Killer Clown Movie Marathon

As I said in a previous post, I am not-so-patiently waiting for the Halloween season to officially begin.  To tide myself over, I've been watching a LOT of horror movies, which led to a mini marathon dedicated to KILLER CLOWNS!  If you suffer from coulrophobia, you might want to stay away from these three picks.  None of these movies are really what I would call GOOD, but I enjoyed watching them.  If you're not afraid of spoilers, check below to see a brief summary and where you can find these little gems.

SPOILER ALERT!!

1. Clown (2014)---When the clown hired for Kent's son's birthday party cancels, the family momentarily panics.  Luckily, Kent, a real estate agent, is at one of his recently foreclosed properties when his wife calls with the news.  He just happens to find a clown costume in an old trunk, puts it on, and saves the party.  But, when the costume refuses to come off, Kent and his wife get stuck in a race to save his life...and his humanity.  Because, as you'll find out, the suit isn't a costume at all!  As of right now, Clown is available on Netflix streaming, so definitely check it out if you're a subscriber.  While the movie wasn't spectacular...it was interesting.  The story behind the movie is pretty cool---a couple of guys made a fake movie trailer, slapped Eli Roth's name on it as a joke, and put it up on YouTube.  Eventually, Eli Roth saw the trailer, liked it, and reached out to the guys to actually get the movie made!  It is a little gory, and if you're flat-out adverse to children being killed in horror flicks, you might want to stay away from this one.  However, its worth the watch if you just want something a little non-traditional to watch.  I'm NOT a fan of gore, but I do love when movies create a mythology and/or back story to explain the monster, and Clown does this very well.

2. Stitches (2012)---Since I watched Clown, Netflix suggested that I give Stitches a shot...and I'm glad I took the suggestion.  This is another film that is nowhere near an award-winning cinema experience, but it was a fun ride.  When the world's crassest clown performs at a birthday party for the world's brattiest, most foul-mouthed kids in the world, things end poorly.  The clown ends up dead, and the kids traumatized.  Flash-forward to six years later.  The kids, now teens, decide to throw a party for the previous birthday boy, which brings back the spirit of the clown.  Stitches, now risen from the grave, goes on a killing spree to take out each kid who was at the original party.  This is another movie where there's an interesting smattering of mythology involved to explain (and defeat) the monster. Again, not the world's greatest film, but it was pretty darn funny in places.  It was definitely...creative.

3. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)---I wrapped up my mini marathon with a classic. When I was about 8 or 9, this movie came on HBO, I believe.  I thought it was the greatest thing I had ever seen at the time. I think a big part of it was that I felt like I was sneaking around, watching a 'grown up' film and not even being scared.  Re-watching it as an adult, however, well, lol.  It's still a really fun, cheesy movie to watch, with one of the greatest title songs in film history.  It all starts when a mysterious 'asteroid' crashes to earth.  When a young couple (and previously, an old man and his dog) go looking for it, they don't find an asteroid.  Instead, they find a circus tent filled with killer klowns from outer space, of course.  The clowns invade the town, turning the citizens into cotton candy pods and generally pissing off a grumpy veteran cop. Hilarity ensues, until the heroes save the girl, stab the head clown in the nose, and blow up the circus tent spaceship.  I found this one on Hulu, and recommend it if you need a good, 80s cheese-fest.

Vampire Movie Marathon

This past weekend, my boyfriend and I had an impromptu Vampire Movie Marathon! It started when I was going through the newly added movies on Amazon Prime and found Interview with the Vampire. Since I hadn't seen it in YEARS, I loaded it up and sat back for some 90s vampire nostalgia. Man, Louie might have been a whiny lil' you-know-what, but he was quite easy on the eyes! It was a trip down Memory Lane that lead to a few other choices in weekend viewing.

*Near Dark (1987)---I had never seen Near Dark, starring Bill Paxton, Jenny Wright, and several other names you may recognize, but my boyfriend had fond memories of this 80s vampire favorite. When a cowboy falls in love with a female vampire and is given the opportunity to prove himself to her 'clan,' plenty of insane hijinks ensue. I don't think this movie is billed as a comedy, but it definitely had some comedic moments, and Bill Paxton, while actually a fairly minor character, steals the show with his personality. Pretty violent, but not unnecessarily gory, this movie was a nice, safe choice for our Vampire Movie Marathon.

*NightLife (1989)---Following Near Dark, Aaron picked the next film as well. This one WAS billed as a comedy, and is not to be confused with several other movies of the same name that came out around that time, lol. The NightLife WE watched was a made-for-television movie that aired on USANetwork and is a quirky comedy about a Mexican vampiress, a doctor, a previous lover, and the greatest maid EVER. Even though the whole film takes place in Mexico, the only Mexican speaking character is a police officer, which I thought was just as amusing as the heat-packing, ass-kicking maid that stays loyal to her vampire mistress. It's sort of a cute love triange-type story as the vampiress struggles not only with trying to adjust to life in the 20th century, but to juggle a new love interest and a clingy ex. This is available on YouTube if you want to give it a shot. It's obviously not a cinematic masterpiece, but there's some witty dialogue, and a proper amount of cheese to make it worth the effort.

*The Lost Boys (1987)---After Aaron went to bed, I was still awake enough to continue on with the
marathon. I chose a childhood favorite, The Lost Boys, since Aaron isn't a huge fan of this movie. It has been a few years since I've watched it, but I still love it as much as ever----and still giggled whole-heartedly at the shiny saxophone player and his movies. I also spotted Kelly Jo Minter for the first time! I had only recently made the connection she was in it, but unfortunately her main speaking part was cut from the final version. As a side note, I can't wait to meet her at ScareFest this year, as she was my favorite actress in another childhood favorite, Summer School. I also noticed something else for the first time; young Kiefer Sutherland looks EXACTLY like young Joshua Jackson. The resemblance was so canny that I took to the internet to see if they were distantly related or something. I don't think they are, but plenty of other people had the same idea, apparently.

Anyway, that concluded our short Vampire Movie Marathon! I got in two classic childhood favorites, and was exposed to two new to me films that I proudly now pass on to you for recommendation. There are a ton of other great (and not so great) vampire flicks out there, and I may add in a few more before the week is completely out...so let me know what YOU would recommend! What are your favorite vampire movies?

Horror Movie Flowchart

One of the many fun things to do as Halloween approaches is to cram in as many horror films as possible! In the days leading up to October, I like to save my actual 'Halloween' based movies, and ease into the season with some of my favorite horror. If you're looking for some inspiration on what to watch, check out this handy flowchart! Based on what sub-genres you're interested in, it'll give you some suggestions.  Oh, and sorry about the chart going off the page...I wanted to make sure you could see all the spooky goodness!

Movie Review: They Live

I wouldn't call it a Halloween movie, and honestly, I'm not even sure if it would be considered a horror film. But, since it's weird, creepy, and a little bit hilarious, I wanted to share my thoughts on a film I recently saw with you all.

It's a new tradition in our family to kick off the Halloween season with a trip to Lexington, Kentucky to attend ScareFest, the annual horror and paranormal convention hosted by Patti Starr. We've anxiously been watching as the list of celebrity guests grows each week, and we recently noticed that Meg Foster had recently been added. As my boyfriend was reading me the names, I had no idea who she was, so he explained that she was the lead female role in the movie, They Live.

My boyfriend was quite shocked when I told him that I had never seen it. Now, I was familiar with the plot and could definitely recognize the iconic 'Obey' imagery as being from the film, but I had just never sat and watched the whole thing from start to finish. So, we had to fix that and I may now have a new favorite movie. The 1988 film starring Roddy Piper, Meg Foster, and Keith David was, like I said, pretty funny...but pretty darn scary when taken in context of what's going on in today's political world, lol.

SPOILER ALERT

If you aren't familiar with the plot, the basic idea is that Roddy Piper's character is a drifter who comes into the city looking for work. He lucks into a construction job, despite the fact that the economy has apparently taken a turn for the worse in this slightly futuristic? world. A fellow worker takes him to a tent city establishment to stay the night, where he soon notices some strange activity at a church across the street and does some investigating. When the makeshift camp area and church are later raided, he gets away. Returning the next day, he finds that the hidden boxes of what appear to be normal sunglasses are still at the church.

Putting on the glasses, the world takes on a very different appearance. There's an epic fight scene, a chick with the strangest eyes you've ever seen (Meg Foster), and lots of creepy zombie/skeletal looking people with magic watches. I'm not sure if the ending was necessarily a happy, or even resolved ending, but the 'good guys' accomplished what they set out to do and everyone starts to wake up from the manufactured reality created for them.

As I said, I surprisingly really liked this movie. I know its not the greatest movie out there, but there were some scenes in it that were fantastic. The overall message, while presented in a comical way, is actually pretty poignant. While we might not be under alien control, I think its a fair assessment to say that many people today are 'asleep' in some way or another, oblivious to what is going on around them. And, even though she scares me a little bit, I can't wait to meet Meg at this year's ScareFest!

The Horror Movie Diet

It's true! In 2012, a study was released by the University of Westminster stating that the average amount of calories burned during a 90 minute horror film was about 113. According to the study (more information can be found on it HERE), the Top 10 calorie burners are as follows:

1. The Shining: 184 calories

2. Jaws: 161 calories

3. The Exorcist: 158 calories

4. Alien: 152 calories

5. Saw: 133 calories

6. A Nightmare on Elm Street: 118 calories

7. Paranormal Activity: 111 calories

8. The Blair Witch Project: 105 calories

9. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: 107 calories

10. [Rec]: 101 calories

This Halloween, don't feel too guilty about snacking on the leftover trick-or-trick candy! Just watch a few scary movies and you'll be fine! I'll be getting some exercise of my own in tonight...and every night through Halloween, so check back often for my movie reviews and recommendations. I may also keep you posted on any weight loss updates as a result, lol. 

Video: Adorable Kittens Recreate Classic Horror Films

Even if you're not a big fan of cats (and really, who isn't?), I'm sure you'll enjoy this adorable video featuring feline actors taking on iconic horror films of the 20th century. There's also a wonderful message at the end of the video! 

The Shatner Masks

Today's Movie Monday is a little bit of trivia for you!  By now it's pretty common knowledge that the mask Michael Myers wears in Halloween is a William Shatner mask, chosen because it was the cheapest one available.  

According to the article from Daily Dawdle, the mask was then spray painted white, creating the visual that has haunted us all since 1978.  But, have you ever seen the unaltered version of the mask?  The Daily Chive has provided that little gem for us and it is HORRIFYING!

The mask was produced by Don Post Studios and is actually not JUST Shatner, but is a Captain Kirk mask from a 1966 Star Trek costume. This little fun-fact was discovered in 1981 when Rich Sternbach was working on HALLOWEEN 2 and it was discovered that only one of the original Michael Myers masks remained.  He was the one who discovered the model number of maker's name on the neck and made the call to the company, ordering a whole box of the now iconic face.  In an article and accompanying video posted on a Star Trek website, William Shatner admits to taking his daughter trick-or-treating one year donning his own face!