It’s almost September, so you know what that means…it’s time to start bustin’ out the Halloween stuff!

Dennis Etchison is a fine horror and fantasy writer in and of himself, but strangely enough he’s possibly best remembered for the film novelizations he wrote under the pseudonym of “Jack Martin” back in the early 1980s. The core of these releases were adaptations of the first three HALLOWEEN films, and I was lucky enough to find this copy of “Halloween II” in a second-hand shop back around 1986.

The use of John Carpenter and Debra Hill’s screenplay as a template for this Zebra Movie Tie-In is all too obvious. Etchison takes small liberties in a few places, but overall this is nearly a word-for-word recitation of the film. The good news is that our plucky author gives extra flair to the descriptions of Michael Myers’s bloody attacks, which is the talent this kind of work lives and dies by, no pun intended. Remember that first victim in the film–the girl on the phone? What’s reduced to a mere one second in the film is given a descriptive flourish by Etchison: “The cut came swiftly from behind, clean and deep and straight across, so that the blood shot out in all directions from the extra mouth that now opened below her chin, spattering her face and eyelashes and hair as well as her white shirt with a hissing, pumping spray that covered several feet of carpet and furniture before the shape released her and let her sink down to the floor.” Goddamn, that’s gotta be the longest sentence I’ve read this week, but you gotta admit it certainly livens up the proceedings, whether you’re a fan of the film or not.

Like most of these rare, old movie tie-in novelizations, this one, is going to for a pretty penny these days, too. Unless you’re a Haddonfield die-hard, it’s not worth the coinage (I’m seeing prices averaging between $50 and $100), but if you can luck into a sensibly-priced copy like I did years ago, snatch it up and relish in an ‘extended remix’ of More of the Night He Came Home.

#boundhorror #halloweenII #jackmartin #dennisetchison #novelization #johncarpenter #debrahill #zebramovietiein

It’s time for another prism sticker!

For all you patiently awaiting BEETLEJUICE, BEETLEJUICE to arrive on September 6th, this one’s for you.

#fearflashbacks #prismstickers #beetlejuice #beetlejuicebeetlejuice

Bless those folks over at Fangoria.

Back in the day, the publication would put smaller ‘scream greats’ fold-out posters on the cover every month. Unfortunately, I destroyed a number of issues tacking these to my walls back in the 80s. Case in point: this little refrigerator ditty from FRIDAY THE 13th PART 2.

And for all you fans of this sequel: If you haven’t yet checked out the recent bluray box set from Shout Factory, get in the car right now and head out to get it. Not only do you get all 12 existing films in the series and tons of extras, it also is the only place you’ll find the unearthed footage that was cut from PART 2’s original theatrical release. Yes!! It only took them 40 frickin’ years, but they finally found it. For die-hard Voorhees fans like yours truly, that footage alone was worth the price of admission.

#onesheetwonders #fridaythe13thpart2 #fangoria #screamgreats #bluray #shoutfactory #uncutfootage #boxset

Here’s a rare one for ya–an advert from from the Los Angeles-area TV Guide from back around 1986. Back then, Elvira’s local program, “Movie Macabre” (which was broadcast on KHJ channel 9) would show the greatest AND cheesiest horror hits. This time round, it was ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES. Bust out the pizza, folks!

#fearflashbacks #elvira #moviemacabre #khj #losangeles #attackofthekillertomatoes

After ten days in theaters, Fede Alvarez’s latest entry in the Xenomorph shuffle, ALIEN: ROMULUS, just crossed the $150 million-dollar mark for international box office take this past weekend. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that attendance has dropped more than 60% to finish second domestically for the weekend of August 24th-25th.

Genre pictures usually take a nose-dive their second week of release, but I gotta admit that I’m a bit surprised, given the rather positive reviews I’ve read from critics and moviegoers alike. General consensus has been that ALIEN: ROMULUS is one of, if not the best, entry in the franchise in decades. Another problem: the juggernaut DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE, which has captured close to $600 million so far in the US alone.

We’ll see what happens in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the soonest the film is set to stream is on (HBO) Max starting November 25th.

#horrorhappenings #alienromulus #fedealvarez #deadpool&wolverine #hbomax #streaming #box office

Why not cap your week with some cheesecakc? Whether dancing with chainsaws, being chased by demons, or just succumbing to zombies, no one did it better back in the day than Linnea Quigley.

From Fangoria Poster Magazine #3 (1988)

#onesheetwonders #linneaquigley #hollywoodchainsawhookers #nightofthedemons #thereturnofthelivingdead #screamqueens

Today marks the 38th anniversary of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE PART 2, and what we have here is a case of life imitating art.

Bill Moseley is a genre favorite these days, immortalized as the one and only Otis B. Driftwood in Rob Zombie’s two-fer HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES (2003) and its sequel, THE DEVIL’S REJECTS (2005). However, back in the 80s, he was just an up and comer looking for a big break. This was it.

Purportedly, Moseley handed the short off to a friend who was able to get it in front of Tobe Hooper, who was just getting plans together to make THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE PART 2 (1986). When Edwin Neal turned down the chance to reprise his role as Nubbins “The Hitchhiker” Sawyer in the sequel, the idea to give the character a twin brother was concocted and, you got it, Hooper sought out Moseley for the role now commonly known as “Chop Top”. The odds of this are astronomical to be sure, but Moseley was deservedly on his way to becoming a horror star, later appearing in such flicks as THE FIRST POWER (1990), Tom Savini’s reboot of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990), and even snagging a small role in ARMY OF DARKNESS (1993) before galvanizing his place in scare history for his turn as Otis B. Driftwood.

Though the full short film of TEXAS CHAINSAW MANICURE is still a rare find, I was able to scrounge up this clip of it, which also features a short glimpse of the Moseley performance that obviously gave Hooper quite a laugh. Strangely enough, more than 30 years later there was a yet another short with the exact same name submitted for the MTV Movie Awards in 2007.

#horrorhappenings #texaschainsawmanicure #billmoseley #choptop #thetexaschainsawmassacrepart2 #tobehooper #edwinneal #thefirstpower #nightofthelivingdead #tomsavini #armyofdarkness #otisbdriftwood #houseof1000corpses #thedevilsrejects #robzombie

Move over Barry Levinson and John Waters, there’s a new flavor in Baltimore! 

FIEND is one of those movies that just kind of materializes in your conscience without warning, rhyme, or reason. I don’t know why I watched it or even how. It’s just part of me now, whether I like it or not. 

Directed by Maryland-based Don Dohler, FIEND is the epitome of the kind of low-budget DIY horror valued by people of my age, so I’m stumped as to how it eluded my radar for so long. The plot is rather harmless and pedestrian: for some reason, a glitchy series of lights simulating eee-vil (as Donald Pleasance would say) reanimates a dead music teacher. With a new lease on life, he then balances giving violin lessons with going apeshit across the NE suburbs of Baltimore, choking people to death. In doing so, he steals their lifeforce to spruce himself up in a Dorian Gray-type of way, much like Clive Barker’s lead character of Frank in HELLRAISER (1987). 

It’s obvious FIEND is not going to be the blood circus gorehounds usually look for these days. Instead, this is ground-floor, PG-rated stuff that gets its kicks in other ways. The pacing will surely be killing for young ones raised on Eli Roth and Rob Zombie, but if you’re game for a slow burn and a charming on-the-fly (read: CHEAP!) approach at scary sci-fi storytelling, you might find yourself a bit surprised by this one. 

Our title character is broodingly played by regional actor Don Leifert, who emits a sludgy, sexy menace that somehow keeps your attention for all 90 minutes of this $6,000 screen oddity. The rest of the cast is pleasant enough to play along, and the special effects walk that razor-thin line between hilarious and serviceable. 

One of the key craftsmen of this ragtag lot is the film’s composer, Paul Woznicki. Completed in a madness-inducing, sleep-deprived 72-hour dash, Woznicki’s score finds him beating the hell out of his all-purpose synthesizers for maximum effect. I must’ve listened to this score at least 200 times on YouTube over the past few years. There remain a few recently-reissued vinyl copies of the soundtrack still floating around on the internet, so if you get hooked like I did, get yours tout de suite before it becomes unavailable for another 40 years.

If you’re scratching your head at all of this, you’re probably right where you need to be. FIEND is kinda lame, kinda genius, and still kinda obscure after all this time. It’s an unlikely mix from yesteryear that’s perfect for a rainy night of pizza, box wine, and sloppy sex. And after the credits roll, get over to YouTube and check out the film’s blooper reel!

#unclean&unseen #fiend #dondohler #baltimore #donleifert #paulwoznicki #clivebarker #hellraiser #bloopers

Today is my 50th birthday. It’s true.

I’m certainly happy I’ve made it this far. Despite getting older and enduring some newfound aches and pains, I’m in better physical and mental shape than I was in my 40s, so that’s definitely something to celebrate.

Another thing to celebrate is this fitting release from 1981. I remember standing and looking at this poster and trying to figure out what the hell this was all supposed to mean. I wasn’t yet into horror (that would come in 1982), but I remember feeling something fundamentally wrong when I looked at this poster. Even at that young age, I knew you weren’t supposed to murder people with shish kebab skewers, but I also knew that putting this much text on a movie poster wasn’t exactly the norm, either. Just take a gander at that shit–it’s like a novella! This is a movie poster that dares to be different. I didn’t know whether to scream, laugh, or study for an upcoming exam on which ways John, Greg, and Steven were respectively getting dispatched.

I saw the film a few years later and it wasn’t bad, but man, it’s tough to live up to this original one-sheet. Over 40 years later, this image is still legendary in slasher circles, and it’s easy to see why. As I celebrate a half century today, it’s a lot like looking at this poster. Should I scream? Laugh? Nope. Just relax with the knowledge that I finally have the wisdom to pass life’s little exam.

#onesheetwonders #happybirthdaytome #birthday #shishkebab

Hard to imagine, but it was 36 long years ago today that Freddy Krueger slashed through the competition to sit atop the box office mountain yet again with A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER.

The L.A. Daily News dropped this article in late August 1988 to give the details of Freddy’s debut weekend haul of $12.8 million. That was up almost 50% from the $8.8 million he pocketed with the previous installment, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS, which opened 18 months earlier back in February 1987.

Let’s hope Mr. Krueger treated himself to a nice pedicure and facial.

#fearflashbacks #anightmareonelmstreet4thedreammaster #anightmareonelmstreet3dreamwarriors #boxoffice