Horror Host Icon: Mod Ghoul

Posted on January 23, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another Horror Host Icon update. For this one we will be taking a look at a short lived internet Horror Host who made his mark on the genre and was friends to many hosts at the time. This host would use his webcam and would sometimes host his shows live! This host is The Mod Ghoul, and his show was Weird Web Theater that would last for a very short time but is one that his viewers and fans will always remember. And that is the thing I need to once more stress, to me there is no too big or too small Horror Host as they all meant something to their fans and they all made a mark on Hosting no matter how big or small that mark is. This update will be a fast and fun one so I hope you enjoy it. Get ready for Horror Host Icon: Mod Ghoul!

The Mod Ghoul was the host of Weird Web Theater and was a British undead ghoul who had a white face and black circles around his eyes and would wear a black hat as well as leather jacket and was a little sassy when it came to his hosting style. He would sometimes host the shows solo and would also team with other Hosts or even his own kids that were called The Ghoul Kids. The Mod Ghoul during his time being an internet horror host would make a small amount of public appearances with his big one being at HorrorHound Weekend in 2012 where he met his fans as well as many fellow horror hosts. But as soon as this Ghoul showed up, he disappeared leaving a small mark on the world of horror hosting. The Mod Ghoul was played by Gregg Childress who was a musician and was in the band “Vertigo In Children” and as well was a U.S. Army Veteran. He was a father of two and was very proud at the time of being The Mod Ghoul. Gregg would pass away on July 6, 2015 at the age of 49.

Weird Web Theater started airing on YouTube and Facebook starting in 2011 and would be hosted by The Mod Ghoul along with The Ghoul Kids as well as Ohio horror host A. Ghastlee Ghoul and during its run, other popular hosts would fill in on episodes. Most episodes were shot on Mod’s web camera which added a murky creepy feel to some of the episodes, and they all would only have opening and closing segments. The Mod Ghoul also had another show called “Fright Club” that would start the same year. The show quickly gained a solid following and would go on to have shows air on The Monster Channel as well as on Public Access stations that ran the Horror Host Underground block of programing. But as quickly as the show started, it ended as by 2012 new episodes were coming out less frequently and by the end of the year Weird Web Theater vanished, with even its YouTube channel disappearing. And just like that, the show’s run was over. While Weird Web Theater was a very short lived show, it did have its viewers and fans that made sure to tune in for every new episode that was posted.

Weird Web Theater was a show that I would watch a few episodes of as I always enjoy seeing A. Ghastlee Ghoul hosting films, as he is one of Ohio’s classic and funny hosts. The Mod Ghoul was an interesting host who, while I was not a super fan of, I still can respect for what he did for his fans with his show and he did try to make online hosting his own. It was smart to bring in other hosts to help bring more attention to it. I also think that Mod would sometimes take to much time in-between episodes as well as I feel he walked away from the show way too soon, but I do understand his reasons as it was depression, and that is something that can drain your creativity out of you. But with that, let’s move onto the review part of this Horror Host Icon update, and I would like to remind you that I will be covering episodes that I own on DVD and that I will be taking the films plot from our friends at IMDB and I will be writing about the antics of Mod on each episode. So if you are ready Mates, lets’ pull up a seat and grab a drink and spend some time on the web with the one and only Mod Ghoul.

Weird Web Theater: 13 Ghosts
Starring – Charles Herbert & Jo Morrow Not Rated 1960

Host: It’s the one-year anniversary of Weird Web Theater, and Mod Ghoul is relaxing in his living room along with the Ghoul Kids and they all talk about their love for the night’s movie. They also do some silly bits, impersonations, talk about the actors in the film, the 3-D effects with this being in 2-D before they usher us into the movie. Once the movie is over, we once more join Mod Ghoul and the Ghoul Kids in the living room and they start talking about actor Telly Savalas, who was not in the night’s movie, as well as chat about the TV Show Adam 12. In the end the Ghoul Kids wander around the room, as Mod Ghoul thanks us for tuning in and supporting the show.

Movie: Reclusive Dr. Zorba has died and left his eerie mansion to his penniless nephew Cyrus Zorba and his family. Along with the house, the Zorba family has also inherited the occultist’s collection of 13 ghosts, who can only be seen through Zorba’s special goggles. The family members, their lives at risk upon the discovery that Dr. Zorba’s fortune lies hidden somewhere in the house, receive aid from unexpected quarters as the threat to their lives is revealed.

Note From Matt: This episode is missing most of the end credits for the show.

Weird Web Theater: Spider Baby
Starring – Lon Chaney Jr. & Sid Haig Not Rated 1967

Host: The Mod Ghoul welcomes the viewers to the show after a hiatus and thanks the viewers and talks a little about the night’s film and the actors. He as well acts all zany and weird for the camera. He also delivers a few jokes as the camera is close on his face the whole time. In the end we join Mod Ghoul again, and he makes some jokes about spiders as well as the film and says someone should make a sequel to the film before ending the episode with the promise of more episodes to come.

Movie: In a dilapidated rural mansion, the last generation of the degenerate, inbred Merrye family lives with the inherited curse of a disease that causes them to mentally regress from the age of 10 or so on as they physically develop. The family chauffeur looks out for them and covers up their indiscretions. Trouble comes when greedy distant relatives and their lawyer arrive to dispossess the family of its home.

The Mod Ghoul and his Weird Web Theater started in the 2010’s during a big boom of the next generation of hosts trying to make their name and mark on the history, and Mod was one of the many that entered the scene for a short time and would fade away without giving their viewers a proper ending. I know that over the years many fellow horror hosts had their differences with him on a personal level, but he still was part of the horror host dysfunctional family and is a part of hosting history. And with that, this update has come to an end, and before we part ways, let me tell you that the next update will be about The Lockhorns, that married couple from the Sunday Funnies! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a movie or two and as always support your local horror host. See you next update as who doesn’t like the drama between a married couple every Sunday morning…am I right?

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Wolf Blood (1925)

Posted on May 2, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update. This time around we will be taking a look at a silent horror film that is also very much a romantic drama that was made in 1925 and is the oldest surviving werewolf film known as of this update’s posting. I am talking about Wolf Blood, a film that is often overlooked when people speak of early silent horror cinema. Now this update is going to be a little different as Blood Scream Comics the company I own and am the editor-in-chief of is the one who released this comic series, so I will not be giving the issues any kind of star ratings as I feel that would be very cheesy of me to do so. So instead I am just going to talk about the plot of the issue and “review” what is going on after as well as some of the twists that we added to spice it all up. So with that, let’s hike ourselves into these woods and let’s talk about a werewolves and people who get blood from wolves!

Before we dive too deep into this spooky update, let’s take a look at the “werewolf” named Dick Bannister! Dick is the foreman at Ford Lumber in the woods of Canada and is kind of new at his post but does have the respect of his men as he shows them respect and gives them chances even after they make mistakes. He also knows some basic medical care, and when his men are injured, he cares for them or sends for help in order to truly treat them. He is a skilled fighter with his fists and he very loyal to his co-workers as well as his boss Edith Ford who he gets a crush on, even though she is set to be married to her doctor boyfriend soon. But after a bad fight that leaves Dick almost dying, he has the blood of a wolf transfused into him to stay alive and this is when he starts having some mental issues as people fear him when word gets out. He also starts to get more angry and violent as he thinks the wolves of the woods are calling to him. But even in his state of madness, he is not dangerous and does not kill a living soul and is more of a danger to himself as he almost leaps off a cliff! Not a danger to a living person at all and not a werewolf, Dick Bannister is just a normal man who for a brief time has a mental break and can be killed like any normal person from shooting, stabbing, beating or burning making him one of the weakest killers or monsters we have covered on a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update…but while he might not be a killer, he does throw a mean punch and that has to count for something.

So while Dick Bannister might just be a man with a mental breakdown for a short time, he still made his mark on werewolves in cinema. And now let’s take a look at the film that he is from and that’s the 1925 film Wolf Blood. Like always, we will be taking the film’s write up from our pals at IMDB and after I will write about the film’s production and my thoughts. So if you are ready, let’s wander into those woods and keep our eyes open for wolves as we chat about this underrated silent horror classic.

Wolf Blood (1925)

“In this tale of the great Canadian forest, Dick Bannister, the new manager of the Ford Logging Company receives a transfusion of wolf blood, followed by strange reactions that he begins to think he is neither beast nor man.”

Wolf Blood is a silent film from 1925 that was produced by the Ryan Brothers and was released by Lee-Bradford Corporation. It was based on the story by Cliff Hill with the screenplay by Bennett Cohen. The film is set in Canada and is about two feuding lumber companies that lead to a man being injured and to save his life he gets a blood transfusion from a wolf and this causes people to think that he will turn into a werewolf after false rumors are spread around and this drives the man mad. The film is a mix of drama, horror and romance and directing the picture was the team of Bruce Mitchell and George Chesebro, who would also play the lead role of Dick Bannister. And sadly the horror aspect is really cut down as they focus more on the romance aspect. Other actors brought into the cast include Marguerite Clayton, Raymond Hanford, Milburn Morante and Frank Clark. The main star George Chesebro was known for being a western actor and would have a very long career in Hollywood and would pass away on May 28, 1959 at the age of 70 and was pretty much active almost to his death. The film, while a werewolf film, more plays up on the mental madness of a man after getting some wolf blood to stay alive. He thinks that he is becoming a wolf even chasing after phantom wolves that act as his pack, so those who are looking for a transformation will be disappointed. The film was met with mixed reviews, and to this day it has that same reaction as many enjoy the simple story of love finding a way, while others wanted more scares with their horror. The film was released with such other horror films in 1925 as The Phantom Of The Opera, The Lost World, The Monster and The Unholy Three to name a few. While not a full fledged horror movie, thanks to home media this film as gained a cult following over the decades. And at some point I will be doing a Forgotten Reels update about this film.

I am going to start off saying that I am a big fan of Wolf Blood and can see what impact it had on early werewolf cinema as it deals with the mental strain that a person goes through when they fear the moon and what they may become once the beast side takes over. Actor George Chesebro plays the role of Dick Bannister so well that you believe his confusion and pain throughout his mental breakdown. I really think that George Chesebro is a silent actor that should get more credit as he was fantastic at his art and had that classic Hollywood leading man look. Actress Marguerite Clayton plays Edith Ford in this film, and she has that classic beauty to her. She does a great job in the film as many of the film’s key moments also fall on her performance, and she knocks it out of the park as she and Chesebro seemed to have good chemistry on the screen. And yes, I would have loved to have seen an early transformation from man to wolf in this film, but I can also step back and enjoy that the film plays more up on the mental disease of lycanthropy as well as the power of persuasion of how planting a seed in someone’s mind can grow to truly affect them and others around them as they might believe a little white lie that will grow into a full fledged nightmare. While the horror elements of the film are pushed to the back in order to play up the romance aspect of love can conquer all, there are still some truly great moments that are spooky for the time like Dick’s decent into the madness and even the phantom wolves that run around the woods can add a classic chill to viewers of the more early horrors of the world. One aspect that makes me laugh when watching this film that Edith Ford and Doctor Eugene Horton are slated to be married and quickly Edith falls for Dick Bannister and by the end of the film Edith acts as if Eugene owes Dick the apology for telling a lie that the wolf blood might effect him to her that Dick overhears…when in this film Dick steals Eugene’s lady, chokes him and without Eugene he would be dead…owed an apology indeed! The film’s finale is also very well done as Dick who is filled with madness after thinking he killed a man who was found dead in the woods runs with his phantom wolf pack to the edge of a cliff. If not for Edith, the crazed man would have fallen to his death, but it is she who holds him back and risks her own safety. This is such a fun film that is a quick watch as it only runs a little over an hour. While it’s not as iconic as many other silent horror films, I do think that it is one that is often over looked. If you have interest in seeing it you can find it on YouTub,e but I would suggest watching it on Physical Media as you can get it on DVD from Alpha Video or Grapevine Video. While not fully horror, I feel the aspects are there and because of its ties to early werewolf cinema it’s worth a watch for sure.

Now that we talked about not only the film Wolf Blood but also Dick Banister, the man who thought he was cursed to become a wolf, I think it’s time we talk a little about the comic based on the film by Blood Scream Comics that was written by me! That’s right, I wrote the story and along with artist Jeff Potter, did the dialogue. And boy did we make some changes, but I will save that for the “review” part of this update. Like I said before and just like with The Giant Gila Monster, I will not be giving these comics any kind of star rating as that just seems silly as I worked on the comic. But I wanted to cover this comic for two reasons: I am a fan of the film and wanted to chat about it and the other being that I had a blast working on this comic series and wanted to share it with you readers. I would like to thank Jeff Potter for creating this comic alongside me for Blood Scream Comics and making this update possible. I should also warn you that this will spoil some of the big surprises we have in this comic adaptation so you have been warned: read on at your own risk. So of you are ready, let’s head into the woods of Canada and see if we can find the old Ford Lumber Company so that we can talk about the tale that is known as Wolf Blood.

Wolf Blood # 1
Released in 2022 Cover Price $3.99 Blood Scream # 1 of 2

The Ford Lumber Company and Consolidated Lumber Company are at war with each other in the woods of Canada as they are very close to one another and their mangers Dick Bannister and Jules Deveroux have different ways of dealing with the job as Bannister wants his people to work safe and Deveroux is giving orders to his men to sneak into the woods and shoot to wound the lumberjacks that work for Ford. After another attack and having to give the camp’s guard, Pop Hadley who has a track record of drinking too much and passing out, another chance, Bannister sends a message to the Ford Company’s owner that they need help as well as need a doctor to take care of these bullet wounds. And meanwhile in a small town bar Deveroux and his men celebrate the attack and even attack an old man looking for work and his son at the bar just to be cruel. The call for help is answered as Ford Lumber owner Edith Ford, her doctor fiancé Eugene Horton as well as her Uncle head to the camp and start helping the wounded. This is when Bannister sees that his boss is a beautiful young woman, and he falls in love with her fast. Bannister at this time also is almost stabbed and crushed by a tree by Jacques Lebeq, who is a bootlegger and has been entering the camp and selling his liquor to his workers, and this makes the two men truly hate one another. Late at night Edith Ford also hears the howls and growls of the wolves that are all around in the woods, and this frightens her as it reminds her of a time in the city when an unknown man stalked her in the streets until she got home, and this is a story she shared with Bannister the next day after they toured the camp. As Bannister and Edith head into town with the camp’s Cook, the wolves attack and slaughter one of the Consolidated Lumber Company’s lumberjacks. In town Edith tells Bannister that she is to be married to Eugene and that their attraction needs to stop, and this breaks Bannister’s heart as once back at the camp he goes alone to investigate the Consolidated Lumber Company and learns that they are building a dame to block the Ford lumber on the river. When Deveroux sees Bannister, he orders his men to kill him, and after a big fight, Bannister is beaten badly and then tossed off a cliff where he is then bitten by wolves! When Bannister does not return, Pop and the lumberjacks set out to find him and it’s Eugene that finds Bannister who is dying from blood loss and is able to get the wounded man to a cabin that is owned by Jacques Lebeq who refuses to give his blood to save Bannister and the Doctor has to make the decision to use the blood of a wolf to save his life. The next day Eugene is able to get Bannister back to the Ford Camp where he is able to recover and tells Edith that he is in love with her! The next day Edith, Eugene and Pops all head into town when Jacques Lebeq enters the Ford Camp and spreads the rumor that Bannister is a werewolf due to the wolf blood, and this causes the Lumberjacks to riot and armed with axes they kill the Uncle and as the moon gets full Bannister turns into a werewolf and busts out of a cabin looking to kill!

This was such a fun issue to work on, and the plot is simple as we have two feuding lumber camps at war with one another and things get out of hand when attempted murder comes into play and that act causes a good man to have to get wolf blood in his veins and this turns him into a beast at the Full Moon! You also have a love story brewing as Edith Ford must choose her doctor fiancé or her new love, the rugged lumber boss that works for her company. And we leave you on a big cliffhanger as the Ford Lumberjacks are armed with axes and are worked up into a fearful rage of their boss who now is a werewolf with bloodlust in his eyes. Dick Bannister is a good man that is a great boss as well as will fight for the rights and lives of his men. He also is tough as nails and is a good fist fighter and has the heart of a champion…he also has a soft spot and that is his boss and the lumber company owner Edith Ford who seems to be all he can think about after meeting her. Bannister also proves he has the will to live as after being beaten badly, thrown from a cliff, bitten by wolves and getting a blood transfusion from a wolf, he still lives…but he is also now cursed to live his life as a werewolf! Edith Ford is a kind hearted woman who owns a big company and has a fiancé that is a doctor, but while her life sounds perfect, it is not as she is confused as she finds herself loving Bannister who is her employee. She is also living with a secret that she does not share with many and that is she fills her life with late night parties with friends out of fear as she was one night stalked by Nosferatu! Pops Hadley is a drunk that is trying to change after he failed at his job and allowed workers to be shot. Eugene Horton is a good doctor who helps the wounded and saves Bannister’s life, and Cook really loves talking about the deals he got on food from town! The comic has three real “bad guys” as first you have Jules Deveroux, a scumbag who is a bully and also a coward who gives orders to hurt and kill others that stand in his way. You have the bootlegger Jacques Lebeq who sells his liquor as well tries to kill Bannister and sets up the Ford workers to turn on their boss. And lastly you also have to say that the wolves are one of the biggest dangers in those woods as they kill anyone that they can surround and rip to shreds. The comic is very bloody and the kills are gory with my favorite kill in this issue being the death of lumberjack Henrique who is ripped apart by a pack of wolves! The cover is really cool and the art was done by Jeff Potter with the colors by Jason Gilmore and the interior art is done by Potter and is 100% what I was looking for when I wrote this adaptation story. To sum it up, this was a blast to write and is one of the Blood Scream Comics projects that I am the most proud of! Now let’s talk about the second issue in this series and see how this twisted tale of love, horror and lumber ends!

Wolf Blood # 2
Released in 2022 Cover Price $3.99 Blood Scream # 2 of 2

Dick Bannister is now a werewolf and is killing all the Ford Lumber Camp workers and his howling has also brought the wolves to join in the bloodshed. Giovanni is a lumberman who runs past the bodies of his friends and finds an old train freight car in the woods and uses it as shelter to get away from the werewolf and his wolf minions. While at the cabin of Jacques Lebeq the bootlegger has a visitor; he is selling Deveroux the boss of Consolidated Lumber tons of whiskey as he wants to have his workers to celebrate the downfall of Dick Bannister, but the two are quickly greeted by the werewolf who bites the head off Deveroux and then burns the face of Lebeq on the stove before throwing his body to the wolves to be ripped apart. The next morning Edith Ford, Eugene Horton and Pop Hadley arrive back at camp to find the massacre, and when Eugene finds Dick still alive and asleep in bed, he tells the others the truth about the wolf blood flowing through the veins of Dick and that maybe he did turn and cause all this death! Pop does not want to hear it and heads into the woods to hunt the wild animals he thinks did the killing while Edith tells Eugene that she is in love with Bannister and wants to be with him, and the confused lumber man hears this all and runs into the woods as he does not want to change in the coming full moon and hurt anyone else, and Edith goes after him. Meanwhile a lumberjack from Consolidated rides up and says that they are closing down for good after they found the mangled bodies of Deveroux and Lebeq and he warns Eugene and Edith that they should leave as well. As Giovanni takes supplies from the now dead Lebeq’s home in order to survive and wait for help in the rail car, while Eugene thinks of his life without Edith and decides to end it with one bullet. Meanwhile in the woods Edith runs into Pops, and they two are surrounded by wolves. As Pops tries to fight them off, he is overwhelmed and ripped to shreds as Edith runs from them and ends up meeting the werewolf and she knows that her love Bannister really is a beast now…she tries to talk to him to bring the human side back…she fails and gruesomely pays with her life. The next night Dick Bannister is back human and is about to leap off a cliff to end his life when he is stopped by Nosferatu himself, Count Orlock, who informs him that he has need of a man with his talents.

The second issue of Wolf Blood is all about the slaughter as our hero Dick Bannister truly loses control and becomes a werewolf and slaughters almost all his workers (minus one who escapes and hides away in a steel trail freight car) and after he is done making Ford Lumber a slaughterhouse who makes sure to swing by his enemies home and kill both of those who wished him death as a man with that being Deveroux and Lebeq who are both killed very brutally. And even a little later in the issue the werewolf rips apart his true love and allows his wolves to attack and kill his best friend Pops! And all of these werewolf and wolves attacks are done super gory to truly show you the savage nature of these creatures as their bloodlust is out of control and it also shows that once the moon is full the caring and hard working Dick Bannister is not longer in control and in his place is a killing machine that wants to annihilate all that’s in his path. And poor Doctor Eugene Horton is another victim of Dick Bannister and while he is not killed by razor sharp teeth and claws he is broken spiritually as his whole world is taken away by Bannister as he steals his lady love away, and she cruelly has fallen out of love with the man who has given her everything…and he thinks his only way to find a way to end his pain is by a self inflicted gunshot to the head. Deveroux and Lebeq are truly two scumbags who enjoyed trying to not only take Dick Bannister’s life but also try to ruin everything about him, but they really do get their comings when the werewolf comes howling around and they find themselves begging for their lives to the one person who is now a creature that they never showed any mercy to. Poor Pops Hadley stays loyal to his friend Bannister and does not believe the tales of him being a werewolf, and even before dying by a pack of wolves, he still tries to save the life of Edith…poor drunk old fool. You have to also feel bad for Cook as he is killed during the slaughter at the Ford Lumber Camp, and by the looks of it, he really was ripped apart! And for those wondering about the fate of Giovanni, you will find out what comes of him in a future comic as his tale is not yet finished and his fate is yet to be shared. This issue really was a blast to work on as artist Jeff Potter and myself were able to showcase the idea of Bannister becoming a fully fledged werewolf, something sadly the classic silent film did not do as they played up more on the aspects of it all being in his feverish mind. And while the first issue was bloody, we upped the gruesome level to 11 with this second issue! I am sure you also have noticed that in the Silent Film Universe by Blood Scream Comics, the one and only Count Orlock has been appearing and is almost recruiting people for some sort of sinister plan, and this will unfold in every issue of these comics based on Silent Horror Films. The cover for this issue showcases The Werewolf as well as Edith Ford and the colors by Jason Gilmore make it pop! The interior art is done by Jeff Potter who is a fantastic artist and who has brought many comic alive for Sparkle and Blood Scream Comics as his work includes such titles as Adventure Man, Curse Of The Beast, Spring Heeled Jack, Eternal Sleep, Farmer Joe and Shocking Macabre Theater, to name a small few. The way Potter draws the werewolf is fantastic and reminds me of the classic Creepy and Eerie Magazines, and the gore we draws rivals that of the indie horror comics from the late 80’s and early 90’s. While Nosferatu # 1 started the Silent Universe for Blood Scream Comics the Wolf Blood series is amping up the chills and blood spills, and this is just the start as you readers have not seen nothing yet. Check out the art work from Potter below to see his style in this series.

So as you can see, we truly put the horror first in this reimagining of Wolf Blood as we have Dick Bannister turning full force into a werewolf and he ends up killing everyone at the Ford Lumber Camp and also his true love Edith Ford, and by the end is taken away by Nosferatu himself Count Orlock as this is just one of several issue we have in store for you as Jeff Potter and I have more twisted tales in our Silent Universe to bring you! We released “Haunted House 1908” for Halloween 2023, and we screened the movie with a new score by musician Todd The Fox at Horrorama! If you have interest in ordering Wolf Blood # 1 and 2 you can do so here, while it remains in print that is. And yes, I will also do a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update for Haunted House 1908 as I love sharing my love for silent horror cinema with you readers. Well as you can see, this update has come to an end and for our next update we will be heading to the world of cartoons as we will be talking about the 1966 Captain America series. So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a silent horror film or two and as always support your local horror host. Oh and remember when Captain America throws his mighty shield, All those who chose to oppose his shield must yield!

Horror Host Icon: Angus

Posted on November 9, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Horror Hosts come in many forms. Some are Horror Hosts that live in the world of other TV Shows. For example Count Floyd and his Monster Horror Chiller Theater show started on SCTV, Zombo and his House Of Zombo show was part of the sitcom The Munsters, and Alister Cookie and his Monsterpiece Theater was part of Sesame Street. Today’s host was on a Public Access show from New Jersey called Meadowlands Showcase Presents, and the host is Angus! That is the thing I really want to stress, when it comes to the world of Horror Hosting is there is no too small or too big host as they all have their own fans and have made their own impact to the genre. I think many of you readers will not know of Angus, but I also think some of you will know about him and his short time on TV. So if you are ready, let’s take a short trip to New Jersey and take a spooky walk with Angus and his Horror Show as this is going to be a fun Horror Host Icon update.

Angus was a smooth talking ghoul who at first wore no make up and later would rock grey face paint while hosting short films on his show The Horror Show as well as The Meadowlands Showcase Presents. While Angus was smooth he also had a dark side as hosting spooky movies was in his blood and he would use his dark powers to scare off as well as brain fry those normal people that stand in his way. He was more of a darker host, and while he had some chuckles, he was more straight forward bringing the viewers the frights. Angus wears all black clothing and had long hair and would give spooky looks to the viewers at home. Angus also had a laugh that was oddly creepy and also had a dash of stage acting sound to it. Angus was played by David Weber, a local actor from New Jersey who also stared in the 1989 Horror Film “The Basement” as Mr. Adelman. David sadly passed away in the late 90’s and from what his friends say, he was a very nice person and was a joy to be around. While Angus only made two appearances, he truly made his mark on the world of Horror Hosting and has his own fan base.

The Meadowlands Showcase started in 1988 and was a Public Access show that was aired in New Jersey and was the creation of Michael Raso and John Pual Fedele. Angus, along with a female co-host Emily, first appeared on the episode “Creepy Tales” that aired in October 1988 and later in October 1989 Angus would return and take over the show calling it The Horror Show on the episode “The Halloween Takeover”. While Angus only appeared twice on the show in 1988 and 1989, the main show would run from 1988 to 1994 and was a well loved local show as the skits, music videos an shorts brought lots of joy to viewers. Each episode was around 30 minutes long. And while I wish Angus would have appeared on more episodes as well as maybe the creators would have turned Angus into a fully fledged Horror Host show, I would say Angus and his The Horror Show made their mark on the history of Horror Hosting no matter how big or small that mark is.

Angus is one of those hosts whose name has been spoken about by many diehard Horror Host fans for awhile as his name is on Egor’s Chamber Of TV Horror Hosts website and many people started to think that Angus and The Horror Show was a lost public access show that they had to see as many did not realize he was just a character for a non-Horror Host show and only appeared twice on TV. In fact I know that New Jersey host Halloween Jack and myself have spoken about him a few times over the years as we wanted to track him down as Jack wanted to meet a fellow Jersey host. Both of us were very bummed when we found out he passed away as it would have been great to see Angus make a comeback and even maybe host a show alongside Halloween Jack! For this update I have one of the episodes that Angus appeared on and will be taking the show’s write up from our pals at IMDB, and I will write about the antics of Angus in said episode. So if you are ready, let’s sit back and see what The Horror Show and Angus has in store for us.

Horror Show: Halloween Takeover
Starring – John Paul Fedele & Marc S. Lucey Not Rated 1989

Host: Angus starts the episode walking down the road and running into Tex, a man who has been fired from the TV Station, and as they pair head in Angus talks to the man in charge and uses his mental powers to knock him out. Angus then heads to the studio and uses his powers against a host for a workout show and runs him off. Tex then gets to master control and Angus starts his show The Horror Show that has him showing short films and a music video while hanging out with The Grim Reaper. Angus even has the Grim Reaper remove the head of one of the filmmakers who he was annoyed with. In the end the head of the station wakes up and loved The Horror Show and wants to work with Angus as he shoves Tex out of the door as he is still fired.

Movie: David Weber as “Angus”, takes over a local television station using his demonic powers, so that he may have his own show – “The Horror Show”. He is assisted on his show by Marc S. Lucey as “The Grim Reaper”. During this 30 minute show, “Angus” presents the short films “Evil Vision” “Pete Jacelone’s – The Day The Shopping Carts Came to Life”, and the music video “Garbage Man” performed by “The Cramps”. “Angus” convinces Peter Jacelone to join his group. Reluctantly he agrees. “The Grim Reaper” leads Peter away, and loops off his head.

Angus had a charm to him that made him standout and he had that classic late 80’s Horror Host feel and he could have truly been a legend in hosting if he would have lasted longer and spun off into doing his own show. I hope you enjoyed this Horror Host Icon update about Angus, and I hope that this sparked your interest into looking up his appearances on Meadowland Showcase that can be found on YouTube. And for those who do not think that Angus, Count Floyd, Alister Cookie, Zombo and others like them are not Horror Hosts, I understand your standpoint but I and many others do see them as Hosts as they did their parts to bring attention to the art of Horror Hosting. But now it’s time for us to leave the world of Horror Hosting and head into the world of Pro Wrestling again to showcase the fan favorite wrestler Hillbilly Jim! So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host! And remember readers, it is very important to archive your local Horror Host shows as well as local Indie Wrestling ones!

R.I.W Wrestling Legend: Yeti (AAA)

Posted on September 23, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to the Rotten Ink Arena. As you can see, the doors are open and this is a very special “R.I.W Wrestling Legend” update as this one is a part of our countdown to Halloween 2023 and the arena is filled with cool terrifying decorations and the snack bar has Baron Von Porkchop Pizza via the Pizza Bandit for sale. For those wondering it has bacon, salted peanuts, provolone cheese, apple butter sauce and candy corn on it! And today’s headliner is a Luchador who worked under many different gimmicks, several of them being Horror themed. The one we will be looking at is Yeti who worked for AAA in the early 90’s. And during the late 80’s and early 90’s Mexico was filled with amazing monster themed wrestlers who brought the fear as well as the action to the rings. Well a chill has filled the air and I can hear the music starting, so let’s grab a slice of pizza and a Witch’s Punch to drink and find our seats as this one is going to be a spooky good time.

Masakre started his pro wrestling career in 1983 and worked the indies in Mexico and very quickly would find himself working for CMLL and would also work under the name MS-2 and was paired with MS-1 and the two were a very popular team. He would then go on to join the group Los Infernales and with MS-1 and El Satanico and during this time as well he would win the Mexican National Tag Team Belts and would keep them until around 1988. The group would split and Masakre would feud with MS-1 and this would end in a hair vs. hair match and Masakre would lose, but this would lead him into join the group Los Intocables with Pierroth Jr. and Jaque Mate. And these three would win the CMLL World Trios Belts. For a brief time from 1993 to 1994 Masakre was the booker for CMLL, but things turned sour between he and the company and he would leave them by 1994. During his time in CMLL he would have some big matches against such names as Lizmark, Atlantis, El Rayo de Jalisco Jr., Villano III, Blue Demon Jr., El Texano, El Dandy, Konan and Vampiro to name a very few. Masakre built his name in CMLL and was considered a great worker and would be apart of very big and entertaining matches. And for those wondering Masarke would lose his mask in a match in the early 80’s to Kiss (who was based around the band Kiss).

In 1994 Masakre would head to AAA and would become the vampire Luchador named Drakula who was a feared Rudo who would team with the likes of El Hijo del Espectro, Karis La Momia and Quasimodo. And while Drakula was not a main eventer, he did work some matches with some big stars like El Hijo del Santo and La Parka. But in 1995 Drakula was no more and in his place was Yeti, a white furry suited monster and a masked Luchador who rampaged throughout AAA and was an odd attraction in Lucha Libre for the time as the fans did not know what to make of this superstar. Yeti would mostly be involved in trios matches and would not make his way to the main event or even title shots. The Yeti would stick around AAA until around 1997 and would find himself mostly on the losing end of matches. During his run Yeti would work matches against Perro Aguayo, Cibernetico, Tinieblas Jr., Super Calo, Heavy Metal and El Pantera. And just as fast as he came Yeti was gone and no one knows really what Masakre did for a few years but in 2000-2004 he would work as a evil clown gimmick called Coco Rosa for both AAA as well as the Indies in Mexico, and he is said to have worked as Yeti, MS-2 and Masakre in the indies around this time as well. But sadly in 2012 Masakre would pass away on April 12 at the age of 57 from cancer. While he was never the main star for CMLL or AAA, he was still a well respected Luchador who worked under many masks and gimmicks in order to entertain and along his journey in the ring he was able to at least capture some tag team titles.

Masakre was a wrestler that I knew more as Drakula as I can remember seeing some of his matches on grey market tapes as well as later on sites like YouTube and I truly enjoyed the monster themed Luchador. In fact I am also positive that I had seen him on a mix tape that had weird clips cut together from back in the early 2000’s. While I do think his work as Drakula is great and showcased his in-ring skill for me, his short time as Yeti is what stands out as the fuzzy bodysuit, the strange looking mask with blood red teeth makes you do a double take and wonder what this brawling monster was all about. And while it must have been really hard to work in that costume and mask, somehow Masakre made it work and was able to work the gimmick well. From what I have seen and read Yeti did not go over very well with the fans as well as his fellow Luchadors as many felt he was way to cartoonish and the gimmicks and costumes made for many limitations during the matches featuring them. Over the years many also have complained about the monster themed wrestlers being featured in the early days of AAA and did not understand why then owner and booker Antonio Pena would heavily feature them on the TV Shows, live events and “Pay Per View” events, and it’s simple as Horror was very big in Mexico at the time and Pena himself came from a legacy of Horror Themed Luchadors with he himself working as Espectro Jr. and his father being Ponzona and his uncle being the original Espectro. And what is cool also about Masakre is that he would change with time and would work as many different wrestlers both masked and unmasked and would also work for both CMLL and AAA and would be a part of Mexico’s Horror Luchador legacy.

We are now at the point of this review where we will be taking a look at the DVD set and review some of the matches on the discs like always between 4 to 8. Sadly I only have one match to cover for this “R.I.W Wrestling Legend” update. I want to thank B-Videos 101 for having this set in stock and also want to thank Yeti for his hard work in the world of wrestling. I also want to remind you that I will only be breaking down randomly select matches from this set and will be breaking down the match and will be rating the matches on a 5 Star rating system. I also only choose from Single matches, as I want to break down his matches that showcase his style. Here is what the stars mean ½ Means a really terrible match, * Means a bad match, ** Means a below average match, **1/2 Means a good average entertaining match, *** Means a good match, **** Means a great match, ***** Means an epic match. So if you are ready, let’s step into the ring with Yeti. Oh and I also need to alert you that this match is also a Six Man Tag Team match so it will be a little different than our normal R.I.W Wrestling Legend update.

Best Of Yeti

Match 1: Yeti & Karis la Momia & Espectro vs. Principe Zafiro & Torero & Ludxor

Before the bell even rings, Yeti and his teammates attack their opponents with Yeti going after Ludxor and even hits a spinning kick to his gut. Yeti then knocks Ludxor out of the ring and continues his attack outside with ramming his head into the steel post and then does it again as the fans are going wild as the Rudos keep up their attack. As the match goes on, Yeti attacks those who fall outside the ring and unleashes a series of hits on Principe Zafiro as his teammates watch the monster attack. Once back in the ring Principe Zafiro is attacked by Karis and Epesctro and a few moments later Yeti as they stomp him into the mat. The Yeti then gets back out of the ring and once more goes on the attack of Ludxor by ramming him into the railing as Karis tosses Torero into the fans, while in the ring Espectro keeps up his attack on Principe hitting a leaping leg drop to the back of his neck and knocking him hard to the mat. After a few moments all six men once more start brawling with each other with Yeti once more going after Ludxor and he and Karis even land a couple of double team moves on the injured Tecnico. And with that, the Rudos keep up their attack and for some reason it appears that the referee gives Ludxor and his teammates the first win and the Rudos just keep up their attack as Yeti just stands on Torero in the corner. And then Yeti once more exits the ring and goes after Ludxor even starts to choke him with a chair and places it around his neck and drags him around outside the ring and then once more starts ramming his head into the steel posts. The Yeti then joins Karis and Espectro in the ring and they all start beating up on Principe Zafiro but he is saved when Torero enters the ring and goes after Yeti and rams his head into the turnbuckle dazing the furry Rudo. But Karis saves him and once they toss Torero out of the ring they join Espectro once more in beating up Principe. All men once more are in the ring and Yeti hits a cannon ball on Ludxor, but this just fires him up as Ludxor then grabs a chair from outside the ring and bashes it over the head of the Yeti. In the end Espectro uses a chair in the ring on the head of Principe and the referees give the second win to the Tecnicos and they win the match, but the Rudos keep up the attack even after the bell. This six man tag match is crazy and is all over the place as its clearly a tornado tag as all six guys are battling all in and around the ring with our boy Yeti going crazy on Ludxor almost the whole match as he lands a few cannon balls, stomps, punches and chair attacks throughout it. It’s clear that he was not doing any truly high flying moves as he was more of a brawler then a flyer. The main workers of the match as Espectro and Principe Zafiro who work well together and work hard with Espectro doing some pretty cool moves. Yeti also takes a pretty stiff chair shot in this match that looks like it might have staggered him for a moment, but I have to give him credit as he fought on. While this match was chaos it was very entertaining and I feel that Yeti did a great job in the match as his brawling style was needed to make moves look impactful and to help toss and drag around his opponents, plus he was part of a couple double team moves that looked impressive over all a good solid match featuring mid-carders from AAA at that time. On a side note I would like to see some more matches featuring Principe Zafiro and maybe do an update on him.

Grade: **1/2

As you can see, Yeti was by no means a high flyer and while he would do some basic aerial moves, he was mostly a brawler who enjoyed beating his opponents up. And you had to feel for him in that suit as you know that he had to be burning up as most of those arenas he worked did not have air conditioning and the temperatures had to be super high. And with that it looks like Xmortis has turned on the house lights and Mr. X is bringing out the push broom so that is our sign that this event update has came to an end, and before we make our way out I would like to say that I hope in the future I am able to hunt down some more matches of the Yeti and will add them to this very update if I do and I would also like to tell you that our next update will bring us to the land of Horror Movies as we will be heading to Stanley Hotel and be chatting with Jack about axes, that’s right we will be talking about The Shinning! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a wrestling match or two and as always support your local Wrestlers. See you next update as we kick off October 2023 right!

The Wild West Detective Known As Shotgun Slade!

Posted on March 3, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! You know what, I am thinking this month will be Cowboy Month. We will take a look at all things Wild West and that includes a cowboy-themed wrestler, but first let’s start off with a TV Show that turned the normal western formula upside down and added its own touch to the then-growing stale genre by sprinkling in jazz and private detective plots. Of course you fans of TV know that I am talking about Shotgun Slade, a syndicated show that entertained viewers for a few years and left its mark on the western genre for trying to be something original. So if you are ready, let’s hit the dusty, inky comic book western trail and go on a case with the wild west private detective known as Shotgun Slade!

Shotgun Slade was a TV Western show that was syndicated starting in 1959. It was created by Frank Gruber and starred Scott Brady as the title character Shotgun Slade. The story would follow Shotgun Slade as he would try and solve crimes in the old west mixing the detective genre with the western, and this was a smart move as western shows was starting to lose viewers as detective shows was gaining in popularity. The episodes ran about 30 minutes each, and the show lasted for two seasons and a total of 78 episodes. It was a decent success in the ratings and had its fair share of viewers who enjoyed going along with Shotgun Slade as he solved crimes. The show would also have its fair share of guest stars with most being known for their roles in other western themed shows and movies. Names like Francis X. Bushman, Jeanne Cooper, Frank Ferguson and Brett King to name a few appeared in episodes. One other thing that made Shotgun Slade stand out is that the score music done by Gerald Fried had a jazz sound and wqas not your typical western style. This made viewers take notice of this very odd western show. Over the years Shotgun Slade has slipped away from being one of the well known shows in the western genre as it does not get much play in reruns, but it does have a cult following and those who remember or discover it seem to truly enjoy it.

Shotgun Slade is a show that I had heard of but never paid much attention to as I had seen the Dell Comic before as well as other merchandise at garage sales and antique malls and for some reason just never tracked down the show to give it a watch. That is crazy because, as you readers know, I am a fan of westerns in all forms of media from novels, comics, movies and shows and Shotgun Slade sounds like it would be up my ally. I have no excuse on why it has taken me so long to give it a watch. But I was really happy to find out that Alpha Video, who you all know is the company I love and use their prints of films in my “Wild West Round Up” Reviews (so make sure to give War On The Range a read if you haven’t yet), had released three volumes of DVDs featuring episodes of the show, and of course I had to get them and watch, and I have to say this show is lots of fun. The Shotgun Slade character is very cool and draws you in as a viewer as you go along with him on his case and try to piece together who are the crooks and who even hired him from time to time. I will say that the jazz soundtrack does set it apart form other western shows, but at times it also is kind of distracting and reminded me of some of the music cues used in the 1960’s Batman TV Show starting Adam West. After watching several episodes I have to say I really like the show as each episode flows well and the cases he takes are interesting and kept me wanting to see how he was going to solve them. Very cool and original concept by creator Frank Gruber and Scott Brady was the right choice to play Shotgun Slade, and with that I say if you like westerns, like detective shows and enjoy classic television make sure to go and get yourself these DVDs or heck look up episodes on YouTube and enjoy this fun and should not be forgotten show.

Now let’s talk about the character Shotgun Slade, who is a private detective who for the right price you can hire and he will crack any case. He was always armed with his trusty shotgun that had barrels stacked with one firing a 12-gauge shell and the other .32 caliber bullet making his gun very effective in any situation, and yes he is skilled with it. Because he was a detective for hire, this caused him to travel a lot and meet, friend and fight with many people along the way. He is super smart and uses not only his fist fighting and gun skills on his cases but also his mind to blend in and get the information he is looking for to solve his case. He is strong willed and when need be he also can be a smartass or even tough as nails. Shotgun Slade is played by actor Scott Brady, who was a big actor for many years and was even in such Horror Films as “Castle Of Evil (1966)”, “The Mighty Gorga (1969)”, “Nightmare In Wax (1969)”, “The Ice House (1969)”, “Five Bloody Graves (1969)”, “Wicked, Wicked (1973)”, “The Night Strangler (1973)” and “Gremlins (1984)” but he was mostly known for his roles in the western genre. Sadly Scott Bradley would pass away from respiratory failure at the age of 60 in 1985. And one thing about Scott is that he was a good character actor that I think is often over looked for his roles in Horror. But to sum it up, Shotgun Slade is a very cool character who is one part cowboy and one part private detective.

Like all good TV Western shows, Shotgun Slade had his fair share of merchandise for fans to collect that includes comic book, home media, board game, soundtrack and a toy shotgun replica of his famous weapon. And oddly enough that is pretty much it, and Shotgun Slade never got an action figure or even a lunchbox. But while limited on what fans could get their hands on, as you can see, some cool stuff over the years have been made available. And for those wondering, I own the comic, home media and the soundtrack on CD of Shotgun Slade. So if you are a fan, you can add to your collection by tracking down any of this cool stuff.

After doing the research and watching Shotgun Slade episodes as well as listening to the score music, I am very much looking forward to reading this comic book based on the character released by Dell Comics as this will be a first time read for me. And that’s something I might be doing more of in the future here at Rotten Ink is tracking down some of these old Dell Comics based on old TV Westerns and doing updates based around them as I have been trying to get the complete run of The Rifleman for a while now as that is one of my favorite shows of all time and needs to be covered here. I want to thank the Ebay seller who had this comic in stock and made this update possible and I also want to remind you that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, it’s entertainment value and it’s art and story. So with that lets head out to the old west and see what kind of case Shotgun Slade has to crack in this one and only comic book adventure.

Shotgun Slade # 1 ***1/2
Released in 1960 Cover Price .10 Dell Comics # 1111 of 1354

“Outpost Outlaws” Shotgun Slade has been hired by The Shannon Stage Line by it’s owner Beth Shannon and arrives just in time as he watches as outlaws are robbing a stage coach and even shoot the driver Beth herself after she sees one of the outlaws face and that being Ben Watson. The outlaws escape as Slade is able to check on Beth who survived the shot and tells him that Ben hangs around the general store with the owner Jess and that her father also hangs around there as well to play checkers all day. Slade heads to town and goes to the general store and takes Ben Watson to jail, and unknown to him one of the outlaws sneaks out the back and threatens Beth with killing her father if she identifies Ben as one of the coach robbers! Ben ends up walking free and Beth lets Slade go from the case, but her father hires him back and its shown that Jess is the mastermind of the stage coach robberies and now he and his outlaws have a plan to flee the town, but before they do so they take Beth’s father hostage! Slade figures this all out and brings down Jess and the outlaws before they can run, gets Beth her money back as well as brings her and her father closer. “Cowtown” Slade has been hired by the Cattlemen’s Association in order to look into a rash of cattle thefts that has hurt many of the ranches, and before he can even reach the town to check in he is attacked by a unknown gunman who ends up loosing the back of his boot given Slade his first clue. Once in town he gets some rest and meets the Association who hired him including Will Lundeen a very rude rancher who is not happy to see Slade, cause as you guessed it he and his men are behind the cattle thefts! Slade while piecing the case together even finds an old mine shaft that the rustlers are using to move the stolen cows. And after going through the mine Slade finds that it leads to Lundeen’s ranch and he is able to make the arrest and solving the case of the stolen cows.

This is a really fun comic and does a pretty great job of capturing the nature of the show as the only thing missing is the western jazz music! This comic has two cases for Shotgun Slade one that has him bringing down some outlaws who are robbing stage coaches and the other has him stopping some cattle rustlers and along the way he charms pretty ladies as well as uses his awesome special shotgun to bring justice. Shotgun Slade is great at his job and finds the clues and solves the cases fast and is able to bring all the criminals to justice without having to kill them, but he does have to at times use his shotgun to wound them. The main bad guys in this comic are Jess a man who runs a general store but is also the leader of outlaws who rob stage coaches of their money, and he and his men do not care to take lives in order to get the money they seek. Will Lundeen is the other who is a ranch owner who along with his hired hands are stealing the cows from their fellow ranchers in town, and he as well does not mind sending his goons to kill. The cover for this issue is pretty cool and eye catching for fans of the show as it’s a promo photo used for the show set to a green background. The interior art is done by an Unknown Artist and is pretty great stuff as it has the typical Dell Comics look and style and Shotgun Slade kind of looks like the actor who played him on the show. Over all this is a great western comic based on a very underrated TV Show and is one that you should check out if you like the show or just western comics in general.

Shotgun Slade is a great TV Show that made for a great comic book as well and I am shocked that this show is not talked about to this day as it was very original and highly entertaining. And I myself would love if the missing episodes could be found and if it could be released as the whole series on home media, as I would buy it! But with our next update we keep the Cowboy Theme up and will next head back to the world of Pro Wrestling and be talking about Cowboy Bob Ellis! So until next time read a western comic or three, watch a western film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update for a rootin tootin good time in the squared circle.

Horror Host Icon: Crazyman

Posted on March 23, 2021 by bloodlinematt

It’s Saturday night in 1974, and Saturday Night Live has just ended and as always the comedy skits of Belushi, Aykroyd, Murray, Radner and Morris have tickled your funny bone but you need more! You are watching KVOA-TV Channel 4 in Arizona and you are still up and looking for entertainment as you finish your drink and bowl of snack food and to your delight Crazyman TV is on and he is hosting a cheesy horror movie for the night. In other words you get more comedy and a dash of Sci-Fi and Horror. And while Crazyman might not be a household name when it comes to the world of Horror Hosting, he for sure means something to his viewers as when looking into him, the viewers of the show surely loved every second they spent with him on those light nights. So if you readers are ready, I know I am ready to bring you Horror Host Icon: Crazyman! So let’s enter the dungeon cell or asylum room and chat about this true crazy man of Horror Hosting.

The Crazyman is a strange man with a bald head who wears a lab coat and was spending his life in a dungeon cell for his crimes against humanity! All he has in his cell is an old radio, a coffin to sleep in, and an eclectic chair, and he spends most of his time having fun hosting the movies and getting orders from The Warden off screen who is keeping him in the cell for what’s best for all mankind. But from time to time Crazyman was allowed visitors that were fans of the show or even his only true friend, a talking floating head by the name of Streamline. The Crazyman had a very loud voice and was over all very good natured as in some episodes it seemed like The Warden loved to pull pranks on him like dumping food items on his head as he talked to viewers. At some point due to his good behavior and bringing so much laughter and chills to his viewers, The Crazyman was set free back into the world and his journey ended for many years. But in 2010 he was minding his own business driving down the road and was chased by the cops, and this time is forced to spend his life in an Insane Asylum! So as you can see, for some reason those in power here in America really want to keep Crazyman away from the population and want to keep him locked away and forced to entertain those who watch his shows. While he has been off the airwaves and web streams for a while now, who knows when and if The Crazyman will appear again and where this time they will keep him locked up. Crazyman was played by Gary Craig who is a man of many talents as he is not only a Horror Host but is also an actor, writer, radio host, comedian and is known for his roles in movies like Echelon 8 (2009) and American Hustle (2013), and for those who want to learn more about Gary Craig, you should read his book “Tugging On The Sleeve Of Fame” about his life as an entertainer.

The Crazyman Show started in 1974 and aired very late nights on KVOA-TV Channel 4 and was one of those the makers paid to have it played right after Saturday Night Live. It took viewers by storm as it gained a cult following but sadly only lasted a couple of years before going off the air. But while only lasting that short amount of time, the Crazyman Show made an impact of viewers of Arizona TV, but some might find it also interesting Crazyman also was on the Radio as part of Gary Craig’s show. But after decades off the airwaves, The Crazyman Show would appear again this time via YouTube with an all new season of short shows that would have him hosting a clip from a popular movie that he would add himself into. This Internet version of the show would last 5 normal episodes and would also have a small handful of Holiday Specials, and would show that Crazyman still had lots of laughs yet to deliver. The fun thing about both the broadcast TV show and the YouTube web show is while they really are very much different in appearance and location (Dungeon Cell to Asylum Room), the vibe and zany humor is still there for both. While Crazyman Show is not having new episodes, I do have a gut feeling this is not the last we will see of it and its host Crazyman.

As I have said before, all good Horror Hosts have their fair share of great sidekicks and cohosts and Crazyman had his fair share. His most used had to be The Warden, a voice that echoed out in order to tell his prisoner things as well he always liked to mess with Crazyman during segments and tried to throw him off his hosting game. Also around in the Dungeon Cell was Streamline, the talking head that would stop in to visit Crazyman and carry on talks about things going on. Both these sidekicks added their own level of fun and silly moments to the show, and they each had their own fans that looked forward to seeing what they would be doing on their next appearance on the show. While The Warden and Streamline are not in the hosting history books, they were great characters that made The Crazyman Show a better watch for viewers. I also want to give a shout out to The Head Docto,r the voice from the speaker box for the rebirth of the series that took place around 2010/2011.

Crazyman is a host that I discovered via YouTube and after watching clips of his classic show from the 70’s, and I laughed at their silly nature and knew I had to see more! I searched far and wide to see if anyone had any full episodes as I checked trade lists and sadly it appears that there just aren’t any classic episodes in the world. One thing that I 100% noticed is that The Crazyman borrows lots from Florida Horror Host M.T. Graves, most notably with the prison setting, The Warden being an off camera co-host and even a head that was the hosts friend. And it’s clear the makers of this show were huge fans of M.T. and his influence is felt in the Crazyman’s episodes. I myself like to think the two are linked and The Warden is the same Warden who went from imprisoning Graves to Crazyman and enjoys what he does. What drew me into Crazyman is the fact that everyone who made the show come alive seemed to have a blast filming it and The Crazyman with his voice is just silly fun stuff. The comeback series of The Crazyman that was started in 2010 was more of a comedy skit with a dash of Horror Hosting and is very different in appearance, but still in my opinion holds the charm of the 70’s show.

So for this Horror Host Icon update I searched every Dungeon and Asylum looking for Crazyman as I wanted to take a few moments and ask him a few questions, and lucky for you and me…. I found him!! So here we go 5 Questions with a true Crazyman!

Me: Welcome To Rotten Ink Crazyman, my first question for you is what or who got you into Horror Hosting?

Crazyman: I’ve been in radio and TV since 1971. Worked at numerous radio stations, and had different TV shows in a few states. Hosting came naturally to me. Loved to be on camera, and to be totally in charge of writing and performing the episodes. Early in my career, Charlie Baxter was very kind to me. He had a character named M.T. Graves and was very popular in Florida. I performed on his show, and “borrowed” a few ideas from his show when I was writing mine.

Me: M.T. Graves is a true legend of Horror Hosting! So out of your first classic episodes what was your favorite movie you got to host?

Crazyman: That’s a tough one because I didn’t really pay that much attention to what the movie or show was…too busy writing and producing my portion of it. I do remember we had some Doctor Who episodes. I do remember years later in Hartford Connecticut. I hosted the film, “Gorilla at Large” and I did it IN a gorilla costume.

Me: Ha that’s great! So if you could host any film what would you pick?

Crazyman: It would be difficult to pick a film now because it would depend on what I would do in the episode…and if I were doing it today, I would be reacting specifically to the film.

Me: Understand that, What does the future hold for you Crazyman?

Crazyman: UPS just arrived with 40 cases of Purell. I’m going to put my hazmat suit on and watch some Elvira episodes.

Me: So finally what advice do you have for any future Horror Hosts reading this?

Crazyman: Yes. Youtube

I want to thank Crazyman for taking his time to answer these five questions for me here at Rotten Ink, and I hope you readers enjoyed it! It’s very interesting that he sees the future of Horror Hosting being YouTube and I can see what he means as it’s one of the best ways for any creator to get their work seen by millions of people, but I also do think at times some very talented shows and Hosts on that platform get overlooked as its an outlet that is very much over saturated, and things get lost in the shuffle. I think that YouTube along with Public Access TV and streaming stations like The Monster Channel, Shudder and The Vortexx working together will be what is what will keeps Horror Hosting alive for generations to come.

So now that you understand The Crazyman a little more I think it’s time that we get to the episodes I have of his, and like I said sadly the 70’s episodes as of right now are lost to time with only a few clips surviving and being shared on YouTube. So what I will be reviewing is Crazyman’s 2010 returns episodes as well as the holiday specials he did. I want to remind you that I will not be giving these episodes a star rating and watching these for the first time just for this Icon update! I will be taking the films’ writes up from IMDB and will be writing the host segments breakdown myself. So let’s go visit Crazyman in the place he feels right at home in the Asylum.

The Crazyman Show: Season 1
Starring – Dr. Phil & Morris Katzman Not Rated 2010/2011

Host: “Episode 1” The Crazyman is on the run from the law and when he is captured while at a cigar and joke shop, he is sentenced to spend his life at the Happydale Mental Hospital! Crazyman gets locked in a room and over a speaker The Head Doctor informs him that he will never be released and that his word is law, The Head Doctor also tells him that people are watching and he needs to show them a movie and he does just that as it’s a clip from “Wizard Of Oz” and Crazyman inserts himself into the scene. The clip is interrupted by a phone call from David Letterman who gives him a Top 10 List of things to do in a mental hospital. In the end Crazyman sits down and reads a book about straight jackets. “Episode 2” Crazyman gets a visitor and it’s his accountant, and as the visitor is making his way to his cell Crazyman shows a clip from the movie “Saw” and like before he places himself into the film. And after being told he is broke he has a flashback of being a late night talk show host and is like Johnny Carson and even chats with Donald Trump. When back to reality Crazyman can’t picture himself as a host on TV. “Episode 3” Crazyman this time gets a phone call from his agent as he thinks that if me makes some entertainment deals he could get out of the Asylum and offers him a Capital One commercial, and of course Crazyman botches it by not getting the lines straight and ends with the crew annoyed with him for it. “Episode 4” Crazyman is dancing around and gets a visit from Dr. Phil who informs him that Oprah is the only person who can free him from the asylum, but she is mad at him for eating all the Twinkies, and gives him a mental test that ends with Dr. Phil telling him off. We then see a clip of Crazyman in the film “Forest Gump” and right after a nurse enters his room and gives him an injection, right after The Head Doctor gets on the speakers and warns everyone that the nurse is a fake and is really a patient and to not let her inject ya…we end with Crazyman looking at the viewers. “Episode 5” Crazyman starts the show off with a visit from rock n roll icon Ozzy Osborne who is lost and can not find his room that is 212, after Ozzy leaves The Head Doctor calls and reminds him that he has a meeting with the hospital shrink today and Crazyman shows a clip of the film “Psycho” that has him of course in it. Crazyman while talking to The Shrink tells him about a dream he had about being on the show The Apprentice and that Donald Trump fired him! And after Crazyman spills his guts on all his weird dreams, we find out the Shrink is not listening and is looking at a gentlemen’s magazine.

The Crazyman Show: Specials
Starring – Dr. Phil & Morris Katzman Not Rated 2010/2011

Host: “Crazyman Gets A Gift” It’s Christmas at Happydale and its snowing outside and The Head Doctor has allowed Crazyman to spend the holiday at his house, but with one condition that he behaves himself…he then has Crazyman open a gift that turns out to be a generic Apple iPad! “Happy New Year At Happydale” Crazyman is feeling down as it’s New Years Eve and he is stuck spending the day at the Asylum, when The Head Doctor gives him an old TV for his room so that he can watch the ball drop, while Crazyman and a female nurse plug it in he shows us a clip from “Casablanca” that of course has him in the movie. We then join Crazyman as the ball drops and he is clearly down, as a Doctor comes in his room and he gives him a party favor and a pat on the shoulder. “The Crazyman Is The New Pope” The Crazyman is now the new Pope and is given a speech about new rules as well as just silly crazy talk! “Halloween At Happydale” Head Nurse Sunny Valentine alerts all the patients that they will be having a gathering and The Head Doctor forces Crazyman to attend and then promises that maybe he will allow him out for an hour to go Trick Of Twerking! Crazyman imagines what it would be like to be free for awhile to get candy and after he thinks the world would be mean to him he decides to stay safe and sound in the asylum.

There you have it – Crazyman is a Horror Host that lives up to his name and his show really is crazy and over the top and heck of a lot of fun! One day I hope to see not only new episodes but also that someone will find complete episodes of the classic show! While The Crazyman is very much inspired by M.T. Graves, he adds his own touches to the formula and creates something very special on its own and delivers lots of laughs! And who knows maybe one day The Crazyman will find himself in the Horror Host Hall Of Fame as I feel he should be as he delivered the antics and shows that entertained the people of Arizona and later YouTube. But for our next update we will be leaving the world of Horror Hosting and the Happydale Mental Health Asylum and will be taking a look at the Shot On Video film Suicide 2 that was released by Independent B Movie! So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update SOV fans!

Horror Host Icon: Miko Macabre

Posted on January 23, 2021 by bloodlinematt

In modern times many eyes have drifted from TV to computer screens as online viewing and streaming have became very popular ways for people to watch their favorite movies, shows and even Horror Hosts! Count Gore De Vol has been hosting his show online for many years now, and even recently Joe Bob Briggs returned to hosting and did so through streaming service Shutter and ended up crashing them as so many viewers tried to log in and watch! But for this update we are going to talk about a Horror Hostess who took YouTube by storm in 2007 with a unique show called Cryptique, and that host was the one and only Miko Macabre! Miko is one of those Horror Hostess you fall in love with upon first viewing as she has a charm and silly way of hosting that just draws you in and brings a smile to your face. So it’s with great honor and joy that I bring you Horror Host Icon: Miko Macabre. So sit back and enjoy this quick and fun Horror Host update.

Cryptique started in 2007 with the first episode being a review of the 1980’s film Night Of The Demons in three parts. You see, this show is a Horror Hosted review show that had the host Miko Macabre breakdown classic and cheesy cult horror movies in very humorous fashion all the while making fun of not only the film, but herself as well. The show premiered on YouTube and became an instant hit with viewers as the humor and quirky nature of Miko made the show a must watch. The show was very fast paced and episodes lasted around 8-10 minutes each, and besides showing clips of the film that she talked and rift over she also would do skits that were silly in nature. One of my favorites is her reenactment of “Night Of The Demons” that had her saying “You Know” and then a slang term for sex…funny and silly stuff. The set was much like Elvira’s with a couch and spooky stuff all around. But as quickly as Cryptique started, it also ended as YouTube cracked down on content they felt did not meet their standards and Cyptique was caught in their judgmental crackdown ending the show’s run in 2009 and only having a total of 5 episodes. When the show ended, many of the viewers wanted Cryptique to comeback and still even in 2020 people want a return, showing that while the show did not last all that long, it did make an impact on viewers who loved the show and Miko Macabre became one of their favorite Horror Hostesses.

Miko Macabre is a young woman who has a super silly nature and uses her humor and sex appeal to entertain viewers as she made fun of the film that was selected for the episode. Miko was filled with bad jokes that range from cheesy to sleazy, and she had a way of delivery that is very funny and oddly welcoming. Miko is just a normal young lady who wears cute dresses and hosts from her set that is made up of candles, skulls, black walls and her red couch. And besides her humor and amazing good looks, another charm she had was the fact she was a host that made you feel like a friend and you were in on the jokes of the show. Actress Sophia Baxter, who also wrote the episodes, played Miko Macabre and rumor has it that she was doing this show while in college and once she graduated and YouTube put a target on Cryptique, she walked away from the project all together…or so Horror Host rumors go. While viewers’ time with Miko was short, she made her mark on Horror Hosting and has a huge cult following that makes her very important in the history books of Hostesses and while she might never get into the Horror Host Hall Of Fame, this fan thinks she should!

So we are now at the part of this Horror Host Icon update where I will break down the episodes I have on DVD, and sadly I do not have all of her episodes as YouTube took many of them down. I will do my best to write slightly about the movies she covered and will talk about her segments as a whole. So if you’re ready, let’s spend a little time with the one and only Miko.

Cryptique: Vol. 1
Starring – Bruce Campbell & Linnea Quigley Rated R 1988/1982/1992

Host: Miko Macabre gives the history of the show and how and why they got kicked off Public Access and then hosts and reenacts scenes from the film Night of The Demons, and even shows footage of her dancing after being demon possessed. In the next episode we meet the show’s intern Andrew and as Miko breaks down the film Basketcase and Miko shares a fake story of her having a conjoined twin and later must “pay” the prop man with “favors”! The final episode Miko is reading from the book of the dead and starts her review of Army Of Darkness and even plays a little game show with Ash from the film! Miko also shows how she would deal with mini versions of herself.

Movie: Clips from such films as “Night Of The Demons”, “Basket Case” and “Army Of Darkness” are shown in these reviews.

Note From Matt: Sadly the episodes on here are all that’s left of this show once YouTube targeted them and removed the episodes and the official website has long been down, leaving some three part episodes unfinished on this DVD.

While Miko Macabre is not as iconic as Horror Hostess like Elvira, Vampira, Stella Desire, Rhonda Shear, Penny Dreadful, Marlena Midnite or Misty Brew, she has carved her place in history as being one of the best even if she only lasted for a very short time. Her fan base is still loyal even to this day and her viewers still hope for a comeback that is long overdue. So I hope you enjoyed this quick Horror Host Icon update as Miko has been on my list to cover since I started these Horror Host updates and it was a real blast to the past to write this and share the glory that is Miko with you readers. If you have interest in Cryptique and Miko, make sure to look her up on YouTube and give her episodes a watch. For the next update, we are leaving Miko and Cryptique behind and heading to space to take a wild ride with Morlock 2001 from Atlas Comics. So until next time read a comic or three, watch a movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update for a spacey good time!

SOV Flashbacks Classics – SNIX Series

Posted on October 12, 2020 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! For this update in our countdown to Halloween 2020, I decided to do something a little different and not cover a comic series or even a horror host. Instead, I’ll be covering a shot-on-video horror movie series from the 90’s that was made by James Rolfe, who is better known as The Angry Video Game Nerd!

This series was something James made with friends that ended up growing into something that is very slowly gaining its own cult following and could also be sparking a new generation of indie filmmakers into wanting to make their own films.

James Rolfe started out much like myself as he was a fan of classic old monster movies and enjoyed very much being creative and would do projects with friends or even solo to get it done. When I was a kid, I made my own comic books like Benny The Squirrel, Robo-Raccoon and Miss Freedom, to name a few. At the same time, armed with my tape recorder, I would do my own radio music and dramas as well as comedy skits, mostly about paranormal themes. But one of my biggest outlets for my creative mind was writing short stories, as I would spend so much of my time putting pen to paper and creating characters and the worlds they lived in.

And when I discovered movie making back in 1998, I was hooked on the creative outlet as the films “Teen Suicide” and a short time later “Suicide 2” and “Twisted Batman” were projects my family, friends and I created together and would lead to me making “Werewolf Of Ohio” and “Werewolf Of Ohio 2: 10 Years Before” that would spawn “The Wolf Hunter”, “One Second Too Late”, “Nightmare” and so on over the years! When thinking about Halloween time, I think of backyard shot horror movies that I grew up watching on TV and VHS, like “Trail Of The Werewolf” and “Frankenstein Stalks,” and that’s why I think it’s the perfect time of the year for me to cover the Snix film series and take the Snix Pack Challenge!

For each film, I will write about the plot, my thoughts on the film and will in the end give it a report card grade on the classic A-F scale. Now keep in mind, it would not be fair to grade SOV films like you would a big budget Hollywood Movie or even a bigger budget indie feature, that’s why ,much like I do for fan films, I will be grading these on their own scale — a scale of true to life backyard cinema, the true shot on video warriors of the camcorder days. I chose to start my SOV film reviews and topics with the SNIX films because to me it’s clear that James Rolfe had and has a love for making these movies like filmmakers Chris Seaver, Henrique Couto, Matt Hoffman and Dustin Austen, all of whom in my opinion are the godfathers of backyard films for my generation. So if you are ready, let’s see what this James Rolfe horror comedy short series has in store for us this Halloween season.

SNIX
Starring – James Rolfe & Philip Smith Directed by James Rolfe
1993 Not Rated 12min Cinemassacre DVD-R Letterbox

Movie: SNIX was killed 3,000 years ago. The evil ghosts he controls are held behind a door, and a young girl sets the spirits free by accident! Two friends Jim and Philip are in the house, and the evil ghosts are targeting Philip as they want him to put on the mask of SNIX so he can live again. The ghosts torment him all around the house to put the mask on…and he does! SNIX has now taken over Philip, and armed with a sword, he starts to stalk Jim all around the house! Jim is able to get the sword and comes up with a plan to take off the mask and try to save Philip, but he must take on the Ghosts who want to protect SNIX. After beating a ghost, he gets a delivery of a special box that takes away all the ghosts by using fear on them. Jim then comes face to mask with SNIX, and he uses the box once more that frees a creepy old man who brings down SNIX. The mask is burned to keep try and stop him once and for all. In the end, Jim cannot help himself and looks in the box himself and passes out from fright.

Thoughts: The first film in the SNIX series is a little rough to get through as it was clearly made by James when he was around 12 years old, and he cast himself and his friend in the lead roles and neither at the time were skilled actors. But to be fair, that cheesy acting is part of the charm of shot-on-video backyard films. The plot is simple: a young girl unleashes ghosts in a house by opening a closet door. The ghosts use their haunting powers along with the mask of SNIX to get one of the two young boys in the house to wear it, and when he does, he becomes SNIX and it’s up to the other to stop the evil again. SNIX spends most of the film as just the mask and demanding to be put on. Once he becomes whole again, he is defeated by the creepy old man (that is really just art pages from a kid’s book done with voice over) pretty quickly and his cursed masked is burnt up. SNIX is not a major threat nor are his ghost minions that are running wild through the house. Jim is our hero and armed with a sword and a magical box that just so happened to be delivered as he runs around his house kicking supernatural butt! Some of the fun parts of this film are when you can clearly see parents in the background and they are just going about their normal day as James and his friends are running around with a plastic sword and a mask made from construction paper. The film is bloodless, as to be expected from a film made by a 12 year old with a zero dollar budget, and of course the plot is not great but shows lots of creativity from James as the essential elements of a spooky story are there. Like everyone’s early films, it just sometimes gets jumbled. This is a good start for the series as it’s clear that it will only go up from here. One other thing about this first film is that it goes from Letterbox to Full Frame from scene to scene!

Grade: C-

SNIX: The Return
Starring – James Rolfe & Brian Genk Directed by James Rolfe
1996 Not Rated 21min Cinemassacre DVD-R Full Frame

Movie: Three years later, Jim is at his house telling his friend about the mask of SNIX and how Philip put the mask on and was brought down by the old man’s box of fear. SNIX’s mask has returned and is now trying to get Jim to put it on as he wants to be reborn again! Jim tries his best to get his friend to see the mask, but every time the friend looks, it disappears. When Jim is finally able to pick it up, he makes the mistake of putting it on and goes after his friend who tries to fight for his life….but the mask jumps to the friend as he wants his revenge on Jim for defeating him three years ago and chases him around the neighborhood. Jim uses a small stick to beat down SNIX and escapes, but once inside his locked basement the ghosts show back up as does the creepy old man who informs him that he cannot defeat SNIX alone and that they are related and together they can bring down SNIX with the Box of Fear and luck. He once more captures the ghosts and uses the sword on the mask and removes it from his friend, throwing the mask out the window. Then they bury it for good measure, this time hoping SNIX will stay dead.

Thoughts: The second film in the SNIX series plays up the comedy and has the mask playing mind games against Jim before taking over his new friend and trying to kill Jim. This time around, Jim is a little older and a tad wiser, and armed with his Box Of Fear, he once more captures the ghosts and uses the sword to bring down the evil of SNIX. Jim is a hero much like Ash from the Evil Dead series as he doesn’t want to be the hero of the day and thus far seems to fall backwards into defeating the evil mask and his ghost minions. Jim also seems at to be bad luck for anyone that he is friends with as two times now his friends get possessed by SNIX and they are lost to evil. They also add a new plot twist as The Old Man with the Box of Fear is related to Jim and in fact is the one who claims to have brought the evil SNIX down those thousands of years ago. SNIX in this one is just the mask for large parts of the movie demanding to be put on and then jumps from Jim to his friend with the goal being to kill Jim! In the host body, SNIX wanders around and tries his best to frighten and scare Jim at every turn. The ghosts are around, but as fast as they show up, they disappear as that weird old man and his box return to help. This sequel does have some blood in it as Jim is cut by his friend with a knife to the arm, showing that the budget must have been a tiny bit higher than zero. It’s also clear that this film is half spoof and half remake of the original film, and from what James has said, he even used the original paper mask for this one. SNIX: The Return is a fun silly watch and even though the picture quality on the DVD-R I have is not great, it was still fun to see how James was growing as a filmmaker and how the legend of SNIX was growing. And keep in mind James made this film when he was only 15 years old, so I have to give him props for pulling it off as it’s hard to make a solid horror comedy.

Grade: C-

SNIX: Again
Starring – James Rolfe & Brian Genk Directed by James Rolfe
1997 Not Rated 22min Cinemassacre DVD-R Full Frame

Movie: In 1693, SNIX was a powerful warlock who stole souls and was defeated by a master swordsman who left his body on an island to rot. But SNIX went after the swordsman and caused him to commit suicide in order to save his own soul. That swordsman was Xins, the Old Man with the box of fear, and he is also a spirit that is always in a fight with the evil of SNIX. Jim now understands the true nature of SNIX and the goodness of Xins, and now three months after he buried the mask, he and his friend go back and dig up the SNIX mask and take it back to Jim’s home. Once more the mask tries to force its way onto Jim’s head but fails as Jim places it into his fireplace and before he sets it ablaze, a creep headless body appears and saves it, knocking Jim out in the process. Jim calls his friend over and when he arrives, he is chased around the house by SNIX who is holding a plunger as a weapon. The young man fights for his life against the possessed Jim who was forced to wear the SNIX mask. In the end, the young man leads SNIX into the woods and is able to help Jim get the mask off, and this time around they flush the mask down the toilet….ending his rampage for now.

Thoughts: The third film in the shot-on-video cult classic series brings the true history of SNIX to light and highlights that three thousand years ago he was indeed a true force of evil and something to be truly feared and then goes into the fact that SNIX is back again only three months after we last saw him! This time around Jim understands the true evil nature of SNIX and is coming to grips that the Creepy Old Man named Xins, the keeper of the Box Of Fear, is one of his past relatives, but he still makes a dumb move when he digs up the mask with the idea to burn it again, only to find himself possessed by it and on a rampage to get his friend! The friend is the true hero of this story as he out smarts the possessed Jim and is able to get the mask off him, and together they flush the sucker. SNIX is now shown to also have a headless body wandering around who for some reason has a sock for a hand. It makes you wonder what will happen when, in a future sequel, the two will come back together. This sequel is clearly scripted, as James has stated. and this helps give the film a little structure and takes away some of the more odd moments the other films had. The downside to this sequel is that Jim’s motivation does not make sense at times, and while I can forgive it, I still have to point it out, as this is something that so many shot-on-video film heroes do…mine included. The film is bloodless and once more plays up some humor, much of which has a Scooby-Doo feel to it. This film has a cool animated opening, and I really do like that they dive deep into SNIX’s back story as up to this point it was kind of lost in the shuffle of the series as he had no real backstory. When this one was made, James was 16 years old showing that being creative really was in his blood. While not an amazing SOV film, it is a quick fun entertaining one that adds a little more legacy to SNIX and his cult character status.

Grade: C+

The Rotten Corpse Of SNIX
Starring – James Rolfe & Brian Genk Directed by James Rolfe
1998 Not Rated 21min Cinemassacre DVD-R Full Frame

Movie: Three days after being flushed down the toilet, SNIXS returns. His headless corpse is still wandering around preparing for something big and that’s to bring the mask back. Now SNIX is whole and looking for revenge! Jim is once again on the run as SNIX goes after his friend with murder on his mind. Jim goes to the Temple of Xins and chats with Xins and learns that the Box Of Fear has been stolen and that Jim is the chosen one to kill SNIX and is given a special sword to do so. All the while, SNIX chases Jim’s friend all around town and before he can kill him, Jim shows up with his new sword and has an epic sword fight with SNIX that leaves the warlock decapitated and his rotten body thrown from a window. Jim takes the mask, and this time places it on train tracks where its run over!

Thoughts: The fourth film is the SNIX series is lots of fun and has the evil warlock monster SNIX becoming whole and targeting Jim and his pal who have defeated him movie after movie! In this film Jim finally gets that he is in fact the only person that can bring SNIX dow, and he now has no fear of the evil warlock and uses his gifted sword to bring the monster down. That’s the one thing about the Jim character at this point, he really has grown from being a scared kid to a sword-swinging hero who is more annoyed that the evil mask keeps returning. His friend in this movie also gets a name, Brian, and this time around he is a major target of SNIX who seems to get enjoyment chasing him all around town with the goal being to catch him and choke the life out of him! Xins himself makes an appearance in the film and is no longer just pictures from a book, but is a costume that glows, and he sadly loses his Box Of Fear (that is used to bring the mask back from the toilet) and passes down his very own sword to Jim that was used to kill SNIX some three thousand years ago. I like the outfit for Xins way more than the pictures as the character now comes off more ghostly. Our ever-returning villain SNIX becomes whole in this film and is filled with mischief and rage as he once more targets Jim and Brian. This time around he even uses a sword with the goal to chop up Jim. But as always, he is defeated, and this time around his mask is run over by a train that shreds it into pieces. I like SNIX’s look in this film as he has a real video game island bad guy look to him. The film has a little blood that is used in the sword fight between Jim and SNIX, and James Rolfe said that at the time this was the longest film for him to make as it took 10 months due to actor schedules. The Rotten Corpse Of SNIX is a great cheesy shot-on-video film that really does capture the fun nature of backyard filmmaking and is one that I think fans of this micro genre of horror should check out. It’s the best in the series this far. I should note that James was 17 when he made this entry in the long running series.

Grade: B+

The Possessed Mask Of SNIX
Starring – James Rolfe Directed by James Rolfe
1998 Not Rated 13min Cinemassacre DVD-R Full Frame

Movie: Only three hours after destroying the SNIX mask again, Jim returns home to find the mask of SNIX in his fridge wanting to be put on! He tapes the fridge shut, but the mask once more follows him around the house asking to be put on as Jim is quickly losing his cool and is getting mad as he wants to be done with this evil curse once and for all. The SNIX Mask tricks his way on to his head for a moment, but a quick fall from a chair knocks it loose and Jim this time throws it outside and looks at the mask via the basement window, that is until the mask returns inside again only to be washed in the washing machine. Xins appears and tells Jim that he needs to really stop SNIX once and for all and that the Box Of Fear is still in Jim’s bathroom. He warns him the scariest thing in the world is still in the box. Jim then comes face to mask with the mask of SNIX, and this time after a quick chase and lots of beating the heck out of the mask, Jim thinks he ends the terror burning him up in the fireplace. But as the mask burns, SNIX warns him that he does not need the mask; all he really needs is something to possess!

Thoughts: We are five movies into the SNIX series, and this time around it’s just a showdown between Jim and the mask of SNIX who really wants to be put on and restart his reign of stealing souls. But it’s clear by this fifth film that Jim has really had enough of SNIX and wants to figure out how to stop its curse once and for all, and does what he can to ignore the mask while thinking about what he can do to kill it or at least get it to leave him alone. The ghost of Xins is hanging out in Jim’s basement. He also seems like he wants the curse of SNIX to end and tells Jim that he is the key to stop him. I like how they say all the ghosts are taken care of as they got flushed down the toilet to get the mask back and then Xins captured them all again. One odd thing is they call The Box Of Fear the Box Of Horror in this sequel. The Mask of SNIX also comes off like he just wants to be such a pain in the ass to Jim and is taking pleasure annoying him throughout his life. I also think that when he is set on fire, he knows that this will not end him, and in fact I think this allows his evil spirit to travel beyond just the mask…just a vibe I was getting. The pacing of this film is super fast and is clearly just a sequel that is used to help build up to the final film in the series. This one has zero blood and showcases what James at age 17 could pull off just by himself with some assistance from his family. While not as good as the previous film in the series, this one is a good chapter to build up the world of SNIX and shows that he is angry and wants his revenge on Xins’ bloodline and the world.

Grade: B-

The Banishing Of Evil Spirit Of SNIX
Starring – James Rolfe & Brian Genk Directed by James Rolfe
1998 Not Rated 14min Cinemassacre DVD-R Widescreen

Movie: Only three minutes after being set on fire, SNIX is back again and Jim makes a quick phone call to Brian to get over to his house. He calls his pal Joe as well to come over to help bring down SNIX…you see Jim is calling in all his pals to help in this fight! But sadly as his friends rush to get to him, the evil spirit of SNIX starts to possess Jim who now becomes the one and only SNIX! Joe is being targeted as SNIX’s next victim as Brian runs home swearing to never visit Jim again.. With the voice of Xins guiding him, Joe gets the Box of Fear and uses it against the evil warlock to knock him away and then beats the possessed Jim with a gold club till he is out cold. As Joe sits on the couch tired from the battle, the spirit of SNIX enters the TV and threatens the world that he cannot be stopped! While SNIX is in the TV, the spirit of Xins appears and uses all his energy to take him and SNIX to the spirit world, ending the evil Warlock’s reign of terror. Jim wakes up, and he and Joe look into the Box Of Fear and find it to be empty as whatever terrible thing that was inside was flushed down the toilet by the body of SNIX when he used the ghosts inside the box to get the mask. In the end Jim walks down the road knowing that he and his friends stopped the evil right there in New Jersey and that the rest of the world will never know about the horrors that could have been unleashed on them all.

Thoughts: The sixth and final film in the SNIX series is a clear love letter to the character that James created when he was only 12 years old and was a way to tie all the movies together as well as finally bring it all to an end. This time around SNIX enters the body of Jim and turns him into SNIX himself. He wants to kill Joe who is a friend of Jim’s and sadly was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But as always, the power of good brings down evil as Xins’ ghost comes to the aid of the young men and rids the world of SNIX once and for all. In this movie Jim knows that SNIX will return in three minutes and does what he thinks is right and that’s bring in his friends to help, and then for most of the movie he himself becomes the snarling evil SNIX! That’s right, think Ash from Evil Dead II when he is possessed and that’s what happens to Jim until he is beaten down with a golf club and has his soul saved by Xins. Throughout this series Jim has faced the evil of SNIX six times and has been a hero and a victim as well has grown into the savior the world didn’t even know it needed. Philip, Brian and Joe are the friends who sadly get caught up in all this madness just because they are friends with Jim and each has changed in some ways with Philip getting the worst of it as once he is possessed, he disappears never to be seen again! Brian has battled, been chased and almost killed by SNIX, and by the end of the series it’s made clear that I think he is done hanging out with Jim ever again. And Joe is just a poor young man who got sucked into the madness after he saw Jim throw the body of SNIX out the window in the fourth movie, and he has to become a hero himself. The ghost of Xins is the story’s real main hero as over three thousand years ago he took SNIX for the first time, and in this final film he is the one that takes him away again. I have to stress I like the glow in the dark/black light costume better then the art from the book version of Xins. SNIX goes from just a haunted mask to possessing people to even finding his old rotten body and wanting to come back to rule the land so badly. The only thing in his way is kids that ruin his plans, resurrection after resurrection! And while he is a soul eating, master of ghosts, he still is a very playful and goofy villain who talks like a cartoon bad guy and even does weird little dances. When he takes his mask off, I love the fact he looks like a stranger version of B-Actor Tor Johnson, fun stuff. While the final film in the SNIX series is not prefect, it still was a great fitting ending to a film series that meant something to James and his friends when they made it.

Grade: B

The SNIX film series is a great look at the beginning days of James Rolfe and his Cinemassacre Productions and is a great tool for inspiring filmmakers to watch as each film shows how James grew as a filmmaker, from his camera angels to his scripts. And now he is one of the best YouTube celebrities going. It’s also a great time capsule of the golden days of home camcorders as well as New Jersey from the eyes of young kids during the 90’s. Plus each of these movies have vintage intros to them done by James that give you a little more insight to each film and the motivation of its creation. I love hearing how he used two VCR’s to edit the films as that was the same way my brother edited his first film, Twisted Batman. Plus hearing that he also used in-camera cuts to edit parts of the film reminds me of some of my early days making backyard films. As of this update, it’s been about 22 years since the final SNIX movie was made, and while I am sure James and his crew will never make another, I for one would love to see him make one last film in the series and use all the knowledge and resources he has now to make one last epic SNIX flick…I mean come on, James could play Jim again and imagine roles for Mike Matei, Justin Silverman, Kieran and Tony from Hack The Movies as they all run away from the evil SNIX…just saying, you know you all would watch it. Honestly, it would also be lots of fun to do a SNIX comic book mini series at Blood Scream Comics as the character should live on and entertain the masses again. Over all while the SNIX films are not prefect, I will say that they are entertaining and show that all creative minds started somewhere.

I hope you enjoyed this update about this shot-on-video movie series as I had lots of fun working on it. I have been thinking about covering more movies here on Rotten Ink, and I am looking at covering films from the following genres: martial arts, sword and sandal, fantasy, westerns, indie horror, Mexican horror as well as, of course, more shot-on-video. And don’t forget, I will still be also looking at fan-made horror films. Plus, I will also be taking a look at talk shows that I grew up watching when I was a kid as seen on my Talk Back update that was about Morton Downey Jr. talking about slasher films that will be joining the ranks of Made For TV Movies and Specials! And I will always have a place for horror hosts as they are some of my most favorite updates to write for my blog. And do not get worried as comic book reviews are still my bread and butter, and they are and will always be the main focus of Rotten Ink as they are what sparked the blog and have kept me writing this long!

So as you can see, lots of great write-ups are coming your way in the next few years, and I truly hope you enjoy reading these updates as much as I enjoy writing them. For our next update, we are walking away from the world of SOV Films and will be heading to The Colony, a nice resort in the middle of the woods and tonight it’s supposed to be a full moon….so you know that the werewolves will be Howling! That’s right, we will be taking a look at the 1981 film The Howling and the Space Goat comic mini series based around it. So until next time, read an indie comic or three, watch a shot-on-video flick or two and as always, support your local Horror Host. See you next update for some quality time with Marsha Quist.

Fright Flicks Fan Films: Volume 2

Posted on August 3, 2020 by bloodlinematt

Last year I had a blast covering some amazing Fan Made Horror Movies that are being released by some very talented directors and creators showing that the world of Horror is in good shape in the future as these guys try really hard to bring amazing stories and twists to classic horror icons of cinema. So when planning this year’s updates I knew I had to return to the world of Horror Fan Films as it also seemed you readers enjoyed the first update as well. For this update I searched high and low for a new batch of Fan Horror Films and tried to stay away from covering a ton of Friday The 13^th or Halloween ones as they are popping up faster then weeds in the spring, but don’t worry some are being covered as I knew I had to cover at least a small amount as I am fans of both franchises. I also chose a few shorter Fan Films, ones as short as three minutes, as I feel that they as well should get their time to shine and to also alert you readers to them. Oh and keep in mind this update will have spoilers for the films, so you have been warned.

I got many of these short films from friends, family and even conventions, and many I have been looking forward to watching for the first time, while others are a re-watches for me. Just like before, I will write about the fan film’s plot, my thoughts on the film and will give it classic report card grade, meaning the highest a film could get is an A+ and the lowest is an F. I judge these films on a Fan Film level and not on what I would a Hollywood or even higher budget Indie Film. So if you are ready, let’s sit back and talk Horror Fan Films!

Belial
Starring – Matthew Stallings & Jesse Lasky Directed by Eric Yoder
Released in 2020 Runtime: 24min Not Rated

Plot: Duane Bradley carries his deformed and violent brother Belial around in a basket, and while on the subway train the basket is stolen and Belial brutally mangles the thief’s hand once the basket is open! Duane and Belial end up at a very sleazy hostel, and while inside they clearly see that everyone staying has issues from drugs to being thieves. When Duane’s money is stolen Belial goes on a killing rampage to get it back and one by one the people of the hostel die by a trail of carnage! In the end, the brothers escape into the night looking for another place to stay and find the peace they are looking for.

Thoughts: Once more Eric Yoder, who did the fan films “Night Of The Maniac” and “Who Goes There?” (that I covered last Fright Fan Film Update), delivers a fun and entertaining fan film this time based on the cult classic film Basket Case. This is an especially cool one to see as the world of Fan Films has not been flooded with new tales of Belial and his brother Duane. The film holds the gritty nature of the original film and even has elements of humor that made up the sequels and blends them together for this short that truly does feel like it belongs in the world of Basket Case. The acting is really great with Matthew Stallings as Duane stealing the show. He has the nice guy appeal mixed with the hint of sadness and madness. The effects done by Eric Yoder are great as blood splatters and body parts get mangled, and his effects and puppet for Belial are amazing and very much look like the one used in the original film! After watching the short fan film Belial, I would love to see Basket Case creator Frank Henenlotter allow Eric Yoder and his crew to make Basket Case 4 as the world needs a new sequel and Eric is the one to do it if Frank is not going to. So if you love Basket Case and the character Belial, make sure to give this one a watch as it’s up on YouTube, and you can also find it on an episode of Baron Von Porkchop’s Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre.

Grade: A-

Don’t Fall Asleep
Starring – Diandra Lazor & Chad Hewitt Directed by Paige Troxell
Released in 2016 Runtime: 44min Not Rated

Plot: Nancy Thompson is being locked up in an asylum after the events of the dream killer Freddy Kruger killing her friends and family, and her father thought this was what is best for her…but she is filled with anger as she feels her father is doing nothing to stop Freddy’s rampage on the teens in their sleep. Months pass, and Nancy is stuck in the asylum and even starts taking hypnocil in order to stop dreaming. She has group therapy with fellow teens having issues and they even talk about the killer Freddy Kruger as one of the young ladies’ brothers was killed by him before she was born. And then the nightmares return, and so does Freddy Kruger who starts to attack Nancy and some of the fellow teens who are now talking and working among themselves. But strangely enough, the hypnocil is not working to stop their dreams. And when the doctor takes the drug and all the teens fall asleep during a group session, the doctor and all the teens soon find out that Freddy Kruger is very much real and has murder on his mind! Now stuck in the dream world Nancy, the doctor and the teens must fight for their lives! In the end Nancy gets away from Freddy, and dates Joel a fellow asylum inmate. She becomes adjusted and studies ways to help kids as well as about dreams and the powers of the human mind. In the end Nancy takes a job at Westin Hills to help teens who are having bad dreams, but her happiness also has some sadness as her boyfriend Joel is murdered by Freddy in front of her eyes.

Thoughts: The film does a great job of showing the mental breakdown of Nancy Thompson as no one around her thinks that Freddy Kruger is real and that she has issues dealing with her mother’s death, and her father is lying to the staff about what he has seen and has returned to drinking. It also brings her mental state back up as she grows older and studies dreams and leads us into her becoming a psychiatrist that heads to Westin Hills Psychiatric Hospital aka the events of A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. The film is a little slower paced then many of the fan films I have seen based on Freddy, but it also works as I do find that the build to the fall and then rise of Nancy is well done and showcases that Nancy really is the badass we all know she is, and that even in death she still is the main force of bringing Freddy down. Actress Diandra Lazor plays Nancy and for the most part does a great job, though at times I think she turns up the anger level a little too high and makes her come off slightly cartoonish…but not bad as I think she is a solid actress over all. They even add the white strip in her hair adding that nice touch of Nancy from the film series. William Adams plays Freddy Krueger and while he is not in the short fan film much, when he is, he does a pretty good job of running around laughing and slashing. The film also does a good job of feeling like it fits into the events that take place between the first and third film in the series and follows what Nancy was doing during this time, and that’s pretty cool. The film has some blood, but not a lot, and the effects are pretty good but standard none-splatter type with many of the wounds not being shown at all. Freddy’s makeup looks pretty good and showcases that the people who made this film are skilled and that they love Freddy Kruger and his movie universe. Over all this is a good slower paced watch that delivers some scares and adds to the legend of Freddy and his battle with Nancy. Make sure to check out the film on YouTube.

Grade: B

Halloween: Fan Film
Starring – Bonnie Alvord & Lois K. Allen Directed by Christopher S. Allen
Released in 2018 Runtime: 1hr 22min Not Rated

Plot: In Haddonfield, Il Halloween is a bad time of the year and for Laurie Strode (Myers) and her son Stevie and even his love interest Trish, it’s even worse as they are being targeted by the sinister masked slasher killer Michael Myers as he has once more decided to return to his hometown and make some people dead! Sheriff Bracket meanwhile is trying to warn people about the murders of the Myers family and they want Michael to turn himself in to the police. While Stevie tries to win the heart of Trish, they with friends torment a crazy neighbor, his mother Monica spends sometime with her girlfriends and friends for a sleepover that is filled with booze, snacks and fun times. While Judith Myers shows up at Laurie’s house and spills the beans that they are both related to Michael Myers and this sparks the group to go to a bar and party down! Meanwhile Private Investigator Sam Loomis is on his way to town as he wants to speak to Sheriff Bracket about the murder rampage of Michael Myers all those years back. Meanwhile Michael Myers is killing people of the town one by one. The Sheriff and Loomis head to the old Myers house to look for Michael and tour around talking about the murders and come up with a plan to wait for Michael to return home so they can finally bring him down. In the end Michael enters the house of Laurie and starts to murder all her friends with his trusty knife and wants his sisters dead, finally in the end Judith Myers kills her sister Laurie as she is as well evil like Michael who had his head bashed in with a baseball bat.

Thoughts: This is a fan film where the creators hearts are in the right place and they try really hard to deliver an amazing fan film based around a Horror series that they love. Sadly they fall a little flat in the effort as the plot is weak and the film is packed with long drawn out filler scenes that are covered up by music cues and popular songs that play way too long. Plus in many scenes you can hear the director say action and give actors orders. The acting and gore effects are totally backyard style and some are downright laughable, not to mention how bad some of it is miscast as Michael Myers as a teen is an over weight teenager and could be one of the worst fan film Michael Myers in history with and without the iconic mask on. The twist of Judith being just as crazy as her brother is pretty silly, but it does also add its own flavor and touch to the series and the fact Michael’s mask does not fit the actor right and looks like a mask you buy from the local mall during Halloween also adds to the layers of cheese. While they do over use music montages to pad out the runtime, I will say I am a fan of them using the likes of Alice Cooper, Motley Crue and Poison songs. The film, as I have said, does have some blood, but its pure armature and backyard stuff with one scene it looks like taco sauce mixed with ketchup. The film also has nudity from actress Bonnie Alvord, who plays Laurie, and to be honest she is the best thing about this fan film as she does her best with what she is given with this script. The creators also tried to make this Halloween Fan Film different from all others as it’s clear that this is not set in the film universe as characters, attitudes and motivations are all changed up, and for that I will give them credit. Over all this is just a below average Halloween inspired fan film that, while not the greatest, is worth watching if you enjoy cheesy backyard horror flicks.

Grade: C –

Halloween: Night He Came Back
Starring – Leah Kellar & Bruce Dale Directed by Dave McRae
Released in 2016 Runtime: 45min Not Rated

Plot: It’s 2018 and in Haddonfield, Illinois it’s the 40^th Anniversary of the babysitter and hospital murders of serial killer Michael Myers. B-Movie actress Lauren is trying out for a horror movie called The Red Room in Hollywood and she feels she botched her audition. Once back home in Haddonfield on Halloween she starts to be stalked and watched by Michael Myers as she walks around town, and worse she makes plans with her brother Bob to watch horror movies and carve a pumpkin for Halloween but he is killed by Michael before he can show up, and Michael is not stopping as he slaughters a few more people around the neighborhood before finally making his way to Lauren herself chasing her around a massive old house with the intent to murder her. You see Lauren is connected to him in some way and she is his target this Halloween night. If not for Tommy Doyle she would have been dead, but he is able to save her and Michael once more escapes into the night, ready to kill again.

Thoughts: This gets some great brownie points as they clearly filmed at many of the locations of the 1978 classic that inspired this fan film! The film takes place years after the events of Halloween II and wipes away all the other films in the series to follow a what would have happened 40 years after those tragic events that left so many dead. The story follows struggling actress Lauren as she tries out for a film role only to return home to be stalked by Michael Myers. They throw in her brother Bob as well as the town’s police force and you have this Halloween inspired Fan Film Fright Flick. The character of Lauren in likable as she loves her small town roots but also dreams of living in the big city of L.A. and becoming a well-known and working actress. She is played by actress Leah Kellar, who should be working more in mainstream indie Horror Movies by companies like Blumhouse or at the least Full Moon Entertainment as she is not a bad actress and has a beautiful look to her, making her perfect for roles in Horror. The film has a good amount of kills, but takes the route of the original film and keeps the gore to zero but delivers classic style kills, with cut always. Michael Myers in the film is played by Dave McRae, who was a man of many hats for this film as he also directed it, co-wrote the script, co-produced it, edited it and played other parts like the Sheriff and voice acting small parts. He does an alright job as The Shape, but could have stepped up his creepy factor and actions a little more. It’s clear that McRae is a massive fan of Halloween, and this film is a love letter to the first two films in the series as well as John Carpenter. The film also leaves itself wide open for a sequel and leaves some questions unanswered and motivations unclear, and I am okay with that as long as the film does get a sequel. Over all if you love Halloween and Fan Films make sure to give this one a watch as it’s a pretty great watch. This film can be found on YouTube!

Grade: A-

Hellraiser: Warehouse 1 & 2
Starring – Stephen Alexander & Josh Weinberg Directed by Matt Brassfield
Released in 2007 Runtime: 25min Not Rated

Plot: Hellraiser Warehouse 1 has a man named James who works for a second hand furniture store that hates his job as the people who shop there are strung out and weird, well after chasing one masked weirdo out he is cursed. And when locking up for the night the weirdo in the mask is back in the store and shoves James into a room where he must meet his fate with the famed Pinhead. Hellraiser Warehouse 2 follows Ronnie who is very much a bad person who is rude to everyone he meets has taken over the job at the furniture store, and when he crosses paths with the mask weirdo he as well finds himself paying the price as Pinhead and Chatter pay him a visit.

Thoughts: This short fan film series is about a used furniture warehouse that acts as the gateway to the world of Pinhead and the Cenobites who target the workers who are lazy, rude, crude, homophobic and just over all scumbags! The first low paid slacker is James, a man who spends his time at work bored with the customers, drinking beer and watching porn on the TVs and once he gets the attention of Pinhead he becomes a missing person. The next worker is James’ replacement named Ronnie, who is a total scumbag and is rude to customers and his a homophobic tool, and he as well gets the attention of Pinhead who as well makes him a missing person. Pinhead in these films is a messenger of delivering punishment and is joined in the second film by Chatter. The Creeper is a masked weird man who seems to be the link between the warehouse and the world of the cenobites, he is the true figure that chooses who shall face judgment. The films have no blood nor guts but do have deaths. Stephen Alexander played Pinhead and did a great job as he also played the character at a local haunted house attraction. Over all these films were a blast to make, and while a third film was talked about it never happened…but who knows maybe someday soon it will happen. The first film can be seen in an edited cut on an episode of Baron Von Porkchop’s Terrifying Tales Of The Macabre Halloween Special.

Grade: NA

Island Of The Blind Dead
Starring – Merlyn Roberts & Emma Dark Directed by Emma Dark
Released in 2015 Runtime: 3 min Not Rated

Plot: A young woman is on the beach all alone and starts to roll around in the sand and water, but the Blind Dead have returned and are looking for victims that include a young girl, a town drunk, a garage worker and a woman taking a shower.

Thoughts: This fan film for The Blind Dead plays like a trailer for a “Lost” fifth film in the series so it plays more like clips from a movie put together than an actual fan film with a plot from start to finish. What I gather from this trailer, this fifth film would have followed a woman on vacation who made the mistake of going where the Blind Dead have once more raised for the dead to cause death. The Templar Knight aka The Blind Dead looks great and like the films it’s based on. Emma Dark plays Jeannie, the young lady on the beach and shower, and it’s crazy that she has not been casted in indie Horror Films as she has a look that fans would love. Island Of The Blind Dead is silent and no dialogue is spoken as all clips are played over a score piece that is fitting, plus I should point out that there is no blood in this short fan film either. It’s very clear that this fan film trailer has lots of heart and love behind it as the creators Emma Dark and Merlyn Roberts (who also plays the Blind Dead) are true fans of the series. While I wish this would have been more than just a very short trailer and would have been an actual fan film, I am a sucker for all things Blind Dead and enjoyed this for what it is. Not much else to say besides this is filmed and scripted really well and Emma and Merlyn should make a full Blind Dead fan film for all of us to enjoy. Check out this Fan Film Trailer on YouTube!

Grade: B

Michael vs. Jason: Evil Emerges
Starring – Joshua Pedder & John Pedder Directed by Luke Pedder
Released in 2019 Runtime: 29 min Not Rated

Plot: Jason Voorhees rises from the dead once more as his mother’s voice echoes in his brain to kill for her. Meanwhile a group of military forces are watching over Michael Myers with a plan to kill him off the books and to end his reign of terror, and escort him into the woods to carry out the plan. The plan backfires as Michael slaughters the force and chases the commander into the woods and watches as Jason Voorhees kills his attended target…big mistake as the masked killers face off in the woods with only murder on their minds. At first Jason gets the upper hand and brutalizes Michael, but once back up Michael’s evil rage sets in and then Jason is on the receiving end of a beating. In the end, a gun caring property owner and his sons show up, and Michel and Jason team up to slaughter them before once more squaring off with each other with Jason removing one of Michael’s hands and appears to get the win…or does he?

Thoughts: I think one of the top Horror Clashes that people have always wanted to see Hollywood do was a Michael Myers vs. Jason Voorhees fight as both are unstoppable, quit masked killers with no remorse. And while rights and lack of Hollywood interest has never allowed this epic slasher battle to happen, but the world of Fan Films have been flooded with this showdown each having their own take and choice of who would win this showdown. Well in this one creator and Horror fan Luke Pedder takes a stab at the epic fight and delivers a bloody showdown that gives respect to both franchises and makes both Jason and Michael look unstoppable and on equal ground. The film is pretty fast paced and the pesky humans are killed off fast and brutal as to not take away from the fight that all the viewers want to see. The costumes of Michael and Jason are very solid as are the actors who play them, plus the gore effects are well done and come off as ones seen in Indie Horror Films. The film also ends on a “To Be Continued” screen marking that this film will have a sequel. Over all a really good Fan Film that does a great job of bringing you a solid Jason and Michel fight with blood splatter and dead humans to spice it up.

Grade: B+

The Mummy Princess
Starring – Yenna Black & Thomas Cruz Directed by Sasha
Released in 2018 Runtime: 11 min Rated XXX

Plot: Princess Ahmanet has been captured and chained up and she is not happy about it at all as she tries her best to break free, a guard enters and the pair have sex and in the end Princess Ahmanet lets out a scary scream and her mouth distorts and the sands around her come alive.

Thoughts: Well this is 100% an adult film and with that said, it’s really hard to break down as it’s a short film and almost all of it just consists of hardcore sex. The actress Yenna Black looks great as Princess Ahmanet and really captures her look from the film. Not much else to say about this one as while it is a parody Horror fan film it’s really hard to talk about an adult film on a blog about comic books. So the grade I will give it is low and not because of its production value or anything but because it’s lacking in story and let’s leave it at that. This short has zero blood, no kills and lots of nudity. Plus just think about the fact a Porn Parody of the 2017 film The Mummy was made…go on and let that soak in. Also keep in mind this “Fan Film” almost was left off as it really is plotless, but in the end I decided the heck with it some of you readers might get a kick out of it.

Grade: D

My Final Destination
Starring – Sven Kittel & Rico Kittel Directed by Marco Rudolph
Released in 2012 Runtime: 42min Not Rated

Plot: A group of friends have cheated death, and now the reaper has come to take what’s his and that’s their souls! One by one death is coming for them as one friend has an accident that leaves his face smashed in by a bowling ball. Another who plays in a band gets impaled on his own drum kit! Another has her car explode and cut her in half! Another friend meets his end when weights crush his skull in. One friend, while in a dark apartment, steps on a mouse and falls down stairs and impales himself. Finally the two remaining friends go to a man who can see the future for help, and he is on help. While leaving one friend gets his head knocked off by a falling sign! The last friend runs back to the fortuneteller and begs for help, and he is told that this will happen to him forever until he himself is dead. The friend and the Teller go to one of the victim’s house looking for clues and they get a clue to get out of the building that is starting to crumble and during the escape the Teller is killed and the friend runs for his life down the stairs and escapes. He wakes up the next morning and the major event that he saved everyone’s life from happens and all of them now die they way they were supposed to.

Thoughts: This German fan film based around the popular Final Destination series is packed with lots of deaths and a little loose on plot as it really is just about the deaths of all these friends who escaped death’s cold grip! The only plot you do get from this short film is that the friends don’t want to die and while bummed that their friends are dying of weird accidents, seem to just shrug it off and go about their days and lives, that is until only two are left alive and then they make a half ass attempt to get help from a teller who just talks in weird riddles about his life being saved. The film has lots of bloody deaths and are done well with computer effects, and the film while very much flawed you can tell is being done by fans of the series as they might not have put time in the plot they did however put thought into the weird ways for the group of friends to die. The version I watched was dubbed but there is also an original German version as well out in the world. While the deaths and the digital deaths were cool and well done, the plot was paper thin and I would say that if you are a die hard fan of the film that sparked this fan film you should check it out, or if you would like to see effects that could be done with After Effects give it a watch. This film can be found on YouTube if you want to check this out.

Grade: C-

Phantasm: Extinction
Starring – Joshua Rabdell & Phil Sawyer Directed by Joshua Randell
Released in 2017 Runtime: 40min Not Rated

Plot: In 1979 The Tall Man and his horde have started their invasion of Earth and the war with them is being fought. Mike and Reggie are the world’s only hope but they during the chaos have been separated and the world around this is dead and filled with dangers and Mike starts his quest to find his friend and ends up in the Tall Man dimension and fights off his evil dwarf minions with a trusty custom shotgun, once back in our dimension he meets a man who as well has had his run in with The Tall Man and his creatures, and they pair fix a car meanwhile Reggie stuck in the world of the Tall Man fights for his life as well. Mike and his new friend check out a small town and this is a big mistake as Mike and his friend go to face Tall Man and Mike blows up the gateway and he thinks he stopped Tall Man, but he also had to kill his own friend by doing so. In the end Mike once more comes face to face with the killer Dwarves and knows that the nightmare never ends.

Thoughts: Ok, I have to start by saying it’s clear that Joshua Randell is a huge fan of the Phantasm series and understands the films lore and characters, but on the other hand the acting is super cheesy, the effects are cheap and they use scenes from the films for most of the creature effects and appearances of Tall Man, the sound is bad and pacing at times crawls as characters go into long winded stories and recaps of events from the films. The effect of the Tall Man’s world is well done even if it’s not the barren wasteland we have seen in the film series, not to even mention that at times the Killer Dwarves are guys in cheap Halloween robes or even toys super imposed in the footage. Joshua Randell is not only the films director but also plays Mike and bless his heart as he tried really hard to make his mark on Phantasm history with his fan film idea, its just really way to wordy and clearly he did not have much money for the budget as for the most part the film is bloodless. One part that had me laugh out loud is when a clearly none tall person filled in as The Tall Man and is wearing a cheesy white wig and is also holding a plastic ball…so bad its good. Over all I give Joshua and his friends lots of credit for attempting to make a Fan Film of Phantasm as it really is a complex series that would be hard to do with zero budget, and while I was not a super fan of this fan flick I would like to see Joshua and his friends return and make another one as its clear they love what they made and enjoyed the series they made this love letter to.

Grade: D+

Phantom Of The Opera
Starring – Elisa Hansen & Katherine Becker Directed by Elisa Hansen
Released in 2002 Runtime: 20min Not Rated

Plot: In the Paris Opera House, young singer Christine returns to her dressing room to find gifts and a voice that sings with her, and when the voice is shown to be The Phantom of the Opera he promises her that with his help she could have the best voice in all of Paris! And thinking that her dead father has sent The Phantom she takes him up on his offer. Three months pass and Christine has a suitor named Raoul and The Phantom is not pleased as his heart belongs to the young singer as well and he makes a date with her at the Graveyard to play her music. At the graveyard The Phantom plays for Christine and Raoul begs her not to go with him, but she does into the belly of the Opera House. And while the Phantom plays the piano Christine removes The Phantom’s mask and set him into a rage and he forces her to wear a rings and claim they are married. Once back in her dressing room she sends for Raoul and she rushes him to the roof and tells him of The Phantom of the Opera, and he makes her a promise to save her and he as well gives her a ring and wants her hand in marriage, but they make a mistake as The Phantom sees this and is not happy. That night The Phantom takes her back down into the belly of the Opera House and Raoul goes down to get her, in the end Christine is saved and ends up with Raoul as The Phantom of the Opera is left heartbroken as he knows that she will never truly be his.

Thoughts: This is a fun little silent horror fan film that is inspired by all the different film versions of The Phantom Of The Opera as well as the novel with the main inspiration coming from the 1925 classic starring Lon Chaney Sr., and the cool thing also being this was pulled off by 4 young ladies who clearly loved all things Phantom Of The Opera and put time and thought into pulling this off with such a limited cast and crew. The story condenses down the classic story as it removes all the opera singing moments as well as the plot of the Opera owners and just sticks to the Christine, Raoul and Phantom plot that is the true highlight of the story anyways. The Phantom was played by Elisa Hansen and she does a great job of silent film acting and bringing out the sadness and anger of the character, she also plays the character Meg and she also co-directed and co-wrote this short film. That’s the one thing that does make this film work so well is that the actresses understood how to act in a silent film as they show the over emotions that sell the point of the plot. The film has no deaths or blood and being based on a classic movie monster that is ok, and the only real downside to the DVD copy I have is that it’s very low grade and pixels pretty bad in spots. Over all if you are a Phantom Of The Opera fan, love classic Silent Horror Hosts or just want to see a fan film made by a limited amount of friends and pulling it off…check this one out as it can be found on YouTube.

Grade: B

Psycho V
Starring – Justin Linville & Uriel Ramos Directed by Justin Linville
Released in 2013 Runtime: 62min Not Rated

Plot: Norman Bates has set fire to his old family home that looks over the Bates Motel and now years past and Norman Bates has died and had a son named Will that was been living with close friends of Norman who are raising him as their own. Will is now hearing the voice of Norma Bates and he is starting to also question his own sanity as his friends dig deeper into the Bates family killing legacy. Will under the direction of his Grandmother dresses in the infamous dress and wig and starts to kill off friends and classmates of his that are getting too close to the truth of what he is becoming. After many of the teens of town become missing the Police get involved as they are trying to find a link between them all. One by one Will kills his friends and classmates all in for a plan he has made with his Grandmother, he even kills his best friend and with all the deaths the cops figure it all out and leave a trap for him using some of his classmates. In the end after killing so many people Will is taken out by one of his would be victims who stabs him to death.

Thoughts: This Psycho V fan film was clearly made by teenagers and has weirdly placed cuts, poor edits and the quality is a little rough…but while flawed they clearly had heart and wanted to make a fan film based on the legacy of Norman Bates and his Mother. The acting is very backyard style and remind me of all the early stuff we filmed at Independent B Movie. The story is pretty good and has Norman Bates having a son who discovers he is a Bates after finding his fathers old keep box that is filled with a diary as well as the wig and knife and now driven insane is keeping up Norma’s body count alive. The voice for Norma Bates is terrible and she sounds nothing like Mother from the real film series and has an odd accent that’s distracting. Justin Linville plays Will and he does a good job of playing that mix of weird and nice and is one of the better actors of the movie. This film is bad and yet I think that is way it has charm as they did put effort in the story, tried really hard in acting and did their best backyard effects. Over all there is not much to really say about this one besides it’s a pretty silly backyard made fan film based on one of the worlds most iconic slasher films that the filmmakers tried really hard on and seemed like they had a blast filming it. The DVD copy I have of the film is pretty grainy and has some weird picture clichés from time to time. While not the best of Psycho Fan Films it is one that holds charm if you like movies like Werewolf Of Ohio, Dr. Freak Vamp Killa and Friday The 13^th Halloween Night. This film can be watched on YouTube.

Grade: C+

Psycho V: Beginning Of The End
Starring – Horror455 & Patrick Ferguson Directed by Horror455
Released in 2012 Runtime: 1hr 46min Not Rated

Plot: Johnny is a Texas reporter who is being sent to Arizona to interview Nathan Bates the son of Norman Bates who had just passed away. When arriving Johnny finds that Nathan is very nice but a little odd and does his best to avoid the interview with distractions like playing video games and changing rooms in order to talk in, and when the interview starts Nathan starts talking about his fathers dark secrets and yet its clear he is very proud of his fathers life and thinks that his father was not crazy. The interview takes place over days and Nathan is very lonely and clearly is missing his father who was also his best friend in ways. Jonathan ends up becoming friends with Nathan and even quits his reporting job when his boss becomes a major jerk about what he thinks Nathan is and that’s a psycho. Over the friendship it becomes clear that Nathan is unstable as he claims he has talked with his Grandma Bates and that she was a sweet woman and even treats Johnny to a meal that has human remains in it, and it appears that Nathan has killed his own father Norman! In the end Nathan dresses like his dead Grandmother and attacks Johnny and tries to kill him, buts stops the attack and falls down stairs and is taken to the hospital for his major injury. In the end we find that Nathan killed Andrew Loomis the newspaper owner and that’s who was made into dinner as he was killed after he attacked Nathan in his own home that triggered his dark side, Johnny heals up and becomes a major book writer and remains close friends with Nathan after all this craziness is over.

Thoughts: The filmmaker that made this fan film was clearly a fan of the Psycho film series and his his best in shots to capture the eerie nature of the original with the use of shadows and angles. The plot is well thought out and I like the idea of Norman Bates having a son who is clearly as unstable as he was and trying just like his father to come off normal in a world around him he finds to be strange and unfriendly. But while the plot is fun and makes for a good fan film idea the major downside is that at times it drags causing it to be a little boring in spots as the run time is a very long 1hr and 46mi, and I should also state the film is filled with filler like Thunderstorm scenes and even clips from the movie American Psycho a part that has Nathan eating and reacting to it, and this part goes on way to long as do many of the moments of them showing how lonely Nathan is in his massive house. The films climax does show some blood and a kill that is done well as the film is shot in black and white and only one actor plays all the parts! Nathan Bates is a great character as he clearly is just like his father and is mentally unstable and thinks that Norma Bates is still alive and bullies him into doing bad things. The acting from Horror455 is great and he pulls off all parts really well and the fact that he was a one-man crew is pretty dang cool. I really enjoyed the film for the most part and enjoyed the twist and turn plot, and I would have given it higher if only it trimmed the fat of the drawn out parts. One odd thing is all the humor at the start of the film that goes away in spots, I want to also say that I enjoyed the end of Nathan becoming Mother as if felt like a classic style slasher film. Over all a nice little Psycho “sequel” done with a very tiny micro budget that was done by a man who clearly loved the source material.

Grade: B-

A Puppet Master Halloween
Starring – Nick Hill Directed by Patrick Delaney
Released in 2019 Runtime: 20min Not Rated

Plot: In the suburbs of Bodega Bay on Halloween Night a guy named Seth is preparing for the night complete with watching Night Of The Living Dead with a beer in hand, and also looking for a missing cat named Sparky. As the night goes on a weird orange and black package is delivered while out side the killer puppet Pinhead watches, as he is the one who placed the package there and knocked. As Seth opens it he finds that it’s a crate and inside the crate is Jester and he puts the creepy doll back and then goes to make himself some microwave popcorn, and while distracted Jester gets up and opens the garage door and lets in his fellow puppets that include Blade, Pinhead and Tunneler! As the night goes along Jester and his fellow puppets start to torment and scare Seth with him trying to run for his life to get away from them, and finally has to fight back armed with a baseball bat he strikes back at the puppets…but to no luck as by the end of Halloween night they knock out Seth and their mission is clear as they are looking for their missing friend Six-Shooter and files to were he is at as well as a crate that holds the elixir that gives them health. Later that night Seth is now injured and awake as his front door opens and Torch appears and sets him and the house on fire!

Thoughts: Growing up I have always been a huge fan of Full Moon flicks and when I heard that a fan film based on their Puppet Master series was in the works I was pretty dang happy to hear this as it was about time some one did a fan film based on this killer puppets! And when watching this film I was not disappointed as Patrick Delaney is clearly a fan of the series added lots of the folklore from the movies but also seemed to be building his own world around it as well. The plot has a guy named Seth all alone on Halloween Night who becomes the target of the killer puppets as they are looking for something in the house and he is just in their way. The Puppets we are treated to in this fan flick are Blade, Jester, Tunneler, Pinhead, Torch and a photo cameo from Six-Shooter the later who is missing and his friends want to get him back. As far as Seth goes I think he is just a guy in the wrong house at the wrong time and he ends up paying for it all with his life. I also loved that this film ties in Chucky from the Child’s Play films as well as well as the Spheres from the Phantasm series as they are all apart of something called the Omega Project. The film is pretty bloodless but does have violent acts and the Puppets are mean spirited like they are in Puppet Master and Puppet Master II. And while I wish they would have explained a little more on who Seth was and what the Omega Project is I did find myself really having a blast with this film and hope they make a second part this coming Halloween season (2020). If you enjoy Full Moon Movies, love Puppet Master and get a kick out of killer dolls this is a fan film with heart and is worth the watch. Do yourself a favor and check this one out on YouTube.

Grade: A-

The Purge 2024
Starring – Lec Zorn & Gabrielle Bousum Directed by Ashton Gleckman
Released in 2017 Runtime: 14min Not Rated

Plot: The year is 2024, and it’s Purge Night and two friends have broken down and are being hunted by a mask wearing Preacher and his carload of mask wearing psychos who want them dead and have the weapons to do so! With one friend being killed when the pair take shelter in an abandon home the remaining man must hide, run and try his best to outsmart these coldblooded killers and take them out before they get him and he does get some of them, but in the end the Purge ends and the man surrounded by killers holds one hostage and as they drop their weapons he kills them all breaking the rules of the Purge.

Thoughts: The Purge series is one of those film series that I think very much lends it’s self to the world of fan films as I also think it would make for a great comic book series as well as a video game…but now I am off topic. This short fan film does a fantastic job of capturing what it must be like to be hunted during The Purge as the two men are out numbered and in some cases out gunned. The two men seem like they are scared for their lives but are willing to fight back if they can save their hides, and don’t mind taking lives if they have to. Our final survivor turns out to be just as cold and evil as those who are hunting him as he takes their lives even after the event is over. The Masked hunters are pretty bang cool as you have The Preacher, Nun, Pig, Bunny, Bride and Zombie all running around with knives, guns and chainsaw to end some lives with. The film is pretty bloody and is fast paced for the short runtime. Over all I say if you like The Purge movies this little short fan film is worth checking out as you can tell Ashton Gleckman is a fan of the source material. If you enjoy the Purge series and want to check this one out look it out on YouTube.

Grade: A-

Scream: Generations
Starring – Lindsay McEwan & Lee Bloomfield Directed by Jared Vollmann
Released in 2012 Runtime: 1hr 30min Not Rated

Plot: Someone is taking their love for the Scream movie series to the extreme as Howell High School kids are being butchered and the killer is mimicking Ghostface is his appearance and style. Natalie is apart of a film class and she and her friends after a pair of school mates are murdered they decide to have a party that weekend to spend time together and be safe. In one-night Ghostface targets and kills the teens Film Teacher as well as April killed and her boyfriend injured and this sparks fear in Natalie and her friends stick together, but do have some inner fighting on who has done this and their pal Jason is blamed. The group of friends end up getting together to stay safe and spend time together after the tragic events that have rocked their lives, and spend the night watching Horror Movies in the backyard…but this is a big mistake as Ghostface appears to crash the party and rise his body count! In the end Natalie must come face to face with the slasher behind the mask and fight for her life.

Thoughts: This fan film takes the Scream formula and adds a new touch to it by acting as if the film series has sparked a psychopath into a killing spree that has them acting like Ghostface! The film does a good job of building the group of friends and Natalie and Gwen’s friendship being the standout as actresses Lindsay McEwan and Claire Tsiporukha do a good job in the roles. Creator and Director Jared Vollmann does a great job of capturing the mood and kills of the Scream movies and does his best to add in red herrings and keeping you guessing to who or whom is behind the slayings, Jared also plays the part of Ian in the film and its crystal clear he loves the Scream series and had passion behind making this fan film as the script and acting is solid. The one downside to Scream: Generations for me was the fact who put the mask on and slaughtered was pretty easy to predict, and while not everyone who watches this fan film will be able to predict those who know the series will spot who or whom the killer(s) are pretty easy. The motivation behind the slayings is cheesy and yet also pretty well thought out, and not making it just a solid fan film set in the Scream universe makes more of the film work. The film does have blood and the effects for the kills are pretty well done and while limited they do not stay on them long enough to spot the flaws. And I must also point out that actress Lindsay McEwan who plays Natalie should be in more Indie Horror movies! Over all Scream: Generations is a fun fan flick that delivers all the scares and entertainment that the series that sparked it always brought to the big screen. You can watch this film on YouTube, and oddly enough it films well in the world of Scream so if you ever have a marathon of Scream you should add this to the list.

Grade: B+

She Burns In Hell
Starring – Brittany Blanton & Josh Miller Directed by Ryan Stacy
Released in 2018 Runtime: 10min Not Rated

Plot: Carrie White set her high school on fire and killed many of the students after a prank of dropping pigs blood on her head sets off her paranormal abilities. They then talk to some people who watched as Carrie walked from the school and the witnessed her power first hand. We also witness what went on in Carries mind as she was dying in her front yard after destroying her house and fighting with her crazy mother. In the end when an eyewitness is asked where Carrie White is in the after life she says “She Burns In Hell”.

Thoughts: Carrie White is one of those Horror icons I think gets over looked when it comes to fan films as most tend to do films about slasher characters like Jason, Michael, Freddy and Leatherface so it was cool to see someone decide to do this and of course is had to be those talented people of Concept Media based here in Ohio. I like that the plot circled around those who seen her after her rampage in the school as she walked home covered in pigs blood as her classmates burned alive in the high school. Brittany Blanton was well casted as Carrie White and while she has very little speaking in the role she says all she needs to with her eyes as she strolls down the street and later dies in her yard. The acting is well done from the rest of the cast and really makes you think what you would do if you witnessed her special powers first hand, and how could you explain it to those who never witnessed it. This fan film also in its short time does a great job of highlighting the events of the film via dialogue played over scenes and in flashbacks. She Burns In Hell does a great job of adding to the cinematic world of Carrie and adds a new layer to the story done by Stephen King. If you are a Carrie fan make sure to check this fan film out as it’s a quick spooky watch that you will enjoy, my only real complaint is that I wish it was a little longer and we got more witnesses talking about her path home and the aftermath of her crimes. Watch this one on YouTube!

Grade: A-

TCM: New Blood
Starring – Dave R. Watkins & Ron McLellen Directed by Ron McLellen
Released in 2010 Runtime: 25min Not Rated

Plot: Lindsay and her brother Justin make the mistake of picking up a hitchhiker while lost in Texas as they are looking for their grandfathers house and also are running out of gas. The Hitchhiker offers them gas from his home and also says his brother can help give him directions, and sadly they accept. Justin follows the Hitchhiker to get the gas and meets Leatherface’s hammer, and then Lindsay is knocked out and when she wakes up she is tied down at the families dinner table and tormented by family members like Drayton, The Hitchhiker, Momma, Leatherface and a host of other Sawyer family members. Lindsay is happy to see that here brother Justin is still alive and is also forced to sit at the dinner table and watch the madness of the family unfold before them, before they are served chili for dinner, but also during dinner Justin is beaten to death with hammers in front of his sisters eyes. Lindsay is able to escape when The Hitchhiker unties her and he gets in a pushing fight with his brother Leatherface as the brothers chase her down and she meets her end at the blade of Leatherfaces’s chainsaw, in the end Leatherface does the chainsaw dance as the sun is coming up.

Thoughts: This fan film set after the events of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre and places siblings in the wrong place, as they become the next victims and meals for the crazed Sawyer Family. Justin and Lindsey are brother and sister and besides the fact they are looking for their grandfathers house in Texas we do not know much more about them, well besides they are lost and need gas. The Sawyer Family has all the original members around like Leatherface, The Cook and Hitchhiker but the other members like Momma, The Sheriff and so on just kind of seem out of place and take up screen time on a already short film that could have been given to the victims to flush out more of a backstory for them. The Hitchhiker who they also call Virgil and is played by Dave R. Watkins does his best to channel both Edwin Neal (The Hitchhiker) and Bill Moseley (Chop Top), with director Ron McLellen playing Leatherface and adding in both a spooky touch but also a little childlike humor. The film has two kills and they don’t shy away from using blood and the effects are good with the best is Justin getting bashed with the hammer is well done and cut together effective. I also feel that actress Morgan Mullis who plays Lindsay is solid as she screams her head off and has a true scream queen appeal to her. Over all this frightful fan film is a pretty fun watch and would have been better if they would have cut down the amount of Sawyer family members, maybe added a few more kills and would have not drawn out the cliché dinner table scene that is over done in all things connected to Texas Chainsaw. But with that said well done to the filmmakers and is worth a watch. Like many of the others on this update you can view this one on YouTube.

Grade: C+

Tiffany
Starring – Samuel Moya & Frances Nunez Directed by Julian Romero
Released in 2018 Runtime: 20min Not Rated

Plot: Samuel is a young man whose brother and friend where murdered by the killer dolls Chucky and Tiffany and now he must put this all behind him and deal with the mental breakdown of the crimes as well as the nightmares of Tiffany coming to get him. He also himself seen the killers dolls and just the thought of them and speaking to them freaks him out, and things get worse when a package arrives at his front door step one late night and inside the box is Tiffany and Chucky and she sets her sights and knife on ending Samuels life by putting the soul of Chucky into his body, but the young man fights back…but in the end while he defeats Tiffany by tricking Chucky into stabbing her, he then takes an axe and cuts off the head of Chucky…and it ends with Samuel keeping and torturing the still alive head of Chucky and finding that Tiffany’s body is missing.

Thoughts: This fan film takes place a few years after the events of Bride Of Chucky and tells the tale of a young man who is messed up mentally over the murders of his brother and friend at the hands of the killer doll duo, who end up showing up to his home to try and take over his body and end his life. This is a pretty fun little short fan film that uses sound bites from Jennifer Tilly for Tiffany and Brad Dourif for Chucky, and our two man killers are just consumer bought dolls from stores like Spencer’s Gifts in the malls across America, and they are used really well to pull off the killer doll moments. The films main star is Samuel Moya who plays the character of Samuel and he does an ok job of being the victim turned attacker, though him beating down both Tiffany and Chucky with ease is a little silly and he takes no real damage in the fights with them. The film is bloodless and the only “deaths” in the film is Chucky who’s head is cut off and then has his head stabbed and drilled. The music is interesting and while movie score moments are present so are covers of old songs done by female vocalist. While this is a very simple plotted fan film is clear that director, writer and producer Julian Romero was a fan of Bride Of Chucky and wanted to add his own touch to the story to show what happened after the film some time later. If you like Child’s Play movies and are looking for something short and fun give this one a watch, while it’s not the greatest it’s still a good effort from some young filmmakers. Watch it now on YouTube.

Grade: C+

A Wet Dream On Elm Street
Starring – Rachael Deacon Directed by Andrew Shearer
Released in 2011 Runtime: 5min Not Rated

Plot: A beautiful young woman is getting ready for bed at the same time Freddy Kruger is getting his glove ready to kill. At night a Freddy doll falls from her ceiling and starts to seduce the woman who in turn turns on her charm and the woman and the doll have kinky sex…and then she wakes up wearing Freddy’s sweater and it makes you wonder was it only a dream?

Thoughts: This extremely short “A Nightmare On Elm Street” fan parody film is mostly kinky with a dash of Horror thrown in. Rachael Deacon plays the young woman who has the dream and she has a real Lina Romay appeal to her, plus I have meet Rachel many times and she is a creative and great person. The short was also directed by the super talented Andrew Shearer who I feel is one of Americas most over looked master of indie cult films, as he has been making movies for decades and don’t get the respect and love he should from the masses…but then again I feel Shearer don’t mind as he makes movies to entertain not for the fame. The film is mostly silent with a score playing in the back ground with the only line being the woman saying “Whatever You Do, Don’t Fall Asleep” as she is having fun with the evil Freddy as a doll. The film does not have full nudity but does show backside and gets close, so this one is really not for the youngsters. Over all this is a super short and fun film that lets Deacon shine as a cult actress and shows the filming talent of Shearer…Oh and I have to say the lighting is great in my opinion with a blue hue through out the dream. This short film has zero blood, no kills and partial nudity.

Grade: B-

Within The Woods
Starring – Maria Saldeno & Ashley Sanchez Directed by Brandon Medina
Released in 2014 Runtime: 1hr 13min Not Rated

Plot: A pair of cops head to the cabin in the woods and find a young woman who warns them that they all need to leave now as the deadites start to appear and torment the group and in the end take them out. The make of the group wakes up in the woods and is chased back into the cabin were he finds the Necronomicon and fights off being possessed himself as the deadites all around him want his soul. Meanwhile a group of friends as well are going to make the mistake of their lives as they are heading to a get away in the woods themselves to help a friend out who is battling pill addiction and depression, when one of the friends reads from the Necronomicon they start to as well become the target of the evil dead! One by one the friends become possessed and turn on each other, with the survivors being confused by what is really going on. In the end can any of the friends or unknown male survivor live through the attack of the Evil Dead?

Thoughts: The heart and spirit is present in this Evil Dead fan film as they capture the darkness, the mean and trickster spirits of the deadites and even the use of the woods and fog. They do a good job with masking the fact its clear they had a very low budget to work with and the effects are pretty well done and have a shot on video backyard charm, but one thing they could not mask is that some of the acting is really bad and its clear Brandon hired his friends for the parts with some of them almost appearing as if they are reading the lines off screen. The film also starts off with the scares and by the middle slows down to a snail pace with the friends in the cabin talking about issues and drama. The original The Evil Dead film was a great spooky film that had demons and dread throughout and while it had drama it brought some major scares, and sadly this fan film Within The Woods here did not do that for me, and don’t get me wrong they tried really hard to pull it off, it just fell a little flat for me as I do feel way to much time is spent on the friends who are at odds with each other and the addiction issue it’s self. Even by the time the friends start to turn into deadites I found myself already kind of checked out from the film. I will say the film does have blood and the possessions of the characters while nothing more than contacts and drooling blood does work for the most part. Over all I think that doing an Evil Dead fan film is hard to pull off and I do give Brandon Medina credit for trying to pull it off, not the best nor worst fan film I have ever seen and I would say if you love all things Evil Dead check it out as the heart is here even if I was not a super fan.

Grade: C

What I really love about covering Fan Made Horror Films based on popular Hollywood Movies is that it brings me back to my days as a Shot On Video creator and director and has sparked my interest in maybe returning to do so and do one last fan film that will be based on a classic Hammer Horror film and character…so who knows maybe I will do so and if I do you can bet your last dollar that I will be covering here on Rotten Ink with a making of update! And keep in mind I will only be able to make this Fan Film if I have the time inbetween working on new episodes of Baron Von Porkchop and The Creeper, work at Rockstar Pro Wrestling and Englewood Cinema, wrapping some Wolf Hunter projects, the comic work for Sparkle and Blood Scream Comics as well as all the updates here on Rotten Ink…so as you can see I have lots of stuff going on. For our next update we will be leaving the world of Fan Films behind and will be back into the world of Horror Hosting as we take a look at the extremely short lived host Captain Jolly Rogers of Hell’s Drive-In out of Indiana. So until next time read a indie comic or three, watch a Fan Film or two and as always support you local Horror Host! See you next update for a buried treasure of Horror Hosting.

DC War Superstars Featuring Sgt. Rock!

Posted on July 14, 2020 by bloodlinematt

In the words of Edwin Starr “War, huh, yeah…What is it good for…Absolutely nothing.” While the lyrics to that song make lots of sense, they also forget the fact that war is good for something as without it, the world would not have American Heroes in comic books like Captain America, Fighting American, The Shield and Super Green Beret to name a few. And let’s not forget literary and movie heroes like Rambo and Colonel John Matrix. For this quick update, I will showcase a DC Comics one-shot issue that reprinted a classic war story that featured some of their top characters of the time that included Sgt. Rock, Lt. Johnny Cloud and Haunted Tank driver Jeb Stuart as they have to work together to save and deliver one of America’s only hopes in an agent that’s very unusual. So if you are ready, strap on your helmet and let’s head to war DC Comic style!

I am sure you longtime readers know that the update after the July 4^thhas always been about my trip to the Horror Convention Monster Bash with Juliet, but sadly this year the summer event was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak that pretty much shut down the world and changed lots of events that I had planned. I 100% understand why events like Monster Bash, Horror Hound, Cinema Wasteland and others were cancelled as lots of people attend them and the virus could spread very easily from attendee to attendee causing more illness and even deaths. But while I do understand, I was also very disappointed as every year I look forward to going to Monster Bash and enjoying all the amazing restaurants, sites and friends I get to see while in Cranberry Township. So while I am bummed, maybe later this year if all this clears up, Juliet and I will take a trip and I will cover it here on Rotten Ink.

Typical none-superhero War Comics were never my thing growing up, and the only one that I really enjoyed and still do to this day is DC Comics character The Unknown Solider who I will 100% cover some year soon for a July 4^th American Hero update as he is a true comic icon and hero in this blogger’s eyes! Growing up I can remember my brother getting some issues of DC war comics from our Grandma Brassfield when she would get them from garage sales for him, and for the most part I would barely read or look at them with Sgt. Rock being the only one I would once in a blue moon read as the action in his comic was slightly more fast paced. But one comic from those hauls that always caught my attention was called “Battle Classics” that brought Sgt. Rock together with many of the other War characters teaming up to save the life of a person stuck in a metal suit, and to be honest, the cover showcasing the metal suit is why I checked it out! When planning this update I figured that I should give a little brief bio on each of the heroes that are showcased in this issue. So sit back, relax, and let’s chat about DC Comic’s battle stars, only after I talk about the July 4th Holiday Horror Movie Marathon 2020!

With Monster Bash not happening this year, Juliet and I decided on the long July 4, 2020 weekend that we would have ourselves a Horror Movie Marathon! On July 4^th we had ourselves a pre-show of four frightful films as we ate pork chops, baked potatoes and corn! The first film of the day was the 1958 Horror/Sci-Fi film called “Frankenstein 1970” that is about the last relative of Frankenstein trying to create a life in his image all the while hosting a TV Film crew trying to make a Horror series that are clueless to his plan of creating a monster. Next up was the “horror” western film “Rawhide Terror” about a masked killer who is killing people of a small town for crimes of their past. Fun side note: this film was done by Al Adamson’s dad! We then watched the 1970 made for TV version of the George Dibdin Pitt story The String Of Pearls with “Mystery And Imagination: Sweeney Todd” about a killer barber who is slipping into total madness. And the last film of the night was “Mystery And Imagination: Dracula” that was released in 1968 and is about vampire Count Dracula and attempt to turn Lucy Weston into one of his undead brides.

This was a super fun Holiday night of horrors as the food was great and the films were very entertaining! The Golden Turkey of this pre-show for both of us hands down was “Rawhide Terror.” While it was a very cheesy and poorly made western, the “horror” aspect was not in sight and to be honest the film had some many plot holes and dead ends that it made Swiss Cheese look solid. The best film of the night for me was “Mystery And Imagination: Dracula” as I felt this short film captured the book well in 75min with Susan George who played Lucy being not only beautiful but also fantastic in the role, and Denholm Elliot was okay as Dracula…even if we nicknamed him Chubby Dracula! Juliet picked “Frankenstein 1970” as she loved the vibe and feel of this Sci-Fi Horror film and thought The Monster was cheesy fantastic! For the Golden Turkey of the Pre-Show, Juliet and I both picked “Rawhide Terror” as it was kind of a mess plot wise, and while it had a killer on the loose, it was not pulled off very well at all…in other words this Horror Western was a miss. To sum it up, a great night as after the movies we sat and listened to the booms of the fireworks outside.

The main day of The Holiday Horror Movie Marathon Weekend took place on July 5^th and started at 8am, and of course this day was as well packed with good food that included breakfast casserole, chips and dip, mixed nuts and burritos! We started our day with the 1958 Sci-Fi/Horror flick “Colossus Of New York” about a genius that dies in an accident and his father & brother put his brain into a massive robotic man. We then viewed “Pharaoh’s Curse” about a tomb being opened in Egypt that turns one of the expedition team members into a walking Mummy! For the third movie we stayed in the 1950’s and watched “Invasion Of The Saucer-Men” about aliens that land near a lovers lane and a couple trying to prove that they are real to the adults and the law. “The Gallows Act II” was the next fright flick and it was about a young woman who craves fame and makes the mistake of taking “The Charlie Challenge” on a YouTube Video. Space themed Horror Flick “Plaguers” was next on the blood tap and is about a space crew and space pirates fighting for their lives against infected mutated humans. The super cheesy and sleazy “Dracula In A Women’s Prison” was next and follows Dracula and his vampire brides running a prison, while a former victim’s sister tries to kill him. Indie film “Moon Of The Blood Beast” was next and is a sort of sequel to the film Track Of The Moon Beast that’s about a killer monster on the loose in a park. Next up was “A Nun’s Curse” a film I helped crowdfund that is about an evil sprit of a Nun called Sister Monday who has become a life long obsession of a young woman. The unlucky number nine film of the day was the reboot/sequel film “I Eat You Skin” about a group of photographers in the Philippines trying to take a picture of a rare bird, but instead one becomes a murderous zombie! The next indie fright flick to try and scare us was “Straight Edge Kegger” about a group of Straight Edge young men who snap when a member leaves the group and goes to a party, and all they can think of is to kill the drinkers! We then watched the 1989 Italian Horror Flick “Paganini Horror” about a popular female singer shooting a music video in a haunted mansion, that turns out to be a true nightmarish terror for her and her band. The final film of the night is the Bela Lugosi film “Invisible Ghost” about strange killings that take place in a respected Doctors home, who’s the killer and why are they killing? Over all as always this was a great day spent with Juliet as we watched many great films and ate some amazing food and was a great way to forget the Virus Crisis for just one day.

So something happened on this Horror Movie Marathon that has never happened before: Juliet and I picked the same films in the same order for our top three films of the event and we both choose the same film as the Golden Turkey! For The Golden Turkey we picked “Moon Of The Blood Beast” and while it was not a bad film at all, the only thing that took us both out of the film was the long segments that just showed footage from the old flick “Track Of The Moon Beast” which is a kind of prequel to this film. Otherwise, the monster was cool and plus seeing Alana Evans in a none adult film role was great to see. Our # 3 pick was “Straight Edge Kegger,” a really cool indie Horror Movie that starts out as a drama of a young man struggling with the Straight Edge militant lifestyle and then turns into a mix of The Purge and You’re Next! Our # 2 was Paganini Horror a silly and yet entertaining Italian spooky ghost mixed with a slasher film with a very cool killer and silly 80’s music! And our # 1 went to “Colossus Of New York” as it was a great classic Sci-Fi Horror Film that mixed the elements of both very well and even had a cool looking robotic monster that racked up a decent body count. I also want to note that Invisible Ghost almost took my # 3 spot as I really enjoyed the cheaply made Lugosi film. This Marathon from start to finish was packed with some great films and even the Golden Turkey ones we picked were good and entertaining in there own way.

So The Golden Massacre Award goes to the Straight Edge Warriors from Straight Kegger as they racked up a body count of over 15 people in brutal and quick ways! One of the most brutal has a poor partier who had drain cleaner forced down his throat via a beer funnel! The Straight Edge Warriors killed people in a pack and had a very brutal mentality when dealing death and sadly think that their killing of people drinking and using drugs is right. So here is to the Straight Edge Warriors who made this July 4^th 2020 marathon a little more bloody.

Sgt. Franklin John Rock is part of the infantry branch of the U.S. Army during World War II and later became the head of a unit that was called Easy Company that would get into the dangerous missions. He joined the Army after the attack on Pearl Harbor as he was working in a steel mill and was set off by the sneak attack. His time in the military he was well respected by his peers and feared by his enemies as he was a great combat fighter, a crack shot, is hard to kill, seems to have a weird sixth sense when it comes to battles and is a quick thinker under extreme pressure. Sadly the Earth 1 Sgt. Rock was killed at the end of the war by the final bullet fired by the enemy. He is a true icon of War Comics and a true Comic Book American Hero.

LT. Johnny “Flying Cloud” Cloud is a Native American fighter pilot that is very skilled and respected by most of his peers as he single handily killed many Nazi pilots by gunning their plans down in firefights. His unit of fighters was called “The Happy Braves” and later became a member of a group called “The Losers”. Johnny would also go on to be promoted to Captain and by the end of the war he was thought dead, but it turned out to not be true and he went on to live a normal life. A very interesting and cool character that played up on the treatment of Native American people at that time, worth checking out if you like war comics.

Jeb Stuart is the commander of a tank in World War II that is dubbed The Haunted Tank as the spirit of his ancestor J.E.B. Stuart, a General in the Confederate Army, haunts the tank and helps Jeb in battle against the Nazis. The Haunted Tank was DC Comics second longest running War Comic character and would over the years go on to make appearances in comics. I would like to also point out to those who might not know that J.E.B. Stuart was indeed a real General during the Civil War. The Haunted Tank is a cool concept for a character but not one I have must interest in.

So before we get to the review section of this update I want to take a moment to talk about a 1980’s shot on video fan film called Sgt. Rock that was done by Red Planet Films on a budget of only $300.00! This short film’s plot is about Sgt. Rock being thirteen years old and fighting cyborgs, zombies and the evil Queen that controls them. Along with two of his best soldiers they travel behind enemy lines and come face to face with a skilled ninja, a killer Cyborg with massive firepower and after defeating them and stealing the armor and helmets of two other Cyborgs Sgt. Rock and his one surviving ally enter the Queens base and blow it up with her inside it.

And after watching this short fan film I must say it was lots of fun and these guys clearly loved the comic series Sgt. Rock and as well loved Horror and Sci-Fi films as they mashed them all together like a big bowl of mashed potatoes and delivered a really fun and entertaining flick. The acting is pure backyard film stuff, but I must admit it is better than most I have seen. The Cyborgs and Zombies are nothing more than Halloween masks and helmets with one actor wearing an old Darth Vader helmet! While it’s not perfect, it is a really fun little fan film that you should check out on YouTube after you read this update.

So I can see you readers are ready to gear up and head into Battle Classics so let’s not talk about our fellow soldiers on the suicide mission, let’s not talk about fan films and let’s talk about how I am grading this comic on a scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. And if not for those brave soldiers at Bell, Book And Comic for having this comic in stock this Classic Battle could not be talked about…so grab your MRE Full Meal and pull up your seat as it’s time to talk about Sgt. Rock and his war time buddies.

Battle Classics # 1 ***
Released in 1978 Cover Price .50 DC Comics # 1 of 1

“Suicide Mission” Fighter pilot Lt. Johnny Cloud is given a very top secret special mission that does not even allow him to open until he is in air and away from enemy lines and is given orders if captured to blow himself and the orders up! After taking a Nazi plane, he opens his orders that is to pick up an agent named “Martin” and get him to a military base as he has info that could help end the war as well as save lives! Johnny Cloud arrives at the pick up point and finds a fatally wounded man who shows him a man in a heavy iron suit that is Martin, you see the Nazis trapped him in the suit so he could not get away, and just in time Johnny is able to help Martin into the plane and they fly off as a Nazi gunner shows up missing his time to bring them down. And while in the air Johnny has another air battle with Nazi planes and bringing them down, he gets help from an American tank lead by Jeb Stuart who gets Martin and Johnny into his super tank as Johnny’s plane is down for the count after the battle. Jeb in his tank with his new passengers inside goes up against a Nazi tanks and when things look bad the Ghost of a Civil War General that haunts the tank helps guide them through, and things look good until they hit a land mine! Sgt. Rock and his men are nearby and start to make their way to the stalled American tank when a blast from a Nazi tank leaves them all dead, besides Sgt. Rock who with every bit of energy he has fires a bazooka at the tank blowing it up. Sgt. Rock makes his way to the US Tank and is meet by Jeb Stuart and Johnny Cloud and all three men help Martin out of the tank and they start their journey to home base. Along the way Sgt. Rock gets Jeb and Johnny to help him get Martin out of the metal suit and find that Martin is really female French Agent Mlle Marie! Now the four of them make their way faster to the US Military Base, but they get stopped by a Nazi Tank close to the base and with quick thinking Sgt. Rock is able to use his skills and blow up the enemy tank and saving all their lives as they were all marked for death. In the end for delivering Mlle safe and she tells the secrets that she knows Sgt. Rock, Johnny Cloud and Jeb Stuart all receive promotions for their bravery in what was called a Suicide Mission.

This World War II war comic from DC Comics is a fantastic read that brings together some of their best characters from this genre of comics in one single issue on one epic mission that they all have to work together in order to pull off. Suicide Mission is a great title for this story arc as pilot Lt. Johnny Cloud is given a mission to pick up and rescue a French informant that has info that could help win the war and has orders that if he is captured to self destruct his plane! And when things go south after he gets the informant, they must depend on American soldiers to get the informant safe to the Military base. Lt. Johnny Cloud is awesome and is a Native American pilot who wants to make his tribe and country proud of his actions, and he is damn good at what he does! He is a character that I knew about but never read any issues off besides this one and now as an adult I find myself wanting to find some issues to enjoy. Jeb Stuart and his Haunted Tank that has a ghost of a civil war general that haunts it is a little silly, but yet still pretty cool as DC blends their war and horror comics together. While Jeb Stuart is interesting and very noble to the cause of bringing down Nazi’s he was the weaker of our heroes, as I don’t think they let his personality really shine. Mademoiselle Marie or Mll. Marie for short is the female agent that is stuck in the iron suit and goes by the name “Martin”, and she herself is a hero of DC war comics and is really a Nazi butt kicker in her own right. And Mll. is the true hero of the issue as she is the one that has all the information of the super weapon that the enemy planned to use! And the main star of the comic and the most iconic is Sgt. Rock, a tough as nails soldier who has no fear and risks his own life in order to save his fellow fighters and to help completer the mission at hand. I also like how Sgt. Rock brings down a tank with some grenades like it was something he does every day! The Nazis are total scumbags and as the reader you find yourself cheering for our heroes to deal out death to them, as they are super cold blooded and egotistical and deserve it.

This comic really did hold up for me and in fact I think now that I am older I enjoyed this comic even more and was even able to understand the stakes a lot better that each of our war heroes faced. The cover is great and fantastic and eye catching and is what made me read it when I was a kid from the stack of comics my Brother got that day, and to be honest that cover has always stuck in my mind when I think of comics from my youth. The interior art is done by the iconic artist Joe Kubert and is fantastic, but what do you expect from an artist who had his own art school named after him that is still going to this day. Over all I am not a major fan of War Comics but I will say that this comic as well as Unknown Solider issues are worth checking out and if you find a copy of this at your local comic shop make sure to pick it up and give it a read. Check out some artwork bellow from this issue and check out the style of Kubert.

I hope you enjoyed this quick update and that maybe it has also sparked your interest in checking out this one shot issue as it really is a good read for fans and even none fans of War Comics. While I am very much bummed out about not attended Monster Bash and being in Evans City walking around the NOTLD Cemetery I am very thankful for all of my family, friends and you readers being well! For my next update I am going to be turning over Rotten Ink once more to Juliet who is going to be covering the HBO Vampire show True Blood, so you know that’s going to be a good one. So until next time read a comic or three, watch a movie or two, support your local Horror Host and let your loved ones know you care. See you next update for a good old glass of True Blood to keep those hunger pains away.