My short story "Sleeping" on the Scare You To Sleep Podcast

Photo credit - https://pixabay.com/users/xusenru-1829710/

The wondrous Shelby Scott read another one of my stories ( SLEEPING ) on her amazing SCARE YOU TO SLEEP podcast.

The podcast is fantastic - a collection of short stories read wonderfully with just the right amount of added folly sounds to bring them to life without being overwhelming.










The story is the third one here around the 33 minute mark, but all of the featured tales in this one are a ton of fun.


The original story can be found here:
https://malcojojo.blogspot.com/2007/09/sleeping.html

ARTIST: Oleg Vdovenko

Check out the wild and creepy artwork of Oleg Vdovenko

https://www.artstation.com/chuvabak

The stuff of nightmares. We love it. :)

My Favorite DREW DAYWALT Horror Shorts

One of my favorite horror creators is Drew Daywalt. Around 8 years back, I started seeing a bunch of his horror shorts and loved them. I'd get so much pleasure in not only watching them myself, but rewatching them with others to see their reactions to the freaky tales.

I believe Drew was a script writer for a long while and branched out into doing these shorts to escape. heheh  He wrote them and Directed some of them as well. I love his pace and the fact that none of the shorts overstay their welcome. They get in, get creepy, then get out after delivering a punch or two. He's gone on to write two lovely children's books!

I wanted to share some of my favorites here, but feel free to check out his page for the full offering of shorts and his horror series.


https://www.youtube.com/user/DaywaltFearFactory/videos








And we get a little AJ Bowen in this one!




And lastly, this is some of my favorite "ghost footage" stuff. So well done. So creeeeeepy.




Dread Central Interview can be found here:
http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/13978/drew-daywalt-talks-fewdio-and-camera-obscura/

The Lords of Salem

I just did a THE LORDS OF SALEM rewatch and the film is really good. I enjoyed it whole heartedly and this was the third time I watched it. It holds up and proves to be a fantastic addition to the SATANIC CULT sub-genre.

I don't want to say a whole lot about the film itself. There are some basics that are rather clear from the start. Witches of Salem are looking to birth the anti-Christ, really. That was my take. And this poor DJ Heidi Hawthorne (Sheri Moon Zombie) is the vessel for the birth. And then we have the classic "uh...guys...my life is getting all strange" happenings that we've seen in films like THE SENTINEL and ROSEMARY's BABY. However, we're treated to it all being done in a rather grownup Rob Zombie style. There are no country hippy madmen in this film. No crazy people in clown makeup. It's just hipsters going to very bad places as the witch magic runs it's course.

The acting is restrained as well. Sheri Moon does a grand job in the lead role. We have Ken Foree, Dee Wallace, Bruce Davison, Jeff Phillips, and more just...working their roles wondrously.

Honestly, I don't understand the hate for Rob Zombie and his films. I wasn't really a huge fan of his recent effort 31, but other than that, I think things have been really fantastic. Even the spit upon HALLOWEEN remakes are great. It seems to me that people are just into saying they don't like his work so they can be cool.

"Rob Zombie? Oh...yeah...his stuff sucks. Yeah, I said it. I proclaim that it's AWFUL and BAD!"

Whatever. As you know, I run a HATE FREE ZONE for films for the most part. It's fine to say you don't like the films. I get that. But, it's just that. YOU don't like the film. It doesn't mean that they are not worth of someone else's love. :)

That being said, I think I love THE LORDS OF SALEM.

Check it.

Savageland

HOLY COW! I loved this film! 

SAVAGELAND is a riveting and completely engaging "mocumentary" about the lone survivor of a small town attack by unseen forces. He shot a roll of film with many disturbing shots of multiple attackers, but was still tried for the murders.

What really happened?



This film was a masterwork of both writing and acting. Like LAKE MUNGO, this film is presented in documentary style and interviews are held with the people involved in the investigation - both within legal realm and the news and reporting realms. The actors playing the parts sell it all without question and the writing is rock solid.

And the images that were caught on film are horrific and creepy as hell! heheheh  I love them!

 Bad acting and crap writing can kill a film like this in a heartbeat, but the writer/director team up of Phil Guidry, Simon Herbert, and David Whelan was pure perfection! Things were tight, believeable, and took a few turns that I was not expecting, but loved when I saw them.

No, there are no masked, ax swinging madmen in here or smashed in jump scares. This is a creepy tale that takes it's time telling a story and brings it all home with some nightmare fuel stills that are fantastic. A must watch for lovers of a good, creeptastic, dark story. 

Currently available on AMAZON PRIME. 

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Well, in light of Mr. Tobe Hooper's passing, I decided to re-watch the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It has been ages since I've watched and I really wanted to see it now that I'm older....maybe wiser? And I actually found things I had not seen in my youth. It's a film with a lot going on. Much more than a non-existent "massacre".









With a budget of $300,000, he cranked this film out as fast as he could - often shooting seven days a week. The film's lead - Marilyn Burns - must have been mute by the end of the shoot with all the screaming she does here.

I'm not going to go over the basics in too much detail. I'm sure if you're reading this, you've seen the film already. You've had over 40 years to watch it, lazy bones. :)  In short....



College folks in a van head to their family home in Texas, they give a ride to the WRONG hitchhiker, they get involved with the wrong folks, and most of them are dispatched quickly and horribly.

The film has several iconic scenes that come up in almost every horror documentary you can see. heheheh  Some of them are chilling to this day. Hooper's direction is fantastic. Scenes are shot well with a ton of thought put into the framing and execution. You can see the vision behind the shots. They are worked out brilliantly with a lot of work put in to get them looking right.

This shot for instance.....

The character of Pam played by Teri McMinn is sitting on a rocker outside and stands when her boyfriend doesn't answer her from inside the house. (Yeah...this doesn't end well....)  She makes her way to the house and the camera follows, slipping under the rocker and gliding with her as she walks to the house. As she gets closer, the house looms up - bigger and bigger as it blocks out the blue sky. GREAT shot. 

There are other shots where the framing is spot on.  Sally (Marilyn Burns) runs for help and, as she waits for the person to get their car, she's blocked in on the far right of the screen with an open room behind her. This creates a TON of tension. I really thought someone was going to creep up behind her. But, no, just tension. Fun stuff.

The grinding, banging, discordant soundtrack helps build that tension as well. With the screaming madness of the Family, Burns' desperate screams, and the insane soundtrack, things are ramped up quickly and you get a feeling of nails on a chalkboard.

And overall, for a film called Texas Chainsaw Massacre, there's not a ton of death and violence in here, but what IS there is really, really awful and terrifying. Hammer blows, meat hooks, and the titular CHAINSAW come into play and the visceral, violent goings on are cringe worthy.

There's also an attention to detail that kinda blew me away. I mean...$300,000 in 70s cash is nothing to shake a stick at, but it's also not a TON of money. There is so much work done to the sets and little details in the characters that I noticed this round that it's a little mind-blowing. Even down to Leatherface's serrated teeth. It adds to the creep factor. There are some aspects that didn't do as well - like Grandpa's old age makeup, but it's still a sight to see.

I didn't really pick up on the supernatural elements until this viewing. They almost elude to the happenings happening due to the Hitchhiker's actions - the bloodletting and writing of a symbol on the van as it drives away. Did he bind the van folks to him through magical means? Did the items left of the porch drive the van folks to the horrific ends they met? Kinda interesting to think about.


There are a LOT of people that need to thank Mr. Hooper for their successes. At least giving him MAJOR props for ideas and styles. (You know who you are, horror filmmakers!) I think I'll be running through more of Tobe Hooper's work in the near future.  I just caught the film I'M DANGEROUS TONIGHT - a solid 1990's made for TV film, and his work is super solid and interesting. I think SALEM'S LOT will be next if I can track it down!

Thanks for reading! 

Black Belly of the Tarantula

While this isn't the strongest giallo I've seen, BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA's main concept is super nasty.






A killer is using a paralyzing agent to "freeze" his victims before cruelly stabbing them. Yes, they are paralyzed and awake as he carves into them. Giancarlo Giannini plays the detective on the case - Inspector Tellini.

Nasty business.



There are many stylish elements in the film and the Argento and Bava influences are very evident.  I believed the story was rather strong for the most part, but in looking over other reviews, it seems to garnish some hate for some reason. I'm not sure why. People were growling about wanting their time back and how the twists were silly. However, I'm of the opinion that these just are not giallo lovers and they don't get the gag.

This isn't a "straight slasher". It's a giallo and a good one at that. A fun crime drama mystery with some great set pieces, cool style,  and a solid story!

I watched SHORT NIGHT OF THE GLASS DOLLS afterwards and heard a very similar soundtrack along with the lovely Barbara Bach's lovely face. Ennio Morricone used a similar "breathy breathing woman" for the soundtrack to each film.  Maybe he crafted both scores at the same time to expedite the situation....and payments. :)

Fun time movies

A list of fun movies dealing with time and the passing thereof. :)

 



DETENTION - A favorite of mine. So wacky, quick, and smart.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2016/11/detention-rewatch-and-spoilers.html



MINE GAMES - This was a fun watch. I popped it on thinking it was going to be a yawner, but ended up riveted by the 30 minute mark.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2014/10/mine-games.html





 


LAST SHIFT - Another fun sleeper hit. twisted and highly entertaining.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2015/11/last-shift.html

TRIANGLE - this had me shouting at the screen as i watched. "Wait...WHAT?! HOLY CRAP!" A must see.
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2010/04/movie-triangle.html










 




PLUS ONE - Another one I thought I'd sleepwalk through tat turned out to be highly engaging!
http://horrorsho.blogspot.com/2014/10/plus-one.html













Time Crimes -
I really dug TIME CRIMES. It had that WTF?! quality I love with a complex little story that had me super happy by the end of it. The time loops and story twists are super entertaining and very interesting. I can't really explain the story without giving it away. Suffice it to say that there's a mystery that the rather plain Héctor stumbles into is something he just might have to kill for.




Time Lapse -
IMDB describes it well:
Three friends discover a mysterious machine that takes pictures 24hrs into the future and conspire to use it for personal gain, until disturbing and dangerous images begin to develop. 
This one starts out slow, but it really starts to build to a fantastic climax. It has a downward spiral that works like watching a train wreck in slow motion. It's fantastic to watch the horrors of the ending unfold. hhehehe
 

Blood Splattered Bride

Another quicky review. 

 

Based on Carmilla (loosely, I'd say...) , BLOOD SPLATTERED BRIDE skims across the line of giallo and sexploitation. 

Newlyweds are off to  a rocky start as they begin their new lives in the husbands family home. When a mystery starts to unravel and a mystery woman enters the picture, things start to get very...violent. 

The film gets off the a very...woman abuse sort of start. LOTS of potential triggers here for folks. It's really rather awful. Poor Maribel Martín is constantly getting her clothes ripped off or forced into amorous interactions. She's so sweet and lovely that I almost turned the film off because things start off in such a mean way. 

There is a lot of exposition and talking as the newlyweds roam around exploring and humping their way along. :::grin:::

However, as things start to unfold and the story gets rolling, the actions are more part of a larger picture and less masturbatory, so it becomes more interesting. The giallo aspects alone really start to engage you. I actually was trying to sort out what was really going on. 

We have a lot of the classic Italian tropes going on here. 

Testosterone men, animal cruelty, mistreatment of women, nudity, strange children, mysterious women, and an odd mystery begging to be solved. 

 The film was engaging and interesting, but I can't say that I'd watch again any time soon.

Black Mountain Side - A slow burn that's worth the wait

SPOILER FREE as usual.

The other day, I got another "blind Twitter follow" from a man named Nick Szostakiwskyj. I get these a lot. An unspoken, "Oh! You like movies?! I make movies! Check one out, please!" I actually appreciate this. It means folks are making an effort.

So, I checked out his Twitter page and website and they both looked really professional. One of the images on the site drove me to look up the film Black Mountain Side.

Intrigued, I checked out the trailer ( ...which I do not recommend that you do!! Seriously ) and immediately went to Amazon and added it to my watch list for that very night.

Now, let me get the small negatives out of the way right off the bat. There are not many, but they will make some people run around screaming. ::grin::: 

This is a slow, SLOW burn. It's like Carpenter's THE THING with several of the action, pulse pounding scenes removed from the first and second acts. Folks sit and talk and you soak in their conversations as the wonderfully shot film spins along crafting it's story. There were a few moments where I wished they went to the "show, don't tell" mode of film making - it might have helped the pacing a bit. Actually seeing some of the things that are talked about after they happen when the characters regroup here and there might have boosted the energy of the film a bit. 

Based on what I've seen from horror fans, this will make many people crazy. They'll bark at their screens yelping, "THERE'S NOTHING HAAAAAAPPENING!!!!" and will start tearing at their skin like wild animals.
To them I say, "Do us all a favor and don't watch this film. I can't take hearing your commentary on it, honestly. Go watch SAW XXI and be happy."  There IS stuff happening, you just need to listen and work it out without seeing jump scares, things popping out at you, and blood spraying 20 feet in the air.


The only other caveat I have about the film is that things are NOT spelled out for you. If you want that, you won't find it here. There are expanses as wide open as the films bleak and beautiful landscape - again, superbly shot  - in the film. If that makes you crazy, skip it. 



And, that's the end of the negatives. Let's move on to why I really loved this film. 


This is a very THE THING like tale. But, more along the lines of the original book WHO GOES THERE? by John W. Campbell, Jr.. It's a character and story based movie that has moments of shock and horror, not the other way around.


Archaeologists uncover a massive underground structure in Northern, "REALLY OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE" Canada that dates back ten thousand years. The team brings in an expert to bless the find and get them much needed funds to continue their research.  As the find is verified and debated, things start to slowly and steadily break down.


This is another film where it feels like you are reading a book. (In a good way) You're allowed to really sink into the story and character development washes over you as the tale unfolds. There were several moments where I ended up saying things like, "Well...this is bad," out loud to my wife who was next to me on her phone. THAT is another check in the PLUS column for this film.

My wife is NOT a horror fan. She can stand them at times, but more often than not, she stands up and says, "Enjoy your movie - I'm off to bed," and is gone by ten minutes in. However, BLACK MOUNTAIN SIDE had her completely invested by the midway point. She was positing theories and wondering what was happening right along with me. Wen the movie ended, we had a very interesting series of conversations about the plot, scenes, and what we thought happened at the films climax. All around the midnight out, two hours after her usual bedtime. She really enjoyed the movie which is saying A LOT. 

Nick Szostakiwskyj nails both the Direction and script. The film looks fantastic and the script is riveting, really. It's one of those film stories that doesn't lay it all out for you, but that you find yourself thinking about long after the film is over. Theories spun through my mind all last night and this morning about the movie.

The cast was fantastic as well. In some of these smaller budget films, the cast stumbles through dialogue as they make an effort to play out an emotional range they are not capable of hitting while choking out lines of memorized dialogue. However, these folks do it effortlessly. They are not only believable as who they are playing, but they manage to deliver some very intricate dialogue to the point where I found myself wondering if they found actual archaeologists that happened to do acting as well. :::grin::: 

 If you're a fan of remote chillers, story, and tales of madness and the supernatural, you really owe it to yourself to fire up BLACK MOUNTAIN SIDE, settle in with a whiskey or cup of tea, and let this grand tale wash over you like a warm blanket of creepy! :)  I plan to revisit this film again in the winder months...when it's cold...and dark...