Planet of the Vampires... Prometheus Style!!!

Planet of the Vampires is a little known Italian gem of a film from director Mario Bava. Even though it may not be very popular among regular people today, the film holds a special place in the hearts of many filmmakers that watched it when they were younger and adopted styling from the film. One of these directors was Ridley Scott, who frequently has cited Planet of the Vampires as a style touchstone for his films Alien & Prometheus. So of course it was only a matter of time before some enterprising videographer  would mash up the two and give us a cool faux trailer. Freakstorm 2 has done just that, mashing up footage from Planet of the Vampires with the audio from the Prometheus trailer... very cool stuff. Check out the full video after the jump.

Prometheus: The 50s Version by Josh Calvert (???)

Prometheus comes out this week and not a moment to soon, because I can't possibly dodge any more featurettes and trailers featuring clips from the movie. WTF Ridley... leave something to the imagination!!!! Anyway, I am beginning to get kinda hype and then I ran across this gem of a mystery poster. Damon Lindeloff, 'Lost' & 'Prometheus' writer extraordinaire, re-tweeted the poster. Apparently somebody named Josh Calvert sent it to him. But Josh Calvert's account only had that one tweet & has one of those goofy egg things as a avatar (usually a sign that the account is a fake one), so I am not sure it was him that really designed it. I saw the poster on a few other blogs, but with no formal credits. So if it was you Mr. Calvert, great job. This has a very 'Planet of the Vampire' feel to... and I love me some Bava! So enjoy the poster after the jump...

Like! Like? Art: As Shaggy As He Wants to Be!!!

Deviant Art contributor Kizer180 has got Shaggy of 'Scooby-Doo' fame operating under some precarious conditions. Mostly sharing drugs with other iconic pop culture peeps but, also taking his mystery solving and ghost busting business to new heights. It's good to see our boy Shagg getting his due! Check out Kizer's running blog for daily updates or his Deviant Art link above for a more in depth compilation....and smoke 'em if ya got 'em.

'Shag & Scoobs'

'The Scoobs Gang'

***Please click Read more below to see more great art featuring Shaggy***

Check Out The Italian Horror Film Invasion On Netflix Instant Streaming!!!

It's October, aka Spook Season... so what better way to spend it then watching horror films? I am a huge fan of Netflix Instant Streaming, and they have tons of wonderful horror titles ready for your viewing pleassure at the click of a button. Today I am going to focus on one of my favorite sub-genres of horror films, Italian horror movies. Italian horror is an acquired taste. The movies are usually in English (or dubbed in English) and tend to be a bit gore orientated. Though not as popular as their American counterparts, Italian horror films make up some of the best in the genre. I am a particular fan of late 70's/80's Italian horror, particularly the work of Dario Argento. He is my second favorite film director behind Kubrick. Not just horror director, all kinds of movies. The guys is amazing. Ask any true horror fan, and they will tell you that Italian horror is a must watch.

First up, lets take a look at Argento's films that Netflix Instant has to offer. His seminal classic, Suspiria (1977), is unreal and a must watch amongst all film fans. The colors, the scenery... wow, just wow. Also,  catch Opera (1987), Two Evil Eyes (1990), and his two contributions to the great Masters of Horror TV series entitled Jennifer (2006) & Pelts (2006). Also, check out The Church (1989), which was written and produced by Argento. The rest of his titles are available on traditional mailing Netflix. I reccomend Tenebre (1982), Inferno (1980) and Phenomena (1985) if you are going to add any to your mailing que. 

Next, we got Mario Bava.You can start with the all time great analogy film Black Sabbath (1963), which features 3 nerve tingling tales narrated by horror icon Boris Karloff. Next, check out Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1988), Shock (1977) & Panet of the Vampires (1965). If you are going to get any Bava flicks in the mail, try the all time classics Black Sunday (1960) & Blood and Black Lace (1963). Most people say that Bava was 20 years ahead of the curve in the slasher genre, and Blood and Black Lace is often sited as such an example.

Finally, we get Lucio Fulci. Fulci is a very gifted filmmaker, but unfortunately his best works are not available for instant streaming. City of the Living Dead (1980) and The New York Ripper (1982) are. If you are a serious horror fan then order The Beyond (1981), House by the Cemetary (1981), The Black Cat (1981), and Zombi 3 (1988) by mail. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

Hope you enjoy the great 3 Italian Horror directors and all their films. Expand your horizons and check some of these titles out if you truly love horror cinema. At this time of year, its good to get some new scares. Happy viewings!!!