Welcome to The Fang. This is the official blog for The Goth List, the place to hear the "stream of consciousness." This is also the place to get updates across our entire network of sites.

A few updated reviews have been posted, including Jean Rollin's bizarre zombie epic, The Grapes of Death, gore sleeper Unhinged and Hammer horror classic Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell. More to come.....

Watching: Return of the Blind Dead (aka Return of the Evil Dead, 1973)

11/6/07, 10:10pm

Here we are - it's Halloween! I'd like to wish everyone here a Happy Halloween. I'll be watching movies solid over the next 24 hours or so, and I hope you'll join me! I'll be back with more updates in the days to come.....

Watching: Deep Red (1975)

10/30/07, 9:45pm

I recently saw the remake of Halloween. Just as I predicted, I found myself checking the time every five minutes, hoping it would be over soon. Spoilers ahead (do not read on if you really think that you would surprised by this movie)......

The movie was a stylized rendition of what appears to have been an attempt to outdo the original in every way possible. The remake had volumes of gore that the original never had nor needed (to be a success), more superfluous obscenity and dialogue that the original never had nor needed (to be a success) and no insight to the characters. The only character that was explored in any way was Michael Myers. Even that, however, was unnecessary - because we do not need to see exactly how Myers became the way he did. He is supposed to be the embodiment of evil who happened to come from a normal family in a quaint midwestern town, not some poor soul who was a victim of the dysfunctional and cruel people around him (and more-or-less became some oddball public avenger). Sorry for the rant, but all that changes the mood of the film. Between then and now, I watched the original. That's all we ever needed. The remake doesn't even stack up against any of the sequels.

Anyway, many of you people are anxiously awaiting next Wednesday, or for some of you who don't check calendars, Halloween. Some people will be trick-or-treating with family members, handing out candy or going to parties. For those of you who, like myself, do not go out on Halloween and sit home watching horror movies annually (or in my case, daily), you may be wondering what the "perfect" movie is for Halloween night.

What makes a movie "perfect" for Halloween viewing? Some feel that it may be atmosphere, setting and cheeziness that make for the movie that just fits on a cold October night. Here's a list of movies and the reasons they work.....

Web of the Spider - Klaus Kinski stars as Edgar Allen Poe, who gets an American reporter to come to England and spend a night in a haunted castle on a bet. Lots of dark corridors lit by torches, spider webs.....great for the cold Autumn night. The same goes for Fangs of the Living Dead, a vampire tale. If you like vampire tales that involve werewolves (and take place in and around an ancient European castle), check out The Werewolf Vs. The Vampire Women (aka The Werewolf's Shadow, 1971). An Elisabeth Bathory-like character has risen from the grave to feed on the blood of the living - however, Paul Naschy, the career werewolf, tries to put a stop to it. Beware of the moon.

Nightmare Castle (1965) is another period piece that takes place in a dark castle. This time, it's Barbara Steele and B&W cinematography that make the movie.....much like Horror Hotel (1960), starring Christopher Lee. "Burn, witch, burn, witch, burn!"

Castle of the Walking Dead (aka The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism) - The notoriously evil Count Regula was sentenced and quartered for the sacrificial murder of 12 maidens. Decades later, he has been resurrected by his zombie-like servant in order to claim his 13th victim and complete an ancient religious rite that will give him everlasting life. Christopher Lee's screen presence and a series of haunting images and setpieces help make this film drip with atmosphere.

City of the Living Dead (aka The Gates of Hell) - This film, directed by Italian gore maestro Lucio Fulci, is set in the fictional New England town of Dunwich. A priest has hanged himself, opening the gates of Hell. The dead begin to rise, and loads of weird and bloody things begin to happen. Zombies are thrown in for good measure. Lots of heavy fog and cemetery scenery are abound. While you're at it, check out Fulci's other zombie epics The Beyond (1981) and Zombie (aka Zombi 2, 1979).

For those of you who like their horror movies in buffet form, there's Terror in the Aisles. It's a compilation of some of the most popular horror films of all time. It's hosted by Donald Pleasance and Nancy Allen. If you like your all-you-can-eat buffets to be on-the-cheap, then try Terror on Tape, where ghoulish video store owner screens some of the goriest scenes from 20 films released by Continental Home Video (a company from the 80s that specialized in releasing horror videos with those oversized VHS display boxes). It's shot on video and contains what is probably the most overused fog machine effect in a movie.

L8r.

Watching: Prom Night (1982)

10/25/07, 9:10pm