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Showing posts from October, 2011

The Month of Horror Day 31: A Horror Triple Threat

The Month of Horror comes to a terrifying conclusion as Basement contributor Matt Bellamy sits down to watch three horror classic old and new: John Carpenter's Halloween, Trick r Treat and The Exorcist! How's he going to live through three frightful films of terror? Easy! He's Matt Bellamy mother bitches!   For the big day you have to go big, or go home, which is where I watch my movies so I guess that's where I'll remain. Each of these three films are special in their own way; 'Halloween' is seminal viewing on the night of ghosts and ghouls, 'Trick r' Treat' is horror anthology done so well you can even smell the lit pumpkins and fireworks through the screen, and 'The Exorcist' is the scariest movie of all time. I think it's too bad there aren't more horror movies that deal specifically with the day of Halloween as there are so many stories that can be told, 'Trick r' Treat' certainly understood that; don't blow

Get the Halloween scared out of you with Anna

In the immortal words of Charles Cyphers, "It's Halloween. Everyone is entitled to one good scare." And we've got one of those for you right here. Matthew Solomon created and stars in Anna, a horror short shot entirely, and simultaneously in London and Los Angeles, on Skype. It's a found-footage film about a couple relocating to L.A. only to discover their apartment is already occupied. Lisa-Marie Long, Killebrew-Mason and Sadie Ella Solomon also star. And, if you'll take a gander at the nifty poster to your left, you'll notice the first endorsement from The Basement to ever appear on a movie poster! How cool is that? Very cool! Thank you Matthew. We're honoured to be a part of this special little horror film. But enough chatter. It's time to scroll down, push play, watch and enjoy! I've posted my thoughts on Anna below the embed. Anna is a creepy twist on the found-footage genre that will have you checking over your shoulder by the fi

The Month of Horror Day 30: John Carpenter's The Thing

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! For the day before Halloween, Bellamy brings us the ultimate in alien terror!   Don't see the remake/prequel (whatever it is), watch this one instead, infinitely better. Now, before I come off sounding like a hypocrite, yes, this version is also a remake of the 1950's Howard Hawkes original but at least the 1982 iteration is a completely different and updated film. Kurt Russell stars as one of a group of researchers at an American Antarctic base, they find something that isn't of this world at a deserted neighbouring Norweigan base where there are no signs of human life. It turns out what they found was an alien entity that hides inside a human host so the enemy could be anyone, and so begins the terror! Brilliant movie, one of tho

Anna trailer gives nod to The Basement

A very special little horror film premieres on Oct. 31, one we in The Basement are very excited about. It's from the mind of actor/filmmaker Matthew Solomon and it's a fun twist on the found-footage genre. We'd say more, but we're not allowed to until Halloween. But we can show you this trailer for the short. And we're pretty damn excited about what happens at the 17 second mark . . . almost as excited as we are for the film itself. But more on that in a couple of days. Enjoy the preview, and check back on Halloween so you can be among the first to watch Anna! Stick with us!

John Carpenter's Blockhead's Revenge?

Well, not quite. But the horror icon does introduce this short from Funny or Die that takes Charles M. Schultz's classic Peanuts characters and dumps them in a Halloween setting that's a long way from It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. This has to be seen to be believed, and it's pretty damn funny to boot. I'm a die hard Peanuts fan and I love Halloween, so go figure. Or should I say, "good grief!?!"

Win A Chat With A Scream Queen Round One

Last night's live episode kicked off our Win A Chat With A Scream Queen Contest in style, with a feature interview of the lovely scream queen in question, Brooke Lewis, and live tweets from the lady herself. Now for the three questions for our first round! 1) Who was the actor who played Michael Myers when the killer's mask was briefly removed toward the end of John Carpenter's Halloween?   2) What two movies contain the quote “We all go a little mad sometimes?” 3) What are the three rules for Moguis according to Gremlins?   Winners of this round proceed to Round Two. Podcast versions of the radio show are available on the Sunday. For more contest details, follow the link at the top of the blog to our scream queen page! Stick with us!

The Month of Horror Day 29: Poltergeist

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! Today Bellamy reminds us that it knows what scares you! Whether or not it's the greatest haunted house movie ever made is definitely up for debate but it sure is my favourite one. What doesn't this movie have!?! Creepy kids? Check. Evil clowns? Check. Possessed trees? Oh yeah. Zelda Rubenstein? 10-4! It's still a freaky movie to this day but it's so well made and so appealing we all keep coming back to it, even when we know what's waiting for us. Directed by Tobe Hooper (or was it...?) and produced by Steven Spielberg, I think the main goal here was to make the family believable and relatable so that we can put ourselves in their shoes which only leads to amped up scares and chills. My favourite moment in the film? When that o

The Month of Horror Day 28: Psycho (1960)

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! For our Friday edition of the series, Bellamy challenges the notion that a man's best friend is his mother.   Wouldn't be right to not include a classic, and from the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, this is one deeply disturbing movie. The themes 'Psycho' plays with throughout its runtime must have been controversial and slightly taboo upon its release in 1960; brutal murder, voyeurism, and schizophrenia aren't exactly light subject matter! Janet Leigh stars as a woman with a secret agenda of her own who, on a dark and stormy night, pulls into the notorious Bates Motel to spend the night. Something isn't right though, the manager played by Anthony Perkins seems very strange and awkward, her intuition turns out to be cor

Interview With A Scream Queen: The Halloween Spooktacular 2

You can't have Halloween without horror movies and you can't have horror movies without scream queens. The formula is something like Halloween + horror + hotness = scopin'! We're serious about this. A good horror movie needs, nay DEMANDS, a scream queen. And a scream queen -- a real, bonafide scream queen -- is more than just a pretty face with a good scream. But why should we go into further detail about what makes a scream queen when tonight's show features award-winning scream queen Brooke Lewis? Regular readers know we're big Brooke Lewis fans. We've talked about her here and here and again here . And she's shown enough faith in our show to be a part of The Basement's first contest: Win A Chat With A Scream Queen , which kicks off tonight. Guess who the scream queen is. Also, as fate would have it, Slime City Massacre, for which Brooke won The Golden Cob Award for Best Scream Queen, hits select cities as a digital release today! Check loc

The Month of Horror Day 27: Fright Night (1985)

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! For the latest installment in his series, Bellamy welcomes us . . . to Fright Night!   "Welcome to... Fright Night! For real". There were two movies I watched on regular rotation by the time I was four years old, the first was Jaws, and the other was this horror gem. I recall the first time I saw the trailer for the new remake in theatres, many younger people verbally complained "what a rip-off of Disturbia!", I simply shook my head, they really had no idea. Not like the 1985 original didn't borrow heavily from anything else *cough* Rear Window *cough* but simply added vampires into the mix, which is A-OK with me! The remake was solid, I enjoyed it but everything about the original is better; the actors, the vampires, even some

Evil walks the earth on Grim Night

And Universal Studios will finance and distribute Brandon Bestenheider & Allen Bey's thriller, with The Strangers director Bryan Bertino and Adrienne Biddle of Unbroken Films producing along with Marc Platt. Yes, this story has to do with a major Hollywood studio, but we in The Basement want to draw your attention to it because it's an original, scary sounding idea for a movie. T he premise revolves around mysterious creatures called Grims , who, for one night a year, globally torment humans, forcing them to protect themselves from the attacks.  One word: scopin'! The creepy as hell promo trailer that Berstenheider and Bey cooked up is credited with sealing the deal. Having watched it, I understand why. Hopefully the suits at Universal, which in all honesty is where the American horror film was born during the 1930, understand the potential and don't bugger this up in some way.

The Month of Horror Day 26: Dead Alive

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! And, as the clock ticks toward Halloween, Bellamy gets a little Braindead. Before Peter Jackson tackled the world of Tolkien for his epic 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy he was a much different filmmaker, a very disturbed and depraved one. Touted as the goriest movie of all time, I'd say it still holds onto that title with a firm, severed and bloody hand. Not only is 'Dead Alive' the goriest film of all time, it's also one of the most entertaining and humourous horror movies ever, never does the violence get too extreme or unpleasant because it's just so much damn fun! The story revolves around your basic zombie premise but where it differs here is the whimsical way it's all told and filmed, you know what you're watching i

The Month of Horror Day 25: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! And Bellamy better watch out, because tonight it's "One, two, Freddy's coming for you!" Yeah right, as if I would have the remake on here, that would be a good joke! This has become a classic over the years and Freddy Krueger is no doubt one of, if not the most, iconic horror villains of all time. Not a bad reputation to have as an actor and Robert Englund probably never dreamed (ha ha) his career would pan out that way but he seems to relish every moment as Freddy both on and off the screen. Wes Craven knocked this film out of the park, on a relatively low budget it looks anything but with some fairly groundbreaking effects and superb makeup, even today it still looks damn good and is as creepy as ever! I could go over the basic story prem

The world ends on 11-11-11

There's something about religious horror that can, when done right, scare the balls right off a guy. The Exorcist did it. I'd argue Stigmata did an OK job. End of Days not so much (sorry Arnie). Time will tell if Darren Lynn Bousman's 11-11-11 works or not. The film is due out next month on Nov. 11 (duh) but this is the first real look we've had of it. I'm not sure if Rocket Releasing and Big Sky just came on board to distribute the picture or not, but at least we have something that gives us a feel for a film we first heard about year or so back. Bousman's film stars Timothy Gibbs, Michael Landes, Wendy Glenn, Lluis Soler, Ángela Rosal, Brendan Price, Salomé Jimenez, Benjamin Cook and Montse Alcoverro. As for the plot, An author travels to Barcelona to see his estranged brother and dying father, where he learns that his life is plagued by events that occur at 11th day of the 11th month of this year. The preview looks fine, but not completely inspiring. H

The Month of Horror Day 24: The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! Tonight Brother Bellamy takes a stab at a remake and says it's better than the original. BasementReviews@gmail.com or comment below. Is it blasphemous to have the remake on here instead of the original? I think the remake is a huge step up from the low budget Wes Craven original from 1977, this iteration is directed by French filmmaker Alexandre Aja (High Tension, Piranha 3D), and it's a great exercise in suspense, shocking brutal violence and some real, genuine terror! 'The Hills Have Eyes' follows your average, nice family on vacation in their RV where it "breaks down" (sabotaged?) in a desert that at one time was used as a nuclear testing site by the U.S. government. Stranded and isolated, a band of mutant freaks begins to prey on t

Our contest rulz!

Well it will once it begins this Friday! And, given that it's only a few days away, Shawn and I figured we'd better tell you all a little more about it. The contest lasts for three weeks, with each week a round in the competition. Shawn and I will ask three questions each round and only those who answer all three questions correctly will be able to advance to the next round. He or she who remains standing at the end of all three rounds gets a five-minute recorded interview with scream queen Brooke Lewis, which will air on a future episode of the show. That means you need to tune in Fridays at 10 p.m. PST at 92.5FM CFBX Kamloops and www.thex.ca in order to hear your questions. We'll post the questions for each round here on the blog on the Saturday. But don't worry, each episode is podcast and answers to each round of questions will be accepted at basementreviews@gmail.com up to 8 p.m. PST the following Friday, so there's lots of time to play. What happens

Jason and Shawn review: Red State and A Horrible Way To Die

Red State Shaw: Kevin Smith had fun with this and I’m glad he did. He danced around some serious issues under the guise of a bunch of fanatical religious good 'ole boys. I think he stabbed at the increased security, the "increased protection” the U.S. government is slowly tightening around America’s neck in the name of Homeland Security. He just dressed it up with a great shoot out, some good comedic moments and a pretty good cast. I have to say, if I just pay attention to the surface movie, the entertaining "dress up", and don’t dive into the meanings I think he was really trying to hint at, I give it a Good. But I don't want to look beyond that. Jason: One of the few movies where, once the end credits rolled, I sat in stunned silence for about a minute before going “huh.” Parts of this are very much like a traditional Kevin Smith movie. It's very talky, the camera is rather static, and a lot of the language is crude and focuses on dicks and cocksucki

The Month of Horror Day 23: Inside

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! And tonight Bellamy heads to France for a film no pregnant woman should ever see. I don't know what it is about the French over the last ten years or so but somebody must have pissed them off good because they have been unleashing some of the best and most graphic horror for a solid decade now. 'Inside' is the debut film from filmmakers Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury, and did they ever charge onto the scene big time with this one! "Extreme" would be a good word to describe it, I could only recommend this to viewers with a strong stomach, who aren't offended easily (if you are then horror is not the genre for you), and who are looking for something to shake them up. The story follows a pregnant woman who has set up a hospital appointm

The Month of Horror Day 22: Day of the Dead

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! And he's gone from night to dawn, so let's face the dead during the day! As if you didn't see this one coming, how could I not finish off the greatest zombie trilogy of all time? This is a fun movie, it doesn't quite have the same impact as its predecessors which is why some write this instalment off as a lazy and cheap sequel but I think those people are missing the point! 'Day of the Dead' is about cynicism for the human species and for the first time feeling sympathetic and even siding with the flesh eaters this go around. One zombie in particular is transformed into a fully developed character that seems to exhibit more humanity than some of the human characters, his name is 'Bub' and don't you dare even think about taking away

The Month of Horror Day 21: Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! Having survived a night full of the living dead, Bellamy will now face them at dawn! Heralded as not only one of the greatest horror sequels of all time but one of the greatest sequels of all time as well. What director George A. Romero did with this movie surprised just about everyone, he crafted a follow up to 'Night of the Living Dead' that not only ratcheted up the violence, gore, and body count but also added a layer of tremendous social commentary. Are we as a society nothing more than mindless zombies? Do we even know how to think for ourselves? Brilliant to set this film in a mall as well because where else is a better place to find brainless automatons shuffling from one location to the next, slaves to the almighty dollar and big shiny corporations? Rom

Season Two, Episode 3: Red State and A Horrible Way To Die

The themes might be in the realm of pure exploitation, but the way tonight's films execute them (if you'll excuse the pun) is decidedly different than most genre pictures. And count on Kevin Smith to bring some controversy to the double bill with his first foray into non-goofball cinema, Red State. Smith, best known for films like Clerks and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, stirred up Hollywood when he announced he was auctioning Red State during the movie's debut at the Sundance Film Festival. Then, at the last minute, he decided to distribute it himself. By doing this, Smith seemed to piss off pretty much everyone.But is his movie worthy of all the hubbub? Stick with us! And stick around for The Basement Dwellers' thoughts on Adam Wingard's serial killer movie A Horrible Way To Die. On the surface it sounds like a typical horror film: killer escapes from prison and cuts a path through everyone he meets as he pursues his ex-girlfriend. But, as with Smith and R

The Month of Horror Day 20: Night of the Living Dead

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! And tonight Bellamy tackles a true classic. The kind where they are coming to get you, Barbara. Look, there's one of them now! The original George A. Romero classic, and it's a classic for a reason, this is the film that really started it all when it came to zombies. For awhile it was actually very difficult to get a decent copy of this on DVD because even the director didn't properly own the rights to the movie, it was a bit of a headache but in the last few years there have been a couple decent releases so finally we can all enjoy this black & white horror masterpiece in all its shambling, flesh eating glory! What makes this film unique apart from other horror movies is that it's not just about a group of people fending off a horde of the undead in a

Win a chat with a scream queen!

Wanna have a five-minute chat with a scream queen and have it played on the radio and interwebs? Then have we got the contest for you!! The scream queen in question is Brooke Lewis, one of our best friends here in The Basement. And the lovely lady has offered to sit down and chat with a Basement Fan for five minutes on the telephone. But that lucky guy or gal must win a three-round contest starting on our Halloween episode Oct. 28 (podcast up on Halloween) and running for three weeks, with each series of skill-testing question harder than the next. And the conversation will be recorded and aired on a future episode of Film Reviews From the Basement. So you need to tune in Oct. 28 at 10 p.m. PST on 92.5FM CFBX Kamloops or www.thex.ca , or listen to the podcast version right here or on podOmatic and iTunes. And we'll keep listeners updated as the game proceeds.

The Month of Horror Day 19: An American Werewolf In London

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! And tonight he's tackling what is arguably one of the best werewolf movies ever made. Ever! Made! GREAT movie, in my top 5 of all time favourite horror movies, and if you're younger and get this mistaken for the "sequel" set in Paris then I hate to say it but all hope is lost for you, just... move along. Directed by John Landis (Animal House, Blues Brothers, Trading Places) with a flair for the absurd but always grounded in reality, it's part horror, part comedy, part... satire? A beast all its own and one of the most straight up entertaining movies of all time with award winning practical makeup effects by the great and true master FX artist, Rick Baker. The werewolf transformation scene is a show stopper that still impresses today and no amount of CG

We're on the move!

To a new podcasting headquarters! For the last year and a half  The Basement's podcast has enjoyed a home at podOmatic and the site has served us well. Very well, in fact. But, in order to secure enough space for our episodes, we gotta pay! And, being a couple of hard working family guys who run a non-profit show part time, we don't have the money to keep up with costs. By the time our Nov. 7 edition hits the interwebs, we'll have made the leap over to TalkShoe.com , which is also home to 2nd Unit Podcasting Network brethren The After Movie Diner. You'll still be able to listen via the space to your right and download on iTunes. And the show's content won't change. But the service is free and TalkShoe doesn't have a rankings system, so the site promotes quality instead of competition, which is what we're all about in The Basement. We know we're a success, with more than 1,000 weekly listeners to the podcast. So don't be alarmed when the e

The Month of Horror Day 18: Night of the Creeps

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! As if the last 17 nights weren't creepy enough, Bellamy is really turning up the creep factor with tonight's edition! This gem went unnoticed by most people, some of them horror enthusiasts, but over the last couple years it was finally released on DVD and Blu-Ray and has enjoyed a much needed resurgence! This is a horror flick made for people that love horror, especially with some comedy thrown in, one of the most fun aspects of this one is to try and identify all of the little winks and nods to other movies and film makers. The story is that an alien race accidentally deposits a bunch of space worms on earth, said creepy crawlies infest their human hosts and turn them into, wait for it... CREEPS!! 80's horror icon Tom Atkins brought his A-game here, you could tu

Horror has a season in Rites of Spring

Looking a bit like Jeepers Creepers meets Malevolence, director Padraig Reynolds' Rites of Spring premiers at the Screamfest Film Festival in Hollywood CA this Friday for those lucky folks who are able to attend. Not us, though, as we're in Canada, eh! The film follows a group of kidnappers who abduct the daughter of a wealthy socialite and hide out in an abandoned school on the edge of a town. But feelings of guilt soon overtake the kidnappers, dividing them and putting their entire plan in jeopardy. The evening further spirals out of control when their poorly chosen hideout becomes a hunting ground for a mysterious creature that requires springtime ritualistic sacrifices. Sounds like fun, and it stars genre faves AJ Bowen and Anessa Ramsey. Plus the creature is designed by Aaron Sims, who's crafted monsters for films like The Mist, The Thing, and I Am Legend, just to name a few. I have to admit the preview, featured here care of Bloody Disgusting,  looks pret

The Month of Horror Day 17: Phantasm

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! For his latest column Bellamy shows us why it's important to fear The Ball! I said ball, not balls. Grow up . . . boooyyyy! This film defies proper description in just about every way, easily one of the more bizarre horror franchises ever made but at the same time also one of the more striking and disturbing ones. The Tall Man is a horror villain who I don't think gets the same kind of deserved recognition as his brothers in arms such as Freddy, Jason, Michael Meyers, or Leatherface. He is creepy incarnate and I can understand why kids became terrified of him when the movie originally came out over 30 years ago now, and let's not forget that weird, deadly sphere he controls, messed right up!

Interview with a legend: Harry Manfredini

Kill, kill, kill . . . ma, ma, ma! By taking the line of dialogue "Kill her, mommy. Kill her" and integrating it into the score for Friday the 13th, composer Harry Manfredini made cinematic history. He also coined one of the most spoken phrases in the movie nerd vocabulary, and we love him for it. Last night Shawn and I spent about 40 glorious minutes chatting with the composer about movies, music and movie music (duh). And we wish we had more time. But the 30-or-so-minute interview born from that conversation is Basement gold, which is actually better than I just made it sound. You'll be able to hear our interview with Harry, who's composed scores for 100 or so features and counting, on our Dec. 2 episode. Think of it as an early Christmas present for Basement Dwellers. Sorry to tease you so early, but that's what we are in The Basement . . . teases . . . ish. And a big shout out to the lovely Brooke Lewis for helping make the interview happen. As you know,

The Month of Horror Day 16: Near Dark

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! With this installment, Bellamy takes us back to a time when vampires were cool and not emo pussies. That's right, we called Twilight's vampires emo pussies. Get over it, soccer moms. This is the film Stephanie Meyer borrowed from/ripped off for the Twilight series, the only big difference here is that this is actually good. Ask anyone has who seen this movie and they will say 'Near Dark' is in the top five for best vampire movies ever, it's extremely well shot by Mrs. ex-James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow, and features excellent iconic performances by the entire cast. There is one scene in particular set inside a country-western bar where Bill Paxton's vampire character just owns the screen in every way possible, you've never seen boot spurs used in such a

Jason and Shawn review: Bereavement and Stake Land

Bereavement Jason: Prequels rarely work, and this is another example of why. If you've seen the superior Malevolence, then you know the entire plot of Bereavement is laid out in that film's final five minutes. There's just not enough story to sustain the hour and 45 minute running time. Fortunately the last 40 minutes or so play like gangbusters with suspense and a bloody climax where almost everyone dies (spoiler alert). Stevan Mena wants to be John Carpenter, right down to composing his own music, but he needs to work on his scripts a bit more. A Bad for me. Shawn: Here's a movie that has the elements of a good horror film, but it could have been creepier, scarier and darker. It tried though. Yet, in the end, it just didn't do it for me. And for the love of all things horror, maybe you could show us a little more gore. JUST blood no longer counts. Wanna split someone's head open with a shovel? Might as well show me. You wanted to be bloody, didn't you?

The Month of Horror Day 15: Dr. Giggles

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! Today he takes a stab at another horror comedy. Pun intended. Oh early 90's horror, you were so bad and not even in a great 80's campy way but you did try so hard! This is a movie with an honestly promising premise completely let down in its execution (pun?). Larry Drake (L.A. Law, Darkman) plays the titular Dr. Giggles and he is easily the best part of the movie, you can tell he's having fun playing the role of a sadistic and psychotic small town doctor who perhaps enjoys using his scalpel a tad too much. What's even better, when he's on the hunt for his victims he giggles uncontrollably which is actually kind of unsettling albeit in an oddly humourous way. Where 'Dr. Giggles' drops the ball is that everything else is an afterthought, the other characte

The Month of Horror Day 14: Young Frankenstein

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! Today Bellamy goes straight for the laughs and not the jugular with Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein.     "What big knockers you have!" I know, I know, it's a comedy and not a horror but I want to mix things up a bit and Mel Brooks does film it like an old monster movie in gorgeous black and white so I think it fits! Everyone in this movie is fantastic, firing on all cylinders and it's one of my favourite films of all time. Gene Wilder stars as the troubled Dr. Frankenstein, doing his best to bring the dead back to life through brain transplants, he finally succeeds one dark and stormy night except it doesn't exactly go as planned... Peter Boyle is the Monster and it's one of the greatest performances ever put to the screen, his most famous scene being the

Season Two, Episode 2: Bereavement, Stake Land and the Ryan Shovey interview

One goal Jason and Shawn have in The Basement is to help aspiring filmmakers get the recognition they deserve. Breaking into the business is tough, and sometimes all it takes is one article or interview to provide that little push toward success. The Basement Dwellers got their push from John Fallon over at Arrow in the Head. And they hope tonight's chat with award-winning writer/director Ryan Shovey will help the New Orleans-based filmmaker get his first feature project off the ground! Shovey's film is called Hunter, and in the tradition of Wes Craven and John Carpenter, he's going the horror route. We could tell you more about the talented Mr. Shovey, like he directed a groovy adaptation of The Tell-Tale Heart and created a web series called Zeik's Bad Day, but we want you to tune in tonight! And, being a movie review show, it only makes sense for the boys to review some movies. First up is the horror prequel Bereavement, which sets the stage for writer/director

The Month of Horror Day 13: Friday the 13th

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! And, on the 13th day of his movie marathon, he grabs his machete and hockey mask and wishes us all a happy Friday the 13th. Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch ha-ha-ha-ha-ha... Camp Crystal Lake is calling! The first in the Friday the 13th series is still my favourite as it does just about everything right for a slasher flick. Sex and booze? Check. The good girl "virgin"? Check. Mysterious psychotic killer? Check. Kevin Bacon getting an arrow jammed through his throat? CHECK! Funny thing about this movie is that Jason, the hockey mask wearing, machete wielding, unkillable lunatic isn't actually the villain in this instalment, instead it's his mother! **SPOILER ALERT** (wait, did I do that right? Whatever, it's 30 years old, you'll get over it). Just a really fun series to watch,

Spy Vs Spy hearts Witherspoon

Ok. Ok. Ok. There's no logical reason for me to post the preview for This Means War. It's a mainstream Hollywood movie directed by Mc (spits) G and starring Reese Witherspoon in what appears to be a rom com. I say appears because the trailer has a fair bit of PG-rated violence. But, in addition Witherspoon being gorgeous, This Means Wars stars two of my favourite actors -- Chris Pine of Star Trek fame and Tom Hardy from Bronson and Inception. And the concept of two spies who happen to be best friends fighting over the same hot blond is pretty funny. Did I mention my wife and I watched the movie being filmed in Vancouver last year? Well we did. So there's that too. Anywho, check out the trailer and I promise never to promote a Reese Witherspoon movie again.

The Month of Horror Day 12: Return of the Living Dead Part III

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! And after spending two days watching Return of the Living Dead and Return of the Living Dead Part II you'd think he'd be done with the series. Nope. "Love Never Dies", awww what an adorable tagline, sounds like a nice movie! This is the first of a couple movies this month that I have not actually seen yet so today is the maiden voyage! From what I gather part 3 is better than the last instalment so that's a bonus, not like part 2 was a major chore to sit through but I am looking forward to moving on from this particular series. What's unique about this film compared to the last two is that it appears to focus mainly on one zombie in particular, the girlfriend of the main character, and she is covered in very uncomfortable looking spikes! Could make foreplay ve

Leslie Vernon sequel inches closer to the big screen

If you haven't seen Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, then shame on you! It's one of the best horror films in recent memory. Even my wife, who generally dislikes the genre, got a kick out of it. We last talked about a sequel to Scott Glosserman's cult hit about a year ago and heard nothing more until today. Now, thanks to the fine folks over at Arrow in the Head, we can bring you an update. Glosserman and company have raised $15,000 toward the project and have had that amount matched by an unnamed investor. Glosserman's contribution comes courtesy of donations from fans, and you too can help get this movie made by heading to the film's Facebook page and purchasing some merchandise. All the proceeds go directly to the film's financing. As for the plot of Before the Mask: The Return of Leslie Vernon, it sounds like Glosserman is aiming to make a spreemake, which he describes as a mash up of a sequel, prequel and remake that will deconstruct all o

The Month of Horror Day 11: The Return of the Living Dead Part II

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! Yesterday he reviewed The Return of the Living Dead. Guess what he's reviewing today? And no looking at the title of the article either. That's cheating! That's right, you thought a nuke could keep the zombies down? HA! They're back, and instead of being an undead nuisance in a cemetery and morgue, this time they've shuffled their way into the suburbs! A massive step down from the first movie, gone is the clever writing, appropriately hammy acting, and full frontal female nudity. Instead, we have annoying child actors, poor direction and what I'm pretty sure is a Michael Jackson zombie at one point. So Matt, if you're slagging on the movie so much then why are you putting yourself through it? Why watch this piece of garbage? I'm a trooper, that's why, an

Humanity doesn't stand a chance in The Divide

I don't know anyone who loves apocalyptic movies like my bro Shawn. Hell, as Bad Man Inc., he composed a whole heavy metal album about the decline of society. Well, it looks like director Xavier Gens and writers Karl Mueller and Eron Sheean listened to dude's album prior to making The Divide, a new end-of-the-world thriller from Anchor Bay. The film  follows a group of people who lock themselves in a fallout shelter below an apartment in New York after a devastating explosion. Not only do they have to contend with each other, but there's another threat looming in.  It looks like a dozy of a tale given the trailer below. None of Anchor Bay's films ever achieve a wide release, but the quality of their productions gives me hope the final film will be as effective as the preview. The Divide stars Lauren German, Michael Biehn and Milo Ventimiglia. Check out the trailer and sound off!

The Avengers trailer!

Yeah, yeah. We're the anti-Hollywood guys. But how can we not be excited for Marvel and Paramount's adaptation of The Avengers? For one, it brings all of the comic company and studio's super hero big guns together in one film. And it's got a dream cast of Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner, just to name a few. And it's directed by geek fave Joss Whedon! Bah! Enough chit-chat. Because we can, and we should, here's the trailer for The Avengers!

The Month of Horror Day 10: The Return of the Living Dead

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! And, for today's update, Bellamy is back from the dead and ready party. You might want to send more paramedics. BRRAAAAAAIIIINSSSSS!!!! I was tempted to just leave it at that for today's capsule review as it is totally appropriate for this movie but I managed to resist... this time. This is the movie responsible for zombies being vocal about their need for human brains; sound silly? It sure is! There is no doubt about it, this is easily one of the most fun movies I have scheduled on this month of horror. Essentially, the story is a couple medical supply warehouse workers accidentally release a toxic zombie gas onto a community and the dead begin to rise, wrecking havoc on half-naked teenagers everywhere! The music score in this flick is also fantastic, I felt the urge to mention that

Stupid woman sues distributor of Drive for false advertising

And, by including the word stupid in the headline, Sarah Deming of Michigan is probably going to sue us for defamation of character. But that's OK. We could use the publicity. In what has to be one of the dumbest stories I've ever heard, Deming is suing the distributor of the critically acclaimed Nicolas Winding Refn thriller Drive and the theatre she saw it in because she claims it was sold as a Fast and Furious style action flick. It turns out Drive is nothing of the sort. In her suit, which was filed at the sixth judicial circuit court in Oakland, Michigan, Deming says the film "bore very little similarity to a chase, or race action film ... having very little driving in the motion picture." She also wants a refund for her movie ticket, a ban on "misleading movie trailers" and plans to let others get in on the action by turning it into a class-action lawsuit. Neither Shawn nor I have seen Drive. Matt Bellamy has and loved it. But we can all agree

Jason and Shawn review: ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2 and Troll Hunter

ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2 Jason: Best. Slasher. Sequel. Ever. There, I said it. This is an original piece of work, at least for the genre. Yet it gives fans what they want: more blood, more gore, and cooler kills. Yet there are ideas at work here. Hell, the main villain, ChromeSkull, has a pit crew -- a whole network of people working for him. No wonder he can pull off what he does! Even Brian Austin Green was good here. He was creepy, messed up, and a total wanna-be ChromeSkull. The little game of Who Is the Better Killer that he and the original play is F-ing cool. ChromeSkull is quickly becoming one of my favourite slasher villains, and this film lands firmly in the Good. For shizzle. Shawn: Hey, isn't that the guy from Beverly Hills 90210? Nice! This picked up right where we left off at the end of Laid to Rest. That's cool! No re-entry story. No useless movie foreplay. Just continue with the goods . . . straight to a shower scene and the T and A. Oh horror movie, you

The Month of Horror Day 9: C.H.U.D.

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! Today, Brother Bellamy tackles the 1980's cult horror flick C.H.U.D.! Which doesn't stand for Cinematic Happenings Under Development, although the creators of that website did borrow the name. This is not a good movie, it's a great movie! No, just kidding, it's actually pretty terrible but therein lies the charm, it's one of those hilariously bad, cheesy horror movies from the 80's that are a dime a dozen. What exactly does C.H.U.D. stand for anyway? Here goes: Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers! The basic premise is that there are mutants living in the sewers under New York City and they've had enough, they want to come up to the streets because living in a sewer kind of sucks and killing humans is far more fulfilling! Who is going to stop the C.H.U.D.'

The Month of Horror Day 8: The Descent

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way!And today Bellamy heads into the bowels of the earth to bring your the claustrophobic fear of The Descent! If you are claustrophobic then this movie could mentally and possibly physically destroy you. Director Neil Marshall had gained some horror cred prior to this movie with the fantastic cult hit 'Dog Soldiers' and as good as that was I don't think anyone had any idea he had this in him; 'The Descent' is SCARY. The story follows a group of adventerous 20-something women who decide it would be fun to get in a day of cave exploration and spelunking, only problem is that this cave is somewhat unstable and happens to contain a band of bloodthirsty creatures with a taste for blood! This is one gruesome horror flick and easily one of the best to come along in the last ten years.

The Month of Horror Day 7: Evil Dead 2

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! And how does he follow up his thoughts on The Evil Dead? Why, by reviewing Evil Dead 2 of course. Duh!   First horror sequel of the month, and what a sequel it is! Now, whether it's more of a remake of the first movie as opposed to an actual sequel has been debated, I think it's a little from column A and a little from column B. Bruce Campbell stars front and centre this go around and it was definitely this movie that made people notice him, it's not so much a great horror performance as it is a perfect slapstick performance that The Three Stooges would have been proud of! So it's a comedy? Kind of. It's a horror? In a way. It's a brilliant hybrid of the two genres is what it really is and the stylish, madcap direction by Sam Raimi is something to behold, 'Evil Dead II&#

Season Two, Episode I: ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2 and Troll Hunter

We are Jason and Shawn and we are back in The Basement! It was a good summer, one spent with family and outdoors fishing, mountain biking, kayaking and camping. But school's back in, the weather's turned to glorious crap and it's time to watch some movies! And that's what Shawn and I will be doing for the next 22 Fridays, come hell or high water! First up is a slasher sequel for the ages. Laid to Rest has some of the most incredible -- and gory -- kills ever put on film. And it was a decent movie too. That means ChromeSkull has some tough shoes to fill as he takes his big, bloody knife and turns it on a new crop of victims. But is this just a rehash of the first movie, or do horror fans get something new this time around? Something original? Stick with us! And you don't want to miss a minute of our thoughts on Troll Hunter, a Norwegian film we first talked about on our Series Premiere last year! It's got subtitles, is another entry in the found-footage gen