Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Tales From the Batcave! 

Twinning!

It's common knowledge that I'm a pretty big fan of all things Twisted Twins. I've been in love with their work since Dead Hooker in a Trunk. I love the twins not only for their work though, but how gracious they are to their fans, and how well they treat us. I absolutely could  not believe it when they stopped by here upon my first mentioning Dead Hooker, which I knew absolutely nothing about, save for I thought the title was badass and I was dying to see it based on that alone. Not only did they comment on the post, but they offered to send me a copy of the film, which was making the rounds at festivals back then. I never get screeners, so not only was I stoked that I got offered one, but I was pretty excited that the director(s) had stopped by here and seen my post.

Since then, I've done as much as possible to promote, write about, share, etc. any and everything Soska. The twins have always been good to me, and for celebrities to not only acknowledge a bottom of the barrel little horror blog like this, but to even go so far as to give a shout out or two for the site, friend me on facebook and actually interact, well, it's just awesome to me.

Fast forward to when American Mary finally hit dvd and bluray, the Soska's offered to sign and return for free any fan interested in sending them the insert from their copy. I of course jumped at the chance, as I've sadly not had a chance to meet them in person yet. It's also worth mentioning that they did this at the same time they were working on their next flick, but more on that later. So yesterday when I got home from work, I found waiting for me in my mailbox a large envelope, with not only my returned American Mary insert, but the following...

To say the least, this made my day. Their insistence that Deadpool could kick Batman's ass notwithstanding, this was an absolutely amazing early Halloween treat. Even if I wasn't a fan for life based on their films alone, I'd love them forever just based on how awesome they are to fans. Can't say enough about how much I appreciate this, and love them all. 

Above I mentioned the twins are already hard at work on their next movie, a sequel to the 2006 slasher See No Evil, which you may remember starred WWE superstar Kane as the villain. Well, Kane is back for another round, this time with some pretty serious horror cred in not only the Soska's but Katharine Isabelle and Danielle Harris as well. Whether the first was your cup of tea or not, trust me, this sequel is going to be amazing. Be sure and like the See No Evil 2 facebook page, and follow the film on twitter if you're a tweeter.

As for the Twisted Twins, make sure you like their official facebook page if you haven't already, and join the Twisted Twins Army on twitter. As you can see, nobody is better to their fans. 

Hugest possible thanks for all the love ladies, it means a lot to me. 

2013 Jack O Lantern

Went super easy this year, not out of laziness but because I saw this online and decided I wanted to do it, because it looked so groovy. I think it turned out pretty badass, even if it did only take a few minutes. We also decided to just do one this year, instead of the usual three. Here's the Batcave's Army of Darkness jack o lantern, enjoy!

Win The Conjuring on Bluray!

I know what you're thinking, does this guy's generosity know no bounds?! It indeed does not, friends. Yet another awesome giveaway here at the Batcave! This time, win yourself a brand spanking new copy of one of this year's scariest flicks on bluray, The Conjuring.

My contests are normally pretty simple, but this time I'm gonna throw ya a little curve ball. If you follow me on twitter, you may remember that I joked that in The Conjuring, you'll cringe and shiver in terror as you watch ghosts desperately attempt to operate The Clapper, to no avail. See, the ghost hands clap twice in the trailer, and The Clapper was operated by clapping...nevermind. To win this contest, leave me an email address along with another television infomercial item past or present that it would be hilarious to watch an apparition futilely attempt to operate!

This contest will run until midnight on November 5th, at which time my lovely assistant will be drawing a name at random. The winner will be notified via EMAIL, so make sure you provide one with your entry. Good luck all!

The Conjuring 5 Things to know… INTERACTIVE GIFS! 

 1) The Conjuring is directed by the acclaimed James Wan, the Australian-born director of the fright-fests Insidious and the Saw series. His Twitter handle is @CreepyPuppet. Say no more.

   

 2) The Conjuring has been given an “R” rating by the MPAA. Not because of blood, gore, or violence, but simply because it’s just so scary from start to finish! 

 3) The Conjuring’s cast and crew experienced creepy events during filming. Scratches appeared out of nowhere on Vera Farmiga’s computer soon after she agreed to act in the movie, the crew were routinely woken by something in the “witching hour” between 3 and 4AM, and the real-life Carolyn Perron fell and broke her hip while visiting the  set.

  

 4) The Rhode Island farmhouse where The Conjuring is set once belonged to an accused witch, Bathsheba, who tried to sacrifice her children to the devil and killed herself in 1863. 

 5) Hold your applause! The Conjuring will make you terrified to clap! Whether it’s playing a traditional game of hide-and-seek by following the clapping sounds like the mother and daughter in the movie, or being terrorized by ghostly claps in different rooms of the haunted farmhouse, these claps throughout the movie will give you the creeps!

 

First Look at BB

For long time readers, CJ Wallis should need no introduction. He's the brilliantly talented mind behind Forty FPS Productions, the production company behind some of the most original film and music videos currently on the web. CJ is also an accomplished musician and actor. In short, if you're a fan of the kind of stuff that I write about here in the Batcave, chances are you've seen and been highly impressed by some of his work. He actually got in contact with me a couple years ago, after a blog post here spotlighting an upcoming album, and we have remained in contact since. He's currently preparing to begin work on a brand new horror/thriller titled BB, which he's writing/directing, and I've got an early look at it.

BB is the provocative story of a girl named Leah who, under the name "Candy Cummings", performs strip shows online from her apartment for thousands of strangers every day, never fully knowing the extent of evils that could be watching on the other side of the screen.

BB is set to begin filming in late November from filmmaker CJ Wallis (@fortyfps) , assuming all roles on the film's production & execution and introduces Jennifer Mae (@purplestar420) in the lead role of Candy. Two of Wallis' previous collaborators, Troy DeLottinville and Karen Kruper, have also been attached for small roles.

The film will be set to screen in festivals in early 2014.

I'll of course be following along with the film as it gets closer to release, and will continue to talk about it here. You can also check out the official Forty FPS website for updates on BB, as well as a look at all of Wallis' previous work. Also be sure and like Forty FPS on Facebook, and subscribe on Youtube. 

13/13/13 Review

There's only a handful of directors who both impress and improve with each film for me. James Cullen Bressack is one of these. My first introduction to his work was the home invasion movie, Hate Crime, which blew me away. That movie has a mean streak a mile long. Next up, I got a chance to see a screener of his follow-up, To Jennifer, which was not only a good movie, but was even more impressive given that Bressack shot it entirely on an iPhone. Suffice it to say, after these two films, I am officially excited for any and everything coming down the line from this guy. Last Wednesday, I got a chance to see his latest film, 13/13/13 on VOD, and once again, I came away impressed.

13/13/13 centers around Jack, a man in the middle of a divorce, who is returning back to civilization with a group of friends after a camping trip. They stop by his soon to be ex-wife's house to pick up his daughter, and find that things are just a little bit off. He finds his wife attempting to remove the skin from her forearm in the kitchen sink, mumbling over and over again. He rushes her to the hospital, only to find even more strange behavior from it's inhabitants. Things begin to escalate, eventually turning into a full blown murderous riot, and only Jack and one other survivor, a woman named Candace, seem to be immune to the insanity. Together, the two of them attempt to escape the hospital, and make it back to his daughter, hoping that she too hasn't succumbed to the madness.

Chaos, plain and simple. That's what 13/13/13 is. Think The Crazies meets the comic book series Crossed, and you're on the right track. Things start off normal enough, but once the shit hits the fan, there is carnage all the way to the end. Too many times these kinds of movies purposely don't give any answers as to why things have gone to Hell, but thankfully that isn't the case with 13. I'm not going to spoil it like every single other review I've read, so if you want to know everything going into it, check out the user reviews at amazon.

Performance wise, I think is where 13/13/13 falls a little shorter than Bressack's previous efforts. The movie is much larger in scope than, say, To Jennifer, but I feel like it was a better acted film. That's not to say that the actors in 13 don't do an adequate job though. Erin Coker turned in my favorite performance as Candace, and Jody Barton, who also appeared in To Jennifer and Hate Crime, was once again impressive. One other interesting tidbit about the cast was Calico Cooper, as Jack's wife Marcy, who is actually the daughter of Alice Cooper. Yes, THAT Alice Cooper. Unfortunately she didn't have a big part, I would've liked to see more of her.

13/13/13 is yet another enjoyable flick on the resume of writer/director James Cullen Bressack. It's intensely violent at times, has lots of the red stuff for the gorehounds among us (including some EYE stuff!), and even has a laugh or two thrown in for good measure. I'm the kind of person who doesn't ask a lot from indie horror films, so anytime a 13/13/13 comes along, it's a pleasant surprise. It's entertaining from start to finish, and that's something that a lot of films with much bigger budgets can't say these days. Sadly, plenty of people will see Asylum on this one, and immediately dismiss it, which is a shame. Bressack fans will definitely have a blast, and there's some fun to be had here for fans of flicks like the aforementioned The Crazies, and 28 Days Later as long as you have realistic expectations going in. Recommended!

Fans of AMC's Comic Book Men may remember during the show's second season that there was an episode centered around the gang at the Secret Stash pitching their very own comic book to Dynamite Entertainment. Of course, the show was edited and played up as this big dramatic thing, with the meeting with the powers that be at Dynamite, and attempted to have viewers believe that there was some chance that they would say no. Those of us who are "in the know" could easily see through the charade, being that their boss, Kevin Smith, was currently writing for Dynamite. The show also wanted us to believe that the book was the crew's first attempt at making their own comic book, and thus their "dreams were coming true", which was also a dramatic bunch of bullshit. Bryan and Walt have both worked in comics before, with two mini-series from IDW, Karney and War of the Undead respectively, and Bryan even went on to pencil two Batman mini-series written by Kevin Smith. Still, I guess it makes for good television, so I digress.

Last week, the very first issue of their Dynamite series, Cryptozoic Man arrived, and of course I was all signed up in advance to make sure I got it. Not because I'm a fanboy of the show, which I am, but no, I got it because I loved Karney and War of the Undead. Admittedly, it's hard to judge from a single issue, but Cryptozoic Man feels a little flat when compared to those two. The story centers around a man named Alan Ostman, who after suffering a great tragedy, was transformed by aliens into an amalgamation of cryptids from around the world. This first issue shows a battle between Crypto and the Pig Man, with a bit of origin thrown in via somewhat confusing flashbacks. I don't expect to be give the whole story in the first issue though, so while admittedly not having much of a clue as to what was going on, I dug it enough to keep going. If nothing else, I dig Walt's art and will buy it for that alone.

Cryptozoic Man may surprise fans of the light hearted television show Comic Book Men, as there's a bit of adult content, including some pretty nasty looking monsters, it's definitely not a book for kids. Only one issue out so far, so if it sounds like something you'd dig, or you're just a big fan of all things Comic Book Men, be sure and track down a copy and get signed up for the rest of the series. Don't know where it's going, but I know it's going to be one hell of a strange ride.

What Halloween Means to Me

I was asked by the Son of Celluloid himself to contribute to this annual "What Halloween Means to Me" blog event, wherein contributors from all corners of the horror scene talk a little bit about why Halloween is so important to him or her. If why I love Halloween sounds like something you'd like to read, you can do that right here.

Win Pacific Rim on Bluray!

Pacific Rim was one of the best theater experiences I had this year, hands down. I freakin loved watching the big robots battle the giant monsters, destroying everything in their path. Check out my review here. See, FUN! Here's your chance to win your own copy on bluray. All you have to do is leave me a comment below, with your name, address, and just for fun, the name of your favorite big robot and/or monster.

Entries must be in by October 28th, so don't delay. Winner will be picked at random. Good luck!





"Each household is only eligible to win 1 Pacific Rim Blu-Ray via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification."