I know I’m just recovering from COVID and my brain is still a little crispy around the edges, but this made me laugh way harder than I expected.

#killermemes&comic #scream #ghostface #ratatouille #pixar

Here are another few items that were on display at the Museum at Popular Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle.

This time, we get a pair of power tools donated by director Eli Roth, including a chainsaw and circular saw used in his films HOSTEL (2005) and HOSTEL: PART II (2007), respectively.

#fearflashbacks #hostel #hostelpartii #eliroth #museumofpopularculture #mopop #seattle #washington

I hallucinated last week, folks. It’s not something I do frequently, but I was in the thick of my very first ‘lucha libre’-style wrestling match with COVID-19. Though even my illnesses can’t arrive fashionably on time (“You have Covid? That’s so 2020!”), the notion aligns nicely for a man running a retrospective blog that’s today highlighting one of the most experimental filmmakers of our time, a perversely crazy demi-genius by the name of Alejandro Jodorowsky.

A 95-year-old Chilean who’s been making films since the late 1950s, Jodorowsky rose to prominence in the 1970s with avant-garde offerings such as EL TOPO (1970) and THE HOLY MOUNTAIN (1973). The director quickly cemented his place in midnight movie history, becoming synonymous with heady blends of hallucinatory, religious, violent, and erotic imagery in the spirit of such surrealist film pioneers as Luis Buñuel.

SANTA SANGRE may be a bit more cohesive and straightforward from a narrative sense than Jodo’s earlier and more widely-known works, but it’s no less astonishing. Commanding a sense of color like few other directors can, he is able to ingratiate a troupe of circus performers to his audience through a visual mix of psychotropic theatricality and earth-bound grotesquerie. All things are normalized in a Jodorowsky film; here, elephant funerals, children forced into being tattooed, and coked-up Down Syndrome patients on the search for hookers are in their proper places in this world. The sacred and the profane are braided forever into one. There are no ‘freaks’ in our universe, you see–all are family. If you don’t have any family, some will be assigned to you.

I feel the less I tell you about the plot the better, which comes in very handy here because, much like every other Jodo film, an explanation takes longer than the experience itself. Simply put as possible, the narrative follows a boy into manhood, where he eventually crushes under the weight of parental influence. The film dances with the dueling notions of control versus fulfilling fate’s prophecy, whether you do it yourself or, ironically, have someone force it on you. Ultimately, we are witness to a curious study in trauma, continually questioning who’s the victim of it, who can atone for it, and what dangers arise from using grief as a false idol.

Don’t just watch SANTA SANGRE. Taste it. Smell it. Wrap your arms around it, and never let it go.

#unclean&unseen #santasangre #alejandrojodorowsky #eltopo #theholymountain #luisbunuel #surrealism #midnightmovies

After all these years, part of me still has a problem wrapping my head around the fact that Mel Brooks (yep, that Mel Brooks) not only produced David Cronenberg’s captivating 1986 remake of THE FLY, he also came up with one of the best taglines of all time: “Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.”

It’s time we recognize this man is good for way more than just farty bean jokes and sprightly Broadway numbers about Hitler.

From Fangoria Poster Magazine #1 (1987)

#onesheetwonders #thefly #davidcronenberg #melbrooks

This is the epitome of those wonderful VHS-era horror adverts from the late 80s.

In the pom-pom wavin’ spirit of all those school-set slashers like STUDENT BODIES, SLAUGHTER HIGH, FINAL EXAM, CUTTING CLASS, NIGHT SCHOOL, PROM NIGHT, and probably about 22 others I can’t recall at the moment, RETURN TO HORROR HIGH went on to take its place in the horror pantheon mostly because it featured a very young George Clooney. That’s right, folks, Johnny Depp and Kevin Bacon weren’t the only heartthrobs to get their start in slashers!

#fearflashbacks #returntohorrorhigh #newworldpictures #videorelease #georgeclooney

Alert! Alert! This is a reminder that VALHALLA FEROX, the first volume in my new horror novella series, “Vein Passages” is available for a limited time FREE here on UBHB! So smash that ‘fiction’ tab to get your gore on!

Want even more good news? I’m currently working on volume two, which I anticipate releasing sometime in 2025, so subscribe to UBHB for updates, as well as the deadly daily horror tidbits you’ve come to love.

#horrorhappenings #valhallaferox #veinpassages #horrorfiction #historicalhorror #novella #free #blackfriday

Been dealing with a 101-degree fever, so UBHB will be taking a respite for a bit over the Thanksgiving holiday. Don’t worry, though! I’ll snap back soon and we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming before you know it!

As we gear up for Robert Eggers’ reboot of NOSFERATU, let’s kick your weekend off right. “Just nip it in the bud!”

#killermeme&comics #nosferatu #roberteggers #donknotts #barneyfife

Though Freddy’s third go-round is arguably the best entry in the franchise, I always wondered what could have been had they let Nancy Thompson survive. I don’t know if Heather Langenkamp would have gone on to do more “Elm Street” films or not, but, much like Amy Steel not returning for FRIDAY THE 13th PART 3, you can’t help but think it was a missed opportunity to really build a solid character arc in later sequels. Thankfully, fans got a bit more of Langenkamp in WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE (1994), a film so delightfully esoteric, I’m surprised it got produced.

In 2024, we celebrated 40 years of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and Langenkamp turned 60. Sweet dreams, Nancy, and thanks for the memories.

From Fangoria Poster Magazine #2 (1988)

#onesheetwonders #anightmareonelmstreet3dreamwarriors #heatherlangenkamp #nancythompson #robertenglund #freddykrueger #wescravensnewnightmare #fangoria #amysteel #fridaythe13thpart33d

Back in the mid 1980’s, Fangoria decided to jump-start an abbreviated documentary video series that wisely began by spotlighting practical effects guru, Tom Savini. This was followed up by a second volume, “Satanism and Witchcraft”. Unfortunately, this edition would mark the end of Fango’s well-intentioned initial foray into home video. Though Savini’s volume was understandably the more popular title, volume two is much tougher to find these days. This ad is something I kept from 1986, which is when both video volumes were originally released.

#fearflashbacks #screamgreats #fangoria #satanismandwitchcraft #tomsavini