31 Days Of Horror: Day 30 (ALIENS - 1986)

Terrific sequel that is the perfect follow-up to Ridley Scott's 1979 original Alien. This time James Cameron (The Terminator) takes over and creates one of the best films ever made. Set 57 years after the events of the first film, sole survivor Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver's best performance ever) is picked up floating adrift in space in suspended animation. She is taken back to Earth and has to explain what happened to her crew-mates and the very expensive ship that she blew up. Of course no one believes her story of an alien that killed her mates and almost got her too. And the planet where they picked up the creature is now populated by engineers and their families. But suddenly when all communication is lost, a team of US Colonial Marines are dispatched to investigate. Ripley reluctantly goes along as an advisor. The setup is perfect and soon the marines are under full assault by a planet full of aliens. There is only one survivor there on the planet, a little girl named Newt, who quickly bonds with Ripley. The action scenes are impressive, some of the best you will ever see. With a strong cast alongside Weaver that includes Michael Biehn as Corporal Hicks, Bill Paxton as the hilarious Hudson, Lance Henriksen as the android Bishop, Paul Reiser as slimy company man Drake, and of course Jenette Goldstein as Vasquez. Director James Cameron manages to top the original Alien with this well crafted story driven sci-fi action/horror film. One of my favorite films of all time.




Ripley ready to squash some bugs
 

Looks like we will be staying awhile after all..
 

Vasquez and Hudson..."Game over man..game over!"

Dahmer

Okay so one of my favourite films that I'm going to recommend is one that is not traditional horror, the real life story behind it is one of the greatest horrors of American history, however due to my sick warped mind, I find this film to oooze melancholy and to be a real thing of beauty.  See that's the thing about horror, the sheer psychological torture that often frequents the genre can be one of the most stunning and purest forms of film making.  Dahmer is the perfect example of this.

Visually this film is stunning!  Director David Jacobson did one hell of a job directing this film, and with Jeremy Renner playing Jeffrey Dahmer, you have sheer perfection.  Jeremy Renner is one of my all time favourite actors and easily one of the best working in the industry today.  I've been in love with him since 1995 when I first saw him in National Lampoon's Senior Trip....a completely ridiculous movie but one that made it impossible for it not to be love at first sight the moment I saw him.  It wasn't until Dahmer though I believe he truly hit his stride.

With the story of Jeffrey Dahmer, Jacobson could have went down the route of providing a gross-out fest, focusing on Dahmer's experimentation with cannibalism where he ate the thigh of one of his victims.  He could have went more down the line of The Secret Life of Jeffrey Dahmer, released in 1992, a film that focused on as many grizzly features as possible and was basically made to shock.  And it did shock...in the fact that it was so bloody awful!  David Jacobson's Dahmer however focuses on the mind of Jeffrey Dahmer, an incredibly tortured and broken soul.  The tag line for the movie is one of my all time favourite quotes - "The Mind is a Place of its Own."  Such a truer statement I've never heard.  We all have our own personal demons and struggles and what David Jacobson did with Dahmer was show how much like the rest of us he actually was.  And that's what makes this movie all the more horrifying.  I think it was a huge risk on Jacobson's part because let's face it....showing to the world how we could relate to parts of one of the most notorious serial killers of all time...it's not the kind of thing that many like to consider.

Personally I can relate to the loneliness that Dahmer felt, that feeling of wanting someone to stay with you forever, and the fear of them leaving and what you would do to keep them.  The film also deals with that feeling of not being able to talk to family, and to having little friends.  I am in no way condoning the things that Dahmer did, but neither do I condone the sentence he was given by the city of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin.  He tried to create a zombie so they wouldn't leave him....I'm sorry but in no way, shape, or form does that represent a sane person.  And leaving him alone in prison, being as vulnerable as he was, that was a set up.  No doubt about it.

The structure of the movie was done where we see parts of Jeff's life in a three part time line.  We have Jeff in the present day (which would have been 1991) and then during the few years prior when he was drugging and raping men in the bath houses...although for the movie it has been changed to a gay bar.  The third part of the timeline, and most definitely my favourite, it is set in 1978 when Dahmer was 18 years old and killed his first victim Steven Hicks...renamed for the film as Lance Bell.  It was in this part that we saw Jeff in his desperate attempt to have someone never leave him.  The film ends after Jeff has killed Lance and despite his Dad's attempt to get him to see a psychiatrist for his drinking problem, he walks away.  The scene in which Jeff is walking through the forest to one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard, Blue Theme by Siren Music Productions.  Three wonderfully talented women who create the most gorgeous and haunting music and did the whole score for the movie.

 I am not going to give anything more about the movie, all I am going to say is that it is the performance of a lifetime by Jeremy Renner.  It is one of my all time most favourite movies, and most watched.  I love it and can't recommend it enough.  :)

31 Days of Horror: Day 24 (FEAST - 2006)

This is what I'm talking about. Horrorfest with lots of gore, gruesome deaths, and some colorful humor. About patrons at a bar in the middle of nowhere who are beseiged by some vicious flesh eating creatures. And not your typical horror flick because no one is safe from being killed. Oh, and Krista Allen is hardcore. "Choke on it!" As she tells one of the creatures as she rams her fist down it's throat. Hell yeah!



Krista is having a really bad day....

One of the creatures being unfriendly with a patron...

31 Days Of Horror: Day 23 (FROM DUSK TILL DAWN - 1996)

Kick ass action/vampire flick with two hardcore killers who are brothers (Clooney, Tarantino) on the run and headed for the border to Mexico. They kidnap a family driving cross country in a mobile home (Keitel, Juliette Lewis) and head to the rendezvous point in Mexico called The Titty Twister. But they find trouble there as the place is actually a haven for vampires led by queen Santanico Pandemonium (Hayek). All hell breaks loose and the bloodbath is on. This film is way cool from the sensational opening scene at a gas station which turns into a shootout to the very end where the last survivors wage war against the vampires. The cast is top notch especially George Clooney, who is bad ass as Seth. Lewis and Keitel are also very good too. And great supporting turns from Fred Williamson and Tom Savini. I thought this was one very cool movie. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Carlos: So, what, were they psychos, or...
Seth: Did they look like psychos? Is that what they looked like? They were vampires. Psychos do not explode when sunlight hits them, I don't give a fuck how crazy they are!


The brothers in a spot of trouble...

31 Days Of Horror: Day 21 (HIGH TENSION - 2003)

High Tension is a cool French horror movie from 2003, that is effectively creepy and gory as hell. The story has two college friends Alexia and Marie going to visit Alexia's family in the quiet countryside for the weekend. Alexia and Marie are best friends and have a bond that's quite strong. Once they arrive at the house and introductions are made, things settle down. But when a mysterious stranger shows up in the middle of the night, all hell breaks loose. Marie is waken by the ruckus and quickly tries to avoid detection by the killer. Marie is played by Cecile De France is she is positively riveting in this role. Starting off panicky she realizes she has to stand up and save Alexia, who the stranger has kidnapped. This soon becomes a cat and mouse movie, with Marie trying her best to save her friend. High Tension is not your typical horror movie. You will have to actually think about it as you watch it. And I won't spoil the ending..let's just say it's different. Of course the gore and blood factor are quite high. I believe the makers of the Saw films checked out Tension and took some crib notes. Things get kinda nasty in Tension that will please all horror fans. And as I said before De France makes this movie. Her central performance is key to the whole film. If she couldn't have pulled it off, I don't think Tension would have worked as well as it did. A good scare of a movie for Halloween. Highly recommended. And as a side note, I know some people complain of the logic and flaws of this movie, which I will agree on as well to a point. But this is still one hell of a ride.

Marie and Alexia enjoy a nice ride thru the countryside before
things turn deadly....

Marie playing hide and seek with the killer...

Marie trying to save Alexia...

Marie is pushed to her breaking point...

31 Days Of Horror: Day 18 (BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA - 1992)

This version of Dracula oozes with sex and violence. Top notch production with solid acting from the entire cast especially Anthony Hopkins as Van Hesling and Sadie Frost as Lucy. Gary Oldman is terrific too in this version of Dracula. A bombastic music score helps immeasurably with this solid horror film helmed surprisingly by Francis ford Coppola. Co-starring Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, and Tom Waits.

Van Helsing: "Mr. Morris, your bullets will not harm him. He must be beheaded. I suggest that you use your big Bowie knife".

Morris: "Well, I wasn't planning on getting that close, Doc".

31 Days Of Horror: Day 17 (THE WALKING DEAD)

Last year, The Walking Dead made it's TV debut. Based on the popular comic book series, the show was an immeidate smash hit. Following the story of a group of survivors who try to survive a zombie apocalpyse led by former police officer Rick Grimes (played by Andrew Lincoln). Taking a page from 28 Days Later, Rick was actually in a coma while the world went to hell. When he woke up, he couldn't another living soul, just a lot of corpses and then some walkers. Zombies in this series are called walkers. Rick is determined to find his wife and son no matter what. So the series shows him making his way back to them and other strangers and then trying to survive this nightmare. This is one awesome series with lots of gore and action, but also some wonderful storytelling. Season 2 just kicked off last night, just in time for Halloween.

31 Days Of Horror: Day 13 (28 WEEKS LATER - 2007)

To be honest I wasn't a fan of the original, but the sequel is in my opinion way better. It starts 6 months after the events in the first movie as the US Army has started to bring people back home with the infection seemingly having died out. But all it takes is one infected person and the crisis begins again. Once again a strong story is at the forefront with Rose Byrne as an Army medical doctor trying to find a cure; Robert Carlyle as a dad dealing with personal demons when he couldn't save his wife when the first epidemic hit, and Jeremy Renner as a lethal sharpshooter who I think is the best character in the movie. Of course there are several kick ass scenes involving attacking zombies. The showstopper is a helicopter making mincemeat of about 70 or 80 zombies. Very cool. For me the sequel works better than the orginal. And if you liked the original then you will probably like this one also.

31 Days of Horror: Day 9 (SHAUN OF THE DEAD - 2004)

Excellent horror comedy that hits the mark. Shaun (Simon Pegg) and his best pal Ed (Nick Frost)are room-mates in England and are just coasting through life. Shaun has a girlfriend named Liz (Kate Ashfield) who wants more from him. Then one day people start turning into zombies and Shaun becomes the reluctant leader. The laughs are plenty as are the thrills. It can get very gory but still fun. I laughed my ass off and it's one of my favorites now. Highly recommened. Oh plus it has Bill Nighy as Phillip, his step-dad. Cool!

Shaun: I don't think I've got it in me to shoot my mum, roommate, and girlfriend all in one day...



This so does not look good...

Shaun and his friends trying to blend in....

Shaun and his weapon of choice..

31 Days of Horror: Day 6 (SEVEN - 1995)

Top notch serial killer movie that I like just as much as Silence of the Lambs. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are two detectives on the trail of a vicious killer named John Doe, who is using the seven deadly sins to dispatch his victims.  An uncredited known actor is supremely creepy as John Doe and makes an effective foil for our dynamic duo. Freeman is top notch as the veteran detective who is burnt out by all the violence in the world. Pitt is gung ho as his eager new partner. Gwyneth Paltrow is effective as Pitt's wife. And R. Lee Emery is great as the duo's captain. A great film that I have seen several times.
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David Mills: You're no messiah. You're a movie of the week. You're a fucking t-shirt, at best

31 Days Of Horror: DAY 5 - THE MONSTER SQUAD (1987)

The gang's all  here.....

Just watched this film because it was finally released on DVD. 20 years later and one of my childhood favorites from the 80's is still awesome. A group of small kids in a small town dub themselves The Monster Squad and must take on some very real monsters including Dracula, The Wolfman, and the Mummy. Lucky for them Frankenstein's Monster is on their side. Loaded with great makeup effects and lots of humor and an action-packed last half hour, Monster Squad is a winner.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Rudy: Where the hell am I supposed to find silver bullets? K-Mart?

Morley's Horror Thoughts and T is for Torture - An Entry into The ABC's of Death!!

The horror genre is one that frequently gets dismissed by the general movie going public as being ridiculous and silly.  Images of blood, guts and gore with women running around half naked with their breasts hanging out and  covered in blood are frequently conjured up images associated with the genre.  Now I'm not denying that this is a part of the genre...however, scratch beneath the surface and you will find so much more.  You will find strong and intelligent women kicking back and making their own films, writing about them, acting in them....hell, doing just about anything in them!  You will find guys sick of the same old formula that the Hollywood fat cats keep saturating down and down till you find yourself preferring to stab your own eyes out as opposed to watching their boiled down crap!  The horror community are coming together to fund their own projects, projects that the fans want to happen!  It is without a doubt the strongest community of movie fans out there and one that I am so happy to be a part of.  I look forward to sharing with you all some films that you might not have heard of, films that I deem to be beautiful, wonderful pieces of film making, because lets face it, beneath the blood, gore and psychological menace, the horror genre can indeed be a very visually beautiful place to be.  :)

One of the most beautiful films I have seen over the past year is Elisabeth Fies The Commune.  Before I give you the run down on this twisted, and seriously messed up film I invite you to take a look at Lis's entry into The ABC's of Death...an anthology of shorts looking for the 26th director to complete the alphabet.  Lis's entry T is for Torture is brilliantly messed up.  You can check it out at the link HERE.  If you're a fan and want this wonderful lady to be the 26th director then please click on the link above the video that says '<3 Vote for this as the 26th Filmmaker'.  And then please do share the link and help get the word out there of this wonderfully demented short!  The ABC's of Death is a total sausage fest so I find it so important to get some kick ass female action in there too!  Thank you for checking this out and enjoy! :)

31 Days Of Horror - Day 4: FINAL DESTINATION 2 (2003)

I think this is an awesome series, and my favorite of them all is this one. The opening traffic accident is just amazing And the death scenes keep getting more inventive and freakish. AJ Cook is very good as Kim, who has the premonition that something bad is gonna happen. And sole survivor Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) from the first Destination film returns and knows the ina and outs of surviving this deadly game. A rare sequel that is better than the original.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Rory: Yeah, like, what if we're all getting that "Diff'rent Strokes" curse or something?

31 Days Of Horror: Day 3 (UNDERWORLD - EVOLUTION 2006)

Even better than the first one. Selene and Michael return to battle the last remaining elder vampire Marcus who is searching for his imprisoned brother William, who happens to be a werewolf. It may get a little complicated before things are explained but it's one hell of a ride. Plus Kate Beckinsale in tight black leather kicking ass will get your blood pumping. A solid sequel.

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Tanis: "You don't scare me , Selene".
Selene: "Well, we'll have to work on that".

31 Days Of Horror: Day 2 - FRIGHT NIGHT (1985)

One of the best of the vampire flicks from the 80's is Fright Night. Casts William Ragsdale as teen Charlie Brewster who has a nice vintage mustang, a girlfriend named Amy (Amanda Bearse, who would later on become Marcy on Married With Children), a goofy buddy named Evil Ed (Stephen Geoffreys) and a doting mother. Everything is just fine and dandy until a new neighbor named Jerry moves in. Jerry is played by Chris Sarandon and happens to be a vampire. And Charlie knows he's a vampire. And Jerry knows Charlie knows he's a vampire. After a skirmish one night that Charlie barely survives, the teen realizes he needs help and enlists the aid of TV host Peter Vincent, Vampire Killer (played with relish by Roddy McDowall). That's your movie in a nutshell and it works wonderfully. A nice mix of horror and humor that balances both genres just right. Sarandon makes a suave and dealdly vampire. While Ragsdale is good as Charlie and McDowall is clearly having a great time with his role as Peter Vincent. The recent remake with Colin Farrell is actually pretty good and is worthy to be placed alongside this one. Fright Night just followed by a decent sequel 4 years later.

 Jerry and Charlie meet for the first time

 Peter Vincent with Charlie, Amy and Ed

Jerry putting the moves on Amy

 Amy all vamped out

 Peter Vincent ready to do battle with the undead

Ed going through some major growing pains

2nd Annual 31 Days of Horror kicks off next week...

Just a post to remind everyone that October is fast approaching and my 2nd annual 31 days of Horror will be kicking off. I will post a short review and or facts and trivia about one horror movie a day. Or at least try to. Last year I did like 20, so I was a little short. But this year one of my good friends and blogger extraordinaire Jennifer Cooper will be lending a hand. You guys may know Jennifer from her wickedly cool blog, Musings of a Morleysaurus. She loves horror films so I know her expertise and knowledge will be a big plus here on Hero Worship. Here's the link to her blog: musings of a morleysaurus. I don't know what films she will be doing but here is a list of all the films I will be covering:

FRIGHT NIGHT (1985)
PANIC ROOM
LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM
FINAL DESTINATION 2
SCREAM 2
DOG SOLDIERS
THE HOWLING
WHAT LIES BENEATH
PSYCHO 2
CREEPSHOW
FEAST
UNDERWORLD 2
HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES
HALLOWEEN: H2O
CARRIE

AND BUFFY SEASON 1 (My Top 5 picks)

31 Days of Horror - Day 30 (THE DESCENT)

I thought The Descent was a pretty good film. It won't be to everyone's tastes though. Part women bonding film, part horror film. The second half of the film is more action packed and bloodier but the first half is just as good setting the mood of the film perfectly. Plus it has a little humor. Two of the women stand out from the rest: Natalie Mendoza and Shauna MacDonald. A must see for anyone looking for some thrills mixed with a good storyline.


(2005) Stars Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Mendoza, Nora Jane Noone, Alex Reid. Directed by Neil Marshall.

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Beth:"I'm an English teacher, not fucking Tomb Raider".

31 Days of Horror - Day 26 (SCREAM)

Wes Craven 1996's horror film Scream is a wonderful homage to all the slasher flicks before it. Written by Kevin Williamson of Dawson's Creek fame with an ironic twist and respect for older horror films, most notably Halloween, Psycho, and Friday the 13th. Set in a small sleepy town in California, Scream begins with a hell of a 10 minute opening sequence which has a young girl home alone (wonderfully played by Drew Barrymore) who is being harassed by a twisted phone caller. Things get really scary when said caller shows up at her house. From that beginning, Scream continues with a steady pace of thrills and scares and humor. Our heroine of the film is Sidney (a fresh faced Neve Campbell) who is dealing with the 1 year anniversary of her mom's murder. She manages to survive a first encounter with the killer, who manages to hack up everyone else in sight. What makes Scream works for me is the self aware attitude most of the characters have especially Sidney and one her friends, video geek Randy (played with relish by Jamie Kennedy). There is plenty of gore and blood to be found in this film but it is balanced with well timed humor and much respect for previous horror movies. The supporting cast is top notch especially Courtney Cox (playing news reporter Gail Weathers) She looks fantastic and her character will no way remind you of Monica from Friends. Gail is a different kind of animal. Her future husband David Arquette is inept deputy Dewey, and Arquette nails his performance perfectly. Rose McGowan is a hoot as Sidney's hot-to-trot friend Tatum. Henry Winkler is actually pretty good as the principal. Skeet Ulrich is kinda creepy as Sidney's boyfriend. But it's Neve Campbell who rocks the most as Sidney. She goes from bereaving daughter to stand up woman who holds her own against the killer. Scream was a surprise smash when it hit theaters in December 1996. I remembering the audience being totally jacked up for it too. A worthy sequel followed one year later that was nearly as good as this one. Less said about the third chapter the better, even though it did have its moments. But Scream is a perfect way to wind down the Halloween season. If you have never seen it I suggest checking out the whole trilogy just to be complete. And Scream 4 is due out April 2011. I've seen the trailer and it looks awesome. Can't wait.

(1996) Stars Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Drew Barrymore, Rose McGowan, Jamie Kennedy, Liev Schreiber.
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Phone Voice: Do you like scary movies?
Sidney Prescott: What's the point they're all the same, some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can't act who is always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door, it's insulting.