Monster Mania Day 11: American Horror Story Season 3: Coven

Written by Stu Cooper

The past two seasons of "American Horror Story" have made for some incredible horror television. The series brought a much needed horror feel to mainstream TV. Without anthology series, we are left with stuff like True Blood, which is fine but really lacks the balls and creepiness that horror fans deserve. Shows like that and the other vampire shows (even Hemlock Grove) seem to focus more on the actors and how sexy they are, rather than forming any type of actual scary storytelling. "American Horror Story" has knocked it out of the park the past 2 seasons. It's been established at this point that each season tells a dramatically different story that has nothing to do with the prior season. The catch is, they use the same actors, but put them in different roles. I do wish there was at least one re-occuring character to tie the universe together, but that's my only gripe. Jessica Lange seems to be the center piece for most of the storytelling, but I think that's because of how good of an actress she is, and her ability to play a crazy woman. Season 2 was a bit convoluted and had too many stories going on at once, but it appears the show has learned it's lesson. The writers said that this season will be a bit more laxed, and has a bit more humor to it. I think them saying that is an attempt to redeem themselves for taking on too many stories at once last time. With that said, let's get into the detail of this season.

This season of the show follows a young girl (played by Taissa Farmiga) who discovers that everytime she has sex with a guy, the guy's head basically explodes. Yep, you read that right. It's like watching what would happen if Rogue decided to just bang Ice-man without preparation. It doesn't end pretty. After she is mortified by this experience, she discovers it's actually part of her powers. She is a witch. The girl is soon enrolled into an academy that looks like an all girls boarding school, but in reality is actually a school for witches. When she arrives to the school we are introduced to the main teacher played by last season's star Sarah Paulson. She is apparently the leader of the "good witches". She is supposed to instruct and overlook the other witches and make sure they aren't misusing their abilities, but are still embracing witch culture. We are then introduced to a couple of the other witches. The two new actors this season are Emma Roberts, who plays a bitchy Mean Girls type witch named Madison Montgomery, and the comedic Gabourey Sidibe who plays...a goofy black woman, not much else to her character. I really don't like that they brought a mainstream comedic actor into the main cast, but her role seems to be minimal, so i'm ok with that. The school is kind of like a group of misfit girls, trying to learn to cope with their abilities and life as witches. Jessica Lange is actually the mother of Sarah Paulson in the series, and is a good example of a "bad witch". She actually has powers like The Vulture from Spider-man. She is obsessed with maintaining her appearance, and as a result she literally sucks the life out of younger people. Some pretty cool powers being displayed in the first episode. The level of power these women have surpasses anything we've seen in the previous seasons. We are also introduced to Kathy Bates who i'm guessing is the main villain for the season. She is a old ratty witch who thinks by sacrificing slaves (this is a flashback) she can maintain her looks and power. She tortures and brutally abuses several slaves. That was actually the most brutal part of the episode. She is truly a nasty character and i'm looking forward to seeing what happens there.

Overall they introduced A LOT of characters in the first episode, but the story is pretty easy to keep up with so far. The pacing is a bit cooled down and that is something they definitely needed to work on after last season. Jessica Lange shines as usual, as well as Taissa Farmiga and Emma Roberts. Those three characters were especially intriguing and I'm excited to see where their path takes them. I would definitely recommend this season of the show if you are into horror and if you enjoyed the past seasons. It's also nice to have a serious horror story on television as opposed to the live action Tiger Beat Magazine that is "True Blood". It's great for the halloween mood and with a new episode on every week throughout the month, there is no reason to skip this one!

Monster Mania Day 10: Tales From The Crypt Quick Picks

Written by Stu Cooper

My favorite type of television is anthology based TV. It is actually a dying artform at the moment now that episodic story arc television is popular. But back when I was younger we had shows like The Twilight Zone, Tales from The Darkside, Are you Afraid of the Dark?, and of course the king of anthology shows...Tales From The Crypt! When I was young my family actually had HBO for most of the 90's and I was fortunate enough to see some of the episodes very early on, before they started airing on FOX. Of course I probably shouldn't have been watching it given the mature content (the sex, violence, etc). But that certainly didn't stop me. The host of the show is originally what attracted me to it. The Cryptkeeper is about as memorable as it gets with his cackling laugh and stupid jokes. He also often gets into a funny situation in each episode, or in some cases interacts with celebrities. The character ended up evolving into a symbol of horror in the 90's. It is hard for me to narrow down my favorite episodes because I'm sure there are ones I've forgotten, so I'm going to post a few of the ones I remember the most. The DVD's are pretty cheap so I would recommend picking up the whole series. I keep hoping and praying that HBO will revive the series one day. It's still a great format for a show and there is already a huge audience for it. The cartoon and comics are pretty great as well if you get the chance to check them out.

Monster Mania Day 9: Death Proof

Written by Stu Cooper

In 2007 the theatrical world was treated to a rare Grindhouse presentation. The two-part film extravaganza was created by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, two cult film juggernauts. I'm a huge fan of both guys, so I was there opening weekend. “Grindhouse” was made up of “Planet Terror” and “Death Proof”. “Planet Terror” done by Rodriguez and “Death Proof” by Tarantino. There was also some grindhouse trailers in between each film that ended up actually being as entertaining as the films themselves. The point of the films was to imitate the Grindhouse film trend of the 70's with low budget, cheesy, brutal, and classic film making. I wanted to discuss my favorite of the two films, “Death Proof”. The film starred Kurt Russell, Rose McGowan, Rosario Dawson, Jordan Ladd, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead among many other female stars. The premise revolves around a creepy stuntman who frequents a bar, praying on unsuspecting women and ultimately planning their untimely demise. Unlike other horror films, his weapon is not a knife,chainsaw, or machete...it's his car.

Russell brings everything to the table in this one. He plays a man simply named Stuntman Mike. Stuntman Mike apparently has a lot of experience doing stunt driving on obscure TV shows, tho it's never proven at any point in the film if he is an actual stuntman or if this is just some persona he has made up for himself, but regardless it works. Russell comes off so charismatic, I found myself totally rooting for his character the entire time. At a few points he even channels John Wayne. He encounters tons of different women and this makes for some great scenes. There is some intense brutality mixed with “Vanishing Point” style chase scenes. It's like a slasher and a 70's car chase movie combined into one film. I can't say too much else without spoiling what makes this film so entertaining, but I will say that Stuntman Mike is one of my favorite villains of all-time because of how good the performance is.

Overall if you're looking for an adrenaline filled creepy unique film that will take you back to the exploitation days of the 70's, then look no further. I can't express enough how much bad-ass attitude Kurt Russell brings to the role. It's no shocker since Russell has films like The Thing, Escape From New York, Big Trouble in Little China, and Tango & Cash under his belt. The soundtrack is also top notch and the music ques during the chase scenes are spot on. The only complaint would be a long dialogue sequence that was included in the unrated version of the film, in which Stuntman Mike ease drops on an extremely long and pointless conversation between 3 of the female main characters. I know Tarantino likes his dialogue, but he was really testing my patience with that scene. Other than that, and the fact that the more charismatic female actresses are at the beginning of the film, the film is a home-run. By far the best of the two Grindhouse films.

Monster Mania Day 8: Would You Rather?

Written by Stu Cooper

Earlier this year I watched a horror film that really stuck with me. I was able to DVR it last week and re-watch it, and I liked it even more the second time. The film is called “Would You Rather” which is a play on the old childhood game where you are given two options, both of which are usually unpleasant, and you have to pick the lesser of two evils. The premise of the movie revolves around this, except in a more adult format. The film follows a young girl named Iris (Brittany Snow) as she desperately tries to save money for her ill younger brother. She is the only person left in her brother's life and is working her ass off trying to pay for all his medical expenses, but it's not enough. She then meets a man by the name of Shepard Lambrick (Jeffrey Combs) who is filthy rich and has invented his own dinner party game, which results in the winner getting whatever they want. Iris reluctantly accepts his invitation to the party. It's not until Iris sits down for dinner at the party, that she realizes she is part of a truly twisted game. As it turns out, the dinner party is actually a game of “Would You Rather” in which Iris and the other members of the party must choose between various torture exercises, and whether or not to inflict that torture on themselves...or someone else. I'm not a big fan of films like SAW with a lot of torture, but this film had a pretty clever story and TONS of great underrated actors, so I didn't find myself too overwhelmed with the violence that unfolds.

The cast is where this film truly shines. Not only do you have horror and sci-fi master Jeffrey Combs in a main role, but you have the beautiful Brittany Snow, Ricky from the Trailer Park Boys (this really excited me since that is one of my favorite shows), Enver Gjokaj (From Joss Whedon's Dollhouse), Eddie Steeples (Crabman from My Name is Earl), and to top it off Sasha Grey (From...porn). The cast is a whose who of random interesting people, so it makes for a great dinner party. The film is truly morbid but it does have a purpose and does have something that everyone can identify with. What would you do to fulfill your dreams? What would you do to save the lives of those you love? You get to watch as these people figure that out for themselves, in the most brutal way possible. I definitely recommend this film, but it's not for those with a weak stomach. It's available on Amazon, DVD, and I caught it showing on Cinemax so you may be able to DVR it. Don't miss this one!

Monster Mania Day 7: Horror Remix

Written by Stu Cooper

Ever since moving to Texas 3 years ago, I have had a love affair with the Alamo Drafthouse theaters. I have seen so many amazing classic films there, and had a lot of fun times. They always go the extra mile to bring a unique experience to the table, and it's always fun. It makes you forget about the 12 dollar cheeseburger you have on your bill. One showing I recently attended was for a program called "Horror Remix" which is basically a 90-120 minute mash-up of various horror films and bits of pop culture. Apparently each installment has a common theme, but this past showing was the first time I had ever seen one. It was set up like a TV variety show hosted by two puppets. The puppets would intro the film and clips while making jokes. The jokes were hit or miss but the content was unquestionably hilarious and top notch. They showed an abridged version of "Don't Go to Sleep" a 1982 made for tv horror film. It was absolutely dreadful but hilarious, so a great choice in my book. Then the second half of the show was various absurd clips from different films. I actually was hoping to track down a list of the films used so I could sit and watch them in all their glory. But they are obscure films to say the least. One part featured was a short film starring a staple in cheesy film...Emilio Estevez! The short was called "The Bishop of Battle" and was about an arcade gamer with a serious psychotic addiction to a really goofy game. He vows to get to the final level and risks everything to do it. Literally everything. It's a great watch, I'll be sure to put it below.

Did I mention the show was free to attend? It was a great way to spend a night and I found myself laughing hysterically for the majority of the event. I can't wait to catch another installment and I hope it's soon. The clips they found were very random, almost like Tim and Eric mixed with 80's MTV, but they were things I've never seen before. I found myself shocked and in awe at some of the moments in the show. That's a great feeling to have, especially when watching horror films. If you have a chance to see a Horror Remix show, do it!

Find them on:

Horror Remix Facebook

Horror Remix Official Site

Youtube Gem: The Real Ghostbusters Halloween

Written by Stu Cooper

I was surfing through Youtube watching old Halloween specials and I stumbled upon some full episodes of "The Real Ghostbusters". This was one of my favorite cartoons growing up. It's quite a bit different than the films but made for a great cartoon. The only thing missing is some HiC Ecto Cooler! So sit back and enjoy some classic Halloween Ghostbusting action!

Monster Mania Day 6: The Roseanne Halloween Special

Written by Stu Cooper

One of my favorite traditions is channel surfing in October, looking for the newest Halloween Specials. Growing up I remember the cartoon ones like Garfield and The Real Ghostbusters, and I also remember the sitcoms doing Halloween episodes. I actually wanted to do an article on the Power Rangers Halloween special but I had issues tracking down the video on youtube. So I thought about other specials that stood out in my memory and one show came to mind...ROSEANNE. One of the greatest sitcoms in history. I grew up a product of the 80's and 90's and as a result I was fortunate enough to see a golden era in Sitcoms...Roseanne, Home Improvement, Full House, Family Matters, Perfect Strangers, all the cheesy classics. ROSEANNE however stood out because the main character was not a perfect parent, was rude, arrogant, foul mouthed, and middle class. It was a character that a lot of people resonated with. Not only was the Roseanne character hilarious but her husband Dan Connor (played by John Goodman) was one of the most lovable characters in Television at the time. Dan and Roseanne had a hilarious that consisted of busting each other's balls and making light of the other's life. This made for some great television. The Halloween Episodes were no exception. ROSEANNE often went out of it's way to make a memorable Halloween episode. Usually the characters would be in costume, playing pranks on each other, or engaging in some serious Halloween spirit. Watching these specials was sure to put you in the mood for Halloween. I really enjoyed going back and looking at all of these.