The 25 Coolest Looking Monsters in Horror Films
4/11/2016
3/16/2012
The Curse of the Werewolf
My latest review for Best-Horror-movies.com is Hammer's phenomenal classic with Oliver Reed The Curse of the Werewolf. You can read it here: http://www.best-horror-movies.com/the-curse-of-the-werewolf-1961-review.html----------------
Now playing: Entombed - Morbid Devourment
via FoxyTunes
10/04/2011
Four Entires in The Howling Series
NOTE: All reviews are out of ****
One horror franchise that that I have no clue how it kept/ keeps inspiring sequels is The Howling. To me the first movie is THE finest werewolf movie ever made. Joe (Piranha, Gremlins) Dante's classic is scary, funny, sexy, awe inspiring, and thoroughly enjoyable.
A reporter (the lovely Dee Wallace Stone) barely escapes a serial killer in a porn shop. She is sent to a colony to rehab. But, said colony is overrun by werewolves. Everything about this movie is perfect: the acting, the dialogue, the script, the pacing, the FX. I have discussed this movie multiple times here, so I won't bore you by repeating myself again. Suffice to say that this one of my eleven favorite movies of all time. Sadly after that the series went downhill. ****
That movie was a success, and considered a classic (rightfully so, I may add), so, of course, it spawned a sequel. The Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf is a truly stupid movie. As I am sure you can tell by that ridiculous sub-title. Ben, the brother of Wallace Stone's character finds out that the world is full of werewolves, along with the help of a hunter (Christopher Lee), who convinces him of this, they go after Striba Queen of the Werewolves (yummy Sybil Danning)!
The werewolves look like shit, and it's all pretty empty headed. Worst of all it's a waste of Christoper Lee's immense talent. Hey, everyone needs a paycheck! On the bright side, Sybil Danning, and her boobs, look amazing!
Clearly, the filmmakers agree as they loop her nudity over the end credits over and over again. The movie has a cult following due mostly, I would imagine, to this bit of fine knockers. It's really only worth watching for that! Beyond that, though, not so much... *1/2
That said part II was successful on some level (tits!!!), enough so that it inspired more films, though I would never bother to watch them, until I for some godforsaken reason, saw the snoozefest that is The Howling IV: The Original Nightmare. An authoress is sent to a to a town after a nervous breakdown. Problem is there are werewolves there. That ain't gonna cure her nerves. To be honest this movie put me mostly to sleep, and I find it hard to remember anything about it other than it sucked wolf cock. *
But, after reading some good reviews I decided to pay the Howling VI: The Freaks a look. This one takes place in a traveling carnival, it has the werewolf as the hero, who gets hired to be in the freakshow by the owner. Problem is the owner is actually an evil vampire! DOH! In all fairness, this is an enjoyable and fun movie. This one really shocked me, as there is no reason for this movie to be this good. ***
That did not mean that I wanted more of these films to be made, but sadly the series continued. And, I went back to ignoring it. The most recent entry The Howling: Reborn is a reboot of the series, that based on the trailer and what I heard from a friend, seems to be an attempt to make the series into a Twilight type pile of shit. Why?! I am in no rush to see this one, and to be honest, looks worse then the movies that preceded it!
By the way, this came thanks to a suggestion by authoress Staci Wilson, who tweeted to me to do something on The Howling series. When I asked on my Facebook page (which you should totally like as I post exclusive stuff there!) and Twitter, what franchises, scream queens, movies, etc. in the horror genre you wanna see me cover on this blog. Since it's October I really want to post lots of horror stuff. So just let me know. Thank you!
One horror franchise that that I have no clue how it kept/ keeps inspiring sequels is The Howling. To me the first movie is THE finest werewolf movie ever made. Joe (Piranha, Gremlins) Dante's classic is scary, funny, sexy, awe inspiring, and thoroughly enjoyable.A reporter (the lovely Dee Wallace Stone) barely escapes a serial killer in a porn shop. She is sent to a colony to rehab. But, said colony is overrun by werewolves. Everything about this movie is perfect: the acting, the dialogue, the script, the pacing, the FX. I have discussed this movie multiple times here, so I won't bore you by repeating myself again. Suffice to say that this one of my eleven favorite movies of all time. Sadly after that the series went downhill. ****
That movie was a success, and considered a classic (rightfully so, I may add), so, of course, it spawned a sequel. The Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf is a truly stupid movie. As I am sure you can tell by that ridiculous sub-title. Ben, the brother of Wallace Stone's character finds out that the world is full of werewolves, along with the help of a hunter (Christopher Lee), who convinces him of this, they go after Striba Queen of the Werewolves (yummy Sybil Danning)!The werewolves look like shit, and it's all pretty empty headed. Worst of all it's a waste of Christoper Lee's immense talent. Hey, everyone needs a paycheck! On the bright side, Sybil Danning, and her boobs, look amazing!
Clearly, the filmmakers agree as they loop her nudity over the end credits over and over again. The movie has a cult following due mostly, I would imagine, to this bit of fine knockers. It's really only worth watching for that! Beyond that, though, not so much... *1/2
That said part II was successful on some level (tits!!!), enough so that it inspired more films, though I would never bother to watch them, until I for some godforsaken reason, saw the snoozefest that is The Howling IV: The Original Nightmare. An authoress is sent to a to a town after a nervous breakdown. Problem is there are werewolves there. That ain't gonna cure her nerves. To be honest this movie put me mostly to sleep, and I find it hard to remember anything about it other than it sucked wolf cock. *
But, after reading some good reviews I decided to pay the Howling VI: The Freaks a look. This one takes place in a traveling carnival, it has the werewolf as the hero, who gets hired to be in the freakshow by the owner. Problem is the owner is actually an evil vampire! DOH! In all fairness, this is an enjoyable and fun movie. This one really shocked me, as there is no reason for this movie to be this good. ***That did not mean that I wanted more of these films to be made, but sadly the series continued. And, I went back to ignoring it. The most recent entry The Howling: Reborn is a reboot of the series, that based on the trailer and what I heard from a friend, seems to be an attempt to make the series into a Twilight type pile of shit. Why?! I am in no rush to see this one, and to be honest, looks worse then the movies that preceded it!
By the way, this came thanks to a suggestion by authoress Staci Wilson, who tweeted to me to do something on The Howling series. When I asked on my Facebook page (which you should totally like as I post exclusive stuff there!) and Twitter, what franchises, scream queens, movies, etc. in the horror genre you wanna see me cover on this blog. Since it's October I really want to post lots of horror stuff. So just let me know. Thank you!
7/01/2010
The A-Zs of Horror, Pt. 2 (N-Z)
N is for NUDITY- Few genres, outside of sex comedies or porn, rely so heavily on nudity as many horror films do. This is particularly true when it comes to low budget movies or slasher films. Didn't it suck ass when in the 90s, there would be all these hot babes in slasher movies like Scream or I Know what You Did Last Summer, and yet none of them showed skin? That was an epic fail, dear readers! Thank God, movies like the Hostel films and My Bloody Valentine 3D (whose beautiful and fully nude Betsy Rue is pictured to the left) are giving us fans skin in horror movies that are released on the big screen, again! Yay!
O is for OLD SCRATCH- As in Lucifer, Satan, the Prince of Darkness, the Lord of Flies, the Devil, etc. Satanic horror is probably one of my favorite subgenres. He can possess a little girl, have a child with Mia Farrow or a jackal, battle two heroic brothers or the Governator in hopes of succeeding in defating them and bringing forth the end of days, wage a fight with a heavy metal signer, etc. Point is whatever he is planning is not good for mankind. Nope, cause when horror's ultimate villain is behind the evil deeds, you know shit is gonna go bad for us people.
P is for PSYCHO- Hitchcock's best movie is one of the greatest and most influential horror films ever made. It shocked people back then, and while tame today, it still holds up excellently. It also gave us the first human monster to eventually get his own franchise in the form of Norman Bates, played by the late great Anthony Perkins. plus, it also made taking showers a lot more scary!
Q is for Q (QUETZECOATL)- Q is Larry Cohen's cult favorite about Quetzecoatl, the Aztec god that has made his home at top of the Empire State building (giant monsters love it there, apparently!). It's a great example of how despite a low budget great talent behind and in front of the camera can make for an awesome film. It's also considerably bloodier than most giant monster films. If you have never seen it, you need to get your fucking ass off of the couch, chair, bed, whatever and see it now!
R is for RAPE/ REVENGE- Perhaps the most infamous of all of horrors' sub-genres. Films like Ms. 45, The Last House on the Left, House on the Edge of the Park, Irreversible, and, the most infamous of all, I Spit on Your Grave rank among the most controversial movies ever made. The premise is simple enough, a girl (or girls) get raped, and either she or a loved one(s) exact the frequently bloody vengeance. What makes this different, than say a slasher film, is the fact that those getting it clearly deserve it.
S is for SHARKS, SNAKES, SNAILS, AND OTHER KILLER ANIMALS- Killer animal movies have been with us since the Hitchcock classic The Birds and are, thanks in large part to the Syfy channel, WAY over done in nowadays. That said Jaws remains the best of them all. But, thanks to these movies birds, sharks, snakes, snails, killer whales, rabbits, roaches, frogs, rats, dogs, cats, etc. have all been made into our enemies. And, yes, some of these are pretty ridiculous and ludicrous choices to threaten mankind!
T is for THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE- This remains the single scariest movie ever made. Introducing us to Leatherface and his cannibalistic family, it gave us a damn good reason to never go to the Lone Star State. It would go on to give us lots of sequels, a remake, and a prequel to the remake, all with various degrees of success. Regardless, none of them can touch Tobe Hooper's relatively bloodless and utterly terrifying classic.
U is for UNWATCHABLE- Man, there sure are lots of bad movies out there. These include some truly terrible, terrible horror movies. The worst of which (the Leprechaun movies, most of The Howling sequels, The Witchcraft series, remakes like Psycho, One Missed Call, The Fog, etc.) can make you feel like ripping out your damn corneas, just to put an end to the fucking horror.
V is for VAMPIRES- Perhaps the oldest of horror subgenres, vamps have been featured in countless of horror movies for the longest of time. From Nosferatu to Horror of Dracula to From Dusk Till Dawn to 30 Days of Night bloodsuckers have terrorized, seduced, and drank blood on the big screen. They have been villains, lovers, heroes, killers, and/ or lost souls as so many have interpreted them in their own way. While, this has led to some terrible and questionable inclusions, like the shit sucking Twilight series, it has given continuous life to the undead. The fact that they have been in comics (even battling superheroes like Superman, The X-men, Spider-Man, The Punisher, etc.) , books, and TV (including some of the best horror shows like The X-Files, Supernatural, and of course, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Angel, and True Blood), means that they far out weigh all other horror monsters in appearances.
W is for WEREWOLVES- The natural counterpart to the vampire. If vamps signify our sexuality, then werewolves represent the animal inside. There are three basic looks for them: the ones that look more human (The Wolfman, Curse of the Werewolf), the ones that turn into actual wolves or wolf like beasts (Wolfen, True Blood, An American Werewolf in London), and, my personal fav, those that become hulking beasts (Dog Soldiers, The Howling, The Underworld Trilogy). No one has ever really explained this, expect to say that it is up to the filmmaker to decide which he likes. In the case of Universal's classic Wolfman both the the actual Wolfman and the wolf creature (who, in fact, bites Talbot) are featured. And, like vampires. they too, have been shown to have the potential be both hero and villain.
X is for XXX-RATED HORROR- Porn and horror seem like a natural combination due to the fact that sex and nudity play such a large part of the genre and the fact that the conservative minded have damned them both. And, while there are quite a few pornos that feature sexy witches or vampires, few have actual violence and gore, since that is usually considered a no-no in the industry. Thankfully some have the, er, balls to do it. From Joe D'Amato's work like Erotic Nights of the Living Dead or Porno Holocaust to more modern movies like The Wicked or BurningAngel's Re-Penetrator and The XXXcorsist show that hardcore fucking and sanguinary spillage go hand in hand. So, you can jerk-off and be amazed by the bloody spectacle all at the same time!
Y is for YUCK- Yes, horror movies can be gory, but some are down right gross. And, while it all depends on the tone of the film (from movies meant to be funny to those that are serious in tone to those that are down right disturbing), they manage to make us reach for barf bag by including acts of gross-out action such as: bums that melt like piles of slime, a human fly that barfs corrosive liquid on you, Devil possessed little girls spewing pea-soup, guys and/or a girl into corpse fucking, or being connected ass to mouth. In all good times for those of you with weak stomachs. BLARG!!!!!!
Z is for ZOMBIES- My absolute favorite sub-genre in horror. While, the living dead have been with since the golden age of horror with White Zombie it was George Romero that defined them in Night of the Living Dead. From there we got the modern, traditional version of them. They are the resurrected dead hungry for human flesh. The only way to stop then? Shot them in the head or destroy their brain some other way. Of course, if we are talking about Return of the Living Dead only dismemberment can stop them. It goes without saying that slow zombies rule. Fast zombies are lame idea, I think. Just remember that once you get bit, you become a zombie, yourself, meaning that like vampires (although depending on what you are watching turning might involve more than just that with bloodsuckers) and werewolves, they can spread their condition. Oh, and to be a true zombie you MUST BE DEAD! End of fucking story.Hope you enjoyed this. I know I had fun writing it. I might do something similar for porn and pro-wrestling somewhere down the line. For now, here is the first half, in case you missed it: http://themastergio.blogspot.com/2010/06/a-zs-of-horror-pt-1-m.html
----------------
Now playing: Sigh - Hail Horror Hail
via FoxyTunes
10/03/2008
The Top 10 Horror Films Up Until the 1960s
Every week or so this month, in honor of Halloween, I will be picking an era's ten best horror films, working my way up to the present. I will begin with the classic era of horror, up until the 60s.
10.
- Roman Polanski's adaptation of Ira Levin's novel ranks alongside of The Exorcist and The Omen as one of the greatest Satanic horror films ever made. The performances are amazing and the Satanic rape scene chilling. The ending is classic and one of the best in the genre.
9.
- The greatest werewolf film of the classic era this movie is, in fact, second only to The Howling in that subgenre. A great performance by Oliver Reed, a wonderful atmosphere, great make-up FX, and an exciting climax make this a must see. Surely, this Hammer film would be a major influence on the latter day werewolf films.
8.
- The complete, uncut version of this classic was finally made available last year in an amazing DVD release. While, the series would go more campy and fun, the original remains a pure tale of the horrors of nuclear war. Dark and somber, this version excludes the bad dubbing, Raymond Burr, and elements that kept Godzilla: King of the Monsters from being a perfect film. The result? One of the greatest, and perhaps darkest, giant monster films, ever made.
7.
- One of the finest films of the golden era of horror, James Whale's masterpiece is wonderfully acted and full of great atmosphere. In my book, this is the first truly perfect film from Universal's early horror days.
6.
- The greatest of Hammer movies is also the single finest Dracula movie ever made. To me Christopher Lee is the greatest Dracula, ever, and Peter Cushing the greatest Van Helsing. Featuring a much better pace than the Universal film, this movie upped the violence and sex content in these type of films. While, tame by today's standards, one has to see it from the perspective of the era. Add the stylish atmosphere, and you have one of the single greatest and most influential horror films, ever made.
5.
- The single greatest giant monster film ever made, King Kong still hold up after all these years. The pace is exciting and the FX still incredible after all these years. Faye Wray is, of course, horror's first scream queen and a perfect beauty to the beast. The amazing DVD release of a few years back gave us the uncut version, which added many scenes not seen in ages. And guess what? Despite the many sequels and remakes it inspired, some with some truly amazing FX work, none of them could ever touch this masterpiece.
4.jpg)
- One of the most beautiful and sumptuous horror films ever made, this adaption of the classic Edgar Allan Poe also features one of Vincent Price's greatest performances. Throw in some Satan worshipping, beautiful scream queen Hazel Court, and the atmosphere and lush directing of Roger Corman, and this is, without a shadow of a doubt, the single greatest Poe film ever made.
3.
- The grandaddy of the slasher film is, to me this is Hitchcok's best film. Extremely important to the horror genre, this film features smashing performances and is truly and smartly crafted and directed. Years later the shower scene remains one of the defining moments in the genre. The score by Bernard Herman is one of the most recognizable and greatest in cinema history. Simply put this is a must see, for horror fans and movie fans in general. I mean if you ain't seen it yet, what the fuck are you waiting for?!
2.
- My absolute favorite film of the classic era succeeds because aside from the great atmosphere the film had, it is also very funny and very touching. There is a lot of heart in the film, and in, the end, a very tragic horror tale. The cast also give career define performances. The fact that Whales was able to top his masterful original only further drives the point home, making it the rarest of sequels. A movie to be held up, honored, and beloved by all generations of fright film lovers.
1.
- George Romero's classic remains, to me, his best film. Not only is this film THE movie that gave birth to the modern concept of zombies, but it also is the movie that pretty much began the modern era of horror. While, HG Lewis had already done gore before Romero, NOTLD bought it to the masses. It also handled it with seriousness and was totally chilling. Add in the powerhouse acting, the excellent character interaction (thanks to a perfect script), political allusions to class and race, and the dark ending, and you get a film that, despite my countless viewings of it, is still light years of its wanna-bes. While, countless of zombie films (many even gorier than this one) have come and go NOLTD remains the pinnacle of the subgenre.
10.
- Roman Polanski's adaptation of Ira Levin's novel ranks alongside of The Exorcist and The Omen as one of the greatest Satanic horror films ever made. The performances are amazing and the Satanic rape scene chilling. The ending is classic and one of the best in the genre.9.
- The greatest werewolf film of the classic era this movie is, in fact, second only to The Howling in that subgenre. A great performance by Oliver Reed, a wonderful atmosphere, great make-up FX, and an exciting climax make this a must see. Surely, this Hammer film would be a major influence on the latter day werewolf films.8.
- The complete, uncut version of this classic was finally made available last year in an amazing DVD release. While, the series would go more campy and fun, the original remains a pure tale of the horrors of nuclear war. Dark and somber, this version excludes the bad dubbing, Raymond Burr, and elements that kept Godzilla: King of the Monsters from being a perfect film. The result? One of the greatest, and perhaps darkest, giant monster films, ever made.7.
- One of the finest films of the golden era of horror, James Whale's masterpiece is wonderfully acted and full of great atmosphere. In my book, this is the first truly perfect film from Universal's early horror days.6.
- The greatest of Hammer movies is also the single finest Dracula movie ever made. To me Christopher Lee is the greatest Dracula, ever, and Peter Cushing the greatest Van Helsing. Featuring a much better pace than the Universal film, this movie upped the violence and sex content in these type of films. While, tame by today's standards, one has to see it from the perspective of the era. Add the stylish atmosphere, and you have one of the single greatest and most influential horror films, ever made.5.
- The single greatest giant monster film ever made, King Kong still hold up after all these years. The pace is exciting and the FX still incredible after all these years. Faye Wray is, of course, horror's first scream queen and a perfect beauty to the beast. The amazing DVD release of a few years back gave us the uncut version, which added many scenes not seen in ages. And guess what? Despite the many sequels and remakes it inspired, some with some truly amazing FX work, none of them could ever touch this masterpiece.4
.jpg)
- One of the most beautiful and sumptuous horror films ever made, this adaption of the classic Edgar Allan Poe also features one of Vincent Price's greatest performances. Throw in some Satan worshipping, beautiful scream queen Hazel Court, and the atmosphere and lush directing of Roger Corman, and this is, without a shadow of a doubt, the single greatest Poe film ever made.3.
- The grandaddy of the slasher film is, to me this is Hitchcok's best film. Extremely important to the horror genre, this film features smashing performances and is truly and smartly crafted and directed. Years later the shower scene remains one of the defining moments in the genre. The score by Bernard Herman is one of the most recognizable and greatest in cinema history. Simply put this is a must see, for horror fans and movie fans in general. I mean if you ain't seen it yet, what the fuck are you waiting for?!2.
- My absolute favorite film of the classic era succeeds because aside from the great atmosphere the film had, it is also very funny and very touching. There is a lot of heart in the film, and in, the end, a very tragic horror tale. The cast also give career define performances. The fact that Whales was able to top his masterful original only further drives the point home, making it the rarest of sequels. A movie to be held up, honored, and beloved by all generations of fright film lovers.1.
- George Romero's classic remains, to me, his best film. Not only is this film THE movie that gave birth to the modern concept of zombies, but it also is the movie that pretty much began the modern era of horror. While, HG Lewis had already done gore before Romero, NOTLD bought it to the masses. It also handled it with seriousness and was totally chilling. Add in the powerhouse acting, the excellent character interaction (thanks to a perfect script), political allusions to class and race, and the dark ending, and you get a film that, despite my countless viewings of it, is still light years of its wanna-bes. While, countless of zombie films (many even gorier than this one) have come and go NOLTD remains the pinnacle of the subgenre.
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