Tag Archives: horror movies

VHS Memories: The Classic Universal Monsters Collection to Die For!

Image April 6, 2018 Patti PaulterGeist Leave a comment

In my humble opinion, there really isn’t a horror franchise that bleeds the highest of importance to the genre quite like the classic Universal Monsters. Stories such as Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf Man have been retold countless times over the past 100 years in film, starting firstly with 1910’s silent movie Frankenstein by J. Searle Dawley. However, nobody really pulled it off quite like Universal with its surge of successful flicks that put the fear of GOD into audiences back in the golden age of film. And MCA’s 1991 release of the classic Universal Monsters VHS collection was the ultimate spooktacular event that fans had been waiting to sink their teeth into!

I’ll admit, even though I was already a huge fan of the classics, the promos for the now coveted massive ensemble of VHS monster madness was what had me begging the parental units for $14.98 a week to nab one monster movie after another. Those flying VHS tapes towards your face before the beginning of each Universal monster flick in one of the original promos is the one I remember the most, and also served to hypnotize me into really expanding this ever-growing stack of VHS Universal goodness. And the list just seemed to grow every time we snagged a new cassette!

Slick move there MCA/ Universal Home Video. Mesmerizing the shit out of me with that enthusiastic voice-over urging me to visit my local retailer to ask for the Universal Studios Classic Monster Collection in a dark and serious tone like I meant fuckin’ business. I’m also going to tell you that I totally did that too. It was absolutely worth both the giggles and awkward stares from the guy behind the Video Rental counter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G3kuVVuyzY&feature=youtu.be

Home Video Releases

Pre-Order Your Blu-Ray/DVD Copy For “My Friend Dahmer”

Image March 20, 2018 Patti PaulterGeist Leave a comment

Give the gift of roadkill in acidic mason jars this Easter with a copy of My Friend Dahmer!

For the past 20+ years, we’ve encountered several films based on the nefarious lover of refrigerated human heads, Jeffrey Dahmer. While a personal favorite of mine, The Secret Life, stands as one of my favorite flicks based on the lunatic who murdered 17 (that we know of) men and boys between 1978- 1991 before his capture, My Friend Dahmer focuses on the psychopath’s teenage years.

And it’s fantastically brilliant with just the right amount of unsettling disturbance that serves as a precursor to the lunatic’s active years of murderous insanity.

Based on the acclaimed graphic novel by Derf Backderf, its screenplay landed a spot on the coveted ‘Black List’, ranking it as one of the best-unproduced screenplays (at the time) before becoming a hit movie. With a theatrical release in 2017, My Friend Dahmer grossed over $1,300,000 in select theaters. It played extensively on the festival circuit, premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival and going on to play at LA Film Festival, Deauville Film Festival, American Film Festival. The film features an all-star cast that includes Emmy Nominee Anne Heche (Donnie Brasco), SAG Award winner Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men), Former Disney star Ross Lynch (Austin & Ally), Alex Wolff (Patriot’s Day) and Dallas Roberts (3:10 To Yuma).

SYNOPSIS per the Press Release:

Jeff Dahmer (Lynch) is an awkward teenager struggling to make it through high school with a family life in ruins. He collects roadkill, fixates on a neighborhood jogger (Kartheiser), and copes with his unstable mother (Heche) and well-intentioned father (Roberts). He begins to act out at school, and his goofball antics win over a group of band-nerds who form The Dahmer Fan Club, headed by Derf Backderf (Wolff). But this camaraderie can’t mask his growing depravity. Approaching graduation, Jeff spirals further out of control, inching ever closer to madness.

Available for visual consumption April 10th, 2018 via Blu-Ray and DVD, you can pre-order your copy now through MVD Entertainment or Amazon by clicking the link below!

My Friend Dahmer

Horror Nostalgia

Saturday Fright at the Movies: Before “Counting Cars”, Danny Koker Was Count Cool Rider

Image March 10, 2018 Patti PaulterGeist 7 Comments

If you’re a die-hard reality TV junkie, chances are you may have heard of Danny Koker and his History Channel show Counting Cars; filmed right here in my hometown of ~~Satan’s butthole~~, I mean, Las Vegas. (Hey, if you’re a local, you know damn well of the seething summer heat I speak of.) Before Counting Cars gained a loyal following of car enthusiast viewers, Koker made his love of motorcycles and automobiles known very well via appearances on History’s American Restoration and Pawn Stars. Oh, and of course, dressing us a hip as shit vampire riding through the dark Vegas streets on a pimped out motorcycle.

Ahh, the glorious nostalgic days of the Count and Saturday Fright nights. It didn’t get any better than this for us Vegas locals.

I mean, LOOK AT THIS.

Yes folks, us Vegas horror-loving locals will always know Koker as Count Cool Rider. It seems fair to say that growing up, many local stations throughout the country had something similar going on with horror hosts serving up delightful movie gore during the weekend. On a nationwide basis, we had Monstervision with Sir Joe Bob Briggs. And while duh, I was a loyal viewer, Saturday Fright at the Movies with the Count was something special for us Vegas people. It was OURS. And very well responsible for allowing young horror fans here in the city of sin without cable, to enjoy some free horror flicks.

Airing on what used to be KVCW, virtual channel 33 in Vegas, Saturday Fright at the Movies had a respectable run from 1990-2001; and if I can remember correctly, aired around 10pm. With the exception of that oh-so-Elvis Vegas vampire opener vibe, the program followed the same formula as other horror-hosted movies nights. The Count would then do a little schpiel on tonight’s Saturday Night film and we’d dive right into it, with breaks in between commercials backtracking to Cool Rider with some trivia or some thoughts on tonight’s picture selection.

It seems via my search the through the interwebs, Saturday Fright at the Movies is mostly remembered for airing a lot of B-Movies. While I don’t argue because I do in fact remember a few occasions when it happened, the program also broadcasted titles like the TV version of John Carpenter’s Halloween, DOLLS, and as seen above Pumpkinhead II. Speaking of which, that would be the first time I had ever seen that version of Carpenter’s immortal classic with the added bonus scenes. At nine-years-old, it blew my damn mind that Linda had borrowed that blouse from Laurie and then bitched to Bob about how “expensive” it was when he was being a tad careless with that beer.

It’s the little things really. So while unfortunately, the days of channel 33 and Count Cool Rider are behind us, on behalf of us locals, thank you. For giving both kids like me staying up past bedtime and adults something really special that we, as we hold this genre very dear to us, can look back on and smile. Also, you should bring back the Count for maybe a weekly October event leading up to Halloween, much like AMC Fearfest. Errm, minus the 1,000 reruns of The Walking Dead.

Just throwing that out there.