My Halloween Blog Post

Well, holy crap. It's Halloween again. I had some content planned to drop today but my computer decided that it wasn't meant to be. Back in Semptember, I recorded a moviethon where I watched 9 of the 10 films from the Halloween franchise. I decided to pass on Halloween III: Season of the Witch because Michael Myers wasn't in it. I am a fan of that film but yeah, it was The Doomed Michael Myers-a-thon so parts 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 as well as the Rob Zombie remakes were all in there. The video editing was going fine until my computer started crashing and I realized that I'm just too busy to fight and struggle and get it ready for you guys by today. Fear not for I will finish editing that video eventually and post it so you guys can watch it.

Check out the Freddy Cougar Moviethon.

And the Friday the 13th Voorheesathon.

One other thing that will pop up here eventually is my wife's and my October playlist. We have been keeping track of all of our spooky, haunted, and horrifying movies, TV specials, and Halloween episodes that we've watched this month. It should be a pretty massive post with all kinds of crazy shit in there. While I always wish we could have watched more, I can't complain too much just glancing at the piece of notebook paper that we've been filling up (front and back).

Just a quick note about the podcast: Thanks to me, Hello! This is the Doomed Show is taking a little break until January. I got really burnt out on editing the show and making it beautiful for your ears. We have two episodes and one special treat in the can so to speak and I will be dropping those on you every month until Brad, Jeffrey, Nafa, and myself are back in the studio recording new shiznit. The goal is to get something, anything recorded, edited, and delivered to the Podomatic feed in January. We have all kinds of good stuff lined up so you should be excited. We've been doing the show for 3 years now and that just blows my mind.

So that's all for now. I apologize for being so busy lately. Between the band, FAUXRROR, the zine, the podcast, the Giallo Meltdown book (still in the editing phase), various video editing projects, and reading lots of comic books, I am friggin' exhausted. My wife and I also bought a dang hang house this year so A LOT of time has been devoted to creating a living space out of 1949-era home. So anyway, I'm looking forward to 2015 as being the Year That Some Cool Stuff Happens. C U THERE, duders.

H!TITDS - FAUXRROR PROMO

Listen as Nafa and I do things to microphones that shouldn't be done. We talk about FAUXRROR and how it came to be. I make an announcement about the show. Be sure to stick around and listen to a track of FAUXRROR. It's called "Clown Syndrome". Enjoy.

Listen to the best 8 minutes ever right here.

FAUXRROR Video Promo!

Please to be watching my video movie promotional materials:

Buy your FAUXRROR right here!

More FAUXRROR info right here!

FAUXRROR - Out Now On Goblinhaus Records!!

FAUXRROR (pronounced like 'Horror' but with an 'F') is a music project by my friends Nafa Fa'alogo, Zac Tomlinson, and myself. FAUXRROR makes music for horror films that don't exist. From Zombie Hitler to Vampire Ravers to Betsy the Bloody Harlot of the Brooklyn Morgue, we squeeze all the imaginary cult horror film goodness into every track that we can muster. Well gang, I am proud as hell to be telling you right now that Goblinhaus Records has released Fauxrror on CD! As an added bonus when you buy FAUXRROR, you get a free exclusive download of my new album called "Terror", my tribute to real horror movies! You know what that's called? That's called a DOUBLE WHAMMY, y'all! Here come the links:

You can get FAUXRROR here at Goblinhaus Records.

You can read about the fake films (FAUXnopses) and see the poster art (FAUXsters) right here at Doomed Moviethon.

For more spookiness, check out Goblinhaus.com!

Festival de Historias Extraordinarias de Terror

I found this magical little Mexican gem at a garage sale last Sunday and I'm just blown away by this lineup. So for 14 days sometime in the 1970s or 1980s, a bunch of lucky people got to watch the following films:

(If anyone knows what year this event took place and can confirm that these films are correct, please comment!)

Thursday, February 23rd:

The Abominable Dr. Phibes
The Oblong Box

Friday, February 24th:

Witchfinder General
Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice?

Saturday, February 25th:

The Curse of the Werewolf
The Phantom of the Opera

Sunday, February 26th:

The Night God Screamed
El Vampiro (?)

Monday, February 27th:

I Saw What You Did
The Haunted Strangler

Tuesday, February 28th:

The Haunted Palace
The Raven

Wednesday, February 29th:

Tales of Terror
The Masque of the Red Death

Thursday, March 1st:

Count Yorga, Vampire
The Return of Count Yorga

Friday, March 2nd:

El Sotano del Terror (?)
The Name of the Game is Kill!

Saturday, March 3rd:

The Thing with Two Heads
Scream and Scream Again

Sunday, March 4th:

House of Usher
El Regreso del Monstruo

Monday, March 5th:

La Conspiracion de los Vampiros (?)
The Crimson Cult

Tuesday, March 6th:

Madhouse
The Deathmaster

Wednesday, March 7th:

Cry of the Banshee
The Psychopath

Stingray Shuffle

I made a music video for my buds, Twisty Chris and the Puddin' Packs. Check it out:

Scooby Doo Gialli

Check out the friggin' awesome trailer that Jeffrey of Nessun Timore and Hello! This is the Doomed Show made for his article in the new issue of Fang of Joy. It's pretty damn outstanding:

The Vampire Bat

The Vampire Bat
Directed by Frank Strayer
1933
Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Melvyn Douglas, Maude Eburne, Dwight Frye
63 minutes

Someone or something has been draining people of blood in a small German village. The village council and its Bürgermeister (played by Lionel Belmore) are convinced that there is something supernatural at foot including but not limited to vampires and giant vampire bats. Karl, the police inspector (Melvyn Douglas), is skeptical and laughs at such impossibly superstitious suggestions. All he wants to do is catch the criminal behind the murders. His love interest is Ruth Bertin (Fay Wray), assistant to local doctor/scientist, Dr. Otto von Niemann. They try to get intimate during every moment alone they can steal but Aunt Gussie (Maude Eburne) is always cockblocking. Things get even more tense in the village when local nutbar Herman (Dwight Frye) is seen behaving strangely and befriending bats.

SPOILERS:

Of course, Herman is totally innocent. His only crime is being a frickin' weirdo and all that necrophilia (not actually in this movie, I was just seeing if you were paying attention). While the ignorant townsfolk are busy murdering Herman, the mastermind behind all of this blood-draining madness, Dr. Otto, is free to continue his quest for blood. He needs the blood to feed his creation: a pulsating heart that he has created himself. Small town doctor just wasn't good enough for this guy, he just had to go for mad scientist status. Niemann has hypnotized one of his assistants, Emil (Robert Frazer), into running around town, acquiring blood for him. Shit gets real when Ruth eavesdrops on him giving orders to Emil who is out on the prowl for Karl's blood.

END OF SPOILERS

What a revelation The Vampire Bat was! Full disclosure: I am very negligent when it comes to horror films pre-1950. It's not just horror, I am a tad impatient with any film that old from any genre. I'm just impatient with the golden oldies but I'm trying to get better. Every time that I stop being a wuss and check out something like, oh let's say, The Mummy (1932), and I am kicking myself in the dick for not watching it sooner. Why was I more open-minded as a kid? So ANYWAY, I should probably talk about The Vampire Bat.

Melvyn Douglas is amazing. His character, Karl, doles out some seriously unthinkable sarcasm. Every line he utters in that first scene with the village council is just ludicrously acerbic. Fay Wray is instantly likeable onscreen and is incredibly cute. I liked Lionel Atwill quite a bit but man oh man, the screen is stolen by Dwight Frye. This guy is just electric as Herman, the town crazy doomed to be misunderstood and ultimately destroyed by dumb motherfuckers. He brought a smile to my face from his first lines and I was super bummed out when his character meets his end.

One thing this movie has is some "comic relief" in the form of Aunt Gussie. Think of Una O'Connor in Bride of Frankenstein only fucking stupider or more dumb. I don't know who's aunt she is but man oh man, she doesn't die quick enough for me. Also, she doesn't die in the movie so yeah, NOT QUICK ENOUGH! This jackass is a hypochondriac of the highest order and she only seems to like hanging out with Dr. Niemann and Ruth in case she needs some meds. The more I write about her, the more my hatred grows.

I am glad that my self-imposed ignorance of old movies is finally paying off in that I have decades of old horror films to catch up on. My incorrect perception of horror films, especially from the 1930s was that they were clunky in dialog and plotting (which they totally are but I totally dig now (totally)) and stuffy (which they usually aren't). The camera is suprisingly fluid in this film. Some dolly shots combined with clever cutting make for some excellent sequences that are really eye­-opening given this film is over 80 years old. There is lots of spooky atmospherics to be found in this picture that horror fans will eat up plus the pseudoscience and the weirdness will make you nod knowingly or smile like a dang hyena (or maybe that's just me). Highly recommended if you haven't seen this one already (but your probably already have).

"Well, I don't mind admitting that I'm up a tree. Stumped!"

The Moviethon Vlog Episode #27.5

This is it, folks! The second issue of Fang of Joy: Eurohorror and Giallo Zine is finally ready for you. In this issue we cover subjects like Paul Naschy in Fury of the Wolfman, Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll, The People Who Own the Dark, and Frankenstein's Bloody Terror; Werner Herzog's Nosferatu; Pete Walker's Frightmare; Michele Soavi's The Sect; the George Romero-inspired Italian Zombie series; Umberto Lenzi's Nightmare Beach; the infamous slasher Pieces coupled with Sergio Martino's Torso; Dog Soldiers. Not enough for you? Good because there's more! This issue features an interview with Italian cinema master Ruggero Deodato and an interview with the German morbid-king Jörg Buttgereit. There's even an Essential Giallo Checklist- have you seen them all? Every issue comes with a free Doomed Moviethon sticker.

Want to trade horror movie zines? Or you don't use eBay? Email me: doomedmoviethon(at)gmail.com and we'll work something out.

H!TITDS Episode #59 - The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism

When poop turns to gold, who is to blame? Hello! This is the Doomed Show, that's who! Or whom. In one of our "worst episodes", Brad and I managed to stumble around the insanely thinly plotted film, The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism. It is audio-tastic with words and talking. Check it out right here and/or dig on the episode archive for them class H!TITDS episodes.