Stumptown Horror

review: I Saw the Devil (2011)

2012-03-11T20:41:00.001-07:00

IMDb Plot Summary

I Saw the Devil (2011) is the result of what happens when a director wants to make both a revenge movie as well as a good film. These two descriptors don't usually walk hand-in-hand. Sure a revenge film can be good at what it intends, but that intention is never to transcend the genre and attempt to enter the canon of great films.

Just how is this attempt executed? Primarily, the strength of a revenge film will usually be rooted in its written word. In this case, screenwriter Hoon-jung Park brings together many familiar elements from the rest of the horror genre whether its the discover of the ear a la Blue Velvet (1986), a family of cannibals reminiscent of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), or the pursuit and pain infliction of Haute Tension (2003) repeated over and over again. So far this sounds like an Insidious (2011)-like mash-up. But the writing proves weak in its story telling from giving us a secret agent main character, but with no further of his background to ask us to swallow the concept of brand new, James Bond-quality technology simple created to allow the story to unfold.

Perhaps it is the actors' portrayal of their characters. Choi Min-sik shines here with his return to film since his last work in Park Chan-wook's vengeance trilogy. Its almost amazing the range of acting he manages to demonstrate in this role both emotionally and physically, but more so amazing in that his use of the character doesn't expose the shallowness expressed by everyone else. Again we find positive and negative aspects of this film, but I still cannot talk myself out of its greatness.

We must then look at the craft of film making itself from its shooting to editing and alas it is in these details we see the devil. At every point in which we become too comfortable in the story, or the actor's portrayal, the director Kim Ji-woon makes his presence known. Much like the dance that our United States government is suppose to enage in, these three forces ebb and flow in a lovely check & balance system that makes for quick work of the 144-minute running time.Time and again, the depictions of scenes in this film force you to sit up and pay attention. In the hands of a less crafty director, its easy to imagine how straight forward most of this film could have been made. Perhaps its these glossy, stylized moments that compensate when the other elements falter...

I can't think of very many films in which I'm so aware of the many different hands involved in its creation, while at the same time not sacrificing the suturing of the audience. Even after all these words I still don't feel like I've quite nailed this film down, but I definitely know I Saw the Devil will stand as one of the year's greats and I look forward to seeing it time and again in the future.

on video: 6 March 2012

2012-03-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

The image above represents the new releases, across multiple platforms, on Amazon.com this week. This post serves as a visual gallery to critique each video's art and design, side-by-side, as they once were in video stores all across this great nation.

Perhaps something catches your eye?

For each video's corresponding Amazon.com page, please refer to the "now On Video" link at the top of this page.

on video: 28 February 2011

2012-02-29T13:26:00.000-08:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

Baba Yaga (1973) Blu-ray

Beneath the Darkness (2011) DVD | Blu-ray | Digital

Caged Women in Purgatory DVD

From the Inside (2010) DVD | Digital

Legion (2010) Digital

El Monstro del Mar! (2010) DVD

Rabies (2010) DVD | Digital

Todd & The Book Of Pure Evil - The Complete First Season (2010) DVD | Digital

Wolftown (2010) DVD

showing: The Spirit of Laziness

2012-02-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

This week marks the opening of the Ghost Rider (2007) sequel, Spirit of Vengeance. What did I do to deserve such punishment?

Uncharacteristic for a bigger budget film, this feature comes without a witty tagline. In exchange at the 1:39 mark we get to see the ghost rider gripping his unit and pissing fire. Thanks, Hollywood.

I don't have anything against Ghost Rider personally. I love the character and could definately seem him being used effectively in a horror/action movie as opposed to an action/comedy/horror flick. Some of these pictures just need to ask themselves day one what their priority is. If the movie is good, with these levels of release, it will make money. Bad and they'll fall out of the theatre after breaking even. What makes better business sense than that?

Normally not one for CGI, I think the Rider looks really good in this picture. Images such as this can't be achieved with practical effects alone and the thinkness of that black smoke makes me think he's burning tires up in that skull of his. This could totally be used to scare the sh*t out of the regular viewing public, but instead he'll most likely be standing there dropping the type of one liners that they opted to keep off the poster.

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In terms of special showings this week we have two.

It took me a while to scrawl through all the movies being shown at this year's Portland International Film Festival (link) and the result was finding but one gem to share with you. Representing the Isle of Britain this year will be Kill List (2011).

Kill List will being shown today, Friday 24 February at 11:30 @ Cinema 21

The second showing of importance is playing at the Hollywood Theatre today and tomorrow, the 24th and 25th, at 9:30. It is a not-to-be-missed on the the big screen affair and if you've had your eye on our event calendar you knew it was coming -- Battle Royale (2000)

Not much I can say about a classic. Just know if you attend the same screening as me only one person will be leaving the theatre alive for another round of tall boys.

on video: 21 February 2012

2012-02-21T17:55:00.002-08:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

American Scream King (2010) DVD

Attack of the Vegan Zombies (2009) DVD

Boneyard Collector DVD

Bong Of The Dead (2010) DVD

Curse Of Blanchard Hill: Raped By Nature (2006) DVD

Dark Spirits DVD

Double Exposure (1983) DVD

Fades: Season One (2012) DVD | Blu-ray

Horror Cuts: Bitches, Satans and Hellraisers (2012) DVD

House of Flesh Mannequins (2009) DVD

Inkubus (2011) DVD

Jesus, The Total Douchebag (2011) DVD

Keepsake (2012) DVD

Monsters In The Woods (2012) DVD

Outcast (2012) Digital

Return to Bloodfart Lake (2011) DVD

Sexually Deranged (2010) DVD

Stiffed (2010) DVD

Vomit Gore Box Set DVD

Where the Dead Go to Die (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

Whispers (1990) DVD

XII "Twelve" (2008) DVD

showing: The only person standing in your way is you.

2012-02-17T13:56:00.000-08:00

Black Swan (2010) is the only new movie showing on daily rotation in Portland this week, but there is one other special screenings you won't want to miss.

You might have heard of Black Swan. It was nominated for "Best Picture" in 2011 at the Academy Awards. A number of other rather fantastic dark pictures were nominated in this pool but the lighthearted stuttering king took the award as you would expect when running against horses such as these (hint: dark). Regardless, when it comes to horror, just being nominated is a huge victory.

Black Swan will be showing all week at Fifth Avenue Cinemas and is definately worth catching on the big screen again.

The other movie you'll need to keep a keen on eye is a special screening of Nosferatu (1922) playing at 8 pm this Saturday at the Hollywood Theatre. From their website (link):

On February 18th, The Strangled Darlings creep from the crypt and into the Hollywood Theatre. The tome, Nosferatu, FW Murnau’s 1922 tale of purity of heart, vampires, and blood. The Strangled Darlings present a disconcerting mix of styles. They paint an eerily dark portrait that seems like it was made for the classic horror genre. In a special one-time performance, the Hollywood Theatre is transformed back to its vaudeville days of bowler hat bedecked musicians and big screen spectacles.

I'm not entirely sure just what The Strangled Darlings will bring to this already splendid work of horror past, but again it is the quality of film that I have missing when shown in a proper setting.

Keep up the good work, kiddies, by sending in those special events you have planned to rian@stumptownhorror.com -- without you this town wouldn't have anything decent to write about.

events: Post V-Day Zombie Apocalypse

2012-02-17T09:43:00.000-08:00

This Valentine's Day, we here at your faithful StumptownHorror.com chose to do the right thing and join the zombie horde in ruining everyone else's romantic night out. Enjoy.

And of course, yours truly sheds a bloody tear every time a term of affection is expressed destined to repeat it ad naseum until I find a victims mouth to consume. Until next year...

on video: 14 February 2012

2012-02-14T16:04:00.000-08:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

The Dead (2010) DVD | Blu-ray | Digital

The Devil's Rock (2011) DVD

Friday the 13th the Ultimate Collection DVD

Hell Girl: Three Vessels Complete Collection DVD

Human Centipede II: Full Sequence (2011) DVD | Blu-ray | Digital

My Pure Joy (2011) DVD

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) DVD | Digital

Swingers Massacre (1975) DVD

events: Portland (heart)'s Zombies

2012-02-10T21:36:00.000-08:00

Sadly, this week doesn't present us with any new horror films on Portland screens, especially with the holiest of date night's upon us. This does however give us all a chance to cuddle up with our S.O.'s and catch up on all the great video releases we've been missing of late (link). If you're staying in this Valentine's Day, might I suggest a visit to the far back corner of Movie Madness? If you are lacking a special somebody for V-Day this year, might I equally suggest a visit to the far back corner of Movie Madness? More likely to find a date there than trowling around the Red Box outside you're nearest 7-Eleven.

Even better yet is paying a visit to the two events scheduled this week in our fair city.

Sunday marks the return of AMC's The Walking Dead's second season. These play in isolation on the small screen or socially on the much bigger screen at our very own Hollywood Theatre as well as many bars around town.

Personally, I'm not a fan of TV programmers dictating my viewing pace and much prefer to wait until seasons get released on video to knock the whole thing out in one-day mini-marathons.

Much more exciting then seeing zombies on a screen is being a zombie in real life, and this V-Day we get just that chance!

If you pay attention to our events calendar (link) you'll be as excited as me to see that this Valentine's marks the third return of Z-Day! That's right, 14 February is the 3rd Annual PDX V-Day Zombie Pub Crawl (facespace link).

(photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zacharyz/)

The meet-up is at the Lone Fir Cemetery @ 6:30 and will proceed to bars in that general area. If you miss the initial meet-up, the organizers promise to keep an up-to-date location posting on the event's Facebook page linked above. I have missed out in years' past but am definitely making a showing this year. The greatest question that a night like this is bound to answer: Who still has leftover Halloween make-up lying around and who finds a way to just make do with whatever else they have around their lair?

I look forward to seeing all of you dear readers out and about this week, just don't turn around too fast or you might catch me lurking uncomfortably close behind you. Until next time...

on video: 7 February 2012

2012-02-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

Day of the Dead 3D (2008) Blu-ray

The Deadly Spawn (1983) Blu-ray

Dorm of the Dead (2009) DVD

Filth to Ashes Flesh to Dust (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

Machete Joe (2010) DVD

Stormhouse (2011) DVD | Digital

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part I (2011) DVD | Blu-ray | Digital

showing: Dueling Ghost Stories

2012-02-02T20:57:00.000-08:00

As you huddle nearer the weekend campfire as protection from the cold darkness that lies heavily on your back, you are offered a choice of two ghost stories.

If you choose ghost story #1, turn to page 13

If you choose ghost story #2, turn to page 666

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Page 13

The first movie being offered up to us this week is Ti West's newest and much anticipated film The Innkeepers:

Just watching the trailer I feel as though it will have much in common with West's previous outing, 2009's The House of the Devil. Both flicks are about having a crappy job with few to no co-workers and the thin line of sanity one must walk to survive long enough to get a paycheck. Reminds me of my past jobs including but not limited to cherry-picker, projectionist, and house painter.

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Page 666

The second option stars a familiar face from the last decade or so in, but not as, The Woman in Black:

Daniel Radcliffe gets his first real film role after spending a decade as the boy wizard Harry Potter. Will his loyal fan base follow him with their dollars from film to film? When will he be allowed to just be "Daniel Radcliffe, Actor"? Is he going to come out of the gates so strong we can finally forget all those horrid films he made before?

Maybe this movie relies less on its actor and more so on its director, James Watkins. Haven't heard of him? Not surprising since this is just his second film, but his first was the impressive Eden Lake (2008). Before I sat down to write this post I thought my conclusion was going to fall somewhere along the line of wondering how much better this movie would be in the hands of a Ti West instead, but upon discovering Watkins past work, I'm now much more excited to see this film as is. Granted, Eden Lake's strength lies in the fact it remained grounded in reality as opposed to supernatural sources of evil. It will be interesting how he approaches this story -- hopefully he finds a way to make it his own and it doesn't become his Cabin Fever 2 (2009).

events: Grindhouse v. Ghost

2012-01-31T17:30:00.000-08:00

Over the course of tonight all of us here in Portland have the choice between two different stages as our entertainment options.

At the Hawthorne Theatre the 13 Days of Doom tour kicks off headlined by Swedish heavy metal band Ghost. Portland is the eleventh stop of those 13. From Wikipedia (link):

Ghost are easily recognizable due to their eccentric on-stage presence (five of the group's six members wear dark hooded robes, while the vocalist appears in a skull mask and a cardinal outfit), heavily satanic-based lyrics,^[2] and highly secretive nature of their identities, with the members being referred to as "Nameless Ghouls".^[3] Musically, the band is often compared to groups such as Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult, Mercyful Fate, and Witchfinder General. ^[4] ^[5]

So much of me wants to be at this show tonight, especially to pick up some of their sweet swag. Here's some images pulled from their website (link):

Also, occurring on this night of night's, and the event that is making it so I can't attend the Ghost concert, is the latest installment of Dan Halsted's Grindhouse Film Festival (link). Tonight's movie? SUSPIRIA!

Suspiria (1977) Dario Argento's nightmarish masterpiece! A young woman (Jessica Harper) decides to perfect her ballet studies at the most famous school of dance in Europe. When students begin to disappear mysteriously, she starts to investigate, and finds an evil history to the school. The plot quickly takes a backseat to the creepy atmosphere, excellent cinematography, gruesome murders, and the incredible soundtrack by GOBLIN. This film is a cinematic nightmare. Suspiria is beautiful, intense, bizarre and terrifying. Don't miss this once in a lifetime chance to see it on a 50 foot screen.

And to get you just as excited as I am, here's the amazing trailer for your viewing pleasure:

Any showing for the Grindhouse Film Festival is a not to be missed experience especially when you get to see a print of this magnitude, so I know I'll be running into each and every one of you at the Hollywood tonight.

As always, these and all future Portland relevant events I'm aware can be found on our calendar located behind the "upcoming Events" tab at the top of this page. If there is anything missing from said calender, feel free to let me know with an email to rian@stumptownhorror.com

on video: 31 January 2012

2012-01-31T00:01:00.000-08:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

2-Headed Shark Attack (2012) DVD | Blu-ray

Blubberella (2011) DVD

The Bunnyman Massacre (2012) DVD

Das Boot: Director's Cut (1997) Blu-ray

Dr. Jekyll Vs. The Werewolf (1972) DVD

Dream House (2011) DVD | Blu-ray | Digital

Ghoulies 3: Ghoulies Go To College (1991) Digital

Hell on Earth (2008) DVD

Night Train Murders (1975) Blu-ray

Roxsy Tyler's Carnival of Horror's ''A Leech Named Bassant'' (2011) DVD

Spiderhole (2010) DVD

The Thing (2011) DVD | Combo | Digital

Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show (2010) DVD

showing: Snow Falling on Cedars

2012-01-27T16:26:00.000-08:00

Two new films will be making their daily rotations in Portland theatres this week. First up is the newest film from Joe Carnahan. The man that gave you the action/comedy big screen adaptaion of The A-Team (2010) re-teams with Liam Neeson to help aid his growing legend with The Grey (2012):

Why is it that Neeson seemingly keeps getting these badass action-y movies when he actually seems like the type of dude that wouldn't put up much of a fight in real life? I'd rather see him in an creepy authoratative role similar to Dr. Heiter in The Human Centipede (2009). These survival films are generally much better than normal action fare, and I look forward to watching the bleakness of Frozen (2010) being played out on a larger scale.

Our second film of the week is The Wicker Tree (2010) which is seeing play at Living Room Theater (my favorite movie-house in town):

Quite honestly, I've never seen Robin Hardy's earlier film The Wicker Man (1973) and don't know anything about why this director has on average directed a film once every 19 years. Judging from the trailer alone, this movie seems to have the directoral grace of a Terrance Malick composed feature that seems to run in contradiction to the reviews I've read about the film. Utterly confused, I look forward to seeing this film when I get the opportunity.

events: Ghost Hunt at the Hollywood Theatre

2012-01-26T15:49:00.000-08:00

As stated on the Hollywood Theatre's website (link):

In collaboration with the release of the film The Innkeepers, on Friday Feb. 3rd the Portland Oregon Paranormal Society will be conducting a Ghost Hunt at the Hollywood Theatre. A small group of people will be allowed to participate in the Ghost Hunt. Tickets are extremely limited, and will go on sale Friday 1/27 at 5:00pm. Tickets are $25 per person, and include admission to the Feb. 3rd 9:30 show of The Innkeepers. The Ghost Hunt will start once the theater is closed (roughly 11:30pm) and will continue until roughly 2:30am. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Please bring a flashlight and dress warmly, and feel free to bring a video camera. P.O.P.S. will be providing “ghost hunting” equipment to be used by the participants.

I have been on various ghost hunts over the years ranging from calm to supper aggressive and have always left with tons of new stories for the squares back in the real world. Combine this experience with the added bonus of finally being able to see The Innkeepers on the big screen renders it not-to-be-missed.

Don't miss this or other future events by regularly checking our calender under the "upcoming Events" tab at the top of this page.

events: Dark Ascension

2012-01-26T13:45:00.000-08:00

Dark Ascension is the second set in a three set expansion block called Innistrad for the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering.

From the Wizards of the Coast website (link):

The Innistrad set introduced us to a world of gothic horror where humans lived in a tenuous balance with darker forces like vampires, werewolves, and zombies. Now the Dark Ascension set returns you to that world, but this time, the monsters are winning, and the humans have been forced to bar the gates of their settlements in defense. Your task is to search Innistrad’s new landscape for the best tools to use in your never-ending quest to outsmart your fellow Planeswalkers. What will you find?

This weekend, 28-29 January, is your first chance to play with these new cards at the Dark Ascension Prerelease events taking place at your local gaming store(s).

The following weekend, 3-6 February, is the official lauch parties for the product.

Of course, this event and all others taking place in the Portland area can be found under the "upcoming Events" tab above (link). These events are always a blast, and even moreso with a three set block so oozing with a spot-on theme.

events: Masters of the Night

2012-01-26T13:01:00.000-08:00

Starting 21 January, the World Forestry Center presents the traveling exhibition Masters of the Night: The True Story of Bats.

From their website (link):

Masters of the Night: The True Story of Bats, a touring museum exhibition produced by Evergreen Exhibitions, is bringing the mystery surrounding bats out of the dark.

The 2,500 square foot exhibition dispels popular misconceptions about bats, describes their ecological importance and gives visitors an appreciation of the true wonders of the bat world. The exhibit includes multi-sensory interactive displays, and environmentally lifelike settings that engage visitors to learn about the world's only flying mammals.

Coinciding with the exhibition will be a series entitled Bat Chats (link). Those talks are listed below but as well can be found easily on our always growing calender of horror events under the "upcoming Events" tab above (link).

Of special note, the first Wednesday of every month is reduced admission day. The relevant dates for this event are 1 February, 7 March, 4 April, & 2 May.

Sunday 12 February
1:00 pm "Zoo Bats: Acquisition, Management & Conservation."
Michael Illig, Assistant Zoological Curator, Oregon Zoo

3:00pm “Mysterious Evolution of Sound and Flight in Bats”
Luis Ruedas, Biologist, Portland State University

Saturday 18 February
1:00pm “Bats in my Attic, Oh My!”
Tim Tenbrink, Critter Control

3:00pm "Oregon’s Bats: Facts and Myths”
Biologist Susan Barnes, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Sunday 26 February
1:00pm “Beneficial Bats”
Elaine Murphy, Backyard Bird Shop

Sunday 11 March
1:00pm “Bats' Role in the Pacific NW Ecosystem”
Jan Zinck, Biologist, PCC & PSU

3:00pm “Bats and Wind Farms”
Jeremy Tchou, Garrad Hassan

Saturday 17 March
1:00pm “Bats in my Attic, Oh My!”
Tim Tenbrink, Critter Control

Saturday 14 April
1:00pm “Bats: Biology, Behaviors & Benefits”
Cris Hein, Bat Conservation International

Sunday 22 April
1:00pm “Forensics and Non-Invasive Management”
Jan Zinck, Biologist, PCC & PSU

Saturday 5 May
1:00pm “Contributions of Managed Forests to Bat Habitat”
Sponsored by Oregon Forest Resources Institute
Mike Rochelle, Wildlife Biologist, Weyerhaeuser
Jake Verschuyl, National Council for Air and Stream Improvement

on video: 24 January 2012

2012-01-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

Always From Darkness (2011) DVD

Cold Creepy Feeling: Paranormal Exorcism (2011) DVD

End Call (2008) DVD

Fascination (1979) DVD | Blu-ray

Godzilla - Criterion Collection (1954) DVD | Blu-ray

House on Sorority Row (1982) DVD

Head Case (2011) DVD

Hell on Earth (2008) DVD

The Iron Rose (1973) DVD | Blu-ray

Lips of Blood (1975) DVD | Blu-ray

Lust in Hell (2009) DVD

The Nude Vampire (1970) DVD | Blu-ray

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) Digital | DVD Combo | Blu-ray Combo

Porn Star Zombies (2009) DVD

Shiver of the Vampires (1971) DVD | Blu-ray

The Summer of Massacre (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

Text (2009) DVD

Woman (2011) DVD | Blu-Ray

showing: An Unexpected Mash-up

2012-01-20T15:05:00.000-08:00

This week we are being presented with what should be the greatest pop culture mash-up of all time! That's right boys and girls, prepared to be extra scared by Underworld: Awakening.

Robin Williams once again takes on the role of Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a man with a knack for giving those most in need a second chance at life. Just as he did with Robert De Niro's Leonard Lowe, Dr. Sayer this time has set his sights on Kate Beckinsale's perpetual outsider, Selene. Let's enjoy the following trailer together:

Oddly, none of the riveting, dialogue-driven scenes dealing with coming to terms with the current form of self post-awakening made the clip, but rather decided to jump straight into the action. Also, sadly lacking is any evidence that a movie dealing with a human v. vamps v. lycan war will have any scary scenes. You might go as far as to say that this movie has as much to do with horror as a movie like Twilight does. Nonetheless, I will still fantasize that a big-budget feature has finally figured out that action/horror or romance/horror can co-exist in one film and satisfy both genres purists. Fingers crossed that this is it.

Please feel free to report back here if/when you catch this film on the big screen.

short: Pingu's THE THING

2012-01-17T23:15:00.000-08:00

I still have hopes that nostalgia will overcome technology and we'll get feature films made the way they should be: sans CGI characters. I much prefer practical effects, stop motion, claymation, models, masks, and everything else that absorbs light rather than emits (subtractive over additive light).

Today's short is Pingu's THE THING (2012) as posted on leehardcastle.com.

Watching The Thing molded in clay makes it hard to believe that some of these shorts are exactly what happened in the source film. The escaped head sprouting spider legs seems like something a claymation animator would come up with, not a team of feature film producers.

Continuing the first paragraph above, and in no way meant to distract from the fantastic clip just shown, I give you the early stop motion screen tests for Jurassic Park before the computers stepped in. So often I wish we could have seen this technology pushed to its limits.

eBay: Original Saw prop

2012-01-17T22:02:00.000-08:00

For those of you interested in these kinds of rare objects and have much more money than me to invest in such artifacts, I share with you:

The original saw used in the movie Saw (2004)

Currently on eBay (link) this would look awesome in anyone's curio cabinet -- especially mine. While most original props that show up on eBay are "the socks worn by the guy in the background"-type quality, it is amazing to see a piece that is the central focus of a well known horror film that has set records for how much money a horror franchise can make.

review: Wake Wood (2011)

2012-01-17T19:37:00.000-08:00

IMDb Plot Summary

The last decade plus of horror films has been defined in large part by remaking either films that have over time grown into cherished classics or unique foreign films needing exorcised of their sub-title demons for maximum American consumption. Wake Wood is neither of those, but then again feels closely related.

When Irish film producer Brendan McCarthy took a screenwriting class to improve his understanding of story structure then end result served as the basis for a feature film. This is the dream of every single person that signs up for one of these classes. Unlike all those suckers paying for a sliver of a dream, McCarthy already had his own production company making the dream a bit more realistic.

For a reason unknown to myself, this film never got much of a run in foreign theaters, and as far as I can tell got a single US showing in Los Angeles before being released onto video. A shame because this film was a pleasure to experience.

Now back to the thesis.

Wake Wood feels like an attempt to send a message to Hollywood. What does that message read? "You're doing it wrong." Especially when approaching the concept of the remake.

True, familiarity does lubricate the pocketbook and us Americans are willing to spend money haphazardly for the sake of nostalgia even when we get burned time and again. A remake is a just remake unless something new can be brought to the product. I thought that's what all those pitch meetings were for that they teach us about in screenwriting class.

What would you rather watch:

"So I have this idea to take one of the best scary movies from the 70's and just make it faster, bloodier, sexier, and in 3D."

-or-

"I want to take the ideas explored in this movie from the 80's, more greatly explore the tension those ideas generate between the characters and present it in a way that is equally much more horrific and cinematic."

Yeah, I want to watch them both too. But only the later is likely to make it onto my list of best horror movies for the year.

Pet Cemetery (1989) offers plenty that forced my eyes from the screen as a child on many an occasion. What it doesn't have is a depth of character or depiction. A family moves to the country, their son is killed in a terrible accident, his parents decide to bring him back to life but now he's evil. Change the gender of the child and this same summary describes Wake Wood, but the devil is in the details. In remaking the ideas, Wake Wood as directed by David Keating explores the real dramatic tension in every interaction this plot has to offer. And boy do I love details.

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, she didn't describe the process used by the doctor to bring his monster to life, yet it is a central scene in film adaptations to varying degrees of success. Likewise is Wake Wood to Pet Cemetary. In Pet Cemetary the boy is buried in a magical graveyard and shows up at home one day. No real explanation needed, the plot just moves forward in a literary way thanks to the Stephen King source material. Wake Wood on the other hand takes much care in the cinematic, visual depiction of the process that one must undertake to bring life back to the dead. Like every spell concocted in The Boxer's Omen (1983) we are given a very real step-by-step demonstration of how to perform the magic, but the steps required are so extreme that it is near, if not, impossible for any of us to attempt executing them ourselves.

review: Insidious (2010)

2012-01-17T18:07:00.000-08:00

IMDb Plot Summary

Sure there are going to be complaints that Insidious plays like the "best of" scenes from past haunted house movies, but even after having seen all those movies I never quite knew from moment to moment where Insidious was planning on taking me -- hopefully somewhere insidious. This movie oozes with the feeling that those behind its creation really know and love this genre. For those "best of" scenes depicted, most times Wan/Whannel gave us something better than the scene to which they were playing homage.

Wan and Whannel? Yep, the same director and writer combo that created the original Saw (2004) as well as the ultimate killer-ventriloquist-dummy flick Dead Silence (2007).

Much growth is exhibited by this tandem over the course of those three films. Saw looked to up the stakes for riddle-serial-killers but ultimately fell short while Dead Silence, in contrast, took a genre niche that historically has provide us lousy horror films and quite possibly became the Se7en (1995) of it. Insidious then, in its crafty way, looks to take the much explored haunted house genre and accomplish the same.

This feat is much more difficult in that within the pantheon of haunted house features there are a number which tend to rank among the best in the horror genre. For example, a look over at the Boston Globe's "Top 50 scariest movies of all time" (boston.com) places The Shining (1980), Ju-on (2002), and Poltergeist (1982) in its top 11. What I love about Insidious is that in terms of plot it is similar to the third of those, has the intimacy of the second and goes bat-sh*t crazy like the first. If it is just a collage of the greats then why is it worth seeing?

Never before have I see a collage that is so seamless. By the very nature of cut and paste jobs the edge of each clipping is clearly defined, e.g. the Scary Movie franchise. This movie pulls out its Photoshop tools and blends the ideas to such a degree that the end result is a movie that exists in its own visual world. It is this world that is most captivating, not the ideas behind it. By inviting you to be a part of one family's hell instead of just telling us about it, Insidious in my opinion can easily place higher on a horror list than either Ju-on or Poltergeist but alas falls short of this niche's crown jewel.

Insidious easily places itself in the running for best horror film of the year and though it failed to define the genre, its place among the top haunted house films all-time is certain.

on video: 17 January 2012

2012-01-17T15:58:00.000-08:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

Cold Sweat (2010) DVD

Donner Pass (2012) DVD

on video: 10 January 2012

2012-01-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

A Darker Reality (2008) DVD

Gurozuka (2005) DVD

The Hellstrom Chronicle (1971) DVD | Blu-ray

Psychotica (2010) DVD

Shriek of the Sasquatch (2011) DVD

showing: Fried Kin Strikes Again

2012-01-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

Ever since Bill Friedkin dropped The Exorcist back in '73, the devil has been inside Hollywood. I could care less about Christian-fear and would much rather watch a film called Fried Kin -- if ya know what I mean. If only the exorcism movies learned a thing or two from our much better ghost and haunt films we wouldn't end up with something like this:

That's right, today The Devil Inside opens in Portland theaters. It is an exorcism film and those always ask us as viewers to believe that crazy is contagious. "Huh?" you ask? Yep. If the Devil wasn't something that you could catch at any time like the common cold, was something that you can actually run from and fight against then he might be scary. The Devil is a trickster, but the Devil is only concerned with effing with Christians so he's not something I personally derive any fear from. As is, if he wants you he has you. I guess a good film could result of the torture porn results of you wrestling with the devil, but again boredom sets in as soon as those exorcist folk arrive.

When one of these types of films turns out to be scary or good it'll be the first. If you get a chance to see it, please report back here and let me know if the Devil is now keeping you up at night.

on video: 03 January 2012

2012-01-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

American Scream King (2010) DVD

Attack of the Vegan Zombies (2009) DVD

Contagion (2011) DVD | Blu-ray | Combo

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

Don't Let Him In (2011) DVD

Red: Werewolf Hunter (2010) DVD

Removal (2010) DVD

Shark Night (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

archive: 2011's Video Release Dates

2012-01-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

An archive of 2011's video releases as reported on Stumptown Horror:

27 December 2011
The Amityville Haunting (2011) DVD | Blu-ray
Apollo 18 (2011) DVD | Combo
Chop (2010) DVD
Final Destination 5 (2011) DVD | Blu-ray | Combo
Hostel: Part III (2011) DVD
The Hunters (2011) DVD
Zombie Apocalypse (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

13 December 2011
Fright Night (2011) DVD | Blu-ray
Intruder (1989) Blu-ray
Little Deaths (2011) DVD

06 December 2011
Psychic Experiment (2010) DVD

29 November 2011
Chillerama (2011) Blu-ray
Horror Express (1972) Blu-ray
Needle (2010) DVD
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

22 November 2011
Super 8 (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

15 November 2011
Evil Dead 2 (1987) Blu-ray

08 November 2011
Frankenhooker (1990) Blu-ray

01 November 2011
The Phantom of the Opera (1925) Blu-ray

25 October 2011
A Serbian Film (2010) DVD | Blu-ray
Atrocious (2010) DVD
Attack the Block (2011) DVD | Blu-ray
Cut (2009) DVD
The House by the Cemetery (1981) DVD | Blu-ray
Island of Lost Souls (1932) DVD | Blu-ray
Jurassic Park DVD | Blu-ray
Mothman (2010) DVD
Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings (2011) DVD | Blu-ray
Zombi 2 (1979) DVD | Blu-ray

18 October 2011
Darkness Falls (2003) Blu-ray
Hellraiser: Revelations (2011) DVD | Blu-ray
The Howling Reborn (2010) DVD | Blu-ray
Kuroneko (1968) DVD | Blu-ray

11 October 2011
The Bad Seed (1956) Blu-ray
Blood Curse DVD
The Child's Eye (2010) DVD
Devil's Playground (2010) DVD
The Hillside Stranglings (2004) DVD
The Inner Room (2010) DVD
Maniac Cop (1987) Blu-ray
Root of Evil (2003) DVD
The Slit-Mouthed Woman (2006) DVD
The Sylvian Experiments (2010) DVD
Zombie Diaries 2: World of the Dead (2011) Blu-ray

4 October 2011
The Caller (2011) DVD
Dead Alive (1992) Blu-ray
Friday the 13th (various) DVD
The Presence (2010) DVD
Scream 4 (2011) DVD | Blu-ray
Silent Night, Zombie Night (2009) DVD | Blu-ray

27 September 2011
C.H.U.D (1984) DVD
Basket Case (1982) Blu-ray
The Phantom Carriage (1920) DVD | Blu-ray
Slaughtered (2009) DVD
Torso (1973) DVD | Blu-ray

20 September 2011
Area 51 (2011) DVD
Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2 (2011) DVD | Blu-ray
Dead End Drive-in (1986) DVD
Dead Heat (1988) DVD | Blu-ray
Deadtime Stories, Vol. 2 (2011) DVD
Flowers in the Attic (1987) DVD
The Others (2001) Blu-ray
Secrets in the Walls (2010) DVD
Slugs (1987) DVD
The Stuff (1985) DVD
Vamp (1986) DVD | Blu-ray
We Are the Night (2010) DVD
Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

15 September 211
Fading of the Cries (2011) DVD

13 September 2011
Born of Earth (2008) DVD
The Frighteners (1996) Blu-ray
The Hagstone Demon (2011) DVD | Blu-ray
Halloween II (1981) Blu-ray
The Last House on the Left (2009) Blu-ray
Poltergeist II (1986) Blu-ray
The Silent House (2010) DVD

6 September 2011
A Horrible Way to Die (2010) DVD | Blu-ray
Children of the Corn (1984) DVD | Blu-ray
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) DVD
Creepshow 2 (1987) DVD
Hellraiser (1987) Blu-ray
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) DVD | Blu-ray
The Hills Have Eyes (1977) DVD | Blu-ray
House (1986) DVD
House II: The Second Story (1987) DVD
Return of the Killer Tomatoes! (1988) DVD
Return to Horror High (1987) DVD
Transylvania 6-5000 (1985) DVD

30 August 2011
Bereavement (2010) DVD
Children of the Corn: Genesis (2011) DVD
Roadkill (2011) DVD

showing: Year's End XXX Edition

2011-12-29T23:21:00.000-08:00

A light week as would be expected this time of year presents us with no new horror features in the first run cinemas, but a little spice elsewhere.

The Hollywood Theatre will once again play host to the Grindhouse Film Festival on January 1st (National Hangover Day) at 3pm. On the docket this time is George A. Romero's Day of the Dead from 1985. To summarize the events organizer Dan, if you're going to act/feel like a zombie, you might as well be watching a zombie film

More likely than not, this is the same 35 mm print that opened the All Night Horror Marathon back on the 10th of this month. Even though I greatly enjoy hanging out with Bub and his pals, having seen him so recently I'll be passing on this event. Were that not the case, I would definately be at this showing.

As for the spice promised above -- Horror Porn. We're talking 70's XXX cinematic masterpieces here. Since this is sensitive material you'll have to declare aloud that you're over 18 and wait until after the jump to partake in the trailers.

On December 30th as well as January 1-3, Clinton Street Theater will be presenting the Blood and Sex Double Feature. From their site:

A double feature of vintage XXX golden age adult films featuring "The Sexorcist's Devil" -a mysterious tale of satanism and blood, directed by Ray Dennis Steckler! And, at 9pm, "The Turk", an early 70's lost film shot in LA with a shocking, bizzare ending. Special short subjects and vintage trailers before each film.

Good luck trying to find any sort of embeddable video to tease either of these excellent cultural artifacts (though if you do a Google video search for "sexorcists devil" you will find there are certain non-traditional websites with streaming video [link]).

list: 2009's Best Horror Films

2011-12-26T09:27:00.000-08:00

The following is a list of our favorite horror films that were released in the US during 2009*

*1) Our sample pool is limited to the films we actually watched from this year, and
*2) This list is subject to change as we see more films from this year in the future

Martyrs (28 April - STV)

[review]

A former orphan seeks bloody revenge on a family she believes had kidnapped, imprisoned, and tortured her as a child, but when suicide rather than revenge finally rids her of her demons, her friend Anna is left to cleanup and discover if her friends torment had only ever been imagined.

Thirst (31 July - limited)

[review]

A Catholic priest miraculously survives being exposed to a deadly virus only to discover he has become a vampire and that human blood merely suppresses the symptoms of the virus, while doing nothing to suppress his new-found sexual appetite.

Grace (14 August - limited)

[review]

To the surprise of her midwife, a vegan mother-to-be involved in a car accident uses the power of love to breathe life into her stillborn child whose thirst for blood becomes the least shocking revelation this film delivers.

Taxidermia (14 August - limited)

[review]

A tripartite Hungarian generational story of a sexually-delusional military orderly during WWII killed for being taken advantage of his lieutenant's wife, his obese bastard son who trains during the Cold War to be a competitive eater while marrying the top female eater, and their taxidermist son who in contrast to the ginormous father he must tend to is rather pale, malnourished, and nearing his breaking point.

District 9 (14 August)

[review]

A contractor tasked with the relocation of an alien species stranded for the last 28-years living in a government-controlled, South African internment camp, finds himself exposed to an alien liquid that begins his genetic mutation into something that can be used by either species while not really belonging to either.

[Rec] (14 July - STV)

[review]

While taping a news report on the graveyard shift at a local fire station, the reporter and cameraman duo follow the firefighters on a call that results in them all getting quarantined inside a building where a mysterious and violent infection has originated.

Trick 'r Treat (6 October - STV)

[review]

When the traditions of All Hallow's Eve meant to protect from the evil spirits and monsters that draw near are ignored and/or disrespected, the consequences are depicted in this tightly interwoven tale crossed paths one Halloween night.

list: 2010's Best Horror Films

2011-12-26T08:50:00.000-08:00

The following is a list of our favorite horror films that were released in the US during 2010*

*1) Our sample pool is limited to the films we actually watched from this year, and
*2) This list is subject to change as we see more films from this year in the future

Daybreakers (8 January)

[review]

In the near future, as the vampire society approaches the end of its supply of humans, a human-sympathizer switches teams in order to prevent the inevitable loss of all humanity.

The Crazies (26 February)

[review]

A small town implodes into violence because of something funny in the water leaving a band of the unaffected to find their way to the next town over.

Splice (4 June)

[review]

A pair of geneticists attempt the perfect assemblage of nature only to realize that at its core, nature is rather brutal.

[Rec] 2 (9 July - limited)

[review]

After the infection responsible for demonic possession has taken control of a quarantined apartment building, more people with various agendas enter the building to see if their luck is better than those who were trapped here the first time.

Burning Bright (17 August - STV)

[review]

When a college-bound teen and her autistic younger brother discover that their stepfather stole their inheritance to buy a tiger, the ensuing confrontation leaves the siblings left to survive the night in a boarded up house with the hungry jungle cat as a hurricane passes overhead.

Buried (24 September - limited)

[review]

A civilian truck driver working in Iraq is captured during an insurgent attack and buried underground with a dying cell phone while he is being ransomed/rescued.

The Human Centipede: First Sequence (5 October - STV)

[review]

A visionary surgeon attempts to reverse his process for separating Siamese twins by kidnapping and joining three individuals into one beautiful centipede.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (3 December - limited)

[review]

A Finnish boy who has reason to believe that a nearby excavation has released the one true Santa back into the wild must convince his father amidst the chaos and confusion of this particular Christmas before he's taken away like all the other missing children.

Black Swan (17 December)

[review]

Nina has trained to be a technically perfect ballerina but does she have it in her to portray the duality of the Swan which requires a darkness that transcends mere dancing.

list: 2011's Best Horror Films

2011-12-26T08:27:00.000-08:00

The following is a list of our favorite horror films that were released in the US during 2011*

*1) Our sample pool is limited to the films we actually watched from this year, and

*2) This list is subject to change as we see more films from this year in the future

I Saw the Devil (4 March - limited)

[review]

A serial killer has claimed the life of another girl except this victim's fiance has the means to fully exact the revenge he swears by creating a bloody game of cat and mouse that pushes both men to the limits of what they're capable.

Insidious (1 April)

[review]

The Lambert Family has moved into yet another house and when the unexplained disturbances that they begin to experience there result in a coma for their eldest son they soon discover that this is a problem that cannot be run away from.

Stake Land (29 April - limited)

[review]

Orphaned by the vampire epidemic Martin is taken under the wing by a north-bound stranger named Mister who teaches him not only how to survive the complexities of this new world, but as well as how to be a real man regardless.

Super 8 (10 July)

[review]

A group of middle-schoolers making a 8mm zombie movie find themselves amidst a failing government cover-up of an escaped monster that unintentionally heals the wounds between two families.

Wake Wood (5 July - STV)

[review]

After the accidental death of their daughter, Patrick and Louise move to the country and discover that the townsfolk they live amongst will give them three more consequence-free days with her to say good-bye so long as they didn't lie about how long she's been dead.

Attack the Block (29 July - limited)

[review]

A teenage gang from South London turn heroes for one night as they defend their apartment building from an alien invasion revealing that bad kids are just kids in an inescapable bad situation.

on video: 27 December 2011

2011-12-26T07:36:00.000-08:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

The Amityville Haunting (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

Apollo 18 (2011) DVD | Combo

Chop (2010) DVD

Final Destination 5 (2011) DVD | Blu-ray | Combo

Hostel: Part III (2011) DVD

The Hunters (2011) DVD

2012: Zombie Apocalypse (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

showing: X-Mas Edition

2011-12-25T18:14:00.000-08:00

Need something in the horror category to watch at the theatres this X-mas? Maybe you should avoid the feel good family pics and partake in The Darkest Hour.

In the same vein as Cloverfield and Attack the Block, The Darkest Hour looks to subvert The Great Alien Invasion from a sci-fi wet dream into something a bit more horrific.

The principle horror this film seems to address is the notion of being lost and/or fighting for your survival in an unknown foreign city. Moscow provides more than just a gorgeous backdrop to this as the local isolates the main characters both in terms of locale familiarity and language. Much better than another "watching Americans deal with a threat in their own back yard" type story which also fueled the charm of the above mentioned Attack the Block.

Will this movie offer up more than what the trailer overly lays out? Will there be poignant political commentary concerning the plights of letting outsiders and their ideas into old Mother Russia? Is the invasion merely that of the Krampus to punish the naughty vacationers and Saint Nick will ride in at the end to deliver gifts of Levis and iPads? Will this turn out to be just another feel good family pic that show the value of friends and family, that love and forgiveness can overcome any obstacle?

places: Loudoun County Courthouse

2011-12-20T16:29:00.000-08:00

On a first-come-first-served basis, the Loudon County Courthouse in Leesburg, Virginia allows local residents to erect lawn X-mas displays on its property.. This year, Jeff Helfin settled on the following installation to "depict society's materialistic obsessions and addictions and how it is killing the peace, love, joy and kindness that is supposed to be prevalent during the holiday season." (Leesburg Today)

I know I'm late to this story, but what got me most intrigued was the notion of what is suppose to be prevalent during this season. In these more northern climes, we can look to the habits of the wild animals for appropriate behavior to survive the winter.

Migration: Its cold, food is growing scarce, the environment is turning against us. Let's get the F out of here. Hopefully we're not too late. Too slow? We're not waiting for you. Winter is relentlessly closing in on you..

Hibernation: You're all plumped up and now your heart is slowing. Breaths come fewer and far between. You're not quite dead, but not really alive either. You're he undead, conserving what little life you have in you until the rest of the world comes back to life.

Adaptation: You're not running away or hiding. Against the odds you'll find away to survive. You've hoarded away resources and will selfishly defend them as if your life depends on them -- because it does. Your hair has grown ragged, you've switched from a diet of fruits and veggies to one of flesh, you're but a shadow of your former self.

We grasp as tightly as we can to notions of peace, love, joy, and kindness through these trying times, but even the great potlatch of X-mas isn't enough to distract us from the reality of our circumstance. Trust no one, resources are limited, maintain a low profile, and take anything you find that could help you regardless if in doing so someone else is left to suffer. Watch after you and yours this holiday season as I do with me and mine. If the robed skeleton hung to mark my territory isn't enough of a deterrent for you, then maybe the blood-soaked snow you find soon after will be. The end is near -- let's do this.

showing: Silent Night, Deadly Night

2011-12-16T12:35:00.000-08:00

This Tuesday, December 20th, the Hollywood Theatre will being showing Silent Night, Deadly Night as part of Dan Halsted's ongoing Grindhouse Film Festival. As usual, this will be a 35mm print, but less usual is that amount of blood Santa is going to spill.

Sadly, the nog cocktails will not being flowing at this event so load up before hand because for a cinematic gem such as this, tall boys of the high life just aren't going to cut it.

Hopefully, I won't be the only one arriving in my Santa suit, but if there is in fact only one Santa present then come say hello and tell me how much I should just give up on this whole blogging thing. Cheers.

on video: 13 December 2011

2011-12-12T21:23:00.000-08:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

Fright Night (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

Intruder (1989) Blu-ray

Little Deaths (2011) DVD

muse: 2011 X-mas Wish List

2011-12-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

I figure I've been good enough to avoid the Krampus this year, so this X-mas wish list goes out to the Pumpkin King himself in hopes that it's my gifts instead that attack me on sight.

Zombie Wine Bottle Stopper

"Wine bottle cork or bottle stopper shaped like a zombie hand rising from the ground. Exquisite level of gory details - handcrafted by local indie artists." I like to think that this is the hand of the the Christ God Child whose blood I'm about to partake in -- hopefully a good pinot noir blood at that.

Aliens Chestburster Plush

"To hug or not to hug, that is the question. Now you can know the pleasure of owning your very own Aliens chestburster... without the parasitic infestation or the resulting xenomorphic carnage!" Please keep in mind that yes, I am a plushie but no, I'm not a plushophile. This one runs surprisingly cheap, but if you're looking to spend bigger bux on me know that I always have my eye on the eBay listings for a My Pet Monster complete with chain.

Haunted Realm 2012 Wall Calendar

"Sir Simon Marsden's startlingly atmospheric black-and-white infrared photographs reveal a hidden, haunted world transporting the reader to a different realm. In The Haunted Realm 2012 wall calendar, each beguiling image is accompanied by accounts of the apparitions that have been reported at each site, and the strange and often macabre real-life events that are said to lie behind them." Can't think of a better way to set the tone of my daily through spring and summer when everything seems so full of life and light. These too will end!

Poltergeist shirt

I've had my eye on this shirt over at Fright Rags for some time now. Though the source of inspiration is a flawed piece of cinematic work, this moment is one of a couple that maintains it in our collective horror consciousness.

Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game

"[A] fast-paced game of brain-eating Zombies, small town Heroes, and horror movie action. Players take on the role of either the Heroes, working together to make it through the night; or the Zombies, unending waves of undead spreading over the town like a plague." Me versus you. Zombies versus survivors. What better head-to-head fun can be had outside of the bedroom? This board game can be found cheapest online, or you can do good by picking it up at your local gaming store.

Those are some specific, relevant, items I've had my eye on. For more broader ideas, or for some other horror lover out there you might be trolling this site in search of gifting inspiration, might I recommend the always welcome:

Gift certificates. No, I'm not taking about restaurants and box stores here -- these very much need to be just as specific as the kinds of items above. Think local independent rental stores such as Movie Madness here in Portland. Think movie theatres, especially the second run theatres like the Academy Theater to get the most bang for the buck but as well tend to bring in prints of older films as well, or an independant/nonprofit such as the Hollywood Theatre which in PDX recently hosted the annual All Night Horror Marathon.

A little research goes a long way and shows you didn't grab the first thing you saw off the shelf.

Another option is looking at the new video releases documented under the "now On Video" tab at the top of the page, or more quickly by clicking here. How do you get a video for someone that already owns so many? By delving into the newest releases and getting them something they didn't even know has been recently released.

Now I'll leave you with the words that always linger in my thoughts while at the shopping centers and malls this time of the year:

Francine Parker: What are they doing? Why do they come here?
Stephen: Some kind of instinct. Memory, of what they used to do. This was an important place in their lives.

showing: The All Night Horror Marathon

2011-12-09T06:36:00.001-08:00

It is easy to forget sometimes, due to the nature of the commercial world around us, that we are still very much in the middle of Creepmas 2011. For those of us who appreciate the beginning of the holiday season more than the end, and as Christmas marketing and sales yearly push earlier and earlier (this year I tried to pick up a new pumpkin carving kit the morning of Halloween only to find the displays had been torn down and the Xmas ones were going up), the Hollywood Theatre thankfully is providing us a with a breathe of putrid air. From their site:

On Saturday December 10th, the Hollywood Theatre is proud to present THE ALL NIGHT HORROR MARATHON! Back to back 35mm prints of crowd-pleasing horror classics. Settle into an auditorium full of fellow horror fans, and prepare for a night of mayhem, as we take you on a crazed journey of cinematic insanity! It all begins at 9:00pm, and tickets are $12. Advance tickets are here

We’ll start off with George Romero’s zombie classic Day of the Dead, followed by the 80′s cult-classic slasher The Burning. Then we’ll head to Hong Kong for the ultimate jaw-dropping king of the wizard battles: Boxer’s Omen. We’ll finish the night off with the film always guaranteed to bring the house down; the maniacal, chainsaw-wielding Pieces.

Vintage 35mm horror trailers before each film! We’ll be serving pizza, beer, doughnuts and coffee. We’ll also have giveaways, and a massive alien head pinata to smash (after Boxer’s Omen). At the end of the event, in honor of Pieces, we’ll be giving away a chainsaw!

I can't tell you how badly I've been wanting a greasy chainsaw as living room decor. *fingers crossed* If I can't win the tools of the trade how else will I ever get my chance as the next Leslie Vernon?

Now, on the the trailers:

Day of the Dead (1985)

The Burning (1981)

Boxer's Omen (1983) -- no trailer available on YouTube so we get this clip instead

Pieces (1982)

Look forward to seeing you all there. For those of you following my personal horror story complete with pictures o'er on my Google+ account, I happy to report I'm strong enough to make it out to this event and get the blog back up and rolling.

If you can't make it out, look forward to reviews of these films getting posted in the future. Right now my queue is full of tons of mostly written reviews and eventually those will start flowing forth onto the blog for your reading please. Until then, may your bones stay whole and your blood remain encased in flesh.

showing: Halloweek edition

2011-11-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

Short and sweet:

This week some car company is sponsoring showings of Dawn of the Dead (1978) and The Thing (1982) at the Bagdad Theatre.

The Human Centipede 2: The Full Sequence (2011) has Friday and Saturday showings at Cinema 21.

At the Mission Theater you can partake in a showing of Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) with a live performance of the original score

The Academy is showing one of the best horror films ever made: The Shining (1980).

Have a safe Halloweek!

on video: 25 October 2011

2011-10-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

A Serbian Film (2010) DVD | Blu-ray

Atrocious (2010) DVD

Attack the Block (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

Cut (2009) DVD

The House by the Cemetery (1981) DVD | Blu-ray

Island of Lost Souls (1932) DVD | Blu-ray

Jurassic Park DVD | Blu-ray

Mothman (2010) DVD

Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings (2011) Blu-ray

Zombi 2 (1979) DVD | Blu-ray

showing: The Letters Edition

2011-10-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

For this week's edition of whats showing, I present very personal letters inspired by each trailer.

Dear Robert Rodriguez,

It seems like you have directed so few movies over the years, but its because you spent way too much of life helming Spy Kids episodes. Let's jump in the wayback machine and see what you were doing before with the first of our fresh releases in Portland this week, From Dusk 'Til Dawn:

Dear Jacob,

I'm a big fan of ladders but never once saw you try and climb one the entirety of this film. Instead, I was forced to partake in one of the greatest horror films of all time. Perhaps now that you're playing on the big screen in town for a week I should come spend some time with you, because if we're not searching out great horror movies, then why are we here?

Dear makers of Paranormal Activity 3,

I have never felt compelled to watch any of your films based on your promotional material and the following trailer falls into the same camp. According to this trailer the film is about girls talking about when they were slightly younger girls?:

Dear Sugar,

I know you're not a place but rather posses the foxiest, sexiest face and you're messing around with that Haitian vodou in order to mess around with the mob who in turn messed with your man. Might I make a suggestion now that all that has been taken care of? Could you please set those Paranormal Activity people straight in terms of what real entrainment is?:

Dear God,

Its me, Rian. Why can't zombies and sharks fight in every movie? So sad that I won't be able to see this one during its two show run do to prior engagements that actually keep me from writing this until after its second showing has already started. Enjoy the trailer, and please seek Zombi 2 out next time you're in Movie Madness:

events: Horroregon Social Tonight

2011-10-19T07:08:00.000-07:00

Tonight, the fine folks over at Horrororegon are hosting the first annual Horroregon Social at the Jack London Bar in the depths of the Portland underground. This particular basement bar is located beneath the Rialto Poolroom, downtown at 529 SW 4th Avenue.

This should be a smorgasbord of craziness with a DJ set, a horror talk panel filled with local standouts, a raffle, a showings and finished off with a live band.

The shindig gets rolling at 8pm for the lucky low price of $13 bucks.

If you can't make it, check back here for your event wrap-up in the nearest of futures.

on video: 18 October 2011

2011-10-18T23:43:00.000-07:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

Darkness Falls (2003) Blu-ray

Hellraiser: Revelations (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

The Howling Reborn (2010) DVD | Blu-ray

Kuroneko (1968) DVD | Blu-ray

events: Portland Haunted Houses Updated

2011-10-18T16:18:00.001-07:00

My final list of Portland haunted houses are below. Thanks to everyone who sent tips to stumptownhorror@gmail.com to help complete this list. All pertinent information, as always, can be found under the "upcoming Events" tab above, but for your convenience in this specific moment here they all are again:

October 7-8, 13-16, 18-Halloween
13th Door
website
8805 SW Canyon Lane
"13th Door is Portland Oregon's #1 Haunted House and Rated PG-13 Haunt according to local reviews and survey results. The 13th Door Zombies are scratching at the walls and ready to create your worse nightmares. The 2011 haunted attraction at the 13th Door "RAVEN MAD" is new and better than ever."

October 7-9, 12-16, 19-23, & 25-Halloween
Fright Town
website
Beneath the Veterans' Memorial Coliseum
"FrightTown is the Pacific Northwest’s newest haunted event featuring three amazing haunted houses in one location for one price. Baron Von Goolo’s Museum of Horrors, the top rated madhouse of humor and horror, returns for its tenth year in Portland; Elshoff Manor has been completely renovated to be bigger and scarier than ever; and an all new version of our haunt not seen since 2006, The Black Box, is a non stop free fall into darkness and terror unlike anything this town has ever seen. There’s something to scare everyone at FrightTown!"

October 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 26-Halloween
Haunted MAiZE
website
16511 NW Gillihan Road
"Dare to be scared! Join us for our spooky Haunted MAiZE, our haunted trail through the back forty. Get stalked in the corn."

October 28-Halloween
The House of Shadows
website
7611 N Exeter Ave
"The newest & scariest haunted house in Portland, allowed by law!"

October 1-2, 5-9, 12-16, 19-23, and 26-Halloween
Scream: Descent into Madness
website
1230 Jantzen Beach Center
Sunday through Thursday, 7 pm to 10 pm
Friday & Saturday, 7 pm to 11 pm
"In this twisted tale of terror we take you into a bizarre reality where nothing is as it should be. Are you losing your mind? Perhaps. But don't worry. We have a wonderful asylum prepared to serve your every need, and the doctors and staff are all very eager to please! Frightening Haunted Houses, Scary Carnival Rides, FREE Entertainment and Theme Nights, Spooky Vendors, and more. It's going to be a scream!"

October 1-2, 5-9, 12-16, 19-23, and 26-Halloween
Scream: Terror 205
website
Mall 205
"The old manor, set in a remote swamp, hides its secrets well. But the mysteries surrounding the death of the caretaker's daughter refuse to stay buried. Be on the lookout for some very undead graveyard residents. Also includes "Doctor Killgore's House of Freaks" a circus sideshow populated with some unsavory characters, and assorted spooky vendors!"

showing: So many Things

2011-10-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

If you're not one of the mindless zombies still following Adbusters call to inaction that resulted in "Occupy" protests around the country, perhaps catching a great film is more your thing than illegally camping in a major city center. This week we are served up a plethora of options for our viewing pleasure.

To start us off, the one new feature this week is the new prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 film The Thing confusingly titled The Thing:

Normally, I am in no way a fan of trying to bring something new to a classic such as making sequels (or a prequel in this case). What sets this one apart for me is that the filmmakers went all CSI on the original thing in order to try and tell this story. What do I mean by that? Apparently, every known detail from the original from the Norwegian sniper's costuming at the beginning of the 1982 film to depicting what was shown evidencially of the missed-mahem at the Norwegian's research center upon MacReady's arrival. The thing that will ultimately make-or-break this prequel will be the quality of practical effects used instead of computer-generated ones in true homage to the Carpenter version.

After its festival circuit run The Oregonian gets its time to shine in the state it takes place:

We here in Portland show local pride to a great fault and I'm sure many will go check out this flick to see how our state has been horrifically captured. Sadly, by checking out the shooting locations list on IMDb it turns out that anything that wasn't shot in Hollywood was shot in and around Seattle. Know this filmmakers, real Oregonians hate only two places on this planet: Seattle and southern California.

I feel like this week has me complaining a lot and with Shaun of the Dead up next, I'll try and hold my tongue:

Heralded by many, hated by me. Its a horror film for those who don't want to watch a horror film. Comedy is for those who are to scared to commit to the genre.

Which brings me to Gremlins:

Actually both of these next two freaked me out as a kid. Gremlins is hands down the greatest Christmas movie ever made and I watch it every year around that time. I've seen this one on the big screen before, and I'll probably skip on it this time simply because I know I'll be watching it soon enough.

Finally, the 1988 version of The Blob:

As already stated, I watched this as a kid and it scared me bad enough that I blocked that experience from my memory until just now when I took to YouTube to find the trailer. Its probably time for me to confront my inner-adult and laugh down that which gave me the shakes so long ago.

Sorry this post is rushed and up late, but I had some technical difficulties with my internet connection last night. Enjoy your shrinking hours of daylight, the night is too heavy to keep at bay.

events: Portland Haunted Houses Listed

2011-10-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

We are entering week two of Portland's haunted house attractions being up and running for the season. All pertinent information, as always, can be found under the "upcoming Events" tab above, but for your convenience in this specific moment here they are again:

October 7-8, 13-16, 18-Halloween
13th Door
website
8805 SW Canyon Lane
"13th Door is Portland Oregon's #1 Haunted House and Rated PG-13 Haunt according to local reviews and survey results. The 13th Door Zombies are scratching at the walls and ready to create your worse nightmares. The 2011 haunted attraction at the 13th Door "RAVEN MAD" is new and better than ever."

October 7-9, 12-16, 19-23, & 25-Halloween
Fright Town
website
Beneath the Veterans' Memorial Coliseum
"FrightTown is the Pacific Northwest’s newest haunted event featuring three amazing haunted houses in one location for one price. Baron Von Goolo’s Museum of Horrors, the top rated madhouse of humor and horror, returns for its tenth year in Portland; Elshoff Manor has been completely renovated to be bigger and scarier than ever; and an all new version of our haunt not seen since 2006, The Black Box, is a non stop free fall into darkness and terror unlike anything this town has ever seen. There’s something to scare everyone at FrightTown!"

October 1-2, 5-9, 12-16, 19-23, and 26-Halloween
Scream at the Beach
website
1230 Jantzen Beach Center
Sunday through Thursday, 7 pm to 10 pm
Friday & Saturday, 7 pm to 11 pm
"Halloween Time at Scream at the Beach is packed with spook-tacular fun for the whole family-with alluring attractions, tricks & treats, crafty creations, carousel rides and shows, and more!"

If you know of any other pop-up haunts or other events relevant to this site, please feel free to send an e-mail to: stumptownhorror@gmail.com

on video: 11 October 2011

2011-10-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

The Bad Seed (1956) Blu-ray

Blood Curse DVD

The Child's Eye (2010) DVD

Devil's Playground (2010) DVD

The Hillside Stranglings (2004) DVD

The Inner Room (2010) DVD

Maniac Cop (1987) Blu-ray

Root of Evil (2003) DVD

The Slit-Mouthed Woman (2006) DVD

The Sylvian Experiments (2010) DVD

Zombie Diaries 2: World of the Dead (2011) Blu-ray

showing: This season's warm-up lap

2011-10-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

There are no new horror features hitting Portland screens this week, but there are two horror classics showing in Portland this week of note.

Every first friday of the month the Bagdad Theater plays host to Cort & Fatboy Late Night Movies. This month's feature, which will play just once at 11pm tonight, is John Capenter's The Thing (1982). This is awesome timing to see one of the greatest movies ever made on the big screen before the new prequel gets released next weekend. For those of you that maybe have no idea what the thing is:

Quite possibly one of the most perfect horror films ever made, The Thing generates a sense of dread and anxiety in every aspect of the story. Nothing is safe. The environment, your friends, the thing, the score, your self -- all things to be feared. Trust nothing. I'm so excited as I've never seen an actual 35mm print showing of this gem.

The other movie opening this week, not sure if you've ever heard of it. A small indie film from 1980 called Friday the 13th. Apparently, from the tag line its a "24-hour nightmare of terror." Sounds awesome. Check out the trailer:

on video: 4 October 2011

2011-10-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

The Caller (2011) DVD

Dead Alive (1992) Blu-ray

Friday the 13th (various) DVD

The Presence (2010) DVD

Scream 4 (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

Silent Night, Zombie Night (2009) DVD | Blu-ray

events: Blogger Zombie Walk 2011

2011-09-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome, one and all, to the 2011 Blogger Zombie Walk!

With the release of Innistrad upon us, the fine folks over at GatheringMagic decided to hold an altered art contest inspired by and in homage to the transformations taking place within this new world. My contribution to the zombie walk is a documentation of the process used to create my submission to that contest.

Innistrad, is an expansion of the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, and is the first to be designed with a top-down, Gothic horror theme. With the tag line "Horror lurks within," the set infuses the game with humans that can conditionally transform at anytime into horrific monsters. The fear inherent in that inevitability is what the game designers are hoping makes this set successful.

For the altered art contest on GatheringMagic, the promt was to take a Legendary Creature from the 18-year history of Magic and transform him/her/it into one of the monsters found on the plane of Innistrad: either a vampire, werewolf, or zombie.

For your consideration, I submit Jhoira of the Ghitu:

I chose Jhoira as the subject of my alteration, because even though she appears to be just a nineteen-year-old girl, she is in fact well over a thousand years old thanks to a "slow water" potion she possesses. What a gift to be able to experience so much, it must be even more horrific to have it all taken away. I'm sorry Jhoira, but due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, you have fallen victim to a zombie attack. Enjoy walking the earth for all eternity!

The first stage was to block in or out elements with neutral colors. I gave her arms inspired by the art of another magic card. The top of the card was lightened to allow an expansion of the existing art, while the rest of the border was blacked out to draw emphasis to the top half of the work.

The moon phases implied by Innistrad design are incorporated into the piece while I also begin some art extension on the head and shoulders. Black pen is used to define shapes and a new mouth. Poor Jhoira isn't looking so innocent any more.

Alas, she has feasted and knows the delicacy that is BRAINS! The color of the existing border is carried into the moon phase arc. All around color finishes off the now transformed hands and copious amounts of blood detail brings the piece to [un]life.

Thanks for stopping in and hopefully you'll choose to follow me for not only up-to-date theatrical and video horror releases, but as well my musings on the macabre.

If you feel compelled to vote for my alteration, you can do so here.

ALSO, Don't forget to visit all of the other participants in this years' Blogger Zombie Walk:

Ghost Hunting Theories

Above the Norm

Zombies Everywhere

Holly's Horrorland

Little Gothic Horrors

Anything Horror

Katy Bennett Horror Writer and Poet

My Day in a Sentence
Pixie's Horror Galore

Strange State
The Misadventures of HalloweeNut

Halloween Blues

Kweeny Todd

The California Blogging Massacre
Horror Shock Lolipop

Vanessa Morgan

Improbable Frontiers
No Really, You Can Eat It

Art By Living Dead Girl Nicole

Two Gory Chicks

A Dust Bunny in the Wind

A Ghoul's Best Friend

Zombies Are Magic

Cherry Neko Saves the World

Tall Tales
At the Mansion of Madness

Bifocal Univision
Haiku-Koo-Koo

Sherry Soule

Anchors and Roses
Paranormal Researchers Group
Whispering Pines History

Lovely Miss Megs

Sean Thomas Fisher's Blogwash

Rise and Fight

Stumptown Horror

LoliClown's Little Blog of Horror

showing: Something old and something new

2011-09-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

After two low weeks, this weekend's releases are finally giving me something to write about today. First off, I want to remind everyone that this weekend is the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival over at the Hollywood Theater. Please report back as to how it goes as I wasn't able to secure any tickets.

Two new films are hitting Portland theaters this weekend. One is brand spanking new and the other is getting its shot at a wider distribution. The first of these is Dream House:

It seems as though the mindless killing machine known as James Bond has finally reached the breaking point. You can only deny your humanity and connection with it for so long, before you lose all grasp of reality. This trailer looks like a really good short film in that it completely presented the entire premise of the movie. This, my kind readers, is never good news unless its really good news. Follow me. Either you now already know how the entire movie is going to play out short one little twist at the end, or, the filmmakers are so confident in the plethora of plot they have crafted that seeing what we did is really only a teaser and this movie will keep spinning out of control, getting crazier and crazier. Its is very rare that we get the later, but a boy sure can dream that the studios manage to crank out a gem instead of more pridictable drivel.

Also on screen this week is Tucker & Dale vs. Evil:

This film looks like a good time, even if it is one of those no-good-films that pokes fun at the genre tropes we love. I would recommend checking this one out, except every single other blogger has apparently already seen it and beat me to the punch. In fact, if you read enough blogs out there like I do, then you too probably feel like you've already seen this movie. Hopefully, T&DvE can live true to its horror roots instead of just stomping them into the ground like the horrendous film Shaun of the Dead managed.

on video: 27 September 2011

2011-09-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

C.H.U.D (1984) DVD

Basket Case (1982) Blu-ray

The Phantom Carriage (1920) DVD | Blu-ray

Slaughtered (2009) DVD

Torso (1973) DVD | Blu-ray

events: Innistrad pre-release

2011-09-23T17:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend the various gaming stores around Portland will be hosting pre-release parties for the newest Wizards of the Coast expansion for their collectible card game Magic: The Gathering. The expansion, Innistrad, is unique in the games 18-year history in that it delves into the world of horror as opposed to its usual fantasy fare. Next weekend will mark the official release of the product for purchase, so you can expect a review from me around that point in time.

In related news, the website GatheringMagic has chosen to theme its next altered-art contest around the same monsters running rampant through Innistrad. Gaming has always had its hobby-painters who enjoy re-painting game pieces as well as other forms of modification. Magic: The Gathering is no different and its awesome that a strategy website like GatheringMagic embraces that community.

The promt for this challenge is to alter a Legendary Creature from the history of Magic: The Gathering into a Werewolf, Vampire or Zombie since there are a number of cards in Innistrad that undergo just such a transformation. The deadline for the challenge is Monday, but you can look forward to a step-by-step of my zombie modification being posted on 30 September as my submission for Blogger Zombie Walk 2011.

showing: Sorry!

2011-09-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

No new horror films will be finding their way to Portland screens this week. Even the second run theaters are skipping so far on the films that were new the last couple of weeks.

For always up-to-date listings, make sure you're checking the "now Showing" tab at the top of this page!

review: Poltergeist (1982)

2011-09-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

IMDb Plot Summary

Poltergeist (1982) is a fundamentally flawed movie for many reasons. Apparently, in defiance of logic, of all the houses in the Cueste Verde Estates development only one ended up being built over unexhumed graves? Maybe when they talked about moving a cemetery, even though the neighboring one is huge, the one that was moved was only for a dozen graves. Apparently, if you disturb the resting dead by digging a big hole into the ground their concentration of evil will be located in a second-floor closet? Maybe like heat or burnt popcorn, the stench of death and its inherent evil always rises and finds ways to permeate your clothing.

Aside from these flaws, Poltergeist has managed to catch the imagination of viewers and filmmakers alike for the last 30 years. It is constantly rated very highly by critics and viewer polls and has been sliced and diced into many other feature films.

The props I give it most highly are for systematically exploiting the now cliche fears of childhood -- the slightly open dark closet, the wind-blown tree casting shadows into the bedroom, the space under the bed, and clowns (or did it create the stereotypes?). Poltergeist was obviously conceived first and foremost as a means to showcase this brainstorming session, with an illogical story overlay to try and justify those scenes. This movie does for "childhood fears" what SpaceCamp (1986) did for "things that can go wrong in space."

Regardless of all the Hooper vs. Spielberg rhetoric that has always surrounded talking about Poltergeist, the movie has always given me the impression it was made by more than one individual. There are scenes of subtle magic and beauty (the chair stacking sequence, Carole Anne's conversation with the television, documenting the spirits), there are scenes of utter ridiculousness because of they are the opposite of subtle, usually when Industrial Light and Magic was called in during post-production (the spirit leaving the TV, the tornado, the contents of the child's room swirling in the air), and finally there are authentic scenes of horror (falling into the skeleton pool, tearing off of the face, the clown doll doing absolutely nothing, the initial tree attack).

These three modes of presentation could have made for three different movies if any were given a greater emphasis (obviously the psychological hauntings are the most successful in this film), but in the end the creative team behind this presented us with a fairly balanced mash-up of these approaches.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that Poltergeist tries to do too much instead of focusing on its strengths and exploring those to the fullest. Film-making isn't about following the outline, but rather being able to acknowledge in the moment what is and isn't working and adjusting accordingly. With Jaws (1975), Spielberg when presented with a flawed shark was able to frame it and find ways to use it successfully instead of using bad footage simply because the script dictated it so. Likewise, Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) was a guide book on how not to make a movie, especially in regards to creating a safe working environment for actors, yet he was able to overcome everything to make a flawless horror film that has withstood the test of time.

showing: Burial Ground

2011-09-20T17:23:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder:

The 1981 Italian zombie flick Le notti del terrore (Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror) is playing at 7:30 this pm at the Hollywood Theater as part of the Grindhouse Film Festival. I'll see you all there.

on video: 20 September 2011

2011-09-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

Area 51 (2011) DVD

Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2 (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

Dead End Drive-in (1986) DVD

Dead Heat (1988) DVD | Blu-ray

Deadtime Stories, Vol. 2 (2011) DVD

Flowers in the Attic (1987) DVD

The Others (2001) Blu-ray

Secrets in the Walls (2010) DVD

Slugs (1987) DVD

The Stuff (1985) DVD

Vamp (1986) DVD | Blu-ray

We Are the Night (2010) DVD

Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

And one mid-week release I missed:

Fading of the Cries (2011) DVD

review: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

2011-09-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

IMDb Plot Summary

True horror doesn't emanate from some unknown, but rather from the moments that we take for granted. The real unknown isn't unknowable, but rather an acknowledgment of our own chosen degree of ignorance. The murderers within our society are never the product of some pure source of evil that is ungraspable. Generally, they are the last person you'd expect -- the quiet neighbor that society in one way or another has passed over.

One great aspect of our life that we celebrate our ignorance about is the production of our food. At one point we were all hunters, gatherers, and growers. We were engaged in the process of feeding ourselves. The industrialization of food production allows for an environment from which great real-life horrors can spring. One glance at a PETA bootleg of footage from inside the meat industry and you'll see scenes that revival what our greatest gorpers have come up with.

A pleasing flavor multiplied by physical distance is enough to allow most of us to not think twice about what we're consuming.

On another hand, there are those who are very aware of the process of meat production. They are those with their hands in the blood. They have a different psychological temperament than the rest of us. They know how easy it is for a life to be ended. They have to look at the world differently or they wouldn't be able to do their job.

The Nazi's demonstrated the horror of what is possible when you determine certain groups of people to be no different than animals. People were transported on cattle trains under identical conditions, they were corralled behind barbed wire and fences, and they were destroyed for a society's "benefit."

Our society allows us the freedom to consume the flesh of any other non-human beings on this planet. Those who consume human flesh, be they beast or man, we consider as monsters. Perhaps because to eat a human is to eat something that was truly alive. Our ignorance has to serve as a buffer between the living creature and the delicious meal. Seeing meat as only meat you never have to think about those animals exhibiting all the same emotions as us. Joy, affection, and happiness as well as fear, loneliness, and pain. Meat is meat, and once you acquire the temperament for producing it, what is stopping you from generating the same buffer when looking at the most bountiful animal walking the whole of this planet?

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) is a beautiful film whose underlying philosophy encapsulates these notions. Beautiful? As a film, yes. The technical aspects are phenomenal from lighting and composition to set design and editing. The film's low budget and production difficulties are nowhere to be found in the final product -- levels of quality that Tobe Hooper was to never see on a film again. Ugly though in what it shows us about our selves.

Most moralizing in horror movies is usually relegated to character cause and affect. If, within the framework of the wrong movie, you opt to partake in drugs for example or sex outside of marriage, you will be punished much more harshly than you would ever be in the real-world. TCM seems to be that kind of movie until you look at the story from the point of view of a meat producer. To hunt, slaughter, cook, and consume are normal, ever-day behavior. Put in the proper situation, any meat producer can easily render meat from a human as well. A thin line separates a butcher from a murderer and TCM raises the important question of how much harder would it be for man to murder if we as a society removed meat production entirely from our way of living. Instead of that thin line holding folks back, how about we dig a moat?

events: Blogger Zombie Walk 2011

2011-09-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

I will be participating in this year's Blogger Zombie Walk.

From http://www.autumnforestghosthunter.blogspot.com/:

Sept 30th come onto the blog and see a zombie posting with a list of links to all the blogs doing zombie-themed posts. "Walk" from one blog to another and enjoy the zombie-fest!

This should be a fun event and I look forward to exploring all of the different blogs participating. I've got something a little out of the ordinary in mind and hope that the community enjoys what will turn out to be a birthday posting from me.

showing: Almost nothing...

2011-09-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

What is more sad: (a)That the only new horror film being showing this week is is a 1981 Italian zombie flick getting one showing as part of the Grindhouse Film Festival at the Hollywood Theater, or (b) that Creature was apparently so bad for business that theaters couldn't even afford to carry it into a second week? I'm leaning toward option (b).

For those who enjoy cheese with their blood, I give you the trailer for Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror:

on video: 13 September 2011

2011-09-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

Born of Earth (2008) DVD

The Frighteners (1996) Blu-ray

The Hagstone Demon (2011) DVD | Blu-ray

Halloween II (1981) Blu-ray

The Last House on the Left (2009) Blu-ray

Poltergeist II (1986) Blu-ray

The Silent House (2010) DVD

games: Media zombies play

2011-09-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

For your consideration, I submit Tea Party Zombies Must Die!

+Casey Wagner recently shared this game with me over on G+. I just wanted to make sure I got on the record as saying that I am willing to kill all zombies regardless of their political affiliation.

showing: Creature Midnight Opening

2011-09-08T16:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight there will be a single midnight opening for the new horror movie Creature.

Sadly, in the greater Portland area the only theatre showing this film at midnight will be the Century theater at Clackamas Town Center. Trimet can get me there there, but a solo bike ride home from Clackamas at 2 in the AM isn't the best way to give my body the rest it needs to finish the work week off strong. Perhaps I should gamble on getting murdered after catching a ride toward home from a stranger leaving the theater?

Look for it in your favorite first-run theatre during regular buisness hours if you prefer a dose of sunshine before your horror.

events: Portland Zombie Walk 2011 need you!

2011-09-08T16:28:00.000-07:00

This year it looks as though the Portland Zombie Walk flash mob that occurs in conjunction with international dance event Thrill the World, is looking to finally go legit. The annual zombies have always been a plague on downtown Portland, and I can understand the desire of organizers to not be held criminally responsible for the actions of a blood-thirsty throng.

Being good and proper though requires money so organizers have started a Kickstarter to cover permits, insurance, and security. As cool as it is that they have $666 pledged thusly, it still falls short of the total needed to guarantee this event occurs in 2011.

To donate to the cause visit:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1829780480/2011-portland-zombie-walk

on video: 9 September 2011

2011-09-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

A Horrible Way to Die (2010) DVD | Blu-ray

Children of the Corn (1984) DVD | Blu-ray

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) DVD

Creepshow 2 (1987) DVD

Hellraiser (1987) Blu-ray

Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) DVD | Blu-ray

The Hills Have Eyes (1977) DVD | Blu-ray

House (1986) DVD

House II: The Second Story (1987) DVD

Return of the Killer Tomatoes! (1988) DVD

Return to Horror High (1987) DVD

Transylvania 6-5000 (1985) DVD

review: Super 8 (2011)

2011-09-04T22:21:00.000-07:00

IMDb Plot Summary

It is easy to understand that we are a self destructive, self hating, self torturing animal. We have a sense of the highest, purest being we can manifest, but for one reason or another it is easier to handicap our selves than live the dream. The most gifted among us often are the first to turn to drugs and/or suicide. We punish ourselves, and halt our progress for any reason we can come up with. Instead of growing stronger from bad experiences many of us dig deeper into our hole. We convince our selves we deserve it even though our inner voice cries out in contradiction. We then search out some stronger way to block out that good advice.

The best movie monsters are exaggerated manifestations of these sentiments. We know we're making the wrong choices, but we do so anyway until the monster we've become or imagine destroys us or we wake up and rise above.

Sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll? All reasons for you to die. Repent and be saved. Drop back into old or other bad ways and we have a horror movie sequel.

Wait a second, I thought this was suppose to be a movie review!?! Hold onto your entrails, I'm getting there.

Tonight, I finally partook in a movie now on its second runs. I expected it to fall somewhere between Goonies (1985) and E.T. (1982), it turns out it had way more horror elements than those flicks ever could have dreamt.

The movie is Super 8 and it heavy-handedly expresses everything I brought up above. The value of writer/director J.J. Abrams filmic reminder is to focus our attention not on the killers in other horror films, but rather to focus on why the victims were looking to be killed in the first place.

Violence to those acting in contradiction to our highest idea of self seems justified. We just need a forceful reminder that the lesson learned shouldn't be left behind in the theatre like the last half of that $7 bag of corn. Super 8 tries its damnedest to make sure you take it with you.

Bad horror movies are gorp (gore porn), good horror movies, such as this movie declares, are those that kick our asses, remind us of our weaknesses, and give us the strength to escape the cycle of self-manifested sequels.

on video: 30 August 2011

2011-09-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

Promotional artwork and links for this week's new video releases:

Bereavement (2010) DVD

Children of the Corn: Genesis (2011) DVD

Roadkill (2011) DVD

showing: Stay on the ship!

2011-09-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

There are very few safe places to be when you find yourself a character in a horror movie. The very act that initiates the downward spiral of horror, generally, is the moral loci of the yarn being spun before our eyes. I'm confident in guessing, sight unseen, that the two movies opening this week for our viewing pleasure share a maxim at thier core: If you don't want to die, never get off/out of your ship!

I feel a little lost here because I seemed to have missed seeing Apollo's 1-12 and 14-17. Apparently, at some point we, as a nation, stopped going to the moon? As it turns out, I only get my news from the theatre and Netflix so I have to assume those other films are still classified and on the same shelf as Leonard Parts 1-5.

After viewing the trailer for Shark Night, it seems as though my hypothesis may have been flawed. The threat apparently is not a result of diving into the unknown from the safety of the boat, but rather an orchestrated assault for some yet unknown digression of the past. Think Saw with hip action sports footage. This is the type of movie that is suppose to start off the summer with a sense of fear, whereas by Labor Day we've already gotten our vacation and swimming card punched for the year. For those taking thier vacation this weekend, why the hell would you want to be sitting in a cold theatre when you have the option of swimming in a gorgeous body of water?

Stumptown Horror

review: I Saw the Devil (2011)

on video: 6 March 2012

on video: 28 February 2011

showing: The Spirit of Laziness

on video: 21 February 2012

showing: The only person standing in your way is you.

events: Post V-Day Zombie Apocalypse

on video: 14 February 2012

events: Portland (heart)'s Zombies

on video: 7 February 2012

showing: Dueling Ghost Stories

events: Grindhouse v. Ghost

on video: 31 January 2012

showing: Snow Falling on Cedars

events: Ghost Hunt at the Hollywood Theatre

events: Dark Ascension

events: Masters of the Night

on video: 24 January 2012

showing: An Unexpected Mash-up

short: Pingu's THE THING

eBay: Original Saw prop

review: Wake Wood (2011)

review: Insidious (2010)

on video: 17 January 2012

on video: 10 January 2012

showing: Fried Kin Strikes Again

on video: 03 January 2012

archive: 2011's Video Release Dates

showing: Year's End XXX Edition

list: 2009's Best Horror Films

list: 2010's Best Horror Films

list: 2011's Best Horror Films

on video: 27 December 2011

showing: X-Mas Edition

places: Loudoun County Courthouse

showing: Silent Night, Deadly Night

on video: 13 December 2011

muse: 2011 X-mas Wish List

showing: The All Night Horror Marathon

showing: Halloweek edition

on video: 25 October 2011

showing: The Letters Edition

events: Horroregon Social *Tonight*

on video: 18 October 2011

events: Portland Haunted Houses *Updated*

showing: So many Things

events: Portland Haunted Houses Listed

on video: 11 October 2011

showing: This season's warm-up lap

on video: 4 October 2011

events: Blogger Zombie Walk 2011

showing: Something old and something new

on video: 27 September 2011

events: Innistrad pre-release

showing: Sorry!

review: Poltergeist (1982)

showing: Burial Ground

on video: 20 September 2011

review: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

events: Blogger Zombie Walk 2011

showing: Almost nothing...

on video: 13 September 2011

games: Media zombies play

showing: Creature Midnight Opening

events: Portland Zombie Walk 2011 need you!

on video: 9 September 2011

review: Super 8 (2011)

on video: 30 August 2011

showing: Stay on the ship!

events: Horroregon Social Tonight

events: Portland Haunted Houses Updated