iPhone Horror Film — DEAD iSLAND

two things that i love dearly and that have increasingly become part of my daily life in the last year or so are twitter and my iphone. i use the two in tandem to keep track of horror related news and gossip and to make new friends in the horror community, but i’d always thought these technologies were limited to talking about horror movies — not making them. well, i was wrong. josh davidson (who you may remember from PERKINS’ 14) is a fellow baltimore/dc area horror-buddy i met through twitter who keeps me informed of local horror events/screenings and projects he’s involved with. his latest endeavor is a low-budget horror feature filmed entirely on iphones entitled DEAD iSLAND, which he co-wrote and is directing.

DEAD iSLAND is being produced by be more films and is scheduled to be completed later this month. from what i’ve seen, i think both the technical and story concepts sound fascinating and i can’t wait to see how this turns out. josh describes it as a cross between two films i love (THE STRANGERS and THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT), which after watching the trailer, seems pretty accurate. the film is still a work-in-progress at this point so no release date has been set, but i’ve included the synopsis and trailer below. combining my love of the survival horror genre with my geeky tech love of apple’s sexy hand-held is just too tempting a combination to resist, so i’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for the release of DEAD iSLAND. you can read more about DEAD iSLAND, related projects, and see several short films at bemorefilms.com.

Synopsis
Dead Island centers around Kelsey (Emily Fondersmith) and Devon (Charlie Dreizen), 17-year old twins. Their parents have decided to up and move their whole family to an island thousands of miles from their childhood home, right before their senior year in high school. Needless to say the twins aren’t too happy about this move. Tensions are high in their normally tight knit family. This tension is not helped by the twin’s newfound hobby of recording everything about their lives with their camera phones, which are otherwise useless on the island where cell reception is non-existent.

The twins settle into their new high school where they are befriended by one odd girl, Tracy. Tracy is immediately smitten with Devon who is a little put off by Tracy’s advances. After a reluctant trip to the beach with Tracy, the twins return home to a not so friendly welcome. A pair of masked killers invade their house and terrorize the family throughout the night. The killers embrace the fact that the twins film everything after they bust in and take one of the phones, which sets up the rest of the movie to be filmed from both the killer’s perspective and their victim’s.

Just when you think the movie is over and you are wanting more, that’s what you get. Many twists and turns lie in the last several minutes of the movie that will hopefully leave you blown away.

Horror DVD Releases – Week of October 12th, 2010

(descriptions from BestBuy, Amazon, & Netflix)

Jonah Hex (2010)
1970s-era DC antihero Jonah Hex makes his way to the big screen as co-screenwriters Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (Crank, Gamer) team to follow the disfigured gunslinger and part-time bounty hunter on his biggest adventure yet. Supernatural elements combine with Western aesthetics to take viewers on a wild and bloody ride, with Josh Brolin leading the way as Hex and John Malkovich stepping into the villainous role of Turnbull. Jimmy Hayward Horton Hears a Who) directs.

Lost Boys: The Thirst (2010)
When an ambitious alpha bloodsucker disguises vampire blood as a designer drug in a bit to claim the entire planet in the name of the undead, it’s up to Edgar (Corey Feldman) and Alan Frog (Jamison Newlander) to fight for the future of the entire human race. As the Blood Moon shines brightly in the midnight sky, the fearless vampire killers leap into action armed with enough tailor made weaponry to blast the demonic beasts into oblivion.

Coffin Rock (2009)
A drunken one-night-stand has potentially deadly consequences in this thriller from writer and director Rupert Glasson. Rob (Robert Taylor) and Jess (Lisa Chappell) are a married couple who run a general store in a small fishing village on the Australian coast. While Rob and Jess love one another deeply, they want to have children and their inability to conceive after three years of trying has caused tension to slowly build between them. One day, Evan (San Parsonson), a handsome young drifter, arrives in town looking for work. Jess gives him some odd jobs at the store, and the two strike up a friendship. One night, Jess sees Evan at a local tavern, and after a few drinks too many, they end up sleeping together. Wracked with guilt, Jess makes clear that she considers her infidelity to be a mistake and won’t allow it to happen again. But Evan goes from being sweetly infatuated with Jess to becoming dangerously obsessed, and she’s not sure how to get rid of him without letting her husband know what happened.

Sculpture (2010)
Repressed artist Ashley Steele (Raine Brown) finds suppressed childhood traumas resurfacing as she prepares attempts to summon the inspiration to create her masterpiece for an upcoming art exhibition. In the wake of her parents’ recent death, Ashley arrives at her childhood home to find that her brother has fallen into an obsessive spiral. When a local art dealer commissions her to create a new sculpture, Ashley enthusiastically accepts. But as the emotionally fragile artist hires a group of handsome bodybuilders to model for a sculpture of the perfect man, a series of scaring events from her turbulent childhood gradually begin to consume her from the inside out. Later, as Ashley finds her murderous impulses becoming too powerful to resist, her best friend (Misty Mundae) struggles to pull her back from the brink.

Mega Piranha (2010)
A gigantic school of mutant piranha makes their way up to Florida from South America while devouring anyone – and anything – that gets in their way. Tiffany, Paul Logan, and Barry Williams star

Paranormal Entity (2009)
In 2008 the Finley family was brutally murdered in their comfortable suburban home. A videotape was discovered at the scene of the crime. Do you dare watch it?

Carnies (2010)
A traveling sideshow arrives in another town decimated by the dustbowl, where the performers find themselves beset by a malevolent force that begins claiming them one-by-one. Meanwhile, Detective Ellison (Reggie Banister) launches an investigation that leads him to question Virgil the Strong Man (Chris Straviski) and Ratty the Snake Handler (Doug Jones), two of the sideshow’s most prominent performers. Perhaps, if they don’t have the answers to the questions he’s asking, elusive carnival owner Helen (Denise Gossett) will.

Doghouse (2009)
This British horror comedy concerns a group of men suffering from midlife crises, who embark on a relaxing country weekend but wind up in a village overrun by psychotic and cannibalistic female creatures.

The Dark Lurking (2008)
When communications to a top secret underground research facility inexplicably cut-off, eight desperate workers must battle their way up through 13 floors, fighting flesh-eating mutants every step of the way, in order to reach the surface and escape a fate worse than death. The year is 2017. One mile underground, in research station 320, all hell is about to break loose. With no means of calling for help and hordes of rampaging mutants blocking every exit, two research technicians, a pair of research subjects, a medic, and three mercenaries find their supplies starting to dwindle, and their time running out. Now one of them is in the beginning stages of a horrifying transformation, and unless they reach the surface soon, everyone will die.

Psycho Shark (2009)
A summer escape to Sunny Beach proves a bloody mistake for two fun-loving college coeds excited to take a break from studying. Miki and Mai were searching for a luxurious resort when they wandered off the beaten path in a tropical paradise. Now the harder they try to find their way back, the more lost they become. Later, when the girls cross paths with a friendly stranger who agrees to let them stay at his lodge, they begin to think their nightmare has ended. But appearances can be deceiving, and this stranger harbors a deadly secret. When Miki begins to sense an ominous presence and notices that their host has bloodstains under his fingernails, she realizes too late that they’ve wandered straight into a deadly trap.

The Director’s Cut (2009)
Pain Is Temporary. Film Is Forever. A bloody black comedy set in the harsh Australian outback, The Director’s Cut tells the tale of a tyrannical director attempting to shoot his first feature film on a farm in the middle of nowhere. When people start dying, he has to decide which is more important: his crew or his film.

S&Man (2006)
J.T. Petty takes a break from scaring audiences to explore the connection between voyeurism and the horror genre in a documentary that seeks to scrutinize the psychological underpinnings of the fright films by speaking with both the people who make them and the scholars who study them. In addition to delving into such issues as objectivity/subjectivity, audience sympathy, and what the need to be scared says about the viewer, Petty backs up his theory about voyeurism’s connection to horror by exploring the case of a man who was caught obsessively capturing video footage of his neighbors.

Crucible of Terror (1971)
His name was Mike Raven, the popular Pirate Radio DJ and known occultist whose spectacularly failed attempt at 70s horror stardom marked one of the most bizarre careers in British movie history. And in his most infamous role of all, Raven stars as an insane sculptor whose obsession with the perfect female form leads to a nightmare of sex, sorcery and slaughter. Within a year of this film s release, Raven would mysteriously disappear from the entertainment business forever…to become a sculptor. Melissa Stribling (HORROR OF DRACULA), Ronald Lacey (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK) and Me Me Lay (THE MAN FROM DEEP RIVER) co-star in this still-sordid cult shocker transferred in startling HD from the only known uncut 35mm print in existence, loaned to Severin by a Bodmin Moor coven!

Brain Dead (2010)
In this low-budget horror flick from director Kevin Tenney, a sleepy fishing port town is consumed with terror when a small crater crash-lands nearby and releases a slimy parasitic agent that transforms the residents into brain-eating zombies. Cornered in an abandoned fishing lodge, six strangers are forced to band together to stave off the blood-sucking monsters clawing the walls outside.

Horror Community Highlights – October 8, 2010



email suggestions for next week’s community highlights to jon@evilontwolegs.com

The Final Word(s) in Horror

Whether it’s a harrowing death-bed confession or simply a final shout before the big finale, someone’s last utterance speaks to that most intimate and terrifying moment that Shakespeare calls “the undiscovered country.” It also tells you something about the person. On his deathbed, the writer James Joyce spoke to his frustrations as an avant-garde novelist years ahead of his time when he asked “Does nobody understand?” And the fact that Timothy Leary said “Why not?” before dying speaks to his intrepid curiosity. It is in this spirit that I present some of my favorite dying words in horror films.

“Jesus Wept.”
~ Frank Cotton, in Hellraiser

Just before he’s ripped in half by demonic chains, Frank quotes the shortest sentence in the Bible in a way that suggests he’s finally learned its unsettling secret. Being in tune with our spirituality isn’t always a pleasant experience involving clouds and chubby angels with harps. Religion is strange and scary. But if we’re brave enough to embrace it, our pain can be enlightening, and even pleasurable.

“Clever girl.”
~ Robert Muldoon, in Jurassic Park

Everything about his final words attest to the fact that this man was a genuine badass. He keeps his cool, even though he knows he’s about to become raptor-chow. Plus, he’s man enough to admit that he’s been out-smarted, and even admires the cunning of his predator. It’s also a statement about the film as a whole and speaks to the fact that they’ve just upset the natural order of things in a way that wasn’t at all clever or wise.

“Become Vengeance, David. Become wrath.”
~ John Doe, in Se7en

John Doe is the psycho-killer from whose cloth all other psycho-killers after him are cut. Even though the lines have perhaps become a little cheesy after 15 years, they made me jump out of my seat when I saw this film in 1995. These lines are unique, I think, in that they serve so many different roles: they are a confession, a sermon, and John Doe’s bizarre method of suicide.

“Choke on ’em!”
~ Captain Rhodes, in Day of the Dead

Rhodes is the undeniable antagonist of the film, but his modus operandi is much like any commander in a hostile, occupational setting: minimize casualties in his own ranks, maintain order, oppress the “locals,” and do so in as cruel and callous a fashion as possible. Of course, the oppressed zombies stage an uprising and have their revenge on Rhodes by devouring his intestines. As they do so, Rhodes, defiant as ever, gives his last command to “choke on ‘em.”

“Here kitty, kitty, kitty…”
~ Brett, in Alien

I’ve always loved Brett’s character. He’s not the sharpest tool in the ship’s shed and seems content to follow the lead of his buddy Parker. But he’s a good-natured, working-class kind of guy. I love the way the innocence of his last words are juxtaposed by the appearance of the now fully-grown alien. It suggests that he was simply unprepared to handle the real scale and magnitude of the alien’s threat to the ship and crew.

“Ok, but you have to take this recipe to the grave.”
~ J.T. Hague, in Planet Terror

I love EVERYTHING about this movie. Every frame of it is calculated to generate as much stylized, bad-ass cool as possible. I love the fact that J.T. and his brother continue their long-standing family quarrel over J.T.’s Texas barbecue in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Even when dying of his wounds, J.T. maintains his defiant demeanor and sense of humor by offering to at long last give his brother the recipe just before they blow themselves up in order for everyone else to safely escape.

Horror DVD Releases – Week of October 5th, 2010

the A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET remake streets this week, so if you’d like the blu-ray/dvd combo pack — don’t forget to enter your name into our drawing for a free copy.

(descriptions from BestBuy & Amazon)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
Platinum Dunes revives the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise with this reworking of slasher film legend Freddy Krueger, a deceased child killer who torments the dreams of the teenagers of Springwood, OH. Jackie Earle Haley picks up the killer’s mantle from series veteran Robert Englund with the reboot from music-video director Samuel Bayer.

Grindhouse (2007)
Together for the first time the Rodriguez/Tarantino Double Feature – GRINDHOUSE is back and better than ever! These rip-roaring and adrenaline-pumping films are now featured in the original theatrical exhibition format. Loaded with over 2 hours of bonus content, including the fan favorite “ Rodriguez’s10 Minute Cooking School,” this 2-disc Blu-Ray will deliver a new experience like never before!

The Human Centipede (2009)
Two American college girls become the subjects of a sadistic medical experiment while on a road trip across Europe. Invited to a party by a handsome waiter, Jenny and Lindsay are en route to the festivities when their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Desperate, they decide to seek help on foot, eventually coming across the home of a retired surgeon named Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser). Dr. Heiter is internationally renowned for his work on separating conjoined twins, but these days he’s using his surgical skills for something entirely different. His goal is to create a human centipede by removing his patient’s kneecaps, and sewing them together, mouth-to-anus.

Splice (2010)
Celebrated genetic engineers Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) conduct a clandestine experiment to create an animal/human hybrid that could revolutionize modern medicine — if it doesn’t destroy humanity first. On the heels of engineering an entirely new species of animal, Clive and Elsa become the toast of the scientific community. Their experiment begins to spiral out of control, however, when the superstar scientists introduce human DNA into the equation. When Dren is born, Clive and Elsa welcome her into the world as the next leap in human evolution. Now, the faster Dren evolves, the more her creators start to realize they may have made a catastrophic mistake.

The Exorcist: Extended Director’s Cut (1973)
Novelist William Peter Blatty based his best-seller on the last known Catholic-sanctioned exorcism in the United States. Blatty transformed the little boy in the 1949 incident into a little girl named Regan, played by 14-year-old Linda Blair. Suddenly prone to fits and bizarre behavior, Regan proves quite a handful for her actress-mother, Chris MacNeil (played by Ellen Burstyn, although Blatty reportedly based the character on his next-door neighbor Shirley MacLaine). When Regan gets completely out of hand, Chris calls in young priest Father Karras (Jason Miller), who becomes convinced that the girl is possessed by the Devil and that they must call in an exorcist: namely, Father Merrin (Max von Sydow). His foe proves to be no run-of-the-mill demon, and both the priest and the girl suffer numerous horrors during their struggles.

30 Days of Night: Dark Days (2010)
Nearly a year after the vampire siege of Barstow, Alaska, lone survivor Stella (Kiele Sanchez) discovers that she isn’t alone when she’s recruited to eradicate the vampire menace once and for all. Her waking hours filled mourning the death of her late husband and her dreams haunted by visions of the creatures that turned him into a monster, Stella becomes the subject of much ridicule when she makes it her mission to convince the public that vampires truly exist. But just as the embarrassment is becoming too much to handle, three strangers (Harold Perrineau, Diora Baird and Rhys Coiro) present Stella with an opportunity to seek revenge by killing Lilith (Mia Kirshner), the vampire queen behind the Barstow massacre.

The Slumber Party Massacre Collection
All three of the Slumber Party Massacre films in new, special editions.

Tomboys (2009)
A sexual assault victim and her friends exact vigilante justice on a serial rapist after realizing they’ve been failed by the justice system. Later, as the situation grows increasingly tense, some of the participants begin to wonder whether they’ve taken things too far.

The Rig (2010)
The roughneck skeleton crew of an off-shore oil rig battles a mysterious beast that’s killing them off one at a time as a massive tropical storm makes any hope for escape impossible. When the folks at headquarters notice a big storm blowing in, they evacuate the main crew of the “Charlie” rig, leaving only a few highly skilled workers behind to ensure that production continues uninterrupted. Later, as the storm rolls in, one of the crew members vanishes without a trace. And he’s just the first; over the next few hours, the remaining workers realize that something horrible is hunting them from the dark.

Troll 2 (1990)
In this ultra-cheapo Italian knock-off a little boy tries to warn his family and friends that the evil trolls his late grandfather used to tell him about are real. Unfortunately, no one believes him and he and his sister are sent to the enigmatic town of Nilbog where nightmarish things begin to happen.

Gong Tau: An Oriental Black Magic (2007)
Notorious Untold Story director Herman Yau returns to terrify viewers with this supernaturally-charged tale concerning a Hong Kong policeman whose extramarital affair literally comes back to haunt him.

Yoga (2009)
Six women seeking physical perfection join a mysterious yoga studio owned by a woman who claims to possess the secret to eternal beauty. When home shopping network personality Hyo-Jung begins to fear that she is about to get edged out by a younger, prettier host, she begins searching in desperation for a way to stay beautiful. As if by fate, Hyo-Jung soon has a chance run-in with her former classmate Sun-Hwa, who has miraculously transformed from a homely student into a beautiful woman. Sun-Hwa refers Hyo-Jung to Mihi Khan’s Yoga Academy, where she claims that any woman can achieve the same results under the tutelage of impossibly gorgeous yoga master Nani. But flawless beauty comes at a high price, and in order to get it, Hyo-Jung and her fellow students must follow a strict set of rules.

The Undertaker (1988)
Necrophiliac New Jersey mortician Uncle Roscoe (Joe Spinell in his final starring role) resorts to preemptive tactics to keep his business afloat while contending with his nagging wife Hazel in this release of the unfinished feature from 1988.

Freudian Eyebrow (2010)
A group of college students finds that keeping their sanity means more than making the grade after enrolling in an experimental study, and finding themselves at the mercy of a human monster whose perversity knows no bounds.

The Black Mountain Madman (2010)
A murderous local legend proves frighteningly real in this independent slasher flick detailing the bloody exploits of the killer known as The Black Mountain Madman, and his crazed sidekick Pillowcase.

Destined to be Ingested (2010)
Anna and Tom were a down and out couple— until one day, their fortunes changed. One lucky lottery ticket later they found themselves living the good life, cruising the South Pacific with their fancy new friends, enjoying the essential three C s of luxury living: Champagne, Caviar and Cocaine. But when the group of yuppies lose their way, and are marooned on a mysterious jungle island, their charmed lives suddenly become a string of gruesome deaths.

Don’t Look In The Cellar (2008)
There is an abandoned asylum in a small town that is said to be haunted. A group of college students decide to spend Halloween night there to party and also to research the history of the asylum for a class project. As the night moves on, secrets come to light that one of the students might be related to Smiley. It becomes a race to see if the students can find a way out and discover the truth behind the asylum’s secrets before they are all brutally murdered.

The Farm (2009)
Mickey and Juliet, a young couple on the run from a vicious gang of drug dealers arrive at a deserted farm in the Irish countryside near Cork, aiming to flee to France the following day. THE FARM is inhabited by only one man, a 20 year old named John. John is cripplingly shy, but seems to be fascinated by Juliet, who also seems quite taken by him. As Juliet and John forge more and more of a bond, Mickey, fearing that the criminal gang will pounce on him at any moment, and also that John will turn him over to the police, becomes more and more paranoid. As he and Juliet prepare to leave the farm the next morning, Mickey resolves to kill John spurring an abrupt turn, and a deadly love triangle- involving tears, poisoning, torture and skinned lambs. It is a triangle from which no one will escape alive!

The Legend of Sorrow Creek (2007)
Kayla and Jesse loved spending their childhood summers at their grandfather s secluded cottage in the pristine mountains of rural New England. Now, fifteen years since their last visit, the sisters return along with Kayla s boyfriend Dean and his best-friend Tobe for a much-needed break from their busy lives in New York. But when a simple fishing accident leads the foursome to follow an unexplored shortcut through the woods, the lives of this small group of friends are shattered forever as they suddenly find themselves facing the shocking and terrible curse of one of America s most haunted places.

Woke Up Dead (2009)
In this Shaun of the Dead style zombie comedy, Drex Greene (Napoleon Dynamite’s Jon Heder), a confused zombie who can’t be any deader, tries to solve the case of the mystery pill that left him drowned in a bathtub. With the help of his wannabe filmmaker roommate Matt (The Daily Show’s Josh Gad) and the sexy med student Cassie (Breaking Bad’s Krysten Ritter), who first discovers Drex as he unzips himself from his own body bag, the three begin to uncover leads about why his death didn’t stick, why a mystery online chat buddy is after him and why he’s starting to show signs of superpowers. Will they figure out why Drex is only sort of dead? Will Cassie discover ancient Zombie secrets? Will Matt get a film career out of it? Or is falling in love actually what Drex needs to do to stay alive?

Room 33 (2009)

The Myers House, North Carolina

file this under “news of the freakin’ awesome”: some guy far cooler than you or i decided to custom build the myers’ house from HALLOWEEN as his starter home. better yet (if you’re me, anyway), it’s located in hillsborough, nc, which is two hours from my home town and just a few miles from where i went to college.

rebuilding that house and living in it is such a great idea, i can’t believe i never thought of it — but luckily kenny caperton, emily currier and their two cats did. while it’s not an exact replica (a few walls have been moved, it features more modern appliances and better interior decorating), the exterior is damn near exactly what you see in the film, and the interior retains the most significant areas from the film (judith’s room, the staircase, the kitchen, etc.).

you can learn more about the house at myershousenc.com, and you can find kenny on twitter at @myershousenc. he seems open to guests stopping by (but prefers you let him know in advance), and frequently hosts horror-themed events at the house. the biggest of these events is, of course, on october 31st. see the website for details on this year’s halloween bash.

i don’t know if i’ll be able to make it to the halloween get-together this year… but i know i’ll be seeing if it’s ok to drop by the house the next time i’m driving home to nc. if so, i’ll be sure to post lots of pictures and maybe an interview with kenny, who i hereby crown the king of enviable real estate.

Horror DVD Releases – Week of September 28th, 2010

(descriptions from BestBuy)

Frozen (2010)
Director Adam Green (Hatchet, Spiral) takes the helm for this relentlessly tense tale of three snowboarders who must fight for their lives in the freezing cold after getting stranded on a ski lift. As the trio rides up the mountain in preparation for their final run of the day, the night lights suddenly go dark, and the lift chairs grind to a sudden halt. Realizing that the resort will be closed until the following weekend, the three friends decide to take their fate into their own hands, and find their way down to terra firma. Once they do, they realize that hypothermia isn’t the only thing they have to fear. Shawn Ashmore, Kevin Zegers, and Emma Bell star in the film.

Pig Hunt (2008)
Jason X director James Isaac leaves Hollywood behind and comes back down to Earth for this no-hold-barred, neo-exploitation romp about a group of hunters who head into the country on a quest to bag a 3,000 pound, man-eating black boar. All Jack and his girlfriend wanted was to get out of San Francisco for the weekend. Together with a few friends, the couple loads up their truck and prepares for a few days of hunting wild boar at a secluded ranch that was owned by Jack’s late uncle. Along the way, the heavily-armed weekend warriors learn of a local legend surrounding The Ripper, a massive force of nature with a taste for human flesh.

The Haunting (2009)
Inspired by actual documents from the archives of the Catholic Church, writer/director Elio Quiroga’s The Haunting tells the tale of a respected pediatrician who falls prey to a supernatural force while grieving the death of her infant child. Shortly after losing her child to SIDS, Francesca (Ana Torrent) moves with her family to a sprawling mansion in the Spanish countryside and attempts to take the first slow steps toward emotional recovery. But despite the best efforts of her husband Pedro and their psychiatrist friend Jean, Francesco cannot break free from the suffocating grip of grief. Later, a series of shocking and horrific visions drive the mourning mother to the edge of madness: is Francesco’s new house really haunted, or is it all just in her head.

Dark House (2008)
A cutting-edge haunted house attraction is constructed inside a foster home that was the scene o a gruesome murder spree, and the young performers begin to die in the most horrible ways imaginable when the killer’s ghost is stirred from its slumber. Charismatic and flamboyant, Walston Rey (Jeffrey Combs) is a true master of illusion. Upon discovering a derelict foster home where a killer named Janet Darrode murdered several children, Walston believes he has found the perfect venue for his most recent venture – a haunted attraction driven by revolutionary new holographic technology.

Road Kill (2010)
Four campers are driving across the Australian outback when their car is suddenly run off the road by a massive semi, and realize that their nightmare has just begun after commandeering the vehicle and making a terrifying discovery in the trailers the truck is hauling.

Hunger (2009)
Five strangers realize they’ve become the unwitting subjects of a macabre experiment after awakening in a darkened dungeon with no means of escape, and no food to keep them nourished. Now, with each hour that passes, their desperation grows, and their humanity erodes. Lori Heuring and Linden Ashby star.

The Tomb (2008)
Wes Bentley, Eric Roberts, and Michael Madsen headline first-time feature filmmaker Michael Straininger’s story of a successful writer and scholar who falls under the spell of a bewitching seductress on an obsessive quest for immortality. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s acclaimed short story of the same name, Ligeia tells the story of Jonathan Merrick (Bentley), a respected academic engaged to the beautiful Rowena (Kaitlin Doubleday), but unable to resist the advances of ravishing siren Ligeia (Sofya Skya). Ligeia suffers from a terminal illness, and in order to cheat death she extracts the souls of others.

Fragile (2005)
A malevolent supernatural force besets a dilapidated children’s hospital on the Isle of Man, terrifying the young patients and breaking their bones in this supernatural thriller from Spanish horror specialist Jaume Balagueró (The Nameless, [REC]). Mercy Falls Hospital has been in operation for nearly a hundred years, but now the authorities have declared it unfit for human inhabitation. As a result, the time has come for the hospital to close. But just as the helicopters arrive to transport the children to a new facility, bad weather forces them to remain grounded. Later, as Nurse Amy (Calista Flockhart) tends to her young charges, the children’s bones begin to fracture for no apparent reason.

Grimm Love (2006)
A young woman finds herself becoming obsessed with a violently disturbed man in this gruesome thriller inspired by actual events. Katie Armstrong (Keri Russell) is an American college student who is majoring in criminal psychology while studying abroad in Germany. Needing to explore a notorious murder case for a class project, Armstrong begins looking into the life and crimes of Oliver Hartwin (Thomas Kretschmann), who had been convicted of murder after killing and eating another man. Hartwin’s crime was unusual in that he posted a message in an internet chat room asking for a male volunteer between the ages of 21 and 40 who would be willing to be murdered and cannibalized afterwards.

Wake the Witch (2009)
Three friends inadvertently awaken a powerful witch during an excursion into the forest. As the witch’s influence spreads, the trio struggles to find the answer that will break her curse. Little do the naïve teens realize that they’re dealing with forces far beyond human comprehension.

The Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)
Misguided townsfolk, blinded by bias and fear, mistakenly kill a mentally retarded man after someone accuses him of raping the young girl he had befriended. Shortly thereafter the entire town is beset by a supernatural terror. The story originally aired on television.

Grim (1995)
A quiet suburban community finds things aren’t so quiet anymore when a huge, blood-thirsty beast named Grim emerges from beneath the ground with a fondness for killing and a very short temper.

Tales of the Dead: Grim Stories of Curses, Horror and Gore
Five friends gather on Halloween night to tell some spooky tales, and their frightening yarns take on a life of their own in this anthology horror film. In “Less Is More,” a young woman suffering from Body Integrity Identity Disorder begins to feel that cutting off her extremities is the only way to become complete, and meets a doctor who can grant her wish – for a price. The shocks keep on coming when a horror-obsessed slacker daydreams his way to terror in “Wolf Cry,” and a depraved serial killer engages an alcoholic detective in a treacherous game of cat and mouse in “Penance.” The final story, entitled “Missing,” follows a young group of paranormal investigators from England who inadvertently awaken a malevolent force while investigating a mysterious curse.

Suck (2009)
A bottom-shelf bar band gets a second shot at the big time when they’re transformed into vampires and start to develop a loyal following. Joey (Rob Stefaniuk) fronts The Winners, a go-nowhere rock group accustomed to playing empty bowling alleys and deserted bars. They’ve never had a hit, and their manager Jeff (Dave Foley) voids them like the plague. Dumped by his girlfriend and advised by a sinister bartender (Alice Cooper) to simply snuff it, Joey keeps plugging away at his dreams until the one fateful night when everything changes. Hours after disappearing to an after party with a creepy goth guy (Dimitri Coats), sexy bass player Jennifer (Jessica Paré) shows up lacking more pigment than usual. Before long the Winners are dining on groupies, and dominating the charts. But their success has come at a particularly high price, and when Joey has the opportunity to set things right, he prepares to make the biggest decision of his life. Also featuring Henry Rollins, Iggy Pop, Moby, and Malcolm McDowell.

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue (2009)
Filmmakers Andrew Monument and Joseph Maddrey offer a comprehensive history of the American horror film with this documentary that opens with a reflection on Thomas Edison’s Frankenstein, and traces the progression of the genre straight through to the 21st Century. Narrated by Lance Henriksen and based on the 2004 tome of the same name, Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue highlights the many intriguing parallels between the turbulent social history of the United States, and the ways in which filmmakers have continually used fiction to further explore the most pressing issues of the day. Interviewees Roger Corman, George A. Romero, John Carpenter, Larry Cohen, Brian Yuzna, Darren Lynn Bousman, Tony Timpone, and John Kenneth Muir speak at length about the connections between history and horror cinema, revealing that many genre filmmakers have secret agendas that go far beyond giving us goosebumps.

7 Days (2010)
A surgeon seeks revenge on the man who raped and murdered his eight year old daughter by kidnapping her accused killer and torturing him for seven days. His life and marriage destroyed by the heinous crime, grieving father Bruno Hamel (Claude Legault) sinks in to a deep depression, and begins formulating a diabolical plan for revenge. Intercepting the police escort as they transport the alleged perpetrator (Martin Dubreuil) to the courthouse, Bruno abducts the man and whisks him away into the countryside. Bruno’s plan: slowly torture his daughter’s killer for seven days, and then execute him at the absolute height of pain. Keeping police abreast of his sinister project throughout the week, Bruno announces that he will turn himself in once justice has been served. Author Patrick Senécal adapts his own best-selling novel for the screen in a film directed by Daniel Grou (aka Podz).

8213: Gacy House (200)
When a group of paranormal investigators decide to explore the house that was constructed on the site where notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy once lived, they quickly discover the horrors of the past live on in the afterlife.

New Blood (2002)
A policeman and an exorcist team up to stop a vengeful suicide victim from haunting the blood donors who saved her boyfriend’s life after their suicide pact ended in failure.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (remake) Blu-Ray/DVD Give-Away!

[winners have been notified by email — thanks to all that entered!]

i have yet to see the A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET remake, but i’m very excited for its october 5th release. i’ve actually liked most of the platinum dunes horror films, and while it may be hard to live up to wes craven’s original — i don’t see how jackie earle haley portraying freddy krueger couldn’t be interesting to watch.

while i know i’ll be running out on the 5th to pick up a blu-ray copy of the film for myself, two lucky evilontwolegs.com readers won’t have to go to such extremes because warner brothers has been nice enough to offer us two free copies of the blu-ray/dvd combo pack to give away! entering to win is simple — either leave a comment on this post or email me at corey@evilontwolegs.com, stating your desire to enter the elm street contest (bonus points for a creative subject line). if you leave a comment, please be sure to include your email address so that i have a way to contact you. on october 5th, i will randomly choose and announce the winners.

for more information on the film and its release, please point your favorite interwebs tool to http://www.nightmareonelmstreet.com/dvd/.

Horror DVD Releases – Week of September 21st, 2010

(descriptions from BestBuy)

Death Kappa (2009)
The producers of Machine Girl and Tokyo Gore Police team with the special effects wizard behind Uzumaki and Gamera 3 to deliver a spirited kaiju romp about a mischievous yokai that threatens to decimate Tokyo. Kanako left for Tokyo with dreams of success. When those dreams fail to materialize, she returns to her village in shame and moves in with her elderly grandmother, the caretaker for the local river spirit. Before long, Kanako has taken over her grandmother’s responsibilities, dutifully feeding the kappa a steady diet of cucumbers and regularly cleaning its shrine. Trouble starts to brew, however, when a team of World War II scientists attempt to transform the kappa into a weapon of war, and instead unleash a devastating force of destruction on the unsuspecting citizens of Japan.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (2008)
Jake Hoffman, Jeremy Sisto, Devon Aoki, and Ralph Macchio star in first-time screenwriter/director Jordan Galland’s horror comedy about a Shakespearian actor who agrees to direct a most unusual stage production of Hamlet. An out-of-work actor (Hoffman) in search of his big break believes that he’s got his shot at stardom when he’s hired to direct an unconventional off-Broadway production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. But this adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic play isn’t just different because it takes a few intriguing liberties with the familiar tale, the most remarkable aspect of this particular production of Hamlet is the fact that it was written by a genuine Romanian vampire (John Ventimiglia).

Soul Walker (2009)
A ghost hunter agrees to assist the police in solving a perplexing murder case, and discovers that his video camera permits him to see into another dimension, where the dead don’t rest in peace.

Hunger: A Taste of Terror
Terence Stamp and David Bowie host two feature-length presentations of the forbidden and bizarre – specially selected from “The Hunger” horror anthology series. Inspired by leading genre writers, each terrifying story will seduce you into a world beyond your wildest nightmares – a world where lust consumes reason and evil feeds on the temptations of men and women alike. Over 3 hours of horror featuring: David Bowie, Daniel Craig, Giovanni Ribisi, Lena Headey, Terence Stamp, Balthazar Getty, Karen Black, Kate Vernon, Eric Roberts and more Includes the episodes: “The Swords,” “Ménage a Trois,” “Necros,” “Sanctuary,” “Skin Deep,” “Dream Sentinel.”

Songs That Should Be Horror Films

Sometimes when I listen to music, it reminds me of a horror film, or puts me in the mood for a horror film, but every now and then, I hear a song that is either so creepy, or does such a good job of creating unique characters and a gripping narrative, that I wish the song were a horror film. Here are a few examples.

“Murder in the Red Barn,” by Tom Waits

Synopsis: In most of his songs, Tom Waits paints a landscape of grotesque characters whose oddities and sins are absurdly apparent. Sometimes he treats them with tenderness and compassion; other times he simply asks us to gawk and shudder. In “Murder in the Red Barn,” the violence is sinister and secret, but presented as an inevitable fact of our darker nature. If it were a film, it would be a cross between Sling Blade and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Tagline: “There’s always some killin’ you got to do around the farm.”

“Saturday Night,” by The Misfits

Synopsis: Hardcore Misfits fans may prefer Glen Danzig as lead singer, but Michale Graves can croon with the best of them. “Saturday Night” is his best song, and it perfectly captures a bittersweet 1950s nostalgia for cruising, hanging out at the drive-in theater, and coming clean to your best girl that you’ve just been on a murder spree. If this song were a film, it would be American Graffiti, but with a teary-eyed, teenage psycho-killer running amok in it.

Tagline: “There’s 52 ways to murder anyone.”

“The Warning,” by Nine Inch Nails

Synopsis: Trent Reznor’s best album in years is about a dystopian future in which all forms of media are indistinguishable from propaganda and the citizens are subservient drones for powerful demagogues. “The Warning” is about the moment we learn that aliens have been watching it all and are about to open can of whoop ass on our degenerate human asses. If this were a film it would be a combination of They Live and The Day the Earth Stood Still (but with Reznor himself as the freaky alien herald instead of Keanu Reaves).

Tagline: “Your time is tick-tick-ticking away.”

“White Noise,” by Murder by Death

Synopsis: Murder by Death provides a soundtrack for the stranger, more esoteric aspects of the Old West. If this song were a film, it would be a mythic story involving the apocalypse and its attendant killer who would be equal parts the “friend” killer from No Country for Old Men and Clint Eastwood’s nameless gunslinger in High Plains Drifter. He would be the sort of badass that you wouldn’t even want to pass quietly in the street, as simply looking at him would send you plummeting into the long, dark night of the soul.

Tagline: “Have no reprieve for the weak and the damned.”

“Black Soul Choir,” by 16 Horsepower

Synopsis: The bible is a really scary book, and 16 Horsepower takes it seriously. Their songs are about the crooked path to a salvation that harrows the soul as much as it soothes it. If “Black Soul Choir” were a film, it be an alternate version of Children of the Corn in which the children have grown into adults are now led by a snake-handling, hard drinking old-testament-style prophet, who’d just as soon club you to death as save your soul, as either option will force you to meet your maker.

Tagline: “Every man is evil, and every man a liar.”