halloween | the m0vie blog

Mondo Poster Monster Mania!

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Darren

I do love Mundo. Yet I have still to buy one of their distinctive poster redesigns. That might change, if I can get my hands on one of these, a collection of Universal Monster Movie poster redesigns from some wonderful artists. I especially love Francesco Francavilla’s take on The Invisible Man. Anyway, I had the pleasure of picking up the Universal Monster Movie Blu Ray Collection, and I’ll be jumping into it over Halloween. That said, it looks pretty fantastic, and these posters are a great way to celebrate some of the truly iconic creature features Hollywood has produced.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Blu-ray Disc, Film poster, halloween, hollywood, Mondo, Movie, poster, universal monsters | Leave a comment »

American Vampire, Vol. 2 (Review)

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Darren

This October, to get us in the mood for Halloween, we’re taking a look at some awesome monster comics. Check back in every Monday this month for a review of Scott Snyder’s American Vampire Saga.

What happens to those childhood monsters when there are no more shadows to hide in? Do they leave? Do they move on? Or do they simply learn to live in the light?

– Cashel McCogan pretty much sums up American Vampire

The more I read, the more I like Scott Snyder’s American Vampire. The author has proven himself quite adept when it comes to writing comic books, handling his short stint on Detective Comics with great skill and proving a worthy scribe for Swamp Thing. Outside the mainstream superhero books, Snyder has defined himself as one of the leading writers of comic book horror. He did an outstanding job on Severed, but his on-going American Vampire might be the finest work I have read from the writer.

No bones about it, this something special…

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: American Vampire, arts, Bram Stoker, Chats and Forums, Death Race, halloween, horror, Interview with a Vampire, los angeles, Otherkin, People, rafael albuquerque, Scott Snyder, Skinner Sweet, Snyder, stephen king, swamp thing, United States, vampire | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Psycho (1960)

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Darren

Psycho is a masterpiece from Alfred Hitchcock, a uniquely American horror story that redefined and codified the horror genre. Even after one has already seen the film, and knows the twists and the plotting detours that Hitchcock’s adaptation of Robert Bloch’s novel might make, it’s still a powerful and compelling piece of cinema. Hitchcock laid a template here that would inform generations of horror films that followed, with the DNA of Psycho to be found even in the most unlikely of places.

“You can checkout any time you like, but you can never leave…”

Note: Hitchcock famously guarded the ending to this project. “Don’t give away the ending — it’s the only one we have!” he pleaded in advertisements. However, it has been fifty-two years, so I fear that the statute of limitations on potential spoilers has expired. After all, Psycho has been so massively influential it’s hard not to know what happens. If, by some fluke, you know nothing about the film… see it! See it now! We’ll still be here when you get back.

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: alfred hitchcock, art, AT&T, Edward Hopper, film, graphic design, Graphic Designers, gus van sant, halloween, hitchcock, Janet Leigh, Movie, non-review review, Norman, Norman Bates, Psycho, review, Robert Bloch, Saul Bass, United States, wes craven | 4 Comments »

The Silicon Chip Inside Her Head Gets Switched to Overload: On-Screen Mania and Off-Screen Motives….

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Darren

And daddy doesn’t understand it
He always said she was good as gold
And he can see no reasons
‘Cos there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be show-ow-ow-ow-own?

– I Don’t Like Mondays, The Boom Town Rats

I have to admit, I have a soft spot in my heart for cheesy horror films. Not necessarily all of them, as there’s a lot of dross out there, but I have to admit that there’s nothing like a well-constructed scary movies. I was watching Scream again, this time with my gran in preparation for Halloween, and I enjoyed it yet again – I think it’s a fascinatingly clever look at the slasher genre, and a movie which is as relevent today as it was when it was released, untouched and unspoilt by the wave of inferior imitations that we’ve seen in the years since. There’s a line towards the climax of the film which got me thinking about these sorts of films, and how they’re scary. Asked to provide a motive, the killer responds, “Did we ever find out why Hannibal Lector liked to eat people? Don’t think so! See, it’s a lot scarier when there’s no motive.” Is the unknowable that much scarier?

Psyche!

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: bruce wayne, Christopher Nolan, films, halloween, hannibal, hannibal lecter, horror, Jamie Lee Curtis, Movies, ridley scott, scary, tim burton, unknowable, Unknown | 2 Comments »

Could Zombies Really Occur?

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Darren

Welcome to the m0vie blog’s zombie week! It’s a week of zombie-related movie discussions and reviews as we come up to Halloween, to celebrate the launch of Frank Darbont’s The Walking Dead on AMC on Halloween night. So be sure to check back all week, as we’ll be running posts on the living dead.

I know it’s a bit lazy to just post a link rather than coming up with any original content, and I apologise sincerely, but it just fits this week’s theme so well that it would be a crime not to post it (even though it’s a good three years old). Anyway, the guys at cracked have put together a list of ways that a zombie apocalypse could actually occur. My brother, a science student, actually concedes that these are all reasonably close to possible. It’s a great read for anyone with an interest in the topic, or just looking for some food for nightmares (it being Halloween and all). Enjoy!

It could happen to you?

For those looking for a more feasible (and less science-fiction-y) account of real life Voodoo zombies, Time ran an excellent article on the culture.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: halloween, zombie, zombie week! | 2 Comments »

the m0vie blog launches Zombie Week!

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Darren

Halloween is next week! And, for those of you living in the States, that heralds the premiere of Frank Darabont’s The Walking Dead. So, we’ve decided to run a themed week leading up to the premiere. Each day between now and next Sunday, we’ll be reviewing a particular zombie film – some classic, some modern; some American, some British – and running a host of zombie-related fun. In fact, before the premiere, we’ll be reviewing the second full year of the comic book it’s based upon, The Walking Dead. Be sure to check it out. It’ll be dead fun.

Bring out your undead!

Filed under: Comics, Movies, Television | Tagged: AMC, frank darabont, halloween, Holidays, List of zombie films, opinions, robert kirkman, Walking Dead, zombie week!, zombies | 2 Comments »

Is It Too Early for A Christmas Carol?

Posted on November 5, 2009 by Darren

They say that Christmas gets earlier every year. I’m probably too young to remember this correctly (maybe it’s an aspirational dream I’m confusing with memory), but back in the day they used to wait until after Halloween to start selling Christmas stuff. Now I hear Argos Christmas catalog advertisements and visit the Christmas section in Marks & Sparks in early October. But, seriously, the releasing of A Christmas Carol in early November takes the biscuit.

Isn't it magical?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: a christmas carol, christmas, christmas advertising, christmas movies, disney's a christmas carol, films, halloween, holiday, Movies, seasons | 2 Comments »

What is the Fixation With Slasher Movies?

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Darren

Seriously. John Carpenter pretty much invented the genre back in the 1970s, and it has been with us ever since. But why do we get so many really terrible variations on people doing bad and gruesome things to other people year-in and year-out. You’d magine that every possible object that exists for a killer to hide behind has been hidden behind and every possible note that could be reached by a high-pitched scream has been reached by a high-pitched scream. And yet here they are, again and again and again. What’s the dealio?

I'm not even sure he's the scariest Myers around...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: films, halloween, horror, horror genre, jason, michael myers, Movies, slasher, slasher films | Leave a comment »

It’s Screen Scare Week!

Posted on October 26, 2009 by Darren

In the lead up to Halloween, we’ll be taking a look at some the horror genre. Check back nightly at 3am (the witching hour!) for a new article each night on the weird and the wonderful of cinema, looking at:

Plus, check out some articles from earlier in the month, like:

a look at the man who will hunt The Wolfman, Inspector Francis Abberline
the “true story” behind the Nightmare on Elm Street saga

Hopefully that’ll get you in the macabre mood for the freaky festivities next weekend…

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: cinema, film, halloween, horror, horror movies, screen scare week, the witching hour | Leave a comment »

Batman: Haunted Knight

Posted on September 19, 2009 by Darren

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. It’s a match made in nerdy comic book heaven. Of course, the duo made their name by working together on The Long Halloween and its direct follow-up Dark Victory and have both had a huge influence on the two Nolan Batman films, but before they completed that grand sweeping arc that tied together the early years of the Caped Crusader’s career, they first teamed up on three Halloween Specials through the mid-1990s. Why is it that Halloween Specials are so much better than Christmas Specials? Think about it, you have The Simpsons’ Halloween Special in one corner and the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special in the other. Still, that’s a discussion for another day.