News

My Introduction to Real Horror: George Romero

Published

7 years ago

July 16, 2017

We received the sad news today of the passing of George Romero, one of the icons of the Horror genre. In the coming weeks and months, we’ll see dozens, maybe hundreds, of articles analyzing his movies, looking at the life of the man himself, and looking at his impact on film and the Horror genre.

What many people forget though, is that Horror is a very subjective, and personal experience, and that’s the view I want to take on Romero’s passing. I want to share the way the man and his work impacted me.

To start, I’ve always been a Horror fan. I saw Gremlins in the theater at just four years old and immediately rooted for the monsters. I saw Child’s Play, I saw Critters, I watched all the classics. They were really just fun movies for me though, none of them inspired any sense of fear or even nervousness.

I was also a latch-key kid. My mom left for work long before the crack of dawn, and made sure I was up hours before I had to catch the bus for school, and that was when I first experienced George Romero.

It was late October, I was 13 and I was flipping through the channels at 5 AM. One station I always trusted was the Sci-Fi channel. They played classic Horror movies at 5 AM every day back then, so I settled in.

It turned out to be George Romero’s 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead. I was glued to it. Even in black and white, the blood and shadows played with my head. Everything the characters did made sense, they were all the things I could think of for what made sense to respond to their situation. So when everything they did failed, I failed. Then morning came. I felt relief and elation for Ben when he made it, only to have my heart drop when other survivors dropped him without hesitation.

For a seventh grader, that hit home like nothing else. It was something I knew, something everyone knows, that sometimes you work hard, and seem to succeed, only to have everything ripped away and be left with nothing. But to actually SEE it portrayed in such a way on television like that made it real in a way few things feel when you’re 13.

It probably didn’t help that right after that I had to walk by myself, half a mile to my bus stop with only one dingy, yellow street lamp for light and a nice thin layer of fog.

That was the first time a movie really freaked me out. I was going through the house on commercial breaks, checking locks, making sure the lights were on, and peering out the windows into the darkness of the neighborhood. It also made me extremely jumpy on the walk to the bus stop.

Night of the Living Dead showed me what Horror movies could really do when they were artfully crafted. They could be more than just fun little monster movies. They can affect you on a much deeper level, make you feel things you’re not used to and that you don’t want to feel. They give you that rush of adrenaline from the fight or flight response, even though you’re safe, cozy, and warm in a theater or your own home.

This movie was likely the turning point in my life with regards to Horror. It turned something that was just fun into something deeper and stronger. It’s the reason I write Horror now, watch Horror movies and TV shows all the time, read Horror novels and play Horror video games. It turned something that was merely an interest into a way of life. (And I can probably blame it for my twisted sense of humor, too.)

For all that, thank you George. We’ll miss you.

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News

Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

Published

16 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.

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Movies

‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram

Published

21 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.

The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NEON (@neonrated)

Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.

Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.

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News

Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five

Published

22 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Crypt TV are knocking it out of the park with their new VR show, The Faceless Lady. For those unaware, this is the first fully scripted VR horror show on the market.

Even for masters of horror like Eli Roth and Crypt TV, this is a monumental undertaking. However, if I trust anyone to change the way that we experience horror, it would be these two legends.

Ripped from the pages of Irish folklore, The Faceless Lady tells the story of a tragic spirit cursed to wander the halls of her castle for all of eternity. However, when three young couples are invited to the castle for a series of games, their fates may soon change.

So far, the story has provided horror fans with a gripping game of life or death that doesn’t look as if it will slow down in episode five. Luckily, we have an exclusive clip that may be able to satiate your appetites until the new premiere.

Airing on 4/25 at 5pmPT/8pmET, episode five follows our final three contestants in this wicked game. As the stakes are raised ever higher, will Ella be able to fully awaken her connection with Lady Margaret?

The newest episode can be found on Meta Quest TV. If you haven’t already, follow this link to subscribe to the series. Make sure to check out the new clip below.

Eli Roth Present’s THE FACELESS LADY S1E5 Clip: THE DUEL – YouTube