5 TV Terrors for you Halloween !

ITS THE HALLOWEEN SEASON HORRORFIENDS!!

so before the big night happens. Here is 5 episodes from Horror anthology shows that are perfect for the Halloween season.

Yet ANOTHER TV Terrors Episode everyone!!!

Yes Dear HorrorFiends! The very first review of an Are You Afraid of the Dark Episode…and NO! it is not that damn clown episode.

New episode of hidden Horrors you must hear! episode 6…favorites of 2016

Hey there Horrorfiends! instead of the usual episode, this time it is going to be episode 6 of the Hidden Horrors you must HEAR podcast with Sterling Anno and yours truly with pictures.
In this episode We discuss our top 13 favorite horror films of 2016 with LOTS of obscure ones and batshit crazy horror films you probably didnt hear about last year.
we also discuss the 2016 horror films that disappointed us, the 2017 horror movies we are looking forward to and finally show some much needed love and fond memories of the horror website Dreadcentral.
so hit play, listen and have fun with the first video upload of the Hidden Horrors you must hear podcast!

enjoy

HIDDEN HORROR – Panic Beats (1983)

          If you havent discovered the wonderful Spainard horror movies starring Paul Naschy. I highly suggest you seek them out now! One Paul Naschy horror movie from the early 80s is a particularly fun, gory and haunting one that practically plays itself almost identical to the plot of a Tales from the Crypt episode. That movie is PANIC BEATS.

Desperate to salvage his crumbling financial empire. Paul Marnac (Paul Naschy) decides to kill his heiress wife with the help of the sexy and ambitious maid. The heiress has a heart condition so the pair decide to slowly and psychologically scare her with a ghost story connected to the manor in which they are all staying. Soon the heiress is scared to death but for the maid just one murder is not enough to satisfy her greed and more murders happen. As the corpses pile up, the ghost story from earlier becomes true and the evil woman is then haunted and hunted down by the very ghosts whom she convinced the heiress were real.

Now with a plot like that you can pretty much say that that sounds like a Tales from the Crypt episode and it pretty much is. But the strengths of this film is that though we dont get the true ghosts n ghouls till the very end. There is enough to intrigue us throughout the rest of the film. We slowly see the murder plots unfold and almost every character is plotting against one another.

Also peppered throughout the whole film are rather old-school, ghostly and rather fun dream sequences and scenes involving the husband and maid trying to scare and convince the heiress that the ghost legend is real. This scenes bring back memories of late night creature features with horror hosts. Believe me these scenes alone deserve to be watched at night with candles or near Halloween.

Also along with those fun “Spooky” scenes the crime aspect of the film is entertaining and always making twists and turns. And with its own share of gory death scenes. There are chokings, Bludgeoning, severed eyeballs, multiple face mutilations, an electrocution and even an axe to the gut with intestines coming out. The film doesnt skip on the splatter but one has to wait for it.

Finally the ending is where the films supernatural side really starts the shine. The spooky, atmospheric and fun hauntings start to happen once there is only one character standing. There filled with rotting corpses returning from there graves, fog filled cemeteries, bloody skulls appearing, shower faucets oozing blood all leading up to the main ghost returning to exact gory revenge on the final character A’la very Tales from the Crypt like.

Now if you are an older horror fan who appreciates the “Spooky” vibe of old horror films along with a good side of splatter then i urge you to see out the horrors of Spain and Paul Naschy from the 70s and 80s, The film PANIC BEATS being a prime example.  – James J. Coker

 

 

HIDDEN HORROR FOR CHRISTMAS – Wind Chill

Now another Cold “wintery” horror movie for your Christmas season horror fiends is a little “Chiller” from 2007 that went under the radar, in fact its hardly talked about nowadays and it starred the then unknown Emily Blunt. It was the character driven ghost story WIND CHILL

from IMDB : A couple of college students known only as the Girl and the Guy are traveling home to Delaware the day before Christmas Eve. They’re on a frozen road that the Guy is convinced is a scenic short-cut. In the middle of nowhere in below freezing conditions they are run off the road by a hit and runner. They soon realize they’re caught in a supernatural bubble where a crime from 1953 is doomed to repeat itself, year after year threatening new victims.

Now what took me by surprise with this movie is at first the film is slow and both “the Guy” and “the Girl” are actually a little unlikable but all of that changes once there car is stuck in the snow. From there on out it turns into a character driven, creepy, twilight zone esque survival story. Both characters end up being more likable then they started out to be and you actually care for them towards the end.

Now when the more supernatural aspects happen it is quite the creep fest. The frozen ghoulish looking ghosts (makeup FX courtesy of Todd Masters of Tales from the Crypt fame) are quite the shocker and when the Twilight Zone like aspects happen you begin to question if they are ever going to get away from the horror. But the most dangerous thing in this movie is not the ghosts but the cold. The cold is a constant danger to this characters and what ends up being the real villain of the movie.

Wind Chill is a good character driven haunted house movie that just happens to take place on a snowy road in the winter versus a house. It is a good little “Chiller” to include in your christmas horror movie watch list every season. It is a damn shame this one came and went. – James J. Coker

HIDDEN HORROR FOR HALLOWEEN – Corpse Party Tortured Souls – 4 part OVA

For every Halloween viewing schedule i always try to throw in a Japanese horror film into the mix just to add some diversity and foreign flavors to the Halloween mix, Halloween season 2013 i watched Entrails of a Beautiful woman, Halloween season 2014 i watched the original Ring and so this Halloween season i decided to watch a Horror anime instead of the usual live action Japaneses Horror. Now i did not feel like anything too action packed (so no Hellsing) and nothing too sexual (im looking at you Legend of the Overfiend) luckily i discovered a 4 part OVA based on a popular Japanese horror game series called “Corpse Party” and after i read the synopsis for the franchise and I had to seek out this anime immediately…and oh what beautiful, ghoulish, ghostly and damn ghastly viewing pleasures awaited me when i popped in that rare Region 1 dvd of this hidden gem.

Now the synopsis of Corpse Party… The story is set in Heavenly Host Elementary School, an elementary school that was torn down following the murders and disappearances of several of its staff and students. By the start of the story, another school called Kisaragi Academy has been built over the elementary school site. One night, a group of students from Kisaragi are telling ghost stories when a sudden earthquake transports them to another dimension where Heavenly Host Elementary still exists and is haunted by the ghosts of the school’s murdered children. The students of Kisaragi Academy students try to find their way home and survive from the Ghost children who are out to murder them in gruesome ways with pairs of scissors!!!

Now with a synopsis like that you would think “oh typical ghost bullshit from Japan..YAWN” well…NO! not exactly yes the main baddies are ghosts but believe me this sucker is incredibly gruesome and gory, these ghosts do not play nice! but before i get into the red stuff, each episode has a mystery aspect to it where our characters are stitching together the pieces of where they are, what happened and how all these murderous ghost children came to be in this creepy otherworldly abandoned elementary school. Also it is noted that the first episode is a little rocky. It suffers from the usual anime “Bullshit” just a little and a few lines of dialogue that come out of nowhere that had me going “what the fuck!” and not in a good way. But just hold through horror fans because after the first death scene happens its one hell of a ghoulish and gruesome ride after that.

Now the real strength of this 4 part Horror anime lies in the creepy atmosphere of the abandoned other dimensional Heavenly Host elementary school and its incredibly fucked up and gruesome death scenes. Guts are spilled open numerous times, eyeballs are stabbed numerous times to the point it would make Fulci proud, and tongues are sliced off numerous times too, Seriously folks you can make a fucking drinking game out of how many times this anime spills guts, stabs eyeballs or slices off tongues. Along with all that we are also treated to gruesome stabbings, hangings, faces being skinned off, a mans body being skinned in half and a quick surprise decapitation all gruesome unrelenting fashion… believe me horror fiends the splatter is high in this one. But the most grueling scene involves a small girl being mutilated with a pair of scissors BUT you dont see most of it…you hear it and see a grizzly aftermath of it.

A noteworthy thing to add about Corpse Party Tortured Souls is that is also kills off children with reckless abandon. Seriously this fucker brutally kills off children in a mean spirited fashion like it is delighting in disturbing you. Just imagine if Lucio Fulci got to make a horror anime about murderous ghost children and was given permission to kill off child characters in it…and thats Corpse Party Tortured Souls. But believe me horrorfiends finding this sucker is a little hard to come by, Amazon.com and Ebay only have the japanese import and it is pricey, luckily i found a cheap region 1 english subtitled UNCUT version on a special anime website right here

http://www.shopanimedvd.com/product_info.php?products_id=781242

Now horror fiends if you want to add some rare horror anime to your Halloween movie mix then seek out this ghoulish and mean little fucker soon! It is perfect for a October viewing.

Oh and P. S. there is a surprise end credits scene that is mean-spirited in a psychological and emotional way and it is completely unnecessary but it is just there to make the thing that much more fucked up…youve been warned MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!  – James J. Coker

HIDDEN HORRORS YOU MUST HEAR Episode 2 !!! RIP Christopher Lee with some Summertime Horrors while WE ARE STILL HERE

Hey there horrorfiends! the second episode of the Hidden horrors you must hear Podcast is here! Sterling SporkGuy Anno and James J. Coker remember and pay tribute to Betsy Palmer and Sir Christopher Lee, share some Hidden horrors starring Christopher Lee, talk about some obscure Summertime horror movies horror fans should really seek out, rant about why young Bloggers are getting so damn sensitive to movie deaths lately and finally RAVE about the indie ghost film that just came out called WE ARE STILL HERE. so hit that Download icon in the corner and enjoy!

HIDDEN HORRORS YOU MUST HEAR ! the very first Hidden Horrors podcast

Hello Horror Fiends, James J. Coker here letting you all know this is the very first podcast for the hidden horrors you must see blog. Sterling Anno and mysefl discuss a wide range of topics within the horror genre including what makes a horror movie a “Hidden Gem”. Two hidden horror films that we both love to death one being a super scary Japanese found footage film and the other being a batshit crazy Bigfoot film. Two other films we both find very underrated and cant understand why fans shit all over them. Then we spew nothing but love for a little indie film called IT FOLLOWS and finish it off with some new horror directors who we have started to follow there work and the Horror films coming out here most excited for. So have the time fly by with Sterling “the SporkGuy” and myself talking passionately about the Hidden Gems we love. Link down below. you can either listen or Download by clicking the downward pointing arrow icon on the corner of the link.

HIDDEN HORROR – The Shining (April Fool’s Day Special)

Now, on this very day, I know how Louis Pasteur felt when he created the vaccine for Rabies. What a fantastic discovery to be credited with. The world at that moment changed due to that random stroke of luck. Well my friends, I may have discovered something just as, or perhaps even greater than any generic disease cure. Up until now, “Hidden Horrors You Must See” has been comprised mainly of films most have heard of, yet never actually seen. Those who have actually seen them first hand are sometimes few and far between. Not until now have we brought you something from so deep within the confines of obscurity, that I’ll put a big sack of dollars on the table that I’ve just stumbled upon the next chapter in human evolution. Let alone a great damn movie. Please, stay seated, for I’m positive you won’t be for too much longer…

The film in question, is called… Okay, hold on one second. The name of this movie doesn’t sound all that threatening nor horror-ish by any regard, but trust me, it’s more than worth a look. It is called “The Shining”. It is literally one of the greatest underground cinematic creations I’ve ever had the pleasure of viewing. I’m humbled by the fact that I now get the chance to introduce all of you to its majesty. In this movie, a family moves into a giant hotel when Jack Torrence, the father, gets a job as the caretaker during its off-season. Jack is played by Jack Nicholson(most people know him from The Departed and for the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special). He and his family, comprised of a small psychic child named Danny and Olive Oil, arrive at the Overlook Hotel and are greeted by its chef, Dick Halloran. The chef, who sounds a lot like Hong Kong Phooey, offers Danny some ice cream with his brain. Creepy. He then explains to Danny that he shared a telepathic ability with his grandmother when he was young. They called this ability, “shining”. Just so you know, that’s why the movie is called “The Shining”. After Dick leaves, the family begins to live their normal lives. However, over the course of their stay, Jack begins to slowly drift into madness from not just the solitude, but from ghosts!

After being persuaded by a phantom bartender to unleash his true power(possibly a reference to Dragonball Z)and becoming borderline Emily Rose possessed in the process, he tries to off his family by any means necessary. Once Shelley Duvall realizes her husband has written the most redundant novel of all time, she hits him over the face with a bat and locks his demonic ass in the freezer. But, just as a huge plot twist occurs, he escapes from his frost bitten tomb. Chasing his family through the giant hotel, axe in tow, Jack won’t let any number of Johnny Carson allusions slow him down from going Tin Man on his pack. Danny summons Dick to come and fight with them, but Jack axes him why he came back before he can be of any use. Danny then leads his fiendish father into the old heart of a hedge maze. Here, he outsmarts his disillusioned dad and leaves him to chill out while Danny and Olive snowmobile it back to civilization.

The Shining is a terrific example of how arthouse and horror can truly meld together in one epic demonstration, without either aspect overpowering the other. But while on this subject, can I just point out how amazingly shot this film is? Seriously, this director(Stanley Kubrick)knows his stuff. Every shot is meticulously crafted for perfect symmetry. It’s as if every landscape is treated like Olivia Wilde’s face. Not a single element is off point. It’s as if he filmed everything over 100 times or something until he got it right. Not that he did that or anything, but i’d seriously believe it if you told me otherwise. I also find it weird how his use of back drops and color seem to conflict with the how you’d think a hotel would actually look. This whole Native American looking theme just seems out of place… Seriously, if you don’t have a deeper meaning for how you dress your set, just keep it believable, jeez… Yet, for something so original, even as an adaptation, I can’t whole heartedly say it was a stand alone piece. This film is apparently a prequel to Mick Garris’ multipart masterpiece known only as, “Stephen King’s The Shining”. I can see the similarities, but to avoid confusion or bias, I will not be covering that any further. Lastly, I think it’s safe to say that there is actually a documentary about this film! Yeah, I know right? It’s strange, but awesome to know that such an obscure piece of movie history actually had a non-fiction counterpart made for it. Sadly though, “Room 237” mainly just talks about Apollo 11, which I’m sure has nothing to do with “The Shining”, nor those involved.

Hopefully we will see The Criterion Collection pick up this lost film in the future, as it truly needs an audience. No fooling, It’s blasphemy knowing it may not ever get the royal treatment though. Sad days my friends. Well, that’s that as they say. My stay here at the Overlook Hotel is complete, so before I murder my family in a fit of rage, I’d like to say; Bye, thanks for reading and that I hope this fine April 1st brings you all a fresh new start.

– Sterling “The Spork Guy” Anno

HIDDEN HORROR FOR CHRISTMAS EVE – DEAD END

‘Twas the fright before Christmas, when all thro’ the house. Not a creature-feature was stirring, but this new Christmas Eve tradition was…

Dead End is the first and only film collaboration from writing and directing team Jean-Baptiste Andrea (Brotherhood of Tears) and Fabrice Canepa (his only IMDb credit).

The film kicks off with that feeling of impending doom, as Frank Harrington (Ray Wise, Jeepers Creepers 2) drives his family to his mother-in-law’s for Christmas Eve.

Jokes asides, Dead End definitely encompasses that dreadful feeling, as the Harringtons decide to take a detour on their trip, ending up on a deserted back road and being besieged by sinister forces along the way.

One by one, each family member falls to these forces’ diversions, and one by one, family secrets come to light.

Dead End is a brilliant and mysterious situational low-budget ghost story that will keep viewers guessing right up until the very end. But the amount of laughs also equal the frights, in a strange blend of juvenile, droll, and slapstick (to name a few) humor all presented in an extremely dark manner.

The film is definitely a hidden gem that deserves plenty of recognition and should have a reservation on every horror fans’ “must see” list, not to mention a suitable part of their annual Christmas viewing.

 

~ Matthew McPhee