Entertainment Earth

7/29/2019

Horror Crush: Bella Thorne

I met the gorgeous and uber-talented Bella Thorne on July 23, 2019 at her book signing (more on that later) in Barnes and Noble in Union Square, New York City. Thus, this feels like the perfect time to induct her into the Horror Crushes section of this site!
Thorne was born Annabella Avery Thorne in Pembroke Pines, Florida on October 8, 1997. She is probably best known for her role in the Disney Channel series Shake It Up. But, of course, I know her best from her horror work.
Throne's first horror role, though, is one I have never seen. In 2015, she played Nina Patterson in the MTV series of Scream in two episodes. Actually, I have never watched a single episode of that show, much less two. But, for those of you that have any thoughts on her role in it? Please, let me know in the comments section below. One thing is for sure, she looked amazing in a bikini!
It's in 2017, where she pulled double horror duty that, I became a fan. The first of the two that I saw was the super fun and bloody good, The Babysitter. In this horror-comedy, a kid has a crush on his super hot babysitter (Samara Weaving). But, one night while she is sitting him, he finds out that she is the leader of a satanic cult of teens! It's a colorful, totally enjoyable, mix of splatter, sexiness, and humor. This Netflix exclusive really surprised me with how much I enjoyed it.
Thorne plays the other female in the cult. She is hilarious in her role and sexy as hell! She looks killer in a cheerleader outfit (always one of my favorite looks for a girl) and makes-out with the beautiful Weaving herself, in one memorable scene.
The other horror flick was Amityville: The Awakening. This oft-delayed flick made its debut on YouTube, of all places, for free. This should be a sign of shit, but honest to God, it is way better than it has any right to be. In it, Thorne plays Belle a teenager who moves along with her mom (the always beautiful and talented Jennifer Jason Leigh), her little sis, and her twin brother to the most infamous house in Long Island. Belle doesn't know the house's background, or even the movies it inspired. This is actually one of the cool aspects of the film, as it is sort of meta-horror in that in acknowledges the existence of the movies (at least the first two and the remake).
Anywho, aside from two students, most don't take kindly to her, a goth chick (Throne as a goth girl is even hotter than her in a bikini or as a cheerleader!), being in the creepy house. Her aforementioned bro is paralyzed, left a vegetable from a accident. This which occurred from when he defended her honor. But, the house is really evil! So, it is not just a movie folks! And, it wants to possesses her brother.
I really expected this movie to be a of complete shit, but I really enjoyed it. Sure it is generic and does nothing new or that original. But, it tells a competent story and is well enough directed. Mostly, it's held together by strong acting, from the solid cast. Thorne is very likable and realistic in her role and really helps to carry the film. As of this writing, I have watched the movie three times, and each time it surprises how much I (still) like it and how solid it is.
 As I mentioned at the beginning of this post I met Thorne last Tuesday. She is promoting her memoir/ poetry book Life of a Wannabe Mogul: Mental Disarray. Thorne read little of the poems that didn't make it, including a heartbreaking one where she talks about why she doesn't reveal the name of the piece of shit who raped her as a child actress. She also took pics with her fans and we got pre-signed copies of it. She is incredibly sweet and down to earth person, being all smiles, hugs, and actually talking to her fans.
In fact, she gave me a hug (as she did with everyone else meeting her) and asked me what I thought of her reading. I told that I was touched, which is true (I was tearing up hearing her). But, beyond that I was a star-struck. I would have loved to tell her how much I enjoyed the horror stuff she did, but alas I couldn't say much of anything else. Still, she is a genuine sweetie and incredibly beautiful in person.
Gorgeous and multi-talented Bella Thorne really shines in all her work. I love seeing her in horror movies. According to the extra features of Amityville: The Awakenking, she loves horror movies! That only makes me love her even more! And, with that she becomes the latest inductee into Horror Crushes!

7/25/2019

SHUDDER: AUGUST 2019 U.S. HIGHLIGHTS

Pictures come courtesy of Shudder

From the official press release:

As summer heats up, we’re here to give you even more reasons to stay inside, with the AC turned up and the lights turned down. Reason one: NOS4A2, AMC’s hit horror series comes to Shudder. Reasons two and three: the Shudder Exclusive Incident in a Ghostland and the Shudder Original Belzebuth. Reasons four through nine: a special curated collection of the first six A Nightmare on Elm Streetmovies. Reason ten is all the rest of our lineup of new titles this month, including must-see shorts from Gigi Saul Guerrero (director of the recent Into the Dark: Culture Shock) and Sam Wineman (currently hard at work on Shudder’s upcoming queer horror documentary). Sun? Who needs it? (Programming also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK where noted.)

NEW SERIES

NOS4A2 (2019) — first episode available on Thursday, August 8 
Based on Joe Hill's New York Times best-selling novel of the same name, NOS4A2 is a different kind of vampire story. It follows Vic McQueen, a gifted young woman who discovers she has a supernatural ability to find lost things. This ability puts her on a collision course with the evil and immortal Charlie Manx. Manx is a supernatural villain who feeds off the souls of children and then deposits what remains of them into Christmasland – a twisted place of Manx's imagination where every day is Christmas Day and unhappiness is against the law. Vic strives to defeat Manx and rescue his victims – without losing her mind or falling victim to him herself.

NOS4A2 stars Emmy®-nominated actor and producer Zachary Quinto, Ashleigh Cummings, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Virginia Kull, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jahkara Smith

Episode 1 premieres on Shudder August 8, with new episodes added every Thursday through October 10. 


SHUDDER EXCLUSIVE TITLES

Incident in a Ghostland (2018) — available Thursday, August 15
Director: Pascal Laugier, Cast: Crystal Reed, Mylène Farmer, Anastasia Phillips
A mother of two who inherits a house is confronted with murderous intruders on the first night in their new home and fights for her daughters’ lives. Sixteen years later when the daughters reunite at the house, things get really strange. A SHUDDER EXCLUSIVE. (Also available on Shudder Canada)

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/3zn8Vr5eItbGbSZT9w8SbTi_QQAKCxTPhriFkBJ6VRP47ntq2zkIME8QzTMk8fxBfgKn4sYDpMLklda18pZPOfPzLRYbzXpSnpJin6FzwIeeXVid0Ku3qPfscmtaZlgFOpJtaPL7

Belzebuth (2017) — available Thursday, August 29
Director: Emilio Portes, Cast: Tobin Bell, Joaquín Cosio, Tate Ellington
Set on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, this Spanish/English language film follows special agent Emanuel Ritter as he leads a police investigation into a series of mysterious deaths involving young children at the border. The case takes a supernatural turn when a priest  from the Vatican links the ancient demon Belzebuth to the murders. A SHUDDER ORIGINAL. (Also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK)

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/8Eiw51IUXFZmX186VHEoLEEc5HbEfSuZ_ZtLFA4uFCtMED-A8ftOb3aeAXuoQKwux5-SSEILsZV1iLzSs6R7kFOApRrk8JjSWYWeuLo1I_TAsIycYdlhhI0b_YHrVP9eFQgDwDq_

FEATURED COLLECTION

NIGHTMARES ON ELM STREET: THE FIRST 6 MOVIES — available Thursday, August 1
One, two, Freddy’s coming for you / Three, four, better lock your door / Five, six, binge that many Elm Street pix… This month, Shudder presents a collection of the first six films in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise: Wes Craven’s 1984 original masterpiece, followed by Freddy’s Revenge (1985), Dream Warriors (1987), The Dream Master (1988), The Dream Child (1989) and Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991). If that’s not enough, round out your summer Freddy re-watch with the fascinating, comprehensive documentary, Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010).

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ELLz9dKp9VVD3epZyLQgB0p53UJfcPn8J4UYZrPipgHsPUSOOJCLz7-vTuDpAdlRLSwFsu1kzHwaN2lOmEfE_uWGDV12hk9aMC7TBWteTrL3mV6vHRlSW3KwbagdKJaFSL84Dzhc

NEW MOVIES FOR AUGUST

July 29 (added too late for last month’s highlights)
Moon (2009, Duncan Jones)
On the far side of the moon, lone miner Sam trudges to the end of his three-year stint for a mega-corporation that has hit a gold vein by harvesting lunar rock for energy. With only a self-mechanized robot (whose only human feature is a Happy Face/Sad Face component) for company, Sam shows signs of cabin fever. Hallucinating and obsessing about his wife and daughter on Earth, his fragile condition deteriorates, exacerbated when he gets whacked on the noggin as he crashes his rover on the lunar surface. Sam emerges to find an aggressive version of himself tromping around the space vehicle. Hallucination? Clone? Doppelganger? Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey, Dominique McElligott

El Gigante (2014 short, Gigi Saul Guerrero and Luke Bramley)
After attempting to cross the US/Mexico border in search of a better life, Armando awakens in an unknown room, his body broken down and a Lucha Libre mask sewn into his neck. He attempts to escape, but is surrounded by a sadistic family, who watch him with hungry eyes. The only chance for Armando’s survival in this hellish nightmare is to last in a wrestling match against the most terrifying villain of all: GIGANTE! Starring: Edwin Perez, Luis Javier, Arlina Rodriguez (Also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK)

The Quiet Room (2018 short, Sam Wineman)
After a failed suicide attempt, Michael's believes that he's awakened Hattie, a demon who —  according to urban legend — haunts his hospital's "quiet room." Now, he must find a way to stop her before her rampage claims everyone Michael connects with. Starring: Jamal Douglas, Barkley Harper, Stephanie Kerbis (Also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK)

August 1
Raising Cain (1992, Brian De Palma)
The story of twin brothers, Carter and Josh, one good and one evil, who will stop at nothing to find children to further their father's psychological experiments. Starring: John Lithgow, Lolita Davidovich, Steven Bauer

August 5
The Slumber Party Massacre (1982, Amy Holden Jones)
When Trish decides to invite her high school girls’ basketball teammates over for a slumber party, she has no idea the night is going to end with an unexpected guest — an escaped mental patient and his portable power drill — crashing the party in this cult classic. Starring: Michelle Michaels, Robin Stille, Michael Villella (Also available on Shudder Canada)

Slumber Party Massacre II (1987, Deborah Brock)
Courtney, the younger sister of the "new girl across the street" in the first film is all grown up now, but suffers from nightmares about the Big Wet Incident. She and the other members of her female rock group go to a condo for the weekend to play music and have fun with their boyfriends. Courtney's dreams are of her sister, who is in a mental institution, warning her of having sex, and the dreams begin to spill into real life, threatening Courtney and her friends as they begin experiencing an attrition problem. Starring: Crystal Bernard, Jennifer Rhodes, Kimberly McArthur (Also available on Shudder Canada)

August 12
Chopping Mall (1986, Jim Wynorski)
A group of teenagers who work at the mall get together for a late night party in one of the stores. When the mall goes on lockdown before they can get out, the robot security system malfunctions and goes on a killing spree. Starring: Kelli Maroney, Tony O'Dell, Russell Todd (Also available on Shudder Canada)

Get My Gun (2017, Brian Darwas)
After an innocent prank leaves Amanda pregnant and out of a job, she finds herself on the verge of motherhood and the target of a psychotic stalker who will stop at nothing to get her hands on the unborn child. Starring: Kate Hoffman, Rosanne Rubino, Christy Casey (Also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK Ireland)

Why Horror? (2014, Nicolas Kleiman and Rob Lindsay)
Tal Zimerman is a horror journalist and a full-fledged fan of everything deep dark and disgusting. But lately he's been asking himself WHY? Why is it that he and millions of other people are obsessed with horror? Tal sits down with leading genre filmmakers, writers, musicians, historians, anthropologists and psychologists around the world, to discover why we enjoy being scared. (Also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK Ireland)

August 19
Bad Moon (1996, Eric Red) 
Ted is working in Nepal when he and his girlfriend are attacked by a mysterious creature. Ted, though brutally maimed, survives, but his girlfriend is not so lucky. To help his recovery, Ted moves close to his sister, Janet, and her son, Brett, but soon realizes he was attacked by a werewolf. Starring: Mariel Hemingway, Michael Paré, Mason Gamble (Also available on Shudder Canada) 

Hell Night (1981, Tom DeSimone) 
Sorority and fraternity pledges are required to spend the title evening of their initiation inside the spooky Garth Manor. The mansion was the site of a gruesome multiple murder, wherein the owner killed his wife and three of his four deformed children before taking his own life. After the pledges bed down for the night, mischievous upperclassmen descend into the house, intending to scare them out of their wits...but something even more repulsive than a pack of drunken frat-boys beats them to it. Starring: Linda Blair, Vincent Van Patten, Peter Barton  (Also available on Shudder Canada) 

August 26
Humanoids From the Deep (1980, Barbara Peeters and Jimmy T. Murakami (uncredited)) 
Scientific experiments backfire and produce horrific mutations: half man, half fish, which terrorize a small fishing village by killing the men and raping the women. Starring: Doug McClure, Ann Turkel, Vic Morrow (Also available on Shudder Canada) 

The Love Witch (2016, Anna Biller)
Elaine, a beautiful young witch, is determined to find a man to love her, but her spells work too well, leaving her with a string of hapless victims. With a visual style that pays tribute to Technicolor thrillers of the 1960s, The Love Witch explores female fantasy and the repercussions of pathological narcissism. Starring: Samantha Robinson, Jeffrey Vincent Parise, Laura Waddell (Also available on Shudder Canada) 

###

ABOUT SHUDDER:
AMC Networks’ Shudder is a premium streaming video service, super-serving members with the best selection in genre entertainment, covering horror, thrillers and the supernatural. Shudder’s expanding library of film, TV series, and originals is available on most streaming devices in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and Germany. To experience Shudder commitment-free for 7 days, visit ​www.shudder.com​.

7/21/2019

Pet Sematary (2019) (Review)

Title: Pet Sematary
Directors:  Kevin Kölsch, Dennis Widmyer
Writer: Matt Greenberg (based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King)
Cast: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow, Jeté Laurence, Hugo Lavoie, Lucas Lavoie
Min: 101
Year: 2019

Louis Creed (Jason Clarke), a doctor, and his family (wife Rachel, youngest son Gage, daughter Ellie, and her cat Church) move to Ludlow, Maine. They soon see a procession of masked kids taking a dead pet to the "Pet Sematary". They also meet their nice, old neighbor Jud Candrell (John Lithgow) who warns them that the woods are dangerous. The next day, Louis is left haunted by the death of a young man named Victor Pascow (Obessa Ahmed).

Oh Halloween, Jud shows Louis that Church is now roadkill having been hit by a truck. That night they bury it beyond the pet cemetery, which results, a little bit after, in Church coming back to life much to Louis' surprise. Jud lets him know that he did that cause he felt heartbroken for Ellie's (Jeté Laurence) loss. Even though those that comes back are turned bad, clearly evident by Church's nasty and aggressive, new behavior. But, when Ellie gets creamed by a truck, Louis buries her in that evil ground, despite the warnings by Jud. Soon she comes back, too, and to say she is no longer a nice, little girl would be a fucking understatement.
As you can tell, this adaption of one of Stephen King's best and darkest novels covers a lot of the same territory that Mary Lambart's 1989 movie already did. Save for the twist of having Ellie get hit instead of Gage. Now, I would say that this is an important twist, but the morons who cut the trailer decided to let you know this in advance. Making this be no longer a spoiler, that I care to acknowledge as one. It completes robs the movie of that moment of shock to anyone in the audience. But, this is just one of many problems that the film faces.

The aforementioned 1989 version is a good, albeit flawed movie, but after seeing this one I think much more highly of it. The parts of the film that cover the same territory are such a beat by beat rehash (with only the slightest of changes), that it feels boring and pointless this time around. In fact, I cared so little for this segment of the movie, that it took me three viewings of the screener to get through the film. Well, there is one upgrade that is made: Jason Clarke is a huge improvement over Dale Midkiff who was flat as fuck in the '89 version.
Now, after the whole Ellie gets smashed by a truck thing, the movie does become interesting. Suddenly, it takes a wild change and manages to catch my interest. The directing here by Kevin Kölsch, Dennis Widmyer is suspenseful and involving. The film suddenly feels fresh, and I actually began to give a fuck about what was happening.

And, then the ending comes... Whatever good had been accomplished by the movie is quickly thrown out the fucking window. It takes a turn for the rather cheap and dumb as fucking hell. This part didn't shock me, cause I kind of figured out where it was going. And, the fact that it did got that silly route, made me roll my eyes at this crap.
To its advantage, the acting from the cast is really good. I already discussed how much better at being Louis, Clarke is, but I think it is little Jeté Laurence who really steals the show. She is amazing in her role and makes for a great villain. John Lithgow is quite good and likable as Jud, though my heart will always prefer Fred Gwyne from the earlier version.

There is some violence, but ultimately it's Jud's death that is the best kill in the movie. And, the movie certainly looks nice. In its closing credits, it has a cover of the classic title track from the Ramones done here by Starcrasher. It's an OK version, but at that level is still better than this actual film.
The 2019 take on Pet Sematary is a really fucking pointless waste of your time. The acting is excellent though, especially from little Laurence. And, sure the last third of the movie takes some exciting risks, even if it is somewhat hampered by the twist being revealed in the trailer. But, even if that wasn't the case, what really undoes any of the good is the stupid as fucking hell ending. This flick will make you really appreciate that '89 version a whole lot more. As a matter of fact, just watch that again and let this shit get buried and rot away, cause sometimes not being made is better.


1.5 out of 4

7/08/2019

Horror Crush: Jill Jacobson

The summer is heating up. And as such, it is only appropriate that I induct the equally hot, as well as beautiful and sexy Jill Jacobson into the Horror Crush section of this site!
The beautiful Jacobson is best known for her TV work, including Falcon Crest, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The later two are possibly where I first saw her. But, it's thanks to her work in Nurse Sherri, that she gets honored here.
Nurse Sherri (1978) (AKA The Possession of Nurse Sherri) comes from schlock master Al Adamson, who directed this wonderfully fun, and cheap, exploitation horror movie. This flick tells the tale of an egotistical and whacked out professor, who proclaims to have supernatural powers. After he has a heart-attack, he warns the staff not to operate him. They do anyway, and well he dies. Whoops! Guess the crazy, old asshole was right, after all. Anywho, he ends up possessing a beautiful, sweet, and young nurse named Sherri (Jacobson), causing her to kill those who operated on him one by one.
Nurse Sherri manages to combine two of the era's most popular exploitation motifs: the sexy nurse flick and possession movies! I mean you have to give it credit for coming up with that idea. The film, itself, has some bad acting, unintentionally hilarious dialogue, and some cheesy FX. But, it remains wonderfully entertaining and fun, and, even oddly, engrossing. It has become one of my very favorite it's so bad, so good movies around! The gore content is low, but we do get two different sets of boobs. And, while those are very nice, neither belong to Ms. Jacobson, sadly.
Jacobson isn't that great in the role, but then no one in this movie is. And, really it all adds to the charm of Adamson's movie. What she is absolutely gorgeous. Even without disrobing, it is clear that she has one hell of a body. The tight nurse's outfit looks eye-poppingly hot on her! There is also something inherently likable about her as Nurse Sherri, and no I don't just mean her chest (though that certainly helps!).

Vinegar Syndrome put out an awesome Blu-ray of this cult favorite about two years ago. The quality is amazing for this film, undoubtedly the best it ever did or ever will look. Among the awesome extra features is an interview with Jacobson who still looks absolutely gorgeous (below)!
In 1990. she appeared in a season 2 episode of Freddy's Nightmares entitled "Easy Come, Easy Go" where she played a character named Peggy. I am sure I watched this one, but it's been ages so I don't remember anything about this or most episodes.
Meanwhile, in 1998 she was in a flick called Restless Souls and in 2015 appeared in another one called Excess Flesh. I never heard much less saw either one, so any thoughts from those of you who have? Please, leave thoughts below if you have.








And, that's it as far as Jill Jacobson's horror material goes. She keeps continuously busy with projects but most have nothing to do with our beloved genre. However for her breathtaking beauty and natural sexiness displayed in Nurse Sherri, she will forever be a Horror Crush!

7/03/2019

Horror Crush: Aubrey Plaza


It's time, once again, to induct another beauty into this site's Horror Crush section. Today's gorgeous inductee is the always quirky, beautiful, and funny Aubrey Plaza!
Aubrey Plaza was born in Wilmington, Delaware. She was born of a Puerto Rican dad and a mother of English/ Irish decent. Plaza is best known as a comedian. I first heard of her because she was featured in men's magazine, Complex. I thought, "Oh my God, this chick is gorgeous!" But, it was catching her in the awesome horror comedy Life After Beth, where I truly fell in love with her!
Life After Beth tells the tale of a dude whose girlfriend, Beth Slocum (Plaza) has died. Even though, they had been going through a rough patch, he is still extremely devastated by her passing. One day, he discovers that Beth is actually alive. Well, sort of, as she is now a zombie! Regardless, they try to rekindle their relationship, but it's complicated, to say the least. You see, she is rotting away and wants to eat human flesh! Relationships can be so hard, am I right?
I absolutely loved this movie! I found it hilarious, as well as heartfelt. It totally had me invested in what was happening. There is some good gore, but it really is the characters, acting, and writing that make this horror comedy work so well. The cast is great (including another funny beauty in the form of the beautiful Anna Kendrick), but to me, it is Plaza who steals every scene that she is in.
She is funny, quirky, and perfectly cast in this role. The truth is I felt sorry for her, and cheered her on for much of the movie. And, I even kept saying, "Fuck it! I would still try to make this work!" After, all even as a zombie she is a babe. Well, at least until she really starts to lose more and more of her humanity. I highly recommend this one, and honest to God, need to get it on Blu-ray!
.That brings us to her latest, and so far only other horror movie, Child's Play! Now, I have to say that I went into this movie ready to hate it, as honestly Plaza was the only reason, I was seeing it (well that and I was seeing more and more good reviews). So call me fully surprised when I ended up loving it! This remake takes the franchise (which is horror's finest IMHO) in a fresh new direction, as I love the whole AI spin on Chucky/ Buddi. It's gory, funny, suspenseful, well acted, and very nicely directed. There is a real love for not just the original but other splatter movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 and RoboCop. It is my third favorite in the entire series, after the original and Bride of Chucky, which for me, is saying a lot! I can't wait for the Blu-ray release!
Plaza plays Karen Barclay, who gives the doll to her son Andy, not knowing just how fucked up it is. She is wonderful in the role, one that is funny, sympathetic, and tough, on top of being beautiful. She makes this a great version of Andy's mom, and one we can cheer on and fall in love with!
I swear, anytime Plaza is onscreen, I was blown away by how naturally gorgeous she is! In all, this one of my favorite female roles (but not my actual favorite, that would be fellow Horror Crush Jessica Roth in the amazing Happy Death Day 2U) in a horror movie this year. She is most definitely my favorite mom in a horror flick of 2019, though.
Aubrey Plaza is absolutely gorgeous, hilarious, and a great actress. This super talented hottie has a wonderful quirkiness and cute weirdness that comes out not only in some of her roles, but also in interviews that I have seen of her. This makes even more attractive, I think. With very different and excellent performances in two very solid horror movies, I happily add Aubrey Plaza to this site's Horror Crushes!

I also want to take this time to wish you all a very happy, safe, and fun 4th of July!