DON'T TURN OFF THE LIGHTS

Playing Catch Up With 2010's Horror Movies

2011-03-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

So I've been bored the past few nights and decided to check out some of 2010's horror flicks that I skipped over. I've managed to watch four of them in the past two days, so I figured I'd write about my initial reactions to the movies.

Frozen: Adam Green paints a story of three friends who venture to the snowy terrain of Mount Holliston for a snowboarding trip. In an unfortunate, last-minute decision, the friends persuade the ski lift operator to let them ride up for one last run down the slope. He warns them that bad weather is rolling in, and the resort needs to close, but he ends up giving into their demands, and the friends start the ride that will change their lives. To sum things up, the trio gets stranded on the ski lift and must make what I think would be an incredibly disturbing decision: to either freeze to death or attempt to leave the chairlift, despite the perils that await them below. This movie will stir up memories of Open Water, but I found Frozen to be much more disturbing and unsettling. Perhaps this is because I felt a connection to the couple in it, but it also didn't help that there were a few key, brutal scenes that left me unable to sleep. True, much of the scenarios in the movie aren't realistic, but if you're looking for a quick, entertaining movie (the run time is only 93 minutes), then I recommend checking this out.

The House of the Devil

2010-07-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

RETRO-ESQUE POSTER FOR THE WIN!

There's only a few movies that have stayed in my DVD player for days -- the reason being that I can't stop watching the flick. So after I rented The House of the Devil on a whim, I quickly realized that this thriller would be keeping me entertained for nights upon nights. Actually, I hit the replay button as soon as I finished my first watch. Why? Because this movie plain out rocks.

Directed by Ti West (Cabin Fever 2), The House of the Devil is an obvious throwback to the 80s. From the grainy look of the film to the music and the high-waisted jeans, it's easy to forget you're watching a film that was made in 2009. The movie plays upon multiple urban legends: babysitter doomsday, satanic cults, lunar eclipse massacres, etc. The main character, played by a charming gal named Jocelin Donahue, guides the story through its chilling and suspenseful twists and turns. Some might find this movie slow, but I think West does an excellent job of building a nightmarish, demented atmosphere. Instead of immediately throwing viewers into a traumatic scene, West starts us off with a rather normal look into the life of a college girl who is exasperated with her roommate and in need of cash (hey we can all relate to that, right?). As the story continues, though, the film changes its tone to one of mystery and danger.

Don't watch this film and expect it to be a brutal slasher movie. The House of the Devil is composed of slow-burning tension and suspense, much like a Hitchcock thriller (but not as boring). And it will leave you feeling satisfyingly frightened right up to the crazy ending.

HOW DARE YOU REFUSE MY DEVILISH OFFSPRING!

If you are a horror fan, do yourself a favor and watch this, especially if you are nutty for older scary movies. Hopefully it will do for you as it did for me and renew your faith in the creativity of today's young horror directors. If I had a skull rating system, The House of the Devil would get 4.5 skulls out of 5.

I SHOULD'VE NEVER ORDERED PIZZA.

Have a horrific day,
xx.noeLLLe.

I'm Hereeeeee

2010-07-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hello horror hounds!

Wow, OK. So it's been months since I last updated this blog, and I'm not at all happy about that. First, let me apologize for my absence. You see, I had quite the rigorous schedule this past semester in school. For those of you who care to know about my personal life, here's the update:

1) I graduated in May from the best journalism school in the country! That's right; I'm awesome.
2) I moved back home to Texas and currently reside in my favorite city in the world: Austin.
3) I still LOVE horror movies more than anything. Well, I love my boyfriend more. But he likes to watch scary movies with me, so that's great!
4) I held an amazing position as a music editor this past semester, and though it took up every waking hour of my life, I loved every minute of the mind-bending work I did.
5) I currently have a neat internship with a city magazine in Austin.
6) I need to find a job with a horror magazine, Rob Zombie, Eli Roth or a random horror movie...seriously people. I was bred for this type of work.
7) In the time I spent away from this blog, I watched oodles and oodles of horror movies. I will tell you my favs in upcoming posts!

Thanks for reading and keeping up with me.

Hugs and blood :)

xx.noeLLe.

Watch First Five Minutes of [REC] 2 Now!

2009-12-11T14:43:00.000-08:00

Here's an early holiday gift for those of you who enjoyed [Rec].
The sequel won't be released (straight to video...seriously?) in the states until next year, but this preview adds to the anticipation. My theory for why it isn't getting a U.S. theatrical release is because America's adaptation, Quarantine, is releasing its own sequel. Spain's version is so, so, so GOOD though. UGH!!!

Enjoy the first five minutes of the flick (no english subtitles, sorry).

Knives and hearts,
noeLLe.xx

Favorite Scene From Silent Night, Deadly Night

2009-12-09T10:57:00.001-08:00

So last night I watched 1989's Silent Night, Deadly Night III: Better Watch Out!
I ordered a dvd set of the series' final movies for only 15 bucks. Fortunately, I'm getting a lot of bang for my buck. The movie was terrible, of course. But three Silent Night films for 15 bucks? I can handle that.
The only issue, is that I can't watch the original two films. So instead, I'll post the epic "garbage day" scene from Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2.

Nothing like hilariously bad 80s horror movies to get you in the holiday spirit!

DEAD SNOW?

2009-12-09T10:45:00.000-08:00

Has anyone seen Dead Snow yet? It made an appearance at the Sundance Festival this year, and the local art-house theater here is screening it tonight. I really want to see it.
Synopsis: A ski vacation turns horrific for a group of medical students, as they find themselves confronted by an unimaginable menace: Nazi zombies. After the zombies appear, the movie turns into a spitfire of blood.
Zombies, loads of gore, stupid college kids and chainsaws? Sounds like a campy B-movie to me, and campy B-movies are my favorite genre so right on!

Let me know what you think if you've seen this already!

The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon by Richard Gale

2009-12-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

Hi scary scoundrels,

So since I neglected to post this back when it first premiered, I will post it now!

"This strange man has been attacking me... with a spoon!"

bwahaha, that line makes me laugh.

Hugs and blood,
noeLLe.xx

Night of the Living Dead: Origins

2009-12-04T15:57:00.000-08:00

Lets talk a little about Zebediah de Soto's Night of the Living Dead: Origins. As a lover of horror flicks, I'm certainly a fan of George A. Romero's 1968 classic tale of a group of people hiding in a farmhouse from bloodthirsty zombies. I've seen and enjoyed most of the 'of the dead' movies that followed, but de Soto's venture to create a re-imagining of the movie that started it all sort of freaks me out. Most of my worry is because of the 3D CGI component of the movie. CGI zombies just don't seem as scary or real to me. But we'll see.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, joining the previously announced Mos Def as Ben, Danielle Harris as Barbra, Joe Pilato as Harry Cooper, Alona Tal (Jo on "Supernatural") as Helen Cooper, Bill Moseley as Johnny (reprising his portrayal of the same character in Tom Savini's 1990 NOTLD remake), and newcomers Erin Braswell as Judy and Mike Diskint as Tom will be Jesse Corti ("Heroes") and Cornell Womack (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen).

"I wanted to make this look like a living Monet; it's expressionism," de Soto says. "It's going to be the first zombie movie played on a epic scale. This is the 'Empire of the Sun' of zombie films ... I lived through the L.A. riots and saw the city on fire; I remember seeing people running, people getting pulled out of cars. And with 9/11, these images have been ingrained on people of my generation. I just thought that is the way it would really be, a lot of chaos."

De Soto says some of the casting is “a nod to Romero fans. Horror is a genre, and zombie movies are a subgenre that people have been following for years and years.”

Corti (“Heroes”) is voicing a news reporter, and Harris (“Halloween II”) plays a woman who held her family together forced to come to grips with its absence.

Moseley (“Carnivale”) is reprising the role he portrayed in a 1990 live-action remake of “Living Dead”: a Wall Street-type with an expense-account attitude.

Pilato, who appeared in 1978’s Dawn of the Dead, is voicing Harry Cooper, a blue-collar worker who lives for his injured daughter, and Tal (Supernatural) voices his wife, Helen, who blames her husband for all the ills of the world.

Womack (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) is a no-nonsense New York cop.

De Soto, whose background is in commercials, told the entertainment that he grew up in a household where his mother wouldn’t let him to watch television. When he finally saw his first horror movie, Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead,” it made a huge impression on him.

“When you’re not allowed to watch TV and then you see this movie where this broadcaster speaks about this (zombie) disaster, it translated as so real to me,” he said.

De Soto also said nearly all zombie movies end up in an enclosed environment, be it a house or a mall, and he aims to change that. He’s counting on the CGI technology that he and his New Golden Digital effects company is developing.

Here's some artwork from the movie:

Poster and Dates for Upcoming Evil Dead

2009-11-30T21:27:00.000-08:00

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hail to the king baby! Bruce Campbell is BACK.

"Nothing can prepare an audience for what they are about to see, because nothing punishes an audience like EVIL DEAD - especially on the big screen," says Bruce Campbell. "I'm really glad it's back. People are gonna be hurt."

Here are the initial dates!

January 8-9: Uptown Theatre, Minneapolis

January 15-16: Esquire Theatre, Denver

January 29-30: Sunshine Cinema, New York

February 5-6: Egyptian Theatre, Seattle

February 19-20: River Oaks Theatre, Houston

February 26-27: Inwood, Dallas

March 5: Nuart Theatre, Los Angeles

May 22: Hudson Horrorshow Poughkipsie, NY

More cities will be announced as they are confirmed.

Ghoulish dreams my bloodies,

noeLLe.xx

I'm Baaaaack

2009-11-30T21:10:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been quite some time since I posted. This saddens me, but lets make up for lost time right now!

Thanksgiving was excellent, though the season stirs up memories of Eli Roth's hilarious trailer 'Thanksgiving' that played during Grindhouse:

Man, I love that.

In other news, I did succumb to seeing New Moon over the holidays. I liked it better than Twilight, and once again the soundtrack was amazing. Any indie lover would go nuts over this track list. My favorite song was done by Mr. Thom Yorke, and you can listen to it here if you'd like to give your ears a blissful massage :)

The Descent: Part 2 will be released on December 4th... in the UK. Let me stifle the tears welling up in my eyes...okay...that's better. I'm so bummed that I can't partake in the pleasure of watching this film. The first one delighted me so much, and my dad even had to take a break from watching it because he was overcome with claustrophobia. That's so cool when a movie can make you feel its atmosphere like that. The sequel follows Sarah (the survivor who emerged from the cave at the end of the first and was covered in blood and plagued with incoherent psychosis) as she is forced back into the cave by sheriffs and a rescue team to locate her friends. Apparently, the feral creatures who massacred the girly bunch in the first are even more psychotic and savage this time around. I'm super pumped for this movie.

Sream 4 Poster Revealed

2009-11-14T14:40:00.000-08:00

Screenwriter Kevin Williamson is a busy man. He’s writing the script to Scream 4, producing episodes of The Vampire Diaries, Tweeting, and now writing/directing a remake of 1987’s The Bedroom Window.

Williamson is one of the reasons I’m excited about a fourth installment in the Scream series. Yes, I definitely hope that Wes Craven signs to direct it, but the return of original writer gives hope that this will be a solid slasher. The Scream series has always done pretty well at parodying horror cliches, so it'll be rad if this one pokes fun at some more modern horror cliches.

Williamson told the NY Post, “I’ve [included] manga comics, Asian ghost girl movies, there’s some PG-13 horror movies in there, vampire movies, M. Night Shyamalan movies and torture porn movies, even though they’ve come and gone.”

Mangas and horror? Awesome. The overload of vampires in pop culture and M. Night Shyamalan’s declining popularity are worthy of being mocked. Torture porn really deserves to be put on the chopping board, if only because the Saw producers are beating it into a dead pulp. It’ll be challenging to avoid duplicating what the Scary Movie spoofs have done though. You have my support, Williamson!

Nightmare on Elm Street Documentary

2009-11-12T10:27:00.000-08:00

The people behind His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th are joining together again to bring horror fans the ultimate tribute to yet another iconic slasher series, A Nightmare on Elm Street (my favorite horror series EVER).

Work on Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy began on August 22, 2009, in and around Los Angeles. Starring and narrated by Heather Langenkamp (Nancy!), star of the 1984 classic A Nightmare on Elm Street and two of its sequels (1986's Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and 1994's Wes Craven's New Nightmare), this 90-minute documentary promises to be the definitive look at the making of the landmark horror series and the enduring legacy of its wise-cracking, razor-gloved villain: the relentless "bastard son of a hundred maniacs" known as Freddy Krueger.

For a quarter century Freddy has slashed his way through the nightmares of two generations of movie-goers in one of the most artful, spectacular, and terrifying film franchises in motion picture history. To characterize theNightmare on Elm Street series as a modern cultural phenomenon would be a gross understatement. To date, the eight (soon to be nine) Elm Street films have scared up well over half a billion dollars in box office receipts in the U.S. alone, launching the careers of such Hollywood luminaries as Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption), Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2), Patricia Arquette ("Medium"), Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential), and even Johnny Depp.

Little did Freddy's "father", veteran writer/director Wes Craven, know that his terrifying, child-killing creation would go on to become a cult hero and spawn his very own cottage industry. Today Freddy is practically a household name, with his burned visage, trademark fedora, and red and green sweater appearing on everything from T-shirts to video games to action figures to comic books (Freddy was even the star of his own weekly television series!). It's safe to say that Freddy Krueger may never rest in peace – nor should he - since his fans keep clamoring for more.

In addition to the feature-length documentary, the two-disc DVD release of Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy will feature over four hours of nightmare-inducing extras, including the original documentary I Am Nancy, written, produced and directed by star Heather Langenkamp, which looks back at the last 25 years since her debut as heroine Nancy Thompson and examines the impact of the Elm Street films on young people's lives.

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy will be released in the spring of 2010.

Can we say AWESOME?

Excerpt from novel Let The Right One In

2009-11-09T19:10:00.000-08:00

I recently finished reading Let The Right One In and am still digesting how great it is. It's scary, sad, cringe inducing, funny and downright twisted. All these characteristics melt together perfectly in this horror story.

For those of you who aren't aware of this novel, which was recently made into a rather successful film that played in art house theaters around the country, here's a short introduction (courtesy of Wiki):

Let the Right One In (Swedish: Låt den rätte komma in), also known as Let Me In, is a 2004 vampire fiction novel by Swedish writerJohn Ajvide Lindqvist. The story centers on the relationship between a 12-year-old boy, Oskar, and a centuries-old vampire child, Eli. It takes place in Blackeberg, a working class suburb of Stockholm, in the early 1980s. The book focuses on the darker side of humanity, dealing with issues such as bullying, drugs, theft, pedophilia, prostitution and murder as well as the obvious supernatural themes.

While reading the book, I came across one part that sent shivers down my spine and wanted to share it with you.

Enjoy :)

***Page 285***

He smiled to himself as he got out of the elevator. How many normal people would be prepared to take care of this kind of thing without batting an eye? Not many. He was pretty pleased with himself for... well, for doing his duty. Taking responsibility.

I'm not completely normal.

And he couldn't deny it: there was something in him that was actually hoping that... that the bleeding thing had continued, that he would have to call the ER, that there would be a hoopla. However much he wanted to go home and sleep. Because it would make a better story, that's why.

No, he was not completely normal. He had no problems with the corpses: organic machines with the brains turned off. But what could make him a little paranoid were all these corridors.

He punched in the code, automatically put his finger on the opener, which only answered with a helpless click. Pushed the door open manually and walked into the morgue, pulled on a pair of rubber gloves.

What was this?

That man he had left covered in a sheet now lay fully exposed. His penis was erect, pointing to one side. The sheet lay on the floor. Benke's smoke-damaged airways squeaked as he gasped for breath.

The man wasn't dead. No. He couldn't be dead... since he was moving.

Slowly, in an almost dream-like way, the man turned over on the gurney. His hands fumbled for something and Benke instinctively took a step back as one of them-- it didn't even look like a hand -- swept past his face. The man tried to get up, fell back onto the metal stretcher. The lone eye stared straight ahead without blinking.

What the hell do I do? Ten stories. He fell ten stories.

Again the man fell down onto the gurney with a moist boom. A few drops of fluid splattered onto Benke's face. He tried to wipe it away with the rubber glove but only managed to smear it.

Benke walked over and put his hands on the man's struggling body. The man's un-deformed hand shot out and grabbed Benke's wrist. Damn, he was strong.

"I'll take you to the emergency room, OK? Try to keep still."

He walked over to the head of the gurney and opened the morgue door, looked down at the man's head. Immediately wished he hadn't done so.

The mouth which not a mouth, was opening.

The half-healed wound tissue came apart with a sound like when you skin a fish.

"AAAAAA!"

The howl echoed through the empty corridors and Benke's heart was beating faster.

If he had a hammer in his hand in that moment there would have been a great likelihood that he would have smashed it right into that revolting, quivering mass with that staring eye, those strips of skin over the mouth hole that now snapped like overstretched rubber bands, and Benke could see the man's teeth glow white in all that reddish brown fluid that was his face.

The corridors stretched out endlessly before him, like in a nightmare. Yes. It was like a nightmare. All thoughts of a "good story" were gone. He wanted to come up to the surface where there were other people, living people who could rescue him from this monster who was screaming on the gurney.

The man's healthy hand was waving.

Benke looked at it and closed his eyes, opened them again. The man was trying to say something, softly. He was indicating for Benke to come closer. He was clearly conscious.

Benke stepped next to the gurney, bent down over the man. "Yes, what is it?"

The hand suddenly grabbed hold of his neck, pulled his head down. Benke lost his balance, fell down over the man, the grip on his neck ironhard as the hand pulled him down to that... hole.

"Let go of me, for..."

A finger pushed into his ear and he heard the bones in the ear canal crackle and give way as the finger forced itself in, further in. He kicked out with his legs and when his shin hit the metal bars under the gurney he finally screamed.

The teeth clamped down on his cheek and the finger in his ear reached a point where it turned something off, something turned off and... he gave up.

The last thing he saw was how the wet compress in front of his eyes changed color and grew pink as the man chewed on his face.

The last thing he head was a

pling

as the elevator arrived.

There ya go!

Good night my lovelies.

noeLLe.xx

Eminem goes horror?

2009-11-06T18:49:00.000-08:00

Hey freaky folks,

Sorry I haven't updated in a few days. I got pretty busy with school, and today I gave a presentation to the Missouri Folklore Society over how legend functions in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow (awesome!!!).

So in other news, Eminem announced that his next project is Shady Talez, a 3-D horror anthology described as "Twilight Zone meets Creepshow" by ScreenDaily, who broke the news. The project is a collaboration between I, Robot producer John Davis and writer/producer Dallas Jackson, under the D.J. Classicz/Davis Entertainment label. Jackson will co-write the story with Underworld creator Kevin Grevioux; the duo will also produce a four-issue comic book miniseries based on the movie under the Marvel Icons label, for a 2010 release.

Weird? Interesting? Combination of both?

I don't know what to think! But, at least that means some new horror material to check out soon :D

Much love and have an awesome Friday night.

noeLLe.xx

Pictures from my Halloween!

2009-11-02T17:17:00.001-08:00

Greetings ghoul gang!

I hope you all had a killer Halloween (not literally, but you know).

This past weekend was so, so, so fun. Friday night, one of my friends hosted a get together, so we went over there and had some Halloween eve fun. Saturday was amazing. My friend, Adam, was DJing at a local horror bar (YES, A HORROR THEMED BAR) that I am totally in love with. Him and this other rockin' dude, Leroy, played some bangin' beats and the crowd was diggin' it all night. I got to dance on stage and take pictures of some great costumes (and, boy, were there a lot of them).

I put together a slideshow of all my favorites. Enjoy!

(I'm the girl with the tiara and tutu :D)

I've rounded up some photos of my favorite celeb's costumes this year. If you know of any neat ones, let me know!

Heidi Klum always pulls something interesting off. This year-- a crow!

I'd been anxiously awaiting Kim Kardashian's Jasmine costume...hello Aladdin!

Sara Canning rocked a great Sally.

Gwen Stefani as Jessie from Toy Story 2...so cute!

And, hey, at least Octomom knows how to poke fun at herself...haha.

Now, the waiting for next year's Halloween begins!

<3.

noeLLe.xx

They're creepy, and they're kooky

2009-10-31T09:08:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN MY PRETTIES!!!

Halloween Trivia: Halloween jack-o’-lanterns recall Jack, an Irish villain so horrible that neither God nor the Devil would take him. He wandered earth, carrying a rotten turnip.

The night we've all been waiting for has finally arrived. I hope you all have an awesome and fun-filled night, but remember to stay safe too. We all know from watching countless horror movies what can go wrong on this night of trickery.

I'll be attending a zombie walk today (YAYYY!) and then a dance/costume party later. I've already been taking tons of photos of people's costumes (I went to a costume party last night, too), so I'll post the best ones up here later.

EEEK! I'm so excited for tonight!

Hugs and blood,

noeLLe.xx

Horror movie survival tip #3

2009-10-29T10:27:00.000-07:00

3. Never ever pick up hitchhikers on a deserted, rural road. ESPECIALLY, if you live in Texas.

You might end up like these unfortunate friends:

Some of my favorite flicks

2009-10-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hey freaky friends,

So Halloween is only a couple days away, and I'm already getting my annual antsy, ecstatic feeling that accompanies the day of the dead. My cable decided to go on a hiatus, so unfortunately I haven't been able to partake in all of TV's horror shows, but I'm not one to ignore movie rentals. So here are some of the films that I enjoy watching to put myself in a gleefully morbid mood.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

If you really want the ultimate experience, catch this during a late-night showing at a local theater. Watching it on video will most likely ruin the experience. This baby is all about audience participation!

The Shining

Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of the Stephen King novel scares the pants off me every time I watch it. This movie will haunt your psyche long after you press the stop button on the DVD player.

The Silence of the Lambs

This is a film that I am almost thankful I was too young to see in theaters. It's a chilling hair raiser of a movie and is not for the weak-hearted. God bless you Anthony Hopkins.

Halloween (OF COURSE)

One of my favorite movies of all time. Child murderer, mental hospitals, frisky teens, babysitting, Halloween night...I'll let you do the math. You'll never look at knives the same after Michael Myers is done with you.

Poltergeist

Love thisssss. Watch it before you go haunted house hunting. Also, check out the curse that surrounds the movie.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Alright, this is my all-time favorite horror movie, and probably my favorite movie ever. I love Freddy Krueger and his perfect mix of comedy and disgusting. Plus, it's Johnny Depp's first movie. Try going to sleep after watching this; you might never wake up.

Alien

Ultimate horror sci-fi combo. I will never travel to another planet and experiment with eggs because of this movie. I had many, many nightmares after I watched this magnificent film.

The Exorcist

I saw this when they re-released it in theaters. It is the only movie that ever left me trembling in my seat. Seriously, I couldn't move. This is a bloodcurdling movie, and the best possession film ever (if you ask me).

Evil Dead 2

Because Bruce Campbell owns your soul, and this movie is hilariously epic.

The Devil's Rejects

Awesome, brutal flick. Just see it.

The Amityville Horror

The original, not the awful remake. The theme song to this movie kills me. House possession movies are so creepy.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Such a creative, unique and pretty animated film. Mixes elements of horror, fantasy, musical, and comedy. Yay!

Hocus Pocus

This was a childhood favorite and still amuses me.

Beetlejuice

Side-splitting movie, and it's good for the family!

This is only a taste of horror.

Get your groove on with these movies this Halloween and your destined to have a devilish day.

Love,

noeLLe.xx

A bloody bash Dracula would dine at

2009-10-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

The Baltimore Sun posted some menu ideas for a

Vampire-themed party. I found their list quite creative and amusing!

--Blood sausage, of course

--Blood-splattered brains (goat cheese covered with tomato pesto)

--Bone marrow with coagulated blood (cream cheese dripping with cranberry sauce)

--Vampire repellent bits (garlic cloves wrapped in phyllo and walnuts)

--Bloody finger shots (one large shrimp in a shot glass with cocktail sauce)

--Decapitated Dracula (cheese ball decorated to look like a vampire head)

--Bloody drippin' vat (chocolate fondue with strawberries, aka "bloody itty-bitty hearts")

--Blood-bath punch (cranberry juice, ginger ale)

--Bloody Mary with ghoulish garnish

Talk about a cuisine to send your taste buds tap dancing!

noeLLe.xx

Find haunted house and Halloween events with MapQuest!

2009-10-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

Save yourself some hunting, and check out MapQuest's new feature that will lead you straight to all the creepy places in your area. MapQuest teamed up with HauntWorld to add Halloween-themed events to its maps. Pretty awesome, yes?

How to find the Halloween hotspots on the map:

1. Go to MapQuest.com

2. Make sure it’s displaying the city you want to look up.

3. Look to the right-hand side of the page. You will see a vertical bar with icons like “H” for Holiday Inns, a coffee cup for coffeehouses, a gas pump for gas stations, etc. On that same scroll bar will be a ghost. Click on the ghost and you will see the map become populated with ghost icons that take you to info about local haunted houses.

4. To see more ghost options, click on the zoom-out feature on the left side of the page noted by the minus sign.

More info: MapQuest Blog

Halloween week!

2009-10-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

Halloween trivia: In John Carpenter's Halloween, the character Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is named after Carpenter's first girlfriend.

Hey friends,

Eek! It's the best week of the year...Halloween is almost here! I hope you are all getting pumped up for Saturday and watching tons of scary movies. Since I'm updating this late, I'll fill you in on late-night TV stuff for today and then some shows on tomorrow night.

Monday, October 25

Halloween- AMC @ 9 p.m.

Bloodlines: The Dracula Family Tree- HIST @ 9 p.m.

Resident Evil- Spike @ 10 p.m.

Haunted History of Halloween- HIST @ 10 p.m.

Thirteen Ghosts- Spike @ 11 p.m.

Tuesday, October 26

The Rage: Carrie 2- WGN @ 7 p.m.

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown- WABC @ 7 p.m.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers- AMC @ 7 p.m.

2009 Scream Awards- Spike @ 9 p.m.

South Park Halloween Episodes- CMDY @ 8-9:30 p.m.

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers- AMC @ 9 p.m.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Costumes:

Here's a costume that I once wore!

I was a zombie ventriloquist doll.

Where The Wild Things Are!

Or you could dress as Pyramid Head from Silent Hill...scary.

Saw VI- another piece in jigsaw's puzzle

2009-10-23T11:02:00.001-07:00

Saw VI is out now. On a side note, I'm starting to think that perhaps the Saw franchise is sort of the new Friday the 13th. Whether this is good or bad, I don't know. Anyhow, this sixth installment is directed by the man who edited the past Saws- Kevin Greutert. This aspect is intriguing to me, and I'm pretty interested in seeing how his cross to directing pans out. Michael Gingold over at Fangoria says the movie "has proven to be surprisingly better than expected." I'm not a huge fan of the Saw series, but I might check this one out. Let me know your thoughts on it if you see it.

Have a wicked weekend,

noeLLe.xx

Increase in children dressing up as our beloved slasher villains. Do you think it's wrong?

2009-10-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

Should kids be allowed to dress up as serial killers? You be the judge!

"Fanged creatures feasting on brain stems. Possessed babies chomping on arms. Not all parents think it's OK for the holiday second only to Christmas in the minds of many kids to be more a celebration of the most deranged characters pop culture has to offer."

The Associated Press just put out an article on how Halloween has turned into a gore fest-- a notion that personally makes me very, very happy, but I can see how this would freak some out. So there's been an increase in children running around in violent, psycho killer gear. And parents don't like it. ""Bloody, sadistic, nightmare-inducing Halloween costumes are indeed being made and marketed for kids, and no one seems to care," said Joel Schwartzberg, a parenting writer and Montclair, N.J., dad of a 10-year-old boy and twin 7-year-old girls."

Schwartzberg created a website to demonstrate and raise awareness about how Halloween has gone from "sickly sweet to just plain sick." He says he loves a good horror flick and has even written some himself, but doesn't understand the point of all the realistic gore for children.

Lori Liddle, a former executive for American Girl and Lands' End, says she was freaked at how much the costume industry has changed since her three grown children were young. "We were really kind of shocked at how scary and gruesome everything was," she said. "There were aisles too scary for me to walk down."

So she set out to "bring the magic back to Halloween" through more than 150 "kid-friendly" costumes that include dreamy little sultans and genies, smiling spider queens and playful bat capes, along with brave but blood-free medieval knights and gladiators.

Liddle suggests making Halloween a family affair through nonviolent group themes and simplifying the fun through personalized costumes and accessories.

"The fact is there are so many unhappy, scary things in the world," she said. "While Halloween has its roots in scary, it really is about dress-up and imagination. At the end of the day, kids really don't want to be scared."

To me, a 21-year-old horror addict, I find the images of little kids in these costumes hilarious. However, I'd like to hear opinions from some of you parent horror junkies. Would you let your kid buy one of these outfits? Why or why not?

noeLLe.xx

MTV goes horror

2009-10-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

Fans of the pouting, crying and drama on My Super Sweet 16 are in for quite a tricky treat. MTV is getting into the Halloween spirit and taking it to the next level with My Super Psycho Sweet 16, an original movie premiering October 23rd (tomorrow night!), at 10 PM/9 C.

The movie (trailer up above) tells the story of Madison Penrose (Juliana Guill), a bratty,spoiled high schooler who throws a gigantic birthday bash only to have it crashed by Skye Rotter (Lauren McKnight), the class outcast, who shows up to hit on Madison's ex-boyfriend. Oh wait, I forgot to mention that Skye's father is a serial killer who committed a couple of brutal murders 10 years ago. Yeah, well he shows up to the birthday party too.

My Super Sweet Pyscho 16 is MTV's first horror flick and it "promises big, chilling thrills and eye-popping special effects." Yeah, we'll see. I'm definitely interested in seeing how grisly the channel is willing to get with the horror. You may have seen one of the movie's stars, Juliana, in Friday the 13th. She was the girl with the lengthy sex scene that sent every guy in the theater into blissful oblivion.

Here's a sneak peek at the movie:

Will you spend a night watching MTV's first foray into the horror genre?

noeLLe.xx

"Harold" A story to chill your bones

2009-10-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark had a profound influence on me as a kid. I spent many nights re-reading the three books in his series and staring at the creepy illustrations. One of the stories that is most memorable to me is called "Harold."

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When it got hot in the valley, Thomas and Alfred drove their cows up to a cool, green pasture in the mountains to graze. Usually they stayed there with the cows for two months. Then they brought them down to the valley again. The work was easy enough, but, oh, it was boring. All day the two men tended their cows. At night they went back to the tiny hut where they lived. They ate supper and worked in the garden and went to sleep. It was always the same.

Then Thomas had an idea that changed eveything. "Let's make a doll the size of a man." he said. "It would be fun to make, and we could put it in the garden to scare the birds."

"It should look like Harold," Alfred said. Harold was a farmer they both hated. They made a doll out of old sacks stuffed with straw. They gave it a pointy nose like Harold's and tiny eyes like his. Then they added dark hair and a twisted frown. Of course they also gave it Harold's name.

Each morning on their way to the pasture, they tied Harold to a pole in the garden to scare away the birds. Each night they brought him inside so that he wouldn't get ruined if it rained.

When they were feeling playful, they would talk to him. One of them might say,"How are the vegetables growing today, Harold?" Then the other, making believe he was Harold, would answer in a crazy voice,"Very slowly." They both would laugh, but not Harold.

Whenever something went wrong, they took it out on Harold. They would curse at him, even kick or punch him. Sometimes one of them would take the food they were eating (which they both were sick of) and smear it on the doll's face. "How do you like that stew, Harold?" he would ask. "Well, you better eat it - or else." Then the two men would howl with laughter.

One night, after Thomas had wiped Harold's face with food, Harold grunted. "Did you hear that?" Alfred asked.

"It was Harold," Thomas said. "I was watching him when it happened. I can't believe it."

"How could he grunt?" Alfred asked,"He's just a sack of straw. It's not possible."

"Let's throw him in the fire," Thomas said,"and that will be that."

"Let's not do anything stupid," said Alfred. "We don't know whats going on. When we move the cows down, we'll leav him behind. For now, let's just keep an eye on him."

So they left Harold sitting in the corner of the hut. They didn't talk to him or take him outside anymore. Now and then the doll grunted, but that was all. After a few days, they decided there was nothing to be afraid of. Maybe a mouse or some insects had gotten inside Harold and were making those sounds.

So Thomas and Alfred went back to their old ways. Each morning they put Harold out in the garden, and each night they brought him back into the hut. When they felt playful, they joked with him. When they felt mean, they treated him as badly as ever.

Then one night Alfred noticed something that frightened him. "Harold is growing," he said.

"I was thinking the same thing." Thomas said.

"Maybe it's just our imagination," Albert replied. "we have been up here on this mountain for too long."

The Next morning, while they were eating, Harold stood up and walked out of the hut. He climbed up on the roof and trotted back and forth, like a horse on its hind legs. All day and all night, he trotted like that. In the morning Harold climbed down and stood in a far corner of the pasture. The men had no idea what he would do next. They were afraid.

They decided to take the cows down into the valley that same day. When they left, Harold was nowhere in sight. They felt as if they had escaped a great danger and began joking and singing. But when they had gone only a mile or two, they realized they had forgotten to bring the milking stools.

Neither one wanted to go back for them, but the stools would cost a lot to replace. "There really is nothing to be afraid of," they told one another. "After all, what could a doll do?"

They drew straws to see which one would go back. It was Thomas. "I'll catch up with you." he said, and Alfred walked toward the valley.

When Alfred came to a rise in the path, he looked back for Thomas. He did not see him anywhere. But he did see Harold. The doll was on the roof of the hut again. As Alfred watched, Harold kneeled and stretched out a bloody skin to dry in the sun.

Even more Halloween costumes

2009-10-20T16:41:00.000-07:00

The Chestburster.

In case you forgot where this originates from, let me present you with the footage...

Of course, the Spaceballs version is pretty splendid as well...

Doctor Octopus. Walking around with Spiderman impaled to the metal rods protruding from your back isn't too shabby of an idea.

Looking at costumes makes me even more eager for Halloween to get here. I still need to put some finishing touches on my outfit. What are you guys dressing as?

I'm super stoked, because tonight I'm watching Drag Me To Hell. I saw it when it first came out, but I've never seen the unrated version. Sam Raimi is so cool.

Kisses and knives,

noeLLe.xx

Horror Friends

2009-10-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

This guy I know named Jordan Crowder has a web series called Horror Friends that satires various horror films. I thought I'd share the intro with you because it's pretty funny.

noeLLe.xx

Scream if you like Joshua Hoffine!

2009-10-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

"I believe that the horror story is ultimately concerned with the imminence and randomness of death, and the implication that there is no certainty to existence. The experience of horror resides in this confrontation with uncertainty. Horror tells us that our belief in security is delusional, and that monsters are all around us."

-Horror photographer, Joshua Hoffine

Joshua Hoffine is AWESOME. I've been a big fan of this guys art for quite some time, and last night he emailed me to say that I could feature his work on my site. I'm so stoked to share his photography with you. Enjoy!

Joshua has been featured in horror publications such as Rue Morgue and Fangoria. He's a true horror fanatic who is dedicated to the genre; he left a career as a wedding photographer to do this stuff. His pictures capture the darker side of our psyche and expose our childhood nightmares and fears.

Here's an excerpt from the Fangoria article, which I highly recommend you check out:

"Inspired by Stephen King’s observation in Danse Macabre that “horror stories are modern fairy-tales,” Hoffine’s catalog of childhood nightmares, collectively known as "After Dark My Sweet", serves “to remind adults of basic fears; a mouth that will eat you, arms that will grab you and drag you away.” The photos contain some familiar iconography (scary clown, candy-bearing witch, cartoonish red devil, a half-buried hag that will look familiar to any Evil Dead fan), but the minutiae and compositions have a sneaky way of guiding the eye and surprising you. Spend several minutes staring at “Wolf,” a distressing action shot of a screaming half-naked child crouched on a staircase as a snarling wolf bears down upon her, and you finally notice the male human hand in place of a front paw. Pictures like “Wolf” and the disturbing “Closet” have earned some hate-mail for the Kansas City-based photographer, whose young models are none other than his own daughters. “People are really concerned for my kids,” he says with a goodnatured laugh, “but I’m a father first and a photographer second.”

If you want to see more of Joshua's work check out his site and blog.

Hugs and blood,

noeLLe.xx

Scream 4 update

2009-10-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

Ghostface killer makes his return!

Finally, Scream writer Kevin Williamson gives some more details about Scream 4, which he sees as the beginning of a new trilogy of tongue-in-cheek horror films and will feature original stars Courteney Cox and David Arquette.

The story will take place 10 years after the events of the previous sequel, where Deputy Dewey is now the town Sheriff and is married to reporter Gale Weathers. The two apparently have a kid together

The script is done and according to Wes Craven's Twitter, he really likes it. Does this mean that he'll direct it? Your guess is as good as mine, but I hope so.

noeLLe.xx

More costumes!

2009-10-19T21:57:00.000-07:00

Yet another great Halloween costume!

The six-armed goddess Kali.

Heidi Klum close up. So awesome!

Now for some Halloween trivia:

Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the Fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.

noeLLe.xx

Shadow People

2009-10-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

The phenomenon of shadow people. What are they? Ghosts? Figments of your imagination? Aliens? Your creepy neighbor? Or something else?

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?" You were sitting comfortably on your recliner reading the latest issue of Fangoria in the dim light when sudden movement across the room caught your attention. It appeared dark and shadowy, but now there's nothing there. Probably your eyes playing tricks on you. You go back to your magazine and a moment later there it is again. You look up quickly this time and see the brief but distinctly human shape of the shadow pass quickly over the far wall... and disappear.

What was that? The shadow of a person walking by your house? No, there isn't a window in the room. Your heightened imagination? God, this is getting scary. A ghost? A serial killer? Or was it something that is becoming a spreading phenomenon- apparitions that people call "shadow people" or "shadow beings."

Those who have experienced and studied the shadow people phenomenon say that these entities used to only be seen out of the corner of the eye and very briefly. But recently and more and more often, people are saying they've seen them straight on and for longer periods of time. Some testify that they have even seen eyes, usually red, on these shadow beings. You've got to be kidding me. I'm sleeping with the lights on tonight.

The mysterious sightings are a hot topic of conversation in paranormal chat rooms and message boards, and paranormal talk shows are giving it much attention.

What are shadow people and where do they come from? I'll let you come up with your own theory. As for me, I'm thinking they're the spook child of your imagination, ghosts, demons, time travelers, aliens or interdimensional beings. But honestly, I really don't want to run into whatever these things are anytime soon.

Sleep tight my dear demonic friends,
noeLLe.xx

Another Halloween costume idea

2009-10-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

A timely costume, indeed!

Swine flu, anyone?
Just grab some scrubs, a pig nose and box of tissues for this one.

Kisses and screams,
noeLLe.xx

Horror movie survival tip #2

2009-10-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

Liv Tyler in The Strangers (2008)

Another rule to save your sorry butt from the morgue.

2. If you're running from the killer, expect to trip or fall down at least twice, more if you are of the female persuasion. Also note that, despite the fact that you are running and the killer is merely shambling along, he/she is still moving fast enough to catch up with you.

A movie to get you in the Halloween spirit!

2009-10-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

Trick 'r Treat made its presence known to horror fans some time in 2007. The film -- written and directed by X2 and Superman Returns scribe Mike Dougherty -- had a great concept: an anthology of intertwining stories set on Halloween. When the film was finally finished and the trailer released, advance buzz was high; finally, a horror movie that wasn't a sequel, remake, or lazy rip-off. All signs pointed towards a box-office hit. Surely horror fans were craving something original. But then something happened. The studio was, ironically enough, scared to release something without a built-in audience. The release was pushed back, and back, and back, until all that remained was a direct-to-DVD issue -- normally a movie's death knell. But Trick 'r Treat screened at enough festivals and received enough positive online feedback that it's now one of the highest-selling movies on Amazon, and on its way to becoming a must-watch whenever October 31st rolls around.

Hugs and blood my precious pals,
noeLLe. xx

Awesome Halloween costumes

2009-10-18T11:09:00.001-07:00

Hello,

As the night of the dead grows closer and closer, I've been looking through Halloween costume photos online and would like to share with you some of my favorites. I'll post more during this week and next. I hope you all have started working on your costumes, but if you haven't don't fear. You still have time to whip something together.

Jack and Sally from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. Talk about a well-executed couple's costume.

This Marie Antoinette costume gives me chills. It's brilliant.

A costume that I considered trying to pull off was that of Coraline, the animated character based on Neil Gaiman's children's story. I think it'd be a fairly simple costume to put together, and Coraline makes for a quirky, fun and cute costume.

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I'll share some more costumes with you later.

If you haven't had a chance to see Zombieland, go see it. It's hilariously entertaining.

Upcoming horror movie release: Wrong Turn 3: Left For Dead comes out this Tuesday, October 20. It's going straight to DVD, so who knows if it'll be any good. But it'll follow the same formula as the past two:

People+lost in woods+murderous,cannibal, inbred family=guts and death.

If you aren't familiar with the Wrong Turn series, tune in to FX tonight at 6. They're playing the first one.

If you're not into the gory flicks, then maybe you'll enjoy The Haunting of Sorority Row, which is playing on Lifetime at 6 as well. It's starring that Leighton Meester chick from Gossip Girl.

Gotta love October...filled with horror movies and then the ultimate climax of Halloween.

Have a bloody good Sunday.

Horror movie survival tip #1

2009-10-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

In case you're ever faced with a horror movie scenario in your real life, here's your first survival tip.

1. When it seems you've killed the monster or psycho killer, NEVER check to see if they're really dead.

Have a frightful Friday my horror hooligans.

First post!

2009-10-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

I love horror movies, so I figured why not start a blog where I can rave and rant about all things horror.

I'll be posting much more once this blog gets rolling.
Be expecting Halloween stuff, costume ideas, movie reviews,
horror news, tributes to old horror classics, and much more.

I'll be back on here later tonight after I see Zombieland (finally getting to see this flick!)

Hugs and blood,
noeLLe.xx