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The Artwork For “Halloween III: Season Of The Witch” Collector’s Edition Is Awesome.
I'm sure you know that Halloween III: Season of the Witch is one of my all-time favorite horror films for a variety of reasons, but up until now, it has never received a release that would make you think they cared about it. That all changed when I saw Shout Factory's (or as they call themselves on Halloween, "Scream Factory") artwork for the new "Collector's Edition" Blu-ray & DVD coming out this month. Check this out:
Does that not absolutely embrace everything that's awesome about the movie? Look how Conal Cochran is hovering above everyone, acting like the evil puppet master that he is, preparing to play the ultimate trick on the children of Halloween while his robots wait silently below. Fantastic. I also love how they made it looked like an aged, folded promo poster, as if it came straight out of an old VHS rental store back in the eighties. I'm sure they still have to go through some "final processing" before they can release these Silver Shamrock approved discs, but I simply can't wait to get my hands on 'em. I'm sure they'll have a time getting it here.
They have some other great looking releases too, including Halloween II, The Funhouse, They Live, and The Island among others. Take a look:
It's nice to see these seemingly unappreciated movies getting the love that's been due for decades, so kudos to Scream Factory for making it happen and to Nathan Thomas Milliner for a job well done on the artwork. I've also heard that they're working on releasing a collector's edition of Phantasm II, so let's hope it happens, cuz we can all agree that one is loooooong overdue. Boyyyy!
Are there any horror flicks finally coming out on DVD that you're excited about or any that you're still waiting to see get a proper release? If so, lemme know!
Eat Your Brains I Will, Yes.
Ok, so this doesn't look like a Halloween product at first glance, but Target store managers realized it belonged with all the Halloween merchandise, because that's exactly where they put this Yoda bobblehead figure. What the hell happened to him? I know the guy lives in the swamps of Dagobah, not exactly the nicest place to vacation, but he's clearly seen better days than this. Let's just come right out and say it: Yoda looks like a zombie.
Well, it turns out this is part of a new line of Funko Star Wars "Monster Mash-Ups" bobblehead figures, and while it's funny seeing Darth Vader as Frankenstein's monster, a Stormtrooper as a Skeleton (Skeletrooper?), and Chewbacca as the Wolfman, the "bloodthirsty gargoyle" Yoda is just downright frightening.
I've always loved Yoda, what with the amusing way he communicates in reversed fragments and enjoys riding on Luke piggyback style, but this twisted rendition of his face is the last thing I want to see bobbling around on my dashboard every day. Seriously, just look at it:
Look at those eyes... bloodshot, lifeless and I'm sure they'd show absolutely no remorse over eating you and your loved ones alive. And honestly, is there a scarier thought than that of a zombie with Grand Master Jedi powers? One minute you're walking down the road, minding your own business, the next you're willfully handing over your guts on a platter because some zombie pulled the ol' Jedi mind trick on you. Sorry, but a Jedi craves not these things. Big thanks to both Ava and Brad for pointing out this disturbance in the Force to me.
SURVEY: If you were going to turn a character from the Star Wars universe into a monster, what would you turn them into and why? I'll start us off. I'd turn a Jawa into one of the dwarfs from Phantasm. Hell, they're already the same height and wearing the same outfit... all they'd need is the Tall Man to lead them. BOYYYYY! OOTINI!
The Ball Is Back… On DVD!
Boy oh Booooooooyyy! This is something I'm really glad to see - Phantasm 2 is FINALLY coming out on DVD here in the US on September 15th. For years, it was tied up in legal limbo for a US release, so fans weren't able to watch that particular movie unless it happened to air on TV or they played an old VHS tape of it. I've always been torn between which of the first two Phantasm films I like best, but I always seem to lean towards the second one for its sheer entertainment value. The first Phantasm was a groundbreaking horror movie in every way possible. Angus Scrimm immediately became one of the most memorable and downright creepy horror icons of the past 30 years as the Tall Man, and the movie itself is one of the few that I believe deserves an honored place in the coveted "actually scary" category of horror films.
Phantasm 2, on the other hand, while still creepy in parts, had the very different atmosphere of an action-horror-comedy instead of the bizarre and surreal nature of the original. It's probably the most entertaining film of the series and definitely the more accessible one for the general public. I don't think anybody can deny the awesomeness of Reggie Bannister, the world's greatest ice cream man, and his quad-barrel shotgun in this film. So yeah, chalk me up as one of the people who couldn't be happier to see Phantasm 2 finally getting its long overdue DVD release.
All that said, I gotta say that the release is just slightly bittersweet. Once again, they've swapped out the original classic poster artwork for the insert with some Photoshopped imagery. As you probably recall from my post a few years back, in which I purchased a copy of Maximum Overdrive and mentioned how I hate when companies don't use the original (and almost always superior) poster art from films, this is something that will forever annoy me.
The only other problem I'm having with purchasing it is that Anchor Bay released a badass Phantasm Sentinel Sphere box set in the UK several years ago which I posted about at the time. I'm wondering if we'll ever see that incredibly cool set come to the US now that Phantasm 2 (the only one that was still unreleased) is finally out on DVD. I know the only huge difference is novelty packaging, but I am ALL about novelty packaging, especially when the DVDs come inside a shiny sentinel sphere. So if there was a chance the sphere set was going to be released here any time soon, I'd probably hold out for it. However, since I haven't heard any mention of such a thing happening, and it will probably take them an eternity to get the legal crap for that set sorted out even if they do decide to release the full set (Universal owns part 2, Anchor Bay owns the rest), I think I'll go ahead and get the single DVD. I just want to be able to watch one of my favorite classic horror sequels again. Actually, wait a minute... I could just buy the UK sphere set and stick the region 1 US Phantasm DVDs inside it and my problem will be solved. BRILLIANT!
So what about you guys? Which Phantasm movie is your favorite and why? What are some of your favorite moments from the series? I already shared one of mine a few years ago (and I just updated it so it's in the new site template as well).
Halloween Infiltrates Christmas For A Change!
For as long as I can remember, I've thought Halloween has been fighting a losing battle against Christmas. I'm not saying the two holidays are at war with one another and there's certainly room for the both of 'em since I firmly believe you can never have too many excuses to take a holiday (and I happen to like a lot about Christmas too), but I do think Christmas starts popping up too early each year as if to say, "No Halloween, you're not allowed to have the spotlight all to yourself." If you've been in any retail stores, I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about as many of them already have a bunch o' Christmas decorations up for sale and it's not even October yet.
So I consider it a rare thing when Halloween actually gets a chance to invade the Christmas holiday season a little bit for a change. Sure, there are always movies like "A Nightmare Before Christmas", but having worked in a video store in the past where one of the employees was completely obsessed with that movie and played it nearly every goddamned day, I grew to hate it. It's too bad too, because I actually liked that movie before I started working there. Still, there are plenty of good Christmas-themed horror movies out there such as "Jack Frost" and "Silent Night, Deadly Night" - so at least we're covered in terms of video entertainment.
You can also get a damned fine Halloween Tree and use it both in October and at Christmas time:
It's Radko's Shiny Brite Halloween Bubble-Brite Tree! This thing has not one but TWELVE glowing pumpkin bubble lights built right into it and I think you already know about my feelings with it comes to bubble lights. Unfortunately, the drawback of a tree like this is that it's small, and let's face it... the bigger the tree, the more room there will be more room for presents underneath it. More presents equals a happier you - or at the very least, more store credit when you take it all back because you didn't want any of that crap they bought you to begin with. So while the Halloween Bubble-Brite Tree is one hell of a cool decoration, I don't see it ever replacing a real Christmas tree for most people. Still, when I went to my local Michaels store the other day, I found some new Halloween items that could easily serve you well come Santa season.
Now most people simply know Michaels as an arts & crafts store, but the fact is, they really do go all out come Halloween each year. I always make a point to go in there a few times every year during Halloween season, if for no other reason, to check out the fantastic Lemax Spooky Town displays. If you haven't seen them before, you have no idea what you're missing out on. Sure they have a Christmas Town series too, but who wants to look at happy kids ice skating with glee when they can look at something like "Dr. Stretch N. Pull's Torture Factory" or "The Rest In Pieces Mausoleum"?
Even my grandma would agree that the latter sounds far more interesting. Some day, many years from now, I swear I'm going to get a house and dedicate an entire room to having the largest "Spooky Town" display that I can possibly fit in it. For those of you who don't have a Michaels near you, check out this video which showcases some of the many Spooky Town buildings and accessories and how you can create one hell of a cool display with 'em.
So, until I have an entire room that I can dedicate to nothing but animated Halloween displays, what am I to do come Christmas time? It's quite simple really...
Halloween Jingle Bells!
Found these guys at Michaels the other day and they're the perfect, subtle way to have a little Halloween goodness mixed in with all of your Christmas fun. Best of all, they won't take up an entire room in your house or send you on a nosedive into crippling debt (which is something I'm sure the Spooky Town collection will one day do to me). Jingle jangle...
Survey: What are some other ways you've seen Halloween "infiltrate" the Christmas season?
Also, on a semi-unrelated note, be sure to participate in our latest Halloween contest. I got inspired by our fun horror movie posters discussion in my previous post, so I started up a contest where you guys can make your own. The horror, the horror...
Bravo TV’s “Even Scarier Moments”
I just wanted to chime in here real quick today. As a result of catching one of those "Hey, let's ruin your life for the next 48 hours!" flu-type things; I've been watching Bravo TV's "Even Scarier Moments" show which counts down what they consider to be the greatest, scariest scenes from horror movies. Have any of you seen this? All I can say is that it makes me want to put my fist through the TV set. The list is so far off it's not even funny and it just screams of some film studios paying off Bravo to make sure they include some of the horror movies from recent years in the top 20.
They actually rated "Hostel" as #1 on the list. Hostel. HOSTEL!?!? I'm sorry, but that movie was awful. It wasn't scary... it felt like roughly 70 minutes of some American college guys chasing tail in Slovakia, with a little "horror" thrown in at the end. I should note that I have no problem with nudity in horror movies... the two have always gone hand in hand. But come on, Hostel!? Release thy dick from thy grasp and get real for a minute. The movie honestly felt like something you'd see in Cinemax late at night rather than a bona fide horror flick. When a horror movie relies so heavily on the nudity, you know it just doesn't have a lot going for it.
Anyway, during the show, they have lots of guests (many of whom work/worked in horror movies) giving their two cents about the movies featured on the list. Eli Roth (creator of Hostel), however, seemed to be there to comment on almost every single one. Now, I don't think Eli is a bad guy. He seems like a genuine horror movie fan and I'm sure he's an ok guy in real life; but with him being on the show so much and his movie being in the #1 spot on the list, it just makes you wonder if he (or the studio he works for) had a lot of pull with Bravo in regards to what movies made the top 20. After all, they do have a sequel coming out.
When I see mediocre-at-best horror movies like "Saw" or "Hostel" ranking higher than the likes of "Dead Alive," "Phantasm," "The Thing," "The Shining" and a number of Hitchcock classics... I have no doubts that Bravo's "Even Scarier Moments" list is full of shit. Then again, I suppose this should come as no surprise considering this is the channel that brought us fantastic shows such as "Being Bobby Brown". The only thing "Even Scarier" about their list is to think that some people out there would actually agree with it. Hell, I'm sure some of you who are reading this absolutely love movies like Saw and Hostel and consider me to be a madman for speaking out against them. That's fine, to each his own. I just think some people, namely the younger audiences who perhaps haven't had a chance to see any horror films other than what's come out in the past 5 years, don't know what they're missing.
On a related note; I love flipping through all the channels on TV and seeing horror movies/shows playing on most of them throughout the day. Why can't TV be like that all year round?
Survey: If you could re-write the show and make your own list, what horror movie moments would be in your final top 10 and why?
The Ultimate Guide to the Hallloween Candies of 2006!
It's finally up! I told you guys last Saturday that I had a big article coming up this week and it's now up. I-Mockery's Ultimate Guide to the Halloween Candies of 2006! For the past several weeks, I've been going to all sorts of Halloween shops and general stores in search of as many different Halloween candies as I could find. The end result? I've reviewed over 30 different candy varieties for the 2006 Halloween season! I'm really excited about this piece because 1) it's fun to finally show it to all of you and 2) I'm still on a sugar high from eating all that candy which will most likely keep me hyper until Halloween '07. Lemme know what you think. Hope you all enjoy it!
In other news, does anybody have a million dollars I can borrow? As you know, I recently moved to Los Angeles, and while I did just get a new place... I would gladly trade it for this house that just went up on the market:
Sure, it might look like an ordinary house at first, but if you look a bit closer, you'll realize it's the house from A Nightmare on Elm Street. Freddy Krueger's home! I can't even begin to imagine how much fun Halloween would be each year if I lived there. So yeah, I know there's a sugar daddy out there somewhere wanting to give me a million bux to buy that place. I'll be waiting by the phone for your call.
Speaking of stuff related to horror movies, as you may or may not know, I consider the Phantasm series to be in the upper echelon of great horror movies. The Tall Man, played by Angus Scrimm, is easily one of the scariest and most entertaining horror icons you'll ever come across in a film. Other characters such as Reggie will always give you some good chuckles. And who can forget the sentinel spheres - those killer silver balls that keep on attacking until you're dead. Well, something that's bothered me for a while now is that there has never been a box set released here in the states for the series. Even worse, my favorite movie from the series (part 2) has been out of print for quite some time. And then I see that people in the UK get this:
A DVD set of the entire series that comes in a big killer Sentinel Sphere? You have got to be shitting me. That's pretty much the greatest novelty DVD set design I've ever seen. Believe me, I LOVE my two squishy Evil Dead "Book of the Dead" DVD cases (especially the one that screams when you poke it in the eye) but they don't hold a candle to this set. If this set doesn't get released this set in the United States, I might have to talk to Angus to see if he'll lend me a few of his killer spheres to take with me to Anchor Bay Entertainment's headquarters.
You can help show your support for getting the Phantasm Sentinel Sphere DVD set released in the States: Email Anchor Bay about it!
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