HAYES HUDSON'S HOUSE OF HORROR is taking a couple of weeks off.....

    

 My wife and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary this year.  To celebrate, we are taking a trip to beautiful Costa Rica to hike the rain forest and chill on the beach!  We will be gone for about 2 weeks. It will be hard to leave the kids here at the house, but their Grannie will be here staying with them so they will be in good hands.  This will be the longest we have been away from the boys since they were born 6 years ago.  That is the only part of the trip I am not looking forward to. Other than that, I am expecting to have a wonderful, exciting trip!

  Until my return, here is a list of some of my favorite horror blogs.  I check these pretty much daily, so these will tide you over until I get back.   If you have a favorite horror blog that you like, leave a comment below with a link so others may check out that site, and I will check them out when I get back! 

80'S HORROR MOVIES
BRUTAL AS HELL
DAY OF THE WOMAN
DOLLAR BIN HORROR
DR. TERROR'S BLOG OF HORRORS
EVIL DEAD NEWS
FREDDY IN SPACE
SHATTERED RAVINGS
ZOMBIES DON'T RUN

Thanks everyone! See you in September!

Check out the trailer for THE TALL MAN

 
  There are a lot of good horror movies coming out over the next few months, and this one is one that I will be checking out for sure.   THE TALL MAN stars Jessica Biel as Julia Denning, a woman who's child goes missing.  Apparently there is a legend in the town she lives of a "Tall Man" that abducts kids.  It looks from this trailer that when the child of Julia goes missing, she isn't going to take it sitting down.  She goes on a hunt for her child and the Tall Man.   I can't think of anything scarier than having a child abducted.  This film should scare us on many levels.   Check out the trailer and let me know what you think!

  THE TALL MAN is scheduled for theatrical release on September 5th.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

Blu-ray Review: STEVE NILES' REMAINS (2011)

STEVE NILES' REMAINS
Directed by  Colin Theys
Written by  Steve Niles
Distributed by  Shout! Factory

 For those unfamiliar with Steve Niles, he is one the best comic book writers working today.  He is best known for his 30 DAYS OF NIGHT graphic novel, and his follow-up series, DARK DAYS, both of which have been turned into full length feature films.   Steve Niles is who got me into horror comics, after a buddy of mine gave me a copy of the 30 DAYS OF NIGHT graphic novel.  From then I was hooked on horror comics, and specifically searched for any comics by Steve Niles.   While he was best known for his vampire stories, he also had a couple of great zombie series. My favorite two were WAKE THE DEAD and a series called REMAINS.   I always thought that both of these would make great zombie films.   Apparently others thought so as well, because both of these series have been turned into films.  WAKE THE DEAD has not been released yet, but just released this month on DVD & Blu-ray was STEVE NILES' REMAINS.  Here is the basic plot from the Shout! Factory website:

  Based on the IDW Publishing graphic novel written by Steve Niles (30 Days Of Night), Remains is set in a chilling postapocalyptic Reno, Nevada, and follows the survivors of a bizarre accident that reduced most of the world's population to zombies. The group takes refuge in a vacant casino and fights a losing battle against the undead, who grow steadily stronger, smarter and more aggressive by the minute.

  Zombie films are a dime a dozen these days, but if they are done right, they are always fun to watch.  STEVE NILES' REMAINS is done right.   There is plenty of zombie action throughout the film.  That is one thing that some zombie films fall short on.  You have to have plenty of zombies throughout the film to be good.  I know that sounds like a "no-brainer"  (pun intended), but it seems like in some zombie films you only get a few zombies.  This is mainly in the lower budget films and I know it is to cut down on costs, but you don't have to worry about that with this film.  Not only are there lots of zombies, they are all done extremely well and look very creepy.

  The acting is a little weak in the film, but you can look past that and just enjoy the zombie action.  It's been years since I read the REMAINS comics, but it was neat to see some iconic images in the film that I remembered from the comics.  The image of the diner/waitress zombie comes to mind...along with the survivors moving from building to building  over the streets using a wooden plank put between the two windows of the buildings. 

  If you read the comics, you will certainly enjoy this film.  I suspect you will like it even if you didn't read the comics...in fact, you might even like it more because all these things will be brand new to you.   Either way, check this one out.  

STEVE NILES' REMAINS is available now on DVD & Blu-ray and contains the following Special Features:

*  Audio Commentary
*  Short Film: Remains:  Road to Reno, the prequel
*  Bloopers
*  TV Spots
*  Trailer
*  Comic-Con Teaser


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD or Blu-ray

Blu-ray Review: PIRANHA 3DD (2012)

  
PIRANHA 3DD
Directed by  John Gulager
Distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment

  I heard nothing but bad things about this film after it was released.  I never got a chance to see it, as it never came to a theater around me.  I loved the first PIRANHA 3D (2010), it was a lot of fun and the 3D in the theater was great, so I was really looking forward to this film.   After hearing so many negative things about this film, I never bothered with it when it came "on-demand".   But....as much as I liked the first one, I knew I would eventually watch it, and I am actually glad I did.   Now don't get me wrong, the movie is not great by any means, but it was fun and kept me entertained, even if part of the entertainment was laughing at how dumb some of the parts were.   I know that is a weird mix of a good review and bad review, but that is how I felt about the film.  Confused yet?  Well before I go any further, here is the plot of the film from the Anchor Bay website:

Prepare for double the action, double the terror and double the D’s. The prehistoric school of bloodthirsty piranhas are back and this time, no one is safe from the flesh-eating fish as they sink their razor sharp teeth into the visitors of summer’s best attraction, The Big Wet Water Park.

  Ok, so the film isn't close to being as good as the 2010 predecessor, but it is still a fun film overall.  The acting is pretty bad for the most part, and the story line is a little silly.  The idea of a piranhas invading a water park sounded like it could have been a great concept if done right. 

  Like PIRANHA 3D, the film started off with the appearance and then quick killing off of a major star.  In the first one we got Richard Dryfuss.  In this one, we get Gary Busey.  I guess that should have told me something from the beginning!  Christopher Lloyd reprises his mad-scientist type role which was pretty funny, but I wish he would have been in more than just a couple of scenes. Ving Rhames reprises his role as well, although it is just one scene's worth and is a more comedic scene than the first film.  Truthfully, it was a comedic scene that was ok, but just didn't really work for me.
One high point was David Koechner as Chet, the owner of the water park.  David Koechner is one of my favorite character actors.  He steals pretty much any scene he is in no mater what film or TV show he is on.  I love that guy.   Oh, and I can't leave out David Hasselhoff!  His scenes are actually pretty funny and probably the highlight of the film.  Yes, I just said David Hasselhoff was the highlight of a film.   That might say a lot about the film right there!  Ha!!

  So, the film is not great by any means, but it has it's moments and like I said, it kept me entertained.  I have a feeling that since I had heard how bad it was, my expectations for it were extremely low, so that probably helped.  If you liked the first one, give this one a shot.

PIRANHA 3DD will be released on September 4th on DVD and a 3D Blu-ray/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to visit the film's official website
CLICK HERE to pre-order the DVD
CLICK HERE to pre-order the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack

This week's Horror related DVD/Blu-ray releases: Tuesday, August 21st, 2012

Here are this week's horror/exploitation related DVDs and Blu-rays coming out 8/21:
(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)

*  ATTACK OF THE KILLER BACKPACKS
*  BLACK MAGIC RITES  [Blu-ray]
*  BLOODY EVIL:  INTERNATIONAL COLLECTION  (This Hollow Sacrament / Frankenstein's Bloody Nightmare / Ichi-1 / Evil Dead Trap 2)
*  DEADLY RENOVATIONS
*  HALLOWEEN 4 [Blu-ray]
*  HALLOWEEN 5 [Blu-ray]
*  HELL 
*  PSYCHOS IN THE WOODS:  A KILLING FRENZY UNLEASHED
*  REVISION:  APOCALYPSE II:  THE EDWIN BRIENEN COLLECTION
*  THE SCAR CROW
*  STEPHEN KING'S THINNER  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  WALKING DEAD ORIGINS:  THE ZOMBIE MOVIE COLLECTION
*  ZOMBIE A-HOLE

Blu-ray Review: TOTAL RECALL (1990)

 
 
TOTAL RECALL
Directed by Paul Verhoeven
Distributed by Lionsgate Entertainment

  I now it's not officially a Horror film, ok it's not anywhere near a Horror film, but TOTAL RECALL is one of my favorite Science Fiction films of all time, and like most Science-Fiction films, they seem to all contain one, if not more, horror elements to them.  I would think most Science-Fiction fans would have seen this movie by now, or at least know about it, but for those that don't, here is the description of the new Blu-ray version courtesy of the Lionsgate website:
 
Experience TOTAL RECALL the way it was meant to be seen with a pristine Director approved 1080P HD transfer! Action star extraordinaire Arnold Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast as Quaid, a 2084 construction worker haunted by dreams of Mars in this crowd-pleasing science fiction spectacle. Against the wishes of his sexy blonde wife (Sharon Stone), Quaid goes to Rekall, a company that implants artificial memories, so he can "remember" visiting the red planet that is now being settled by human inhabitants. However, Quaid is actually a secret agent from Mars – of is he?
 
  As I mentioned, I'm sure most people have already seen this film, so I don't think a typical "movie review" of this film is needed.  Basically it boils down to this...if you haven't seen it, do so asap.  Now I will admit the movie has aged a bit since it's original release in 1990, but the effects still hold up well enough to be entertaining and the alien woman with 3 breasts is still as hot (and disturbing) as ever!  Ha! 

  This new Blu-ray version is the way to go for sure when watching TOTAL RECALL.  The 1080P High Definition picture looks amazing.  One of the special features included on the Blu-ray is a Restoration Comparison which is very interesting.  It's amazing the difference this film is in HD. 

  The TOTAL RECALL "Mind-Bending Edition" Blu-ray was just released on July 31st so is available now.  This is one film you will definitely want to upgrade to Blu-ray if you have the DVD version already.  The new Blu-ray contains the following Special Features:

*  Audio Commentary with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Director Paul Verhoeven
*  Interview with Director Paul Verhoeven
*  Making-of Featurette
*  "Models and Skeletons:  The Special Effects of Total Recall"
*  "Imagining Total Recall" Documentary
*  Restoration Comparison
*  Trailer
*  Photo Gallery

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray
 

Check out the ultra gory and violent trailer for the new splatter flick, ADAM CHAPLIN

 I have no clue how I came across the trailer for this one, but I found this on YouTube and it looks quite amazing!  The film is called ADAM CHAPLIN and was written and directed by Emanuele De Santi.  Imdb lists this as his first writing and directing credit, so this is apparently his first film.  It looks like Mr. De Santi is really starting his career out with a bang!! Here is the basic plot of ADAM CHAPLIN from the film's imdb page:

Set in the fictional country of Heaven Valley, the film is the story of a man, Adam, who following the suspicious death of his wife begins to investigate her murder and in doing so, discovers the involvement of local mafia boss: Denny Richards.

Unable to trust the police, corrupt and controlled by Denny, Adam, consumed by anger, summons a demon who offers him superhuman strength and dark powers. The demon follows him during his trip, promising to lead Adam to the door of the murderer if he does everything the demon asks.

This unleashes a bloody war that will bring Adam, the demon on his side, against the police department with all its dark allies. The fight begins and it will be extreme!

 ADAM CHAPLIN is available now on DVD from Necrostorm Production by clicking the "buy" link below.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to visit the film's official website
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

Check out the cool trailer for the upcoming film, SINISTER

   


 








  If you haven't seen the trailer for the film SINISTER yet, do yourself a favor and check it out now!!
The movie stars Ethan Hawke and is directed by Scott Derrickson, who also directed THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE.  Here is the plot of the film from the movie's official website:
 
SINISTER is a frightening new thriller from the producer of the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY films and the writer-director of THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE. Ethan Hawke plays a true crime novelist who discovers a box of mysterious, disturbing home movies that plunge his family into a nightmarish experience of supernatural horror.
 
  The film opens nationwide October 5th.  This is one I will be checking out for sure.  Watch the trailer and leave a comment and let me know what you think!

 
CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

DVD Review: MIDNIGHT SON (2011)

 
MIDNIGHT SON
Written & Directed by Scott Leberecht
Distributed by Image Entertainment
  
 I have a feeling there are a lot of people out there who have probably never heard of MIDNIGHT SON.  Hopefully that will change as the word spreads about how good this film is.   The cover describes this film as "A terrifying love story", and that couldn't be more true.  Don't let that "love story" part scare you away, this is no TWILIGHT type love story....not by a long shot.   For those unfamiliar with this film, here is the basic plot from the Image Entertainment website:
 
  MIDNIGHT SON is the story of Jacob, a young man confined to a life of isolation, due to a rare skin disorder that prevents him from being exposed to sunlight. His world opens up when he meets Mary, a local bartender, and falls in love. Tragically, Jacob's actions become increasingly bizarre as he struggles to cope with the effects of his worsening condition. Forced by the disease to drink human blood for sustenance, he must control his increasingly violent tendencies as local law enforcement narrow their focus on him as a suspect in a series of grisly murders.
 
 I have admitted on many occasions that I have never been a big vampire fan...zombie are more my thing.   I have seen a few movies over the past few years that are making me rethink that, most recently the films LET THE RIGHT ONE IN and the American remake, LET ME IN.  You can now add MIDNIGHT SON to that list of films that is slowly turning me into a vampire fan.
 
 I actually did a post about this film back in November of 2010.  I posted the trailer and said how good this film looks like it was going to be.  Unlike a lot of films that don't live up to their great trailers, MIDNIGHT SON was even better than the trailer made it look.  I was blown away by this film. I expected it to be good based on the awesome trailer, but was not expecting to be as good as it was.
   
 Everything about this film was great.  The acting was superb, without a weak player in the group.   The gore effects were very well done and plentiful, which is always a good thing.   The film was paced perfectly without there ever being a dry spell or long drawn out scene.   I haven't been so pleasantly surprised by a movie in a long time.  This is one you will want to check out for sure. Whether you are a fan of vampire films or not, I think most all horror fans will enjoy this one. 
 
  MIDNIGHT SON is available now on DVD and contains the following special features:
 
*  Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Scott Leberecht and Stars Zak Kilberg, Maya Parish, and Jo D. Jonz
*  Deleted Scenes
*  Interviews with Cast & Crew
*  Trailer
 
 
CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
   

This week's Horror related DVD/Blu-ray releases: Tuesday, August 14th, 2012

   






Here are this week's horror/exploitation related DVDs and Blu-rays coming out 8/14:
(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)
 
*  FATHER'S DAY [4-disc limited ed. DVD/Blu-ray set]
*  GROUND ZERO
*  JUAN OF THE DEAD
*  KILL LIST  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A PORNO GANG [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  THE PORTAL
*  THE SNOWTOWN MURDERS
*  ZOMBIE HORROR FRIGHT FEST

Check out the hilarious Red Band trailer for the new zom-com, COCKNEYS VS. ZOMBIES

   

   
  If you are a fan of SHAUN OF THE DEAD, you will definitely want to give this film a look.  The film is COCKNEYS VS. ZOMBIES and it is another U.K. zombie/comedy film.  The film is about zombies taking over London and a group of survivors holding off the zombies from taking over an old folks home.   It looks like these old folks can fight for themselves, though!  Note the awesome Walker vs. Walker scene!  Ha!  Good stuff!  Thanks to my buddy Caleb for letting me know about this one!
  This film comes out in August in the U.K.....I have not seen any mention of a U.S. release, but as good as this trailer looks, I expect a U.S. distributor to pick this one up pretty quick!

CLICK HERE to watch the Red Band Trailer

Check out the trailer for RAPE ZOMBIE: LUST OF THE DEAD

 With a name like that, it has to be good..right?  RAPE ZOMBIE:  LUST OF THE DEAD is a new crazy zombie film from Japanese director Naoyuki Tomomatsu.  There have been some crazy zombie movies to come out of Japan lately, and this looks like it will be a great addition to that genre.   Thanks to my buddy Scott over at the Shattered Ravings blog for pointing this one out to me!  Check out the trailer and enjoy!

 
CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

DVD Review: GRIM (2010)

   
GRIM
Written and Directed by Adrian Santiago
Distributed by Troma Entertainment and CAV Distribution
 
 You never know what you are going to get with a Troma film. Troma has lots of fans and a cult following for sure, and the movies they actually make are usually always lots of fun. But it's these 3rd party type films that you just never know about.  These are the films that Troma just buys the rights to distribute.  Some can be pretty bad, but every now and then you run into one that is really good.  I am happy to report that GRIM falls into the latter category.  In fact this is one of the better of the Troma distributed films I think I have seen.   For those unfamilar with this film, here is the basic plot from the film's imdb.com page:

  After unsuccessful attempts to revive our ailing economy, the US is forced to cut funding to rural, low-population areas of the nation leaving millions to "fend for themselves". Amid ongoing territorial disputes, Nicholas Grim is forced to witness the brutal murder of his parents by Armed Militant Forces in Texas. Now an adult, Grim vows to avenge his family and uncover their killer's motives.

  I had never heard of this film before receiving this one for review, and I am pretty surprised by that.  I really and surprised that more people within the horror community aren't talking about this one.   The film starts off with a bang and never really lets up.  

  The film starts with the kidnapping of a family.  The young boy in the family, Nicholas Grim, is forced to watch the brutal beatings and then eventual killings of both his Mother and Father.  I have to admit, this scene was hard to watch. It was acted well, and the sheer brutality of the kidnappers and total disregard for the parents lives was chilling.  They even knocked little Nicholas out and left him for dead, although a man who heard the gunshots came and found him and took him home.

  Cut to some years later, and little Nicholas Grim is all grown up and has been  living with the man and woman that found Nicholas all those years ago.  His adoptive parents finally sit him down and explain to him who the kidnappers were all those years ago  (Nicholas had supplied the names when he was little, but the man thought he was too young to have everything explained to him at that time).
The killers were a group called the U.A.B.  (United American Brigade), and they were still around and causing trouble.  When this group meets up with Nicholas' adoptive family and kills them, then he has had enough.  He snaps into a fit of rage and vows revenge against the killers that have taken two sets of parents away from him.

  Grim really turns up the heat, starting by torturing a member of the U.A.B. that comes to his house by tying the man up and making him give the name of the U.A.B. leader.  The man doesn't want to give up the name, but when Grim starts pulling out his fingernails with a pair of pliers, he eventually gives in and gives Grim the name he looking for.  This scene is another that is very hard to watch...the pulling out of the fingernails effect was done very well and will make you cringe in agony!
  
 The movie goes into a more deeper plot as Grim joins a group that is against the U.A.B. and battles them to the death!  GRIM was done very well.  There was no CGI effects that I noticed, every gore effect was a practical effect. I have no clue what the budget was like on this film, but it pretty obvious it was very low budget film.  GRIM is proof that you can make a great low budget film if you have a good story, good actors, and a good director in charge.   Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that the acting in this movie is great on all accounts, but over all it was well done.

 I would recommend this film to most any horror fan. It is not typical of a Troma film, this one is a lot more darker shocking than most of the films they distribute.  The before mentioned shocking opening scene still comes to mind.

 GRIM is available now on DVD and contains the following Special Features:

*  Commentary track by director Adrian Santiago
*  "The Art of Dismemberment" - A behind-the-scenes slideshow
*  Introduction by Lloyd Kaufman


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

This week's Horror related DVD/Blu-ray releases: Tuesday, August 7th, 2012

Here are this week's horror/exploitation related DVDs and Blu-rays coming out 8/7:
(Click on a title to see a trailer for that film)

*  THE BOOGENS  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  DEVIL SEED
*  GRIMM:  SEASON1 [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  KNOCK KNOCK 2
*  LADDA LAND
*  MR. HUSH  [DVD & Blu-ray]
*  STEVE NILES' REMAINS  [DVD & Blu-ray]

Do you know the story of The Dibbuk Box?

A lot of you have probably seen the trailer for the new film coming out called, THE POSSESSION.  The movie is being produced by Sam Raimi's Ghosthouse Pictures, and looks to be an amazing film.   What is even more amazing, is that the film is based on actual events and an  actual "haunted" box called The Dibbuk Box  (Dibbuk is a Jewish term for a restless spirit or demon).  A lot of movies say "Based on a True Story", but this one actually is and has years of history behind it.  Clark Collis from Entertainment Weekly Magazine did a wonderful write up of the new film and some of the history behind The Dibbuk Box  (see issue# 1218, Aug. 3, 2012).   Apparently the box has brought nothing buy bad things to anyone who has owned the box.
 
  The box was listed on ebay a few years ago and the seller tells the entire story of the box on the ebay auction description.  Check out the great Entertainment Weekly article or read the ebay auction page to learn about this cursed box.  There are some amazing things that have happened to those in ownership of the box, which makes me wonder why so many people actually placed bids on this item when it was up for sale. 


 
CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for THE POSSESSION
CLICK HERE to see the Ebay auction of The Dibbuk Box and read the story of it

CLICK HERE to visit the official website of The Dibbuk Box

DVD Review: DEAD SEASON (2012)

 
DEAD SEASON
Directed by Adam Deyoe
Distributed by Image Entertainment

Zombie films are a dime a dozen these days, seems like every week a new zombie film is coming out and while most are mediocre at best, every now and then a really good one comes along.  I am happy to report that DEAD SEASON is a fun, entertaining zombie film that is worth a watch.  Here is the plot synopsis courtesy of the Image Entertainment website:

When a worldwide viral outbreak leads to a plague of zombies scouring the earth for the living, two survivors flee the chaos of America to a remote island, hoping for a chance to start a new life. What they find is unrelenting horror. Beyond the hordes of the flesh-hungry undead, the other people already on the island force the pair into a fight-or-die battle amongst themselves. Armed only with crude weapons, they must descend to savagery and cutthroat tactics just to make it through each day. Packed with cutting-edge action and outrageous gore, DEAD SEASON is a riveting new spin on the zombie genre!

Originality can be hard to find in zombie movies, but DEAD SEASON manages to find it.  Actor James C. Burns plays the main leader on the island and he pretty much decides who stays and who goes, based on what skills he thinks that person can bring to their group.  He even goes as far as to making the choice not to help one of the groups injured, but instead orders our main character to chop him up and use him as food for the group.   You don't see that in very many zombie movies these days!

The acting is great, and the zombie effects and gore are superb!  There is  some great zombie gore on display, some of which reminded me of some of the great Romero films like DAWN OF THE DEAD and DAY OF THE DEAD. 

DEAD SEASON is out now on DVD and contains the following Special Features:

*  Filmmaker Commentary
*  The Making of DEAD SEASON
*  Deleted Scenes
*  Outtakes
*  Trailer
 
CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.....

While my LASEK surgery didn't go quite as bad as Olivia's  (see a few posts back), the healing process has been slow.  What has made it worse was that I had to return to work this past Wednesday, which consists of me staring at a computer all day long.  Needless to say, when I got home, I rested with me eyes closed and didn't go back near a computer!   After working all day, my eyes kinda feel like that girl from the wood splinter scene from Lucio Fulci's infamous film, ZOMBIE.   Haven't seen that? Well, first off...shame on you.  Secondly, here it is for your viewing pleasure. 
 

 
Posts will be sporadic while my eyes heal so bear with me....I will be back to daily postings in a week or two for sure hopefully!

Thanks everyone!!

Zombie Hayes