BOOK REVIEW: Horrorween by Al Sarrantonio

I actually started reading this book last Halloween but never finished it. I guess that shows you what I thought of this novel. Actually, the first two parts of Horrorween are interesting, but the last part is pretty dull.

Al Sarrantonio wrote a series of books about Halloween, Samhain and a fictional town called Orangefield. The first was Halloweenland and the second was Hallows Eve. This is the third and is comprised of three novellas instead of being a full-length novel like the first two. The first two novellas are fairly short - about 100 pages each - and the third one is around 200 pages.
The first novella is about a children's author who has a hornet infestation in his house. There wasn't a lot of action but the ending made up for that. I liked the children's book he was writing about a character named Sam Hain. It reminded me of Sam from Trick 'r Treat.

The second novella is about Pumpkin Boy, a half-robot half-pumpkin creation. This was definitely the best of the three. It was creepy, fast-paced and had a conclusion I never saw coming. Sarrantonio should've made this story into a full-length novel and forgot about the other two novellas.

The third novella is about Samhain appearing to three citizens of Orangefield and telling them to do things in order for him to take over the world. There wasn't a lot of explanation in this one. I never fully understood how Samhain planned to take over the world through these people. It dragged along and had very little action (I think this is where I stopped reading last year). And the ending was so anticlimactic. Practically nothing happened at the end when I was expecting a big finish since the rest of the novella had so little action.

Overall, Sarrantonio is a good author, writing fantastic descriptions of Orangefield at Halloween. But his character development is lacking. I never cared about any of the characters in Horrorween.

It's an okay read for Halloween and definitely gets you in the spirit with all the pumpkin and jack-o-lantern descriptions. But if you're looking for something with lots of action and gore or something with interesting characters you might want to skip it.

Rating: 3/5

MOVIE REVIEW: Trick 'r Treat

Trick 'r Treat was FINALLY released this month. Tons of horror fans have been waiting a looooong time for its release, especially with Halloween here, but does it live up to the hype?

This anthology is comprised of five segments. The first is about a woman who hates Halloween so she doesn't observe certain Halloween rituals. The second involves a man who seems like your average father, handing out candy and carving a pumpkin with his son, but he isn't. The third is about a group of kids who invite an outcast girl to visit the scene of a horrible accident that happened years ago. The fourth is about a young woman headed to a party to lose her virginity. The fifth is about a grouchy old man who refuses to give candy to trick or treaters.

The first segment isn't actually a segment, but more like an opener and closer to the film. I loved the second segment, but I thought it was too short. The third segment was definitely the best, being very creepy and atmospheric, although predictable. I didn't enjoy the fourth story at all. I thought it was dull and predictable. The fifth segment was pretty good, being all about Sam (the spirit of Halloween).

I didn't like how the film jumped around from character to character, especially when introducing them because it was a bit confusing. Although I liked how all the stories took place in the same town and were intertwined, I think it would've been easier to follow if each story was told all at once; instead of showing half of one, then another, and then back to the first.

Even though it's a bit confusing in the beginning and one of the segments isn't very good, it's still a great film to watch on Halloween. Especially since it encompasses everything Halloween is about: candy, jack-o-lanterns, costume parties and more.

Rating: 4/5

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! I hope everyone has a fun night, whether you're trick or treating, partying or staying in and handing out candy. I'll probably just stay in and watch horror movies all night.

I got "Count Bearon" at Sears for 99 cents. Isn't he adorable?

MOVIE REVIEW: Satan's Little Helper

Tonight is Devil's Night, so I'm going to review a movie about the "Devil", Satan's Little Helper.

Dougie is a 9-year-old boy obsessed with a video game called Satan's Little Helper, in which he helps Satan send people to Hell. He's so obsessed with the game that he wants to find Satan for real so he can become his helper. Dougie is also in love with his older sister, Jenna, and is jealous when she brings a new boyfriend, Alex, home for Halloween. But when Dougie actually finds Satan he'll make sure that he sends Alex to Hell.

This is a really fun movie directed by Jeff Lieberman (Just Before Dawn). I burst out laughing quite a few times. I loved "Satan"; how he never said anything so instead he made elaborate hand gestures and his costume. And how Dougie thought that he was living out his video game was pretty funny (when he hits a pregnant woman with a shopping cart he yells "50 points!").

One thing I hated about Satan's Little Helper was the irritating kid. He's nine years old yet he believes that he is going to marry his sister. Why hasn't anyone told him that he can't? If he was my little brother I would teach him about incest.... If Satan's Little Helper was trying to show how desensitized kids are to violence it doesn't do a very good job because Dougie just comes across as a nutcase.

Annoying kid aside, this was an entertaining film. Definitely a must-see for Halloween.

Rating: 4/5

Top 5 Halloween T.V. Episodes

The days of the Halloween special seem to be gone. This year practically all the T.V. shows I watch were repeats this week. What happened? It seems like a Halloween episode of a T.V. show would be fun for everyone, the writers, the cast, the viewers. So I guess I will just have to watch some old favourites. Here are my Top 5 Favourite Halloween T.V. episodes.

5. It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester - Supernatural

I love Supernatual. I had to include this episode because it's about Samhain. A witch is doing a ritual to summon the demon Samhain and Dean and Sam try to stop her. I love the opening scene. A woman puts away candy for Halloween. While she is taking care of their baby, her husband has a piece of candy and blood squirts out of his mouth. Then he removes a razorblade and falls to the floor, spitting up blood, and his wife finds him dead.

Classic Line(s): Sam: Once he's raised, Samhain can do some raising of his own.
Dean: Raising what, exactly?
Sam: Dark, evil crap and lots of it. They follow him around like a friggin' Pied Piper.
Dean: So we're talking ghosts.
Sam: Yeah.
Dean: Zombies.
Sam: Mm-hmm.
Dean: Leprechauns?
Sam: Dean...
Dean: Those little dudes are scary. Small hands.

4. Petergeist - Family Guy

Okay, I'm cheating here because this isn't really a Halloween episode. But it's one of the funniest spoofs of a horror film I've ever seen. Petergeist is a parody of Poltergeist. After Joe builds a home theatre, Peter decides to build a theatre in his backyard to outdo him. While he's digging, he finds a skull, which he brings into the house and defiles in various ways (peeing in it, using it as a jock). The Griffin house then becomes haunted and Stewie is sucked into the T.V. a la Carol Anne. This episode features a cameo by Carrot Top.

Classic Line(s): Tom: A local family is forced out of their home by ghosts. Who're they gonna call?
Diane: (Sighs) Ghostbusters, Tom?
Tom: No, Diane, their insurance company. That's just stupid what you said.

3. Spookyfish - South Park

This Halloween episode of South Park is shown in "Spooky Vision," which just means it has pictures of Barbara Streisand with "Spooky Vision" written along the edges of the screen. Stan's Aunt Flo gives him a fish as a present and the fish starts killing people. And there's an "evil" Cartman in town, which is actually a nice version of Cartman. The boys realize that they came from the Indian Burial Ground Pet Store and try to set things right.

Classic Line(s): Stan: Dude, my mom's having her monthly visitor.
Kyle: Aunt Flo?
Stan: Yeah, every time she shows up - my mom turns into a total bitch!

2. Slutty Pumpkin - How I Met Your Mother

If you haven't seen How I Met Your Mother, watch it immediately. It is the funniest sitcom I've ever seen. And Slutty Pumpkin is one of my favourite episodes. Ted attends an annual Halloween party on the roof of their apartment building in hopes of seeing the Slutty Pumpkin again. The Slutty Pumpkin is an amazing woman Ted met a few years ago at the same party. How is a pumpkin costume slutty? "It was carved in strategic places." But Barney wants to go to a Victoria Secret party being held on a boat and wastes the night trying to convince Ted to come. Meanwhile, Robin is dating a new guy, but she isn't into doing "couple things," to his dismay. And Marshall and Lily desperately try to win the couples' costume contest at McLaren's.

Classic Line(s): [Barney is dressed as a Devil]
Ted: I have to pee.
Barney: So go to the bathroom.
Ted: No, there's a huge line, and I don't wanna miss the Slutty Pumpkin.
Barney: So pee off the roof. Ooh! Ted. Pee off the roof.
[some guy dressed as an angel turns around]
Angel: Woah. I wouldn't do that if I were you, there's people walking down there.
Barney: Come on, Ted. Who you gonna listen to? Me or Mr. goodie-goodie over there?
Angel: Yeah, whatever, you guys got some weed?

1. Treehouse of Horror V - The Simpsons

It was so hard for me to pick just one Treehouse of Horror because there are a lot of gems, but this one definitely stood out. The first segment is The Shinning, a parody of The Shining. The Simpsons become the caketakers of Mr. Burns' mansion secluded in the mountains. But Mr. Burns cut off the cable and the beer supply, driving Homer insane. In the second segment, titled Time and Punishment, Homer attempts to fix a broken toaster, but inadvertently turns it into a time machine instead. In the third segment, Nightmare Cafeteria, Principal Skinner solves his overcrowding in detention problem by cooking students and serving them in the school cafeteria.

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

T.V. REVIEW: Family Guy's Three Kings

I decided to review this episode of Family Guy because it was shown after The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror episode two Sundays ago. At first I thought it was a new Halloween episode, but then I looked it up on TV.com and found out it aired earlier this year. I'm going to review it regardless because the three segments are all Stephen King parodies and I love Stephen King.

Three Kings begins with Peter sitting in front of a fireplace with a book saying he is going to read three stories from "the greatest author of the last thousand years: Stephen King."

The first segment is a spoof of Stand by Me. It shows Peter, Joe, Quagmire and Cleveland as 12-year-old boys. Peter is Petey LaChance (a.k.a Wil Wheaton), Joe is Joey Duchamp (a.k.a Corey Feldman), Quagmire is Quag Chambers (a.k.a River Phoenix) and Cleveland is Cleve Brown (a.k.a Jerry O'Connell). It's 1955 and the group sets out to find a dead body. They find the body (which is Meg), but the town bully, Ace (Mayor West, a.k.a Kiefer Sutherland), wants to take credit. Even though Petey has a gun, he lets Ace have the body because since they live in the same neighbourhood he'll definitely see him again and he doesn't want to get beat up later. I wasn't impressed with this segment.
The second segment is a parody of Misery. Brian plays Paul Sheldon while Stewie plays Annie Wilkes. Paul recently finished the last installment of his children's book series, Snuggly Jeff, in which he kills off Jeff. Annie (a cross-dressing toddler) is Paul's number one fan and takes him hostage, making him rewrite the book so that Snuggly Jeff doesn't die. This segment was pretty funny. It gave me the biggest laugh of the episode, when Paul hits Stephen King with his car and while in mid-air King says, "This would make a great story," then proceeds to write it. When he falls to the ground he says "Done!"

The third segment spoofs The Shawshank Redemption. Peter stars as Andy Dufresne (a.k.a Tim Robbins) and Cleveland is Red (a.k.a Morgan Freeman). Andy is sent to Shawshank Prison, where none of the inmates like him. He doesn't say two words (literally) to anyone for a month (the two words were vagina boob). Andy asks Red to get him a rock hammer because he claims he likes to carve figurines, but he really wants it to tunnel out of prison. He actually does tunnel out of prison, breaking into a sewage pipe while the warden was watching Friends, hammering in time with the claps in the theme song. Red is released from jail and follows through on a promise he made to Andy to go to a field and dig under a volcanic rock. He finds a box filled with money and a postcard asking if he remembers the name of the Mexican village where Andy said he would be. But unfortunately, Red does not. This was a pretty funny segment as well. I especially liked the part where Andy played Hollaback Girl for the inmates and the song confused them more than anything else.

Overall, I was disappointed by this episode. Out of all the Stephen King works they could've picked they ended up with two that aren't even horror. Granted, those have been made into the two most popular films from his work, but still.... It would've been nice if they chose something by Stephen King that isn't parodied as much. If you want to watch a hilarious parody of a horror film from Family Guy, try Petergeist.

Rating: 3/5

T.V. REVIEW: The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror XX

Two Sundays ago when I turned on The Simpsons as usual, I was shocked to discover that it was a Treehouse of Horror episode! I can't even remember the last time a Treehouse of Horror episode has aired before Halloween. Every year I look forward to the Treehouse of Horror episode even if it doesn't air until November. Last year I posted my Top 10 Treehouse of Horror Segments. But this year I actually get to review the new episode!

The opening was hilarious with classic monsters such as Frankenstein's monster, Wolfman, the Mummy and Dracula walking around Springfield and being teased by the bullies ("Turner Classic Movies called, they want their costumes back.") After changing into more modern costumes (Harry Potter, Jack Sparrow, Iron Man and Spongebob Squarepants) they show up at the Simpsons' Halloween party. When their wives show up, Homer says "It's not cheating if you're wearing a costume," resulting in his gory death.

The first segment was called Dial 'M' For Murder or Press '#' to Return to the Main Menu. It was a parody of Alfred Hitchcock films and shown in black and white. Lisa and Bart want revenge on their teachers Ms. Hoover and Mrs. Krabappel, so they come up with a crisscross plan where Bart will get Ms. Hoover and Lisa will get Mrs. Krabappel. They agree to ding-dong ditch their teachers. Lisa rings Mrs. Krabappel's doorbell and runs away, while Bart kills Ms. Hoover and throws her in the ditch, explaining that you kill the ding dong and then throw her in the ditch. This was a pretty funny episode, especially if you're a Hitchcock fan.

The second segment, Don't Have a Cow, Mankind, is about Krusty Burger introducing a new burger which turns the person who eats it into a "Muncher" (a zombie). But it turns out that Bart is immune to the virus, prompting the citizens of Springfield to find out a way to use his immunity to save everyone. This segment was a bit of a disappointment and wasn't as funny as the other two, but it had its moments.

The third segment was a spoof of Sweeney Todd titled There's No Business Like Moe Business, in which Homer is impaled by the pipes of Moe's microbrew machine. Moe uses Homer's blood as an ingredient in his secret microbrew and convinces Marge that Homer left her because he's gay. But Homer isn't dead.... This segment was great, being a musical with hilarious songs. It also cut away to the audience several times to see their reactions, with Kang and Kodos featured.

Overall Treehouse of Horror XX is a good addition to the Treehouse of Horror episodes and a huge improvement over last year's episode.

Rating: 4/5

MOVIE REVIEW: Night of the Creeps

I've been waiting for a long time for this DVD to come out. The first time I saw it was when I was young and popped an old VHS into the VCR. I can't remember why, maybe to see what was on it before I taped over it, and Night of the Creeps was on it. My mom used to tape movies off TV all the time. I'm so glad she did because it has become one of my favourite horror films. I still have that VHS, but I'm glad it came out on DVD so I don't have to fast forward through commercials every time I watch it.

Night of the Creeps begins in black & white in 1959, with an alien expelling an experiment from its spaceship. It lands on Earth, near Corman University, where a couple is parking. The guy goes to investigate, ending up being infected by space slugs. Fast forward to full-colour 1986. Chris Romero has a crush on Cindy Cronenberg, and he thinks the only way he can get her is by joining a fraternity. So Chris and his best friend James Carpenter-Hooper (J.C.) are asked by the fraternity brothers to get a dead body from the morgue. They end up unfreezing the body of the man infected with the space slugs and inadvertently unleashing the space slugs upon the community.

I don't want to give too much of the film away if you haven't seen it yet (I probably already have). I love how the plot is a mixture of different B-movie plots (aliens, zombies, axe murderers). The dialogue is witty and hilarious ("The good news is your dates are here. The bad news is they're dead."). The characters are very likable and interesting (I had a huge crush on J.C.).

The Special Features on the DVD are amazing. There's an alternate ending, deleted scenes, a commentary with writer/director Fred Dekker and a commentary with the cast, an interview with Tom Atkins, and a lengthy feature on the making of the film titled Thrill Me: Making Night of the Creeps, featuring interviews with the cast, crew and fans. There's also a really cool feature called Trivia Track. When you turn it on, trivia facts will come up on the screen like subtitles while you watch the film.

If this review doesn't convince you to watch Night of the Creeps, check out Stacie Ponder's 10 Reasons Why Night of the Creeps Rules.

Rating: 5/5

Horror DVD Overload

This year I hit up a bunch of different stores to check out their horror DVD displays and spent way too much money. Here's what I got at each store and how much they cost:

Zellers

Zellers has a bunch of DVDs for $2.99. They have that all year long, so it's not a big deal, but they have more horror movies than usual. But most of them are straight to DVD crap, like most of the ones I bought.

Twisted Sisters $2.99
Blood Trails $2.99
Demonic $2.99
Cry Wolf $2.99
Cut $2.99
Return to House on Haunted Hill $5.99
Saw II $2.99

Walmart

Walmart had an awesome display of DVDs (with the exception of the 100's of Twilight DVDs). But they just set it up about a week ago (I went there a few times in early October) and it's already pretty picked over. The shelves were practically empty, but I managed to pick up a few things....

Amityville II: The Possession $6
Amityville 3-D $6
Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh $6
Swamp Thing $6
Child's Play $6
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers $5
Graveyard Shift $5
Silver Bullet $5

HMV

I received a $50 HMV gift card for my birthday, so I will probably buy more DVDs before Halloween. Most of their horror display is comprised of the Saw series (which are $6 each) and The Horror Legacy Series and The Horror Society: Horror Film Series, which are repackaged classics for $10 each. Check out this article for the full list of films. They also have a few DVDs being sold at $6.66.

Happy Birthday to Me $9.99
Saw $6
The Stuff $6
Twilight Zone: The Movie $8

The Beat Goes On

I also received a $50 Beat Goes On gift card for my birthday. I usually just buy DVDs from the cheap bin because a lot of the movies there are pretty expensive considering they're used. All the DVDs I want the most are on my Beat Goes On wishlist, and their website e-mails you when it comes in stock. I just ordered 2001 Maniacs from their website.

Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes $3.99
The Breed $4.99

The Bargain Shop
 
My mom took me here to buy me a pair of jeans for my birthday and she also ended up buying me these two DVDs and a DVD shelf (which I have already filled). They have a bunch of 2 for $10 DVDs.

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare $5
The Dark Half $5

My Movie Schedule

Since we have no Scream channel in Canada anymore, and virtually no horror movies playing this week, I've come up with my own movie schedule. I've created a theme for every day of the week related to Halloween. Since I have to work, I will probably only have time to watch two movies a day. Except today and Saturday, when I will watch at least five movies. I probably won't review all of them this week, but I will eventually. I left Wednesday blank because I haven't decided what to watch yet.

Haunted House Sunday

I just bought all of these DVDs and really want to see them, which is why I included them. I've seen bits and pieces of them when I was younger but I barely remember. I might watch the original and the remake if I have time, but I've seen both films quite a few times so it's not a big deal if I don't.

Amityville II: The Possession - I heard that this one is the best of the series.
Amityville 3-D - This one features Meg Ryan.
Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes - The ghosts from the Amityville house haunt a lamp!
Amityville: It's About Time - This time a clock!
Amityville: The Next Generation - And now a mirror!

Candy Monday

I'm kind of cheating here because Candyman doesn't have anything to do with candy, I just like to watch Candyman every year for Halloween. But candy is the foundation of Halloween and I thought I should include it somehow. Trick 'r Treat had a creepy scene involving candy, if you're looking for one. I would've included Candyman 3: Day of the Dead, but I couldn't find it at any stores.

Candyman - One of my favourite horror movies.
Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh - From what I remember this was an okay follow-up. And it stars Kelly Rowan (from The O.C.)!

Creepy Crawly Tuesday

I'm buying Night of the Creeps when it's FINALLY released to DVD on Tuesday and I'm going to watch it immediately. So I came up with Creepy Crawly Tuesday to go with it.

Night of the Creeps - This is one of the best horror movies I've ever seen.
Creepshow - I chose this one for my favourite segment, They're Creeping Up On You! And the name is fitting too.
Creepers - Also known as Phenomena, this Dario Argento film stars Jennifer Connelly as a girl who loves bugs.

Pumpkin Thursday

Nothing says Halloween more than a pumpkin. These films were the only ones I could think of that had anything to do with pumpkins.

Pumpkinhead - Pretty creepy film.
Halloween III - I chose this one for the jack-o'-lantern masks. I wanted to watch this Halloween film on a different day from the others because it has nothing to do with Michael Myers but is pretty creepy when you don't associate it with the Halloween series.

Devil's Night (Friday)

For Devil's Night, instead of egging houses, I'm going to stay at home and watch movies featuring the Devil (or demons).

Satan's Little Helper - Awesome film about a kid who helps Satan to kill people on Halloween.
Night of the Demons - Teens have a party at an abandoned funeral home on Halloween. Fun flick.

Halloween (Saturday)
Instead of dressing up or going to a party, I'm just going to stay at home and watch horror movies while eating candy (I'm boring, I know).
Ernest Scared Stupid - This movie terrified me as a kid. Now it makes me laugh.
Halloween - I don't really need to explain this one.
Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers - This is the only Halloween film I haven't seen and I just bought the DVD. It stars Paul Rudd!
Halloween: H20 - I love this movie. It stars Josh Hartnett!

I will probably watch more movies than that on Halloween, but I'll just choose whatever I feel like watching that night.

Halloweek II

I know most people dedicate the entire month of October to Halloween, but I have so much going on in October (Thanksgiving, my birthday, my brother's birthday, my roommate's birthday, my best friend's birthday) I'm only going to dedicate a week, as I did last year.
Today I will begin Halloweek II. Everyday for the rest of the week I will do a Halloween-related post. Happy Early Halloween!

BOOK NEWS: Leisure Horror 2010

Over at Horror World, they posted Leisure Horror's 2010 publishing schedule. Here it is:

JANUARY 2010

BLIND PANIC by Graham Masterton
STRANGE MAGIC by Gord Rollo

FEBRUARY 2010

DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN by Brian Keene
SCISSORS by Ray Garton

MARCH 2010

FRIDAY NIGHT IN BEAST HOUSE by Richard Laymon
SNOW by Ronald Malfi

APRIL 2010

CREATURES OF THE POOL by Ramsey Campbell
DWELLER by Jeff Strand

MAY 2010

SPARROW ROCK by Nate Kenyon
THE BRIDGE by John Skipp & Craig Spector

JUNE 2010

JOYRIDE by Jack Ketchum
NIGHT SOULS by L. H. Maynard & M. P. N. Sims

JULY 2010

THE KILLING KIND by Bryan Smith
WOLF’S BLUFF by W. D. Gagliani

AUGUST 2010

A GATHERING OF CROWS by Brian Keene
SIREN by John Everson

SEPTEMBER 2010

FUNLAND by Richard Laymon
VALLEY OF THE SCARECROW by Gord Rollo

OCTOBER 2010

WITCH WATER by Edward Lee
THE FLOATING STAIRCASE by Ronald Malfi

NOVEMBER 2010

DESCENDANT by Graham Masterton

DECEMBER 2010

FRUITING BODY by John Skipp & Cody Goodfellow

I'm excited to read Joyride, Strange Magic, Dweller, Scissors and the Brian Keene books. I'm upset that I spent a lot of money to buy The Bridge on eBay. Oh well, I'm still looking forward to 2010!

MUSICAL NEWS: The Toxic Avenger Muscial

The Toxic Avenger Musical is coming to Toronto! Preview performances will run from October 20 - 31 and tickets will only be $15 each. Regular performances begin November 1 and tickets will be $20 - $41.50, depending on the location of your seats.

I desperately want to see this, but I don't know anyone who likes musicals. It stars Diana DeGarmo (the runner-up in American Idol season three who should've won instead of Fantasia Barrino) as Sarah.

Here's a promo video:

MOVIE REVIEW: Zombieland

I finally got to see Zombieland last weekend. Although it was pretty funny, it wasn't as hilarious as I heard it was and there weren't enough zombies.

Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), a wimpy nerd, is traveling across the country to find his parents when he meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a tough guy obsessed with finding a twinkie. They come across sisters Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) who are on their way to an amusement park which - rumour has it - is zombie-free. And the group decides to travel together and then go their separate ways.

As a comedy it was pretty good. I didn't laugh as much as I anticipated. But the celebrity cameo made me laugh so hard I choked on the Mini Eggs (now available all year long!) I smuggled into the theatre. And Tallahassee's twinkie obsession was hilarious. If I survived a zombie apocalypse I know I would be obsessed with finding my favourite candy (possibly Mini Eggs) too. And the dialogue was quotable ("Nut up or shut up," for an example), as were Columbus's rules to survive in Zombieland.

As a zombie film it was a letdown. Granted, the zombies featured were pretty creepy (especially the clown zombie) and the kills were good, but there were barely any featured. And you would think that in a world populated by mostly zombies, you would come across more of them. It seemed like the entire world was wiped out instead of turned into flesh-eating monsters.

The characters were extremely likable, but the girls' stupidity got on my nerves. They were always in trouble, needing the guys to come to their rescue. It especially annoyed me in the amusement park scene. Good thing Jesse Eisenberg worked at an amusement park in Adventureland is all I can say....

Overall, Zombieland was pretty funny but didn't have enough zombies. But I'll still give it a 4 because the celebrity cameo was so funny.

Rating: 4/5

BOOK NEWS: Hollywood Monster: A Walk Down Elm Street with the Man of Your Dreams

Too bad I forgot about this book when I was blowing the money I received for my birthday. I guess I'll have to put it on my Christmas Wish List. Anyway, Hollywood Monster: A Walk Down Elm Street is Robert Englund's autobiography. Right now on FEARnet you can read excerpts from it. They're going to be posting full chapters from the book until until the premiere of Fear Clinic, which stars Englund. Here's the book description:

You've seen him in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series — and in your darkest dreams. The sadistic killer with the flame-charred face. The knife-blade claws. The razor-sharp wit. Freddy...But you've never seen him like this. Unflinching. Uncensored. Unmasked.

Meet Robert Englund, the award-winning actor best known for his role as Freddy Krueger — the legendary horror icon featured on the American Film Institute's "100 Greatest Heroes and Villains" roster — a character as unforgettable and enduring as Bela Lugosi's Dracula and Boris Karloff's Frankenstein. Now, for the first time, the man behind the latex mask tells his story in this captivating new memoir, published to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first A Nightmare on Elm Street film.

You see, Robert Englund is no monster at all, but a deeply funny, charming Hollywood veteran. Packed with Robert's hilarious stories, playful self-deprecation, and a generous helping of never-before-revealed A Nightmare on Elm Street trivia, Hollywood Monster offers an unparalleled look at the beloved film icon. With insider savvy and gallows humor, Robert recounts his audition for Wes Craven, the inspiration for Freddy's character, the grueling makeup sessions, his soon-to-be-famous costars, the often disastrous on-set blunders, and the wave of popularity that propelled this humble California surfer kid all the way to the top.

Of course, fame and fortune as Freddy came years after the young actor shared a trailer with screen legend Henry Fonda, was punched in the face by Richard Gere, took down Burt Reynolds, andmuscled his way between Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sally Field, and Jeff Bridges.

But soon after his high-profile stint in the groundbreaking TV miniseries V, Robert Englund took on the most celebrated role of his career — the macabre and wisecracking killer who quickly became a household name. From the moment Freddy Krueger dragged his claws across a rusty pipe in the opening dream sequence, a legend had been unleashed — and a star was born. This is his story.

And here's a video where Robert Englund talks about his book:

DVD REVIEW: Child's Play (Chucky's 20th Birthday Edition)

The other day I bought Child's Play (Chucky's 20th Birthday Edition) from Walmart for $6.00. I mostly wanted it for the Special Features. So instead of reviewing the movie - because I know everyone has already seen it - I'm just going to review the Special Features.

Evil Comes in Small Packages is a group of vignettes featuring Don Mancini, Tom Holland, John Lafia, David Kirschner, Kevin Yahger, Chris Sarandon, Brad Dourif, Catherine Hicks and Alex Vincent talking about their experiences on the set and how Chucky was brought to life.

The first vignette, The Birth of Chucky, is about the Child's Play script and how the story was developed. The second, Creating the Horror, is about the casting of the characters and their experiences on the set. The third, Unleashed, is about the release of the film.

Chucky: Building a Nightmare is a short feature about how they made Chucky. Everyone I previously listed were included, with the addition of FX experts Tom Savini, Tom Woodruff Jr. and Alec Gills.

A Monster Convention is a recording of a cast reunion panel at Monster Mania 2007, featuring Alex Vincent, Catherine Hicks and Chris Sarandon.

There is a vintage featurette included titled Introducing Chucky: The Making of Child's Play, filmed when they were making the movie.

The theatrical trailer is also included. And there is a photo gallery which is mostly comprised of stills from the movie, but also includes a few interesting pictures taken on the set.

There are also a few different commetaries. One featuring Alex Vincent, Catherine Hicks and Kevin Yahger, one with David Kirschner and Don Mancini, and a few on selected scenes with Chucky.

Here are some interesting things I learned about Child's Play:

• It was inspired by the Living Doll episode of The Twilight Zone. Don Mancini wanted to write a script where the doll was treated as a full-fledged character.
• The original script was titled Batteries Not Included, but was changed to Blood Buddy when they found out that Steven Speilberg was making a movie of the same name.
• In the original script Good Guys dolls were filled with synthetic blood. Andy cut his finger and Chucky's to do a blood brothers ritual and that is when Chucky came to life. Chucky's killing spree was a supernatural manifestation of Andy's ID, murdering people who Andy felt unexpressed rage towards.
• The original script was a dark satire of children's marketing. Karen Barclay was supposed to be the advertising executive behind the Good Guys campaign to make the satire more obvious. But her character was changed to a recently divorced single mother so Andy would appear troubled and the audience wouldn't know if he was crazy or if Chucky was real.
• They considered putting a beard shadow on Chucky to show his change from plastic doll to living doll.
• They were going to only use Brad Dourif for the opening scene and then hire a woman to do Chucky's voice, but it sounded horrible so they begged Dourif to come back.
• Catherine Hicks met her husband, Kevin Yahger, on the set. They have been married for 17 years and have one child.

Overall, the Special Features are interesting and a good length, all of them being 10-15 minutes long. But Don Mancini mentionned that the original film was well over two hours long and it was cut down to an hour and a half. And I'm pretty disappointed that they didn't include any deleted scenes, since those are always my favourite part of Special Features and usually the only part I watch. If you're a huge Child's Play fan the Special Features are definitely worth buying the DVD (it's only $6). But I'm going to give it a 4 because of the lack of deleted scenes.

Rating: 4/5 (I would give Child's Play the film 5/5)

WTF FEARnet?!

So I just went on the FEARnet website to watch a movie and all that comes up is a black screen saying: "The video you are trying to watch cannot be viewed from your current country or location." Um, I've been watching movies on FEARnet since I discovered it in JULY! And suddenly in October I can't watch them anymore because I live in Canada.

Canadians get gypped when it comes to horror T.V. Our horror channel Scream just changed to Dusk, a thriller/suspense channel, while Americans get Chiller and SyFy. And just look at this post from the awesome blog Day of the Woman. She gives a rundown of the Halloween horror movie marathons on American television. SyFy is having 31 Days of Halloween, ABC Family is airing 13 Nights of Halloween, TCM is showing 48 Hours of Horror and AMC has Fearfest.

Here's what Canadians have to look forward to. Our version of the SyFy channel, Space will be airing The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake and Halloween II on October 31. Dusk has a few okay movies playing during the week before Halloween. I'll probably watch Terror Train and The Watcher in the Woods. On Halloween night CTV will be showing The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Mothman Prophecies. The rest of the Canadian channels I looked at didn't have their schedules for October 31 up yet, but none of them are showing horror movies this week. Why can't any Canadian channels have Halloween movie marathons like the American channels listed above?

Sorry, for the rant. My point is that FEARnet was the one place I could actually watch horror movies but now I can't. Oh well I guess I buy enough horror DVDs to watch anyway. I'm just going to make my own horror movie marathon. That's what I usually do anyway, but it would be nice to have a few good movies on T.V. to watch. I'll have to choose which ones I'm going to watch and post my list later.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday! I'm 22 now! And yes, I did buy myself Happy Birthday to Me on DVD on my birthday. I also got a $50 HMV gift card and a $50 Beat Goes On gift card, so I'll probably get lots of new horror DVDs. I can't wait until Night of the Creeps comes out next week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey, I just wanted to take some time out from all the turkey and pumpkin pie to wish everyone a Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving.

I watched Trick 'r Treat this weekend, and I'm getting in the Halloween spirit. So hopefully I will have some reviews to come.

The picture is from Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, if you were wondering.