Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006)

This was a solid, albeit spastic, documentary on the history of slasher movies.  They have some pretty great interviews with the regulars like Tom Savini and Wes Craven, as well as some obscure people such as the now-rabbi director of Graduation Day.  However, I do wish they would have included more actors/actresses....they basically were only able to get Angela from Sleepaway Camp and Betsy Palmer from Friday the 13th.

This doc covers slasher flicks starting with Psycho and moving up through The Devil's Rejects.  It is a bit biased in the fact that it spends lots of time on some movies, and then very little on others that you would think deserved covering.  It was clear that they got certain permissions, and favored the interviewees by focusing a little more on their movies than others.

There wasn't a ton of new information here for true horror fans, although I definitely learned a few new things.  I was an infant when the Silent Night, Deadly Night protests took place, and it was pretty interesting to see all the 80s moms out picketing a killer Santa.  It was also pretty cool to see all the obscure nonsense horror movies that came out when slasher pics were at their prime in the 80s.

A word of warning to possible viewers: make sure you've seen all the "classics" before watching.  This documentary spoils a bunch of slashers including Sleepaway Camp, April Fool's Day, Prom Night, and Happy Birthday to Me.

Definitely a cool documentary to check out, but just don't expect to find a wealth of information, especially if you have seen Never Sleep Again or His Name was Jason.

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.

Vicious (2003)

This flick was seriously low budget.  In fact, I think they blew their whole allowance on the appearances by Bill Moseley and Tom Savini.

Vicious is about a group of people who go camping for the weekend.  There's couple Doug and Barbara, and their bumbling friends Steve and Hal.  Apparently this was supposed to be a boys' weekend, but Barbara insisted on tagging along, and instituting a no-beer-drinking rule.  This chick sounds like a total drag.

Steve and Hal make a break for it and go into town to get supplies.  They make a detour at the local bar and pound a few brewskis before they meet Kane (Tom Savini).  He tells them that there's a great fishing spot located inside military territory, but don't worry, they won't get into trouble ;o)

Meanwhile, the military is having a bit of a problem.  Wallace (Bill Moseley) sails into town to let the local grunts know to call off the little "experiment" that's living in the woods.  He brings in a couple of Marines to do the job, and they keep their sights on Kane.

Nonsense ensues as Steve and Hal walk right into the path of the little "experiment", right along with the Marines.  The special effects in this flick were HORRENDOUS and they should have just made the killer a person instead of some half-assed monster.  The story was meh at most and totally ruined by the revelation of the predator.

By the way, I'm going to start doing this Flesh of the Stars style and note when Bill Moseley appears

*Bill Moseley appears at the 6:12 minute mark
*Best quote: "Sometimes it's a whole lot easier to get forgiveness than permission."