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!

The 127 Hours/Frozen Conundrum

I kind of love 127 Hours.  We all have those moments when we think our life is one big drama, when we ask ourselves "Why is this happening to ME?!?!?!", but we don't often have them when we're really stuck in a life or death situation.  It's mostly a one man show in which a range of emotions are on display - not unlike one of my favorite recent films, Moon - and it's entirely entertaining despite the fact that anyone who sees a poster that flaunts the film as "A TRIUMPHANT TRUE STORY" will know exactly where the film ends.

I could write about the film in too many different ways, reviewing it straight up or talking about how it's a statement of warning to people like myself who often shun human connections to do exactly what we want to do.  And I kind of want to talk about that too, but what I really want to talk about is the conundrum that has been running through my mind since I saw the film a month or so ago, and is still in my mind as I watch it again now.

So I ask....what's the deal with 127 Hours?  If something like Frozen, where a bunch of people get stuck on a ski lift is widely considered a horror movie, why isn't a movie about a guy who gets stuck between rocks considered one?

I mean, if your qualification is that a horror movie requires a a terrifying situation in which the characters' life/lives are in danger, we've got one.  The majority of the film is poor Aron Ralston, played by James Franco, stuck in a crevice and trying to find an escape from his peril.  Like Frozen before it, this is a film which should inspire the viewer to consider how they would deal with such a terrible situation.  This is the kind of movie that is all about making us think about our choices and how they can get us in trouble, which is a horror movie staple.

(Off-topic, but I think this movie hits home for me most due to the main character's "me vs. the world/lone wolf" attitude early on and how it plays into his predicament.  On a personal level, I struggle greatly with wanting to do things on my own, living alone, and at times shutting off others to whatever it is I'm up to.  Thankfully, that mostly means watching movies and writing for me, while in Aron's case it means jumping around some rocks where the Hole in the Wall Gang once hid.  Still, it's worth thinking about how much danger we put ourselves in when we disconnect from those we love.  Though it's an unlikely fate, my dear Masha still worries that someday something bad will happen to me in my solo apartment and that my corpse will show up a week later.  She probably shouldn't watch 127 Hours.)

If you want blood, 127 Hours has that too.  The final act features one of the most brutal actions recent films have shown us, and Aron's actions are sure to hit a nerve - no pun intended - with a viewer, and even those who are trained in watching violence and gore should be a bit disturbed by what we see as the blood splatters, the screams are audible, and flesh is literally ripped from bone.

But then again, there's no supernatural forces at work in 127 Hours.  Frozen has the same problem in the horror fan's eyes, but it's accepted because the director is known for his work in the horror genre.  Though Danny Boyle is the man behind 28 Days Later - one of the past decade's most respected horror films - his follow up success with films like Millions and Slumdog Millionaire doesn't really keep him in the horror conversation.

OK, cards on the table.  I don't think I would ever really call 127 Hours a horror movie.  There's just something about the film's tone that seems to keep me from really feeling it's trying to scare me away from going climbing in Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid territory.  Is tone the difference between horror and not horror?  Is Frozen a horror movie because it tries to make us scared of the situation, while 127 Hours is a drama because it tries to make us feel for the character?  Maybe.  I'm not sure I have that answer, I just felt like thinking about it.

Regardless of all this mumbo jumbo, y'all should check out 127 Hours.  I kind of wish they would have cast Sam Rockwell instead of James Franco, but that's a minor quibble.  Plus that mega cute Amber Tamblyn - from Frozen director Adam Green's Spiral - is in it.  It's a human drama - and kind of a human terror - that's well worth 90 minutes of your time that you might have spent rewatching some awful Friday the 13th sequel.

In the meantime, talk to me people!  Where do YOU draw the line between horror and not horror?  Does it even really matter to you?  Do you want to see a dude brutally cut part of his body off?  (If the answer to the last one is yes - 127 Hours, dudes.)

The Horror Blogger Meme of the Day (plus, STUFF!)

Hey Midnight Warriors, hope you're having a spooktastic weekend (or at least enjoying a random image of Captain Chaos). By now you've probably noticed that bloggers love MEMES. Me, I never even heard of that word before I started blogging. Totally looked it up finally, too. Basically, it means a cultural thing that spreads like herpes. But in this case, thanks to Pax over at Billy Loves Stu, is awesome.

Before that, a couple more thank yous need to be given to blogs that have mentioned FMWL in the ongoing Blog Award things this week (which, according to my understanding, is definitely a MEME!) Thanks to Matt over at Chuck Norris Ate My Baby, Micah over at 365HorrorMovie.com, and The Girl Who Loves Horror over at...The Girl Who Loves Horror! All fine folks with better than fine blogs! Or maybe they're better than fine folks with fine blogs. Either way, they're awesome, and you should check them out.

Now, it's time for All About MEME:

The First Ever Billy Loves Stu Meme for Horror Bloggers

1: In Ten Words or Less, Describe Your Blog:
Hopefully, some coherent thoughts amidst droolings about movies I love.

2: During What Cinematic Era Where you Born?

A: The Classic Horror Era (late 30's to 40's)

B: The Atomic Monster/Nuclear Angst Era (the late 40's through 50's)

C: The Psycho Era ( Early 60's)

D: The Rosemary's Baby Era (Mid to Late 60's)

E: The Exorcism Era (Early to mid 70's)

F: The Halloween Era (Late 70's to Early 80's)

G: The Slasher Era (Mid to late 80's)

H: The Self Referential/Post Modern Era (1990 to 1999)

Ain't no party like a Halloween Era tea party.

3: The Carrie Compatibility Question:

(gay men and straight women - make your choice from section A)

A: Billy Nolan or Tommy Ross, who would you take to the prom?

(straight guys and lesbians - make your choice from section B)

B: Sue Snell or Chris Hargensen, who would you take to the prom?

Well, it's definitely between Sue and Chris, but do I really have to go to the prom? I guess I'll pick Chris, because if she cops a 'tude I can leave her on the curb and go home to watch horror movies.

4: You have been given an ungodly amount of money, and total control of a major motion picture studio - what would your dream Horror project be?

Not necessarily a horror project, but I've always wanted to see a Buck Rodgers/Flash Gordon-esque space epic/fictional biopic featuring '80s singer Kim Carnes battling an evil space princess with Bette Davis Eyes. For horror, recently I've been obsessed with someone making a monster movie about CRACK SQUIRRELS.

5: What horror film "franchise" that others have embraced, left you cold?

Gonna get some guff on this one, but I've never bothered to see all of the Nightmare on Elm Street films. The first one's ending turned me off on Freddy and, while I love Dream Warriors, I just never really got into it completely.

6: Is Michael Bay the Antichrist?

Absolutely NOT. In fact, I've long believed that The Rock is the movie that made me The Mike. I'd rather watch it than almost anything. No one that makes something that awesome can possibly be Rob Zombie...errr, the Antichrist. Plus, Bay once tweeted this:

7: Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Frankenstein Monster - which one of these classic villains scares you, and why?

Always felt sympathy for Wolfie and Frankie, so in general I guess I'll go with Dracula. In a fight, Wolf Man.

8: Tell me about a scene from a NON HORROR Film that scares the crap out of you:

Recently, the icy stares of Marion Cotillard in Inception sent shivers flying down my spine.

9: Baby Jane Hudson invites you over to her house for lunch. What do you bring?

An exorcist.

10: So, between you and me, do you have any ulterior motives for blogging? Come, on you can tell me, it will be our little secret, I won't tell a soul.

While I don't deny the occasional dream of actually getting paid to write and not having my day job, mostly I just want to interact with horror fans and cult movie lovers. I live in Iowa, there are two horror fans in this state.

11: What would you have brought to Rosemary Woodhouse's baby shower?

Two exorcists. And a hatchet.

12: Godzilla vs The Cloverfield Monster, who wins?

Godzilla. Ain't no way he's leaving my beloved Minilla an orphan.

13: If you found out that Rob Zombie was reading your blog, what would you post in hopes that he read it?

Umm, I'm pretty sure I've dissed him enough that I wouldn't need to post anything new. Except maybe a giant GO AWAY.

14: What is your favorite NON HORROR FILM, and why?

Rear Window has been my favorite movie for a long, long time. It's almost perfect.

15: If blogging technology did not exist, what would you be doing?

Forcing my friends to watch movies they'd hate and getting frustrated about them not being as awesome as me, basically.

The Midnight Warriors Return Triumphantly!

I asked, and you responded! What followed was nothing less than brilliance (except for the bad puns I'll probably use to describe them and their articles). Please welcome to FMWL, a guild of Midnight Warriors - both new and old. For those who haven't been round these parts recently, the question I posed to them all was....

"What's guaranteed to make you happy when it comes to Horror, Genre, or Cult cinema?"

Leading off, from the most wonderful blog From Beyond Depraved, the one and only Joe Monster with his take on the joy of Werewolfs. (Thankfully, Taylor Lautner makes no cameo appearance!)

Returning for a second tour of duty is Jinx, hostess with the most-est over at Totally Jinxed, who offers up a gleeful glance at five things that bring her happiness, including The Mike faves like setting a film on a spaceship or an old-fashioned whodunit! (Note to self: Whodunit...on a spaceship. Someone book it now!)

Another return participant is Enbrethliel who blogs fromage-style over at Shredded Cheddar. In response to our query she offers up a thrilling list of her top five "priest figures" in horror, a list I heartily approve of!

Participating in her first turn as a MW is AE from over at emma blackwood, which promises "A garden of man-eating plants and scary movies."! Not only that, but her list of 10 Horror Happy-makers had me dancing the Charleston - REALLY!

Also stepping in for the first time at FMWL is Stacia from the wonderful (and also freakin' gorgeous) blog She Blogged By Night. Her simple answer to my question is a fine one - Bela!

Our final return participant was one of my first blogging acquaintances, who can probably be blamed for me getting in way over my head in this blog game. She is none other than Nicki Nix from Hey! Look Behind You, and she offers up a Top 10 list that should make any Midnight Warrior proud. Seriously, it's got DVDs on it. The Mike and DVDs are like ham and cheese.

Last but not least is a blogger who's quickly become one of the most prolific viewers I've seen, Emily C from The Quest to Watch Every Movie Ever Made. She's sent over a Top 5 List which covers a ton of horror happy...and I'm gonna let it take this post home. Before I go, one last hearty THANK YOU! to all of the Midnight Warriors out there who're reading this. Until we meet again, keep finding whatever it is about flicks that makes you happy - no matter where you have to go to find it!

With no further ado, here's Emily C's rocking list........

5. Tom Atkins - Whenever I'm watching a movie and I see that Tom Atkins is in it, I find my heart melting, and I know that no matter what, whether I like a movie or not, Tom Atkin's presence will make it better just by his being in it. Seeing his face on screen makes me instantly happy, whether he is playing a douche (Creepshow) or an awesome dude. He's not the typical Hollywood leading man type that you picture in your head nowadays (you know, 20-something with a 20-pack), but something about him is so charismatic and so charming, that he wins my heart over whenever he's on screen.

4. The Fog - I read a post on Kindertrauma just the other day about The Fog, and what's not in The Fog, and it embodied everything I absolutely love about this movie. It's a movie that I was initially slow to warm to, as when I first saw it, it wasn't "exciting" enough for me (I was in that dumb teenage stage), but over the years it was grown on me, and now it is one of my absolutely favorite horror films. It's not actually my number one horror film, but it's the film that I reach to in my DVD collection the most. Whatever kind of day I'm having, or whatever kind of mood I'm in, The Fog seems to always be the perfect fit. It's one of those films that I could watch every day for the rest of my life and not get tired of. Its spooky story and haunting music just lull me into a trance of happiness that nothing can shake. Oh yeah, and Tom Atkins is in it of course!

3. Likable and Relatable Characters - Not to be negative in this post on happiness, but there are so many movies nowadays where the characters are just unlikable scumbags and that's really a downer. I love it when horror movies actually have characters that I like, and that I can see myself being friends with if they were actually real people. That's not to say that these characters have to be perfect, in fact flaws are good and these flaws contribute to their realism. I know that many horror films have an abundance of characters that are just fodder, and in a slasher for example, will become victims of the killer anyway, but if the characters are likable, and we have the chance to get to know them a bit, then when the killer is coming after them, it makes the movie more suspenseful. If you have some kind of investment in the characters that might possibly become the killer's next victims then you actually feel like shouting at the screen telling the character to look behind them. Having a jerk in a horror film is fine, but they all shouldn't be jerks, and when I find myself liking the characters that I'm watching (take Halloween '78 for example), I am a very happy camper.

2. Awesome Music - I love it when there is good music in a horror movie, whether it be a score that was composed specifically for a movie, or previously written songs that were chosen specifically for a movie. For example, many of John Carpenter's scores are entirely haunting, and simple, and fit his movies perfectly to create a specific mood, being used to enhance tension, or whatever he wants you to feel. On the other hand, in The Devil's Rejects, previously composed songs were selected for the soundtrack, and they work just as well to create a specific mood. I can't listen to "Free Bird" now without picturing the spectacular shootout between the Firefly's and the police, and for a specific song/scene combination to be that memorable is awesome.

1. Awesome Dancing - Usually "awesome" dancing for me has a humorous side to it, and dances like the disco dance in Prom Night, or Crispin Glover's improvised dance in Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter, are guaranteed to make me happy. The goofier the dance, the better in my opinion, whether at the time it was supposed to be serious or not. I know that Prom Night isn't the best horror movie ever (although I have a nostalgic fondness for it), but when the disco dancing starts, and the "Prom Night" song comes on, I can't help but smile. Similarly, when Crispin Glover turns on "Love is a Lie" and starts his totally '80s dance, any frown that I may have had on my face vanishes. Whether it be doing the robot in Friday the 13th Part V, or demonic dancing in Night of the Demons, awesome dancing is something that always makes me happy and puts me in a good mood!

The One I Might Have Saved, via Arbogast on Film (Spoilers Within)

(WARNING! This post contains spoilers regarding 1986's The Hitcher, 1975's The Stepford Wives, and 1960's Peeping Tom. Go see them, then come back and read it. Pronto!)

The mysterious Ar-bo-GAST over at Arbogast on Film (which is seriously one of the most genius blog title ideas ever, and his stuff is usually up to that standard, too) has recently posed a fine query to blogland. The quest, should we choose to accept it, is to write on the one character who suffered a grisly demise in a horror film that we've always felt the desire to go back and save. Never one to back away from a chance to ponder horrors past, I've decided I must put on my Hasselhoff outfit* and save a life...but where do I start? A few options immediately hit my head, and I narrowed it down to three types of victims I could possibly try to save.
The first category of victim, which I've decided to immortalize via Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hitcher, is the victim who's helpless and trapped. Leigh's character, Nash, ends up in a particularly brutal predicament, and it's no stretch (har har!) to say that she probably wasn't deserving of this fate. And realistically, her predicament wouldn't have been hard to stop...Rutger Hauer's Ryder rarely takes his eyes off of C. Thomas Howell's Jim Halsey during their truck cab confrontation, it would be easy to slip up the driver side of the trailer and cut the rope holding her to said cab. But is it worth my one save? She was barely in the movie, and I've always kinda liked Rutger's style. Thus, saving her gets the thumbs down.The second group are the doomed who know their fate, like Katherine Ross' Joanna Eberhart in the original classic The Stepford Wives. A character like hers is definitely worthy of saving, considering the insurmountable forces that surround her and push her toward her doom. But there's a key word in their...insurmountable. If there's an entire society of men and robo-babes out to get her, there's not much a lone vigilante/faux-Hasselhoff can do...so I'll pass on the save, and visit to enjoy her robo-cooking later.

Lastly, there's a third group, and it's best to sum them up via this monologue from the film I've settled on doing some saving in....

"Imagine... someone coming towards you... who wants to kill you... regardless of the consequences."
"A madman?"
"Yes. But he knows it - and you don't. And just to kill you...isn't enough for him."

That exchange, which could double as a philosophical explanation of the slasher genre, comes from Michael Powell's 1960 sleaze session Peeping Tom, an unsettling British made cousin to Hitchcock's Psycho. The scene in question occurs near the midpoint of the film, like Psycho's infamous scene, but is set up quite differently than most horror film murders of the era. Unlike Hitchcock's film, in which we assume there is something amiss but are surprised with an abrupt bit of brutality, Peeping Tom makes it extremely clear to the audience that its victim, portrayed with gleeful vitality by Moira Shearer, is about to face a horrible fate...that she doesn't notice at all.

It's easy to look at a myriad of horror films that have victims that are surprised by an instant fate or have victims that are certain fate is coming for them, and feel sorry for the brutally departed. But Shearer's Vivian, an aspiring actress who's just a bubbly girl that was available to a sadistic cameraman, is a different type of damned soul. She's willingly entered a situation from which there is no escape and we know it. I'm not saying we know it like that moment in a goofy slasher movie when we think we "know" that those kids who walk down a dark hallway are about to get cashed out, in this case we are entirely aware that she's put herself in the worst spot possible and is with someone whose wrath we understand. And she has no idea about it - she's content, she's happy, and she's flailing about like a marionette - without a care in the world.Of course, she soon finds out what's in store for her, but it's not a quick reveal. Granted, she starts to understand her killer's intentions about 100 seconds before the fade to black that is her death - which isn't much time - but it definitely feels like a long stretch to the viewer, and I'd imagine feels like an eternity to the victim. In that time, she's affected by terrifying words and an intimidating weapon, and I'm sure that every second of the day that led up to this moment has to be rushing through her head, reminding her of the different choices she could have made to avoid this completely unexpected fatal encounter. Vivian's demise, as realized by Shearer, is difficult to watch because we know that she had no idea it was coming when she stepped into it - or more accurately, volunteered for it. She put herself in a bad spot, and learned about it far too late.

Thus, I'm throwing a rope of hope out to poor Vivian, whose willingness to go behind closed doors with someone she thought she could trust ended in her death. The killer's only defense was a red light outside an unlocked door, so he's just asking to be stopped anyway. And once I've saved the naive young woman, I hope she'd show off some more of those dance moves for me - in a private setting, of course. In regard to Ms. Shearer's character, this 'Hoff refuses to stand in the darkness, afraid to step into the light.

(And again, if you want to save your own horror victim, head over to Arbogast on Film and check out more who have been saved!)

(* = No Hasselhoff outfit was harmed (or worn) in the making of this blog post.)

Are Blain and Mac from Predator Gay? (Spoilers Within)

For starters, I feel obliged to state that this post is written with the utmost respect to people of all races, creeds, sexual-orientations, genders, and planets. (Except for John Elway - Up yours John Elway!) I do not intend, through my pondering here, to pass judgment on any lifestyle, we're all equal in my book. Although, I do enjoy ladies, so if you're reading this ladies...Hi there.

If you're like me, you've seen Predator a few dozen times in your life. And if you're not, you should see it a few dozen times anyway. It's the perfect fusion of action and sci-fi, a muscle-bound cousin to John Carpenter's The Thing that mixes the appeal of Schwarzenegger with top notch effects, an adrenaline-pumping musical score, and a truly original monster. It also features a cast of incredibly macho characters, toplined by Carl Freaking Weathers, WWF Star and future politician Jesse 'The Body' Ventura, and Arnie's Commando co-star Bill Duke. But the more I've watched it, the more I've come to question the characters played by the Ventura and Duke, and their relationship within the movie.

We're introduced, briefly, to Mac and Blain, played respectively by Duke and Ventura, as soon as the helicopter transporting Schwarzenegger's team of "half-assed mountain boys" opens its doors the first time. Blain is Mr. Casual, with his blue jeans and MTV T-Shirt, while Mac is fully suited up. The two don't seem to have much of a connection, even in their next scene, where the helicopter is heading toward the team's final destination. Mac and Blain sit as far apart as possible, but always seem to be in the same shot through the camera's eyes. In this scene Blain makes a famous comment about being "a goddamn sexual tyrannosaurus", and after another team member makes a joke about Blain's comment, the camera shifts to Mac - who's quietly paying attention despite his distance from the conversation. The only interaction between the duo in these early scenes comes when Blain offers Mac some of his chewing tobacco, then smiles coyly after Mac refuses.

Despite being known as one of the "manliest" movies ever made, many have commented on the homosexual undertones of Predator. It is, after all, a movie about a bunch of sleeveless, sweaty dudes with big muscles in a jungle who often like to armwrestle mid air. But I've never really found anyone, shy of a few snickering imbeciles (for the record, I also am not opposed to snickering imbeciles, and occasionally embrace that same role), who has really looked at the blatant insistence in Jim and John Thomas' script that Mac and Blain are the most deeply connected members of the unit. It probably was youthful immaturity that led me to first think it, but I became convinced somewhere amidst my viewings of Predator that Blain and Mac just might be in a homosexual relationship.Some of it lies in the obvious stuff, like the extremely phallic image of Ventura's Blain turning himself into a human turret during the film's siege scene or the moment after Blain's unfortunate demise when Schwarzenegger's Dutch consoles Mac, who can't look him in the face while saying "He was...uh...my friend". Now we all know that men aren't supposed to show emotion or have close relationships with others, at least according to movies, so it's easy to assume that Mac's extremely emotional response is coming from a deep, personal relationship with Blain. Sure, Blain makes a derogatory comment about homosexuals early in the film, but that's a common defense mechanism.

Mac is also a distant character from his peers for most of the film, quietly shaving on the flight and saying few words to anyone. He has a couple of run-ins with Weathers' character, who represents the military authority, and at one point threatens to "bleed" the character secretly and leave him dead. This resistance to authority is obviously a sign that Mac thinks the character is a threat to him. While he does vocalize that he fears Weathers' Dillon is "ghosting" the team, maybe there's a deeper issue for Mac. Don't Ask, Don't Tell, perhaps?

We also get Mac's teary reaction to Blain's death, both by him taking a drink in tears before leaving a beaten flask that must have had some sentimental value on his friend's mutilated body. Later he does exclaim, only to god and the heavens, about how it was "just you and me, nobody else" when reminiscing about his time with Blain. This scene, in the past, had been the one that most led me to believe my hypothesis: That Mac and Blain were secret lovers. Watching the movie again today, with this theory as my prime point of reference....I'm not as convinced as I once was.As I alluded to above, movies like Predator train us to think that "real" men are big and tough and don't do anything but be awesome and tell jokes. As a teen, it was easy for me to think about what was going on with Mac and safely think "Dude, those dudes must have been gay!" because of the emotion shown. The movie does take baby steps to prove that theory wrong, as Mac refers to Blain, post-mortem, as "bro"...not exactly a term of romantic affection. But it was Mac's deep emotional reaction that really took center stage, and it's the kind of reaction that movies generally hold for romantic relationships.

Maybe there is a hidden romance in Predator. I had planned this post as a confirmation, sure I would find the hidden key to my theory while watching the movie again, but instead I see it simply as a question that could be asked but doesn't appear to have tangible evidence in its favor. The fact that those smirking imbeciles, like myself have at least made the comments about it says just as much about the ideals movies try to impart among us in society as it does about the characters' sexuality. For me, my look back into Predator still leaves me feeling like there might have been more to Mac and Blain's relationship. But it also makes me think more about the stereotypes that have been set forth for our youth - and as someone who works with teenagers today, I know they're still out there.Feel free to weigh in with your views on Predator's secret relationship in the comments below. Heck, one could make the case that the entire film is about gay characters who're being hunted by a monster whose face is a vagina with teeth...but that's a different story for a different day.

Looking Back at the 2000s & Horror - Six Ghoulish Questions

Now that 10 years of horror have passed since Y2K rendered all electronics obsolete (Thank golly for the generator I've had running non stop, amirite?), I thought it would be nice to take a look back at the decade...and finally ask the six burning questions that I'm not sure I have the answers to. Let's hit it!

1. What's the deal with Warner Brothers? When's the last time they actually released a good horror flick?It has not been the best decade for the major studios and horror, but that's always been the case. But when you look at Warner Brothers' track record for the last 10 years, it's exceedingly bad. Some point to last year's Orphan as a success, and while I can almost see it, the film was too wrapped up in explaining every detail for my tastes. But when I look under the banner of Dark Castle Entertainment, Warner's horror label that's been active for 11 years now, the scary fact is that Orphan is easily the best film they've produced. Looking at Warner as a whole, I will give them a minor success on the forgettable Stephen King adaptation 1408 (which hit in Summer 2007, nearly 4 years ago now), but before that the last WB horror I could say I fully dug was 2002's Eight Legged Freaks - a fantastic B-Monster romp that's not gonna create many scares. For a studio that was behind The Haunting, The Exorcist, and The Shining, that's completely unacceptable.

(Of course, Warner could have helped to remedy this by NOT SITTING ON TRICK 'R TREAT FOR TWO AND A HALF YEARS and just releasing it to theaters instead, but we all know how that turned out.) *tear*

2. Where did the zombie uprising come from?

From 28 Days Later to the Dawn of the Dead remake and Shaun of the Dead to this year's Zombieland, it's safe to say that zombies made a comeback of unseen proportions in the 2000s. But what led to this? I like to point, surprisingly, at Wes Craven's Scream. No, there's no connection to zombies in that one, but I think the zombie movement of the 2000s is a direct response to the increasingly bloodless films of the late '90s. But is it all about blood? I think not. While Scream and its sort were trying to build terror out of tricky plots and surprise twists, I think a lot of people wanted to get horror back to its visceral roots. And what's more instinctive than simply trying to survive the night against a horde of undead flesh-eaters? Not much.

3. Who gave the best horror performances in the last decade?

Unlike the list of Warner horrors worth watching, this one was hard to narrow down. Without thinking, I'd come up with a short list that might include The Mist's Marcia Gay Hardin, Behind the Mask's Nathan Baesel, Let The Right One In's Kare Hedebrant & Lina Leandersson, and Slither's Gregg Henry.

If I have to pick a best lead actor, lead actress, and supporting performer, I might go with the obvious pick of Bruce Campbell in Bubba Ho-tep, the not as obvious pick of Jess Weixler in Teeth, and the out-of-the-blue Jake Weber in Dawn of the Dead. Weber's performance is one of my understated favorites in horror history, as he creates a simple character who's interesting and human, an everyman who I really cared about and wanted to see survive badly.4. Besides the zombies, what was the best trend in horror of the last decade?

If I had to look at one thing that helped the horror genre over the last decade, I'd look at the willingness of filmmakers to listen to the fans. Say what you want about the experiment known as Snakes on a Plane as a film, a lot of nerds got a jolt of pride out of fighting to see that one. This phenomenon evolved with last year's Paranormal Activity petitions which, unlike any other petition ever started by freaks on the web, ACTUALLY WORKED! Are you kidding me? WE, the people, have a say in where our genre's going! If this were any more bizarro world, there'd be a black president....oh wait....nevermind.

5. Who or what was the most important name in horror in the 2000s?

This is a tough one. Campbell making his comeback was a huge story, and a lot of directors like Neil Marshall, Ti West, and Eli Roth made impressive debuts. Sam Raimi continued to be a champion of the genre by backing Ghost House Productions while making Spider-Man flicks (and returning to the genre with Drag Me to Hell). But the biggest name in horror in the 2000s, in my mind, has to be the corporation who brought horror to DVD - Anchor Bay Entertainment. Halloween, Dawn of the Dead, Evil Dead, Bava, Argento, and plenty more horror titans made legions of new fans thanks to Anchor Bay's efforts, and while the company seemed to veer into cash grabs over time (How many packages can the same Evil Dead discs fit in?), it's safe to say that the horror community of 2010 owes plenty of thanks to Anchor Bay and their willingness to feed our strangest desires.

6. What was the best horror film of the 2000s?

If I had to throw together a short list based on personal preference, it'd include Scott Glosserman's Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, Neil Marshall's Dog Soldiers, Frank Darabont's The Mist, Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza's [REC], Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead, and James Gunn's Slither.If there was a gun to my head today and I absolutely HAD to pick one of those movies and leave every other movie I forgot to mention aside...I'd probably pick The Mist. Stephen King's story was a favorite of mine as a teen, and Darabont (minus a tacked on and unfaithful ending) nailed what I'd dreamed of for over a decade. It balanced on the line between monster flick, psychological thriller, spiritual examination, and creepy siege flick perfectly. And that works for me.

Like I said, I don't have all the answers - but those work for me at the minute. Got your own picks? That's why there are comments below. Leave 'em and let's work this stuff out!

Bruce vs. Frankenstein (My Name is Bruce 2) is a GO! Now What?

If you've been living outside a cave for the last hour or two, you probably don't know that Bruce Campbell has announced that production on Bruce vs. Frankenstein, a sequel to My Name is Bruce (review here) will begin this Fall! Now that that's been said, there's plenty of speculating to be done. With no delay, I present to you the 6 Biggest Questions The Mike has about Bruce vs. Frankenstein!

6. My Name is Bruce had a budget of peanuts and was shot primarily on Campbell's own property. Should we expect anything different this time?
My first guess on this one is NO. Though I'm sure the first film turned a heavy profit on DVD, I don't expect this one will get much backing from anyone. Plus, Campbell states the film will be shot in Oregon - which is where his property that the first film was shot on resides.

5. Should we expect any bigger names in the horror community to show up for the sequel?
Despite the first film featuring many folks from Campbell's work in the Evil Dead trilogy, the supporting cast didn't seem to know how to match the cheese of the star. Again, the budget will determine this answer. I'm sure we're not in for any Brad Pitts or George Clooneys joining this one, but we know Robert Englund likes work in the genre on the cheap, right? Wouldn't he be a great Dr. Frankenstein to match wits with Bruce?

4. Why doesn't George Clooney come home to the horror genre?
Come on, George. You can do better than Return of the Killer Tomatoes and Return to Horror High, even if something the quality of From Dusk Till Dawn is probably still out of reach. You've adapted from "TV doctor" to "superstar in Cary Grant suits", why not come back and ham it up with Bruce? Ah, The Mike can dream.

3. Who plays the monster, and how will he be portrayed?
My biggest concern with any adaptation of the Frankenstein story is the monster. Will we get a creature that's like the book's desperate-yet-adaptable-and-sympathetic creation? Or will it be a Karloff-esque imposing invalid? Either approach can work, but also can fail miserably. My random pick to play either kind of Franky Monster? The guy from Sherlock Holmes who used to be WWF's Kurrgan. Or, if we're going smarter, Clancy Brown who used to be Highlander's Kurrgan. Either way, Kurrgans work for this role.

2. Where will the plot go? How can a title like Bruce vs. Frankenstein meet the dreamy nightmares floating around in The Mike's head?
When it comes to the actual film, this is the biggest question in my mind. Are we saying Bruce has to face the monster or the doctor? Maybe Doc Frank wants to reanimate a corpse and give it the monster-ready mind of Ashley J. Williams himself? Maybe he's created a monster he never dreamed of, and thinks only Bruce Campbell can defeat it? Maybe Bruce meets a Doc Frankenstein who has not only a monster, but a Delorean that can transport Bruce back to Victorian times for a mere 1.21 Jigawatts? Seriously, I could ponder this one all day and not come up with a disappointing answer. Can the movie do the same?

1. Will the movie actually happen?
Seriously, how long have we been hearing about Bubba Nosferatu coming soon? Is Bruce just giving us false hope? For the sake of humanity, or at least for the sake of horror fans in all galaxies, I hope not.

That's all the questions I can get down before my brain explodes, but I'm sure I'll be pondering this one and eagerly anticipating any news as we go forward with 2010. If you've got questions, or better yet answers, hit up the comments below. If you're Bruce Campbell, you rock...and give me a call. You can make this one work, and I'm willing to help.