Horror Movie Viewings for October 2011

As has been a custom for the last two years, I will let you know the horror movies, I have watched so far this month of October. I always hope this will help you decide what to watch or not watch this month. And, as always I wanna know you have been watching. Anyway, here we go:

All ratings out of 4 stars

Friday the 13th Pt. 2- Jason takes center stage as the villain and takes vengeance for the death of his psycho mom at the end of the first and classic film. This enjoyable entry in the series is pretty much a typical slasher, but it's helped greatly by some good acting (best of which has to be Amy Steel as the final girl) and Jason looking ever so creepy in his sack head mask. The beginning is fucking great, too. Too bad the MPAA butchered it.
***


Poltergeist- Family moves into haunted house. Their little daughter gets kidnapped by the ghosts. They call for help to get her back into our world. Directed by Tobe Hooper and produced by Steven Spielberg (though some reports say Spielberg was behind the camera...), this is, to me, Hooper's second best film (TCM remains his masterpiece). It's exciting, scary, fun, and heartfelt. And, for those who think there can be such thing as good PG horror movie take a look at how amazing this classic is. That being said, this one has more shocking stuff than ANY PG or even PG-13 movie would ever dare have today. The FX by ILM are still cool, and Jo Beth Williams is a total MILF!! In all, it amounts to my fav haunted house film, ever. Oh yeah, one more thing. This movie looks and sounds AMAZING on blu-ray!!!!
****

House on the Edge of the Park- In honor of the passing of the great David Hess, I had to revisit this mean-spirited and nasty film from Cannibal Holocaust director Ruggero Deodato. For more of my thoughts on it read my Hess tribute here: http://themastergio.blogspot.com/2011/10/tribute-to-nicest-bad-guy-david-hess.html
***1/2



Experiment in Torture- I reviewed this godawful piece of shit here. I don't think I need to talk about this filth anymore...
1/2 (a star)






Alone with Her- A creeper uses hidden video camera to record, follow, and stalk a beautiful Latin woman (the gorgeous Ana Claudia Talancon) he has an obsession with. Easily one of the best found footage horror films, this creepy and disturbing horror/ thriller is sometimes underrated and overlooked. It gets under your skin and will seriously creep you out. I would imagine if you are a girl it is even more scary. The acting is excellent. Talancon is great and a very underrated actress. Plus, she is absolutely gorgeous!! Why is this woman not getting more roles? Oh yeah, she is also fully nude. Yum!!
***1/2

The Bride of Frankenstein- Dr. Frankenstein and the evil Dr. Preterious make a mate for the monster in THE finest horror film of the golden era. Beautifully shot by James Whales it is moving, funny, and scary. The acting is excellent and sets amazing. Truly one of the greatest movies in the history of cinema and a personal favorite of mine.
****



Devil- Five strangers are trapped in an elevator. One of them is Satan! Preposterous, stupid, and sanctimonious bullshit comes courtesy of M. Night Shymalan's script. And, yes there is a twist. One that is a real groaner. The ending is a high and mighty piece of fucking shit. The explanation as to why the hell Lucifer is doing this is so fucking stupid. Ugh, I could go and on. In short you will feel like you are in hell watching this horrid crap!
*1/2


Well, I hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween. And be sure to watch LOTS of horror flicks!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

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A Tribute to the Nicest Bad Guy: David Hess (1942-2011)

It is with great sadness that I write this tribute to one of my favorite actors of all time: David Hess. I was devastated when I heard about it yesterday. It's a huge loss not just to the horror world, but the world in general.

Hess was born in New York City on September 19, 1942. He actually wrote some music for the King, himself, Elvis Presley. By 1969, he would become the head of A&R for Mercury Records.

But, his biggest legacy came from his movie roles. He got bthe lead villain role of Krug in Wes Craven's classic and controversially brutal The Last House on the Left. He played the leader of a group of scumbags that rape, beat, humilate, and kill two pretty girls, only to have bloody revenge from the parents of one of the girls, happen to them. Hess was great in the role. An evil and despicable character that would go to be one of cinema's best villains. He also wrote and performed the songs for the movie. This is Waiting for the Rain from that great movie.


He had a similar role playing yet another vile rapist in Ruggero (Cannibal Holocaust) Deodato's mean-spirited and excellently acted House on the Edge of the Park. He had a great cast to play off of, and the movie is very intense and savage. The scene where he slices a pretty, fully nude virgin with a straight razor is pretty hard stuff to watch. As is always the case, Hess was just amazing as the sleazy and utterly menacing scumbag.

While, he had many more roles, the next one I saw of his was his was his return to working with horror master Wes Craven, Swamp Thing. A medicore adaption of the DC comics horror/ super-hero comic of the same name is kind of forgettable, but not that bad. It is helped by his acting, as a baddie of course, and the rest of the cast, including, the beautiful Adrienne Barbaeu.

The last movie I saw with him, was the last movie he shot fully, Smash Cut. It's quite a different role from his other horror roles, in that while he plays the villain, it's a light-heart fun romp. He had a great and fun cast to work with including the lovely Sasha Grey. I personally had such a good time watching this one.

I had the pleasure of meeting him back in 2001, I believe, when he did Chiller Theatre. He was so nice to me, as he was with all his fans. He signed my 8x10 with "Piss your pants", a quote from Last House.

On Saturday, he died of a heartache. He leaves behind three kids. Hess will always be remember by his fans as one of the greatest villains of the splatter age of horror. He will also always be remembered for how fan friendly he was. God bless you, David Hess and may you RIP.

This following video was made as a reel role for him originally, but now plays as a remembrance and loving tribute to him. One of my friends, a fellow fan of his, sent to me today. It features clips from the movies above and others, as well, and music of his.


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