October 31, 2017

Happy Halloween!

The day that 2017 has been building towards all year is finally here!

We've been waiting since last November 1st for The Halloween Season, and especially this day, to arrive, and now that it's here, we're kind of sad; Halloween is our Christmas, and we're going to miss it. We're sentimentalists.

Oh well, in 24hrs we can begin the countdown to Halloween 2018!

So get out there and trick or treat, eat some candy apples, watch a few last Horror flicks, and enjoy the scariest day of the year!

October 28, 2017

Short Film Saturday: Chainsaw (2015)

It's got to be hard making short films, as no matter how great they may be, as they kind of disappear into the nether after their initial Festival Circuit runs are finished, if they are even lucky enough to get one.

That's why we've decided to showcase some of the many great Horror Shorts that are out there floating around the Interwebs: some are scary, some are fun, and every now and then, we even find one that's a work of art.

The bottom line is that plenty of time and effort went into making them, so they at least deserve to be seen, don't they?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5106418/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_14
"A haunted house where the props are real."

A pretty simple tagline, but with Eli Roth producing, we're hoping for a big payoff.
This one was cool as shit. Not just because it stars Kirby Bliss Blanton, one of our favorite Horror Hotties, or because it's an absolute gorefest, but because the character of Chainsaw makes for one hell of a movie maniac, and we'd totally be up for seeing more of his story.

They were originally trying to make this one into a feature film, so let's hope that happens one day. Because that would be a bloody good flick.

Short Film Saturday: Sister Hell (2015)

It's got to be hard making short films, as no matter how great they may be, as they kind of disappear into the nether after their initial Festival Circuit runs are finished, if they are even lucky enough to get one.

That's why we've decided to showcase some of the many great Horror Shorts that are out there floating around the Interwebs: some are scary, some are fun, and every now and then, we even find one that's a work of art.

The bottom line is that plenty of time and effort went into making them, so they at least deserve to be seen, don't they?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4921312/
"A reclusive nun is tempted to leave the monastery. Her dream is to become a curvy, voluptuous woman; to become how she really feels inside. With cautious steps, she ventures towards the sinful city."

Sister Hell won the award for Best Short Horror at the 2015 Fantastic Fest, and since we don't get all that many chances to see Norwegian Nunsploitation flicks, we have to check it out.


Well, that was different.

Johanna K. Rostad makes for a hot nun, the devil showing up and playing the fiddle was nuts, and those creatures at the end... this short is filled with some crazy visuals and ideas, and as odd as it is, there's something strangely captivating about it.

It was unique, if nothing else.

October 27, 2017

Stranger Things Season 2 is Now On Netflix!

"It’s 1984 and the citizens of Hawkins, Indiana are still reeling from the horrors of the Demogorgon and the secrets of Hawkins Lab. Will Byers has been rescued from the Upside Down but a bigger, sinister entity still threatens those who survived."

It's back. the runaway surprise hit of last summer has returned with its 2nd season just in time for the Halloween Weekend, and we can imagine that there are plenty of people up in the middle of the night, anxious to see what our new favorite 80's kids are up to this time around.

Happy frigging streaming!


Stranger Things is available to stream on Netflix NOW!

October 26, 2017

ICYMI: Our Stranger Things Season 1 Review

"The worst thing about this show is that it was over way too quick."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4574334/
(aka John Carpenter's E.T.)
Release Date: July 15th.
Country: USA.
Rating: NR.
Written by: Matt and Ross Duffer.
Directed by: Matt and Ross Duffer.
Starring: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Matthew Modine, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, and Charlie Heaton.

Stranger Things is a love letter to the 80's. We grew up in the 80's, so the Dungeons & Dragons gaming sessions, the infectious pop music, the rotary phones, and TV antennas felt like a snapshot of our past to us.

In a way, we were the kids in this show. We were way cooler (obviously), but we played D&D, rode our bikes all over the place, and were totally afraid to talk to girls. Alright, fine. Maybe we were awkward too, but we're cool now. We think.

Even though we're going to keep things as vague as possible, mild spoilers do follow.

Hawkins, Indiana, 1983: After a particularly harrowing all-day session of Dungeons & Dragons in which Demogorgon lays waste to the entire party when one of the players rolls a shitty 7 (all you needed was a 13!), four middle school friends call it a night and part ways. One of them, Will, never makes it home.

"HAVE FUN NOT MAKING IT HOME."
Will's mother, Joyce, is frantic the next morning when she realizes her kid never made it home, and heads off to report him missing to the local Chief of Police, Hopper. He, along with everyone else, thinks that Joyce is crazy, because she kind of is, and so they aren't sure whether to believe her or not.

I WONDER IF SHE HAS CALL-WAITING?
Will's friends are worried, and since no one else is making any progress finding him, they decide to take matters into their own hands, and search the woods for him. What they find instead is a little girl in a hospital gown with a shaved head, and a penchant for remaining silent, named Eleven.

And that's all we're saying.

YEAH, THINGS GET STRANGE.
From the get-go, Stranger Things did not feel perfect to us. The story felt all too safe and familiar; the acting was cheesy at times (calm down, Winona!); and even the cast felt odd at first, as most of the kids weren't your cookie-cutter, good-looking Disney types (which was a really good thing, btw); but man did it ever pull us into its world and keep us engaged through its entire 8 Episode run.

Stranger Things is a show that is deeply rooted in the 80's, and not just because it takes place then; it feels like E.T. and The Goonies meets The Monster Squad, with a bit of old-school John Carpenter flair thrown in to make it darker. It also had obvious nods to Alien, and it reminded us of Silent Hill more than once, so really, it's a bunch of things thrown into one big, 80's-centric pot that made us nostalgia in a big way.

Had "Steven Spielberg and John Carpenter Presents" popped up during the opening credits, it wouldn't have shocked us at all.

US, CIRCA 1983.
As nostalgic and comfy as the word of Stranger Things feels, there's a steady stream of darkness and danger that runs through it, which makes it much more than some kid-friendly throwback. The monster is real (and creepy as hell); Eleven is dangerous, and we're never sure just who she's going to take her anger out on; and the proverbial "men in black" are a real threat who kill indiscriminately to cover their tracks and get back what is theirs.

It's all very dire, and as sweet as it can be, it's all very serious.

It was also over far too quick, and it left us hanging on a few plot points that have us really hoping that Netflix gives it a Season 2. Seriously, the waffles!

IS THAT A OUIJA BOARD PAINTED ON THE WALL?
Violence aplenty in this one, but the gore factor is low.

WINONA WENT DARK IN THIS ONE...
There's a bit of sex, but nothing gratuitous at all.

THE PANGS OF FIRST LOVE ARE APLENTY THOUGH.
One of the coolest things about Stranger Things is how it uses 80's music to accent its story. It's like an awesome mix-tape. Our faves were:

Should I Stay or Should I Go (The Clash)
Africa (TOTO)
I Melt With You (Modern English)
Waiting For a Girl Like You (Foreigner)
Sunglasses at Night (Corey Hart)

*GOONIES THEME SONG INTENSIFIES*
Sentimental, intense, nostalgic and creepy, Stranger Things took us by total surprise. It's one of the best things that we've seen all Summer, and we can't wait to see the story continue in Season 2. There's going to be a Season 2, right?

If you have Netflix, stream this bad boy asap.

A

Stranger Things is streaming on Netflix now.

From the I we saw her in Lucas, Winona Ryder was one of my biggest crushes as a kid. She's still beautiful today.