The Walking Dead Press Book (Part II)

As promised in the previous post, here's the remaining pages of the original and official press book of the 1936 film The Walking Dead. Enjoy.

The Official Walking Dead (1936) Official Press Book (Part 1)

Why hello! First off before I get to the good stuff, let me just explain my absence for any minions who care. I've been busy. And lazy. But mostly lazy. Hence the lack of posts recently. So to make up for it, here's something that you may find of interest, particularly if you're a fan of the horror genre, such as myself. Below is the entire OFFICIAL press book for The Walking Dead. Oh no, I'm not talking about the upcoming TV show of the same title, premiering here on FX this Halloween. Instead, the film in question is none other than the 1936 zombies oldie starring the king of horror himself, Mr. Boris Karloff.

Here's an extract from Jamie Russell's incredible Book of the Dead: The Complete History of Zombie Cinema about the film:

Warner Bros. tried to blend their talent for gangster movies with the Universal horror tradition in this interesting take on the zombie. Karloff is the walking dead man of the title, who's framed by evil mobsters and sent to the electric chair before two faint-hearted eyewitnesses find the courage to tell the court that he's actually innocent. Fortunately, they know a scientist who's able to revive him... The results aren't entirely successful and Karloff ends up moping around, playing the piano and killing the men who fitted him up like some lumbering angel of vengeance. According to movie legend, Karloff's casting was a fluke: "The reason I called you in was because I thought you actually were a Russian," explained director Curtiz after the event. "Your name certainly sounds Russian! When you came in you seemed so anxious to get the job that I decided to let you have it!"

So, without further ado here is the official press book for The Walking Dead. And for those unfamiliar with press books, they're basically a way for the film studio to sell their film in a particular way by sending a booklet (now often a CD/DVD) full of posters, lobby cards, interviews, stunts and gimmicks to sell the film and so on. Pretty fascinating really.

Oh, also, I'll be posting a lot more of these in the future - titles including press books for The Man They Could Not Hang, Dracula and Frankenstein!


P.S. For some stupid reason the pictures have appeared in the wrong order (the first picture being the last page). So to read it in order start at the bottom of the post. The rest of the Press Book will be posted up shortly.

Frightfest Review 3: The Dead

As you may have guessed by now, zombies are my life. I live for the undead; kind of ironic really. So when I heard that there was only one (feature length) zombie film being shown at FrightFest this year I was, to be honest, disappointed. Wheres all the flesh-eaters?! But thankfully this one film was one of the greatest zombie films I've seen in a good while. And that film goes by the, rather appropriate, name of The Dead.

What  The Hell Is It About?
According to the FrightFest booklet;

Known in the UK as the new Ridley and Tony Scott because of their similar commercial backgrounds, the Ford Brothers now burst on the high-class scare scene as a fresh force in the horror fantasy arena. In the very near future most of the world has succumbed to a living dead virus. After crashing off the coast of Africa in a plane, Lt. Brian Murphy battles for survival across inhospitable parched terrain in search of a way to get back to his beloved family in America. Saved by local military man Sgt. Daniel Dembele, who is also searching for his son, both men join forces to fight the ever present flesh-eating threat stalking the bush. Starring West African superstar Prince David Osei and Rob Freeman from Saving Private Ryan, The Dead features stunningly shot burnished landscapes, brilliant special make-up and visual effects and terrific dust devil zombies.

 Was It Any Good?

Was it good?! What type of stupid question is that? To call this film anything short of a beautiful masterpiece would be an understatement. The entire film takes place in Africa which instantly brings to mind one thing to all zombie fans. No, not Resident Evil 5, but a return to the roots of the zombie mythos; the Haitian zombies. In fact, I would argue that the whole of this film is a step into the past of the zombie genre. Clearly influenced by the films of Lucio Fulci, particularly prevalent with the extremely slow shamble of the somnambulists. The Ford brothers themselves announced to the FrightFest audience that they are huge fans of his work along with the indisputable king of the undead, Mr. George A. Romero. The very fact that these zombies are slow is quite a breath of fresh air when compared to the zombie trend of the past few years; fast, hectic living dead. As further elaborated upon by the Ford brothers, this again was a conscious effort to build tension and suspense rather than a frantic action zombie ride. This couldn't be more truthful. Whilst it would be completely wrong to suggest that the speedy dead lack the power to scare ([Rec] being an obvious example to demonstrate this), the undead in The Dead possess a terrifyingly bleak and empty feel not seen since Zombie Flesh Eaters.

The Revenge Of Doctor X (1970)

Here's a very strange and odd little exploitation film. Complete with laugh-out-loud scenes (unintentional of course), a silly monster costume, obvious rip-offs and more guilty of more mistakes than a married couple of sex-obsessed catholics. This is one hell of a (rather bad) ride for all fans of cheesy b-movies, exploitation drive-in cinema or so-bad-it's-good films.

What the Hell is it About?
According to the DVD case:

A NASA scientist is ordered to take a vacation due to showing signs of stress while working on his latest missile project. Traveling to Japan, the scientist decides to indulge in his botany hobby and begins experimenting on a Venus Flytrap he brought along on his trip. Using radical techniques and falling into madness, the scientist eventually creates a plant creature that feeds on flesh and blood, which then sets off to find food in the form of the people of a nearby community.

Was it any good?

With a title like The Revenge Of Doctor X you can pretty much guess what your getting yourself into. But it deliver so much more...or less (depending on your taste in film). The film starts of with the credits...naturally. Only problem is, well, there the credits to the wrong film! Hello! What is this? An unseen Monty Python film?! According to the credits, this film was directed by exploitation 'legend' Eddie Romero, probably most famous for his Blood Trilogy (Brides Of Blood, Mad Doctor Of Blood Island (both 1968) and Beast Of Blood) as well as Women In Chains (1973) and The Beast Of The Yellow Night (1971; a film that almost made the DPP list).  But unfortunately, Doctor X was instead directed by the nobody Norman Thomson who has only this film to his name. In fact, the majority of this film's cast have a career which spans only one film; this one! With the exception of Doctor X (actually Dr. Bragan) himself played by James Craig who also starred in Bigfoot (1970) alongside the late great John Carradine and The Tormentors (1971); a Nazi Vs. Jesus Christ film! Besides Craig the next biggest name is possibly James Yagi who plays exactly the same character  in the Cult Classic, King Kong VS. Godzilla (1962). So, obviously this film isn't going to win any awards for its acting. And that adds to the film's enjoyability. Complete with over-the-top acting especially from Craig, who's main character seems to have serious hormonal problems - one minute everything's fine, the next he's SHOUTING HIS FACE OFF! But if any award was given (for best worst acting) it has to be to one of the side characters. A hunchback.

Yes. A hunchback.

Beans, Beans! The More You Eat The More...Chance You Have Of Finding A Dead Rat?!

Picture this. Your a cook. A cook who's...cooking. Just like normal you open up a can of Baked Beans and, to your disgust you find that the tin is also home to...carrots! Pretty shocking. Now imagine opening a can of Baked Beans and finding the rotting (yet very tomato-y) corpse of a dead rat. That could scare someone for life! The rat's body has since been removed from the can and, after an intense postmortem, it was confirmed that the rat had not enjoyed a last meal of beans. Was the rat stuffed into the can by purpose? Did the rat actually sneak into it during the tinning process? Are aliens responsible? These are just some of the horrid possibilities. Although the company responsible for this are being kept anony'mouse' (see what I did there?) by authorities, Heinz have announced that they are not 'in any way connected to this incident.'

A Zombie Western...With PUPPETS!

It's a puppet!

I've always wanted to see a zombie puppet film. Sure there's been animated zombie films such as Dead Space, the CGI Resident Evil film and the made-by-one-man City Of Rott, but there's been nothing (to my knowledge) of a gory and funny zombie film with Henson-esque puppets, similar to Meet The Feebles. Until now! It Came From The West, released a few months ago,is just that (short) film,  crammed with blood, guts, and stuffing and about as tongue in cheek as it is hand up back. Now you can check the full film out online! Just head over to this link to watch it all. Here's hoping the director, Tor Fruergaard, makes a feature length version of this!

But that's not all! I've recently come across this little fake zombie trailer done in the style of a Grindhouse/Exploitation trailer. It's great fun!

Zombies Used In Anti-Smoking Campaign

Here's a pretty interesting zombie-related story. Can zombies actually help society? Well maybe, if MTV's new plan is successful. MTV's long running show  The Real World (now in the 24th series!) have teamed up with the undead to warn viewers about the dangers of...smoking. Yeah, smoking. MTV will be screening several short anti-smoking, flesh-eating commercials during programmes. Sounds pretty lame, but just watch the below videos. Here are two of the anti-smoking adverts along with a trailer. Enjoy!




1) Warning Labels:




2) Secondhand Kill:



3) The Trailer:

Weekly Comp: Dario Argento's Inferno!

Here's your chance to win one of Italian cinema's masterpieces; Dario Argento's Inferno. Released in the UK for the first time ever UNCUT, this Blu-Ray and DVD comes complete with a detailed booklet on the film, posters, postcards, heaps of extras, 4 reversible covers and so much more! Here's some more info:

“A MASTERPIECE… PERHAPS THE MOST UNDERRATED HORROR MOVIE OF THE 1980s.” – KIM NEWMAN.

 Having already wowed horror fans with superlative releases of ‘Day Of The Dead’, ‘Martin’ and ‘City Of The Living Dead’ earlier this year, Arrow Video continues its commitment to presenting the ultimate, must-have editions of horror cinema’s greatest cult classics on DVD and Blu-ray with its forthcoming 30th Anniversary release of Dario Argento’s Inferno.

Never before available on DVD or Blu-ray in the UK, this 30th Anniversary Edition features a brand new, restored, uncut version of the film and comes complete with a host of unique and exclusive extras, many of which were specially commissioned for this release. Also included are four sleeve art options, a double-sided poster, an exclusive collector’s booklet written by Alan Jones (author of ‘Profondo Argento’) and six original poster art postcards.

Described by Argento as “a fairy tale designed for adults”, the second instalment of his ‘Three Mothers’ trilogy (and the follow up to his smash hit, ‘Suspiria’), Inferno “contains some of Argento's most hallucinatory images and unforgettable set-pieces” (The Onion AV Club) and was listed as one of the 50 Greatest Horror Movies Of All Time by Total Film.

Spider: 1 Man With Flamethrower: 0.

Here's a very strange story for all you freaks out there, regarding a spider and a total idiot! Spiders. Most people hate those eight legged freaks. But what if one of them scurries about in your bathroom. What do you do? Reach for the rolled up newspaper? Or do the 'humane' thing (whatever that means) and rescue the poor bug's life? Well, if your name is Christopher Robinson and your married to a certain Janine then there's only one thing you can do. Burn it to death! Or, more accurately, FAIL at burning it to death.

On the last Monday of August in the quiet Clacton-On-sea, the petrified Janine instructed the 28-year old Christopher to get rid of the incy wincy spider that was running wild and causing all sorts of heinous crimes (!) in their bathroom. After FAILing to flush it out with a toilet brush, Christopher decided the only logical way to get rid of the creep was to suffocate it to death. He grabbed the nearest (highly flammable) aerosol can and smufered it with the sweet smell of spray. Just his luck that the light bulb blew at that exact moment. Without a thought, Christopher grabbed his lighter to shine some light on the situation and, yep you guessed it, kaboom! A fireball burst out and threw Christopher flying out of the bathroom and smashed it's way into the loft.  Christopher received burns to his legs, arms and face and a certificate for being an utter plonker.

The firemen supplied the punchline; "‘We’re not entirely sure whether the spider got away or not – but there was no sign of it.’"

For more info here's an article from The Mirror

The Wrong Stuff: Internet 'Video Nasties'

Yesterday morning, I watched a programme on TV that actually made me quite concerned and worried. No, it wasn't a re-run of The X Factor, Don't Stop Believing or other such garbage, but a segment on a talk show known as The Wright Stuff on channel Five. Matthew Wright and his panel of three celebrities were discussing the topic "Are you a sicko if you watch video nasties on YouTube?" Being a huge fan of horror and intrigued by censorship, this instantly caught my attention, so I sat and watched. It provided one of the most interesting 15 or so minutes I've seen on TV for a long while (which isn't saying that much!).


It was pretty obvious what position the panel would take on this subject, and I'm by no means condemning them for taking this view. It's their opinion, and everyone should be entitled to their opinions.They clearly couldn't understand why people would watch such videos, including, as they mentioned, executions such as beheadings and hangings to chucking puppies into a river. One person even expressed there puzzlement and fear of these people by calling viewers of these videos sociopaths. Now, something strange struck me here as I got a whiff of hypocrisy. 'Whiff' may be the wrong word, since the hypocrisy shown here was about as subtle as getting your head stuck up an elephants backside. For they actually showed two of the films that they were discussing and deemed as a 'nasty'! Bare in mind that this is around 10 o'clock in the morning. Sure one could argue that these two videos (one in which a woman throws a cat into a bin and one in which someone throws a couple of puppies into a river) are not particularly violent or gruesome (compared to the executions), but that's beside the point since The Wright Stuff panel discussed them alongside the more 'hardcore' Internet videos. My main argument here is that unlike videos on the Internet in which viewers chose to search for them and watch them, these two videos were shown on national television without any warning whatsoever.


So far you may be thinking that I'm condemning these videos and taking a similar view to The Wright Stuff guys, but that couldn't be more wrong. I strongly believe that adults should be allowed to watch anything they wish. In my opinion, NOTHING should be banned or censored. However there is a very clear difference between someone finding a 'nasty' video and someone unexpectedly watching one without warning. It was almost a way of shocking the audience into being disgusted by the videos and therefore would provide them with a position on this argument - one that is against these films.

Walking Dead Apocalypse Music Video

The day till The Walking Dead hits our TV screens is getting closer and closer. So what better way to celebrate than with an awesome music video?!

Frightfest 2010 Review 2: F

Next up on this marathon of new and upcoming horror films was another British horror film called F. Stupid title, I know. Before the film started, the director Johannes Roberts introduced it by comparing it to the excellent Assault On Precinct 13 (John Carpenter, 1976) and described it as an old-school horror film. What can I say; I was excited to say the least. But did the film actually live up to this hype?

What the Hell is it about?
Again, according to the official Frightfest booklet;

Welcome to the Class of 2010. The college day ends, the school building becomes a vast complex of dark corridors, eerily quiet classrooms, empty save for a few staff and children. What none of the remaining teachers and pupils realize is tonight is going to be a night they will remember for the rest of their lives. Viciously attacked by a pupil in the past English teacher Robert Anderson was devastated when the governing board refused to back his lawsuit to avoid bad publicity and scandal. Now a burned-out, world-weary alcoholic tyring to reconnect with his daughter, Anderson must finally face his most terrifying demons. For the school comes under relentless attack from a faceless thread intent on causing maximum mayhem. Alone Anderson must battle brutal bloodthirsty killers, and his deepest fears, in a desperate battle for the survival of those he holds most dear. Will lessons be learned?

Was it any good?

 As can be seen in the above semi-synopsis, F has a much bigger focus on character than the previous piece of garbage, Isle Of Dogs. The characters are all believable and have their own flaws, fears, goals and problems. In essence the characters in this film, or at least the main characters, are multi-dimensional resulting in the audience actually giving a damn about them. It's no surprise that the most well-developed character is the star of the film, Robert Anderson, played by David Schofield who's career has included appearing in the 2010 Wolfman remake, Pirates Of The Caribbean 2 & 3 and even the horror classic An American Werewolf In London.  Schofield plays his character in such a way that the audience empathises with his character who truly is a victim of circumstance - even though he constantly does the right thing nothing seems to go right for him. Instantly, I noticed parallels between the fantastic and highly underrated cult film Class Of 1984. Sadly though, whilst this film clearly benefits from having such a great character, it also hinders the film's enjoyability since it felt as though the entire film was building up to something slowly and, in the end, never really delivering it's promise or, more accurately, it's potential.

Win [REC]2 Merchandise.

Fancy getting your hands on a [REC] 2 poster? Or perhaps a [REC]2 mug? How about a mousemat or better still a DVD/BluRay or this film? Then head over to the REC Movies UK Facebook page and enter the weekly comps!

Frightfest 2010 Review 1: Isle Of Dogs

For those who don't know, Frightfest is a huge horror film festival in London which shows off the latest horror films resulting in the majority of the screenings being world premiers, or at least UK premiers. So, the next few posts will be reviews of all the films I saw and whether you should, in my opinion, both checking them out when they (if they) receive a wider release.

The first film I actually saw there this year was Tobe Hooper's original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre from 1974. There's no point reviewing that as everyone knows that it is a masterpiece of horror cinema and to see it on the biggest screen in England was nothing short of spectacular. It was followed by a long Q & A with Hooper, discussing this film in particular but also his occasionally successful career.If you would like to see this, check it out on YouTube here. That video has clearly been edited, Mr. Hooper looked very awkward, nervous and shy on stage. Oh and did I mention I also got an original pre-cert VHS of this film signed by the man himself? No? Well I did. Awesome or what?!

Anyways, let's get to the review of the World Premier of Isle Of Dogs. Directed by Tammi Sutton who's directorial credits include a killer clown film that often appears in the Poundshop (!) Killjoy 2: Deliverance From Evil (2002) and Sutures (2009) a film I had not even heard of before I wasn't too sure about this film. But I went along anyway.

What the hell is it about?
Well according to the FrightFest booklet;

It's a dog eat dog world. So take a deeper plunge into the darker side of human behaviour with an intense portrayal of sex, murder and betrayal. Darius is the gang boss from Hell, a deadly bastard and the last man you'd cross. But when he discovers his young Russian bride  Nadia is sleeping with Riley, he makes the small time hoodlum an offer he can't refuse. Kill or be killed. But murder is a very high stakes game - one with no rules. And as dawn rises on Darius' country estate, there will be seven bodies, with only one winner left standing. In the tradition of London To Brighton, an unflinching portrayal of what people will do to survive. Written by Sean Hogan (Little Deaths) and director Tammi Sutton (the upcoming Welcome To Graveland [what, no mention of killer clowns?!]), comes a barking Brit body count horror.

Dawn Of The Night Of The Dead: A Musical

Ladies and gentleman of all species, here's a bit of zombie history that seems to have been, wrongly, forgotten. As you may or may not know, zombies have taken over the world as we know it and have even showed their rotten faces in musicals! From The Evil Dead Musical (I know they're not zombies - but it's close enough!) to films such as Gory Gory Hallelujah (a film about Elvis impersonators VS. Jesus impersonators...and zombies) and Troma's Poultygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead as well as the music sub-sub genre, Zombiecore, not to mention Jackson's Thriller video. But where did this mix between the undead and the musical merge?

Well, although it may not have been an influence on the aforementioned examples (since it is so obscure), one of the first times the flesh-eating undead rose from their tombs for a good ol' sing song and brains, was in this short comedy. Dawn Of The Night Of The Dead: A Musical is a very funny and innovative little film, that looks like a hell of a lot of fun was had filming it. Clearly influenced by Romero's Dawn of the Dead, this film pays tribute to this classic with an all-singing, all-dancing, all-decomposing zombie choir! I have been unable to find this short on IMDb, but from the comments left on the YouTube page, the film appears to have been made in the early 1980s. Before Day of the Dead, or possibly as a result of the hype being built up around the release of Day?

Here it is. Check it out - and sing along!

Inferno Of The Dead - A Zombie Comedy Short

Here's a great little film for all you zombie fans out there.At just shy of 10 minutes, Inferno Of The Dead is one hell of a fun little film. Clearly inspired by Italian zombie sleaze, most notably The Zombie Dead (Andrea Bianchi, 1981) this short is not only highly innovative and unique but so damn funny! Check it out!

Teeth (2007)

When I first heard of Teeth (Mitchell Lichtenstein, 2007), a film about a man-eating vagina, I was instantly sold. With a premise that could have resulted in a early-Cronenberg-esque film or a fun cheesy b-movie I had high expectations. Unfortunately, except for a couple of scenes, I couldn't have been more disappointed.


What The Hell Is It About?
Two words; Vagina Dentata. No it's not some sort of exotic salsa but something with a bit more bite. Dawn (Jess Weixler), a celebrate young woman with a slight teething problem realises that her womanly region is becoming, how shall I put it...hungry for cock.



What Is Any Good?
In my opinion, no.  With such a great and rather innovative idea for a modern horror film, I feel as though this film could have been something special and maybe even legendary among the genre, but in actuality it turned out to be rather slow and cliched. The characters are about as stereotypical as the Mr. Men books with Dawn a typical goodie-two-shoes turned slut as she develops into womanhood, and Brad (John Hensley) her 'brother' who is nothing more than a cardboard cut out of a porn-loving, drug-smoking, horror-watching, metalhead. But if you consider the rather bad acting then perhaps this was the whole point. The film is, after all, very tongue in cheek.  One of the best scenes in the entire film, the doctor's (Josh Pais) scene  is played completely for laughs

The gore was very infrequent but when it did finally happen the audience is rewarded with  leg-crossing, stomach turning scenes. The special effects/make up during these moments are excellent, as seen in the picture. However, there just wasn't enough knob-biting for my liking (so to speak) to make this film anything but a curiosity or at best a mediocre film.

Reading up on this film however it seems that a lot of people (male and female) were offended by the representation of men and indeed women. Though whilst it is certainly easy to argue that all the male characters are shown to be sex-mad and violent and analysing this film from a feminist angle would be interesting, I personally don't really care about gender representations so much as to stop my enjoyment of a film. Oh no, the biggest problem for me was the lack of violence and the frustrating stupidity and hypocrisy in the plot - most notably sleeping with Ryan.

But I seem to be in minority here as it's gained quite a big fan base. So, if you're looking for a tongue-in-cheek (though not particularly LOL) but not too much gore, then give this one a go. If not, I'd say skip it and watch Cronenberg's Shivers or Rabid instead for some true body-horror goodness.

I'd give it a 1.5/5

And Now Something Hillarious...Dead Animals!

As we all know dead animals are not a thing to laugh at. Well, most of the time anyway. Here are a few ways that the corpses of dead animals have been put to 'good' use. Enjoy!

Drinking; It'll Bring Out Your Inner-Animal.

Are you man enough to try this? In fact, are you beast enough to try this? Said to be the "World's strongest ale" and costing £500 per bottle, this drink is certainly the dog's bollocks of alcohol! This new ale, which is now stronger than whiskey and vodka, created by BrewDog in Aberdeenshire comes in a rather unusual packaging. Some would call it hideous. Some would call it a crime against nature. Some would call it sexy (the least said about those people, the better). But I say, this is awesome. The drink goes by the name of The End Of History and comes in a handy and fetching array of dead animals.Choose between either a dead stout, a deceased squirrel or why not be adventurous and pick the hare. Each come this a customisable and highly fashionable out-fit, including a top hat and a kilt. Why not have a themed party to match your ale bottle? James Watt, the co-founder of BrewDog made it clear that "The bottles are at once beautiful and disturbing - they disrupt conventions and break taboos, just like the beer they hold within them." But don't worry, no animals were killed for the purpose of this (they died naturally) but many were humiliated.

BrewDog's official website.

More on this story.

The Museum Stuffed With Dead Animals

What's worse than a couple of ale bottles inside  a few dead animals? How about a whole museum full of stuffed dead animals in funny and bizarre poses? Well such a place exists and that place is Potter's Museum in Bramber, West Sussex here in the UK. Originally opened in 1861, this museum contains over 6,000 animals that have been stuffed by one man (Walter Potter) and placed often in very bizarre poses, such as can be seen in the picture to the left. Other such animal corpse scenes include "The Rabbits School" which shows a whole group of children rabbits reading, writing and listening to their adult rabbit teacher, "Freak Kitten" - a dead kitten with 4 legs on it's back, "Mechanical Toad" in which a series of stuffed toads work out at the gym and of course (?) a stuffed animal re-enactment of the classic rhyme "Death And Burial Of Cock Robin." Sadly, in the year of 2003, Potter's Museum was sold and the each of these were split and sold at auction, raising over £1,000,000! Not bad at all.

For more info on these check out this site.

Cuddly Road-Kill

Ok, so this one is a bit of a cheat, but it deserves to be on here. Not only is it macabre and freaky but it also contains dead (all be in, not real) animals. Yes, of course, it's road-kill cuddly toys! A whole brand of dead, but very fluffy, road-kill teddies are available to buy, each one complete with detailed gore (including splattered brain, intestines and eyeballs), a death certificate, character info and a 'I Love Roadkill' bumper sticker for your car.  So far there is a total of four of these dead creatures to buy; Twitch the Racoon, Grind the Rabbit, Splodge the Hedgehog (Pictured) and, my personal favourite a Pop the Weasel Door Wedge. Also available is a pack of road-kill Christmas cards, sure to brighten up any young face on Christmas day. And what's more, these bloody animals will also shortly be joined by Splodge the Hedgehog mouse mat and Fender the nodding Fox. Buy now - guaranteed to bring tears of happiness to every boy and girl.

To visit their official website and to purchase them, visit this site. 

So that's just a few of the weirdest and most bizarre dead/stuffed animals available. If you have any more, leave a comment below and share it!

A Deal with The Devil

We've all seen The Exorcist - easily one of the scariest films of all time, but here's an equally frightening story, that is completly true. It's the story of Clara Germana Cele, a young girl who because possessed by demonic forces. Read on for all the terrifying details. Don't forget to hold tight to your blankie!

It began in the year 1906 in the quiet Marianhill Order mission school in South Africa. It ended with a horrifying bang. For in the August of 1906, the 16 year-old Clara Germana Cele confessed to the school's Father Erasmus Horner, who she had known since the age of 4, had made a pact with the Devil himself, Satan. But this must have been a bad move, because within the next few weeks, all Hell broke loose. Germana began to act increasinly perculiar. She would grunt and bark like an animal, rip of her clothes, break apart her bed and spoke to, what appeared to be, invisible entities. The nuns and the priests of the school became increasingly concerned and confused. To add to the confusion, Germana was said to shout out,

"Sister, please call Father Erasmus! I must confess and tell everything. But quick, quick, or Satan will kill me. He has me in his power!"

Things only got worse from here on.

Zombie Film BANNED!

It's not everyday that you hear of a zombie film being refused a certificate, but this exactly what has happened in Austraila. The film in question: Bruce LaBruce's LA Zombie. The reason for why it was banned: strong violence and sex. But this is not your typical heterosexual sex. Oh no, in fact it's quite the opposite. Yep, homosexual sex. Now I obviously haven't had the chance to see LA Zombie, since it hasn't been released yet, BUT I have seen his previous zombie-homo-porno, Otto: Or Up With Dead People and I really did enjoy that film. Sure it got a bit too arty-farty at times but it was different. The gore isn't too strong in that film, however there is plenty of male nudity and the film climaxes in a large homosexual orgy.

And after reading LA Zombie's synopsis, well it's pretty easy to see that LaBruce (who is known for working in gay adult cinema) has attempted to out-do Otto. According to this site, the film centers around "aliens engaging in [homosexual] necrophilia".  Pretty far out there then!

I can't help but wonder; if this film contained only heterosexual sex, would this film be banned? It's an interesting thought and one I hope is not true. LaBruce also mentions to The Guardian that this film is a "a reaction against torture porn." Are the Austrailian Film Classification board saying sex is worse than death? It's yet another interesting question raised.


Interestingly this was the first film to be banned at the Melbourne International Film Festival in seven years, which is quite an achievment. Now, this raises an interesting point. Has banning the film strangely helped the film? It's certainly the talk among zombie fans at the moment - a zombie film, that's been banned, I have GOT to see this! Perhaps the banning of this film will, in the long run, give the film more recognition and publicity than if it got through uncut, such as Otto, which is a truly underrated and under-seen film. Just take a look at the Video Nasties - most of which would have fallen into obscurity if it wasn't for them being caught up in the hoohar. 

On the other hand, Otto is getting a release here in the UK, completly UNCUT. So check it out, if your looking for something more different.

Film's official website.

The Beast in Space (1980)

Now this is a very strange film. If you like the sci-fi and Eurosleaze sexploitation genres then you’re in for a treat as this incredibly sleazy and camp film, The Beast in Space, mixes the two-genres like you’ve never seen done before. A quick look at the names associated with this film will give you a very good idea of what to expect. Alfonso Brescia helms the director’s chair for this; a man responsible for several other Italian Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977) rip-offs and cash-in such as the hilariously bad War of the Robots (1978). It also stars art-porn ‘actress’ Sirpa Lane, probably best known for her roles in Papaya: Love Goddess Of The Cannibals (Joe D’Amato, 1978) and The Beast (Walerian Borowcyzk,1975) which this film is a unofficial sequel to. Sleaze, stupidity and more sleazy. Sounds like a great film already.

The plot, as one would expect, is very simple indeed. It is so simple in fact that the whole shebang is more or less done in a very tongue-in-cheek style (either that or it was just unintentionally hilarious) especially the final robotic showdown.  Then again, if you’re watching this film looking for an interesting, sophisticated plot then you’re, well, as stupid as this film, but possibly not half as much fun.  This film makes up for the lightness of the plot with a plethora of sex. There’s sex everywhere - hence the whole ‘sexploitation’ thing. So if you’re watching this film for that then you won’t be disappointed. It’s a sci-fi fan’s dream come true! But what is particularly interesting about this film is the importance and significance given to the idea of forbidden and/or dangerous sex. Sondra (Lane) the female protagonist of this piece explains how she ‘suffers’ from a reoccurring nightmare involving her having sex with a half-man, half-beast creature. Yet as the film progresses and, sure enough, reality becomes more and more similar to her nightmares/dreams the idea of forbidden sex is complicated. Whilst it is clearly ‘wrong’ and prohibited to have it off with the Beast, she is clearly attracted to this idea. Rape fantasy complex? Mmm, maybe. On the topic of ‘the act’ the Shameless version includes scenes which have been removed from the softer versions, most notably (!) the Beast’s large...how shall I say it...wangdoodle. So big in fact it scares Lane’s character off at first. 

Zombie Teddies!

When you see a teddy, what do you usually think of? Childhood memories, stupid teddy names, sneaking into your room to see if they really are alive (Anyone? Nope. Just me then), fluffy and cuddly? Well think again! These badbears are hungry for flesh and they'll rip the stuffing out of you! I present to you BadTasteBear's upcoming 'Dawn Of The Ted' figures!



The first batch consists of six cotton-eating teds which can all been seen in the picture. My personal favourite has got to be "Rot n Roll" bear, with it's missing leg and guitar-crutches, followed closely by the "Bursting With Joy" figure complete with it's oozing bear intestines.

The first set of the dead teds will be on sale HERE from the 22nd of July, where you'll also have a 50/50 chance of winning a Phantom version of "Life's Such A Drag". From what I've seen they look brilliant, and I'll definetly will be getting a few (when I get some money that is!).

For more info check out the following links:

• Bad Taste Bears News Blog
• Diary of the Ted! 

Arrow to Release Jaguar Lives

If your a fan of exploitation and action films then you are going to be in Heaven with this news (or Hell, if that's your thing). The folks over at Arrow Video have just announced (on the Cult Labs Forum) that the action grindhouse epic, Jaguar Lives will be getting a release here in the UK! And, going by their previous releases of City Of The Living Dead, Dawn/Day of the Dead, Macabre and so on this will be an awesome package!

Starring Joe Lewis, the Icon of horror himself Mr. Christopher Lee, Donald Pleasence and so many more, this is a film not to be missed. Just check out the posters and the trailers! Oh yeah!

Scammed by a Spiritualist.

Scammed by a Spiritualist? Who's ever heard of such a thing!

Well that could be said about this incident. After suffering from stomach troubles and finance issues, Enzo Vincenzi looked in a Yellow Pages for some help, only to come across "Botanica 7 Potensias Africanas" shop in Fort Myers. There he met up with Miriam Pacheco, the shop's owner, who told him, for the price of $50 that he was a "walking dead man."

Enzo, scared out of his wits, took Miriam's offers of treatment. But these were not your typical medical treatments, these were 'spiritual' - so Miriam would often perform ceremonies inside Enzo's house which would involve the use of "a dead bird, a sacrificed rooster, liquid potions, prayers and chant." Sooner or later, Miriam told Enzo that in order for her to save him from demonic powers meddling with his life, he should pay her $500 so that he could share her house (along with her god-daughter). He of course did this and sold his Motel to her! This quickly threw Enzo over the edge, so to speak, as he was involuntarily taken to a mental institute for a short while due to the stress of selling his Motel to Miriam and the fear of complete doom by these demonic forces. This wasn't helped at all when Miriam decided to evict Enzo from her house! Along with Enzo losing his mind and his Motel, he also lost "his Jaguar, pickup truck, motorboat and possessions"

Crazy!

The Article

Robot Bastard - The Greatest Free Short Film on the Internet!

Here's something that is utterly bizarre and just plain odd which you probably have not seen. It's one of those rare gems on the Internet: a video that's actually good (and doesn't involve a baby falling over or some silly cat).  Described by Tekbug Magazine as "...the kind of film that every teen-age boy wants to see and the type of film every geeky guy wants to be in", Robot Bastard is one heck of a crazy ride well worth checking out. And it's free!

This 15 minute or so short film, directed by Rob Schrab, tells the story of a bright orange (awesome looking) robot who is sent on a mission to kill the most feared female in the universe. Fighting tones of space mummy/zombie things along the way and ending in a great climax, this is a little known film that's pure gold! And yep, it's as silly and as kick ass as you could possibly imagine with a title like that!

Here's what the official website describes it as:

"The future is a cooler place than you might imagine. Robot Bastard exists in an eight-grade-boy universe of Robots, Rocket ships and cute girls. Escape to the colorful adventure in the first installment of Robot Bastard! Yes, geeks of the world, this is the one you've been praying for.

The President's Daughter has been kidnapped by the brilliant super-criminal Blood Mamba. All rescue attempts have been thwarted by the evil genius. There's only one thing left to do: send in the Robot. The Robot must fight zombie-monsters and insecurity in order to complete his suicidal mission.

This marks the directorial debut of Rob Schrab (Creator of Scud: the Disposable Assassin and Heat Vision and Jack)."

The animation in this film is spot on, the one-liners are hilarious, the sets, the lighting, the sounds - everything just seems to work! Truly one of the strangest, most stylish and bad ass videos your likely to come across for free (legally!)

If you want to check this out then head on over to the Official Site, where you'll be able to download the film, the trailer and all the goodies.

Highly recommended!

News: Man Bullied By Aliens

What are the chances of a meteor crashing through your house in your lifetime? Probably not that likely. So what is the chance that within the past few years six meteors will crash down onto your house? Next to nothing, I'd say. Unless of course your name is Radivoje Lajic!

In 2008, Radivoje received worldwide interest after a fifth meteor crashed into his house.  Astrologers, scientists and plenty others were completely confused by this rare occurrence. Within the past couple of months, two more meteors have rained down on his house. Luckily for him, he's had his roof reinforced with steel (funded by selling the first meteor). Is this just down to luck or some sort of natural phenomenon? The simple answer is, neither - or at least in Lajic's eyes. "I am obviously being targeted by extraterrestrials," he says, as he questions what he has done to "annoy them?"

Is this all just down to chance? Luck? Or are aliens really bullying Mr. Lajic? 

One thing's for certain though. I bet those that believe there's a connection between Bigfoot and aliens are having a field day! Aliens throwing rocks?!

An Article

Win The Perfect Sleep

It's sunday, which means there's yet another prize up for grabs. As ever, all you have to do to win it is head on over to  the Cult Labs forum and follow the rules. Simple!

“A FANTASTIC, WONDERFUL RIDE. IT’S FILM NOIR ON CRACK.” – GARY OLDMAN.

Described by the Independent Film Quarterly as “Goodfellas meets Chinatown… [a] modern gangster masterpiece”, The Perfect Sleep, the directorial debut feature from Jeremy Alter, is a stylish, contemporary film noir that owes as much to Shakespeare (references to Hamlet, Othello and King Lear abound) as it does to the works of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. A co-producer of ‘Inland Empire’ and location manager on ‘Lost Highway’, director Alter also wears his Lynchian influences on his sleeve as he presents star and scriptwriter Anton Pardoe’s (himself a location assistant on ‘Lost Highway’) hard-boiled, noirish world of ruthless gangsters, femme fatales and morally unsound detectives as a dark and vivid dreamscape full of tormented characters.

In a timeless, unidentified city (which may or may not be Los Angeles), a man with no name (Pardoe) returns to the violent, brutal domain of gangsters and assassins he left ten years before, back when they dubbed him The Mad Monk for his disregard for his own life and his intense devotion to one woman, Porphyria (Roselyn Sanchez).

The girl he grew up with and the love of his life, Porphyria is now a beautiful woman - the only thing he has ever wanted and the one thing he can never have. She, alone, is the reason for his return. Her life now in danger, he is the only man who can save her. But waiting for him are several killers who would like nothing more than to see him die a painful death, while standing at their forefront is the formidable Nikolai (Patrick Bauchau), the man who raised him and just might be his father. To protect Porphyria, this unnamed man must revisit his former life of torment and torture and confront the father figure he turned his back on so many years ago.

Co-starring Roselyn Sanchez (Without A Trace), Patrick Bauchau (2012), Peter J. Lucas (Inland Empire) and Michael Pare (the Bloodrayne movies), The Perfect Sleep is a dreamy, often nightmarish, film noir enhanced by stunning cinematography, ethereal locations and a cool, atmospheric musical score by David Vanian, the frontman of punk-goth legends, The Damned.

The Perfect Sleep (cert. tbc) will be released on DVD (£15.99) by Icon Home Entertainment on 26th July 2010.

Spontaneous Combustion - Six For The Price Of One.

Ladies, gentlemen, misfits, creeps and weirdos, here at the Circus of the Freaky I, the Freak, plan on telling you as many freaky and disturbing TRUE stories as possible. So, along with all the strange news, I'll also be going back into time and posting about past events. So to kick start this off, here's a true story about Spontaneous Combustion! It's getting hot in here.

Everyone knows what Spontaneous Combustion is (and I'm not talking about Tobe Hooper's terrible film of that name) but no one knows for sure why and how these incredibly disturbing events happen, leaving everyone hot under the collar. Here's one particular story that provides a lot of unanswered questions for, unlike the majority of SC cases, this one involved more than one person at once. In fact, six people went up in flames! Eeek.

Smokin'!

It all took place towards the end of December, 1976, Lagos, when a family of seven were involved in this tragic and spooky event. Out of the seven members, six of them burst into flames for no apparent reason, leaving only one person (the mother) to live with the horror that she witnessed for the rest of her life. The majority of Human Spontaneous Combustion reports center upon one person, but this case confused the whole phenomenon even further. An on the spot investigation after the event found six ex-humans burnt to cinders. Firstly, the heat required to burn a single person is very...hot. In fact a human cremation requires the body to be burnt several times and then the bones and all that remains to be crushed into a powder. So for a fire to engulf and reduce a living human to dust in just a matter of seconds would require an unbelievable (some may say unholy) amount of heat. Let alone to burn six individuals! And like most SHC cases the objects in this room appeared to be untouched, even the highly flammable cotton mattress which laid untouched next to the reduced bodies.

Upon further investigation, no traces of foul play including the ignition of petrol, etc was found.

Very creepy.

Traaaaains!

There's no denying that we are living in a zombie boom. Over the past few years zombies have taken over everywhere. From low-budget films to big blockbusters, to books, comics, music, clothes, TV, insurance, cakes, Lego, EVERYTHING! So it's not a real surprise that the flesh-eating undead have also popped up in advertisements. Adverts! The latest one comes straight from Virgin Trains and it is quite simply awesome.

Rob Zombie's Bigfoot - A Graphic Graphic Novel

Bigfoot - The big hairy guy that's supposedly one with nature; a kind and caring creature. Often represented as being a shy and timid beast with only one problem: that's just too damn boring! No one cares about love-giving, tree-hugging yetis with flowers in their hair. Nope. Everyone prefers the flesh-eating, brain-smashing, rib-cracking, human-killing, psychotic-son-of-a-hairy-bitch beast from Hell that lurks in the darkness of the woods ready to rip any and every man, woman and child apart and feast on their steaming innards. 

Or maybe that's just me. 

Well if, like me, you prefer you Sasqatch scary then this extremely graphic graphic novel is right up your alley! Created by Rob Zombie (a man best known for his admiration of horror films, his music and his own films - less said about his Halloween remakes the better), Steve Niles (a king among graphic novels with work including 30 Days Of Night, Criminal Macabre and 28 Days Later: The Aftermath) and Richard Corben (the creator of many of the awesome Meatloaf CD artwork and Heavy Metal) this comic is a must for fans of Bigfoot horror.

The plot of these (a total of four comics)  is very straight forward and doesn't provide the Sasquatch Horror 'genre' with too much that is new; except of course a crazy body count and quite a bit of sex, typical of a RZ film. It tells the story of a psycho Bigfoot that bursts into a cabin and kill a young boys mother and father in front of his eyes. A few years later the boy (now a man!) is back in the town...and so is Bigfoot who's mighty pissed off.  Like most yeti films, there's a large portion of 'Bigfoot? There's no such thing!" dialogue followed by the characters realising they're wrong and going off to kick some hairy ass. Only difference is, as previously mentioned, is the body count. Often characters are brought into the story merely to stack up the pile of bodies. They're literally in it for just afew frames before they're killed off!