Red

Red is another one of Jack Ketchum's novels that got turned into a film. And what a film it was. I read the novel first, so I knew what to expect. However, the film made me feel emotions the book couldn't, and that's what made the film so much the better. Red is about an old man and his dog. Simple enough, right? Well, not quite. Brian Cox plays Avery, the old man. One day, Avery is out fishing with his dog and these three teenage boys come along with a shotgun and begin chatting with Avery. One of them decides to try and rob him, but when he offers them his truck and wallet with $20-$30, the boy gets mad and shoots Avery's dog. Avery goes to the boy's father, who believes his son over the old man, which, in turn, pisses the old man off. Unable to take legal action against the boys, he decides to get his own revenge. I enjoyed every second of this film. It's simple, yet satisfying. A truely awesome story of revenge. Robert Englund also has a bit part in this, and he's an asshole, too. Watching this film, I felt happiness, sadness, anger, and a few other emotions. A really well-done film. Would recommend this one to all fans of horror.

Happy Nightmares, my loves.

Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door

Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door can be described as a very bad car accident: you want to look away, but you just can't seem to keep your eyes off of it. Unrelenting, horrific, violent, disturbing, brutal, upsetting, heartbreaking, and intriguing are just some of the adjectives I can use to describe this film. It's based on Jack's novel by the same name. It's also based loosely on the story of the Sylvia Likens; a kind of fictionalized version of it(for the real events, watch An American Crime). The Girl Next Door is about a young girl named Meg who has a crippled sister named Jenny. Their parents die and they're shipped off to live with "Aunt" Ruth. The boy who lives next door is friends with Ruth's three sons. At first, everything seems perfect and everyone gets along. However, Ruth decides she needs to teach Meg a lesson on how it is to be a woman in the 1960's. She tells Meg that she's a slut and a whore and is only good for one thing. When Meg attempts to rebel against her "lesson," the abuse begins. As the movie progresses, the abuse becomes full-blown torture and even the neighborhood children get involved. Some of the scenes depicted are awful and hard to watch, but like I said before, you can't turn away. This movie horrified and fascinated me at the same time and I almost felt dirty and ashamed for liking it. The ending, of course, made me bawl, and the police officer(s) pissed me off so bad that I wanted them to suffer along with Ruth and her asshole children. If you have a weak constituton or can't handle watching fictionalized child abuse, I'd advise you not to watch this. Just typing this now and thinking about the movie makes me want to cry again, that's how heartbreaking it was. It did leave a lasting impression, though, and is probably one of Jack's best films/novels to date(besides Red, of course). See this one if you think you can handle it. Acting is superb, direction is superb, and writing is superb. You have been warned.

Happy Nightmares, my loves.

Cabin Fever

Cabin Fever is, as far as I can tell, Eli Roth's first film. This film is what put him on the horror movie map. I absolutely LOVED this film. It's so sick and disgusting and disturbing and creepy all at the same time. Cabin Fever is about some kids going off for a vacation in the woods. They stay at this cabin in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees. There's some drug usage, some sex, typical stuff like that. However, when a sick old man shows up and begins coughing blood, they start to panic. They don't even bother to try and help him or find out how what he has and if it's contagious. Once he's "gone," the kids seem to relax again. But they're troubles are only beginning. One by one, they start to get infected, red patches showing up on their skin. Once this movie gets going, it doesn't let up, even at the end. There are quite a few cringe-worthy moments, especially the bathtub scene. That freaks me out every time. And the scene with the dog near the end is pretty nifty, too. Anyway, if you like sick, gory horror, give this movie a go. I enjoyed it and I'd give it 5 out of 5. Definitely a must-see movie for gore hounds.

Happy Nightmares, my loves.

Secret Window

"The only thing that matters is the ending."
That phrase is used quite a bit in Secret Window, and let me tell you, it's so true. Now, if you don't already know, Secret Window is based on a novella by Stephen King called Secret Window, Secret Garden. I read the novella before the film came out, and strangely, I was disappointed with the ending. After seeing the film version, I can actually admit to enjoying the movie more than the book. The ending of the film version is a thousand times better than the book's ending. As a rabid, yes I said rabid, fan of Johnny Depp, I was thrilled to see him doing a Stephen King film. Anyway, Secret Window is about a man who discovers his wife is cheating on him and they get divorced. He moves to his cabin on the lake in the middle of the woods to try and start writing again. One day, a man shows up on his doorstep and accuses him of stealing his story. All hell breaks loose as Mort(Johnny's character) tries to figure out who this other man is and why he's accusing him of plagarizing a story. When the truth comes out, it will shock you. I enjoyed this movie immensely and as I stated before, then ending was truly the best part. Much better than the book. If you haven't seen it or read it, you really do need to. I give this one a 5 out of 5. Definitely a must see.

Happy Nightmares, my loves.

Help me win tickets to New Moon

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New Horror Site

I recently became friends with a lovely person/group of people/website on Myspace known as When The Freaks Come Out. It's a page dedicated to all things horror, weird, morbid, abnormal, etc. I just wanted to give them a shout out and say I can't wait to see your completed site. If anyone wants to take a peek, check out the When The Freaks Come Out website. Just click those words and you'll be taken to a realm of awesomeness. Enjoy!

The Ruins

The Ruins is a horror film based on the Scott Smith novel. Scott also penned the screenplay to this movie. However, as most people know, the book was better than the film. I'm not saying I didn't like it, because I absolutely loved this movie. Joe Anderson is a personal favorite of mine and watching him as Mathias was great. The film starts with 2 guys and 2 girls vacationing in Mexico. When a German tourist shows up and asks them if they'd like to go to some ruins with him to help find his brother, they agree. They also bring along a Greek tourist. After getting a ride to the jungle and trekking through the trees and bugs, they arrive at the ruins. One of the girls, Amy, begins taking pictures, but stops when horse hooves are heard coming towards them. A bunch of Mayans begin gesturing and yelling at them, and when the Greek tries to move towards them, he's killed. The other five rush up to the top of the ruins, where they end up being quarantined by the Mayans. One by one, each tourist is picked off, slowly, of course, by something sinister. If you haven't seen this, I won't say what it is. Personally, I found the concept quite refreshing compared to all those dumb teens lost in the woods with a serial killer films. It wasn't as good as the book, but Scott did the best with what he had, and I thought it turned out wonderful. Give this one a go.

Happy Nightmares, my loves.

My Bloody Valentine 3D

My Bloody Valentine 3D is just one of those movies you can't help but love. Yes, it is a remake, and yes, I enjoyed it better than the original. It was filmed near my original hometown, which is completely awesome, and it just keeps the thrills coming the entire film. The ending, of course, is the best. MBV is about this guy who now owns the mines his father used to own 10 years prior. There was a massacre there by a miner on Valentine's Day, hence the title. The guy returns to town 10 years after the massacre and wants to sell the mines, causing a lot of anger with the townsfolk. When people start dying, though, they blame him. Then you've got the sheriff, who is also a bit of a suspicious character and is cheating on his wife. Overall, the movie will keep you on the edge until the very end, and once you discover the truth about what's really going on, you'll be pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed this and would recommend it to everyone.

Happy Nightmares, my loves.

The Uninvited

The Uninvited is based on a Korean horror film called A Tale of Two Sisters. The American version, however, is actually quite good, unlike most Asian remakes. It starts out with the main girl being released from a mental hospital after her mother died. She arrives home to find her mother's nurse is now involved with her father and her sister isn't too happy about that. The girls slowly get involved in the mystery of how their mother actually died and start to delve into the nurse's past. What they discover isn't very promising and they begin to try and get rid of her. Their father, of course, doesn't believe them, and when they take matters into their own hands, bad things start to happen. Then ending has an amazing twist and you won't see it coming. Fantastic movie. Would definitely recommend to everyone.

Happy Nightmares, my loves.