Happy Halloween!

Sweetness

INDRID 13’s Top ten picks for Halloween viewing

INDRID 13’s HALLOWEEN PIXXX

Want to watch the cool shit this Halloween? Here’s what you will need!

Trick or Treat: No not that new anthology bullshit! I’m talkin’ bout Sammi Curr! Watch this clip than purchase this film NOW! (You can buy it at FYE for about 3 dollars!!!)

Rocktober Blood: Billy Eye screams and slays!

Attitude for Destruction: Drake gets fucked over and comes back from the dead to hand out some rock n’ roll vengeance!

Dark Floors: Lordi made a movie. If you don’t understand this statement, you suck. Go watch some lame-ass Saw movie in stead poser!

Monster Dog: Alice Cooper stars in this little seen Italian gem. Read it again. Alice Cooper in an Italian horror movie. Clean yourself up and watch it!

Black Roses: From the evil minds behind Rock N’ Roll Nightmare. If you need any more recommendation than that, you shouldn’t even be on this site!



Speaking of which…

Rock N’ Roll Nightmare: Metal gods wash dishes as Satan comes a knockin’. An absolute requirement!

The Gate: Incredible effects, characters you will give a shit about and a kid wearing a Killer Dwarfs jacket.

Phantom of the Paradise: Like the Rocky Horror Picture Show? Then you will love this! A songwriter makes a Faustian deal with the evil Swann (played by Paul Huckabuck Williams) and comes back as a goth girls wet dream. Plus Beef.

Hard Rock Zombies: Let’s see if this appeals to you. A rock band whose lead singer sports a stache and mullet that had to be placed upon him by the Lord of all Metal, Hitler, Dwarves (one of them actually eats himself), Eva Braun is a werewolf, A seriously fucked up romance (featuring two caterpillars as eyebrows), and of course zombies!



MORTE ASCENDE AMEN!

Paul Kyriazi's Top ten picks for Halloween viewing

Here's Paul Kyriazi (Film Writer / Director - Novelist) with his top ten picks for Halloween viewing. You can check out his web page here. And my two part interview with him here and here.

1 - Sleepy Hallow

2 - Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

3 - Twilight

4 - Horror of Dracula

5 - The Wolfman

6 - The Omen

7 - American Werewolf in London

8 - The Shinning

9 - House on Haunted Hill

10 - The Bride of Frankenstein

Sphere of the Lycanthrope

Dan over at the Sphere of the Lycanthrope FanSite, has asked me to ask any of you guys with a blog if you'll add him to your links and he'll do likewise.

Thanks.

October HorrorFest Day 29

Movies I love: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

"I just can't take no pleasure in killing. There's just some things you gotta do. Don't mean you have to like it."

Classic. TCM is definitely that. Never has one film captured a descent into madness and hell as well as Chain Saw Massacre. There's so much to love. There's Leatherface. The Hitchhiker. That insane dinner scene. The family's house with it's bone furniture. I love the grittiness of the house interior contrasted with the beauty of the outdoors. I love the fact that a good portion of the film is set during the daytime. That black vein of humor that runs through the film. Tobe Hooper's wonderful use of oddball characters. The old drunk in the graveyard. The window washer at the gas station. The Family themselves. Then there's invalid Franklin, such an un-P.C. character. He's so damn annoying but also really funny as he's consently abused by everything and everybody around him. Leatherface's first appearance in that doorway. That shot that follow's Pam as she approaches the house. I love the simple ending of the film. No twist, no big surprise. Simply madness. Sally's crazed laughing and Leatherface's chainsaw dance. Sally's left like a character from an H.P Lovecraft story. Shattered and driven mad by the events she's witnessed. Oh and it's got that awesome narration by John Larroquette!

Hump Day Posters: The Prowler

Brandon Ford's Top ten picks for Halloween viewing

Here's horror novelist Brandon Ford with his top 10 horror films for Halloween. Don't forget to pick up a copy of his latest book, Creeping Shadows.

Growing up a horror buff and being a genre author, Halloween is obviously my favorite holiday and one I spend all year looking forward to. Costume parties, stuffing apples with razor blades, and howling at the moon are fine ways to spend the evening, but I prefer to hand out treats and kick back with some classic horror flicks. I’ve agreed to compile a list of 10 favorites and the only way I could make this easier on myself was to include two conditions: the first being not to place them in order from great to greatest because it would be next to impossible for me to settle on what should take the #1 spot. The second to exclude mainstream/well-known titles like Halloween, Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Chainsaw Massacre, etc. I think we can all agree that these are classics and genre staples, but everyone and their grandmother is aware of them. Even those who don’t care much for horror know who Freddy Krueger is, for God’s sake. So, this list is dedicated to 10 of my favorite lesser-known/under-appreciated horror gems. Get the popcorn ready and watch at your own risk.

10. DEAD DUDES IN THE HOUSE (1991) – Released under multiple titles including The House on Tombstone Hill and The Road, this strange and gory classic concerns a group of college-age friends who gather to fix up a dilapidated mansion way out in the boonies. What they don’t know is that its original owner, a creepy/zombie-esque grandma, is still in the house. Locking them inside, she begins to pick them off in grisly fashion. Hope you’ve got your vomit bags handy.

9. KILLER PARTY (1986) – It’s April Fool’s Day and the Sigma Alpha Pi sorority house is planning a huge soirée. Unfortunately for them, the place they’ve chosen to hold the shindig, an abandoned house once a popular frat, is the last place for drunken college antics. Some years back, a prank gone awry claimed the life of a very unlucky fraternity pledge. In true horror fashion, the sorority girls hold a séance on the grounds and in the process they inadvertently conjure a very pissed off demon. “April Fool, assholes!”

8. SORORITY HOUSE MASSACRE (1986) – I’ll be the first to admit I have a twisted affection for sorority carnage and this one is definitely one of the best. A deranged killer, held for brutally murdering his family, breaks out of an asylum and starts off on a search for the one member he wasn’t able to nail—his youngest sister, who is spending the weekend with some friends at a sorority house. Follows in the footsteps of Halloween and several other slashers that have come before it, but still holds enough charm to make it a very memorable choice.

7. BAD DREAMS (1988) – The sole survivor of a suicide cult (led by a delusional whacko not unlike Charles Manson) wakes up after spending more than a decade in a coma. She now spends her days in a psych ward, struggling to get her life back on track and to adjust to a new decade. Almost immediately, she begins seeing visions of her deceased cult leader, a haunting figure horribly burned, and patients in the facility start turning up dead. Dark, brutal, and a pretty unique premise that includes strong performances by leads Jennifer Rubin and Bruce (“Hi, I was in Re-Animator!”) Abbott.

6. EYES OF A STRANGER (1981) – A serial rapist is stalking the streets of Los Angeles, leaving behind a trail of butchered young women. A TV news anchor is convinced her creepy neighbor (who just so happens to discard stained clothing in public garbage cans on top of keeping odd hours) is responsible. Desperate to protect her younger sister, who is blind and deaf, she’ll stop at nothing to bring him to justice. Lauren Tewes really holds her own in this one, as does Jennifer Jason Leigh (in one of her very first features).

5. DEE SNIDER’S STRANGELAND (1998) – A psychotic killer is stalking the Internet, torturing and slaying his victims in a disturbing and ritualistic fashion. Captain Howdy, a buff, tattooed, and pierced madman, uses his extraordinary intellect to outwit police detectives while holding multiple captives in a chamber of horrors. Dee Snider (of ‘80s hair band Twisted Sister) wrote, produced, and starred in this modern-day cautionary tale and his efforts were well appreciated by yours truly. Unfortunately, it’s one of the most underrated and overlooked horror films of its decade. Go figure.

4. HE KNOWS YOU’RE ALONE (1980) – Amy Jensen’s wedding day is just around the corner, but instead of feeling the same joy and excitement of any young bride, she is beside herself with panic and terror, certain she is being pursued by a very menacing stranger. This stranger is actually a deranged murderer on the hunt for young brides-to-be and Amy is his next intended victim. Contains a pretty intense chase scene, a unique fish tank decorative, and Tom Hanks in his very first film role.

3. POPCORN (1991) – To raise funds for their dwindling film class, a group of college coeds decide to put on an all-night horror movie marathon at a local theater. Featuring fictitious camp films originally released with William Castle-style gimmicks, the audience is assaulted with a giant flying mosquito, a very foul-smelling gas, and a madman who is knocking off each member of the class. But why? This movie has to be one of the most fun of its genre, going out of its way to make the home viewer feel like they’re in the audience with the rest of the screaming theater patrons. Has some pretty fun kills and features one of the best scream queens of her time, Jill Schoelen (come on back to the genre already!).

2. KOLOBOS (1998) – Five young strangers meet at a cabin in the mountains to participate in a Real World-style documentary. They agree to have their lives taped, spending 24 hours a day on camera. On their first night in the house, certain members of the cast are viciously slaughtered by a stranger with a hideously scarred face. Using a straight-edge razor, he slices his way from room to room until coming face to face with Kyra (strongly played by Amy Weber), an ex-psych patient with some very dark secrets. Featuring some pretty brutal kills, homage to various Italian horror classics, and a cameo by Linnea Quigley, you can’t go wrong with this one. But please avoid My Little Eye, a far less superior copycat it’s always compared to.

1. THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE (1982) – To celebrate her parents’ departure, Trish decides to invite some friends over for a slumber party. Throw in some beer, pot, and a couple of uninvited boys and you’ve got yourself a good time. That is until a maniac wielding a portable electric drill decides to crash the party and the guests must fight to make it through the night. With its simple premise, witty dialogue, and copious amounts of nudity, there’s something here for just about everyone. Hey, they don’t call it the ultimate driller killer thriller for nothing.

I remember...

October HorrorFest Day 25

Halloween-the game

The burden of civilization is upon us... an interview with Kelli Maroney

I recently had the pleasure to interview Kelli Maroney. You'll remember her from her roles in Night of the Comet, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Zero Boys, and Chopping Mall. Check out her official website here. And on Facebook.


Was it aways your intention to be an actress?

Yup, it's really all I ever wanted to do. I thought of some other things, but that was my real heart's desire, so I went for it.

How did you first get into acting?

I was an apprentice at the Guthrie Theatre in my hometown of Minneapolis, MN. as a teen.

The first movie you did was Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Was it intimidating to be working on a feature film after doing television?

Not intimidating, but exciting because I really wanted to be in films.

In Fast Times at Ridgemont High you worked with actors such as Anthony Edwards, Eric Stoltz, Phoebe Cates and Forrest Whitaker. Do you have fond memories of working with them?

Absolutely--we spent months being together everyday.

You had a part in a Peter Coyote film called Slayground. Can you tell us anything about that film?

I actually only worked one day on that. They shot my scenes back to back in one day, so I wasn't on the set after that. I loved that they put the song BAD TO THE BONE underneath my scenes.

Can you tell us anything about staring in the hybrid action/horror film called The Zero Boys?

It was a pretty rugged experience--one trailer for all of the actors, and running around the woods in the middle of the night. The other actors were great and we bonded over the difficulties.

You've been credited as D. Mason Keener and Zoe Simon. Was there a reason for using these different names?

D. Mason Keener was what Wynorski credited me as when I didn't want to use my real name in one of his films...D. Mason Keener is after DMK in NIGHT OF THE COMET. Simon was my married name, and I used the name Zoe while I was doing a side gig as a holistic practitioner some years ago.

Night of the Comet has a strong cult following. Do you get a lot of fan mail about it? And do you get people coming up to you that recognize you from it?

Yes, it's so wild how many people remember and love that film. Thank you!

In that cheerleader outfit, holding that machine gun. You were quite an iconic figure. Sort of a precursor to Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Plus your character had that valley girl thing going on. Night of the Comet had a kind of humor you didn't see in horror films then. When you were filming did you get a sense that your character would be so popular and that NOTC would be a cult film?

No, actually we thought we might have to wear paper bags over our heads when it came out. LOL. I knew it would be funny because when I read the script I was laughing out loud.

Did you keep any of the outfits from the movie?

Have my cheerleading outfit and it still fits.

Catherine Mary Stewart's love interest in the film was future Star Trek Voyager star Robert Beltran. What was it like working with him?

He's very serious and professional.

What can you tell us about working on Chopping Mall? Did you do your own stunts?

NOTC and Chopping Mall both had a lot of action set-pieces. I did all my own stunts on NOTC and almost all on CM, except there was a body double at the end when I'm standing there near the paint store when it blows. They put her in some kind of flame retardant stuff in case the fire blew back on her.

Recently you did an episode of True Blood. What was that like?

Very fun. The cast and crew are sweethearts. I hope they bring me back again.

What are you working on now?

I have several films that I am in the process of getting financed,

What's the weirdest fan related thing that's ever happened to you?

When I was on the Daytime show Ryan's Hope my character got pregnant and I started to receive baby cards and shower gifts, like I was really expecting!

Is there anything you like to tell our readers?

Yes, please go to Youtube and check out a song I did with the group Consortium Of Genius called Homecoming Queen At The End Of The World. It is a ton of fun! Thanks to everyone for their enthusiasm and support. My fans ROCK.