It's a Horror To Know You! (via Kindertrauma.com!)

If you didn't know, the folks over at Kindertrauma are pretty much the bee's knees. With more horror knowledge than at least 37 states and a willingness to dig up the dirt on any trauma that a viewer has stuck in their mind, they have horror covered like a first round cornerback. (I'm watching the NFL Draft, apologies for the mixing of passions!)

So, when they put together a little horror fan questionnaire (which you could go find and take by clicking right about HERE), I jumped at the chance to join the cool horror kids' party.  With no further ado, let's do this.

It's a Horror to Know You! - The Mike; From Midnight, With Love

1. What is the first film that ever scared you?

I can't really remember my first reaction to The Phantom of the Opera, but when I consider that I'm still afraid of the reveal of Lon Chaney's gnarled face, I find it hard to believe that it didn't scare Little The Mike.  One of the first scares I do really remember came from Pumpkinhead.  

Fun The Mike Story: I remember being absolutely terrified of a fella with a huge jack 'o lantern mask at one of those dreaded small town "Haunted Hayride" events when I was 8 or 9 years old (if  you've never gotten in on a small town Haunted Hayride, you're SOOOOO missing out.  They chase you with real chainsaws!), so the title Pumpkinhead alone gave me willies.  So imagine my surprise when the grotesque monster and the dark setting were even worse than that literally pumpkin headed townsperson!  I refused to revisit the film until deep into my teens.

2.What is the last film that scared you?

Much like a gimmicky haunted house, the gimmicky Grave Encounters got under my skin quickly.  Everything in this found footage film seems slightly off and incredibly uneasy and just creepy.  The film's most successful when it stalls and lingers just before creeping us out, and I might have taken a couple of breaks during tense moments the first time through.  Good times.

More recently I was creeped out again by a repeat viewing of Absentia, which creeped the heck out of me last summer and still carries some scares on home video.  It might be the most effective "scary" movie of the last five years.

3. Name three horror movies that you believe are underrated.

In no particular order:

• The Devil Rides Out - This one's been my baby for over a decade now, but I never get tired of singing its praises.  Christopher Lee vs. the occult in the funky late '60s!
• Horror Hotel/The City of the Dead - A little more Christopher Lee. This one came out the same year as Psycho and Peeping Tom and - though it's not as expertly crafted - features some similar twists.  It's atmospheric and creepy, too.
• Rogue - It's either the follow up to Wolf Creek or just-another-giant-reptile-movie to many, but I really think Greg McLean's Rogue is as good as any giant monster movie in a long, long time.  And the effects are Jaws good.  Yeah, I said JAWS.

 4. Name three horror movies that you enjoy against your better judgment.

• Dead Snow - I think I'm supposed to call this nazi zombie flick out for being full of cliches and stupid characters.  But I just can't do it.  It's fun.
• Dr. Giggles -  Parts of this thing are PAINFUL to watch. But man, Larry Drake as a psycho dentist is just plain GOLD.
• The Devil Within Her/I Don't Want To Be Born!/Sharon's Baby - The combination of Joan Collins and Donald Pleasence and Caroline Munro should not be this...bad. But when you have a demon baby and a dwarf sex curse...well, you've got something incredibly watchable.

5. Send us to five places on the Internet!
OK, this one's hard to narrow down. Am I really supposed to pick just five great places to read great stuff?
Fine. Off the top of my head, here's five. If you're not one of them and I love you, I still love you!

• Fascination With Fear - Christine always has something good to say about something good.  She's one of the few still fighting on behalf of old-school Gothic horrors while still appreciating a good bit of gore, and she also rocks.
• Planet of Terror - Cortez the Killer is a straight-up warrior when it comes to breaking down the latest in indie horror.  Always a great read and honest perspective, for better or worse.
• All Things Horror - Mike and Chris are also great champions of indie horror, and I never grow tired of their reviews and rants.  Plus they do everything in their power to bring indie horror to theater screens, and I can't commend that enough.
• Daily Grindhouse - There's about 10 billion things to love about this fast paced haven for all kinds of midnight pleasures.  Lists, interviews, trailers, news, DVD coverage - they have it all, and they know how to use it.
• Atomic Domino - I've just recently found this baby blog, but it reminds me that I need to spend a lot more time on sci-fi here. To the point and effective, Dominique has a great style going for her and I look forward to reading more.

Oh, and of course, I need to mention KINDERTRAUMA! Oh wait, I already did.  But hey, head over and tell them they're awesome anyway, and check out plenty more It's a Horror to Know You posts from horror lovers like you today!