The Hitcher (2007)

One of my Netflix friends asked me today if I liked The Hitcher movies better than the Rest Stop movies. It made me take a closer look at The Hitcher from 2007 because I watched Rest Stop 2 the other night. The original Hitcher from 1984 had Ruger Hauer and C. Thomas Howell. I'm a fan of Ruger Hauer and I have enjoyed MANY of his movies. However, it has been a long time since viewing that one. To be honest, I don't remember much about it. The 2007 Hitcher had Sean Bean as the serial killer. Sean Bean is one of my favorite actors! He can play any character with full commitment and believability. Here's several of Sean Bean's movies that I have watched and really enjoyed... Don't Say A Word 2001, The Dark2004, National Treasure2004 (with Nicolas Cage), Flight Plan 2005 (with Jodi Foster), The Island2005, The Hitcher2007, and Outlaw2007. All these movies are very entertaining and I highly recommend you taking the time to rent them all.

Now, back to The Hitcher 2007. This was one of the most intense serial killer movies I have ever seen. Sean Bean was devilish and so believable in this role. I know I use the word "believable" a lot, but an actor HAS to make you believe that he or she IS that character. Sean Bean can handle that easily. He's a great actor and made this movie one of the best "horror" movies I've seen in quite some time. There's a trailer for the movie at the end of this post. Check out the trailer and do yourself a favor and rent this movie!



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Predator...

21 years ago, one of the best alien/horror movies ever made was brought to the big screen. Whether you are an Arnold fan or not, if you enjoy alien horror, you will love this movie. You could put this movie in so many categories... horror, scifi, thriller, and action. Besides a great storyline, this movie has so much in it that is unique and so entertaining. First and foremost, the "Predator" is one of the most original looking alien creatures I've EVER seen in a movie. When he takes his helmet off and the claws around his mouth open up... wow, what a great scene! I'm not going to sit here and say Arnold is a good actor, but I will say that he brings a presence to the screen that cannot be denied. Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, and Sonny Landham bring such believability to their characters that their supporting roles are so important to the film. The unique alien is a hunter and only "hunts" those that are competition to him. He takes the skeletons of his victims as a souvenir. The action in this movie is intense and keeps you interested from start to finish. Great ending. The trailer is at the end of this post. It's hard to believe that there are to many horror fans that have not seen this movie, but if you haven't... you really should!



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Frailty...2002...

I was thinking about this movie several days ago when I saw that it was going to be on the SciFi channel... albeit, at 3 in the morning (I believe on the 25th - check the listing on the SciFi post). This movie is more of a thriller than a horror movie, but the subject matter makes it such that you could call it a horror thriller. Bill Paxton does a great job as the "religious" father in the movie. This movie is based on a serial killer who has called himself the God's Hand killer. The killer is supposed to "avenge" the sins of his victims by taking their lives. The movie has several twist and moves very quickly to keep you interested all the way through. Matthew McConaughey has a role in this movie and you will see him a lot in the trailer, but he is mostly in it at the beginning and near the end. This movie is one of my very favorites because of the great acting, awesome story line, and just outright entertainment value. If you've never seen this movie, you really ought to take the time to watch it and I'm sure you will love it. Watch the trailer at the end of this post and check out the movie Frailty!


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The Shining...

I remember my friend Steve Robinson and I going to see this in 1980 when it hit theaters. Hard to believe it was 28 years ago. Jack Nicholson is one of my favorite actors and he was great in this film. Considered a classic in the horror genre... I just think it's one of the best horror films ever made. They relied more on tension, fear, and suspense than gore. Fear is what drives a horror movie. Music, mood, play an important role as well. However, if it doesn't grab that part of your mind where you have all your hidden fears safely tucked away, then it's not doing it's job! The Shining is a great movie because of several elements, more importantly, it's great because it takes you on a tension filled ride that seems believable. There's a clip of the "Here's Johnny" scene at the end of this post. Like any good horror film, there has to be comic relief, and this scene at the end satisfies that need as well. I know people say that the movie isn't like the book... who cares! Read a book and enjoy it for what it delivers. Watch a movie based on its content and enjoy it for what it is... The Shining is probably my #1 favorite horror movie of all time because all the elements of great horror are in this movie. If you've never seen it, you should give it a watch. Check out the trailer below!



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8 Films to Die For... Horrorfest!

The earlier post of The Broken is part of the 8 movies to Die For, scheduled to be released January 9 - 15, 2009. So far they have released info on 5 of the 8 movies. From what Bloody-Disgusting.com says, The Broken may be the best of the bunch. We will have to see about that. From the past two years of these releases (this is the third year), there really has been just a few of the movies each year that are really good. Borderland comes to mind as one I really liked. So I expect that there will be a few that will rise to the top to make it a worthwhile series. The other movies are Slaughter, Perkins 14, With In, and Butterfly Effect: Revelation. I'm going to check out the rest of these movies and let you know what I find out... the web page is listed below if you want to check it out yourself. There are trailers for each movie listed above for your viewing. Looks like some good stuff!

http://www.horrorfestonline.com/

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The Broken...

This movie was featured on a couple of the horror sites I read and the trailer looked quite interesting. Probably move of a thriller than all out horror, but I really enjoy tension filled movies and this one seems to fit the bill. There's a short synopsis at the end of this post before the trailer. It centers around a woman named Gina who falls into a nightmare that may or may not be in her own mind. As the synopsis states, she sees "herself" driving her own car and that begins the descent into her nightmare. Check out the trailer. This movie comes out November 2008.

SYNOPSIS

"The Broken" is a psychological horror project, starring Lena Headey as a woman whose life descends into nightmare after she sees an apparent double of herself driving by in her own car.



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The Uninvited (A Tale of Two Sisters remake)

This looks like an interesting remake with a huge amount of tension in it. I'm not a big fan of PG 13 "horror" movies. However, if there is a lot of tension in it, then I can get into it. A lot of my NetFlix friends don't like many remakes of J-horror (I understand this is a Korean film... Asian films in general are a like in many ways), but I'm not in that boat. I judge a movie solely based on it's own content. Comparing remakes to the original is unfair and basically close minded. So I look forward to this one that is coming to theaters sometime in 2009. The Grudge and The Ring are J-horror remakes that I enjoyed and I believe from the trailer below, I will like this one. So check out the trailer and look for this movie coming out next year!

SYNOPSIS

Based on Kim Jee-Woon's 2003 Korean horror film, “Changhwa Hongryon,” “The Uninvited” revolves around Anna (Emily Browning), who returns home after spending time in the hospital following the tragic death of her mother. Her recovery suffers a setback when she discovers her father (David Strathairn) has become engaged to her mother’s former nurse, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks). That night, Anna is visited by her mother's ghost, who warns her of Rachel's intentions. Together, Anna and her sister (Arielle Kebbel) try to convince their father that his current fiancee is not who she pretends to be, and what should have been a happy family reunion becomes a lethal battle of wills between stepdaughters and stepmother.



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Turner Classic Movies...

I think it is so important to watch or re watch the old horror classics. You really can't understand just how far the genre has gone from it's unique and humble beginnings. Some may say for the worst... I tend to think everything evolves into what it is, based on what the audience is willing to pay for. Either way, you have to have at least an appreciation for the classics to understand just how ground breaking it was in the 20's and the 30's. I love many of the old classics as I have said before. On Turner Classic Movies there are many of the old classics on in the month of October that I have put on this post. There are many more, and in fact, on the 30th and the 31st there are horror movies all day. I just put on the ones I really like. At the end of the month I put on 3 of my favorite Vincent Price movies. The House of Usher and The Haunted Palace are GREAT! I can't recommend them enough... enjoy the horror of it all!


October 19
1:30pm House Of Usher (1960)
A young man tries to rescue the woman he loves from her demonic brother.
Cast: Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey. Dir: Roger Corman. C-79 mins, TV-PG

October 20 2:30pm Haunting, The (1963)
A team of psychic investigators moves into a haunted house that destroys all who live there.
Cast: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Russ Tamblyn. Dir: Robert Wise. BW-112 mins, TV-PG

October 25 8:00pm Psycho (1960)
A woman on the run gets mixed up with a repressed young man and his violent mother.
Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles. Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. BW-109 mins, TV-PG

October 26 2:00pm Birds, The (1963)
In a California coastal area, flocks of birds unaccountably make deadly attacks on humans.
Cast: Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy. Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. C-119 mins, TV-14

October 30 5:00pm Tingler, The (1959)
A scientist discovers an organism that lives on fear.
Cast: Vincent Price, Judith Evelyn, Darryl Hickman. Dir: William Castle. BW-82 mins, TV-PG
6:30pm House Of Usher (1960)
A young man tries to rescue the woman he loves from her demonic brother.
Cast: Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey. Dir: Roger Corman. C-79 mins, TV-PG

October 31 8:00pm Haunted Palace, The (1963) This is a must see!!!
After inheriting a decaying estate, a man discovers his family's deadly secret.
Cast: Vincent Price, Debra Paget, Lon Chaney, Jr.. Dir: Roger Corman. C-87 mins


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October Horror movies on SciFi Channel...

SciFi is having 31 Days of Halloween Movie all month long. The first movie you must watch is The Deaths of Ian Stone. This is like a horror version of Bill Murray's Groundhog Day, but SO much better. You will not want to miss this one on this Sunday. There are many more, but these are some of my favorites and I recommend them highly. Between SciFi and AMC, you could be watching non-stop horror... did I die and go to horror heaven??? Enjoy the month of October!

The Deaths of Ian Stone
A man wakes up every morning in a different life only to be murdered the same day by terrifying assailants.
Sunday October 5 at 9/8C

Thursday October 9 at 7pm
07:00 PM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE STEPHEN KING'S ROSE RED - PART ONE
09:00 PM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE STEPHEN KING'S ROSE RED - PART TWO
11:00 PM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE STEPHEN KING'S ROSE RED - PART THREE

Sunday October 12 at 1am (Worth staying up for!)
01:00 AM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE ROOM 6

Sunday October 12 (Two from the 8 Movies To Die For series... good stuff!)
10:30 AM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE WICKED LITTLE THINGS
12:30 PM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE DARK RIDE

Thursday October 16 (Two really good movies!)
07:00 PM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN GRUDGE, THE
09:00 PM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE RISE: BLOOD HUNTER

Tuesday October 21 (PINHEAD!!! need I say more...)
10:30 AM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE HELLRAISER 7: DEADER
12:30 PM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE HELLRAISER 8: HELLWORLD

Thursday October 23 (Rest Stop is good, but the Saw ones are GREAT!)
04:00 PM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE REST STOP
06:00 PM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE SAW
08:30 PM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE SAW II

Saturday October 25 (I can't believe it is on at 3am... this is one of my FAVORITE movies!!! Tape, TIVO, or whatever you have, but watch this one)
03:00 AM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE FRAILTY

Saturday October 25 (Ghost Ship was better, but this one is good!)
11:00 PM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: SCI FI ORIGINAL MOV LOST VOYAGE

Sunday October 26 (Two good ones!)
05:00 PM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE CABIN FEVER
07:00 PM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE JEEPERS CREEPERS II

Monday October 27 (Long day, but worth it!)
11:00 AM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND - PART ONE
01:00 PM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND - PART TWO
03:00 PM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND - PART THREE
05:00 PM 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN MOVIE STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND - PART FOUR




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October Horror Classics on AMC...

American Movie Classics(AMC) is one of my favorite TV channels on the tube. I love so many of the old movies and there is no better channel on TV to watch them on than AMC. However, in October it even gets better! Horror, horror, and more horror will be on the schedule the entire month. Most of them that I have listed below are in the last week of October, but there are more all month long. The list below is several of my favorite horror movies. In the list, I have posted all scheduled airings for each movie. One of the sleepers in the group is the movie The Dark Half starring Timothy Hutton. It is a collaboration between George A. Romero and Stephen King. The movie has Timothy Hutton playing an author who is surrounded with suspicion when a series of murders seem to point to him. Really good movie and I highly recommend it. I love October, not just because Halloween is at the end of it, but also because there are so many horror movies on TV in this month. So, sit back with remote in hand and watch a month full of horror movies.

Resident Evil
Next Air Date:
Fri Oct 31 @ 8PM | 7C Sat Nov 01 @ 1:45AM | 12:45C
2002. Horror, Drama. Starring: Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez


The Mummy
Next Air Date:
Thu Oct 30 @ 6AM | 5C
1932. Horror. Starring: Boris Karloff, Zita Johann


The Dark Half
Next Air Date:
Tue Oct 28 @ 11:15AM | 10:15C Wed Oct 29 @ 2AM | 1C
1993. Horror. Starring: Timothy Hutton, Amy Madigan


Pet Sematary
Next Air Date:
Sun Oct 26 @ 1AM | 12C Sun Oct 26 @ 11:15AM | 10:15C Tue Oct 28 @ 4PM | 3C Wed Oct 29 @ 10AM | 9C
1989. Horror. Starring: Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne


Jeepers Creepers
Next Air Date:
Tue Oct 28 @ 8PM | 7C Wed Oct 29 @ 6PM | 5C Thu Oct 30 @ 10:30PM | 9:30C Fri Oct 31 @ 3:30PM | 2:30C
2001. Horror. Starring: Gina Philips, Justin Long


House on Haunted Hill
Next Air Date:
Mon Oct 27 @ 8PM | 7C Tue Oct 28 @ 6PM | 5C Fri Oct 31 @ 10PM | 9C
1999. Horror. Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen


Halloween
Next Air Date:
Fri Oct 24 @ 8PM | 7C Sat Oct 25 @ 12PM | 11C Fri Oct 31 @ 9:30AM | 8:30C
1978. Horror. Starring: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis


Constantine
Next Air Date:
Sat Oct 25 @ 8PM | 7C Sat Oct 25 @ 10:30PM | 9:30C Sun Oct 26 @ 5:30PM | 4:30C Thu Oct 30 @ 8PM | 7C Fri Oct 31 @ 5:30PM | 4:30C
2005. Drama, Horror. Starring: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz


Bride of Frankenstein
Next Air Date:
Tue. Oct 28 @ 7:45AM | 6:45C
1935. Horror. Starring: Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester


An American Werewolf in London
Next Air Date:
Sun Oct 26 @ 3:30PM | 2:30C Mon Oct 27 @ 12PM | 11C Wed Oct 29 @ 12AM | 11C Wed Oct 29 @ 2PM | 1C
1981. Horror. Starring: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter


A Nightmare on Elm Street
Next Air Date:
Sun Oct 26 @ 3AM | 2C Sun Oct 26 @ 9:15AM | 8:15C Thu Oct 30 @ 11:45AM | 10:45C Fri Oct 31 @ 12:30AM | 11:30C
1984. Horror. Starring: John Saxon, Ronee Blakley



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More Music... Drowning Pool...

I guess yesterday started me on a little music kick. One of my favorite songs is Bodies, by Drowning Pool. This song has been used in movies and TV shows such as Jet Li's The One, Vin Diesel's XXX, Many WWE watches, and for the movie remake of Rambo. There's a video of the song at the end of this post. The song has such a hard driving repetitive sound that it grabs me by the shirt and shakes me vigorously... I love it! However, the original lead singer for the band was found dead on his tour bus in August of 2002 apparently of a form of heart disease. Unfortunately, the lifestyle many of these people lead tends to destroy their bodies and many die too young. However, As in TV and film, their music lives on. Sit back and let the music blow your speakers apart... enjoy the video!

PS: I don't condone their lifestyle, nor do I judge them for their "sins". I love the music, not necessarily the people behind it.



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Cold... A Different Kind of Pain...

A few weeks ago The Vault of Horror had a post dealing with fans of horror movies and their "love" of heavy metal/rock music. I found this post to be very interesting because I am a huge fan of the harder type of music. Although I agree to this idea for the most part, I think it is too broad of a generalization to say all horror fans love hard music. My wife Tina is one of the biggest horror fans I know and she basically hates most of the music I like. So there is a 50/50 split in our home. If you listen to most music on horror movies, you will find a hard driving music theme throughout. I have the sound track to the horror movie Queen of the Damned and it has Jonathan Davis (Korn), Disturbed, and a few other metal type bands on it. Jonathan Davis was responsible for the sound track and it is really dark and heavy, but it works for the movie. One of my favorite CD's. I guess I just believe that type of music works better with horror movies than say a lighter style of music.

So, is it coincidence or is there a very real connection between the music and the genre??? Not really sure, but it is a very interesting debate.

Since I'm dealing mostly with music today, I really wanted to put a music video on my blog today. I put Cold's CD... A Different Kind of Pain in my CD player yesterday when I was driving home from North Conway. The song, A Different Kind of Pain is one of my very favorite songs. I saw this band about 7 years ago at The Whitamore Center on the campus of UNH. They were touring with Godsmack, Staind, and Systematic. It was one of the best concerts I have ever gone too... not that I've gone to thousands, but I have seen my share over the past 10 years. I was not all that impressed with Cold at the time, but since then, I have really become a fan. Unfortunately, the band has gone through many changes (members) and at this time is basically gone their separate ways. Too bad... vocalist Scooter Ward has an awesome voice and great songwriting abilities. Hopefully, he will get something else going... there may be a reunion in the works. Enjoy the video!



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