Horror season is upon us. The majority of horror films come during the spring and summer, with usually one horror film during October. (Yeah, I don't get it either.) Let's take a look at what the upcoming year holds for us when it comes to Hollywood Horror.
Holy crap Hollywood, What is it with you and evil children? I'll be honest the film doesn't look to bad and seems to be what " A Haunting in Connecticut" should have been. The film has some promising attributes like the fact that the makers if the two most popular franchises of the past decade are involved. It does seem to follow the typical "My house is haunted,but I'm to much of a dumbass to get the hell out" type of film, even if it's the kid that is haunted. It could be good or ir could be bad, but it will most likely be mediocre.
It's interesting to see how horror films have changed in the past decade. Let's face it horror is a genre that is always evolving and I'm curious to see what the next decade will bring. I can say that actually like the first Scream when it came to terms with the whole rules of horror film. I think Screm 4 won't be as good as the original,but it will be better than Scream 2 and Scream 3.
Upcoming Mainstream Horror Films for 2011
-Dylan Dog:Dead of Night (April 29) (Looks kind of bad and not in so bad it's good kind of way. The movie also didn't get the memo that Aliens are the new werewolves,zombies, and vampires.)
-Priest (May 13, Fiday the 13) (Based on a Tokyopop manga. It looks nice,but that's about it.)
-Super 8 (June 2) (I actually have no idea if this will fit into the horror genre,but the looks pretty cool.)
-Cowboys and Aliens (July 29) (Again,not sure if it's horror,but it is a spectacular throwback to the type of plot that would be in 1950s B-movies, but this time it has a huge budget like Grindhouse.)
-The Darkest Hour (August 5) (Looks to be pretty scary. Aliens seem to be the new horror trend.)
-Don't be Afraid of the Dark (August 13) (Already made a post on this and well I gave out the incorrect date of its release. The film is sure to be fantastic and will probably be the best horror film of the year.)
-Fright Night (August 19) (Brought to you by the wonderful world of Disney, with the Tenth Doctor as Peter Vincent.)
-Final Destination 5 (August 29) ( There are far too many of these films.)
-Paranormal Activity 3(October 21) (Yep, # 2 made money. Lets make another one.)
-Piranha 3DD (November 23) (No idea what that extra D is for.)
Aliens= The new werewolves,zombie, and vampire.
I have no idea what is with the new Alien trend. Maybe it's because of Avatar or Doctor Who.(Doubtful) People are probably just tired of vamps,werewolves, and zombies. Anyways, this years horror list is just kind of average. A few sequels, a few bad films, one or two really great films, and the rest are just mediocre. At least this years remake is not one of the greats like Halloween or Nightmare on Elm Street.
I'm honestly surprised by how many people have not heared about Elvira. I mean she is the queen of f*#@$ing Halloween. I can't exactly say that I grew up watching her movie macabre, but I did grow up watching her movies. -sigh- it seems such a shame that I did not get the chance to view Elvira's Movie Macabre first hand. Oh, but wait....
Elvira: The Mistress of the Dark is back and has proclaimed her spot on public television. You now can catch Elvira hosting the chessiest of horror films every Friday,Saturday, or Sunday night. (Check your local listings to find out when Movie Macabre is playing for you.) I can now know what it was like for the children of the 80s by watching Elvira's Movie Macabre every Saturday night at 10 p.m. :D
This is the intro for Elvira's Movie Macabre. I can honestly say that I love the theme song "What Can I do" by the Black Belles. I would love a chance to go that theatre. :D
Why not take Elvira home with you? You can now purcahse a double feature of Elvira's Movie Macabre and have your own personal Elvira movie nights when ever you want. And best thing yet none of those darn commercials. You can now take home classsics such as Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks, The Devil's Wedding Night, They Came from Beyond Space, The Werewolf of Washington, and more delightful movie classics that you will come to love and cherish forevers and forevers. Purchase these timeless classics here.
Or better yet you can catch five of the original Movie Macabre for free on youtube here. (I'm guessing it's the original show from the 80s.)
If you didn't know about Elvira before, now is your chance to get aquainted with the Mistress of the Dark. (She'll most likely get mentioned on this blog from time to time, so it's for the best that you know who we are talking about.)
I'm currently in Florida for a wedding and now seems like the perfect time do the blogs first travel log. Today I got the chance to go to the Salvidor Dali museum in St.Petersburg,Florida. (I know I happen to do a lot of art posts. It just turns out like that. -_-) Anyways, I know Mr. Dali isn't directly linked to horror, but his work has inspired quite a few horror films, etc.
He had a pet ocelot and ocelots are cool.
He was mostly known for his paintings, especially The Persistance of Memory. His work is often filed under surrealism and more often than not his pieces were a bit macabre. Today I'm going to show off some of his morbid pieces.
The Face of War 1940-41
Ballerine En Tete De Mort
Self Portrait
The Sickly Skull of Venereal Disease
"In the 1940’s, Salvador Dali painted this masterful poster for the armed forces to warn soldiers against the dangers of fornicating with loose foreign hussies and contracting venereal disease. The composition of the sickly green skull from the pert-breasted prostitutes is just breathtaking, especially the way their milky upper thighs, exposed above garters, form the front teeth." -Link
photograph by Philippe Halsman (Yeah, probably one of the only times you'll see nudity on this blog.)
He also had his hand in photography. His most notable work is the skull that was formed out of seven women, which inspired the cover design for the horror film The Descent. It also appears on that darn moth on the Silence of the Lambsposter. You have to look real close to see,but it's the same image. The image seems to pop up in other places as well,but I'm currently limited on time, so you all are going to be happy with that. (Goodness those women must be uncomfortable.)
You can check out more of Dali's work and earn more about him at the Dali museum in St.Petersburg, Florida. http://thedali.org/ Even if you're not a Dali fan (like me) the museum is still pretty cool. Also check out the cool gift shop online. You can find a lot spiffy trinkets for everyone you know like the tarot card set and the melting clock wristwatch.
If you have the time check out the 1929 film Mr. Dali wrote called Un Chien Andalou.(I had a chance to see it at the museum) Yeah, I know it doesn't quite fit into the horror genre, but there are enough elements in the film that allows me the chance to put it on the blog. A woman's eye is split open at the two-minute mark. In reality it is actually a cow's eye,but still a bit freaky to watch. It's a sixteen minute film and as far as silent films go it's interesting enough to keep modern movie goers interested. Damn kids, need to appreciate silent films.
-Horrorwood Doll (I honestly do too many art posts -_-)
Note: I'll make another Florida related post in the next few days.
She's back! Miss Alice is not well because her Wonderland has gone back to hell. The long awaited sequel to American Mcgee's Alice is finally here after eleven long years. This time Alice must come back to Wonderland after eleven years and save it from the evil that resides within it and her. You can come and play with Alice on June 14th, 2011 on PS3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows.
Before its release a few horrific teaser trailers have found a way onto the inter-webs. One thing is sure the game is bound to be bloody good fun.
There have been talks about a film adaption for awhile now, many seem to think Tim Burton is the man for the job. I on the other hand can't help, but think of Zack Snyder. Have you seen the trailer for Sucker Punch? It looks quite similar to the overall game's style. Not to mention the quote "This is Madness! This is WONDERLAND!" will likely make an appearance.
(Note: I can't help but be amazed by all the lovely outfits Alice has been given. I can almost guarantee that a future Halloween costume shall be inspired by one of them.)
The original Alice was released in 2000 and was highly acclaimed for it's graphics and complexity. It was released by EA games and was their first game even given the Mature rating. The game is highly sought after and copies have been known to be $50-100 sometimes more. For years there have been rumors about a movie in the making. Rumors have involved Wes Craven and Sarah Michelle Gellar owning rights to the film. To better understand the new game, why not check out the original? The original opening scene of the game can be seen below.
Glorious news! Alice Cooper the King of Shock Rock has finally been inducted into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.( About F@*%&ing time. I've been bitching about this
for a few years now. ABBA and Madonna was in the Hall of fame before Alice!) It
happened last night (03/14/2011) at The Waldorf-Astoria on Monday in New York
City. He was presented by Rob Zombie(Who has yet to be inducted himself)
Anyways, Alice accepted the award with a snake around his neck. (Of
course) From what I've read there was a stellar speeches and performances to be
had at the show. You can watch Alice get his award on the Fuse, on the 20th
(Sunday) at 9 pm/8c.
Of course there was a snake.
Which, I would love to see except during that day and time I'll be at a
wedding. -_-
Here is a real conversation I had after I found out he had finally going to be
inducted.
Me: -Squee- (Dancing around, while cat glares at me. Mom is weirded out and
asks. What I'm so excited about.) Alice Cooper finally got inducted into the
Rock and Roll hall of fame. :D I can't wait to watch the show on the Fuse.
Mom: You do realize that's the same night as your cousin's wedding
Me: Mother F#@&%er! (Okay, didn't quite
say that, but close) Wait, Rachel as in the cousin who was somewhat obsessed
with Alice Cooper so much, that everyone started calling her "The Bride of Alice
Cooper" is getting married?
Mom: Yes!
Me: Do you think she'll watch it with me?
Anyways, my goal is to find a way to at least catch Alice's performance on
the show during the wedding reception. Wish me luck!
Also, besides airing The Rock Hall of Fame Fuse is also have two television
specials on Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie on their Mad Genius segment. http://www.fusemusic.com/mad-genius/
"Are you thinking of playing in more shows with the original band in
the near future?"
"I think it is inevitable. We have kind of been looking for an excuse to do
that anyway. Why not do 4 or 5 major cities, Detroit especially since that's
where we broke out of. Los Angelos, New York, London, Toronto. Those were like
the five cities where we got our biggest push. We might do that in the spring."
"I've read that you're cutting a new album with Bob Ezrin.
"
"Yeah. It's like the Beatles doing another album with George Martin. We are
doing Welcome To Me Nightmare Part II. We decided, why not give Alice another
nightmare? All of the songs are written at this point. I can't see it coming out
until spring of next year."
Hell yes! I need my debit card, damn it! Must purchase tickets! Please come
to Denver. We are a rock state damn it! There is also going to be a new album.
;D You have unleashed the dawn of a 1,000 squees! -SQUEEEEEEEEEE!-
Even though the Alice Cooper band is mostly known for "School's Out for
Summer" that is far from their greatest song. Everyone has their favorite it
could be the rebellious "I'm Eighteen", the provocative "Feed my Frankenstein" or
the madness that is known as "The Black Widow" My personal favorite would have
to be "Second Coming" which is in my opinion highly underrated. Listen below.
Now, that Alice is where he belongs, I need something new to bitch about. Hey, Rock Hall of Fame, Why the hell is Joan Jett not been inducted yet? Goodness, someone is a slacker.
On an interesting note, who do you think from this current time will be inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame?
My votes would be:
The Killers
My Chemical Romance (They started a music trend. Shut up and deal with it.)
Muse (It's a possibility)
Evanescene
Paramore
Jet
Lady Gaga (Woman has already made a huge musical impact in such a short time.)
Avenged Sevenfold
Green Day (Mostly for American Idiot)
Artist: Takato Yamamoto A.k.A the picture I will have at least one complaint about.
If you haven't heard Japan was hit with an earthquake that was an 8.9 on the richter scale and soon after a massive tsunami hit parts of Japan and a cluster of islands that make up Samoa. The current death toll in certain areas of Japan has been estimated to be around 10,000 (Most likely more), severe economic damage is incontrovertible, the property damage is inconceivable,and one of their nuclear reactors might face a total meltdown. This is of course quite dismal and it is important to help out those in need during times of crisis. Here is a link to 7 ways you can help with the calamity.
Ok, so you guys probably know by now that this is mostly
Horrorwood Doll’s horror blog. She posts in it far more often than I do, and
gets far more ideas for posts. That being said, I do have ideas of my own, and
this is one that’s close to my heart:
tattoos.
We’ve all seen them; you might even have one or a few, but
the tattoo industry is riddled with darkly themed ink. Horror tattoos most commonly represent an
appreciation for horror movies or novels of a certain theme, a character, time
period or just a love of horror in general.
These are, as stated before, the most commonly seen tats of
the horror persuasion, but the horror theme is not limited to the appreciation
of movies and literature.
As much as I adore the artwork and detail that go into those
tattoos, the ones that intrigue me the most are the tattoos that represent one’s
personal horrors.
These are not necessarily of any specific character, book or
movie; They may not even be instantly recognized as a horror tattoo. They can carry a personal, heavy meaning, like the loss of a loved one, or a personal obstacle that was overcome, or just be a show of appreciation
for darkly themed artwork. Artists who
tattoo evil looking ink are entirely skilled in their craft, and turn out
amazing works of art.
The horror themed tattoo is a main stay in tattoo society; whether the artwork is of a movie or character, a dark spin on something innocent, or a depiction worthy of hell.
(Expect posts on tattoos by specific artists in the future.)
The Art of Sylvia Ji can be described as haunting,provocative, mortifying, elegant, alluring, and darkly sensual. To say the least her work is simply one of a kind and has been gaining popularity since she first came into the art scene.
Catrina in Stripes
Miss Silvia was was born in 1982 in San Fransisco and grew up in a very artistic household. She graduated from Academy of Art University of San Francisco in 2005, with a BFA in traditional illustration. In her final year the she was able to showcase her wonderful works in a solo show.
Native
"Some of her paintings are symbolic reflections of herself, portraits of people she knows and some are just nameless faces set in a landscape of fleeting and decaying beauty." She also seems to draw a lot of inspiration from worldly cultures and their folklore.
Santa Muerte
Even though she has been around for a limited time, she has already made quite an impact in the art scene. There is already quite an industry in marketing, tattoos, dolls, makeup, etc. based upon her style. During Dia de los Muertos more and more ladies are inclined to make themselves up to look like one Sylvia Ji's paintings.
Love Struck
I of course love and adore Sylvia Ji's work. (Note: You'll be seeing Sylvia Ji's work pop up from time to time on this blog, especially from yours truly.) Unfortunately her work can cost a pretty penny, but you can find prints of her work for $100- $200 or so. You can currently find some unique Sylvia Ji items on ClickforArt.
Sister Ray
There is no denying that Sylvia Ji's has a strong technique when it comes to her work. She seems to straddle the lines between indie and high brow art. Years from now her work could end up in the Louvre itself or she could end up becoming one of the great under appreciated artists in history. You can check out the majority of Sylvia's work and learn more on her website. http://www.sylviaji.com/
Horror has a known history of being shunned at the Oscars for whatever reason. Probably because the genre is typecasted as being all about blood, guts, and over sexualized screaming teenagers. Even when an insightful horror film comes along and decides to contend with the big boys at the Oscars it still gets overlooked even though most horror films are far more intelligent then people give them credit for.
I suppose it would be interesting to take a look back at the over all history that the Horror genre has had with the Oscars. Has it really been as left out as many say?
In 1932 horror makes an appearance when the classic"Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde" picked up nominations for Best Cinematography, and Best Writing, Adaption. Surprisingly Fredric March wins Best Actor for his portrayal of the mad doctor in the film.
In 1936 Universal's crown jewel of horror classics "The Bride of Frankenstein" is nominated for Best, sound recording. (Not much, but hey at least it got a nomination for something."
In 1961 Alfred Hitchcock influential classic "Psycho" was nominated for Best Actress, Best Black/White Art Direction, Best Black/White Cinematography, and Best Director. Note: Alfred Hitchcock was nominated for best director only four times by the Oscars and he never won. The Oscars was nice enough to give him a memorial award though.
In 1963 "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" took center stage by picking up nominations for Best Sound, Best Cinematography Black/White, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress for Bette Davis. It only won one award for Best Costume. Random Fact: Did you know that the Oscar supposedly got it's name from Bette Davis naming the award after her ex-husband , Harmon Oscar Nelson, Jr.
In 1969 the Roman Polanski was nominated for Best Adapted screenplay for "Rosemary's Baby". Ruth Gordon took home Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film.
In 1974 "The Exorcist" was nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actress, Cinematography, Editing, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, and Art Direction. It won Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound.
In 1975 the horror inspired comedy "Young Frankenstein" is nominated for Best Screenplay and Best Sound.
In 1976 Jaws changed things up a bit by winning Best Editing, Best Film Score, (Rightfully so) , Best Sound, but unfortunately didn't win Best Picture when it lost to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. (At least it was nominated)
In 1977 Sissy Spacek was nominated for her role as Carrie in the Stephen King adapted film "Carrie". Piper Laurie was nominated for Best Supporting Role Actress.
In 1980 James Cameron's classic "Alien" won for Best Visual Effects. It was only nominated in one other category, which was Best Art Direction. The darn thing should of had nominations such as Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Film. Darn it, Oscar's if Disney found Alien important enough to feature on its great movie ride you could have least given it proper recognition at the Oscars. -sigh- Another example of some good old horror snubbing. That same year The Amittyville Horror was nominated for best musical score.
In 1982 An American Werewolf in London won for Best Makeup.
In 1983 Poltergeist was nominated for Best Visual Effect, Best Sound Editing, and Best Score.
In 1987 "Aliens" won Best Sound Effects and Best Visual Effects. It was nominated for Best Sound,Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction and Sigourney Weaver was nominated for Best Actress. (She should have won though. -_-) That same year " The Fly" wins for Best Makeup.
In 1989 the Tim Burton horrorish comedy Bettlejuice won for Best Visual Effects.
In1991 Horror makes a splash in the scene by having Kathy Bates taking home an award for Best Actress in the film "Misery"
In 1992 an amazing thing happened "The Silence of the Lambs" swept the Oscars winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay.It was also nominated for Best Sound and Best Editing.(Yeah, I know people bitch about it being more of a thriller than a horror, but many thriller films branch out from horror and "The Silence of the Lambs is one of them.) The Adams family was nominated for Best Costume Design that year. (The first film I ever saw by the way.)
In 1993 Francis Ford Coppola's "Dracula" won Best Costume, Sound Effects Editing, and Makeup. It was also nominated for Best Art Direction. The horror comedy "Death Becomes Her" wins Visual Effects. Oddly Alien 3 was nominated in the same category.
In 1995 Neil Jordan's "Interview with the Vampire" was nominated for Best Art Direction and Best Musical Score. Tim Burton's horror related film "Ed Wood" won Best Supporting Actor and Makeup, Kenneth Branagh's 'Frankenstein' was also nominated in that same category.
In 1996 David Fincher's "Se7en" was oddly only nominated for one Oscar Nomination, which was Best Film Editing. I honestly wonder about the Oscars sometimes. I mean if the Oscars loved 'The Silence of the Lambs" they should also love "Se7en".
In 2000 the now highly controversial M. Night Shymalan's "The Sixth Sense" earned six nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing. Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hallow" was nominated for Cinematography, Costumes, and won an award for Art Direction.
In 2001 Three horror films were nominated for Best Makeup these were "Shadow of the Vampire", "Hallow Man" and "The Cell".
In 2007 Guillermo Del Toro's horror fantasy "Pan's Labryinth" was nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Best Score, and Best Foreign Film. Luckily the Oscars decided that the film did in fact deserve a few awards so the film won for Best Cinematography,Art Direction, and Makeup. (We are expecting great things from you Mr. Toro. Hopefully you can bring the Academy to truly appreciate the horror genre.)
In 2008 Tim Burton's delightful musical adaption of "Sweeney Todd" won for Best Actor, Best Art Direction, and Best Costume Direction. (Homicidal barbers get to be well dressed and groomed.)
In 2010 the beautifully filmed "Black Swan" was nominated for five Best Picture, Best Director, Best Achievement in Editing, and Best Cinematography. Natalie Portman was able to take home the Best Actress award for her role in the film. Oh yeah "The Wolfman" remake was able to earn Best Makeup category.
Yeah, I suppose the Oscar snub of horror isn't too bad when you look at it. I mean at least it gets mentioned here and there, but would it kill the Academy to actually put more horror films in the top contending categories. After all chances are that horror film that is overlooked is far more likely to be remembered and beloved for years to come.
82nd Academy Award tried to appease us horror fans by doing a tribute to horror. Let us see how Successful they were.
-_- Besides the fact Twilight was involved at all I'd say the tribute was descent. There were quite a few films I wouldn't have expected in the tribute, but more variety in the films would have been nice. Eh maybe this means The Oscars will take more interest in horror; after all Black Swan was able to pick up quite a few nominations. Only time will tell.
Mattel (the makers of Barbie and Hot Wheels) came out with a delightful little product line known as Monster High during the Summer of 2010. The concept on the doll line is to have teenagers of popular horror monsters.(Namely Universal) The whole line is probably in existence due to the whole vampire/werewolf/zombie craze, but honestly who cares? I would have loved to have a zombie or vampire dolly to play with when I was a little girl.
Here we have (From left to right) Clawdeen Wolf (Daughter of Frankenstein) Lagoona Blue (Daughter of the Creature from the Black Lagoon a.k.a Gill Man) Cleo de Nile (Daughter of The Mummy) Deuce Gordon (Son of Medusa) Frankie Stein (Daughter of Frankenstein's monster) Draculaura (Daughter of Dracula) Ghoulia Yelps (Daughter of some random zombies) Jackson Jekyll/Holt Hyde (Son of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)
When you put into thought on how on earth did Frankenstein's monster or the Creature from the Black Lagoon have a daughter, the possible explanation can be a bit disturbing. I honestly don't know how that happened, but there are Monster High books currently out so maybe they can explain it. http://www.amazon.com/Monster-High-Lisi-Harrison/dp/031609918X
There are also some adorable little plushie versions of the monsters that you can take home and make them your own. You can purcahse these Monster High cuties at Target, Walmart, Toys R' Us and of course Amazon. The price for a doll ranges from $15- $25. Those who love the classic horror films and have a girly side will simply adore these little dollies.
I currently own Frankie Stein, but have yet to open her up. She is just to nifty to mess with at the moment. As much as I adore my little Frankie she just can't compete with the Monster High black and white doll that was released at Comic Con. Only 5,000 were ever made and those who own one are lucky little duckies. :P
