Random Ramblings from the Vault...

• I'll be damned if I can remember the last time I saw a "mainstream" theatrically released horror film with as much balls-to-the-walls gore as Piranha 3-D. It even had me getting a bit queasy at times, which is a good thing. And that opener with Richard Dreyfuss? Worth the price of admission, even with the horrendous CGI.

• Recently had a chance to pop in The Brain That Wouldn't Die during one of my late-night battles with insomnia. Never realized how much lurid, sleazerific stuff that flick had going on. 1950s stripper catfights? Sign me up.

• Speaking of stuff you miss on first viewing, after a re-viewing of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, I can't believe they were ever able to get the movie made, what with all the gay subtext going on. I've said it before, and I'll say it again--that's a daring, egregiously underrated horror sequel if ever there was one. Sure beats the hell out of soul pizzas, I can tell you that.

• My excitement levels continue to rise for AMC's The Walking Dead. I literally have seen nothing thus far that would lead me to expect anything but greatness from the new series, set to debut in October (I'm assuming as soon as Mad Men finishes up.) I'd love to do a week-by-week episode review, but I'm assuming everyone and their mother will be doing the same thing. Hear that, blogosphere? I call dibs on the Walking Dead episode reviews! Ahem, glad that's settled...

• If anyone's looking to get me a birthday/Christmas present this December, might I suggest the book Final Exits by Michael Largo, winner of the 2006 Bram Stoker Award for best non-fiction book? Cool, thanks.

• Am I the only who still has trouble getting through the opening credits for Tales from the Darkside in a darkened room all by myself? Just wondering.

• My most recent sidebar poll, regarding which vampire you would allow to bite you, has really got me thinking. That's got to be one of the most fascinating aspects of the vampire legend, don't you think? That a victim would be so under their power as to allow themselves to be bitten, regardless of the risk involved. Quite a fascinating concept, no? I think the morbid drive toward self-destruction is one of those themes at the very heart of much of horror.

• One upcoming project that has certainly piqued my interest is Guillermo del Toro's Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. The recently released trailer has me more intrigued than ever. The original is easily my favorite horror TV movie of all time, but there's certainly a lot of room for improvement, especially with someone with the proven genre chops of Del Toro involved. Bring it on.

• A recent Facebook debate got me thinking (I'm really doing far too much thinking these days)... I think the world can be divided into those who think Alien is the superior film to Aliens, and those who prefer James Cameron's sequel to Ridley Scott's original. As for me, I've always been in the former camp--Aliens is a terribly entertaining action flick, but Alien...ah, that's just sublime film-making right there. I also take the same stance with regard to the Terminator films. The first one is a taut little sci-fi thriller that has stood the test of time; the sequel, a bloated, dated cheesefest.

• Are you a zombie in the general New York vicinity? Well, there just so happens to be a zombie crawl coming up in October that you might want to be a part of. It's the Village Invasion, descending on Saugerties, New York on the evening of October 16. Organized by the demonically delightful Cruella Moxham (an upcoming Visceral Visionaries victim/subject), it's sure to be a brain-munching bonanza. Get more info here...

• Speaking of demonically delightful, I'd like to thank the amazing Kristy Jett of The Blood Sprayer and Fright Rags, who despite having a blast all weekend at the Monster Mania convention in New Jersey, still managed to find the time to randomly put me on the phone with Joe "Mark" Seely and Erika "Greta" Anderson of Nightmare on Elm Street 5 fame. Possibly my most surreal experience since riding around Cleveland in a rental car with Mr. Perfect and the Big Boss Man...