They say Christmas is the time for 'Peace on Earth' and 'Good Will' to fellow man, however, in the realm of the horror genre, Christmas is often a blood-soaked recipe for ho-ho-horror! While It's A Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation are always great films to watch each and every holiday season, there exists an entire subgenre for those who would rather sit down and have a scary little Christmas...
Here's our list for the top 10 best Christmas-themed horror films!
Ah, time. Where does it go? It feels like only yesterday when we were shoving archaic VHS tapes into a VCR. The good old days...or maybe not. For those who were avid VHS collectors, the memories of tapes getting stuck in the VCR were not good ones. Nor were the tracking problems and having to rewind the tape. The advent of laserdiscs made things better for home entertainment enthusiasts, but even they had crumbled to the wayside in favor of DVDs. And now BluRay is well on its way to becoming the next 'big' thing.
So, it's unanimous, right? DVD is better than VHS. Better picture, 5.1 sound, special features, chapter selections, they take up less room, etc...
All valid points, of course. However, there's one thing that DVD sorely lacks. Cover art. Sure, some DVDs do a fine job, but for the most part, DVD cover art is but a pale shadow of what VHS covers once beheld.
Earlier this month we looked at the Nightmare On Elm Street pinball machine. Well, it's only fitting that we follow that up with yet another eye-popping work of pinball art in the form of 1989's Elvira and the Party Monsters!
It's been announced that rock icon Alice Cooper will have a cameo in Tim Burton's upcoming film Dark Shadows, based on the hit soap opera from the 1960s. While Burton's last few films (Alice in Wonderland, Sweeney Todd, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) have been met with mixed reviews, one could hope that Dark Shadows gives the director a more proper platform to express his artistic talents.
If anything, Dark Shadows will be featuring a very impressive cast - including Johnny Depp (as Barnabas Collins), Michelle Pfeiffer, Jackie Earle Haley, Eva Green, Chloe Grace Moretz, Helena Bonham Carter, and the legendary Christopher Lee.
Dark Shadows is scheduled for a May 11th, 2012 release.
On a side note, it's worth mentioning that Johnny Depp is currently interested in getting a big screen adaptation of Darren McGavin's 1970's Night Stalker green-lit. Hopefully it will fare better than the 2005 TV reboot.
Long before the arrival of the various Playstation, Xbox, and Wii consoles, even prior to the advent of the Sega Genesis, NES, and Atari, pre-dating the release of Pong...there was pinball. Ah, the days of pinball; when a mere handful of coins could buy an afternoons worth of entertainment. For many who grew up when pinball machines were at every arcade, bowling alley, laundry mat, mall, and bar, the appeal of pinball has never faded. Now, sadly, the pinball industry is in a perpetual state of decline, with Stern being the only company still manufacturing these machines on a world-wide level.
Arguably, the Joker is one of the greatest villains in all of comicdom. Why? Because he actually causes lasting physical and emotional damage to the hero. The Clown Prince of Crime has single-handedly killed both Robin (the Jason Todd version), crippled Batgirl, and been a thorn in Batman's side for a handful of decades. But, what was his worst crime, you ask? Perhaps poisoning the cosmetics in Tim Burton's film version? Ruining Harvey Dent's life and destabilizing Gotham in The Dark Knight? Maybe the time he overthrew Arkham Asylum, nah...it's all child's play compared to the shocking events in this panel from a Batman coloring book:
For those not in the know, High School of the Dead began as a Japanese manga back in 2006, but has since built-up quite a cult following and even a 12 episode anime series produced by Madhouse, one of Japan's largest animation studios.
Our friends in the UK are at it again...a fantastic triple feature of classic horror films! Any horror fan fortunate enough to be in Brighton on December 3rd has no excuse not to be at this event! Show your support and attend - there's no better way to spend a Saturday!!
Cyberschizoid and Scare Sarah, the team behind the successful Classic Horror Campaign film screenings across the UK present the first in a series of Brighton based horror events.
Frighten Brighton is taking place at The Rock Inn, Brighton on Saturday 3rd December from midday. The event will consist of a horror movie triple bill alongside a Macabre Market, a book signing from local horror writer N.J. Hallard (Breaking News : An Autozombiography), a horror quiz, fancy dress competition and free giveaways courtesy of Rue Morgue, the world’s leading horror culture magazine.
The horror screenings begin at 2pm and feature Frankenstein & the Monster From Hell (1974), The Entity (1981) and Night of the Living Dead (1990) all for only £6 admission per person. Entrance to the Rock Inn pub and Macabre Market are free. Watch out for a specially filmed introduction by Hammer Films star Shane Briant and a sequel to Frankenstein & the Monster From Hell.
Strange Apparitions deals with a number of elements coming to a head at one point in Batman's life. A new villain appears in Gotham City, Doctor Phosphorus, who terrorizes the town by contaminating the water supply. He also blackmails the city council (whom he had previously held ties to), demanding that they remove Batman from his path. This political pressure is fronted by Rupert Thorne, local corrupt boss. Along with the two new ones, an older, forgotten Batman foe appears, the nefarious Hugo Strange, who both discovers Bruce Wayne's identity, and usurps it. Batman also comes into conflict with Deadshot and The Joker. All of this is made much more complicated by Wayne's introduction to Silver St. Cloud, a local socialite who just might be the first person to truly penetrate his emotional barriers.
Batman: Strange Apparitions collects DETECTIVE COMICS issues 469-476 and 478, 479 from 1977-1978.
This long out-of-print trade paperback from 1999 has been signed on the cover by writer Steve Engleheart and artist Terry Austin. This signed edition also comes sealed in plastic with an official Dynamic Forces, Inc. seal to ensure that it hasn't been opened - and includes a numbered certificate of authenticity!
For those who grew up around the New York area in the '70s and '80s, King Kong went with Thanksgiving in the same way that Santa went with Christmas.
For those that were either removed from the New York/New Jersey area, or are too young to remember, WOR-TV would play their annual King Kong marathon every Thanksgiving. A tradition which typically consisted of the 1933 original, Son of Kong, and Mighty Joe Young. Every so often things would be changed up and King Kong vs. Godzilla or King Kong Escapes would be played - but the original KingKong was always a staple in the line-up.
Unfortunately, due to major companies owning most television stations, tighter programing constraints, and simply lack of creativity, the tradition has long since disappeared. However, in an age of DVDs the tradition can continue to live on, though, sadly, without the quirky local commercials that always proved to be a welcomed intermission. Yet, all is not completely lost because, thanks to Youtube, a sample of days gone by can be relived once again...
