Good morning world! I can't stay too long, got about four inches of snow to shovel off the driveway and front porch before I have to head out to work, so I'll jump right into things.
Firstly, I would like to announce (a few days late, my bad) that FRIGHT-RAGS has just released four new shirt designs based off of four classic Stephen King novels. This "KING COLLECTION" boasts awesome designs for "The Skeleton Crew," "Night Shift," "The Dark Half," and best of all, "Pet Sematary." Check out the designs, then order them, because to not order these would be uncivilized.
THE SKELETON CREW
NIGHT SHIFT
THE DARK HALF
PET SEMATARY
Each shirt is $21.95 and comes in all sizes, from Small to 5XL! Also, if you spend $60.00, the shipping is free, and if you're a first-time customer, you can get 10% your order when you sign up for the Fright-Rags Newsletter! I've dealt with this company for some time now and I guarantee you won't find anyone that is friendlier or more reliable! (A good chunk of my wardrobe is made up of Fright-Rags tees for a reason!) So head on over to their site now to get a better look at the King Collection, as well as the rest of their impressive catalog of awesome shirts, and start ordering!
That was the main announcement for today, but I have other news for all of you regarding the Vault. After thinking about it long and hard, last night I decided to remove the Frames Version of The B-Movie Film Vault. I did not come to this decision lightly as I always found it useful to have two versions of the site, but lately I've noticed that I was just making more work for myself and that no matter what I tried, I never could quite get the Frames version to look right on monitors with higher resolutions. So yesterday, I wiped it off the web (after four hours of scouring the site and removing navigational links on every webpage) and I haven't looked back since. For anyone that utilized the frames version of the site, I apologize, but fear not, for this is just the beginning of a newer and greater Vault!
Well I must go battle the elements and head off to work, so I bid you all adieu! Be sure to keep an eye on the Vault over the next few months because I've got a lot of cool stuff planned and stay tuned for a double dose of "The Green Hornet" next week!
Greetings all and welcome (belatedly) to the Year 2011! After months of taking a break from doing work on the Vault, I am back with a vengeance! First off, here is what's new:
Though it never really took off, I've decided to continue to maintain the IT CAME FROM THE VAULT FORUM; I cleared out a bunch of old posts (and spam), and deleted (or combined) many of the boards and categories. Hopefully this makes the discussion boards a little more appealing, and maybe, just maybe they'll finally see some use. If you've been a frequent reader of the Vault and haven't joined the forums, please do so!
I've added a new appendage to the B-Movie Film Vault called THE CASUAL GAMING BLOG. Along with fellow b-movie scribe Derek Miller (from BadMovieRealm.com), we have been posting gaming news, reviews, and articles since early December. Head on over and check it out won't you?
The B-MOVIE FILM VAULT GENRE WATCH is back! CLICK HERE to read the latest blog post and keep up to date on all the cult-oriented films hitting store shelves, online retailers, and movie theaters! (Note: Nothing worthwhile in theaters this week; "Ernest Triple Feature," "Hey Vern, It's Ernest! - The Complete Series," and two new Roger Corman Cult Classics releases from Shout! Factory are the DVD highlights this week!)
Two new reviews are up on the site. First up is a guest review from Holly "Hobgoblin" Tingey for BURIAL GROUND: THE NIGHTS OF TERROR! The second review is from yours truly and revels in the absurdity of Drew Bolduc and Dan Nelson's "bodily fluid-drenched indie masterpiece," THE TAINT.
I'd like to take a moment to welcome another site into the growing B-Movie Film Vault Empire, namely RADIATION-SCARRED REVIEWS. This site is the brainchild of Bill Adcock, and is chock full of extremely well-written reviews for cult films. I am proud to be hosting this quality website and hope to conquer more of the web with Bill's help as the years tick by. If you haven't visited R-SR.com yet, then head over now to increase your knowledge of b-cinema!
My only problem at the moment is wondering... what the heck do I do with this here blog? At this stage in the game, I don't really need it to help promote new updates or share news (the forums and the Vault's OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE have that pretty much taken care of), and I prefer to host future articles on my own site so.... what ever will I do with this little chunk of the internet that I have staked a claim on? I have thought about deleting this blog, but that seems like such a waste. I guess it'll just sit here and collect dust until I can find some use for it. (Any suggestions would be more than welcome.)
That's everything for now b-movie fans; here's to a prosperous and eventful 2011!
Greetings and welcome to the month of Horror (and Breast Cancer Awareness)! This is the busiest time of year at the Vault and I aim to please this month with the First Annual B-Movie Film Vault HALLOWEEN HORROR-THON! My goal for this project was to watch and review (at least) one horror film a day, right up until October 31st. I've admittedly failed my quest already (not my fault!) but I still plan on packing in 31 mini-reviews until Halloween rolls around. CLICK HERE to check out the first few posts thus far and be sure to keep an eye on that page on a daily basis!
Also, be sure to check out the Vault's popular GENRE WATCH BLOG every week for the latest updates on cult DVD, Blu-ray, and theatrical releases!
That's all the new stuff I've got for you at the moment fellow horror fans! Keep checking back at the Vault for new stuff (nearly) every day and start counting down the days to Halloween! (Only 25 days left! Woohoo!)
I was thinking to myself the other day about movies that are built up with so much hype and end up being less than stellar. I've lost track of how many times I've gone out of my way to see a movie due to its hype, only to be let down, and I'm sure you can relate.
And each time I'm fooled by the evil "Hollywood Hype Machine," I get pissed off, because not only do I lose out on time and money, but I also lose a bit of trust towards the marketers, friends, family members, neighbors, coworkers, or critics that insisted I was missing out.
In my latest article, HYPED OUT: FIVE OVER-HYPED FILMS WHOSE POPULARITY BOGGLES MY MIND, I take a look at five films (four of which came out in the last three years!) that have built up a lot of hype. I've seen all five based on the hype, and I have to say that none of them lived up to it.
Please feel free to comment or share your thoughts on films that you don't understand the hype over. Stay tuned for more new content on the site too b-movie fans; Halloween is drawing nigh (only 41 more days as of my writing this blog post! YAY!) and its the most wonderful time of the year for yours truly, which usually results in new reviews, articles, and more!
Egads, it seems like I wrote my tale of adventure about visiting Monster-Mania Con XV weeks ago.... oh wait I did. Yes, I have been sitting on a completed article (complete with nifty photos) for weeks, as well as an accompanying podcast that fills in a few "plotholes" and delivers 25 minutes of John Carpenter soundtracks in the background.
Why have I waited until now to post it all? Well, part of it was pure laziness, but a lot of it also had to do with the fact that A.) I've been splitting tons of firewood by hand on a daily basis, B.) I have a full-time job, and C.) I am just getting over a cold. So I've literally been sick and tired, but I'm on the mend now and feeling great!
So, it is my distinct pleasure to share with you my coverage of MONSTER-MANIA CON XV: CLICK HERE to read my article. CLICK HERE to listen to the podcast. CLICK HERE to share your thoughts (or convention experiences) in the B-MFV Forum. CLICK HERE for details on MONSTER-MANIA CON XVI!
I may be going to MMCON XVI next weekend. If I do go, you can bet that I'll have another article (and podcast) in the works once I return home.
Have a great afternoon and enjoy the rest of your weekend b-movie fans! Blog ya later!
I am a devout lover of the awesome horror t-shirts sold by Fright-Rags; their shirts currently make up the bulk of my wardrobe, and that is in no way a bad thing. Each shirt is a work of art, and these guys and gals REALLY know how to cater to their customers.
Sadly, they are "killing off" 14 of their current t-shirt designs in order to make room for newer ones, including "My Bloody Valentine," "Big Trouble in Little China," "Nightbreed," their amazing Tom Atkins "THRILL ME!" tee, and ten others. (Seriously, this makes me want to weep!)
Starting on Friday, September 3rd and continuing on for FIVE days, each of these shirts will be sold off for 40% off their normal price! ($11.97 apiece with free shipping on orders of $60 or more!)
CLICK HERE to check out the awesome teaser trailer for this Labor Day weekend KILLING SPREE of savings, and prepare to spend some money!
Greetings cult movie fans! My apologies for not frequenting this blog (or my site)! Truthfully I was thinking of putting the kibosh on this here blog because I just don't know what to do with it. But until I figure that out, it shall remain online as part as the ever-growing, and ever-evolving B-Movie Film Vault.
But nevermind that, the important thing right now is "The Evil Dead," Sam Raimi's cult horror classic from 1981. We've all seen this movie numerous times, and many of us have been duped into buying it over and over again by those bastards at Anchor Bay (case in point, the "Limited Edition" Blu-ray is coming out on Tuesday, August 31st), each one boasting something new that the prior release didn't have.
I myself ended up buying "The Evil Dead" three times (VHS, DVD Special Edition, Book of the Dead Edition), which is pretty good considering I bought "Evil Dead II" five times (two VHS tapes, DVD special edition, Book of the Dead edition, and the Blu-ray release) and "Army of Darkness" five times (VHS theatrical cut, DVD theatrical cut, bootleg edition on VHS, then later on DVD, and finally the "Boomstick Edition). Stop raping (me and) the fans Anchor Bay!
In any case, Saturday night I drove up to Rochester, NY (three hour trip mind you) with my girlfriend Tara, and my buddy Greg to see an all new print of "The Evil Dead," made from the original 16MM print. This particular print of the film was lent to the Dryden Theatre (at the George Eastman House in Rochester) by Sage Stallone and Bob Murawski from Grindhouse Releasing.
Joining us for this milestone event was the triple threat of Kristy Jett (of Fright Rags fame), her best friend Laurie, and Bill Adock from Radiation-Scarred Reviews. We combined our forces and feasted at a place called dogTown where I discovered the horror that is the "The Junkyard Plate." (a.k.a. "The Garbage Plate" which is made up of various foods that I would never dare to mix together.)
After filling our bellies with deliciously greasy food, we went to the theater to see, what is in my opinion, the most beautiful print of "The Evil Dead" in existence. (I kind of want to get the Anchor Bay Blu-ray, just to compare the picture quality.)
To kick things off, Kristy got up and did an introduction for the night's feature presentation, and geeked out a bit about Sam Raimi, telling the audience about how he eventually teamed up with Rob Tappert, Bruce Campbell, Scott Spiegel, and everyone else who brought this cult gem into existence. She also shared a few fun anecdotes about Sam Raimi that she heard from folks like Fred "Monster Squad" Dekker and Mark Shostrom.
I got a kick out of Mark Shostrom's tale of his meeting with Sam Raimi to do the makeup f/x for "Evil Dead II." He was so embarrassed by his crappy car, that he parked it a few blocks away, and walked to the meeting, only to later discover that Sam himself drove an equally crappy vehicle. (a.k.a. "The Classic")
After Kristy finished her little speech, the lights dimmed, and a series of cult movie trailers were played to get us all in the right mood. My memory is a bit sketchy, but I think this is the full list of trailers we saw: "Maniac," "Alligator," "Phobia," "The X Y Z Murders," "Venom," "On the Right Track," (with Gary Coleman!) and "Dressed To Kill." Bill and I cheered for "Alligator," and the audience as a whole cracked up during the trailer for [in a whispering voice] "Phobia." (a.k.a. "The Nesting")
Here are some of the aforementioned trailers that I managed to find on Youtube:
And then "The Evil Dead" played.... and all was right in the world. For the next 85-minutes, we all gawked at the most beautiful print of "Evil Dead" I think any of us has ever seen. The crowd in the theater was totally in tune, and we all screamed, shouted, and laughed in unison at the demonic antics of the film's beleaguered stars. It is truly experiences like this that makes three-hour drives to a movie screening totally worthwhile!
As for the film itself, I will say that the image was a bit soft, but compared to all the VHS and DVD versions I've seen, nothing comes close. The picture was clear, the movie was in its original aspect ratio, the audio was fantastic, and I think I have finally fallen in love with this cult classic. (To date, "Evil Dead II" was, and still is, my favorite in the trilogy.) Plus, I can tally up seeing yet another classic horror film on the big screen!
After the movie, we bid our fond farewells to Kristy and company, then departed for our (tortuous) three-hour trek back into Northeastern, PA. And while we're on that topic, many thanks to Garmin for making a GPS that likes to mess with its users. The damned contraption decided that the best course to take on our return home was through a toll road, then down Route 96, through Ithaca, NY. Thanks for making our return trip longer than it had to be! (A-holes!)
Saturday was a blast, and I still can't over how good "The Evil Dead" looked! If it's playing in a city near you, I urge you to go out of your way and see this print of the film; you will most assuredly thank me.
You can get the entire schedule of "Evil Dead" movie screenings by clicking HERE and going to the official Grindhouse Releasing webpage! Cross your fingers that it is playing at an independent theater near you!
As for actual website news: Stay tuned for a double-dose of Monster-Mania Con XV coverage with a (lengthy) article chronicling my adventures, plus a podcast (chock full of John Carpenter scores in the background)! After that, I'll return to my original mission of reviewing Gary Ugarek's "Deadlands: Rising" and "Deadlands 2: Trapped," and finally post Holly Hobgoblin's guest review of "Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror."
After that? Well, if I make it to Monster-Mania XVI, you can expect coverage of that event; the return of some ancient reviews from the olde Vault archives, perhaps another podcast, and my two contributions to a remake-themed roundtable at the end of September!
Finally, I know I haven't been posting much on the blog (or site for that matter), but I'm working towards changing that. If you don't see much action around the Vault, feel free to bug me over at The B-Movie Film Vault Facebook Page. (Now with over 260 "likers" and counting!) At the very least, I check out said Facebook page twice a day and post various links, videos, and b-movie news that should be right up your alley. JOIN US.... won't you?
