Director – Robert Rodriguez

Cast – George Clooney, Harvey Keitel, Quentin Tarantino, Juliette Lewis, Ernest Liu, Tom Savini, Salma Hayek, Danny Trejo, Cheech Marin, Fred Williamson

Release Year – 1996

Reviewed by John of the Dead

How can a film that combines the minds of infamous writer/directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, whom are both avid horror fans, not be super awesome? You are right…it is NOT possible! After Quentin found fame and success with Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, along with Robert finding the same with El Mariachi and Desperado(El Mariachi’s sequel), the BFFs(haha) finally came out with their first horror film, and boy did they succeed! With direction duties by Rodriguez and a screenplay written by Tarantino, this film provides a tons of awesome dialogue, explosions, “run and gun” scenes, and most importantly…great horror and GORE! With an all star cast including Tarantino himself acting alongside George Clooney, as well as Harvey Keitel(Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction) and infamous horror effects guru Tom Savini, this film had the ingredients for a classic “pulp” film before production even began.

The film follows Clooney and Tarantino as the Seth and Richard Gecko AKA The Gecko Brothers, so aptly named by the media. The Gecko brothers are ruthless outlaws who have murdered 16 people, many of them law enforcement, on their journey through Texas to the Mexican city of El Rey, a safe haven for many criminals. Along their way they run into Jacob Fuller(Harvey Keitel) and his son and daughter, who are traveling in a motor home. The Gecko brothers seize the opportunity and force the family to help smuggle them across the Mexican border and to an isolated bar where they will meet up with a contact that will lead the brothers to El Rey. If the family helps them, they live; if the family does anything they don’t like…they receive a bullet to the head. Kapeesh?!? However upon arriving at the bar, properly named The Titty Twister, they have actually stumbled upon a feeding ground for some vicious vampires which use the bar to lure unsuspecting boozehounds to their doom. The bar is open “From Dusk Till Dawn”, that should have been a sign eh?

This film is the epitome of awesome. An all-star cast, badass dialogue that leaves you thinking “damn…that was clever!“, as well as some of the sweetest vampire carnage caught on film, this film is a masterpiece. Along with the big names come cameos and small roles by many of Robert’s cohorts, which include Cheech Marin and Danny Trejo, making this film is a fun ride from beginning to end and very pleasing to Robert‘s fans. The first half of the film is much like Robert and Quentin’s previous films, with character development at the highest priority mixed in with random acts of awesome violence and quite a few scenes of sexual deviance, at the hands of Quentin’s character of course. Haha!

The second half of the film takes place in the The Titty Twister, a badass bar with lots of booze, naked dancers (including an infamous dance from Salma Hayek), live music from Tito and Tarantula, and soon enough…lots of awesome vampire mayhem. The second half grasps you violently and forces you to hold on for the ride until the epic climax that I found very fulfilling. As you should expect from the Rodriguez/Tarantino duo, we are given some pretty unique characters that you will love and remember. We see Tom Savini as “Sex Machine”, a biker with a “crotch gun”(yes…a gun that functions on his crotch!), and a seasoned Vietnam veteran named “Frost”, who has the ability to rip out someone’s heart in less than a second. Badass enough? The special effects in the film are very well done, especially because we get a fair amount of live-action kills and dismemberment. Some “transformation’ scenes are done with CGI, but it doesn’t get cheesy and quite honestly probably could not have been done live-action to begin with. I also really loved the look of the vampires. These really were not the typical vampires that look overly human with sharp fangs, these vampires were BLOODTHIRSTY BEASTS that dismembered the patrons, including the house band making makeshift instruments out of the skin and appendages of the dead patrons. Another very important note is that the vampires each looked different, with no two really looking alike. I applaud Robert Rodriguez for making sure that we were given nothing overdone, and leaving us with a very fulfilling horror film that belongs in everyone’s DVD collection.

Overall, this film is awesome! It has everything you could ask for, and is sure to please genre and non-genre fans. Highly recommended.

Rating: 9/10

It’s My Party And I’ll Die If I Want To (2007)

“I’m going to fuck-start your face!”

Scotchworthy’s debut film is promising. Sara’s birthday is on Halloween and her friends are throwing a surprise party in the local haunted house. What could possibly go wrong? The movie opens with a man slaughtering his family in an old funeral home. Cut to present day. While preparing for the party at the funeral home, Tom Savini startles an unclad friend of Sara’s. The friend then has her heart ripped out by a ghost. Various characters go missing while they are preparing for the party. When Sara arrives all hell breaks loose. For being a low budget movie, the special effects are quite good, which is what one would expect with Tom Savini as a consultant. Although the plot is somewhat cliche, it is evident that there was a lot of love put into the film. The dialog did not fizzle, most of the actors could act, and there are legitimate chills in the movie, especially at the end. The movie is too dark (poorly lit) at times, and the pacing was slow at times. My biggest peeve is that the “comic book” effect is over used in low budget movies, and it is used here as well. I am looking forward to more films from this Chicago based company. I give this a 9/10.

Director – George A. Romero

Cast – Ken Foree, David Emge, Scott H. Reiniger, Gaylen Ross, Tom Savini

Release Year – 1978

Reviewed by John of the Dead

Here you have it. “Dawn of the Dead“, sequel to “Night of the Living Dead”, encompasses what every horror movie should consist of. Right from the beginning we are hooked onto the story, taking place approximately one week after the events of “Night of the Living Dead”. With the human-flesh eating zombie epidemic slowly spreading across the mainland, all hell has broken loose as people struggle with where to go, and whether or not where they end up is already overrun with the living dead. Social unrest has already set in, causing a war between those sworn to protect the innocent, and the innocent who believe it is up to them to save themselves. This film’s social statements are what make it more than a horror film. With scenes involving consumerism, materialism, and slight racism, this is an epic portrayal of American society already falling victim to something BEFORE the zombies began to take over. Awesome!

This film follows two SWAT members, a television executive, and a traffic reporter as they flee the undead city of Philadelphia in a helicopter, with nowhere to go except “up”. They eventually land on the top of a large two-story mall, and decide to make the mall their new living quarters. How sweet is that?!? We are shown scenes of them fully exploiting everything the mall has to offer. New clothes, beds, furniture, candy, stored foods, and even new guns! However, while enjoying their stay at the mall, they must fight off the hordes of zombies that instinctingly make their way into the mall, which brings forth an epic battle for survival that you will never forget.

As mentioned earlier, the social statements George A. Romero made with this film are amazing. The fact that the zombies “instinctingly” make their way to the mall shows that even in death, they are still yearning for material possessions. The undead make their way into the mall because that is the one memory they still retain, although they most likely have no idea why they are really there. This is a blatant statement to how we are as a society. Mall culture and shopping are a huge aspect of society, and it seems Romero referred to us as “zombies” when we shop and spent gratuitous amounts of money on items we do not need. The scenes involving our survivors living in the mall are priceless. We see them dining to gourmet foods(cooked on appliances found for sale in the mall), wearing nice clothes, and pampering themselves into all life’s material possessions we ourselves wish we could possess. When watching this film you are guaranteed to tell yourself “Man, I wish I was in that situation! Even with the zombies…that seems so awesome to live there!”. That is only reinforcing what Romero stated in this film, saying we are willing to go to far ends(and put ourselves in danger) in order to attain what we “want”.

I love how this film uses basically “no name” actors, which adds to the bonding we feel with them as we watch them enjoy life in the mall. The fact that he used “nobodies” gives us a feel that it could be “us” living there, which helps us identify with the characters. Wouldn’t all of us “nobodies” love to have an unlimited shopping spree in a mall even though material possessions are basically worthless when the world is coming to an end? I would! Haha! The fact that we are able to completely identify with the characters is a strong aspect of what makes this film so great.

Last but not least…the gore! This film displayed gore like none before it’s time. From the raid of the apartment building at the beginning of the film, to the countless headshots as our survivors fight off the zombies in the mall, to the epic climax that you will never forget…the gore and special effects done by the infamous Tom Savini are priceless! I will tell you right now that you will never forget what you see during the last 15 minutes of the film. Guaranteed!

Now of course, this film is not without it’s faults. I has some really questionable editing(typical in low budget horror films) and the acting could have been much better. But that is completely understandable. This film was made with a $3.5 million budget, mainly because Romero refused to make an R-Rated film(which would have gotten him a $7 million budget). He opted to take half the budget in order to have a “no limitations” UNRATED film. What an honorable man! Haha.

Overall, watch this! Now!

Rating: 10/10
Although this film did have some questionable editing and acting, they do nothing to detriment what this film set out to do. This flick shocks it’s viewers, makes a very strong social statement about society(which is STILL true today), and makes us identify with each character so much…that we actually yearn to be in their shoes, which indeed proves Mr. George A. Romero’s point. This film is drop-dead GENIUS!

Vidcap set: Martin

Unquestionably George A. Romero’s best non-zombie film, “Martin” is immensely sad, containing few traces of the humor and lightness that sneak into Romero’s other films. Its closest Romero-film relative would have to be “Day of The Dead,” a film that shares not only “Martin”’s somber bleakness but lead actor John Amplas, who plays the doctor in “Day of the Dead.” The Uranium Cafe hits the nail on the head that “Martin” is not only Romero’s lost classic, but a nearly flawless satire/horror film, Romero or not.

Without revealing too much, “Martin” is about a boy who believes he is a vampire but he doesn’t have fangs, superpowers or good looks. The angst and alienation of the misunderstood Martin makes the film less about Vampirism and more about the power of social conditioning, loneliness and religious fanaticism. It’s hard not to wonder how the current crop of vampire-fanatics would respond to a film like this, and I couldn’t help but think about the quotes from “Twilight”’s Robert Pattinson about run-ins with fans begging to be bitten by him or even going so far as to hold out their freshly spurting wounds to his lips.

The sad fact is that these Twilight fans could no doubt relate to Martin’s melancholy and misplaced romanticism but would be turned off by the film’s realistic, awkward and often ugly treatment of Vampirism– which is what makes “Martin” that much more important and worthy of new modern criticism.

Day of the Dead 1985
Director: George Romero
Writer: George Romero
Starring Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joe Pilato, Jarlath Conroy, Anthony Dileo Jr., Richard Liberty, Howard Sherman, G. Howard Klar, John Amplas and Gregory Nicotero.

When it comes to the zombie film, George Romero is the undisputed master of the genre. If not for the greatness that is Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead would be his best take on the series. Where Dawn deals with consumerism as zombieism, Day deals with paranoia and the single minded mentality of the military which has always been a problem with the military mind set. Romero really sets up his story and really goes with the claustrophobia feel of being stuck in a military installation. With a great cast of characters, with Captain Rhodes stealing the show and by far the best character in the film. His histrionics are so exaggerated that you cannot help but be mesmerized by his thoughts process and the insane actions he ends up taking. This film also, has the epitome of great make up effects thanks to the overtly realistic work of Tom Savini. I still have yet to see a film that had done a better job in gore effects in this film. The only thing I would say detrimental to the film is I wish that Romero’s original script had been filmed, that was a really great piece of writing and would have been a phenomenal film.
The plot basics are this, after the events of Dawn of the Dead, zombies have overrun the United States. All that seems to be left of the government is a underground military installation. Sarah (Cardille) is a scientist that has been working to try and find a cure for the zombie affliction. She and other scientists work in tandem with the military in charge of the installation. After the General in charge dies, the facility is taken over by Captain Rhodes (Pilato) who has his own ideas on what should be done. There is also Logan (Liberty) who is working on his own crazy ideas by domesticating a zombie (Sherman). Rhodes sees what Logan is doing and loses it and then takes over the facility and decides to deal out his own brand of justice on Sarah and her friends. It doesn’t quite work out though, since a mentally unbalanced soldier (Dileo Jr.) decides to let the zombies into the installation and after that it is a race for survival and it seems the military goons will get their just desserts.
This is a great film. Romero’s direction is excellently done. The tension between the scientists and the soldiers is really palatable. He sets the stage for the conflict really well, and the tension between the two faction until they finally erupt is like a razors edge. He uses the claustrophobic locale to the best of his ability and it really plays to the advantages of his direction. The script is great too, the dialogue between Rhodes and Logan is mesmerizing to watch and really makes the film along with Logan’s interactions with Bub. The characters are very well developed and Sarah is a great main protagonist that the viewer can really relate to. Her predicament and what she has to do to survive will make the viewer really get in her corner. The cast is excellent, Pilato as Rhodes steals every scene he is in and is the best character in the film. Liberty as the mad doctor Logan is also excellent. He is really interesting to watch him slowly unravel into madness. Sherman as the friendly zombie Bub is another piece of the puzzle that works fantastically in this film. Especially when after Logan is killed the emotion he feels is palatable. I never thought I would feel empathy for a zombie but Sherman makes it work. The effects by Savini are amazing, they are so realistic and nausea inducing. My personal favorite is the zombie on the gurney that tries to rise up and as it does you see it’s guts plop onto the ground. The death of Rhodes is another favorite and it is really grody. The score by John Harrison is eerie and haunting, but it also has a tropical feel which really comes together at the end of the film. This is one of the best zombie films ever made, and a must see for any horror film fan.
This one gets 5 out of 5

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Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Director Robert Rodriguez pays homage to his favorite B-movies with PLANET TERROR, an old-fashioned zombie film that’s infused with enough gore and giggles to please even Peter Jackson. Cherry is a go-go dancer whose night is interrupted by a vicious zombie attack that leaves her missing a leg.

Her ex-boyfriend, Wray takes charge, fashioning her a new leg from a machine gun and killing zombies along the way. PLANET TERROR plays as a pleasing ode to the horror and exploitation films that once played in grimy Grindhouses across the country. Rodriguez splashes plenty of blood, guts, and gore across the screen, while also taking the plot into some wonderfully bizarre territory. PLANET TERROR was originally released as part of the GRINDHOUSE double feature with Quentin Tarantino’s DEATH PROOF.

Planet Terror is a such a good movie, Rodriquez has thrown in all the things we love about the 70’s, 80’s b-grade movie charm. Lets face it Hollywood can make a movie that is so over budgeted and forgettable, but all these small budget, risqué flicks that fell under the Grindhouse genre can still stand the test of time. Although Planet Terror would have had a substantial budget behind it, as oppose to the low budget b – grade movies that Planet Terror pays homage too.

There is a lot going on in Planet Terror, a lot of characters intermixing with the backdrop zombie theme, it’s hard to pinpoint memorable scenes. They are so many memorable scenes.

If you are an 80’s child and you remember the huge amount of b-grade movies that came out of the 70’s and 80’s. You’ll love this flick, you will identify with it’s homage to a time in cinema when movies were churned out that in someway, deliberate or not, had social/political/sexual/ and dissent messages.

• Rose McGowan as Cherry Darling
• Freddy Rodriguez as El Wray
• Josh Brolin as Dr. William Block
• Marley Shelton as Dr. Dakota Block
• Jeff Fahey as J.T. Hague
• Michael Biehn as Sheriff Hague
• Rebel Rodriguez as Tony Block
• Bruce Willis as Lt. Muldoon
• Naveen Andrews as Abby
• Julio Oscar Mechoso as Romey
• Stacy Ferguson as Tammy Visan
• Nicky Katt as Joe
• Hung Nguyen as Dr. Crane
• Tom Savini as Deputy Tolo
• Carlos Gallardo as Deputy Carlos
• Skip Reissig as Skip
• Electra and Elise Avellan as the Crazy Babysitter Twins
• Quentin Tarantino as Lewis / Rapist #1
• Greg Kelly as Rapist #2
• Michael Parks as Earl McGraw
• Jerili Romero as Ramona McGraw
• Felix Sabates as Dr. Felix

Creepshow 1982

Director: George Romero

Writer: Stephen King

Starring Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, Carrie Nye, E.G. Marshall, Viveca Lindfors, Ed Harris, Ted Danson, Stephen King, Tom Atkins, Tom Savini and Gaylen Ross

    The horror anthology has long been a favorite style of horror fiction and horror films for me.  From classics like Tales from the Crypt and the Amicus anthologies of the 60’s and 70’s, all the way to modern films like Tales From the Hood and Trick R Treat.  Creepshow though, is by far my favorite of these films.  A no brainer collaboration between Stephen King and George Romero, this film does everything right.  The way the film actually looks like a E.C. comic and the great performances really puts this film a step above all other anthologies.  The way romero uses over exaggerated lighting and sound effects really makes the stories come to life and leave a definite impression on your mind.  The effects in the film are mind blowing too, with by far the best rotting and walking corpse I have ever seen in a film.  The stories are quick and too the point and never stay around any longer than is needed toe have the viewer get the point.  The framing sequence too, is one of the best in a anthology film and it goes full circle at the end, making it it’s own story.

    The plot basics are this,  A father (Atkins) is punishing his son for reading a grisly horror comic, and as he leaves the comic seems to come to life.  The first story involves a anniversary party of the killing of a rich old miser, who was killed by his eldest daughter (Lindfors), but he rises to enact bloody revenge.  Next we meet  Jordy Verrill (King), a country hick who discovers a meteor and finds that his contact with it is transforming him.  Next, we meet Harry Wentworth (Danson), who is having a illicit love affair with the wife (Ross) of Richard Vickers (Nielsen).  Vickers discovers this and plots a wicked revenge that comes back to bite him.  Next we meet a college professor (Weaver) who has a friend (Holbrook) who he plays chess with and is enduring a brow beating wife (Barbeau).  He discovers a crate in his lab, which contains a carnivorous beast and he comes to his friend for aid, and he decides to use it to do away with his nagging wife.  Finally, we meet Upson Pratt (Marshall), a business mogul who is cutthroat and a recluse, living in his climate controlled penthouse.  It seems he has a bug problem and it seems they are trying to overtake him, but will they?

    This is an exceptional film and one of my all time favorite horror films.  The direction by Romero is flawless.  He conveys the mood of each story perfectly and uses the lighting and music to really heighten the mood and really gets the viewer to feel the way he wants them to feel.  The script by King is no different, each story is very tight and as minimalistic as possible.  These kind of horror stories were always more about the plots than the characters and that works to the films advantage.  All the characters are very overblown and melodramatic and are a delight to watch.  The ensemble cast is excellent, Barbeau and Marshall are probably the 2 biggest scene stealers in the film.  Barbeau as the nagging wife Billie in “The Crate” is a delight and you really hate her and want to see her meet her vicious end.  Marshall as the caricature of Howard Hughes is great as well, he chews every scene of his with great relish and the viewer definitely cheers when he gets his due.  The SFX and effects by Tom Savini is amazing.  The walking corpse of Nathan Grantham and the creature in “The Crate” are the 2 high points of the film and in all of horror films in general..  The final ingredient in this great film is the score by John Harrison, which personally is my favorite horror film score.  It just sets the playful and eerie mood of the film perfectly and I am always humming it for days after I watch the film again.  This is a perfect horror anthology and one of the best films by both Romero and King.

This one gets 5 out of 5

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“I’ve got some chicken thighs, some toilet roll and half a cucumber.”

THANKS TOM SAVINI!!!

I have moved this post to a different page to make navigation a little easier. You can read the exciting post at the link below:

Audience Expectation and Slasher Movies

Comunhão / Alice, Querida Alice (Communion / Alice, Sweet Alice, 76) – Mezzo giallo, mezzo slasher. A obra de Alfred Sole é um dos grandes filmes de terror esquecidos da década de 70. Lançado em VHS pela Opção Video e em DVD pela Wonder Multimídia. Estréia de Brookie Shields no cinema.

Rituals (77) – Suspense eletrizante na linha de Amargo Pesadelo. Mas no lugar dos caipiras malucos existe um serial killer misterioso. Há quem afirme que este filme também serviu como fonte de inspiração para A Bruxa de Blair. Inédito no Brasil. A direção é de Peter Carter.

Sombra no Escuro (The Silent Scream, 80) – Um curioso e pouco visto slasher com alguns toques de Psicose. No elenco as musas Barbara Steele e Yvonne De Carlo, além de Cameron Mitchell. Direção de Danny Harris.

Trilha de Corpos (He Knows You’re Alone, 80) – Bom slasher anterior à explosão de Sexta-Feira 13. É a estréia de Tom Hanks num pequeno papel. Foi lançado em VHS pela MGM Home Video. Direção de Armand Mastroianni

Chamas da Morte  / A Vingança de Cropsy (The Burning, 81) – Clássico das reprises do SBT. Participação de Holly Hunter e Jason Alexander. Efeitos de maquiagem de Tom Savini e música de Rick Wakeman. Lançado em VHS pela Look Video. Dirigido por Tony Maylam, que depois faria Split Second. 

Dia dos Namorados Macabro (My Bloody Valentine, 81) – É um dos mais famosos exemplares do gênero e que só agora está disponível em versão uncut via região 1. Lançado em VHS pela CIC Video. Direção de George Mihalka.

Feliz Aniversário Para Mim (Happy Birthday To Me, 81) - Um divertido slasher, bem conhecido dos fãs do estilo. Direção de J. Lee Thompson e com Glenn Ford no elenco. Lançado no Brasil em VHS pela LK-Tel Video.

Night School (81) - Pouco conhecida experiência do veterano Ken Hughes no estilo. O filme foi exibido nos tempos áureos do SBT e não lembro do título nacional. Continua inédito no formato DVD. 

Just Before Dawn (81) – Sem dúvida um dos melhores slashers já feitos. Cortesia de Jeff Lieberman, diretor de Os Assassinos do Raio Azul, Ajudante de Satã e Controle Remoto. Inédito no Brasil e curiosamente, o DVD região 1 possuí alguns cortes.

Quem Matou Rosemary ? (The Prowler / Rosemary’s Killer, 81) -Três anos antes de Sexta-Feira 13 – O Capítulo Final, o diretor Joseph Zito e o mago Savini já haviam caprichado neste slasher. Lançado em VHS pela TransVideo.

Horário de Visitas (Visiting Hours, 82) – Troque Michael Myers por Michael Ironside e as coisas vão começar a ficar bem interessantes. Exibido por várias vezes na Record, e lançado em VHS pela Abril Video. Com William Shatner e Lee Grant. A direção é de Jean-Claude Lord (The Vindicator).

Mais Próximo do Terror (Next of Kin, 82) – Uma excelente mistura de thriller de mistério com slasher. Esse aqui é daquele tempo em que o cinema da Austrália arrebentava. Lançado em VHS pela VCL Video. A direção é de Tony Williams, que infelizmente nunca fez outro filme. 

O Último Pesadelo (Curtains, 83) - Termino a lista citando um outro slasher vindo das terras canadenses. O diretor Richard Ciupka trabalhou com Chabrol e Malle, e aqui presta homenagem a Mario Bava. Lançado em VHS pela Mac Video.

Movie Poster 27x40

 

Creepshow is an American horror-comedy anthology film directed by George A. Romero (of Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead fame), and written by Stephen King (Carrie, The Shining, Misery, The Stand).

It was considered a sleeper hit at the box office when released in November 1982, earning over $21 million domestically, and remains a popular film to this day among horror genre fans. The film was shot on location in Pittsburgh and the suburb areas. It consists of five short stories referred to as “Jolting Tales of Horror”: “Father’s Day”, “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill”, “Something to Tide You Over”, “The Crate” and “They’re Creeping Up on You!”. Two of these stories, “The Crate” and “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill” (originally titled “Weeds”), were adapted from previously published Stephen King’s short horror tales. The segments are tied together with brief animated sequences. The film is bookended by scenes, featuring a young boy named Billy (played by Stephen King’s own son, Joe King), who is punished by his father for reading horror comics. The film is an homage to the E.C. horror comic books of the 1950s such as Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror and The Haunt of Fear.

Buy this Title on Blu-ray

In later years, the international rights of the film would be acquired by Republic Pictures, which today is a subsidiary of the Paramount Motion Pictures Group, itself owned by Viacom. The film’s UK rights are owned by Universal Pictures.

Trivia:

• Stephen King carried a toy figure of the character “Greedo” from Star Wars (1977) on the “Creepshow” set for good luck.
• Cameo: [Joe Hill] (son of Stephen King) The young boy featured in the beginning of the film (avid reader and collector of “Creepshow” comic books).
• Rice Krispies were used as maggots on the corpse’s eyes in the first story, “Father’s Day”. In addition, real maggots were also utilized.
• The marble ashtray (which plays a major role in Creepshow’s first story, “Father’s Day”) is featured in all five of the film’s stories if you look closely.
• The wrestling match Jordy Verrill is watching on TV in the second segment, “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill”, was being called by Vince McMahon (Chairman of the WWF – now WWE). The wrestlers in the ring were then-current WWF Champion Bob Backlund and The Samoan No. 1.
• A sign leading to “Castle Rock” (Stephen King’s trademark fictitious town) appears at the very end of the segment “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill”, among other signs.
• Ted Danson, who played Harry Wentworth in “Something to Tide You Over”, said in a T.V. interview that his daughter was on the set during the scene where his character returns from the dead encased in rotting flesh and seaweed. He purposely tried avoiding his young daughter out of fear of scaring her. Finally, despite his best efforts, she went up to him, looked at him and simply said, “Oh, hi Dad.”
• It is rumored that Max von Sydow was originally slated to play Upson Pratt in Creepshow’s final story, “They’re Creeping Up On You!”.
• In a “Creepshow” special feature from the pages of “Cinefantastique” magazine around the time of “Creepshow”’s release, Stephen King (screenwriter) and George A. Romero (director), revealed that if the film’s final story (“They’re Creeping Up On You!”) had proven to be too difficult and ambitious to film, it would have been substituted with the King short story “The Hitch-Hiker”, which ended up being the final story of the film’s sequel, Creepshow 2 (1987), directed by George A. Romero’s cinematographer on the original Creepshow, Michael Gornick.
• Originally, in Stephen King’s first draft 142-page screenplay for the film, the stories “The Crate” and “Something to Tide You Over” switched places. Making “The Crate” story number 3 and “Tide” story number 4. This is also how the Berni Wrightson Creepshow graphic novel adaptation turned out.
• In Stephen King’s original script for the film, the final story, “They’re Creeping Up On You!”, originally took place in a lush, carpeted penthouse apartment. However, because with roaches this would have been unworkable, Romero opted for a more empty almost hospital room-like set for the story.
• Two of the characters featured in the film, Tabitha and Richard (The new professors at the faculty reception at the beginning of the fourth segment, “The Crate”), were named after Tabitha King (Stephen King’s wife) and Richard Bachman (his ghostwriting name), according to the author.
• In the film’s second segment, “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill”, the film playing on Jordy’s television in the background is A Star Is Born (1937), according to director George Romero’s commentary on the UK special edition DVD.
• The prop 10-cent “CREEPSHOW” comic book featured in the film was drawn and inked by veteran artist ‘Jack Kamen’, one of the artists for the original E.C. crime and horror comics of the 1950’s. Creepshow was a tribute to these comic books. Jack Kamen also created the comic book-style poster for the film, which was also featured on the front of the Plume “Creepshow” comic book adaptation (which Bernie Wrightson, another prolific horror comic artist, drew and inked the interiors for). Originally, (‘Stephen King (I)’ wanted Graham Ingels, another EC artist (famous for his work on the title “The Haunt of Fear”) to do the artwork for the film’s poster, but he refused. It was head of EC comics ‘William M. Gaines’ who then suggested Jack Kamen do the assignment. Kamen accepted.
• A screen capture of the “Creepshow” comic book featured in the film reveals that the letters page has letters from “Brian Hall of Ann Arbor, Mich.” and “David Graves of Spruce, Maryland”, among others. Spruce is the maiden name of King’s wife Tabitha. David Graves is the name of King’s late brother-in-law (married to wife Tabitha’s sister, Catherine). David Graves lived in Maryland (although not “Spruce”, Md), until his death in 2000.
• The on-set nickname for the monster in the crate in Creepshow’s fourth story was “Fluffy”, as named by director George A. Romero. The creature’s creator (and makeup artist on the entire film), Tom Savini, was the shorter garbageman featured near the end of the film.
• Why does Aunt Bedelia’s father come to life after 7 years in the first story “Father’s Day”? Not because of the lucky number it turns out. If you watch closely you will see Bedelia spills whiskey on the grave. In Gaelic, the word for whiskey is translated as Water of Life, and is likely a nod to James Joyce and his book “Finnegan’s Wake”. In the story a builder’s laborer falls from a ladder and breaks his skull, but is revived when someone spills whiskey on his corpse at the wake. The story of Finnegan’s Wake is in turn written based off an old Dublin street ballad.
• At the end of “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill”, on the signpost is the town of Portland, Maine. This was Stephen King’s home town, and King is the star of this segment of the film.
• Adrienne Barbeau was still married to John Carpenter when Creepshow was released. Carpenter would make the film version of Stephen King’s Christine (1983) the following year. King wrote and makes an appearance in Creepshow.
• The housekeeper in the “Father’s Day” sequence is Mrs.Danvers. The malevolent housekeeper in Alfred Hitchcock’s suspense film Rebecca (1940) is also named Mrs. Danvers.

Nach dem grandiosen Erfolg seines Fake Trailers in Grindhouse, hat sich Robert Rodriguez an die Arbeit gemacht, um den Fans das zu geben, was sie wollen: MACHETE. Danny-Die-Coolste-Killermaschine-Trejo trifft in der Verfilmung auf Steven-Ich-Hab-Nur-Einen-Gesichtsausdruck-Seagal. Der weitere Cast ist auch nicht von schlechten Eltern: Robert-Ich-Bin-Der-Beste-Schauspieler-DeNiro, Lindsay-Halb-Lesbisch-Halb-Drogenabhängig-Lohan, Michelle-Roarrrr-Rodriguez, Don-Coolster-Cop-Johnson und Cheech-War-Mal-Der-Welt-Grösster-Kiffer-Marin. !!!UPDATE: Tom-Ich-Bin-Die-Coolste-Horror-Make-Up-Sau-Savini ist auch dabei:

Ja da lacht das Fanboyherz. Und jetzt noch eine weitere Nachricht. Jessica-Ich-Hab-In-Sin-City-Allen-Den-Kopf-Verdreht-Alba schwingt Ihre sexy Hüften im Takt zu Machetes fallenden Munitionshülsen.

Hier das erste Poster:

Achtung Spoiler!!!! Hier die Synopsis:

Machete (Danny Trejo) a renegade former Mexican Federale, roaming the streets of Texas after a shakedown from drug lord Torrez (Steven Seagal). Reluctantly, Machete takes an offer from spin doctor Benz (Jeff Fahey) to assassinate McLaughlin (Robert De Niro) a corrupt Senator. Double crossed and on the run Machete braves the odds with the help of Luz (Michelle Rodriguez), a saucy taco slinger, Padre (Cheech Marin) his “holy” brother, and April (Lindsay Lohan) a socialite with a penchant for guns. All while being tracked by Sartana (Alba), a sexy ICE agent with a special interest in the blade slinger.

Und sollte wirklich einer von euch Lesern den Fake Trailer während dem Grindhouse Film nicht gesehen haben. Kein Problem.

Hier kommt MACHETE:

Tom Savini pilló un buen mosqueo cuando la divulgación de su participación como supervisor de efectos especiales en Nightmare (también Nightmare in a Damaged Brain o Blood Splash, y aquí conocida como Pesadillas de una Mente Enferma y Pesadilla Mortal en sendas ediciones censuradas en VHS) fue más y más acrecentada hasta convertirse en un chisme fraudulento que convirtió, a su vez, a Savini en responsable absoluto de los Fx para rentabilizar la promoción de la película, surgiendo así un nuevo mosqueo, el de Ed French, auténtico responsable de los Fx, unos realmente buenos que reforzaron el engaño comercial sin sospechas.

A principios de los 80, Romano Scavolini llegó a Estados Unidos en el momento del auge del slasher, el látex y las vísceras de pega. No parecía contentarse con probar suerte en el mercado con un slasher al uso, quiso destapar sus raíces latinas y caracterizó al subgénero de las cuchilladas norteamericano por excelencia con una obra única en su idiosincrasia: amaneró un guión absurdo y demencial y se empeñó de verdad en filmar las escenas del chapoteo truculento de la sangre y las mutilaciones con todo lujo de detalle, dejando la narración, los personajes y aspectos técnicos como la iluminación en un segundo plano prescindible. El resultado fue un giallo sórdido y gratuito parido en las Américas y prohibido en el Reino Unido (una de las tantas cintas que pasaron a engrosar la mítica lista de las video nasties) por su excesivo regodeo en el gore (la película es un prodigio en este aspecto) y utilizar gimicks escabrosos al estilo H.G. Lewis en el estreno comercial, como regalar bolsitas para vomitar con la entrada y organizar una especie de encuesta para adivinar el peso de un cerebro humano en un potito (!!).

Savini no quiso que la sangre salpicara más allá de lo que ya salpicaba y no demandó a los productores. Quedó todo en un tirón de orejas. Pero hablemos de Nightmare, de por qué me sigue fascinando después de ver por segunda vez su versión UNCUT, con toda su irracional brutalidad sanguinolenta y su casi mortal aburrimiento (dicha versión no sólo incluye la explosiva y reconfortante totalidad de los geniales Fx de Ed French, también algunos pasajes idiotas de diálogo y tiempos muertos soporíferos). Porque Nightmare es indecible, incongruente, enferma, chunga, fea, so cerda, amoral y anormal.

Scavolini es un buen tipo, me cae bien, el hombre, en serio, pero admitámoslo, está como un cencerro. Podría decirse que Nightmare es tan personal como el resto de obras de su director (ver su web que he enlazado más arriba). Él escribe y dirige esta infamia como encerrado a cal y canto en un geriátrico, y en ella, ridiculiza in extremis las instituciones mentales del mundo y las drogas experimentales para dementes psicópatas aquejados de esquizofrenia y demás enfermedades como la epilepsia (¿o aquí era la rabia?) con una excusa argumental que no es de este mundo y convirtiendo en depravada y enfermiza parodia sin gracia el legado de Michael Myers, un angelito comparado con el malo de Nightmare.

El negativo original con el que se han realizados todas las copias de la película está hecho una puta mierda, plagado de pelo, grano y vete tú a saber qué más. Textura güarra esta que degrada y pervierte la imagen en consonancia con las toneladas de enfermedad general que rebasa la película por todos sus costados. Como en otras muestras de terror tremebundo y subterráneo de la época, palo Night of the Demon, Maniac o Don’t Go in the Woods (no por casualidad, también video nasties), Nightmare se subraya concienzudamente a si misma en el gore directo y avasallador, elemento vitalicio con el que Scavolini despliega la maestría de la que carece en sus otras ocupaciones directorales. Una absoluta maravilla en forma de largos y repulsivos asesinatos, que recogen el testimonio de los mejores Lucio Fulci y Joe D’Amato (más que los de Mario Bava y Dario Argento), siendo esa sensibilidad estrictamente italiana la que hace destacar a este despropósito sin ningún sentido de la medida ni de la decencia a cualquier nivel, que además cuenta con un minucioso montaje, dirigido únicamente a estas escenas de sangre enviciadas que insiste e insiste en mostrar la posición que asegura el ángulo más explicito, por medio de ralentizaciones y planos repatriados que aparecen en el mejor y más oportuno momento, como mandan los diferentes estilos estéticos del cine de horror italiano reconocido en el barroquismo. Pocos (o no los suficientes) directores actuales se atreven a representar las maneras y la desvergüenza del Roman Scavolini de Nightmare. Necesariamente han de estar tan locos como Rob Zombie o Adam Mason.

Os muestro las carátulas de las tres ediciones en DVD extranjeras de la película. Hay una que contiene el metraje original íntegro, otra más dialogo que sangre, aunque también dice ser íntegra, y la restante, ni puta idea:

George A. Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead has quite the legacy. To my mind, when it arrived in 1968, it ushered in the modern horror movie (along with Rosemary’s Baby, released the same year). Gone were the cobwebbed castles, terrorized villagers and occasionally hokey monsters of yore. This was contemporary horror which took place in familiar surroundings, perpetrated by monsters that looked like ordinary folks. An entirely new tone was introduced to the genre, and it persists to this day. So far, Romero has himself written and directed four loosely related sequels to his seminal classic. And the fifth one, Survival of the Dead, is imminent. Both Land of the Dead and (especially) Diary of the Dead marked a dip in quality, but they’re still enjoyable, thought-provoking and miles ahead of the zombified competition. To wit, Children of the Living Dead from 2001 …

Tom Savini takes aim ... at the filmmakers?

Never seen it? Perhaps even never heard of it? Well, there’s no reason to feel uninformed, even if you’re a horror fan. Children of the Living Dead is obscure for a reason! Above all else, it’s poorly written. The story, which deals with some kind of zombie king and his group of undead minions who attack a small Pennsylvania town, is nonsensical beyond belief. There are arbitrary jumps in time, people do completely illogical things, and the dialogue is often appallingly bad. Any viewer looking for even the barest shred of cohesion, would be better off doing a jigsaw puzzle in the dark. This turkey is also poorly shot, poorly acted, poorly edited, poorly everything! I have to stress that Romero had nothing whatsoever to do with this mess, but it does have a number of “fortuitous” ties to him nonetheless.

Abbott Hayes, the head zombie. He mostly just stands around and laughs.

For starters, Children of the Living Dead was produced by John Russo, Romero’s co-writer back in ‘68. Bill Hinzman, the very first zombie to come shambling through the cemetery in Night, was the director of photography. Marty Schiff, who plays Sheriff Randolph and actually does a good job, has appeared in three Romero movies—Dawn of the Dead, Knightriders and Creepshow. And he’s even working with Romero again, after well over two decades, as a producer on the forthcoming Deadtime Stories anthologies. Sam Nicotero, who is memorable and genuinely funny as a skuzzy hotel manager, is the uncle of special effects master Greg Nicotero—the latter has worked with Romero a number of times, of course. Speaking of special effects masters, long-time Romero associate Tom Savini plays a gung-ho survivalist type who dies after 15 minutes. He also did double duty as stunt coordinator. His performance isn’t great, but that might be due to the awful looping. I could go on, but you get the picture.

Marty Schiff and Savini stroll through a cemetery so cheap even Ed Wood, Jr. in his "glory" days would have sniffed at it.

There’s a fascinating backstory to why Children of the Living Dead ended up being such a shambles. Instead of my recycling it here, I suggest you stop by the highly informative Homepage of the Dead. Go to Bits & Pieces, and scroll down to the article “An e-mail from Tor Ramsey – Director of Children of the Living Dead.” There you’ll find a damning review of the movie from Travis Stoff … and the director’s reply. As he tells his bleakly entertaining tale, Ramsey comes across as witty, smart and honest. Read the whole thing, you won’t regret it. By the end, you’ll feel pretty sorry for the guy—and clearly discern that this project was doomed from the outset.

Terminated zombies ... or poor souls who watched this movie?

Note: I’ve barely scratched the surface of the sheer inept lunacy that is Children of the Living Dead. Something tells me I’ll be blogging about it again in the near future. You have been warned …

I bought this popular Tom Savini guide (with Ted Danson on the cover!) the second it hit the shelves back in the 80’s horror day. I wanted  to upgrade my Super 8 gore skills and I was already burned out on my Blood-Pic (a Water-Pic teeth cleaner converted to spray my home-brewed arterial crimson at least eight feet). Sadly, I never got around to imitating the easy-to-use effects that Savini helpfully prepared, except  for the awesome razor-blade, ear-cleaner gag that is effective to this day. I always wanted to make the wicked vampire fangs but lacked the funds for all the dental supplies. I’m glad to see the book has gone into at least six editions as I always thought Savini’s skillz fun and terrific, especially his masterful work in CREEPSHOW. And just for fun, how about that rarely used poster for FRIDAY THE 13TH?

All this hype about Twilight/New Moon made me want to watch old vampire flicks. You know, where vampires kill people for blood. I’ve seen Twilight, by the way and IT. IS. HORRIBLE. That’s two hours of my life I will never get back. God, that movie is so awful, I want to take a bath whenever someone mentions it. UGH. So anyway, since I’ve been watching/re-watching a lot of vampire movies, might as well make a list of the ones I like. Note that some of these aren’t particularly exceptional (like, say, Bordello of Blood) but they’re fun and entertaining, nevertheless. In no particular order, just because.

Martin (1977)
directed by George A. Romero

Yes, Romero makes movies that are not about zombies. Whodathunk? Martin (John Amplas) came to Pittsburgh to live with his uncle who is convinced that he’s a vampire. Something about a family curse and Nosferatu. He tells Martin that he will save his soul and destroy him afterwards. There is nothing romantic about Romero’s vampire. He claims to be 84 years old but he is not affected by sunlight, or garlic, or crucifixes. Maybe he’s just human with a thirst for blood.

Trivia: A young Tom Savini plays boyfriend to Christina, Martin’s cousin. (Sex Machine is cheating on her!) Romero has a cameo role as a priest.

Cronos (1993)
directed by Guillermo del Toro

A 16th century alchemist invented a mechanical device that holds the key to eternal life. 400 years later, in 1937, a building collapsed and among the victims was the alchemist. His heart was mortally pierced. After a police investigation, all of his belongings were auctioned off. In the present day, an old antique store owner (Frederico Luppi) came across the strange device hidden in one of the statues. Meanwhile, a dying man is looking for the device and would kill for it if he has to. Ron Perlman stars as the sick man’s nephew and henchman.

Trivia: Luppi was in The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth while Perlman was in Blade II and Hellboy, all of which were helmed by del Toro.

Bordello of Blood (1996)
directed by Gilbert Adler

Katherine (Erika Eleniak) hires Rafe (Dennis Miller) to find his missing brother, Caleb (Corey Feldman). Rafe discovers a brothel filled with vampires (and tits). What happens next is one big bloody mess that you definitely want to see. After all, how can you not want to see something with a title like that? A whorehouse! With vampires! Naked, bloody chicks! ZOMG!

Trivia: This follows Demon Knight, another Tale from the Crypt. It’s not a direct sequel but the key from Demon Knight appears in the beginning of the movie.

The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)
directed by Roman Polanski

The kooky Professor Abronsius (Jack MacGowran) and his assistant Alfred (Polanski) travel to Transylvania to hunt for vampires. At a local inn, they meet Sarah (Sharon Tate), daughter of the inn-keeper. Albert has fallen in love with her so when Count von Krolock (Ferdy Mayne) kidnapped her, they had to go after them. They track down the Count to his creepy castle just outside the village.

Trivia: This was Polanski’s first feature in color.

Fright Night (1985)
directed by Tom Holland

First of all, let me just say that Fright Night is THE BEST VAMPIRE MOVIE IN THE HISTORY OF EVER. Well, maybe the best I’ve seen so far and I still have a lot to see. Like, a SHITLOAD. Second of all, there is no second of all. I just wanted to say “first of all”.

Horror fan Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) believes that his new neighbor Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) is a vampire. He enlists the help of Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall), the local late-night host of Fright Night. Together, they fight Jerry and try to save Charley’s girlfriend Amy, before she becomes a creature of the night.

Check out those fangs!

Trivia: Chris Sarandon was the priest in Bordello of Blood. He was also the prince in Princess Bride. And Jack’s voice in The Nightmare Before Christmas. HE’S THE SHIZNIT.

Part 2 of the list tomorrow. If I don’t get lazy. Or distracted by food.

Tom Savini is the mastermind behind some of the most memorable horrific imagery ever conceived and put to film. From the wicked, haunting visages of Argento’s Trauma to the awesome effects of the cult favorite (i.e. mostly bad, with the exception of Savini’s work) Necronomicon, Savini has been at the forefront of the horror film scene for the past 30 years. He has seen every side of it, from the effects to the make-up, and even both in front of and behind the camera. Today’s feature, the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead, was actually directed by Savini himself, and features some of his best make-up jobs as well as an eye for horror that you just can’t teach. As a film, it’s not really as culturally important as the original, but, surprisingly, it might be a better film than Romero’s  1968 classic.

So, if you’ve never seen the original, stop what you’re doing, stop reading this review even, and watch it. It’s great. I’ll wait for you to go do that… right untillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll now. You back? What’d you think? I thought so, too. So, this movie is really only a slight variant on the original. Barbara and Johnny are brother-and-sister, and they’ve traveled to Pennsylvania to pay respects to their late mother. Everything’s going great, except for the fact that their mom is dead, UNTIL a strange fellow approaches them. He appears disoriented and injured, so at first the two are concerned for him, but they soon realize after only a few moments that this guy really weirds them out by coming closer and closer. It all comes to a head when he starts attacking them, and the two have to flee their mother’s grave-site. As they flee, they notice more and more odd, freakish people who are walking around disoriented and horrifically injured. Trying to knock one of them away from his sister, Johnny’s head falls hard on a tombstone, killing him. So Barbara is left alone to fend for herself against these strange people who don’t seem all the way there. After running a ways when her car breaks down, she happens across an old farmhouse that looks abandoned. When she gets inside, she finds more people like the ones in the cemetery, and thinks that all hope is lost. But luckily, a super-heroic man named Ben happens along in a pick-up truck and takes out some of them, she regains some composure. More and more people, still alive, flock tot he farmhouse and begin fortifications against what they are starting to believe is a nation-wide epidemic of the dead returning to life. What will happen to these beleaguered souls struggling to survive as the dead, returned tot he realm of the living, attack them and feast upon their flesh?

This was a movie of surprising quality. There’s a lot going on here for a remake. The things they change here are all positive reinforcements to make a better film. One of my favorite things, right off the bat, is the re-imagining of Barbara. In the original, she was a timid flower of a woman that wilted like so much lettuce in the noonday sun. Here, however, Barbara is strong and full of that horror movie survivor spunk. She’s played very well by Patricia Tallman, a particularly succulent 90s babe who was actually a stunt-woman before she started acting. It makes me more concerned for her as a character, and it’s overall a little less offensive to assume that she couldn’t handle herself AT ALL. There were also a lot of minor details that I enjoyed, such as the increased tension between the Harry character and Ben. They really needed more of a protagonist-antagonist relationship in the original, and this one adds it like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like Tom Savini read my mind!

But a lot of the spirit of the original remains. The zombies are slow and dumb, painfully so. If you need your zombies to run like they were practicing for a 10k before they were killed, this is not something you’ll want to see. But for the slow zombie enthusiast, I can’t recommend this one enough. The newness of the concept also rings clear here, and really brings my head back to a time before zombie flicks didn’t come out every week from Troma or After Dark. There’s this lack of knowledge and understanding from everyone in the film that really makes one stop and wonder. Nowadays, whenever a character sees a zombie, one guy knows exactly what to do and how to survive. In Night of the Living Dead, they don’t ever even figure out what CAUSED the outbreak, much less what to do exactly about these freaky people who don’t seem to be at all alive. But I think everyone loves this movie because of Ben, who has remained unchanged from the original. The intelligent and heroic character, here played by the Candyman himself, Tony Todd, was one of the first eloquent and independent black roles available in the genre. Ben was a take-charge kind of guy, someone who could lead a group of survivors; not fawning over some white guy, like many others before him were forced to do. The spirit of that character owes a great debt to the man who played him, Duane Jones, who was really that eloquent and commanding in real life. Tony Todd, no slouch in the horror community himself, does a lot to maintain the powerful presence of that character and what he represents to both the film and the genre.

I really dug this one. You might think it’s a cheap knock-off based off the box art and the advertisements, but it’s absolutely a film of its own, with its own message for its own time. With improved character arcs, some cool effects by Savini, and a talented cast, this one is not only scary, but well-made to boot. I give it my personal bloody, brain-encrusted seal of approval. Night of the Living Dead gets 8 1/2 Savini savants out of 10. A high recommendation!

Keep checking for my review of The Sentinel! I should have it up soon!

27 x 40 Movie Poster

 

Night of the Living Dead is a horror film released in 1990. It is a remake of George A. Romero’s 1968 film of the same name and was directed by Tom Savini. Romero rewrote the original 1968 screenplay that he had co-authored with John A. Russo.

Tagline: There IS a fate worse than death.

Trivia:

• The nameplate on the house indicates an “M. Celeste.” According to Tom Savini’s commentary on the DVD, that’s a direct reference to the “Mary Celeste”, a ship that was discovered adrift at sea with the passengers and crew missing.
• Bill ‘Chilly Billy’ Cardille appears as a reporter in both the 1968 version and the remake.
• The scene where Barbara shoots a zombie in the chest and then finally in the head was not originally going to be in the film. We were supposed to see a hideous female zombie that Barbara saw as her mother. Everyone was supposed to tell her to shoot it. The mother would have looked at Barbara and asked “Where’s Johnny, Barbara?”, then turned back into the hideous female zombie, at which point Barbara would finally shoot.
• The Macgruder zombie was a man that director Tom Savini saw in a diner and told him that he would make a great zombie, the man agreed. He showed up to all of the premieres.

Buy this Title only $6.49!

• The autopsy zombie at the beginning of the film was not in the original script, something that was added by Tom Savini.
• The man who comes through the door after they throw Macgruder out was a cab driver who Tom Savini took a ride from.
• Contains numerous references to Dawn of the Dead (1978).
• The car driven by Johnny at the beginning of the film was owned by Tom Savini. According to the director it was the first car he bought after meeting with success and it broke his heart to wreck it during filming.
• Tom Savini’s directorial debut.
• Acting debut for Katie Finneran and Heather Mazur.
• Tom Savini’s originally wanted to start the film in black-and-white, then slowly adding color.
• The film was banned in Germany when it was released.
• Some of the footage that was cut by the MPAA can be seen on the documentary on the DVD.
• Tom is wearing a shirt that says “Iron City” on it. This is the brand of beer the hunters are drinking in the original Dawn of the Dead (1978).
• When Sarah bites her mother Helen on the neck, blood splatters on a garden trowel hanging on the wall. This is a reference to the original Night of the Living Dead (1968), in which the daughter kills the mother with a garden trowel.
• Laurence Fishburne and Eriq La Salle both auditioned for the role of Ben.
• The scene at the end of the film, where several zombies are lynched from a tree and shot at was in fact scripted in the original 1968 film, but was cut because of the racial tensions gripping the country at the time. The scene pays homage to the cut.
• Director Tom Savini has known Patricia Tallman since they went to college together. He chose to cast her because of her strong-willed demeanor.
• As is tradition with most zombie films, the word ‘zombie’ is never once used in this movie to describe the Living Dead.
• Ving Rhames was considered for Ben.
• Peter Hyams was asked to direct, but turned it done to work on Narrow Margin (1990).
• According to the director’s commentary someone sent a copy of the footage of the car rolling down the hill into the tree to the car maker, showing the air bag not deploying. They were apparently rewarded with a new car.
• The characters take refuge in an isolated farmhouse early in the film. Next to one of the doors, visible in shots of the exterior of the house, is the name of the owner – “M Celeste”, in nail-on letters in a script font. This seems to be homage to the sailing ship “Marie Celeste”, which was discovered in the Atlantic Ocean unmanned and under sail heading towards the Strait of Gibraltar in 1872. Her crew was not on board and the only lifeboat gone, but the ship had no damage and was sea worthy. Like the ship, the house was (relatively) undamaged by it’s ordeal and could have been immediately occupied.
• At one point in the film, a female zombie can be seen walking through a field with the house in the background. This zombie hears the banging from the humans in the house trying to board up the windows and is attracted to the noise, so she turns and begins staggering to the house. This woman actually owned the house in real life. The producers wanted to use the house in the film and agreed to give the woman a small acting part in exchange.

“They’re coming to get you Barbara…”

Desde que George Romero pusiera en voga a los cadáveres animados con su “Night of the Living Dead” en 1968, el mundo se ha visto literalmente invadido una y otra vez por plagas de muertos vivientes hambrientos de cerebros o carne humana.

La presencia de los zombies ha sido tan constante durante los últimos 30 años que ya la fórmula parece estar agotada, pero de vez en cuando surgen nuevas y mas descabelladas historias de zombies para regocijo del publico asiduo a las decapitaciones, el apocalipsis y los malos efectos especiales…

La novela más discutida del último tiempo (vinculada con zombies claro está) es sin duda la nueva version del clásico de Jane Austen, “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”.

"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" por Jane Austen y Seth Grahame-Smith, $15.000.-

Un clásico de la literatura universal en una versión que incluye mutilación, calles infestadas de cadaveres caminantes y sangre a chorros. Un giro temático que, a decir verdad, vuelve de verdad interesante el trabajo original de Austen… por lo menos para los que no pudimos pasar de las primeras 10 paginas del libro original… pero ahora tiene zombies! lo que quiere decir que no podremos parar de leerlo…

También, de la misma autora pero intervenida con otro tipo de monstruos, se encuentra disponible “Sense and Sensibility ans Sea Monsters”. Una versión de la famosa novela romantica de Jane Austen pero que esta vez incluye serpientes marinas asesinas, calamares gigantes y engendros que surgen del mar con hambre de seres humanos.

"Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters" por Jane Austen y Ben H. Winters, $15.000.-

Volviendo a los zombies… ha sido tanta la demanda por literatura zombie durante las últimas décadas que incluso los zombies terminaron recibiendo libros dedicados exclusivamente a sus intereses personales…

"Breathers: A Zombie's Lament" de S.G. Browne, $16.000.-

"The Zen of Zombie: Better Living Through the Undead" de Scott Kenemore, $16.500.-

"Zombies for Zombies: Advice and Etiquette for the Living Dead" de David Murphy, $15.000.-

“Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament” es una novela romántica que narra el tortuoso amor de Andy y Rita en un mundo que no acepta ni su relación ni su existencia. “The Sen of Zombie” es el libro de autoayuda que todo humano debe leer, hay mucho que aprender de los zombies y su busqueda por la paz a toda costa. “Zombies for Zombies” es la más completa guía para el nuevo zombie. Si ves venir el fin de tus días a manos de un cadáver hambriento de tu cerebro entonces mas vale leer este libro y prepararse para tu nueva no-vida.  Pero si no deseas convertirte en uno de ellos, no puedes dejar de leer:

"The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead" de Max Brooks, $15.000.-

"The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks" de Max Brooks, $15.000.-

Probablemente la novela gráfica, acerca de zombies, más interesante y comentada de todos los tiempos. Esta Guía de Sobrevivencia ofrece en sus dos ediciones información altamente relevante en cuanto a la historia de los ataques zombies y sobre como resistir un ataque zombie hasta ser rescatado… por desgracia, los protagonistas de la mayoría de las películas de zombies parecen nunca haber leído este libro… o jugado Resident Evil…

Pero sin duda la novela gráfica más importante sobre zombies es la saga Marvel Zombies…

"Marvel Zombies: Dead Days", $22.500.-

Marvel Zombies I, $16.500.-

Marvel Zombies II y III, $18.000.- c/u

"Marvel Zombies Vs. Army of Darkness", $18.500.-

Una saga espectacular que sigue las historias de los héroes del universo Marvel una vez que son transformados en zombies por un misterioso virus. Una colección imperdible para cualquier seguidor de los comics o de los zombies.

Si eres un estudioso de los zombies y deseas conocer todo acerca de ellos, este es probablemente el libro que buscas…

"History Is Dead: A Zombie Anthology" de Scott A. Johnson, $17.500.-

Una antología que sigue las apariciones de los zombies a través de la historia. Un relato realmente interesante para quienes se dicen conocedores de las historias de Zombies. Y son estos mismos conocedores los que deben saber qué películas están catalogadas como las mejores del género…

"Night of the Living Dead" de George Romero, edicion especial del 30 aniversario con escenas extra, comentarios y más, $16.000.-

"Re-Animator" de Stuart Gordon, edicion especial de la pelicula de culto, un dvd repleto de extras, $22.500.-

"Shaun of the Dead" de Edgar Wright, DVD repleto de extras, $16.000.-

Si tienes dudas acerca de como comprar, consultas o aportes escribenos a kthulu.store@gmail.com

Here is our first look at FX guru and genre favourite Tom Savini in Robert Rodriguez’s Machete.

Savini stars alongside Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Lindsey Lohan, Steven Seagal, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Jeff Fahey, Elise Avellan and Electra Avellan (as the Sexy Nurses) in the feature-lenth version of Rodriguez’s faux trailer made for Grindhouse.

I still find it mad that we are going to see De Niro, Lindsay Lohan and Steven Seagal in the same film.

Machete (Trejo) is a Mexican ex-Federale with a gift for wielding a blade, who hides out as a day laborer, who is double-crossed by a corrupt state senator.

Bloody Disgusting had this and many other photos plus the synopsis below.

“The feature version of the trailer finds Machete (Trejo) a renegade former Mexican Federale, roaming the streets of Texas after a shakedown from drug lord Torrez (Seagal). Reluctantly, Machete takes an offer from spin doctor Benz (Fahey) to assassinate McLaughlin (De Niro) a corrupt Senator. Double crossed and on the run Machete braves the odds with the help of Luz (Rodriguez), a saucy taco slinger, Padre (Marin) his “holy” brother, and April (Lohan) a socialite with a penchant for guns. All while being tracked by Sartana (Alba), a sexy ICE agent with a special interest in the blade slinger.”