Halloween Kills Movie Review

The Halloween horror movie franchise is one of the most loved, albeit confusing horror franchises. It forever establishes the character of Michael Myers (no, not that Mike Myers!) into the holiday horror icon. Ever since the first Halloween film (directed by John Carpenter, and written by him and produced along with the late Debra Hill) was released on October 25, 1978, the series now consists of 12 films. There has been 6 sequels (unless you count “Halloween III: Season of the Witch”), 2 remakes, and 1 reboot. While its subsequent sequels through the 1980s and 90s tried to contain some semblance of continuity, it often branched out into bizarre and bewildering directions, which often included everything from a seemingly-supernaturally-powered and indestructible serial killer, with apparent ties to an ancient pagan deity and a clandestine druid-like cult with dubious motivations and goals.

 While most horror movie fans revel in the bloody mayhem and murder of Halloween. There are many who take this franchise very seriously and ponder both the good and the bad of these films and their attempts to construct a linear story, despite the efforts of several directors which have in fact created 3 separate timelines. Following the slasher’s “demise” in the critical failure that was Halloween: Resurrection (2002), musician and independent filmmaker Rob Zombie took it upon himself to remake the movie in 2007, complete with his own unique, sleazy style of extreme violence and vulgarity. He then followed it up with the highly-stylized and mind-bending sequel in 2009.

 But then in 2018, fans got yet another soft reboot of the series with a more realistic and gritty version of Halloween, directed by David Gordon Green. The 2018 movie picked up where the original film essentially left off, but 40 years later, thus eliminating the events that took place during Halloween II (1981), as well as the continuing story of Lori Strode’s (Jamie Lee Curtis) offspring Jamie Lloyd (played by the beautiful Danielle Harris) in Halloween 4 (1988) and 5 (1989), not to mention Michael’s “death” in Halloween: H20 (1998) and Laurie’s death/suicide in Resurrection. 

2018’s Halloween ended with a much older and wounded Laurie Strode, now a grandmother, having seemingly trapped Michael Myers (although now no longer her brother) beneath her fortress-like safe house, while on fire, and fleeing the scene with her daughter and grandmother. As Halloween Kills starts exactly where it ended (although released 3 years later) with firefighters heading to Laurie’s house while the 3 women head for the hospital in the opposite direction. Sure enough you can bet that we will find Michael Myers alive and well (sort of). Although the newest Halloween movies has tried to get rid of any kind of supernatural references with a more grounded, down-to-earth story, you simply cannot kill Michael Myers, no matter what timeline after having been shot, stabbed, and burned (multiple times). And if he didn’t survive as he has the last 10 times, we wouldn’t have a sequel, let alone a trilogy with the announced release of “Halloween Ends” in 2022. So without even trying to spoil it, I’ve pretty much spoiled all 3 movies. Fans have come to expect that you just can’t keep a good killer down. Whether it’s Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Leatherface, or even little Chucky, the many slashers from the last few decades will continue to kill, die, and be reborn (or rebooted) and kill again, over and over until the end of time, or until these franchises cease to be profitable. Although, I’m not so sure about Jason’s future… 

While the main focus of 2018’s movie was an older Laurie Strode (Curtis is almost a senior citizen at 62-years-old) and her current state as a “prepper” waiting for the day when her one-time babysitter stalker will inevitably come back. Although since we’ve skipped Halloween II, Michael hasn’t earned the reputation of revisiting her on October 31st, because that’s in another timeline! Now in Halloween Kills Laurie spends much of the film in the hospital (again) just like in Halloween II alongside her long-time “friend” Officer (No first name?) Hawkins (Will Patton), who apparently came face-to-face with Michael Myers (in a flashback, but not in the original movie) and failed to shoot him or let Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance, who’s also seen in flashbacks) kill him either, and he now regrets his actions (or inactions) all those years ago. So now he’s in the hospital with Laurie after being mortally wounded by Myers, while the town of Haddonfield learns that Michael Myers has returned. And now Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall, but not played by the original actor Brian Andrews) and Lyndsey (Kyle Richards, who was the original actress!) are all grown-up and organize the citizens into an angry mob, without torches and pitchforks, but with a few guns and baseball bats, to finally put an end to the Halloween horror. 

What follows is a wild-goose chase as both the cops and the townspeople go searching for this elderly serial killer (who must be at least 80-years-old by now!) who is still stalking teenagers on Halloween night. While his mask does show a lot of wear and tear, it’s not as extensive as the punishment Rob Zombie gave “The Shape” in his 2nd version, now with a blackened smirk on his cracked rubber face. The entire pursuit culminates, of course, back at the hospital, where the crazed townsfolk think Michael is hiding. While it’s easy to put a willing suspension of disbelief on the immortal slasher villains like Myers, Halloween Kills relies heavily on Michael Myers’ “reputation” as an infamous serial killer, both in real life on the screen and in the movie itself. Which causes a problem since he really isn’t known for returning on Halloween, or even continuing his killing spree over the years, really there was just the one night back in 1978, and most people have forgotten it, some willingly. 

As we saw in 2018’s movie, he’s been locked up in a mental institution for years, until some wannabe podcaster wants to meet him and produces his old mask out of nowhere. But that plotline didn’t go anywhere. Spoiler Alert: they died! Although many actors and stuntmen have portrayed “The Shape” of Michael Myers over the years, at least this time, some credit is given to the original actor Nick Castle (also a director) who also appeared in 2018, but he is also played by 2 other actors, both in modern times and in flashback. 

The film portrays the law in a somewhat negative role (although unfortunate, it is not surprising, given our current controversies, but let’s not get into that shall we.), but not as bumbling as they were depicted in Halloween 4 and 5 (clown shoes!), but kind of blaming them for letting Michael’s killing spree to continue, and the ineptitude of both the former Sherriff Bracket (played by returning actor Charles Cyphers) and the current black cowboy hat-wearing Sheriff Barker (Omar Dorsey). Not to mention their inability to catch Michael again as they did 40 years ago, in a bizarre retcon of the 1978 movie’s ending. While it does seem popular lately to delve into this retroactive continuity and produce more reboots and remakes of popular films, especially those of the 1980s, horror being the number 1 genre with the most remakes. I feel that many fans will be heavily divided on the reception of Halloween Kills. 

While there will always be fans of the original 1978 movie, its sequels have both hits and misses, more often misses. And there are some who may prefer Rob Zombie’s versions as well. After we see what writers and producers Danny McBride and David Gordon Green have in store for us, we may be talking about these endeavors as just another attempt to catch lightning in a time where Hollywood is bereft of originality and constantly rely on reinvigorating nostalgia. Maybe we’ll see what happens in the year 2038?

HORROR DOUBLE-FEATURE REVIEW: 31 & BLAIR WITCH

This week I was able to attend two very special screenings of two upcoming horror movies. The first being Blair Witch (2016) and then Rob Zombie's '31' (2016). Both of these movies are highly anticipated in the horror genre and while I was able to get free admission to 'Blair Witch', I did purchase a ticket for a one-night special sneak preview screening of '31'.

Blair Witch is essentially a remake/reboot, which are usually hit and miss within the realm of horror movies. Set in 2014, it references the events in the original The Blair Witch Project (1999) when the character James (James Allen McCune) has been searching for his missing sister Heather since the original tape was found almost 17 years ago. When coming across found footage on the Internet, supposedly of his sister, he and his friends confront Lane, the one who found it and convince him and his girlfriend to lead back them into the Black Hills Forest to find Heather. Obviously unaware of how really bad an idea this is, and equipped with a handheld Digital HD camera, this group of young people ventures into the woods anyway. As you can expect, they get lost, despite the availability of a GPS device and even a remote control drone equipped with a web-cam. One by one, James' friends are separated along with Lane and his girlfriend Talia encountering supposed supernatural sounds and voices and various warnings from the ever-present wooden figures tied to the trees.
This more modern incarnation of Blair Witch Project depends mostly on the fame and mystique created by the original film which became such a groundbreaking horror film 20 years ago. Although panned by critics for it's amateur production and vomit-inducing shaky camera it nevertheless began the new sub-genre of horror/suspense in the "found-footage" film, which has become prevalent in many recent movies such as the Paranormal Activity franchise and Cloverfield (2008). While the premise of Blair Witch in that how does James expect to find evidence of his sister still in the woods after 17 years is somewhat far fetched, the movie does have some significantly frightening moments. While the inclusion of 21st century technology really doesn't add much to the story except as shallow plot points and instead replacing a lost map with a lost GPS signal.The drone shots make for some interesting shots as we see just how huge this forest really is and adds to the overall theme of isolation. Without really giving away any spoilers I will say that the few glimpses of what we can only assume is in fact the Blair Witch are truly terrifying. All in all, this is an interesting movie but not as original, yet it lets us forget the total train-wreck of a movie that was Book of Shadows: Blair With 2 (2000). On a side note the special screening I attended at the Angelika in Dallas was a wonderfully interactive experience with help from costumed performers from Dark House Haunted House in Plano complete with fog machines and creepy red lighting to add a little ambiance to the show.

I have been a big fan of Rob Zombie since first hearing White Zombie's "Astro Creep: 2000" (1995) in high school. Then having followed his solo music career since the release of Hellbilly Deluxe (1998) and his promising film career beginning with his first horror movie House of 1,000 Corpses (2003). Burgeoning out of his experience in directing his own music videos, he developed a style all his own, which to his fans has only increased his popularity but critically he has met with box-office failures and commercial setbacks. After his two remakes of the Halloween horror movie franchise (Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009), his last film Lords of Salem (2012) was a major flop with both audiences and fans (read my review). His latest venture into the extreme-horror genre comes the most brutally, ultra-violent, exploitative horror movie I have ever seen! This is Rob Zombie's '31'.

Set on Halloween, 1976, while on a rural Texas road, a group of five carnies are kidnapped and forced to play a sadistic game of cat-and-mouse in a so-called "Murderworld" where they must survive for 12 hours. The ringleaders of this psycho-circus is known only as Father Murder (Malcolm McDowell) and his two female companions, Sister Dragon and Serpent,  dressed in gaudy French aristocratic costumes straight out of Versailles. Among the murderous-maniacs are a group of six lazily-named, psychopathic, killer clowns. The first being a vulgar, Spanish-speaking, Neo-Nazi, knife-wielding, midget (no joke!) named Sick-Head (Pancho Moler), who then proceeds to kill them off one-one until there is only one survivor. The final adversary is a pretentious, white-faced,  masochist named Doom-Head (Richard Brake) with a unusually sick-sense of fair-play.
The movie features much of the similar music-video style of visuals Rob Zombie has been known for. With a survival-horror theme similar to the Saw series, the story has somewhat of a slow start with a bizarre monologue from the character of Doom-Head as he is about to mutilate his latest victim before we are even aware of what's going on, which presents a very disturbing, albeit apologetic, first-hand view of his twisted philosophy as if we were the one about to be brutally killed. Although effective, it is both confusing and presumptive. The one major flaw in all of Rob Zombie's films (and most music videos) is his inclusion of his wife, former model and dancer Sheri Moon-Zombie, While Sheri has often been featured prominently in many of his works first as the maniacal 'Baby' in House of 1,000 Corpses, Sheri has gone on to appear in every one of his films becoming more and more of a central character including her part as Deborah Myers, Michael Myers' mom, in both Halloween and Halloween II. As the main character of Heidi Hawthorne in Lords of Salem, most audiences and critics agree that Sheri is not leading lady material however this doesn't stop Zombie from casting her in more and bigger parts like he's Roman Polanski or Luc Besson. Also his tendency to cast has-been (but still classy) actor Malcolm McDowell in everything as well. It would be a surprise if Zombie didn't feature both actors in his next project.
While '31' is a fast-paced, gut-wrenching murder-fest, there is little substance or story to speak of. There is very little information regarding why or even how these people continue to wage their little Halloween game of death every year as there is obviously not much chance at survival for any of them. There is even a debate between the Father and Sisters waging on the incredible odds of survival so far as 1,000,000 to 1 for one of them! It's like if C-3PO was a serial-killer instead of a droid telling us the odds of survival! It is curious that Zombie seems to be deviating from his originality again by  embracing the trends with recent killer-clown movies such as John Watt's Clown and the upcoming remake of Stephen King's IT.v With it's strange, abrupt ending, this movie left me drained and confused and concern for the future of Rob Zombie's films.

Movie Review: Dracula Untold

DRACULA, a name that has haunted popular culture ever since author Bram Stoker published his gothic-horror classic in 1897. Since then, Dracula has appeared in over 200 films beginning in the 1920's. The latest incarnation of the immortal vampire comes from Universal Pictures, the same film company who produced the classic Dracula (1931) film starring Bela Lugosi. Dracula Untold presents a much different view of the Dark Prince, based (somewhat loosely) on history rather than any literary or film source. Starring Luke Evans as Prince Vlad of Transylvania, who is forced to pay a hefty tribute in exchange for a shaky peace with the Turkish Sultan, Mehmed (Dominic Cooper). When the Sultan demands one thousand boys for his army, including Vlad's own son Ingeras (Art Parkinson), Vlad defies him, thus incurring the wrath of the Turks! Desperately seeking the means to defend his family, including his wife Mirena (Sarah Gordon) and his people from the invading Turks, Vlad encounters an ancient Vampire (Charles Dance) who offers him great power, but at a terrible price! Although cursed to become a vampire, Vlad possesses great, dark powers, but if he can resist his blood-thirst for three days, he will return to normal, if not he will be cursed for all eternity. Although he now has the power to defeat the Sultan's army, he is in danger of not only losing his humanity, but his soul as well. Will Vlad be able to control the darkness within him, or will it consume him forever?
Dracula Untold presents moviegoers with a much more sympathetic monster, with Dracula depicted as a dark, anti-hero. Welsh actor Luke Evans (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)) seems an interesting choice to play Dracula, having appeared in several big budgeted fantasy/action movies and has even portrayed two Greek Gods: Zeus in Immortals (2011) and Apollo in Clash of the Titans (2010). Instead of the suave, tuxedo-clad, Dracula audiences have come to know over the years, this Dracula is a seemingly young and handsome, similar to previous incarnations such as Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) played by Gary Oldman, or even the sexy Dracula 2000 (2000) played by Gerard Butler. Although there have been past attempts to depict the more historical figure of Dracula, such as in the prologue to the 1992 Dracula or even in the made-for-TV movie Dark Prince (2000), Dracula Untold gives us a much kinder and gentler Dracula, even as so far to show him as a dedicated  husband and father. Despite all the blood and violence, the movie surprisingly retains a PG-13 rating. Also much of the movie is in the perspective of his young son, as he is featured as the narrator of the story.
The real historical figure of Dracula, known as Vlad Tepes, aka "The Impaler", was a 15th century Romanian prince, infamous for his brutal reputation for extreme cruelty. His father Vlad Dracul, II, was a member of the 'Order of the Dragon', a group of knights dedicated to protect Christianity in Eastern Europe. The real Dracula was in fact NOT a vampire; merely a "bloodthirsty" despot, yet he is revered as a hero in many parts of Romania. There has been much speculation over the years in  separating the legend from history and although Stoker's novel did little to dispel the myth, Dracula, will forever be synonymous with vampires.
Dracula Untold presents a fresh, new perspective on the Dracula legend, turning the bloodsucking vampire into a rock star, complete with a tragic back-story and a somewhat believable reason to become what he is destined to become: DRACULA!

LINKS: Official Website, Facebook, Universal Monsters Legacy

TV Review: The Strain

The horror/thriller genre is on the rise on prime-time Cable TV with the success of series like The Walking Dead and American Horror Story. The newest series, The Strain, which premiered Sunday, July 13th on the FX Network, is based on the horror/thriller novel series written by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan.The Strain explores the age-old vampire genre with a modern virus-outbreak twist. It promises to be the newest Sunday night thrill, possibly even competing with the return of AMC's The Walking Dead in October.
When a Boeing 777 from Berlin to New York goes dark on the runway at JFK airport, the authorities contact Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll), the head of the CDC team in New York City to investigate. Along with his partners Nora Martinez (Mia Maestro) and Jim Kent (Sean Astin) the team find all but four out of over 200 passengers alive on the plane that died from an unknown biological agent. The team also discover a strange, large, carved, wooden box in the cargo hold filled with soil. The only explanation come from the supposed ravings of an elderly pawn-shop owner named Abraham Setrakian (David Bradley) with talk of vampires! In the next 24 hours Dr. Goodweather and his team will come face-to-face with the most virulent plague in the history of the world that threatens to destroy the entire human race!

Writer/director Guillermo del Toro and author Chuck Hogan serve as both co-creators, executive producers and writers for The Strain, also co-writing the pilot script for the show, which was also directed by del Toro. Emmy Award winning writer and producer Carlton Cuse (Bates Motel, Lost) serves as executive producer and writer. The Strain is a "high-concept thriller" based on the trilogy of books which have already gained popularity and even a series of comic book adaptations from Dark Horse Comics. Director Guillermo del Toro is no stranger to the vampire genre with his films such as Blade II (2002) and Cronos (1993) and bringing the new virology element to the vampire myth. So far, the show follows the books fairly closely however there are a few added elements to the characters as well as the plot and a somewhat lack of attention to the solar eclipse which occurs in the beginning of the first book yet has little to no mention in the first show other than a brief glimpse of an advertisement in the airport. The casting for The Strain compliments both their book versions as well as their comic book adaptations. While the surprising casting of Sean Astin as Jim Kent, a somewhat minor character in the book, may reveal a possible stronger role in the TV series. The major focus of the virus outbreak is on the mysterious "blood worms" which appear in much of the shows promotional material, which from a fan's point-of-view of the books, appear much bigger than they seemed in the books. The brief yet satisfying glimpse of 'The Master', the head vampire, is equally impressive and terrifying along with the character of Eldritch Palmer (Jonathan Hyde) is a perfect match. With the modern setting of the series mixed with the fascination of vampires provides a fresh view on the vampire genre which has been redundantly dominated by the more teenage/sparkly variety of vamp from the popularity of the Twilight books and movies, as well as in TV with shows like The Vampire Diaries and it's spin-off The Originals. As a fan of the books and comics, I've been looking forward to the premiere of The Strain for quite a while now, and upon seeing the Pilot, I have no doubt that this series will soon take off and add a whole new level of terror and anticipation to Sunday prime-time! The Strain has spread...

LINKS: The Strain Official Website, The Strain Books, The Strain Comic Books, Del Toro Films

Friday the 13th: Top 10 Jason Voorhees

It's Friday the 13th and you know what that means...Friday the 13th Marathon! The Friday the 13th slasher-horror franchise has been scaring audiences (and murdering teenagers!) for the last 34 years! While everyone has their favorite movie or scene, only the hardcore fans have their favorite Jason Voorhees...and that's why this Friday the 13th CHERNOBOG'S BLOG celebrates the men (and boys) who portrayed the machete-wielding, hockey-mask wearing, (and possibly misunderstood) mass-murderer. CHERNOBOG'S BLOG PRESENTS: Friday the 13th - Top 10 Jason Voorhees!

#10 C.J. Graham - C.J. was the 6th actor to play Jason in Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI (1986). C.J. also appears in flashback footage in Part VII and a short entitled Jason Vs. Leatherface (2003).
#9 Ted White -As one of the many actors who played Jason in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) he was also uncredited and according to Fangoria magazine, the role made him feel "uneasy", thus he insisted his name be removed from the credits. He went on to appear in other popular 1980's movies Tron (1982) and Starman (1984).
#8 Richard Brooker -  Richard was discovered in a casting magazine called "Dramalogue" and became the first Jason to wear the iconic hockey mask in the originally 3-D, Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982)!
#7 Warrington Gillette -  As the second actor to play Jason Voorhees, he originally auditioned for the roll of Paul in Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) but director Steve Miner was impressed with him and offered him the part of Jason instead. Although he is credited as Jason, he only appeared in the final scene when he jumps through the window.
#6 Tom Morga - Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) Tom portrayed Jason (uncredited) during flashbacks and was also the stunt-double for Dick Wieand who played Roy, the copycat killer.
#5 Steve Dash (aka Steve Daskawisz) - While he is technically the third actor to play Jason, Steve appeared in most of Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) except for the final scene which was played and credited to Warrington Gillette.
#4 Derek Mears - The latest addition to the Voorhees brotherhood and 8th actor to portray Jason, Derek appeared in the 2009 remake/reboot Friday the 13th starring Jared Padalecki (Supernatural).
#3 Ken Kirzinger - In 2003, New Line Cinema pitted their two horror franchises against each other in the ultimate heavy-weight fight that is Freddy Vs. Jason, directed by Hong Kong action filmmaker Ronny Yu . At 6'5", Ken is the tallest actor to play Jason and rumor has it, appeared in full costume at a dentist's office to have dental work done. At the end of the film (among the many proposed alternate endings) Jason emerges from Crystal Lake victorious, holding the decapitated head of Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), although he winks at the camera as a send off being his final performance as Freddy!
#2 Ari Lehman - Friday the 13th (1980) First in the Top 10 Jason's is the boy, who at the age of 14 played the role of the first Jason Voorhees whose brief appearance in the surprise ending of the film left the audience both in terror and wonder. As of 2009 Ari performs with his horror rock band "First Jason".
#1  Kane Hodder - The most popular Jason Voorhees, Kane has played Jason in four films including Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988), Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989), Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday (1993) and Jason X (2001). Fun Fact: Kane also appeared as Jason on an episode of The Arsenio Hall Show in 1989.

BONUS: Jason Voorhees Body Count = 167 people!

LINKS: Friday the 13th Films, Friday the 13th Wiki, WB Shop

TV Review: SALEM

With the popularity of current paranormal primetime TV dramas on the rise like the CW's ongoing series Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, the unlikely channel WGN America begins airing new original programming beginning with SALEM. Salem is in fact a Supernatural hour-long TV drama focusing on witches and witchcraft and drawing its inspiration from the historical events occurring in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. However, the show is not without it's own dramatic license in perpetrating the widely-held belief that there were in fact witches in Salem and as it does so through the very graphic depiction of witch-like activities, not to mention it's overuse of nudity, sexuality and violence on level with Game of Thrones to increase their ratings. The show stars Shane West as John Alden Jr., having returned to Salem long after being thought killed during the French and Indian Wars having learned that Salem is suffering a witch hysteria led by the Reverend Cotton Mather (Seth Gabel) and his once beloved Mary (Janet Montgomery) is now married to the wealthy landowner George Sibley (Michael Mulheren). With her servant/confidant Tituba (Ashley Madekwe) they have concealed the fact from John that she was pregnant and in a bizarre ritual aided by Tituba, "got rid of" the baby. As conspiracy, panic and fear spread through the town John tries to find out the dark truth behind these witch hunts! While the shows' premise holds some fascination within the genre of horror/supernatural/witchcraft, the flagrant historical inaccuracies of the characters and events only further add to the false history and myth of one of early America's darkest and most mysterious periods in history and is a mockery to those 20 real people who died because of it. I have always held a great fascination with Salem and the Witch Trials and have even visited the site myself and while the story still resonates within popular culture from the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller which is also a fictionalization of those events holds more truths than this new TV show from the writers of Terra Nova and the director of Girls.

LINKS: Salem Official Site

Movie Review: World War Z

As the zombie movie has had a resurgence in the last decade, "zombie fever" is still going strong! And with the success of cable TV shows like AMC's The Walking Dead, based on Robert Kirkman's acclaimed graphic novel series; the dead are still "walking tall"! The latest foray into the zombie craze actually comes from one of the forerunners of the genre, author Max Brooks (son of comedy legend Mel Brooks). Having first delved into the popular subject with his 2003 book The Zombie Survival Guide, at first, a seemingly humorous novelty guidebook, it sparked a new interest in zombies and apocalypse survivalists. With the immense success of the Survival Guide, (which even spawned a card game and a graphic novel The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks), Brooks soon followed it up with the now immensely popular novel: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War in 2006. Being an intense, sprawling narrative combining fictional interviews and vignettes from supposed survivors from all over the world, World War Z was a huge hit for zombie fans and brought new literary acclaim for the genre as well.

Few even considered that this epic tale would eventually be turned into a major motion picture. Many fans were skeptical when it was finally announced in 2008. What was leaked on the Internet was the original script by J. Michael Straczynski, which was then rewritten by Matthew Michael Carnahan. This created controversy with many fans. Now that the movie has been released, the frequent rewrites have proven successful. World War Z is directed by Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace (2008)) and stars Brad Pitt. The film focuses on the story of Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), a former UN investigator living in Philadelphia. He is forced into facing the zombie apocalypse head-on while trying to save his wife Karin (Mireille Enos) and his two daughters. Reluctant to resume his former life, he must travel the globe to search for the cause of the zombie virus and hopefully find a cure. Beginning in South Korea, the violent pandemic spreads quickly all over the world and leads Gerry to various locations such as Jerusalem and the W.H.O. headquarters. A seemingly average person, Gerry soon presents himself as an exceptionally skillful (and incredibly lucky!) individual as he is thrust into even more dangerous locations and situations as the "zombie" plague spreads. Gerry is mostly alone in his search, he is occasionally accompanied by members of the scientific community (including one ill-fated virologist) and the military. He ends up with Segan (Daniella Kertesz), a young female Israeli soldier, as an unlikely sidekick who tags along with him. She soon proves herself to be a strong and helpful companion.

The movie is a fast-paced and action-packed story with exciting and exotic locales on a global scale. It is not necessarily a true "zombie" movie in the tradition of Dawn of the Dead (1978) or even 28 Days Later (2002). It is more like viral outbreak movies such as The Andromeda Strain (1971) or Outbreak (1995). The movie deviates far from the usual blood-and-gore type of zombie movie, to the point of being an almost entirely bloodless film. This doesn't detract from the action or its exciting subject matter. When it comes to zombie movies (and fans), there always seems to be a strong division between those that favor the slow-moving, traditional Night of the Living Dead (1968) type zombie or the faster, ravenous Dawn of the Dead (2004 remake) kind. This movie actually features both but more often the latter; especially when the zombies pile on top of each other and swarm over everything like ants. Later, when docile, the zombies are significantly slower (until stimulated) and can even appear less threatening and almost laughable (cue Dawn of the Dead mall music!). Although the movie doesn't have the same scope and originality of the novel, it does present an impressive and intriguing story set on a worldwide stage. Rumors of the original script presented a film that would have followed the book more closely, keeping the story centered on one main-character creates a more widely-accepted scenario.

World War Z (both book and movie) came at just the right time as the world is still reeling from the 2012 phenomenon hoax. The number of survivalist groups and our fascination and obsession of zombies continues to grow. Recently, the CDC even published an article on their website encouraging "Zombie Preparedness"!
As a fan of the book, naturally there was some disappointment the movie did not follow the book exactly but despite my reservations I was thoroughly impressed and I feel it is a worthy adaptation of the book. With box office totals already over $66 million, Paramount Pictures is supposedly in talks to develop a sequel that may focus on other stories from the novel.

LINKS: World War Z Official Website, World War Z on Facebook, World War Z on Twitter, Max Brooks Official Website, Max Brooks' Zombie World, Zombie Research Society

Rob Zombie Double-Feature!

ROB ZOMBIE: artist, writer, musician, filmmaker, icon! Since his humble beginnings as the frontman for the alternative heavy metal band White Zombie in the mid-1980's, he has grown respectively into a fully-fledged media mogul, expanding his vision into various mediums such as film, TV, video games and even animation. Since embarking on a successful solo career in 1998, Rob has released four studio albums and has directed four feature films along with being involved in a number of projects including animation voice-over work and also directing an episode of CSI: Miami. Although he remains certainly the busiest personality in entertainment, he still finds time to release new music and concert tours with fellow shock rockers Marilyn Manson and Alice Cooper. 2013 is another busy year for Rob Zombie, especially this month which saw the release of his new horror film: The Lords of Salem, along with the release of his fifth studio album entitled: Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor. This special blog entry will be a "Rob Zombie Double-Feature!" which includes a review of Zombie's latest horror film and music album.

Since completing his first two cult films House of 1,000 Corpses (2003) and The Devil's Rejects (2005) which focused on the murderous Firefly family and the reboot of the Halloween franchise with Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009), Rob Zombie has ventured into the realm of supernatural suspense with The Lords of Salem. Heidi 'LaRoc' (Sheri Moon Zombie) is a popular, local radio DJ in Salem, Massachusetts. A recovering drug-addict, she lives alone with her beloved dog Troy in an old apartment building in Salem. When she receives a mysterious recording from a band known only as The Lords (of Salem), playing it on her show starts a dark chain reaction which affects the women of the city and gives rise to the return of witchcraft in Salem. Heidi is the tragic victim of circumstance and ancestry as she is plagued by violent and disturbing dreams and hallucinations, she slowly succumbs to the devilish influence of the real witches of Salem, acolytes of Margaret Morgan (Meg Foster) who in 1696, was sentenced to death by Rev. Jonathan Hawthorne (Andrew Pine).

This is Zombie's return to a more original style of filmmaking since his remakes of the Halloween franchise. Lords of Salem stars Rob's wife and long-time model/girlfriend Sheri Moon Zombie, who has appeared in every film of Rob's since House of 1,000 Corpses when she played the manic 'Baby' and in his Halloween movies as Michael Myer's mother, Deborah Myers. While Sheri has previously appeared as more of a support role in Zombie's movies, this is her first appearance in a leading role. While most fans loved her as the giggly 'Baby', her role as Deborah Myers featured a much more subdued character. As with Lords of Salem, her character is just as mellow, if not on the verge of catatonic in the third act of the film. Despite her outrageous appearance, bizarre wardrobe and weirdly decorated apartment, her personality comes across as almost bland. As for the rest of the cast, the movie features a balanced male/female cast with her co-DJs: 'Whitey' (Jeff Daniel Phillips) and Herman (Ken Foree), then there is the author Francis Matthias (Bruce Davison), a local witch trials researcher. As the story references the actual events of the Salem witch trials (1692), the film makes very little mention of the actual events or people involved, even changing the name of Judge John Hathorne to Reverend Hawthorne, while also a nod to the real-life ancestor of author Nathaniel Hawthorne. There are a few other film veterans in this film particularly the three sisters including Heidi's landlord Lacy (Judy Geeson) and her sisters Megan (Patricia Quinn) and Sonny (Dee Wallace).
The film features a number of highly disturbing and brutal scenes often featuring intense images of death, torture, sex, full-frontal nudity, Satanic imagery, and not to mention explicit gore and violence! The movie also has several scenes depicting a witches Sabbath which hearkens back to early films like Häxan. It's surprising that the movie got away with it's R-rating and not labeled NC-17, but it has been a recent trend for horror movies (like the remake of Evil Dead) to push the boundaries of the R-rating. Zombie utilizes his trademark brand of surrealistic, music-video style of directing with quick-cuts and flashing images, common with most of his films. His unique visual aesthetic is especially prevalent in the final disturbing climax. The music in Lords of Salem is very eclectic, while most of the score was written by Zombie's musical collaborator John 5, the film also features a wide variety of music by Rick James, Rush, The Velvet Underground and even includes Mozart's "Requiem". The soundtrack also features a song "Crushing the Ritual" from a "fake" black metal band called Leviathan The Fleeing Serpent which is  also featured in a clip on Heidi's radio show. The inspiration for the name of this film came from Rob Zombie's song "The Lords of Salem" from the 2006 album Educated Horses.
The Lords of Salem is mind-blowing, extreme, horror! The easiest way to describe the film is comparing it to Rosemary's Baby (1968) and the films of Mario Bava (i.e. Black Sunday (1960), combined with the vision of Rob Zombie. Zombie teamed up with the producers of Paranormal Activity (2007) and Insidious(2010) Jason Blum and Steven Schneider to bring this original and yet highly unsettling vision of horror. It is interesting to note that this film is one of the few horror movies that has actually released a novelization written by Rob Zombie and B.K. Stevenson. With an estimated budget of only $2,500,000, sadly, Lords of Salem has so far been a box-office bomb bring in less than $650,000. While highly original, this movie may be too much for the average horror-movie viewing public and only the very hardcore fans of extreme horror and Rob Zombie's work will appreciate it. It's true as a fan of horror and of Rob Zombie since his days in White Zombie, that this film seems like his masterpiece, but may also be seen as a failure. If you are up to the task, you be the judge.

Rob Zombie's latest album, Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor is the first release on his new label, Zodiac Swan, through T-Boy Records/UMe since leaving Roadrunner. Featuring guitars by recent collaborator and guitar virtuoso John 5, since his joining the band in 2006 with the album Educated Horses, the style of Zombie's music has changed significantly.
Gone are the heavier more industrial sound of the Hellbilly Deluxe era in favor of a more alternative heavy metal/rock sound. This is a very interesting album featuring groove/Nosferatu Pussy" is supposed to be what Rob Zombie calls an "uplifting anthem...for the youth of America", but it remains a very slow, drudging song with a similar lyric referencing his White Zombie song "Electric Head" with repeating the lyrics in the refrain of "Turn it on". The first single and music video (directed by Rob Zombie) on this new album is "Dead City Radio and The New Gods of Supertown", which is an homage to classic rock radio. Other songs included are "Revelation Revolution", "Theme for the Rat Vendor", "Rock and Roll (In A Black Hole)", "Behold, The Pretty Filthy Creatures", "White Trash Freaks", "Lucifer Rising", "The Girl Who Loved The Monsters", and "Trade In Your Guns for a Coffin". One of the oddest songs on the album has to be "Ging Gang Gong De Do Gong De Laga Raga" which is complete nonsense! The album also features a curious cover of Grand Funk Railroad's "We're An American Band" with a little Rob Zombie twist to it. Although Zombie is not known for recording covers, he has recorded a version of Black Sabbath's "Children of the Grave" for the 1994 compilation album Nativity In Black and a cover of the Commodore's "Brick House" on the House of 1,000 Corpses (2003) movie soundtrack. This album features several experimental songs along with a few general songs just for fun. Rob Zombie's artistic vision and musical style continues to grow and evolve over the years and with every new album. With every new album Zombie consistently improvises his musical style utilizing various styles from his musical influences. This will unfortunately remain a somewhat mediocre album for Rob Zombie as he has yet to surpass the success of Hellbilly Deluxe even after releasing Hellbilly Deluxe 2 in 2010.
Watch this Best Buy Exclusive interview with Rob Zombie for a track by track breakdown of the new album!

LINKS: The Lords of Salem Official Website, Rob Zombie Official Website

Movie Review: Evil Dead

Back in 1981, now successful director Sam Raimi (The Spider-Man Trilogy, Oz the Great and Powerful), produced and directed his first independent horror film The Evil Dead, based on his 1978 short film Within The Woods. Although the film had a somewhat mild success in it's theatrical release as a cult film, the movie prospered in the then fledgling home video/VHS market and still lives on today as a modern horror classic. Along with it's campy remake/sequel Evil Dead 2 (1987), and final chapter Army of Darkness (1993), the Evil Dead Trilogy remains a fan favorite with many horror movie aficionados and made it's B-movie star Bruce Campbell, a horror icon, it even inspired the popular Evil Dead: The Musical, now playing in Las Vegas! Now, over 30 years later, rookie, Uruguay-born, director Fede Alvarez (Panic Attack! (2009)), along with the help of producers Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell and Robert Tapert (the original Evil Dead Trilogy), brings us the ultra-bloody remake simply titled Evil Dead! When five friends come to a secluded cabin in the woods, they discover an ominous book and inadvertently unleash a demonic force that threatens to kill them and steal their very souls!

Mia (Jane Levy) is a recovering drug addict, who, along with her estranged brother David (Shiloh Fernandez) and friends: Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci), Olivia (Jessica Lucas) and Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore) come to their old family cabin in the woods, long neglected after the death of Mia and David's mother, to attempt an intervention. While Mia has sworn to quit "cold-turkey", suffering through "DTs", to make matters worse, during the night, a peculiar smell and blood stains draws them to the basement. Beneath them they find the horrific remnants of a bizarre ritual and a mysterious book wrapped in barbed-wire. While David and his friends are trying to help Mia make it through the night, Eric curiously opens the "Book of the Dead" and unknowingly summons an evil presence in the woods that takes possession of Mia and the others, killing them off one-by-one in the most horrific manner!

Cover of Fangoria #322

As a devoted fan of the original trilogy (and proud owner of the Limited Edition "Book of the Dead" DVD, signed by none other than Bruce 'Ash' Campbell himself!) I was reluctant to accept yet another '80's horror remake and risk being disappointed like so many others in the past few years (i.e.  Friday the 13th (2009), A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), Fright Night (2011)). Despite my reservations, I knew from the first 5-minutes that there was something that seemed very original and yet altogether unsettling about this movie. Very rarely does a horror movie really scare me, other than those original horror masterpieces like The Shining (1980), Poltergeist (1982) and of course, the original Evil Dead (1981). I must admit, even for me, there were a few scenes that were so intense, I could feel my heart pounding (and that's rare). From the very beginning, with it's unexpected and rather violent prologue, audiences are thrown head-first into what critics are calling: "The most terrifying film you will ever experience!" Overall, the movie is essentially the same as the original, even the story and plot. As we first lay our eyes on that infamous cabin, we feel like we are returning to someplace familiar. There's even a nod to the original movie when we first meet Mia, she's actually sitting on the hood of what appears to be Ash's (or Sam's) 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 "Classic" from the original movie, although now completely rusted and derelict. Despite it's differences, which are obvious as the film progresses, there are many similarities which director Fede Alvarez admitted: "Story wise, it's a remake with the same house and the same idea, but with new characters, and technically it's not intended as a sequel or a prequel." (Fangoria #322, April 2013)
As for the main "object of interest" in the movie, that being the evil tome known as "The Book of the Dead" (a.k.a. The Necronomicon ex mortis) although similar, is never really mentioned by name and it lacks the face-like features on the cover and the insides are covered with various scribbles and bloodstains, (no doubt added by other unwary readers). The character of Eric, although seemingly the smartest of the bunch and apparently a high school teacher at that, is actually the most foolish as he proceeds to read the book and even speaks the very same words that summoned the demons in the original movie. While the characters seem more real and believable, as does their seemingly justifiable reason for being at the cabin, the movie tends to focus especially on Mia.  Despite being a drug-addicted, artist with issues, it presents her as the ultimate victim and with the character of David, her brother as the savior trying to save her mind, body and eventually, soul from the things that "possess" her, whether it be drugs or "deadites". For all intents and purposes, the whole experience could merely be seen as some kind of drug-induced withdrawal hallucination! There are also some very deep emotional and psychological aspects to the movie, however they are somewhat overpowered by the gore. As for the sheer intensity and overall gory-ness of the movie, it is completely over-the-top (although not necessarily a bad thing!)! So much so, that many consider Evil Dead to have broken the R-rating! This Evil Dead does seem to do everything possible to push the limits of horror violence, particularly when it comes to the blood and gore. Then of course there is the infamous "tree rape scene" which does appear in this version, is just as disturbing, if not more so. The violence is especially brutal and bloody in many horrifying and gut-wrenching scenes. (And yes there are chainsaws involved!) For an audience that has already experienced the gory, "torture-porn" trend like with the recent Saw (2004) or Hostel (2005) movies. Evil Dead's gore seems much on the same level, however with a more supernatural element to it that goes far beyond the campy mayhem of Evil Dead 2.
Evil Dead is insanely intense and quite possibly the BLOODIEST movie I have ever seen! The reaction from movie goers and horror fan's alike have been overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. Following it's strong Internet promotion including the "Dare To Share Your Scare" on YouTube which included the explicit "Red Band" Trailer, audiences were given a much anticipated preview of the sheer terror and gore that was to be expected with this movie. For those horror fans that may dismiss the hype and doubters like I was, given that Evil Dead is in fact a "remake", it proves itself to those expecting just another remake. I'm actually quite impressed as to the level at which director Fede Alvarez has gone to present us with this truly terrifying and amazing experience without disrespecting the original film (and especially NOT replacing the iconic 'Ash' character!). Some of that may come from the fact that both the original producers and director of the original Evil Dead as well as Bruce "Ash" Campbell himself not only co-produced this remake, but fully endorsed it as well. With all the success that Sam Raimi has had over the years, he could have easily just remade the movie himself with a big-budget and lavish special effects. But, no! The fact that the film-makers relied heavily on practical special effects and make-up is a testament to the legacy of horror filmmakers such as Sam Raimi, Peter Jackson and Guillermo Del Toro who have let the new generation of film-makers like Fede Alvarez take up the cause and give us "true horror"! By the way, be sure to stay after the credits for a "groovy" surprise!

"With any good remake, it's not about taking shortcuts. You don't want to do a strict copy of those who know and love the original...For the fans who really know the story, it's about giving them something new and showing them fresh ideas, because they know the old ones. For the new audience that has no idea about the original, or heard about it but haven't seen it, or claim they saw it a long time ago, which means they never saw it [laughs]...For them, it's not relevant that you use ideas from a movie they haven't seen, but as a filmmaker you feel like you want to bring those things back..." Fede Alvarez (Fangoria #322, April 2013)

LINKS: Evil Dead official Website, Evil Dead on Facebook, Evil Dead on Twitter

Valentine's Day: Top 10 "Horror-ble" Love Stories

Ah, Valentine's Day...my least favorite holiday! Valentine's Day is supposed to be all about love, flowers, candy and greeting cards..."blarg!" I've never been a fan of Valentine's Day, but as a horror movie fan, I realize that there are actually a lot of love stories in horror movies, such as the recent release of Warm Bodies (2013). And so this Valentine's Day, I thought I'd look back at some of the many horror movie love stories. CHERNOBOG'S BLOG PRESENTS: The Top 10 Horror-ble Love Stories! Enjoy...

#10 Corpse Bride (2005) - Tim Burton's morbid romance of a shy would-be groom who accidentally marries a dead woman is frighteningly delightful!
#9  Bride of Chucky (1998) - The murderous, possessed doll Chucky (Brad Dourif) returns and finds his perfect mate, Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), to share in his killing spree!
#8 Let the Right One In (2008) - Based on the Norwegian horror novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, a young boy befriends a vampire girl. The film was remade for American audiences as Let Me In (2010).
#7 Cemetary Man (1994) - In this provocative, foreign, Italian/French, horror film based on a Tiziano Sclavi (Dylan Dog) novel, Francesco (Rupert Everett) is a cemetery caretaker who searches for love while he digs graves and kills zombies.
#6 I Walked with a Zombie (1943) - From legendary producer Val Lewton, when a young nurse falls in love with a Haitian plantation manager whose wife is believed to be a zombie! Loosely based on  Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, the title was chosen by RKO executives despite Lewton's wishes.
#5 My Bloody Valentine (1981) - What would Valentine's Day be without a murderous rampage by a deranged killer with a holiday obsession (i.e. Halloween, Friday the 13th)?! Coal-miner Harry Warden enacts his vengeance on a small town on Valentine's Day on the anniversary of a terrible accident. Horribly remade as My Bloody Valentine 3D in 2009)
#4 Bride of Re-Animator (1989) - After director Stuart Gordon's campy "splatterfest" Re-Animator (1985) starring Jeffrey Combs, director Brian Yuzna brings the cast back as Dr. Herbert West attempts to create a perfect woman!
#3 Candyman (1992) - In this bizarre tale by Clive Barker of an urban legend come to life, a young grad student (Virginia Madsen) gets more than she bargained for when she researches the legend of Candyman (Tony Todd) a killer with a hook for a hand who appears when you say his name 3-times.
#2 The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - In director James Whale's campy sequel to Frankenstein (1931), Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) coaxes Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) to create a mate (played by Elsa Lanchester) for his monster (Boris Karloff)!
#1 Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - Director Francis Ford Coppola's epic film of one of the most famous Gothic romances in literary history. This big-budget remake starred Gary Oldman as Dracula, Keanu Reeves as Harker, Winona Ryder as Mina and Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing. Trivia: The Original Dracula starring Bela Lugosi was released on valenine's Day, 1931.

"I love dead...hate living." - Bride of Frankenstein

Happy Valentine's Day!

Movie Review: MAMA

What makes a good ghost story? Executive Producer Guillermo del Toro (The Devil's Backbone (2001), Pan's Labyrinth (2006)) did just that when he got rookie Spanish director Andrés Muschietti to make a full-length feature film of his 2008 short-horror film Mamá. Mama (2013) is a Spanish-Canadian horror film which proves just how strong a mother's love for her child can be, even from beyond the grave! After being abandoned in a cabin in the woods by their father, Victoria (Megan Charpentier) and Lilly (Isabelle Nélisse) are found 5 years later and sent to live with their Uncle Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his girlfriend Annabel (Jessica Chastain). After years of isolation and malnourishment the girls have begun to learn how to live with their new family with the help of Dr. Dreyfuss (Daniel Kash) although Annabel, a rebellious rock band bass player, is reluctant to become a mother. The most bizarre mystery is how the children have survived all this time all alone in the wilderness when it is revealed that they befriended a mysterious, supposedly imaginary friend known only as "Mama". As Victoria has begun to happily accept her new life, Lilly, the youngest and more feral, (with only a three word vocabulary)who still clings to the security of "Mama" until finally she appears, and wants the children to herself!

Mama is a creepy and atmospheric horror story with strong emotional content and some very genuinely, frightening moments. Within the genre of the horror film, children have always been a strong draw with films like The Omen (1976) or recently in Insidious (2010). Producer Guillermo del Toro is no stranger to the subject of children in horror as with his earlier Spanish-language horror film The Devil's Backbone (2001). The character of "Mama" played by Javier Botet and voiced by Jane Moffat is truly disturbing. With most ghost stories there is always a way that the main characters can either appease the ghost or destroy the remains of the ghost, thus ending the horror (or have I been watching too many episodes of Supernatural?). This is not the case however, as the ending of Mama comes with a bit of a surprise and although bewildering, albeit somewhat disappointing. While the other characters in the film wonder whether "Mama" is real or not, both the audience and the children of course know the truth and that enhances the fear of the unknown in the film. You generally feel for the children and truly want them to go on leading happy normal lives after being left out in the woods only to be raised by a jealous and murderously, over-protective ghost-mom. After seeing the 2008 short-film by the director you get a sense of literally what the whole film eventually culminates to in the climax of the full-length movie without any character-development or backstory yet it doesn't make it any less frightening when you finally see Mama and chills run up your spine and goosebumps form on your skin. The film Mama is a good ghost story and has a few frightening scenes but I feel that the rookie director could have gone a different way with the ending. Either way it was an interesting film with a few good scares that will make me think twice before opening my closet.

 

LINKS: Mama Official Movie Site, Interview with filmmakers on Collider.com

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: Top 10 Silent Horror Films

In the early days of motion pictures, films were silent; without sound, music or spoken dialogue, and there are millions of moviegoers today who have NO idea what they're missing! Back in the early 20th century until the late 1920's, film was truly art. Before the age of the "talkies" after 1927, synchronized sound was available during that time, but due to the technical challenges involved, they were very costly and impractical. Although many American film companies were producing silent films, some of the best examples of silent film came out of Europe. While most silent films focused on adventure or romance, filmmakers found that the silent film was perfectly suited to the horror genre. With the advent of the German Expressionism movement, films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and Nosferatu (1922) set the standard of what silent horror films had to offer. If you consider yourself a horror movie fan and you have never seen any of these films than think again. Until you experience these films you have no idea what TRUE horror is! CHERNOBOG'S BLOG Proudly Presents: The Top 10 Silent Horror Films!

 

#10 Frankenstein (1910) - Directed by J. Searle Dawley, This Thomas Edison produced, one-reeler was the first motion picture adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic novel. Only 16 minutes long, the film starred Augustus Phillips as Dr. Frankenstein, Charles Ogle as the Monster, and Mary Fuller as the doctor's fiancée. This film features one of the most original creation scenes as Frankenstein makes the creature from a skeletal being in a vat of chemicals which was filmed in reverse.

#9 The Golem (1915) Directed by  Paul Wegener & Carl Boese, The Golem was featured in a series of three films portraying the ancient Jewish legend of The Golem, an artificial man created by a rabbi to protect the Jewish people.

#8 The Monster (1925) - Directed by Roland West, The Monster is a film with an odd mixture of horror and comedy. An aspiring detective happens upon a mad scientist: Dr. Gustave Ziska (Lon Chaney), who inhabits an abandoned sanatorium, performs insane experiments on his patients.

#7 Faust (1926) - Directed F.W. Murnau, this was the first film adaptation of the legendary tale of  Faust, a man who makes a deal with the devil. Starring Gösta Ekman as Faust and Emil Jannings as Mephisto, the film was one of the most complex and expensive productions by the UFA. The "Bald Mountain" scene served as the inspiration for the "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence in Walt Disney's 1940 animated film Fantasia (also the inspiration for Chernobog's Blog and my wbesite: Chernobog's Lair!)

Häxan

#6 Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922) - Directed by Benjamin Christensen - Häxan is a Swedish/Danish, pseudo-documentary about the history of witchcraft in Europe. Inspired by the director's interest in the occult and his studies of the Malleus Maleficarum, a 15th century guidebook for witch hunters, the film features disturbing imagery along with graphic depictions of sex violence, and Satanic rituals. The film was censored and banned in several countries including the United States until it was re-released in 1968 with a dramatic narration by author  William S. Burroughs.

#5 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) - Directed by Robert Wiene and starring Werner Krauss as Dr. Caligari and Conrad Veidt as the somnambulist (sleepwalker) Caesar who he uses to commit murder. The film has the most striking examples of German Expressionism in cinema with art direction by designer Hermann Warm.

#4 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) - Directed by John S. Robertson and starring John Barrymore as Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Edward Hyde, based on the novella by Robert Louis Stevenson, the film features one of the most unique transformation sequences in film history as it was achieved mostly with no make-up, only the ability of Barrymore to contort his face. The final appearance of Mr, Hyde is especially disturbing as he dons a pointed head. The film has been remade a number of times, most notably later in the 1931 version starring Fredric March.

Lon Chaney in London After Midnight

#3 London After Midnight (1927) - Starring Lon Chaney as a fake vampire. This film is considered amongst one of the many lost films of the silent era as no existing footage of the film is known to exist. In 2002, Turner Classic Movies commissioned restoration producer Rick Schmidlin to produce a 45 minute reconstruction of the film, using surviving production photographs.

#2 The Phantom of the Opera (1925) - Directed by Rupert Julian and starring Lon Chaney Sr. as Erik, The Phantom. The original Phantom of the Opera is considered to be the most popular and most successful silent horror film of all time. Based on the French novel by Gaston Leroux, the production was plagued with problems from the start between the director and the cast. Later famed producer  Carl Laemmle assigned Edward Sedgwick as the director to re-shoot much of the film including a new ending. The highly original and influential make-up effects created by Lon Chaney himself (as with The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)) was inspired by the novel and wounded soldiers from the first World War. The film features a short scene where The Phantom appears as The Red Death which was filmed in two-color "Technicolor", which was revolutionary for the time. The film sparked a new era for Universal Pictures as hey embarked to produce some of the most iconic horror film monsters ever including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy and The Wolf Man. Lon Chaney was set to play Count Dracula, but due to his untimely death in 1930, the studio finally chose Bela Lugosi. The Phantom of the Opera has been remade many times including the 1943 Universal version starring Claude Rains and the recent 2004 version directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Gerard Butler.

#1 Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (a.k.a. Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens, 1922) - Directed by F.W. Murnau, and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, Nosferatu is one of the single-most innovative and influential silent horror films today. Produced as an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, the vampire was renamed due to copyright laws. The film contains THE most visually shocking vampire in the history of cinema, which was also the inspiration for the TV movie adaptation of Stephen King's Salem's Lot (1979). The film was later remade as Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979, a.k.a. Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht) by director Werner Herzog, and starred Klaus Kinski as Count Dracula. The story of the original film's production was fictionalized in the film Shadow of the Vampire (2000) directed by E. Elias Merhige starring John Malkovich as director F.W. Murnau and Willem Dafoe as Max Shreck/Orlock.

Clips from Silent Horror films (I'd turn OFF the sound if I were you!)

 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!