Halloween 2018 Horror at Home – October’s Blu-Ray Releases

While Halloween has been underway since early September for some of us, October is the official start of the spooky season for many. One of the easiest and most fun ways to get into the right frame of mind is by sitting down with a big bowl of candy corn and your favorite adult beverage to enjoy some scary movies and TV shows!

Every Tuesday in October I’ll be running down some of the best spooooky releases coming to home media.

All release info is from the excellent Blu-ray.com. Continue reading “Halloween 2018 Horror at Home – October’s Blu-Ray Releases” →

Halloween 2018 – NECA Retro Horror Wish List

NECA’s line of 8” clothed action figures is one of my favorites right now. They’re essentially style updates of the classic Megos that were my first action figures, but with a focus on horror franchises.

They have released numerous non-horror figures from A Christmas Story, Planet of the Apes, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and more; but my focus is on the horror stuff. And Weird Al. And probably Ace Ventura.

NECA has hit the modern standards of horror with this style – Freddy, Jason, Leatherface and family, Ash, and plenty more. They even released a Herbert West recently. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Michael Myers or two sooner than later.

The figures are great and fairly easy to collect because NECA releases one every couple of months, so they aren’t overwhelming. And as much as I love the 80s horror icons, I think it’s time to look a little further back and dig a little deeper.

I’ll go ahead and say right now that the Universal Monsters won’t show up here. I love ‘em and I think NECA would do a great job, but I have plenty of those guys. I haven’t even bought Super7’s great-looking new 3.75” figures yet because I’ve already got so many Draculas, Gill-Men, etc.

But there are some characters that I think would be great in this format, and that have been underrepresented in toys in general.

I realize there’s licensing involved and that in many cases we haven’t seen much merchandise featuring the characters and properties I’m about to run down because of how complicated these things can be. But if the Batman TV show could finally be released I believe that anything is possible.

Here are a few characters I’d buy in a second if NECA produced them in this style. Continue reading “Halloween 2018 – NECA Retro Horror Wish List” →

Movie Review – 17 Thoughts About Halloween (2018)

SPOILER WARNING – THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE NEW FILM HALLOWEEN

John Carpenter’s original Halloween is one of the most esteemed and sacred horror films of all time.

The resulting franchise, though it has had its ups and downs, is a cornerstone of what we think of as modern horror. Regardless of how individuals may perceive the 1981 sequel, the unrelated Season of the Witch, the so-called “Thorn Trilogy”, the later sequels, or the Rob Zombie versions…

Damn. That was so much different stuff I forgot what my point was.

Anyway, horror fans love different parts of the franchise for different reasons and some of us can even find reasons to love all of the films (except Resurrection).

It took some balls for Danny McBride, David Gordon Green, and Jason Blum to think they could just step into this beloved horror franchise and change 37 years of history that quite frankly didn’t make a whole lot of sense, anyway. But it still took balls.

Balls, and Jamie Lee Curtis. And John Carpenter himself, who, along with his son Cody and Daniel Davies provided a powerful score.

As I’ve said many times, I don’t have any issues with the idea of sequels, reboots, remakes, or re-interpretations. I’m always a big fan of new ways of looking at things I love. Sure – sometimes it ends up badly, but I don’t think revisiting familiar concepts is inherently bad.

I’m not gonna lie – I had reservations about the progenitors of the modern day white buffoon taking the reins of this franchise. While I saw great promise in Green from Pineapple Express, it’s always a sketchy proposition to see comics moving into the genre. Just because Jordan Peele was successful doesn’t mean everyone will be.

Having said that, everything I saw about Halloween leading up to its release looked not only interesting, but tonally spot-on. When I walked into that theater with our pals Ryan Cadaver and Nicole Ghouled, it was with minimum reservations.

Did the film deliver? Read on. Continue reading “Movie Review – 17 Thoughts About Halloween (2018)” →

Needless Things Podcast 235 – Hack-O-Lantern Needless Commentary

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-fn7sf-9cbf99

Part of an ongoing series – the Needless Things Irregulars gather in the Phantom Zone to provide their own unique commentary on classic genre films!

Cashing in on the Satanic Panic of late 80s America, Hack-O-Lantern brings cults, spooky old dudes, and small town weirdness bathed in a satisfying helping of 80s cheese. When Hy Pyke (Dolemite, Blade Runner) is the marquee name, you know the Irregulars are in for a good time!

Listen in as our special guests school the Commentary team not just on the movie, but on the KISStory of the hottest band in the world!

Be sure to join the Needless Things Podcast Facebook Group and get in on the conversation for this week’s episode! Let us know what you think!

“Procrastibate” by LeSexoflex.com 

Interstitial music provided by The Mystery Men? 

You can follow Dave as Phantom Troublemaker on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the latest on pop culture!

Halloween 2018 – The Horror Movies of 1988

There are so many great things about this time of year. One of the best is the ability and excuse to sit around and watch horror movies all month long. I wish tv channels had this kind of programming all year. I do have diverse tastes, but I also can’t think of a genre that I like better. Maybe sci-fi or fantasy comes close, but it’s always been horror that tops the list. Many of my favorites came from my formative years. I’m not going to try and say that they’re all good movies. Some of them are downright bad, but I’ve never been one to let popular opinion sway me. 1988 is an excellent example of the wonderful and the awful coming together to make a crazy year of horror movies. Join me for a look back at what I think are some of the most memorable (and terrible) scary movies to come out of 1988. Continue reading “Halloween 2018 – The Horror Movies of 1988” →

Halloween 2018 Toy Review – Savage World Horror from Funko

It looks like Funko has found the next action figure format to go completely bonkers with.

Their initial launch of Mortal Kombat characters didn’t exactly excite me, but once they added Conan, Thundercats, these horror icons, and most recently a crazy assortment of DC Comics characters; I had to consider myself a fan.

I suppose these horror figures are sort of divisive. If you’re a fan of weird stuff and different takes on or mash-ups of things you love, these are great. If you’re a stuck-up sourpuss that hates fun, they probably aren’t for you. Continue reading “Halloween 2018 Toy Review – Savage World Horror from Funko” →

Halloween 2018 Horror at Home – October’s Blu-Ray Releases

While Halloween has been underway since early September for some of us, October is the official start of the spooky season for many. One of the easiest and most fun ways to get into the right frame of mind is by sitting down with a big bowl of candy corn and your favorite adult beverage to enjoy some scary movies and TV shows!

Every Tuesday in October I’ll be running down some of the best spooooky releases coming to home media.

To find out what’s coming this week, read on! Continue reading “Halloween 2018 Horror at Home – October’s Blu-Ray Releases” →