A few days ago, I told you about a crazy new venture from Michelle Tomlinson and Kimberly Amato called The Mis-Adventures of McT & A. It’s a wacky little web series these lovely queens of the scream have cooked up, and it’s a lot of fun.
Well, I am pleased to announce that the first episode has been posted for your viewing pleasure HERE. Do yourself a favor and go check it out. And while you’re there, poke around and watch some of the other videos available from these fine actresses. Remember—Support independent film! If you don’t, you can’t expect anybody else to do it.
~Theron Neel
What does it takes to make a career in Hollywood these days? Cydne Schulte is a woman that seems to have the answer to that question. As the star of 
So, when did you make the jump to L.A.?
Yes. Some pretty big ones, because the themes of the film are very controversial. As you probably know, Terrence set out with the intention to offend everyone. Well, this is not my style at all. I understand shock value, but I don’t necessarily agree with it. I just wasn’t into some of the actions of my character and of some of the other characters. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be responsible for such senseless violence being put out in the universe. But in the end, I decided that Kimmy was an awesome role and that it was a story worth telling, even if I didn’t agree with the execution of it—no pun intended. Terrence and [producer] Nicole [Williams] were great to work with as well as the rest of the cast and crew.
You’ve done a lot of work in “genre” movies, including the remake of the J-horror favorite The Eye. Do you enjoy horror movies?
I am also very passionate about the environment. In fact at this very moment, I am developing, producing and starring in a TV series with Blur To Focus Productions called 
You’re a rising, hard-working actress. What’s a “normal” day for you?
As a writer that covers the horror beat, I am woefully uneducated about the adventures of America’s legendary psycho killer, Ed Gein. Sure, I know the basics: he lived with his mom; he dug her up after she died; he dug up other corpses and killed people, repurposing their skin and bones. I also know he inspired films such as 
Ez’s mother always warned him against pleasures of the flesh, and it’s strongly implied that he’s a 50-year-old virgin. Though his mother isn’t truly gone—I mean, hell, she’s seated right there at the table—let’s face it, she isn’t the company she used to be. So Ezra decides to take a wife (literally). After a deadly comical misadventure with a family friend who uses her dead husband’s spirit as a tool of seduction, Ezra chooses a cocktail waitress at a nearby bar. As you can imagine, things do not go well for her. She ends up at his house, in her underwear, surrounded by Ez’s growing collection of corpses, whom she gets to know better than she’d like. Eventually, Ezra (completely) loses his grasp on reality and gets sloppy in his courting, which leads to his capture.
Considering the subject matter, I was expecting a bloodier movie. But then I remembered this flick was made in 1974, before horror movies became the splatter fests they are now. The lack gore here isn’t an issue. As with most things artistic, less is more. When we do see what grue there is, it’s all the more effective due to the restraint employed by the filmmakers. Today’s torture porn producers could learn some lessons in moderation from Deranged.
In honor of the recently knighted Christopher Lee, I declare it Hammer time at Slammed & Damned. In my opinion, you can’t touch Sir Christopher’s portrayal of Count Dracula in the films produced by Hammer studios. So today, we’re going to look at what is usually thought of as the last of Lee’s truly great Dracula movies, 
Young Lord Courtley promises the men delights previously unimagined, if only they trust him and pony up 1,000 guineas ($5,250). For this then-kingly sum, they will purchase Dracula’s cape, signet clasp and a vial of his powdered blood. With that, they will supposedly be able to resurrect the Master by performing a satanic rite and, apparently, enjoy pleasures not of this world. Granted, it’s all rather vague but they go along with it, fools that they are. And as any sane person might expect, these fools are soon in fear for their lives as an annoyed Dracula hunts them down to take vengeance for Lord Courtley, who died in the ceremony. Here’s the twist: Dracula uses the men’s teen children to exact his revenge.
Taste the Blood of Dracula, directed by Peter Sasdy, picks up right where Dracula Has Risen From the Grave (directed by Freddie Francis) ends, and it’s an interesting contrast. Sasdy started directing in the late ‘50s and Taste the Blood of Dracula looks like a film directed by a journeyman trying to adapt to a new era. It moves slowly, but has a few of the “freak-out” camera moves popular at the time. Freddie Francis got his start as a camera assistant in the ‘30s and moved up to cinematographer, working on classic films such as 
But even if he becomes king, Sir Christopher Lee will always be Count Dracula to me. His Dracula wasn’t the suave bloodsucker that Bela Lugosi gave us. Lee’s Dracula was a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” fanged feral animal. He might not have been politically correct, but he knew what he wanted and he got it. Actually, his Dracula really did get it. I believe he died at the end of each of his films but, like Jason Vorhees today, he always managed to come back. Now that I think of it, that’s not a bad description of Christopher Lee himself.
Evil snake women, profane pagan rituals, human sacrifice, blasphemous psychedelic visions, women in bondage, topless nuns, bagpipe abuse—yes, I can only be talking about one film: 
Though I’ve given a quick plot summary, please don’t think that conveys what this film is. As the saying goes: It’s not what a film is about, it’s how it’s about it. And Russell’s films are a perfect illustration of that maxim. What you read in the previous paragraphs describes a movie that is a straight-ahead neo-gothic thriller, but Russell’s approach and twisted aesthetic provides a film that is more of an experience than words can express.
Another interesting aspect of this flick is its cast. We get to see a young Hugh Grant, before he became king of the rom-com. This is a reminder that Grant used to do edgy work. His character here is introduced as a privileged twit, but acquits himself nicely by film’s end. Grant makes the shift believable and seems to enjoy himself much than he does these days. As Lady Sylvia, Amanda Donohoe steals the film—and not only because she’s often nude. About her role, Donohoe has said, “I’m an atheist, so it was actually a joy. Spitting on Christ was a great deal of fun. I can’t embrace a male god who has persecuted female sexuality throughout the ages.” I think that says it all. And you might remember Catherine Oxenberg from 
Bless Ken Russell. He’s 82 years old and still working. IMDb lists his version of Moll Flanders as being in production, and that story is ripe for Russell’s perverted sensibility. Hopefully, he will continue to shock and entertain us for a while yet. If you want to see what he’s capable of, check out The Lair of the White Worm. I guarantee you’ll never look at Bram Stoker—or worms—the same way again.
For the inaugural post in Slammed & Damned’s new semi-occasional, random, intermittent, sporadic, recurrent “
In an obvious nod to 
Abominable is the first feature from director Ryan Schifrin, son of renowned film composer Lalo Schifrin, and he keeps things moving along nicely for the first two-thirds of the film. He introduces characters, sets up the story well and builds tension. Bigfoot is introduced right away, and he’s quite frightening when he’s striking like a big, hairy ninja—appearing suddenly, allowing us to get a quick glimpse, and then disappearing into the woods dragging away his unfortunate victim. But in the third act, ‘squatch becomes a major player and we see all of him, all the time. In fact, we see him so much that he loses any effectiveness. Let’s face it, when you’re making a creature feature, no matter how gussied up it is with allusions to better films, everything rests on your creature. And though ‘squatch is nicely portrayed by a tall guy in a carpet suit, he looks a little too much like character actor Jack Elam to truly scare anyone watching. But all the other effects in the film are fine. There are two very cool kills in Abominable. One involves Tiffany Shepis, who I didn’t even know was in the flick. She doesn’t get a chance to do anything more than shower, scream and die, but she has the best death scene in the film. In an obvious nod to 
So, why do I own this? I have to guess that I bought it because it features Jeffrey Combs and Lance Henriksen. Oh, and probably because it was discounted enormously. I’ll pay to watch Jeffrey Combs in anything, and he doesn’t disappoint here. He has only a few scenes, but he’s a joy to watch whenever he’s onscreen. Another question remains: Now that I’ve (finally) seen this, will I watch it again? No, probably not—but I’m not upset that I own it. As Charlie Brown might say, it’s not a bad little film. I mean, Abominable isn’t great but it’s not, you know, abominable.
I’m proud to announce a new semi-occasional, random, intermittent, sporadic, recurrent feature called “Why Do I Own This?” Here’s how it works: I go through my collection of horror DVDs and pull out something I own for some reason that I’ve since forgotten. Then I watch it and try to figure out why in the hell I bought it in the first place.
Have you ever wondered what 
For such a low-budget affair, Home Sick has a surprising number of horror veterans in its cast. Bill Moseley’s one scene as the creepy Mr. Suitcase effectively sets the tone for all that follows. As rowdy party girl Candice, Tiffany Shepis once again does wonderful work. I’m constantly amazed at her ability to take a one-note character and invest it with emotion and nuance. Usually the best thing about the pictures she appears in, here Shepis once again proves she is more than just eye candy. Also appearing is Rob Zombie fave Tom Towles. Towles swings for the fences as Uncle Johnny, a paranoid chili chef/survivalist who believes guns are a man’s best friend. The cast is rounded out by unknowns, each of whose performance feels like it comes from a wholly different film. Normally, this would be a very bad thing. But somehow, it just adds to this movie’s dreamy, surrealistic atmosphere.
With Home Sick, Wingard and Katz have given us what feels like a very personal labor of love. Though it was filmed in 2003, this flick didn’t make it to DVD until last year and the filmmakers have since moved on to bigger and better things. But thank god they were able to leave us this odd gem of a film. If you’re anxious to see something twisted and original—and who isn’t?—check out Home Sick. I bet you haven’t seen anything quite like it before. And in today’s horror market, how often can you say that?
In the ever-changing environment that is today’s show business industry, you can’t wait for opportunities to present themselves. You have to make things happen. And with the rise of the internet as a valid delivery system for entertainment, this is becoming much easier to do. Web series are becoming a viable option and a legitimate way for artists to make a name for themselves. With this in mind, 
What’s the last Texas blood bath you remember? Did it perchance involve a guy named Leatherface? Well, then it’s definitely been too long. You need to hightail it over to Bellmead, TX, next weekend (November 13─15) for three days of thrills and chills at the Texas Blood Bath Film Festival, where you’ll see some of the best new short and feature-length films the world of independent horror has to offer.
Acting as festival judges will be film critic Eve Blaack and actor/director Alan Rowe Kelly, among others. Madman/actor Parrish Randall will be hosting the weekend, and I have it on good authority that noted horror actress