Mayhem Media...music, monsters, mayhem...

Gore Galore this weekend...

 

Gorevette has cd release shows tonight and tomorrow night:

The Park Bar in Detroit on Friday, January 29th w/ Easy Action
2040 Park Street, Detroit Doors and Ticket Price TBA

Goodnight Gracie Saturday, January 30th w/ Silverghost and USL
 Ann Arbor Doors 9pm – Tickets - $7.00

And perhaps the best Gore-fest on the planet, the After Dark Film Fest is this weekend, debuting the "8 FIlms to Die For" series. Check your local listings...

For Detroiters, check it out at

Emagine Canton

39535 Ford Road, Canton, MI - (888) 319-3456

Calabrese video for "The Graves," opening this weekend

This is horror punks Calabrese's video for the film "The Graves" opening this weekend as part of the 8 Films to Die For series. The film and the video are directed by Brian Pulido. Check it out:

And if you love the brothers Calabrese (and how can you not?) they are pre-ordering for their new album, "Calabrese III: They Call Us Death." The pre-order includes a set of about the coolest postcards of the guys I have ever seen.

 

These are only available as pre-order! And the guys are getting ready to come cross country, where they are even making a stop here in Detroit at Small's in Hamtramck, March 30. Seriously, this is a must see show and a rare appearance in these parts. Come out and support them so they keep coming back! And preorder the album:

Slash and Burn. Please.

The Friday the 13th "remake."

Remaking old horror films that don't need to be remade + gratuitous nudity even for this genre + bimbos with the worst boob jobs ever + fake tanned, boob-jobbed, 2 dimensional douchebag characters + idiotic dialogue = SUCK.

Epic fucking FAIL.

This film now holds the title of worst line ever - "You have great nipple placement." I'm guessing that is supposed to be funny. Hint: it's just stupid.

Grade: D-, credit for nice set styling, the only redeeming value to this travesty on celluloid.

Now That's Some Acting

He's convinced you he's a gay man in "Six Feet Under," that his wife is his sister in "Dexter" and now his greatest performance yet -- portraying a perfectly healthy Hollywood star while battling cancer.

Michael C. Hall, best known as our favorite fictional serial killer, Dexter, said on Wednesday that he has been battling Hodgkin's lymphoma but the treatment is almost finished and the disease is in remission.

The 38-year-old actor said in a media statement that he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's, a treatable cancer of the lymphatic system, but did not say when the diagnosis was made.

"I feel fortunate to have been diagnosed with an imminently treatable and curable condition, and I thank my doctors and nurses for their expertise and care," Hall said.

His spokesman Craig Bankey said in the statement reported by People magazine that Hall's cancer is in remission and the actor will continue treatment as planned.

Hall plans to go with his wife and "Dexter" co-star Jennifer Carpenter, who plays his sister in the series, to the Golden Globe awards being held in Los Angeles on Sunday where he's nominated for best dramatic actor and the show as best drama.

"The Graves" Official Trailer for After Dark Horrorfest

How can you not love Bill Moseley? "The Graves" is an official selection for the After Dark Horrorfest 8 Films to Die For , which debuts January 29.

The Graves - Trailer
Uploaded by dreadcentral. - Classic TV and last night's shows, online.

Are We in Hell Yet?

Photo: Melissa Moseley/Universal Pictures

Long before Sam Raimi became a huge box office success with "Spiderman," he endeared himself to horror fans everywhere with the cult classic "Evil Dead" series. Even as someone who tends to frown on schlockey "humorous" horror, I have to give props to Raimi for these low budget, indie classics.

Which is why it's so painful to criticize "Drag Me to Hell."

Okay, it's horror. You are going to present us with concepts out of the ordinary and ask us to suspend our disbelief. I'll go along with you on that. But what I really hate, even when dealing with films about supernatural forces, is when characters act... out of character. In other words, I'll go along with you on goat-like demons trying to steal souls, but when your characters act in ways that make no sense to me and defy logic, you've lost me.

SPOILER ALERT.

First, when our "heroine," Christine (Alison Lohman)  takes, shall we say, her first attempt at resolving the issue of shaking the goat demon off her back, I just wasn't buying it. Maybe I'm just soft about kitties, but no...no way would she try that without so much as an afterthought, even with the clunky "foreshadowing" of the psychic saying "you'd be surprised at what people will do." Well, yeah, but that was WAY too surprising to the point of being unbelievable.

Then after she tries attempt number two, and fails, suddenly she learns of the simplest, most direct way to rid herself of her curse. Which, by the way, was going through my head all the damn time. Duh. Now after the butchered first attempt, pun intended, I'm supposed to believe Christine suddenly has some moral dilemma about an indirect way to resolve the problem where she doesn't have to see the results or do the deed herself? In fact, I am so annoyed at her for attempt number 1 and this idiotic lack of sensibility, I'm ready to see her lose the battle. Like...NOW. Drag this stupid bitch to hell, already.

As far as the "twist" ending, am I the only one who saw that coming a mile away? I mean, please.

I'll follow you on all kinds of strange monsters and myths, but you better make your characters act consistently and logically for their personalities. And really, when trying to foreshadow future events or set up a twist ending, subtlety please. I know subtlety is a lot to ask from the man who brought us "Evil Dead," but Bruce Campbell was way more believable than this twit. And FAR more likable.

Grade: C-

Theatre Bizarre...Halloween will never be the same

Usually my posts fall under one of the tagline topics - music, monsters or mayhem. Theatre Bizarre qualifies under all three. In spades.

The elusive master of ceremonies, Zombo the Clown.

Theatre Bizarre was one of the things that made me first take notice of Detroit as a possible relocation city. It's the perfect example of the thriving arts and counterculture scene here, and this is one hell of a party that everyone should experience once in their lifetime. Actually, you should experience it every year.

I don't know what this year's budget was, but the budget for 2008's party was $70,000. That is not a typo kids. 70,000 dollah. That buys you one hell of a lot of entertainment, as well as your refillable beer mug for the night. Three stages of music, burlesque and sideshow acts, haunted house, fire artists, hook suspension sideshows, bonfires, AND free beer (well, free after you pay admission.) A chance to see this dark carnival in it's full glory is worth the price of admission alone.

And if you are even thinking of checking it out next year -- and you are crazy if you aren't -- get your tickets early. This event sells out every year, and every year it is selling out quicker. It is hands down the hottest ticket in Detroit around Halloween, and I daresay, perhaps the hottest ticket all year round.

 



 

I heard many people say the same thing -- after Theatre Bizarre, the actual Halloween holiday was an anti-climax. Judge for yourself, say I. Come out next year and thrill to the obscene, from dusk till dawn...

The Graves selected for After Dark Horrorfest

Among the films featured this year in the After Dark Horrorfest is the Brian Pulido directed flick "The Graves," starring Tony Todd, Bill Moseley, Clare Grant and Jillian Murphy. I was lucky enough to get to shoot some studio shots for the website. The movie also features a cameo appearance by Calabrese, a great horror punk band based in Phoenix and one of my first clients.

From the website:

Present day. Arizona. Megan and Abby Graves are inseparable sisters that couldn’t be less alike. Megan is a self-assured, naturally attractive, ass kicker. Abby is a cute, caustic, Hot Topic Goth who’s afraid of her own shadow.

They do share a few things in common: a life-long obsession with comics, pop culture and rock ‘n’ roll. Simply put, they are beautiful geeks.

In a few days, Megan will start a new job in New York. To send her off in style, the Graves sisters go on a wild, pop culture bender that includes a trip to uncharted Arizona in search of a kitschy roadside attraction.

Instead, they’re lured to Skull City Mine, a weather-beaten, abandoned mine town that harbors terrifying secrets. It appears to be haunted -- Its twisted caretakers are murderous -- Victim’s souls are ripped right out of their bodies – and that is only the beginning…

When Megan suffers a mortal wound, Abby must save her sister, but to do so, she must confront her fears and unlock the mystery of Skull City alone.

Can Abby survive Skull City’s threats? Can she rescue Megan or are they doomed to a fate much worse than death?

This didn't end up being the official poster, but created quite a stir, including Mr. Gaiman himself posting it on his blog.

If you want to check out the trailer, go to the official website.

Brian Pulido directing Clare Grant and Jillian Murphy at the photo shoot. And the final result:

 

And for the record, not only can pretty girls be geeky and in to comics, but they can be silly too. You have to love photo shoot outtakes.