FMWL's March Midnight Madness Tournament - The Regional Finals!

Last weekend we whittled the field down to these eight films, and now it's time to take the field down to the FATAL FOUR films that will compete for the title of 2010-2011 Midnight Movie of the Year.  Our trusty and devoted selection Committee is back once more, and let's waste no more time letting their choices get cold!

If you missed the Sinister Sixteen, go HERE to check out how we got here!
If you missed Round Two, go HERE to check out how we got there!
If you missed Round One, go HERE to check out all the tourney action!
If you want to know who the selection committee for the Sinister Sixteen is, here they are:

• R.D. Penning of Dead End Drive-In
• Liam Underwood of Paracinematic Cinephile
• Andreas of Pussy Goes Grrr
• T.L. Bugg of The Lightning Bug's Lair
• Emily of The Deadly Doll's House of Horror Nonsense
• Joe Monster of From Beyond Depraved
• Matt House of Chuck Norris Ate My Baby
• Mike Snoonian of All Things Horror
• B.Stank of Brutally Violent & Wonderful
• Fred [The Wolf] of Full Moon Reviews
• B-Sol of The Vault of Horror
• Emily C of The Quest to Watch Every Movie Ever
• Geof of The Man-Cave 
• Christine of Paracinema Magazine & Paracinema.net

The Frankenstein Regional

#1 Seed - MMOTW #49: Predator vs. #3 Seed - MMOTW #32: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

What The Mike says: I'm gonna let you all in on a little secret.  I'm not wild about TCM.  I like it alot, I think it's a fascinating piece of horror, but I can only watch it once in a long while.  Predator and I, on the other hand, have no problems.  It completes me.  And it gets my endorsement here.

What the Selection Committee says:

• "TCM is my favorite horror film of all time. Viewing it elicits a visceral response that I don’t believe could ever be recreated. The dinner table scene makes my teeth grind." - Christine
• "I have to vote for Predator here. It is one of my favorite creatures of all time. So much detail went in to creating it, and it was insanely good for its time! Predator moves on!" - R.D. Penning
• "Wow...Leatherface vs. Predator. The thought of this matchup would make an awesome film! Arnie could have a cameo where he says to Leatherface: Now you...you REALLY are one ugly muthafucka!" - Geof
• "Of all the things I love about TCM, the fact that Tobe Hooper thought he made a comedy might be my favorite thing." - Mike S.

The Vote: Predator 2, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 8 - THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE moves on to the Fatal Four!

The Myers Regional

#1 Seed - MMOTW #25: The Thing vs. #10 Seed - MMOTW #11: Friday the 13th

What The Mike says: This is the easiest choice ever.  The man who created Halloween takes on the ripoff of Halloween.  It is called the MYERS Regional, after all.  Gimme that THING.

What the Selection Committee says:

• "Be honest: would you rather see a bunch of anonymous teenagers being predictably hacked up one by one, or experience the gory, grueling antarctic mayhem of Carpenter's masterpiece? It's not even close." - Andreas
• "There is no worthier king to finally dethrone an overrated slasher than Kurt Russell's beard." - Emily
• "This is no contest, and frankly I'm surprised Friday the 13th has made it this far. Out of the big three slashers, both Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street are far superior for me, and if either of those were facing off against The Thing then this would be a far tougher match-up to call. As it is, Kurt Russell and his beard keep on going. If The Thing doesn't get through to the next round, well, to quote Palmer: You gotta be fucking kidding." - Liam
• "Every aspect of this match-up screams for The Thing to win....from it's claustrophobic and paranoid atmosphere, to it's grotesque creature, and of course to the presence of Kurt Russell.  I love Friday the 13th, but it pales in comparison to The Thing." - Emily C

The Vote: The Thing 11, Friday the 13th 0 - THE THING moves on to the Fatal Four!

The Hammer Regional

#1 Seed - MMOTW #2: Moon vs. #7 Seed: MMOTW #14: Spider Baby

What The Mike says: I probably like Moon a little more as an overall movie, but I'm backing Spider Baby here.  It's one of the most unique horror comedies ever made, and it deserves the rub.  Moon's day will come, Spider Baby's is here.

What the Selection Committee says:

• "Duncan Jones is perhaps THE most well rounded director out there right now. His attention to detail and love for the cinema is unbelievable. Moon easily wins... Sorry Spider Baby." - R.D. Penning
• "Moon is a masterpiece, no doubt about it. But Jack Hill's Spider Baby is such a perfect slice of campy horror that I believe it would stay on court until the timer ran out, then proceed to tear Sam Rockwell apart with its own adorable hands." - Emily
• "I'll admit, I've still not got around to catching Moon, but it would have to be something damn special to beat out Spider Baby. There's just something so fantastic about Spider Baby's glorious ricketiness that just gives it so much appeal. It's quirky and off-beat, and I know I shouldn't but I kinda fancy Virginia." - Liam
• "Spider Baby once again gets my vote because I just can't help but love the wonderful family and their homicidal tendencies... even more than multiple Sam Rockwells." - Emily C 
• "As much fun as I get out of Spider Baby's quasi-exploitation antics, Moon is undoubtedly the superior film. (Though just for kicks, let's imagine a crossover: what if GERTY had to supervise the Merrye children?)" - Andreas

The Vote: Moon 6, Spider Baby 4 - MOON moves on to the Fatal Four!

The Blob Regional

#1 Seed - MMOTW #64: Evil Dead II vs. #14 Seed - MMOTW #9: Killer Klowns from Outer Space

What The Mike says: I can't stop myself.  I love that Killer Klowns from Outer Space has made it this far, and I love the movie's cheesy brand of awesome.  I love Evil Dead II as well, of course, but it's no fun to always root for the favorites.  Give me Klowns or give me Evil Death!

What the Selection Committee says:

• "Evil Dead deserves the crown. I’ve never been a super fan, but it’s impossible to deny its influence and staying power in the community." - Christine
• "The best matchup of this bracket! Klowns are awesome but Ash owns. I imagine if he said "Gimmie some sugar, baby" to them, they would offer one of their cotton candy cocoons." - Geof
• "I can't help it. I just think crazy straws are groovy." - Emily
• "I'm just not down with the clowns. I hate goddamn juggalos." - Mike S.
• "While I love Killer Klowns to death, the horror-comedy blend is much more even in Evil Dead II...and it has Ash and demons and evil incantations, which are superior to klowns." - Emily C

The Vote: Evil Dead II 9, Killer Klowns from Outer Space 1 - EVIL DEAD II moves on to the Fatal Four!

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And like that, we're down to FOUR.  One #3 seed crashed the party, but the other three regions were dominated by the #1 seeds, which should set up a dynamic Fatal Four!

The Fatal Four Matchups!

#3 Seed & Frankenstein Regional Winner - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre vs. #1 Seed & Myers Regional Winner - The Thing

#1 Seed & Hammer Regional Winner - Moon vs. #1 Seed & Blob Regional Winner - Evil Dead II

Thanks again to our wonderful selection committee for all their help with the project thus far, make sure to go check out their sites and spread the midnight love around!  And make sure to check back tomorrow....when Fatal Four voting will be made open to ALL FMWL READERS AND MIDNIGHT WARRIORS OUT THERE!