FILM REVIEW: Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (Producer's Cut) (1995)

Let me start off by saying that I’ve never cared for the theatrical version of The Curse of Michael Myers.  My big complaint is that like The Return of Michael Myers and The Revenge of Michael Myers, Michael is an oaf. It would appear that while Season of the Witch was being made, Michael hit the gym hard on his time off and grew a few inches. Michael went from a normal sized guy to a pro wrestler, and the reason for this is because of Moustapha Akkad wanted to compete with Jason Voorhees. Where Akkad went wrong was ever trying to compare the Halloween series to an imitation. I also am not privy to the ugly mask nor its size. And I despise the ridiculous Thorn crap among other things. So, going into this Unrated Producer’s Cut (originally known as Halloween 666), I definitely wasn’t excited, but I was thinking it had to be better…

BLU-RAY REVIEW: Army Of Darkness (1992) Collector's Edition

In 1992, Director Sam Raimi ended his Evil Dead Trilogy with the practical effects extravaganza known as Army Of Darkness (Originally titled Bruce Campbell Vs. Army Of Darkness). This time instead of releasing the film independently, like the first two, Army Of Darkness was distributed through Universal Studios, making it the only studio film out of the three. Using like humor of Monty Python and The Three Stooges, the concept for Army Of Darkness was supposed to be the sequel to 1981’s The Evil Dead, but the recourses weren’t there at the time. So, what was then-called Medieval Dead was put on hold and Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn (1987) was made as a middle film. Army was made for a PG-13 rating, hence why there’s not nearly as much gore as the prior two flicks. However, as ridiculous as it is, the MPAA gave the film an NC-17 rating! So after editing nothing, the film was resubmitted and garnered an R rating. People involved in the making of Army wonder if the film would have been gorier had Raimi known the MPAA was going to screw the film in the end anyway. Some even assume that the MPAA deliberately put the boots to Raimi because of him bypassing them and releasing the first two films unrated. Either way, it doesn’t matter because since the studio didn’t want the film’s title to have Evil Dead in it, fans didn’t identify it as a sequel in the series. In effect, it failed miserably at the box-office and was pulled from theaters quicker than you could say “boomstick”. However, the film has since become an immediately recognizable cult classic thanks to word of mouth and home video releases…

HORROR TOY TUESDAY: My 1/6 Scale 1978 Michael Myers Action figure

Halloween is my favorite horror motion picture of all-time. No other genre film comes close to it. There’s never been a time when I’ve seen a new horror that I haven’t seen before and think, “damn, that gives Halloween a run for its money”. And there probably never will be. So, as a high-end action figure collector, it is very important to me that I own a realistic and accurate figure of “The Shape” from the 1978 classic. However, I knew that I was going to have to make one myself if I wanted one because the only officially licensed 12 inch figure was done by Sideshow Collectibles many years ago, and they failed miserably at it.

THROWBACK THURSDAY REVIEW: Rabid (1977)

Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg considers Rabid to be his “first epic”. And like most good movies, it almost didn’t get made. After Cronenberg’s first feature Shivers (1975), was considered too edgy, he struggled to get Rabid off of the ground for a few years due to the CDFC not investing. Then, he almost backed out of the project (originally titled Mosquito) when it was greenlit due to doubting the premise. However, cooler heads prevailed and Rabid, a film that’s said by many to be a foretelling of aids, was made in Quebec and Montreal on a budget of just $560,00.00. The movie needed a name attached to it that’s marketable, yet the production couldn’t afford a real actress. So, they hired popular 70’s porn star Marilyn Chambers over their original choice of Sissy Spacek. It worked out for the better in a sense, because you get to see Marilyn Chambers nude several times. And Cronenberg, himself, stated that he wouldn’t deprive his audience of not seeing Marilyn naked. You gotta appreciate a good director who cares about his audience, don’t ya?

HORROR TOY TUESDAY: Jeepers Creepers "The Creeper" Custom Action Figure

If you have your ear open in the toy collecting universe, you'll hear very many complaints on the lack of merchandise, such as toys, from the Jeepers Creepers movies. Well, someone stood up and finally decided to take matters into their own hands. So, for this week, I found it impossible to not spotlight this 1:6 scale (12 inch) custom action figure from the hit film Jeepers Creepers. Especially after hearing news weeks ago that there is finally going to be a third film.

HORROR TOY TUESDAY: Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives Ultimate Action Figure

  Popular toy company Neca, have decided that to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Jason Lives, they'll be releasing a 7" amazingly detailed action figure coming this December. These Ultimate Action Figures retail at only $19.99, which makes any fan of the series an able collector of this beautiful piece.

Packaged in a "collector-friendly Deluxe 30th Anniversary window box", he comes with the infamous fence post, a knife, machete, tombstone and a brand new sculpt.

Although I already own the even more detailed 12" Sideshow Collectibles Jason from Jason Lives, this is an easy pick up for me due to the quality and price tag. When this bad boy hits shelves, expect a review from me.

What do you think of this little masterpiece? Will you be picking it up this December?

(SOURCE: NECAONLINE)

THROWBACK THURSDAY REVIEW: Nightbreed: The Director's Cut (2014)

In 1990 legendary genre author and filmmaker Clive Barker, released a motion picture that was very dear to him. However, he was left with nothing but disgust and emotional anguish once he saw the final version of his beloved project. 20th Century Fox had every intention of capitalizing on the slasher craze, instead of keeping the integrity and point of Barker's vision. The result? A ton of cuts in editing to both shorten the length overall, and to try and portray the monsters as villains. This left Nightbreed falling flat on its face to a lot of cinemagoers who were confused by the mess it turned out to be. During commentary on the Hellraiser (1987) Blu-ray, Clive Barker, explained how Nightbreed (1990) was his metaphor for being homosexual. When you think about it, it makes total sense. You have a guy (Aaron Boone) who wants to get away from his surroundings and go to a place where people are like him, and where he can quite literally hide under a rock to get away from the society that doesn't accept him. Thinking of how gays weren't kindly received until recently, you can clearly see the connection to the story, which is very deep and powerful. And while the theatrical cut still allows you to see the metaphor, the director's cut makes everything come together in a more solid and likable way. Distributing company Scream Factory, went through 500 boxes obtaining sixteen hours of footage to give you the motion picture originally intended. Although it has 45 minutes of new footage, the director's cut is actually only 20 minutes longer, due to the fact that they replaced old scenes with alternate ones as well as added in things that previously ended up on the cutting room floor. Fans can finally see Barker's original idea, and how it flows a lot smoother than the rendition we were given back in 1990. The most satisfying part is the fact that people can now see and understand that the creatures are veritably good guys, as always intended. Some confuse this version with The Cabal Cut, but that's not the case. The Cabal Cut is an even more extended version, using a combination of the work print footage from the U.S. DVD and the CD Soundtrack by Russell Cherrington and Jimmi Johnson to make one cohesive version. The Cabal Cut has also been re-cut, and seven different versions have been shown at conventions.

FILM REVIEW: Mad Max: Fury Road

 It's been 30 years since the character of Max Rockatansky, played by Aussie Mel Gibson, graced the big screen in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985). And good things never die, because the writer and director of the original Mad Max trilogy, George Miller, decided to revive his well-received series with a shot of adrenaline he calls Fury Road. Only this time around the rugged anti-hero, Max, is played by the very talented brit, Tom Hardy (Child 44). There was a lot of speculation as to how Hardy would carry the role because to a lot of people, it's Mel Gibson's role. (Much like the case of Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger.) But as it turned out, Hardy's acting ability combined with Miller's strict direction and attention to detail kept the integrity of Max on course and intact. What's even cooler is that Hugh Keays-Byrne, the guy who played Toecutter in the original Mad Max (1979), returns to the series as the antagonist again. This time, he plays a sickly Warlord named Immortan Joe, a cold villain who starts a war over his own ego. Oscar Winner Charlize Theron (Monster) shares the big screen with Tom Hardy, as Imperator Furiosa: a woman bound on revenge and freedom from under Immortan Joe's dictatorship.

BLU-RAY REVIEW: The Sentinel (1977)

  The 1970’s is the best era for the Horror genre. Many timeless motion pictures have come from that decade, including The Omen, Jaws, The Exorcist, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween. It’s sad, but true that 1977’s The Sentinel directed by Michael Winner is considered more of a cult film than a classic. Perhaps, unfortunately, that’s why this Blu-ray release by Scream Factory isn’t one of their more showy Collector’s Editions with an artful cover and a plethora of extras.

The plot is one of originality: Young model Alison Parker, (Christina Raines) moves into a quaint brownstone apartment that’s full of elderly and perverted neighbors who turn out to be ghosts. The journey Alison goes through to find this truth causes everyone around her to believe she’s losing her mind due to trauma in her past and two suicide attempts. Add to that, her fiancé, Michael Lerman (Chris Sarandon), discovers that the creepy old priest that resides on the fifth floor in Alison’s building is guarding the gate to hell…which just happens to be the actual apartment building itself. He realizes Alison is being set up to replace Father Halliran (John Carradine) as the next Sentinel. Not everyone brings their A game to acting in this, just look to Sarandon for an easy example. However, a big positive for The Sentinel is its all-star cast including Ava Gardner, Burgess Meredith and, Beverly D’ Angelo in her big screen debut in which she double clicks her mouse for your viewing pleasure!

Making My Return...

It's been a whole nine months since I've last done a review, or any other sort of post on this blog, and the reason stemmed from two key things: me being burnt out, and the lack of good horror films coming out.

If you're a minion and follow my blog, then you know from time to time I'm known for disappearing for random amounts of time. It's my fault for not being totally open and explaining why I just up and disappear. I regret not writing a post making everyone aware of that fact that I'd be taking a hiatus for the better part of a year, and I'm going to make it a point to change that the next time I decide to take a break.

THROWBACK THURSDAY REVIEW: Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)

As I mentioned in my review of the original Exorcist, HERE, I had never gotten around to seeing the second prequel that was made and went straight to video. That's all changed now, because I found a dirt cheap copy of it on DVD, and have already watched it a good three times, maybe four. Though it didn't see a release until 2005, the director, Paul Schrader, was approached to tackle the project in 2001. From the jump, I respected this picture more than the dreadful Renny Harlin movie, Exorcist: The Beginning, because unlike Harlin, Schrader didn't try and mock or imitate the original Friedkin movie in any way. In fact, Schrader said, "the feeling was [that] you had to get away from the Friedkin Exorcist, because it was such a classic. And one of the ways to do that was to switch the possessed person from a girl to a boy, but even more importantly, to switch the very nature of a possession". It's no secret that a pet peeve of mine is when directors try to make prequels to outdo an original, rather than just let it flow naturally and be its own movie. So, my hat's off to Paul Schrader for both being respectful of the 1973 Exorcist, and for making a stand alone effort. The story is more about Father Merrin's journey than trying to be a horror flick.

HORROR TOY TUESDAY: Chucky Stylized 6-inch Action Figure

Now hitting stores and online retailers is Mezco's 6-inch Rotocast Action Figure of everyone's favorite serial killing doll, Chucky. This isn't exactly the type of toy that I prefer to collect, but I know there's a lot of people out there who are in love with this stuff. So, if you're one of those people, this is for you!

THROWBACK THURSDAY REVIEW: Dance of the Dead (2005)

 Director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and the Masters of Horror series are both hit or miss with me. I've personally, never been a big fan of Hooper's work except for Poltergeist and Salem's Lot (TV movie). And, there are more episodes of Masters of Horror that I dislike than like. I've viewed "Dance of the Dead" (season 1, episode 3) before, but it's been so long since I've seen it that I couldn't remember my opinion of that particular episode. I mean, the combo of Robert Englund and Tobe Hooper sounds appealing, especially when it's based on a short story by Richard Matheson! So, when I found it on DVD (for only $3.50!) I couldn't pass up the opportunity to purchase it and give it another watch. I was hoping for the best, but expecting the worst so as to not be letdown. That all changed about 20 minutes in, when I realized that I did remember it, I just tried to erase it from my brain...

HORROR TOY TUESDAY: Hannibal Pop! Vinyl figures

For the third time now, collectible manufacturers, Funko, has made my "Horror Toy Tuesday" cut. This week, I have to show off the line of Pop! Vinyl figures being done in honor of NBC's new and amazing show Hannibal, based off of the best selling Thomas Harris books. There's not one or two, but FIVE of these little guys being made, and all of them are instant purchases for me!

FILM REVIEW: The Expendables 3 (2014)

I'm pretty sure everyone my age is still caught up in the new TMNT flick and Guardians of the Galaxy, because my fiance and I sat in the back row of an empty theater Saturday, the only other people in the whole showing were five or six people who were all geriatric. I would be lying if I said that I expected much from this installment in the Expendables series, but I'm at the very least pleased that it's better then the dreadful 2012 sequel. You have to understand who these films are aimed at in order to truly appreciate them. If you still have a knack for 80's cheesy action motion pictures (the way that I do with 80's horror) with a cliche plot full of no story and tends to be overly loud, then the good news is that you'll more than likely "dig" this. So when watching, try to put on your 'I have to remember to forgive all these flaws I'm about to see because it's a senseless action flick' glasses (that they don't give you with your ticket purchase), so you can take it in properly. Unfortunately, I left my glasses at home...

THROWBACK THURSDAY REVIEW: Demon Seed (1977)

I first stumbled upon Demon Seed about two weeks ago at the local flea market, where it was sitting in the "rare finds" section. I was drawn to the cover instantly because it looked sexy, and because I had never heard of it before. I read the (ridiculous) synopsis on the back cover, and even though I wasn't totally sold on it, I decided to give it a chance anyway. I mean, a woman getting impregnated by a machine? Really? I've seen movies where women have been raped by rednecks, Satan, demons, and monsters. But I've never seen a woman victimized by a machine, so I was eager to add that to my 'all the crazy crap I've seen' list. And, when I found out that it was based on a Dean Koontz novel of the same name, I was a little more interested and more willing to give it a shot.

FILM REVIEW: Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Director John Carpenter has done five films with actor Kurt Russel; Elvis (TV Movie), Escape from New York, The Thing, Escape From L.A., and Big Trouble in Little China. The thing is, I never got around to seeing Big Trouble in Little China until just a few days ago, and I'm an instant fan. This movie and I have crossed paths several times, it was one of those movies that just kept slipping by. I mean, I love John Carpenter, he'll probably always be my favorite director in the Horror genre. And, I've got no beef with Kurt Russell either, he's in some good movies with and without Carpenter behind the camera. But as far as I know, the work Carpenter and Russell do together is without qualms. The itch to finally watch Big Trouble in Little China came from a friend of mine who was posting pictures of his Blu-ray on Facebook. That, (coupled along with the memories that came back to me of several friends telling me I need to see it) really put a boot in my ass. When I sat down to watch it, it was about 9 pm and I was all alone, so I gave it my undivided attention. Right away I could see that it wasn't at all what I was expecting. No one ever told me what the hell the movie was about, so I was going off of the small synopsis on the back cover. But, I had a gut feeling that I was going to see the appeal in it. John Carpenter, Russell, the crew and studio all caught hell for this movie, slurs of stereotyping and racism from the Chinese began to make their rounds, but as Carpenter and Russell pointed out in the DVD commentary, the Caucasian guy (and star) in the film is the jackass who's clumsy and always messing up. So there's no truth behind the rumored racism behind this flick. Some truth though, is it only had $3 Million for advertising, and on top of that, the studio didn't know how to market it because Carpenter didn't make the movie the studio expected. So, Big Trouble in Little China has been somewhat of a sleeper, gaining its crowd and popularity after the point of its release. So, I guess better late than never for me, right?

Horror Toy Tuesday: 'PENNY DREADFUL' 8-Inch Retro Action Figures

Showtime's Penny Dreadful is one of 2014's most talked about TV Shows, and it's already gained a massive following of fans. Toy company Bif Bang Pow! who are mostly known for their Twilight Zone and Dexter action figures (as well as a wide variety of bobble heads) have taken it upon themselves to release the first collectibles from Penny Dreadful. It was very risky in my opinion to get the license to do merchandise from the show when it's only in its first season. If the show bombed and no one liked it, Bif Bang Pow! would have suffered the loss of obtaining a dead and/or useless license. Luckily for them, the show is a hit.

SCREENER REVIEW: Coldwater (2013)

It'd be a cliche to say that this thriller/drama that's borderline revenge horror is "gripping" and "emotional", but it's absolutely true. I was gripped and pulled in almost from the very start, because it's intense and tragic. It's basically a grown up version of Holes (2003), and reminded me of Sleepers (1996) due to the realism and it's ability to make me feel sick from watching it. Director Vincent Grashaw, hasn't done a full-length feature before, but it's a damn good effort. The cast include P.J. Boudousqué (who's mostly known for this movie), James C. Burns (All Together Now), Chris Petrovski (All Cheerleaders Die), Octavius J. Johnson (Ray Donovan TV show), and Zach Selwyn (Dead and Breakfast). When I saw Zach Selwyn  was in this I almost stood up and cheered, because I loved his character in Dead and Breakfast, Randall Keith Randall. So it was good to see a familiar face going into this screener.

Change is inevitable...

Dear Grimm Army,

Over the past few weeks I've been brainstorming, and I came to the conclusion that there's things about my blog that I've never finished, announced, and/or put the finishing touches on. I honestly didn't expect to be so fond of this whole blogging thing, so I never really took the time to smooth out the rough patches. So from now on, things are going to be happening a little differently...

First of all, I've changed the tabs at the top of this blog to more suitable ones. For example, I took down the "gore" and "foreign horror" tabs and replaced them with "book reviews" and "screener reviews". See, much more suitable. However, due to me being a pretty busy guy, I haven't had the time to go back and label everything to make sure they fall into the right tabs. Fore example, my Prom Night 2 review is the only film under the "film reviews" tab right now. So, throughout this weekend and all next week, or until everything is properly labeled, I'll be going back and fixing the labels so that everything is conveniently where it should be.

Secondly, I've added an official about me to this blog also and ditched the side column one. This was so I can say more without having that little side gadget grow too extensive, and so I can explain my "blogging mission" and why I ever even started doing "film reviews" in the first place. Be sure to check it out in the very first tab. Hopefully this will clear some things up for some people. Since I plan on sticking around a while, I know I should make myself comfortable and make these adjustments.To read my "About me", click HERE.

Lastly, you're going to hear more from me but see less of me. I know, you're probably thinking "huh?", right? Well let me explain to you what I mean. I set a schedule for myself of doing 5 posts a week, including "Horror Toy Tuesday" and "Throwback Thursday". However, I've come to realize that that particular schedule no longer works for me, because I've got longer and more detailed reviews that I'd love to write and get off of my chest. And, I simply can't do that if I'm putting the pressure on myself to do several posts per week. So, for the sake of myself and those who read my little blog, I will still be doing "Horror Toy Tuesday" and "Throwback Thursday" every week, but outside of that I may only get to do one or two other reviews for the week. See, I'm focusing on quality and not quantity anymore. I apply that to all things in my life, so it's time to apply that to my dear blog, here. So, although you may only get one or two reviews out of me a week, they'll be beefy and very informative reviews that will hopefully educate the reader on things they had no previous knowledge of. Expect bigger and longer reviews. Though I've already switched my review length to the five paragraph method, I assure you that they'll be some long paragraphs. So it's simple, rather than get three reviews from me a week (excluding "Horror Toy Tuesday" and "Throwback Thursday") of decent or short length, you'll start to see less reviews and more well written and informative reviews. That's why I started blogging in the first place. It's about time I got my ass into shape and do what I set out to do here, and deliver reviews that aren't what you see when you go to any random review blog. But, on the plus side, if I have a bunch of screeners or other small and non-elaborate posts to do in a week, you'll see more of me. It all just comes down to the amount of time put into each post on how many I can produce each week.

As always, I'm grateful for my readers and fans out there and I'm thankful for your undying support. Hopefully, seeing less of me will be for the better of your reading appetite. This blog is just an extension of me, and in a life where I'm expanding everything and always looking for the utmost improvement, I must include my blog in that.

Have a kick-ass weekend,

Grimm