The 31 Days of Horror- #31

...and here we go!


#31"A killer vagina, and a yawing in the theater..."
The Hidden Gem:
Teeth (2007)
The Master says: "How can you not love a movie about an adorable girl who has a murderous snapper with a mind of its own? Those teeth were more vicious than even mine are! Jess Weixler was great as the girl cursed with an angry clam, and once she begins to use it to dole out justice, it's female empowerment at its best. The gore was sparse, but what there was was truly nasty; I'll never look at Rottweilers the same way again..."


The Train Wreck:The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)The Master says: "This movie continues the trend of movies with the word "haunting" in the title, sucking badly. A great cast, an interesting story, it's well made... but there's nothing in it that you will find even remotely creepy, unless maybe you're 14. Maybe. This movie was more like a warm family drama, seeing as how the ghosts cured the kids aids or whatever it was that he had. Ghostly hugs are had by all. How sweet."

The Complete List

This is not only a running tally to help keep things orderly as we go, but it's also a handy reference to look back on after we're finished.

The Top 31 Hidden Gems of the 2000's
1- Trick r' Treat (2009)
2- Haute Tension (2003)
3- Session 9 (2001)
4- Let the Right One In (2008)
5- Paranormal Activity (2009)
6- The Children (2009)
7- Martyrs (2008)
8- Inside (A'Linterieur) (2007)
9- Battle Royale (2000)
10- Below (2002)
11- Dog Soldiers (2002)
12- Splinter (2008)
13- Baby Blues (2008)
14- Frontiere(s) (2008)
15- Dead Snow (2009)
16- Black Sheep (2006)
17- The St. Francisville Experiment (2000)
18- [Rec] (2007)
19- Them (Ils) (2006)
20- All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)
21- Alien Raiders (2009)
22- Home Movie (2008)
23- Slither (2006)
24- Killer Movie (2009)
25- Fritt Vilt (2006)
26- Ghosts of Mars (2001)
27- Dead in 3 Days (2006)
28- Tokyo Gore Police (2008)
29- Rovdyr (2008)
30- The Breed (2006)
31- Teeth (2007)

The Top 31 Train Wrecks of the 2000's
1- The Haunting of Molly Hartley (2008)
2- When a Stranger Calls (2006)
3- Blood: The Last Vampire (2009)
4- Halloween II (2009)
5- House of the Dead (2003)
6- The Fog (2005)
7- The Happening (2008)
8- Repo! The Genetic Opera (2009)
9- Bloodrayne (2005)
10- The Wicker Man (2006)
11- Twilight (2008)
12- Prom Night (2008)
13- Cthulhu (2007)
14- Shutter (2008)
15- Alone in the Dark (2005)
16- The Hitcher (2007)
17- One Missed Call (2008)
18- They (2002)
19- Van Helsing (2004)
20- April Fool's Day (2008)
21- Cursed (2005)
22- The Village (2004)
23- The Covenant (2006)
24- Boogeyman 3 (2008)
25- Dark Water (2005)
26- Day of the Dead (2008)
27- The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007)
28- Return to Sleepaway Camp (2008)
29- Saw IV & V (2007/2008)
30- Diary of the Dead (2007)
31- A Haunting in Connecticut (2009)

Becoming Barack: Evolution of a Leader

I never heard of Barack Obama until the 2004 Democratic National Convention when he gave his nationally televised speech. I didn't think much more about him until I read his book, Dreams of My Father in early 2007. I became a Barack Obama supporter after finishing that book.

I respect his journey. I respect the work that he did in Chicago as a community organizer.

As such, I think that I'll enjoy seeing this DVD, Becoming Barack, Evolution of a Leader, that shares information about his early career path ... before he became the most famous person on the earth.

I'm told that there is footage in this documentary from three of the earliest known recorded interviews with President Obama:

1. 1986 - a Chicago news story about Obama's early success as a community activist


2. 1991 - a clip from a news interview while he was a student at Harvard Law School


3. 1993 - a 15-minute lost interview of a 32-year old Obama, two years out of law school, a professor teaching constitutional law at University of Chicago, a fervent community organizer and a newlywed who had not yet contemplated running for public office

Here is a trailer from the DVD:



I like to think that our president is still evolving. I look forward to seeing how the story unfolds over the next seven years! How about you?

The Honorable Mentions- The Hidden Gems

~The Honorable Mentions~
Most people will most likely not have heard of the 31 hidden gems that were about to unearth. We know them all. Other horror fanatics will know them all. You may. Don't feel bad if you don't though, because most of the movie going public doesn't either. I discover new flicks every day, and I spend hours upon hours searching for them...

So whether they were buried by the studio, marketed wrong, passed over by audiences, too obscure, or just not give a fair shake in general, the underrated gems on this list deserve to be seen by lovers of horror everywhere.

Before we begin the countdown, here are a few that just missed the list. Let's listen to what The Master has to say...


The Master says: "Acolytes was a great little Australian flick about some teens that try to mess with a serial killer, and learn the hard way that serial killers aren't to be messed with. Especially by teens. Laid to Rest was a bloody, fun, low budget slasher flick that gave us a new horror icon to love. With a name like Chrome Skull, you either have to love him, or piss yourself when he starts walking towards you."



The Master says: "The french gave us some good movies this past decade, and Malefique was one of the best of them. Creepy, dark, and full of satanic magic, it's right up my vampiric alley. WTF was with that doll though? May was one of those movies that reminded me of every girl I've ever dated... and why I was terrified of them all. The lesson here is you don't mess with someone's heart, especially when the bitch is creepy to begin with."



The Master says: "Ooh, two zombie flicks! Outpost is a cool story about some Nazi zombies that tear the ass out of a bunch of tough guy mercs. The British sure love their WWII horror flicks, but at least they make them well. Pontypool is a zombie flick with not many zombies in it... sounds crazy, right? This one is more of a psychological screw job, a low burner that makes you feel as isolated as the small crew of the radio station does... I can't wait for the sequel."

The Honorable Mentions- Train Wrecks

~The Honorable Mentions~
You didn't think it would all be fun and games, did you? With the good we must take the bad, and this decade gave us plenty of the bad ones to take... and yes, it absolutely hurt to take them.

Let's see how pissed off The Master is after watching these Train Wrecks... and yes, there are 31 movies worse than these ahead...


The Master says: "Anaconda 3: Offspring- As if another giant rubber snake movie wasn't bad enough, we're supposed to accept one with David Hasselhoff as the hero? I thought that seeing him wrestle a cheeseburger in a drunken rage was sad enough, but this tops even that. And who was the genius that greenlit American Psycho 2? Let's take the whiny chick from That 70's Show and shit all over the brilliance that was American Psycho! I should drain them of their blood for such an insult!"


The Master says: "Steven Seagal being fat and walking around for his 20 minutes of screen time earns him top billing in Against the Dark? He's so out of shape that his actions scenes are off screen even when he's on screen. "I'm going hunting!" Yeah, probably for another ham. Or some cake. And Bad Biology... don't get me started. Killer vagina and mutant penis fall in love... and then hump each other to death... and the penis runs away at the end! Seriously."


The Master says: "Fear Dot Com... how about Fear Dot Suck? Moving on... How could they make a sequel to Return of the Living Dead, one of the best zombie movies ever, and turn it into such an absolute crap-fest of a joke? Rave to the Grave? I have an idea, why don't you hold a rave in my 2000 year old ass.

A few words about The 31 Days of Horror.

No countdown can be perfect. No list can be infallible. If I had another month I guarantee that the top 31 movies on tour month long countdown, both the bad and the good, would change numerous times. We can celebrate, or decry, a bunch of movies that deserve it though, and that's the whole point.

The only thing we can do is watch and share our opinion. Our opinions might suck, but at least we give them for people to mull over. The 31 Days of Horror is no more than that; us giving our opinions. I'm absolutely confident though that the 31 good movies we will count down are pretty damn good, and that the 31 bad ones suck pretty bad. If you don't agree with our choices, cool. At least we can still have fun!

There will not be movies like Saw, The Ring, 28 Days Later, Hostel, The Devil's Rejects, or any of the myriad remakes that populated the decade on our best of list. Instead, we're counting down the top 31 lesser known movies that causal horror fans and movie fans alike most likely missed, or don't even know exist. The Hidden Gems if you will.

There will be no Frankenfish, Leprechaun 2: Back to Tha Hood, Retardead, Night of the Hell Hamsters, or Mansquito on our worst of list either. For the Train Wrecks, we're focusing on the bigger budget movies that were actually supposed to be taken seriously but failed. You know, the ones that really, really pissed us off. The ones we truly DO NOT WANT.

So sit back and enjoy. Let's talk horror and keep the spirit of Halloween alive from the first day of October up until the sacred night itself.

Ravan with two Brothers

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People waiting for Ram Yatra

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Kids to come to Watch Shri Ram

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Crowd for watching Dusherra at Jalandhar

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21st Centruy Ravan on Tractor

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Dusherra in Jalandhar

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Good News Tuesday: Black Adoptions

Currently, there are 496,000 children in the U.S. foster care system and 130,000 of these children are waiting for families to adopt them. The majority of waiting children are of color with older African American boys waiting the longest for adoption. To address these numbers, a new federally funded ad campaign is looking to get more Black foster children adopted. [SOURCE]

Television commercials will feature Black parents and children. Similar ads will appear on radio and in newspaper.




The ads were developed by the Advertising Council, which produces public service announcements and AdoptUsKids, a non-profit which helps connect foster children with adoptive families.

It marks the first time African Americans have been targeted for such proactive adoptions.

The DVD Club for Tuesday, 9/29

Tuesday's always make us giddy. Why? Because there is nothing better than finally being able to get your mits on a DVD that kicks ass, that's why. On the flip side of that coin though, nothing sucks worse than grabbing a DVD and have it end up sucking. Taste and preference aside, we're here to help you avoid the crappy ones, so that you can revel in the dark glory that is good horror.

So let's take a look at what you should be buying or renting this week...



First off, the good ones. Two good slasher flicks, one old and one new, both entertaining. The Hills Run Red is a fun little flick with an awesomely creepy killer, and The Stepfather II is another disturbing slice of Terry O'Quinn's serial killer goodness. Buy them.



Next, the question marks. I haven't seen either of these movies, but they make me curious. The poster for Flesh, TX screams "rent me!", but then again it has Joe Estevez in it... and The Hanging Woman could be some good old school horror, but who can tell. I'll rent these, because If I buy them and they suck, I may rant about it, and no one wants to hear me rant. Rent 'em.



Finally, the classic. Henry is a genre classic, a staple even, and if you like it gritty and disturbing, you need to own this one. This movie is nasty, nasty "I need a shower" goodness that will have you looking over your shoulder in empty parking lots at night. Buy it.

Feel free to avoid The Shortcut, as it sucked. You've been warned. I'd also avoid The Blade Collection and buy the special editions separately, because the DVD's in the collection are bare bones.

That's it for this week's notables on DVD. Support the genre and go buy or rent these flicks. WE are the lifeblood that keeps the horror heartbeat pulsing, and don't ever forget it! Just go enjoy some good movies, would ya?

Tune In Tuesday: Morris Day and The Time (Gigolos Get Lonely Too)

Our lives evolve over the years. I suspect that most people that know me today wouldn't have a clue how I was in my younger years. Unfortunately, there was a time many moons ago when this song from Morris Day and The Time hit home for me.

Do any of y'all remember when Prince had his various groups out trying to make a living in the music business back in the day? Appollina 6, Vanity 6, Sheena E and many more. Those were the days...



Womanist Musings created a weekly meme today called Tune In Tuesday. She noted that our blogs often deal with serious issues and it might be nice to lighten the atmosphere every once in awhile. Music has the ability to trigger happy memories and much of our lives are marked by song. To that end each Tuesday this blog intends to offer a song and tell you about what it triggers for me and in return you are welcome to share any memories that you have associated with it.

September in Review

September turned out to be a pretty good month for horror fans.

At the Box Office we got:
A lukewarm thriller in Whiteout, which at least gave us the chance to see Kate Beckinsale again.
An ok remake of Sorority Row, which annoyed me pretty severely. Still, it had its merits.
Another crappy looking Devil Coby movie, Jennifer's Body, which I hope to never see.
Pandorum, which I still have to see, and looks awesome.
Limited releases of Carriers (which we liked) and Paranormal Activity (which we wish had come to our city.)
And a pretty lame remake of Children of the Corn on Syfy.

On DVD we got:
Own it- Grace, Deadgirl, Phantasm II, Stepfather II, The Hills Run Red.
Rent it- Harper's Island, Book of Blood, Farmhouse.
Skip it- Fear Itself, Albino Farm, The Shortcut, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto.
The ones we haven't seen- Earth Day, Fermat's Room, Flesh Tx.
Blu-Ray versions of- The Exorcist, Creepshow, Freddy vs. Jason, Shaun of the Dead, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.

October is even more PACKED with horror goodness, both theatrically and on DVD. Zombieland looks like a hell of a time, as does The Vampire's Assistant, while Saw 6 looks the same as Saw 4 and 5. Trick r' Treat looks like the DVD to own this fall, while The Children, Drag Me to Hell, and Orphan are must own's too...

Get ready folks, the creepiest month of the year is going to be creepy indeed!

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

Taser Death: Derrick Humbert (Bradenton FL)

It happened again! We enter into the 40th week of 2009 ... and we report on the 40th taser-related death in America. One per week...

This time the tortured man is 38-year old Derrick Humbert. Police pulled Humbert's BICYCLE over at 12:18 am because he didn't have a light on the bike. Humbert got off his bike and ran through the yards of several houses in the neighborhood. Bradenton Police Officer Del Shiflett used his Taser in a fatal ending to the chase.

Before he was to be taken to the Manatee County Jail, paramedics took Humbert to Manatee Memorial Hospital for treatment, but he died there at about 1:00 am.

The penalty for running away from the police should not be death by electrocution. Yet, here we are again with a dead man at the hands of a so-called non-lethal weapon.

It took no time for the police to wave the druggie accusation. They immediately released the fact that Humbert was wanted on a warrant for possession of marijuana.

At this point everyone waits for the autopsy report.

Trick r' Treat (2007/2009)

"Trick r' Treat has finally arrived, and an instant October classic is born. "

Trick r' Treat
Sub-Genre- Supernatural

In Attendance- Me and Machine.

Cast Members of Note- Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Dylan Baker, Leslie Bibb, and Quinn Lord as Sam.

What's it About?-I'm not going to reveal too much of the plot here, because the story twists, turns, overlaps on itself, and comes together in the end, and It would be a shame to spoil it for you. Instead, I'll give you the official Warner Brother's synopsis to chew on:

Ohio has always creeped me out.
It is said that Halloween is the night when the dead rise to walk among us and other unspeakable things roam free. The rituals of All Hallows Eve were devised to protect us from their evil mischief, and one small town is about to be taught a terrifying lesson that some traditions are best not forgotten. Nothing is what it seems when a suburban couple learns the dangers of blowing out a Jack-o-Lantern before midnight; four women cross paths with a costumed stalker at a local festival; a group of pranksters goes too far and discovers the horrifying truth buried in a local legend; and a cantankerous old hermit is visited by a strange trick-or-treater with a few bones to pick. Costumes and candy, ghouls and goblins, monsters and mayhem... the tricks and treats of Halloween turn deadly as strange creatures of every variety-human and otherwise-try to survive the scariest night of the year.

They should run.
There's also an evil little trick-or-treater named Sam that is all over the place in this one, wearing his creepy little burlap mask and tricking those that refuse to give him treats. How is he connected to everyone else? Why is he so creepy? Does he like candy apples? I won't spoil the movie by telling you, but suffice it to say that he does like candy. And murder.

She likes murder too.
The Good- This movie was simply fantastic. I don't know that I've ever seen a movie that captured the spirit and atmosphere of Halloween this well, and it instantly becomes mandatory yearly watching for the creepy month of October. I hesitate to give a movie a 10/10 score, because to me that implies a sort of perfection, but after watching this movie, I had no other choice.

It's odd too; the whole movie has a very lighthearted feeling about it, while also giving us and air of true tension and fear throughout. I wasn't "sacred", but I definitely had moments where I was thoroughly creeped out. Creepy masked people standing and staring usually does that to me.

Beyond creepy.
A fresh, imaginative, gorgeous, atmospheric, creepy little horror movie... isn't that a rarity these days for Hollywood? It's not a remake or sequel, nor is it a cookie cutter PG-13 Abercrombie ad looking snooze fest, and yet it works, and works very well. Maybe Hollywood should stop sticking movies like this on the shelf and release them. They can keep Saw XXI, we won't mind.

This movie has also given us an new all-time great horror icon in Sam, the creepy little costumed kid who may just be the physical manifestation of the spirit of Samhain. I hope we get to see more of him in other movies, or at least comic books or something; he was a truly awesome character.

Oh boy. You should have given him that twix bar!
The Bad- I wanted more that 82 minutes of this movie. The Blu-Ray has deleted scenes on it, but I want them in the movie! Aaah! Yes, I'm pouting.

The Downright Horrendous- I'd really like to know what possessed Warner Brothers to keep this one on the shelf for the better part of two years. Worse still, how could a Halloween flick this fun not get an October theatrical run? Not even a limited one? Hollywood politics really sucks sometimes, and I'm tired of the Horror genre suffering for it.

The Gory- There was a good deal of blood and nastiness sprinkled throughout this one. I'll stay mum on the specifics so as to preserve the fun of the kills for you, but I will say that candy can be dangerous.

The Naked- We get a quick boob or two here or there, but for the most part the sexy parts are sexy with no skin.

Lot's o' sexy, but very little skin.
Best Line- "You gotta be fucking kidding me." or "My, my... what big eyes you have."

What did we learn?- Halloween is truly a creepy day. Also, don't chince on the candy.

Rating- A+ (10/10) This is truly a special movie that managed to live up to, and in some ways surpass the hype that has surrounded it for so long. I don't know if it's truly perfect, but I can say that it was a perfect Halloween movie going experience for me. I wish it had been longer, but aside from that, this is a fun, nasty little trip into the world of All Hallow's Eve that everyone needs to take for themselves.

Final Thoughts- I never get tired of seeing Anna Paquin. Also, what in the hell is that bear doing?