A dark, icy evening in late 1983 was the perfect time for such a cold and calculating film.

Sure, JAWS was my first horror experience in the theater, but I was a toddler and fell asleep. (I did this two years later at STAR WARS, too!) By default, THE DEAD ZONE gets the honor for my first moviegoing experience to see a horror film. 

There was little triplex cinema on the main drag in Johnstown, PA in the early 1980s. I remember it being wonderfully creepy and barren in the winter months after the adjacent department store had closed for the day. Even all those years ago, the place had already seemed forgotten, existing in the margins of reality just like most all the best movie memories. 

My dad, who never seemed interested in horror films, was suddenly jazzed to see the latest adaptation of a Stephen King bestseller. The previous novel-to-screen offering from King, CUJO, had mauled its way to a modest $20 million payday a few months earlier, but THE DEAD ZONE was a whole other breed–an outlier in King’s oeuvre even back then, serving as a quiet accompaniment to the likes of the horror meister’s amped-up classics such as “The Shining” and “Carrie”. 

I had just recently gotten interested in horror films, and so the name David Cronenberg had flashed before me a few times in magazines and such, mostly in conjunction with his earlier film, the prescient and criminally underrated VIDEODROME (1983). So, as my dad’s Fiat slid down the hill to the parking lot fronting that shadowy, unassuming theater, I didn’t really know much about what to expect. 

Teacher Johnny Smith (played by Christopher Walken at his most Christopher Walken-like perfection) is the victim of a snowy car crash, awakening from a five-year coma only to have the blessing/curse of second sight. It’s not bad enough his girlfriend has moved on without him as he lay comatose in that hospital bed, but now, with the touch of his hand, he’s able to divinate a person’s future, and sometimes these visions are downright horrifying. The worst is when he shakes the hand of up-and-coming politician Greg Stillson (the always-intense Martin Sheen). Images of the future president Stillson ordering a nuclear strike shakes Smith to his core, until he decides the only way to avert this terrible fate is to assassinate him.

This is a thinking man’s terror, rife with moral dilemmas and political intrigues that are just as relevant now as when King first proposed them in 1979. I could say that THE DEAD ZONE is a horror film for people who don’t like horror films, but the same could be said for the film’s director, David Cronenberg. For a filmmaker who rose to fame by almost single-handedly establishing the ‘body horror’ subgenre that has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, this is a curiously astute work for folks who would typically shy away from Cronenberg’s aggressively grotesque style. 

Well…except for that scissors scene. Trust me, you’ll know it when you see it.

#letsallgotothelobbytogetourselvessomemeat #thedeadzone #davidcronenberg #stephenking #christopherwalken #martinsheen #cujo #carrie #theshining #videodrome #johnstown #pennsylvania #jaws #starwars #bodyhorror

Renny Harlin’s PRISON was a fun curiosity for horror fiends to sniff out after snagging a fuck-ton of coverage in Fangoria. Though the film didn’t set the box office on fire, and it’s just as obscure in mainstream genre circles these days as it was during the VHS boom, it nevertheless served as the jumping-off point for two big-budget franchise sequels the following year.

Effects supervisor John Carl Buechler would hire the film’s co-star and stuntman, Kane Hodder, to fill Jason Voorhees’ muddy boots when he went on to direct FRIDAY THE 13th PART VII: THE NEW BLOOD. Meanwhile, Harlin’s direction got enough attention to land the plum opportunity to helm Freddy Krueger’s third sequel, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER. Both films were box office hits during the spring and summer of 1988, respectively.

From Fangoria Poster Magazine (I think?…I’m old now, so my memory ain’t what it used to be)

#onesheetwonders #prison #rennyharlin #kanehodder #johncarlbuechler #fangoria #fridaythe13thpartviithenewblood #anightmareonelmstreet4thedreammaster

Vestron Pictures decided to get comical and issue this wise-assed bumper sticker as a teaser for their release, THE UNHOLY, in the spring of 1988. It didn’t help–the film’s theatrical release didn’t even recoup its $7 million budget–but it certainly scores points for originality, that’s for sure.

#fearflashbacks #theunholy #vestronpictures #bumpersticker

He’s the ghost with the most…money!

After more than three and a half decades, Tim Burton’s silly, spooky sleeper hit finally got the continuation it deserved. Per the folks at The Hollywood Reporter, the long-awaited sequel from Warner Bros. raked in an impressive $110 million domestically in its first weekend.

Though the reviews haven’t been perfect, it still nabbed at B+ CinemaScore, as well as being warmly received by numerous critics who weren’t even born when the first film stormed theaters in the spring of 1988. This is proof positive that audiences and critics alike are doing their homework when it comes to older genre films, and already getting in the spirit of the Halloween season.

Check out the The Hollywood Reporter’s full article here.

#horrorhappenings #beetlejuicebeetlejuice #timburton #boxoffice #cinemascore #warnerbros #thehollywoodreporter

This is the debut of a whole new section highlighting horror-themed memes and comics from over the years that are just too good ignore!

Ziggy should probably keep his head up–looks like Leatherface just might be in the area.

#killermemes&comics #ziggy #chainsaw

A mesmerizing banquet of sounds and emotions that will swallow your soul. 

I’ve debated horror soundtracks with a lot of fans over the years. Time after time, I keep circling back to the same answer when asked which is my favorite. 

I don’t know much about Joseph LoDuca except that he’s from the same Detroit circuit as the other lovable, hard-working knuckleheads responsible for THE EVIL DEAD (1981). When you consider most of the cast and crew were around their early 20s when they made one of the premier examples of DIY filmmaking in horror history, it makes the achievement that much more impressive.

LoDuca went on to craft a wealth of television scores and even win himself an Emmy Award in 2009, but, even on his very first outing, he was aiming for the fences. Mike Oldfield was 19 years old when he recorded the landmark album, “Tubular Bells”, and the fact that LoDuca was only about 22 when he composed THE EVIL DEAD is just as astounding of a feat. 

The score covers so much ground, you’ll lose track of how many textures and genres grind past your ears. The quietly simple and ominous opener, “Introduction” is a sucker punch of sorts, eventually making way for chugging classical strings on such memorable tracks as “Skin” and “Kandanian Dagger/Book Burning”. Thunderous tympani and jittery, synthesized sound effects rub up against one another on curious tracks such as “Games” and “Ascent/Inflection”, while Asian themes surface in “Get the Lantern/Book of the Dead”. There’s even a deep dive into the spooky side of world music on “Dawn of the Evil Dead”, conjuring up an urgent blast of chattering percussion. 

One of the biggest surprises about this journey is the beauty that flourishes when LoDuca allows you to catch your breath. Interludes like the aforementioned “Introduction”, as well as the poignant “Dawn/Incantation”, enrich the experience into a full-bodied whole as you drink them down. 

I was lucky enough to find an original Verese Sarabande pressing of this back in 1988, and am trying to preserve it in as good of condition as possible for as long as I can. It may fetch more than $500 on the current market, but its resale price isn’t the reason I value it. Whether by blind luck, youthful vigor, or some kind of divine intervention, LoDuca created something magical and darkly intelligent on THE EVIL DEAD. His score remains a core reason Sam Raimi’s film is such a triumph–an astonishing and evocative work worthy of the moniker “The Ultimate Experience in Grueling Horror”.

#spookysoundtracks #theevildead #josephloduca #samraimi #veresesarabande #mikeoldfield #tubularbells 

“Valhalla Ferox”, the first volume of my new historical horror series, VEIN PASSAGES, is dropping right here as a UBHB exclusive!

Bold and taboo, VEIN PASSAGES is an uncompromising collection that spans nearly 1,000 years of twisted history and horror. From international tales of revenge to unspeakable obsessions hidden deep in our local myths and legends, VEIN PASSAGES spins conventional perceptions and attempts to explain the mysteries and madness of our past, present, and future.  

“Valhalla Ferox” tells the blood-soaked tale of a UK island nation besieged by its original settlers. As rotting Viking warriors crawl from Valhalla to reclaim what is rightfully theirs, only one family has the power to stop the shocking onslaught of revenge.

Each volume will be a novella consisting of approximately 20k to 40k words, and due to strong content will definitely be for adults only (we’re talking NSFW here, folks).

More exciting info, including pricing, availability, and release date will be coming soon, so stay tuned!

#horrorhappenings #veinpassages #valhallaferox #novella #vikings #historicalhorror #speculativefiction

Recently found this in my stash– it’s the original 3-D display for Columbia Pictures’ release of Tom Holland’s sexy vampire sleeper hit, FRIGHT NIGHT! This was issued to video stores in early 1986 to coincide with its VHS premiere! Ah, the good ol’ days!

#fearflashbacks #frightnight #tomholland #vampires #videopromo

We finally got a full trailer for TERRIFIER 3, which drops in just six weeks!

I’ll admit the first two installments weren’t my favorite films of their year, but this new one looks tight, y’all! Art’s crazy pantomime schtick seems perfectly suited for the Santa Claus shenanigans that fill up the bulk of the new trailer.

Keep your fingers crossed for yuletide cheer when Art storms theaters yet again on October 11th! Meanwhile, get your festive asses over to YouTube and check the madness out for yourself.

#horrorhappenings #terrifier3 #arttheclown #damienleone #trailer

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