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| horror and respect |
Horror and Respectability
By Polly Frost – August 27, 2008
I have a shameful feeling I've just got to 'fess up to: Every now and then I wish respectable people would stop putting down horror movies.
You know who I'm talking about: The mainstream film and book critics, the people who denounce the violence in horror without ever really knowing the genre ... even friends!
These people may even know that horror's popular, and may acknowledge its universal power, but they still can't be anything but dismissive towards it.
They don't see the craft that goes into making a horror movie. They don't see that horror movies reflect society as much as any art film. They don't see that the subversiveness of horror as something to be valued. |
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| Pure Race |
Pure Race (1995)
Reviewed by Geno McGahee – August 27, 2008
You know, nine out of ten times, I’m reviewing horror movies, but being a no budget indie filmmaker, I have an appreciation for this art and PURE RACE is a no budget film, so I’m reviewing it. I also like movies about racists and racists getting what they deserve, and I don’t even mind racists realizing just how wrong they were and becoming good guys at the end like AMERICAN HISTORY X. What a great movie that is! I also like movies like GANG BOYZ, written and directed by the very talented Wings Hauser, where the town gets together and drive the Nazis out of the neighborhood. Is there any end to that man’s talent?
Now we have a near zero budget movie about acceptance and the ignorance of some people who typically huddle together and talk about other ethnicities in a negative fashion. Written by Fred Hunting and Rocco DeVilliers, PURE RACE is look at not only the in your face, waving a confederate flag around while burning a cross morons, but it looks at the subtle racism that many people have. They actually do a great job showing the slight racisms of normal everyday people and present a great story with very decent action sequences for a very low budget movie. |
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| Madman Paul Ehlers Interview part II |
 We Dared to Say His Name Above a Whisper: Paul Ehlers Brings the Madman to Scared Stiff, Part II
Exclusive Interview by Geno McGahee –August 26, 2008
“I just hope that it’s something that gives everybody a fright or a smile or both.”--Paul Ehlers, the Madman
I have been saying basically since my first viewing of MADMAN that a sequel was in order. After his house burned to the ground, he was homeless and just having him looking at real estate would make for a good movie. Unfortunately, this didn’t come to pass, but the recent string of terrible horror movies are forcing the young and old to return to the 1970s and 1980s, in search of a gem that they may not have seen. Ehlers knows this better than most and sees the looks of the people as they approach him at horror conventions, inquiring about the interesting character that he once played.
In the 1980’s, three horror icons ruled: Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers, but they have ran their course. For a time, it seemed that perhaps the Creeper from JEEPERS CREEPERS had the potential to make a run as a new horror franchise, but the horrible sequel to the 2001 entry made that impossible. Now, we have a horrible franchise known as “SAW.” I will be the first to admit that I enjoyed the first one but the rest have been complete garbage with a character that can not carry the series, nor the writers that can make it interesting. It has followed the trend of fluff torture movies.
In this second part of this Exclusive interview with Scared Stiff, Paul Ehlers, will discuss the direction of Hollywood, the horror remakes and how MADMAN will differ, as well as his love of boxing and what he deems to be entertainment that insults the audience…
GM: There have been a lot of bad remakes lately…
Yes there have been.
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| Madman Paul Ehlers Interview part I |
 We Dared to Say His Name Above a Whisper: Paul Ehlers Brings the Madman to Scared Stiff, Part I
Exclusive Interview by Geno McGahee – August 25, 2008
“I think a return to something a little more suspenseful, something to keep us more on edge, and then have the payoff rather than starting by dropping pails of blood from the first frame is the way to go.”-- Paul Ehlers, the Madman
When you think of an unstoppable killer in the woods of the horror world, one name probably comes to mind: Jason Voorhees, and rightfully so. He has been marketed well, maintains popularity to this day, and is being reborn again in a remake. Others may think of Cropsy from the 1981 horror classic “THE BURNING,” a man wielding hedge clippers and attacking campers. Some of you die hard horror fans may even be thinking about the Monster in the 1984 film “THE PREY,” but there was one other killer…a man…a Madman to be precise that carried and axe and presented an unstoppable force. The 1982 film “MADMAN” is a quality horror film, featuring a memorable killer. It is one of my favorite horror movies and had it had the right ambition behind it and the correct bankroll, we may be talking about MADMAN VIII right now, but we are not. There is only one, but I’m happy to report that it won’t be that way for too much longer.
Paul Ehlers played the role of MADMAN, the insane farmer that killed his family and is now rewriting history, preparing for a remake of the film and a second shot at horror greatness on a large scale. Along with his son Jonathan, he is bringing back the Madman, and this, if it’s done correctly and by all indications, it will be, could potentially turn this horror world back around to where it was and where it should be. This second chance for MADMAN may bring another horror franchise to the fans and should. Jason, Freddy, and Michael Myers have run their course and have, arguably, become stale. Madman will be a fresh face and will bring in the youth that love horror and want to see the new kid on the block and the people of my generation that are nostalgic and want the axe wielding killer to return.
I recently sat down with Ehlers to discuss the 1982 classic as well as the return of horror, the industry, the direction of Hollywood and his successfully and possibly surprising career outside of horror. |
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| press release |
 Evil Awakening Unleashed: The Slash is Back
X Posse Press Release – August 23, 2008
Today is the day when the Slasher film finally returns. EVIL AWAKENING, a film that has created a buzz as of late in the world of horror, has arrived. Featured in FANGORIA Magazine and riding a wave of positive press from the critics, this throwback film has been flying off of the shelves to the fans of this genre that have demanded the return of the Slasher flick.
Jason Voorhees is dead and buried. Michael Myers is Missing in Action. Freddy Krueger’s nightmares have run their course. Now, a new legend arises in an X Posse Production: EVIL AWAKENING.
Synopsis:
Ludlow, a small and quiet town, was once terrorized by an insane serial killer. The townspeople brought him to justice, but true evil does not die. He will return and when a group of youngsters looking to party and have a good time in the very woods where he was killed, they will have to deal with the Evil Awakening and the bloodbath that ensues. Ludlow has a legend, and it carries and axe.
You can now order your very own copy of the film that critics are raving about and that horror fans are demanding. This is not a remake. This is not PG-13. This is a return to the days when the Slash ruled, and it is time to take horror back.
The Critics on EVIL AWAKENING:
“Just like those 70s/80s slashers!” – Peter Syslo, Infernal Dreams Horror Society
“Evil Awakening is a classic slasher film.” – Heidi Martiniuzzi, The Horror Post
“An entertaining ride!” – Verhoskan, Zombie Movie Data Base
“Highly Entertaining!” –Josh Agnew, Evil Klown
“It’s movie making at its finest!”—Brian Morton, Rogue Cinema
Horror fans, it’s time to reclaim the genre and bring back the originality and Slasher film that has been clamored for. Evil Awakening is making a statement and winning the critics over. It’s time for you to own your very own copy.
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| Horror and Sound |
Horror and Sound
By Polly Frost – August 20, 2008
The other night I was watching the DVD of the Rob Zombie remake of “Halloween” when something struck me.
What I found myself thinking about wasn’t what seems to obsess a lot of horror fans -- namely, how Zombie’s remake compares to Carpenter’s original. I wasn’t mainly focusing on story or effects either. What my mind was grinding away at was sound.
Let me pause for a second to explain why it is that I‘m currently a major audio fanatic.
I just spent the last six months working in a sound studio on an audio production that I co-wrote with my husband, Ray Sawhill. World Wide Audio, the studio where we worked, is a top post production house in lower Manhattan. It‘s run by a sound genius, Georgia Hilton, and Ray and I were specifically in the hands of two talented and focused young audio engineers who Georgia had trained -- or rather, put through her audio boot camp -- Casey Zanowic and Dan Cioffi. |
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| the pit |
The Pit (1981)
Reviewed by Geno McGahee - August 20, 2008
Jamie (Sammy Snyders) is a troubled young boy that is obsessed with sex. He is an outcast and has no friends outside of his teddy bear “teddy,” who speaks to him and advises him on all sorts of different subjects. It’s strange for a twelve year old boy to have a teddy bear but this is a strange kid that is ignored by some, harassed by others, and pitied by the rest. Even his parents are sick of him and elect to take off and leave him home in the care of a college girl, Sandy (Jeannie Elias). Why you leave a sexually obsessed 12 year old with a hot 21 year old is beyond me, but they did. I guess it’s better than leaving him with the creepy uncle. You know, it never fails. Everyone has a creepy uncle in their family. They are usually involved in the Boy Scouts somehow or constantly apply for jobs as mall Santas. If any occupation needs background checks, it’s mall Santa.
Sandy tries to mold and mentor Jamie and overcome the crush that the 12-year old has on her, but it’s an uphill battle. While she showers, he enters the bathroom and writes that he loves her in the steam on the mirror and gets a glance at her tushy, which enrages her, and rightfully so! If you had some 12 year old boy that talks to a teddy bear looking at your junk, wouldn’t you go apeshit? We also have one of the greatest nip slips in history as Jamie stares at Sandy while she is sleeping with one full booby staring him right in the face. I can only imagine what else he does to that teddy bear when nobody’s around. But this movie isn’t about nip slips and humping teddy bears. It’s about Tralalogs.
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| cordoba nights |
Crazy Carl’s Top 10: Cordoba Nights (2007)
Reviewed by Crazy Carl Robinson –August 19, 2008
whenever wred fright (as ringer) reviewed my teaching, he would always give me a 9/10 (with the rationale being that nothing is ever perfect)…..full disclosure: you know that the brothers campbell are my friends…..they gave me cameos in their zombie trilogy and they always let me into the party (even when they were straight-edge, even when I drunkenly drew moustaches on half the artwork in the ksu art department during the filming of midnight skater (2002), and even when that devil, elias told all the midnight skater girls that I jacked off to demon summer (2003) just to increase his own punkrock cred)……
i’m giving cordoba nights (2007) a 9-out-of-10 on the “scared stiff” scale and I would certainly encourage the rest of you to be kind when critiquing your friends’ art (The Oprah does it too, ya know---like do you think she’d rather be watching the latest tom cruise movie or eating truffles off gayle’s taint?)……more-to-the-point: I’m an english teacher and I don’t like the concept of giving out points, especially when every review is ultimately subjective anyway…..and as I’ve said many times before, I don’t know shit about reviewing horror movies…..i just write about what i like (and that usually equates to what I find absurd)…..i do like the fact that the brothers campbell are branching out from the horror genre…..to tell ya the truth, I read their zombie trilogy as a commentary on 2005 northeastern ohio, punkrock culture……q: how does an 18-year-old, andy campbell interpret the world?.....a: as violent, surreal and absurd……now skip ahead to 2007 and cordoba nights……q: how does a 27-year-old, luke campbell interpret his world?.....a: as absurd, metropolitan, and violent…….there are still no jobs to be had and the bullies will always steal your pizza…..
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| presser ea |
 Evil Awakening Unleashed Today: The Slash is Back
X Posse Press Release – August 19, 2008
Today is the day when the Slasher film finally returns. EVIL AWAKENING, a film that has created a buzz as of late in the world of horror, has arrived. Featured in FANGORIA Magazine and riding a wave of positive press from the critics, this throwback film has been flying off of the shelves to the fans of this genre that have demanded the return of the Slasher flick.
Jason Voorhees is dead and buried. Michael Myers is Missing in Action. Freddy Krueger’s nightmares have run their course. Now, a new legend arises in an X Posse Production: EVIL AWAKENING.
Synopsis:
Ludlow, a small and quiet town, was once terrorized by an insane serial killer. The townspeople brought him to justice, but true evil does not die. He will return and when a group of youngsters looking to party and have a good time in the very woods where he was killed, they will have to deal with the Evil Awakening and the bloodbath that ensues. Ludlow has a legend, and it carries and axe.
You can now order your very own copy of the film that critics are raving about and that horror fans are demanding. This is not a remake. This is not PG-13. This is a return to the days when the Slash ruled, and it is time to take horror back.
The Critics on EVIL AWAKENING:
“Just like those 70s/80s slashers!” – Peter Syslo, Infernal Dreams Horror Society
“Evil Awakening is a classic slasher film.” – Heidi Martiniuzzi, The Horror Post
“An entertaining ride!” – Verhoskan, Zombie Movie Data Base
“Highly Entertaining!” –Josh Agnew, Evil Klown
“It’s movie making at its finest!”—Brian Morton, Rogue Cinema
Horror fans, it’s time to reclaim the genre and bring back the originality and Slasher film that has been clamored for. Evil Awakening is making a statement and winning the critics over. It’s time for you to own your very own copy.
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| Bigfoot Presser |
| Scared Stiff Breaking News: Sasquatch Found in Georgia
Scared Stiff News Report by Geno McGahee – August 15, 2008
I am thrilled to report that two men in Georgia have claimed to have found the carcass of a Bigfoot and will reveal it today, August 15th in California. I hope that this isn’t a hoax. I will find these two Georgia peaches and give them what for if that’s the case. I have said from day one that the mighty Yeti was the real deal and now, people will have to admit it. Why not believe it? Why not believe a hairy dude lives in the woods? It’s fun to believe and now we may just have the proof that the big hairy bastard lives, or in this case, died.
I was just a child and I still remember the buzz surrounding the famous Patterson-Gimlin film. Even though it was recorded in 1967, the buzz remained and when I was 8 or 9 there was a special regarding it and I could not believe my eyes. Up to that point, it was the most definitive piece of evidence that a Bigfoot exists and roams the woods, far away from the human eye. I don’t blame him. The human race can stink! You know that the Skookum is anti-war…they are that peaceful. |
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| The Baby |
The Baby (1973)
Reviewed by Geno McGahee – August 13, 2008
There were a lot of strange movies that came out of the 1970s and I can’t think of many stranger than the 1973 film “THE BABY.” When I heard that this filmed surrounded a grown man acting like a baby, I didn’t have high hopes, but as I searched Netflix, I just couldn’t find anything else. I was just in an adult baby mood I guess. Haven’t you just ever been in one of those I want to see a man act like a baby moods? No? Just me? I don’t like what you’re implying there mister.
Ann Gentry (Anjanette Comer) is a social worker that has been assigned to the Wadsworth family, and the case of “Baby,” the mentally challenged son of Mrs. Wadsworth (Ruth Roman). Gentry fights like hell to help Baby, but gets resistance from Mrs. Wadsworth and her two hot daughters. Wow, it’s been thirty-five years since this movie was released and it may be safe to say that that the two hot daughters are no longer hot, but they are now probably in their fifties and some women that age look pretty good, right? Alba Wadsworth (Susanne Zenor) in now in her sixties, but at this time, she was a knockout and she abuses her brother Baby very well with a cattle prod. Her performance was outstanding and actually all of the actors in this film do an incredible job.
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| ea presser |
 The American Slasher Film Returns: Evil Awakening Creating Buzz in the Horror World
X Posse Press Release – August 13, 2008
Jason Voorhees is dead and buried. Michael Myers is Missing in Action. Freddy Krueger’s nightmares have run their course. Now, a new legend arises on August 19th, in an X Posse Production: EVIL AWAKENING.
Synopsis:
Ludlow, a small and quiet town, was once terrorized by an insane serial killer. The townspeople brought him to justice, but true evil does not die. He will return and when a group of youngsters looking to party and have a good time in the very woods where he was killed, they will have to deal with the Evil Awakening and the bloodbath that ensues. Ludlow has a legend, and it carries and axe.
You can now pre-order your very own copy of the film that critics are raving about and that horror fans are demanding. This is not a remake. This is not PG-13. This is a return to the days when the Slash ruled, and it is time to take horror back.
The Critics on EVIL AWAKENING:
“Just like those 70s/80s slashers!” – Peter Syslo, Infernal Dreams Horror Society
“Evil Awakening is a classic slasher film.” – Heidi Martiniuzzi, The Horror Post
“An entertaining ride!” – Verhoskan, Zombie Movie Data Base
“Highly Entertaining!” –Josh Agnew, Evil Klown
“It’s movie making at its finest!”—Brian Morton, Rogue Cinema
Horror fans, it’s time to reclaim the genre and bring back the originality and Slasher film that has been clamored for. Evil Awakening is making a statement and winning the critics over. It’s time for you to own your very own copy.
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| Seeing Horror With a Crowd |
Seeing Horror With a Crowd
By Polly Frost – August 12, 2008
Recently I’ve been on a DVD horror-watching binge. I love renting from Netflix, or buying horror straight-to-DVDs off the internet. It’s great to indulge in an evening of Mario Bava, or watch the Grindhouse edition of “Cannibal Holocaust,” or revisit a Hitchcock film like “The Birds.”
It’s wonderful as well to see new horror movies that aren’t confined by the ratings board for theatrical releases, along with micro-budget horror films, like the ones that Geno McGahee recently wrote about in Scared Stiff.
At the same time, it’s reminded me how much I miss watching horror movies with a crowd. And it’s got me thinking about how there’s a real difference between watching horror by yourself and watching it with an audience of strangers. |
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| Amytiville II |
Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
Reviewed by Melissa McGahee - August 12, 2008
“Why didn’t you pull that trigger? Why didn’t you kill that pig?” - Demon voice
A prequel to Amityville Horror, “The Possession” tells the story of the Montelli family. The dysfunctional bunch moves into the notorious house. Immediately, odd things begin to occur. First, the matriarch Dolores (Rutanya Alda) runs the faucet and blood pours out. Soon, a new room is found with flies, mud and a horrible odor. Dolores decides the best mode of action is to ignore it and enjoy the new house. Later that night, a knocking is heard on the door. It doesn’t seize and the abusive and angry patriarch Anthony (Burt Young) goes out with a 12 gauge shot gun to take control.
When he finds no one and strange noises begin to emerge from their young children’s room they run upstairs. Paint brushes floated and drew an awful picture on the wall of a demon like creature with the words “Dishonor thy father. PIGS.” Anthony takes off his belt and despite the desperate protests from Dolores he smacks the small children. She jumps in, and he starts beating her. He hits her so hard that the eldest son Sonny (Jack Magner) grabs the gun and holds it on Anthony until he lets her go. |
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| Baby Blues |
Baby Blues (2008)
Reviewed by Geno McGahee – August 9, 2008
This film is based on a true story much like the Amityville Horror and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre…well, maybe it’s closer to the truth than those two movies are. This movie seems to be inspired by Andrea Yates, who suffered from depression and drowned all four of her children in the bathtub, and Susan Smith, the woman that drove her car into a lake, drowning her two children and then blamed a “black guy,” making her situation even worse if that’s even possible. BABY BLUES in one of the first movies that I have seen that have tackled a thing like this and they have tackled it very brutally. Lars E. Jacobson writes and directs a pull no punches thriller that will disturb a lot of parents and people in general.
The mother (Colleen Porch) has four children and is quickly falling apart, as she is secluded at a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere while her husband (Joel Bryant) is ignoring the signs and making jokes about it here and there to lighten up the situation. The noise of the children and the fact that she has no social interaction with somebody her own age is beginning to make her crack. Porch is outstanding in this role. |
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| Shutter |
Shutter (2008)
Reviewed by Melissa McGahee - August 7, 2008
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH” - Benjamin (Joshua Jackson )
Some people may tell you that “Shutter” is bad, but do they tell you how bad? Sure, if you’re looking for plot, dialogue, character development, and anything that makes sense it’s not for you. But if you’re looking for a skeleton with a wig, ridiculous revelations that are neither surprising nor interesting, the leads screaming without reason, a man jumping out of a window, and flies coming out of a ghost’s eyes -then you’ll be on cloud 9. “Shutter” has all that and more…not much more, okay that’s pretty much it…there’s actually nothing else.
For those unaware, “Shutter” is yet another remake of a Japanese horror film. Some Japanese horror movies seem like they have a good premise but just fail to translate over well. This is not one of those cases. This just seems like a horrible premise from beginning to end….and it lives up to that.
If one would press for a plot, we have Benjamin (Joshua Jackson) and Jane (Rachael Taylor) who are happily married newly weds…until (cue scary music) a Japanese ghost starts haunting them with photographs they take. Soon, the ghost is not confined to the photos but is haunting them everywhere. She even goes as far as to have a fly come out of her eye.
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| X Posse Presser |
 X Posse Productions: Evil Awakening Soon to Be Released & More
X Posse Press Release – August 5, 2008
On August 19th, the highly anticipated slasher film EVIL AWAKENING will be unleashed on the public. It is available for pre-order and the horror fans have already spoken, and they are sending a message to the horror world: we want the American slasher film back. EVIL AWAKENING delivers and has been getting nothing but rave reviews. The buzz surrounding this film has been growing day by day and it is now your opportunity to purchase your very own copy, the special edition version with tons of extras, including a 40 minute movie short, Bitchslicer’s heavy metal rock video of their tune, the title track to the movie “EVIL AWAKENING,” and trailers for the upcoming film, X Posse Productions’ second motion picture: “RISE OF THE SCARECROWS.” On August 19th, EVIL AWAKENING and the horrible Hollywood production PROM NIGHT will be released and it’s now up to you, the horror fans to decide just which you are going to choose. Are you happy with the same PG-13 remake crap or do you want something else with imagination and that pulls no punches?
 X Posse Productions is proud to announce that the New York City popular punk band, “THE PUTRID FLOWERS” have signed on for the third X Posse Production: SCARY TALES. They will be doing the title track as well as many other songs for this horror release that is now filming. This will be the second time that X Posse Productions and The Putrid Flowers have worked together. In RISE OF THE SCARECROWS, during the famous shower scene, “GOING YOUR WAY” was featured, a great hit by this band that has many other great songs. I recommend that you check out their site and listen to their music that they are currently featuring at no cost. You don’t even have to register.
 Returning as well is LOBSTER RECORDS, who were essential in making RISE OF THE SCARECROWS such a special production, and allowed the X Posse the license to use the great rock bands YELLOWCARD and DAYS LIKE THESE among others. A special thanks to Steve Lubarsky for his continuing contributions to the horror world.
X Posse Productions are character driven movies with a 1970’s mentality, bringing the grit and the character development that you do not see in film anymore. Our films are not remakes, not Asian transfers, and not watered down PG-13 “horror flicks.” We are American horror, original and focusing on the story and putting forth the best production possible. The reviews of EVIL AWAKENING say it all:
“Just like those 70s/80s slashers!” – Peter Syslo, Infernal Dreams Horror Society
“Evil Awakening is a classic slasher film.” – Heidi Martiniuzzi, The Horror Post
“An entertaining ride!” – Verhoskan, Zombie Movie Data Base
“Highly Entertaining!” –Josh Agnew, Evil Klown
“It’s movie making at its finest!”—Brian Morton, Rogue Cinema
Horror fans, it’s time to reclaim the genre and bring back the originality and Slasher film that has been clamored for. Evil Awakening is making a statement and winning the critics over. It’s time for you to own your very own copy. Click Here to Order Evil Awakening!
You can check out the new trailer for Evil Awakening by clicking here! |
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| 13 hours in a warehouse |
13 Hours in a Warehouse (2008)
Reviewed by Geno McGahee – August 5, 2008
“They’re not pornos. They’re snuff films.” – Randy (Chars Bonin)
Maverick Entertainment Group releases 13 HOURS IN A WAREHOUSE on October 28th, featuring a bunch of criminals held up in an abandoned warehouse after their latest heist. Written and Directed by Dav Kaufman, this film has a decent look, filmed at a great location, but it certainly has its fair share of problems.
We begin with the group discussing the heist, stealing rare art and turning it over quickly for big bucks. We have Mike (Daniel Salman) and his brother Randy (Chars Bonin), the thug/enforcer Paul (Cody Lyman), the nerd Craig (Paul Cram), and the guy that really doesn’t matter and is just there to be there, Steve (Carson Lee). The crime seems to go off without a hitch but when they meet up at the warehouse, there is a surprise. Mike and Randy carjacked some random girl when they lost their car and now have a hostage. Jennifer (Meisha Johnson) does a very good job as the terrified hostage, but doesn’t play that much of a part in this film. She probably could have been utilized a bit more. |
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| Actresses and Horror |
Actresses and Horror
By Polly Frost – August 4, 2008
A terrific NYC male stage actor I work with a lot once told me that he idolizes David Hess, who played the high-intensity baddie in “Last House on the Left.” My actor friend -- who was technically trained to do Chekhov and Shakespeare -- told me that he wanted nothing so much as a career like Hess' in horror films.
I’ve never had an actress tell me that she wanted to be Misty Mundae or Debbie Rochon, even though both women are wonderful actresses who have worked steadily and given their all in their performances. They are, in fact, the embodiment of what many actresses tell me they'd like most to be: working performers who have a chance to do daring material.
I do know that there are girls who are burlesque performers, and I’m familiar with Girls and Corpses, and it’s not as if Lloyd Kauffman ever had too much trouble finding girls to strip for his Troma movies.
I love those women! And I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of them. I thank God for their contributions to horror movies. But the fact is that horror movies need trained, serious actresses performing the lead roles. Think Mia Farrow in "Rosemary's Baby." Skilled actresses ground a horror film and give it power. |
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| Geno's Halloween Suggestions |
Trick or Treat: Scared Stiff’s Halloween Recommendations
By Geno McGahee – August 1, 2008
I know it’s only August, but I have elected to release my suggestions for the movies that should make up your Halloween party and/or your month of October, if you really get into the spirit and want just one big and scary month. This will give you time to go out there to Netflix, Amazon, Best Buy, or wherever else you go to get the more obscure movie titles.
Well, this is the second year for Scared Stiff’s Halloween Recommendations, where I try to open the eyes of the horror fans that know only mainstream. Most horror sites will recommend THE EXORCIST, EVIL DEAD, SCREAM, FRIDAY THE 13TH, HALLOWEEN, and my response to that is: no freaking shit! Of course they are good recommendations, but who hasn’t heard of these movies? I want to bring you an obscure collection that you may not have heard of and broaden your horizons. That is why I do this every year for you, the readers of Scared Stiff. Maybe there are some of you out there like Indiana Jones, looking for the perfect horror film, far far away from ONE MISSED CALL. Well, you came to the right place. You can bet your bippy on that one my friends. Is that how you spell “bippy?” Well, if I’m incorrect, I apologize and since I don’t really know what a bippy is, unless it means penis, like I assume, it doesn’t really matter now does it? Does it!
How about I run down last year’s top 10, before I jump into this years? These are still good picks. If you didn’t listen to me last year, you can go out and rent these now or buy them or steal them from somebody that owns them. How about renting them? |
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| Evil Laugh |
Evil Laugh (1988)
Reviewed by Geno McGahee – July 30, 2008
There are a lot of 1980’s slasher films and capitalizing on the trend was Dominick Brascia and Steven Baio with their entry “EVIL LAUGH.” Now, Brascia has been around the block, starring in FRIDAY THE 13TH, V: A NEW BEGINNING. He was Joey, the fat retarded kid that was chopped up with an axe by one of the mentally challenged people at the home after offering him a candy bar, which was rejected. That was a horrible horror movie, so his entry had to be a step up and it was. Baio is the brother of Scott Baio, who of course was Charles in Charge. I had a feeling that the whodunit slasher in this film was going to be Scott, and after he was revealed, he’d say: “I’m Charles in Charge bitch!” Wouldn’t that be a hoot? No? OK, I’ll move on.
This film is called “EVIL LAUGH” for a reason. When the unknown killer is murdering somebody, he or she laughs maniacally. That was amusing and earned a point right there. I like crazy killers. We also have a house with a legend and a bunch of kids are going to ignore the warnings and have a good time. OK, this movie isn’t original, but then again, if a formula works, run with it. Run with it like the wind Brascia and Baio!
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| micro budget horror |
Micro Budget: For the Love of Horror
By Geno McGahee - July 28, 2008
Horror is a fun genre, featuring the largest amount of indie filmmakers. It’s rather easy to make a film in this day and age, considering the editing programs and digital video cameras available. This and the power of the Internet have leveled the playing field, and gave the independent filmmaker a crack at the big time. Now, unfortunately, the market does get saturated with bad film. Just because you can make a movie, doesn’t mean that you should. And if a film has a few million dollars budget, I do not consider it a low budget film. In fact, this piece is dedicated to those that go out there with very little money and put forth a great effort, and may even break out and bring back quality to the horror world.
I will begin with the best no budget horror/sci-fi filmmaker to ever pick up the camera:
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| Devil's Rain |
Devil’s Rain (1975)
Reviewed by Geno McGahee – July 26, 2008
When I was very young there was a scene in a movie that really scared the hell out of me, and after all these years, I found the movie responsible: DEVIL’S RAIN, a 1970’s Satanic worship film. Now, I love Satanists and in the 1970’s, where we were treated to devil movies like THE EXORCIST, RACE WITH THE DEVIL, and THE SENTINEL, this entry does not disappoint, even with the PG rating. Then again, a PG rating back in the mid 1970s would be an R rated movie today.
We begin with one of the best actors of all time, William Shatner, playing the role of Mark Preston, a man in possession of a book that Corbis (Ernest Borgnine) desperately wants. Now, if you thought I was a Shatner fan, you are right, but I’m also a huge Borgnine fan. Remember him in Superfuzz? Fabulous. With these two powerhouses together in one Satanic 1970’s film, you cannot lose, and when they are on the screen together, it’s magic.
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| EA Presser |
The American Slasher Film Returns: Evil Awakening Creating Buzz in the Horror World
X Posse Press Release – July 25, 2008
Jason Voorhees is dead and buried. Michael Myers is Missing in Action. Freddy Krueger’s nightmares have run their course. Now, a new legend arises on August 19th, in an X Posse Production: EVIL AWAKENING.
Synopsis:
Ludlow, a small and quiet town, was once terrorized by an insane serial killer. The townspeople brought him to justice, but true evil does not die. He will return and when a group of youngsters looking to party and have a good time in the very woods where he was killed, they will have to deal with the Evil Awakening and the bloodbath that ensues. Ludlow has a legend, and it carries and axe.
You can now pre-order your very own copy of the film that critics are raving about and that horror fans are demanding. This is not a remake. This is not PG-13. This is a return to the days when the Slash ruled, and it is time to take horror back.
The Critics on EVIL AWAKENING:
“Just like those 70s/80s slashers!” – Peter Syslo, Infernal Dreams Horror Society
“Evil Awakening is a classic slasher film.” – Heidi Martiniuzzi, The Horror Post
“An entertaining ride!” – Verhoskan, Zombie Movie Data Base
“Highly Entertaining!” –Josh Agnew, Evil Klown
“It’s movie making at its finest!”—Brian Morton, Rogue Cinema
Horror fans, it’s time to reclaim the genre and bring back the originality and Slasher film that has been clamored for. Evil Awakening is making a statement and winning the critics over. It’s time for you to own your very own copy.
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| MPR |
 13 Hours in a Warehouse Released on October 28th
Maverick Entertainment Press Release - July 25, 2008
Title: 13 Hours in a Warehouse
Distributor: Maverick Entertainment Group, Inc
Website: www.maverickentertainment.cc
Label: Creep FX
Genre: Horror
Pre-Order Date: 9/26/08
Street Date: 10/28/08
Pricing: $16.98 (DVD)
UPC#: 8 2 4 3 5 5 5 2 9 7 2 2
Running Time: 92 min
Director: Dāv Kaufman
Cast: Carson Lee, Chars Bonin, Danny Salmen, Cody Lyman, Paul Cram, Meisha Johnson
Synopsis:
After five guys pull off the perfect heist they end up in an abandoned warehouse waiting for their buyer to show up. But, it isn’t the 13 hour wait that is upsetting; it’s the strange numbers that keep appearing everywhere and the feeling like they are being watched. When they finally figure out that they are not alone, it’s too late to get out alive.
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