Horror Horizon - January 3

Notable DVD releases for the new year (see what I did there? In layman's terms, the coming Tuesday). Selections are subject to Blu-Ray release as well.

Contagion

"Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne and Bryan Cranston, along with medical journalist Sanjay Gupta, explore the real science of global viruses and what they mean to the human race. The world is preparing for the next biological disaster...but is it too late?"

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season Five

"Reunite with the "Master of Suspense," Alfred Hitchcock, for more of the mind-boggling twists and devious thrills synonymous with one of TV's greatest shows, Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In the fifth season, delve into 38 stories of greed, larceny, revenge and murder where every character holds a guilty secret and a misleading "MacGuffin" lurks in every corner. Featuring some of Hollywood's brightest guest stars, including Walter Matthau, Steve McQueen, Peter Lorre, Dick Van Dyke, William Shatner and Burt Reynolds, it's five discs of delicious mysteries from the icon whose highest hope for his audience was to 'give them pleasure - the same pleasure they have when they wake up from a nightmare.'" 

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

"Sally, a young girl, moves to Rhode Island to live with her father and his new girlfriend in the 19th-century mansion they are restoring. While exploring the house, Sally starts to hear voices coming from creatures in the basement whose hidden agenda is to claim her as one of their own."

Shark Night

"When Sara and her friends arrive at her family’s Louisiana lake house, they quickly strip down to their swimsuits for a weekend of sexy fun in the sun. But they soon discover the lake is infested with hundreds of flesh-eating sharks — and a few equally dangerous human predators — that turn their killer vacation into a bone-crunching battle to stay alive!" 

Red: Werewolf Hunter

"The modern-day descendant of Little Red Riding Hood brings her fiancé home to meet her family and reveal their occupation as werewolf hunters, but after he is bitten by a werewolf, she must protect him from her own family."

Don't Let Him In

"What if you invited a serial killer on holiday? Heading off for a weekend in the country, Paige and Calvin reluctantly allow Calvin's brash younger sister to bring along Tristan, an arrogant city trader she's picked up in a one-night stand; but when the group learn a brutal serial killer is plaguing the area, Paige must confront the disturbing truth about Tristan."

1313: Wicked Stepbrother

"Now 18 years old and very wealthy, JARROD MYCROFT is horrified to learn that a faceless killer is celebrating his birthday by filling his mansion with the corpses of his closest friends…"

1313: Actor Slash Model

"An embittered actor decides it’s time to slash a few models after losing a life-changing role to some guy who looks good with his shirt off…"

American Scream King

"When two guys get a hold of a camera from a debt, they decide to make a horror movie since most of them are cheesy and cheap anyways. They know nothing about special effects or make-up so why not just kill people for real while filming their movie?"

Paranormal

"The Truth will Expose the darkness! Best-selling novelist Greg Evans is struggling with the worst case of writer's block in his career. In a desperate search for inspiration, Greg turns to a group of paranormal investigators and quickly finds himself immersed in a world he is not prepared to face. Together, he and the ghost hunters begin to pull back the supernatural curtain for proof and answers, but the truth will expose the darkness, and no one will return the same. Produced by Cross Shadow Productions (Pray. and Pray 2: The Woods), this inspirational thriller also includes a Bible study and family discussion guide with thought-provoking questions about researching topics related to evil, believing in ghosts, controlling anger, and living by faith rather than sight." 

Attack of the Vegan Zombies

"Joe and his wife Dionne have had yet another bad crop for their winery. Faced with the prospect of losing the family farm, Dionne convinces her mother (a witch) to cast a spell upon next year's crop. The crop is such a success that Joe hires some college students to help them harvest. However, when a nosy neighbor begins poking around in the fields, he finds out more than he bargained for. Now the question isn't how to best harvest the crop, it's how to keep from being harvested!"

Compiling 2011: The Best Movies I Saw This Year

As most of my readers know, I'm not the most current horror blogger on the Interwebs. I'm lucky to get out to the movie theaters, even luckier to catch new flicks on DVD unless they're sent directly to me. Even then, it takes me a while to get to them, meaning that when you read my review, the movie has already been out for a few weeks, or in most cases, decades. I'm working on that, I promise.

Nevertheless, it's difficult for me to participate in the annual year-end list when I haven't seen most of the movies that have come out this year. So instead of trying to fudge my way through an incomplete list, I figured I would point out the best films that I saw in 2011, regardless of their release date. Some of these movies are from 2011; some are not. All are films that I saw for the first time this year. Check it out below. They are in no particular order.

Black Swan

Black Swan was a twister of a film, full of suspense and some beautiful cinematography. At its core was a rather simple archetype of the psychological drama infused with the beauty and poetics of ballet and Swan Lake. More than that, though, was the stellar performance by Natalie Portman, along with dream-like fugues that elevated the film from oppressive to downright dreary. And whether you found the ending rewarding or disappointing, the dance to get there was well worth it.

Inception

Though I'm hesitant to include this on a list that features less action movies than horror, I will say that the Nolan brothers' Inception was a warped trip that hooked me from its opening. Despite its reliance on heady exposition to reveal the plot, the ingenious ways the film ventured into dreams was a pot smoker's delight. It was a film that made you feel like you were on LSD, without the dangers of actually falling from a ten-story building. Plus, it didn't hurt that Leonardo DiCaprio gave an emotional performance, though mostly similar to his miserable character from Shutter Island.

Black Death

Black Death unfortunately had a limited release, and most people probably missed it. Thankfully, it did show up in Redboxes and on Netflix instant; for fans of plague-era period pieces, viewers could do much worse (say, like the Nick Cage flick Season of the Witch) than this film. Black Death fused horror with the real terrors of religious persecution, crafting a witch hunt that constantly toys with the viewer's sense of truth and fiction for a tense, gritty experience. Plus, there's never a clear bias behind the story, meaning that the specifics of religion aren't targeted but simply the dangers of becoming wrapped up within a belief system.

The Devil's Backbone

An early film from Guillermo del Toro, The Devil's Backbone fits right at home with fairy tale atmospher of del Toro's later Pan's Labyrinth. But whereas that film emphasizes the illusions of fairy tale worlds, actually taking the viewer to the gothic locales, The Devil's Backbone simply presents the idea of living in a fairy tale, of getting away from the darkness of war and the even darker side of human nature. The ghosts that haunt the film are at first imbued with terrifying presence, but they soon become more human than some of the characters who attempt to abuse their power. It makes The Devil's Backbone a horror film with a sense of purpose, a ghost story with a message other than revenge from the afterlife.

Blood and Black Lace

Gialli are some of my favorite films, but I have to admit that they can certainly be done wrong. Blood and Black Lace is certainly not one of the poorer films in the genre, and it is rightfully one of the most revered giallo. That's because it captures the spirit of the genre perfectly: the coldness of the dark atmospheres coupled with the beauty of bright colors; a killer that eludes classification until the very end of the film; distinctive deaths infused with a sense of artistry.

The Caller

This was a surprising film that at first came off very similar to films like When A Stranger Calls. Instead, it was quickly apparent that The Caller was interested more in toying with the idea of interdimensional relations, the psychosis of an apartment dweller who finds that she's speaking with a caller who nice lived in apartment years ago. What ensues is a delightfully scary, suspenseful film about a woman trying to uncover a past that seems to exist solely in her imagination.

Buried

I'll be the first to admit I had my reservations about a film set almost entirely within a coffin under the ground. But what could have dissolved into an hour and a half of dithering with an inexperienced actor actually became an extremely tense film thanks to Ryan Reynolds' portrayal of an innocent man captured by terrorists and left to die by a government who cares more for their image than the people that do the dirty work for them. And there's no cop-out by director Rodrigo Cortes; the inevitability of the situation indicates that Buried will end with a happy ending, but instead Cortes presents an emotional, disturbing finale, one that characterizes Reynolds and his family with barely any expositional dialogue. It's an indictment of American negligence; it's also a film that forces the viewer to think about those that are fighting for us, those that are pulled into a predicament they didn't start, those that feel that killing for our country is the right thing to do, and those that don't lift a finger to end a mistake.

Scream 4

I know that many will disagree with me here; but my review and subsequent addition to this list does not come solely from my early obsession with Scream when I was younger. Wes Craven's return to his franchise smacks of the same metafiction that made New Nightmare such a success for the Nightmare on Elm Street saga. Scream 4 manages to capture the characters of the earlier films while adding successful new ones; it also subverts the problem of the Twlight-like teen characters by giving them dark backgrounds and little else. The film keeps the viewer guessing until the very end, and it even manages to combine remake twists and equally subvert them by turning new genre cliches on their heads. Some might find Scream 4 a trite way for Craven to make a few bucks off a dead series; but the movie successfully parodies the horror genre just as it did ten years ago, except this time it's updated so well that one can't help but root for another film in the series as long as it can capture the same essence.

Upcoming changes for the new year

At this point, The Moon is a Dead World has been around for about five years, and in its run it has changed a little from the original intentions I once had. This is a good thing, because I started out thinking that I would only cover horror movie reviews here. Instead, the blog has turned into a hybrid (perhaps somewhat inconsistent, but I'm only one person) of different columns; but I'm running out of patience with some of them.

For the new year, I'm thinking of trying to cover more essays and editorials. But I'm also looking for ideas on what you'd like to see. One of my New Year's resolutions is to go out and see more horror movies n theaters - though avid readers will recognize that I also said that last year. I'd like to get more current here.

I'd also like a new, more professional layout for the blog, something that looks more structured and less cluttered. If anyone could help me with this (say, like creating the HTML for it), I'd certainly use the help, and I'd try to make it worth your while.

But really, let me know what you'd like to see here. I'm always trying to improve the site, and if that means more work for me, it just keeps me busy working on the things that I love. Thanks for sticking with me for so long.

Look for a post coming up that compiles my favorite horror movies I saw in 2011 - not necessarily those from 2011, though.

 

The Noose: Hitchcock's Birds inspired by leaky johns?

A recent study conducted by Sibel Bargu uncovered a surprising finding for the apparent cause of a 1961 bird attack n the Monterey Bay area. Bargu and company, studying plankton and algae along with the stomach contents of animals from the area, found that the birds were most likely poisoned by toxins from the sealife the birds ate. Even more surprising about the finding - people are still studying this rare occurrence five decades later.

Of course, much if this news has no bearing on the Alfred Hitchcock movie the event inspired. But it's still ironic to note that one of the most revered horror movies of all time (and particularly, the most horrifying film for my mother that resulted in her extreme dislike of birds) could have been caused simply by toxic septic sludge leaking into the surrounding areas. Thank you, shit, for perhaps making movie history.

Source: USA Today

The Evil Ad #44

Anyone who owns a cat knows that they can be quite demanding when they're hungry, which makes this commercial for Whiskas cat food even funnier. It's those damn cat eyes; they don't work the same as puppy dog eyes, that's for sure, and when it's paired with a thunderstorm and the fact that the cat seems to be missing ears, it makes for a funny TV spot - and perhaps a warning for cat owners. Don't say Target didn't warn you when your cat attacks during a dark and stormy night. Also, see Sleepwalkers.

Film Short Review - House Call (2011)

Film shorts are difficult to write, especially because there's not a lot of time to work with. If you think about the amount of time full-length movies spend simply on atmosphere and dialogue-free character shots, it's easy to see that short films must be overly simplified to mix character exposition with the dramatic movements of the plot. With that said, it's also imperative that the short film be able to produce a certain amount of feeling from the audience, a pathos that stems from the characters - and that job is delegated to both the writer and the director, who must choose the scenes they want to show wisely.

Erik L. Wilson takes on both of these roles as writer and director of "House Call", a short film that's currently being shopped around at various film festivals. At seventeen minutes, "House Call" is actually a longer-running short film, but that doesn't mean that it's able to hit all of the successes of a longer film. Instead, "House Call" proceeds rather mundanely throughout its entire run, with a lukewarm plot that feels ripped straight from I Know What You Did Last Summer. In the film, an old shamanic woman targets a woman and her boyfriend on their one-year anniversary since she knows the dirty secret the woman holds I side of her.

Ensuing is a demonic possession and a couple of moments that are minority suspenseful, fairly tepid slasher movie fare until the final plot reveal. Nothing about the plot stands out - there aren't any surprise twists, no successful scares, and not even a very gory killing at that. It doesn't help that "House Call" has very weak character development; we don't know much about the couple and they barely communicate besides an awkward sex scene that seems to correspond with an incantation performed by the witch.

Plus, the only exposition we get about the quick murder that the woman commits at the beginning of the film comes from a dialogue between the couple, a painful expression that this man has hurt the woman in the past and that he needs to be stopped. A visual flashback would have made her motivations a bit clearer; instead, the viewer is forced to speculate on their own, and it means that there's no strong connection between audience and characters.

Slash to the Point: Rarely does "House Call" elevate from a very basic slasher, and the problem at its core is that it wastes too much time on unimportant scenes; a little more character development would have at least involved the viewer in the characters' dilemmas. However, what we get instead is an overly long depiction of spousal base at the hands of a witch, with hokey dialogue, some pretty bad acting by the male actors, and some indie heavy metal that feels quite out of place in the film.

Have Yourself a Bloody Little Christmas: Killer Kringle - Why Santa Should Star in More Horror Movies

There are a few horror movies set around Christmas lingering around, and most seem like a perversion of the holiday. Killing on Christmas is like, well, pissing on baby Jesus's manger while sacrificing a goat head to Satan. But the whole idea behind Santa Claus can certainly be construed as a dark admission of the evil behind humanity; not only does Santa reward for good, he punishes for bad, making him a higher power that can either praise or smite depending on his mood. Below, we'll look at five different reasons why Papa Elf makes such a mesmerizing horror character - and no, it's not just because his belly resembles a snowy mountain pass full of danger.

Slave Labor and King Claus

If anyone told you they were harboring a bunch of little people in their basement, forcing them to make toys for well-behaved children, you'd rightfully call the police with the intention of reporting a possible pedophile-kidnapper. But for the mysterious Santa Claus, who retreats to a hideout deep within the snowy climes of the North Pole, it's only a natural, unionized workshop. Perhaps these "elves" are simply children Santa has snatched during his visits to the kiddies' houses on Christmas Eve, plucking them from the sugarplum dreams as they're lured by the promises of toys and candy canes. Has anyone ever begun a strike at the North Pole? Or does Santa rule with an iron hand, simply "exiling" those who stand against his low wages and overtime work schedules?

The Allure of Santa's Lap

In our politically correct world, it's surprising that the tradition of sitting on Santa's lap remains. Our ultra-sensitive culture assumes that any grown adult touching a child could be a sign of pedophilia, but mall Santas continue to find work with the sole purpose of having a child cuddle up on their lap. The context makes sense, but the execution is a little strange - perhaps children could just approach Santa, give him a stiff handshake, and hand over a list of their demands like bank robbers holding Santa hostage. The holiday has become less like a special holiday celebrating a few choice gifts given to deserving children; instead, Santa is almost forced to become a superhuman man whose sole job is to deliver presents until the children want no more. He's got more than a lapful to deal with.

Chimney Thief

Santa doesn't knock before he makes his grand entrance; he doesn't even enter through the front door. He steals in through a secretive opening in the roof, like a bat trapped in the brick layers of the chimney. It's no wonder that Gremlins used this trope as a means of scaring children during the Christmas season - it's not a far stretch to think of Santa as a stranger sneaking into the house late at night, only to wind up in a fireplace coffin for Christmas day. Kris Kringle isn't unwanted in the house, but he certainly doesn't make his presence known to the hosts of the house. Isn't it hypocritical to allow Santa free reign to the house, but dictate that children be wary of strangers? The trust inherent in the belief of Claus means taking the mythical man for granted, acknowledging the extreme goodness of someone who could just as easily murder everyone in the house as he could leave wonderful presents beneath the tree.

Claus' Moral Compass

Like a god, Santa is able to pass judgment on humanity. He is Saint Nick, after all, but he's also glorified as a higher power who knows the deserving from the depraved. But what if Santa's moral compass is a bit off? Who's to say that Santa, knowing the goodness that lies in the hearts of all children, will simply deny a miserable child a gift during Christmas night? If he does leave the little one coal, doesn't that mean that Santa has a mean streak? And if he doesn't, does that make Santa a pushover who enables the mean-spirited, overlooking their sins in the hopes that they'll make a turn for the better next year? If we trust in a man who always gives to others without rules, it also skews the gray area within the definition of morality.

Santa the Spy

Perhaps the most disturbing idea behind the Santa Claus mythos is the fact that Santa has the ability to see you wherever, whenever. Saint Nick is an omnipotent being, and it's taken for a truth that he has the fortitude to observe what he needs to without seeing the, ahem, more private moments of our lives. Perhaps Santa knows when it's time to turn off his Spidey-sense, like when we're taking a dump in the bathroom or stripping nude for bed - but really, it's a bit offputting to me that Santa might be acting as a spy for the CIA as I'm typing this. If he is, I'm most certainly not getting presents tomorrow.

Unfortunately, this post comes a little too close for Christmas. Despite my warnings, I urge you not to seal up your fireplace, board up the windows, or tear down the tree this Christmas Eve. With any luck, Santa is the nice, caring man the movies make him out to be. And if there is an attack reported tomorrow on Christmas day that looks and feels a lot like Claus' doing, attribute it to the victim, who probably was quite naughty this year. Have yourself a very bloody (and merry) Christmas.

Seasons greetings,
The Moon is a Dead World

Movie Review - Red State

Kevin Smith has tackled religious fanatics before. He's mocked just about everything in his comedies, from the aforementioned bible-thumpers to greedy capitalism to retail woes. It's no surprise that Red State feels embittered with the world at large, and not just with the sect of Jesus freaks that are the meat and potatoes of the film; Smith imbues Red State with a sense of misanthropy for all types of people, with no moral qualms of tackling politically incorrect ideas with rather descriptive aplomb. And all of this is set within a film that feels more like a horror movie than a comedy akin to Clerks or Mallrats.


The basic premise here is simple, really: a religious zealot, Abin Cooper (Michael Parks), sets up his compound within the small Kansas town of Cooper's Dell, ruling with an iron hand against all homosexuals, potential sodomites, and most likely minorities. The small group of perhaps twenty have been gathering automatic weapons for defense against an ensuing FBI investigation led by none other than John Goodman as Joseph Keenan.

Smith centers the movie around three teens who are lured into Cooper's compound by an attractive woman who promises via text message to participate in group sex with them. Swayed by the impressive set of assets they see on their iPhone, the teens grab some drinks, sideswipe the sheriff's car, and get trapped by the fundamentalists; the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms force is called in to deal with the hostage situation, resulting in a firefight of epic proportions that leaves mostly everyone dead.

The structure of the opening is similar in style to most slasher films, where the nubile teenagers are doomed the moment they contemplate their baser human tendencies. Smith creates an obvious contradiction between the religious fanatics and the kids; the fanatics are definitely nutty, yes, and their eradication of potential homosexuals and rapists is atrociously displayed during a very extended sermon, but none of Smith's characters are entirely devoid of immorality. The teens, despite their naivete, are fairly depraved themselves - they did want to gangbang a young woman, we can't forget that. The same goes for much of the American Task Force, who don't seem to flinch at exterminating any of the religious zealots despite their pledge for fairness and penal justice.

But despite the strong semblance of themes, Smith never truly carries through with any of it. The teenagers' storyline is dropped quickly thanks to a surprising twist that's ultimately devoid of weight; a plot point featuring the sheriff's gay lifestyle could have added some depth to Stephen Root's otherwise lifeless character; the potential hostage diffusion situation is simply left adrift in thin air. To be fair, Smith's aims are certainly all over the place in Red State, and there are certainly hit-and-miss moments throughout.

John Goodman is a highlight here, and his appearance is the turning point for a film that seemed to begin a torture porn film. Where the opening of the flick tends to drag along as Smith attempts to exemplify Cooper as a vile, hypocritical preacher, Goodman's role moves the film along quite quickly. That is, until Smith stagnates with the potshots between the task force and the rebel religion.

But the subtle comedy leanings of Smith's writing are more prevalent in these latter moments of the film, where Red State begins to loosen its grasp on realism. The jokes are also the most pointedly obvious dialogues of Smith's criticism. There's one thing that Red State seriously fails to do, however, and that's leave the exposition out of the film. At times, Smith gets wrapped up so much in his own diatribes that his characters begin to spout off his own biases. The audience can't helped but feel ball-gagged themselves during this vitriolic rants; we're forced to swallow the stuff.

Slash to the Point: Red State has its moments as a horror comedy, but its obvious agenda means that it's difficult to take some of the more philosophical moments seriously. John Goodman ends the film with a thought - that people can get wrapped up in their own thoughts when they believe they're entitled to something, but that the worst type of people are the ones that simply believe - and it's a grandiose statement for a film that also offers up an entire fifteen minutes about venomous homosexual spittle and the limited mobility during a foursome. This is simply the nature that Red State constantly battles during its runtime: juggling the comedy of making fun of our nation's greatest problems while maintaining a dramatic undertone that hints at something much darker, sort of like a whisper from Kevin Smith that while this is funny, we need to do something about it. It's a solid attempt, but it doesn't always mesh.

Red State on Rotten Tomatoes

Holiday Horror Gifts #7: Drone music for the bleak and depressed

I post a lot about death, doom, and black metal on the blog (see the discog posts I often used to do but have since put on hold), but rarely do I post about the more abstract and drifting art form that is drone music. There are a lot of really good drone artists out there, ones that push the boundary between music, soundscapes, and noise with limited rhythmic variance. Instead, they allow the listener to drift along on dreary guitar chords, synth peals, and thunderous bass. If you're interested in a more comprehensive (and very difficult to find) list of all the drone music I think is worth a listen - and this is getting into territory I cover on my other blog, Memory Wave Transmission - you can email me at rynepbarber@gmail.com and I'll spout of more names than a graduation announcer. But for now, I'll stick to the rather popular names in the genre right now - specifically, sunnO))), Grouper, and Oneohtrix Point Never.

sunnO))) is quite a popular band in the genre; they've been around for a while, and they've taken a page from Earth in their slow guitar compositions. Their output is sparse and generally difficult to find, and like my last gift idea (the Goblin biography), their newest release Agharti Live 09-10 will be difficult to find and quite costly if you do happen upon it. For those who'd rather give a more affordable release, the band also put out a collaboration with prominent noise group Nurse With Wound titled The Iron Soul of Nothing. It's not a cheap CD, since it was released in Austria and you'll have to pay exporting fees, but sunnO)))'s music is well worth the price and it's also remarkably similar to gloomy horror music.

The same is true of Grouper, although her musical excursions are somewhat less heavy and more depressingly bleak than sunno)))'s. Grouper's double-release this year, A I A, has been making top 50 charts right now for 2011, and that's definitely a release I would go out and grab. But she's also got a single LP out now, Hold / Sick, for a little taste of what's on offer.

Oneohtrix Point Never has also been making waves with his latest release Replica, which has graced top 50 charts with its presence thanks to its intensely intricate compositions. Flutes in drone? You'll hear it. Repetitive structures? Yep. And lots and lots of synth-driven distortions of sound, along with manipulations of old television ads. It's a complex art form worthy of your time, and those who find music a contemplative form of entertainment will enjoy reflecting on this album.

Television Review - American Horror Story: "Smoldering Children"/"Birth"

Who knew that a couple of dead kids could turn American Horror Story into a living, breathing drama again? I'm heralding "Smoldering Children" as the best episode of this lackluster season for the show, a segment in the series where the writers put away their overactive imaginations to flesh out the stronger parts of the show: namely, Tate's confused perception of reality, Violet's obsession with him, and the undercurrents of emotional destruction that are always hinted at but never displayed with clarity. In these late episodes, there's finally a sense that something besides anger and betrayal resides underneath the house's supernaturality.

I'll start with the aforementioned "Smoldering Children" because of its powerful appeal. Finally, after Burned Man traipsing around, lusting after Constance, and trying to blackmail Ben with his ridiculous threats, the person of Larry shines through with a very touching, disturbing moment featuring his burnt wife and children. Not only does American Horror Story pull a scare here, it also manages to give Larry the characterization that's always been missing with him thanks to easy narrative depictions of his past life. Now that we've finally seen his wife and kid, who are living in a hell thanks in part to Larry's obsession with Constance, there's so much more depth to his character that I've really got to stop calling him Burned Man.

But it's not the only poignant moment of "Smoldering Children," no sir. We've also got a bombshell of a surprise dropped on us right at the end, and it involves a stinky, twisted corpse of Violet. SPOILER ALERT: Tate, who has been acting quite prickish lately, has actually been trying to protect Violet from learning of her suicide after she took all those pills earlier this season. Granted, the show has pulled this type of twist on us before; it's the same surprise (that wasn't really a surprise) when American Horror Story unveiled that Tate was a ghost, rather than a living patient of Ben's. Still, though, the way that this reveal is set up is actually a high point for the show - the devastation of Violet after she learns she killed herself, the terror of the exposed body as it rots in the attic, and the reality of what dying in the house really means makes Violet into a different person.

If there's one thing that the show missed this episode, it's making anything of Vivien being out of the house. There's not a whole lot going on with Connie Britton's character at this point, but that all changes with "Birth." If you haven't seen this episode, I suggest you avert your eyes. Some pretty sick spoilers go down here as well.

Vivien's pregnancy quickly turns into a terrifying case of the heebie-jeebies after a premature birth sequence leaves her dead. Not only that, but the terrifying baby also killed off its twin by stealing all of the nutrients; and who takes one of the children but Constance, who whisks it off under protection of a sheet.

The whole house pitches in to help Vivien in the ordeal, including the doctors who previously inhabited the house. It's nice to see them all come together to take Vivien's kids, but it's also incredibly naive to think that Ben and Vivien would be alright with dead surgeons and nurses cutting away at Vivien's vagina. There's something strange about the whole ordeal, a surreality that makes it horrific and yet corny at the same time - I just can't imagine thinking I'd be okay with a bunch of ghosts delivering my baby.

Yet that's just what happens. We also get a little bit more from the gay couple, who want to steal one of Vivien's babies for their own family until they realize (again? I thought this happened a couple of episodes ago?) that they don't love each other anymore. There's drama, even in the afterlife, and if you thought living forever with your significant other as a ghost would be fun, you should probably think again.

The subplot is somewhat useless, since nothing comes of it anyway besides a beatdown delivered to Tate. Eventually Ben and Vivien learn that Violet is dead, although their belief in this event is not apparent. That is, until Vivien dies and joins her daughter in the afterlife as a protector. It's a touching end to the episode, and it does mark a shift in the narrative - perhaps death is better for this feuding family, since the restoration of mother and daughter seems to lead to a peaceful aura between the two.

I'm left wondering how American Horror Story will tackle its last episode for the season. Now that Ben is left alone in the house with a demon baby, what will happen? How does he cope with all of this loss, except to forego reality by imagining that his family is still alive? It seems, to me at least, that American Horror Story will kill off this family for a reboot next season; two-thirds of the family are gone anyway, and it looks like Ben is definitely next on the chopping block. But then again, no one ever really leaves this house, do they?

Slash to the Point: Two glorious episodes leading up to the season finale is just the kick that American Horror Story needed. Granted, much of these episodes still falls into the "sloppy" category, but progress is progress no matter how sleek and sophisticated its exterior. I'm glad to see a big finish coming for the show, but I can't seem to dispel my feeling that the final episode of this hit-or-miss show will again falter.

Holiday Horror Gifts #6: Goblin sette note in rosso

Know any fans of Dario Argento's work? How about the band that composed multiple synth soundtracks for him? Goblin has been around for years, crafting some of the finest (and okay, let's face it, some of the corniest) horror soundtrack songs the genre has seen. They've also influenced some of the newer bands with much of the same prog rock leanings; take, for instance, Zombi, who recently released a pretty fantastic new album titled Escape Velocity which would make for a good pairing of this book.

However, the problem with buying Goblin: Seven Notes in Red is the fact that it's all in Italian. Fabio Capuzzo has yet to release an English version, and it might pose difficult reading to those who don't speak the language. (Might I suggest finding a translator, which will cost you a pretty penny more for this book?)

But even if they can't read the book, think of it as a collector's item which will never get any use besides looking at the color photos. For the diehard Goblin fan, it's a must-have; it'll also drive them crazy having a tome of information on the band that they can't read.

If you need more information, or to order the book, head to the blog.

Horror Horizon - December 20

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

Straw Dogs

"A young couple (James Marsden and Kate Bosworth) moves to a quaint southern town. Soon their perfect getaway turns out to become a living hell when dark secrets and lethal passions spiral out of control. Trapped by a pack of depraved locals led by a ruthless predator (Alexander Skarsgard, TV’s True Blood), they face a night of agonizing suffering and endless bloodshed. Now their only hope for survival is to become more savage than their merciless torturers. Also starring two-time Academy Award® Nominee James Woods (Best Actor, Salvador, 1986 and Best Supporting Actor, Ghosts of Mississippi, 1996)."

Saint Nick

"You better watch out, because Saint Nick is coming town and he has some scores to settle in this horror story from the Netherlands. It's December, and Dutch youngsters are awaiting the arrival of Sinterklaas, aka St. Nicholas, who brings gifts to children who have been good all year. Meanwhile, Sophie (Escha Tanihatu) is a teenage girl who uses a letter from Sinterklaas as a way to beak the news to her unfaithful boyfriend Frank (Egbert-Jan Weeber) that they're over, and classmate Lisa (Caro Lenssen) makes some pocket money babysitting as the adults party and Frank impersonates one of Sinterklaas's helpers at a celebration for children. However, Goert (Bert Luppes), a local police officer, knows something the kids don't -- Sinterklaas is real and has a nasty disposition, rising each year to wreck bloody revenge for an act of terrible violence centuries before. SINT (aka SAINT) received its North American premiere at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival."

Julia's Eyes

"From producer Guillermo del Toro (Pan s Labyrinth, The Orphanage) comes a tale of dread and terror from the darkest corners of reality. Julia, a woman suffering from a degenerative sight disease, finds her twin sister Sara hanged in the basement of her house. Everything points to suicide, but Julia is compelled to investigate what she intuitively feels is a murder case. Determined to retrace her sister s final steps, she is drawn into a maze of hidden threats and spiraling dread - a dark world that seems to hide a mysterious, malevolent presence. As Julia begins to uncover clues to the truth of her sister s death, those close to her begin to disappear. Her sight gone and confined to her sister s house, Julia soon finds herself trapped in a nightmare from which she cannot awake." 

The Devil

"In 1981 The Devil was released upon unsuspecting audiences. They had no idea what they were in for. This film set a new standard for Asian Shock Cinema that would be often imitated but rarely equaled.

The Devil introduced the gut wrenching gimmick of live insect vomiting. As the vile She Devil appears people start puking up snakes, worms and all kinds of creepy crawlies."

Into the Lion's Den

"Bored with the West Hollywood gay scene, best friends Michael, Johnny and Ted have embarked on a cross-country road trip from LA to New York City. Though their friendship hits a few speed bumps along the way, the trio decides to have one last hurrah during their last night on the road. That s when fate brings them to The Lion s Den, a secluded backwoods bar where not everything is as it seems. As the three out-of-towners toast the end of their journey, someone at the bar is watching them and setting a deadly trap. Now, as closing time draws near, a night of unspeakable horrors is about to begin..."

Have Yourself a Bloody Little Christmas: Horror Out of Context #3

It's not the holiday season if you haven't watched the seminal classic National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation yet. And if you're not a fan of it, well then you're just not my friend anymore and I don't want you to read this blog!

But with all kidding aside, this scene from the film is one of the funniest, and it's not because of Chevy Chase's inane remark to Todd about stuffing trees. It's a perfect representation of the moment when the killer is revealed just before a brutal massacre, brandishing his weapon of choice before he hacks the victims up with it. Notice the music as well: your standard brooding theme before a climactic shrill sting. It makes the perfect Christmas film even better, thanks to this little reference. Who needs The Nightmare Before Christmas?!

(Yes, I was just looking for an excuse to post a Christmas Vacation clip here.)

Television Review - The Walking Dead: "Chupacabra"/"Secrets"

We haven't moved very far in the six or seven episodes in this season of The Walking Dead, and while that may seem like a good thing for character development around the Rick Grimes camp, there hasn't been much of that happening either. It's okay if the writers want to settle the action, ground it in something for a while because of emotional conflict. But when the plots of each episode drag out the same contrived dilemma, like finding Sophia or moving on from Hershel's farmhouse, things get old pretty fast.

"Chupacabra," though, is one of the first episodes this season that has managed to elicit an emotional response. Daryl sets out on his own to find Sophia, and it's not too unrealistic to believe that he might be okay with just his one-man killing machine skills. Along the way he runs into zombies, falls down a hill and twists his ankle to crap, and meets his brother Merle in a hallucination. He also finds a doll, which acts as a new lead in the search for Sophia - a plot movement we've been needing since she first left the group.

Thankfully, "Chupacabra" is such an exciting episode because it does spend time identifying Daryl as a person rather than one of a group. His ordeal sucks, yes, but it's also entertaining to watch, especially as he slings crossbows into the undead and limps back to camp just in time to get shot by fucking Andrea. The show needs more stand-alone episodes like this, ones where it can take time to develop one character without having to worry about what the other survivors are up to, what lame problems they have back at camp like Glenn's one-night stand with Maggie that will obviously develop into a two-dimensional romance based on lust from the fear of death (which it does).

While we're on the subject, Andrea doesn't get any less annoying; instead, she gets worse. Why would she snipe Daryl after the rest of the survivors had lowered their guns? The scenario doesn't make sense, and if we're supposed to understand Andrea's need to feel like a help to the group, it instead makes the viewer feel like she's rather useless, pulling the group down with her constant inner power struggles.

When it comes to "Secrets", however, The Walking Dead drops back into its old habits, merely attempting to maintain the norm while stretching out Laurie's pregnancy secret to incredible lengths. Finally, after what seems like forever (literally the entire series), Laurie tells Rick that she had sex with Shane - only to find out Rick already knew. It's a good character trait for Rick, and it makes us like him more because he understood and forgave Laurie even when she hid it from him; but it's also sort of an anticlimactic event, something we've been waiting for that never comes to fruition.

"Secrets" is a rather boring episode, too - Glenn and Maggie figure out their differences, Shane and Andrea bump uglies in a strange twist that feels a little too facile, and Hershel continues to be the grumpy old man in the house next door. This episode mainly functions as filler, a way to continue the stagnant trend of survivors surviving on a farm with their own set of interior conflicts. The only minor importance of this episode is the rift between Shane and Rick about what to do about Hershel's barn of zombies.

Slash to the Point: There are always good and bad episodes to shows, but The Walking Dead seems to avoid all attempts at a winning streak. With a good episode like "Chupacabra", it's even more of a letdown when the show follows up with a stale one like "Secrets". The show is still not moving forward, and viewers are going to get fed up quickly with the lack of motivation in these episodes.

Holiday Horror Gifts #3-5: Michael Crichton, Dean Koontz, and Stephen King

If you live in the northeast like me, the holiday season is a perfect time to get family and friends books for Christmas. That is, if they enjoy reading - reading text messages doesn't really count. If that's your gift receiver's thing, though, there are a few books out by popular horror fiction authors that might get the ol' cerebellum working.

Michael Crichton, despite his recent death, has a new novel out with the help of ghost writer Richard Preston, a fan of Crichton's work. The manuscript was started by Crichton on hotel stationary, and about one-third of the book is Crichton's own work. Titled Micro, the novel's sci-fi plot focuses on the dangers of biotechnology and the advances in working with atomic matter. It will most likely be Crichton's final novel, and hopefully it will be a fantastic finish for a truly talented writer.

Also out for the winter season is Dean Koontz's new novel, 77 Shadow Street. It won't be here in time for Christmas (in fact, it releases two days later), but one can always use it as an excuse to give a late present. At last, Koontz seems to be breaking free of his novels where nasty killers decide to target unwary but herculean protagonists; 77 Shadow Street takes him back to his roots with a classic haunted house story about the Pendleton, a mansion with a horrific past and a very snooty name.

Finally, Stephen King's got a new tome out titled 11/22/63. If you haven't heard of it before now, it focuses on an alternate history where JFK was not assassinated. King ponders what that would be like; would Democrats and Republicans remain conflicted over abortion, gay marriage, the current state of the economy? Would we still be in a downward spiral where almost no one can afford gas, where college students graduate with a degree and still can't find decent jobs (hint hint)? This is not the same type of novel King generally writes, and it will be interesting to see how he grasps the techniques of writing an alternate history.

Convinced yet? There are plenty of pages out there for reading this holiday season. Many more I haven't listed here; authors are churning out their work at a frenetic pace now, and although it does flood the market with rather uninspired stories, it does leave the audience with a lot of night reading as well.

Have Yourself a Bloody Little Christmas: Movie Review - Black Christmas (1974)

It's hard to separate the aura of Black Christmas from its legacy as a horror movie. Coming before Halloween and Friday the 13th, it's apparent that the film has had a lot of influence on countless slasher films after it, thanks in part to its lean, uncomplicated approach to a slasher film and the ways it uses camera positioning, suspect clues, and phone calls to encourage a sense of dread and fear in the viewer. And let's not forget that after Black Christmas, Bob Clark went on to direct one of the most successful Christmas movies of all time (A Christmas Story). The knowledge of the film's influence is intertwined within Black Christmas, but it must be set aside for an unbiased look how the yuletide terror stands up to the passage of time.

To be honest, Black Christmas is one of my favorite movies, and that's because of all of the elements in it that make it seem like such a dark Christmastime. Now that's not exactly what a movie is supposed to capture you with, but I will say that Bob Clark really knows how to set a Christmas scene. And yet everything feels very cold.

The film is set in a sorority house at Christmastime, and the girls are either moving out for the holiday or are getting ready to, when they receive some obscene phone calls from a man with many voices. Eventually, it becomes apparent that the man is more of a threat than his moans and groans from the phone, and the girls call in John Saxon(!!!) as a cop to sort the mess out. Meanwhile, we've got a couple of missing girls around town, a rape in the park, and an angry boyfriend who is bound and determined to force Jess (Olivia Hussey) to have her baby rather than abort it.

The trick to Black Christmas' plot is that Bob Clark weaves a lot of drama in with the actual horror of the story. The film is a slow burn, and it takes a little while for the movie to really get to its core point - and sometimes, it never gets there at all. But within the context of the slow-moving film, we get the nuances of the characters that never really comes forth in other slasher films because there's never enough time allotted to it. There's Barb's drinking, which is easy enough to depict without spending time with her; however, Clark hints at her unhappiness, the jealousy that she harbors deep inside her, and even the weaknesses she has before she dies like her asthma. The same is true for Peter, who is actually a rather minor character considering the important role he plays at the end of the film. His lust for his pianist dream is overshadowed by the fact that Jess is pregnant, and it's that edge between them that makes Peter such a prime suspect.

And as I said before, it's mostly a simple plot that Clark creates, something that we see over and over again as a pattern for these types of movies. But the creation of such strong character roles allows the viewer to look past the common tropes of horror to see the nuances of the drama within. The killer, Billy, is never explicitly shown, nor does he have an extensive backstory or an expositional break devoted to him. Instead, the story is told by the obscene phone calls, veiled within the killer's own strange depiction of his past. It's not a very descriptive version of Billy's past, and it requires a lot of piecing together from the viewer, but it's a more rewarding backstory for the audience than simply telling them exactly what's happening.

It also leaves some work for the viewer, who must put together the thematic qualities of Black Christmas in order to understand motivations. Even then, the idea behind the murders is subject to viewer speculation, meaning that one can watch the movie again and again to find new themes inherent within the script. Some are the same as the current trend in horror movies: police negligence, the dangers of being a woman. But there are also a number of devices Clark uses to show deeper imagery, like his structuring of camera angles and the distance of audience to characters. The colors are cold, even for their seasonal exuberance. And the death scenes are equally as chilling because of their realistic brutality.

Slash to the Point: Despite its slow meanderings through character development, Black Christmas is a seasonal horror favorite; it's a film that exemplifies how horror can create a realistically frightening experience by capturing true human emotion. It's also a perfect opposite to the yuletide tradition of Santa - instead of a wanted stranger sliding down the chimney, an unwanted stranger is secretly stowing away inside the attic. It's certainly not presents that Billy brings in Black Christmas, but it is a treat to watch the whole thing unfold.

Black Christmas on Rotten Tomatoes

Horror Horizon - December 13

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

Fright Night

"Senior Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) finally has it all.  He's running with the cool kids and dating the hottest girl in high school (Imogen Poots). But all hell breaks loose when charming Jerry Dandridge (Colin Farrell) moves in next door.  Charley thinks there's something odd about him, although no one - including his mom (Toni Collette) - seems to notice.  But after too many of his classmates vanish under bizarre circumstances, Charley comes to an unmistakable conclusion:  Jerry is a vampire preying on his neighborhood!  Get set to sink your teeth into this thrilling, modern-day re-vamp of the wickedly entertaining horror classic.  Featuring a star-studded cast and crawling with bonus, Fright Night will captivate you from the very first bite!"

For if your gift receiver suspects their neighbor is a vampire; or, if they're a woman (Colin Farrell!!!).

Intruder: Director's Cut

"It's 10 pm and the employees of Michigan's Walnut Lake Supermarket are in for a really bad night. The place is shutting its doors for good and the night crew has a long shift ahead of them... longer than they think! The lovely check-out girl has a deranged ex-boyfriend, the store's phone lines are cut, and the employees start dying in the most stomach-churning ways imaginable (courtesy of Academy Award®-winning KNB EFX Group). A deranged killer is on the loose in the grocery store! Can anyone stop this murderous intruder? Synapse Films is proud to present Scott Spiegel's INTRUDER, the holy grail of extreme gore cinema, in an all-new 2K high-definition transfer of the original uncut, uncensored version. Sam Raimi (director of THE EVIL DEAD and SPIDER-MAN) and Renée Estevez (TV's THE WEST WING) star in this cult film classic that critics call a gorgeous low-budget shocker that has long been one of the best kept secrets of the genre scene (Alan Simpson, Sex Gore Mutants). Be sure to look for Bruce Campbell (THE EVIL DEAD, TV's BURN NOTICE) in a cameo role!"

For the person who likes bad movies that are only redeemable because of Bruce Campbell.

Little Deaths

"Well-to-do home owners Richard and Victoria pose as religious do-gooders and lure homeless girls to their luxurious home. Apartment dwellers Claire and Pete invigorate their love life with a role-playing game with increasingly hazy boundaries. Jen and Frank, once prostitute and pimp, are now trying to make a go of things as an exclusive couple. Jen’s even in therapy with a psychiatrist, who is secretly working with her husband Frank. Each couple is in for a surprise. Richard and Victoria will have the tables turned on them by one of their lady victims; Claire will finally push Pete too far in their sexual game; and Jen and Frank can’t begin to imagine what their conspiring psychiatrist is up to. Little Deaths are little games that sometimes lead to the big one."

For a sexy, BDSM Christmas.

Jessicka Rabid

"They kept her in a cage! They raped her! They brutalized her! They made her into an animal! Now she escaped and she is biting off more than the hand that feeds her! Bonus Features include an Audio Commentary, Behind The Scenes and Trailers."

For grammar lessons.


Kill Katie Malone

"College students and best friends Ginger Matheson, Jim Duncan, and Kyle Dixie Canning, pool their cash to buy a ghost in an online auction. The three think it's all a prank, but once they open up the antique box to examine their treasure, they unleash the vengeful spirit of a servant girl who has been wreaking havoc on her owners throughout the generations."

For a lesson in why you shouldn't judge a book by its grotesque cover.

Psycho Sleepover

"A group of escaped mental patients crash a suburban sleepover, but realize they picked the wrong house when the girls refuse to go down without a fight. Debbie Dicky's last relationship didn't end well. After accidentally killing her boyfriend, she moved to a new town hoping to get a fresh start. Things start to look up with three local girls invite Debbie over for an epic pajama party, but the good times grind to a halt thanks to a murderous band of mental hospital escapees. Little do those psychos realize that Debbie has some previous experience with a butcher knife, and she's about to make them wish they'd never broken out of their cozy padded cells."

For the person who likes to copy you... twenty years later.

The Undying

"Seduced by the ghost of a Civil War soldier, whose spirit dwells in her new home, Dr. Barbara Haughton contrives to have him live again in the body of a man who died in her hospital. But, it's this man's violent past that may affect Barbara's desired future. Is this ghost now the gentle soul he appears to be? Or someone much darker?"

For your sickening, romantically inclined ghosts.

Klown Kamp Massacre

 

"Fifteen years ago, Edwin went to clown camp to fulfill his lifelong dream of bringing laughter to the world... but nobody laughed. Humiliated on graduation night, Edwin viciously murdered the entire camp before vanishing into legend. Now, despite the warnings of the town drunk, old man Bonzo has reopened the ranch and a new class of clowns have unwittingly signed up. When their die-hard instructor Sgt. Funnybone (Miguel Martinez, The Donor Conspiracy) is found dead in a puddle of cream pie and blood, the curriculum changes from comedy to survival! Edwin slashes, stabs, strangles, and disembowels the clowns while laughing insanely at his own bad jokes."

 For Kevin's, Katrina's, or the Count from Sesame Street - brought to you by the letter 'K'.

Happy gift-buying!