Spencer Hawken

David Hess Dies At 69

2011-10-09T03:11:00.000-07:00

American actor/songwriter David Hess has died of a heart attack aged 69.

Horror movie fans across the globe will today be awakening to the news of his death, a modern day audience in mourning.

Frightfest Reviews

2011-08-28T23:29:00.000-07:00

It's the final day of the festival already, and there have been some great movies, and some flops.

Here are reviews of the movies I have written so far:-

Kill List

The Woman

Fright Night 3D

The Divide

Tucker And Dale Vs Evil

Urban Explorer

Vile

The Glass Man

The Wicker Tree

The Holding

Rogue River

The Theatre Bizarre

Final Destination 5

Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark

More reviews will follow shortly.

Frightfest Eve

2011-08-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

T'was the night before Frightfest...

It's almost time, hard to believe it's ben a year since the last one. But it's come around again already. I'll be at the main screen from Thursday to Monday reviewing all the movies.

I'll be looking forward to see Don't Be Afraid Of The dark, The Theatre Bizarre, Urban Explorers, The Wicker Tree, Fright Night, The Woman, Chillerama, Saint, A Lonely Place To Die, Inbred and A Night In The Woods. As usual some will disappoint, while some others will surprise. Those that I have not mentioned many i'll love, and some will make me incredibly pissed off.

You'll find the most up to date info on the each day's events here.

While i'll return later to update here, but depending on workload it might be considerably later.

Man Snatches $800 Vagina

2011-08-24T12:24:00.001-07:00

Man Snatches $800 Vagina

Woman Persuades Husband to Try and Get 12-year-old Pregnant | Trifter

2011-08-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

Woman Persuades Husband to Try and Get 12-year-old Pregnant | Trifter

A woman has tried to get a twelve year old girl pregnant in order to claim additional benefits from the government.

Read more: http://trifter.com/usa-canada/woman-persuades-husband-to-try-and-get-12-year-old-pregnant/#ixzz1Vya8TFkn

Frightfest 2011 Schedule of films

2011-07-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the schedule, a more detailed list of movies and info is in the below post.

Thursday 25th August:

6.30pm Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (UK Premiere) – 100 mins
9.15pm Final Destination 5 3-D (UK Premiere) – 95 mins
11.30pm The Theatre Bizzare (European Premiere) – 108 mins

Friday 26th August:

10.40am Rogue River (UK Premiere) – 90 mins
12.45pm The Holding (World Premiere) – 90 mins
3.05pm The Total Film Interview: Larry Fessenden in conversation with Jamie Graham - 90 mins
5.00pm Urban Explorers (UK Premiere) – 88 mins
7.05pm The Glass Man (World Premiere) – 120 mins
9.55pm Tucker and Dale vs Evil (London Preview) – 86 mins
11.55pm Vile (World Premiere) – 88 mins

Saturday 27th August:

11am Troll Hunter (Preview) – 99 mins
1.15pm The Wicker Tree (European Premiere) – 90 mins
3.35pm Panic Button (World Premiere) – 95 mins
6.00pm Fright Night 3-D (Preview) – 120 mins
9.00pm The Woman (UK Premiere) – 100 mins
11.30pm Chillerama (European Premiere) – 115 mins

Sunday 28th August:

10.30am The Divide (Preview) – 110 mins
1.00pm The Horror Channel Presents the Short Film Showcase & Andy Nyman’s Quiz From Hell 2
4.00pm The Innkeepers (UK Premiere) – 110 mins
6.35pm Saint (UK Premiere) – 85 mins
8.50pm Kill List (UK Premiere) – 90 mins
11.30pm Detention (UK Premiere) – 93 mins

Monday 29th August

10.45am Guinea Pigs (World Premiere) – 90 mins
1.10pm Deadheads (UK Premiere) – 90 mins
3.30pm Sennentuntschi: Curse of the Alps (UK Premiere) – 110 mins
6.30pm Inbred (World Premiere) – 95 mins
9pm A Lonely Place To Die (UK Premiere) – 98 mins

DISCOVERY SCREEN

Friday 26th August:

10:35am The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry (UK Premiere) – 75 mins
12:30pm A Horrible Way To Die (Preview) – 95 mins
3.00pm Midnight Son (UK Premiere) – 95 mins
5:15pm Rabies (Preview) – 90 mins
7:30pm Blood Runs Cold (UK Premiere) – 80 mins
9:30pm Kidnapped (London Preview) – 85 mins
11:30pm Stormhouse (London Preview) – 88 mins

Saturday 27th August:

10:30am The Dead (Special Event) – 90 mins
1.00pm Atrocious (UK Premiere) – 75 mins
3:30pm My Sucky Teen Romance (European Premiere) – 80 mins
6.00pm The Caller (London Preview) – 88 mins
9:05pm The Devil’s Business (World Premiere) – 75 mins

Sunday 28th August:

11:15am Kidnapped (London Preview) – 85 mins
1:15pm Rabies (Preview) – 90 mins
4:15pm Blood Runs Cold (UK Premiere) – 80 mins
6:45pm Midnight Son (UK Premiere) – 95 mins
9:15pm The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry (UK Premiere) – 75 mins

Monday 29th August:

11am The Caller (London Preview) – 88 mins
1.00pm The Devil’s Business (World Premiere) – 75 mins
3:45pm Atrocious (UK Premiere) – 75 mins
6:35pm My Sucky Teen Romance (European Premiere) – 80 min

Frightfest 2011: Full Film List Announced

2011-07-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

Well it’s that time of the year again, the big announcement of the movies to be screened at this years Frightfest.

Each year the festival dominates London’s Leicester Square as thousands of horror movie fans take over town.

Now in it’s twelfth year the festival is the UK’s only real horror event.

So let me not hark on about history, here is a brief rundown of this years movies:-

Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark: Guillermo Del Toro directs Katie Holmes and Guy Pierce in this spooky tale of a family moving to a new house where the daughter discovers that creatures living there want to claim her as one of their own. Guillermo will be turning up to host the festivals opening film.

Final Destination 5: More of the same from the FD franchise, this time a group of guys cross a rope-bridge.

The Theatre Bizzarre: Anthology movie starring Tom Savina, and Elisa Dowling, as well as horror legend Catriona MacColl.

Rogue River: Bill Moseley stars as the bad guy (Surprise! Surprise!) in this revenge thriller, with a family angle.

The Holding: A tense thriller set in a remote part of the English lake district.

Urban Explorers: I cannot find anything on this as yet.

The Glass Man: Chilling drama about a man juggling with financial crisis, when one night a debt collector arrives presenting him with an offer he cannot refuse.

Troll Hunter: A group of students investigating the gritty killing of a number of people by a killer bear, while investigating they encounter a mysterious hunter who declares himself to be a troll hunter.

Tucker And Dale VS Evil: A couple of rednecks vacationing in their mountain cabin are attacked by a group of college kids.

Vile: No information on this yet.

The Wicker Tree: Originally to be called The Cowboys Of Christ, this is director Robin Hardy’s “re-imagining” of 1973’s The Wicker Man.

Panic Button: The nasty side effects of posting your life’s journey online.

Fright Night 3D: Remake of the classic 80’s horror romp in which a kid discovers his next door neighbour is a vampire. Stars Colin Farrell and David Tenant.

Chillerama: Chilleramais an anthology of horror comedy tales by some of America’s most cutting edge directors. Segments include a story about Werebear and The Diary Of Anne Frankenstein.

The Divide: The director of Frontier(s) returns with a chilling end of the world drama.

The Innkeepers: Ti West director of House Of The Devil brings the tale of two employees working at a haunted hotel, as it prepares to go out of business.

Saint / Sint: The sort of movie to really scare kids, Saint Nicholas heads on a killing spree on December the 5th, instead of giving to the kids, he literally takes everything from them.

Kill List: A film that is said to hark back to a earlier time, a dinner party that starts uncomfortably, ends nastily. Much of the movie is a secret, in more ways than one.

Detention: The killer from a slasher movie, terrifies a group of kids in their final year of high school.

Deadheads: Zombie road movie comedy.

Guinea Pigs: Former Mr Price, Alex Reid stars in this story of an experimental drug program that goes dangerously wrong.

Sennentuntschi - Curse Of The Alps: Realistic, and mesmirising this beautiful Swedish movie shows the locations you don't normally see, while bring a haunted and twisted tale.

Inbred: Creepy horror/comedy about a group of inmates out on a repay back the community weekend, find themselves besieged by a group of inbred locals, and fighting for their lives.

A Horrible Way To Die: A girl on the run from her murderous ex-boyfriends attempt to start a brand new life goes scarily wrong.

The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry: A documentary looking at the life of actor/director Paul Naschy, whose input in Spanish horror cinema can never be forgotten.

Midnight Son: Hauntingly disturbing vampire movie, that has a breathtakingly unforgettable final scene.
Rabies: Israeli horror movie about a brother and sister who’s escape from home takes them to a nature reserve monitored by a psychopathic killer.

Blood Runs Cold: An artist looking for a stress free break goes to an old deserted house in a quiet town, only to discover the house is not as empty as she thought.

Stormhouse: Military drama in which an army base holds a entity captive, but it seems it wanted to be captured so it can play.

Kidnapped/ Seuestrados: Spanish siege drama in which a group of crooks raid a home in a secure complex, only to discover the captives are more dangerous than they expected.

Atrocious: Mexican camera movie in which a film crew finds a footage of a family life up to their deaths, and edits it into a movie.

My Sucky Teen Movie: 17 year old Emily Hagins directs this movie that pokes fun at the vampire genre.

The Caller: A divorcee receives strange phone calls from an unknown call claiming to be from the past, when the woman stops taking calls, the caller takes drastic steps.

The Devil’s Business: No information on this yet.

The Woman: Lucky McGee’s horror romp about a lawyer who attempts to civilize the last survivor of a murderous clan, with dramatic effects for his own family.

A Lonely Place To Die: Melissa George heads up the cast in this drama about a group hiking in the Scottish highlands’, who discover a young Serbian girl buried in a chamber. Freeing the girl, they find themselves in a dangerous place as the kidnappers return, and want satisfaction. Receiving a preview recently in London, the film has been rated at IMDB, and at the time of writing the score is an impressive 9.7/10.

Ticket prices are as follows:-

Weekend passes £160,

Day Passes are: Thursday £25, Friday £50, Saturday and Sunday £48 per day, Monday £42. Tickets go on sale tomorrow 2nd of July, and individual film tickets are available from 1st of August priced £11 per movie.

I will be covering the entire event for a number of websites as usual, so if you cant be there hopefully I will give you the general feel.

The Countdown Is Almost Over

2011-06-30T04:32:00.000-07:00

It's only a day now before the announcement of what movies will be at this years Frightfest, and it's all getting a bit exciting in my house I can tell you.

Love the movies or hate them, Frightfest is an opportunity to really engage in the horror community. With a large catalogue of new horror from across the globe, as well as a plethora of the biggest names in horror gathered to promote them.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow for £160 for a weekend pass, weekend pass purchasers get a goody bag. Alternately between £25-£50 per day, or £11for individual pictures, although this last option will be available from the start of August only.

The even takes place from 25th - 29th of August, at the Empire Cinema, Leicester Square.

I'll be their for the full weekend as usual, sadly on my own this year.

If your considering going, you might want to look at hotels sooner rather than later, as the closer it gets the higher the price seems to get.

If you need any help, or advise for places to stay please leave comments below and i'll try to help you to the best of my ability.

If you love horror, and you have nothing better to do this August Bank Holiday, give it a shot its well worth it!

Updated Info On Classic Horror Double Bills

2011-06-30T04:22:00.000-07:00

Just had an update, seems I passed on some duff information on my post for the horror double bills.

So here is the info I received from Cyberschizoid:-

Hi there!!

Thanks so much for supporting the Classic Horror Campaign.

Just to mention our screening dates are varied but tend to be once a month (on a Sunday afternoon) at the Roxy Bar & Screen, London.

We have additional dates coming up in Manchester in July and Brighton in August.

http://www.classichorrorcampaign.com/events/

I cannot illustrate the importance of this, because it's things like this allowed us older folks, and a new generation to enjoy these movies.

There is a lot of interest in these screenings, with big names in horror such as Kim Newman, and Eileen Daly turning up to enjoy the fun!

Classic Horror Double Bills

2011-06-27T04:38:00.000-07:00

If you are of a certain age, you'll remember the wonder of Saturday nights on BBC2. Every Saturday (well on and off) during the late 70's and early 80's BBC2 screened two classic horror movies back to back. Each week you would get a real classic horror movie (1930's or 1940's), and something a little more recent (50's to 70's). As a child I loved staying up late to watch the double bills, but they have been absent from our screens for so long.

The Classic Horror Campaign is trying to bring about the return of these classics.

Each Saturday the group are holding public double bills in various venues. Support them by attending, click the image above or the link HERE and catch a screening soon.

Frightfest 2011 Is Nearly Here

2011-06-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

It's a few days before the full line up for Frightfest 2011 is announced. Already the following titles have been announced:- Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark, A Lonely Place To Die, and Troll Hunter.

I'll be at Frightfest for the full five days, reviewing all the major features, and bringing a number of interviews to the various sites I publish on.

In the run up, I'll be bringing you reviews of some of the best movies from the last two Frightfest's and updating you on the film titles for the rest of the movies shortly after July 1st.

I'll be bringing you more than before, and in a slightly different way.

Beware This Advert

2011-06-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

This advert is targeting a number of websites, it is a total con; obvious really when you think about it!. I was asked to investigate this scam, read about my findings here

If you see this advert, do not click through, you'll regret it!

Sue Mae (Legal_AIDS) returns with brand new injunction cases.

2011-06-20T01:21:00.000-07:00

Twitter user Sue Mae (a play on words for Sue Me!) has sprung back to life and begun tweeting about previously exposed Super-Injunction cases, as well as a whole string of new ones.

In the posts made on 18th of June, Sue Mae mentions four new cases, and elaborates further on cases that they previously tweeted about.

One of the cases previously exposed as fake, has been further probed, and evidence given to back up the injunction, however aspects of the story have changed dramatically.

A number of television celebrities are also named.

Click here for more details!

No More Shadows - The Shadow Line Draws To A Close

2011-06-17T02:54:00.000-07:00

If you are watching The Shadow Line, but not yet seen last nights episode... STOP READING NOW!

Last night saw the final chapter of Hugo Blick's The Shadow Line, and in a suitably dark manner to run along with the series, it all went "pete tong" as they say. While the door is left open for a new series, a large proportion of the shows key players took a final bow out last night. Out with two of the bad guys, and out with two of the good guys, while another victim who sat on the fence took himself out of the equation.

I cant help but think about Blake's 7, which ended in a similar way to last nights instalment, all the good guys are dead, leaving the villains victorious. Stephen Rea's Gatehouse proving to be the best TV bad guy since Francis Urquhart (House Of Cards), yet fairly reasonable about the whole thing.

I'll be watching to see if we get a new Shadow Line series, because there certainly is some scope, and some interesting characters we have only just seen the glimmer of.

Thank God For Ryan Giggs...

2011-06-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

Good old Giggsy I really do owe him an awful lot, since his numerous affairs hit the news I have been read more times in three articles than I ever had, sometimes receiving up to 1000 reads on my articles in less than an hour. Well his back again today, and this time its because of his sex addiction, yes that condition that lots of men have where they think just because they have a dick, they need to plough it into everything.

Here are my latest ramblings on the beleaguered footballer.

Super 8 Review

2011-06-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

Websites being fickle things I had to write not one but two reviews for Super 8, you can access them here and here. I think I prefer the first one, though feel free to read both.

Super 8 (2011)

2011-06-11T03:32:00.000-07:00

I had the great fortune to see Super 8 yesterday, a movie that will inflame older viewers memories of the 70's and 80's. The movie out now in the US and due in the UK in August is one of the best movies that Spielberg has had a hand in since the 80's. With a nod and a wink to his early work on E.T., Poltergeist and the Goonies, the movie puts Spielberg back into my good books.

A review will be posted a little later today!

The Song To The Shadow Line

2011-06-09T02:37:00.000-07:00

I'm always being asked about the song to The Shadow Line.

Pause is available for download via iTunes at the moment, performed by Emily Barker And The Red Hen Halo. It comes packed with the version used in The Shadow Line, and the original version (or at least I hope its the original).

If you've caught the enchanting track in the show, it has to be a must have purchase, its an amazing track, that to me echoes the sound of Juliee Cruise, who's work featured in Twin Peaks.

The song is cut quite differently on the track to the score, but that does not make it disappointing in anyway, it just adds to the beauty of the piece.

This is one artist i'll be looking out for more often.

For those of you that asked, the lyrics are below:-

Who am I now without your love?
Who am I alone in a day that has gone?

Without your love to return upon,
I'm a featherless bird in a sky so absurd

Why oh why's there so much movement
When all I long for is to lay down in love's pause

And dream I know something of truth
Oh hide me deeper in your peace further
and lose me in this greed I've found in your need

Here is a link to Emily Barkers Blog

Shadow Line Reminder

2011-06-09T02:27:00.000-07:00

Yes it's Thursday which means..... It's The Shadow Line Reminder!

Last weeks show tipped things on their heads again, as the dodgy Gatehouse (Stephen Rea) who up to this point seems like the last person you would ever want to meet if you were in trouble, seemed to meet his equal. The BBC promised you explosive, and we got it.

Meanwhile Joseph (Christopher Ecclestone) plaid away from home, with the lover of the aforementioned equal Peter Glickman (Anthony Sher), and if Glickman equalled Gatehouse, you know if he finds out about Joseph's "slip up" things will get even worse.

And if things were not gripping enough Gabriel (Chiwetel Ejiofor) found out some more devestating news, and Bob Harris (Robert Pugh) went for the ultimate flying lesson.

Mark my words this is the best thing on British television.

The Shadow Line BBC 2 & BBC HD at 9pm tonight.

The Week In Doctor Who

2011-06-09T02:03:00.000-07:00

What a week its been in Doctor Who land. So the mid series final bought about the River Song revelation, I told you didn't I? And now we all know that River Song is Amy's baby, but it Rory the dad?

We also heard rumours that the show was going on hiatus! But everyone has said, actually no its not. However what they are not saying is when it will be back... So this leaves a couple of points, both Gillan and Darvill (Amy and Rory) have both hinted about not doing Doctor Who, and of course the safe thing would be for them to both leave and head off to look after baby Melody/River. But what if they are taking time out and coming back? Which of course could mean that the show comes back later in the year next year, and the split season this year makes that transition easier. After all historically Doctor Who was always a autumn/winter show.

Elsewhere Matt Smith signs for a further 14 episodes, putting pay to those saying he was being binned!

And sadly we saw the death of Roy Skelton, who was the voice of Zippy, George and the Daleks.

Now hopefully, we can have a few weeks rest from Doctor Who, while the world thinks about..... TORCHWOOD!

BBFC Say It's OK To Have Sex With Your Own Child, But Not To Kidnap

2011-06-06T23:38:00.000-07:00

During the 1980’s the BBFC (British Board Of Film Classification) made some insane decisions about movies, editing thousands and banning many. But in recent years it seems the BBFC have been taking a more lenient view of things, letting some classic movies that had been banned or severely cut pass through when re-certification had been requested. But now it seems they have gone two steps back and made a jaw dropping decision about one movie.

In 2009-2010 The Human Centipede slowly made its way around the world, in the UK it was always expected to be controversial and probably cut when it reached the BBFC, startlingly enough it was allowed through completely uncut. And director Tom Six, who was not only amazed by the story made two promises, that some of the sequel movie would be shot in the UK, and that his follow up would look like My Little Pony compared to the original.

It seems Six has come through on his promise, and the BBFC have responded by refusing the movie to be seen legally in the UK. It claims that the menace, violence, nudity, and depravity of the movie (Human Centipede: Full Sequence) is so extreme, that no matter how many cuts were made it would decline the movie been shown here.

The BBFC said: "There is little attempt to portray any of the victims in the film as anything other than objects to be brutalised, degraded and mutilated for the amusement and arousal of the central character, as well as for the pleasure of the audience." And that: "sexual arousal of the central character at both the idea and the spectacle of the total degradation, humiliation, mutilation, torture and murder of his naked victims".
The move has left film distributers, critics, and writers in dismay, and asking exactly what content could there be in the movie to prompt this sort of decision.

It is therefore ironic that the BBFC see it ok to pass A Serbian Movie (granted with cuts) which features a man having sex with his own son, but not to release a movie that features a man kidnapping strangers for sexual kicks. So to fuck your family is fine, as long as its not a stranger! After all we'll all go out making our own Human Centipede don't you think?

One thing is for certain, in the past the BBFC could stop people watching such movies, but in today’s age it wont be long before UK viewers will easily be able to buy or stream the movie over the Internet, and that Human Centipede: Full Sequence will go down in history as the first in what could be possibly a series of new video nasties, or should I say DVD Nasties.

The Shadow Line

2011-06-02T03:26:00.000-07:00

After last weeks rather jaw dropping killing in The Shadow Line, you have to ask if the show got shock further? Apparently it can! In tonight's episode BBC2/BBC HD at 9pm the sinister Gatehouse (Stephen Rea) tracks down the illusive Glickman with, in the BBC's words explosive consequences!

It's Big Pay Off Week... Allegedly

2011-06-02T03:20:00.000-07:00

This week is the final of Doctor Who, or should I say, the mid-season finale. Either way its coming to an end for a while.

Personally I was let down by last weeks "cliffhanger" that was supposed to be more exciting than this weeks ending.

It's big pay off week according to Actress Karen Gillan. So maybe we might get to find out the what happened to the Doctor's Daughter Jennifer. Because rumours have it the lady in the above picture, who looks a little Timelordish, is Jennifer, she's certainly called Jennifer! Is this the new regeneration of the character. We also are aware that Arthur Darvill is leaving who, it would seem appropriate to take his wife with him, dont you think? Unless of course he dies. But would'nt the Doctor want a new companion? He's travelled with his grand-daughter in the past, why not his daughter.

We'll also get to find out about the lady above Madam Kovarian! Who has an army of lightsabre wielding monks at her beck and call.

Meanwhile it looks like Rory is getting help from unusual circles, as he tries (according to rumour) to recruit the Cybermem, Silurians, Judoon, and Sontarans to help in the rescue of Amy.

So why is Amy so important, we'll find out for sure this week, and maybe her daughter Melody Pond, is a fancy style anagram (with different words) for River Song.

Doctor Who: A Good Man Goes To War - BBC1 Saturday 6.40pm.

Twitter User Exposes Sickest Injunction Yet

2011-06-02T02:25:00.000-07:00

Twitter user Legal_AIDS has exposed the darkest, sickest super injunction tale yet. The story that involves local authority corruption, and a police cover up came to the public attention on the 31st of May when the tweeter exposed this disgusting tale.

To read more please click here

New Super-Injunctions Revealed

2011-06-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

Its less than two weeks since Ryan Giggs was officially named as the footballer at the heart of a super-injunction scandal. The story became public knowledge thanks to social network Twitter. Now a new Twitter user is identifying the names of a vast number of celebrities.

Sue Mae, who tweets under the user name @Legal_AIDS has at the time of writing released details of 14 super-injunctions, the stories involve a former prime minister, a rising television star, a comedian and his sexual fetishes, a serious sexual assault, and a female singer and former household name who engaged in a lesbian affair.

While there is of course no evidence to prove the stories released are true, there is heightened evidence from previous tweets that seems to cement some of the stories legitimacy.

The tweets are when you click on them highly detailed, with some aspects that can be confirmed by time-frame and media interest.

Twitter who's status as a social network was starting to flag slightly, but the resent surge in confidential information has done much to provide Twitter with free publicity, and the number of new tweeters has jumped heavily. The question of course will be how much this will effect Twitter, with so many confidentiality breaches.