Bring On The Sun!

It's Canada Day here, folks!

Right now, there's a Moosehead and a patio chair with my name on them, so I just popped in to say, whether it be today or on the 4th, ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY!! Talk to you all soon.

Mon Dieu!

I find it hilarious that I will be in a car driving to Montreal in just over a week for the Fantasia Film Festival, and up until a few moments ago, I still had no idea what I'd be seeing. Festival organizer Mitch Davis, wild man that he is, just announced the lineup this afternoon. Here are some of the genre goodies playing this year.

The Last Exorcism, directed by Daniel Stamm and produced by Eli Roth.

This French backwoods horror flick finally sees the light of day.

aka We Are What We Are. I've heard nothing but great things about this Mexican import about a family of cannibals.

Chris Smith's (Creep, Severance) newest stars Sean Bean.

Jim Sturgess stars in this British film about a man who sees demons on the streets of London.

The Shrine is director Jon Knautz's follow-up to his debut Jack Brooks Monster Slayer.

After its solid showing at Sundance, Tucker Vs. Dale invades Montreal.

A homegrown selection, I must say the Just Before Dawn vibe of the trailer intrigues me.

Also, A Serbian Film, The Human Centipede and the I Spit On Your Grave remake form a triple threat, vying for the title of most shocking of 2010 at this year's fest. Psst, trust me. It's the first one.

As like last year, there are a good number of flicks I've already seen, including [REC]2, Deliver Us From Evil, The Disappearance Of Alice Creed, The Loved Ones, The Revenant, Birdemic and Doghouse.

I'll be there from the eighth to the thirteenth, so here's what I plan to eyeball while I'm there.

Thai horror returns with another anthology of shivers. If it's half as good as its predecessor, it will be a blast.

A new documentary about the H.G. Lewis, aptly titled The Godfather Of Gore plays with a print of his 1963 splatterfest Blood Feast. Good times.


aka Evil: In The Time Of Heroes, this Greek zombie flick apparently does wonders to freshen up the genre. Can't wait to check it out.

Now, you all know about my penchant for Asian hyper-violent gorefests! Well, it just so happens that both Mutant Girls Squad AND Alien Vs. Ninja both play while I'm there. It's FATE I tell you!!!


Probably, the most bizarre film playing at Fantasia (besides maybe that one with all the mannequins) is Rubber, about a serial killing tire with psychic powers. Yes, you read that right. That's just too crazy to pass up.

For the full list, click here. Hopefully, I'll be checking in with you periodically while I'm there, so you can join in on the fun.

Three Movies In One!

I took a trip into town, via the nearly deserted highway - I swear, for all the trouble this G20 thing has caused, it has sure helped inbound traffic - to check out the Vagrancy screening of Dr. Butcher M.D. at the Toronto Underground. This is another eighties title that only existed previously to me as a memorable coverbox on a crusty video store shelf.

Oh, Dr. Butcher M.D. How adorably ridiculous you are. But I have to ask, where was this movie?

The movie I saw was about random cannibals and zombies on an island. I mean, sure, there's some stuff at the beginning involving some dude mutilating and eating corpses at a hospital, but it takes a reaaaaallly long side route to get back to the "doctoring" at the film's end. Speaking of which, is it just me or is this film last ten minutes of Dr. Butcher exactly like the conclusion Lucio Fulci's Zombie? Ian McCulloch? Check. Lots of fighting inside a burning barn? Check. Our heroes escape before being overwhelmed by zombies/natives? Check. No wonder Dr. Butcher is called Zombie 3 in some circles. It's funny because like I said, it really is like there are three movies going on in here simultaneously. You have this mystery about cadaver mutilations mixed with two knock-offs of Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust and the aforementioned Zombie. The result is not nearly as awesome as you would think, but despite the badness, it is still highly entertaining because you know those Italians always deliver on the gore.

There's an especially memorable bit with someone getting their head sliced into with a motorboat propeller. It's no zombie vs. shark, but I'll take it! There's no shortage of skin, provided by the lovely Alexandra Delli Colli (also of Fulci's New York Ripper) and as with many movies of this ilk, I was bopping along with the score, as well.

If you are into these old Italian B-titles, then you should add this to the roster, if you haven't already. Just don't expect this

Don't Kill The Messenger 67

I've got some real goodies for you today, but I've got to make short work of this post, as kick-off is at ten this morning. Here we go.

Brought To You By 3M.

My buddy Darryl sent me a link this week to the site of an artist named Don Kenn. His shtick is he sketches his dark visions on Post-It notes. Here's a taste.

For more of Kenn's work, click here.

Movie Macabre Returns!

Many a late Saturday night was spent watching Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark ham it up on Movie Macabre. Cheesy movies like The Mad Butcher, Beast In The Cellar and Dr. Heckyl and Mr Hype were made infinitely more watchable by Elvira's commentary. Well, it looks like a new set of episodes are on the way. Check the video below for the deets.

I Swallow Your Soup!

Saw these hilariously awesome things on Sci-Fi Wire a few days ago.

It brings a smile to my face to know that some Bruce fan has already printed these off and put them on soup cans in a supermarket somewhere. Hell, I might just do it myself for shits and giggles.

And I Love This Short.

Thanks to the jaded viewer for drawing my attention to a 2008 short called I Love Sarah Jane. Like Let The Right One In, it grounds its genre underpinnings with a coming-of-age story. I adore the last few moments of this piece. I can't wait to see more from Spencer Susser in the future. Watch I Love Sarah Jane below.

Nightmares in Blu.

I finally got around to watching my A Nightmare On Elm Street Blu-ray this week.


You know, it's really quite astonishing how well this movie holds up. Let me first talk about how gorgeous this movie looks on Blu-ray. With some of these golden oldies, namely Texas Chainsaw and The Evil Dead, I always wonder if a high-def transfer is even necessary – as their graininess is part of their power – but with Nightmare, it really pops. The creativity used in the many dreamscapes is immaculately rendered and on full display. The excellent sound mix is equal to the task, as well.


I've revisited this film about four times this year and it still always astonishes me how solidly its put together. The classic horrors that endure are a combination of a great story, all the right people involved and a whole lot of luck. Nightmare has all three of these in abundance. This seminal eighties slasher not only has the scares, but also the smarts. It's a rare combination, especially for one that came so late in the cycle.


Fortunately, I had yet to pick up a recent issue of this on disc, so the abundant special features were all new to me. I will say that I was disappointed that the included featurette “Never Sleep Again” wasn't the comprehensive doc by Farrands & Kasch that's been making the festival rounds of late. However, the one that is on there is still quite good. I really dug that they talked at length about all the effects shots in film, namely the death scenes. There's also a bit called “The House That Freddy Built”, that delves into how much the Nightmare series helped turn fledgling film company New Line Cinema into the empire that would later bring forth the epic Lord Of The Rings adaptations. The two commentaries are also interesting. I believe they aren't new – one is actually from the laserdisc released in the mid-nineties – but they are still engrossing. The first is a conversational commentary with director Wes Craven, cinematographer Jacques Haitkin and actors Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon, and the second is a newer track featuring inserted clips with a least a dozen people involved in the production, including actors Craven, Langenkamp, Amanda Wyss, Robert Englund, producers Bob Shaye & Sara Risher and composer Charles Bernstein.


So, as you can see, the disc is jammed. It's worth owning for the Hi-Def transfer alone, but there are several hours of supplementals to go with it, as well. A Nightmare On Elm Street is a touchstone film for me, and you will not see it any better represented than on this release.

*Blu-ray screencaps courtesy of DVDBeaver.

24 Hour Update.

Well, the 24 Hour Film Race screening went off without a hitch yesterday. To be honest, I was worried with all these G20 nonsense, I wouldn’t be able to get to the screening on time, but the roads were clear as day. It appears that people are either staying home or have left the city all together.

Where is everybody?

The audience seemed to be receptive to our short – always a good thing – even though it was the last in a series of twenty-two to hit the screen. Afterwards, Darrin, Harmonie & I went over to a nearby pub and mingled for a bit before the organizers handed out the audience awards.

Our short J Plus K came third! The winner was a very funny short called Besties, by an improv troupe of four dudes who I’d seen before. Their winning 2008 24-hour short Bum Rush actually played at Toronto After Dark a few years back. I was kind of bummed that an entry shot at Springridge Farm featuring a guy in a giant strawberry suit didn’t place, but what can you do.

He wuz robbed!

So, a few weeks from now, the top five shorts will be announced on the Film Racing website. I’m feeling good about our chances!

Thalassophobia Turns 35.

With all this Film Race stuff going on last week, I completely failed to notice we had a birthday come and go. Thirty-five years ago, Steven Spielberg unleashed Jaws, a film adaptation of the best-selling book by Peter Benchley. It scarred generations of swimmers and made what was actually a malfunctioning mechanical shark affectionately nicknamed Bruce a household name. Three sequels and many knockoffs followed, but none packed the punch that the 1975 film did. Who didn't sneak a look behind them while underwater at the local pool? Just to make absolutely sure. That's the power Jaws had on us all.

Happy birthday, ya big lug.