I have this annoying habit where I find the interesting, enjoyable, and sometimes magical details in ordinary everyday moments.
It's annoying because these moments seem so trivial to others, if I were to point out what was so special about it people would just look at me weird. So I have to keep it to myself.
But its ok. Sometimes holding on to that secret just makes the moment that more special.
Today was definitely one of those days where I experience those moments.
What have I learned today?
I'm a rule breaker. Or at the very least a major rule bender.
Right after the Bruce Lee remix (posted below) this ad popped up. It came on and I didn't skip it. I was intrigued inspired, and enlightened by it. Very well put together, and truly a great story about ideas, communication, and using technology to create a better life in an area where technology is the last place you'd think of.
The Universe is providing much inspiration today. :)
From the folks that brought you the Bob Ross and Mr. Roger's remixes. They now turn their attention to the master himself, Bruce Lee. I love everything about this. It's a creative way to celebrate and spread one of the great lessons from Bruce Lee. The very philosophy of "Be Like Water" is one I try to adhere to in my own life and it's wonderful to see it celebrated here.
Actress Danielle Motley has a nifty new video up which just happens to have scenes from our newest feature film Saturday Night Special. Check it out to see our Danielle shine, and also to catch a glimpse of our newest feature film.
Danielle needed something of a sizzle reel. Just a minute that showcased some of the new footage she was in. So I threw this together. Danielle's an old friend, she's very talented and I'm always willing to help her. Also this gave me the opportunity to play with my own footage.
So here are the 3 goals I have. Finish REDD get it out to it's audience. Finish SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL get it out to it's audience. Put out at least 2 NEW episodes of MONSTER COPS.
Yes that's right. We make our triumphant return to Monster Cops. REDD is on track. Saturday Night Special (or whatever we're calling it) is on schedule. So now we turn our attention to our beloved Monster Cops.
Starting to spread the word again about it, as we're going to start up a Kickstarter soon for it. Check out the newest teaser trailer. I must say I'm rather proud of the graphics at the start and end.
It's always a pleasure to produce something you've been seeing in your head for a while. I've played this visual along with this music in my head for a couple of years now. Here it is.
When I heard the news it made me think of Ridley Scott. For a second I thought to myself "I can't imagine how he feels right now." I quickly realized I can imagine. I know what its like to lose a brother.
And that's how my day started.
I just want to disappear today, but I got shit to do.
I'm trying to be thankful and grateful as things could and have been worse.
I have to think about my friend Andrea. She's going through some medical issues. Going through the hell of waiting on doctors to tell her how bad things may or may not be. I feel for her, her husband and her kids. I truly hope all turns out well.
From that perspective, I've got it pretty good.
I'm in between right now but I foresee a day where I won't be and will never be again.
Yes, I've returned to this blog. I mean how could I stay away? I've been blogging on this thing forever. I'll still have a Tumblr, and I'll most likely cross post what I can from there, but for the most part I'll continue my blogging adventures in movie making on this very blog.
And speaking of movie making here's what's going down.
REDD
Status: Post Production
There are still scenes that need to be shot, and we're trying to coordinate with some of our cast and their schedules. So while we work out any scheduling conflicts there is ALOT to edit. Currently working on editing, Visual FX Editing, Sound Editing, etc. Alot of work, and alot of wait and see as much of the VFX work takes alot of rendering time. Like this scene which I posted for Kickstarter Backers only. Yes that's right, when you support us on Kickstarter you get special treatment and you get to see scenes before anyone else. So suck it. Maybe in the future you'll make a pledge. ;) LOL.
Check out the rough cut of a scene our backers got to see first:
Working on lots more FX shots like that one. And that one still needs a better color correction as well as improved composite shots. That took 2 weeks to put together. Suffice it to say, I'm working my ass off on this one. I'm pushing my Hitfilm skills to the limit, but I am having fun and I can't wait to get this one done.
You may or may not have heard that I was also working on yet another feature film. This is true. I am.
Here's how it all went down.
I was working out details for what my next feature film would be after REDD. I was and still am working out the details with actress Carrie Anne Hunt on shooting a feature film next year, the title of which I will not reveal just yet. But you may already know it if you happen to catch a few hints on my Tumblr (like anyone is that interested in me.)
So that was the plan. But then I did start to entertain the idea of just knocking out a small feature film in between REDD and the next feature. As I was working on all the VFX for Redd, I was really thinking about doing a film that had no VFX at all. Just something simple, performance based, no special editing. Just shoot it, cut it, score it. I mean that was kinda the point of REDD, but then my brain started to go "Hey how do I plus this Sci-Fi Horror Adventure movie?
But with this feature I'd actually stick to the idea of, "Keep It Simple Stupid". I was really looking at John Carpenter's Halloween for inspiration. Simple, creepy, a killer on the loose and characters acting and re-acting to the situation. No huge fx or explosions, just a simple and great flick.
But this feature idea was just going to remain in my brain. Then I got a phone call from my old friend and actress Danielle Motley who is currently in L.A.
It went something like this.
"I'm coming into town. Let's shoot something. Like REALLY shoot something."
I took that as a sign that we should knock this movie out. Danielle would serve as a producer as well as star. I pulled in Amanda Elizabeth to star along side Danielle and act as a second producer. And we went to to work on this thing.
Writing it went pretty quick as I already pretty much had the whole movie figured out, I knew how it started and how it would all end. I spent alot of time watching Halloween 1, 2, and 3. As well as the original Assault on Precinct 13. As I said, John Carpenter is very much my inspiration for the feel of this. I can't guarantee that it'll turn out like a Carpenter film, but that's how I'm shooting it.
In reality, this one's going to have a good amount of goofiness and comedy to it, but there are some gruesome murder scenes we'll be shooting.
We've spent the last week shooting a good chunk of this movie. We look to get it all in the can by mid September.
Here's the basic plot:
Two broke girls hatch a plan to capture a serial killer in order to collect the reward money, and find clues that may lead to a larger conspiracy.
This is my little twist on an 80's slasher flick. There are some very irreverent and quirky scenes. I took some typical 80's horror movie scenes and twisted them a little. I'm simply excited to have a flick that has minimal Computer VFX. Other than color correction and some minor compositing, this movie is pretty straightforward. The only FX we need to worry about are all on set. Real props, real weapons, real blood. Well, real fake blood. In other words no CG blood.
If all goes well, REDD will be completed by October and Saturday Night Special soon after. Enjoy a few of the pics from last weeks shoot.
Look! It's a Monster Cops reunion!
Apparently there are a couple of different movies (recent movies) that are titled Saturday Night Special. So off I go to find another title. Our producer Danielle Motley suggests "Saturday Night Fright." Hmm, maybe.
When you declare to the Universe. When you make your statement about what it is you intend on doing. It's like clockwork that everything that is the opposite of what you're goal is comes into your path. It's necessary. It's the darkness that serves to better outline and define your light.
After all, you can't paint a pretty picture without using dark and contrasting colors.
So when I make my statement, when I declare what it is I'm going to accomplish, and when those inevitable opposites make their way to me, I find that there is almost always an example of inspiration within my sight.
Tonight NASA is headed to Mars. A rover is making it's way to the Red Planet right now. It's a great scientific feat and a quest to for answers about the secrets of Mars and to find possible signs of life. It's a historic event planned and operated by some of the greatest and most ambitious scientific minds in the world. I'm honored to have this occur in my lifetime.
Meanwhile there is a small island where the world's greatest athletes have gathered to compete to the best of there abilities, represent their country, and carry on the tradition of the Olympians. There are great and touching stories of struggle and triumph. To watch an athlete fight their way to the top and win that medal makes me proud to be a human.
It's these events that brighten me. It helps solidify the belief I've always held. As human beings, as strong spirits, as creatures of heart and action, we can and will do anything we set our minds to. Great minds and great bodies are at work achieving greatness and all it says to me is that I can achieve as well.
And so I set out to accomplish my own goals. Right now I'm on my own mission through space. I'm in a marathon racing towards my own gold medal. And I will not quit til I have achieved that greatness. And soon.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Just a heads up. I find myself on Tumblr these days.
I'm trying to blog more about my production work over there, where here I may post more personal matters. We'll see. I hate to completely abandon Blogger as I've been here for years now.
No I'm not actually talking about killing a real baby.
It's the trap that many indies fall into, as well as most any artist starting out. You become so attached to your project that you don't see what needs to be cut out, or you refuse to cut something out because you worked so hard on it, or because you think it's just to awesome to omit.
But you have to.
You have to learn to really look at your work through your viewers eyes and understand that what they're seeing may not match what you are seeing. Sure you may think that long 22 second shot of the horizon you worked so hard to get is just so amazingly beautiful you have to leave it in. But through the audience POV it's a long as 22 second shot that's boring as hell.
You have to consider what moves the story forward. Everything within your movie has got to move the story forward. If it doesn't, cut it out. Learn to understand what may be a potential dealbreaker with the audience. I don't care how beautiful the footage is, how funny, neat, or spectacular YOU think the scene may be, if it's not moving the story along chances are it's boring the hell out of us all.
I bring this up because as I go through what's left to shoot of the script for my feature REDD, I'm noticing things that could be combined, shortened, and tightened up. At the same time I'm going over scenes in editing trying to tighten things up there as well. There is one particular scene that just doesn't work. It's a scene between 3 main characters that is absolutely necessary to the plot. It's exposition that the audience needs to know. It's necessary. And it's boring me to death.
So I cut it and have come up with a new and simpler way to get the info to the audience without them having to stare at three people talking for an eternity (really just 2 minutes, but it felt like so so much longer.)
But there was a time, years ago, when I would have left it just the way it was. I would've thought about how I couldn't possibly cut this out because we worked so hard to shoot this. All the setups, the struggle to deal with the camera overheating, us dealing with the heat, the long trek up and down hill to the location, the actors working hard to remember there lines and perform under heat and pressure. To cut this scene would mean all that work would have been a big waste.
But you have to find a way to push all that aside and stick to that one rule.
IF IT DOESN'T SERVE THE BEST INTEREST OF THE MOVIE, CUT IT.
But too many moviemakers starting out are too afraid to kill their baby.
"It's my creation, my masterpiece, my baby. I couldn't possibly butcher it."
Get over it. You have to.
Ok, so let's not refer to it as killing. You're sculpting. You're molding.
Like an artist chipping away at stone, you're chiseling away all the excess bits to get to the statue underneath. Does that artist pine and sob over every bit of rock he knocks away? No, and neather should you.
If your movie was really a baby, then you as the director have to learn to be a better parent. You're movie in it's earliest stages is just growing. You have to raise it. Mold it, guide it into the fully grown matured movie that it was born to be. Sure it's adorable when the kid runs around in it's diaper holding it's Cabbage Patch Doll (Wow, that's an old reference). Eventually your movie has to grow up.
It's your job to make sure your movie heads out into the real world fully formed minus the diaper and doll. You don't want to put your film out as an unprepared baby movie. What you want is to put out a fully erect adult film.
When I'm not making ridiculous movies about monsters I make ridiculous memes about nothing.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Damn, I really didn't expect for that to knock me down so hard.
Winning Kickstarter was the big plus. But with this mornings events it's obvious I'm very much on my own.
I'm going to spend some time picking myself up off the floor, then I have to make sure this movie is something special. I've got to find the energy to do this, but I just don't have the heart to do free lance work like this anymore.
We're happy to announce that we've added Addy Miller to the cast of REDD.
Addy has appeared in The Secret Life of Bees starring Dakota Fanning and Queen Latifah, Blood Done Sign my Name with Michael Rooker and Rick Schroder, and the upcoming Bad Blood with Christian Slater and Jeff Fahey.
Addy's most recognized work is on AMC's 2010 new original series "The Walking Dead," cast as the "Little Girl Zombie" in the pivotal opening scene that set the tone for the entire show.
Check out the Youtube Vid below if you're not familiar.
Since her appearance on The Walking Dead she's become a fan favorite at Horror and Comicbook conventions all over the U.S.
We're very happy to have her on board in an extremely important and pivotal role for our movie.
So excited to shoot her scenes.
If you haven't yet, check out our Kickstarter Campaign. Time is running out and we definitely need your help to finish REDD. Click on the banner below.
And if you haven't yet. Checkout our Kickstarter Video.
And checkout our latest behind the scenes video on some of our Visual FX.
I'm going for it. I've been agonizing over every detail. Made sure we finished the trailer. Put together a good Kickstarter video for it. Made sure the incentives were great. Listed exactly what we needed the money for. Now we've launched. Let's see if we can raise about 5 grand in the next 30 days.
Won't you help us please. Even if you can't pledge, at least watch our video and pass this link along.
Finally finished editing this trailer. Just happy I finally have something that somewhat explains the plot of the movie. I just hope people like it. Now I gauge the reaction to the trailer so I can better figure out how to handle and when to start our new Kickstarter campaign. The only way we can finish this movie this year is by raising a bit of dough. Fingers Crossed.
Instead of editing the three commercials and my feature film, I worked on this yesterday. Thought of it months ago, figured I'd throw it together. I find it amusing.
The Walking Dead intro cut together over The Dukes Of Hazzard.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
There are really truly great stories to be told. Really great movies to be made. And I want to make them for you. I want to tell you these stories.
Just a quick 1 minute Teaser. Longer Trailer to come. New production vlog on it's way. And further updates on our little indie film. Thank you everyone for your support.
Build-A-Bear Workshop just picked up my commercial. Check it out here:
And to think I almost didn't take this assignment. I had sold my third ad and I was about to get lazy, thinking I'd just work on my movie and skip the next assignment on Poptent, which would be to make an ad for Build-A-Bear. But I did it anyways. The need to make something heartfelt at 60 seconds run time, appealed greatly to me.
So much of what I do is either comical or horror based (or both). I was just aching to make something more dramatic and heartfelt. And since I finally have all my music tools (software, mics, keyboards, etc.) I could really create a proper score for it. I'm quite proud of the music.
As you may or may not know, my brother Robert passed away earlier this year. So I named the bear in this ad after him. The bear itself was actually an old bear that was given to my wife's mother, Brenda, before she passed away. This was my little way of paying tribute to both of them.
I just had this feeling that if I would win this one, it would be because of them. I have to thank them both for this.
Special thanks to Alicia Frizzell and her adorable daughter Reagan. Thanks to Kelly Emerson for putting me in touch with her daughter Alicia, and for also always being so supportive of my work. Thanks to Eve Butler for her great voice over work. Can't wait to finally work with her on REDD.
It's been a rough and special year all at once. Starting with my friend Julie Keels passing away, continuing on with my brother Robert's death, throw in the usual aches and pains of life, and my wife still dealing with her Mom's death. It's all made it especially rough. But on the creative side, this has been an amazing year being able to make some real money through my movie making skills. Plenty of small projects to pay the bills, and thanks to Poptent and brands like Boise Paper, CVS, and now Build-A-Bear, I've been able to make a living out of making videos. I've done it in the past, but this year has been VERY successful.
And because of those opportunities I'm able to work on trying to make a living at making movies. REDD is coming slowly, but it's coming. And my goal of finishing it for the world to see is more of a possibility. Still plenty of work to be done, but I'll finish this, and you'll all get to see it this year. And I'll keep my promise to my brother, that'd I'd finish this.
In other news MAJOR CONGRATULATIONS TO CRYSTAL AND JAMES. two very good friends of mine that are FINALLY getting hitched. I am so immensely happy for the two of them. This greatly adds to the major UPS of this year. Juli and I will do our very best to head back to Texas for the wedding.
Too many times this Christmas I'd gotten caught up in the drama and the depression, but I think I've done pretty good as far as being able to pull away for a little bit to see there is much more light than dark. I cry often. Many times it's because of my brother, but other times, it's because I know how amazing life is, and how beautiful it all still is. I look at what I've lost. But I'm so very thankful for what I have. My wife, my life, and the ability to make my dreams happen. I thank God every day for that.
Ok, much to plan for, getting back into shooting for REDD this Thursday, and I've got a new web series I need to prep for a January debut on Youtube.
Working on the One Spartan Web Series. Hoping to get the first episodes out in January to start off the New Year. Here's the first cut of the opening intro.
Much to be thankful for. As much as I bitch and complain about stuff, my life is pretty good. I've got my amazing and beautiful wife and I'm working on my dreams. That alone I'm thankful for, and yet I still have so much more while others don't have much at all. I understand just how lucky and blessed I am.
This is a pic from yesterday's Thanksgiving lunch at Juli's Grandad's house. Good food, and great times with my niece Brelyn and my nephew Ezra. I love those kids. So much fun running around with them in the yard. I still get amazed at how kids grow into little people, and how eventually they evolve into full grown people. It's one of those things you kinda take for granted until you really look at how amazing the process of life is. (Oh Snap! Patrick is deep!)
It's been a pretty decent week, with so many possibilities coming up. Last week I shot and edited an ad for Poptent and UPS. I've been doing private assignments for them, which usually means I make ads that I can't show people right away. So it was nice to do a public assignment and be able to show the work to my crew straight off. As a matter of fact, here it is:
I go back and forth on whether or not I actually like this. I mean, I think it's "OK", I think we could've made it much funnier. Everyone did a great job in it, but I think I could've put in more effort writing wise. Oh well, it's in the hands of the fates now. It's all up to UPS as to whether or not they wanna buy it.
Was also able to reveal the video that CVS purchased from me. Very proud of this one. Goes along with my obsession with Rube Goldberg Machines. Not only did CVS like it but as I tweeted it (to Pee Wee Herman) , Pee Wee Herman Re-tweeted me.
He posted about it on Facebook as well. I can say that this is the second time he's re-tweeted me. A silly thing to be proud of? I think not. For crying outloud I got the attention of one of my childhood heros. How effin cool is that?
Here's the video:
I am VERY thankful for Poptent. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't have the opportunity to use my skills to make some decent money, and I've done pretty good this year. And because of them I was able to get a great opportunity this week. Can't talk too much about it, but let's just say that some really great opportunities and possibilities may be coming up and I'm VERY excited to see the outcome of my work.
Got to shoot a pivotal scene this past Monday. Got to work with Danielle Motley, since she came in from California for Thanksgiving. Met her very lovely boyfriend, Ruben. Funny guy. Was able to get her scene for Redd out of the way, and also get the two of them into another ad I was shooting.
Built her a website that's kind of a work in progress. Very simple, but at least she has something up that will help her career along. Check it out here:
And speaking of REDD, we've got some headway on it. Check out this little sneak preview I threw together for the upcoming PRODUCTION VLOG 3. People really seem to love our production vlogs. Let's hope they love the movie just as much.
Aiming to have a trailer / teaser up by Christmas / New Years. Also looking to put together another Kickstarter Campaign. It's an exciting time, full of possibilities. Can't wait to see what the future holds. In the meantime, I work to make my own future happen. I'm very thankful for the opportunity to do that.
Had quite a few shoot days for REDD. Knocked out some of the Monster Make Up stuff. Worked on some Special FX. Finished a major dialogue scene.
The timeline is open for REDD. The editing timeline that is. I put in the edited shots and scenes where they need to go and any blank spaces I fill with descriptive text.
Here's an example. I have not yet shot the scene where we see the Dead Cyborgs laying on the ground. So a text place holder sits in it's place.
There are many of these placeholders. Really shows how much needs to be done.
I pinpoint what pages need to be shot, I schedule shoots, and I knock out the footage. When I get the footage, I immediately throw it on the timeline to see if it all fits. And thankfully so far it does. If it doesn't then I figure out how to make it fit, or re-shoot it.
What I'm realizing right now, is if I'm not careful, this movie could turn out to be total crap. Yeah, you'll probably still like it, but by my standards it might be crap. One wrong shot placement, one bad edit, one too many shots with CGI, and my movie could end up equaling the same crap you'd see on the SyFy Channel.
As outrageous and campy as some of this movie sounds (I mean Red Riding Hood has guns, and there is a Werewolf with a laser eye) I don't want to wander into typical B-movie territory. When you watch this I don't want you to roll your eyes, I want you to laugh outloud and cheer on the good guys. On some level you'll giggle at some of the campyness, sure. But I'm aiming to make a good solid movie here. Not a throw away B-feature.
Yup, it is indeed no-budget/low budget indie. But I'm REALLY trying hard for it to look and feel like something more than that. I really feel like the secret to this lies in what I don't show you. There are plenty of fx shots that we have that if you glimpse them, it'll be fine, but if I leave them up for a frame longer than necessary, you'd start to see the seams.
Now more than ever I need to maintain a steady eye on what the audience sees, and try to perceive what they perceive. Much of this will be smoothed out when we start doing beta tests on the first few cuts of the movie. But we've got a ways to go til we get there.
Here's a few pics and frames from this past months shooting.
Richard Gaither as The Chapel Wolf. Make up by Chana Van Meter.
After Visual FX has been added.
Before. The raw footage by itself.
The above frame is from a scene where Carter (Jennifer Russoli) is being interrogated by Snow (Alethea Delmage) and Simon (Nick Karner). It was quite pleasurable to be indoors working on a dialogue scene. A much welcome reprieve from running around in the woods with guns and monsters.
Nick Karner as Simon Weller.
As much as I love the action and fx stuff, I really love getting down with dramatic dialogue. Especially when the performances are just that good, shooting it the right way really enhances the tension of the scene. Can't wait to get this scene completely cut and mixed.
Plenty of scenes where we show armies of soldiers.
Here's an example of a shot where we took 2 actors and turned them into 6.
Some of the Monsters and Crew on our first day with Monster FX.
Chana applying make up to Richard.
Having fun making this film. Hoping you all will have fun watching it.
See what I did there? I made a modern blogging reference within the frame of an 80's pop culture song. Culture Club to be exact.
Yes I'm stupid.
I have a new Tumblr. There I will be posting many random pics and videos mainly behind the scenes stuff. I may end up cross posting alot between here and there.
This blog I'll post almost everything, with the occasional long rant, wordy blog, or personal hash out. There I will stick with short posts, pics, vids.
So feel free to check me out there as well a here.
My DIY Werewolf Costume for Redd is now being featured on Instructables. Not only that but it is also a contest entry into their Halloween Costume Challenge. So feel free to check out this link:
I have to admit my tastes in horror films has evolved. Over the past decade I had definitely strayed away from what's considered popular horror. The Saw franchise bored me and I stopped watching after 3, although I am told the last one somewhat redeems the series so I may give it a try someday. I have no real interest in the Final Destination series. I stopped after 2. I've also come to realize I like FUN horror more then depressing downer horror. If that makes any sense.
I have been more vested in making my own movies so I'm not the obssessive horror cinephile I used to be, but I have come across enough great horror flicks and been able to revisit some forgotten classics to modify my top list for now.
This particular list will be a bit more skewed towards Halloween, meaning, they may not necessarily be scary, but at the very least they are fun to watch for the Halloween season. well, to me, at least. This list is not the end all be all of my fav horror movies. There are many titles I'm leaving off. These are simply the movies I love watching this season. I don't think I could ever really have a static top list of anything. I just love so many of them.
Here now for this Halloween season is my mixed list of old classics and new classics, in no particular order.
1) THE THING (1982) Haven't seen the "PRE-MAKE", and although I was excited at the idea of seeing a prequel story about what has happened at the Norwegian camp, the bad reviews I've been reading are making me want to wait til it's on Netflix streaming. The subtle fear, the anticipation, the paranoia, and the truly great monster FX by Rob Bottin still make John Carpenter's The Thing a true horror classic.
2) HOUSE OF THE DEVIL(2009)
An instant classic. Don't let me get your hopes up. Level off your expectations, and just watch it. Warning, it's what you would call a slow burn. Very easily someone could watch this and be bored to death. Not me. I thought the pacing was perfect. The tension was being built perfectly, and although the scares and jumps are very few, when they come, they pay off well. This movie is about quality more than quantity when it comes to the horror, and it works. It helps that it's set in the 80's, and I love the 80's. Brings me back to my childhood, and it does a truly great job of making this movie feel like it was made in the 80's. Director Ti West is a genius.
3) BABYSITTER WANTED (2008)
Some would say this has the exact same plot as House Of The Devil. And you may very well be right, but this is certainly a much different film, with a different feel. This movie lends itself more towards being a fun B-Movie romp. Maybe it's because I wasn't expecting much, but I thought this movie was fun. Like House Of The Devil we follow one night with a young girl baby sitting in a creepy house. Yup, same plot and even same twists as House Of The Devil, but the foreboding tension is replaced with a bit of campy horror, which I found to be alot of fun.
4) TRICK r' TREAT (2007)
Almost the ultimate Halloween movie, but certainly a love letter to Halloween based horror flicks. Creepy, eerie, a bit predictable, but I didn't care, I was having too much fun watching this anthology of creepy Halloween inspired tales. Also Halloween has a new hero, and his name is Sam.
5) FRIGHT NIGHT (1985)
Duh. still one of my favorites. Roddy Mcdowell as Peter vincent steals the show and Chris Sarandon as the Vampire next door, Jerry Dandridge, is creepy and inspired. Also, one of the coolest Wolf de-transformation scenes ever. Saw the remake, I enjoyed it tremendously, but it doesn't top the original by any means.
6) NIGHT OF THE CREEPS (1986)
Alien leeches invade peoples brains turning them into zombies. A rough and rugged homicide detective and a college couple must fight this horde of alien made zombies. How would you NOT want to watch this? From Fred Dekker Director of Monster Squad, I obsessed over this movie. Zombies, an axe murderer, shot guns, flame throwers, and some decent zombie fightin action. Certainly one of the best in B-movie horror. No so much scary, but definitely fun as hell.
7) TROLL HUNTER (2010)
Along the lines of Blair Witch and Cloverfield. A camera crew follows along a supposed "bear hunter" only to find it's not bears he's hunting. Great fun. Surely one of the best found footage flicks. Way better than Blair Witch and just as fun as Cloverfield. A bit of goofiness and humor, but some fun fx and scares. Check out, even if you're not big on subtitles. Notice I didn't include the trailer. Don't watch the trailer. Just go watch the movie and experience it for yourself.
8) AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981)
I got to re-watch this again this year, this time with my wife, who'd never scene it before. John Landis really hit it right both with the script and with the direction. Some genuinely funny and endearing moments peppered throughout some horrofying scenes. Honestly, this was a huge inspiration for the tone I try to set with Monster Cops. This movie is still a classic. I still call this the best Werewolf movie of all time, with the greatest Werewolf transformation ever shot (only one movie comes close. Look up THE HOWLING).
9) LET ME IN (2010)
I know, I know, I'm a heathan for loving a remake. Those bastards how dare they remake Let The Right One In, the most perfect vampire movie ever made. Well, I'm sorry, but as much as I loved Let The Right One In, I kept thinking about how I would have directed it. Then along comes Matt Reeves and makes exactly what I would have made. I was actually excited when I heard about this. I'm a fan of Matt Reeves, he directed Cloverfield afterall. What he's come up with was what I like to call "if Spielberg Directed a Vampire Movie". Plenty of lens flare, very endearing, the cinematography was brilliant, and they didn't hold back on the horror. There were moments that felt very Hitchcock. I'm sorry, but I fell in love with every bit of this movie.
10) DRAG ME TO HELL (2009)
Sam Raimi is a mad man. Everyone of his movies the star is always the camera. I don't care what celebrity or actor is in front of it, it's the camera that steals the show. His insane shots, tracks, dolly ins. He has this great Funhouse sense with his direction and his photography. And boy does it ever work in this movie. I LOVE THIS MOVIE. For a while I was getting disappointed there were no more recent FUN horror movies, but this one is definitely beyond FUN. There are a few moments of irrationality with the characters, but when you realize that it doesn't matter because Sam Raimi is trying to take you on a ride, everything is all down hill, and what a ride. Such a great ending.
11) POLTERGEIST (1982)
We can argue all the live long day about who actually directed this movie. Tobe Hooper is credited, but many say that Steven Spielberg did much more than produce. Everytime I watch the behind the scenes it certainly seems like Spielberg was directing. Many think the studio just wanted Tobe Hooper's name on it simply because he directed the classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre. To me the movie oozes Spielberg nuance. The lens flares, even the eerie horror bits seem magical and mystifying. But to Tobe Hooper's credit he has been known to pull out a bit of magic in his movies himself (See #14) Regardless, this movie still stands as a great ghost story / haunted house flick. A must for October.
12) HALLOWEEN (1978)
A classic. Still one of John Carpenter's best. A slower pace compared to what the kids are use to nowadays, but to me that's how you build tension. I love the atmosphere of the neighborhood. The rolling leaves, the kids trick or treating, carving jack o' lanterns. A perfect backdrop for a killer in the dark stalking babysitters. Also, I'm a sucker for the classic Teen Slasher setup.
13) HELL NIGHT (1981)
I have a thing for 70's / 80's horror flicks. Especially involving teens. They're just a ton of fun for me. From the very first shot you'll be saying "Yup this is definitely from 1981". It's datedness adds to it's charm. Besides, once we get rolling with the terror, none of that really matters. The rising sheet scene still creeps me out, it's frickin brilliant. And I love that this isn't necessarily a slasher flick, but somewhat leans on being a monster movie.
Honorable Mention
Funhouse (1981)
No argument here that Tobe Hooper actually did direct this one. I love the first 5 minutes and the last 10 minutes. I love the carnival setting. Here he actually does a good job of capturing the carnival mystique, a somewhat magical and often eerie place. We follow two teen couples as they attend the festivities only to find themselves face to face with a creepy killer. The only gripe one may have is that the movie certainly does take it's time getting to the action. I have to admit alot of my love for this movie is nostalgia. Re-watching the end scene where we finally see the "villain" really brings back memories.
Darkness Falls (2003)
This movie came and went with not alot of fanfare. And very many of you really hate this film. But I thought it was fun and I honestly don't see what what there was to hate about it. Performances were fine, fx were good, not one boring scene to me, honestly, I really had fun with this flick. When I need a stand by horror flick to watch this does just fine. Maybe it's not great, but I enjoyed this eerie spin on the "Tooth Fairy" quite a bit. Also, I think Emma Caulfield is hot.
Return Of The Living Dead (1985)
Dan Obanon had set out to make a horror film in the style of a comedy. What has resulted in a very eerie, very funny, very outrageous Zombie movie. It's the first time (that I remember) anyone seeing zombies that ran. And not only did they run, but you actually couldn't kill them. This one doesn't hold back on nudity (Linnea Quigley's stripper dance in the graveyard) and some pretty nifty, although somewhat cheesy, zombie fx (the zombie interrogation). The sense of doom and despair still creeps me out, but it had a good sense of goofy horror fun. I LOVE TAR MAN!
HALLOWEEN II (1981)
Director Rick Rosenthal picks up right where the first one left off, and I love that. A continuation of this night of terror leads to much more horror at the local hospital. I love it when Michael Myer's walks right through that glass door. So cool and creepy.
HALLOWEEN III: Season Of The Witch (1982)
Wow, what an uproar by fans at the time. This was actually not a sequel. Carpenter really wanted to make the Halloween franchise more along the lines of an anthology, where each movie would have the same feel but be about different stories about Halloween. NOPE, it didn't take, and Halloween 3 was a huge flop. Why? Because it had absolutely nothing to do with Michael Myers. Instead this is about a series of deaths that may be linked to Halloween masks created by the Silver Shamrock company. No it has nothing to do with Michael Myers, but guess what, I don't care. Once you get to the idea that this is a standalone movie it turns out it's actually pretty good. Had the same eerie feel as the first two, and still holds on to that spirit of Halloween Horror. Also Tom Atkins is the good guy, and who doesn't love Tom Atkins.
MONSTER SQUAD (1987)
Are you kiddin me? Do I really need to explain this one. Wolfman's got nards. That's all you need to know. Go watch this if you haven't yet.
THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (1985)
Probably the movie that helped inspire my love for Halloween and Halloween movies. An ABC TV Movie, cheesy, more family oriented, but still alot of fun. Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, and dated as hell, it screams 80's and that only makes me love it more. I still have my original VHS copy of this that I bought from the Grand Prairie Rent-A-Movie before they shut down. I watch it often. Directed by Jack Bender who would go on to direct several of my favorite episodes of LOST and HOUSE. You know what. I'm gonna watch this right now.
I'm so unbelievably happy right now. I really wish my brother could enjoy this with us. Our Texas Rangers are the American League Champions. First the Mavericks, now it's the Rangers turn to bring another title back to DFW. Wish I could've been there.
I'm just so happy that me and Juli were there for opening weekend earlier this year. We saw that grand slam and we didn't realize that it would be a sign of things to come. It's been a bitter sweet year, but the great moments have truly been great. I hope to see and make more great moments.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
