I'm a little late to the party but I thought I’d talk about ABC’s latest TV show The River and share some of my early thoughts about what we’ve seen so far.
For the readers unfamiliar with the project, The River follows a mixed group of old friends and new acquaintances as they set off down the Amazon River in search of famed explorer Dr. Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood) who has disappeared somewhere in the area six months prior.

To fuel the fear and anticipation of their upcoming mystery horror TV show The River, ABC have launched a nifty little site, Explore The River.

With an eerie, booming soundscape working the magic, the site transports you to Amazonas, Brazil where you board The Magus and join in on the crew’s search for a famed explorer Dr. Emmett Cole.
As you explore such locations as the lower decks and panic room, you can access short, tantalising clips from the show’s premiere.

by Shannon Hilson, MoreHorror.com

I've always been the sort of person who thinks that no movie night is really complete without the addition of the right food and drink. After all, food brings people together and can really set the tone for an evening whether we're talking about a casual get-together or a major event. Food is a big part of how I show my loved ones I care and how I add joy to my own days as well.

That said, it's really hard for me to actually watch a movie -- especially repeatedly -- without thinking about what kind of food would go best with it the next time I decide to throw on that particular DVD. Sometimes it has something specific to do with food that was cooked or eaten within the context of the movie, but other times it just has to do with matching the feeling attached to a particular meal to the feeling created by the movie.

It's this type of thinking that's behind our new Killer Cuisine column here at MoreHorror. Lately, I've found myself realizing that horror movie night is best when enjoyed with great company, great eats, and perhaps the right beer, wine, or cocktail in hand as well. We're looking forward to sharing all our favorite combinations with you in the future.

Treat the recipes included as a suggested menu for an organized movie night that includes your friends or family... or else simply use them to treat yourself and your significant other to a rainy Saturday night at home. It's totally up to you! Happy cooking, horror fans! We look forward to seeing where this new project of ours takes everyone involved.

We horror fans are interesting folks, to be sure. It seems like each one of us has a unique identity of sorts that is attached to a particular sub-genre of horror or suspense. For the longest time, I don't think I thought that I personally had one. However, I've since changed my mind about that and I can't believe I've never seen it before. I can legit be referred to as a vintage horror/suspense fan if ever there was one. Really, anything with Hitchcock's name on it? Or Lugosi's, or Chaney's, or anyone else old school? Sign me right up, man.

Oh, yeah... and you can add Rod Serling to that list. I'm a Twilight Zone nut and like most Twilight Zone nuts, I have a few specific episodes that I really dig and watch over, and over, and over ad nauseum. This one -- "Nick of Time" -- is probably the one I obsess over the most. To refresh your memory, that's the one where Shatner's character, Don and his wife almost wind up trapped in some podunk town forever because a napkin holder with a Satan head on it tells them they will be royally screwed if they try to bounce. Aside from that crazy plotline, I guess I have my reasons for the obsession.

- It's about fortune-telling, precognition, and all that other good stuff. For those of you who don't know, I do astrology, tarot readings, and similar things as sidelines, so naturally this plot device appeals to me. Serling is a bit heavy-handed with his... er... expression of his own feelings on the idea of fate, seers, and the like, but it's all good. If you're any kind of fortune-teller yourself, it's wise to have a sense of humor about such things.

- It has the hot William Shatner of yesteryear in it. I don't recall exactly how old he was when this episode was shot, but it was for reals long before middle-age bloat got the best of him. (Sorry, Mr. S. You know I love you anyway.) He also spends the whole episode totally over-acting the way only he can and that's what really makes this episode for me. Any way you slice it though, I am pretty sure I shall always have a bit of a crush on him, because he's one in a million and definitely one of my favorite veteran actors.

That said, I'm really very sorry that he was only in this episode and "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" because I really do like him in this series and feel he brings something special to the table. In fact, I think it would have been excellent if "Nightmare" with its post-mental hospital, over-neurotic version of Shatner had been an actual continuation of the "Nick of Time" plot, although don't think for a minute that's not what I really believe in my heart.

- It's written by Richard Matheson, one of the most awesome storytellers of all time in my humble opinion. For those who may not be familiar with his work, he not only wrote several noteworthy episodes of The Twilight Zone, but also the stories behind movies like I Am Legend, The Box, Stir of Echoes, Somewhere in Time, and What Dreams May Come -- all extremely noteworthy for their plotlines and use of imagination.

- I'm obsessed with the mystic seer napkin holder for some unknown reason. I don't know if it's because it has a devil head on top of it or what. (I've always had this liking for devils and such for God only knows what reason.) However, I'm inclined to think I just like it because it's weird. I mean... how many small town diners have such things on every single table? Probably none, but I can tell you this much. If I ever wind up with a diner in my possession, that's totally what the napkin holders are going to look like.

And you can just stop laughing at me right now, because it's possible. See? They make replicas, one of which I desperately need to obtain for my desk one of these days. It's little touches like this that will make my crappy little hypothetical diner the talk of the town one day, just you wait. Hopefully no one burns it to the ground or anything.

So what are your favorite episodes of The Twilight Zone and why? Any favorite actors that you especially enjoyed seeing pop up in Rod Serling's twisted little worlds? Besides our friend Mr. Shatner, of course.

Laura Ramsey (born 1982 in Wisconsin) has the face of an angel and the film resume on its way to becoming truly scream queen-worthy. While Laura has branched out to comedies such as She’s The Man, crime thrillers like Kill the Irishman and dramas including Lords of Dogtown, it’s her explosion on the horror scene that has landed her a spot in this blog.

In 2005 Laura had an impressive first year of horror. There was the psychological thriller Inside Out about the arrival of a mysterious doctor in a nice suburban town. Then there was the horror comedy Cruel World about a rejected reality star gone mad. The third of her 2005 horror releases was the film that she first caught my eye in, Venom about a supernatural serial killer in the swamps of Louisiana.

In 2006 Laura starred in the teen witch drama The Covenant about a group of young men with magical powers. Laura played the damsel-in-distress, but did have a prominent role. In 2008 she really broke through the scene with the unique film The Ruins based on the book by Scott Smith. This was the film where Laura really showed us her acting chops. Far from a dumb blonde, Laura played a relatable character and sweet girl who ends up in a horrific situation. You really believe her emotions as she starts to lose her mind.

Ugh... long time no blog! Sort of, anyway. It seemed like just yesterday I was looking ahead to a Halloween that was still a month or so away and now it's nearly here -- next Monday, if I'm remembering correctly. I've been pretty busy with my various responsibilities both online and off, but I've still been finding some time to get into the spirit of the season for sure. Some of the things I've been exploring as far as horror goes really deserve their own entries at some point in the near future, but in the meantime, here are some snippets as far as Halloween at Seth and Shannon's house.

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I should have known I'd jinx myself when I speculated that I thought the nasty, sunny weather was finally over with in my last post, because it's been unseasonably hot here lately. Anyone who knows me even peripherally knows how much I haaaaaate this and how cranky hot (or even warm) weather makes me. If it's not actually a time of year when I feel I should actually have to put up with it, I really don't take it well.

Today it got up to about 85 or so, which pretty much meant I was a big poopy-face all day long. The sun was too bright. All the damned neighbors were out blasting their crappy music and letting their pets and kids run around loose and Lord knows I'm not a social animal. Seth got some things done in the yard and around the house today, but I basically hid in my bedroom and found a nice, people-free place in my imagination to hang out until the sun went down instead. I'm hopeful it won't be so hot tomorrow. It doesn't feel like autumn when it's like this and I feel really ripped off.

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We've, of course, been watching our share of horror movies lately. The other night, I actually had the privilege of seeing Mr. Bela Lugosi in his classic Dracula, as well as Mr. Lon Chaney in The Wolf Man. Believe it or not, I have never actually seen either of these films before. (I know -- shame, shame, shame on me!) However, there's no time like the present to rectify such things, right? Now that I am co-owner of an up-and-coming horror site, I really need to get on things like this.

Monica Keena (born 1979 in New Jersey) is perhaps best known for her role as Lori Campbell in the equally loved and hated Freddy vs. Jason (2003). Keena played the good girl and main character who has to try and survive while two of horror’s greatest icons duke it out. While Keena was a great scream queem in FvJ, she has been doing the horror genre justice long before it came out.

Keena first caught my eye in 1997’s TV movie Snow White: A Tale of Terror. She was perfect as the angel-faced princess being pursued by her vicious step-mother. ATOT is how the story of Snow White was meant to be told, before Disney sugar-coated it. The slew of modern-day fairytale remakes being churned out by Hollywood should take a page from ATOT’s book and Keena’s performance (do you hear that Kristen Stewart?!).

After a small part in 1997’s The Devil’s Advocate, Keena (now a blonde) starred in the lesser-known film Crime and Punishment in Suburbia, a film loosely based on Dostoyevsky's classic novel. It wasn’t until 2003 when Freddy vs. Jason came out that Keena became a horror icon. And she didn’t stop there.

Oh boy. Where to begin. Well...is anyone else out there tuning in on this insanity? Did you perhaps tumble down the rabbit hole like I did? For those reading and are actually wondering just what I’m referring to, May I just add that what I am discussing will be chock full of spoilers. Furthermore, it is best to go into this show knowing little as possible – because let me tell you, it sure is one crazy ride and I do not use these words lightly. So, if you haven’t seen the show, now would be the perfect time to stop reading this and track it down. For those left reading, let’s revisit the horror.

American Horror Story’s pilot was pretty full on. I mean, it was chaotic, it was insane – it was overloaded with bewildering characters, deeply disturbing hauntings and weird, psychosexual manifestations.
It was edited in a manner that disconcerted me, using jump cuts to fry your nerves. It begins in the 70's, where twin brothers enter the desolate house and begin smashing it up with their baseball bats. What nerve! Well, obviously the spirits of the house think the same because soon, they're brutally murdered.

Cut to the present day and after some troubling times - Wife Vivian suffering a miscarriage and Husband Ben having an affair, The Harmon family decide that a change of scenery just might be the spark back in their lives they need. Oh boy, were they right. It's just more of a demonic, possibly satanic spark and not of the romantic kind.

There was a wealth of information to absorb, from the ghost (demon?) in the S & M costume to the family’s maid that appears elderly to the wife and young and super cute to the seemingly sex deprived husband, from the loopy, vaguely menacing neighbour to the relationship between Husband and Wife, Ben and Vivian - but wait, there’s more! Rebelling daughter Violet is venturing into self-infliction and befriends Ben’s latest patient, a very disturbed young man by the name of Tate, who doesn’t help with her tortured thoughts. There’s a horribly burnt man that’s been stalking Ben and who desperately tries to warn him to get out of the house quick smart.

Murphy and Falchuk were throwing a lot of story at me and come the end of it, I blurted out – WHAT? It was a fantastically twisted, psychological ride but as of writing this, I’m a little unsure of its longevity as a series. I just hope there is a three-year game plan or something, with the house’s history charted out and where the series will eventually run.

This week my luck has been terrible with 31 days; I have had to replace films I had on the list because for one reason or another I wasn’t able to watch them. This has been a blessing in disguise because my replacements have been fantastic. The Changeling is a film I have wanted to watch and I finally had the chance now. This is one of the truly scary and creepy films out there, forget Paranormal Activity, this is where it is at.

The story about a haunted house isn’t new, but this was a fresh take on it. George C. Scott is fantastic and he really sells every aspect, you will believe this house is haunted. The scares work, the atmosphere is great, I really loved this film. Highly recommended, seek this out.

4/5

1. Hocus Pocus (1993): The ultimate Halloween movie. I enjoy it just as much now as I did as a kid. There are few movies I would describe as flawless, but this is one of them. PG enough so kids can watch it, but still scary enough to be believable. The Sanderson sisters, while comedic, still manage to be scary enough to pose a real threat to the silly virgin and his kid sister, and the talking cat Binx is the best part of the movie. If you haven’t seen this movie yet stop reading now and go watch it.

2. Trick 'r Treat (2007): This is a seriously underrated movie. From the minute it begins to the minute it end, TrT delivers a fantastic Halloween experience. The setting is immaculate, reminiscent of our childhood October 31sts with undertones of something more sinister. I love when movies tell separate tales that interweave, and TrT does so in the best fashion.

3. Halloween (1978): This inclusion on the list hardly needs to be explained. John Carpenter set the horror bar high with this slasher classic. The subtlety, the score, the silent way Michael stalks his prey. Just mentioning this film brings giddiness to any horror fan. I could go on and on, but the movie’s reputation speaks for itself.

After watching the documentary Going To Pieces: The Rise And Fall Of The Slasher Film, it introduced me to all sorts of films I hadn’t seen. One of those was the original My Bloody Valentine, which I already watched this month for 31 Days. Another film I saw mentioned on there was the early 80’s exploitation film Pieces. I thought this looked like a sick puppy, and people like Eli Roth raved about it being a great film. This was another case of a film that I didn’t quite get to last year, so was it worth the wait?

Pieces is a pretty typical exploitation/grindhouse type of film, I think what elevates it above others is the kills. It really is mean spirited and it does not hold back, you want blood? This delivers, if you felt ripped off by the lack of chainsaw massacring from Tobe Hooper’s film, well this will give you your fix. In that respect the film worked perfectly, the blood and kill scenes were handled pretty well for such a cheap budget. You’d hope with a title like Pieces, you get well ‘pieces’ and you do.

The film starts off in 1942 with a kid doing a puzzle, but its of a naked lady. His warped mother catches him and cracks it. So the kid does what any normal person would do when their naked lady puzzle gets taken away from them, he kills her with an axe. To top things off he cuts her up into … PIECES! We then fast forward forty years to what eventually leads to a college campus (zing!) and murders by chainsaw start happening. Who could it be? Well it is rather obvious, and the red herring they keep throwing in is kind of funny.

Yes Pieces goes for all the typical elements, college campus, obvious red herrings, but that opening scene is quite brutal and a great way to draw in the audience. Things get a bit sillier once we get to campus; I mean after the opening scene we see a girl in an event so out of context you just feel like face palming. However after that scene we get to a killing, and then introduced to the cast of characters. If you can’t figure out who it is, you might need to work on those detective skills. The red herrings are far too obvious to be the killer; one in particular is pretty hilarious in the way it was handled. The attempts to make the killer mysterious and attempt at doing a bit of giallo wasn’t bad, but the bright yellow chainsaw that was obvious (you can’t hide that), you’d think someone would notice it right?

I don’t even know where to start with this one … Saturday The 14th is campy with a side of cheese. The film is a riot from start to end, it is hooky and silly but a damn good time.

Take elements from The Monster Squad and all the awfully goodness from Troll 2 mix them together and this is what you get. Now it is older than those (unfortunately it really shows its age) but I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to them.

The basic premise is that there is an old house and vampires want to get in to retrieve a book. However a family have inherited the house and that makes things difficult for the vampires. The youngest of the family finds the book and unleashes the creatures from within. The parents remain clueless about the events, until they have to get help to restore some normalcy.

By all accounts a sequel to one of the most famous and loved horror films Hitchcock’s Psycho should not even be thought about or even made. But back in the early 80’s they did make and it is perhaps one of the best sequels I have seen for a film like this.

With Hitchcock’s protégé Richard Franklin (Patrick) at the helm and a script by Tom Holland (Child’s Play, Fright Night) with the man himself Anthony Perkins back as Norman Bates, they had the recipe for success. The film begins by recapping the first, and then we find that due to over crowding Norman is being released from the hospital and back into society. He is to take up residence at his house and work at a diner as a kitchen hand. But Lila Loomis (Lila Crane from the original) has other ideas; she wants to get him locked back up. Norman moves back and starts his job, befriending Mary (Meg Tilly) she moves into his house. But strange things start to happen and Norman fears the worst, but is it him who is going crazy?

The film starts off with the only way it can, Norman’s release and his reintegration into the only life he has known. He is a changed man and there is something deeply sympathetic about him. To see him begin to question his sanity is somewhat heartbreaking to watch, and his friendship with Mary is quite a sight to see. The mystery that surrounds the events is well played, and the film tries to keep the audience guessing without running itself into a bad plot holes. There is a real feel of Hitchcock’s style but it really is its own films and it stands firmly on two feet. The performances are fantastic and Anthony Perkin’s completely steals the show. This is a sequel worth watching, not as good as the original but highly enjoyable.

With Day 10 brings a very different type of horror film, one that perhaps has more in common with Alice In Wonderland than A Nightmare On Elm Street.

Paperhouse is a British film from the late 80’s, from Candyman director Bernard Rose. It tells the story of young Anna, a loner who becomes strangely ill. As she falls sick, she draws a picture of a house, which turns up in her dreams. Anna adds to the picture, including a sick boy that her Doctor told her about. But the dreams start to change into nightmares as she becomes more ill.

Yes this is a strange one, but an absolutely excellent film. I want to say this is more of a kid’s film, but it really doesn’t feel like it. This is along the lines of something for young adults, a really mature and intelligence piece though. The performances are all fantastic, the fantasy elements and dreams are outstanding. Everything at play here worked so well, and the meanings behind it are well thought out too.

My VLOG which covers the last 5 days of first time horror watches for 31 Days Of Horror.

I woke up this morning to the news that David Hess had passed away at the age of 69. Not something I wanted to wake up to, and I looked down at the posting I saw and I just did not believe it. It took awhile to set in, he has been one of my absolute favourite genre actors.

My sympathies go out to his family and friends.

RIP good man, you'll be missed.

So Day 8 brings my to a Hammer Horror film, one that came from a recommendation from my friend Adam. I am fairly amateurish when it comes to Hammer; I haven’t seen many of their classic titles. I was interested in this film because it seemed like a very different take on the classic Jekyll and Hyde story.

What sets this part is the Dr Jekyll’s evil side is a woman, in the form of Mrs Hyde. Set in the classic era on London, around the events of Burke and Hare grave robbing and a Ripper roaming the streets, the film really had some awesome atmosphere. The sets and costume were fantastic, and felt very much like the time it was set.

The central story of Jekyll turning into a woman, who represents his dark side, the evil part of his personality was interesting. The whole battle of the sexes element is strong here, and one could argue that women do not come off very well. But as Hyde is evil you have the love interest Susan who represents all that is pure. An interesting off set, and made all the more captivating with the excellent performances by the actors.