Monday 31 December 2012

A Look Back in Horror - My 2012 Review

2013 is fast approaching and behind it it leaves the ups and downs of 2012 in horror film. Another year where we saw sequels, a prequel, more found footage and a remake along with a few gems plus releases that haven't hit the United States yet and one that originally came out in 2009 but only reached the shores of America this year and a festival favourite that's not on general release till next year.

Here's a few of my personal best and worse movies... I'll start with the worst!

Straight to DVD was The Haunting of Whaley house (read my review here), the ending was decent, but what proceeded it was a complete shambles.
Then there was Airborne, although it had some potential, it needed someone special behind the camera, but that was missing. (read my review here).

Both had weak scripts and poor acting.

Hitting cinemas everywhere was Paranormal Activity 4 and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Watching PA4 was like listening to a really long joke expecting the punch line to be amazing, but alas, it turned out to be nothing more than a bad joke that I could have done without hearing.
As for ALVH, well, I hated every minute of it!


A couple more worth mentioning: 80s slasher homage The Sleeper which I found rather dull. Michael Biehn's The Victim, which I'm sure he wrote, directed and starred in just so he had an excuse to have sex with his wife on screen! And the biggest let down of the year for me was Prometheus (read my review here) It wasn't a bad film, in it's own right it was a good film, but with the connection to the Alien franchise and the fact that I'm such a fan, I was completely underwhelmed by it!


Now for the fun stuff...

Once again Kate Beckinsale donned the rubber outfit to play Selene in Underworld: Awakening. This was exactly what I was expecting, GUN BLAZING ACTION! Beckinsale slipped back into the role so easily and looked more comfortable than ever during the brilliantly choreographed fight scenes.
The Cabin in the Woods was one of the biggest releases this year and I've seen a lot of mixed reaction. I found it very entertaining. It was a roller coaster ride of fun with a mix of different sub-genres all mixed together.

Other movies worth mentioning: Fathers Day, Resident Evil: Retribution, Silent night, Detention, Cockneys vs Zombies (read my review here), The Revenant, Girls Gone Dead and Some Guy Who Kills People.


Now for the best of foreign horror...

Penumbra, Sleep Tight and [REC]³ GĂ©nesis (read my review here). All Spanish and all great films with some of the best acting this year, especially Cristina Brondo who plays the lead in Penumbra and Luis Tosar, the lead actor in Sleep Tight. If you haven't seen them, then you should!



Now for some of my favourites of the year...

Although Kill List and The Innkeepers were released very late in 2011, most of us got our first look at these two early 2012. Again both of them got a very mixed reaction from fans, but I enjoyed them both.

The Australian 2009 film The Loved Ones was only released in the US this year and what a gem of a film you were missing out on! The lead actress, Robin McLeavy, gave one of them most memorable performances in a very long time as the sweet and evil Lola ('Princess').
Cassadaga (read my review here) is another that was a 2011 film but got released this year to DVD in the UK. You guys in the US will have to wait till next year though!



The Woman in Black, Apartment 143 (read my review here), Midnight Son (read my review here) Excision, The Bay and V/H/S (read my review here) were also among my favourites this year.

My top two films that came out on general release this year, one in the theatre and one to DVD are Sinister (read my review here) and Lovely Molly (read my review here). They're what I consider to be the best of the mainstream and best of the independents.



So what was my most favourite? What was the best of 2012? Well, for most of you, if you're in the UK you'll have to wait till the end of January or if you're in the US, even longer! If you were lucky like me you caught this at a film festival. It is of course the Soska sister's body modification horror, AMERICAN MARY (read my review here).




The twin magic of Jen and Sylvia Soska really shines through in their second feature film, showing their true genius that flickered throughtout Dead Hooker in a Trunk and proving their leadership in the new breed of horror writers and directors. This is a must see for horror fans!

Check out the trailer below and if you watch carefully, it shows the qoutes and star rating from various sources and at 1:20 minutes this pops up: "5 stars - Horror-Movies.ca"... That's from my review!




I did miss a couple of films this year but hope to catch up soon. They were Silent Hill: Revelation, The Possession and The Collection (which hasn't been released in the UK yet!)

So there you go, that's my best and worse of 2012. What's yours? Comment below...

Monday 17 December 2012

Fright Meter Awards 2012


When it comes to film awards, everyone looks towards the Oscars as the pinnacle of achievement. The only thing wrong with the Oscars? Our beloved genre of horror is often or completely overlooked! That's where the Fright Meter Awards comes into play. Along with myself, there's 25 plus committee members made up of genuine horror fans, bloggers, actors, writers, directors and producers "making the Fright Meter Awards truly the most prestigious horror award given."

From mainstream to independent, big names to newcomers, popularity or form of release, nothing is overlooked and if it's worthy of a mention, we consider it. So without further ado, here are this year's nominees...

Best Cinematography

Chris Norr - SINISTER
Danny Ruhlmann - THE RAVEN
Dariusz Wolski - PROMETHEUS
Peter Denning - THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
Tim Maurice-Jones - THE WOMAN IN BLACK

Best Editing

Aaron Yanes - THE BAY
Frederic Thoraval - SINISTER
Joe Gressis - V/H/S
Lisa Lassek - THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
Steve Ansell & Yvonne Valdez - EXCISION

Best Score

Christopher Young - SINISTER
David Julyan - THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
Jeff Danna & Akira Yamaoka - SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D
Marco Beltrami - THE WOMAN IN BLACK
Steve Damstra II & Mads Heldtberg - EXCISION

Best Make Up/Special Effects

EXCISION
PROMETHEUS
SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D
SINISTER
THE CABIN IN THE WOODS

Best Screenplay

Joseph Kahn - DETENTION
Joss Whedon & Drew Goddard - THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
Mike Flanagan - ABSENTIA
Richard Bates Jr. - EXCISION
Sean Byrne - THE LOVED ONES

Best Ensemble Cast

CHAINED
(Vincent D’Onofrio, Eamon Farren, Conor Leslie)
EXCISION
(Roger Bart, Traci Lords, AnnaLynne McCord, Ariel Winter)
LOVELY MOLLY
(Gretchen Lodge, Ken Arnold, Alexandra Holden, Johnny Lewis)
THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
(Amy Acker, Kristen Connolly, Tim De Zarn, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Richard Jenkins, Fran Kranz, Bradley Whitford)
THE LOVED ONES
(John Brumpton, Robin McLeavy, Jessica McNamee, Xavier Samuel, Victoria Thaine)


Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Alexandra Holden - LOVELY MOLLY
Jodelle Ferland - THE TALL MAN
MyAnna Buring - KILL LIST
Suzan Crowley - THE DEVIL INSIDE
Traci Lords - EXCISION


Best Actor In A Supporting Role

Fran Kranz - THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
John Brumpton - THE LOVED ONES
Matthew Kennedy - FATHER'S DAY
Michael Fassbender - PROMETHEUS
Richard Jenkins - THE CABIN IN THE WOODS


Best Actress in a Leading Role

AnnaLynne McCord - EXCISION
Elizabeth Olsen - SILENT HOUSE
Gretchen Lodge - LOVELY MOLLY
Robin McLeavy - THE LOVED ONES

Sara Paxton - THE INNKEEPERS


Best Actor In A Leading Role

Daniel Radcliffe - THE WOMAN IN BLACK
Ethan Hawke - SINISTER
John Cusack - THE RAVEN
Neil Maskell - KILL LIST
Vincent D'Onofrio - CHAINED

Best Director

Drew Goddard - THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
Joseph Kahn - DETENTION
Richard Bates Jr. - EXCISION
Sean Byrne - THE LOVED ONES
Ti West - THE INNKEEPERS

Best Horror Movie

DETENTION
EXCISION
SINISTER
THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
THE LOVED ONES


For more details about the Fright Meter Awards the full list of contenders head to the website - http://www.frightmeterawards.com

You can also find two pages on facebook here - Fright Meter Horror Movie Reviews & Awards and here - Fright Meter Awards

Wednesday 12 December 2012

Cockneys vs Zombies (2012)

A JCB on a building site is digging up the ground when the operator is told to stop as it's uncovered something. What seems to be a bunker type structure has an entrance but it's been sealed, by King Charles II in 1666!

There's no prizes for guessing for what happens next!

The two builders smash there way into the sealed room to find a load of skulls and bones, suggesting that this was some kind of burial chamber. As they stumble around in the dark one of the a dead bodies, with barely any flesh on it, drags itself up and takes a bite out of both workmen.

Begin the Zombie pandemic...

After the opening scene follows a very cool title sequence with a "Frank Miller / graphic novel" (Sin City) feel to it which actually gives it a touch of class.


The story then follows brothers Andy and Terry (Harry Treadaway and Rasmus Hardiker) as they go about planning a bank robbery so they can support their grandad Ray (Alan Ford) as the retirement home he is living in is being closed down.

Teaming up with their cousin Katy (Michelle Ryan), Mental Mickey (Ashley Bashy Thomas) and Davey (Jack Doolan), they all head to do the bank job. This isn't as simple as it sounds, specially with someone called Mental Mickey tagging along! After setting off a silent alarm, the police turning up outside the bank is the last thing they need to worry about though. Their first attempt at fleeing the scene is halted by the police, but after regrouping back inside the bank, the second attempt leaves them to find the cops dead or gone. Is good fortune on their side? Maybe not, as there's now Zombies roaming around!

While the gang drive to safety, the old cockneys at the retirement home also have their hands full with the undead. But with the old hard nut Ray leading the way the well seasoned codgers fight back and barricade themselves in.

Will the bank robbing misfits get to their grandad in time to save the day and while doing so will they survive in between?


There's no surprises in this movie, it's pretty standard Zombie issue stuff. If your British, you might like it more than the Yanks. For those in the know, think Snatch (2000) crossed with Shaun of the Dead (2004) but with way lower quality acting, direction and writing.

The lead cast of Treadaway, Hardiker and Ryan gel well together and provide some decent comedy moments along with some fun Zombie killing action that's gory enough to keep blood thirsty fans happy. The stand out character for was Ashley Bashy Thomas as Mental Mickey. His name says it all!

Alan Ford still hasn't put in a better performance for me since his role in Snatch though and it was strange seeing Honor Blackman (most famous for playing Pussy Galore in the Bond film Goldfinger (1964)) but she did her fair share of Zombie beating too!

If you want a bit of fun and bloody entertainment and something to pass the time on a friday or saturday night in, then it's worth giving a go.

Cockneys vs Zombies gets a generous 6/10

Check out the trailer below...


Thursday 1 November 2012

Top Ten Best Foreign Horror Movies (non English speaking)

For Halloween 2012, I once again took to the groups and pages on facebook to compile another top ten, this time of foreign horror movies (non English speaking).

So here are the horror fan's top picks...


Number 10 -
RINGU (Ring - Japan 1998)

After the death of her cousin Tomoko, reporter Reiko hears stories of a videotape that kills everyone who sees it exactly one week after viewing. At first she discounts the rumours, but when she learns that Tomoko's friend (who watched the video with her) died at exactly the same time, she begins to investigate. After viewing the tape herself, strange things start happening, and so she teams up with her ex-husband to try to stop the death clock that has once again begun ticking.

The original film series is made up of Ringu, Rasen, Ring 2, and Ring 0. The films have also been adapted into the Korean film The Ring Virus, and the American films The Ring, the short film Rings (It was initially released as an extra disc with a re-release of The Ring on DVD) and The Ring Two.



  

Number 9 - LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (Låt den rätte komma in - Sweden 2008)

In the suburb of Blackeberg in Stockholm, Oskar, a bullied 12-year old, dreams of revenge. He falls in love with Eli, a peculiar girl. She can't stand the sun or food and to come into a room she needs to be invited. Eli gives Oskar the strength to hit back but when he realises that Eli needs to drink other people's blood to live he's faced with a choice. How much can love forgive?

The movie was remade in 2010 for the American market, Let Me In was nearly word for word and scene for scene perfect with the Swedish original!
Voted movie of the year by Empire magazine (the first time a foreign language film topped their list since City of God in 2003).






Number 8 - INSIDE (À l'intérieur - France 2007)

Four months before Christmas, Sarah and Matthieu Scarangelo were in a car crash, of which Sarah and her unborn baby were the only survivors. On Christmas Eve, Sarah stays home alone, where she grieves her husband and prepares to go to the hospital the next morning for the delivery. As night falls, a woman knocks on Sarah's door asking to use the phone. When she refuses, the woman reveals that she knows Sarah and tries to force her way in. Now on the brink of motherhood, Sarah is tormented in her home by the strange woman who wants her unborn baby.

Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury also directed Livid (2011).

In the scene where the three policemen come check on Sarah, you can see to the left end of the screen the house number, it's 666







Number 7 - DEAD SNOW (Død snø - Norway 2009)

Several friends take to the mountains and shack-up in the wilderness of back-of-beyond to enjoy a little R & R together, their peace is soon interrupted by a mysterious old man, warning them of a local curse that during the German occupation of the local area that these Nazi invaders were brutal and harsh in their methods of control. Telling of the legend of the villager's revolt that drove them up into the cold, dark mountains where they perished, that is until rumour of their return in the form of zombies, evil Nazi zombies.


Back in 2010 it was confirmed that a sequel was in the works and it was to be shot in 3D. However, director Tommy Wirkola has been busy with Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, so as to when he gets around to Dead Snow 2 could be a while.
Number 6 - I SAW THE DEVIL (Akmareul boatda - South Korea 2010)
When his pregnant fiancee becomes the latest victim of a serial killer, a secret agent blurs the line between good and evil in his pursuit of revenge.
The Korea Media Rating Board forced Kim to recut the film for its theatrical release, objecting to its violent content. Otherwise, the film would have gotten a "Restricted" rating, preventing any sort of release in theatres or on home video.
You can read my review here. 
"I will kill you when you are in the most pain. When you're in the most pain, shivering out of fear, then I will kill you. That's a real revenge. A real complete revenge" 







Number 5 - AUDITION (Ôdishon - Japan 1999)

A lonely Japanese widower whose son is planning to move out of the house soon expresses his sadness to a friend and fellow film producer, who becomes inspired to hold an audition for a non-existent film so that the widower can select a new potential bride from the resulting audition pool. The widower ultimately becomes enamoured with and fascinated by one particular young woman...but first impressions can often be horribly wrong.
Audition had its share of audience walk-outs. When shown at the 2000 Rotterdam Film Festival, one enraged female viewer confronted Miike, shouting at him, "You're evil!"
For its unflinching graphic content, the film has been likened to the film adaptation of Stephen King's Misery and Nagisa Oshima's In the Realm of the Senses. However, the torture scene in the movie is very brief, and only a few shots show the actual torture, focusing more on Asami's sadistic enjoyment of it. 



Number 4 - HIGH TENSION (Haute tension aka Switchblade Romance - France 2003)
French college students, Marie and Alex, head to Alex's secluded farmhouse in hopes of studying for their exams without distractions. While settling in, a man breaks into the home and brutally murders Alex's family while Marie tries to hide herself from the killer. When the killer binds and kidnaps Alex, Marie follows him, attempting saving her friend and, along the way, running into some dangerous obstacles.
Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur (writers) are childhood friends and made this film as a homage to the old-school horror films of the 70's and 80's that the two would watch together growing up.
The camera used during the car-attack scene got so much fake blood on it during shooting that when it was being used on another film later on, fake blood oozed from it during the focusing of a shot.
Number 3 - JU-ON (The Grudge - Japan 2002)
An evil curse and vengeful spirits seem to linger upon a house where the horrific murder of a woman and child took place and anyone who sets foot inside the house is marked for a terrifying haunting which will not rest. One by one, those who have been tainted by the house begin to die, and nowhere is safe.

A sequel, Ju-on: The Grudge 2, was released in 2003 and in 2004 Sony Pictures Entertainment released an American remake of the film. The film was again directed by Takashi Shimizu and starred Sarah Michelle Gellar. The main plot of the film followed Rika's experience within the house but with a different ending.
On the DVD audio commentary on the Ju-on: The Grudge 2, the filmmaker said, "I want to move on and try other things, and then, maybe, when people stop remembering me for Ju-on, I may come back and make Ju-on 3 for Japanese audiences." 



Number 2 - [REC] (Spain - 2007)
A television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and are quickly locked inside with something terrifying.

[REC] has spawned 3 sequels, [REC]2, [REC]3 GĂ©nesis and the soon to come [REC] Apocalypse. It got an American remake called Quarantine and the release of [REC] was postponed in the states till after the remake was released!

It's also caused a bit of an argument whether this is a Zombie or a "Not Zombie" movie!

During the filming of the scene where the young fireman falls from the stairs, not a single actor knew that was going to happen, so the reactions we see on the films were the real reactions of the actors themselves.
Number 1 - MARTYRS (France 2008)
A young woman's quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child leads her and a friend, who is also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.

This came as quite a surprise, but it was mentioned in 80% of the voters top ten.

Director Pascal Laugier's latest film is The Tall Man (read my review here), starring Jessica Biel.

"Lucie was only a victim. Like all the others. It's so easy to create a victim, young lady, so easy. You lock someone in a dark room. They begin to suffer. You feed that suffering. Methodically, systematically and coldly. And make it last. Your subject goes through a number of states. After a while, their trauma; that small, easily opened crack, makes them see things that don't exist." 


So there you have it, represented is Japan, Sweden, Norway, South Korea, Spain and France coming out on top.

I'm already thinking about next years top ten! I'm also open to suggestions from the people that count and that's you, the reader, the horror fan. So leave a comment here or head over to Maven's Movie Vault of Horror on facebook to brainstorm with me!


(Sources - Wiki, IMDB, facebook)

Wednesday 31 October 2012

Top Ten Best Horror Movies Of All Time.

Back in 2011, for Halloween, I decided to take a pole, via Maven's Movie Vault of Horror on facebook, on the top ten horror movies of all time and worked it into a ten day countdown to Halloween night.

So I took to various pages and groups on facebook, posting on discussion boards and asking other horror fans to post their own top ten in order for me to tally up those votes to get the final ten. Here are the results. Enjoy...

Number 10 - DRACULA (1931)

Everyone's favourite Vampire, the legend of Dracula has been portrayed in film a numerous amount of times over the years. The most popular one to date would have to be 1992's Bram Stoker's Dracula directed by Francis Ford Coppola with an all star cast of Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves and Richard E. Grant.

But it was Tod Browning's 1931 classic Dracula, as portrayed by Bela Lugosi so sophisticated and menacing, that was top of the list as regards the count!


More actors that played Dracula, John Carradine (House of Dracula - 1945), Ferdy Mayne (The Fearless Vampire Killers - 1967), Udo Kier (Blood for Dracula - 1974), Frank Langella (Dracula - 1979), Gerard Butler (Dracula 2000 - 2000) and the King of the Dracula movies Christopher Lee, who appeared in 11 films as Dracula between 1958 and 1975.



Number 9 - THE THING (1982)

In John Carpenter's masterpiece, scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the people that it kills.

Based on the story by John W. Campbell Jr. this was itself a remake of the 1951 The Thing from Another World.
 

According to John Carpenter in an interview, he takes all of his failed movies pretty hard, but this was the one that disappointed him the most. Not only was the movie a box office failure upon release, but both critics and the audience (to Carpenter's shock) panned its gory effects and bleak tone. He was particularly upset when the original movie's director, Christian Nyby, publicly denounced Carpenter's version.

The 2011 release of The Thing confused a lot of people as it's not a remake, it's a prequel to the 1982 film!



Number 8 - NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)

The radiation from a fallen satellite might have caused the recently deceased to rise from the grave and seek the living to use as food. This is the situation that a group of people penned up in an old farmhouse must deal with. 

Though the radiation of a detonated satellite returning from Venus is theorised to be the cause of the dead rising and attacking the living, according to the filmmakers, the actual cause is never determined.

George A. Romero has readily admitted that Herk Harvey's Carnival of Souls was a big influence in his making of this film. 

Spawning a number of sequels and remakes BETWEEN 1968 and 2010, George A. Romero's original masterpiece is not quite top of the Zombie food chain though!



Number 7 - STEPHEN KING'S IT (1990 TV)

In 1960, seven outcast kids known as "The Loser Club" fight an evil demon who poses as a child-killing clown. 30 years later, they are called back to fight the same clown again.

Pennywise, played by Tim Curry, is the horror fan's favourite clown. On the DVD commentary track, the actors note that Curry's characterisation of Pennywise was so creepy and realistic that everyone avoided him during the filming. 

Based on one of Stephen King's longest novels, at 1138 pages. The length derived from King's desire to have all his favourite monsters in one place. King remarked that if he'd written the script for It, it would have been a 32 hour miniseries.

Stephen King allowed a lot of flexibility when it came to rewriting much of the novel.  



Number 6 -  DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978)

George A. Romero's Zombie franchise is back, making an appearance at 8 and 6 in the the top ten.

Following the scenario set up in Night of the Living Dead, the United States (and possibly the entire world) has been devastated by a phenomenon which reanimates recently deceased human beings and turns them into flesh-eating zombies. Two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter, and his television-executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.

Much of the fake blood used in the blood packets was a mixture of food colouring, peanut butter and cane sugar syrup.

Remade in 2004, it was probably one of the better remakes out there in a genre full of them. But the original Dawn of the Dead is top of the Zombie food chain in this top ten list! 




Number 5 - THE EXORCIST (1973)

Something beyond evil is happening in a little girl's room. Regan has brutally changed both in the way she looks and the way she acts, with violent outbursts on everyone who comes in contact with her. Her worried mother gets in contact with a priest who comes to the conclusion that Regan is possessed. The top priest who can deal with an exorcism, Father Merrin, is called in to help save Regan from the demon inside her.
 

With stories of the set spontaneously combusting during filming and a cross falling off the top of a church across the road from a cinema showing the film on opening night in Spain, this movie is a popular choice for "the scariest movie of all time!"

I recently watched the Blu-Ray Extended Director's Cut. In full 1080p HD and surround sound this movie was just fantastic to watch, it was like watching it for the first time again.




Number 4 - FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980)

One summer at Camp Crystal Lake, a group of young counsellors begin to get ready to lead campers. Unfortunately for the former, someone isn't happy about what's going on in the camp and enjoys playing Kill the Counsellor. As bodies fall to the ground in the camp, no one is safe!

Everyone's favourite killer mum, Mrs. Pamela Voorhees, kicks ass in the first film which gave birth to Jason and to 10 sequels, including a "Deathmatch" against A Nightmare on Elm Street's Freddy Krueger, plus a remake in 2009.

At one point, Mrs. Voorhess slaps Alice around a few times. Having worked onstage for years, Betsy Palmer was used to really striking her co-stars with a cupped hand along the jawline to achieve the scene. Sean S. Cunningham had to tell her about faking the blows and cheating with camera angles!



Number 3 - THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (1974)

En route to visit their grandfather's grave (which has apparently been ritualistically desecrated), five teenagers drive past a slaughterhouse, pick up (and quickly drop) a sinister hitch-hiker, eat some delicious home-cured meat at a roadside gas station, before ending up at the old family home, where they're plunged into a never-ending nightmare as they meet a family of cannibals who more than make up in power tools what they lack in social skills.

Leatherface enters the top 3 with his chainsaw! Only 3 sequels followed the original, a remake in 2003 and a prequel in 2006 which are both produced by the original director Tobe Hooper.

But now there's a direct sequel to the original, Texas Chainsaw 3D, which is set to be released January 2013. The new film will also use footage from the original, converted into 3D.



Number 2 - A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984)

On Elm Street, Nancy Thompson and a group of her friends including Tina Gray, Rod Lane and Glen Lantz are being tormented by a clawed killer in their dreams named Freddy Krueger. Nancy must think quickly, as Freddy tries to pick off his victims one by one. When he has you in your sleep, who is there to save you?

Freddy with his knives for fingers, struck back with a further 6 sequels and a "Deathmatch" against Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th in Freddy vs Jason (2003) and a remake in 2010 which split the fans opinions.

According to Wes Craven, Robert Englund was not the first choice for the role of Fred Krueger; he had initially wanted a stunt man to play the part, but upon testing several stunt men, he realised he needed an actor. Englund went on to make the role his own and became a horror icon in his own rights!

Number 1 - HALLOWEEN (1978) 

The year is 1963, the night: Halloween. Police are called to 43 Lampkin Ln. only to discover that 15 year old Judith Myers has been stabbed to death, by her 6 year-old brother, Michael. After being institutionalised for 15 years, Myers breaks out on the night before Halloween. No one knows, nor wants to find out, what will happen on October 31st 1978 besides Myers' psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis. He knows Michael is coming back to Haddonfield, but by the time the town realises it, it'll be too late for many people.

No real surprise here that Michael Myers hits the number 1 spot with the majority vote.

From 1978 to 2009 Michael Myers has been terrorising horror fans and slashing his victims. Even the music is probably the most well known theme tune in horror!



In the documentary short, Halloween 2000: Unmasked, it was revealed that the crew had chosen two masks for Michael Myers to decide on. The first was a Don Post Emmett Kelly smiling clown mask that they put frizzy red hair on. This was an homage to how he killed his sister, Judith in a clown costume. They tested it out and it appeared very demented and creepy. The other mask was a 1975 Captain James T. Kirk mask that was purchased for around a dollar. It had the eyebrows and sideburns ripped off, the face was painted fish belly white, and the hair was spray painted brown, and the eyes were opened up more. They tested out the Kirk mask and the crew decided that it was much more creepy because it was emotionless. This became the Michael Myers mask. 

The most recent Halloween movies (1 - 2007 and 2 - 2009) were remade by Rob Zombie, which like any remake, caused split feelings between fans of John Carpenter's 1978 original masterpiece. I personally liked both of Rob Zombie's Halloween films!


For this year's top ten - ten day countdown to Halloween, the theme is foreign horror movies (non English speaking). Head over to my facebook page for a sneak peek or if you can wait, I'll be posted it here on the blog.


(Sources used: listal.com, IMDB, facebook)