The Tortured (2010)

I've been wanting to watch this movie forever, because yay Bill Moseley, but also Erika Christensen and Jessie Metcalfe!  Torturing child killers?!  Awesome.  And although I haven't mentioned this in a while, this is one more flick on my way to completion of the "Bill Moseley Movie Project," where I watch every movie Bill Moseley has ever been in.  Fangirl much?  YEP.

I'm always excited when I see the IFC intro, but the Twisted Pictures logo brings back wonderful memories of watching the first Saw movie in one of those discount/second-run theaters in my college town.

In The Tortured, young Benjamin Landry (Thomas Greenwood) is kidnapped by John Kozlowski (Bill Moseley).  His parents, Craig and Elise (Jessie Metcalfe and Erika Christiansen) are obviously distressed and frustrated by the police. Bill Moseley as the bi-polar princess/daddy?  Well...he busts out the Otis Firefly voice, but the intimidation just isn't there.

So it's no secret that that Kozlowski is the one responsible for the kidnapping and murder of their son. After he receives only 25 to life, the Landrys are set on revenge.  What makes it extra interesting is that Craig is a doctor, therefore being able to inflict the most amount of pain on Kozlowski, while keeping him not only alive, but conscious.

They go down the gauntlet of torture, planning to drag it out as long as possible, while continually reminding Kozlowski of all he did to their son.  At first, they're a little hesitant, but then they really go balls to the wall.

Now, there is a twist in the last five minutes of the movie that turns the whole thing on its ear.  I can't say whether I really liked the twist or not, but it did wrap it up in an interesting way.  This movie sort of reminded me of Prisoners but it didn't even come close to having the same impact.  All in all, an okay movie if you like seeing people be tortured, but not enough suspense, and certainly not enough Bill Moseley.

Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet (2009)

If Bill Moseley is in a movie, I'm going to watch it.  If Bill Moseley AND Danielle Harris are in a movie TOGETHER, you couldn't pry me away from it.  Therefore, even though most reviews on Netflix and IMDB warn me against this movie, I'm going in full speed.

If you've heard rumors that there is a topless girl in this movie, you would be correct.  However, fair warning that girl is not Danielle Harris, but is Samantha Facchi/Siong, who plays the adult Mary.  The premise is that in 1979, on Long Island, Mary Mattock/Hatchet killed her whole family, and then was put in a mental institution, where she is raped by a security guard and becomes pregnant.  After her baby does not survive the birth, she escapes and goes on a murderous rampage throughout the hospital.

Years later, local teens celebrate the anniversary of Blood Night with the normal stuff like drinking, partying, and underage sex. Oh, and also bombing people with tampons, bloody handprints, and eggs.  While screwing around in a cemetery with an Oujia board, they run into Graveyard Gus (Bill Moseley).  He tells them a Mary Hatchet story, and sends them off to party.

Finally, Danielle Harris (Alissa) arrives and tells this ridiculous gang rape story, which is fake!  Um, what?  Much like any teenage slasher, everyone proceeds to get hammered and have sex, which of course is the perfect opening for a vengeful spirit.  Luckily, Graveyard Gus is still in the picture!  I'd like to think that the cheesy lines and overacting in this movie are intentional, and that this slasher is a bit tongue in cheek.  It seems to be giving a little nod to a few horror standard -- the digging up of the ghost's body, death from behind during sex, and even Graveyard Gus himself, who was apparently modeled after Crazy Ralph.  There's even a little Halloween-esque twist, which was clever in light of casting Jamie Lloyd herself. 

The death scenes were pretty awesome.  We've got some decapitation, face slicing, and even a girl's intestines getting wound around a pickaxe.  I do agree with other reviewers that maybe Mary should have used a hatchet for most of her killings, after her moniker.  All in all, this was a fun slasher flick that obviously took some cues from some teen scream classics.  I can't say I've ever seen a killer that runs around in the complete nude, but hey, if you've got it, flaunt it, girl.  

The Devil's Carnival (2012)

I'll be honest going into this.  I hate musicals, and I wasn't a big fan of Repo! The Genetic Opera.  But this thing has just been glaring at me from my Netflix instant queue, and with an hour to kill before I have to start dinner, I thought I'd give it a shot.  This is only an hour long, and apparently was created with the intention of having more "episodes" to follow.  This is also one of those projects where everyone and their mom makes an appearance.  We've got Alexa Vega (from Repo!) Dayton Callie (Sons of Anarchy) Bill Moseley, Sean Patrick Flanery, and Paul Sorvino.  Daryn Lynn Bousman is at the helm, and apparently filming was completed in 7 days, elaborate makeup and all.

The Devil's Carnival is the story of three people who have committed various sins in their lives, and find their way to a carnival run by the devil.  As they say, hell is repetition, and they are doomed to repeat the same misdeeds that brought them here.  John (Flanery) committed suicide after the death of his young son.  Ms. Merrywood (Briana Evigan) is shot to death by police after stealing.  And Tamara (Jessica Lowndes) is killed by an abusive boyfriend.  Everything seems to be based on Aesop's fables, of which I don't remember much, so I'm no help there.  The unfortunate part is that there wasn't much character development, and I couldn't really bring myself to care about any of the three "sinners."  Any room for backstory or explanations was filled with singing by the "carnies."

The costumes and makeup in this movie were really incredible, and the songs were great if you're into that type of thing.  I get the vibe from the IMDB reviews that this is one of those cult movies where people are either "meh" or "OMFG THIS IS MORE THAN A MOVIE!1!1!1!"  I get the feeling that this just either wasn't my type of movie, or it just went right over my head.  It definitely isn't in the same league as Repo! and although I'm glad I checked it out to satisfy my curiosity, I won't be rushing to see any of the follow-up installments.

Rogue River (2012)

Wow, it's been a while since I've done a Bill Moseley Movie Project post!  Bill Moseley is one of my favorite genre actors and I always so desperately want to love anything he's in.  But right off the bat, this story is a little unbelievable.  Maybe the cynical NYer side of me is showing too much, but seriously?  You meet a guy randomly while trying to scatter your dad's ashes, and not only do you take him up on the offer for him to walk you back to your car, but then when you find said car missing, you accept a ride.  Not a ride into town, mind you, but back to his house to "check" with his wife.  Check whether you can give a ride that you are already in the process of giving?!  Then when you meet the dude's creepy wife, you immediately agree to stay over instead of being driven back into the safety of town.  Alright, we're all on the same fucked up page, right?

So we've got Jon (Bill Moseley) and his wife Lea (real life girlfriend Lucinda Jenney) and the poor-decision-making soon to be kidnapped young woman, Mara (Michelle Page).  After stupidly deciding to stay the night, Mara doesn't even bother to call anyone to let them know where she is.  Also what year is this that she still has an old-school clamshell phone?  Is she my grandma?  The dinner that Lea claimed to be soooooo delicious is actually disgusting.  Mara cuts her hand on a broken plate and instead of taking her to the emergency room, Lea decides to clumsily stitch it herself.  After ALL OF THAT, wouldn't you just walk right the fuck out of there?!  Mara takes a snooze instead.

Lea is coming off very Kathy Bates in Misery.   Is that what they were going for?

Jon is crouched in his tighty-whities watching Mara sleep.  No big deal, right? She apparently doesn't seem to think so.  You know that line in Scream: "The bimbo's always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door?" This moron repeatedly runs into a bedroom with no lock on the door, and into the basement.  Out. the. door. stupid. 

Then this movie just keeps getting weirder.  There's a guy in a trunk!  There's a wedding.  She's forced to rape her half-dead brother.  Someone is force fed ashes.  I mean, I sort of saw that coming from the beginning but whatevs.  The ending was just kind of whatever, although they did squeeze in a little nod to the incest that nobody wanted to see in the first place! 

I feel bad saying this, but I pretty much hated this movie.  Zero character development, and what was the motive for Jon and his sister/wife Lea?  She had cancer, right?  And maybe they wanted a baby or something?  What was the point of the weird wedding/rape?  Why was someone in a trunk?  Why was she sometimes tied to the bed, and sometimes just running amok?  I just didn't get this movie at all.  Skip it for sure.

Night of the Little Dead (2011)

"If I can kill a god, I can sure as shit kill a monster."

They always give Bill Moseley the best lines in movies (see Evil Bong) obviously just for the fact that he is one of the coolest motherfuckers to ever walk the earth.  Night of the Little Dead has been on my radar for a while, and I was excited to see the full length version (only 11 minutes long) posted online today.

Midget zombies, Bill Moseley, Penn Jillette, Adam Savage, beer and fishing lure?  It really doesn't get much better than that.  NOTLD is about a group of fisherman sitting around a bar, and coming in and out for the actual fishing.  One pair rushes back in, bleeding profusely and running from a tiny zombie.  The war is on between the bar patrons and the little monster, with Bill Moseley (Kickstand) leading the pack.  There's blood, screaming, beer drinking, and some awesome zombie-chopping.  A fun ending rounded this one out.  Full of campiness and worth a watch.  Enjoy!

UKM: The Ultimate Killing Machine (2006)

Michael Madsen in a movie that only gets a 3.1 on IMDB?  Say it ain't so. 

UKM is a movie about military experiments.  I don't know much about the intricate details of the military, so I'm not biased as it relates to accuracy in this flick.  Basically, a secret government organization is trying to create soldiers that are ultimate killing machines.  They tried it with experienced soldier, but it didn't work out so well.  So they recruit a bunch of nobodies, including runaways, fugitives, and drug addicts, to join in the program.

The test subjects are quarantined in some random facility, have the procedure performed on them, and then are strapped to gurneys.  Some idiot tries to sexually assault one of the subjects, and she beats the crap out of him and lets everyone free. 

This "escape" seems almost deliberately planned in order to see how the recruits will act when let loose in the world.  In addition to the desire to kill kill kill, they also become horny and start jumping all over each other.  The major (Michael Madsen) informs them of the experiment, expressing that they can avoid all the dramz by avoiding "getting excited."  Easier said than done.

Of course, there's a ridiculous amount of nonsense in this movie.  A crack addict is in a brand-new Victoria's Secret bra and panty set.  A hipster is an ever-willing Army recruit.  People are allowed to take Army photos while flipping off the camera.  But everyone is hot (girls and guys) and there's blood, gore, decapitation,  and general awesomeness.

Apparently Michael Madsen is busting ass to get to 200 movies, which is why he seems to be appearing in every movie possible (House, anyone?) .  I don't hate on that.  It made several people's careers, including Danny Trejo, Bill Moseley (in the horror world) and probably eventually Danielle Harris.  If you're not going to walk every red carpet like Brad and Angie, I say go balls out and be in every movie you can.  Madsen, I salute you.

I really didn't hate this movie.   It wasn't the best thing I've ever seen but it certainly wasn't the worst.   Maybe I'm still flying high off of Jack Kilborn's Afraid (I'll do a post soon, I promise!) but this flick was acceptable in my book.  Nothing awesome, but we've got Madsen, head choppings, and 20-somethings banging....you can't hope for much more on Easter Sunday ;)

Random: 30 Day Horror Day 30

What is your favorite horror movie of all time?

Hate all you want, haters.  The Devil's Rejects makes my sick and demented heart filled with ridiculous joy.  I love every minute of this movie, from that moment when the Fireflys stand up with the armor, to the chick running around in the face mask, to Otis declaring "I am the devil."

I understand that this won't be a popular choice, but I've just never come across a movie (horror or otherwise) that I love as much as The Devils Rejects.  Yes, all the classics follow closely behind, but if I'm trapped on a desert island with one movie, I want Baby, Otis, and Captain Spaulding to keep me company.

Movie News: Night of the Little Dead

This isn't even on IMDB yet, and the website says "coming soon" but luckily for us, Bill Moseley is an avid Twitterer.  This has been filming outside of LA for about a week now, and boy does it have a hodge-podge cast. 

This flick stars Bill Moseley, Erica Taylor, Gary Morgan, Adam Savage, Penn Jillette, Martin Klebba, and James Hurley.  There's not much on the plot yet, but the tag line is "It's the little things that getcha."

This movie is coming to us from Ghost Works and you can follow them on Twitter @NgtofLtlDed and like them on Facebook at Night of the Little Dead.  I'm excited for more to come on this one!

Random: Chiller Theatre Convention 2010

I went to the Chiller Theatre convention in Parsippany, NJ on Friday and it was an awesome time.  Chiller is a little more on the small side, but I had a total blast.  The only general disappointment was the fact that EVERYONE was charging heavily for autographs and photos.  I mean, seriously $25 for a picture with the lady that played Magenta in The Rocky Horror Picture Show?  $30 for a photo with Lita from the WWE?  This was a little surprising to me.

Anyway, no one can stop me from taking my own photos and offering color commentary.   First off was the best part of the convention, which was the fact that I met Bill freakin' Moseley.  I barely remember this momentous event because I was insanely nervous.  Full disclosure -- I did pay $25 for an autographed poster and a photo op, but it was well, well worth it.  I was too nervous to say anything I planned on saying, but there's always next time.

Things of interest: Bill Moseley is incredibly nice and down to earth, and he is also left-handed.  He volunteered to write "there's no ice cream in your fucking future" without me even suggesting it.  He also is pretty damn smart, and I did read somewhere that he went to Yale.  He was so awesome and I would love to talk to him again.

Also freakin' awesome as hell?  WILLIAM FORSYTHE, man.  We barely saw him at first because he somehow got seated in between Ralph Macchio and Linda Blair, while all the Devil's Rejects/House of 1000 Corpses cast was in one general area.  We walked up to him, had a chat about The Rig and told him we missed him at the Comic Con.  He informed us that he finished filming Infected just that morning.  He was so cool when I asked him for a photo and didn't charge me a cent.  Also, please excuse the fact that I am beaming like a complete dork in the photo.

Who else was there from the horror universe?

 This is a close as you will get to taking a photo of Tom Savini.  In fact, if you look at Tom Savini for more than a few seconds, his handler will tell you to move on.  He's charging $30 for autographs, ONLY on the merchandise you buy from his table.  Sorry, but he seemed like kind of a jerk.

Irwin Keyes from House of 1000 Corpses.  He expressed much interest in doing a prequel.

 Ginger Lynn from The Devil's Rejects.  Did you know she was a Penthouse model and a porn star?  She had a LONGGG line at her table.

Linda Blair.  I was supposed to get an autograph for my mom.  I texted her and asked if she wanted to give me $25 for it and she said no way.

Fred Williamson of From Dusk Til Dawn fame.

I also stopped by the table for Zombie Hunters: City of the Dead, a local NYC show I reviewed recently.  The actors/actresses are beyond awesome, and let me take some photos after we chatted about my blog/review.

Chiller Theatre was definitely worth the trip, especially if you are looking for rare DVDs, memorabilia, etc.  However, do not be disappointed (like I kinda was) that nearly every celebrity was charging a mint for autographs or photos.

Movie News: Poster/Still from Rogue River

Oooh, I've been looking forward to seeing something about this movie.  Bill Moseley has been posting about it on his Twitter (his girlfriend Lucinda Jenney also stars) but overall, this flick has been flying under the radar.  Until now, of course. 

Dread Central has the scoop:

Director Jourdan McClure's Rogue River follows a young girl named Mara (Michelle Page) who while struggling with the recent death of her father, sets off on a solitary journey to Oregon’s Rogue River to scatter his remains.
When Mara’s car gets towed, she accepts a ride from Jon Wall (Bill Moseley), an affable redneck type, mourning the death of his young daughter. A quick detour leads them to Jon’s beautiful cabin deep in the woods where his wife Lea (Lucinda Jenney) quickly captivates Mara as they find solace in the shared grief of their own personal tragedies. But all is not as it seems on the picturesque Rogue River.
Mara's world soon devolves into a harrowing nightmare as she fights for survival in the dark and violent world of Jon and Lea. A nightmare shockingly unfolds into a spine-tingling crescendo of terror that will drag Mara into the most twisted recesses of the human psyche.

Woohoo!  I'm always excited to see Bill Moseley in something and it's pretty awesome that his girlfriend is playing his wife.  This one sounds pretty good and I'm looking forward to checking it out.  Here's the first still:

Movie News: Danielle Harris is NOT in "The Gathering"

Even IMDB is claiming that Danielle Harris has signed on for "The Gathering" but the actress insists that it is NOT true.  From her Twitter (@halloweengal)

"I'VE NEVER BEEN INVOLVED IN THE MOVIE 'THE GATHERING'.  Never heard of it and it's all over that I'm signed on.  NOT TRUE.  Pass it on."

There's TONS of horror names being listed as being in this movie, including Robert Englund, Bill Moseley, Linda Blair, Billy Drago, and William Sadler.  I wonder if any of it is true...?

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

What an odd movie this was.  I guess it could be most compared to Rocky Horror Picture Show with the singing and such but the similarities kind of stop there. 

Repo! is the story of a futuristic world where lots of people are sick.  Therefore, these sick people need organs.  Luckily, there's a company called GeneCo, that will not only supply organs for you, but provide financing.  However, there's a downside.  If you don't make your organ payments (hehe), the repo man comes and takes them away.

GeneCo is run by the imposing Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino), who turns out to be ill himself.  He's burdened with three selfish children: Luigi (Bill Moseley), Pavi (Ogre), and Amber (Paris Hilton). Meanwhile, on the other end of town lives Shilo Wallace (Alexa Vega) and her overprotective father, Nathan (Anthony Stewart Head)  Shilo apparently has some sort of blood disease which requires her to stay inside and take a constant stream of medication.

While the Largo siblings run wild and take advantage of their father's positions, drama brews between Nathan and Rotti.  Shilo disobeys her father, and sneaks out of the house, encountering a graverobber among others.  I'm not much for musicals, but the songs in this movie are pretty funny and well-performed.  And those who are turned off because of Paris Hilton, don't worry.  She's actually barely in the movie and only sings one song, which is pretty decent.

This definitely wasn't as good as Rocky Horror, but check it out if you like horror-ish musicals.  Although I guess not many of those exist ;o)


photo source: http://www.dreadcentral.com/img/news/jun08/repopic1.jpg

Random: Bill Moseley Movie Project

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I'm pretty freakin' obsessed with Bill Moseley.  This all started with House of 1000 Corpses/Devil's Rejects.  Then I kept seeing him in more and more movies and decided that he was a totally badass guy and worthy of my horror obsession.

I watch a lot of movies for purposes of this blog (and just because I love them)  I pick them for a variety of reasons, and some I just choose at complete random.  My favorite movies to watch and write up are random/low-budget/unheard of flicks that aren't already covered all over the internetz.  In fact, I've sort of grown to loathe box office horror and I've kind of stepped away from even covering those movies, even though I do occasionally see them, including that piece of crap that was Shutter Island.

Anyway, I digress.  I wanted some sort of goal to set for movie watching and I'm sort of past "all the Freddys" or "every single Halloween in one sitting."  So I decided to see how many movies Bill Moseley has been in.  Wow, he has been in a lot.  Including non-horror, but we're just going to stick with horror on this.  From his IMDB, I counted 21 that I haven't seen yet.  Some (i.e. Silent Night, Deadly Night 3) are not available on Netflix, or elsewhere for that matter.  So those will have to hold off for a bit.  But my goal is to watch every horror movie Bill Moseley has ever been in.  So if you see a lot of Choptop around here lately, that would be why. 

Full disclosure: my inspiration for this project is the upcoming NYC Comic Con.  I suspect the man himself may be there.  I have this ridiculous idea of being able to go up to him and say "I'm a huge fan.  I've seen all of your movies.  Literally."  But I really have to work on this approach so that it doesn't come off all Annie Wilkes ;o) 

photo source: http://www.costumzee.com/users/Lana417-2116-full.gif

The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009)

Man, people loveeee to hate on Rob Zombie.  The man could make a movie that rivals The Exorcist and people would still find a way to talk shit.  Superbeasto is certainly not looking to win any academy awards, but it is some sick, hilarious, porno-ish fun.

This movie has an awesome voice cast, including Sheri Moon Zombie, Tom Papa, Paul Giamatti, Rosario Dawson, and even Sid Haig and Bill Moseley making some quick cameos.  Superbeasto is the tale of a washed-up wrestler named El Superbeasto (voiced by Tom Papa).  He's mostly focused on chasing skirts, while his sister Susi-X (Sheri Moon Zombie) builds robots who fall in love with her and fights Nazi zombies. 

Meanwhile, deep under the Earth, the weak and skinny Dr. Satan (Paul Giamatti) is on the search for his unholy bride so that he can become a beefy super-devil and take over the world.  His bride-to-be will apparently be recognizable by a "666" on her ass.  Enter Velvet Von Black (voiced by a hysterical Rosario Dawson), a stripper at a club being patronized by El Superbeasto.  As Beasto falls quickly in lust with Velvet, she is plucked up by an angry gorilla who is a minion of Dr. Satan.  As it turns out, she has the mark of Satan square on her butt.

Excitement ensues as Beasto and his sister, Susi-X take off for Dr. Satan's lair to retrieve Velvet Von Black.  And more drama is created when Beasto and Susi realize that Dr. Satan is a dressed-up nerd from their high school.  The battle begins as the two attempt to get Velvet and make it out alive.

This movie was full of seriously gratuitous violence, nudity (of the cartoon variety) and graphic sex.  Some say it's tiresome, I say it's hilarious.  If you are a fan of Adult Swim type cartoons, you'll love this flick.  If you're a Zombie fan, you'll love spotting the hidden cameos and references.  Fun times.



photo source

Babysitter Wanted (2008)

Solid babysitter-themed movie with a strong female lead and an interesting twist on the tried and true babysitter home alone plot.  Good cast including my main man, Bill Moseley. 

Angie has gone away to college, against her mom's wishes.  She arrives in her new town to find she's living in a filthy apartment with a stoner chick and no bed.  School isn't going that much better, as she feels she's being stalked by a mysterious man.

In need of cash, she responds to an ad for a babysitter out in the boondocks.  Her roommate warns her against it, but she goes anyway.  The kid seems like a bit of a creeper, but she needs the dinero, so she agrees to babysit for their son Sam on Friday night.  She arrives to find Sam asleep with indications to feed him "special food" if he wakes up.  Meanwhile, there are crazy noises surrounding the house, and there seems to be someone lurking outside.  Creepy phone calls ensue and Sam goes missing within the house.

At this point, the plot takes a sharp turn.  The creeper may not be the only villian in this story, and it looks like its a long night ahead for Angie.  She puts up quite the fight, and it's good to see a strong female heroine in a horror movie, especially a babysitter one.

Not a perfect flick, but I liked it.  Check it out.

photo source

Movie News: The Devil's Rejects 2?

So this is all pure speculation, and I'm sure Rob Zombie is just fucking with us, but The Devil's Rejects 2?  Seriously?  I might have had a heart attack (of excitement) upon reading this.

Here's the deal: Rob Zombie has this website.  To make people like me run straight to the "new post" button, he puts up a poll of what movie he should do next.  The choices are: Werewolf Women of the SS, The Blob, T-Rex, and....The Devil's Rejects 2.  Please note the absence of any mention of Halloween...thank God.

So the vote is in TDR's favor right now...with Werewolf Women close behind.  No one cares about The Blob because come on, what a dumb idea to remake that.  And T-Rex has already been announced as being pushed back to 2013. 

Then, one of my favorite Twitter buddies, @choptopmoseley, announces that he too voted for TDR2.  Oh really, Bill Moseley?  Do you have information that someone like me would kill for?  I replied at him to ask if he thinks Otis would still be alive and of course he didn't answer because he is the ultimate badass and I am just a dork with a blog.

Anyway, what would TDR2 look like?  A prequel to House of 1000 Corpses? Something in between House and TDR?  Did some or all of the family survive the end of the first movie?  Or is there some surviving family member to carry on the Firefly's legacy?  Unfortunately, it's not going to be Matthew McGrory (Tiny), as he passed away shortly after the filming of The Devil's Reject's.

So, what say you, horror lovers?  Is a TDR sequel a possibility?  What would it look like?  Or are my suspicions true and Rob Zombie is just faking horror nerds like me out?

photo source

Dead Air (2009)

I liked this movie.  But then again, I'm partial to both end of the world movies and Bill Moseley.  So this was really a score for me.

Bill Moseley plays shock-jock Logan Burnhardt, who hosts a contraversial late-night show on the radio.  One night, he comes into work and things have really gone crazy.  He brings up the subject of paranoia, and takes some hysterical calls before shit really hits the fan.  Logan and his co-workers soon realize that a deadly virus has been released into the air by terrorists.  This virus causes people to go crazy and kill/eat each other, much like the "rage" in 28 Days/28 Weeks Later. 

He reaches out to callers to dial into the show and let him know what is going on so that others can be informed.  Meanwhile, no one has any idea that the terrorists are lurking nearby.  There are battles on both sides as the crew struggles with both terrorists and infected.

There was not a whole lot of gory zombie scenes in this movie, as it was more about the drama.  Although this flick was no Dawn of the Dead, I thought it was engaging and thrilling.  Worth checking out.

photo source

Halloween (2007)

I'm aware that I'm a bit biased when it comes to Rob Zombie movies, due to my obsession with them. That said, I thought this movie was awesome.

Obviously, the original Halloween is a classic. But the remake really adds some components that really enhance the storyline. The "new" Halloween takes a deeper look at Michael's childhood and family in order to better explain how he came to be a sadistic murderer.


I mean, honestly, the whole prequel thing makes the whole movie. I loved the original Halloween...I really did. But there were so many unanswered questions. Why was Michael the way he was? How could he kick the shit out of everyone when he was so small? Why was he so obssessed with Laurie?

Amazingly, the sequel/remake explains all of these points. Michael was pretty much born psychotic. The original movie showed a white middle-class home gone wrong. This movie shows a trailer trash home led by a burnt-out stripper mom, and an alcoholic deadbeat dad. There's verbal and physical abuse, child negligence, and a general negative atmosphere. Although Sherri Moon was quickly stereotyped as a "Baby"-type character, she's broken from that mold. The performances from William Forsythe and Sherri were convincing and fitting.
The updated version of the movie shows Michael not as a normal child who loses it overnight, but a kid with obvious psychological problems who slowly descents into madness. He begins with killing hamsters, then cats and dogs, and eventually humans. The scenes in the mental hospital show an evolution of a truly psychotic individual, not just a weirdo that doesn't talk for most of his life.
I know that some people don't like that Rob Zombie uses a lot of the same actors/actresses in his films. I have no problem with this. Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino employ similar practices and I don't find that this takes away from the story at all. Plus, I always love when my man Danny Trejo shows up in flicks.
Fifteen years later when Michael gets out, I have to be almost embarssingly honest. This sequence makes a hell of a lot more sense than the just walking out and driving a car. And frankly, I think the fact that he's a big guy makes it a hell of a lot more believeable. I mean, the 70s Michael looks like 5'7"...how could he kick such shit out of everyone? I'm taller than that!
Now Scout Taylor-Compton is no Jamie Lee, but I think she plays a convincing role. I like the story behind the reason that Michael is looking for her. There was never really an explanation in the first one. Tyler Mane as Michael Myers is scary and intimidating, and I give him a thumbs up. I liked the recreations of some of the older scenes, as updates rather than improvements, I think they fit well. The only portion of this movie that fell flat was the last fifteen minutes which dragged on and on with the screaming and chasing.
Frankly, I loved this movie. I wouldn't called it a "remake" of the original Halloween. It has the same general storyline, but much of it is very different from the original. I would call it more of an "update", or even a sequel. I loved the actors, the Zombie-esque grittiness, and the additional background to the original story.
Grade: A (comparing it to the original would be blasphemy, but this was a great movie)

House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

As a major Rob Zombie fan, I must admit that I am slightly biased when it comes to his movies. So, it's time for my confession -- I LOVE House of 1000 Corpses. Although it has been slammed as one of the worst horror movies ever, it's one of my favorites in my collection.

I think the problem most people have with "House" is that they take it a bit too seriously. I look at it as the first venture from an extremely devoted horror fan like myself who just wanted to make a kick-ass horror movie. Sure, the plot kind of goes nowhere, and about an hour and ten minutes in, it veers off into obscurity, but the characters are awesome, the gore factor is there, the vibe is campy, and it even has a few laughs.

I think the story behind "House" adds to it's charm as well. The film was finished in 2000 (after some shooting at the house from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, as well extra scenes in Zombie's basement) but Universal rejected it due to fear of an NC-17 rating. Even after edits, they shopped it around for three years before Lions Gate (IMHO, one of the only places that will take actual horror nowadays) picked it up. This lead to the series of "the movie no one wanted you to see" trailers.

So, to the actual movie. "House" follows four college students (including Rainn Wilson, who currently stars as Dwight on the Office) as they travel across the country gathering material for a book about strange roadside attractions. They come across "Captain Spaulding's Musuem of Monsters and Madmen," and of course, have to make a stop. After exploring the museum, and learning of local legend Doctor Satan, they want to know more. So Captain Spaulding (played by a hysterical and creepy Sid Haig) draws them a crude map and sends them on their way.

The next course of events follows in true horror fashion -- they pick up a gorgeous (but subseqently insane) hitchhiker, get a flat tire, and end up in a situation reminiscent of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but with much kitcschier characters. The four students become involved in a fight for their lives (and sanity, I suppose) against a family of backwoods crazies with a basement full of dead cheerleaders.

So, if you're looking for the next horror classic, I wouldn't look to House of 1000 Corpses. But if you're looking for some good, campy, gory fun (and Sheri Moon Zombie in assless chaps) then House (and a few strong drinks) is a good bet.

Grade: B+ (Knife through Kevin Bacon's chest in Friday the 13th)