Random Ramblings from the Vault...

• So The Walking Dead Season 1 is over, after a mere six episodes? Wow, what a gyp. I mean, don't get me wrong, great show--but SIX EPISODES? What is this, the UK? Anyway, now we have to wait until a year from now for more. Pretty sneaky, AMC. Pretty sneaky.

• Dexter and True Blood are also now in between seasons, which means that horror fans may officially have no reason to turn on their TVs (other than to put on a DVD, of course.) If I'm wrong, please clue me in. I'm always looking for good horror television...

• My daughter recently had a birthday party, and I'm proud to announce that I firmly took over the proceedings and got all the little kiddies to settle down to a viewing of Hammer's Brides of Dracula. Ah, the pleasure of watching all their little faces frozen in rapt attention! Hey, I grew up watching Hammer on syndicated TV at their age, so I figure it's my duty to pass on the tradition in this sanitized Nick/Disney world we now live in. Am I right, people?

• But the fun doesn't stop there. During my work birthday party, I just had the pleasure of extolling the virtues of the original version of The Fly (these folks had only heard of the Cronenberg remake,) plus I insisted that everyone in the office needed to see Let the Right One In. Yes, sometimes it's a challenge working with a grade-A certified horrorphile, folks...

• When are we getting the Creature from the Black Lagoon remake already? Anyone heard any new developments? God, I can remember hearing rumblings about this project going back to when John Carpenter was supposedly directing it around 20 years ago...

• I unfortunately didn't have the opportunity to mention it here when it first happened some weeks back, but i just wanted to acknowledge the passing of Gloria Stuart, star of both James Whale's The Invisible Man and The Old Dark House (probably best known as the old broad from Titanic, though.) She was an underrated talent and a gorgeous leading lady, who ducked out of the business at an early age to start a family. Another legend of the Universal era gone...

• How ironic is it, that out of all the zombie movies pumped out over the past decade, during this whole undead renaissance...very possibly the best of the entire bunch would be Shaun of the Dead, a movie intended to be a spoof of the genre?

• I recently had the distinct pleasure of rejoining my fellow uber-geek Miguel Rodriguez for more Godzilla-based shenanigans. After a recent appearance on Conversations in the Dark, Miguel asked me to take part in his Monster Island Resort podcast, to talk even more about our favorite 400-foot fire-breathing lizard! Listen in, but I warn you--you may suffer wedgies or have your lunch money stolen as a possible side effect...

• Speaking of Miguel and of Godzilla, I have to share this bit of wackiness with you, courtesy of Mr. Rodriguez... Born of the mad musings we shared during that broadcast, in which we imagined what might have happened if the real Steve Martin had encountered Godzilla (as opposed to the character by that name, played infamously by Raymond Burr...)

Well, we thought it was funny...

• In other adventures, I'm blown away by the fact that Captain Cruella and myself were actually featured on the YNN News broadcast earlier this week in upstate New York! The TV station came down to cover our Ghouls' Yule event, and we were both interviewed. Follow the link to check it out...

Random Ramblings from the Vault...

• So I thought I lost my laptop tonight, for a few very harrowing minutes. Not sure what that has to do with horror, but it sure scared the crap out of me.

• I've been enjoying The Walking Dead on AMC so far, and am in fact getting set to watch the replay of episode 3 in just a few minutes. I must say, they've managed to capture what made the book such a favorite of mine, and I look forward to continued greatness. AMC has clearly overtaken HBO as the place for top-flight TV drama (although I do love my Boardwalk Empire...)

• For those who may not know, I happen to be very fond of exploring old cemeteries. It's kind a "hobby" of mine, if you'd call it that. I'd like to share a handful of recent pictures I snapped while traipsing amongst the dead...

• I think I could probably watch Suspiria every single day. Just wanted to put that out there...

• Who do you think would win in a fight between original Freddy and remake Freddy? I'm sure few would disagree, but I'm thinking O.G. Krueger would have the little imposter for breakfast.

• Why do people consider The Hunchback of Notre Dame (either version) to be a horror film? It's really not at all, even by a very liberal definition of the genre.

• I'm exciting to be returning to the Avon Theatre this Thursday to introduce a screening of Poltergeist. If you happen to be in the Stamford, Connecticut area, come on down and say hello!

• For those looking for an in-depth recap of the Hudson Horror Show, which myself and Captain Cruella attended earlier this month, look no further than my official Fangoria.com report!

• Speaking of Hudson Horror, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Dr. Kim Paffenroth there. The author of Gospel of the Living Dead, Valley of the Dead and other zombie tomes (not to mention a fellow LoTT-D member) was very gracious with his time, and I look forward to posting the video of the interview later this week.

• Still peaking of Hudson Horror, one of the private collectors who provided 35mm prints to the show, Matt Pennachi, also happens to be hosting his own 35mm series down in North Carolina, known as Cinema Overdrive. Best of all, each show gets its own vintage-style poster featuring the movies being shown. There's some very cool artwork on display here, and I was psyched to find that the posters are actually for sale as prints, for any of you who are interested in horror film art. Well worth checking out!

Random Ramblings from the Vault...

• AMC seems to be ramping up the hype machine for The Walking Dead, and I'm getting more jazzed with each passing day. All the footage has been stellar so far, and I get more excited with each commercial they jam in during my weekly dose of Mad Men. I'll also admit to obsessively watching and re-watching the trailer on AMC On Demand. OK, Mr. Darabont, you have my attention.

• My heart is warmed at the generally positive reactions to Matt Reeves' Let Me In that seem to be pouring in. Alas, I did not see it over the weekend, opting instead for The Social Network (and did not regret it one iota, by the way--this one's Oscar material, folks.) But I shall most likely be checking out the American remake of my favorite Swedish vampire film later this week. Unfortunately, it seems to have not done too well at the box office, but such is the fate of most R-rated horror films, especially those which are hard to categorize, as well as somewhat unique and thought-provoking.

• How about that Case 39? Never thought I'd see Renee Zellwegger returning to the horror genre after vigorously trying to bury Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation some 15+ years ago when her career was just taking off. Amazing what a few Leatherheads and Appaloosas will do to one's priorities.

• So Hatchet II is out as well now. No thanks. Fool me once, shame on you...

• Thus far, "Hammer Time" on Turner Classic Movies has been marvelous, with last Friday devoted entirely to Hammer's Dracula series. The main thing I learned watching Horror of Dracula, Brides of Dracula, Dracula: Prince of Darkness and Dracula Has Risen from the Grave? Cushing's Van Helsing is one hell of a snappy dresser. I particularly love the fur-lapelled jacket and Oktoberfest-style fedora. Anthony Hopkins and Hugh Jackman take note.

• Am I the only one who has a really hard time eating those "gummy body part" candies that are everywhere around Halloween time? I mean, I love gummy candies as much as the next guy--hell, I was toilet-trained using gum drops as a reward, it's kind of ingrained--but those gummy eyeballs, fingers and whatnot? Just really skeeve me out.

• Fellow Godzillaphile Miguel Rodriguez of the Monster Island Podcast has been kind enough to share this breathtaking video with me, which I am now passing along. I don't know how I missed this slice of fried gold, but it's a 2009 TV commercial reuniting all three of General Mills' classic cereal monsters. Whoever is doing Frankenberry's voice does one hell of a Karloff...

• Speaking of Mr. Rodriguez, I'd like to point you in the direction of his aforementioned podcast, which this week features none other than Captain Cruella of the Carnivorous Cadavers as a guest. The good Captain also happens to be my next guest on Conversations in the Dark, which you can look for next week, leading up to the Village Invasion zombie crawl in Saugerties, New York on October 16. Cruella and I will be discussing not only the Crawl, but the whole bizarre phenomenon of zombies in pop culture...

• I recently had the distinct pleasure of coming across what has to be the finest independent genre website I've seen in quite some time. It's called The Cultural Gutter, and I advise any and all intelligent fans of horror, science fiction, comics, and all other forms of "artistic pursuits generally considered to be beneath consideration" to check it out. This is that rarest of the rare: A smart, critically minded genre site genuinely devoted to spirited debate and discourse. From their manifesto:

While the writers have considerable enthusiasm for their subjects, they don't let it numb their critical faculties. Tossing away the shield of journalistic objectivity and refusing the shovel of fannish boosterism, they write in the hopes of starting honest and intelligent discussions about these oft-enjoyed but rarely examined artforms.

Count me in!

• Although it seems hard to fathom, The Vault of Horror's earth-shaking third anniversary fast approaches, and if you follow our Facebook page, then you know there's a little contest afoot. If not, go here and get acquainted. I've posted a picture of my horror DVD collection there, and whoever can identify the most DVDs in the picture will be able to select any DVD included therein to become his/her very own. I've got neat prizes for second and third place as well, so check it out. E-mail your list to b-sol @ thevaultofhorror.net by October 13 to be eligible (private emails only, please). Full details are at the FB page, but here's the pic again for good measure:

Random Ramblings from the Vault...

• I had a chance to re-watch Poltergeist, and I have to say: JoBeth Williams gives one hell of a performance in that picture. I had never quite noticed it before, distracted as I was by the campy greatness of Zelda Rubinstein, James Karen's cameo and that vomit-astic face-ripping scene. But she really is terrific. And for the record, there's no way Spielberg didn't direct the lion's share of that movie. Let the riotous debate begin!

• Question: Who would you say was the standout horror director of 2000-2009? Not an easy one to answer, is it? Very interested to see some of the possible selections...

• Pet peeve: Film zombies that are made to look overly evil. I like my zombies vacant, staring and mindless--not demonic. Call me crazy, but I think they should look simply like walking, rotting corpses. You can keep the cro-magnon brows and crazy contact lenses.

• So I shall be attending a sneak preview of the I Spit on Your Grave remake down in NYC later this week. Comments/thoughts/opinions to follow shortly thereafter. This should be interesting...

• Just so you all don't think I unconditionally and automatically adore all pre-modern horror movies, I'd like to inform you that I just had an opportunity to see The Screaming Skull (1958) over the weekend and was bored to tears. Despite the movie's 75-minute running length. It was kind of neat, though, that it uses the same Berlioz theme employed by Stanley Kubrick for the opening of The Shining.

• If you have a minute, or even if you don't, please be so kind as to check out Ocean of Storms, an online novel currently being published in blog form by two old, dear friends of mine. These boys can write just a little bit, and this tense, psychological sci-fi epic of alien invasion is the evidence. They're only on chapter three, so jump on board nice and early.

• Wanna talk about under-used movie monsters? How about the cyclops? You just don't see many good cyclops movies out there. I mean, Harryhausen really set the standard with 7th Voyage of Sinbad; but come on people, don't be so intimidated. If Kennedy could call for a man on the moon by 1969, then I can call for a cyclops on the big screen by 2019. Someone make it happen.

• I'm thinking it's high time there was a new Lon Chaney Sr. biopic. Yes, Jimmy Cagney's Man of 1,000 Faces was a good movie, but it was also largely fantasy. Horror's first megastar needs the proper big screen treatment. But who should play him?

• I'm honored to have been enlisted to provide the official banner for the Village Invasion zombie crawl happening in Saugerties, New York on October 16. I've mocked up three banner possibilities, and would like you--yes, you; stand still, laddy--to help pick which one is chosen. Jump over to the VOH Facebook page (all the cool kids are fans) and click "like" for the one you, well, like. The voting continues till Monday night at 9pm Eastern. And, oh yeah, one of the lucky voters will receive a special prize. Not that I have to bait any of you with cheap promotional tactics...

Random Ramblings from the Vault...

• So my absolute favorite TV channel, Turner Classic Movies, is set to blow the roof off this mutha in October, with a month-long tribute to Hammer Films, and a mind-blowing marathon of terror gems the entire Halloween weekend. I'll be devoting a post to it later this week, but suffice to say I'm beyond psyched.

• Speaking of Halloween, the B-Sol tradition of dressing up for the trick-or-treaters continues this year for the fifth time in a row, although I'm a bit stumped this time. I've been Superman, the Invisible Man, Indiana Jones and a zombie thus far. I'm thinking I might go vampire this year...

• The season finale of True Blood is just one week away, prolonged thanks to the Labor Day weekend. Don't want to give anything away, but I'm pretty bummed at the apparent loss of a couple of great characters. Nevertheless, I appreciate the reasons for it, from a dramatic point of view.

• Can I just say how glad I am that I not only subscribed to Time-Life's superb "Enchanted World" series of books back in the '80s, but also kept them all this time. It's an incredible series of tomes on various aspects of ancient folklore and myth, and if you should ever come across them in a garage sale somewhere, I heartily recommend snatching them up.

• Am I the only one who thinks it a damn shame that there was never an I Was a Teenage Gill Man?

• Haven't had an opportunity to catch The Last Exorcism yet, but I've been seeing some very divided reactions out there, which quite frankly are leaning toward the negative. I'm thinking I'll skip it this week and check out Machete instead.

• As a lifelong Tolkien worshiper, one of my greatest thrills in seeing Peter Jackson's superb trilogy realized on screen was having the Orcs of Middle-Earth come to life. Tolkien was never particularly descriptive as to what they actually looked like, and it was fun to witness Jackson's interpretation. Personally, I had always imagined them as looking something like the Gamorrean guards of Jabba the Hutt's palace...

• After being reminded of its greatness by a mention on Andre Dumas' blog The Horror Digest, I once again watched one of my all-time favorite films, Amadeus, and I have to say--that opening scene, in which Salieri tries to slit his own throat, might just be the goriest moment I've ever seen in a straight-up Oscar-bait type dramatic motion picture. Beautiful stuff.

• So...Clash of the Titans 2? Really? I mean, are they going to be just making up stuff and adding it to the original Perseus legend of Greek myth? Does Perseus find himself down on his luck, a washed-up, aging adventurer who must lace up the leather boots one more time to prove he can still go the distance? Hmmm...anyone know if Burt Young is available to play his slovenly brother-in-law?

• For those anxiously awaiting my opinions on Piranha 3-D--I know you're out there somewhere--just a little heads up. I wrote a review of the film for the blog Babbling About Books...And More, to which I've contributed in the past. From what I understand, the review should be posted some time tomorrow, so keep a look out for it!

Random Ramblings from the Vault...

• I'll freely admit that True Blood was losing me a bit this season. Yeah, I know I say that every season. But ever since the Russell Edgington storyline really picked up steam, I have been back on board in a big way. Great character, and great performance by Denis O'Hare.

• Did you ever notice that nearly all classic animated shorts in the old days, particularly those involving animals, are obsessed with characters who keep trying to eat other characters? Pretty damn terrifying if you really think about it. Well, not really. But kind of bizarre, no?

• So The Last Exorcism captured the number-one spot at the box office over the weekend, huh? Very interesting. OK, I'll definitely be checking this out at some point during the week...

• While on the subject of things that creep me out, I don't think I've ever gotten too far into it, but I'm thoroughly fascinated by very old graveyards, and will stop and have a look almost every time I pass one. Something beautiful about the ornate stones, and melancholy about how utterly forgotten everyone is who's buried there. For those interested, the most captivating one I've come across is a sprawling 19th century cemetery in Manchester, New Hampshire, right across the street from the Verizon Wireless Arena.

• Whenever I watch Taxi Driver, and get to the part where DeNiro drives past the movie theater showing The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I always wish that he had taken Cybill Shepherd to see that, rather than that lame Swedish porn flick...

• So apparently James Cameron (you know, director of Piranha 2: The Spawning) is trashing Piranha 3-D for "cheapening" the 3-D medium. Yes, because there's nothing that screams "refined cinematic taste" like a 3-D movie. Or a James Cameron movie, for that matter. Can we cut the bullshit already, please? The sooner we can all admit that the 3-D "renaissance" is nothing more than a cynical racket to relieve you of more of your movie-going dollars, the better.

• John Cusack playing Edgar Allan Poe? Can't say I saw that one coming. What's next, will Jon Cryer be portraying Bram Stoker?

• Congrats go out to the delightful Jovanka Vuckovic, former editor-in-chief of Rue Morgue, for landing none other than Guillermo del Toro as executive producer for her debut short film, The Captured Bird. Also congrats on her recent birthing of one of the cutest babies I've ever seen in my life.

• Alright Twilight Zone fans, what's your favorite celebrity guest appearance? I could be all predictable and boring and say either William Shatner or Burgess Meredith, but there's something about Telly Savalas and "Talky Tina" that really stands out, too...

• I'd like to spread the word about two breathtaking film festivals happening on the same day on opposite sides of this great nation of ours. One is Horrible Imaginings: The Horror Film Festival of San Diego. The other is the Hudson Horror Show, happening in Poughkeepsie, New York. Both occur on Saturday, November 6, and there is a very real chance I shall be at the latter. More info to come on these events as we get a little closer...

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...

Random Ramblings from the Vault...

• So the big announcement has been made, that Brad Pitt will be playing the lead in the upcoming World War Z movie. I kind of thought this was a foregone conclusion when Pitt's production company optioned the novel about four years ago, but oh well...

• One announcement which was far less predictable was the news coming out of Comic Con that Guillermo "I Have 683 Movies Currently in Development" Del Toro will be getting to work on a big-screen adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's seminal novella At the Mountains of Madness, to be produced by Jim Cameron, no less. I suppose if Del Toro had to drop out of The Hobbit, this revelation makes it somewhat more palatable. The director's work on Hellboy proves to me that he has a firm handle on ol' Howard Phillips' oeuvre.

• For all those either too young or not from around my neck of the woods, you may not be aware of it, but beloved character actor James Karen, best known for his roles in Return of the Living Dead and Poltergeist, was for many years the TV pitch man for a supermarket chain here in the Northeast. So that's how I knew him as a kid, long before I saw those movies. Just thought I'd share that bit of random weirdness.

• After recently debating the eligibility of parole of Mark David Chapman, John Lennon's murderer, I've come to the conclusion that there needs to be a pilgrimage to the famous Dakota Hotel on Manhattan's Upper West Side. And not because it was where Lennon lived--no, there's been quite enough of that. We need to organize a pilgrimage of horror fans, because of the other reason the Dakota is famous--it's where Rosemary's Baby was filmed! So who's with me?

• Was I the only kid who used to get scared of that giant walking pile of orange hair in sneakers from the Warner Bros. cartoons?

• I really do feel that the new season of True Blood has been getting better with each episode, which is a good thing. But someone explain to me why we need to have this protracted storyline about Sam and the dog fights? This kind of superfluous storytelling, used to fill time and keep characters busy, is one of the pitfalls of episodic drama. If it ain't vampire-related and doesn't tie into Bill or Sookie in some way, I don't need it.

• Eight-year-old Zombelina has been begging me to let her watch Jaws as of late, and I must say, I've been hesitant. Seems all the kids at camp have seen it (damn that's a rather hip bunch of fourth-graders, is it not?) and she yearns to join the conversation. But I'm not totally sure she can handle it. The usual parental tactics are not working--I may need to teach this lesson the hard way. Will report back.

• Some may remember quite a while back, I reviewed a documentary on the history of horror films called Nightmares in Red, White and Blue, from director Joe Maddrey. Well, I'm proud to say that after some time struggling for distribution, the doc is currently available on a number of on-demand platforms, and will also be available on DVD starting September 28. For more info, go to the movie website. Can't recommend this Ken Burns-like look at the genre strongly enough.

• If you'd like to be the proud owner of a poster from AMC's upcoming Walking Dead TV series (and who wouldn't, really?) then I advise you proceed to The Spooky Brew, where Maweanne, fresh from San Diego Comic Con, is giving one away! Yay, contests!

• Long-time Friend of the Vault Christopher Zenga will be making his art available to buyers at the Toronto 2010 FanExpo, from August 27-29. It's a great opportunity to buy prints, or even have a custom zombie portrait done. Check out Chris' stuff right here.

Random Ramblings from the Vault...

• I'm loving the newly unveiled sneak peeks at the zombies in AMC's upcoming The Walking Dead TV series. They really got the Tony Moore look down.

• My local retro movie theater has announced this summer's lineup of cult classics, which will include Lucio Fulci's The Gates of Hell. The Gates of Hell, on the big screen? To quote my long-time, close, personal buddy Stone Cold Steve Austin, oh hell yeah.

• My recent growing obsession with 1970s Marvel horror comics continues. One very underrated artist whose work I'm really coming to appreciate is Mike Ploog, who worked on Savage Sword of Conan and my beloved Man-Thing, among other projects. He also did design work for the Heavy Metal movie! Cool stuff.

• As cool as the whole "stitched-up eyeball" look is in Corman's Frankenstein Unbound, it doesn't seem like the smartest thing to do when constructing one's own reanimated corpse. I mean, there had to have been some intact eyeballs somewhere...

• All these years later, I'm still not sure there's anything creepier than the original Dr. Who opening, glimpsed amidst the static of public television on UHF...

• I was pleased to get some fascinating feedback on my recent post "The Subversion of Catholicism in Italian Zombie Cinema" from none other than fellow LoTTD-er John W. Morehead, whose blog Theofantastique analyzes horror from a religious perspective (and quite well, I might add.) Please check out his take when you have a chance.

• Started reading Valley of the Dead this week, a brand new zombie novel from another fellow LoTTD-er, Kim Paffenroth (of Gospel of the Living Dead fame.) The book postulates that Dante's harrowing vision of The Inferno was actually inspired by a "real-life" undead outbreak he witnessed while exiled from Florence. Fascinating thus far. Full review to come.

• Memo to Chris Nolan: How about some Egghead in the next Batman flick? Yeah, I know that kind of tosses the whole grim, post-modern thing out the window, but hey, the third movie is when a superhero franchise goes down the crapper anyway, so just go with it! I nominate Bill Hader for the role (he already does a passable Vincent Price!)

• The Lucky 13 continues to plug along, spotlighting a different sub-genre each week. We just got through with demonic horror, and I must reiterate how amazed I was that no one, either here or at Brutal As Hell, chose The Exorcist or The Evil Dead! I didn't either, but still shocking that no one did. Maybe people are lumping ED in with zombie flicks, we'll see...

• As you can probably tell from the title of the blog, I'm a big EC Comics fan. I was also recently made aware of EC Film, Radio & Television Ltd., the company which officially holds the rights to all EC properties with regard to development into media projects, in conjunction with the estate of William M. Gaines. You can check them out on Facebook right here, to stay on top of any and all upcoming EC-related projects.

Random Ramblings from the Vault...

• I recently had the pleasure of picking up Marvel's Essential Man-Thing Vol. 1, and have been reminded of how deeply I love this character. And what an incredible array of writers and artists that worked on him in the '70s--Howard Chaykin, Mike Ploog, Len Wein, Neal Adams, Roy Thomas, John Buscema. Hate me if you must, but I'll always prefer Manny to that other avenging swamp creature over at DC...

• I know this has nothing to do with horror, but while I'm on the subject of comics, I'd like to point out that I think Yul Brynner would've made one hell of a Sub-Mariner. If only someone had had the foresight to do a Namor movie 50 years ago...

• This whole werewolf teenager phenomenon really has me freaked out. Seems to have started in the area of San Antonio, Texas, with Twilight-inspired kids dressing up as some kind of lupine goths. Just another reinforcement of how most contemporary suburban teens would really have gotten the crap kicked out of them if they grew up in my old neighborhood.

• I've also been enjoying the Beware the Moon documentary on the recent special edition DVD release of An American Werewolf in London. I can totally understand why it won a Rondo Hatton Award for Best DVD Extra.

• For my money, there aren't many scenes in all of literature more terrifying than Sam battling Shelob in Tolkien's The Two Towers. Stephen King was certainly right about that one.

• This week has seen Nick Frost tweet my Human Centipede vs. Very Hungry Caterpillar post, and Camille Keaton write on my Facebook wall. I don't think "surreal" quite covers it.

• Looking for a new cheesy '80s horror guilty pleasure? Check out Terrorvision forthwith. Been a favorite of mine ever since it first came out. ET meets Alien meets Saturday the 14th. And I defy you to get that theme music out of your head.

• If I ever start up my own punk rock band, I'm naming it Never Mind the Shoggoths. Just so you know.

• If you happen to be in the Boston area, you would do well to check out the Women in Horror program being put on by Friends of the Vault Mike Snoonian & Chris Hallock of All Things Horror. As part of their monthly film series at the Somerville Theater, Mike & Chris will be showcasing some talented female horror filmmakers, highlighted by a screening of Elisabeth Fies' The Commune.

• I've been invited to be a contributor to the upstart horror site known as The Blood Sprayer, joining a crew of extremely talented folks. I encourage you to give the site a look-over, and be sure to check out the debut edition of my new column, Waiting for Cthulhu, in which I pay tribute to the great Vincent Price.