Chilicothe, Ohio, a sleepy, run-of-the-mill type town. But every town has its own little secret, spooky attraction. And deep within Chilicothe is The House of Masks. An entire house lined wall to wall with every kind of horrific mask you could think of.

And who is responsible for all of this? Who is the man behind the masks? None other than 23-year-old, AJ Good. I was recently able to have a brief chat with AJ about how all of this began and grew to the empire it is today.

Now, let us begin…

DC: AJ, you have mentioned to me that the Halloween franchise has had a huge part in fostering your love for masks. What was it about Michael Myers’ mask that drew you in?

A.J. GOOD: Well, aside from the fact that he was the first slasher I ever saw, especially at a young age, I really think it comes down to the appearance. Especially Halloween and Halloween II. It’s so simple but so effective. As I got older, I started falling more and more in love with it. Particularly Halloween II. Warlock’s robotic walk, the way his face stretched the mask out, giving it a more angry look, his size and stature (for some reason him being a smaller sized/normal guy made it that much cooler to see his super-human – strength etc. There is something special about Michael Myers.

DC: You have told me that what sealed your love of masks was when you were flipping through a copy of Rolling Stone and came across a photo of Slipknot. What was it that was so endearing to you about their masks and music that really resonated with you?

Good: That’s a tricky one. I really don’t know, to be honest. I just felt like as soon as I saw that photo of them, and heard “Wait and Bleed” , it was like the end all, be all for me. I still get that way when I take a nostalgia trip. There just isn’t anything quite like that first album. It’s perfect. No other way to describe it, but I think everyone has things like that in their life.

DC: What was the first mask you ever bought for the purpose of collecting?

Good: Oddly enough, the first mask I got (it’s still in my collection to this day) was a gas mask. It’s called a “British civilian duty” mask. I got it the same day that I discovered Slipknot. For whatever reason, I called my dad’s best friend at the time, who I am still very close with and asked him if he had any masks. Couldn’t imagine what was going through his head, “Why the hell is this 6 year old asking me if I have any masks?”
But anyways, he actually had a gas mask that he brought me that day…and get this: Same exact mask Sid was using in the “Wait and Bleed” music video. I was way too excited about it.

DC: Now that’s what I call something being meant to be! Perfect! Outside of masks, what other medium would you like to be involved with in the horror business?

GOOD: I’ve been thinking about dabbling into reviews on both theatrical band stuff and horror movies, etc. But honestly, everything is falling into place just how I’d like. I’ve become a horror personality rather than just a mask collector and it just keeps opening up more doors. I’m extremely happy with what The House of Masks is creating.

DC: That’s awesome, man! Can’t wait to see what you do next! What is the most exciting thing happening with The House of Masks at the moment?

GOOD: This interview of course! Haha! Honestly, it’s tough to choose exactly what I’m the most excited about at the moment…but I’d have to say the new space. Up until now, everything was kept in my home. Hence, “The House of Masks”…But we’ve recently started squiring a new, huge, huge retail area that’s going to be at least five times larger than where the collection used to sit. I ran out of room well over a year ago and I’ve only acquired more and more since then, so we definitely need the space. Not to mention storage for our merch and all that. I can’t wait to have it ready to go!

DC: That is so amazing! I would love to visit the place one day! I’ve heard in other interviews with you on your YouTube page that you wear your masks to conventions. What conventions do you attend the most? Favorites?

GOOD: We always hit up the HorrorHound’s, both in Cinci and in Indiana. But hands down the best is MaskFest (which is in correlation with HorrorHound Indy). That’s the only convention we booth at, and I can’t express how great that con is. Everyone is family. A lot of conventions are, and no offense here, just a bunch of people basically gluing a photo of Jason Voorhees to a lightswitch cover and trying to sell it for thirty bucks. MaskFest is the real deal. The artists boothing there are genuinely interested in everyone there. The general admission, and fellow artists, etc… not just your money. We go to the Midwest Haunters Convention, the Horrorhounds, etc., but nothing touches MaskFest.

DC: That’s awesome, man. And I know what you mean about people just making cheap stuff to sell for outrageous prices. Will you be attending any cons in early 2017?

GOOD: Pretty sure the first convention I’ll be at this year is Midwest, but that could always change. Hanging out and meeting people is my absolute favorite thing, so I’ll always try to expand my convention attendance.

DC: Very cool, man! Okay, let’s talk John Carpenter a bit. With him coming back to the franchise this year, what are you hoping to get most out of it?

GOOD: Simplicity. Sometimes less is more… in my opinion (and a lot of other Myers fans) the franchise has shit all over itself! We all knew it should have stopped at H2 and moved on to the anthology-style route they wanted to go with, like Halloween III attempted to. Halloween 4 is a decent movie, but unnecessary. And the rest just suck. So, I’m hoping to see a John Carpenter movie. Bring back a normal-sized Michael, with ghostly attributes, super human strength, etc. I don’t want to see a seven-foot tall Myers that has a white trash backstory (sorry Rob). And I don’t want to see Michael tied into some ridiculous cult, having a baby with his niece. I want the Boogeyman

DC: All I can say to that is… AMEN! So, just so people can see just how amazing you and your collection are, where can people find you online?

GOOD: My big three are Instagram: @thehouseofmasks, YouTube – where I make daily videos, The House of Masks/The Crimson Ghost Mask Room and Facebook, which no one really gives a shit about, haha!

DC: Well, one thing I’ve been curious about is what do you hope to gain from amassing such a collection of masks? What is it about them that makes you so passionate about them?

GOOD: That’s a good question. I don’t know if there will ever be an end result. I think my biggest goal for the future, right now is to obtain a stage used Slipknot mask. That’s been a goal since I was a child. I can remember writing a 3 page letter to Slipknot when I was like 10 or something and asking for a real mask from the band. I mean they started this all for me anyways. But I guess now the whole point is to continue introducing the hobby to new people, educating them, and helping the community grow as a whole, as well as acquiring cool new shit that I like along the way.

What makes me so passionate is another tricky question because I really don’t know. It’s just the ultimate “thing” for me. I just fuckin’ love masks. Maybe one day I will understand but as for now I’m just embracing it and pushing it to the fullest extent that I can.

DC: That’s awesome, man. I too am a passionate mask person and I am also learning sculpting my own as a special fx artist. I’ve loved masks my whole and I don’t think I’ll ever stop!

You recently did an interview with Corey Taylor, frontman of Slipknot. How did that come to happen? Was it a nervous experience for you being such a big fan of his?

GOOD: It’s a really weird story. The day he made an Instagram he started following me and I was like “what? That must be a mistake” , so I made a post letting people know he made one and showed him my collection and we DM’d about possibly sending me a stage use daily mask…and ever since then we’ve kept in touched. I wanted to do something special with him and he was totally down for the interview and really it was him that made that whole thing happen. He was really awesome through the whole process. I can only hope he continues to toloerate me and keep me around and maybe possibly I’ll have anoiece of Slipknot/Corey Taylor history in the collection one day.

DC: Awesome, man. In closing, what would you like to say to all of your fans out there?

GOOD: I’d like to say thanks for everything! The fan art, letters, masks, purchases, pictures…everything. The only reason this whole thing works is because of you guys. And I never imagined I could do what I do, and make people out there happy by doing it. So, from the bottom of my little black heart, thank you.

The post Behind The Mask with AJ Good appeared first on Dread Central.

Starring Shauna Macdonald, Ross Noble, Steve Wall, Charlotte Bradley, Leah McNamara

Directed by Dennis Bartok

When her morning jog is thrown for a loop courtesy of a hit and run driver, Dana Milgrom (Macdonald) finds herself confined to a bed in a dilapidated – and apparently horribly understaffed – hospital. To make matters worse, the accident has left her paralysed from the waist down and unable to speak – her only means of communication being an awkward, computer-activated speech program.

To make matters even worse than that, it looks like her insurance company have her shacked up in a hospital that isn’t just shit… it’s also haunted.

As the nightly visitations from the lanky, long-nailed ghost that resides in her ward’s closet become more and more violent in nature, Dana battles to get hospital orderly Trevor (Noble) and her disbelieving husband, Steve (Wall), on side before it’s too late.

It’s a promising setup for an effective spookshow: Secluded location, freaky, aggressive ghost, and a protagonist/would-be victim who is sufficiently impaired that escape is impossible. And for the most part, Nails manages to live up to this promise as the story gets moving.

Macdonald carries the lead role admirably. Her utter disdain, not just for her own physical incapability but also for the infantilising way in which everyone else treats her now that she’s ill, comes through nicely with every heavy-lidded gaze and aggravated breath. Standing in high regard alongside her is comedian Ross Noble, who’s anything but funny in his completely straight-laced role. His character, Trevor, is one of the most interesting in the film – heavily conflicted, his hatred of his workplace sees him constantly torn as to whether or not he wants to get involved with Dana’s apparent delusions.

That is, until the truth is out – and refusing to get involved is no longer an option.

And this is also where Nails begins to unravel.

Whilst Dana’s core character thread is (mostly) solid, the less said about the minor appearances of the senior hospital staff, the better. A sub-plot involving Dana’s suspicion that her husband may be cheating on her helps bolster the notion that she may be losing her grip on reality, but it’s ultimately as ham-fisted as the rest of the awkward exchanges that attempt to broaden Nails’s story.

Bartok and his co-writer Tom Abrams avoid heading down the clichéd road of the ghost being the result of some heinous, covered-up wrongdoing within the hospital administration – an innocent soul wronged and back for vengeance – but they do unfold the narrative in a manner that revelations such as these are expected, and fail to fill the chasm left behind with anything of sufficient breadth. Instead, an equally cliché (and convenient) plot point is slotted in – leading to an admirably grim ending that’s rendered almost entirely impotent by bathetic staging that elicits a greater number of smirks than anything else.

Still, there’s enough of a functional good time here that it warrants giving Nails a tentative pass. It builds up nicely, features a strikingly oppressive atmosphere, a visually impressive ghost, and the first few frights are high on the tension meter – but when it comes time to unleash the beast, the best it can offer is a woefully drawn-out rendition of a scare we’ve seen a million times before.

So, just like the hospital in which it’s set, with Nails you’ll get passable treatment from a bunch of people who do care – but don’t expect any high class frills.

The post Nails (2017) appeared first on Dread Central.

“Wanna see something REALLY scary?”

To horror fans who came of age in the 1980s, the line above instantly invokes memories of Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks from the intro to Twilight Zone: The Movie: A nighttime road trip takes a nasty turn when a seemingly innocuous question leads to major terror. Now, on a bi-monthly basis, I’ll be asking, “Wanna see something REALLY scary?” with the goal of shocking you with chilling footage plumbed from the darkest corners of YouTube.

Today, we’re talking about Bath Salts. No, not those colorful, scented granules that help you relax in the tub after a tough day; alpha-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone is better known by its street name “Flakka” and it’s a relatively new designer drug still sold legally at head shops in 12 States. While “Excited Delirium” might sound like a fun state of mind, this is actually the primary symptom of a Bath Salts overdose, and it’s no bueno.

In 2012, Rudy Eugene became known as a cannibal killer after eating 80% of a homeless man’s face while in the throes of Excited Delirium. The story made national headlines with many comparing Eugene’s actions to those of undead shamblers you might see on The Walking Dead. The term “Bath Salt Zombies” was coined; this term and the case of Rudy Eugene became the inspiration for a feature film in 2013. Check out the trailer and synopsis below.

Official Synopsis: In New York City, potent strands of bath salts have surfaced and have attracted the most devoted bath salt junkies. A young aspiring chemist has developed an even stronger batch… but something has gone horribly wrong.

Getting serious for a moment, the news reel below puts Bath Salts and the case of Rudy Eugene into proper perspective, speaking to the dangerous (potentially fatal) side-effects of the drug, the human toll of this potential epidemic, and the science behind Excited Delirium.

Wanna see something REALLY scary?

In an effort to curb Bath Salt consumption among enlisted servicemen, The U.S. Navy produced an anti-Bath Salts PSA that actually puts you inside the head of someone suffering Excited Delirium—and there’s nothing exciting about it! Utilizing a first-person perspective and shockingly effective demonic FX, it puts those “This is Your Brain on Drugs” commercials to shame. Of course, the tone shifts when a Navy M.D. discusses using Bath Salts rectally; then it becomes scary for a whole different reason!

Got an idea for a future installment of “Wanna See Something REALLY Scary?” Hit me up on Twitter @josh_millican!

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Starring Kathleen Turner, Sam Waterson, Matthew Lillard, Ricki Lake

Directed by John Waters

Distributed by Scream Factory

John Waters’ style is generally understood among serious cinema aficionados, enough so that anyone going into one of his pictures would rightly expect two things: subversion and perversion. His early films were packed with both, usually earning an “X” rating when it came time for general release. He softened a bit in the late 80’s and began making pictures with a little more commercial viability, albeit still without major success. After delivering back-to-back retro musicals, Waters turned to a more serious subject: murder. Tackling serious subjects with gallows humor requires a delicate balance of both. Waters perfectly nails the balance between happy home and horror with Serial Mom (1994), a subversive serial killer satire that plays against expectations. Making his murderer a housewife whose chipper disposition belies the bloodthirsty monster within tackles many slasher stereotypes with tongue planted firmly in cheek. I became a fan when the film hit VHS a few months after it bombed in theaters, and it’s a title I revisit yearly because even after dozens of viewings Waters’ film feels fresh and relevant as ever.

The following is based on a “true story”. Beverly Sutphin (Kathleen Turner) is the perfect housewife, doting to her husband, Eugene (Sam Waterson), and firm parent to her two children, Misty (Ricki Lake) and Chip (Matthew Lillard). She cooks breakfast. She sings to the birds. She absolutely detests chewing gum. Oh, and she is secretly a psychopath who torments her neighbors over the slightest of transgressions. Poor Dottie Hinkle (Mink Stole) has been receiving harassing calls for weeks from an anonymous person, with the caller (Beverly) spewing every vile epithet in the book. Dottie’s “crime”? She inadvertently stole Beverly’s parking space one afternoon. It does not take much to get on her bad side.

Beverly’s bloodlust begins to boil over and it isn’t long before she escalates her predatory game to include killing. First, a schoolteacher is run down; next, a former lover of Misty’s is impaled with a fire poker; more follow, none of whom did anything so terrible as to deserve death. But Beverly just can’t let anything go, and if she doesn’t give some comeuppance when she feels it’s due, well, again, you don’t want to get on her bad side. The woman is impressively relentless. Eventually it gets to the point where Beverly isn’t even trying to conceal her actions, running off on a killing spree with childish glee whenever the urge strikes. But as the police close in and her reign of terror on the streets seems over, the true nature of media takes over and suddenly Beverly finds herself in a surprisingly favorable position: America’s “Serial Mom”.

Who would ever suspect the neighborhood super mom of being a killer? Nobody, especially when she’s played by Kathleen Turner, who delivers a twistedly twee performance as the can-do mom with half her marbles missing. Beverly is a true psychopath with no consideration for the extremity of her actions. In her mind everything is justified. She relates to men who kill. The woman even keeps a correspondence with Ted Bundy! The film leaves it ambiguous as to whether or not Beverly has been killing all this time or if it is a new venture, but Waters provides a number of little character moments to show this is no fly-by-night “hobby”. Turner plays the character as someone who is always in control, or at least thinks she is, although she doesn’t seem to grasp there is something wrong with her mind. Her face and mood can turn on a dime, dropping the daytime housewife routine to show her true nature. But these moments are filled with constant levity because Waters always keeps it over the top.

Beverly also gets the award for Most Inventive Weaponry because victims in this film are killed with a fire poker, air conditioning unit, public pay phone, and a leg of lamb. And since she always needs the last word, Beverly usually tosses in a sarcastic quip after doing the deed. Her hubris only intensifies after being arrested, and that’s when Waters turns his lens on the bizarre celebrity of serial killers. Beverly, acting as her own attorney, argues her case to a sympathetic jury and a crowd of fervent supporters; everyone just likes her so much, how can she lose?! Misty takes to selling branded “Serial Mom” t-shirts outside the courthouse, the crowd snapping them up as quickly as possible. Even before the trial ends a film version is announced and Suzanne Somers, set to star, shows up in court. This is true of murder culture still, where the killers wind up with more press and notoriety than any victims. These infamous celebrities captivate the public and almost become mythic despite their vile actions. Waters, unable to resist every attempt at irony, ends the trial with a reminder that a tiger can’t change its stripes – and it doesn’t even want to.

Serial Mom is Waters’ vision of June Cleaver by way of Herschell Gordon Lewis (whose pictures are referenced throughout). Absolutely madcap and reveling in cathartic fantasy, it is a rare dark comedy that is so absurd it can be easy to forget how deeply disturbing it is at its core. Turner leads the pack, but strong supporting turns from the likes of Waterson, as the clueless husband; Lillard, as the horror-obsessed son forced to accept his mother as a slasher icon; and every other cast member on the down the line has the film brimming with colorful personalities that resonate. Mary Jo Catlett as Rosemary Ackerman, the nosiest neighbor on the block, sticks in my mind so clearly; her wonky eye contorting as she decries to the police, “It was covered in gore!” Serial Mom has more than earned its place among cult horror comedies and Scream Factory deserves high praise for giving it the feature-rich edition fans have been craving.

Serial Mom makes its stateside Blu-ray debut via Scream Factory, featuring a 1.85:1 1080p image This is a clear upgrade over both previous DVD releases, and it is on par with the U.K. Blu-ray that has been available for some time. Scream doesn’t tout any new scan information, so I can only assume this is, in fact, that same master used for the foreign release. And it looks perfectly fine, although I can’t help but think a new 2K (or 4K) scan might have yielded a tighter image with more fine details. Colors appear natural and neutral; they are bold but never quite leap off the screen with any pop. Detail within the frame is frequently evident and often sharp, though there is slight softness to many shots that may be inherent due to the time period Waters is channeling. The print is clean and free from dirt & debris. Black levels are rich and dark.

I was a little shocked to be reminded the great Basil Poledouris composed the score, something that sounds very much outside his wheelhouse. The English DTS-HD MA track is available in both 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround sound flavors. Dialogue is expertly balanced and constantly clear; the baritone delivery of “pussy willows” has never sounded fuller. Much of the audible action is relegated to the front assembly, though the rears do come into play for courtroom chatter, roaring car engines, and during the performance by Camel Lips (actually L7), which is ear shattering in its own right. Subtitles are available in English.

There are two audio commentary tracks; one with director John Waters and actress Kathleen Turner, the second a solo track featuring only Waters.

“In Conversation with Director John Waters, Actress Kathleen Turner, and Actress Mink Stole” – This newly-produced piece features three of the film’s principals sitting down on a couch for a three-way chatfest that is a bit unfocused and occasionally awkward, though there are some fun bits of friendly banter and a few anecdotes fans may not have known.

“The Making of Serial Mom” – This standard EPK from 1994 features the requisite interviews from cast & crew, covering whatever possible in scant time.

“Serial Mom: Surreal Moments” – Aside from Turner, most everyone involved with the film sits down for this undated making-of retrospective to discuss their roles, the impact of the film, influences, etc.

“The Kings of Gore: Herschell Gordon Lewis & David Friedman” – This piece examines a few of Lewis’ most infamous works and how they inspired Waters while making this film.

A theatrical trailer is also included.

Special Features:

• NEW! – A Conversation with director John Waters, actress Kathleen Turner and actress Mink Stole
• Serial Mom: Surreal Moments – featuring interviews with Waters, Stole, Actress Patricia Hearst, actress Ricki Lake, actor Matthew Lillard,
  casting director Pat Moran, production designer Vincent Pirano & more!
• Feature commentary with John Waters and Kathleen Turner
• Feature commentary with John Waters
• The Making Of Serial Mom – original promotional featurette
• The Kings Of Gore: Herschel Gordon Lewis and David Friedman featurette
• Original theatrical trailer

BUY IT NOW!

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Starring Shane West, Leslie Bibb, Matt Craven, Stephen McHattie

Directed by Jonathan Wright

Part “Storage Wars” and part “CSI,” this well-meaning but slow-moving mystery thriller zeroes in on a fictional capture of the real Zodiac Killer. I thought the premise was quite clever – a storage unit that’s fallen into arrears and is auctioned off just happens to contain murder mementos from the most elusive serial killer in modern history.

I also thought the cast was terrific – Shane West and Leslie Bibb play the cash-strapped couple who wind up with the valuable ill-gotten goods, while Matt Craven and Stephen McHattie round out the picture as grizzled guys on opposite ends of the mystery. Craven is an amateur sleuth, while McHattie is the baddie.

The movie is set in present-day, so long after the San Francisco slayer’s hellish heyday that naturally the young marrieds don’t know all that much about him. Here’s where gray-haired exposition machine Craven comes in. I kid, but this “educational” portion of the story is well done. Yet, there’s a definite lack of chill in the re-creations, and it doesn’t come across just why the villain is so legendary. The Zodiac shares similarities to his British counterpart, Jack the Ripper (both struck quickly and cruelly, both taunted the police, and neither was ever ID’ed.)

Awakening the Zodiac starts off promisingly enough. As the treasure hunters sift through reels of 16mm film, they see each horrific murder frame-by-frame. They marvel at the previously uncracked cypher’s code. They even find the Zodiac’s rifle. But guess what? The Z-man isn’t happy about his stuff being auctioned off. First he takes care of the storage space manager; then he sets his sights on the buyers.

While the mysterious murderer – his identity is not revealed until toward the end – hunts his pray, his prey blindly hunts him. At first, it’s a fairly compelling cat-and-mice thriller. There are some tense moments and a passable red herring. But then inertia sets in and a lot of the action is filtered through dialogue. Bibb and West do their best, but the bickering-yet-loving couple routine gets pretty stale about halfway through. Then, as the story reaches its climax, they do dumber and dumber things until you’re actually hoping they become notches on the old sniper rifle.

As the Zodiac reveals more of his personality – yet none of his motives – it may be the viewer that has to be awakened. What’s more, the tacked-on coda is a noogie after one has invested so much time in getting to the end.

I won’t bother to compare this flick to David Fincher’s eponymous 2007 masterpiece, as that would be too unfair. But Awakening the Zodiac doesn’t even have a cinematic feel to it; it’s definitely small-screen fare. A decent timewaster if you’re a fan of the subject but little else.

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For our latest Shudder Pick of the Weekend, we’re heading deep into the subways for some truly terrifying mayhem to ride The Midnight Meat Train.

Mind the doors, and bring a mop! This one gets ULTRA messy!

Synopsis:
Struggling photographer Leon Kauffman’s (Bradley Cooper) obsessive pursuit of dark subject matter leads him into the path of a serial killer in director Ryûhei Kitamura’s stylish adaptation of Clive Barker’s 1984 short story. Mahogany (the eternally intimidating Vinnie Jones) is a subway murderer who stalks late-night commuters, ultimately butchering them in the most gruesome ways imaginable – and Leon has stepped directly onto his tracks.

For more info visit the official Shudder website, “like” Shudder on Facebook, and follow Shudder on Twitter and Shudder on Instagram.

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Wow how time flies! Our radio show, #Brainwaves: Horror and Paranormal Talk Radio has officially turned 1 year old! Our first broadcast took place on June 8th, 2016 and man has it been a fucking ride. To celebrate this auspicious occasion, we’d like to recommend some of our favorite episodes to you guys!

Choosing ten episodes is hard. They’re all our children and we’ve had fantastic guests like Adam Green, Dave Parker, Ralph Sarchie, Sid Haig, Harrison Smith, etc, and we loved everyone one of them. That being said… there’s just something about the following shows that really stand out in our memories.

• Elaine Mercado – Living in a Haunted House
• Doug Bradley – Mano y Mano with Pinhead
• The Infamous Flat Earth Debate
• Ted Raimi on All that’s Evil Dead and More
• Scott Johnson and the Squatty Potty
• The First Ever Halloween Special From the EXTREMELY Haunted Horton Davis House
• Getting Weird With Dana Matthews and Greg Newkirk
• Terry Castle on the Legendary William Castle and Rosemary’s Baby
• George Case – Here’s to My Sweet Satan
• Alta and Chad Dillard Get Orbducted

We’re approaching our 50th show and we are nothing short of shocked and ecstatic that we’ve lasted this long. We would like to thank the following people… Our support system – TJ at Deep Talk Radio, Amy Martin, Justin Dark, Jonathan Barkan, Debi Moore, Sarah French, Kevin Barbare, Jon Condit, Maritza Skandunas, and Zak Bagans. Our bands – Five Cent Hero, Metropolitan Goodkill, Synthetic 16, Graverobber, Ghoultown, Ghost Ship Octavious, Joseph Bishara, Reverse Thrust, and The Charred Walls of the Damned. Our regular listeners – Marilyn Obregon, Julia Lambert, Tammy Miller, Scary Little Mary, Walba Threadkiller, A Whole Skeptic, Andrew Challand, Derek, George in MA, Christopher Jimenez, Daniella Batsheva, David and Tiffany Hahn, and everyone who’s ever spread the word, helped, tuned in, listened, or downloaded. Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!

“I can’t believe it’s been a year,” says cohost and stunt ass, Famous Horror Author Joe Knetter. “It’s hard to believe. It just seems like yesterday that I had a three-way with that dwarf chick dressed like a Smurf, man I came so hard. I love Papa Smurf. Oh, we’re talking about Brainwaves. Man, time flies. It’s been a weird year full of interesting and bizarre moments with my brother from another mother. I’ve certainly enjoyed allowing everyone a chance to get a peek inside our lives and minds. Thank you so much to everyone that was brave enough to give our shit a shot. We have fun and hope you do too.”

Brainwaves: Horror and Paranormal Talk Radio is available to subscribe to on iTunes. Not an iTunes user?  You can also listen right here on the site.

Spooky, funny, touching, honest, offensive, and at times completely random, Brainwaves airs live every Wednesday evening beginning at 8:00 PM Pacific Time (11:00 midnight Eastern Time) and runs about 3 hours per episode.

Knetter and Creepy will be taking your calls LIVE and unscreened via Skype, so let your freak flags fly! Feel free to add BrainWavesTalk to your Skype account so you can reach us, or call in from a landline or cellphone – 858 480 7789. The duo also take questions via Twitter; you can reach us at @BrainwavesRadio or @UncleCreepy, @JoeKnetter, or @MrDarkDC and @JonathanBarkan using the hashtag #BrainWaves.

Have a ghost story or a paranormal story but can’t call in? Feel free to email it to me directly at UncleCreepy@dreadcentral.com with “Brainwaves Story” in your subject line. You can now become a fan of the show via the official… BRAINWAVES FACEBOOK PAGE!

Brainwaves: Horror and Paranormal Talk Radio is hosted live (with shows to be archived as they progress) right here on Dread Central. You can tune in and listen via the FREE TuneIn Radio app or listen to TuneIn right through the website!

For more information and to listen live independent of TuneIn, visit the Deep Talk Radio Network website, “like” Deep Talk Radio on Facebook, and follow Deep Talk Radio on Twitter. And don’t forget to subscribe to Brainwaves on iTunes.

The post Happy Birthday #Brainwaves Horror and Paranormal Talk Radio appeared first on Dread Central.

Yes, kids it’s THAT TIME again at Eibon Press!

Time for the second issue of our epic comic adaptation of Lucio Fulci’s classic 1980s zombie shocker CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD!

Pre-orders of this unique, badass LIMITED EDITION comic book go live at 7pm PST tonight, which is JUNE 9, only at our website: EIBONPRESS.COM!  Supplies of our signed editions are limited to just 1,000 copies and they always sell fast, so get there early to get a low number!  This comic issue marks the beginning of our SEOND YEAR doing all this insane collector’s comic stuff.  Yep, it’s been almost exactly 12 months since we started . . . and in the coming months, you’re going to start seeing some REAL shit, as we take this thing to a whole new level!  That will begin with our incredible SEQUEL to Fulci’s ZOMBIE (starting with Lucio Fulci’s Zombie #5) in August and our badass line of VHS COMICS, which debut just in time for Halloween!

Meanwhile . . . check out our awesome UNBOXING VIDEO here for GATES 2!

It’s out BEST yet, so BE THERE at eibonpress.com when the blood starts to fly!

S

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It’s time for a trip down memory lane. This year we travel all the way back to a more simple time; a time which saw the introduction of the iPhone, Brittney Spear’s not so slow descent into madness, and two friends teaming up to have the best summer ever by reviving a lost cornerstone of horror cinema. The year was 2007, and this, was the summer of Grindhouse.

Join us, won’t you? As we put thermometers in strange places and squee with glee over the zit popping, zombie killing, wheelin’, dealin’, helicopter stealin’, machine gun for a leg, bat shit insanity that is Planet Terror!

Let’s carve a scary face this time! It’s the Who Goes There Podcast episode 118!

If you like what you hear, please consider joining our Patreon. For less than the cost of a beer you get bonus content, exclusive merchandise, special giveaways and you get to help us continue doing what we love.

The Who Goes There Podcast is available to subscribe to on iTunes right here. Not an iTunes user? You can listen on our Dread Central page. Can’t get enough? We also do that social media shit. You’ll find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, and YouTube.

The post Who Goes There Podcast: Episode 118 – Planet Terror appeared first on Dread Central.

Yesterday was Ghostbusters Day; and to celebrate, Ivan Reitman sat down for a live Q&A on the GhostCorps Facebook page to discuss the original films, the remake, and more. He also had this revelation…

“We’re doing a lot of work about where do we go next with Ghostbusters? I think one thing that fans have clearly wanted, and so did I, [is] that somehow we tie the worlds together. I think it was a little awkward that it wasn’t connected, and we certainly heard a lot from everybody out there. So I would definitely want to connect to all of that.”

Gee, ya think? So what’s next?

“What we’ve been doing a lot of is thinking about the franchise rights for Ghostbusters. Because Ghostbusters, that idea doesn’t have to just take place in New York; it can happen over the world. I think it would be really cool to see Korean ghosts or Chinese ghosts. All those great traditions in the world have all these tales and things those people are afraid of. To have a sort of local group of Ghostbusters that tie with the head office in New York would be fun.”

Stay tuned, kids! That is, of course, if ‘busting STILL makes you feel good.

The post Worlds Collide! Ivan Reitman Wants to Connect the Ghostbusters Universes appeared first on Dread Central.

Arrow Video has announced that they will be releasing a restored version of Children of the Corn on Blu-ray this fall. The Fritz Kiersch-directed film, which is based on a story by horror master Stephen King, originally came out in 1984 and starred Linda Hamilton and Peter Horton.

Arrow Video’s version will feature a 2k cut of the film that was restored using the original negative, a surround sound option, audio commentaries, interviews, and more.

The expected release date is September 19th. You can pre-order a copy via Diabolik.

Synopsis:
A young couple travelling cross-country find themselves stranded in the small town of Gatlin, where they meet a mysterious religious cult of children. With no adults in sight the terror brews as the new arrivals find the secrets of the prospering corn fields and the children who inhabit them. Led by the mysterious Isaac and the unhinged Malachi the blood-curdling secrets of the children of Gatlin are soon revealed to their new ‘outlander’ guests.

Special Features:

• Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original Mono and 5.1 Audio Options
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary with John Sullivan of childrenofthecornmovie.com and horror journalist Justin Beahm
• Audio commentary with director Fritz Kiersch, producer Terrence Kirby and actors John Franklin and Courtney Gains
• Harvesting Horror: The Making of Children of the Corn – retrospective piece featuring interviews with director Fritz Kiersch and actors John Franklin and Courtney Gains
• It Was the Eighties! – an interview with actress Linda Hamilton
• Return to Gatlin – brand new featurette revisiting the film’s original Iowa shooting locations
• Stephen King on a Shoestring – an interview with producer Donald Borchers
• Welcome to Gatlin: The Sights and Sounds of Children of the Corn – an interview with production designer Craig Stearns and composer Jonathan Elias
• Feeling Blue – an interview with the actor who played “The Blue Man” in the fabled excised sequence
• Theatrical Trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin

The post Children of the Corn Getting 2k Blu-ray Release in the US appeared first on Dread Central.

Earlier this year, I wrote about The Rise of the Synths, a documentary about the rising popularity of the synthwave genre that has been ushered by artists such as Perturbator, Carpenter Brut, Gunship, Miami Nights 1984, Lazerhawk, and similar. Their music is steeped in the synth sounds of the 70’s and 80’s, inspired by films like Suspiria, The Terminator, The Hitcher, Prince of Darkness, and so on and so forth.

While we wait for the documentary to arrive, two companion EPs have been released with the second coming out today via Lakeshore Records. The EP features new music from artists like Gunship, Code Elektro, Com Truise, and more. You can stream the album below.

If you want to pick up a copy of the album, you can do so through Lakeshore’s Bandcamp page.

Synopsis:
The natural way of the cultural wave: we generally experience that musical and cultural trends shift from an outstanding position within public opinion to near utter rejection, refusal and ridicule, through an ever-shortening period of time. However, if that period of time is extended, to often several decades, we can witness a renovation, a new heightened recognition – the rebirth of the wave. Through today’s global reach, powered by the internet, cultural waves and fascinations can resurface and manifest themselves, with an even much bigger fan impact than the original source.

The film is a travel in time towards the roots of a worldwide grass-root music scene known as Synthwave, an irresistible blend of modern electronic composition with 80s pop culture’s nostalgia, that over the last two years has transformed from a whisper on selected internet hubs, to an ever-growing scene, expanding rapidly as we speak. Accounting millions of plays on social media, devoted fans are legion, but nobody in the mass media knows about them.

Thousands of synthwave composers around the world are living out double-lives. Away from their normal everyday life they spend another half-life behind a faceless musical avatar, creating and uploading their own renditions of 80’s-styled film scores, sharing them with the world – surging the wave. They belong to an endless army of watchers for the master’s legacy: the sound that Edgar Froese, Giorgio Moroder and John Carpenter created in the late 70s.

A time travel into the universe of creating sounds. A love letter to human fascination and the collective memories of an universe that never existed.

The post Rise of the Synths Vol. 2 Released: Hear New Music From Gunship, Code Elektro, Com Truise, and More appeared first on Dread Central.

It’s been announced that Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi (pictured below) has joined the cast of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the sequel to the 2014 Gareth Edwards film. Supposedly, Ziyi will have a major role in the franchise, according to Deadline. The interesting word there is “franchise”, which was used instead of “movie” or “film”. This might very well mean that Ziyi will also appear in Adam Wingard’s Godzilla vs. Kong.

Ziyi joins the growing cast that also includes Kyle Chandler as a scientist and Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobby Brown as his family members with Thomas Middleditch, Charles Dance, Randy Havens, Sally Hawkins, O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Bradley Whitford, and Ken Watanabe rounding out the cast.

Michael Dougherty is directing Godzilla: King of the Monsters from a script he penned with Zach Shields. It is currently in production and scheduled for release on March 22, 2019. Alex Garcia is overseeing the project for Legendary. The monster mash-up Godzilla vs. Kong, which recently announced Blair Witch‘s Adam Wingard as its director, is slated to bow the following year on May 22, 2020.

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Anti-depressants come with a lot of side effects – one of the most absurd, as anyone on them will tell you, is that they can “increase thoughts or motivation of suicide.” Seriously.

In Disposition, a quiet girl (Sara Malakul Lane, Sun Choke, Beyond the Gates) finds herself literally stalked by her own darkness. As she struggles with medication and coping with depression, she finds herself constantly envisioning her own violent suicide.

The film is directed by Eric Thirteen, producer of producer of Rob Zombie’s 31 and the upcoming Adam Rifkin movie Director’s Cut featuring Penn Jillette and Lin Shaye.

“I partnered with Sheila Mia Seifi – she designs crazy gruesome effects. We’ve talked about how recent horror has had outstanding FX work, but often used to comedic ends. We wanted to swing the other direction. See how modern ultra-violence can enhance a serious 70s-style slow burn. Splat pack meets Roman Polanski,” Thirteen tells us.

Seifi can be seen both behind and in-front of camera at Eli Roth’s CryptTV. Working in the lab of colleague Rob Burman (Terminator 2, The Thing), she designed every effect to be 100% practical. All on-set, all in front of the camera. Casually sitting across from the original mask of Donnie Darko’s rabbit Frank, Seifi recalled the design process. “I’ve know Ron Burman since the beginning of my career. I’m lucky to call him a mentor and friend. He’s a 3rd gen FX artist who has decades of tips and secret tricks, some of which were used in Disposition.”

Thirteen describes the whole film as an arthouse collaboration.

“We picked the crew really carefully. I avoided the whole Hollywood network. We looked at our favorite modern horror films, why they were good, and who worked on those aspects. Then we tracked those people down one-on-one to bring them onboard.”

DP Will Barratt (Adam Green’s Frozen, Hatchet) worked to make sure every shot told the story visually. Devin Johnson (Last House on the Left) came in from Hans Zimmer’s personal studio to write and record the score. A single live cello performance was used to help add a voice the mind of a very quiet character.

“A lot of people came onboard because the script spoke to them. Half our crew must have related to mental illness in some way. For them it was heavy.” For others, it was a different kind of challenge. “I watched Suziey Block’s physical struggle in the movie Entrance. I sat down with her and showed her this extremely naked bloody role. She saw what it demanded and said, fuck yeah.”

Disposition will be touring festivals later this year.

The post Producer Eric Thirteen Reveals His Disposition; Exclusive Images! appeared first on Dread Central.

Movie posters are an incredibly important part of a marketing campaign. A good poster can get a lot of word-of-mouth, entice theatergoers when they see them in cinemas, and get shares on the internet when done right. Then again, they can go viral when done wrong, as evidenced by Marvel’s recent Spider-man: Homecoming and Black Panther abominations.

If you want to get someone’s attention with a poster, you’ve got to do something different these days. You have to step away from tried and true clichés and think strongly about the product you’re marketing and how to make it pop. Or you can do something that visually engages the viewer because of how unique it is. It’s the latter case in action with the below offerings.

The animated posters, which appeared on Camp-CrystalLake‘s Tumblr, use the same basic model of a vintage poster, complete with folds, creases, wrinkles, smudge marks, and aged edges, but where image would go is instead replaced with a gif from the film that’s being pushed. These are all classic films, so we know the scenes and where they come from. But seeing them put into this format gives not only the scenes new life but also rekindles my interest in revisiting these films. The posters do what they are intending to do, which is make me want to see the movie.

Now let’s just hope that Hollywood can learn from examples like this to go outside of the box.

The post These Animated Vintage Horror Posters Are Magnificent appeared first on Dread Central.

Look out your window right now. See that bulge off in the distance. Yeah, that’s my geek boner engorged because of the following story. Holy shit, do we need these portable systems in our lives. Like yesterday even.

From the Press Release:
AtGames has announced its Fall 2017 lineup of classic gaming hardware, including new premium HD versions of their classic gaming consoles: the Atari Flashback 8 Gold and the Sega Genesis Flashback. Each console includes an amazing selection of built-in Atari 2600 and Sega Genesis 16-bit games, respectively, as well as an impressive range of features, including wireless controllers. These consoles along with additional products, including the Atari Flashback Portable Game Player and the Sega Ultimate Portable Game Player will be available at all major retailers in Fall 2017.

The all-new Atari Flashback® 8 Gold features 120 built-in all-time favorites. Games include legends like Activision’s Pitfall! and Taito’s Space Invaders, as well as many other all-time Atari 2600 classics like Kaboom!™, River Raid™, Centipede™, and Millipede™. Two all new, high performance 2.4ghz wireless controllers, styled after the Atari 2600 originals, are included, as well as two legacy controller ports for optional wired joysticks or paddles. Other all new features for the Atari Flashback® 8 Gold include 720p HDMI output, scan line filtering, and a save/pause/rewind feature for every game.

The Atari Flashback® 8 Classic Game Console returns in a new value-priced edition, complete with 105 all-time favorites. Amazing new additions to the game line-up include Activision legends like Pitfall!™, Kaboom!™, and River Raid™. Two wired controllers, styled after the Atari 2600 originals, are included, as well as two legacy controller ports to add your own optional wired joysticks or paddles.

The Atari Flashback® Portable Game Player features an amazing selection of 70 built-in games, including the legendary BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment arcade hit, PAC-MAN™. Other blockbuster games include Dig Dug™, Pitfall!™, and Frogger™, and you can even add your own games with an optional SD card. A built-in, rechargeable battery, means the on-the-go fun never has to end. Games can be played on the portable’s built-in, high resolution 2.8” display, or on a TV via optional cable.

The all-new Sega Genesis Flashback has a stunning new design, reminiscent of the original console, and features 85 built-in games as well as an integrated cartridge port that plays almost all of your favorite Sega Genesis and Mega Drive original cartridges. Built-in all-time favorites include the Sonic™ series, Mortal Kombat ™series, Phantasy Star™ series, and Shining Force™ series games. Two new high performance 2.4ghz wireless controllers, styled after the Sega Genesis originals, are included, as well as two legacy controller ports for optional wired gamepads. Other new features for the Sega Genesis Flashback include 720p HDMI output, scan line filtering, and a save/pause/rewind feature for every game.

The Classic Game Console returns in a new value-priced edition, complete with 81 all-time favorites. Amazing new additions to the game line-up include role-playing and strategy legends, Shining Force™, Shining Force II™, and Shining in the Darkness™. Two wired controllers, styled after the Sega Genesis originals, are included, as well as two legacy controller ports to add your own optional wired controllers.

The Ultimate Portable Game Player returns with an enhanced selection of 85 built-in 16-bit Sega Genesis and Mega Drive classic games. The selection of blockbuster games include new additions PAC-PANIC™ and Splatterhouse 2™, as well as many more surprises. You can even add your own games with an optional SD card! Returning for 2017 is save game support for the included Phantasy Star™ series role-playing games. A built-in, rechargeable battery, means the on-the-go fun never has to end. Games can be played on the portable’s built-in, high resolution 2.8” display, or on a TV via optional cable.

The post GEEK BONER ALERT! Atari and Sega Genesis Return in NEW Console and Portable Fashion! appeared first on Dread Central.

Wanna see something really cool? Of course you do. So keep your Friday moving by diggin’ on this poster and trailer for Torin Langen’s 3 Dead Trick or Treaters which is set to hit the festival scene this summer.

Holden Levack, Jeremy Charles Singer, Raven Cousens, and Youp Zondag star.

Synopsis:
After stumbling upon the graves of three murdered trick or treaters, a small town paperboy discovers a series of handwritten horror stories tacked to the children’s headstones. Penned by a deranged pulp author driven mad by his craft, the stories chronicle grisly tales of Halloween rites, rituals and traditions. Absent of dialogue and heavy on atmosphere, 3 Dead Trick or Treaters is a horror anthology unlike any you’ve seen before.

The post 3 Dead Trick or Treaters Come Knocking! appeared first on Dread Central.

A new slasher is on its way in the fashion of Angel from writer/director Tory Jones (The Wicked Ones). Sharpen those knives and break out a tarp. Shit’s likely to get messy!

Jessica Bloom will star in the flick which is now funding on Indiegogo. Dig on the concept trailer below.

Synopsis:
When a brutal massacre plagued the isolated and peaceful town of Raven Rock in 1986, the remaining residents fled, leaving the once tranquil community behind. For thirty years the town has been chained and walled off from the outside world while deteriorating and crumbling. However not all has been quiet as disappearances have been attributed to the supposedly haunted town.

Now a headstrong journalist and her team venture to Raven Rock to investigate the town, its history, and the missing persons. What they will discover is sometimes the truth is more disturbing than myth and Raven Rock is still being occupied.

The post Angel Will Cut Off More Than Just Your Wings! appeared first on Dread Central.

The always wonderful Beth Accomando has just released a new edition of her Cinema Junkie podcast focusing on Queer Horror, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t point you to it as Beth is one of the most insightful film critics we have the pleasure of knowing!

This episode features Beth chatting with Paul Etheredge-Ouzts about his film, Hellbent, which was billed as the first gay slasher film, along with a quartet of new, young filmmakers to see how Queer Horror has evolved since Hellbent. Beth also speaks with FilmOut San Diego’s programmer Michael McQuiggan about his first queer horror shorts block, FrightOut.

Click the following link to listen to the latest edition of her Cinema Junkie podcast and also be sure to subscribe via iTunes or your favorite podcatcher.

The post Queer Horror Takes Center Stage in Latest Cinema Junkie Podcast appeared first on Dread Central.

With the Monster Hunter franchise being enormously popular in Japan, it comes as no surprise that Capcom have decided to bring Monster Hunter XX to the Nintendo Switch. It serves as an enhanced port of the original Monster Hunter Generations, which sold over 4 million copies when it was originally released on the 3DS.

As far as gameplay’s concerned, there’s the usually mix of RPG elements including crafting and exploration, in addition to, y’know, monster hunting. You can catch glimpes of all in the videos below.

Monster Hunter XX is set to be released on the Switch on Japan on August 25, where it will no doubt sell like crazy. After pre-orders went live the game sold out in minutes, so believe me when I say that this is going to be a huge hit.

In other Monster Hunter-related news, Paul W.S. Anderson and his producing partner Jeremy Bolt will soon be bringing the franchise to the big screen.

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