10 Horror Eyes

You know it's the first of the month when this list appears...

Creepy Preacher Eyes (Albino Farm)
"That's Gotta Hurt" Eye (Anguish)
Realizing He's Screwed Eyes (Audition)
Dumb Kid Eyes (Beautiful)
Lionel's Eyes (Dead Alive)
Insane Mommy Eyes (Grace)
Evil Baby's Eyes (Grace)
The Eye of Rape (Peeping Tom)
Oh. Em. Gee. Eyes (Sl8N8)
Kitty Eyes (The Black Cat)

Taser Lawsuit: Michael Jacobs (Ft. Worth, TX)

The City of Fort Worth and police officer Stephanie Phillips have been slapped with a lawsuit of at least $75,000 for the wrongful taser-related death of 24-year old Michael Jacobs, Jr. [VIDEO REPORT]

The lawsuit cites the coroner's report which states; "....Phillips advised the decedent that if he did not calm down and comply with her directions, she would have to use her Taser device on him; he replied reportedly, 'Go ahead, I've always wanted to see what that feels like anyway.' "

According to the autopsy report, Phillips shocked Jacobs for 49-seconds, paused one second, and then shocked him five more seconds.

The autopsy report states Phillips; "...unknowingly kept the Taser trigger engaged for an unknown amount of time when she first applied the Taser, thus increasing the pre-programmed shock duration cycle of five seconds."

Villager's Voice: It does appear that Officer Phillips' was poorly trained in the use of her taser gun. Synch that finding with the one made by the medical examiner that Jacobs' taser death was 'homicide' and you have a pretty clear case against the city of Ft. Worth. Methinks that they should work to settle this out of court.

Hasanni Campbell's Aunt/Foster Mom to be Released

Jennifer Campbell is the aunt and foster mother of 5-year old Hasanni Campbell ... the missing 5-year old boy who police now believe is dead. The district attorney doesn't have enough evidence to charge Jennifer Campbell as an accessory in Hasanni's murder ... so she is scheduled to be released today [SOURCE].

August in Review

August was pretty good to us horror fans, though there was a misstep or two...

At the Box Office we got:
A fun little thriller with A Perfect Getaway.
One of the coolest movies of the year, and the biggest surprise to me, District 9 showed the film world that you can make a damn near perfect movie for about 30 million dollars. What a great little flick.
I Sell the Dead was a fun little limited release movie.
The biggest disappointment of the year so far is Halloween 2, and it'spossible the worst movie of the year too.
The Final Destination- a 3-D horror flick kicking the box office's arse...

On DVD we got:
Own it- The Last House on the Left, Surveillance, Dexter Season 3, Children of the Corn (Blu-Ray)
Rent it- Nature's Grave, The Chaos Experiment, Machine Girl, Alien Trespass.
Skip it- The Crypt, The Last Resort, Frayed.
Rent or Skip, we can't decide- Demon Warriors, Sick Girl.
The ones we haven't seen- Cravings, Slices, The Weekend Murders, The Strangeness.

September is packed with horror goodness, which makes me smile endlessly. At the theater we can look forward to three movies that I'm dying to see, Gamer, Pandorum and Whiteout, and one that I'll die before I see, Jennifer's Body.

On DVD we get Grace, Deadgirl and The Hills Run Red, plus a slew of old flicks getting new/overdue releases.

The scary thing is that October is far more packed with releases than September is...

*Make sure to check our Release Date List to stay up to date on what's coming out and when.

Ted Kennedy on Health Care Reform

"This is the cause of my life. It is a key reason that I defied my illness last summer to speak at the Democratic convention in Denver — to support Barack Obama, but also to make sure, as I said, "that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American ... will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not just a privilege." For four decades I have carried this cause — from the floor of the United States Senate to every part of this country. It has never been merely a question of policy; it goes to the heart of my belief in a just society. Now the issue has
more meaning for me — and more urgency — than ever before. But it's always been deeply personal, because the importance of health care has been a recurrent lesson throughout most of my 77 years.

— Ted Kennedy

Halloween 2 (2009)

This review is as poorly written and as disjointed as the movie was, so I'm sorry if it's a bit "off." My desire to put any more effort into this POS movie is gone, but read on. You'll still get the gist.


HALLOWEEN 2
Sub-Genre- Slasher/Remake

In Attendance- Me, Machine, and about 6 other people.

Cast Members of Note- Mostly the same as the first one, plus a whole bunch of new random cameos by washed up actors.

What's it About?- *Everything from here on out is going to be filled with venom and spoilers. BIG, HUGE SPOILERS. You've been warned.

H2 picks up where the first one left off, with Laurie having shot Michael at point blank range in the face with a Magnum (I think it was a Magnum), Loomis having his eyes gouged out, and Annie near death... except that Michael is alive, Loomis' eyes are fine, and Annie survives. Ok, fine. It's a horror flick, I'm fine with just accepting certain things to facilitate a sequel.

After a "ha, got ya!" dream sequence which negates the best part of the movie, we come to find that our sweet little Laurie has turned into a skanky looking, dirty pseudo-dread haired riot grrrl, who hangs with other skanky chicks calling each other "dick licker", "dude", and just acting annoyingly lame. I guess that's because of what she "Went through?" Does everyone who writes young girl characters these days have to make them sound like total annoying assholes? Yes Diablo Cody, I am talking to you!

She's living with Annie and her Sheriff dad out in the deep country of Haddonfield... Laurie is a retard, Annie is bitter and scarred, and the Sheriff is about the only person that doesn't make you instantly wish Michael had finished them off to begin with.

Meanwhile, Michael is a wandering hobo - honestly- who roams around fields all day looking like Grizzly Adams' mongoloid son. He also grunts and moans when he's killing people now. Plus, I think he has a psychic homing beacon with which he can track Laurie/Boo/Angel.

Laurie and Hobo-Mike share the same "Dreams" involving their mom and a young version of Michael, who visit both of them with horses, talking about "It's time to come home" and "It's time to finish this." It's all very surreal and pointless. We get that Michael is nuts. We get that Laurie went nuts. How about letting the actors show us that by emoting and using their craft rather than using some shoddy dream sequence shit every five minutes.

Loomis completely does a 180 in this one too, going from concerned shrink to absolutely unconcerned author celebretard without missing a step. He's a douchebag with a capital D for the entire movie, and then in the last 5 minutes he gets bored in his hotel room and rushes to the scene of Michael holding Laurie hostage to "help."

The Good- I supported Zombie through all of the House of 1000 Corpses bashing, as I thought it was really good in its way. I loved Devil's Rejects. Aside from a few issues, I liked his 2007 Halloween remake. I like his music. So it pains me to say that this movie contained very little along the lines of good.

Brad Dourif was really good as the sheriff, as was Danielle Harris as Annie, but they didn't get enough screen time. Some of the imagery was cool, such as the pumpkin people dinner thing. I also liked how he shot it in 16mm; I love that gritty look. That's about it though.

The Bad- The story, the dialogue, the random excuses for Michael to kill, the mostly poor acting, the evolution of some of the characters... So about 75% of the movie.

The Downright Horrendous- Everything else.

The Gory- Plenty of gore, as plenty of random people are thrown into the movie to give Hobo-Mike something to do.

The Naked- We do get some boobs, but it's nothing big. The movie is laced with a ton of dirty words though, so I guess that's like mouth nudity?

Best Line- None of them. None of them was best.

What did we learn?- Well enough should be left alone. Also, we should have gone to see The Final Destination.

Rating- D (4.0/10) I give a lot of leeway with my horror watching; I love some less than stellar movies for many different reasons, and I'm always willing to let some shit go and enjoy the meat of an otherwise poor movie, but this one hurt. I think It hurt because I love zombie and his work so much. I give it a D only because there are a few things I liked about it (as mentioned above in "The Good"), but in all reality, it's as much of a "Do Not Want" as I've seen in years. Either way, I won't watch it again, and I advise you to spend your money on something else.

Thanks Halloween II, you made the baby cry.

The Week in "Do Not Want!"

What a week for bad horror flicks... Ugh.

"The Crap."
The Crypt (2009)- At the point when a female crook watches her 12 year old brother take a bullet to the brain, then promptly attends a her crook-group meeting to discuss their next "job" I hated this movie. That wasn't even 10 minutes in. It's a shame too, because the opening sequence was pretty damned cool.

-This movie struck me as a LOW RENT version of The Descent; only in this, everything sucks.
-What's with the cut-to-black that happens every 5 minutes or so? Is it to trick our minds into thinking that The Crypt is over, and a real movie is beginning?
-"I have the biggest, and easiest, job of the century for us." Someone actually wrote that.
-The acting is abysmal here too.
-Why was the shot kid never talked about or referenced to again? Then again, the entire plot made little sense, why am I bitching?


Shitknight.
Stagknight- It's too goofy to be serious and too painfully unfunny to be a comedy... Whatever it's supposed to be, clumsy mess sums it up best. Have you ever seen a handicapped child slipping down a set of icy stairs? This movie is less funny than that. Fine, that would actually be pretty funny, but you get my point.

Fart jokes, shit jokes, Predator-like fx from the knight's point of view, poor acting, a ridiculous script... and the worst BJ scene EVER! "Now get those teeth out Granny!" WTF?!?!

The two chicks were hot though. That was at least nice.


"This poster lies."
The Last Resort- The poster is totally awesome (though the image is nowhere in the film, not even close), the movie is total shit. I mean that's really just the truth of it. Anyone having anything to do with the making of the movie Turista's should hunt the makers of this POS down and tea bag them into unconsciousness. It's not an exact ripoff, but it comes close enough before introducing the evil motel that makes everyone evil, which makes them eat each other and over act.

Seeing that the movie clocked in at a whopping 1 hr, 9 min should have been my big clue.

Sunday Inspirations: God and the Scientist

God is sitting in Heaven when a scientist says to Him,"Lord, we don't need you anymore. Science has finally figured out a way to create life out of nothing. In other words, we can now do what you did in the 'beginning'."

"Oh, is that so? Tell me..." replies God.

"Well", says the scientist, "we can take dirt and form it into the likeness of you and breathe life into it, thus creating man."

"Well, that's interesting. Show Me," said God.

So the scientist bends down to the earth and starts to mold the soil.

"Oh no, no, no...." interrupts God, "Get your own dirt."

Sunday Inspirations is the meme created by Sojourner in honor of her Mother. This is just one way to help get us through the week ahead, the trials we may face, and yes, to say Thank Ya and testify! I hope that you participate and share with us your Sunday Inspirations. Your weekly contribution may very well be the inspiration that someone else may need and has been looking for.

The Rules:

1. Anyone can participate.


2. You may post a video, poem, religious verse, song, story, picture, ANYTHING that has given you inspiration and the motivation to go on. Just make sure not to offend anyone.


3. Add your name to the meme list so others can be inspired.
4. Be and get inspired and be sure to comment.

Katrina: Four Years Later

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck Florida and the Gulf Coast, breached New Orleans’ levees in multiple locations and flooded 80 percent of the city. For days thousands of mostly Black residents languished on rooftops, in leaky boat flotillas, and in flooded government buildings and civic centers. The storm killed more than 1,800 people and left the city of New Orleans a shell of its former self. Damage estimates hover around $80 billion. Four years later rebuilding continues.

One of the positive outgrowths of the devastation is that the New Orleans public school system is substantially improved from its horrible situation in advance of Katrina.

There is evidence of the growing success of the schools in many areas. First, the city attracted a nationally known reformer, superintendent Paul Vallas, and so many teachers that it has 10 applicants for every opening. Second, New Orleans now spends twice as much as it did before Katrina -- $15,500 per pupil –- far above the national average.

The proof is in the pudding: Scores have risen on both state and national exams.

The Obama administration recently provided New Orleans’ HBCU, Southern University, with $32 million to replace four hurricane-damaged buildings.

The Brookings Institution and the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center summarize their report as follows:

"The nation’s deepening economic recession has produced dissolution and despair across the country as many communities grapple with the social and economic ramifications of massive layoffs, prolonged unemployment, shuttered businesses, and home foreclosures. By contrast, rebuilding from the woes caused by Hurricane Katrina has helped cushion greater New Orleans from the ravages of the downturn. As New Orleans ends its fourth year since the hurricane and levee failures, the region has been buoyed by post-disaster recovery efforts and its fortunate industry mix."

The release entitled ‘The New Orleans Anniversary Edition: Four Years after Katrina’, says Congress and the Obama leadership must commit and sustain its partnership with Louisiana state and local leaders by “delivering on key milestones in innovation, infrastructure, human capital and sustainable communities to help greater New Orleans move past 'disaster recovery' and boldly build a more prosperous future”.

The 24-page 'New Orleans Index' documents some key findings that include:

• The New Orleans economy is weathering the recession relatively well due in part to its industry composition. The New Orleans metro area lost 0.9 percent of its jobs since last June, compared to the 4.1 percent lost nationally. The industries hardest hit — manufacturing and construction — comprise relatively small shares of the New Orleans economy and since last June have shed few jobs. The four largest sectors of the region’s economy — trade and transportation, government, leisure and hospitality, and education and health services — either stagnated or added jobs. The New Orleans metro area’s unemployment rate rose to 7.3 percent while it climbed to 9.5 percent for the nation.
  
• Ongoing rebuilding activities are attracting people, jobs, and investments, further shoring up the greater New Orleans economy. New Orleans added more than 8,500 households (actively receiving mail) in the past year, the biggest one-year expansion since 2007, reflecting a mix of new and returning residents. While home rebuilding has slowed dramatically since 2007, post-disaster infrastructure investments in the levee system, schools, police stations and other public facilities have continued apace. Since July 2008, FEMA has paid over $800 million for infrastructure repair projects across the five-parish area. In the city of New Orleans, 94 facilities and public works projects were completed as of April 2009, and 113 more were under construction.
  
• Yet New Orleans is not immune from the economic crisis. Like many metropolitan areas, the housing market has stalled, with home sales down 39 percent and new construction down 48 percent. The slowdown in consumer spending has contributed to a plunge in city sales tax revenues with 21 percent fewer receipts from general sales, motel/hotel stays, and motor vehicle purchases in April and 6 percent fewer receipts in May compared to the previous year.
  
• Further, massive blight, affordable housing for low-income workers, and significant flood risk remain the area’s major challenges. While there are fewer unoccupied residences in Orleans, St. Bernard and Jefferson parishes this year, the scale of blight remains high— 65,888, 14,372, and 11,516 residences, respectively — posing significant challenges for local governments. Steep rent increases have abated, but at 40 percent higher than pre-Katrina, rents remain out of reach for many critical workers. Typical rent for an efficiency apartment is $733 per month, unaffordable for food preparation, health care support, and retail sales workers.

According to a 'Katrina Pain Index, the Louisiana landscape is dotted by nearly 2,000 temporary FEMA trailers (many of them contaminated and uninhabitable) 65,888 unoccupied residences and countless weed-filled lots and molding houses. The murder rate in New Orleans topped all cities nationwide last year, although the overall rate of violent crime dropped in the city in 2007 and 2008.

Engineering and construction work rebuilding Louisiana after Katrina has cushioned unemployment at 6.8%. The nation’s rate is 9.4%. Still the state ranks No. 2 in the nation for the highest jobless rate (13.2%) among African Americans and people living in poverty trailing Mississippi, despite billions in post-Katrina recovery dollars.

Nearly a third of the city’s children live in poverty. The vast majority of these children live in single-parent homes; many are being raised by siblings, foster parents or are on their own.

Recently Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) told her congressional colleagues that it is high time to get serious and get beyond just talking about doing something to help the people of New Orleans.

“Four years after Hurricane Katrina we still have individuals living in trailers, seeking additional benefits, dispersed throughout the country in unfamiliar cities, and disconnected from their families, friends and their hometown.”

Some online activists feel that we need to take actions that will prevent a future where disasters like Katrina become the norm. They want to see President Obama push for a strong clean energy bill that seeks to correct long-term structural energy issues.

The images from Hurricane Katrina are painful. They remind us that America is willing to abandon an entire city when it was inconvenient to save them. We saw images of desperation, racism and hopelessness.

Nothing happens as quickly as we want. Four years later we see rays of light -- new levees, new buildings, returning residents, grassroots organizers and achieving school children. Methinks that we have a chance to see New Orleans regaining its worldwide gleam if we stay the course.

I would be interested to see what villagers have to say about New Orleans: Four Years After Hurricane Katrina...

How Long Does a Taser-Related Autopsy Take to Complete?

I guess I'm spoiled. I've seen the medical examiners from major cities like Las Vegas, Miami and New York complete the autopsy process with quickness. I've learned that if a victim is Jewish then the coroner works to complete the autopsy within the first 24 hours.

It boggles my mind that it takes coroner's in other cities so long to complete the autopsy process when a taser-related victim is laid out in front of them. For example, 17-year old Derek Jones died in January 8, 2009 after being tased by a local police officer in Martinsville, VA ... a town of only 14,543 people. It's a small town. However, authorities continue to wait on autopsy reports. [SOURCE]

This is a pattern that we've seen in other taser-related deaths. This is another reason that we need a federal probe. Have you signed our online petition asking for congressional hearings on taser torture?

Lake Mungo is the newest addition to the After Dark Horrorfest...

I like the way After Dark is setting up Horrorfest 2010 so far; first they nabbed Clive Barker's Dread, and now they add Lake Mungo to the pot, both of which I've been eager to see. Now if they can keep adding promising movies that could never get a theatrical release and avoid the low budget messes...



Press Release:

"Los Angeles, CA (August 27, 2009) — After Dark Films CEO Courtney Solomon has announced that After Dark has inked a deal with Arclight Films to feature Lake Mungo in it’s next incarnation of After Dark Horrorfest®: 8 Films to Die For. The supernatural mystery is written and directed by Joel Anderson making his feature debut.Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger and Martin Sharpe star.Georgie Nevile and David Rapsey produced. Dana Lambert, VP of Acquisitions at After Dark brokered the deal with Arclight Films who represented the filmmakers in the negotiations."

"In Lake Mungo, sixteen-year-old Alice Palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. When her body is recovered and a verdict of accidental death returned, her grieving family buries her. The family then experiences a series of strange and inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Profoundly unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of psychic and parapsychologist, Ray Kemeny. Ray discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. A series of clues lead the family to Lake Mungo where Alice's secret past emerges."


“Joel has created an eerily crafted, suspense piece that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats and will leave them with a sense of unease for days to come.” stated Solomon.“We’re pleased to bring such an original film to audiences in the US.”

"Gary Hamilton, Managing Director of Arclight Films, added, “Arclight is extremely proud of the continuing success of Joel’s film and feel that After Dark has the right vision to bring maximum success for Lake Mungo in the US market.”

After Dark Films will continue to announce their line up over the upcoming months leading up to the January 29, 2010 release. “With Horrorfest entering its fourth year, we’re pleased that we can continue to bring to our fans exciting, new films that expand the entire horror genre.” added Solomon.

Police Arrest Hasanni Campbell's Foster Parents for Murder

Louis Ross and Jennifer Campbell, foster parents of missing 5-year-old Hasanni Campbell were arrested today in connection with his disappearance.

Police had been mystified as to how Hasanni Campbell could have vanished from a "crowded business district with no witnesses," according to a police search warrant affidavit.

Louis Ross claims that his foster son vanished from the parking lot of the Shuz of Rockridge shoe store in Oakland on August 10. However, police bloodhounds were unable to detect the scent of the boy outside the upscale shoe store where Hasanni's aunt and foster mother work. Besides scouring the area around the shoe store, police have searched Ross' home, the surrounding neighborhoods and parks as well as a scrap yard in nearby Hayward, Calif., that Ross had visited hours before Hasanni's disappearance.

Hasanni has cerebral palsy and wears braces on his legs.

10 days before the boy vanished, Ross sent an expletive-filled text message to Hasanni's foster mother, threatening to leave the boy alone on a train station platform. Ross said he would look after Hasanni's 1-year-old sister, but not the boy.

"I will watch her but he will be out on the (station) and its your responsibility," said the July 31 text message.

Police say Hasanni's disappearance is still a missing person investigation, but says a homicide investigator is in charge of the case.

VILLAGER's VOICE: It appears that the police feel that they have enough evidence to arrest the foster parents for murder. I haven't felt good about this missing 5-year old since the case first broke on August 10. I suspect it is only a matter of time before one of the two suspects breaks down and tells police where they buried the body. Hasanni was only five years old. Villagers, hug your children tonight...

Coroner Rules 'Homicide' in the Taser Death of Michael Jacobs

24-year old Michael Jacobs did not have to die on April 18, 2009. However, Fort Worth police officer Stephanie A. Phillips shocked him twice with a taser gun -- the first time for 49 seconds and the second time for 5 seconds, with a 1-second interval between the shocks, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office report.

Phillips told a detective after the incident that she "unknowingly kept the Taser trigger engaged for an unknown amount of time when she first applied the Taser, thus increasing the pre-programmed shock duration cycle of five seconds."

The report states that when Jacobs "continued to struggle," Phillips warned him again that if he did not "cease fighting and comply with officers’ requests, she would shock him again. When [Jacobs] failed to cooperate, Phillips shocked him a second time," according to the report.

He was pronounced dead about noon that day — an hour after Phillips used the taser gun. The medical examiner ruled that Michael Jacobs' death was a homicide. [SOURCE]

An autopsy showed no traces of alcohol or drugs, electrolyte imbalances, or signs of heart or lung disease, all of which can be contributing factors in a death.

"We are relieved that the ME's findings line up with our facts, but we still believe that Mr. Jacobs did not have to die, and did not have to die the way he did, in front of his parents in his front yard crying out for help," said Rev. Kyev Tatum, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's Fort Worth chapter.

The Jacobs family held a press conference to talk about the ME's findings. Michael Jacobs Jr. had a 4-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter, who live with their mothers, Charlotte Jacobs said.

"I would like to see justice done for my son. I would like this to never happen to another family. If the police had just come to me after this happened and said, 'I’m sorry,’ none of this would be needed. The police are supposed to be here to protect and serve. Not to kill."

Now we wait to see if the police officer that fired the taser will be charged with a crime by the powers-that-be in Ft. Worth. Does anyone know the name of the police officer?

Old School Friday: Gino Vanelli

The theme for this week's Old School Friday meme is Songs That People Would Be Surprised You Know.

Sadly, I don't remember who introduced me to Gino Vanelli. He never truly hit the mainstream for jazz, R&B or any other genre. He was a unique talent that didn't fit neatly into any box we had labels for at the time. However, I used to enjoy listening to his stuff ... back then I was listening on an 8-track cartridge ... young 'uns have no idea what that was ... but, his music got to me. Here are two of my favorites from Gino Vanelli .... and I think villagers would be surprised to see this artist on my iPod!


'Ugly Man'




'Pauper in Paradise'

Taser Death: Terrace Clayton Smith (Los Angeles, CA)

It happened again. Again we see that the police feel disrespected ... and respond with 50,000 volts of electricity from a taser gun. As a result, we have the 34th taser-related death in America this year.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says Terrace Clayton Smith has died after a deputy shocked him three times with an electric stun gun at a San Fernando Valley subway station. [SOURCE]

Police authorities say Smith was at the North Hollywood Red Line station on August 26th, when a deputy repeatedly asked if he had a ticket.

Smith didn't answer, so the deputy took hold of his hands to stop and question him.

The police say the man broke free, raised clenched fists and charged the deputy several times. He was Tasered, then shocked twice more when he got up and charged again. We don't know the other side of the story ... because Smith is dead.

The police were consistent in their response to this taser-related death ... they informed the press of a possible drug abuse angle. In this case, the police say a pipe used to smoke drugs fell to the ground during the scuffle. That is how the police set the stage for blaming his death on 'excited delirium'.

These taser-related deaths are happening at too rapid a clip. Please sign our online petition seeking congressional hearings on taser-torture taking place in our nation.

Halloween (2007)

"On the eve of Halloween 2, I thought it was only fitting to gather and watch Zombie's first stab at the series."

Halloween
Sub-Genre- Slasher/Remake

In Attendance- Me & Karrie (The whole gang's seen it too.)

Cast Members of Note- Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Daeg Faerch, Sheri Moon Zombie, Danielle Harris, Kristina Klebe and Hanna Hall.

What's it About?- Michael Myers is a little blond Danish kid who enjoys torturing animals, talking pictures of their carcass's, and carrying them around in a sack with him. His mom thinks it's what normal kids do, and since their entire family is nothing more than stereotypical whiskey-tango trash, maybe she's right.

Adorable.
It's all a moot point anyway, because eventually he graduates to killing people (starting with his whore sister and trashy step dad), gets locked up in the unsane asylum, and turns into a painter. Mask maker. Whatever, He paints the f'ing masks.

See?
After 20 years Dr. Loomis can't seem to cure his insanity, so he tells him that they aren't friends anymore. That brilliant move prompts him to kill a bunch of guards and hospital staff, escape, and head back to Haddonfield to kill his other whore sister. In Laurie's defense, she was a baby when Michael knew her, so she couldn't really have been a whore, but she sure has the makings of one once she's all grown up. We know what she wants to do with Ben Tramer!

I think we all know what happens from here on out.
The Good- This remake is no way even close to what the 1978 original was, in any way... that being said, this is also an effective, if not flawed, remake that packs a nice punch and delivers the goods. This is a brutal, skanky, visceral version of Halloween, filled with sex, foul language, and the "colorful" characters that are staples in Zombie's movies. Where the original was more subtle, atmospheric and terrifying, this version is more violent, chaotic and tension filled.

Daeg Faerch is a great little Michael and Tyler Mane is equally as good as the grown up version, but the original Loomis and Laurie just can't be touched, though it's no fault of Malcolm McDowell or Scouty Compton. With Linda, it's pretty much a tie (because I dig Kristina Klebe.)

If you look closely, you can see the haunting image of Kristina's ass. And a ghost.
The Bad- Michael, why would you kill Danny Trejo like that? He's never been anything but nice to you!

The Downright Horrendous- Ok Rob Zombie, we get it; Michael Myers is a poor white trash kid with issues because he's got a stripper mom, an abusive step dad, and a whore sister. You didn't need to make the first ten minutes of your movie near unwatchable just to drive your point home... over, and over, and over... Really, if the movie started at the school, it would be better off for it.

This is the face of white trash?
The Gory- The blood flows freely in this one, and were treated to some nice kills. The best part of it all is that when the chicks get killed in this, they're all naked/topless and blood covered! You don't see that very often. Kudos, Rob Zombie.

The Naked- Sheri Moon Zombie might not get naked (she never does!) but this movie has all sorts of skin on display; Danielle Harris, Kristina Klebe and Hanna Hall all show their goods.

This is like a trifecta of hot ass.
Best Line- "As a matter of fact... I do believe it was" or "I'm Joe Grizzly, bitch!"

What did we learn?- Parents are to blame for their kids turning out like shit. Also, If you have sex, you're going to be stabbed to death.

OMG! Orbs are real! Or not.

Rating- B+ (8.5/10) This is good stuff, especially if you like your horror mean spirited and rough. Zombie took an institution and gave it a different spin, and it mostly worked. If not for the awful beginning scene, I may have been tempted to give it an A-... maybe.

Final Thoughts- I love you, Kristina Klebe...

Neat.

Halloween 2 is here... well, tomorrow it will be.

You either love or hate Rob Zombie's 2007 attempt at a retelling of the 1978 Carpenter classic, and I'm guessing that the sequel will be no different, except... it looks kinda bat-shit crazy.

Dream sequences, flashbacks, horses, family reunions... It looks like Zombie is going for something more than stalk and slash, which could prove interesting. I for one will be checking it out, and hoping for the best.

The Final Destination comes out tomorrow too, and all I can say is, yay. I don't get the draw of these movies, although the kill scenes are always pretty cool, so I'll be waiting for the DVD.

Either way, get your arse's out to the theater this weekend and support the genre, no matter which one you see.

Am I Not Human? Emmett Till (1941-1955)

Emmitt Till was murdered on this day in 1955. Till was a 14-year-old African American boy who was beaten and shot to death by two white men. These men then threw the Till's mutilated body into the Tallahatchie River near Money, Mississippi. Young Till was killed for talking to and perhaps whistling at a white woman at a Mississippi grocery store. Later that year, Roy Bryant, whose wife Carolyn was the white woman at the store, and his half brother, J. W. Milam, were tried for Till's murder and acquitted by a jury of 12 white men.

In March, 2007, the FBI released a summary of its 8000 page report of its investigation of the murder of Emmett Till. This report also includes the 354 page transcript of the 1955 murder trial of J. W. Milam and Roy Bryant.

This gruesome photo of Emmett Till helped spark the civil rights movement. It demonstrated the brutality of southern violence towards African Americans, and created outrage across the nation. Emmett's mother, Mamie, insisted at his funeral that he be given an open-casket, so others could see what they had done to her boy.

The truth of what happened that night became public knowledge several months after the trial. William Bradford Huie, an Alabama journalist in Mississippi to report on the aftermath of the case, offered Bryant and Milam money to tell their story. Since the two could no longer be prosecuted for a crime of which they had already been acquitted, they gladly told for a fee of how they had beaten and killed young Till. Huie reported what the killers told him in Look magazine. Now publicly exposed as murderers, Bryant and Milam were ostracized by the community, and both moved elsewhere within a year. Emmett Till in death became a martyr for the civil rights movement, a symbol of the racial hatred African Americans had yet to overcome.

America has moved quantum leaps in terms of both civil and human rights since 1955. African Americans are no longer murdered for giving wolf whistles to white women. However, our gains are not guaranteed. All Americans need to be vigilant in protecting our national commitment to equality for all. All it will take for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing..
Roots of Humanity feels that each of us can fight against human rights abuses in the world. We simply need to do something. Protest. Meditate. Pray. In the case of bloggers ... we want you to blog on the 27th of each month. Just share information on behalf of our human siblings in all suffering areas who are either barred from communication by their governments, or lacking in technology to ask: Am I Not Human?

Obama Effect: Artur Davis (Campaign Video)

I told y'all a few months ago that Artur Davis (D-AL) was a beneficary of the Obama Effect. Check out his most recent campaign video:




Are there other candidates that you think benefit from the Obama Effect?

Ooh, shiny!

After letting The Crypt (Review coming) destroy all of my hopes and dreams last night, I needed a pick-me-up, so I headed to Google where I came across this:


I have found my smile again.

Taser Death: T.J. Nance (Arizona City, AZ)

We are saddened to report the 33rd taser-related death in America this year. For the second time in less than a week a resident of the state of Arizona lost his life to the taser-happy nature of our police force.

T.J. Nance, 37, of Arizona City, was pronounced dead at Casa Grande Regional Medical Center at 10:06 p.m. on Friday, August 21, about an hour after a Pinal County Sheriff's Office deputy used a Taser on him. Nance fell to the ground and apparently went into cardiac arrest. [SOURCE]

Nance fled an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer after the officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on him shortly after 9 p.m. Friday near Eloy, according to DPS. The DPS officer was assisted by the sheriff's deputy when Nance tried to run into a nearby residence. The name of the taser-happy police officer was not released.

Authorities said that Nance had an unknown substance stuck in his throat, which was removed and turned over to investigators.

His cause of death also is pending autopsy results from the Forensic Science Center in Tucson.

Villagers, it is never a good idea to try to run away from the police. However, to my knowledge the penalty for being disrespectful to the police is not supposed to be death. These tasers are supposed to be 'non-lethal'. Don't tell that to the 33 people on this list!

I also note that the 'authorities' didn't take any time to throw in the drug angle with their information about an unknown substance in Mr. Vance's throat. I also see that we are now waiting on autopsy results. Anyone want to guess at how long we will be waiting for this autopsy report?

Villagers, is the frequency of these taser-related deaths bothering anyone else? Perhaps it is time for congressional oversight hearings?