The Halloween Tree (Ray Bradbury)

I was just thinking, I wonder if this book was discussed by John Carpenter and friends, around the time they did Halloween 3? At that point, they were thinking of taking the franchise in the direction of a series of films loosely based on Halloween and/or Samhain, and what it has meant over the years to different cultures. This book could have inspired those conversations, or at least contributed ideas to them. Googling it together with John Carpenter, nothing much comes up, and I haven't heard much about this possibility over the years. It's intriguing though. Does anybody here know anything about any connections here?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Halloween_Tree

My DVD/Blu-ray collection

So I signed up to https://www.filmaf.com the other day with the daunting task of cataloging my entire DVD/Blu-ray collection. It took me around two days to completion. I must be collecting DVDs for the best part of ten years now (and still do) - I think I have a decent collection. I thought I had around 2,000, but it is actually closer to 2,100 DVDs/Blu-rays.

My DVD/Blu-ray collection:

https://gymnopedie.filmaf.com/owned

Anyway, Film Aficionado is a pretty good resource for anyone interested in cataloging their collection. Does anyone have an account with them?

Adam Marcus confirms deadite theory in Jason Goes To Hell

Necronomicon appearance in the Voorhees household more than an Easter Egg.

But hey, I always considered there to be some connection. Especially when they now have a Freddy Vs Jason Vs Ash comic.

https://movieweb.com/jason-goes-to-hell-evil-dead-connection-explained/

What are you listening to right now? (Volume 2)

I figured the last one ran its course.

Need Help with Movie Title

I've been trying to remember the name of a movie I watched a few years ago. I would love to rewatch it, but I've forgotten the title. I thought it was The Changeling (1980) now I don't think it is.

It's from the 70's or 80's. Same in tone as The Changeling. The scene I remember most involves a man going to see a psychic. He and some other people hold a seance. I'm pretty sure the psychic is an old woman. Anyway, she starts to levitate out of the room and gets thrown down the stairs.

If anyone knows what movie this is, I would greatly appreciate the help!

Zoning Out During a Movie

I have been trying to watch movies all morning, but I keep zoning out. Not sure if I start daydreaming or get so involved with my work that I lose track of what the hell is going on. I must have hit the rewind button 50 or more times now.

One minute people are talking, the next thing I know everyone in the film is dead.😄

The Hate Thread

I thought it might be fun to have a thread about things we hate. Maybe even a place to rant and let off some steam. It can be about anything from movies to just everyday life. You don't have to post your hates/rants here, but they are more than welcome. My intention of making this is not to offend anyone but to create interesting conversations. You can post about ANYTHING you wish. Happy Hating!

Fabio Frizzi's Music from Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich

Today, at least two of Fabio Frizzi's tracks from the upcoming Puppet Master reboot have been released.

Main Title https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/280708/fabio-frizzi-enchants-in-puppet-master-the-littlest-reichs-main-title-premiere/

Carnage Hotel https://dailydead.com/listen-to-our-exclusive-track-premiere-of-fabio-frizzis-carnage-hotel-from-puppet-master-the-littlest-reich-soundtrack/

(Sorry, both links are articles containing the tracks. I can't figure out how to link them directly from Soundcloud. They seem to be hidden on there.)

"Main Title" is sort of a loose re-imagining of Richard Band's original Puppet Master theme. I prefer Band's version, but Frizzi's version will work. "Carnage Hotel" is... a horror track. With some guitar thrown into it. It's not the most generic modern movie music I've heard, but it lacks the memorability of Frizzi's music of the past, particularly his music in Lucio Fulci's movies. Maybe it'll grow on me.

Still, I like that Fabio Frizzi has been brought in for this. Between his music, the involvement of actors such as Michael Paré, Udo Kier, and Barbara Crampton, and S. Craig Zahler's screenplay, it's hard to imagine The Littlest Reich not being good. As a bonus (or maybe not if you love their stuff), it also appears that Full Moon has no involvement with this movie outside of Charles Band serving as a producer.

Will you be watching Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich when it comes out later this month on the 17th or perhaps during October?

As much as I want to see it, I think I'll save it for October. Even if I hated the other Puppet Master movies, I'd probably want to see this one because S. Craig Zahler is quickly becoming one of my favorite people in the movie business. Go watch Bone Tomahawk and Brawl in Cell Block 99 if you haven't already and you'll understand why I feel the way I do about him.

If you're interested in The Littlest Reich's trailer, it was released a few days ago.

Birdemic: A Fowlsploitation Abomination



Bad Horror movies have always been an enigma. They're unlike bad movies from any other genre. Mainly due to the unexpected followings some of them acquire. A lot of the pre-70's stuff is bad simply because they're boring and slow. Most of us can agree on this. Later on, in the 70's through the 80's, we're showered with lovable, so bad it's good schlock such as Blood Freak and Basket Case. The golden age. Somehow, over the years, true, unintentional schlock was lost. Movie fans changed, Filmmaking changed. Real, old school Schlock would be mainly something only the bottom of the barrel would eventually offer in the era of Sub Rosa Studios. B-movies didn't exactly die. They merely went dormant for a while. By the late 90's and onward, most so bad, it's good Horror flicks worth mentioning were usually bad on purpose. Some may think genuine schlock is indeed dead. And it's easy to think that. But today, we're going to explore a film that very well may disprove that theory. A film overlooked by many. A (possible) joke appreciated by few. Was it intentional, or did it just end up like that? I honestly cannot say. This is Birdemic. A true enigma.

In our modern times, most Horror movies THIS bad are indeed that way for a laugh. It's just obvious. Sometimes, they try to be clever about it, but it's just not the same. Birdemic is really the only one I've seen in a long time that's made me wonder. This movie doesn't at all come off like it's trying to be the next Troll 2. Which is exactly what helps make it comparable to such a film. Writer/director, James Nguyen's vision seems more along the lines of a lesson in green living than intentional schlock. The agenda is loud and clear. Pollution is ruining our planet. But more importantly, it's pissing off all the birds.



What mainly makes this film so bad is the acting which is complimented by the innocent, unassuming nature of the characters. It's all kind of Leave It To Beaver. With the combination of the wooden acting and flavorless, straight-laced characters, Something seems very fucked about all of this from the get go. As this basic storyline unfolds, we witness a blossoming romance between an ambitious software salesman and a lingerie model. Rod and Nathalie are nice, normal, young adults, living in Hollywood. They have bright futures. They enjoy going out on dates together. They have good heads on their shoulders. They're also very polite. And that is about all we learn about these characters and Birdemic after sitting through the first half. I hope you enjoy the horrid acting and pathetic excuse for character development, because they use it to put off the arrival of the CGI-birds for a good 45 minutes with no hint of what's to come. Finally, while on a weekend getaway, all heck breaks loose as a bunch of angry, mutated CGI-birds decide everyone needs to die. And when I say CGI-birds, I mean really, really bad ones. CGI anything was never something I had an appreciation for until I saw this film. I now believe that CGI violence/creatures in horror is only a good thing if it looks ridiculous. Birdemic made me a believer.

Rod and Nathlie, along with some freshly orphaned children, make their way out of the madness, using their wit and sweet guns which seem to never need reloading. Along the way, they run into new friends who give them not so cleverly placed lessons in living green for a healthier tomorrow, as well as keeping the birds happy and the gas prices down. Yeah. I'm pretty sure that guy just implied that these disgruntled birds have somehow made gas prices soar to $100 a gallon. Okay. I'm officially lost...

I really didn't expect to like this movie in the least. And never had plans to watch it until a fan convinced me to give it a shot. And I'm glad I did. At times, it almost comes off like a subtle parody of those abysmal SYFY movies. Well, that and a lousy homage to Hitchcock's The Birds. New schlock, whether it's intentional or not, usually lacks the charm of the old ones. But there is plenty of that old charm intact, which makes it all quite lovable. As dumb as it may be. I would go so far as to say that Birdemic is one of the all-time great bad Horror movies. Or atleast should be known as such. Just random little mysteries make this a head scratching good time. Like why do the Eagles, Vultures and Seagulls all make the same sound? Why did they cast an 80 year old to play the role of Nathalie's mother? Is James Nguyen fucking with our heads, or was he genuinely trying to make a nice movie about nice people, while pleading with us to treat our planet better? At times, it seems as though this was one big joke, and a very well planned one if it was. Other times, I'm not so sure. I couldn't help but listen to Nguyen's audio commentary on the dvd for some clues as to whether this is all for realz or not, and I'm happy to announce that he sounded positively oblivious to the fact that he made a bad movie. I'm not saying I believe him. Just saying. I guess it doesn't matter in the end, because whether he knows it or not, James Nguyen is keepin' it real! 7/10



#Review

Fears You Had as a Child

I remember when I was a kid being scared to death of going up the stairs at night. I always felt like someone was watching me. That feeling would intensify to the point I'd start running up the the stairs to my room and do a flying leap into the bed. Not only were the stairs a problem , I couldn't risk something grabbing me from under the bed too! I still get creeped out a bit over the stair thing.

One childhood fear I still have almost as badly today is that of open closet doors. I can not stand open closet doors. Day or night all closet doors MUST be closed.

Another bad one was mirrors at nighttime. That was a big NOPE for me.

What about you all? Have any of those fears as a child? Do you sometimes still get creeped out by them?