Halloween Movies For The Scardy Cat In All Of Us

After reading Brother Tim's review of Lost Boys I was thinking about some of the films I would recommend for any Horror Film Fest. Now you have to remember that I am like a frightened little girl when it comes to scary films. I like my scares to be a bit safer than the poor souls who get hacked up by some chainsaw wielding maniac after taking a bad turn down a back country road. Torture Horror is also a part of the genre that I avoid except for the first Saw movie which I found to be ground breaking. Most people have a limit as to violence and gore and I chose my list with that in mind. There will scare, disturb but in the end you will have fun with your loved ones. I hope there is at least one in the group you have not seen.

Will ' Penny Dreadful' Be What American Horror Story: Coven Couldn't?

 

You know... a complete show! I have been a big fan and supporter of AHS for its first three seasons on the air, and was a huge fan of this current season right up until the end. But they really botched all the great work they had done prior in the first 10 episodes of this season with the final two. It was a mess, and seemed rushed... kind of like they didn't know how to end something that started with so much promise. But with TV channels striking horror gold with shows like The Walking Dead, AHS, Bates Motel, Grimm, and the plethora of vampire shows on the air prove that horror is working right now. So Showtime has decided to get in on the game, and they have their own "horror" themed show coming to the air with Penny Dreadful. Penny Dreadful is a look into life in Victorian England for some of the greatest creations of horror fiction. Imagine if Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, Dorian Grey, etc were all real... they would have to live somewhere, right? What might that look like? Eva Green and her cast mates will help us figure that out. I am in for a couple of reasons: 1) Being a cable channel, we will get tons of blood, violence and nudity. 2) Eva Green is beautiful 3) This can be fun, in the vein of League of Extraordinary Gentleman. The show comes out in May (May 11th) and we finally have a full trailer. Enjoy it after the jump....

100 Days Of Monsters by Patrick Carson Sparrow

I love when I come across great artists and there fantastic work, but I even love it more when they come recommended from a good friend and have an ambitious project in the works. Artist Patrick Carson Sparrow is one of those cases... my main man Johnny from Freddy In Space has been singing his praises for years, as most of his art is horror themed. But his recent '100 monsters in 100 days' project has really captured my attention. Sparrow just decided to do 100 sketches of his favorite monsters, creatures, and killers and post 1 a day on his Facebook page. He has been remarkably efficient (most people who do these types of challenges fall off and fall behind) and he picks some great choices... not the run of the mill choices and the proof that Sparrow is the real deal when it comes to a horror fan. You can see more of his work and all of the 100 Days of Monsters series by clicking here and going to his Facebook page, you can buy some cool shit at his Etsy shop by clicking here, and you can see my faves of the collection after the jump...

Valibation: A Short Horror Film About The Dangers of Technology....

Technology is abound in our current society, and truth be told most people couldn't remember what it was like in the days before Iphones & MP3s, of streaming video and the world wide web. So for his short film Valibation, writer & director Todd Strauss-Schulson decided to take a look at what would happen if we let that constant connection with technology ACTUALLY become a connection with our physical bodies. The result is a truly wonderful 20 minute short film that is extremely witty and even funny at times. But at its core it is a true horror story. I love the way Strauss-Schulson uses popular movies and songs (The Fly, Singing In The Rain, Dancing With Myself) to accentuate the story. A very cool short, and I can't think of a better way for you to spend 20 minutes today. After you watch this you will never look at your Iphone the same way again. The full video is after the jump...

'Dead Man's Lake' - A Short Film by Bloody Cuts Film

Bloody Cuts Films is a UK based outlet that is in the middle of creating an anthology of short horror movies that are being posted over at their Youtube channel. The coolest part about this whole thing has to be the sheer difference in tone and content of each of the videos in the series they have posted. They are 6 films in to the proposed 13 film series, and the latest entry is called Dead Man's Lake. It has a bit of a twist of the Tucker & Dale vs Evil to it, as well as the elements of 80s camper slashers present as well. Pretty cool horror short from a great group of people over at Bloody Cuts. Thanks to Jeffie Bond for the tip! Enjoy the movie after the jump...

The Bloody Best Project Revisited

The Bloody Best Project is a horror themed photography project that has been going on for a few years now. The team of contributors consists of Ama (photography), Melissa (makeup), Autumn (wardrobe) and Roger (visual effects) and they have reached out to quite a few famous members of the horror film community to come up with some very interesting shots. I first covered the project back in September of 2010 when it was in its infant stages, and back then there were only 5 or so pieces in the collection. Now the collection numbers over 25 pieces and they have expanded their collaborations to include such horror luminaries as Barbara Crampton, Rileah Vanderbilt, Alex Pardee, Adam Green, Joe Lynch, Tom Holland, RA Mihailoff, and Kane Hodder. They have also reached out to some of their earlier contributors such as Danielle Harris & Ashlynn Yennie for some additional pieces to add to their earlier contributions. The results are all amazing and need to be spread around. The project continues to grow, so make sure you frequently check back to the official website to see all the newest additions as soon as they are added. Check some of my faves out after the jump...

KMG Brings You Independent Horror... Edgar Allan Poe Style!

Greetings creatures and creeps alike! Hope you ghouls & gals have been enjoying your daily dose of horror this week here at CCD...Last year for Horror Week I did a nice little spread about my extraordinarily talented filmmaking friend Bart Mastronardi and his first independent feature known as Vindication. Not too long after, Bart announced that he would be doing a 3-part film collaboration called Tales of Poe. The series intertwines & recites visual tales of Poe's very popular stories, The Tell Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, and Dreams. Just this past summer, he completed production on The Tell Tale Heart, and the film is already scheduled to premiere next weekend at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria,Queens. Click after the jump for more...

Visit 'The Shining' Set Through The Eyes Of Stanley Kubrick

My boy Johnny Boots over at Freddy In Space runs one of the coolest blogs on the 'Net. He is always posting up awesome horror related stuff and sending me cool ass packages, and that's why I love him. But this time he has out done himself. He located a retro commercial from a British TV channel promoting an upcoming Stanley Kubrick marathon, and it is freaking awesome. It is a tour of the set of 'The Shining' as seen through Kubrick's eyes. This one is amazing. Check out the full video after the jump... and make sure you check out Freddy In Space!!!

Halloween Is Only 5 Months Away... And Sam's Back!!!

Everyone's favorite Trick r Treater/Serial Killer Sam is back... this time to wish you a Happy Fathers Day!!! He also wants you to check out FEARnet.com and know that Halloween is only 5 short months away. Wonderful:

James Gunn Has A New Short Called 'Humanzee' & It's Just As Twisted As You Would Expect

Check out this new short film from 'Slither' & 'Super' director James Gunn that features himself raising a half human, half chimpanzee hybrid monster as a child of his own. It also features porn star Jenna Haze... but unfortunately she is not getting nude (sorry fellas!!!). I am a big fan of Gunn's work (he also wrote 'Dawn of the Dead' for Zack Snyder), so I think you will enjoy this one. Thanks to Johnny over at Freddy in Space for the tip (click here to read Johnny's cool ass horror blog!)

Reasons I Love Movies: Vampire Bowling From Fright Night 2

One of the best scenes in Vampire Movie History... great song choice (Wilson Pickett's In The Midnight Hour). Very fitting considering the subject matter, no? See this movie if you haven't... great 80's horror fun!!!

CCD's 1st Annual All-Horror Week Is Coming... Are You Ready?

Thanks to my wonderful friend and colleague Tommy L, we bring to you The Official CCD ALL-HORROR WEEK!!! banner... wow, love what you did with the logo kid!!! Next week will be a wonderful trip to the dark side as we celebrate all the things that scare the shit out of us and make us watch again. Not only will we be bringing you all kinds of horror themed posts, but we will be collaborating with fellow blogs Cal's Canadian Cave of Cool and Freddy in Space to bring you all types of great stuff. Shout out to Johnny Boots and Cal for joining us... now let the unholy triumvirate RISE and TAKE OVER THE INTERWEBS!!!

Alright Fellas, Lets Bring This One Home...



I know its hard to believe, but its been 7 years since Saw roared into the movies right before Halloween 2004 and blew our minds out the back of our heads. Jigsaw has become a part of the Horror movie icons list that includes guys like Freddy, Jason, and Mike Myers... like anything else, if you have 6 movies in a series there are bound to be a few ups and downs. There is no denying that the series always brings the gore, and this final 3-D effort is sure to be no different. In fact, this movie is set to feature 11 traps... 11!!! I hope that the people behind this film knock it out the park and bring this series to the wonderful conclusion that it deserves... until it's rebooted sometime in the future!!! Check out this crazy trailer right here and make sure you send the Saw franchise off in style by attending the film in the theater on October 29th. 

SUPPORT UNRATED HORROR: GO SEE HATCHET 2 IN THEATERS!!!

I am a big fan of horror movies, and thanks to my work with CCD I have started to reap the benefits of being a part of the "press". I was recently approved for press credentials for the upcoming Big Apple Comic Con and New York Comic Con, and I was also invited to a press conference involving scream queen and CCD fave Danielle Harris. Danielle, of the original Halloween 4 & 5 and Rob Zombies Halloween 1 & 2. was recently at Planet Hollywood to donate a prop hatchet from the set of her new movie, Hatchet 2. This was CCD's first press conference (yeah son) and was really cool. Take a look at some of the video we shot (the lighting in the place was terrible, so the picture is a bit dark... but the audio is great!)

Part 1



Part 2



Very cool stuff. We had a chance to sit down and interview Danielle for about 30 min (coverage of that will come to CCD early next week). one of the topics was Hatchet 2 being release UNCUT AND UNCENSORED in AMC theaters across the country. This is the first time in over 25 years (almost since the beginning of ratings) that a film has been widely released in mainstream theaters sans a rating, completely uncensored. This is not NC-17 (which is bad, but still rated)... this is raw dog horror on the big screen son!!! Adam Green's maniac killer Victor Crowley is leading charge to a new way of cinema, and if Hatchet 2 is successful then I am sure it will lead to many more widely released uncut versions of films... which we here at CCD are fully supportive of.

So how can you help? Get out to an AMC and buy some tickets to see Hatchet 2!!! It opens today, and if it's anything like Adam Green's first classic movie, then you are in for a treat. Being that it's October, lets start getting in the Halloween mood now. I am attending the 10:35 show tonight at Time Square AMC, and Danielle Harris will be there in person to intro the film. Come join us... go out and support INDEPENDENT UNCENSORED HORROR tonight!!! I'll see you guys there.

Art of Hartter: New Versions Of Old Classic Horror and Superhero Movies

Thanks to our good friend Tommy L, we have been introduced to the crazy digital artist/ photoshop happy mad man by the name of Hartter. Hartter is phenomenal at what he does, which is make some alternative art that makes us nerd rage. I chose to highlight his alternative movie posters, and picked 3 superhero themed ones & 3 horror themed ones. You can click the link above to see his full blogspot, and the best part is you can order any of these prints for about 16 bucks!!! (I think the prints are 11x17) Check out this guys wonderful stuff, and tell me which of these cool ideas you wish was actually true in real life in the comment section below. (If it was up to me, I would have all of these exist in someway) Hartter, you rock kid... keep doing what you're doing! Hope you enjoy the art.

If you guys order any posters from our friend Hartter, make sure you tell him CCD sent ya!!!

Oh Sh*t, I Hope You Guys Are Hungry.... Here Comes The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence!!!

 

Dutch director Tom Six is back at it again, and this time we get a dude likely to be called "Boxhead" forever as the bearer of bad news. We talked about the original The Human Centipede in one of CCDs first stories ever and wondered just what kind of mind could think up something as sick as sewing three people ass to mouth... and then we saw the movie on Video On Demand. While it is definitely one of the sickest and most disturbing movies I have ever seen, it was also remarkably well rounded and actually a very good movie (albeit pretty fucked up!!!) Dr Heiter jumped very high on the list of lunatics in the history of cinema, and after the film was over I immediately wondered if they could possibly turn a sequel out of it. Well director Six just started filming The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence, which will feature the afore mentioned "Boxhead", aka Martin, who plans on executing Dr. Heiter's evil plans to the tune of a 12 person centipede. A 12 PERSON CENTIPEDE!!!!! WTF... I honestly wonder how people who think up shit like this are not automatically placed on some FBI watch list. So, here is the question I pose to my wonderful CCDer's: Have you seen the first Human Centipede, and will you see the second, evem sicker Human Centipede 2? Please let us know in the comment section below... and if you see Tom Six on the street, crosss to the other side on general principle...

The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence - First Teaser Trailer

The Bloody Best... Horror Photography At Its Finest!

Thanks to my favorite horror blogger Johnny from Freddy In Space, I have been put on to a cool horror themed photography project that is taking place and is featuring some of the best and brightest in the horror genre as the subjects of the pictures. Actresses Danielle Harris & Ashlynn Yennie and directors James Gunn, Ti West, and Adam Green all pose for the team of Ama (photographer), Melissa (make-up), Autumn (wardrobe), and Roger (visual effects) as they create some outstanding horror themed photographs. You can follow the project here since they will be adding many more pictures in the future. Make sure you click on the link to see the rest of the series, there are 13 in all. Here are a few to get you started.

Adam Green ( Director - Hatchet)



Ti West (Director - House of the Devil)

James Gunn (Director - Slither)

Danielle Harris (Halloween Remake)

Ashlynn Yennie (The Human Centipede)

Make sure you check out Freddy In Space, it really is one of the best horror sites out there, and tell us what you think of the pics and project in the comment section below.

For The Young Horror Fan In Your Life

R.L. Stine created the Goosebump childrens horror series back in 1992, and all he has done is publish 150 titles and sell over 300 million books. 300 MILLION BOOKS. That puts it right behind Harry "F'n" Potter on the all time sales figure list. The books have spawned video games, a TV series, toys and board games, and finally... a real deal studio movie!!! Columbia Pictures has picked up the rights a few years back, and now they got the screenwriter from Disturbia, Red Eye, and The Last House on The Left remake Carl Elsworth to get cracking on a script. Those are some really hardcore titles for a kid-type movie, but I like it... I hope they make this a dark pg-13 type flick that will give teens something else to watch besides Kristen Stewart looking mad all the time and Robert Pattinson's hair growing any further out from his head. I'm not a Twilight hater, but it would be nice to see some spooky stuff for the kids. My 7 year old son Mikey likes horror type stuff, but he is just a bit to young for The Human Centipede, ya know what I'm saying? This could be a great series if they get it right... lets hope they do!!! 

3 Titans Of Horror Check Back In With New Flicks...

... and I wonder if any of them will be any good. Wes Craven, Joe Dante, and John Carpenter all have new features coming out in the next couple of weeks, and I for one am excited about all of the releases. But that is probably the optimist in me. Craven and Dante have not done movies in quite a bit, and Carpenter's last few outings were terrible at best (except Vampires, that movie is fucking boss!!!). Due to their pedigree as horror movie icons behind the lens, I am looking forward to see if they can regain some past glories. Lets see what they got coming up.

Wes Craven - My Soul To Take 3-D

So this is Wes Craven's triumphant return behind the camera, his first turn as a director since 1994's New Nightmare. In this one, we get a new serial killer named the Ripper. He vows to return and kill all the babies that were born the night he met his demise after being caught. Now the 7 kids that were brought into the world that faithful night must struggle to stay alive when Rip comes back to make good on his promise. This one looks creepy enough, and maybe Craven can take a cast of relative unknowns to the same heights he did with the guys and gals from Scream. We shall see. This one opens October 9th.

Joe Dante - The Hole 3-D

I love Joe Dante... absolutely love him and his films. I think its because he made some dark and twisted horror movies that were also kid and family friendly... but still scared you a bit. Not to mention that Gremlins and the 'Burbs are two of my all time favorite movies. Now he checks back with his first film in quite a bit, and it sounds right up his alley. 3 kids find a trap door in their basement, and when they figure out that it is pretty much bottomless, they begin to wonder where it goes... and what the fuck can be down there. I love this premise, kind of like The Gate from the 80's but with updated technology to make the inner workings of the hole kinda awesome. This one should be getting released shortly, although no release date has been set. Lets hope Dante still got that magic... I sure hope so.

John Carpenter - The Ward

Now we get to what might be the most troubling entry on this list. John Carpenter is a horror god. Halloween is one of the best, if not the best, horror movie ever made (that's open to debate... everyone has their faves). Carpenter hasn't directed a movie since Ghosts of Mars, and Ice Cube has to be thanking god for that. The movie was pretty awful, and that's me being generous. But now Carpenter is coming back with a new flick, and this one has hotties Amber Heard and Danielle Panabaker living in a mental institution. Now we know the chicks are cute, but will the movie be any good??? That's probably the question everybody is asking, including Carpenter. We will have to see...

Which ones are you looking forward to seeing??? Do you think these guys still got it???  Let us know in the comment section below. 

15 Questions Posed To A Real Horror Fan

I caught this quiz over at fellow blogger Squandor's blog Byzantium Shores, and I though it was great since I am a huge horror fan. Leave some comments below on the questions you like the best!!!

1: In Ten Words or Less, Describe Your Blog:


Bring everyones Cultural Compulsive obsession to the forefront everyday, allday!!!


2: During What Cinematic Era Where you Born?
A: The Classic Horror Era (late 30's to 40's)
B: The Atomic Monster/Nuclear Angst Era (the late 40's through 50's)
C: The Psycho Era ( Early 60's)
D: The Rosemary's Baby Era (Mid to Late 60's)
E: The Exorcism Era (Early to mid 70's)
F: The Halloween Era (Late 70's to Early 80's)
G: The Slasher Era (Mid to late 80's)
H: The Self Referential/Post Modern Era (1990 to 1999)

I was born in 1979, so thankfully I fall in the Halloween era. Creepy, scary and full of tension... I love it!!!

3: The Carrie Compatibility Question:
 (gay men and straight women - make your choice from section A)
A: Billy Nolan or Tommy Ross, who would you take to the prom?
(straight guys and lesbians - make your choice from section B)
B: Sue Snell or Chris Hargensen, who would you take to the prom?

I'll take Sue Snell (Amy Irving... she was Jessica Rabbit's singing voice, so that helps!)

4: You have been given an ungodly amount of money, and total control of a major motion picture studio - what would your dream Horror project be?

My inner horror fan would say a really good H.P. Lovercraft/ Chthulu movie would be epic... and a long time coming (I am looking forward to Guillermo del Torro's At The Mountains of Madness)

As an early 80's Horror movie freak, I would like to do a Friday the 13th -type movie for the topless titty shots alone... god, they show alot of titties in those movies, no???

5: What horror film "franchise" that others have embraced, left you cold?

The Final Destination series... I thought the first one was cool, and in the subsequent sequels there are some great death scenes, but overall enough is enough. Death is inedible, so cut the sequels already.

6: Is Michael Bay the Antichrist?

I don't think so. I know Jeff Bond is gonna eat me alive in the comment section below (and Joe Esq as well) but I don't care. I love Armageddon as a ridiculous popcorn movie, and I am a big fan of Bad Boys Part 1 and 2... three good films are enough to merit him a bit of a reprieve. I know people do not like what he did with Transformers, but even if someone else did that movie there is no guarantee it would have turned out better. George Lucas CREATED Star Wars, and he gets all types of shit for direction he took HIS characters and story (albeit justifiable shit) Maybe it could have been better, but it also could have been worse (Uwe Bole anyone???)

7: Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Frankenstein Monster - which one of these classic villains scares you, and why?

The Wolf Man, by far... no control over himself once he changes, so even if you are a loved one you can catch a claw to the dome piece quick!!!

8: Tell me about a scene from a NON HORROR Film that scares the crap out of you:

The eyeball scene in Minority Report and the fat twins from Nothing But Trouble (one of my favorite 80's comedies) both freak me out... and the White House dance sequence in Head of State.

9: Baby Jane Hudson invites you over to her house for lunch. What do you bring?

A handgun and a knife... that bitch is crazy!!!

10: So, between you and me, do you have any ulterior motives for blogging? Come, on you can tell me, it will be our little secret, I won't tell a soul.

I like to see cool shit, and then like to help my friends see that cool shit that I just saw... what better way to share then blog???

11: What would you have brought to Rosemary Woodhouse's baby shower?

A fucking clue for that chick... how the fuck did she not figure out something was going on??? Tanis Root tea and all the rest of that weird shit??? Come on woman...

12: Godzilla vs The Cloverfield Monster, who wins?

Godzilla should win, but JJ Abraham's is much more creative tahn those Japanese Monster Movie writers... so I am going with The Cloverfield Monster

13: If you found out that Rob Zombie was reading your blog, what would you post in hopes that he read it?

I would post an editorial giving him props for making movies about things he loves, tell him to ignore the haters, and provide a desire to see more wacky shit come out of that sick head of his like House of 1,000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects

14: What is your favorite NON HORROR FILM, and why?

The Pink Panther Strikes Again and A Clockwork Orange... Peter Sellers is my favorite actor, Kubrick my favorite director.

15: If blogging technology did not exist, what would you be doing?

Still buying tons of magazines like Fangoria, Gear, Entertainment Weekly, Stuff, Maxim, King, Sports Illustrated, and Complex to saty ontop of all the ecclectic stuff I love...