Category: Horror

Craig’s Best of 2020: Novels, Movies and Blog Posts

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End of the Year lists are fun and so I decided to compile a few of my own. I hope you enjoy them.

Movies

In 2020, I watched 453 movies. Most were streamed. I usually see a little over 200 movies per year so retirement and the pandemic helped increase my viewing. My favorite films released in 2020 included:

  • Arkansas: An under-rated, quirky crime drama.
  • Dracula: Technically a 3 part mini-series, but the first two episodes were near perfect and the third didn’t ruin the experience (but did fall off quite a bit).
  • Extraction: A surprisingly well done action film that had heart.
  • Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom: My favorite film of the year – the screenplay, acting and direction were top shelf. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom deserves a boatload of Oscars.

Who’d have thought that two of my favorite films would star the Hemsworth brothers?

Books

In 2020, I read 34 books. I usually read about 20 – 24 per year so retirement and the pandemic also worked to increase my novel consumption. My favorites from this year included:

My Most Popular Posts of the Year

I always find some surprises in the most popular posts from the year. Here are the top ten for 2020 and some thoughts for each…

10. David Fincher’s “Mank” – The Poster and Trailer are Here! Fincher is always a fan favorite, and Mank’s poster and trailer were no exception.

09. Facts About Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”. The popularity of this post surprises me since it deals with a short story, but horror is always a favorite subject with many of our readers.

08. Peter Stults’ “28 Days Later” Starring Richard Burton. I love that this remains a top post. Stults’ alternative movie posters are a blast. He chooses great stars to recast in cool movies.

07. Jack Benny in “Casablanca”. This one makes me smile. I love that it made the top ten.

06. Sly Stallone Starring in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” Video! Sly Stallone makes the list!

05. TOP 10 MOST ICONIC HORROR MOVIE VILLAINS! I told you horror posts are popular.

04. Dracula Through the Ages. I wasn’t kidding. Horror posts are popular.

03. Jackie Daytona Commercial for “Lucky Brews Bar and Grill”! The popularity of this post surprised me. Sure, it has the horror connection, but mixed in is a great amount of humor. Add to that it is for an under-rated horror/comedy (that I hope you are watching) and we get our third most popular post of the year!

02. Louis Meyers: Evidence He Was the Zodiac Killer. Any post about the Zodiac Killer always get a lot of views. This one has even racked up the most comments. 

01. Schwarzenegger in “King Lear” & Robin Williams in “Jack and the Beanstalk”. This posts gets more hits than any other post on the site. It’s not horror, it’s not about a real life killer or Sly Stallone, but it is our #1 post again this year.

My All-Time Most Popular Posts

I thought it might be fun to close out with a look at our all-time most popular posts. Did any or most of 2020’s greatest hits make the all-time list? Let’s see…

10. The Life and Times of Deputy U.S. Marshall Bass Reeves. I’m glad that this post remains popular. Our post about Marshall Bass Reeves (a true life hero) went up years before a comic series and movie about him were made. Don’t you love it when we’re ahead of the curve?

09. Gadot & The Rock Strike a Pose. Of course two of the most popular movie stars in the world together in a candid would make our most popular list.

08. TOP 10 MOST ICONIC HORROR MOVIE VILLAINS! Our #5 most popular post for 2020 is our all-time #8 most popular post… and of course it’s horror.

07. Real Clown Or Horror-Movie Clown? This is creepy. Normally I don’t have a problem with clowns, but some of those real clowns were downright scary.

06. Joel Osteen in Jacksonville This has been popular one since it first appeared.

05. Steve Reeves as Superman Of course Steve Reeves never got the chance to play the Man of Steel, but if he had, he would have made a good one.

04. New Billy the Kid Photo Discovered This posts hits on crime and history with the chance of a new discovery. That’s a great combination of topics and popular with a lot of folks.

03. Zodiac Killer Code Cracked? Again we have crime, history, a new discovery and I would even argue horror to make for a popular post.

02. Louis Meyers: Evidence He Was the Zodiac Killer This was not only our #2 all-time favorite, but also the #2 favorite for 2020. And it generated quite a few comments and e-mails.

01. Schwarzenegger in “King Lear” & Robin Williams in “Jack and the Beanstalk”.01. Schwarzenegger in “King Lear” & Robin Williams in “Jack and the Beanstalk”. The #1 post for 2020 is also our #1 all-time favorite. 

It’s always interesting to see which topics resonate with fans and continue to be popular longer after the initial post.  I wonder how many of our all-time favorites will make the list in 2021?  Time will tell… and so will I…. next year!  

“Westworld” (1973) Modern Day Trailer!

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I saw Westworld when it was first released.  I was almost 15 and thought the movie was awesome.  Living an hour from Disney World made the idea of a futuristic amusement park for adults seem reasonable.  I thought it was a surprising plot twist that they guy that appeared to be the sidekick (Benjamin) to the hero (Brolin) turns out to be the movie’s star.  Well, sort of.  Top billing, of course, went to Yul Brenner, who played a terminator years before Arnold.

I bring this up today because HBO Max just released a modern day (recut) trailer for Westworld.  Makes me think it’s time for another viewing.  Maybe I’ll do a Westworld and Capricorn One double feature.

A high-tech amusement park for adults features three recreated historical environments – Medieval World, Roman World and Western World – populated by highly realistic androids programmed to indulge the whims of every high-paying guest. The main attraction of Westworld is the Gunslinger – a robot programmed to start duels but who can always be killed by humans packing special guns. John and Peter, two buddies on vacation, wake up in a Westworld bordello after a night of brawls and booze, not yet knowing that a system-wide failure has infected the androids and placed them in mortal danger. Stream the 1973 film, Westworld, on HBO Max today.

“Night Stalker: The Hunt for A Serial Killer” – The Trailer is Here!

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The trailer for Night Stalker: The Hunt for A Serial Killer looks good.  I’ll definitely watch this one.

LOCK YOUR DOORS. Night Stalker: The Hunt for A Serial Killer is coming to Netflix January 13. Witness the story of one of the most vicious serial killers in American history, a real-life boogeyman that brought California to a standstill.

“Blade” Trivia

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Rob Hunter at Film School Rejects presents 32 Things We Learned from the ‘Blade‘ Commentary.  As always, before you click over, here are my three favorites and thoughts on each…

“I’ve found that American action films rely more on spectacle,” says Snipes, “but action films from other countries don’t do it that way.” He adds that international action is often embedded into “the emotional state and intent of the character.” (Snipes is right.  Too many of our movies these days rely on big special effects.  I prefer a movie that focuses on, as Snipes said, “the emotional state and intent of the character.” – Craig)

A deleted conversation from the script explained how Blade’s sword originally belonged to Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) who himself was part of a long line of vampire hunters. (It was smart to drop that.  The “long line of vampire hunters” bit is just too cliche. – Craig)

Norrington wanted Kristofferson for the role as he was “the cool grandfather, grungy type of fighting, jolly type of a guy.” Goyer actually wrote the character, though, with Samuel Fuller in mind.  (I’m not a big fan of Blade but loved Blade II.  With that said, Kristofferson was a great addition to the movie and one of the things I liked best about it. – Craig)

“Shadow in the Cloud” – Better Poster & Full Trailer!

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Ok, this is more like it.  Here’s a new poster and the full trailer for Shadow in the Cloud starring Chloe Grace Moretz.  I like this poster and the trailer is much better than the previous.  I now am sure I’d like to see this movie.  It’s going to be pure drive-in fun.

In the throes of World War II, Captain Maude Garrett (CHLOË GRACE MORETZ) joins the all-male crew of a B-17 bomber with a top-secret package. Caught off guard by the presence of a woman on a military flight, the crew tests Maude’s every move. Just as her quick wit is winning them over, strange happenings and holes in her backstory incite paranoia surrounding her true mission. But this crew has more to fear…lurking in the shadows, something sinister is tearing at the heart of the plane. Trapped between an oncoming air ambush and an evil lurking within, Maude must push beyond her limits to save the hapless crew and protect her mysterious cargo.

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Beulah Koale, Taylor John Smith
Directed by: Roseanne Liang

“Kolchak: The Night Stalker” Trivia

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Let me take you back to the days when there was no cable tv, no streaming services and except for the rare local channel or two, your choices were CBS, NBC and ABC.  There were no DVRs, heck there weren’t even VHS machines yet. (And stay off my lawn!)

In those days a new tv movie that you really wanted to see was a big deal. You had to make sure you were home to watch it!  As a kid growing up in those times, Kolchak: The Night Stalker was one of those must-see tv movies.

The Night Stalker premiered in January 1972. I was 13 and fit the perfect demographic for a modern day vampire tale. I wasn’t the only one.  When the ratings came in, it turned out that most of the viewing audience that night was watching!  This led to another Kolchak tv movie and an on-going tv series.

And that brings us to Me-TV’s 11 Reasons ‘Kolchak: The Night Stalker‘ is the Coolest, Creepiest Show on 1970s Television. Sadly the post is no longer available. But here are three of my favorite trivia items from the article and a thought on each.

There was an unmade third TV movie, ‘The Night Killers.’ (I really liked the first movie and can’t remember much about the second. I’d like to see both again. – Craig)

Horror and sci-fi legend Richard Matheson wrote the two TV movies… but was skeptical of the series.  (I wasn’t a fan of the tv series.  The monster of the week idea just didn’t work for me at the time.  I would have rather seen a series of Kolchak movies or story arcs that would involve a monster(s) for a longer period of time. – Craig)

Darren McGavin did a little bit of everything for the show. (According to the piece, McGavin assisted in every way possible to make the series work, but became frustrated and was excused from his contract early.  Seems like Matheson was right that the “monster of the week” idea just wouldn’t work. – Craig)

Stallone & Schwarzenegger in “Modern Times” DeepFake Classic!

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This is one of the best (and most inspired) DeepFake videos yet.  Hats off to Brian Monarch.

Thanks to StalloneZoner, Steve Reeves for the heads-up!

For more deepfake videos, please follow on insta at BrianMonarch 🙂

They did make a movie before The Expendables and Escape Plan! Haha… Check out Arnold and Sly in this classic scene from Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times!

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1925 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice.

Fig Leaf Rag – distressed by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/…

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-…

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

“Psycho” – Amazing Poster by Ignacio RC!

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Isn’t this Psycho poster by Ignacio RC one of the most creative and beautiful posters you’ve seen lately?  I love it.  Here’s what Ignacio had to say about his inspiration for the piece…

I always loved Atari box art (Cliff Spohn, Steve Hendricks…) and particularly Steve Hendricks art for ‘Haunted House’ Atari 2600 game, so wanted to play with the same concept for ‘Psycho’, just for fun and practice.

Ignacio RC is an illustrator from A Coruña in Spain.  If you’d like to see more of Ignacio RC’s art, you can check out his gallery.

Source: Poster Spy.

MONSTERS by Barry Windsor Smith is Coming!

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The cover above is to Barry Windsor Smith’s Monsters.  As many of our readers know, BWS is considered to be one of the greatest artistic geniuses to have ever worked in comics.  Smith’s last comic work was in 2005 and many thought he had retired.  Little did we know that he had been working on Monsters for 35 years.

35 years in the making, the most anticipated graphic novel in recent comics history! 

The year is 1964. Bobby Bailey doesn’t realize he is about to fulfill his tragic destiny when he walks into a US Army recruitment office to join up. Close-mouthed, damaged, innocent, trying to forget a past and looking for a future, it turns out that Bailey is the perfect candidate for a secret U.S. government experimental program, an unholy continuation of a genetics program that was discovered in Nazi Germany nearly 20 years earlier in the waning days of World War II. Bailey’s only ally and protector, Sergeant McFarland, intervenes, which sets off a chain of cascading events that spin out of everyone’s control. As the titular monsters of the title multiply, becoming real and metaphorical, literal and ironic, the story reaches its emotional and moral reckoning.

Monsters is the legendary project Barry Windsor-Smith has been working on for over 35 years. A 380-page tour de force of visual storytelling, Monsters’ narrative canvas is both vast and deep: part familial drama, part political thriller, part metaphysical journey, it is an intimate portrait of individuals struggling to reclaim their lives and an epic political odyssey across two generations of American history. Trauma, fate, conscience, and redemption are just a few of the themes that intersect in the most ambitious graphic novel of Windsor-Smith’s career.

Monsters is rendered in Windsor-Smith’s impeccable pen-and-ink technique, the visual storytelling with its sensitivity to gesture and composition is the most sophisticated of the artist’s career. There are passages of heartbreaking tenderness, of excruciating pain, and devastating violence. It is surely one of the most intense graphic novels ever drawn.

Black and white illustrations.

Monsters by Barry Windsor Smith will be released on January 19, 2021.  It is available for pre-order now.  Deal me in.

“Minor Premise” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for Minor Premise are here.  I like the poster, but I wonder if it will make folks think it is more of a horror film than a psychological drama… or at least a different kind of horror film that it may turn out to be.

Attempting to surpass his father’s legacy, a reclusive neuroscientist becomes entangled in his own experiment, pitting ten fragments of his consciousness against each other.