Thriller Headphones

Had enough Michael Jackson coverage?

Ok, well then sneak away from it all and hide in these "Thriller Headphones."
Ha!
Tricked you.

Designed by Johnny Lighthands (c'mon that's not his real name...) for a Nokia contest, there's a blog that chronicles the making of the twisted headgear and has more photos.

Do I think they're awesome?
Yes.
Would I ever be caught dead wearing them?
No.
That is to say: I would literally rise from the dead and remove them from my head.
Rhyming!

Bad news: They're not available for sale, so just appreciate from afar.

In Case of Zombies: Wear Shirt

Ahhh summer. Far from Fall. But hey, you've gotta wade through the next 3 months to get to Fall, so enjoy it.
And what better way to celebrate summer than with a new t-shirt?

One of my favorite t-shirt companies Threadless has two new offerings for the discerning horror fan. Both feature homages to the hot-right-now but forever-timeless zombie.

You can get their TypeTee which has a bloody font scrawled across the front that says "Zombies Only Want You for Your Brain."

Or you can get the reprint of of "In Case of Zombies" which has a pseudo-instructional diagram of helpful tips for dealing with a zombie horde. Such movie-inspired nuggets as "Show No Mercy, She's Not Your Mother Anymore" and "Sporting Goods Can be Handy in a Pinch" will be right there on your torso for easy access.

I, personally, can't recommend more keeping your zombie instructions as handy as on your person. Because who wants to look for that stuff when you're running for your life and trying to find a shotgun and high ground?
Answer: No one.

Michael Jackson's Ghost? - Haunted Neverland Debunked

Jeez, I thought this would take longer.
I mean, the memorial service is TODAY... he isn't even buried yet.
But alas, someone on the wide wide world o' webs has posted a video claiming to have Michael Jackson's ghost caught on tape.

You can see for yourself, but it appears that CNN was at Neverland Ranch shooting a piece for their news and inadvertently caught a shadow of someone walking past a doorway. You can see the video HERE or embedded below.

After I scrubbed through the video to make sure it wasn't one of those practical joke jump-scare ghost vids that seem to circulate every so often, I'll be honest: I got a little chill seeing that shadow. That little kid in me who used to get terrified at the That's Incredible "Haunted Toys R Us" television show in the 80s really got worked up. But I've mentioned that before HERE.

But in my quest for the truth, I dug a little deeper and found THIS post that debunks the video.

I'm sure there are some out there who will believe that CNN is covering up the biggest supernatural story of the past century... but believe it or not... watch it for yourself.

July 4th Horror Movie Suggestions!

Happy July 4th to all the Halloween Addicts out there!

After you're full of BBQ and exhausted from frolicking in bodies of water I can't recommend more the act of decompressing in front of a horror movie tonight.

Finding a theme for July 4th is a little tough. Not too many films use the theme of our country's birthday as a backdrop for scary. But I DO have 3 recommendations:

1) Jaws

"You yell 'barracuda,' everybody says 'Huh? What?' You yell 'Shark' and we've got a panic on our hands on the 4th of July."

C'mon. This one's a given.
An eternal classic and it still works because of one reason that many horror films forget: you care about the characters.
Oh and there's a giant shark.
I watch this film every year.

PARTY IDEA: If you have a pool and want a different experience, set up a screen and digital projector (safely away from the water!) and watch this movie sitting on something inflated in the pool. That'll mess with ya...

2) Uncle Sam

"I want you... DEAD"
I've not seen this movie. But I think I know all I need to know just by looking at the box.
If your enjoy your horror with a heaping side of "bad," I think you should check this out.
Like I said: Not TOO many horror movies that revolve around July 4th...

3) Independence Day

Ok I'm reaching here.
But you get a lot of bang for your buck in this one.
Where's the horror?
Well, you get aliens... annnnd the world blowing up. That's pretty horrible. Um... did I mention the aliens?

I'll take any suggestions for other 4th of July horror-themed fare in the comments below.

Rest in Peace: Michael Jackson

It's too big not to mention, but Michael Jackson died today.

I remember watching the DEBUT of Michael Jackson's Thriller on MTV.
Now, this was the 80s... a time when music videos were new, an entire CHANNEL playing music videos was newer, and a complete horror short and video by one of the biggest pop stars of that time --and ever-- was the razor's edge. The debut of that video was an EVENT. Something you don't really see today. It also scared the crap outta me. That close-up of the zombie with the blue stuff in his mouth FREAKED... ME... OUT.

I also enjoyed watching the wide-eyed glee in Michael's character as he watches the movie-within-a-movie revealed in the glowing marquee: "Thriller."
You got a lot for your money in the video: Thriller.
Werewolves, Zombies, a musical, Vincent Price voice-over and all Directed by John Landis.

As I've mentioned in THIS post of the past, as I young horror hound, I would watch "The Making of Thriller" over and over until the VHS tape was literally wearing out. Watching Jackson, Landis and one of my heroes Rick Baker all working together was amazing.

No matter what your opinion of the man, give the embedded video a watch and enjoy the work of an artist and a showman... one more time.

Michael Jackson |MTV Music

The Box, Shutter Island & Zombieland Trailers

It's been a helluva a few weeks for new horror movie trailers.
Debuting officially this month are the trailers for Richard (Donnie Darko) Kelley's The Box, Martin (Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, Goodfellas... c'mon REALLY? ) Scorsese's Shutter Island and Ruben (um... Zombieland) Fleisher's Zombieland all hit theaters in wide release this October. All seem to be mandatory Halloween Horror Viewing for October.

It's exciting to know that we'll have such a smorgasbord of scary this October.
And by the looks of the trailers, all seem to be great in their own way.

THE BOX (October 30th):
I'm not cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs over Donnie Darko like some are, but I admire and respect the film. Frank the Bunny is a terrifying image.
All that said this film, based on Richard Matheson's classic tale "Button Button," looks fantastic.
Frank Langella's look and presence seem creepily familiar, like a modern day The Tall Man from Phantasm or Father Merrin from The Exorcist.
And due to the subject matter, I'm sure it'll spurn lots of water cooler talk and "what if" conversations much like the buzz that surrounded Indecent Proposal.



SHUTTER ISLAND (October 2nd):
I don't know if you've heard of this guy Marty Scorsese but I think he's got a real future in the talkies.
But seriously folks... Mr. Scorsese hasn't really dipped his toe in the horror pool for some time (Cape Fear was over 18 years ago back in 1991) but Shutter Island definitely looks like he hasn't lost his touch. Part Session 9, part Shawshank Redemption-- oh and some actor named Leonardo DiCaprio-- I am really digging the look and feel of this.

ZOMBIELAND (October 9th):
Zombieland looks fun.
Period.
Woody Harrelson with a shotgun.
Zombies.
What else do you really need?
If this trailer accurately represents the tone of the film I think we're really in for a buddy comedy with zombies: or a budzomcom. An American version of Shawn of the Dead.
Yes please. Where may I line up, please?



All this PLUS the arrival of the long awaited DVD release of Mike Dougherty's Trick 'r Treat means October 2009 is shaping up to be quite the month for celebratin' Halloween horror.

Monster Squad TV Show Released on DVD

On DVD TODAY is Monster Squad the TELEVISION SHOW.
I don't know much about this series as it's slightly before my time, so I'll let a seemingly knowledgeable person from Amazon dot com do the talking:

Not to be confused with the 80s movie of the same name, "The Monster Squad" was a fond memory from my childhood. This 70s NBC Saturday morning show featured a pre "Love Boat" Fred Grandy as Walt, a night watchman at a Hollywood-type wax museum who was also a criminology college student during the day. He built a "Crime Computer" to monitor police activity during his shift. The computer somehow brought to life the statues of the Frankenstein Monster, Dracula, and the Wolfman (not Laurence Talbot, but Bruce WW. The initials stood for WereWolf). To make up for past misdeeds, the three use their unique abilities to fight crime. The show featured "special guest villians" like Marty Allen, Alice Ghostly, Jonathan Harris, among others. If the show reminded you of the 60s "Batman" tv show, that's because both shows were produced by the same people. I can't wait for this DVD, and I still think an updated version of this show would work today.

Huh. Sounds like fun. No mention of special features but perhaps the fact that this series is even existing on DVD IS the special feature.
As a kid who grew up on 60s Batman reruns, I think I'll put this in the ol' Netflix queue for October. Seems like good, light background entertainment for unpacking decorations.
Side note: Ever try and spell "queue"...?
Not easy.
That word just ain't right.