious) Oh, right… How are you going to get them? Skeleton power?
Groundskeeper Willie: I'll strike where you cannot protect them: in their dreams!

2. Terror at 5 1/2 Feet

This spoof of The Twilight Zone's Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (both an episode and a segment in the 1983 film) features a gremlin on the side of a school bus instead of a plane. Bart and Lisa's school bus. But Bart is the only one who sees it and everyone thinks he is insane.

Classic Line(s): Ned Flanders: Oh Dear Lord, it's some sort of hideous monster! Aw isn't that cute? He's trying to claw my eyes out.

1. The Shinning

In this parody of The Shining, the Simpsons are the winter caretakers of Mr. Burns' lodge in the mountains. Before he leaves, Mr. Burns cuts off the cable and the beer supply, driving Homer insane. Meanwhile, Groundskeeper Willie realizes Bart has "the shinning," meaning he can read his thoughts, and tells him to use it to call him if he's in trouble. And his family is in danger when Moe's ghost and other ghouls (Freddy Krueger and Pinhead among others) convince Homer to kill them.

Classic Line(s): Homer: So what do you think, Marge? All I need is a title. I was thinking along the lines of "No TV and No Beer Make Homer Something Something".
Marge: "Go Crazy"?
Homer: Don't mind if I do!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Halloweek

It's the most wonderful time of the year
With the kids trick or treating
And horror films giving you something to fear
It's the most wonderful time of the year

Halloween is my favourite occasion. It's a holiday dedicated to horror. There are tons of horror movies on T.V., sales on horror DVDs and creepy decorations up everywhere...I also really love candy. So I wanted to do something special. Beginning tomorrow, I will start Halloweek, a week of Halloween-related posts. Happy Early Halloween!

Online Horror Book Club

I just have to write something about this because I am so upset. I joined an online horror book club which I found on my local library's website. Every week they send me the first few chapters of a horror book. I love it because I can find out about authors I've never heard of, and I can see if a book I'm interested in is good or not. Usually I get hooked and have to buy the book to see what happens. A sample of some of the excerpts I've been sent are Slither by Edward Lee, Breeding Ground by Sarah Pinborough, and Nightmare at 20,000 Feet by Richard Matheson.

I've been getting these e-mailed to me for two years and now they're changing it. Now it's going to be a Thriller Book Club. I don't read thrillers, I read horror novels. I don't understand why they're changing it. Can't they have two separate book clubs? I guess people really aren't reading that much horror anymore. I wrote in the past about how there wasn't anything horror related at Word on the Street. I'm so disappointed, I loved that book club.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Trash or Treasure Thursday

C.H.U.D. (1984)

Acquired at: HMV
Cost: $6.99

Actually the first time I saw C.H.U.D. was on T.V. awhile back. All I remembered about it was that I liked it. So I was excited when I found it in the cheap bin at HMV for $6.99.

C.H.U.D. stands for Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers. They're humans who were mutated into monsters by toxic waste and live underground, feasting on the homeless. When they run out of people to eat underground, they're forced to surface through manholes to get their fix. A cop (Christopher Curry) investigating the disappearances of C.H.U.D.'s victims, a soup kitchen worker (Daniel Stern) who wants to know what happened to his clientele, and a photographer (John Heard) working on a project taking pictures of the homeless, get to the bottom of what is really going on.

I watched this DVD as soon as I got it home, and it was just as good as I remembered. It's genuinely creepy, especially the shower scene. I even jumped a couple of times when the C.H.U.D. grabbed people. It was really effective how they mostly only showed its claws or pointy teeth or glowing eyes. The mystery makes them even creepier.

The plot is interesting and not that far-fetched. We don't know what toxic waste can do to people. It probably can't turn people into cannibalistic monsters, but you never know. There's a subplot about the photographer's girlfriend being pregnant which drags at times. And a lot of the film focuses on a government cover-up, which slows down the story. The acting is great, not at all what you would expect from an 80's B horror movie. John Heard and Daniel Stern also star together in another movie I love, Home Alone.

I give C.H.U.D. a 4/5, making it a treasure.

Rating: 4/5

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

MOVIE REVIEW: Prom Night (2008)

In my last post I mentioned how I fell asleep during almost every movie I watched Thanksgiving weekend. The Prom Night remake was one of them. I almost made it to the end, but then I just couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. Yes, it is that slow and boring.

I'm not really a fan of the original Prom Night. I don't understand why it's a cult classic. I've seen it a few times, most recently last week, and I always think it will be better than I remember. But it's just a run-of-the-mill slasher flick with an interesting beginning and ending. But this isn't a review of the original.

The remake is even worse than the original. The plot is completely different, the only similarity is that it takes place on prom night.

Three years ago Donna (Brittany Snow) comes home to find her father and brother dead. She hides under a bed and watches her mother be murdered by her teacher (Jonathan Schaech), who is obsessed with Donna. He's caught and sent to jail, but escapes on prom night.

Prom Night is missing everything a movie requires to be interesting. The plot stinks. How many times have we seen a psycho escape from prison to come after someone? It's predictable, you can tell exactly what will happen, who will live and who will die. The dialouge is stale and boring. There is no suspense whatsoever. The killer is shown at the beginning of the movie, so there's no mystery or incentive to keep watching. There is very little gore. It isn't scary or creepy whatsoever, instead it's boring and slow.

I give Prom Night a 1/5. Don't watch it unless you want to fall asleep.

Rating: 1/5

Thursday, October 16, 2008

MOVIE REVIEW: Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead

I had a feeling this straight-to-DVD sequel would be horrible. I love the original and think it's one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen. I still get freaked out by transport trucks following me for some reason.

Surprisingly, Joy Ride 2 wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Obviously it's nowhere near as good as the first one, but I was mildly entertained.

A couple is heading to Vegas for a joint bachelor/ bachelorette party with the bride's sister. Along the way, they meet up with a guy the bride's sister met on the internet, who the couple takes an instant disliking to. Of course they decide to take a "shortcut" and surprise surprise their car breaks down. There's only one house in the area, and when they break in they find the phone doesn't work. So they steal - I mean borrow - the home owner's muscle car that has a nifty CB radio. The bride-to-be leaves a note with her cell phone number to make sure he doesn't think it's stolen. The car is Rusty Nail's of course, who kidnaps the groom to make things even. He wants to play a game, which is sort of like truth or dare, but with mutilation.

It's not scary or creepy at all, but it has some humour in it. I laughed a lot during this movie. Especially when the tough emo/punk guy had to dress up as a woman.

Joy Ride 2 is also more gory than the first. It definitely fits in with the torture porn trend. There's lots of blood, deaths and a torture scene.

This was the only movie (out of four) I watched on Thanksgiving weekend that I didn't fall asleep during, so I guess this earns some points for that. It kept me entertained, had lots of gore and some humour, which I think makes it a good horror film. But on the other hand, it was half as good as the original and not scary or creepy whatsoever. I'm on the fence on this one. I guess I thought it was okay, so I'll give it a 3/5.

Rating: 3/5

Trash or Treasure Thursday

Wendigo (2001)

Acquired at: Blockbuster
Cost: $1.99

I shouldn't be reviewing this because I fell asleep halfway through. But I couldn't force myself to watch the rest of it.

I bought this movie way back when Blockbuster sold VHS movies. It was in a bin for $1.99 and I went a little overboard and bought a bunch of movies that I didn't really need.

The movie begins with a Deliverance-like scene. A family (Jake Weber, Patricia Clarkson, Erik Per Sullivan) driving up to their cottage hit a deer, which was a group of hunters' prey. They're angry that the deer has been killed and confront the family. The rest of the movie (or at least what I saw) one of the creepy hunters lurks outside their cabin, watches them making love, etc.

About a half hour/ hour into the movie, the Wendigo is finally mentioned. At a small shop, the boy is given a Wendigo figurine from the aboriginal shopkeeper. He tells him about the legend of the Wendigo, a cannibalistic beast that is half-man, half-deer.

That's pretty much all that happened before I fell asleep. This film was so dull. I'm surprised I made it halfway through before falling asleep. I was struggling to keep my eyes open the whole time. Nothing remotely scary happens, at least of what I saw.

I know I should watch the whole movie before reviewing it, but I can't bring myself to. It's painfully boring. The Wendigo isn't even mentioned until halfway into the movie. And when it's supposed to be creepy, for instance the scenes with the hunters, it fails miserably. So, I give Wendigo 1/5, making it trash. I'm warning you, don't watch it.

Rating: 1/5

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

MOVIE NEWS: Ghost House Underground

Ghost House Pictures, Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert's horror production company, launches a new franchise today, Ghost House Underground. In the past, Ghost House Pictures have released such films as The Grudge series, Boogeyman and 30 Days of Night. Their next picture Drag Me to Hell, will be released May 29, 2009, and is directed by Sam Raimi and stars Alison Lohman and Justin Long.

Now, they have partnered with Grindstone Entertainment Group to delve into the direct-to-video horror market. Today they release eight films, available in a boxed set or individually.

Brotherhood of Blood - Two brothers unleash a super vampire and a clan of vampire hunters realize the only way to defeat him is to team up with other vampires. Starring Sid Haig and Ken Foree.

Dance of the Dead - On prom night, radiation from the local power plant brings the dead to life. And the only ones who can stop it are the nerds of the high school.

Dark Floors - A father decides the hospital his autistic daughter is in doesn't provide enough care, and sneaks her out. But when the elevator door opens, the hospital is empty - except for monsters.

The Last House in the Woods - A couple on a road trip is harassed by a group of punks who beat up the man and try to rape the woman. Fortunately, they're saved by a middle-aged couple who take them back to their home to recuperate. But the couple has a dark secret.

No Man's Land: The Rise of Reeker - Part prequel, part sequel to Reeker (2005), from the same director, Dave Payne. A sheriff and his son chase robbers, but are being chased by a reeker.

Room 205 - A girl moves into a dorm and learns a legend about the girl who was murdered in room 205. Supposedly she haunts the dorm.

The Substitute - Sixth graders think their substitute teacher is an alien but no one believes them.

Trackman - The Trackman, a deformed killer who prowls the subways, is after bank robbers and their hostages.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Frankenturkey

After publishing my post complaining about the lack of Thanksgiving horror, I remembered a book I read when I was little. It was from a series called Bone Chillers by Betsy Haynes, which was just a rip off of Goosebumps, but I loved it just as much. I'm not going to review it, since I don't remember much about it, I only recall enjoying it. Here's the synopsis:

"Kyle and Annie want to celebrate Thanksgiving like the Pilgrims. They want to wear stovepipe hats, bake their own pies-even raise their own turkey. Then they meet Frankenturkey!

Frankenturkey is big. Frankenturkey is bad. Frankenturkey is mad. If Kyle and Annie don't watch out, Frankenturkey will eat them for Thanksgiving dinner."

There's also a sequel, Frankenturkey II.

"Helping to care for a special new turkey in the pen behind their house, Annie and Kyle are amazed when every wish they make near the turkey comes true, but they are unaware that Frankenturkey has returned from the grave."

Sounds like good reading. Bone Chillers was also made into a T.V series, and I remember watching this episode.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Thanksgiving Horror

I'm going home for the weekend, to have Thanksgiving with my family, so I probably won't be blogging much. I just want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Unfortunately, there hasn't been a Thanksgiving horror movie yet, or I would be reviewing it now. I think someone should make one. Or maybe I should. Here are my ideas for Thanksgiving horror films.

Gobble Gobble Kill Kill: Basically just a rip-off of Black Sheep but with turkeys. Cannibalistic turkeys run wild, pecking to death everyone who gets in their path and eating their remains.

Black Thanksgiving: Girls in a sorority house are getting ready to go home for Thanksgiving, but are unknowingly being killed off one by one. Even worse, a body part from each of them is being stuffed into the cornucopia. Will there be anyone left to give thanks?

The Texas Thanksgiving Massacre: A crazy family of cannibals collect young people to bring home for their family Thanksgiving feast. But instead of a bird on the dinner table, there's a stuffed human torso!

Attack of the Killer Pumpkins: Pumpkins come to life and take revenge on humans for having eaten them all these years. So there's no pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving! But, who really cares when you're fighting off killer pumpkins?

I Know What You Did Last Thanksgiving: An elderly couple has too much wine at their Thanksgiving dinner and on the drive home from their daughter's they hit a pedestrian. They leave him for dead, but six months later they start receiving sinister notes saying, "I know what you did last Thanksgiving." Then they're stalked by a man dressed as a pilgrim carrying a carving knife. Will they live to see another Thanksgiving?

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Trash or Treasure Thursday

The Babysitter by Daniel Ransom

Acquired at: The Salvation Army Thrift Store
Cost: $1.00

I hate to admit it, but the cover of this book is what drew me to it. I know you should never judge a book by its cover, but sometimes I do. On the cover a creepy-looking babysitter stands with two children. It reminds me of R.L. Stine's Babysitter series, which I loved when I was younger.

Then I noticed the blurb from Dean Koontz on the cover.

"Ransom's writing is strong, fast and sleek as a bullet. He's one of the best." - Dean R. Koontz

Intrigued, I opened the cover and saw the dedication.

From one crazed Irishman to another - This is for Richard Laymon.

Anyone who likes Richard Laymon is okay in my book. At this point, I definitely wanted the book. Well it was only $1.00, so why not? The description on the back of the book sounded promising too.

The Babysitter is about Jody, a woman who returns to her hometown to take care of her drug addict daughter and her granddaughter. Jody's granddaughter has been acting out lately, as have many children in the town. The children have one thing in common: they've been babysat by the same young woman. Maybe it has something to do with the horror Jody witnessed when she was 13.

I was drawn in from the beginning. There's action right from the start. What Jody sees (I don't want to give anything away) is like something out of a B horror flick and made me keep reading to see the connection.

It's only 214 pages long, so the plot moves along quickly. I read it in one sitting. I actually wish it was longer because I was enjoying it so much. The ending felt a little rushed. All of a sudden the end came out of nowhere. The end was kind of a letdown. I felt it didn't really do the book justice.

The characters were realistic and interesting. I could relate to Jody, especially the part where she was 13, thinking about the boy she had a crush on.

I even laughed a few times while reading. I think it would have been better if it was a few chapters longer. But I was still throughly entertained with The Babysitter. So, I would give it a 4, making it a treasure.

Rating: 4/5

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

MOVIE REVIEW: Lost Boys: The Tribe

This movie was wasn't as bad as I thought it would be - almost, but not quite. Corey Feldman reprising his role as Edgar Frog saved it somewhat from being a total bomb.

After their parents die in a car accident, siblings Chris (Tad Hilgenbrink) and Nicole Emerson (Autumn Reeser), move in with their aunt. When Nicole falls for a vampire (Kiefer Sutherland's half-brother, Angus Sutherland) and unknowingly drinks blood, she becomes a vampire. Before the transformation is complete, Chris must find and kill the head vampire. But he'll need the help of veteran vampire slayer, Edgar Frog.

This movie doesn't have the cheesy 80's charm of the first. Instead, it has the MTV music video feel of the 00's. Teens partying, having sex and lots of rock music make this movie like The O.C. with vampires. It's 3/4 teenybopper flick, 1/2 horror movie. Every horror scene was extremely gory, as if to make up for the rest of the film being lame.

I was bored throughout most of it. This was the movie: they're surfing, then they're at a party, then someone is having sex in a shower, then someone else is having sex, then they're skateboarding, then they're riding their motorcycles. Oh wow they're bad asses.

Lost Boys: The Tribe is missing the humour of the first film, which is unfortunate because that's what made the original great. The characters are bland, cookie-cutter teens, unlike the original which featured eccentric characters.

Oh, and don't turn the movie off when the credits start. Corey Haim has a sweet cameo. It would have been better if he was in the whole movie instead of one scene during the credits. And where was Jamison Newlander?

I give this movie a 2, just because the scenes with Corey Feldman were okay.

Rating: 2/5

MOVIE REVIEW: The Lost Boys

After watching the new sequel, Lost Boys: The Tribe, I thought I would review the original. What makes this better than the sequel?

Well...everything. The script is better, the acting is better, the soundtrack is better, it's more entertaining...everything in the original is superior.

For anyone who hasn't seen it, The Lost Boys is about vampires. When Lucy Emerson (Diane Wiest) and her sons Michael (Jason Patric) and Sam (Corey Haim) move, Michael immediately falls for a girl named Star (Jami Gertz). Unbeknownst to him, she's a vampire. Sam, worried about his brother, befriends brothers Edgar (Corey Feldman) and Alan Frog (Jamison Newlander), two vampire hunters. Together, they must find and kill the head vampire.

I don't even like vampire movies. But for some reason I love this movie. It has an awesome blend of horror and comedy. The first time I saw it, I was drawn in by the wicked soundtrack (People are Strange playing when they move into the new town). And then I was hooked.

The characters are eccentric and interesting. I love the Frog brothers and the grandpa. They're all hilarious. And Kiefer Sutherland is such a badass in this movie, even more so than he is in 24. It makes me laugh to see Jami Gertz in her role as a vampire because I only know her from the sitcom Still Standing.

The plot moves quickly and I wasn't bored for a second. And I was shocked by who the head vampire was. The script is funny and very quotable. Just look at these gems:

"My own brother a goddamn, shit-sucking vampire! Oh, you wait 'til Mom finds out, buddy." - Sam Emerson

Edgar Frog: You did the right thing by calling us. Does your brother sleep a lot?
Sam Emerson: Yeah, all day.
Alan Frog: Does the sunlight freak him out?
Sam Emerson: Uh, he wears sunglasses in the house.
Edgar Frog: Bad breath, long fingernails?
Sam Emerson: Yeah, his fingernails are a little bit longer, um, he always had bad breath, though.
Alan Frog: He's a vampire all right.
Edgar Frog: All right, here's what you do: get yourself a good sharp stake and drive it right through his heart.
Sam Emerson: I can't do that; he's my brother.
Alan Frog: OK, we'll come over and do it for you.
Sam Emerson: No!
Edgar Frog: You'd better get yourself a garlic T-shirt, buddy, or it's your funeral.

"Death by stereo!" - Sam Emerson

"If you read the T.V. Guide, you don't need a T.V." - Grandpa

How could you not love this movie? Actually, when I took an elective in college about vampires and we watched this movie everyone in my class made fun of it. I hate watching movies I love with other people. If they don't like it I'm always disappointed. But I still love it and would recommend everyone to watch it. Even if you don't like vampires.

Rating: 4/5

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

BookMooch

I love BookMooch. It's a great way to get rid of old, unwanted books. And an easy way to pick up hard to find out-of-print horror novels. If you love to read, I recommend checking out BookMooch.

Here's how it works: you add books you want to give away, someone "mooches" them from you, then you mail it to them and receive point(s) which you can use to mooch a book of your own. For each book you add to your inventory, you receive 1/10th of a point. When you mail a book, you get one point for mailing within your country and three points for mailing to a different country. When you mooch a book it costs you one point if you mooch from someone of the same country, two points from people of other countries. Once you receive a book, you leave feedback and earn 1/10th of a point. You can choose whether you're willing to send to another country. It kind of annoys me when a book I'm dying to read becomes available and they won't send it to my country. Which happens a lot, unfortunately.

Since I'm from Canada, it gets pretty expensive. Especially to send within Canada for some reason. I prefer to send to other countries because it costs less and I get three points instead of one. But most of the books I have received are difficult to find, so I don't mind the cost. So far I've mooched 15 books and mailed seven. So the books have cost me about $5 each, since the average cost of sending those books was $10. Which isn't bad considering they would have cost $10 brand new.

If there are any horror fans who aren't on BookMooch yet, you should join so we can swap books.

Monday, October 6, 2008

BOOK REVIEW: Old Flames by Jack Ketchum

"Who's the scariest guy in America? Probably Jack Ketchum." - Stephen King

Stephen King is right. Jack Ketchum is probably the scariest guy in America. He's definitely one of my favourite writers and when his newest book, Old Flames was released, I rushed out to get it. I was disappointed when I realized it wasn't a full-length novel, just a book comprised of two novellas. But, as usual, Ketchum delivers.

Both novellas feature strong female characters. One as an antagonist and one as a protagonist. Old Flames is about a recently dumped woman, Dora, who uses a service called Flame Finders to find her high school sweetheart. To her dismay, he is married and has children. But that won't stop Dora from staking her claim. It's Fatal Attraction for the 00's. With so many people now looking up old flames and friends via Facebook and MySpace readers can easily relate.

This novella moves quickly and had me frantically flipping the pages. I couldn't wait to see what crazy Dora would do next. The writing is superb, as it always is with Ketchum. I wish it was longer so the characters were more fleshed out. They're fleshed out enough for a 130 page novella, but I think it would've been interesting to have more back story on Dora, and why she is such a psycho. I also thought the ending was confusing. I had to re-read the last chapters a couple times until I understood what happened. But I still enjoyed it.

Old Flames is a pretty good novella, but I think it would have made an amazing novel.

Rating: 4/5

The second novella, Right to Life, has previously been released on its own (see left). I was more excited for this one than the title story because I had been wanting to read it for awhile. But people who have already read Right to Life may feel ripped off buying a book for a 130 page novella.

Right to Life is about a pregnant woman, Sara, who is kidnapped outside of an abortion clinic by a pro-life couple. The couple, who can't have children of their own, intend to keep Sara as their prisoner until the baby is born.

Ironically, this is the better novella of the two. Sara is a protagonist who I really cared about and the couple who kidnaps her are villains I loved to hate. The story moves quickly, I read it in one sitting. Unlike Old Flames, Right to Life is the perfect length. It is very intense and has some brutal violence, which would be too overwhelming for novel length. I found myself disgusted with some parts, but I think my strong reaction is just a testament to how amazing it is. Readers who don't feel that way toward stories with brutal violence, may want to steer clear of this novella. Ketchum is great at writing realistic horror novels involving situations that you can see happening in real life.

Rating: 5/5

So, I would give both of the novellas together a 4.5/5.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Word on the Street 2008

Did I miss something? I went to The Word On The Street Book & Magazine Festival in Toronto last Sunday, and there was hardly any horror books or anything horror-related. Maybe I just missed it, but I was very disappointed. Burning Effigy Press was the only booth offering horror books. Not a single vendor had horror books for sale.

I know that horror isn't the most popular genre, but I think that there are enough fans out there to deserve more than one booth. The Sci Fi & Fantasy Writers of America had a booth with authors signing books. Why couldn't the Horror Writers Association have a booth? There was practically every magazine published in Toronto, but unfortunately Rue Morgue didn't have a booth.

Even when I went the used book sale at Victoria College, which was on at the same time, there were barely any horror novels. I bought the only two, one of which was Northern Frights, a collection of short stories by Canadian authors. There are tons of Canadian horror authors, why not have them do a reading, or have a signing. I love Edo van Belkom (Scream Queen and Blood Road are awesome) and Gord Rollo's novel The Jigsaw Man was released not long ago.

Maybe there aren't enough horror fans to make it worth their time. Maybe most people only read mainstream fiction. Well at least horror fans still have their conventions.

Friday, October 3, 2008