Hail Horror 4...is Coming!

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The skies are beginning to darken, and the fog has settled on the ground. Everything is colder, shades of black and red, and what light there is comes not from the sun, but from eyes that burn with an unnatural glow behind every tree, eyes that look up between the clouds to a moon whose full face betrays a howling laughter as it see what's creeping up behind you...

HAIL HORROR YEAR 4!


That's right, October's a few weeks away, which means I'm diving back into the horror pool, watching dozens of horror films both old and new, and failing (as is now Hail Horror Tradition) to review at least half of them. Last year I finally came to the conclusion that any goal I was going to set for myself simply wasn't going to happen - and that realization freed me to have a lot more fun during the month.

Funny thing about last year's marathon, though - it didn't get posted here.

And as always, if you have any requests, let me know! I'm always on the lookout for a great recommendation. Two guidelines:

  1. It can't be a movie I've already reviewed.
  2. It has to be readily available - either at the local theater, store, rental house, or Netflix. I'm not adverse to spending a few bucks to see, rent, or purchase a film, but I'm not going to shell out $39.99 for an obscure Asian import with no subtitles.

For those curious, here's where we left off after the first two three years (click the title to read ):

THE SHINING / MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN / BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA / C.H.U.D. / HATCHET / RE-CYCLE / DANCE OF THE DEAD / THE SIGNAL / KAIRO / PHENOMENA / THE HOWLING / NOSFERATU (1922) / PHANTASM / THE HAPPENING / [REC] / THE WOODS / DIARY OF THE DEAD / THE MONSTER SQUAD / FROM BEYOND / RE-VISTING PLANET TERROR / THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974) / MAD LOVE / 28 WEEKS LATER / SUBLIME / RE-VISTING DEATH PROOF / NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990) / DEAD SILENCE / SEVERANCE / RESIDENT EVIL 3: EXTINCTION / SCANNERS / THE DESCENT / GRINDHOUSE / THE EVIL DEAD / BROKEN LIZARD'S CLUB DREAD / THE MASK OF FU MANCHU / RINGU / FEAST / HALLOWEEN (1978) / HELLRAISER / A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET / DEAD AND BREAKFAST / FRIDAY THE 13TH / THE HILLS HAVE EYES (2005) / DAY OF THE DEAD / CAT PEOPLE (1942) / HOUSE OF WAX

"I've Just Seen A Face"

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Eighteen years ago today, when we were both eighteen, I took my wife out on our first date, to a little street festival in downtown Albany, NY.  That night I walked her home and, against the door to her dorm room, the sounds of The Arsenio Hall Show faintly playing through the wood, we had our first kiss.

Starting today, I've had in her my life more that I've had her out of it.  And that's the most wonderful thing I can think to say.

My favorite Beatles song is "I've Just Seen a face" because it reminds me of that day, eighteen years ago.

Honey, I love you.

I've just seen a face,
I can't forget the time or place
Where we just met
She's just the girl for me
And I want all the world to see
We've met, mmm-mmm-mmm-m'mmm-mmm

Had it been another day
I might have looked the other way
And I'd have never been aware
But as it is I'll dream of her
Tonight, da-da-da-da-da-da

Falling, yes I am falling,
And she keeps calling
Me back again

I have never known
The like of this, I've been alone
And I have missed things
And kept out of sight
But other girls were never quite
Like this, da-da-da-da-da-da

Falling, yes I am falling,
And she keeps calling
Me back again

Falling, yes I am falling,
And she keeps calling
Me back again

I've just seen a face,
I can't forget the time or place
Where we just met
She's just the girl for me
And I want all the world to see
We've met, mmm-mmm-mmm-da-da-da

Falling, yes I am falling,
And she keeps calling
Me back again
Falling, yes I am falling,
And she keeps calling
Me back again
Oh, falling, yes I am falling,
And she keeps calling
Me back again

          - Music/Lyrics by Lennon/McCartney

Alternate Dimension?

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How else to explain the fact that I was named-checked by Carrie Rickey, film critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, in the same sentence as Glenn Kenny, an amazing writer and film critic, and someone I've been reading for years?

I'm sure there are a lot of reasons why my name was listed that have nothing to do with my skills (or lack thereof) as a writer: my submission was posted early on in the blog-a-thon, I was the only one who wrote a negative review of a Brian De Palma film, I have a short name that's easy to spell...

You know what? Doesn't matter...I'm pleased as punch, both to have my name listed in the article, but more importantly to have been part of such a great series of articles for Cinema Viewfinder's Brian De Palma Blog-a-thon. Special shout of thank to Tony, whose name should really have up there.

From Hell Review @ Un:Bound

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This week over at Un:Bound I reviewed Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell's From Hell.  Quick excerpt below:

Although Watchmen (especially in light of the film) gets the most attention from the public, I think I've come to the conclusion that From Hell is the defining work of Alan Moore's career thus far.

A massive, sprawling epic, From Hell is Moore's attempt to unravel the mystery and motivations behind the notorious Jack the Ripper slayings in Whitechapel and the surrounding destitute areas of London in 1888 - a mystery that to this day has its share of theories but no clear solution. Divided into 16 chapters, Moore weaves a byzantine plot involving secret societies, the Elephant Man, an illegitimate heir and the Royal Family, wrapping it in a complex and lurid look into the history of London during the time. Moore and artist Eddie Campbell dug into tons of history, researching police reports, conspiracy theories and books on the subject, as well as the historical documentation on what London was like in the late 19th century in an effort to make everything as realistic, as tangible, as possible.

Read the entire review here.