The Lodger...

Tina and I watched this the other night and found this movie to be very interesting. Tina liked it a lot more than I did, but I did think it was quite entertaining. As a remake, it is hard to judge this movie compared to the Hitchcock original since I haven't seen the 1927 silent version. I have to say that I'm interested in seeing it now. The remake has a style about it that adds to the tension and creepiness of the film. It makes you think and wonder what is real and what is imaginary. The "landlady" of the lodger is by far the most interesting character and she is also the best actor. The rest of the actors are fine, but not "A" list quality. The whole Jack the Ripper theme is very good. There has always been a fascination about the Ripper for me. I hope one day to do a book that includes the Ripper and his exploits... should be awesome! I have two trailers below... The first id from the '27 version and the other is the remake. Check them both out!

Cast:
Alfred Molina, Hope Davis,
Simon Baker, Donal Logue,
Roy Werner, Shane West,
Rebecca Pidgeon, Rachael Leigh Cook,
Philip Baker Hall, Kirk Fox,
Daphne Ashbrook

When a serial killer starts knocking off West Hollywood working girls in grisly ways, a mentally unbalanced landlady becomes convinced that one of her tenants is involved in the killings. Meanwhile, a detective who is under suspicion discovers clues to the murders that lead him to several disturbing revelations. David Ondaatje directs this remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1927 film of the same name. Simon Baker and Hope Davis star.

My Netflix Review...
The Lodger:
We love serial killer movies and this one was pretty entertaining. A lot of the acting was just average and no one other than the "landlady" stands out. A remake from a 1927 movie which I have not seen... but it does make me want too now. The landlady thinks that her lodger may be a serial killer whose murders resemble Jack the Ripper's. The story keeps you interested throughout and never drags. A few twist make it a movie I think is worth a watch. 3 stars. 2/26/09





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So Many Horror Remakes...

The Haunting...
Director: Jan DeBont
Actors: Liam Neeson
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Owen Wilson
Virginia Madsen

In director Jan De Bont's remake of the original spine-tingling haunted house adventure, Dr. David Marrow (Liam Neeson) invites Nell Vance (Lili Taylor), Theo (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Luke Sanderson (Owen Wilson) to the famous Hill House for a study in sleep disorders. The unfortunate guests discover that Marrow is far more interested in the sinister mansion itself -- and, soon, they see the true nature of its horror.


A remake of any successful movie always tends to heighten our interest, but it may also anger us. The upcoming Hellraiser remake is one that I don't want to happen. I have to say I'm a little nervous about that one. I've often wondered if Hollywood remakes a movie because they can't come up with anything original or that it is easy to gain more wealth off a known commodity. The list below is a lit of the top 25 grossing horror remakes of all time. The actual list I found had over 40 movies in it. Out of the lit of 25, I have seen all but a couple. I have to say that for the most part, I have enjoyed all of them. But why remake a movie??? I really don't have an answer to that question. I still tend to think it's a lazy way for Hollywood to make money. However, two of these movies have been really good to me, The Haunting and The House of Wax.
House of Wax...
A group of friends on their way to a college football game fall prey to two murderous brothers in an abandoned small town. They discover that the brothers have expanded upon the area's main attraction -- the House of Wax -- and created an entire town filled with the wax-coated corpses of unlucky visitors. Now, the group must escape before they, too, become permanent exhibits. Stars Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray and, yes, Paris Hilton!

Many of the originals I have seen. In some ways, I like the remake better. Mainly because the special effects are better, but also because they seem fresher. I don't know if there will ever be an answer to the reason for so many remakes, but as long as they are well made and respect the original, I will watch them.
Top Grossing Horror Remakes...
1 The Ring DW $129,128,133 2,927 $15,015,393 1,981 10/18/02
2 The Grudge Sony $110,359,362 3,348 $39,128,715 3,245 10/22/04
3 The Haunting DW $91,411,151 2,881 $33,435,140 2,808 7/23/99
4 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre NL $80,571,655 3,018 $28,094,014 3,016 10/17/03
5 The Ring Two DW $76,231,249 3,341 $35,065,237 3,332 3/18/05
6 The Amityville Horror (2005) MGM $65,233,369 3,323 $23,507,007 3,323 4/15/05
7 The Stepford Wives Par. $59,484,742 3,057 $21,406,781 3,057 6/11/04
8 Dawn of the Dead Uni. $59,020,957 2,748 $26,722,575 2,745 3/19/04
9 Halloween (2007) MGM/W $58,272,029 3,475 $26,362,367 3,472 8/31/07
10 Friday the 13th (2009) WB (NL) $55,651,924 3,105 $40,570,365 3,105 2/13/09
11 The Omen (2006) Fox $54,607,383 2,723 $16,026,496 2,723 6/6/06
12 My Bloody Valentine 3-D LGF $51,323,492 2,534 $21,241,456 2,534 1/16/09
13 When a Stranger Calls SGem $47,860,214 3,004 $21,607,203 2,999 2/3/06
14 Prom Night (2008) SGem $43,869,350 2,821 $20,804,941 2,700 4/11/08
15 Thirteen Ghosts WB $41,867,960 2,781 $15,165,355 2,781 10/26/01
16 The Hills Have Eyes FoxS $41,778,863 2,621 $15,708,512 2,620 3/10/06
17 House on Haunted Hill WB $40,846,082 2,710 $15,946,032 2,710 10/29/99
18 The Fly Fox $40,456,565 1,201 $7,007,423 1,195 8/15/86
19 The Grudge 2 Sony $39,143,839 3,214 $20,825,300 3,211 10/13/06
20 House of Wax WB $32,064,800 3,111 $12,077,236 3,111 5/6/05
21 The Eye LGF $31,418,697 2,470 $12,425,776 2,436 2/1/08
22 Mirrors Fox $30,691,439 2,664 $11,161,074 2,664 8/15/08
23 The Fog (2005) SonR $29,550,869 2,972 $11,752,917 2,972 10/14/05
24 One Missed Call WB $26,890,041 2,240 $12,511,473 2,240 1/4/08
25 Shutter Fox $25,928,550 2,756 $10,447,559 2,753 3/21/08


UPCOMING RELEASES:
Motel Hell (2008) MGM N/A
Scanners (2008) MGM N/A
Clive Barker Presents: Hellraiser MGM/W 2009
The Last House on the Left (2009) Uni. 3/13/09
Halloween 2 (2009) W/Dim. 8/28/09
The Crazies Over. 9/25/09
Sorority Row Sum. 10/2/09
Step Father (2009) SGem 10/16/09





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Blood River...

I saw this movie trailer on Bloody-Disgusting.com and on Twitch.com and I have to say, it looks intense. Not quite horror, but definitely horrific. There seems to be enough blood and tension in this movie trailer to satisfy the horror buff in all of us. It's from director Adam Mason who gave us Broken, The 13th Sign, Prey, and The Devil's Chair. I have only seen The Devil's Chair, and while I wasn't a fan of that movie, it's wasn't all that bad. I really want to see Broken, that movie looks very good. You can check out what this movie is about below and see the trailer as well... we will have to wait and see just how good the actual movie is...

Plot Synopsis:
A psychological thriller, which explores the destruction of a young couple's seemingly perfect marriage. It’s 1969 and Clark and Summer are happily married and she’s pregnant. We first meet Summer and Clark as they are driving across California on their way to Arizona to tell Summer’s parents the good news about the pregnancy. They drive across the seemingly never ending and desolate desert landscape - they have a blow out. It’s a nasty one that sends the car into a massive, near fatal crash. They crawl out of it, hurt but alive, Summer terrified for the well being of her unborn child. The nearest place on the map is the uninviting sounding town of Blood River where they meet a mysterious stranger, Joseph. The clash between Joseph and Clark reaches fever pitch and drives our characters ever closer to a violent, destructive and shocking conclusion that will chill you to the bone.

Blood River is a twisted, manipulative trip into a world of extremes where people are rarely who they seem, where everyone has a secret and where few, if any, will survive.

Blood River - Final Trailer
Uploaded by dreadcentral

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The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

I don't even know where to begin with this movie... more tension and gore than I've seen in quite some time! This movie came from the mind of my FAVORITE director, Clive Barker! What a great movie. The movie starts of with a gory train scene and never really lets up. The premise of the movie seems to be about a serial killer who does his work on a subway train after midnight. Vinnie Jones plays the killer and is awesome in this movie. His presence is powerful and very creepy. We are shown a photographer who is struggling to make ends meet while his girlfriend works as a waitress in a diner. You feel for the two of them and find yourself pulling for them to succeed. The photographer ends up following the killer and captures his killing on film. There is a great twist at the end that puts everything in perspective. I highly recommend watching this movie for all horror/gore fans. It isn't killing for the sake of killing... there is a purpose. Great movie! Check out the trailer below and rent this movie!

The Midnight Meat Train is a 2008 horror film based on Clive Barker's 1984 short story of the same name, which can be found in Volume One of Barker's collection Books of Blood. The film follows a photographer who attempts to track down a serial killer dubbed the "Subway Butcher" and discovers more than he bargained for under the city streets.

Books of Blood are a series of horror fiction collections written by the British author Clive Barker.

Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers) stars as Leon Kauffman, an ambitious New York photographer whose reckless search for a serial killer (Vinnie Jones) known as "the Subway Butcher" leads him down a dark and dangerous path. Based on a short story by horror giant Clive Barker, this spine-tingling thriller from director Ryuhei Kitamura also stars Leslie Bibb, Brooke Shields and Tony Curran.





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Help Me Understand... Zombies???

Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Flesh-devouring corpses roam the land and become fixated on having their way with seven terrified people who have sequestered themselves in a Pennsylvania farmhouse. Infighting and exhaustion add to the gory mayhem of this one night of hell on earth. George Romero writes and directs this late-1960s, black-and-white classic, which stars Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Keith Wayne, Judith Reilly, Russell Streiner and Marilyn Eastman.

I know there is someone out there who can help me... I have been thinking about this the past several days and I really would like a little help. Zombie movies... why and what's the point of them? I have seen a few of the over my 49 years of life, and I can't say I have liked very many. I remember as a kid watching Night of the Living Dead and thinking it was scary... I was a kid. I've seen the movie as an adult and thought it was well made, but I can't say it was great or anything. From what I've seen, there is usually not much of a reason why the "Zombies" appear or how they became the flesh-eating monsters they are. I guess I find them to be silly and funny, when I don't think they were intended to be funny. It's one thing to have a "Black" or "Dark" comedy that is scary, gory, and at times funny as well. I can think of two that I really liked, Otis and The Cottage. The difference being is that these two movies were supposed to be funny! I find most Zombie type movies to be nothing more than silly, campy "B" horror at best. I really don't know what the attraction is...

Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead
Based on the George Romero 1979 gore classic, this remake takes place as the United States is overrun (after a plague) by millions of corpses who walk the earth as cannibalistic zombies. A small group of survivors, including a nurse (Sarah Polley) and a police officer (Ving Rhames), try to find shelter within a massive shopping mall. But the zombies have a kind of sense memory and start arriving -- in droves -- for a shopping spree.

These two movies, Dawn of the Dead and 28 Days Later were actually good movies. Interesting story lines and well made with solid acting for the most part. I was entertained by them and liked them. There was comic relief in them to a certain degree, but they were not campy. I guess I just hate campy, "B" horror. I find it insulting to the genre. It's like having something your really love or believe in and having someone make fun of it. Now, before you get your panties in a wad, I don't take a lot of things too seriously... myself or anything much else for that matter, but I do take offense to campy horror. Maybe it's just me... I don't know. I just hope there is someone out there who can help me understand the need for Zombie movies and campy horror...

28 Days Later (2002)
A killer virus (it turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs) is accidentally released from a British research facility. Carried by animals and humans, the virus is impossible to contain and spreads across the entire planet. Twenty-eight days later, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected.





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History Behind The Unlucky Day... Friday the 13Th...

Thought this was an interesting study, considering Friday the 13Th will happen 3 times this year... today, in March, and in November. Just some interesting tidbits on how this actually came about... at least as best we can tell...

History of Friday the 13Th
Source: The Book of Thoth

Friday, the 13Th of October, 1307 - was the date on which the Templar Order was routed in France, its members arrested and later executed. According to many researchers, that is what led to this date conjunction to be considered unlucky (or horrible.)

For nearly two hundred years before that, The Templar Order was the most prominent force in Europe, whose wealth and power easily rivaled and even surpassed that of the Vatican itself. But after having been rounded up in France on that day, the Order basically ceased to exist in its original form.

The "timely" conjunction this year will celebrate no less than the 699Th anniversary of that original fatal date. And "699" is in fact a most significant figure in Templar lore.

WikiAnswers.com
What is the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition?

Answer:
While there are many theories about the origin, there is no written evidence of the term "Friday the 13Th" prior to the 19Th Century. Some theories believe it to be connected to certain superstitions that sitting 13 people at a table will result in the death of one member, or that it is in fact a combination of superstitions about the number 13 and Friday.

The recent Dan Brown novel "The Da Vinci Code" popularized the myth that the superstition is tied to the mass arrest of the Knights Templar ordered by King Philip IV of France, but most scholars believe that theory is a relatively modern day invention.

Another theory notes that references to the superstition are nonexistent prior to 1907, and argues that the Thomas Lawson novel "Friday the 13Th" is what has given rise to the superstition's popularity.

The earliest known reference to the term is from the biography of Italian composer
Gioachino Rossini:

[Rossini] was surrounded to the last by admiring and affectionate friends; and if it be true that, like so many other Italians, he regarded Friday as an unlucky day, and thirteen as an unlucky number, it is remarkable that on Friday, the 13Th of November, he died. 1

1 Henry Sutherland Edwards, The Life of Rossini, 1869, p. 340.

In the end, it would appear that the superstition is a combination of other superstitions concerning Friday and the number 13, being further compounded by popular culture, myth and folklore. Supporting this is the fact that Friday the 13Th is actually considered lucky in some cultures. So it depends on where you are as to whether or not it's an unlucky superstition or a lucky day.

Fear of Friday the 13Th — one of the most popular myths in science — is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.

The number 13 suffers from its position after 12, according to numerologists who consider the latter to be a complete number — 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.

Many hospitals have no room 13, while some tall buildings skip the 13Th floor.

The following months have a Friday the 13Th:

Month Years Dominical Letter
January 2006, 2012, 2017, 2023 A, AG
February 2004, 2009, 2015, 2026 D, DC
March 2009, 2015, 2020, 2026 D, ED
April 2001, 2007, 2012, 2018 G, AG
May 2005, 2011, 2016, 2022 B, CB
June 2003, 2008, 2014, 2025 E, FE
July 2001, 2007, 2012, 2018 G, AG
August 2004, 2010, 2021, 2027 C, DC
September 2002, 2013, 2019, 2024 F, GF
October 2006, 2017, 2023, 2028 A, BA
November 2009, 2015, 2020, 2026 D, ED
December 2002, 2013, 2019, 2024 F, GF



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Conjurer (2008)

This is another movie that I went into with low expectations. For one thing, it's a PG 13 horror movie. I have mentioned before how I really don't care for them. Not just for the lack of gore, but the intensity isn't in a PG 13 movie either. Basically this movie is not unique or imaginative at all. It is an average, somewhat "scary", tense, Lifetime style movie. Is it really more of a psychological thriller... using the term "thriller" loosely, or is it a tension based ghost story??? Well, you will have to watch it to find out. Do I recommend this movie... sure, it's not all that bad. It does have a few chilling moments and it does have a fair amount of tension in it. It's an OK movie if you like this style and type of movie. Check out the trailer below and make up your own mind...

Description:
After moving to the country to start life anew after their child's death, photographer Shawn Burnett (Andrew Bowen) and his wife, Helen (Maxine Bahns), begin to suspect that a ramshackle cabin on their property is haunted. Is the malevolent spirit a long-dead witch who once lived there, as local legend says, or has Shawn's past come back to haunt him? John Schneider plays Helen's brother in this chilling indie from director Clint Hutchison.

Cast (Credited cast)
Andrew Bowen ... Shawn Burnett
Maxine Bahns ... Helen Burnett
John Schneider ... Frank Higgins
Tom Nowicki ... Marlin Dryer
Brett Rice ... Fulton Moss
Edith Ivey ... Mrs. Dreyer
Terrence Gibney
Dolan Wilson ... Sheriff Clayton
Liz McGeever ... Hattie
Nicholaus Teall
James Donadio
Donna Biscoe
Ryan Puszewski ... Young Shawn





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The Last Winter (2006)

When strange things start happening at an Arctic oil-drilling outpost, workers fear their cabin is haunted by ancient spirits, and the unexplained events spark a feud between an oil company representative (Ron Perlman) and an eco-activist (James LeGros). Larry Fessenden's supernatural thriller adds a terrifying new layer to global warming and the perils of oil production. Connie Britton, Kevin Corrigan, Zach Gilford and Jamie Harrold co-star.

We watched this movie last night. I saw the trailer a while back and it looked really creepy and interesting. I have said it before and I will probably say it again... you can't judge a movie solely based on the trailer. So many times, Tina and I see a really good trailer and when we watch the movie, we are disappointed. This is the case with The Last Winter. The problem with this movie is that it just wasn't that interesting. It comes across as a "thriller", when in reality, it is rather boring for the first half of the movie. I admit, the second half picks up a lot, but by that time... who cares! To be honest, I don't know that I'm convinced about this global warming "terror." Real or not, this movie was just poorly made. If you are looking for an end of the world movie, I would recommend The Day After Tomorrow and Armageddon. Below are the descriptions of each movie. The acting and story lines in both movies is so much better than The Last Winter. I also have the trailer for The Last Winter below... check it out if you like, but avoid the movie!.

After years of unabated global warming, the greenhouse effect is wreaking havoc all over the globe in the form of catastrophic hurricanes, tornadoes, tidal waves, floods and, most ominously, the beginning of the next Ice Age. Paleoclimatologist Adrian Hall (Dennis Quaid) tries to save the world while also shepherding to safety his son Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal), who was in New York when the city was overwhelmed by the beginnings of the new big freeze.



As an asteroid tumbles toward Earth, NASA director Dan Truman (Billy Bob Thornton) hatches a plan to split the fireball in two before it can annihilate the entire planet. To do so, he calls on the world's finest oil driller, Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis), who assembles a team he feels can handle the task. With only two days to save humanity, the guys head to space to destroy the rock, while the folks back home pray for their success.



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Shameless Plug for my Stepdaughter...

Molli...
As I had stated in an earlier post, we took Molli to Boston last weekend to audition for a chance to go to New York City for a week at the IMTA (International Modeling and Talent Association) competition. Out of 697 young men and young women, they chose 130... Molli made it. Tina and I are very proud of her. There has been a lot of support for her since we got the news and that she will need over $5,000 for the week. Jeff at A-Bit Computers (where Tina works part-time), got Molli a domain name for her own website. Molli helped clean and do whatever Jeff needed her to do during this past summer a few hours a week. Tina has really gone full-tilt in getting sponsors and working every angle she can to help Molli raise enough money to get to go. I hope you will check out Molli's website...it will tell you all about Molli, IMTA, Barbizon Modeling School, and how you could sponsor Molli if you can. Everyone has a dream, and I want to help Molli see her dream come true.
Molli's website... http://www.mollisanchez.com/Splash.html
Another friend of Tina's named Jeff has his own web design business and put together the website for Molli. Jeff is also part owner of Junkyard Dawgs here in Plymouth. If you are ever in Plymouth, NH... you need to get a great tasting hot dog at Junkyard Dawgs! http://www.junkyarddawgs.net/Home.html


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A New Pinhead???

This article caught my eye when I was looking at Bloody-Disgusting.com. The question at first made it seem like this was a sure thing... a new look for Pinhead. However, after reading more and then reading the Fangoria article that this whole question came from, I see this more as a stunt to generate publicity. Bloody-Disgusting is always at the forefront of everything horror and should be bookmarked by all horror fans. So this leads us to the question at hand... should there be a new look for Pinhead? The pictures below and the video show what the original FX guy from Hellrasier has done on his own to give Pinhead a new look. I will be very disappointed if they really come out with a new Pinhead. Doug Bradley brought Pinhead to life for 8 Hellraiser movies and it would be a shame not to have him in the remake. I also think that Clive Barker should have more of a role in this thing, but that doesn't look promising either. I will make a bold statement... I wish Rob Zombie would remake Hellraiser!!! At least then I would believe that the true vision of Barker's would be intact and a genuine appreciation of the original would be seen on screen. If things remain as they are now with this project, I hope it never gets made. Judge for yourself... go on Bloody-Disgusting.com and weigh in with your opinion. In a little over two hours, 67 people had made a comment... I did as well. I think you know my feelings any way when it comes to Pinhead!

Do You Think This Should Be the New Pinhead?
Tuesday, February 3, 2009


By: MrDisgusting
67 Comments

I hate campaign pieces, but here's your chance to chime in on Dimension Films' forthcoming remake of Hellraiser, which has Martyrs director Pascal Laugier going behind the camera. Beyond the break you can check out what the new Pinhead will look like should Hellraiser FX vet Gary J. Tunnicliffe return to the franchise. Obviously no decisions have been made yet, which is why this is a campaign piece. It should be clear that this is NOT the new Pinhead as of this writing. So make sure you chime in beyond the break and tell Dimension Films whether or not you like this new rendition of Pinhead, also known as "Project Angel".





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