The Flicks:

Scared Shrekless is pretty funny. The whole gang is back and Shrek has challenged them into a scare off. They all tell scary stories and the last one left that hasn’t been Scared Shrekless wins. Some of the stories were entertaining, but I wasn’t completely sold on the delivery. Don’t get me wrong, fans of Shrek are going to find plenty to enjoy. I’ve just never been a huge fan of the franchise. The animation is top notch and I was really impressed with how detailed it was for just a Halloween special. Overall, it is a fun Halloween short that will deliver the goods for younger audiences and Shrek fans alike.

Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space was a fun, throwback Halloween romp that kept me entertained until the very last frame. I know lots of fans were luke warm on Monsters vs Aliens, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and this Halloween special is just killer. The premise is a simple one that just plain works. Aliens have somehow taken over the bodies of Halloween pumpkins and are out to take over the world on Halloween night! The gang of misfit monsters rushes to the rescue and the mutant alien pumpkins prove to be worthy adversaries.

I’m a pushover for old school monsters and classic science fiction ethos, and Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space is a classic example of how to do it right. It totally captures the spirit of Halloween by showcasing the beautiful landscape of trick or treaters canvasing the neighborhood as the mutant alien pumpkins try to ruin their fun. The characters are strong, the animation is stellar, and the pumpkins are awesome. Fun for the whole family.

The DVDs:

Audio/Video

The audio came in loud and clear and the video looked fantastic. Solid release.

Special Features

Scared Screkless

Thriller: The Shrek gang parody the Michael Jackson classic, and do it with style. Well worth watching.

There is also These Boots Are Made For Walking, Puss In Boots feature that is pretty solid, and some previews as well.

Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space

Karaoke Music Party: Have fun jamming with the MvsA gang.

Modern Monster Movie-Making: A cool feature centered around creating classic monster movies.

There’s also a host of other features that focus on the characters and the prerequisite previews as well.

The Flicks:

Scared Screkless: Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The DVDs: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Night of the Pumpkin is directed by Frank Sabatella (Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet) and written by Ted Geoghegan (Sweatshop, Barricade)

Night of the Pumpkin from Sideshow Pictures on Vimeo.

Click for larger image.

Killer Film has received an exclusive from the people at Sideshow Pictures. They are getting ready to release their newest short just in time for Halloween. It’s called Night of the Pumpkin. It is being directed by Frank Sabatella (Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet) and is written by Ted Geoghegan (Sweatshop, Barricade). We were given a look at the poster and 2 pictures from the production.

Click for larger image.

(from left to right) A severely under-dressed Paul Castro Jr. as Roy, Blake Willow as Eliza, and quite-clothed director Frank Sabatella.

Night of the Pumpkin will debut on Tuesday, October 26. Check it out and let us know what you think!

The Night He Came…Home.

There’s no embedded code, so click here if you’re 18+.

Spoof porn! It was on Halloween night that a young Michael Myers inexplicably slaughtered his slutty older sister (RAVEN ALEXIS). Fifteen later, he escapes a mental hospital and returns home. Spotting a scholarly looking teenager, Laurie (LILY LABEAU), the deranged psychopath Michael lusts after her and stalks her. Finding her trampy friends, Annie (ANDY SAN DIMAS) and Lynda (LEXI BELLE) engaging in carnal acts with their boyfriends on Halloween eve, just as his sister did years ago, sets Michael off. While her friends are off engaging in sex acts and getting killed, the responsible Laurie is at home babysitting. Unable to reach her friends by phone, Laurie becomes suspicious and walks across the street to Annie’s darkened house and comes face to face with Michael Myers himself.

Source: Bloody Disgusting

Teasing the production, Hull has sent over the film’s first real poster, featuring the masked killer, ‘Sadie Grace’.

Gus Pruitt (Jim O’Rear) is a survivor. In high school, he survived a brutal massacre & went on to write numerous books on the experience & star in a reality show. Years later, Gus has fallen from best selling author to out of work writer. His once popular show has now become a train wreck. He hits rock bottom when his show is replaced by a new, popular reality show dealing with slashers.

When the new show has a bloody run in with someone from Gus’s past, the survivors seek Gus & his crew out for help. As both crews unite & discover a masked slasher hunting them down, it’s up to Gus Pruitt to save the day!

Blood & hilarity ensue when it’s revealed Gus may not be 100% honest about who he is…

The indie film is aiming for a late 2012 release. Keep up-to-date with the film via its Facebook page. More soon!

Source: Joshua Hull

The Legends

The Shape/Michael Myers, Halloween (1978)

This infamous face is one of the plainest masks in horror history, and yet it remains the most terrifying. Perhaps William Shatner is to blame for that, as the mask was created in his likeness. Fashioned from a Captain Kirk Halloween mask, the pale, emotionless face perfectly matches the cold, soulless demeanor of “The Shape” (as Carpenter’s killer was known back then). Together with that blue jumpsuit, the mask has solidified Michael Myers as a horror icon.

Leatherface, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Few things are more terrifying than a nut-job who wears other people’s skin – especially when said nut-job is an inbred, mentally-challenged, chainsaw-wielding cannibal. The Sawyer boy’s tendency to wear the skin of his victims as masks was inspired by real-life killer, Ed Gein. The look is such an integral part of the character that it has become his name – Leatherface. “Bubba” and “Junior” have been thrown around as possible monikers for the killer, but those names will never make you shudder like “Leatherface” does.

Jason Voorhees, Friday the 13^th: Part III (1982)

Jason has undergone numerous makeovers during the course of the franchise, from deformed boy to sack-headed hillbilly to full-on zombie, but only one look is recognized by anyone aged 5 to 95 – the hockey mask. Thanks to Jason, this otherwise harmless piece of fiberglass has become a symbol of terror. Even goalies stopped wearing this style of mask, so the look is truly Jason’s now (well, and Casey Jones). Either way, when you see this face coming at you, you know to run the other way.

Hannibal Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Unlike the other entries on this list, Hannibal did not wear this mask for his kills, or even by choice. But who can deny the terrifying imagery of the infamous cannibal in his mouth restraint? From the nose down, it somewhat resembles the iconic Jason Voorhees mask. Only with Hannibal, we can see his eyes – those bat-shit crazy eyes. The purpose of this mask is to prevent you from becoming dinner but the image definitely doesn’t evoke a feeling of safety. The mere concept of a grown man having to wear a muzzle like some rabid Rottweiler is quite unnerving.

Jack Griffin, The Invisible Man (1933)

One of the legendary Universal monsters, the Invisible Man wears a mask of bandages to make himself seen. The scientist behind the monster is Dr. Griffin, a man who discovered the secret of invisibility. His newfound ability drives him insane and he starts killing people. The bandage face with sunglasses is one of the oldest and most recognizable masks in the horror genre.

The Cult Favorites

The “Yellow Raincoat Killer”, Alice, Sweet Alice (1976)

Like Don’t Look Now for the slasher crowd, this thriller is full of striking imagery, creepy children, and strong characters. But Alice has something that movie did not – a killer in one freaking scary mask. In addition to the memorable yellow raincoat he/she wears, the villain obscures their face with one of those transparent, plastic masks with the makeup painted on. This look reiterates what Michael Myers taught us – a frozen human face is scarier than any monster mask.

The Miner, My Bloody Valentine (1981)

Twenty years after a tragic mining accident, someone is killing the locals, and everyone believes it is Harry Warden, the sole survivor of the accident. After killing the miners who almost killed him over a Valentine’s Day dance, Harry warned the town to never throw the dance again. Now, two decades later, the town has disobeyed his warning. Wearing a gas mask, headlamp, and mining jumpsuit, the Miner dispatches his victims with a pickaxe. It’s a practical look, given Harry’s old profession, but his monstrous appearance is sure to inspire nightmares.

Irving Wallace, Stage Fright: Aquarius (1987)

Not to be confused with the similarly-named Hitchcock thriller or Ozploitation flick, Michele Soavi’s 1987 slasher film follows a group of stage actors who become locked inside a theatre with actor-turned-maniac, Irving Wallace, who has recently escaped the loony bin. The killer dons a giant owl head (a prop from the play) and picks the thespians off one-by-one. Amusing as the owl head may be, it is equally creepy, especially those beady bird eyes.

The “Groucho Killer”, Terror Train (1980)

While the killer in this film wears the familiar Groucho Marx mask for only a small portion of the film, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this mask-heavy cult classic. A group of graduating college students takes a “steam engine excursion” wherein they have a drunken masquerade aboard a locomotive. Unbeknownst to them, a killer has snuck aboard and uses the victims’ masks to get around discretely. The first of which is a Groucho mask, an image that has become synonymous with this film. Who knew the lovable Groucho could be so evil?

The Prowler, The Prowler (1981)

A jilted World War II veteran returns home and murders his ex-girlfriend on the night of their graduation dance. Thirty-five years later, at another graduation dance, the kids are being picked off by a masked killer in WWII fatigues. The Prowler’s mask is basically just a closed-up hood, but it effectively turns his/her face into an eerie, shapeless black figure. Combat boots, a helmet, and a trench knife complete the look. Don’t ask me why he has a pitchfork, though – just enjoy the Prowler’s kills, courtesy of Tom Savini.

The Newcomers

Jigsaw, Saw (2004)

I decided I could only choose one pig mask for this list, and despite my love of Farmer Vincent in Motel Hell, I am giving it to Jigsaw for sheer scares, as opposed to laughs. Call it trite but the mask, the robe, and the inexplicable wig all make for a creepy bad guy. One year on Halloween, I dressed as Farmer Vincent and every kid I encountered said, “Cool, it’s the Saw guy!” As much as that irked this horror snob, it goes to show you what an impact the look has had on modern youth. Jigsaw is doing to kids today what Freddy Krueger did to children of the 80s.

Leslie Vernon, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Quickly becoming a horror icon, Leslie Vernon gives us a peak behind-the-scenes of the slasher subgenre. Wearing a Myers-inspired mask with large, hollow eyes and a down-turned mouth, Leslie aims to become the next horror legend by taking a camera crew along for his exploits. Behind the Mask is one of the better horror offerings in the last decade, and like Scream, it pokes fun at its own genre clichés.

Sam, Trick r’ Treat (2007)

If scarecrows did not already ruin burlap sacks for you, then Sam ought to do the trick. With button eyes and a stitched-in smile, the little guy looks harmless. But don’t let the orange footie pajamas fool you – disobey the rules of Halloween and you will get a jagged lollipop in your eye. Sam proves that size does not matter, especially with a potato sack on your head that keeps everyone wondering, What the hell is under there?? I actually wish I didn’t know – Sam is a lot scarier with his mask on.

Man in the Mask, Dollface, and Pin-Up Girl, The Strangers (2008)

This home invasion horror has not one, but three masked foes. Even creepier, it is implied that these masked terrors are a family unit – father, mother, daughter. Each wears a different scary mask – the “dad” in a pillowcase-like sack with droopy eye and mouth holes; the “mom” in porcelain china-doll mask; and the “daughter” in a wide-eyed babydoll face. The trio terrifies a young couple for seemingly no reason. Most of the scares in the film are attributable to the incredibly creepy masks, without which the movie would not be the same.

Chrome Skull, Laid to Rest (2009)

Amidst the shit-storm of horror remakes and crappy sequels out there, Laid to Rest shows that original, masked slasher villains are not just a thing of the past. With the exception of Leslie Vernon, true slasher killers on-screen are hard to find these days. While that film aimed for parody, Laid to Rest shoots to be a hardcore slasher. Chrome Skull – a tall man dressed in black with a chrome skull mask – wields twin knuckle knives and videotapes his kills from a camera on his shoulder. Not unlike Leatherface, the mask names the killer, and proves that old-school slashers are not dead.

The film is directed by Japanese director Shunji Iwai (New York, I Love You), the film stars Kevin Zegers (Dawn of the Dead), Rachael Leigh Cook (She’s All That), Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), and Kristin Kreuk (Rob Zombie’s Halloween). Below are some of the first stills for the film:

More from this film as Sundance 2011 breaks.

The director says of the film: “Bereavement is a very, very different film from the first one. The only way to describe it is like an epic horror story. It’s more in the vein of The Shining, whereas the original was kind of like Halloween or Friday the 13th. Bereavement is more of a character study than Malevolence was.”

Source: Dread Central

The Film:

It’s a late Saturday night, the crowds are piling into a small venue that’s filled with smoke. Later on in the night, the smell of sweat will overcome the cigarette smell. None of this matters. The lights are dim, the roadies toying with equipment, people start to cram in. With all of this, the anticipation of music add to the excitement. Lights go down, screams erupt, the first few chords hit, and from then on, the smoke, the sweat, the beer stained floors matter not, as there is nothing like a rock concert. Particularly at a small club, mind you. While I wasn’t around for “Cherry Bomb” and the short-and-sweet fame of the Runaways, leaving the theater, I felt like I stunk of sweat and smoke nonetheless.

The Runaways isn’t anything new in the rock biopic that we haven’t seen in The Doors or Control. The arc is still the same, whether it’s an LA band with mojo rising or some alt-punk from the UK, these girls aren’t guys, and although they’re rock goddesses, it’s still sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Just don’t forget the burn out and the “where are they now?” epilogue. For some, the lack of a deep insight into the ground-breaking band will damper their spirits, but save that sorry song for a documentary on VH1. What is rock and roll? An in-your-face muscular expression, that not only charges you up, but is your voice when you don’t have one.

That’s what this film is, and if anything, it’s because of the fine acting the film has to offer that carries past its flaws. Kristen Stewart is top billed and damn good as Joan Jett. Critics and fans love thinking and analyzing roles actors and actresses are born to play, and possibly that’s who this Twilight star was born to be. But an even braver performance is from Dakota Fanning as Cherie, the lead voice of The Runaways. The actors age fits nicely in with their real life counterparts, and everything is pitch perfect. Hello, scene-stealer, hello actor-who-should-get-cast-more: Michael Sh-sh-sh-shannon (Bug, Revolutionary Road)! He owns every scene as the bands oddball manager, Kim Fowlery. Even Scout Taylor-Compton (Halloween) gives another solid performance, although her role as Lita Ford is brief.

If you’re going to knock The Runaways, it’s for the lack of real depth in the characters and the jaded perspective that focuses the film on mostly Joan Jett and Cherie Currie. The film was adapted from a book by Cherie called, Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway and was produced by Jett, so this could explain why someone as big as Lita Ford was dropped out of the film’s focus, especially if you already know about the real-life drama. Does it truly matter? Yes, but the film needed a focus, and that is the creation of the band, Cherie’s involvement and descent into drugs, and the relationship between her and Jett. Fault it for that, but only purists will. Regular or even non-fans will enjoy that time frame of early punk, the sex, drugs, and rock and roll all dressed up in Floira Sigismondi’s sly direction.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: Sony issues a really sharp looking transfer. The film is purposely grainy and a little overcooked, but it’s the director’s intent, and it’s faithfully given a lavish HD print. It’s not demo material but it is the best looking transfer for the film, doing what it needs to. However, the DTS track just explodes like a (cherry) bomb. The rock soundtrack is a natural for having a blistering track, but there’s plenty of bass, clean dialogue, and ambiant noises for the track to fully immerse you into the late 70s. Sony delivers a knock out on Blu-ray.

Commentary: We get Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, and Joan Jett herself, as they briskly chat about the film. It’s not the deepest track out there, as we do get some silence and random observations, but when they do get into it, it’s a nice time spent.

Plugged In: Making the Film: In HD, this 15 minute piece about the making of the film with interviews, and a special chat with the real Currie (Fanning’s character) about all of this. I rather enjoyed this, even if it’s a little glossy.

The Runaways, which is a super short promo piece recut of the above featurette, Trailers, and Sony’s MovieIQ finishes out the extras.

The Film: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

John Carpenter will get his much deserved award on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at the Wyndham Orlando Resort.

Source: Dread Central

From the Press Release
The 5th Annual FREAK SHOW Horror Film Festival has announced that legendary horror director John Carpenter will receive the festival’s Lifetime Achievement “Freaky” Award at a gala ceremony to be held on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at the Wyndham Orlando Resort. The announcement was made today by Robert J. Massetti, Founder and Director of the FREAK SHOW Horror Film Festival.

Mr. Massetti states, “We are honored to have Mr. Carpenter be this years recipient of our Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a master filmmaker and embodies the true independent filmmaking spirit, which has been an inspiration to me and to all independent horror filmmakers.

Past recipients of the Lifetime Achievement “Freaky” Award have included the Godfather of Gore HG Lewis, Music Composer Henry Manfredini, and Troma Film’s Lloyd Kaufman.

John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, film score composer and occasional actor. Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres, and is considered one of the most accomplished and influential horror and science fiction directors in Hollywood. Films include “Halloween”, “The Fog”, “Christine”, “The Thing”, and “Escape From New York”.

The FREAK SHOW Horror Film Festival is a horror genre film festival founded by FEAR FILM Motion Picture Studio’s owner Robert J. Massetti. The Festival is part of Spooky Empire’s Ultimate Horror Weekend, which is the largest horror convention in the state of Florida drawing more than 12,000 horror fans annually. The convention features celebrity guests, bands, tattoo room, and huge after parties by pool.

Shooting later this year, here’s a cool teaser poster for it. I like the font, which mimics what was on the original one-sheet for Carpenter’s Halloween.

Follow the film on Facebook here.

Source: ThinkMcFlyThink

Let me tell you why it was okay for the remakes of Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street to exist. In a nutshell: pop culture. More so than potential remakes of The Exorcist, Mother’s Day, The Birds, Hellraiser, and even prior remakes of Amityville Horror, Dawn of the Dead, and Psycho, the likes of Michael Myers (Halloween), Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th), and Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street) have entered pop culture. The others have not. So what does this mean?

After the great cycle for Universal Pictures in the 1930′s and early 1940′s in such films as Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Mummy (1933), and Wolf Man (1941), by the end of the 1940′s most of these prized franchises were in monster mash-up or comedic team-ups, trying to milk their popularity for one last dollar. The Universal Monsters, as we love to call them, were the creatures of the night for the Depression Era populous. They scared them, and after their kids were born, they scared them too during airings in the late 1950′s on television. By the time Hammer chose to remake or reinvent the Universal Monsters in thrilling technicolor films in the late 1950′s and early 1960′s, Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and Wolf Man were now universally recognized characters that we mocked, bought costumes of for Halloween, heard in references, and thus became, through these classic films, pop cultured.

For the Baby Boomer generation, seeing richly colored versions of these characters in Horror of Dracula (1958), The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), The Mummy (1959), and The Curse of the Werewolf (1961) scared them all over again. These were remakes in a sense, and yes, while these characters were born out of literature, these films only re-established the characters for a new generation of film goers. Like the Universal Monsters, Hammer Studios faced diminishing returns for these characters through countless sequels, and the cycle ended. Throughout the next couple of decades, various new takes on these characters would come and go, some successful, others weren’t. But by the time the 1970′s concluded, the world, especially America, faced something even more terrifying than these Old World monsters: serial killers.

The 1970′s was an avalanche of emerging serial killers that terrified communities and got front page headlines. Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, the Zodiac, these real life monsters sacred us more than spiderwebs and old castles ever could. And it didn’t take the horror industry to catch on. After Psycho revolutionized a new genre, that only Halloween and Friday the 13th helped popularized, masked killers were all the rage. But like the Universal Monsters, these masked killers ended their cycle by diminishing returns as well. Halloween: Resurrection (2002) made only $30 million dollars domestically, Jason X (2001) didn’t make back its budget theatrically at $12.6 million, and while New Nightmare (1994) is widely considered the second best in the franchise, it tanked at the box office with a measly $14.4 million domestically.Their original runs were over, because if it isn’t making dollars, it isn’t making sense (even though Freddy vs. Jason was a huge hit, it’s the anomaly here, so I left it off).

With the box office successes of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Dawn of the Dead remakes, it was only a matter of time that Michael Myers, Jason, and Freddy were remade. Let’s not forget that by this time, these characters transcended being horror icons and entered that rare stratosphere of being pop culture icons. Check this: Rob Zombie’s Halloween remake grossed double its budget domestically with $60 million dollars and the Friday the 13th remake made a whopping $43.5 million on its opening weekend! This proves two things: 1) name recognition due to popular culture; and 2) another generation was ready for their re-emergence.  Our personal feelings and critical analysis be damned.

Whether we think, as horror fans who loved the originals, that they were good or bad, they are making money. But there’s something a tad bit more important here, than just the idea of them in a remake. Due to generational differences, the cultural phenomenon of serial killers, Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers are the new Universal Monsters for Gen X and beyond, so to speak. For us that grew up on their original appearances, to deny our kids and future generations these great, scary characters in new films, with today’s technology, is shortsighted on our part. Will these remake erase those classic first films we love so much? No. Will they constantly make new special editions on DVD and Blu-ray of those films? Yes. They’ll always be here, the originals, and these characters are so good, I hope they never go away. That’s the reason why, for these three characters, it’s 100% a-okay for studios to remake them, bringing them back, for future generations to be scared of.

Every city has kids throughout the years growing up on Elm Street, practicing pre-marital sex, and there’s always something in our urban communities that they’ll fear the boogieman, so with these classic characters, I hope my grand kids get new films to scare them from ever going camping, the shadows, and to sleep.

What’s your take on their remakes and the characters? Do they belong in every generation or are they a product of the time they were original made in? Feel free to comment below!

Tom stated he would be playing a “a shrink in a mental hospital that Laurie [Scout Taylor-Compton] is in with a bunch of other girls who have been up to no good. I’m trying to help them find a way to the light.”

For those who don’t remember, Halloween III was the sole Michael Myers-less film in the franchise, so it’ll be a little kick to see Atkins go toe-to-toe with The Shape. Obviously, we shall wait and see to if this comes to fruition. Fans were mixed on Zombie’s first remake and down right hated the sequel. Halloween is still regarded as a hot franchise, and My Bloody Valentine 3D was a hit, so conventionally speaking, signing Lussier for a third film, whether it’s a strict sequel or not, on paper looks good.

Source: DreadCentral

Halloween

John Carpenter gets it right.  A perfectly- paced origin story of one of our greatest horror icons. I think of watching this one every year.

The Exorcist

This is still my pick for scariest movie of all time.  It all has to do with the pacing and tone. Having seen this as a child, watching Linda Blair go through this was and still is terrifying.

Poltergeist

Because my birthday is right around Halloween, I used to play Horror films at my birthday parties.  According to some of my scarred friends, I played Poltergeist at my grade 3 bash.  My mother got some phone calls on that one!  Classic.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

This original Tobe Hooper film still holds up for me.  No ghosts or goblins, just a bunch of crazies in a small town.  Delightful.

Blair Witch Project

Some people hate this film.  This movie scared the crap out of me.  This movie was a phenomenon for the right reasons.  Well made, well acted, and something totally different.