Friday Favorites: John Carradine

Here’s a name that is one of the icons of acting, not to mention in the horror genre. Sure, most remember him from all the cheesy and low-budget titles that he appeared in, especially in his later years, but he was always delivering a fine performance. I mean, think about that for a minute. He appeared in Ted V. Mikels Astro Zombies, which I happen to love, and learned all this technical dialogue for his role of the mad doctor, and gave the performance if he was doing Shakespeare.

Friday Favorites: Trilogy of Terror

As most of us know, the 26^th & 27^th of this month was the birth date of three of the biggest icons in the horror genre (though one is probably still not happy about that!). Of course, it would be Peter Cushing (born May 26, 1913), Vincent Price (born May 27^th, 1911), and Christopher Lee (born May 27^th, 1922). Whether it is because of the multiple titles from Hammer Studio, the work with AIP, or William Castle, these three actors have given us horror fans countless hours of chills, shivers, and entertainment. I couldn’t let these two days go by without posting something in honor of these iconic actors.

Friday Favorites: Jess Franco!

Two days ago would have been Jess Franco’s 91st birthday. He would had to have lived another 109 + years to be as old as how many films he directed! There were some years he averaged more than one film a month! Love him or hate him, there is no denying the man loved to make films. In fact, there is below quote from him that I think not only explains him and his work, but also a work ethic that I think many of us share in.

Friday Favorites: Paul Naschy!

While I anxiously wait for my copy of Naschy’s Howl of the Devil Blu-ray arrive from Mondo Macabro, it got me thinking. I actually can’t believe I didn’t have this one way before now! I guess now is the time! Most of you that follow me and this site know my fondness for the works of Paul Naschy, from his many times as the tormented Waldemar Daninsky to the plethora of other characters that he has played throughout his massive career. From vampires to zombies to hunchbacks to even the devil himself, Naschy is one of the few actors to have played that many monsters on screen. And it was something he was very proud of.

Friday Favorites: Underrated Sci-Fi / Horror

Yes, the Science Fiction genre has films that, while are horror, breaches into some strange themes and ideas, that could put them in what most would call the Sci-Fi sub-genre, though that is an argument for the after-hours conversations at the conventions when they start back up! But we have the mad scientists, ones that deal with time travel, biology gone wrong, and a whole mess of other things, but the intent is still to scare you. And like any sub-sub-genre, we all know that there are plenty of titles that amazes us that not more people know and talk about. And that is what we’re looking for here.

Friday Favorites: Underrated Unusual Monsters

Our series of Friday Favorites dedicated to Underrated Films continues this week with the … unusual. We’re talking monsters, but not the usual fare, like vampires or werewolves, but one where someone came up with something pretty creative, such as a half-man / half jellyfish creature in Sting of Death (1966), or the chlorophyll-blooded monster from Mad Doctor of Blood Island (1968)? But then is one that you just love but is just not getting the love that you think it deserves. Now these don’t need to be cheesy or schlocky, those were the first two that came to mind. But even something like the film Splinter (2008), which had a very unique and amazing monster in there, not to mention being a great little film. Remember though, we’re talking about UNDERRATED monsters, so as original and unique Alien might be, it definitely ain’t underrated. So dig deep here, people.

So let’s here those titles! Give us some movies to add to our watch list!

Friday Favorites: Underrated Vampire Films

We’re continuing our Friday Favorites series with underrated titles. We all know there are a ton of vampire films, and a lot of them not that great. But we also know there are plenty out there that seem to slip away into the night or disappear with the morning sunlight. Now is your chance to step forward and let us know some that we may have not have heard about.

Now I’m not going to be too picky here other than it needs to be about vampires, in some form or another. Could be a traditional one or one that is more psychological. Could be realistic or more allegorical. I’m just looking for titles that are good but don’t seem to be talked about as often as they should. One that I am always trying bring up is Larry Fessenden’s Habit (1995) that he wrote, directed, and stars in. There is a lot going on here, from maybe being just a dream, delusion, or just a traditional vampire story. But it works so well in any and all those departments. I would HIGHLY recommend this one.

So let’s hear what YOU got.

Friday Favorites: Underrated Ghost Stories

I’ve always said that I’ve always loved a really good ghost story. But unfortunately, they don’t seem to be as easy to make as one would think. But we know there are some really great titles out there, where it is not just scary, but also has a really intriguing and interesting story, or a intricate puzzle to be solved to free the disembodied spirit.

Because a lot of haunted houses are really about the ghosts that haunt them, we’ll include that in our theme this week. But it does have to be a ghost, not some evil or demonic force that resides there, but a lost soul or two.

Friday Favorites – Underrated Zombies!

Yes, Friday Favorites is back from the grave! Once again! I keep trying to make this a regular feature but life just seems to keep getting in the way. Or I’m just not planning far enough ahead! Either way, it will be back for this month at least, especially because we’re going to do something a little different for April here.

For each of the Friday Favorite themes this month, we’re going to be looking for not your Favorite per say, but one that you think is drastically underrated. Meaning you think it is a great film but not too many people seem to know about it, or it isn’t one that is usually brought up in conversations about that particular sub-genre. For example, this week’s topic is zombie movies. Now we all know there are hundreds of these living dead flicks wandering about, and we all know about Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, Fulci’s Zombie, or even Peter Jackson’s Braindead. But I know we all know a few of these titles that were really enjoyable but yet never seem to come up when this topic is discussed or examined.

Friday Favorites: GODZILLA

I’m sure everyone has either seen the trailer for the new Godzilla vs Kong movie, or at least know it is out there and have been avoiding it, either because of spoilers or you’re just not interested. So I figured it would be the perfect time to discuss some of Big G’s films. Once again, let us remember that since Godzilla has been around for over half a century, there can be many reasons why a particular time frame is your favorite. Doesn’t mean its a better film to everyone, but holds something special to you. This is where a lot of film criticism and fandom can get a bit dicey because we tend to think if some doesn’t agree with you, they just don’t get it. I know I’ve jokingly said that many times, but I’ve also said and truly believe that you can’t have a wrong opinion.