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Check out some independent horror films
From category: General Horror
For the longest time I've been a fan of indie horror movies. Its not the most popular genre out there unfortunately. It just doesn't have the following that many think it deserves. I think one of the problems is, it seems we're being programmed for wide released, big budgeted films, and remakes. Limited releases and straight to video features sometimes get the shaft. When in reality, they are a much more dedicated movie and way more fun to watch. For the most part, these films don't have the budget of the Hollywood "blockbusters". They don't have the $20 million a movie actors either. But, what they lack in the major funding department, they more than make up for in other areas.
You've probably been there too. Watching a movie that’s suppose to be the next big thing. Its not bad, could be worse, but in the end it sure didn't feel like you got their $100 million worth. What did they spend their money on? Hollywood's biggest names and a bunch of special effects that takes the place of any type of plot and questionable acting. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of these movies that ooze quality and are lots of fun to watch. But, every time I see some supposed Hollywood blockbuster or ANOTHER remake I can't help but sigh, and think… "Here we go again." Especially if it’s a remake / reboot of an awesome classic just hoping to bank on the title. We all know the atrocities that have come out in the past years. Some of them border on insulting to fans of the originals, and fans of horror all around.
I suppose part of the reason I'm drawn to indie horror flicks is because, I grew up watching these types of movies 20-25 years ago. When movies didn't suck you in with CGI and most of the scenes filmed on a green screen. Special effects seemed to consist of a great make-up dept and tons of bloody latex.
One of the best reasons is fan interaction. In my limited experience writing blogs, reviews, and interviews. I've had the most luck and help with those involved in indie films. They’re willing to talk to the fans and not just look at us like another dollar sign. They really appreciate all of us that support their work and in turn try to make films that we'll enjoy. Then bust their asses to do it. It just seems like the movies have a little more personal feel to them. I like to think, "This was made with me in mind."
Below is a list of some movies I thought up that I really enjoyed, or I'm really looking forward to. If you haven't seen any of them, I would recommend checking out a couple and maybe find yourself a new favorite. If we stop supporting indie horror, we might not have any left.
Tim Sullivan (2001 Maniacs) believes independent films are the genre's lifeblood. "I really think the future is the indie horror filmmaker." (Interview with rabiddoll.com)
Hatchet / Hatchet 2 - In theaters soon.
Deadlands / Deadlands 2
Trick of the Witch - coming soon
2001 Maniacs / 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams
Let The Right One In
Dead Girl
Dead and Breakfast
Feast
Altered
Frozen (DVD / Blu Ray release this fall)
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
Evil Aliens
Dead Snow
The Rage
Gutterballs
Midnight Movie
Dark Reel
The After Dark Films (3 years and still going of the “8 Films to Die For”)
Either way, if you’re a fan of indie horror a little, a lot or not much at all. You’ve probably supported it in some way shape or form. There is a great deal of bad ass horror movies out there for every taste. If you love the Hollywood hits, stick with it. Fans of all types of horror movies keep movies in production, keep people scared, and keep sites like this going.
Enjoy
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Cary Elwes and the 'Saw 3D' Footage
From category: Horror Exclusives and Footage
On Friday I as lucky enough to go along to a press junket for the 7th instalment of the Saw franchise, Saw 3D. I was able to sit in on a screening of the opening 10 minutes of the film, and then I had the chance to interview Actor Cary Elwes (video coming very soon!) inside the Saw Alive maze at Thorpe Park. All in all it was a terrific day, and I’d like to extend my thanks to Cary Elwes for taking the time to speak to me.
The interview will be available to see soon, so keep your eyes open. In the mean time, I’m here to share the opening 10 minutes (for those that are interested) with you. Before I go into any detail of what was in the footage I’ll make sure to give fair spoiler warning for those that don’t want any of the film ruined for them. Though I will say this, there wasn’t particularly anything in the opening that should give away any information that wasn’t necessarily already known. What was shown leant more to speculation than anything else.
Alrighty then, here’s your spoiler warning: spoilerspoilerspoilerSPOILERspoiler
The movie opens to the point that the first movie left off, with Jigsaw leaving the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. We’re shown a bloody trail on the ground which leads to a one legged man crawling slowly on his stomach. It’s Dr. Lawrence Gordon, the protagonist from the first Saw film, who managed to escape Jigsaw’s trap by cutting off his own foot and crawling out of the bathroom before Jigsaw shut the door. The film cuts between the opening credits and Dr. Gordon crawling through a series of corridors. He crawls down a hall and stops at a boiling hot steam pipe, at which he lifts up his leg and cauterizes the wound where he sawed his foot off. As he screams in agony the film cuts to a city centre.
Passersby and onlookers in a busy square stop as a glassed off area is revealed showing two men strapped to either end of a Jigsaw contraption. Both men are shackled to either end of a worktable with a saw in front of both of them. The two men are Brad and Ryan, and instantly recognise each other once they come to. They scream for help, and a passerby outside tries to smash the glass, but the window is unbreakable. The Jigsaw Doll then rolls out on his little tricycle, and Jigsaw’s voice can be heard coming out of a set of loudspeakers. The voice to declares to both the men, and everyone watching, that the two are both in love with the same woman, and that neither are aware that she is cheating on both of them with the other one, using and toying with both at the same time. Its at this point that a curtain drops revealing a woman shackled to a rig on the ceiling over both the men, with a saw directly under her stomach. The woman is Dina, the one who has been using both Brad and Ryan. Jigsaw pits the question ‘is this selfish and toxic woman worth taking a life over?’ at which point the game is begun.
Here’s the game: as both one of the two men push their closest saw away from them the saw closest to the opposite man lunges towards him, and vice versa, causing the saw in the middle, underneath Dina, to lower. While this is going on, Dina is being lowered towards the saw underneath her, with the threat of her life only going if either Brad or Ryan push their saws causing hers to drop. So basically, either Brad or Ryan must choose to kill the other in order to save Dina, or if they are to not do anything then Dina will die.
A clock starts to tick down from 60 seconds, and Brad and Ryan start trying to push their saws away from them, not caring that they are risking each others’ lives. Dina shouts down to Brad that she loves him, and tells him he has to kill Ryan. He agrees and starts trying to force the saw into Ryan. Ryan manages to get the upper hand and forces the saw into Brad, cutting his chest slightly. Dina, realising Ryan has the upper hand, shouts to him that she always loved him, and that Brad means nothing to her. Something immediately clicks in Ryan’s head and he shouts over to Brad that the two of them don’t need to do this, neither of them has to die and neither of them has to put up with Dina’s lies any more. They agree to stop fighting against each other and leave their saws alone, causing Dina’s saw to stay up, and eventually she is lowered into, her abdomen being sawn in half.
End of scene.
So there you have it. The opening of Saw 3D. The torture scene was quite tame compared to the gut wrenching standards Saw has set in the past, but this didn’t make it any less entertaining. It just meant that you could enjoy it without necessarily having to watch through your fingers.
So what does everyone think, based on the opening what are your views on how this new instalment to the Saw franchise will be? Does the public display of the torture scene mean that Jigsaw is trying to bring his “game” to a wider audience? Are his plans reaching a much grander scale now?
And as for Dr. Gordon, what does this mean for his character? Will he return to try and stop Jigsaw, or being a survivor will he follow in Jigsaw’s footsteps in the same sense that Amanda did?
Let us know what you think.
Saw 3D will be released in time for Halloween, and keep your eyes open for our interview with Cary Elwes coming soon.
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Mortal Kombat's Potential Gory Reboot?
From category: Horror Pics and Trailers
Lately there has been some talk of a new Mortal Kombat movie. I remember hearing about it all through the last couple years even. Now, just recently, there has been an UNOFFICIAL trailer that has shown up all over the internet and youtube. It doesn't have your average comic / video game to big screen feel about it. Its gory, bloody, and a lot more mature than the previous movies.
There is no official word on this movie and actress Jeri Ryan even posted that this hasn't been picked up. Here is what she said via Twitter:
Okay, so... Mortal Kombat. 9:43 PM Jun 8th via web
It's not a game trailer. Actually was made for the director to sell WB on his vision for a reimagined MK film. 9:51 PM Jun 8th via web
I did it as a favor to a friend. No idea yet what WB's reaction to it was. And I'm not sure how you can contact WB to push them to make it. But you guys are resourceful...! ;-) ... 10:11 PM Jun 8th via web
Ahhh... so apparently there's this: @ Go get 'em, Mortal Kombat fans. 2:33 PM Jun 9th via web
Now, here is the problem. According to IMDB there is a Mortal Kombat that's had a tentative release date of 2013. But, Threshold Entertainment has filed a breach of contract against WB to keep this from moving forward. However, that was from an update back in Feb 2010. Obviously this is more current. The trailer which also stars Michael Jai White as Jacks, looks pretty damn good.
I really hope this does happen. Even though we've been thrown remakes and reboots from every direction. If its going to be done anyway, I would like to see it like this.
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What Movies Scare You?
From category: General Horror
Remember your earliest horror movie? The first one that scared the shit out of you. Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Shining, Friday the 13th, or maybe Psycho? No matter who you are, there was something that fascinated you with horror and kept you wanting more. Or got you running into your house late at night to get all the lights on.
I remember my first horror film that I watched. I didn’t know what it was at first till a few years later… The Evil Dead. I remember walking down into the living room when I was 5 or 6 years old and my parents were up late and they had some movie on. The only scene I remember was one of the characters that had gotten possessed sitting there wearing a demonic smile and that CREEPY laugh. I stood there and watched it for a few mins before my parents caught me and told me to get back in bed. But, to this day, that scene has never been forgotten. Even now when I watch Evil Dead 25 years later that scene brings back memories. I don’t remember being more afraid of anything else around that age. I kept coming back for more punishment though. Eventually I would get to the point where I was wanting to watch these movies regularly. Every once in a while I would find something that would really creep me out and keep me awake. Over the years, it almost became a challenge to find something that would have the same effect that the demon girl in Evil Dead had on me so long ago.
More and more it seems society is getting numb to horror movies. Its hard to find a movie that is different or something that is truly made to scare nowadays. A lot of movies rely on insane amounts of gore and torture. Mutilation isn’t really that scary though. When was the last time you had real fear though? Its hard to do something new and improved that nobody has seen. We all know the scenes in horror movies to look for. Music gets creepy, the cat in the closet that jumps out, a strange noise coming for a seemingly empty room, the power goes out. I could go on forever, and we all know them. Us hardcore horror fans out there know when something is going to happen. What’s even funnier sometimes when the movie tries to trick us by throwing on of those scenes and then doesn’t deliver. Remember what happens then?? Something jumps out RIGHT after that.
Know what type of movies scare me? Well, good ones first off. But, beyond that, its movies that show our killer with intelligence and humanizing them. Thinking, sadistic, playful killing machines. That’s what would scare me in a movie. Walking dead, monsters with an appetite for flesh, comedic supernatural, animals, and most horror movies with children as the killers are all fun movies for sure. Just not something that keeps me awake at night. Early Friday the 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, for example, are pretty creepy movies. You start putting that power glove on Freddy, and you’re more likely to find a plush toy rather than a nightmare. I suppose if you lived by an ocean, Jaws could scare you some. But, for me I found that movie far from scary, even when I was a child.
A couple of movies in the past few years had the proper formula to give me the creeps. Speaking of which.. Jeepers Creepers. The Creeper had a lot of human traits and intelligence. He would whistle while he worked, and toyed with his prey. He even dressed the part and knew what he was after. Along with that, adding a little bit of the torture and his Frankenstein type experiments got a little freaky too. The other movie that I can think of that I thought creepy was Dead Silence. The movie had some fairly well placed scares. it’s a guilty pleasure of mine. I’m not proud out it, but, I just really liked that movie. Last but not least, Arachnophobia. I F’N HATE SPIDERS. I even got the chills typing that. I went to the theater to see that movie and ended up getting sick, for other reasons. But, I can’t watch that movie to this day without thinking I got a spider on me.
So what makes you jump? What’s the earliest movie you remember watching that scared you? Does it haunt you to this day?
Everyone has their movie, and everyone is scared of something. Because of horror movies, we know what could be hiding in the shadows.
Cheers.
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Creepiest Rhymes in Film
From category: Horror Pics and Trailers
Nursery rhymes may seem innocent, but they often have sinister meanings, and horror films often use them to scare us! To celebrate the release of A Nightmare on Elm Street which is in cinemas on 7th May 2010, here are some other creepy melodic moments that have crept into our minds:
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
The haunting Freddy rhyme ... "1 - 2 - Freddy's coming for you, 3 - 4 - Better lock your door, 5 - 6 - Grab your crucifix, 7 - 8 - Better stay up late, 9 - 10 - Never sleep again..." strikes a scary chord, fall asleep at your peril!
The Omen (1976)
"Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man; and his number is 666." This scary scripture appears in the film The Omen about a demonic young boy.
Halloween (1978)
“Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream, make him the cutest that I've ever seen. Give him two lips like roses and clover, and then tell him that his lonesome nights are over.” This seemingly innocent song is played during the Michael’s murderous rampages.
The Shining (1980)
“All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.” Written over and over again by Jack in his manuscripts, this proverb shows the beginning of his madness.
Child’s Play 2 (1990)
“Close your eyes and count to seven, when you wake you’ll be in heaven.” Chucky the killer good guy doll sings this to his victims in Child’s Play 2.
Jeepers Creepers (2001)
"Jeepers Creepers, where'd ya get those peepers? Jeepers Creepers, where'd ya get those eyes?" The popular 1930’s song took a sinister turn in the horror film of the same name.
The Nightmare becomes reality, A Nightmare on Elm Street hits cinemas nationwide on May 7th 2010.
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