The Masters of Horror Series really kicked into gear during their second season with The V Word. I've always liked director Ernest Dickerson but I wondered if he was a valid member for the list. Sure, his films have a My-Way-or-the-Highway kind of appeal and inevitably feature his unique vision, but having only helmed two horror features - Demon Night and Bones - I was curious what he would bring to the plate. The V Word is quite simply a knockout.

Justin and his best friend decide to go to a funeral home to see the body of a teenage kid who was recently killed. They accidentally stumble across something much more horrific and there isn’t a very good chance they'll escape. The first half of The V Word is a slow-burn of a horror film. Every frame brims with a feeling of dread. And that’s just the beginning! It’s no secret that V is for vampire, but this is not your ordinary caped villain. Ironside is as creepy and realistic looking as they come. He may be imbued with super human strength but you never doubt he could rip the flesh off your throat for a second.

“What’s in the basket?”

That’s the question asked over and over again in Basket Case, director Frank Henenlotter’s cult horror “classic.”  And it’s a fair question.  Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck) is a seemingly nice enough young man—he’s polite, soft spoken, with a bit of a lisp—and he never goes anywhere without his basket.  Now, Duane’s basket could contain anything: keepsakes, clothing, a picnic lunch…but no, it holds the remnants of Duane’s formerly conjoined twin brother, Belial, who resembles a “squashed octopus” with pointy teeth and talons.

Released in 1982, Basket Case has become somewhat notorious over the years for its gory violence and tastelessness.  Filmed in New York on an extremely low budget and with a very small crew, Basket Case is the story of Duane and Belial’s quest for revenge on the doctors that separated them years earlier.  Duane and Belial share a psychic bond and evenly divide the duties of their task, with Duane doing the detective work and Belial doing the dirty work.

Recently, fans seem to be a mixed bag on Argento’s inclination towards warmer characters and colder, although still beautiful, photography. Sleepless and The Card Player were both magnificent and brazen departures for the director, and the outcome was astonishing. In 2006, Argento kept to this new pattern with his entry into the Masters of Horror series titled Pelts. As with his latest films, it was a stunning experience.

Jake Feldman (Meatloaf Aday) is a down-on-his-luck furrier desperately trying to woo ex-model/current stripper Shana (an impressive and gorgeous Ellen Ewusie). This woman proves not to be such an easy catch, but does drop the hint that if a man can scratch her back, she’ll gladly scratch his. Enter Jeb (John Saxon), a callous hunter who has been trapping raccoons on someone else’s land. One night he, along with his white-trash son, Larry (Michael Suchanek), head out to the property and catch some of the most beautiful fur imaginable. In fact, even after the animals are killed and skinned, their fleece appears to breathe. Unfortunately, trying to steal such beauty comes with a price – everyone who touches the pelts becomes overtaken to violence, self mutilation and suicide. When Jake finds the skins, he figures he now has a bargaining chip for Shana and a chance at the big time, but if you’re uncomfortable in the skin you’re in…

Hey all! So last night my friend Dawn invited me as a guest to catch a "Director's Cut" screening of Rob Zombie's "Halloween, in Chatsworth, CA.  So, of course, I went.

The crowd was all the way down the outside of the theatre and around to the back!  We were a good 60 people in, no worries; we'll get a good seat.  And we did!

So, as most of you know I have been reluctant towards seeing Rob Zombie TOUCH My All-Time Favorite Movie... after reading an early script I was downright SCARED!  Last month I had read reviews from a screening in New York.  Needless to say I was still curious, and decided to just watch it with low expectations and see what happens.

I WAS BLOWN THE FREAK AWAY!!!