Month: July 2012

It's a Horror to Know You: Jason Rudy, Filmmaker at Desperate Visions!

1. What is the first film that ever scared you?

It would be Phantasm, I thought the sphere was going to fly out of the TV when the commercial came on, I was 6 years old in 1979 and would run out of the room in fear.

2. What is the last film that scared you?

I would say 28 days later.

3. Name three Horror movies that you believe are underrated.

Don't Answer the Phone (1980).

Eaten Alive (1977).

Trouble Every Day (2001).

4. Name three horror movies that you enjoy against your better judgment.

Jaws (1975).

Any Friday the 13th film.

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996).

5. Send us to five places on the Internet!

1. Indiegogo: Mondo Sacremento 2– I am raising money toward production of my newest film, Please help spread the word.

2. Daily Grindhouse– a cool film site.

3. Film School Rejects– another cool film site.

4. My youtube channel.

5. Pro Wrestling History. A good wrestling history site.

It's a Horror to Know You: krunt!

What was the first film that ever scared you?

This is actualy kinda tough to answer, I'm told that when E.T. was all drowned and looking like a sausage in the creek was the first thing that scared me, but I was two years old so I have no memory of this. The first movie that I remember being scared of was The Dark Crystal when the leader of the bird/turkey muppet men kinda melts or crumbles up. The first horror movie that I remember scaring me and I mean really freaked me out was Argento's Creepers; this was one of the first horror movies I've seen and definitely the first one that really actually scared me. When you get to see the little deformed kid's face, that did it for me. I couldn't sleep for weeks!

What was the last film that scared you?

It's been a while since a movie has scared me; I remember I jumped or was startled a few times watching Paranormal Activity. Oh yeah the movie S&Man that really got me, it totally tricked me. There's not too much I can say without spoiling it in case any readers haven't seen it, just that it's a documentary about underground horror and there are some cool interviews with Bill Zebub (unfortunately the questions center around his rape movies instead of his amazing horror and comedy movies). They also talk with the guys at Toe Tag Productions. The third guy interviewed that just goes by Eric who makes a series of stalking/fake snuff movies is a little more out there. If you haven't seen it, it's worth checking out.

What are 3 films you believe are underrated?

Shriek of the Mutilated. It's usually known as a "guilty pleasure" cheese-fest movie, but it's undeniable that it has a sleazy creepy feel to it and the plot is definitely interesting and original.

Brain Damage– Beneath all the splattery fun and goofiness, I find the underlying message about addiction and drug abuse to be fairly accurate and deep. Of course the last several times I've watched this movie I was coming down off an acid trip so maybe I read too deeply into it.

Nightmare City– Oh sure it is horrible; the acting is so wooden that the lead non-zombie roles come off seeming more zombie-like than the actual zombies. The violence and make-up is handled sloppily and unrealistically; for example, when a zombie is wiping the blood from his chin he wipes the zombie make up off as well. But there are gratuitous aerobics, and the zombies were needing to feed off humans to keep away the pain years before Return of the Living Dead. They were also running around and able to use weapons decades before 28 Days Later.

What are 3 films that you enjoy against your better judgement?

Oh there are so many of them out there it's really tough to narrow this down to 3, but here it goes

Blood Freak– Its tagline reads, "A Dracula on Drugs" but this is definitely so much more. The only turkey monster, anti-drug, pro-Jesus, gore movie that I've ever seen. The plot is ridicules but great. It starts off with Herschell, a tough ass biker guy who finds himself torn between a good girl and a bad girl. While one reads him the Bible, the other offers him weed. Herschell gets high and within a day becomes the world's first writhing, spastic marijuana addict! Next he gets a job at a turkey farm where he's fed experimental, drug-laced turkey, so naturally he becomes a man with a giant paper-mache turkey head. Well the bird's still hooked and now instead of smoking dope, he drinks the blood of other addicts to get his fix! The film also has a nonsense spewing, chain smoking narrator who chokes and gags from time to time. This is as good as it gets for so bad they're great cheapo movies. I don't know if Something Weird has this one still in print or not but regardless, it's worth seeking a copy out.

Next has got to be the Canadian oddity Things. Shot on super-8 with plenty of bad acting and worse post-sync dubbing. I would describe the plot except that there really isn't one. There are scenes of a devil-masked woman getting naked and a guy telling her he wants her to have his baby. A lot of scenes of two Canucks watching the strangest T.V. channel, some beer chugging , some skull drilling, chainsawing, eye ball ripping, a pregnant woman, the porn actress Amber Lynn reading news updates about the movie, and a whole bunch of sandwich making. Its definitely a strange one but in the best of ways.

Psychos in Love– I first saw this one when I was in elementary school and it's just as entertaining now as it was all those years ago. Basically you got a male serial killer who only kills women. A female serial killer who only kills guys. They meet up and bond over their mutual hobbies and their hatred of grapes and the wackiness ensues.

Send us to 5 places on the web:

100 years of Monster Movies. Great site that has 24-hr a day streams of new and old horror movies plus tons of horror hosts from present and past.

Freddy in Space. Just filled with good stuff. The site that got me hip to Kindertrauma.

Bleeding Skull. Reviews of good bad movies.

Sluggisha's Vault. Music site. The largest selection of Tardcore anywhere on the web.

Nardwuar– Strange Canadian interviews and music with Nardwuar, the human serviette.

Thanks a lot for the post about letting anyone answer these questions; I've been reading your site for some time now and always thought about what my answers would be.

Long-time reader, first time….er….responder. I usually read Kindertrauma at work (shhh don't tell) so I don't have much opportunity to post. However, that's not stopping me from replying to your invite for getting to know the horror community. Hope you like.

It's a Horror to Know You: Mayday

1. What is the first film that ever scared you?

The Incredible Shrinking Man – I have always been severely arachnophobic, yet as a child I watched this film several times on Saturday's Dr. Schlock Theater (or something like that) despite how horrific the spider battle scene was. Somewhere around that time I also saw Jaws, which gave me nightmares for about a week, as my mother predicted it would. Additionally, I watched Beware! The Blob around this period, which traumatized me, yet I viewed it till the end. Twice.

2. What is the last film that scared you?

Insidious – At this stage of my life I consider myself mostly immune to the powers of 'scary movies'. But Insidious caught me off guard several times. James Wan and Leigh Whannel pulled out all the stops on this one, creating an atmospheric and deeply disturbing old-school horror flick. It had a nice mix of excellent jump scares paired with a creepy aura to challenge even the most stalwart of horror aficionados.

I do have to give a close runners-up shout out to the first two Paranormal Activity films. They proved that less can be more and re-established a true movie-going experience with these unsettling films. Hearing everyone else in the theater emit a collective gasp got my heart racing several times. PA3 had a couple of scenes that managed to equal its predecessors, but overall wasn't as effective.

3. Name three Horror movies that you believe are underrated.

The Ruins – While on vacation in Mexico, a bunch of (actually likeable) college-age kids go in search of an archaeological dig at some ancient Mayan ruins. They discover something far more sinister atop the temple than even the villagers who won't let them leave. The film is as creepy, dark and vicious as the book, both of which were penned by the amazing Scott Smith.

The Saw sequels – Unlike most horror series that continued past three entries, the Saw films always stayed true to the narrative and rules established in the original. The movies are clever and always move the story forward. Calling them mere torture porn with no redeeming value is wrongfully dismissive of them.

House (1986) – Though the effects are dated today, back in the '80s, this film was scary. And tense. And cool. And full of awesome 80s TV actors – William Katt (The Greatest American Hero), George Wendt (Norm from "Cheers") and Richard Moll (Bull from "Night Court").

4. Name three horror movies that you enjoy against your better judgment.

The Devil Inside – I know everybody and their brother hated this film, mostly because everybody and their brother went to see it its opening weekend thanks to the hype, and were ultimately disappointed in it. I was prepared to find it to be utter dreck, but I actually discovered it to be effective and spooky. And I quite liked the "no definitive resolution" ending. Movies don't need to be wrapped up with a pretty bow.

April Fool's Day (1986) – The story plods along, the script is lame and the scares aren't all that and a bag of chips. It has subpar special effects, and a ludicrous plot. But for some reason I enjoyed the hell out of this when it first came out and still do to this day.

The Wicker Man (2006) – Nic Cage proves once again that he has no idea what a fitting role for him is. He over-emotes his way through a hodge-podge script that in no way compares to the original. But his inevitable fate in the movie alone makes it worth watching. Who wouldn't love the chance to break his legs and set him on fire?

5. Send us to five places on the Internet!

Final Girl – Stacie Ponder has some of the wittiest, snarkiest, most insightful commentary in the history of….ever!

Lost Highway – Some of the funniest write-ups of some of the crappiest B-films.

Quiet Earth – Reviews and sneak peaks of horror, sci-fi and indie films, many of which come from the UK or other interesting places outside the US.

Cracked – Be prepared to split your sides laughing at their endless supply of sarcastic, sardonic and evilly hilarious lists involving movies, TV shows and life.

Kindertrauma– I like getting people caught in an endless internet loop.

It's a Horror to Know You: Bleck!

1. What is the first film that ever scared you?

I could make a lengthy list of films, TV shows, etc… that scared me as a kid since I was afraid of EVERYTHING! However, there are two things that scarred me for life that make the top of the list. First was an appearance by Shields and Yarnell on The Muppet Show. For those of you unfamiliar with them, they were a husband/wife mime team who did a routine where they were eating breakfast. This, for some reason, scared me s***less.

The next was a television movie based on the disappearance if Adam Walsh called, you guessed it, Adam. I saw just a few minutes of the movie where he is in Sears with his Mother and he is watching some older kids play a store-demo video game and he was never seen again. Most people know the story and that Adam's disappearance, and subsequent murder, prompted his Father, John, to create the long running TV show America's Most Wanted and countless other resources for missing children. My sadistic parents used this as a scare tactic whenever I would stray away from them while out shopping. Thanks, Mom and Dad…LOL

2. What is the last film that scared you?

Haters are going to hate, but I really enjoy the "found footage" sub-genre. All three of the Paranormal Activity films spooked me and more recently Grave Encounters and Apartment 143 did a great job of giving me a jolt.

3. Name three Horror movies that you believe are underrated.

1) Satan's Little Helper – I have no idea why I enjoy this movie, directed by Jeff Lieberman, there is just something very darkly menacing and funny about it.

2) Poltergeist II – One name says it all…Henry Kane. He is literally MY boogeyman. Of course it is a sequel to a classic so it was never going to live up to its predecessor, but it creeped me out and still does.

3) Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me – I was around 12 or 13 when Twin Peaks premiered on TV. I remember the hype and some disturbing images, but it wasn't until I was in high school that I watched the series. Sadly, I watched the "prequel" prior to that, so I knew who killed Laura Palmer. Nevertheless, Killer Bob, a disappearing David Bowie, a backwards talking dwarf, and a flat out haunting score makes this a favorite of mine but I know a LOT of people despise it.

4. Name three horror movies that you enjoy against your better judgment.

1) Amityville II: The Possession – This one is corny as hell with some bad make-up and effects, but I watch it whenever I see it on TV. This was supposed to be sort of a "prequel" to the original Amityville Horror but it is just so over the top it is ridiculous. For instance, why and how does the sister take her top off for the "possessed" brother? Amazing!

2) Creepshow 2 – I saw this before I saw Creepshow and I have to tell you, I like it better. The hitchhiker and the wooden Indian coming to life? Classic canned corn!

3) Macabre – Jesus…what a whacky ass movie. The chick is banging the disembodied head of her lover. Sign me up. So very bad and wrong but I can't look away.

5. Send us to five places on the Internet!

1) Dread Central– An awesome horror site that many other horror sites get their news from.

2) Mutter Museum – This is a museum in Philadelphia (where I live) that has everything from deformed skeletons to a gigantic colon. Skip the liberty bell and head to this place if you plan to visit.

3) Shadowlands – I have spent many an hour on this site reading the real life ghost stories submitted by, well, anyone who wants to.

4) Sporcle – Need to waste time? Look no further. Games and quizzes that will keep you busy when you really aren't.

5) Laff in the Dark – This is a website dedicated to those haunted/fun houses that were, in their heyday, all over the country. Sitting in a cart, going along the track, surprises and frights abound. Fun stuff.