Random Ramblings from the Vault...

• Picked up the amazing new Universal Monsters coffee-table book recently. Very impressed, starting with the bold decision to go with the Tom Tyler Mummy and John Carradine Dracula on the cover. Expect a full review when I finish the ponderous thing.

• Speaking of, it was this book which just inspired me to watch Son of Dracula for the very first time. Have to say, it was super weird seeing Lon Chaney Jr. as the Count--even more weird than Bela Lugosi as the Monster in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. Anyway, Son of Drac deserves far more credit and attention--an entertaining mix of classic horror and film noir!

• Almost got the chance to see The Human Centipede at a sneak preview in NYC last week. Real bummed out that I missed out on that one, this looks like one seriously messed-up flick. I mean, the people who came up with the concept should probably be arrested, just to play it safe...

• Is there anybody more dementedly fun to watch in a horror movie than Jim Siedow in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre? And has there ever been a better line than "Look what your brother did to the door!" I don't think so.

• For those who may have been having trouble sleeping at night wondering where I stand on the issue of slashers, let me make it clear that you can count me among those who don't really have much use for 90% of that subgenre. Especially from the so-called "golden age" of the 1980s.

• So have you heard that Godzilla is coming back in 2012? And I don't mean to fulfill the Mayan prophecy by helping to destroy the world. I mean an actual new Godzilla film. Unfortunately however, it won't be from Toho, but rather the Americans taking another crack at it. Some helpful hints: Nuclear fire breath, 400-feet-tall, classic roar. And tell Matthew Broderick to stay home this time.

• I think the fact that Dennis Hopper starred in a George Romero zombie movie five years ago just passed across the radar with far too little geek awe. So I'm going to reiterate: Dennis Hopper starred in a George Romero zombie movie. And said the line, "Zombies, man... creep me out." The awesomeness of this needs to be recognized.

• Watched Zombieland again. Starting to think Woody Harrelson may be immortal. I mean, wasn't he on Cheers, like, close to 30 years ago? The guy looks the same as he did in Natural Born Killers. Must be all the hemp exposure.

• If my latest poll has told me anything, it's that not nearly enough people have partaken in the wonder of Sam Katzman's body of work. This must be remedied, people, get on it!

• If you're a movie geek who likes more than just horror, I've been doing a series of posts over at Cinema Geek, a neat blog run by Nate Yapp of Classic-Horror. The series is called "52 Perfect Movies", and is a chronological look at films I personally find utterly flawless. Please check it out if you have a chance!