Get (More) PSYCHO: Mezco Toyz Gets Mother And Marion All Dolled Up…

Mezco PSYCHO Dolls Eeek! I don’t know what’s more frightening: the fact that there are actually dolls based on Alfred Hitchcock’s seminal horror classic now available for pre-order or the the fact that there are people making some more room on their shelves for both of them with big grins on their faces. Granted, Mezco’s Living Dead Dolls line continually sells out and has legions of fans, so this set will most definitely do well with that crowd.

On the other hand, it’s a damn good thing these weren’t available as Mother’s Day gifts, as I’m trying to think who’d be the person giving one or both to their mom in a nicely wrapped-up package with an even BIGGER (and more sinister) grin on his or her mug. Not me, folks… although I can safely say that “My hobby is… stuffing things…”. Hmmm. If I ever tell you “You eat like a bird…”, you may want to start running in the opposite direction (and fast)…

Random Film of the Day*: The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms

*For the next week or so, I’m going to add a random film the great Ray Harryhausen worked on. The legendary special effects MASTER passed away on May 7, 2013 at age 92 in London and yes, the film world owes him more than they can ever repay…

B2KFFor some fans of giant monster movies, Godzilla is their gold standard, but I’m a Rhedosaurus man, myself. 1953’s The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms is a smaller-scale picture when compared to Toho’s epic genre entry and it’s also not as sprawling and dynamic as King Kong in terms of impact. On the other hand, Ray Harryhausen’s work here is superb and at a mere 80 minutes, this one goes down easy and doesn’t wear out its welcome one bit.

With its giant lizard (OK, fake, but pretty scary and really huge dinosaur) awakened from the Arctic ice by a nuclear bomb, some interesting plot twists and yes, plenty of wonderful stop-motion mayhem (and some great crowd scenes), this one’s yet another memorable classic for genre fans… Continue reading

R.I.P.D. Trailer: D.O.A., Or Will This Horror-ish Flick Cop A Feel From Fans?

Hmmmm. As soon as I saw this trailer, I thought of the great cable series from a few years back Dead Like Me having a baby with Men in Black (with a hefty amount of rewriting so the seams aren’t showing, of course). Well, that could go both ways, as in this will either be really good or really bad. Interestingly enough, I’ve been seeing some negative press about this and a few other summer flicks from overpaid analysts who seem to predict doom a wee bit too much based on some cracked crystal ball and a need to collect a paycheck. I often wonder if any of this “analysis” is paid for by competing studios who don’t mind stabbing another studio and their big-budget projects in the face with these opinions, but let’s keep out of trouble on that front (for now)…

Random Film of the Week: Spirits of the Dead

spirits of the deadI’d only heard of this horror anthology film a few years back thanks to a friend who saw the restored final third and raved about it. Of course, I never got the chance to check that, nor the rest of this film out until recently when the movie popped up on TCM and after a sluggish first segment, had me glued to the couch taking in the assorted sights and sounds.

Spirits of the Dead (or Histoires extraordinaires if you happen to be French and want an alternate title) is an offbeat selection of three Edgar Allan Poe stories that’s best known today for its incredible (and completely bizarre) final chapter directed by the great Federico Fellini that has to be seen to be believed. I’ll get to that below, but I need to bury one corpse and beat a dead horse for a bit… Continue reading

SCIENCE! Prepare To Sweat The Small Stuff With These Close-Up Images…

Mr. Water MiteYeah, I just had to do this to you just to screw with your Friday and make you marvel at the universe a tiny bit. “Click away at your peril!” Mr. Water Mite to the left says. What, you thought it was a Sandworm from DUNE or some fancy chastity belt/sex toy deal (eek!)? Well, it’s not (and VERY thankfully, in the latter example, eww). Hey, while you’re running around screaming or maybe standing on your chair screaming after you click that link, remember that it’s only a little science lesson you can pass onto those who think less of the little things they probably should check out every once in a while.

It’s also a nicely nasty collection of inspiring pictures for illustrators and wannabe game designers who need to come up with ideas for a creepy monster or three. That mosquito eye looks pretty tasty… or maybe not. Er, you may want to poke at these during the daytime, as I wouldn’t want to be you trying to sleep at night after viewing these shots…

Lumber Island Gets A Scary Little Update…

Lumber Island 1.2

Dean Forge adds some user-requested features to his chilling little indie horror game’s first chapter, so… let’s get ready to run-ble! Yep, now your amnesiac party yacht castaway can run from that creepy-ass lumberjack, who by the way, gets an AI boost of his own. You’ll also find that teddy bear a lot more useful font of info and there are some other tweaks. Still, the game has its sense of scaring the poop out of you intact, so if that’s up your alley (and er, don’t take that personally), boogie on over to Desura, Game Jolt or ModDB, grab that update and scare yourself silly (again)…

Hatchet III: If You Ducked, You Knew This One Was Coming…

Hatchet III Teaser PosterI found the first two Hatchet flicks pretty fun and funny because they’re so “old school slasher movie” that you can’t help but crack a smile at how well they work in presenting the requisite unstoppable big killer with PLENTY of victims to turn into assorted hash and that one character he’s after who won’t go down without a damn good fight. Granted, the films aren’t perfect at all, but that’s part of their charm, I say…

Speaking of charm, it looks as if the third time’s that with this upcoming sequel, Hatchet III as it’s basically a big carnival of chop with a lot of chasing thrown in for good measure. Not for the kiddies unless you want to have them sleeping under YOUR bed afterwards. That’s your Good Parenting Tip of the Week, by the way, so don’t say I’ve never done anything for you. Hmmm, perhaps I should start charging form my sage advice as some of my friends suggest? OK, fine – in the words of Lucy van Pelt, “That’ll be five cents, please!”

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: One More Thing…

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And there he goes once more, FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!), chasing after another lead in his Red Seeds Killer investigation. It’s been a fun month covering the man and his actions, but I’m beat from all that stumbling through bushes and smacking into trees like a nut. Well, I did get some pretty good posts out of all this and I think I’ve set a record or something for writing so much about one game for so long. Or maybe not. Whatever, I finally get to sit home where it’s nice and murderer free and play a decent game that’s… going to remind me of stumbling through bushes and smacking into trees. Oh well – it’s MUCH safer at home than in Greenvale at night (or at certain parts of the day)…

DPDC PS3 US EFS 2D Real Are YOU one of the legions of people now immersed in Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut? Available NOW at a game retailer near you, this PS3 exclusive from Rising Star Games features upscaled HD visuals, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support, additional DLC and over 100 changes from the original version. It’s also a fairly long and very bizarre game worth checking out, particularly if you’re a more open-minded gamer looking for something truly and uniquely terrifying and hilarious, often within a few seconds of either mood. Grab a copy, grab a friend, have a seat and enjoy your trip!

swery_birthday to youWorld renowned Game Director Swery 65 is back at the celebrating thing once more down at the Swery 65 Bar, but he’s actually been SO busy on facebook and other places online that his coffee keeps getting cold! I think he also likes Iced coffee, but I’d bet he prefers to have that when it’s hot out as opposed to being so tied up that a fresh cuppa Joe goes cold as he’s typing all those updates. Let the man drink his beverage, people, I say!  You all have a game you need to play (or BUY and play), so get to it already!

Random Indie Game of the Week Review: Lumber Island

 

Lumber IslandDean Forge Studios’ methodically-paced, unsettling horror game Lumber Island is one of those well made indie games that’s great and effectively creepy as it puts you through its paces, but it’s hard to see it not being so as soon as you fire it up.

The first moments where the game credits play out (as if you’re watching a film) as your character makes his way slooowly up a dark pathway on the island he drifts to in that small boat set an appropriately chilling mood, so play this at night for best results.  As you cautiously make your way around with that flashlight you’re fortunately equipped with, the beautiful Unity engine visuals pull you in even further to the madness about to ensue…
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Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: Not A Clue…

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I actually had to get out of Greenvale after over a month there doing daily posts about FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!) and the big case he was handling out that way. I would have stayed a day or two longer, but I got an urgent message that some important package I was expecting had finally arrived. I left a note for York and another for Emily just in case she turns up at some point. Thankfully, I didn’t have to deal with George’s cranky nonsense on the way out of town, as he turned out to be quite a jerk when all is said and done. I actually have NO clue how far York has gotten into solving his case, but he seems too be a really thorough investigator who seems to have two brains at times (well, that’s what I kept hearing around the A&G Diner and Swery 65 Bar when I asked around about him) and he’s also got a pretty decent amount of knowledge about some good and not so good movies (most of which I’ve seen)… Well, hopefully York will drop me a note when he’s got the time. It would be cool to have an FBI agent as a friend for a few reasons (but you probably don’t need to know why, correct?)…

dptdc_dafI’d say that based on that screenshot above, in a few seconds York will see that Emily is not that shadow that’s going to turn around and attack him. Of course, if your were playing Rising Star Games’ PS3 exclusive Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, which should be in stores as you’re reading this. Well, the “official” release date is April 30th, but I’ve heard a few people talking about playing the game already thanks to getting their hands on the game thanks to a favorite game store selling them a copy a day or so early. Hopefully, the reworked HD visuals, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support, over 100 changes to the original game and MORE will keep you and the York you’re playing fixated on getting to the bottom of this case in record time. Yes, that’s my copy in that photo to the left and above. I got home not too long ago and *ding!*, there it was, waiting for me on the table by the door. Nice! Now I can help York get that damn killer!

swery4Hmmm… I think Game director Swery 65 is going to be in Greenvale for a day or so longer, as he’s tying up a few loose ends of his own. People have been bugging him day and night with compliments, questions, comments and even a few jokes about all the hard work he and his team at Access games has done, so I suppose he’s entitled to a good night’s rest before his long plane trip back to Japan. You’d think the guy would prefer to live in the town he helped create and run, but there are just too many things back home you can’t get out in the middle of nowhere…