Death Metal Debauchery #22: The CRYPTOPSY Edition

Cryptopsy used to be known for their very technical, fast-paced death metal. With the departure of Lord Worm on vocals after Once Was Not, a new lineup took over which put emphasis on sound quality and blast beats over technical but catchy riffs. Cryptopsy is not what it once was. But the old sound of Cryptopsy its run through five full-length albums and a live DVD. What you get from that band is quality death metal, although one can hear the difference in sound quality throughout those albums - where Lord Worm left for the first time, a void is created where Cryptopsy doesn't sound as fine as it did on those first albums and again of Once Was Not.

Ungentle Exhumation (1993, Gore)

Blasphemy Made Flesh (1994, Invasion)

Blasphemy Made Flesh [Re-Issue] (2001, Century Media)

None So Vile (1996, Wrong Again)

Whisper Supremacy (1998, Century Media)

And Then You'll Beg (2000, Century Media)

Once Was Not (2005, Century Media)

The Uspoken King (2008, Century Media)

The Evil Ad #33

A relatively recent commercial for Chef Boyardee's Beef Ravioli, this ad seems to contradict the general slogan of the company: "obviously delicious, secretly nutritious", yes, but also full of meat that will trigger humanity's wilder instincts immediately. The werewolf passes up a chance for fresh human meat for the ravioli, and it makes me laugh that the commercial is certainly drawing comparisons to our insatiable need for meat in any type of product. Mac and cheese? Pft, where's the beef?

Movie Review - Masters of Horror: Cigarette Burns

Cigarette Burns

John Carpenter resumes his role as a master of horror for the television series with Cigarette Burns, an ode to the power of the genre film's revelations of the viewers who watch those movies. Cigarette Burns draws off of the mysteries of forbidden movies, those which have been deemed too extreme for mass consumption and have been relegated to the underworlds of the industry.

Carpenter's addition to the series owes as much to films like Ringu as it does to the controversies of violent films brought up in David Cronenberg's Videodrome. Norman Reedus plays Kirby, owner of a popular theater that runs old, underground horror classics. Known for his ability to track down any film no matter how rare it is, Kirby is employed by rich film collector Bellinger (Udo Kier) to find the infamous La Fin Absolue du Monde, a video nasty that opened one time to mass hysteria and murders. The movie is said to have a certain power over the watcher, and anyone who looks for it will come under its spell.

Kirby does become entranced by the film, and although he says he doesn't want to watch it, he eventually does anyway. But during his search for the movie, he starts to see little cigarette burns like those on old projection films. La Fin Absolue du Monde begins to play off of Kirby's dark past, focusing on the death of his girlfriend and her addiction to heroin. These vignettes are interesting, although Carpenter doesn't do enough work delving into Kirby's past for the viewer to feel for his pain after witnessing these experiences. Instead, we get fleeting glimpses of the tragedy, and a subtle feeling that what Kirby experiences is painful, even if it seems somewhat shallow to the viewer.

The suspense builds as Kirby hunts down the film, tracking it through multiple individuals who have an idea of where it is but want to hide its final resting place; ultimately, these clues result in the person giving Kirby a new contact, but ineffectually giving advice that boils down to, "You'd best leave this matter alone because you won't like what you find." The aura given to La Fin Absolue du Monde is intriguing and well-rendered, if somewhat easily generated because of the multiple warnings Kirby receives during his search.

Carpenter, however, attempts to incorporate too many factors into this film that become overtly and painfully existential in their mumbo-jumbo. Something about an actor's soul being tied to the film is introduced to us from the beginning of the film as a thin blue chained man resides in Bellinger's estate. This comes a bit too early for my taste; the introduction of the more supernatural aspects of the film would be more effective if they came later, after the initial tension of the multiple warnings.

There's also some hallucinatory vampirization involved which, despite being a nice reference to the Nosferatu sequence in Are You Afraid of the Dark?, feels out of place considering the nature of La Fin Absolue du Monde and the previous descriptions of acts committed. And finally, the mumbo-jumbo of living and dying while watching the film and the problems of seeing said film that comes too close to human reality while having to kill each other to make things right becomes confusing and unresolved in the climax. Should we watch the film to understand human nature? Does it hold secrets to the afterlife, to a holy Creator? Or is it just a movie created by a madman, which carries with it a paranormal evil that influences the viewer? It's not clear, and I'd like to know specifically if watching the film carries some existential significance - because if so, it's much more powerful to think that one must kill oneself lest be overcome with knowledge than it is to think it was some psychopath creating a snuff film.

And that's the main problem with Cigarette Burns. The mystique behind the video nasty is intense but it spirals out of control in the finale, specifically because Carpenter attempts to show the viewer some of the film. What we see is not convincing - a black-and-white flick that looks like a cross between a snuff film and Begotten. Sure, it might be disturbing and experimental, but it simply doesn't hit the expectations that have been created throughout Cigarette Burns.

Slash to the Point: This is one of the better Masters of Horror episodes I've seen, even if it does falter in its final third. The build is creepy and shifty, and Carpenter intricately designs the film as a questionnaire for the viewer. If we were offered the chance to watch a film with such a horrific background, would we be curious enough to do it? And is that a good or a bad thing? We don't really get the answers with Cigarette Burns except that everyone ends up dead, but it's a fun journey all the same. 

Horror Horizon - May 31

Notable DVD releases for the coming Tuesday. Selections are subject to Blu-Ray release as well.

True Blood: The Complete Third Season

"In Bon Temps, everyone has something to hide. But when new threats emerge, no one can conceal the secrets of their past. After Sookie discovers Bill was kidnapped, she heads to Mississippi, where she becomes entangled in a world ruled by werewolves and a powerful Vampire King. Eric is also drawn to the King’s domain to settle an old score; Jason falls for a mysterious woman; Lafayette can’t avoid love or demons; and Sam uncovers the truth about his birth family. It all leads up to the revelation of the series…Sookie’s true identity."

Prey

"One night, several deer inexplicably hurl themselves against the electric fence of a farm. Discovering deep bites on the animals bodies, the farmer and visiting family members (who have gathered for a tense reunion) penetrate deep into the surrounding forest. They carry guns, expecting to encounter wild predators, but what they are bewildered to find is an environment ravaged by a mysterious evil force. And as the sun slowly sinks away, howling resounds through the forest. The hunters have become prey! This modern-day horror film blends elements of The Descent, Jaws and Deliverance into an original picture of human nature scarier than the darkest woods." 

 Moonlight: The Complete Series

"A vampire lands work as a private investigator and falls for mortal woman." 

Synesthesia

"Mari suffers from synesthesia, a rare disorder that mixes up the senses. She’s lived a sheltered life, but when her adoptive parents die mysteriously, Mari’s condition may hold the key to catching a dangerous serial killer. Now she and Shinsuke, another synesthete, must catch the killer before Mari becomes his next victim."

The Cat O' Nine Tails

"When a simple robbery at a research institute leads to a series of brutal murders, a blind puzzle maker (Academy Award(r) winner Karl Malden of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE) and a tenacious reporter (James Franciscus of BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES) begin their own investigation of the crimes. With nine different clues to follow, they uncover a shocking web of twisted genetics and dark sexual secrets that will finally lead them to a shattering climax of violence and suspense."

Book Review - The Athena Project by Brad Thor

The Athena Project

With The Athena Project, Brad Thor set out to write a novel about a group of women who are just as heroic and ass-kicking as Thor's main operative, Scot Harvath. The novel's band of women agents was set up in an earlier Thor tale, although not to the same extent as his current affair, where the women take center stage to overthrow a sci-fi plot to launch an electromagnetic bomb somewhere in the United States. The Athena Project is Thor's attempt at giving the common female reader an explosive, high-octane thriller which the fairer sex can relate to. Though the novel is certainly action-packed, it's questionable whether Thor actually achieves a band of women who resemble the everyday woman.

The science fiction plot is based on a few known conspiracy theories and enigmas. One major element of the plot is a Nazi device supposedly invented by Hans Kammler, known as the Kammler device or the Angel's Gate. This technology is purported to be able to transport objects from one location to another at the cost of losing life and limb to use it. In The Athena Project, a group of terrorists plot to use the device to transport an EMP into a US airport to cause a major electromagnetic malfunction that would eliminate contact with the world. This is all based on reality, mind you; most of Thor's seemingly supernatural elements in the novel are derived from science, and Thor relates that to the reader in his introduction.

And with this advanced and complex plot that involves other countries trying to take down the "superforce" that is the US of A, Thor utilizes an even more complicated arsenal of operatives and realistic government agencies to defend America against those damn terrorists. The Athena Project is one such group, a pack of strong-minded, able-bodied women who can stop terrorists on a motorcycle alone or take out three bad guys with a triple blast of bullet fire. Did I also mention they must be extremely beautiful to make the cut?

This is where Thor loses touch with his original intent. If the object was to build relatable female characters, the insistence on their supermodel looks and the emphasis that they must be beautiful to be badass operatives distances the novel from the average reader. It's difficult to relate to these women who seem to be perfect in every way, especially in their looks. But Thor tries to give them flaws in other ways, though they don't really seem like flaws in comparison to the average person. One member of the Athena Project has a problem flirting with men; another flubs a mission. In the great scheme of things, these character weaknesses seem petty instead of monumental.

But the plot moves along at a good clip, and Thor is able to juggle a couple of different plotlines at the same time. One is somewhat unnecessary, centering on one tangent of the terrorist attack that never really comes to fruition; instead, the characters hang on the fringe of the novel, and it's only clear what role they play when the plot finally reveals itself.

Slash to the Point: Though The Athena Project has its thrilling moments putting femme fatales at risk and packing numerous conspiracy theories into one novel, Thor's attempt at targeting a female audience is unfortunately fraught with cliched ideas of what women think about in their spare time, and the characters are certainly far from the average woman. Instead, the women of the Athena Project are the same type of mythical stereotypes as the brauny, muscular men of gladiator stories - people who make fantastic fiction, but never feel organic.

Viewer Vomit #4 pushed back to June 15

Because of the Blogger outage that threw The Moon is a Dead World into a state of hibernation, Viewer Vomit #4: The Brides of Dracula's deadline will be extended to June 15. This is partially because people might not have been aware of the post because of the outage, and also because I haven't had a chance to get the review done myself. Extra time means extra participation, hopefully. For more details, please see the link at the top of the page or view the sidebar.

Movie Review - Let Me In

Let Me In

Let the Right One In easily became one of the most important horror movies of 2008. The Swedish film adapted the book Let Me In for the big screen with a touching tale of two misfits finding each other in a wintry, dreary landscape. One just happened to be a vampire, which is where the horror emphasis began, but the tale was more accessible than general horror films, and its emotional impact became a centerpiece for the movie. Like always, American filmmakers found it necessary to remake the original to update it for US audiences, and so Let Me In originated.

It's difficult to review Let Me In without discussing its predecessor, and I won't try to claim that I'm not biased towards the original. And with Let Me In hitting American theaters only shortly after Let the Right One In, it's really difficult for audiences to watch Let Me In without the original heavily in mind. In that regard, it's perhaps a disservice for Let Me In that it so closely resembles the original plot and came out so soon after the first adaptation; unfortunately, Let Me In is quite obviously weaker in terms of its emotional impact and characterization.

Although the plot is almost exactly the same, director Matt Reeves and company have taken liberties with the structure of the events. In a gripping opening, we're introduced to the death of Abby's keeper after serious chemical burns. It's intense and compelling, yet strangely out-of-place; we get another, almost identical depiction of this scene later, so it seems unnecessary twice in the same film. In another sense, the strength and fleetness of the action takes away from the development that made Let the Right One In so compelling.

Because Let Me In tries to pack so much action in so quickly, it leaves little room in its runtime for the meandering, slow plot of the original. Reeves leaves out some of the most endearing elements of Abby and Owen's relationship: the tenderness they share, the deep connection of the two during their weakest moments. These scenes are lacking here, and when they are showcased, the chemistry between Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloe Moretz is restrained.

This is also due to the quick pace of the plot itself, which seems to steamroll through all of the events without lingering on their intensity. The struggles of Owen during the final scene is significantly less intense because of the swiftness of Abby's attack on the bullies; the dramatic tension between Owen and Abby is brushed over for the more violent sequences that ensure an incredibly fast-moving film but one that lacks the weighty suspense for the viewer.

Slash to the Point: In a sense, Let Me In does feel distinctly American; instead of the slow burn of Let the Right One In, Let Me In opts for a more direct and in-your-face approach. While this will appeal to those who want their films to adhere to a stricter horror bent, it also deadens the gravitas of the situation, and instead of feeling the deep, almost supernatural connection between two ostracized individuals, there's a sense that their relationship is thinner than blood.

Let Me In on Rotten Tomatoes

Thank God, the blog is back!

It's been a rough two weeks trying to sort out the problems that Blogger has been having. However, this blog is back (at least in its Blogspot address format). I'm still trying to get the domain issue sorted back out.

Update on blog problems

Blogger is currently having some horrible dilemmas with their maintenance because of a system crash. Since I recently bought a custom domain right before the crash, it seems my domain is now missing and any attempts to access themoonisadeadworld.com will result in a 404 error. You may still access the site with ryneb.blogspot.com, although any links clicked on the blog will come up with the 404 error because they use the custom domain. Unfortunately, I have heard no word of fixing this problem and I'm not sure when Blogger will be fully functional, so please bear with me and enjoy whatever reviews or posts you can access.

AND PARTICIPATE IN VIEWER VOMIT DUE JUNE 15!

Horror Horizon - May 17

Notable DVD releases for the coming Tuesday. Selections are subject to Blu-Ray release as well.

The Rite

"Inspired by true events, this supernatural thriller follows a seminary student (Colin O’Donoghue) sent to study exorcism at the Vatican in spite of his own doubts about the controversial practice and even his own faith. Only when sent to apprentice with legendary Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), who has performed thousand of exorcisms, does his armor of skepticism begin to fall. Drawn into a troubling case that transcends even Father Lucas’s skill, the young seminarian glimpses a phenomenon science can’t explain or control – and an evil so violent and terrifying that it forces him to question everything he believes."

The Roommate

"She's cute. She's loyal. She's psychotic. And, unfortunately for college freshman Sara (Minka Kelly) she's The Roommate. When Sara arrives at school, she finds new romance with Stephen (Cam Gigandet) and forms a fast friendship with her roommate Rebecca (Leighton Meester). What begins as camaraderie soon turns creepy, and Sara comes face-to-face with the terrifying realization that her new best friend is obsessive, unbalanced...and maybe even a killer!"

Diabolique: The Criterion Collection

"Before Psycho, Peeping Tom, and Repulsion, there was Diabolique. This thriller from Henri‑Georges Clouzot (Le corbeau, The Wages of Fear), which shocked audiences in Europe and the U.S., is the story of two women—the fragile wife and the willful mistress of a sadistic school headmaster—who hatch a daring revenge plot. With its unprecedented narrative twists and unforgettably scary images, Diabolique is a heart-grabbing benchmark in horror filmmaking, featuring outstanding performances by Simone Signoret (Casque d’or, Army of Shadows), Vera Clouzot (The Wages of Fear), and Paul Meurisse (Le deuxième souffle, Army of Shadows)."

Vanishing on 7th Street

"VANISHING ON 7TH STREET taps into one of humankind's most primal anxieties: fear of the dark. An unexplained blackout plunges the city of Detroit into total darkness, and by the time the sun rises, only a few people remain surrounded by heaps of empty clothing, abandoned cars and lengthening shadows. A small handful of strangers that have survived the night (Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, John Leguizamo and Jacob Latimore) each find their way to a rundown bar. With daylight beginning to disappear completely and whispering shadows surrounding the survivors, they soon discover that the enemy is the darkness itself." 

Gargoyles

"Cornel Wilde stars as an anthropology professor who stumbles upon a clan of demon gargoyles living in the desert Southwest. Since its first airing in 1972, this low-budget gem has earned an enduring spot in the hearts of horror fans worldwide. It won the Emmy® award for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for Del Armstrong, Ellis Burman Jr., and Stan Winston (Jurassic Park, Avatar)."

Deep Red (Uncensored)

"An English jazz pianist living in Rome witnesses the brutal hatchet murder of a renowned psychic and is quickly drawn into the savage crime. With the help of a tenacious female reporter, the pair track a twisted trail of deranged clues and relentless violence towards a shocking climax that has ripped screams from the throats of audiences for more than 35 years!"

AKA Profondo Rosso.

The Secret of Dorian Gray

"This Italian-German-Lichtensteinian co-production tells the tale of a wealthy man who sells his soul for eternal youth, aging only in his portrait. Based on Oscar Wilde's novel."

Destination Inner Space

"Strange goings on at the site of an experimental underwater laboratory as a mysterious object of unknown origin is detected in the area. A group of researchers investigate and come face to face with the object, a large automated extraterrestrial probe. They board the craft and discover a small object at first considered to be some sort of instrument package, which they take back to the lab for closer inspection. It is then that events take a turn for the worse. Revealing Mistakes: You can see the reflection of the diver's mask behind the creature's eye sockets. In addition, when the creature attacks the support ship captain, he is wearing boots. Later, as he is swimming, his feet are webbed. As he swims, you can see the outline of his air tank in the hump beneath his dorsal fin. AKA: Terror of the Deep"

Ju-On White Ghost/Black Ghost

"JU-ON: WHITE GHOST tells the story of senior high school student Arkane whose strong ESP power induces him into seeing Mirai, the tragic ghost of an old school friend. JU-ON: BLACK GHOST tells the chilling story of a young woman called Fukie who discovers that she's carrying an unborn 'grudge', which vengefully curses all those around her." 

Emerging Past

"'Emerging Past' is a horror twisted psycho-thriller rollercoaster ride of terror that follows a tormented woman on her journey to discover where her past is leading her. The film features an impressive cast of genre stars including: Brooke McCarter ('The Lost Boys'), Steve Dash ('Friday the 13th Part 2'), Tony Moran ('Halloween 1 & 2') and Stephen Geoffreys ('Fright Night')." 

The Blood Shed

"A sweet little tale about your average inbred, hillbilly, cannibal family residing in the northern part of New Jersey and how they deal with the day-to-day annoyances of encroaching suburbia."

Skin Eating Jungle Vampires (No IMDB)

"Bringing exploitation back into the movies with this racy saga of the Clitorians - a group of lusty aliens who inhabit a "Lost World" inside a volcano. While they await the arrival of their Dark Lord, the Jungle Vampires stay eternally young by feasting on the flesh, bones and blood of unsuspecting tourists. Their latest conquest is the sweet young, Tiffany, a sorority cheerleader who disappears in the Costa Rican jungle during Spring break. In hot pursuit is her sister Carla, who is psychically tuned into the younger sibling's plight and must rescue her before she is digested as jungle stew."

 Dead or Alive

"In Tokyo's crime ridden Shinjuku district, emotionally and financially bankrupt Detective Jojima (Show Aikawa) plays referee in a gangland turf war pitting the Japanese Yakuza Mafia against a bloodthirsty band of Chinese immigrant gangsters. But Jojima's obligation to his terminally ill daughter and ruthless Chinese mobster Ryuichi's (Riki Takeuchi) sentimental devotion to his ersatz family of misfit assassins threatens to add their own corpses to the landslide of fresh bodies littering Tokyo. Miike depicts Dead Or Alive's gruesome acts of excess and debasement with shockingly graphic relish."

Happy Friday the 13th!

Kevin Bacon and his short shorts would like to wish you and yours a happy Friday the 13th. If Friday the 13th is any indication, you should probably stay away from the short skinny jeans today.

The Moon is a Dead World becomes themoonisadeadworld.com

Finally, after three years of the blog being hosted as ryneb.blogspot.com, The Moon is a Dead World now has its own domain name. It's a small change that probably won't affect much of anything, but now you can type www.themoonisadeadworld.com and get to the blog with no problems! Excellent.

The Noose: Giallo-inspired Euro-tic flick LAST CARESS gets trailer

Trailer NSFW - lots of boobs.

Bloody-Disgusting's got a trailer and some new stills - many which mimic the footage above - for the new European giallo-esque flick Last Caress, from Francois Gaillard and Christophe Robin. The self-proclaimed "glam gore" film features lots of giallo tropes, including a masked killer, beautiful dead women, and stylish killings. Despite the fairly over-the-top trailer and questionable acting displayed, this might be a film to look out for.

The plot is as follows: 

"Five youngsters who just wanted to spend a nice weekend amongst friends in a manor will find a far less peaceful place than they expected when faced with a family curse and a sadistic ruthless killer. Blinded by their never-ending quest for carnal pleasures they will fail to perceive the flood of blunt violence about to engulf them."

The Noose: Final Destination 5 poster revealed

Arrow in the Head's got the scoop on the latest news for the upcoming 3D Final Destination sequel. I don't mean to spoil anything for the movie here, but I'm guessing the plot has something to do with teens avoiding Death in freak accidents and then trying to outrun the Reaper as long as possible while others are taken down with intricate scythe-swipes?

"FINAL DESTINATION 5 follows a man who saves a group of people from an accident involving a suspension bridge. Unsurprisingly, this group of unsuspecting souls were never supposed to survive, and, in a terrifying race against time, the ill-fated group frantically tries to discover a way to escape Death’s sinister agenda."

Yep. The film is slated for an August release, but their production company has been keeping the film surprisingly under wraps. Maybe they don't want to give any surprises away?

Black Metal Blasphemy #7: The NACHTMYSTIUM Edition

Two dudes who love to play black metal. That's basically the best way to sum up Nachmystium, a band which hit black metal fans hard with their sound, especially after their excellent Instinct: Decay. Nachmystium has been pushing the boundaries between black metal and other forms of music, and their sound has seen a move away from the original black metal roots of earlier records. They've recently released a full length, part two in their Black Meddle series. Let's take a look at some of the dark imagery their covers have touted.

Holocaust of Eternity (2000, Self-released)

Unholy Terrorist Cult (2001, Vinland Winds)

Reign of the Malicious (2002, Regimental Records)

Nachtmystium (2003, Regimental Records)

Nachtmystium/Xasthur Split (2004, Autopsy Kitchen Records)

The First Attacks - Demos 2000 - 2001 (2004, Regimental Records)

Demise (2004, Battle Komand)

Eulogy IV (2004, Total Holocaust Records)

Instinct: Decay (2006, Battle Kommand)

Worldfall (2008, Century Media Records)

Assassins: Black Meddle Part I (2008, Century Media Records)

Doomsday Derelicts (2009, Battle Komand)

Addicts: Black Meddle Part II (2010, Century Media Records)

The Evil Ad #32

Here's an ad for Lynx Deodorant (basically Axe in foreign countries) which features a common slasher trope. The ad certainly hearkens back to Halloween with its piano-plink soundtrack and stalker point-of-view while also hitting on Nightmare on Elm Street with a burnt-face killer. The heroine saves the day by spraying the monster with Lynx, only to find a new attraction.

In Defense of Fear Friday

A few years ago, I remember tuning in to AMC on Friday nights to find a yellow-and-black striped screen proclaiming the late-night Fear Friday block of films. As a kid, I always found it fun to attempt to stay up late to watch the horror movies running into the wee hours of the morning, and though this often turned out to be a monumental failure, I remember catching a bunch of great flicks on Fear Friday.

There was a time when AMC ran Fear Friday every Friday, and those were the glory days for me as a teen. I remember a slew of different releases being on, from the bad but watchable Pinata: Survival Island to the excellent Funhouse. There was certainly no lack of movies for AMC to show, and I believe They Live! was also on constant re-run during the early morning hours. I caught classics, I watched as stinkers played themselves out like I thought they would; I marathoned with the Scream series; I found new doorways for horror.

Fear Friday was a huge influence on my horror habits, whether I realized it at the time or not. Falling asleep to a good horror movie was the highlight of the week, a way to wind down from school's irritating tests or social problems by just enjoying the glow and gore of the television screen. What a release to know Fear Friday would air that night - nothing to worry about!

But then, AMC started to cut the Fear Friday programming for movies they could play any time they wanted. I realized that Fear Friday was now not a scheduled block, but a movie event that would run whenever the better movies ended. I stopped tuning it, mostly because Fear Friday would be pushed back to 2 or 3 in the morning. I wasn't going to start a movie at 2 AM - and so I started having my own viewings of horror movies.

But it's just not the same. I want that surprise again when AMC airs a horror movie I don't know, or when they air one I love. Sure, they have Monsterfest during Halloween, but who doesn't? Fear Friday was something special because it happened every weekend, whether it was Halloween season or not. It gave horror a special place in the weekly lineup that couldn't be taken away. Until AMC did.

Now Fear Friday has all but petered out. AMC's website still lists it as a block of movies, but they have only three listings for movies, two airing soon and one not until June 1. Fear Friday, despite its photo description, is not weekly, and it hasn't been for a while. I need it back.

Did anyone else watch Fear Friday out there in Bloggerland? Did it influence your love of horror movies? Do you want it back? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Horror Horizon - May 10

Notable DVD releases for the coming Tuesday. Selections are subject to Blu-Ray release as well.

Black Death

"The year is 1348. Europe has fallen under the shadow of the Black Death. As the plague decimates all in its path, fear and superstition are rife. There are rumors of a village hidden in marshland that the plague cannot reach. There is talk of a necromancer who leads the village and is able to bring the dead back to life. Ulric (Sean Bean), a fearsome knight, is charged by the church to investigate these rumors. Joined by a young monk and a small consort of soldiers, the journey ahead will lead them into the heart of darkness where faith is challenged and put to the ultimate test."

See review here.

I Saw the Devil

"I Saw the Devil is a shockingly violent and stunningly accomplished tale of murder and revenge. The embodiment of pure evil, Kyung-chul is a dangerous psychopath who kills for pleasure. On a freezing, snowy night, his latest victim is the beautiful Juyeon, daughter of a retired police chief and pregnant fiancée of elite special agent Soo-hyun. Obsessed with revenge, Soo-hyun is determined to track down the murderer, even if doing so means becoming a monster himself. And when he finds Kyung-chul, turning him in to the authorities is the last thing on his mind, as the lines between good and evil fall away in this diabolically twisted game of cat and mouse." 

Cropsey

"Realizing the urban legend of their youth has actually come true; two filmmakers delve into the mystery surrounding five missing children and the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearances."

Slime City Massacre

"A dirty bomb has decimated New York City s financial district and reduced midtown to a post-apocalyptic nightmare. The neighborhood known as Slime City has been evacuated, except for the homeless, and in the ruins of a soup kitchen four squatters discover a supply of food that transforms them into hideous slime creatures, driven to murder! Meanwhile, a greedy developer who has set his sights on Slime City hires a team of mercenaries to wipe out the creatures. It's a battle royale between the Slime Heads, the mercenaries, and bloodthirsty mutant cannibals!"

Blood Oath

"Something Twisted and Evil roams the woods feasting on the bodies of who ever enteres (sic) his domain."

Blood Junkie

"A fun camping trip inot (sic) the woods turns into a KILLER time as one by one the nubile young teens are hunted down for there (sic) tasty blood."

Killer Yacht Party

"Set Sail for Slaughter! A bevy of hot body teens looking to get their rocks off on the high seas and become fish food, when one of the passengers turns out to be a blood thristy Nutjob."

Venom

"Venom is a fright-filled voodoo thriller loaded with a sizzling cast of hot young stars. Set deep in the eerie swamps of southern Louisiana—Agnes Bruckner (Murder by Numbers),Jonathan Jackson (Tuck Everlasting) and Meagan Good (The Unborn) are among a group of teenagers trying to uncover the truth behind a friends mysterious death. What they find is an evil force more deadly than anyone could have imagined. Now they are the ones running for their lives. Also starring Bijou Phillips (Hostel: Part II) and Method Man (How High)."

Dahmer Vs. Gacy

"A secret government lab run by Dr. Hess (Art LaFleur) has been trying to create the ultimate killer using the DNA of infamous killers Jeffrey Dahmer (Ford Austin) and John Wayne Gacy (Randal Malone), but there's one big problem: they've escaped! Bloody mayhem stretches across the United States as they go on the ultimate killing spree. Trying to stop the maniacal madness is Ringo (Ford Austin), a hick warrior being trained by God (Harland Williams), using only a shotgun and a bottle of whiskey. In his road trip to hell, he must first fight off his own demons, not to mention an army of Japanese ninjas and a Super-serial killer (Ethan Phillips)! It all leads up to the ultimate showdown!"