Are Babs the best?

what's the most prevalent great name in horror

Crampton
Steele
They're coming to get you!
Bah-bu-rah
Ask for Babs

Will traffic here spike on February 20?

Particularly from our horror board regulars.

Should be an awesome replacement.

Rule no. 1 - No Dorian-Lep-Boki
Rule no. 2 - No Dorian-Lep-Boki

So is this the new hangout?

With IMDB shutting down their message boards, I guess this is the new hangout spot. Thanks to NoseofNicko for inviting me! #theywontdivideus

#theywontdivideus

Hey everyone

I signed up on TE today after i became aware of the imdb fiasco, hope this place will provide a better experience for all horror afficionados and we will be able to interact with each other in a healthier enviroment. I am mostly into the extreme/disturbing flicks but i am the type of person that's gonna watch anything, from a subkardashian reality show to werckmeister harmonies.

I Am a Hero (2015): Awesome Japanese Zombie Movie



https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3775202/reference

I had to make a thread about this awesome movie on here.

It's a well made very entertaining and funny (I actually laughed out loud a couple of times) Japanese zombie movie with very likeable characters, creepy looking zombies and great special effects (I don't like CG gore, but those were probably the best CG head explosions I've ever seen. The movie also has some cool practical gore). One of the best zombie movies I've seen in years. In fact it's probably the best zombie movie I've seen this decade so far. 8.5/10

Highly recommended! Get it watched.

Hello from the IMDB.

Very sad to see the IMDB board go, but hopefully this will be just as good if not better. I wasn't a frequent poster there, so many might not recognize my name, but I did read it pretty often.

Glad to see so many fellow horror freaks from the board here.

The Fvcking Pink Flamingo background....

Will someone get rid of the retarded pink flamingo background? (I can't find a way)

Seriously. I really don't think I can spend a lot of time on a site with it - it is too distracting and annoying. Seriously.

William Grefe's Christiansploitation Abomination



By the early 2000's, when the dvd revolution was in full swing, Something Weird Video jumped on this bandwagon like everyone else and released double feature after double feature, always loaded with extras. Exploitation films we never heard of were popping up left and right. "Sploitation" genres we never knew existed made their presence known. Something Weird brought them all back, introducing all kinds of unknown, unreleased and forgotten Drive-In trash epics to a new generation. As well as directors that may not have as long lasting of a legacy as a Herschell Gordon Lewis or an Ed Wood. Today. we're going to talk about a film directed by a guy named William Grefe', who directed films like Sting Of Death and Death Curse Of Tartu. In the early 70', This micro-budget Florida filmmaker also made a movie that can really only be described as Christiansploitation. Electric Shades Of Grey was filmed in 1971, yet, never actually released until Something Weird Video picked it up and retitled it. And 30 years later, this film finally found a home. This is The Psychedelic Priest.

What we have here is several things, really. A Christian drama, a drug movie, as well as an Easy Rider type deal for the pothead/hippie crowd of the times. We begin with Father John lecturing a group of stoners outside the school, too high on his horse to notice the drink he was just offered has been spiked with LSD. They seem like an okay bunch, so, lecture over. Father John's gonna take his questionable hair and step over there and go fucking crazy for a while! John has tunnel vision, he stares directly into the sun a bit, and then goes into his church which spooks him right into an entirely new life. We cut to John in his car, some time later. It's not clear if it's now the next day, the next week, or 20 minutes later. But Father John is no longer a Father. He's just john. Some pot smoking hippie on a road trip of self discovery. We get the idea he's not doing so great since his "experience".

John comes across a hitchhiker, a cute hippie chick named Sunny. They hit it off immediately. She's troubled as well, after several bad acid trips and a recent raping. John and Sunny ride around, getting high with people, helping a woman give birth, making friends with a black guy who ends up getting murdered by some racist cops. The usual 70's road trip hi jinx, I guess. It's extremely unclear as to how long they've now known each other, but things get complicated when Sunny develops feelings for John, and is practically told to piss off once her feelings are expressed.

After lecturing Sunny about shit that has nothing to do with her, John explains that it's just not a good time for all that, as the acid still has him too confused to go there. Early the next morning, Sunny cuts out while John's still asleep, too heartbroken and embarrassed to face him. When John awakens to realize he's now solo again, his road trip suddenly has a purpose: Find Sunny and tell her he's a fucking idiot! And now would definitely not be the time to descend into drug and alcohol addiction...

For such a bad movie with such one dimensional characters, and such a rushed story, The Psychedelic Priest does offer a surprising amount of depth and heart. However, my only complaint is that it could have used a couple extra scenes showing that time is actually passing. We're sort of left to assume how much time has passed at certain points. Who knows? Maybe it was intentional just to mess with the acid head half of the audience.

As for the Christian half, well, I don't see why there should be any complaints, as Religion is never shown in a negative light. It's just the story of a man who may or may not have decided his calling too early in life, who takes a breather from it all after an unfortunate first trip, to figure out what will truly make him happy. He finds love, he witnesses hatred and pain, and ends up experiencing a lot of both, himself. John reaches rock bottom, and only then does he finally grow enough to find himself. This may just be another dumb Exploitation flick. The portrayed impact a single psychedelic experience has on one's life is a good indication of that. As well as what comes off very much as improvised acting by a tiny cast who appeared in nothing else before or since. Yeah. A bad movie, but The Psychedelic Priest just might make you think. 6/10



#Review

House Of Dark Shadows: The Beginning Of The End


Once there was a tv show which everyone and their fuckin' grammy loved dearly. The kids raced home from school, the housewives took a 30 minute break. Not just for any show, but a Soap opera about a time-traveling Vampire. Enough said, right? Maybe, but this low-rated Soap, which began in 1966, quickly went from underrated to great to legendary over the next couple years after Jonathan Frid joined the cast, portraying tortured Vampire, Barnabas Collins. Dark Shadows had already flirted with the supernatural prior to this, but once this groundbreaking character made a splash, the volume was permanently turned up full blast on the supernatural elements. A tv show that once hung by a thread was now a household name. It wouldn't be long before talks between creator, Dan Curtis and MGM arose concerning a big screen version of the popular show. Many still believe this would be the beginning of the end for Dark Shadows.

Why this movie may have been a bad idea is a bit complicated. First and foremost, House Of Dark Shadows was unnecessary. I mean, it certainly wasn't for those who wanted to make money off the idea, but I mean from a fan standpoint. In theory, it may sound cool, but this is a 30 minute Soap we're talking about here. And a very slow moving one. It takes the better part of a year to complete a storyline. It takes months to establish a character and for that character to get the viewer emotionally invested. Plus, this show has a certain atmosphere and vibe that no film could ever do justice. But you can't blame them for trying.

One reason people loved the show was the rich, detailed history of the Collins family. How important they were. How prestigious it was to be a part of this family. All the history, secrets and legends. Far too much to squeeze into even a four hour film. What we get in House Of Dark Shadows is a condensed, Hammeresque version of a bunch of shit we've already seen. Not bad at all if you're unfamiliar. But if you are a fan, well, it's just okay.

I suppose it'll be simpler to explain the rushed movie version of the story as opposed to the tv version since there's so much less to say about it. But like I said, this is basically a recreation of the storyline which introduced Barnabas Collins. A storyline which portrayed him as the villain, but eventually giving him redemption due to huge ratings. However, the movie Barnabas doesn't exactly have a heart of gold underneath the bloodlust. That's the one thing that makes House Of Dark Shadows movie stand out.

As we begin our tour through memory lane, we notice Maggie Evans has replaced the Victoria Winters character as David Collins' governess, as she searches for him one night on the estate. We are thrown right into the middle of the story almost immediately as the recently fired handyman, Willie Loomis, has some business to take care of before taking off. He has reason to believe there are valuable jewels chained in a coffin in the Collins mausoleum. Whoever wrote that down is a first class dick, because when Willie breaks the chains and opens up the coffin, expecting all of his problems to be over, one huge problem reaches out and chokes him unconscious. As we would later find out, Willie is now under the control of a vampire.

At Collinwood, we find the original present day family from the show. Matriarch, Elizabeth, who is just kind of there. Her brother, Roger, who is the same uptight snob as his TV counterpart. And their kids, David and Carolyn. And for anyone not familiar with the show, no, they didn't have the kids together, although, that'd be pretty funny if they had. The collins family has a visitor. A man named Barnabas Collins, who claims to be a cousin from England. I guess there's no need to prove his relation since he looks exactly like an ancestor who happens to share the same name, who also happens to have a portrait hanging right down there. As we can already guess, there was ever only one Barnabas Collins. We don't get to find how it happened, but in 1797, Barnabas was made into a vampire, and later on, chained in a coffin so he could do no more harm.



Barnabas charms his descendants, and easily convinces Elizabeth to let him stay in the long abandoned old house on the estate, which was the original Collinwood that he grew up in. Fixing it up won't be a problem since Willie no longer has a will of his own. When Barnabas meets Maggie Evans, it's obsession at first site, as she is identical to his lost love, Josette. Something we don't know the importance of since this movie adds so little character development compared to the show. Barnabas also meets a doctor named Julia Hoffman who discovers his secret. Julia is confident she can cure his vampire "disease" with a series of injections, quickly gaining his trust. Barnabas has already killed and converted one member of the Collins family. So, this is risky, possibly stupid on Julia's part to associate with this monster. However, she feels it will be worth if she makes this medical breakthrough. However, Julia has a certain idea of how things are going to end up, and when this clashes with Barnabas' plans for him and Maggie, the hell that never broke loose on the show, is finally unleashed.

The good guy who would eventually emerge from TV Barnabas never shows up. Things start out similar enough, but at some point, takes a drastic turn, changing everything. And from the beginning, this story is designed to make us see Barnabas as the bad guy. Mainly, the exclusion of two characters. One being the ghost of Barnabas' little sister, Sarah, who's presence added a certain softness to his character. And then there's the witch, Angelique, who originally made him a vampire. No mention of either of them, giving us no choice but to see Barnabas Collins as the villain and nothing more.

This is a different Collinwood than what we're used to. Filmed in an actual house on an actual estate. It's not the worst movie-Collinwood they could have come up with, but it just wasn't Collinwood, as the "house" from the show is very much its own entity. The main character, in a way. It's all so unfamiliar, and clearly lacks that special something that we all know and love but can't fully explain. That feeling of isolation. That feeling that wind, thunder and Collinwood is all there is. It's not there. The characters say familiar lines, this time without error, but seemingly with less feeling.

There is a theory that House Of Dark Shadows indirectly led to the downfall of the show, which was insanely popular at one time, and still very popular on its dying day. First of all, more than half the cast had to be temporarily written out of the show in order to film this. And key players, obviously. Meanwhile, back at the real Collinwood, Dark Shadows drags and kills time while Quentin carries the show that is slowly losing steam. Once Jonathan Frid and the others returned, the writers just never came up with anything that got the ratings back up to their former glory. That, and later on, Jonathan Frid's refusal to go on playing Barnabas out of fear of being typecast, was enough to get one of the greatest shows of all time cancelled.

But after it was all over, Dan Curtis gathered up a few willing cast members and made one more movie https://trashepics.com/post/9/56/ which would close out the era of the original Dark Shadows. But the problems plaguing this one is another story in itself. There was to be a Dark Shadows movie trilogy, but the hassle that came with Night Of Dark Shadows proved to be too frustrating even for Dan Curtis, and the book was officially closed. Curtis would go on to write, produce and direct many successful movies and tv shows, but nothing ever as successful as the original Dark Shadows. Movie adaptations were never needed, but I'll admit, it's cool that they exist. And convenient for any potential Dark Shadows fans to go back and watch to get a better idea if the show is for them. Personally, I prefer the second movie to this one since it has a story we haven't seen, but I do have an appreciation for them both. As a huge fan of (ALMOST) all things Dark Shadows, it's hard not to. 6/10



#Review

Mary Jane: A Drugsploitation Abomination



One thing is for sure. When you find yourself watching an anti-marijuana drama, and at some point, one of the characters tastes some pot after buying a batch just to see if it's the good shit or not, then, you know you've found something worth watching. A film called Mary Jane was made in the late 60's. A time when America was just starting to become less and less anti-marijuana, as well as less likely to fall for obvious bullshit. So, you can already tell Mary Jane never had a hell of a lot going for it. Today, this film might appeal to those of us who love a bad, cheesy movie, but such a film with so little self awareness had very little purpose when originally released. But having a soft spot for pointless and underseen little films like this, I just got to throw this out there. So, today, we're going to talk about Mary Jane.

First of all, Fabian is in it. Now, I'm not sure what this guy's deal was. I mean, he was in a lot of movies in the 60's, but it's unclear to me as to why he doesn't have a last name. Was he a massive star like Madonna or Prince? Considering Mary Jane is part of his filmography, I highly doubt it. But he seems okay. In Mary Jane, Fabian plays young teacher, Phil Blake. A nice guy who actually wants to be a friend to his students. Phil is an art teacher, as well as assistant coach for the football team. On this team, there are several members of a clique of potheads who regularly make trouble. This gang of would be-delinquents is headed by preppy little cocksucker, Jordan Bates, who is very much aware of how much the coach needs him and his burned out pals, and regularly takes advantage of the favortism the coach is forced to show them. However, Jordan and his gang get no favortism from Phil Blake.

Several things are happening in this film which are all intertwined. First, Lonely Jerry, who recently struck up a friendship with Mr. Blake, wants in Jordan's pothead club more than anything in the world, because he feels like he doesn't fit in anywhere else. Well, Jordan and pals aren't interested in depressed fags, and at first, they tell the kid to shove off. But after discussing it further, they decide to jerk him around for a while, and make him think he has a shot. Making him go through all sorts of "initiations". One member thinks "That would be a ball". I couldn't have said it better myself.

Secondly, Mr. Blake has his eye on a fellow teacher. A pretty little blonde by the name of Elli Holden. A nice enough woman. She's polite to him, and agrees to hang out. They sort of go out on a day-date. Well, actually, he accompanies her to go visit her dad in a nursing home. She even makes him wait outside. Despite no signals being sent by Elli, Mr. Blake still decides to go for it and makes his move. Not only is he shot down, but Elli is visibly upset, and this pretty much ended the so-called date. As far as we can see, Elli Holden is merely an ice queen. Either way, Mr. Blake's attention would be better served elsewhere.

Which brings us to the main storyline. The pot has become a big problem in this town, and mainly, with the teenagers at this particular highschool. Their abuse and all around irresponsible behavior is getting out of hand. One girl recently died in a pot-induced car accident, and nobody knows who is supplying this drug that is causing all this trouble. Us viewers knows it's that rotten little sonofabitch, Jordan Bates, but he's got everyone else fooled. Meanwhile, the faculty holds a meeting to figure things out. Teachers are pressured by the police chief to spy on students in order to find out where they're getting their stash from, but Phil Blake speaks out against this method and lives to regret it, as everyone now thinks he's a raging pot addict who is possibly behind all of this.

As far as silly, anti-pot movies go, this one is actually pretty reasonable in the end. Focusing not so much on the evils of pot, but the fact that teenagers are abusing it and fucking up. Everyone but Phil Blake acts like they're all smoking meth. He admits to the faculty that he smoked it once in college but has no interest in doing it again, but he's immediately made a pariah by the police chief, while nobody has his back out of fear of receiving the same treatment. It seems as if this movie has a deeper message than just the anti-pot thing. It's better to think for yourself and be an individual than a follower and a coward. Be happy with yourself and always do what you feel is right no matter how it makes you look.

Also, I should mention that Jordan's sweet-natured girlfriend, Susan, was played by none other than Patty McCormick. Better known as Rhoda from The Bad Seed. One of my all time favorite Horror movies. She grew up to be a pretty cute chick, I must say. The legendary Terri Garr also graces us with her presence in this, playing a minor role as one of Jordan's followers. Everyone is pretty great in their roles. Especially Fabian as the laid back teacher with integrity who genuinely wants to make a positive difference in young lives. And as I said, This is a very out of place anti-drug movie, and the fact that it never gained an audience is not surprising. But much like it's main character, Mary Jane at least seems to have meant well. 6/10



#Review