Now this is a hell of a treat for fans of good old fashioned horror, from the undisputed kings, Hammer. The first 3 big films from ‘The House That Dripped Blood’, are included in this box set, in all their wide screen, full colour glory for the first time. Lets take each film individually: Frankenstien The first of the Hammer Gothics, Frankenstien/Curse of Frankenstien, was a noteworthy film, if only for being the first true colour horror film. As we all know, the Baron (played to perferction by the late Peter Cushing) builds a creature from parts of dead bodies [...]
Finally, I get around to looking at one of the all time greatest films (not just horror, but all genres)ever made: The Wicker Man. Long revered as a masterpiece, but criminally mistreated by disinterested distributors, this 1970s masterwork of British cinema is finally available in a version as close to the writers and directors vision as possible. A quick resume of the polt: Sgt Howie (the excellent Edward Woodward), a deeply religious and puritan police officer, is lured to the mysterious Scottish island of Summerisle, by an anonymous letter purporting to be about a missing girl. Once there, Sgt Howies [...]
So, as anyone who knows me will tell you, my absolute favourite horror film of all time is the original Return of The Living Dead. But why is this so? What is it about this low budget, mid 80s horror/comedy that makes me love it so damn much? I’m not really sure myself, but I’m going to give explaining it a go right here, fiends… The first thing that really hooked me in when I first saw it was the ‘vibe’ of the film. There was, and indeed is, something a bit ‘decayed’ about the whole film. The sets look [...]
Possibly one of the most wanted DVD releases since the inception of the format, ‘The Monster Squad’ was tied up in copyright hell for years. Well, eventually, it has surfaced on DVD, albeit only in the US/CAN as a rather excellent 2 disc set. The film itself follows a fairly simple premise: Van Helsing tried to stop Dracula by harnessing the power of a mystical amulet. He failed. 100 years later, the power of the amulet can once more be used to rid the world of Dracula dn other evil entities, such as The Mummy, The Wolfman, Frankenstiens Monster, and [...]
So, the first sequel to 1985s hit horror comedy is available on DVD (well, it has been for about 4 years, but this is my new review, so ner!). Quick synopsis: The Army is transporting some containers of Trioxin, which also contain more zombies in a kind of suspended animation (much like the barrels in the first film). Thanks to the trucks driver being more interested in smoking a spliff and listening to his walkman, one bounces off as the truck crosses a rain drenshed bridge, and rolls off into the creek below… The barrel is found by some local [...]
Yes, Fiends, it’s ‘Horror Host Mania’ here at the Pit today, with a number of archive interviews (mostly unseen for years) re-surfacing. Enjoy them, and if you want to see more, drop us a line with your suggested interviewee, and you never know, it just might happen….
And the final part of todays Horror Host mania, The Bone Jangler! From the darkest crypt in the oldest cemetary comes……THE BONE JANGLER!!!!! 1:Tell the folks out there in cyber-space a little about your show: Well, the show, on one hand, is a return to the classic Horror Host shows of old, like Vampira, and Zacherley, where the camp factor is at a minimum. I’m not really a fan of deliberately campy shit. On the other hand, we kind of dragged the genre, kicking and screaming into the new millennium. You know, a lot of the people who do this, [...]
Horror Host mania continues with another archive interview, featuring Baron von Wolfstien! From deep within his crypt, the Baron graces our corner of the web with his patronage. Learned Robb:1: Tell the folks out there in cyber-space a little about your show. BvW: Thank you, most Learned Robb, ’tis my pleasure to be here! I must say, ’tis a cozy little Crypt you have here, nestled neatly among the gallows and graveyards of Cyber-Space! To delve into a wee bit of ancient history; my TV show: BARON Von WOLFSTIEN Presents SATURDAY NIGHT With THE MONSTERS, ran for 40 episodes back [...]
Its horror host mania today folks, with another vintage interview , this time featuring Dr Gangrene! Lurking in Tennesse, forever plotting, is Dr Gangrene. He recently took time out from his atempts at global domination to answer a few of my pesky questions…… LR: What prompted you to begin broadcasting as a TV horror host? D.G: Before losing my mind and becoming a horror host I was losing my mind and running a comic book company called Volunteer Comics, self-publishing comic books. This had sort of run its course and my comics partner (Chuck Angell) and I were looking for [...]
And another horro host icon interview is ressurected: Count Gore de Vol! LR: What prompted you to begin broadcasting as a TV horror host? CG:Well, I didn’t begin broadcasting as a TV Horror Host. I was a news anchor and director for a the first UHF TV station in Paducah, Kentucky in 1971. I was then tapped to also do Bozo the Clown for a daily live one hour children’s show and lastly, after one too many beers way too late at night, I was convinced to become a horror host…in addition to everything else. You have to love small [...]
