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Check Out Footage from Sunday's True Blood Finale NOW!

HBO's vampire drama True Blood has been building all season to a fever pitch, and even managed to reel me back in after apathy had begun to set in during some of the earlier episodes. And now, the premium cable network has made some brief video clips available which give some hints as to what we might expect this coming weekend, when the last episode of Season 3 airs.

First, we get some indication that there may be more to that whole fairies/aliens comparison than we originally suspected. Then, we've got a soap-operatastic scene between Tara and Sam, in which Mr. Merlotte seems to be on the verge of revealing a very important detail about himself. And finally, Hoyt's momma continues her overbearing ways, made even worse upon the discovery of a big ol' vampire hickey on her baby boy's neck. Check it all out below, True Blood-hounds...

Turner Classic Movies Will Blow Your Mind in October: Get Ready for a Month-Long Horrorgasm

As one who recognizes that pop culture actually existed prior to 1970 (hell, it's probably been declining ever since), I've adored Turner Classic Movies since I got my very first cable box. It's easily my favorite television channel, and I'm also a proud subscriber of Now Playing, the network's official monthly programming guide (and a steal at $12 per year).

So anyway, I got the October issue in the mail the other day, with the earnest visage of Fredric March blazoned upon the cover, when what do my eyes notice in the lower left-hand corner... "Also This Month: Hammer Horror". But of course, thought I--finally TCM is doing something special for Halloween, filling in for the once-outstanding AMC, which dropped the MonsterVision ball a long time ago. After all, if anybody could deliver for Halloween, it would be Turner Classic Movies.

And I'm proud to report that not only was I right, but I couldn't have possibly anticipated just how right I would be. TCM is ready to bring the noise next month, people. Allow me to elucidate. You'd better sit down...

First, we'll start with the Hammer extravaganza. Turner plans on showing a total of 20 Hammer classic throughout the month, with four-movie blocks each Friday:

October 1
Horror of Dracula
Brides of Dracula
Dracula, Prince of Darkness
Dracula Has Risen for the Grave

October 8
The Plague of the Zombies
The Devil's Bride
The Reptile
The Gorgon

October 15
The Mummy
The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb
The Mummy's Shroud
Blood from the Mummy's Tomb

October 22
X: The Unknown
Five Million Years to Earth
These Are the Damned
The Stranglers of Bombay

October 29
The Curse of Frankenstein
Revenge of Frankenstein
Frankenstein Created Woman
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed!

OK, still breathing? Well good, because I didn't even really get to what they have planned for the entire Halloween weekend itself. For the entire three-day period from Friday, October 29 through Sunday, October 31, they're pulling out all the stops. It'll be non-stop horror classics as only a channel like has the grapefruits to showcase. In addition to the Hammer Frankenstein flicks showing on the Friday, the weekend will feature the likes of:

• The Mystery of the Wax Museum (later remade as House of Wax)
• Isle of the Dead (Val Lewton's amazing Karloff vehicle)
• The Corpse Vanishes (underrated Lugosi Monogram flick)
• White Zombie (the first zombie movie!)
• Curse of the Demon (sublime British devil-worshiping gem)
• 13 Ghosts (seminal William Castle original)
• The Tingler (more Castle goodness--this time with Vincent Price!)
• Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (every gay man's favorite horror film)
• Cat People (Lewton psycho-sexual thriller)
• Freaks (future cult classic that wrecked Tod Browning's career)
• The Terror (Karloff meets Jack Nicholson!)
• The Raven (Corman/Poe greatness!)
• House on Haunted Hill (the best of the Castle/Price collaborations)
• The Haunting (greatest haunted house movie ever made)
• Poltergeist (a little too recent for the channel if you ask me, but I'll take it)
• The Phantom of the Opera (Lon Chaney's iconic turn)

Cool? Well, that's less than half of all the horror films being shown by Turner Classic Movies for Halloween weekend. In short, folks, October on TCM is the kind of thing for which DVR was invented. Not that I'd know, since I still tape shows on my handy Reagan-era VCR, but you get my point. This channel will be doing it right the entire month, and I encourage everyone who has it on their cable lineup and loves good horror to enjoy those 31 days of bliss. I know I'll be.

VAULTCAST: Conversations in the Dark... w/T.L. Bugg

It's that time again, when I sit down with a fellow blogger and chat up some weighty topic or another. This week on Conversations in the Dark, it's the lord and master of The Lightning Bug's Lair, and we get pretty in-depth on some of the hottest projects hitting theaters within the next 12 months. So join us as we delve into the trials and tribulations of The Wolf Man, the potential of Shutter Island, and why Let Me In is just so incredibly depressing...

Listen in below, visit the Vaultcast page, or download directly right here.

Conversations in the Dark: T.L. Bugg

thevaultofhorror's Podcast

The Vault's 2010 Horror Preview

The new year is most decidedly upon us, and it's time to take a look ahead at some of the things horror fans have to look forward to as 2010 plays out. Looks like a nice bumper crop to me. This is by no means an exhaustive listing; rather, it's more a selection of interesting movies/TV/books which I'm personally anticipating with relative intrigue. So let's get into it, fellow morbid lunatics...

MOVIES

Daybreakers - 1/9
This vampire thriller made the festival rounds last fall, and the buzz has been quite positive. With the perpetually angsty Ethan Hawke in the lead, it tells the story of a world overrun by vampires, in which both bloodsuckers and humans must find a way to survive. So basically I Am Legend with smarter vampires and more survivors?

The Wolfman - 2/12
The project everyone seems to be waiting for, including yours truly. I've been reporting on this thing literally since The Vault of Horror launched. Will it be an awesome reinvention of the Universal classic, or does the neverending stream of catastrophes associated with it indicate maximum suckage? Only one thing is certain: By contracting "Wolf Man" into one word, the character now sounds more like an accountant than a bloodthirsty monster.

Shutter Island - 2/19
I always wanted a Scorsese horror movie, and at last I'm getting one. And you can call it "thriller" all you want, Paramount marketers, but this baby is a horror movie--embrace it! Marty has proven he can do it all: gangster pictures, musicals, period films, biblical epics, and now a fright flick. If only DeNiro and Pesce could make a cameo appearance and give Leo an old-school stompdown...

A Nightmare on Elm Street - 4/30
I've said it before, and I'll say it again--count me among the interested. Not a fan of the new makeup, but Jackie Earle Haley is a very promising Freddy, and I think this one may be a lot better than most expect it to be. Although after most of Platinum Dunes' previous remakes, the bar is not particularly high.

The Descent 2 - (release TBD)
It's already been released elsewhere around the world, but we're Americans, so none of that really matters to us. Bottom line is, the highly anticipated sequel to Neil Marshall's superb film--voted here on The Vault as the finest horror flick of the past 20 years--will be coming to U.S. shores at some point in the new year.

Let Me In - (release TBD)
Sigh. I will not, repeat, NOT be going to see this sacrilege in theaters, as I do not wish to monetarily contribute to such a wrong-headed clusterf*ck of a remake. I will, however, be checking it out via other means at some point... How can you resist the perverse urge to see exactly how completely Matt Reeves and company will utterly violate the finest horror film of the 21st century?

Survival of the Dead - (release TBD)
Not sure, but I'm thinking this will be going direct-to-video--that seems to be the progression that's been going on with Romero's latter-day zombie movies. Festival responses have been somewhat mixed, but I take that with a grain of salt, since I very much enjoyed both Land of the Dead and particularly Diary of the Dead. And this looks like it may be better than both of those. So what do I know?

Other stuff worth mentioning: Legion (lookout, killer angels!!); The Crazies (Romero gets the remake treatment); Season of the Witch; Piranha 3-D (carnivorous fish flying at your face!!); Saw VII (yep.... yep.)

P.S. Check out another great 2010 movie preview over at Monster Land...

TELEVISION

The Walking Dead (airdate TBD)
AMC, the people who seem to be at the forefront of quality TV series these days, bring you the anxiously awaited series adaptation of Robert Kirkman's fan favorite zombie comic book. I lost my enthusiasm for the book long ago, but I've long hoped that someone would have the good sense to adapt it to the small screen, so I'll surely be tuning in.

Dexter, Season 5 (September)
Rita is dead. Debra is closer than ever to discovering her stepbrother's true nature. The FBI is sure to pick up on Dex's connection to the Trinity Killer. In short, life for America's favorite serial killer has gotten pretty messed up. It will be fascinating indeed to see how the guy will be able to go on, and if he will continue to indulge his "dark passenger". Plus, will he now be arguing with TWO ghosts instead of one?

True Blood, Season 3 (June)
HBO's vampire series picked up a ton of steam and a serious fan following with the second season, and a lot of people are waiting to see what will happen next. Eric will most certainly be making his play for Sookie, and speaking of the lovely Southern belle, will we find out what the deal was with that weird new power she discovered? Rumor has it we will also be getting werewolves (vamp vs. werewolf? hmmm...) and meeting the Vampire King of Mississippi.

NOVELS

The New Dead: A Zombie Anthology - 2/16
A new zombie fiction collection? Count me in. There have been some good ones in recent years, and with contributions from the likes of Joe Hill, Max Brooks and Jonathan Maberry, this one looks like a keeper.

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies: The Graphic Novel - 5/4
With the rumored TV miniseries not coming until next year, this looks to be your fix for all things Jane Austen/ghoul related in 2010.

Ancestor: A Novel by Scott Sigler - 5/4
I thoroughly enjoyed Sigler's 2008 tome Infected--he's definitely one to watch. This particular project began life as a series of audio podcasts sold online last year to an extremely positive reaction. This is the first time it's appearing in printed form.

Under the Dome by Stephen King - 9/13
The master of horror fiction's latest novel, first published last November, comes to paperback. I've had a love/hate relationship with the nation's most famous Red Sox fan since Four Past Midnight, but the author's return to supernatural horror does sound reasonably compelling.

Other stuff worth mentioning: Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton (those Anita Blake novels do seem to have a significant following...); Horns by Joe Hill; Abe Sapien: The Drowning by Mike Mignola; The Ghoul by Steve Niles & Bernie Wrightson (classic Swamp Thing artist, kick-ass!); Frankenstein: Lost Souls by Dean Koontz (the latest in Koontz' own take on the classic character)

Stuff I'm Excited to See in What's Left of 2009

I've said it before: This hasn't been the best year for horror. Just not that much out there, period, and out of what there is that's out there, even less worth our money. However, the second half of 2009 seems to be looking a bit better than the first half, and not just because I just had the pleasure of seeing Orphan (review to come). Tonight I'd like to shine the spotlight on four horror films I'm very excited to check out before the end of the year...

District 9
August 14
This one's much more science fiction than horror, but it definitely looks like it will deliver up a scare or two. The buzz is extremely positive, and the concept is intriguing. Sort of strikes me as "Alien Nation meets Predator", if you'll allow me to sound like a jerk-off studio windbag for just a second. On the heels of Moon, another very original sci-fi/horror, this flick gives me home that cinematic sci-fi has a bright future.

Grace
August 14
Vault contributor Wes Cavins recently submitted a review after attending a sneak preview, which was very positive. I've heard audiences have been pretty shocked by this one, which is always a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. And although the plot--about a mother who must feed her baby human blood--bears a passing resemblance to Little Shop of Horrors as BJ-C has pointed out half-jokingly, I still have a feeling this is going to be something worth checking out.

Zombieland
October 9
Just when you thought the zombie movie wave was finally over, along comes this one. And I don't know about you, but after checking out the trailer, I'm MORE than willing to give it a chance. This is definitely the most mainstream zombie film we've seen in years, and a nice prelude to the upcoming World War Z. Large-scale zombie comedy about a post-apocalypse, in which Woody Harrelson is a bad-ass ghoul-hunter? Count me the eff in.

Antichrist
October 23
Loopy director Lars von Trier caused quite a stir at Cannes when he ridiculed members of the press for condemning his film on account of supposedly objectionable content. If that sentence doesn't make you want to see it, then we are two very different people. In all seriousness though, this tale of a troubled couple confronting the powers of Satan on a retreat in the woods has "WIN" written all over it. Plus, it stars Willem Defoe, who I once bumped into checking out the nudey mags in Tower Books in NYC. Not that that's relevant, just puttin' it out there...

VAULT VLOG: Summer Movie Preview!

2009: The Year in Horror, Part 2

OK, I finally had the opportunity to sit down and put together the second and final part of the VoH's hotly anticipated 2009 horror preview. This time out, I'm taking a look mainly at those upcoming projects that do not yet have a hard and fast release date attached to them. Let's take a look:

...Of the Dead: For the sixth installment of George Romero's 40-year cinematic obsession with zombies, the lauded director decided give up even trying to come up with a clever name. I guess "Brunch of the Dead" just didn't cut it. Although his last two chapters have been met with mixed reactions from fans, I won't be missing this. Most likely direct-to-DVD.

Resident Evil 5: This is the video game series, not the movie series. Fans have been waiting on this one all through 2007, but it looks like it will finally reach U.S. shores this year. Right now, it's slated for 3/13.

Bloodrayne 3: Against all semblance of rational thinking, the infamous Uwe Boll plans to excrete this one upon the masses via a DVD release.

The dreaded Val Lewton remakes: A while back, RKO horrified legions of fans by announcing it had licensed the rights to remake its classic collection of Val Lewton-produced films from the 1940s. I'm talking Bedlam, The Body Snatcher, Isle of the Dead and I Walked with a Zombie. Possibly others.

Children of the Corn: A TV remake this time. Sounds like a Sci-Fi Original if ever there was one.

Dead of Night: Brandon "Superman" Routh plays monster hunter Dylan Dog, from the same Italian comic book series that inspired 1994's Cemetery Man.

Frankenweenie: A full 25 years later, Tim Burton returns to his first live action film, remaking it as a feature-length film. Expect this irresistible tale of a little boy who reanimates his dearly departed dog next December.

Giallo: Dario Argento returns to English-language film-making with this serial killer flick starring his daughter Asia and Oscar-winner Adrien Brody.

The Host 2: Even as talk of an American remake to the Korean original continues (I thought that was Cloverfield), a sequel to the giant monster favorite is in the works.

Hatchet 2: Color me completely apathetic, but for those who appreciated Adam Green's 2006 tribute to bad slasher flicks, it appears there's more to come.

I Spit on Your Grave: This time the remake mongers have gone too far. Mighty Jove, hurl thy thunderbolts upon the offenders!

Last House on the Left: In an effort to keep an open mind, I'm willing to entertain the notion that this might be good. The early trailer has generated some positive buzz, and I've loved Garret Dillahunt since his brilliant work on Deadwood.

Saw: The Game: Another long-awaited video game, this one hits on Halloween, just in time for the sixth installment in the movie series.

Scanners: For the first time, the remake train reaches Cronenberg's body of work (unless you count the Dead Zone TV series).

Stigmata 2: Winner of the "Sequel Absolutely No One Was Asking For" award.

The Tingler: I can only hope that this remake of the William Castle chiller also brings back the electric buzzers in the theater seats.

Wrong Turn 3: The 21st century take on the whole "backwoods cannibal psychos" subgenre continues, once again on DVD.

[REC] 2: In brazen defiance of the instant American remake that was churned out last year, Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza return for the sequel to their amazing Spanish-language original. Already wrapped, expect this one sooner rather than later.

Well, that's it for my little peek into the next 12 months. Definitely too many sequels and remakes than I care to see, but what else is new? On the bright side, we have projects from Romero, Argento, Balaguero & Plaza and Burton to look forward to.

Check here for Part 1 of my 2009 preview.

2009: The Year in Horror, Part 1

It's that time of year again, when the VoH takes a look into the proverbial crystal ball to see what the brand new year has in store for us fans of the gothic and macabre. I'm breaking up my preview into two parts. Tonight, I'm focusing on those projects which already have a set release date.

1/9
The Unborn: This comes to us from writer/director David S. Goyer. He gave us the new Batman flicks, the Blade movies and the underrated cult classic Dark City. He also gave us Kickboxer 2 and that Nicky Fury TV movie with David Hasselhoff.

1/16
My Bloody Valentine 3-D: Had enough of the endless horror remakes? OK, well here's another one, except... it's in 3-D! Rock on!

1/20
Boogeyman 3: Direct to video, as it should be. Wait... there was a Boogeyman 2?

1/23
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans: This medieval prequel charts the origins of the ages-old feud between the vampires and werewolves. Translation: No Kate Beckinsale.

2/6
Coraline: Cool dads everywhere will be taking their kids to see this long-awaited stop-motion animated film from Neil Gaiman and Henry "Nightmare Before X-Mas" Selick.

2/13
Friday the 13th: The most anticipated remake of them all. 'Nuff said.

2/17
Dead Like Me: Life After Death: All those who felt crushed when the criminally under-recognized Showtime series got yanked will finally get a shot at some closure with this direct-to-video production.

3/20
Lesbian Vampire Killers: Much like Smuckers, with a name like that, it has to be good.

3/24
The Grudge 3: At long last, the direct-to-video trigger is pulled on the Grudge franchise. This time Shawnee Smith of Saw fame stars.

3/27
Monsters vs. Aliens: I'll admit that this looks like a gem of an animated comedy, and it's got Stephen Colbert as the voice of the President. But I'm given pause that it's brought to us by the directors of Shrek 2 and Shark Tale.

5/15
The Descent: Part 2: I wasn't aware of this one, but given the tremendous popularity of the original, there's sure to be a lot of interest here.

5/29
Drag Me to Hell: Sam Raimi's triumphant return to the horror genre. Think of it as a breather before he rolls up his sleeves and tries to save the Spider-Man series.

8/21
Final Destination: Death Trip 3-D: In the time-honored tradition of Jaws, Friday the 13th and The Amityville Horror, the FD series makes that ultimate horror desperation move. It was supposed to happen more appropriately with the third one, but this time they finally made it happen.

8/28
Halloween 2: Rob Zombie's sequel to his 2007 remake is on the fast track as we speak.

9/18
Jennifer's Body: Diablo Cody, she of the pretentiously affected Juno, penned this horror comedy, in which Megan Fox will not appear topless.

9/25
The Crazies: Apparently this is the one remake that has no one upset, since George Romero's original has so many detractors.

10/16
The Stepfather: Christopher Meloni of HBO's Oz fame picks up the mantle of the heavy in this remake, while his new wife will be played by Sela Ward, who happens to be married to the guy who played Bub in Day of the Dead.

10/23
Saw VI: Yep.

11/6
The Wolf Man: Here's my personal most-anticipated flick of 2009. Can't wait to hopefully witness Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins do Lon Chaney and Claude Rains proud.

11/20
New Moon: The first of the three inevitable sequels to Twilight. If you're already a fan, rejoice. If not, brace yourself.

The Vault Takes You Inside Tribeca

It's my pleasure to announce that The Vault of Horror will be providing behind-the-scenes coverage on the horror films being screened this year at New York's prestigious Tribeca Film Festival. They include:

The Cottage: The most hyped of the bunch, this horror-comedy stars Andy "Gollum" Serkis, and will be screening for the first time outside its native UK.

Dying Breed: An Australian thriller making its world premiere at Tribeca.

From Within: Also making its world premiere, this supernatural tale stars Thomas Dekker of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Rumer Willis (Bruce & Demi's baby girl).

Killer Movie: A biting satire about murderous havoc unleashed on the set of a reality series, directed by Jeff Fisher and inspired, no doubt, by his experiences working on The Simple Life.

Sick Nurses: a.k.a. Suay Laak Sai, this Thai splatterfest export is already causing a buzz overseas.

The Wild Man of the Navidad: Based on real-life journals, this world-premiering flick focuses on a Texas town confronted by a creature inspired by urban legend.

Kirksdale: A short subject making its New York premiere, set in a 1960s Florida mental asylum.

I plan to get to as many as I can (or as many as Tribeca can provide screeners for). And who knows, there might even be a director Q&A here and there as well. And if I really keep my fingers crossed, they might even let me get my hands on Let the Right One In.

So keep your greasy eyeballs peeled for upcoming Tribeca coverage in the days/weeks to come. The Tribeca Film Festival happens from April 23 to May 4. Special thanks to their PR Department for making this possible.

2008: The Year in Horror, Part 2

Let's continue our look ahead at what the horror genre has in store for us in the new year, shall we? First, a few projects for the latter half of 2008 which already have release dates:

• September: Silent Hill 2
• 9/5: Hellraiser - New adaptation of Clive Barker's most famous work.

10/24: Saw V - Yep, you knew this was coming.

10/24: Igor - Hey, if ya don't think the kiddies can handle Saw, take them to this interesting animated flick.

12/25: Silent Night, Deadly Night - Was anyone clambering for this remake?

Plus we've also got:

YET MORE REMAKES:

Creature from the Black Lagoon - After two decades of development hell, the Gill Man finally re-emerges.
Creepshow - I'm assuming this will be an anthology featuring all-new stories.
The Fly - Yes, a remake of a remake. A new low.
Near Dark - Can you believe the original is actually a lost film? Apparently it only exists on video.
Piranha
Scanners
Spider Baby - Sixties cult classic gets an "update".
The Stepfather
Suspiria - And the winner for Sacrilege of the Year...

VIDEO GAMES:
Ghostbusters 3 - Two years after Viggo, the boys in gray duke it out with more pesky poltergeists.


Saw - Hey kids, see who could torture more victims! I'm surprised it took this long...



PLUS:
Howl - Interesting werewolf comedy starring Eric Stoltz.
Repo! The Genetic Opera - This "horror musical" easily wins Bizarro Project of the Year.

And there you have it, people. If you know of anything major that I missed, feel free to mention it!

2008: The Year in Horror, Part 1

A Happy New Year to one and all. As promised, in honor of the start of 2008, I'm taking a look ahead at some of the projects that we as horror fans can expect in the next 12 months. I'll do half today, and the next half tomorrow.
First off, here are some that have already been given an official release date:

• 1/18: Cloverfield - The giant monster flick that's got the whole web buzzing.
• 2/8: The Poughkeepsie Tapes - Blair-Witch style serial killer flick.
• 2/15: Diary of the Dead - Romero's fifth zombie movie. Can't wait!
• 4/1: April Fool's Day - Another one for the remake pile.
• 4/8: Day of the Dead - Straight to DVD for this supposed stinker.
• 4/11: Prom Night - See "April Fool's Day"
• 7/11: Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Any truth to the Universal monsters rumor?
• 7/25: X-Files 2

Plus we've also got:

SEQUELS:
Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever - No Eli Roth this time.

Constantine 2 - New director for this one, too.

The Eye 3 - Continuation of the original Japanese series.

Ju-On: The Grudge 3 - More J-horror sequel goodness.

House of Re-Animator - The creators of the original return, and William H. Macy stars.

The People Under the Stairs 2 - Hmmmm....

Phantasm V - Angus Scrimm fans rejoice!

Return to Sleepaway Camp - Hide your curling irons!

Scary Movie 5 - Good lord, make it stop...

FICTION ADAPTATIONS:
Edgar Allen Poe's Ligeia - Based on Poe's chilling short story.

Pet Sematary - A new take on the Stephen King stalwart.

World War Z - Max Brook's zombie tale hits the big screen with Brad Pitt.

ANIMATION:

Coraline - From the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll - Marilyn Manson to direct.

ANTHOLOGY:

George Romero Presents Deadtime Stories

PLUS:

Drag Me to Hell - Sam Raimi returns to the genre.

More to come tomorrow, so check back in--and HAPPY NEW YEAR, freaks!