Leatherface saved my life…well, not really, but his words helped shine a light into my heart of darkness.

The summer of 2008 was possibly the worst time of my life. I was going through a terrible breakup and hadn’t yet figured out how to move on. When booze, sex, and an unending loop of “The Simpsons” didn’t help, I decided to delve into reading as a possible remedy for my heartache. 

One of the things I came across was a treasured old issue of Fangoria that contained a Chas Balun interview with Gunnar Hansen, best known for portraying southern-fried maniac, Leatherface, in Tobe Hooper’s THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (1974). Released 50 years ago today, it became one of the most influential films in the history of cinema. In the article, Hansen recounts the making of the horror classic, but also notes his efforts in the writing field, including a poetry collection entitled “Bear Dancing on the Hill”. I was fascinated by the notion that the bloke who played Leatherface had written a poetry book. Where was this book? Could it be found? 

Yes. Simply put, I went to the source.

After a few back and forth correspondences from his home on the coast of Maine, Gunnar posted to me his long-long-long-out-of-print poetry collection, originally published in 1979. I was gently surprised by the results—it was a chapbook of precise verses, most of which twisted around themes of nature and the realization of solitude. Each quiet entry sported names like “Emily Dickinson” and “Evening Light, May 6”. I was pleased to find my longtime suspicions were correct: “Bear Dancing on the Hill” was proof positive that the man who played Leatherface had more creative aptitude than merely chasing hippies with a smoking chainsaw. 

In the years following the release of Hooper’s grimy, mean-as-dirt classic, the Reykjavik-born Hansen focused on projects closer to his heart, branching out with his creative writing skills and even partaking in the field of documentary films.

The horror universe became a little darker when we lost Hansen, aged 68, to pancreatic cancer in November 2015. However, his light brightened my life a bit when I needed it most, and for that I’ll be forever grateful. 

Gunnar Hansen—maniac, poet, documentarian, and all-around nice fellow. RIP

#horrorhonorroll #gunnarhansen #thetexaschainsawmassacre #leatherface #tobehooper #fangoria #chasbalun #beardancingonthehill #poetry #reykjavik #iceland #pancreaticcancer

Brought to life with a very meager budget on a soundstage in Toronto, Canada, Vincenzo Natali somehow created a tight and uniquely suspenseful genre classic with his debut feature, CUBE. Taking its cue from Jean-Paul Sartre’s 1940’s play, “No Exit”, a handful of strangers awaken in a bobby-trapped, three-dimensional maze and must band together to somehow find a way out.

The answer to their quandary is smartly done considering the film’s shoestring budget. However, much like our previous film in this segment, FRIDAY THE 13th PART 2 (1981), the original poster that was intended for its release was purportedly nixed because it revealed more mysterious details than the powers that be wanted to divulge.

I did some research of this film’s posters over the years, and it seems all of them either give up too much of the plot’s magic or are boringly simplistic in an effort to retain its secrets. It was surely an unenviable task for the promoters of CUBE to walk that line where you can engage audiences without eroding the finer details of the plot. In the end, I think they should have used this take, if nothing else because it’s a startling image that makes you wonder what the hell is going on inside that thing…

#onesheetwonders #cube #vincenzonatali #toronto #canadianfilms #jeanpaulsartre #noexit #fridaythe13thpart2 #artwork

Alright, since you’ve all behaved yourselves lately, it’s time for another prism sticker! This is one of a few that I’ll eventually be posting of Mr. Krueger. It’s tough to see, but I dig the way the prism effect can be seen in his fingerknives.

#fearflashbacks #anightmareonelmstreet #freddykrueger #prismstickers

Break out the champagne, because the first volume of my new historical horror anthology, VEIN PASSAGES, has arrived!

“Vahalla Ferox” debuts TODAY as a exclusive on UBHB. The best thing about it? For a limited time, you can read it for FREE! What a world! Here’s a blurb for ya:

Christopher Mulley turns eight years old today. He’s grown up his whole life on the Isle of Man, hearing his father tell enchanting tales of how their ancestors overtook the Vikings to claim the island for the United Kingdom. 

Now, that rotting Nordic army has returned from Valhalla, and 800 years of vengeance is about to be turned loose. 

The festivities for the island’s national holiday are brought to a grim and sudden halt as the Viking undead begin a march inland from each shore. Rusted axes, spears, and swords strike down the guilty residents with no quarter, while flames lick pristine houses and smoke chokes the once quiet countryside. Soon, the Mulleys must run for their lives, only to find nowhere to hide from the fate that has come for them—a colossal, underworld terror that will stop at nothing to right the wrongs of the past.

What the hell are you waiting for?! Head over to the “Fiction” tab found on the site’s homepage to take your first step into terror! Remember: this is a limited-time exclusive, and the content is recommended for adults only.

Thanks to all of you friends, subscribers, and fans that made this possible. I really look forward to continuing this series and hearing from all of you!

#horrorhappenings #valhallaferox #veinpassages #vikings #isleofman #horrorfiction #anthology #novella #historicalhorror #free #exclusive #download #adultsonly

Ah, the monthly pay cable magazine! As a geeky horror fan, I always looked forward to seeing this arrive in the mail each month. Here’s a clipping I saved from late 1983 promoting the cable debut of George A. Romero’s CREEPSHOW!

#fearflashbacks #creepshow #cable #georgeromero #stephenking

Yep, me and my Vikings arrive this coming Tuesday, October 8th. VALHALLA FEROX, the first volume of my new historical horror novella series “Vein Passages”, will debut as a limited-time exclusive here on UBHB. Best of all, you can read it for FREE. Damn, life is good, ain’t it?!

Have a weird and wonderful weekend, and get ready for the slaughter…

#horrorhappenings #valhallaferox #veinpassages #historicalhorror #novella #fiction #hardcore #vikings #free #exclusive

As a tribute to my latest bout of insomnia, here’s another classic ‘Scream Greats’ pull out poster from Fangoria, circa 1987.

#onesheetwonders #anightmareonelmstreet3dreamwarriors #freddykrueger #fangoria #screamgreats

Long before the internet, “Terror in the Aisles” offered up a very uneven but very satisfying compilation for fright fans. 

Kids nowadays have no idea what we had to do to catch our favorite horror films in the ‘olden days’. Sleepovers at your rich friend’s house. HBO free preview weekends. Swiping your grandfather’s video store card. Hell, my generation put as much effort into seeing verboten movies as we did into getting laid.

Forty years ago this month, Universal Pictures was putting some real muscle behind the release of TERROR IN THE AISLES, a scattershot documentary highlighting some of the most suspenseful and violent moments from more than 50 years of film. From straight-up horror offerings such as PSYCHO and JAWS, sci-fi terrors like ALIEN and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, and even uber-violent action films like VICE SQUAD, MS .45, and NIGHTHAWKS, TERROR IN THE AISLES promised heart-pounding scares in spades. 

Universal seemed to pump a lot of money into the release, probably because acquiring all the rights to make the damn thing undoubtedly cost a pretty penny. Its accompanying TV spots featured everyone’s favorite pair of horror boobs, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, and, in one of my geekiest horror fan moments, I actually sat by the VCR for over six hours to tape those commercials. I can’t believe I just admitted that. (Yes, I think I still have the tape.)

My mother was famous for fainting at the sight of blood. When cleaning, she would duck into my bedroom to give it a quick dusting, keeping her eyes down so as not to catch sight of its gore-plastered walls. As you might assume, she wisely opted out of being my chaperone for TERROR IN THE AISLES. (That head explosion from SCANNERS alone would have sent her screaming for the exits.) Therefore, one of her co-workers was drafted in her place, and off we went for one of the more memorable horror outings of my childhood. 

The film worked on a clever albeit lowest-common-denominator level in that its droll hosts, Nancy Allen and Donald Pleasance, offered all their snarky comments in narrative bumpers from inside a packed movie house. It was a neat little juxtaposition for the audiences of TERROR IN THE AISLES to watch our onscreen proxies call out characters for their bad choices (“Don’t drop the knife, asshole!”) or get busted by ushers for toking on joints. This set-up gets even more interesting when we see Allen sex it up in clips from Brian De Palma’s DRESSED TO KILL, or Pleasance give his spiel in HALLOWEEN about Michael Myers being the personification of evil.

One of the most amusing things about TERROR IN THE AISLES was the fact that, even though every single clip featured had been granted nothing more severe than an “R” rating by the MPAA (now known simply as the MPA), the documentary was initially slapped with an “X” rating until the producers pared down some of its more intense sequences. 

When the dust from its opening weekend had settled, the film ended up being inched out of the top spot at the US box office by a mere $10,000. The winner? Just a little film you may have heard of called THE TERMINATOR, which debuted in theaters the very same day. 

Despite its surprise success, TERROR IN THE AISLES fell into obscurity in the wake of the internet’s era of instant gratification–suddenly, anyone could go to YouTube and make their own damn version of it. However, for fright neophytes and hardcore horror fans alike, I highly recommend the awesome Shout Factory blu-ray release. Not only do you get a fine transfer of Universal’s theatrical version, you get as a bonus the radically different ‘television cut’ of the film, which is ironically over ten minutes longer! 

#letsallgotothelobbytogetourselvessomemeat #terrorintheaisles #donaldpleasance #nancyallen #universalpictures #elvira #shoutfactory #theterminator #scanners #psycho #jaws #ms45 #dressedtokill #halloween #vicesquad #invasionofthebodysnatchers #nighthawks #alien #compilationfilms #documentaryfilms

Call it a coincidence.

I recently finished up a retrospective on one of the “Blind Dead” sequels that will be featured on the blog here soon. Imagine my surprise when I then ran across this hilarious little number that’s been circulating in online horror communities. I laughed so hard, I almost dropped my syrup!

#killermemes&comics #tombsoftheblinddead #wafflehouse

We got some bad news for fans of the small-screen adaptation of Don Mancini’s CHILD’S PLAY. USA Network and SyFy announced Friday that the show won’t be renewed for a fourth season. Series veteran Jennifer Tilly also broke the news that same day via her X account. 

In an article courtesy of the fine folks at Deadline, creator Mancini expressed that he was ‘heartbroken’ by the decision, but remained optimistic that Chucky could continue wreaking his havoc if picked up by another outlet. Likewise, this notion has been spearheaded by fans who’ve recently implemented a #RenewChucky campaign for the series. 

You can get all the details via Deadline’s original article here. 

#horrorhappenings #chucky #cancellation #childsplay #donmancini #usanetwork #syfy #jennifertilly #renewchucky #deadline