Welcome to a simpler time. A time where the sound of wind against shutters could keep you up at night wondering what could be out there. What could be watching. Waiting.
Welcome to a time where the dark was darker, the cold was colder and the fear more chilling. Nothing is as frightening as what you can create deep in the black crevices of your mind. Welcome to…
OLD TIMEY TUESDAYS
CBS Radio Mystery Theater was a revival of the old suspense/thriller/horror radio drama that ran from 1974-1982 and included voice celebrities such as Margaret Hamilton, Casey Kasem, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jerry Stiller and John Lithgow.
The Crack in the Wall first aired May 20, 1974. It’s the story of a girl who dies in a house fire. Her grieving parents move into a new home, only to find a crack in the wall in the basement. Through this crack they can hear screams — like that of their deceased daughter!
Travel with us through the city of the dead……well, the company of the dead. Follow Ron and Little Miss Horror Nerd as they infiltrate Hydra Tech (it’s really not that hard to do) and investigate these strange goings on with a group of motocross punks and snack foods. Along the way we will learn many different ways to say “nice ass,” compare the zombies in this film to other films in the series, uses of money for the homeless, Romanians as fake Hispanics and Jessica’s cats eating plastic! All in one podcast at a special low price!
HORROR NEWS:Halloween at Halloween Horror Nights, Saw box set, Kevin Bacon in Tremors 5, Big Driver on Lifetime
Does anybody remember these kits that were advertised in comic books in the 70’s? I LOVED THEM DAY AND NIGHT! They had quick moving action (like one skeleton pirate pulling another’s arm off who is stuck in quicksand) and knife and sword wielding! AWESOME!
Another lost treasure! I wish I had all of them today! I only have “Dead Men Tell No Tales.” I had them all as a kid! Of course I had to have all these great skeletons! They rocked it for sure! “Zap/Action!” powered by a rubber band and pirate skeletons just RULE the day!. There’s no denying that! Being into all things monster, I was fascinated by their Creepy Coolness – Cursed, Living Dead Pirates still squabbling over their booty. Soooooo COOL, these skeleton models rank way up there for me!
The MPC Pirates of the Caribbean series were def unique and they all became classic kits. Each kit was a full diorama and included extra bones, etc so you could add your own touch.
Dead Men Tell No Tales; Indeed….but if they did they would say, MEGA KILLER AWESOME!!! – I can’t get enough of these!!!
Hey kids! This week is another special treat. After reviewing the first ever Horror Block a few months ago I am back with a review of August. A special treat for you this week, my editor/host of the Resurrection of Zombie 7 Podcast, Ron Martin is here as well to share his thoughts. Two for one!
Hello everyone, this is Ron. My text is blue. My eyes are brown. My favorite color is green. Blue seems like an odd choice. I didn’t know that Jessica had so many kids that she had to write a blog to them.
Let’s open the Horror Block and see what $19.99 plus shipping and handling got us!
Every month includes a t-shirt made exclusively for the Horror Block
This month is an Alien shirt. Though I love the film, I consider it more Sci-fi than horror. I would prefer a horror icon such as Billy Puppet, Jason, or Leatherface.
I like the shirt. I will say that some Sci-Fi is a subgenre of horror. Is Star Trek horror? Of course not. Is Alien? Yes. That’s why we will be covering that franchise on the podcast in the future. For some reason, the green on black really works for me.
Next up a copy of Rue Morgue magazine. I am pleased with this, as I am a magazine hoarder and I especially love horror movie magazines. This magazine retails for $9.95 so it is a good value.
Any sort of horror periodical is okay by me. With all of the information on the internet, reading a magazine seems a little dated in these days. How come when I call Jessica a shut-in hoarder, I get yelled at but she can do it? Girl logic.
A new item for August was a vintage Tales From The Crypt Comic. This is an excellent addition for this month’s block because many horror fans also enjoy comic books.
Love that this was added. I would love a comeback for the old horror anthology comics. I also think that Jessica hoards these because she thinks the Cryptkeeper is cute. She has odd taste in men. It has been proven several times. Cryptkeeper does look an awful lot like Jigsaw
There were two small items a bone shaped pen and a zombie decal. I could have done without these and would have preferred one other item of a greater value.
Jessica is wrong here. These little filler items are the true prizes of the Horror Blocks. A bone pen and a zombie decal are just the things that is going to tell the world that you are a horror fan, aside from walking around with exposed brain tissue. On top of that, they are small ticket items that you would probably never think to buy on your own. I think Jessica will rethink this when she breaks out the bone pen to write a check for her insulin and her cats run in terror.
The final item is a Saw action figure. The figure is actually four pieces which includes Billy Puppet, his tricycle, and pig mask figure which you can remove the mask to reveal John Kramer. While this is not my favorite item, it has the highest value and will be most popular with subscribers.
Jessica is not an action figure kind of gal. She grew up without dolls. This explains a lot. If it was a cat action figure…..oh, hold the doors! This is an excellent figure and encompasses everything you would want from the most popular character in the Saw series (even though we really know that Hoffman was the main bad guy of the franchise). Good on Horror Block for including this! I am assuming anyone reading this is smarter than the average bear so you would not be buying items retail at a comic book shop, but if you were, this item by itself would easily get $20 at a comic book shop. I will put the Billy Puppet in my fish aquarium to remind my fish that I am boss and at any time, I could want to play a game. They will shit on it. Literally.
My personal favorites are the monthly t-shirt and magazine. I have both t-shirt and magazine disease. This means I can never have enough of either! Horror Block is a monthly subscription. It is $19.99 with a $9.00 shipping fee. If your tshirt size is XL or XXL there will be an additional charge of $1.50. However over all it is a good value with just the magazine and t-shirt retailing for approximately $25.00. So check it out even if only for one month.
While I recommend trying Horror Block for sure — if just because it is fun to get a surprise box in the mail, I think the retail value posted on these things is a little bit misleading. Yes, everything in the box probably retails for around $50, but here is the catch — would you have purchased these items. If you were at a convention and saw the Alien shirt for $15, would you have bought it? Would you otherwise have picked up Rue Morgue? Would you have purchased a Jigsaw action figure? That’s really what you have to base this on. If you don’t read the comic or the Rue Morgue or don’t ever wear the shirt, then who cares what they retail?
I can definitely say for myself that I will wear the t-shirt and I would have purchased the Jigsaw action figure (at the right price). I would use the zombie decal and bone pen and read the magazine and comic. For me, personally, this was an excellent Horror Block! If you have $30 to spare, I suggest trying this out once (you know, it might be a fun thing to do around Halloween….just saying). Jessica’s birthday is coming up, I am on the hunt for a monthly Catbox subscription!
You can subscribe to Horror Block at this link! Horror Block was created by the brilliant minds behind Nerd Block. They have just recently added a third monthly box for gamers, Arcade Block! Check it out!
I know I am late to the party but for this week’s blog, I watched Haute Tension directed by Alexandre Aja and released in 2005.
This oldie (Ed Note: Oldie? 2005? I literally have can good in my cabinet that I bought in 2005) but goodie was sitting on my DVR for awhile so I decided to give it a shot. I am glad I did! One of the first few scenes was the killer masturbating with a severed female head. The scene was so vile it drew me in.
The film revolves around two college friends, Alexa and Marie who vacation at Alexa’s parent’s farmhouse for the weekend. The girls arrive in the evening and as soon as the family goes to bed, a strange man arrives and begins to murder everyone.
I’ve noticed in American horror films you often have to wait at least 40 minutes for anyone to be murdered. Well the French do not waste any time! This film was violent from beginning to end. I do appreciate a slow burn, but action is what keeps me glued to the screen.
The version I watched was a mixture of dubbing and subtitles but it didn’t matter. I actually think I could have watched this in French with no subtitles and I would have known exactly what happened because the movie was 90% visual. The movie itself had a very bleak look to it even during the day scenes. The look was similar to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I hated the killer! I was so angry that he was killing everyone and getting away with it. To me, that means Philippe Nahon who played the killer did a great job! He reminded of a mortal version of Michael Myers in his jumpsuit, holding his knife, walking slowly but deliberately. He was terrifying and just despicable. The killer speaks very little during the film so this just adds to his mystique. Though I know absolutely nothing about French music, I thought the music choices lent a lot to mood and atmosphere.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I thought the writers, director and actors got just about everything right. If you love blood and gore and want to be thrilled and chilled, this is the movie for you.
LITTLE MISS HORROR NERD’S RATING: 5 out of 5
Now I need to watch Inside!
TRIVIA:
— The movie was shot in Romania for budgetary reasons.
— Alexandre Aja has said the death of Jimmy was modeled after the axe murder in The Shining.
— Alexandre Aja has said the scene where Marie hides from the killer in the gas station bathroom is an homage to the original Maniac.
