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.