Halloween Fright Flick Frenzy: Round 2

Blood of Dracula

Happy Halloween Month!

The Halloween Fright Flick Frenzy continues. Check out hashtag #Terrortober on Twitter to see what movies the Monster Men are watching this month along with other Halloween related activities. Join the fun and tell us what you are watching by tagging your tweets with #Terrortober.

Follow us on Twitter at @backinjack and @huntershea1.

Here are a few more films I’ve watched with a quick review.  (You can see more in my earlier post too.) 

• Blood of Dracula (1957) This movie does not actually feature Dracula, but a girl's school headmaster who can transform one of her students into a vampire. This movie even has a dreamy musical number. You can skip this one.
• 30 Days of Night (2007) I re-watched this one. A pretty good movie based on a good comic book. Worth watching. Great concept of vampires rampaging in Alaska. Plus, Melissa George is gorgeous.
• House of 1000 Corpses (2003) Rob Zombie trying way too hard here. A convoluted mess. Has some good visuals but no substance.  I was surprised to see Walton Goggins (Justified) and Rainn Wilson (The Office) pop up in this one.
• Evil Dead 2 (1987) The original cabin in the woods. I revisited this must see classic after a very, very long time. Still groovy after all of these years.
• Mad Monster Party (1967) The Christmas Special of Halloween shows. It’s party time with Rankin and Bass! An animated cult classic that features all of your favorite monsters in a stop-motion romp. A bit long, but worth a look. More violence and sexual innuendo than they would ever allow today on a children’s program. Every Halloween fan should watch this at least once.
  
• Walking Dead (2012) I also watched a number of season 2 episodes of the AMC marathon along with the fantastic Season 3 premiere. I highly recommend watching this show and reading the comic books too.

And if you are thinking about watching a Freddy or Jason movie, here’s a Monster Men episode dedicated to those two horror icons to help you choose wisely.

Stay tuned for more horror picks as the frenzy rolls on.  
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My favorite number from Mad Monster Party

Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn Trailer

Halloween Fright Flick Frenzy

It’s October and that means it’s officially Halloween season. One of the things Hunter Shea, my Monster Men podcast partner, and I like to do is watch as many horror movies as we can all month.

One of the fun aspects of this is watching a wide variety of films from the old classics to those brutally graphic slasher flicks from the seventies… and everything in between. It's amazing to see the fluctuation of tone, quality and subject matter from era to era and film to film.

Here’s a list of what I have seen so far along with a short review.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors - My favorite Elm Street movie. Great kills, lots of humor and Freddy's best one liners.
• Session 9 - Filmed at the Danvers State Mental Hospital, the creepiest, real life location for a movie. A hidden gem worth finding.
• Cabin in the Woods - A love letter to horror fans and Joss Whedon fans alike. An original, humorous and incredibly entertaining movie with nods to all the great films that inspired it.
• Piranha (2010) - A silly but fun romp. Blood and bikinis. Turn off your brain and enjoy.
• The Woman in Black - Harry Potter goes horror. A great throwback to the old Hammer flicks and a genuinely creepy ghost story.
• Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated -  Over 100 hundred artists collaborate to animate George Romero's classic film. Tough to sit through the whole thing, but very interesting. 
• Dracula (1931 - Bela Lugosi) - I always make it a point to watch one of the Universal Monster Movies. This year it was the Count's turn. Was reminded just how nutty Renfield was.
• I Spit on Your Grave - The feel good movie of 1979. The classic, brutal revenge flick that has aged, but still packs a punch. Not for the squeamish.
• Cannibal Holocaust - The feel good movie of 1980. Also the mother of "found footage" movies. If you think I Spit on Your Grave is rough, wait until you see this one.
• The Mummy (1959 – Hammer) - Stalk like an Egyptian. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing's take on the classic monster. The image of the Mummy rising from the swamp is worth the price of admission. Two mums up.
  

I’ll keep updating the site as I continue my Halloween Fright Flick Frenzy. Also, recently Hunter and I started using the hashtag #terrortober on Twitter to track and review our selections. Check it out and feel free to join in. 

15 Scary Movies Worth Watching: Monster Men Ep. 24

What are the elements of a great scary movie? In this episode we discuss 15 movies that got it right, from the films that broke new ground to some of the all time classics. Plus, we celebrate our favorite vegetable... Candy Corn.

What movies would you add to this list? Come over and tell us on our Facebook page.

The Mothman Cometh: Monster Men Ep. 23

Do you know the legend of the Mothman, the mysterious, red-eyed flying monster? There is much more to this story than you might think. Join us as we discuss a case that involved poltergeists, UFO's, men in black, a deadly bridge collapse and of course, the shadowy creature known as the Mothman.

And be sure to stick around after the end credits for a good laugh.

The Avengers Assemble a Great Movie

The Avengers is a movie that I, along with millions of superhero fans, have been waiting for. Waiting anxiously ever since that teaser with Nick Fury at the end of Iron Man in 2008. But really, we’ve been waiting our whole lives for this.

I am happy to report that The Avengers makes it worth the wait. And a big part of the reason is that they let Joss Whedon (He of Buffy and Firefly) take the reigns. This guy knows how to deliver amazing moments, witty banter and great characters. He does all of that here. The Avengers is a wild and fun ride with lots of laughs along the way. Best of all, it delivers a lot of things we geeks have always wanted to see on the big screen.

Remember the TV movie The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988), where The Hulk meets Thor? I remember it and also I recall I was quite disappointed. Well, thanks to The Avengers, I finally got to see The Hulk and Thor together in action, done right… squaring off against each other and fighting side by side. It was awesome.

One of the great things about The Avengers is that it gives each member their own moments and plays to each one's strength. For instance, Tony Stark/Iron Man, wonderfully played by Robert Downey, Jr., gets both great moments in the suit, but also delivers a ton of laughs. But he does not dominate the film nor does he turn it into a flat out comedy.

A few things that impressed me about this movie.

1.     Black Widow and Hawkeye: I wondered how they would integrate two non-super powered people into the mix with the other heavy weights. They do a great job… especially Scarlett Johansson, who brings a lot more to the table than just her good looks.

2.     Loki: He’s a great bad guy. He oozes with ego and contempt and he chews up scenery. He’s a big part of the movie and you are never bored when he is on screen. And he is able to pull off that goofy, horned helmet. Impressive.

3.     The Hulk: This is the biggest thing… not just literally. To me, this was the best rendition of The Hulk yet. They nailed both Banner and the Green Guy better than any live action outing previously. And I include the TV show. The TV show was fun, but I was always frustrated that he never fought any super human foes. I hated the first Hulk movie but liked the second, but I did not think Eric Bana nor Edward Norton really captured Bruce Banner properly, but Mark Ruffalo certainly did this time out. And The Hulk gets to be heroic while also being menacing. He by far steals this movie.

I could go on and on about this film, but the bottom line is this…. a crowd full of people in the sold out theater were cheering and laughing throughout the whole thing. The Avengers is a really good movie that entertains you like few others do. I would put it up there with the best superhero movies of all time. This movie gives you your favorite superheroes fighting together against a formidable foe and it delivers a few of the best moments in the genre’s history. It's all the stuff we've been waiting for, finally, on the big screen.

Sure, you may find a thing or two you don’t like about the film… that’s natural. Let’s remember though, a lot of past superhero movies considered classics eventually show some flaws, but we still love them.  I am telling you, the last hour of this movie will blow you away and elevates the film into that legendary status.

I can’t wait to see it again and I look forward to the Director’s Cut on Blu-Ray someday. Excelsior!

 

Note: Stay until the very end of the credits! There are not one, but two extra scenes worth sticking around for. 

Monster Men Ep. 20: When Animals Attack!

The Monster Men have made it to episode #20! This one is about horror movie animals gone wild (think Jaws, Arachnophobia and Cujo). Creepy, crawly and pretty funny. 

What are your favorite "animals-gone-wild" horror movies? And which one's did we miss? Come to our Facebook page and join the conversation. 

Book Review: Forest of Shadows

Forest of Shadows, by Hunter Shea, is good read. If you like a creepy ghost story with wonderful character development, atmosphere and a healthy dose of good old fashioned horror, then you should check out this book.

Let me say up front that you might consider me a bit biased. I happen to co-host a horror/paranormal themed video podcast with the author called Monster Men. So yes, I am prone to say nice things about my friend. But on the other hand, if you watch the show, you know I am a pretty seasoned horror fan... so I also know what I am talking about when it comes to spooky subject matter. So take my review with as many grains of salt as you'd like. I just know that I really enjoyed this book.

One thing that impressed me about this book was the relationship between the father, John Backman and his daughter, Jessica. Among all of the supernatural chaos and madness lie a lot of emotions, fear and unconditional love that is the foundation of the entire story. Also, the cultural differences between the locals and the outsiders, and that inherent mistrust of outsiders, give the story some interesting texture and grit.

But of course, I liked this book mostly because it's a great horror novel. The beginning of the book punches you in the gut. It sets the tone and immediately hooks you.

After winning the lottery, John Backman suffers a personal tragedy that forever changes his life. We pick up a few years later, where John has dedicated his life to investigating the paranormal. This brings him to Shida, Alaska... a town that would give Twin Peaks the creeps. Something horrible is stirring in the woods and people are starting to die.

The story builds steadily, with plenty of paranormal scares and equally disturbing townies. All the attention to detail helps make the horror parts that much more scary, because we have gotten to know the characters and we care about them.

The last few chapters of the book are where it all pays off for the horror fan. Like a good roller coaster, this book as plenty of ups and downs but saves the big thrills for the last act. Let's just say that the horror fan in me simply loved the climax of this book. And we all know how many books fall flat at the end. Not this time.

I really enjoyed Forest of Shadows and I look forward to Hunter's next book, Evil Eternal. And I would love to see a sequel to this book someday.

You can catch Monster Men here at Back in Jack or at Hunter's blog: www.huntershea.com

Monster Men Ep. 18: Horror Author Brian Keene - One Cool Ghoul

The new episode of Monster Men is up: A tribute to horror author Brian Keene. Brian is one of the best in the business and a favorite of The Monster Men. A movie based on his book GHOUL debuts on the Chiller Network on Friday, 4/13/12. If you are not reading Brian Keene, check this out and see what you are missing.

Monster Men Ep 11: Vampire Books to Die For

Looking for a vampire book that doesn't suck? Check out the latest episode of Monster Men.

Paranormal Activity 3 Movie Review by the Monster Men

Paranormal Activity 3: The third installment of the Paranormal Activity series is here and the Monster Men, Hunter Shea & Jack Campisi, brave the dark theater to check it out.

To see more Monster Men videos, check out our MonsterMen13 YouTube channel or look up Monster Men on Facebook.

Movie Review: The Thing (2011)

Here's the Monster Men movie review of the remake of The Thing... I mean "prequel" of the 1982 John Carpenter classic sci-fi/horror flick, The Thing starring Kurt Russell. The 1982 version set the bar so high that anyone who loves that one will not find much new ground covered. It's got it's moments, but the CG seems lazy and kills the mood in many places.

If you have never seen the original... or the real original; the 1951 The Thing from Another World, you might like the new version. But only the first 20 minutes of this new version are a prequel. After that it's pretty much a retread of the 1982 version... but not as good.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead does a good job with what she's given, but her role lacks the edge of Kurt Russell or the boldness of Ripley from Alien... the mold in which her character was cast from.

So take the Monster Men review from the perspective of two lovers of the 1982 version... but when in doubt, there's always something fun about a seeing a horror movie.

2011












McCready and an unwanted guest from the 1982 The Thing.










Some "Thing" in the way he moves...


The Thing From Another World - 1951